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Remain Campaign Contaminating Brexit Referendum With Foreign Money, Says Former Deputy Prime Minister Of New Zealand





Fiona Goodall/Getty Imagesby Nick Hallett Breitbart12 May 2016 222 commentsSpeaking at Westminster, Winston Peters, who also served as his countrys Foreign Minister and Treasurer, mocked suggestions Britain would suffer outside the European Union (EU) and said the UK would be welcomed by the Commonwealth.The British people are standing on the cusp of a truly exciting future, he said. It will not be easy to achieve that future but if theres one nation that can do it, it is the British.However, referring to the number of foreign-owned banks who favour a Remain vote, the former New Zealand Foreign Minister gave a stark warning:If a majority of British people are swayed by the undue influence of outside money, of foreign interests openly contaminating your nations referendum, then that would be a British people that frankly the Commonwealth really would not want.He also described foreign intervention in favour of the Remain campaign as a disgraceful trespass and attempted perversion of your democracy and took aim at foreign leaders such as Barack Obama and New Zealands own John Key, both of whom have said Britain should stay in the EU.Not one of those leaders asked their people first what they would think about it, or you people at all.He also accused Remain campaigners of not understanding history when they claim that Britain would be left isolated after leaving the EU: Anyone who thinks that the economy of that nation that once created the largest empire in history will be suddenly laid to ruin upon leaving the EU is greatly mistaken.As to claims the EU would punish Britain for leaving by excluding it economically, Mr Peters said that it simply does not have the clout to do so.A glance at the EU GDP growth figures in recent years suggests that option is not available to the EU, who will desperately need to cooperate with Britain in order to prop up their own economies.Once Britain has left the EU, Mr Peters said, its natural home will be in the Commonwealth, a group which it turned its back on when it joined the European Economic Community.The Commonwealth the UK will find in 2016 is very different to the one it turned its back on in 1973.Infrastructure has come on in leaps and bounds, the days of the Commonwealth having nothing but raw commodities are long gone.It is now a dynamic powerhouse crossing every time zone and trading session in the world. It covers nearly 30 million square kilometres, almost a quarter of the worlds land area. Its members can be found in every single inhabited continent, and together we have a population of over 2.3 billion.The Commonwealth could be a colossus, he added.However, he ruled out an EU-style system of open borders and free movement, saying this was unnecessary for free trade.Mr Peters is one of the first major foreign statesmen to speak out against the Remain campaign and in favour of British sovereignty.Last week, reported that Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump said he thought the UK would be better off outside the EU.I think the migration has been a horrible thing for Europe. A lot of that was pushed by the EU. I would say that theyre better off without it personally, but Im not making that as a recommendation  just my feeling  I would say that theyre better off without it, but I want them to make their own decision.
PLATTSMOUTH  More than 100 students marked a milestone in their lives Saturday morning when they officially became Plattsmouth High School alumni.

A total of 116 PHS seniors took part in the districts 126th commencement ceremony. Hundreds of people packed into the PHS gymnasium to watch an event that included multiple musical performances, several speeches and the presentation of diplomas.

Class of 2016 members filled the ceremony with vocal and instrumental performances. Zach Prall and Nolan Randall began the event with a song entitled Memories, and Prall, Randall, Josie Ptacek, Erica Ventura and Parker Cundall delivered The Star-Spangled Banner on the stage.

Cundall performed a solo guitar-and-vocal rendition of Green Days Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), and Kayla Blinston accompanied the senior choir on clarinet for a version of Goodbye, Then. Ptacek and Ventura finished the string of musical performances with a duet entitled For Good.

Class valedictorian Lauren Mitteis delivered a keynote speech based on the motto Cherish yesterday, live for today and reach for tomorrow. She encouraged classmates to strive for their goals and make the most of their opportunities. She also asked classmates to thank people in their lives who had helped them achieve success.

PHS Principal Jeff Wiles used lyrics from the popular country song Humble and Kind as the linchpin of his commencement speech. Wiles said students would experience multiple benefits from being humble, kind, honest, optimistic and helpful. He said those traits would help students follow a positive path in their future endeavors.

The Class of 2016 included eight members of National Honor Society. Paige Blankman, Connor DeSimone, April Graham, Chelsea Hobscheidt, Lauren Mitteis, Josie Ptacek, Season Rackley and Samantha West participated in the prestigious organization.

Twenty-three students graduated with honors for earning cumulative grade point averages of 3.50 or above. Sierra Albin, Laurel Bain, Paige Blankman, Allie Blecke, Kayla Blinston, Parker Cundall, Connor DeSimone, April Graham, Chelsea Hobscheidt, Logan Hoyt, Corhan Kress, Lauren Mitteis, Madison Parshall, Josie Ptacek, Season Rackley, Matt Rathman, Noah Sabatka, Dawson Siemonsma, Dylan Sohl, Maddy Tilson, Samantha West, Kristin Yelick and Dylan Zaliauskas earned the honors recognition.
Afghanistans main intelligence agency has initiated a secretive unit in southern Helmand Province with the aim of taking advantage of divisions within the Taliban movement.

According to government officials, the goal is to weaken the increasing threat posed by the insurgency by using the Talibans own tactics. The militants have boasted of placing agents among security forces to carry out so-called insider attacks.

The initiative comes at a time when fledgling Afghan forces are struggling to stop the Taliban from taking over large swathes of Helmand and other areas across the country.

Abdul Jabbar Qahraman, President Ashraf Ghani's special envoy for security affairs in the southern province, gave confirmation of the existence of the unit, whose members wear no uniform, but he declined to elaborate.

"The idea for the creation of the new contingent, which dresses like local Helmandis, was mine," said the official, a former commander who fought for the Soviet-backed government in southern Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Helmand police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said the 300-strong unit, created and equipped by the National Directorate of Security (NDS), had conducted several operations and has so far proved a success.

The NDS headquarters in Kabul did not respond to several requests for comment, although an official -- who declined to be identified -- at the agency in Helmand confirmed the unit's existence and the broad outlines of how it operates.

The Taliban themselves have confirmed the units existence but dismissed claims that it was successful in exploiting internal divisions, calling such suggestions propaganda.

"It is true that this contingent exists and operates mysteriously in some parts of Helmand," said Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, the Taliban's main spokesman in southern Afghanistan. "We have very strong intelligence and find those who want to infiltrate our ranks.

The NDS unit further complicates the situation in Helmand, a traditional stronghold of the Taliban and the center of the opium trade. In addition the insurgency, Helmand is a web of tribal and factional conflicts.

Deceit and double-cross have become commonplace in Helmand, and government forces are often the victim. In January, four rogue policemen killed nine comrades and stole their weapons before deserting to join the insurgents.

Afghan and NATO officials have frequently spoken of the difficulties faced by the Afghan National Army -- a largely Dari-speaking force relying heavily on recruits from northern Afghanistan -- in operating in Pashto-speaking Helmand.

One provincial official said the unit operates in Musa Qala and Nawzad, two central districts that government forces abandoned in February, as well as Marjah and Nad Ali, where the government maintains only tenuous control.

"Now the Taliban do not believe each other. They believe their colleagues may be infiltrated by the Afghan intelligence agency," he said.

Despite a relative lull in recent weeks allegedly due to the annual opium harvest, Helmand has witnessed months of heavy fighting. Government forces have been forced to abandon several districts and regroup around the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.

But the unit's reported successes have come at a price, according to local officials.

"It is a very good achievement by the Afghan government and has created splits within the Taliban," said Attaullah Afghan, a member of Helmands provincial council. But, he said, officials have received dozens of complaints from residents in districts like Nawzad and Khanishin.

"The Taliban are abusing ordinary people and even arresting some of them as spies for the Afghan government," he said.

According to local sources, a battle between rival Taliban fighters in the Nad Ali and Marjah districts that killed as many as 30 fighters on May 8 was set off by the special NDS unit.

They said members of the unit attacked a checkpoint manned by insurgents loyal to Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, creating the impression that they were on the side of Mansour's main rival, Mullah Mohammad Rasul.

The Taliban denied the fighting was between rival factions but did cite "bandits newly armed by Jabbar Qahraman."

"There is currently no fighting in the area, and the entire region has been cleansed of these newly formed bandits," Ahmadi said in a statement.

With reporting by Mohammad Stanekzai for Reuters
Des Moines and Cedar Rapids can lay claim to nesting sites for Iowas big three raptors  peregrine falcons, bald eagles and recently, ospreys.

The re-appearance of the fish-eating osprey has continued to slowly expand its presence in Iowa from the initial release of a five 42-day-old chicks at Lake Macbride in 1997 by the Macbride Raptor Project and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

It takes a long time to grow osprey numbers, said Pat Schlarbaum, wildlife diversity technician with the Iowa DNR. We strive for having a minimum of three nest pairs to sustain a population; five pairs to make it secure. We have six pairs in the Des Moines metro area so things are looking up.

Young ospreys were brought to Iowa from nests in Minnesota and Wisconsin. At 42 days old, osprey could not yet fly but they could tear fish apart on their own. After 10-14 days, they would fledge and it is at that time when they imprint on the area that they will consider as their home.

This really is a remarkable story, he said. They migrate 4,000 miles roundtrip from Iowa to Central and South America, and then after more than a year away find their way back to Iowa to nest.

There were two successful nestings in 2003  at Spirit Lake and Lake Macbride  which were the first documented osprey nests since before European settlement. Since then, the number of nests has continued on a trend of slow growth to now possibly more than 25 nesting pairs statewide. Schlarbaum said Iowa may be home to four new nesting pairs this year, and possibly more.

One second-year nest on the Wells Fargo campus in West Des Moines has captured the interest of many as the ospreys exploits can be seen around the world at http://www.iowadnr.gov/ Conservation/Osprey-Cam. The high profile pair has produced three eggs, which should begin hatching during the first part of June.

This is reality TV in the flesh, he said.
WATERLOO  U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, laughs off any speculation she will be presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps running mate.

Instead, she says she is focused on Iowa right now.

We havent heard anything from their campaign, so its a lot of to-do about probably nothing, so Im very much focused on Iowa, Ernst said.

Ernst demonstrated the sincerity of that statement Friday by making a half-dozen stops in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area, touring businesses, holding a town hall and hosting a candidate fundraiser.

Among her stops was an inaugural trip to TechWorks to see the 3-dimensional printing operation in person after her staff had made previous stops.

TechWorks staff and students took Ernst through the process  from design to finished product  during a 45-minute tour. One example they used for the retired Iowa National Guard lieutenant colonel was printing a fuel system component for an F-35C joint strike fighter plane.

If we can save time and money on such a large project, we need to be looking at that technology and utilizing that, Ernst said after the tour. It was fantastic.

Jerry Thiel, Metal Casting Center director, explained how the 3-D printing allows for a quicker turnaround of products, narrowing the time to completion from about 10 weeks to 12 days.

Ernst also highlighted the importance of the center in keeping jobs and young people in the state, as well as the focus on STEM areas  science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Aside from TechWorks, Ernst also toured Ritchie Industries in Conrad and Tyson Foods in Waterloo.

By the end of her Friday stops, Ernst said she will have been through 48 of Iowas 99 counties as part of a statewide tour.

Ernsts final stop Friday took her to a fundraiser for Iowa Senate District 30 Republican candidate Bonnie Sadler.

She signed on to be a part of the fundraiser in the hopes of giving Republicans the edge in the Iowa Senate where she used to be a member, and in the minority throughout her tenure.

When I left the state Senate, I just made that promise that I would say involved and active with the state Senate and try and push into that majority so that we can get more of our bills through, make sure were working with the governor, just working for the betterment of Iowa, Ernst said.

So this is one way that Im able to contribute back is just be involved with our candidates.
DES MOINES  Woodbury Countys drug court has succeeded in its goal of getting some drug offenders through the rehabilitation program, thus keeping them out of jail, and it would be devastating if the program suffered any cuts because of insufficient state funding, a program official says.

But budget cuts are an unfortunate reality facing agencies and programs within Iowas judicial system, says Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady.

The judicial branchs $182 million budget appropriation is more than $5 million less than is needed, Cady said recently in an interview with the Quad-City Times. And because of that funding gap, state judicial system staff and programs may be on the chopping block.

We will consider cutting back, Cady said. Cuts do have a real effect on the services Iowans need.

Iowas judicial system includes more than 1,900 employees throughout all of the states 99 counties.

Cady said he will work through the judicial system budget with state Court Administrator David Boyd to determine where cuts will be made. Both have said cuts are challenging because 95 percent of the systems budget goes to personnel.

That means furloughs and layoffs are possible, Cady said.

Also under the funding microscope are specialty courts, like drug and mental health courts, which are rehabilitation programs of sorts operated by judicial system personnel.

Sadly, I have to consider all options, Cady said.

The specialty courts have been popular and, officials say, successful.

Woodbury Countys drug court has a completion rate that is above the national average, and would be in danger of losing officers if state funding wanes, said Gary Niles, the chief juvenile court officer for Iowas 3rd Judicial District, which covers 16 counties in northwest Iowa.

Niles said drug courts benefit individuals and families by keeping drug offenders out of jail, and benefit by the state because the programs are less expensive than jailing the person.

It doesnt make sense to push these problems off until these young people become adults. Then they end up in the prison system and cost us much more money, Niles said.

Niles praised the leadership of Cady and Boyd, and said he trusts them to make the best decisions possible for the state justice system given the available funding.

Nonetheless, Niles said, Woodbury County drug court personnel are concerned.

We have great leadership in the judicial branch. Were very confident theyre going to do everything they can to preserve our drug courts and get through this year somehow, Niles said, adding, Were very, very concerned. We have a lot of staff that are very concerned, and rightfully so.

Niles said drug court staff would rather take furloughs to spread out the cuts rather than see positions eliminated.

Were a court team, and were going to make whatever happens work, Niles said. Were just hoping that through attrition and some other things well be able to make up a lot of the difference.

Boyd said last month that in addition to layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours, the court will consider not filling judgeship vacancies and eliminating raises for judges.

State Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, who was the House chair of the judicial budget committee, said he knew the state funding level would put a pinch on the judicial system, but said state revenue growth was not sufficient to support increases in that or many other areas of the state budget.

We knew it was going to put a stress on every department within the justice systems, Worthan said. I dont envy their position to have to work through what they have to work with.

Cady said he understands legislators faced difficult budget decisions. But he also said a judicial system requires funding to operate, and that funding has to come from somewhere.

Its not really fair for the people within the judiciary to have to finance justice, Cady said.
HAMPTON  The engineer for a renovation at the Hampton Public Library has found a way to reduce the cost of rebuilding the curved wall of the historic building, which was delaying the entire project.

Ben Wolf of SEH of Mason City told the City Council last week that steel studs can be used for the interior of the wall, which will reduce the construction cost by $32,000, according to City Manager Ron Dunt.

The original plan was to use concrete block and brick for the interior.

The new plan, like the original plan, calls for a brick veneer for the exterior of the wall.

The change will result in an additional $7,700 in engineering and architectural fees, which the City Council approved Thursday.

The council directed Wolf to put together the final plans and specifications for the change and bring them to the next meeting so the council can review them and keep the project moving, Dunt said.

The city planned in 2014 to build an outdoor courtyard at the library, pave the gravel parking lot to the east and add an entrance to the childrens room, but it was discovered the curved wall of the 110-year-old building was structurally unsound.

Plans were made to spend $130,000 to fix the wall so the renovation could be completed, but engineers discovered the situation was even worse than they originally believed.

This meant the entire wall has to be demolished and rebuilt, which would have added another $91,000 to the cost with the original plan.

The city has received more good news regarding the curved wall, according to Dunt.

Hampton resident Belen Crabbe says she will donate $10,000 if the rest of the community raises another $100,000 for that portion of the renovation, he said.
Ruth M. Molstad

MASON CITY  Ruth M. Molstad, 93, of Mason City, IA, died Friday, May 13, 2016, at Good Shepherd Health Center.

Funeral services will be held 11a.m. Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., with Pastor Rich Murray of Opportunity Village officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 16, 2016, at Major Erickson Funeral Home. Interment will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Ruth Molstad memorial fund in care of the family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City, IA 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.
MASON CITY  One of the contingencies of the downtown redevelopment project is the sale of Southbridge Mall to a new private entity, according to City Administrator Brent Trout.

The city is seeking $10 million through the Iowa Reinvestment Act to help leverage a $36.2 million project that includes a downtown hotel, ice arena and multipurpose center, parking ramp, retail and residential building and a music pavilion.

The city submitted a pre-application for the state funding in March 2015 which was approved. It submitted a final application earlier this year.

Trout said after the pre-application was filed, the law changed in mid-stream requiring new private ownership of the mall instead of the current bank ownership.

The financially troubled mall went into foreclosure in May 2012 and was placed into receivership with the Chicago office of Jones Lang LaSalle.

In December 2012, CIII Corp. bought the mall at a sheriffs sale for $8.8 million and retained Jones Lang LaSalle to manage it.

T.J. Just, an employee of Jones Lang LaSalle, has been the mall manager since March 2013.

The mall has a current assessed valuation of just over $5 million, according to Mason City Assessor Dana Naumann.

She said that valuation could change, however, because US Bank has filed an appeal of the valuation with the Mason City Board of Review, which is expected to make a ruling on the assessment May 31.

Trout said he thinks the plans for the ice arena/multipurpose center enhance the malls marketability.

City officials have been required to submit monthly progress reports to the state. They want to be up to date on what weve done so far and what needs to be done, said Trout.

He said he doesnt see the sale of the mall as being a problem.

They (Iowa Economic Development Authority) know its a contingency and there is no timetable for final approval, he said.

On another aspect of the downtown plan, Philip Chodur, developer of the planned Marriott hotel, will present his concept development plans to the citys Development Review Committee on May 17.

He has hired an architect and is ready to proceed, said Trout.
SIOUX CITY  Scott Chaussee has never been a fan of Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King.

Chaussee, of Sioux City, said he doesnt like the conservative Republicans voting record on social program funding or his opposition to same-sex marriage, so hed love to see Kings House career end after 14 years in 2016.

Therefore, Chaussee, a registered Democrat, plans to switch his voter registration and vote in the June 7 Republican primary not for King but for his GOP challenger, state Sen. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City.

Ive never, ever voted Republican in my life. This guy, (King) is against everything I stand for, Chaussee said. And I dont even like Bertrands policies, but I cant stand Kings policies.

Tim Bottaro, a former Woodbury County Democratic Party chairman, will also vote in the Republican primary for Bertrand. And Diane Hamilton, a Democrat from Storm Lake, is giving serious consideration to doing so as well.

I dont know if any Democrat can ever beat (King), so maybe this is the answer, to have a Republican beat him, Hamilton said, pointing to the huge voter registration edge held by Republicans, 184,182 to 123,345, in the 4th district, which spans 39 counties in Northwest and north central Iowa.

Bertrand, a two-term state senator, surprised political observers when he decided to take on King, who is generally popular among conservative voters. While Republicans are deciding which of the two to support, there has been speculation that Democrats who dont like King would cross over to vote for Bertrand to knock King out. The winner of the Republican race will face the only Democratic candidate, Kim Weaver, of Sheldon, in the November general election.

If a slew of Democrats move his way, Bertrands chances of winning the primary likely would increase. But based on voter registration totals, if there is a big move by Democrats to aid Bertrand, it will be a late-breaking phenomenon.

Democratic Party officials  either on the state, district or county level  are not publicly pushing any plans to have their voters switch allegiance for a day to back Bertrand.

One factor many county party chairmen cited is that four Democrats (Patty Judge, Rob Hogg, Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause) are running in a primary on the same day to determine who will advance as nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fall.

Another reason Democrats at least in Woodbury County would want to not change registrations is to take part in a county supervisor primary race matching incumbent Mark Monson and challenger Marty Pottebaum.

Additionally, former Woodbury County Democratic Party Chairman Al Sturgeon, of Sioux City, said the Democrats-help-Bertrand strategy has withered away, given that Bertrands campaign hasnt seemed to have taken traction over the two months since he joined the race.

Unless Rick Bertrand has some cards hes not showing, he is going to get shellacked ... It is just stunning, the silence you are hearing out of his campaign, Sturgeon said.

Bertrand said he is not focused on getting Democrats as a part of his strategy. Hes been speaking primarily to Republican and independent voters on the campaign trail.

You cant run in a Republican primary and try to get Democrats. I will say that I think the independents are moving right now, I get a lot of support from them ... We are focused on independents and we are focused on turnout, Bertrand said.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad said it is possible some Democrats would change registrations to vote against King. He cited the last high-profile Iowa GOP primary involving an incumbent, when then-Northwest Iowa Congressman Fred Grandy, of Sioux City, challenged Branstad, who was running for re-election. Branstad narrowly won that 1994 primary.

I think over 30 percent of the people that voted in Polk County were not Republican the day before the election. So the ability to change your registration before the election or on election day is something thats been around for a long time, and I think thats just a fact of life that you have to recognize under the Iowa system, Branstad said.

Tim Moran, Kings campaign manager, said he monitors voter registration trends in the 4th District counties and sees no evidence of a Democrat crossover.

And given their (Democratic) competitive primary for the US Senate nomination, we dont anticipate any significant change in party registrations this primary season, Moran said.

Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Monica Biddix said the state party isnt pushing a Democrats-for-Bertrand strategy, and Weaver herself isnt either.

I absolutely would not encourage Democrats to switch to the Republican party to vote for Bertrand in the primary and have said so when asked, Weaver said.

If they want to see Steve King out of Congress then they can sign up with my campaign to volunteer for me, she continued. Let the Republicans decide who will be on their ballot line. In the meantime, we have a lot of ground to cover.

Woodbury County Deputy Auditor Steve Hofmeyer said voters can switch their registrations through election day. They would have to wait about a week after the primary to switch their registration again.

Hofmeyer said those changes processed in the county office have seen voters primarily switching from Democratic to No Party to Republican registrations. Hofmeyer said none who switched to the Republican Party voiced that they were doing that in order to vote for Bertrand, so he couldnt speak to any rationale for the switches.

Woodbury County active voter registrations on April 1 included 17,875 Democrats and 19,207 Republicans, while on Thursday the totals were 17,825 Democrats and 19,293 Republicans. The number of registered Republicans jumped 77 from Monday to Thursday.

Additionally, in two larger counties in the 4th District  Story and Cerro Gordo  voter registrations havent changed much. Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said none of the four office workers have heard any of the residents changing registrations out of a desire to vote against King.

The number of registered Republicans in Story County from April 1 to Thursday dropped by 16 from 17,800 to 17,784, while the number of Democratic registrations fell by 14 to 18,687. Over the same six weeks in Cerro Gordo, the number of registered Democrats rose by 1 to 8,941 and the number of Republicans increased by 20 to 8,318.

More toward the center of the 39-county district, Webster and Carroll counties dont appear primed to steer Democrats to Team Bertrand. Webster County Democratic Party Chairwoman Julie Goepfert, of Fort Dodge, said there is no concerted effort by the county party and she doesnt know any Democrats who are going to vote against King.

That is highly unlikely, because of our contested Senate race. When we have four candidates to run against Grassley, I dont see a lot of crossover to Steve Kings race, Goepfert said.

Carroll County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Tracy, of Carroll, said there is no movement to aid Bertrand in the attempt to oust King. Tracy said Bertrand is a nicer version of Steve King, but their politics are from the same Republican playbook.
It started with bedrooms. Now it involves bathrooms. What is it about other peoples private lives that make some people go nuts?

What causes legislators to create laws to solve problems that dont exist? Why do some people hate government action  except when it suits their purposes, immoral though those may be?

We are talking about the ridiculous new law in North Carolina that says that transgender men and women must use public bathrooms of the sex stated on their birth certificates, not the sex with which they identify.

For once, Donald Trump said something sane. To wit, Caitlyn Jenner may use whatever bathroom she wants to use in Trump Tower.

Ted Cruz, who to our great relief exited the race for president, tried to stir people up about the North Carolina law. It is simply crazy ... that grown men would be allowed alone in a bathroom with little girls  you dont need to be a behavioral psychologist to realize bad things can happen.

Being transgender has nothing to do with pedophilia, for heavens sake. And bathroom stalls have doors for a reason: privacy.

Does federal law, especially the Civil Rights Act, bar discrimination against transgender men and women? Yes, says the federal government. No, says the state of North Carolina.

Consequently, we are proud of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who gave a brilliant defense of the Obama administrations position that North Carolinas law is no better than Jim Crow laws that discriminated against black Americans.

America is moving haltingly but inexorably toward fairness, inclusion and equality, she said.

She said that North Carolinas bathroom law provides no boon to society. All it does is strip individuals of their dignity and respect, she said. States cannot legislate peoples identity.

She asked us to write a different story from the past chapters of intolerance: America must never again rob its people of their innate dignity or treat them as second-class citizens.

That is the America we should all want, not a country that permits some states to write laws that cruelly discriminate against people for something beyond their control, for behavior that hurts nobody.

States should not be able to pass laws that humiliate and discriminate against someone because of their color, their religion or their gender.

Whether or not you are a Christian conservative or a committed religious believer of any other sort, you should not be able to demand that you should be able to throw stones, humiliate or destroy the life of someone just because you dont understand the path he or she walks. That is what the Taliban does. That is what the Islamic State does.

This is a country that does not impose religious beliefs on others. At least, that was the intent of the founding fathers. And mothers, bless their unsung hearts.

So North Carolinas absurd bathroom law is going to the courts. North Carolina insists it has the right to pass whatever laws it wants. The federal government insists North Carolina may not pass laws that inherently discriminate, and, if push comes to shove, it may withhold billions of dollars it gives North Carolina each year in benefits.

The courts will not rule to uphold discrimination. Meanwhile, businesses and entertainers by the score are warning North Carolina that they will not do business in a state that attempts to legalize impermissible discrimination and hatred by embarrassing laws that cant and wont be enforced.

The physically beautiful state of North Carolina, now personified by the egregiously bigoted state legislature and its governor, Pat McCrory, is being ridiculed around the world and for very good reason. What they are doing is evil.

Lynch noted correctly that change is discomforting and that people fear what they do not know or understand.

But that does not give them the right to impose pain and suffering, humiliation and denial of civil rights and lack of respect on others.

It is distressing that with all our problems, causing misery and inciting anger and hatred are still front and center in U.S. politics.

As Lynch pledged to the transgender community: We see you. We stand with you. And we will do everything we can to protect you going forward. History is on your side. ... It may not be easy. We will get there together.
We have many questions about what we see as the clumsily handled, secrecy-shrouded parting of the ways between the Mason City School Board and school district Superintendent Anita Micich. But three questions stand out:

What happened to create this ugly split that will result in the schools top administrator leaving a year earlier than her contract called for?

What will School Board members tell taxpayers and students to explain it all?

What will they tell prospective candidates for the superintendents job to assure them this is a position where theyll be allowed to flourish, grow and mold their staff to operate the district as they believe it should be?

We dont know the answers because Wednesdays announcement that Micich would end her contract a year early took just three minutes. The 6-0 decision (with one member abstaining for unexplained reasons) came after a number of closed-door meetings in recent weeks dealing with personnel evaluations and a possible lawsuit. No one has said those meetings were about Micich, but we can guess they were.

Although Micich has answered some of our questions and talked about her reaction to the situation, the School Board members have been silent, other than to say they will begin looking for Micichs replacement.

Brewing troubles had been hinted at. In July 2015 the board awarded Micich a two-year non-rolling contract. Superintendents generally are given three-year rolling contracts, renewed and extended each year. Mark Dodd, board president at the time, said the agreement provided the incoming board with maximum flexibility. In September 2015, four new members were elected to the School Board.

Since then, Clear Lake, which shared Micichs services with Mason City in what seemed a rousing success that benefited both districts, decided to go its own way. No offense to Micich, they said. They liked what she had done, but just wanted their own superintendent who would spend more time in the district since they were hiring a new elementary principal and beginning a teacher leadership program. Micich reverted to serving only as Mason City superintendent.

But something obviously went awry, something to make the board want to dump Micich at all costs  and the costs are eye-popping. We learned Thursday that among terms of the agreement, which Micich has signed, she will collect salary and benefits worth at least $285,000, including half of her salary for 2016-17  $93,910  paid by July 15, as well as a tax-sheltered annuity contribution of $37,500 and early retirement payment of $55,055 by July 15 and vacation pay paid in two different chunks.

Thus on June 5, Micich will walk away with a settlement and the School Board will be left with what seems like a mess.

Other school administrators weve talked to say they are looking ahead.

Mike Penca, executive director for learning supports and pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade programs, said the districts focus will be on our students and finishing the school year strong.

Hoover Elementary School Principal Barb Wells said she was very sad and concerned, but said she believes the district is strong and will work through leadership changes.

We are confident most staff and administrators will push ahead to make the best of the situation. We hope the School Board does as well, although were not certain given what weve learned  make that, havent learned  in recent days.

Were concerned because we havent heard one word about what caused this split. Micich says she met all of the obligations the board set out, and that all of her previous evaluations by the district have been positive.

Were concerned because $285,000 is an enormous amount of money. Given what it will cost to find and hire a new superintendent, the price tag for this whole episode could approach half a million dollars. We dont know where the settlement money will come from, either, something taxpayers have a right to know. School district Business Manager John Berg would only say Thursday that funding sources are being determined pending legal advice.

Were concerned because these are elected officials and we believe constituents deserve an explanation of their actions  certainly, much more than a terse statement read at a three-minute meeting.

Were concerned because we have to believe young people in our district will see this as questionable leadership, perhaps a tug of war between two factions.

Were concerned because we cant imagine what the board will tell prospective superintendent candidates who are bound to ask all the questions we have and more. We can only hope they get the answers they need  answers the public hasnt so far  and that they see the good things happening in Mason City schools. We hope they connect with some of the administrators and educators making the district strong, find out what a good place Mason City is to live, and learn that this situation with Micich truly is an anomaly.

To find answers to some of the questions, on Friday the Globe Gazette filed an open records request with the school district for documents, including emails and other communication between Micich, the districts attorney and members of the School Board, detailing the decision-making process behind her exit.

We understand that school boards and other public bodies are entitled to take some personnel matters behind closed doors. But limiting information to a baseline of whats legally required will always result in questions and mistrust surrounding a decision that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our transparency expectations for public officials are higher than that.

This board should have shared more about this situation, and it could have. It chose not to at each step in this process.

Were disappointed in how this incident was handled. District residents deserve more from those they elected to be guardians of their tax dollars and their children.
May 15, 2016 04:45 ET | Source: Lauritz.com A/S Lauritz.com A/S

Swedish Danish English

Lauritz.com has signed a 5-year Partnering Agreement for operation of the Lauritz.com auction house in Hamburg as from 1 July 2016
MANHATTAN, Kan., May 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kansas chiropractor Nichols Chiropractic is pleased to announce the addition of an effective new therapy to their suite of services. The innovative iTrac Therapy System allows for targeted relief of cervicogenic headaches, neck and back pain, TMJ Disorders, as well as modern issues like text neck.

Dr. Nichols of Nichols Chiropractic is a pioneer in iTrac Therapy and serves on the clinical support team for Pivotal Health Solutions, assisting other chiropractors in integrating the therapy within their own clinics. In addition to relieving headaches and neck pain, iTrac Therapy also helps to alleviate pain from back and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues, all without the need for medication.

The American Council for Headache Education and National Institute of Neurological Disorders report that 95 percent of women and 90 percent of men experience headaches. Around eight out of ten people use a chronic forward head posture during texting and other activities, a direct contributor to these symptoms.

Forward head posture strains and stresses the neck muscles and ligaments as well as the discs of the cervical spine. This causes the neck to become vulnerable to dysfunction and injury. There is also increased discomfort and pain in the neck, head and back. Forward head posture and cervical spine issues are also major contributors to TMJ pain and dysfunction.

In general, forward head posture is a primary source of many head, neck and back conditions. Unfortunately, technology and modern innovations are actually setting the stage for even more problems caused by forward head posture. Whenever people use a computer or smartphone, most tend to lean forward from the neck to view the screen. Over time, many people adopt a forward head posture as their normal way of using these devices, which can cause stress and strain on the cervical spine.

iTrac therapy protocols help to restore normal neck and head posture. This in turn eliminates a main factor underlying headaches, neck and back pain and TMJ disorders. iTrac is a cervical curve remodeling system that safely corrects cervical spine abnormalities. The iTrac Therapy System relieves pain by gently and effectively restoring the neck curve, correcting forward head posture.

Dr. Jarrod Nichols, DC, CSCS explains, When the head is properly aligned, the entire body tends to naturally fall into alignment. iTrac begins with the head and neck to help restore correct spinal alignment. After iTrac, our patients report less headaches, less neck and back pain, and fewer TMJ symptoms in addition to general improvement in their quality of life.

Nichols Chiropractic is located at 2749 Pembrook Place in Manhattan, Kansas. Those in the public who have further questions or who would like to book an appointment may do so by calling (785) 537-2211. Additional information about the clinic can also be found by visiting the Nichols Chiropractic website at http://www.nicholschiropractic.com/.
Here's our take on it.

Official Explanation:

The sentence discusses several actions using the simple past tense: the Society launched a project, the Dictionary was born, and the project took more than 60 years to complete. Logically, these actions cannot all have happened at the same moment, so it is inappropriate to use the simple past tense for every action. The birth and launch are the same thing, and so took place at the same time, but the completion took place 60 years later. Look for a choice that indicates this difference in time.(A) This choice is incorrect as it uses the simple past tense for actions that must have taken place at different times in the past.(B) The first verb has changed to would have taken. This conditional form changes the meaning, implying that the books completion was only hypothetical; it did not actually occur. Consider this example: the test normally would have taken 3 hours to complete, but she finished early.(C) The present participle being is used with the progressive tense to indicate a continuing or ongoing action. Logically, however, the Dictionary's start must have been at a single point in time, rather than over the course of the book's development. The sentence also illogically implies that the launched and took 60 years actions occurred simultaneously.(D) CORRECT. This choice uses an unusual (but completely acceptable) construction. Would take is an example of a future tense written from the point of view of the past. For example, consider this conversation: I will go to the movies with you. What? I didnt hear you. I said I would go to the movies with you. In the last sentence, the word would is an example of a future tense from a past point of view: I said (in the past) that I would (in the future) go to the movies with you. This timeframe fits the actions given in the problem: the Dictionary was born (at a point in time in the past) and would take more than 60 years (from that point in time forward) to complete.(E) This choice incorrectly adopts the construction was about to be born, which conflicts with the non-underlined portion of the sentence. The first half of the sentence indicates that the project was launched in 1860 in the past tense, making any reference to the book being about to be born at some future point in time incorrect._________________
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The head of the second-largest police union in New York called for Commissioner Bill Bratton's resignation Sunday. Ed Mullins, President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, stressed "It's time that we start to set the department straight, and if we need to make changes at the top, I personally think Bratton has stayed too long, and it's time to."

Mullins voiced his lack of confidence in Bratton while discussing the FBI's ongoing investigation of possible corruption throughout the NYPD and City Hall. The SBA leader had been a guest on billionaire Gristedes CEO John Catsimatidis's AM radio program. Mullins admitted that the NYPD's public image is in need of a boost, and suggested that department top brass needs "to set an example of leadership going forward. And I just don't see that happening."

As many as nine NYPD officers have been reprimanded as a result of the FBI corruption investigation, which focuses on high-ranking officials within the department being bribed with trips and money in return for favors. The federal probe has reportedly also lead to the arrest of Alex "Shaya" Lichtenstein, who allegedly paid off the police for expedited gun licenses. On Friday afternoon, Michael Ameri, the NYPD's Highway Patrol, took his own life. Ameri had been repeatedly questioned in connection with the FBI's case.

Mullins suggested in his interview that high-ranking officials in the NYPD rarely received punishment as severe as lower-level cops. "What I am seeing on a regular basis now at the NYPD is, its a do as I say, not a do as I do attitude  and this is coming directly from Commissioner Bratton," Mullins said on the radio program. Were seeing hypocrisy.

Sunday's interview is not the first time the SBA leader has publicly criticized Commissioner Bratton. When an NYPD sergeant was stripped of her badge for "doing nothing" during the 2014 Staten Island standoff that led to Eric Garner's death, Mullins was livid. "The only one who should be charged with failure to supervise is Commissioner Bratton. He was in charge of the NYPD during the Garner incident and ultimately bears the responsibility of failed policies that lead to the enforcement of an act that sadly caused the death of Eric Garner. Brattons actions are nothing more than political pandering and a failure in leadership and character," Mullins said. However, when Mullins learned of the city's $5.9 million settlement payment to Garner's surviving family, he called the figure an "obscene" injustice against taxpayers and claimed "Mr. Garners family should not be rewarded simply because he repeatedly chose to break the law and resist arrest."

Speaking of Bratton's leadership today, Mullins criticized Bratton for sending a message of entitlement and disconnect from the public's perception of the NYPD. "We have issues of integrity and I think at this point in time its really a matter of trust to the public," he said. "Were struggling with racial tension in the city. Were struggling with discipline issues. And yet we have a hypocrisy thats coming right from the top, and I think it has to stop.

[h/t NY Daily News]
In March, a video was posted to YouTube showing NYPD macing a man and then restraining him in what the uploader described as a "body bag," zipping it all the way over the arrested man's head. The bag, which we learned is called an EDP bag (but sometimes referred to as a "burrito"), is used to restrain people who are emotionally disturbed, and there don't appear to be any guidelines for the NYPD specifying EDP usage. The New York Times has a piece out today on the restraining devices, and reports that they were used 122 times between January 1st and April 20th in 2016. That comes out to more than once a day.

The man restrained in the bag in the video posted in March allegedly failed to pay his subway fare, the Times reports, and he's said to have became violent when officers tried to arrest him, flailing his arms, kicking, and spitting. He allegedly struck one officer in the head with his elbow and injured another. He now faces charges for felony assault, among othersbut his lawyer, Andrew Miller, says that's completely backwards.

"He was the victim of the assault, instead of the other way around," Miller said, calling the officers' actions "excessive and totally unreasonable."

According to the product description for a similar bag as the one that appeared in the video, "the EDP Bag deploys in a split second and can be used to secure an EDP (emotionally disturbed person) in just moments. The fabric is strong and allows fluids to pass through, and can be cleaned and decontaminated easily after each use." It retails at about $750.

As the NYPD told us after we contacted them about the video, "the EDP restraint device is used by ESU when an EDP is violent and may cause harm to themselves or others." But the NYPD's ESU doesn't have the best history: in 2012, for example, ESU officers who were responding to a call for an ambulance would up shooting and killing Mohamed Bah, who was naked and, police said, wielding a knife in his apartment.

According to the Times, the NYPD has been using restraints like this for 25 years, and says that only "highly trained" ESU members are authorized to use them. But Carla Rabinowitz, an advocacy coordinator at Community Access, an organization that helps people with mental illness, has called the use of the bags "dehumanizing" and "dangerous," and recently wrote a letter to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Susan A. Herman and Deputy Chief Theresa Tobin denouncing the department's use of the bags.

"Use of such restraint traumatizes a person in emotional distress and exacerbates the condition and experience of the crisis for the individual," Rabinowitz told the Times. "It is a dehumanizing tactic, and promotes stigma against people with mental health issues...If people in the mental health community find out that their fate is to be put in a body bag, they will fight even harder to not get into a body bag."

Nonetheless, use of the bags appears relatively routinethough zipping them over the restrained person's head, as was done in the inciting video, seems rarer. Attorney David Rankin, who has represented clients that have been restrained in EDP bags, told us in March that he'd never heard of the bag being zipped over someone's head. And a source who works in the psychiatric emergency room of a New York City hospital said that she sees the "burritos" on a weekly basis, but has never seen one used to move someone, or cover a patient's head.
BILLINGS -- A Floridian who introduced himself to Becky Stahl at a Billings trade show last year offered her a business proposal that she had never experienced in more than a decade of running her business, Beckys Berries.

He was this young man and he said he wanted to sell Montana-made products at farmers markets in Florida, Stahl said. Floridas season for farmers markets starts late in the year, pretty much opposite of Montanas summer-oriented season, she said.

Stahl welcomed the opportunity to sell more of the jams, jellies, sauces and syrups that she makes in Absarokee. So far, both parties have benefited from the arrangement.

Im amazed at what he has been selling, Stahl said. He would put in an order every Monday.

Stahl sells her products at dozens of retailers in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Many of her top customers cater to tourists. Its no simple matter to calculate what percentage of customers who buy her products live outside Montana. But Stahl believes that many who place orders at her website, www.beckysberries.com, became familiar with her products after visiting the Big Sky State.

We have shipped to a lot of people who said they were in Montana and they had bought it, and they wanted to buy our products for family and friends, Stahl said.

Stahl said her business continues to grow. Part of that growth might be attributed to the unique story behind Beckys Berries. She still has fond memories of picking berries along mountain streams while growing up in a Montana Hutterite colony. The recipes she uses in her business were inspired by the jams and jellies made by Hutterite women.

It stands to reason that most of the 11.7 million out-of-state residents who visited Montana last year spent money for things like restaurant meals, gasoline, motel rooms and groceries. But new research by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana shows that many travelers are seeking out Montana-made products that provide an authentic reminder of their visit.

In general, the more money that tourists spend on locally-produced goods -- perhaps craft beer or locally baked goods as opposed to a rubber tomahawk made in Taiwan -- the more the community benefits. Thats because money spent on local products continues to circulate in the economy. Money thats spent on imported goods exits through a phenomenon known as economic leakage, researchers say.

Noting the place of origin and type of products and services can further establish the strength or weakness of the economic leakage to an area, says the report, authored by Kara Grau and Norma Nickerson of UM.

More research in the area of tourism expenditures is needed, they say. But the survey helps confirm the idea that local economies prosper when visitors spend money on local products.

Whats more, certain types of tourists, those identified as strong geotravelers, spent more in the local community than people who just may be passing through. Geotourism was defined as sustaining and enhancing the local geographic character of place, including the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well-being of the local people.

Geotourism seeks to provide people with "authentic experiences" by focusing on the unique qualities associated with a particular destination, Grau said.

The researchers measured spending habits by surveying travelers at gas stations, rest areas and airports during the first nine months of 2015. Travelers were asked how much they spent on lodging, food, motor fuel, restaurant meals, bar purchases, groceries, guide service, Montana-made products and several other categories.

Sixteen percent of those surveyed purchased locally-made products or services. More importantly, those who purchased local products spent nearly $184 more than those who bought no Montana-made products.

Furthermore, travelers who purchased Montana-made products were more likely to be on vacation, they tended to be domestic travelers and were more likely to have flown into Montana. On average, they spent 4.39 more days in Montana than travelers who hadnt bought any local products.

Food, beer and souvenirs were the three most popular categories among travelers who purchased Montana-made products.

We've certainly been covering/addressing geotravelers in our research, but our 2015 nonresident data is the first time we've been able to look more closely at the Made in Montana spending, which is certainly a component of geotraveler characteristics, Grau wrote in an email.

Derek Aspinwall, chief executive officer of Aspinwall Mountain Wear, said there are benefits to participating in the Made in Montana merchandise branding program thats run through the Montana Department of Commerce. Products that meet the criteria are authorized to carry the Made in Montana sticker or tag.

We do see a bit of a bump as long as our products are competitively priced compared to something thats not made in Montana, Aspinwall said.

A lot of people think Made in Montana means huckleberry jam. But when we plop down shirts from Montana, its a cool way to market and advertise the state, Aspinwall said. Some people dont care if a shirt is made in Montana, but it definitely doesnt hurt, as long as the price is similar."

Sarah Widener said she first took up beading as a teenager. Her grandmother, Roseann Boyd, taught her.

I really enjoy it, Widener said. Its very therapeutic.

Sewing hundreds of beads in a detailed pattern requires plenty of dexterity and a fair amount of patience. As you go along you get quicker and more creative, she said.

Widener began selling her beaded crafts at powwows, then opened a retail store, Native American Beadwork by Sarah, in Billings several months ago.

Her crafts carry a unique tag: Native American Made in Montana.

Widener said a fair number of customers who buy her crafts at powwows are from out of state.

"When I was setting up at the MSU Billings powwow, I had a lot of college kids come up and buy my beaded items," she said.
In Montana, women earn only 67 percent of what men earn. In response, Gov. Bullock created the Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force to identify the causes of the gender pay gap in Montana and mobilize solutions.

One cause of the gender pay gap, unconscious gender bias, is illuminated by a famous business school case study. The case has students review the career of Howard, a leading Silicon Valley venture capitalist, executive at Apple and friend of Bill Gates. On average, students find Howard to be highly competent as well as someone they like and would want to work with. When students read an identical case with the protagonist named Heidi, they rate her as highly competent, but neither someone they like nor would want to work with.

It is not just men who exhibit unconscious bias. In a study by Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, emails from phantom students were sent to professors asking for a ten-minute meeting to discuss a doctoral program. The only difference in the emails was the students name, which varied to sound white, African-American, Hispanic, Indian or Chinese. This study found that professors  both male and female  were significantly more likely to respond to students with names that appeared to belong to white males.

How can we reduce the detrimental impact our mental biases have on women in Montana? One insight comes from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A few years ago, to address the fact that women comprised only 5 percent of musicians in top American orchestras, the BSO began having musicians audition behind a curtain, instead of face-to-face. The impact: a 50 percent increase in female musicians advancing to the next round. This costless change is credited as a major reason behind women now comprising over 35 percent of the spots in leading American orchestras.

In her new book, What Works: Gender Equality By Design, Harvard behavioral economist Iris Bohnet provides many examples of costless techniques that de-bias organizational hiring procedures and reduce gender pay gaps.

Standardizing interviews is one example of a costless technique with a powerful de-biasing effect. Several years ago, a fluke legislative mandate led the University of Texas Medical School at Houston to admit and enroll two groups of students: 150 students ranked between 1-350 and 50 students ranked between 700-800. Remarkably, according to Professor Bohnet, there was no difference in performance in medical school or afterwards between the two groups. The reason? Student rankings were heavily influenced by the evaluations from unstructured interviews, a procedure research says yields poor success predictions. The solution, according to Professor Bohnet, is for interviewers to plan ahead, use a checklist to structure interviews and stick to it.

Increasing transparency about what is negotiable is another example of a costless de-biasing technique. A study of Carnegie Mellon masters degree students found that 93 percent of women accepted their employers initial salary offer, while more than half of men negotiated for better compensation. Among recent MBA graduates, Professor Bohnet writes, in fields where applicants had good information about what to negotiate for, the gender [pay] gap almost vanished [while] in fields with high ambiguity, men made about $10,000 more than women on average.

In its efforts to reduce the gender pay gap, Montanas Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force should advocate for standardizing interview and increasing transparency on what is negotiable. These techniques not only work, they are costless.

Robert Reynolds, 25, lives in Miles City. He is a recent graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
HAMILTON -- Daniel Lyon knows that his road to recovery will be long and difficult.

But the young firefighter badly burned last summer in an incident that killed three others is thankful to be back home in Stevensville and for the outpouring of support that he has received since that sad day last August.

People have definitely made this terrible situation into the best that it could possibly be, Lyon said, while sitting at parents' kitchen table at the family home southeast of Stevensville.

Wherever I go, people recognize me and they thank me for my service. Im grateful that I can be here.

The 25-year-old was a member of a small engine crew protecting homes near Twisp, Washington, when the winds shifted 180 degrees on Aug. 19. Their vehicle missed a curve on a steep gravel road and crashed over a 40-foot embankment.

The fire overtook the engine. Richard Wheeler, 31, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Tom Zbyszewski, 20, were later found inside the burned vehicle.

Lyon survived, but he suffered third-degree burns over more than 60 percent of his body.

Lyon spent three months at Seattles Harborview Medical Center where he endured multiple surgeries, including the amputation of his badly burned fingertips and multiple skin grafts.

He was discharged from the hospital one day short of three months after the incident.

Reunited with Ozark

On his way home to Montana, he stopped at the scene of the Twisp River fire to pay his last respects to the men that he served alongside.

It was a beautiful day, Lyon remembered. It was crystal clear, but it was hard to be there. It was the first time that I got to say goodbye to my three buddies.

Lyon said the place had dramatically changed from what he remembered.

The scenery was so different, he said. It had been so green and beautiful and now it was essentially a wasteland.

When he returned to Montana, Lyon was met by an outpouring of support from both local wildfire fighters and the community.

I didnt realize just how big the Forest Service wildfire fighting community was, he said. They welcomed me with open arms.

Some local smokejumpers retrieved Lyons hound, Ozark, from the kennel and brought the dog to his parents' home in time for his arrival.

I had been looking forward to seeing my dog again, Lyon said.

When we pulled up at the house, he was there running in the yard. That meant a lot to me.

There was also a cooler filled with food sitting on the front porch.

A lot of members of the community provided us with meals, he said. They helped us in a lot of different ways.

On the mend

Before the incident, Lyon was working toward a career in law enforcement. Some day, he hopes to continue on that path.

Im hoping to join the community policing program and slowly work my way back into law enforcement, he said.

For now, Lyon said it means a lot to him to know that his poster is pinned to the front door of the Stevensville police station.

Its nice to know that so many people here honor and recognize what we do as firefighters and the risk of it, he said. Its nice to live in a place where people understand that.

Lyons days now are filled with long hours of rehabilitative therapy that focuses on preparing him for the long list of surgeries that are to come. The therapy includes deep massage that works to soften his scarred flesh.

You can hear it crackle and pop, Lyon said. Of course, you feel that.

He and his parents, Dan Sr. and Barbara, make the trip into Missoula five or six times a week for the day-long therapy sessions.

When he gets into the car, he falls fast asleep, Barbara Lyon said.

The rehabilitation and his parents' care are making a difference. He has gained 30 pounds of weight since returning home. Hes also regained some of the use of his left hand.

My endurance is coming back too, he said. I still have a lot of surgeries ahead of me  at least a half of dozen. Its probably going to be a two- or three-year process.

Wildland Firefighter Foundation

Lyon wants people to remember that hes not alone.

There are a ton of other firefighters in this country who have been injured and they deserve attention too, he said. My case received a lot of national attention, which meant that I received a lot more support than others who were just as badly hurt.

Those who want to support injured firefighters can do so through the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. That organization has helped Lyon meet many of the expenses that arent covered through insurance and other sources.

Lyon recently joined fellow injured firefighters, Shane Ralston of the Bitterroot Valley and Brendan Mullen of Bozeman, as honored guests at a Putt and Pull Fundraiser sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service in Missoula that raised funds for the foundation.

They had a really, really good turnout, Lyon said. In the first day, they raised $43,000. Its nice to know that people do care about us.

People havent forgotten Lyons sacrifice and his courage in facing the challenges to come.

Special gifts

In March, Lyon accompanied his father to the local banquet of the Sapphire Range Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation. Dan Sr. serves as its the chapters president.

Both men didnt know that Tom Powers had been working behind the scenes with the National Mule Deer Foundation to honor the younger Lyon.

Working with members of both the local and national chapters, Powers had obtained a Savage 25/06 rifle with a carved stock and a flag that had flown over the states Capitol.

It was a special gun, Powers said. There were only 100 made, and this was the first one out of the box.

Dan Sr. was just as surprised as his son when the time came for the presentation of the two pieces.

I was overly impressed and a little bit emotional, Dan Sr. said.

Shooting had always been a part of the younger Lyons life.

I have a huge passion for guns, he said. I cant go out and shoot right now, but my number-one goal is to be able to do again someday.

Someday, Lyon said the rifle and the flag will be displayed in a prominent place in his home.

That flag is very, very symbolic to me, especially knowing that it flew over our states Capitol, he said. I didnt even fight fires here. It shows that they still support me. That definitely means a lot to me.
PEORIA  An eight-year federal court battle to overhaul mental health treatment in Illinois prisons was resolved Friday with a judge ruling that the settlement between inmates and the state, while not perfect, is fair and will improve the lives of thousands of inmates.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mihm, who has expressed frustration in the past with delays in resolving the litigation, reviewed the settlement reached in December between the state and lawyers for about 11,000 inmates with some form of mental illness.

Were absolutely thrilled we were able to reach an agreement. We agree with Judge Mihm that the agreement is not perfect but it really addresses the severe suffering by our clients, said Alan Mills of the Uptown Peoples Law Center in Chicago after the hearing. He was one of the lawyers for the inmates.

The lawsuit filed in 2007 on behalf of mentally ill inmate Ashoor Rasho was later expanded to a class action. Rasho, 41, an inmate housed at Pontiac Correctional Center who is set for release in 2021, was one of four inmates linked electronically to the Peoria courtroom from four prisons.

Rasho told Mihm he was disappointed the agreement allows for the removal of the lowest level of infractions that put some inmates in segregation while his higher-level sanctions will leave him in a cell 23 hours a day.

Mihm noted that he had received 340 objections to the settlement from inmates, and Ive read every single objection word for word.

Lawyers for the inmates noted the settlement does not include money damages for inmates but involves $60 million in construction costs for new facilities and another $30 million annually for increased mental health and security staff.

Under the new plan, inmates will be screened for mental health issues soon after their arrival at prison and receive treatment in four new residential treatment units. Hospital-level care currently unavailable to inmates will be available for the most seriously mentally ill.

Corrections lawyer Terence Corrigan told Mihm the state has moved forward with its commitment to fix mental health issues. A unit has opened at Dixon Correctional Center for 330 offenders, and an 80-bed unit is set to open at the womens prison in Lincoln later this month.

The initial stage of a review of inmates in segregation has resulted in 117,000 days being cut from the sentences on 64 prisoners.

Inmate Clara Plair, 33, who spoke Friday through a video link with the Lincoln facility, had 60 years removed from her sentence after such a review.

Many of the improvements outlined in the plan are contingent upon the state approving a budget.

The budget issue becomes the 900-pound gorilla in the room, Mihm said Friday. The agreement allows inmates to return to court if timelines for improvements are not followed.

Corrections acknowledged to Mihm that money is not currently available to secure the 104 hospital beds required in the agreement for the most severely mentally ill inmates, an issue that created the biggest sticking point during negotiations.

Over the past several years, Corrections has hired new staff and begun the process to improve care for mentally ill inmates. Progress reports filed with the court show the challenges the state has had in hiring and keeping trained staff.

Mihm commented that the work environment for prison employees will improve as mentally ill inmates receive better care.
DECATUR  For more than 50 years, Una Mae Taylor has been assisting the community during election nights.

I've done it when we had to stay up all night and tallying by hand, she said.

Taylor received the Voting Rights and Political Representation award during Saturday evening's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Freedom Fund Banquet and Awards Ceremony at the Decatur Civic Center. It was the 76th annual banquet and third Game Changers awards ceremony.

Taylor was one of 13 Game Changer Award recipients acknowledging education, health, economic sustainability and community. This year's Freedom Fund theme was Our Vote Counts. After the event, guests were encouraged to register to vote.

According to the Decatur branch of the NAACP President Jeanelle Norman, one of the organization's major challenges is encouraging the community to vote.

An ongoing reason not to vote centers around the brainwashing and misconceived notions about voter outcomes, she said.

Taylor remembers when voting was a struggle for black Americans.

I came from the South where you didn't get to vote, she said. Now, you have rights and can vote. And you should.

The local branch, which is in its 101st year, has had positive relationships with other NAACP branches in the state. Because of this, the Decatur branch awarded the President's Award to the Bloomington-Normal branch President Quincy Cummings and Kankakee branch President Theodis Pace.

This is the first time we've given the president's award to presidents of our state's organization, Norman said. They have outstanding records of being presidents of their branches.

Pace has worked with the Decatur branch for 24 years and seen the transitions.

What I'm seeing now is cultural diversity and some improvement in racial lines, he said. But it is a continual task.

According to Cummings, the Central Illinois chapters tend to be close-knit with a good working relationship. They have been working to encourage their communities to vote through education. We average about 35 percent of the population is registered to vote, he said. We are working up until the election to spread the word.

The NAACP is nonpartisan, providing understanding by hosting candidates to educate voters.

Sometimes that education is met by being the positive face regardless of the circumstances. Although she was raised in the segregated South, Taylor's mother taught her to show respect to others no matter their race, creed or color.

Even when some people treat you bad, you still treat them nice and kill them with kindness, she said.

Desmond Taylor continues to see this in his grandmother. She's always taught me to impact others in a positive manner, he said. But she'll always be humble until her last breathe.
DECATUR -- Despite the bitter cold, Bob Knierim was all smiles Saturday afternoon under the Fairview Park main pavilion.

And with the chance to spend time with "his family" of union brothers and sisters and to provide a helping hand, Knierim said there was no reason not to be enjoying himself.

I make it fun. If you dont make it fun, then its like work, he said. Ive done this for eight to 10 years, and its great to be out here with my family and help out.

The Service Employees International Union member was just one of the more than 100 volunteers from throughout the community who came out to lend their support for the 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, hosted by the National Letter Carriers Association.

Members of the local Stephen Decatur Branch 317 of the National Letter Carriers Association set up three locations throughout the city, and volunteers drove around to collect fresh and unopened nonperishable food items left near mailboxes by postal patrons. Items collected were taken to the three locations before being distributed to eight local food pantries.

Officials were hopeful that 100,000 pounds of food would be collected, 30,000 more than last years haul.

It was still fairly quiet Saturday morning at the letter carriers union hall as event coordinator Betsy Coleman helped to sort items that had been brought in.

The dozen or so volunteers continued to pace around to keep themselves warm as they waited for additional pickups to arrive from the later afternoon rush.

Even with the unseasonable cold, Coleman said she was excited by the dedication shown by volunteers.

I got here to the hall, and all the cars were lined up by 10 a.m., she said. When I got here, all these volunteers got out of the cars, and I was just like, 'Woah!'

One of those volunteers at the hall was Steve Lowe, who has been helping for the past 10 years, alongside his family and local teens from a group he leads.

Lowe said events such as Saturday's can be an important tool to help instill a sense of civic pride into youth who may have never learned the local history or even traveled outside their neighborhoods.

It helps them know where theyre from and to not be ashamed of it, Lowe said.

One of those teens was Cortezia Peoples, 16, who helped unload boxes and sort the items along with other volunteers. The Eisenhower High School student, who has also gone on a mission trip in the past and volunteered through her church, described volunteering as a bit of a "do unto others" way to help those most in need.

If I were ever in a predicament where I needed help, I would want someone to help me, Peoples said. If I am able to help them, I should do that.

Those who go out of their way to travel the area can see there is a definite need for assistance, letter carrier Angi Miller said.

As she helped coordinate the Fairview Park location, Miller said Saturdays food drive was to help provide assistance to those in all sorts of situations.

This is not just to help those homeless, she said. There are those out there struggling to get by, the low-income or the working single-parent that could use some help.

Food collected Saturday will go to Hopeful Heart Ministries, Ambassadors for Christ, AMELCA, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Northeast Community Fund, New Vision, Reasonable Service and the Salvation Army.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state Legislature once again are balancing the state's checkbook on the backs of those least able to provide for themselves. And while a "stopgap" spending measure for social service agencies would provide some welcome relief, it's too little too late for the thousands of Illinois residents who pay taxes and expect to receive needed benefits from state programs.

Both the House and Senate approved the bill on Thursday and it is now headed to Gov. Bruce Rauner's desk. The Rauner administration expressed some concerns about the measure as it passed through both chambers, but Rauner hasn't said whether he will sign the bill.

As reported by the Herald & Review capital bureau, the measure would authorize spending about $700 million from special funds that are usually dedicated to other purposes, such as affordable housing and foreclosure prevention.

Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, who sponsored the measure, said it should help seniors, people with disabilities, disabled children, immigrants and others. But we acknowledge there are many other needs of the state in other departments not covered in this legislation which also have needs, he told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.

The proposal would provide enough money to cover about 46 percent of what social service providers and other programs received from the state last year, according to reports. It would go to programs and services that havent already been receiving money this fiscal year through the court orders and consent decrees that have driven most state spending since the budget year began July 1.

Unfortunately, the proposed spending is not enough to meet the needs of social service agencies and it doesn't address all the other state programs that also need funding  a problem that squarely lands at the feet of the governor and legislative leaders who have chosen to play chicken with the lives of the state's residents.

Take, for instance, a new overtime rule for home health care workers whose work allows people to stay in their homes rather than move to a more costly nursing home.

Under rules that took effect May 1, the personal assistants are no longer allowed to work more than 40 hours a week. Rauner's administration said the restrictions were necessary to control costs; the workers' union, Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, estimates the overtime would cost the state $7 million per year out of roughly $36 billion in overall state spending.

It is hard to pick and choose cuts, consolidations and spending delays when you're trying to create a balanced budget. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the inequities in state spending  or state cuts.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Windy. Thunderstorms, some heavy during the evening will give way to mainly clear skies after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Windy. Thunderstorms, some heavy during the evening will give way to mainly clear skies after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
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Kurt Sippel is an accidental techie.

The president and CEO of Applied Tech Solutions Inc. began dabbling in technology when he was 18, consulting for small businesses in Fond du Lac County. Then he spent eight years at UW-Madison, managing and teaching research technology and studying economics while pursuing a masters degree in urban and regional planning.

It was a slippery slope, Sippel said. I was hired by professor Don Nichols at UW-Madison to do economic research, which meant essentially I was a good data miner. To get the data you had to be good at using technology. Once people knew I was good with technology, I became the accidental techie go-to guy. As I recognized the tremendous upside in technology  I love to help people  I continued to develop skills and suddenly found myself a technology expert. So I left the university to start my own company.

Sippel started Applied Tech Solutions in 1999 in his one-bedroom apartment with one employee. Now it has 65 employees and a 5,000-square-foot building off Williamson Street in the heart of Madisons redeveloped Central Park area. He also has acquired a firm in Stevens Point.

Q. You started your company just a couple of years before the technology bubble burst. How did you survive?

A. When I left UW-Madison in 1999, Professor Nichols  one of the most respected economists on campus  asked me, Why are you starting a business now? Dont you know the bottom is going to drop out of IT post-Y2K? He was right: it did. But because I had a young company that was not heavily leveraged, I could adjust quickly to the changing landscape. It didnt hurt that I served small businesses, an IT niche no one else wanted.

Q. Can Madison be another Silicon Valley?

A. In a word, no. But I dont think we want to. Dont misunderstand. I believe there is still tremendous opportunity in IT, and I believe that Madison can play a significant part as more and more devices become connected and produce reams of data.

Making sense of all this data is where the real opportunity exists. UW-Madison can play a major role in making that happen in policy fields like health care and transportation.

Q. What should businesses be thinking about when it comes to technology?

A. Two things: the cloud and security. Technology delivered through the cloud is a game changer. A small company can access technology once affordable only to Fortune 100 companies. The cloud allows them to pay just for what they use instead of having to make a huge capital investment up front.

As for security, we live in a connected world where people want to work from wherever, whenever, with whatever device. Companies that think they are too small to be a target need to think again. Ransomware and spearphishing hackers get real money for exploiting vulnerabilities.

Fortunately, we have technologies that can mitigate the risks for employees accessing data outside of the corporate firewall. We recommend a layered security approach using many tools in concert for data protection.

Q. What is the future of technology? Will we all be replaced by robots?

A. Dont think robots in the old science fiction way. Think of a convergence of voice, facial and spatial technology that will allow us to interact with machines in much more human ways.

Two noteworthy areas are the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning. We are in the infant stages now, sort of like the Model T at the start of the auto industry.

This sounds vague but think of your thermostat, linked to your phone through GPS. It knows where you work and will learn your commute and traffic patterns, as well as how long it takes to raise or lower the temperature so it is comfy when you get home. This technology exists today but is not heavily adopted. Many other areas like this are still to be developed or even imagined.

Q. A lot is said about the lack of skilled workers. Is that true for technology companies in Madison?

A. This is true. We have a heck of a time finding skilled workers. Admittedly, we are looking for a bit of a unicorn. We need people with great verbal and written communication skills that are also good with technology. At the end of the day, we are a customer service firm that happens to specialize in technology.

Fortunately, we have developed partnerships with schools like Herzing and Madison College to provide great entry-level candidates. We take it from there. With effort and aptitude, an entry-level person can move quickly to a job paying well above average.

Q. Where do you see yourself  and your company  in five years?

A. The company will probably double since there is a ton of need for what we do. Most of the growth will come as we help companies transition to cloud technologies and then leverage that technology investment into a competitive advantage.

Q. Where is your favorite place on Earth?

A. For nine months of the year I love it here in Madison. But in the winter I love to be in Central America. I really want to do some volunteer work there someday, helping budding entrepreneurs. It is amazing what someone who is motivated can do with just a little bit of help.

Q. If you were heading for isolation on a desert island, whats the one thing you would take with you?

A. A desalination kit. But Id probably want to bring along some bottles, hops, and barley since Im sure I would quickly be making beer!
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Hopefully, the shooting deaths of three black men since April 19 will spark the same kind of empathy, community introspection, and investigation of the shooters as the shooting death more than a year ago of one black man.

If past is prologue, though, thats a faint hope indeed.

Fourteen months after 19-year-old Tony Robinson  reportedly high on hallucinogenic mushrooms and acting violently  was shot and killed by Madison police Officer Matt Kenny, the stoop of the rental house where he died remains covered with candles in his memory, its door and siding scrawled with messages from supporters.

The windows of the Social Justice Center just down the street display a similar memorial to the Sun Prairie High School graduate. One sign says Rest in power Tony Terrell Robinson Jr., another Whats his name? Tony Robinson.

Activists and Robinsons loved ones have held a number of marches to decry his death. Supporters unfurled a banner saying Justice for Tony at the state Capitols Martin Luther King Jr. Day program in January. A photo exhibit documenting the response to Robinsons death was part of the citys May 6 Gallery Night.

Meanwhile, police, local elected officials and community leaders have engaged in a slew of forums on the relationship between police and the black community. The city created a committee to study police policies and procedures and another on whether Madison officers should wear body cameras, which the committee (stupidly) recommended against.

Media outlets including this one have covered all of this, and made sure readers and viewers know Robinson wasnt just a victim or a statistic. He was a person who loved and was loved by many others.

Of course, Martez Moore, Darius Haynes and Elijah James Washington III were not killed by police officers, much less white officers such as Kenny  and that matters.

Police have identified Moores brother Kortney Moore as the suspect in Washingtons murder on Wednesday. Four other men  also black  have been identified as persons of interest in Martez Moores and Haynes killings on April 19 and Tuesday, respectively.

Those responsible for the three most recent killings  if caught and barring any reasonable claim of self-defense  will likely face long prison terms. Kenny, after local and independent investigations cleared him of any wrongdoing, remains employed and free.

But the identity of the trigger-pullers and the circumstances under which they fired dont make the lives of those killed any more or less valuable, or their absence any less keenly felt by the people who loved them.

Olivia Thompson and Nisha Branch, first and second cousins to Haynes, respectively, were feeling that absence Saturday afternoon.

Both said Haynes was deeply committed to his large family, centered in Madison and Chicago. Haynes moved here when he was about 17, Thompson said, and as an adult would often help family members in need, even going so far as to help pay her rent.

He was funny. He was always happy, Thompson said. His family was everything.

Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that 13 or 14 months from now, the memorial at the gas station where Haynes was killed will remain in existence and as well-tended as the ones to Robinson. Or that people will be marching and unfurling banners to honor Martez Moore or Washington.

Or that the community will have spent as much time digging into the upbringing and motives of the most recent killers as it did the training and motives of Kenny and other police.

More likely is that the communitys interest in the three recent killings will be confined to something along the lines of what you could find on local newscasts last week: a vigil or other remembrance for victims and well-worn calls from loved ones and community leaders to stop the violence.

These kinds of community actions have traditionally been standard fare in the immediate aftermath of tragic shootings in some of Chicagos poorest, most dangerous neighborhoods. They provide room to grieve, but if the enduring prevalence of deadly gun violence in Chicago is any indication, stop the violence they dont.

A handful of white politicians have gotten flak for declaring all lives matter rather than black lives matter, as preferred by Black Lives Matter activists.

Perhaps all black lives matter  no matter whose they are and how theyre lost  is the best slogan.
In a water cleanup effort more complex than any other in the nation, virtually every community in the 360-square-mile watershed around Madison has agreed to pool resources with farmers to eliminate nutrient-driven weed and algae growths that limit use of lakes and streams.

The agreement signed by about 60 local governments will pool more than $2 million annually for 20 years starting Jan. 1 to pay for measures that keep soil and other material laden with the nutrient phosphorus from being carried into surface water by snow melt and rain.

Unlike previous attempts to eliminate foul-smelling algae blooms and thick tangles of aquatic weeds around Madison, this one does more than pay farmers to make improvements such as planting along ditches and streams to stabilize soil.

It targets land areas known to pollute most and establishes a legally enforceable timetable to reduce phosphorus in water throughout the Yahara River basin to meet the states exacting standard.

Its a great approach, and potentially a game-changer, said Elizabeth Wheeler of Clean Wisconsin, one of several conservation groups that have voiced support for the effort.

Some environmentalists remain wary because the phosphorus control measures arent guaranteed to be permanent. After a contract term of several years, farmers could decide to remove them if they are inconvenient or reduce income.

But Jeff Endres, a town of Springfield dairy farmer who has led a growing agricultural conservation movement in the Yahara River watershed, said he sees rising awareness of water quality issues.

Endres said he tells skeptics to consider that if voluntary measures dont succeed, the federal government could force other solutions that cost more, as it has in areas that drain into the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast. Fertilizer and manure runoff there have created a large dead zone in which aquatic life struggles to survive.

I worry about that kind of thing damaging agriculture, dramatically affecting your yield, Endres said. Its better having agriculture leading proactively instead of waiting and having things happen that can really have a negative impact.

Nutrient pollution from Wisconsin contributes to two such dead zones, one in the Gulf of Mexico and the other in Green Bay, and hundreds of inland lakes and streams are classified as impaired because phosphorus has fueled unnatural algae and weed growth that limits swimming, boating and fishing.

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The adaptive management plan for the Yahara watershed was spearheaded by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. It will reduce nutrient pollution more quickly and at lower cost to taxpayers than other available methods, said the districts ecosystems service director Dave Taylor.

Instead of focusing on very expensive filtration systems to make limited reductions in waste water treatment plant discharges, the district will encourage and fund less costly efforts to reduce nutrient runoff from urban storm water and from farms, the source of most pollutants.

The result will be reduced pollution throughout the watershed, not just where the treatment plant discharges into Badfish Creek, Taylor said.

The program has a projected price tag of $104 million over its 20-year span. Taylor said taxpayers would pay about $270 million over the same time frame if the watersheds three treatment plants and two dozen storm water systems took pollution-reducing steps that would be required if they were acting individually.

The end result is expensive approaches that are unlikely to improve water quality throughout the entire watershed, Taylor said of what might happen without the new program.

And as sources of pollution undertake costly or difficult phosphorus reduction efforts, they tend to blame their neighbors, suspecting that others arent doing their share, Taylor said.

Our approach avoids finger-pointing and instead focuses on results, Taylor said.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials have said the Madison plan could become a national model if it succeeds. About 10 states permit similar programs but none with nearly as many municipalities and groups involved, the EPA said.

The EPA has urged states to create precise standards for how much phosphorus can be allowed in water. In 2010, Wisconsin was among the first in the nation to do so.

The state Department of Natural Resources phosphorus rule paved the way for the Yahara watershed project, which is one of just a handful that have emerged around the country to shift the fight against nutrient pollution from tightly-permitted sewers and industry to more loosely regulated farms.

With the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972, industrial polluters and waste water plants were forced to sharply cut discharges through increasingly strict operating permits.

Now most phosphorus pollution comes from agricultural soil. But the law doesnt require farms to have pollution discharge permits, in part because it may be more difficult to measure pollution coming from a field than from a pipe.

Under the adaptive management plan, the sewerage districts operating permit will require phosphorus reductions not just from its discharge pipe, but across the watershed.

As with other runoff control grants, participation in the sewer district funding program will be optional for farmers, but will involving signing a contract.

The number of local organizations, environmental groups, farm organizations and others who have signed on to the Yahara watershed plan surprised the DNR, which developed the regulations that allow it.

DNR never envisioned that adaptive management could be applied to a watershed this large or complex with so many diverse stakeholders, said Kevin Kirsch, a water resources engineer for the agency. This was no small feat and involved tremendous efforts on MMSDs part.

The Oconomowoc wastewater treatment plant has won approval for a smaller effort, and the Lodi sewage plant and the Dane-Iowa plant in Mazomanie are in planning stages, Kirsch said. The Madison adaptive management plan comes on the heels of a four-year pilot program that covered territory just northeast of Lake Mendota.

Denny Caneff, executive director of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, is a strong supporter of the plan, but he said he worries that results could suffer because runoff controls arent permanent. Some require that they be maintained for several years, but if corn prices rise and they want to plant more, farmers can plow the buffers under.

Politically, (Wisconsinites) still have no appetite for regulating farmers, even the ones that violate pollution laws, Caneff said.

A surer investment of tax dollars is the purchase of permanent conservation easements that prevent erosion of land around waterways permanently, Caneff said.

Taylor said he was optimistic that more and more farmers are seeing themselves as stewards both of the land and the water.

One of the reasons that people are excited about the project is its a way to engage folks in a collaborative effort thats never been done before, Taylor said.

The DNR will issue a series of four five-year water pollution permits to the Madison sewer district with increasingly tighter limits on phosphorus for the watershed, Taylor said.

The last permit will require the concentration of phosphorus in water sampled from several locations to meet the states standard, Taylor said.

However, underwater sediment can be laced with high phosphorus concentrations that can be stirred up and released into the water.

If water samples dont show standards are met, another option may be demonstrating through computer modeling that takes into account soil, water, weather and other conditions that the amount of new phosphorus entering the water each year had been decreased from the current 263,000 pounds to 157,000 pounds, the amount scientists say the water can absorb without problems.
After 22 years in Madison, I moved to Washington five years ago to work for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As I clip my ID badge on every day  always to a UW, Packers or Brewers lanyard  I remind myself how our work benefits the American people.

Thats what business and political leaders from Wisconsin will be coming together to discuss Monday in Madison, at an event hosted by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Its an important conversation to have, because there are many misconceptions about foreign assistance.

The Kaiser Family Foundation conducts an annual poll on foreign assistance spending, which finds that people drastically overestimate the percentage of the federal budget that goes to foreign assistance. Last December, nearly half of the respondents thought foreign assistance made up more than 20 percent of the budget. The real number? Less than 1 percent.

And that means people are also missing out on the more important story here: the incredible value they get for that 1 percent.

As the U.S. governments lead development agency, USAID works in more than 80 countries around the world to end extreme poverty by fostering sustained and inclusive economic growth and promoting resilient, democratic societies. These days we often focus our efforts on unlocking private investment to solve big challenges, such as getting power to 600 million Africans who dont have it.

This kind of work reaps benefits back home, and directly serves American interests. Take our humanitarian efforts as an example. When a disaster hits overseas, the American people consistently demonstrate their overwhelming compassion for those in need. And USAID is there on the ground to act as a manifestation of their generosity.

Over the past 7 years, we have responded to an average of 60 global emergencies a year, ranging from earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, to ongoing humanitarian crises in South Sudan and Syria. We also responded to the Ebola outbreak, which spread dangerously quickly due to vulnerable African health systems. Ultimately, the stricken countries  with support from the U.S. government and many other partners  defeated Ebola before it could reach Wisconsin.

We also work in countries that pose threats to our national security and to global stability, such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Often hampered by corruption and security constraints, development is especially difficult in these places. But the rise of predatory terrorist networks such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has shown we ignore them at our peril. And we have made progress in spite of the challenges.Fifteen years ago, virtually no girls were in school in Afghanistan. Today more than 2 million are.

Leaders in the U.S. military understand the value of our work in these tough environments, as they have seen firsthand how investments in development can reduce conflict and keep them from sending personnel into harms way.

In many other countries around the world, we can help achieve lasting progress. Through our work to boost economic growth, increase food security, and improve literacy, we help countries become open and peaceful partners to the United States, and build new markets for Wisconsin goods and services.

These new markets are important to Wisconsin: In 2015, more than $5 billion of Wisconsins exports went to countries whose development was supported by USAID and its sister agencies. Overall, 11 of Americas 15 top trading partners were once recipients of U.S. foreign assistance, with 1 in 5 American jobs tied to exports.

Whether USAID is responding to a typhoon, planting the seeds of hope in a conflict-torn state, or promoting inclusive economic growth  we are putting investments in the bank that will yield returns for decades, for people in developing countries and the people of Wisconsin.
U.S.-Nordic Collaboration on Climate Change, the Arctic, and Clean Energy

Washington, DC - Today, the leaders of the United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden marked another major milestone in their leadership in the fight against climate change with the release of a U.S.- Nordic Leader Summit Joint Statement.

The Statement builds on a history of collaboration and reinforces commitments made on climate change and the Arctic in 2013. In the Joint Statement released today, leaders recognize that climate change is one of the foremost challenges the world is facing. In particular, the leaders reinforce that no effort should be spared in making concrete progress domestically and abroad over the coming decades by shifting to low carbon economies and creating more resilient communities. The statement reflects cooperation across a number of areas including showing leadership in the Arctic, implementing the Paris Agreement, promoting clean energy cooperation, advancing climate action globally, and promoting energy access. Todays statement is another indication of the United States commitment to Paris and to do everything we can within our borders and beyond to take ambitious actions to address climate change.

The Arctic: The science of climate change in the Arctic is increasingly clear. Temperatures are rising about twice as fast as the global average; thawing permafrost destabilizes the earth on which 100,000 Alaskans live; warmer, more acidic oceans and rivers, and the migration of entire species, threatens the livelihoods of indigenous peoples; and Alaskas glaciers alone are losing about 75 gigatons of ice each year.

With todays Joint Statement, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have in the last two months alone committed to working towards conditioning commercial activity in the Arctic in part on world-class environmental standards and international and national climate change goals. These seven states account for about half of the Arctic waters where a state has primary rights to explore and use marine resources.

President Obama and the six other leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau and today the five Nordic leaders, have also committed to advance scientifically-based protection and conservation of ecologically important marine areas, in close consultation with subsistence communities, based on the best available science and traditional and local knowledge. In the case of the United States and Canada, we have committed to set a new long-term conservation goal later this year. Furthering these goals and more will be a key topic at the first-ever Arctic Science Ministerial, which will be held on September 28, 2016just after the one-year anniversary of President Obamas historic trip to Alaska. Also today, the White House is issuing a call to action for individuals, organizations, and institutions from all sectors to take new, specific, and measurable steps to help all people better understand and cope with the changing conditions in the Arctic.

Implementing the Paris Agreement: Last month, more than 170 nations signed the Paris Agreement, including the United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. To reinforce their commitment, today, Iceland pledged to join the Paris agreement this year and the United States and Norway are reaffirming their commitment to join this year, alongside more than 30 countries that have already joined or have committed to do so this year. In addition, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are committing to join the Paris Agreement as soon as possible. The leaders also called on countries to formulate and communicate long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, as they implement their respective climate targets

To scale up support to developing countries to implement their respective Nationally Determined Contributions, the United States and the Nordic leaders are also committing to provide leadership on climate finance, including by using public resources to mobilize robust increases in private capital, and to support developing countries in strengthening their adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The joint collaboration announced today builds on a strong U.S. commitment to implement the Paris Agreement at home, including:

Mid-Century Strategy: The United States reaffirms its commitment to, in 2016, complete a midcentury, long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy.

Support for Transparency: The United States reiterates its pledge of $15 million dollars to the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) that will support developing countries efforts to meet the enhanced transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement.

Support for Adaptation: The United States reaffirms its pledge to double its grant-based, public climate finance for adaptation by 2020.

Cooperation on Clean Energy: The leaders are committing to scale up the deployment of clean energy. In particular, the leaders are calling for the mobilization of private capital to finance clean energy. To reinforce that commitment, five countries announced they intend to provide funding to institutionalize the Clean Energy Ministerial, a high-level effort by 23 of the worlds major economies and the European Union to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies. The United States and Denmark are also announcing a new memorandum to work together in developing offshore wind as a clean and sustainable energy source. This memorandum is a testimony to the strong Transatlantic ties between Denmark and the United States. Todays statement builds on a series of actions that the United States has taken to drive clean energy research and deployment through Mission Innovation, securing long-term extensions of the production tax credit (PTC) for wind and other renewables and the investment tax credit (ITC) for solar, and issuing eleven commercial wind leases along the Atlantic coast, which when the leases are fully developed, would generate enough energy to power over 4 million homes.

Phasing Down HFCs: The leaders affirmed their commitment to adopt a Montreal Protocol HFC phasedown amendment in 2016 and provide additional support through the Protocols Multilateral Fund following adoption of an amendment. Todays statement is reinforced by actions that the United States is taking to reduce the use and emissions of HFCs. The United States has been working to negotiate a Montreal Protocol HFC phasedown amendment, including putting forth a proposed amendment with Canada and Mexico. Strong international action on HFCs could avoid up to 0.5C of warming by the end of the century. In terms of domestic actions, in 2014 and 2015, the White House announced a suite of private-sector commitments and other executive actions that will reduce cumulative global consumption of HFCs by the equivalent of more than 1 billion metric tons of CO2 through 2025.

Tackling Carbon Emissions from Aviation: Today, the leaders committed to work together through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce international aviations climate impact by furthering the development and deployment of sustainable alternative jet fuels, and adopting a strong market-based measure to enable carbon neutral growth from 2020 at ICAOs fall assembly. Earlier this year, the United States and 22 other countries reached consensus on the first-ever global carbon standards for commercial aircraft. When fully implemented, the standards are expected to reduce carbon emissions more than 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040, equivalent to removing over 140 million cars from the road for a year.

Reducing Methane Emissions: In the Joint Statement, the United States and Nordic countries committed to ensure each country has developed a national methane reduction plan or otherwise identified and implemented enhanced actions to significantly reduce our overall methane emissions, and to expand technical cooperation, where appropriate.

The leaders pledged to continue to drive down our oil and gas methane emissions, where applicable, through sound regulation, climate targets, and voluntary initiatives. In particular, to strongly encourage companies working within their countries to develop company-wide methane reduction goals, and to join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Oil & Gas Methane Partnership.

The Nordic countries welcome the announcement of new U.S.-Canadian methane reduction goal to reduce methane emission from the oil and gas sector 40  45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025.

The Nordic countries pledged their support for the development of a global methane emission goal for the oil and gas sector.

The United States took two domestic actions yesterday to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. In particular, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first ever standards to reduce methane emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed oil and gas sector sources. The final New Source Performance Standards for new and modified sources are expected to reduce the equivalent of 11 million metric tons carbon dioxide and have substantial health benefits. Fulfilling one of the commitments made during the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, the United States also took the first step on the path to regulating existing oil and gas operations by issuing for public comment the first draft of an Information Collection Request (ICR) that, once finalized, will require companies operating existing oil and gas sources to provide information to access different regulatory approaches to reduce emissions from these sources.

Collaboration on the Important Role of Forests: The United States and the Nordic countries are determined to cooperate on the important role of forests in addressing climate change by supporting and incentivizing developing country forest partners to conserve, restore and sustainably manage forests, as well as strengthen their respective efforts to combat illegal logging and associated trade. The leaders also committed to facilitate private sector efforts to eliminate deforestation from the production of commodities such as palm oil, pulp and paper, cattle and soy. To reinforce these commitments:

The United States and Norway are announcing that they will sign a joint statement to reinforce their intention to enhance cooperation on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) and sustainable landscapes.

Yesterday, the United States announced the first results of a detailed action plan to reduce emissions and increase carbon storage in soils and forests through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry. Through this initiative, USDA committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon stored in forests and soils by over 120 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2025 and announced yesterday that they are providing more than $70 million in funding for conservation practices that advance this commitment, including for forestry management.

Promoting Energy for All: The Nordic countries and the United States commit to further strengthen efforts to achieve global access to sustainable, reliable, affordable and modern energy for all, consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more than two-thirds of the population is without access to power. To support a doubling of electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa the United States and Nordic countries have expressed our support for the Power Africa initiative and commit to work together to provide technical assistance, financing, and other support to enable additional investment in energy projects throughout the region. In 2014, Sweden became the first bilateral partner to join Power Africa, committing to catalyze investments of $1 billion dollars in support of our shared goals under Power Africa. In 2015, Power Africa announced a new partnership with Norway, through which Norway is committing to bringing 1,500 megawatts (MW) online over a five-year period, contributing to Power Africa's 30,000 MW electricity generation goal by 2030.
Girls out-performed boys once again in the UP Board Class 12 result, which was declared today.

By India Today Web Desk: The Uttar Pradesh Board of Examination declared the Class 12 result on its official website today, May 15, 2016. This year also girls outperformed boys.

While declaring the results the board's director Amarnath Verma said that overall pass percentage of girls in class 12 was 92.46 as against boys, who secured 84.35 percentage.

The girls clinched all the top three positions.

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The top 3 performers:



1) Sakshi Verma bagged the top slot with 98.20 percent. She is a student of Maharani Laxmi Bai Memorial Inter College in Barabanki.

2) Pratima Singh and Sonali Verma became the join second rank holders by scoring 98 percent. Coincidentally, all three of the them are from the same school in Barabanki.

3) Divyanshi and Prerna Verma shared the third rank in the intermediate examination, with 97.80 percent. While Divyanshi is a student of Mahendra Neelam Inter College, Tirwa, Kannau, Prerna studied in Maharani Laxmi Bai Memorial Inter College, Barabanki.

How many students successfully cleared the board exams?



A total number of 29,17,268 students have appeared in the UP 12th board examination, including 16,12,756 boys and 13,04,512 girls. Of the total students who appeared for the examination, UP Class 12th results saw only 25,66,772 successful candidates.

Pass percentage:



For regular candidates the pass percentage was 88.10 while for the private candidates it was 85.83 percent.

Read: MP Board start off Ruk Jana Nahi programme for students who failed in Class 12

Read:Paper leak: Polytechnic exam cancelled by UP technical education department

Click here to get the latest updates on education news.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad are just one win away from ensuring their entry into the play-offs, whereas Kings XI Punjab need to win all their remaining three matches.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to seal their Indian Premier League (IPL) play-off berth when they take on a rejuvenated Kings XI Punjab at the Punjab Association Stadium here on Sunday. (Full IPL Coverage)



With seven wins out of 11, the David Warner-led side would hope to shed their rusty show in the last outing against Delhi Daredevils and ensure their entry into the play-offs with a win on Sunday.

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On the other hand, Punjab have largely disappointed so far this season, having won just four of their 11 matches.

However, ever since Murali Vijay took over the captaincy, Punjab have been a much improved outfit.

They thrashed defending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in their last match, a result which saw them climb out of the bottom of the eight-team table to the seventh spot with eight points.

Before the Mumbai game, they nearly beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), falling short by just one run, largely due to some needless attempts at flamboyant, improvised shots by the batsmen.

Miller, Maxwell form hurting KXIP

Previous captain David Miller was unable to inspire the team, either with his leadership or his batting. Glenn Maxwell, usually an explosive batsman almost tailor made for the 20-over format, has not really managed to strike form while South African veteran Hashim Amla has been a disappointment in the three matches he has played.

The bowlers also need to pull up their socks. Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma have done well for the most part, but left-arm spinner Axar Patel has been a bit inconsistent.

Australian pacer Marcus Stoinis has also struggled with his consistency, although he showed some excellent form against Mumbai with figures of 4/15.

Must-win for Punjab

Punjab face a do-or-die task in their remaining three league phase matches. Even if Punjab manage to win those games, they will still have to depend on their net run rate to pull them through. But if they manage to continue their new found form, a ticket to the play-offs, although difficult, can not be ruled out.

SRH start favourites

Hyderabad on the other side, are in a much better position.

The visitors have amassed 14 points, with seven wins in their 11 matches. Their success has largely depended on a strong bowling attack spearheaded by the pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Mustafizur Rahman.

Openers David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have led the way with the bat. Dhawan, who was going through an extended run of poor form, flopped in their first few matches before finding his groove. All-rounders Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques have also been impressive.

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Given the overall performance of the two teams this season, Hyderabad will start as the favourites. But they will do well to be wary of Punjab's new found form.

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) 11 per cent votes have been polled in the first two hours of the Delhi municipal bypolls as electorate queued up at several polling stations across the city braving hot weather.

Voting began this morning for the MCD bypolls to 13 wards in which over 6 lakh electorate are eligible to decide the fate of 95 candidates.

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"11 per cent votes were cast in the first two hours after beginning of voting at 8 am," Delhi State Election Commissioner Rakesh Mehta said.

Most of the wards registered "low voting". However, in some wards like Tekhand, Wazirpur, Nawada and Khichripur, voting percentage was up to 14 per cent, he said.

Polling went on peacefully over all, although BJP claimed that in few polling stations in Ballimaran ward, EVMs "did not function."

"We found that two-three EVMs were not working even at around 8.30 am. The returning officer was informed about it and we demanded to increase closing time of voting to beyond 5 pm," Delhi BJP spokesman Praveen Kapoor said.

The Delhi State Election Commission office apprised that voting was low in the early morning hours.

"In the early hours 9.04 per cent voting in Shalimar Bagh (North), 4 per cent in Munirka, 6.15 in Jhilmil and 9.04 per cent in Nanakpura were reported," an official of the state election commission said.

Polling began early today amid adequate security arrangement especially in north Delhi areas where the Delhi State Election Commission has identified polling stations as more sensitive than in other wards.

"Out of 695 polling stations, about 200 have been identified as sensitive and ultra-sensitive and adequate security arrangement has been made in those areas. Among the three corporations, North Corporation area has been found the most sensitive for polling," the state election commission has said.

However, no untoward incident was reported and voting was going on peacefully till reports last came in.

There are a total of 6,68,870 voters entitled to exercise their franchise in the by-elections for wards falling under three corporations - SDMC (7), NDMC (4) and EDMC (2).

The 13 wards going to bypolls are -- Quamruddin Nagar, Shalimar Bagh (North), Ballimaran, Nawada, Vikas Nagar, Matiala, Nanakpura, Munirka, Bhati, Tehkhand, Khichripur, Jhilmil and Wazirpur.

Voting will be held till 5 pm today.

Counting of votes will be held on May 17 and begin at the counting centres established in the 13 wards from 8 am. PTI KND/CHT/VIT RCJ

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By PTI: Hyderabad, May 15 (PTI) Fifteen persons of a family from Maharashtra, including five women and seven children, were killed in a road mishap involving a tipper and an auto in Adilabad district of Telangana, police said today.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of Bhainsa town of the district at around midnight yesterday when a speeding gravel-laden tipper collided head on with the auto carrying 18 persons, Adilabad District Superintendent of Police Tarun Joshi told PTI over phone.

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Fourteen persons died on the spot and another died on way to a hospital after the tipper fell on the auto and its occupants were crushed to death, the police officer said, adding, three others who were injured in the incident were shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Nizamabad district.

The deceased were on their way to a temple and had hired the auto, the SP said.

"The deceased include five women, four boys and three girls," Bhainsa Rural police station Circle Inspector Vinod Reddy said.

The family belong to Bhokar mandal in Nanded district of Maharashtra and they had been working in brick kilns in Nizamabad, he said. PTI VVK AAR DV AAR

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Among the regulars, who visit the library and take books home, are Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, CPI leader D Raja, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and BJP leader MJ Akbar.

Among the regulars, who visit the library and take books home, are Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, CPI leader D Raja, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and BJP leader MJ Akbar. Women members Vijai Laxmi Sadho of Congress and TRS M

By Amit Agnihotri: The Parliament library, which has a collection of over three lakh books and is entitled to Rs 40 lakh annually for purchasing books, is greatly underutilised, with only a few members visiting it.

The number of lawmakers, who get books issued is limited too. Just members 50 out of the total 800 parliamentarians from both the houses avail the facility.

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Among the regulars, who visit the library and take books home, are Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, CPI leader D Raja, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and BJP leader MJ Akbar.

Among the women members Vijai Laxmi Sadho of Congress and TRS MP K Kavitha have been spotted in the library.

Jairam, Raja and Raut expressed concern that the fabulous facility is often found deserted as few members find time to visit the place.

"It is a fabulous place. It has a wonderful collection of books.

But it is deserted. Whenever I go there, I find only a few members," Ramesh told Mail Today.

Raut from Sena, was more forthcoming. "When members have time, most of them prefer to go to the central hall for tea and snacks and catch up with latest political gossips. MPs should visit the library more often, considering the massive investment that has gone into its making," he said.

The members said the library has a wide and rare collection of books and ranks much better than other national libraries. While Jairam said he reads up on legal issues, biographies and Sanskrit poetry, Raut said he picks up a lot of regional books in Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi.

"I read works of veteran parliamentarians like Madhu Limaye," said Raut.

According to Raja, spending time in the library is very satisfying. "It is one of the best libraries. I find not only books but periodicals and old newspapers there.

Though time management is a problem for many parliamentarians, they should try to spend time there," Raja said adding "I referred to a lot books recently when the house debated over the role of Indian Constitution and its architect BR Ambedkar."

Library officials acknowledged there were few takers for books but pointed out that many members access information on their tablets.

They also said that the library provides reference material and old newspapers to members over e-mails, which is convenient and time saving.



According to Jairam, he has suggested the library staff to allow researchers from outside to make the parliament library a more vibrating place.

"Security is a matter of concern but researchers should be given access to the library," said Ramesh. The Parliament library has collection of old Parliamentary debates, reports, government publications and newspapers.

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However, the library does not have books on advanced technical subjects, pure science and light fiction. Out of the total budgetary provision of Rs 93 lakh (2015-16) for the upkeep of the library, Rs 40 lakh is earmarked for purchase of books. The library is also equipped with wi-fi connectivity. The new Parliament library building, commissioned in 1991 and completed in 2002, is next to the Parliament House in Lutyens Delhi.

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By PTI: project

New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) After Pakistan, which pulled out of India-mooted South Asian Satellite Project, Afghanistan too has shown no interest in the venture.

Sources said Afghanistan has tied up with a European company for its space-related needs.

"We had several rounds of discussions with Afghanistan. At one point they demand a particular thing and we have an agreement. In the next meeting, they would put forth some other demand.

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"Another issue was the location of the satellite. The location where India and Afghanistan wanted to place their satellite in the orbit was more or less the same," an official involved in the negotiations said.

Sources said Bangladesh too is not very keen on the satellite project as it is set for launch of its own geostationary communications satellite Bang Bandhu-1.

However, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are still keen on taking the project forward and talks are on with these countries.

In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ISRO to develop the satellite which can be dedicated as a "gift" to the neighbouring countries. He had also made the announcement at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

India had held deliberations with experts from other SAARC countries to finalise modalities for the satellite exclusively for the regional grouping.

The expenditure on the ground system of the proposed South Asian Satellite Project will be borne by the regional bloc countries, while India will bear the expenses to be incurred on building and launching it.

"The objective of this project is to develop a satellite for the SAARC region that enables a full range of services to all our neighbours in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting applications like television, DTH, tele-education and disaster management," the official added.

The satellite is to be launched in December this year.

Since the beginning, Pakistan had insisted that the project be brought under the ambit of SAARC, which was opposed by India. Following this, Pakistan opted out of the project.

India has made it clear that it will go ahead with the project irrespective of whoever is on board. PTI PR SK PMS

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Trauma Nurse Coordinator at AIIMS Trauma Centre, Suresh Chand Sangi has been awarded the National Florence Nightingale Award 2016.

Sangi joined the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in December 2006 and has been posted in Trauma Centre, AIIMS since 2007.

He has been a part of first of its kind, Trauma Nurses Coordinator System (TNC System) in India, said a statement issued by AIIMS.

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TNC system is responsible to coordinate the care of traumatically injured patients and to maintain trauma registry.

He is also nurse in charge of the Advanced Trauma Skills and Simulation Facility (ATSSF), JPN Apex Trauma Center, AIIMS which is a training facility well equipped with latest simulators and equipment for training of Trauma healthcare professionals.

Sangi is the National Coordinator for Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) India Programmes.

He is also the Director of Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) India Program, of Society of Trauma Nurses, USA. He has been instrumental in improvement of trauma care nationally and internationally by being an active team member for arranging training programs for doctors, nurses and paramedics.

The Award was given by President of India at President House yesterday. PTI PLB SUA SUA

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We can safely say that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's latest attire is her worst yet!

By Hemul Goel: So, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is at it again!

On her first appearance at the Cannes red carpet, we saw her wear a gown by Kuwait-based designer Ali Younis, that she decided to complete with blue eye makeup that drew mixed reactions.



With a gown that managed to make a cut somehow, Aishwarya's first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival was probably an 8/10.



Then came in the flirty red Naeem Khan number and a pastel Elie Saab for her second appearance on the red carpet, both of which turned out to be a 10/10 for the actress.

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Obviously, having made us forget the semi-disastrous Ali Younis appearance, with her stellar choices, we were sure of not witnessing anymore sartorial missteps from her.



Also Read: Cannes 2016: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan paints the French Riviera red in a Naeem Khan outfit



But Aishwarya went ahead and proved us wrong!



When it was time for the actress to truly shine with the spotlight firmly trained on her during the press interaction for her upcoming release Sarbjit, Aishwarya chose to don a heavy duty number designed by Rohit Bal.





We wonder what happened to all the subtlety. Picture courtesy: Instagram/ Deepa Gurnani

Not only did the floor-length suit and jacket combination manage to bulk her up, the actress continued her useless fixation on gold which didn't flatter her one bit!

A Deepa Gurnani necklace hung from her neck, which considering the busy nature of the attire ended up cluttering her look even more, besides giving a very Sarojini Nagar vibe (no offence).





The floor-length suit and jacket combination manage to bulk her up. Picture courtesy:

Considering the fact that she's a brand ambassador for cosmetics giant L'Oreal, her beauty look was even worse. From the side parted hair to the deeply lined eyes, Aishwarya looked simply bleh.



Also Read: Aishwarya plays a pastel princess on the Cannes red carpet

As much as we hate to pit two faces from our country against one another, it goes without saying that when it comes to choosing Indian wear then Aishwarya really needs to take more than a lesson or two from Sonam Kapoor. Since the young fashionista has landed in Cannes, we have only seen her step out in Indian labels and she's already killing it.

No wonder, Aishwarya needs to quit playing it safe and up her game.



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By PTI: Mumbai, May 15 (PTI) Former Congress MP Priya Dutt today called on Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, a day after suspected Sena workers pelted stones at a meeting organised by the Opposition party here.

Dutt arrived at Matoshree (residence of Uddhav) in suburban Bandra in the afternoon and had about half an hour long meeting with the Sena chief, a source said.

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The meeting comes in the backdrop of last nights event in which a group of workers, allegedly belonging to Shiv Sena, pelted stones at a public gathering organised by Congress, where Mumbai unit chief of the party Sanjay Nirupam was also present.

Nirupam had organised the conclave in suburban Kandivali to highlight alleged corruption in Shiv Sena-BJP-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as part of Congress "pol khol" (expose) campaign ahead of the next years civic elections.

Dutt, however, claimed she did not discuss anything political with Uddhav. "There was nothing political in our meeting. I met him owing to personal relation," the former Congress MP told PTI.

Asked about the Dutt-Uddhav meeting, Nirupam said he was not aware of it. "I was not aware about the meeting though she has every right to meet anyone in personal capacity. Still, I will speak to her on the issue (the meeting)."

Political observers think in the coming days Congress- Shiv Sena fight may turn ugly in the wake of the latters "pol khol" campaign.

Opposition Congress is targeting the saffron party by repeatedly referring to BJP Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiyas remark about prevailing corruption in the countrys richest civic body.

Last week, Somaiya had said "there was widespread corruption in the BMC and it was in the grip of a powerful mafia controlled by a saheb from Bandra, his brother-in-law and his PA."

Latching on the remark, Mumbai Congress yesterday filed a police complaint demanding registration of an FIR against unnamed persons, including "a saheb from Bandra", over alleged graft in the BMC. PTI APM RSY SUA SUA SDM

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Police sources said the mishap occurred on Saturday night when a 30-feet deep cellar was being dug for a proposed multi-storey building at Lakshmipuram in Guntur.

Eight workers were said to be on the spot when there was a sudden landslip in Guntur city of Andhra Pradesh. (Photo courtesy: ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: At least 7 construction workers were killed while 1 labourer was rescued from debris following a landslip at a building construction site in Guntur city of Andhra Pradesh, about 35-km from Hyderabad, on Saturday night.

Police sources said the mishap occurred when a 30-feet deep cellar was being dug for a proposed multi-storey building at Lakshmipuram in Guntur.

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Eight workers were said to be on the spot when there was a sudden landslip, trapping them inside, the police said.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked his deputy N China Rajappa to rush to Guntur.

AP Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, MLAs Alapati Rajendra Prasad, N Anand Babu, district Collector Kantilal Dande and other officials rushed to the spot.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked his deputy N China Rajappa, who holds the Home portfolio, to rush to Guntur and oversee the rescue efforts, official sources said.

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By PTI: Kapurthala, May 14 (PTI) An assistant sub inspector was killed while a head constable sustained injuries as they tried to stop three highway robbers at police checkpoint at Subhanpur on Jalandhar-Amrtisar national highway here this afternoon.

ASI Surinder Singh died on the spot while traffic head constable Harpal Singh was injured, police said, adding, they were trying to stop the robbers from fleeing in a car, police said.

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The robbers abandoned the car following a snag in the vehicle and snatched a bike from a man. They were later arrested with the help of the villagers.

The robbers had earlier looted Rs 17,000 and a gold ring from two women who were on a scooter.

Jalandhar Range IG Lok Nath Angara and SSP Rajinder Singh reached the spot to inquire about the incident, police added. PTI CORR CHS RCB ZMN RCB

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Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of Bangladesh's first magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and fellow activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, were killed in a apartment in the capital Dhaka late last month.

The attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.

Police, however, arrested Shariful Islam, 37, a member of the banned local militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team, in connection with the murder. The Bangladeshi government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda have a presence in the country.

Monirul Islam, chief of the counterterrorism unit of Dhaka Police, told a news conference on Sunday that Islam was arrested in the southwestern district of Kushtia. He was brought to the news conference but did not comment.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Islamic State militants also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two foreigners late last year. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the recent attacks.

Western security experts doubt that there are any direct operational links between Islamic State, based in the Middle East, and militants operating on the ground in Bangladesh.

In the latest attack, an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday at a temple in a remote region of southeastern Bangladesh.


A spiralling crime wave sweeping Bihar has bolstered an opposition outcry about "jungle raj" returning to the state and sapped chief minister Nitish Kumar's bid to emerge as a national alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2019 general elections.

Members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (above) stage a demonstration to protest against the killing of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan

By Giridhar Jha: The murders of a journalist and a railway constable, a spate of robberies, the alleged rape of a minor girl by a village head's son and the road rage killing of a teenager with the son of a legislator from Kumar's party as the accused, all this month, have reinforced Bihar's image as one of India's most lawless states.

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Senior journalist brutally murdered



Rajdeo Ranjan would have been celebrating his 17th wedding anniversary on Saturday had he been alive, but it turned out to be his funeral day.

Unidentified assailants pumped bullets into the 45-year-old Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan from point-blank range at a crowded market on Friday night.

Police are yet to make any breakthroughs in the brutal killing that has emerged as a rallying point for the chief minister's rivals who are demanding his resignation.

Nitish Kumar government failing?



An avowedly secular alliance of parties led by Kumar stormed to power in Bihar last year, dealing a heavy blow to Modi for whom the election was seen as a key test of his popularity.

The coalition bagged almost a three-fourths majority, riding on the support of Yadav and Muslim voters rallied primarily by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who emerged as an unlikely hero from the bitterly fought polls.

Kumar has been citing police data while claiming that the crime rate has come down by about 27 per cent since he imposed total prohibition in the state last month, but the BJP says there are clear signs of law and order deteriorating and its pre-election prophesy of "jungle raj" has come true.

Close on the heels of the killing of 19-year-old Aditya Sachdeva in Gaya allegedly by Rocky Yadav, son of now-suspended Janata Dal (United) lawmaker Manorama Devi, Ranjan's murder has come as a big challenge for the chief minister who has been credited with turning the sprawling state around.

Kumar aligned with the BJP to create a "coalition of extremes" - the BJP brought in the dominant upper-castes while the JD(U) leader focused on the more excluded within marginalised groups. Combined with a promise of development, the coalition won a second straight term in 2010.

However, the rise of Narendra Modi strained the alliance. A triangular fight ensued in the Lok Sabha polls, but the BJP swept the election riding the Modi wave.

Winning the high-stakes assembly polls last year was a massive boost for Kumar who has been billed as a possible prime ministerial candidate for a coalition of anti-BJP parties in the next parliamentary election.

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But the law and order situation has emerged as a major challenge for him with his government days away from completing six months in power.

BJP blames state government



Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said Kumar should explain whether there was any rule of law in the state. "Have not the olden days of Bihar in general and Siwan in particular, which people shudder to remember, returned now?" he asked.

The former deputy chief minister, who visited the family of the slain scribe on Saturday, said the needle of suspicion pointed towards people behind bars. "But the state government does not have the courage to take action," he alleged.

The killing has sparked fears of the return of lawlessness in Bihar, especially in Siwan where jailed former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin used to rule the roost when Lalu Prasad and then his wife, Rabri Devi, occupied the chief minister's chair for about 15 years.

The state's high crime rates were often held responsible for its poor economic performance with low external investment and people migrating to other parts.

RJD chief Prasad said the government and police were doing their job and the culprits would be caught soon.

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However, RLSP MP Arun Kumar alleged that Kumar had lost total control over the law and order situation. Aam Aadmi Party's state convenor and former minister Parveen Amanullah said Bihar was heading towards "destruction".

"The entire system has failed," she said. "The chief minister must restore law and order.

Also read:

If Nitish Kumar becomes PM, jungle raj will prevail across country: Uma Bharti



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Patel's agitation left the BJP, both in Gujarat and in Delhi, stunned and brought Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's political and administrative skills into question.

By Himanshu Mishra: Alarmed at its sliding popularity in Gujarat, the BJP is deliberating various options, including an overhaul of the state government and the party's faction-ridden unit, India Today has reliably learnt.

Home to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat is due for Assembly elections in 2017.

But the BJP faced a massive blow to its image when a young man, Hardik Patel, mobilised as many as five lakh people for a protest rally to demand job reservations for the influential Patidar community in the state last year.

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Patel's agitation left the BJP, both in Gujarat and in Delhi, stunned and brought Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's political and administrative skills into question.

Modi ropes in Om Prakash Mathur to assess Gujarat's political situation



India Today has accessed an internal party report, which Modi commissioned his close lieutenant Om Prakash Mathur to prepare, on Gujarat's current political situation.

Mathur, formerly in charge of the BJP in Gujarat, submitted his report to the prime minister and party president Amit Shah on April 25 along with recommendations.

In his findings, obtained by India Today, Mathur advised the BJP not to underestimate or overlook the Patidar stir.

He also recommended major changes in the state government and emphasised immediate measures be taken to narrow down the gaps in coordination between the party and the administration.

Mathur underscored the need to end internal factionalism in the BJP as well as its government in Gujarat, according to his report.

Besides, he recommended the party be involved in the state government's decision-making and that the central leadership regularly review their performance.

Party sources say the prime minister may take a call on the BJP's Gujarat leadership, both in the party and in the government.

Key section of BJP fears Anandiben Patel might become a liability

A key section of the BJP fears Anandiben Patel may turn out to be a liability in next year's state elections, party sources disclosed to India Today.

Any electoral loss for the BJP in Modi's stronghold of Gujarat will be a huge setback to the prime minister's personal reputation. More so after the bloody nose the party has already suffered in Delhi and Bihar.

The BJP seemed to have lost the ground already at least in rural Gujarat to Congress as indicated by its slump there in local-council elections that took place after the Patidar protests in 2015.

Amit Shah steps up Gujarat visits to revive state party

Meantime, Shah has stepped up his Gujarat visits, holding a series of meetings with state ministers and leaders to discuss options to rebuild the organisation.

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Modi, Mathur and the BJP chief also met twice in Delhi within a week to brainstorm revival of the party's fortunes in the state ahead of the 2017 vote, the sources said.

Modi would not want to risk Gujarat, they said. Any upset in his home state may have far-reaching repercussions on the BJP's national prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the sources admit.



Shah also recently met all state BJP MPs and senior Gujarat leaders as part of frantic efforts to reign in the party's descent.

Separately, Gujarat BJP president Vinay Rupani and Dinesh Sharma, the party in-charge, called on Modi just few days ago.

If eased out as chief minister, Anandiben Patel may be accommodated as governor in some other state, the sources say.

--- ENDS ---
If superstitions are to be believed, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tenure is most likely to be punctured during this period. It has happened in the past, and going by the current developments, the jinx may just strike again.

The Simhasta Kumbh, which is held every 12 years, is considered to be one of the biggest religious melas for Hindus.

By India Today Web Desk: The month-long Simhasta Kumbh mela at Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, is drawing millions of pilgrims for a holy dip on the banks of Kshipra river. While the water is supposed to wash away the sins of devotees, for chief ministers, it might just be the bearer of bad news.

If superstitions are to be believed, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tenure is most likely to be punctured during this period. It has happened in the past, and going by the current developments, the jinx may just strike again.

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Chouhan has been making a flurry of visits to camps and ashrams damaged by rain, which is being seen as a last-minute move to solicit support from Dalits and tribal communities. But will the visits overthrow the jinx for him?

In 1980, Janta Party's Sunder Lal Patwa lost the elections after the mela. After contesting again, when he came to power in 1992, President's rule was imposed in the state straight after the mela.

In 2004, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was prepared to take on the CM's role but following the Kumbh Mela, he was defeated in the polls and BJP's Uma Bharti took away the chair.

The BJP, meanwhile, is looking at the RSS to find a solution. According to reports, Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid a visit to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur to seek his advice over how to deal with the superstition.

The RSS grabbed the opportunity to play an assertive role in the festivities. It directed the chief minister to highlight the traditions and customs of the country during the event. The sangh even directed the CM to take a holy dip in the Kshipra river along with Dalits and tantriks.

Chouhan has taken it upon himself to ensure that all arrangements were made as per the RSS diktat and he did manage to get some credit for his efforts. Mohan Bhagwat and BJP president Amit Shah praised his sincere attempt towards making the event a success.

So will the holy dips and ashram visits turn around the fortunes for Chouhan and keep him on CM chair? Whether the 'shahi snan' will wash off any ill-effects on the MP CM or not, remains to be seen?

The Simhasta Kumbh, which is held every 12 years, is considered to be one of the biggest religious melas for Hindus.

Also Read

Ujjain Simhastha Kumbh Mela: 7 dead as tents collapse due to heavy storms



--- ENDS ---
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau is being criticised for asking for more staff despite having two nannies and one assistant.

By India Today Web Desk: While we swoon over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's good looks and feminist views, his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau too is catching up and making headlines. However, for all the wrong reasons according to the Twitterati.

Canadians took to Twitter to slam Sophie after she was heard saying that she needs 'help' and a team to help serve the people.

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"I'd like to be everywhere, but I can't," said Sophie in an interview to French language newspaper Le Soleil.

She complained about not having enough staff and that it is difficult for her and her assistant to handle the requests and demands for public appearances, speeches, and charity events.

"I have three children at home and a husband who is Prime Minister. I need help. I need a team to help me serve people," said Sophie Trudeau.

It was recently revealed that taxpayers were already paying for the two nannies hired for the Trudeau couple.

The Twitterati slammed the Canadian first-lady using the hashtag PrayforSophie.

Oh are you a busy parent with a busy spouse? What you need is more taxpayer-funded assistants. #cdnpoli Aaron Wudrick (@awudrick) May 12, 2016

There is no First Lady in #Canada. #Trudeau high flying public funded lifestyle too much. Sophie can pay for her own staff. #cdnpoli #LPC Eric James (@PenlessEJ) May 12, 2016

@washingtonpost Other PM's wives did more and never asked for handouts. She shamed hard working Canadian mothers.#prayforsofie b.robertson (@bevrobertson3) May 15, 2016

I'm setting up a lemonade stand this weekend, all proceeds going to fund help for Sophie.#PrayForSophie

https://t.co/a6j3SO729I M-Diddy (@Mattyg7G) May 13, 2016



Many have objected that if more staff is hired for the first lady, who actually has no official duties, then the taxpayers would have to pay for it.



The first lady had supporters as well though few in number.







People, stop whining! She works for free. An extra staffer enables her to do more for Canadians! So STFU! #cdnpolihttps://t.co/khLKGd2gBM dayes (@cokeaddict) May 15, 2016

Conservatives spent $750,000,000 on advertising since 2009 but you think hiring 1 staff member is outrageous? #payforsophie #cdnpoli Dave Kotsibie (@DaveKotsibie) May 15, 2016





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A French internet start-up company had hired the fake Islamic State looking commandos to make a sea landing at the French Riviera resort as part of a PR stunt.

Paramilitary gendarmes seized the vessel after it docked, but none of the crew members were formally arrested. (Photo courtesy: MailOnline)

By India Today Web Desk: Several Hollywood stars and a number of VIP guests at the ocean-side Hotel du Cap got a scare when men resembling ISIS terrorists landed at the hotel by a speed boat bearing a black, ISIS-like flag during the Cannes Film Festival.

Paramilitary gendarmes seized the vessel after it docked, but none of the crew members were formally arrested.

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A French internet start-up company had hired the fake Islamic State looking commandos to make a sea landing at the French Riviera resort as part of a PR stunt. The company has apologised for the PR stunt, saying it hadn't intended to scare people.

According to American publicist JR Savet, someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool to save their life as nobody knew if it was a stunt or not.

After the incident, police explained that the speedboat landing had been part of a PR campaign being run by the Paris-based internet company Oraxy, which caters to the rich and famous. Prior to the hotel landing, a police spokesman said the "commandos" involved in the hoax had tried to breach a sea exclusion zone around Cannes, but were diverted by security teams.

Cannes is on high terror alert for the 12-day film festival, with thousands of security officers deployed in the city, while a warship patrols the bay and snipers are posted on rooftops.

Coincidentally, the exploit took place on the first Friday the 13th and exactly six months since the bloodshed in Paris on November 13, which killed 130 people.

It was reported in April that Islamic State could be planning terrorist attacks on resorts in southern Europe, including those in France, Italy and Spain, which would most likely be carried out by suicide bombers disguised as beach vendors. In June of 2015, a gunman allegedly linked to IS opened fire on a beach in Sousse, a popular Tunisian resort area, killing 38 people and injuring dozens.

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Both ruling BJP and Congress in MCD have exuded confidence of winning the electoral battle while AAP is seeking to replicate its assembly elections performance in its maiden outing at the civic hustings.

MCD By polls: People queue up to cast vote in Delhi. (Photo courtesy: ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: Voting is currently underway for the Delhi municipal bypolls to 13 wards in which over 6 lakh electorate are eligible to decide the fate of 95 candidates in a triangular contest being considered the litmus test ahead of the 2017 civic body elections.

Both ruling BJP and Congress in MCD have exuded confidence of winning the electoral battle while AAP is seeking to replicate its assembly elections performance in its maiden outing at the civic hustings.

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Polling began at 8 am amid ample security arrangement especially in north Delhi areas where the Delhi State Election Commission has identified polling stations as more sensitive than in other wards.

"Out of 695 polling stations, about 200 have been identified as sensitive and ultra-sensitive and adequate security arrangement has been made in those areas. Among the three corporations, North Corporation area has been found the most sensitive for polling," the state election commission has said.

There are a total of 6,68,870 voters entitled to exercise their franchise in the by-elections for wards falling under three corporations - SDMC (7), NDMC (4) and EDMC (2).

Voting will be held till 5 pm today. Counting of votes will be held on May 17 and begin at the counting centres established in the 13 wards from 8 am.

The Delhi State Election Commission has deployed about 2,500 staff to man its polling stations, some of which fall in outer Delhi areas.

The 13 wards going to bypolls are - Quamruddin Nagar, Shalimar Bagh (North), Ballimaran, Nawada, Vikas Nagar, Matiala, Nanakpura, Munirka, Bhati, Tehkhand, Khichripur, Jhilmil and Wazirpur.

The by-elections have been necessitated due to 13 councillors getting elected to Delhi Assembly in 2013 and 2015.

In the elections to the then unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2012, BJP had held 7 seats out of these 13. The same year MCD was trifurcated into North Corporation (NDMC), South Corporation (SDMC) and East Corporation (EDMC).

In 2012 MCD elections, BJP candidates had won the Nangloi Jat, Shalimar Bagh (North) and Wazirpur wards, now falling under the NDMC.

BJP, Congress exude confidence



Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay has claimed his party will poll "maximum share of votes" and give the "best" performance in the bypolls.

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken has also claimed the party candidates are getting overwhelming support from the people, saying it is a clear indication that Congress would "win" the MCD by-elections with "thumping margins".

Having won 67 of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party is upbeat in its maiden outing in the civic polls, aiming to replicate its performance.

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AAP contested two Assembly polls in the national capital - in 2013 and 2015, and the party has been highlighting "BJP's corruption" and "rotten" state of affairs in the civic bodies, an issue it seeks to leverage in this contest.

Former legislators Mahender Nagpal and Jitender Singh Shunty are contesting the elections from Wajirpur and Jhilmil wards respectively on BJP tickets.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Richa Banka

Addis Ababa, May 15 (PTI) Betting big on Indias booming aviation market which has outperformed the US and China in terms of domestic passengers traffic growth, Africas leading carrier Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its operations in India with new flights and aircraft upgrade.

The pan-African flag carrier currently operates a daily double service to New Delhi and Mumbai from capital city Addis Ababa. It also operates freighter services to Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai.

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The airline is currently in talks with the Indian civil aviation authorities including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in this regard, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told PTI in Addis Ababa.

"We are looking forward to launch flight operations to Chennai from Ethiopia. We are keenly looking at (flying) passengers from Chennai," Gebremariam said without specifying a timeline for commencement of the proposed new fight.

Ethiopian Airlines is already operating 14 flights per week to Delhi and Mumbai each, he added.

India and Ethiopia had signed a pact last year, allowing the carriers of two sides to scale up weekly flight entitlements to 28 from 21.

Under the pact, Ethiopia was also allowed to exchange Bangalore in place of Kolkata as a point of call.

Three additional domestic code share points exclusively to code share with Air India were also granted for Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune.

Both Air India and Ethiopia are part of the 27-member international airlines club, Star Alliance and have code-share pact as well.

Code-sharing of flights allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to multiple destinations where it has no presence.

"Air India is our Star Alliance member and we have contributed a lot for India because of our long time association. We are now looking to expand the alliance (code share with Air India)," Gebremariam said.

According to the International Air Transport Association, air traffic in India grew by 19.4 per cent between January and June last year, the highest amongst top seven domestic airline markets in the world, outstripping China that grew 12.3 per cent and the US 3.7 per cent in the same period.

Globally, Ethiopian Airline operates to 111 destinations including 91 international with a fleet of 68 Boeing aircraft, making it one of the largest and only profitable African carrier. (MORE) PTI RCB IAS MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
Upendra Singh, who has links with former RJD lawmaker Mohammad Shahabuddin, has been detained in connection with the Siwan bureau chief's murder case for last two days. Singh is an active RJD member.

By India Today Web Desk: The Bihar Police have detained an RJD member for his alleged involvement in journalist Rajdeo Ranjan murder case.

Upendra Singh, who has links with former RJD lawmaker Mohammad Shahabuddin, has been detained in connection with the Siwan bureau chief's murder for last two days. Singh is an active RJD member.

Siwan district President of RJD Parmatma Ram has confirmed this.

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ALSO READ: Is recent spate of crimes pushing Bihar back into dark ages?



Earlier, the police investigating the killing of Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan had claimed that the sharp shooters involved in the death had links with former RJD MP Shahabuddin who is presently lodged in Siwan jail.

Top cops in Siwan who are probing the case had informed that the killing of the journalist was a pre-planned murder and the assailants who were professionals had conducted recce for 2-3 days before executing their plan on Friday evening.

The former MP is a close aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and was recently inducted into the National Executive of the party. Police which soon after the incident flung into action detained two persons namely Upendra Singh and Shahzad, both who have close links with Shahabuddin.



Siwan is considered to be the backyard of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. He was in the nearby village Panki on Friday to campaign for a by-election. The RJD chief even visited the journalist's home to mourn his killing by criminals a day before in Jharkhand.

Ranjan was on his motorcycle when the assailants fired at him near Siwan railway station. He was shot point blank three times in the head and neck, and died on the spot. The senior journalist had been working for daily Hindustan for the last 22 years. He was 40.

Third accused detained



The Bihar Police today detained a third person in connection with the murder case in Siwan.

The man is the caretaker of the CCTV footage and he is being quizzed by the police team from Siwan which arrived in Patna to investigate into the disappearance of the footage. Cops suspect, caretaker Radheshyam deleted the CCTV footage.

Earlier, the Bihar Police had collected evidence from the crime scene of the murder and detained two suspects.

ALSO READ: Blood on Bihar's streets again after senior journalist is shot dead near railway station



The killing came barely a day after another journalist Indradeo Yadav was gunned down in Chatra district of the adjoining Jharkhand state. Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad had on Friday condemned the killing of Yadav and hit out at the Raghubar Das government for the law and order situation.

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BJP demands CBI inquiry



Condemning the killing, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Nitish Kumar government had lost control over the law and order situation. The state party president Mangal Pandey said that the criminals having political patronage were ruling the roost in Bihar.

The BJP today demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing of a journalist in Siwan and hinted about the alleged involvement of a jailed RJD strongman in the murder.

"The needle of suspicion points to a jailed 'bahubali' (muscleman) in the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. Since such a high profile person is suspected, its a known fact that Bihar police would not be able to do justice to the case. Hence the matter should be handed over to the CBI," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said.

Modi along with leader of opposition in Legislative Assembly Prem Kumar and state BJP chief Mangal Pandey visited the family of Ranjan.

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The senior BJP leader claimed that recently the Superintendent of Police of Siwan furnished a list of 23 people to the state police headquarters who were "black listed" by jailed RJD strongman and former MP, Mohammad Shahbuddin, and Rajdeo Ranjan's name figured in the list.

"The pattern of murder of the journalist was similar to the recent killings of BJP workers of Siwan, Srikant Bharti and Rajesh Roshan, at the behest of Mohammad Shahbuddin," he said.

BJP would organise a sit-in at Siwan tomorrow to protest against the journalist's murder, said Modi, who was Deputy Chief Minister during NDA rule in the state.

Elsewhere in the state, BJP workers would burn effigy of the state government to protest deterioration in law and order situation in Bihar, he added.



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"There is a larger, more sinister plan to destroy Article 370 by rendering it irrelevant", Dr Abdullah said referring to recent developments about establishing of Sainik Colony in Srinagar and of industrial policy favorable to non-J&K resident entrepreneurs.

By Naseer Ganai: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti not to act like "pliant, puppet leaders who connived against the state's political rights to remain in power."

While talking about the role of the state government in extending the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to the state, he said tragic silence by Mehbooba's government on recurring efforts to discredit and disarm the state's institutions by openly trespassing, even into categories that clearly fall in the state list, can spell doom for the state.

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"There is a larger, more sinister plan to destroy Article 370 by rendering it irrelevant," Dr Abdullah said referring to recent developments about establishing the Sainik Colony in Srinagar and of industrial policy favourable to non-J&K resident entrepreneurs.

The J&K government has assured it has no proposal to establish Sainik colony in Kashmir and has promised to review the industrial policy. The government has also accused the NC working president, Omar Abdullah, of trying to set "Kashmir on fire, destroy its tourism industry and economy" by issuing "proactive" statements on such sensitive matters.

NC continued its campaign against the coalition government headed by Mehbooba with the party passing a resolution on Saturday pledging to safeguard the state's Special Status as provided in Article 370 of the Indian Constitution at all costs.

In a day-long meeting of the NC's legal cell chaired by Abdullah here, the NC pledged to foil all efforts which are being engineered to erode the autonomy available to the state.

The party said it will leave no stone unturned to restore the state's internal autonomy as it existed prior to 1953 and also supported the resolution passed for the restoration of autonomy in the Legislative Assembly in 2000.

The NC resolved to protect the rights of the people of the state guaranteed under the state's constitution and laws.

Addressing party's legal cell at NC Headquarters, Abdullah said there were clear indications that a long-existing lobby in New Delhi was reinventing its mission to erode what remains of the state's internal autonomy.

"Mehbooba Mufti and her colleagues should draw lessons from history and fear the reprisals of political connivance with forces inimical to the interests of the state."

"I have personally witnessed how a long-existing lobby in New Delhi has used pliant leaders and regimes in the state to erode Article 370 and rob the state of its constitutionally guaranteed internal autonomy - one step at a time," Dr. Abdullah said.

"This is a chronicle of betrayals and breach of faith that started with the deposition and incarceration of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and continues to this day. At every juncture in our history, this lobby in New Delhi has used pliant leaders and co-opting regimes in the State to inflict irrevocable damage on Article 370," Dr Abdullah said.

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"Today we see the efforts of this lobby manifest in the form of the extension of NFSA and NEET to the state while the PDP-BJP government is peddling an 'industrial policy' which is glaringly conspicuous in its ambiguity on the question of non-state-subject investors and promoters," he said.

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By PTI: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, May 15 (PTI) Four Indian peacekeepers and a civilian, who laid down their lives while serving in the UN peacekeeping operations last year, will be honoured along with other 124 personnel with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for their courage and sacrifice.

The fallen Indian peacekeepers who will be honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers are Head Constable Shubhkaran Yadav, Rifleman Manish Malik, Havildar Amal Deka, Naik Rakesh Kumar and Gagan Punjabi.

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Yadav, serving in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) gave the supreme sacrifice in April last year and Malik, also serving in the same mission, died in August.

Deka, serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) died in June last year and Kumar serving in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) died in January 2015.

Punjabi was serving in MONUSCO in a civilian capacity under the UN Volunteers programme and died in an incident in January last year.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, observed annually on May 29, will be commemorated this year on May 19.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will begin the commemoration by laying a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers.

Later, he will preside over a ceremony at which the medals will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2015.

Permanent Representatives and ambassadors to the UN will collect the medals on behalf of the fallen peacekeepers from their countries.

In his message for the day, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare saidthe sacrifices of the brave men and women of peacekeeping "inspire us to serve with courage and dignity and to pursue continuous improvement and innovation in our work."

"We owe this not just to our departed colleagues, but also to the millions of civilians that we have been entrusted to protect. We must continue to work togetherto enable complex operations tosucceed with rapid, effective, efficient and responsible support," he said.

Last year Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with MONUSCO and Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with UNMISS were posthumously awarded the medal.

India is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, with its military and police personnel having been deployed in UN missions including in Cote dIvoire, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon and South Sudan.

So far, India has contributed nearly 180,000 troops who have served in over 44 of the 69 peacekeeping operations, including the 103-strong Indian female police unit in the UN mission in Liberia. (MORE) PTI YAS MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---

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By PTI: Kolkata, May 15 (PTI) Gold bars worth over Rs 21 lakh were seized from two passengers at the airport here after they arrived from Bangakok today, officials said.

The two passengers landed at N S C Bose International Airport here by TG 313 flight of Thai Airways. They arose suspicion of customs officials who searched them.

Gold bars weighing around 560 gm, valued at over Rs 17.09 lakh, were recovered from one person and 152 gm yellow metal worth Rs 4.65 lakh was seized from the other, the officials said.

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Both the passengers are being interrogated, they said. PTI CORR NN NSD

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: suicide

New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) A Delhi Police Head constable deployed at Union Minister Uma Bhartis residence here allegedly attempted suicide by shooting himself with his service gun tonight.

The incident took place around 10.30 PM, following which police teams were rushed to theresidence of Uma Bharti, the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in New Delhis Ashoka Road.

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The official, identified as Head Constable Brijpal of Delhi Polices security unit, was still breathing while being rushed to the nearest hospital, a senior police official said adding that the reason why he took the extreme step could not be ascertained yet.

The head constable allegedly shot himself with his official gun which has been recovered from the spot.

"His condition is critical," DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.

Prima facie the official shot himself sitting inside his personal car parked inside the premises of Bhartis bungalow. PTI DEY DIP RG

--- ENDS ---
Rehman infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir in the month of February this year with four more Pakistani terrorists who were also provided with fake Aadhar cards, said his handler Major Genral JS Nain

By Ashraf Wani: Police on Saturday arrested Abdul Rehman, commander of Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, who was operating in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir.

They also recovered an Aadhar card which revealed that Rehman was operating under the code name Saad. He even made some shocking revelations during the interrogation.

WHO IS ABDUL REHMAN and WHAT DID HE SAY



According to police sources, the militant commander, who was trying to expand the terror base in the region, was arrested from Baramulla town. The police also recovered an AK series rifle, four grenades and other arms and ammunition.

Rehman infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir in the month of February this year with four more Pakistani terrorists who were also provided with fake Aadhar cards, said his handler Major Genral JS Nain (GOC).



However, he hasn't revealed much about the location of the other three members of the terror module.

Rehman's arrest is seen as big achievement by security agencies and they are hopeful that further interrogation may provide some important clues about Pathankot airbase terror attack.

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Also Read

Pathankot: Car snatched at gunpoint by 3 youths

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) At least three sites have been identified by the Jammu and Kashmir government for setting up colonies for displaced Kashmiri Pandits and it has been conveyed to the Union Home Ministry for assessment.

Official sources said most of the land is being held by private owners and the state government has approached them for outright sale of the land where it plans to construct dwelling units to rehabilitate them.

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One of the identified lands is in North Kashmirs Baramulla district. It is spread over more than 200 kanals at Kanispora Johema on the outskirts of Baramulla and is close to the national highway and railway station.

Two other pieces of land have also been scouted for in central and south Kashmir but are yet to be finalised.

Union Home Ministry officials have advised the Jammu and Kashmir government to finalise the land as early as possible so that construction works of colonies for Kashmiri Pandits could be started.

In September 2014, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had written a letter to the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for allocation of "suitable" land for creating dwelling units for displaced Kashmiri Pandit families under the governments plan to implement rehabilitation scheme for the migrants.

Singh had suggested that the land may be identified near the places from where they migrated and also advised that this should be done in such a manner that there was adequate security in and around the area.

There are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri Pandit families in the country, who migrated from the Valley due to the onset of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s.

About 40,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families are living in Jammu, around 20,000 in Delhi-NCR and about 2,000 families are settled in other parts of the country.

On November 18, 2015, the central government had approved a rehabilitation package with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,000 crore for providing additional 3,000 state government jobs to the Kashmiri migrants and construction of 6,000 transit accommodations in the Valley for the migrants to whom state government jobs have been provided or will be provided.

The state government has been requested to take necessary action for the implementation of the package at the earliest. PTI ACB SKL AAR DV AAR

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Monsoon will hit Kerala between May 28 and 30, two-three days before its normal onset date of June 1, private forecasting agency Skymet said.

However, it is expected to reach New Delhi on July 1 and Jaisalmer by July 12.

It is likely to reach Kolkata by June 10 and Mumbai by June 12.

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The Southwest Monsoon will arrive over Andaman and Nicobar Islands between May 18 and 20.

"It is likely to reach Kerala between May 28 and May 30. Thereafter, it will cover other parts of the country. Present weather conditions are indicating a promising beginning of Monsoon 2016 which is likely to usher in with a bang," Skymet said.

The normal monsoon onset date is June 1 when it reaches Kerala.

Monsoon reaching a tad early is expected to provide relief to many parts of country which are reeling under severe heat wave and drought conditions.

The India Meteorological Department, as well as Skymet, have made a forecast of "above normal" monsoon this year. PTI PR DV

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Dhaka, May 15 (PTI) Three persons, including two Myanmar nationals, were today arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the brutal killing of a 70-year-old Buddhist monk inside a remote monastery, police said on the latest attack on minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

Two Rohingyas - Abdur Rahim, 25, and Md Zia, 26 - besides Sa Mong Chak, 35, were picked up from their homes in different areas this morning, Naikhyongchharhi police station officer- in-charge Abul Khayer said.

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The development comes a day after Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in Bandarban hill districts remote and rugged Naikkhangchari area, was found with his throat slit, in a killing that bears the hallmark of previous murders of intellectuals and minorities by Islamists in the country.

Mawng used to live alone at the monastery Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang, situated some 230 metres away from the nearest village Uppar Chak Para where his family members live.

His family filed a police case over the murder yesterday.

The two Rohingya men were seen loitering near the monastery on Thursday following which the monk told his son about the two unidentified men and that he was feeling unsafe since then, the Daily Star quoted Khayer as saying.

He had also told his son that something unexpected will happen to me and you should stay alert.

Todays arrests coincide with the nabbing of a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of the countrys first gay magazine editor and his friend here on April 25.

Bangladesh has been reeling under a series of systematic assaults in recent weeks especially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

The monks killing comes exactly a week after a 65-year- old Muslim Sufi preacher was hacked to death in a similar attack by unidentified machete-wielding assailants in northwestern Rajshahi city.

A liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last month by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city, and just two days later, the gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka.

On April 30, a Hindu tailor was also hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop in central Bangladesh.

The ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Indian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks though the government denies their presence in Bangladesh. PTI SAI AKJ SAI

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, May 15 (PTI) The Nepal Army has been criticised by the media here for receiving Bollywood actresses Sonakshi Sinha and Malaika Arora Khan at the international airport as they said the move "demoralises" the army and "reduces its prestige".

The actresses had come for a charity function, headed by the wife of army chief General Rajendra Chhettri for benefit of victims of last years devastating earthquake.

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General Samir Shai was at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Friday to receive Sinha while other senior army officials received Khan, local media reports said, adding that such acts will "demoralise" the army and "reduce its prestige."

However, Nepal Army spokesperson said that the army does not see any thing wrong in the incident.

"The welcome by the army personal was a normal incident," the spokesperson told PTI.

The Army General welcomed the actress outside of the airport, which is normal, he said.

The army personnel worked in close coordination of the Nepal Police personnel for providing necessary security for the two actresses, he added.

Regarding media report about seeking clarification from the army by the government in the matter, the Army said it has no information regarding the matter. PTI SBP UZM UZM

--- ENDS ---
Nepal is set for a second round of protests after last year's agitation left 55 people dead and led to blockades on the border.

In this file photo, supporters of Madhesi groups observe minutes of silence in memory of people killed in the Madhesh protests in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Reuters)

By Smita Sharma: The Federal Alliance agitating against the new Constitution intends to march to Kathmandu and indefinitely gherao Singha Durbar to begin Round 2 of their protests. Here is an explainer on the Whos and Whys of the protest and the anti-India rhetoric.

WHO ARE THE PROTESTERS?



It is a federal alliance of protesters. The Alliance comprises 30 parties including two dozen ethnic outfits of Janjatis (indigenous tribals), Dalits, women and constituents of the United Democratic Madhesi Front.

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Madhesis are largely people who inhabit the southern plains of Nepal called Terai or Madhesh. Terai includes 22 of the country's 75 districts.

Madhesis make for 69 per cent of the Terai population. The remaining are migrants from the hill areas related to Pahadis.

In Madhesh, the largest ethnic group is Madhesis, most of whom are Maithili speaking Maithils.

Tharus live mostly in western Terai or Tharuhat and have their own language, culture and food habits. They are the second largest ethnic group in the region. Tharus comprise over 6.6 per cent of the Nepalese population.

STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY

The question always asked is if Madhesh should be divided on the basis of geographical areas or ethnicity. Bedananda Jha first raised the question of Terai's rights in the 60s. But he was accommodated at the central government and made a minister. Later he was posted to India as Nepalese envoy in the 70s.

As democracy took roots in the erstwhile Kingdom of Nepal in the 90s the Terai struggle gained momentum. In 2007, a strong political movement of regional forces emerged that demanded greater Terai participation in Kathmandu politics.

It paved way for the demand of federalism under the 'New Nepal' Vision. Then Prime Minister late GP Koirala made several assurances.

By late 2014, Madhesis fell out of power sharing with most mainstream parties like NC, CPN-UML, UCPN-M. The agitation for autonomy began again seeking the 2007 agreement.



WHY THE AGITATION



Nepal's new Constitution was announced on September 20-2015 that transformed this Himalayan country from a theocratic Hindu state to a secular, democratic republic.

This saw fresh protests against what is seen as "Kathmandu centric discriminatory Constitution." Protesters want Nepal's new constitution to be re-written. Protests were carried out last year by Madhesis on mainly four grounds. Large population of Madhesis, who are Indian migrants that acquired Nepalese citizenship by birth or naturalisation, felt cheated as almost all top constitutional posts, including that of head of state, are reserved for citizens by descent. They rejected division of their homeland under the seven federal province structure and demanded redrawing of federal borders based on ethnicity. They demanded fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population. They want proportional representation in the constituent assembly since Terai is home to over 50 percent population of Nepal.

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OUTCOME OF LAST ROUND OF PROTESTS

Agitations and protests rocked Nepal for six months starting August last year .These protests left at least 55 dead, scores injured and crippled its economy. There were blockades along Nepal-India trading points soon after announcement of the Constitution.

With no trucks moving through the largest trading point of Birgunj-Raxaul along the Nepal-Bihar border, it led to sharp shortage of essential commodities including oil and medicines.

Talks with Madhesi leaders failed to yield results. The blockade was lifted only in February this year ahead of PM Oli's first overseas visit to India. An amendment in parliament in January this year endorsed by two-thirds of the lawmakers, sought to address the demand of proportionate representation for Madhesis and population based seat allocation in parliament.

But agitators rejected it calling it incomplete as it did not resolve the contentious issue of demarcation of provincial boundary. Ahead of the start of the fresh protests, in a joint statement signed by Federal Socialist Party president Upendra Yadav, the agitators pointed to failure of inclusiveness in the recent political appointments to various positions and the appointment of 21 ambassadors by the KP Oli led Leftist coalition government.

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POLITICAL TURMOIL IN KATHMANDU

Since the historic constituent assembly elections of 2008 when Maoists rode to power after decades of guerilla warfare, successive governments in Nepal have barely completed a year. Current Prime Minister KP Oli took charge on 11th October 2015 after a coalition government supported by the Maoists has been busy battling internal power tussle.

On taking charge he announced his government would invite Madhesi leaders for a dialogue. But the constituted the team of government interlocutors only after a month and Madhesis accused him of insincerity. Madhesis gave the government a deadline of 12th April for demands to be met. Oli's fresh appeal for dialogue was rejected as an eyewash to hoodwink the international community.

Oli also survived a major jolt in early May when UCPN-Maoist Chairman Push Kamal Dahal known as Prachanda pulled the rug off his feet. The Maoist party announced they would form government with the support of Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Nepali Congress. Though within 24 hours Prachanda did a U-turn, according to some media reports under Chinese advice, and allowed a jittery Oli to stay in power for now.

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WHY ANTI-INDIA SENTIMENTS

Nepal and India have enjoyed the unique roti-beti relationship cemented by the 1950s Indo-Nepal Treaty. But there have been several bumps on the way.

In 1989, as agitations for democracy began, King Birendra decided to import anti-aircraft guns from China and refused to reform the Panchayat system leading to bilateral tensions.

Around that time as the India-Nepal trade treaty lapsed, the Rajiv Gandhi government blockaded the land-locked state for a fortnight, leading to huge mistrust of New Delhi amongst Nepalese. In 2006 when Nepal fought to topple off the last King Gyanendra, India was initially hesitant to support the abortion of monarchy. It took time to read the mood on the ground and change course. The right wing parties and Hindutva forces in India have been accused of conniving to establish Nepal as a Hindu state instead of a secular democracy.

In May of 2015, as Nepal was left devastated by a killer earthquake that claimed thousands of lives, India was the first responder in the country's starkest hour of crisis. Indian government, along with humanitarian agencies, stepped in with rescue and relief measures. But the constant tom-tomming of Indian efforts led to an online #GoBackIndianMedia campaign.

Soon afterwards, despite India's seven-point objection and visit of Indian Foreign Secretary in August 2015 with terse messages, Kathmandu went ahead with declaration of the new Constitution.

India backed the demands of Madhesis and sought inclusivity for them. Kathmandu viewed this as Indian sympathy for large sections of Madhesis with ancestral roots in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and blamed New Delhi for endorsing the blockade 'unofficially' while South Block denied the charges. As the fuel crisis hit Nepal, there were sharp anti-India sentiments on the ground and Nepal played the China card to send a message.

Now once again as Oli faces internal power tussle just months after his visit to India which he called successful, he chose to play the victim card and externalise the crisis, with government sources blaming India for trying to topple Oli.

The Nepalese President's first state visit to India was cancelled off and the envoy to India recalled on allegations of non cooperation and backing Indian interference in Nepal's internal affairs.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said crime in the state has gone down since his government has imposed a ban on liquor.

By Amir Haque : Breaking his silence on the recent incidents of crime in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said that he will not rest till the guilty are punished.



THINGS YOU MUST KNOW



The Janata Dal-United leader even claimed that the crime in the state has gone down since his government has imposed ban on liquor. "Idhar ek do ghatnayen ghati hain jinko lekar hum sab mann se dukhi hain aur uske liye sakht karwai ki jarahi hai. Aur jabtak uske jo doshi hain unhen kanoon ke katghare mein khada nahi kar denge chain se nahi baithenge. Lekin kul mila kar aap dekhenge to sharab bandi ke baad se Bihar mein apradh ghata hai," Nitish said. Nitish Kumar, who was in Lucknow to kickstart election campaign for 2016 Assembly elections, said the police is doing what it can do to control law and order. Responding to allegations of Jungle Raj in Bihar, he said this will be taken care of and people involved in this will be brought to book. The Janata Dal United supremo even recommended Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to start liquor ban in his state. "When we imposed prohibition, we wrote letters to the government's of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand so that they can be on alert and the ban is not flouted on the borders. But we received no reply from the UP chief minister. Not even an acknowledgement", he said. This is the first time that Nitish has responded to any such question after spate of criminal incidents in Bihar.

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JD-U WAS IN ALLIANCE WITH COMMUNAL FORCES: SAMAJWADI PARTY

Samajwadi Party minister and spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary today said that there is lack of development in Bihar. The ruling party leader even claims that the Janata Dal-United has an alliance with communal forces.

NITISH KUMAR GOVERNMENT FAILING?

In the recent past, the murders of a journalist and a railway constable, a spate of robberies, the alleged rape of a minor girl by a village head's son and the road rage killing of a teenager with the son of a legislator from Nitish Kumar's party as the accused, have reinforced Bihar's image as one of India's most lawless states.

ALSO READ | Is recent spate of crimes pushing Bihar back into dark ages?



Goons kill jawan on duty in Bihar, loot his riffle



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By PTI: Bhuj (Guj), May 14 (PTI) A Pakistani national was nabbed by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel while he was trying to cross the Indo-Pakistan border near Biar Bet in Kutch district, officials said today.

BSF personnel also recovered body of an unidentified person from near the same area.

40-year-old Rahimbhai Khan was apprehended after he was spotted by BSF personnel on duty in that area last evening while trying to cross over to Indian side of the border.

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They did not recover anything incriminating from his possession, officials said.

Khan was insisting on entering the country as according to him, he wanted to find his lost brother who he claimed was living in India.

Khan was handed over to Gujarat police by the BSF today. PTI Corr KA PD NRB IKA JMF

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The Aam Aadmi Party said it will protest against the Punjab government and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Monday.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Accusing the Punjab government of hushing-up a Rs 12,000 crore foodgrain scam, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said it will protest against the government and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Monday.

Party's Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh said that the scam is biggest ever foodgrain scam in Indian history and the state and centre governments were trying to cover-up the embezzlement.

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"We challenge the Badals to tell the people of Punjab where Rs 12,000 went, whether it went in the pockets of Badals or in the pockets of officials. We demand a probe in the scam by the sitting judge of Supreme Court," Sanjay Singh said.

AAP leaders even accuse the Punjab government and police of victimising its workers. Sanjay Singh said that Punjab police picked up its workers and booked them in false cases so that they are not able to join the state level protest on Monday.

"An Akali Dal leader murdered our party worker Dharmendra in Malerkotla. Navdeep Singh Vachoa, Seema Sirohi and Jaswant Singh were slapped with false cases and warned not to join the protest. The bus owners who were providing us the buses to ferry party workers to Chandigrh are also being victimised. I challenge Badals to arrest me, Bhagwant Mann and Sucha Singh Chotepur besides others and not to victimise our workers," Sanjay Singh said.

Punjab convenor Sucha Singh Chotepur said that while the farmers were committing suicides and were not paid by the state government, Badals were spending lakhs of public money on advertisements saying AAP was maligning their image by raking up Rs 12,000 crore foodgrain scam.

AAP leaders claimed that more than 1 lakh party volunteers from various parts of Punjab will join the party's protest which will begin at Mohali, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, the local administration has imposed section 144 in Mohali and Chandigarh where the AAP will hold a protest against the state government on Monday.

ALSO READ | AAP leader Kumar Vishwas's 'Ek Nasha' song irks Punjab's Badals



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kozhikode, May 14 (PTI) Revolutionary Marxist Party candidate and widow of party leader T P Chandrasekaran, K K Reema was attacked today allegedly by CPI(M) activists at Vadakara, about 45 km from here, police said.

The incident occurred around 1 PM while she was engaged in house-to-house campaigning, the police said.

Rema, contesting from Vatakara assembly constituency, and two other party workers, who suffered minor injuries in the attack, were discharged after treatment at Vadakara government hospital, they said.

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A case has been registered against unspecified number of CPI(M) and DYFI workers, police said. PTI KV RC RG

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Salman Khan's rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur was married to Romanian superstar Marius Moga. Iulia's pictures with her ex-husband found its way to the internet and went viral.

By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan, reportedly, is all set to get married to rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur. Salman and Iulia's entry at Preity Zinta's reception grabbed many eyeballs and has left the entire tinsel town talking about their marriage.

Salman even introduced Iulia to his close friends including Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan.

Little we knew that Iulia was married to Romanian superstar Marius Moga. According to a report in Missmalini.com , the two were reportedly in a four-year long steady relationship before they broke up when Marius got involved with another woman.

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Iulia's pictures with her ex-husband found its way to the internet and went viral. Here are some pictures:

Rumours of Iulia dating Salman first sparked when she was seen in the Kick actor's sister's Arpita Khan's wedding. And since then the gossips mills have abuzz with the rumours related to their relationship.



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By PTI: New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) Border guarding force SSB, the first paramilitary to have women combatants in its ranks, is drawing a plan to further enhance their numbers at its forward posts on Nepal and Bhutan frontiers.

The plan would also envisage enhancing troop welfare activities and facilities for jawans and officers who guard the two open Indian frontiers which not only witness heavy civilian movement but are also notorious for instances of drug smuggling, human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

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Newly-appointed Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Archana Ramasundaram, the first women chief of a paramilitary in the country, told PTI that the force is planning to further "enhance the number of women personnel" at border out posts and engage them further in operational frontier duties.

"We are working on a comprehensive plan to effectively not only enhance the number of women in the hardcore combat duties but also to ensure that additional facilities are provided to all troops, both men and women, at their place of duty," the DG said.

She said the force is also working to achieve the goals as stipulated in a recent government directive to take up the number of the female workforce to 33 per cent of the total strength in border guarding forces -- SSB, Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

"We already have sanction for raising 21 new women companies (about 2,100 personnel). That work is in process. Simultaneously, we are also working to create the required infrastructure for the troops in border areas, especially with regard to women personnel," she said.

Ramasundaram said currently the women personnel of the force, most of them in the rank of constables, are not only undertaking patrols along the two borders that they guard but are also part of the border interaction teams where personnel attired in smart Safari suits frisk, check documents and help people who cross over to India from the two neighbouring countries.

"After taking over the command of the force, I have travelled to many locations and interacted with my troops including women personnel and I felt we can expose them to more operational duties," the DG said.

The SSB at present has about 1,000 women personnel in its combat ranks after they were first inducted into the force in 2007.

The force secures the 1,751 km-long Indo-Nepal border and the 699 km Indo-Bhutan border. PTI NES SK PMS

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By PTI: Hyderabad, May 15 (PTI) All arrangements are in place for the bypoll to Palair Assembly constituency of Khammam district in Telangana to be held tomorrow, authorities said.

Thirteen candidates, including nine Independents, are contesting for the seat after Congress MLA from the constituency Ramreddy Venkat Reddy passed away in March this year.

The contest is expected to be a triangular one between ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Congress and CPI(M).

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TRS has fielded state Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao while the opposition Congress has named Venkat Reddys wife Sucharita Reddy as its candidate. TDP and YSR Congress, who are not contesting the polls, are supporting the deceased MLA wife. BJP is not contesting either.

CPI(M) has fielded P Sudarshan Rao for the seat.

The campaign to the by-election got over yesterday.

"The district administration has made all necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the bypolls," Khammam district Collector Dana Kishore told PTI today.

As many as 41 flying squads are monitoring activities to ensure enforcement of the model code of conduct, he said.

Apart from central paramilitary forces, police personnel from the state have been deployed as part of the security arrangements, he said.

There are 243 polling stations in the constituency, and 1,90,351 eligible voters would cast their ballot. The elections would be held from 7 AM to 6 PM and the results would be declared on May 9. PTI VVK SDL SRY SDM

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Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary and People's Welfare Front coordinator Vaiko had allegedly whipped up caste feelings in his Ariyaloor rally on April 23.

By India Today Web Desk: The Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday issued showcause notice against Vaiko for violating model code of conduct.

The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary and People's Welfare Front coordinator had allegedly whipped up caste feelings in his Ariyaloor rally on April 23. EC says, statements made by Vaiko could have caused tension between two castes.

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The EC seeks explanation form the MDMK leader by 3 pm today as to why action should not be taken against him for violation of model code of conduct.

Election authorities have seized more than Rs 100 crore unaccounted cash in the state, the largest among the five states where elections are held since last month, amid allegations by rivals that both AIADMK and DMK were unleashing money power to lure voters.



ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu polls: Election Commission issues notice to Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi

The showcause notice issued against Vaiko. The showcause notice issued against Vaiko.

Separately, the EC has issued showcause notices to AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK president M Karunanidhi for violating model code, saying their election manifestos do not "substantially" fulfil its guidelines.

The election body has asked them to explain the rationale behind the promises made in their election manifestos and indicate how they would meet the financial outlays (for freebies) by Sunday evening.

The EC on Saturday decided to defer the polls in the Aravakurichi Assembly constituency, in Karur district, following widespread seizure of cash and complaints of voters being bribed.

The showcause notice issued against Vaiko.

EC on cash seizure



Speaking on the cash seizure issue, Chief Election Officer Rajesh Lakhoni today said the election commission is fully empowered to take all kind of actions agaisnt DMK and AIADMK. There is a full range of comprehensive action. All legal options will be examined and action be taken against them if they are found guilty.

Lakhoni clarified that they are verifying if the money actually belongs to SBI or not. If it is proven it will be given back, if it not proven, income tax will take further course.

At 5 pm today the commission will examine all the legal aspects and will take appropriate actions.

TN goes to polls tomorrow

More than 5.79 crore voters will seal the fate of 3,740 aspirants including arch rivals Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK President M Karunanidhi, as the stage is set for polling in 233 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu under tight vigil tomorrow.

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Besides AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, the electoral field also has two other chief ministerial candidates -- actor-turned politician Vijayakant of DMDK-PWF- TMC combine and PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss.

Of the total 234 constituencies, polling will be held in 233 seats as the Election Commission had deferred the process in Aravakurichi segment in Karur district to May 23 due to "unlawful" activities of candidates and political parties in "bribing" voters.

More than a lakh police and paramilitary personnel would man over 65,000 polling booths across the state, which is witnessing a multi-cornered contest also featuring BJP, seeking to make a mark along with a few minor allies.

Jayalalithaa, seeking a record second successive term in office, and Karunanidhi, eyeing to lead DMK to power after back-to-back drubbings in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are contesting from R K Nagar in the city and Thiruvarur respectively.

R K Nagar has the maximum number of candidates at 45, with DMK (Shimla Muthuchozhan) and VCK (Vasanthi Devi) also fielding women nominees to take on Jayalalithaa. BJP's M N Raja is also in the fray.

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BJP's candidates include its National Secretary H Raja and state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan.

In their hectic campaign, Jayalalithaa sought a renewed mandate based on her government's performance while Karunanidhi harped on the theme of 'change' for his party to come to power after a five year hiatus.

Jayalalithaa also launched scathing attacks on the DMK- Congress alliance, restored after the split in 2013, calling it a 'coalition of loot' as she slammed them for corruption, such as in 2G spectrum allocation, CWG and AgustaWestland deal.

Her party's manifesto offered several freebies, including mobile phone and 100 unit free power to all, and promised to usher in a phased manner prohibition, an issue raised by other parties prominently during the electioneering.

DMK and others have assured to implement prohibition in one go if they were voted to power.



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By PTI: cornered contests

Chennai/Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 (PTI) Tamil Nadu and Kerala goes to polls tomorrow that will decide the fate of Chief Ministers Jayalalithaa and Oommen Chandy and their arch rivals and nonagenarians M Karunanidhi and V S Achutanandan in their respective states which will witness multi-cornered contests. Puducherry also goes to the polls tomorrow. Counting of votes in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry where rival candidates fought a gruelling two-month campaign in peak summer along with West Bengal and Assam will be taken up on May 19 to decide the outcome of what is being described as mini general elections. The BJP is seeking to make inroads in Tamil Nadu and Kerala where the power has oscillated between the AIADMK and the DMK and the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF) and the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front(LDF) respectively for decades. Besides AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and 91-year-old wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi, the poll arena in Tamil Nadu also has two other chief ministerial candidates--actor-turned politician Vijayakant of DMDK-PWF-TMC combine and PMKs Anbumani Ramadoss. A total of 3,740 aspirants are in the fray for the 233 assembly seats.

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Of the total 234 constituencies, polling will be held in 233 seats as the Election Commission had deferred the process in Aravakurichi segment in Karur district to May 23 due to "unlawful" activities of candidates and political parties in "bribing" voters. Counting of votes in Aravakurichi will be taken up on May 25. Election authorities have seized more than Rs 100 crore unaccounted cash in the state, the largest among the five states involved in the Assembly polls.

More than a lakh police and paramilitary personnel would man over 65,000 polling booths across the state, which is witnessing a multi-cornered contest also featuring BJP, seeking to make a mark along with a few minor allies.

Jayalalithaa, seeking a second successive term in office, and Karunanidhi, eyeing to lead DMK to power after back-to-back drubbings in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are contesting from R K Nagar in Chennai and Thiruvarur respectively.

R K Nagar has the maximum number of candidates at 45, with DMK (Shimla Muthuchozhan) and VCK (Vasanthi Devi) also fielding women nominees to take on Jayalalithaa. BJPs M N Raja is also in the fray.

BJPs candidates include its National Secretary H Raja and state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan.

Positioning itself as a viable third front, the combine of DMDK, Peoples Welfare Front comprising Vaikos MDMK, CPI-M, CPI and VCK and Tamil Maanila Congress led by G K Vasan has also attacked both DMK and AIADMK, which have ruled the state alternately in recent decades, and pushed for a change. Tamil Nadu is known to generally elect one clear winner from the two Dravidian giants, DMK and AIADMK, since 1967. In Kerala, the ruling UDF and LDF, which had gone hammer and tongs at each other during the electioneering, are keeping their fingers crossed even as BJP is hoping to get a toe-hold.

A total of 1,203 candidates, including 109 women, are contesting for the 140 assembly seats.(MORE) PTI SA UD LGK VS RC GSN GSN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 15 (PTI) Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today criticised The New York Times for publishing an investigative report on how the real estate tycoon treated women in his private life.

"Everyone is laughing at" The New York Times "for the lame hit piece they did on me and women", Trump wrote on Twitter this morning.

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He alleged that the daily did not carry his version.

"I gave them many names of women I helped," which the daily "refused to use", Trump alleged.

The allegations were later refuted by The New York Times.

One of its reports said they did interview one of the reporters suggested by Trump.

"A factually inaccurate tweet: we did interview and quote women his office suggested in the story," tweeted Michael Barbaro, a reporter with the daily, which interviewed dozens of women of women over the past six weeks.

"Their accounts ? many relayed in their own words ? reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct, according to the interviews, as well as court records and written collection," The New York Times report said.

Trump denied the allegations.

"I have always treated women with great respect. And women will tell you that," Trump told The New York Times.

Meanwhile, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said that these are questions that Trump would himself have to answer to the people of the country.

"These are things that he is going to have to answer for, but I also think there are things from many years ago. And I think that, you know judging each other I think is problematic," he was quoted as saying by ABC News.

"I dont think Donald Trump is being judged based on his personal life. I think people are judging Donald Trump as to whether or not hes someone thats going to go to Washington and shake things up. And thats why hes doing so well," Priebus said. PTI LKJ UZM

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The slow draw

Rajnath Singh

64, Minister for Home Affairs



Cross-border terror is at an all-time low barring the occasional Pathankot attack. Maoists are on the run, violence levels in Kashmir are still relatively down and ISIS recruitments in the country too insignificant to form a statistical reality. India, it would seem, has never been more secure internally than it has been in recent months. The South Asia Terrorism Portal, an online database, notes that 2015 with 772 terrorism/insurgency-related fatalities, as the most peaceful year since 1994. This spell of peace would present an ideal opportunity for home minister Rajnath Singh to realise his vision for the ministry. This peace dividend, not afforded to Singh's predecessors, could allow him to consolidate and modernise the mammoth ministry and prepare it for both present and future challenges. Except, no such vision has been forthcoming.

Also read:

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#TwoYearsofModi: Prime Minister's governance record scuffed but intact

#TwoYearsofModi: Meet the Panchratna

#TwoYearsofModi: The good guys

Central counter-terror forces like the NSG continue to be underfunded and under-equipped; state police forces, the first responders to any internal security crisis, are still in a disarray. Long-delayed projects that could built up a robust internal security architecture-the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, National Intelligence Grid and the National Counter terrorism Centre-are years away from fruition. Singh could well cite externalities like stagnant budgets and the presence of an overweening national security advisor in the PMO as constraints, but he has been unable to assert himself either politically or administratively to surmount these hurdles.

by Sandeep Unnithan

Priced out

Ananth Kumar

56, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers

If there is one big accomplishment of this well-heeled politician from South Bengaluru who has been winning this constituency consistently since 1996, it is the introduction of neem-coated urea to prevent illegal diversion of urea to non-agricultural use. Add to that India has recorded its highest urea production, according to the data provided by the ministry. "The entire myth about urea unavailability is gone. There is no shortage of urea, no black marketing," says a close aide of the minister. The Jan Aushadhi campaign (quality medicines at affordable prices) has also been one of the minister's key focus areas. Through the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Jan Aushadhi stores have been set up to provide generic drugs at lower prices. The minister's proactive approach towards the department could also lead to pharmaceuticals being spun off as a separate ministry. Beyond that, he is clearly one of the most seasoned politicians the BJP has. A six-time winner, Kumar is the go-to person on all matters related to electoral politics. He has a good relationship with the prime minister and has already been appointed as one of the key persons in charge of the Karnataka elections due in 2018. And the fact that he has been a minister since 1996 means that he has the governance experience which most of the other first-time ministers are struggling with. However, his ministry has shown little intent in pushing through fertiliser subsidy reforms. While India could save about $1.8 billion on fertiliser subsidies because of low energy prices there has been no progress on removing price controls and freeing up the market. Also Direct Benefit Transfer in fertiliser subsidy will be a challenge because of lack of land records in India.

by Shweta Punj

Smriti Irani. Photo: Rohit Chawla

Smriti Irani

40, Minister for Human Resource Development

One of the major highlights of the Modi government has been the emphasis on digital governance. Smriti Irani's human resource development ministry has followed through with several initiatives such as a child tracking system for over 200 million children across the country and a daily online review of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The focus on improving the system of delivery before announcing major policy decisions is certainly an intelligent move. But it has been two years since she took charge and the much-awaited Education Policy has not yet been framed. Besides, over 5,000 vacancies in central universities and a chronic shortage of school teachers indicate that the ministry still has an enormous task ahead. What's most disappointing is that the ministry has hogged the limelight over the last two years for all the wrong reasons, tangling with several VCs of central universities, attempting to make Sanskrit compulsory, not to mention the JNU and Hyderabad catastrophies.

by Kaushik Deka

Ram Vilas Paswan. Photo: Rajwant Rawat Ram Vilas Paswan. Photo: Rajwant Rawat

Ram Vilas Paswan

69, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Supply and Distribution



Anine-time member of the Lok Sabha, Ram Vilas Paswan ranks among the seniormost members/ministers in Narendra Modi's Cabinet. The debacle in home state Bihar, though, may have diminished his standing among Modi's men. Paswan blamed the state governments for the 2015 pulse pricing crisis, insisting they were playing 'dal politics'. But the minister must take the flak for arhar and urad dals hitting Rs 200/kg at one point. The blame game aside, Paswan pushed hard to extend the Food Security Act to bring Rs 2/kg wheat and Rs 3/kg rice to 33 states. In another important move to give relief to farmers affected by unprecedented rains and hailstorms last year, the government relaxed quality norms for wheat procurement and reimbursed amount of value cut on such relaxation to the state so that farmers could get full MSP. To strengthen and simplify consumer protection provisions, the Consumer Protection Bill 2015 was introduced in Parliament. Setting up of a central protection authority with powers to recall products and initiate class suits against defaulting companies, including e-retailers, e-filing and time-bound admission of complaints in consumer courts are important provisions made in the bill.

by Piyush Babele

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Harsh Vardhan. Photo: Yasbant Negi

Harsh Vardhan

61, Ministry for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences

The ministry's slow progress has been, as the minister admitted at the Indian Science Congress in January, because his focus was on the "contributions of ancient India to science" rather than more germane issues like climate change. Worse still, scientists perceive him as a poor motivator. There has been just one review of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, but Vardhan feels that "science is back on track from policy paralysis. For the first time in eight years we did not cut science funding mid-term last year and we have increased it this year". He maintains that scientific projects like the optical telescope at Devasthal, Nainital (Asia's largest) are now being steered towards swift completion. Three new vaccines for immunisation and the indigenous rotavirus vaccine have been introduced in collaboration with the health ministry.

by Amarnath K. Menon

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Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Photo: M Zhazo

Harsimrat Kaur Badal

49, Minister for Food Processing



For someone who made a completely unplanned entry into politics as recently as in 2009, Harsimrat Kaur Badal has taken to her assignment in the central Cabinet with the ease and confidence of a veteran. Drawing on lessons she imbibed from her highly successful businessman father Satyajit Majithia, Harsimrat works a gruelling daily routine shuttling between her ministry and her constituency Bathinda. Her 18-hour workdays end with checking the flood of e-mails she receives from friends, family and constituents. She plans to set up 37 food parks, of which eight are already up and running. Despite being a political novice, she can be persistent. Late last year, she prevailed upon PM Modi and the Cabinet to allow 100 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail of food produced and processed in the country. It was a significant personal victory, given the furious opposition to the move by the BJP and the RSS. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the RSS's economic wing, resolved to continue their opposition to this FDI hike in their national executive. Harsimrat is unfazed. "It's our biggest achievement," she says, describing how the move will boost employment, cut wastage and control food inflation. She sees her job as an opportunity to change the lives of Indian farmers.

by Anilesh Mahajan

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Maneka Gandhi. Photo: M Zhazo

Maneka Gandhi

59, Minister for Women and Child Development

According to Maneka Gandhi, the ministry she heads was "virtually dead" when she took over in 2014. She came into office at a time when there was a lot of public anger over the Nirbhaya rape case of December 2012. The minister's most prominent response, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) bill, which was finally passed in January this year, is being hailed by supporters as a step forward since it allows 16-year old offenders to be tried as adults for serious crimes. Several legal and child rights activists have sharply criticised the move though. Many women's groups are of the opinion that the Modi government is only paying lip service to the welfare of mothers and the girl child, given the limited investment, yet the ministry seems to have taken some significant steps in the last two years. The ministry initiated the reform of CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) and has made the entire process time-bound with far greater accountability from all involved agencies, which should ease the adoption process.

by Prachi Bhuchar

Nirmala Sitharaman. Photo: M Zhazo

Nirmala Sitharaman

56, MoS for Commerce and Industry

The commerce ministry is focusing on Start-up India, Make in India and e-governance initiatives as well as reviving the manufacturing sector and freight corridors. Her major claim to success is the ambitious foreign trade policy which aims to make India a significant partner in world trade by 2020. But a year after it was announced, the policy is yet to make any notable impact. In the last 16 months, export growth has dipped continuously and the ministry has been like a mute spectator. Major FTAs are stuck and there is a growing sense of a shift towards protectionism. And with bills like GST stuck, many important reforms that could have given economy a big boost remain in limbo.

by Santosh Kumar

Shripad Naik. Photo: Vikram Sharma

Shripad Naik

63, MoS for AYUSH

From the ministry of tourism to the newly-formed ministry of AYUSH, it seemed a demotion of sorts in the beginning. But the ministry of complementary and alternative medicines has brought him more than his share of limelight. A lifelong RSS pracharak, 'Bhau', as he is fondly called, is soft-spoken, affable, and known for his obsessive temple-hopping. The new portfolio helped him find his metier: organising events, including the PM's pet project, Yoga Day. That said, most of his major projects are still on the drawing board-from the National AYUSH Mission to the draft National AYUSH Policy and the draft AYUSH Bill.

by Damayanti Datta

Rajiv Pratap Rudy. Photo: Chandradeep Kumar

Rajiv Pratap Rudy

54, MoS for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Parliamentary Affairs

The minister who is known to send e-mails to his staff as early (or as late) as 3 am and handles two crucial portfolios, has had a rough time trying to manage perceptions and expectations. The ministry has the daunting task of bridging India's skill deficit to meet the human resource requirement of 119 million skilled people across all sectors by 2022. Critics say progress has been slow and the ministry is struggling to create awareness on the skill development campaign. However, it has signed a few skill development pacts with other countries and is in the process of working out a qualification and certification system. It has also pushed through changes to the Apprentices Act, 1961, but in a country where a million people join the workforce every month, Rudy has to move much faster on delivering on his ministry's promises. For it is on skilling that the success of the PM's other big schemes like Start-Up India, Digital India, Make in India ultimately rests. The ministry has recently partnered with the World Bank to upgrade industrial training in the country. The partnership goes beyond monetary support to sharing of best practices. It's also working towards replacing multiple agencies certifying skill development training in India with a National Skill Certification Board. A scheme is also on the anvil to encourage entrepreneurship-Udyamita which will enable 2,200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 ITIs and 50 vocational training centres to deliver entrepreneurship education.

by Shweta Punj



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Spectrum star

Ravi Shankar Prasad

61, Minister for Communications and Information Technology

As minister of state for coal in the Vajpayee government, Prasad turned bleeding PSU Coal India around into a profit-making enterprise. His handling of another key resource, bandwidth, will determine the knowledge economy's future trajectory. Among his biggest wins is restoring the ministry's credibility after the 2010 2G spectrum scam and carrying out transparent spectrum auctions-last year's sale of 418 MHz fetched the government Rs 1.1 lakh crore. Another such mammoth upcoming sale will enable the launch of 4G services and bring in huge revenue.

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Also read:

#TwoYearsofModi: Prime Minister's governance record scuffed but intact

#TwoYearsofModi: Meet the Panchratna

#TwoYearsofModi: The so-so performers

Prasad has placed the onus of fixing call drops on telecom companies. "While I appreciate that telecom companies have taken mobile phones to every nook and corner of the country, improving network connectivity is their problem." On his part, Prasad says, he has cleared the policy backlog through spectrum sales. This speeding up, especially in the past six months, is an achievement the private telecom firms readily accept as a major one.

On his watch, the state-owned BSNL turned a Rs 672 crore operating profit, from a Rs 8,234 crore loss in 2014. He also personally went to monitor call drops on the BSNL network in a remote village in Indore.

Prasad has not forgotten his other charge, India Post. All post offices in the country are now computerised and GPS-enabled and parcel revenue growth of India Post has risen from minus 2 per cent two years ago to 80 per cent this year. He pulled up the postal department after an Australian national complained that her parcel to Ludhiana had not arrived even after a month-and-a-half. The parcel was delivered the following day.

by Shweta Punj

Mrs congeniality

Sushma Swaraj

64, Minister for External Affairs



Indians in distress abroad can rest assured their foreign minister is just a tweet away. Every day, Sushma Swaraj responds to half-a-dozen complaints, imparting a rare personal touch to public diplomacy. Her interventions range from taking up the case of missing Indian seamen overseas to citizens who have lost their passports.

This is not counting the MEA's consular grievances access system, the e-portal 'Madad' launched last February. She has coordinated the massive airlifts of Indians stuck in strife-torn Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq and Syria. The personal touch continues with neighbours she gives special attention to. She has a personal rapport with Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina and travelled to Islamabad last December ahead of PM Narendra Modi's December 25 visit, when she met four generations of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family.

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Swaraj's managed to carve a space in the foreign ministry despite the giant shadow Modi casts on South Block, unequivocally setting the foreign policy agenda. Swaraj attended the first meeting of India and the League of Arab States' foreign ministers in Doha this January, part of the Modi government's outreach to West Asia.

Behind Swaraj's diplomatic tact is an astute politician and administrator. She is well-versed with the rough and tumble of public life and a workaholic-doctors at AIIMS where she was admitted after work-induced illness, had to stop her from reading office files. She ensures there is continuous diplomatic contact with over 100 countries India has identified as vital to its national interest. She goes into the nuts and bolts of MEA events, including last year's mammoth India-Africa summit, poring over such details as the menu and also ensuring there are concrete national outcomes from such diplomatic engagements.

by Sandeep Unnithan

Manohar Parrikar. Photo: Rohit Chawla

Manohar Parrikar

60, Minister for Defence



If there was a prize for good intentions, defence minister Manohar Parrikar would win it hands down. Eighteen months ago, he inherited the task of fixing a parallel universe, India's giant military-industrial complex and armed forces. Parrikar's earnestness-a raft of committees to suggest ways to reduce arms imports, to make arms locally and also modernise the military, signalled a refreshing change from his lacklustre predecessor, A.K. Antony. The trouble is, after more than a year-and-a-half and plenty of promises, Parrikar has few concrete achievements. Only one key deal-a $3 billion dollar purchase of helicopter gunships and transport helicopters from the US-has been inked so far. Even 'Make in India' projects such as the Akash anti-aircraft missiles for the air force worth Rs 7,000 crore and the Pinaka multi-barreled rockets worth Rs 3,500 crore for the army are stuck. He has been unable to convince his bureaucracy to speed up decision-making. The pile-up of pending deals and policies could obstruct his triumph in successfully steering a settlement to the One Rank One Pension issue last year. He was the first one to identify the figure of around Rs 8,000 crore as a payout for veterans but did not reckon with opposition from the finance ministry and the PMO who wanted to negotiate a lower figure.

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Parrikar has set his sights on ending corruption in defence deals and bringing in transparency. His recent attack on the Congress over the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter bribery earned effusive praise from the PM. He will have to show similar initiative to bridge the gap between intent and execution.

by Sandeep Unnithan

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Uma Bharti. Photo: Yasbant Negi

Uma Bharti

57, Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Unlike her firebrand political image, Uma Bharti comes across as a patient minister involved with the nitty-gritty of her ministry. She has numbers at her fingertips and is always ready to take an unconventional path to achieve her assigned task. Her ministry's National Water Development Agency has prepared pre-feasibility reports identifying 30 links under the ambitious river interlinking project, one she pursues with messianic zeal. The ministry of environment and forests is yet to green light the project because of objections from independent experts on the ministry's panel. Bharti, however, is not interested in playing the blame game. Instead, she wants to meet those experts in person and allay their apprehensions. The Central Ground Water Board has embarked upon the world's largest aquifer mapping project, targeting 23.25 lakh sq km of the country by 2022.

She is confident of completing the first phase of the Clean Ganga mission by October this year. The Rs 20,000 crore Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission 'Namami Ganga' has been launched to rejuvenate and clean the river and its tributaries. "The prime minister is the driving force behind these two projects. I'm confident of completing them well within deadline because all my Cabinet colleagues are extending full cooperation. There has been no fund crunch from the finance ministry," she says. Despite the vote of confidence, her ministry is yet to expedite basic works like drought management and river water-sharing agreements with neighbouring countries. There is no blueprint yet for a water-sharing treaty on the Brahmaputra. Little progress has been made on the Rs 6,000 crore National Groundwater Management Improvement Project. Nor is there any sign of a national water law to synchronise water-sharing among the states.

by Kaushik Deka

Venkaiah Naidu. Photo: Pankaj Nangia

Venkaiah Naidu

66, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development



The two-year-old Narendra Modi government has introduced 74 new bills, at an average of 37 per year. This is less than the UPA-I's average of 49 a year and UPA-II's average of 46 per year. In the last two years, the government has drafted only 23 new bills. These numbers don't speak highly of Naidu's performance as parliamentary affairs minister but he gets the benefit of the doubt considering the Congress has used its majority in the Rajya Sabha to block the passage of bills.

As urban development minister, Naidu is in charge of multiple Modi government signature schemes such as Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana, Smart City Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation. Progress on them has been slow due to lack of a viable fund structure. But Naidu believes it's too early to evaluate their success. For the infrastructure improvement planned under Atal and Smart City missions, urban local bodies (ULBs) and states have come out with specific action plans for the first five years. The government aims at ensuring Swachh Bharat by 2019 and housing for all urban poor by 2022. The minister wants to see the ULBs and the states clean up urban areas. He also blames legacy issues such as deficiencies in urban planning and project formulation and their implementation, capacity constraints and weak resource base of ULBs. But Naidu is not ready to give up and is enthusiastic about a new working environment. He hopes to change the mindset of ULBs and states towards redesigning the urban landscape based on confidence, capacity building and collaborative effort. It's this collaboration among the three agencies-Centre, state and civic bodies-that would determine the new urban landscape of India.

by Kaushik Deka

Prakash Javadekar. Photo: Rajwant Rawat

Prakash Javadekar

65, MoS for Environment, Forests and Climate Change

Climate change has been centrestage on the agendas of the last three environment ministers-Jairam Ramesh, Jayanti Natarajan and now Prakash Javadekar. The narrative around India's position, how much to commit to internationally and whether to become part of a legally binding climate instrument has always been confused. When the Modi government took over in 2014, this discussion was poised at a crucial juncture and the environment ministry's role in pushing India's climate agenda globally was bigger than ever before. The government has managed to once again bring India back to a position of strength as far as international dialogue on climate change is concerned, post the success at the Paris Climate Summit in December 2015, and this remains one of Javadekar's biggest achievements. Since coming to power, the government has stressed on easing some of the archaic rules and making green clearance procedures simpler, especially for key defence projects. Javadekar has had to do a tough balancing act, ensuring protection of the environment without slowing growth. He has sped up the process of environmental clearances-permissions that took an average of 600 days till 2014 are now cleared in 190 days. The process has been uploaded on the MoEF website to ensure transparency. Javadekar plans to pare this wait down to 100 days. Project clearances of up to 40 hectares of forest land can now be cleared by regional offices to ensure that files don't have to travel to Delhi.

India set an ambitious target of setting up an additional carbon sink of 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. Close to Rs 42,000 crore earmarked for forest land but which was unspent has now been released to green the country. This follows the passage of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill 2015 in April.

by Prachi Bhuchar







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By PTI: Chennai, May 15 (PTI) Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls tomorrow, the Election Commission has seized unaccounted money of over Rs 100 crore in the state since the model code of conduct came into effect on March 4.

The Commission along with other officials, including from Income Tax department, and police has been seizing unaccounted cash in various parts of the state. "Since the Model Code of Conduct came into effect, Rs 73.31 crore has been seized by flying squad and Rs 32.19 crore by Income Tax authorities totaling Rs 105.50 crore," a release from the Chief Electoral Officer, said here. The Election Commission said it had returned Rs 47.91 crore from the total amount seized after relevant documents were produced, it added. However, the release did not mention anything about the Rs 570 crore seized in Tiruppur district yesterday. Election officers seized the amount from three trucks in the wee hours but State Bank of India later said it was the banks legitimate cash.

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The Income Tax department, meanwhile, today asked the district administration to move the vehicles back to Coimbatore chest of the SBI to execute search warrants. PTI VIJ BN SRY

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Female students put up a splendid performance in both exams, with a pass percentage of 91.11 for High School and 92.48 for Intermediate.

By Press Trust of India: Girls outperformed boys once again in Uttar Pradesh in high school and intermediate examinations as the results for class 10 and 12 were declared on Sunday.

PASS PERCENTAGE

The pass percentage for the High School exams was 87.66 per cent while that for Intermediate was 87.99.



GIRLS vs BOYS

Female students put up a splendid performance in both exams, with a pass percentage of 91.11 for High School and 92.48 for Intermediate.



The pass percentage for boys was 84.82 for High School and 84.35 for Intermediate.

The girls also bagged top five ranks in both the examinations.

The girls' pass percentage for High School is 2.77 per cent higher than last year while in Intermediate the improvement was a modest 0.32 per cent.

The pass percentage of boys for High School this year rose by an impressive 5.09 per cent though their performance in Intermediate suffered a drop of 1.56 per cent.

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TOPPERS

Saumya Patel of Rae Bareli topped the High School exams with an impressive score of 98.67 per cent while Sakshi Verma of Barabanki, who scored 98.20 per cent, was the topper for Intermediate.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO APPEARED FOR EXAM



This year, the total number of candidates for High School examinations went up by 2.53 lakh compared with the previous year while Intermediate saw an increase of 1.52 lakh.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Amar Nath Verma, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, disclosed that about 32.6 lakh students had appeared for the High School (Class 10) exams while 29.2 lakh candidates wrote their papers for Intermediate (Class 12).

The examinations were held in February-March this year and the answer scripts were examined at 256 evaluation centers set up in different districts of the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh.

Also Read

How to check the UP Board results



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A passenger boat carrying more than 100 people, capsized in the Ganges River late Saturday night. The boat was carrying passengers from Shantipur in Nadia to Kalna.

An angry mob set several motor boats at Kalna ghat on fire for not beginning the rescue operations of capsized passenger boat on time. (PIC: Sujata Mehera)

By Manogya Loiwal : An angry mob set several motor boats at Kalna ghat on fire for not beginning the rescue operations of capsized passenger boat on time.

PASSENGER BOAT CAPSIZES IN BENGAL'S BURDWAN

A passenger boat carrying more than 100 people, capsized in the Ganges River late Saturday night. The boat was carrying passengers from Shantipur in Nadia to Kalna.

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Most of these travellers were pilgrims returning home after participating in a programme organized at Bhabapagla Ashram in Kalna, Burdwan.

MOB AGITATED OVER LACK OF ACTION

The mob also vandalized shops in Nadia district.

Administration let the boats take more passengers, thus causing the accident??, said a victim's relative.



'SO CALLED' RESCUE OPERATION



Police have rescued 50 people so far, but locals allege that there could be more victims.



Police dispersed the agitating locals using rubber bullets and tear gas shells, but they continued to throw stones at the police.



NDRF DEPLOYED

"A large team of NDRF officials have been deployed to the site. We are checking in all the places. Deep divers have also been deployed and the boat has been spotted. We are trying our best to take out the bodies stuck inside the boat," said a NDRF officer.



MISSING PERSONS

A list of missing persons has been released: Ramprosad Biswas (38), Bristi Biswas (9), Souvik biswas (4) , Laxmi Barmon (6), Sandha Mondal (35), Kaushik Basak (41) and Chiranjeet Bose (22).

Meanwhile, the ferry service from Kalna to Shantipur has been suspended.

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The project collaboration agreement with WHO will deliver for the first time the benchmarks for training in yoga and for practise in ayurveda, unani and panchakarma.

The project collaboration agreement with WHO will deliver for the first time the benchmarks for training in yoga and for practise in ayurveda, unani and panchakarma.

By Neetu Chandra Sharma: The mushrooming yoga and ayurveda centres in the country will soon have to follow strict protocols set by the government on the parameters of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The ministry of AYUSH and WHO on Friday signed a project collaboration agreement (PCS) for cooperation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine.

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The PCA will deliver for the first time WHO benchmarks for training in yoga as well as practise in traditional systems of medicine such as ayurveda, unani and panchakarma.

The move comes against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly calling for greater use of India's health remedies and exercises. The United Nations last year declared June 21 the first International Day of Yoga after adopting a measure proposed by the NDA government.

"Alternative system of medicine is gaining ground in the country but it is equally important to regulate it," said Anil Kumar Ganeriwala, joint secretary in the AYUSH ministry. When the WHO will set standards for traditional Indian medicine, the world will adhere to them, he said.

"Education in traditional medicine is well regulated in India but practising yoga and ayurveda has to be under strict scanner for effectiveness and safety. People start practising yoga by reading books and impart training. We are working on each and every aspect of alternative medicine in country."

The PCA is titled "Co-operation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine between WHO and AYUSH, India, 2016-2020".

It aims to support the WHO in the development and implementation of the "WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023" and will contribute to the global promotion of traditional Indian systems of medicine.

After the WHO parameters come into place, yoga, ayurveda, unani and panchakarma will have to be practised according to these rules.

"As Good Manufacturing Practices are applicable to food products and other consumer items, same will be applied to training in yoga and alterative systems of medicine. We want to take ayurveda and related systems across the world," said Ganeriwala.

Popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev also promotes the use of traditional medicines with his demonstrations drawing thousands of followers and his pharmaceutical company steadily eating into a market dominated by more established players.

The AYUSH ministry is already in the process of streamlining and ensuring quality in alternative systems of medicine, including yoga. To ensure the credibility of knowledge and skills of yoga experts and professionals, a scheme for voluntary certification was launched last year in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI).

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The programme aims to promote authentic yoga as a preventive, rehabilitative and health-promoting drugless therapy, and certify the competence level of the yoga professionals, which would help their deployment within and outside the country.

"The PCA with WHO is a further recognition of India's rich experience in the development and governance of traditional medicine," said Shripad Yesso Naik, minister of state (independent charge) of AYUSH.

Also read:

AYUSH ministry case: Journalist Pushp Sharma arrested



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By PTI: New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) A woman, whose husband allegedly raped a 23-year-old lady from Uzbekistan, has been arrested for blackmailing and trying to force her into flesh trade here.

The accused Anjali has been arrested but her husband Altaf is absconding, the police said.

According to the police, the woman alleged she was raped by Altaf, who introduced her to his wife Anjali and the couple blackmailed her and tried to force her into flesh trade.

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It said Altaf had befriended the Uzbek woman on Facebook and she flew down to Delhi on May 6 after being lured by him on marriage promise.

Altaf then took her to a hotel where he allegedly raped her and filmed the act, the police said, adding that he then began to blackmail her with his wife.

The couple, she alleged, had snatched her passport, visa and money. They also confined her into a room and allegedly beat her up regularly. She was forced to attend to the guests, the woman claimed, it said.

The complainant confided into a friend living in Delhi and they approached at the Vasant Kunj (north) police station.

A case has been registered under IPC Sections 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 376 (rape). A case under the immoral trafficking act has also been registered and the police are probing the possibility of a bigger racket involving Uzbek women flourishing in the area. PTI AG DEY RG

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Three Nebraska farmers and an agronomist, all diagnosed with cancer, have filed a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging the seed and chemical giant of purposely misleading the public about the dangers of the worlds most widely used herbicide.

Monsanto markets glyphosate, the active ingredient in its herbicide-brand Roundup, as being able to kill nearly every weed out there yet being completely safe for people. Its sold alongside Roundup Ready seeds that can be sprayed with the chemical without harm.

The New York Times in 2010 reported that 90 percent of soybeans and 70 percent of corn grown in the United States are from Roundup Ready seeds.

In March 2015 World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled glyphosate as a probable cause of cancer in humans and said it is most associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and other haematopoietic cancers, including lymphocytic lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Those most at risk, the agency said, are farmers, farm workers and others with workplace exposure to Roundup.

The four Nebraskans who brought the lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln have all been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

The lawsuit alleges Monsanto concealed or systematically sought to discredit research showing a link between the chemical and cancer and continues to do so.

Monsanto championed falsified data and has attacked legitimate studies that revealed Roundups dangers. Monsanto led a campaign of misinformation to convince government agencies, farmers and the general population that Roundup is safe. Its continuing denial extends to the date of this Complaint, the lawsuit says.

On its website, Monsanto says the labeling of its herbicide as a possible carcinogen conflicts with the consensus of regulatory bodies and science organizations, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Probable does not mean that glyphosate causes cancer; even at 100 times the exposure that occurs during normal labeled use glyphosate is not a human health risk, the companys website says.

The chemical works by inhibiting an enzyme essential for plant growth. Monsanto says that because that enzyme isnt present in humans or animals, glyphosate is safe when used according to label directions.

Since being classified as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, several countries have banned or restricted the sale of glyphosate, including the Netherlands, France, Bermuda and Sri Lanka.

Monsanto has sued California to keep glyphosate off the states list of known carcinogens.

The plaintiffs in the Nebraska case include farmers Larry Domina and Robert Dickey both of Cedar County, York County farmer Royce Janzen and Dodge County agronomist Frank Pollard. They are being represented by a Omaha-based Domina Law Group and New York-based Weitz & Luxemborg.

Similar lawsuits have also been brought against Monsanto by agricultural workers in other states, including California and Delaware.

The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages.
Frank Hansen paints on old pieces of wood, covering the surfaces of the boards with wildly imagined figures with large heads and distended arms, layers of paint and scrawled in text like Dont Touch The Elf, Or Hell Lose His Magic -- words that become the title of the piece.

Some of the paintings are very small, others large. Some are funny, some are commentaries, some are just strangely compelling and surreal.

Together, they make up Postmark Shenanigans, the Des Moines, Iowa, artists Iron Tail Gallery exhibition that is his first major show outside his hometown.

Appropriately, Hansen sent a spinning contraption made of wood that looks like a small room to Iron Tail through the mail -- sans box. But the show isnt a postal mailings exhibition.

This show exists because of the close relationship I have with a dead guy, Hansen writes in his artists statement. Mark Kneeskern that is.

Kneeskern, who died in 2014, was Hansens art partner and best friend, with whom he sometimes communicated by mail.

Since his passing, the only way to honor such a man is to celebrate his life and continue with POST MARK SHENANIGANS (MAIL WEIRD S**T TO IRON TAIL, Hansen wrote.

Next month, Iron Tail will show work by Kneeskern. His book, The Last American Hitchhiker, is now available at the gallery.

There are no pieces in the show that overtly address Kneeskerns passing. But he very likely inspired some of Hansens hijinks that create some biting laughs.

Those include M-I-C-K-E-Y Jesus-Wuzza-Jew (sing it to The Mickey Mouse Club theme song). Its got three characters, named Jesus, Wuzza and Jew wearing mouse ears and a box that contains the word "Walt. But it didnt start out joking. It, too, was inspired a loss, then morphed into the painting.

Other instant eyecatchers include Das Komboverr, a twisted portrait of a man with a comb over gone very wrong -- the man being Adolf Hitler; Bunnys Drive Home, in which a pair of large white rabbit heads are joined by a roadway; Karma Free Fall, a woman with three eyes and an eye in the palm of her hand falling through writing-covered space and The Kybo Lofts, an architectural study amidst layered white paint.

Hansens vibrant, original art is rooted in his childhood, growing up on a small farm near Des Moines.

The rusty old junk he was surrounded by made him realize that art didnt have to be pretty, and maybe the best wasnt. He took that approach to college and eventually created his own style of art he calls Emotionalism, reads a statement on his Des Moines gallerys website. Using childhood memories, world topics, inside jokes and absurd imagery mixed with unorthodox mediums felt just right, especially when they are all used together.

That combination is strikingly found in Abacuss F.U., a collaged piece that has patterned circles of color floating above a horizontal two-bar abacus made up of blocks and tiny heads. Another collaged work, which has an unprintable rhyming title, incorporates a roll of toilet paper and doorbells into what is a very funny piece.

Hansen, who is a plumber by trade, is a classic emerging artist, with his work, which has been used in a Slipknot video, now going into private collections where its been seen by the likes of Mick Jagger.

Theres good reason for that. The work in Postmark Shenanigans is distinctive and fresh as its melds old and new, surreal imagery and real emotion and, of course, fun.
Doris Brehm, 90, of Lincoln, passed peacefully on Friday, April 29, 2016, in the loving presence of her two sons, John and Dale. Doris was born on a farm near Polk to parents Hubert and Mabel Hotchkiss, on May 18, 1925. The family later moved to Stromsburg, where Doris attended Stromsburg High School.

After graduating, she taught briefly at a one-room country school in Polk county before marrying her high school sweetheart, Gerald Brehm. They were married for 69 years, until Gerald passed away in 2012.

After raising her children, she worked for 14 years at Famous Footwear, where she was beloved by coworkers and customers alike. Doris will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, fun-loving spirit, and devotion to family.

Doris is survived by sons John and Dale; daughter-in-law Masako; sister Pat; grandchildren Jenny Stevens and Sean Brehm; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald; parents Hubert and Mabel; brother Virgil; sisters Phyllis and Glennis; and grandson George Masahiro Brehm.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on May 18 at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A St, Lincoln, NE 68510, (402) 483-2213. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Condolences to Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery. Memorials to Goodwill Industries of Lincoln, or the family.
This is what can happen when a young entrepreneur gets bored with his college business major and starts contemplating his future.

He gets itchy for a little adventure, comes up with an idea, sets a goal and finds a mentor who can help make it happen.

For Brian Lehmann those dozen or so years ago as a college junior, the idea was to try out photography. If he liked it, he said he'd like to be a National Geographic photographer.

He liked it -- a lot. And since he had a knack for enlisting helpers, he called up the only National Geographic photographer he knew of, who also happened to be living in Lehmann's hometown of Lincoln.

He remembers telling Joel Sartore on that call his plan and asking if he would take him on as an intern.

"At that point I was thinking, 'Yeah, we're going to travel the world and shoot these exotic animals and all this crazy stuff," Lehmann said.

Sartore remembers Lehmann telling him he wanted to study photojournalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"I strongly advised against it, seeing how print journalism jobs were in catastrophic decline at that time," he said via email from Gabon, a country on the west coast of central Africa.

He also remembers him saying he really wanted to become a National Geographic photographer.

"'Get in line,'" Sartore told him. "I'd heard that same line from hundreds of students over the years."

But he agreed to make a trade: Lehmann's manual labor for his advice on photography. They struck a deal.

"I chipped thousands of bricks so he could redo his old back patio," Lehmann said. "I scooped pig poo out of barns or threw hay out of barns for days on end."

He mowed Sartore's lawn and pulled nails out of recycled boards.

His mom asked him why he was doing all that free labor.

Turns out, it was a test.

"You bet it was, plus I needed the work done," Sartore said. "I also made him watch 'The Karate Kid,' which is all about working toward a goal with great discipline."

Along the way, there was always a payoff, Lehmann said. A conversation -- sometimes about photography, sometimes just about life -- that made him want to keep coming back.

And so it went, on and off for years, with Lehmann completing tasks in exchange for guidance.

"He never gave up, which is rare," Sartore said. "So I figured if he had a good enough eye, he at least had proven he had stamina to shoot for NGM."

He showed resolve.

From the lawn mowing business he had started as a youth, he funded his own trips overseas to shoot photos.

"He lived on next to nothing so he could shoot the stories he thought would allow him to ring the bell," Sartore said.

The mentorship was priceless, Lehmann said.

"He just encouraged me to take so many risks, to think about things so much differently."

* * *

It took Lehmann a decade to finally come across an idea for photos that could land his work in National Geographic.

Two years ago, he and a UNL student photographer he was advising learned about a practice in a remote area of Indonesia in which people view death more like a sickness and keep their loved one's corpses for a time -- sometimes a long time -- with the family.

There was more. In a short visit to the area, Lehmann heard about a practice of bringing bodies out of tombs, dusting them off, combing their hair and standing them upright. But he still didn't know just when and where it might be happening.

Maybe August, maybe somewhere in a remote area on the island of Sulawesi.

He returned to Lincoln, but as August approached, he made a somewhat snap decision to book a flight and go back, leaving his thriving lawn service at the peak of seasonal business.

Once there, he rented a moped, hired a translator and drove around two weeks. Still nothing.

"Meanwhile back here the guy running my lawn business was like, 'Hey, give me 500 bucks. I'm quitting tomorrow.' So I ended up having to pay my dad a thousand to go clean up the mess."

But then things turned around. He stumbled upon a man in a tiny village who claimed he knew of families who practiced the custom of keeping the dead at home.

With just that bit of information, whispers really, he pitched the story to National Geographic. He found out a writer -- Amanda Bennett -- had pitched a similar story a couple of years earlier.

"I guaranteed Geographic I could find it," he said, all the while knowing that if he didn't, he could probably kiss his dream goodbye.

* * *

Lehmann returned again to Indonesia, this time for three weeks, making his way around probably 50 villages.

People would tell him, yeah, this happens. But the last time they remembered seeing it was 20 years ago, maybe five. Or was it a year ago?

Things weren't going well.

Then one day, after driving 12 hours, he got a call from a woman he had bought soup from a week before, saying a neighbor's family was sitting a body up in a chair right now. They turned around and drove 12 hours back, all night, the other way.

"We walked in and they were really sitting the body up. It was so surreal. ... My mouth dropped wide open. It was really happening."

In Toraja, the door to his photo story opened wide. People brought him in like he was sent from God to honor their loved ones.

* * *

During his years of tracking a just-right project for National Geographic, Lehmann had his own brushes with death.

When he thinks about the life expectancy of someone in this dream job, "you know, I don't think it's very long," he says.

"At this point I've had malaria, leptospirosis, an ulcer. I've wrecked a moped multiple times. And I've been scared to death for my life in the middle of the ocean."

That's why at age 34, he has a will.

With this project, though, he's learned to think about death differently. It's bothersome to him, now, that Americans get so upset about death. There, it's almost exciting.

"They send you out with a real bang, in a sense. Slaughtering water buffalo in your honor. Having a five-day funeral ceremony. Sitting your body up in a chair," he said. "You never really die in Toraja."

They become makula  a sick person. Even after burial, their families keep parading them back out and telling stories about them, he said.

Torajans don't want to die. There is sadness along the way, but they're not afraid of it, Lehmann said.

When he dies, Lehmann has decided, he wants his body to sit in a chair for three days and three nights. He's made it a part of his will, but he knows it may not happen.

"If my mom's around, she'll put the kibosh on that," he said.

* * *

Lehmann's photos of the Torajans' long, gradual unfolding of death were printed in the April edition of National Geographic, with Bennett's story.

Interestingly, his mentor's epic cover story on his Photo Ark, Sartore's mission to photograph every species of animal or insect in captivity, was published in the same issue.

Lehmann now knows the meaning of his work for Sartore.

During the months he spent on this project, Lehmann worked dawn to dusk, shooting, editing photos, researching, captioning photos, interviewing and swallowing endless amounts of coffee with village leaders.

"It's grueling. But it's the most amazing experience. It really is. You just want to produce the best possible product," he said.

And he is already on the hunt for the next project.

Sartore says someday, on Lehmann's tombstone, there should be just one word.

"Determined."
Which country has the highest percentage of its Muslim population fighting for the Islamic State as foreign recruits? Algeria? Afghanistan? Indonesia? Nope.

Try Finland. No. 2 is Ireland, followed by Belgium, Sweden and Austria.

What do these countries have in common, besides being European? Theyre wealthy, democratic and have high levels of education, health and income. They also have very low levels of economic inequality.

These findings appear in an eyebrow-raising report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, an economic research nonprofit, whose recent work also identified another important factor driving radicalization: a lack of assimilation. In other words, the Islamic State draws heavily from groups who do not adopt the culture of the country in which they live in and do not truly become a part of it.

These conclusions fly in the face of conventional wisdom: that radicalization flows from economic inequality. Our results show that  economic conditions are not the root causes of the global development of ISIS foreign fighters, the report says, using another common name for the Islamic State.

In fact, the report finds strong positive correlations between Islamic State recruitment and high gross domestic product per capita as well as high rankings in the Human Development Index and the Political Rights Index, two composite economic measurements. In short, most Islamic State recruits come from societies replete with comforts and rights.

So what convinces young men in such advanced societies to join the Islamic State? A failure to assimilate, according to the National Bureau report. To measure that, the organization looked at indices for ethnic, linguistic and religious fractionalization developed by Harvard researchers and calculated the probability that two random individuals in any society would not share the same ethnicity, religion or language.

European countries have low fractionalization levels and lack an assimilationist ethos, which means that Muslim immigrants do not acculturate. The difference with America is the melting pot, one of the reports authors, Efraim Benmelech, said in a phone interview.

In other words, the report supports the common-sense proposition that a disgruntled population that does not feel it is part of something greater than itself is likely to have members who will fall prey to itinerant snake-oil salesmen such as Islamic State recruiters. I and others have written about this link for some time.

Some European leaders also make this point. British Prime Minister David Cameron has said repeatedly that terrorism is not really caused by Western foreign policy, poverty in the Middle East or the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Even if we sorted out all these problems, he once said, there would still be this terrorism.

Many who believe those three causes are to blame, however, persist. The French socialist economist Thomas Piketty  whose 2013 bestselling book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, warned about gaping wealth inequality in the West  laid blame for the Islamic State on all three in an article in Le Monde written just after the November terrorist attack in Paris. Only an equitable model for social development will overcome hatred, he wrote.

The authors of the National Bureau paper, however, write their findings directly contradict the recent assertions by Thomas Piketty.  The large number of foreign fighters coming from highly equitable and wealthy countries like Finland, Belgium, and Sweden  run contrary to those claims.

Benmelech told me on the phone: Public housing could lead to segregation, because you are placed in a neighborhood with people just like you, he said. Inequality, where mobility exists, can spur striving.

He later added in an email: There is growing awareness, at least anecdotally, of the lack of assimilation as an important cause in terror recruiting. However, it is yet to be determined whether income inequality promotes or degrades assimilation. Some European countries may be more generous than the U.S in providing social benefits, but it is unclear whether this social safety net increases the likelihood of assimilation.

While the U.S. is infamous for its high degree of income inequality, its melting pot culture that promotes assimilation may be one of the best deterrents against radicalizing people to join ISIS  and may explain why the United States ranks a distant 36 in the number of ISIS foreign fighters compared to its Muslim population.

Considering the anti-assimilation bent of current U.S. immigration policy, however, this is cold comfort. Is a European-like atmosphere in our future? Its a question worth asking, sooner rather than later.
CHICAGO -- So let's just posit that Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in November because her opponent, Donald Trump, is so off-putting that African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans -- and others Trump has insulted -- come out to the polls in droves.

And then what?

For all the talk about how the Republican Party has alienated minorities, what do the Democrats have to offer them in terms of long-term voter engagement?

Let's take a look at what happened when Clinton -- whose husband garnered negative press last month for castigating Black Lives Matters protesters who interrupted him -- stopped by East Los Angeles for Cinco de Mayo.

According to the website Fusion.net, people were upset to begin with -- there were police in riot gear and on horses and in helicopters to deal with the estimated 1,000 protesters who showed up. And the eight-piece mariachi band Clinton showed up with just set people off.

Jasmin Pacheco was there to confront Clinton about her June 2014 comments supporting the deportation of unaccompanied minors from Central America. She told Fusion, "I was nervous, but then I saw the mariachis and it made me angrier. She was pandering."

Adding to the perception of offensive Hispandering was Clinton's short speech, which was almost exclusively focused on Trump's immigration demagoguery. Hitting your opponent in a weak spot is to be expected. But limiting a brief speech to one issue in which the only thing you can say is that at least you're not the other guy telegraphs a poor understanding of the challenges ahead.

A recent America's Voice/Latino Decisions poll of registered Latino voters showed, for the umpteenth time, that when you ask Hispanics about the top priorities they think the next president and Congress should address, they rank jobs, the economy and unemployment above all else.

Of course, there's no question that immigration is an important and personal topic to the overwhelming majority of Hispanics. According to this poll, 35 percent of Hispanics know someone who has been detained for immigration reasons or deported, and 57 percent know a friend, family member or co-worker who is residing in the U.S. illegally.

But the key number this particular group of registered voters articulated is this: When asked why they are motivated to vote in the 2016 election, 41 percent said to vote against Trump. Only 16 percent said they were enthusiastic to vote for Clinton and 13 percent for Bernie Sanders.

A lack of enthusiasm for Democrats isn't just a Latino thing. In a March analysis of the future of the Democratic party, The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza quoted Michael Render, the rapper known as Killer Mike who has been on the stump for Sanders, noting that his friends have lost all faith in electoral politics: "Their mantra is 'Don't be a part of the political process at all. You're leading our people into a burning house.'"

The Democrats have, for the most part, gotten a pass from communities of color who have had little choice but to support the only candidates who weren't specifically referring to them as terrorists, takers, spongers on the welfare system and/or illegal aliens.

But that's hardly what you'd call the makings of a long-term voter engagement and allegiance strategy.

The fact of the matter is that even while 42 percent of Hispanic voter respondents said that they felt the Republican Party has become more hostile to Latinos in recent years, no one failed to notice that two Hispanics were in the running for the Republican nomination.

Some politicians are figuring they can get away with alienating minorities -- who don't show up at polls in numbers that reflect their populations -- for short-term gains.

But as the years go by, there will be no avoiding a demographic destiny that will demand that representatives of both parties not only respect minority voters but promote them within their ranks, hire them for key positions in their campaigns and administrations and address their specific concerns.

It won't be too long before simply being the lesser of two evils is not a strategy that will help Democrats stay in positions of power. The question is: Will they finally start figuring out how to really connect with voters of color, or will they simply keep counting on hyperbolic Republicans to make them the choice of last resort?
I read in Don Walton's story that Gov. Pete Ricketts said after Tuesday's primary results that state senators need to pay attention to the people in their districts, I believe that is what they are doing, and they know more about what their constituents want than does the governor in Lincoln ("Ricketts: Voters sent message," May 12).

If Mr. Ricketts thinks the senators have to vote for what their districts want, then why did the governor appoint Republican Nicole Fox to a heavily Democratic district in South Omaha? She voted against her constituents on almost every vote, including voting against giving professional licenses to the so-called DACA youth.

Predictably, Fox finished third in her try to win the seat for herself ("Sen. Fox's legislative race one of 3 likely recounts," May 12).

What Mr. Ricketts wants most of all is to have things his way, but I have a feeling he will be disappointed in the November vote to attempt to bring the death penalty back to Nebraska.

Ricky Fulton, Omaha
I have heard enough of Ben Sasse's opinion on Donald Trump ("Sasse: Draft a third presidential choice," May 6). I get it, Sasse doesn't care for Trump. Last I heard, the American voters pick the candidate, not the Senate. All Sasse is doing is helping divide the Republican Party, not uniting it. If he, along with Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham and a few others want to ensure Hillary Clinton's victory, keep up the good work.

I hope Sen. Sasse does realize Nebraska's current and previous governor have pledged their support ("Ricketts, Heineman support Trump," May 6). Apparently that doesn't mean much to Sasse.

While on the subject of support, the approval rating on the Senate was hovering close to single digits a few months ago. Voters should remember this next time they step into the voting booth.

If Ben Sasse doesn't like the current election process, he can try moving to China. I hear they have a pretty smooth system!

Dave Kamprath, Lincoln
I have owned a Nissan Leaf for nearly 3 years I and am still in awe of it! If electric vehicles don't one day comprise the majority of automobiles I will be shocked. That's why I applaud our city leaders for their foresight in calling for additional charging stations ("City to install 10 electric car charging stations," May 9)

I wish the Unicameral was equally far-sighted. Not only have our senators not legislated any tax incentives for electric vehicles, they have added an additional fee for owning them! Each year when I renew my license plates, I must pay a $75 Special Fuel Fee to compensate for the gasoline taxes I am not paying. This fee goes towards maintaining state highways. Only problem is that I never take my Leaf onto the highway. It is strictly a city car, given its limited range. And driving only within the city, I do not put many miles on it. Presently I average 7,700 miles per year.

Nebraska's present gasoline tax is 26.8 cents per gallon. A $75 special fuel fee equates to 280 gallons of gas per year. The EPA rates the 2013 Nissan Leaf at 115 miles per gas gallon equivalent. That means Leaf drivers like myself are paying for over 32,000 miles yearly but driving far less than that. Something is clearly out of sync. Come on, Unicameral! Repeal this fee and legislate tax incentives for electric vehicles, like our neighbor Colorado has done.

David Anderson, Lincoln
A whole new ballgame.

A quick look at the roster of state senators suggests that at least 30 of the 49 members of next year's Legislature will be rookies or senators who have served no more than two years.

That number could climb higher because it doesn't include five incumbents who finished second in last week's primary election. Two of them trailed their challengers substantially.

The loss of legislative leaders next year will be deep: Speaker of the Legislature and the chairmen or chairwomen of key committees: Appropriations, Revenue, Education, Health and Human Services.

In addition, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee finished far behind his primary election opponent last week.

The 2017 legislative session will be a new political animal operating in what may be an electric environment.

A new president will be defining the national political landscape after a tumultuous and ugly presidential campaign clash and a first-term governor will be preparing to mount his 2018 campaign for re-election with an eye on his legislative record.

Potential gubernatorial challengers have been focused on that legislative record for some time.

No doubt, some senators will be considering other political opportunities as the Legislature meets, including the office of state treasurer, which will be opened by term limits. Other potential State Capitol opportunities will be determined by re-election decisions made by incumbents.

It will be a 90-day legislative session with lots of competing agendas and a limited storehouse of institutional knowledge.

As Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus, a thoughtful guy with a mind to behold, has often pointed out, that lack of institutional knowledge will be magnified even more by the gradual departure of veteran legislative staff members.

Schumacher has proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to consider whether senators should be able to serve a maximum of 12 consecutive years instead of the current eight years.

That could be shaped in the form of two six-year terms or three four-year terms.

Term limits are not entirely a black-or-white issue.

While one can reasonably argue that voters ought to be able to retain experienced, effective, skilled legislators for as long as they want, the political clout of incumbency can shut out bright, new, independent voices.

The 2015 freshman class contained a whole number of those, some of whom are likely to move into a couple of the key vacated leadership positions next year.

"If there weren't term limits, I wouldn't be here," one of those senators who now stands on the cusp of legislative leadership reminded me one morning as we were walking into the Capitol.

***

Nebraska Republicans dutifully lined up in support of Donald Trump at their weekend state convention in Omaha because that's what political parties do.

The overriding argument was that the choice now is going to be either Donald or Hillary.

And Ben Sasse was mildly rebuked for saying none of the above.

All of that is essentially predictable in the world of two-party partisan politics.

Rejection of a proposed resolution condemning degrading remarks toward women or members of minorities by Republican candidates may have made some political sense within the partisan confines of the Omaha convention center meeting room, but that decision will be much harder to explain in the wider world.

Outside the convention, the vote to scuttle that proposal immediately lit up the Twitter world.

***

Action is heating up on the Democratic side next.

Saturday's Lancaster County Democratic convention has been moved to the East High School gym to accommodate all those who have expressed interest in participating next weekend.

And the young Bernie Sanders supporters who mounted a successful downtown march for the senator in February are planning an event to stand in solidarity with their candidate at the high school.

As of Sunday morning, Cody Pratt said, almost 60 people had pledged to show up and another 136 had expressed interest in attending on Facebook.

Sanders won Nebraska's Democratic presidential caucus in March.

***

Finishing up:

* Ben Sasse has been personally urged by Mitt Romney to consider an independent presidential bid challenging both Trump and Clinton, according to The Washington Post.

* Only two state senators are members of Nebraska's Republican national convention delegation: Bill Kintner and Merv Riepe.

* Look for some young students in the Democratic delegation yet to be named; some Bernie supporters have earned it.

* Once upon a time, budget cuts were not automatically considered to be the only possible way to deal with projected deficits.

* It's hard to grasp the fact that the cost of shutting down OPPD's nuclear power plant hovers close to a billion dollars.

* George Norris, Willa Cather, John J. Pershing, Father Flanagan, Buffalo Bill Cody and William J. Bryan were the first six; you can nominate the next Nebraska Hall of Fame member.
When Doug Peterson took the reins at the Nebraska Attorney General's Office last year, he says, he had two goals in mind: Steer clear of politics, and focus on protecting the state's most vulnerable residents.

Fourteen months later, he feels he has stayed true to that vision.

In tackling issues such as child abuse, human trafficking, consumer protection  even Colorado marijuana  Peterson says he has consistently kept vulnerable people in mind, sometimes to his political detriment.

Others agreed.

"That's my experience with him, and that's what I really have grown to appreciate," said state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln.

Peterson is a Republican and Pansing Brooks is a Democrat, but the two have found shared interest in fighting human trafficking in the state.

Earlier this year, the attorney general's office supported a measure Pansing Brooks sponsored to make trafficking victims immune from prosecution as prostitutes if they cooperate with law enforcement to help identify their pimps.

Peterson's staff even improved the bill with recommendations during the legislative process, Pansing Brooks said.

"I trust him," she said.

The attorney general's office launched a statewide human trafficking task force last year to connect law enforcement with nonprofit groups that work with trafficking victims. Stephen Patrick OMeara, a former assistant U.S. attorney, leads that effort and recently hired a full-time investigator.

Also last year, Peterson's office worked with the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island and the League of Nebraska Municipalities to create an eight-part DVD series training local cops to better handle child abuse and neglect investigations.

Peterson's staff organized a series of ongoing, regional training seminars on the topic, with Peterson delivering the opening remarks.

"The attorney general was gracious enough to lead the charge," said League director Lynn Rex. "He has really committed the time and effort, and personally participated in discussions to advance these issues forward."

Peterson said he's also exploring a hotline and mobile application for young people to anonymously report potential violence, such as possible school shootings or suicides. Colorado implemented a similar program, called Safe2Tell, following the 1999 Columbine High School shootings.

Yet overshadowing those efforts, at least in the public eye, is Nebraska's fight with Colorado over its legalization of recreational marijuana.

Peterson, 57, didn't know that battle would come to define his first years as attorney general: "I had absolutely no idea," he said earlier this month during a 75-minute interview in his Capitol office.

Nebraska and Oklahoma made their joint appeal for the U.S. Supreme Court to halt Colorado marijuana sales in December 2014, just weeks before Peterson took office.

Outgoing Attorney General Jon Bruning called Peterson in advance about the lawsuit  not to consult but to notify, Peterson said.

Still, the new attorney general has become a passionate spokesman against marijuana liberalization, even renewing his office's legal efforts against Colorado in a lower court after the Supreme Court declined to accept the case directly.

"The reason I won't back off is because it's so apparent to me that this industry ... is focusing on making the strongest product possible," Peterson said. "Potency sells."

He's convinced the pot products sprouting up in Colorado are more powerful than those his peers remember from the 1970s and says an influx of Rocky Mountain weed has made Nebraska's illegal drug trade lucrative enough to attract more violent gangs, particularly in Omaha.

Marijuana's active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is present in even higher doses in laced gummy bears, candy sticks and pastries, which are sold legally in Colorado stores and are clearly marketed toward young people, Peterson said.

"Colorado is a great experimental lab," he said, "and unfortunately the people are real."

Maybe more than marijuana, many political allies and opponents associate Peterson with his Christian faith and his opposition to abortion.

"We have so much more information" now than in 1973, when the Supreme Court made its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, he said. "I don't believe there's any way you can medically not recognize that life begins at conception."

He used to support abortion access for women based on poverty or other circumstances surrounding their pregnancy, he said.

The story of what changed his mind brought tears to his eyes.

"I had a very good friend growing up as a kid who had a terrible home situation. And his mom was never fit to be a parent  drugs, alcohol in the house, no supervision, all kinds of problems," Peterson said. "That would have been the very woman who, when she became pregnant, I would have acted as if I had the crystal ball and said, 'She can't have children.'"

When Peterson was 11, his dad died, and the friend brought his family a cake.

"It was a lousy looking cake, but he had this big smile on his face because he had baked it for us."

Years later, Peterson visited the friend  who was thrown in prison for dealing drugs  and the friend flashed the same smile, Peterson said.

"He had come to have a personal relationship with the Lord, and his life had completely changed. And I could see it, it was the old friend. It wasn't the drugged-out friend, it was the old friend. And I could see it in his eyes and I could see it in his smile. ... And I remember thinking to myself, 'The standard you used for him, he would be dead.'"

He applies his resulting change of heart broadly: He believes abortion should be allowed only in a "crisis medical situation" when absolutely necessary to protect the life of the mother, and never when the pregnancy is the result of rape.

"It's a tragic situation," he said. "A village needs to surround that person to do everything they can."

Abortion hasn't arisen as the subject of a high-profile case for Peterson's office so far. But his team has tackled a gamut of issues in the public eye, ranging from unsuccessfully defending the state's ban on same-sex marriage to leading a dozen states' ongoing case against the Environmental Protection Agency over its controversial "Waters of the United States," or WOTUS rule.

"I have realized how boring my private practice was," Peterson said.

The WOTUS case helped his office build relationships with counterparts in other states, led by Republican and Democrat attorney generals, strengthening Nebraska's position when challenging federal authority, he said.

He called his staff a strength as well and commended their willingness to remain public servants despite the potential for better pay in the private sector.

He also stressed the "team concept" in the attorney general's work.

"I have tried to create a culture that says we are seeking to be the best lawyers for the state of Nebraska that we can be, and that is not dictated by political pressures but ... through legal analysis."
Dear Readers: I've stepped away from my column for the week while I put the finishing touches on my new book, which will be published in the fall. Please enjoy these "Best Of" columns in my absence. I'll be back with your fresh questions and answers next week.

Dear Amy: I am a happily married 27-year-old woman about to have my first baby, and I am terrified because it isn't my husband's baby.

Last spring, another woman and I took a trip to the Bahamas. At the hotel, I had a massage and was seduced by the masseur. I tried to resist, but I guess I got carried away. I sort of cooperated once things got started.

After some prenatal tests, my doctor recently told me that the baby's blood type is different from both my husband's and mine, which means the baby is not his. When the baby is born, it will be very obvious: My husband and I are white, and the masseur is black.

I can't tell my husband; I think that he would leave me. It's too late for an abortion. What can I do? Please advise me. -- Pregnant and Scared

Dear Scared: I appreciate the fact that you are assuming some responsibility for participating in this sexual encounter, which from the way you describe it sounds less like seduction than coercion (and possibly assault) to me. Or is this how you are justifying your own choices? Only you can know.

This hotel employee should not be seducing, coercing or having sex with hotel guests during massage sessions. (Giving a consenting adult a cell number and hooking up off the premises is another matter.) If he coerced or forced you to have sex with him, then you should have gone to hotel management and the police immediately in order to prevent him from preying on other hotel guests.

In addition to other very tough decisions that you need to make fairly quickly, you also should be immediately tested for STDs.

You have to tell your husband about this. You simply have no choice. However, it would be helpful for you to rehearse this conversation with a trusted friend or professional counselor. You and your husband should discuss this in a neutral environment. Planned Parenthood offers pregnancy and adoption counseling. Counselors working for this agency have seen it all, and you will not be judged. Your local Planned Parenthood office will refer you to a social worker, and will be by your side while you and your husband walk this very difficult path.

Check your local listings or www.plannedparenthood.org for a clinic near you. -- January 2007

Dear Amy: My daughter just turned 16 and received a new car.

I'm so worried about her.

Every day I watch the news and hear about a new accident, and I worry that one day it will be her in one of those accidents.

Without her knowing, I installed a tracking device in her car so that I can monitor where she is.

I've also recently started reading her journal and going through her drawers to see if she is using drugs or having sex. I know I'm going into her private space, but I just want to make sure that she's OK.

Should I be doing something differently? -- Mercedes

Dear Mercedes: You should be doing many things differently.

Installing a tracking device will not make your daughter a safer driver. Knowing where the car is won't protect her from the perils of the road, which are considerable for 16-year-olds.

A 16-year-old girl should not have a new car before you're confident of her driving. She might be better off using your family car in a limited way until you and she are confident. Studies of teen drivers show that the crash rate decreases as their age increases.

You should get your daughter to drive you places whenever possible. Let her face various challenging situations with you in the car. She should also strictly adhere to your local laws involving the number of passengers a teen may have in the car. The more passengers, the higher the risk.

Don't read your daughter's private journals. She has a right to her own thoughts and expressions. Unless you have some compelling reason to suspect that she is taking drugs or having sex, you shouldn't be going through her property.

Your daughter's eagerness to earn and maintain your trust will help her to make safe and sound choices. Her choices are more important and a better safeguard than any tracking device that you could ever install. -- May 2007
"Wilde Lake" by Laura Lippman, William Morrow, 368 pages, $26.99

Every family has its secrets  a relative no one talks about; an incident best not discussed; a conversation that conjures painful memories. Family secrets as well as the fragility of memory have been an ongoing theme of Laura Lippman that she explores with precision and insight in the superb stand-alone "Wilde Lake."

In "Wilde Lake," Lippman melds a character-rich story with a deftly plotted tale that incorporates a family's history, secrets, myths and ambitions. "Wilde Lake" also looks at the line between truth and lies, and how sometimes falsehoods are easier to digest.

The newly elected state's attorney of Howard County, Maryland, Luisa "Lu" Brant, inherited her love of the law and justice from her father, Andrew Jackson Brant.

A fair but formidable prosecutor during his time, Andrew earned the respect of the people during his own tenure as the state's attorney, and Lu holds him in the same esteem as Scout did Atticus Finch. Now widowed, Lu and her 8-year-old twins live with Andrew in her childhood home in Wilde Lake. The family, which includes Lu's brother, AJ, who is eight years her senior, moved to Wilde Lake when the planned community was built. A new community for a new family, though the area also was rife with tragedy as Andrew's wife, Adele, died a week after Lu was born.

"Wilde Lake" smoothly alternates from the present and the past, including memories so vivid the incidents could have happened yesterday, including an act of violence that occurred during a high school graduation party attended by AJ.

Settling into her new job, Lu is anxious to prove herself and decides that she will handle the murder case of Mary McNally, a waitress who was strangled in her apartment by a homeless man. Forensic evidence and an eye witness should make it an easy case, but Lu's former boss, and newly ousted state attorney, Frederick C. Hollister III, decides this will be his first case in private practice.

Lippman is an expert at lending a clear-eyed view of the bonds that link people and the truths we tell ourselves to survive the emotional morass of life. She continues this high standard in "Wilde Lake," which proves that the most intricate of mysteries are how we deal with each other. Each of us is a product of our childhood  it's what we do with it that makes the difference.
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A majority of commercial banks have weathered the earthquake and border blockade with most of them posting handsome profit in their third quarter.
Decision to hike fines for traffic rule violations takes effect

Violating traffic rules will cause you to shell out more money than earlier in fines now onwards, as a decision to hike fines for traffic rule violations came into effect from Saturday.
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Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits

Yes, they will make the city more inviting

Maybe ... does it really matter?

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By Doug Bandow



America's major alliances date back decades. Washington has been protecting Europe, Japan, and South Korea for longer than most Americans have been alive.



The original justification for this expensive global role was the Evil Empire, as President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union. Aggressive communism had to be contained, and America's allies were in various degrees of prostration at the end of World War II and the Korean War.



For a brief moment of history the U.S. had to take on a unique and oversize international role. But that moment passed long ago. As the world moved into the 1980s it was evident that only the own lethargy and stinginess of America's allies prevented them from taking over most, if not full, responsibility for their own security.



Washington should stop allowing Asians and Europeans to continue cowering behind it. That they prefer not to do more is understandable. But that is no reason for America to do it for them.



The traditional argument for turning the Pentagon into an international welfare agency was security. That claim has grown threadbare given how the existential threats that once confronted, or at least plausibly affected, the U.S. have disappeared.



No peer competitor, no contending global power, no countervailing alliance, no cohesive coalition of adversaries, no credible threat to global commerce, no anything at all.



What remains is, well, paltry compared to threats of global and nuclear conflict. Genuine problems, such as terrorism, but ones requiring limited, nuanced responses, not big alliances, aggressive wars, foreign occupations, endless bombing, and more. The Pentagon could do and spend far less while still safeguarding Americans.



So then, what are the existing alliances for?



Anthony V. Rinna of the SinoNK group recently suggested protecting commerce: "Managing the threat posed by instability on the Korean Peninsula to the United States' economic interest cannot be done only through a combination of diplomacy and nuclear deterrence. It also requires the continual presence of American conventional armed forces."



Why?



First, the Republic of Korea vastly outranges its antagonist on virtually every measure of power: 40 times the GDP, twice the population, overwhelming international connections. Even if Washington had sufficient economic interests at stake to warrant a defense guarantee in theory, one would not be necessary in practice. Seoul has a far greater incentive to provide for its defense. And it is capable of doing so.



Foreign policy should reflect international realities, which change over time. Today Seoul could do whatever was necessary to deter and defeat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. There's no need for America to act.



Second, the age of mercantilism long passed. The military should not be used to promote economic interests. While economic survival might become an existential issue, that certainly is not at stake with Asian, let alone South Korean, trade.



There's also an interest in ensuring navigational freedom, including commercial traffic, as well as keeping hostile forces away from the U.S. Neither of these justifies defending a mid-size ally with modest economic ties to America. At a fraction of today's cost Washington could threaten retaliation against any strike on international shipping  a far more sensible step than entering someone else's war.



Spending billions to defend a trading partner just for its business connections would be a very bad investment. Washington would end up squandering the money and lives of all Americans to protect the profits of a few. If the North develops deliverable nuclear weapons, the cost could turn out to be astronomical.



While the U.S. would suffer more if commerce with China and Japan was disrupted, a renewed Korean war likely would have only limited impact on that: Pyongyang's reach is modest and the DPRK would have no incentive to encourage other nations to become belligerents against it.



Third, Seoul's neighbors have far more at stake and should act to limit the damage from any conflict. Indeed, a second Korean war would have a variety of humanitarian, economic, and military impacts on China and Japan. Any effect on commerce would reach well beyond that with America.



Turning friendly states into long-term military dependents is bad enough. Doing the same for China would be bizarre. Washington has been attempting to convince the PRC that North Korea harms Chinese as well as American interests. The best way to make that argument would be to step back and allow Beijing to confront its North Korean problem directly.



Whatever past arguments for Washington's role as global policeman, times have changed. America's populous and prosperous friends should defend themselves, including their economic interests.



Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of "Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire."




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WHITEHALL, Wis.  Pats Country Market has been one of the areas best-known meat markets for decades.

Thats why, six years after it moved from Arcadia to Whitehall, customers are still driving to the market from as far away as La Crosse and Winona.

Tony and Marie Johnson, who have owned the business since 2003, moved it to 18461 Scranton St. in downtown Whitehall.

The Arcadia location closed at the end of January 2010 after the Johnsons sold the building to a developer who leveled it and constructed a new multi-tenant building. The market reopened in June 2010 at its current Whitehall location.

The opportunity came up and the timing was right, Tony said of the move to Whitehall, where he and his wife already were living in the home where he was raised. The (Arcadia) building was old and it took a lot of electricity and heat.

Tony began working for Pats Country Market owners Pat and Florence Nelson in 1979. The Nelsons had purchased the City Meat Market in Arcadia in 1963 and renamed it two years later when they moved to their second location.

In 1998, Tony married Marie, who also was working at the market in Arcadia. A year later, they moved to Whitehall and began commuting to work in Arcadia.

Quite a few people still come here from places like Arcadia, Winona, Waumandee and La Crosse, because of the markets reputation for quality products, Tony said. But most customers live within 10 miles of Whitehall, he added.

It was a name that was known, Tony said of the couples decision to keep the Pats Country Market name when they moved the business to Whitehall.

The full-service meat market sells fresh meats and products such as sausage, bologna, wieners and bratwurst. It also processes venison, and it sells bakery products from Myers Bakery in Arcadia.

Tony said the meat market still uses original Pats Country Market recipes for meat products. But weve added a lot of different flavors, he said.

Bratwurst and summer sausage are the markets two biggest-selling sausage products, which is why the Johnsons promote their business as the Wurst Haus in Whitehall.

We keep 30 flavors on hand, Tony said of the markets bratwurst. But we have recipes for over 50 flavors.

The biggest seller is the Norse Brat, which Tony described as a traditional Wisconsin bratwurst.

Some other most popular flavors include mushroom and Swiss, garlic and onion, and the Packer Backer bratwurst made with aged cheddar cheese and green peppers.

Pats Country Market has 11 varieties of summer sausage. The biggest seller is beef and pork with garlic. Other popular flavors include German salami, beef and pork with garlic and cheddar cheese, traditional beef and pork, and Craisin.

Hamburger is the markets biggest-selling fresh meat, followed by ribeye steaks and smoked pork chops.

Maries son, Nicolas Bettesworth, works full time at Pats Country Market, and the owners also have a part-time employee.

Sales have continued to grow at the Whitehall location, Tony said, and peak from September through March. During the school year people are home more often, he explained. During the summer, their kids are out of school and they travel, he said.

I enjoy visiting with customers, Tony said. We get to see people from around the area that weve seen for years and years.

He also enjoys his trade.

When you take a piece of raw meat, add spices and make it into a good-tasting sausage, that makes you feel good, Tony said.

When you take a piece of raw meat, add spices and make it into a good-tasting sausage, that makes you feel good. Tony Johnson
A rural Spring Grove, Minn., farmer has begun making whiskeys with his own grain at the areas first craft distillery, in downtown Spring Grove.

Christian Myrah, majority owner of RockFilter Distillery at 113 Maple Drive, said he expects to have bottled bourbons and other whiskeys ready to sell to bars, restaurants and liquor stores in Minnesota by the end of this year or early next year.

At about the same time, a cocktail room will open in part of the distillery, which is in a former creamery. The cocktail room will offer samples, and whiskey and cocktails will be available for purchase. Tours of the distillery also will be available.

Myrah plans to eventually expand distribution to other states.

Its an agricultural venture that adds value to agricultural products, Myrah said of the distillery, which he and three silent partners own.

For its first batches, the distillery is using organic corn, rye and oats raised by Myrah and his father, Leonard Myrah. Well be using a variety of other grains, he said, such as wheat and sorghum that they also raise organically.

The distillery eventually may make additional kinds of spirits, such as brandy.

The areas limestone formations are conducive to making good whiskeys, Myrah believes. Limestone-filtered water in Kentucky often is cited as contributing to the success of distillers in that state, which produces most of the nations bourbon whiskey.

For more information, call Myrah at 507-458-3056 or visit RockFilter Distillerys Facebook page.

Burger Fusion Co. will open its second location in June in the former Busters Bar & Grill at 200 Pearl St. in the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites building.

Owners Matt Boshcka, Matt Birnbaum and Tim Larsen opened their first Burger Fusion in 2014 in Valley View Mall.

Busters closed April 24 for remodeling and its transformation into Burger Fusion.

We plan to open in June with select hours, Boshcka said last week, adding that he hopes to have a grand opening July 1. Well try our best to start serving breakfast and providing room service in early June.

For more information about opening dates and hours, check Burger Fusions Facebook page and website www.burgerfusioncompany.com.

The new restaurant will have the menu items that the Onalaska location has, plus a breakfast menu and foods made on the downtown sites existing wood-fired grill. It also will have a beer, wine and ice cream shakes bar and 10 designated customer parking spaces in the hotel lot.

Its a perfect location for us, across the street from the La Crosse Center, Boshcka said of the downtown site. Well be in the middle of the downtown hotel district and near major businesses. Downtown is growing, and we want to be part of that.

After 21 years, Saturday was the last day for the Caribbean-themed Coconut Joes bar at 128 S. Third St. in downtown La Crosse.

George Markos, who with his brother Dave owns the business, said a major renovation will begin Monday for a new restaurant and bar. Were hoping for sometime in July to open, he said, adding that hes not yet ready to announce the new name and theme.

Its going to be a hybrid thing, Markos said. Itll still have a great nightlife, but well put more emphasis on the food than Coconut Joes had.

We just thought it was dated, Markos said of Coconut Joes. We think its time for a new concept here, filling a new niche.

Markos said he and his brother opened Coconut Joes in 1995 and will continue to operate Sawtooth Sams Saloon next door, at 223 Pearl St.

Look for a Starbucks store to open later this year at 224 Buan St., just east of the Arbys restaurant along Hwy. 21 on the far North Side of Tomah. The site is west of Superior Avenue.

A building permit application has been filed with the city for the planned 2,100-square-foot Starbucks, Shane Rolff, city zoning administrator and building inspector, said Monday. At press time, it was possible the permit would be issued later in the week.

A spokeswoman for the Seattle-based coffee chain told me in an e-mail that Starbucks plans to open its Tomah location later this year, but declined to be more specific.

Starbucks Coffee Co. has more than 23,000 stores around the world.
WASHINGTON (TNS)  Nebraskas new senator spent his first year as fresh arrivals to Capitol Hill are supposed to: head down, hard at work, zero speeches.

No more.

The rise of Donald Trump to Republican presidential nomination turned the senator, Republican Ben Sasse, into one of Trumps most outspoken opponents in Congress, and Sasses pronouncement that he would not back Trump in his home-state primary brought him an onslaught of attention. But hes been at it since long before House Speaker Paul Ryan and others piled on against Trump last week.

For months, Sasse has sketched out his philosophical underpinnings late at night on social media, and he is seriously floating the need for a third option in the presidential race.

Though many would like Sasse, the former president of a small Lutheran liberal arts college, to lead such a ticket, he prefers instead to sit by the Platte River late into the night after his kids are asleep and tweet questions and comments to, and about, Trump.

Ignored my phone most of today. Voicemail is now overflowing with GOP politicos telling me Sure, Trump is terrible, but  he wrote after Trump all but clinched the GOP nomination last week. But we have to support him, because the only choice is Trump or Hillary. ummm, WHY? #Neither.

Sasse released an open letter on Facebook last week  a follow-up to one he wrote in February  explaining out why he would support neither Trump nor Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

This letter is for the majority of Americans who wonder why the nation that put a man on the moon cant find a healthy leader who can take us forward together, he wrote. Our founders didnt want entrenched political parties. So why should we accept this terrible choice?

The senators musings are getting a mixed response. Trump was expected to do well in the state  Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts is on board, as are other Republican leaders. Attacking the front-runner has exposed Sasse, who had never held public office until becoming a senator in 2015, to criticism.

Before the Never Trump part, he was a rock star, said Jon Tucker, chairman of the Republican Party in Douglas County, where Omaha is located.

Tucker said Republicans in Nebraska still like Sasse, but he had an eye-opening moment while passing the hat for $1 donations during debate-watch parties and voters wouldnt give to the Republicans because of what Sasse was up to.

I dont see people with Draft Sasse T-shirts walking around Nebraska, he said.

But Mark Fahleson, who nudged Sasse to run for Senate, sees in his friend a thoughtful politician who is just trying to the influence the debate.

Do I think he will run for president this cycle? No, said Fahleson. My guess is hes not done this cycle speaking out.

At 44, the Harvard- and Yale-educated Sasse has had a robust and varied career  working initially as a corporate turnaround specialist, but eventually returning to academia and then pursuing government jobs in President George W. Bushs administration. He also worked briefly as the chief of staff to a Nebraska congressman, and was a tutor and proctor for the House page program.

More recently, he was the president of Midland College in his hometown of Fremont, when he launched a 16-month bus tour to win the Republican nomination to replace a retiring senator.

Some say Sasse has talked about running for president since he was young, and they view his third-party musings as simply political positioning for an inevitable candidacy.

His office said he has zero interest, at the moment, in the White House. The very conservative father of young home-schooled children, he is focused on his family and job, his aides said.

The senator declined a request for an interview.

In many ways, those who have watched Sasses short congressional career see an arc. Rather than becoming the next rabble-rouser, as headlines predicted, in the mode of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, he instead became a spokesman for a more elevated civic discourse.

Conservatives will need to find a third option, he wrote in February. Mr. Trumps relentless focus is on dividing Americans, and on tearing down rather than building back up this glorious nation.

Days before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, Sasse stayed up late one night trolling Trump with personal and policy questions on Twitter. In one, he said Trump brags about affairs with married women and asked whether he repented or whether he thinks it matters.

Trump responded a few days later that Sasse looked like a gym rat.

How the hell did he ever get elected? Trump asked.

Sasses Facebook posting last week, though, caught more widespread attention.

Most Americans can still be for limited government again  if they were given a winsome candidate who wanted Washington to focus on a small number of really important, urgent things  in a way that tried to bring people together instead of driving us apart, he wrote.

I think there is room  an appetite  for such a candidate.

Washington perked up, envisioning Sasse as a white-knight savior for a Republican Party in turmoil. Breathless commentary ensued; conservative writer William Kristol tweeted over the weekend about his outreach to Sasse as well as to former nominee Mitt Romney.

Back home, though, talk of a President Sasse was met with a pragmatic Midwestern shrug.

Hes very much his own person, and I think Nebraskans respect that, said Phil Young, a former executive director of the Nebraska GOP. It just kind of depends on how far he wants to take this.

Ignored my phone most of today. Voicemail is now overflowing with GOP politicos telling me Sure, Trump is terrible, but  But we have to support him, because the only choice is Trump or Hillary. ummm, WHY? #Neither. Sen. Ben Sasse, on Twitter
Q: My daughter, who just turned 3, has a surge of energy after dinner and can take hours to fall asleep. I try putting her down around 8 oclock, but there are nights when she doesnt fall asleep before 10. Sometimes she tells me shes tired but cant fall asleep. At other times, she will throw a tantrum before bed. When she stops shell say, Im done crying, now I can sleep. In addition, her naps have never been regular. I usually need to put her in the car and take a drive for her to nap. When that works, however, she will wake up too early and start throwing tantrums. When driving around doesnt work, she falls asleep late in the afternoon and only takes a short nap, which makes it that much more difficult for her to fall asleep at bedtime. She usually gets a total of 9 to 11 hours of sleep a day. Sometimes shell wake up in the middle of the night and I have to feed her a snack to get her to fall back to sleep. I think shes over tired. Any tips on how I can get her sleeping habits on track would be greatly appreciated.

A: That was exhausting to read. I can only imagine how exhausted you must be. My sympathies, but the person causing these problems is you, not your daughter. By driving her around town to help her take a nap, feeding her snacks in the middle of the night, and Lord knows what else, you are doing nothing but making it inevitable that these sleep issues will continue.

First, theres nothing inherently wrong with a 3-year-old not falling asleep until 10 oclock. If you simply put her to bed and let her figure out, on her own, how to fall asleep, she will eventually settle into a routine. If she keeps coming out of her room, then cut her door in half (hire a handy-man, if necessary), turn the lock around, and rehang it. That allows her to see out but not come out. If she cries, go back to her door every 10 minutes or so and simply reassure her that all is well, but dont open the door and go in.

Put her to bed with a light on in her room and tell her she can play as long as she wants until shes ready to sleep. She will eventually fall asleep on the floor at which point you simply go in, pick her up, put her to bed, and tuck her in.

Her surge of energy in the evening suggests that you may be letting her consume sugar and/or caffeinated drinks at dinner. If so, you need to cut those out and start letting her get used to water. And needless to say, the home should be calm in the evening, which means no television.

Stop driving her around for naptime. Please dont take this personally, but thats insane. Not you ... that! At best, you simply rob from Peter to pay Paul. Whether she falls asleep in the car or not, driving her around only leads to other problems later in the evening. When its naptime  which should take place at the same time every afternoon, whether she seems ready or not  put her in her bed. Set a timer for two hours and put it outside her door. Dont tell her to fall asleep. Simply tell her that its quiet time and that she can play or sleep or do whatever she wants to do, but she cant come out (or you cant let her out) until the buzzer goes off. If she cries, so be it. The likelihood is that if she learns that youre not going to rescue her, she will eventually fall asleep.

The bottom line is that you need to help her (and yourself) get into a naptime and bedtime routine. Because of the counterproductive precedents youve set, thats going to take some time, but Rome is never built in a day. I predict this issue will resolve itself in three to four weeks if you stay calm and stick with it.
BLACK RIVER FALLS  When Dale Klevgard gets into an airplane, he appreciates what the trip represents.

Its not simply getting from point A to point B  its also about how the world is limitless from the air.

I think ultimate freedom is the way to describe it, because now you have the ability to escape the planet, basically. Its like when you get off the ground, all your cares disappear, said Klevgard, a Jackson County resident and flight instructor. You have the capability of getting in an airplane and flying any place in the county, almost any place in the world, almost without any restrictions whatsoever.

It just opens up a whole new world, if you will, of possibilities.

Klevgard got his first experience with the wonder of flying when he was a youngster taking a trip to Germany in 1960 with his family to visit his father who was in the Army. The family went from Chicago to the east coast and flew over the ocean before landing in Europe.

But it was what happened on the flight and the one back that sealed Klevgards future in flying.

A flight attendant came back and took Klevgard and his sister to the cockpit of the four-engine aircraft. They came back on a Boeing 747, one of the first jets that were flying, and also got a tour of the cockpit and received a pair of junior pilot wings and a model airplane after they got off the flight.

I think it was probably just the way we were treated that really piqued my interest in flying, said Klevgard, who got his pilots license in 1978 and was certified as an instructor in 1980. Ive had it ever since.

Klevgard has a little more than 8,000 hours of flying experience, over half of which is as an instructor. Hes mentored more than 125 students during his time living out west and back in Wisconsin, including three Western Wisconsin men who currently are learning about flying and aircraft.

Derek Ahl of Jackson County already has hit a milestone in his flying study by completing a solo flight in late April. Two others  Brad Honish of Warrens and Jeff Casper of Merrillan  are quickly on their way to marking the same feat and going on to get their private pilot licenses.

Ever since I was little, I wanted to fly, said Honish, a 2005 Tomah High School graduate. I thought it would end up being a retirement thing, but then my wife got me flying lessons for Christmas.

The three men venture to Black River Area Airport just outside Black River Falls to conduct their training with Klevgard, where he also serves as assistant director of the airport. Many new students are eager but must face some fear and anxiety as they try flying for the first time.

I think for some people, its probably overcoming the unknowns, said Klevgard, who was named a regional flight instructor of the year while living out west. I think, for me, it was probably that I had read so much and I knew so much about airplanes that it was finally moving the controls.

Its always been a challenge. Anyone who wants to learn to fly, I want to be able to share that with them. Its the greatest feeling in the world.

First tasks before heading into an airplane with an instructor involve a complete and thorough inspection of the airplane and first lessons deal with basic airplane control, learning to fly straight and level, inclines and descent.

From there, more advanced lessons include turning around points, steeper turns and stall recoveries  what to do when plans dont go quite right and their associated emergency procedures.

Flight instruction sometimes can involve the surprise of an instructor, like Klevgard, turning off engine power to give the student the opportunity to show their knowledge of how to handle the situation.

It only comes when Klevgard is confident in his students, he said.

Youve got to know your stuff, Casper said. He wouldnt do it if he knew you couldnt recover.

Before cross-country flying training comes takeoffs, landings and eventually hitting the point of controlling the plane alone  an exciting milestone.

Its not difficult at all  almost any person could learn to fly an airplane, Klevgard said. Ive taught students from as early as 14 to as old as 79 years old.

For a lot of people, too, they just have never completed the training, and its still in that bucket list and they can go on and achieve that in the later stages of life.

Honish and Klevgard were out at the airport Saturday morning getting flying hours in, and the two took their positions in the front seats of the 1976 Cessna 172, where both have controls and go through the required checks together before getting off the ground.

Then, in the air.

Lets go up to 2,500 feet, Klevgard said. Now, its getting a little bumpy.

The pair went to their usual training spot above Alma Center and Hixton to conduct some turns and other technique training before heading back toward the airport and runway to make a landing.

There was another radio call to let any air traffic know their location, and then some discussion about the approach.

Well probably come right into the crosswind, Honish said.

Honish made the descent, landed smoothly and taxied the plane back over to the side of the runway before making post-flight checks.

Hell soon be completing his first solo flight  hopefully this coming weekend, Klevgard said. Then will come the cross-country testing stages for at least a minimum of 40 hours of flying to get the private pilots license.

Then, like Klevgard, hell be able to take a plane instead of a vehicle for trips if he chooses and experience travel from the sky.

Trips that seem a long way, you can take an airplane and you get there a lot faster, he said. Its something Ive always wanted to do.

Im just excited to go flying.
On Saturday, Jessica Furrer was the first in her family to graduate from college  with $45,000 in student loan debt.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Spanish and psychology grad will spend her first year after college working as a teacher in low-income schools in Dallas for AmeriCorps. She values her time in college greatly, but Furrer said the pile of debt she has taken on has cast a shadow over her chosen career.

I hope to go into public service, Furrer said. It is not a lucrative field by any means.

The topic of student debt has found new interest among politicians and policymakers, with both Gov. Scott Walker and local lawmakers using UW-L as a backdrop to talk about proposals to address college affordability and student loans. The average debt of a graduate in Wisconsin in 2014 was more than $28,000, according to data collected by the Institute of College Access and Success, nearly double the amount in 2004. UW-L has followed a similar trend, with graduates in 2014 leaving the campus with an average of more than $25,000 in loans.

Some students worry that they will have to choose between money and their preferred career path in order to pay back loans. Former UW-L Student Association president and graduate Kaylee Otterbacher said politicians ideas, from the statewide tuition freeze to proposals for refinancing student loans all have a little bit of merit, but they dont attack the sources of the problem: the high cost of college and dearth of financial aid.

Were ready for our legislators to address the real issue, she said.

Rising costs, rising debt

Both the cost of college and student indebtedness have risen steeply during the past decade. At UW-L, the annual cost to attend the university was nearly $11,000 in 2004 and rose to nearly $18,000 in 2014. Across the river at Winona State University, the cost of attendance was reported to be $13,475 in 2004 and $20,790 in 2014.

Both universities have seen the cost of attendance rise around $7,000 over the past decade. But the impact on student borrowing has been different.

Graduate debt rose by nearly $11,500 at UW-L during the past 10 years, while students at WSU have seen their average debt load more than double from approximately $15,000 in 2004 to more than $35,000 today. WSU also has a higher default rate according to the Department of Education: The 2012 default rate for WSU was 4.2 percent compared to 1.8 percent at UW-L.

WSU Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Life Denise McDowell said a number of guidelines go into the cost calculations universities such as WSU and UW-L have to report to the federal government. As a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, any tuition increases at WSU have to be approved by the Board of Regents, and like Wisconsin, MnSCU faced a two-year tuition freeze a few years ago to slow down rising costs.

Student fees are also part of the cost calculation, and students approve any changes or additional fees. For example, students decided not to increase the fees assessed to pay for the student union next year as well as the campus technology fee. But students did agree to assess a new sustainability fee next year.

Another fee, which helps give WSU its higher-than-average cost of attendance in the MnSCU system is the E-Warrior Digital Life and Learning program. The program, which costs students $970 each year provides a leased laptop and tablet to students, who have the option of purchasing the technology after graduation.

While it adds to the cost of attendance, McDowell said, the program is a big difference maker for students, many of whom say in exit surveys it helped draw them to the campus.

It is a perk our students find particularly appealing, she said.

As required by federal law, WSU and UW-L have cost calculators that can be found on each universitys website. McDowell said parents and prospective students appreciate having access to the information as it helps them compare costs and stretch their college dollars.

Students and parents dont mind investing in their studies when they know it will lead to a better life, she said. Higher education transforms you. It makes you a difference maker in any field you go into.

Student angst over debt, future careers

On Saturday, Otterbacher graduated from UW-L with about $20,000 in student debt, and she said she isnt as ready for the workforce as she had hoped. A graduate from the political science and communications programs at UW-L, Otterbacher said she has filled out more than 70 job applications for a whole range of positions, even some she for which she is overqualified.

If I am struggling to find work, then (her classmates) are as well, she said.

She said that a career shouldnt be entirely about the money, and she hopes to eventually get her foot in the door in public service. But she also believes the university could be doing more to prepare graduates for the workforce, as many graduates will struggle with their student loans.

Its absolutely terrifying, she said. It is almost nauseating to say that that $20,000 number. To know I owe $20,000.

While Furrer knows her borrowing is above average, she said she only took on what she needed to pay for school. She hopes to be able to defer or seek forgiveness for her federal loans, but because she also borrowed money from private lenders, will only be able to volunteer for Americorps for a year and hopes to be able to go to graduate school to pursue a career in multicultural counseling.

Even with all her borrowing, Furrer said, she still believes college was worth it. In order to get a good job, a bachelors degree is almost necessary, she said, and her time at UW-L has also helped to grow as a person. But she does wish more was being to done to rein in college costs.

As a first-generation college student, all of this was very daunting, she said. Its been tough.

The struggle to control costs

At UW-L, the cost of attendance and the average student debt have peaked. In 2013, the total cost of attendance was $18,000 and the average student debt was $26,000 before before both dropped the following year.

Vice Chancellor for Student Life Paula Knudson said UW-L takes student borrowing and college costs seriously. To help students make good financial choices, the university has implemented financial literacy programs such as It Makes Sense.

Louise Janke, director of financial aid, said UW-L has an online resource that helps connect students with private scholarship opportunities.

But it can be hard to balance the universitys legal obligations, the expectations of students and parents, and the cost of college. In order to receive federal funding, UW-L has to comply with legal obligations such as Title IX, which bans gender discrimination on college campuses and costs money and resources.

Students also expect certain amenities on college campuses, such as recreation facilities and the new student center, and pay for those through students, fees and room and board fees. And as the state cuts funding for higher education, paying for increasingly becomes the students responsibility.

The university is a complex system, Janke said. And a lot of people dont understand what that system entails.

Nobody wants students to take on debt, she said. But to focus on that without looking at the complexities is limiting. We need to look at the role of public higher education ... we dont want to lose sight of some of that value added to our communities.
TOMAH -- The Tomah Area School District and Tomah Housing Authority and Community Development may coordinate through the high school's building trades class to remodel a house.

Rachel Muehlenkamp, director of the city of the Housing Authority and Community Development, said the program is still in its preliminary stages.

Were working on trying to come up with a partnership between the high school Building Trades class, the Community Development Block Grant Program and were also working with trying to get the county involved to see if we can maybe obtain a foreclosed house that the county has taken back, she said. The Building Trades classes would work on the house over the course of a two-year period, and then at the end of that the citys Block Grant Program would then turn around and sell the house.

Muehlenkamp said the program, if approved, will be a benefit both the housing authority and students in Tomah High Schools Building Trades class.

It would give the opportunity for the students to actually focus on one house, doing a lot of different projects within the house and then it would be flipped and we would either do it rent-to-own, like weve done in the past with some of the foreclosures that our department has brought back, because the loans on them were not being paid, she said. Then we would rent-to-own to a low- or moderate-(income) person or household, and then they would have an opportunity to buy the house and then the money coming back in would then by another house for the Building Trades class to then work on.

Matt Christenson, THS Building Trades teacher, said the program will be a nice supplement to the course.

I think it opens up the remodeling area of construction, he said. I think most students, when they become adults, will buy an older home and so theyll have a real experience in that, buying an older home and remodeling and having confidence to do things in the process needed in remodeling  which is an area that we werent able to do too much of. It opens up more than just the carpentry area of the building trades, but roofing, the finished end with cabinetry and siding.

The program may also open up another Building Trades section, which can only facilitate about 15 out of the 30 or so students who sign up.

Cindy Zahrte, TASD superintendent, said the program also would benefit the city and county as the house would return to the tax roll.

Outside contractors also would be involved in the program, Muehlenkamp said.

Tomah Lumber, All American Do It Center and some of the actual contractors are also involved and they would ... actually assist the trades classes in the rehab of the home, she said. Obviously, there are skills that (students) are not going to ... be able to do  like electrical or plumbing, but they could actually watch the plumbers doing that or the electrical work being done.

Those businesses, Zahrte said, also would benefit from the program.

We have a Construction Advisory Council and Brian Hall from Tomah Lumber and Brian Buswell from the All American Do It Center are both on that council and weve talked about how to include them in that process, and we talked about how if some of their employees need sharpening of skills, and how high school kids arent able to do everything, they can learn (how to do those) from the local businesses.

Zahrte said working together is key to the programs success.

I think it is so important that in this day and age with limited funding, everybody is stretched to the limit in terms of the work their doing, that when can build these collaborative endeavors, she said. I think were just working smarter and everybody benefits from us working together. The county and the city working in isolation, the school district can work in isolation, but we can be more efficient working together.
Q: My daughter, a rising college senior, finds volunteer tutoring very satisfying. She will graduate in January and wants to apply for a two-year stint at Teach For America. I think she should start her real career upon graduation. How can I convince her?

A: What if her real career turns out to be teaching? Or a position inspired by her Teach For America (TFA) experience? Teaching is still an appealing career choice and a great foundation for other professions. Many of the 40,000 TFA alumni now work in related fields, many in leadership positions.

Take Eddy Hernandez Perez, for instance. His assignment was teaching fifth grade in San Antonio. Through his teaching success he got to advise then-Mayor Julian Castro on education policy and helped start Leadership SAISD, a nonprofit program that works on behalf of students in the San Antonio school district. He eventually got his masters degree in education at Harvard and is set to graduate law school at the University of Texas next May. Hard to argue with that career path!

Laura Smith, a high school math teacher in Dayton, Ohio, is completing her two-year TFA commitment and weighing a third. My degree is in accounting, and I love to teach math, she says. One day Id like to combine those skills in a way that uses data to help narrow the opportunity gap, one of our nations toughest problems.

They have some advice for your daughter: Apply to TFA because of your passion. Are you doing this for students and to learn the skill of teaching? If not, then rethink your priorities.

Dont use TFA as a break between college and grad school, says Smith. The work is hard. Youll struggle to focus on your students if youre only passionate about studying for the LSAT.

Assess your adaptability. TFA doesnt put you where you want to go. If accepted, TFA sends you where youre needed.

Prep well to apply: While applications have dipped from the 2013 high of more than 57,000, getting in remains competitive. Prepare yourself by talking with alumni and principals in schools with TFA teachers.

If you cant stay excited throughout the application process, decide on a different route, says Smith.

Expect tough challenges. If accepted, youll need to prove yourself to students and colleagues. Youll get good support from TFA, but you need large stores of resilience and stamina.

And now heres some advice for you, Mom. Some form of service to the country helps young people get to know themselves and what theyre made of. It helps define their professional personalities, and they learn what motivates them. They also develop insight and leadership skills. If your daughter decides to apply, be thrilled youve raised such a mature young woman.

Find TFA application deadlines at teachforamerica.org.
LA CRESCENT, Minn.  Scott Fritzs office crawl space looks almost empty.

It used to house state equipment and paperwork (there was even stuff in his garage). Thats in addition to what he had in the state-provided warehouse.

Its late Mothers Day morning, and Fritz is grilling with family. Only days before, he retired as a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer following 31 years of service.

Hes sitting in his home office, which also served as his state office headquarters, and hes recalling the days when he began back in 1985 as a boat and water specialist for three summers.

That was in the Twin Cities metro area.

So we had more lakes than you could ever cover, he says. And then some.

From there, he was stationed in Appleton, Wis. He compared the experience to the formative years of a kid.

Youre like a sponge, and those guys had very good work ethics, and they also had a very good sense of humor. You put the two together, he smiles, and all his knuckles join together.

When he moved to Fairbault for another stint, he says his neighbors were also good, hard-working people who made him look better than he was.

They were known as game wardens prior to the 1960s, when the position was refined and grew into what has become known as conservation officers. They have full police powers; carrying a sidearm became mandatory.

Our duties had changed quite a bit, he says.

The want came, in large part, from what he calls the recreating he did with his father: hunting, fishing, the full spectrum. Theyd duck hunt down on the Mississippi, he recalls, and fished all the trout streams. The Whitewater area was for deer hunting.

And then ma and dad bought a cabin up in northern Minnesota, and us kids would always go up there and did a lot of fishing up that way.

That also included being on a boat a lot. Snowmobiles were also a favorite. Its been a part of his life for as long as he can remember.

Always been, he sighs. You know, like what we did for today on Mothers Day, wed go for a hike in the woods.

He called his career a natural fit.

Twelve years ago saw the Fritz family move to La Crescent, where they now live on the citys north outermost end. Again, he said, hes surrounded by top-of-the-line people, both wardens and citizens.

Ive been very lucky that way, he says.

Summing up a more than three-decade career isnt easy.

We work out of our homes, he says, his voice accelerating along with his seriousness. Your average station in the state is between 600 to 900 square miles. Thats the land mass, including the lakes.

Were on-call 24/7. This was my state office, he says motioning around the small room, in the house.

Prior to moving to La Crescent and getting the warehouse, the boats, ATVs and snowmobiles sat in his own yard.

We stored them because we needed them, he says.

A well-equipped state truck is also furnished, like a police car with radios, lights, and sirens, and firearms, protective clothing  because they work so much out of their vehicles, its like an office on wheels.

Shifts could last six hours, they could also last 16.

You went prepared, he says.

Thats just the truck. Patrol boats, air boats, even a canoe also come with the job, which Fritz says makes you pretty diverse in what you can do when you need to. But, you have to master the equipment.

With my background, he says of his family, Ive been doing that my whole life.

Theres more to it than equipment, of course. Conservation officers enforce all the hunting and fishing laws and regulations, as well as boating and snowmobiles, four-wheelers, ATVs, and off-road motorcycles. Add to all that wetland laws, especially when folks are developing commercial or on-commercial properties, the ground water use has to be somewhat regulated. Theres also the pollution laws to be enforced, and all this while working closely with county officials, local law enforcement, councilors and commissioners, and the citizenry.

His station covered Pool 9, where it boards Iowa and Wisconsin, all of Pool 8, and part of Pool 7, as well as land mass covering half of Houston County and part of Winona County.

He got to see the best every season had to offer.

The biggest change in my career is the cell phone and computer, he says.

It increased reporting and accountability, which he feels is good, but it also took the officers out of the field more. Its tempting to see technology as a necessary evil, but theres perhaps a finer philosophy to live by.

As my dad always, If you dont go with it, itll leave you behind.

The floods of 2007, he says, when you look back at career: that was a big one. It provided a lot of opportunities to help people. And, he stresses, it was a team effort, covering many neighbors over a wide area in the county.

Its a community, he says, we live in a small community and we work together.

Its the people, he says, that he enjoyed the most in his job. Except it wasnt a job, he says, it was a lifestyle.

Im retiring from a job I still like, he says, and he realizes how fortunate that makes him. But its because the job required him, and his family, to become fully-realized member of the community, and he had to make himself available. Its the hallmark of the best wardens.

This is my area, he says. These are my people, and you take care of them accordingly.

Travel is on his agenda; he and his wife, Robyne, have always wanted to see Ireland. Theyll be going in June. Alaska is also on the list at some point soon. Asked if, now that hes retired, theyve ever thought about moving, he says for his family and their interests, La Crescent is a perfect fit.

Why would you leave? We live in the greatest place.

Hes grateful not to be asked about the many awards and citations adorning the wall of his office, because even though hes grateful for the commendations, its more about the work of the team than himself as an individual.

Hes not so humble that he wont offer up some career advice, though.

What I would tell kids is, Go to school. That could be a nine-month program or a four-year degree. Keep your nose clean, because it does pay down the road. Take the time to enjoy life, I mean, you need to laugh, hug your spouse or kids, if you have them. You need to do that, because all the sudden you look in the mirror and youre retiring. Because it goes like the blink of an eye.

Officers recollect

Tom Hemker met Fritz in 1996  he was a neighbor office in Owatonna while Fritz was stationed in Fairbault  and then they became literal neighbors in La Crescent by the time 2004 rolled around. Hemker is now a conservation office in the Winona area. He called Fritz a fantastic officer.

Probably one of the best, Hemker said, and is probably an even better person.

Hemker has always looked up to Fritz, he said, citing him as continually concerned with making the right decisions.

Ive always strived to think things through the way Scott does, he said.

Mitch Boyum, whos an officer in the Rushford area, knows Fritz very well. He was Boyums primary field training officer in 2000.

Scotts a good man, Boyum said.

He called Fritz dedicated, an officer who is all about the resource, especially protecting it. He also cited Fritzs excellent rapport with people.

Its going to be sad to see him go, but I get where hes at.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP)  Zahra Zamiri worked for five years to earn her U.S. citizenship, so a few weeks ago, she asked if she could wait a little longer.

She wanted to look nice, Zamiri told officials.

When a woman who survives being shot twice in the chest at point-blank range asks for a little time, she gets it.

Zamiri, a native of Iran and resident of Rochester, is now the newest U.S. citizen. She was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank on May 9, just two months after her ex-husband tried to kill her.

The special one-person ceremony was attended by Zamiris daughter, multiple members of the Rochester Police Department and fire department who responded to the scene of the March 7 shooting, medical professionals who treated her and several of Zamiris neighbors, whom she now calls family.

I believe in the end, communities are judged by the help they offer in times of need, Frank said. How we treat those in difficult situations like yours, thats how well be judged. Thats how communities are supposed to behave.

He spoke, too, of Zamiris courage, telling her, This is going to help other victims and people when they see this. Youve set a good example, so we should be thanking you.

Mayor Ardell Brede said in his 14 years as mayor, Ive welcomed a lot of very important people to Rochester: former presidents, people who want to be president. . But Ive not been involved in anything thats more important in Rochester. Were so honored to have this new citizen.

Rochester Police Capt. John Sherwin echoed the sentiments.

How fortunate we are to be here today, he said before the swearing in. March 7 should have been a tragedy. I cant think of a better word to describe it than miracle. This is a story of survival, a story of citizenship and a story of the best of what our community has to offer.

This horrific incident exemplifies what makes Rochester such a great city, Sherwin continued. All those folks who noticed something wrong, who stopped to render aid. In my 18 years in law enforcement, Ive never experienced a more important event.

Zamiri, who was hospitalized for several weeks then continued her recovery in a nursing home, was able to return to her own home two weeks ago.

She sat in a wheelchair Monday morning, standing only for her swearing in, then the Pledge of Allegiance. Frank told her she could remain seated, but Zamiri refused.

The paperwork was signed even before Frank administered the oath.

The minute shes done, at that second, shes a U.S. citizen, he said. In just a few minutes, we are going to be a better country, with you.

Zamiri wept during the final moments.

When she came to the United States about five years ago, she didnt know any English, Zamiri said.

My teachers helped me every day, she said as a new citizen. I worked hard. ...

You all know what happened. My husband shot me.

The room instantly stilled, and Zamiri paused to compose herself.

Everybody helped me, she said. I was in a coma.

Zamiri was home that morning when Fereydoun Behnam, 71, appeared on her doorstep with flowers. He shot Zamiri inside the home; she escaped outside, where a neighbor and passersby saw her collapse. They called police, then rendered aid until she was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus.

Zamiri lost a lung as a result of her injuries.

Her daughter, Asma Tahery, arrived from Iran about two weeks ago. Shell be able to stay with Zamiri for about five months, until her visa expires.

Tahery repeated what her mother emphasized: Zamiri had no family here when she was shot; the neighbors have become her family.

Still, Frank said, its important that she carry in her heart and in her mind the traditions she grew up with.

Please, not only keep them, but share them, he told her. The true strength of this country is the diversity of the people who live here. Our wish for you is that you develop that same pride and love for this country, and you live the way you want to live.

This is a story of survival, a story of citizenship and a story of the best of what our community has to offer. John Sherwin, Rochester police captain
Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd of supporters in Los Angeles on May 5. By all accounts, the atmosphere initially was warm and celebratory among those gathered in the gymnasium of East Los Angeles College. But during Clintons speech, multiple anti-Clinton protesters were removed from the event after interrupting her and shouting while she was speaking. She ended her speech early due to these interruptions.

As Clintons supporters left the gymnasium, they were forced to walk a gauntlet of harassment. Anti-Clinton protesters lined the gyms exit. Witnesses report that protesters called female Clinton supporters gendered slurs and suggested they commit suicide. According to Twitter reports, one protester snatched a poster reading We love you Madam Prez! and signed by Clinton out of a little girls hands and tore it up in front of her. The protesters waved signs reading LIAR LIAR LIAR and HILLARY FOR PRISON. Chants of Bernie! Bernie! Bernie! echoed through the gauntlet.

Ive never experienced anything close to the level of verbal assault endured by the Clinton supporters in LA, but I learned quickly in this primary that if I openly support Clinton, I will be confronted. When I speak positively about her online, I can expect to be swiftly reprimanded and shamed. Ive been called a $hill more times than I can count. Ive been accused of being paid by Super PACs to support her publicly when, in reality, I donate to Clintons campaign every month. Ive been accused of voting with my genitals.

These comments arent coming from conservatives.

Ive never been at odds with other liberals before. Im not used to being labeled as one of the bad guys, and this primary has even made me empathize with Republicans who are villainized for their choices at the polls. If I voice my support for Clinton, someone will question my morality and my competency as a voter.

Its important to note that not all Sanders supporters are like this. Some of the people Im closest to in this world support him, and they have never attacked me for supporting Clinton. Unfortunately, the majority of my interactions with Sanders supporters online have been the opposite of productive and respectful.

People have a right to disagree with me, and to ask me questions about why I support Clinton. But the anti-Hillary vigilantes online arent interested in nuanced, civil discussions  theyre interested in shaming Clinton supporters and making them answer for all of her perceived failings.

Clinton is not a perfect candidate. There are many valid criticisms of her, and she has certainly made mistakes in her long career. I dont regard her as a pinnacle of political purity. I agree with many people that we need campaign finance reform, and I see the hypocrisy in her calling for it while benefiting from the current law. But to me, the presidency encompasses so much more than the mechanics of a campaign. Believe it or not, she inspires me. She has been attacked and smeared for decades, and she is still standing, still fighting. I admire her resilience, her capacity for compromise, and her toughness. I support her with joy and without apology.

Ive heard people question how its possible that Clinton is winning the primary when you hear so little from her supporters online. The reason Facebook isnt brimming with glowing pro-Clinton posts is because when you say nice things about Hillary Clinton, you face a barrage of ridicule from more progressive liberals. Sometimes I dont feel like playing defense with people in the comment section. Its exhausting.

My goal is not to paint myself as a victim. Im not looking to be consoled because someone was mean to me on the internet. But the onslaught of ideological purity tests projected by anti-Hillary revolutionaries is not a catalyst for change. Theres nothing admirable about villainizing people you disagree with, and I long for a primary race where we approach each other with our hearts and minds open to an array of perspectives.

Weve all witnessed the gradual destruction of the Republican Party as a result of the Tea Partys rise. Increasingly, factions of the left seem to be following their example of radicalism, intolerance and rumbling hatred. We are better than this. We are going up against a bigoted demagogue who threatens the safety and the civil rights of millions of Americans. The idea of a Trump presidency is no longer a fantasy for misogynists and racists  it is a reality we must fight.

I dont expect Sanders supporters to become cheerleaders for Clinton. I dont expect them to make calls, donate, knock on doors or sing her praises. We $hills can take care of that. But if you claim to value the rights of millions of Americans, if you believe in progressive goals, if you follow Sanders philosophy of Not me. Us, I do expect you to vote blue.

There is nothing progressive about intolerance and hatred. If we come to consider compromise a destructive force in democracy, we all lose. It is not revolutionary to berate people you disagree with until they give up and shut up. We will not achieve progress by tearing each other apart because of our differences  change will only come when we learn to work together despite those differences. As Clinton says, there is much more that unites us than divides us. Lets come together to defeat the evil we face with all the determination and strength we can muster.
We, the Muslim community of the greater La Crosse area, join Muslims around the world in the struggle to reclaim our religion by rejecting interpretations of Islam that call for terrorism, intolerance, violence and social injustice in the name of Islam. Such actions have no place in Islam, as they violate the very basic tenets of this Abrahamic religion. Islam forbids taking of any innocent life and teaches its members the duty and obligation to protect, safeguard and uphold the law of the land. We stand for universal peace, love and compassion, and reject bigotry, oppression and violence against all people. As American Muslims, we are committed to the protection, security and well-being of the citizens of this nation as it is our home.

Recently, the media have reported widespread portrayal of negative stereotypes, images and stark misrepresentations of our religion. Violent actions of a small minority of extremist outlaws appear to be frequently highlighted even though they do not align with our faiths values. Moreover, some Islamophobic preachers are getting a platform in our area to propagate hate with inflammatory comments while painting an alarming image of Islam. An April 24 article in the La Crosse Tribune called Anti-Muslim speaking circuit runs through Minnesota makes us feel that the threat of incitement is creeping into our neighborhood. A major concern is that such circuits of hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric these Islamophobic preachers generate may potentially compromise our safety and security as law-abiding citizens. Our greatest fear, however, is the effect that this kind of rhetoric may have on our relationship with our community, our beloved neighbors and our efforts to make this a better place to live for all. Although some of us were born in La Crosse and others have moved here, being a part of this community has been an honor for all of us, and we feel blessed to call it home.

We appreciate our interfaith neighbors renewed commitment to peace, as well as a resistance to hateful words and actions, and we would like to extend a similar commitment to them as our allies in faith. Following the lessons we have been taught by God and His last messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him), we pledge to work with all peace-loving people to accomplish our common goals to resist hate of any kind, to work as agents of peace, to bring comfort to those in need and to continue making the La Crosse community an amazing and inclusive place to live.

Peace be upon you.
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross said in a TV interview that a "war of words" between faculty and state lawmakers "is not advancing the university."

Cross, who has been the subject of no-confidence votes by faculty at five UW System schools, said on a Sunday broadcast of "UpFront with Mike Gousha" that the divisiveness can be damaging.

"What I'm trying to do is assure people we're working very hard to retain faculty. We'll get through this," Cross said. "The future is actually much brighter. The challenges we face now often are a result of a lack of understanding of what's really going on and how do we engage.

"I keep telling faculty, don't disengage. This is not the time to disengage. Stay engaged. Be civil. Be respectful. Let's work our way through this. We can change this. We have to convince the people of Wisconsin  not just the legislators and the decision-makers  we have to convince the people that this is the right thing to do and we're needed."

Cross said he understands the frustrations and anger of faculty members but said they stem from misunderstandings.

He accepted criticism for a perceived lack of public advocacy on behalf of the System, saying his style is to work behind the scenes.

But he pointed toward a reduction in the cut the System faced in Gov. Scott Walker's biennial budget as evidence that there was work done to push back.

"The original budget cut was about $351 million, by the time you add all of those things that weren't identified in the beginning," Cross said. "We got that down to $250 (million) and then $200 (million), ultimately. So that was a savings of about $151 million. We think that's a pretty significant change. Now, I would have preferred to have gotten an increase rather than a cut  don't get me wrong  but that was a significant change."

Cross also responded to a question about an email to Board of Regents vice president John Behling that drew fire from faculty leaders. In the March 7 email, obtained by the Cap Times as part of an open records request, Cross compared faculty to railroad brakemen who were essentially guaranteed a job for life even after they were no longer needed.

Cross said he doesn't consider faculty members to have a job for life but thinks that's how the public perceives tenure protections.

"I'm a very strong defender of tenure," he said. "What happens when you start to conflate those terms, the reasons for tenure and the importance for tenure in the academy, when you conflate that with traditional labor terms, it weakens our argument that tenure is different. You earn tenure after seven years. It's a difficult process  talk to any faculty member who's gone through it, including me. That is a difficult process. You are awarded tenure because of that, and you retain tenure by continued performance. So from my perspective, tenure is really important.

"It is however important that we also have the latitude to make changes. Otherwise, we'd still be teaching buggy whip production or something. I'm making another poor metaphor here. But how do you do that? We have traditionally closed two programs every time we bring five on. Did we lay off faculty? No. We found other positions for them within the university. Why? How? Well, we did that because they have skills over here or knowledge or expertise. We've actually paid for the retraining of faculty. So it's important in this process of program discontinuance that everybody understand we have done this for a long time without laying off faculty. We have to have some flexibility here; it's important. But we're going to continue to do the same things we've always done to protect faculty and to protect tenure."

Cross said faculty members shouldn't be worried about program closures or changes simply to meet state employer workforce needs.

"We all are worried about the future," he said. "That's a concern and an anxiety. But no one is going to make an arbitrary decision to just close a program or to do that because, gee, we don't have the need for that. We are comprehensive, multi-campuses. This university is a major institution in this state. And it must serve a whole array of needs. I sympathize with faculty and I understand their concerns, but much of that is predicated on their fears, not on substance."
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iranians staged an international contest for cartoons depicting the Holocaust on Saturday but insisted the event was aimed at criticizing alleged Western double standards regarding free expression and not at denying the Nazi genocide.

The event was nevertheless likely to shock many around the world and could embarrass Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other moderates who have tried to improve ties with the West following last years landmark nuclear deal.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israels destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Iran has also criticized depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, arguing that Western countries tolerate expression deemed offensive to Islam but not the questioning or denial of the Holocaust.

Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed 6 million Jews during the World War II-era genocide.

The denial or questioning of the genocide is widespread in the Middle East, where many believe it has been used as a pretext for the creation of Israel and to excuse Israels actions toward the Palestinians.
Carter helps bestow degree on Allman  MACON, Ga.  Former president Jimmy Carter shared the stage with rock star Gregg Allman, as the statesman helped bestow an honorary academic degree on the Southern rock icon. Allman, the longtime keyboard player and vocalist for The Allman Brothers Band, received an honorary doctorate of humanities Saturday from Mercer University in Macon, where the band spent its early years. Carter is a member of Mercers Board of Trustees. He exhorted graduating students to work for peace and human rights.

Grand jury rules police shooting justified  CLEVELAND  An Ohio grand jury has agreed with a prosecutors finding, ruling that a fatal shooting by a police officer in a Cleveland suburb was justified and reasonable. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty announced the grand jury decision Friday while commending Richmond Heights officer Greg Pattersons actions. Patterson fatally shot Carlumandarlo Zaramo on Dec. 6 after Zaramos wife told dispatchers her 46-year-old husband had a gun and had threatened to kill her and their 11-year-old son.

1886 rifle sells for $1.2 million  ROCK ISLAND, Ill.  An 1886 Winchester rifle that once belonged to a man who helped capture Apache leader Geronimo has sold for $1.2 million at an auction. The Rock Island Auction Co., of Illinois, says it became the most expensive single firearm ever sold at auction when it was presented for sale in late April. It went to an undisclosed buyer. George Albee was working for Winchester and was able to secure serial No. 1 of their newest rifle design in 1886. He presented the rifle as a gift to a Civil War buddy, U.S. Army Capt. Henry Ware Lawton, who had just led the operation that captured Geronimo.

8 dead, 44 hurt, in crash  LAREDO, Texas  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in far South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said. Seven people died at the scene on U.S. Highway 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said. The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over, he said. Everythings real preliminary right now. Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said. The trooper said it was raining Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 a.m.

Jewish bus blaze evokes tension of 1991  NEW YORK  For days, the charred school bus sat in front of a Jewish girls school in Brooklyn, its ruined hulk posing a troubling question: Has the quarter-century of peace between blacks and Jews in Crown Heights begun to fray? Twenty five years ago this August, the neighborhoods black residents exploded into days of rioting after a 7-year-old boy, the son of Guyanese immigrants, was accidentally struck and killed by a car in the motorcade of the leader of the Lubavitcher sect. A rabbinical student was stabbed and died. Many people were beaten. Vehicles were flipped and burned. Those tensions were supposed to have melted away a long time ago, but last Sunday afternoon a group of boys, all black, went aboard an unlocked bus parked in front of the Bnos Chomesh Academy, set fire to the seats and ran. Flames consumed the bus in minutes.
The annual Vernon County Police Memorial Service will be held in front of the sheriffs department, 1320 Bad Axe Court, Viroqua, Tuesday, May 17, at 10 a.m.

This is an opportunity for law enforcement to remind the public of the sacrifices made daily by officers in protecting the lives and property of citizens. Each year approximately 57,346 law enforcement officers are injured in the line of duty, and in 2015, 124 officers were killed in the line of duty. So far in 2016 34 officers have been killed in the line of duty.

Sheriff John Spears reminds everyone that throughout the nation, National Police Week will be observed May 15-21, with National Peace Officers Day observed Wednesday, May 15, in Washington, D.C. The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will be held at the Capitol in Madison, Friday, May 20.

In the event of rain, the service will be moved inside the sheriffs department.
A woman was killed Friday night outside Lewiston and a man arrested early Saturday on murder charges.

The womans body was found in a wooded area about three-quarters of a mile near the intersection of County Roads 25 and 23 east of Lewiston early Saturday after an hours-long search triggered by a tip to law enforcement, according to the Winona County Sheriffs Department. Meanwhile, a residence on South Fremont Street in Lewiston was an active crime scene Saturday.

The womans name has not yet been released, and no information about the circumstances surrounding her death were available Saturday.

Kyle Benjamin Allers, 23, was booked into the Winona County Jail just before 7 a.m. on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to county jail records. Allers, whose last recorded residence is in Rushford, has a 2011 conviction for domestic assault in Wabasha County.

The Winona County Sheriffs Department is investigating, along with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is typically called in to assist on any homicide investigation. None had formally confirmed Allers connection to the case as of early Saturday afternoon, or responded to questions about when and where he was arrested.

The womans body was taken to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiners Office in Rochester for identification and an autopsy.

The investigation began at 6:22 p.m. Friday after a caller provided information about a possible homicide, according to the Winona County Sheriffs Department. Based on information developed during the subsequent investigation, law enforcement began a search for the woman around 8 p.m., the department said.

The Winona County Sheriffs Office was assisted in the search by the Winona County S.O.A.R. (Search, Operational Assistance, Rescue) Team, the Winona and Lewiston police departments, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

The small house investigators were working at Saturday is at 135 S. Fremont St. near the Lewiston-Altura Elementary School. It is a rental and has had a revolving door of tenants in recent years, according to neighbors, who did not know the names of anyone currently living there.

Allers was initially booked into the jail on suspicion of first-degree murder by domestic abuse, though that charge was later revised  in Minnesota, only a grand jury can hand down a first-degree murder charge. In Minnesota, a charge of murder by causing domestic abuse is available to prosecutors when the perpetrator has engaged in a past pattern of domestic abuse upon the victim, according to state statute.

Someone who is booked on suspicion of a charge may or may not be formally charged in the same way, following review by a county attorneys office.
The woman whose body was found early Saturday morning outside Lewiston was identified Sunday, with the man in custody and suspected of killing her scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.

The body of Tasha Lynn Hanson, 24, of Lewiston was found in a wooded area about three-quarters of a mile east of Lewiston early Saturday after an hours-long search triggered by a tip to law enforcement.

Hours later, Kyle Benjamin Allers, 23, was arrested and is being held in the Winona County Jail on on probable cause of murder in the second degree (intentional murder) in Hansons death. He is expected to make his first appearance in Winona County District Court Monday morning.

Hanson and Allers had two children together, according to birth records, a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. Allers, whose last recorded residence is in Rushford, has a 2011 conviction for domestic assault in Wabasha County.

Hansons body was taken to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiners Office in Rochester for identification and an autopsy. No further information about the circumstances surrounding her death, or what caused her death, have been released.

This is an active and ongoing investigation, Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said Sunday.

The investigation began at 6:22 p.m. Friday after an caller provided information to Winona County law enforcement about a possible homicide. Based on information developed during the course of the investigation, law enforcement personnel from several agencies began a search for the woman around 8 p.m. Friday. Hansons body was discovered at approximately 12:35 a.m. Saturday.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents and crime scene personnel are assisting the Winona County Sheriffs Department with the investigation.


The tobacco industry in India is fighting a new government rule for cigarette containers, or packages. The new rule requires cigarette makers to print large warnings that include images, on cigarette packages.

Those in the tobacco industry say the measure will hurt the business of more than 45 million farmers. They also say it will lead to an increase in the sale of illegal cigarettes.

Health officials say tobacco causes about 1 million deaths a year in India.

The government has ordered manufacturers to cover 85 percent of the front and back of cigarette packages with images -- such as diseased lungs. The images are designed to discourage smoking.

Current Indian law requires warnings on 40 percent of just the front of the packages.

Earlier this week, India's Supreme Court ruled against a request to stop the new rule from going into effect. The government announced the new rule on April 1.

The court ordered tobacco companies to obey the new rule.

However, the court also directed a lower court to hear more than 25 petitions from big tobacco companies. These petitions are in different courts and dispute the new guidelines.



One point-of-view: Tobacco industry

Representatives from the tobacco industry feel hopeful about the petitions in the fight over the rule. The Tobacco Institute of India represents large tobacco companies, such as ITC and Godfrey Philips. The group placed large advertisements in newspapers the day after the court ruled.

The advertisements note that the United States does not require such picture warnings. The ads also state that current warnings, such as the words "Smoking Kills," are enough to discourage people from smoking.

The Institute says that the more severe warnings will lead to an increase in the sale of illegal cigarettes. These illegal cigarettes come from countries that do not have such severe rules about warning labels.

Tens of thousands of tobacco sellers and farmers are also protesting the new rules. They say they are worried about the effects the new warnings will have on tobacco sales.

Chengal Reddy is head of the Federation of Farmers Association in India. He told VOA that farmers are not opposed to reducing tobacco crops. However, Reddy says, farmers need something else to plant.

"As a farmer, I am not in a position to do research and go into policy issues. It is the responsibility of the government. When they say a crop is bad, they should show me alternatives. That is their responsibility.

India is among the world's top tobacco producers. Tobacco plants grow well throughout several states in India. Farmers are threatening to increase their protests.

Another point-of-view: Health advocates

Health advocates in India say they are happy with the ruling. They have long pushed for stronger warnings on packaging.

Half of the population in India is under the age of 25. And many people cannot read. As a result, health advocates believe the images may work better than words of warning.

Discouraging the use of tobacco

India has taken many steps to discourage the use of tobacco. Last year India raised taxes on tobacco products. And in April, the Indian capital New Delhi banned the sale of chewable tobacco. Chewable tobacco can cause mouth cancer. India has banned advertisements of tobacco products. It also banned smoking in public although that law is not enforced.



A World Health Organization study says tobacco-related diseases cost India about $22 billion in 2011.

Im Anna Matteo.

Anjana Pasricha reported this story from India for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

discourage  v. to try to make people not want to do (something)

petition  n. a formal written request made to an official person or organization

advertisement  n. something that is shown or presented to the public to help sell a product or to make an announcement

alternative  n. something that can be chosen instead of something else : a choice or option

advocate  n. a person who works for a cause or group
Download Lesson 14

Speaking

Pronunciation

Conversation

Anna: Tonight I am going to the theater with my friends. But I dont know what clothes to wear. Maybe this magazine can help.

Anna: Her clothes are beautiful! I really want a friend like her to help me.

Anna: Who are you?

Genie: I am Genie! You want help. I am here to help you find the right clothes!

Anna: Awesome! How about jeans and a t-shirt?

Genie: No! Jeans and a t-shirt are too casual. How about something more formal?

Anna: Sure!

Anna: Wow! Genie, this dress is beautiful. But its not the right size. Its too small.

Genie: Yes, it is too small. But green looks great on you.

Anna: Thanks.

Genie: Take off the green dress. Lets try a green shirt and a skirt.

Anna: Oh, Genie! This green shirt is too large and this orange skirt is too orange.

Genie: Yes, the right size for you is medium. Lets try again.

Anna: Oh, I dont like this outfit.

Genie: No. That does not match.

Anna: Nothing.

Anna: These clothes are formal: a suit jacket, a dress shirt and a tie! They look great!

Genie: Those clothes look great  for a man! Something is wrong.

Anna: Let me see.

Anna: There. Now try.

Genie: Oh. Thanks! Now these clothes look great on you!

Anna: They do! Um, Genie, can you put on a gold belt?

Genie: Sure!

Genie: That looks great.

Anna: Can you put on a jacket?

Genie: Why not?

Anna: I love the jacket! How about a hat?

Genie: Why not?

Genie: Mm, take off the hat. Thats better.

Anna: Genie, these clothes look and feel great! Lets go to the theater!

Genie: Sorry, Anna. I have to help other friends. Go to the magazine if you want me to help again.

Anna: Thanks, Genie. Sure thing. Goodbye!

Genie: Goodbye!

Anna: There are many places in DC to go for a great evening out! And its nice to have a friend to help me look my best. Until next time! Bye!

Listening Quiz


A new report says medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the United States.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, say medical errors cause more than 250,000 deaths every year.

If the research is correct, it means deaths caused by doctors errors are greater in number than deaths by respiratory disease.

That number also is higher than the 150,000 deaths yearly reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC keeps the official statistics about causes of death in the U.S. The Johns Hopkins researchers say the CDC's way of collecting data fails to classify medical errors separately on the death certificate.

Dr. Martin Makary is a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also an authority on health reform. He says there is no standardized method for collecting national statistics about such medical care problems.

The CDCs methods for following medical-error deaths were adopted in 1949, according to the researchers. They say the record-keeping needs to be changed to account for medical mistakes.

Dr. Makary said, "At that time, it was under-recognized that diagnostic errors, medical mistakes, and the absence of safety nets could result in someone's death."

He added, "medical errors were unintentionally excluded from national health statistics" for that reason.

The researchers studied death rate data from 2000 to 2008. They then took information about hospitalization rates from 2013. Using that data, they determined that medical errors caused 251,000 deaths each year out of more than 35 million hospitalizations.

This, researchers say, represents 9.5 percent of all deaths in the U.S. each year.

In 2013, the CDC said heart disease was the leading cause of death in the U.S., followed by cancer and respiratory disease.

"Top-ranked causes of death as reported by the CDC inform our country's research funding and public health priorities," Dr. Makary said.

"Right now, cancer and heart disease get a ton of attention, but since medical errors don't appear on the list, the problem doesn't get the funding and attention it deserves," he said.

The researchers warn that medical errors are not the same thing as the work of bad doctors. They say medical mistakes are the result of problems in medical systems and the coordination of care and insurance coverage.

The study says its findings should help raise awareness about the problem and support research to prevent medical errors.

Im Mario Ritter.

This story appeared on VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, and post on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

respiratory  adj. having to do with the system of breathing

authority  n. someone who is an expert in a subject

diagnostic  adj. relating to identifying sickness or disease

absence  n. the lack of something

unintentionally  adv. done without meaning to, not planned or intentional

statistics  n. numerical information often about how many or how often something is done

data  n. information
The American space agency and private companies are developing vehicles to take humans into low Earth orbit and even farther into space.

A space vehicle system called Crew Space Transportation is a part of the effort. Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, says its CST-100 Starliner will start flying human crews to the International Space Station by the end of next year.

The United States no longer uses its reusable space shuttle to send astronauts into space. The last shuttle flight took place in 2011. Since then, the U.S. space agency has depended on Russian spacecraft to launch crews to the International Space Station.

Boeing and another company, Space X, say they can fly astronauts to low orbits for about $20 million less than the current Russian spacecraft, Soyuz.

Astronauts are already training for commercial spacecraft missions in flight simulators. Vehicle designs and controls have changed since the early days of spaceflight. In the future, astronauts will fly with the help of computer screens that are sensitive to touch.

Eric Boe is an astronaut with NASA.

You know, it is like learning how to drive a car, except for now you are learning how to drive a spaceship.

The space agency is using a number of flight simulators. The machinery was developed to help astronauts understand the design of a spacecrafts cockpit.

The agency, better known as NASA, is developing its new Orion spacecraft and a more powerful rocket, called Space Launch System.

In the future, NASA officials want to let private companies take the lead in low orbit flights. By doing so, they want the space agency to direct its attention on deep space flights, such as the first manned flight to Mars.

Im Anne Ball.

George Putic produced this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

shuttle  n. a vehicle that travels back and forth between places

spacecraft  n. a vehicle that is used for travel in outer space

simulators  n. machines that are used to show what something looks or feels like and are usually used to study something or to train people

cockpit  n. the area in a boat, airplane or spacecraft where the pilot or driver sits

mission  n. an important operation or program
Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world.

Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months.

So it was no surprise that attendance was down at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas.

The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. In other years, large crowds attended the event.

A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month. That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed.

Milo Lu works for the Chinese company HuangHua Group. He told VOA that low prices have reduced oil exploration activity almost everywhere.

The only area that we still have something going on is probably (the) Middle East -- everywhere else its pretty dead.

But he said it was important for his company to attend the conference this year.

You just have to show your face. You still gotta let people know that you're still here.

Service companies attending the conference offered things like large ships, exploration platforms and small devices that measure oil flow through pipes.

Richard Nott works for Lloyds Register Energy, which has offices in London. He admits many companies have stopped looking for oil. But he says they will someday need his companys help.

Many of these projects that have been cancelled or deferred, they've not gone away. They have gone away for a rethink as to how we can do this more cheaply, how we can maybe do it quicker, and how we can maybe do it more effectively.

Steve Kosch represented 3M Corporation at the Offshore Technology Conference. He demonstrated a safety system that helps workers escape from tall structures in a fire or building collapse.

You still have employees working for you. They're gonna be out there working at heights. And so you have to protect those workers. Obviously, we're trying to find solutions for the employers, to try to find low-cost solutions to their, their needs.

In recent weeks, world oil prices have stopped their sharp drop. But most people at the conference said they are preparing for low prices through next year and beyond.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA Correspondent Greg Flakus reported this story from Houston. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

offshore  adj. located in the ocean away from the shore

platform  n. a usually raised structure that has a flat surface where people or machines do work

defer  v. to choose to do (something) at a later time

cheaply  adv. not costing a lot of money

heights  n. a great distance above the ground

beyond  adv. to or until a later time
LEXINGTON, Neb.  The Lexington community is encouraged to wear blue on Thursday, May 19 as a sign of support for local and national law enforcement.

City of Lexington Mayor John Fagot and President of the Board of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce Barry McFarland came up with the idea after talking about National Law Enforcement Week May 15  21.

It was my idea; it just comes down to supporting these guys who do a wonderful job. The biggest way to say thank you is to wear blue, Fagot said.

Fagot said it was very unfortunate that less than one percent of law enforcement officers across the country, those that use excessive force, get most of the media attention when police is covered.

I want to recognize the other 99 percent their recognition. I want to send a message here in Lexington that we support them, Fagot said.

McFarland said he and Fagot wanted to find and provide a way for people in the community to show their support for law enforcement officers in uniform.

It doesnt matter what color blue you wear, just show your support, McFarland said.

Fagot said he was considering possibly issuing a proclamation for National Law Enforcement Week.
Itanagar: An Army jawan died on Sunday during a routine training activity in Arunachal Pradesh, leading to an outburst where a few of the jawan's colleagues roughed up a Captain.

An Army officer said that following the jawan's death, his colleagues, who were being consoled by their adjuant (the Captain) got emotional. Agitated, the jawans got into a scuffle with their Captain.

"The jawan complained of chest pain prior to a route march and was checked by the unit medical officer who found him fit. He later collapsed during the march. He was rushed to the field ambulance where he died," the officer said.

ANI tweeted that,

'Not a case of any mutiny', says Army after death of a jawan during routine training activity in an infantry unit in North East.  ANI (@ANI_news) May 15, 2016

The officer further said that the incident is being investigated like all cases of death during training.

Even as the Indian Army denied that there was any case of mutiny in the infantry unit, it confirmed that an officer was injured following the scuffle.

The incident is being investigated.

(With inputs from Agencies)
The height of hypocrisy comes in a bottle.

The police arrested JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi in Bihar for storing at least six bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor. That IMFL acronym makes you want to weep. Just say the wordswhiskey, vodka, rum. The skies will not fall. It sounds so backward and absurd to go on with this four-letter exercise. Then there are foreign-made liquors such as Black Label and Cognac a bigger sin, like running someone over in a BMW rather than a Maruti Suzuki.

Manorama Devi is the mother of Rocky the rifleman, the poster child for road rage. This is the man who went off the news pages as predicted in 72 hours, after the accident involving young Aditya Sachdeva. No one gives a toss about Aditya except his family. Catch Manorama Devi for being an accomplice and hiding him from the cops, if you can prove that. But six bottles of cheap booze, really?

You get more alcohol in Gujarat than you do in Vegas. No self-respecting person of means would have a party without alcohol by brand, and not just by genre. Ask for it and you will get it. I have even got beer while staying in Rishikesh.

In these dry places, you can get a permit to drink as a tourist. The 5-star hotels are exempt. If you know anyone in the armed forces, the 'dry state' rule does not apply. Has anyone ever asked why the forces are exempt?

People who live in Gujarat laugh mockingly at you if you comment on the dry state. Seasoned traveler Chris Chopps was quoted as saying, Each location listed below has a well-known underground network of supplying alcohol to cash-carrying customers. Police tend to look the other way when foreign tourists are involved."

And then he lists the locations.

Bihar is the other state thats so-called dry. Do you truly cross-my-heart believe that the politicians and bureaucrats, the police and other government officials and the wealthy civilians dont have booze stocked away? You have to live in La La land to believe that dry states dont have booze by the barrel. The less affluent simply make do with alcohol of dubious quality.

Besides, Nepal is around the corner and shops on the border with Bihar are doing brisk business. Since the ban is relatively new, it will take a while before the underground market can begin home delivery.

In Manipur, you can buy the local brews called ashaba and atingba and they are freely available. You can have all the laws you want but tradition cannot be beaten.

The same tradition allows Mizoram to dilute its dryness by okaying homegrown wines from guavas. You can purchase Zawlaidi, a locally produced happy hour with a punch drink and a concoction called Zu. This last one might kill you, but then you die happy.

Kerala is doing it in stages over 10 years, which really means that the illegal alternatives will have enough time to create a whole active network.

Perhaps alcohol is not the biggest problem in India. Those who believe that women are saved harassment and violence from drunken husbands are probably people who drink themselves, because they have the financial wherewithal. The reality is that prohibition actually causes more social problems than we want to admit.

The portrait of reformed husbands sipping ganne ka ras and lassi wont fly. Do what you like, someone will always find a way to have it neat or on the rocks.
A tiny shift of 0.89 percent of the votes in the last Assembly polls helped the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to raise its seats in the 140-member House from 40 in 2006 to 72 in 2011.

The position will be reversed if there is even a 0.25 percent swing in favour of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the 16 May polls. Such small swings have been bringing the two fronts to power in the state, every alternate five years since 1977.

However, the situation has changed in 2016 with the third player becoming stronger. The election outcome this time will largely depend on the performance of the third player in the fray.

The 2011 results showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had taken away 1.27 percent of the LDF votes. The saffron party had increased its vote share from 4.67 percent in 2006 to 6.03 percent in 2011.

The BJPs votes had hovered around 5 percent since 1991, when it contested elections mostly alone. But with BJP cobbling together a third front, and its national unit pumping a huge sum of money into the state this time, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led by the party is expected to improve its vote share substantially.

The partys vote share had risen to 10.63 percent in the last Lok Sabha polls in 2014, even without allies and to 14 percent in the local body elections in November 2015, when it fought the election with the help of allies.

If the BJP is able to maintain even the Lok Sabha election vote share, it will make a huge impact on the poll outcome. However, most of the pre-poll surveys have predicted 14 to 16 percent votes for the BJP and two to five seats.

The party cannot mobilise this many votes without eating into the votes of the two rival fronts, since the percentage of unattached votes in Kerala is around 15. Political analysts divide the electorate in Kerala into four segments: UDF supporters, LDF supporters, BJP supporters and voters unattached to any party.

The UDF and the LDF hold sway over 40 percent votes each. This means that 40 per cent of the voters never shift their political affiliation in any election. The vote share of the two has never gone down below 40 percent even when they have lost the elections to the Assembly.

The LDF got 43.7 percent vote share in 2001, even when the UDF came to power then with the highest number of 100 seats. Similarly the UDF got 42.98 percent votes in the next election in 2006, even when the LDF captured power with 99 seats.

The two had maintained the traditional vote share in the Lok Sabha elections as well. However, the UDF suffered the biggest erosion in its vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, in which the BJP increased its votes to 10.63 from 6.32 percent in 2009.

Though UDF won 12 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2104, its vote share came down from 47.82 percent in 2009 to 42 percent. This shows the BJP took away 5.82 percent of its votes. The LDF, on the other hand, conceded only 0.31 percent votes to the BJP.

The local body elections, in which the BJP scored its highest vote share of 14.81 percent, also show that the BJP had eaten into the UDF votes in a big way. While the UDF vote share came down from 46.09 percent in 2010 to 36.93 in 2015, the LDF share went up from 42.3 percent to 45.1 percent.

The BJPs vote share in 2010 was a mere 6.26 percent. This shows that the additional 8.55 percent votes that the BJP gathered in the local body polls, came entirely from the UDF. The UDF also conceded about 1 percent votes to the LDF.

The LDF got power mostly when the BJP increased its vote share. The BJP vote share had gone up by 3.75 percent in the 1987 Assembly election in which the LDF came to power with 79 seats. In 1996, when the LDF got power again, the BJP vote share had gone up by one percent.

However, the trend started changing in the last one decade. The LDF came to power in 2006, despite a decline in the BJP votes by 0.25 percent. The BJP gain in the 2011 polls benefited the UDF instead of the LDF. However, the variation on both occasions was very marginal.

If the last Lok Sabha and local body election trend is any indication, the LDF should win the 16 May election hands down. The historical pattern of Kerala throwing out incumbent government also favours the opposition front.

However, political observers feel that the electoral arithmetic can go wrong this titme as the saffron partys alliance with Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a political outfit of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) that represents the numerically strong Hindu Ezhava community, can change political equations.

This is mainly because Ezhavas, whom the BDJS courts, form the main chunk of the Communists cadre base in the state. Political analyst NN Pearson feels that the BDJS had not hurt the LDF in the local body elections because the party was then in its infancy.

He feels that the Ezhavas, who have been traditionally voting for the CPM, may rally behind the BDJS-BJP combine, with the party making concerted efforts to wean them with the help of the large network of SNDP and its micro-finance units.

Flight of Ezhavas from the communist parties to the BJP had started even before the SNDP floated its political outfit. Now with the party firmly in place, there is no reason for ordinary Ezhavas to continue their affiliation with the Communist parties any more, says Pearson.

He feels that the Communist movement may become irrelevant in Kerala if the Ezhavas desert the CPM and the CPI, as they have not been able to make any major inroads into the 45 percent minorities, who traditionally backed the UDF.

However, political observers like Jacob George rules out immediate possibility of this. He said that it would not be easy for those who have been supporting the party since its inception to change their affiliation. He said this was the reason why the BDJS electoral understanding with the BJP had not affected the LDF.

According to Jacob, only the creamy layer among the Ezhava community, who supported the UDF traditionally, had switched sides. This explains the major erosion in the UDF vote share in the local body elections.

In fact, senior CPM leaders believe that the BDJS will not take root in the state. They cite the fate of Socialist Republican Party (SRP), a political outfit floated by the SNDP in the 70s, to support their argument. Though the party had managed to forge an alliance with the UDF, it failed to gain traction. This forced the SNDP to wound up the party two decades later.

Similarly, the Nair Service Society (NSS), the socio-cultural organisation of the upper caste Nairs, was also forced to end their political experiment by disbanding the National Democratic Part (NDP). Senior CPM leader MV Govindan Master views the failure of the experiments as a clear indication that Hindutva politics will not work in Kerala.

Party politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan says that the BJP will not be able to fulfil its dream of opening account in the State Assembly. He claimed that the LDF will come to power with more than 100 seats this time.

Though the Congress has not dared to make any such claims, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that he was confident that the UDF will get another term. His confidence stems from absence of any anti-incumbency signs in the election front.

Moreover, some of the pre-poll surveys have found Chandy as the most popular, despite the sleaze and corruption scams battled by him and many of his cabinet colleagues. The confusion created by the CPM over its chief ministerial candidate by fielding politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan and opposition leader VS Achuthanandan also seems to have helped Chandy.

The chief minister said he was hopeful that the people will give UDF another chance as they want development. He said they were not expecting LDF to meet their aspirations since it has always opposed all major development initiatives.

Despite the high voltage campaign by all the three political combinations, no wave in favour of anybody is perceptible in this election. This indicates a neck and neck race. Political observers also do not rule out the possibility of BJP emerging as a kingmaker in the event of a punctured verdict.

Such a scenario could plunge the state into political uncertainty since both the fronts still consider BJP untouchable. The chief minister has already made it clear that the UDF will not seek power with the help of the BJP.

The CPM does not foresee any such possibility. The party believes that there are strong under currents in its favour in this election. One has to wait till 19 May to find how this and the other factors work in the election.
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday accused the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of interfering in the 2008 Malegaon blast case to give "clean chits" to accused people with RSS-BJP background, and sought to drag National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's name into the row.

The opposition party urged the Supreme Court to take into its custody the chargesheet, official files, notings and other relevant documents in the case to ensure justice.

"This government has interfered in the process of law and justice. There is a centrally coordinated dirty tricks department in the PMO being run under the supervision of NSA (National Security Adviser Ajit Doval)," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told the media at the party headquarters here.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against 10 and dropped Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and five others from the list of the accused in the Malegaon case.

Charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were dropped against all accused, including Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

"The NIA has now become 'Namo Investigation Agency' and is being misused for the sole purpose of giving clean chits to people affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP by hook or crook, he said.

"The Supreme Court must take cognisance and take all case documents into its custody, including confessional statements, charge sheets, files and notings, correspondence between government departments, NIA, attorney general, home ministry, PMO and NSA," Sharma added.

The Congress reaction comes after a letter written by Malegaon key accused Purohit to NSA Ajit Doval surfaced.

In the letter dated 6 January 2016, Purohit wrote that "fabricated" evidence was planted against him by the Mumbai Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS).

"I sincerely seek your immediate intervention in the matter for the things that are not happening right," Purohit said in the letter, and insisted that his "silence till date was out of the high hopes from the NIA which were now fast and timidly diminishing".

Purohit said that the NIA was filing chargesheet on the similar lines as that of fabricated and misconstructed investigation of the ATS as well as based on planted evidence".

Though the government has not commented on the veracity of the letter, the NIA in its latest chargesheet, filed last week, had dropped MCOCA charges against all 10 accused who were indicted in 2008 case, including Purohit.

Anand Sharma said: "NSA Doval and the union home secretary are said to have intervened in the ongoing investigation by the NIA and the file with their notings has travelled across government departments, faster than (Olympian sprinter) Usain Bolt."

Referring to the latest NIA chargesheet in the case, Sharma said "the government will do the same with the Samjhauta Express blast case and close it too".

He said the affair has weakened India's position in the world in tackling terrorism.

Sharma also said that a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya and others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case was an insult to police officer Hemant Karkare, who initially investigated it as chief of Maharashtra's ATS. Karkare was killed in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.
A few years ago, a man used to come home every morning to teach me how to sing. He was an elderly gentleman and had been doing this work for decades. Because we met so regularly, we would chat about various things before and after the singing lesson. He was as passionate about the country as he was about his music. His views on corruption and our leaders were strong.

Because the class was daily, his fees came up to quite a bit of money. The first month, when I was writing his cheque, he asked to be paid in cash. He was deeply in love with his country, but he did not have a problem depriving its government of his tax.

Is he unusual? Not, actually, and unfortunately, he is the norm. We have a strange paradox in India  of a population that is highly nationalistic and always ready to shout 'Bharat mata ki jai', but unwilling to pay the dues that will make their motherland great.

To be fair to Indians, we are not totally unusual in this. Visitors to Pakistan will notice that at the airport, they have special immigration queues for tax-payers. So rare and prized are those who pay income tax that they get special privileges.

In India, the government has put out some data that is depressing.

First, only around 1 percent of Indians pay any income tax, and about twice that number have filed returns. To understand this number, we must know that in the United States, 45 percent of the population pays tax. In South Africa (which is part of our BRICS group), the number is 10 percent. This has to change, but there is no sign that it is improving in India.

Second, the Indians reluctance to pay his taxes is not because the rates are high. Compliance does not seem to vary with lowering tax brackets. Also, there is only so much any government can do to change this by being firm or by inflicting punishment. A study of income tax compliance between 1965 and 1993 in India, concluded that declining assessment intensity had a significant negative effect on compliance, while traditional enforcement tools (searches, penalties and prosecution activity) had only a limited effect on Indians. The authors puzzled over the fact that Indias income tax performance (was) below the average of countries with similar GDP per capita.

Third, upper class Indians blame farmers for not contributing, since agriculture is exempt from income tax. But the vast majority of India's farmers are poor if not destitute. It is only the urban 'farmhouse' agriculturist, with other economic interests, who can legitimately be blamed. For thousands of years, it has been only the farmer who has been taxed. If in independent India we give him some relief, we are not doing him a favour.

Fourth, in the OECD nations, which are mostly European and North American, the tax to GDP ratio is an average of 34 percent. In some advanced countries, like Denmark, this ratio is over 50 percent. India's ratio is around 10 percent. Without increasing this, we cannot develop. China's tax to GDP ratio doubled to 19 percent in 2014. Ours has shown no signs of increasing.

Fifth, direct taxes contribute to half of the total tax revenue. At 51 percent in 2015-16, it was the lowest in 10 years. What this means is that indirect taxation (sales tax etc) is rising. This is unfortunate because indirect tax affects all Indians, including the poor, who must pay more for goods and services. This can only be remedied by higher compliance in income tax payment by the upper class.

Sixth, tax avoidance in India is done as much by the wealthy as by the lower class. There is no difference in ethics, culture and morality, and no difference in tax-paying behaviour between various classes, educated or not. For a long time, we have used the term ''middle class" to describe those Indians who are urban, educated and pay tax. Now we know this number is only 1 percent. We cannot refer to such people as middle class. They are upper class.

We will continue to have a large 'black' economy, so long as other Indians refuse to pay tax. Our behaviour has to change if we are to make our country great. Consider this: The largest number of tax-payers in India are salaried employees, whose tax is automatically deducted and do not have the choice of not paying. That makes the overall number even more frightening.

While this situation continues, we cannot see ourselves as a normal state. Introspection by the individual is needed, and we need to be absolutely clear that it is not the government that we can blame for this issue, but the Indian citizen.
There are some leaders in Uttar Pradesh who appear to have a clout that does not have to be seen to be believed. This clout manifested itself decades ago, and for some reason its aura continues to impress everyone even today. Veteran Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Beni Prasad Verma is among this elite class of politicians. There was a time in the 80s and 90s when he was a strong force in the entire state and was among the core of socialist leaders strongly opposed to Congress politics. In fact, he was among the founding members when Mulayam Singh Yadav launched the Samajwadi Party.

Verma was a minister in Uttar Pradesh for many years, and later successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Kaiserganj near Barabanki, and became a minister in the Deve Gowda government. He quit the SP and joined the Congress in 2007, won the Lok Sabha election from Gonda, and became a minister in the UPA-I government. As Union minister, he visited UP often and every time made a statement that was talked about for days and weeks. Once, he said price rise needed to be celebrated as this meant farmers would earn more.

The decline in his fortunes began in 2012 when his son Rakesh Verma lost the UP Assembly election, and a couple of years later in 2014, Beni Prasad Verma himself lost the Lok Sabha election from his previous seat.

Since then, he has been sulking in the Congress, making statements that border on the ridiculous. Once, he said that there was a plot in UP Congress against him, and he would tell all, names included, to Rahul Gandhi. In the mean time, his attacks on erstwhile colleague Mulayam Singh Yadav became more strident and often downright uncivil. He once said Mulayam was harbouring terrorists, and on another occasion he made a bitter comment on Mulayams desire to become prime minister. But he always spared Akhilesh Yadav, saying he had nothing against him. His rivalry with PL Punia, former Congress MP from Barabanki, was well-known and the two would never be together even when a senior leader such as Rahul Gandhi visited the area.

In recent months, however, Beni had been making it well-known that he was unhappy in the Congress. Suffocated was the word he used, and his recent meeting with Mulayam was widely seen as a precursor to his homeward journey. It finally happened on 13 May, when his comeback into the SP was announced by Mulayam, in a hurriedly-convened press conference. Everyone present welcomed Beni as a long-lost family member, and senior UP minister Azam Khan said Beni had never really gone out of their hearts.

It is widely believed that apart from the sounds of brotherhood and family bonding, it is the absence of a senior non-Yadav OBC leader in the Samajwadi Party that influenced SP leadership to get Beni back. What hastened the process was the increasing knocks in UP by Nitish Kumar, chief minister of neighbouring Bihar, who is himself a Kurmi leader. Nitish came to UP last month, then on 12 May, and is expected to come again on 15 May, and he is trying to gather support on his promise of total prohibition.

Interestingly, while welcoming Beni into the party, Akhilesh said old friends and old wine can never be forgotten. The metaphor is remarkable in view of Nitish Kumars prohibition plank.

Being a widely popular and strong Kurmi leader in the eastern and north-eastern districts of UP has been Benis strength, but this strength did not help him win the 2014 Lok Sabha election. It also did not help him get an important position in Congress as far as ticket distribution for 2014, and strategy for 2017 Assembly election is concerned. It also did not help him in breathing easy in the Congress in view of the new dispensation, which draws heavily on political strategist Prashant Kishores surveys and conclusions. Hence Benis suffocation.

If the Kurmi factor is indeed to be taken into account, then Nitish as a performer is far more popular than Beni, the has-been. Besides, Beni has, in the past, used such epithets and language for Mulayam that will surely be recalled with glee by SPs rivals during the election campaign. Nitish, on the other hand, has consistently refrained from using such words even though he launched a bitter attack on erstwhile alliance-partner BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The need for Beni to get out of Congress was evenly matched by the need of the SP to get a senior OBC leader. The requirements on both sides being similar, Nitishs forays into UP must have made both sides quickly seal the deal. For the BJP nothing changes, as Beni has always been a critic, but for the SP, it shows the desperation to take on board anyone despite their significance, says Vijay Bahadur Pathak, a senior spokesman of the BJP in UP. A Congress spokesman wishing to remain anonymous says the Congress is a big party and a defection here and there makes no difference.

All these are predictable comments for a predictable situation, what remains unpredictable is the advantage the SP would derive from this homecoming.
KABUL Thousands of members of Afghanistan's Hazara minority are expected to join protests in Kabul on Monday over a multi-million-dollar power line development that risks becoming a major political battleground for the government.

The planned demonstration follows one of the largest rallies in Kabul in years last November over the murder of a group of Hazara, which focused widespread public discontent with the government.

The line between Turkmenistan and Kabul is intended to provide electricity for up to 10 million people in 10 provinces including Kabul from 2018, but a dispute has broken out over what route it should follow.

Hazara leaders, including second vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish and Mohammad Mohaqiq, deputy to government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, want the line to be routed through two provinces with large Hazara populations.

President Ashraf Ghani's government says that option would cause years of delay and add millions in extra costs for little additional benefit.

With only 30 percent of Afghanistan connected to electricity and blackouts a regular problem, strengthening the power system has been a top priority as the government tries to rebuild an economy shattered by decades of war.

But the dispute threatens to overshadow the project, part of the TUTAP plan backed by the Asian Development Bank to link the energy-rich Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The latest version of the plan would see the line bring electricity from Turkmenistan via a converter station in the northern town of Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul through the mountainous Salang pass north of the Afghan capital.

Hazara leaders want to stick with an earlier version that foresaw a longer route from Pul-e-Khumri through the Bamyan and Wardak provinces, west of Kabul.

The government and national power company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) say the current plan ensures robust supplies to Bamyan and Wardak and changing it would delay the project by up to three years.

"The issue is now purely political," said Mirwais Alami, acting chief executive of DABS. He said protest leaders were disregarding technical and economic arguments against changing the planned route.

Hazara protesters heckled Ghani during a visit to London last week and on Sunday, hundreds demonstrated in Ghazni, a city with a big Hazara population, chanting "TUTAP must pass through Bamyan".

The mainly Shia Hazara have long faced persecution with thousands massacred by the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 1990s. More recently, they have been regular targets for kidnapping and murders.

The government, wary of further turbulence, has tried to reassure protesters, saying representatives would be invited to join a commission considering the decision.

"This is a technical issue, but given that there are protests and dissatisfaction, these must be reviewed," Ghani's deputy spokesman Zafar Hashimi said.

(Additional reporting Mustafa Andalib in Ghazni; editing by John Stonestreet)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
DHAKA Police in Bangladesh have arrested a home-grown Islamist militant over the killing of two gay rights campaigners amid a surge in violent attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the south Asian nation.

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of Bangladesh's first magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and fellow activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, were killed in a apartment in the capital Dhaka late last month.

The attack was claimed by al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.

Police, however, arrested Shariful Islam, 37, a member of the banned local militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team, in connection with the murder. The Bangladeshi government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda have a presence in the country.

Monirul Islam, chief of the counterterrorism unit of Dhaka Police, told a news conference on Sunday Islam was arrested in the southwestern district of Kushtia. He was brought to the news conference but did not comment.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Islamic State militants also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two foreigners late last year. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the recent attacks.

Western security experts doubt that there are any direct operational links between Islamic State, based in the Middle East, and militants operating on the ground in Bangladesh.

In the latest attack, an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday at a temple in a remote region of southeastern Bangladesh.

Police said three people had been arrested, although they said the motive was not yet clear. Police did not say whether the three were affiliated with any Islamist group.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Clelia Oziel)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
KATHMANDU Protesters from southern Nepal scuffled with riot police in Kathmandu on Sunday when they took their campaign against the country's new constitution to the streets of the capital.

Stones thrown by the crowd smashed the window of a government jeep but no one was seriously hurt, the police said.

More than 50 people have been killed in eight months of protests in the south where the minority Mashesi oppose a plan to divide their fertile plains bordering India into parts of several provinces.

The unrest, which has caused fuel shortages in Kathmandu as the Madhesis blocked imports of essential goods from India, is a threat to Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who survived an attempt by the opposition to topple his fractious coalition early this month.

On Sunday, riot police in black helmets and carrying shields pushed back hundreds of protesters trying to break through a barricade protecting government offices and parliament.

"This is a protest against exploitation and we will continue to fight to ensure our rights," said Sharbendra Nath Shukla, a leader of the Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party, part of the Madhesi coalition organising the protests.

Several ethnic minority groups from the hills also joined Sunday's protests.

The constitution, put in place in September, was the final part of a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels which ended a decade-long rebellion in 2006.

But many Madhesis want their region, home to half of the country's 28 million people, to become an autonomous state within Nepal and not be broken up into parts of six of the seven federal provinces as envisaged in the new constitution.

Covering 23 percent of landlocked Nepal, the region is the country's bread basket, providing rice, wheat, and is home to industries including jute and sugar.

(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena visited India for the second time since his election in January 2015. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the sixth time (including meetings at international summits) in 16 months, since becoming president.

After coming to power, he had signaled his desire to move away from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa's overt pro-China approach, and to be more sensitive to Indias concerns of a growing Chinese footprint in the island nation.

In New Delhi and Ujjain over the weekend, President Sirisena made it a point to announce that India was the first country he visited as the chief executive. What he did not say was that his view of China had changed since, and that Beijing would now play a greater role in Sri Lankas economic development.

Since his last visit to India in February 2015, the economic crisis staring Colombo has forced Sirisena to take a pragmatic view of China. In the last three months, both he and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have visited China separately and sought economic help. The ability of Beijing to quickly provide millions of dollars and stitch up contracts for projects has also made other South Asian nations such as Maldives and Bangladesh to roll out a red carpet to China, much to Indias discomfiture.

Today, Sri Lankas economy needs urgent help. Next month, the IMF Board in Washington will meet to put its stamp on a $1.5 billion bailout package to help Colombo avoid a balance of payments crisis. Reuters reported that foreign exchange reserves fell by a third from late 2014 to $6.2 billion in March-end. One-third of government revenues go into interest payments. General government debt was around 76 percent of GDP in 2015, according to Moodys Investors Service.

Sri Lanka owes China $8 billion. At the end of a three-decade civil war in 2009, when the western world sought explanations on its human rights record in dealing with Tamil Tigers who had waged an armed struggle for a separate state of Eelam, it was China that stepped in to help Sri Lanka, economically and militarily.

India, on the other hand, could not match Chinas economic muscle, and given the sensitivity of the Indian Tamil political parties in helping Colombo, New Delhi could only help with rehabilitation of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils in the North and East of the country.

According to an official press release, issued after his second visit to India on Saturday, President Sirisena and PM Modi discussed the issue of fishermen from the two countries arrested for fishing in the other countrys territorial waters, where borders cannot be physically marked.

In the last few months, India announced three water projects in the country, apart from helping build over 50,000 housing units for Tamils in that country.

According to the Indian embassy website in Sri Lanka, a number of new investments from Indian companies are in the pipeline or under implementation. Notable among them are proposals of Shree Renuka Sugars to set up a sugar refining plant at Hambantota Port ($220 million), South City Projects, Kolkata for real estate development in Colombo ($400 million), Tata Housing Development project along with the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka ($430 million), Colombo One project of ITC Ltd. (it has committed an investment of $300 million, augmenting the earlier committed $140 million). Dabur has already set up a fruit juice manufacturing plant ($17 million) in May 2013.

China offered equity in the Lankan public sector, whereas Sri Lanka has now offered equity to Chinese firms in infrastructure projects, in return for waiving some of the billions of dollars of debt. The Chinese government has been offered stake in infrastructure projects and in public sector utilities. Colombo has even received a Chinese offer of 500 million yuan as a gesture of friendship, local newspapers reported after the April visit by their prime minister to Beijing.

Simply put, China would have a bigger stake economically and strategically in Sri Lankas future. This is not to say that India will cease to be an important player. After all, the geographical position of Sri Lanka does not allow any government in Colombo to get adventurous when it comes to dealing with India. But widening Chinese footprint in South Asia, with its enormous economic strength in what is essentially Indias neighbourhood, is reason enough to cause concern in New Delhi about where its foreign policy headed.

China is investing billions of dollars in infrastructure development in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Pakistan has been an all-weather friend of China for decades.

In last two months, the Sri Lankan President has agreed to the Rajapaksa-backed Chinas $1.4 billion project to build a port city in Colombo, the biggest ever single foreign investment made in the country. A new megapolis of luxury apartments, shopping malls, a marina and a Formula One racing track, will be built by Chinese state enterprise, China Communications Construction, on 575 acres of reclaimed land. Work that stopped after Sirisenas election has resumed, and when ready, it will become a major shipping and financial hub in the Indian Ocean. China is a leader in reclaiming land from the sea and has done so for centuries. Recent western media reports stated that in contested South China Sea, the Chinese have reclaimed over 300 acres of land to build military facilities.

Lankas China-built Hambantota Ports second phase development, costing $750 million, has been flagged off. A three phase project, when completed would make the Sri Lankan port, the biggest port in South Asia with 4,000 acres of service area, and infrastructure to accommodate 33 shipping vessels at a time.

President Sirisena today, backs Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, who declared at the end of his China visit in April that the economic strategy between Sri Lanka and China for the next two decades has been laid down, and since we are going to be the hub of the Indian Ocean there is going to be a significant difference here.

By end of 2016, the two countries will finalise a China-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement that would be formally signed next year, when the Chinese prime minister visits Colombo. Meanwhile, Indias efforts to get a comprehensive economic agreement with Sri Lanka faces strong opposition from that government.

Its a matter of time before Hambantota Port becomes another Gwadar, a port city built by China where local Pakistanis are not allowed, and soon separate laws would govern the free zone. Already Chinese vessels and submarines make port calls in Sri Lanka, and now with a permanent Chinese naval base coming up closer in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, the waters around India would witness a lot greater activity and surveillance by Beijing.

What can India do? India has little leeway beyond getting some concerns addressed, like in the case of the revived Colombo Port City project where some part of the land would be given to China on a 99-year-lease, and not on freehold basis as proposed earlier.

Indias neighbours desperately seek humongous amount of funding to develop their countries, and its their sovereign right. China has deep pockets, strategic vision and a well-thought plan to operationalise it. Indias economy is just one-fifth of Chinas, as reminded by the RBI governor recently.

New Delhi could take the initiative to muster Indian corporates to invest in Sri Lanka and ensure that government-sponsored projects are implemented speedily. Colombo has already requested the Japanese government to take the initiative and help organise a donor conference this year to get commitments on rebuilding the war-torn country.

Given Indias civilisational links and a shared history with Sri Lanka, could New Delhi have taken the initiative to bring donor countries together on the issue of rebuilding?
Interviews with dozens of women who have worked for Donald Trump or interacted with him socially reveal a pattern of often unsettling personal behavior by the Republican presidential candidate, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The Times, which said it based the article on more than 50 interviews, quoted women who recounted episodes in which he treated women as sexual objects and made comments about their bodies. But some women said Trump had encouraged them in their careers and promoted them within his businesses, often in positions in which women tended to be excluded.

When asked about the unflattering incidents described in the article, Trump either denied that they took place or disputed the details, the newspaper said.

A lot of things get made up over the years, Trump told the Times. I have always treated women with great respect.

A Trump representative did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

Barbara Res, who oversaw construction of Trump's Manhattan business headquarters, said he would sometimes interrupt meetings with comments about women's figures.

During a job interview for a Los Angeles project, for example, Trump made a random aside about Southern California women. "They take care of their asses," Res recalled Trump saying.

Years later, when Res says she had gained weight, she said Trump told her: "You like your candy."

Even so, Res, who worked for Trump for 12 years before quitting and then came back as a consultant for six more, said she was grateful to Trump for her professional opportunities, though she said he frequently called her "Honey Bunch," the Times reported.

Trump also earned a reputation for being seen with beautiful women dating back to his days at a New York military-style boarding school where he was named "ladies' man" in the yearbook, the Times reported.

Barbara Fife, a deputy New York mayor in the 1990s, recalls Trump telling her at her City Hall office that he was in a hurry because he had "a great date tonight with a model for Victorias Secret," she told the Times.

I saw it as immature, quite honestly, Fife was quoted as saying.

As a candidate, Trump has made frequent references to his record in business as evidence of how American women would benefit if he is elected. He has often said that no one cherishes or respects women more than him.

Some of those interviewed praised Trump for giving women positions of power.

I think there are mischaracterizations about him, Jill Martin, assistant counsel at the Trump Organization, told the Times. For me, hes made it a situation where I can really excel at my job and still devote the time necessary for my family.

The story comes less than two weeks after the last of Trump's Republican rivals dropped out, all but assuring him the party's presidential nomination this summer.

Throughout his improbable campaign, Trump has managed to deflect criticism about his attitude to women, fueled by verbal insults he lobbed at Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and former Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.

(Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
HANOI Vietnam's state television issued a warning to the public on Sunday to shun calls by "reactionary forces" to join protests over an environmental disaster it said was being exploited to try to overthrow the government.

An 11-minute prime-time report on Vietnam Television (VTV) disclosed names and images of well-known dissidents and bloggers it said were trying to dupe the public and violently undermine the government, with support and funding from overseas groups.

Although communist Vietnam has long sought to silence and discredit its critics the warning by the country's biggest broadcaster of possible seditious activity was highly detailed and of an unusually long duration. It was carried by several other major state-run channels.

"Their intention to abuse and disturb was revealed when many subjects called for using knives and petrol bombs to attack the functional forces and to overthrow the authorities," the narrator of the VTV report said.

"Many people may ask what kind of peaceful marches are they ... Is this possibly a preparation for a riot and overthrow?" the voice-over asked.

The warning came as protesters had tried to rally for a third successive Sunday to vent their anger at the government and a unit of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics, a firm they blame for causing an environmental disaster and the death of large numbers of fish in central coast provinces in April.

Tight security in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City prevented major rallies taking place, however, although some social media postings showed small groups of demonstrators gathering.

A government investigation into the fish deaths is underway but its preliminary probe found no links to Formosa's $10.6 billion coastal steel plant in Ha Tinh province.

Experts said either a "red tide", when algae blooms and produces toxins, or a release of dangerous chemicals by humans, could have been to blame.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has promised a thorough investigation and to bring to justice those found to be responsible.

(Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A significant marker of rising global greenhouse gas emissions has been passed, with a key monitoring site on Tasmania's north-west tip recording atmospheric carbon-dioxide exceeding 400 parts per million for the first time.

As foreshadowed by Fairfax Media last week, a baseline reading at the Cape Grim station that exceeded the 400-ppm mark of the primary gas driving global warming was imminent.

As it turned out, "the unfortunate milestone" was reached on Tuesday May 10 at 8am, local time, said Paul Krummel, who heads the CSIRO team analysing data from the most important site in the southern hemisphere. (See chart below.)
Strong climate change policy is a vote-changing matter for a majority of Australians, a new poll shows, establishing the issue as an important battleground one week into the election campaign.

According to the ReachTEL survey of 2400 people, conducted for a coalition of environmental groups, 64 per cent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a party seeking 100 per cent renewable energy in 20 years and 48 per cent said they would be more likely to support a party reducing Australia's net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

56.4 per cent of people want the government to do more on climate change while 27.8 per cent think the current settings are right and 9.9 per cent want less action.
Labor is targeting property tycoon "Aussie" John Symond, accusing the multimillionaire of doing the bidding of Malcolm Turnbull to undermine the opposition's negative gearing proposals.

And it says Mr Symond, and many of the major real estate firms campaigning to retain the status quo, are hardly "grassroots", having been generous donors to the Coalition tipping in some $450,000 in the past decade compared to around $20,000 to Labor in the same period.

The attack came as fresh questions also arose over the Coalition's proposed company tax cut to 25 per cent from over a decade, with a new analysis suggesting the most direct beneficiary would not be Australia but the American tax man - the IRS.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has praised Peta Credlin's recent political commentary as powerful and "riveting viewing", just days after she delivered a scathing criticism of the Turnbull election campaign.

In her new role as a commentator on Sky, Ms Credlin, the former chief of staff to Tony Abbott, dubbed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull "Mr Harbourside Mansion" for appearing elitist in the first week of campaigning.

She also said the decision to abandon a planned walk through a Western Sydney shopping precinct with Lindsay backbencher Fiona Scott sent a bad message to voters.

But Mr Abbott has voiced his support for his former staffer and said she will be a "very important" commentator leading up to the election on July 2.
Police were still investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred as both vehicles were travelling north on New Illawarra Road at Barden Ridge about 4.30am on Monday, a spokesman said.

Police said the woman was a back seat passenger in the car. A number of people were initially reported to be trapped in the wreckage.

A woman has died in a crash between a car and a truck in Sydney's south-west on Monday morning, the fifth person to die in vehicle accidents around Sydney and the eighth across the state in just four days.

The Transport Management Centre said New Illawarra Road initially was closed north-bound at Ella Avenue while emergency service workers were on the scene. Delays were expected throughout the morning.

The woman's death was the eighth on NSW roads since Friday, said Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, from the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.

The NSW road toll stands at 152 for the year, 34 more than at the same time last year.

"This is a chilling statistic when you consider the family, friends and colleagues of the 152 people as their lives have been changed forever by one choice made by a road user," Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.

"Each time we drive, we have choices to make in terms of how fast that vehicle is travelling, whether you are under the influence of alcohol or have used drugs when you take control of the vehicle and ensuring all of your passengers are properly restrained."
We may like to think we're a party nation but Australians have the earliest bedtime of any country, according to a new study of global sleep patterns.

The University of Michigan research found cultural factors affected when people went to bed and for how long they slept. Spaniards were the latest to bed, the Dutch got the most sleep, and people in Singapore and Japan were the most sleep-deprived.

Australians are the first to turn in, heading to bed just after 10.45pm  about an hour earlier than the Spanish, who have the world's latest bedtime. Credit:Stocksy

The study used a free smartphone app aimed at reducing jetlag to collect sleep data from more than 5400 people in 100 countries.

It found that social and cultural pressures can override natural circadian rhythms, particularly in the evening, leading to delayed bedtimes. However, those who went to bed later didn't necessarily sleep later, meaning they tended to lose out on sleep.
A team of German software engineers is hoping to slash the rate of skin cancers in Australia by putting the intelligence of so-called smart phones to the test.

Lifespot Skin AG, has created pattern recognition technology, which works with a medical data base to detect a range of skin ailments, including cancers.

A typical image of a thin, invasive melanoma.

The company is hoping to list on the ASX mid this year, via a $6 million capital raising to complete the development of its smart phone app.

It is targeting Australia rather than its home market because executive director Tilo Brandis said the country had twice the rate of skin cancers as anywhere else in the world and a low ratio of patients to dermatologists.
Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested a suspected Islamist extremist in connection to the brutal deaths of a gay activist and his friend.

The victim, Xulhaz Mannan, editor of Bangladeshs first gay magazine, and Tanay Majumder, a fellow gay activist, were hacked to death in a Dhaka apartment last month by at least six men who stormed in with machetes and machine guns. Mannan also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Police detained the suspect, Shariful Islam Shibab, early Sunday, according to a statement from Dhaka police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sardar.

Shibab was identified as a member of Ansarullah Bangla Team, an Islamist militant group that claimed responsibility for the killings.

Buddhist monk murdered



His arrest came a day after a 70-year-old Buddhist monk was similarly hacked to death by Islamic extremists armed with machetes at a remote monastery in Bangladesh. It was the seventh attack of the same nature thats taken place since the beginning of last month.

The monks murder is the latest in a series of brutal killings of liberals, academics, bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities that has spread deep fear in Bangladesh and raised worrying questions about whether the secular traditions of the moderate Muslim country are under threat from extremist Islamic groups.



Affiliates of Islamic State and al-Qaida have claimed responsibility for almost all the attacks, but the government says these groups have no presence in the country and blames homegrown militant groups.
China's defense ministry expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" with the United States, criticizing an annual report by the U.S. Department of Defense as misrepresenting the country's military development.

The Defense Department report to the U.S. Congress, issued Friday, said that China was focused on developing and weaponizing the islands it has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

On Saturday, Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told the state news agency Xinhua the U.S. report on China's military activities in 2015 had "willfully distorted China's national defense policy."

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said.

The Pentagon report accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities, which are causing tensions with other countries in the region.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims to parts of the sea. The U.S. has said it takes no side in the territorial disputes, but supports freedom of passage in the area, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

'Military threat'

Yang said the report hyped up "China's military threat" and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China and South China seas. He accused the U.S. of being overly suspicious in its claims.

In speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Friday, Abraham Denmark, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said the report's "facts speak for themselves. ... China continues to focus on preparing for potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait."

Denmark noted trends in the report.

 Chinas maritime activities.

He said Beijing had used assertive tactics to reclaim existing outposts and began building military facilities on large swaths of land in the South China Sea in 2015.

"China's leadership demonstrated a willingness to tolerate higher levels of tension in pursuit of its maritime sovereignty claims," Denmark said. "China's strategy is to secure its objectives without jeopardizing the regional peace that has enabled its military and economic development, which in tum has maintained the Chinese Communist Party's grip on power."

 China's growing global military presence.

"China's leaders are leveraging the country's power to expand its international influence -- and its military footprint overseas," Denmark said.

The report noted China's November announcement that it was establishing a military facility in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. It said China was also expected to establish naval logistics hubs in countries with which it shares interests, including Pakistan.

"This is a big step forward for the PLA [People's Liberation Army], which has never had an overseas facility before," he said.

Denmark also said China's 2015 defense spending was higher than it publicly disclosed and had reached $180 billion, compared with an official Chinese of $144 billion.

Runways, ports

The Defense Department, in its most detailed assessment of China's island-building program to date, found that three of the land features in the Spratly Islands now have nearly 10,000-foot runways and large ports in various stages of construction.

It also found China has excavated deep channels, created and dredged harbors, and constructed communications, logistics and intelligence gathering facilities.

The report estimated that Chinas reclamation work has added more than 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of land on seven features it occupies in the Spratly Islands in the space of two years.

The report said additional infrastructure, such as communications and surveillance systems, is expected to be built on the islands in the coming year. China will be able to use its reclaimed features as persistent civil-military bases to enhance its presence in the South China Sea significantly," it said.

The accelerated building effort doesn't give China any new territorial rights, the report stated. But it allowed that the airfields, ship facilities, surveillance and weapons equipment will allow China to significantly enhance its long-term presence in the South China Sea.

Chinese officials have defended the land reclamation by saying it is Beijing's territory, adding that the buildings and infrastructure are for public service use and to support fishermen.

Yang also accused the U.S. of flexing its military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region.

As recently as May 10, the U.S. Defense Department sent a Navy warship to carry out a freedom of navigation operation in the disputed South China Sea, sailing the USS William P. Lawrence within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef.

While Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea, Yang said it is the U.S. that has increased the militarization in the region with such actions.

Also, the U.S. report renewed accusations against China's government and military for cyberattacks against U.S. government computer systems, a charge Beijing has denied.

The Pentagon said attacks in 2015 appeared focused on intelligence collection.
Cameroon and its allies in a multinational force are claiming gains in two operations last week against the Boko Haram militant group in Nigeria. Cameroonian casualties from the operations have reached hospitals in Maroua but morale reportedly remains high.

Thirty wounded Cameroonian soldiers have been ferried in the past four days to the military hospital in Maroua on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria.

Among them is 26-year-old Fabian Ngo who says he was wounded when his vehicle hit a landmine returning from the Nigerian town of Kumche after raids that destroyed four Boko Haram training camps.

"While coming back, our vehicle climbed on a mine. That is how we had a shock, this incident. From there, they brought me here and now we are [making] a difference, I am feeling so happy. This is what we have been waiting for so long. Maybe in two months when my legs will get [treated] I will wear my uniforms and rangers and will go back and continue my mission," Ngo said.

Joseph Hamayadji, a 22-year old soldier, is being treated for snake bites he says he received near the Boko Haram training center at Kumche. He told VOA at least seven of his colleagues are missing.

He said they lost two of their colleagues in a loud explosion between Ganshe and Amcjide in Nigeria. He says he now feels better after receiving treatment at the military hospital and wants to go back to fight for his country.

Saturday, the multinational force said five Boko Haram leaders were captured, dozens of militants were killed and 60 women and children freed during recent operations. Cameroon spokesperson Issa Tchiroma said no soldiers were killed, but several were wounded.

Defense official Kumpa Issa, who is in charge of caring for wounded soldiers, visited the hospital Sunday. He said even in rough field conditions he is impressed with the rapid and professional care for the soldiers.

"The object of my visit here is to forward to the wounded soldiers the comfort of the head of state, his word of encouragement and his support. The head of state has been deeply touched. This message is also addressed to the medical personnel who showed that they are very professional. They are really efficient," Issa said.

A spokesperson for the soldiers, Abdoulaye Bello, said the wounded troops are ready to go back and defeat the terrorists.

He said morale remains very high and his wish is to recover quickly and go back to meet his colleagues at the war front.

Cameroon says Goshe and Kumche on the Nigerian territory has been a training ground for suicide bombers, especially young women and girls.

Cameroon says the militants have increasingly resorted to suicide bombings because their firepower has been drastically reduced following ceaseless attacks on their stronghold since December 2015 by the 8,000 member joint task force with troops from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Benin and Niger.
The big prize for the two U.S. Democratic Party presidential hopefuls is still three weeks away, but there are four primary contests beforehand that could help decide the race.

Up for grabs are 213 delegates in those four contests ahead of the big California primary, which itself offers 546 delegates.

While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders by nearly 300 pledged delegates going into this Tuesday's primaries in Kentucky and Oregon, Sanders continues to win contests and has pledged to stay in the race until the July party convention in Philadelphia.

With Donald Trump set as the presumptive Republican nominee, Clinton's team would like to turn its attention to the general election contest, but her campaign still can't fully make that shift.

Clinton's delegate total, including so-called superdelegates pledged to support her, is about 50 short of what she would need to clinch the nomination. Sanders is more than 900 short.

A win in at least one of the two contests this week would give Clinton momentum heading into the primaries in California and New Jersey next month.

Oregon, Kentucky

Oregon is likely to go for Sanders, but Clinton's campaign thinks the race is competitive in Kentucky, where she was spending Sunday and Monday courting voters.

On Sunday, she dropped in at Louisville churches and had two get-out-the-vote rallies on her schedule.

"It will be close, but either way, as with all the contests this month, we will gain additional delegates and move that much closer to clinching the nomination," spokesman Brian Fallon said in an email to reporters.



Clinton has avoided calling on Sanders to drop out of the race. But observers worry that Sanders could damage her chances by staying in.

Meanwhile, Trump adviser Paul Manafort told CNN's State of the Union program Sunday that the campaign is hoping to appeal to Sanders' supporters in the general election.

"You see Democrat support for Bernie Sanders that is potential Trump support, when it's indicated that they will never vote for Hillary Clinton, and when you analyze who those people are that are saying it, they're the very demographic that Trump is appealing to in independents and crossover Democrats," Manafort said.
Libya's new government and its security challenges are the focus for diplomats Monday as they gather in Vienna to discuss the situation in the country that has been in a state of chaos since leader Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni are co-hosting the session aimed at supporting the Government of National Accord that Western powers hope can unite Libya.

The talks follow Kerry's visit Sunday to Saudi Arabia where he sought that government's support in strengthening a cessation of hostilities agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels ahead of broader talks on regional crises later this week.

Saudi Arabia meeting



Kerry, trying to shore up support for the shaky cease-fire in Syria, met with Saudi King Salman, whose country has been a key supporter of rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The top U.S. diplomat and his Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, discussed developments in Syria, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Later, the top U.S. diplomat will fly to Vienna where he and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will co-host a ministerial meeting on security and support for Libya's new government.

Western powers hope Libyas Government of National Accord can unite the country, which has been in a state of chaos since leader Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

On Tuesday, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will convene in Vienna to discuss the stalled political talks, difficulties in maintaining the February cease-fire and the U.N.'s uneven results in delivering humanitarian aid.

However, the Syrian government's recent military advances may diminish the ability to restart political talks seen as the best hope for ending the war.

Not all of the trend lines in Syria are going in the right direction, said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Kirby commented on Friday, shortly before Kerry departed on a two-week trip to the Middle East, Europe and Asia, where he will focus on issues including unrest in Syria as well as in Libya.

Syria cease-fire talks



In Syria, the U.S. and Russia began stepping in to broker a series of localized cease-fires in late April, to help keep a nationwide cessation of hostilities enacted in February from fraying.

While the overall level of fighting between the government and rebels is down, tensions between the two sides have continued to flare.

In late April, another round of U.N.-facilitated talks on a political transition in Syria ended with no face-to-face meeting between the government and the opposition. It is unclear when the next round of so-called proximity talks will take place.

In an interview with Russias Sputnik news agency, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said he would await the outcome of the Syria support groups session before convening another round of proximity talks.

Some analysts say Syrias military dynamics could hamper progress in proximity talks.

What matters is the leverage that you bring into the room, said Atlantic Council Middle East analyst Nussaibah Younis. With the backing of Russia, the Assad regime has managed to make some real progress in its fight against the rebels, and, as a result, will be unwilling to compromise, she said.

Russia said it would use Tuesdays session to call for an end to commingling between terrorist groups and rebels in Syria.

Other conflicts

Additionally, while Kerry is in Vienna, the U.S., Russia and France will focus on an effort to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is officially part of Azerbaijan.

In April, the region suffered one of its worst outbreaks of violence in years.

After Vienna, he will attend a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels and then will travel to Myanmar in a show of U.S. support for the countrys newly elected government.

In the following week, Kerry will join President Barack Obama in Vietnam.
President Barack Obama has urged graduates at Rutgers University to pursue positive change in the world, despite enormous challenges.



Leaders at the New Jersey university had lobbied Obama for years to deliver the address at the school's 250th commencement. It is considered a high honor for a school or academy to have a president, current or former, speak at its graduation ceremony.

Rutgers is a public university that the White House has praised as a "remarkable institution of higher learning."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said earlier Obama's speech would have some observations about the world that the Class of 2016 is prepared to enter. And Earnest said Obama believes the Rutgers students are as well-prepared as any to confront those challenges and use this changing environment to create a better world.

Howard University speech

On May 7, Obama delivered the commencement speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He told graduates of the historically black college that race relations have improved over the past three decades but that more work needs to be done.

"America is by almost every measure better than it was when I graduated from college," Obama told the Class of 2016, in looking back to 1983.

However, the nation's first African-American president admitted racism and inequality persist as he noted disparities in unemployment, pay and the criminal justice system.

He also told the graduates in Washington that if they want to see change, they cannot "sleepwalk through life" but must actively participate in the democratic system.

Obama is also scheduled to speak June 2 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It will be his last commencement address as a sitting president.

The news website DCInno collected video from 16 of Obama's 22 previous speeches to graduation classes. You can view them here.

Previous presidents

What advice have other presidents passed along to graduating seniors? Similar to Obama, many have spoken of the graduates' role in society and of public service.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in addressing the Pennsylvania State University class of 1955, focused on the role of education in America, according to the U.S. National Archives.

"The peoples of this earth share today a great aspiration. They all have a common dream of lasting peace with freedom and justice. But the realization of the dream calls for many types of cooperation based upon sympathetic and thorough mutual understanding. In turn, such understanding is dependent on education that produces disciplined thinking," Eisenhower said, according to the archives.

President Richard Nixon, in addressing the Air Force Academy on June 4, 1969, focused on space exploration.

"Our current exploration of space makes the point vividly; here is testimony to man's vision and to man's courage. The journey of the astronauts is more than a technical achievement; it is a reaching out of the human spirit. It lifts our sights; it demonstrates that magnificent conceptions can be made real  when the first man stands on the moon next month every American will stand taller because of what he has done, and we should be proud of this magnificent achievement," Nixon was quoted as saying.

And President Harry S. Truman, speaking to the Princeton University class of 1947, focused on the importance of the civil service.

"In our free society, knowledge and learning are endowed with a public purpose -- a noble purpose, close to the heart of democracy. That purpose is to help men and women develop their talents for the benefit of their fellow citizens," Truman said, according to the archives.
TWIN FALLS  Global markets arent just for major corporations.

Idaho exports have more than doubled from $2 billion in 2003 to $4.3 billion in 2015, and more than 80 percent of Idahos exporters are small businesses.

While exporting is an important source of growth for Idaho companies, it can be challenging. Businesses working to tap into foreign markets can receive help from state agencies through grants, trade missions and training.

The Idaho Department of Commerce has trade offices in Mexico, China and Taiwan that are co-managed with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, said Jennifer Verdon, manager of the international business team for Commerce. The offices provide on-the-ground support for companies seeking buyers.

We can do some background checks for our Idaho companies, Verdon said.

The state also organizes trade missions, such as one in China coming up at the end of October for 15 to 18 companies.

Governors trade missions are open to all industries, with a focus on finding buyers and agents for Idaho companies. During these trips, business representatives attend four meetings each day for a week, often in different cities. The state organizes the schedule, interpreters and transportation.

We try to take care of as much as we can so they can focus on selling their product and selling their company, Verdon said.

Businesses also can apply to attend a trade show with the Department of Commerce. Through a competitive process, the state selects companies to go and funds part of their costs.

Small grants are available to help fund export activities. The Department of Commerce receives money from the federal Small Business Administration. The State Trade Expansion Program grants can be used for international trade shows, sales trips, trade missions and website translation.

Its financial assistance to increase or to start a small businesss export activities, Verdon said.

The SBAs definition of a small business is one that has 500 or fewer employees, she said, so most Idaho companies fall under that definition.

While the grants are still a pilot program, the state will have funding for them through 2020.

We can really draft these grants however we feel its suitable for our Idaho companies, Verdon said.

Commerce often works hand in hand with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to host trade missions, events and training. Both agencies have access to market research databases and educational workshops, webinars and seminars.

ISDA also has its own STEP grants, trade shows and missions, said Laura Johnson, bureau chief of market development.

The department receives about $200,000 from the Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association for various activities. Companies can apply for a matching fund program, Johnson said.

Another state partner is the Small Business Development Center, which can offer consultations for small companies that are new to exporting, Verdon said.

Companies seeking counseling can also receive assistance from the U.S. Commercial Service, a federal agency that can help create market strategies, identify international partners and markets and offer export-related guidance.

Information about state programs, and resources for businesses interested in exporting, can be found at Commerce.idaho.gov/idaho-business/international-trade. For the the Idaho Exporters Resource Guide, visit http://bit.ly/1SzvQ2K.
TWIN FALLS | Gary Bohannon, 65, passed away on October 16, 2015 after an illness. He was a long haul trucker for 44 years, he spent the last four years working in Wyoming's oil fields dealing with natural gas. He met his wife Glenda in 1997, and they were married in 1999.

Glenda Bohannon passed away March 5, 2016. She met her husband Gary because of her desire to become an 18 wheeler driver. They teamed together for 12 years running all 48 states. Glenda retired from the road and Gary went to Wyoming to work. Glenda was a nail technician for 4 years and owned a nail and tanning salon before deciding to to to Colorado for trucking school.

Gary came home from the oil field on July 4th and was admitted to the hospital and passed away 3 months later. They both loved each other deeply.

They are survived by children, Melanie Vander Meer, Steven Lins; sister Helen and parents Quinton and Evelyn Mocabee.

No funeral is planned.
MARSING  Roger Rosentreter crawled on his knees, picking up clumps of desert sod turned over by seeding drills last fall as crews planted crested wheat grass where the Soda Fire had burned.

Lichens and mosses that make up a hard, stabilizing microbiotic crust had been buried by the pencil-sized tubes that broke through the crust to deposit the seeds.

Theyre still alive, Rosentreter said on a visit this week to the burned-over rangeland. But they wont be for long.

Rosentreter is a renowned and retired Bureau of Land Management Idaho state botanist and author, whose research in the 1980s first identified the living organisms that make up the crust. He said his former agency did more harm than good using the tractor-pulled drills for rehabilitation of the sage grouse habitat burned in 2015 by the Soda Fire in Owyhee County.

Breaking up the hard, biological crust and turning over the soil allows invasive plants like cheatgrass and medusahead rye to establish and take over, out-competing the grasses and forbs that are critical to sage grouse and other species.

He wrote a critical report after touring three sites where the BLM had drilled and used herbicide in its $14 million effort last fall to jump-start a $67 million restoration program following the fire that burned 280,000 acres in Idaho and Oregon. In addition to criticizing the drilling, Rosentreter expressed concerns that herbicide may have killed forbs like mountain dandelion, hawkweed and bighead clover that are critical food for sage grouse.

He said he found the wrong species of sagebrush had been planted and would be rejected as food by the bird, which in 2015 was determined not to warrant listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

A lot of the things theyre doing here, they were looking at the number of acres treated rather than the quality of the acres treated, Rosentreter said. They could have treated about 15 percent of what they had done and we would have been better off and we would have saved a lot of money.

Thick Regrowth

A visit this week revealed that burned areas nearby and even the ground between the drill lines showed thick regrowth of native bunchgrasses, forbs and tiny sagebrush plants. The relatively heavy rains and snow since the summer fires helped the previously drought-stricken habitat grow a bed of mostly native plants in the area near Little Squaw Creek off of U.S. 95 southwest of Marsing.

BLM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife managers and biologists working on the restoration program dispute Rosentreters characterization of their work, raising doubts that what he saw accurately represents how the rangeland is responding.

Two or three stops doesnt tell the story over hundreds of thousands of acres, said Jason Pyron, sage grouse coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Idaho.

Much of the public land that burned was allowed to grow back naturally, with drills used on just 17 percent of the burned area, said Cindy Fritz, a natural resource specialist with the BLM Boise District.

Its too soon to have any opinion on the Soda Fire yet, Fritz said.

Pyron said the restoration program is occurring in stages, starting last fall with stabilization, seeding and eliminating invasive grasses.

The use of the (herbicide) treatments is important to get the perennial bunchgrass established, Pyron said.

As the restoration program progresses, plantings of forbs and sagebrush will follow. Scientists said for sage grouse to survive over the long term, restoration has to be accelerated. Simply allowing the area to recover on its own is not an option for many areas, federal officials said.

This wont be habitat for sage grouse until we can establish that sagebrush cover, Pyron said. The first few years of forbs is really inconsequential. We need to establish forbs across this landscape, not in small spots.

Emergency Response

U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist Matt Germino, who toured the fire in April with Rosentreter, has been a part of the larger restoration project that grew out of Interior Secretary Sally Jewells sage grouse fire plan in 2015. He is developing an extensive monitoring network of 2,000 sites across the burned area to collect data to determine the effectiveness of restoration efforts.

He was not involved in the decisions about last years rehab efforts, but he pointed out it was an emergency situation with little time to make complicated decisions before winter snows.

These people were dealing with a burned, blackened landscape and uncertainty, Germino said. In many cases, you dont really know what was there before the fire.

The data Germinos team is collecting is designed to drive the restoration managers decisions. Among the next tough calls will be how soon to allow ranchers to put their livestock back on the public range, and how much grazing to allow.

Rosentreter said the area where the tractor-pulled seed drills were used was thick with bunchgrass, forbs and wild flowers, showing that the rancher had done a good job grazing the area.

Ironically, the BLM could not comment because it is locked in litigation over rancher Ted Blackstocks grazing permit.

One point all agree on is that the success of the restoration program, which will take years, will depend on adaptive management  being flexible and reacting to changing conditions and information. For Rosentreter, that means considering a lighter touch and more careful choice of seed and shrubs.

If you see that its recovering naturally, you have to adapt and back off, Rosentreter said.
Today marks Peace Officers Memorial Day I thought Id share some information about how it came to be as well as some other thought about this day.

Peace Officers Memorial Day came into effect on October 1, 1961, when Congress asked the president to designate May 15 to honor law enforcement officers. President John F Kennedy signed the bill into law on October 1, 1962. Each year, the president of the United States proclaims May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week of each year during which such May 15 occurs as Police Week.

According to the Legal Information Institute, the president is requested to issue a proclamation to: designate May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and to direct government officials to display the United States flag at half-staff on all government buildings and to invite state and local governments and the people to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Sadly law enforcement, to-date, has lost 34 lives so far this year. The only good news I can say is that on-duty deaths are down 19% from last year but sadly gunfire deaths are up 60% from where they were last year.

I have been asked a few times, in passing, what the main reason is for on-duty deaths and even though statistically it has been driving that caused the greatest amount of non-violent deaths, (disturbance calls is greatest cause of violent deaths) the main culprit in my opinion is complacency.

Officers who become complacent are more likely to be injured or killed in the line of duty because of relaxed expectations. Officers out there will usually agree that complacency is the enemy of all law enforcement.

Here are some of the examples of complacency I could think of: going to that same domestic call that you have been to a million times. It might just be that an officer might be headed to the scene of a homicide and thinking its just another call to that house that they have been to before and found nothing there; It could also be that stupid alarm that is always going off and nothing is ever found when the officer gets there; It could be that routine traffic stop (No such thing by the way); I could also be that time an officer drives fast to a call like they have done in the past only to not see that a vehicle did not yield at an intersection or that corner was just a little sharper than expected.

I know that most officers try to always remain vigilant but it only takes a minute of complacency to end a career, a family or a future. To all officers out there reading this, remember to always be vigilant even if going to that millionth call. I dont want to honor any of you at the end of any column.

Officer down:

Please put these officers, killed in the line of duty, and their families in your prayers. They fought the good fight, now may they rest in peace. God bless these heroes.

 Sergeant Jorge Ramos, Florida Department of Corrections

 Investigator TJ Freeman, Bibb County Sheriff, Georgia

Have a question for Policemandan? Email your question(s) to policemandan@yahoo.com or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button. Mail to: Box 147, Heyburn, Idaho 83336
The Gooding /Lincoln County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce that one $750, two $500 and two $250 College scholarships have been awarded to area students.

Farm Bureau educational scholarships are available to graduating seniors or students who are already attending an institution of higher education. Scholarships are awarded in both Ag-related and Non- Ag-Related fields to Idaho Farm Bureau family members at both state and county levels.

The 2016 recipients of the Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau Scholarships are:

Julianna Fields is the daughter of Steven Fields of Shoshone and Faith Johnson Bellvue. She has been selected to receive a $750 Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau educational scholarship. She plans to attend the College of Idaho and is interested in Veterinary Science,

Katy Fitzgerald is the daughter of Clement and Karma Fitzgerald of Shoshone. She has been selected to receive a $500 Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau educational scholarship. She plans to attend the Washington State University. Her major course of study will be in the field of Animal Science as she prepares for an occupation as a Bovine Nutritionist.

Jake Nelson of Shoshone is the son of James and Connie Nelson. He has been selected to receive a $500 Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau educational scholarship. He plans to attend Montana State University and major in CNC Machining Welding Technology.

Alicia Garza is the daughter of Roman and Melissa Garza of Gooding. She has been selected to receive a $250 Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau educational scholarship. She plans to attend the University of Idaho. Her major course of study will be Wildlife Resources so she may become a Fish and Game officer.

Makaila Mastrofini is the daughter of Mark and Diane Mastrofini of Shoshone. She has been selected to receive a $250 Gooding/Lincoln County Farm Bureau educational scholarship. She is currently attending the college of Southern Idaho majoring in Animal ScienceAg. Communications.

The non-ag scholarship application of Wyatt Williams, has been entered in the Idaho Farm Bureau Scholarship Competition. He is the son of Travis and Heather Williams of Gooding. He plans to attend Boise State and major in software innovation and design.
TWIN FALLS  There are some teachers you never forget. Then there are ones that bless your life forever.

Kenneth Reynolds was that teacher for his guitar students.

I would not be the musician I am today, said Zach Peterson, a former student, if I didnt know him or take lessons from him.

Reynolds started teaching guitar lessons in the basement of the Music Center in 1976. He stopped teaching in October after his health started to decline. Family and friends thought he was losing weight and energy because his wife, Betty Sue, had died of cancer eight months earlier. The Reynolds were married in 1968 and had two sons, Andre and Paul.

But Reynolds was eventually diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died March 24. Not even a month after being diagnosed.

Hes being remembered as a pioneer in the Twin Falls music scene who inspired generations of musicians and, in some ways, provided the soundtrack to their lives.

He was heart broken, said Virginia Wilcox, friend and employer. He wanted to go. He wanted to be with Betty.

Wilcox first met Reynolds shortly after he graduated from Boise State University with a degree in music. He walked into the downtown Twin Falls music store looking for a job as a guitar teacher.

He was a savant, Wilcox said. He was brilliant in music theory.

Early in his teaching career, Wilcox said Reynolds was like a drill sergeant. He had an extensive military background.

If you missed your lesson he called you, she said. He ran a tight ship. If you were late, you didnt brush your hair or brush your teeth. You walked in.

Reynolds started playing the guitar at age 16. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1961 and served in the Vietnam War until 1966. In 1967, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He retired from the military in 1994 after serving in the Idaho National Guard for 17 years. He was also a member of the 25th Army band and traveled the world playing guitar.

But his students and their parents remember a more patient man.

Melissa Buschers children, Jacob and Megan, started attending Reynolds guitar classes when they were 7 years old.

He was a fantastic teacher, Buscher said. He was very patient and very kind and encouraging. Jacob did better than we would have done with anyone else. My daughter drove him crazy and wouldnt stop talking, but he was a really good, patient teacher.

Jacob and Megan are now 15 and 12. Jacob took lessons from Reynolds until he stopped holding classes in October. The family cried when they heard Reynolds died.

It was an end of an era for them, Buscher said. My son was much more close to him. He was just devestated when he found out he couldnt go to lessons anymore.

After eight years of lessons, Buscher said Jacob plays the Spanish guitar beautifully.

I consider my children blessed to have that opportunity with him, she said. We all miss him. He was fantastic guy.

Peterson, 36, started taking guitar lessons from Reynolds after receiving a guitar from his grandfather. Peterson was 16 at the time.

He experienced Reynolds strict style and the laid-back teaching style. He still plays the bass guitar nightly.

He was very patient, very methodical, Peterson said. There was a time for strict time-keeping and note placement, pitches. And there was a time, during the same session or another session, where you just jammed out.

Peterson said he meant to visit when he heard his former guitar teachers health worsened. But he didnt find the time to visit until it was too late.

I knew that he was sick, he said. I wanted to go to the home he had been put it in and play some music for him. Some that he had taken me through and taught me, and some I learned on my own. I never followed through with that and I regretted that fact.

Instead, Peterson paid tribute to his former guitar teacher by performing at his funeral.

At that particular time, I was remembering the time that I spent with him down in his studio, Peterson said. I lost time, and points when I would come back to reality, and into the moment, I was remembering what he was like. I was blessed to have a teacher like him.
The staff and recipients of the Mini Cassia shelter Advocates Against Violence would like to thank the Cassia High School located at 1010 W 17th Burley for their kindness and hard work on the food drive Everyone at your school are amazing. So respectful and considerate of others.

I among others in the community had a totally different idea of the type of kids that attend Cassia High. We receive the presence of pride and respect from your students for themselves and others. Your educators need to be thanked also for their positions.

Thank you again for you hard work collecting for the food drive. I truly enjoy being in your school as a provider and presenting our program to your school.

Lynda Brennen

Director
SHOSHONE  A Shoshone man died Saturday night in a one-vehicle crash that is believed to be alcohol related.

According to the Idaho State Police, Ryan Foulke, 38, of Gooding, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular manslaughter in the crash that killed passenger Travis Kulhanek, 44, of Shoshone.

Foulke was driving southbound at about 10 p.m. on State Highway 75 near Shoshone when the vehicle went off the right shoulder. Foulke overcorrected and the vehicle rolled and came to rest in the middle of the roadway, blocking both the northbound and southbound lanes of travel, according to ISP.

Kulhanek, who ISP said was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene of the crash, while another passenger, Elizabeth Kulhanek, 46, was taken to North Canyon Medical Center in Gooding.

Both lanes of State Highway 75 were blocked for approximately three hours. The crash is under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
As your current District 2 Twin Falls County commissioner, I humbly ask for your vote on May 17. If you look at what I have done during my past two terms, you can be confident that I will continue to reduce government waste, spend your hard-earned tax dollars wisely, and promote conservative family values. Knowing our history  over 125 years  our agricultural community has made this county great. It is my pledge to keep the county moving forward in that direction.

As your county commissioner, I represent all 80,000 people who live in Twin Falls County, not just a few who have deep connections. With every decision I make, I follow the law, my ethics, and keep the best interest of the entire county in mind. I seek the advice of experts when needed and respectfully consider the input of my constituents.

My office is always open and I am always out in the community where people can share their thoughts and perspective. I always make time to hear peoples concerns. Your county elected officials provide several opportunities throughout the year where we invite the public to come to County West to ask questions, share ideas and learn more about their local government. Two times per year, we meet with our local state legislators and four times per year, we meet with all of our city councils to hear whats going on in their communities and see where we can provide support.

As Twin Falls County naturally expands, we need to keep in mind the services that are required for this growth. The county has a current comprehensive plan enacted in April 2008. Per Idaho Statute, cities and counties are required to update their plans every 10 years, and this is exactly what we will do moving forward. We will review it as a community and renew the plan before it expires in 2018. As we carefully and judiciously plan for growth, we must protect our natural resources  water, land, and air  because once they are gone (polluted, dried up, or sold, etc.) there is no getting them back.

If the past is a good indicator of what someone will do in the future, my record proves that I possess the qualities needed to continue leading the county into the future. Even the Times-News editorial endorsement wrote incumbent Leon Mills is a statesman in his own right. In my tenure, the county successfully completed a massive move to County West with no additional increase to the citizens property tax bills. Most importantly, they recognized that the countys finances are in check under my leadership. I care about your tax burden because I too am a taxpayer who wants to provide the greatest amount of service for the least cost.

There has been misinformation provided to the Times-News that the county commissioners have cut youth diversion programs for troubled kids. Children are our future and I support them wholeheartedly. In my five years in office, no youth diversion program has ever been cut from the countys budget. I am a member of the Optimist Club, whose focus is serving the youth of this community. For 20 years, I was a Royal Ranger (Scout) commander, a Sunday School teacher and a Childrens Church leader.

I am conservative in my spending, diligent in my duties and faithful to the citizens of Twin Falls County. I know the good voters of Twin Falls County will not be swayed by big signs or multiple mailers, but base their vote on an honest look at who is best-suited for the job of county commissioner for District 2. So I ask for your vote of confidence on May 17 to continue the good work that I am doing for Twin Falls County.

Leon Mills

Twin Falls County Commission
I am joining my family, friends and others in supporting Judge Sergio Gutierrez for the Idaho Supreme Court. Ive known Sergio for over 40 years. Before deciding to stand for election, Sergio called to ask my thoughts. I had already read that there was an opening on the court, and wondered if Sergio would apply because I knew the court and Idaho would benefit from his experience.

The other candidates may be successful attorneys but none of them have judicial experience. He has served on three Idaho Supreme Court committees! Sergios 20-plus years as a judge, including 14 years on the Idaho Court of Appeals, gives him the strongest understanding of what it takes to be an Idaho Supreme Court Justice. He is the best choice for Idaho! Please join me in voting for Judge Gutierrez on Tuesday, because experience matters!
In the race for Twin Falls County prosecutor, Grant Loebs is the clear choice and the only candidate with the integrity, wisdom, and skill to successfully perform this critically important job. I have been fortunate to have worked alongside Mr. Loebs on drug issues impacting Twin Falls County and the state of Idaho and have found him to be highly intelligent, fair, and compassionate.

Although Mr. Loebs and his team expertly prosecute drug crimes, he also understands that much can be done upstream to prevent substance abuse and has implemented innovative strategies to address this issue. He works with the Idaho Legislature and state agencies to increase awareness of drug-related criminal justice issues and advocates for laws that will limit the accessibility of dangerous, illicit drugs. In addition, he has established the Prosecuting Attorneys Drug Free Scholarship which allows graduates of Twin Falls County high schools to attend the College of Southern Idaho.

When Mr. Loebs recognized the need for a program to meet the needs of low-level drug users who are new to the criminal justice system and are thereby ineligible for traditional drug courts, he created the Substance Abuse Recovery Program. This unique program assists drug users who are not yet severely entrenched in the system to achieve sobriety and avoid further involvement with drugs and the criminal justice system. This gives them a chance at a healthy and productive future while safeguarding the security of Twin Falls County residents.

Mr. Loebs is truly an exceptional prosecutor. Idaho needs more elected officials who are as committed as he is to solving drug issues in our communities. Therefore, I encourage your vote for Grant Loebs on May 17.

Elisha Figueroa

Director, Idaho Office of Drug Policy
During President Barack Obama's visit to Cuba in March 2016, dictator Raul Castro said he would be willing to release all political prisoners; all he needed was a list of names.

Only the biggest fool would believe him, but several groups almost immediately released their lists. Of course, there was no mass release.

On April 25, the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, one of the most credible sources in Cuba for information on political prisoners released its updated list of 93 political prisoners.

A major goal of this blog since its inception more than 10 years ago is to recognize those brave Cubans imprisoned because of their opposition to, and their actions in service of their beliefs, against the Castro dictatorship. It is one small step to ensure that they, and their oppressors, know that they are not forgotten.

In that spirit, Uncommon Sense has revived one of its most important features, the Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week.

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The Castro dictatorship have labor activist Osvaldo Arcis Hernandez prior warning: If you don't end your anti-Castro activism, there would be dire consequences. For example, in July 2015, Arcis was detained for two hours, during which he was threatened with jail if he persisted with his opposition work.

In December, the dictatorship made good on the threats, sentencing Arcis to two years in prison, after finding him to be a "pre-criminal social danger," the Orwellian pre-crime the regime has long used to take its opponents out of a commission. After all, think about all they could if left unchecked.

The dictatorship wouldn't be able to stand it.

For more about Arcis, listen to this interview with Radio Marti.
The United States on Friday blacklisted the Head of Libyas internationally recognized Parliament for obstructing the political process aimed at establishing the UN-sponsored Government of National Accord (GNA) as the sole Libyan authority.

Aguila Saleh, identified as a spoiler of the UN-backed political process in war-torn Libya, is accused of hampering the holding of a vote of confidence in favor of the GNA.

Todays action emphasizes the US governments commitment to the Libyan Political Agreement, which created the GNA on December 17, 2015, and demonstrates that the US government will not tolerate actions by individuals who undermine the political transition in Libya, the US Treasury said in a statement.

Todays action sends a clear message that the US government will continue to target those who undermine the peace, security, and stability of Libya, said John Smith, acting director of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The US move means all his assets and interests falling within the American jurisdiction are frozen. The sanction also prohibits all Americans to do business with him.

Saleh is the second Libyan figure to be sanctioned this year by the US. The Treasure Department last month put head of the Tripoli-based rival government, Khalifa Ghwell, on its black list, also for impeding the establishment of the Prime Minister-designate Faiez Serrajs GNA.

Also, early last month, the EU sanctioned the two men plus Nouri Abusahmain, Head of the General National Congress [rival parliament to that of Salehs House of Representatives (HoR)] based in Tripoli.

Saleh poke fun of the sanctions saying that he had no assets in Europe.

The GNA, birthed from tumultuous talks, has been struggling to stamp its authority in capital Tripoli and across the country but is yet to be endorsed by the HoR, known as the sole legitimate Libyan parliament.

Libya has descended into abyss following ouster and death of Col. Kaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolution.
Mauritanian authorities have lambasted the UN Report on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty in the country saying it is baseless and partial.

State-run commission on Human Rights and Humanitarian Action (CDHAH) criticized the report author, Philip Alston, of partiality and chided the report for being baseless.

Alston said in his report 44 per cent of rural populations of the country, namely in Gorgol, Brakna and Trarza region that he visited during his ten-day stay in Mauritania are still living in extreme poverty while a small portion of the population are enjoying bliss.

The UN expert urged the government to disseminate the fruits of economic growth and to do much better in its efforts to combat the legacy of slavery, provide education, and basic human rights to every single Mauritanian.

Nouakchott was irked after the UN expert chose himself the sites he wanted to visit instead of regions witnessing development changes the state proposed for the visit.

Alston said he visited regions housing Mauritanians deported from Senegal where all development structures are lacking. He also visited people accusing the state of expropriation.

The UN report tallies comments made on Monday by EUs Chief in Mauritania, Jose Antonio Sabade, who called on authorities to adopt inclusive policies enabling all Mauritanians to play a role in the development of the country.

For the EU official, no country can aspire towards development while half of its populations is excluded.
Credit: George Hodan/public domain

A growing body of research is revealing associations between birth defects and a father's age, alcohol use and environmental factors, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. They say these defects result from epigenetic alterations that can potentially affect multiple generations.

The study, published in the American Journal of Stem Cells, suggest both parents contribute to the health status of their offspringa common sense conclusion which science is only now beginning to demonstrate, says the study's senior investigator, Joanna Kitlinska, PhD, an associate professor in biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology.

"We know the nutritional, hormonal and psychological environment provided by the mother permanently alters organ structure, cellular response and gene expression in her offspring," she says.

"But our study shows the same thing to be true with fathershis lifestyle, and how old he is, can be reflected in molecules that control gene function," she says. "In this way, a father can affect not only his immediate offspring, but future generations as well."

For example, a newborn can be diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), even though the mother has never consumed alcohol, Kitlinska says. "Up to 75 percent of children with FASD have biological fathers who are alcoholics, suggesting that preconceptual paternal alcohol consumption negatively impacts their offspring."

The report is a review of evidence, human and animal, published to date on the link between fathers and heritable epigenetic programming.

Among the studies reviewed are ones that find:

Advanced age of a father is correlated with elevated rates of schizophrenia, autism, and birth defects in his children;

A limited diet during a father's pre-adolescence has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular death in his children and grandchildren;

Paternal obesity is linked to enlarged fat cells, changes in metabolic regulation, diabetes, obesity and development of brain cancer;

Psychosocial stress on the father is linked to defective behavioral traits in his offspring; and

Paternal alcohol use leads to decreased newborn birth weight, marked reduction in overall brain size and impaired cognitive function.

"This new field of inherited paternal epigenetics needs to be organized into clinically applicable recommendations and lifestyle alternations," Kitlinska says. "And to really understand the epigenetic influences of a child, we need to study the interplay between maternal and paternal effects, as opposed to considering each in isolation."

Explore further What your father did before you were born could influence your future
New associates

Easton Purchio has joined Farm Bureau Financial Services as an agent in the Missoula office located at 1802 Dearborn Ave., Suite 102. Farm Bureau offers home, auto, life and investments. He can be reached at 728-3276.

Brandon Duffey has joined Great West Engineering as part of the transportation group and will be based out of the Billings office. Duffey graduated in December 2009 from Montana State University with a B.S. in civil engineering and has more than seven years of experience in commercial and residential development in Montana. Great West Engineering Inc. is a multidisciplinary civil engineering and consulting firm that serves a wide range of public and private sector clients throughout Montana.

Miranda Carson has become a Berkshire Hathaway agent. Carson graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English. She has worked in marketing, public relations, property management, and as a freelance illustrator prior to joining the team at Berkshire Hathaway. She is an active volunteer with the Zootown Arts Community Center and the Missoula Food Bank.

Matt Morgan has joined A&E Architects, P.C., a regional firm with offices located in Billings, Bozeman and Missoula. Morgan holds a Master of Architecture from Iowa State University as well as a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. He joins the A&E Missoula office with a depth of experience in restoration, construction, and architectural design. Most recently, he served as the Restoration Director for the Montana Preservation Alliance. He specializes in historic preservation design under the mentoring of A&Es James McDonald.

Recognition

Philipsburg Brewing Company claimed a silver award in the 2016 World Beer Cup, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers. Philipsburg Brewing Company is the only Montana brewery to take home an award at this international competition. Philipsburg Brewing Company was awarded a silver award in the American Hefeweizen with Yeast beer style category for its Haybag Hefeweizen, a grassy, citrusy ale that has a special yeast strain that stays in suspension giving it its signature cloudiness. Philipsburg Brewing Company is a microbrewery located in Philipsburg.

In a recently published article titled, Top 100 list for Community Banks under $1B, S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Bank of Montana as the 16th top performing bank in the US out of 4,258 banks overall. Phone Bank of Montana at 829-2662 or visit bankofmontana.com.

Elected

Dr. Andrew Althauser has been elected as the vice president to the Montana Dental Association Board of Directors.

Russ Fletcher with Montana Technology Associated Roundtables in Missoula was elected to the Montana Economic Developers Association Board of Directors. Kellie Danielson of Kalispell was elected as vice president during the MEDA's annual meeting.
For more than 15 years, Montana Ace Hardware has been providing sales and service of outdoor power equipment to homeowners and commercial and landscape professionals. Now they are expanding by opening an outdoor power equipment showroom and service center: Montana Ace Power Pros.

The high volume of outdoor power equipment sales and the fact that we service what we sell, combined with our commitment to outstanding customer service, dictated the expansion, said Nicky Conners, Montana Ace Digital Marketing Director.

The expansion includes relocation into a newly remodeled facility located at 1023 Kensington Avenue, just east of the Kent Street Post Office.

The Outdoor Power Equipment Showroom and Service Center moved from its former location inside the Montana Ace-Eastgate store.

Under the new name of Montana Ace Power Pros, the operation will provide factory-authorized sales and service of the following product lines: Stihl, Toro-including Toro Commercial Power Equipment, Craftsman, Kohler Generators, Fimco Sprayers and Accessories, as well as many other popular brands and related accessories.

The Montana Ace Power Pros technicians are extensively trained and are highly qualified to work on all brands that they sell.

Our staff are master-certified technicians for: MTD, Stihl, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton. They spend hours in continuing education classes every year expanding their broad knowledge base, which is a huge benefit. Our technicians also use computer-aided diagnostics to assess machines, Conners said.

The Power Pro team is capable of all small-engine repairs, from simple RPM adjustments and oil changes to a complete engine rebuild. Tune-ups, seasonal maintenance and blade-sharpening are also services the Power Pro team provides.

The Power Pro mechanics we hire are very knowledgeable, professional and trustworthy. They will work with state of the art tools and equipment in our brand new facility. We also feature a Stihl Certified Gold mechanic, who has completed hours of certified training at the Stihl Academy, Conners said.

Accommodating customers from homeowners to landscape contractors and professionals is one of the Power Pro team's top priorities. They strive for quick turnaround times to meet their customers busy schedules. For convenience, pick up and delivery also are available.

Customers ordering parts for their outdoor lawn and power equipment can use the Power Pros access to certified parts and accessories.

When its time for new equipment, visit our showroom. It features 2,000 square feet of the best outdoor power equipment available, all for the best prices in the state, Conners said.

To aid their customers in the purchase of new equipment, financing options are available.

The Montana Ace team will continue to put down deeper roots and grow with the Missoula community.

We love Missoula and care about our customers. Our staff is knowledgeable, our service is quick and friendly and our prices are unbeatable. Its the Montana Ace way, Conners said.

Montana Ace Power Pros is located at 1023 Kensington Avenue in Missoula. They can be reached by calling 406-532-3499. Business hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Owners Meg and Stew Weis, would like to invite everyone to come and see Montana Ace Power Pros, which opened for business on April 4. Be sure to watch for the grand opening celebration from May 20-22.
BILLINGS  A Floridian who introduced himself to Becky Stahl at a Billings trade show last year offered her a business proposal that she had never experienced in more than a decade of running her business, Beckys Berries.

He was this young man and he said he wanted to sell Montana-made products at farmers markets in Florida, Stahl said. Floridas season for farmers markets starts late in the year, pretty much opposite of Montanas summer-oriented season, she said.

Stahl welcomed the opportunity to sell more of the jams, jellies, sauces and syrups that she makes in Absarokee. So far, both parties have benefited from the arrangement.

Im amazed at what he has been selling, Stahl said. He would put in an order every Monday.

Stahl sells her products at dozens of retailers in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Many of her top customers cater to tourists. Its no simple matter to calculate what percentage of customers who buy her products live outside of Montana. But Stahl believes that many who place orders at her website, www.beckysberries.com, became familiar with her products after visiting the Big Sky State.

We have shipped to a lot of people who said they were in Montana and they had bought it, and they wanted to buy our products for family and friends, Stahl said.

Stahl said her business continues to grow. Part of that growth might be attributed to the unique story behind Beckys Berries. She still has fond memories of picking berries along mountain streams while growing up in a Montana Hutterite colony. The recipes she uses in her business were inspired by the jams and jellies made by Hutterite women.

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It stands to reason that most of the 11.7 million out-of-state residents who visited Montana last year spent money for things like restaurant meals, gasoline, motel rooms and groceries. But new research by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana shows that many travelers are seeking out Montana-made products that provide an authentic reminder of their visit.

In general, the more money that tourists spend on locally-produced goods  perhaps craft beer or locally baked goods as opposed to a rubber tomahawk made in Taiwan  the more the community benefits. Thats because money spent on local products continues to circulate in the economy. Money thats spent on imported goods exits through a phenomenon known as economic leakage, researchers say.

Noting the place of origin and type of products and services can further establish the strength or weakness of the economic leakage to an area, says the report, authored by Kara Grau and Norma Nickerson of UM.

More research in the area of tourism expenditures is needed, they say. But the survey helps confirm the idea that local economies prosper when visitors spend money on local products.

Whats more, certain types of tourists, those identified as strong geotravelers, spent more in the local community than people who just may be passing through. Geotourism was defined as sustaining and enhancing the local geographic character of place, including the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well-being of the local people.

Geotourism seeks to provide people with "authentic experiences" by focusing on the unique qualities associated with a particular destination, Grau said.

The researchers measured spending habits by surveying travelers at gas stations, rest areas and airports during the first nine months of 2015. Travelers were asked how much they spent on lodging, food, motor fuel, restaurant meals, bar purchases, groceries, guide service, Montana-made products and several other categories.

Sixteen percent of those surveyed purchased locally-made products or services. More importantly, those who purchased local products spent nearly $184 more than those who bought no Montana-made products.

Furthermore, travelers who purchased Montana-made products were more likely to be on vacation, they tended to be domestic travelers and were more likely to have flown into Montana. On average, they spent 4.39 more days in Montana than travelers who hadnt bought any local products.

Food, beer and souvenirs were the three most popular categories among travelers who purchased Montana-made products.

We've certainly been covering/addressing geotravelers in our research, but our 2015 nonresident data is the first time we've been able to look more closely at the Made in Montana spending, which is certainly a component of geotraveler characteristics, Grau wrote in an email.

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Derek Aspinwall, chief executive officer of Aspinwall Mountain Wear, said there are benefits to participating in the Made in Montana merchandise branding program thats run through the Montana Department of Commerce. Products that meet the criteria are authorized to carry the Made in Montana sticker or tag.

We do see a bit of a bump as long as our products are competitively priced compared to something thats not made in Montana, Aspinwall said.

A lot of people think Made in Montana means huckleberry jam. But when we plop down shirts from Montana, its a cool way to market and advertise the state, Aspinwall said. Some people dont care if a shirt is made in Montana, but it definitely doesnt hurt, as long as the price is similar."

Sarah Widener said she first took up beading as a teenager. Her grandmother, Roseann Boyd, taught her.

I really enjoy it, Widener said. Its very therapeutic.

Sewing hundreds of beads in a detailed pattern requires plenty of dexterity and a fair amount of patience. As you go along you get quicker and more creative, she said.

Widener began selling her beaded crafts at powwows, then opened a retail store, Native American Beadwork by Sarah, in Billings several months ago.

Her crafts carry a unique tag: Native American Made in Montana.

Widener said a fair number of customers who buy her crafts at powwows are from out of state.

"When I was setting up at the MSU Billings powwow, I had a lot of college kids come up and buy my beaded items," she said.
Here's a fine poem about the fleshy pleasures of adolescence by Ginger Murchison, from her book "a scrap of linen, a bone" from Press 53. Murchison lives in Florida.

River

Late afternoons, we'd tuck up our hems

under Minisa Bridge, scrape our white knees

on scrub brush and drowned trees to slide

***

down the dirt bank past milk-weed

gone to seed, cattails and trash to sit on stones

at the edge of the river and giggle and smoke,

***

waiting to wolf-whistle North High's rowing team.

In the shadows where the milk-chocolate river

unfolded, ooze between our toes, we'd strip,

***

risk long-legged insects, leeches and mothers

for the silt slick on our thighs, the air thick

with the smell of honeysuckle, mud  the rest

***

of the day somewhere downstream. We didn't

know why, but none of us wanted

to go home to polite kitchens and mothers

***

patiently waiting for what happened next,

the way women have always waited for hunter husbands,

kept vigils and prayed at the entrance of mines.

***

We do not accept unsolicited submissions. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright  2016 by Ginger Murchison, River, from "a scrap of linen, a bone" (Press 53, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Ginger Murchison and the publisher. Introduction copyright  2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
Get schooled on the ins and outs of a popular accounting software suite when MPL hosts Beginning QuickBooks, a free course taught by Jamie Ballas of Anderson Zurmuehlen Certified Public Accountants and Business Advisors on Monday, May 16 in the Large Meeting Room.

The class, which is scheduled 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with an hour break for lunch, will be taught in a lecture format and includes free manuals for attendees. Register online by visiting tinyurl.com/missoulaqb.

Mental Health series continues

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, MPL has partnered with the Western Montana Health Center for a collaborative discussion series that examines various aspects of mental health.

This week, the library hosts Crisis Intervention Teams in Montana: Creating Effective Partnerships from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday in the Large Meeting Room.

Sgt. Jim Anderson, executive director of the group C.I.T. Montana, offers this workshop for patrons to learn how law enforcement is partnering with local resources to offer community based solutions to help those suffering with mental illness.

Cheap Date Night screening

Mays Cheap Date Night movie  which screens at 7 p.m. Friday in the Large Meeting Room  is a hilarious family comedy.

It follows the story of Brad, who has always dreamed of having the perfect family and is determined to become the best stepdad to his new wifes children. Despite his hopes, things turn awry when their biological father Dusty shows up unexpectedly.

Please call us at 721-2665 to find out the title of this movie.

Library to offer lunch program for youth in June

Beginning Monday, June 13, the Missoula Public Library, in collaboration with the Missoula Food Bank, will host daily lunch programs for neighborhood children in the Large Meeting Room.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for feeding, with activities at noon. The library is Missoulas primary free resource for early childhood literacy resources. Just as we help kids keep up with their reading skills during the summer, we also know that nourished kids make for better learners. Partnering with the Missoula Food Bank to help those in need is a win-win for our community.

For more information about this program, call the Childrens Department at 721-2665.

We Have It: Staff Reviews

Rain Reign by Ann Martin, Feiwel and Friends, 2014. Call Number: J MARTIN

The quirky narrator of this short juvenile novel is Rose Howard, a fifth grader with high-functioning autism, a love of homonyms and numbers, and an overpowering need for everyone to follow the rules  in every aspect of life. Roses circle includes her single dad (who has dogged devotion but zero parenting skills), her uncle Weldon (an angel of a relative who transports her around and provides solid emotional support), her school aide Mrs. Liebler, and her dog Rain (homonyms: rein, reign).

When a hurricane hits her community, Rain runs away and Rose is plunged into a whirlwind of worry and planning. Her relationships with her father and her classmates evolve, and the search for Rain takes an unexpected turn. Roses obsessions and lack of social control are a constant trial for everyone but Uncle Weldon and Rain, but being inside her narrative mind quickly engenders your sympathies as a reader.

Any first-person novel by an unusual narrator requires a little suspension of disbelief; Rose can barely keep her daily life on track, but here she is crafting a lucid, compelling story of that life. Author Ann Martin does a good job of merging a credible autistic worldview with the structure and skill it takes to tell a great story.

Reviewed by Dana McMurray

Hot Happenings

Heres a sampling of some free programs coming up at the Missoula Public Library. Check our full events calendar at missoulapubliclibrary.org.

MakerSpace offerings

Open hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays.

Computer Electronics: 3-6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.

Community Creative Writing Workshop: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

Jewelry Making Workshop: 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Drop-In Watercolor Painting Class: Noon-2 p.m. Fridays in the Large Meeting Room.

Visit tinyurl.com/mplmakers for a full calendar of our MakerSpace classes.

Computer classes

Intro to Email: 6-7 p.m. Monday.

Learn the basics of creating an email account and writing a message, including using attachments, and sending messages.

Discovering MPL Databases: 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Explore databases available through the librarys website. This months featured database is the Montana Career Information database.

Registration is required to attend MPLs computer classes. Call 721-2665 to secure your spot.
HAMILTON  Victors Rusty Cowgirl Mercantile has a little bit of everything; western purses, belts, jewelry, repurposed furniture and rustic signs.

It also has a couple of outside vendors: Dominic Root, who creates coffee tables, lamps and furniture; and Greg Struthers, who creates horseshoe art.

The owners, Myrna DeMarco and Jeff Rohr, opened the store mid-April. The couple had a similar successful mercantile business in Washington.

We moved from Washington to assist my brothers in taking care of my parents, DeMarco said. Jeffs been fighting brain cancer for four years and he wanted to be sure I was able to take care of myself.

DeMarco's dads family settled in the Bitterroot Valley years ago.

Weve got a long history here and Ive been coming here since I was a child, DeMarco said. Its been nearly 30 years that Ive been trying to move here.

Struthers said he feels he should have been born a Montanan.

This is the best place in the world right here, he said.

He hunts and fishes but does not hike because he knows a better way:

Id rather ride a horse and let the horse do the work, he said.

We just wanted to start the store and we work really hard on keeping our prices reasonable, DeMarco said. We plan to add more items and are currently looking at candles to decide what company to bring in. Were trying to get some more items for men, like wallets.

Struthers said the goal was to cater to cowgirls who rodeo.

We are also going to do 10 percent off for 4-H and junior rodeo kids, he said. We were directors of our rodeo association back home and we want to get involved with the rodeo associations here. Rodeo is our thing and we want to cater to everyone but support the kids especially.

DeMarco said, Everyone works hard for the money in this valley.

Some of this jewelry is local from Artistic Impressions, she said. Most of our items are one of a kind or is made by us. A lot of the wood is from the Charlos Club House that was built and maintained by my great-grandparents.

Though open just a few weeks, DeMarco said business is off to a great start and picks up every day.

Rusty Cowgirl Mercantile is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 1385 U.S. Highway 93, north of Sheafman Corner. Turn west on Ardis Loop and visit Rusty Cowgirl Mercantile right next to 144 General Store, owned and operated by Zane Few and Trudy Finn. The neighboring businesses help each other out.

***

144 General Store has rustic and pallet furniture, paintings, jewelry, lamps, mirrors, barn doors and creative inspirations.

Finn builds everything herself.

A lot of it is Pinterest-inspired because of the pallet craze going on at the moment, Finn said.

She does building, painting and refurbishing of furniture. She created several pieces from wood from a house in Victor built in 1912.

Her work is called By the Grace of God Creations.

I have been blessed with a gift that I can look at something and I can build it, she said. I dont have plans for any of these, I dont have dimensions. It is a complete gift that I can see anything and know I can build it and put it together.

Finn said starting the business was a fun adventure.

So far, everything is original and I havent duplicated anything, she said. I do custom work; people tell me what they want and bring me their dimensions and I make it for them.

144 General Store is located at 1399 U.S. Highway 93, Victor. Contact Finn at 406-369-3388.
WILSON, Wyo.  They first thought it was a baby turkey vulture, thin and severely dehydrated, jaw broken, eyes shut.

It was brought to the Teton Raptor Center after the Idaho Game and Fish found the nestling in late September, an odd time of year for baby birds. But when it arrived, the staff based quickly realized it wasn't a turkey vulture.

It was a baby barn owl covered in grit.

Just like all of the rescued birds brought to the Raptor Center near Jackson, this baby barn owl needed help. The staff provided antibiotics and food, rehabilitating the bird with hopes of returning her to the wild.

The barn owl grew stronger. She passed a flight test but before her release, she needed to prove her capability to hunt for live prey.

The staff presented a mouse.

"And the mouse came over to her feet, and she'd fly away," said Meghan Warren, the rehabilitation coordinator at the Teton Raptor Center.

It was odd behavior to say the least. Later that week, Warren entered the barn owl's enclosure and discussed the event with another staff member. As they chatted, Warren noticed something even stranger. She had been talking and making noise for five minutes, and the barn owl was still fast asleep.

Barn owls have some of the best ears on Earth: They can hear a mouse's heartbeat from 10 feet away.

"And this bird hadn't even woken up with them coming in, moving around and talking," Becky Collier said, the senior avian educator at the Teton Raptor Center. "That's when (we) started saying, 'Wait a minute.'"

The barn owl was deaf. It did not matter whether she was born that way or lost her hearing via an unknown injury. Deafness is a debilitating trait for a bird that depends on hearing to survive. She could no longer be released.

***

Established in 1997, the Raptor Center provides veterinary care and rehabilitation for birds of prey. The nonprofit also has an educational program featuring birds that are not fit to be released into the wild. The barn owl was a perfect candidate. The center went through proper paperwork, and officially added the barn owl to their education program on April 1.

She was the latest addition to a program that features a handful of birds, including a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a red-tailed hawk, owls, a falcon and more.

Roughly 100 birds are brought to the Raptor Center every year, all for various reasons. Sometimes they're struck by cars or electrocuted by power lines (the center avoids intervening with non-human-induced injuries). Currently, the center has five birds in rehab, receiving medication, food, a hyperbolic oxygen chamber, X-rays and more, all with hopes of returning the animal back into nature.

"I think in an ideal world, if you're doing your job right, all rehab centers strive to put themselves out of business," Collier said. "Because it means that people are driving slow, and making wise choices. I think the key, though, is that accidents will happen."

One of the recent accidents was a high-profile one. In March, an injured bald eagle was found on the side of the road in Jackson across from the National Elk Refuge. The eagle was rescued and brought to the center. When the staff entered the numbers listed on the eagle's leg band, the computer system revealed an error message.

"(The eagle) was so old that (her results) weren't popping up to the top of the list," Warren said.

That's because this wasn't an ordinary bald eagle. It was 34 years old, the oldest one ever found in the West. It hatched in a nest south of Jackson in 1982, when bald eagles were still on the endangered species list. Now, their populations are growing, and she is one of the reasons. A biologist estimated that this eagle probably had 35 to 45 chicks in her lifetime.

Now, she was in bad shape.

The eagle was electrocuted by power lines, an injury that primarily affects skin and blood flow. Originally, the center expected to release the eagle back into the wild, but in the coming weeks, the bird's injuries became worse, enough that Warren and the center made the difficult decision to euthanize it at the end of April.

"I was really looking for a silver bullet that would be a magic fix. I reached out to all of (the staff). I called a vet in Texas and one in North Carolina. I sent it out on this raptor care listserv just seeing if anyone had any ideas," Warren said. "They all agreed that electrification wounds are very difficult and she probably wasn't going to be releasable, and that euthanasia was the best option."

It's one of the difficult parts of the job. But stories like the bald eagle and the deaf barn owl are important. They spread beyond the center, capturing the imagination of those in Jackson and elsewhere, which is one of the center's goals: Get people thinking.

"People really care about these live birds," Warren said. "Through education, they learn more about what's going on out in the wild landscape. The whole point is that we want people to leave here, get in their car, start driving down the road, look up and see a red-tailed hawk on a fence post.

"Just to see more birds, and be aware."
Construction of Montanas first utility-scale solar project east of Missoula wont start until late summer, several months later than Cypress Creek Renewables first estimated.

Its looking like well begin in mid-August, Jeff McKay of the California-based company said Friday. From there it usually takes about three months, so we plan to have construction fully completed by the end of the year.

The renewable energy company received approval in December from the Missoula County Board of Adjustment to purchase and build on 60 acres along Deer Creek Road between Interstate 90 and the Montana Rail Link tracks. The land is zoned residential, but the board granted a special exception for the solar project.

Cypress Creek said the 3-megawatt facility will entail some 17,000 panels equipped to track the sun from east to west and will tie into the NorthWestern Energy power grid near the former Milltown Dam.

Butch Larcombe, spokesman for NorthWestern Energy, said the Deer Creek plant is one of five utility-scale solar facilities Cypress Creek has under contract with the power company in in Montana to supply 25 years worth of electricity. The others are near Hardin, Helena, Reedpoint and Townsend.

But Cypress Creek doesnt plan to stop there.

Our goal at Cypress is to put as much solar in the ground as possible, McKay said. We feel that Montana is a great place to put solar, and the residents can greatly benefit from clean and affordable energy.

Founded just two years ago, the company bills itself as the largest and fastest-growing dedicated provider of local solar farms in the United States, with projects in various stages of development from California to South Carolina.

McKay said he suspects construction plans in Montana have been set back by delays to projects elsewhere.

I believe we have three more in Montana that would realistically start construction by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, McKay said, adding Missoula is still scheduled to be the first on line.

A federal law passed in 1978 requires public utilities such as NorthWestern Energy to buy electricity from renewable energy sources. In Montana, that includes solar facilities capable of producing up to 3 megawatts.

The Montana Public Service Commission sets the rates, and NorthWestern Energy asked the commission in early May to lower rates of the mandated purchase power agreements, in general from $66 per megawatt hour to $34.

Larcombe said his company is being inundated with requests for solar projects, with some 130 on the table.

Its our position that the rate that they could be reimbursed at is pretty attractive, he said. I think they see a good business opportunity.

NorthWestern Energy says the flood of large solar proposals does little to help it meet current energy needs and poses a significant risk" of higher electricity prices for Montana customers. The PSC has given parties that would like to intervene in NorthWesterns request until June 10 to take action.

In April, Lewis and Clark County commissioners agreed to a tax break for Cypress Creek Renewables to build its Helena solar farm.

According to the Helena Independent Record, property taxes for the Cypress Creek subsidiary that will operate the solar plant will be reduced by $142,000 in the first 10 years while generating $324,000 in property taxes for the county and school district.

Green Meadow Solar estimated it will spend nearly $5.5 million on equipment for the facility. Tax relief for improvements to new and existing businesses will reduce the company's property tax by 50 percent for the first five years, then incrementally less until Green Meadow pays its full share of taxes by the 10th year.

The incentive is one of the few actions local governments can take under state law to attract new businesses, the executive director of the Montana Business Assistance Connection told the county commissioners.

No such proposals have come across Missoula County commissioners desk, nor through the Community and Planning Services department, said Katie Klietz, the countys communication director.

There has been no indication the project is on hold/not happening, Klietz said in an email. However, we are still waiting for (Cypress Creeks) preliminary work to be completed before they can submit for a trail easement. Essentially, we are in a holding pattern on this project until they bring plans forward.

In its December hearing before the Board of Adjustment, Cypress Creek said it would readily agree to an easement across an unused portion of the 60-acre property for what's viewed as a key link in the extension of the Kim Williams trail to Milltown State Park.
Be here now.

Academy-Award winning actor and 1978 University of Montana alumnus J.K. Simmons summed up his advice for the Class of 2016 in those three words.

Im not sure if for young people in the Class of 2016 ... if listening to the voice of experience is what's most helpful, he said. I think what is most helpful for young people, for any people, is to do your best to adhere to the principles expressed in these three words.

The wind whipped through Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday morning, tumbling chairs like dominoes, ripping caps off students heads and ruining hair-dos.

"I apologize for the breeze. It's a little windy today," UM President Royce Engstrom said to begin the ceremony. "Hold onto your hats and it'll be a day to remember."

Simmons asked the more than 3,000 students participating in the ceremony to live in the moment, not dwell on the past, not be too anxious about the future.

I mean wherever you are physically present, to also be mentally, emotionally, spiritually present, he said. And by present I mean fully engaged, not staring at your damn smartphone all the time.

Im just another curmudgeon who likes to bitch and moan about how things were better in my day  which they were. Before smarty-pants-phones.

Life may be faster now, and more complicated. But, Simmons suggested, the path to success, however each person defines it, is still lined with the same principles:

Work hard, listen and be fully engaged.

***

Griz students have certainly worked hard, as outgoing president of the Associated Students of the University of Montana Cody Meixner expanded upon when talking about the all-nighters, obstacles theyve overcome and stress of final exams.

All of our years here have been challenging, but this last one I think was particularly difficult, he said. As enrollment dropped and budgets tightened, every member of our community began to grapple with complex questions about the capability of our institution and its worth. For awhile, this instilled panic and confusion, outrage, disdain.

He said that many students started questioning their time at UM, and how it would impact their future.

But as the snow melted and the Missoula Valley inversion lifted, I think we came to terms with what our institution is, he said. Sure, we have fewer students and yes, that means we have fewer faculty and staff, but I ask you to look around. To those students who have worked years to attain the degrees theyll receive today: Were all those efforts not real? Were all those lessons and experiences not valuable and life-changing? Is it not one of the most noble achievements to have pushed oneself to the extreme, confronted real and sometimes crippling obstacles and to have emerged victorious?

The University of Montana has taken every one of these students and molded them into the leaders of the state and of the nation and of the world. You have emerged victorious.

***

Aspiration without hard work is really just a pipe dream, Simmons said.

In a news conference prior to the ceremony, Simmons talked about his work and upcoming projects. But he shook his head any time the words "fame" or "notoriety" crossed his lips, as if it was silly for those words to be associated with him.

So many actors obtain notoriety when theyre young, he said. But its not about fame or fortune. Its about doing the work.

But Simmons, now 61, has grown in notoriety over the past several years as a popular character actor. Thats in stark contrast to his late 20s when he was broke and seeking jobs waiting tables while he worked to land his next role on stage.

Others' quotes punctuated his address, including his first line, pulled from "A River Runs Through It:" "The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana."

Simmons said he could "vouch for the veracity of that wonderful line."

"I've been many places, I've met many fine people, and I have also encountered what seems to be like more than my fair share of bastards," he said. "So it's really nice to be back here, where the odds are much more in my favor."

During the ceremony, Simmons was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Dr. Jack Ward Thomas, a notable wildlife biologist who's the former U.S. Forest Service Chief, also was honored with an honorary doctorate of science, though he couldnt attend Saturdays ceremony.

***

Simmons couldnt remember who gave the commencement address at his graduation 38 years ago  "someone educated and wise ... I assume"  and he didn't expect this year's graduates to remember much from his speech years from now.

So his advice was to-the-point: Take care of yourself: Eat your vegetables, get some exercise, floss. Use your turn signal. I know that has nothing to do with taking care of yourself, its just a pet peeve of mine. I needed to get that off my chest. Be on time. Please have the decency to ... not make people wait for you.

Take out your telephone and use it to make a telephone call. Call an old person. Call your mom. Call your dad.

The sentiment echoed his 2015 speech accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "Whiplash." The speech went viral online, and he repeated it on Saturday:

If youre lucky enough to have one or more parents alive on this planet, call them. Dont text. Don't email. Call them on the phone. Tell them you love them and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you."

His 14-year-old daughter has now read the Harry Potter series 14 times  literally, he said. That word, literally, took him on a tangent, scolding todays youth for its misuse and overuse.

On Thursday and Friday, Simmons said hundreds of Missoulians wanted to talk to him, not about his career but his parents  Don and Pat Simmons  and the impact they had on their lives.

Thats always my favorite part of coming back to Missoula, Montana, and to the University of Montana, he said. My parents didn't often sit us down and preach to us about their philosophy of life. ... They led and taught by quiet example, by living life well and being kind, considerate, by obeying the golden rule, by using common sense. My wife and I try to do the same with our children. We try to be here, now.

Thank you for having me, and thank you to my mom and dad for having me  literally.
Outlandish stories live in Lowell School  some that teachers don't want published.

As the elementary school prepares to move to Mount Jumbo School for a year while Lowell is under construction, teachers and staff are looking back at its history and the highlights of their careers.

The project is estimated to cost about $11.4 million, part of Missoula County Public Schools $88 million elementary district bond that earned voter approval last fall. Construction begins June 11. Its overhaul wont be as drastic as Franklins  the main building will remain standing  but the addition and renovations mark a huge change, particularly for those who have worked there for years.

Lowell opened its doors in 1909, making it the oldest active school in the district.

It was designed by renowned architect A.J. Gibson, whos also known for designing Hellgate High, the Missoula County Courthouse and five University of Montana buildings, including Main Hall and Jeannette Rankin Hall.

Lowell was named after poet James Russell Lowell, mimicking surrounding streets in the Westside neighborhood. The school is bordered by Shakespeare, Sherwood, Scott and Phillips streets.

Theyre all named after really good writers, poets, philosophers, because they really felt when they were building this area that it was going to be the cultural center for Missoula, said school librarian Andrea Phillip, whose extensive historical account of Lowell started seven years ago for the schools 100th birthday celebration.

Brian Bessette is in his seventh year as principal, but his first position was as a student three decades ago. Bessette was part of Lowells last eighth grade class in 1985. He's the first Lowell principal to have attended the school.

It was kind of interesting the first few times I walked the halls as principal here, it was before anyone was really in the building, and all these memories would just kind of come rushing in, he said.

He was leaving the school just as first-grade teacher Cathy Carter was starting.

The kids think I built the building, but I havent been here quite that long, said Carter, whose classroom is in the annex, a one-story 1960 addition on the east side that houses four of the six K-1 classes.

***

Lowell started with a bang: the sound of its first principal falling down the stairs.

Christopher Rupp, Lowell's principal from 1909 to 1927, got into an argument with eighth-graders who didn't want to be in school (at the time, eighth-graders were older teenagers, Phillip said). Rupp was small in stature, so the kids shoved him down the stairs.

Soon after there was Russell Neal, Lowell's longest-serving principal, from 1927 to 1960.

"They were looking for somebody who could not be easily thrown down the stairs," Phillip said, laughing.

Lowell's most famous alumnus is Hoagy Carmichael, perhaps best known for composing "Georgia On My Mind" and "Stardust," among others. As a child, he briefly attended Lowell while living on West Pine Street. His mother would play piano in the halls while kids changed classes.

"Sometimes you almost think you can hear ragtime up there," Phillip said with a wink.

Custodian John Hayes  who worked during Neal's tenure  was in the right place at the right time. One summer, lightning struck the school. Hayes, who lived across the street, happened to see it from home.

"He saved the school," Phillip said. If you go in the attic today, you can still see the charred beams from the fire.

When teachers talk about the students they've had over the years, the first thing that comes to mind is the kids' kindness.

"I think they see the bigger picture sometimes," Carter said. "A lot of them don't have a lot of stuff, so they'll accept you for who you are."

"They remember this school," Phillip said. "It's a safe place for them. It's the first school I've ever worked at where kids have been sad to leave for summer vacation."

Lowell's staff is a goofy group. Fifth-grade teacher Carole Addis has worked at Lowell for 30 years and said the school has always attracted teachers with a good sense of humor.

"We have kids with overwhelming problems, and it can be so stressful ... so, you find stuff to laugh about," she said.

"This has always been a building where people have had a lot of fun. It's a very warm and caring staff."

When she comes back, her room won't have the heating and cooling fits it suffers from now, it'll have wireless internet and the walls will be red, not beige.

"For me, it might be a little emotional," Addis said. "Just having this remodeled, at first going, 'Wow, this is the end of an era.' "

***

From Sherwood Street, the school will mostly look the same, except that the annex will be torn down (for one, the annex was insulated with straw, which quickly grew moldy). Phillips Street will become the front of the school.

Were excited that we get to hold onto the historical piece but yet add new and make it brand new, state-of-the-art, functional, Bessette said. I think the thing were most excited about is were going to have functionality that we havent had before. And itll be ADA-accessible everywhere. Right now if you are wheelchair-bound or have mobility issues, to get to our gym you actually have to go outside and around the building to get in.

Knocking down the school was never part of the discussion. The community wouldn't have accepted that, he said. But it also ended up being more cost-effective to keep the main building and add on to the north.

Lowell joins Franklin in getting out of school early this summer, on June 8 instead of June 10, giving staff more time to pack before the move to Mount Jumbo. Lowell has the same drop-dead finish date of Aug. 11, 2017, giving the school time to be furnished and ready for school a couple of weeks later.

Crews have been doing plumbing and mechanical upgrades and replacements at Mount Jumbo since it hasn't been used as an elementary school since 2004. Walls will be patched and painted, and office spaces will be framed. The gym floor will be redone, and crews will tackle the grounds and landscaping.

All Lowell students will be bused to Mount Jumbo, due to its distance from the schools boundaries. Bus routes and stops are being finalized and will be announced this month.

Lowells summer feeding program will move to the former Whittier School, the building MCPS leases to Head Start.

Lowell and Franklin will be the hardest right out the gate since two entire schools have to be moved for a year, said MCPS operations and maintenance supervisor Burley McWilliams.

Aside from a complete replacement, I dont think theres another project out there where wed move the whole school, he said. Anythings up for discussion when were planning. Anything can happen. Thats the thing is so many things have changed since the first day we started this. You get into it and you realize, no, thats not a good idea. We need to do it this way instead.

No turning back now!

While Franklin will be entirely torn down and rebuilt except for the gym, Lowell will instead undergo extensive renovations on the existing building.

The fact that we get to have this incredible facility that were going to come back to is really exciting, Bessette said. Well get to do some things weve been wanting to do. Well have shared spaces to have breakout sessions. Right now were kind of jamming things in the hallways and doing what we can, and it hasnt really held us back too much, but to have these opportunities before us now is really exciting.

***

Students will take a field trip to Mount Jumbo the last week of school to ease some of their anxiety about the move  and to help some with their sense of direction. One child asked Phillip if they would have to climb, thinking the school was far up Mount Jumbo. "Is it like Heidi? Are we going up a mountain?" Phillip said of the student's question.

"One of my little boys went home and told his parents that he was going to the new school by himself," Carter said.

Not quite, Carter had to remind him. Everyone is going.

Carter and Phillip had several stops and starts in their flashbacks, remembering stories and then quickly asking that they not be published: ghost stories (they don't want to scare the current students) or stories about out-of-line parents, like the one who cursed so loud that nearly the entire school could hear.

Of course, their favorite moments are the students who return, bringing back memories and doling out hugs.

People go like this: Why are you still there?  Carter said. Ive taught in other places, Ive taught in other cities, in other states. I go, 'Because you make a difference here. You have kids who do come back to you.' 
We fully support Dave Strohmaier for Missoula County commissioner. Strohmaier will work and stand up for whats best for all Missoula County communities, rural and urban alike. He is an independent thinker with a proven track record of not accepting the status quo, working with differing views, and being open to collaboration when necessary.

Strohmaier's commitment and response to local, neighborhood concerns was demonstrated in defending the Rattlesnake neighborhoods comprehensive plan against a proposed development that was inconsistent with the plan, a position eventually supported by a Montana Supreme Court decision validating the neighborhood plan.

Dave Strohmaier has a proven commitment to protecting public lands and preserving rural agricultural lands. He is the only candidate in the Missoula County commission race to be endorsed by Montana Conservation Voters. As a county commissioner, Strohmaier will serve the needs of rural and urban landowners in a fair and balanced manner and will work on social and economic issues that he have concerned him as a taxpayer and a publically elected official.

We are voting for Dave Strohmaier to be our next Missoula County commissioner.

Steve Seninger,

Daphne Herling,

Missoula
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There's good news for people who want to float this summer without the expense of owning a raft.

Outdoor Adventure Rentals  whose acronym fittingly spells "OAR"  arrived on the Butte small business scene last year and rents 14- and 18-foot rafts. The Uptown rental company also offers kayaks, pontoon boats, and inflatable paddle boards, which come in a 30-pound backpack for easy transport.

Co-owner Emmett Riordan said the only thing customers need to have a rafting adventure is access to a river, noting that rentals come with paddles, pumps, patch kits and life jackets.

"Just add water," Riordan said.

Rentals cost $150 to $200 per day depending on the size of the raft, but for an additional cost, prospective adventurers can purchase a package, which includes the raft primed and ready to go on a trailer.

Riordan owns the business with his brother Gene. The two launched Outdoor Adventure Rentals last year because they saw a need for rentals in Butte and surrounding area.

Riordan said the conversation started when he and his brother began kayaking but didn't want to purchase the small boats right away. They looked for places to rent but couldn't find a rental location near Butte.

"There's places to rent boating equipment in Bozeman, Helena, Craig and Missoula, but there really wasn't anybody in this part of southwest Montana."

Thus, OAR was born.

When asked whether there's a market for water-sport rentals in Butte, Riordan said that, although a river doesn't run through the Mining City, Butte residents like to float on nearby waterways like the Big Hole, Beaverhead and Jefferson.

But regardless of whether Montanans prefer to kayak or raft, one thing's for certain: people in this state are passionate about their rivers.

Owen Canavan, 29, is one Montanan who says he enjoys being able to get out on the water.

Canavan describes himself as "an avid fisherman sans a boat."

He rented from Outdoor Adventure Rentals last summer for a trip on the Big Hole and says the raft he received was river-ready on the trailer.

Canavan said one of the best parts of living in Montana is having access to the state's waterways.

"It's the most therapeutic activity I can think of," said Canavan, adding that fly fishing in particular helps him clear his mind because the finesse and concentration required to cast the line in the long, elegant arcs the sport is known for.

"I tend to lose sight of everything that's bothering me," he said.

Other Montanans who are passionate about Montana's rivers include Riordan and his brother Gene.

Riordan said he and his brother are life-long rafters who cultivated a love for the sport from an early age, when they began taking family rafting trips.

"The state stream-access law gives us access to all the rivers," said Riordan, noting Butte's proximity to several waterways.

"We're 30 minutes from the Big Hole  a blue-ribbon trout stream," he added.

Riordan is also an experienced white-water rafter.

He said he's rafted notorious waterways like the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, which is dotted with Class III and Class IV rapids.

"Once you're in, you're in," Riordan said, pointing out that once people launch a raft on the middle fork, it's impossible to leave without completing the 103-mile journey, due to the river's isolation and deep canyon walls.

While it's true this type of journey can be risky, Riordan said the adrenaline rush he experiences from whitewater rafting is well worth the risk.

"There's the thrill of adventure there, you know?" said Riordan.

However, Riordan says he also loves the sense of solitude he gets from calm, multi-day trips that take him away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

"You're pretty self-sufficient for three or four days," said Riordan as he spoke about multi-day trips on the Smith River. "It's a pretty good way to relax  there's no cellphone coverage."

"Being at the bottom of a river canyon  it's a pretty good place to be," Riordan said.

As for Canavan, he said there's no other place he'd rather be than on a river in Montana.

"I don' think there's a more beautiful place in the world other than here at home," he said.
Draught Works Brewery will soon be able to stay open later into the evening following a vote by the Missoula City Council to approve a conditi
There's a map on the website for the Crisis Text Line, a nationwide, 24/7 service that offers immediate support for anyone struggling with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts.

"We need to figure out ways to meet kids where they are," said Gov. Steve Bullock while promoting the service during a visit to Orchard Elementary.

The service has exchanged more than 17 million messages in the U.S. since 2013. Those messages, written by trained staff, offer support and resources to kids and adults in mental health crisis.

"So many times, text is the most comfortable mode or model of communication" for children, Bullock said.

Orchard wasn't randomly picked for the event. It's home to one of only three school-based health centers in the state, a model driven by the same principle as the text line  meeting kids where they are.

The clinic is staffed in part by a clinical social worker and is regularly visited by a child psychiatrist. It "has made a huge difference already," said School District 2 Superintendent Terry Bouck.

About half of the students at Orchard are registered to use the clinic, and about half of those have visited for some reason  whether it's a mental health issue or a runny nose. Students' family members can also use the clinic.

Dr. Eric Arzubi, the child psychiatrist, spends four hours at the clinic every two weeks.

"I'm full every time," he said.

The clinic is a collaboration between SD2, Billings Clinic and Riverstone Health. Groups like the Rimrock Foundation, which provides mental health counselors in Billings middle and high schools, also provide support in the district.

"Truly, this is a model for the rest of the state," Bullock said.

While some states have dozens of school-based clinics, the idea has been slow to catch on in Montana. At Orchard, the end goal is to keep students in school more, improving attendance and dependent outcomes, like graduation.

For issues like a cold or strep throat, early identification helps students get back to class sooner or keep them in class if the problem is benign.

"We can get ahead of those, intervene and prevent those from becoming more serious problems," said Nancy Taylor, a vice president of clinical services for RiverStone. "We've seen the highest demand for mental health service."

By offering early, consistent mental health support, officials hope to help students before they end up in the emergency room.

A 2015 survey showed that almost 30 percent of Montana students struggle with depression, and almost 20 percent had made a plan to take their own lives.

"It's scary information, and people don't want to listen to it," Arzubi said. "I've heard it over and over again, 'Oh, it's not the school's business, it's not the school's responsibility.' Well guess what? It is."

SD2 has said that it hopes to expand the school-based clinic model, but the district hasn't offered specific plans. Taylor said that the Orchard roll-out was intentionally cautious to determine whether the model is financially sustainable.

"What's the barrier? I think it's going to be a dollar sign," Bullock said.

It's a little more complicated, but it often boils down to money. At Orchard, TIF funds and money from the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools helped pay to renovate and furnish the clinic. Orchard was able to swing the space; many schools don't have an extra room or money for renovations.

Education and community outreach could be better, officials said.

Use by family members is "pretty low right now," Taylor said. "I think it's mostly because they don't know."
Still closed to the public nine months after the cleanup work ended, Durant Canyon's beauty will likely remain off limits for another two years, officials say.

Private property rights in the canyon, west of Butte, are the primary holdup, said Department of Environmental Quality project manager Joel Chavez, who oversaw the cleanup work along the approximate 26-mile stretch of creek.

"We have not opened the gates because we can't speak for the other property owners," Chavez said.

Overall, 10 miles of the Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trail have been built along parts of the lower stretch of creek, and $15.5 million has been spent. The money for the Greenway Service District, a two-county program established to build the trail along the creek, has come from grant allocations from the Upper Clark Fork River Basin Restoration, a fund managed by the Natural Resource Damage Program. The fund was established by the state after its legal settlement with Atlantic Richfield Company in 1999.

The district's budget for the entire project is $23 million.

There are 16 miles of trail yet to be built. When the trail is complete, it is expected to run from Butte to Opportunity. Currently the trail begins at Whiskey Gulch, just west of Butte.

Five of those 16 miles yet to be constructed will go through Durant Canyon, said Butte-Silver Bow community development coordinator Dori Skrukrud.

So far, the service district has purchased or secured over 150 acres of land along the lower creek. Skrukrud estimates that the district has about another 80 acres yet to negotiate for purchasing.

Skrukrud said the district has worked out 25 easements with the various utilities, agencies, private landowners, and the railroads who own right-of-way or property along the creek and its floodplain. But another approximately 15 easements still have to be negotiated.

The primary private landowners in the canyon, located just east of Fairmont Road, are the railroads. Three rail lines run through the canyon and continue eastward to Port of Montana, a major transportation hub for freight 8 miles west of Butte. Patriot Rail, which bought Rarus, owns one line. The other rail line is owned by Burlington Northern Sante Fe, or BNSF. Both lines are active.

A third line is abandoned, said Skrukrud.

The district is actively working on the land acquisition issue as well as easements, but the holdup is really the complexity of the ownership, said Skrukrud.

"We're plugging along," said Skrukrud.

But it's not a simple process. Both Chavez and Skrukrud called the land ownership along lower Silver Bow Creek a "checkerboard."

Skrukrud said one of the hardest parts of the whole process has been approaching private landowners about purchasing land that is not for sale.

Other landowners include DEQ and ARCO, both of whom have cooperated with the district, Skrukrud said. But working out the agreements, easements, land donations, right-of-way concerns, not to mention safety protocols, has been both time-consuming and complex.

Besides the active rail lines, there are transmission lines, the Silver Lake water line, and gas lines underground. The district has worked with the Montana Department of Transportation, Butte-Silver Bow County Public Works Department, NorthWestern Energy, and Bonneville Power Administration. They all have lines that crisscross or parallel the creek or are situated within the creek's floodplain. In addition to working out agreements with these agencies and companies for public access, the district has to be cognizant of potential future issues that could crop up, such as if a crane has to be brought into the canyon to lift a derailed railroad car or if a truck with a lift bucket might be needed down the road to work on transmission lines.

Other safety adjustments have been as simple as changing the gates at each trailhead to allow a single handicapped man who rides a hand cycle get through. But some safety adjustments have been as complex as building a pedestrian tunnel underneath a rail line west of Fairmont Road because the trail needed to cross the track. The district found that the only way for walkers to safely cross required building the tunnel.

Skrukrud says another tunnel is tentatively planned under one of the rail tracks in Durant Canyon.

Despite how far the district has yet to go to complete the trail, Skrukrud pointed out that the canyon is a big chunk of the 16 miles yet to be finished. In addition to negotiating easements and purchasing property, the district is putting up fencing along the railroad and building stations and trailheads. A station is under construction at the town of Silver Bow, about 8 miles west of Butte. It is expected to be complete in July of this year. Each station contains restrooms, parking lots and picnic tables.

The good news is that by the time the private property issues and easements are all worked out, the vegetation in Durant Canyon will likely be hardy enough to withstand the public using the area. Because the canyon was the last section of the creek DEQ tackled during the cleanup, it is the section with the most fragile vegetation. Public use could damage a cleanup that cost, in total, around $125 million.

But the best news is how much the area has transformed as a result of the 16-year cleanup.

"That's what's so cool about this project," Skrukrud said. "It's naturalizing; it's evolving; it changes."

Enhancements already put in place along the 10 miles of trail include bridges over the creek and benches placed along the way. A pond developed on its own along the path 2 miles west of Ramsay. Other little ponds have surfaced or were constructed by DEQ during the cleanup.

Along the trail from Silver Bow to Ramsay are wooden benches and bluebird boxes voluntarily built by Eagle Scout Blake Kraus.

And then there's the wildlife. A person taking a walk or a bike ride on the blacktop path might see a blue bird or a great blue heron or hear the slap of a beaver's tail. The site is a long way from what it once was  a creek devoid of life that ran in disturbing colors due to over a 100 years of mining activity.

And in about two years, the public will have the opportunity to enjoy all of lower Silver Bow Creek's transformation, including Durant Canyon.

"We're not trying to lock anybody out," Chavez said. "Eventually it'll be wide open, I know that."
Pat Munday, a professor with the Technical Communication Department at Montana Tech, leaves for China on Sunday, May 15  the day after Tech's graduation.

Munday will be in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, for six weeks teaching a short course at Sun Yat-sen University. The Chinese university is a partner institution of Montana Tech, and Munday hopes to recruit SYSU students to study environmental remediation at Tech.

He will teach a short course on science writing to graduate candidates and post-doctoral students. In addition to recruiting undergraduate engineering and science students for Tech, he will also host a film series about American culture.

Asked about his upcoming trip, Munday said: "It's a great honor to represent Montana Tech to a top-rated Chinese university. Sun Yat-sen University donated the amazing new parade dragon to the Mai Wah Society in Butte, and when I was invited to be the first Montana Tech faculty member to teach in the new exchange program, I just couldn't say no.

"In China, guanxi  the complex honor-based relationship that binds people together  is everything. If a friend asks you to do something, you do it without question or without asking, 'What's in it for me?' China is a little like Butte in that way, and I think Montana Tech and Sun Yat-sen are a good fit."
WASHINGTON -- Can Americans work longer? Or, are we so broken down by our 60s that extending work life would be cruel? These questions stalk the debate over Social Security and Medicare. Critics of current policy, including me, have long urged that eligibility ages slowly rise to reflect longer life expectancy. Not so fast, counter others. Just because people live longer doesn't mean they can -- or should -- work longer.

We now have a new study that confronts the question. The answer: an emphatic yes. "Most people are healthy enough to work longer than they do now," write economists Courtney Coile of Wellesley College, Kevin Milligan of the University of British Columbia and David Wise of Harvard. Most Americans could work another two to four years without adverse consequences, they say.

That would move the current eligibility age for full benefits from today's 66 to somewhere between 68 and 70. Presumably, the increase would be phased in to give people time to adjust. (The full eligibility age is already scheduled to increase slowly to 67 by the end of the next decade.)

Of course, health issues alone won't settle the issue. Millions of Americans regard a lengthy retirement as something they've been promised. They don't want it cut, even if life expectancy has increased. (At birth, U.S. life expectancy is now 79 years, up from 70 years in 1960.) Their position is that Social Security spending should automatically increase to cover longer retirements. They also argue that the poor -- being less healthy than wealthier workers -- would be hit hardest by higher eligibility ages.

How do the economists conclude that most Americans could work a few years longer?

One way would be to define "good health" as the absence of some conditions (say, diabetes) and the presence of others (say, proper weight). The economists sensibly didn't do this. It would have opened an endless technical debate over the definition of "good health," with defenders of today's eligibility ages advocating an exacting definition and opponents embracing looser standards.

Instead, the economists took a simpler approach. For most of the last century, Americans' health has slowly improved. Mortality rates -- the share of the population that dies at a given age -- have dropped. The result is, for example, that the mortality rates for today's 55-year-old men equal rates for men who were 49 in 1977. Suppose, ask the economists, today's 55-year-olds worked in the same proportion as the 49-year-olds in 1977. Eighty-nine percent would be working now, as opposed to the 72 percent of 55-year-old men who actually work.

The study performs similar estimates along the 55- to 69-year-old age spectrum. In 2010, 37 percent of 65-year-old men worked; the rate would have been 77 percent if the 65-year-olds had worked in similar proportions as men in 1977 with the same death rates. The assumption is that people with the same death rates have roughly the same health and are equally capable of working.

But because this is not necessarily so, the study performs a similar exercise on people's evaluations of their own health -- are they in good, fair or poor health? -- and their ability to handle "activities of daily living"; these include dressing, bathing, walking across a room. Arguably, these detailed measures of health more directly affect the capacity to work. Again, the same relationship holds: Older people today seem as healthy as people who were several years younger a few decades ago. So why shouldn't they work the same way, too?

What's confusing is that -- quite obviously -- older people are less healthy than younger people. The catch is that they're getting less healthy at a slower rate: Today's older Americans are healthier than yesterday's older Americans. What, if anything, should we do about that?

The economists don't make a specific policy proposal. They concede that even a gradual increase in Social Security's eligibility age would fall hardest on the poor, who have shorter life expectancies. They also note that older workers face possible job discrimination and that any change in the eligibility age relates to the larger issue of how much the government should support retirement. They simply "intend for our analysis to contribute to the discussion about relatively modest changes to Social Security."

Unfortunately, that's a debate we aren't having.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group
I truly enjoyed reading Rob Chaney's article on the Blackfoot River in Thursday's (May 5) Outdoors section of the IR (also ran in The Montana Standard). Our public lands and waterways, and especially the Big Blackfoot, are the heart and soul of Montana and I appreciate being informed of feeder-stream restoration projects such as the one Rob describes in his piece.

The private landowners involved are to be commended obviously, but not to be overlooked is the fact that state and federal government participation was also a critical component of this project. In this time of anti-government bombast, it is easy to forget just how important sufficiently-funded state and federal governments are to our way of life. I, for one, am happy to pay taxes to help support projects such as this one. May it spawn many more.
A proposal to triple the number of wolves that hunters and trappers can kill just outside Yellowstone National Park was rejected Thursday by Montana wildlife commissioners. Do you agree with this decision?
For those people who think the battle for the Republican nomination is over, Donald Trump supporter Audrey Walleser says think again.

The Montana team leader of the Trump grassroots campaign won't be treating Saturday's state GOP delegate convention in Billings as a victory lap, even though Trump is the only Republican candidate still campaigning.

"In the true Conrad Burns fashion, you run like hell until 8 o'clock at night when the polls close and go, 'OK, I think we may have won,'" Walleser said.

Several hundred Republicans are gathered in downtown Billings to decide who will represent Montana at the party's national convention July 18 through 21 in Cleveland. About a third of the people wanting to take that trip to Cleveland will be Trump supporters, Walleser said. The rest, not so much.

Montana has 27 delegates to the Republican National Convention, three of which are already assigned. The rest will be decided this weekend at meetings in Crowne Plaza and the Northern Hotel. The winner of Montana's Republican primary gets all 27 delegates through the first vote of the national convention, after which the delegates can vote for whomever they want if more than one vote is needed to select a presidential candidate.

The weeks leading up to the Montana delegate convention have been a real battle. Members of the Trump National Campaign swooped in a few weeks ago to make sure that Trump supporters, many of whom have never been involved in party politics, actually applied for delegate consideration.

Meanwhile, the more battle-tested Montana members of the Ted Cruz campaign were scouting county central committees to find true Cruz supporters, ones willing to support the Texan on a second vote at the national convention should Trump fall short of the 1,237 delegates needed to win in a first voting round.

All that strategizing proved seemingly pointless May 3, when Trump won the Indiana primary. Texas Sen. Cruz, who before Indiana was expected to be in Billings on Friday, suspended his campaign. Ohio Gov. John Kasich suspended his campaign the next day.

Less than two weeks after Cruz' defeat, his Montana supporters are pretty raw, said state campaign director Will Deschamps. A Missoula Republican and former state GOP chairman, Deschamps is encouraging those supporters to suck it up and back Trump. He's had more than a few Cruz supporters call asking for advice.

"I told them, 'I don't know about you, but I'm going to support the nominee, and I think that's going to be Trump.'" Deschamps said. "They were horrified. I said, 'Do you really want Hillary Clinton to be the next president?'"

Deschamps said he will encourage Cruz supporters to stay involved and focus on Republican candidates in down-ticket races. The Cruz campaign has offered to help down-ticket Republicans get elected, he said.

Before those races get attention, there's convention delegates to be elected.

Bill Porta, a Billings real estate broker, is one of the Trump supporters trying to become an elected delegate. He's never been involved in party politics before. The past few weeks have been a crash course in delegate politics.

"It's been interesting; you do get a lot of conflicting information. You get three or five different people you talk to telling you three or four conflicting things," Porta said.

In past delegate conventions, when supporters of one candidate wanted to get its delegates elected over another candidate's, confusion was baked into the process.

In 2008 supporters of candidate Ron Paul printed and distributed what looked like the "McCain Presidential Unity Slate National Delegate Voting Guide," complete with McCain's campaign logo. There were a few well-known McCain delegates listed, like former U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, who chaired McCain's Montana campaign, but 14 of the 22 names on the purported McCain list were Paul delegates.

McCain backers printed a "Johnn McCain Unity Slate," also with McCain's logo. The extra "n" on McCain's first name was a deliberate typo so his backers would know that it was the real list.

McCain delegates won all 22 spots.

Once elected, delegates aren't on easy street, said Laurel Republican Ken Miller, a former state legislator and party chairman.

Miller and his wife Peggy are campaigning to be delegates. If they win, the couple will have to pay their own way to Cleveland.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The smell of good barbecue and the sounds of good music were coming out of Muscatine's Discovery Park Saturday.

The Pearl City Picnic is a barbeque competition sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and hosted by Senior Resources. The proceeds benefited Senior Resources.

Mark Wehrle, Cynful Smokers BBQ, Wapello, has been barbecuing for about 10 years and competing for about eight years. He also has a catering and vending service.

"This drum smoker really works for us. It cooks things hot and fast but renders the fat out of the meat and makes some really good product," Wehrle said.

Cynful, which is named after his wife Cynthia, entered the rib and chicken competitions.

Richard Rodney, owner of Rodney's Jamaican Jerk, Iowa City, was slathering his special sauce on a grill full of chicken.

"Right now I am doing barbecue chicken over there and barbecue ribs right here," said the Jamaican native. "That's my specialty, barbecue chicken."

His secret is a spice rub which he describes as "75 percent of it is straight out of Jamaica and 25 percent is Iowa."

"You hardly can find it anywhere else."

He moved to Iowa after marrying his wife Kristine. She was also helping at Saturday's competition.

Besides the competition, vendors were serving food to hungry visitors. The proceeds were given to Senior Resources.

Senior Resources provides support to senior citizens in the form of hot meals, clothing, and general assistance with home maintenance and self-care.

The picnic is in its third year in Muscatine. This is the first year the contest has been sanctioned by KCBS. There were four categories (pork ribs, chicken, sauce, and Peoples Choice) and a total of $5,000 in cash prizes were awarded.

Entertainment was provided by Just 4 Fun.
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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 []
A report that a tip from a CIA spy to authorities during apartheid led to former president Nelson Mandelas arrest in 1962 is proof that western powers were trying to destabilise former liberation movements in Southern Africa, the ANC said on Sunday.

That revelation confirms what we have always known, that they are working against [us], even today, national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

Its not thumb sucked, its not a conspiracy [theory]. It is now confirmed that it did not only start now, there is a pattern in history.

According to AFP, the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom cited comments reportedly made by Donald Rickard, a former US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative, to British film director John Irvin.

Irvins new film Mandelas Gun, about the months before Mandela arrest was due to be screened at the Cannes film festival this week.

Rickard reportedly explained how Mandela was arrested as he travelled between Durban and Johannesburg but did not explain how he had learnt where he would be.

I found out when he was coming down and how he was coming thats where I was involved and thats where Mandela was caught, Rickard was quoted as saying.

He added that Mandela was completely under the control of the Soviet Union.

Mandela had to be stopped

He could have incited a war in South Africa, the United States would have to get involved, grudgingly, and things could have gone to hell.

We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it.

Earlier this week, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, who attended a meeting of former liberation movements in Zimbabwe, said the movements had become powerful governments but had also become targets of regime change.

According to eNCA, Mantashe said western powers turned to the practice as a way of overthrowing political authorities considered inconvenient to western interests.

This is not the first time Mantashe has made such allegations.

In February, speaking at an anti-racism march in Pretoria, he accused the US Embassy of meeting daily to advance regime change in South Africa.

Mantashe accused the embassy of taking people to the United States for six weeks and then bringing them back to the South Africa and planting them on campuses.

He was referring to the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which was part of the Young African Leadership Initiative.

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At 8 a.m.  the start of the Napa Community Yard Sale  Rocio Arroyo was on Alice Street finding the deal of a lifetime. A washer and dryer set in working condition for $30.

She bought them, and a few hours later she was back with a truck to pick them up. Its really cheap, she said.

Arroyo and her sister, Maria Ortiz, worked together with Laury Plumel and Pam Deschene to get the appliances into the truck. The four women pushed and maneuvered, wondering out loud where all the men were, but they didnt need them. Both appliances were up and in without any injuries and Plumel, who was running the yard sale, was glad to see them go.

This was Plumels second time participating in the yard sale. She was well prepared, had really cleaned out all her closets and even had photocopies of the yard sale map to give out to people.

Disneyland or Bust read a sign posted on her garage. Plumel planned on using whatever yard sale earnings she made to help with the cost of going to Disneyland with her family. Her granddaughter is five now, just the right age to be oblivious of the exit signs, Plumel said. Shes at an age where she can be on the ride and get the full fantasy, she said.

Plumel had all sorts of things out on her driveway from different stages in her life including cabinets she stored balloons and helium in when she had her balloon business, a punching bag her grandson no longer uses, and items that belonged to her father who died nearly 20 years ago.

Over on Patton Avenue, Diane Chupinski was selling a guitar, a bicycle, some bar stools, craft supplies and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Steve cant go home until he sells the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, she said of her brother-in-law, Steve Champagne.

This was Chupinskis first year participating in the yard sale, but she said that it was a good deal for $20. Its a good day to get rid of stuff and meet your neighbors, she said. Your neighbors always came out for yard sales.

But sales werent quite as busy as she expected. Its been weird, she said  maybe one customer every 15 minutes. Still, she wanted to try to have a garage sale before making her donations, she said. And the timing was right  Chupinski wanted to get the sale out of the way before she and her friend go on a big two-week road trip through Arizona, Texas and Arkansas.

It was surprising to see what people were interested in, said Eryn Groskopf, who was helping her mom with her yard sale on Wilkins Avenue.

Its funny to see how people will react to what you have out, she said. The thing she thought would sell last, sold first  a faded table umbrella.

Her mother, Charlene Groskopf, doesnt usually have yard sales, but she has wanted to have one. I knew I wanted to have a garage sale because I know I wanted to pass on my treasures, she said. It helped that the city provided signs and advertising, she said, and it was cool deal.

She was a little nervous at the start of the sale, wondering if anyone was going to show up because her sale was sort of isolated on the map. But people found it, she said.

They start coming in packs its like the checkout line at the grocery store.

The Duke of Earl was playing at Dianne Priors yard sale on Las Flores Drive, along with other 60s rock n roll favorites. My husband thought it would be a good idea to have music, she said. Prior said that she had been preparing for the sale since Monday and woke up at 5 a.m. to put things out on Saturday.

It was successful and she sold a lot, but she said that she might have had more people come by if she had put out her own signs. It was my choice to save my energy, she said. Silverware, glassware and VHS tapes were still on display after 2 p.m. and Prior said she wasnt sure what she was going to do with it all.

Toni Heitman on Fairfax Drive said that she would either give her leftover items to charity or sell them on Nextdoor.

I have found that if you dont sell it by 2 oclock, its not worth standing out here, she said. Heitman said that this years community yard sale was dead compared to previous years.

Usually the first 2 hours are bang  theyre just all over you, said her friend, Jeanette Harris. This year, people just trickled in, she said.

Even though it was slow, they enjoyed spending time with each other. Talking with each other was the highlight of the day, Harris said.

We get to gab, said Mary Moorehead, in agreement.

Driving from yard sale to yard sale, it seemed like there wasnt very many people attending the yard sales. Napa resident Andrea Rendon guessed it was because other events, including a 5k road race, were going on at the same time. It kind of came in bursts, she said, but there didnt seem to be a peak time or as many people as she usually sees when she holds a yard sale.

Its a lot of work, but it was fine, she said. If she decides to do it again next year, she said she will definitely put up more signs.

The registration fee of $20 benefited Napa Parks and Recreation Senior Center Programs.
Im voting for Gabe Griess. I met Gabe and his wife, Kristie, four years ago through the Honorary Commander program at Travis Air Force Base. At his squadron change of command, I was inspired by his speech expressing his commitment to his squadron, family, friends, colleagues and country.

It was in this moment that I thought that this man is heading for a career in politics. He stood strong and passionate about the mission to which he was assigned: to train, educate and advise while building partnerships across Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

It is not only because I got to know Gabe that I believe he has what it takes to represent us in the Capitol. He has demonstrated strong leadership skills and genuine concern for my hometown of Vallejo. Gabe took the time to visit the side of town that I grew up in and spoke to residents about the controversial ORCEM/VMT project, showing that he wants to connect with the people who are impacted firsthand by this project near their homes.

He makes an effort to reach out and learn about issues in the forgotten areas of our town such as South Vallejo. He has a genuine concern for our natural resources, especially water. We have to make policy that considers our future generations and precious resources. We need someone who can advocate for the environment!

Gabe met with me more than once to answer my questions about his plan to make Solano County more than just the county with potential.

Solano County has not been given the attention it deserves from the state. It is time we put someone in office who has closer ties to our county and can address the issues impacting us today! Gabe has fresh new ideas to address our county needs.

Marisela Barbosa

Vallejo
COCOA BEACH and PORT CANAVERAL, Florida  Event organizers for the 2016 Thunder on Cocoa Beach super boat race addressed concerns many locals have about potential harm to sea turtles on the beach and in the ocean.



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Each year we work hand in hand with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society to ensure the safety of sea turtle nests and turtles in the waters off Cocoa Beach, organizers wrote in their Facebook page.



During the month of May, both leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles are nesting along Brevard Countys beaches. Floridas Space Coast has more loggerhead nests each year than anywhere else in the United States. Last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission counted 23,977 Loggerhead nests on Brevard County beaches.



For the entire week leading up to the races we have spotters on the beach every morning looking for nests. If any are found they are marked and roped off. If the nests are in areas where the race event takes place we have a contingency plan in place to move the event setup as to not disturb the nests, organizers wrote.



In addition to leatherbacks and loggerheads, Kemps Ridley and green sea turtles inhabit the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cocoa Beach and inside the mouth of Port Canaveral.



During the races we have our Turtle Spotters in the air flying with Florida Air Tours and Super Boat International, in boats on the race course and on the beach, wrote organizers. If any turtles are on the race course before the races we will not begin until they are safely off the course. If any turtles are spotted during the races we will throw the caution flag and the boats will stop until the course is cleared. Neither of which has ever happened. Thanks to our dedicated Turtle Spotters, the staff at the Sea Turtle Preservation Society and our wonderful race fans there has never been an injured sea turtle or turtle nest in the history of Thunder On Cocoa Beach and we will work tirelessly each year to keep it that way.









Super Boat Race Time And Route
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The suspect, Shariful Islam, was arrested from Kushtia district earlier on Sunday, said Dhaka Metro Police Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar.

Sardar said Shariful Islam belongs to an Islamist militant outfit, bdnews24 reported.

Shihab is an activist of the Ansarullah Bangla team. They have been hiding in Khulna since the killings, detective branch deputy commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled said.

On April 25, Xulhaz Mannan, a programme officer with the USAID and editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were hacked to death with meat cleavers in a Dhaka apartment by at least six assailants.

Militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla, which claims to be the Bangladesh affiliate of Al Qaeda, had claimed responsibility for the killings as well as for six other previous killings of bloggers.

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in Bandarban district.

--IANS ksk/vt

( 190 Words)

2016-05-15-13:36:04 (IANS)
Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah will visit China this week at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Abdullah, 56, has been Chief Executive of the country since September 2014, Xinhua news agency reported. He visited China many times when he was Afghanistan's foreign minister. --IANS py/mr ( 56 Words) 2016-05-15-13:48:06 (IANS)
The court took cognizance of a charge sheet filed against him for allegedly sexually harassing and outraging the modesty of an ex-colleague.

The court said there were sufficient materials to proceed against Pachauri under section 354 A, 354 B, 354 D, 509 and 341 and so it dropped section 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

The court noted that there are allegations against Pachauri making sexually coloured remarks upon the complainant on several occasions and touched the complainant inappropriately, despite a clear expression of disapproval from her side.

It also noted that he allegedly sent inappropriate SMS and whatsapp messages to the complainant.

The court fixed July 11 as the date to supply copy of chargesheet to the accused.

Pachauri is embroiled in charges of sexually harassing a colleague in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

Earlier, the Delhi Police had chargesheeted the former executive chairman of TERI under various sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

The police have cited around 23 prosecution witnesses and several SMS texts, e-mails and WhatsApp messages exchanged between the accused and victim as evidence to support their case.

Pachauri has been charged with sexual harassment by a woman researcher who used to work directly under the veteran climate scientist and later resigned from her job as she felt 'let down' by TERI. She has now moved to another organisation. (ANI)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia's cousin brother Bharat Togadia and two others were stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in Varachha road area here. Bharat is the brother of Praful Togadia, who belongs to Congress and also the leader of Opposition in BJP-controlled Surat Municipal Corporation. Babu Hirani and Ashok Patel are the other two who were stabbed to death last night. One Mahesh Radadiya was seriously injured in the attack. Surat Police has started investigating the case and a search operation for the accused is on. All entry and exit points here have been blocked. Further details are awaited. UNI ND DS RK0715 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-733395.Xml
Three men, including VHP president Pravin Togadia's cousin, were stabbed to death after they were attacked by six youths with sharp weapons in a builder's office at Varachha here late on Saturday night. Police said they suspected real estate dispute to be the reason behind the triple murder. The three men have been identified as Bakul Hirani (45), Bharat Togadia (40), brother of Congress councillor Pappan Togadia and first cousin of Pravin Togadia and Mahesh Radadiya (35), son of a former Congress councillor. The condition of one man, Ashok Patel (32), who was injured, is critical.According to preliminary inquiry, a meeting over a property deal was in progress between the four men, all real estate developers, at Hirani's office at Varachha on Saturday night. A group of six to seven youth, armed with sharp weapons, barged into the office and attacked the men after a heated argument. All four severely wounded were rushed to the SMIMER hospital where three of them were declared dead while one was critical. Surat Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia said the accused have been identified. They are believed to be known to Bakul, Bhatia said. Pravin Togadia, who was in Bhavnagar, left for Surat on Saturday night to attend the funeral of his cousin on Sunday afternoon. UNI ND CJ GC1032 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-733467.Xml
Seven construction workers were buried alive when a massive earthen mound caved on them while they were working in the cellar of a under construction multi-storied building at Lakshmipuram area here. Police said the incident took place when as many as 10 workers were working in the cellar about in 20 feet depth at around 1930 hours last night and it came to light sometime later. However few of them escaped and another was retrieved alive. The deceased were identified as B Soloman (22), T Seshababu (19), B Sunil (22), B Rajesh (25) Prashant (18), J Sudha (40) and B Babu (18). Five of the deceased were students and they were pursuing graduation and intermediate courses. Since educational institutions were declared summer holidays, they came to the work to earn some money but lost their lives in the tragic incident. One more student V Hari Babu (18), studying intermediate, was extricated from the soil and admitted to the GGH. Meanwhile tense situation prevailed at the accident site for sometime last night when Social Welfare minister Ravela Kishore Babu rushed there to supervise the rescue operations. Irate workers pelted stones on the car damaging the windscreen. Labour Minister Atchannaidu Kinjarapu announced an ex-gratia of Rs.5 lakh to the each deceased.UNI DP CS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-733526.Xml
The Multi-disciplinary Commitee constitued by District Election Officer and Tiruppur Collector over Interception of containers carrying cash allegedly amounting to Rs 570 crore and claimed as belonging to SBI will complete its verification and place the report before election observers later in the day.The Committee comprising of Income Tax (Investigation), senior bank and State Government officials were under the supervision of senior General Observers, Police Observer and Expenditure Observers. The Reserve Bank of India is also being consulted in this regard, an official statement here said.Meanwhile, considering the quantum of cash involved, the Election Commission of India has instructed that the vehicles must be kept properly cordoned/ fenced and public should not be allowed access near close vicinity, that the area should be kept well-lit and if required, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board should be alerted against any power-cut. The Three containers were taken to Tirupur Collectorate and personnel of paramilitary forces were posted to guard the vehicles, Generator set must be kept ready as standby. Further, the place should be kept under CCTV monitoring and all action taken near the vehicles must be video graphed. Also, all operations must be carried out in transparent and secure manner and the Expenditure Observers shall supervise the entire premises, the statement said. On May 13 the Static Surveillance Team-1 officer .Vijayakumar of 113 Tiruppur (North) Assembly Constituency, while on rounds on the National Highway from Salem Cochin, intercepted 3 innova cars and three containers at Chengapalli in Uthukuli Taluk at 0000 hours. Three vehicles did not halt when directed by the Static Surveillance Team. The vehicles were followed up and intercepted when they were filling fuel in a petrol bunk. The security officers accompanying the vehicles who belonged to Andhra Pradesh were not in uniform, the documents submitted did not have the vehicle numbers of the container lorry and the date mentioned in the invoice also did not match. State Bank of India (SBI), Coimbatore has informed the authorities that the money is their property and the same was being transferred from Coimbatore to Vishakhapatnam. However, since the vehicles contain large amount of cash with unsatisfactory documentation, the same were brought to safe custody for further investigation, the statement said. Reports quoting the Election Commission of India said the confiscated amount was 'suspect cash'.MORE UNI CS CJ -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-733534.Xml
Over 900 patients, including women and children, were treated and provided free medicine at two medical camps organised by Army in far flung areas in South Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Shopian.Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel N N Joshi here today said that a medical camp was organised at Government Middle School, Anzwala in Anantnag by the local Army unit with the assistance provided by civil administration. "Over 500 people from local areas were provided free treatment at the medical camp," he said, adding in light of upcoming summer season, numbers of locals are being diagnosed with getting diseases like Chicken pox, Measles, Back pain, Skin rashes and Mumps. "The medical camp was essentially organised to contain these diseases," he said. Col Joshi said an awareness capsule was also organised in the camp, wherein apart from showing educative and informative movies, lecture and interactive session by DOTs provider was also carried out. "This effort by the local unit was highly appreciated by locals and they expressed their gratitude towards men in green for helping out elderly and toddlers who are worst affected by change in climatic conditional," he said. Meanwhile, a medical camp was organised by Army at Sheildor, village with an aim to provide free medical treatment to the villagers of Sheildor, Maspur and adjoining area in Shopian. "The medical camp received an overwhelming response from the locals," he said, adding over 400 locals attended the camp and availed medical assistance."Medical Officer of Army Camp Shopian along with trained medical staff from Army were made available under one roof to provide the free medical checkup as well as free medicines to the local populace including men, women and children. The camp witnessed overwhelming response from the villagers who were very happy to receive much needed treatment in a very congenial environment," he said. "Local populace especially village elders including Panchs and Sarpanchs applauded the medical assistance provided by the Army for well-being of the AWAAM. Commanding Officer, Shopian based Army camp assured the AWAAM of their continuous support and cooperation in all welfare related aspects," Col Joshi added.UNI BAS CJ GC1248 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-733480.Xml
After about two months of high-voltage campaign, the high and mighty of the Indian politics are now waiting with baited breath for the coming week when results of the Assembly elections in four states and one Union territory would be announced making or marring their fortunes in the electoral battle which is being seen as a curtain raiser of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.The election campaign in eastern and north-eastern states of West Bengal and Assam, southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and its bordering Union territory of Puducherry saw top leadership of all parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and battery of senior Cabinet Ministers besides Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi braving the heat and dust of peak summer to reach out to the voters.The very high voter turn out, above 80 per cent on an average in Assam and West Bengal, has left the political pundits guessing about its implications for different players in the field.In the last phase of elections, southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are going to polls tomorrow. The counting of votes will begin on May 19 and results will be announced the same day.The electioneering extended over two months had its full share of fierce clash of personalities, verbal duels, scams and violence.One of the most fierce electioneering was witnessed in West Bengal, where the Left and the Congress have pooled their might to dislodge the Mamata Banerjee government which was plagued by a slew of controversies in the run up to the announcement of polls. The Opposition wasted no efforts to brow beat the Mamata Bannerji headed TMC Government on the Sarada scam in which some of the top party names surfaced. Besides Sarada, the Narada sting scam, the collapse of the under-construction bridge in Kolkata, which brought to the fore the nexus between politicians and cement syndicates, allegations of extortion of money and political violence by TMC workers also found the ruling TMC at the target of the Left which was still finding hard to digest its ouster by Mamata Bannerjee's Trinamool Congress after remaining 34 years in power.The BJP is this time looking to open its account in the state, and even if the party wins about half a dozen seats in the states, it would be a big gain for it . The party had won two out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in 2014 elections.In Kerala, it was the rape of a dalit student that rocked the Oomen Chandy Govenrment during the electioneering, but the mother of all controversies was in store for the last week of the campaign when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comparison of Kerala with Somalia gave Mr Chandy a powerful tool to beat the ruling party and assume lead in the offensive. The issue resulted in open war between the Prime Minister and Mr Chandy who exploited Mr Modi's remark to the hilt to evoke the state people's sense of honour. The closing week of the campaign also saw the two leaders sparring over their respective claims of efforts to evacuate Keralites from Libya. The ruling party at the Centre is eyeing to open its account in this state where it had recently done well in the local elections. While the Left shook hands with the Congress in West Bengal, in Kerala it was in fight with the Congress-led United Democratic Front as its main adversary. The Left might be facing some advantage in the backdrop of the anti-incumbency factor and also due to the corruption charges faced by the Oommen Chandy Government. It has traditionally been a straight contest between the Congress-led UDF and the CPM-led LDF in Kerala. In the last Assembly elections, the UDF had won with only a narrow margin.The BJP has formed an alliance with the newly formed Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena(BDJS).The did well in the Lok Sabha elections when its candidate O Rajagopal lost to Dr Shashi Tharoor of the Congress only by a narrow margin, getting an impressive 32.32 per cent votes.Elections to the 140 seats of the Assembly will be held in a single phase tomorrow.Despite losing all the Assembly by-elections recently, the Left also got something to cheer about when it won 60 per cent of the seats in the recent local body polls. More UNI NAZ ADG 1310 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-733606.Xml
The issue of bifurcation of Uttar Pradesh for speedy and better development could once again set to be a major poll agenda during the next 2017 assembly polls in the state. Except for the ruling Samajwadi Party, all the other three political giants of the state-- BSP,BJP and Congress, have supported from time to time for dividing the state in four parts. The BSP is all set to rake up the issue before the assembly polls and it could be their main poll plank in 2017. Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) of Ajit Singh, a staunch supporter of Harit Pradesh or western UP, too will raise the issue during the elections. Meanwhile BSP president Mayawati has summoned all its senior leaders including the legislators to New Delhi on May 20 to discuss upon the poll agenda and other strategy in UP.''The issue of the bifurcation of state in four parts would be a major poll plank of the party in the UP polls and this could be discussed in the meeting next week," a senior BSP leader confided to UNI here today. BSP leader hinted that this time Ms Mayawati could put the proposal for the division of the state in the party manifesto itself. However, Samajwadi Party would vehemently oppose the move of the political parties to divide the state. The party had opposed the creation of Uttarakhand leading to several law and order problem in west UP at that time. BSP supremo Mayawati had passed a couple of resolution in the state assembly to divide UP into four parts Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Western UP and Awadh Pradesh when she was chief minister between 2007-12. But the UPA government, in which BSP was an outside partner, refused to oblige. Political parties like the BJP and the Congress had also supported the division of the state for better development from time to time. Political outfit pro to the division of the state gives several reasons for their demand. Deteriorating law and order situation and lack of uniform development have been a big challenge for the state governments ever since independence besides its humongous size is believed to be the one of the reasons given for its division. Mayawati is determined to prove her vision and commitment for development in UP by going ahead with its division. This may also be her attack on the Akhilesh Yadav -led SP government under which the law and order situation is in a helpless state. In 1955,Dr B R Ambedkar, in his book Bhashayi Rajya, too had recommended the division of the state. Mayawati can claim she is taking ahead Ambedkar's vision and declare herself to be the inheritor of his legacy. A huge aspiration for development has made its way among ordinary people and local leaders who are working in these sub-regions. These people have affiliated themselves more with the political centre and are aspiring for political participation. Mayawati can gain popularity among the common masses in these four sub-regions by her political move. Mayawati will raise it again but the scene is a bit different now. Unlike earlier, people now remember her struggle on this issue during the time of her government. It will be her USP. People aspire for a green and divided state in western UP which is the fundamental base of her politics. Her move may therefore strengthen her political base even more in western UP. It is likely that BJP will join hands with the BSP because it has always been the supporter of small states. It is noteworthy to mention that states like Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh were formed during the rule of BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, it may not take electoral advantage because it is seen as BSP's issue. Congress is also a supporter of smaller states, but it has given its separate identity on the matter to get political mileage. Now it has to be seen whether RLD allies with some bigger political party or contest the UP polls alone but it is sure that Harit Pradesh would be their top poll manifesto. Thus Samajwadi Party will be the only political outfit demanding an undivided UP. UNI MB RSD CJ GC1307 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-733536.Xml
Poster politics controversy in Uttar Pradesh is on the rise with a new poster depicting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as 'Bhagwan Narsingh', when the leader is on a day long visit to the state capital today. The poster, which has been circulated in the social media was shown Nitish Kumar sitting on SheshNag and crushing liquor, corruption and misgovernance with his foot. However, immediately after the viral of the poster, Janata Dal (united) state spokesperson Amit Pathak has denied that the poster has nothing to do with the party. "We do not support such type of publicity and it could be an idea of any individual," he said. The poster was made viral in the social media by one Abhishek Singh Patel,a former general secretary of the youth wing of the party. He is a native of Fazilnagar in Kushinagar district. Earlier,on May 12 during JD(U) rally at Varanasi, Nitish Kumar was projected as 'Arjun' and party leader Sharad Yadav as 'Lord Krishna' fighting against the BJP government at the Centre and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. The Varanasi poster depicts, Mr Kumar as Arjun and Sharad Yadav as Lord Krishna, which targets the Narendra Modi government alleging that they are infusing communalism in the country creating anarchy in the society. The poster had further said the rally will also announce ' a war' on corruption against the Uttar Pradesh government.Bharatiya Janata Party Uttar Pradesh president Keshav Prasad Maurya was depicted as 'Lord Krishna' and 'Arjun' in posters here too . He however, warned of strict action against those who depict him as God in posters or hoardings. Earlier, a poster in Gorakhpur showed BJP's Yogi Adityanath riding a tiger,while Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders were shown sitting on donkeys. Last month,a poster of BSP supremo Mayawati depicting her as Goddess Kali slaying Union Minister Smriti Irani with Prime Minister Narendra Modi shown in a miniature form had surfaced in Hatras.The poster was part of the tableau being taken out in Sadabad town during Ambedkar Shobha Yatra to mark his 125th birth anniversary.UNI MB CJ SB1314 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-733593.Xml
The missile was launched at 11.15 a.m. from the launching complex.

The success of Advanced Air Defence interceptor missile test now strengthens India's position in the very exclusive Ballistic Missile Defence club of the US, Russia and Israel. (ANI)
BJP will shift its focus on Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017 from next month beginning with holding a crucial meeting of booth presidents of Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions to be chaired by party national president Amit Shah in Kanpur on June 4. It will be first such meeting of Mr Shah with UP's booth level workers after taking charge as national president. Party's state spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said here today that the meeting would be cruicial one as the booth level workers are the real groundsmen of the party. During the meeting,the national president will hear the ground realities of the party and the suggestions to be made by the booth level presidents, Mr Pathak said while adding that Mr Shah will also address the workers at the meeting. "After the Kanpur meet, the national president would attend such meetings in other parts of the state to take stock of the party's ground work," he said. BJP leaders and booth unit presidents from nearly 50 Assembly constituencies of both Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions will attend the open-meeting at Palika Stadium in Arya Nagar Assembly segment of Kanpur on June 4. Along with booth committee presidents, the party has also invited district presidents, regional unit office bearers, local MPs and MLAs. A gathering of nearly 18,000 partymen is expected. There are about 10,000 booth units in Kanpur region. According to party leaders, booth level workers play a very important role during canvassing and on the polling day too. They hold the responsibilities of popularising vision and agenda of the party among masses, invite them in election meetings, and appeal to them to turn out on polling date to cast their vote. Booth committee workers remain familiar with local political developments. "The idea of booth committee was mooted by Amit Shah when he was general secretary in-charge of UP before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. His view is that a constituency could be won by winning booths. He had formed booth-level committees assigning workers the responsibility to conduct party programmes and tell voters about the party's promises and achievements through door-to-door campaign. The formula helped in the Lok Sabha polls. Now we will contest with the same idea in 2017 Assembly polls," said a party leader. There are nearly 7,000 booth units and 19 Assembly segments in Bundelkhand. But, there is only one BJP MLA in the region from Jhansi city. During the meeting booth presidents will be told about their tasks, responsibilities and strategies to ensure party's victory at their booths.UNI MB ADG VN1457 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0138-733823.Xml
Preparations have been completed for tomorrow's Assembly elections in Kerala where a total of 26.1 million electorates are eligible to elect 140 law makers from among 1,203 candidates, including 109 women. Distribution of Electronic voting machines and other polling equipments have been completed by afternoon, official sources said here. More than 52,000 police personnel, including 120 companies of central para military forces, have been deployed in the state for the smooth conduct of the elections. Additional security measures had been provided in 1,200 booths which were identified as sensitive. For the first time, new VVPAT (Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trial) voting machines that will show printouts to voters confirming the name and symbol of candidate to whom they have voted have also been installed at a few selected booths. . The printed slip cannot be taken and will fall inside a ballot box after being visible to the voter for seven seconds. Expressing confidence for a renewed mandate for carry forward the development projects initiated by his government, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said people would vote against the politics of violence unleashed by the Marxist-led Left Democratic Front. However, Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan said the LDF would come back to power. BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said the BJP would emerge as a major player in the state politics.More UNI CR CNR1420 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-733790.Xml
Uttar Pradesh would become one of the few states of the country where citizens going to United Kingdom(UK) can get their UK visa from Lucknow on every third Tuesday of the month. The new facility by the British government would be launched here on May 17. Former Advisor of NRI Department, Uttar Pradesh and MLC Madhukar Jetley said here today that this facility would benefit the people of UP, Uttarakhand and Bihar going to UK. "Very soon, other European countries would also be setting up such system in UP so that the people of the state can get visas easily" he told UNI here. Mr Jetley further said that in coming days, the British high commission will launch the facility to provide visa to senior citizens in Lucknow by visiting their homes." This facility would certainly give the elderly people a big relief. Mr Jetley said it was the untiring effort of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the cooperation of the British High Command that the facility could be provided in Lucknow. The British High Commission had given the security clearance to open the visa centre six months back. As per the details, the facility would be provided on the third Tuesday of every month. The applicants will have to provide complete visa application form, supporting documents passport and biometrices data at the centre situated at Golden Tulip hotel, in Lucknow. The applicants will also have to pay Rs 8,499 as visa fee while the applicant would get their visa and passport by post on their address. However, applicants would have to pay the visa fees and book an appointment online through www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa.UNI MB CJ 1539 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-733800.Xml
Five people, including a Nepalese smuggler, were today arrested with huge consignments of foreign liquor from various parts of Bihar for violating liquor ban in the state. While 21 bottles of liquor and 70 crates of beer were recovered from two separate places in the state capital, 1,452 bottles of liquor were seized on Indo-Nepal border under Valmikinagar police station area in West Champaran district. Patna's Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said here that police arrested three people-Pankaj Kumar, Mohan Sahni and RajeshKumar under Bahadurpur police station area and seized 21 bottles of foreign liquor. He said that all of them used to supply foreign liquor to consumers at exorbitant rates. During another seizure in the state capital, a person, Kush Kumar, who used to run a beer bar under Chowk police station area in the state capital, was arrested in defiance of complete prohibition imposed in the state on April 5. Meanwhile, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawans arrested a Nepalese smuggler with a huge consignment of liquor bottles on Indo-Nepal border under Valmikinagar police station area in West Champaran district today. SSB sources said here that jawans of 21st battalion intercepted three smugglers while they were trying to enter Bihar from Nepal by crossing the Gandak river with 1,452 bottles of liquor on a boat. Sources said that two other smugglers made good their escape by diving into the Gandak river after they were challenged by SSB jawans. Seizure of such a huge consignment of liquor bottles only corroborates the fact that a section of people continue to consume liquor by dodging police as well as excise department officials despite huge claims of complete prohibition by the state government. Since the imposition of ban on sale of liquor in the state, huge consignments of liquor had been seized from different places particularly from areas close to neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, they said. Smugglers also try to supply foreign liquor bottles to 'dry' Bihar through the Indo-Nepal porous border. UNI DH AD SB 1654 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-733918.Xml
The Joint Committee on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project will hold its second meeting tomorrow in Tokyo, Japan, to finalise the schedule of the project, terms related to the appointment of General Consultant and procurement conditions. According to a statement issued here today, the appointment of General Consultant will enable the beginning of preparatory activities like designing and preparation of tender documents. Since the loan negotiation and finalisation of loan agreement will take some time, the Union government has requested for a proper schedule of project implementation and also for appointment of General Consultant before the finalisation of loan agreement, to achieve timely implementation of the project. The Indian delegation visiting Japan for the purpose, is being led by Dr Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. Other members of the team include Chairman of Railway Board AK Mittal, Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs Shaktikanta Das, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Secretary in the Department of Industry Policy and Promotion Ramesh Abhishek. The Japanese side will be led by Hiroto Izumi, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan. Members from the Japanese side include senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Government of Japan and senior officials from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Since Make in India and Transfer of Technology are key components of the project implementation, an industry interaction between Indian and Japanese companies will be held on May 17. The event will witness participation by almost 100 Japanese companies and 21 Indian companies. The industry interaction will enable Indian companies to explore business opportunities, in participation with their Japanese conterparts. Some of the Indian companies include BHEL, BEML, IRCON, Reliance Metro, Tata Infrastructure, JBM, Patil Infrastructure, IL&FS, Hindustan Construction Company and Texmaco Rail.UNI NY RJ 1833 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-734208.Xml
Bringing glory for the Northeast India, Dibrugarh-based filmmaker Chow Partha Borgohain's feature film '1962: My Country Land' will be showcased at the Cannes International Film Festival on May 18. The film, shot mostly in Arunachal Pradesh, is the first home production of Living Dreams Productions. Written, cinematographed and directed by Borgohain, '1962: My Country Land' is an English language feature film based on the 1962 Indo-China war. The story revolves around Luitya, an Army Lance Naik who is given the responsibility for mapping along the Indo-China border. While carrying on with his work, Luitya along with his porter lost their way in the rough and unwelcoming terrain until they reached a village. There in the village Luitya met Chan, a Chinese trader with dark secrets and intentions, and the village chief's daughter Yaka. Luitya found out that the village is neither mentioned in the Indian map and nor in the Chinese map.Fierce conspiracy and conflict started between Luitya and Chan to take over the patch of the land- to include that as an integral part of their nation. Borgohain said, "We shot for 75 days in Tawang and Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh and Sohra in Meghalaya besides a few shots in Guwahati. I want to continue shooting all my life there was so much drama, stories of love, comedy and ego-clashes. The production of the film taught me how difficult life is, but how exciting it can be at the same time." Starring Aham Sharma, Lhakpa Lepcha, Daniel Shin Han and Ketholeno Kense in lead roles, the film showcases the struggle and life of the main characters during the approaching war and how they were able to believe - and not believe - each other. Guru Rewben Mashangva was the music composer of the film where he collaborated with Shankar Shankini. Partha had worked as an assistant with renowned cinematographer and director Rajiv Menon where he was engaged in various feature and advertisement films. Apart from '1962: My Country Land', Partha has been working with various international crew for film projects in Switzerland, France, Turkey. He is also filming with several corporates in Singapore, Indonesia and Japan as a freelance filmmaker.UNI SG AKM SB AS1832 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0343-734254.Xml
Integrated Test Range (ITR) sources at Chandipur said the interceptor missile, test fired from the launch complex three of the Abdul Kalam island in the Bay of Bengal at 1118 hrs, hit the incoming surface-to-surface target missile, a modified indigenously built 'Prithvi', posing as an enemy missile lifted off from a Naval platform at 1115 hrs.

The seven-meter-long Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor is a single stage solid using a radio frequency seeker on-board was blasted off from Abdul Kalam Island about 70 km across the sea from Chandipur.

The rocket-propelled guided missile, equipped with an inertial navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator totally under command by the data up linked from the sophisticated ground based radars to the interceptor destroyed the target missile in mid air over Bay of Bengal. The interception took place at low altitude, the sources said.

The Advanced Air Defence (AAD) is an anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in the endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 40 km.

Sources said, so far the AAD has been test fired in endo-atmospheric region (below the altitude of 40 km) on eight occasions and three in exo-atmosphere (above an altitude of 80 km) region.UNI DP AKM PR AS1847

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The woman husband Shyamal Bhar filed a written complaint with the Harwood Point Coastal police station alleging that his wife Shyamali Bhar and daughter Sanhita Bhar have been abducted by a sadhu, identified as Damodar Das allias Dabanal Harodas in Uttar Pradesh's Baranagar area.

Shyamal Bhar said that he got a phone call on Saturday by his wife saying she and the daughter have been taken into an undisclosed area, probably Baranagar in UP. She alleged that they have been not given any food.

The matter came to light when Shyamal Bhar, who works in Kolkata, returned home and found his wife and daughter missing. He said the set up by the Sadhu in Kamareraht in Madhavnagar under Kakdwip block, was also found to be closed.

He said, his wife and daughter had become disciples of that sadhu, who took away both for trafficking.

Additional superintendent of police, South 24 Parganas, Chandrasekar Burman said they have just got an information and investigation was on. UNI XC-PC AKM SB AS1854

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The car was en route to Mandangad in Ratnagiri district from Mumbai when it collided head-on with an incoming bus close to Indapur village at around 0700 hrs, Raigad police control room said.

The bus was going from Panaji to Mumbai.

All the five occupants of the car and one bus passenger died on the spot, police said.

The car occupants belonged to the same family, they said.

Five of the deceased have been identified as - Swapnil Rajaram Tambe, Swati Swapnil Tambe, Rushabh Swapnil Tambe, Suryakant Tambe and Santosh Tambe (all car occupants).

The bus passenger who died in the mishap was yet to be identified, police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is on, they added. UNI NP SB BL1855

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Minister for school education and SCERT, Mr Yitachu has said that both parents and teachers need to come together and exchange their ideas so as to take forward the education system in the state. Speaking at the Nagaland Sainik school Punglwa under Peren district yesterday on the 9th founder's day celebration, Yitachu stated, "parents should not leave child only to the school but also contribute in nurturing social values." He said, to be successful and satisfied in life, all the students and parents should follow two cardinal principles in life i.e. the fear of God and the fear of law. He also spoke on rationalisation of school education policy and implementation of composite education system, where in primary, middle, secondary and senior secondary education was interconnected. Yitachu then stressed upon the improvement in infrastructure and availability of teachers in the schools all across the state. The minister also expressed his delight to be in Sainik school Punglwa and appreciated the efforts taken by the school in providing modern facilities to the young cadets. Earlier, Yitachu also inaugurated the science and arts exhibition on theme "Digital India". Various working models in different categories prepared by the cadets were displayed in the exhibition. He appreciated the models and efforts put in by the cadets. UNI AS AKM SB AS1901 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-734250.Xml
A massive hunt has been launched by security forces to nab four militants of Jash-e-Mohammad (JeM) , who had been provided Adhaar card immediately after they infiltratied into this side from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) , a senior Army officer said today. However, one of them was arrested in Baramulla last night during a joint operation by Army and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police, GOC 19 Division Lt General J S Jain told reporters. He said a group of five JeM militants had sneaked into this side from Kupwara side from POK in January. Lt Gen Jain said on a tip-off JeM commander, a resident of Poonch in POK Abdul Rehman, son of Mohammad Sadiq Khan, a resident of Pollas village was arrested. During the questioning of Abdul Rehman he revealed that a group of five JeM had infiltrated into this side from POK through Kupwara in January. After spending some months in the forests, they got divided. He has further confessed that immediately after arriving here from across the Line of Control (LoC), they were provided five Adhaar cards. Lt Gen Jain said, "recovery of Adhaar card was a cause of concern for security agencies". We are still investigating whether the card is fake, duplicate or genuine, he said, adding if it is genuine it is a very serious matter. Fake card can make anybody, but possession of a genuine card by a militant from PoK was definitely a cause of concern, he said. Abdul Rehman has said that they were trained for three to four months in the woods across the LoC. He further said that he was tasked to recruit locals for carrying out fidayeen attack in the Kashmir. I was trying to recruit youths, the militant had informed during the interrogation. Lt Gen Jain said this is for the first time JeM was trying to recruit locals for fidayeen attack in the valley. However, he said, security forces were able to foil this attempt. This was a major success, he said.UNI BAS QAB SB BL2010 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-734341.Xml
Reiterating his demand for the imposition of the President`s rule in Bihar in view of the alarming rise in the crime graph, LJP chief and Union Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today pressed for handing over the case of the killing of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan to CBI. Mr Paswan told newspersons here that a CBI probe should be ordered into the killing of the senior journalist as the local police were not in position to conduct a fair probe in Siwan where incarcerated former RJD MP Mr Shahaubbin still called the shots. He also asked the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the bereaved family and adequate security for family members. The union minister said, LJP parliamentary board chairman Chirag Paswan would meet family members in Siwan on May 17. Once again making his demand for the imposition of President`s rule in the state, Mr Paswan exhorted people to launch an agitation for the invocation of Article 356 of the constitution in the state. Since the Nitish Kumar government would never recommend for the imposition of the President`s rule in the state, people of the state should take the cudgel for the purpose, he stated. "Now the jungle raj phrase is not any more appropriate to describe the alarming rise in the crime graph in Bihar as the the state is presently reeling under Rakshashi Raj", Mr. Paswan stated while firing a fresh salvo at the Nitish Kumar government. Contending that Bihar was the fit case for the imposition of the President's rule, Mr Paswan said a high level delegation of his party had called on the President Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard.MORE UNI DH SB PM2003 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-734325.Xml
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for free and fair voting for assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala held between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday. In Tamil Nadu, voting will take place for 233 seats, with voting for Aravakurichi constituency having been deferred, while Kerala will see polling for 140 seats, and in Puducherry, 30 seats will go to polls. In Tamil Nadu, polling materials reached at all booths in the 233 constituencies. All non-sensitive booths will have policeman, while central paramilitary force personnel will provide security cover to the sensitive and hypersensitive booths. Meanwhile, the election authorities are bracing for the possibility of an unusual rain tomorrow. In a fresh development, the AIADMK and DMK have responded through email to the show-cause notices issued by the EC about the violation of its guidelines on promises of freebies as made in the manifestos of the two parties. The Income Tax officials have asked the authorities in Tirupur to move the three trucks carrying Rs 570 crore to the chest of the State Bank of India in Coimbatore for issuing search warrant under the IT Act for further probe. The sleuths of the tax body along with the team of officials delegated by the EC are probing the transfer of the huge sum from Coimbatore. The bank claims that it was a normal transfer of cash, though the investigators say original documents to substantiate the transfer were lacking. The three trucks were detained by the EC flying squad near Tirupur on Saturday. Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni told newspersons, an ethical voting with a hundred percent polling is being targeted. The EC has introduced many innovative measures during this election in Tamil Nadu, including getting booth slips through the helpline number 1950 in electronic mode, knowing the queue status before polling booths through smartphone apps and getting navigation help through Google maps to locate the booths by the voters by feeding their election identity card number in the apps. For the first time in the electoral history of India, more than 1.64 crore voters made a pledge on last Tuesday that they would not accept or give money for voting, as money power in election is a big menace in the region. Thousands of youth volunteers at grass-root levels are also being pressed into service to help the election authorities to ensure ethical voting and to remind people to come out and exercise their franchise tomorrow. In Kerala, with hours left for assembly elections, the government machinery has made elaborate arrangements for smooth and peaceful conduct of polls. In all, 2.56 crore electors, including 1.33 crore females, are expected to cast votes. A total of 1, 203 candidates, including 109 females, are in the fray. There are 21,646 polling booths across the State. Briefing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Electoral Officer E.K. Mahji said a total of 1.12 lakhs polling officials had been drafted for polling duty. A reserve of 20 to 25% Electronic Voting Machines will be available in all the constituencies as a standy arrangement, he said adding that for the first time Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be introduced in 12 constituencies spread over 10 districts. Special arrangements have been made for sensitive and vulnerable polling stations, especially in Kannur district.State Chief Electoral Officer E.K. Majhi said all sensitive and vulnerable polling stations will be guarded by Central Armed Police Force. Besides, webcasting will be done in 3,137 polling stations and Micro Observers will be deployed in polling stations having connectivity issues. All the blind and partially blind voters will be permitted to reach polling booths with an approved companion to cast votes. In addition to webcasting, photo coverage will also be done of the poll process. Majhi said there will be control rooms at the State and District levels to monitor if any poll violation takes place. In Puducherry, all arrangements are in place for tomorrow's polling. Briefing the media on poll preparedness, Chief Electoral Officer V. Candavelou said the third and final round of randomisation of polling personnel was done to the satisfaction of Election Commission Observers. Over 9 lakh voters will exercise their franchise tomorrow in Puducherry. Voting will commence at 930 polling stations spread over four regions of the Union Territory. As many as 5,382 officials are deputed for polling duties. Over 6,000 police personnel including the central paramilitary forces will provide security for assembly polls. Meanwhile, the Election Department has introduced a mobile application which will give all information regarding tomorrow's poll to voters. The App will provide details of EPIC Cards, polling booth location, constituency-wise voters list and even the number of voters in aueue at any polling station at a given time. The Commission has identified 148 polling stations and deployed micro observers and central forces for added security. (ANI)
"Surat triple murder once again highlights the terrible law &order situation in Gujarat. Under package of Gujarat Model lies total lawlessness," Patel said in a tweet.

Patel's comment came in the wake of the murder of three men, including VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia's cousin, who were hacked to death after being attacked by six youths with sharp weapons in a builder's office at Varachha in Surat late yesterday night.

While one of the victims was identified as Bharat Togadia, who is also a distant cousin of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, others were Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel.

Togadia and Hirani died on the spot while Ashok and Mahesh were shifted to hospital.

Ashok died during treatment at Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) while Mahesh is admitted in a private hospital.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Police have arrested three persons in this connection and are looking out for four more accused. Police suspect extortion money pertaining to a land deal in Amreli district could be a possible reason behind the triple murder. (ANI)
Asserting that people have huge expectations from Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (PDP-BJP) coalition government in the State, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Centre to take more substantive measures in fulfilling the promises made in the Agenda of Alliance. She said her father took a tough, but well-thought out decision, as he saw a historic opportunity to break new ground in bringing the people from the three distinct regions of the state closer to each other. "Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was a visionary leader. He joined hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after two months of sustained discussions which resulted in the formation of the Agenda of Alliance. It is now our collective responsibility to implement it and fulfill the promises made with the people of the state," she said while addressing a large gatherings of people at Rajouri, Baramulla and Anantnag, after laying the foundation stones of three new medical colleges in the state. Describing the Agenda of Alliance as the fulcrum on which the Coalition Government rests, the Chief Minister said after the accession there has been a trail of un-kept promises with the people of the state, made by both the State as well as Central leaders. This, she said has led to loss of faith among the masses, more so in mainstream leaders. "Lot of dreams were sold to the people during the last so many decades without fulfilling any one of them. It was a fortunate coincidence that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed got an opportunity to serve the state as the Chief Minister from 2002 to 2005 while Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of India," she added. Ms Mehbooba observed that both the leaders understood the sensitivities of the state and came up with a very humane response to the problem, which included ceasefire agreements, bringing down human rights violations and opening of new routes across the Line of Control (LoC). She said these steps created a feel-good factor, which unfortunately were not consolidated by the successive governments that followed. "This time, people have again reposed trust and hope in the Coalition Government," she stated. MORE UNI ABS PR RJ BL2309 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-734534.Xml
Even as two suspects detained by the police since yesterday for their alleged involvement in the sensational murder case of senior journalist Rajedo Ranjan were formally arrested today, Asha Yadav, wife of slain journalist demanded a CBI probe into the incident for an impartial probe. DIG(Saran range) A K Rai camping on spot since Ranjan was gunned down on Sunday, said that two criminals Upendra Singh and Sajjad were detained yesterday for interrogation in connection with killing of the scribe. Since both were in an inebriated condition, state when they were nabbed from their hideout in Ziradei police station areas, they have have been booked under the New Excise Act, he said. One of them Uprendra Singh, is said to be close to incarcerated RJD leader Mohammed Shahabuddin, is a history sheeter and was involved in the killing of a senior BJP leader. When asked about the role of Singh in the killing, the DIG said, all possible angles were being looked into and the police would leave no stone unturned to bring to book the real culprits. He said both were interrogated and it would not be feasible to disclose the details. On the other hand, deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, while reacting to demand of wife of the slain journalist for a CBI probe, said that she should have faith in Bihar police and give sufficient time to crack the case. He said, state police would make all possible to arrest those involved in the killing and a CBI probe at such an early stage, would not be proper. Ms Yadav, visibly upset over the delay in arrest of killers of her husband, demanded a CBI probe into the incident, giving enough indication that she had lost her faith in inquiry being conducted by Bihar police. Meanwhile, protest over killing of the journalist continued for the second day in running through out the state with journalists taking to streets to express their anguish over the incident. In Patna, journalists from various media houses under the banner of Asian Women in Media, took out protest march in Patna venting their ire over the delay in arrest of killers of Rajdeo Ranjan, who was shot dead in Siwan on Friday night. Despite demand from various associations of journalists, no significant headway had been made so far in the case, felt the scribes protesting on street. On the other hand, Bihar Working Journalist Union (BWJU) at an emergent meeting in Patna passed resolutions demanding immediate arrest of the killers of Rajdeo Ranjan and also for providing financial assistance of Rs 25 lakhs to his family members. Journalists also urged Bihar government to regularise service of wife of slain journalist who is presently working as teacher on contract basis in a school. MORE UNI KKS-IS AKM RJ BL2331 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-734557.Xml
China condemned the US Defense Department's annual report on the Chinese military today, calling it deliberate distortion that has "severely damaged" mutual trust.In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military activities, the US Defense Department said on Friday that China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year.China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the Pentagon report and said it has "severely damaged mutual trust", state news agency Xinhua reported.The report "hyped up" China's military threat and lack of transparency, "deliberately distorted" Chinese defense policies and "unfairly" depicted Chinese activities in the East and South China seas, Yang was quoted as saying."China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," Yang said, adding that the country's military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development.It is the United States that has always been suspicious and flexing its military muscle by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region, Yang said.Despite its calls for freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US has pushed forward militarisation of the South China Sea with an "intention to exert hegemony", Yang added.RECLAMATION WORKThe Pentagon report said the planned addition of military infrastructure would give China long-term "civil-military bases" in the contested waters.It estimated that China's reclamation work had added more than 3,200 acres of land on seven features it occupied in the Spratly Islands in the space of two years.The report said China had completed its major reclamation efforts in October, switching focus to infrastructure development, including three 3,000 meter airstrips that can accommodate advanced fighter jets.Yang, the spokesman, defended the construction, saying it serves mostly civilian purposes and helps fulfil China's international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.The Pentagon report comes at a time of heightened tension over maritime territories claimed by China and disputed by several Asian nations. Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea while Beijing, in turn, has criticized increased US naval patrols and exercises in Asia.The US report renewed accusations against China's government and military for cyber attacks against US government computer systems, a charge Beijing denies. The Pentagon said attacks in 2015 appeared focused on intelligence collection.REUTERS RSD GC1028 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-733454.Xml
The Indian moves towards 'second strike capability' have caused ripples across the Pakistan security establishment with one official of the country's National Command Authority saying it would compel Pakistan to follow suit. "Development of second strike capability would put pressure on Pakistan to take remedial measures and develop its own version of the capability," the official said while speaking at a round-table discussion on 'Growing Challenges to Strategic Stability in South Asia' organised by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS). The reported successful testing of nuclear-capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) by India last month from its nuclear-powered INS Arihant has taken India closer to what is described as second-strike capability" in nuclear deterrence. The second strike provides a military the capability to hit back at an enemy in a situation where its land-based nuclear arsenal had been neutralised. Pakistan had reacted to the testing of SLBM by saying it was a worrisome development for the region. Suggesting that Pakistan could have already moved in that direction, the official, who was speaking at the CISS, recalled that Pakistan set up its Naval Strategic Force Command (NSFC) in 2012. At the time of the commissioning of NSFC Headquarters, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that it "will perform a pivotal role in development and employment of the Naval Strategic Force. The Force, which is the custodian of the nation's second strike capability, will strengthen Pakistan's policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence and ensure regional stability". The official, speaking about India's development of anti-ballistic missiles, said it could give its military planners 'false sense of security' while contemplating military action against Pakistan. He said up-gradation of military hardware by India for operationalising Cold Start Doctrine; building a variety of nuclear capable missiles ranging from tactical weapons to inter-continental ballistic missiles, enabling of its nuclear triad; acquisition and up-gradation of aircraft carrier fleet and nuclear submarines were all worrisome developments that would destabilise the nuclear stability. Alongside these, the official said, India was also disturbing sub-conventional stability by shifting Pakistan military's orientation from external to internal security challenges by using its intelligence agencies. UNI XC AT SB 1553 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-733880.Xml
Boris Johnson, a leading campaigner for Britain to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum, said in an interview that the EU was following the path of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon by trying to create a European superstate.The former London mayor, a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the EU lacked democracy and a unifying authority and was doomed to fail."Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically," Johnson was quoted as saying in an interview."The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."While fellow pro-Brexit Conservative colleagues supported Johnson's comments, he drew criticism from the "In" camp.Hilary Benn, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said Johnson had lost his moral compass."After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate," Benn said in a statement.Johnson, a front-runner to succeed Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party, has emerged as one of the most important voices in the "Out" campaign ahead of the June vote.Cameron, who is leading the "In" campaign, has argued that Britain's membership of the EU makes the country more secure, more influential and more prosperous. He also says Britain, which is not part of the single-currency euro zone, will not be dragged into ever closer union among the EU's member states.But an opinion poll published on Saturday suggested that twice the number of voters believed Johnson was more likely to tell the truth about the EU than Cameron.With less than six weeks to go until the referendum, voters are evenly split between wanting to remain in the EU and preferring to leave, opinion polls have shown.In his interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Johnson said he wanted the British people to be "the heroes of Europe" again, creating echoes of the language used by war-time prime minister Winston Churchill, the newspaper said.It also quoted him as saying tensions between EU member states had allowed Germany to grow in power within the bloc, to "take over" the Italian economy and to "destroy" Greece. REUTERS AKC SB1644 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-733993.Xml
Duke still in custody

Sunday Newsday understands that police investigators, under the supervision of ASP Ajith Persad and Sgt Narine were expected to tie up loose ends in the probe last night.

Duke has been detained in a cell at the Central Police Station, St Vincent Street, Portof- Spain, since Thursday after he surrendered himself to police on learning that a report had been lodged against him by a 33-year-old research assistant at the PSA.

The woman reported to police that at about 2 pm on Tuesday, she was asked by Duke to accompany her to t he Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, for a meeting.

She claimed that Duke allegedly took her to a room at the hotel where an alleged incident occurred.

The woman first made a report to officers of the Cunupia Police Station who then referred her to the Central Police Station in Port of Spain.

The PSA leader has stated publicly, via a press release, that he is innocent of any allegations levelled against him by the woman.
Johann Mohammed takes back his life

It was a dark period in Mohammeds life - one which saw him bounce back from the brink of despair and destruction.

But now, the chiselled, 50-yearold businessman says he lives each day with reverence, cognisant of the immense blessings he continues to receive.

Mohammeds company, African Ark Jewelry and Clothing Design, has been in existence for the past six years but his pieces, ranging from the conservative to the eccentric, can also be seen at the popular UpMarket in Port-of- Spain as well as The Normandie, St Anns, and Designer Space in San Fernando.

His jewelry and clothing, he says, embody a fresh, edgy ethnic style which has found favour with a diverse clientele.

My pieces appeal to a broad spectrum of people, he tells Sunday Newsday.

The success Mohammed currently enjoys in the fashion industry is a far cry from the reckless, self-indulgent lifestyle the former Coast Guard once lived - one which he readily admits was all his doing.

My fascination with drugs was a case of curiosity about mood and mind altering substances which led me to experimenting with them, Mohammed says.

There was no peer pressure.

For me, it was a matter of choice.

But later on, when I was deep in the bottomless pit that I dug for myself I made another choice which was to not use drugs again and salvage what was left of my life and reinvent myself. Born in Canaan, Tobago, in 1965, Mohammed, the youngest of four siblings, was a baby when his family migrated to Trinidad and settled in Diamond Vale, Diego Martin.

After completing secondary school in the area, Mohammed said he got five OLevel passes but made a conscious decision to experiment with illegal drugs alongside some of the persons with whom he interacted in his neighbourhood.

I was just fascinated. I had read books on meditation and altering ones state of mind and I was intrigued, he recalled. Mohammed said things quickly went downhill.

In 1983, at the age of 17, he followed in his fathers footsteps, and joined the Coast Guard.

I got off to a rocky start because I was young and rebellious and didnt want to join the Coast Guard, he recalled.

I was under a lot of pressure from the instructors because my dad was also an officer. Maybe, they wanted to get the best out of me but as a young man I didnt see it that way. I saw it as being victimised and picked on. In hindsight, Mohammed said his tenure in the Coast Guard was a learning experience that has continued to serve him in good stead.

The discipline that was instilled in me in life after leaving the Coast Guard gave me the resilience to face any situation that arose in life, he said.

After leaving the Coast Guard, at the age of 22, Mohammed migrated to US to live in New York.

Although his love for illegal drugs persisted in the US, the highs he had experienced when he first started doing it, quickly dissipated.

In a particularly harrowing experience, Mohammed said, he became homeless and had to seek shelter in an abandoned building in the height of winter.

There were rats the size of cats in the building, he joked.

That had to be one of the lowest points in my life. During that time, he recalled that some of his family and friends avoided him. He said he resolved, then, to take back my life. Returning to TT, at age 30, Mohammed found, though, that the rehabilitation centres at which he sought help did little to keep him away from a life of drugs.

I had been to many rehabs, none of which made me stay away from drugs, he said.

The rehab made you think that once an addict, always an addict. I didnt believe nor would I subscribe the 12 Step Narcotic Anonymous philosophy. I refused to believe I would die an addict seeing that I was not born one. For Mohammed, fostering a turnaround was a matter of choice.

I did not understand the consequences of my actions at that time. But I made a conscious decision to say, no. The high could have never compared to all of the remorse.

I could have done without that feeling because it was destroying my health, he said.

You are your greatest asset and you could also be your greatest downfall. Mohammed shared, too, that the members of his immediate family and a few of my true friends did not give up on him.

To them, I am eternally grateful for their support, he said.

After recovering from his addiction, Mohammed attended classes at the Metal Industries Company (MIC), where he completed a two-year programme in Jewelry Design and Techniques, an almost lifelong passion. He later pursued a career in fashion before establishing his own company six years ago.

Asked whether he has the urge to take drugs, Mohammed told Sunday Newsday: I have dreams but there is no urge. If I only pick back up again, I will not stop. I also keep myself very vigilant by looking at the examples of those who have deteriorated. Regarding his message for persons involved in a life of drug abuse, Mohammed said: They need to want recovery more than they want the drugs and then make choice and choose to live drug free.

Mohammed said a drug treatment court in TT is long overdue.

Just incarcerating an addict without offering any form rehabilitation and treatment is only making prison a revolving door for that addict, he contends.
I am still stunned

I was stunned. I still am, actually.

And delighted, of course! When I was submitting the manuscript, I was thinking about how great it would be to just make the long-list.

So to be named the winner is the most incredible honour, she said.

Gibson, who is based in the US Virgin Islands, was announced the winner on April 29 as part of the Bocas Lit Fest for her manuscript De First Family. She was one of six finalists for the award and one of three from Trinidad and Tobago.

The other finalists were: Tennessee- based translator Danielle YC McClean for self-published d?but novel The Protectors Pledge (Trinidad); award-winning author and last years third place winner attorney Lynn Joseph, for The Truth Is (Trinidad); The Demise of the Queens College Adventure Club (manuscript) by Imam Baksh, (Guyana); Barberry Hill (manuscript) by Carol Mitchell (St Kitts & Nevis); and Girlcott (manuscript) by Florenz Webbe Maxwell, (Bermuda).

Gibson, originally from Gasparillo, had previously described De First Family in an interview with Sunday Newsday as the story I wanted to read when I was a young adult, but couldnt find. As much as I enjoyed the non-Caribbean novels, they lacked that immediate relevance, so I wrote for readers looking for those relatable and contemporary characters and themes.

This book is a modern look at two protagonists, female and male, as they navigate their relationship with each other and try to understand their unique worlds.

Its told at the height of a general election, so that charged atmosphere is the main backdrop as the story unfolds. Gibson won the first prize of CAD$10,000, Maxwell won the second prize of CAD$7,000 and McClean won the third prize of CAD$5,000. The Caribbean publishers of each winning title will also receive a guaranteed purchase of up to 2,500 copies, ensuring that the books get into the hands of young people through schools, libraries and community organisations across the Caribbean, and winning publishers also commit to actively market an additional minimum of 1,200 copies of each winning title throughout the region.

Established by CODE, Canadas leading international development agency uniquely focused on advancing literacy and education in some of the worlds regions in greatest need, with the generous support of Canadian philanthropist William (Bill) Burt and the Literary Prizes Foundation, in partnership with the Bocas Lit Fest and CaribLit, the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is part of a unique global readership initiative aiming to provide young people with access to books they will enjoy and want to read.
Steve and Valerie West celebrate golden anniversary

The Right Reverend Claude Berkley, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago was the celebrant at Holy Mass, which was followed by a reception in the church hall.

The couple, proud parents of four grown sons and six grandchildren, described their marriage as that of any other couple with lots of ups and downs. Says Valerie in her very down-to-earth way, Not because you are married to a priest it is going to be smooth sailing. Theirs was a romance which started when 17-year-old Steve West, an Anglican priest for 31 years now, met 16-yearold Valerie Forde, then a Roman Catholic, at a Catholic Youth Organisation function. Says now Canon Dr West: I went to the party and one of my brothers friends introduced us.

He did not get to dance with her again. Then some months later I heard she was ill and I went to visit her. We were still both in school, I was at Queens Royal College in Port-of-Spain and she was at Holy Faith Convent in Couva.

Mind you we both lived in San Fernando. They met on the bus on Friday afternoons, when Steve was on his way home from boarding in Port-of-Spain on the 4.40 bus and Valerie would be on her way home from Couva. The friendship grew.

Dr West, a lecturer par excellence, who celebrated his golden anniversary as a teacher in September 2014, knew two things from early in life -- that he would be a teacher and also a priest. And so he went straight from Queens Royal College to being an Assistant Teacher III at St Stephens College in Princes Town on September 4, 1964. It was during that time that he married Valerie, who was a student in nursing and midwifery at the San Fernando Hospital.

With two young children, Valerie continued as a nurse at the San Fernando Hospital at the end of her studies, while Steve pursued a BSc degree in Natural Sciences at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, which he completed in 1972 and took up a teaching position at St Joseph Convent in San Fernando until 1977.

We did everything after that together, says Valarie.

Theirs is a marriage which has succeeded because of ultimate support for each other through years of rearing children while pursuing studies at every level and working, all seemingly at the same time.

The priesthood always remained on the front burner and when in 1969, before starting at UWI, Steve spoke to the then Anglican Bishop Hughes about his interest in becoming a priest, the Bishops reply was every priest does not have to be a theologian, so when you are finished come back and see me. The Right Reverend Clive Abdulah was then Anglican Bishop and he was not about to separate a married couple with young children, so he offered a place of study in Chichester, England with accommodation for married people and families.

I went home with the good news says Steve, but Val also had good news, she was pregnant with the third boy, so we never went. However, Steve always maintained strong links with the church as head server and then Lay Minister at St Pauls in San Fernando, and was more or less involved in all church activities.

He continued to study and completed a series of courses including a Masters in Entomology from UWI, and was among the first group of students to obtain the Master of Arts Degree in Education at St Augustine. From 1977 to 1982, West taught at Corinth Teachers College, during which time he completed a Diploma in Theology with the Diocese. In 1984 Bishop Abdulah ordained him Deacon and in 1985 Deacon West was ordained priest and functioned as Chaplain at UWI where he was now a lecturer.

In 1987, it was Valeries turn to take a sabbatical, so in 1987 she went to England to a do a course and says Father West with a chuckle, We now had a fourth son and I was left in charge of the four boys. Valaries repartee was, Shows you could do things during marriage after proper planning, so that when he was studying I was on a break and I studied during his break times. It was a question of supporting each other while minding children, building family, marriage and home. The couples involvement in further education has been continuous.

In the 90s with four teenaged boys, Valarie completed a degree in Sociology with Government, while Father West, in 1990, learning that the Faculty of Medical Sciences was being opened in Mount Hope and a new method of teaching called Problem- Based Learning was being introduced, became intrigued by this new method. Realising that the doctors knew about it but did not know how to implement same, he went to Mount Hope and helped the lecturers to understand problem-based learning, and used this to present his thesis for his doctorate.

The couple remain involved in a host of other church-based activities; currently Valarie is head of the Mothers Union. While between 2011 and 2013 Canon Dr West was in charge of Fanning the Flames, a programme to help people with spiritual direction at retreats. They have moved around as most priests have to, with their longest parish being Holy Saviour in Curepe from 1990  2010. In retirement Canon Dr West served as interim rector at All Saints on Marli Street from 2013-2015 until he was moved to St Barnabas On The Hill on August 1, 2015.

They both agree that, The important thing is that you are able to weather the storms.

We travelled together a lot so there was always balance as we were supportive, regardless. And that is an aspect of faithfulness.

So many people think of being faithful as it relates only to the man/woman aspect.
Two killed in accidents

Police identified the dead woman as Kathy-Ann St John, of Princes Town.

A police report stated that about 10.30 pm, St John was a front seat passenger of a white Nissan AD wagon driven by her boyfriend, David Changwai.

The report added that Changwai lost control of the vehicle whilst on the north-bound lane, of the highway in the vicinity of the Munroe Road overpass, and crashed into a ditch. St John died instantly, police said, while Changwai was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.

At about 9 pm, St John posted a meme which read: Oh doh study me. I just trying to drive from Sando to Maracas within the speed limit. The meme showed a human skeleton in the drivers seat of a red vehicle. The meme was accompanied by a post in which, she expressed her displeasure about an apparent interaction she had with a female police officer about the traffic laws. St John stated: Dem on (explicit) , telling me n d huzzie I have to get a car seat for a 5 year old, well my mouth hot so I let she have it, talk done .

In a comment to her own post, St John stated that a police wanted to give us a ticket cuz of my mouth but d other officer was very nice to us. That was her last comment on Facebook.

As news of the death spread, several Facebook users expressed shock and sadness on St Johns page.

One user  Aleeka Alisa Joseph- wrote, in reference to the meme: Babe you post this last night and 24 hours later Im saying R.I.P to you? No man I doh want to believe this at all. Another user, Stacy Williams, wrote: OMG you post this yesterday now you gone. Nah. Sunday Newsday learnt that only on November 27, St Johns mother, Judy Moore, 65, died.

WPC Glasglow-Browne of the Chaguanas Police Station is continuing investigations into the accident.

And a Coast Guard officer is Tobagos latest accident victim.

Reports are that Reon Arnold, 30, was riding his bicycle in the vicinity of First Citizens Bank, Canaan, early yesterday, when he slammed into a car driven by Lenora Phillips Edwards.

Arnold was rushed to the Scarborough Hospital but succumbed to his injuries while undergoing surgery at the facility.

Edwards received minor injuries Ironically, Arnolds brother, Keron Antoine Arnold, also died in a car accident, two years ago, along Shirvan Road.
Race on for PNMs Tobago Council - Rennie Dumas profile

Today, SUNDAY NEWSDAY continues is profiles of the candidates contesting the June 26 election.

HIS first priority if elected leader of the Peoples National Movements (PNMs) Tobago Council after the June 26 election, will be to rebuild all of the islands party-based institutions with a focus on democracy and membership participation.

But Rennie Dumas also believes that the rights and responsibilities of members must be directly enjoyed and exercised to ensure more effective governance.

The members must be at the centre of the partys decision-making systems, he contends.

Any doubt as to whether the decisions of the Tobago Council and the way in which decisions are made are supported by the members must be removed. Dumas said focus will then be placed on winning the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, a challenge that requires massive and effective mobilisation for victory. But the first stage in that mobilisation and the rebooting of the Tobago PNM lies in winning the increased participation and confidence of the member, he said.

The member of the Tobago PNM must be assured that he/she and the other members acting in consort controls the party. I am ready to take responsibility for the leadership of the members of the Tobago Council. A former PNM minister, Tobago East MP and school teacher, Dumas was the first of the seven hopefuls to publicly declare his interest in contesting the leadership of the Tobago Council.

He maintains that he is the best man to lead the partys Tobago Council given the challenges confronting the sister isle.

I am ready to be Chief Servant, he declared in a recent Sunday Newsday interview.

I have served for nearly 20 years as a servant of the PNM, Toba go, and Trinidad and Tobago, and I am ready for the role.

I believe passionately in the capacity of the Tobago people to create a positive future for Tobago. The Tobago council is a critical institution in the process of Tobagos transformation. His organisational training, party leadership experience, institutional development expertise and government and parliamentary background, he feels, makes him the perfect choice for the job.

He also rejected the notion that his pending court matter on assault charges would influence his chances to become leader.

And, as for further elections, he noted that only a person serving a sentence of more than two years would be debarred from contesting, according to the Representation of the Peoples Act.

The matter in which I am engaged is at the Appeal Court and was last called on March 22 at the Hall of Justice, he said.

The Judges had moved the matter to Port-of-Spain since the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) had indicated on January 22, 2015, unreadiness, and was given a month to reply to the submissions made on my behalf. Dumas told Sunday Newsday that at the last hearing, the DPPs representative indicated that the records of proceedings from the Scarborough Magistrates Court were incomplete since the testimony of a witness was missing.

He said although the answer to a query from one of the judges on the panel, as to the extent of relevance of the missing record, went in the negative, the matter was adjourned to a date to be fixed, subject to the complete record being located.

There being no constitutional or other legal barrier to my participation in any internal or public elections, I continue my quest to lead the Tobago Council of this great party, said Dumas.

For this Plymouth native, building an autonomous, sustainable Tobago with a robust economy is the islands premier socio-economic challenge as T&T grapples with the recession.

Dumas said an adequate response to this challenge required the crafting and acquisition of critical tools, institutions and mechanisms, including an autonomous system of governance, an engaged and competent political executive and a committed flow of investment capital, publicly and privately sourced.

This vision for Tobago is credible and achievable with hard work and political will.

I am ready to lead the way towards its achievement, he said.

For now, he said the economic challenges facing the island required a mobilisation of Tobagos onshore resources held by its peoples, as well as state financing and resources and offshore resources invested through participation encouraged from Trinidadians, regional investors and international entrepreneurs.

The former Local Government minister also suggested that greater networking between the THA, Tobago credit unions, business community, fisher folk, farmers and the trade union movement must be facilitated to bolster the islands tourist-driven economy.

These social networks are required to withstand the shocks now emerging and continuing with the crafting and execution of an aggressive development plan, he said.

Dumas said the diversion of expenditure from the traditional recurrent expenditure of the House of Assembly to capital expenditure in fishing, agriculture, the environment and economic infrastructure was also required.

Money must be earned, he said.

The promotion of the idea of a Tobago open for business is earnestly required, Dumas said.

The investment required for economic infrastructure, tourism, industrial development, oil and gas exploration and processing must be wooed and won, he said.

Of course, the inclusion of our people will be required, but we must recognise the requirement for world class capital, organisation, mechanisms and methodologies. It is the internationalisation of the economy that will give us the required sustainability. Dumas said he also has conceptualised a plan to develop the islands youth. Youth de development is the most critical task in building sustainability, he said.

The plan for development of the young people on the island must nestle in the plan for sustainable development of Tobago. He argued that the viability of the youth drives the overall viability of Tobagos economy, which, in turn, rests on the recognition that that the islands development required a serious business orientation.

Business-based activities must fuel development.

Such an orientation must drive all our activities, he said, adding that the opportunities for self development, training and tertiary education will be deepened, expanded and made more accessible through the establishment of the Tobago University and regional technical programmes in the six regional planning districts.

Social capital arrangements to enable access to housing and land for young Tobagonians must be forged, Dumas said.

Providing an opportunity to access land and housing through diligent work and family arrangements is a key link to the development of young people, he said.

The Assembly has the means to forge such social capital linkages with the youth through innovative financing mechanisms, land distribution programs and entrepreneurial encouragement strategies. He said access to adequate spiritual, social, sporting and cultural experiences complete the matrix of concern for the wholesome development of Tobagos youth.
Everything falling apart

Benjamin, 45, a police officer with 16 years service, was shot and killed while in the line of duty.

On April 4, while on duty at the Ste Madeleine Police Station, the policeman responded to a report of a robbery taking place at a supermarket in St Clements, San Fernando.

Upon entry, a report stated, Benjamin was ambushed and shot in the head, as he attempted to enter through the back door, by a bandit hiding atop an air-condition unit. The bullet, the doctors revealed, remained lodged at the base of Benjamins neck.

He never regained consciousness and on April 7 succumbed to his injuries at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the San Fernando General Hospital where he had been warded. His death sent shock waves through the country and among his colleagues.

Hundreds turned out a few days later to his funeral service which was held at the St Pauls Anglican Church, San Fernando.

Also in attendance were Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon and members of the executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service including Ag Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams. Benji as he was fondly called, was later buried under full military rites at the St Stephens Anglican Church Cemetery in Princes Town. Foster expressed her gratitude to the outpouring of love shown to her by many.

But now with the dust settled, and the crowds gone, as was expected, Foster is left to battle all on her own and admits that it has become a daily challenge both financially and emotionally.

She described Benjamin as her rock and the one who gave her all the support she ever needed.

Newsday spoke to her at the familys home in Pleasantville.

I am trying to cope, but I am not doing it quite well, Foster, 33, a nursing student at COSTATT and mother of three of Benjamins five children said in an interview with Sunday Newsday. She has a teenaged son from a previous relationship while Benjamin also has two from his marriage.

I am crying every day. I dont know what to do or where to turn.

Everybodys life is back to normal but not so for me and the children. It is hard for me especially when they (children) come and tell me they missing Daddy, Foster told Sunday Newsday as she burst in tears. A short while before he got shot that day, Foster said he had checked in on them to make sure they were safe. Thats the person he was. The family no longer receives counseling and she tries in her own way to counsel her children although she admits that she too needs help with the healing process.

He was always there for us, she cried.

He was a good man, a good father, very supportive and will always encourage me to go after my goal. He never left us undone, he would always make sure we had what we needed. The last few days have been tough on her as she is currently writing final examinations.

Foster broke down as related how on Wednesday, she arrived at the examination center at the Academy of Nursing and Allied Health in El Dorado some two hours late.

She said she knew if her husband was around it would not have happened.

She told Newsday: It is because of him I was doing my courses at the El Dorado campus.

He would look after the children whenever I have exams and he would tell me leave everything to him and just go and focus on passing.

He wanted to see me succeed. She intends to transfer to the San Fernando campus for the new semester so as to make the situation easier.

With no regular income, her life may now have to take a different turn. And as much as she doesnt want to do it, Foster said she might have little choice but to put her nursing education on hold for a while and go out to work to make ends meet.

She said: I now thinking that I may have to stop school for a while because I cant sit down and see my children suffer. Because of her financial situation, she cant afford to send them to lessons among other privileges the family once enjoyed.

While she has received some financial help from well wishers since her husbands death, Foster said it  is not going to last forever. Many people, she said, believe she has come into a windfall.

And that is what is stressing me most of all, because nothing is coming in. Benjamins death has affected the children even in their school work as stepson son Luke, a Form Three student who signed up two write four subjects at the 2016 CXC level, has seemed to have lost interest.

Thats how bad it is, she went on to say. The focus is not there and I am waiting to see how Aaron and Faith perform at the end of this term. We were going so good and never expected him to leave us so soon and in this way. Nine year old Aaron, is a Standard Two pupil and Faith, eight, is in Standard One. Two year old Anson attends kindergarten.

National Security Minster Edmund Dillon promised to take a note to Cabinet for the payment of one million dollars to dependants of police officers killed in the line of duty.
St Lucia Jazz Festival turns 25

Tracey Warner-Arnold, St Lucias Deputy Director of Tourism explained that the Festivals beginning was very small because people were sceptical of the idea since jazz was not a hugely popular genre.

She explained that, for the first ten years, the St Lucia Tourist Board would host less wellknown artists at individual hotels.

Each year, the event would pick up traction, but the Board realised that more was needed.

If we wanted to grow the festival we knew we had to infuse other genres of music to draw a larger crowd, because the pool of people who listen to pure jazz, while they are high-income earners and a good market, is still so small, she said.

In this, its 25th year, over 220,000 persons attended the various events, both free, and priced, at over 15 venues over ten days.

Warner-Arnold told Sunday Newsday that, even before confirming the artist line-up, the Board began advertising the quarter century event in September of last year. I think thats what made the difference in the number of arrivals - charters, flights, and ferries - that have come. Its a vast jump from the previous years, she said.

Now, re-branded the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, Warner-Arnold said every year was a battle to up our game, to provide a bigger and better show with the same budget.

Despite the necessity of including other music genres, she said the Board always attempts to maintain 60 percent jazz in the line-up at the fringe events and on the main stage at Pigeon Island National Heritage and Historical Park in Gros Islet.

The Festival usually runs for ten to 14 days at various venues so, throughout the entire length of the Festival, there is a solid jazz content.

People are blinded by the Marc Anthony, the Kassav and the Caribbean component of the Friday night. But we have always ensured that we maintain at least, throughout the whole festival, 60 percent of jazz music, she said.

In addition, Warner- Arnold said community involvement also increased over the years. She emphasised that the Tourist Board did not host events in communities or even suggest it, but people felt the financial benefit of the festival and decided to capitalise on it.

Now, in almost every community, there is a small jazz show with its own atmosphere.

Its always something unique and distinct in each area. Each has its own vibe - different music, different food, different aspects - when you go down there, she said.

Warner-Arnold noted that, three years ago, the Board shifted to Jazz and Arts, deciding to gradually add art components.

In the first year, a haute couture fashion show and visual arts displays were introduced.

Then, last year, the Icon Series was added where a St Lucian icon is highlighted throughout the festival.

This year, a theatre aspect was included where the St Lucia Tourist Board hosted the play Omeros by Derek Walcott and produced by the Globe Theatre from the UK, for two days.

There was also The Arts Village where people could lime, paint, watch performances and St Lucian films, and learn from artists.

I think the 25th anniversary is the year that it (the arts) really has crystallised in the sense that we finally got to the place where you can feel the arts in all aspects of the Festival, said Warner- Arnold.

She noted that, at the Arts Village, master class workshops were held with 800 to 1,000 students in various aspects of the arts including dance, music, theatre, and film. Many of the children were bussed from more rural areas to the Arts Village.

It was really about ensuring that the island as a whole felt the impact of this Jazz and Arts as an event for the 25th anniversary, she said.

What does the future entail for the Jazz and Arts Festival? Warner- Arnold noted that St Lucia was a small island with limited capacity and a limited budget so the Festival was not something they could continue to expand in terms of size and scope.

However, she said the Board continues to hone and perfect the festival, making sure that a solid mix of quality music and good performances are delivered every year, on the main stage as well as at the fringe events.
Man abused by wife of 24 years tells his story

The case of Danny (not his real name) is one of the stories you hear little about - male domestic violence victims. Last month Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy revealed 26 percent of all domestic violence reports to police between 2010 and 2014 were men.

Webster-Roy said negative stereotyping of men as aggressors and women as victims has worked to obscure mens suffering from societys view and men who consider reporting violent assaults against them expect to face disbelief, ridicule and counter allegations.

Danny said in this society we have accepted physical attacks on males so much it is jokey (sic).

At 18 he began to date his future wife Donna (not her real name) after meeting at church. He felt like he a won a prize - a young teenage boy with low self esteem having such an attractive girl.

The two were engaged two years later and it was during that engagement period the first instance of abuse occurred. Danny was driving with Donna to a party and three of her relatives were in the backseat.

There was a good looking young lady walking under the street light behind the vehicle. Danny looked in his rearview mirror to avoid hitting her and as I turn around I collected a real hard slap.

Donna admonished him what you watching other woman for? and he recalled she was really angry.

Danny, however, felt pleased.

I feel this woman like me so much that at the mere look at a next woman, she could get so angry and jealous felt good inside. At that stage it meant she valued me, he said.

Donnas relatives in the backseat began laughing and Danny recalled their attitude was that he had looked for that.

Nobody was surprised or offended.

They laughed it off, he said.Danny and Donna got married and remained so for 24 years.

Danny recalled over the years she would throw tantrums, break dishes and lock herself in her room but he always tried to please her.

If Danny deviated from what she wanted, Donna would sulk and get self-absorbed.

What I did was I made her my God. And they thrive on that type of worship, he explained.

Sex between them started to get few and far between and she withheld sex for ad hoc reasons. He would clean the house and wash clothes, including her underwear, in the days before washing machines because he wanted to get action.

Later in counseling he learned she wanted to punish him because she felt he was not good enough.

The two went to counseling on five occasions on his initiative but they always fell out of it.

The violence began when the children came. After their first child Donna started to lime a lot and Danny would have to babysit.

She would come back at two or three in the morning. Danny was so enamoured he did not care if she had someone else.

Eventually he confronted Donna and told her he was leaving.

In response she threw him against a wall and stuck her nails into his chest until it bled.

She said I would take your children from you. Danny had bonded with his children and his wife knew they could be used as a weapon. A month after he left, Donna called him and said the children were crying about his absence. The two sought to mend the relationship but Danny slept in a different room. It was while sleeping another incident occurred.

Once she broke down the door and came at me with a knife, he said.Danny, fortunately, was not stabbed as the knife hit the head board. Dressed only in his short pants he escaped and drove to his mothers house.

He recalled that there were five incidents of physical violence and he made two police reports and even provided photographs. Danny said the police took him seriously and asked if they could warn her.

But I was scared. If she know I am doing it, it would get worse and I did not want to lose my children, he said.

He began getting support from the Single Fathers Association of Trinidad and Tobago and President Rhondal Feeles without her knowledge. When she found out she would shout and throw things.

It was over a year before he decided to actually leave and two when they subsequently divorced.

Only because of Feeles and the group I got strength to make the move, he said.

Danny began seeing a therapist and was told that his wife has a narcissistic personality disorder.

He said that men would stay in abusive relationships unless the violence requires medical attention or they could lose their children.

He encouraged men who are being abused that it is nothing to be ashamed about.

LOOK OUT NEXT WEEK FOR PART TWO.
Chinmaya Mission marks centennial

Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi on August 8, 1993.

The local year-long celebrations culminated on Sunday last, with the conclusion of an historic 108 nights Maha Jnana Yajna, which began on January 14 and which would have taken them to April 30.

However, the Yagna was extended for a further week so that its final night coincided with the actual date of Swamijis birth on May 8.

During the 108 nights, verses of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita were recited at 108 mandirs across the country so that on the 108th night the 700 verses of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita had been completed in accordance with the sankalpa (firm resolution) taken.

The Hindu rosary or set of mantra counting has 108 beads, while the word samadhi (also called samapatti) in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools refers to a state of meditative consciousness. It is a meditative absorption or trance, attained by the practice of dhyana or meditation. In samadhi, the mind becomes still. It is a state of being totally aware of the present moment; a one-pointedness of mind. When someone dies in India, it is said that that person has gone to or attained Samadhi.

The former Balakrishna Menon and future Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was born into an aristocratic family on May 8, 1916 at Ernakulam in the Indian province of Kerala. His parents  Parakutti and Kuttan Menon  were deeply pious and daily evening prayers and visits of sages and other holy people were an inherent part of the familys activities.

Although he was growing up in a spiritually charged atmosphere and enjoyed the chanting of mantras, etc., Balakrishna had lingering doubts in his mind as to what religion was all about.

He wanted to know whether there existed a greater truth behind all the ritualistic traditions, the true meaning of spirituality and whether it made any sense in life. His search  or what one might call his tryst with destiny  would eventually take him to the ashram of Swami Sivananda located near Rishikesh, a pilgrimage town on the bank of the sacred Ganges at the foothills of the Himalayas  one of the holiest places to Hindus and also known as the Yoga Capital of the World..

His meeting with Swami Sivananda would result in changing his life and setting him on a completely new path where the individual is enjoined to Be good. Do good and Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise. In February 1949 on the day of Maha Shivaratri (Great Night of Shiva), Menon took deeksha (initiation) from Swami Sivananda and became a sanyasi, one who renounces all worldly pursuits to follow and live life, abiding by the scriptures. At the time of deeksha, he was given the name Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati which translates as the one who revels in the bliss of pure consciousness. Through his teachings and the Chinmaya Missions worldwide, Swami Chinmayananda, who has been described as a dynamic visionary, has touched the lives of millions. In pursuit of his mission to give maximum happiness to the maximum number of people for the maximum time, he has constructed temples, established value-based schools and colleges, academic research into Sanskrit and Vedic scriptures, medical and rural upliftment projects and instituted a monastic order for the continued spread of his timeless wisdom. The Chinmaya Mission in this country is located at Swami Chinmayananda Drive, Calcutta No 1, McBean Village in Couva, where the spiritual head is 52-yearold Swami Prakashananda.

In pursuit of tertiary studies, the former Prem Chaitanya of California had migrated to Canada, where he would eventually meet Swami Chinmayananda at a university in Toronto at one of the missions jnana yagnas.

In 1991, he travelled to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) where, having immersed himself in the Vedic scriptures, he then took the vows of a Brahmachari.

The holder of both a Bachelors degree in Political Science and Philosophy from York University, Toronto, and a Law degree from Benares Hindu University, Premji returned to Trinidad in 1997 to begin Chinmaya Mission work here. His mission has included satsangs and yagnas not only in Trinidad but across the Caribbean, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
AAP alleged BJP is involved in its dirty politics tricks

New Delhi, Sun, 15 May 2016 NI Wire

Foreseeing its humiliating defeat in upcoming municipal by-elections due to monumental corruption in BJP ruled MCD, a desperate BJP today resorted to its old dirty tactics of leveling false allegations of extortion against AAP MLAs and volunteers.

Reacting to the allegations levelled by the BJP, AAP's Delhi Convenor Dilip Pandey said that the last minute theatrics of BJP MLA Vijendra Gupta will not save BJP from a humiliating loss in the elections. "Nobody knows the business of extortion better than the BJP. BJP president Amit Shah himself is an expert and has been investigated by the CBI for running an extortion racket.

BJP has in-house expertise of the trade and its opaque funding has been exposed in the High Court. Dilip Pandey challenged the BJP, which controls Delhi Police, ACB and all investigating agencies under the Central Government, to get the allegations probed. He advised the BJP brass not to lose mental balance, though the AAP sympathises with the current plight of the BJP in Delhi.
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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.

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Standing at attention. Photo: LM Otero/AP

Across 11 state conventions this weekend, Republican activists and operatives worked to unify under the newly inevitable Trump banner and, in some cases, stifle anti-Trump dissent, Politico reports. Thus, Trump supporters won elections to fill national convention delegate slots in most states with much more ease than in the past  quite a turnaround from the recent domination of such votes by supporters of Ted Cruz  and that altogether means Trump-brand Republicans are now poised to take the reins of at least some of the lower-level party apparatus, though to what long-term end remains unclear.

At Marylands convention, conservative activist, Citizens United chairman, and major Trump ally David Bossie won election as the states national committeeman over party stalwart Louis Pope. (Marylands Republican governor, Larry Hogan, who has declined to support Trump thus far, did not attend the event.) In Nebraska, state convention delegates voted to rebuke one of the most prominent #NeverTrump members, Senator Ben Sasse, by overwhelmingly passing a resolution opposing his call for a third-party conservative candidate for president and also rejecting a counter-resolution that aimed to condemn Trump for making degrading comments toward women and minorities, according to the Omaha World-Herald. It wasnt all bad news for Sasse, however, as the World-Herald reports he still seemed to have a majority of support at the convention, though he also seemed to deliberately avoid the subject of Trump in the speech he gave there. Twenty-one of the 36 national delegates elected on Saturday in Nebraska ended up being Trump supporters.

Regardless, its also very clear that opposing likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was the much more powerful motivator of GOP unity across these conventions than supporting Trump. No matter the setting, be it Kansas, Nevada, Maryland, Wisconsin, Arkansas, or any of the other states where Republicans got together this weekend, delegates freely told reporters that while they werent 100 percent about Trump or his positions, they were certain he was a better choice than Clinton. Virtually every convention speech, by governors, state officials, and members of Congress, echoed that reasoning as well.

Reservations clearly remain, however, like in Florida, where some delegates worried about Trumps impact on the Latino vote, or in Texas, where Ted Cruz gave a speech and avoided any mention of Trump but nonetheless warned convention attendees that Republicans may face some challenging days ahead  a notion that seemed to be shared by many in the audience. But while Paul Ryan and other national Republican leaders are still keeping at least some distance from Trump, at the state and local level of the GOP, the tension of the contentious primaries seems to be subsiding, albeit with many still holding their noses.
I really wanted to love this show but I just felt like it never decided if it wanted to be more adult or more like Robin Hood/Merlin.



Edited at 2016-05-15 07:34 am (UTC)

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yeah, it skipped all over the place and it vas a tad tiring to vatch, tbh.

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I think a lot of that has been due to the BBC messing it around over timeslots in the UK. Moving back and forth across the watershed kind of confused things

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Ditto. I liked the first season a lot, but even towards the end, it kept getting more Robin Hoody and some of the lines were too stupid, so by season two, I just lost all interest.



For shame. The were/are so hot.

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Season 2 ended pretty solidly, but the first three episodes were a fat mass.

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Yeah, that was definitely its ultimate weakness. I feel like they should've just submitted to filling Merlin's space in pop culture instead of going ~gritty. The cast is good, but the writing was never strong enough to justify edgier stories.

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i liked the first series but i didnt even know a second had aired until i saw a post on here about S3. such bad promotion.

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The promotion for this was nonexistent. It seems like they just let it bleed out after Capaldi left. Which I don't quite get -- it's not like he was the main character. The show definitely could've survived without him.

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is this worth watching? I just want to know if it's Poldark-ish or more like a CW show with British accents, the trailer kind of suggests the latter but trailers can be misleading.

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latter. think merlin and robin hood, but vith darker accents.

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I feel like that's not entirely fair. They did fridge a small handful of women, but they also fridged plenty of dudes, and they did a good job of giving female characters agency while also representing that period of time as inherently and toxically sexist.

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It never quite decided which of the two it was. It seems like the third series is trying to go for an almost Game of Thrones feel, which it definitely can't pull off. It was at its best when it was campy, which is most of the first series and part of the second.



I enjoyed the hell out of the first series, and the second series picked up steam partway through. I sense 3 is going to be a chore, though.

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god i thought this was officially cancelled years ago

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It was unofficially cancelled like a year ago. BBC just took forever to confirm it.

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Has the BBC ever hated a show so transparently?



I barely watch it but they did it so dirty once Capaldi left for Doctor Who.

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Well I know with 'Dickensian' they kept on changing the time slot it was in which meant it didn't do as well it could have done :/

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They did so much promo for Dickensian. It was in all the Christmas magazines, adverts for it every hour. They probably changed the slot because it didn't do that well from the get-go. nobody i knew enjoyed it

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This show is impossible to watch and I genuinely wanted to. It's never been on demand or ever on BBC America to record or ANY streaming platform like WTF

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I still don't get why they torpedoed it so hard. It was getting decent numbers by the end, and it's not like the Cardinal was the lead. They easily could've moved on without him.

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I'm so bummed we aren't going to get Milady/Athos.

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it's not endgame but they do have a decent scene together

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Oh I didn't think we would even get a scene since the actress had a baby?

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I'm never watching s3 after I found out what they did to Milady. Good riddance.

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I'm afraid to ask.

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i was just watching the first two episodes earlier... jfc

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also is the tone in the first few episodes reflective on the rest of the series? not sure if i'm into it rn.

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Are you talking about series 1? The lighthearted, campiness definitely goes away after the first series, but its to the show's detriment.

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True, my bigger complaint is that they kept dicking the show around while it was on, switching up show runners, and changing their schedule. So the final product is going to suck.

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Eh, at least this time it only has three series. Less room to fuck up.

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good. the 3rd season is a hot-ass mess. the bbc really should have given the original showrunner some time to breathe instead of bringing in new ones at the last minute

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I feel like most of the spoil-free reactions I've seen have just been one big linemouth.

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I feel sorry for the ppl going into the season w/o knowing what's coming to them...

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I've downloaded a couple of eps from S3 when I saw them online but I haven't watched yet (and was very confused where they had aired). The negative reactions though... is S3 that bad? S2 was messy as always but an improvement on S1 imo. Idk I'm afraid of spoilers so I guess I have to see for myself.

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I wouldn't watch the leaked episodes anyway -- they're the trimmed versions from other regions. And usually what they trim out is character development.

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Ah ok I didn't know these episodes were trimmed, thanks for letting me know. I'll just wait until it airs on the BBC then (wanted to do that anyway for the discussion posts).

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I've seen the first 5 eps of season 3 and idec I still enjoy it. Mostly because I love all the 4 musketeers and the actors.

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i was going to start this, but some of the reviews here aren't making me want to lol

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LOL give it a go. It's not that bad.



I'm not surprised or upset about the cancelation but I enjoyed the show when I watched it.

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thx! i'll check it out.

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It's fun. I haven't finished season 2 but season 1 is w good time.

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Nah, watch it. It didn't get to hate watch point or anything, just 'why are you making these writing decisions'. At least watch series 1. It's after that it gets questionable.

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At the start of May, an unusual trial concluded in Dagestan. Regional authorities charged the republics former deputy prime minister, Magomedgusen Nasrutdinov, with fraud and sentenced him to five years in prison and a hefty fine. Investigators said he had unlawfully privatized one million meters of Dagestans natural gas pipelines. Nasrutdinov comes from a dynasty of natural gas dealers in the republic. His father, Nasrutdin Nastrutdinov was a prominent figure, who laid the foundations for the republics natural gas system. Thus, it is highly unusual for prominent figures like that to end up behind bars in the North Caucasus (Onkavkaz.com, May 5).

Investigators claim that in 2002, when Nasrutdinov was the CEO of Dagestanregiongaz and chairman of the board of another gas company, Daggaz, he brokered a deal between the two companies. As a result, Daggaz took over more than one million meters of gas networks in nine municipalities. The company paid about $2 million for the network, which was allegedly worth four times more. A decade later, in 2013, Nasrutdinov reportedly offered to sell the networks back to the giant Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for about $150 million. His prosecution was probably Gazproms retaliation for the local officials impertinence. Nasrutdinovs lawyers said that prosecutors closed the court hearing to the public for the first several months under the pretext that there was a secret witness from the FSB (Federal Security Service). However, the testimony of the secret witness turned out to be futile. Nasrutdinovs defenders said that in May 2001, the Dagestanregiongaz and Mezhregiongaz companies decided to sell their gas networks,

which were their non-core assets, and Nasrutdinov, as the then-CEO of Dagestanregiongaz, had to implement that decision (Kommersant, March 3). His lawyers also exposed some glaring irregularities in the prosecution, such as the signature of a deceased person on a document (Chernovik.net, April 22).



Related: Iran Hits Saudis Where It Hurts, Offers Discounts On Asian Crude

The criminal prosecution of top officials in the North Caucasian republics is a rare phenomenon. A Dagestani deputy prime ministerial post is a high enough position to guarantee immunity from government persecution. Only high-profile figures in Moscow, such as Gazprom officials, or Dagestani governor Ramazan Abdulatipov could have initiated the investigation against Nasrutdinov. Whether it is Gazproms revenge for Nasrutdinovs refusal to play by their rules, Abdulatipovs jealousy, or the illegal schemes the former official used, the most interesting part for the public is that the imprisoned government official started to talk openly about the notorious issue of the backlog in payments for natural gas in Dagestan.

At the time of Nasrutdinovs arrest in January 2014, the backlog in payments for natural gas in Dagestan was about 17 billion rubles. By 2016, it had nearly doubled, reaching 28 billion rubles ($430 million) (Onkavkaz.com, May 5). Currently, the backlog in payments for gas and electricity in the North Caucasus exceeds half of all of Russias backlog in payments for these utilities, while the population and the area of the region constitutes only a small fraction of the country. The Russian government has repeatedly raised the issue of low fiscal discipline in the North Caucasus, but the backlog in payments has continued to grow unheeded (Kavkazskaya Politika, May 4).



Related: EPA Launches New Methane Rules For Oil And Gas

One possible explanation is that Moscow views the North Caucasus as a separatist region that needs to be made as dependent on Russia as possible. Creating the backlog in payments for utilities allows the Russian government to have both fiscal and rhetorical tools to signal that the region is unable to pay for its utilities and therefore cannot survive on its own. Another possible explanation is that uncontrolled financing of the regional elites has created a sense of impunity and given them opportunities to misappropriate the energy funds.

Nasrutdinov concluded his court testimony by stating: Normal losses of gas used to be 3 percent. During the worst years, in 1999, we complied with such losses. Now, the authorities introduced losses of 4042 percent, as the norm! Can you imagine? Gas comes into Makhachkala, and 40 percent of it goes up into the air?! Our city would have gone up in flames, and we would have experienced endless explosions. That gas is being stolen! (Chernovik.net, April 22).



Related:Where Will Halliburton And Baker Hughes Go From Here?

According to the former official, Dagestani enterprises illegally pay gas companies in cash, and the latter then redistribute the consumed gas of the enterprises among the general population. Unscrupulous gas companies then claim the population of the republic does not pay for the consumed utilities, Nasrutdinov said (Onkavkaz.com, May 5).

Dagestan extracts its own natural gas, unlike the majority of the other North Caucasus republics. In fact, natural gas reserves are quite significant in the republican estimated 800 billion cubic metersand Abdulatipov has complained Moscow did not allow the republic to exploit them (Kommersant, February 6, 2014).

Moscows unwillingness to extract the Caspian Sea gas in Dagestan once again indicates that it fears the republic could one day become energy self-sufficient and secede from Russia. The trial of one of Dagestans top gas industry official suggests that Moscows willingness to tolerate a large payment backlog for utilities in the republic may be wearing thin. As the economic crisis takes its toll on Russia, Gazprom and the Russian government are seeking to further reduce their financial losses.

By Valery Dzutsati via The Jamestown Foundation

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russias economic grip over Armenia may be loosening ever so slightly, highlighted by Moscows diminishing role in the South Caucasus countrys power sector.

Russian gained control over Armenian power plants and the national gas distribution network as a result of controversial assets-for-debt agreements with the Armenian government in 2003-2006. These days, state-run Russian corporations supply the bulk of natural gas consumed by Armenians. Russian companies likewise own many of Armenias key energy assets, providing the Kremlin with lots of economic leverage over a country that it considers its closest ally in the Caucasus.



But Russias commanding economic presence now seems to be on the wane. One of the Kremlin-controlled energy giants, Inter RAO, essentially pulled out of Armenia late last year, selling the countrys debt-ridden electricity distribution network and largest thermal-power plant to the Tashir Group, a collection of companies run by Armenian-born businessman Samvel Karapetian. Power plants controlled by the Russian state now account for only up to a quarter of Armenian electricity production, according to a calculation based on National Statistical Service data.



Last year also saw the sale of Armenias largest hydroelectric complex to an American entity, the New York-based ContourGlobal. The $250-million deal marked the largest single private investment coming from the United States in Armenias history.



The planned construction of a major hydroelectric station on the Arax River between Armenia and Iran should further diversify the power sector. The recent lifting of international sanctions against Iran is expected to speed up the repeatedly delayed implementation of the estimated $300-million project.



In recent months, the Armenian government has also reported preliminary agreements with European investors interested in building two new thermal-power plants in Armenia. The World Bank cautioned in a June 2015 report that the country will need an additional 250 megawatts of gas-fired power by 2020 to avoid an electricity shortage.



Analysts caution that these developments alone will not significantly reduce Armenias dependence on Russia for energy. Ownership of the power plants, be it Russian or American, doesnt matter that much, said Artur Kochnakian, a senior energy economist at the World Bank office in Yerevan. It has no direct connection with energy security.



Related: Holding 30% Of June Brent Crude Contracts, Is Glencore Manipulating Oil Prices



Kochnakian noted that Russia continues to deliver more than 80 percent of the natural gas used by Armenia and is the sole supplier of fuel to the Metsamor nuclear plant, which produces more than one-third of the countrys electricity. Russias Gazprom monopoly also owns the countrys gas distribution network.



In coming years, though, Yerevan plans to more than triple the presently modest volume of gas imports from Iran.



Armenia has been paying for Iranian gas with electricity generated at a thermal-power plant located in Yerevan. Its power supplies to the Islamic Republic should rise sharply following the construction of a third electricity transmission line connecting the two neighboring countries. Work on that line began last year and is due to end in 2018.



A similar new high-voltage facility will also connect Armenia to Georgia. The $115-million project, slated for completion by 2018, is mainly financed by Germany and the European Union. It will allow Armenia to increase its imports of cheap electricity from Georgian hydroelectric stations during the spring and summer, Armenian Deputy Energy Minister Areg Galstian said on April 13. That would presumably make Armenia less reliant on the more expensive supplies from domestic power plants using Russian gas.



Related: Oil On Track To Balance Later This Year



The government has decided to move plans of a routine shutdown at the Metsamor nuclear power station to Mat 2017 so that Georgian hydroelectricity, at peak strength in spring and summer, can be imported. Using Russian gas to supply thermal-power plants would be more expensive.



While Russia may have growing competition in Armenias energy sector, Moscow appears determined to remain a big energy player in the Caucasus energy equation. Galstian spoke to journalists after the energy ministers of Armenia, Iran and Russia and a Georgian deputy energy minister tentatively agreed to increase significantly electricity supplies among their countries. They signed a roadmap for the creation of a North-South energy corridor by 2019.



As economic analyst Ashot Khurshudian cautioned, diversification of ownership in the energy sector is certainly reducing some of our energy-related risks, but the impact of that diversification should not be overestimated.



In particular, Armenian utility regulators have for years put Gazprom and Russian nuclear fuel suppliers in a privileged position, said Khurshudian, who works at the International Center for Human Development (ICHD), a private think-tank in Yerevan. They always get payments for supplies on time, unlike generation and distribution companies, he claimed.



One of those supposed companies, a thermal-power plant located in the central Armenian town of Hrazdan, is owned by Gazprom. Hrazdan is also home to another, bigger and much older, plant that belonged to Inter RAO until September 2015. The Russian company sold it, along with the Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA) national power utility, to Russian-Armenian billionaire Karapetians Tashir Group.



Related: Petrobras Offloads $1.4B In Assets Amidst Political Turmoil



Born and raised in Armenia, Karapetian since the early 1990s has lived in Russia, where he made a fortune valued by Forbes magazine at over $4 billion. The tycoon has always had closer ties with the Armenian government than the Kremlin. His brother, Karen, is a former chief of staff for President Serzh Sargsyan, and a parliamentary deputy for Sargsyans Republican Party of Armenia.



Building profitable businesses appears to be Samvel Karapetians main interest. Shortly after acquiring ENA, Karapetian pledged to crack down on corrupt employees, to modernize facilities and make the distribution network profitable. Meeting with visiting executives from Moodys credit ratings agency in February, then-Armenian energy minister Yervand Zakharian claimed that the new ENA management had already cut the companys massive losses. This has contributed to the overall energy sectors financial stability, an Energy Ministry statement quoted Zakharian as saying.



The ICHDs Khurshudian also believes that ENA has benefited from the change in ownership. The sale of the Inter RAO assets was definitely a positive development because private firms tend to be more efficient than state-owned ones, he said.



Regulators have announced plans to reduce power prices within the next month; a decision facilitated, at least in part, by a reduction in ENAs losses. The only other Armenian power-generating facility currently owned by a state-run Russian company is the Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade, a complex of seven hydroelectric plants. Russian media reported in November that the owner, RusHydro, is now prepared to sell it.

By Emil Danielyan via Eurasianet.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Reprinted from Palestine Chronicle

There is a witch-hunt in the British Labour Party. Britain's Opposition party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is being hounded for not rooting out alleged anti-Semitism in his party. Those leading the charge are pro-Israel Zionists and their supporters within the party, members who are mostly allied with the former Prime Minister, the largely discredited pro-war Tony Blair. The Blairites are quite unhappy that Corbyn, who won the party's leadership election last September with a landslide victory is a non-elitist politician, with a deep-rooted grassroots activist past, and, yes, a strong stance for Palestinian rights.

Corbyn has been subjected to all sorts of attacks and ridicule from his own party, many members of which have been busy plotting to push him out, but remained hesitant because of his popular appeal. The Labour party had, in fact, lost much of its credibility since the days of Blair's "New Labour" and following the US lead in waging an immoral and illegal war on Iraq. Blair's supporters changed the priorities of the party, which was "Labour" by name only. Corbyn's advent galvanized young people around fresh ideals, and renewed the shaky faith of the party's traditional supporters.

But since he became a leader, the man's agenda of anti-corruption and greater equality in Britain has been slowed down, or even entirely halted, by some most bizarre controversies. He was attacked over such things as his supposed poor sense of fashion, his alleged lack of patriotism, and more. The attacks have been so ridiculous, yet omnipresent, that they became the subject of popular memes and much satire.

And when it all failed, he was hit with another manufactured controversy, that of alleged anti-Semitism within his own party. The recent attacks have been the most organized, yet. They involve Israel supporters, British politicians, the media and other sources.

The media has tried to paint him as an embattled leader who is not able to control the uncontainable Jewish hate oozing from his party members.

British Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, known for his strong support of Israel joined the fray, charging that the lid has been lifted on bigotry within Labour and that investigation into anti-Semitism must be more than a "sticker plaster."

The investigation and the preceding outcry of anti-Semitism, however, targeted those who were critical of Israel, not Jews, in general, or Judaism. Former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labour for suggesting links between the Nazi party and early Zionists, was not making any reference to Jews per se, and certainly not to Judaism. Arguably, if he was wrong, then it is a mere question of history, not race.

In its coverage of the controversy, even the BBC, delinks both concepts:

"Anti-Semitism is 'hostility and prejudice directed against Jewish people', while "Zionism refers to the movement to create a Jewish state in the Middle East."

Indeed, the first is a racist ideology, while the latter is an entirely political and historical question, especially since early Zionists were largely atheists. Israel's Zionist-Jewish contradiction was phrased skillfully by Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe, when he wrote:

"The secular Jews who founded the Zionist movement wanted paradoxically both to secularize Jewish life and to use the Bible as a justification for colonizing Palestine; in other words, they did not believe in God but He, nonetheless, promised them Palestine."

But the Rabbi, and many of those who unscrupulously joined the charge against Labour pretend that Zionism, a late 19th century political movement is the same as Judaism, a religion that dates back millennia.

However, there is nothing new here, and the manufactured "controversy" is hardly limited to Britain or the Labour Party.

The message that Israeli hasbara (propaganda) has been steadily sending to its critics since the establishment of Israel over the ruins of the Palestinian homeland in May 1948: if you are critical of Israel, however slightly, you are a certified anti-Semite. If it happens that you are Jewish, then you are a self-hating Jew, and if you are an Arab, you must abandon the idea that you are, yourself, Semitic and Arab, by merely opposing Israel's ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians who are all anti-Semites, anyway.

I doubt there is a self-respecting Palestinian intellectual who has not fended against accusations of being anti-Semitic for merely advocating Palestinian rights, and demanding accountability of Israeli violations of human rights and war crimes.
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman,

THE STRIP & FLIP SELECTION OF 2016:

Five Jim Crows & Electronic Election

Just because a crisis situation seems impossible to address effectively, there is no reason to give up, but every reason to keep wheels turning--inside out, as does this masterful dissection of elections and voting as a system between the Civil War and today.

Quite a time period to cover in less than 100 pages, but authors Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman face this challenge, prefaced and introduced by the famed author and investigative reporter Greg Palest and actress and activist (head of Progressive Democrats of America) Mimi Kennedy.

First readers are told what we must and can do in the short term and then in the long term, including the idealistic six-step "Ohio Plan" that will clean up the entire election system. I kid you not: manual, transparently counted paper ballots, automatic registration, a 4-day "Election Day" holiday, and banning of anything electronic anywhere near the polls, which will be manned by high school and university students paid $15 per hour--that's how to spread the ideals and tasks of democracy to future generations relying on tried-and-true methods from 100 years ago (this time effectively supervised). Pay students stipends for an indescribable experience that they will want to go back to time and again.

In the long term we must 1) ban corporate money from the campaign process; 2) abolish the Electoral College; 3) end gerrymandering; and 4) provide free public media access for all candidates meeting certain universal basic requirements. (Footnote: For all those large states with smaller populations that feel cheated at the Electoral College level, take heart--those of us on the coasts will be migrating to central US to swell your populations and fill your states, so that your Electoral College representation will rise, but at what price? Space is at such a premium, especially when global warming floods over the coastlines. Besides that, all of our votes will be counted fairly once this blight on democracy is eliminated.

The next sections divide the issues into two major parts, "Stripping" and "Flipping." "Stripping" analyzes what's wrong with our system--we are being stripped of our rights; and "Flipping" sketches the history of what exactly has happened, focusing in on Ohio in exquisite, or should I say "harrowing" detail. The latter two divisions comprise five sections focus on various features of Jim Crow: past, present, and projected future.

All in so few pages. Extreme knowledge and brilliant perspectives are needed and the authors, Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman, more than measure up. Bob is an attorney, academic, and Green Party activist who has dedicated himself to election integrity and the environment since 2004. He is a masterful public speaker--totally riveting, spontaneous, and emotional when he needs to be, calm and forceful otherwise. Harvey, an activist and academic historian, is a commanding presence as a speaker and as a writer, also a member of the Green Party focused on election issues and the environment. He spearheaded people's histories before Howard Zinn created his important series, and what an important genre that is. We all know about John Calhoun and Woodrow Wilson, but Harvey's work and then Zinn's shine a spotlight on the people who made all of the pompous publicized events possible and how they did and what they said and thought to change the system as much as they could and make history in this process that even mainstream authors can't quite ignore. Every act makes history. There is no reason to confine it to property-owning, overeducated and dead white males.

Between their two webpages, freepress.org and solartopia.org, they span the gamut of worldwide issues that for some reason draw a largely progressive readership with the hope that the word will spread. And it must.

Bob and Harvey's work is also pioneering. In their many books and publications they inform us almost exclusively about events the mainstream media don't go near: unsung heroes and underground or backstage atrocities we are forced to live with every day for as long as we can. Either the Earth will cave from all the abuse we are heaping on it, or else democracy will collapse, burned out by corruption of the super-wealthy aimed like gunfire at the rest of us. And the ripple effect will do a grand tour of the world.

Elections and voting are a prime target, democracy's bottom line. Pull that out from under us and the coup is complete. Keep on fighting, day in and day out, and we can tread water until things get better. Democracy is hard work, warned the Founders. Either do or die. Bob and Harvey show us how. The Recommendations in the third section of the Prologue, "Election Protection 2016: Threats to the Primary Election Vote and Actions for Activists," are herculean. Divide (at least we can divide it up) and conquer, but sweat bullets, from (1) "Monitor[ing of] all directives and advisories from the Secretary of State's office (or highest state election official)" to (15) "[Taking] Screenshots of Election Results."

The roots of the first Jim Crow, recently revived since 2010 with the advent of the Tea Party invasion of Congress and the Citizens United decision, are slavery, pure and simple, which has existed since the era of "civilized" humanity began. After the Civil War, to appease the "rebel" states that feared being overpowered by the far more populous North, each of their slaves was counted as three-fifths of a person for presidential elections, though themselves not allowed to vote. The issue was "equitable" distribution of electoral votes since the North was far more heavily populated than the largely rural South.

Nostalgia for the antebellum status of blacks, with the slave code fully reproduced by the authors in their text, revived it. Jim Crow I turned being black into inhabiting a concentration camp in many ways in the South: confinement to certain ramshackle neighborhoods, unpunished murders and lynchings, imprisonment for no reason except to mark them as felons and thus exclude them from the vote, slave wages and sweatshop-level employment, and worse. Several voting laws originated in this climate, virtually undoing the 13th through 15th Amendments soon after they were enacted. What resulted was disgustingly unconstitutional.

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Prison Legal News (PLN), a magazine dedicated to prison reform and news developments related to federal and state prison systems, has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) after the DOC banned four issues of the magazine because of "sexually explicit material." What's the nature of this sexual material? It's four articles about prison guards and other prison employees raping prisoners. The Arizona DOC actions are not meant to ensure the smooth running of the prison system, as it asserts, but instead to keep prisoners in the dark about official abuse, malfeasance, and criminal activity. The DOC has sought to settle the case out of court. Even they recognize that they're holding a losing hand.

The DOC's guidelines regarding prisoners receiving sexually explicit material are clear. They state, "Sexually explicit material is defined as publications that feature nudity and/or sexual behaviors/acts and/or the publication is promoted based on such depictions." The description bears no resemblance whatsoever to Prison Legal News, which contains only news articles and the occasional advertisement.

This Arizona DOC's actions are not new to Prison Legal News. Indeed, PLN has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, corrections departments, local jails, and states since 2000. Just this year, for example, the Northwest Regional Adult Detention Center in Winchester, Virginia, agreed to PLN demands that prisoners be allowed to receive the magazine, after initially banning it and all other printed material.

Similarly, earlier this year the Nevada Department of Corrections agreed to pay PLN $475,000 and to allow prisoners to receive the magazine after PLN filed a federal suit there. PLN has had similar wins across the country over the past few years.

Other prisoners' rights organizations get far more news coverage than PLN, a publication of the Florida-based Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC). The Innocence Project, for example, uses DNA evidence to work to exonerate those people wrongly convicted of murder and serving sentences of life, or even death. Every Innocence Project win is major national news.

But it's the small and underfunded HRDC and PLN that work to defend prisoners' rights on virtually every other issue. HRDC currently has numerous lawsuits pending against the federal government, states, municipalities, and private prisons, not only related to freedom of speech, but also to prevent prisons from forcing released prisoners to accept all of their remaining commissary money on high-fee debit cards; to prevent prisons from banning all prisoner mail except postcards; and fighting the decision made by several private prisons to ban in-person visits in favor of expensive video-only visits. PLN and HRDC are also leaders in the fight against substandard and incompetent medical care in prisons across the country.

The question is why PLN is the only organization taking on these issues. Frankly, in a real democracy, in a country that respects its own constitution and the rule of law, PLN and an organization like HRDC would not even be necessary. But that's not the society we live in. We live in a system that seeks vengeance against those convicted of crimes, a society that doesn't just want people to repay their debts to society, but wants them to continue to suffer, both during and after release.

That's why there's no public outcry against the human and civil rights violations that current and former prisoners face every day. That's why there's no public outcry when prisoners die unnecessarily in prison because of substandard medical care. That's why there's anger when governors reinstate the voting rights of former felons.

Society won't change by itself. And certainly the lemmings in Congress won't lead the way. That's why organizations like HRDC and publications like PLN are so important. They are the only voice for prisoners and for the human and civil rights prisoners deserve.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
Former Goldwater Republican Hillary Clinton is running as a Democrat. Former Democrat Donald Trump is running as a Republican. Bernie Sanders, an Independent Democratic Socialist, is running as a Democrat. And now Joe Scarborough is my new BFF. It must be climate change, because Hell has finally frozen over.

Sanders: 55.7% = 7 Delegates



Clinton: 44.3% = 11 Delegates



All four Superdelegates had pre-pledged their support to Hillary last year, well before voters had the opportunity to make their preferences known. Now, according to WyoFile, "Some Wyoming Democrats want the party's four superdelegates to ditch their publicly-stated pledge of support for Hillary Clinton to more accurately represent the outcome of the party's April 9 caucus."

Scarborough, a Republican and former U.S. Representative, said, "This same party tells voters to go straight to hell when they select somebody by 12 percentage points, and end up letting the other candidate, who lost by 12 percentage points, win the most delegates " THAT, by definition, is voter disenfranchisement, " noting that " It is a system rigged in favor of the rich and the powerful and the politically connected." I just might have fallen in love with him at that moment.
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Something Wicked This Way Comes - War and Economic Crises Much comes together to indicate we we are approaching both war and economic crises. I submit we can stop the next war with the truth of our war history. Saturday, October 14, 2017Much comes together to indicate we we are approaching both war and economic crises. I submit we can stop the next war with the truth of our war history.

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My Favorite Conspiracy Theories 2016 05 22 Our plutocrats are working for future aliens, their overlords, to destroy the Earth in preparation for a future alien invasion. Sunday, May 15, 2016Our plutocrats are working for future aliens, their overlords, to destroy the Earth in preparation for a future alien invasion.

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Great Recessions II - coming soon to an economy near you. We are again in a bubble economy created by our plutocrats for their extraordinary profits. The Fed in its primary function of facilitating and managing instability has helped create this bubble with a 2.5 trillion money creation account. Our total nonfinancial debt has increased beyond our capacity to repay. And, bubbles burst. Congress should once again review and amend the Fed's systems and delegated authority. Wednesday, January 8, 2014We are again in a bubble economy created by our plutocrats for their extraordinary profits. The Fed in its primary function of facilitating and managing instability has helped create this bubble with a 2.5 trillion money creation account. Our total nonfinancial debt has increased beyond our capacity to repay. And, bubbles burst. Congress should once again review and amend the Fed's systems and delegated authority.

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One possible False Flag Operation: An attack on the USS Enterprise CVN 65 Israel would not attack Iran if they did not calculate they could involve the US. Sunday, September 23, 2012Israel would not attack Iran if they did not calculate they could involve the US.

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Proposed Resolution - The war on terror is a lie. A proposed resolution condemning the war on terror as a lie with an executive summary of points and footnotes with additional notes backing summary points and sources. Tuesday, October 20, 2009A proposed resolution condemning the war on terror as a lie with an executive summary of points and footnotes with additional notes backing summary points and sources.

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Additional Thoughts on the 2008 Georgia Russian War This is an update on my 8/23/2008 article on the Georgia Russian War, Sack the Sacks: Saakashvili and Bush. Friday, October 16, 2009This is an update on my 8/23/2008 article on the Georgia Russian War, Sack the Sacks: Saakashvili and Bush.

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Sack the Sacks We need to terminate the presidencies of aggressors such as Georgian President Saakashvili and President Bush. Saturday, August 23, 2008We need to terminate the presidencies of aggressors such as Georgian President Saakashvili and President Bush.

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Update on Iran war authorization / resolution H Con Res 362 and concurrent S.RES. 580 This is a follow up to my 5/27 article (1) requesting you call your Congressmen demanding summer legislation requiring Bush to get specific Congressional authorization for an attack on Iran. Since then, on 6/2/2008, H Con Res 362 was introduced. Friday, June 27, 2008This is a follow up to my 5/27 article (1) requesting you call your Congressmen demanding summer legislation requiring Bush to get specific Congressional authorization for an attack on Iran. Since then, on 6/2/2008, H Con Res 362 was introduced.

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House Un-American Activity - San Diego County Representatives Last year 288 members of the House of Representatives voted against the US Constitution. Unbelievable? No. They voted against requiring Mr. Bush to get Congressional approval for an attack on Iran. Bush must not be allowed to attack another sovereign nation without Congressional approval in violation of Article 1, Sect. 8.11 of the US Constitution. This issue transcends all others until such legislation is passed. Tuesday, May 27, 2008Last year 288 members of the House of Representatives voted against the US Constitution. Unbelievable? No. They voted against requiring Mr. Bush to get Congressional approval for an attack on Iran. Bush must not be allowed to attack another sovereign nation without Congressional approval in violation of Article 1, Sect. 8.11 of the US Constitution. This issue transcends all others until such legislation is passed.

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Stopping an attack on Iran Give the preemptive de-funding of an attack on Iran equal priority to de-funding the war in Iraq or setting time limits for our withdrawal. An attack on Iran will make the surge and/or time limits moot. Saturday, March 10, 2007Give the preemptive de-funding of an attack on Iran equal priority to de-funding the war in Iraq or setting time limits for our withdrawal. An attack on Iran will make the surge and/or time limits moot.
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QUEENSBURY | A New York City man who sold crack cocaine in Queensbury twice last year was sentenced Wednesday to 6 years in state prison.

Jason Burgos, 29, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty to four felony charges in February in connection with a Warren County Sheriff's Office investigation that ended with his arrest last June.

He pleaded guilty with the understanding that Warren County Judge John Hall would sentence him to between 5 and 9 years in prison.

Hall imposed the six-year term, to be followed by 3 years on parole.

Burgos, who had a prior felony drug conviction in New York City, also agreed to forfeit $5,000 in cash that police seized from him when he was arrested.
BLACK BROOK | A Queensbury man was critically injured when he crashed a motorcycle Saturday on a remote road in Clinton County, according to State Police.

Mark Orlosky, 55, was taken to University of Vermont Medical Center via helicopter with serious head injuries after the 10:30 a.m. crash on Silver Lake Road, about a half-hour north of Lake Placid.

State Police said he was riding a Harley-Davidson that went off the road and hit a tree. It was unclear what caused him to lose control of the motorcycle.

Police said he was initially listed in critical condition on Saturday, but an updated condition was not available early Sunday.

Orlosky is a well-known local musician.
This week, proms went nautical as Bolton, Granville and Greenwich central schools cast off from the shores of Lake George to have a night to remember. Bolton took off from The Sagamore resort on The Morgan to the theme of 'Stormy Night'; Granville held its prom on the Lac du Saint Sacrement to 'A Night at Sea' and Greenwich spent its night aboard the Adirondac to 'New York New York.' Other proms held across the region included Fort Edward at the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury to the theme of 'Night in the Enchanted Forest'; Hadley-Luzerne at The Georgian Lakeside Resort to the theme of 'Roaring 20s'; Johnsburg held its from at The Copperfield Inn Resort in North Creek to the theme of 'Enchanted Forest' and Newcomb, Minerva, Indian Lake and Long Lake central schools joined together for its night under the theme of 'Enchanted Forest' at the Garnet Hill Lodge in North River. Schools held events at their high schools before heading off to their prom sites for dinner and dancing.
HUDSON FALLS  In the village, the veterans grapevine works like a finely tuned machine.

When members of Hudson Falls American Legion Post No. 574 and the Sons of the American Legion heard that a fellow veteran needed a handicapped-accessible ramp at his home, they just went ahead and built him one.

It came out really nicely, said John Santa Croce, a deputy fire chief in the village who was among seven members of the Legion and the Sons who spent April 23 building a ramp for Hank Palmer, an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War.

Local American Legion officials said they had heard through the grapevine that Palmer needed the ramp but was not able to have it built.

In a note to members, Sons of the American Legion President Dan Lancette wrote that the group donated $250 and that the Memories of Elvis Fan Club donated $200 toward the materials needed for the ramp.

This is what makes us great within our surrounding communities  working together, Lancette wrote in the Legion newsletter.

Santa Croce said it took the crew about five hours to do the work, but it was enjoyable.

Others who took part included Dan Nolan, Nick Barber, Ken Flickinger, Mike Wheeler, Don DuPrey Sr., Ed Green, Gloria DuPrey and Lancette.
When one door closes, another one opens. That has never been truer than over the past few weeks here at The Post-Star where two doors opened for members of our copy desk.

When Online Editor Doug Gruse left last month for a new job with SUNY Adirondack, it opened opportunities for two of our staffers.

Adam Colver, who has been a copy editor and Sunday editor at The Post-Star over the past five years, was named our new online editor.

Adam is originally from West Plattsburgh and majored in journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh.

He started his career as a reporter/page designer at the Genesee Sun in western New York before moving to the Press-Republican in Plattsburgh as a reader/page designer for three years.

The Post-Star hired Adam as a copy editor and later promoted him to Sunday editor where he oversaw our biggest and most ambitious product of the week.

As online editor, Adams goals will be to continue our growth and quality in digital media. Adam is a finalist in the graphics category in this year New York State Associated Press Association contest.

With Adam taking over as online editor, Angela Valden, another member of our copy desk, has been promoted to Sunday editor.

Valden, a SUNY New Paltz graduate, worked for The Saratogian as a copy editor for six years before coming to The Post-Star nearly three years ago to work on the copy desk. She was put in charge of the Monday newspaper last year and won second and third-place awards in the New York State Associated Press Association contest for design and graphics last year.

Both will start their new positions on June 6.

Community blogs

The Post-Star has initiated the first of its community blogs on poststar.com.

When Doug Gruse, formerly our online editor, took another job at SUNY Adirondack, it seemed a natural fit for him to continue as a community blogger representing what is going on in the local college community.

When our editorial board met with SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy earlier this year, we sensed a disconnect between the community and the college.

We hope that Dougs blogs help bridge that gap.

We hope to add more community bloggers in the coming months.
Warren County is spending more money on the Floyd D. Bennett Memorial Airport.

But not really, we are told.

We know, youve heard this one before.

Warren County supervisors have decided to spend $525,000 to purchase land around the airport so that trees can be cut to make landings and takeoffs safer. And since the Federal Aviation Administration is picking up most of the costWarren County will pay just $25,000the purchase is a no-brainer.

Its not our money, we are told.

Lets face it, most of us would not even know that Warren County has an airport if it wasnt for the annual Adirondack Balloon Festival. And while rural airports like Warren County are touted as an asset in attracting business to the region, weve seen no tangible proof of that in recent years, while taxpayers continue to pick up operating expenses that are approximately $750,000.

Considering the advances in modern telecommunications, its hard to imagine many corporate jets being used on business trips to Warren County.

Still, we understand the supervisors reluctance to turn down such a large chunk of federal generosity. We just wish it was being used to fix roads and bridges.

We also know that in lieu of some major botany breakthrough, the Federal Reserve has still not found a way to grow money on trees.

So where do the airport freebies come from?

It turns out it is a travelers tax.

We found an instructive USA Today investigation from 2009 that shed some light on the free money.

The Airport Improvement Program has been around for about 35 years now. According to the USA Today report, the program raises billions of dollars a year thorough taxes on airline tickets. The tax can be as high as 15 percent on each ticket sold. And that may have gone up since 2009.

Congress has directed that money to be spent on general-aviation airports like the ones we have in Warren and Saratoga counties. These are almost always rural airports that have no commercial flights and benefit just a small number of private pilots.

The USA Today report estimated that the program gives money to about 2,000 airports each year for projects such as runway improvements and expansions.

That may sound familiar. The last one in Warren County caused quite a ruckus.

We found a spending database for the Airport Improvement Program on the FAA website.

Over the past six years, more than $137 million has been allocated to rural general aviation airports around New York to improve transportation hubs like Ogdensburg International, Oneonta Municipal, Potsdam Municipal, Finger Lakes Regional and county airports in Fulton, Columbia, Saratoga, Dutchess and Sullivan counties.

It is unlikely any of you has ever changed planes in any of these places, but you are still paying for airport improvements and upgrades there.

The USA Today article further found that Congress had expanded annual funding 10 times between 1982 and 2009. Funding increased from $470 million in 1999 to $1 billion in 2007.

We wondered why there was so much interest from Congress in improving small airports.

USA Today found that many members of Congress use general-aviation airports to get around their districts and states. Members of Congress took 2,154 trips on corporate-owned jets from 2001-06, according to a study by PoliticalMoneyLine, an independent research group.

Weve never faulted the county for taking what was considered free money for a county asset. But it is now clear that Warren County should not draw our ire, but Congress continued funding of the Airport Improvement Program should.

Essentially, Congress has implemented a hidden tax on airline travel  as much as $75 for a $500 airline ticket  that we believe should be rescinded. Were hoping Rep. Elise Stefanik might be willing to look into that.

Without the tax, the Airline Improvement Program could no longer subsidize runway improvements and extensions. That would force rural counties  like Warren County  to take a hard look at how important the county airport is to the community without the carrot of free money.

We suspect county supervisors would have a very different opinion of the airport as an asset if they had to pay the full freight.

And that would be real progress.

Local editorials represent the opinion of The Post-Stars editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle and citizen representative Tom Portuese.
At the end of 2015, the 196 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathered in Paris for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21). On 12 December, they adopted the Paris Agreement, contained in Decision 1/CP.21.

Marking the successful end to negotiations that started at COP17 in Durban four years earlier, the agreement is an important milestone for the poorest members of the international community. This paper provides an analysis of the Paris Agreement and the relevant sections of Decision 1/CP.21 that give effect to the agreement, based on the positions of the 48 Least Developed Countries.
This according to the committee is in line with improving mental health service delivery in the region. Speaking to pulse.com.gh, the Western Regional Mental Health Coordinator Charles Kwame Vigbedor noted that we want to know how many of us are on the streets. We want to track the trend. And we want the numbers to help us in planning support services for them.

The data collected will become formal regional and national data source for funding variety of grants and mental health programs. He added
This means only 116 buses were brought into the country.

The latest revelation adds to the jigsaw puzzle surrounding the operations of metro mass transport limited.

Speaking on Citi FMs current affairs programme The Big Issue, Agyarko urged Occupy Ghana to go behind the bus branding and look at the number of buses in Ghana.

I think that Occupy Ghana must go beyond the branding and begin to look at those buses themselves. Government went for a loan of 40 million dollars to procure 200 buses. So far they have done 116. You must find out why the remaining buses have not come in yet, he said.

If you go on and begin to interrogate those buses, you will find out that the branding is chicken feed. I am saying that go and find out how come $40 million imports 200 buses, if work out the difference, [it will mean that] one Chinese bus comes up to a cost of 200,000 dollars. I think it is ridiculous, he added.

Occupy Ghana secured a court judgement ordering government to make public document surrounding metro mass bus branding saga.

A leading member of the group, Mr. Ace Ankomah, published the one page contract and said the document "is scandalous and insulting to Ghanaians that the entire Smartty's 'Contract', when it finally came to be signed, was effectively just a-ONE-PAGE document."

"And when one takes out the puffs and fluffs on that page, the only terms are captured in six (6) lines!""The second page was for signatures, and then some 5 or so pages of useless documents generated by Smartty's were added to pad and beef it up," he said."Yes, almost $1m of your money was being frittered away in an illegal sweetheart transaction with the yet-undenied endorsement of the Office of the President (the same Office of the President that ordered the investigation and does not have the courage, spine to publish the AG's report), and they didn't even bother to get a first-year lawyer to write a half-decent contract."

"Worse, the Minister DID NOT SIGN THE CONTRACT."

The branding initially cost GHC3.6 million but upon a review, Smarttys management and production, the company at the centre of saga, was made to refund GHC1.5 million.

Then minister of road and transport, Gzifa Attivor, resigned from her position after the matter became public.

In her most recent comments, she asked Voltarians to vote for the ruling party because a change of government to the opposition New Patriotic Party could land her in jail.
According to the head of Technical Services at the Volta River Authority, Jacob Brown Yawson,two million tonnes of coal would be imported from Colombia and South Africa annually, hence the need for a coal port to receive the imported coal in the 25-year span of the project.

Mr Jacob Brown Yawson, Manager of Technical Services, VRA at Aboadze, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the country has one of the highest demands for electricity, saying GRIDCO has an annual rate of seven per cent with other countries less than the percentage.

He said in December 2015, VRA and Shenzhen released a pre-feasibility environmental and social impact assessment for phase I: 2x350MW supercritical coal plant, including an affiliated coal handling terminal, while Phase II would be a 4X350MW or 2X600MW supercritical coal plant.
Interacting with the Sarkin Zongo, Chief Issah Wanzam, and residents of Gaskia Zongo, the NPP flagbearer noted that "I am not seeking the high office of this land because I want to steal your money and line my pockets with the nations resources. I am not coming into office for the well-being of my wife and my family. No! I am coming to do a job for Ghana and for Ghanaians. Have confidence in me, and vote for me this year, because I will not disappoint you."

Nana Addo reaffirmed his commitment to establishing a Zongo Development Fund aimed at solving the basic infrastructure problems existing in Zongo communities across the country.

He further assured the youth in the area of massive employment opportunities when he is voted into power.

"What is needed in Ghana now is a President who will work to bring jobs to the teeming masses of unemployed youth, some of whom are resident here. This is what Nana Akufo-Addo is going to do when you elect him as President," he said.
She was speaking during donation to the Axim Government Hospital and some selected schools in the Nzema East Municipality in the Western region.

The second lady noted: "The people of the region must unite for the development of the region towards peace, unity and accelerated socio-economic development."

Some of the materials she donated include beds, mattresses, crutches, Zimmer frame, trolleys, theatre equipment, wheel chairs, safety boxes, syringes, among others.

She asked authorities at the hospital to ensure that the materials are well managed in order to enhance their lifespan for healthy delivery.
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Buhari said this while fielding questions from newsmen at the closing of the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja.

The president said the claim that the Boko Haram group was getting its arms and ammunition from IS remained unsubstantiated.

He said a major source of the groups sophisticated weaponry was from the various military and police bases attacked at the peak of the insurgency in the affected countries.

``The type of weapons they are using, I believe were the ones taken from military bases they attacked at the peak of the insurgency especially in Nigeria.

``If you recall they attacked military bases and carted away weapons, they attacked police stations and broke into their armouries, that was how they got the kind of weapons they have been using to fight.

``Frankly, up till now we dont have firm intelligence of what IS has been able to send to Boko Haram in terms of weapons or even money.

``But the fact that they said they are affiliated to IS has made many people to believe that they were getting weapons from ISIS, he said.Buhari allayed fears that members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) helping in the counter-insurgency operation in the North East would constitute threat to security in their various communities.

He said the Civilian JTF were carefully constituted by the various state government, stressing that there was a broad plan to rehabilitate them in governments post insurgency programme.

In a related development, some representatives of foreign governments and international organisations have pledged their continued support for the Lake Chad basin counter-terrorism effort.

They stressed the need for the international community to close ranks with countries of the Lake Chad basin to tackle the root causes of terrorism and the general development of the region.

The United Kingdoms Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Philip Harmmon said his country had committed a lot of resources in tackling terrorism in the Chad Basin and Nigeria in particular.

Harmmon said UK would improve its support for Nigerias counter-terrorism efforts through intelligence sharing, training of members of the armed forces and supply of military hardware.

On his part, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Anthony Blinken said the United States had been supportive of Nigerias counter-terrorism war in the past two years.

He pledged the USs commitment to improved support to the Nigerian military and to the governments post insurgency plan.

Blinken said more military would be supplied to Nigeria to counter Boko Haram and to help in sustaining the gains that have been recorded in the war against insurgency.

He however warned that the battle against terrorism was far from over as much would be required to win the war as well as the peace.

The Vice President of the European Union, Mrs Federica Mogherini said the EU had committed 50 million Euros to support the Multi National Joint Task Force.

He said the EU remained committed to the peace process in the Lake Chad region as well as the resuscitation of economic and social activities in the region.
In a statement signed by the Police Spokesman in the command, Ebere Amaraizu, on Sunday, Ojukwu said that anybody found to be spreading the rumour would be prosecuted.

The statement was sequel to media report that some communities in the state would be attacked by suspected herdsmen.

He, however, said that measures had been put in place for the safety and security of communities through relevant partnership with stakeholders to ensure that there was peace across the state.

Rumour mongering creates fear and panic in minds of people even when there is nothing to fear about as command is ready to ensure safety and security of the citizens of the state, he said.

He advised members of the public with useful information to reach the nearest police division through any fast means
The Rector of the Institution, Alhaji Masud Elelu told newsmen on Sunday in Ilorin that ``Radio Polytechnic'' was shut down in 1982.

'' My administration decided to revamp it for the purpose of disseminating information within the campus and the host communities.''

According to him, the institution needs N50 million to register the radio station with the National Broadcasting Commission, for transmission rights.

``In the same vein, additional five science courses had been presented to the National Board for Technical Education, for approval.''

Elelu stated that more than 300 staff of the polytechnic had undergone different forms of training in Nigeria and abroad.
President Buhari, who stated this in Abuja at the opening of the 2nd Regional Security Summit, noted that the implementation of the action plan remained a vital challenge.

He said poverty was a major factor in the recruitment of terrorists.

``The long-term development of the Lake Chad Region is crucial to reducing the high poverty rate in the basin, a major factor in the recruitment of terrorists.

``Implementing the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan (LCDCRAP), which was submitted to donor countries and organization at the conference of Parties (COP 21), Side Event on the Lake Chad, therefore, remains a vital challenge.

``The total cost of the short and medium term development of the Lake Chad region is estimated to be in the region of 916 million Euros.

``As LCDC Member States, we seek the cooperation and support of our partners to implement this plan, he said.

The President stressed the need to articulate a plan for the critical post-conflict development phase.

According to him, it is only by bringing development to the areas affected by insurgency and by protecting the victims and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as well as refugees that genuine recovery of areas devastated by conflict devastated areas could be achieved.

Buhari, therefore, expressed the hope that the summit would be a turning point for the collective efforts at achieving a conflict-free, peaceful and stable region.

``Against this backdrop, our task is to review how well we have achieved our objectives since the Paris Summit.

``We must seize the opportunity this summit presents to evaluate the successes we have achieved, consolidate our achievements, identify any shortcomings we have experienced, and then draw important lessons on which to build further progress, he added.

The President gave the assurance that Nigeria would continue to work tirelessly to strengthen regional collaboration and expand international partnerships.

He said Nigeria had diligently implemented several proactive programmes in furtherance of the decisions of the Paris Summit.

``Today, we have achieved significant outcomes. Boko Haram is no longer a cohesive force, but a group of self-seeking individuals pursuing personal glory, he said.
Akinsehinwa disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure.

The chairman said the shift in focus was a result of the harsh economic realities in the state which had been worsened by the dwindling resources from the Federation Account.

"Things are tough nowadays and we do not want to add more burdens to our people. Therefore, we have to shift our focus to corporate organisations.

"We are also very careful in dealing with the corporate organisations because we do not want to kill the geese that lay the golden eggs.

We are aware that they too are being affected by the harsh economic weather," he said.

Akinsehinwa, however, reminded individuals and corporate bodies in the state that payment of taxes was their civic obligation and government needed the resources to develop the state.

The chairman warned tax defaulters in the state to change their attitude because the state government would prosecute any individual or company evading tax.

"We have tried some people in court and the premises of some companies have been sealed for defaulting. Tax payment is compulsory and it is a criminal offence not pay.

"We will continue on that path if any individual or company is caught in the act of tax evasion," he said.

Akinsehinwa urged the people to cooperate with the state government in developing the state by paying their taxes.
This is coming after the Defence Headquarters announced that security agencies have information on members of the militants and would soon reveal the identities of their sponsors.

In a new report by Daily Trust, a military officer in the creeks in Delta State, disclosed that troops had launched a manhunt for members of the Avengers group.

ALSO READ: Army declares war on Niger Delta Avengers

It was further reported that a list of the suspects was compiled and sent to units, who were tasked with carrying out the arrests.

Meanwhile, Defence spokesman, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, has said the nations security forces were closely watching the activities of the group, vowing that they would regret what they have done.

Abubakar maintained that the Avengers do not pose a threat bigger than what the Nigerian army can contain adding that the perpetrators of the evil acts in the Niger Delta will be brought to book in no time.
According to Daily Trust, Hammond said this while speaking with journalists in Abuja, saying the move could end in disaster.

In his words, Its obviously a major concern. The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesnt work, It wont deal with the underlying issues.

Continuing, he said, 'Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta.'
The President of the Association, Mr Francis Olabode-Johnson, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.

According to him, the current fight against pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft in the region has not recorded the desired success and needed to be intensified as the act has continued.

He said the country had continued to lose huge revenue owing to the bombing of oil pipelines by militants, stressing that ``I am calling on the Federal Government to effectively check the activities of militants and pipelines vandals in the Niger Delta region.

``Nigeria is losing a large percentage of its revenue due to the activities of the militants.

``I want government and the multinational oil companies to use modern technologies in checking pipelines vandalism and crude oil theft.''

``We also expect the managers of these pipelines to imbibe the culture of regular maintenance while government lives up to its responsibility of providing security to these national asset, he said.
Olulade, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health, gave the advice in a statement signed by him in Lagos.

He said that rather than protest, organised labour should discuss with the government so as not to put Nigerians through further suffering.

``The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should dialogue with the government rather than marching innocent workers out for a protest that can earn them no tangible outcome," he said.

The lawmaker commended the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for showing understanding and support for the policy.

``I share the pains of Nigerians and labour force, but there is nothing reasonably viable than to deregulate the sector.

``This will save Nigerians the incessant and persistent agony of accessing petroleum products which are God- given resources to the Nigerian masses.

``Among all the oil exporting countries, Nigeria is the only country that still lives in the euphoria of oil sector regulation and as such, denying the nation of economic benefits accruable from the sector.

``From availability of the products to job creation and to huge oil sales revenue, the hardship is temporary and I am sure Nigerians will smile in no distant future," he said.

The lawmaker said that President Muhammadu Buhari's administration would not let the people down, pleading for their endurance, patience and cooperation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal Government, on May 11, announced an increase in the pump price of petrol from N86.00k, pegging it at not more than N145 per litre.
In a report by ThisDay Newspaper, Nkem-Abonta said the ruling party and the incumbent President owe the ex-President an apology for inciting protests against the removal of fuel subsidy in 2012 on the grounds that it was an anti-people policy, and now turning around to remove the same subsidy.

Though, Abonta expressed his support for the removal, the lawmaker called for a total deregulation of the sector, passage and implementation of the Petroleum Industry Bill.

Speaking further, Nkem-Abonta said, They occupied Nigeria in 2012. What changed between 2012 and now causing the increase? That means they were ignorant and lacked political reasoning. The criticized Jonathan out of trying to condemn him. Those who surround him (Buhari) misled Nigerians using the Labour movement. Lai Mohammed was one of those who occupied Nigeria. What would he say now?
The CBN Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, said the apex bank has not taken such step.

We have been hearing rumours making the rounds that the Naira had been devalued. I want to tell you now that it is not true. The Naira has not been devalued, Okoroafor told Punch on the telephone on Friday night, May 13, and declined to comment further.

Pulse had reported, quoting SaharaReporters, that Buhari had bowed to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to devalue the Naira from the current official rate of N197 to N290 to a dollar.

Last month, the IMF had lamented Nigeria's foreign exchange policy, saying it is having negative impact on many businesses - insisting that the Naira is currently overvalued.
Mark gave them the task at the party's North Central zonal congress held on Saturday in Abuja.

He said that both the party leaders and members in the zone must sacrifice individual interest and work in unity to lead PDP in north central and other zones to victory in future elections.

``The North Central use to be the hub and centre of PDP, unfortunately in the 2015 elections we lost and there is no PDP governor in the zone as we speak.

``We have realised our mistakes and we will correct them. Once those mistakes are corrected we will win all our elections.

``So far all the re-run that have been done PDP has won them. I think this is a track record and the only thing left is that we need to work a little more.

``The party must now stand united. Our strength is in our unity and our weakness will be if we divide ourselves and we will not be divided.

``We must subject our individual interest to party interest within the zone. That is the only way we can make progress,Mark said.

He added that what gave him joy was that anytime PDP gathered "there is so much enthusiasm, interest sand desires" as Nigerians now realised that "PDP is the right party to be in government."

``We will exercise patient in any election that is done now and in the next three years I can assure you that PDP will win convincingly, Mark added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the new zonal executives of the party were elected by consensus.

Some of the elected zonal executives are Mr Theophilus Shan (Zonal Chairman); Mr Mourice Tsar (Zonal Secretary), and Mr Joel Adagadzu (Zonal Organising Secretary).

Sen. Philip Aduda, the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said it was commendable that the party was able to arrive at consensus on all the elected offices.

"This is important as it will put the party on the path of victory in future elections," Aduda said.
The swamps of the southern Delta have been hit by a series of attacks on pipelines and other oil and gas facilities that have reduced Nigeria's output by 300,000 barrels a day, closed a major export port and two refineries.

Nigeria has moved in army reinforcements to hunt the militants but British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said Buhari needed to the deal with the root causes because a military confrontation could end in "disaster".

Crude sales from the Delta account for 70 percent of national income in Africa's biggest economy but residents, some of whom sympathise with the militants, have long complained of poverty.

"It's obviously a major concern," Hammond told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Abuja when asked about the Delta situation.

"The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn't work," he said, adding that the army did not have the capacity while fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the north. "It won't deal with the underlying issues."

"Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta," Hammond said.

Buhari is a Muslim from the north who has not visited the Christian Delta since taking office a year ago, something highlighted by a militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed a string of attacks on pipelines.

The group has warned oil firms to leave the region within two weeks and says it is fighting for independence for the Delta. It has said it wanted a greater share of oil revenues and an end to oil pollution.
Onyeama, who made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja, said the five bilateral agreements were signed in a closed-door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the visiting French President, Francois Hollande.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa

``There was an MoU for the cultural, scientific education and technical cooperation and this was between the French government and Nigerian government.

``There was MoU between the French Development Agency and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

``There was another agreement between the Finance Ministry and this was with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria.

``So, those are the three agreements with governments institutions and there were two private sector agreements.

``There was one again with the French Development Agency and Zenith Bank, which was represented by its chairman, among other, he said.
Based on what it said were leaked company documents, Global Witness alleged Sable Mining financed the 2010 election campaign of President Alpha Conde and paid money to his son for bribes to secure the rights to its Mount Nimba iron ore concession.

Reuters could not immediately verify the allegations. Calls to Sable Mining and its public relations agency were not answered on Saturday. Neither were voice messages and emails sent to both.

Repeated calls to Guinea's government spokesman were not answered. President Conde, who Global Witness said was not involved in any wrongdoing, was abroad on state business.

The president's son, Alpha Mohammed Conde, also could not be reached but was cited by Global Witness as telling them that he had never "attempted to use improper influence to assist Sable".

Global Witness said a government spokesman said any payments to the president's son from Sable "would have been for consultancy work or reimbursement for travel".

Sable officials were similarly cited by Global Witness as saying they followed all laws but would investigate.

Cheick Sako, Guinea's justice minister, said: "The Global Witness report alleges that the heads of Sable Mining Ltd used corruption to secure permits to natural resources in Guinea.

"Sable Mining Ltd has exploration and development rights going back to 2010. I will ensure that the awarding of each of these permits is examined."

Mines Minister Abdoulaye Magassouba had earlier issued a statement saying that, following the publication of the Global Witness report, he had asked the Justice Ministry to look into the attribution of the permits.

Aboubacar Sampil, the head of West Africa Exploration (WAE), Sable's Guinean partner in the Mount Nimba project, told Reuters that while Sable was a shareholder, its name did not appear on any mining permits in Guinea. He denied any wrongdoing.

"At no moment was there corruption during the process of acquiring the permit, which entirely belonged to WAE before the arrival of Sable Mining," he said.

After decades of dictatorship and military rule, Guinea carried out a review of mining permits between 2012 and 2015 to ensure that deals had been negotiated legally and transparently.
Quad-City first responders and the communities they serve will have the opportunity to come together Monday during the second annual Blue Mass.

The service is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Davenport.

The Most Rev. Martin Amos, bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, the Rev. Tony Herold and the Rev. Paul Appel will celebrate the Mass.

The Mass honors all public safety professionals, including law enforcement officials, fire department professionals, paramedics, corrections officers and dispatchers.

St. Paul the Apostle Parish is blessed to have a good number of first responders as part of our community, Herold, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle, said. We value their dedication, courage, and protection.

Often, we take these devoted people for granted and just assume that when we have a need, they will respond. We often forget the challenges, difficulties and stress that these men and women endure on a daily basis. They need and deserve our love and support.

My hope is that this annual Blue Mass will highlight the work of these first responders as we pray with and for them. They give so much each day for us.

The Blue Mass is intended for promoting peace and justice through unity with community and God by bringing all first responders and community caretakers together, said Davenport Police Sgt. Eric Gruenhagen, who worked with Mark Gassen of Knights of Columbus Council 15725 to sponsor the Mass.

The Blue Mass name comes from the predominately blue-colored uniforms of first responders, Gruenhagen said.

I consider the Blue Mass a peace rally of the greatest kind where we come together before God asking for his protection, guidance and mercy, Gruenhagen said. It is a celebration of love of our fellow man.

"It is critical that first responders know the general public supports the very difficult work they do. There is nothing easy about being a first responder, and though the jobs of law enforcement, fire, medics, corrections officers, and emergency dispatchers differ, the end goal is to protect and care for our communities."

The Davenport Fire Department Honor Guard, the Davenport Police Honor Guard, Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, the Black Hawk Pipes and Drums of the Quad-Cities and the Patriot Riders also will take part in the proceedings.

After the Mass, the Knights of Columbus will host a reception in Denning Hall, located next to the church.
An Indianola, Iowa, couple are facing multiple charges after police say they sexually abused two girls, 6 and 7, when they were staying in Davenport.

April Mae Lincoln, 28, of 801 S. R St., Apt. 9, Indianola, is charged with eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.

Lincolns boyfriend, Christopher James Myers, 31, of 220 W. 4th Ave., Indianola, is charged with six counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.

Both were being held Saturday in the Scott County Jail. Lincoln was being held on a $210,000 cash-only bond, and Myers was being held on a $160,000 cash-only bond.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Scott Lansing, on March 17, the Indianola Police Department received a complaint claiming sexual abuse.

The couple repeatedly sexually abused the girls, ages 6 and 7, while they were staying at 109 S. Howell St. in Davenport, according to the arrest affidavits. The couple sexually abused the two girls at the same time, according to the arrest affidavits. The two then told the girls not to tell anyone about what was happening.

According to Scott County District Court electronic records, the abuse began taking place in 2013.

Lincoln and Myers were arrested Friday and booked into the Scott County Jail.

Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to 25 years. Conspiracy to commit a forcible felony is a Class C felony that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Health officials and advocacy groups say a Davenport woman who allegedly placed her baby in a trash can after secretly giving birth in a hospital bathroom last week had more options that could have allowed her to safely relinquish the newborn without repercussions or prosecution.

The case of Ashley Hautzenrader, 22, who faces one charged of child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor, has renewed conversations locally and across the state about Safe Haven laws, which have been enacted in all 50 states.

Iowas Safe Haven law went into effect in 2002 and allows a parent or parental representative to turn over a newborn up to 2 weeks old to any hospital or health care facility, no questions asked.

Health care facilities include a nursing homes or mental health facility, said Amy McCoy, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Human Services.

McCoy said there have been 25 cases in the state since the law was enacted.

When parents or representatives bring a child to a Save Haven facility, staff will ask the individuals questions to see if they are willing to give their name and their medical history and the medical history of the infant, McCoy said.

Parents do not have to provide that information if they do not want to, she added.

Staff then will contact the DHS, and a social worker would take custody of the child. A hearing would be scheduled within 30 days to terminate parental rights, McCoy said. If parents have a change of heart, they can petition the court, she said.

If youre in a crisis or you just cant take care of an infant, we want people to know that there are services out there," McCoy said. "If they dont want the services to try and help them raise the child, we can find them a good home.

McCoy said although police and fire departments are not designated Safe Haven locations, officers and firefighters will make sure the infant gets to a health care facility.

According to police, Hautzenrader entered a bathroom in the Colloton Pavilion at University Hospitals, Iowa City, about 9:24 p.m. May 8 and delivered a baby in the toilet.

She told police she didnt know she was pregnant before entering the bathroom. Hautzenrader told police the baby was not crying, leading her to think the baby was dead.

She told police she tried to flush the baby down the toilet before placing the baby in a pillow case and putting it in a trash can. Hospital employees later found the baby alive in the trash.

McCoy said she could not comment on Hautzenraders case.

The Safe Haven law in Illinois, enacted in 2001, allows a parent to leave an infant up to 30 days old with staff at a hospital, fire station, police station or emergency medical services provider.

Since the law went into effect, 112 infants have been relinquished.

We count each one and celebrate, said Dawn Geras, president of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation in Illinois. Its a wonderful feeling.

The foundation was responsible for drafting the law. There have been several amendments, such as requiring health care classes to educate students in grades 6-12 about the law and displaying uniform signage outside designated Safe Haven locations, Geras said.

Geras said the foundation, which works closely with the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services, has found that a many of the women that relinquish their newborns are between 18-24 years old.

If we knew we were targeting just teenage girls, it would be easy, she said. Were finding that a lot of times, it is an older woman that has a family or has other children and cant cope with that extra one for a variety of reasons.

The foundation also has found that there is no typical socioeconomic or racial profile of mothers or parents who bring in their newborn, Geras said.

When you think about it a little more deeply, who has the most to lose by having an illegitimate baby, Geras said. Its typically an upper class, young white woman, a college student.

Geras said some mothers who bring their infant to a Safe Haven location are willing to talk to somebody, rather than just drop the infant off.

Sometimes, its just because she needs some reassurance of knowing that shes taking some loving responsible action and that what shes doing is courageous . We applaud her for trusting the law so she can leave feeling comfortable about what shes done, Geras said.

In about 25 percent of the cases, the mother is able to come up with a parenting or adoption plan, Geras said.

No infants have been turned over at Genesis or UnityPoint hospitals in the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities.

Erin Platt, spokeswoman for UnityPoint, said that although the hospital has not had any Safe Haven cases, it's important to educate the community on the laws and let parents know that they have options.
TAMPA, Fla.  Floy Alton Altenbernd, 96, died May 13, 2016, in Tampa. She was born July 18, 1919, on a farm near Little Sioux, Iowa. She met her husband, Dave, at Iowa State University, where they married in 1942. Following his five years in the U.S. Army, they returned to his family home, Muscatine.

While raising her three children, she taught art in the Muscatine school system and earned a masters degree in art education at the University of Iowa. In 1972, they sold the family business and joined the Peace Corps. Their posting in Kenya was the beginning of more than 30 years of service to people in Africa and Haiti, primarily with the Presbyterian Church, USA. After retirement, she and Dave continued to serve others and also enjoyed traveling the country in their RV to visit friends and family and see new places.
I drove two hours and six minutes and found that I was still surrounded by people from Davenport.

We stood on the farmhouse side of a barbed-wire fence. Thin lines of corn seedlings stretched toward the horizon as if someone had taken a green colored pencil and drawn on the landscape in perfect rows.

The woman next to me was talking about the beekeeping club that meets once a month at Nahant Marsh. She was from Davenport, too, and traveled on this Sunday morning to pick up the bees she ordered over the winter.

Bees hovered in the air around us. Their buzzing sounded more like wailing to me. All around us were stacks of wooden boxes full of dead bees. Thousands of dead bees in each box. Hundreds of boxes.

A truck carrying more than 1,400 boxes of bees broke down in Wyoming on its way to Iowa. The driver did everything he could to keep the bees pointed into the wind so they wouldnt overheat, but when I called my mom who lives in Wyoming, she said the days had been unusually hot. By the time the truck arrived, half of the bees were dead.

Luckily, many did survive the trip to Iowa and there we were  beekeepers from all over the state  holding slips of paper with the names of the varieties wed ordered.

The farmer who arranged it all was exhausted from a long night of sorting through the mess and contacting beekeepers.

He looked up expressionless when another farmer slid his thumbs through camouflage suspenders and said, Sounds like you need a better truck.

A womans cell phone rang and we she announced to the group that her children had remembered it was Mothers Day. The announcement inspired someone else to leave the group for a moment to call his mother.

On the drive back, I could hear the bees. No buzzing, just the chattering of wings, like clapping paper. It was hot, a small face slap of heat as a precursor to the Midwestern summer so many have warned me about. Ive never thought of bees as having a smell, but as I drove, the cab filled with an animal scent.

I should have put on a beekeeping suit, and I would quickly learn that theres a price to pay for feeling confident. I havent been stung in years. Ive lost my fear of bees, that feeling I had the first year, kneeling in the grass next to a new hive, terrified to pull the lid off the box of bees I brought home.

On Sunday, I had two hives to fill. The first one went smoothly. I opened the box and turned it upside down. Bees poured out like syrup and went immediately to work.

When I opened the second box, the bees rushed out like escaping, disoriented prisoners. Several ended up in my hair and the more they tried to get away, the more tangled they became. I felt a line of stings from my forehead to the back of my neck. I remembered the sting-swollen eye of the man who gave me the bees, even as his beekeepers hat hung from a string around his neck.

I returned to the hive geared from head to toe, even a pair of rubber boots. We were more comfortable this way, the bees and I. I used my pocket knife to pull a cork out of the tiny cage holding the queen and slid the cage into the hive.

I was in someone elses backyard, setting bees up in a corner they offered me. Before I headed home to my apartment downtown, I sat for a moment on their back steps.

The warm light of late afternoon was shining through the trees onto the white beehives. Bees were moving in and out of the entrance. Despite the stinging of my scalp, I remembered in that moment why beekeeping is such a gift. You get to be witness to this tiny, perfectly functioning world. Roles, instincts, functions -- it all unfolds while you watch. Youre a step closer to nature, to life, and a tiny step closer to understanding the how and why of things.
Fifteen years ago, almost to this day, our experience with a mysterious artist in the woods had its onset. There is an answer, now, that took 15 years. A nephew has emerged from Texas to tell how this wanderer developed into a finished artist, with no known recognition  at least except for his two paintings hanging on our guest room walls. It is a rest of the story.

We cannot pass an art show. One extravagantly sunny day, we wandered to an art show in a bank parking lot. It was a juried show, meaning there were no wreaths of shells or bottle caps stuck together with Elmers Glue. Behind the Camelot-like tents, with $1,500 paintings of yellow hibiscus, I spotted this mysterious fellow in a trampy area with four quite acceptable oils on easels. I nodded praise, Very nice. Nearby stood a corpulent woman with an assortment of garage-sale castoffs, displaying them on an ironing board. He cant afford a tent space in the show, she said, but doesnt he paint good?

I WANDERED around the show but returned to the stranger with the easels, thinking of him as something of a Nature Boy from the old Nat King Cole hit. He was holding his palette outside the show, standing on brittle grass near some timber back of the savings bank. He was neatly dressed in a clean white shirt and cap. But no one was buying his work. His palette was soft, not raw. He made artistic sense in a quiet drawl when I watched him staring at the blue sky. I like the blues of Monet, he said.

Youre selling? I questioned. Staring at his sandals, he apologized that he wanted $150 for the canvas, a soft landscape, in front of him. Ill give you $75, I countered, accepting that he was having a lean day. How about $85, I suggested. It was deal. There was a companion piece to this landscape, and my wife asked, Will you take $150 for both? He said, You gotta deal, speaking up loudly for the first time, waving our check. You made my day. Helen signed it to Bruce Vanderveer. Cryptically, he spoke up, Im no criminal. Ive found God.

He seemed, indeed, a vagabond artist, a mystic roamer who said his home was Montana. He was exceptionally polite, positioning our paintings in the trunk of our car because the canvases were still wet. We went back to our place and showed the paintings to several neighbors who had an artistic flair. They agreed, That guy is good. They wanted to meet him. We drove back to the grassy spot where he had set up his easels. He had disappeared. I wrote a column about the unknown artist in the woods.

THAT WAS THE LAST we had known of him, since hanging his paintings, but we always wondered. This week, an email was a surprise from Gary Larson, unknown to me, who lives in Houston. The artist in your 2001 story was my uncle, Bruce Vanderveer, he said. I could hear his voice saying, I like the blues of Monet. I cant say I was close to him since he was always a drifter. I saw him only during family reunions when he would show up at my aunts house in Atlanta or my grandmothers place in Orlando during the holidays. Nobody in our family would hear from him until he would show up on their doorstep. He was always fascinating to me.

About five or six years ago, he settled in Seneca, S.C., where a church helped him get an apartment and Social Security benefits. He finally had a place where he could paint all day long and wouldnt have to pack up and move along to another town.

He was painting when he died peacefully last April 28. I dont think hed have wanted it any other way.

Gary Larson e-mailed me a painting that Vanderveer had done several years ago. It was a watercolor, a grim scene of an alleys flotsam and jetsam alongside an abandoned gasoline pump and a sunlit wall. It is a fine piece of work.
Hillary Clinton should be thankful that her career as America's truth bender began long before social media really got going.

When she started dropping those big fat fibs of hers, there was no Facebook or Twitter, no army of Internet trolls to unleash at her enemies, and no emails to be mysteriously lost at the Obama State Department.

That was the pre e-Hillary.

Back then all she had to do was wink and put on her bad Southern accent and make her eyes big on TV -- that astonished Hillary who just couldn't get her mind around those devious Washington ways, blaming all her troubles, and Bill's, on tricky Republicans putting turtles on fenceposts.

She could make $100,000 in her first cattle futures trades after putting up only $1,000. And later in the White House, magically get access to the FBI files of hundreds of Clinton political enemies.

And before social media became what it is today, all her problems were the fault of that right-wing conspiracy that abused turtles to no end.

"You know, you find a turtle on a fencepost and it didn't get there by accident," said Southern Hillary in 1998 on "Good Morning America," her voice packed with purple hull peas and Arkansas okra, her eyes widening so you could see the turtles just wiggling there in her mind.

"And ah jes look at the landscape around here, and I see lots of big ol' turtles sitting on lots of fenceposts," she said. "And I think we need to find out how those old turtles got on those fenceposts."

If Twitter or Facebook had been around back then, rather than Mrs. Clinton reaching for the White House and all the imperial power within, her career would have ended, buried in Shady Acres, in that patch on the back slopes reserved for congenital liars.

She certainly wouldn't be around now to benefit from that pro-Hillary super PAC using an army of Internet trolls to harass actor Tim Robbins and other supporters of Bernie Sanders.

Robbins has been in a war with the Clinton super PAC Correct the Record, which is spending $1 million to develop methods to confront and shame Clinton critics on social media, like Robbins.

Unlike many others on social media, particularly average citizens who cringe at such attacks and are shamed into silence by trolls of all political stripes, Robbins fought back at the group, bringing media attention to the story about Hillary and the troll wars.

"It is meant to appear to be coming organically from people and their social media networks in a groundswell of activism, when in fact it is highly paid and highly tactical," Brian Donahue, chief executive of the consulting firm Craft Media/Digital, told the Los Angeles Times.

"That is what the Clinton campaign has always been about," he said. "It runs the risk of being exactly what their opponents accuse them of being: a campaign that appears to be populist but is a smoke screen that is paid and brought to you by lifetime political operatives and high-level consultants."

If Twitter and Facebook and other social media platforms had been running when she started with the turtles, Clinton wouldn't be here to run even with the vulgar barbarian Donald Trump in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, according to those recent polls.

And voters wouldn't have to put their minds around the most truly bizarre Hillary news of the week: The Obama State Department has "lost" the emails of Bryan Pagliano, her IT guy when she was secretary of state.

The State Department couldn't find his emails? Did the dog eat them?

Pagliano is the fellow who has been given immunity from prosecution as the FBI continues to investigate Clinton's use of a private email server set up in her basement. That private email account allowed her to keep her work product from public scrutiny and allowed her to send classified and top secret documents, which may have been hacked by foreign intelligence services.

That alone should disqualify her from contention for the presidency, and Bernie Sanders should by rights be the Democratic Party's nominee.

It's astounding that the Obama administration -- which supports the Clinton restoration -- couldn't find any of Pagliano's emails from 2009 to 2013 in a response to a Republican lawsuit.

Later, the State Department said they found a few Pagliano emails, most after Mrs. Clinton stepped down from her post of secretary of state so she could campaign for president. One was an email he sent to her: "Happy Birthday, Madam Secretary. To many more!"

Before Clinton's army of Internet trolls flay me in "Game of Thrones" style, let's just say it could all be coincidence. Or, it could be a Chicago Way bedtime story for the chumbolones of America.

The main thing to remember is that if Twitter and Facebook and the rest had been available when Hillary began her public life as a truth bender and champion of turtles, she'd be off camera by now and out of our lives.

Perhaps she'd have disappeared, to live alone in a tiny house in the woods, the kind of house that rests on chicken feet in the old Russian fairy tales; a house that moves through the winter forest at night on those chicken legs so no one could find her secret lair.

Turn around, little house. Turn around, she'd say.

And then she'd be gone.
Five-hundred years of history are clear: Reason and religion are not mortal enemies.

But those are the battle lines drawn in Davenport as atheists pressure City Hall into a "Day of Reason" proclamation, a political response to municipal "Day of Prayer" edicts. Those are the terms set by religious radicals who claim a monopoly on truth as the nation grapples with the issues of our time.

Both sides are are short-sighted.

Since the late Middle Ages, reason and religion have been linked by the ideas originating from deeply religious philosophers. Thomas Aquinas modernized classical Greek realism in the 13th century. He also happened to be a Catholic friar, sainted after his death. Rene Descartes legitimized scientific evidence gathering with his meditations in the 17th century, setting the groundwork for the Age of Reason. His work hinged on God's existence. Otherwise, the simple act of observation couldn't be justified, he concluded.

Hume and Kant -- each hailed from distinctly Christian upbringings, which deeply influenced their groundbreaking work on logic, morality and the nature of existence itself.

"Reason," in its modern usage, is the offspring of religious thinkers.

Some ultimately rejected organized religion. Some were labeled heretics. Others criticized religion's use as a tool to tax the poor and legitimize the powerful. And others, such as Aquinas and Descartes, leaned on Christian doctrine throughout their work.

Charles Darwin, reviled in some religious circles, was a devout Christian. He sat on his findings for two decades before publishing because he feared the effect it would have on the Protestant faith he cherished.

From University of Notre Dame to St. Ambrose University, metaphysics and critical thinking are an inherent component of education at Catholic universities throughout the country. Philosophy departments at these schools don't shy away from teaching Friedrich Nietzsche's rejection of God, a small part of one of the most influential moral frameworks of the past two centuries. No, these institutions understand the importance of a well-rounded, critical mind. The church -- and the schools it operates -- learned from mistakes that defined the Dark Ages, when thought itself was deemed subversive and, in many cases, criminal.

Reason is part of the tradition.

Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch was right to avoid issuing the "Day of Prayer" proclamation that, so often, ignites the trumped up conflict between those inhabiting the extremes. Previous administrations issued the divisive proclamation in 2008 and 2011, which serve only to tell those of different sects, orders and traditions that their beliefs aren't equally respected by government.

Klipsch also declined to issue the "Day of Reason" proclamation, adopted recently in Waterloo and Iowa City. The freshman mayor, no doubt, wanted to avoid controversy, but the quarrel he's avoiding is rooted in the acrimony of identity politics. It's based in an over-hyped social war that, too often, rejects the church-state separation put in place by Christian men fully aware of how a claimed monopoly on truth can, and often is, a hammer with which to bludgeon ideas and minorities.

It's not a "Day of Reason" that's the problem. It's the battle, within which its supporters are entrenched combatants, that creates a minefield.

Frankly, that fact is a shame. It's a shame that American discourse has been hijacked by radicals from the wings, who only thrive because they scream the loudest. It's a shame that science and religion are posed as enemies, an American tradition that extends back to the 1925 Scopes Trial.

It's a shame that the complexities of life that face most Americans -- lives spent in the pursuit of a smidgen of existential meaning -- are reduced to a false binary.

It's a shame that "reason" is a political flash-point in a nation that wouldn't exist without it.
SIOUX CITY  Scott Chaussee has never been a fan of Iowa 4th Congressional District Rep. Steve King.

Chaussee, of Sioux City, said he doesn't like the conservative Republican's voting record on social program funding or his opposition to same-sex marriage, so he would love to see King's House career end after 14 years in 2016.

Therefore, Chaussee, a registered Democrat, plans to switch his voter registration and vote in the June 7 Republican primary, not for King but for his GOP challenger, state Sen. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City.

"I've never, ever voted Republican in my life. This guy, (King) is against everything I stand for," Chaussee said. "And I don't even like Bertrand's policies, but I can't stand King's policies."

Tim Bottaro, a former Woodbury County Democratic Party chairman, also will vote in the Republican primary for Bertrand. And Diane Hamilton, a Democrat from Storm Lake, is "giving serious consideration" to doing so as well.

"I don't know if any Democrat can ever beat (King), so maybe this is the answer, to have a Republican beat him," Hamilton said, pointing to the huge voter registration edge held by Republicans, 184,182 to 123,345, in the 4th District, which spans 39 counties in northwest and north central Iowa.

Bertrand, a two-term state senator, surprised political observers when he decided to take on King, who is generally popular among conservative voters. While Republicans are deciding which of the two to support, there has been speculation that Democrats who don't like King would cross over to vote for Bertrand, to knock King out. The winner of the Republican race will face the only Democratic candidate, Kim Weaver of Sheldon, in the November general election.

If a slew of Democrats move his way, Bertrand's chances of winning the primary likely would increase. But based on voter registration totals, if there is a big move by Democrats to aid Bertrand, it will be a late-breaking phenomenon.

Democratic Party officials  either on the state, district or county level  are not publicly pushing any plans to have their voters switch allegiance for a day to back Bertrand.

One factor many county party chairmen cited is that four Democrats (Patty Judge, Rob Hogg, Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause) are running in a primary on the same day to determine who will advance as nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fall.

Another reason Democrats at least in Woodbury County would want to not change registrations is to take part in a county supervisor primary race matching incumbent Mark Monson and challenger Marty Pottebaum.

Additionally, former Woodbury County Democratic Party Chairman Al Sturgeon of Sioux City said the Democrats-help-Bertrand strategy has withered away, given that Bertrand's campaign hasn't seemed to have gained traction over the two months since he joined the race.

"Unless Rick Bertrand has some cards he's not showing, he is going to get shellacked ... It is just stunning, the silence you are hearing out of his campaign," Sturgeon said.

Bertrand said he is "not focused on" getting Democrats as a part of his strategy. He has been speaking primarily to Republican and independent voters on the campaign trail.

"You can't run in a Republican primary and try to get Democrats," Bertrand said. "I will say that I think the independents are moving right now, I get a lot of support from them ... We are focused on independents, and we are focused on turnout."

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad said it is possible some Democrats would change registrations to vote against King. He cited the last high-profile Iowa GOP primary involving an incumbent, when then-northwest Iowa Rep. Fred Grandy of Sioux City challenged Branstad, who was running for re-election. Branstad narrowly won that 1994 primary.

"I think over 30 percent of the people that voted in Polk County were not Republican the day before the election," Branstad said. "So the ability to change your registration before the election or on Election Day is something thats been around for a long time, and I think thats just a fact of life that you have to recognize under the Iowa system."

Tim Moran, King's campaign manager, said he monitors voter registration trends in the 4th District counties and sees "no evidence of a Democrat crossover."

"And given their (Democratic) competitive primary for the U.S. Senate nomination, we don't anticipate any significant change in party registrations this primary season," Moran said.

Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Monica Biddix said the state party isn't pushing a Democrats-for-Bertrand strategy, and Weaver herself isn't either.

"I absolutely would not encourage Democrats to switch to the Republican Party to vote for Bertrand in the primary and have said so when asked," Weaver said.

"If they want to see Steve King out of Congress, then they can sign up with my campaign to volunteer for me," she said. "Let the Republicans decide who will be on their ballot line. In the meantime, we have a lot of ground to cover."

Woodbury County Deputy Auditor Steve Hofmeyer said voters can switch their registrations through Election Day. They would have to wait about a week after the primary to switch their registration again.

Hofmeyer said those changes processed in the county office have seen voters primarily switching from Democratic to No Party to Republican registrations. Hofmeyer said none who switched to the Republican Party voiced that they were doing that in order to vote for Bertrand, so he couldn't speak to any rationale for the switches.

Woodbury County active voter registrations on April 1 included 17,875 Democrats and 19,207 Republicans, while on Thursday the totals were 17,825 Democrats and 19,293 Republicans. The number of registered Republicans jumped 77 from Monday to Thursday.

Additionally, in two larger counties in the 4th District  Story and Cerro Gordo  voter registrations haven't changed much. Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said none of the four office workers has heard any of the residents changing registrations out of a desire to vote against King.

The number of registered Republicans in Story County from April 1 to Thursday dropped by 16 from 17,800 to 17,784, while the number of Democratic registrations fell by 14 to 18,687. Over the same six weeks in Cerro Gordo, the number of registered Democrats rose by one to 8,941 and the number of Republicans increased by 20 to 8,318.

More toward the center of the 39-county district, Webster and Carroll counties don't appear primed to steer Democrats to Bertrand. Webster County Democratic Party Chairwoman Julie Goepfert of Fort Dodge said there is no concerted effort by the county party, and she doesn't know any Democrats who are going to vote against King.

"That is highly unlikely, because of our contested Senate race," Goepfert said. "When we have four candidates to run against Grassley, I don't see a lot of crossover to Steve King's race."

Carroll County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Tracy of Carroll said there is no movement to aid Bertrand in the attempt to oust King. Tracy said Bertrand is "a nicer version of Steve King," but their politics are from the same Republican playbook.
DES MOINES  Woodbury Countys drug court has succeeded in its goal of getting some drug offenders through the rehabilitation program, thus keeping them out of jail.

It would be devastating if the program suffered any cuts because of insufficient state funding, a program official said.

But budget cuts are an unfortunate reality facing agencies and programs in Iowas judicial system, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady said.

The judicial branchs status-quo, $182 million budget appropriation pledged by state lawmakers is more than $5 million less than is needed, Cady said recently in an interview with the Quad-City Times. And because of that funding gap, state judicial system staff and programs may be on the chopping block, Cady said.

We will consider cutting back, he said. Cuts do have a real effect on the services Iowans need.

Iowas judicial system includes more than 1,900 employees throughout all of the states 99 counties.

Cady will work through the judicial system budget with state court administrator David Boyd to determine where cuts will be made. Both have noted cuts are challenging because 95 percent of the systems budget goes to personnel.

That means furloughs and layoffs are possible, Cady said.

Also under the funding microscope are specialty courts, such as drug and mental health courts, which are rehabilitation programs of sorts operated by judicial system personnel.

Sadly, I have to consider all options, Cady said.

The specialty courts have been popular and, officials say, successful.

Woodbury Countys drug court has a completion rate that is above the national average and would be in danger of losing officers if state funding wanes, said Gary Niles, the chief juvenile court officer for Iowas 3rd Judicial District, which covers 16 counties in northwest Iowa.

Niles said drug courts benefit individuals and families by keeping drug offenders out of jail and benefit the state because the programs are less expensive than jailing the person.

It doesnt make sense to push these problems off until these young people become adults, Niles said. "Then they end up in the prison system and cost us much more money."

Niles praised the leadership of Cady and Boyd and said he trusts them to make the best decisions possible for the state justice system given the available funding.

Nonetheless, Niles said, Woodbury County drug court personnel are concerned.

We have great leadership in the judicial branch. Were very confident theyre going to do everything they can to preserve our drug courts and get through this year somehow, Niles said.

But he added, Were very, very concerned. We have a lot of staff that are very concerned, and rightfully so.

Niles said drug court staff would rather take furloughs to spread out the cuts rather than see positions eliminated.

Were a court team, and were going to make whatever happens work, Niles said. Were just hoping that through attrition and some other things, well be able to make up a lot of the difference.

Boyd said last month that in addition to layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours, the court will consider not filling judgeship vacancies and eliminating raises for judges.

State Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, who was the House chair of the judicial budget committee, said he knew the state funding level would put a pinch on the judicial system but said state revenue growth was not sufficient to support increases in that or many other areas of the state budget.

We knew it was going to put a stress on every department within the justice systems, Worthan said. I dont envy their position to have to work through what they have to work with.

Cady said he understands legislators faced difficult budget decisions. But he also said a judicial system requires funding to operate and that funding has to come from somewhere.

Its not really fair for the people within the judiciary to have to finance justice, Cady said.
Later this summer, Rapid City will once again be home for a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise, to be located at 2060 West Main St. Suite 1, most recently the location of Black Hills Barbecue.

Another Batteries Plus Bulbs store, operated by a different franchisee, closed at the corner of Haines Avenue and Anamosa Street in March 2015.

This is the same store, just a new owner, said Jon Brue, who is joined by his wife, Jennifer, as co-owner of the business.

Jon Brue is well known to the local business scene. He operated Impressions, a rubber stamp store in downtown Rapid City, for several years and owns Rushmore Distributing in Rapid City.

Jon and Jennifer are aiming for a July 18 opening. Batteries Plus Bulbs has more than 700 stores nationwide and is opening 50 new stores a year, Jon said.

Batteries Plus Bulbs offers 60,000 items, including just about any electrical power source or bulb made.

Brue said he obviously cannot stock that full slate, but anything he doesnt have on hand is available through batteriesplusbulbs.com and can be quickly shipped.

The store will also refurbish rechargeable battery packs and offer repair of cell phones, tablets and other devices, he said.

Brue had been looking at various venues around town, but was impressed with the location and visibility of the West Main Street space, which became available through Black Hills Properties when the barbecue restaurant shuttered in January.

I liked all that about it. Good windows, good parking, easy to get in and get out and its visible to the community, he said.

Brue will manage the new store and is in the process of hiring three full-time employees. The store will be open 7 days a week with tentative hours of operation being 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Flooring America stands tall

Rod Pettigrew is taking advantage of a recent expansion of his Flooring America store at 1711 East Anamosa St. The 7,500-square-foot addition makes the store one of the largest in the franchise family at 36,000 square feet.

Pettigrew said some sellers have told him the Rapid City store sells more Mohawk brand luxury vinyl tile than any other store in the continental United States.

We do sell a lot of Mohawk tile, he said.

Pettigrew said hes been too busy to schedule a grand opening for the new floor space.

We dont want it to slow down, but we hope it does just a little so we can tweak things a bit, he said.

New U-Haul business

Justin and Tammy Bohn have opened Sturgis U-Haul and Storage at 2324 Junction Ave. in Sturgis.

They offer free rate quotes, moving supplies and 24-hour drop off, according to a news release from the Sturgis Economic Development Corporation.

Sturgis U-Haul and Storage is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. -to3 p.m. and Sunday by appointment.

Waste hauler change

Kieffer Sanitation of Rapid City has taken over operations for Red River Waste Solutions in Rapid City, effective May 6, according to a news release.

"We're looking forward to providing these expanded service offerings to the community. It's really positive," said Kieffer Sanitation owner Fred Folsom.

Red River Waste Solutions took over territory formerly served by Fish Garbage Service, which ceased operations several years ago in the midst of a long-fought and contentious court case with the city of Rapid City over dumping fees at the city landfill.

Red River, based in Dripping Springs, Texas, sold only its South Dakota operations, Folsom said in a news release. The company continues its operations in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Iowa.

Business closings

Clothing store Aeropostale is closing its Rapid City store at the Rushmore Mall, one of 113 stores closing in U.S. along with all 41 Canadian stores as part of companys Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, according to the Associated Press.

At 705 Main St. in Rapid City, 705 Trending and Prairie Perfumery shuttered after just a few months next to First Stop Gun Shop, Owner Sonja Crowley and perfumist Jenny Gilbertz had planned to include a wide variety of several small shops along with Crowleys selection of new clothing and Gilbertz custom fragrances.

In the 500 block of Main Street, Denise Crayton has closed Covenant Creations Salon and is selling her equipment and fixtures. She will continue to offer her salon services, however, from a leased space just down the block at Sola Salon. Another Sola Salon tenant will move into the former Covenant Creations spot, next door to Botticellis Italian Restaurant

Rapid Citys Curves For Women at 806 St. Joseph St. has closed, too. The exercise club had only recently moved from a location on Omaha Street, but the St. Joseph Street space is empty and a large exterior signage has been removed. The listed telephone number has been disconnected.

The Curves location in Sturgis also is closing. Sturgis Economic Development Corporation president Pat Kurtenbach said both Curves and the Kwik Mart next door were unable to renew leases.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley didn't officially announce he's running for governor in 2018, but, he told a picnic lunch crowd in Belle Fourche Friday, "I would like to be your governor."

Jackley told about 30 District 28 and 29 Republicans that he's scoping a potential run for the office.

Originally from Vale, Jackley's family still holds the family farm in Butte County although he joked that his wife can claim two Meade County ranches.

His trip to meet with people in the state's two high plains districts offered Butte Republicans an opportunity for a pre-legislative primary election get-together labeled a "Meat and Greet" with beef hot dogs as the entree at the Lions picnic shelter.

The re-spelling of "meet and greet" came, according to Butte County Party Chairman Lon Carrier, to emphasize the importance of the beef industry to the two legislative districts that include part of Butte County.

Two other names mentioned as possible 2018 gubernatorial candidates are Rep. Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem.

Jackley currently is President of the National Association of Attorneys General, and is the former Chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General.

He told the Belle Fourche crowd he and South Dakota states' attorneys are concerned about increasing drugs in the state, especially methamphetamine and more recently, heroin.

Some legislators, he said, would like to make possession of the two drugs a misdemeanor, but Jackley said he thinks that's a mistake without treatment and prevention programs.

Another legislative issue that concerns him is that vehicular homicides have what amounts to a maximum prison term of four to four and a half years. That, he said, is too little for the drunk or otherwise impaired driver that take a life and damage an entire community.

He said he also believes the legislature should strengthen the state's laws on conflicts of interest by members of state boards.

Recent cases have been taken to court, he said, but as Class 6 felonies, "We're not going to get a lot of jail time" for people convicted of bilking the state for serious amounts of money.

"I can't change the law," he said. "I haven't been given the tools we need by the legislature."

He said that investment in drug treatment programs, especially longer term for meth addicts, are something he would like to see, along with consideration of new angles of mental health treatment.

Training of law enforcement on mental health issues also would be valuable.

Currently jails hold many people who need drug or mental health treatment, and that's not a solution to the problems.

Jackley told the crowd, "This is home country for me."

He said he won't forget where he comes from a future he sees as following the track of previous attorneys general into the governorship.

"I want to work to strengthen our state's economy and provide greater opportunities for my children," he said.

That means "Limited and responsible government that helps South Dakotans that need help."

He said he's looking to more drug courts, addiction programs and mental illness programs.

"It's ok to pick somebody up when they need it, but not to carry them," he said.

Jackley said as governor, "I want to be part of leading an office that strengthens our economy, our health care, our education and our infrastructure; that's what a governor does."

His West River roots are augmented by his national leadership when it comes to a run for governor, he said. "And I'm not going to run away from being from western South Dakota."

The Belle Fourche Industrial Rail Park is an example of government helping to create the opportunity for economic development, he said.

"Part of economic development is having government partner with private industry to build infrastructure," Jackley said. "You see that with various different projects.

Low taxes, limited government and "a proper infrastructure" create opportunity for growing business in the state.

"When government creates jobs," Jackley said, "That's bureaucracy."

Jackley's description of himself?

"I am small town South Dakota that has grown up to appreciate all the opportunities our state offers somebody willing to work and earn it," he said. "I'm a father of two wonderful children and a husband to a beautiful wife; and that's more important than the positions I've held."
A meandering creek bed, rows of rocks and pieces of rusty debris are all that remain in an area thought once to be a bustling area for Army laundresses near Fort Meade, east of Sturgis.

But a hunt has now begun to uncover evidence of the history of a notorious place known as "Soap Suds Row," where Army laundry workers lived in ramshackle tents and endured harsh conditions.

Earlier this spring, the Bureau of Land Management, with the help of local firefighters, conducted a prescribed burn on an area just north of Highway 34 near Fort Meade.

Up until 1878, the U.S. Army hired laundresses, or washerwomen, who traveled with the soldiers in an official capacity and had free access to the Army doctors and surgeons. They were the only women the Army recognized and supported.

To get hired, a laundress had to pass several hurdles. They had to have a certificate of good character from headquarters before they could assume duty and they had to be free of disease.

Each company was issued three or four laundresses, an average of one for every 15 or so men. The women were lodged together on what was called Soap Suds Row. Their tents were often tattered and in disrepair. If a laundress married a soldier, which happened frequently, he lived with her there.

Based on a historic map of Fort Meade, some information found in an early thesis and shared talk among history enthusiasts, Brenda Shierts, archaeologist for the Bureau of Land Management, said a plan was devised to conduct the burn to see if the notorious Soap Suds Row could be found.

Shierts says the burn had a two-fold purpose. First it helped diminish fuels if a fire were to start in that area and second, it cleared away thick brush that made it difficult to search the area for artifacts.

"The burn was a complete success for removing the decadent ground vegetation," she said. "The on-the-ground view went from maybe a ground surface visibility of 10 to 15 percent to a sweeping 70 to 80 percent  the best any archaeologist could dream of."

Shierts found an early map of Fort Meade dated 1889 that included a long row of small houses north of Highway 34 which were labeled "Laundress Quarters" on the map.

While speaking with Ross and Jan Lamphere about the so-called Soap Suds Row, Jan Lamphere said she remembered her mother, who was part of a group that started the Old Fort Meade Museum, talking about the laundresses. And Ross Lamphere, who grew up on a ranch as a close neighbor to Fort Meade, told Shierts he had many memories of what used to be on the grounds there and some of the people who occupied the fort later on.

The Lampheres offered to help with an archaeological survey of the areas on Fort Meade where Soap Suds Row may have been.

The BLM archaeologists and a group of volunteers finally found a window of decent weather to conduct the post-burn inventory on April 25.

A crew of 11 people including Shierts and BLM archaeologist Tammy Peterson, along with the Lampheres, Ernie Miller, Kathi Schneider, Becky Porter-Watson, Holly Hengl and John Trumpe, set out on the field survey.

"Much ground was covered in the burn area, many rusty and shiny artifacts were observed and even a few features provided evidence of what happened in this area," Shierts said.

The group looked over maps before descending on the area.

Miller said he remembered seeing evidence of the laundress shacks north of the highway at Fort Meade.

"Our hope was to find outlines of foundations or leveled tent platforms on the flat near the creek on the BLM property," Shierts said. "Apparently if Soap Suds Row was originally at this location, its evidence has long been scraped away by farming or buried with flooding events."

No artifacts, features or any other evidence pointing to structures of any kind was found during the post-burn inventory of the BLM land, north of the highway.

"It doesnt mean it wasnt here, it just means we plan to do more research and more searching to find out answers," Shierts said. "We know by information provided by Ernie that some of the structures related to Soap Suds or Laundry Row were in close proximity, and he remembers cannon guns sitting near this very place when they would conduct target fire practices."

The old ground features found in the flat Shierts hoped was Suds Row indicate a few old trails were used on the flat along the highway, the flat was likely farmed, and rocks were carefully aligned in a row along its fringe.

The bottoms of Bear Butte Creek offered some serious flood-control earthworks, mostly large berms that were likely installed after the floods of 1964 and 1972, according to Miller and Ross Lamphere.

"The remaining artifacts found include a large deal of rusty debris that has likely washed down the creek from adjacent Sturgis," Shierts said.

One artifact caught the eye of searchers, and they thought they had a piece of military history. Instead it turned out to be the inside of an old gas range, one that is not even really that old. The remaining deposits included rusted hinges, car parts, sheets of tin, a sheet of formica, metal bands, rubber tires, and a few old bottles that were all in fragments.

Shierts said plans are to take the old map again and see if they can orient it better, then maybe even pace it off to see if they can get a more accurate read on where the structures of the laundry row really were.
Carol Jordan's face just lights up when she talks about her home and the porch rails her husband, Arnold, made by hand.

Like many new homeowners, when they bought their home on Quincy Street in downtown Rapid City, the Jordans planned to stay there forever and maybe pass it down to their children someday.

But that dream, and their ability to remain in stable housing themselves, are now threatened.

The Jordans are facing pressure to sell their home to Pennington County, which wants to tear it down and build a parking lot there to serve the county's growing downtown government campus that will include a new alcohol detoxification center.

"I dont think it's right," Carol Jordan said. "I think freedom in America is dying."

Her husband, Arnold, said he doesn't intend to move, but he is afraid the pressure to sell is going to become too much for them. They have watched as their neighbors already sold their homes and have moved away.

"I'd like to see them put that (detox facility) somewhere else," Arnold said. "When we moved in, this whole block was professors and teachers and there was even a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force."

The Jordans have lived in their home at 320 Quincy St. for 30 years, and for the past several years, they've been joined by Carol's 93-year-old mother.

"I understand Rapid City is expanding and it's kind of gone from a nice little neighborhood to now where things are deteriorating," Arnold said.

But they love their home and have worked hard on it over the years. The Jordans said the county's offer for the home seemed like a bad joke.

"They first offered me $105,000," Carol said. "I mean where am I going to find a home like this, for that?"

Arnold said the house is about 2,000 square feet, and retains all the original maple floors and woodwork.

He said he told a county official that, "For what you're offering, I can't build one like mine," Arnold said. "And we don't want to have to go into debt."

The county offered more for her neighbors' houses. She said the property owner at 328 Quincy St. received $141,000, and the owner of the largest property at 718 4th St. received $161,000 from Pennington County.

The Jordan home is right in the middle of a group of homes on 4th and Quincy streets set to be torn down by Pennington County or moved to make way for their new expanded downtown campus.

The home next door to the Jordans is occupied, but the residents plan on being there only through the end of this summer, according to Jay Alderman with the Pennington County States Attorney's office.

All except three homes on that block of Quincy Street are now owned by the county. The Jordans and the single owner of two houses on the end of the block are the only holdouts.

The county plans to use that lot first as a staging area for construction activities for the old National American University campus, and eventually turn it into a parking lot.

The houses the county owns are at 718 4th St., along with 328, 328 1/2, 322 and 308 Quincy St. The residence at 328 1/2 Quincy St. is a small apartment behind the main house.

Most of the homes were likely built in the early 1900s, but are not considered historic either technically or legally. One house has an old aerial photo of it showing a horse ranch just to the south.

Alderman told the Pennington County Commission recently that there is some effort to preserve historically significant fixtures in the homes and collect any old photos and blueprints of the homes for the Rapid City Public Library.

The county worked with a broker in an attempt to sell the homes for as little as $1. The only caveat was the new owner had to pay for the relocation of the homes.

Kevin Kuehn, broker with South Dakota Real Estate Company, has worked at no cost to the county for months to find buyers. But ultimately it was too expensive and no one followed through on the offer to move the homes.

"It's just an expensive process," Kuehn said of moving old houses. "You get the moving company, permits to move them, movers licensed, dealing with utility companies because you have to have power lines disconnected and stop traffic, just so many things involved."

The Pennington County Commission voted on Tuesday to start the process for plans to demolish the homes, but will still allow someone to buy any of them and move them if they can hurry.

Kuehn said the smallest home is 1.5 stories, it was estimated to cost $50,000 to move it to a parcel of land north of Ellsworth Air Force Base. The big one on the corner at 718 4th St. was estimated to cost in the $70,000-range to move it two blocks, Kuehn said.

When Carol found out about the standing offer to have the homes moved, she was bothered.

"I did tell him (Jay Alderman) if he bought me a lot and moved my house to it, that would be acceptable," Carol said. "But I never heard anything and he just calls back and it was the same old thing saying, 'Well, I gave your neighbors 12 percent more than their value.'"

Then, after the county bought the houses around the Jordans', the county assessed their home's value at an increased rate of $38,000 in one year, thus raising their property taxes.

Alderman could not be reached for comment last week. But Mike Kuhl, construction project manager with Pennington County, said the county doesn't plan to force the Jordan's to sell right now.

"I wasnt the one who has been in contact with them, and Im not sure when it comes to negotiations and contracts, I don't know how much we should say," Kuhl said. "Our intent is to move forward with the project, but we're not going to take any action forcing them to sell at this time."

He said they are trying to be good neighbors and do the right thing, but he can't say the county is not willing to force action by the Jordans. He also said a design for the county complex is just now being done, and the county could possibly work around the houses they do not own.

"We are moving forward with the project in the old NAU building, Kuhl said. "Our goal is to acquire all the properties on the block so we have flexibility, but we haven't reached an agreement with 3 properties, two owned by the same people."

"I cant say there will never be (action taken), but right now there isnt an intent to do that," he said.

Carol Jordan said she expects the county to try to force them out eventually.

"You know Id rather they value (my house) at one dollar and then I can live here in a parking lot rather than have all this going on," Carol said.
An unusual mix of people gathered Thursday in Rapid City  long a bastion of conservative politics dominated by backers of the GOP  when upstart Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders came to town.

More than 2,000 people felt the Sanders rally at Memorial Park was a can't-miss affair, and they braved a beating sun and a mid-workday scheduling to hear the Vermont senator speak in person. A sampling of the crowd revealed a diverse mix of people in terms of age, beliefs and backgrounds.

They ranged in age from adolescent to elderly. Some were buttoned-down and others wore tie-dyes. A few were first-time voters and new to presidential politics, while others had been actively campaigning for candidates for decades. People of all races were represented in the crowd. Some even came to oppose Sanders and held signs supporting the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Many backed Sanders, while others remain undecided in this topsy-turvy 2016 presidential race.

A handful, such as Chris Rodriguez, even braved physical pain just to appear that afternoon at Memorial Park.

Rodriguez, 21, ripped a ligament in his right knee in March and has been on crutches since. Standing for long periods of time hurts his injured knee, but he willingly stood in line for more than an hour Thursday to get into the Sanders rally. He and a friend inched their way along Fifth Street, from the corner of New York Street to the Rapid Creek area, where attendees went past a metal detector and Secret Service agents into a barricaded section of the park.

Crutches or not, Id make it here, Rodriguez said he vowed to himself Wednesday after learning that his presidential pick was coming to Rapid City. Tucked in the brace around his right leg was a May 10 issue of the Rapid City Journal announcing Sanders local rally, which Rodriguez hoped Sanders could sign.

Elsa Biesman, who at 60 is nearly three times the age of Rodriquez, took half a day off her IT job so she and her husband Allen could attend the gathering. The couple, with Elsa pushing Allen's wheelchair, also waited in line along Fifth Street for over an hour.

The Biesmans were determined to participate in the rally despite knowing from the very beginning that they'd have to maneuver Allen's wheelchair on the park's slopes and grassy surface. Allen, a 67-year-old retiree, said he has been a Sanders fan for 15 years.

April Matson, 25, came with her friend Adam Jensen, as well as her two young daughters. Matson, who took the afternoon off her managerial job, said coming to the event meant bringing along her 1-year-old and 3-year-old girls since she couldnt find anyone to watch them.

Everyone I know is here, so no one could babysit, she said, her younger daughter pouched safely in a carrier on her back.

Brothers Sage and Ethan Goldtooth, Navajo tribe members who traveled to Rapid City with their two co-workers from the Crazy Horse Memorial, are such loyal Sanders supporters that they are not going to vote in the general election if Hillary Clinton beats Sanders and becomes the Democratic nominee.

But, they were asked, do they think that sitting out the election will work in the Republican candidate's favor?

Their co-worker, Arielle Tsinigine, also a Navajo member, spoke up before the 19- and 21-year-old brothers could answer. Theyll vote for Hillary," the 30-year-old said. "Ill make them.

On the other hand, no one has to make Ellen Bishop vote for Clinton, the former secretary of state and New York senator who leads Sanders in the delegate count to become the Democratic nominee.

"I wanted a woman president in my lifetime, and I'm not willing to give up on the idea ... and I'm getting old," said Bishop, 70, who danced while waiting for the rally to start.

But Bishop said she would likely vote for Sanders in the South Dakota democratic primary on June 7 since he has a smaller chance of winning the state.

Mixed in with the Sanders supporters  including three ladies who were dancing with Bishop  were some undecided voters.

Chelsey Foulk, 26, a freelance graphic designer and registered Independent, has been going back and forth between Republican and Democratic candidates since last year.

Trying to fit into those (party) categories is a lot harder than I thought, she said, adding that hearing candidates in person was the best way to make a more objective decision, rather than just depending on the news and friends opinions.

Lane Brandenburg, 21, feels the same way. The hospital employee, who came to the rally straight from work in scrubs, sees both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates as representing extreme positions while his are toward the political center.

Brandenburg, an Independent, said he voted for Barack Obama in 2012 but now is still undecided. He came to the Sanders rally as a way to gather more information on the candidates.

Tony Beatty, an 18-year-old high school senior, said he comes from a family of conservatives and has already decided to vote for Trump. But he wanted to keep an open mind to other political viewpoints.

At around 12:45 p.m., while the line to get into the Sanders rally was getting longer, Beatty approached two people on the eastern sidewalk of Fifth Street who were holding up a big, red banner saying: Trump: Make America Great Again.

After shaking the Trump supporters' hands, Beatty crossed the road to rejoin the Sanders crowd. "This still is a democracy, and we all still have to work together for the people," he said. "It's also important to understand where everyone else is coming from and respect everyone else's views."
PIERRE | After last weeks column suggested changing political party registration so your vote can be cast in primary elections, a reader asked, Whats wrong with Republicans?

Absolutely nothing. The purpose was to suggest that, depending where you live, the results of South Dakotas June 7 primary elections might be very important, especially in many of the legislative contests this year. The registration deadline is May 23.

There are six legislative contests where primaries decide who sits at the desks for those districts in the Senate and House of Representatives for the 2017-2018 term.

District 35 Senate, Republicans: The incumbent is Sen. Terri Haverly, R-Rapid City. She is serving her first term. The challenger is Tina Mulally, R-Rapid City. There arent any other candidates running for the Senate seat. District 35 generally is Rapid Citys east side and beyond, south of I-90.

District 31 House, Republicans: The one incumbent (there are two House seats and one Senate seat for each of the 35 legislative districts) is Rep. Timothy Johns, R-Lead. The other incumbent, Rep. Fred Romkema, R-Spearfish, is term-limited. The other two candidates for House are former Rep. Chuck Turbiville, R-Deadwood, and Michael Weyrich, R-Whitewood.

Turbiville recently was re-elected as mayor of Deadwood by one vote. The district is Lawrence County.

District 28 Senate, Republicans: The incumbent, Sen. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, isnt seeking another term. The two candidates are former Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, and Steven Ritch, R-Belle Fourche. Ritch serves on the town council. Maher served 2007-2010 as a Democratic senator and 2011-2014 as a Republican senator. The district covers much of the states northwestern quarter.

District 28B House, Republicans: South Dakota has several legislative districts that are subdivided into House sub-districts for federal voting-rights purposes. This is one. The incumbent is Rep. Sam Marty, R-Prairie City, who is serving his first term. The challenger is Karen Wagner, R-Belle Fourche.

District 23 House, Republicans: The retirement of Sen. Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg, led to Rep. Justin Cronin, R-Gettysburg, running for the Senate. The districts other House incumbent, Rep. Michele Harrison, R-Mobridge, isnt seeking re-election after one term. The result is four Republicans running for the two House seats in the district representing counties along the east side of the Missouri River north of Pierre.

The incumbent, of sorts, is Rep. Dick Werner, R-Huron, who has moved back home to Herreid. The other incumbent, of sorts, is former Rep. Charlie Hoffman, R-Eureka, who didnt seek re-election in 2014. The other candidates are Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham, and John Lake, R-Gettysburg. The top two finishers on June 7 get the seats.

District 15 Senate, Democrats: The incumbent, Sen. Angie Buhl ODonnell, D-Sioux Falls, decided against running again. The candidates running to replace her are a House incumbent, Rep. Patrick Kirschman, D-Sioux Falls, and Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls. This is big because Democrats are a minority in both chambers.

Next week well look at some other June 7 primaries of significance.
The American Bison has made quite a comeback.

Its only been around 125 years since the bison was nearly hunted into extinction by the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and others who saw easy targets and big profits when they came West and witnessed the breath-taking spectacle of millions of buffalo roaming the southern and northern plains.

At its peak, as many as 60 million bison were an integral part of the Western landscape while providing Native American tribes with food, shelter and clothing. But that number would plummet to around 1,000 by 1889, which included bison in Canada.

Today, thanks to the efforts of the U.S. and Canadian governments and individuals like South Dakota settler James Scotty Philip, the bullish, brutish and beautiful beasts have been re-established to a degree and once again are a popular and revered symbol of what remains of the Wild West.

Its status was re-affirmed last week when President Obama signed legislation recognizing the bison as the national mammal.

Of all states in the nation, perhaps none has done more than South Dakota to raise the profile of this new and powerful national symbol.

Since Philip purchased a herd of fewer than 100 bison in 1889 that would grow to around 1,000 by the time he died in 1911, the state and its tribes have played a significant role in the resurrection of this still wild beast.

The evidence of the state's success can be seen every year at the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, which attracts visitors and media from around the world to watch a living history lesson as 1,300 bison thunder through the park's vast open spaces.

Badlands National Park, Indian reservations and ranchers also have their own herds of bison. Altogether, South Dakota has an estimated 33,000 bison, which is more than any other state.

The story of the North American bison could have come to unhappy ending in the 19th century if it weren't for the efforts of Philip and others. Since then, many other people, organizations and governments have worked diligently to protect the bison and enlarge its footprint in the northern plains of the United States.

As a result, South Dakota has reaped some hard-earned benefits. Tourists and locals alike are awe-struck while in the presence of beasts that help make western South Dakota a truly unique and historic place.

When Congress voted to make the bison our national mammal, it also was a nod to our state's role in its survival and we thank those who helped us arrive at this moment.
HILLIARD, Ohio | Eva Muir passed away May 12, 2016, at her daughter's residence in Hilliard, OH, following a lengthy illness. She was born at home in Lead, SD, on April 12, 1921, to Anna and Nick Prlenda. She attended Lead Elementary School and graduated from Lead High with the class of 1939.

During World War II, she worked for North American Aviation in Inglewood, CA, as a "Rosie the Riveter" on the bomb bay of the B-25, the Billy Mitchell, the plane that bombed Tokyo. When the war ended she returned home to help her mother care for her ailing father.

She married William L. Muir in June 1946. They missed by three months having 50 years together when Bill died in March 1996.

When Homestake Mining Company opened after the war, she was hired as an assistant librarian, a position she held for over fifteen years. When friends decided to go to college in 1964, she decided to join them at her age of forty four. She made it through four years successfully with a B.S. degree and also won a Fellowship which took her to Colorado State University where she earned her Master's Degree in English Literature. She taught English and was a librarian in South Dakota and Oregon. She was the librarian at Deadwood Junior High and later at Lead High School.

Homestake expanded their Open Cut operations, and many townspeople "lost" their homes. Bill and Eva moved to San Diego, CA, where their daughter, Evette, was stationed in the Navy. After all the "traffic got to them," they returned to South Dakota. They later moved to Grants, NM, for two years to house-sit for daughter, Nicky. Again, they returned to Spearfish, SD, where they bought a home. There she was able to spend many happy and enjoyable hours with her granddaughter, Rochelle. After her husband died, she remained in the home until she decided to move to Hilliard, OH, to be near her daughter and son-in-law.

She was a dedicated and loving mother and grandmother, even to the very end. Eva loved writing (handwritten) letters to her family, friends and many pen pals around the world. She was an avid reader of books and magazines, from which she gleaned articles, poems and cartoons to include with her letters. These were often then forwarded by their recipients to others they knew around the globe. Her sense of humor and wit will be remembered by all who knew her. She hated snakes. She loved the TOSVR bike ride, the "lovely" trees in Ohio, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. For Eva, there was no better color than red. She was quite involved in her son Bill's restoration of a '67 Corvette Sting-Ray on the condition that it be Red!

She is survived by her son, Bill (Luby) Muir, Deadwood, SD, daughters, Nicky (Gene) Green, Rapid City, SD, Evette (Thomas) Wise, Hilliard, OH, and granddaughters Rochelle Muir, Denver, CO, Rebecca (James) Wise-Rittgers, Columbus, OH, great-granddaughters Kayla Aspen, Billings, MT, and Cassie Aspen, Portland, OR, and twin great-great granddaughters, Aesa and Memphis Heck, Billings, MT. She is also survived by "honorary son, Doug Wise, "honorary grandsons, Frank Wise and Michael Wise, Lima, OH, and Roy Baker, Las Vegas, NV. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, her parents, brother, George Prlenda, and sister, Arline (Prlenda) Ebert.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Chamberlain-Huckeriede Funeral Home, Lima, OH.

A special thank you to the Ohio Health Hospice staff (especially Angie and Mel) for their concern and loving care of our mother. In lieu of flowers, any memorial contributions can be made to Ohio Health Hospice or the American Lung Association.

Private family inurnment services will be held at a later date at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD.

Online condolences can be made by visiting chamberlainhuckeriede.com.
A. Jo Young

Candidate House District 85

Democrat

Q: What is your position on the issue of federal lands being turned over to the state? Please explain your position.  Tony Jones, Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association

A: Federal lands should stay in federal hands.

These tracts of land were put under federal control to prevent the timber barons and mining companies, some of whom were motivated by personal gain, from destroying the habitat required for a healthy planet. Similarly, overgrazing of the public domain was a factor in the establishment of the first forest reserves, which form the basis of our National Forest system.

One only has to refer to the enabling legislation of federal land managing agencies to understand that our national parks and forests were protected for very good reasons. I believe that greed and blindness toward the finite quality of natural resources is as prevalent today as it was then.

Furthermore, transferring these lands to the state comes with a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. A burden that would fall to us as taxpayers. These monies would be far better spent on infrastructure or education, things that directly improve the lives of the people living here. Im afraid the proponents of this transfer from federal to state control have an end game of selling public lands into private hands, a huge loss for all of us. We dont want Montana to follow the European model, where only the wealthy have the opportunity to hunt and fish.

Q: Education is faced with a multifaceted task of equipping our children for world that wont look the same five years from now. With the very fabric of our culture changing at a rapid pace, a robust and solid understanding of tolerance is key to effectively navigating these circumstances. What is your definition for tolerance and how does this definition support the mandates within public education?  Tim Johnson, Corvallis School Superintendent

A: Tolerance is the willingness to bear the existence of differing opinions and behaviors with which you do not agree. You can not tolerate what you already like, you can only tolerate what you dont like.

So why should I tolerate what I dont like? Think of how this approach teaches us the values for sustaining a richly pluralistic world and to accept the inevitable complexity, variety and incompleteness in our attempts to live a good human life.

Tolerance is mutual respect that free thinking individuals afford each other. It is between autonomous equals. I must accept that you are capable of making your own decisions and have good reasons for them. I will tolerate that. Likewise, I also expect you will do the same for me.

As long as others are not harming your person or property, tolerance means that you respect their decisions and do not interfere. Tolerance is the recognition that each of us is equally committed to our own personal individualized way of life. What unifies all of us is our commitment to live our own lives and find meaning, truth and salvation in our own ways.

With regard to the educational mandate, our public school system is tasked with preparing students for the world beyond school. I believe it is paramount to promote personal interactions that expose our youth to different ideas and cultures to help them become productive members of our communities.

This can be done in a variety of ways  by sponsoring informative presentations regarding the diversity of cultures and interests that we find in todays society, as well as the historical events that created that diversity. As just an example, field trips within the state to ethnically and socially diverse communities are great.

Q: What do you think the state could do to make improvements to the accessibility of the economic development funding for rural small business? Could you name a specific program where you would like to see improvement and provide some examples? What will you do to further your recommendation?  Julie Foster, Ravalli County Economic Development Authority Executive Director.

A: I am very impressed by the positive impact on our community that the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority has accomplished through their efforts.

The Revolving Loan Fund deserves to be supported by the State Department of Commerce in a manner that reflects our population here in the Bitterroot. As I understand it, we are in a rural category. In that category are areas with much smaller populations than we have.

There is the added complication that Ravalli County is attached to Missoula, which then gets a larger portion of the funding. I believe there is a more equitable way to allot monies, and I would pursue legislation to keep us in the front line of development funding for our part of the state. This investment allows for employment, which in turn boosts our economic base.

I also believe the Technical Assistance provided to new local business is as important as financing. This includes development plans, inventory research, help with permits, and many other issues that get a new business off to a healthy start. A quality staff makes this possible and needs to be adequately funded.
Scott Ralston

Candidate House District 85

Republican

Q: What is your position on the issue of federal lands being turned over to the state? Please explain your position.  Tony Jones, Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association

A: I am against selling off public lands to private or corporate interests. Also, the transfer of USFS properties to state control could be costly to Montanans under the current wildfire suppression program. That being said, the Forest Service has done a poor job in managing our forest lands. An appeals system that doesnt require bonding has resulted in out-of-state special interest groups halting most of the Environmental Impact Statement alternatives that include the harvesting of merchantable timber.

Montanans have suffered under the current system. We have seen increased fuel loads and pine-beetle infestations from EIS alternatives that do little or nothing to protect our watersheds and trout spawning areas. Expensive catastrophic wildfires have ravaged our once-beautiful forest lands in Ravalli County. Our forest canopy is decidedly smaller than two decades ago, as evidenced by all the bare hills that used to be covered with timber. Smoky skies fill our summers.

I believe that state, county and local government elected officials should speak in a unified voice and offer solutions to the USFS, detailing the devastating environmental and economic impacts of their current forest management program. Main Street Montanans should have a seat at the table and our input should carry more weight than out-of-state special interest groups. All Montanans would benefit from a stronger timber-based economy and cleaner air.

Q: Education is faced with a multifaceted task of equipping our children for world that wont look the same five years from now. With the very fabric of our culture changing at a rapid pace, a robust and solid understanding of tolerance is key to effectively navigating these circumstances. What is your definition for tolerance and how does this definition support the mandates within public education?  Tim Johnson, Corvallis School Superintendent

A: Cyber-bullying is a real and fast-growing problem among our sons and daughters in the public school system. Nationwide, our society is rapidly changing and lines are being drawn in the areas of freedom of speech and gender preference. This has caused all of us to take a good look in the mirror. Tolerance of diverse ideals should be tempered with common sense and fairness to every student. Agenda-driven political activists should never dictate to a school district to compromise student conduct codes.

Adolescence is a transitional time and a time of social posturing, but no one deserves to be picked on. No child should have to dread the next day at school. We, as parents and community members, will disagree on certain issues of morality, but none of us desires that students should ever experience intolerance or bigotry.

We are seeing a generation of millennials who spend a disproportionate amount of time interacting with social media and the Internet. Many of them hang onto to their smart phones for dear life. We have made our public schools drug-free and alcohol and tobacco free and have instituted zero tolerance. Isnt it about time we made our schools zero tolerance when it comes to students using or possessing personal social media devices on our public school grounds? Im not kidding.

Q: What do you think the state could do to make improvements to the accessibility of the economic development funding for rural small business? Could you name a specific program where you would like to see improvement and provide some examples? What will you do to further your recommendation?  Julie Foster, Ravalli County Economic Development Authority Executive Director

A: In the last two decades, small businesses in Ravalli County have suffered through the collapse of a strong timber-based economy and a nationwide recession that severely impacted us.

However, there are some encouraging developments  the establishment of a two-year college and continuing education facility (Bitterroot College) and a Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD) are two steps in the right direction. REV-UP Montana is a great program I have worked with personally, and I would like to see funding for it continue. We are also seeing growing tourism and healthcare vocation opportunities in the Bitterroot Valley.

The State of Montana should increase granting opportunities for small business and entrepreneur incubation projects that provide growth and good-paying jobs for residents in smaller rural communities. Tax incentives such as substantial reduction or forgiveness for small business start-ups in their first few years would also be a good idea.

Apprenticeship programs for students who have received targeted vocational skills such as diesel mechanics, welding and truck-driving need more funding. Then, small businesses can take advantage of financial relief for paying new hired employees and have more incentive to increase their employee numbers.

If elected, I plan to serve on committees to promote small business. Business and Labor, Natural Resources and Transportation would be desirable.
Theresa Manzella

Incumbent House District 85

Republican

Q: What is your position on the issue of federal lands being turned over to the state? Please explain your position.  Tony Jones, Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association

A: At this point, which agency owns the land is not as important as how our public lands are managed. We all want healthy air, water and wildlife, abundant outdoor recreation and safe, vibrant communities, but nearly everyone in Montana knows that federal policies enacted by distant politicians in Washington, D.C. are producing very poor results. I find the unhealthy air quality and economic devastation created by lack of proper management unacceptable.

The Environmental Quality Council, on which I serve, found that 22,000 miles of the 32,000 miles of roads on U.S. Forest Service lands have now been closed to multiple uses. The federal government has cut off way too much access that should be left available for recreation, initial attack firefighting, search and rescue and resource management. We must implement significant reforms to responsibly reduce wildfire threats, protect our environment, enhance hunting opportunities, revive our economy and keep access to public lands open.

Democrats and green decoy groups like to say that if public land is transferred to the state, we would sell off the public lands to the highest bidder. That is a patently false claim. For over 100 years Montana has managed 6 million acres of state-owned public lands, and we have done a very good job of it. We protect the environment, prevent wildfires, produce valuable commodities that provide jobs and revenues for public services and we outperform the federal government economically at a rate of about five to one.

Last session I supported SB274 to ensure public lands are kept public, HB 496 to study the feasibility of the state assuming management of some federally held public lands, and SB309 to incentivize more access to public lands. Finding ways to secure better management of public lands will continue to be a high priority for me.

Q: Education is faced with a multifaceted task of equipping our children for world that wont look the same five years from now. With the very fabric of our culture changing at a rapid pace, a robust and solid understanding of tolerance is key to effectively navigating these circumstances. What is your definition for tolerance and how does this definition support the mandates within public education?  Tim Johnson, Corvallis School Superintendent

A: While I wholeheartedly agree that we live in a great big, wonderful, rapidly and ever-changing environment, we honestly dont know what the world will be like in five years. We can make educated predictions, but there are simply too many variables beyond our control to say for sure.

It is for that very reason public schools should stick to teaching the tried, true and timeless lessons that every American child needs to know; reading, writing, arithmetic, English, factual history, U.S. government, including our Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and how our system of government differs from other countries based on the principles of liberty our founders gave us. Curriculum and text books should be locally controlled, parent approved and American made. The Bible should be used as a reference book as it has greatly influenced and impacted our system of government.

Tolerance and moral relativism is a lesson best left in the hands of a childs parents. However, if public schools are mandated to teach tolerance, then a proper biblical perspective and illustrated examples put into action would solve the issues we face.

Love thy neighbor as thyself and Speak truth in love are robust, solid, biblical precepts that provide for the acceptance of the wide diversity in our culture while at the same time allowing an individual to maintain their religious liberty, moral compass and appropriate, personal boundaries.

Q: What do you think the state could do to make improvements to the accessibility of the economic development funding for rural small business? Could you name a specific program where you would like to see improvement and provide some examples? What will you do to further your recommendation?  Julie Foster, Ravalli County Economic Development Authority Executive Director.

A: All the programs offered appear to be well thought out and beneficial to a wide variety of small business.

I find myself wondering how many small business owners are aware of the great opportunities offered. The programs need a highly visible platform. Id recommend gathering success stories from participants in an effort to help promote the programs.

The Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF) program offers workforce development and training. Many of the business owners Ive spoken to have expressed difficulty in finding skilled workers, so I agree that the need is there.

It would be great to see partnerships formed between business owners, manufacturers and teachers that would help guide people fresh out of school, and looking for work to the businesses in need of skilled labor. The same idea could be applied to people between jobs, or those looking for a career change. Apprentice programs are always a great way to get hands on training and experience, as well. Additionally, the Bitterroot College presents endless opportunities to learn creative marketing and promotional tools.

As a legislator, I will do my part to encourage business growth by lightening the tax and regulatory burden if an effort to create a business friendly environment that promotes growth and development.


Guwahati: Two Assamese books were released in a glittering functio held at a city hall on 15 May 2016, where audience from different walks of life graced the occasion.



The chief editor of Niyamia Barta, an Assamese daily, and also a celebrated writer Phanindra Kumar Debchoudhury, a motivation worker

Dr Minati Barthakur and journalist Nava Thakuria officially released both the books.



Published by Maram Kumar on behalf of Maramland, the first book tiled Kalam is a collection of various articles. The author of the book is Dr Birendra Nath Patgiri, who is a dentist by profession and social worker turned writer by passion.

The second book is a translated piece titled Maadhukari Geetanjali, where nonagenarian Sunanda Patgiri took the pain to go for translation. He was also present on the occasion to bless everyone there.
Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB)



Kathmandu, Nepal: The examinations of Class XI is going to begin from today and will be lasted on May 25.



According to the Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) total 3, 69,426 students are going to sit for the exam.



Likewise, total of 921 superintendents, 2512 assistant superintendents, 1921 volunteers and 13,430 invigilators, 1641 staffers, 2476 office assistants and 11,052 security personnel are deployed to conduct the election.



As per the existing rule if any students found violating examination rules will be imprisoned for six months each or fined up to Rs 100,000. Likewise, the exam center providing a leeway for students taking the test to cheat will be scraped, the HSEB has said.




RSS

Kathmandu, May 15 : Outgoing Ambassador of Nepal to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay has said that the decision to withdraw him from Delhi was political and he had nothing to say on it.



Talking to reporters upon his arrival home at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Sunday, Upadhyay said he took the government's decision with ease. He, however, said that he made every possible effort to ease the obstruction in supplies that was seen in the border with India.



In response to journalists' query over the reason behind his recall, Upadhyay said the Foreign Ministry has not given any reason for calling him back.



"The talks about the reason behind my recall are just a rumor, he said.



Upadhyay said he did not violate any norms during his stay in Delhi for 13 months and five days.



He said that the cancellation of the President's visit to India at the last moment was unfortunate. He however said that an incident or two would not have any impact on Nepal-India relation. RSS


CPN-UML leader and former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal



Kathmandu, Nepal: CPN-UML leader and former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal has urged all the political parties represent in the parliament and out of the parliament to forge consensus to implement the constitution of the country.



Speaking at a party cadres' gathering program at his election constituency, Ilam-1 on Sunday, Khanal also claimed that the government's policies and programs have incorporated the feelings of all people.



The policy and program of the government meet the basic needs of the common people, Khanal claims.


Deep Kumar Upadhyay



Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepali Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay is returning home today. Upadhyay is arriving at 12 noon today via Nepal Airlines.



The government had called back to Upadhyay on May 9 expressing dissatisfaction over his role. He was accused for involving in the activities to dissolve the government. He was given 15 days to return home from receiving the letter.



Erstwhile Sushil Koirala led government had appointed Upadhyay as the ambassador to India. Upadhyaya was not only the Nepali Congress leader but also the former Minister.




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Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms, some strong, early, becoming clear after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms, some strong, early, becoming clear after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
 Is it fair for me to worry that drug war distractions contribute to "a revolving door for violent offenders" in DC? | Main | Noting that Henry Montgomery (and many other juve LWOPers) are still awaiting impact from Montgomery 

The debate over modern criminal justice reform efforts creates an interesting divide among folks on the right: some like Bill Otis make the claim that the push for reform is an "ominous ... part of our country's recent pattern of decline and retreat," while others involved with the Right on Crime movement assert conservatives should be leading the charge for robust criminal justice reform. Regular readers will not be surprised to hear I tend to be moved more by the Right on Crime voices, and the RoC website recently highlighted this notable column at Ricochet by Nathanael Ferguson making the claim that criminal justice reform is a conservative cause. Here is how this piece starts and ends (with links in the original):

My friend Sean Kennedy asserts in a column at Real Clear Policy that the Bipartisan Push for Criminal Justice Reform Is Misguided. I respectfully disagree. On the contrary, criminal justice reform is a conservative effort that is necessary to restrain government that has grown too large, powerful, and costly.

Criminal justice reform, or CJR for short, is a broad-based movement made up of numerous policy reforms taking place mostly at the state level. Texas has pioneered many of the reforms and has inspired a growing number of states to follow suit which has led to, among other beneficial results, reduced recidivism rates and lower prison costs.

CJR is a policy response to the problem of overcriminalization which can be defined as the criminalization of routine behavior that has no business being criminalized and the overly burdensome punishments that are handed down for minor infractions. Or to put it another way, we have too many statutory and administrative laws that are too vague and carry overly disproportionate penalties in contravention to the old saying that the punishment must fit the crime....

Conservatives are generally suspicious of government that is too big, too costly, and too powerful. That is, until it comes to the justice system where we seem to think its okay for the government to be big and powerful and spend our tax dollars like a drunken sailor. But why should we view the justice system any differently than the rest of the government? Why should we not demand transparency and accountability? Why should we not demand that crime and punishment be proportional? Why should we not demand that justice-related spending be efficient and cost-effective?

The answer is that we should demand these things. And to a growing extent we are, which is why it is mostly conservative states with Republican governors leading the way on criminal justice reform and in so doing making the system more just and less costly to taxpayers. To be sure, some liberal lawmakers who support the movement may tend to overreach and make the leap from being right on crime to being soft on crime. But thats no reason to condemn the entire movement.

Criminal justice reform is not some misguided liberal effort to open the prison doors and set free everyone convicted of drug-related crimes as some opponents charge; rather it is a moral imperative for a society that values limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and a justice system that is fair to victims, violators, and the taxpayers who fund it.
SIOUX CITY | Irving Jensen III has been appointed Seaboard Triumph Foods director of community relations and government affairs.

With a long history of executive positions in manufacturing, construction, logistics and financial sectors, Jensen most recently served as vice president of plastic products and internal consulting for the Atlanta-based First Data Corporation.

Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of the Sioux City-based Jebro, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor in the downstream petroleum industry.

Jensen said he is thrilled to return to Sioux City and join Seaboard Triumph.

Sioux City has a tremendous history in food processing and other ag-related businesses. A history to be proud of, he said. Its one of the reasons why Seaboard Triumph Foods chose Sioux City.

The $264 million plant under construction in the Bridgeport West business park is scheduled to employ at least 1,100 once it opens in the summer of 2017.

The company is committed to supporting our community, not just financially but by encouraging involvement of our employees, too, Jensen said.

The Seaboard Triumph Foods project in Sioux City is a joint venture between Triumph Foods and Seaboard Foods.
Theres a moment, early in the first season of the new Starz drama The Girlfriend Experience, when second-year law student Christine Reade, played by TV newcomer Riley Keogh (Mad Max: Fury Road), finds herself taken aback by her own amorality. The reason: She likes getting paid for sex. Christine calls her sister Annabel and asks if her sibling thinks shes a sociopath.

Its telling that Christines big sister is played by Amy Seimetz, an accomplished actress, writer and director in the indie-film world who shares writing and directing duties on The Girlfriend Experience with independent filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan (2004s Keane).

People think its so bold that Christine likes sex, and that sounds really sad to me, Seimetz says. Of course women like sex. Whats fascinating to me is that element that someone is willing to go out and get paid for it.

On The Girlfriend Experience, sex is a commodity, the market is bullish and morality is nebulous.

(The shows) not an expose on why she does it, Seimetz says. Its creating a character that embodies why were so fascinated with women who do.

The producers made it a point to be intentionally unclear why Christine adapts so readily to escorting after shes introduced to the world of transactional relationships by a fellow student.

By the end of the first episode, Christine has created alter-ego Chelsea and entered into the girlfriend experience, a world in which women provide sex as well as conversation or companionship in exchange for money.

The series zeros in on the moral ambiguity of a character who enters sex work not because shes forced to but because she enjoys both the profession and the perks. It also provides an opportunity for Seimetz to address flaws she has perceived in how Hollywood portrays female characters.

It feels like theres been an oversimplification of the female psyche in Hollywood, and thats what we wanted to get into, said Seimetz. I like characters that are a little off from the norm, who dont fit into this apologetic, nurturing role that women are expected to fulfill.

When it comes to defining Christine, specifically, Seimetz said it has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with balance.

The more interesting stuff to me is, how she can compartmentalize and move through these phases? How can she have these secret lives and not go crazy?

These are all themes that were present if not prevalent in Steven Soderberghs 2009 low-budget film from which The Girlfriend Experience is adapted.

Now the film has found new life at a network that, under the supervision of former HBO head Chris Albrecht, has established itself as a venue for underserved audiences with shows such as Outlander, the historical fiction fantasy featuring a time-traveling World War II nurse, and the drama Power, about a successful New York City nightclub owner and secret drug dealer, shows that also evidence that the network isnt shy about exploring the more extreme moral quandaries life offers.

(Starz is releasing the 13-episode Girlfriend Experience on a traditional weekly schedule but made the entire first season available via its on-demand streaming service.)
SIOUX CITY | After more than a decade of working three days a week, The Jewelry Lady will be open Tuesday through Saturday following the departures of Head Over Heels and A La Mode.

For years, they had a good thing going.

The three women, who separately sold clothes, shoes and accessories, branded their businesses as a one-stop shopping destination in a tan, two-story building across from Southern Hills Mall.

In the past two months, A La Mode moved to a new location in Lakeport Commons, and Head Over Heels was bought out by Chlotique, a womens clothing boutique in Vermillion, South Dakota, that was started by Chloe Nielsen in October 2014 when she was 17.

The changes pushed Pam Lapke to try something new.

For so many years, it came so easy, she said. I had a good customer base built, so they all came to find me. Now, the competition has really picked up in the area. Its time to go out and seek new customers. I thought I would try this and see what happens.

Lapke started selling jewelry out of her house in 2002 after going to Atlantas huge wholesale market with her older sister Beth Schwaderer, who owns Beths Flowers on Fourth. She had just moved back to Sioux City with her husband, the newly named president of Central Bank, and she wasnt ready to return to the 9-to-5 grind after seven years as a stay-at-home mom.

Instead, she set her own hours and began hosting jewelry parties in peoples homes. Within a few months, she added handbags, but the name of her business stuck.

Id love to change it, but now I cant, she said. Why would I? Half the time people see me and they say, Thats the Jewelry Lady. They dont know my name, which is kind of funny.

The Jewelry Lady has beaten the odds. About half of all new establishments survive for five years and only a third make it past 10 years in business, according to the Small Business Administration.

After six years, Lisa Brazzell, owner of Head Over Heels, sold her business and remaining inventory to Chlotique, enticing Nielsen to open a second location.

Brazzell has stayed on as a sales associate, working at Chlotiques new Sioux City store about three days a week.

Nielsen, who runs the boutique with her mom, went to the University of South Dakota for one semester last fall, planning to study dental hygiene, but decided to drop out and work full-time instead.

I was getting too busy at the store and trying to go to class at the same time, she said. I couldnt give 100 percent to both. I had to choose one, and obviously, Im going to choose Chlotique. Its my business. Its something that Ive always wanted to do.

The Jewelry Lady and Chlotique, both at 4301 Sergeant Road, are now open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thirsty Thursdays, when theyre open until 7.

A grand opening for Chlotique will be held June 4.
Richard (Dick) and Margaret (Peggy) Cain, of Sioux City, will celebrate 50 years of marriage with a family dinner and a cruise in September.

Dick married the former Peggy Bogenrief on May 21, 1966, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City. The couple have one son, Michael and his fiancee Erin of Omaha, Nebraska.

Together they owned and operated Sioux Muffler Shop Inc. before retirement. Dick enjoys trapshooting and restoring small engines. Peggy also worked for years in her parents' antique shop in Hinton and after 43 years still enjoys competitive artistic rollerskating.
Dean and Sharon (Nelson) Mahon, of Sioux City, will celebrate 50 years of marriage with an open house hosted by their children and grandchildren from 1-4 p.m. May 21 at the Hampton Inn and Suites, 5555 Sergeant Road, Sioux City. Friends and family are invited to attend.
3 Sioux City juniors attend Boys State

SIOUX CITY | American Legion Post 64 has selected three Sioux City high school juniors to attend Hawkeye Boys State in Johnston, Iowa, June 12-17.

The students -- Blake Kakacek, Bishop Heelan Catholic High School; Chris Okine, North High Schol; and Robert Berntson, West High School -- will attend the American Legion-sponsored program which provides intensive education in government instruction.

At Hawekeye Boys State, participants are exposed to the rights and privileges, the duties and the responsibilities of a franchised citizen. Activities will include legislative sessions, court proceedings and law enforcement presentations.

High school juniors are selected by local American Legion posts; mentoring of youth is one of the Four Pillars of The American Legion.

For more information on the nation's largest veterans organization, visit legion.org.

South Sioux City student wins scholarship

SIOUX CITY | South Sioux City student Brenda Nguyen has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship by Tip Top Tux. She is one of four annual winners for $10,000 worth of scholarship funding.

Nguyen will be honored with a reception at the store, 500 Floyd Blvd., on May 24. She will attend the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall.

Recipients are chosen based on involvement in both academic achievement, community relations and involvement, as well as work ethic and financial need. Letters of recommendation and a personal essay also are taken into consideration in the selection process.

To be considered for the 2017 scolarships, visit tttuxprom.com/scholarship.
SIOUX CITY | Sioux City Police were searching Saturday night for the driver of a green car that struck a motorcycle in the intersection of George Street and Villa Avenue, hospitalizing the driver of the motorcycle.

Sioux City Police Sgt. Jay Hoogendyk said a male was driving his motorcycle east on Villa Avenue when the car, heading south on George Street, failed to yield at a stop sign and struck the motorcycle in the intersection. The driver of the motorcycle, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from his bike.

Hoogendyk said the driver of the car fled the scene on foot after the accident. The driver of the bike was transported to the hospital.

Hoogendyk said police believe alcohol was involved in the incident. Police also brought a K-9 to sniff out the car for drugs, but none were found in the vehicle.

The accident remains under investigation. -- Ian Richardson
MILFORD, Iowa | Names have been released of two people who were injured in a head-on collision Thursday outside of Milford.

Emergency crews, including the Dickinson County Sheriffs Office, responded to the scene of the accident near the 2600 block of 190th Avenue at about 4:24 p.m.

Tony Petersen, chief deputy with the sheriffs office, said John Heller, 43, of Milford was driving southbound on 190th Avenue while Jennifer Kane, 43, of Milford, was driving north.

Both vehicles collided at the top of the hill, Petersen said.

Kane and her daughter were taken to Spencer Hospital for treatment.

Heller, however, suffered serious injury and had to be extricated from his vehicle before being taken to Avera McKennen Hospital in Sioux Falls.

His current condition is not known.

The Dickinson County Sheriff's Office was assisted by Lakes Regional Healthcare, the Milford Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, Milford Fire and Rescue and the Lakes Area Extraction Unit.

No charges have been filed as the investigation continues, Petersen said.
SIOUX CITY | Scott Chaussee has never been a fan of Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King.

Chaussee, of Sioux City, said he doesn't like the conservative Republican's voting record on social program funding or his opposition to same-sex marriage, so he'd love to see King's House career end after 14 years in 2016.

Therefore, Chaussee, a registered Democrat, plans to switch his voter registration and vote in the June 7 Republican primary not for King but for his GOP challenger, state Sen. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City.

"I've never, ever voted Republican in my life. This guy, (King) is against everything I stand for," Chaussee said. "And I don't even like Bertrand's policies, but I can't stand King's policies."

Tim Bottaro, a former Woodbury County Democratic Party chairman, will also vote in the Republican primary for Bertrand. And Diane Hamilton, a Democrat from Storm Lake, is "giving serious consideration" to doing so as well.

"I don't know if any Democrat can ever beat (King), so maybe this is the answer, to have a Republican beat him," Hamilton said, pointing to the huge voter registration edge held by Republicans, 184,182 to 123,345, in the 4th district, which spans 39 counties in Northwest and north central Iowa.

Bertrand, a two-term state senator, surprised political observers when he decided to take on King, who is generally popular among conservative voters. While Republicans are deciding which of the two to support, there has been speculation that Democrats who don't like King would cross over to vote for Bertrand, to knock King out. The winner of the Republican race will face the only Democratic candidate, Kim Weaver, of Sheldon, in the November general election.

If a slew of Democrats move his way, Bertrand's chances of winning the primary likely would increase. But based on voter registration totals, if there is a big move by Democrats to aid Bertrand, it will be a late-breaking phenomenon.

Democratic Party officials -- either on the state, district or county level -- are not publicly pushing any plans to have their voters switch allegiance for a day to back Bertrand.

One factor many county party chairmen cited is that four Democrats (Patty Judge, Rob Hogg, Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause) are running in a primary on the same day to determine who will advance as nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fall.

Another reason Democrats at least in Woodbury County would want to not change registrations is to take part in a county supervisor primary race matching incumbent Mark Monson and challenger Marty Pottebaum.

Additionally, former Woodbury County Democratic Party Chairman Al Sturgeon, of Sioux City, said the Democrats-help-Bertrand strategy has withered away, given that Bertrand's campaign hasn't seemed to have taken traction over the two months since he joined the race.

"Unless Rick Bertrand has some cards he's not showing, he is going to get shellacked ... It is just stunning, the silence you are hearing out of his campaign," Sturgeon said.

Bertrand said he is "not focused on" getting Democrats as a part of his strategy. He's been speaking primarily to Republican and independent voters on the campaign trail.

"You can't run in a Republican primary and try to get Democrats. I will say that I think the independents are moving right now, I get a lot of support from them ... We are focused on independents and we are focused on turnout," Bertrand said.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad said it is possible some Democrats would change registrations to vote against King. He cited the last high-profile Iowa GOP primary involving an incumbent, when then-Northwest Iowa Congressman Fred Grandy, of Sioux City, challenged Branstad, who was running for re-election. Branstad narrowly won that 1994 primary.

"I think over 30 percent of the people that voted in Polk County were not Republican the day before the election. So the ability to change your registration before the election or on election day is something thats been around for a long time, and I think thats just a fact of life that you have to recognize under the Iowa system," Branstad said.

Tim Moran, King's campaign manager, said he monitors voter registration trends in the 4th District counties and sees "no evidence of a Democrat crossover."

"And given their (Democratic) competitive primary for the US Senate nomination, we don't anticipate any significant change in party registrations this primary season," Moran said.

Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Monica Biddix said the state party isn't pushing a Democrats-for-Bertrand strategy, and Weaver herself isn't either.

"I absolutely would not encourage Democrats to switch to the Republican party to vote for Bertrand in the primary and have said so when asked," Weaver said.

"If they want to see Steve King out of Congress then they can sign up with my campaign to volunteer for me," she continued. "Let the Republicans decide who will be on their ballot line. In the meantime, we have a lot of ground to cover."

Woodbury County Deputy Auditor Steve Hofmeyer said voters can switch their registrations through election day. They would have to wait about a week after the primary to switch their registration again.

Hofmeyer said those changes processed in the county office have seen voters primarily switching from Democratic to No Party to Republican registrations. Hofmeyer said none who switched to the Republican Party voiced that they were doing that in order to vote for Bertrand, so he couldn't speak to any rationale for the switches.

Woodbury County active voter registrations on April 1 included 17,875 Democrats and 19,207 Republicans, while on Thursday the totals were 17,825 Democrats and 19,293 Republicans. The number of registered Republicans jumped 77 from Monday to Thursday.

Additionally, in two larger counties in the 4th District -- Story and Cerro Gordo -- voter registrations haven't changed much. Cerro Gordo County Auditor Ken Kline said none of the four office workers have heard any of the residents changing registrations out of a desire to vote against King.

The number of registered Republicans in Story County from April 1 to Thursday dropped by 16 from 17,800 to 17,784, while the number of Democratic registrations fell by 14 to 18,687. Over the same six weeks in Cerro Gordo, the number of registered Democrats rose by 1 to 8,941 and the number of Republicans increased by 20 to 8,318.

More toward the center of the 39-county district, Webster and Carroll counties don't appear primed to steer Democrats to Team Bertrand. Webster County Democratic Party Chairwoman Julie Goepfert, of Fort Dodge, said there is no concerted effort by the county party and she doesn't know any Democrats who are going to vote against King.

"That is highly unlikely, because of our contested Senate race. When we have four candidates to run against Grassley, I don't see a lot of crossover to Steve King's race," Goepfert said.

Carroll County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Tracy, of Carroll, said there is no movement to aid Bertrand in the attempt to oust King. Tracy said Bertrand is "a nicer version of Steve King," but their politics are from the same Republican playbook.
"No modern precedent exists for the revival of a party so badly defeated, so intensely discredited, and so essentially split as the Republican Party is today."

Taken from "The Party That Lost Its Head" by Bruce Chapman and George Gilder, this excerpt, about Barry Goldwater's defeat in 1964, led Thursday's column by E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post.

Dionne is warning what could happen if the GOP perpetrates the political atrocity of nominating Donald Trump.

For weeks now, the Post's editorial page has sermonized about the "moral" obligation of all righteous Republicans to repudiate Trump.

The Post's solicitude for the well-being of the Republican Party is the stuff of legend. Yet it is a bit jarring to see these champions of abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, and visitation rights for cross-dressers in the girls' room, standing in a pulpit lecturing on morality.

Yet, there was something off about that Chapman-Gilder quote.

First, both were members of the Harvard-based, Rockefeller-backed, liberal Ripon Society. Second, their prognosis of the party's future proved to be spectacularly wrong.

The year, 1966, their book on the headless GOP appeared, to press hosannas, Richard Nixon led the party to its greatest off-year victory since 1946, adding 47 new seats in the House.

Two years later, Nixon won the presidency, inaugurating an era in which Republicans won five out of six presidential contests, two by 49-state landslides.

Out of Goldwater's defeat came the New Majority and Reagan Revolution. And Chapman and Gilder moved rightward to serve with distinction in that revolution.

The prodigal sons were welcomed home, and Gilder would recant:

"The far Right -- the same men I dismissed as extremists in my youth -- turned out to know far more than I did. At least the 'right-wing extremists,' as I confidently called them, were right on almost every major policy issue from welfare to Vietnam to Keynesian economics and defense ..."

While the Goldwater campaign, as an insurgency of outsiders, bears comparison with Trump's, in other ways it does not.

Goldwater never compiled anything near the vote that Trump did. At this point in 1964, Goldwater was behind Johnson 79-18 in the Gallup poll. Trump is behind Hillary Clinton by single digits. New polls have him running even in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Now, consider the issues comparison with 1964.

In July 1964, Johnson signed the popular Civil Rights Act that Goldwater had opposed. The GOP Convention in San Francisco revealed a deeply divided party, subject to the charge, validated by the rule-or-ruin Rockefeller-Romney faction, that it was receptive to right-wing radicals.

Lyndon Johnson's decision to bomb North Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident made him a war leader, and Americans rally to presidents in a time of war.

In 2016, however, Trump holds a fistful of face cards. After eight years of President Obama, he is the candidate of change in 2016, and Clinton is the candidate of same.

Trump may bring more excitement than some folks can handle.

But Clinton has become a crashing bore, until she gets agitated, and then the voice rises to where she sounds like the siren on the hook-and-ladder in "Chicago Fire."

Other than that she would be the first woman president, what is there about her or her agenda that has popular appeal? That lack of appeal explains why her crowds are a fraction of Bernie Sanders'.

The Clinton of 2016 is not the Clinton of 2008.

As for the issues dividing Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump appears to have won the argument, if the debate is decided by voter preferences rather than Beltway preferences.

Trump's denunciation of NAFTA and other "free-trade" deals Ryan supports is echoed by Sanders, who opposed those deals when they were up for a vote. Hillary Clinton no longer rhapsodizes over husband Bill's NAFTA, and signals she will not support Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership in a lame-duck session.

Ryan professes to be a man of principle. Why does he not then stand by his principles, as Goldwater did, and bring up TPP for a vote?

Is Paul Ryan's "immigration reform" package as popular inside his party as Trump's tough line? It would seem not. The longer the primaries went on, the closer the other GOP candidates moved toward Trump. And if Ryan believes in it on principle, why not bring it up?

Ryan voted for the Iraq War that Trump calls a disaster. The people seem now to agree with Trump that the war was misconceived.

Thursday's Post reported that, five years ago, Ryan stood on the House floor to declare, "This is our defining moment."

And what was Ryan's defining moment?

"On that day in 2011," said the Post, "the House's new GOP majority approved Ryan's budget plan -- which ... called for cuts in a government program that voters knew and loved: Medicare.

"Ryan ... wanted eventually to turn the massive health-benefit program over to private insurers."

Come to think of it, Barry Goldwater wanted to turn Social Security over to private enterprise. How did that one work out?
The first flash came at 8:15 on a Monday morning. Eyewitnesses remember it as a bolt of soundless light as if the sun had somehow touched down to the Earth.

And suddenly, Hiroshima was gone.

The second flash came that Thursday morning at 11:02. Eyewitnesses recall two thumps -- possibly the sound bouncing off the mountains that cradled the city -- and a flash of bluish light.

And Nagasaki was decimated.

Japan surrendered the following Wednesday, ending the Second World War.

Last week, when it was announced Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, everyone from Salon to the National Review raised two important questions:

Will the president apologize for what America did 71 years ago this August? Should he?

The White House says the answer to the first question is No. For whatever it's worth, the answer to the second is, too.

It is a measure of the deep emotion this subject still stirs that that will be a controversial and divisive opinion. Many good and moral people will find it abhorrent. Of course, the opposite opinion would also have been controversial and divisive and would have appalled other people, equally good, equally moral.

In the end, then, one can only answer to conscience, and this particular conscience is disinclined to second guess the long-ago president and military commanders who felt the bombs might obviate the need to invade the Japanese home islands at a ruinous cost in American lives. Remember that the Japanese, inebriated by the "bushido" warrior code under which surrender equals shame and dishonor, had refused to capitulate, though defeat had long been a foregone conclusion.

Indeed, even after Hiroshima was leveled, it still took that nation nine days to give up.

That said, there is a more visceral reason the answer to the second question must be No: Any other answer would defame Americans who endured unimaginable cruelty at Japanese hands.

Should America apologize?

Ask Ray "Hap" Halloran, a B-29 navigator from Cincinnati who was beaten, stoned, starved, stripped naked and displayed in a cage at the Tokyo Zoo.

Ask Lester Tenney, a tanker from Chicago whose sleep was forever raddled with nightmares of a twitching, headless corpse -- a man he saw decapitated in the death march on Bataan.

And by all means, ask Forrest Knox, a sergeant from Janesville, Wisconsin. He was trapped with 500 other prisoners in the hold of a Japanese freighter where the heat topped 120 degrees and there was barely any water. Some of the men broke out in gibbering, howling fits of madness, prompting a Japanese threat to close off the hatch through which their meager air came if there was not silence.

The maddened men could not be reasoned with. So American men killed American men. Knox saw this. And participated. And for years afterward, he was haunted by dead men walking the streets of Janesville.

Should America apologize? No.

This was not slavery. This was not the Trail of Tears. This was not the incarceration of Japanese Americans. This was not, in other words, a case of the nation committing human-rights crimes against innocent peoples.

No, this was war, a fight for survival against a ruthless aggressor nation. Japan committed unspeakable atrocities. America did the same. Such is the nature of war. Seven decades later, the idea of an apology feels like moral impotence, a happy face Band-Aid that denies the awful immensity of it all.

There are two words that should be spoken, in fact, reverently whispered, with regard to Hiroshima and they are not "I'm sorry." No, the only words that matter are this promise and prayer:

Never again.
Mid-May generally marks the height of graduation season, both for high schools and higher education. It is a time of hope and optimism, along with trepidation. Graduates are looking forward to either continuing their education or moving into the world of work with a mix of hope and concern, as are many employers.

Late last year, the Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce issued a report projecting that 68 percent of Iowa jobs in 2025 will require some post-secondary education. They forecast that 39 percent of the jobs will require an associate degree or professional certification, 21 percent will require a bachelors degree and eight percent will require a graduate degree. The Iowa Data Center reports that 7.5 percent of Iowans today have a graduate degree while 27 percent have a bachelors degree.

To meet the high skill demand that Iowa employers have, Gov. Terry Branstad set a goal for 70 percent of Iowans to have some post-secondary education by 2025. One of the four objectives to help meet that goal was to minimize education-related debt.

A recent report by the Institute for Research on Higher Education reinforced the concern regarding debt and the cost of education. Debt is often the only option for Iowa middle-income students who want to attend college full time, the study concluded. Increased tuition and fees make it very difficult to work and attend full time without incurring debt.

The challenges for Iowa students from low-income families is particularly stark. The report noted that the state delivers only $39 in per-student need-based financial aid when the national average is $474. The report noted that many of these same families are already burdened with living expenses that consume most, if not all of their annual incomes.

Noting that the costs for students attending two-year colleges was a growing challenge, the report was particularly harsh on Iowa. Iowas public two-year institutions, it stated, are among the least affordable in the nation. The result is that Iowa students who graduate from public two-year institutions end up with about the same amount of debt on an annual basis as those graduating from a public four-year institution.

Much of this shifting of costs to students is due to state budget decisions. While state spending has increased by over $1 billion over the past five years, less reported is where that increase occurred. Medicaid accounted for just over $400 million and K-12 spending increased by $450 million over the past five years. Funding for commercial and industrial property tax credits accounted for another $280 million in increased spending. At the same time, the amount provided for tax credits has increased $140 million since 2013. Meanwhile, according to the states legislative services agency, funding for all higher education in the state over the past 10 years increased by about one-third of the amount provided in increased tax credits in just the last five years.

Many students graduating from colleges and universities will do so with considerable debt and seek opportunities where this debt can be paid off quickly. High school students are looking at higher education and deciding if they are willing to accept the debt in order to attend. Businesses are looking to hire people with skills and increasingly seeing a narrow pipeline of qualified applicants.

It will take significant leadership and innovative approaches to encourage people to get the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing economic environment. We will need greater partnerships and increased investment if we want the dreams of graduates to be a reality and not a nightmare.

Next week: Charese Yanney

A Sioux City resident, Steve Warnstadt is government affairs coordinator for Western Iowa Tech Community College and a former Democratic state senator. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of one son and one daughter.
In our minds, too many unknowns exist about the troubling state probe of discharges from the Sioux City Wastewater Treatment Plant into the Missouri River.

As the story moves forward, the public deserves to know more.

One year ago, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources began an investigation of the plant after receiving a tip. According to the IDNR, its probe showed "overwhelming evidence" employees were involved in improper operation of the plant between March 2012 and June 2015, resulting in discharges of wastewater into the river with harmful amounts of E. coli bacteria above what was allowed. Subsequently, two plant supervisors were fired by the city.

Last week, the IDNR said it wants the matter referred to the office of Attorney General Tom Miller. On June 21, the state Environmental Protection Commission will hold a hearing.

The public should learn more about the city's position at the hearing. Guy Cook, a Des Moines attorney who will represent the city, told The Journal on Thursday the commission needs to hear "a full, balanced presentation of the facts" before it makes a decision.

"I don't believe the commission ... has all those facts," Cook said in a Friday Journal story. "They have some facts, which I would cast as one-sided and inaccurate."

We don't know what will be said at the hearing next month or if the commission will refer the case to the attorney general's office, but we do know this: The public should get a full accounting of exactly what happened at the plant.

If, in fact, improper discharges of wastewater from the plant into the river occurred, many questions arise. Among them: Why was the amount of chlorine used to treat wastewater at the plant reduced below the required level on some days? In other words, why would plant workers risk their jobs, careers and public health by discharging improperly treated wastewater? Who knew, or should have known, about improper discharges? How harmful were those improper discharges to public health?

And, perhaps most important, what changes in plant operation have been made or will be made to make sure something like this doesn't happen again?
SIOUX CITY | There was a slight redness in his eyes as Spc. Adam Cooper knelt next to his wife, Heather, and their four young daughters Saturday afternoon. Dressed in uniform, Cooper was enjoying some of the final moments with his family before his deployment Sunday morning.

Around them, a crowded wall of bleachers had emptied onto the East High School gymnasium floor, where the crowd now wished their own loved ones well with hugs, handshakes and tears.

The crowd had gathered for a sendoff ceremony for the 180 soldiers in the 960th Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve company based in Sioux City that will fly Sunday morning to Fort Hood, Texas, for training. It will then deploy to Kuwait and Iraq later this year, where its main mission will be to supply ammunition, fuel and portable water purification.

Saturday's program featured words of thanks to the soldiers from several military leaders and politicians. For Cooper, a Cedar Rapids native who has spent nearly eight years in the armed forces and had previously been deployed to Afghanistan, the communitys support during Saturdays sendoff was something special.

Ive deployed previously, and it was nothing like this, he said. This was definitely a great ceremony.

His wife, Heather, agreed.

It was good to see everyone come together and support them," she said. "Also, it was good being able to meet the other families, so that way we have more of a bond and support here at home."

Among the speakers at Saturday's ceremony was U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is herself a combat veteran with more than 20 years of military experience. Ernst thanked the soldiers for their service.

So few people actually do stand up and raise their right hand and swear their allegiance and their dedication to this wonderful nation, Ernst said. So thank you, thank you, thank you over and over again for all that you do for all of us.

As he stood with his family following the ceremony, Spc. Taran Hunt, of Sibley, Iowa, said this was his first deployment and that the reception from the community meant a lot.

The moral support is beyond explaining, coming from family and everybody else here, Hunt said. It always feels amazing seeing whos supporting us, and that your familys behind you as you go out.

His father, Travis, expressed his pride in his son and the others serving with him.

Im proud of him, and these men and women altogether, he said. Its huge what theyre willing to do to keep our freedom.

About 80 of the 180 members of the 960th Quartermaster Company hail from the Sioux City area. Another 70 are from Mississippi, with others from states in the northern Midwest. The soldiers will be deployed for approximately nine months.
Ninety-four percent of independent workers love the control that independence provides, but 67 percent say their top concern has to do with inconsistent income in their micro businesses.

This is according to a recent survey of more than 600 independent workers conducted by the folks behind Invoice2go, an invoice app that allows small businesses to create and send professional invoices from any device.

The survey was conducted online in the U.S. on April 15, 2016, and it focused on independent workers who self-identify as a contractor, freelancer, side gigger or micro-business.

Its interesting to see how the independent workers who responded to the survey identify themselves:

Freelancer (21 percent)

Contractor (16 percent)

Side gigger (8 percent)

Microbusiness (54 percent)

According to the survey, 93 percent say working independently gives them greater control over their career path and earning potential than working for an employer. The upsides of such control far outweigh their top concern over inconsistent income.

Support For Micro Businesses Needed

Nevertheless, 85 percent agreed current small business programs arent a good fit for micro businesses, defined here as having five or fewer workers. The survey showed small business owners in this category feel more resources and support for micro businesses are needed to help them flourish, such as better access to health care and protection from lost income.

Micro Businesses Fuel a New Economic Reality

The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) says that businesses with five or fewer people represent 92 percent of the countrys total businesses. Despite their prominence and huge economic impact, institutional support does not match up with the unique needs of this substantial segment.

The punch line here is that work and income opportunities have evolved, but current programs designed for small businesses arent serving the needs of the micro businesses, a rapidly growing category, Greg Waldorf, CEO of Invoice2go, explained in the company blog announcing the survey.

Nearly 40 percent of our respondents left traditional work to strike out on their own, and we estimate more than 80 percent of all Invoice2go users have less than five workers, with plans to remain that way, he said.

A national debate is ongoing about labor practices and new business models that connect independent contractors and the smallest of service providers in the country directly with consumers.

On the one side are those who believe freelancers and gig workers should be offered workplace benefits and protections equivalent to full-time employees. On the other side are those who contend that workers who choose independence should accept that it comes with no obligation for companies to supply these benefits.

More Support For Micro Businesses

Invoice2go says it is backing the call for more benefits offered to micro businesses matching that of full-time employees to support this type of entrepreneurial spirit. It says it hopes the government will begin to take note and to support the specific needs of the smallest of businesses.

Invoice2go deliberately focuses on delivering tools for the smallest of businesses; those that are resource strapped and dont have the time, inclination or need for a lot of unnecessary software features irrelevant to their work, Waldorf told Small Business Trends in an email interview.

Waldorf went on to give an example of how his company helps micro businesses.

Our invoicing app enables micro business owners to generate estimates, invoice their customers the instant a job is complete and immediately accept payment from their mobile device. Using our Apple Watch app, they benefit from automated geo-location time tracking. We hear from our customers how valuable and cost effective our focused approach is and hope that this data encourages other service providers to cater more to this growing community of micro businesses, he concluded.

Meeting the Unique Needs of Micro Businesses

When asked to specify what kind of additional support would help, the majority of survey respondents said the ability to purchase better health insurance and better tax incentives. Other respondents made a plea for business training, help managing cash flow, access to legal help and better retirement plans.

While small business programs like the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and ScaleUp America Initiative have provided pivotal support, respondents said these tend to focus on provisions for traditional SMBs, bigger small businesses that typically have up to 500 employees, and in some cases up to 1,500. These larger SMBs scoop up all the benefits, such as loans and training for expansion.

Organizations like the Freelancers Union have taken note of the discrepancy and have jumped in to support programs benefiting the new type of independent workers. Todays independent workers and very small businesses are unique and programs to support them seem to be lacking, the organization says.

As a result, the Freelancers Union has launched a campaign to award freelancers more rights in collecting payment for work, a key issue for them. A free membership to the Union will also give micro businesses access to resources like contract templates, guidance on benefits and discounts on numerous services.

Image: 2go.com
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
BILL BROWN MBE

I READ President Momiss tribute to Sir Michael Somare without surprise; it was after all delivered in recognition of an eightieth birthday, in itself a remarkable achievement.

But Momiss tribute was more than that. It was an acknowledgement of Somares achievement in securing the peaceful transition of Papua New Guinea to self-government and to independence.

After reading the comments on PNG Attitude, some of them critical, I checked Momiss tribute again. In my view, in no way does it distort the history of that time more than 40 years ago.

I recalled then chief minister Somares statement at the 1972 district commissioners conference and the comments made that evening by Eddie Brooks, at that time a district commissioner in the British Solomons but earlier in Kenya.
The former Butler Correctional Facility used to house inmates and provided much-needed jobs in rural eastern Wayne County.

But nearly two years after the prison closed, there's no indication of when  or if  the property will be reused, whether it's by a business, a collection of companies or the state.

"I haven't heard a word since they closed it," said David Spickerman Sr., Butler's town supervisor.

Butler Correctional Facility, a medium security prison, shut down in July 2014. It was one of four closed by the state due to a drop in the statewide prison population.

Empire State Development, which leads New York's economic development efforts, posted the prison on its surplus properties website. And the agency released a study detailing how the property could be reused after its closure.

On page 24 of the report released in January 2014, ESD wrote that they hope the document will "help initiate productive discussions and adaptive re-use planning."

THE RFP

In early 2015, the state nearly issued a request for proposal for Butler Correctional Facility.

Assemblyman Bob Oaks, who represents Wayne County, said the state was on the verge of seeking private sector ideas for the property. He added that there were a number of people looking at the former prison.

But the RFP wasn't issued. Oaks, R-Macedon, said the state was considering using the facility for an unknown purpose.

"We didn't get direction from the executive or the (state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) as to what that use might be," he said.

Bob McNary, director of Wayne County Planning and Economic Development, said local officials have talked to the state several times and the message is the same: There aren't any updates.

"I guess that's where it stands," he said.

THE IMPACT

It was one thing for the town of Butler and surrounding communities to lose the prison, which had 131 employees at the time of its closure. It was another to lose a major private employer in the area.

Mere months after the correctional facility closed, Electromark in Wolcott ceased operations. There were 84 employees at the plant.

The jobs were cut because the company opted to open a new factory in Mexico.

Between the loss of Electromark and the prison, McNary said it had a major impact on the area.

"A couple hundred jobs is really a tough loss in a smaller populated area like this," he said.

There was an attempt to reuse the former Electromark plant. Scott Marshall, owner of Marshall BioResources in North Rose, proposed using the facility to grow medical marijuana. He formed a company, Butler Evergreen, and submitted an application to the state Department of Health.

Last summer, the agency announced which firms received licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana in New York. Butler Evergreen wasn't on the list.

ECONOMIC AID

While moving forward with plans to close Butler and three other correctional facilities, state officials gave Wayne County a couple of options to not only help find another use for the prison property, but rebound from the loss of one of its major employers.

The state placed Butler Correctional Facility in the Start-Up NY program, which would allow companies that set up shop on the grounds to take advantage of various tax exemptions.

Along with the tax-free zones, a $32 million fund  the Economic Transformation Program  was created to assist communities affected by the round of prison closures. So far, ESD says $4.65 million has been used to support projects.

One of the investments was in Wayne County. The state committed $500,000 to support Advanced Atomization Technologies' expansion project in Clyde. The company's plan included a 25,000-square-foot addition that would allow it to create 87 new jobs and retain 317 existing employees.

"That's been a good thing," McNary said. "Within a 15-mile radius, it allowed us to apply for monies that might have been helpful to industry."

That's the extent of the Wayne County projects that have been supported by the Economic Transformation Program. Most of the funding  more than $27.3 million  hasn't been used by the county or other communities that were impacted by a state prison closure in 2014.

THE FUTURE

The three Wayne County officials who spoke to The Citizen didn't criticize the state for the uncertainty surrounding the prison. Oaks even acknowledged the challenges of finding a proper reuse for a correctional facility, given the multiple buildings on the property and the layout.

But the big question is whether the state will issue an RFP for the site. So far, there isn't an answer.

Meanwhile, the grass continues to grow and nearly two years have passed since the prison was being used.

"The longer it is empty certainly causes concern," Oaks said. "At this point, obviously the community is in limbo as the state keeps its options open. My hope is still that either the state makes that decision or it ultimately goes for some private sector use."

McNary shares that concern.

"This is something that we had hoped  with the correct financial incentives to go along with it  that it would've allowed us to really encourage or intrigue an industry to go up there and occupy the site," he said. "But that hasn't been the case."

Empire State Development is hopeful that it will find a use for the site, whether it's by the state or a private entity.

Jason Conwall, an ESD spokesman, said the state is seeking "the best economic re-use for Butler Correctional Facility."

"We will continue to evaluate potential re-use options that will generate jobs and economic activity for the community and region in consultation with our local advisory group," he said.
AUBURN | The sight of prison inmates performing choreography to songs about their uniform pockets or their tasteless food might seem reserved for a show like "Orange is the New Black."

But that's what an audience of about 60 saw in the chapel of Auburn Correctional Facility Thursday night. Taking place was a performance by the prison's eight-man theater group, the Phoenix Players, titled "This Incarcerated Life: The Foundation of a Pipe Dream."

The product of a year of workshopping, writing and rehearsing, the show consisted of 24 vignettes, most of which were conceived and performed by one of the Phoenix members. It also included pieces by Michael Rhynes, the group's 2009 co-founder who was transferred to Attica in the fall, as well as Phil Miller, a member who was paroled earlier this year.

The performance was dedicated to Rhynes and former Cornell University theater professor Stephen Cole, the group's first facilitator, who passed away in 2015. Cole recruited fellow Cornell theater faculty member Bruce Levitt to also work with the Phoenix Players, and Levitt was there Thursday, beaming behind the chapel's pews as the group took the stage.

Through theater, Levitt said, the inmates chisel at the stereotypes surrounding them, revealing that there's more to them than their transgressions and, in the process, plotting their own transformation. They wrote 120 to 130 pieces for "This Incarcerated Life," he said, before paring them down.

"Everybody contributes their own pieces," Levitt said, "but they also help the other guys in the group hone and refine both the text and the performance."

Though bookended by whimsical song-and-dance numbers, "This Incarcerated Life" delivered reflective looks from the Phoenix Players both within and without. They took the stage with infectious smiles, clad in polo shirts of different bold colors. The chapel was humid with unusually warm May air.

First on stage was David Bendezu, 29, the only one of the night's performers who was one of the original five Phoenix Players. Arrested for second-degree murder at the age of 17, Bendezu thanked the group for giving him "the opportunity to relive my youth. ... The ability to act and play games in the most unlikely place to act and play games."

Together, the pieces of "This Incarcerated Life" formed a collage depicting just that: the inmates' mystified lives in prison and the ones they mourn outside of it, as well as the internal and external forces that conspired to put them there.

The latter was a focus of first-time Phoenix performer Sheldon P. Johnson, 41, serving "a disparaging 50-year determinate sentence for non-homicidal offenses," the show program's said. "Civil Disobedience" found him echoing the Black Lives Matter movement with a slam poetry-style screed that spanned the Tuskegee syphilis experiment to Michael Brown's murder in Ferguson. With a refrain of "Hands up, don't shoot," the piece culminated in Johnson, with his hands up, being shot.

Earlier, though, in "Rubik's Cube," Johnson examined his own role in his incarceration in equally poetic terms.

"I'm tired of crying granite tears that roll and stumble, breaking everything in their path," he said.

Early in the show, Leroy Lebron Taylor, 41, recounted first entering Auburn Correctional Facility for his second-degree murder sentence in "Acts of Kindness, Part One." With its low ceilings and narrow hallways, he said the prison didn't feel like "the big house."

"Personal space is nonexistent here," he said.

Later, in "Part Two," Taylor told the story of a blanket he knitted at the prison that'd find its way into the lap of his then-wife's 88-year-old grandmother. She was never told the blanket's origin, Taylor said, because of her prejudice toward "them blacks."

Five years later, per her request, she was buried with that very blanket.

"I was able to provide her solace," Taylor said, "thus conquering the walls and barriers that tried, and failed, to isolate her."

Some of Phoenix Players focused their pieces on what took them to Auburn. For first-time performer Adam Roberts, 39, it was the heroin addiction that caused him to kill his parents in 1999 when they took him to their Woodstock vacation home to get their son clean. Three days later, Roberts burned down the home  his parents' bodies inside  to hide the crime.

In "Looking Good," Roberts described himself during his heroin addiction as a duck peacefully floating above the water, but "paddling furiously" underneath.

What Roberts referred to in the piece as the Phoenix Players' "theater nerdery" was the subject of an audience Q-and-A after the show. Several in the pews thanked the group members for sharing and expressing themselves  fulfilling Rhynes' foundational belief that theater allows inmates to be not just actors in their personal transformation, but writers of it.

One audience member, Baltimore teacher Jessica Heley, a former Cornell student of Levitt's, said the performance helped lift her spirits after one of her students was arrested earlier this week.

"You feel like a positively amazing embodiment that a person is not their crime," she said.

Taylor, speaking after the show, said such responses tell him the Phoenix Players continued to realize their transformative purpose with "This Incarcerated Life."

"I felt very prepared and willing to share myself, to get positive energy and to give it back," he said. "It sounds like we changed a lot of people's lives tonight."
When I started working in the tourism industry many, many years ago, I never would have dreamed that there would be something called "beer tourism, which is the idea of traveling specifically for beer itself. We knew people would travel for wine, but who knew the craft beer industry would explode into a reason to travel? Beer tourism can range from just seeking out the local brewpub or brewery while you are on vacation to actually planning your travels based on the local beer scene to taking an organized beer tour or beer vacation organized by a beer tour operator!

The practice of traveling to a certain brewery or beer region is indeed on the rise as people want to feel more connected to the food and drink they consume (called culinary tourism) while exploring the regions and cultures where they are created. With the United States now boasting thousands of breweries and regions specializing in different styles, they generate a great excuse to travel  for beer!

Craft beer tourists differ from those that visit the larger breweries in Milwaukee or St. Louis. Many of them are home brewers themselves and are interested in the "personality" of the craft breweries; others are just craft beer fans. Destination Marketing Organizations (tourism offices) are now starting to pay serious attention to beer as a way to lure visitors to the region. In the Finger Lakes region, we have our own Finger Lakes Beer Trail to help beer enthusiasts navigate their way around the region. They even have their own beer "passport." And there is no sign of beer tourism slowing down anytime soon.

In the restaurant business, the trend is open kitchens, where the "theater" of food production is presented. Similarly, in the craft beer business, the opportunity to smell the barley and hops and to watch the process while holding a glass of local beer in your hand gives visitors a peek into the brewing process, and they love it. There is such a variety of flavors and styles among craft breweries that the possibilities are pretty much endless for beer tourism. And like wine, you can take that local taste home with you in cans, growlers and bottles.

Besides producing some of the best craft beverages anywhere, the craft brewing industry is an important economic impact generator for New York state. According to a research report prepared for the New York State Brewers Association and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the full economic impact of New Yorks craft breweries on the New York economy is $3.5 billion, with 207 operating breweries supporting 11,366 full-time equivalent jobs. These numbers are based on 2013 data, so they can be considered conservative.

Cayuga County is fortunate to have four craft breweries and even a craft beer market, all worth a visit by locals and tourists.

In Auburn you will find Prison City Pub & Brewery, which is our only brewery that also features a restaurant, as well as The Good Shepherds Brewing Co., which specializes in American and English ales while drawing inspiration from the German style of brewing. Beer aficionados will also want to make a visit to the Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market, where they will be introduced to a whole world of craft beer.

Cayuga County also has breweries to the north and south of Auburn. Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport offers an ever-changing variety of creative and unusual ales. I love the idea of their Park & Ride IPA, so perfectly named for a brewery right off of Exit 40! To the south, we have Cayuga Countys newest brewery, actually a nanobrewery, Aurora Ale & Lager. Perched on a hilltop overlooking Cayuga Lake just past Long Point Winery, this brewery is perfect if you want to mix a little beer tasting with your wine tasting experience.

We still love our wineries here in the Finger Lakes and that will never change, but we encourage you to visit our breweries and sample beers made from some of the freshest and highest quality ingredients, meet the brewmasters and see a little of the process that creates these unique and tasty brews.

For more information on Cayuga County breweries, visit tourcayuga.com.
Twin Arrows opens new wild game buffet

Twin Arrows Casino Resort has updated its buffet to include wild game. The enhanced buffet opened in March and features wild game Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday night is reserved for seafood. New carving and dessert stations and a soup and salad bar have been added.

Canyon Diablo wins silver medal

Canyon Diablo distillery won a silver medal for its Desert Rain American dry gin at the 2106 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The distillery was formed in 2013 by a group of Flagstaff locals, Joe Pendergast, Dana Kanzler and Randy Ahern. The trio was finally able to begin bringing its much anticipated recipes to fruition in 2015 and are gearing up for a big summer production.

Pendergast said, We are very proud to have received a silver medal for our Desert Rain dry gin. It was our first spirits competition so it means a lot to be recognized for our amazing gin. We will be entering more products next year including our mesquite smoked whiskey and our new Grand Canyon Vodka.

Grimaldis Pizzeria opens its doors

Grimaldis Pizzeria, famous for its award-winning, hand-tossed, coal-fired brick oven pizzas and calzones, celebrated its grand opening on May 9 at Aspen Place.

This opening marks our first location in Flagstaff and our eighth in the state of Arizona. The first of what we hope will be many more in Northern Arizona, said Eric Greenwald, president and chief operating officer of Grimaldi's.

Grimaldis inside Aspen Place will be open daily for lunch and dinner, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and is located at 601 E. Piccadilly Drive. The location offers ample patio space and a spacious bar area. Patrons can dine on pizza, calzones, salads and house made desserts. Grimaldis is known for their wine list and for serving an excellent selection of domestic and local beers.

BNSF honors Employee of the Year

BNSF Railway Company has named Jeff Ahmann, section foreman, Engineering Safety Employee of the Year. Ahmann was recognized for his efforts at BNSFs annual Employees of the Year ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.

Of the more than 40,000 team members across the company, 52 employees were recognized during the ceremony for their individual and team achievements in 2015. An additional 40 BNSF employees were acknowledged for their safety leadership last year -- all of whom led teams that worked throughout 2015 without a reportable injury.

Ahmann, a BNSF employee for more than 32 years, is responsible for leading a track section crew on about 50 miles of double-main track on the Southern Transcon near Flagstaff. He is charged with maintaining and keeping track in top condition. The territory is on one of the busiest rail lines on BNSFs network.

Flagstaff agent recognized for volunteerism

Allstate agency owner Noah Stalvey received the Agency Helping Hands in the Community Award for his commitment to helping others. This award earned Flagstaff Grad Night in Flagstaff, where Stalvey volunteers, a $1,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation.

The Allstate Foundation awards more than $1 million every year to nonprofit organizations across the country in honor of dedicated Allstate agency owners who give back. To be eligible for nomination, Allstate agency owners must volunteer with, mentor or lead a nonprofit of their choice.

In 2014, The Allstate Foundation provided $167,167 to Arizona nonprofits that focus on one of three areas: safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion and diversity; and economic empowerment. Special focus is given to teen safe driving and building financial independence for domestic violence survivors.

Southwest Behavioral & Health expands facilities

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services is expanding its services for individuals, group counseling and family services in Flagstaff, Bullhead City, Kingman and Lake Havasu.

The Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority requested these new services to meet substantially growing demand in the region.

Northern Arizona especially is growing and evolving, said Lauren Lauder, vice president of Northern Arizona Services, Southwest Behavioral & Health Services. As the region changes, so do the needs of individual communities. We are here to develop services and partnerships that help communities and their residents thrive.

In Flagstaff, Southwest Behavioral & Health Services recently renovated the Opioid Treatment Center at 1515 E. Cedar Ave., #E-2 to address the growing needs of the area. The facility offers Opioid Replacement Services for those struggling with addictions to prescription opioids and heroin.

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services Flagstaff Outpatient Clinic, also located at the 1515 E. Cedar Ave. facility in Suite #B-4, is now offering integrated medical care services, which includes primary care in addition to behavioral health services for individuals, families and groups.

Southwest Hospitality breaks ground

Southwest Hospitality Management and CEO Ash Patel announced the ground breaking of its two premier Gateway Hotels in the City of Flagstaff located at 1000 S. Country Club Drive.

With a combined total of 201 rooms, the two hotels will encompass both eco-friendly and green building designs with state of the art amenities.

The two new businesses will create about 50 permanent jobs in the hospitality sector. The hotels completion and opening dates are projected for late spring of 2017. These two hotels will be the first built in close to a decade in Flagstaff.

Managing the construction development will be Brand Eigen of Tofel Construction, LLC from Tucson.
Documentary photographer Amy S. Martin has captured some of the most intimate landscapes in the Southwest through her cameras lens. As a Colorado River guide and through conservation work with the National Parks Service, she offers more than a top-down look at the Grand Canyon.

And now, as a juried member of the brand new arts collective Art35N, shes collaborating with other Colorado Plateau artists. Further still, Martin is opening the aperture on another intimate aspect of the local makeup: people.

What Im focusing on right now is activism art. Thats using photography to inspire change, Martin said in a recent interview.

Deepening connections

In projects like Identidad. Idantite. Identity. and recent work with Flagstaff Shelter Services, Martin has illuminated marginalized populations in border regions from Arizona to the Dominican Republic and Haiti while fostering connectivity.

For the last five years she has partnered with the Mariposa Foundation, a young organization based in the Dominican Republic and Haiti that helps adolescent girls recover from poverty and its effects. The photographer said her work, rooted at the intersection of social justice and art, is derived from her mother  also a conservationist and amateur photographer  who passed away in 2011.

Growing up, she always had her camera out and was always documenting our lives, Martin said, noting her mothers push toward opportunities she never felt herself.

After leaving the Peace Corps, Martin continued to explore photography, in part, because of her mothers affect. After that, part of that is I want to keep her spirit and her energy going in this direction, to continue that work and what good I can with the means I have to do so.

And in this way, Martin hopes to foster multiple threads of connectivity: between the viewers and these individuals, the systemic issues at hand and to the Flagstaff community.

Through a partnership with Kris Williams, of the Williams [Arizona] Alliance for the Arts and Art35N, Martin was able to present Identity to the 8th grade class at Williams Elementary-Middle School. Through photos, the students were able to not only connect with the individuals in each image, but to examine their own identities, she said.

She teared up recounting the a-ha moment for these children. On their own they asked, What can we do? In a photograph there was this little boy who made a guitar out of a can and some wire. They were like, were going to buy him a guitar.

Martin will deliver the guitar to that boy when she returns to the Caribbean in July, as part of her biennial work with the Mariposa Foundation.

Truthful representation

Martin asserted she is not exactly a photojournalist, rather a documentary photographer. The latter moniker gives her more creative room within her medium while allowing deep connections to be made outside of photographer-and-subject.

For (Flagstaff Shelter Services), thats what we did. We would sit down and talk for a half an hour. I wasnt writing, I wasnt photographing. We would just talk and then I would take the photographs and only on their terms and only if they wanted to. I think that really is how I approach it  just person to person instead of photographer and subject, she said.

By humanizing these people who are often overlooked, Martin said, because of the uncomfortable situation the viewer is put in, she is able to tell a more intimate story that sparks internal and external dialogue about homelessness due to medical bills, student loan debt and mental health.

People dont want to see it, its uncomfortable, but I think its necessary if we want to build this greater foundation to improve our society, she said.

She related that through Art35N, she hopes, through workshops and planned peer review within the group, to break free of the isolationist bubble artists can find themselves in.

Even though Im working with people all the time it still feels like I am isolated. Its something I feel is very personal and individual, what Im doing. I think a lot of artists feel that across the board  were doing our thing because you have to be within yourself to be producing this work. With Art35, I think that gives us the opportunity to take our little bubbles that are moving around separately and mesh and collaborate.

Martin added, Art is subjective, right? But its also really nice to have a community you feel comfortable with to just be truthful. If you actually do a critique, thats the way you can grow as an artist.
Duffy and Parazynski Inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame NASA

The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame welcomed astronaut inductees Brian Duffy and Scott Parazynski to its ranks during a May 14 ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in Florida.

Parazynski, who retired from NASA in 2009, flew on five spaceflights and performed seven spacewalks during his career. Duffy, retired from the Air Force and NASA in 2001. He logged more than forty total days in space during his four spaceflights. The pair join an elite group of well-known space explorers, including Alan Shepard, John Glenn, John Young, Neil Armstrong and Sally Ride.
This Week at NASA - Mercury Transit, Dragon Return and More NASA

The planet Mercurys transit of the sun on May 9 provided an opportunity for sky-watchers throughout the U.S. to witness a rare celestial event that happens only about 13 times a century.

Mercurys transit, as it passed between Earth and the sun, made it appear as a small dark dot against the face of the sun. NASAs coverage of the event included a televised roundtable of NASA science experts discussing the exceptional opportunity presented to learn more about the atmospheric makeup of our solar systems smallest planet. Mercurys next transit of the sun occurs in 2019. But, those of us in the U.S. have a big celestial event to look forward to even before that  a total solar eclipse, on August 21 of 2017. Also, Kepler Confirms More Than 1,200 New Planets, Dragon Leaves ISS with Science, Canadian Wildfires Seen from Space, Two Martian Years for Curiosity, and Vehicle Assembly Building Platforms.
The man was found guilty for subjecting his pet dog to beatings and to other torture . Worst still was the fact that it was all filmed and posted on the Internet. The director of the video will also be punished; the corresponding verdict was announced by the local court, according to Mizan news agency.

The incident has gained wide global interest, as animal rights activists heavily criticized government of Iran for their lack of laws protecting animals.

Environmental representatives of Golestan province and a number of other human rights groups also voiced criticism against the owners inhuman treatment of his animal.
100 YEARS AGO

The two car loads of Mexicans being held in Small Pox quarantine at Williams, having been thoroughly fumigatedn were allowed to proceed on their way to California. Only two were infected although all 108 men were thoroughly exposed. The two cases at Canyon Diablo are getting along nicely and Dr. Manning believes he can fumigate the surroundings and raise the quarantine this weekend.

Make sure you register to be sure of your vote in the upcoming city election.

Lieutenant Ling who is recruiting for the Arizona National Guard says 1,000 more Arizona men are needed for war strength.

Mr. C. C. Miller, salesman for Maxwell Auto, arrived on Tuesday having made a long non-stop trip from Southern California. He has now run 2,000 miles without a stop of the engine. He is stopping in all major Arizona towns on his demo tour.

A pessimist is a fellow who looks at the ashes in his pipe instead of the smoke. Theres a whole lot of cool smooth smoke and mighty little ash in a pipe full of perfect burning VELVET tobacco.

75 YEARS AGO

On display at the local Postal Telegraph office is an unusual cactus topped with deep luscious red blooms. It is called a Kings Cactus or Texas cereus or night blooming. It is owned by Mrs. Lee Allsop who has been informally in charge of the office since R. I. Lavely left for California and relinquished the position. She has recently been appointed to be permanently in charge of the office.

The mill workers have resumed their work following their 9-day strike, having agreed to a 9-cent raise to be effective immediately at both mills.

Coconino County ranchers are planning to boost their potato acreage. 3 more railway cars of White Rose and Bliss Triumphant seed potatoes arrived this past week adding to the 2 or 3 previous car loads. They have come chiefly from Dillon, Montana.

For Sale: Katahdin seed packets. Canadian Field Peas. PH. 5-R-6 after 5 pm.

Fire Lookouts are now on duty at Dead Mans Flat, Elden and Bakers Buttes.

The Elden Lookout has already spotted fires on Tonto Ridge and in Oak Creek.

50 YEARS AGO

There was standing room only in the gymnasium when the record number of 855 NAU students graduated. Dr. R. G. Gustavson, Professor of Chemistry was the Commencement speaker.

The Poppy Sale will be held Saturday. All the money raised in this sale goes for the use of our Veterans and their families.

At El Rancho Super Market - Ground Beef 39 cents  Rib Steaks 89 cents Beef Liver 49 Cents - Potatoes 5 pounds 19 cents - Bananas $1 per pound.

The Lowell Observatory established by Percival Lowell in 1894 is to be named a National Historic Site in a June 14 public ceremony. Dr. John Hall Director.

The fire danger in all Northern Arizona forests is at an EXTREME High level.

H. 79 Wed. L. 32 Fri. Sunny all week.

25 YEARS AGO

No matter what or how the plans are for highway revision there seems to be no relief for Fort Valley Rd. A road going from Butler across McMillan Mesa is very unpopular with the residents and the idea of widening Humphreys and converting Beaver and San Francisco to one way would cost 93 homes and 40 businesses. There seems to be a lot of confusion and there is no money budgeted anyway.

Flagstaff U. S. Post Office letter carriers estimate that they gathered about 1,000 pounds of nonperishable foods in their first ever Food Bank collection. The Northern Arizona Food Bank terms the response as overwhelming.

Cellular phone service has come to Flagstaff. It currently reaches throughout the city limits and expansion into surrounding areas is in the works.

H. 78 Fri. L. 24 Sun. No rain. Falling humidity increases the fire threat. Forests remain on Red Alert.
The cat was born March 26, 1986 and since then had been living with his owner Gail Floyd for 30 years.

Scooter was given the title of 'oldest cat in the world' in May 2016, and was registered by the Guinness Book of World Records. However, the poor cat had no time to enjoy his nomination.

Scooter, briefly the world's oldest living cat, dead at 30. https://t.co/N9M7I5RPBc  The Associated Press (@AP) 14  2016 .

"He was so special," his grieving owner Floyd told the Telegraph. "I don't think I'm ever going to get over this."
The Soviet -designed, Ukrainian cargo plane fought crosswinds as it prepared to touch down on Sunday morning.

The An-225, which is also the heaviest plane in the world, measures over 275 ft. (84 meters) from nose to tail and 290 ft. (88 meters) from wing tip to wing tip. It can carry twice as much as the Boeing 747 freighter.

It's the equivalent of a five-story plane flying through the air, aviation fanatic Henton Harmadi told the West Australian.
When asked about the reason for holding such a meeting away from Tokyo, Professor Ueno said: It is going to be an informal meeting, so there is nothing unusual about this. Suffice it to mention the November 1998 'no-neckties' informal discussion between President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto at Kawana resort southwest of Tokyo.

Prime Minister Abe believes that with summits often held in St. Petersburg there would be nothing unusual in having one in the Prime Ministers native Yamaguchi Prefecture. Another upside of such shirtsleeves summits is that leaders can meet and talk in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, Professor Ueno said in conclusion.

The invitation signals a thaw in Russian-Japanese relations, which does not sit well with the United States, Tokyos key ally and the biggest anti-Russian sanctions advocate.

Earlier in February, President Barack Obama asked Abe to delay his visit to Sochi until after the G7 summit at the end of May. The prime minister, however, chose to go forward with the meeting with Russias president.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's eight-point economic cooperation proposal includes building liquefied natural gas plants, as well as ports, airports, hospitals and other infrastructure, mainly in the Russian Far East.
NEW DELHI (Sputnik)  According to the DRDO, which has developed the missile, the interceptor was fired against a target simulated by a naval version of Prithvi missile fired from a warship anchored in the Bay of Bengal.

"Several countries has developed the missile interception technology. We have also successfully launched this missile. DRDO had been working on it for some time. It's a great capability that our defense forces has acquired after the successful launch of the Supersonic Missile Interceptor," Amit Cowshish, a former financial adviser in the Defense Ministry and currently a distinguished fellow in the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, told Sputnik.

Since the early 2000s, India has been developing its ballistic missile defense program, which was launched in the wake of the ballistic missile threat mainly from Pakistan, with which New Delhi was in three major wars, one undeclared war and numerous armed confrontations.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish army resumed. Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are underway.

"The injured soldiers were taken to a hospital while clashes continue," the source said, adding that the incident took place in the Hakkari province.

On Friday, Turkish jets launched airstrikes in the northern Iraq province of Dohuk where Ankara suspects militants use as a hideout to stage attacks on Turkish security officers.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The UAE is part of the Saudi-led military campaign started in spring 2015 against the Shiite Houthi rebels that took over portions of Yemen in the fall of 2014.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed the allocation of $20 million at the directive of President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the WAM Emirati news service reported.

Under the implementation and supervision of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, the first stage of the funding will include the cities of Aden and Al Mukalla, then expand to other provinces and cities.
Such an extreme level of prices will only be possible if non-OECD countries reach an annual GDP growth of 4.5 percent. Their economic improvement would increase consumption of energy resources.

At the same time, increased costs of oil would force consumers to use alternative energy sources, including renewables, such as wind energy, solar energy, and biofuel.

As for OECD countries, their growth simply needs to stay on track from where it is today.

Higher oil prices would also force the OECD to improve the efficiency of their fuel consumption and switch to less expensive kinds of fuel if possible.

By 2040, the OECD is expected to consume between 44.1 and 46.1 million barrels of oil a day.

As for output, OPEC countries will increase their production, with their global market share dropping to 34 percent in 2040.

Realistic: $140 a Barrel

According to the realistic scenario, $140 a barrel is possible if exploration and production costs increase by 1.6 percent a year, over the next 23 years.

This scenario predicts that OPEC countries will increase their global market share to 39-40 percent. Consumption in OECD countries would rise from 45.5 barrels a day in 2012 to 46.1 million barrels in 2040.

As a result, non-OECD would be driving demand for oil, consuming between 44.8 to 74.8 million barrels a day.

Negative: $76 a Barrel

In the negative scenario oil can only reach $76 a barrel. In this case, growth expectaions for non-OECD countries flounder, hitting only 3.9 percent.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Government Pension Fund Global, one of Norways two $870-billion pension funds and managed by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), was reportedly VWs fourth-largest shareholder.

"We have been advised by our lawyers that the companys conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor it is our responsibility to safeguard the funds holding in Volkswagen," NBIM chief investment officer for equity strategies, Petter Johnsen, told The Financial Times.
This is not irresponsible Russian bravado. It is vital that Russia lets aggressive Washington know that any future war moves will be met with equal or greater force. Of course, the outcome would be an all-out nuclear war which could destroy the planet as we know it. But the only way of saving the peace and the planet is for Russia to show that it has the military might to face down any American belligerence.

The upgrade of Russian military power under President Vladimir Putin is perhaps the only thing that is holding back the push for all-out war by the US.

And lets face it. It is the US that is the source of belligerence. As American political analyst Randy Martin points out, the so-called Wolfowitz Doctrine is the touchstone of Washingtons foreign policy. The neocon doctrine of former Department of Defense official Paul Wolfowitz, who served in the George W Bush administrations, is embedded in US military strategic thinking.

Says Martin: Wolfowitzs worldview of seeing the US as the worlds only superpower and not tolerating any other rival to the point of going to war, is taught in all American military academies. It is mainstream US military thinking.

This is what motivates Washingtons bellicose policies towards Russia and China, adds Martin. The US is programed to go to war with any perceived rival global power in order to maintain its unwarranted ambitions of hegemony.

The analyst says that if it were not for Russian, and Chinese, military power the US state planners would have gone further by now in prosecuting their war actions, with catastrophic consequences for the world. It is a sobering thought that, despite all the Western media disparagement of Russia, it is actually Russia that is saving the world from such a catastrophic conflict  a conflict that the US alone is pushing.
This primarily is the result of the boycott declared by Russia and Germany which together accounted for approximately ten million tourists visiting Turkey every year.

The fact that Turkish tourism is in a slump was underscored by the countrys flagship air carrier, Turkish Airlines, which has reported the biggest quarterly losses since 1999.

Following the downing of Russias Su-24 bomber jet over Syria in late November, Moscow immediately imposed sanctions against Turkey, issuing a travel warning and banning package tours to the republic.

Frequent terrorist attacks in Turkey, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) clashing with the Erdogan regime, responsible for attacking Kurdish communities in both southeast Turkey and neighboring Syria have all played a serious part in the sharp decline in tourism.

Investors have also started withdrawing from the country after the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, sending the lira down by a hefty 5.5 percent to the US dollar and by 5 percent to the euro.

With hard currency reserves quickly running out, President Erdogan has been left with little, if any, room for financial maneuver.

All this means that Erdogan will hardly be able to keep his political roadshow going and keep making fun of other countries and investors, Die Welt wrote in conclusion.
PHOENIX -- Gov. Doug Ducey isn't worried that a disaster, natural or otherwise, is going to leave Arizona without a leader.

Ducey on Thursday vetoed legislation which would have required the secretary of state, attorney general or treasurer be taken somewhere else the next time there's an event that normally would include all of them plus the governor. That's mainly aimed at things like the annual State of the State speech or the inauguration for statewide officers every four years.

Sen. Judy Burges, R-Sun City West, said it's a simple matter of ensuring government will continue. She said if everyone in the line of succession is wiped out, there's no provision in the Arizona Constitution for who is in charge.

Ducey essentially dismissed the whole idea as interesting -- but unnecessary.

"I appreciate the sponsor's concern and hard work on this issue,'' he wrote in his veto message. "However, I have great confidence in the capabilities of our law enforcement professionals to detect threats and protect us on a daily basis.''

Burges said that's too bad. She said all she was trying to do is prepare for possibilities.

"It was a cautionary measure,'' Burges said. "What if something were to happen?''

It won't, said gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato.

"The Department of Public Safety obviously tracks any threats,'' he said. "And they know if there's anything to be concerned about and are keeping statewide elected officials safe at all times.''

Yes, but what about a different kind of disaster? The weather can be unpredictable. Or the inaugural stage could just collapse.

"Things do happen,'' said Burges.

"That has not happened,'' Scarpinato responded.

"It doesn't seem like that's a real issue,'' he continued. "There are a lot of bigger issues than that going on.''

Anyway, Scarpinato said, the state hasn't lost a chief executive to a terrorist, a windstorm or even a faulty stage in its 104-year history.

There is precedent for what Burges was requesting.

At the federal level, after the president and vice president, the line of succession passes to the speaker of the House and president pro-tem of the Senate. All of them normally attend the annual State of the Union address.

But the line goes deeper than that. Members of the Cabinet also are in the line of succession, based on when the agency was created. That starts with the secretary of state and ends with the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Historically, one member of the Cabinet does not attend the State of the Union address. Burges said her legislation simply extended that same caution at the state level.

Burges said she's not giving up so easily. She promised to reintroduce the same measure on the first day of the 2017 session, though she conceded that Ducey will still be governor -- and still able to veto it.

There was a quirk of sorts in what Burges proposed.

There actually are four people who are in the state line of succession. After the secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer, there is the superintendent of public instruction.

Burges said this was not a slap at Diane Douglas, the current holder of that office, but simply an acknowledgment that whoever is in that position may be less familiar with the daily issues of government than the other three.
In 2011, Germany cancelled military duty which has led to a significant reduction in the number of troops. It has also introduced an upper limit of 185,000 soldiers, and as a result 177,000 soldiers have served in the Bundeswehr in the last couple of years.

The first changes became apparent in 2014, when von der Leyen called for Europe to share the burden within NATO with the United States that has always been covering a large part of the costs of the alliance.

According to NATO standards, a state should allocate two percent of its GDP for the purpose of defense, but for Germany such numbers still remain unreal.

"Germany's arms buildup is only a concession on the eve of the NATO summit in Warsaw in July," the newspaper wrote.

Previous reports stated that Berlin is likely to deploy its troops as a part of NATO's battalion in Lithuania. The mission will be aimed at "containing" Russia and preventing alleged Russian aggression against Baltic States.
YEREVAN (Sputnik)  The ministry added that the Azerbaijani side continued at night to indiscriminately fire from small arms and sniper weapons of different caliber at the Armenian positions in different parts of the state border.

"A contract servicemen from one of the Armenian Armed Forces units, located in the southwest of the state border, Aram Vaginakovich Ohanyan, was killed by an Azerbaijani sniper shot," the statement reads.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Labour leader reiterated his support of the United Kingdoms membership of the European Union,

"Those that work in our health service, make sure our health service survives are often people that have come to live in this country either from outside Europe or within Europe <> Migration actually is a plus to our economy as a whole. Those people pay a lot in taxes, receive much less on average in benefits than the rest of the community and make an amazing contribution," Corbyn told the ITV channel in an interview.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the week, Carney said the vote to leave the European Union could have a "material economic impact", resulting in falling house prices, higher unemployment and lower living standards.

"What he's [Carney] done instead [of ensuring financial stability] is come out with some nonsense, totally unjustifiable, purely speculative staff of what might happen in the event of the Leave," Leadsom told the BBCs Andrew Marr show.

The United Kingdom is set to vote on June 23 on the country's membership of the European Union, after Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of the 27 EU member states reached a deal in February to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Dozens out of up to 1,000 activists from across Europe were arrested on Saturday for occupying a power station owned by Swedens Vattenfall power company near the city of Cottbus. The protests were said to continue on Sunday.

"The over 130 pronounced provisional arrests on grounds to suspect serious breach of the peace by environmental activists were lifted and the people will be released from police custody gradually," Brandenburg police said in a statement.

It added that it would continue pursuing an investigation into the "serious breach of peace at the expense of Vattenfall."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Greater Manchester Police found that, following a controlled explosion of a device described as "incredibly lifelike," the abandoned package at Old Trafford stadium "wasnt viable."

"We can confirm that today's abandoned fixture between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Tuesday 17 May at 8:00pm," Manchester United said.
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik)  The upper house of the Brazilian parliament voted 55-22 on Thursday to start impeachment proceedings against Rousseff after she was accused of concealing the countrys budget deficit ahead of the 2014 re-election.

"Our concern is to clarify the untruths that have been said about the Brazilian process [impeachment]. Everything that is going on in the political, president of removal, impeachment trial, is expected within the Constitution, is within the democratic legality," Serra said in an interview with Brazils Globo broadcaster.

Five Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) sided with Rousseff, while El Salvador and Venezuela recalled their ambassadors from Brazil.
The militants have allegedly set up production of chlorine service projectiles and other chemical weapons in the laboratories of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, considered the extremists primary stronghold in the country.

Iraqi Kurdistan has been an autonomous region within Iraq since the 1990s. The region hosts the Kurdish government, including its parliament and president, as well as the military forces of Peshmerga, consisting of 120,000 servicemen.

Since 2014, Peshmerga has been fighting with Daesh, taking part in a number of bloody battles.
According to The New York Times newspapers Saturday report , the prison terms range between two and five years, while some of the demonstrators were also fined.

At least 400 people are awaiting trial, the media outlet reported.
SULAYMANIYAH (Iraq), (Sputnik)  According to the Kurdish ANF news agency, clashes between the Kurdish Civil Protection Units (YPS) and Turkish servicemen erupted in five regions on Saturday night. The militants attacked the local police department and police barracks.

Two YPS fighters were killed in the clashes. According to the media outlet, the fighting is still taking place.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish army resumed. Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are underway.
An attorney for a Southside property owner is warning the city of Flagstaff that planning and zoning staff are not following the city Zoning Code when it comes to the latest iteration of The Hub.

In a letter sent to City Manager Josh Copley, the city Attorneys Office and Flagstaff City Council, attorney Bill Ring states that in the first substantive site plan review for what many people are calling The Hub 2.0, city staff does not address the size and mass of the building.

(T)here is no attention paid to the building type chosen by the applicant for this location, and there is no discussion or comment upon the compatibility of the building type with the locations surroundings, he writes. There are simply no comments at all made by staff. This silence is a significant legal oversight. It is our desire to bring this issue to your attention in order that staff may be directed to properly assess the applicants proposal during the substantive review period.

Ring goes on to write that according to Arizona Revised Statute, city staff should first determine the correct type of building for the zone before addressing other problems that that the development might have, such as the decor of the facade or parking. According to Rings letter, The Hub 2.0 is still too large for its zoning and staff is ignoring that fact.

Staff is leaping over the building type regulations to allow a structure in a (transect zone 4/transect zone 5) that is not allowed, he writes, adding that a Commercial Block Building is allowed only in the downtown.

Ring represents Southside property owner Maury Herman. Ring declined to comment on the letter without prior approval from his client.

The original plan for The Hub called for Core Campus to build a 664-bed student apartment complex on 2.39 acres along Mikes Pike, Phoenix Avenue and part of Milton Road. At that time, Core was asking for a rezoning to flip-flop the existing zoning on the property to allow it to build retail shops along Mikes Pike and Milton Road instead of Phoenix Avenue.

Under the alternative plan, Hub 2.0, The Hub would not flip the zoning on the property and would have 591 beds and 243 parking spots instead of the original 231 parking spots. Because Cores alternative plan follows the existing zoning on the site it will not need come before the citys Planning and Zoning Commission or Council for approval. It will be approved by staff based on compliance with the citys Zoning Code.

Staffs first review of The Hub 2.0 lists several corrections to the site plan for the apartment complex, including: changes to the buildings parking plan, the amount of land the building can cover, changes to the facade of the building to make it fit in with the surrounding buildings, landscaping, lighting and store signs.

Lindsay Schube, the attorney for Core Campus, said the company has replied to staffs recommendations and is waiting to see if city staff have more comments on the project. She said Core had no objections to the staff report as most of the changes were made to the buildings exterior.

It now looks more like the first building, The Hub 1.0, Core showed Flagstaff City Council than the flat brick facade they offered at the last Council meeting. There are some major differences between the two designs, she said. Mainly because Core had to move the retail shops from Mikes Pike to Phoenix Avenue.

In his letter to city staff, Ring suggests that if staff does not reassess the size and mass of the building that legal action may have to be taken.

We ask that you seriously consider a course correction during the substantive review period. There is time to take corrective action before the review period expires  However, when the substantive review is complete, the options narrow toward litigation in order to prevent the infliction of an injustice upon the community, he wrote.

Schube said she fully expected Ring and Herman to appeal to the citys Board of Adjustment, if staff gave final approval to The Hub 2.0.

In order to take legal action against the city in this case, Ring and Herman would have to first file an appeal before the citys Board of Adjustments.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Reports emerged on Friday that a government warplane killed up to 16 militants and injured 20 in the besieged northern province of Idlib.

One of the figures killed was Abu Daoud Baljiki, who according to a jihadism expert quoted by Le Soir daily held "senior positions" within AL-Nusra Front.

Alongside Daesh, al-Nusra Front is not part of the ongoing ceasefire in Syria, which was mediated by the United States and Russia in February.
"Economic sanctions have combined with western-backed terrorism, and constant lies about who is responsible for civilian massacres, in attempts to cripple the Syrian state," the website wrote.

Earlier, Bouthania Shaaban, political adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, said in an interview with Australian ABC that the West has to withdraw the sanctions against the Syrian people, as they help terrorists to gain upper hand over the local population. According to the politician, the West should fight terrorism in cooperation with the Syrian government if it really wants to achieve peace in the war-torn country.

"The only way and the best way to end this war on Syria is to have Western countries truly wanting to fight terrorism, to join the Syrian Army and the Russians in fighting terrorism," she said.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and terrorist groups, such as Daesh. The five-year conflict has forced millions of Syrians to flee their home country and head to Europe, creating the worst refugee crisis since the WWII.
Of 290 lawmakers attending Wednesday's session of parliament, 181 voted in favor of the bill. The session was broadcast live on state radio.

The bill calls on the government to take legal action against the US government in an international court.

The vote followed the release of newly declassified documents containing details of the CIA-orchestrated ouster of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh 60 years ago.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  This weekend, Iran staged its third Holocaust cartoon contest, attracting cartoonists from some 50 countries. Many works presented at the event reportedly mocked the genocide and suffering of the Jewish people.

Iran "denies the Holocaust, mocks the Holocaust, and is preparing another Holocaust and I think all the countries of the world need to stand up and condemn this unequivocally," Netanyahu said as quoted by The Times of Israel newspaper.

The first contest of this kind took place in 2006 and was supported by then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who frequently expressed his denial of Holocaust.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  At least 60 people were injured in the blast that took place near a police recruitment center in Al Mukalla, retaken from terrorist in April, the Sky News Arabia television said on Twitter. A bomber detonated the explosive device after joining a line of recruits.

Earlier reports put the number of killed at 30 and the number of injured at 70.
As soon as the Russian envoy in the UN announced the preparation of the Syrian Army and its popular allies to launch large-scale operations to liberate Raqqa and end ISILs siege of Deir Ezzur, the ISIL terrorists started covering their military vehicles and equipment to avoid being identified in the event of an airstrike, the sources said.

Earlier this week, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance Tajir Kobani told Sputnik that they are readying a three-pronged attack on Raqqa that would eventually free the city from extremists.

The offensives are expected to be conducted from the northeast and northwest of the war-torn country, he added.

Raqqa's liberation, Kobani underscored, will be a serious blow to Daesh positions in Syria. We intend to liberate the people of Raqqa from the jihadists.

It was reported that the movement of extremists throughout Raqqa plays into the hands of the anti-Daesh coalition, as it provides surveillance aircraft with the opportunity to detect extremist positions.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  All seven of the violations have been attributed to the Jaish al-Islam group.

"Within last 24 hours, seven ceasefire violations have been registered (Aleppo province  2, Damascus province  5)," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.
Local residents and officials tried to prevent bloodshed, calling the sides to start talks in a series of protests. Despite that, battling sides continued to fight, constructing fortifications and blocking roads, the monitoring group added.

"More than 300 fighters have been killed as Islamist rebel factions battle for influence in Eastern Ghouta," SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, specifying that most of casualties befell Jaish al-Islam and al-Nusra factions.

Rahman added that clashes claimed the lives of ten civilians, including a child and a doctor. The doctor, Nabil al-Daas, was the last gynecologist working in the area.

Jaish al-Islam is considered the major rebel faction in the area. One of its leaders, Mohammad Alloush, has presented rebels in Geneva talks on Syrian ceasefire, despite the legitimate government labeling him a terrorist.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the TOLO News channel, citing local police, the operation was launched in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the Baghlan province. Clashes between the security forces and the extremists are still taking place. At least 21 militants were injured.

Security in Afghanistan has drastically deteriorated in recent months as both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group, outlawed in Russia, the United States and several other countries, have expanded their activities in the south of the country.

On Saturday, the Afghan Defense Ministry said that the countrys security forces killed 30 militants and wounded 30 more in several provinces that day.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Iran is interested in the purchase of naval equipment for marine rescue and relief, the official told the local Tasnim news agency. The negotiations are being carried out in the framework of contacts between the Russian and Iranian defense ministries.

He added that Iran was negotiating with other Caspian states on holding joint military drills.

The two countries stepped up their military cooperation last year after Iran reached a deal with six world powers to scale back its nuclear research in exchange for an easing of sanctions against it. The agreement took softened the UN arms embargo, allowing weapons to be sold to Iran provided they are reviewed by the United Nations on a case-by-case basis.
To the editor:

It is true that Prop. 123 provides far too little money, far too late to Arizona's public schools. It is also true that Prop 123 contains provisions that can limit future spending on education. Yet, as a teacher finishing my 35th year working with students with special needs for Flagstaff USD, I must strongly encourage supporters of our public schools to support Prop. 123.

Over the course of my career I have observed hard financial times for our schools before but presently I believe we have reached a low point. Most of your children's teachers in Flagstaff USD have seen multiple years with no pay increase whatsoever, and without Prop 123 this will become the norm for the immediate future. Without Prop 123 we will also likely see further program cuts and larger class sizes.And without Prop 123, voters will be sending a message to the state legislature that increased funding for public education is not needed.

A few days ago a leader in the Arizona House addressed the media about Prop. 123 and stated "It's clear that if the people of Arizona don't want more money to go into education.....that's a clear message they send to us."

Desperate times do call for desperate measures and these are indeed desperate times for Arizona's public schools. If you support public education in our community and in our state, please join me and the Flagstaff Education Association in voting "Yes" on Proposition 123.

RUSSELL R. RANDALL

Flagstaff
BAKU (Sputnik)  The defense ministers of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan met in Qabala, Azerbaijan, earlier Sunday.

"In order to increase combat capabilities and readiness of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian armed forces we considered it appropriate to hold joint military exercises. [We] also stressed the need for close cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and the protection of oil and gas pipelines. I think this is why we should have joint military exercises," Hasanov told a press conference with his counterparts from Turkey and Georgia.
Earlier, it was reported that after Russia had launched a military operation in Syria, the foreign demand for S-300 and S-400 missile systems had greatly increased.

Referring to the serious security situation in the region, Dehqan said that the Americans and the Israelis, along with Saudi Arabia were trying to eradicate the resistance movement.

Last week, Dehqan said that the Russian S-300 air defense system had been delivered to the country's air defense forces.
"Russia has anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, both land and sea-based, as well as combat aircraft based in the Kaliningrad Oblast and other parts of its territory that are able to cover huge areas," a NATO spokesperson said as quoted by The Financial Times.

A senior NATO general told the publication that substantial Russian military assets along the Polish and Lithuanian borders exposed the VJTF to being overrun before it was ready to fight.
"We have asked the Department for External Relations of the North Hamgyong province's administration to establish conditions for us to head for Kimchaek to meet with the crew," Bochkarev told RIA Novosti prior to his departure.

According to the consul general, the province's authorities also pledged to hold a meeting at the Department for External Relations later in the day.
In a later interview by phone with Bloomberg, Kuzu reiterated his position, stressing that If Turkeys doors are opened, Europe would be miserable.

Kuzus sentiments were met with harsh criticism in the European Parliament.

Sophie In't Veld, a MP from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, accused Erdogan of attempting to take advantage of weakness and divisiveness within the bloc that has so far failed to adopt genuine European asylum and migration policy.

[T]his is blackmail, she said of the threat. Europe should not give in to it. Visa liberalization must benefit the people, not autocratic leaders. Visa liberalization is meant to help people, not boost Erdogans power."
TOKYO (Sputnik)  The yacht cleared the Kimchaek port, the Consul added.

Earlier in the day, the consul general held a meeting with the Department for External Relations of the North Hamgyong province's administration over the yacht's detention.

"We were told that there is a permission to leave the [Kimchaek] port and the country, without any further explanations," Bochkarev told RIA Novosti, adding that the Department for External Relations claimed the vessel had already taken the sea.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  On Saturday, the embassy sent a note demanding explanation from Pyongyang over reports claiming that the North Korean coast guard had detained the Elfin yacht with athletes from Russias Far Eastern Primorsky Territory in the Sea of Japan. Russian Far Eastern transport authorities said that the yacht was in neutral waters at the time of the incident.

"We continue to insist on official response to the embassy's note and on provision of reasons behind the detention [of the yacht]," Denis Samsonov told RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Former London Mayor Boris Johnson, one of the leading supporters of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, compared current Brussels' attempts to unite Europe under one "authority" to those of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void," Johnson told The Telegraph newspaper on Saturday.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  On Saturday, reports emerged claiming that North Koreas coast guard had detained the Elfin yacht carrying athletes from Russias Far Eastern Primorsky Territory in the Sea of Japan. According to Bochkarev, Pyongyang informed Russian diplomats Sunday that the yacht received a permission to leave the country.

"The explanation is that there was a misunderstanding," Bochkarev told RIA Novosti.

According to the diplomat, the vessel was released at 10:00 a.m. local time (01:30 GMT).
The initiative is primarily focused on Europe and its warming relations with Russia, he added. US policymakers are apparently concerned that Europeans are increasingly disappointed in Washington's stance on Russia, with some urging to lift the restrictive measures that were imposed on Moscow following the outbreak of the Ukrainian civil war.

"What I think the fear is, especially if you look at the changing mood in Europe towards, for example, the sanctions on Russia, I think that the people here in Washington feel they are losing that argument," Jatras said.

The US policymakers' logic, according to the analyst, is the following:

"Rather than reexamine their policy and think: 'Well, maybe there is something wrong here, maybe we should change our course,' they are saying: 'They just don't understand us well enough. We just have to make our propaganda better than it has been.'"

The bill, introduced by Senator Rob Portman, has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. If passed, it would create the Center for Information Analysis and Response, armed with a $20-million budget for 2017 and 2018.

"This is especially, it seems, targeted toward Europe where there will be a $20 million over the next two fiscal years made available in the form of grants to unspecified people in Europe that one assumes in the European media to carry a story that is more in line with US policy," Jatras explained.
To the editor:

My name is Jeff Taylor, Vice President of the Flagstaff Education Association. FEA represents the teachers and certified staff of FUSD. FEA has formally endorsed Prop. 123.

We have watched for years, as the legislature refused to fund education according to the law and we have paid with our own hard-earned dues money to fund the lawsuit to hold them accountable in a court of law. However, there is no mechanism in Arizona to "force" the legislature to adequately fund schools. Thus, Arizona ranks #49 in per pupil spending.

Seeing that this case could drag on for years and no money could get to the schools that so desperately need it, the time to settle has come. Prop 123 will immediately bring $2 million to FUSD now. That is money we can use to recruit and retain the best teachers possible for our children. That is money we can use to improve facilities, technology, and curriculum materials.

We cannot wait any longer. My 8-year-old daughter at Marshall cannot wait any longer. If we vote no, we send a clear message to the legislature that the voters of Arizona do not value education. Legislators have said exactly that to education proponents, including to me directly.

If you think this vote is where we make our stand against the legislature, it will backfire. That stand happens in November. Please vote YES on Prop 123 now and vote for a new legislature in November.

JEFF TAYLOR

Flagstaff
Robinson underscored that Moscow has the right to feel threatened by the latest developments. NATO has been increasing its presence along the Russian borders, and its military installations could be adapted for any number of different activities.

Moreover, he said that the NATO missile shield in Europe poses a threat to European countries too.

"It was only a few years ago that there were large demonstrations in the Czech Republic for precisely this reason that the US was proposing to build a radar base in the Czech Republic, and people felt that it was going to be a threat in the event of any conflict between Russia and NATO," he suggested.

"The people in Europe, the people living near this base in Romania and near this new proposed base in Poland should very rightly feel not secured by these developments, but very much threatened by whats happening around them," the journalist concluded.
"The consequences of accidental military confrontation between China, which is determined to expand its sphere of influence, and the US, which is determined to maintain its naval influence in the region, cannot be overstated," the experts added.

On May 10, the US sent its guided missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence into the 12-mile radius of the Fiery Cross Reef, known in China as the Yongshu Island. This was the Pentagon's third naval operation in the region claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and several other countries.
SULAYMANIYAH (Sputnik)  The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Movement for Change (Gorran) have agreed on 33 points, including the necessity to resume the Iraqi parliament's work, the source at the PUK media center said.

The parties also support the idea of the Iraqi Kurdistan president being elected by the parliament, as well as the expansion of the prime minister's powers.

On Saturday, the councils of both parties approved the draft agreement. An official ceremony to mark the agreement's conclusion is expected to take place in a few days, the press secretary of the PUK Political Bureau, Saadi Ahmed Pira, said.
The operation involved bribing Iranian military officials, politicians and the clergy, as well as carrying out a massive propaganda campaign. As part of these efforts, the UK and the US forced Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, to dismiss Mosaddegh and appoint General Fazlollah Zahedi as the next prime minister.

The first coup failed, forcing the Shah to flee the country. American and British intelligence services then staged pro-Shah riots that ended in Mosaddegh's arrest. The Shah returned to Iran and ruled for 26 years. He was later deposed in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The conference is scheduled for May 30 in Paris. A total of 20 foreign ministers from Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia are expected to attend the meeting. Earlier in the day, Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to the format, calling for direct negotiations between the conflicting sides. He also accused France of not being impartial over Paris vote on a recent UNESCO resolution.

"Its clear to us  and I said it to Netanyhau and [Palestinian leader Mahmoud] Abbas  that we cannot fulfill the role of the two sides. They will need to carry out direct negotiations but because the process is stuck they need external help. The goal [of the conference] is to help them return to the negotiating table," Ayrault said after meeting Netanyahu, as quoted by The Times of Israel newspaper, reiterating that the conference would take place despite the Israeli leaders objections.

According to the top French diplomat, another conference on the issue will take place in the autumn.
BAKU (Sputnik)  Ankara has voiced support for Baku since the three-day escalation in the Azerbaijani breakaway region with a predominantly Armenian population last month. Russian officials described Turkey's comments as cause for concern.

"The path to achieve peace in Karabakh is known: the conflict must be resolved withing the framework of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," Yilmaz told reporters after the fourth defense ministerial meeting with Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Speaking in the northern Azeri city of Qebele, Yilmaz warned that Ankara would oppose other forms of conflict settlement that deviated from its terms.
ATHENS (Sputnik)  The year 2016 marks the 1,000-year anniversary since the first Russian settlement on Mount Athos in Greece, prompting reporters to ask whether Putin would commemorate the milestone with a personal visit.

"Putins visit to Greece is being worked out now. The sides agreed to officially announce the date of the visit in due course," Bredikhin said at a press conference to mark the Russian-based Night Wolves motorcycle clubs pilgrimage across Greece.

Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said on May 5 that Putins visit to Greece was scheduled alongside trips to China and Belarus in May and June.
More and more European countries are criticizing the restrictive measures imposed on Russia and are calling for them to be withdrawn.

"We can see that the resistance against the extension of the sanctions within the EU has grown and compared with the last year it would be more difficult to reach a common stance on the issue," Steinmeier told the newspaper.

According to the politician, the West often forgets that it is interested in active cooperation with Russia.
The Kapustin Yar range is a Russian rocket launch and development site near Volgograd in southern Russia. It was established on May 13, 1946 and initially used to test military as well as meteorological and geophysical rockets.

Numerous launches of test rockets for the Russian military were carried out at the site, as well as satellite and sounding rocket launches.

The first Soviet ballistic missile, the R-1, designed by the father of Soviet cosmonautics, Sergey Korolev, was launched on October 18, 1947.
About four in five smartphones and tablets run on Android in Europe and around the world, the commission estimates.

In its Statement of Objections to Google and its parent company Alphabet, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager argued that the company "denies consumers a wider choice of mobile apps and services and stands in the way of innovation by other players."

The European Commission launched proceedings on allegations of Googles Android breaching EU antitrust rules in April 2015.

On April 15, 2015, the European Commission sent a formal objection to Google after a four-year investigation, accusing the company of skewing search results in favor of its own content.

Vestager suggested this week that the EC may lodge a third anti-trust complaint with Googles advertising service.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to Laredo Morning Times, the bus was heading to the city of Eagle Pass when the accident took place.

NEW: Eight dead, 44 hurt in bus accident outside of Laredo, Texas. pic.twitter.com/QusGGrr2VV  ABC News (@ABC) 14  2016 .



Seven people died at the scene, while 44 were taken to three adjacent hospitals, one of those injured succumbed to wounds, the media outlet reported.
The Los Angeles city council has for many years provided the homeless with lodging during the November to March winter period.

City officials have allocated $100 million for various programs to assist the homeless population of Los Angeles, but the resources to provide those funds are yet to be identified.

Homelessness is on the rise in Los Angeles  and it's hitting women the hardest. https://t.co/D5eCCg6IKV pic.twitter.com/KtZGRZ8wta  Marketplace (@Marketplace) 12  2016 .



According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the number of encampments and people living in vehicles has increased by 85 percent over the last two years.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The administration of US President Barack Obama is reportedly planning a month-long series of raids this month until June to deport Central American women and children from the United States.

"Sending women and children back into harm's way after they already fled horrendous violence in Central America is painful and inhumane, and must be stopped," Sanders said in his petition sent to his supporters on Saturday, as quoted by his website.
Nelson Mandela was arrested in Durban, South Africa, in 1962, spending 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid activities before his release after which he went on to become the nations first black president.

A Sunday Times newspaper interview with ex-CIA agent Donald Rickard has revealed that the agency revealed Mandelas location to authorities.

The report seems to confirm long-held beliefs that Mandela was being tracked by the US clandestine services. The CIA has refused to release documents that would detail its involvement in the incident but this latest report may add to pressure for them to be declassified.
As for 2014, Russia was Moroccos ninth-biggest trade partner. Moscow is increasing investments in Morocco due to its stable political situation.

At the same time, Russia and Morocco have different views on a number of political issues, first of all on the Syrian crisis. Morocco has long opposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad. Moreover, Morocco is part of a Riyadh-led coalition fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

However, despite these differences, the kingdom needs military and technical cooperation to maintain its national security, the article read.

As for Tunisia, its pivot to Russia took place in March after Daesh militants attacked the town of Ben Guerdan near the Libyan border. The militants attacked police and military facilities, having killed over 50 people, mainly civilians.
The aircraft, side number 64-14844 and call sign ELGIN33, took off from the Mildenhall airbase in Britain and flew to the southern part of the Baltic Sea.

According to the report, a Su-27 jet was scrambled to intercept the US plane.

USAF RC-135V 64-14844 c/s ELGIN33 airborne over southern Baltic sea. Prob. intercepted by Flanker. Transponder is on.  Baltic Watch (@BalticWatch) 15  2016 .

The Sunday flyover is the latest in a series of incidents with the RC-135 aircraft and Russian warplanes in the Baltic Sea in the past few weeks.
Within a month the Syrian Air Force lost three jet fighters. They were shot down by terrorists from the ground. Currently, the Air Force cannot provide enough support for the Syrian Army. Moreover, Russian airstrikes have been limited since President Vladimir Putin ordered a withdrawal from Syria.

"The only solution to help continue the anti-terrorist offensive would be to deploy Russias The Admiral Kuznetsov to the Syrian coast," he wrote.

Earlier, this possible scenario was voiced by French political analyst Alain Rodier.

"In fact, Vladimir Putin doesnt seem to be ready to leave Syria without a Russian military presence. Rumors are going around that in summer Russia may send its only aircraft carrier  the Admiral Kuznetsov  to Syria. Putin may replace the airbase with an aircraft carrier," Rodier told Atlantico.

Currently, the air-wing of the Russian aircraft includes Su-33 and MiG-29K/KUB jet fighters. Last year, Russian pilots underwent special training in Crimea, learning to take off and land on the deck of an aircraft.
If there is a formula for success at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, it does not read: Be last at the quarter, last at the half, and last at the three-quarters. But nobody showed this non-formula to All Bets Off.

The son of Bettors Delight, starting from the outside post eight in the $25,000 featured pace Saturday night at The Downs, got away last and was fourth-over in sloppy going, then circled a top-caliber field within 3/16th of a mile, going three-wide through the turn to the lead mid-stretch and pacing off by two and a quarter lengths, with Matt Kakaley sitting calmly in the bike. Bigtown Hero, who last week won here in 1:48.1 for the fastest mile of the year in North America, raced well again, battling uncovered outside his 5-2 co-choice McArdles Lightning and still going on for second, a length ahead of Melmerby Beach.

All Bets Off was 3-1 despite post eight and a three-week layoff since the Levy Final, having shown an affinity for the local surface by taking his mark of 1:48.3 here at three. He is trained by Ron Burke and is co-owned by Burke Racing Stable along with Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino, and the Panhellenic Stable Corporation, who saw their talented pacer raise his lifetime bankroll to $1,872,108.

For Kakaley, the featured victory was his third of the night, two of which he guided for Burke; perennial Downs leader George Napolitano Jr. had even a hotter hand, with six trips to Victory Lane.

Pennsylvania All-Stars action for three-year-old state-sired horses will be featured at The Downs for the next three days, with three $30,000 divisions each night. Pacing colts have the spotlight Sunday, with pacing fillies following on Monday and trotting fillies highlighted on Tuesday.

(With files from PHHA / Pocono)
The Raceway at Western Fair Districts Horse Ownership Trade Show, presented in co-operation with Standardbred Canada, was hosted on Friday night and Raceway representatives were very pleased with both industry participation and attendance.

For a first time effort for this type of event, I think it went very well, said Greg Blanchard, General Manager for The Raceway. There was a steady flow of people and a lot of truly engaged racing fans learning about racehorse ownership.

The Stable and Landmark Racing Stable seemed to have many people interested in the Fractional Ownership models which is a good sign for the future of the industry.



Anthony MacDonald from The Stable talks to trade show guests Anthony MacDonald from The Stable talks to trade show guests

The I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Clubs Owner For A Night saw eight lucky Trade Show attendees matched with horses racing in the eighth race. The winners were taken to the paddock for a tour and the chance to meet their horse, trainer, and groom. All eight of the 'Honourary Owners' joined in the winners circle presentation for the race winner.



Own A Horse Race Presentation with winner Spilling The Beans and driver Nick Steward Own A Horse Race Presentation with winner Spilling The Beans and driver Nick Steward



Honourary owner Michael Trudeau meets his horse, Jinglewriter Honourary owner Michael Trudeau meets his horse, Jinglewriter



Honourary owner Peter Reed meets Mach Shark Honourary owner Peter Reed meets Mach Shark

The Ontario Harness Horse Associations Wanna Drive program was a big hit with over 30 people enjoying rides in the double-seated jog carts during the night.

I think this is a good model that could also work at other tracks and venues, said Blanchard. These types of events generate awareness and you never know when you might hit a homerun with generating prospects for future owners.

The Raceway and Standardbred Canada would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to the following for taking part in the Trade Show:

The Stable

Landmark Racing Stable

Trainers Mark Beaven, Natasha House, Mark Horner, Heather Toll

Veterinarian Dr. Alison Moore

Central Ontario Standardbred Association

Ontario Harness Horse Association

Ontario Racing

Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association

Tomiko Training Centre



Tea Habjan and Mike Jobb from Tomiko Training Centre Tea Habjan and Mike Jobb from Tomiko Training Centre



COSA's Cathy Boughton and Stacey Newman COSA's Cathy Boughton and Stacey Newman

(Photos courtesy SC and WFD)
While favourites K Js Caroline ($4.20) and Its Payday Friday ($3.40) held sway on the lead in their respective $9,000 featured events on Saturday (May 14) evening at Tioga Downs, it was Shesgotthebeat ($32.40) who stole the show, springing a 15-1 upset to sweep her preliminary legs of the Gail's Diner Late Closing Series for three-year-old pacing fillies.

The first $7,500 division of the Gail's Diner preliminary saw first-round winners Shesgotthebeat and Heavenly Bet square off, with 1-9 favourite Heavenly Bet (Scott Coulter) doing the heavy lifting through the middle half. After drafting intently, Jim Meittinis angled Shesgotthebeat off the pegs at head-stretch, duelling to a length victory in 1:55.1 over 'good' going. Heavenly Bet was a vanquished favourite in the end, yet still three and a half lengths clear of Ghost Runner (Tom Jackson), who chased in vain for third.

Shesgotthebeat, a three-year-old daughter of American Ideal, is trained by Edward Hart for the Seafood Delight Stable, Kristie Leigh Farm Inc., and Joseph Betro.

The other Gail's Diner division saw Stirling Electra ($10.80) duel with Winners Over (Dan Clements) for the entirety of the far turn, gutting out a half-length 1:57.3 victory under Corey Braden. Trainer Jennifer Davis co-owns the Roll With Joe filly with Joyce Nowicki.

In the co-featured $9,000 top-level trot and distaff pace, Its Payday Friday and K Js Caroline proved victorious while favoured. Its Payday Friday, a six-year-old Kadabra gelding, held the first-over Prairie Fortune at bay for a 1:55.3 score. Owner Dan Clements handled the driving duties for trainer Ronnie Morales. The top mares pace saw K Js Caroline make all the pace, edging clear of Asset Management for a four-length triumph in 1:55.1. Jim Taggart Jr. drove the six-year-old Roddys Bags Again mare for trainer Gary Messenger.

The 50-cent Pick 5 was not hit, resulting in a $323 carryover to Sunday (May 15) afternoon's card. The first of 13 races is due off at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

(Tioga Downs)
Kevin Clark had a dream: to buy a Volkswagen Beetle, better known as a Bug.

The only way to achieve that dream? Use the money youve been saving from mowing lawns since you were 11 years old.

Thats how he ended up with the most charming red 1967 VW Bug at the 30th annual  and final  All High School Car Show, on Saturday at Lower Columbia College. Air-cooled (meaning it lacks a radiator), with an engine in the back and spacious trunk beneath the hood, chrome fixtures and black vinyl seats  its quirky.

The Bugs radio still works, but it plays strictly AM radio  You just get used to country music, Kevin, 18, said.

Perhaps the cars most beautiful feature is the polished wooden knob on the gear shift  hand-turned by Kevins grandfather in Minnesota, it has Mount St. Helens ash sealed inside in a thin band around the knob.

Kevin said he loves Volkswagens because they tend to be easier to work on thanks to their simple, spacious engineering. His mom owned a VW, and the VW owners hes met have all been kind people.

On Friday, Kevin added another VW to the pack: a 1966 VW Squareback. He paid $2,200 and traded a Honda Spree scooter for it. Hes currently working three jobs to help pay for his new car.

Though the floor covering is tattered, and the vinyl, horsehair-filled seats that are now beige may once have been white, Kevin still loves his new car.

It looks like its been through a lot in its life, he said with a laugh. Ive always wanted a car I can work on.

Hell have to do work on the engine, but otherwise Kevin says he wont tinker much with it.

The spacious Squareback, like its counterpart is air cooled and has chrome fixtures, but no radio; Kevin says it was considered the luxury VW. In 2016, that may be hard to believe, but it certainly takes the cake for coolness.

For the last 30 years, the shows organizers and founders say thats what the car show has been about: giving local kids a chance to show off what theyre proud of, their unique, quirky, colorful and sometimes bizarre rides.

But over the years, the volunteer support and the student participation have dropped dramatically. Organizer Kristy Runyon, 35, said four years ago, 86 cars participated. This year, 15 participated.

Its bittersweet, Runyon said of the last car show. (Its) a really cool idea for kids who dont have an outlet like sports.

Jim McGinley, 50, has been volunteering for the car show for 26 years, beginning with the first show two years after he graduated, and hes been an organizer for the last six years or so. He grew up hot rodding, or modifying cars with random parts, primarily to make them faster.

McGinley still owns his first car, a 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback bought for him by his dad when he was 10 years old.

McGinley mused that the car show has lost participation because fewer kids are taught basic car repair in school since the Longview School District closed its auto shop at LCC in 2011.

They keep whittling away at the vocational stuff, he said.

The first high school car show was hosted in 1987 as a Mark Morris High School Booster Club Event.

By the late 1990s, 13 schools from three counties filled the parking lot with more than 130 cars, co-founder Ron Halbeib, 73, said. What we need is some young blood, some young parents to volunteer, he said.

We hope it doesnt die. We hope the hobby continues, said Halbeib, who also helps organize the popular Untouchables Car Show hosted this August in Kalama.

But he understands, from a personal stance, why the hobby might have died.

In my days, parents were into cars, and their kids were into it, he said. I have four grandkids, and none of them are into cars. They want the cars, but they dont want to take care of them.

Thats not the case for Brittney Todd. Shes proud of her ability to change the oil and tires on her gray 1986 Chevy Silverado. The Mark Morris senior said it took her and her dad three years to build the truck. They started with the engine, put it inside a body and repainted it.

Brittney estimates that her and her dad have put thousands of dollars into the car.

Now I could probably take apart this entire truck, she said.

Bringing her Silverado to the car show is a moment of pride.

I like people being able to see that I can do what any guy can do, she said.

Brittney said she bought the truck because its big enough to protect her in the event of an accident  and because its not a Ford.

At our house, Fords are banned, she said. Everyone either drives a Chevy, or a Honda, or a Dodge.  What else can I say. I love my truck.
Two Wahkiakum County commissioners are eating a little crow after they initially opposed cleansing the county of a racially offensive geographical place name.

Commissioners Blair Brady and Dan Cothren on Tuesday voted with Mike Backman in support of changing the names of Jim Crow Point, Jim Crow Creek and Jim Crow Hill. The three features are in the west part of the county near the Columbia River.

All three commissioners agree that maybe there was a misunderstanding from the onset, Brady said Friday. I do have problems when folks maybe try to dictate to rural communities because theyre living in a large metropolitan area, trying to tell us how to live.

State Sen. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, included the three Jim Crow names on a list of 36 racially offensive place names she would like the state Committee of Geographic Names to change.

Brady and Cothren had a change of heart after initially opposing the name changes. Local constituents who attended the recent commission meetings have overwhelmingly supported changing the names, Brady said.

Cothren said after three weeks of continual discussions on it, he wants to discuss other urgent issues and move on. He said, though, that he may attend the Committee on Geographic Names meeting Thursday in Olympia.

I understand it hurts people, Cothren said Friday.

Were going to be moving ahead, and I dont have any qualms with it, Cothren added. If thats what constituents want, Im backing that.

Thursdays online agenda for the Committee on Geographic Names indicates the committee will consider three name changes in Wahkiakum County. The proposed names are Brookfield Point, Harlows Creek and Beare Hill.

These names appear to be substitutes for the places now named Jim Crow. However, that could not immediately be confirmed; nor was it known who is proposing the changes.

Jim Crow Point was named after James Saules, a black sailor who jumped ship to start a life in the area of the county known as Brookfield. He was a fiddler who often played a racist song called Jump Jim Crow, which was written by a 19th Century white comedian who performed with blackface and made fun of a disabled black man.

The name later became a moniker for Jim Crow laws, which kept the South segregated in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

There hasnt been a consensus for replacement names. Cothren said Saules wasnt a very good man to the Indians. He instead suggested naming Jim Crow Point after the first descendants in Brookfield. Another suggestion was to honor a local native tribe with an American Indian name.

Cothren said he wouldnt put in effort for the name changes himself but would support local residents who want to take the initiative.

He said he doesnt want minorities to feel unwelcome. According to the 2014 U.S. Census, Wahkiakum County identified as 94 percent white.

I think everybodys in consensus of the name change now, Cothren said. Were there to back the people.
tech2 News Staff

Microsoft's Project Spark announced in 2013 will be discontinued from August this year. Community Manager Thomas Gratz has announced to pull the plug on Project Spark, and players will not be able to download user-generated content or upload their creations on the Xbox Marketplace or Windows Store from 12 August.

"This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly. When "Project Spark" transitioned away from active development last fall, many of our team members moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios. While this means there have been no layoffs at Microsoft, it also means its simply no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping Project Spark up and running with meaningful updates and bug fixes, so we have come to this hard decision," Gratz writes.

He points out that the team has released 46 content packs, thousands of assets and 16 updates since launch. Hundreds of livestreams and videos were produced to educate the community and hundreds of thousands of creations were produced by fans.

"The death of Project Spark was likely inevitable from that point on, though it never quite got off the ground in the first place. Microsoft offered up a variety of unclear descriptions that marketed Project Spark as a make-your-own-game system, but never fully executed on the promise of that pitch," points out DailyDot.

Those who have purchased and redeemed the Project Spark Starter Kit from retail outlets will receive a credit to their Microsoft account. You will find more details here.
hidden

Police are looking for three teens in the US who skipped school to live-stream themselves engaging in sex acts on Facebook to their classmates, a media report said.

On January 14, 2016, four juvenile students viewed a livestream on the social media website using their cell phones during health class at 1 p.m. The students said the videos show a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy engaging in sex acts, the report added.

Police in Milwaukee city of the US are asking Facebook to hand over all the information it has on the account of a 14-year-old girl. From pictures, status history and videos to user information like name, email, and IP address, a report on CBS58.com said.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee Public Schools released a statement saying in January, staff became aware of a video depicting inappropriate conduct that took place outside of school and off campus.

"The school immediately notified proper authorities and cooperated with the investigation. We took appropriate disciplinary action against those involved, which would be in addition to any outside consequences they may face," the statement said.

A Milwaukee County search warrant notes that the two juvenile girls in the video could be charged with "exposing a child to harmful material" while the 15-year-old boy that participated in the sexual acts was not listed as a suspect on the warrant.

The video was viewed by students at Barack Obama School but was not filmed there. The two girls in the videos attend the school but according to the school principal, the two suspects skipped school after the first period, the report said.

IANS
tech2 News Staff

Xiaomi has announced the upgrade to its Yi Action Camera 2 - called the Yi 4K. As the name suggests, it can shoot 4K videos at 30fps, along with full HD recording at 120fps and HD recording at 240fps. The Yi 4K will come in Black, White and Pink colours and is priced at CNY 1199 (approx Rs 12,500). The Yi 4K along with a Bluetooth remote and selfie stick is priced at CNY 1299 (approx Rs 13,500).

At the moment it is only available for order via crowd funding in China and will be shipped to backers in June, says Fonearena.

In terms of specifications, the Yi 4K action camera houses a 12MP Sony IMX377 image sensor which has a 1/2.3-inch sensor size, 7P lens with f/2.8 aperture and 155 degree angle of view. The Yi 4K comes with a 2.19-inch display on the rear side with Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

The Yi 4K comes with dual-band Wi-fi support to connect to Android smartphones. Image processing will be done by the Ambarella A9SE SoC which supports the H.264 codec. The camera will come with a separate app for image and video editing. You can shoot timelapse videos with intervals as long as 0.5 / 1 / 2 / 5 / 10 / 30 / 60 seconds.

The camera is powered by a 1400mAh battery which Xiaomi claims can let you shoot 2 hours worth of 4K footage. There is a microSD card slot and has dual microphones to capture sound. There is a 6-axis gyroscope with electronic image stabilisation.
BNP leader Aslam Chy held in city

UNB, Dhaka: Plainclothes police arrested BNP Joint Secretary General Aslam Chowdhury from the capital city on Sunday for his alleged involvement in an anti-state plot. Members of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the BNP leader from his vehicle around 6:45pm in the citys Khilkhet area, DMP Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam told UNB. A DB official wishing anonymity said Aslam was arrested at Khilkhet on his way to Narayanganj. He said police also arrested one of his accomplices and driver. The arrest was made hours after Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Iqbal Bahar said there was an order so that Aslam Chowdhury cannot leave the country and he will be arrested whenever he will be found. Several local newspapers published reports attaching more than one photographs of the BNP leaders meeting with Israeli influential leader Mendi N Safadi. But, Aslam denied any conspiracy against the government although he admitted to meeting Safadi in a tea party in India. Earlier on Tuesday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said they have enough information about BNPs meeting with Mossad. If those are put together, the government can ban BNP overnight. He had also said: Weve information that they (BNP) are trying to portray Bangladesh as a fanatic state and convince the Israeli intelligence agency that its relations with Israel will improve if BNP comes to power. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir brushed aside the allegation, saying: We want to equivocally say BNP has full support to Palestinian peoples struggle for their rights and sovereignty. Weve repeatedly talked in favour of it at different forums and in the United Nations.
MYMENSINGH: A human chain was formed by Mymensingh Television Journalists\' Association protesting attack on journalists in Teknaf on Saturday.
Mohammad Gofran, Aditional Managing Director of South East Bank Ltd, inaugurates the campaign \"NIBIR\" to mark its founding anniversary at Agrabad Branch, Chittagong recently.
Police seized huge medicines of public hospitals at Chawkbazar in city yesterday and one person was arrested in this connection.
Crossing the line : How Donald Trump

Donald was having a pool party at Mar-a-Lago. There were about 50 models and 30 men. There were girls in the pools, splashing around. For some reason Donald seemed a little smitten with me. He just started talking to me and nobody else.

He suddenly took me by the hand, and he started to show me around the mansion. He asked me if I had a swimsuit with me. I said no. I hadn't intended to swim. He took me into a room and opened drawers and asked me to put on a swimsuit. Ms. Brewer Lane, at the time a 26-year-old model, did as Mr. Trump asked. "I went into the bathroom and tried one on," she recalled. It was a bikini. "I came out, and he said, 'Wow.' "

Mr. Trump, then 44 and in the midst of his first divorce, decided to show her off to the crowd at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

"He brought me out to the pool and said, 'That is a stunning Trump girl, isn't it?' " Ms. Brewer Lane said.

Donald Trump and women: The words evoke a familiar cascade of casual insults, hurled from the safe distance of a Twitter account, a radio show or a campaign podium. This is the public treatment of some women by Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president: degrading, impersonal, performed. "That must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees," he told a female contestant on "The Celebrity Apprentice." Rosie O'Donnell, he said, had a "fat, ugly face." A lawyer who needed to pump milk for a newborn? "Disgusting," he said. But the 1990 episode at Mar-a-Lago that Ms. Brewer Lane described was different: a debasing face-to-face encounter between Mr. Trump and a young woman he hardly knew. This is the private treatment of some women by Mr. Trump, the up-close and more intimate encounters.

The New York Times interviewed dozens of women who had worked with or for Mr. Trump over the past four decades, in the worlds of real estate, modeling and pageants; women who had dated him or interacted with him socially; and women and men who had closely observed his conduct since his adolescence. In all, more than 50 interviews were conducted over the course of six weeks.

Their accounts - many relayed here in their own words - reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct, according to the interviews, as well as court records and written recollections. The interactions occurred in his offices at Trump Tower, at his homes, at construction sites and backstage at beauty pageants. They appeared to be fleeting, unimportant moments to him, but they left lasting impressions on the women who experienced them. What emerges from the interviews is a complex, at times contradictory portrait of a wealthy, well-known and provocative man and the women around him, one that defies simple categorization. Some women found him gracious and encouraging. He promoted several to the loftiest heights of his company, a daring move for a major real estate developer at the time.

He simultaneously nurtured women's careers and mocked their physical appearance. "You like your candy," he told an overweight female executive who oversaw the construction of his headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. He could be lewd one moment and gentlemanly the next.

In an interview, Mr. Trump described himself as a champion of women, someone who took pride in hiring them and was in awe of their work ethic. "It would just seem," he said, "that there was something that they want to really prove." Pressed on the women's claims, Mr. Trump disputed many of the details, such as asking Ms. Brewer Lane to put on a swimsuit. "A lot of things get made up over the years," he said. "I have always treated women with great respect. And women will tell you that."

But in many cases there was an unmistakable dynamic at play: Mr. Trump had the power, and the women did not. He had celebrity. He had wealth. He had connections. Even after he had behaved crudely toward them, some of the women sought his assistance with their careers or remained by his side.

For Ms. Brewer Lane, her introduction to Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago was the start of a whirlwind romance - a heady blur of helicopter rides and high-end hotel rooms and flashing cameras. "It was intimidating," she said. "He was Donald Trump, obviously."

It started at the New York Military Academy, a small, severe boarding school 90 minutes' drive north of New York City. Strictly enforced rules prohibited girls from setting foot on the all-boys campus unless it was a special occasion. And on those special occasions, young Donald Trump paid careful mind to the kind of girls he brought to school. They had to be gorgeous - 10s, in his future parlance.

"Donald was extremely sensitive to whether or not the women he invited to campus were pretty," recalled George White, a fellow student in the class of 1964. "For Donald," he added, "it's display."

He steadily built an image as a young playboy amid the deprivations of a single-sex military school, where most boys craved but rarely enjoyed the company of a girl. By senior year, his classmates had crowned him "ladies' man" in the yearbook, a nod to the volume of his dates.

He wasn't bringing the same girl. He had a variety of girls coming up. Donald was bringing in very pretty women, very sophisticated women and very well-dressed women. You could always tell they were of a higher class.

Asked how he had earned the "ladies' man" title, Mr. Trump at first demurred. "I better not tell you - I'll get myself in trouble," he said. He later elaborated, saying he had "a great feeling" and "a great like" for women.

Mr. Trump grew up with an influential role model for how to deal with women: Fred C. Trump, his powerful and unyielding father. "He brought me out to the pool and said, 'That is a stunning Trump girl, isn't it?' " Ms. Brewer Lane said.Sounds perfect. Except Donald was...

The elder Mr. Trump exerted control no matter how big or small the decision, as Ivana Zelnickova learned over dinner one night in the late 1970s. Her boyfriend, Donald Trump, had invited her to join his siblings and parents at Tavern on the Green, the ornate restaurant in Central Park.

When the waiter came to take orders, Ivana made the mistake of asking for what she wanted. Fred Trump set her straight, she recalled in a previously unpublished interview with Michael D'Antonio, the author of "The Truth About Trump." Fred would order steak. Then Donald would order steak.  Everybody order steak. I told the waiter, "I would like to have fish." O.K., so I could have the fish. And Fred would say to the waiter: "No, Ivana is not going to have a fish. She is going to have a steak." I said, "No, I'm going to have my fish." And Donald would come home and say, "Ivana, why would you have a fish instead of a steak?" I say, "Because I'm not going to be told by somebody to have something which I don't want." Mr. Trump defended his father's conduct. "He would've said that out of love," he said. If his father had overruled her fish order, Mr. Trump said, "he would have said that only on the basis that he thought, 'That would be better for her.' "

The elder Mr. Trump did not hide his more traditional views on gender. When his son hired a woman, Barbara A. Res, as his head of construction in the 1980s, Fred Trump was mystified and annoyed.

Fred did not like the idea that Donald had hired me. "A woman?" Donald told me that. But I could tell by the way Fred treated me. He used to say that all the time: "You don't know what you are talking about." When I would complain to Donald about Fred, he would say, "Fred didn't want me to hire you or didn't think it was a woman's job." Mr. Trump said it was a different era. "My father," he said, "probably never would have seen a woman in that position."

Mr. Trump still holds up his parents as models, praising his stay-at-home mother for understanding and accommodating a husband who worked almost nonstop.

"My mother was always fine with it," he said, recalling her "brilliant" management of the situation. "If something got interrupted because he was going to inspect a housing site or something, she would handle that so beautifully." "She was an ideal woman," he said.

With his purchase of the Miss Universe Organization, Mr. Trump was now in the business of young, beautiful women. They craved his advice and approval, a fact he seemed to understand well.

Temple Taggart, the 21-year-old Miss Utah, was startled by how forward he was with young contestants like her in 1997, his first year as the owner of Miss USA, a branch of the beauty pageant organization. As she recalls it, he introduced himself in an unusually intimate manner.

He kissed me directly on the lips. I thought, "Oh my God, gross." He was married to Marla Maples at the time. I think there were a few other girls that he kissed on the mouth. I was like "Wow, that's inappropriate."

Mr. Trump disputes this, saying he is reluctant to kiss strangers on the lips. But Ms. Taggart said it was not an isolated incident.

At the gala celebration after the show, she said, Mr. Trump immediately zeroed in on her, telling her how much he liked her style and inviting her to visit him in New York to talk about her future. Soon enough, she said, he delivered another unwelcome kiss on her lips, this time in Trump Tower. After boasting of his connections to elite modeling agencies, he advised her to lie about her age to get ahead in the industry, she said.

" 'We're going to have to tell them you're 17,' " Ms. Taggart recalled him telling her, "because in his mind, 21 is too old. I was like, 'No, we're not going to do that.' "

His level of involvement in the pageants was unexpected, and his judgments, the contestants said, could be harsh. Carrie Prejean, who was 21 when she participated in the Miss USA contest in 2009 as Miss California, was surprised to find Mr. Trump personally evaluating the women at rehearsal. "We were told to put on our opening number outfits - they were nearly as revealing as our swimsuits - and line up for him onstage," she wrote in her memoir, "Still Standing."

Donald Trump walked out with his entourage and inspected us closer than any general ever inspected a platoon. He would stop in front of a girl, look her up and down, and say, "Hmmm." Then he would go on and do the same thing to the next girl. He took notes on a little pad as he went along. After he did this, Trump said: "O.K. I want all the girls to come forward." 

It became clear that the point of the whole exercise was for him to divide the room between girls he personally found attractive and those he did not. Many of the girls found the exercise humiliating. Some of the girls were sobbing backstage after he left, devastated to have failed even before the competition really began to impress "The Donald."

Mr. Trump, in an interview, said he would "never do that." Such behavior, he said, would bruise egos and hurt feelings. "I wouldn't hurt people," he said. "That's hurtful to people."

Mr. Trump was not just fixated on the appearance of the women around him. He possessed an almost compulsive need to talk about it.

Inside the Trump Organization, the company that manages his various businesses, he occasionally interrupted routine discussions of business to opine on women's figures. Ms. Res, his construction executive, remembered a meeting in which she and Mr. Trump interviewed an architect for a project in the Los Angeles area. Out of the blue, she said, Mr. Trump evaluated the fitness of women in Marina del Rey, Calif. "They take care of their asses," he said.

The New York Times
Stores must sell fresh food, but complaints of owners must be heeded

NEWS reports said nearly 100 superstores kept their door shut on Sunday across the country protesting "harassment through implementation of discriminatory policy and misuse of law" by mobile courts and such other law enforcing agencies.Leaders of the Bangladesh Supermarket Owners Association (BSOA) said they have been compelled to close the shopping outlets such as Agora, Meena Bazar, Shwapno, Prince Bazar and all such superstores protesting imprisonment of outlet manager of a big super shop to two years, besides imposing fine of Tk 2.0 lakhs for selling adulterated foods. Some other superstores were also fined Tk 3.0 lakh each last week for maintaining stale fish, meat and expired food stock. The business leaders said superstores are playing important role to bring a qualitative transition to the country's shopping system. They offer clean environment where consumers' items are available in fashionable shelf and buyers really enjoy the facilities. It is more attuned to the global system that highlight the country's socio-economic development. It appears mobile courts have indeed identified stale food items in their shelf and BSOA leaders are not also denying it. They said since they are handling a supply chain from local producers and farmers to city shopping system they receive some poor quality items and also often can't sell their entire stocks. But in their view it is highly irrational that periodic inspection of mobile courts and law enforcers and punishing super shop management for violation of law is not enough to claim that they are really doing their job. Rather allegations galore to the fact that the law enforcers are taking advantage of spot inspection and collecting huge money from shop management on threat of imprisonment is not fair. We have said it many times that the Health Ministry should play a regular role to ensure quality of every kind of food. Mobile courts are for dealing with serious but urgent situations. The mobile courts by their nature are arbitrary, in the sense they have to decide on a sudden inspection. So the authority must listen to the shop owners. We shall further say that owners of super shops should also remember that customers pay high price in the hope that they will get the best quality of food. They must not compromise on the quality of food items they sell and which people buy on trust.
Farashuddin blames SWIFT for BB heist

Staff Reporter :The government probe body formed to investigate the cyber-heist of Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Sunday blamed SWIFT for allowing the hackers to steal US$101 million from the bank's reserve account maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York."The global financial messaging network SWIFT is primarily responsible for the hacking of the BB's reserve," Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, who is heading the probe body, told reporters after a meeting at the Central Bank in the afternoon.Dr Farashuddin, also a former Central Bank governor, said malware made by either Pakistani or North Korean hackers was used in stealing the fund from BB account with NY Fed."The malware was installed at the server of BB for stealing the money," he added. Dr Farashuddin mentioned that SWIFT technicians installed the first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system despite spotting malware in the BB network allowing hackers to steal US$101 million from the bank.He also said BB staff had contributed to the situation through their carelessness, callousness, irresponsibility and ignorance. Earlier, the investigators of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also held SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) technicians responsible for the cyber-heist of BB.CID is now probing the BB's cyber-heist case filed earlier with the Motijheel Police Station.Mohammad Shah Alam, the head of the CID's investigation team, said the technicians introduced loopholes while connecting the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system to Swift. "We found a lot of loopholes. The changes caused much more risk for Bangladesh Bank", he added.
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Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.

What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?

Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.

Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property  there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:

You get to see exactly what will happen to your money

When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.

Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.

A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.

You find out about potential major repairs

Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.

If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.

You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on

One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.

Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.

You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for

While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.

This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.

Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.

You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price

If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.

You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.

You can sell your home faster and for more money

If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.

In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.

Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.

Your home will hold its value longer

As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.

When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.

You can make smart decisions about property investments

Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.

If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.

There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.

If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage

If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.

They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.

You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors

If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.

For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.

You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition

Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.

You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.

Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.

As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Columnist and HotAir.com blogger Ed Morrissey makes the argument in his new book, Going Red that seven U.S. counties, including Wake County, could determine who wins the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

RALEIGH - In a country with more than 300 million people, roughly 2 million residents of seven U.S. counties could determine who wins the 2016 U.S. presidential election. That includes people in Wake County. Columnist and HotAir.com blogger Ed Morrissey makes that argument in his new book,. Morrissey discussed the book with a John Locke Foundation audience in Raleigh. He also shared details with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio. (Head to http://www.carolinajournal.com/radio/ to find recent CJ Radio episodes.)I imagine some people hearing that intro will say, "Really? This comes down to the people in just seven counties across the United States?" How so?Well, these are the bellwether counties, if you will, or, in a couple of the places, just the most important counties in seven swing states that, combined together, would move the map from the 2012 election from Democrat to Republican, if Republicans and conservatives could find ways to win these bellwether counties.... What I was looking for were seven states that Republicans have won fairly consistently prior to Barack Obama running for president in 2008, which [Republicans] ended up losing in one or both of the Obama elections. And I looked for the key counties in seven of these states. And, of course, Wake County, N.C., is a very important county, not just in the 2016 election, but that's sort of the primary premise of this book. But it's going to be important down the road, as well.Now you, in finding these seven counties, took a look at ones that, as you mentioned, Republicans had been winning up until 2008. What's changed?Several things have changed. One is that demographics have changed, probably nowhere more true than in Wake County. This is a county of change. ... It was, at least in the first decade of the 21st century, the fastest-growing county in the United States. You had a lot of people that were moving to Wake County, and they were bringing their politics with them.But it's more than just that. The way that Republicans have campaigned has changed, and not for the better. They didn't learn the lesson in 2008. They're struggling still to incorporate the lesson of 2012, although the Republican Party famously came up with what they called the Growth Opportunity Project, but what the rest of us called the "autopsy" from 2012. And that is one of the launching points of Going Red.One of the things you also point out in this book is that there are some particular groups that conservatives and Republicans really need to do a better job of reaching.There are. And, to be honest with you, when I started writing the book, people from these communities actually came to me and said, "You need to hear what it is that we're saying because there's a large reason why the Republican and conservative footprint keeps shrinking, and it's because we don't go to these demographics." We don't open ourselves up to a conversation with African-Americans, with Latinos, to some extent with women, although ... there's a little bit more context to that.Not to say that we're going to pander, not to say that we're going to change our philosophy or our beliefs, but to explain those philosophies, beliefs, policies in ways that matter to those communities. Mostly, though, just to have a conversation, because the way that Republicans and conservatives have been addressing these groups has been through sort of a top-down lecture that more or less says, "You need to be more like us," rather than, "We really want to know who you are, what matters to you, what your concerns are, so that we can craft a policy, a plan that uses conservative policies to address the real needs of your communities."You can't even do that until you find out what those needs are, and you can't do that until you start having a conversation.You mentioned in particular, among these groups, African-Americans, Latinos, young voters. All of them are going to be very critical in 2016, and especially moving forward.Yes, young voters especially. ... I'm getting older, and so are the rest of the conservatives that we have, you know? And in order to grow a movement, you have to bring in younger people. I mean, regardless of what the other demographics are, you need to be able to reach younger people and engage them and make them excited about the conservative agenda.And yet, too often we tend to either just assume that they're not going to listen to us because ... I think it's a Churchill quote that "if you're not a liberal when you're 20, you don't have a heart. If you're not a conservative when you're 40, you don't have a brain." That's a paraphrase, but that's roughly what Churchill had said.We just tend to assume that that's true and just figure we're going to catch them when they're 35 or 40, but that's not really the way politics work. You have to engage people early. And Barack Obama did that with young people, and, as a result, it's going to make our job all that much more difficult to reach them in an effective manner down the road. We have to start doing that now.Now, we've been talking about some themes that are general to all of these seven counties. Let's focus on the one that would be probably of most interest to people listening to this show. Wake County in North Carolina is one of your seven counties across the country. What are some specifics about Wake County that people should know?Wake County is a fascinating place, and I really enjoyed my time here in Wake County talking with folks. The demographics have changed in Wake County from what they were 20 years ago, when this was a fairly reliable Republican county in presidential elections.It's changed. A lot of people are moving in from out of state. Some come here to go to college and decide that they just love the environment here so much that they want to stick around. Some are moving here for career purposes. Some are just moving here because it looks nice: the tax rates are fairly low; the cost of living is low compared to wherever else they're at. But they're bringing their national politics with them.... You have an opening then, when people come in from these places, to explain why they like this place so much and why maybe New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, maybe we can explain why they don't like those places as much anymore, and explain the principles that made this such an attractive spot.But when we're talking about people moving in from other places, we're also forgetting the fact that African-Americans have lived here - the African-American community has been very stable. They've lived here for a very long time, and Republicans haven't done much outreach to them in decades.And that is a constituency that is going to take a long time to rebuild trust with, but you can't even start that until you start it. I mean, you can't get to the trust level until you start having the conversation, start listening to what it is that they're concerned about.I talked with Pudgy Miller down here, and he introduced me to several African-American conservatives, and they're very clear that what they're looking for is engagement. They're not looking for Republicans and conservatives to stop being conservative. They just want to know that we're listening to what the concerns are in their communities and that we find ways of addressing those through conservative policies.
Since 2012, Murray has served as secretary of the Board of Directors of the Brehm School Foundation. He also serves on the board of the George A. Bates Memorial Foundation which has contributed a total of $32,500 to Brehm School annually since 2011. The Bates Foundation has a limited number of causes they can support each year and they have been moved by our passion for what we do.
Chancellor Steve Ballard, far right, watches as his wife Nancy, son Nate and daughter Laine unveil his official portrait at a celebration of his leadership. The portrait was painted by Sergei Chernikov and will hang in Wright Auditorium. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

The 12 years of service and leadership of Chancellor Steve and Nancy Ballard were celebrated - and roasted a little - during a dinner May 11 at the Murphy Center on East Carolina University's campus.During the evening's events, the chancellor received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, conferred by the governor to persons for exemplary service to the state of North Carolina and their communities. UNC Board of Governors members Bob Rippy and Craig Souza presented the award.Members of the Board of Trustees honored Ballard by presenting him with the Chancellor Emeritus designation and three board members, current and former, spoke of Ballard's leadership and integrity in deliberating decisions affecting the university.Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Chris Dyba announced the endowment of the Nathan Greg Ballard Scholarship. Nate is the son of Steve and Nancy Ballard; their daughter Laine, who lives in California, was also at the event. The scholarship fund was created as a way for individuals to show their gratitude to the Ballards for their service to university and the Greenville community, according to Dyba. The first scholarship award will be presented for the fall semester 2017.Several dozen friends and family members have contributed more than $35,000 to the scholarship fund thus far, said Dyba.The Chancellor's Executive Council, which is made up of vice chancellors and other senior administrators, had a little fun with Ballard, giving him an ECU chair, in which he promptly sat down. Then Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy presented Ballard with the first James R. Talton Leadership Impact Award.said Hardy.Former ECU administrators Austin Bunch and Marilyn Sheerer, now provost at UNC-Wilmington, did not pass on the opportunity to come back to campus and have a little fun telling stories from their days working for Chancellor Ballard.Finally, at the end of the evening, Ballard watched as his family unveiled his portrait. Painted by Milwaukee artist Sergei Chernikov with the J.Daniel Portraiture & Fine Art gallery in Raleigh, the portrait will in hang in Wright Auditorium alongside those of former chancellors Leo Jenkins and Richard Eakin.
WEST FRANKFORT  The tag that claims West Frankfort as the furniture capital of Southern Illinois appears safe for another generation after one furniture company bought another that had closed several years ago.

Despite a Great Depression, two world wars and recent coal mine layoffs, E.R. Brown not only remains a cornerstone of West Frankforts Main Street but a growing one at that, two years after celebrating 100 years in business.

Earlier this year, the company purchased BFJ Interiors, which along with another store, Coleman-Rhoads Furniture, had closed about three years ago. The closings have been attributed to retirements.

Those departures might have left a hole in the advertising claim that West Frankfort is the furniture capital, not to mention main street storefronts, but Sloan Brown, owner of the century-old E.R. Brown, states otherwise.

We want to re-energize that theme by adding this store back into the mix  to make West Frankfort more of a destination, Brown said.

His corporation purchased BFJ, and plans are to retain the name, said Brown, his son Kyle nearby. A grand opening is being planned after renovations are complete. Kyle and his brother, Matt, both in their 20s, are well positioned to succeed Brown in the family business.

Though the Coleman-Rhoads building is now a home base for Morthland College, Brown said he believes the advertising tag, launched in the 1980s by the furniture competitors continues to apply, playing an important role in bringing people to West Frankfort.

Despite tough economic times, E.R. Brown continues to perform, recording its best year in sales last year, a trend that has been ongoing for a decade, Brown said. He declined to disclose specific numbers.

Our secret is taking care of the customer after the sale, Brown said. Even my grandfather, E.R. Brown, during two world wars and the Depression, he would help families out if they couldnt afford to make their furniture payment. He stuck with them and told them not to worry about it.

His company purchased BFJ to expand, adding to E.R. Browns holdings that include West Frankfort House Furnishing Co. managed by Browns brother, Andy. City officials helped, incorporating BFJ into its tax increment financing district and investing funds from its facade financing program.

Brown applauded city officials, not only for the investment in his stores but also for their purchase of the West Frankfort Outlet Mall, an aggressive move Brown sees as helping the citys commerce.

I think West Frankfort has a lot going on, he said.

Each of the three furniture stores is unique, adding diversity in some 100 line offerings to the mix in more than 75,000 square feet of floor space, Brown said. With the purchase, the company also maintains three large warehouses, each in West Frankfort.

His sons, representing the fourth generation in the family business, were also central to the decision, Brown added. He is 59, now in his 38th year at the helm of the store. Long-time employees, including one who has worked at the store for 38 years, have helped.

Kyle Brown noted he and his brother are more than familiar with the business, having helped there since they were children. He does not see any disruption to its success when it is their turn to run things.

After all, the store has a customer base among families that have grown over generations just as the Brown family has.

Its not like I am the only fourth generation, he said.
CARBONDALE  For the 14th year in a row, hundreds of law enforcement officers from throughout the state will stake out Dunkin Donuts rooftops to benefit Special Olympics Illinois on Friday, May 20.

Local Special Olympics athletes and their families will join police officers to show their support at 5 a.m. at the Carbondale Dunkin' Donuts, 1181 Rendleman Road. This location is new to the Cop on Rooftop event.

Officers are scheduled to cover 234 Dunkin Donuts rooftops to raise awareness and donations for the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics Illinois. With about 25 more Dunkin Donuts locations participating this year, officers hope to top last years donation total of $540,000.

In honor of the Special Olympics athletes and police officers supporting the rooftop event, Dunkin Donuts will donate $15,000 to the Torch Run fund.

In addition, each guest who visits a Cop on a Rooftop location and makes a donation to the Torch Run will receive a free donut coupon. Guests donating at least $10 will receive a Law Enforcement Torch Run travel mug (while supplies last) and a coupon for free medium coffee. Other items, such as Torch Run T-shirts and raffle tickets, will be sold for various donation amounts. Additional activities will vary by Dunkin Donuts location.

Dunkin Donuts also has created a special glazed red and white donut ring depicting Special Olympics Illinois colors. The donut, called The Champion, will be available at select Dunkin Donuts locations on May 20.

"Cop on a Rooftop is an event we look forward to every year," said Aziz Nathani, a multi-unit franchisee whose restaurants are among the hundreds of Dunkin' Donuts that have hosted the event over the years. Its a fun and unique way to support Special Olympics athletes and their families and call attention to the kind of good will police officers bring to our communities every day. We are truly honored to participate."

For a list of all participating locations, go to www.facebook.com/DunkinChicago or www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsIllinois.
CARTERVILLE  In an effort to reduce costs and control overhead, Centerstone will close its administration office at 310 W. Plaza St. in Carterville.

We are in the process of selling this building, and we have a buyer. If everything goes according to plan will close around June 30, Kathryn Sime, director of advancement, said.

Voice of the Reader: Time to pay for services provided To the Editor:

Sime stressed that the move will not affect patient services. The Carterville Crisis Center, located 403 Commerce Drive, will continue to see patients, and staff members who see patients during home visits will continue to make those visits.

It really is about reducing our overhead expenses, so we can protect those essential core services, Sime said.

The administrative team and community services team that are now housed in the Carterville office will be dispersed to various other Centerstone offices. About 20 employees will be relocated. For example, Sime and CEO John Markley will move to Centerstones office at 200 N. Emerald Lane in Carbondale. Others will move to Carterville Crisis Center or the corporate offices in West Frankfort.

Sime said everyone is so mobile these days that work can be done from many locations. Centerstone now has an additional Southern Illinois office in Madison County, and staff regularly travels to that office or to Nashville, Tennessee.

We are all always traveling around. Our physical office is becoming less important, especially for those of us who dont see clients, Sime said.

The need to reduce overhead became more significant in light of the state budget impasse.

Centerstone wins Walmart Foundation grant to buy two new vans Centerstone of Illinois has won a grant from Walmart Foundation to purchase two new vans in 

We are always looking at how we can reduce overhead expenses and work as lean as possible, Sime said.

Centerstone and its predecessors have provided community behavioral health services in Southern Illinois for nearly 60 years and is one of the largest behavioral health care providers in Illinois.
CARBONDALE  During Monday's park district meeting, board members met to approve an ordinance reinstating that parks will close at 11 p.m.

The ordinance is there to encourage people to leave the parks at an appropriate time, park district director Kathy Renfro said.

Renfro said she motioned for approval of the ordinance because staff members could not find records of the park's closing time on file.

"We do believe at one time we had this ordinance but since we cannot find it. It's overdue," she said.

Harvey Welch, chairman of Carbondale Park District Board of Directors said at the meeting the missing ordinance was a little despairing.

"I'm not trying to accuse anybody, but it reminds me of (when) President Nixon's secretary couldn't locate something during the Watergate season, and I don't like to be associated with that," he said.

"But it is there, so we can find it now."

-- Nefeteria Brewster
CARBONDALE  Say yes to amazing opportunities, and never give up when faced with obstacles, former astronaut Joan Higginbotham told Southern Illinois University graduates on Saturday.

All my life I was told the sky is the limit, said Higginbotham, a keynote speaker at this weekends graduation festivities. I disagree. Im here to tell you the sky is no longer the limit and I know because I have literally been above and beyond.

Higginbotham, who graduated from SIU in 1987 with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering, is the first-known Saluki and the third African-American woman to fly aboard a space shuttle. She served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery during a 12-day STS-116 mission to the International Space Station in December 2006, according to her biography provided by SIU.

The space shuttle traveled at 17,500 miles per hour, she said during Saturdays commencement address, circling the world once every 90 minutes. That meant 45 minutes of sunshine, and 45 minutes of darkness every day  providing for astonishing views of 16 sunrises, and 16 sunsets. Not a bad gig if you can get it, she said.

Higginbotham said she didnt set out to be an astronaut. Her first career love was electrical engineering, an interest she began pursuing around the age of 8. She said her brother had a transistor radio, and one day she pulled the back off it. She was awe-struck by all the beautiful wires, and then wondered what would happen if she cut them and reattached them in a random manner.

At that moment, an engineer was born, she said. In college, she interned at IBM, and hoped to score a job at the prestigious company after graduation.

But degree in hand, Higginbotham said IBM informed her it didnt have any engineering jobs open. The company offered her a sales post with the ability to transfer down the road, but Higginbotham said that didnt interest her. As she was trying to figure out a next move, NASA called, she said. Around this time, NASA had asked SIU for resumes of graduating seniors with sought-after degrees. Higginbotham said that for many may think that would be a dream come true. But that wasn't how she saw it.

No offense, but NASA seemed like a career limited move to me, she said. This was around the time of that the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart just seconds into flight, killing its seven-member crew on Jan. 28, 1986, as the world watched. But wanting to avoid moving back in with her parents, she decided to check it out. Not bad, she said, were her thoughts following a tour.

Thus began this Salukis career as a rocket scientist. After several years on the job, Higginbotham said a manager approached her with these five little words: Youd make a great astronaut. She didnt think much of it, but he kept pushing her, so she put her name in the hat along with 6,000 of her closest friends, she said with a laugh. About half of those candidates were deemed qualified, and of those, only 122 got an interview.

I thought it was a clerical error, she said of the fact that she was among them. But in the end, Higginbotham was passed over. After wallowing in self-pity a bit, Higginbotham said she finally called and asked if there was something she could do to improve her chances. Higginbotham, who already had a masters degree, was told she needed a second, more technical one. So she sucked it up and went back to school. A little over a year later, she was chosen to be an astronaut. She earned both her masters from the Florida Institute of Technology  management science in 1992, and space science in 1996.

The ability to pick oneself up and dust oneself off is a trait to be mastered by everybody. It will come in handy in life, in love and in your career  guaranteed, she said.

Today, Higginbotham lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, James Mitchell. She works for Lowes Corp., as director of supplier diversity. In a previous role with the company, she served as director of community relations, developing ongoing philanthropic strategies through annual corporate givings of more than $32 million to communities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

SIU graduated about 2,800 students on Friday and Saturday, including candidates for associates degrees, bachelors degrees, masters degrees, doctoral degrees and law degrees. Chancellor Brad Colwell said the class of 2016 is made up of students from all 50 states, numerous counties, people from rural towns and big cities, and many who are the first in their family to graduate from college.

Also a keynote speaker on Saturday was Harrisburg native Donald Beggs, who served as SIUs 15th chancellor upon his appointment to the post in August 1996. Prior to that, he served 15 years as dean of what was then known as the SIU College of Education.

Beggs told the students that many people have worked to help them get to graduation day, because the students showed the initiative to make a difference in their own lives, and the lives of those around them. Moving forward, he encouraged the graduates to develop a service mentality.

"You're going to have an ability to make a difference in the lives of others by providing positive growth and change for them," he said. "Making a positive difference for others can be rewarding to you and a payback to those who have helped you."
ZEIGLER  Ashley Kay Jackson continues to bring smiles to her classmates, even as her graduation chair remained empty four years after her death.

Ashley was always one to make everybody laugh. She was always smiling and telling jokes to everybody," said 17-year-old Ariel Mays of Mulkeytown.

Mays, who said she grew up with Ashley since they were in kindergarten together, graduated a week ago with 25 of her Zeigler-Royalton High School classmates.

Ashley was supposed to be there with them, but an accidental gunshot took her life. She was 14 at the time of the Oct. 6, 2012, tragedy, just weeks shy of her birthday.

The daughter of John and Kathy Jackson, the Royalton youth was a freshman at the high school and active in volleyball, softball and track, said her aunt, Billie (BJ) Newbury.

Memorial 5K Run/Walk to honor late Z-R student A 5K walk-run this weekend will honor a late Zeigler-Royalton High School student and raise 

She would not be forgotten. A year after her death, the family held the first Ashley Kay Jackson Memorial 5K Run/Walk and a scholarship fund in her name. The inaugural event saw nearly 300 people participate, raising $8,500.

That money went to four ZRHS graduates to help pay college tuition. In subsequent years, more select graduates would also receive $500 awards, paid after they complete their first semester of college as a full-time student with passing grades.

But this year was different.

Ariel said she knew something special would happen at commencement to remember Ashley  she nor her classmates knew what that would be, though, she said.

Even when they were asked to stand in Ashleys honor.

That is when the moment came, an announcement that each of them would receive $500 from the scholarship fund.

I was in shock. I know all the audience was in shock, too. It was a happy night, but it was also really emotional," said Ariel, who plans to attend Rend Lake College.

High school guidance counselor Jim Chamness, whose nephew is Ashleys father, described the moment as one of the brightest in his professional career. He made the announcement.

Given the size of the class, the decision to award each student was an easy one even though the family does not know if each will attend college, he said.

They might now, he added.

If it just makes one person go the extra mile, it was definitely worth the offer, Chamness said.

Newbury, Ashleys aunt, said regardless of the students decision, they deserve the award.

Those kids have gone through a lot. Its a very close-knit community and a very small class. To lose one of their own, it had an impact on all of them, she said.
Senior Correctional Officer Specialist Merle Eugene Clutts was recently honored by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons during its 2016 National Correctional Workers Week Memorial Service in Washington, D.C.

In October 1983, Clutts was killed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Marion in the first of two attacks on guards that day.

Debbie Stroehlein of Cobden says the day her father died was one of the worst days of her life.

Dad was killed that morning, then Robert Hoffman was killed on evening watch, Stroehlein said. You rely on your faith.

On Oct. 22, 1983, Clutts, 51, was one of three correctional officers escorting a handcuffed and shackled inmate from the showers to his cell just after 10 a.m. The inmate stopped outside another inmates cell. When he turned around, his hands were free and he was holding an 18-inch homemade knife.

Clutts was fatally stabbed before other officers could subdue the inmate.

In a second and very similar attack by another inmate at 8 p.m. that day, correctional officer Robert L. Hoffman was killed. Stroehlein said three senior officers and two junior officers were attacked.

Mr. Hoffman went in to help those officers, she added.

Thomas Silverstein was convicted of murdering Clutts, and Clayton Fountain was convicted of murdering Hoffman. Fountain died in 2004. Silverstein is incarcerated for life.

A lot of things changed after that day," Stroehlein said, "but a lot of things needed to change."

Stroehlein, her husband, Roger, and son, Union County Sheriffs Deputy Jeffery Clutts, attended the ceremony. She said her mother, Joeann Clutts, decided not to go because they were not sure how much walking would be required.

The family was picked up at their hotel on the morning of May 3 and escorted to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, where they met with Acting Director Thomas Kane and toured the offices.

The ceremony included comments by Kane, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Angela Dunbar, Bureau of Prisons assistant director-Correctional Programs Division.

The ceremony also included bagpipes and music provided by police and correctional officers, laying of roses on medallion as names of the fallen were read.

Today we are here to pay homage to Senior Officer Specialist Merle E. Clutts and to all Bureau of Prisons staff who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Kane said to the crowd.

Lynch called it a true privilege to be part of the memorial service.

They presented me with a rose. Then Acting Director Kane took me to the panel with Dads name, and I got to place the rose at the panel, Stroehlein said. It was very special.

May is Peace Officers Month. Stroehleins family also attended a ceremony at the federal prison in Marion. This is the second time the family has visited the Correction Officers Memorial Wall, which is part of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, located at Judiciary Square. The first visit was part of a trip to see her niece graduate from the police academy in Fredricksburg, Virginia.

The legacy of Clutts service lives on his family. Both of Stroehleins brothers worked in the prison system, one in federal prison and the other in state prison. Her youngest son is a sheriffs deputy, and her niece is a deputy in Virginia.

Its pretty cool that they followed in his footsteps, and neither one knew him, Stroehlein said.

Her son was 2 when his grandfather was killed, and her niece had not been born.

During their visit to Washington, the Stroehleins toured the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Command Center. It links the bureau to each of its prisons. Stroehlein said the technology is really nice, and they made the family feel very special.

Its is nice that the bureau has not forgotten. Its just not my dad  the bureau has not forgotten any of the lives what have been lost, Stroehlein said.
To the Editor:

You may have noticed yard signs that say HIGHER EDUCATION CREATES JOBS. These are part of the effort of the State Universities Annuitants Association to alert the public to the fact that when the universities and community colleges of the state suffer because of lack of funding from the state, everyone suffers.

Whether you are an employee of Southern Illinois University or not, when SIU hurts, everyone does.

If you live in Anna and think you are not affected by the lack of funding for SIU, then you can realize how you are hurt when you note that 68 employees of SIU live in Anna and they bring $2,827,000 to Anna every year in the form of their paychecks. If that money goes away, every business, grocery store and gas station in Anna will feel the result. If you live in Carterville, $16,080,000 pours into your town every year from SIU employees who live there. Live in Marion? Without SIU, $7,271,000 a year would be lost to your economy.

Let your representatives in the legislature know that you want the universities and community colleges to receive their full funding so that your community can continue to thrive and grow along with the universities and community colleges.

Bruce Appleby

Makanda
Monuments, museums, festivals and celebrations herald coals contribution to making Southern Illinois a prosperous place to work and live. The Old King Coal Festival today will wrap up its 75th annual celebration, which honors coal miners and reminds us of the coal industrys importance to the region.

Rep. John Bradley of Marion co-sponsored legislation this past week  similar to bills proposed in past legislative sessions  that would create a state fund to support the use of scrubbers on coal-burning power plants (which would reduce emissions) and would require utilities to enter purchasing agreements with qualified clean coal facilities.

We believe Illinois coal is part of the solution for energy, Bradley said Tuesday at a news conference announcing the legislation.

Except that his bill wouldnt really create that state fund. Its more of a plan to create a plan than anything else. Simply stated, it "authorizes the Illinois Commerce Commission to find a way to fund scrubbers. No problem. At a cost of nearly $250 million each and few other financial priorities in the state, the ICC should have no problem.

An end to K-12 funding proration  or scrubbers?

Funding higher education beyond the 31 percent allotment approved a few weeks ago  or scrubbers?

$700 million for human services  or scrubbers?

A little recent history on the coal industry: Peabody, the worlds top private coal mine, declared bankruptcy last month. American Coal announced its most recent round of layoffs in February, when it laid off 101 employees. A week before that, Alliance Resource Partners LP announced layoffs at Hamilton and White county coal mines. Peabody laid off 75 people from its Arclar Mine Complex near Harrisburg a week before that.

Occupational employment estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that in 2015, Illinois employment in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction was down to less than 10,000. Across the entire United States, coal mining now employs fewer than 57,000.

On Saturday, the Old King Coal Festival hosted a rally of the Coal Miners Movement at its main stage. The newly formed advocacy group, whose slogan is Make coal great again, seeks to support laid off coal miners. Make coal great again. We wonder where they came up with that motto?

Southern Illinoisans are wounded by the decline of the coal industry. We understand. But there is a finite amount of coal. No one disputes this. At some point, coal jobs in Southern Illinois will go away entirely. Your legislator cannot  or will not  admit that.

Deep down, we all know it is true.

We admire the Coal Miners Movements dedication to advocating on behalf of unemployed coal miners. We applaud any legislators genuine attempt to support people in his or her district.

The loyalty to coal is more than understandable. It put food on our tables for generations, ensured children had presents under the Christmas tree and served as the foundation for nearly every Southern Illinois community. Our ancestors were trailblazers who risked and lost their lives venturing into the darkness to keep their families fed.

But the question we have to ask now is, are we truly made of the same mettle they were? Do we have the courage to move on? Or do we cling to whats safe while the region becomes lost in the shadow of progress? Lets choose to look forward.
MITCHELLSVILLE  Despite police pleas last week for a peaceful resolution to the manhunt for Dracy Clint Pendleton, the search for the suspect in connection to an earlier police shooting ended Sunday morning with Pendletons death.

An FBI agent was also shot in a gunfight with Pendleton at an abandoned house in the Lusk Creek Wilderness area. He was treated for his injuries, and authorities said Monday that the agent is expected to recover.

Pendleton is no longer a threat to the communities of Southern Illinois, said Illinois State Police Col. Tad Williams at a Sunday afternoon briefing in Mitchellsville.

Pendleton was wanted for aggravated battery with a firearm for a May 7 incident in which he allegedly shot a Mahomet police officer in the arm. The officer has survived. The officer had attempted to use a Taser on Pendleton during a traffic stop in front of Pendletons home before the shooting.

The immediate pursuit of Pendleton in central Illinois led to the death of a 26-year-old woman whose van was struck by an ISP trooper.

The initial warrant for Pendletons arrest from the Champaign County states attorneys office listed a charge of attempted murder but it was later amended. The amended charge is a Class X felony.

Pendleton, 35, was considered armed and dangerous during the search. Last week, the FBI issued its own warrant for Pendletons arrest and is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

He was seen leaving his house after last weeks shooting with what police said was an assault rifle. He had eluded police since allegedly stealing a work truck from a rock quarry operation just outside Mahomet.

Law enforcement, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Office, located the stolen vehicle in the Lusk Creek Wilderness area, a roughly 5,000-acre span of the Shawnee National Forest that authorities closed during the search. Police also had at least one tip that he had been sighted by a resident living within the search area, Williams said.

Williams said police spotted Pendleton just after midnight Sunday running from the Sulphur Springs Cemetery into a wooded area with what appeared to be a rifle and a bandolier.

He was later tracked about a half-mile away at an abandoned house. About five hours later, police cleared the area and began approaching the house, Williams said.

Upon approach, Pendleton opened fire, he said. During the subsequent exchange of gunfire, one FBI SWAT operator was shot and injured.

Later, a remote controlled robot was sent into the house, which found Pendletons body on the second floor of the house, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities on Sunday did not take questions. It is unclear whether Pendleton was killed by police gunfire or whether the death was self-inflicted.

Williams said several crime scenes are being investigated and restrictions within the search area are expected to remain in effect until at least Monday evening.

ISP Director Leo Schmitz made brief remarks at the opening of the briefing, commending law enforcement agencies for their coordinated efforts.

Our guys did a fantastic job. Im glad more people did not get hurt, Schmitz said.

Sean Cox, FBI Special Agent in Charge of Springfield, said the injured agent and the Mahomet police officer are expected to make full recoveries.

I am incredibly grateful that the Mahomet police officer and of course our agent is going to be OK, as well, Cox said.

According to The Associated Press, a relative has said Pendleton, the father of two sons, both under 2, had recently separated from his wife and moved out of their home.
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Students from Calhoun County High School in St. Matthews, recently gathered in the Midlands for the annual Jobs for Americas Graduates  South Carolina 2016 Career Development Conference.

Drawing more than 585 students from across the state, this annual event provides opportunities for JAG-SC students to hear speakers discuss career development, compete in academic and life-skills competitions and be recognized at an awards luncheon.

Calhoun County High School is particularly proud of the strides their JAG-SC students have made this academic year. They were recognized for their participation in public speaking, words in the workplace, decision making, theme posters, chapter manual, chapter display, Governors Award and Executive Directors Recognition Award, poetry composition and theme essay.

Over the course of this year, the students have mastered 81 competencies identified by businesses as essential to successful employment, said Geraldine Sackiel, Calhoun County High School JAG-SC administrator. We want to launch them from here ready for more education or ready for employment. Either way, they will be prepared to take the next step in life with confidence and eager to make a positive contribution to the community.

Additionally, groups participated in activities such as the breast cancer awareness drive, Pennies for Patients; volunteered to clean up school grounds; participated in a Student Council food drive, Toys for Tots with the Beta Club and a blood drive with JROTC.

This years conference theme, Change the World, echoes the organizations commitment to inspire JAG-SC students to follow their passions because change can happen when they realize they have the ability to take control of their direction and destiny.

JAG is a dropout prevention program focused on academic success and career-readiness skills. JAG-SC is administered by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Over the past 11 years, the program has assisted more than 9,300 youths, and currently serves 1,110 active high school participants.
In an effort to divest its assets, the former Southern Midlands Association of Realtors presented a $155,000 check to the Edisto Habitat for Humanity toward the construction of a new Habitat home.

It is the largest single donation the outreach organization has received in its 25 years of existence.

Unbelievable and God is good! were among the comments expressed by HFH Board members upon the presentation of the $155,000 check.

SMAR, which merged with the Columbia-based Central Carolina Realtors Association last month, is in the process of dissolving and divesting its assets as a result of the merger.

We work in the local community and we like to give back to our local community, CCRA Board of Directors member Herb Bradley said. Habitat helps people live the American dream to have their own home and we could not think of a better thing to do.

The $155,000 consists of the assets of SMRA as well as the Multiple Listing Service of Orangeburg.

An emotional Jamie Bozardt, executive director of Edisto Habitat for Humanity, said when she became the director of Habitat 15 years ago she was told to not take the job because of the challenges of fundraising. When she took the job, Habitat had $1,500 in its bank account.

The pressure was on, Bozardt said. What were we going to do?

A couple of weeks later, one of her current board members informed her that a check was in the mail for $10,000.

Shortly after that, Habitat applied and received a grant for $20,000.

This community I really have not had to ask for very much, Bozardt said. As a group, we have all planted the seeds for people to give.

She says one individual has given $5,000 to Habitat each year for the past five years as a Christmas gift.

Bozardt thanked the Realtors group for helping better the Orangeburg community and the lives of those who need help.

This is huge for us, said Bozardt, adding the $155,000 alone will build nearly three houses.

Bozardt said the largest donation the organization has ever received is $55,000.

Bozardt said HFHs executive committee has been discussing a possible project that will continue to help the community. She said donation would also help pursue this effort, though she declined providing immediate details on the project.

In addition to the check, the SMRA also donated its former office at 920 Berry St. to Habitat with its eventual sale proceeds to also go to Habitat for the construction of a new home on Kings Road in August.

Century 21 The Moore Group will be houses sponsor.

HFH, with the Realtors assistance, will in turn sell the three-bedroom, one- bathroom house for $57,800.

Since its founding in 1991, the Edisto HFH has built 73 homes in the Orangeburg County area. The cost of a Habitat house ranges from $65,000 to $70,000, depending on the size of the residence.

The organization screens families to determine if there is a housing need and if a family has the ability to pay for a house. It takes an income of about $1,400 a month to be a successful homeowner.

The entire process, which includes homeowner and budgeting classes, takes about a year. Families who receive Habitat homes must put their own work into their homes. They are required to provide 350 hours of sweat equity toward the building of their residence and other Habitat homes.

Homes are financed for 25 years with no-interest loans. The homes are sold at no profit. Homeowners monthly mortgage payments are recycled through a revolving fund, which Habitat uses to build more houses.

Anyone who would like to help with the construction of the next new Habitat home is encouraged to send donations to: Edisto Habitat for Humanity Inc., P.O. Box 2489, Orangeburg, SC 29116 (make checks payable to: Edisto Habitat for Humanity).

For more information on how to donate, volunteer or participate, call Jamie Bozardt at 803-536-2300.
South Carolina senators are looking at a variety of ways to improve education in poor, rural districts, including borrowing some practices from the business world, according to Sen. John Matthews.

For instance, theyre looking at the possibility of changing the role of principals from what theyre doing now to what we think they need to do in the 21st century business economy, the Bowman Democrat said.

The principal may be backed out of doing the minutiae of every day. He may not be the academic leader of the school anymore, but more the manager of the school, connecting with the community and the business community, Matthews said. The principal would likely be hired to do a job much like that of a college president.

Matthews spoke last week to Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five trustees about how the S.C. Senate hopes to deal with education inequality.

In 2014, the S.C. Supreme Court handed down a decision in the Abbeville vs. South Carolina lawsuit. It found the state has failed to provide a minimally adequate education for children in rural, poor counties and instructed the state to address the issue.

Matthews is one of a five-member team appointed by the Senate to come up with solutions.

The committee is looking at how to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers in the 43 school districts that were part of the original Abbeville vs. South Carolina. Several local districts were part of the original lawsuit.

Money may not be everything, but it stands for a lot, Matthews said. Basically, its the main thing needed to attract teachers to the poorer districts. But on an average, teacher salaries in those districts are about $5,000 less than in the states top ten districts.

The Senate thinks the state should take responsibility for making up the difference in salaries through supplements, he said.

But when questioned by a trustee about recurring funds to keep paying the supplement over a period of years, Matthews said the matter would have to be taken up by the legislature annually.

Next year, each rural district will be getting an extra $1,500 for math and science teachers in grades 8 through 12 and all special education teachers through the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement.

One issue related to teachers salaries thats under consideration might raise a little controversy, Matthews said.

Were not too sure we can pay all teachers the same thing, he said. We may have to look at market rate for some teachers, especially in science, technology, engineering and math. Should we pay driver education teachers the same thing we pay our teachers in the STEM categories?

If schools are going to keep highly qualified STEM teachers, weve got to pay them almost market rates. So, therell be some kind of conversation about differentiation in title, Matthews said.

In addition, its imperative to add more STEM labs to the districts and encourage more students to go into these fields, Matthews said. Some 53 to 55 percent of jobs that are coming to the state are STEM-related, and those jobs pay an average of 35 percent more than other jobs.

To encourage more students to go into STEM careers, more STEM teachers will have to be brought in, he said.

Matthews said senators are also considering paying teachers bonuses based on student growth as shown by their scores on ACT and WorkKeys.

Senators are also looking for ways to improve facilities at rural schools, Matthews said.

The House has proposed spending $200 million each year to update facilities over a period of time, but the Senate wants to do all the repairs and construction at the same time.

Were going to have a bigger pool and allow a regulatory commission to do assessments of these districts and set the priorities before we spend our money, Matthews said.

The facilities proposal will likely be completed by the end of the summer, he said.

Efficiency studies have already been conducted in four or five districts and all of them came back showing there is money to be saved, he said.
One of South Carolinas U.S. senators, Lindsey Graham, states he will not support Donald Trump as the Republican Partys presidential candidate. Tim Scott, the junior senator, was a supporter of Marco Rubio for president but has stated he will back the partys nominee, which is nearly certain to be Trump.

South Carolinas other U.S. senator is much closer to the situation and stands to give Orangeburg a close connection to the GOP candidate and to the White House should Trump win in November.

Robert Bob Corker Jr. was born in Orangeburg in 1952. The Tennessee Republican senators parents, Jean and Robert Corker, raised the future lawmaker in Aiken, but he often returned to Orangeburg County. In his youth, Corker visited grandmother Katie Hutto in Orangeburg and grandmother Ruth Corker in Springfield. Corkers family often spent holidays in Orangeburg, such as Thanksgiving. Corkers aunt, Carolyn Creech of Orangeburg, died in 2011.

When Corker reached age 11, his family moved from Aiken to Tennessee. He would go on to graduate from the University of Tennessee and become a successful businessman in the fields of construction and real estate. He is today a multimillionaire.

He was mayor of Chattanooga from 2001 until 2005. In 2006, Corker won a contentious race against Democratic rival Harold Ford Jr. for the senate seat vacated by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He has since risen to significant stature in the U.S. Senate, serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The leadership role in foreign affairs has given his stated support for Trump a high profile. Becoming one of the few senators to publicly embrace Trump, Corker has offered to help the candidate develop a foreign policy platform.

Corker said he has communicated with Trump and his team about foreign policy. I think he is well aware now that he has to move into a period of really laying out more substantial policies and certainly as he evolves, to the extent we can be helpful and flesh those out, we are more than glad to do so, Corker told USA Today.

Reports by The Hill out of Washington indicate the conversations have been limited to foreign policy, but Corker is not being ruled out as a contender for the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket.

He has declined to say he would be uninterested in the vice presidency and has gone so far as to urge Trumps GOP critics to chill. But as to being a VP choice, he said, To talk about something based on conjecture  I just have no reason to believe Im being considered for that.

Instead, according to The Hill, Corker tried to reassure reporters about Trumps America First foreign policy vision that has produced all-manner of criticism.

What I sense is happening is now the campaign is going into a second phase where theyre spending a great deal of time talking more deeply about policy prescriptions and working on platforms and all of that, he said. My sense is when people are out there saying Never this or Never that, a better place to be is to chill and let the campaign evolve a little bit and see where the candidate ends up.

In typical Trump fashion, the candidate recently said leaders who are saying they would not accept the No. 2 spot on his ticket are doing so largely because they know they would not be asked anyway. Corkers reaction, it appears, is more in tune with someone who knows he could be considered for the post.

More likely than VP, however, is the senator being named to a key position such as secretary of state. With his view of foreign policy, that would be a big plus for Trump.

Consider this statement from Corker: Look, the foreign policy establishment in the last 15 or 16 years hasnt gotten things exactly right What I hear in what hes saying (Trump) ... is more of a George H.W. Bush view of the world. I hear him embracing more of a James Baker view of the world, and a larger degree of realism is making its way into his thinking, and I very much appreciate that.

Americans would appreciate it too as the nation looks for an approach unlike that of George W. Bush or Barack Obama. The lessons of pragmatism from the senior Bush and his teams handling of foreign affairs are a good model.

Orangeburg native Bob Corker could be just the person to help steer American foreign policy in that direction.
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A trilateral meeting of defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey has today started in the city of Gabala.





Defense ministers Zakir Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Tinatin Khidasheli of Georgia and Ismet Yilmaz of Turkey first visited the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their lives for the country`s territorial integrity. The ministers laid flowers at the Eternal Flame Memorial Complex here.





They also put flowers at a monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev.





The event features discussions in bilateral and trilateral formats.





After the meeting, the ministers will hold a joint press conference.




Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel-general, met with his Georgian counterpart Tinatin Khidasheli May 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov greeted the members of the Georgian delegation and stressed the strategic importance of the bilateral talks and meetings.

Hasanov also stressed that the military cooperation with Georgia is being rapidly developed.

Khidasheli stressed that she is pleased with her first visit to Azerbaijan's Gabala city and thanked her Azerbaijani counterpart for the hospitality.

Then the sides discussed the military-political situation in the region and other issues of mutual interest.
Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel-general, met with Turkish counterpart Ismet Yilmaz May 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov said that the military ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey are based on brotherhood and mutual understanding of the two countries.

Yilmaz stressed the importance of such meetings to enhance bilateral relations.

Then the sides discussed regional issues and bilateral cooperation.

Ismail Alper Coskun, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, also attended the meeting.
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia will hold joint military exercises, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said at a press conference May 15.

Hasanov made this statement following a meeting of defense ministers of the three countries in Azerbaijan's Gabala city, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

"We considered it appropriate to hold trilateral joint exercises to improve combat readiness and mutual vigilance of the three countries, cooperate in the field of military training in a trilateral format, develop cooperation in the field of cyber security and hold exercises for the protection of oil and gas pipelines," the minister said.

Hasanov said that the sides intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

"Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, which is being coordinated, will be the basis of the legal framework of our cooperation," Hasanov said. "This will also enable our trilateral activity to pass to a new level. New projects are planned to be implemented in the future proceeding from this format," Hasanov said.

The minister also stressed that the sides discussed the issues on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
The fourth trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish defense ministers has today ended at the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center in Gabala.





Following their private and trilateral talks, defense ministers Zakir Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Tinatin Khidasheli of Georgia and Ismet Yilmaz of Turkey held a joint press conference.





Addressing the conference, Zakir Hasanov highlighted the importance of the meeting.





The parties reiterated the importance of enhancing the combat readiness of the three countries armed forces and holding trilateral joint military exercises in order to achieve mutual interoperability, trilateral development of military education and training, development of cooperation on cyber security, and further improvement of trilateral exercises on the protection of oil and gas pipelines.





He noted that Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian defense ministries are expected to sign a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding.





The memorandum, which is being prepared, will be the legal base of our cooperation and allow our trilateral activities to enter a new stage, Hasanov noted.





Hasanov said during the bilateral and trilateral talks, they discussed the military and political situation in the region, as well as security issues.





He added that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the recent developments along the line of contact of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops were thoroughly discussed during the talks.





He expressed hope that the military cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will contribute to the strengthening of fraternal and friendly relations between the peoples of the three countries, as well as the restoration of peace and stability and achievement of sustainable development in the region.





Hasanov also thanked his Georgian and Turkish counterparts for sincere and fruitful discussions and the Georgian and Turkish people for supporting Azerbaijans fair stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent developments along the line of contact of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.




Head of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation Ramazan Abdulatipov posted an information on Instagram highlighting the outcomes of his visit to Baku. Recalling his meetings with Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and Azerbaijani business leaders, Abdulatipov said there are plenty of investment opportunities and many chances for the creation of joint ventures.





"One of the major projects which will involve the Azerbaijani investors, is creation of a 30-hectare Trade and Logistics Center between Makhachkala and Kaspiysk and construction of Dagestan Cement Plant with the production capacity of 1.8 million tons of cement per year," Abdulatipov pointed out. According to him, Dagestan is interested in agro-industrial complex and the construction of logistics centers.





"There is a need to provide a high-quality tourist infrastructure in Dagestan coast of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijani investors have been invited to participate in the construction of tourist, recreational and therapeutic complexes, hotels and motels on the coast of the Caspian Sea. There have already been developed investment projects and investment platforms," said leader of Dagestan.




Turkmenistan and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have held a dialogue about the possibility of developing the mutually beneficial international cooperation, read a message from Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry.

A WTO delegation arrived in Ashgabat to participate in a forum titled "Central Asia and Multilateral Trading System" of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).

Aside from that, discussions were held during a meeting with Director of the WTO Accessions Division Chiedu Osakwe at Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry.

The meeting emphasized the important aspects of Turkmenistan's policy aimed at diversification and modernization of the country's economic potential and implementation of large-scale socio-economic programs and projects.

Work has been underway on Turkmenistan's accession to the WTO since early 2013.

A government commission has been also created for this purpose.

/By Trend/
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) is presently working on six water and electricity projects, including four desalination projects, which will be operational between 2019 and 2020, said a report.



One of the major project under way is the Salalah Independent Water Plant with a capacity of 100,000 cu m per day, reported The Oman Observer.

The plant, which is located adjacent to the existing Salalah IWPP, is likely to start commercial operation in January 2019, it stated.

In another development, Oman said it plans to build two independent water projects in Duqm and Khasab areas of the sultanate to meet the growing demand for potable water in the interior regions.



The groundwork for these projects has already been started, which is part of a series of small and large water projects planned in different parts of the country amid growing demand for water, said the report.



The proposed Duqm desalination project will have the capacity to produce 60,000 cu m of water per day and a request for a proposal will be issued this year, it added.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said it has awarded a contract for the construction of two three-lane bridges and three underpasses under Phase Two of Dh335-million ($91 million) Parallel Roads Project.



It is one of the vital projects currently being undertaken by RTA to ease the congestion on Sheikh Zayed Road, said a statement from RTA.



This traffic corridor, which comprises three lanes in each direction, extends 108 km from the Sheikh Rashid Road in the north up to the entrance of Abu Dhabi emirate. The project covers the construction of bridges and at-grade junctions at the intersections of Parallel Roads with the crossing roads extending 42 km.



The entire project constitutes a traffic hub supporting the Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, and upon completion of all phases, it would ease traffic movement in the area parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road to the east, it stated.



Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA board of executive directors, said: "It comprises the construction of a 295-m-long bridge at the junction of Al Meydan Street and Al Saada Street, and another 240-m-long bridge of three lanes in each direction."



"It also includes the construction of three underpasses; the first is intended to provide leftward turns from Al Saada Street in the direction of Al Meydan Street comprising two lanes, 420 m in length and 13 m in width in a bid to ease snarls during peak times resulting from the overlapping of traffic movement," he stated.



Al Tayer said the second underpass would be at Al Saada Street; comprising two lanes in each direction, and measuring 535 m in length, and 21 m in width. The third underpass is designated for the crossing of horses at Godolphin Stables area, measuring 340 m in length, and 10 m in width.



"The project also includes road works spanning 4 km with three to four lanes in each direction, in addition to service roads in most areas of the project. Works also include upgrading and shifting utility lines in the area as well as streetlighting and directional signage," he added.



According to him, RTA has completed more than 31 per cent of the Parallel Roads Improvement Project in the Godolphin area, and the two bridge crossings over the Dubai Water Canal are expected to be completed by end of this August.



All project works are set for completion in the last quarter of 2017.-TradeArabia News Service
The 16th edition of Careers UAE 2016, the countrys leading recruitment and training exhibition for UAE nationals, is set to open at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) tomorrow (May 16) with more than 110 public and private sector exhibitors.



With an exceptional gathering of thousands of Emirati job seekers expected at the three-day fair organised by DWTC in conjunction with Tanmia, Higher Colleges of Technology and Zayed University  Careers UAE 2016 will complement major government developments and initiatives driving the UAE as a knowledge-based economy, according to organisers.



Careers UAE is the ideal platform to support the vision of the UAEs leadership and provide a diverse spectrum of career development and advancement opportunities to the countrys leading local talents, said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions and Events Management, DWTC.



The event is a springboard for exceptional Emirati job seekers to explore numerous employment avenues across several industries including automotive, aviation, banking, construction, energy, oil and gas, telecoms, healthcare and real-estate among others.



With home-grown and international companies such as Dubai Parks and Resorts, Mohammad bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Duty Free, PepsiCo, Dubai Customs, DP World and HSBC Middle East among the 110-plus participating businesses on the main fair floor, Careers UAE 2016 will feature The Talent Hunt organised by InternsME, the UAEs largest internship job site.



Held over the first two days of the fair, The Talent Hunt will offer visitors an opportunity to meet hiring managers from some of the UAEs leading companies in a unique speed interview format.



This year, InternsME, the UAEs largest internship job site, and Careers UAE are partnering to bring young, bright UAE talent face-to-face with hiring managers from some of the worlds top employers, including Apple, Mastercard and Bosch at the Careers UAE Talent Hunt. In this speed interview format, perspective employees are exposed to a wealth of potential employers in brief, intense meetings that could end with a contract signing.



Speed interviewing events such as the Talent Hunt allow hiring managers to screen a wide variety of applicants quickly. The process benefits potential employees as well, providing applicants a chance to compare and contrast a relatively large pool opportunities in one session.



Companies participating in the event are prepared to sign contracts during the Talent Hunt itself, so young professionals are coming prepared to impress.



Careers UAE is an excellent opportunity to meet a variety of candidates. It truly is the best venue to provide support to young Emiratis looking to begin their careers. The Talent Hunt will allow us at Sephora to meet best of the best potentials and personalities and give us the opportunity to extend offers on the spot if we find a candidate that we simply cannot pass up, Mounia Hadjidj, HR director, Sephora Middle East.



As the Emirate gears up for Expo 2020 Dubai and the full value-chain of associated employment opportunities comes into view, Careers UAE is working to prepare UAE nationals for the enhanced employment prospects across multiple industries. The fair is increasing its educational programmes and engaging networking sessions so that bright, talented and energetic Emirati job hunters are best-placed to maximise career opportunities with potential employers, LohMirmand added.



Also at Careers UAE, Bayt.com  the online recruitment portal  returns to the fair for the fourth consecutive year. Bayt.com will stage its Annual Thought Leader event on Wednesday 18th May, with sessions tackling pressing topics such as whether employers, educational institutions and UAE professionals are aligned to meet the demands of the new economy.



Careers UAE 2016 will also host Mission Possible, a treasure quest concept that tests visitors knowledge and offers prizes in return; the Ideation Workshop, which will focus on the creation of innovative workplaces of the future at the shows activity area; as well as countless opportunities to meet and network with the nations most in-demand employers.



Adecco will be on the lookout for top talent to fill their CEO for a Month internship programme during Mission Impossible. For the younger crowds, Expo 2020 will be hosting their Ideation Workshop, a forum for school students, college student, job seekers and young professionals to work together to shape their vision of the future workplace.



Careers UAE 2016 is open exclusively for UAE nationals and HR practitioners. Female job seekers will be offered ladies only access to the fair from 10:00 to 13:00 hrs on May 17.  TradeArabia News Service
Over 200 students from Bahrain have been inspired to reach greater personal heights after successfully completing the youth development programme Taqaddam.

The new initiative, a partnership between HSBC Bank Middle East and the British Council, helped young men and women in Bahrain to build their self-confidence and develop the life skills they need to fulfil their potential, said a press release.

Students from 10 schools participated in the programme which was designed to run alongside the school curriculum and was delivered outside of school hours.

The aim of this unique programme has been to develop enthusiastic, self-aware and motivated young people, who can make a positive contribution to the world around them, said Sabrin Rahman, head of corporate sustainability for Mena region from HSBC.

Weve seen some tremendous growth in the students and we are so proud of how far they have come. They have achieved a lot and we are pleased to see how enriching the experience was for them. With increased confidence, they now have vital tools to move forward and make an impact, she added.

The content for Taqaddam, which means Move Forward in Arabic, was delivered by Spark and Mettle, a youth development charity based in London that supports and enables young people to identify, articulate and improve key character strengths, while also building their soft skills for a brighter future.

Students who participated logged on to a tailor-made, on-line resource that helped them to identify their personal strengths and abilities, as well as areas where they needed further development.

Other key learning outcomes involved in the programme included an understanding of what life skills are, and how to communicate and demonstrate these skills to others with increased confidence.

Two workshops covered a range of important life skill areas, including critical thinking, effective communications, organised planning and how to take the initiative. Students also learnt the value of showing resilience, grit and determination, while finding purpose and managing emotions were also a key part of the learning experience.

The results of the workshops showed that the Taqaddam programme has helped to motivate the students, said Gail Campbell, director of education at British Council, Mena. Their hard work and personal development gained over seven weeks have been rewarded today. It is our hope that they take the learnings from Taqaddam with them for the rest of their life.

The seven-week programme culminated with a final workshop and Future Ideas competition that saw students develop innovative ideas and concepts to win a range of prizes.

Students had to work in teams to devise an innovative idea that addressed key global challenges related to the environment, health or community well-being.

Muharraq Secondary School for Girls, who came up with a Pet-Fit concept watch that tracks the users physical activity and exercise history, were announced as the winners of the competition.

The Taqaddam programme is being delivered in eight countries across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to help youngsters acquire a broad set of life skills that will serve them and their communities in the future. TradeArabia News Service
Latest developments and trends in different medical fields were discussed by over 350 physicians at a number of conferences in Dubai this month. The events were organised by pharma giant Bayer, as part of its Bayer Day.

Dermatologists, gynaecologists, cardiologists, and otolaryngologists from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt attended separate events at JW Marriott Marquis Dubai to participate in high-level dialogues, interact with their peers, and exchange knowledge, experiences, and best practices.

During Bayer Day, high-profile regional and international doctors gave comprehensive lectures on a wide range of key topics during the meetings covering dermatology, gynaecology, allergy and cardiology therapeutic areas.

The gatherings came at a time when the region, led by the UAE, is intensifying its efforts to provide world-class healthcare services, said a press release.

Non-communicable diseases kill 38 million people across the world each year per the data from the World Health Organization. Heart disease, for instance, is the leading cause of death in both men and women, according to the World Heart Federation. It is estimated that 17 million deaths per year are due to cardiovascular diseases and this number might increase to 23 million by 2030.

On allergy, the conference addressed topics including recent concepts of allergic rhinitis care, implications of allergy on later life and the reasons behind the increasing allergy cases.

On dermatology, topics discussed included management of androgenic alopecia; a comprehensive review of acne management and atopic dermatitis; effective use of moisturisers for optimum outcomes; and updates on advanced laser treatment for face and periorbital rejuvenation.

As for the conference for obstetricians and gynaecologists, the agenda included discussions on health related issues in pregnant women, latest trends in cosmetic gynaecology, obesity in pregnancy, and minimal access surgery (laparoscopic and hysteroscopy surgery), among others.

The conference for cardiologists covered topics including acute coronary syndrome; current strategies for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation in 2016; current management of hyperlipidaemia; resynchronisation device therapy for heart failure; antiplatelet guideline; and new onset chest pain.

Mohamed Galal, head of Bayers Middle East consumer health division, said: These separate medical conferences in Dubai aimed at bringing together different specialists from the region in one place to enable them to discuss pressing issues and latest updates in their respective fields. Such a platform ensures that the regions health sector is up-to-date and in sync with the latest global current and emerging trends. By sharing their medical expertise with each other, the participants are contributing to the overall enhancement and improvement of the regions health sector, which will ultimately benefit all patients and consumers. TradeArabia News Service
Access to finance remains the biggest challenge facing small businesses and entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a new survey which highlights the contribution of the sector to economy.



Funding issues head the list for 36 per cent of the businesses polled, and is second and third for 12 and 13 per cent of respondents respectively, said the survey by Meed, a leading business intelligence provider.



The survey, which asked 250 respondents to name their three main business challenges, comes ahead of the fifth edition of Meeds Gulf Capital SME Awards.



The other top challenges mentioned by business owners include customer acquisition at 12.4 per cent and lack of awareness in their respective market sectors (12 per cent) that are affecting growth prospects for this year.



One of the biggest hurdles for young businesses is access to adequate financing to fund their future growth, says Dr Karim El Solh, CEO of Gulf Capital, one of the leading alternative asset management firms in the Middle East and the Awards headline sponsor from the start.



Finding banks and other traditional financial institutions that will support their growth is difficult for most during these challenging times, especially for those with asset-light businesses or with a limited track record of profitability.



However the UAEs vision to be a global hub for innovation, creativity and business development, all of which contribute to a more diversified economy and sustainable future for the country, have encouraged many entrepreneurs to start successful knowledge based businesses, which are typically asset-light but have strong cash flows. These young businesses have to raise money from alternative sources and have to be efficient in how they use it.



Comprising around 300,000 companies and accounting for 86 per cent of the workforce in the private sector, SMEs play a critical role in the UAEs economy and contribute substantially to income, output and employment. The SMEs that are doing well today are those with a vision of where they want to be, but who are still flexible in the steps they must take to get there. They need proper planning, agility and strong execution and determination to achieve their vision and reach a certain level of profitability, says Dr El Solh.



Just over half  51 per cent  of the respondents in the survey indicated that they secure their financing from banks and traditional sources of financing, but 21 per cent still rely on family and friends. Angel investors and private firms provided financing for nine per cent of the respondents.



The challenges to get finance for SMEs are both internal and external to the organisation says Roy Nouhra, founder and president of ASIS Boats, last years Gulf Capital Business of the Year. Externally, the federal and local governments have to increase the incentives to banks in order to encourage them to have more appetite to lend to younger and more asset-light institutions. Internally, SMEs need to have a proper corporate governance, accounting records and a solid business plan, Nouhra said.



Over the years, the awards programme has become highly sought-after amidst the SME community in the UAE. It has graduated many SMEs that have truly demonstrated what it takes to be successful entrepreneurs who can build excellent businesses through dedication, innovation and resourcefulness. Many of these dynamic, forward-looking SMEs have provided employment opportunities for thousands of professionals and have contributed positively to the overall economy. Gulf Capital is honoured to support the SME Awards that reward and celebrate the forward-thinking firms and entrepreneurs that will shape the UAEs post-oil economy," adds Dr El Solh.



It is always small businesses that get hit hardest in a slowdown, says Richard Thompson, Meed editorial director. Yet they are the companies that drive new ideas and innovation that will help boost further growth. The awards are about recognising the achievements of the UAEs best small businesses; and about raising awareness and support for their vital contribution to the future success of the Emirates.



The 2016 edition of the Gulf Capital SME Awards is now open for submission of entries. To enter the awards, visit www.meedsmeawards.com. - TradeArabia News Service


UAE-based Ducab, a leading manufacturer of high-quality cables and cabling products, will take part in the Careers UAE 2016 in Dubai, next week, to demonstrate its commitment to Emiratisation and local talent development.



At the event, which will be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 16 to 18, the company will be joined by their recently appointed workplace ambassador, Ali Al Saloom.



Al Saloom, who is popular in the region as the founder of the Ask Ali website, will join Ducab in a number of events and forums to emphasise the ways in which the companys work environment complements the rich culture of the UAE, while offering Emirati talent the opportunity to develop their capabilities and enjoy a thriving career, said a statement from the company.



Al Saloom said: As a leading brand in its sector, Ducab represents UAE in a large number of international forums which provides a great opportunity for Emirati talent to further their careers.



The visitors at the exhibition are invited to join Ducab at its stand to find out more about the career opportunities and special programmes offered by the company, which include the following:



Scholarship Programme - This programme is directed at Emirati students seeking a bachelor's degree in engineering and financial management where eligibility requires a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA after their first year. The programme provides the opportunity for students to get experience parallel to their studies by spending four weeks per year, during the school holidays, working at Ducab.



Graduate Training Programmes:



Engineers Graduate Training Programmes - This 18-month training programme is targeted at fresh graduates from the various branches of engineering including mechatronic, mechanical, technical, electrical, chemical, electronic or industrial engineering.



Graduate Training Programmes for non-engineers - This 12-month training programme is designed for fresh graduates from other disciplines including human resources, business operations, marketing, finance and other technology.



Mona Mohamed Fekri, general manager human resources at Ducab, said: "Our company is committed to providing job opportunities to aspiring national talent in order to enhance their ability and ultimately contribute to the growth of UAEs industrial sector.



In line with our new talent strategies, we are focusing on quality of hire with the aim to deliver an immersive and inspiring work environment with a rich culture of innovation and creativity. With the industrial sector being a vital tributary of the national economy, we welcome qualified Emirati talent to join us in representing UAE internationally, he added.



Ducab is presently involved in joint initiatives with a number of major universities and educational institutions in the region to recruit students from different disciplines and to host regular visits and open day activities throughout the year, it added.  TradeArabia News Service


US Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday.



Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas.



On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior and defence ministers - the two most senior princes - would try "to make sure that we can get this cessation better footed and, frankly, better observed and implemented throughout the country."



On Tuesday the US and Russia will co-chair a meeting of the International Syria Support Group, which includes Arab League and European Union countries as well as Turkey, Iran and China.  Reuters
Iran plans to launch phases 20 and 21 of the South Pars Gas Field by mid-March 2017, a report said.



The phases will go on-stream with a daily production capacity of 50 million cu m (mcm) of natural gas, Iran Daily quoted Behzad Mohammadi, managing director of Oil Industries' Engineering and Construction Group (OIEC) as saying, citing Shana.



"Drilling operations in 11 wells of Phase 21 will be complete within a month while 11 wells in Phase 20 will be concluded by mid-summer," said Mohammadi.



Topsides of the two phases will be fully installed at designated spots by late-December, he added, noting that gas can be extracted from 16 wells of 22 wells of the two phases.
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company has appointed a consortium led by Mitsui, Acwa Power, and Dhofar International Development and Investment Holding (DIDIC) to develop the 3,219 MW Ibri and Sohar-3 power generation projects, the largest single tendered IPP in Oman.



The project includes two natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants of 1,509 MW and 1,710 MW each, located at Ibri and Sohar in Northern Oman. Mitsui is the lead investor and the managing member of the project, owning 50.1 per cent of the project, with Acwa Power having a further 44.9 per cent of the shares and DIDIC, five per cent.



Both plants will be owned and operated under a 15-year power purchase agreement with OPWP and will be connected to the main interconnected system (MIS) in Oman.



Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of Acwa Power, said: Demand for electric power in the sultanate is increasing at a rapid pace so these projects are essential to provide reliable and efficient power to drive economic growth and development. This is our fifth project in the Sultanate of Oman, and in conjunction with our consortium partners were committed to meeting the target commissioning dates set out in the agreements. These projects are of particular importance to us as they represent the largest single award in the region, second only to our existing Qurayyah IPP.



Once commercially operational in early 2019, the plants will supply approximately 30 per cent of electricity demand in Oman.



Were a committed partner in helping drive economic development in Oman through the delivery of safe, power and water at the lowest possible cost, said Rajit Nanda, chief investment officer of Acwa Power.



This ceremony comes following a wonderful year for Acwa Power in Oman with the commencement of operations from our recent expansion at our Acwa Power Barka facility together with the achievement of ground-breaking in the recently awarded Salalah2 IPP, all of which are a sign of our steadfast commitment to Oman.



Acwa Power has operations in 12 countries across three continents, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Mozambique, Turkey and Vietnam. Last year saw the company close project financing of eight IPP projects with a total capacity of 1,650 MW (excluding this project). These include a total of 770 MW for renewable energy projects at a total project cost of $5 billion.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) signed a $900 million loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) and other international lenders to help finance Shuqaiq power plant's construction, the utility said on Sunday.



The facility has a 13.25-year lifespan and is guaranteed by KEXIM. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Deutsche Bank and Santander are among the lenders providing funding, the bourse statement said.



State-controlled SEC, the largest utility company in Saudi Arabia, has previously said that it expects the total cost of the project to be $3.2 billion.



It signed a contract in 2013 with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Company to build the 2,640 MW Shuqaiq power plant in southwestern Jizan province.-Reuters


Bahrain-based Dragon City, a top wholesale and retail shopping destination, will be holding a month-long extravaganza from May 18 featuring the beautiful intricacies of the Chinese culture.



The lavish, Oriental themed nature of the Summer Surprise Month will be embodied in and exemplified by its opening ceremony that will encompass Chinese tea-making experiences and different sections that teach the delicate, age-old art of Chinese calligraphy. The ceremony is set to host invited dignitaries and exclusively invited guests of Dragon City management, along with members of the local and regional media, in the presence of visitors.



Patrick Zheng Shuo, general manager of Chinamex Middle East Investment & Trade Company Limited, the operating company of Dragon City, said: With Dragon City being such a monumental project in terms of its size, stature and the contribution it has to offer to the Kingdom of Bahrain, it was only fitting that we host a festival of sorts to celebrate the completion of the first quarter of the year since our inception. Therefore, it is with great pride that I announce that Summer Surprise Month will be officially open for engagement to the public from May 18.



During the month-long celebrations, Dragon City will be packed with fun activities, breathtaking events and captivating experiences in and around the pioneering establishment.



Dragon City will host a Chinese Auto Spare Parts and Accessories exhibition that will last from the May 18 to 21 with various prestigious Chinese car brands being put on display. It will also hold an exclusive Chinese Art and Craft show on May 26, so that visitors can indulge themselves in this truly breathtaking world.



With plenty of delightful and recreational pursuits in store, we have something on offer for everyone that will keep them entertained, with lasting memories, for a whole month. We look forward to welcoming one and all to our event and as the day approaches closer, we grow excited to be the cause for the spread of cheer that is set to be a defining characteristic of the Summer Surprise Month, he added.



To add a rewarding element to the exotic features of Summer Surprise Month, various promotions will also encompass a major component of the festival with over 240 outlets participating in this collective offering.



During the Summer Surprise Month, every purchase of BD20 in any participating outlet at Dragon City entitles customers to win instant gifts. To add to the celebratory nature of the festival, Dragon City will also be holding various other events such as Cupcake decoration, an indoor Kids Cinema and a Selfie Station on different dates throughout the month, amongst other exciting activities that will be revealed through the course of the Summer Surprise Month.



We at Dragon City witness an influx of visitors over weekends and public holidays. This, coupled with the increase in the inflow of visitors to Bahrain from throughout the GCC during the summer holidays, makes Dragon City all the more appealing for customers during the coming month, said Shuo.



With the summer season on our doorsteps, we wanted to make shopping at Dragon City that much more rewarding, which is why we decided to launch the promotions as well to coincide with the Summer Surprise Month. We hope all our customers, both regulars and prospective, enjoy our offering, the magnificently fun Summer Surprise Month, as much as it pleasures us to have organized it, he concluded.



Dragon City is a first of its kind development that encompasses over 787 commercial units, making it the largest wholesale and retail trading centre in Bahrain.  TradeArabia News Service
International Centre for Culinary Arts Dubai (ICCA Dubai) honoured 24 young chefs who successfully completed the graduation programme offered as part of Dh1 million Continuing Education Award - a unique annual 100 per cent Culinary Scholarship Program by ICCA Dubai.



Dr. Abdullah Al Karam, chairman, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) presented qualification certificates to 24 young chefs together with Dr. Naji Almahdi, chief, Qualifications & Awards, Dubai and Mohammed Abdullah, managing director, Dubai Knowledge Park, Chef Uwe Micheel, chairman ECG and Young Chefs Development Team for WorldChefs and Chef Andy Cuthbert, president of Emirates Culinary Guild.



The graduates of Class of 2016 include young chefs from JW Marriott Marquis, Ritz Carlton, Shakespeare & Co, Shangri-La, Emirates Flight Catering, The Address, Madinat Jumeirah, Fairmont, Atlantis The Palm, JA Resorts, Marriott Courtyard, Radisson Blu, Media One, The Aga Khan Foundation and Unilever amongst others.



The innovative industry-focused training initiative was launched by ICCA Dubai in 2014 for deserving chefs, who are unable to access quality education and training in their disciple due to lack of financial resources. The programme was designed and executed in collaboration with Emirates Culinary Guild (ECG), WorldChefs and the City & Guilds London.



Commenting on this occasion, Sunjeh Raja, director and CEO, ICCA Dubai, said: Today, ICCA Dubai has successfully achieved and accomplished its purpose to give the very best to both, the industry and its talent. I am proud of our graduates and very delighted to honor their achievement today.



The Dh1 Million Continuing Education Award was set up with an aim to provide everyone an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams and not to be limited by their means while boosting the industry with fresh, skilled resources taking the industry development to the next level ahead of the Dubai Expo 2020. I would like to thank the industry members and strategic partners for their support in helping achieve this vision, highlighting the fact that Together we can Make Lives Happen"



All students were put through the intensive ICCA Dubai - International Chef Training Program, a City & Guilds London, accredited IVQ Level 2 Qualification, along with other Industry Skills Proficiency Training, through a 52 Week Day Release Program. During the 52 week programme, prominent chefs and industry experts regularly conducted training sessions, imparting skills and knowledge aligned to the industry needs.



The graduates are eligible for WACS Certified Professional Cook, under the World Chefs Global Certification Scheme.



ICCA Dubai to date has trained over 2,800 student chefs and maintains a record of 100 per cent work placement for its students who have been successfully placed both in the UAE hospitality and international Cruise Line industry.



ICCA Dubai also offers industry certification and skills development programmes in international best practices in food safety and hygiene that enables industry employees to stay on top of their continuous professional development, apart from a range amateur courses and personalised training programmes. - TradeArabia News Service
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
The head of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says its time to admit his agency has a $1 billion problem.

BLM Director Neil Kornze says the administration cant afford to wage an increasingly uphill battle to protect the ecological health of federal rangeland across the West while at the same time properly managing tens of thousands of wild horses and caring for tens of thousands more rounded up in government corals.

Kornze said the agency may not have done as good of a job as it could have in recent years to underscore the environmental and budgetary crisis looming in its wild horse and burro program.

His experts estimate $1 billion will be needed to care for the 46,000 wild horses and burros currently in U.S. holding facilities over their lifetime. That doesnt include the cost of future efforts to shrink the population of the record-67,000 now roaming public lands in 10 western states.

Were trying to make an effort to be real clear about the challenges because they are significant, Korzne said late Tuesday. Part of it is a recognition on our part that we cant solve this alone. We need partners coming to the table, whether its states or counties or others, he said.

The 67,000 horses and burros on the range is a 15 percent increase from last year, and more than double the population that was estimated when President Nixon signed the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act into law in 1971. The landmark legislation allows for removals but also grants the animals unique federal protection and requires they be treated humanely during and after their capture.

Korzne said his agencys horse budget has doubled since 2009  from $40 million to more than $80 million currently  but the trajectory of the population has just gone up and up. Left unchecked, the population naturally doubles every four years.

Its a double bind, Korzne said. Theres a very real impact on the range when the herds are overpopulated, but it costs us $50,000 per horse if the horse lives out its whole life in holding. Every time BLM goes out and gathers 1,000 horses, we are talking about potentially a $50 million commitment on behalf of American taxpayers.

Kornze said one of the growing problems is a dramatic drop in the private adoptions of gathered mustangs over the past decade from about 8,000 a year to 2,500 or fewer.

Critics fear BLM is exaggerating the numbers to build support for past proposals by livestock interests to slaughter the oldest mustangs that have been placed in long-term holding with little chance of being adopted.

The BLMs numbers are inflated estimates to fear-monger elected officials into supporting a breakdown of the 1971 law, said Anne Novak, executive director of the California-based Protect Mustangs.

Korzne insisted the agency has no intention of allowing the slaughter of federal horses. But he said its considering spaying, neutering or otherwise sterilizing some animals that are on the range  something just as distasteful to most horse protection groups who argue the real answer lies in dramatic cutbacks in government-subsidized livestock grazing.

Wild horses are present on just 12 percent of federal rangelands, which they share with livestock, and their habitat has shrunk by over 40 percent the last four decades, said Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. The feds consider 67,000 wild horses and burros to be overpopulated, yet there are only 70,000 big horn sheep remaining in the West and they are highly endangered.
Wyomings Gov. Matt Mead has the third-highest approval rating of all state governors, according to a new poll.

Mead, a Republican who was elected to his first term in 2010, had a 67 percent approval rating in the Morning Consult survey. Twenty-four percent of Wyomingites disapproved of his performance and 9 percent didnt know or were undecided.

Mead falls behind fellow Republican governors Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, with a 72 percent approval rating, and Larry Hogan of Maryland, with 71 percent approval.

In Wyoming, the margin of error is wide  7.6 percent. That means the approval rating swings between 59.4 and 74.6 percent.

Morning Consult, a Washington-based media and technology group focused on politics and business, interviewed 66,000 voters nationwide but only had a sample size of 165 voters in Wyoming, the nations smallest state, said Jeff Cartwright, a spokesman for Morning Consult.

Meads approval rating, even on the low end, falls above the national median of 55 percent, Cartwright said.

The median disapproval rating was 31 percent.

He does have a high approval compared to a few others, he said. He did better on both ends of the spectrum.

Morning Consult conducted the poll from January through May 5. In Wyoming, that time period was marked by falling energy revenues and a state legislative session that saw cuts to programs and services.

Cheyenne Republican Jimmy Orr, a longtime journalist who has worked in the White House under George W. Bush and for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, questioned the polls accuracy because of the wide margin of error and extensive time period in which people were surveyed.

If we take the poll at face value, Gov. Mead is doing well, he said. Wyoming has had massive layoffs in the energy industry and the governor has been forced to order significant cuts in the budget.

Some economists are projecting the economic downturn could last for years. As layoffs and state government cuts wear on people citizens will blame everyone for the downturn, Orr said. Thats inevitable.

Mead is a Republican in a red state who has been outspoken about how President Barack Obamas climate change regulations have hurt the energy industry in Wyoming, a message thats resonating with the public, Orr said.

Orr said the governors secret weapon is Mary Kay Hill, who was media director for a decade for former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming. She now works as Meads policy director.

As long as he can continue to message this  and there is no one more talented in the country for political messaging than Mary Kay Hill  he should be able to weather the storm just fine, he said.

Mead, in an email sent from his spokesman, said he is honored to be governor and appreciates the support.

People talk to him about revenue projections and the budget, he said, and the Integrated Test Center in Gillette, where researchers will seek economic uses for carbon emissions. Mead also said people talk to him about the Western Governors Association of which Mead serves as chairman.

I love to visit Wyoming communities and hear from people in the places where they live and work, he said. I get all kinds of feedback, much of it positive, but I want to hear everything  all points of view  and I do.

Cartwright, the spokesman for Morning Consult, said the governors with the lowest approval ratings are associated with scandals and mismanagement.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, had only a 26 percent approval rating, the worst in the nation. Brownback massively cut taxes, resulting in a state budget crisis.

Michigan GOP Gov. Rick Snyder, at 32 percent approval, was third worst. Snyder and his environmental agency administrator for months denied lead leached into drinking water in the city of Flint. Thousands children drank the water. Lead poisoning is permanent and causes developmental and behavioral problems, especially in young children.
GILLETTE  Quilting used to be the social activity for women. They would get together in clubs that dotted the community and create quilts for their children, loved ones, friends and those in need.

In 1921, the Savageton Home Builders started a club of quilters, but they were just another small club in a Gillette community full of them. Current club president Verna Ann Gilbertz said it was just the social standard at the time.

At one time, there were 20 (quilting) clubs in town. It was the thing in the community when it was probably not possible to come into Gillette for social activities, she said. There were clubs scattered all over and it was the social backbone of the rural community. But theyve all kind of died out.

Now, the Savageton Home Builders is one of the only remaining quilting clubs that herald back to those early days. And its something Gilbertz and the other 10 or 11 members have become proud of.

Were pretty proud of our group, Gilbertz said. Were active in the community.

Normally, the group will put out between eight and 10 quilts a year through the 25 years Gilbertz has been a part of the group. That adds up to between 200 and 250 quilts over that quarter decade. But this past year, the annual output has tripled. Sitting in Gilbertzs living room are 24 quilts, each taking around eight hours to do from start to finish.

First, the quilters have to sew the pieces together, which takes about five hours to do. Then they have to put them together with the padding and then sew them together, which each take another hour apiece. Finally, the tying of the quilts takes another hour to finish.

For Gilbertz, it was a family tradition that she still embraces and wants to preserve. She has been involved one way or another for 55 years.

It was partly because my two grandmothers, my mother and my two aunts did it. I used to live out on Highway 50 until just a few years ago when I moved into town, she said. Then, the men would come and have lunch with us, where it was a full-fledged meal. The University of Wyoming started a program to teach rural ladies how to do all kinds of things. It was an educational-type thing.

Gilbertz was laid up for much of the winter with a bad hip, so it gave her a lot of time to work on quilts. She estimates she quilted between 12 and 13 during the winter.

Now I just need to get them out of my house, she said.

Historically, the Savageton Home Builders hasnt been a for-profit organization. The quilts arent normally sold for money. They are made for those in need, organizations and children within the community. Gilbertz wants to keep that tradition alive as well.

The 24 quilts made during this past year will be donated to different charities. She plans to donate some to the Boys and Girls Club of Campbell County, the Childrens Center, CASA, the Womens Resource Center and Pioneer Manor, along with any other organization they can find that may need a quilt.

The quilting clubs of old are mostly died out, being replaced by YouTube vloggers and do-it-yourself website tips. But Gilbertz stubbornly will not allow her club to go the way of all the rest.

Its a tradition.
Jeremy Tofte walks into a bar.

Maybe its a bar in Denver. Maybe its a bar in Seattle or Alaska. Hes been to all three places in the last two months, back and forth. Its always a big bar, the ones with 40 to 60 taps, featuring the most popular craft breweries from what many consider the best beer region in the country.

Tofte asks the bartender, the owner or the manager to pour a pint of beer. Your favorite IPA or double IPA, hell say, because Tofte isnt the one drinking. When the beer is served, Tofte pours a pint from a growler. Its a beer made by Melvin Brewing, the company he started six years ago in a closet-sized space inside a Thai restaurant in Jackson.

Maybe the beer Tofte pours is a pint of Melvin IPA, Drunken Master or Carlton  all award-winning beers. Or maybe its a pint of 2x4. Ever heard of 2x4? Its the only double IPA to win gold at the Great American Beer Festival, Alpha King Challenge and World Beer Cup.

Most likely, the bartender has no clue. He or she has never heard of Melvin Brewing, let alone tried a Wyoming beer. And thats why Tofte is here.

Two pints sit on the counter: a Melvin beer and the bartenders favorite. The person behind the counter tries both.

And 10 out of 10 times, Melvin wins, Tofte said with a smirk.

The 42-year-old with a thick beard tells this story from Alpine. Its in this mountain town of roughly 850 people where Melvin Brewing graduated five months ago from a closet-sized space to a 20,000-square-foot facility.

The dense smell of crisp, piney hops emanates from the entrance. Kettles simmer and tanks ferment. A canning line pushes out can after can of Hubert, Melvin IPA and 2x4, the brewerys three flagship hoppy beers, to be mass distributed to cities like Denver, Seattle and Portland.

Each can is printed with the same sentence on the top rim: If your beer is not madness, its not beer.

We feel like were making beer from the future, Tofte said. People arent used to it, because theres not a whole lot of it on the market.

Just ask Dave Chichura. Hes been brewing since 1996. Hes the head brewer at the Alpine facility, and on this day in late April, hes making a double batch of 2x4, religiously following the scribbles in his black notebook that reveal the secret ingredients.

Theres a s- ton of hops in it, Chichura, 45, said, who spent roughly nine years as a brewer at Oskar Blues in Colorado. Its more than Ive ever used, and Ive been brewing for a long time.

What makes these beers unique is the amount of dry hopping. Melvin beers ferment in 60-barrel tanks for six days after brewing. Dry hopping is when hops are added to the beer after fermentation. Hubert, Melvin IPA and 2x4 require more than two pounds of dry hopping per barrel.

Back in the day, a pound per barrel was considered a lot, Chichura said. So were doing more than double what used to be considered a lot of hops.

Theres a reason few breweries follow Melvins process: Adding all those hops comes with a price. Hops act like a sponge, increasing the flavor but soaking up the product. Most breweries have a 90 to 95 percent yield on their beers from start to finish. On Melvins hoppy beers, its 75 to 80 percent.

When people look at the economics of brewing, especially the bean counters, they dont want to see that. They want to see mass profitability, and whats the least you can do to get the most out, Chichura said.

Thats not happening at all here. Not even remotely.

But the handfuls of breweries that employ a similar process have made a name for themselves with unique, flavorful brews. Beer connoisseurs make pilgrimages to Vermonts The Alchemist to get their hands on Heady Topper, a double IPA once rated the best beer in the world. Californias Russian River, known for a double IPA called Pliny the Elder, is considered one of the top craft breweries in America.

Melvin wants to be the next.

I didnt coin this, but on the internet, people are starting to call (2x4) Pliny Killer, Tofte said.

Last year, Melvin Brewing was named best small brewpub in the U.S. at the Great American Beer Festival. But the art of crafting beer isnt their only priority. Its also science.

Melvin Brewing made a unique hire when it opened the Alpine facility. Her name is Andrea Baillo. She has a Ph.D in molecular biology and genetics. Her office at the Alpine facility is full of test tubes and instruments. According to Tofte, its a six-figure lab.

My position is a luxury in most breweries, said Baillo, whose job title is quality assurance manager.

The 31-year-old came from Maui Brewing Co., where she was a certified beer chemist. Roughly 10 breweries in the country have a certified beer chemist  MillerCoors, Budweiser and New Belgium included.

Baillo analyzes cans for dissolved oxygen, a primary beer spoiler, and also runs taste tests with the staff. Shes missing one piece of equipment to be a certified beer chemist at Melvin. Once she gets it, the brewery in Alpine will be in exclusive company.

Their emphasis is on quality, 100 percent, Baillo said. (At this stage) they really need brewers. They dont need me. They want me.

They need brewers because demand has far exceeded supply. Cans are selling out. Kegs are kicked at bars in Colorado, Seattle and Portland. Distributors keep asking for more and more.

The brewery never planned on being exclusive. The goal was to be accessible. Yet the state where its most difficult to find a Melvin beer, on draft or in a can, is the state where its made.

Its the opposite of any brewery, Baillo said. You start in your local hometown, you grow and grow, you support your community, and then you start venturing. No, they were like, Were going to Colorado!

Soon, Melvin cans will circulate throughout Wyoming, but theres a reason the Cowboy State was a low priority.

Construction on the Alpine facility was delayed eight months, meaning the brewery paid interest on loans during that span without producing beer. Now, theyre playing catch-up. The brewery needed dependable funds, and there are more people in Denver than the entire state of Wyoming.

But theres another reason. Places like Denver, Seattle and Portland are educated beer markets. And most of those people have never tried a Wyoming brew. Thats Toftes job. He educates distributors and bar owners out of state, selling them on his product so they can sell it to customers.

He even made shirts for his sales team. On the back it says, Nobody Cares About Wyoming. Tofte is approached with questions whenever he wears that shirt. Sometimes, hell respond with a story.

Theres a franchise called World of Beer. It offers more than 500 beers from all over the globe. Their menu is vast, listing beers and breweries along with their state and country of origin.

Melvin Brewing made it into both of Colorados World of Beers. For their tap takeover party, Tofte and his co-workers arrived to celebrate. But when they looked at the menu and found their beer, the wrong state was listed next to Melvin: Colorado.

Hey, man, Tofte said to one of the managers. Were from Wyoming.

The manager apologized.

Our computer doesnt give us an option to pick a brewery from Wyoming, he said. Every state except Wyoming.

Tofte smiles whenever he tells this story.

Thats what were dealing with in the outside world, he said, shaking his head. Were just the forgotten state when it comes to craft beer. And were going to change that.
CHEYENNE  When I went to pick up my prescription at Safeway I was stunned to learn the cost was $300.

A year ago I had been astonished to learn the price had shot up to a little more than $100. I paid it without complaint, however because the skin cream worked and a tube lasted about a year.

But $300 for the same product was too much.

The pharmacist said he couldnt explain the reason for the increase. He said he and the other pharmacists dont like the steep hikes on prescription drugs, but there is nothing they can do about it.

I said I was not paying $300 and left.

During a subsequent visit to the M.D. I told my tale and my opinion of grasping Big Pharma. I was advised to look into Canada drugs.

So I did. I went online, got another prescription and mailed it in, along with a check for $59.97.

Thats right  $59.97 for the same product, same size as the $300 model.

A week to 10 days later, it arrived in the mail.

Obviously this is not the same as popping into your neighborhood pharmacy if you need a prescription filled quickly. Nor does it offer all types of prescription drugs. But its a nice financial arrangement for more common non-essential prescription drugs.

Although it was new to me, I quickly found that many people were well aware of the Canadian drug program and some had used it years ago.

The overpricing of prescription drugs is a big issue in the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

In 1999 when Sanders was a member of Congress, he led a group of women being treated for breast cancer across the border into Canada to buy prescription drugs. The drug they bought was Tamoxifen and at a price that was a fraction of what they paid in the U.S.

Sanders wants the government to be able to import cheaper drugs from Canada.

For years has has railed against the millions of dollars the pharmaceutical companies spend on lobbying Congress.

His crusade started in 2004 when the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America secured a new Medicare prescription drug benefit that would let the medicine makers charge the government what prices they wanted, according to the Huffington Post.

Sanders voted against the deal.

And what a sweet deal that was.

He and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton both support a proposal to let the government negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare clients.

Sanders goes further and wants to expand Medicare coverage for everyone.

He calls the current prescription drug pricing system the great American drug heist.

I share the view of most Americans  that the drug companies are putting profits before anything else.

A recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 72 percent of Americans think drug costs are unreasonable and want drug companies to release information on how they set prices, according to a CNN report.

Tom Sackville, the foundations chief executive officer, said American consumers have little recourse against the high prices.

Consumers are pretty much unprotected from whatever price, he said.

For their part, the pharmaceuticals say the price reflects the high cost of development.

According to PhRMA, the pharmaceutical trade group, high prices are a reflection of the research and development costs it takes to bring a drug to market.

On average, the group asserts, it takes more than 10 years and $2.6 billion to bring a drug to market. And for every successful drug there are many drugs that never make it to market.

But the director of Memorial Sloan Ketterings Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Dr. Peter B. Bach, said that pharmaceutical companies charge high prices simply because they can.

We have no rational system in the U.S. for managing prices of drugs, Bach added.

Until the U.S. drug pricing system changes, Americans have one recourse. Look north  to Canada.
It is easy to see why the Department of Interiors pause on federal coal leasing is not exactly popular in Wyoming, given massive recent miner layoffs, corporate bankruptcies and gutting of state revenues. But on reflection, these challenges to our lives and economy are not the results of the pause, but rather underscore its rationale and necessity.

Wyomings coal industry is based almost exclusively on federal coal, and the industrys success or failure hinges on the efficacy of federal management decisions. The last time the program was suspended was under President Ronald Reagan in 1984-1987, for a programmatic review similar to the current one. Prior to that, leasing was paused by President Richard Nixon in 1971, in response to a 1,000 percent increase in leased coal producing only a 75 percent increase in coal production after World War II.

For the most part, federal action has benefited coal production in Wyoming and other western states. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was signed in 1977, allowing the strip mining of vast acreages of lands, and with other federal rules, formed the foundation for the Powder River Basin coal industry we have enjoyed and taken for granted ever since. Since then, Interior has sold billions of tons of publicly owned coal at low prices, to a few corporations, seeking domestic energy security.

But over the years, flaws in the system, management failings and oversights have led to a broken system, controlled by huge outside corporations, and unable to respond with agility to changes in coal markets. The system needs fixing, and this down market is the perfect time to pause and fix it. The coming new coal industry, certainly viable but very likely much smaller, requires re-thinking our management structures. And the bankrupt coal giants are in a perfect position to match their new reorganized business and financial structures to the new realities of energy markets.

Twenty years worth of coal is already leased, so this pause on new leasing will not hinder production. Interiors review and redesign is likely to take two years or so. It is important that it consider at least four things.

First, the last 40 years of leasing and management have created thousands of jobs, thriving communities, and deep state revenue dependence on coal mining. With that, both the state and federal governments have created a moral obligation to provide a just transition to a new economic future. Pensions, health care, and other benefits earned over the decades must not be voided. Economic diversification initiatives must be created and underwritten, and the inevitable bumps in the transition must be smoothed as much as possible. Interior cant do this alone, and states like Wyoming must fully participate.

Second, the leasing system must be modernized to fit new market realities, and to remove the clutter that has accumulated over four decades. Interior must accept its obligation to design and rationally operate a leasing program that reflects market realities, both supply and demand, rather than the speculative impulses encouraged by the present system driven by the companies. Royalties must be collected in a simple and transparent way, with no loopholes.

Third, reclamation requirements must be thoroughly revised and rigidly enforced, so that water and land are returned to their original uses quickly, truly contemporaneously with mining. (Some giant mines in Wyoming have fully reclaimed less than 10 percent of their surface and aquifers after 35 years of mining.) Self-bonding, which not only removes all incentive for rapid reclamation, but also puts taxpayers at risk when corporations file for bankruptcy, must be totally eliminated.

And finally, Interior must totally reassess what is a fair return on the value of the nations massive coal holdings. What is the fair return to miners, communities and states, what is the fair return to American citizens who own the coal in place, and what is the fair return to the corporations who lease the right to extract and sell the coal? This reassessment should result in new methods of assuring competition when leases are bid, transparency in valuation and royalty collection, rational sharing of revenues with states, and fair compensation for miners.

Interiors pause gives us a chance to redesign the future. Lets not stand back and fume. Lets pitch in and be sure its done right.
Just when I feel that I can safely say spring has arrived in Wyoming, I realize that we have to brace for the next storm, the annual cloudburst of summer tourists.

I do not intend for a moment to disparage them  I used to be one before I moved here  but they do create an interesting annual vibe. I choke back the laugh at the family from New Jersey clad in shorts and t-shirts at the Summit rest stop on I-80, children shivering as they stagger from the car to the building, and parents muttering maledictions about winter outerwear in June as they walk the genuinely bewildered dog.

I listen to visitor complaints about not enough Starbucks and wonder what is wrong with the coffee at any one of the much cooler cafes in town. I do laugh at the tourists wearing t-shirts that say Grand Tetons on the front (this is especially funny on skinny adolescent boys). I have even once overheard a low-decibel debate on whether the jackalope is a real animal: You can buy stuffed ones at Cabelas, Its the state animal, and How can that be any more weird than Bigfoot?

I do take umbrage with tourists tendency to flock only to the states northwest corner, spend a few days in Jackson and say theyve seen Wyoming, and to fly here instead of drive. I am always sorry when I see a jet preparing to land in Jackson. Those passengers, many of whom will be whisked from the airport in a shuttle and not leave their four-star bubble, may get to enjoy a good many of the things people come to see there, but they are not seeing very much of our state. Most people dont realize that until the town of Jackson decided to market itself as a tourist trap, there was next to nothing there except a few private ranches.

Driving in this state is one of lifes great pleasures, and if your visit is confined to Park and Teton counties, you see nothing of Devils Tower, the Bighorns, the Oregon Trail, the hot springs at Thermopolis and Saratoga or the beautiful open space of a sagebrush shortgrass prairie.

On a more practical note, our state has a golden opportunity to cash in on tourism before, during and immediately after next Augusts total solar eclipse. Wyoming is going to be a really good bet for clear skies and great outdoor settings in which to observe the eclipse. Smart people have already made plans. Ive rented accommodations at a fly fishing camp and am having a weekend-long eclipse party. I have been somewhat dismayed when I ask people what they are doing that daytoo many havent really done much to prepare.

Many tourists are going to come here, and we should be focusing on how to show them a good time. There is money to be made, especially with our states traditional economy hiccupping. Tourism is going to be an increasingly important revenue stream in Wyoming for some time to come. We need to give tourism dollars even more attention.

This can start with us as individuals. When you see a pair of arguing tourists standing on a street corner looking for a place to eat, help them out. Show them a great burger joint down the street. Resist the impulse to laugh at the chilled children and point out a local place where they can buy a hoodie. Wyoming Cowboys is much better wording than Grand Tetons, and who knows? Maybe that kid will come to school here in a few more years.

A good vacation experience in Wyoming has a way of repeating itself, and we want people to continue to come here, and to return. Folks always remember kindnesses shown to them on vacation. Lets pay it forward. We will all be better off for it.
We are fortunate to live in America, where our rights to free speech and religious liberty are guaranteed by our Constitutions. Or are they?

Watching the news might lead us to question if the government understands what unalienable rights actually are. And when you see what is happening to Judge Ruth Neely of Pinedale, you will wonder if we are living behind the Iron Curtain or in Wyoming.

The U.S. Constitution states:

First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

We in Wyoming enjoy even broader protections, as our Wyoming Constitution is one of the strongest in the country on these issues.

The Wyoming Constitution states:

Article 1. Sec. 18. Religious liberty.

The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship without discrimination or preference shall be forever guaranteed in this state, and no person shall be rendered incompetent to hold any office of trust or profit, or to serve as a witness or juror, because of his opinion on any matter of religious belief whatever; 

Article 1. Sec. 20. Freedom of speech and press; libel; truth a defense.

Every person may freely speak, write and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right;

Article 21. Sec. 25. Religious liberty.

Perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and no inhabitant of this state shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship.

The freedom to exercise these rights is under fire in Wyoming, rights that I took an oath of office to uphold.

Neely has served honorably as the municipal judge in Pinedale for more than 21 years. She hears all cases arising under the ordinances of Pinedale, which generally involve traffic and parking violations, animal control and similar matters.

Neely has also served as a part-time circuit court magistrate. In that capacity, she has the authority to, among other things, administer oaths, issue subpoenas, issue search and arrest warrants, conduct bond hearings, and has the discretion to solemnize marriages. The law does not state that Neely shall perform marriages; it states that she may. (Wyo. Stat.  20-1-106).

Neelys life changed on Dec. 5, 2014. While hanging Christmas lights at home, she received a call from an unidentified number. When Neely returned the call, she reached a reporter with the Sublette Examiner, and he asked her whether she was excited to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies now that they had become legal.

Neely replied that because of her religious beliefs, she would not be able to do same-sex marriages and that she had not been asked to perform one. That month, an article appeared in the Sublette Examiner quoting these statements.

In March 2015, the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics filed a complaint against her, alleging judicial misconduct under the Wyoming Code of Judicial Conduct and seeking her removal from both judicial positions, even though she is not permitted to perform marriages as a municipal judge. The commission alleged that by merely communicating her religious beliefs about marriage and her inability to solemnize same-sex marriages, Neely failed to follow the law and manifested bias or prejudice based on sexual orientation.

All of us should be deeply troubled. First is the idea that anyone could be removed from public office merely for expressing a belief that is declared wrong by activists with access to governing bodies. This attempt to punish Neely for her response to the question violates her rights to the free exercise of religion and free speech under both the Wyoming and U.S. Constitutions.

Equally troubling is the idea that a Commission can assume authority to make and interpret law. The Wyoming Supreme Court will soon have the opportunity to rule on the Commissions prosecution of Neely. If the court upholds the recommendation, it will be affirming that boards, commissions and other bodies can grab authority and punish at will. But if the court rejects the recommendation, it will reaffirm that, in this country, speaking about ones religious beliefs does not disqualify a person from holding public office.

Several past and present legislators have filed an amicus brief in support of Neely. If you support Neely and the right of all citizens to freely speak and freely exercise their religious beliefs, these unalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitutions, speak up.

For more information or to support Neely by signing the petition, visit wypastors.net.
Editor:

In response to an April 20 letter to the editor. Our government is by the people, for the people. Our senators are elected by the voters and represent our wishes. The Republican majority in the House and Senate speaks volumes about how the American voter feels about our president.

President Obama may want to be a king with the final and only say, but our form of government doesn't work that way. Our Senate has every right to refuse to vote on Obama's nominee for our Supreme Court. Garland is very anti-gun, very liberal leaning. And considering the voters leaned conservative, the Senate is doing exactly what the voters elected them to do, limit government.

As for immigration, there is a very good reason the Senate and our court system are fighting Obama and his wish to grant legal status to people who broke the law to come here. Our president took not one but two oaths to uphold our laws. He's not interested in doing such. Granting legal status to illegals won't solve immigration and giving them the legal right to vote only furthers his goal of turning our country toward socialism.

So I stand behind our senators for refusing to help our president further his goal in turning our government into socialism.
Editor:

As the current Wyoming State Science Fair Coordinator and past participant (1996-2000), I assure you that the Wyoming State Science Fair is an extraordinary opportunity for sixth- through 12th-grade students to conduct and present their own original science research and compete for prizes.

The 2016 Wyoming State Science Fair had over 300 students being judged for the chance to compete at the Broadcom MASTERS, a national competition for sixth- through eighth-graders, and Intel ISEF, an international competition for ninth- through 12th-graders. Several Wyoming students will be entering these events where the personal and financial rewards are substantial.

Next year, Id love to see more students, especially ninth through 12th grades, qualified to come to the Wyoming State Science Fair. There is a specific set of procedures to follow, but Ill help you. You can do it, and you do not have to take a class to do the science research!

At the 2016 fair, students entered excellent original research on topics as diverse as bull riding, satellites, supercomputers and cellular biology. This is wonderful! Our Wyoming State Science Fair judges and award donors want to see even more diverse and higher quality research in 2017.

Come on, Wyoming  meet the challenge! Teachers, parents, and students, please e-mail me at wyostatefair@gmail.com if you are interested in participating. Parts of our great state are completely unrepresented. Wyoming may be small in population, but our students are independent thinkers and real problem solvers who can put those skills to work by doing top notch original science, mathematics or engineering research. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the Wyoming State Science Fair in 2017. Follow us on Facebook at Wyoming Science-Fair.

Thank you to those who participated in the 2015 Wyoming State Science Fair! The research was higher quality, and students were polite and dressed professionally. I look forward to seeing you in Laramie for the 2017 Wyoming State Science Fair.
The Small Business Development Center opened its new offices at Pima Community College last week, returning to its traditional home after budget concerns severed the relationship in 2009.

The rechristened PCC Small Business Development Center is part of a nationwide system of centers that offer a variety of free or low-cost services to entrepreneurs, including financial evaluations, one-on-one counseling and training programs.

Small business is the backbone of the economy, said PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert, and backing the center fits into the colleges goals of student success, community engagement and diversity.

To support the growth and development of this community and the region, having the natural partnership that flows from education to business is vital, he said. Im just glad that we could make it happen.

At the inauguration event, Janice Washington, state director for the Arizona SBDC network, said, This is something that weve been working towards for a long time. The partnership between the SBDC and community colleges is a natural one.

Throughout Arizona, and in most other states, the SBDC is partnered with an educational institution. SBDCs are partially paid for by the U.S. Small Business Administration, with the host institution providing matching funds.

A decision was made by the previous (PCC) administration to move away from federal programs that require a match, Washington said. The economy was getting bad so the college had to make a tough budgeting decision.

The SBDC moved to the Microbusiness Advancement Center for a few years, but that arrangement also ended, with Maricopa Community College stepping in to provide support over 2015. That move was always seen as temporary, and conversations started in earnest to move the center back to the PCC campus.

It was never a question whether the SBDC should come back and the value of that, that was always in agreement, really it was working out the details, said Ellen Kirton, director of the Pima Community College SBDC. PCCs matching portion will be $104,750 per year during the new three-year contract, officials said.

The Small Business Development Center is an invaluable resource, said Andrew Schmuker, owner of Stamback Septic, which was recognized at the event as an outstanding business.

The center helped Schmuker as he purchased the company and beyond, working on his business plan and making sure his financials are in order.

Its been wonderful working with SBDC, very positive, also very much educational on the business aspects with larger picture stuff, he said. Weve almost doubled in size since we took over.

Even as the hosting situation for the SBDC was in doubt, the center never stopped helping small-business owners in the community, said Kirton.
Homeownership, a key indicator of neighborhood stability, has dwindled near the University of Arizona  in some cases dramatically  over the past 15 years.

In a dozen neighborhoods on the universitys borders, the rate of owner-occupied homes tops out at 42 percent and in some cases the rate is 10 percent or less.

Those rentals used to be occupied by UA students, but increasingly that group is choosing plush new student-housing communities, leaving residents to worry about vacant, unkempt properties left behind.

A new initiative to get those homes into the hands of owners is taking root, organized by the city of Tucson, the university and representatives of neighborhoods around campus.

UA employees were a natural starting place to promote a mortgage assistance program for people buying homes in the Tucson area.

Its important and beneficial to the community to have folks living in these neighborhoods, said Tannya Gaxiola, UAs assistant vice president for community relations. We got involved with the idea of encouraging our faculty and staff to live in the surrounding neighborhoods.

She said UA President Ann Weaver Hart and Mayor Jonathan Rothschild discussed this partnership and how other universities have undertaken similar initiatives to encourage employees to live near campus.

We have graduate students renting and faculty and staff who are renting, Gaxiola said. Our role will be to promote this effort so folks are very aware of it.

This may be the first time the UA has gotten involved in promoting homeownership around campus to its employees.

There are examples of universities playing a role in helping turn around surrounding neighborhoods, said Marilyn Robinson, president of the Industrial Development Authority, which is administering the mortgage loan program. They dont want to be sitting in the midst of degrading neighborhoods.

Getting owners to sell

Down-payment assistance is available to qualifying homebuyers and  while not exclusive to a certain part of town  the goal is to market the funds availability to UA workers with a list of available properties around campus.

The mortgage loan program is funded through nearly 40 financial institutions and rolls the down payment into the monthly mortgage payments.

Buyers who get government loans and conventional loans through Freddie Mac are eligible. The home must be a primary residence and be occupied within 60 days of closing. (See box for additional information)

The mayor, who himself lives in a university-area neighborhood, is recruiting Realtors to get behind the effort.

Homeownership creates pride in a neighborhood, which results in nicely kept communities and a reduction in crime, Rothschild said. Everyone benefits and the community becomes a more attractive place to live.

Councilman Steve Kozachik, whose ward includes the majority of the 12 UA-area neighborhoods, said the citys role can be to contact owners of vacant homes and explain the effort and remind them that tenants may be tough to find as more student housing becomes available. He hopes that the personal contact and information about the changing market could persuade the landlords to sell.

Weve got to do something, he said. People have a right to see the city has their back.

Broken streetlights

Thirty years ago, when Diana Lett moved into the Feldmans Neighborhood, her neighbors were her friends.

My neighborhood was a special place, where people put down roots and stayed; where we attended the weddings, the baby showers and the funerals, she said. Now? I dont even know the names of some of the kids living next door, and I doubt they know mine.

From 2000 to 2015, the rate of owner-occupied homes in Feldmans fell from 20 percent to 12.7 percent. The neighborhood is northwest of Speedway and Park Avenue.

Lett, who is chair of the Neighborhood Preservation Committee and alternative representative to the Campus Community Relations Committee, said shes delighted by the new effort.

Ive already presented the program to our neighborhood association meeting, she said. She will lead the effort to market Feldmans neighborhood through social media and other outreach.

Id like to have neighbors who stay for years and fix up their properties, especially by planting trees to reduce the heat island effect and muffle noise, Lett said. Id like it if I werent the only person on the block to pick up wind-blown trash, haul off abandoned televisions, call in broken streetlights, and otherwise take responsibility for the place looking halfway presentable.

Time of Transition

In the Rincon Heights Neighborhood, southwest of Campbell Avenue and Sixth Street, the vacancy rate has nearly doubled to 9.3 percent.

There does seem to be a lot more rent signs and theyre staying out longer, said Colby Henley, a neighborhood association board member and representative to the Campus Community Relations Committee.

He believes student housing complexes have lured away students who would otherwise be living in his neighborhood.

Its a two-sided thing, Henley said. The towers addressed the pressure on the neighborhoods, but the flip side is it opened up some of these places and theres more vacancies.

He hopes professors and landscapers from the university will take a look at the neighborhood and appreciate being able to walk to work.

Many folks think of the surrounding neighborhoods as just a bunch of college kids, Henley said. Were not anti-renters or anti-students; we have great relationships with many students. Its just so skewed and we want to reverse it.

Robinson, of the Industrial Development Authority, said the impact of student housing was expected, and there was bound to be a transition period.

The idea of filling those homes with university employees who could walk to work and cut down on traffic, she said, thats just icing on the cake.
One of Pima Community Colleges premier program sites isnt properly accredited  and students there have been cut off from financial aid as a result.

The Aviation Technology Program is in limbo because PCC neglected years ago to seek accreditor approval to operate it at Tucson International Airport, college documents obtained by the Arizona Daily Star show.

The lack of site accreditation means aviation students receiving financial aid dont actually qualify for it. Under federal rules, students qualify only if enrolled in properly accredited programs.

The college is waiting to hear whether it will have to repay the federal government for aid dispensed in error before the problem was discovered.

PCC officials, who have discussed the matter in closed-door executive sessions six times since January, said Friday in response to questions from the Star that they hope to have the problem fixed soon.

PCC spokeswoman Libby Howell said the schools Governing Board also discussed the issue in public, at a study session on Feb. 22. But neither the agenda, the board materials nor the minutes of the Feb. 22 meeting reference the aviation programs accreditation problem.

Students concerned

Some affected students are skeptical  and scared.

Dennise Ponce said she was crushed to learn the federal government has frozen a $3,000 student loan disbursement she was expecting within days, leaving her without money to live on when her classes resume next week.

I cant pay my rent, and my car is in the shop and I cant get it out, said Ponce, 27, who quit a bartending job and relocated from Nogales to study aviation at PCC.

Im scared at this point. Im worried about the future and how this will affect my grades.

Ponce questions why PCC administrators, who have known about the problem for months, didnt tell students until about a week ago.

If they had let me know about this a few months ago, I could have saved up and planned for it, she said. Now Im stranded.

Howell said school officials waited to notify students until we had more concrete and useful details we could share with them.

PCC is doing what it can to help those affected, she said  for example, by offering tuition scholarships to students whose financial aid is frozen for summer classes. That doesnt help students like Ponce, though, who is attending on a scholarship. She already doesnt pay tuition, and took out the student loan to live on so she could devote herself full-time to her studies.

150 enrolled

Howell said about 150 students are enrolled in the aviation program, but it isnt clear how many will need the tuition scholarships. Unlike students in the two-semester system, aviation students often take classes at different times of year, and PCC isnt sure yet how many are taking summer classes.

The college hopes to have the problem fixed before fall semester starts, said a fact sheet recently distributed to affected students.

Howell said PCC officials recently discovered the problem and reported it to the colleges accreditor and to the U.S. Education Department.

Details are hazy because time has passed, Howell said, but it appears the aviation center, built in 2001, became subject several years later to an accreditation rule change that someone at the college overlooked.

The rule requires schools offering programs off-campus to get accreditor approval once more than 50 percent of a program is being run from a satellite site. PCC now is seeking that approval after the fact and officials hope to have a decision shortly, Howell said.

But that alone wont solve the financial aid problem.

Once aid is cut off, it often takes the federal government two months or more to restore it, the fact sheet for affected students said.

As a backup, PCC may relocate half the aviation program to its Desert Vista campus, the closest one to the Tucson airport. But that plan also has a wrinkle: It requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies aircraft mechanics and technicians.

The schools aviation programs rely heavily on students having access to real aircraft in a real work environment, and that access would be cut in half if training moves from TIA to Desert Vista.

Not the first time

PCC faced a somewhat similar situation in 2012.

At the time, the college was about to move its paramedic program into a former elementary school when someone belatedly realized the change needed accreditor approval. The new classrooms stayed empty for months and taxpayers were stuck paying two rents until the matter was resolved , which cost about $85,000 in public funds.

Even after that, no one at PCC checked to make sure the colleges other satellite locations had proper status.

The college isnt the only entity that overlooked the aviation site problem.

Both the Education Department, which dispenses financial aid, and the Higher Learning Commission, PCCs primary accreditor, have visited the college repeatedly in recent years to address various problems and didnt pick up on it.

PCC has been under sanction by its accreditor since 2013 and remains so. The college has until the end of the year to prove to the accreditor that it deserves a clean bill of health. Howell said the fact the aviation center problem was detected shows the college is making progress toward correcting its past problems.

PCC has had a string of mix-ups related to financial aid in recent years. In 2014, for example, the college was temporarily banned from enrolling military veterans because it failed to track their aid eligibility.

Ponce said shes shocked such a situation could occur in the prestigious aviation program, which PCC often showcases when giving tours to visiting dignitaries.

The program itself is magnificent and instructors are top-notch, she said.

I was told this was top aviation school, and it is. Its just so disappointing that students have been put in this position.
Nearly 300 people gathered at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park Saturday morning to remember former state Sen. and Pima County Supervisor Ann Day.

The two dozen rows of chairs filled up quickly, with additional gatherers standing to the sides and back, braving the late-morning sun to pay their respects to Day, 77, who was killed May 7 in a car crash.

A few minutes after Days sister and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConner arrived quietly with her small security detail, the Pima County Sheriff Departments Honor Guard marched down the center aisle, marking the memorials start.

Days son, Curtis Simpson, started the ceremony with a prayer, before his daughter took to the microphone.

My grandmother and I called each other soulmates, said Caitlin Watters, after she welcomed the large crowd.

Watters spoke fondly of Day  or A.D. as she asked her grandchildren to call her  telling the crowd she would give them an insider peek at what Day was like as a grandmother.

She didnt just support us, she pushed us to be better, Watters said. She was brave, and took chances in life.

Watters drew laughter from attendees when she talked about the time Day marched up to Willie Nelson at the Capitol building and said, I only like two types of music: country and Western.

Anyone that met her knew she was a very honest lady, Watters said. Its very rare to find true, pure honesty.

Days son-in-law, Pima County Justice of the Peace Adam Watters, stepped up to speak next, saying that Day was no shrinking violet, but adding that they never had a cross word with one another.

When we went to her house after we got the call last Saturday, there were Mothers Day cards unopened, Watters said. Her youngest granddaughters graduation invitation was on the table. Shes going to miss those things.

When he brought up the crash in which Day was killed, Watters said he has faith in the legal system.

He took the opportunity to speak briefly about impaired driving, saying that of the 18,000 DUI charges filed every year in Arizona, 9,000 of them are in Pima County. I think thats because we have solid, aggressive policing and we have a culture here thats not tolerant of DUIs, Watters said.

The driver who crashed head-on into Days car May 7, after he drove over a median on East Ina Road, faces manslaughter and driving under the influence charges.

Public service was Anns life. Something we can do to honor her memory is to make people more aware of what happens when you drive impaired, Watters said.

County Supervisor Ray Carroll said that in 20 years of politics, hes never worked with a finer person than Ann Day.

She was elegant and circumspect, yet relentless and up-front about issues that concerned her and the public, he said. As most ranchers know, theres one cowboy on every ranch who knows how to do everything. For me, that was a cowgirl and her name was Ann Day, referring to the spirit she gained from growing up on Southern Arizonas Lazy B Ranch.

Before opening the microphone to the public, Days granddaughter, Cassandra Watters, strummed gently at her guitar, making a small change to a classic songs lyrics as she sang, My heroes have always been cowgirls.

Representatives from U.S. Rep. Martha McSally and Gov. Doug Duceys offices were on hand to deliver messages. Duceys spokesman, Juan Ciscomani, presented Days children with an Arizona state flag that had flown over the Capitol.

Current and former Pima County supervisors paid their respects, fondly remembering the time they spent with Day.

She loved to play bridge, but she could also build bridges, said Supervisor Sharon Bronson.

Bronson told attendees that the Parks and Recreation Committee has decided to rename Northwest Community Park after Day, pending a final vote by the board.

She was part of my family. I think she was part of everyones family, said Supervisor Ramon Valadez, talking about his time working with Day in the state Legislature and later on the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Richard Elias smiled and laughed as he called her a ranchera and a vaquera.

She voted on the Legislature with conscience and heart, said former state Sen. Victor Soltero, who served there with Day. She always told me, youre not a real cowboy until you have something on your boots.
Its historic, said Abby Louise Jensen. Davin Franklin-Hicks called it a turning point.

When U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced the federal governments intention to challenge North Carolinas discriminatory law against transgender people, she made it clear about who would be on the right side  and the wrong side  of history.

We see you, Lynch said to Jensen and Franklin-Hicks and all other transgender individuals who have spent years battling for equal civil rights and to maintain their sexual identity and expression.

Lynch, who was born in North Carolina and cited Jim Crow laws and efforts to disarm desegregation laws in previous years, added: We stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward. Please know that history is on your side.

Indeed, the march of history is on the side of a group of people who have been marginalized and, in many cases, live in fear and isolation.

Its absolutely mind-blowing. Were not used to the government supporting us, said Jensen, an appellate attorney for the Pima County public defender.

But theres no celebrating yet  even if the Obama administration issued strong guidelines to public schools Friday to let transgender students use bathrooms that match their sexual identity. There is a strong politicized movement to make transgender people the chupacabra in this years presidential election cycle by upholding North Carolinas new law and supporting other states banning transgender people equal access to public bathrooms.

North Carolinas Republican governor has refused to budge, citing state rights and accusing the federal government of overreach. Thats the same limp response earlier Southern governors made when their states refused to integrate public colleges, schools, bathrooms and drinking fountains.

Franklin-Hicks said North Carolinas House Bill 2 is a backlash to the success of same-sex marriage, and the increased visibility of transgender people in the media and public. Opponents to gay marriage lost and they have now targeted a new group, he added.

Its very easy to get people up in arms about it, said Franklin-Hicks, community relations manager for La Frontera Arizona. He and Jensen are co-chairs of the Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues.

The fight to keep people from peeing in the bathrooms of their choice is not new, said Jensen, a trans woman and a mother of three daughters, and Franklin-Hicks, a trans man who is married and adopted a son.

Three years ago, Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills sponsored legislation that would have made it a crime  including a six-month jail sentence  to use a restroom or shower that did not match a persons birth gender. While there is no current move afoot in the Republican-controlled legislature, Arizona filed a friend of the court brief in support of North Carolinas legal fight with the administration.

But guess what, folks?

Trans people have always used the bathroom of their choice, said Franklin-Hicks.

What is North Carolina going to do if its bathroom law is upheld? Station police officers to check peoples genitalia as they enter a public restroom?

Unless they stop every person, Jensen said, it will lead to unconstitutional profiling based on sex.

Really, this is not about who can and cannot use a public bathroom that conforms with their sexual identity, and its not about safety.

Its about demonizing a group of people for political gain. Its a political wedge issue pounding on the backs on transgender individuals who already face high rates of abuse, violence, depression and all the accompanying baggage.

We have seen this show before: blacks, undocumented immigrants, gays and lesbians, Muslims.

Just like the previous punitive legislative attacks on unprotected groups of people, the North Carolina bathroom law is based on fear and ignorance.

We cant be fearful and exclusionary of family members, co-workers, neighbors or people we dont know because of their sexual identity, Lynch  our first female, African-American attorney general  reminded us last week when she spoke truth to power:

But this is not a time to act out of fear, she said. This is a time to summon our national virtues of inclusivity, diversity, compassion and open-mindedness.
The 22nd Street bridge over Barraza-Aviation Parkway is safe, the city says, but too narrow for modern traffic and large trucks with very heavy loads.

Design for a replacement bridge is nearly finished and the city hopes to begin work next year, using $50 million, primarily from the voter-approved Regional Transportation Authority.

In the meantime, the city Department of Transportation continues to restrict weight on the 51-year-old bridge, which is used by nearly 40,000 vehicles every day. Over the years it has lowered the limit  now at 30,000 pounds per vehicle.

That tactic is increasingly being used by the city and Pima County to delay the day when bridges must be replaced.

The 22nd Street bridge has a federal sufficiency rating of 66. Some of the 1,200 bridges in Pima County have nearly single-digit ratings, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. It scores bridges from 1 to 100, which is best.

But dont let the ratings fool you. The Tex Wash bridge near Desert Center, California, which collapsed last year during a rainstorm, had a 91.5 rating. Officials now believe the 48-year-old bridge had a design flaw.

The ratings are complex, with a bridge losing points for a number of reasons including a low vertical clearance and narrow lanes.

These ratings are not, officials agree, a yardstick on whether a bridge is in imminent danger of collapse and all of the bridges in Pima County are completely safe, according to transportation experts at both the city and county. The decision to lower weight limits is aimed at easing strain on bridges so they last longer.

On the 22nd Street bridge, if the city were to lower the weight limit any further it would no longer be accessible to garbage or fire trucks or buses.

Pima County has been rerouting heavy traffic along Houghton Road near Interstate 10 to Rita Road for years, rather than having heavy trucks cross the structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridge over the Union Pacific rail lines.

The Houghton Road bridge over the tracks has a sufficiency rating of 10.8,  the worst in the county.

Dave VanGelder, the vice president of Tricon Contracting, said his heavy trucks have to take a 5-mile detour  even though his company is just a few hundred feet south of the Houghton bridge. His trucks have been taking that detour for 18 years. And they will probably continue for at least the next two.

Replacing a bridge is a herculean task, in terms of planning, time and dollars, Tucson Transportation Department director Daryl Cole said.

The federally funded Houghton project is expected to go out to bid in October, but the plan to build a second bridge over the railroad tracks, then demolish the existing structure will take several years.

The plan is to build another bridge in the same location as the existing bridge once it has been taken down  for a total of two structures. Building the bridges in stages, one for each direction, should reduce delays in traffic.

Pima County was able to replace a two-lane bridge on Elephant Head Road near Amado this year, primarily using funds from the Regional Transportation Authority, which is funded by a half-cent countywide sales tax.

The project became a priority for the county because the bridge is used by the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, employees of the Sahuarita Unified School District and U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Alternate routes might make for a long, bumpy ride to the town or the observatory, and observatory bosses were skeptical an 18-wheeler could make the journey on another road.

The closest secondary route would add as much as 10 miles per trip and require traveling over segments of Forest Service roads and unpaved county roads and crossing washes.

Arizonas infrastructure is relatively young compared with the rest of the nations, and most counties here lack an annual freeze/thaw cycle, which reduces the life of a bridge.

The average age of bridges in Pima County is 38 years, compared with 43 nationally. The life span of a new bridge is 75 to 100 years.

A 2013 report from the Arizona Department of Transportation suggested the state will need $1.4 billion over the next 25 years to replace 604 bridges and widen another 195.

From his downtown office, Cole motioned north toward two railroad bridges over Stone and Sixth avenues. Earlier in the day, a truck got wedged under the Sixth Avenue bridge.

That illustrates how bridges can be structurally sound but outdated in terms of traffic patterns or, in this case, too small for todays vehicles.

They were built many many years ago and they were not built for the amount of traffic we have, Cole said. Trucks are bigger today than when we built that.

The accident ruined the truck, Cole said, but the bridge was unscathed.

That bridge is solid, he chuckled. It is a good bridge.
Texas

Casino-bound bus crashes; eight dead

LAREDO  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo. Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said the driver lost control and rolled over.







Cuban refugees swarming to El Paso

EL PASO  The first wave of what could become thousands of Cuban refugees has begun arriving in El Paso and across the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, as relations between the United States and Cuba continue to normalize and Cubans fear losing their special immigration status, officials said.

The El Paso Times reported that more than 200 Cuban migrants arrived Monday in Juarez on two flights from Panama, and that all of them will ultimately make their way to El Paso.

Officials with El Pasos Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services said two planes with at least 150 Cubans are expected to arrive in Juarez daily.







New Mexico

Principal on leave over student-shaming

FARMINGTON  A Shiprock middle school principal has been placed on leave for allegedly displaying a poster listing students who wouldnt be advancing to the next grade.

The Farmington Daily Times reports that district officials put Principal J. Kaibah Begay on leave Wednesday.

Central Consolidated School District spokesman James Preminger said the administration learned Tuesday that Tse BitaI Middle School had put up a poster in a hallway identifying 100 students who wouldnt be promoted.

The school has more than 480 students between sixth and eighth grade.

Preminger said interim Superintendent Colleen Bowman apologized and called the poster an ill-conceived attempt to motivate students.

California

Currents transport tiny crabs to beaches

NEWPORT BEACH  Thousands of tiny red crabs are carpeting beaches in Orange County and creating an amazing spectacle for swimmers and surfers.

Lifeguards estimate that hundreds of thousands of the tiny crustaceans washed up Friday on beaches in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

The Orange County Register reported that the 1- to 3-inch-long pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California, but currents are sweeping them north.

Illinois

Record price for rifle used by captain who led Geronimo capture

ROCK ISLAND  An 1886 Winchester rifle that once belonged to a man who helped capture Apache leader Geronimo has sold for $1.2 million at auction.

The Rock Island Auction Co. says it became the most expensive single firearm ever sold at auction when it was presented for sale in late April. It went to an undisclosed buyer.

George Albee was working for Winchester and was able to secure serial No. 1 of their newest rifle design in 1886. He presented the rifle as a gift to an old Civil War buddy, U.S. Army Capt. Henry Ware Lawton, who had just led the operation that captured Geronimo.
Researchers at the University of Arizona want to find out how long it takes the Zika virus to move from the gut of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to its salivary glands  knowledge needed to predict the potential for its spread.

The work, being done in the lab of entomologist Mike Riehle, is funded by a National Science Foundation RAPID Response Research) grant. NSF and other federal agencies want to quickly find out as much as they can about Zika.

Another question Riehle wants to answer is whether Zika can be transmitted from a female mosquito to its eggs  that could be a game changer, he said, making it possible for the virus to spread more quickly.

Riehle, an associate professor of entomology, is one of several researchers and public-health investigators at the UA who have been studying mosquito-borne diseases for years.

In the case of Aedes aegypti, they have been trying to figure out why viruses transmitted just south of Arizona in Mexico  dengue and Chikungunya  have not taken hold here.

The working theory is that transmission is limited by factors including a lifestyle that allows us to spend summers in screened-in, air-conditioned comfort and a hot climate that shortens the mosquitos life.

Whether our experience with the other viruses will hold true with Zika relies on too many unknowns, said epidemiologist Kacey Ernst, who, along with entomologist Kathleen Walker, is a co-investigator on the grant.

Information from this study and the eight others funded last week by NSF, along with ongoing research, will give public health officials tools to anticipate and prepare for outbreaks, said Ernst.

Were trying to integrate all of these things into one single model. Its really important, and its really complicated, she said. We have a model for dengue. With Zika, there are too many unknowns.

How the virus moves

Riehles research focuses on two critical questions.

In order to find out the incubation period for Zika, Riehles lab is cultivating several strains of the virus to feed as a blood meal to female A. aegypti mosquitoes.

They will test the gut and then the legs to see if the virus is transmitted and moving. Later, they will dip the mosquitos proboscis into a capillary tube filled with mineral oil, which causes it to salivate.

The idea is to figure out how long it takes the virus to get through the mosquito, Riehle said. The longer it takes to make it to the salivary glands, the better off we are. Riehle has done previous research that showed the mosquitoes are not long-lived in this climate.

With dengue, the incubation period is 10-12 days, he said. If Zika is similar, were in pretty good shape, he said.

Transmission to the eggs would be a game-changer because it would mean the offspring could transmit the virus without first needing to bite an infected person.

In normal transmission, a mosquito must bite a person infected with Zika and then bite an uninfected person after the disease has moved from the gut to the salivary glands.

Riehle also will vary the temperature for different sets of infected mosquitoes. He expects, based on previous results, that the virus will mature faster in the heat.

Were trying to get some of the basic pieces of biological information to plug into the model, he said.

That knowledge will allow public health officials to tweak the models for different times of year, climates, and infrastructure, said Sam Scheiner, a program director in the NSFs biological sciences directorate.

Scheiner awarded the RAPID grants without peer review  a process NSF uses in emergencies. He said the current round of funding, nine grants of less than $200,000, wont answer all of the questions needed to create a reliable model.

Vigilant mode

Ernst, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the UAs Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, said she is testifying before a congressional committee next week on the need to speed up research on the unknowns of Zika research.

She called a recent model she and colleagues created as a baseline for the potential spread of Zika in U.S. cities a sledgehammer that needs to become more sophisticated.

Led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, it gives the satellite view of climate conditions that could affect growth of mosquito populations. But what is needed is a view of the micro-climates created for the mosquitoes in urban areas, Ernst said.

The map identifies Tucson and Phoenix as places where there is a modest amount of travel from areas with Zika outbreaks and where the A. aegypti population is comparatively low.

She said Arizona and its residents need to be in a vigilant mode regarding mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. Public health officials need to beef up resources to monitor for the diseases and be ready to employ vector-control operations if needed.

Ernst has applied to the NSF for work she and Walker are already doing in Mexico with mosquito surveillance in the Sonoran cities of Nogales, Hermosillo and Obregon.

She also is working on ways to use social media to spread messages about how to prevent mosquito breeding and how to avoid being bitten. She has developed a mobile app, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Skoll Global Threats Fund, for reporting symptoms of Zika, dengue and Chikungunya.

The app, which could provide early warning of disease transmission, will launch in July. You can sign up for notification at Kidenga.com

The website also includes information about mosquitoes that carry the viruses:
Hazen Allred, 16, leads his mare near the northern reaches of the St. David Cienega. A new study indicates the Vigneto development in Benson will deplete the cienegas water levels.

An environmental group has released a study that says a massive development proposed in Benson could deplete water levels under the federally protected St. David Cienega riparian area.

The studys author points out that the results are preliminary, but he says they prove the developments potential to impact the important wetland warrants more rigorous study.

The research was commissioned by the Center for Biological Diversity, which opposes the 28,000-home Villages at Vigneto project. The development could bring 70,000 more people to Benson  a town of about 5,000 people, 45 miles east of Tucson.

The master planned community would be located northwest of the St. David Cienega, the only marshland left in the San Pedro Rivers federally protected conservation area. The Bureau of Land Management calls 57,000-acre San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area one of the most important riparian areas in the country.

The study found that in three of five tested scenarios  which vary by river-water levels and potential variations in underground geology  well pumping at Vigneto lowers the water table beneath the cienega by between 0.8 feet to 1.5 feet within 100 years.

That means Vigneto will most likely infringe on federal water rights protecting the San Pedro conservation area, said Robin Silver, co-founder of the Center of Biological Diversity.

Even though the study is preliminary, its an improvement over existing, outdated models of the potential impacts, Silver said.

At this point, this is now the state-of-the-art, best available science, he said.

Mike Reinbold, spokesman for developer El Dorado Holdings, declined to respond to emailed questions on the study. And the city of Benson doesnt employ anyone with the expertise to weigh in on it, said City Clerk Vicki Vivian.

City Councilman Chris Moncada said hes leaving debate over water issues to agency experts. The City Council continues to work with El Dorado on finalizing a development agreement and the community master plan, though its too early to say when the council might vote on them, he said.

The water issues are a state and federal issue, Moncada said. Until we hear further from the state or federal government, were going to continue with our process. If the state and federal government say they (the developers) have adequate water supply, we cant legally say we think theyre wrong.

The studys author Robert Prucha, of the Colorado-based consulting company Integrated Hydro Systems, says the study was done on a shoestring budget. The Center for Biological Diversity paid about $4,000.

Its a scaled-down version of a $1 million U.S. Geological Survey study that was axed in 2010 amid budget cuts. It would have been the last in a series of three studies funded by the USGS and Arizona Department of Water Resources that aimed to shed light on how groundwater pumping could affect the San Pedro River. Both agencies declined to comment on the new study.

EFFECTS ON SPRING

Stanley Leake, a semi-retired research hydrologist with the USGS, said the new study could be a step in the right direction. But he said, It seems like more work needs to be done.

Leake pointed out the underground workings of springs are often a mystery, and the study doesnt prove that a major spring feeding the cienega would be affected by the pumping, because its not clear the spring is fed by groundwater.

Prucha agreed with the critique, but said even if the spring isnt connected to the groundwater, the cienega would still be vulnerable to changes in the underground water table.

The entire cienega could be leaking groundwater from below over a much broader area, he said.

The study didnt take into account the effects of climate change and increased local pumping, Silver said.

We know its going to be much worse than the studys findings suggest, he said. Why would anybody risk a national treasure for another development? The benefit of the doubt should go to the treasure.

Supporters of the development say it will pump from a deep water supply that wont affect the aquifer feeding the San Pedro, which Benson city officials have said is protected by an impermeable clay layer.

University of Arizona researcher Tom Maddock said for hydrologists, thats absolute nonsense. A clay layer is not impermeable; it will only slow, not stop, the draining of the river water, he said. Maddock was advisor to the UA masters student researcher who created the computer model the new study utilized.

LITIGATION

The study will be used in a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity plans to file against the Arizona Department of Water Resources, alleging the development will infringe on the federal water rights established when the San Pedro conservation area was created in 1988.

Its like you caught someone in the act of stealing something. What weve documented here is potential theft of federal water, Silver said.

The center intends to file the suit if ADWR doesnt withdraw a certificate of adequate water supply awarded to the Villages at Vignetos predecessor in 2008. At the time, ADWR didnt consider the developments potential impact on the San Pedro and federal water rights to areas that are federally protected, Silver said.

A similar case  involving the 7,000-home Tribute development proposed in Sierra Vista  is pending in court. A judge overruled the certificate of adequate water supply awarded to developer Castle & Cooke, arguing the state water agency did not consider competing federal claims to the groundwater. The developer is appealing.

Last week, Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed legislation that would have rendered the issue a moot point. SB 1268 would have allowed local municipalities to opt out of the water-protection ordinance adopted by Cochise and Yuma Counties requiring developers to get a certificate of adequate water supply for 100 years before construction can begin. And SB 1400 would have required county supervisors to reconsider adopting the ordinance every five years.

CALIBRATION

For the studys results to be more defensible in a courtroom, the model should go through a formal process called calibration, Prucha said.

Calibration involves repeatedly adjusting inputs to a computer model to improve its ability to predict known values, such as water levels in particular wells. Prucha likens the process to calibrating a gun by shooting at an intended target and adjusting the guns sight  or the studys parameters  until it reliably hits the target.

The original computer model he relied upon has been calibrated, but Prucha updated that model with new information from the USGS and so it should go through another calibration to improve accuracy, he said.

Until the model is calibrated, the results can only be viewed as an indication of Vignetos consequences, said Robert Mac Nish, a retired hydrologist who previously worked at the U.S. Geological Survey and was an adjunct professor at the UA.

It may give an indication, but to look at it as any sort of a quantitative evaluation would be a mistake, he said. Without calibration, you cant be very confident on the precision or accuracy of the projections.

But Mac Nish said Vignetos well pumping is sure to impact water levels in the Benson area, including in the St. David Cienega and local residents wells.

If you look at the actual water availability in the Benson sub-basin, there isnt any water left for additional development, he said. The San Pedro is a classic example of a place that is running smack up against the availability of water as a limitation for growth.
Help India!

By M Reyaz,

In the history of creation of Israel, the holocaust under Nazi Germany when about 6 million of Jews, almost two third of over 9 million population in whole of Europe were killed, is often pointed to justify the establishment of a Jewish national home. Of course, there can be no justification of such heinous crime, but it should be pointed here that the persecution of Jews in Christian Europe had not really begun with Hitler.

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In fact after their exile first by Babylonians and later by the Romans at 70 CE (some of them intermittently returned during the Persian rule), the Jewish population that largely migrated to Europe and North Africa had to suffer great deal. They were expelled from England (1290), France (1391), Austria (1421), Spain (1492), etc. that spurred Aliyah (the act of ascending to Israel) into the Promised Land during the period, when the Ottoman Empire by and large remained a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution. (Turkey continues to have a small Jewish population today.) No doubts there have been instances of sporadic clashes between Jews and Arabs in past too, but for most of the Ottoman reign Jews enjoyed certain degree of prosperity as they dominated in trade and commerce, banking, as well as diplomacy and other high offices compared to other subjects. The situation deteriorated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the Arab countries, however, when the decline of the ottomans coincided with conflicting Arab nationalism and Zionism; as the later encouraged Aliyah or immigration of Jews to Jerusalem, the land promised to them by God according to the Testament. The World Zionist Organization consequently established Jewish National Fund (1901) and the Anglo-Palestine Bank (1903) for a Jewish National Home.

Like political Islam, Zionism is a dangerous cocktail of faith, nationalism and politics that has made establishment of Jewish National Home and its preservation as the sole purpose, while its critics see the movement as colonialist and racist. Zionism as a movement was started by Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl in 1897. As the Zionists had earlier declined the offer to make a Jewish national home in Uganda, British government endorsed in 1917 a Jewish homeland in Palestine under Balfour Declaration: His Majestys government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object

Great Britain had in fact outsmarted both the Arabs and Jews and made promises to both of them on behalf of fighting for them in the First World War, against Ottoman Turks who were on the side of the Germany and other Axis powers. The unholy alliance also saw a short lived FaisalWeizmann Agreement (1919) for co-existence of two conflicting ideologies. After the World War I, as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated several new Arab states gradually became independent while a British Mandate for Palestine in 1922 that also favoured the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. Although restricted by law, widespread immigration of Jews began during this time. Consequently motivated influx of large number of Jews and their purchases of land from feudal lords fuelled unrest among landless Arabs as right from 1920 to 1921 and 1929 saw several riots, in which both Arabs and Jews were killed. In the wake of the riots, several Para-military organizations like Haganah and breakaway militant groups like Irgun and Lehi, often supported by the British Force played critical role. These three groups merged in 1945 to form the short-lived Jewish Resistance Movement. Haganah, it should be mentioned here, consequently became the essential part of the Israel Defense Forces.

As the table below shows, the immigration jumped many folds from 1920s onwards, first from Eastern Europe (1919-23), Poland and Hungary (1924-29) as they faced anti-Semitism; but it saw highest influx so far in the wake of the rise of Nazism in Germany between 19291939, although technically speaking according to the rules of the Mandate, most of it was illegal.

Periodical Population of West of Jordan River, Erstwhile Palestine and Present Israel+Plaestine (In Thousands)* Year Jews Christians Muslims Total 1800 7 22 246 275 1890 43 57 432 532 1914 94 70 525 689 1922 84 71 589 752 1931 175 89 760 1,033 1947 630 143 1,181 1,970 1960 1,911 85 1 090 3,111 1967 2,374 102 1,204 3,716 *http://www.archive-iussp.org/Brazil2001/s60/S64_02_dellapergola.pdf

The holocaust and centuries of persecution of Jews thus became the raison detre, besides the already settled large number of Jews in Palestine and their strong lobbying made the long held dream of a Israel  a home for Jews  a reality when Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, a day before the British Mandate expired.

May 15 is celebrated by Israel as the Independence Day, but for the Arab population of Palestine, the day turned into Yawm an-Nakba, the Day of the Catastrophe. The combined troops of Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia had attacked to capture the Palestine Mandate for a United Palestine, but had to give by 1949. Gaza Strip came under the control of Egypt while West Bank was controlled by Jordan. Arab countries and Palestinians have since been humbled in several war and skirmishes, including the Six Days war of 1967 and Yom Kippur War of 1973. Besides, the Palestinians rose into Intifada (uprising) in 1987-93, and subsequently in 2000. Many see current crisis as turning into the third Intifada.

According to the Oslo Accords of 1993, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which had announced the government-in-exile on 15 November 1988 recognized the Israels right to exist in peace, while Israel acknowledged the PLO negotiating team as representing the Palestinian people. However, Israel, with full support from USA, has continued unabated its expansionist policy (as the map shows) and Palestinians are left in lurch with International community providing lip services.

Thus few things need to be reiterated here, first not Arab Muslims, but Romans were the ones responsible for exodus of Jews from Jerusalem and subsequently Europeans were the one responsible for their persecutions, although its a fact that Jews-Muslims clash did take place at several instances. The land of Jerusalem, holy to not only Jews but also the followers of other Abrahamic faith, namely Christians and Muslims, later became part of the Byzantine Empire, and subsequently won by the Arab Caliphates that changed hands several times from Crusader states, Ayyubids of Egypt and Damascus, Mamluks of Egypt and finally the Ottoman Turks, before Palestine was declared a British Mandate.

The return to the original land for migrant population on the pretext of original home is a hallow concept in the sense that can all Americans of European origin return to Europe and demand their right on land? That too forcibly!

(M Reyaz tweets at @journalistreyaz)
Help India!

By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday gave clean chit to six Hindu accused in Malegaon 2008 blasts case saying prosecution is not maintainable against them. This was not the first time that it has given clean chit to accused in blasts case. Earlier, in 2011 NIA provided clean chit to nine Muslim accused in Malegaon 2006 blasts case.

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However, there is a huge disparity between these two clean chits although both pertain to blasts taken place at the same textile town of Maharashtra in a difference of two years.

It is obvious that clean chit can be provided to accuse only after the investigation agency ascertain that the accused played no role in the commission of an offence. Thus NIA is assumed to have completely ascertained itself before giving clean chits to accused persons in both the Malegaon blasts cases.

What would be the best criteria for the agency to act upon before giving such clean chit, may be their custodial interrogation would be the best option but at times it also proves insufficient in terms of unearthing the conspiracy hatched inside the closed doors. Therefore the agency might resort to the scientific tests such as brain mapping or lie detector tests as the best instrument before showing any accused doors.

NIA did exactly the same before giving clean chits in Malegaon 2006 blasts case to nine Muslim accused -Noorul Huda Samsudoha, Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah, Raees Ahmed Rajab Ali Mansuri, Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi, Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, Mohammad Zahid Abdul Majid Ansari, Abrar Ahmed Gulam Ahmed, Mohammad Ali Alam Sheikh and Asif Khan Bashir Khan.

In 2010, Swami Aseemanand, an alleged Hindu extremist, confessed in the Mecca Masjid blast case that 2006 bomb blasts at Malegaon were the handiwork of Hindu accused. In wake of this disclosure NIA arrested four Hindu radicals and subsequently subjected above nine Muslim accused to various scientific tests including brain mapping and lie detector tests at Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat.

Only after these tests NIA was convinced of their non involvement in the blasts and hence did not object to their bail before sessions court paving way for them to come out of prison.

Speaking with TwoCircles.net Noorul Huda Samsudoha told, Yes, we were subjected to many scientific tests including brain mapping tests at Gandhi Nagar. NIA would take us one by one from prison to Gandhi Nagar in 2011 and conducted these tests. NIA relied on the result of these tests to consider us innocent.

Conversely, NIA did not perform such tests on six Hindu accused who are given clean chit on Friday. To the least, nor were they subjected to custodial interrogation anytime. Then what was the satisfying factor that pleased or convinced NIA of their innocence in the case or it is an apparent situation of following the orders of boss blindly?

Related :

NIA gives clean chit to Sadhvi and others without conducting custodial interrogation
Help India!

In the first of the four part-series, we look at the livelihood challenges that trouble the people of Sunderbans, West Bengal. Although famed for its Tigers, mangroves and breath-taking beauty, the residents have for long been fighting on several fronts. In the first part, we look at how Forest Rights Act has hardly been implemented in the region. This story is based on a Public Hearing held in January.

By Amit Kumar, Twocircles.net

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On the morning of January 31, the primary school located in the village of Uttar Danga, Sunderbans, got ready to host the Public Hearing organised by the Sundarban Jan Shramik Sangathan, All India Forest Workers Union and the Delhi Support Group.

Medha Patkar speaks at the Public Hearing.

During the course of the day, about 300 people came and participated in the engaging, yet confusing, discussions around the Forest Rights Act. In front of a panel consisting of Medha Patkar (Social Activist), Advocate Sanjay Parikh (Senior Lawyer, Supreme Court of India), Professor Nandini Sundar (Delhi School of Economics), Arupjyoti Saikia (Professor, IIT Guwhati), Naba Dutta (General Secretary, Nagarik Manch and Social Activist), Dr. Kamal N. Chaubey (Researcher on Forest Rights Issues), and Jayanta Basu (Senior Journalist, Telegraph), the day witnessed dozens of people talking about their woes with regards to, mostly, the mistreatment of fishermen and honey collectors by the forest officials. The panelists heard all the cases, each worse than the other: stories of molestation, assault, abuse, bribery and other crimes by the Forest Officials. The panel offered their advices, often through a translator, while attempting to explain to the audience about the powers that they no one could deny them under the Forest Rights Act. Their full recommendations can be read here.

While the Forest Rights Act has existed for a decade now, its achievement across India has been mixed: in case of Sunderbans, however, the public hearing showed that the Act has barely been implemented to begin with, at least when it comes to guaranteeing livelihood to the 4.2-million strong population which lives on the 54 inhabited islands in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.

Younus Mollah talks about how he has left without a boat despite paying the fine

Take the case of Younus Mollah, a resident of Baghmara, a village close to Uttar Danga. His boat was seized by the forest department near the core area of the Reserve, which is out of bounds for fishing. This is what the Forest Officials claimed, but Mollah sticks to his response. All my previous generations have been fishing here and I know the waters. Would I not know where to not enter? he asks, almost as if someone around him was supposed to answer. He was holding the Challan of Rs 1,500, which he had paid on December 30. My boat hasnt been released and I do not why. I went to the forest officials again, but to no avail. Why else would I be here? Wouldnt I be fishing now? he says, almost breaking into a rueful smile.

Mollahs story is just one of the thousands that find commonplace across islands and its villages. For the past 40-odd years, its inhabitants have tried their best to understand, and adapt, to an ever-changing, and mostly worsening, landscape. And while they are doing this, they have been spun around in an entangled web of laws.

Apart from FRA, the Sunderbans also comes under the protected area (PA) designations under the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972, (as amended in 2002 and 2006) Core or Critical Tiger Habitat (2007), National Park (1984), and Wild Life Sanctuary (1976).

A resident narrates his story of abuse at the hands of Forest officials during the Public Meeting

The efforts to save Sunderbans, and thereby the Royal Bengal Tiger, goes back to the Project Tiger days, when it was declared as the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (1973), under the Project Tiger of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Other special designations are the World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve (SBR) (1989).

All this, and yet, in the village of Uttar Danga, where the public hearing was held, it was difficult, nay, impossible, to get a glass of clean, drinking water. The hand pumps provide brackish water to the residents and for all the Acts, not one seems to be equipped the matter of providing clean, drinking water to all villages across all islands.
Help India!

By Aqib Shah for TwoCircles.net,

The crackdown on Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is a part of Vice Chancellors attempt to take forward ideology of military. For the first time in the history of AMU Security personnel came inside AMU campus on the night of April 24th. This unnecessary step was taken on the death of an ex-student Mehtab and it created havoc among students. All felt scared after the incident. Mehtab was a promising student in the Department of Physical Education who was preparing for Ph.D. After this brutal killing, Zameer-Uddin Shah, the VC of AMU called in security forces that included R.A.F, a specialised wing of CRPF which was established in 1991 under the operational command of 10 battalions of CRPF and was deployed for taking command of communal riots of Ayodha after Babri Masjid Demolition. These forces were used to curb the violence between Hindus and Muslims.

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The deployment of RAF in the AMU campus remained outside VC lodge and Bab-I Syed gate. The students of AMU experienced security forces inside the campus in the AMU history since 1920. RAF misused power inside the campus as they abused students if they went near to them and were also beaten. It was very difficult and traumatic situation for me and my friends as we too suffered a lot. We even tried to leave university till the situation restores. Many students left campus. The conditions were getting worse; there was clash between the students and RAF. Our parents were filled with terror by this incident. They called their wards many times in a day to inquire about the prevailing situation. The whole situation disturbed and created fuss in the minds of students, the immediate affect was on their studies. The students were preparing for the sessionals and entrance exams but the whole scenario was inverted and disturbed with this single incident. From different parts of the country students had come for B.Tech. or Law exams which was scheduled on the same day, they also felt terrified by this incident. It looked like as if Presidential rule was imposed under article 356 as VC and the administration were not able to control the whole situation. It was a failure of constitutional machinery in the university. It also looked like the rule of a military dictator, similar to Parvez Musharafs rule in Pakistan after 1999.

For the first time our VC imposed this kind of Dictatorship inside the campus which would be written and talked of in the annals of History. I recall Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who lost the sensation of vision and listening ability during the building up of MAO College which became later AMU in 1920. But now in 2016, nearly after a century has passed, the establishment of university seems totally different.

VC with security forces raided student rooms in late night hours by closing all gates of campus. Dont know why ? What was the reason? No one knows. About 70% of the students were sleeping and others were preparing for exams but suddenly the sounds and lights of beacon went and we came out of rooms and there was dense of security personnel inside campus headed by VC, Proctor and Provost. Security Personnel were divided into groups and were spread in the hall for searching. It was totally a new thing for me and to my seniors also who had never experienced such things inside the campus. For Kashmiri Students they said it was not a new thing for them, but for others it was totally a new thing for experience. They were scared by seeing this whole scenario; their heart beat was increasing as they talked. While checking in each room they threw some beds outside the room in front of VC. The students felt relaxed only when security personnel left.

This incident was not new before it was Alamgir, a student of Bachelor of Social Work who was shot dead near Chungi gate of AMU. Students protested for CBI probe but there was no probe at all .The incident was a retribution of VC but I think force is not a solution to any issue, may it be the issue of Palestine or Kashmir but we should solve these issues by dialogues.

In 21st century the human values are respected. JS Mill in his essay On Liberty insisted upon the extension of liberty to cranks on the ground that while nine cranks out of ten are harmless idiot the tenth is of greater value to mankind than all the normal men who seeks to suppress him.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec 10 1948 for the first time in the human history spell out the basic civil, political, economical and social rights among others that all human beings shall have their rights but a blatant abuse of such rights has taken place at AMU. Who is the Culprit? No one knows? Who is responsible? No one knows this either. But I think it is the fault of administration which is suppose to function efficiently without creating troubles for any one, especially not for students at least.


97 telecom fraud suspects repatriated from Malaysia Updated: 2016-05-01 13:51 (Xinhua)

Chinese telecom fraud suspects are escorted off an aircraft by the police at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, April 30, 2016. A total of 97 Chinese telecom fraud suspects, including 32 Taiwanese, were sent back from Malaysia under the escort of Chinese police on Saturday. The suspects are involved in more than 100 major transnational telecom frauds related to over 20 provincial areas in Chinese mainland. [Photo/Xinhua]

GUANGZHOU - Malaysian police repatriated 97 telecom fraud suspects, including 32 from Taiwan, to the Chinese mainland on Saturday.

In late March, Malaysian and Chinese mainland police cooperated in an investigation into five transnational telecommunication fraud cases involving victims from across the mainland, and arrested a total of 117 Chinese suspects, including 65 from the mainland, 52 from Taiwan.

Among the 52 from Taiwan, 20 were transferred to Taiwan authorities by Malaysian police on April 15.

The Chinese government requested Malaysia to transfer the rest of the suspects to the mainland as all the victims of the fraud trap are mainland residents.

The mainland has invited Taiwan police to cooperate in handling the case, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
Taiwanese fraud suspects deported from Malaysia confess Updated: 2016-05-15 09:08 (Xinhua)

Chinese telecom fraud suspects are escorted off an aircraft by the police at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, April 30, 2016. A total of 97 Chinese telecom fraud suspects, including 32 Taiwanese, were sent back from Malaysia under the escort of Chinese police on Saturday. The suspects are involved in more than 100 major transnational telecom frauds related to over 20 provincial areas in Chinese mainland. [Photo/Xinhua]

ZHUHAI - A total of 32 Taiwanese fraudsters currently detained on the Chinese mainland have confessed to their crimes, said the Ministry of Public Security here Saturday.

The 65 mainland suspects and 32 Taiwanese suspects, deported together from Malaysia to the mainland on April 30, belonged to five criminal syndicates, said a ministry statement issued after mainland police and a delegation of judicial officials from Taiwan wrapped up a three-day meeting in the southern city of Zhuhai.

They were part of the 117 suspects detained in Malaysia for more than 100 telecom fraud cases. The other 20 Taiwanese had been sent back to Taiwan earlier.

The suspects are held at two detention centers in Zhuhai.

The police have treated the suspects equally and ensured their legal rights according to law, the statement said.

The Taiwanese were informed of their rights before the first interrogation, including the right to hire a lawyer, the statement said.

According to an earlier statement, most of the Taiwanese are in good health, except a few having skin infection and two showing symptoms of unstable blood pressure, which, however, is under control after proper treatment. Only one who has suffered hernia for eight years has been hospitalized but in stable conditions.

At Saturday's meeting, the mainland police agreed to arrange their families to visit as soon as possible.

TAIWAN'S COOPERATION MUCH NEEDED

Mainland police have obtained evidence and key information about four of the syndicates but the investigation into the fifth syndicate encountered difficulties because the majority of its members had been sent back to Taiwan, the police said.

The investigation has been jeopardized by several masterminds and senior members of these syndicates, believed to be Taiwanese, who are at large and have destroyed evidence and moved funds, it said.

The 20 Taiwanese suspects returned to the island were temporarily released by local police due to lack of evidence on April 16 but five days later 18 of them were detained and two were banned from traveling.

"The mainland will try to provide evidence to the Taiwan side so that they can crack the case as quickly as possible," said Chen Shiqu, a senior police officer with the ministry.

"The money of mainland victims is now in Taiwan. We hope the Taiwan side can actively pursue the scammed money so that we can return the money to victims," he said.

Chen Wen-chi, who leads the Taiwan delegation, confirmed that prosecutors in Taichung have been busy investigating this case and the evidence from the mainland will be greatly helpful.

"We will step up the effort to reach the bottom of this case and take them to the court," she said.

A few victims were in Zhuhai to petition the Taiwan delegation for better cooperation.

A 72-year-old lady surnamed Guo, from Beijing, said she lost her money for the treatment of cancer due to the scam. She had been cheated about 2 million yuan ($307,000) in August and September 2015.

"I just hope those crooks will be punished so no more people will be cheated," she said.

A 38-year-old lady surnamed Luo from Hunan Province told Xinhua that she was cheated about 120,000 yuan in March, a significant loss provided that she just earns about 2,000 yuan a month.

"I hope Taiwan authorities can understand the pain I suffer and work with the mainland police to somehow recover our loss," Luo said.

Chen Wen-chi promised that Taiwan authorities will actively track the money and retrieve the funds.
Jiang Yaopeng (left), secretary of the Party committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, and James Bryant (right), CEO of Trajectory Inc sign Xi Jinping Wit and Vision  Selected Quotations and Commentary English edition and e-book global distribution agreement at Columbia University in New York on Saturday morning. Back row, from left: Yang Xiaomei, office administrator of Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China; Zhang Meifang, deputy Consul General in New York; Karen Christensen, CEO of Berkshire Publishing Group. Niu Yue / For China Daily

When President Xi Jinping spoke in Seattle during his state visit last year, he said: "It's always important to make an effort to get a deep understanding of the cultures and civilizations that are different from our own."

Now an English book featuring his thoughts will be available on American book sales platforms.

A signing ceremony for Xi Jinping Wit and Vision Selected Quotations and Commentary English edition and e-book global distribution agreement was hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong Press (SJTU Press) and presented jointly by China Universal Press & Publication Co. Ltd (CUPP) and US's TrajectoryInc at Columbia University in New York on May 14.

The book, co-published by SJTU Press and China's Foreign Languages Press, features distinctive expressions that have been selected and compiled from speeches delivered by Xi since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The book is divided into four sections: Overview, Imagery and Metaphors, Everyday Sayings, and Quotations from the Classics. The book examines the origin and context of the expressions and explains the ideas behind them.

According to data collected byOpen Book, a Chinese company that monitorsbook sales in China, Xi Jinping Wit and Vision has sold more than 300,000 print copies since it was released a year ago.

"In poetic and memorable terms, President Xi's thoughts have captured the imagination of the hundreds of thousands of people in China who have already purchased this finely assembled book by Chen Xixi (chief editor)," said James Bryant, CEO of Trajectory Inc, an intelligent network connecting publishers to retailers and a variety of distribution channels around the world, which will be in charge of the book's e-edition's global distribution.

"By listening to President Xi's message as conveyed in this book, people outside of China will now have the unique opportunity to look into the soul of a country re-emerging on the global stage," Bryant said, adding that he believes the book might provide lessons for other developing nations on their own paths to modernization.

"The publication of the English edition of Xi Jinping Wit and Vision and distribution in American mainstream e-book sales platforms will help readers in America and around theworld to learn more about the Chinese president's thinking on governance, understand Chinese culture and wisdom, so as to promote elimination of Sino-US differences, and deepen mutual cooperation and mutual trust," said Zhang Meifang, deputy consul general of the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

The book is part of the Chinese Book International Promotion Plan launched by Chinese Culture Translation and Studies Support (CCTSS) along with many domestic and overseas organizations.
China blasts Pentagon report Updated: 2016-05-16 05:59 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(China Daily USA)

China has objected to the latest Pentagon report on Chinese military development and capability, calling it a continuation of playing up the so-called "Chinese military threat" card.

The US Department of Defense released its research  Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2016  on May 13 as an annual report to Congress mandated by law.

Abraham Denmark, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said in a briefing on May 13 that China's investment in military and weaponry operations continues on a path to increase its power projection, anti-access and area denial and its operations in cyberspace, space and electromagnetic emerging domains.

"China continues to focus on preparing for potential conflict in the Taiwan Straits," Denmark said, "but additional missions such as contingencies in the East and South China seas and on the Korean Peninsula are increasingly important to the [People's Liberation Army]."

Denmark also described the Chinese defense budget as underestimated.

Talking about the Chinese military modernization program entering a new phase in 2015, Denmark expressed concerns about Chinese activities in the South China Sea, the growing global military presence and large-scale military reforms.

Yang Yujun, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, said that the report continues to play up the cliche of a "China military threat" and "opacity of Chinese military capability".

In a statement posted on the ministry website on May 14, Yang called the report "improper talk" when it comes to issues such as Chinese military reform, overseas military operations, development of weaponry and military equipment, the military budget, space, cyberspace and Taiwan.

"(It) wantonly distorted China's national defense policy and the legal activities in the East and South China seas," Yang said.

"The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition (to the report)," he said.

Yang reiterated that China sticks firmly to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and Chinese military reform and modernization is aimed at ensuring China's national sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and peaceful development of the nation.

He said the US side continues to harbor suspicions about China's strategic intentions and labels China's normal weaponry and military equipment development as "anti-access" or "area denial".

"Why is the US side expressing such concerns if it is still not embracing a Cold War mentality?" he asked.

He also defended China's construction on reefs and isles in the Nansha Islands as not only meeting the necessary requirements for national defense, but even more so in serving civilian purposes and carrying out China's international obligations.

He blasted the US' flexing its muscle by dispatching military planes and vessels in the South China as exercising hegemony and militarizing the region.

He said Chinese overseas military operations, such as peacekeeping, rescue and disaster relief, are effectively fulfilling international obligations and providing public good for the international community.

Of the five permanent UN Security Council members, China now contributes the most personnel to peacekeeping efforts, a fact that was praised last week in a seminar in Washington by Joseph Nye, a Harvard professor and former US assistant secretary of defense.

Yang described the Pentagon's annual report as gravely damaging to mutual trust and running counter to the development of the China-US military relationship. He said China will react further after studying the report in more detail.

The Pentagon report also includes chapters on bilateral military contacts and exchanges. Denmark said the US approach to China centers on reducing risk, expanding common ground and maintaining US military superiority.

Despite tensions, the two militaries have witnessed frequent high-level visits, joint exercises and port calls in recent years.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
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Australia completed a risk assessment for Vietnamese mangoes in November 2015 and work is ongoing to finalise trading arrangements.  Photo vovworld.vn

Viet Nam News -HCM CITY  Many Vietnamese products are favoured by Australian consumers, but their exports to Australia remain meagre, a seminar on business and investment opportunities in that country heard in HCM City last week.

Australia has finalised procedures for importing Vietnamese mangoes, Pham Ngoc Hung, deputy chairman of the HCM City Business Association, told the seminar.

Hung said if licensed, it would be the second fruit after lychees to be exported from Viet Nam into Australia. Vietnamese lychees were exported to Australia in May 2015 with 28 tonnes being exported last year.

Australia completed a risk assessment for Vietnamese mangoes in November 2015 and work is ongoing to finalise trading arrangements.

After licensing, Vietnamese agencies would carry out market research and establish commercial relations with Vietnamese companies, he said.

According to the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency in Australia, Viet Nam exported 1,577 different items to Australia valued at US$635 million in the first quarter of 2016. They included mobile phones worth US$183 million, crude oil (US$60.7 million), footwear (US$40 million), garments (US$37 million), seafood (US$35.8 million) and cashews (US$17.9 million).

Since coming into effect in 2010, the ASEANAustraliaNew Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) has created favourable conditions for Australia and Viet Nam to export goods to each other.

Exports from Viet Nam to Australia increased every year until 2014 when they were worth US$3.99 billion, but declined in 2015 to US$2.9 billion.

Though Vietnamese-Australians living in northern Australia do not make up a majority of overseas Vietnamese living in that country, they grow and supply 30 per cent of all tropical fruits and vegetables sold in the market.

They grow over half of the mangoes in a region that accounts for half of the countrys mangoes.

In 2013 the Vietnamese community in the north established the Vietnamese Farmers Association with over 100 members, and has built a brand name for its mangoes.

The fruits carry brand names such as VINA Mango and T.V. Farms, Binh Duong Farm, and Sai Gon Farm.

According to the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency in Australia, the economies of Viet Nam and Australia can complement each other.

Australia needs labour-intensive items like garments, footwear, wooden furniture, seafood, and cashews while Viet Nam wants products it does not yet have like wheat, milk and timber, he said.

Australians have annual per capita income of US$68,000 and also want to diversify their sources of goods, he said.

However, Vietnamese goods have to meet requirements related to quantity, quality, food safety and sanitation, and prices to compete with similar goods Australia imports from other countries like China, India and Thailand.

Cao Hoai Trung, chairman of the HCM City Medical Equipment Association, was quoted by Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) newspaper as saying Australian agencies laid great emphasis on food safety.

To survive in that market, Vietnamese companies should have more effective and long-term marketing strategies, he said.

Nguyen Hoang Tranh of the Australia-based East West Lawyers Co., said export firms in his country are supported by the Government, and Vietnamese firms should think about establishing joint-ventures with Australian companies.

The seminar was organised by the HCM City Business Association and Australias State of Victoria.  VNS
HA NOI  The Government, parents, and teachers are jointly responsible for protecting and educating children and for helping them realise their hopes and aspirations, President Tran ai Quang said on the 75th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation (May 15).

Speaking at a meeting marking the organisations 75th founding anniversary in Ha Noi on Saturday, the President said that expanding the network of educational, medical, cultural and sport facilities is a priority. He also said more attention should be given to disadvantaged children, such as those with disabilities and those who live in remote mountainous areas or on islands.

Law and regulations on childrens rights and interests must be disseminated widely in the community. Related violations should be promptly prevented and strictly punished, he said.

Addressing the anniversary gathering, President Quang expressed his delight that children - the countrys future generations  have partaken in numerous movements and campaigns launched by the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation, such as Vietnamese children emulate each other at well, following President Ho Chi Minhs five teachings for children, A thousand of good deeds, Small plan, and Lighting dreams of Vietnamese children, among others.

The activities have been implemented far and wide, with diverse contents and manners bearing educational significance and demonstrating fine traditions of Vietnamese people of studiousness and determination to overcome difficulties, the President said.

Recalling President Ho Chi Minhs teachings A year begins in spring, a life begins in youth, Today you are children; you will be the countrys and the worlds owners in the future, President Quang said the Party and State have great expectations for the young generations.

Initially established under the name of the Childrens National Salvation on May 15, 1941 in Cao Bang Provinces Ha Quang District, the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation has grown from the original five members to more than 12 million members over the past 75 years.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks with his Lao counterpart, Thongloun Sisoulith, in Ha Noi yesterday, following a welcome ceremony.

PM Phuc said the Lao government heads choosing Viet Nam as the first country to visit after taking office reflects the importance Laos attaches to the friendship and cooperation with Viet Nam. The visit creates a new driving force for bilateral ties, according to PM Phuc. He said he believes the fraternal Lao people will successfully realise the resolution adopted by the 10th National Party Congress and the 2016-20 socioeconomic development plan.

Both sides expressed satisfaction at the development of the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. This cooperation includes the realisation of many goals set by the Vietnam-Laos strategy on economic, cultural, scientific, and technological cooperation for 2011-20. Their mutual governmental cooperation treaty for 2011-2015 was also a success, helping deepen and expand bilateral ties.

The two sides affirmed the resolve of the two Parties, States and peoples to continue fostering the loyal and special solidarity between Viet Nam and Laos. This relationship is an invaluable asset of the two nations which need to be passed on to later generations.

Both sides stated they will work together to implement agreements sealed by high-ranking leaders of the two countries, regarding politics, diplomacy, defence, security, trade, and investment.

The two PMs pledged to direct ministries, agencies, and local authorities to carry out the cooperation plan between the two governments for 2016, as well as the Vietnam-Laos cooperation pact for 2016-20.

The intergovernmental committee on bilateral collaboration should be further strengthened to operate more effectively, they said.

The two PMs agreed to coordinate for the effective implementation of agreements signed between the two countries last year, including a trade agreement, a border trade pact, and a memorandum of understanding on transport cooperation for 2016-25.

They agreed to facilitate operations of Vietnamese firms investing in Laos. They also agreed to expand the one stop, one check model at border gates, while striving to raise bilateral trade revenue by 20 per cent in 2016, compared to 2015.

The two sides will implement the protocol on defence and security cooperation for 2016-20. Both countries will focus on developing a peaceful borderline to serve as an example in the region.

They also agreed to boost engagement in human resource training and cultural exchange. And they agreed to jointly organise activities to mark the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2017.

Both sides were pleased with their mutual support at regional and international forums. Examples of this successful cooperation include the cooperation mechanisms of Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) and Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam-Myanmar (CLMV), the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), the Asia-Europe Meeting, and the United Nations.

Laos supports Viet Nam in hosting the ACMECS 7th and CLMV 8th Summits in October, PM Sisoulith said.

PM Phuc acknowledged Laos as the current Chair of ASEAN, affirming that Viet Nam will continue to support Laos as the ASEAN Chair in 2016.

He asked Laos to continue coordinating ASEAN solidarity and ASEANs collective stance on the East Sea issue. This will contribute to maintaining peace, stability, security, and safety of navigation and aviation. It will also contribute to fully and effectively observing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and to agreement on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) soon.

The Vietnamese government leader thanked Laos for increasing water discharge from hydropower dams on the Mekong River. The Vietnamese PM also thanked Laos for supporting Viet Nam in overcoming consequences of the prolonged drought and saline intrusion in the countrys southern areas.

The two sides agreed to continue coordinating with related countries and international organisations to manage and use Mekong River water in a sustainable and effective manner.

PM Sisoulith invited his Vietnamese counterpart to pay an official visit to Laos. PM Phuc accepted the invitation. The visit will be arranged through the diplomatic channel.

Following their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements for 2016 between the two countries ministries and localities. The agreements cover investments, agriculture and education.

Vietinbank also presented aid worth US$200,000 for the Lao government to promote welfare activity.

Presidents reception for Lao PM

President Tran ai Quang also held a reception for the Lao PM and his entourage yesterday. The President said the Lao leader selecting Viet Nam for his first official visit after taking office demonstrates the deep and faithful bond of the two countries.

The President said Viet Nam gives its whole-hearted support for the reform and national construction and defense of Laos.

PM Sisoulith conveyed to President Quang the Lao Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Vorachiths invitation to visit Laos. President Quang accepted the invitation.

President Quang recommended the two governments continue enhancing the quality of comprehensive cooperation in all fields and strive for a 20-per cent increase of two-way trade value. This will help to effectively implement agreements from annual summits and will create conditions for Lao and Vietnamese enterprises to expand their operations and investments.

Viet Nam and Laos will celebrate their 55th year of diplomatic ties - and the 40th anniversary of signing their Friendship and Cooperation Treaty - in 2017. So both sides agree that the two countries need to intensify public communications campaigns about the traditional Vietnamese-Lao relationship, as well as to coordinate and organise celebrations of the anniversaries.

 VNS
Farmers harvest carrots in Gia Binh District, Bac NInh Province. Renewing policies and mechanisms is one way to help Vietnamese farmers adapt to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when it takes effect, heard a workshop held in Ha Noi on Thursday.  Photo danviet.vn

HA NOI  Renewing policies and mechanisms is one way to help Vietnamese farmers adapt to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when it takes effect, heard a workshop held in Ha Noi on Thursday.

The event, held by the Vietnamese Farmers Association, looked into challenges facing Vietnamese farmers and sought measures to help them benefit from the TPP.

It brought together more than 100 experts from ministries and agencies as well as scientists and farmers.

Participants agreed that while the TPP will open up large markets for Viet Nams farm produce and boost investment in Viet Nam, more than 10 million Vietnamese farm households are anticipated to face difficulties due to their small scale operations.

Farmers are the most vulnerable to outside competition due to their lack of knowledge and low competitiveness, experts said, noting that animal husbandry farmers in particular are likely to be at a disadvantage compared to their peers in other countries with modern production processes.

Experts said the most important thing at present was raising awareness of farmers about the opportunities and challenges of the TPP, so that they will aim to increase productivity and product quality.

Farmers associations at all levels need to connect farmers with businesses to sell products, experts recommended.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Farmers Association, Leu Vu ieu, said it was important to raise production capacity and trade promotions for farmers as farmers as they often depended on businesses to sell their products.

The association would instruct its branches in localities to work with authorities, scientists and businesses to form a value chain and build strong links between them and farmers, he said.

Chief Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN in Viet Nam, Jong-ha Bae, said Viet Nam was expected to benefit the most from the TPP of the 12 member economies.

However, Viet Nams agriculture would face fierce competition from foreign manufacturers when the tariff and non-tariff barriers are reduced and eliminated, he added.

He suggested setting up a mechanism to attract private investment in agriculture and urged the country to improve food quality and safety.  VNS
After Pakistan, which pulled out of India-mooted Project, Afghanistan too has shown no interest in the venture.

Sources said Afghanistan has tied up with a European company for its space-related needs.

"We had several rounds of discussions with Afghanistan. At one point they demand a particular thing and we have an agreement. In the next meeting, they would put forth some other demand.

"Another issue was the location of the satellite. The location where India and Afghanistan wanted to place their satellite in the orbit was more or less the same," an official involved in the negotiations said.

Sources said Bangladesh too is not very keen on the satellite project as it is set for launch of its own geostationary communications satellite Bang Bandhu-1.

However, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are still keen on taking the project forward and talks are on with these countries.

In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ISRO to develop the satellite which can be dedicated as a "gift" to the neighbouring countries. He had also made the announcement at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

India had held deliberations with experts from other SAARC countries to finalise modalities for the satellite exclusively for the regional grouping.

The expenditure on the ground system of the proposed Project will be borne by the regional bloc countries, while India will bear the expenses to be incurred on building and launching it.

"The objective of this project is to develop a satellite for the SAARC region that enables a full range of services to all our neighbours in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting applications like television, DTH, tele-education and disaster management," the official added.

The satellite is to be launched in December this year.

Since the beginning, Pakistan had insisted that the project be brought under the ambit of SAARC, which was opposed by India. Following this, Pakistan opted out of the project.

India has made it clear that it will go ahead with the project irrespective of whoever is on board.
With the dust settling from another tax season, the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation reports Iowa is one of the most competitive states in the U.S. in which to operate a business.

The organization cites a dedicated and talented workforce as chief assets.

Thats the good news.

On the other hand, Iowa ranks 40th on the Tax Foundations State Business Tax Climate Index and 49th for corporate taxes, and the organization says a complex and uncompetitive tax code is holding Iowa back.

In the business context, Iowa also ranks 32nd for individuals; 24th for sales tax; 34th for unemployment insurance and 40th for property taxes.

Under two of four reform scenarios in a new report the foundation commissioned, Iowa could leap from No. 49 to No. 10 in overall business climate. In three of four reform options, Iowa could jump from 49th to third place in corporate tax climate. With that kind of improvement at stake, it certainly would merit consideration.

To better understand how to improve Iowas competitive standing, The Future of Iowa Foundation, sister organization to the Iowa Taxpayers Association, commissioned the Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., to conduct an in-depth study of Iowas current tax structure and provide options for reform.

The report, Iowa Tax Reform Options: Building a Tax System for the 21st Century, is accessible at taxfoundation.org.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the report is that it offers options  not all of them appeal to everyone, and some may be considered little more than a rehash of existing policy. But, its an important read for any entrepreneur and manager, whose every decision on hiring, sales and investment has to be weighed against possible tax implications.

The Tax Foundation offers this observation from Jeff Smith, president/CEO of the Iowa Taxpayers Association:

Iowas economy has been strong over the years with agriculture and manufacturing leading the way, but have we reached our potential? In this book, we examine Iowas economy, detail the states existing tax structure and offer recommendations for reforming the tax code. We seek to identify what Iowa does well and to point out opportunities for improvement.

The Tax Foundation says it spoke with government officials, business leaders and everyday taxpayers from across Iowa to glean their insights and concerns. Combined with the Tax Foundations own research and analysis, the result is a series of recommendations that address the specific needs of the Hawkeye State.

Our goal with this project is to provide a menu of options that would improve Iowas competitive standing through a commitment to simple, transparent, neutral and stable tax policies, Tax Foundation Policy Analyst Jared Walczak said. Iowas corporate, individual, sales and property tax systems are all in need of improvement, and we hope our recommendations provide policymakers with the background and insight needed to move the state forward.

This publication provides the research data that can pave the way to a simpler and fairer tax code for all Iowans, the Tax Foundation asserts.

Some may disagree, but its important for business leaders and policymakers to consider new approaches. Its indisputable that tax policy affects behavior. Its no accident that companies prefer to operate in tax-friendly environments.

The talk for years has been how to make Iowa more competitive as a place to build and attract businesses, not only against neighboring states but globally. This new report offers some intriguing ideas on how to make that happen.
BENJAMIN ERICKSON has joined the law firm of Ball, Kirk & Holm PC. He is a 2012 graduate of Northern Illinois University and a 2015 graduate of Drake University Law School.

JONATHON KLINE, E.I. has joined VJ Engineering as a full-time civil engineering intern in the Cedar Falls office. Kline is a graduate of the Civil Engineering program at Iowa State University with a bachelors degree in civil engineering.

ZACHARY ADAMS and TAMMY THRASHER have been promoted at Veridian Credit Union. Adams has been promoted to team leader in the Member Contact Center. Adams, of Traer, has been employed at Veridian for eight years, most recently as a senior loan officer. He graduated from Upper Iowa University with a bachelors degree in business administration. Thrasher, of Cedar Falls, has been promoted to integration analyst. She has been employed at Veridian for 16 years, most recently as an e-services specialist.

MARK SEDA has joined the law firm of Clark, Butler, Walsh & Hamann in Waterloo. Seda, a native of Traer, is a 2015 graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law and a 2012 graduate of Loras College.

ASHLEY HUNT and CHRISTINE SCHICK have been promoted at LS2 group (Larson, Shannahan, Slifka) in Des Moines to account managers. Hunt is a graduate of Iowa State University and a native of Iowa Falls, and Schick, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a Cresco native.

LARRY FOX and AARON SANNES, private wealth advisers with Ameriprise Financial, have qualified for the companys Circle of Success annual recognition program by demonstrating commitment to financial planning and client service.

Four new associates have joined VGMs Homelink division. HEATHER SOTTER and BENJAMIN SHOWALTER are in the accounts receivable department. Showalter, a graduate of Ellsworth Community College, previously was at Rosewood Estate. STEPHANIE TINDELL, a Wellcare PCC, previously was at Trimark. JAMIE SCHARES, also a Wellcare PCC, previously was with American Homepatient.

MATT SAMPSON has been promoted at U.S. Cellular to director of sales for the agent channel in Iowa and Nebraska. He has worked at U.S. Cellular for 15 years. Sampson previously was director of the Knoxville and Cedar Rapids customer care centers and was the customer service operations director in Chicago for nearly three years.

STEPHANIE HOLDING has joined the Waterloo practice of Larry K. Fox & Associates, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., as a paraplanner. She previously was a relationship manager for Ocwen Loan Servicing in Waterloo.

MIKE HULME, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and managing partner at Financial Resource Advisors, has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation.

MARTY BECK has joined the Accel Group as a business insurance specialist. He is a graduate of Hawkeye Initiative & Technology College.

MICHAEL HOLDREN has been promoted at First Security Bank & Trust to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Holdren served as the banks controller for three years. He previously spent seven years in the financial services industry, including four years with a regional public accounting firm auditing community banks. He has bachelors degree in accounting and finance from Iowa State University, an MBA from Drake University, and is a CPA. He is currently attending the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

DAN KITTLE, Wartburg Colleges vice president for student life, has been named to the Thrivent Fellows Program, a 12-month executive fellowship designed for leadership roles in Lutheran colleges and universities.
CEDAR FALLS  Black Hawk County Republican candidates, hoping to repeat 2014 victories, rallied Saturday at a Democratic opponents workplace.

They returned to Mudd Advertising, site of a 2014 pre-election rally, to support state Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, in his bid for a fourth term in Iowa House District 60.

Walts seat is a critical seat, said Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake. We need Walt to come back, and his opponent is likely to get funded with a bunch of Hollywood money.

Rogers will face Democrat Gary Kroeger, a Mudd Advertising executive and Saturday Night Live alum, in the general election.

As of the beginning of this month, Republicans have about an 1,100-voter advantage over Democrats in District 60. But the district has as many independents as Republicans  nearly 7,300 each.

Saturdays event focused on Rogers work in Des Moines and the need for the GOP to increase its majority, or in the case of the Iowa Senate gain a majority.

We want to make sure we come back in the majority and maybe with a bigger majority and do some of the things that we continue to try to do, Rogers said.

Though the event was held Kroegers workplance, Rogers said that was not an intentional dig, citing his history of working with Jim and Cecelia Mudd. Kroeger, however, found the choice in setting to be a a little rude.

This isnt their (the Mudds) first fundraiser for Republicans, but I wouldnt choose to go to my opponents place of work to have a fundraiser, Kroeger said. It brings attention to the race, I think, in a way that isnt positive.

Each GOP luminary said they subscribed to Rogers mantra of smaller, smarter government as their way of tackling budgeting and other policy issues.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad praised Rogers work to pass the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, the Iowa Public Information Board and end in a tax on underground storage tanks, among others.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley praised Rogers for assembling the Saturday night event. Rogers said it was luck, but added, Quite honestly, I wanted to like, flex a little bit of muscle here in Black Hawk County to show what kind of things that we do.

Kroeger was less impressed.

If he wants to associate with those people, thats just fine. Im running against those people. Im running against the work that theyve been doing, Kroeger said, pointing to his support for education, Planned Parenthood and the state mental health institutes.

I know that theyre probably going to say, Oh, Gary Kroeger is a Hollywood liberal.  Kroger said. Well, whats too liberal about civil rights? Whats liberal about a living wage?

Kroeger is planning his own fundraiser later this summer, by focusing more on the constituents themselves than the politicians.
WATERLOO  Its apparently back to the drawing board for the Fourth Street bridges pedestrian canopy.

Waterloo City Council members will be asked Monday to reject the only bid the city received to refurbish the iconic but deteriorating downtown structure.

Peterson Contractors Inc. of Reinbeck bid just over $2.57 million on May 5 to repair the 40-year-old covered walkway, but engineers had estimated the project would cost about $1.23 million.

The city had been expecting the overall design and construction to cost $1.5 million, while the Black Hawk County Gaming Association has earmarked $750,000 for the effort.

City Council members have yet to discuss whether they intend to seek new bids for the project, change the scope or seek additional funding to make the repairs.

The concrete under the metal canopy is failing and will need to be fixed even if the canopy is removed.

Other scheduled council business includes a supplemental development agreement for the second phase of the Grand Crossing development at the intersection of Mullan Avenue and Jefferson Street downtown.

Grand Investments received free land at the site of the former Grand Hotel and 20-year graduated tax rebates for the first phase, which is a four-story rental condominium project currently under construction.

The second phase, a $3.5 million building with retail stores on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors, is slated to receive the same incentives.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
WATERLOO  Industrialist Otto A. Schoitz donated a total of $500,000 toward Charlotte Lee Schoitz Memorial Hospital, dedicated to his late wife. It opened in 1951.

Now, 65 years later, his generosity has effectively grown a hundredfold and will soon impact the Cedar Valley in a big way.

A new foundation, the Otto Schoitz Foundation, has been created with $50 million provided it as the result of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcares May 1 transfer of its Iowa facilities  Covenant Medical Center, Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls and Mercy Hospital in Oelwein  to the Mercy Health Network in Des Moines.

The foundation will provide charitable grants with revenues from the investment of that $50 million, and the grants wont be limited to health care projects.

Board members say the foundation will have a far-reaching impact in addressing many community needs.

Im extremely proud to help participate in this. Its like a dream for the community, said Dennis D. Clark of DC Industries in Waterloo, foundation chairman. Im keenly aware of the need. We intend to meet some of that need. It cant all be funded, but we can put quite a dent into it.

When you see the amount of needs, and imagine if someone told you Heres $50 million you can invest and help your community, its a wow factor, said foundation vice chairwoman Camille Hogan of Shorts Travel Management. Were all just really amazed we have this opportunity.

The foundations purpose is to improve the health and well-being of the community and its individual members in the greater Cedar Valley Region, an area within 50 miles of Waterloo, by funding grants and other financial requests.

The foundation is dedicated to operating exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes consistent with its mission.

The foundations board, made up of community leaders who have served on the Covenant, Schoitz or Wheaton boards, will seek community input on developing the foundations mission, projects which should be funded and application procedures. Clark said its anticipated initial grants could be made sometime next year, after that work has been done and investments have time to accrue income.

Clark and Hogan praised the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters of Wheaton, Ill., and their executive leadership and cooperation in making the foundation possible.

It represents absolutely outstanding stewardship of their time in Iowa, Hogan said, and trusting that we will honor what this money can do and try to the best of our ability to do it wisely.

Everybodys just as enthused as we are, Clark said of his fellow board members, who, in addition to Hogan, include Eric Locke, secretary; Mike Mallaro, treasurer; and Hugh Field, Becky Mudd, Donna Nelson, Robert Petersen, Dr. Douglas Stanford and Cathy Young.

Hogan said she feels Otto Schoitz would be awfully pleased about the foundation. He dedicated the hospital to healing the sick and comforting the afflicted regardless of race, creed or color, according to a dedication plaque at the entryway to the former hospital building at 2101 Kimball Ave.
WATERLOO  The hours spent cleaning up the vandalism at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue gave congregant Naomi McCormick time to think.

First, she thought simply of how long it would take to clean up the graffiti  which is being investigated as a hate crime  that took so little time to paint onto the walls of the synagogue. But that led to other thoughts.

We still havent cleaned it up, because like hate, it permeated into the concrete  and no matter how much scrubbing we do, its there, and we still have work to do, and its there, McCormick told a crowd of more than 80 people gathered inside the synagogue for an interfaith vigil against the vandalism.

She wondered whether this was a nation of tolerance and compassion, or one where people bludgeon each other with symbols.

McCormick was one of a handful of guests representing multiple faiths to offer their reaction to the vandalism last week. The Jewish house of worship was stained with graffiti including Christian crosses and the words Jesus Saves.

For the Jewish community, its difficult to seek a balance of the perfect response, said Erin Maidan, a leader at the synagogue, after leading in several prayers to mark the Sabbath. Its difficult to gauge a threat when we dont know where its coming from, who did it or why. It can almost seem like were surrounded by enemies.

Maidan said she doesnt want to overstate what happened, as the message was not violent or threatening, but did not want to understate the harmful message the graffiti represented.

The Rev. Joe Greemore of First Baptist Church in Waterloo was also conflicted by the symbols and its message.

As a professing follower of Jesus, it felt strange to me  and speaking about genuinely how we felt  to erase the sign of the cross of the name of Jesus from these hallowed synagogue walls. How was I supposed to feel about that? Greemore said.

He said he felt the tension and was captive to the struggle between supporting a message of love and hope and an act of belligerence and cultural dominance.

I just see some major inconsistencies with the writing on the wall outside and the nature of Christianity as it ought to be, Greemore said.

Greemore built on comments made by the Rev. Wendi Gillan of St. Timothys United Methodist Church. She admitted when she heard about the vandalism First I cried, and then I cursed.

I hope that as a corporate people next we can care for each other, for whoever did this, that we can love each other, that we can move on together, and not forget the harm that this has caused and the hurt, Greemore said.

Dema Kazkaz of the Islamic Center in Waterloo noted the Muslim people and the Jewish people have a long history of supporting each other as they faced persecution.

She said its important for all faiths to come together and support one another, because if one is suffering all are suffering.

Its really uplifting to see all of you here as one body and supportive community, Kazkaz said.

During the first part of the vigil, Maidan took the opportunity to teach non-Jewish members in the crowd a short prayer important in her faith, Hine Mah Tov.

Its a one-line prayer, but without a doubt, it is one of the most important in Judaism, and for me one of the most important tonight, Maidan said.

She translated it from Hebrew as, Behold how good it is, and pleasant and wonderful and beautiful, when brothers and sisters can sit together, together as one.
WATERLOO  Veridian Credit Union employees donated $48,308.59 to 34 charitable organizations in Iowa and Eastern Nebraska in 2015, the credit union announced recently. Participating employees made weekly, voluntary contributions to a casual day fund, allowing them to dress down on Fridays and support their communities simultaneously. In early 2016, staff voted on local organizations to receive donations from the fund.
This might be one of the best examples ever of a good idea gone bad.

It all started with a 1975 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, OConnor v. Donaldson, that individuals with mental illness could not be held in large, state-owned mental institutions when they could be provided adequate levels of care in their local community.

For years the common answer for those suffering from intellectual challenges was to ship them off to a state-owned facility from which many never returned. It is better, the reasoning went and remains, to treat them at home in community-based health care centers. With the help of family and friends, the individual can lead a productive life.

So I would like to introduce you to a new local mental health care provider, Dennis Kucera. He should properly be addressed as Sheriff Kucera, the longtime and highly respected chief law enforcement officer of Tama County.

If your family and friends feel with cause you represent a threat to yourself or others, they can go to the clerk of court, sign commitment papers, and youll be picked up by the sheriff and taken to your hospital bed, which is in the county jail.

Why not a local, licensed mental health facility like a nursing home or a hospital? The answer is simple: There isnt any room.

Kucera isnt the only one facing this challenge. All across Iowa, jails hold the mentally ill. Not for long, because once they arrive a search starts for an available bed in a suitable facility.

For Kucera, the call is to a four-county regional office in Tama, the CPC, or Central Point of Contact. Its job is to find somewhere that will accept the patient/prisoner.

However, it is not likely an opening will exist in Tama County. Ive spoken to a number of sheriffs, and they tell me it is not uncommon to transfer a patient as far away as Cherokee or Sioux City. According to Kucera, sheriffs in southern Iowa frequently send patients to Missouri.

There also are problems with dispensing medication, since most sheriffs are not licensed to do so. For the patient, getting an interview with a psychiatrist can take three days, and then its on Skype with someone in Florida for 15 minutes. Not only do we not have enough beds, we have a shortage of psychiatrists.

This is a problem for county budgets. For example, the cost of housing a patient in the Black Hawk County Jail is $70 per day. We are right next door to Independence, but because of Gov. Terry Branstads downsizing there are only 50 beds available. As for Clarinda and Mount Pleasant, Branstad closed them.

The governors decision to close two of the four state facilities has saved the state money by transferring the cost to the counties. Plus, it got rid of what the governor regards as public enemy No. 1, the state employees who worked at these institutions.

The original concept was to treat individuals with mental illness closer to home, but it assumed beds would be available both for short-term and long-term care. It has become clear closing state institutions was not the way to go.

The only good news for patients and families is sheriffs post visiting hours on their web sites.
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If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino

 Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first.

 Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well.

 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.

Ladbrokes Casino:

Ladbrokes Casino is owned by the same company as the famous bookmaker that started life in 1921. With more than 500 games from leading software providers such as Amaya, NetEnt and Microgaming, you wont be disappointed by the quality of the games here. New players get a 200% match bonus up to 500, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.

Paddy Power Casino:

Paddy Power is another Irish-owned casino that operates throughout Europe. Not only does Paddy Power Casino offer traditional casino games like blackjack, roulette and slots, but it also provides a full range of sports betting, including football, tennis, boxing and horse racing. New players can receive a massive 100% match bonus up to 200, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.

William Hill Casino:

William Hill Casino is one of the biggest names in the industry, operating in Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1984, this online casino has more than 400 games to choose from, including slots and table games, with a wide array of software providers like WagerLogic, Big Time Gaming and Rival.

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If youre interested in trying out an online casino but arent quite ready to commit to one, why not try out one of the many no deposit casinos weve reviewed? You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit.
Glenn Greenwald in The Intercept:

Despite having lived in Israel for 22 years with no criminal record of any kind, Omar Barghouti (above) was this week denied the right to traveloutside the country. As one of the pioneers of the increasingly powerful movement to impose boycotts, sanctions and divestment measures (BDS) on Israel, Barghouti, an articulate, English-speaking activist, has frequently traveled around the world advocating his position. The Israeli governments refusal to allow him to travel is obviously intended to suppress his speech and activism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the world leaders who traveled last year to Paris to participate in that citys free speech rally.

As the husband of a Palestinian citizen of Israel, Barghouti holds a visa of permanent residency in the country, but nonetheless needs official permission to travel outside of Israel, a travel document which  until last week  had been renewed every two years. Haaretz this week reported that beyond the travel ban, Barghoutis residency rights in Israel are currently being reconsidered.

The travel denial came after months of disturbing public threats directed at him by an Israeli government that has grown both more extreme and more fearful of BDSs growing international popularity.

More here.
Bruce Robbins in the LA Review of Books:

WALTER BENJAMIN famously imagined the angel of history, wings spread, propelled backward into the future by an irresistible, all-annihilating wind. Where we perceive a chain of events, Benjamin wrote, the angel sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage on wreckage. The angel can obviously know nothing of the future, to which his back is turned. All he can know is the pile of debris before him. This, Benjamin says, is how we should think of progress.

Within months of composing this scenario, Benjamin was dead, a victim of the Nazis. The manner of his death helped make his beautiful, disillusioned tableau of progress-as-catastrophe one of the best remembered takeaways from the Frankfurt School. For those who have not yet had the pleasure, the Frankfurt School was a brilliant group of German-Jewish Marxo-Freudian analysts of culture who (except for Benjamin) escaped the Holocaust and lived long enough to denounce American consumerism, jazz, and the student movement. Their present-day inheritors, collectively known as critical theory, include thinkers like Jurgen Habermas and Axel Honneth in Germany and, in the United States, Seyla Benhabib, Thomas McCarthy, Nancy Fraser, Jean Cohen, Andrew Arato, and other luminaries. They and what they made of the concept of progress are the subject of Amy Allens difficult but rewarding book, The End of Progress. Allen argues that key members of this generation (the Germans, but for some reason not the Americans) have been too uncritical of progress  much more uncritical than Benjamin or Theodor Adorno or, for that matter, Michel Foucault, whom she drags across the Rhine and conscripts as an ally. Allen exposes, hidden below the philosophical work of Habermas, Honneth, and Rainer Forst, a belief in progress that in her view is fatally Eurocentric, hence unworthy of their high emancipatory project.

Beyond making the charge of Eurocentrism, Allen does not really argue the anti-progress case. She doesnt compare childhood mortality statistics or the quality of neighborliness, the situation of women or the amount of carbon in the atmosphere now and 100 years ago; the sorts of pros and cons that might come up in a dorm room late at night dont interest her much. And her indifference to empirical examples is not incidental. The major accusation she levels against the best-known of the critical theorists, Habermas and Honneth, is that although they seem rigorously philosophical, they pay too much attention to facts like these. For Allens style of philosophy, any attention is too much attention.

Allen proposes that there are two conceptions of progress. One looks forward; the other, like Benjamins angel, looks backward. The forward-looking one is an imperative to act so as to make progress happen. Its a good thing. The backward-looking one is not.

More here.
Emily Bazelon in the New York Times:

Last November, Meg Munoz went to Los Angeles to speak at the annual West Coast conference of Amnesty International. She was nervous. Three months earlier, at a meeting attended by about 500 delegates from 80 countries, Amnesty voted to adopt a proposal in favor of the full decriminalization of consensual sex work, sparking a storm of controversy. Members of the human rights group in Norway and Sweden resigned en masse, saying the organizations goal should be to end demand for prostitution, not condone it. Around the world, on social media and in the press, opponents blasted Amnesty. In Los Angeles, protesters ringed the lobby of the Sheraton where the conference was being held, and as Munoz tried to enter, a woman confronted her and became upset as Munoz explained that, as a former sex worker, she supported Amnestys position. She agreed to respect my time at the microphone, Munoz told me. That didnt exactly happen  the woman and other critics yelled out during her panel  but I understand why it was so hard for her.

Munoz was in the middle of a pitched battle over the terms, and even the meaning, of sex work. In the United States and around the globe, many sex workers (the term activists prefer to prostitute) are trying to change how they are perceived and policed. They are fighting the legal status quo, social mores and also mainstream feminism, which has typically focused on saving women from the sex trade rather than supporting sex workers who demand greater rights. But in the last decade, sex-worker activists have gained new allies. If Amnestys international board approves a final policy in favor of decriminalization in the next month, it will join forces with public-health organizations that have successfully worked for years with groups of sex workers to halt the spread of H.I.V. and AIDS, especially in developing countries. The urgency of the H.I.V. epidemic really exploded a lot of taboos, says Catherine Murphy, an Amnesty policy adviser.

More here.
Rich Benjamin at The Guardian:

Spain in Our Hearts offers little in the way of new information, except for a fascinating account of Texacos crucial role in bankrolling Franco. Hochschilds contribution lies in the storytelling, his sure command of military history, and his beautiful sense of private hurt, which together yield original insight. An astute observer of contrasts, he navigates the hairpin turns between intimacy and barbarism, euphoria and despair, naivety and cynicism. The book effortlessly hopscotches from global history to individual  and emotional  experience.

The whole experience of being hit by a bullet is very interesting and I think it is worth describing in detail, wrote republican volunteer George Orwell. There must have been two minutes during which I assumed that I was killed. My first thought, conventionally enough, was for my wife. My second was a violent resentment at having to leave this world, which, when all is said and done, suits me so well. The stupid mischance infuriated me. The meaningless of it! To be bumped off, not even in battle, but in this stale corner of the trenches, thanks to a moments carelessness. Manning a frontline trench, Orwell had absent-mindedly poked his head above a parapet, and taken a snipers bullet. It missed his carotid artery by a few millimetres. Witnessing the imprisonment, torture and killings ordered by Stalins Spanish henchmen against his fellow leftists, disillusioned him, though he continued fighting loyally. Whichever way you took it, he wrote, it was a depressing outlook. But it did not follow that the government was not worth fighting for as against the more naked and developed fascism of Franco and Hitler.

more here.
Valencay

Paying for identity. Paying for tradition.

The French State pays when it subsidises

an agricultural activity whose workforce

in days no longer measured from sunrise

to sunset over farmland first ploughed

at least some seven millennia in the past

quickly declines alongside the percentage

of its real contribution to GDP. It pays

for time. An ancestral time that only exists

financed by millions and more millions.

It doesnt pay for alpine goats milk. Doesnt

pay for the dusting of charcoal that covers

the rind. It doesnt pay for the room, damp

and ventilated, where its left to mature.

It pays to keep up an idea, the landscape

suited to that idea. Pays for national pride

or pays for a phrase from Brillat-Savarin.

(Its best accompanied with a nice Shiraz.)

.
Simms and Laderman in New Statesman:

Jews around the world have recently celebrated Passover, a festival commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. To mark the occasion, the BBC screened a documentary about a modern exodus, the flight of Jews from France. With an estimated 475,000 Jews, France remains home to Europes largest Jewish population. But in recent years, rising anti-Semitism and a series of terror attacks have forced out a growing number. As many as 8,000 left in 2014, up from 1,900 five years earlier, a fourfold increase. Most of them are moving to Israel but many are seeking refuge in Britain. French Jewish children now make up half the intake at Jewish schools in London. Anyone who has travelled recently to Paris will have seen signs of the tense atmosphere that French Jewish refugees are leaving behind. Every Jewish building is guarded by soldiers in full combat gear.

Sadly, anti-Semitism in France is only the starkest manifestation of a growing contemporary Jew-hatred in Europe and across the world. The cancerous belief that the world is run by an international Jewish conspiracy shapes the world-view of much of Irans governing elite, operatives of Islamic State (IS), nationalist leaders in Slovakia and Hungary, and a major Palestinian political organisation. It even pervades parts of a mainstream British political party, and our university campuses, too. Where did this poison come from, and is there an antidote to it?

More here.
Copyright  2015 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerques next mayor and City Council are in line for hefty raises.

An independent board at City Hall has decided the next mayor will draw a $125,000 salary, a 20 percent increase over the $104,000 made by Mayor Richard Berry.

City councilors who win re-election are in line for even bigger raises  to $30,000 a year, up from about $17,000 they get now. That would put Albuquerques councilors roughly in line with the pay of city councilors in Las Cruces and Santa Fe and Bernalillo County commissioners.

John Carey, chairman of the Citizens Independent Salary Commission, an appointed body, said the increases are justified. The mayor serves a population of about 560,000 people and oversees a budget of roughly $900 million and about 6,000 employees, he said.

The salary commission hadnt boosted the mayors pay at all since voters established the group in 2009.

We felt like an adjustment was fair and reasonable, said Carey, president and CEO of the New Mexico Society of Certified Public Accountants.  The scope of that job is much more than a 40-hour week.

Berry said he respectfully disagrees with the raise. The current pay rate wont deter qualified people from running for the job, he said.

Even if potential candidates make more in the private sector, Berry said, public service should include some sacrifice.

Im not sure the raise is going to add much, if any, value to the taxpayers, he said.

Berry added that the next mayor is supposed to make a little extra anyway. The salary is technically set at $109,000 a year, but the mayor reduced his own salary and never raised it again when he imposed pay cuts on city employees amid the Great Recession.

As for the council, Carey said, interviews indicate they put in about 30 hours a week, in addition to their private-sector jobs during the day.

Councilors not only have the later afternoon and evening hearings, they have committee meetings, they attend neighborhood association meetings, they attend grand openings, they take calls at their home and office at all hours of the day and night, Carey said. Even though its viewed as part-time  I would say most of the councilors work almost full-time.

The council president will receive an extra $2,000 a year, or about $32,000 altogether.

Before creation of the salary commission, any substantial increase in elected officials pay had to go on the ballot as an amendment to the City Charter. Proposed pay raises failed at the polls repeatedly over the years.

The independent salary commission now in place is appointed by another body, the citys government accountability and oversight committee, which supervises City Halls internal auditing and investigations. That committee, in turn, is appointed by the mayor and city councilors.

The new salaries arent available to people serving in office now unless they win re-election. Four council seats go before voters this fall. The mayors office and the remaining five councilors are up in 2017.

Berry has said he wont run again.

Carey said the salary commission interviewed elected officials, reviewed salaries in 12 western cities and accepted general public comment on the issue.

The groups decision doesnt need the approval of the mayor or council.

We really tried to learn as much as we could about the elected officials and their job, Carey said.
FOR THE RECORD: The grand opening date has been corrected to Saturday, April 23.

CERRILLOS  This tiny village was once a bustling boomtown, spurred on by the rush to mine turquoise, gold, silver and other minerals about 25 miles southwest of Santa Fe along whats now The Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, and the subsequent arrival of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad and the depot built there in 1882.

According to the Cerrillos Historical Society, the town named for the little hills that were mined around it grew to include an array of general stores, butcher shops, barber shops, dance halls, a theater, three or four hotels and more than 20 saloons.

More than 130 years later, about the only businesses left were Marys Bar at the intersection of First and Main  which may not be there much longer if it cant come up with $1,500 to pay its liquor license by next month  and the quirky Casa Grande Trading Post and Mining Museum (and its accompanying petting zoo) at the end of Waldo Street.

But the former boomtown off N.M. 14 might be about to explode again, relatively speaking and certainly not too loudly.

The opening of Cerrillos Station, a new commercial enterprise in a refurbished old commercial building that dates back to the 1890s, could signal the start of a resurgence.

I hope so, said Kathy Mora, the third-generation proprietor of Marys Bar, which shares the same block of First Street with the new enterprise. I think it would be great for Cerrillos to get people back in town and get some life back in it. This town needs something to wake it up.

Todd Brown, president of Las Canaellas de los Cerrillos, the local community organization, says a corner restaurant serving beer and wine is due to open in the heart of town later this spring, and there are plans for a gallery and an art studio nearby.

Were trying to jump start First Street, said Brown, who operates the trading post and museum. The county will repave First Street next month, and well keep the rest of the streets dirt, which is what everybody wants.

Thats what came out of the community planning process that was a part of Santa Fe Countys Sustainable Growth Management Plan developed last year. While the community consensus was to maintain the town as a predominantly residential community, residents also wanted to develop a business district that would promote local employment.

We enlarged our commercial zone, he said, adding that First Street, part of Main Street and Waldo Canyon Road are open for businesses.

Besides the 19 plaqued buildings the historical society has identified as noteworthy, another attraction is the Cerrillos Hills State Park visitors center across the road from Cerrillos Station. The state park, a day-use park established in 2009, offers hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding opportunities on more than 5 miles of trails that wind around old mining claims just outside of town, and regularly hosts education sessions and special events.

The mining boom in the late 1800s didnt resonate very long in Cerrillos. Once considered a possible territorial capital for New Mexico, the town disincorporated in 1903 after mineral mining operations mostly dried up. While the 19th century mines are said to have drawn 3,000 miners to the area, Cerrillos population was just 321 in 2010, according to U.S. Census data.

Still, Brown says Cerrillos already has hordes of tourists passing through, drawn by several things: the villages rich past and its use as a backdrop in films like Young Guns and Vampires; a well-circulated Turquoise Trail brochure that the historical society puts out; and nearby Madrid, the small tourism-centric town to the south with a thriving commercial center of shops, restaurants and the landmark Mine Shaft Tavern.

But when they come here, wed like for them to have something to do, Brown said.

Fixing up the place and Whatnot

Barbara Briggs is the woman behind the revival of the building that houses Cerrillos Station, which has at various times been a saloon, general store, dry goods store and, until a few years ago, The Whatnot Shop, an antique and collectible store.

Briggs, a Vermont native with a property development and business background who has lived just on the other side of the highway from Cerrillos since 1999 and in Santa Fe before that, said she discovered that the building was for sale in November 2014.

I saw they had a little for sale sign in the corner of the window you could barely see. Im not sure they were trying that hard to sell it, she said.

By then, the Mitchell family, which had occupied the space for more than 50 years, had closed the Whatnot Shop and were just living on the premises. Briggs and her husband bought the 3,800-square-foot building a few months later.

Much has been done to the building in less than a year. In fact, the 1-year anniversary of the March 31, 2015, date on which the purchase closed is less than a week away.

She wont disclose the purchase price, but added that more was spent on the renovation. The whole roof was replaced, as was the plumbing and heating systems. Its been a lot, she said.

Having done renovations to buildings in Santa Fes historic east side neighborhoods, she tried hard to maintain the integrity of the building. We saved every scrap we could. Everything weve taken out of it, we tried to use somewhere else, she said.

What to do with a few leftovers hasnt been figured out. Out back sits the shell of an old outhouse and the plywood sign that used be mounted above the porch, faded paint reading Whatnot Shop barely visible.

Relics that have been put to use include what remains of a service counter that at some point apparently had one end cut off, the shelving that covers the walls and the stained glass windows that run across the front of the building above the door. From the wood floors to the tin ceiling, Briggs has tried to keep most things intact.

We were lucky with the tin because we had so many (roof) leaks, she said. A woman who grew up here said the tin was brought in on the train, she thinks from Pennsylvania.

But not everything is as it used to be.

While an old building, it now contains some of the latest in green technologies, such as solar thermal hydronic heat, energy-efficient windows, robust room insolation and the use of low volatile organic compound paint.

Briggs got a little help by way of a $25,000 grant from the USDA Rural Development Program for incorporating energy-efficient elements into the renovation.

Next stop, Cerrillos Station

The 1,169-square-foot main room, which shes calling the Mercantile and Whatnot as a nod to its previous use, now contains a variety of locally made products, including ceramics by Marcos Lewis and necklaces by Heike Stobel. Pinon salves, handmade soups, candles and vintage art are other items now on sale.

To the left as one enters the wooden double doors, in an addition the Mitchells built in the 1950s, is a movement studio. Equipped with mirrored walls and ballet barres, the room accommodates dance and yoga classes. To the right is the gallery, still under development, but with paintings by Paula Zima and Petra Nalini Palmer propped up on chairs and leaning against walls in the cluttered room.

The messier the better, she says, welcoming the challenge. I can see through it all.

Briggs describes herself as a visual person and she was able to see possibilities for the place when she first saw it. It wasnt black and white. This was very gray, she said. But you end up with a great building with a lot of character to it.

Some of its character is tucked away out of sight. In the basement is the blocked-off entrance to a tunnel that ran under First Street to another commercial building. It is one of several tunnels in town that were used during Prohibition from 1920 to 1933.

They must have been keeping (the booze) out of sight. Theyd hide it in the tunnels during the day, then bring it up at night, she said.

Briggs vision for the place includes turning the back rooms of the building into a day spa with hair salon services and massage therapy. Not quite ready yet, she expects to soon lease that space to a provider.

Theres quite a population around here, so I dont think theyll be short on clients, she said.

Off the north side of the building, she built a courtyard area where visitors can relax outdoors in the shade and, if the timing is right, watch the twice-a-day Amtrak passenger train go by, though it no longer stops at the town that used to be a jumping off place for the thousands who came to mine the Cerrillos Mining District, which also included camps in Carbonateville, Madrid, and the Ortiz and Placer mountains.

Briggs says she hopes to bring in food trucks every now and then for special events and maybe offer music from time to time.

She has already had a woman from Santo Domingo Pueblo come by to bake bread in the horno just beyond the patio. She sold every loaf she made, she said.

Though Cerrillos Station is already open for business, Briggs is planning a grand opening for the retail business on April 23.

Briggs said Cerrillos will never become what the eclectically commercial Madrid has become, the main difference being that N.M. 14 runs right through Madrid, while Cerrillos is just a little east of the highway.

For the most part, they dont want to be Madrid, Briggs, who was part of the planning committee that developed the towns growth plan, said of the townspeople. The people who have lived here a long time want the back streets to stay quiet and the young people wanted a place where they could make a living.

The opening of Cerrillos Station may not signal a real boom, but it could help stir a town that has been in a century-long slumber since commercial mining operations went away.

Madrid is beefed up, with something like 50 retail shops, and two bars and two restaurants, said Brown, the community organization president. Were not that, but we want to be something instead of being a bedroom community for Santa Fe. We want to have us a nice little town.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexico health officials are looking into the ability to do their own tests for the Zika virus as early as next month.

KOAT-TV reports (http://bit.ly/23GfZ9S) that the New Mexico Department of Health recently started running test samples in its Albuquerque lab.

States have been sending potential samples to the Centers for Disease Controls lab in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Officials say having the state conduct its own tests means New Mexicans could receive results much quicker.

Department spokesman Dr. Paul Ettestad says the state lab is still trying to make sure it can adequately perform the testing.

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Information from: KOAT-TV, http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/index.html
WASHINGTON  President Barack Obamas decision to send still more American troops to Iraq, and to put military advisers closer to the front lines against the Islamic State, fits a pattern of ever-deepening involvement in a country whose war Obama exited with supposed finality in December 2011.

From the initial contingent of 170 U.S. soldiers who entered Baghdad as advisers in June 2014, after the Islamic State overran much of northern and western Iraq and seemed poised to threaten Baghdad, the troop total jumped to 1,550 six months later. It topped 3,000 in April 2015 and then edged higher. The latest increase announced Monday by Defense Secretary Ash Carter pushes the authorized total above 4,000. More increases seem likely.

What the Pentagon calls tightening the noose on the militants, critics call indecisive steps with limited chance to succeed.

One of the most vocal critics of Obamas Iraq policy, Republican Sen. John McCain, dismissed Carters announcement that the U.S. would send another 217 troops to Iraq in support of the Iraqi security forces preparation for an assault on the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul.

Grudging incrementalism, McCain called it.

Patrick Martin, an Iraq specialist at the Institute for the Study of War, is skeptical that the U.S. approach is sufficiently aggressive.

The addition of 217 advisers  is not going to be nearly enough to actually make a significant difference on the ground in the near future, he said in an interview. On the other hand, the U.S. offer to fly Apache attack helicopters in support of an Iraqi advance toward Mosul is a significant move, Martin said, noting that it would be the first time the Iraqis have accepted that kind of support since U.S. forces returned to Iraq in 2014.

Obamas approach in Iraq has been tempered not just by his pledge to end U.S. military involvement there after he took office in 2009 but also by the Iraqis own political failings, which even now cast doubt on the durability of any battlefield victories U.S. troops can help the Iraqis achieve. In 2007, at the peak of the Iraq war, the U.S. had about 170,000 troops there.

Rather than commit large ground combat units to Iraq or Syria, Obama in 2014 opted for providing a support role on the ground, backed by bombing from the air. Obama was on his way Tuesday to Saudi Arabia to encourage Gulf Arab countries to contribute more to the battle in Iraq.

Nearly two years later, the Islamic State has been weakened and squeezed but remains a credible threat. It not only holds territory in Iraq and Syria but also has spread to Libya and Afghanistan while launching deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels.

On a visit to Baghdad this week, Carter described the decision to deploy another 217 soldiers as more of the same, in the sense that it aligns with the U.S. strategy of providing more support to Iraqi forces as they gain momentum, while not doing the fighting for them.

Our strategic approach makes sure that the defeat of ISIL is lasting, he said, using a common acronym for the Islamic State. It is to enable capable and motivated local forces to sustain the defeat. We are committed, I am committed, to doing more to accelerate that defeat. We want to do it as fast as we possibly can.

It has taken this long to bring Mosul within the Iraqis gunsights because they have been slow to leverage U.S. training, partly because of sectarian conflict and political gridlock in Baghdad. Four months ago the Iraqis recovered Ramadi after collapsing there in May 2015, which prompted Carter to question their will to fight. They still lack essential ingredients for battlefield success such as close-air support for maneuvering ground forces, and its not clear they will retake Mosul before 2017, even with additional American support.

Most of the additional 217 troops would be Army special forces, who have been used throughout the anti-Islamic State campaign to advise and assist the Iraqis. For the first time, the advisers are authorized to assist the Iraqis at battalion level, meaning with smaller Iraq combat units likely to be closer to the front lines.

The extra U.S. troops also would include trainers, soldiers to provide security for the advisers, as well as maintenance teams and crews for the Apache attack helicopters that Carter said the Iraqi government has agreed would be needed to provide close-air support for ground forces in a Mosul assault. The U.S. also will provide additional sets of mobile artillery, known as HIMARS, to support Iraqi ground forces as they advance toward Mosul.

And those are unlikely to be the last additions to the U.S. military presence. Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters Monday that the focus for now is on getting the Iraqis to fully isolate Mosul and set the right conditions for recapturing it.

The next step of that obviously is to actually clear the city, MacFarland said. And when we get to that step, that will be another conversation that well have about U.S. support. For now, he said, Were going to employ these additional authorities and capabilities and see how far it takes us. And then if it doesnt take us all the way, well come back and have another discussion and ask for more if we need to.

Asked whether this was incrementalism, MacFarland said, I would prefer to call it a step-by-step approach. Were on the first step right now.

Associated Press reporter Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this story from Baghdad.
MONTGOMERY, Ala.  A commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure would be illegal under a new bill debated in the Alabama legislature on Wednesday.

The House Health Committee held a public hearing on a bill that supporters say would prohibit a medical procedure called dilation and evacuation, or D&E. The bill would allow the procedure, which it describes as dismemberment abortion, in the event of a serious health risk to the mother.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a similar bill into law last week, while West Virginia lawmakers overrode their governors veto in March to pass a similar law. D&E bans in Kansas and Oklahoma have been struck down by state courts.

Supporters of the bill on Wednesday compared D&E procedures to torture and medieval forms of punishment.

I dont see how a civilized society could support these barbaric procedures, said the bills sponsor, Republican Rep. Mack Butler.

Elizabeth Potter Graham, an attorney who spoke against the bill, said it is a womans fundamental right to choose the procedure.

D&Es, or surgical abortions, are used in the majority of second-trimester procedures, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Butlers bill does not target medical abortions, which are induced by medication and have higher complication rates than surgical abortions in the second trimester, according to the ACOG.

Butler said Wednesday that he believes the bill is a good step toward achieving his ultimate goal, which is to outlaw abortion altogether.

Committee members adjourned without a vote, but Butler says he expects them to pass the bill next week.
SANTA FE, N.M.  Hundreds of New Mexico teenagers are capitalizing on a new state law that allows 17-year-olds who will be 18 the day of the election in November to vote in the June primary.

More than 800 teens in New Mexico have registered to vote in June, with more than half registering as Democrats. The totals as of Wednesday include 459 Democrats, 210 Republicans and 193 registered as independents or members of a minor party.

New Mexicos new law, which takes effect on May 18, the day of the primary, puts the state among about 20 states that permit 17-year-olds to cast ballots in party primaries.

As the change takes place in a presidential election year, young voters say they are particularly motivated to vote.

Jackson Miller, a senior at Santa Fe High School, said he is excited to vote this year. He not only registered, he has taken a class at the Democratic Party headquarters in Santa Fe County and is now helping register his eligible friends.

I think that participating in democracy is one of the most important civic duties we have, Miller said.

Many 17-year-olds said college affordability is their major concern. Don Jaramillo, an 18-year-old senior at Santa Fe High School, said he hopes to leave college with little to no debt, but he has no financial aid. Because New Mexicos Legislative Lottery Scholarship wont be applied until his second semester, he said hes already worried about finding a job on campus.

Although Jaramillo is focused on his own needs, he said he wants to participate in the election for the overall wellbeing of the country. I want to have the chance to see how someone else could change the U.S. for the better, Jaramillo said.

Meredith Tilp, who teaches an Advanced Placement government class at Capital High School, said the current election has sparked a lot of interest in her students, with many becoming outspoken advocates for their preferred candidates. She said she sees many students supporting Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders because of his stance on access to higher education, but that they also appear to be concerned about jobs and immigration.

The deadline to register to vote in state primaries is May 10.
WASHINGTON  Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says he wont compete for New Mexicos delegates prior to the states June 7 primary election as part of a strategy aimed at derailing Donald Trumps quest for the nomination, but New Mexico will remain a factor in the national GOP contest regardless.

Cruz announced his decision to abandon the New Mexico primary late Sunday in a surprise deal with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is also seeking the Republican nomination.

The desperate bid to stop GOP front-runner Trump from securing the nomination prior to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland means Cruz has agreed to halt all campaign activity in New Mexico and Oregon in exchange for Kasichs commitment to end his campaign in delegate-rich Indiana. The plan aims to deny Trump a victory in Indiana, where the Manhattan billionaire currently holds a narrow lead over Cruz. The winner of the Indiana primary takes almost all of the delegates in that state

But hours after the Cruz-Kasich deal was announced on Monday, Kasich seemed to backtrack while campaigning in Philadelphia. Asked what Indiana voters should do next week, the Ohio governor urged them to vote for him.

Ive never told them not to vote for me  they ought to vote for me, Kasich said just 13 hours after promising to give Cruz a clear path in Indiana. He said he had simply agreed not to spend resources in Indiana.

The strategy wont require a major transfer of campaign assets or personnel by Cruz out of New Mexico. The Republican senator from the neighboring state of Texas has not yet set up any kind of campaign operation in-state, according to state Republican Party officials. For that matter, neither have Trump or Kasich, said Tucker Keene, spokesman for the Republican Party of New Mexico. Keene said the state party encourages all of the GOP candidates to compete in New Mexico.

The New Mexico primary is going to be very important this year, and when every delegate matters, we certainly understand that campaigns will have to decide strategically where to compete, and they have every right to do so, Keene said. That said, we believe that every campaign should fight to win in New Mexico, because whoever our nominee is, the experience of campaigning in and organizing in a swing state like New Mexico would help defeat (likely Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton here in November.

Trump is the only candidate who can clinch the GOP presidential nomination before his partys national convention in July, but it wont be easy. The front-runner needs to win at least four of the five Northeastern primary states today. He currently has 845 delegates, 392 short of the 1,237 needed to represent his party in the general election in November.

Regardless, Trump cant seal up the nomination until June 7, when New Mexico hosts its primary along with delegate-heavy California and New Jersey.

Either way, New Mexico is still in play, said Brian Sanderoff, the Journals pollster and a longtime observer of state and national politics.

Not surprisingly, Trump denounced the Cruz-Kasich pact, calling it sad.

Collusion is often illegal in many other industries and yet these two Washington insiders have had to revert to collusion in order to stay alive, Trump said. They are mathematically dead and this act only shows, as puppets of donors and special interests, how truly weak they and their campaigns are.
WASHINGTON  Members of Congress urged the Obama administration on Wednesday to order more naval operations close to disputed islands in the South China Sea. The State Department said Beijing risks conflict and isolation through its assertive behavior in those waters.

Twice since the fall, the U.S. Navy has sailed by artificial islands built by China, and Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that such operations will take place regularly.

Republicans said such freedom of navigation operations cruising within 12 nautical miles of the manmade islands  what China might consider as their territorial waters  should become routine.

I dont why we are not doing it weekly, or monthly, said the committee chairman, GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee.

He contended that China has positioned itself as a geopolitical rival of the United States.

Merely managing differences with China is not a successful formula particularly when such management cedes U.S. influence and places American interest at risk in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, Corker said.

Blinken said China was alienating its neighbors and risked conflict, instability and isolation unless it changed its approach and clarified its claims in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.

As long as the United States remains fully present in the region, any tactical advantage that China derives from some of these outposts will be vastly outweighed by the net effect of surrounding itself with increasingly angry, increasingly suspicious neighbors who are increasingly close to the United States, he said.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, an area that contains some of the worlds busiest sea lanes. Although the U.S. is not a claimant, it says it has a national interest in freedom of navigation and maintaining stability there.

Tensions have escalated in the past two years as China has reclaimed more than 3,000 acres of land, and constructed airstrips, ports and radar stations.

China says those developments are mainly for civilian purposes and that U.S. military activities  especially the sailing of ships close to the newly built islands  threaten Chinas security.
BEIRUT  A military buildup in northern Syria, coupled with heavy fighting and mounting civilian casualties, spells the end of a cease-fire that for two months brought some relief to a war-weary country. The renewed violence is ushering in what could be an even more ruinous chapter in the 5-year-old conflict.

About 200 civilians have been killed in the past week, nearly half of them around Aleppo. There has even been shelling in Damascus, along with a car bomb  both rarities for the capital.

With peace talks in Geneva completely deadlocked, Syrians are regarding the escalating bloodshed with dread, fearing a return to full war and slow destruction.

There are regime attempts to advance and preparations by (rebel) forces to advance in the other direction. But the truth is that both sides have no capacity to advance, said activist Ahmad al-Ahmad, who lives in opposition-held areas outside Hama. It is attrition, except for the planes, which can target civilians.

Aleppo is likely to be the focus of the next phase of the war, with both sides preparing for a major battle, according to senior rebel leaders and opposition activists who spokes to The Associated Press.

Government forces have been mobilizing soldiers, equipment and ammunition in preparation for a military action in Aleppo, said Maj. Jamil Saleh, leader of Tajammu Alezzah, a Free Syrian Army faction that has received U.S.-delivered TOW anti-tank missiles.

He said his group, which operates primarily in Hama and Latakia, has sent troops to Aleppo to help the rebels ward off government advances. He described the airstrikes and artillery shelling in the former commercial capital for the last week as preparatory work for a major campaign.

Opposition activists also said a substantial redeployment of personnel has taken place recently, as contingents of the Syrian army and allied militias have moved from Palmyra to the vicinity of Aleppo.

The cease-fire was a cover, because the regime never committed to it since the start of the cease-fire, Saleh said in a telephone interview from Syria.

Nazeer al-Khatib, an activist who lives on the outskirts of Aleppo, said the city is being choked off by fighting. Government and allied forces are moving in on the main highway to rebel-held areas, blocking the only access to the rest of the country, he said.

Aleppo residents already are moving out of Syrias largest city to rural areas to evade violence, but also out of fear of getting trapped amid shortages of food and rising prices.

The city was the focus of government efforts that succeeded in almost completely choking off rebels holed up in some neighborhoods before the U.S. and Russia engineered the cease-fire on Feb. 27.

The truce held surprisingly well for weeks, underlining the exhaustion on all sides. Formally called a cessation of hostilities, it was never meant to be complete because it excluded extremists such as the Islamic State group and its rival al-Qaida branch, the Nusra Front. The presence of Nusra in almost every contested area has allowed the Syrian army and its Russian allies to target opposition-held areas while also claiming not to have technically violated the cease-fire.

That has allowed the truce to gradually unravel, with both sides accusing each other of incremental violations, mainly in the crucial Aleppo area where all sides are trying to expand their presence.

With the upsurge in fighting, the U.N. envoy for Syria appealed to the U.S. and Russia to intervene to help revive the peace talks, saying the renewed violence has put an increasingly feeble truce in great danger.

Staffan de Mistura spoke to reporters early Thursday after briefing the U.N. Security Council via videoconference about the largely stalled talks.

De Mistura said he hoped that the talks would resume in May, and he predicted the overall process would continue as previously planned through July. But stopped short of setting a specific date, pointing to recent upsurge in fighting, notably in and around Syrias largest city of Aleppo.

De Mistura lamented the worsening violence, saying that in the last 48 hours, we have had an average of one Syrian killed every 25 minutes, one Syrian wounded every 13 minutes  How can you have substantial talks when you have only news about bombing and shelling?

Any move to cut off Aleppo completely and end resistance in the city is likely to be a costly and extended affair, resulting in mass casualties and more refugees fleeing the country. There is talk that Saudi Arabia and Turkey, key backers of the rebels, may renew weapons shipments as the peace talks flounder.

Firas Abi Ali, principal analyst at IHS Country Risk, said an offensive on Aleppo also risks a reunification of the Syrian opposition around groups such as Nusra. He said it also increases the likelihood of cooperation between Nusra and the Islamic State group to capture towns south of Aleppo that are crucial to supplying government forces.

The ground movements suggest that forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, which have been on the ascendancy thanks to unwavering Russian and Iranian support, are likely to try to win back Aleppo.

The fighting is about to get worse, said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut. I think we will see an escalation before serious (peace) talks begin.

Russias six-month air campaign allowed Assads forces to advance in key areas against the rebels, and the recapture of Palmyra from IS militants has won his forces praise, including from the head of the United Nations.

With Washington caught up in a presidential election, the U.S is inclined to pay even less attention to Syria, and its focus is squarely on the war with IS. This week, President Barack Obama said an additional 250 military personnel would be deployed to Syria to train and advise local units to eventually dislodge IS from its de facto capital of Raqqa.

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Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb, Philip Issa and Maeva Bambuck contributed to this report.
BEIJING  The foreign ministers of Russia and China on Friday expressed their joint opposition to the U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system in South Korea and said non-claimants should not take sides in the dispute over the South China Sea.

The comments by Russias Sergey Lavrov and Chinas Wang Yi following talks in Beijing display their countries converging interests and mutual support in foreign affairs as they seek to counter the influence of the U.S. and its allies, particularly in Asia.

Despite endorsing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its missile launches and nuclear tests, the two strongly criticized the proposed deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system.

Relevant countries shouldnt use Pyongyangs acts as a pretext to increase their military presence on the Korean Peninsula, Lavrov said. We believe the possible deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system wont resolve this problem.

Both Russia and China, North Koreas now largely estranged ally, see the deployment as exceeding what is necessary to defend against any North Korean threat and would directly affect strategic security of Russia and China, Wang said.

That could add fuel to the fire of an already tense situation and even possibly wreck the regional strategic balance, Wang said.

Both called for efforts to restart long-stalled six-nation talks on ending North Koreas nuclear programs.

On the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely, Lavrov said outside parties shouldnt interfere, a reference to the United States, which has challenged Beijings claims.

Wang said it was up to those countries directly involved to find a peaceful resolution through negotiations.

International society, particularly countries from outside the South China Sea, should play a constructive function in maintaining peace and stability and not contribute to the situation becoming more chaotic, Wang said.

Criticized over its aggressive tactics and construction of new islands with airfields, harbors and radar stations, China has sought to use Russia to bulk up its side of the argument against the U.S. and claimants such as the Philippines, which has brought a suit at the U.N. Court of Arbitration seeking a ruling on ownership over territories it claims.

China has refused to take part in the arbitration or recognize the courts ruling.

Along with enlisting Russias support, China has given heavy publicity to what it calls a new consensus reached with Brunei, Cambodia and Laos  three members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations  endorsing its stance that the South China Sea dispute should not be an issue for ASEAN as a whole.

That has renewed criticisms from some that China is applying divide-and-conquer tactics with its smaller neighbors and trying to drive a wedge through the organization. ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines contest Chinas claims, while Taiwan also claims much of the area.
Mabel Dodge Luhan at her home in Taos. Grey Cross with Blue, 1929, Georgia OKeeffe, oil on canvas. (Courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum of Art) A Man of Taos, Tony Lujan, Taos Pueblo, 1939, Ansel Adams, gelatin silver print. (Courtesy of the Collection for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona, The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust) Feather Dance, Dorothy Brett, oil on canvas. (Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin) An Abstract Arrangement of Indian Symbols, c. 1914-15, Marsden Hartley, oil on canvas. (Courtesy of The Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale) "Winter Funeral," c. 1931 by Victor Higgins, oil on canvas. (Courtesy of the Harwood Museum of Art) "Blessing the Melon: Indians Bring the Harvest to Christian Mary for Her Blessing," c. 1918, oil on panel. (Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) Prev 1 of 7 Next

Mabel Dodge Luhan catalyzed American modernism as a creator of creators.

Generous, nurturing, difficult and maddening, the Taos salon hostess was the Gertrude Stein not only of the Southwest, but of the American culture of her time, biographer and co-curator Lois Rudnick argues in the exhibition Mabel Dodge Luhan & Company: American Moderns and the West and its companion book.

The exhibition opens at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos on Sunday, May 22, then moves to the Albuquerque Museum from Oct. 29 through Jan. 22, 2017. It ends at Luhans birthplace Buffalo, N.Y., on March 10, 2017.

The only child of a Gilded Age couple, Luhan created a Paris West in the American Southwest. She brought modern art to northern New Mexico, putting Taos on the national and international map, Rudnick said.

From 1918-1947, she influenced legions of European and American artists to discover new aesthetic, social and cultural perspectives on modern life.

Salon hostess, art patroness, writer and self-appointed savior of humanity, Luhan positioned herself as the magnet drawing such stars as Georgia OKeeffe, D.H. Lawrence, Ansel Adams, John Marin, Leopold Stokowski, Martha Graham and Marsden Hartley into her gravitational orbit.

She was an artist at creating living space where people could create things theyd never imagined before, Rudnick said. I call her an artist of life.

The wealthy hostess had already reigned over one of the most famous salons in American history in New York, a nucleus of pre-World War I luminaries who supported avant-garde ideas in the arts, politics and society.

In New York, Luhan wrote for leading modernist publications such as photographer/impresario Alfred Stieglitzs Camera Work magazine and the leftist journal The Masses as she immersed herself in the bohemians of her era.

The ever-restless heiress spent time in Provincetown, Mass., where she met and married Maurice Sterne. She soon banished him West to New Mexico, a place she heard about from Gertrude Steins brother, Leo.

Within weeks, Sterne wrote her a letter that began Dearest Girl  Do you want an object in life? Save the Indians, their art  culture  reveal it to the world!

Mabel rented a Taos home in 1918. She fell instantly in love with both the town and Antonio Lujan of Taos Pueblo. She sent Sterne back to New York and married Tony, her fourth husband, in 1923.

Tony Lujan designed and built a four-room adobe that eventually swelled into a 17-room compound on her 12 acres of meadowland called Los Gallos in honor of the ceramic roosters perched on the compounds roof.

Luhan was a pioneer, a trailblazer who preceded arts and intellectual havens like the Aspen Institute, Rudnick said.

She wanted them to make use of the culture and the physical properties of New Mexico. They put these marginalized groups at the center of modern culture, Rudnick said.

Those groups included Hispanic artists and dancers and the Penitente culture, as well as pueblo artists and dancers. Before the modernists arrival, artistic depictions of American Indians were often highly romanticized and often staged.

Luhan fed and nurtured the arts by setting up conditions in which artists could meet and interact. She also provided financial and social support. She was soon one of the great promoters of visual arts in the country.

WHAT: Mabel Dodge Luhan & Company: American Moderns and the West showcases works by artists drawn into Luhans sphere at her Taos salon. The exhibition features works by Georgia OKeeffe, Ansel Adams, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Victor Higgins, Dorothy Brett, Ernest Blumenschein and Mary Austin. Guests similarily inspired by Luhans New Mexico included choreographer Martha Graham, authors D. H. Lawrence, Willa Cather and Adolous Huxley, Carl Jung and more.

WHEN: Sunday, May 22, through Sept. 11. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; noon- 5 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux St., Taos

HOW MUCH: $10 adults; $8 seniors (65+); $8 students. Call 575-758-9826.

OKeeffe arrived in Taos in 1929. She was overjoyed by the landscapes and people she encountered; she would move to New Mexico permanently in 1949.

In the past, she had painted New York skyscrapers and the Texas plains. Soon her canvases turned to New Mexicos mountains, mesas and skies.

Hartley fell instantly in love with the American Indians he encountered, calling them the first American artists. Soon he grew characteristically disillusioned with both Santa Fe and Taos, an attitude he adopted wherever he lived, Rudnick said.

Convinced that America was too commercial, Lawrence arrived in New Mexico determined to create his own utopia.

He was a hippie before there were hippies, Rudnick said. Mabel invited him so he could be John the Baptist to her Jesus. He found her way too bossy and way too manipulative.

Adams discovered his distinctive clarity and depth after meeting the photographer Paul Strand, another Luhan protege. Before New Mexico, his prints had been softly focused re-creations of Stieglitzs style. Afterward, they sharpened into the boldly dramatic contrast that clinched his fame.

That Luhans contribution to American moderism isnt more widely acknowledged lies in a cascade of cultural and social attitudes. American culture ignores people who dont produce, Rudnick said.

Then there was the sexist attitude toward rich women who hosted salons. East Coast opinion-makers viewed New Mexico as a backwater where nothing of significance could possibly occur.

Rudnick placed at least part of the blame on Mabels often thorny personality. She regularly fell out with the artists.

She was bipolar, and that had a lot to do with her behavior, Rudnick said. In a manic phase, Luhan was convinced she could save the world with her Utopian visions.

When she was depressed, it was horrendous, Rudnick continued. She wrote an essay about what it was like to feel like you are absolutely nothing.

Lithium was unavailable until 1964.

She was often unbelievably generous, Rudnick said. And then she could turn on people for absolutely no reason.

When Luhan died at home in Taos in 1962, few paid attention. She was buried in Kit Carson Cemetery, her impact on both New Mexico and America largely forgotten. In 1970, Dennis Hopper bought the house in another era of creators and seekers.
A simple act of compassion by a doctor whose name she doesnt remember set Christine Cassel on the pathway to many summits in the medical world.

Cassel, 70, has crisscrossed the country in leading academic positions in Oregon, Chicago, New York and Pennsylvania, while serving on numerous influential boards such as the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Her professional biography reads like a Whos Who of prestigious medical organizations: first woman chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, first woman president of the American College of Physicians, first woman dean of Oregon Health & Science University, and much more.

For roughly the past decade, however, she has called Santa Fe home.

She and her husband, public health physician Michael McCally, succumbed to the states charms when they visited friends in New Mexico in 1985.

They eventually bought a condo in Santa Fe, then built a home, which became the center for holiday gatherings. Cassel has two married stepsons and one granddaughter who are all living on the West Coast.

Our professional life has been so itinerant  so, over the years, this really did feel like the one stable place, said Cassel.

She and McCally enjoy shopping at local farmers markets, going to restaurants and taking advantage of the citys arts and music scene.

We particularly enjoy the chamber music in the summer, she said. Im also a big fan of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.

She also appreciates that Santa Fe is home to many scientists, thanks to the national labs in Los Alamos and Albuquerque.

I just find the community to be very diverse and intellectually rewarding. Theres just so many good conversations to be had with people who come from many different perspectives and I value that.

McCally is now retired and lives full time in Santa Fe where he is chair of the environmental group New Energy Economy. Cassel still commutes from wherever her professional life takes her.

Moth to flame

On a recent Monday afternoon, Cassel spared time for an interview at an Albuquerque airport hotel before she caught a plane back to Los Angeles.

In March, Cassel joined a team to plan the new Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in Pasadena, which is targeted to open for students in 2019. Cassel served on the Kaiser board from 2003 to 2014 and had been a strong proponent of starting a medical school when the idea first gained traction.

But she was heading the Washington, D.C.-based National Quality Forum, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of health care, when she got the call from Kaiser CEO Bernard Tyson inviting her to join the team.

I could not resist. It was just like a moth to the flame, said Cassel.

Defining moment

Medicine, however, was not Cassels original focus.

Born in 1945 in Minneapolis, Minn., to a mother of Swedish heritage and a Navy officer father, she spent her childhood moving from coast to coast and overseas to England, Germany and Italy. The family even spent time in Hawaii.

Which was such a fun place to be a kid, she recalled.

As a youngster she liked science and won a couple of science fair projects. However, her teachers discouraged her from pursuing the subject.

Because it was too hard for girls, she laughed.

Cassel also liked literature and the arts and majored in philosophy at the University of Chicago. Not excited about an academic career in philosophy, she tried graduate work in psychology at Harvard.

The moment that defined her career came by accident. While hiking she broke her arm, and, lacking insurance, she sought care at a Navy hospital. When the young doctor who treated her was finished, he told the corpsman to file her paperwork under H for humanitarian.'

For her, as a former student of philosophy, that simple act revealed the mission of medicine.

I have to tell you  my heart just melted, said Cassel. I said, wow, I wonder if I could do this?'

She immediately began searching for pre-med courses, eventually being accepted to the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

And it was the best decision that ever happened to me. My only regret is that I dont remember that mans name, because he changed my life, she said.

Medical frontier

Early on she was interested in immunology. But during residency at the University of California in San Francisco, she was intrigued by older patients who had multiple common health problems and needed a more coordinated approach to care.

That led her to the burgeoning field of geriatric medicine.

I think I also have a penchant for things that are new and just getting started, said Cassel. And this was a brand new field. It was a frontier.

She purused training programs at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland and the Oregon Health and Sciences University. She met McCally during that period and the two became active in Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization dedicated to creating a just, healthy and peaceful world.

Over the last thirty-plus years, Cassels interest in geriatric care, medical ethics and policy issues have propelled her to leading positions at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and many more.

Though she admits to yearning for more time to hike and enjoy the natural beauty of New Mexico, she has no thought of retirement.

Right now I am so energized by this work that Im not ready yet, said Cassel.
New Mexicos health care crisis demands our attention. Now.

No person should suffer even one day of serious illness or injury because that person cannot find or afford to pay for good health care, yet that is exactly what happens each day in New Mexico.

Months-long waits for medical appointments, hours-long drives to Albuquerque or across the states borders once appointments are made and the worsening shortage of health professionals throughout New Mexico are becoming routine and, sadly, expected. These and other problems will only get worse if state officials cut payments to doctors and other health care providers who provide services to Medicaid patients.

This is a complex dilemma that is not unique to New Mexico. The fact that policymakers, medical providers and patients in other states also face this challenge is of little comfort, although we can benefit from their experiences. We must work together, diligently and methodically, bringing people together, to solve this crisis.

We face some unique challenges in New Mexico.

 More than 78 out of 100,000 Rio Arriba County residents die of opioid overdoses, more than triple the statewide rate, which is already among the highest in the United States.

 More than one-third of New Mexicans are enrolled in Medicaid and the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program. Those patients face long waits for primary and specialty care across the state. Twenty percent of New Mexicans live in poverty, which is as much a health issue as an economic issue.

 While the Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced the number of people without health insurance in New Mexico, more than 13 percent of New Mexicans were still uninsured in early 2015.

 Most of New Mexico is officially considered to be a health professional shortage area, short more than 163 primary care providers.

It is that shortage of health care professionals that has led to what I expect will be a temporary closing of the obstetric and pediatric unit at Alta Vista Regional Hospital in Las Vegas.

This unit, along with local midwives, provides an important service in northeastern New Mexico. Im confident it will reopen, and I will do everything possible to help recruit and retain physicians and nurses to ensure that happens quickly.

Some of the proposed solutions to New Mexicos Medicaid funding crisis threaten to exacerbate our health care professional shortage.

Weve significantly increased Medicaid spending over the years, but we still face a shortage of tens of millions of dollars in state funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The state funding shortage grows to hundreds of millions of dollars because we wont receive federal matching funds.

An understandable, although misguided, solution proposed by state officials to this dilemma is to cut the payments to doctors, hospitals, clinics and others who treat Medicaid patients. This solution will create long-term problems as doctors leave the state and clinics close.

Instead, we should listen to providers who have offered solutions that have worked in other states, such as imposing new taxes on providers and dedicating that revenue to fund Medicaid.

At the same time, the state should enforce its contracts with Medicaid managed care organizations to ensure that the millions of dollars we pay them every year actually result in better health care. If the MCOs meet their obligations to provide care coordination, emergency room diversion and chronic disease management, Medicaid costs will not rise as fast. Providing the right amount of care at the right time will, as the Human Services Department has promised, save millions of dollars.

None of this will be easy or quick. Policymakers, state officials, managed care organizations, health care providers and patients must work together now with the goal of improving access to affordable health care in New Mexico.

This cooperation may be initiated at a series of regional town halls convened by New Mexico First or the regional health councils. We could build on these town halls with a statewide summit where the public, policymakers and experts formulate policies that will address our needs. Doing so will make for a healthier, more productive society that will benefit all of us.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

LAS CRUCES  Carlos Morales had been in jail five weeks when he faced U.S. Judge Robert Brack in federal court one morning.

He was third in a line of about 20 men who would all be sentenced for a similar crime: illegal re-entry into the country following deportation.

For a decade, Bracks docket of immigration cases has ranked among the largest in the country. He sees about a dozen immigration cases a day, three days a week, every week. When Judge Kenneth Gonzales was appointed in 2013 to the court in Las Cruces, Brack said he assumed he would see his immigration caseload reduced.

It stayed the same. Gonzales docket grew to nearly the size of Bracks. Other federal judges, including from Albuquerque, began rotating into the court to help.

Criminal felony immigration cases in New Mexico federal courts have increased 80 percent in five years to 3,749 in 2015 from 2,078 cases in 2011, according to U.S. court statistics compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Each of the five federal border districts handles immigration cases differently, and New Mexico takes the unusual approach of charging nearly 100 percent of re-entry cases as felonies and not allowing defendants to plea bargain down to a lesser charge.

But sentences meted out in New Mexico tend to be shorter than in other districts.

Which approach is more effective as a deterrent is still unclear; what is clear is that repeat deportees continue to fill federal court dockets.

The Las Cruces court handles the vast majority of the districts immigration cases. Brack alone sentenced about 1,800 cases last year; Gonzales saw about 1,600 cases, mostly immigration. Visiting judges, including Judge William Chip Johnson from Albuquerque, picked up another several hundred.

For perspective: A federal judge elsewhere in the country might sentence 75 cases a year, Johnson said.

Nationwide but especially along the border, illegal entry and re-entry prosecutions have surged over the past 20 years thanks to a hardened stance against illegal immigration at the Southwest border by both Republican and Democrat administrations, experts say.

From fewer than 10,000 in 1997, the caseload of prosecutions related to illegal entry and re-entry swelled to more than 100,000 in 2013 before dipping to around 80,000 at the same time that illegal immigration was rapidly declining, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

These are the most prosecuted crimes in the entire federal judiciary by far, said Bob Libal, executive director of Grassroots Leadership, a Texas-based nonprofit opposed to mass incarceration for nonviolent immigration crimes. Its astounding. We have transformed our borders into mass criminalization and imprisonment factories.

NM an outlier

The reasons behind the surge in felony prosecutions in New Mexico are complex, according to federal judges in New Mexico, public defenders and prosecutors, Border Patrol and experts in immigration law.

Chief among them are the rising apprehensions at the New Mexico border; Border Patrols practice of referring more offenders for prosecution; discretion by the U.S. Attorney to prosecute nearly all re-entries as felonies under a fast-track program; and a sentencing approach by the federal judges in New Mexico that favors time served sentences when an offender has crossed the border illegally but has no criminal record or drug charges.

All of this has rendered New Mexico something of an outlier in two respects: the districts focus on felony prosecutions for immigration offenses and shorter jail times averaging four to six weeks.

Other border districts  Texas Western, Texas Southern and, to a lesser extent, Arizona  prosecute more undocumented immigrants on misdemeanors, often under plea bargains known as flip flops. But the reduced charge can come with longer jail times of four to six months.

I think we should have a uniform policy across the border, Johnson said. Each district has done it differently in the 14 years that I have been a federal district judge.

Its not clear to what extent these approaches to punishing immigration crimes in the border districts deter migrants from crossing illegally again.

U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Damon Martinez  who sets policy for the district on whether to prosecute undocumented immigrants and under what circumstances  said felony prosecutions do deter people from coming back illegally.

If the person comes back after receiving that felony, that ratchets up the potential for jail time or incarceration, Martinez said. And each time they come back, the consequences get worse. That is the deterrent effect of having that felony in place.

Still, recent studies suggest that immigrants who have children or relatives in the U.S. are unlikely to be dissuaded by repeated apprehensions, jail time or deportation.

A 2015 study by the U.S. Sentencing Commission of more than 18,000 illegal re-entry cases found that half of offenders had at least one child living in the United States at the time of their apprehension. More than two-thirds had relatives other than children in the U.S.

Since there is no credible evidence of a greater payoff in terms of deterring migrants from crossing the border, one cannot say that the district is getting more bang for the buck,' said Judy Greene, who has studied immigration prosecution trends as director of Justice Strategies, a New York-based a policy research organization. Punishment is an ineffective sanction when motivating factors such as economic survival and family unity are so overwhelming.

U.S. not an option

Morales, 37 years old from Mexico, handcuffed and hanging his head, offered Brack an apology.

I just came to try to help my family, he said through a translator.

You made a mistake, Brack said.

Then Brack directed a question to the men waiting in the back: By a show of hands, how many of you came to work? I think its unanimous, he said to the sound of chains tinkling as the men raised their hands.

Im a husband and father myself, he said. And I know that times are tough in Mexico, and I know that jobs are hard to find, wages low, so you did what your fathers generation did, your grandfathers generation did: You looked to the United States as an answer. I cant fault that as a husband and father, but as a judge I cant allow conduct like that to continue if it involves breaking laws of the United States  and it does.

The United States is simply not an option any more, he told the men. Our border is now as closed and as heavily guarded as it has ever been.

Today, far fewer people are crossing the border illegally, but those who are caught are more likely to be prosecuted and jailed.

Border Patrol apprehensions at the Southwest border  an indication of overall trends in illegal immigration  fell to 331,000 in fiscal 2015 from more than 1.6 million at the high point in fiscal 2000, an 80 percent decline over 15 years. Apprehensions in the sector that includes New Mexico and West Texas were about a 10th last year of what they were in 2000: fewer than 15,000 versus more than 115,000.

Looking at New Mexico alone, the past five years have seen an uptick in illegal immigration: 11,216 apprehensions last fiscal year compared with 6,910 in fiscal 2011, as migrants more often tried their luck in the desert between Santa Teresa and the Bootheel.

A decade ago, Border Patrol would refer undocumented immigrants for prosecution only after at least 14 prior arrests. Now an undocumented immigrant may get just one voluntary return to their home country before facing prosecution.

Immigration offenders are prosecuted in the district where they are apprehended  hence the growing caseload in Brack and Gonzales courtrooms.

The Border Patrol continues to put on pressure, Greene said. The fewer people they have to apprehend, the more time they have to shovel people into the court system.

Jail not worth it

Brack, before sentencing Morales, asked one more question: You come in with the best of intentions, he said, but if you end up in an American jail, are you helping your family?

Morales answered, No. His attorney had told the court Morales has four dependents. It wasnt clear whether they were in Mexico or the U.S.

The real wall is the jail time, said Dennis Candelaria, a public defender in Las Cruces. For many, its not worth it. But if they have family here, its just part of the risk.

Brack sentenced Morales to time served, which amounted to 37 days. He warned Morales that, if he was caught crossing illegally again, the sentence would be much longer: as much as a year in jail.

As U.S. marshals escorted Morales out of the courtroom to be deported to Ciudad Juarez, the next detained man shuffled to the podium  followed by another and another. They all had tried crossing the border at least once before.

Court records and testimony, judges and attorneys, immigration advocates and detractors suggest that some of the men  perhaps most  would try crossing the border again.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

A tensile strength burns through Yalda Barlas in a combustion of grief and loss.

Now 22 and about to enter the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Yalda somehow plowed through a double major in biology and chemistry, worked as a tutor and nursed her mother at home until her 2013 death from colon cancer.

Her mother Shasiqa told her she got her smart genes from her dad.

The father she resembles was killed by the Taliban 19 years ago.

On Saturday, Yalda graduated from UNM and will segue into medical school under a full Regents scholarship and as part of the schools eight-year BA/MD program.

She was born in Pakistan, along with her three siblings; a sister Nelofar, 26; a brother Ghazanfar, 25; and her sister Venes, 19. Their father, Nadir, was a civil engineer who worked for the United Nations in the city of Quetta, near the border of Afghanistan.

Never afraid to speak his mind, he objected to things like building a bridge with substandard materials.

I have, like vague memories of him, Yalda said. I remember him coming home on my birthday and bringing home gifts from Afghanistan.

Nadir disappeared in 1997. A family friend said hed been taken by the Taliban. He was just 37.

Yalda was 3 years old. Shasiqa searched for her husband for three years, carrying her babies as she moved from house to house. If anyone knew what had happened, they were afraid to say so.

The family never heard from Nadir again.

I dont know what happened to him, but Im sure they tortured and killed him, because they did that to everyone, Yalda said. If they see someone whos educated and intelligent, then theyll do anything to get them out of the way.

A United Nations friend arranged for the remaining family to immigrate to the U.S.

Yaldas mother chose Albuquerque, because her sister lived here. All Yalda remembers is being air sick on a plane packed with refugees. She was 6.

At first, the family lived with her mothers sister. Then, as Shasiqa cycled through a seemingly endless series of dead-end jobs  at a dry cleaner and a restaurant, then stints as a jewelry cleaner, babysitter and caretaker  they rented an apartment.

They were all horrible, minimum wage jobs that didnt pay anything, Yalda said. My mom was working at least two jobs at a time. And my brother and sister started working as soon as they could. We moved 11 times in 11 years or something ridiculous like that.

Her two siblings began working for a family friend at 14. Eventually, they would continue the family dynasty of over-achievement. Her brother became a civil engineer; her sister majored in biology and became a physicians assistant. Her younger sister Venes is now at UNM, also planning to become a doctor.

Yalda was the Cibola High School valedictorian in 2012.

In 2011, her mother began complaining of constipation and stomach pain. The family learned that she had colon cancer the year Yalda graduated from high school.

Yaldas mailbox flooded with college acceptance letters, including scholarships from prestigious schools like Dartmouth College and the University of California at Berkeley. She wanted to leave New Mexico but knew she couldnt because of her mother.

It had already advanced to stage four, Yalda said softly, her long, dark hair flowing into a curtain as she leaned her elbow on her knee. There was basically nothing they could do.

She spent her first year at UNM in the dorms, then drove out to Albuquerques West Side to be with her mother on the weekends.

Shasiqa traveled to the hospital for chemotherapy every two weeks. Yalda sat with her as the toxic medicine flowed into her veins. She got through school by reminding herself of her mothers hopes for her.

Whenever I thought of her, I knew she would have wanted me to do well.

As Shasiqa lay dying, she told her daughter she was afraid she was hindering her path to success.

Yaldas eyes welled as she recounted the story.

That was heartbreaking for me. Shes the reason I do succeed. She knew I was going to major in biology, Yalda continued. She knew I was going to major in chemistry. Shed always brag about it to her doctor.

Retired teacher Beth Salimbeni was Yaldas high school history teacher. She remembers an extraordinary student graced with both confidence and humor.

She knew how to ask questions, Salimbeni said. She knew how to laugh at herself. She was a terrific role model.

Yalda is gifted, Salimbeni acknowledged. But her success is based on more than intelligence, she said.

As far as Im concerned, discipline is 90 percent of gifted. She knew what she wanted.

Shasiqa offered a fierce model in survival, she added.

Imagine being the mother of four children. Your husband is killed, and you know hes not coming back. Youre a refugee from Pakistan, and you dont speak one word of English. I think more than anything, that would say to a child, You can do it. I consider Yalda one of those kids who made it against all odds.

Yalda says her parents struggle to survive left their daughter with a steely determination to honor them.

I felt like I had to do something to go further, she said. I didnt want my parents sacrifice to be wasted. They worked so hard that their lives were taken one way or the other.

Toward the end, Shasiqa had to go to the emergency room nearly every two weeks. Her oxygen dropped dangerously; she became jaundiced. Yalda took her home for the inevitable hospice.

I would usually spend the night next to her, she said. If she didnt see me at her side, shed say, Wheres Yalda? She couldnt talk, she couldnt walk. We had to carry her everywhere. She started coughing up a lot of blood and that was it. She stopped breathing.

Shasiqa was 47 years old.

After graduation, Yalda wants to take a long-delayed vacation and travel in the U.S.  possibly to Yellowstone National Park. She hopes to do her residency somewhere in California; her older brother and sister live near San Francisco. But she plans to return home to Albuquerque afterward. In a way, the loss of her mother brought an acceptance of her fathers death.

We always had hope, she said. I never accepted him being dead until my mom died. I thought, My moms not alone where she is because shes with my dad. 
Although some politicians, commentators and social activists worry a great deal about income inequality, the evidence that inequality hurts the economy in any meaningful way is thin.

Income polarization is another matter. A 2013 University of Warsaw study of 70 countries over a 45-year period found that income polarization cuts economic growth rates and that income inequality does not.

Polarization is increasing across the country, especially in New Mexico. Esther George, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, told an Albuquerque audience Thursday that polarization explains why many Americans feel their prospects are not improving, even though all the benchmarks show the economy has grown stronger since the financial panic of 2008

Income inequality refers to the financial rift between those people earning the highest incomes and the rest of the population. That rift is growing as the rich keep getting richer. Even if the economic consequences of the divide arent bad, the social and political damage could be.

Polarization occurs when demand for highly skilled labor (programmers, therapists, advanced manufacturing specialists) and for low-skilled labor (home health care aides, fast-food counter help) grows faster than demand for mid-skilled labor. George said mid-skilled work, once the bedrock professions of the middle class, includes assembly work in factories, clerical work and administrative jobs.

The Journal reported Friday that, according to the Pew Research Center, 16.3 percent of Albuquerques adults were classified as upper income in 2000, 28.6 percent were lower income, and 55.4 percent were middle income. By 2014, upper income had slipped to 16 percent of our adult population, our lower-income adult population grew to 33 percent, and the middle-income share slipped almost 5 percentage points, to 50.7 percent.

Pew Research defined the middle class as those with an annual household income between about $42,000 and $125,000 for a family of three.

Nationally, the upper-income share of the population increased from 17 to 20 percent, the lower-income share increased from 28 to 29 percent, and the middle-income portion shrank from 55 to 51 percent.

If you take a longer view, the national numbers look worse. George said that 60 percent of American jobs were mid-skill in 1983. Only 44 percent are mid-skill jobs today. By current employment levels, this would be equivalent to a shift of 22 million jobs away from middle-skill occupations toward both high- and low-skill occupations, she said.

The decline in middle-skill jobs is the result of a number of sweeping changes affecting the economy, George said. With the adoption of computers and advanced technologies, businesses have fundamentally changed the way they operate and the types of workers that they require.

The globalized economy has improved job prospects for some, but conventional mid-skill jobs are disappearing. More than 20 percent of the American workforce was employed in the manufacturing sector in 1980. Fewer than 10 percent are in manufacturing today.

Workers whose mid-skill talents are now considered low-skill suffer a significant income hit, George said. Low-skill jobs typically pay 50 percent below the median salary. The Census Bureau said median household income in 2014 was $51,759.

This squeezing of the middle class damages the economy in a number of ways, according to Michal Brzezinski of the University of Warsaw. He wrote that a stable and sizable middle class is a source of new entrepreneurs, transmits middle-class values associated with increased savings and promoting human capital, and creates demand for quality consumer goods, which boosts the overall level of investment and production.

If you take a look at employment data, you can get a pretty good idea about what is happening in Albuquerque. The Pew data show workers are slipping from the mid-level to low-level incomes and, therefore, presumably their skill sets are slipping from mid-level to low-level. Albuquerque has been losing construction and manufacturing jobs in large numbers for several years. It appears likely that many of those workers skills did not allow them to move up, so there was no place to go but down.

The result cant help but be a continuing erosion of local incomes compared with those in other cities, increased demand for expensive social services as incomes degrade, and a smaller pool of private capital that can be used for new business development and existing business expansion.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Winthrop Quigley at 823-3896 or wquigley@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
DENVER  The mayor of a tiny Denver-area town looks forward to filling potholes with pot revenue. The prospect of marijuana tax proceeds also has raised spirits in a Colorado mountain county facing the closure of a major mine.

But across the state that has been a legal marijuana pioneer, small communities are finding costs as well. Staff can barely keep up with licensing applications and keep tabs on the new businesses.

Jason Warf, head of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, an industry group, said marijuana can be revitalizing for small towns that most need an economic boost.

It creates jobs that just arent there or replaces jobs that are about to be lost, Warf said.

At a conference this week organized by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Englewood Deputy City Clerk Stephanie Carlile was among officials from around the state who shared marijuana experiences, some of them cautionary tales.

Marijuana has definitely been a tap on our resources, Carlile said in an interview on the sidelines of the conference. Were a smaller municipality. We have been stumbling through.

Englewood, a 7-square-mile Denver bedroom community of 32,000, allows medical but bans recreational marijuana sales. Officials were surprised to read last year in a magazine that the city was hosting a private club where dues-paying members could consume recreational marijuana, Carlile said. Neighboring Denver had banned such clubs, but Englewood, which is almost entirely residential, hadnt yet turned its attention to that aspect of marijuana.

The pot club is still in business. But Englewoods city council is considering a ban on such enterprises.

Meetings like the one Carlile attended in Denver to brainstorm about pot management also have been held in Washington.

Prosser City Planner Stephen Zetz said his community of about 6,000 in southeastern Washingtons wine country left the licensing to the state and didnt revamp its zoning regulations for the one pot shop that came to town. But it has drawn up regulations for marijuana growers, though none are present yet. Zetz said he hopes pot tourists stop at wineries and other businesses in town.

In Colorados mountains, the one Clear Creek staffer charged with processing marijuana licenses  a paralegal in the county attorneys office  sometimes feels overwhelmed. The marijuana industry is licensed and regulated by the state, but local governments can require separate licenses and collect their own fees.

Recreational and medical marijuana shops are scattered along the stretch of Interstate 70 running through Clear Creek County, home to 10,000 people. A number of growers are in the county, even though its altitude and lack of water hadnt made it attractive to other kinds of agriculture.

Tim Mauck, one of three Clear Creek County commissioners, said the industry is small enough now that officials know all the players and feel they can manage oversight. Marijuana is growing just as Clear Creek has learned that Henderson Mine  for decades its main source of property tax revenue  will be closing in a few years.

Back down I-70, Edgewater has six recreational shops that stay open until midnight, five hours later than Denver permits. Edgewater Mayor Kristian Teegardin predicts the boom for his town of 5,000 people will slow as other municipalities embrace marijuana. But he doesnt expect that to happen before he repaves all Edgewaters streets with pot tax proceeds.
DES MOINES, Iowa  Rock concert rallies versus intimate town halls. Adoring groupies versus dutiful voters. Sweeping promises versus targeted proposals.

Whether Hillary Clinton is competing against Democratic rival Bernie Sanders or presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, one concern is much the same. They are outsider candidates riding a wave of populist excitement, while she is viewed as a traditional, establishment choice.

As a result, her campaign sometimes just looks a little less exciting.

Clinton has won more votes than any other 2016 candidate. But if she moves into a general election matchup with Trump, she may continue to be dogged by questions about voter enthusiasm, especially as Trump pledges to continue his raucous rallies.

Clintons supporters say they are not worried.

Big crowds mean nothing, said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. You dont get extra points for an enthusiastic vote versus a moderately enthusiastic vote.

Still, the differences are clear.

In recent days, Sanders rallied with roughly 4,000 in Salem, Oregon, and Trump drew thousands in Bellingham, Wash. Clinton held a rally with over 1,000 people in New Jersey, but also spoke about family issues at a gathering with about 15 in northern Virginia.

Trumps large crowds were good for more than his ego. They helped him power past his numerous rivals and to the verge of clinching the nomination as Clinton continues mopping up against her last remaining challenger.

I think the rallies for Trump are the demonstration of his appeal as I think the rallies for Sanders are the demonstration of his appeal, said Republican pollster Greg Strimple. He added that Sanders crowds have exposed some of Clintons weaknesses and he would not have generated that energy if the Democrats were so enamored of her candidacy.

Republican strategist Sara Fagen, who has not backed Trump, says Clinton doesnt have a movement. She has a base of people that will show up, but theyre not overly energized. Still, Fagen said a general election may be more challenging for Trump, noting that his success so far has been in a crowded primary.

Crowd counts are just one measure of excitement. Polling suggests that the competitive Democratic race has energized voters, and exit polls find enthusiasm for Clinton as well as Sanders. About 2 in 5 primary voters were enthusiastic about their partys front-runner in a recent CNN poll.

Both Clinton and Trump have negative favorability ratings among general election voters. But Trumps negatives with people of all backgrounds are at historic highs, suggesting he may have difficulty connecting with a broad cross-section of voters in November.

Sanders and Trump have reveled in their large crowds as evidence of the power of their message. During a recent interview, Trump said the huge rallies would continue to be a centerpiece of his campaign. He argued that the excitement and momentum were more important than spending heavily in a sophisticated data operation to turn out voters.

My coalition of voters is amazing, Trump said. You know, we dont get enough credit. First of all, I have the biggest crowds by far. I have the most loyal voters by far.

Clinton, who shines in more intimate interactions, stressed early in the campaign that she wanted to engage with voters at smaller venues. She is on track to wrap up the nomination within weeks and is increasingly focusing on Trump as she tries to replicate the kind of data-heavy approach that helped Barack Obama win presidential elections in 2008 and 2012.

Clinton also struggled with the enthusiasm gap when she ran against Obama in the 2008 primary. Obama held huge rallies and captured much of the popular imagination and enthusiasm. Rendell said he did not think 2016 would pose the same problems.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

LORDSBURG  Take this gravel road through pale yellow grassland and dark, rugged mountains into the heart of a perennial conflict over public access to public lands in New Mexico. Drive it now, before Hidalgo County abandons it to a private landowner.

County Road 001 cuts south through the Bootheel almost to the Mexican border. The road provides the surest access to prime hunting grounds for deer, pronghorn antelope and javelina; access to camping and hiking in the Coronado National Forest; and a passable path for local ranchers and emergency vehicles.

But like many sparsely populated counties in New Mexico, Hidalgo County is strapped for cash. County manager Bob Hill  a neutral party  says the road may be too expensive to maintain at current levels.

Commissioner Darr Shannon, a local businesswoman, has proposed abandoning nearly 9 miles of it, which would effectively revert the road to the Bootheels largest rancher, Seth Hadley.

Locals say Hadley, who owns the sprawling Diamond A and Gray ranches, famously gates and locks the roads on his properties and has previously cut off access to public lands, including at Black Point. Numerous no trespassing signs flank Diamond A and Gray ranch gates off County Road 001.

Hadley could not be reached for comment. But cutting off access, in the past, has furthered the conservation goals of his Animas Foundation in an area touted by the Nature Conservancy as one of the most significant natural sites in the nation.

Border Patrol has its own codes to get through the Diamond A and Gray ranch gates, but the public does not.

A County Commission meeting last week  held in a hot warehouse behind the sheriffs office in Lordsburg to accommodate the crowd  drew more than 100 residents, ranchers and sportsmen. A show of hands indicated that nearly everyone was against the proposed abandonment. Dozens spoke.

When you are out on foot and you want to get back to your car and leave the area, said resident Matthew Dondarski, youre not going to be able to have a year-round route that you know youre going to be able to get out in time, reliably, without this section.

Meira Gault runs a more than 21,000-acre ranch a few miles off County Road 001 that she is considering selling. Its listed online at $9 million.

She told the Journal, If they maintain it less but keep it with the county, it maintains access. But if they vacate it or abandon it, then the possibility of this road being closed and reverted to a private landowner is what I dont want.

Not counting grant money and other funding earmarked for specific projects, Hill said, the county has $389,461 in the budget to care for 481 miles of roads, most of them gravel and dirt.

Based on data supplied by the county, Gault estimates that the 9-mile stretch costs $13,470 annually to maintain. Shannon estimates that the same stretch costs upward of $36,000.

Why cant that money be found elsewhere?

Commissioners explained to the crowd that state funding has dropped drastically, thanks to the bust in oil prices, and doubts were expressed about whether New Mexicos congressional delegation could secure federal funds to make up for the shortfall.

Wed need to be running a blade on it once a month based on use by Border Patrol, ranch workers and the public, Hill said, but the county is grading it once a quarter.

Anything less will leave it in serious disrepair, he said. The road ripples like an old washboard with wear and tear. Rain can bog it down and open craters.

Border Patrol agents drive up and down County Road 001 between the border, a forward operating base near Animas, and the Lordsburg station. Border Patrol cannot pay to maintain county roads, but the agency can fund maintenance on private roads in its area of operation.

The Department of Game and Fish issues about 1,000 hunting licenses in the Bootheel each year  a source of revenue for the state and county  and opposes any loss of access to public lands.

The Bureau of Land Management sent a letter to the commission, obtained by the Journal, saying it opposes the proposed abandonment as it would hinder the bureaus goal of increasing access to public lands in the county.

You have some of the best public lands anywhere in the West, said Garrett VeneKlasen, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which represents 72,000 hunters statewide.

Access to this place, this is the feather in your cap. Whats the rush here? I know you have economic considerations, but I think you need to think into the future and be really visionary about making this decision. If you are hasty, people are going to be mad at each other, and community members are going to be at each others throats.

The commission voted 2-1 to table a decision about abandoning the road until November.
For more than two years, St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School in Thoreau has faced the possibility that its properties would be sold to help pay for a costly Chapter 11 bankruptcy brought about by sexual abuse claims against the Diocese of Gallup.

A pending settlement in the 30-month-old case has provided some certainty of short-term survival for the nonprofit, and should allow it to begin drilling a new well this year expected to provide drinking water for up to 5,000 people in the southeast corner of the Navajo Nation.

This has been a part of my life the last couple of years, and bringing it to a resolution is very important to all of us, said Chris Halter, executive director of St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School.

But the fate of St. Bonaventure School, which enrolls about 215 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in one of the states poorest communities, remains only partially resolved.

The proposed settlement calls for Halter and Gallup Bishop James Wall to meet later this year to negotiate for (St. Bonaventures) permanent use and ownership of the school property.

We dont know all the details about how were going to work that out, Halter said of the planned negotiations. We do get a two-year lease with the ability to extend that or purchase it. We just dont know what is beyond those two years.

St. Bonaventure has the option to buy the school property anytime in the next two years by negotiating a sale price with the Diocese of Gallup, the diocese said last week in a written statement.

In regards to the school, the mission, and the well, the absolute main goal is continuing to help the people who receive water and other services from the mission, diocese spokeswoman Suzanne Hammons said in the statement.

The bankruptcy case has allowed the diocese and the mission to resolve long-standing property disputes, Hammons said.

By settling these property disputes, well be able to refocus our efforts on the people, she said.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma of Albuquerque earlier this month approved a disclosure statement that sets out the terms of the dioceses proposed reorganization plan.

Claimants will now cast ballots to approve or reject the plan. Thuma could approve the final settlement as early as June.

The proposed settlement calls for St. Bonaventure to pay $550,000 to help pay claims filed in the dioceses bankruptcy. In return, the nonprofit would receive clear title to some of the lands that were the focus of a years-old property dispute between St. Bonaventure and the Diocese of Gallup.

Those properties include two Thoreau mobile home parks for low-income residents, a thrift store and a fitness center.

St. Bonaventure would also receive title to a two-acre property at Smith Lake, about 10 miles north of Thoreau, where the nonprofit plans to drill an 1,800-foot well. Dig Deep, a California nonprofit, would finance the $500,000 project.

We definitely intend to have it drilled this year, Halter said. Thats why we pushed so hard to obtain that property clear and free of any encumbrances with the diocese.

The well would allow St. Bonaventure to expand its water distribution program, which provides free drinking water by truck to hundreds of households that lack access to safe water.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Union Pacifics No. 844 steam locomotive will return to the tracks this summer as part of the special Denver-to-Cheyenne train for Cheyenne Frontier Days.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/1TC5nhz ) that the engine has been out of service for the last three years while it underwent restoration at Union Pacifics steam shop in Cheyenne.

With repairs nearly complete, railroad officials have announced the 454-ton engine will be ready for service in time for Frontier Days in July.

No. 844 was the last steam engine built for the Union Pacific Railroad, delivered in 1944.

Since No. 844 was taken out of service, the Frontier Days Train sponsored by The Denver Post has been led by historic diesel locomotives.

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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com
ARVADA, Colo.  Authorities say a 4-year-old girl was one of two people killed in a fire at a suburban Denver group home.

Jefferson County Deputy Coroner John Cline said Sunday the girl and a 39-year-old woman died in the Saturday morning blaze in Arvada. KMGH-TV (http://bit.ly/252ANsF ) reports the building was a host home for the developmentally disabled.

Cline says autopsies were being performed Sunday. He would not release the names of the dead because their families have not been notified.

Four other people were transported to hospitals for treatment. Authorities say firefighters found heavy smoke billowing from the front of the home when they arrived.

Investigators have not determined the cause or origin of the fire.

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Information from: KMGH-TV, http://www.thedenverchannel.com
BOULDER, Colo.  The countrys first Yes In My Back Yard conference is coming to Boulder as cities grapple with higher housing costs pricing residents out.

The Daily Camera reports (http://bit.ly/1WzTLBT) groups from cities including New York, Austin and San Francisco are expected to attend the YIMBY 2016 conference from June 17-19.

Sonja Trauss of the Bay Area Renters Federation says she hopes attendees can create a platform stating goals, beliefs and values.

Urban density supporters see more housing as the solution to rising costs, but in cities like Boulder they find restrictive regulations.

University of Colorado graduate students who want the citys occupancy limit overturned are pushing to have voters decide the issue in November.

Opponents argue for protecting the look and feel of neighborhoods.

The conference costs $100 per person.

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Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/
KINGSVILLE, Texas  Officials say six people were injured when a vehicle carrying 15 people crashed into a South Texas naval air station while being followed by Border Patrol agents.

Naval Air Station Kingsville spokesman Kevin Clarke says the vehicle ran through the entry gate then collided with the bases final denial barrier Saturday evening.

Clarke told the AP Sunday that the agents suspected the occupants of the vehicle had entered the U.S. illegally, but that it wasnt a pursuit. He didnt provide their country of origin.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Rod Kise says he has no information on the incident.

Clarke says three of the six injured remain hospitalized. The others are in custody.

Seven people suspected of entering the country illegally died when their pickup crashed into the air station in 2013.
A thunderstorm moving around Santa Fe Sunday afternoon brought hail with it, leaving difficult driving conditions in its path, according to the National Weather Service.

The hailstorm developed south of Santa Fe, near Eldorado, and traveled northeast staying mainly on the outskirts of town, meteorologist Kerry Jones said. He said that the Weather Service received reports of hailstones up to about an inch in diameter.

Obviously when you have hail on a road, even small hail, it is extremely treacherous, Jones said.

While Jones said he heard it described as a freak hailstorm, this weather isnt so uncommon in the spring. The moisture that moved in Saturday combined with daytime heat made for perfect thunderstorm conditions.

These were bigger storms, they grew tall, Jones said. And as storms grow tall, they can produce hail.

He said a thunderstorm pounding Santa Fe Sunday afternoon would shift into northeastern New Mexico overnight. He anticipated a drier Monday, with an active pattern in the middle of the coming week.
A third person was detained on Sunday in connection with the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

The man is the caretaker of the CCTV footage and he was quizzed by the police team from Siwan which arrived in Patna to investigate into the disappearance of the footage.

Earlier, the Bihar Police collected evidence from the crime scene of the murder and detained two suspects.

Our special teams comprising a team of forensic science, Special Task Force (STF) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials had been dispatched to Siwan last night. They have collected all possible evidences from the crime scene, besides police have apprehended two suspected accused, and interrogation is going on, said the DGP.

Ranjan, a journalist with Hindi daily Hindustan was shot dead by unidentified men near the Siwan railway station on Friday.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed disappointment over the spurt of criminal incidents in the state recently. Nitish condemned the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, who was gunned down by bike-borne miscreants in Siwan district. Promising a speedy investigation in the case, Nitish said, Bihar Police will not spare the guilty.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradeshs capital Lucknow, Nitish did not refrain from speaking on the recent murders in his state which drew flak towards his governance. Whatever is happening in Bihar recently is saddening. I assure the people, whoever is guilty would not be spared, he added.

Two bullets were fired at the Siwan bureau chief of the daily that hit his head and neck. He was shifted to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

According to police, five motorcycle-borne criminals were waiting for Ranjan, who was walking down the road to his home, and shot him twice.
They are willing to provide financial assistance including personal care and household support to Kanubhai Ramdas Gandhi.

Kanubhai Ramdas Gandhi (87) the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi who once studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked with NASA is learning a miserable life nowadays. He now lives in Guru Vishram Vridha Asharam in the outskirts of Delhi along with his 85 year old wife Shivalaxmi. At the age of 40, Kanubhai left India along with his wife and went to USA where he lived many years. After spending more than 40 years in the U.S, the couple returned to India in 2014. Before relocating to Delhi they had stayed in various ashrams.

When old age home founder Dr. G.P. Bhagat used to inquire with Kanubhai about the couples well being he replied, We were homeless, you are so kind.

However, the word homeless does not go down well with his wife. She is the one who fiercely protests. We are not homeless. We are just a little clueless, she says, We dont have a bowl in our hands. We dont want money, we just want prayers. I am quite capable of getting us out if we were in the U.S., but here we do not know to navigate, she adds.

Thus the hardships faced by Kanubhai look no different from the difficulties faced by senior citizens during old age. Many of them have to rely on old age homes as their children dont look after them. However, all is not lost for Kanubhai as three NGOs based in Mumbai have come forward to lend a helping hand to them. They are willing to provide financial assistance including personal care and household support.

When AV spoke to Dr. Rajendra Dhamne , Trustee of Mauli Seva Pratishan he said, Since they are grandchildren of Mahatma Gandhi hence reports about them is widely published in media. On the other hand, there are many ailing and helpless citizens looking for shelter but there is no news or concern about it in the society. Through this report at least people will be aware about the suffering of the elite family old citizens. If they want to contact us we would welcome them with large heart.

Whereas a trustee from NGO Satsang Parivar said, We will not help them because they are the grand children of Gandhiji but we will consider them as an old age couple looking for support. Many of them feel isolated as they are being neglected by their children and relatives. We can host social events for them and also introduce them to like-minded people which will bring happiness in their lives.

Zenobia Kodaiji a social worker said, I will voluntarily help them if they want to come in the city. Even though I dont run an old-age home but I will take initiative to make some difference in their lives.



A trustee of Aadhar Charitable Trust said, We are ready to take their entire responsibility. We can also engage them in various activities like participating in group discussions, asking them to read daily newspapers, participate in yoga and performing exercises.
Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday attacked the central government, saying giving a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya in the 2008 Malegaon blast case was an insult to police officer Hemant Karkare.

MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) was used on the accused after they accepted their crimes, Sharma told reporters. What has happened is an insult to the memory of martyr Hemant Karkare.

Karkare is unfortunately not with us to tell the country that he and his team carried out a fair investigation. And confessional statements were made by the accused and that was reflected in the charge sheets.

The Congress leaders remarks came after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) gave a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya and five other accused in the Malegaon case.

Karkare investigated the case as the chief of Maharashtras Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He died in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

Questioning the governments intention, Sharma asked: What made the government to suddenly make a U-turn?

This government is trying its best to save people associated with its allied groups by saying that the arrests made and the charges laid against them were wrong.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said: Today there is a question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight forces of terror.

While demanding PMs intervention in the case, Sharma questioned whether, with the fresh NIA stance, the government was negating Karkares sacrifice for the country by calling it as dubious.

The Congress leader alleged that NIA chief Sharad Kumar was given extension in service to get this work done.

Whatever they are doing are doing in a planned manner. If there is no MCOCA, all those who gave statements will deny to have made the statements and court will not take cognisance and all (the accused will be out). And things will repeat, he said.

Referring to an alleged statement by the NIA chief that nothing had happened after 2008, Sharma said, The question is not which organisation, which caste, religion and people of which region are involved. But whether a NIA chief should say such thing? One who was to be relieved, has been given extension to get these things done.

BJP rejected Congress charge of direct interference by PMO to ensure reversal of NIA stand in Malegaon case, insisting that discharge of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and others had occurred in accordance with laws.

The ruling party also took a swipe at Congress over its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe and said during the UPA rule, no evidence could be collected in the case that dragged on for years.

The charges were dropped in accordance with the laws, party national secretary Shrikant Sharma said about the NIA giving a clean chit to Pragya and removing charges under MCOCA against another key accused Colonel P S Purohit.

The case had dragged on for years in court when the UPA was in power but no evidence was produced. Now Congress is questioning the entire legal process. It should not give colour to terrorism and politicise the issue, he said.

Congress leaders had insulted the Supreme Court by questioning the hanging of (1993 Mumbai blast convict) Yakub Memon and (2001 Parliament attack convict) Afzal Guru. Now they are seeking a SC-monitored probe even though everything has happened in the Malegaon blasts as per law, Sharma said.

He claimed that stringent MCOCA charge was dropped against some accused on the courts directions.

Sharma also raked up the Ishrat Jahan case saying the UPA government had misled the apex court by changing affidavit even though goverment agencies had confirmed that she was a LeT terrorist.

BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli, while rejecting the Congress allegation of direct interference by PMO in Malegaon case, charged that during UPAs 10-year rule, the investigative agencies were not allowed to do their job.

Under Prime Minister Modis government, no interference is there. The courts are reposing faith in the agencies, no castigation is there, he said.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has said Britain would not be at the back of the queue for a trade deal with the US if it voted to leave the European Union.

His comments contradict what US President Barack Obama said last month when he argued for Britain remaining in the EU at a June 23 referendum.

Trumps remarks came in an interview on ITV television which is set to be broadcast on Monday. An extract was shown by the channel on Sunday.

The property tycoon has already said that he personally feels Britain would be better off outside the EU.

Asked if Britain would be at the front of the queue for a trade deal post-Brexit if he became president, Trump said: I dont want to say front or anything else.

I mean, Im going to treat everybody fairly but it wouldnt make any difference to me whether they were in the EU or not.

He added: Youd certainly not be back of the queue, that I can tell you.

Standing alongside Prime Minister David Cameron at a press conference in London last month, Obama said Britain was at its best when it is helping to lead a strong Europe.

Asked what would happen if Britain did vote to leave, Obama said that while it could seal a trade deal with the United States, its not going to happen any time soon.

The UKs going to be at the back of the queue, the president added.

Opinion polls indicate that the Remain and Leave camps are at level pegging ahead of the vote.
Some crafty blogger has taken an ancient (1983) computer code from a book called Test Your Psi-Q and converted it to javascript. Now you can test your own Psi-Q (or not, since the post also explains why this method doesn't actually work).

Eat your heart out, George Jetson. Elon Musk's "Hyperloop" had its first propulsion system test last week. The goal of a 700 mile-per-hour transportation system is closer than ever.

Get your pitchforks and torches ready. The first (living) human head transplant is slated to go down next year in China.

For the first time in two decades, Sandia Labs' managing contract is up for bid. Maybe the new boss can do something about that toxic soup they still have brewing.

There are only three northern white rhinos left in the entire world, but scientists are going to use stem cell technology and surrogate parenting to try and save them from the brink of extinction. The only problem: activists say it doesn't fix the issue that endangered them in the first place, and it might encourage laziness in the conservation efforts of the future. I'll give you two guesses as to which side the northern white rhino is taking.

A tech company has developed an AI that correctly predicted the winner of the Kentucky Derby by using "swarm AI."


I was happy to read that 26th June is being observed as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. There is an increase in alcohol and drug abuse these days, mainly among the youth. I was going through a bad phase of life, drowned in alcohol and loneliness. After my wedding last year, my wife too felt left out for having married an alcoholic husband, who used to consume alcohol every night and skip meals. The only solace for her was that I never was rude or violent with her, but had given her all the necessary requirements she needed. But I needed to change and after having gone through having fits due to excess alcohol or high blood pressure, life has become miserable. Therefore I decided to change and go through the rehabilitation of my alcoholism. I had heard of KRIPA Foundation, the largest Non-Governmental Organization in India, affiliated with the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, working among people afflicted with chemical dependency & HIV Infection. I made a decision to attend this 90-day programme at Kripa Foundation situated at Mount Carmel Church, Bandra (West), where we were explained that Alcoholism and Drug Addiction is a disease. The programme began with the de-addiction of alcohol at Kripa Foundation at Vasai, followed by an intense programme at Bandra, which included Yoga, meditation, Therapy Duty Assignment (TDA) besides the various talks on the ill-effects and side effects of alcohol/drug addiction and how can we conquer this disease. Kripa Foundation is the wonderful gift for the chemically dependent. Thus alcoholics, drug addicts and others who are chemically dependent should participate in the 90-day residential programme of KRIPA Foundation. KRIPA Foundation is founded by Rev. Fr. Joseph H. Pereira, who recently received the Padmashree award through the hands of the former President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil for social work. KRIPA Foundations are spread in 11 states of the country and have 51 centres throughout the country.

Cajetan Peter Dsouza

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
An army jawan in a frontline unit in the Northeast has died, possibly of a heart attack, after the entire unit was sent on a 10-km march.

The incident sparked an angry outburst among a group of 4 to 5 jawans in the area, which resulted in a fight between soldiers and officers. The Army confirmed this fight resulted in injuries.

The Army on Sunday denied there was a mutiny in an infantry unit in the northeast after the death of a soldier during training.

An officer was injured when a few soldiers became agitated and scuffled with seniors following the death. However, the army said there was no mutiny-like situation.

The jawan complained of chest pain prior to a route march and was checked by the unit medical officer who found him fit. He later collapsed during the march. He was rushed to the field ambulance where he died, the officer said.

The Army Headquarters in Delhi has denied any other individual was seriously injured. The Army has also denied that reinforcement units have moved into the area when the situation was getting out of hand.
Kabir Khan was recently in headlines when he was heckled in Pakistan at the Karachi airport by few protesters who were threatening him for making anti Pakistani film. And now yet again the ace director is in news due to his health. A close source says, Kabir was brought to Kokilaben hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain at around 4 am on May 13. The doctors detected the stone, so he was immediately operated on. Now the director is stable and he even got discharged the next day. However, the doctors have strictly asked him to take rest for at least a week. We wish a speedy recovery to the director.

When we contacted Kabirs wife Mini Mathur, she confirmed the news and said, Yes Kabir was in hospital for a minor surgery but he is back home now.

On work front, Kabir Khan will yet again work with his favourite actor Salman Khan apparently titled Tube light. The film is an Indo- Chinese venture and the director will start auditioning for the Chinese actors which is required in the film. Also there was a buzz that Khan has approached Deepika Padukone opposite Salman. But later there were reports that they changed their mind as they needed a Chinese lead for the film since it is a Indo-Chinese venture.
Bangladesh police on Sunday arrested an Islamic militant from a banned terror group over the hacking to death of the countrys first gay magazine editor and his friend amidst a string of brutal murders of secular bloggers, writers and minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a magazine for Bangladeshs gay and lesbian community, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.

The 37-year-old suspect, Shariful Islam alias Shihab, was arrested from Kushtia early Sunday.

He is a member of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team, Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told reporters at a press conference.

During initial interrogation, Shihab confessed that he had been a member of another banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami, Bangladesh (Huji) before he joined Ansarullah Bangla Team, Islam said.

The killers were well trained and they had planned the killing two months ago, he said while describing the arrest as a breakthrough in the high-profile case.

They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam, Islam said. He was produced before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaisarul Islam, which placed him on three-day remand this afternoon. Detectives sought a ten-day remand for him.

Police said Shihab owned one of two guns that were used in the twin murders.

Police seized four mobile phone sets, a tab and a USB flash drive from his possession, Islam said. Shihab has been hiding in Khulna since the killing, Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled.
Britains Queen Elizabeth II will be thrown a special 90th birthday celebration with horses, her favourite animals, at Windsor Castle.

The monarch turned 90 on April 21, but party organisers decided to add the celebration to the end of the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show, which she has not missed since she won a cup there in 1944.

The 900 performing horses will stage a re-enactment of the Queens life story, with set pieces from her birth through to World War II, her marriage and coronation, and her 64-year reign, The Sunday Times reported.

The extravaganza, to be screened live on British TV on Sunday evening, will also include music from Kylie Minogue and appearances by British actors Helen Mirren and Damian Lewis.

Military bands and ceremonial troops have flown in from Oman, Canada and other parts of the Commonwealth for the party, hosted by the Queens son and heir Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with other royals attending.

The closing scenes will feature one of the Queens show horses, Barbers Shop, a thoroughbred that won its category at the show last week.

The celebration, funded by sponsors, is expected to produce a 1 million pound surplus, which will go to various charities supported by the monarch.

Rare family photographs has also been released to mark the celebration.

In one photo, seen publicly for the first time, shows a young, smiling, future Queen and then Princess Elizabeth with her sister, Margaret, and their father, George VI, each holding one of her beloved corgi dogs.

Another photo shows Princess Elizabeth ready to go for a swim with her father, standing alongside George VI on the edge of an outdoor swimming pool.

In a third she is seen looking intently as a bird rests on her arm.
Six persons were killed when a car collided with a state transport bus near a village on Mumbai-Goa Highway in Maharashtras Raigad district this morning, police said.

The car was going from Mumbai to Mandangad in Ratnagiri district when it collided head-on with the bus coming from the opposite direction close to Indapur village at around 7 AM, Raigad police control room said.

The bus was going from Panaji to Mumbai.

In the accident, all five occupants of the car and one bus passenger died on the spot, police said.

The five occupants of the car were from the same family, they said.

Five of the deceased have been identified as  Swapnil Rajaram Tambe, Swati Swapnil Tambe, Rushabh Swapnil Tambe, Suryakant Tambe and Santosh Tambe (all car occupants).

The bus passenger who died in the mishap was yet to be identified, police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is on, they added.
A 37-year-old man has admitted in court that he ripped off a Muslim womans hijab on board a flight in the US after screaming Take it off! This is America!.

Gill Parker Payne of Gastonia, from North Carolina, pleaded guilty in a New Mexico federal court to a misdemeanour hate crime charge of using force to intentionally obstruct the womans free exercise of her religious beliefs.

Near the end of his Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque last December, Payne decided he had to take action.

Seated a few rows in front of him was a woman he had never met before. She was wearing a religious headscarf, known as a hijab, which Payne recognised as a Muslim practice.

He stood up, walked down the aisle and stopped next to her seat. Looking down at the woman, Payne instructed her to remove the covering, the Washington Post reported.

Take it off! This is America! Payne was quoted as telling the woman. When she did not do it herself, Payne grabbed the hijab from the back and pulled it all off.

Violated, the woman, identified by the Justice Department only as K A, quickly pulled the hijab back over her head.

As part of a plea deal with the federal government, Payne on Friday pleaded guilty to obstructing the womans exercise of her religious beliefs.

Because I forcibly removed K As hijab, I admit that the United States can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I intentionally obstructed K As free exercise of her religious beliefs, he said in a written statement in the plea agreement.

Payne awaits sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of up to USD 100,000.

No matter ones faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence, Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments civil rights division, was quoted as saying in a statement.
When a child undergoes a medical procedure, which include vaccinations, consent is given by the parent or guardian. Consent is the green light to make things happen. For some, giving a vaccination is a no brainer and consent is given quickly. Those parents want their child to be vaccinated and dont need any extra time, education, counseling, or documentation to help them with that decision. Not all parents are quick to decide though.

The right to know whats in a product is a basic yet necessary concept all consumers should be entitled to. It should extend to all products marketed and sold to parents, but I find that it does not always happen in the medical world.

My kids dont love how much I scrutinize products that come into our home, but since Im responsible for their health, safety and well-being, when it comes to food, technology and health care products, I like to get as much information as I can about the things Im choosing for them. Most of the items I purchase list exactly what I wish to know and what I need to know.

Now, if Im at the grocery store shopping for my children, I ask myself different questions when I see something that I want to buy them. As I scan the ingredient list, I ask myself, does the product have nutritional value? Is the particular food healthy  not by industry standards, but my familys standards? With the information right there on the box, I can easily choose to put the item in my cart or not.

When Im shopping and see something that I want for my children, I take a few things into consideration before putting the item in my cart. I ask myself if it is child-friendly and something my kids will like to use or play with. After determining if it is, and that I can afford to make the purchase, I look over the product and review its quality. Is it well made? Does it meet safety standards? Does the company who manufactures it have a good reputation? If I discover that a flaw in the product after purchasing it, will I be able to return or replace it? Simple questions, as a consumer they are valid and serve a purpose.

The chance to educate parents in Oklahoma of the risks associated with products advertised for children known to have side effects was recently squashed . As a former consumer of these products, learning about the decision to withhold information was disturbing. It reminded me of a time when I traded my ignorance for blind trust.

Other parents, especially those who have concerns or reservations about vaccines, may need extra time, education, or counseling to aide them in their decision.





Image seen on the NVIC FB page.

If its an ingredient concern, parents may want to see a complete list of ingredients. If its a concern about which company makes the vaccines theyve been offered, parents may want to investigate that companys track record before deciding to use their products. If its a side effect concern, as each vaccine are known to have them, parents may want to investigate those further. That way they can weigh the pros and cons of each vaccine product. Looking things up isnt a bad thing. Knowledgeable consumers are their own best advocate.

Doctors, or their staff, have the means and the time to fully inform their patients. Some choose not to though. They use a less is more approach  instead of offering all of the information, which includes cons, they provide the bare minimum. Giving less info about a product that comes with risks keeps parents in the dark. Thats not the best way to treat parents nor do I think it the best way to practice medicine.

Who Decides?

Keeping valuable information away from a customer isnt a wise idea. When that happens, the customer, in this case the parent, is left making decisions about products that they may not be ready to make. That should never happen. But thats what happened in Oklahoma.

Opponents of the bill that Governor Fallin recently vetoed cited that parents would be confused if they were given more information regarding vaccines:

Sen. Ervin Yen, a cardiac anesthesiologist, had argued for defeat of the measure, saying the list of ingredients is confusing and could deter parents from getting immunizations.

House Bill 3016 does nothing to encourage vaccination and most likely would discourage it by scaring parents with a list of all possible ingredients, including many words they would not comprehend, said Yen, R-Oklahoma City.

That bill aimed to ensure that certain vaccine information was put into parents hands. Giving parents vaccine information isnt confusing; its the parents right to know it!

Some information is included on the sparse one-page Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) that doctors are required to share. But the limited information on the VIS documents doesnt include the outcome of safety studies or a list of vaccine ingredients, which is important information that parents should be made aware of and would benefit from knowing. Something else the VIS doesnt include is the fine print.

Parents contemplating vaccines should read the fine print especially when that fine print includes words like risks, adverse reactions, injury or death. That particular information, as well as facts about vaccine exemptions and how to file them, requires further reading. Besides knowing that all vaccines come with risk, vaccine consumers should take time to read up and educate themselves on the law.

Schools claim that children coming to school must be vaccinated in order to access their education. While that is true in some states, in quite a few others across the country, parents can opt out of vaccines. I was reminded that I had that option just a few days ago.

Options

All too often, when schools send vaccine notices home, only part of the law is included in the notice. In states where they exist, information about exemption should be included on any and every vaccine notice going home.

A few days ago, I received a notice from my childs school. It stated that my son was required to get a booster shot for the upcoming school year. If my child already had that booster though, all I needed to do was send in documentation of the date that hed received it. Knowing what I know, I knew that information to be untrue. Something important was missing from the form letter Id received: the right to use an exemption.

One of three vaccine exemptions exist in each of the 50 states: religious, philosophical, or medical. But school administration and school nurses, who become the vaccine gatekeepers for school-age children, rarely offer that information. When that happens, parents, even me, a parent-in-the-know, are left in the dark about their rights. Thats why it is imperative that parents look up that information up themselves. When armed with all of the information, parents can make well informed decisions.

Its Up to You

The first step to being informed is for a parent to know that they have rights.

But, with others working overtime guarding vaccine information, glossing over it, withholding it while also dismissing parents valid concerns, using those rights can be difficult. Thats because its clear that some doctors and some politicians dont want parents to use their rights or gain access to basic vaccine information.

Its Up to Me

It was only after accepting vaccines for my children  and watching some of my children suffer the consequences from them, did I think to learn all there was to know about vaccines. Before I set out to learn more, not once was I ever offered the box nor the label (package insert) by our providers. Not once was I counseled on all of the risks. Not once did I expect a negative outcome beyond a red make at the site of the injection. Thats because I was told only the benefits of vaccines and that they were required for school. My child never reaped the benefits, and as it turns out, vaccines have never been a prerequisite for any of the schools or programs that hes attended.

I dont claim to know all there is to know about them, far from it, but because of my sons vaccine injury, I can share the other side of the vaccine story.

That side isnt published in pharmaceutical ads thousands of consumers are exposed to on a daily basis. It should be, but my bet would be that the vaccine industry would crumble if more people knew just how very negative vaccines can be.

Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.
I worked in the kitchen at a Passover hotel in France. I survived and still love Judaism.

Try this: go to the kitchen and chop the salad, be asked to join prayers every time a tenth man is needed, go back to the kitchen and resume chopping, have a young mother with a screaming toddler in her arms come in and beg for food, explain to her that food is what you are trying to prepare if only they would let you, be called to join prayers again, go back to the kitchen to find a lady who suggests you should chop the salad thinner and quicker, have the previous young mother come back and insist you give her anything thats ready or her toddler wont stop crying, open the fridge to find some leftovers to feed the toddler, be called to prayers again. And then be asked whether lunch is ready and if not, why not.

Eight days without garlic? Without oxygen maybe, but without garlic?

Repeat twice daily for eight days. Happy Pesach!

This past Pesach I had a unique experience  I joined an intensively Orthodox vacation group in Southern France and I worked in the kitchen. I dont do that professionally, but volunteer to cook for Shabbat in my shul. My wife, who is a professional, has been my teacher. So apparently, my kitchen skills were up to the task. What I lacked was extreme survival training.

I am a Sephardic Jew, so I am allowed to eat kitnyot (rice and beans). I am also used to wetting the matza, so I can make matza lasagna, matza balls soup and similar delights. I knew when I accepted this job that I was going to miss out on these, because this group follows the Ashkenazi rules. Little could I expect that I would have been required to peel all vegetables (including tomatoes and zucchinis), and that many vegetables are considered not permissible. Some others are accepted by some, but rejected by others, so I was required to declare whether a food contained potato flour, or walnuts for example, and always offer an alternative.

I want to be very clear: I deeply respect different minhagim (traditions), and I admire those who stick to higher standards. But please try and imagine my cultural shock.

Me, a Sephardic Jew with a passion for cooking, had to go eight days without garlic? Without oxygen maybe, but without garlic? And no spices of any kind but onions!

I give myself credit, because I still managed to cook potatoes (our only source of carbs besides matza) in four different ways: baked plain, baked with onions, boiled plain, and boiled with onions. Yum!

Oh and of course kugel, which basically consisted of grated potatoes and, guess what, onions!

These people were very generous and kept complimenting my cooking, insisting I was doing a great job, despite all the restrictions. They made me feel as welcome and at home as possible for someone who belongs to a very different stream of Judaism, for which I am very grateful. Nonetheless, sometimes, my patience was at risk.

Like when I was hurrying to cook dinner and a nice lady walked into the kitchen and very kindly asked: My family and I are leaving right away, please is there anything ready for four adults and a child? Anything at all. I couldnt get upset, because she so nicely insisted any leftover would do, and she apologized for the bother. But when my boss came and asked why I was behind, well Ill let you imagine

Or when I was cooking a stew and all passers-by thought it fine to remove the top and deeply sniff the contents. Until one of them decided it was getting too dry and added half a bottle of water before I could react.

Then of course my boss came and asked me why the stew was so thin

And what about that time when people were very hungry and kept asking for dinner. So I hurried it up, with my boss also helping along. And when it was ready they were all gone!

Then of course my boss told me its not wise to change the time of a meal. And when dinner was eventually served, he asked me why the meat was cold

Or I could tell you about the gentleman, who, for some reason I still cant explain, would always ask for food while the others had already recited the birkat hamazon (blessing after the meal)? He was such a nice and kind person, that it was impossible for me to answer something nasty such as What exactly are you doing when everyone else is eating, playing hide and seek? Of course, I would go and warm up his plate.

So, I learned quite a few things this past Pesach. Now I realize better how difficult it can be to run a catering event, never mind a restaurant, but even to cook for a big family, which makes me more grateful to my wife and to everybody who has ever invited us for Shabbat or other occasions.

I also learned that it does not only matter what spices you can use, and what foods you can eat. What is much more important is what you make of a meal and who you spend it with. These people, despite everything, taught me how to use every meal to grow closer to each other and to learn about Torah and mitzvot.

If they want me, next year Im ready to give up garlic and eat potatoes for eight days in a row once again, as long as I can share the friendship and warm atmosphere that I experienced this year.

Or should I say: Next year in Jerusalem?
May 15, 2016

CAIRO  On May 1, and in a historic first, security forces stormed the Journalists' Syndicate to detain and arrest journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka. Subsequently, following demonstrations by hundreds of journalists chanting Journalism is not a crime in front of the office of the attorney general, an emergency meeting was held by the General Assembly of the Journalists' Syndicate on May 4, which resolved to boycott all news relating to the interior minister, publish his photo in a negative context only and call on the presidency to apologize to all journalists for the storming of the syndicate's office.

The head of the syndicates Freedom Committee, Khaled El-Balshy, who took part in drafting these General Assembly resolutions, spoke with Al-Monitor about the repercussions of the syndicates woes with security agencies and the problems faced by the Egyptian press at what he calls a critical stage.

The text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor: Why have many journalists called on the presidency in particular to apologize for the storming of the syndicate's office?

El-Balshy: The assembly considers the entire regime responsible for violating the syndicates sanctity, and not just the security forces. What really offended journalists was the siege imposed around the General Assembly during its meeting, with roads closed and thugs mobilized to assault journalists. As such, what occurred went beyond a mere security decision. The assemblys resolutions were drafted in such a way as to include calling for an apology from the government, but attendees insisted that the apology come from the presidency.

Al-Monitor: What is your opinion about the president ignoring the crisis during his speech that preceded the assemblys meeting?

El-Balshy: The ongoing violations targeting journalists cannot endure without the knowledge of the head of state. These acts are systematic and the entire regime is responsible for them. Claiming ignorance and failing to intervene to resolve them is  in my opinion  tacit approval to say the least.

Al-Monitor: Why did the syndicate decide to publish the interior ministers photos in a negative context, instead of simply resolving to refrain from publishing his name?

El-Balshy: The purpose was to show that he was the minister who attacked the freedom of the press. It also served to express the anger of journalists against his conduct. I reject the decision being characterized as harassment, for journalists are the ones who were truly harassed.

Al-Monitor: To what extent do newspapers abide by the syndicate decisions?

El-Balshy: Approximately 80-90% of the newspapers adhered to the decision, for all the newspapers have representatives who voted for the assembly's resolution. As for Al-Ahram newspaper, the issue went beyond noncompliance to reach the level of deception and the inaccurate conveyance of events at the assembly. Attendance was in the thousands, while the newspaper reported that a small number of people attended, intimating that the syndicate's General Assembly was a fiasco.

Al-Monitor: What does the syndicate expect from the parliament in this regard?

El-Balshy: We are in contact with journalist lawmakers in parliament. They have put forth proposals relating to the crisis and can use their parliamentary tools such as hearings and summons in that regard. We shall support their efforts as long as they serve syndicate interests and comply with General Assembly resolutions.

Al-Monitor: Are there anti-regime forces that are exploiting the syndicates crisis with security forces?

El-Balshy: The syndicate stated that it rejects all attempts to exploit the General Assembly and has issued a decision calling for an investigation of a few Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated satellite channels broadcasting the assembly proceedings live. But I refuse to focus on this matter at the expense of the more important issue of journalistic unity.

Al-Monitor: How do you respond to accusations that the syndicates board exploited the crisis for electoral purposes?

El-Balshy: Does fending off such accusations require that we remain silent vis-a-vis the trespasses being committed against journalists? If that were the case, then I would not want to win the elections. We are tasked with defending the rights of our colleagues, and what we are currently experiencing seems to be an attempt to silence us  which will never happen.

Al-Monitor: What escalatory steps will the syndicate take if the state refuses to respond to the General Assembly resolutions?

El-Balshy: We may go on a general journalists' strike or refrain from publishing or editing. These are proposals to be discussed by the next assembly.

Al-Monitor: How do you characterize the conduct of some of the presidents supporters gathered around the syndicate?

El-Balshy: They have assaulted 15 journalists. This conduct is systematic and not isolated. Under the protection of the security forces these people gather daily to hurl insults at and perform acts of aggression against journalists, while the same security forces prevent journalists from entering the syndicate.

Al-Monitor: Are you accusing the security forces of complicity in facilitating the carrying out of such abuses?

El-Balshy: I am certain that the security forces are complicit with them against journalists, and we have filed formal charges in that regard with the office of the prosecutor general.

Al-Monitor: What is the syndicate boards stance vis-a-vis journalists with close ties to the security forces?

El-Balshy: The Journalists' Syndicate is predicated on diversity. Members are completely within their rights to consider our position erroneous. What is more important is to focus on the wider picture and abide by the decisions of the General Assembly. But journalists who work against their syndicate and violate the law and the Charter of the Press shall be subject to sanctions as per the bylaws of the syndicate.

Al-Monitor: How do you respond to accusations that the syndicate harbored fugitives?

El-Balshy: People espousing said position based it on a distorted view of events and people judge issues in the context of the information at their disposal, their culture and personal interests. We seek to enforce the law, not violate it. We want to stop the violations of the law and the constitution perpetrated against journalists. We therefore defend the right of our colleagues to remain free and not be subjected to assault. We defend their right not to be tortured during or after their arrest.

We were not informed of the decision to apprehend Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka when the latter sought refuge at the syndicate's office. Their lawyers came and we began contacts to have the arrest warrant enforced in the context of safeguards guaranteeing their rights. The storming of the syndicate was a violation of the law; we are keen on enforcing the law and we seek the establishment of a state of law.

Al-Monitor: How do you view the call made by the Rectify the Course front to withdraw confidence from the syndicates board?

El-Balshy: They have the right to do whatever they deem appropriate. The doors of the syndicate are always open for them to meet, and if they succeeded in having confidence withdrawn from the current board, then that would mean that we erred and must resign immediately.

Al-Monitor: What obstacles do journalists face in Egypt while performing their jobs?

El-Balshy: The 2015 report of the syndicate's Freedom Committee recorded 782 violations against journalists, ranging from arrest [29 journalists are currently incarcerated], destruction of equipment, barring the publication of articles by 14 journalists and barring people from practicing the profession, as well as other obstacles faced by institutions such as barring their publication, prohibiting them from printing newspapers and storming their head offices.

Al-Monitor: What are the types of charges that led to the incarceration of journalists?

El-Balshy: There are 22 cases related to practicing the profession. Some colleagues have been charged with criminal offenses and accused of belonging to banned organizations despite their holding journalist credentials and carrying press-related equipment  colleagues who have yet to be released. We must take into account that the investigative department at the Ministry of Interior is anti-press and is exercising added pressure on journalists.

Al-Monitor: What is the ceiling beyond which freedom of the press may not go?

El-Balshy: When it comes to freedoms, this is the worst time ever for Egypts press. Here I am not talking about individuals or institutions that cannot be criticized, for freedom of the press requires that journalists be free to act and that they be safe from assaults when they criticize a certain individual or institution. This has to be a collective act but the climate today is anti-criticism, with criticism barred against certain institutions such as the army. Currently the judiciary is attempting to afford itself the same type of immunity from criticism; we are facing a reality where journalists must  each within their own capacity  confront the institutions about which they write.

Al-Monitor: What is your opinion about the Unified Draft Law on Regulating the Press and Media?

El-Balshy: The law satisfies 80% of the aspirations of journalists. Said ratio differs from one journalist to the other, and the provisions relating to freedoms favor the rights of journalists. I have reservations, though, about some provisions relating to the press sector, whereby the law failed to advance a mature stance vis-a-vis the electronic press, despite the latter being a natural progression of our profession.

Al-Monitor: To what extent do some state agencies control press institutions?

El-Balshy: Of course some state agencies do control press institutions, for censors are again stopping printing presses due to certain materials that they object to. Such control is detrimental to the profession and to creativity, as restrictions create apprehension in the minds of journalists. A climate of freedom, on the other hand, is positively reflected on newspaper distribution, for  after the January [25] Revolution  many newspapers were being published and distribution was immense. But professional standards and distribution levels diminished when the press devolved into several similar versions of a single newspaper, with employment conditions markedly deteriorating for journalists.

Al-Monitor: When will e-journalists be allowed membership in the Journalists' Syndicate?

El-Balshy: We are working on drafting a new law that would recognize them. One of the key recommendations of the syndicates fifth congress was to work toward having them included. I hope to see the law amended this year.
May 14, 2016

Following Donald Trumps decisive victory in Indiana and the capitulation of his last two remaining rivals, America finally came to terms this week with the fact that the real estate mogul will almost certainly be the Republican nominee for president.

During a lightning-fast visit to Washington on May 12, Trump sought to mend fences with the establishment elites  aka leaders of Congress  whom he has spent months disparaging on the stump. While staying true to his populist message, Trump is already pivoting to the general election and courting influential Republicans whose endorsements hell need in order to win in November.

Trump scored another major victory May 13 by winning over Jewish-American billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who sank at least $93 million into the 2012 presidential campaign. Adelson owns Israels largest circulation newspaper, the free daily tabloid Israel Hayom, so expect plenty of coverage about how Trump is the best candidate for Israel.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, pressure is mounting on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to abandon his left-wing challenge to Hillary Clinton now that shes bagged more than 90% of the delegates she needs to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton leads Trump 47.3% to 41.6% in the latest RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average, but Democrats are worried that her lead will erode the longer their primary fight drags out.

While the US media focuses almost exclusively on the presidential election, its also worth paying close attention to US House and Senate races in this years election cycle. Can the Democrats retake control of the Senate after Republicans have held the majority for only two short years?

While Democrats certainly have a shot, history shows us that many variables are at play  including who wins the presidency. One advantage the Democrats do have is theyre only defending 10 seats this cycle (three of which are open, i.e., without an incumbent) versus 24 seats (also three open) for Republicans.

Democrats need to pick up five more seats to take control of the Senate  or four if they win the presidency, since the vice president breaks 50-50 ties per the constitution. According to RCP polling, of the 10 most vulnerable seats up for grabs, Republicans hold an advantage in most of them.

Key races to keep an eye on include Wisconsin, where former Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat, holds a 5.7-point lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson. In recent history, when a Republican presidential candidate loses Wisconsin by 4 points or more, then Republicans will lose that Senate seat as well (RCP polling shows Trump down by nearly 10 points in Wisconsin).

In Illinois, Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth holds a six-point lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk. Duckworth is the first Asian-American congresswoman for Illinois and the first disabled female veteran to take a seat in the US House of Representatives. Next door in Ohio, former Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican Sen. Rob Portman are essentially tied, according to RCP.

In the swing state of Florida, its open season for Marco Rubios Senate seat after the Cuban-American Republican dropped out of the presidential race in March. Five people are running in the Republican primary, with Rep. David Jolly holding a slight lead over his competitors. On the Democratic side, Rep. Patrick Murphy has a double-digit lead over Rep. Alan Grayson for the nomination. Florida holds its primary Aug. 30.

In North Carolina, the Republican candidate is slightly ahead, according to RCP polling, with Democratic state legislator Deborah Ross 4.3 points behind Republican incumbent Sen. Richard Burr. And Pennsylvanias Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey ahead in his race against Democratic challenger Katie McGinty, a former state and federal environmental policy official.

Another highly contested race is the open seat in Nevada, where retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid will be replaced. Four Democratic candidates have filed to run for the office, while eight Republican candidates are in the race. The primary is June 14.

The last Senate race I will mention takes place in New Hampshire. It will be a showdown between incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, who are also neck and neck, according to RCP.

In presidential election years, the winning party has picked up five or more Senate seats only three times since 1968. When Richard Nixon won the presidency in 1968, Republicans picked up six net Senate seats. They fared even better with Ronald Reagan in 1980, adding 12 seats to their column. And when Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Democrats picked up eight net Senate seats. However, some observers believe that after eight years of a Democratic president, Democrats face an uphill battle to pick up four or five net seats in the Senate.

In the House, where every seat is up for grabs every two years, Republicans hold 246 seats to the Democrats 188. That means Democrats need to pick up 30 net seats to take control of the House  an unlikely outcome, even if they do have a chance of picking up a few more seats.

According to RCP, Republicans can count on 202 so-called solid seats firmly in their corner, while Democrats have 175. With basically only 36 competitive races around the country, the presidential nominee for the Democrats would most definitely have to win the general election in order for them to take over the House.

During presidential-election years, only four times since 1932 has a party picked up 30 or more seats in the House. That year, Franklin Roosevelts election handed Democrats a whopping 90 congressional seats  a historical feat at that has yet to be broken by either party. When Harry Truman was elected in 1948, Democrats picked up 75 seats. With Lyndon Johnsons 1964 election, they won 37. And with Reagan in 1980, Republicans picked up 34 seats. Even with the high turnout expected in November, Democrats will have a hard time meeting that threshold.

This is the first in a weekly series covering the runup to the November elections.
The two-acre, former site of Florida Bowl at 170 Florida St., in Midtown Mobile, was purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile for $367,000, according to M.J. Baxter & Associates, who represented the buyers. Marietta Urquhart of White-Spunner Realty worked for the sellers. The adjacent property was formerly the site of Greer's Food Tiger and is now home to Catholic Social Services. The bowling alley site will be used for parking by CSS.

A Montgomery, Ala.-based developer plans to build a 10,000-square-foot Dollar Tree store at the corner of Spring Hill and Hyland Avenue at the former Crichton Elementary School site in Mobile, according to Amber Dedeaux of Vallas Realty, who represented the land owner. Jonathan Rudolph of Rudolph Development Group worked for Dollar Tree.

A local investor paid $350,000 for 11 acres and 20,000-square-foot warehouse at 600 Dauphin Island Parkway off Interstate 10 in Mobile, according to Marl Cummings of Cummings & Associates, who represented the seller. The buyer plans to locate a building supply distribution company there after renovating the building.

Three wooded acres fronting Leroy Stevens Road just north of Cottage Hill Road in west Mobile, were purchased for $175,000 by a local investor, according to Keith Vaughan of K.V. Properties.

FatBoyz Choppers has leased 3,200 sq/ft feet at 5956 Three Notch Road in Mobile, according to Colby Herrington of Herrington Realty. The company specializes in custom-built motorcycles and is an an authorized Harley-Davidson extended warranty service center.

Cloud 9 Vapes, an electronic cigarettes and accessories store, has leased the 3,000-square-foot former Radio Shack space at 3913 Airport Blvd., in Mobile, according to Christy Chason of JLL.

The One Estate, an antique store, has leased 1,200 square feet in Village Plaza off Canal Road in Orange Beach, according to Christy Chason of JLL.

A Jacksonville, Fla. investor paid $302,500 for the Scenic Yacht Basin Marina on Dog River at 3620 Scenic Drive in Mobile, according to William Bone, president of The National Auction Group. The 75-slip marina was sold at a live auction that brought seven bidders from four states, he said.
Last week,we asked AL.com readers where we could find the best pulled pork sandwich in the state. (Read more here.) And in two days, y'all gave us thousands of recommendations suggesting hundreds of places across the state. Yep, Alabama's got a lot of delicious 'cue.

But wait -- your job isn't done yet. We compiled a list of some of the places you mentioned the most, and now we need you to vote for your favorite in each region.

This time, vote for the top 'cue spot in the Shoals/Decatur/Athens/Cullman area. You can vote once a day through Friday, May 20 for your favorite. The poll will close at 4 p.m.

After all the votes are tallied, a group of AL.com judges will travel the state to find the best pulled pork sandwich in Bama. (Yes, everyone in the office has already volunteered for the job.) When we're finished, we'll officially name Alabama's Best BBQ Sandwich. Repeat: You're voting for the best pulled pork sandwich. Not ribs. Not smoked chicken. No brisket. This is all about the pulled pork.

But that's enough of me talking. Get to voting!

306 BBQ & Catering,

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que,

Brooks Barbeque,

Bunyans Barbeque,

Chief and Snoogies Hickory Pit,

Dick Howell's BBQ Pit,

Holy Smoke BBQ,

Outlaw BBQ,

Pig Stand Barbeque ,

Sledges Bar-B-Que,

Smokey C's BBQ & Wings,

Whitt's BBQ,

Voting has closed. Check back Monday for results!
Last week,we asked AL.com readers where we could find the best pulled pork sandwich in the state. (Read more here.) And in two days, y'all gave us thousands of recommendations suggesting hundreds of places across the state. Yep, Alabama's got a lot of delicious 'cue.

But wait -- your job isn't done yet. We compiled a list of some of the top mentions, and now we need you to vote for your favorite in each region.

This time, vote for the top 'cue spot in the Mobile-Coastal Alabama area. You can vote once a day through Friday, May 20 for your favorite. The poll will close at 4 p.m.

After all the votes are tallied, a group of AL.com judges will travel the state to find the best barbecue sandwich in Bama. (Yes, everyone in the office has already volunteered for the job.) When we're finished, we'll officially name Alabama's Best BBQ Sandwich.

And remember: You're voting for the best pulled pork sandwich. Not brisket. Not chicken. Not BBQ ribs. Pulled pork.

Now, get to voting!

Cotton State BBQ,

Dick Russell's BBQ

Down South BBQ,

Hickory Pit Too,

Hog Wild Beach & BBQ

J. Rodgers Barbeque,

L.A. BBQ,

Meat Boss,

Moe's Original Bar B Que,

Original Ben's Jr.,

Teresa's Country BBQ,

Tilmo's,

Satsuma Chevron,

Saucy Q Bar B Que,

Voting has closed. Check back Monday for results!
Eight people were killed and at least 40 were injured in a Saturday morning charter bus rollover crash north of Laredo, Texas.

The bus was on its way to Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass when it crashed just before 11:20 a.m. on Highway 83 north, eight miles north of the Border Patrol Checkpoint, KRGV reported.

The majority of the victims were elderly, according to the report.

Webb County spokesman Larry Sanchez told the Laredo Morning Times that seven people died at the scene and another at a hospital.

Forty of the injured were transported by ambulance to various hospitals.

The cause of the crash hasn't been released.
Two people died in an early morning shooting on an Illinois highway, local station WLS-TV Chicago reported.

The shooting happened on Kennedy Expressway around 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Illinois state police told WLS they found two people dead inside a silver Chevy Tahoe on the northbound side of the expressway.

Authorities said that both victims, a man and a woman, were between 20-40 years old and died of gunshot wounds to the head.

There were bullet holes through the passenger side of the windshield and the passenger window, WLS said. A black semi-automatic gun was found on the floorboard of the driver's side.

The man was driving the car, police said.

While there was also a white car at the scene, police have not said whether that car is connected to the shooting or not.

WLS reported that yesterday's shooting is the 18th expressway shooting this year.

The investigation is ongoing and police said that the circumstances of the incident are not known. The expressway lanes reopened later yesterday morning.
Jury selection starts Monday in the trial of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, who led an historic Republican takeover of the Legislature on a promise of ethics reforms but now stands accused of using political clout for personal profit.

Hubbard, 54, has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

The speaker has said little publicly about the case in recent months.

In January, Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker ordered lawyers not to speak to the news media.

"Because of the judge's gag order, my attorneys tell me I shouldn't say anything," Hubbard said in an email on Friday.

Walker has said the trial will begin with opening statements on May 24.

The case has been in the works for at least three years.

The state attorney general's office empaneled a special grand jury in Lee County to investigate Hubbard in 2013.

In October 2014, the grand jury indicted the speaker on 23 felony ethics counts.

He is accused of using his position as speaker and his former position as chairman of the state Republican Party to benefit his businesses.

The charges include voting for legislation that specifically helped a business client, lobbying state agencies on behalf of clients, using state equipment and resources for personal benefit and soliciting and receiving investments from lobbyists and from people and companies represented by lobbyists.

After the indictment, Hubbard posted a video on Facebook calling the case a "political witch hunt."

Prosecutors have denounced claims that there are political motives and said that Hubbard and his lawyers have persistently tried to delay and divert attention from the merits of the case.

During most of the 19 months since the indictment, Hubbard's lawyers have claimed misconduct by prosecutors and alleged grand jury leaks in efforts to get Walker to dismiss the case.

They also claimed that parts of the ethics law, for which Hubbard was a leading advocate, are unconstitutionally vague and overly broad.

Walker held hearings and received dozens of written pleadings on the motions to dismiss the case but ultimately rejected them all.

Most recently the judge rejected claims of prosecutorial misconduct and denied a request by Hubbard's lawyers to delay the trial until August.

Conviction on any one of the 23 charges would remove Hubbard from office. The alleged crimes are Class B felonies, which can result in prison sentences of 2 to 20 years.

Lee County Court Administrator Trisha Campbell said there are about 140 potential jurors in the pool scheduled to arrive at the courthouse in Opelika on Monday morning.

The court sent potential jurors a questionnaire asking them about where they work, marital status, education levels and other general information.

Other questions ask whether they've ever been arrested, what newspapers they read, what TV news programs they watch and what bumper stickers they have on their cars.

Jenny Carroll, a professor of criminal law at the University of Alabama School of Law, said such questionnaires are often used to help narrow the jury pool, helping identify those who might not be able to render a fair verdict based on the evidence.

Lawyers will have a chance to ask more specific questions before deciding which jurors they want to try to strike, or exclude.

"As an advocate, you're going to look for anything that kind of sends up a red flag," said Carroll, who was a public defender for 12 years in Washington, D.C., and in Seattle.

John Carroll, a professor at Cumberland School of Law and former federal magistrate judge, said he expects both sides to do research about what potential jurors have posted on social media to try to learn more about them.

With the case in Hubbard's home county, John Carroll said prosecutors would obviously want to eliminate jurors with strong ties to the defendant.

"What you're really looking for are jurors that don't like Montgomery, that think there is corruption everywhere in government, don't like politicians and that kind of thing," Carroll said.

"And for the defense side, you are looking for people that have some distrust about government prosecutions. I think you're also going to look for people like Speaker Hubbard that are businessmen that would help understand when you're actually engaging in business transactions vs. when you're trying to do something unlawful."

Hubbard was first elected to the House in 1998.

In 2010, he and Sen. Del Marsh of Anniston recruited candidates, devised strategy and raised money for a campaign that would overthrow Democratic control of the Legislature after 136 years.

The new GOP majority moved quickly to pass ethics reforms the candidates had campaigned on.

Fifteen of the 23 the charges Hubbard faces were brought under those new laws.

Lawyers have said they expect the case to last about three weeks.

Some of the state's highest profile politicians could take the witness stand.

Subpoenas went out to Gov. Robert Bentley, former Gov. Bob Riley, former Lt. Gov. Steve Windom, at least 18 legislators and many others.
Cedric Burnside ProjectDelta TheaterJuke Joint FestivalClarksdale, MSApril 16, 2016The Mississippi River Delta is an imperfect song played perfectly by an old woman losing her mind...It occurred to me, as the bus in which I was riding, passed through what approximates downtown Des Arc, Arkansas, that when most scholars address blues music, it is always from the Mississippi Delta. I suspect that this more appropriately should be referred to as the Mississippi River Delta, an area of fecund flatland figuratively poured out the front door of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and flowing into the surrounding bottomlands of Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The geopolitical area we refer to as "The Delta" is as socially and culturally conflicted as any 18th-Century British colonial conquest, replete with the beauty of indigenous art and the scourge of hatred and bigotry. The Mississippi Delta region is the United States' contribution to Mother Earth's third world countries. Once peppered with thriving communities and commerce, the delta is now a collection of mostly meticulously clean towns with main streets filled with empty storefronts like missing teeth smiling out of a still-proud and friendly face.This is how Des Arc looked, a lot of Brinkley, Marvell, and Helena-West Helena on the Arkansas side and Lula, Friar's Point, Jonestown, Lyon, and, finally, Clarksdale, my final destination, on the Mississippi side looks today. Socially and culturally, these places are preserved like the surroundings of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, static, frozen in time. One can find people drinking coffee at the favored cafe and buying carp, gar, and paddle fish out of the back of a pickup truck, netted just that morning, and eating Sno-cones outside the Tastee-Freeze. Save for the automobiles and clothing, it could still be 1950 in the Delta, and for our purposes the weekend of April 16, 2016, the 13th Annual Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, this is just fine. Despite its current social slumber, the Della remains richly creative ground.Clarksdale, Mississippi is a cultural artifact that illustrates that one can only become a part of a place in time by taking it for granted. Thirty-years ago, while in graduate school, I practiced pharmacy over a good bit of the Mississippi Delta region, including Clarksdale. Among my patients were the families-of-origin of(Tippo, Tallahatchie County) and Thomas Harris, author of Silence of the Lambs (Rich, Coahoma County) as well as more locally known artists and writers. I was exposed to (often in the same breath) the humblest and most hospitable people, as well as, the most bigoted and backward individuals I ever met. It might be easy to dismiss this as being true anywhere, but this is not just anywhere, this is the American South, the most culturally-fertile and socially- conflicted region of the country. Where these two characteristics meet is what provided the grist that would become Rock 'n Roll.While my Delta experience had a profound impact on my life and thinking, it was easy for me to assimilate into and become a part of an historical space-time and forget the cultural importance of Clarksdale to American Culture and cultural history. Clarksdale is notable for several reasons. It is the county seat of Coahoma County. Derived from the Choctaw Indian word for "red panther," Coahoma County, in addition to Clarksdale, had within its boundaries the cities of Coahoma, Friars Point Jonestown, Lula, and Lyon, all of which loom large in the Mississippi River Delta blues music historiography. Coahoma County was logically also the home to several notable American musicians, including John Lee Hooker (County), Rick Ross (County), Ike Turner (Clarksdale), James Carr (Coahoma), Conway Twitty (Friars Point), WC Clay (Jonestown), Bertha Lee Pate and Sam Carr (Lula) and Eddie "Son" House (Lyon).Clarksdale is also where the great blues songstressperished following an auto accident on the fabled Highway 61 on September 26, 1937. Smith's boyfriend, Richard Morgan, was driving the car when he underestimated the slow speed of a truck ahead of him. Morgan swerved, hitting the rear of the truck high speed. The tailgate of the truck clipped the roof of Smith's Packard. Smith, almost amputating Smith's right arm. Smith was ultimately taken to Clarksdale's G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital, where her right arm was amputated. Bessie Smith died without regaining consciousness.The G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital, presently the Riverside Hotel, has a deeper significance as the locale where blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), Ike Turner, and Robert Nighthawk lodged. While Ike Turner lived there, he wrote and rehearsed his song "Rocket 88" which would later be recorded by Jackie Breston and his Delta Cats and considered this first rock 'n roll recording. Guitarist Robert Nighthawk was reputed to have left his suitcase in his room there just before he died of a stroke and heart failure November 5, 1967. All of these people stories are what make Clarksdale and its surrounding area America's Cthulhu Mythos, the stuff of a sweaty dream dreamt on a brutal August night during cotton season. It has been recounted a million times in a million different publications on a million different subjects. This place has to be ground zero. Wait a minute...Ground Zero is actor Morgan Freeman's club located at 387 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale, Mississippi.Having made our way aboard the Arkansas Times Bus from Little Rock, and after dining on the cuisine of the South: fried catfish and potatoes, at Dondie's White River Princess in Des Arc, myself and our merry band of approximately 40 blues stalwarts exited the bus on the corner of Third and Sharkey, right by the Delta Regional Authority in downtown Clarksdale. While musical and other acts were distributed throughout the city of just short of 18,000 people, the majority of the acts and attractions were to be found on a four-square block area. The attractions included "Monkey's Riding Dogs" and a petting zoo and I defy anyone in the Southern United States to resist that, not matter how old you are. The venues included the New Roxy, Club 2000, and the Stone Pony, as well as, the Holy Moly. Local and regional acts were plenty, showing an at least commercial reverence to the blues lore. I visited every one of them and they all were simple and humble "dives," save for Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club, which is both well-intentioned and beside the point. If someone wants a true "roadhouse" (as my father would say) experience, I suggest they visit Merigold, Mississippi's own Po' Monkey's Lounge . This place is legit for the mere fact it has no commercial website, the one cited is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail The most significant performance took place late in the evening at the Delta Cinema at Number 11 Third Street. This venue was founded in the 1940s as a move theater and remains such. The movie posters on the walls were at least 10- years old and the concessions were sold by the can, not the cup, out of an ice chest. This was just the place I wanted to go.The act appearing was the Cedric Burnside Project . Burnside is the grandson of R.L. Burnside and the son of drummer Calvin Jackson . All of these musician were purveyors of what has come to be called the "North Mississippi Hill Country Blues" . The Cedric Burnside project includes Burnside on drums and vocals and guitarist Trenton Ayers (son of Earl "Little Joe" Ayers, guitarist for fellow North Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough). And...that is it. Guitar/bass and drums. That seems familiar. Yes, now I remember: The White Stripes and the Black Keys. In first hearing the former, I remarked to a friend, "Why not just listen to Led Zeppelin?" Regarding the latter, I have always been neutral. The Black Keys were doing nothing more novel than being two Akron, Ohio white boys mining from that same old vein of Delta blues music. That said, what these two bands have done is, like the British Invasion, introduce America to its indigenous music, the blues. For that I am grateful. What does Burnside and Ayers bring to the conversation; heritage and dirt-road credibility.The pair's performance was wholly unadorned. No elaborate lighting or roadie staff (the two set up their own equipment). The Delta Theater was clean, though dank and dark. If short, it was perfect for this performance. Burnside and Ayers more genuinely channeled the regional music than one million White Stripes or Black Keys ever could. The band's near two-hour set concentrated on the Cedric Burnside Project's most recent release, Descendants of Hill Country (Self Produced, 2015). The release title captures the gravity of being part of the linage that introduced and perfected the so- called North Mississippi Hill Country Blues. This music is characterized by an emphasis on percussion and a certain harmonic simplicity. The style possesses elements of the single-chord drone boogies of John Lee Hooker, as well as, the more harmonically-sophisticated songs of fellow North Mississippi native Mississippi Fred McDowell. Be certain, this is riff-oriented music where the riff and beat are king.Burnside's drumming was intricate and polyrhythmic, his vocals earnest and authentic. Ayers guitar playing is raw and accomplished, both his standard and slide guitar playing. The effect is dense and swampy music with a determined fecund and dangerous momentum. From this miasma of sound, hurling through 80 years of shellac, vinyl, magnetic tape, and digitally-applied electrons are the strains of "My Black Mama," "The Traveling Riverside Blues," and "Crossroads." We are never far from it.Cedric Burnside ProjectDescendants of Hill CountrySelf Produced2015Foremost among the fine acts performing at the Festival was a bit of Mississippi blues royalty, drummer, singer, composer Cedric Burnside. He performs in a duet with guitarist Trenton Ayers, the two comprising the Cedric Burnside Project. The baker's dozen of original compositions presented here have an immediate and visceral impact. The opening "Born With It" regales Burnside's and Ayer's roots propelled on top of Ayers' overdriven guitar and Burnsides complex percussion, introducing this new evolution of the blues. "Hard Times" continues this vein of evolution over a sinewy slide guitar vamp laid down by Ayers. "Don't Shoot the Dice" has a relentless funk vibe that infectiously contagious. Ayers adopts a slinky, thin tone that puts the "F" in Funk. "Going Away Baby" walks back the funk of "Don't Shoot the Dice" to its logical beginnings in the echoes of "Crossroad" and "Baby Please Don't Go." "This is for the Soldiers" splits the difference between the two influences to forge a new, driving sound in the evolution of North Mississippi blues. "Down in the Delta" recalls "Travelin' Riverside Blues" so potently that we can all be assured that this next generation of blues artists will be proper keepers of the flame.
As jazz guitar continues to evolve with the introduction of modern influences, some of the more distinguished players are going back to basics. Acknowledged as a remarkable accompanist who can cross genres at will,has also established himself as genuine guitar stylist. Forty is his fourth release as leader, which represents not only a milestone in his age, but a continuous dedication to refining his craft.This is a departure from previous recordings on which Sotti covered quite a lot of musical territory. Now claiming his own signature model D'Angelico guitar, and prepared with original compositions, Forty presents an intriguing set of melodic improvisations based around his professional development and personal life. The trio format encompasses bassist, who hails from Bulgaria, adding a classical European background, and Cuban-born drummer, who brings an innate rhythmic sense of swing.The minor blues "Redemption," is a slow yet deliberate testament to the instrument which has guided his destiny. His appreciation of the be-bop idiom is evident on "Dangerous Walk," while "Is That What You Think," keeps the momentum going in a straight ahead direction. Both of these demonstrate that Sotti is technically proficient, and can play around the melody at will. "Beginning Now," is a melancholic solo classical guitar interlude, with strong family connections. The only cover is's "How Insensitive," a sympathetic samba in homage to his grandfather. The Latin pulsation continues with "Thalia," a joyful number dedicated to his daughter, where he admittedly nods to the influential, while adding individual embellishments.Bassist Peter Slavov accompanies Sotti on the ballad "So Far So Close," performed as a duo. An intricate and expressive venture, Slavov adds the appropriate soloing as an acoustical cushion for the guitar. Though Sotti has been an asserted New Yorker for years now, he is very much an Italian at heart. The romanticism of his heritage evident on "The Bridge," a blues tinged love song composed for his wife, and the Ponte dei Sospire (Bridge of Sighs) in Venice, where they were married.The title track is an affirmation that though life is thought to begin at forty, one better have something to show by then. The song begins in a staggered manner, easing into a smooth rite of passage, takes some interesting twists and turns, and comes to a firm conclusion. This appears to reflect Fabrizzio Sotti at this juncture, a glimpse of a musician in motion, yet taking his time. Though he has dazzling jazz chops, Sotti chose the sparse road of simplicity to express this music, thus revealing his maturity as a musician, for sometimes less is more.
           2005     ..        




AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank

Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War

The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool

She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold

In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners

By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him

But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63

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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]
Engines of Anxiety: Academic Rankings, Reputation and Accountability by Wendy Nelson Espeland and Michael Sauder, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 2016

The three weekly news magazines, Time, Newsweek and US News and World Report, at one time printed and sold around ten million copies combined each week. All have been greatly reduced in scope and circulation, unable to compete as weekly new journals with rapid-fire instant news feeds available from online sources or 24-hour cable news channels. One of the three, US News, under the direction of its owner Mortimer Zuckerman, chose a different course a quarter century back: becoming the bible of annual higher education rankings. This venture has proven to be a great success, whatever the profitability of the enterprise for the company. Today, US News rankings of undergraduate universities and colleges, top high schools, and graduate and professional programs, have become a primary source of information for applicants, faculty, school staffs, employers, and alumni, and an important measure of status and achievement for the various schools and programs.

The ratings have always been controversial. How do you assess the quality of a program? Are the annual surveys measuring the right things? Are the weightings of various factors which produce a rating score and a ranking reflective of what should matter most in evaluating schools or programs? Do the ratings capture the student experience and the value of a college or graduate program? Are the distinctions among schools real, or just a factor of a need to rank order? Can the ratings be gamed? Do the ratings themselves influence some of the scores that are measured in the next ratings cycle, rather than just neutrally present a status report on a school or program?

Wendy Nelson Espeland and Michael Sauders new book, Engines of Anxiety, focuses on the US News rankings for one particular professional program, law schools. The authors argue that whereas there are alternative rankings for other professional schools or graduate programs, such as business schools, which provide alternatives to the US News survey, and there are many books which try to evaluate and score undergraduate programs, there is no real alternative to the US News rankings of law schools. US News divides undergraduate colleges and universities into national universities, and national small colleges, as well as regional universities and colleges. A business school can pick and choose one of the surveys which ranks its program, or components of its program highly, and sell that to prospective students. But US News has no real competition for its law school rankings (latest rankings here), for which one ranking system is applied to all law schools, virtually all of whom comply with the system and submit their data to the magazine each year.

The authors argue that the high compliance rate relates to the fact that US News will estimate a law schools data for each factor measured when it does not submit its own. This would include data on job placement, admissions rates, LSAT scores, and GPAs for entering students, and the US News estimates are designed to be conservative -- lower rather than higher than what might be the real experience. Why not get ranked 89th with your own data, than 116th when US News fills in the blanks?

The rankings as administered today, divide the near 200 law schools into 4 tiers, with each of the first 3 tiers, containing 50 schools, ranked 1-50, 51-100, and 101-150. Schools in the 4th tier, are listed in alphabetical order, thereby preventing one school each year from being proclaimed the worst law school in America. The military academies celebrate each year the graduate with the lowest GPA. This is not something that would be viewed as amusing by the lowest ranked law schools. The school that comes out on top is assigned a score of 100. All other schools receive a score that is some percentage of 100, reflecting their total raw score from all the factors as compared to that of the top school. The authors argue that many of the distinctions among the schools on the total factor score are very small, but enough to place one school a good bit higher in the rankings than others not far behind as far as their scores. The rankings create separation that may not be real.

The rankings over time demonstrate a good deal of movement within tiers, and between tiers. Harvard and Yale are never going to fall out of the top five, but other schools can move 10- 20 spots in a year, some up and some down with predictable consequences. The rankings after all are a zero sum game. If one school moves up, one or more will drop, depending on the extent of the move. The same holds true for a drop in a schools ranking. The authors suggest, and they have lots of statistical evidence plus many interviews to back them up, that a shift in a schools ranking, up or down, will impact the number of applications received in a subsequent cycle, a schools yield (the percentage of those who are accepted, who choose to go to a school), the quality of future applicant pools (especially as measured by LSAT median scores), and perception of a school by recruiters, alumni and current students, faculty and staff. The rankings confer status. More or less of it is clearly meaningful.

The authors are critical of the reliance on certain measures to build the rankings. A schools reputation accounts for 40% of the overall score. Deans and other faculty are asked to rate all the other law schools, accounting for 25% of the 40% reputation score, and practitioners responses take care of the other 15%. However, the response rate for the surveys is poor, especially among practitioners, and many of the law school people who complete the surveys only rate a few schools, those they think they know. Some deans admit to marking down the schools they view as competitors, or those ranked just above or below the deans school in the last survey. It is almost certain that at least on reputation scores, the prior years overall ranking by US News is a good guide to how the schools will be ranked on this factor in the current survey.

Since it is hard to move the needle on reputation scores, law schools have chosen other tactics to influence measures over which they have more control. Non-need based scholarships can be offered to high scoring applicants on the LSAT (responsible for 12.5% of the overall ranking score). Students have been admitted to part time program or night programs, if their scores were lower, so they would not be included in the calculation of the median score (the average of the 25th and 75th percentile of all LSAT scores), and so the schools selectivity score was higher. Some schools hired unemployed graduates for research jobs so as to have a higher percentage employed 9 months out. The number employed often include non- legal jobs for which passing the bar exam was not required.

The attempts at gaming have been exacerbated by a recent weak period for law schools, with sharply declining numbers of overall applicants (close to 50% decline from peak to tough), and a poor job market for graduates. LSAT scores for applicants and those accepted have been declining almost everywhere in recent years by a modest amount.

The authors provide stories of deans and admission directors and placement director who have lost their jobs after very small ranking declines, as small as 2 spots. The US News ranking has become an all-consuming number for most everyone involved with a law school, regardless of lip service to the contrary.

There are a few defenders of the rankings who make their case in the book for the greater transparency the ratings provide, and who think it important that the various law school constituencies have measurement tools for their programs. The authors side more with the critics.

I once considered attending law school, and was accepted at some top tier programs, but the Viet Nam war draft ended that possibility. I later attended business school, and have worked with lawyers for most of my career as a health care consultant, serving as an expert witness. My own experience has been that in the field of health care law, many of the best lawyers I worked with attended the law school in the state in which they practiced. If you grow up in South Carolina, or Kentucky, or Florida or some of the Midwestern states where I have worked, lawyers who grew up in that state wanted to go to law school in their state, since it was both less expensive (the law schools were almost always state schools), and the degree from these instate schools carried more cachet (and business connections) in that state than obtaining one from one of the elite schools out of the region. Trying to flaunt a top ten law school degree in some places is viewed a lot differently than is the case in New York, California , Washington DC or to a somewhat lesser extent, Chicago.

The law school community, which by and large hate the US News ratings, may be exaggerating a bit the negative impacts of slipping from year to year in the rankings. Most schools serve particular identifiable markets and have some advantages in competing in that market. Slipping a bit looks bad, and may lead to some of the results described above, which might cause a further slippage in the next year. But the authors provide no evidence of schools that are on the verge of closing or have closed due to rankings issues, or even the recent applicant decline and reduced class sizes at some schools. Every year, near a quarter of law schools know they are in tier 4. Another 50 are in tier 3. They keep on going. Slipping from 127 to 131 probably does not mean so much. If you slip from 181 to 186, you likely do not even know it, since your alphabetical listing will be the same in tier 4. Dropping a tier might have a bigger impact.

The authors make a good case that there are some unique issues with the rankings of law schools, as opposed to rankings of other types of schools. Pressure to move up, and not down is likely higher than for other rankings. Law school is expensive, and many of those who graduate and get jobs are not walking down easy street financially, what with big loans to repay and modest compensation. So rankings do deliver a message both to the prospective applicant and the recruiter, and to those who seek employment at a law school, about whether the cost benefit relationship is a good one. And one thing I might add, given my experiences with lawyers over the years, is the work/life balance required to succeed for many in the field is often unhealthy. The country has over a million lawyers and another 40,000 or so are turned out every year by the law schools. More undergraduates, with good reason, seem to be questioning the wisdom of choosing this profession.
Operation Decisive Storm, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, has initiated a major shift in the balance of power across the Middle East. We are entering a very significant period with a long list of complex issues and questions for analysts following regional affairs. Can Iran embark on direct military action on behalf of its allies? Why hasnt Iran used its military muscle, especially its wide range of missiles, to showcase a very quick response to the shift in the Middle East balance of power?

The Simple Truth

Iran lacks any such ability to enter a direct military conflict with any party. Irans military might is typified by its support for militias in various countries across the region: Shiite Houthis in Yemen, the Lebanese Hizballah, a conglomerate of sectarian Shiite militias, and death squads in Iraq, along with dispatching thousands of its Revolutionary Guards and hired mercenaries from Pakistan and Afghanistan to shore up Bashar Assads fragmented rule in Syria. It has been policy from day one for Iran to have proxies do the dirty work and spread its influence abroad.

Saudi Initiative Silences Iran

Understanding the serious nature of Iran meddling in its own backyard, in the spring of 2015 Riyadh rallied an Arab drive, largely consisting of Gulf Cooperation Council members, in Decisive Storm, a major air campaign targeting Shiite Houthis and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Salah, acting as proxies of Iran in Yemen. The coalition, especially the United Arab Emirates, also provided ground forces to support the Yemen National Army and armed tribes to maintain their position in Aden, and from there push their way to the north. This initiative has reached a point where the Houthi rebels have been cornered and have chosen to reverse policy by entering UN-sponsored talks with the legitimate Yemeni government of President Abed Raboo Mansour Hadi. This came as a complete shock to Iran, as it has yet to see any such Arab enterprise against its interests in the region after the brutal Iran-Iraq War back in the 1980s. Unfortunately, this is the language the mullahs understand the best. Tehran has become an expert at taking advantage of diplomatic efforts by the West. However, a decisive military campaign by the Arab community has forced Iran to rethink its policies and adopt tough decisions.

Propaganda

Senior Iranian officials constantly rule out any possibility of a foreign military attack, realizing the devastating psychological and social impact. The most important argument Iran relies on is that the United States, after failing to achieve tangible results in Afghanistan and Iraq, lacks the stomach to launch yet another war. All senior officials in Iran are on one page over the notion that any foreign attack is in itself a major threat for Iran. However, many might not comprehend this reality and Iran takes full advantage to cloak the truth.

Red Line

The harsh reality is that any foreign attack will result in major social consequences for the regime inside Iran. The mullahs are sitting on a powder keg and such an attack would ignite this time bomb, enabling the Iranian people to launch nationwide uprisings engulfing the entire regime. A military confrontation for the regime in Iran is a red line. This was also the most important no-go area Irans delegation were instructed to safeguard during 2 years of nuclear negotiations. The assertion that a foreign military attack will rally Iranians behind the ruling regime is a major faux pas. The mullahs have no significant social base to count on in such circumstances.

The Last Bunker

Irans missiles are the only contingent force that can surface in any encounter against a foreign adversary. This is exactly why Tehran goes the limits to prevent the status quo from morphing into a military conflict with the West. When the mullahs in Tehran realized they might face a military attack in response to their nuclear program, they quickly accepted the setbacks to prevent any such escalation of tensions. The mullahs are fully aware of the breadth of popular anger, and how they will jump to the occasion in any foreign military attack, placing their crosshairs on the regimes very existence. As a result, the regimes senior elite push the envelope in their provocative ballistic missile program.

Iran considers its missile program and nuclear weapons endeavor as two central tenets. Official sources described Tehrans missile program as part of its theory of unconventional warfare.

Our defense strategy relies on unconventional warfare, said former Revolutionary Guards chief Rahim Safavi back on April 24th, 2004. He is currently a senior military advisor to supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The eight-year Iran-Iraq War back in the 1980s delivered a major lesson to Iran to never repeat such a catastrophic engagement. The senior brass in Tehran goes the limit to prevent any such possibility, and constructing a preventive ballistic missile arsenal has that as its specific objective. Iran is not seeking to launch a deterrent attack against another country. In fact, the spirit of their missile arsenal is aimed at preventing any possible attack for purposes of survival. Iran threatens to use its missiles to target Israel, American interests, or U.S. allies in the region.

This is exactly why after defusing Irans nuclear program, the international community must focus its attention on codifying and imposing concrete punitive measures targeting Irans vast missile arsenal, including its nuclear-capable ballistic missile program. Recent missile tests by Iran justify abrogating the nuclear treaty altogether and a snap back to crippling sanctions.

Shahriar Kia is a press spokesman for Iranian opposition, who advocates for a democratic, secular, nuclear-free Iran. He graduated from North Texas University. His Twitter handle is @shahriarkia
Will the looming conclusion of the Obama presidency lead him to engineer an all-out war by Iran's terror surrogates, Hamas and Hezb'allah, against the embattled Jewish state? Will that war conveniently occur in December 2016, as Obama serves out the final days of his presidency?

Is it conceivable that the pro-Muslim president of the United States will use such a conflict to predictably and mendaciously blame Israel as a means to permanently fracture the U.S.-Israeli alliance in a manner that would be difficult for any successor to repair? As extreme as this may sound, it is entirely possible in view of Obama's past acts of blatant hatred toward America's one and only true democracy and ally in the Middle East.

As should be obvious by now, Obama believes that Islam has suffered from British and European Christian colonization and oppression. After being thoroughly prepared to be receptive to this message by his stridently anti-Western mother and maternal grandparents, such was the indoctrination Obama received from Khaled al-Mansour  a Muslim high-level adviser to Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and anti-Jewish hate-monger  during his formative years.

It was al-Mansour who helped Obama gain admittance to the Harvard Law School. Edward Said, an outspoken anti-Israel professor of Obama's at Columbia University, and Rashid Khalidi, a former press agent for Yasser Arafat's PLO, served as Obama's mentor in the former case and friend in the latter.

These figures, whose entire professional adult lives had been essentially dedicated to eliminating Israel, focused on influencing Obama to support the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians  along with their thugocracy known as the Palestinian Authority. These overwhelmingly Muslim terrorists amount to little more than cannon fodder in the ongoing Islamist quest to effectively perpetrate yet another Holocaust.

Thus, while Obama weakens America and disparages Western values and the tenets of Judeo-Christian civilization, he always chooses to suppress the reality of Islamic triumphalism and its appalling and inhumane history of slavery, hatred of non-Muslims, brutal Muslim conquests, and slaughter dating back to its 7th-century origins in Arabia.

This is why no one should be surprised that he would bow to a Saudi king and venerate the Islamic call of the muezzin.

Given his background, it is no wonder that Obama fell for the monumental lie that the Jewish state is also a modern colonizer, just as the European powers were. After all, Obama's other confidants included, as the principled and worthy Victor David Hanson recently pointed out, "the obscene Reverend Wright and reprobates like Bill Ayers and Father Michael Pfleger."

But unlike the European colonizers who had no ancestral roots in the Middle Eastern territories they occupied, Israel is the biblical and post-biblical homeland of the Jewish people, and as the native people of its ancestral homeland, the Jews predate the Muslim invasion of Israel by millennia, as is clearly evident in the Bible, which could not have been written when and where it was otherwise.

Even though sovereignty was lost to them after the Roman destruction of the Jewish state, Jews have always lived in their native land in whatever numbers they could sustain under a succession of alien occupiers.

Despite these clearly established historical facts, modern reborn Israel and her democratically elected leader, Prime Minister Netanyahu, have been treated with unprecedented contempt by Obama and his sycophants.

This was evident early on with Obama's support of and friendship to the Islamist Erdogan in Turkey, who has reduced once secular Turkey to a growing totalitarian Islamic state that has openly supported terrorism against Israel, as demonstrated by the Gaza flotilla incident of 2010.

Erdogan's perfidy  which has included all but open support for ISIS  has in no way dampened Obama's preferential treatment of this dictator, in contrast to his appalling treatment of Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Routinely, the State Department promotes the hypocrisy of the Obama administration by ignoring the aggression and terror of the Palestinian Authority, led by the Holocaust-denying Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad thugs who rule over the Gaza Strip.

In deplorable contrast, the State Department routinely attacks Israel for building homes in Jerusalem for young couples, or chiding Israel to exercise "restraint" when Israel is forced to defend itself from relentless Palestinian brutality and murder of Israeli civilians. Was France or Belgium similarly asked to exercise "restraint" in the face of recent Muslim terrorist attacks in those countries?

This spitefulness was exhibited when the U.S., at the behest of a high-level individual in the Obama administration (wonder who!), denied visas to Israelis during Israel's defensive Gaza war in 2014 against Hamas aggression.

Even as the barrage of thousands of rockets aimed at Israeli villages and towns from Gaza continued, this outrage was compounded when President Obama banned the much needed resupply of armaments to Israel at the height of the Hamas terror blitz and temporarily banned U.S. airlines from flying to Israel on the flimsiest of pretexts (23 international carriers  including British Airways  continued flights to Israel in spite of this ban).

Obama has also treated America's other traditional allies with insolent disdain and cozied up to the worst enemy of freedom and liberty  namely, the Islamo-Nazi regime of Iran.

Iran's ongoing implicit threats of nuclear warfare  against the U.S. as well as Israel  including its aggressive development of potentially nuclear-armed ICBMs, which can eventually reach the U.S., does not faze this incumbent in the White House.

The fact that this supposed nuclear "agreement" with Iran was reached, even as his very own State Department admits that Iran has yet to actually sign the agreement and even as Iranian mobs continue to chant "Death to America" to the approving nods of the Iranian mullahs, also fits into Barack Hussein Obama's distorted world view  a deliberate policy of lies, deception, and dissimilitude.

This was admitted to by one of his closest advisers, Ben Rhodes, who recently disclosed that the Obama administration had deliberately deceived Congress and the American public about the Iran deal  as if this was something to be proud of.

Perhaps one of the most blatant examples of Obama's anti-Western, anti-American, and anti-Israeli ideology was his support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and his reluctance to sell arms to President El-Sisi, who overthrew the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi and his vicious anti-Christian regime after it had been in power for only two years and had wrought havoc on that country.

Obama's support for Morsi should have come as no surprise, given the endless flow of Muslim Brotherhood activists visiting Obama's White House and the filling of senior positions within the administration, as documented by former CIA analyst Clare Lopez.

Even today, El-Sisi fights al-Qaeda terrorism in the Sinai and the Hamas terrorists in Gaza without any apparent support or approval from Obama.

These examples of the president's bias, his pro-Islamic sympathies, and his agenda point to a seminal hatred of not only America itself, but most pointedly of the Jewish state  this hatred may override all other practical considerations in the remaining few months of his term in office.

His parting shot at Israel may well be to force her expulsion from the United Nations and turn the Jewish state into another Taiwan.

As suggested at the beginning of this article, he might well encourage both Iranian terror proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezb'allah in Lebanon, to attack Israel with a massive missile bombardment sometime this coming December.

Hamas, for its own part, has thousands of lethal rockets and mortars and is feverishly building tunnels into Israeli territory in the hope of sending its terrorist hordes into Israeli villages and towns and slaughtering as many civilians as possible. Hezb'allah, on the other hand, is estimated to have more than 150 thousand missiles and rockets aimed at all of Israel, hidden in Lebanese schools, hospitals, and apartments.

Even as the deliberate use of civilians as human shields is explicitly spelled out by the Geneva Conventions as a crime against humanity, and though Israel would have no choice but to inflict substantial civilian casualties in her own defense, this circumstance would naturally be used as a pretext by the U.N. to punish Israel in an unprecedented manner.

They would do so knowing that for the first time, an American president would likely stand by and approve whatever the U.N. anti-Israel "lynch mob" might concoct in order to further isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state. This might include severe economic sanctions or embargoes or might even involve expulsion of Israel from the U.N. entirely.

It should be emphasized here that once the American national election is over, there will be nothing to stop Obama from doing this. Obama's entire foreign policy has revolved around undermining Israel. Such an action on his part in the closing weeks of his administration can be seen as not only possible, but likely, given the pattern of his behavior toward Israel for the whole of his presidency.

This latter punishment would suit Israel's enemies very well, even though it would change nothing on the ground. An Israel reduced to a Taiwan-like status  i.e., a de facto sovereign state not officially recognized as such by the U.N.  would obviate the need for Gulf Arabs (who are covertly making common cause with Israel against Iran) to establish any formal diplomatic relations with her.

The "Zionist entity," as their official propaganda impudently puts it, would remain just that. This might even, in rhetorical terms, satisfy the requirement of Iran's mullahs to "wipe Israel from the map." What is more, once Israel is expelled from the U.N., it would be very difficult for any future U.S. president, no matter how pro-Israel, to successfully support Israel's re-admittance into the U.N.

As is the case with Taiwan, the U.S. may maintain a commitment to supplying Israel with arms and supporting her efforts at self-defense, but in practical terms, that may be the extent of the relationship, even in the best-case scenario surrounding Israel's expulsion from the U.N. under Obama during his final days in office.

While such a turn of events may sound far-fetched to even some of those most critical of Obama, it is entirely possible in view of Obama's past acts of blatant hatred toward America's one and only true ally and democracy in the Middle East.

Victor Sharpe and Robert Vincent are freelance writers for conservative websites. Victor Sharpe is also the author of several published books, including The Blue Hour and the trilogy: Politicide: The attempted murder of the Jewish state.
Time for a reality check. What we need is a winner, because a Trump win in November is how we stop Hillary from appointing another Breyer, Ginsburg, Kagan, or Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. If past is prelude, even a Republican-controlled Senate cant be counted on to rebuff a Hillary appointee; its more likely to vote No  and make it stick -- if Trump goes off the rails. Thats reality, and as Bruce Walker pointed out in his May 6th article, the stakes are high.

Appointments to our super-legislature, the Supreme Court, affect our constitutional rights in long and deep ways. George H. Bush appointed Clarence Thomas, and his son appointed Sam Alito. Democrat presidents invariably appoint dull leftist hacks, and Republican presidents, alone, have appointed good justices (and a few bad ones).

Right. Getting a William Brennan or David Souter from a Republican president is a possibility; getting a Ruth Bader Ginsburg from a Democrat is a certainty. And its a virtual certainty that some Republicans will choose to look senatorial by voting to confirm even an Elena Kagan. Even after Bork. Count on it. Hillarys appointees will be as bad as Obamas, will be appointed with the same partisan objectives, and will be confirmed no matter who controls the Senate, with every Democrat voting Aye.

But also, wrong. To grasp why our constitutional rights are affected in ways long and deep we need to stay focused on the obvious. Deep because Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan arent just dull leftist hacks, and neither were Republican appointees like Warren, Brennan, Blackmun, Stevens, Souter, and OConnor. These arent innocents who blundered into big government leftism by mistake. The worst of them are smart, determined, brazenly partisan political operatives who hold the concept of negative rights and the separation of powers in open contempt, and are not always dedicated to the truth. Long because were not talking about Hillary as a possible one-term failure here; were talking about her Supreme Court legacy: decades of relentless assault on our most fundamental values and rights and traditions by unelected oath-breakers who openly trash the Constitution theyve sworn to uphold and slander anyone who dares defend it as an enemy of social justice.

Eisenhowers attempt at appeasement by nominating Brennan is the classic example of how badly a cynical or misguided appointment can poison the well. To appear more presidential in an election year  that is, to make northeastern liberals feel okay about a second term  Eisenhower placed a lifelong leftist Democrat, and son of a union organizer, on the Supreme Court.

Weve been paying for it ever since. Brennan was on the court for 33 years, and his influence is still felt, especially when were getting beaten up over minority rights. In 1963 Brennan declared minority free exercise rights absolute and preemptive, arguing that when they appear threatened it becomes not only unnecessary, but inappropriate to demand evidence anyones rights are actually being violated. If conservatives think Abington v. Schempp did its greatest harm by ending school prayer, theyre wrong. By denying the need to prove governmental coercion it allowed the left to ignore or suppress observable, verifiable fact, and replace observational evidence with a witchs brew of conjecture, stereotyping, psychobabble and anti-Christian bigotry. Once that happened, Oregons persecution of Christian bakers and North Carolinas fight with the DOJ over transgender bathrooms were just a matter of time.

In 1968s Flast v. Cohen Earl Warren took the next logical step by relieving establishment clause plaintiffs of the burden of demonstrating standing. That meant any taxpayer with a grudge against Christians and breath to mist a mirror had access to federal court.

In 1971s Lemon v. Kurtzman Warren Burger added the entanglement test, which allowed progressives to strike down a law even though it was neutral toward religion because it passed the effect and purpose tests.

In 1985s Wallace v. Jaffree John Paul Stevens redefined legislative purpose by insisting that a lower courts findings made it unnecessary, and indeed inappropriate, to evaluate the practical significance of the addition of the words "or voluntary prayer" to the statute. The court struck down a standard moment of silence law not because of what it said or did, but because of what the liberals decided the legislature must have wanted it to do. Not surprisingly, Stevens found it useful to suppress the statutory language, relying instead on cherry-picked anecdotes and OConnors musings about the myriad, subtle ways in which Establishment Clause values can be eroded. You can almost hear the precious butterflies fluttering by.

And then theres Souter. Souter earned our opprobrium by banishing the Ten Commandments from a Kentucky courthouse, in the process grossly misrepresenting precedent; suggesting a pastors invocation at a dedication ceremony was the equivalent of hate speech that established the laws purpose retroactively; insinuating that Thomas Jefferson was speaking of secular authority when he wrote endowed by their Creator, then using that fabrication to imply the legislature was lying; and assuring us that a progressive sense of the past trumps historical fact, and that public discourse at the present time overrules the Constitution.

On the comic side there was his notion that a universally recognized religious symbol can be made secular by making it more symbolic, say by removing the text from the twin tablets and leaving only ten Roman numerals. All things considered, his opinion of the court in McCreary County v. Kentucky ACLU may set the high water mark of liberal establishment clause abuse.

Of course, these teachings of Brennan, Warren, Burger, Stevens, OConnor, and Souter are not the exclusive property of the Supreme Court, because once everyday reality is banished, everyone gets to play. In 2002 they gave us the Ninth Circuits decision to ban under God from the Pledge of Allegiance. Seven years later District Judge Robert Gettleman ruled the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act unconstitutional because "the plain language of the statute... suggests an intent to force the introduction of the concept of prayer into the schools." Hear the fluttering of those gossamer wings yet? This is ideological psychobabble fully worthy of Brennan and O'Connor. Or Yale. Or the University of Missouri. Or an Oregon bureaucrat.

Finally, we got Town of Greece in which the Second Circuit ignored Supreme Court precedent to trash a tradition, traceable to the First Continental Congress in 1774, of opening public meetings with an invocation. Their reason:

the extent to which a given act conveys the message of affiliation... will depend on the various circumstances that circumscribe it. Accordingly, we do not aim to specify what the Establishment Clause allows, but restrict ourselves to noting the ways in which this town must be read to have conveyed a religious affiliation. [my emphasis]

Like Obamabots marching in lockstep, the four SCOTUS liberals voted to uphold this indefensible decision.

Thats what long and deep means. Its astonishing that almost every defining feature of progressive establishment clause doctrine from the outlawing of school prayer to the present was advocated by justices appointed by Republican presidents. Brennan did in the need for evidence of governmental coercion; Warren crippled the requirement for standing; Burgers Lemon struck down a religion neutral law for complying with SCOTUS dictat; OConnor gave us the endorsement test, which since 1985 has provided ideological cover for the most radical progressive opinions; and Brennan, Stevens, Blackmun, and Souter became that tests enthusiastic advocates, establishing it as mainstream precedent. It was OConnors test that was adapted by the Second Circuit in their disgraceful Town of Greece opinion, that Stevens channeled in Wallace, that Blackmun applied in Allegheny v. ACLU, and that Souter relied on heavily to justify the decision in McCreary.

However, that doesnt tell us what some establishment Republicans might think, because Brennan wasnt the only one nominated for the wrong reason. Blackmun was trotted in front of the Senate in apparent capitulation to the Democrats after Nixons Haynsworth and Carswell appointments were shot down. OConnor was appointed because the establishment wanted a woman on the court. And Souter was nominated following the Bork debacle because he had no record for Biden and Kennedy to attack, and was promoted by the same John Sununu who is now highly critical of Trump.

What we need is not a candidate who appears presidential and senators who appear senatorial, bipartisan, or any other code word for surrender. You need that to keep the Republican establishment, the media and the Democrats happy. We need a fighter who knows what it takes to win and has the guts to do it. And we need senators willing to call a spade a spade and fight to the bitter end, even if theyre fighting a straying president of their own party. If we dont have that being unified, and even being right, mean nothing.

Mr. Stewart is a freelance writer living in Austin, Texas. He is writing a book on the establishment clause and welcomes feedback at ehstewartjr@gmail.com.
As a longstanding Reagan conservative, my initial preference was Ted Cruz; yet I would have voted for any of the candidates over Hillary. I held my nose for McCain and Romney, and hope some at least hold their noses and vote for Trump. However, Id rather you do more than that, Id rather you consider actually voting FOR Donald Trump. The case for Trump is a good one.

Let me start with how I changed my mind in January. My preference had been for Cruz, I liked his stances, and I thought he would make a great president. I didnt change because I thought less of Cruz. I was not angry at him, I realized that Trump was the better candidate, and in spite of my reservations (that I still hold), I found him someone to support.

When Trump announced, I thought he was a joke. I thought he was in it for his own vanity, money, or suspected he was a stalking horse for Hillary. I thought lots of strange things, not one of them positive. He first spoke of the problems with illegals from Mexico. He was called a racist (wrongly, but you know our media), and given the raspberry by every one of the GOP candidates other than Cruz. As you may have guessed, I think the issue of illegals is one of the biggest that face us today. I watched as Trump was given the normal crucifixion by our media, our own party joining in. I begrudgingly watched him gain a victory and marveled as he actually won one of the first PR campaigns against illegals in the public mind. Sanctuary cities were shown to be wrong, and the American public saw that, indeed, illegals were a large source of violence and wrongdoing.

Okay, I still considered him a joke, a rube, a charlatan, a stalking horse. I disliked him and his style. I thought Cruz would do better at presenting the same case.

The campaign continued, I was paying attention, but not to Trump. One problem: I found it impossible not to pay attention to Trump. He had a catchy slogan, Make America Great Again. Sure Donald, but anyone else could be better than a carnival barker. As the candidates are giving us their story, giving us their issues, the candidate always in the forefront, always in the media, and I mean all the media, was Trump. Interesting, but I still disliked most everything about the man. I learned about what he considered the great issues of the day. It was almost impossible to not know what he was saying, or claiming he was standing for. He was on MSNBC, CNN, all the networks. Suuuuure Donald, you really stand for these things, you undisciplined swinish panderer. Yep, that was all in my mind.

There he was, standing for the most important issues of the day, and I couldnt stand him. He was a fraud, a liberal, an embarrassing celebrity. Yep. I also knew that Cruz was better, a conservative who could explain himself, he was intelligent, he could handle the media, he was great. My candidate.

In December, Mr. Celebrity made his first comments on Islam. Among other things, he said there was ill will for us, that we needed to have a temporary ban on Muslim immigration. Boy, was he lambasted by the media, and once again by all the candidates, and various GOP celebrities. What a hateful, spiteful man, he was a hater, he wasnt even human enough to be human now. Or so we were being told.

Okay, he had my attention. I was no longer forced to listen to him, I actually listened. He was saying something no one had brought up for public consumption. Ever. This was an issue that I had already found extremely important, much like the border. Trump was saying the unsayable, virtually the unthinkable. He had brought to the forefront a truth, an unpopular truth, a non-PC truth. Once again, not only did he not suffer from saying what was previously unthinkable, he was the clear frontrunner.

I still felt he would be a bad candidate, and still loved Cruz.

In January that changed. I found I liked what he said, but not him. Then the earthquake happened: Hillary attacked him as a misogynist and a sexist. Oh no, hes done for now. But no, he retorted with one tweet, and one paragraph lambasting the Clintons prior activities with women, highlighting the Clintons hypocrisy. The press reported it. The Clintons skulked away without responding. The press wrung their hands, talked about it, had panels, articles, and in the end Trump won the first victory any GOP representative has had with the Clintons. Her popularity dove, an entire generation was hearing for the first time what had happened. Inconceivable. One tweet, barely one paragraph.

That shook me to the core. Then someone showed me an article in December where Ted Cruz had stated that the Clintons sexual history had no place in his campaign. The light went on. Two weeks later after reassessing my preference, I switched from Cruz to Trump. I still liked Cruz, but I had discovered they were the only two highlighting essentially the same issues. I also recalled that it was Trump who had brought those important issues to the forefront, it was Trump that was taking the grief for being a racist, a bigot, literally all the normal things said about any member of the GOP, and yet, he was consistently climbing in the estimation of the GOP voters, not falling.

He was doing the unthinkable. He was forming the narrative, and the media was reporting it. He was forming the narrative above the heads of the PC police, something I had not seen since Reagan. I started paying attention to those things he was saying, I started hearing about his rallies. I began reading about how the people surrounding him, people that had worked for him in the past really liked him, and thought he was genuinely brilliant. He was also highlighting the most important issues of our day, all of them:

The Wall. He wants to stop illegal immigration. The Islamic threat. He does not want it to come here. He did not want a repeat of Europes mistake. He is the only candidate to say what needs to be done: a temporary moratorium on Muslims coming here. Our need to have a great military again. He knows we need that and to give help for our veterans. We need to smash ISIS, and radical Islam everywhere. We need to jump start our economy. Bring jobs, be pro-business, pro-capitalist, better trade agreements. Protect our Second Amendment. Repeal and replace Obamacare. His pro-life conversion is actually believable. He is pro-life. He wants to cut spending, except for the military. He wants to make America strong, respected, and for us to be proudly patriotic once again. He is against common core, and wants locally controlled education. He is for reducing regulation and the scope of the federal government. There are lots more good and conservative policies, but this is enough to say for now.

Notice those encompass two things: They highlight the most important issues of our day, and they encompass the three-legged stool of Ronald Reagan. These are issues most conservatives like.

The first two are the most important of our day. We have to stop our country from being overwhelmed by illegals, and we have to win the war with Islamists, culturally here, and by defeating Islamists everywhere else. Without these two there will never be a conservative movement worth anything, let alone a country.

His other issues are icing on the cake. They are a conservative wish list.

One last thing, the reason a lot of people dont like him: That in-your-face, seemingly out of control, nasty, over the top, attacking, unfair campaign style. You may not like it (sometimes I hated it), you may not like what he did to some of our candidates (many times I hated it), but understand this: Its why he will beat Hillary, or any other candidate the Democratic Party puts in her place. Its a strength. He knows how to win. He will win, which means we can work on the agenda above.

Finally: When he wins, he will have to implement the agenda; we need someone who has that same strength to take the barbs that will be flung by the democrat/media complex (and our GOP sellouts). The new (R) President will need to be strong; they will try to destroy him every day. He will need to be able to form a narrative about the media, he will need to handle the PC police, and he will need to be resolute.

Thats Donald Trump.
Dartmouth Republicans decided to do something special for National Police Week, so they reserved space on a public bulletin board and created a nice display to honor police departments across the country.

But all their work went for naught. Upon discovering the pro-police display, Black Lives Matter activists promptly tore it down and accused the Republicans of racism and white supremacy.

Daily Caller:

At the bottom, the display said in big letters, BLUE LIVES MATTER. This last part of the display appears to have outraged Black Lives Matter supporters at Dartmouth, several of whom vocally complained on Twitter and Facebook that the display was offensive and even white supremacist. But Black Lives Matter did more than just complain, they also took action. The original display was torn down Friday morning, at about 11 a.m, and in its place almost three dozen sheets of paper were used to cover the bulletin board, all of them carrying an identical message: YOU CANNOT CO-OPT THE MOVEMENT AGAINST STATE VIOLENCE TO MEMORIALIZE THE PERPETRATORS. At the bottom, each sheet also had the hashtag #blacklivesmatter printed on it. The Black Lives Matter activists declared that the original display had been censored on behalf of the students, according to an eyewitness who spoke with The Daily Caller News Foundation. Dartmouths College Republicans quickly released a statement via Facebook denouncing the stunt. As an organization, we took the time and effort to obtain proper approval for the display while putting significant thought into its content, the statement says. We are dismayed that a group of students would attempt to censor our message while coopting the space for their own purposes. Mikala Williams, one of the students involved in tearing down the original display, told The Dartmouth that her action was justified because the original display promoted violence against black people. It was taken down by students and replaced because it actively co-opted a movement that is supposed to comment on police brutality against black individuals in this country, she said. It took that and by framing that as Blue Lives Matter, it normalizes and naturalizes violence against people of color in this country. And that is not okay.

By the way, on that same day in nearby Manchester, NH, two police officers were shot while on duty.

The Ferguson Effect is real. The spike in murders can be correlated with the reluctance of police to enforce the law for fear of being recorded and villified in the press. Is this really what BLM activists want?

Aside from desperately wanting attention, BLM activists appear bound and determined to make black neighborhoods even more of a shooting gallery - intentionally or unintentionally. Outcome is all that matters and if the BLM lunatics continue to make police targets, cops are going to avoid high crime areas altogether, leaving residents to fend for themselves.
A decade ago, a bunch of Dutch medical lawyers came up with a series of guidelines designed to keep doctors out of jail for assisting in suicides. Called the Groningen Protocols, the guidelines set up procedures that were ostensibly designed to protect the patient from being put down unnecessarily.

The guidelines say that a patient has to apply at one of the assisted suicide centers, have the concurrence of their family doctor, and have their case adjudicated by a panel of doctors. For children under 12, it is the parents who make the decision.

Today, the protocols have expanded to include flying squads of death dealing doctors who travel all over the country helping people end their lives - including the mentally ill. This is problematic because the idea that someone suffering from dementia, or Alzheimer's disease can make a rational choice to die is questionable.

The controversial practice is getting very popular.

Daily Mail:

Currently, 4 per cent of the 140,000 or so deaths a year in Holland are the result of doctor-assisted suicide and the tally is rising. In particular, increasing numbers of Dutch people with mental illness demand euthanasia. In 2010, two people with such conditions had their lives ended with the figure increasing to 56 last year. Of those deaths, 36 were conducted by doctors from Amsterdam's End Of Life clinic which has a lengthy waiting list and sends mobile euthanasia teams across Holland to help patients die in their own homes. The clinic is run by Steven Pleiter, the former European director of an American IT company, who told me in Amsterdam this week: 'One of the reasons the clinic was set up was to help the 'forgotten ones' who wish for euthanasia but get denied it. 'This is a huge group: those with dementia, the elderly with no clear medical diagnosis and those with psychological problems.' Soft-spoken and with the air of a doctor (despite his non-medical background), Pleiter says his clinic had 1,234 applications for help last year, a third of them from people with psychiatric problems. Significantly, many of the mentally-ill patients had already been rejected for euthanasia by their own GPs. He explained: 'If someone has cancer and the prognosis is poor, doctors will shorten their suffering by euthanasia. 'But if you cannot see what a patient is dying of, or know when they will die  it could be many years ahead if the person is mentally ill  then the doctors find it more difficult to decide whether to end a life.' So Pleiter's team offers to fill this gap. He got into the right-to-die business when his mother suffered a stroke at 80 and was left paralysed down one half of her body. She had always told him that if such an eventuality happened, she wanted to be helped to die. Her son could do nothing to fulfil that wish, and she struggled on for another four difficult years before getting pneumonia and passing away.

This slippery slope is real. The incrementalism in allowing more and more people to choose death, even if they are neither competent or rational, shows that the pro-euthanasia lobby won't stop. There is no limit to who should be able to choose state-sponsored death. The probability that decisions will be forced upon the mentally ill by relatives or doctors is growing. Suppose the family of a patient suffering from Alzheimer's is tired of grandma draining their inheritance on private nurses and expensive drugs? It's not such a big step to allow the family to off the old lady. As someone who watched their mother die of Alzheimer's - a woman who was loved and cared for until the day she died - I can sympathize with the urge to interpret the wishes of a patient with the disease. But that is not our right and it should never be our right.

We all know that doctors, on a case by case basis, make these decisions. And if it's based on instructions in a living will - a DNR order, for example - this is the right of the patient in consultation with their doctor. But this is a far cry from allowing the mentally ill to decide to die with the help of a state regulated panel.

The potential for abuse in this system is so great it should never have been approved. As far as the US is concerned, all efforts to allow something similiar here should be fought and defeated.
Raw.

Another word to describe the music that catapulted a hyper-talented Minneapolis teenager to international stardom in the 1970s and 80s would be less than apt.

Sure, it was for the welcome-to-MTV crossover hits, Little Red Corvette and Raspberry Beret that many remember Prince (1958-2016), but what launched his career, leading to seven Grammy awards and hit songs for other stars (Sinead OConnor, Stevie Nicks, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan and even Tom Jones) was a raunchy, rhythmic foray into popular culture the likes of which America had never seen and could barely sustain. With the 1981 release of Princes third album Dirty Mind, which included the songs Head and Do it All Night, we were only a generation in time from the mid-1950s Ed Sullivan/Elvis Presley hip-shaking controversy but a galaxy away culturally.

It was clear that in R&B and now Funk circles, Prince would have none of the anodyne, Boogie, and Keep on Truckin, language of the 70s. He aspired to put the n in nasty. Do Me Baby, the longest track from his fourth album Controversy, begins with the following lyrics:

Here we are in this big old empty room, Staring each other down You want me just as much as I want you, Lets stop fooling around Take me baby, kiss me all over[i]

The salacious spiral, downward. Prince mastered it. His early songs, Lets Work, Sexy Dancer, Soft and Wet, and more graphic titles still conveyed the barely contained frenzy that only attends the erotic (at times, Prince couldnt contain it -- his disturbing, line-crossing hit Lady Cab Driver is one example). Yet, his musical talent bore lasting uniqueness. The 1980s were the Golden Age of the Funk genre, with talent abounding in artists such as OBryan, Lilo Thomas, Kashif, Morris Day and Steve Arrington; herein Prince would distinguish himself (10 albums and 4 wide-release films from 1980-1990). His preening effrontery would continue to join the sultry to song and the spasm to dance, long past the decades end (he was still scheduled to perform the month of his untimely death). Publicly petulant, sartorially fatuous (ruffled shirts and platform shoes) and ego-driven (the short-lived name change to an unpronounceable symbol says much), from tour to tour the five-foot-two inch Prince would flit across the stage, revealing Eros incarnate.

More would be revealed, including our understanding of the place -- and limits -- for the erotic in culture, specifically in music.

How could, did Prince get away with songs (and during the Reagan era), such as Feel U Up and those he wrote for others Get it Up (performed by The Time) and Nasty Girl (written for Vanity 6) to such success: the international fandom of millions and an estate valued at death in the nine figures? Seemingly, with Prince, the raunchy would roil and trump traditional notions of decency -- but in reality, not to the point of redefining mores or presenting any lasting challenge to moral standards. Prince couldnt do this -- because Eros couldnt (and shouldnt: temperance and prudence are to be exercised for measure and propriety). It is not in the nature of the winged Greek god to triumph. No news here: sexual desire is fleeting in act and person, prone to dissipation, enervation, subject to a god far stronger: time. Though Princes audience, the youthful, experience sexual desire at its peak, they are the first to realize its limits -- and purpose -- and also recognize its creative outlets elsewhere, music being the prime example. In his Politics, the philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), reminds us of the relationship between passion and music in his description of the flute:

Besides the flute is not an instrument which is expressive of moral character; it Is too exciting. The proper time for using it is when the performance aims not At instruction, but at the relief of the passions.[ii]

The description applies to the discography of Minneapoliss favorite son. His music is Aristotles flute in intention, performance and effect. He could hold the audience in sway and allow desire to soar, but for the moment, giving Eros its due and no more.

Tim Weldon teaches Philosophy at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois
Socialist Venezuela is so bankrupt that it is unable to import key commodities and unable to supply electricity to factories, so scapegoats have become necessary. The situation became critical when the countrys largest beer producer, Polar, halted production a couple of weeks ago because it was unable to import barley, owing to Venezuelas lack of foreign exchange. Venezuelans are among the worlds heaviest consumer of beer, and with the summer coming upon them, the lack of the cooling beverage became intolerable to the masses that are supposed to support the government on Nicholas Maduro.

Valentina Oropeza of AFP reports:

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a sweeping crackdown Saturday under a new emergency decree, ordering the seizure of paralyzed factories, the arrest of their owners and military exercises to counter alleged foreign threats. The embattled leftist is struggling to contain a raging economic crisis that has led to food shortages, soaring prices, riots, looting and vigilante justice, pushing Venezuela to the brink of collapse. He accused the United States on Friday of destabilizing the country at the behest of the "fascist Venezuelan right," prompting him to declare a state of emergency. Addressing his supporters at a rally in central Caracas on Saturday, Maduro announced some of the actions to be taken under the decree, which has not yet been published. "We must take all measures to recover productive capacity, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie," he told the cheering, red-clad crowd. "Anyone who wants to halt (production) to sabotage the country should get out, and those who do must be handcuffed and sent to the PGV (Venezuelan General Penitentiary)."

The emergency decree may well be used to prevent a recall vote, being pushed by the opposition:

Opposition leaders accused Maduro of using the emergency decree to destabilize the country and block them from organizing a referendum on removing him from office. The opposition has launched the process by collecting 1.8 million signatures in favor of a recall vote, but say authorities are now stalling. At a rival rally on the east side of the capital, opposition leader Henrique Capriles warned Maduro was pursuing a dangerous strategy. "Venezuela is a bomb that could explode any minute," he told some 1,000 protesters decked out in the red, yellow and blue of the Venezuelan flag. "If you block the democratic path, we don't know what could happen."

US officials are openly predicting the fall of Maduro (hat tip: Rick Moran):

In a bleak assessment of Venezuela's worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office. But the two officials, briefing a small group of reporters in Washington, predicted that Maduro, who heads Latin Americas most ardently anti-U.S. government and a major U.S. oil supplier, was not likely to be able to complete his term, which is due to end after elections in late 2018. They said one plausible scenario would be that Maduros own party or powerful political figures would force him out and would not rule out the possibility of a military coup. Still, they said there was no evidence of any active plotting or that he had lost support from the countrys generals.

There is a real possibility of starvation, horrendous political violence, and mass suffering in a nation that holds the worlds largest oil reserves. Socialisms toxicity has never been more tellingly demonstrated than in Venezuela, which is rich in natural resources, but falling apart, threatening to become another North Korea, all in the name of socialism.

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman
All of a sudden, the lefties of South America are running for cover.

Let's start in Argentina, where ex-President Fernandez has just been indicted: A judge in Argentina on Friday indicted former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and other officials on charges of manipulating the nations Central Bank during the final months of her administration. Mrs. Kirchner and the officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Banks dollars at below-market rates during her presidency in order to shore up the Argentine peso. The judge, Claudio Bonadio, said that it was unthinkable that a financial operation of this magnitude could have been carried out without the explicit approval of the highest political and economic decision makers of government. Judge Bonadio will now deepen his investigation, legal experts said, to decide whether the case goes to trial or is dismissed. Mrs. Kirchner can appeal her indictment.

Mrs. Fernandez followed her late husband Mr. Kirchner in the presidency. I guess that corruption finally caught up with them. At the same time, the couple has a lot of supporters in the public bureaucracy so don't count your chickens yet.

By the way, Nestor and Christina Kirchner remind me a lot of the Clintons.

Over in Brazil, President Rauseff will be watching the Olympics from home rather than presiding over the opening ceremony as head of state. A trial has begun that could remove her permanently from the office. In the meantime, there will be an interim president.

Over in Venezuela, the situation has now hit the "expletive deleted" fan. President Maduro has declared a 60-day emergency because of what he defines as threats from the US government.

These 3 crises have a few things in common beyond the fact that the leaders where once the darlings of the left.

First, corruption is rampant, a natural consequence of concentration of power or using state resources to win elections. It worked great in Venezuela and Brazil as long as commodities and oil prices supported the inefficient state operations.

Second, the economies of Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela are basket cases.

Brazil, one of the top 10 GDPs in the world, is mired in a deep recession.

Argentina is a better off but still paying the price of the Kirchner-Fernandez disregard for the rule of law.

And Venezuela is such a disaster that we won't cite numbers because the country is indeed falling apart.

Argentina will be the first to improve because President Macri is already correcting the excesses of his predecessors.

Brazil and Venezuela could descend into chaos.

As my late father used to say, socialism is great as long as the subsidized get their subsidies. If not, the subsidized turn on the ones who made the promises, as is the case in Venezuela and Brazil.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
St. Paul, Alberta, a small town in east-central Alberta, Canada has the worlds first official UFO Landing Pad which was built in 1967 to celebrate Canadas centennial. The 130 ton concrete structure consists of a raised platform with a map of Canada embossed on the back stop, consisting of stones provided by each province of Canada. The pad also contains a time capsule to be opened on the 100-year anniversary of the pads opening in 2067. A sign beside the pad reads:

The area under the World's First UFO Landing Pad was designated international by the Town of St. Paul as a symbol of our faith that mankind will maintain the outer universe free from national wars and strife. That future travel in space will be safe for all intergalactic beings, all visitors from earth or otherwise are welcome to this territory and to the Town of St. Paul.

In the 1990s, a rounded, saucer-shaped tourist information centre was opened on the site containing a museum of UFO memorabilia including photographs of alleged landing sites, mysterious cattle mutilations, and crop circles.

While it has never been used for its intended purpose, the pad has drawn plenty of tourists and even hosted a UFO conference in 2000. Theres even a UFO hotline, so if you have a sighting, heres the toll-free number to call 1-888-SEE-UFOS and 1-888-733-8367.

Interestingly, Alberta isnt the only place on earth to have a UFO landing pad. The town of Ares, near Bordeaux, south-western France, has its own welcome pad for alien visitors. This triangular pad, dubbed UFOport" was built in 1976 after a local airport electrician and UFO nut complained to local authorities that France had no alien craft strips. The local mayor liked the idea and decreed that extra-terrestrial visitors would be exempt from airport tax and could take part in any local boules or mud-skating competitions.

Unfortunately, no outer space visitors have ever been seen around Ares, much less land on the pad, although it does draw some 20,000 human visitors each year.

To ensure that the hopes of the local people are kept high, a fake Martian craft, build by a local artist was landed on the strip last month. Real or fake, it was the first UFO landing after 34 years.

It's been suggested that the whole idea of UFOport" was simply a ruse to bring in more out-of-town tourists to Ares. We tend to agree.

Two people dressed as aliens exit a fake flying saucer on Sept. 4 at the "UFOport" of the French southwestern village of Ares.

Aliens make dramatic exit from the spaceship

Cosy interiors

The two aliens hug each other to celebrate their successful arrival

Aliens show earthlings some dance moves

The worlds first alien interview

Sources: Atlas Obscura, Wikipedia, AOL News, Getty Images
Abortion 28, 24 or 20 weeks: who gets to choose?

Abortion is a serious issue. Pope usually have a view on it. The Mail reports:

Britains biggest maternity union has joined forces with abortion providers and radical feminists in an extreme campaign to abolish the legal limits on abortion. The Royal College of Midwives, which represents nearly 30,000 midwives and health workers, is calling for women to be allowed to terminate an unborn child at any stage of pregnancy  and face no criminal sanctions. Abolishing abortion law would do away with the current time limit of 24 weeks of pregnancy, after which a woman can only have a termination for medical reasons.

The legal limits are a shifting sand, changing from 28 weeks to 24 weeks under the terms of The Human Embryology and Human Fertilisation Act 1990. The 28 weeks limit was set under the Abortion Act 1967. Before that abortions were illegal.

Its not an exact science.

The sensible move it to trust women to decide on their pregnancies, for both moral, social and health issues, and permit doctors to perform safe abortions without fear of criminality. That abortion is a matter of State law is lamentable.

Anorak

Posted: 15th, May 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
In 1944, the Office of Strategic Servicesthe predecessor of the post-war CIAwas concerned with sabotage directed against enemies of the US military. Among their ephemera, declassified and published today by the CIA, is a fascinating document called the Simple Sabotage Field Manual (PDF). It's not just about blowing things up; a lot of its tips are concerned with how sympathizers with the allied cause can impair enemy material production and morale:

Managers and Supervisors: To lower morale and production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. Discriminate against efficient workers; complain unjustly about their work. Employees: Work slowly. Think of ways to increase the number of movements needed to do your job: use a light hammer instead of a heavy one; try to make a small wrench do instead of a big one. Organizations and Conferences: When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large and bureaucratic as possible. Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done. Telephone: At office, hotel and local telephone switchboards, delay putting calls through, give out wrong numbers, cut people off "accidentally," or forget to disconnect them so that the line cannot be used again. Transportation: Make train travel as inconvenient as possible for enemy personnel. Issue two tickets for the same seat on a train in order to set up an "interesting" argument.

Some of these sabotage methods are commonplace tactics deployed in everyday workplace feuds. It's often hard to know where incompetence ends and malice begins: the beauty of organizations is that most of them have no effective immune systems against such deliberate excesses of incompetence.

So it occured to me a week or two ago to ask (on twitter) the question, "what would a modern-day version of this manual look like if it was intended to sabotage a rival dot-com or high tech startup company"? And the obvious answer is "send your best bad managers over to join in admin roles and run their hapless enemy into the ground". But what actual policies should they impose for best effect?


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All your questions about cuddly little pups are answered by this local rescue organization. Kids can participate in a doggy storytime.

Join us at the South Broadway Library for a special visit from Lap Dog Rescue of New Mexico!

Do you want to know more about rescuing a special family friend? The folks at Lap Dog Rescue will be here to answer all your questions about cuddly little pups that deserve a second chance. They will even bring a special furry guest for you to meet!

We will have a doggy storytime and craft for the children. All ages are welcome. Please call (505)764-1742 for more details. Please visit lapdogrescue.org for more information about this wonderful local facility and how you can get involved.
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"Love for a person, and also to the Lord, is not proven with words, but with deeds." "Being a Christian does not mean primarily belonging to a certain culture or adhering to a certain doctrine, but rather binding ones own life, in all its aspects, to the person of Jesus and, through him, to the Father".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Being Christians, keeping the commandments "it is to be understood in an existential sense, so that ones entire life is involved. In fact, being a Christian does not mean primarily belonging to a certain culture or adhering to a certain doctrine, but rather binding ones own life, in all its aspects, to the person of Jesus and, through him, to the Father, this is why Jesus promised the' outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as the Pope recalled the day of Pentecost, before the recitation of the Regina Caeli.

This was what was highlighted by the Pope to the 50 thousand people present in St Peter's Square, "the liturgy invites us to open our minds and our hearts to the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised several times to his disciples, the first and principal gift that He won for us with His resurrection. This gift, Jesus himself prayed to the Father, as shown in today's Gospel, which takes place at the Last Supper. Jesus tells his disciples: "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete to be with you always. These words, the Pope said, remind us above all that love for a person, and also for the Lord, is shown not with words but with facts. The command to keep and observe the commandments must likewise be understood in such a way that they affect our whole life.

In fact, the Pope said, being Christians does not primarily mean pertaining to a certain culture or adhering to a certain doctrine, but rather, joining ones very life, in every aspect, to the person of Jesus, and, through Him, to the Father. It is precisely for this reason that Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit: it is through the gift of the Spirit, the love which unites the Father and the Son, and proceeds from them, that we are able to live the very life of Jesus."



"Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Love that unites the Father and the Son and proceeds from them, we can all live the same life of Jesus. The Spirit, in fact, teaches us all things, that the only thing necessary: to love as God loves . in promising the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls him "another Paraclete" (v. 16), which means Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, that is, one who assists us, protects us, is on our side on the journey of life and in the struggle for good and against evil. Jesus says "another Paraclete" because the first is he, he himself, who was made flesh precisely to take upon himself our human condition and free it from the slavery of sin. In addition, the Holy Spirit exercises a function of teaching and memory. Learning and memory. There told Jesus: "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you" (v. 26). The Holy Spirit does not bring a different teaching, hat the Holy Spirit does not bring a teaching different from that of Jesus, but helps make Jesus teaching present and active in our lives, so that the passage of time it is neither not erased nor faded.

"The Holy Spirit grafts this teaching in our heart, it helps us to internalize it, making it part of us, flesh of our flesh. At the same time, it prepares our hearts to be able to receive the words and examples of the Lord. Every time that the word of Jesus is greeted with joy in our hearts, this is the work of the Holy Spirit ".



After the Marian prayer, finally, Francis said that "today, very appropriate in the context of Pentecost, I release my Message for the World Mission Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Sunday in October. May the Holy Spirit give strength to all the missionaries ad gentes and support the mission of the Church throughout the world ".
Independent lawyers and midsize law firms are preparing for a challenging future. The latest Bellweather Report from LexisNexis shows that, despite a rise in confidence, 95 per cent of respondents are expecting rough times ahead.The survey of lawyers and firms in the UK found that 85 per cent say that clients demands are having as much impact as regulation; although just 40 per cent of firms have hired staff in non-legal roles to meet those demands.On pricing, the report reveals that it is not all about low fees. Clients want value rather than a cut-price service.Professor Stephen Mayson, independent advisor and non-executive director to law firms, said: The report provides evidence of the grand delusion  essentially, a culture that is out of tune with the market and a broken business model. Tinkering around the edges of the cost base and blaming others for the rest, rather than tackling some possibly uncomfortable home truths, will not address it and secure a sound future.Mayson says there is hope though, if firms think outside the legal box and focus on client value and delivery including the use of appropriate technology. Norton Rose Fulbright has appointed the former Secretary of the Commonwealths Attorney-Generals Department, Roger Wilkins AO, as Senior Advisor.As part of the firms global risk advisory practice, Wilkins will bring a breadth of experience in governmental and regulatory roles; he was also at Citigroup where he headed the government and public sector group for Australia and New Zealand.The former managing partner of Singapore firm Gadens has joined Nabarros projects practice in the city state. Marc Rathbone founded Gadens Singapore in 2013 having joined from Clifford Chance Angela Pearsall is joining Clifford Chance in Australia to bolster the litigation practice in Sydney. When she joins from Ashurst in July, she will become the 16partner for Clifford Chance in Australia.
Hi everyone,



Just new here, i would like to get some info regarding my visa. I'm currently in Aust as a tourist. And my visa is multiple entry valid for a year, and I'm allowed to stay 3 months on each arrival. I want to know if i can come back straight away? And do i still need documents in order for me to come back even if i got the visa already?



Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Hello Everyone,



I have a quick question.



After an 11 month wait, my Fiance was FINALLY granted his Prospective Marriage Visa! HOORAH! We are sooooo excited!



Now I am trying to figure out what Health Insurance I can organise for him as he it not able to access Medicare until we get marriage and apply for the the Partner Visa.



Has anyone been in the same situation and can point me in the right direction? Many health insurance companies (like BUPA) only provide cover for other types of visas (457, 600 etc) but not for subclass 300.



Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
kW

CVT

Happily, however, the Japanese brand has something in the pipeline, something that will make amends for the rather old fourth-generation LS. In production since August 2006, the LS is slated to get renewed in 2017. That makes the LS almost 11 years old by the time the new model will enter production in May or June.As per Carmaker1 via Lexus Enthusiast , who cite an article published by Mag-X, the place of unveiling for the all-new Lexus LS is the Detroit Auto Show.By way of explanation, the Japanese brand will unleash the new kid on the block in January 2017. Considering that the first units will arrive at JDM dealers the third quarter, the all-new Lexus LS will set foot on U.S. soil for the 2018 model year. The rendering featured above is said to be the closest there is to the real deal.Beyond the 2015 Lexus LF-FC Concept-inspired exterior design cues, the 2018 Lexus LS will be powered by the 2UR-GSE V8 found under the hood of the LC 500. The 5.0-liter engine is good for 467 horsepower (348) and it is paired to a 10-speed automatic. A hybrid powertrain will be offered as well, combining a 3.5-liter V6 with two electric motors, a Li-Ion battery, and two transmissions: aand a four-speed automatic.Were still more than half a year away from the debut of the 2018 Lexus LS (XF50), but the wait will be worth it. Fingers crossed the cabin design and quality will mirror that of the bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful exterior. Come on, Lexus ! Don't let LS fans down with more waiting around than we'd prefer.
15 May 2016 10:23 (UTC+04:00)

Israel-based "Challenges of time" information portal has published an article headlined "Israeli mother's appeal to release her son from captivity remains unanswered " by Mila Abramovich and Arye Gut (http://isp-ngo.com/?p=2449), Azertac reports.The article highlights the story of soldier Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov), an Azerbaijani Jew, who was taken hostage by Armenians 23 years ago.

The article says: "The world has seen many wars and tragedies and the worst ones left an indelible scar in the hearts of people. Recently we have met the family of Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov), an Azerbaijani soldier of Jewish origin, who is still in Armenian captivity. We met his family at the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Coordinating Center in the city of Acre. Head of the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Community Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli was also present at the meeting."

"Vugar's mother Nina Mikayilova, who now lives in the Israeli city of Kiryat Bialik, said that Vugar was drafted into the Azerbaijani army in the 1990s, and he served with honor and dignity."

The article says: "Vugar was born on January 4, 1974 in the Azerbaijani town of Goychay. He was a very organized, disciplined and responsible boy. "Like another Azerbaijani hero of Jewish origin Albert Agarunov, Vugar did not dodge military service, he wanted to stay with his fellows, though his brother asked him to go and work in Kazakhstan. Vugar was mobilized into the police battalion 54/56 in July of 1992, he served in Sheketli village in Fuzuli region and came home just once. When I saw my boy for the last time, I hugged him so tightly My heart felt that we will be far apart," said Nina Mikayilova, and burst into tears.

Vugar Mikayilov's (Mikhailov's) mother remembers that his friend Ramiz from Agdash region said that Vugar went missing on January 28, 1993, during the fighting against Armenian invaders in Uruyandag village in Fuzuli region, when he tried to save his friend, who was wounded in his leg."

"Vugar's classmate Azer from Goychay who was also taken hostage by Armenians, said that he saw Vugar near the villages of Stepanakert, where Armenians used the Azerbaijani soldiers and civilians as labors. Azer said he saw Vugar alive. As for Azer, he miraculously managed to escape from Armenian captivity," the article quotes Vugar`s mother as saying.

Vugar's brother Ilgar Mikayilov (Mikhailov) says: "I want to find my brother. Our family misses Vugar so much. We know that prisoners from Azerbaijan, who have been taken captives by Armenians, are being tortured, it's terrible. The killing and inhuman treatment of thousands of innocent Azerbaijanis taken hostage by Armenians, is one of the most terrible and bloody pages of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan."

"Vugar's mother said that his father Ibrahim Mikayilov (Mikhailov) could not bear separation from his son and stories of Azerbaijani civilians who were taken captive by Armenians. "In 2006 he died from a heart attack. He knew that our son was also tortured by Armenians," she said."

"My husband Ibrahim always lived with a hope to find his son. I remember during the Easter, ex-president of Armenia Robert Kocharian paid a visit to Israel. My husband met with him but it did not work out. It was the last hope for my husband. Kocharian promised to help. We knew that Kocharian was one of the ideologists and organizers of the bloody massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly. But my husband thought he would take pity on desperate parents Kocharian went back from his word and showed the true treacherous essence of the current leadership of the Armenia," Nina Mikayilova said."

"She added that their family even appealed to authoritative rabbis- kabbalists in Israel, and they said that Vugar Mikayilov is alive, he is in the hands of the enemy, and after a new large-scale war Vugar along with other Azerbaijani prisoners will return home."

"Help me and my family to bring my son back home, I have not seen him for 23 years... I know that the Armenian captivity is similar to fascist We live in Israel, but our homeland is Azerbaijan, and we never forget it. Azerbaijan has always been in our hearts," the article quotes Nina as saying.

"Head of the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Community of Acre, Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli said that Nagorno-Karabakh is a heart and soul of Azerbaijan and the cradle of the Azerbaijani culture." "We, Mountain Jews, natives of Azerbaijan, are proud of our brother Albert Agarunov, one of the first national heroes of independent Azerbaijan and a symbol of the courage of the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples in the war against the Armenian Dashnak invaders. There were many other Jews who were fighting for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan along with Albert, but there were also those who went missing. One of them is my cousin Vugar Mikayilov. His family lives in different cities of Israel. His mother, his older brother and sister are looking forward to see him alive after 23 years in Armenian captivity," the article quotes Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli as saying.

"A question arises: Why did not Armenians release Vugar after learning that he was Jew? I think Armenians had information about all the prisoners, and of course, Vugar said that he was a Jew, not Azerbaijani. There may be two reasons:

The first is that the attitude toward Jews in Armenia has always been negative since anti-Semitism dominated in this country, and that is one of the important reasons why the Jews left Armenia. Let's not forget that the cult of personality of such fascists as General Dro and general Nzhdeh, who massacred 30,000 Jews in the Crimea during the World War II, still exists in Armenia.

Secondly, it is interesting why Head of the Jewish community of Armenia Rimma Varzhapetyan did not help a Jewish family. She could perfectly understand distress of a Jewish mother, but she remains silent, fulfilling orders of the terrorist regime of Sargsyan."

The third reason is that Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov) is a witness and a victim of the fascist atrocities conducted by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in camps. That is the reason why they are afraid to release him as a living witness. We are waiting for a response from Armenia," the article says.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 May 2016 10:39 (UTC+04:00)

The US-based Jewish Journal has published an article by Chairman of the Religious Community of Mountain Jews in Baku Milikh Yevdayev headlined "Reflections on Global Peace and the 7th Forum of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations."

The article says: "On the morning of April 25th, the opening ceremony of the 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) took place in Baku, Azerbaijan. It began with a video appearance of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, shown in the Baku Congress Center, in the presence of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Over 3,000 delegates from over 140 countries came together for several days of discussion on education, peace and cultural engagement, to explore our shared dream for cooperation and acceptance in every society. In his remarks, President Aliyev pointed out how meaningful it is to host such a program in Azerbaijan, noting that "we are not only a geographic bridge between East and West, but also a cultural bridge. For centuries representatives of religions, cultures lived in peace and dignity in Azerbaijan."

'The delegates flew to Azerbaijan from every corner of the world, to discuss the power of inclusivity in a world overwhelmed by division and strife. Security experts, political scientists, heads of state, diplomats, organizational leaders, activists, students, and brave heroes, those who spend every day risking their lives at the frontlines of change - all came together for a meeting of their hearts and minds. Throughout the two days of intense programs and panels, the forum leaders gave particular attention to the role of religious leaders, women, youth, culture and education in perpetuating the message of building peace by actively and cooperatively coming together against hate and extremism. I saw many new faces, and also the familiar representatives of Azerbaijan's own diverse religious communities: Muslim, Christian and Jewish friends, and important leaders in this effort,' the article says.

"There was something very powerful about this forum and its theme, as it relates to Azerbaijan in particular. The forum's theme "Living Together in Inclusive Societies: A Challenge and A Goal" made me feel a sense of pride. There could be no better fit for such a program than Azerbaijan. Positive inclusion is central to our national character, and also our historical identity. We are a nation defined by our success with inclusivity, multicultural and multifaith respect - now and in times when there is so much division and hatred in various parts of the world."

"The UNAOC program was nothing short of uplifting, after weeks of immense worry and stress especially, as our homeland Azerbaijan came under attack again. Before this, I wondered how to face the Passover holiday while so many of my fellow Azerbaijanis were mourning their loved ones lost to the renewed aggression by Armenia in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region," the article says.

"The success and the celebrated values exhibited at UNAOC 2016 do not change the injustice that is happening to our people, or what is happening to all innocent communities in the world, to all victims of terror, extremism and ethnic cleansing."

'But it addressed the deep questions we set out to explore at the Forum: the questions of cultures finding a way to live together, to treat faiths and communities equally.'

"Living my entire life here in Azerbaijan has given me many, many years of proof that all people really can live together in harmony, and this gives me hope for the rest of the world. Azerbaijan's vibrant example of harmony can encourage the world of this simple but truly priceless blessing - that people of every culture and cloth have something fundamentally in common. We share a dream of mutual respect, a belief in the right of every person to live in freedom, without shame and without violence, and by sharing that dream together we truly strengthen it and bring it to life. The excited crowd of thousands of important public figures and grassroots activists here in Baku demonstrated how these values and dreams are more powerful than terrorism and hatred could ever be," the article concludes.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 May 2016 12:44 (UTC+04:00)

A trilateral meeting of defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey has today started in the city of Gabala, Azertac reports.

Defense ministers Zakir Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Tinatin Khidasheli of Georgia and Ismet Yilmaz of Turkey first visited the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their lives for the country`s territorial integrity. The ministers laid flowers at the Eternal Flame Memorial Complex here.

They also put flowers at a monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev.

The event features discussions in bilateral and trilateral formats.

After the meeting, the ministers will hold a joint press conference.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 May 2016 13:49 (UTC+04:00)

Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel-general, met with his Georgian counterpart Tinatin Khidasheli May 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov greeted the members of the Georgian delegation and stressed the strategic importance of the bilateral talks and meetings.

Hasanov also stressed that the military cooperation with Georgia is being rapidly developed.

Khidasheli stressed that she is pleased with her first visit to Azerbaijan's Gabala city and thanked her Azerbaijani counterpart for the hospitality.

Then the sides discussed the military-political situation in the region and other issues of mutual interest.

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15 May 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel-general, met with Turkish counterpart Ismet Yilmaz May 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov said that the military ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey are based on brotherhood and mutual understanding of the two countries.

Yilmaz stressed the importance of such meetings to enhance bilateral relations.

Then the sides discussed regional issues and bilateral cooperation.

Ismail Alper Coskun, Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, also attended the meeting.

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15 May 2016 16:39 (UTC+04:00)

The fourth trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish defense ministers has today ended at the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center in Gabala, Azertac reports.

Following their private and trilateral talks, defense ministers Zakir Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Tinatin Khidasheli of Georgia and Ismet Yilmaz of Turkey held a joint press conference.

Addressing the conference, Zakir Hasanov highlighted the importance of the meeting.

The parties reiterated the importance of enhancing the combat readiness of the three countries armed forces and holding trilateral joint military exercises in order to achieve mutual interoperability, trilateral development of military education and training, development of cooperation on cyber security, and further improvement of trilateral exercises on the protection of oil and gas pipelines.

He noted that Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian defense ministries are expected to sign a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding.

The memorandum, which is being prepared, will be the legal base of our cooperation and allow our trilateral activities to enter a new stage, Hasanov noted.

Hasanov said during the bilateral and trilateral talks, they discussed the military and political situation in the region, as well as security issues.

He added that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the recent developments along the line of contact of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops were thoroughly discussed during the talks.

He expressed hope that the military cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will contribute to the strengthening of fraternal and friendly relations between the peoples of the three countries, as well as the restoration of peace and stability and achievement of sustainable development in the region.

Hasanov also thanked his Georgian and Turkish counterparts for sincere and fruitful discussions and the Georgian and Turkish people for supporting Azerbaijans fair stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent developments along the line of contact of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 May 2016 11:26 (UTC+04:00)

It will be possible to export the Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey at least after four years, Israel's Consul-General in Istanbul Shai Cohen told the Hurriyet newspaper.

Currently, Israel has a real potential to supply its natural gas to European markets, he added.

The diplomat noted that first of all, the approval of Knesset (Israel's parliament) is needed for starting the supply of Israeli gas to European markets through Turkey.

Earlier, the CEO of Turkish Turcas Petrol A.S. Batu Aksoy said that 15 energy companies have expressed interest in joining the consortium which is planned to be created for transporting the Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey.



Experts believe that even if Israel starts to export its natural gas through Turkey, it will have to use Azerbaijan's TANAP project for this purpose.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey.

Turkey will get gas in 2018 and after completing the construction of Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), it will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

Currently, the shareholders of TANAP are: the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) - 58 percent, Botas - 30 percent and BP - 12 percent.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 May 2016 08:58 (UTC+04:00)

The capital of Bashkortostan Ufa, Russia, on May 24 - 27 will host the International exhibition Gas. Oil. Technologies, Azertac reports. According to AZPROMO, representatives of Azerbaijani business circles will join the event. The organizers of the exhibition include Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ministry of Industry and Innovation Policy, Chamber of Commerce of Bashkortostan and Bashkir Exhibition Company. The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Chamber of Commerce of the Russian Federation.

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15 May 2016 13:02 (UTC+04:00)

Iran is negotiating with Russia to buy military equipment, the Iranian Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Bigham said.

The Iranian navy has announced its requirements to the Russian side, Bigham said, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported May 15.

The issue of military equipment in Russia is under supervision of the country's defense ministry, Bigham said, adding the defense ministers of the two countries are considering the issue.

Referring to a recent meeting between navy commanders of the Caspian Sea littoral states, he said that ensuring security at the sea, carrying out rescue operations and exchange of information and experience between the navies of the littoral countries were discussed at the meeting.

On the sidelines of the meeting Iran held bilateral talks with some countries such as Russia and in particular Azerbaijan, he said.

The issue of buying military equipment was discussed at the mutual meetings as well, he added.

Tehran is also working with other littoral countries of the Caspian Sea to reach an agreement on joint exercises in the sea, said Bigham.

Last February, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan paid an official visit to Russia to discuss military cooperation. According to media reports, Tehran submitted an $8 billion list of requirements to Moscow that included the high-end Su-30 warplane, Yak-30 training aircraft, military helicopters such as the Mi-8 and Mi-17, K-300 Bastion coastal defense systems, new surface ships, and even new diesel-electric submarines.

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'God inspires us so we can inspire others'

The faith lessons learnt by Baptists in Communist-era Bulgaria were shared in the main address during the Baptists Together morning session

The address was given by the Revd Dimitrina (Didi) Oprenova, minister of Sofia Baptist Church in Bulgaria and Vice-President of the Baptist World Alliance, who preached on Hebrews 12:1-3, and Philippians 4:4-7, 9.



Back in 1985 the Baptist church in Sofia numbered around 70 people. The church didnt have an easy life, she explained. The political system challenged everyone who thought differently. People were sent to prison. Different techniques were used to put people down  arrests, confiscation of literature.



But the church remained. Members were restricted; they were only allowed to worship in their building. But they preached and lifted their hearts to him, and thought God is good, said Didi.



One day a strange looking man came. His eyes projected severity. He was sad, and determined. Calling him Mr M, Didi explained how he interrupted the evening service, told the congregation he was the new pastor of the church. and then started preaching about love from Corinthians.



He took over everything, said Didi, and then began preaching on love!



Having lost the only place they had to worship to the state, Didi was amazed by the response of the members. They didnt lose their joy in the Lord. They continued to meet, secretly now, and organise missions among the Roma people.



I was a teenager  I wanted to know what was it that inspired them? said Didi. Many young people made a commitment to follow the Lord because of these people.



The example of these believes illustrated the first major point Didi wanted to share in her address, namely that God inspires through his presence. He is Emmanuel, God with us, and that has an impacts wherever we are.



Fix your eyes on Jesus, said Didi. We are all different individuals, and we all bring something to where we go. When were present somewhere, the somewhere changes.



Where God is, is not the same where God is not.



While God is present, he also creates 'unforgettable memories' to help us run the race of faith, Didi continued. He wants to inspire us, so we can inspire other people.



Bringing the story back to Sofia, she said that God answered the churchs prayers, Mr M moved on and the church had its building back.



In recent years it has completed an ambitious 12-year building project. People were sceptical at first, Didi said, but the project happened. Last years European Baptist Federation Council was held there, and the gathering received a visit from the countrys President, unthinkable given events a generation earlier.



She told how Ivan, the pastor of the church at the time it was confiscated by Mr M, was thrown in prison one day, beaten and broken. He prayed God, this is the end, I can go on no longer.



At that moment, a man appeared in the cell. He said Ivan, its not your church. Its my church. You have to be faithful. An unforgettable memory that Ivan shared with Didi.



It emphasised how we are running a race of faith, which is a marathon, Didi said. The great cloud of witnesses in the Hebrews text saw Gods promises fulfilled, and saw that God was present. Do not grow weary, do not lose heart,' she urged delegates, 'Keep on. Keep on.



Concluding, she said, God is with us. He wants us to be faithful.



'Be inspired, and inspire others.



Baptist Times, 15/05/2016
A Citrus County family is breathing a big sigh of relief after their dog Puggs was rescued from their burning home.

Homosassa home catches fire Saturday



Crews rescue dog

Dog received oxygen; no injuries reported

A burnt mess is pretty much all that was left of David and Maryann Harrison's Homosassa residence.



"I mean, it takes everything you got and it don't take but a minute," David said.

The incident was a very close call for Puggs the Pup. A firefighter found her hiding under a blanket in a bedroom and got her out just in time.

"When they brought her out of the house I thought she was gone," Maryann said.

"They got her out here in the yard and got her on oxygen and it took her about 20 or 30 minutes to come around," David said.

The house is a total loss. What they were able to salvage is now in the back of their car. Luckily Maryann was able to save her father's ashes, his picture and his flag.



Just about everything else was destroyed.

"We had to go out and buy clothes last night," David said.

The next step for this family is to figure out where to live.

"Starting over again. It's something," Maryann said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The family has created a GoFundMe page to help with their expenses as they look to rebuild. To donate, click HERE.

This Gofundme.com site is not managed by Bay News 9/News 13. For more information on how the site works and the rules visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety




Premier Wynne will begin a week-long trade mission Sunday to the Middle East with a focus on the life sciences and research sectors. She will travel with a large body of civil servants and 130 business, academic and research representatives to Israel and the West Bank. Wynne told a pre-mission reception for the delegates that Ontario and Israel share many of the same priorities, namely developing strong, competitive business environments that support innovation and growth. The delegation is set to travel with the premier to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, then on May 19th Wynne and other delegates will go to Ramallah in the West Bank and to Haifa on the Mediterranean shore the following day. The premiers officer says two-way trade between Ontario and Israel last year was valued at more than 900 million dollars. Delegates include Jewish-focused businesses and organizations looking to strengthen existing ties to Israel, and universities and research institutes. BlackBerry, Roots Canada, IBM Canada, Scotiabank, Thomson Reuters and the Toronto Stock Exchange also are part of the trade mission.

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David Cameron has warned that leaving the EU would be terrible mistake

David Cameron has warned that leaving the European Union would be a "national error" as he sought to reach out to Labour supporters in the referendum campaign.

In an article for the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror, the Prime Minister said he was backing Remain for the sake of jobs, security and Britain's place in the world.

"It's not every day you get a Tory Prime Minister writing in the Mirror. But then it's not every day we face a decision of this magnitude: whether to stay in the EU, or walk away," he said.

His intervention comes amid concerns in the Remain camp that they are encountering significant hostility to the EU in traditional Labour areas.

On Saturday, Jeremy Corbyn appealed to supporters at a Labour In rally in London to blame the Conservatives, not Brussels, for the problems facing the country.

In his article, Mr Cameron emphasised he had been campaigning alongside Labour former foreign secretary David Miliband and ex-TUC general secretary Sir Brendan Barber and praised Gordon Brown's "powerful and passionate" speech in support of Remain.

"I've been in this job for six years now. Whatever you think of me, I know how Britain gets things done in the world," he wrote.

"I've seen how free trade within Europe benefits working people. I've seen how manufacturing is boosted by trade deals the EU has done with the rest of the world. I've seen how shared intelligence keeps families safe.

"It's my deep, considered, steadfast belief that leaving Europe would be a national error, a big mistake."
Enduring contribution: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh tour the grounds of Stormont in Belfast back in 2012

Last Monday night, I travelled over to London. That's not unusual. As an MP, I am constantly travelling back and forward to my House of Commons office via Heathrow.

However, this journey felt different. Nothing to do with the logistics of trains, or planes, but because of the purpose of the journey: I was travelling to a meeting with Her Majesty the Queen in Buckingham Palace.

As the DUP's leader in the House of Commons, alongside the other party leaders at Westminster, I went to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning to present parliament's "humble address" to Her Majesty, celebrating her life and reign. The term "humble address" is the formal name for a piece of communication from parliament to the Queen. In essence, we were hand delivering parliament's birthday greetings to Her Majesty.

I rejoice that in our United Kingdom, the Crown has been worn so graciously and gloriously by the Queen, whose 90th birthday we celebrate this year. In this year of records as to reign and age, the essential thing about the Queen, for me, is her humility as she faithfully continues to serve us, her people.

When I was first Lord Mayor in 1988-89, the Queen came to the hospice in my North Belfast constituency. Such visits by Her Majesty were much less frequent then.

There had been a serious shooting of two police officers the previous day near Queen Street police station. I will always remember the Queen's first remarks when I greeted her were to ask about the officers. Her compassion was very evident.

What a contrast with visits today. Visits can now be announced in advance. Crowds can make plans to catch a glimpse. I know how delighted Her Majesty was that, on her Diamond Jubilee visit in 2012, she was able to travel by open-top car for the first time in decades to greet the thousands that memorable day at Stormont.

People can, in good conscience, peacefully disagree about how they're governed. For some, the opportunity to choose between a Trump and a Clinton embodies their ideal form of government.

For others, different ways suffice.

Elizabeth was not born to rule over us. She was not an heir and not expected to ascend to the throne. But the events of the abdication put an end to the contented and peaceful life the young Elizabeth and Princess Margaret led with their parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, who became, to their great surprise, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The new king and his young family soon found themselves at the heart of a nation and empire at war. The Queen, as a 14-year-old girl, made her first broadcast in 1940, the year the Blitz began and Nazi bombs rained down on every corner of this country, from Belfast to Buckingham Palace itself.

When the late Queen Mother said, after the palace had been bombed, that now she could "look the East End in the face", this was a Royal family that stayed and suffered with its people. Last year, in her Christmas broadcast, the Queen said simply: "For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, He stretched out His hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith, or none".

This thread has woven itself through the tapestry of the Queen's life and holds together so much of what we see in her.

Inevitably, Her Majesty, in her family life, has known sorrow, both domestic and, tragically, the evil, violent kind so many of us in Northern Ireland have known.

From my time as Lord Mayor of Belfast, I can personally attest to the Queen's compassion and concern for those likewise affected by violence. Those dark days are, we pray, now over, but Her Majesty's enduring interest and contribution towards peace in Northern Ireland continues.

Her frequent visits and those of other members of the royal family are always warmly received right across the community.

In a country such as ours and in the other realms over which she reigns, the crown worn by the Queen embodies our unity.

In this corner of the kingdom, we will never forget how steadfast the Queen has been in her support for - and affection towards - our sometimes sore-afflicted province.
Yeats Court in the Ballymagroarty area of Derry where a man was shot in both ankles in the early hours of Sunday morning. Picture Martin McKeown

Police have said that a Londonderry man shot in both ankles was a victim of paramilitaries.

A man has been shot in the ankles in the most recent in a spate of shootings in Northern Ireland.

The 30-year-old is recovering in hospital after the shooting at Ballymagroarty, Londonderry, at around 3.35am on Sunday.

The area is predominantly nationalist or republican.

Police said they are treating the Derry attack as a paramilitary-style shooting.

The man, whose age and name have not been given, is receiving treatment in hospital for the gunshot wounds.

The incident in Derry is one of a number of shootings in Northern Ireland in recent days, including the murder of takeaway delivery driver Dan Murray, a 55-year-old father-of-six, in west Belfast on Monday night.

The killing was the fourth gun attack in the city in four days.

PSNI Inspector Gregory Smith appealed for witnesses or anyone with information on the Ballymagroarty shooting to come forward.

They are urged to contact officers at Strand Road police station by calling 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
One of the primary duties of any government is to keep its citizens safe from internal and external threats. Given the increasing menace posed by dissident republicans this duty should be the top priority of whoever takes the Justice ministry in the new Executive.

Even a cursory glance at recent statistics show how the terrorists are ramping up their campaign. In the last year an average of one bomb a week has been discovered or defused - and a prison officer killed by a booby-trap device. That is a 44% increase on the number during the previous year, and it is worrying that these splinter groups have honed their deadly skills and also appear to have access to significant quantities of explosives.

There are also concerns from the intelligence services that the dissidents plan to expand their operations to Britain, resulting in a heightened state of alert there.

In Northern Ireland they have been responsible for the murder of a number of civilians and this week it was revealed that 25 people in north Belfast are living under death threats.

It is evident that police are under enormous strain in trying to combat the activities of the terrorists - and it must be remembered that we could be looking at much grimmer statistics were it not for the vigilance of police and the intelligence services.

The PSNI is having to operate within a straitened budget resulting in manpower levels 600 below the minimum number recommended in the Patten Report, which was working on the assumption that terrorism would now be a thing of the past.

As well as the terrorist threat, there is a rising incidence of violent crime on our streets and a large number of organised gangs operating in the province and liaising with criminals in the Republic and other parts of the UK.

It has to be accepted that these are times of austerity and there are many competing demands for the money given to Stormont by the Treasury by way of the block grant. Understandably, people want adequate resources devoted to areas like education and health. But it would be criminal of the Executive to deny the Chief Constable at least the minimum resources he needs to bring the terrorists to heel. These groups do not appear open to any persuasion to end their evil campaign, and rigorous policing seems the only viable alternative.
Bangladeshi authorities Sunday announced the arrest of a suspected Islamic militant in last months killings of two gay-rights activists, including a U.S. government employee, and said they had identified two more suspects.



Meanwhile, police in southeastern Bandarban district told BenarNews on Sunday that two Rohingya Muslims were among three suspects being held in connection with the machete-killing of a 72-year-old Buddhist monk, whose body was found at a local monastery a day earlier. But it remained unclear whether that killing was religiously motivated or if Islamic militants were involved.



The arrest of Shariful Islam Shihab, a suspect who allegedly confessed to taking part in the April 25 killings of LGBT activists Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, came after the United States condemned the murders and called on Bangladesh to bring their killers to justice.



During a visit to Dhaka earlier this month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal said the United States would also support Bangladesh in stopping a wave of machete-killings targeting secular writers, publishers, intellectuals and religious minorities since early last year.



Apart from the monks murder, six people have been killed in machete attacks since early April in predominantly Sunni Muslim Bangladesh, including a Sufi Muslim leader, a Hindu tailor, a secular blogger, an English professor and Mannan and Tonoy  though the motives in some of those cases are still murky. According to Bangladeshs home ministry, a total of 28 people including secular writers, activists and members of religious minorities were slain between early 2013 and May 5, 2016.



Shihab, a 37-year-old member of the banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), was arrested in southwestern Kushtia district on Saturday, the chief of the Bangladeshi polices counterterrorism and transnational crime unit told a news conference in Dhaka where the suspect was paraded.



He had been associated with the Harkat-ul Jihad. He has confessed his role in the murder, Monirul Islam told reporters, referring to another militant group. He specified that Shihad had confessed to planning and taking part in the killings.



Islam did not reveal the names of the two other suspects who had been identified by police in connection with the double-homicide at Mannans apartment in Dhaka, but said the killers had planned the attack two months ago.



Also on Sunday, a court in Dhaka turned down a police application to remand Shihab to police custody for 10 days. Instead, the court granted police a three-day remand so investigators could question the suspect.



According to eyewitnesses, at least five men were involved in killing Mannan, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and was editor of Bangladeshs first magazine devoted to coverage of LGBT issue, and Tonoy, a gay-rights activist who worked as a dramatist.



The local branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent claimed responsibility for the double-homicide, but Bangladeshi officials have maintained that neither AQIS nor Islamic State  which has claimed other murders in Bangladesh since last year  have a presence in the country.



Murder in Bandarban



In Bandarban, a hilly district with a large Buddhist population that lies along Bangladeshs border with Myanmar, local police said they were holding a Buddhist man, 32-year-old Chham Chak, and two Rohingyas, Zia and Rahim  aged 25 and 26  as suspects in the slaying of monk Maung Shwe Wuu Chak.



The monk was found dead inside his hilltop monastery in Upor Chokpara, a village in Bandarbans Naikhongchhari sub-district.



The killers hacked Wuu Chak to death between 9 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, and fled the crime scene. [H]is throat was slit and we saw two hacking marks behind and in front of the right ear, Abul Khair, the officer-in-charge of the Naikhangchhari police station, told BenarNews, noting that the killers did not steal anything from the monastery.



Based on our intelligence report, they have been detained for questioning. We have yet to show them as arrested on paper. If they have no role, we will release them,



Police in Bangladesh can detain anyone on suspicion of committing a crime and reserve the right to question them. But once they record an arrest on paper, the police must produce the arrested persons before a court within 24 hours.



Citing an ongoing investigation, Khair declined to say whether the monk was killed because of his faith.



Naikhangchhari is next to Coxs Bazar, a Bangladeshi district where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled from persecution in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar live in refugee camps or without proper papers.



On the Bangladeshi side of the border, tensions exist between the two communities and have flared up in the past. Four years ago, as Rohingyas were fleeing from religious violence in the neighboring Myanmar state of Rakhine, the Buddhist community in Coxs Bazar accused Rohingyas of attacking them.



A very tranquil place



Dhunsha Aung Chak, a local schoolteacher who knew the monk, said Wuu Chak became a monk in 2010 and set up the monastery on his own land.



The village where the killing occurred is inhabited by Buddhists and members of the Chak community, a local hill tribe, he said.



We do not have any dispute with anyone. Our village had been a very tranquil place, Aung Chak told BenarNews.
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Czech President Milos Zeman is sending his press officer to meet an AfD leader

15. 5. 2016

cas cteni 1 minuta





Czech President Milos Zeman is sending Jiri Ovcacek, his press officer, to meet Petr Bystron, the Bavarian chief of the extreme right wing, anti-refugee German political party Alternative fuer Deutschland. Czech political commentators are puzzled. They point to the fact that sending a press officer to take part in political meetings is an unusual move which elevates Ovcacek above his current post.

"On the orders of Mr President, I will be discussing the current situation in Germany with regard to the refugee crisis," said Ovcacek on Twitter. "We will also discuss the ostracism of Alternative fuer Deutschland by the German media."

Some Czech commentators say that Zeman is evidently afraid of receiving a representative of Alternative fuer Deutschland himself, but he wants to signal to his voters in the Czech Republic that he supports the German anti-refugee party, so he has decided to send his press officer to meet its Bavarian leader instead. Another Czech xenophobe, former Czech President Vaclav Klaus, gave a speech at a recent nationwide AfD congress which took place in Stuttgart.

"Alternative fuer Deutschland and Czech President Zeman hold very similar views on the migration crisis, so we have been in mutual contact for a very long time now," said Petr Bystron. "We are now also aware of the danger of loss of sovereignty of the individual EU member states. We know that President Zeman defends Czech sovereignty and this is in line with the AfD policy - we also want that sovereignty of all EU member states be strengthened," said the Bavarian leader of the AfD.



Source in Czech HERE

There are stories like this in the Czech Republic every day that never make it to the outside world because of a lack of translation. You can support us and help reveal what's happening in Central Europe today. Please make a contribution today on www.paypal.com and send your donation to redakce@blisty.cz. We fully rely on crowdfunding in our work. Thank you.

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A Czech "antifascist" raves against refugees at an anti-Nazi event

15. 5. 2016

cas cteni 3 minuty





Jaroslav Vodicka, the chair of the Czech Fighters for Freedom Union (formerly the Union of Anti-fascist Fighters) misused a commemorative act in the former Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp in the Czech Republic to attack refugees.

"We ask with fear, seeing the distorted information provided by Czech public service media, what will happen to us when we are overwhelmed by millions of the economic migrants who are looking for a more comfortable existence and refuse to defend their own countries militarily. These millions of migrants come to our country to exploit the European social welfare system which many generations of people have created by their hard work. They are not coming because of lack of freedom in their home countries. They refuse to fight for their freedom. Healthy young men with brand-new iPhones in their hands, in extremely expensive leather jackets show us heartbreaking images of boats sinking in the sea, images which have been manufactured by the people smugglers," said Vodicka and he continued: "Along with the top leaders in our country we must seriously think about how to defend the values of our ancient culture which is threatened by an invasion of a different culture with worrying aims."

Karol Sidon, the chief rabbi of the Czech Republic reacted emotionally to Vodicka's speech: "Jews have slightly different experiences since they had a problem during World War II. The problem was that there were many countries which did not allow Jewish refugees to enter their territory, although their lives were threatened by the German Nazis. All these people perished, not only because they were murdered by the Germans, but also because the non-Jewish world slammed its door shut in their face. We should realise this when we say that refugees should fight for their freedom. We know very well how impossible this is. Even my generation experienced the time when they knew that the communist regime was criminal, but there was nothing else to do but to try to survive it."

The Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Czech Parliament Milan Stech said that it was wrong to try to compare the horrors committed by the Nazis during the Second World War and the post-war deportation of the Germans. "The crimes committed against the Germans after the war were the work of individuals, while the crimes committed by the Nazis during the war were an integral part of an official state policy," said Stech.

Roma activists expressed a surprise that a Roma flag was not present in the line of the flags of the nationalities that were persecuted by the Nazis. The organisers of the Theresienstadt commemorative event turned down the request that the Roma flag should be represented, but Roma activists were allowed to bring their own flags to hold them in the crowd.

Source in Czech HERE

There are stories like this in the Czech Republic every day that never make it to the outside world because of a lack of translation. You can support us and help reveal what's happening in Central Europe today. Please make a contribution today on www.paypal.com and send your donation to redakce@blisty.cz. We fully rely on crowdfunding in our work. Thank you.

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"Europe must be ruled by Europeans". Czech parliament has hosted an international anti-refugee conference

15. 5. 2016

cas cteni 2 minuty





Europe must strongly fight back against "the invasion of refugees". It must reject refugee quotas, otherwise it will fall. That was the conclusion of an international ideological conference which, under the (Nazi) title "Fortress Europe", was held in Prague in the Czech Parliament on Friday. The conference was attended by activists from a number of European anti-refugee parties.

The conference was organised by the Czech extreme-right wing organisation "Dawn-National Coalition".

Tatjana Festerling of the German Pegida movement warned at the conference that "European democracy is threatened by self-censorship". Miroslav Lidinsky, the chair of "Dawn-National Coalition", said that it is necessary to defend the national borders from the attack of the immigrants. Apart from that, international activists must help Pegida to change Germany and to organise national referendums about whether the individual EU countries should leave the EU.

"Recently, a Pakistani has become the mayor of London. Tomorrow, an African will become the British Prime Minister, a Turkish boy will become the German Chancellor and thus a caliphate of Euroarabia will be born. Europe must be governed by Europeans only," said Maria Kaljuste from the Conservative People's Party of Estonia. "Isn't is sexist and racist if black men assault white women? Our women are being beaten and raped and our judiciary just helplessly scratches itself where it used to have balls," she added, continuing: "Homosexuals are destroyed people. But we will not throw them off the roofs like what the muslims do."

Anne Marie Walters from the United Kingdom attacked Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London: "He is a lawyer who has been defending islamists and jihadists." She accused the UK media of displaying a positive bias towards Sadiq Khan.

Zbyszek Modrzijewski from the Polish eurosceptic "Kukiz" party expressed the view that the future of Europe belonged to nationalists. "We will be those who will determine the future of Europe, otherwise Europe will sink."

Czech anti-refugee activist Jana Volfova presented her pan-European anti-refugee petition, expressing the hope that she will soon have a million signatures.

Source in Czech HERE

There are stories like this in the Czech Republic every day that never make it to the outside world because of a lack of translation. You can support us and help reveal what's happening in Central Europe today. Please make a contribution today on www.paypal.com and send your donation to redakce@blisty.cz. We fully rely on crowdfunding in our work. Thank you.

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Sonam Kapoor Arrival At Cannes Set The Fashion Quotient Bar Real High! Bollywood Wardrobe Debanjali

Sonam Kapoor was spotted yesterday arriving at Cannes, looking ready to set the red carpet ablaze tonight. Sonam continuing her style streak opted for an Anamika Khanna outfit when she arrived.

The outfit was all white and elegant with Anamika Khanna's signature applique work in earthy shades. A fitted long jacket with a front slit along with the minimalistic embroidery on the waist and arms, but the base of the jacket was heavily embroidered and swept the floors in a regal way.

Sonam paired it up with a silk Anamika Khanna knotted slip dress underneath. Dark olive green shoes paired up with a tan orange leather bag and reflector shades gave the look a sense of modernity and we loved it.

We cannot wait to see what Sonam has in store for us tonight at her first Red Carpet appearance at the 69th Cannes Film Festival this year. Let us know what you think about her arrival look and what you think Sonam may wear tonight.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX  The Nova Scotia Nature Trust is hoping to bring gannet back to a small Bay of Fundy island named for the seabird.

The conservation organization says it has added Gannet Rock to the network of bird habitats it protects after purchasing it for less than $1000 at a tax sale.

This one actually was a little bit unusual in that it was the local people whove been really passionate about the birds, executive director Bonnie Sutherland said in a phone interview Sunday.

Volunteers have been really trying hard to bring back the gannet I think they have renewed hope.

Gannet Rock is a remote island off the southern tip of Nova Scotia, roughly 20 kilometres south of Yarmouth.

Sutherland says that while the barren island may not seem like an ecological gem, it is a critical stop for migrating birds along the Atlantic coast.

Earlier this month, the Nature Trust teamed up with the Nova Scotia Bird Society to ensure the nearby Bald Islands are protected.

Sutherland says the organization plans to use the land to research migration patterns, protect nesting habitats and restore historic populations, such as the Northern Gannet.

There are so few opportunities for these birds, Sutherland said. All through their range, theyre facing increasing threats.

Until the 1880s, Gannet Rock was a breeding site for the white birds with spear-like bills and spiky tails, with as many as 150 nests on its cliffs.

But the gannets were decimated after their eggs were collected for food.

The Nature Trust is now hoping to entice gannets to nest once again on the island, which is also frequented by birds such as black guillemots, Artic tern, common eider, great cormorants and the American black duck.

Seabird populations are in rapid decline, Sutherland says, but she maintains hope they will be restored.

She says its wonderful that Nova Scotians are starting to take action themselves.

With all these islands  its passionate birders who stepped forward and said, Heres a real opportunity, she said.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/05/2016 (2354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire is criticizing the Liberal government for what he sees as rural blinders, more specifically Perimeteritis in Manitoba.

Maguire, vice-chair of the Heritage Committee, is frustrated that a Winnipeg Liberal MP advocated to move a committee hearing on media and local communities from Brandon to Winnipeg.

It is very disappointing that the Liberals voted as a bloc to overturn the committees decision to visit Westman, Maguire said. What galls me the most is Dan Vandal, a Liberal Winnipeg MP, led the charge to ensure the committee did not leave the Perimeter. While I acknowledge Winnipeg as a major centre of Manitoba commerce, there is nothing rural or remote about it.

Maguire advocated for the hearing, which will give media outlets an opportunity to discuss their changing landscape, to be in Brandon. The committee is only making one stop across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and Maguire believed Brandon was ideal because of its central location with respect to the two provinces.

<t-1>Maguire said an all-party consensus was initially reached to bring the hearing to Brandon, but it was usurped by Vandal, who represents

St. Boniface in Winnipeg.<t-2.7>

Our local media  are shining examples how local news outlets can succeed in a smaller media market, Maguire said. These voices need to be heard. Our local media face many of the same challenges as others do and the Liberals should not have turned their back on visiting Westman.

Federal politicians need to get outside of Winnipeg every now and then  particularly that the basis of this study is to get into rural and remote regions of Canada.

Postmedia president Paul Godfrey, CTV News president Wendy Freeman, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network CEO Jen La Rose and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission executive director Scott Hutton are some of the 56 witnesses who have answered questions at the hearings.

The study is an in-depth look at how Canadians digest local and regional news, as well as the unintended consequences of news media concentration, the erosion of local news reporting and the impact of new media.

Winnipeg shouldnt always be the de facto location for such meetings, Maguire said. I wont stop working hard to make sure our voice is heard in Parliament. The Liberals may not hold any rural seats in Manitoba  it doesnt mean our communities and issues do not matter.

<t0>For his part, Vandal said

he believes there will be

more news organizations representing a more diverse group of people taking part if the hearing is held in the provincial capital.

This study is not about rural communities specifically, its about how Canadians consume their news with special focus on local communities, he said. I think by having it in Winnipeg, we would have a greater diversity of witnesses, including rural.

Youre guaranteed more diversity in Winnipeg than you are in Brandon, with all due respect to Brandon.

 ctweed@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @CharlesTweed
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DRUMMONDVILLE, Que.  Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said Sunday he will launch a project to study the sharing economy, while indicating his government wont relent on its hard-line stance on Uber.

Divisions have emerged within the Quebec Liberal party in the days since the provinces transport minister tabled legislation that would require drivers for the ride-hailing company to abide by the same rules as taxis, including buying or renting taxi permits.

Party members passed a resolution on Saturday during a meeting calling on the government to work with those involved in the sharing economy, where owners rent something out theyre not using, to find legislative solutions aimed at regulating and allowing these new practices.

Couillard granted their request while making it clear he would not back down on the legislation tabled last week

Bill 100 will follow its course, Couillard said outside the council meeting in Drummondville, Quebec. There will not be substantial modifications to its heart.

Quebecs transport minister tabled the bill on Thursday, later stating that the popular ride-hailing company would have to conform to Quebec law and pay taxes like anyone else.

The bill provoked strong reactions at the weekend council meeting, with some party members claiming it would shut down competition and send the message that the province is closed to technological innovation.

The proposed legislation would require anyone offering paid passenger transportation to have a taxi drivers licence, which requires a background check and mandatory training on customer service.

It would also allow the government to determine how many taxi permits are issued in each region.

The price of a trip could vary depending on a number of factors including the day, time, category of transport or the technology used to order the ride.

A spokesman for one of the provinces taxi drivers unions said on Sunday that overall, members are happy with the bill.

We are asking the government to adopt this law quickly, Benoit Jugand said at a news conference, while adding that the union is opposed to the section of the bill that would allow variable pricing.

He said the governments project to study the sharing economy should not have any impact on the legislation.

Uber is pure capitalism, he said. We want to remind the government that, for us, Uber will never be accepted as sharing economy, urban carpooling  any of the terms they use, it doesnt pass. Uber is taxi.

Uber has said it will study the proposed legislation before commenting. With files from Morgan Lowrie in Montreal
A ceremony has taken place in Dublin to mark 100 years since the death of James Connolly.

The Easter Rising leader was executed in Kilmainham Gaol on May 12 1916.
At least 15 people have been injured, two seriously, after a double decker bus crashed into a shop on a busy high street.

The bus smashed into a store front near on the junction of Harlesden High Street and Manor Park Road in Harlesden, north west London, at around 2pm.

London Fire Brigade said two people were taken to hospital, while 13 were treated at the scene.

Station manager Sam Kazmanli said: "The building has been severely damaged so a cordon has been put in place and people have been evacuated from the area.

"Firefighters worked quickly to ensure there were no additional casualties. I'd ask people to avoid the area if possible as there is heavy traffic disruption."

The Metropolitan Police said no-one had suffered life-threatening injuries and that the bus driver and a number of passengers were treated by paramedics.

Transport for London (TfL) announced a full investigation would be launched into the incident.

Tony Akers, TfL's Head of Bus Operations, said: "At around 2pm on Sunday 15 May, a route 18 double deck bus, operated by Metroline, was involved in a collision with a building on High Street Harlesden near the junction with Wendover Road, NW10.

"Emergency services attended the scene. There will be a full investigation into the incident."
Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested a suspected Muslim militant over the killing of a gay rights activist and his friend in Dhaka.

Officers identified the suspect as Shariful Islam Shibab, a former member of a banned Islamic group, Harkatul Jihad, who joined another militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, in mid-2015.

Munirul Islam, head of a newly formed police counter-terrorism unit, told a news conference that Shibab was arrested in the south-western district of Kushtia based on evidence from the investigation.

The Bangladeshi branch of al Qaida had claimed the April 25 killing of Xulhaz Mannan, an employee of the US Agency for International Development, and his friend Tanay Majumder in the Bangladeshi capital.

Only one of 15 such killings has been prosecuted since 2013.

Mr Islam said 37-year-old Shihab allegedly killed Mr Mannan because he promoted the gay community's cause through a magazine as an editor.

He said Shihab told police during questioning that he took part in stabbing Mr Mannan and Mr Majumder as ordered by his group's high command.

Police said earlier that they had identified at least five people who took part in the killings from video footage collected from buildings near the crime scene in the Kalabagan district.

"We are checking the footage to determine whether Shihab is visible there," Mr Islam said.

Mr Mannan was a cousin of former foreign minister Dipu Moni, of the governing Awami League party.
LONDON: Penny Mordaunt, one of two candidates to be Britains next prime minister, is still in the leadership race...
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NEW DELHI: Indian authorities have halted production of cough syrup at a factory of Maiden Pharmaceuticals, a state...
Every year the ACT RSPCA adopts out hundreds of animals to new homes, but the downside is furry families are often separated.

At Sunday's Million Paws Walk the first ever "puppy reunion" gave siblings the chance to meet again and owners the chance to connect.

The Million Paws walk in Canberra on Sunday morning. Credit:Rohan Thomson

"We adopt out so many animals every year we thought wouldn't it be fun if we could do some sort of reunion for anyone who has adopted a dog from us in the last 12 months and see if we could introduce them to the siblings again as adults," RSPCA chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said.

"It's brilliant to see these animals as they grow up and owners and dogs to meet each other."
Murray Goulburn milk farce: Why weren't the farmers told?

The government and opposition are at odds over the dairy industry's campaign for a levy on milk, with the government keeping its options open while Labor opposes.

Dairy farmers are struggling, despite rising foreign demand. Credit:Chris Warren

Dairy farmers have proposed the 50 levy on fresh milk sales after two of the country's main dairy processors Murray Goulburn and Fonterra  slashed the average farm gate price from $5.60 a kilogram of milk solid to as low as $4.75 a kilo.

Farmer lobby group Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) and dairy analysts estimate the break-even price for the average farmer is about $5.50 a kilo.
While Coles and Woolworths fight it out over cut-price cooked chooks and cheap tampons, Australia's biggest listed wholesaler, Metcash, is finalising a new corporate structure in a bid to drive its food and grocery supply business.

Details of the plan are still being finalised but it's understood the new model will focus on a number of "service hubs" rather than the current state and national service offices that support its independent supermarket brands.

Metcash boss Ian Morrice is finalising a new corporate structure for the listed grocery wholesaler. Credit:Peter Rae

Metcash will unveil its full year results towards the end of June and it's likely to provide an update on the structural review, as well as the progress of its aggressive cost-cutting program.

The Working Smarter project was launched late last year, and targets about $100 million per annum in cost savings by fiscal 2019.
Last week a Super Summit on Anti-Corruption took place in London, hosted by the Prime Minister David Cameron. Attending the conference were big names in the global community including World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Transparency International Global chairman Jose Ugaz, and IMF managing director Christine Lagarde. The aim was to "bring together world leaders, business and civil society to agree on a package of practical steps to: expose corruption so there is nowhere to hide; punish the perpetrators and support those affected by corruption; drive out the culture of corruption wherever it exists". Did Cameron achieve his "super" goals? The positive outcomes do include securing agreement from 12 additional countries to sign up to or look into signing up to a public register of information on beneficial ownership in companies. Australia committed to look into the issue, while the US was not on the list. Second, Cameron announced the establishment of an international centre to enable the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies tracking corrupt money. Australia and the US are involved in this initiative. Third, next year will see the first international forum on the return of stolen assets, with a focus on returning assets to Nigeria, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Tunisia. British Prime Minister David Cameron. Credit:Getty Images These are all positive developments. The focus on increased transparency and the international co-ordination to track illicit funds are good. It is vital that money drained out of developing countries is returned wherever possible and that those who enable or receive those funds are prosecuted. It is also important that there is more global co-operation among law enforcement agencies around information sharing and the pooling of resources. These developments build on current standards set by the Financial Action Task Force and the Mutual Legal Assistance framework that are already in place. But so much more is needed if we are to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing global corruption. As the Fairfax Unaoil report and Panama Papers recently revealed, the problem of corporate bribery is systemic, entrenched and far more widespread than many people realised. In addition, many countries, including Australia, are still struggling to investigate and prosecute even the clearest cases of foreign bribery. To tackle this problem, we need a global education campaign, as well as strong and consistent enforcement, to change corporate attitudes that bribery is a necessary part of doing business abroad.

Second, we need to think long and hard about the burden we place on those individuals who are willing to report corruption. In Luxembourg, India, South Africa and many other countries around the world, whistleblowers who have exposed corruption are facing prosecution and even death threats. The media and public focus on demonising these people, rather than on the information they bring forward and the corruption they expose, must be stopped and the laws protecting whistleblowers urgently reformed. And finally, developed countries need to address their own failings in responding to the challenges presented by foreign bribery and corruption. To be sure, the Australian government has recently done more to improve its record in this regard by holding inquiries into our foreign bribery laws and considering the introduction of deferred prosecution agreements. It has also introduced new false accounting rules and committed an additional $15 million to strengthen the AFP's capacity to investigate bribe payments made by Australian corporations. But what the government is not doing is speaking up on these issues so that countries within our region know that we are committed to tackling all aspects of foreign bribery and corruption. Many of the poorest people in our region suffer terribly as the result of corruption, in countries in which Australia businesses prosper through investment. To properly respond to this situation, the Australian government needs to take a national and regional leadership stance that is supported by concrete action. This does not mean holding a grand summit or signing a declaration. What it does mean is getting our own house in order first. For example, the government has not yet condemned the serious evidence of corruption by Australian businesses contained in the Unaoil report. It has failed to deliver on its promise of a National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, despite national and international pressure to do so. Our private-sector whistleblower laws are desperately in need of reform, and our corporate regulator ASIC needs to start taking action against directors who fail to prevent bribery and corruption within their organisations. And, finally, to put one of our most serious instances of foreign bribery to rest, the government needs to take responsibility for the role of the Reserve Bank of Australia in the Note Printing and Securency cases. Today committal proceedings against executives of these subsidiary companies are still before the courts, seven years after the allegations were first raised. In contrast, in London, a lower-level former manager of Securency has been sentenced to 30 months' jail for making corrupt payments to a foreign official in Africa. Yet, we are unlikely to ever see such results in Australia, with our cases stifled by suppression orders, and rumours indicating that most are being settled before they make it to trial. Even if a case did succeed, the chance of a jail term being imposed is remote.
The amendment audaciously challenges Lincoln's idea of government of the people, by the people, for the people. It does this by making corporations eligible to vote in the City of Sydney Council election. That's right, non-human, legal fiction, limited liability, for-profit entities, including those with non-Australian ownership, get to vote. And what's even more distorting and perverse, is that those businesses can get two votes via nominees, whereas actual human citizens get only one vote. This serves democracy how? Ian Waters Surry Hills Mike Baird's council amalgamations have something in common with his approach to biodiversity; a resolute refusal to acknowledge the importance of locality and context. The forced amalgamations seek to impose a one-size-fits-all model across the entire state and the biodiversity legislation seeks to make unique ecological communities in disparate parts of the state equivalent with its dubious environmental offset schemes. Baird would be best to remember that there are many of us who love variety. Oh, and democracy, too.



Chris Burns Forestville

Choose a board for Rookwood that will represent the interests of all

The government's cemetery reforms were a brilliant initiative and are a great success. The new board at Rookwood appointed under these reforms introduced an improved level of service, cut out the poor practices of the former trusts, and ensured the continued operation of the cemetery.



Tough governance and strong management achieved these improvements. All operations are now above board and any transgression decisively dealt with.



The reports reaching the media are highly inaccurate and inflammatory ("Rookwood eyes growing the business of death", May 14-15). They are generated by groups wanting to go back to the old ways of poor management and control. This cannot be allowed to happen.



The board at Rookwood has had vacancies for nearly two years. All attempts to fill the vacancies have been frustrated by the regulator, Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW. As a last resort, the three members who have recently resigned did so to cause a spill to force recruitment. I applaud their selfless efforts to ensure the future of the government's reform agenda.



The strong management team my board put in place is still in charge at Rookwood, and it will continue to improve services and listen sympathetically and attentively to public concerns and act upon them. The challenge for the Minister for Primary Industries is to recruit a board that is not dominated by narrow sectional interests and select members who can care for the cemetery and all of its customers.



Bob Wilson former chair, Rookwood General Cemetery Reserve Trust Land tax would be an ongoing burden Before we adopt any sort of broad-based land tax to replace revenues from stamp duty on property purchases, think about how it will affect purchasers ("Treasurer's duty to stamp authority on budget", May 14).



Instead of a one-off charge, funded at least in part by a home loan repayable over a period of many years, buying a home would mean incurring a recurring debt of something like $5250 a year. That's a big chunk of cash that would have to be found every year on top of mortgage repayments.



It might indeed have the desired effect of reducing housing prices by slashing demand because fewer people would be willing to take on that kind of annual financial burden. Not exactly a leg up for first home buyers, however.



The biggest beneficiaries would be developers whose costs would drop significantly, but it's certainly no solution to housing affordability if it means a lifetime of significant additional costs for every homeowner.



Phil Keeffe North Epping Doomed from the start As someone who has been fishing offshore for more than 50 years, I think the authorities should have let the five intrepid seafarers set sail ("Five charged over 'tinnie terror plot' face life sentence, smh.com.au, May 15). The sheer weight of fuel needed on board for the voyage would have been enough to sink the venture. I am fairly certain they would not have been seen again, save for some frantic waiving from a deserted island.

David Sayers Gwandalan

Guaranteed redundant I'm surprised Age and Disability Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan feels "It is unthinkable that people who lose their jobs in their 50s may live up to another 40 years without paid employment"("Over-qualified, overexperienced", May 14-15). Employers want new workers under 40 and the yearly skilled migrant intake means discriminating employers never have to compromise. So older workers can be replaced by younger ones and those new workers can be replaced, in 20 or so years, by younger ones in turn.



It's not unthinkable, it's virtually a national early retirement scheme.



Greg James Queens Park Arts famished again I thought, mistakenly. that with Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister there would be an increase in funding for the arts but all he has done is follow the Abbott polices (" Outrage as arts funding overhaul cuts deep", May 15-15). Governments can find millions to spend on sport and give tax cuts to the top end of town, but not to the arts. Turnbull keeps on about jobs and growth yet he is strangling the arts community. Why?



Robert Pallister Punchbowl

I'd rather a sonnet or a song than a sub any day.



Elizabeth Hickling Hamilton East Be Brave Turnbull Thank you for your insightful, balanced and erudite editorial ("Fear of a hung parliament frames campaign", May 14-15). The bottom line is: "an Malcolm Turnbull break free from the Abbott shackles?"

If he intends to, he will have to list at least some of the progressive policies, which were his own until he became prime minister, in his election manifesto. The Australian people will judge him on his commitments will not vote for him on expectations alone.

Arumugam Manoharan Kareela Nation building of sorts A builder in NSW earns $ 77.85 an hour, an increase of 27.7 per cent compared to last year ("The truth about tradies' salaries", May 14-15). Let's forget the knowledge nation and all become tradies. Higher salaries and no massive HECS debts!

In a family of teachers, a lawyer and a psychologist and with nine university and postgraduate degrees none of us is yet to earn anything like $77.85 an hour. What value does our society really place on higher education?



Jan Brownlow Stokers Siding Capitalism on trial Peter Hartcher criticises the Greens Party because its candidate for Grayndler Jim Casey called for the downfall of capitalism ("Fairytale run as Greens emerge from election mire, May 14-15) OK. Maybe Casey could have prosecuted his case a bit better. But after all Naomi Klein, the next recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize has made a case for "why systemic change to global capitalism is the solution" to address climate change ("Climate of politeness over for activist, May 14-15) And even a major investment bank has questioned capitalism itself ("Goldman Sachs forced to fundamentally question how capitalism is working", February 4)

Anne Wagstaff member of The Greens, Oatley

Abortion hype no help It's sad that Anne Summers (MPs should follow public opinion SMH 14-15 May) sees MPs who don't support the 87 per cent of the population wanting abortion decriminalised, as self-righteous. Some MPs, along with the remaining 13 per cent of the population, see the foetus as having a separate and unique personhood to its mother, as reflected by Zoe's Law. It's equally sad that, unlike the balanced discussion about voluntary euthanasia taking place in many circles these days, we can't have the same calm conversation about this most contentious issue. Jo-Ann Brown Eastwood Not quite in the pink Will we have a royal commission to judge Green Army injuries, similar to Tony Abbott's pink bat investigations ("Abbott's Green army wilts in the head of battle", May 15)?

Peter LeMarquand Meadowbank Eurovision win would raise host of problems If Dami Im won, wouldn't Australia be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017 ("Dami Im places second in photo finish", smh.com.au, May 15)? That might explain why she came second.

Rob Phillips North Epping I didn't know Dally M could sing! I thought he had died. Barry Lamb Heidelberg West (Vic)

Growth factor My thanks to the Parramatta Eels' supporters for finally enlightening me (Letters, May 14-15). I thought Jobson Growth was a particularly virulent form of bowel cancer identified back in the 1930s by Professor Jobson, and couldn't understand why the Coalition is advocating it for the entire nation, unless the present election campaign really is a race to the bottom.

Dr Kevin Harris Beecroft Jobson Grothe? I prefer Jobson Green. At least he's a proven performer. Heather Scutter Eden On the wrong side
News that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have passed the globally significant milestone of 400 parts per million at the aptly named Cape Grim in Tasmania should be of concern to people everywhere.

The Age has long argued that the time for scepticism about human-induced climate change has passed; the scientific evidence is beyond reasonable doubt. On the crucial question of what is causing global warming, which has already pushed average temperatures about 1 degree above pre-industrial levels, the debate is over. As the United Nations conference in Paris in December showed, there is all but universal agreement on the need to act.

Australia should be one of the world's leaders in addressing climate change. Credit:AP

It is lamentable that almost 10 years after John Howard went to the 2007 election promising a market-based carbon pricing scheme his party rejects that path and is heading to an election with a policy viewed with scepticism around the globe.

Given its world-highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions  and its place as one of the top 20 emitters in absolute terms  Australia should be one of the leaders in addressing this issue. Instead, our government remains intransigent, shackled by ideology. The result is a failure to create policies experts believe will help offset the existential threat of global warming.
Russell Crowe was looking remarkably, almost unrecognisably, cheerful.

In Cannes for the festival premiere of The Nice Guys, a knockabout 1970s-style detective yarn that pairs him with Ryan Gosling, Crowe sparred with his acting buddy and the film's director Shane Black in a packed press conference, agreeing that he had actually phoned in his performance with the aid of software at Weta Studios in New Zealand.

The one glimpse of the more familiar Russell Crowe, top grouch, came when he was asked if he got into character using the famous theatre techniques known as the Stanislavski method (aka The Method).

"I use the Russell Crowe method," he said gruffly. "I've never been to drama school, man. I've never been to acting school. The only time I did any formal lessons, I chose to study classical texts for about three weeks. But I've been acting since I was six years old.
The news had the same effect as being told a friend had died suddenly. No matter how much you prepare yourself, it is completely shocking. The protocols and the emotions were the same. I gathered with family and we cried. We then went about notifying other close friends, riding the roller coaster each time while trying to make a plan for the future.

No one had died  the company I chair, Arena Theatre Company, had just lost its funding from the Australia Council after 19 years, its application for Four Year Funding rejected  but it felt like a death.

Arena's Cautionary Tales for Children, starring Virgina Gay, has just finished a sell-out Sydney Opera House run.

Arena used to receive $292,000 annually  we had requested $300,000 in the new four year round, equivalent to the CPI increase. The reduction represents 45 per cent of our core funding.
A woman was taken to hospital in Florida with a small nurse shark attached to her arm in an incident one witness described as like nothing he had ever seen before.

The 23-year-old woman was swimming at a beach at Red Reef Park in Boca Raton with a group of friends when the shark, about 60 centimetres long, latched onto her right forearm on Sunday afternoon, local time.

Photographs show the woman sitting on the beach as a number of people surround her, examining the wound to her arm and holding up the shark to support its weight.

Robert Lemons, from Boca Raton Fire Rescue, said in a statement that the shark was dead before the fire department arrived "but was still attached to her arm".
All four candidates for the federal seat of Brisbane have backed marriage equality in the leadup to Tuesday's International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT).

Each candidate took the time to state their stance to a city rally on Sunday.

A loud and proud crowd descended on the streets of Brisbane to march in support of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Credit:Peter Black/Facebook

There are four candidates running for Brisbane, The LNP's National Retail Association boss Trevor Evans, Labor's ex-Army Major Pat O'Neill, The Greens climate policy analyst Kirsten Lovejoy and the Veterans Party new entrant and former Army captain Bridget Clinch.

After the march on Sunday they spoke to Fairfax Media about what the day meant to them.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has hit back at attacks on Labor over asylum seeker policy, singling out prominent Liberal Tim Wilson for his criticism of tough terror laws.

Speaking at Kingscliff in the northern NSW marginal electorate of Richmond, Mr Shorten said the Coalition should consider dumping the former human rights commissioner as its candidate in the Victorian seat of Goldstein for questioning national security laws last year.

The comments followed Attorney-General George Brandis calling on Labor to disendorse its candidate in the Victorian seat of Dunkley, Peta Murphy, over her support for a 2009 Liberal Victoria submission arguing against new powers for ASIO and police to detain terror suspects.
The major parties are preparing to splash up to $100,000 for a single advertising spot during popular Sunday night television programs, as analysts predict a slew of negative messaging before voters go to the polls.

On the day the election was called, Labor ran four times as many ads as on the same day in 2013. The Liberals ran twice as many as it had under Tony Abbott three years earlier.

Richard Basil-Jones, chief executive of advertising analytics company Ebiquity, said the campaign's early days were a sign of things to come.
Then, just as the government was at its most vulnerable late on Friday, it offered a deal. It would withdraw the petition if the government leglislated to help bring down rents.

The pathology giants typically pay highly for the right to set up shop inside doctor's surgeries; most pay 4 to 6 times the rent they would charged outside, just as other businesses pay dearly for the right to be inside shopping centres.

The government will defer its changes for three months while it sharpens up existing laws to ensure pathologists are charged "fair market value", which would be something of a dream for tenants of Westfield and Stockland.

As is always the case with rent controls, there will be consequences. The recipients of the rents (doctors) will be squeezed at the same time as the government is freezing their Medicare rebates.

A government with courage would simply force the pathology companies to bulk bill, in return for receiving public funds. And it would make them tender for the work. It's what the Grattan Institute recommended in February. Instead the Coalition's offering to help out in their negotiations with suburban surgeries and has thrown in a three-year veto over further changes to their rebates.
In the 90-minute play, scenes from Othello are intermingled with excerpts from historic and contemporary criminal trials and the audience delivers the verdict. The play is on at 8pm, Monday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 17 at La Mama Courthouse Theatre. Buy tickets Law Week Autism report calls for flexible classrooms Students with autism experience a high rate of exclusion at school, and their social and academic needs are not often understood or supported, a national survey finds.

The 'Australian Educational Needs Analysis', launched this month at the ASPECT Autism in education conference in Melbourne, reports that meeting students' social and emotional needs is the top priority for ensuring their success at school. The two-year study  an Australian first  surveyed 1500 people nationwide including teachers, school staff, students on the autism spectrum, their parents and carers. Led by the Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Education's Dr Beth Saggers and Professor Suzanne Carrington, it highlights the issues and obstacles children face at school and also emphasises the difficulties teachers experience. It recommends that teachers need more support to provide more flexible and inclusive classrooms. Dr Saggers says the needs of children with autism can be met by promoting social competence and social emotional wellbeing, providing positive behaviour support, assisting with planning and organising, and by using technology.

Scholarship explores the cost of overfishing sharks The value of sharks to reef systems is the subject of a PhD. Credit:Morne Hardenberg/Atlantic Edge A West Australian PhD student will soon be plying the waters of the state's Ningaloo Coast  equipped with life-size models of sharks  to research the impact of the species on marine ecosystems. Emily Lester from the University of Western Australia will investigate the impact of overfishing of sharks, supported by the 2016 Keiran McNamara World Heritage PhD Scholarship. Ms Lester says sharks are being fished out of coral reefs at alarming rates and it is important to understand the role they play in an ecosystem to assess the impact of removing them.

Coral reefs are an important source of food for many people in the developing world but are subject to disturbances such as cyclones, outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish and bleaching. Sharks might play an important role in regulating the behaviour of fish so that recovery from these disturbances is accelerated, she says. e-Learning the way for higher ed students with disabilities An overwhelming majority of online students with disabilities recommend e-Learning as an effective way of undergoing higher education. A report from Curtin University and the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) shows that students with disabilities are under-represented in tertiary education, with only 6.4 per cent of Open Universities Australia (OUA) students having a disability. (OUA is an online higher education organisation owned by seven universities.)

The survey of 356 OUA students with disabilities indicates that access to technology and flexible teaching methods, along with the way disclosure of disabilities is managed, help the students gain higher education qualifications. "For many students with disabilities studying online made the experience of higher education more fulfilling and less difficult. For others, completing coursework online was the only way they could access higher education," says lead researcher Dr Mike Kent from Curtin's Department of Internet Studies. "Universities and other higher education institutions should not treat disabilities as an individual problem for students to solve, instead they must use tools, teaching methods and design standards that make content accessible to all," he says. Read the report Free trade agreement opens up Singapore to Australian law graduates
Almost $100,000 was spent on a report into the system by which hundreds of millions of dollars worth of land is being compulsorily acquired for projects such as the WestConnex motorway, but which the NSW government refuses to release.

The report is being kept secret as the number of land valuations associated with WestConnex surged last year as work on the project intensifies.

Protestor Bill Holliday refusing to leave a home in Haberfield due to be demolished for WestConnex.

The report by David Russell, SC, was commissioned in May 2012 by then finance minister Greg Pearce.

Its terms of reference included recommending "a set of principles to guide the process for how acquisitions of real property should be dealt with by government".
The paedophile who molested former Greens leader Bob Brown, has died in jail.

Ian Douglas Davidson, 84, collapsed while getting on a truck to Long Bay prison hospital on Friday and died on Saturday.

Former Greens leader Bob Brown. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Davidson was charged and convicted of six counts of indecent assault against Mr Brown when he was in Year Six in Armidale in the late 1950s.

"The whole saga is unutterably sad," Mr Brown told Fairfax Media upon learning of Davidson's death.
For the second time in as many months, the Palaszczuk Government community cabinet has been hijacked by an issue outside its main agenda, with voters seizing the opportunity to have their voices heard while the Premier and her ministers have an audience - and nowhere to hide.

At Sunday's Gold Coast community cabinet, held deep in LNP heartland, Annastacia Palaszczuk heard personal stories and personal issues from residents, who turned out in their hundreds to grab their minute with a minister.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk faced a tough crowd at the community cabinet on the Gold Coast. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

But as with the Moreton community cabinet, where Uber dominated questions, the Gold Coast agenda was taken up with an issue dear to their hearts, but not one the government was expecting to take up so much time - or be the main focus of so many in the room.

The proposed Sunland Broadwater development on the existing Mariner's Cove site at The Spit has split the community, with the twin 44-storey tower proposal threatening to overwhelm existing development.
The streets of Logan are abuzz with locals ecstatic about Dami Im's performance at Eurovision and there are plans afoot to continue the celebrations.

With her photo-finish second place in the 61st Eurovision song contest, her home town council is already devising plans to mark her success.

A spokesman for Fremantle Media Australia, The creators of The X Factor in Australia that shot Dami to fame, said they were thrilled with her success.

"Dami is a superstar. And now the world knows it. The X Factor and all at Fremantle Media are overjoyed at her international success," he said.
The Palaszczuk government has dropped to its lowest level of support since the 2015 election, as voters begin to look for alternatives less than halfway into Labor's term.

The latest Galaxy Poll, first published by News Corp, shows Labor's primary support has dropped to 36 per cent. It won government with 37.5 per cent of the vote and was helped across the line through preferences and the support of independents.

Annastacia Palaszczuk: "She will need to get her facts right before she begins calling for the abolition of the Family Court." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Under the previous voluntary preferential voting system, if an election were held this week, the LNP would win 53 to 47.

The compulsory preferential system brings that to 52 to 48, but still in the LNP's favour.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has tried to play down her diminishing popularity with voters with a swipe at the media, pleading for a "fair go".

Speaking on the Gold Coast, where the government is holding its latest community cabinet, Ms Palaszczuk was faced with a Galaxy Poll, first published by News Corp, which found her personal popularity has dropped 10 points in the last six months, now polling at 44 per cent as preferred premier.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will make an announcement regarding tourism on the Gold Coast on Sunday. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

That's still ahead of new LNP leader Tim Nicholls who claimed 29 per cent of the preferred premier vote in his first poll since taking over the leadership mantle from Lawrence Springborg, who had last polled at 30 per cent as preferred Premier.

The poll also found 42 per cent of those polled found the LNP leadership change to be one for the better.

Ms Palaszczuk tried to play down the results.
The proverbial canary in the coal mine of the Queensland ecosystems went off months ago and we missed the calls.

There have been large scale diebacks of mangrove trees in the Gulf of Carpentaria for months and scientist have only just noticed as they are in the most remote areas of Queensland.

Aerial imagery of large scale diebacks of Mangrove trees. Credit:James Cook University

Scientists are not exactly sure what happened up there but they know the damage is extensive and unprecedented.

James Cook University Professor and spokesman for the Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network, Norm Duke, said they were only guessing at what happened, but he had some prevailing theories.
"You wouldn't hear me say this very often, that we need more written law from our state Parliament, but I think on this one we probably do," he said. "It is perhaps time public debate is opened." Oshin with his mother. Credit:Elle Borgward Nikola Stepanov, an expert in medical ethics and end-of-life care for children, said uncertainty about children's best interests was common. The prevailing view was that any or most side-effects of aggressive treatments were worth it if carrying a good chance of increased life expectancy, but sometimes there was no good choice, only a 'least worst'.

Associate Professor Stepanov believed there would be an increase of uncertain cases as medical science advanced. "Just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we ought to," she said. But she did not believe there would be an increase in court cases, which she said were uncommon and a "last resort". She said for politicians, often bound by a need for popularity and party consistency, to add value to the system they would have to demonstrate it was inadequate. She did not believe it was. Judges were trained to make objective decisions, subject to appeal and reliant on precedent  in Australia, generally the 1990s case of Marion.

Oshin with his sister Shilah. Credit:Elle Borgward Marion, in which the parents of a severely intellectually disabled teenage girl applied to the courts to have her sterilised, posed huge difficulty for the numerous Family and High Court judges involved and brought sharp focus to the debate around parental versus state authority. "Although ethics and legal scholars consider there to be some inconsistency between decisions, generally speaking as the court approaches situations such as this the same way," Dr Stepanov said. In ruling on Oshin's case, Chief Judge Stephen Thackray said he was guided by Marion in determining that a child's best interests overrode parental power. He said, however, this was the first time such a matter was heard in the WA Family Court and the WA Supreme Court had only had two such cases.

Guiding his decision on 'best interests' was one of those, a 2004 case whose judge said "faced with the stark reality that the child will die if lifesaving treatment is not performed, which has a good prospect of a long-term cure, it is beyond doubt that it is in the child's best interests." In this case, the "good prospect of a long-term cure" was a 30 per cent chance of surviving five years, the chance having dropped because of the delay in treatment. Oshin's parents did not feel the term 'cure' was appropriate. America's Childhood Cancer Survivor Study's definitive study of 380 medulloblastoma sufferers who had survived five-plus years found that 25 years later, two-thirds of the cohort had either died or got cancer again. The vast majority had significant intellectual disabilities. Oshin began chemotherapy days after his sixth birthday. Credit:Elle Borgward

Southern River MLA Peter Abetz, a former pastor with palliative care experience, wrote to WA Health Minister John Day after discussions with Oshin's family. He said government-sanctioned court action was inappropriate and heavy-handed when the costs and benefits of treatment were in such doubt. "Medically and ethically it was not a clear-cut case," he said. He asked the Minister to consider an independent review tribunal with a range of specialists, such as palliation experts and ethicists as well as doctors. Mr Day said he knew it was a difficult situation but he believed the medical experts acted in good faith, guided by the best medical evidence and practice.
The City of Perth is embroiled in more travel scandals with at least three elected members expected to be probed by the Department of Local Government because of their failure to declare gifts and travel.

The Department of Local Government investigation comes days after it released its report into embattled lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi, which found she allegedly failed on dozens of occasions between 2008 and 2015 to disclose gifts and contributions in annual returns.

Despite the flood of calls for her to resign, Lisa Scaffidi says she won't step down. Credit:Heather McNeill

Now the department is expected to turn the heat on other councillors, after the Sunday Times revealed Janet Davidson failed to declare a trip she made to Malacca to attend the 13th International Convention of Malacca Twin Cities event three years ago, which was paid for by the Malaysian government.

The Sunday Times claims Cr Davidson  a rusted-on supporter of the lord mayor - didn't declare the trip in her 2012-13 annual return, but a Malacca City council spokeswoman said she attended the event.
London: British MP Boris Johnson, who is leading the "Out" campaign ahead of Britain's European Union membership referendum, has argued the bloc was following the path of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon by trying to create a European superstate. On the other side of the debate, the International Monetary Fund has warned that a vote to leave the EU was the biggest threat to Britain's economy.

"Uncertainty over the outcome of the referendum on EU membership, and about the implications of a potential 'leave' vote, already appears to be having an impact on investment and hiring decisions, with recent surveys of economic activity falling to their weakest levels in three years," the Washington-based group said.

Conservative MP Boris Johnson campaigning for a Brexit in Bristol on Saturday. Credit:Getty Images

Mr Johnson told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the EU lacked democracy and a unifying authority and was doomed to fail. "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically," he said.
Washington: China has denounced interpretations of its military operations in the East and the South China Sea contained in a new US defence department report that highlighted a focus on cyberwarfare.

The report "deliberately distorted" China's defence policy and legitimate actions, spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement on the Chinese defence ministry's official feed on Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging site.

A China Southern Airlines jetliner lands in January at the airfield on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. Credit:Xinhua

At issue is the US defence department's annual report to Congress on China's capabilities, published last Friday. China typically responds sharply to the US assessments, and the 156-page document was released ahead of a visit to Vietnam and Japan this month by President Barack Obama amid increasing tensions between the US, China and south-east Asian nations over sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
Washington: The younger generation of African-Americans has not been spurred to vote by the 'Black Lives Matter' crisis in the US, according to an analysis of exit polling across 25 states.

African-Americans account for a larger share of Democratic primary voters this year than they did in 2008, but that is because of older black voters, not higher participation by younger black people.

Motorists leave their vehicles as Black Lives Matter protesters block traffic on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco in January. Credit:AP

Across two dozen states where exit polls were conducted in 2008 and this year, black voters over the age of 45 grew from 12 per cent of the electorate on average in 2008 to 16 per cent this year. In those same states, black voters under age 45 made up 11 per cent of voters in 2008 versus 10 per cent this year.
Latest News Westpac's second-half profit takes $824 million blow from unit sale The bank's fiscal 2022 results will be out in November

Banking Code of Compliance Committee welcomes moves to boost transparency Changes supported by ABA will hold banks to account, says BCCC chair

Property purchase enquiries from Chinese buyers increased by 87% in 2015, according to new data.The data released by online Chinese property portal Juwai.com show that Chinese buyers made enquires worth USD$34.9 billion over the year, with Victoria ranking as the most popular state.The top five cities where Chinese buyers directed their property purchase enquires were Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. Enquiries for Melbourne property increased by 177% in 2015.Chinese buyers are active across the entire range of prices, but that more than half of Chinese buyers are seeking property in the $200,000 to $500,000 range.Juwai.com head of Australia, Gavin Norris , said this great news for first-time buyers in Australia.When offshore investors purchase off the plan, they give developers the security they need to start construction on the new buildings that will provide homes for Australians. The Property Council of Australia tells us that every Chinese buyer makes four homes available for local buyers.When asked what motivation Chinese buyers had to purchase in Australia, most (36%) reported they consider it an attractive investment. According to Juwai.com, the ability to own freehold property is attractive to Chinese buyers and international property is often seen as good value relative to domestic property.This was followed by emigration intent (34%) and education (18%). Over a quarter (27%) of foreign students in Australia are from China, the report claimed.Those Chinese buyers aged between 35-44 years showed the most interest in purchasing Australian property and the overwhelming majority (69%) said they were ready to purchase within the next year.
Latest News Westpac's second-half profit takes $824 million blow from unit sale The bank's fiscal 2022 results will be out in November

Banking Code of Compliance Committee welcomes moves to boost transparency Changes supported by ABA will hold banks to account, says BCCC chair

Mortgage fraud involving foreign investors is not a systemic problem in the mortgage broking industry, the Finance Brokers Association of Australia ( FBAA ) has said, but the industry must unite to combat fraudulent brokers.The FBAAs Peter White says the broking industry, just like every other industry, will have people who cross the line but the vast majority of the industry is professional and responsible.Ninety nine per cent of brokers are doing the right thing but unfortunately, like in any industry, there is a tiny element who cross the line, particularly when it comes to the repayment of loans that rely on foreign income from certain countries. White said.Whites comments have come after several lenders announced tightened lending conditions for foreign borrowers last week.The National Consumer Credit Protection Act (NCCP) and ASIC have done a good job in exposing dishonest practices, according to White, but now he is calling on the industry as a collective to rally and report any dubious and suspicious acts carried out by brokers.We must unite and not let a very small number of deceitful brokers get away with smearing the honest work done by the others. It is time to kick them out of our industry.
Vegans, here's what to order at these South Jersey restaurants

Colonial Diner, Kitchen 519, Tortilla Press and Sabrina's are just some of the South Jersey non-vegan restaurants ready to serve you vegan fare.
THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

A Peoples History, 1962-1976

Frank Dikotter

Bloomsbury Press

396 pages; $32



A "people's history" suggests an alternative to an official history. But there is no official account of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. After Mao Zedong died, the Chinese people cut a tacit deal with the Communist Party: Raise our living standards and we will allow you to stay in power; we will not ask questions about the nightmare we endured.

Frank Dikotter's gripping, horrific and at times sensationalistic The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962-1976, the third volume of his work on the Mao years, challenges the Chinese people to address those missing years. Drawn from hundreds of English-language and Chinese eyewitness accounts, newly available archival records, online Cultural Revolution documentary projects and foreign and Chinese scholarship, the book paints such a damning portrait of Communist Party governance that if it were circulated in China, it could undermine the current regime.

Mr Dikotter, a professor of humanities at the University of Hong Kong, divides the period into four phases. The first is the 1962-66 lead-up to the Cultural Revolution, when Mao contemplated his return to the political stage. Relaxed policies under the leadership of Liu Shaoqi had helped the country partially recover from a famine that had killed millions. Mao, fearing the return of revisionism and sidelined by his own party, signalled his reassertion of control.

What Mr Dikotter calls the "Red Years" from 1966 to 1968 saw the worst of the urban violence. Student Red Guards were organised to defend Mao against his enemies. They attacked their teachers (humiliations, beatings, torture and suicides are described in wrenching detail) and raided homes in search of bourgeois "articles of worship, luxury items, reactionary literature, foreign books, concealed weapons, hidden gold, foreign currency, signs of a decadent lifestyle, portraits of Chiang Kai-shek." Then new factions targeted elite party members, along with intellectuals, artists and writers and miscellaneous class enemies, until competing groups were fighting one another in the streets.

Mao eventually brought in the military to quell factional violence, but China descended further into civil war as the army, too, sought revenge. The country became a dictatorship under the command of Mao's chosen successor Marshal Lin Biao. Another wave of purges and counter-purges ensued.

During what Mr Dikotter calls "The Black Years" from 1968 to 1971, the Cultural Revolution moved to the countryside, as former Red Guards were rusticated by the millions to "learn from" the peasants and prepare for war with the Soviet Union along the border. Mr Dikotter describes the experience as an unremittingly terrible time of suffering, hunger, rape and abuse. Yet the rustification has produced hundreds of memoirs, many of which testify that for some young people, the time in the countryside was more nuanced or even bittersweet than he indicates. The rusticated youth, arguably, helped China break with its Maoist past, for they later became known as the "awakened generation" and the "thoughtful generation" as they gradually inherited the leadership of the country.

The period ended when Lin Biao died on September 13, 1971, in a plane crash in Mongolia. He is alleged to have tried to flee after conspiring to assassinate Mao.

Mr Dikotter paints the "Gray Years" from 1971 to 1976 as a time when consumer goods were in such short supply that hunger, even famine, was widespread. Mao, in failing health, relaxed state interference in daily life. Elite-level power struggles continued, but as Mr Dikotter describes it, the extreme policies of the Mao period essentially fizzled out.

Some may disagree with Mr Dikotter's argument that Maoism died out primarily through widespread passive resistance and noncompliance; there were important policy experiments in decollectivisation underway at the time, and the eventual dissolution of the people's communes came as a carefully considered decision by policy elites who prevailed after Mao died.

At times, Mr Dikotter's account focuses on the sensational rather than the nuanced. Some discussion of how reliable his disparate sources are would have been welcome. Cultural Revolution memoirs may emerge from understandable pain and the desire for revenge. They are by their nature subjective and selective. Yet attributions in the text are sparse.

That said, this book is a significant event in our understanding of modern China. For Mr Dikotter, the Cultural Revolution represented Mao's attempt to put himself at the centre of global Communism. In his efforts to purge the party's highest echelons, Mao unleashed the people of China against one another, with the result that the roles of victim and victimizer became entwined. This, perhaps, is the best explanation for why so many Chinese people have chosen to be complicit in the party's historical amnesia. Mr Dikotter's account chronicles not only the Chinese people's bad behaviour and suffering during the Cultural Revolution but also their disparate and creative responses to the upheavals and violence. Beaten down and often near starvation, people at the grass roots played a significant role in ending one of history's worst convulsions.

2016, New York Times News Service
Rushing into the conference room for his next meeting, Rajesh, a marketing executive with a consumer goods company, was sure he would not be able to visit his parents in the suburbs in time to replenish their medicine stock. His parents had medicines only for a day or two. His work could have taken a toll on the health of his parents, but not this time. He opened the app of on his smartphone and placed an order by using images of the prescriptions he had saved earlier.

1mg, an online pharmacy based in Gurgaon, helps people order medicines and also provides information and suggestions on cheaper generic substitutes. The start-up was founded by Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal and Vikas Chauhan in April 2015 to tap into the digital health space, which includes a $15-billion retail pharmacy market and a $6-billion diagnostic services one.

Recently, raised Rs 100 crore from investors led by Maverick Capital Ventures. Existing investors participated as well. It had raised Rs 34 crore in April 2015 from Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital, Omidyar Network, Kae Capital and Deep Kalra, co-founder of MakeMyTrip.

Tandon, who also co-founded and was the managing director of nutrition e-commerce company HealthKart, ventured into digital health by launching an app, HealthKartPlus, a medicine information platform, in September 2012. "The initiative grew so fast that we saw a great opportunity to create an independent business and spun off a new business branded . We believe an informed consumer can bring change in health care," he added.

FACT BOX Launch date: April 2015



Area of Business: Online retail pharmacy & diagnostics services



Founders: Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal and Vikas Chauhan



Expansion plans: Online pharmacy service to 30 cities by end of 2017 from 13 now



Funding: Series-A of Rs 34 cr in April 2015 from Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital, Omidyar Network, Kae Capital and Deep Kalra, co-founder of MakeMyTrip; Series-B of Rs 100 cr from investors led by Maverick Capital Ventures

1mg has tied up with 30 pharmacists in 13 cities. An order is checked for authenticity and directed to a nearby pharmacist. Payment is cash-on-delivery. The company does not process requests for Schedule X and other habit-forming drugs.

The start-up charges a commission from service providers and retailers. "As volumes drive up, so will the profitability. We will try and introduce other monetisation models like advertising," said Tandon.

Medicines are a highly regulated area, where prescription and stringent norms of dispensation must be followed. While the drug regulator has been mulling regulation of online pharmacies, 1mg claims it is compliant with the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules.

The Indian Medical Association had issued a White Paper on online pharmacies. "This will encourage substitution of cheap and spurious drugs by online stores and the doctor-patient confidentiality will be affected," it said.

Shailesh Lakhani, managing director, Sequoia Capital India Advisors, said: "An integrated health platform is a very complex technology. 1mg is solving this in a way that has never been done globally. The team will have to come with solutions to make it happen."



Tandon said the challenge was to simplify medical data, so that customers can take an informed decision, and to improve supply-chain efficiency. 1mg has adopted open source technologies to reduce response time. The company had to invest a lot in algorithms and machine learning to ensure inventory prediction.

Matthew Kinsella, managing director at Maverick Capital Ventures, lead investor of the latest round, said it had been investing in digital health across the globe and 1mg was the clear leader, with outstanding engagement metrics.

With the Rs 100 crore raised from investors, the company plans to expand its pharmacy and diagnostics marketplaces, and develop new business lines, including online consultation by doctors. From 13 cities now, 1mg plans to expand to 30 by the end of next year. Pharmacy partners are expected to grow to 60 by then. It will also look at offering round-the-clock services.

Break-even will have to wait for a few years, considering the investment 1mg is making in technology and expansion.
The Delhi government's recent effort to allow vehicles to ply on alternate days, based on their registration numbers, has been a boon for Kirloskar Motor's sedan, the Camry.

Vehicles operating on CNG or hybrids or electrically run are exempt from the on/off ban in Delhi. The Camry has a hybrid option and its sales in Delhi and elsewhere in the National Capital Region (NCR) have shot up. Takeshi Amakasu, senior vice-president, says Camry sales doubled during the January to April period this year as compared to last year.

The boost actually began with the Supreme Court's ban last December on vehicles with a diesel engine capacity of more than 2,000cc being sold in the NCR. The Camry hybrid sold 466 units in Jan-April in the region. The Camry hybrid has otherwise done well in the Indian market. sold a total of 1,118 units during 2015-16, a rise over the earlier year of 46 per cent. As much as 90-95 per cent of Camry sales are of the hybrid.

A FAME (Faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles) India plan had been introduced by the government in April 2015, offering incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles up to Rs 1.38 lakh each. On if there were plans to bring more hybrid vehicles for the Indian market, as governments here are taking a strong position on vehicular emissions, Amakasu said the company was contemplating its strategy.

globally also has a hybrid version of its Corolla. Its rival, Honda Cars India, plans to re-introduce its Accord brand in India, with a hybrid Accord sedan likely to be launched in September-October.

On the other hand, the NCR diesel ban has hit Toyota hard, as a little more than 80 per cent of its overall sales in India are of diesel vehicles. Amakasu said the ban had hit seven per cent of the company's overall sales. In fact, its all-new multipurpose Innova Crysta, launched at Rs 14 lakh, has a 2.8 litre engine and hence cannot be sold in the NCR.

TKMPL leads the multipurpose vehicle segment as such in this country, with a 36 per cent share.
Toyota has been one of the worst impacted among automobile in the country after the recent ban on sale of diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000cc in the National Capital Region (NCR). Such sudden changes in legislation are bad not only for it but for the overall sector, Akito Tachibana, the new managing director at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, tells Alnoor Peermohamed. Edited excerpts:



The recent ban on diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000 cc in Delhi/NCR has taken a toll on Toyota. How is the company looking at mitigating the impact?



The current impact is almost eight per cent of the total sales for Toyota in India. Not only have we and our suppliers been impacted but also the dealers in Delhi. They've lost 60 per cent of their sales because they can't sell the Innova or Fortuner; both models have only diesel engines. We hope that in the next Supreme Court hearing, this ban is removed. Automobile need long-term strategies, as it takes four years or more to develop a vehicle. If, all of a sudden, the legislation tells us diesel cars are banned, we cannot continue the business and we are afraid to invest more. Of course, we want to fully comply with the laws and regulations but we need a long-term automobile industry strategy. Based on this, we can invest. What kind of technology is suitable for this country? Recently, we found diesel is most suitable and invested accordingly. And, we have only diesel engines for the Innova and Fortuner.

Globally, diesel is considered more efficient and the emission-conscious Europeans prefer diesel...



Why do they prefer diesel in Europe? Because they suffer from acid rain, which is caused by CO2 (carbon dioxide) and they're focused on reducing CO2 first, which is why they've adopted diesel. Modern diesel engines produce less CO2 than petrol cars. Whereas, in the US and Japan, everything runs on petrol. In India, I do not know why they prefer diesel but we have to remember that in every type of fuel, whether diesel, petrol or CNG, there are pros and cons. What type of fuel is most suitable for this country or what kind of combination is best is what we must consider. Diesel has been banned in Delhi because of smog. They say diesel is the bad guy but think about the fuel efficiency; think about the CO2 levels. They have to look at the whole picture; they have to take everything into consideration. One of the best solutions for Toyota is hybrids. They have good fuel efficiency and emissions are also lower.

So hybrids and electric cars are the future for Toyota in India?



For Toyota, strong hybrids are one of the answers to solve the problem of emissions, fuel efficiency and safety. So, we have introduced the Camry Hybrid - that's again from the higher segment. The next step is to figure out how to put the hybrid technology in cars from lower segments, and then our next mission is to make hybrids popular in the C-segment.

Electric vehicles (EVs) will be very difficult to make popular in India because India is a very big country and EVs need charging stations. I think there is a debate going on currently on whether plug-in hybrids are better or EVs are better but our decision is that plug-in hybrids are the best in India.

Could Toyota look at exporting diesel engines, to utilise the unused capacity at its diesel engine plant?



Not yet; we don't have any such programme. Basically, all the engines made in India are installed in vehicles sold in India. It's only for the domestic car market.

The compact car market is something Toyota hasn't been able to crack. Are we going to see a play there or will Toyota continue to stick to the higher-end segment?



We understand that 70 per cent of the Indian car market is for small cars - the B and A segments. Unfortunately, we have only the Etios there and other car makers have many models in this segment. This market is huge, but we have a very precious customer base and we would like to prioritise how to take care of our current customers. They need their next car and today the question for us is what type of car to provide.

We believe a current Innova customer who is really pleased (with the product) will next buy the new Innova Cryst. Of course, if we provide a small car, we can sell more. But, we would like to contribute to problem solving in India. Our recognition of the problem around the car market is emissions, fuel efficiency and safety, and these are very expensive ones. We would like to introduce cars of global standards in India; so, we think we have to introduce them from the higher segments, down to the bottom.
A high-level delegation led by NITI Ayog Vice -Chairman Arvind Panagariya will meet Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday to finalise key issues relating the Rs 98,000-crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project.

This is the second meeting of the joint committee set up to execute the bullet train project, according to railway ministry. During the meeting, the committee will finalise the schedule of the project, terms related to the appointment of general consultant and procurement conditions, it said.

Besides Panagariya, the Indian delegation will comprise A K Mital, chairman Railway Board, Shaktikanta Das, secretary, department of economic affairs, S Jaishankar, foreign secretary, and Ramesh Abhishek, secretary, department of industry policy and promotion.

The Japanese side will be led by Hiroto Izumi, special adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan.
The government has given some useful dispensations for exporters, though some of these go only halfway.

Under the Merchandise Exports from India (MEIS) scheme, as many as 5012 ITC (HS) codewise list of products are covered. Under 2,787 of these, rewards were allowed only for exports to countries in Groups A and B. In these cases, exporters were required to produce the landing certificate. From May 4, the benefits are allowed for export to all countries, and landing certificates will not be required for claiming the MEIS duty credits. This will significantly save on costs.

However, the way the public notice reads, it appears that for exports made before May 4, they do have to produce the landing certificates. Exporters are now required to file separate MEIS applications for exports made before and after the date. The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) should consider doing away with this stipulation and even for benefits under the earlier Focus Market Scheme.

Under the Incremental Exports Incentivisation Scheme (IEIS), notified in December 2012, exporters were entitled for duty credits, based on the incremental export growth during the January-March quarter over the corresponding period in the previous year. In September 2013, the government prescribed that for claims beyond a certain limit, scrutiny would be more stringent. The then DGFT gave a wrong interpretation and put a ceiling on the claims. His interpretation was struck down by the Bombay High Court, in the case of JSW Steel [2016 (334) E.L.T. 222 (Bom.)]. So, in a welcome development, the present DGFT has now asked that IEIS claims from all exporters be processed without any cap.

There was also an annual IEIS scheme, giving duty credits based on the incremental growth in exports during 2013-14 over 2012-13. In that one, too, the then DGFT restricted the claims to a certain limit. And, in fact, got the software amended to ensure clams beyond that limit could not be filed at all. Logically, the present DGFT should have also abolished the cap for the annual IEIS scheme, granting time for filing supplementary claims and without any cut in entitlement. However, he has not. Hopefully, this will be done after modifying the software.

For status recognition as an export house, the earlier foreign trade policies considered the export performance for the current plus previous three years. In the 2015-16 policy, the period was unnecessarily reduced to current plus previous two years. The government has now restored the previous position of current plus previous three years, except for gem and jewellery exporters. This change will operate prospectively. The long overdue list of services, payments for which are received in rupee terms and which can be counted for benefits under the Services Exports from India Scheme, and towards discharge of export obligation under the Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme, have also been notified.

The finance ministry has also amended the relevant excise notifications issued under Rules 18 and 19 of the Central Excise Rules, 2002, allowing rebate of infrastructure cess and allowing removal of goods without payment of the said cess. This cess was introduced on March 1 this year, on motor vehicles under Tariff Heading 8703.
The central government is working on a proposal to have a common national examination for all veterinary doctors across all states and Union territories on the lines of the National Eligibility Entrance Test for medical doctors.

At present, a common All India Pre-Veterinary Test and All India Common Entrance Examination is conducted by the Veterinary Council of India, but colleges such as Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University conduct their own entrance examination as part of the admission procedure.

In some states, entrance tests are conducted by the state education boards or separate authorities created for this purpose. A common entrance examination will bring uniformity to the entire process. The Centre is also working on a proposal to rank the 70 state and central agriculture universities on various performance parameters, which could be later tied on to the funds allocated to them. A project to rank the agriculture universities and have a common entrance examination for veterinary doctors is being pursued under the guidance of Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan.

India has 70 agriculture universities - two central agriculture universities, 60 state agriculture universities, four deemed universities and four universities with agriculture faculty.
Around 26.1 million voters in Kerala are eligible to go to the polling booths on Monday to elect 140 members to the states legislative assembly.
The second meeting of high level Joint Committee on Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project will be held tomorrow on 16.05.2016 in Tokyo, Japan. The Indian delegation which is visiting Japan for this is being led by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI, Aayog. Other members include Shri A. K. Mital, Chairman/Railway Board, Shri Shaktikanta Das/Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Shri Jaishankar/Foreign Secretary and Shri Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary/Department of Industry Policy and Promotion. The Japanese side will be led by Mr.

Hiroto Izumi/Special Adviser to the Honble Prime Minister of Japan. Other Members from Japanese side will include senior officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism (MLIT), Government of Japan and senior officials from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). .

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During the meeting, the Joint Committee will finalize the schedule of project, terms related to the appointment of General Consultant and procurement conditions. Since the loan negotiation and finalization of loan agreement will take some time, Government of India to achieve timely implementation of project have requested for a proper schedule of project implementation and had also requested for appointment of General Consultant before the finalization of loan agreement. The appointment of General Consultant will enable start of preparatory activities like designing and preparation of tender documents. .

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Since Make in India and Transfer of Technology are key components of the project implementation, an industry interaction between Indian and Japanese companies will be held on 17th May, 2016. The event will be participated by almost 100 Japanese companies and 21 Indian companies. The industry interaction will enable Indian companies to explore business opportunities in participation with Japanese companies. Some of the Indian companies include : BHEL, BEML, IRCON, Reliance Metro, Tata Infrastructure, JBM, Patil Infrastructure, IL&FS, Hindustan Construction Company, Texmaco Rail among others. .

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The growth of hyper-local ecommerce companies in India has been rapid. And so has been the decline for a few of them. Even as these players field investor questions, deal with operational issues and disgruntled customers, there are a few lessons that they can learn from brick-and-mortar companies to get out of the mess they find themselves in.

As digital natives, they may claim a strong digital footprint for a start, but that may not translate into great business or enduring customer connect. It's here that traditional retailers can teach them a lesson or two on building an efficient organisational structure, strong discoverability, scalable service capability, rigorous follow-ups, speedy-timely deliveries along with convenience of payments.

Saurabh Saxena, founder and chief executive officer, Holachef, says the philosophy that drives the success of a brick-and-mortar store applies to an ecommerce platform too because both cater to similar expectations from customers. He says traditional stores present three key lessons - customers should be heard and attended to, a good display of products helps in selling or attracting users, and relationship building pays.

"If the visitor to our website - a potential customer mind you - feels the shop owner (or in our case, the website or app) isn't listening and responding to what she needs, she will leave and probably never come back," he says. "Nobody wants to be ignored, especially by someone who they are paying money to for a product or service. We derive inspiration from this and try to give many avenues for customers to say what they want. On our home page, in fact, we have a form that asks customers to feed in what they would rather eat if they don't like anything on our day's menu."



Giving importance to customer feedback, a visually appealing website to meet the need of good display and loyalty programmes are therefore critical for Holachef. Some of its consumer initiatives include giving "nostalgia" gifts, sending notifications to customers when their favourite dishes are listed, virtual food fests and monthly dessert fests, and listing or delisting of dishes based on user ratings.

Nitin Agarwal, associate vice-president, marketing, ShopClues, says as an online marketplace it has taken cues from brick-and-mortar players to localise merchandising. He explains, "We consider the consumer's geography and show them products in their region or products that match their regional tastes. A consumer searching for a product in the south will see different offerings from a consumer searching for the same product from the north. We also consider their history, what they've browsed for or purchased so that the products offered to them are more personalised. Brick-and-mortar stores are also able to provide more regional or localised products to customers from the same region. Geographical monitoring helps us achieve just that."



Apart from harnessing technology and data platforms, and monitoring over 200 behavioural aspects of consumers, ShopClues has taken steps to replicate real-world shopper experiences in the mobile app. They include its commute commerce (shopping as one travels) with the "Ghar Wapsi" campaign, Sunday Flea Market and the Super Saver Bazaar.

For Alok Jain, founder and CEO at Yumist, there are lessons to be learnt from global brands, too. He refers to convenience stores company 7-Eleven that has built "a sophisticated infrastructure to demand, predict and deliver pre-packaged food to its outlets round the clock". He says, "While we deal with hot Indian meals versus their cold sandwiches, the way they manage routing and inventory planning held significant learnings for us. We have significant amounts of browsing and transaction data and we use data science for menu planning and demand prediction. This allows us to craft a menu that our customers desire any given meal time, also leading to a quick and no-frills ordering experience."



Arjun Kumar, co-founder of Housejoy, says the "availability of instant gratification" is the biggest advantage for offline companies. Online players are becoming increasingly hyper-local and offering almost the same gratification time as traditional ones, he says, adding, "we started with a one-day advance booking for our services and have now brought it down to two hours. Going forward, this will come down to 30 minutes". Kumar feels service guarantees by online firms are essential to make up for the lack of physical presence. Aditi Khare, manager, marketing communications at Grofers, says the fundamentals of running a business don't change with a change in the delivery model. "People come to offline stores for ease of shopping, convenience and because of availability of everything at one go."



What do offline retailers say? What advantages do they have vis-a-vis online players?



Vaibhav Singhal, MD and CEO, Savemax, says, "Unlike e-commerce players, we offer our customers the advantage of experience, that is, see, touch and feel the actual product they intend to purchase, to ascertain the quality and/or fit and finish of the product. Also, in terms of service we offer a personal touch which e-commerce players simply cannot."



Vipul Parekh, co-founder of bigbasket.com, also recognises that "Indian consumers have an inherent need to touch and feel products before buying, and this is especially true for groceries" - an obvious advantage enjoyed by physical stores.

He believes e-commerce firms can offer a similar assurance through guarantees. The online grocery store provides three guarantees - in case of a delay in delivery, 10 per cent of the order value is credited to the customer's account; a no-questions-asked return policy if customers are not satisfied with the quality of products delivered; delivery of every item ordered with the promise of adding 50 per cent of the item value to the wallet in case of any failure. Parekh adds, "Brick-and-mortar stores also have the local relevance and experience to tailor their stock keeping unit range to the needs of a neighbourhood, allowing for a huge scope of customisation. Online retailers can use technology and analytics to customise to each individual and neighbourhood."



All that will be of no avail if the customer doesn't know that a firm/brand exists online that is willing to travel the length her friendly neighbourhood grocer does as a matter of routine. That's where discoverability comes to play. That means you not only appear on Google search, but you have an adaptive homepage that is amenable to both desktop and mobile browsing.

Brijesh Arora, associate vice-president, and new product development, mobile financial solutions at Mahindra Comviva, says limited marketing budgets strain business owners to make the best use of available channels - online and offline - to get and retain the best quality users. Mahindra Comviva's hyper-local deals platform Zerch gives users information on the best offers in nearby stores.

Then there is the issue of sustainability. Harminder Sahni, founder and MD of retail consulting firm Wazir Advisors, argues that consumers are looking for more brands, products and better prices and less for home deliveries. "Discovery of service providers like plumbers and electricians is definitely fulfilling a need gap but the consistency of quality and service will be the main differentiator."



While he senses an opportunity for ecommerce to reach customers who are not accessible through stores or traditional channels, he fears "hyper-locals may be trying to over-serve the customer who is already being served".
After promising that much of the provisioning for bad loans was undertaken in the December 2015 quarter, what came from Bank of Baroda (BoB) in the March 2016 quarter result was a huge disappointment.

Net interest income (NII) grew only five per cent year-on-year at Rs 3,330 crore, missing Bloomberg estimates of Rs 3,731 crore. Other interest income stood at Rs 1,077 crore, a rise of 86 per cent as compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Of the total interest income, Rs 674 crore pertained to income-tax refunds which largely supported NII growth in the March quarter. NII is the difference between interest earned and expended. But, the shocker was Rs 3,230 crore of net loss versus Bloomberg estimate of Rs 129 crore of net profit.

Pain was visible in parameters such as net interest margin (NIM) and advances. NIM, a profitability parameter, for domestic business marginally fell to 2.7 per cent, from 2.8 per cent a year ago. But, the worrisome point is the slowdown in advances. Gross advances fell 1.5 per cent to about Rs 4 lakh. The decline was led by retail lending (accounting for about 18 per cent of total advances), which dipped by three per cent year-on-year. The decline in retail loans comes at a time when most private banks are focussed on and witnessing strong growth in the retail segment, which is currently being perceived to be more safe than corporate loans.

Also, while savings deposits grew 12 per cent year-on-year, current account deposits contracted 13 per cent in March 2016 quarter, raising red flags for investors.

There are concerns on the bad loans front also. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) were Rs 40,521 crore, almost trebled year-on-year. It was also higher than Rs 38,394 crore posted in the December 2015 quarter.

Fresh slippage of Rs 4,373 crore for the quarter was significantly lower than December quarter slippage of Rs 15,603. But, gross NPA ratio at 9.99 per cent rose from December 2015 quarter level of 9.68 per cent. Net NPA ratio declined to 5.06 per cent against 5.67 per cent in the December quarter.

The average target price of these seven analysts is Rs 142, indicating a downside of about seven per cent from the current level.
The JK Tyre paradox is like yesteryears Pakistani spinner Abdul Qadir's googly which one perceives to be a leg break.

I am not privy to its numbers for 2015-16 (at the time of writing at least), but it would be reasonable to assume that the company will report a consolidated Ebidta in excess of Rs 1,000 crore for 2015-16 (Rs 868 crore for the first three quarters, consolidated). Strangely, the company is priced at a discounting less than half its industry peers. Why?



So let me play Devil's Advocate.

One, JK Tyre has probably bitten off more than it can chew with Birla Tyres' Haridwar plant acquisition, affecting its ability to service debt.

Two, the tyres industry in India will fight a losing battle with low-priced Chinese imports.

Three, domestic tyre companies will be up against the Michelins of the world setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

Now let me invite Angel's Advocate.

One, the latest acquisition will complete the JK Tyre portfolio (through two and three-wheeler tyres where the company was never present) and also enhance TBR (truck/bus radial tyres) and passenger car capacities. The plant is a showpiece and losing, but then JK Tyre is a transformation specialist who turned the acquisition (and losing) Vikrant Tyres plant around and did the same with a once-losing Tornel plant (Mexico). If JK Tyre can leverage its best practices from the other plants, moderate costs and generate procurement efficiencies, this Haridwar play may be another great story to tell.

Two, JK Tyre is doing some freaked-out stuff within the sector; its Fleet Management Solution is focusing on delivering a lower cost per km travelled solution for large fleets even as most players are still focused on product sale; it's over-the-counter product sale through experiential Truck Wheels and Steel Wheels outlets form 30 per cent of revenues.

Three, even as Chinese dumping increased (and cannot be wished away), the company strengthened its supply chain management (SCM), doubled product introduction and strengthened its technology sheen. The result, the grapevine indicates, is that the company not only plugged SCM leaks and saved money, but in the process reported its lowest inventory in March even as monthly sales were its highest ever.

Four, I like the look of the company's interest outflow - from Rs 64 crore in the first quarter of the last financial year to Rs 59 crore in the third - at a time when one would have presumed that increased Chinese dumping would have compelled JK Tyre to provide longer credit to dealers and stretched its financials.

Five, the company is India's largest in the truck-bus radial space, just the space to be in when the world is radialising faster than ever.

So there you are. Around Rs 200 crore in depreciation, post-tax discounting of less than five based on FY16 results and the possibility of reporting Rs 10,000 crore in 2016-17 revenues. Assuming that an increase in rubber costs knocks 300 basis points off margins, there could still be Rs 1,500 crore in Ebidta against today's market cap of Rs 1,800 crore.

Unless I am getting something terribly wrong and barking up the wrong gum tree.

The author is a stock market writer, tracking corporate earnings and investor psychology to gauge where markets are not headed
Listed public sector undertakings (PSUs) have not only been key contributors to government revenues by way of dividends, but also, in many cases, yielded attractive dividend for investors. However, chances are that the trend might be different this time.

For the first in nine months (ended December 2015), the combined profit after tax (PAT) of 45 companies with a market capitalisation of Rs 10.73 lakh crore was up 10 per cent year-on-year, compared with 22 per cent decline in FY15. This seems an improvement but is distorted because of the three big oil marketing companies (OMCs). Excluding the trio of Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Indian Oil Corporation, the combined profit of the 42 companies was down 18.4 per cent from a year before in the corresponding period, after falling 24 per cent in FY15.

The combined cash and bank balances have also been declining. From Rs 1.91 lakh crore at the end of FY14, it fell to Rs 1.73 lakh crore in FY15 and to Rs 1.67 lakh crore at the end of September 2015. This is not surprising, given the decline in their combined net profit and higher dividend payout ratio (as a percentage of net profit) though some of the money has also been invested in the business. The payout ratio increased from 44.5 per cent in FY14 to 46.5 per cent in FY15.

The financial performance for the first nine months of FY16 also tells a story. The noteworthy exceptions among large PSUs, apart from oil marketing companies (OMCs), are Power Grid, Bharat Electronics, National Buildings Construction Corporation and NHPC. The OMCs have benefited due to the sharp fall in oil prices and freeing of retail fuel prices. In contrast, the sector's producers such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Ltd saw a sharp decline in profits in FY15; their earnings are also down in the first nine months of FY16.

While the first nine months' data indicate absolute dividend payment was up 47 per cent year-on-year, an accurate comparison will be available only after all PSUs declare their FY16 results and final dividends. As of now, it is largely boosted by the Rs 2,900-crore dividend declared by OMCs, compared with nil in FY15. The government policy requiring PSUs to pay 30 per cent of their annual profit as dividend would, however, influence the trend.

Dipen Shah, head of research at Kotak Securities, says, "Because of the dividend tax amendments applicable from FY17, several companies, including some PSUs, have come up with large dividends. Also, PSUs have to pay dividend at a stipulated rate. Because of this, dividends are higher, even as profits are not."





However, if their performance remains under pressure, then even if PSUs follow the 30 per cent rule, the absolute payout might not increase.

Bodke says: "Commodity prices fell sharply in the previous financial year. So, it is possible that FY16 dividends might be lower than FY15. But, fiscal pressure could push the government to impress on their boards to consider higher dividends from the cash surpluses. We will see how that pans out, once FY16 results are out."



In that case, it might hurt their financials in the long run, say experts.

That apart, there are question marks on the sustainability of the recent rebound in commodity prices (given a slowing Chinese economy) and anaemic domestic growth. In this backdrop, the ability of PSUs to deliver positively surprising performance - an essential ingredient to sustain higher dividends - will be put to test.
At least 11 soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces were killed in the fight against terrorism in the past 24 hours.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in its statement said that the soldiers were martyred while conducting counter-terrorism operations against the internal and external terrorists.

"The Afghan National Army (ANA) forces are prepared for all kinds of devotion and with all force to maintain security and comfort for the people of Afghanistan," the Khaama Press quoted the statement by Ministry of Defense as saying.

Apart from the 11 soldiers, at least 65 militants were also killed and 22 others were wounded during the same operations the statement said.

The operations were conducted in Kandahar, Ghor, Baghlan, Helmand, Maidan WArdak, Kunar and Ghazni provinces with the support of Afghan Air Force and artillery units.

The Ministry of Defense added that a commander of the Taliban group identified as Mullah Abdul Hadi was also among those killed during the clearance operations.

So far, no anti-government armed militant groups have commented regarding the reports.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Saturday cornered the ruling alliance in Bihar over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and called on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to act or submit his resignation.

"Going by the present situation now, I think jungle raj is the right term to be used now. Nobody is safe in the state, not even the journalists," LJP leader Chirag Paswan told ANI.

"In such a situation, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is busy touring the nation. Our party demands that President's rule should be implemented in the state.I don't know for how many more murders the state government and the chief minister will wait to take cognizance. Either he should act or resign," he added.

Yesterday, Chirag's father and Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan also launched a tirade against the Janata Dal (United) Government in Bihar and said that the law and order situation in the state is not going to improve until Nitish Kumar remains chief minister.

"Not even a single person will be punished in the road rage incident of Gaya. Yesterday, I gave a full report to President Pranab Mukherjee. We have been demanding for President's rule in the state for last three months. We have also been demanding a CBI probe in all these incidents," Paswan told ANI.

"A delegation led by Chirag Paswan met the Bihar Governor. Till the time this JD (U) Government stays in Bihar and Nitish Kumar stays as chief minister, law and order situation is not going to improve. The entire law and order has deteriorated. This is a government of rapes and murders," he added.

The LJP chief said his party, therefore, demands for central rule in Bihar.

The killing of two journalists in the last 48 hours, one in Bihar and the other in neighbouring Jharkhand, has led to another round of war of words between the BJP and the JD (U) in Bihar.

Senior reporter of a Hindi-daily 'Hindustan', Rajdeo Ranjan, was killed in Bihar's Siwan district on Friday evening by unknown assailants near the railway station. The journalist was shot from close range in the head and the neck.

In Jharkhand, a journalist was shot dead by unidentified people at Dewaria in Chatra district. A police official said, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, 35 who worked for a news channel, was gunned down near panchayat secretariat of the village on Thursday night.

The killing comes days after a brutal road rage case, in which suspended JD (U) MLC Manorama Devi's son Rocky shot dead a class XII student, Aditya Sachdeva, in Gaya for overtaking his SUV.
The wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan on Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into his murder to ensure that the culprits get stringent punishment.

Asha, the bereaved wife of the journalist, said that she had no expectation from the Nitish Kumar-led government as even Home Secretary Amir Subhani's hometown Siwan is so insecure.

"I demand from the government a CBI probe and a secured future for my children and me. The culprit must be given stringent punishment," she said.

When asked if her husband had ever mentioned about any threat to his life, Asha said that she did not have any knowledge about it as her husband never talked about it.

She, however, told ANI: "He only mentioned once about receiving threat regarding his profession after BJP leader Shrikant Bharti's murder."

When informed that Upendra Singh's name has figured in connection with this case and the police have detained him, she said, "I have seen Upendra calling on his mobile that's how I know about him."

Meanwhile, Siwan MP Om Prakash Yadav also demanded a CBI probe into the murder and hinted at the alleged involvement of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin in the case.

"I understand former parliamentarian Sahabuddin's goons have killed him and the incident should be probed by the CBI. The Bihar Government should provide a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh," he said.

The Siwan MP further said Ranjan was a fearless and impartial journalist, adding that is why he was on Shahabuddin's radar.

"Goons of the former MP had attacked and misbehaved with him earlier too. They used to threaten him," Yadav told ANI.

"He (Ranjan) had written a news on the Bihar's sleuth department's report, since then he was on the former MP's radar. He was also warned of a danger to his life by the sleuth department in 2007," he added.

Yadav also used this case to take potshots at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying the latter should have visited the bereaved family to express his condolences instead of addressing rallies.

Commenting on the progress of the probe, the sitting MP said, "I have spoken to the district administration; the probe is going on in the right direction thus far. But if it is deviated from here, the result won't be out. That is why I am asking for a CBI probe."

42-year-old Ranjan was allegedly shot dead by criminals near the Siwan railway station earlier on Friday.

Two bullets were fired at the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan that hit on his head and neck. He was shifted to a hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Director General of Police (DGP) P.K. Thakur on Saturday said special teams of the Bihar Police have collected evidences from the crime scene and detained two suspects in this connection.

"Our special teams comprising a team of forensic science, Special Task Force (STF) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials were dispatched to Siwan last night. They have collected all possible evidences from the crime scene, besides the police have apprehended two suspected accused and interrogation is going on," he said.
Internet giant Google's I/O (input/output and 'Innovation in the Open') conference is around the corner and developers around the world are awaiting to discover the latest version of the Android operating systems.

Google may unveil a modular smartphone this year. According to reports, the tech giant is developing an environmental friendly and cost-effective smartphone with a customizable design, made up of various small blocks containing the different components (processor, memory, camera, speaker, 3G chip, etc.).

The 'Nexus 6P' smartphone is expected to have great display, battery life and camera, the Verge reports.

Secondly, Google is also expected to unveil virtual reality on similar lines of the Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Samsung.

The California-based tech giant is also expected to unveil its self-driving car in the conference.

Tango is another project in the works at the Google ATAP group which could make an appearance at the Mountain View conference, showing off advanced 3D mapping technology that adapts to the user's surrounding environment.

Google I/O is an annual software developer-focused conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. The conference is scheduled to take place from May 18 to 20 this year.

Google I/O features highly technical, in-depth sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google APIs, Google Web Toolkit, App Engine, and more.

Google I/O was started in 2008. The format of the event is similar to that of the Google Developer Day.
Internet giant Google has invited artists to create murals in a bid to make its data centres a bit interesting.

"Because these buildings typically aren't much to look at, people usually don't, and rarely learn about the incredible structures and people who make so much of modern life possible," Joe Kava, the VP of Google's data centers, wrote on the project's website.

Google plans to expand the Data Center Mural Project to include other massive data buildings in Dublin and Council Buffs, Iowa, the Verge reports.
Despite growing differences between India and China, both on the strategic as well as on economic front, Union Finance Minister has said both nations have an 'evolving relationship' and expressed hope that the bilateral ties between New Delhi and Beijing improves in the long run.

"China and India have an evolving relationship. Today, both India and China have an issue of border, but apart from that we are neighbours. The economic and trade relationship between both countries have grown immensely," he said in an exclusive interview to ETV head Jagdish Chandra.

"We are always hoping to have a better bilateral relationship and to always develop the economic ties. It, however, depends on the statesmanship of both the countries," he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to India from September 17 to 19, 2014. During the visit, President Xi Jinping met with President Pranab Mukherjee and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A total of 16 agreements were signed during the visit in various sectors including, commerce and trade, railways, space-cooperation, pharmaceuticals, audiovisual co-production, culture, establishment of industrial parks, sister-city arrangements etc. The two sides also signed an MoU to open an additional route for Kailash MansarovarYatra through Nathu La. The Chinese side agreed to establish two Chinese Industrial Parks in India and expressed their intention to enhance Chinese investment in India.

Prime Minister Modi visited China from May 14 to 16 last year. The visit was rich in symbolism and substance and it opened up a new chapter in India-China relations.

There were 24 agreements signed on the government-to-government side, 26 MoUs on the business-to-business side and two joint statements, including one on climate change.

Trade and economic relationship between India and China has seen rapid progress in the last few years. India-China bilateral trade, which was as low as US$ 2.92 billion in 2000, reached US$ 41.85 billion in 2008, thereby making China the largest trading partner of India in goods.

As per provisional data by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, India-China bilateral trade stood at US$ 70.4 billion by 2015. India's exports to China touched US$ 8.86 billion whereas China's exports were US$ 61.54 billion.

However, India still faces a growing trade deficit vis-a-vis China. In 2015, the trade deficit stood at US $52.67 billion. Apart from trade, India is also one of the largest markets for project exports from China.

Currently, the projects under execution are estimated at over US $63 billion. As per Chinese figures, the cumulative Chinese investments into India till December 2014 stood at US$ 2.763 billion while Indian investments into China were US $0.564 billion.
Kriti Sanon, who is leaving no stone unturned to perfect her role for the upcoming flick 'Raabta,' has reportedly injured her ankle while shooting an action sequence.

According to media reports, the 25-year-old actress, who was shooting in the Hungarian city, sustained injuries while sprinting across the roof of a castle. She lost her grip and as a result, crashed into the safety mat, twisting her ankle in the process.

The actress has been advised rest for a couple of days.

Directed by Dinesh Vijan, the upcoming flick, which also stars Sushant Singh Rajput, is slated to hit the theatres on February 10, 2017.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has claimed to arrest a man in connection with the murder of LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Tonoy Fahim.

Deputy Commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Maruf Hossain Sorder said that Shariful Islam was arrested from Kushtia last night, reports the Daily Star.

Unidentified assailants hacked to death Xulhaz and Tonoy at a flat in the capital's Kalabagan area on April 25.

Xulhaz was a Political Process Analyst at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and also the editor of "Roopbaan," the country's only known magazine for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

According to the US-based monitoring agency SITE Intelligence Group, Bangladesh branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) or Ansar Al Islam has claimed responsibility for the killings.

The Bangladesh Government has, however, denied the existence of Islamic State or AQIS in the country and claimed that the killings were masterminded by 'home-grown Islamist radicals'.

Xulhaz's death adds to the list of the recent killings of secular writers, online activists and liberal publishers in Bangladesh for being vocal about their opinions in the Muslim- majority country.
State owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) conducted a mega medical camp at tribal village Korbongpara under Champabari ADC Village in West Tripura district.

The camp is part of the ONGC's corporate social responsibility jointly with Tribal Engineers Society to develop Korbongpara as a model village.

More than 250 villagers, all from tribal section, from Korbongpara and nearby villages got free treatment and medicines in the camp organised in association with All India SC and ST Employees' Welfare Association, ONGC Tripura chapter.

A medical team consisting of doctors from various departments examined the patient's from various ages for diseases like malaria, viral fever, typhoid, dysentery, skin disease, anaemia, dental and respiratory diseases.

Most of the villagers were very glad getting free treatment facility along free medicines at their door step.

The medical team also educated the villagers on health, hygiene and sanitation related issues and common health hazards.

The medical camp was very well received and was major success in building inroads between ONGC and the civilians of remote areas.

Along with the mega health camp, the foundation stone for ONGC model village at Korbongpara was laid today by Radha Charan Debbarma, CEM, TTAADC, in the presence of Niranjan Debbarma, MLA, V K Gupta, officiating Asset Manager, ONGC Tripura Asset and other dignitaries.

ONGC Tripura Asset had earlier signed an MoU with Tribal Engineers Society to develop Korbongpara as a model village.

The Korbong community is well known as a vanishing tribe of Tripura with only 18 families in that village. The only other place where the community is living is at Lembukcherra under Teliamura.

ONGC Officiating Asset Manager V K Gupta expressed that ONGC wants to be partner in the progress of Tripura and hence the model village project has been planned to ensure sustainable development through various income generation support apart from providing infrastructural facilities such as community centre, market shed, irrigation facilities, etc.

"Under the project, ONGC will provide a total financial assistance of Rs. 57.71 Lakh in four equal instalments for providing community centre, market shed, sanitation, drinking water and irrigation facilities, education, health care for one year along with income generation support to the villagers of Korbongpara," said Gupta.

"The livelihoods of the inhabitants of the village will be developed through fish culture, duck rearing, goat rearing, piggery farm and cross bred milk cow schemes," he added.

The villagers applauded the efforts of ONGC for conducting free medical camp in the far flung and remote areas and urged the organization to organize more such camps in the future.

"We generally have to cover long distance for getting treatment but often do not find the doctor there. Here we got free treatment and also medicines and it is a great help for us," said Rabiham Korbong, a villager.

Another villager Sacherani Debbarma said, "I got treatment for back pain and the doctor examined me free and gave medicine. I am hopefully that shall be cured by that."

ONGC Tripura Asset has regularly taken and supported initiatives to supplement the efforts of state government especial in remote areas and during natural calamities and epidemics.
Pakistan has resumed laying barbed wire at selected locations along its border with Afghanistan after the Torkham border crossing was reopened.

Personnel of the army's engineering corps resumed the work yesterday after the Torkham border crossing was reopened on Friday evening, reports the Dawn.

The Inspector General of the Frontier Corps, Major General Mazhar Shaheen, visited the border crossing and observed the situation there.

He instructed the border guards to show courtesy to the people crossing over between the two countries with strict vigil on the movement of suspect people.

Shaheen also handed over cash prizes to the border guards, who worked overtime during which the Torkham border crossing remained closed.

Due to the four-day closure, great rush was seen at the crossing in the morning as hundreds of Afghan nationals flocked since being stranded.

According to officials, the recently-installed human scanning machine remained busy throughout the day. Restaurants, markets and offices of clearing agents in the area also reopened on Saturday.
Shedding the extra kilos is difficult and keeping it off over years is even harder, but a team of researchers has found one group that has defied the trend of regaining weight.

The research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus demonstrated the effectiveness of long-term participation in a national weight-loss program.

The investigators followed over 65,000 overweight or obese people who joined Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) between 2005 to 2010. In the first year, half of participants in the nonprofit weight-loss support group had significant weight loss.

Of the patients with significant weight loss in the first year who participated in a second year, 80 percent kept off the weight. Each year, during years three to seven, roughly 90 percent of patients who continued participation in the program maintained their weight loss.

The researchers concluded that after one year of significant weight loss, consistent participation in the program helped participants sustain their new healthy weight.

"Maintaining long-term weight loss is a critical challenge in treating obesity and related problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease," said lead author Nia S. Mitchell, adding "Just losing the weight isn't enough. Since the benefits of weight loss disappear when weight creeps back on, we need more research into effective strategies for maintaining a healthier weight once it is reached."

Mitchell concluded that further studies of the TOPS program should examine which populations will succeed at weight loss and weight-loss maintenance and determine factors that can improve sustainable weight loss and maintenance.

The study will be presented at the SGIM 2016 Annual Meeting.
A day after he wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding a court-monitored SIT to take forward the probe into the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday asserted that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor should have been taken into custodial interrogation by now, adding it showed the snail pace of the entire probe.

"I have been in touch with Rajnath ji since July 2014 and whatever forward movement has taken place so far, it's because he has been taking precaution to see that no political interference takes place. He has told the Police Commissioner not to allow any politician to intervene, as it could block the progress of the investigation," Swamy told ANI.

Stressing that there has been no progress in the case since the FBI report in January, Swamy added that the main factor to be noted was that Tharoor, Sunanda's husband, has been giving contradictory statements to the police.

"He is the principal person, who was witness to whether she was dead or alive. He is the husband and there are many such situations that he has to explain. He should have by now been taken into custodial interrogation or be made to take a lie detector test or a narco test but nothing has happened," Swamy said.

He further said that there is no accused in the case even though it was a murder and warned that the evidences would go cold if the police delays the probe into the matter.

Adding that it will be appropriate if the case was subjected to a court monitored SIT, the BJP leader asserted that he would ensure the investigation is speedily completed.

"The murder happened in January 2014 and we still don't have a clue in 2016...that cannot go on," Swamy said.

The BJP leader, who has been crying foul over Sunanda's death of Pushkar, had earlier alleged that the wife of the Congress leader was killed in a professional way.

Sunanda was found dead inside her suite at a five-star hotel here in January 2014, a day after she was involved in a spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over the latter's alleged affair with Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Her viscera samples were sent to the FBI lab in Washington DC in February last year to determine the kind of poison that killed her after an AIIMS medical board identified poisoning as the reason behind her death.

The FBI had endorsed the AIIMS report on poisoning and also said that a "dangerous chemical" was present in her body that may have killed her.

Swamy had earlier written two letters - one in July 2014 and another in December 2014 - to the Home Minister in this regard.
Eighty-seven years old Kanubhai Ramdas Gandhi, grandson of who is living with his 85-year old wife Dr Shiva Lakshmi Gandhi at Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram in Delhi's Badarpur area, on Sunday said he is a very old follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding those days Congress president Sonia Gandhi was against them.

"I am a very old follower of the Prime Minister, and he still remembers the help I had extended to him. Those days Congress president Sonia Gandhi was against us (PM Modi and Kanubhai)," said Gandhi's grandson, who spoke to Prime Minister Modi in Gujarati over phone.

When asked he spoke to the Prime Minister and the government responded quickly considering his situation, how he felt, he responded, "I am happy and after speaking to this bhai (Union Minister Mahesh Sharma), I am feeling happier."

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma in the evening paid a visit to Kanubhai and his wife at the Ashram and facilitated a conversation between Gandhi's grandson and the Prime Minister over phone.

He also inquired about their health and requirements.

Sharma, who cut short his visit to Kerala for campaign, told reporters, "When this report was flashed through the media that Kanubhai Gandhi and Shiva Lakshmi are living in this old age home, the Prime Minister directed me to come here and to submit a report on circumstances, expectations and requirements of Kanubhai."

Sharma further said that he was happy that he could make Kanubhai talk to the Prime Minister. "They talked for good five-six minutes in a very cheerful atmosphere. They refreshed their memories of the past in a very jovial mood. I am happy that the Prime Minister suggested me to submit a report and then he would take a call.
Actor Sonu Sood, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming adventure flick 'Kung Fu Yoga,' has jet off to Mumbai after wrapping up the film's Beijing shoot.

Sharing a picture, the 42-year-old actor tweeted, "Life is a Journey..not a Destination! Beijing to Mumbai.. Here I come."

The 'Happy New Year' actor further wrote, "Bye Bye Beijing will c u soon."

Directed by Stanley Tong, the upcoming multi-lingual action, which also stars Hollywood actor Jackie Chan, Amyra Dastur, Disha Patani, Aarif Rahman and Jain kumar, will hit the theatres this year.
The Gujarat Police on Sunday arrested three persons in connection with the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia's cousin Bharat and two others in Surat.

The three were stabbed to death by unidentified men yesterday.

Bharat is the brother of Praful Togadia who is a Congress candidate as well as the leader of Opposition of Surat Municipal Corporation.

Babu Hirani and Ashok Patel are the other two who were stabbed to death by unknown people on Saturday. One Mahesh Radadiya was seriously injured in the attack.

All entry and exit points in Surat have been blocked post the incident.
The Chinese Defense Ministry has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to a Pentagon report on Beijing's military, saying it has misrepresented the country's military development.

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun asserted that the U.S. Defense Department hyped up China's military threat and the so-called lack of transparency deliberately distorted China's defense policies and unfairly depicted the country's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Xinhua quoted Yang as saying.

Asserting that the U.S. side has always been suspicious, Yang stressed that China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes. He said it helps fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

The Defense Ministry spokesman instead said that it was Washington that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region.

He added that despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the U.S. pushed forward the militarization in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony.

Yang said the U.S. annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides.

He urged the U.S. to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between both nations and their armed forces

The U.S. Defense Department's annual report to Congress on the Chinese military said that Beijing is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year.
The liquor association in Uttar Pradesh today staged a protest in Lucknow against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's move to ban liquor in the state.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the liquor association's general secretary, said that they would show black flags and raise slogans asking the Bihar Chief Minister to 'go back'.

"Uttar Pradesh liquor association is protesting against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. We want to say that it is impossible to ban liquor here. There are around 27,000 shops of liquor in UP and around 20 lakh people are in the business. A ban on liquor sale will affect the livelihood of all these people," he added.

He further said that the ban would incur loss to the state revenue.

Following the prohibition on country made liquor in the state, the Bihar Government banned liquor last month, making it the fourth dry state in the country after Gujarat, Kerala and Nagaland.

The Bihar Chief Minister had earlier said that hotels and bars would not serve alcohol anymore and no license will be given, while adding that Army canteens will continue to sell alcohol.

During the assembly elections, Nitish had promised to start a people's movement against liquor in the state and ensure that the ban on liquor is effectively implemented.

In 2014-15, the excise collection from the liquor in the state was Rs. 3,700 crore while the target for 2015-16 was set at Rs. 4,000 crore.
Air India Express on Sunday started direct services from the national capital to the UAE, with the first flight to Dubai being flagged off by chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani.

"The inaugural flight to Dubai, IX 141, took off with 166 passengers from New Delhi at 9.05 a.m. on Sunday. The daily flight to Abu Dhabi will be effective Monday," Air India Express said in a statement.

The airline's direct flight from Delhi to the capital city, Abu Dhabi would begin from Monday.

Kochi-headquartered Air India Express will operate the two direct flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi daily. New Boeing 737-800 aircraft with capacity to carry 189 passengers are being deployed.

--IANS

bc/vd
Belgian police have asked citizens to shun Facebook's "Reactions" buttons to protect their privacy, the media reported on Sunday.

In February, five new "Reaction" buttons were added next to the "Like" button to allow people to display responses like sad, wow, angry, love and haha.

According to alarabiya.net, police said Facebook is able to use the tool to tell when people are likely to be in a good mood -- and then decide when is the best time to show them ads.

"The icons help not only express your feelings, they also help Facebook assess the effectiveness of the ads on your profile," a post on Belgian's official police website read.

The feature was launched in response to the demand for a 'dislike' button.

According to a recent study, the additional "Reaction" buttons have failed to charm users.

The study by social media analytics and benchmarking tool for professionals Quintly found that "Reaction" emoticons are underused till date.

Quintly filtered 130,000 posts and found that users rarely take the time to give their opinion about a post and prefer to simply "Like" it and scroll on, techtimes.com reported last week.

"About 97 percent of interactions consist of likes, comments and shares. This simply shows how little the other reactions are used," the findings showed.

The study indicated that videos obtain up to 40 percent more "Reactions" than images. Users tend to use the "wow" reaction much more when dealing with videos.

The "angry" reaction was used twice as much with video content when pitted against image content.

--IANS

na/py/vt
West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday sought to justify his calling a section of Jadavpur University female students "shameless" even as his remarks continued to attract widespread outrage.

"The male students wear women undergarments while female students put up sanitary napkins to voice their protest, they publicly kiss each other in the name of protest. Is this decency? Is this what we want our next generation to learn," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader was referring to the twin protests in 2015 - the 'sanitary pad' campaign against rape and sexism and the "Kiss of Love" against moral policing, undertaken by a section of varsity students.

"I have used the language that suits them. If what they (students) do is decency, then I have used apt language for them," added Ghosh, who, in response to charges of molestation brought against ABVP activists during a scuffle in the varsity over the screening of Vivek Agnihotri's film "Buddha in A Traffic Jam" on May 6, wondered why female students were present during the clash.

The clashes were between activists of RSS student wing ABVP and Left-leaning students.

"Those who fear so much for their modesty, why did they go there? This is shamelessness. Making such allegations (of molestation) is very cheap. These girls don't deserve to be supported. They intentionally threw themselves on others and are now blaming others," Ghosh had said on Saturday.

His remarks have been widely slammed.

"If the BJP and the RSS have any kind of morality then they should seek apology from the women folk of our country," said state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

"Foul-mouthed BJP state leaders habitual comment is nothing unusual! It's in complete consonance with the Taliban mindset of the RSS," tweeted CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra.

--IANS

and/vd
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday renamed the Bengaluru city station after Karnataka's 19th century revolutionary freedom fighter and warrior Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people across the state.

Born on August 15, 1798, Rayanna, then ruler of Kittur in Belagavi fought against the British East India Company till he was killed in 1832.

The 33-year-old Rayanna participated in the 1824 rebellion and was captured and hanged to death from a banyan tree at Nandagad in Belagavi district on January 26, 1832.

The South Western Railway (SWR) has installed Rayanna's bust at the main station entrance, with a plaque having his picture and a brief biographical account.

On the request of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and central minister Ananth Kumar, who represents the Bengaluru South seat in Lok Sabha, Prabhu agreed to consider installing a tall statute of Rayanna in front of the station and ensure the warrior's full name would be printed on tickets in place of "KSR" currently.

"We will also publish an article on Rayanna in our on-board magazine 'Railway Bandhu' and bring out a booklet for passengers on him, recounting his patriotism, nationalism and sacrifice for the country' freedom," Prabhu said.

--IANS

fb/vd
At a time when privacy has become a major issue, scientists from Germany have developed a Google Glass-based biometric system that uses the skull to provide access to devices.

Computer scientists from the University of Saarland and the University of Stuttgart in Germany has introduced a new system "SkullConduct" which uses the skull to provide a digital access code which could be used to secure smartphones.

"Eyewear computers such as Google Glass are already being used in companies and universities, for helping with physics experiments and in chemistry labs, documenting medical examinations and assisting pediatricians during operations," said Andreas Bulling from the Cluster of Excellence at the Saarland University.

"Not only may the users have no hands free to enter a password, they often share a Google Glass among each other and save sensitive data on the device," Bulling explained.

The researchers used components of the Google Glass such as miniature microphone, and bone conduction speaker, which is embedded in the frame near the right ear.

Using bone conduction, it transmits sounds to the ear in the same way as special hearing aids do. It directs sound vibrations through the surrounding skull bone directly to the inner ear.

"Because the skull is individual, the sound signal is changed in a way which is unique for every person. Hence, we can use it as a biometric identifier," Bulling added.

The new method showed an accuracy of 97 percent.

The researchers reported details of the method at the conference "Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)" recently held in San Jose, California.

--IANS

sku/py/dg
With Kerala set to elect a new assembly on Monday, the performance of the BJP-BDJS alliance is being keenly watched -- because it may ultimately decide who wins the electoral battle.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting the election in alliance with the recently floated Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the political wing of the Hindu Ezhava leader Vellapalli Natesan.

The BJP is contesting 98 and the BDJS 37 of the 140 seats.

Although CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechuri has predicted a zero tally for the BJP-BDJS alliance, he has hinted at a "match fixing" between the Congress and the newly formed combine.

Although it has never won an assembly or Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, the BJP doubled the total number of seats in last year's local body polls to around 1,100 as compared to 2010.

Its vote share also touched 14 per cent.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vote share touched 10.83 per cent, up from 6.03 per cent in the 2011 assembly polls.

In the 2011 assembly polls, the BJP contested 139 of the 140 seats and finished runners up in three constituencies. All three candidates got more than 40,000 votes. In the rest the BJP finished a poor third.

In 18 assembly constituencies in 2011, BJP candidates got between 10,000 and 19,000 votes, two got more than 20,000 votes and the rest had to be content with less than 10,000 votes.

Now with the alliance between the BJP and BDJS, Sobha Surendran, the BJP woman leader locked in a fierce triangular fight in Palakkad, told IANS that the CPI-M will be the biggest looser in the election.

The BDJS claims the support of the Hindu Ezhava community that forms more than 50 per cent of the 1.82 crore Hindu population in Kerala.

All these years, a huge majority of the Ezhavas voted for the Left Democratic Front. This could change this time, and this factor is making the Congress-led UDF happy too.

The best showing for the BDJS could come from Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts.

And the BJP is sure that with the BDJS' help, the 'lotus' will finally bloom in Kerala.

--IANS

sg/mr
An organisation of journalists in Jharkhand on Sunday demanded a probe either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the murders of four scribes ever since the state was formed in November 2000.

"The killing of four journalists in Jharkhand since 2000 points towards the law and order situation. The state government should either hand over these cases to the CBI or constitute a Special Investigation Team to crack these," Jharkhand Journalists Association president president Shahnawaz Hassan said.

He said police should arrest the culprits to instil confidence among the journalists in the state.

Hassan said no arrest has been made in the murder of journalist Inderdeo Yadav alias Akhilesh Singh, who was gunned down by unidentified miscreants in Chatra district on Thursday night.

It was only after a hue and cry by the journalists' fraternity that police began interrogating a suspect.

Journalists murdered earlier in Jharkhand included Pramod Kumar Munna and Adhir Rai, who were killed in the temple town of Deoghar, and Nalin Mishra of Ranchi.

--IANS

ns/tsb/vt
Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly has been honoured with the Harvey Milk Award here. She has dedicated it to two Bangladeshi activists who were murdered and said she wants to share it with Indian LGBT activists.

The award is in the name of Harvey Bernard Milk, an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Celina, who looked ravishing in an all black dress, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a photograph of herself being feted with the award.

She was flanked by Charles Radcliffe of the UN Human Rights Commission and Milk's inspiring nephew, Stuart Milk.

In an emotional speech on Saturday evening, she said she was dedicating the award to two Bangladeshi Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendre, Queer or Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI) activists who were brutally murdered.

As people heard her with moist eyes, she said she did not want credit for something that is born of a collective process.

She also announced that she wants to share the medal with Radcliffe and prominent Indian LGBT activists: Ashok Row Kavi, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohail, Sridhar Rangayan, Harish Iyer, The Naz Foundation, Humsafar Trust and Geeta Kumana.

--IANS

dc/nn/mr
A suspect who allegedly killed six people was caught in China's Heilongjiang province, after being on the run for 25 years, police said on Sunday.

The man admitted to have hacked a family of six to death with an axe in Raohe county in March 1991, following a small dispute, Xinhua news agency reported.

The man and his wife were arrested last week in Xinjiang Uygur region, police added.

The case is still under investigation.

--IANS

ksk
A former CIA agent has confirmed that the US agency was behind the arrest of Nelson Mandela that sent him to jail for 27 long years.

Two weeks before "unrepentant" 88-year-old Donald Rickard died, the CIA spy confessed to filmmaker John Irvin that his tip led to Mandela's arrest, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

Rickard defended the arrest of South Africa's most wanted man in 1962, which he said was necessary to capture "the world's most dangerous Communist outside of the Soviet Union".

Rickard, who was officially working as US vice consul in the South African city of Durban then, said he learned Mandela was on his way to Natal, travelling between Johannesburg and Durban.

"I found out when and how he was coming... that's where I was involved and that's where Mandela was caught," said Rickard, according to France24.

The former spy, however, did not explain how he received the information, but said he believed Mandela was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union, a toy of the Communists" and about "to incite" the people of Natal into a mass rebellion against the apartheid regime.

"Natal was a cauldron at the time," said Rickard, "and Mandela would have welcomed a war. If the Soviets had come in force, the US would have had to get involved, and things could have gone to hell.

"We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it," he added.

The arrest led to Mandela spending almost 28 years in prison before becoming South Africa's first post-apartheid president in 1994, and one of the most revered human rights activists in history.

Filmmaker Irvin is recreating Mandela's final months leading up to the arrest in the biopic "Mandela's Gun". He plans on previewing his production during this week's Cannes festival.

--IANS

ahm/mr
A Delhi Police head constable shot himself dead at the official residence of Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati here on Sunday night, police said.

Identified as Brij Pal, the head constable used his service gun to commit suicide around 10.30 p.m. at 6, Akabar Road residence of the union minister.

He was immediately rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where he was declared dead.

Police were trying to ascertain the reasons behind the head constable's extreme step.

--IANS

rak/vr
Former London mayor and leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson sparked fury on Sunday after he compared the European Union (EU) to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.

His remarks, viewed by Remain campaigners as inflammatory, fuelled a war of words in both camps, with some 'Leave' members of Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street cabinet leaping to Johnson's defence.

Johnson made his remarks in an article in the Sunday Telegraph in which he warned that while bureaucrats in Brussels are using "different methods" from the Nazi dictator, they share the aim of unifying Europe under one authority.

Johnson said the past 2,000 years of European history had been characterised by repeated attempts to unify Europe under a single government, Xinhua news agency reported.

He says the EU's "disastrous" failures have fuelled tensions between member states and allowed Germany to grow in power, "take over" the Italian economy and "destroy" Greece.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe." said Johnson, adding : "There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

His comments led to an immediate row between anti- and pro-EU campaigners, with fellow Conservative and cabinet minister Chris Grayling saying: "Boris is a historian. He was doing a piece of historical analysis."

In a media interview in London later Grayling said he was concerned that if Britons vote to stay in the EU, "10 years down the road there are clear plans to create a federation in the Eurozone which will dominate, it will look like the United States of Europe".

Other senior Conservatives backing 'Brexit' also rallied to support Boris Johnson.

Former Conservative cabinet ministers Iain Duncan Smith and Lord Lamont, as well as Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, defended Johnson's comments.

Johnson, seen by many as a successor to David Cameron as Conservative leader, put pressure on Cameron by challenging him to a face-to-face television debate.

Leading opposition politicians from the Labour party attacked Johnson's remarks. Hilary Benn, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, said Johnson's comparison of the EU to the Third Reich was "offensive and desperate".

Benn said: "Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass. After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate."

Labour MP John Mann said Johnson should be sacked from the Vote Leave campaign, saying on social media on Sunday that "Boris Johnson's absurd and offensive Hitler comments mean he should immediately be sacked from the leave campaign".

As the June 23 national referendum gets closer, both sides are expected to win supporters, with pollsters saying the in and out camps neck-and-neck.

--IANS

vr/
The CBI on Sunday arrested union home ministry official Anand Joshi, who had gone missing after the agency issued him summons following corruption allegations.

"Based on the information of his movements, raids were conducted and Joshi was detained from Tilak Nagar in west Delhi around 5 p.m. today (Sunday). He was taken to the CBI headquarters (in Delhi) and was arrested after questioning," Central Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Devpreet Singh told IANS.

The official said that Joshi was trying to evade CBI questioning regarding information on charges against him. "His family is also not cooperating in the investigation."

The CBI booked Joshi, an under secretary, earlier this month on charge of corruption and asked him to appear for questioning. Joshi subsequently went missing.

Home ministry sources earlier said that Joshi, recently posted in the foreigners division, had access to files related to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and was under the scanner for several months. He was reported to the CBI after it was confirmed that he was allegedly taking bribes to favour certain NGOs.

Joshi was also indulging in other alleged illegal activities and arbitrarily issuing notices to a large number of non-governmental organisations and societies registered under the FCRA who had been receiving significant foreign contributions.

Joshi is said to have demanded and obtained illegal gratification from some of these organisations, which was laundered through various immovable assets as well as certain private companies.

The accused official was also accused of being responsible for some files related to Teesta Setalvad's NGO Sabrang Trust going amiss from the ministry a few months back. The files were later traced to the officer and restored.

Joshi along with some unknown people has been booked on charge of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The CBI had seized certain incriminating documents, including files pertaining to the MHA and ministry of information and broadcasting, from his residential and office premises.

--IANS

rak/tsb/dg
The Islamic States (IS) militant group continues to plot deadly suicide bombing attacks in Iraq.

According to UN Assistance Mission, the country has been witnessing some of the worst violence in years, turning many cities and towns into veritable hell.

In the mission's latest estimate, 1,119 Iraqis were killed and 1,561 injured because of terrorism, violence and armed conflict across Iraq last month alone.

The momentum continues in May, and the last week saw high casualties caused by suicide attacks and car bombing, mostly in northern and western Iraq seized by the IS since June 2014, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Saturday, five policemen were killed and 14 injured in three suicide bombings by the IS in Iraq's western province of Anbar.

On Friday, three gunmen in a civilian car attacked a cafe in Iraq's northern town of Balad, killing 13 people and injuring 25.

The attacks followed a series of car bombing in Baghdad on Wednesday that killed at least 96 and wounded 171 people.

On Wednesday, an IS militant detonated his car bomb in the predominantly Shia district of Sadr city, leaving at least 64 killed and 87 wounded.

A massive blast occurred when a booby-trapped car went off at a popular outdoor market in the Shia bastion of Sadr city. Most of the victims were women and children.

Only hours later, another suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car at the crowded square of Adan at the entrance of the holy Shia district of Kadhmiyah in northern Baghdad, leaving 17 people dead and 43 wounded.

At the same time, another car bomb ripped through al-Jami'a district in western Baghdad, killing at least 12 people and wounding 31 others.

Following the explosions, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate investigation.

He said the armed forces will intensify intelligence work to prevent the sleeper cells from moving within cities and carrying out bombings against citizens, vowing to bring the terrorist group to justice.

The UAE on Thursday condemned the "terrorist massacres".

It declared solidarity with Iraq against organised terrorist attacks which target its religious and cultural institutions, as well as its rich civilisation, WAM reported.

The Iraqi army is battling the IS in the country's western and northern regions, vowing to retake Mosul, the second largest city, by the end of this year.

In retaliation, IS militants waged a wave of bombing attacks across the country, in an attempt to spark sectarian conflicts.

However, the military operations were impeded by a political crisis as parties could not reach a compromise on a government reshuffle.

--IANS

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A man was killed and another critically injured on Sunday in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri after a mob thrashed them on the suspicion of stealing a goat, police said.

The incident happened in the Damdim tea estate in the district and comes days after a 24-year-old ITI student in Diamond Harbour of South 24 Parganas district was lynched on Monday by a mob accusing him of being a cattle thief.

According to the police, four people were trying to put a goat inside a car when locals saw and chased them. While two of them managed to escape, the mob thrashed the other two killing one of them and critically injuring another.

--IANS

and/vd
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed at Iran on Sunday for holding its annual Holocaust denial cartoon contest, charging that Tehran was "preparing another Holocaust" against the Jewish people.

Iran "denies the Holocaust, mocks the Holocaust, and is preparing another Holocaust", he told ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office, according to Times of Israel.

"I think all the countries of the world need to stand up and condemn this unequivocally," he said.

Israel's problem with Iran, he said, "isn't just its subversive, aggressive policy in the region. It's the values on which it's based".

Iran's annual international cartoon contest lampooning the Holocaust features around 150 works from 50 countries. It began Saturday and is running for the next two weeks.

The contest secretary said on Saturday it was not denying the Nazi genocide and was not "ridiculing its victims", but then went on to equate Nazi crimes with Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

--IANS

ahm/dg
All the PMK candidates including its chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss urged the Election Commission to postpone Monday's assembly polls temporarily due to large-scale bribing of voters.

"PMK's 229 candidates have petitioned the Election Commission to postpone the elections. The petition is being emailed to the Commission by the candidates individually," PMK leader and former MP K.Dhanaraju told IANS on Sunday.

According to PMK, this perhaps for the first time in the Indian electoral history, all the candidates from political party is demanded postponement of the election.

"We could have asked for postponement two days back. We thought the money distribution will not be on a large scale. Today all the check-posts for checking the vehicles for unaccounted money were unmanned. There were free flow of money from the parties to the voters," Dhanaraju claimed.

Meanwhile in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, Ramadoss said: "Since there is huge money distribution across all the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, we request you to temporarily postpone the elections in all the constituencies.

"The nomination of all the AIADMK and DMK candidates who have indulged in distribution of money should be nullified," he added.

Ramadoss also urged the poll body to depute officers from other states to conduct the election in a free and fair manner with the help of paramilitary forces.

According to Ramadoss, his party candidates have confiscated the money distributed by DMK and AIADMK candidates and handed them over to Election Commission officers.

"Instead of filing a complaint and taking necessary action against the offender (AIADMK and DMK candidates), a case has been filed against the PMK candidate who complained," Ramadoss said in his letter.

The PMK had nominated its candidates for all the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

However the nominations of the two candidates were rejected while three others switched sides (two joined AIADMK and one joined DMK).

On Saturday, the Election Commission postponed balloting to May 23 in Aravakurichi constituency in Karur district as it was satisfied that the electoral process had been vitiated due to bribery by political parties.

--IANS

vj/vd
Protests have erupted across China against changes in the university entrance system.

The protesters, comprising mainly of parents, are rallying against reforms to the quota system for higher education, which now assigns universities in city centres to admit students from outside provinces, leaving less places for aspiring locals, EFE news reported on Sunday.

Video clips posted on various social networks on Saturday and Sunday show a number of protesting groups gathered in front of the provincial government office in Jiangsu, Nanking, where demonstrators have been for days shouting "We want the governor!".

Other images, also published in social and Chinese media, show thousands marching in the streets accompanied by a strong police presence, while some protesters can be seen being taken away by agents.

The civil unrest stems from educational reforms that change the criteria to gain competitive access to Chinese universities.

The plan, proposed by the ministry of and the economic planning body of the government, aims to find more opportunities for students from the poorest provinces of the country to attend universities in prosperous areas, where the prestigious schools are located.

Although opportunities to study at Chinese universities are growing, the seven million places available are considered insufficient for the nine-million plus students who take the university entrance exams known as Gaokao, or 'big test' each year.

--IANS

ksk/dg
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has met Britain's Minister of State for Culture, Communications & Creative Industries Ed Vaizey and other key stakeholders in the international film industry at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival here.

The purpose of the meetings was to apprise them about the new initiatives taken by the Indian government in the films sector and the myriad opportunities available for the global film industry in India, read an official statement.

During the interaction, Rathore and Vaizey discussed participation of Britain in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), held annually in Goa.

Rathore also met Jerome Paillard, executive director of Marche Du Film, Cannes Film Festival, and Cameron Bailey, artistic director of Toronto International Film Festival.

During a brief, half-hour interaction, Rathore apprised them about IFFI and sought their engagement and involvement to take it to greater heights in the near future and in league with the other global film festivals.

Rathore also met Carolle Brabant, CEO, Telefilm Canada, and discussed strategies to promote co-production between India and Canada. India has a co-production and promotion agreement with Telefilm Canada.

In a meeting with Kevin Clark, executive director, Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), Rathore discussed the inclusion of the recently established Film Facilitation Office (FFO) in India in the AFCI network for the betterment of the Indian film industry.

AFCI is a non-profit educational organisation constituting worldwide network of more than 300 commissions spread across six continents.

--IANS

ank/nn/vt
Actor Simbu-starrer Tamil romantic-comedy "Idhu Namma Aalu", which has been postponed a number of times, has been deferred once again. The film, set to release on May 20, will now hit the screens on May 27.

"Due to the Tamil Nadu assembly elections on May 16 and vote count on May 19, some distributors felt May 20 may not be an ideal day to release the film. Hence, the release has been pushed by a week," a source from the film unit told IANS.

Directed by Pandiraj, the film also stars Nayanthara, Soori, Andrea and Adah Sharma. It has music by Kuralarasan.

Simbu also awaits the release of Tamil romantic-drama "Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada".

--IANS

hp/nn/mr
The South African presidency on Sunday denied the imminent arrest of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

The presidency has noted the story in the Sunday Times alleging an imminent arrest of Gordhan, presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

The newspaper claimed that Gordhan could soon be arrested after anti-crime unit, the Hawks, reportedly handed a docket over to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for his involvement in the SA Revenue Service's (SARS') "rogue unit" which was allegedly spying on taxpayers during his time as SARS' commissioner during 1999 and 2009, according to Xinhua.

"We have also noted the response of law enforcement agencies which have swiftly denied the rumour," Ngqulunga said.

It is clear therefore that the story is the work of dangerous information peddlers who wish to cause confusion and mayhem in the country, he said.

Zuma and the whole of government are focused on the goal of reigniting economic growth, preserving existing jobs and creating more jobs through working together with business and labour, Ngqulunga said.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the NPA, Luvuyo Mfaku, also claimed that no decision has been made to prosecute Gordhan and that the matter remained under investigation.

Gordhan has said the so-called "rogue unit" was lawfully established to perform very important functions for and on behalf of SARS.

This was in line with tax laws which have always vested SARS with wide powers for the investigation of tax matters, including the investigation of crimes with tax implications, said Gordhan.

Gordhan was appointed by Zuma in early December last year to replace his predecessor Nhlanhla Nene.

--IANS

vr/
A British Royal Air Force aircraft carrying British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was banned from flying through Spanish airspace on its way to Gibraltar, British media revealed on Sunday.

The incident took place on Wednesday when the foreign secretary was heading to Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the south coast of Spain, to meet residents to ensure they do not support the country's exit from the EU in the June 23 referendum, the Sunday Express reported.

Spanish authorities were aware of Hammond being on board the plane but issued the ban anyway, forcing the RAF pilots to change course and fly via Portugal.

Madrid warned Gibraltar residents against voting for exiting the EU, promising to establish a blockade of the territory similar to the one enacted by Spanish dictator General Franco in 1969 which lasted until 1982, well past the general's death.

British military aircraft have been banned from flying through Spanish airspace if their final destination was Gibraltar since 1989.

Wednesday's reported demarche was accompanied by a refusal of Spanish Justice Minister Rafael Catala to attend a Downing Street reception arranged on the eve of an anti-corruption summit organised by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Gibraltar enjoys wide autonomy but its defense issues and foreign relations are taken care of in London.

Gibraltar has long been a bone of contention between Madrid and London. The seven-square-km territory with an estimated population of 30,000, situated at the very tip of the Iberian Peninsula, has been under British control since 1713.

--IANS

ahm/mr
The Bangladeshi police on Sunday arrested a key suspect in connection with the murders of an editor and his friend for which a "Bangladesh branch" of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility.

"The suspect, Shariful Islam Shihab, was detained from a western Bangladesh district," Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.

The police could not say whether Shihab was one of the five killers who were captured on camera while fleeing the crime scene. But it confirmed Shihab's involvement.

"We're questioning him to nab all the killers," said the official.

At least five machete-wielding assailants forcibly entered the house of Xulhaz Mannan, who used to edit "Rupban", Bangladesh's first magazine for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, on April 25 in Dhaka.

The assailants stabbed Mannan and his friend Tonoy Fahim indiscriminately, leaving them dead.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted killing Mannan, who previously worked as a protocol officer in the US embassy in Dhaka, and his friend for "anti-Islamic activities".

A number of secular writers, bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh have been killed or seriously injured in attacks perpetrated by Islamist extremists since 2013.

--IANS

py/mr
The Syrian army recaptured an Islamic State (IS)-held hospital in Deir al-Zour province.

The army on Saturday also freed doctors and nurses, who were taken hostage by the IS inside the Assad Hospital, a military source told Xinhua news agency reported .

Intense battles raged on Saturday morning between the Syrian army and the IS militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based watchdog said 26 Syrian soldiers were killed when the IS militants infiltrated the areas southwest of Deir al-Zour, after which the militants captured the hospital.

--IANS

ksk
Seven workers were buried alive when the wall at a construction site collapsed in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur town Saturday night, police said on Sunday.

Rescue workers pulled out an eighth man alive. The seven bodies were retrieved on Sunday morning.

The accident occurred when the wall at a shopping mall being built collapsed and the debris fell on a pit where 18 labourers were working.

Police, fire brigade and revenue personnel launched the rescue operations. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also joined the rescue effort.

The irate workers attacked the cars of an aide of Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu when he reached the scene.

The deceased include students who were working as construction workers during summer holidays to earn some money.

Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinnarajappa said action would be taken if it was proved that the negligence by the builder led to the collapse.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed at the Government Hospital at Guntur on Sunday as families of the dead workers staged a protest demanding compensation.

They insisted on an assurance by the government before allowing the autopsy to be conducted.

Leaders of opposition parties also joined the protest. They wanted the government to immediately pay Rs.20 lakh each to the families of the dead.

--IANS

ms/mr
The government's draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill has already become a subject of controversy. The introductory note highlights the intent, to establish guidelines for acquisition, dissemination, publication and distribution of geospatial data that is likely to affect the country's security, sovereignty and integrity.
In simple terms, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are flying cameras and delivery boys. If put to good use, the benefits are immense - for government, security agencies, companies, researchers, retailers and aviation enthusiasts. At the same time, its versatility, small size, and wide reach can be misused, leading to invasion of privacy, strategic or commercial espionage, collision with aircraft and ground assets, or even delivery of explosives and contraband, etc.
The assessment made by T N Ninan in his article, "Mr Modi's ministers" (May 14) regarding Finance Minister Arun Jailey's performance is unfair. Non-performing assets of banks have been around for long; they are not restricted to Jaitley's tenure as finance minister. He has tried to correct the situation, which his predecessors did not.

In the banking sector, the introduction of the Jan-Dhan Yojana during Jaitley's tenure was a great move aimed at bringing weaker sections into the monetary sector and enabling direct benefits transfer.

With regard to the "absurdly arbitrary tax orders" mentioned in the article, the government cannot instruct the adjudicator to pass an order in a particular way in an individual case. When a retrospective law has been passed and not revoked, officers cannot pass adjudication orders ignoring it. Some companies, particularly Vodafone, have made it a lobbying point, regardless of its merit.

Even Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has said - and this newspaper has reported it, too - that although Vodafone has not paid a single paise of the tax demanded of it, every time the government talks of a predictable tax structure, "we get Vodafone sort of flung back at us". This statement coming from a non-political economist deserves attention.

On the matter of not being able to get the Goods and Services Tax Bill passed, the onus is not on Jaitley alone; the Congress' recalcitrance and its insistence on fixing 18 per cent as the tax rate limit in the Constitution are responsible, too. Even former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has not supported the tax rate cap demand.

Sukumar Mukhopadhyay, New Delhi

Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201  E-mail: letters@bsmail.in All letters must have a postal address and telephone number
During a visit last week to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (pictured) said he was more concerned about the Ganga than the central government was. In a veiled attack on Modi, he told a gathering in the city that he was pained to see the Ganga's poor flow in the region. "Who is responsible for this situation," he asked. "We cannot imagine an India without the Ganga. But what is the reason behind interruptions in its flow?" During the 2014 election campaign Modi had promised to work for a clean Ganga and ensure enough water flowed into it.
Former Union law secretary T K Viswanathan, key architect of the just-enacted Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code and chairman of the Bankruptcy Law Reforms Committee, shares his views on the future of the legislation in an interview with Sudipto Dey. Edited excerpts:



Now that Parliament has cleared the Code, by when do you expect the new bankruptcy regime?



It can start functioning within a month. It is so structured that it need not wait for the entire infrastructure and eco-systems envisaged in the Code to be in place on day one. Section 241 (revised as 244 in the Code) provides for transitional arrangements, that until the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board is constituted or a financial sector regulator is designated under Clause 195, its powers shall be exercised by the central government. It also authorises the Centre to issue regulations for recognition of persons as insolvency professionals, insolvency professional agencies and information utilities under the Code.
In politics, symbolism is all. The escalating row over China's status in trade disputes is a case in point. Both the People's Republic and its foreign partners are attaching too much importance to the debate.

Beijing thinks it should be awarded "market economy status" as a seal of approval for the reforms it has made over the last few decades. Many European lawmakers think doing so would destroy jobs by opening the floodgates to cheap Chinese steel. In reality, neither side is right.

Despite the grand title, this is actually a technical argument over trade rules. Market economy status matters when it comes to deciding whether a country is "dumping" - exporting goods at below cost price. Nations deemed to be market economies can resist anti-dumping measures if they can show that domestic prices are no higher than the price at which goods are sold overseas. This makes it harder for trade partners to claim they are selling abroad at unfair prices.

China is pushing Western countries to give it the designation. But a global glut of cheap Chinese steel has galvanised political opposition. It is the main reason that the European Parliament on May 12 voted overwhelmingly to reject China's claim to market economy status. Though the vote is non-binding, it raises the stakes for the European Commission, which will decide whether China deserves to have its status upgraded.

Given the easy credit, free land and subsidised energy many Chinese state-owned companies enjoy it is hard to argue they are operating in a market economy. Besides, China has made little progress in reforming state-owned enterprises in recent years, despite promises to do so.

However, the political row overstates the importance of the matter. A mere 1.4 per cent of bilateral trade between China and the European Union (EU) is affected by the provision. And even if the EU were to grant China market economy status, the bloc could still tighten its guidelines on antidumping procedures to protect its domestic industry.

Heightened rhetoric from China and its trading partners is obscuring how little this provision really matters. The danger is that the symbolic debate will do serious damage to wider trade relations.
Some employees of Bajaj Auto Ltd in Pune have been reporting for duty since 2003 but the management has not been giving work to them. They have been sitting in the premises of the company all the while. This is because way back in 1991, they have been fighting a legal battle from the labour court to the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. The high court had upheld their retrenchment and many of them had accepted a voluntary retirement package. One of them was offered Rs 20 lakh but he rejected the offer. To end the deadlock, and considering their age factor, the Supreme Court has asked the company to pay Rs 10 lakh each to the surviving employees who are reporting for duty. The judgment, Ghanshyam vs Bajaj Auto, clarified that it should not be treated as a precedent, because the court was using its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to settle the matter.
The second anniversary of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre is fast approaching. Since Mr Modi took office as prime minister on May 26, 2014, his government has been at pains to communicate the work that it has been doing. But it was sworn in with such giant expectations following the unprecedented mandate that it received that some disappointment was perhaps inevitable. Its social policies have proved somewhat controversial, but many agree that the specific focus of the NDA government was to be economic - the resumption of a high growth path, and the creation of jobs. Judged on that front, how has the government performed? And is disappointment objectively justified?



There have certainly been many steps forward under the Modi government. Most importantly, steps have been taken to strengthen India's institutional structure in the area of economic policy. The agreement on a monetary policy framework signed with the Reserve Bank of India is one such. It would hopefully see India's monetary policy being set in a more predictable, institutionalised and broad-based manner. Some other major changes have been introduced recently. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has been passed by Parliament in the last session. Although much work remains to be done in creating the infrastructure and ecosystem that will give this ambitious reform support, it is a major and important step forward in improving the flexibility of capital. An agreement to amend India's decades-old double tax avoidance treaty with Mauritius has been signed recently - which, although it focuses only on shares, may help allay some of the fears that the capital pouring in through the island nation was simply "round-tripped" black money. Other measures have also been taken, especially on foreign direct investment - some long-pending, such as in the insurance sector, and some newer focuses, such as in defence.
Software developer Mandar Gokhle went to the US in October last year for a project. His company transferred him to its subsidiary there and he was therefore paid a salary there. With incomes in two countries, he is not sure how his overall taxation will work out.

If you were deputed abroad, can be tricky. It will depend on the number of days you were outside the country, structure of payments made in India and abroad and whether the foreign government deducted .

Find the resident status: India follows a physical presence test as the criteria for determining the residential status. In case a person leaves the country for the purpose of employment abroad and his stay in India is less than 182 days between April 1 and March 31, he won't need to file returns in India. Mandar left in mid-October, which means he stayed in India for more than 182 days. He will need to file tax returns here.

For those who work out of multiple locations, there are other conditions to determine residency. It depends on the number of days the person has spent in India over the long term. "If a person has shifted abroad for employment but receives salary in India, revenue authorities may not agree to treat him as a non-resident. It needs to be substantiated with suitable paperwork," says Amarpal Chadha - partner and India mobility leader, EY.

If the person receives full salary in India but only daily allowances or as per diem, abroad, the latter is exempted from tax in India under Section 10(14)(i) to the extent of the actual expenditure provided, which is incurred wholly in the performance of official duties, says Suresh Surana, founder, RSM Astute Consulting Group.

Some companies deposit a small portion of salary in the Indian bank account but a major chunk is paid abroad, on which the respective government of that country may deduct tax. "Those treated as residents are liable to pay tax in India on worldwide salary income irrespective of its place of payment," says Kuldip Kumar, partner and leader - personal tax, PwC India. But he points out that India has a Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with more than 80 countries and an individual has the option to choose the provisions of the treaty or domestic tax laws of India, whichever are more beneficial to him. "If under the treaty provisions, a person's residency shifts to a foreign location, he may not be liable to tax in India in respect of salary for the period of services rendered abroad. But the person will need to obtain the tax residency certificate from US tax authorities," says Kumar.

If a person's residency under the treaty provisions continues in India, he will be taxable in India on his global salary. India will, however, consider the taxes paid abroad as prescribed in the treaty. When filing tax in India, individuals need to use the tax paid certificates and the return of income filed in the foreign country.

The hiccups: Only federal tax paid in many countries, like the US, is eligible for foreign tax credit in India. The claim for relief for the state taxes paid is not admissible, says Chadha. Problems also occur when filing returns as different countries have different financial years. The US, for



example, has it from January to December. "Difficulties are often encountered by taxpayers in claiming tax credits paid in the US between January and March, as those taxes are accounted for in a different financial year," says Surana.

Some countries also follow a joint filing concept, where an individual and spouse's returns are filed jointly, says Chadha. This can conflict when filing taxes in India, which follows a single filing concept.

New ITR forms: While filing returns, the person will also be required to report his foreign assets and income in the 'Foreign Assets' schedule of the India tax return form. The Government of India has introduced The Black Money Taxation Act with effect from the tax year 2015-16 under which assessees are mandatorily required to report their overseas assets and income details. Those earning over Rs 50 lakh a year also need to give details of assets and liabilities while filing returns.

For NRIs: If an individual is a non-resident, he is taxable in India only for income sourced or received in the country. So, before going abroad in a financial year, if a person has received salary in India or has rental income from a property, he will need to pay tax in India on these. While such individuals don't need to pay tax on any income received outside India or disclose foreign assets, they will need to give details of Indian assets and liabilities if the taxable income exceeds Rs 50 lakh a year.
Naren and Sudha Sheth booked a residential flat in a housing-cum-commercial project known as Lodha Luzuria at Thane, being constructed by Sri Sainath Enterprises, belonging to the Lodha Group. The price of the flat, measuring 1,118 square feet carpet area on the second floor, was Rs 1.04 crore.

Out of the agreed consideration, Seths paid Rs 1.02 crore in instalments from September 27, 2010, to November 2, 2010. The remaining amount of Rs 2.6 lakh was to be paid at the time of possession. To pay for the purchase of this flat, Seths had to break their fixed deposits, losing Rs 3 lakh towards interest and other charges.

The builder avoided executing the agreement for sale. No heed was paid to the correspondence made by the Seths in this regard. On December 22, 2010, the builder demanded an additional sum of Rs 3.96 lakh for car parking. The Seths questioned this demand. Since no heed was paid to their e-mail, they had a legal notice issued. In response, the builder's representative informed them that they would have to pay for parking, else execute an indemnity bond that they did not want the facility and would not park their vehicle in the premises. Seth's e-mail protest was ignored.

In January 2011, the builder sent a letter for executing an interim agreement, and telephonically threatened the Seths that the flat allotted to them would be cancelled if they failed to sign on the dotted line. The Seths finally filed a complaint before the National Commission.

The builder contested the complaint. According to the builder, the complaint was not maintainable as the Seths had several properties and they were investors, not consumers. The Seths were blamed for non-compliance with the terms and conditions set out in the application form for allotment of the flat, due to which the allotment was cancelled and an amount of Rs 91.66 lakh had been refunded. The flat was later sold to another buyer, Monish Jain, through a registered agreement.

The Commission considered Seth's clarification that they owned only two small flats, which were inadequate for their family that comprised themselves and their three daughters. The Commission accepted this explanation, and held the complaint to be maintainable.

The Commission observed the concept of an interim agreement was completely illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable. It also observed that the allotment letter set out the schedule of payment for the flat, along with two parking places. There was no reference to any additional amount payable towards car parking. Yet, the builder attempted to deprive the Seths of the car parking through execution of an interim agreement, where parking space was stated as "nil". Besides this, the Commission observed that most of the clauses of the interim agreement were arbitrary and against the interests of the flat purchasers.

The interim agreement was silent in respect of completion of the project and execution of conveyance deed. It also provided for payment of advance maintenance charges for two years, which was in contravention of MOFA which mandates that a society must be formed within four months.

The Commission indicted the builder for his arbitrary, high-handed and capricious character. However, the subsequent buyer, Monesh Jain, could not be ousted as he was a bonafide purchaser and could not be made to suffer.

The Commission noted that even though Seths had paid Rs 1.02 crore, the builder had issued refund cheques for Rs 91.66 lakh, and no interest was paid even though the money was lying with them for five years.

The Commission condemned the builder for pulling a fast one over the Seths and making havoc with the hard-earned money. Accordingly, by its order of May 5, 2016, delivered by Justice J M Malik for the bench with S M Kantikar, the Commission ordered Shree Sainath Enterprises to refund the entire amount of Rs 1.02 crore, along with annual interest at 18 per cent from the date of its deposit. Additionally, Rs 1 lakh was awarded as compensation to be paid within 90 days and pay nine per cent interest if delayed.



The author is a consumer activist
It was the winter of 1980. A general election had just taken place and a Congress candidate who had contested two Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh had resigned from one, causing a by-election. The party nominated a replacement candidate for the seat. He was known to be a superb manager of elections and will remain unnamed, as he is no longer among us and not able to defend himself.

In those days, 'rigging elections' was an accepted phenomenon and there were many methods of doing it. Location of polling booths was one way: If the booths were located in areas dominated by the upper castes, the Dalits would simply not go to vote, fearing intimidation and violence. Stuffing pre-stamped ballot papers in ballot boxes and "snatching" ballot papers (getting voters to give their ballot papers to one man and telling them they could go home, someone would cast their vote for them) were also well known. The ballot boxes would then be taken to the counting centres to be counted and voila, you had the result you wanted.

Rivals of the man who won the by-election said they stumbled upon a totally new stratagem - they found trucks loaded with ballot boxes parked on one side of the road some days after the elections. When they investigated, they found that it was not the ballot boxes that had been rigged - several trucks full of ballot boxes had been "replaced" by other trucks. So, whole trucks had been switched. Obviously, a ballyhoo was raised. But, an electoral defeat was an electoral defeat and no one had the stomach for long court cases. The controversy died down. The man who won the seat went on to become a minister. When contacted before his death in 2013, he neither confirmed nor denied the story.

That was a particularly sophisticated form of managing the election. But, there was no doubt that Indian democracy, so proud of being the largest unguided democracy on earth, was in danger of being ridiculed by the world if creative management of elections continued. It would take a brutal intervention from a deeply unpopular Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) T N Seshan to set things right. But, things have a way of sliding and contestants were constantly thinking of new and ingenious ways to ensure elections went their way.

It was not only bribes given to voters to make them vote in a certain way but also their absence from polling booths that could alter the outcome of the election. If the state was unable to ensure physical safety of citizens to enable them to vote for the candidate they wanted to elect, what was the point of an election?



In many areas, bans on elections by Left extremist groups saw poor polling. In West Bengal's Jangalmahal areas, for instance, dominated by Maoists, almost no one came out to vote in vast swathes of the area in the Lok Sabha elections of 2009. "Booth no. 55 in Kantapahari saw 0.05 per cent turnout. In adjoining booth 56, the turnout was zero," local media reported in 2009 about Lalgarh, the heart of Maoist activity in West Bengal.

In the 2011 Assembly elections, the situation had changed. Seventy-six per cent people came out to vote, only two years later. In the 2016 Assembly election, the turnout in all areas of Lalgarh was an average 80 per cent.

How did this happen?



In 2011, around 600 companies of paramilitary forces were stationed to ensure elections were free. But, this was not only thoughtless deployment of armed might. The seeds of an idea called 'vulnerability mapping' were laid in 2005.

Former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla says: "Our preparation began with a by-election to the Aurai Assembly seat in December 2005. During the campaign period, voters from the weaker sections complained to the election observer that in the past, they had difficulties in accessing the polling stations due to intimidation by local musclemen. The observer brought this to the notice of R Balakrishnan, then deputy election commissioner in charge of Uttar Pradesh. On the forenoon of poll day, the observer noticed that in one particular polling station, voters from the weaker sections had not come to vote. The observer went to the village and saw a few hundred voters being prevented by a handful of armed men from casting their votes. Taking help of the local police, the voters were enabled to proceed to the polling station."



Chawla says the observer's report was telling. The observer wrote: "Towards the end of the polling, I visited a few villages where there had been complaints of stopping of Dalit voters. There appears to be some truth in such allegations. I met several Dalit voters who showed me their identity cards issued by the Election Commission and complained they had been unable to vote because the dominant castes had warned them not to proceed to the polling booths. There was no intimidation in or near the polling booths as such... No immediate remedy in this regard suggests itself, since it is not possible for the electoral officers or police to patrol the villages so intensively as to provide security/escort to every voter from his doorstep to the polling booth. The same situation would be faced even if a re-poll were to be ordered in such areas."



Balakrishnan submitted the details of these incidents to the Election Commission (EC). The EC had mandated that the 100-metre periphery around the polling booth be safeguarded. Obviously this was not enough. An institutional method was needed to identify the areas likely to be affected by such threat; and also keep track of the people who could create such disturbances. "From this was born a new methodology, which we named 'Vulnerability Mapping', borrowing the term from Disaster Management," Chawla said, adding the next step was to identify habitats and segments of voters vulnerable to intimidation in the past. Once this was done, steps could be taken to prevent this from happening again.

"This method brought a new focus to ensure clear accountability, give visibility to institutional intervention and send a no-nonsense message about the seriousness of elections. It proved to be an effective confidence building measure," he said.

Over the years, the EC has refined Vulnerability Mapping. There was a lot of grumbling when the just-concluded West Bengal Assembly election, for instance, was scheduled to be held, spread over six phases. The election process itself went on for more than a month. But, with stunning success. Around 14,000 pockets across the state were identified as vulnerable. Video cameras were installed as additional security measure, along with poll observers of various categories and central armed forces. These then provided live broadcast of the activity there to the district control room. The cameras monitored all those entering the booth and those standing at the gates. The fact that cameras were installed was given wide publicity.

District-level helplines were started from the moment the campaigning started, so that people could call and lodge complaints. Officials in vulnerable districts kept a master list of persons who were contact points to get feedback on electoral conditions.

The EC has developed a system of Vulnerability Ranking. In this ranking, everything figures: Past history of poll violence, high-profile candidates contesting from there, abnormally high or low voting, a particular candidate getting more than 90 per cent of votes, a high number of voter slips without accompanying photographs, etc. In many states, the EC ordered that political parties will not be permitted to distribute election slips.

All this conveyed to people that the EC was serious about its zero-tolerance policy towards disruption of elections. The result was, in Bengal alone, known for endemic election violence, the average turnout hovered at 80 per cent plus. In the April 4 poll for instance, 18 constituencies went for polling out of which 13 constituencies were identified as Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Around 80 per cent voter turnout was recorded in this phase. No election violence was reported. Talking to local media, a resident said: "There were no IED blasts and no one died. The Maoists had called for a boycott and everyone ignored it. People felt safe enough to go and vote."



This is a far cry from the way India has held elections in the past. The 1989 elections saw riots between Hindus and Muslims taking place in Jaipur, Rajasthan, for the first time in history. This happened because voting was done manually (not via electronic voting machines) and ballot papers were brought from the polling booths according to numerical order and counted in that order. So when the counting was over and the results were out, it became clear from the pattern of voting that the Muslim areas had voted against the BJP MP from Jaipur, Girdhari Lal Bhargava. An angry mob set fire to Muslim-dominated areas during a victory rally taken out by Bhargava's supporters. When the riot was analysed by the EC, then CEC T N Seshan ordered that the ballot papers be mixed without fail before they were counted, so that polling agents would not know in which booth who voted how.

Every election is a challenge to the EC. And every election sees a refinement of the way it is held. The question is whether this can be extended to local body elections as well.
Stepping up attack, Congress today alleged "direct interference" of PMO in the "sudden reversal" of NIA's stand in the 2008 blast case and pressed for a Supreme

Court-monitored probe into it while apprehending that Samjhauta Express blast case may also meet the same fate.

The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath and discharge duties in line with that oath irrespective of his "ideology".

The NIA ( Investigation Agency) has become 'Namo Investigation Agency', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at "decimating and demolishing" the "meticulous" probe conducted by Maharashtra ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.

He demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the "sudden reversal" of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and "dilution" of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MCOCA and other offences.

He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.

"There was direct interference from the PMO...From his (PM's) office, I have said it earlier and everything is being proved, a dirty tricks department is being run. This government is centrally co-ordinated," Sharma said.

Elaborating, he said Col P S Purohit, an accused in the blast case, had allegedly written a letter to NSA Ajit Doval on January 6 and on January 8, it reached the Home Ministry and on January 9, the Home Ministry "started working" on it.

"...I have not seen such speed in movement of even files in the government," the Congress leader said.

"Our demand is clear. We insist the Prime Minister that his office, when he takes oath, he doesn't belong to a particular party, ideology, but the Prime Minister of India and should discharge duties in line with the oath," he said.

While pressing for Supreme Court-monitored probe, Sharma said the apex court should take "seize" all the papers relating the case, relating the probe, confessional statements, charge sheet and the correspondence among government, NIA, attorney general, NIA and Home Ministry, among Home Ministry, Home secretary and PMO.

"There is rule of law in the country and law doesn't discriminate. If this permission is given, like I said, then we ourselves are weakening India's case against terrorism. Because, dropping MACOCA means, the recorded statements which courts accept as evidences, will be useless now," he said.

"The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," the former minister said.
Around 58.2 million voters will be eligible to decide the electoral fortunes of 3,776 candidates (320 being women) in the multi-cornered legislative assembly election in Tamil Nadu on Monday.

There are 234 seats in the assembly but the polling for one, Avarakurichi, Karur, has been postponed by a week by the Election Commission of India, owing to the amount of money seized from the constituency in recent days. The results for the other 233 seats will be announced on Thursday; counting for Aravakurichi will be on Saturday.

For decades, the winning combine has been led by either the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) or DMK parties. This will be the first time other politically significant fronts are contesting separately from the traditional duo.

There are a little over 66,000 polling stations and 107,210 electronic voting machines, including reserves. Of the 234 seats, 42 are reserved for scheduled caste candidates and three for scheduled tribes.

Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar in this city, where Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is contesting, has 45 candidates, highest number in the state. The constituencies of Arcot, Gudalur and Mayiladuthurai have the lowest number of candidates, at eight each. The largest assembly constituency in terms of electorate is Sholinganallur, in this city, with a little over 600,000 voters. The smallest is Kilvelur, with 163,000.

AIADMK chief and incumbent chief minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK supremo, M Karunanidhi, veteran ex-CM, lead the list of candidiates. Other major ones include Karunanidhi's son and former deputy CM, M K Stalin; Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) chief and CM-candidate, Vijayakanth; and the CM-candidate of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Anbumani Ramadoss.

The AIADMK has fielded its candidates in 227 seats, the first time it is contesting more than 200 on its own; its allies are in the other seven, and contesting on its poll symbol. The DMK has fielded 180 candidates, the DMDK 104, Congress 41, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 188, Bahujan Samaj Party 158, the Communist parties 25 each and Nationalist Congress Party 20. There are 1,566 candidates contesting independently.

The DMK has aligned with the Congress, two Muslim parties and some smaller outfits. Another front is led by the DMDK and also comprises the CPI-M, CPI, VCK, TMC and MDMK.

The BJP leads another front, with smaller outfits. PMK, once a partner in the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, is also going it alone.

Jayalalithaa is seeking a mandate for another term, saying it not only fulfilled several freebie schemes (mixer/grinder, fans, laptops, cattle) announced in its 2011 poll manifesto but implemented several others (subsidised canteen/cement/bottled water and others).

DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, 93, is seeking election to the assembly for a record 13th time and as a CM-aspirant for a 10th time. He has never been defeated since he started contesting elections in 1957. He and Jayalalithaa are arch rivals, as are their parties, each prophesying doom if the other is elected to power. Yet, never after 1984 has an incumbent government ever been re-elected, and it is one or the other who has been in power.

The other fronts are taking on AIADMK and DMK as synonymous with corruption, misuse of power and bad governance. Pre-election surveys predict victory for either AIADMK and DMK.

AIADMK has stuck to its tested formula of offering freebies. The party has promised free mobile phones for all ration card holders, 50 per cent subsidy for purchase of scooters by women, free power up to 100 units and so forth, beside continuation of all such current schemes if voted back to power. It and the DMK consciously attack only each other, as if the other parties do not exist.

All the parties have also promised total prohibition on liquor, which currently generates Rs 30,000 crore in annual revenue for the state, a key source for the diverse freebies. The election commission has just sent a notice to both AIADMK and DMK, asking them to detail how they'd fund the schemes promised in their manifestoes.
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Hyderabad Police during surprise checking on illegal staying of foreign nationals in the city have found that at least 11 foreigners were staying despite expiry of their passports.

West and North Zone Task Force teams conducted surprise checking on illegal staying of foreign nationals in the limits of Asif Nagar, Langer House, Humayun Nagar and Goclonda police stations yesterday and documents of a total of 150 foreigners were checked, a release from Hyderabad Police said today.

It was that found 11 foreigners were staying in Hyderabad 'illegally' even after expiry of their passports, it said.

One US National, two Yemen nationals, five Sudanese, one Somalian and two Djibouti nationals, who had came to the country on visit and student Visa, were among those who were found staying illegally, the release added.

The foreigners were handed over to FRRO for further action of deportation, police said.
As many as 18 "highly trained" terrorists crossed the Line of Control and infiltrated the Kashmir Valley in April this year of whom three were shot dead, according to security agencies.

Though the army disputed the figure at a recent multi-agency meeting, official sources said 18 militants had entered the Valley through Kupwara area of north Kashmir. The army, however, claimed only 10 had infiltrated.

During the meeting, the army's claim was countered through technical intelligence available with the Defence Intelligence Agency and other central security agencies.

The first batch of around 12 terrorists was reported to have entered the Kashmir Valley through Dardpora village located along the LoC on April 12. Six other militants were reported to have infiltrated from Lolab side around April 17.

Of the 10 militants the army claimed had infiltrated, three were gunned down in Putshai area of Lolab in Kupwara district on April 21, the sources said.

They said the army had been handed over some "tell-tale signs" which included different radio wave signals and foot prints of Kupwara and Lolab infiltration which were also different in size.

All security agencies were unanimous about infiltration from Jammu side where they claimed militants made three infiltration bids which were foiled by troops.

One of the reasons cited by the sources for spurt in infiltration is the realignment of troops along the LoC as some army personnel have been pushed back into counter insurgency grid, which is a conglomeration of army, para-military and state police engaged in neutralising terrorists on the plains and in densely populated areas.

According to the sources, the militants who infiltrated recently, have already gone to higher reaches of Bandipora from where they have moved towards central and south Kashmir.

Congress MLA from north Kashmir's Bandipora Usman Majid told PTI that he had been flagging the issue of infiltration with various authorities.

"They generally use Bandipora as a transit camp and move to other areas," he said.

The MLA quoted villagers in his constituency as saying that new faces in smaller groups had been seen in the area and it was "most likely" that they were terrorists who had infiltrated recently.

During winter, infiltration is always low. However, this year, winter did not last long and terrorists are suspected to have taken advantage of the favourable weather conditions, sources said.

There were 121 infiltration attempts along the border in Jammu and Kashmir in entire 2015 of which 33 were successful. However, 46 terrorists were killed by security forces.

In 2014, there were 222 infiltration attempts in the state of which 65 were successful. A total of 52 terrorists were killed by the security forces that year.
To inspire bright young minds, Tata Steel in association with Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar organised an exposure visit of 20 high school students of Odisha to the Satellite Centre of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISAC) in Bengaluru.

The 20 winner students of Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS) 2015-16 who reached here yesterday, got a rare opportunity to learn about various aspects of operations of ISRO and evolution of Indian satellites, a Tata Steel release said.

Flagged off by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on May 8, 2016, the tour was led by Subhendu Pattnaik, Deputy Director of Pathani Samant Planetarium along with a Tata Steel official. The 40 member team included 20 winners of YATS accompanied by their guide teachers.

They visited the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), which is a primary body engaged in developing satellite technology and implementation of satellite systems in the country.

Amareshwar Khened, Project Director, Small Satellite Systems (SSS) - ISRO Satellite Centre, a renowned space scientist complimented Tata Steel & Pathani Samanta planetarium for organising this tour and engaged with students along with guiding on how to pursue a career in space science.

H L Srinivasa, Senior Scientist of ISAC gave a guided tour of the space exhibition at the centre to the students explaining the evolution of satellite system of the country.

The students also visited Heritage Centre & Aerospace Museum of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, where they witnessed rare display of aircraft of many genres and pictorial representation of evolution of aviation industry.

The four-day tour, starting May 10-13, also included a visit to the Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum that displays priceless exhibits including a full scale replica of the 1903 flyer of Wright brothers and many other scientific wonders that left the students spellbound.

The top 20 YATS winners from class VIII-X were selected amongst 800 participants in a three level round competition by experts competing in eight zones across Odisha.

Tata Steel has been organizing YATS since 2007, in collaboration with the Pathani Samanta Planetarium to popularise the contributions of the legendary Odia astronomer Pathani Samanta to the field of astronomy and to identify and encourage young talents of the state in the field of astronomy and space science.
Lok Adalats for motor vehicle act, insurance, money suit cases were held in the courts of District & Sessions Judge, Yupia and other courts in Basar, Bomdila, Khonsa, Yupia, Daporijo in Arunachal Pradesh yesterday.

Out of the 227 cases taken up, a total of 95 cases involving above Rs 36 lakh were settled in the Lok Adalats, Arunachal Pradesh State legal Services Authority (APSLSA) said in a release here today.

The court of Additional District & Sessions Judge, Basar settled the highest number of 56 cases involving Rs 7 lakh out of the total 104 (money suit case).

Eight cases involving Rs 29 lakh were settled in the court of District & Sessions Judge, Yupia out of total 17 cases (MACT-16, Consumer-1).

The numbers of cases settled in various other courts were Chief Judicial Magistrate, Seppa (6), Judicial Magistrate First Class, Khonsa (5), Judicial Magistrate First Class, Daporijo (9) and Judicial Magistrate First Class, Yupia (11).

The court of Additional District & Sessions Judge, Bomdila could not settle a single case out of the total 49 taken up.

Further, the Arunachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority visited the District Jail, Jully during the day to see the conditions of the jail inmates and also to assess the availability of legal aids to the large number of under trial prisoners (UTPs) in the Jail.

During the visit, the Legal Services Authority held an open meeting with the under-trial prisoners in the presence of District & Session Judge Yupia Budi Habung, SP (Prison) Nabam Gungte and others.

The APSLSA decided to provide immediate legal aid to nearly 15 UTPs, the release added.
Seven persons, including two women, were killed and three others injured in separate incidents, police said today.

Kalindri Devi (60) was crossing a road with her daughter Sunita (35) in Dholpur when they were hit by a tractor trolley today.

The victims succumbed to injuries at a local hospital, police said.

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, three youths were killed when iron rods, being carried by a tractor trolley, pierced their bodies as their motorcycle collided with the vehicle.

The incident occurred near Dhobhighat area last night when the victims were returning home from Karbala to Jaisinghpura Khor, police said, adding the youths could not see the vehicle as it was dark.

The deceased have been identified as Haidar (18), Shoeb (16) and Hansih (16).

Their bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem today, they said.

In the third incident in Amber locality in Jaipur, police constable Abhay Singh Yadav (40) was killed and three others injured when a car in which they were travelling overturned.

The victims were posted with Nahargarh police station here and were returning from Kotputli last night.

The injured are being treated in a government hospital, the police said.
Delhi's AAP government spent nearly Rs 15 crore on advertisments in the print media during the 91-day period till May 11, according to an RTI reply.

The list of publications which had received money from the Kejriwal government for carrying the advertisments interestingly included dailes from Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu among other states.

The Delhi government disbursed a total amount of Rs 14.56 crore for advertising excluding broadcast from February 10 to May 11, according to a reply provided to a RTI query by advocate Aman Panwar.

The AAP government came under attack from the opposition Congress today for its advertising campaigns.

"On one hand we don't have money to pay to safai karamcharis for salary, on one hand we don't have money even to pay for pension but on the other they are spending huge amounts(for advertisments) for self publicity," Congress Leader Ajay Maken said.

The Delhi government spent around Rs 5 crore in publicising the two rounds of the odd-even scheme, implemented for 15 days each in January and April respectively, the Lok Sabha was told recently.

Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said that expenditure of print media stood at Rs 1.67 crore while an amount of Rs 3.72 crore was spent to advertise the road-rationing policy on electronic media.

"As informed by the government of NCT of Delhi, the total expenditure on odd and even campaign so far is Rs 539.41 lakh (Rs 5.39 crore)," the Minister said in reply to a question.

The Opposition has targeted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the the odd-even measure, enforced as an anti-pollution initiative by the AAP government, terming it as a "publicity stunt".
An anonymous advertisement was today published in leading newspapers here, condemning the allegation that the Punjab government had siphoned off over Rs 12,000 crore meant for wheat procurement.

"The allegation of disappearance of foodgrains in Punjab godowns is to defame Punjab. Beware of the conspiracy," the advertisement said.

The advertisement said that it was an attempt by political parties to mislead people for political gains.

It said the allegation by opposition regarding discrepancies in accounts of foodgrain stocks is baseless.

The SAD-BJP government in the state keeps a record of all the procurement agencies and all stocks procured over the years have been duly accounted for and handed over to Food Corporation of India (FCI), the advertisement said.

"From 2003-04 to 2016-17, a total of 1140 lakh tonnes of wheat have been bought by various agencies in Punjab. In this data, approximately 85 tonnes of wheat purchased is included in the current budget," it said.

According to the data, in financial years 2003-04 to 2016-17, 1033 lakh tonnes of wheat was sent to FCI, while 103.13 lakh tonnes of the foodgrain is with various agencies in the state.

The foodgrain sent to the corporation and the stock with central agencies is much more than the total of 1140 lakh tonnes of wheat, as some get damaged and some weigh more due to moisture, it said.

Congress had earlier demanded a high court-monitored CBI inquiry into the reports of the alleged scam in procurement of foodgrains.

"The SAD-BJP government in Punjab has the dubious distinction of first emptying the coffers of the state, and now even foodgrains are disappearing. If the reports of disappearance of foodgrains is true, it calls for a court-monitored CBI inquiry," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari had said.
Thousands of minority Shiite Hazaras are expected to protest in Kabul today over a multi-million-dollar power transmission line, in what could potentially snowball into a political crisis for the beleaguered government.

The planned protest follows a massive rally last November galvanised by the beheadings of a group of Hazaras, which became a symbol of the broader public discontent with President Ashraf Ghani's regime.

The TUTAP power line, which would connect the energy-rich Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan, is regarded a crucial project in the electricity-starved region.

But it has been mired in controversy, with leaders from the minority group demanding that the line be routed through central Bamiyan province, which has a large Hazara population.

The line was originally set to pass through Bamiyan but the government decided to reroute it through the mountainous Salang pass north of Kabul, saying the shorter route would expedite the project and save millions of dollars in costs.

Hazara leaders in the ethnically divisive nation lashed out at the Pashtun president, saying the decision to reroute the line was a sign of discrimination.

"People will pour into Kabul's streets to stage a massive protest before marching towards the presidential palace," Hazara lawmaker Arif Rahmani told AFP.

"We want the power line to cross through Bamiyan, which has seen no development in 15 years. We are demanding justice, not charity."



Organisers of the protest expect thousands of people to participate in the rally, which comes in the midst of the Taliban's annual spring offensive launched last month.

"Staging peaceful protests is the civil right of every Afghan citizen... We respectfully request that our countrymen not allow the enemy (to) misuse this opportunity and disrupt public security," the interior ministry said in a statement.

The dispute, which highlights the challenges of modernising the war-torn country, threatens to overshadow TUTAP which could help ease nationwide power blackouts.

Hazara protesters repeatedly heckled Ghani during an anti-corruption summit in London last week.

The president faces rising unpopularity amid endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and growing insecurity in Afghanistan.

The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the mainly Pashtun Sunni Taliban.
After draping Air India crew members operating Air India One, the official aircraft for flying the President, Vice President and Prime Minister, in 'khadi' uniform, it is now the turn of Tourism Ministry to use some of the indigenous fabric in its various ITDC hotels.

"Tourism Ministry is looking at various options to promote products manufactured by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) through its departments. It is considering using the products such as towels, curtains, sofa covers, handwash and shampoo in some of the hotels run under the ITDC brand," a source said.

Besides, there are also plans to open KVIC outlets at various airports across the country, he added.

Currently India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector unit under the Tourism Ministry, runs 16 hotels in the country, including three in Delhi and the rest in Jammu, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Patna, Bhopal, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Guwahati, Puducherry, Mysuru and Itanagar.

The initiative comes after BJP President Amit Shah wrote a letter last month to Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to ensure appropriate measures for maximum use of 'khadi' in various organisations under his ministry, the source said. Sharma is also Minister of State for Civil Aviation.

Shah also attached a letter of KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena who urged Sharma to promote 'khadi' through his ministries, according to the source.

Following the receipt of the letter, Sharma had instructed his officials to find out ways through which 'khadi' could be promoted by his ministries, the source said.

Earlier, an Air India official had said the management is considering the proposal for using 'khadi' for draping the cabin crew in line with Prime Minister's pet 'Make in India' initiative.

The cabin crew strength in Air India currently stands at around 4,000.

Significantly, the cabin crew operating Air India One, during a recent official trip of Modi to Belgium and the US donned khadi uniforms.

KVIC manufactures various products-- from ready made garments and home furnishing items to personal care, food and leather products.

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Saxena said: "We have launched 'Shadi collection',



lehnga, chunni, with range starting from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000. Overall, we have a vast product range of 2,000 products which also includes food items."



He added that there was growing craze about Khadi products among international tourists.

"A lot of foreigners are visiting our Khadi outlets these days. Recently, parliamentarians of 26 countries were on a tour, they specially visited our Delhi outlet and bought lot of Khadki products. Tourists from Africa and Iran were very very crazy about our products. We are already reaching international market," he said.

He also talked about Solar Charkha, which costs around Rs 73,000.

"It is a normal Charkha, in which solar panels have been attached with a motor, which boosts production and improves quality," he said.

Saxena also touched upon a scheme where they will select 200 villages across the country to give a boost to Khadi, besides providing employment to the villagers.

"Under the scheme, we will select 200 villages, and these will be five villlages in every state. But in few states where Khadi has gone down, we have decided to adopt 25 villages, for example in Punjab. We will train villagers for running Charkhas, besides they will also make agarbattis, pickles, papad. Thus they will be self-sufficient and we will also organise bank finance for them," he said.

For the International Yoga Day, which is celebrated on June 21 every year, "we have developed Khadi Yoga kit", Saxena said.

"AYUSH Ministry has developed this and national level function of international Yoga Day is being held in Chandigarh this year. It is unique product which we have developed, which is available in our two outlets in Chandigarh also. A Khadi mat and one tricolour Khadi mala will also be part of this kit," he said.
Former Congress MP Priya Dutt today called on Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, a day after suspected Sena workers pelted stones at a meeting organised by the Opposition party here.

Dutt arrived at 'Matoshree' (residence of Uddhav) in suburban Bandra in the afternoon and had about half an hour long meeting with the Sena chief, a source said.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of last night's event in which a group of workers, allegedly belonging to Shiv Sena, pelted stones at a public gathering organised by Congress, where Mumbai unit chief of the party Sanjay Nirupam was also present.

Nirupam had organised the conclave in suburban Kandivali to highlight alleged corruption in Shiv Sena-BJP-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as part of Congress' "pol khol" (expose) campaign ahead of the next year's civic elections.

Dutt, however, claimed she did not discuss anything political with Uddhav. "There was nothing political in our meeting. I met him owing to personal relation," the former Congress MP told PTI.

Asked about the Dutt-Uddhav meeting, Nirupam said he was not aware of it. "I was not aware about the meeting though she has every right to meet anyone in personal capacity. Still, I will speak to her on the issue (the meeting)."



Political observers think in the coming days Congress- Shiv Sena fight may turn ugly in the wake of the latter's "pol khol" campaign.

Opposition Congress is targeting the saffron party by repeatedly referring to BJP Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya's remark about prevailing corruption in the country's richest civic body.

Last week, Somaiya had said "there was widespread corruption in the BMC and it was in the grip of a powerful mafia controlled by a saheb from Bandra, his brother-in-law and his PA."



Latching on the remark, Mumbai Congress yesterday filed a police complaint demanding registration of an FIR against unnamed persons, including "a saheb from Bandra", over alleged graft in the BMC.
Actor Anil Kapoor has sent his warm wishes for actress daughter Sonam ahead of her appearance at 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

The 30-year-old "Neerja" actress will be walking the Cannes red carpet as L'Oreal Paris ambassador, today and tomorrow.

Recording his wishes in a short video, Anil said, "Sonam, all the best for Cannes. May 2016 be the best year for you at Cannes."



This is Sonam's sixth year at Cannes as the ambassador of French cosmetics and beauty company. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is also the ambassador for the cosmetic brand, is already attending Cannes.
Confident of the success of online sale of groceries, AskMe Grocery has said it expects the value of merchandise sold through its platform to touch Rs 1,800 crore by March next year.

The growth is expected to come on the back of addition of new partners and expansion of its fresh food category, AskMe Grocery Co-founder Ankit Jain told PTI.

"Grocery online has a lot of potential when the business is at a scale. We have been doing well and our average cart size is about Rs 1,900 and we are already processing 20,000 orders daily. The hyperlocal delivery model has really helped us," Jain said.

He further said the company works with kirana store owners to offer convenience, comparison and more deals for the consumers.

"We expect our annual GMV (by the end of March 2017) to touch Rs 1,800 crore... Currently, business has been growing at 30 per cent month-on-month," he added.

Gross Merchandise Value or GMV is described as total sales made through an e-commerce platform.

AskMe Grocery has a presence in 38 cities (as on February, 2016) and plans to expand to 45 more cities including some tier-II towns, in the next 3-6 months.

According to a report by Franchise India, the online grocery market is expected to be Rs 2.7 billion market by 2018-19.

However, grocery delivery is a cash-intensive business. According to industry analysts, hyperlocal delivery startups, like BigBasket and Grofers, have been feeling the heat from a slowdown in investment as they operate on wafer-thin margins and end up losing money on each delivery.

Last month, Snapdeal-backed PepperTap had announced it will shut down its cash-burning grocery delivery operations, laying about 150 staffers.

Jain said the company is aggressively expanding the fresh food (perishable grocery) category, which has higher instances of repeat purchase.

"Fresh foods is a segment where we see a huge scope of growth. We expect about Rs 150 crore in GMV from this category," he added.

AskMe Grocery has partnered Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

The tie-up will enable customers to buy all Mother Dairy products from the AskMe Grocery portal.

The product range will include all Mother Dairy products, Safal Frozen, Safal Ambient, Safal Fresh (Fruits and vegetables), Safal pulses and Dhara edible oils.

The service will be available in Delhi-NCR to begin with and will be scaled up gradually across other cities in the course of the current financial year, Jain said.

"We will arrange pick ups from the nearest Mother Dairy booth and get the products delivered in 4-6 hours," he added.

At present, Mother Dairy operates through about 750 booths and around 350 Safal booths in Delhi-NCR.
The Bangladesh government today slapped a travel ban on a leader of the opposition BNP over his reported recent meeting with an Israeli politician in India amid allegations that the party was trying to grab power through an unholy alliance with the Jewish state.

"Yes, we have ordered a ban on Aslam Chowdhury's travel abroad. An order has also been issued to track him down as he appears to have gone into hiding," Chittagong police commissioner Iqbal Bahar said, adding "He will be arrested wherever he is sighted".

The commissioner's comments came day after another senior police officer said they launched an investigation into the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) reported connection with Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

"We are investigating whether any Bangladeshi has connection with Mossad. The suspects are under surveillance," Chittagong's regional police chief Shafikul Islam said.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh does not have any diplomatic relations with Israel and Bangladeshis are banned from travelling there while Dhaka is vocal against alleged Israeli atrocities in Palestine.

"We (Bangladesh) cannot think of relations with Israel," junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said earlier this week.

Chowdhury's reported meeting with the Israeli official sparked uproar in Bangladeshi media and political circles after he was seen in several photographs with a leader of Israel's ruling Likud party on Facebook during a conference in India.

Chowdhury, a joint secretary general of ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia-led BNP, earlier admitted that he had met the Israeli politician in New Delhi this month but claimed the meeting was "accidental".

Businessman Chowdhury known to be close to BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman who took political refuge in UK to evade a number of graft and criminal cases at home in which he is being tried in absentia.

The BNP is the key opposition party outside parliament as it had boycotted the 2014 general election citing unfair conditions.
Attacking the Narendra Modi government on AgustaWestland issue, former Union minister Jitin Prasada today said instead of taking proper action BJP is busy indulging in "character assassination" of Congress leaders.

"The NDA government is in power for two years with all the premier investigation agencies under its control. If there is any wrongdoing, it should have exposed and punished the errants.

"I am sorry that the Union government is just busy in making eloquent speeches and maligning Congress instead of taking proper action," the Congress leader said.

Prasada denied any wrongdoing by UPA functionaries in the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

He accused the BJP-led NDA government of indulging in "character assassination" of senior Congress leaders and maligning the party's image on fictitious issues.

On NDA completing two years in power, he said, "During these two years, the NDA government has failed to fulfil its promises to the people. Whether they are national or local issues, no solid development work was visible on the ground."



"Yes, what it has done is repackaging and marketing those works initiated by the Congress-led UPA government," he said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the free LPG connection to BPL families in Ballia amid great fanfare. However, the same scheme was implemented in 2010 during UPA regime in his Dhaurehra constituency."



He said Congress did a lot but failed in "marketing its development works."



"Now, poll strategist Prashant Kishore has been engaged to fill this gap," he said.

On Uttar Pradesh elections, Prasada said people, particularly youths, have "great hope" from Congress as the BSP government of 2007, SP government of 2012 and the NDA government of 2014 had "badly disappointed" them.

"Congress is keen to inject fresh politics in Uttar Pradesh which is riddled with issues of caste, creed and religion since long with no focus on development," he said.

On whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be the chief ministerial candidate in UP elections, Prasada said, "The question should be left to the discretion of the central party leadership and Priyanka Gandhi herself.
BJP candidate for Coimbatore South Assembly constituency was allegedly attacked today by AIADMK workers here.

The incident took place when Vanati Srinivasan was getting into her car after attending a funeral, police said.

A gang armed with sickles and iron rods attacked her and she sustained injuries on her hand though BJP workers accompanying Vanati tried to protect her. The window panes of the car were also damaged.

The miscreants fled the scene after the incident.

Later, Vanati left the spot in another vehicle.

A few BJP workers, who suffered injuries were admitted to the government hospital, they said.

Vanati blamed the police for remaining "mute spectators" during the attack and said she would lodge complaints with the District Collector and Police Commissioner.

"AIADMK is afraid of sure defeat in the constituency and was indulging in such activities to scare the rival candidates and voters," she said.

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Meanwhile, AIADMK candidate representing Coimbatore South Amman Arjunan also lodged police complaint, alleging BJP workers resorted to violence and beat up their party cadres.

The complaint stated that the ruling party workers had only objected to Vanati entering into a prayer hall, where a condolence meeting was being held and canvassed for votes.

The argument led to BJP workers attacking AIADMK activists, the complaint said.

Some AIADMK workers were injured in the attack, necessitating hospitalisation, party sources said.
A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group and a second attack killed 37 police today in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule was ended just last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS in the city of 200,000 people which was recaptured by government forces from the rival jihadists of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 31 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, which is the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt as he joined a line of men at a police recruitment centre, a provincial official said.

More than sixty people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

Hadramawt's security chief, General Mubarak al-Oubthani, who was at the recruitment centre at the time of the attack but was not hurt, was the target of a second bombing when he headed to the centre of Mukalla afterwards, a security official said.

The bomb went off as Oubthani walked out of his office killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.

An IS statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, the second but rare intervention by the jihadist group in an area known as a stronghold of rival Al-Qaeda.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... Detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 Yemeni troops were killed in jihadist attacks on army positions outside Mukalla. IS said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city's eastern outskirts.

The attacks included a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of the commander of Hadramawt's second military region, General Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped unharmed, officials said.

The general boasted on Friday that his forces had captured some 250 Al-Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla and nearby coastal towns, including its commander for the city of Shihr, some 60 kilometres to the east.

Al-Qaeda was driven out of the area last month with the backing of Emirati and Saudi special forces.

The Pentagon revealed last week that a "very small number" of US military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation.

The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, USS Boxer, and two destroyers.

The offensive against Al-Qaeda comes amid a truce and peace talks between the government and Iran-backed rebels it has been fighting with support from a Saudi-led coalition since March last year.
Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna today questioned the Uttarakhand government's decision to withdraw the notification recommending a CBI inquiry into the controversial sting CD episode, saying it cannot be withdrawn once has been agreed upon.

"It seems the state cabinet has not been given proper legal advise," he said.

Citing a Supreme Court decision of 1994, he said that the state cannot call off CBI inquiry once it has recommended it. He also advised the Chief Minister face the probe.

"There are many things that will get uncovered from sting CD episode and perhaps it is because of this reason that the state cabinet has decided to withdraw the notification recommending a CBI inquiry," BJP state spokesperson Virendra Singh Bisht said.

The sting CD made by the editor-in-chief of a private channel and circulated by the nine Congress rebels who had created a political crisis in the state by siding with BJP in the Assembly, purportedly shows Rawat negotiating a money deal with the journalist to buy the support of MLAs who had revolted against him.
Competition Commission directing curtailment of tenure of elected office bearers of an association will be "ultra vires" the powers vested with it under the competition law, according to .

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) made the observations while delivering a judgement on a plea by an individual in the case related to Alkem Laboratories.

"If we were to hold that wide and open-ended language used in Section 27(g) (of Competition Act) empowers the Commission to issue a direction which interferes with the rights of the elected representatives of an association, then the results would be catastrophic," the tribunal said.

Last December, Competition Commission of India (CCI) had penalised Alkem Laboratories, its two officials, All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA) and one of its officials for indulging in unfair business practices.

Besides, the watchdog had directed AKCDA not to associate A N Mohana Kurup and Thomas Raju with its affairs including administration, management and governance in any manner for a period of two years.

Kurup, who was also slapped with a fine of Rs 50,203, as well as Raju had challenged the CCI order.

In its ruling, dated May 10, set aside the penalty on Kurup as well as the direction asking Kurup and Raju not to associate with AKCDA affairs for two years.

Kurup and Raju were President and Secretary of AKCDA.

noted that CCI cannot make an order or issue a direction which would directly or indirectly impinge upon the provisions of other statutes.

"... The Commission does not have the jurisdiction, power or authority to pass an order which has the effect of directly or indirectly curtailing the tenure of the duly elected office-bearers or deprive them of their right to exercise powers and discharge the functions of the elected offices/ posts under the particular statutes," it noted.

Further, the tribunal said such a direction is "ultra vires the powers vested in the Commission under the Act".

According to the tribunal, in another case, the Commission may curtail the tenure of the elected office-bearers as has been done in the present case.

"Such consequence of the exercise of unbridled power was never envisaged by the Legislature," it said.

Meanwhile, Compat has also set aside the fine imposed by CCI on Alkem Laboratories in the matter.
Stating that people have huge expectations from the coalition government in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, today asked the Centre to take more substantive measures in fulfilling the promises made in theAgenda of Alliance.

She said her father took a tough but well-thought out decision, as he saw a historic opportunity to break new ground in bringing the people from the three distinct regions of the state closer to each other.

"MuftiSaabwas a visionary leader. He joined hands with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, after two months of sustained discussions which resulted in the formation of theAgenda of Alliance.

"It is now our collective responsibility to implement it and fulfill the promises made with the people of the state," she said, while stressing upon building a reconciliatory environment.

The Chief Minister made these observations while addressing gatherings at Rajouri district of Jammu after laying the foundation stone new medical colleges in the state.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, J P Nadda, Union Minister of State in the PMO, Jitendra Singh, were also present on the occasion.

Describing theAgenda of Allianceas the fulcrum on which the coalition government rests, the Chief Minister said after the accession there has been a trail of "un-kept" promises with the people of the state, made by both the State as well as Central leaders.

This, she claimed has led to loss of faith among the masses, more so in mainstream leaders.

"Lot of dreams were sold to the people during the last so many decades without fulfilling any one of them.

"It was a fortunate coincidence that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed got an opportunity to serve the state as the Chief Minister from 2002 to 2005 while Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of India," she said.

Mehbooba Mufti observed that both the leaders understood the sensitivities of the state and came up with a very humane response to the problem, which included ceasefire agreements, bringing down human rights violations and opening of new routes across the LoC.

She said these steps created a feel-good factor, which unfortunately were not consolidated by the successive governments that followed.

"This time, people have again reposed trust and hope in the Coalition Government," she stated.

The Chief Minister said that just as strengthening of the



health infrastructure by setting up institutes like AIIMS was part of theAgenda of Alliance, many critical issues in the Defence, Power and other Union ministries demand similar attention.

"The credibility of my father and that of the Coalition Government depends on action taken report on theAgenda of Alliance, which can turn around the fortunes of the state over the next five years," she said.

Referring to the difficult circumstances in which the people voted in the 2014 elections, Mehbooba Mufti said both the parties took bold and tough decisions to honour the fractured mandate of the people.

"The purpose of the alliance is to create a peaceful environment within the state so that people can live honourable and prosperous lives, the foundation of which lies in theAgenda of Alliance," she added.

Hailing the people of the state for creating success stories like Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, a young 23-year-old boy who secured second position in union civil services examination and Ayesha Aziz, who became the youngest woman pilot, the Chief Minister said that they are real symbols of our state.

She said that unfortunately some sections of the electronic media were focusing more on negative emanating from the state, thus opening doors for others to demonise Kashmiris, especially youth.

"It is the duty of the media to highlight our heroes rather than waste their energy on unending debates that yield nothing but hatred for people of the state in the rest of the country," she said.

Describing J&K as a shining example of mutual coexistence, the Chief Minister said despite extreme provocations, Hindus and Muslims have exhibited great maturity and lived in complete harmony.

She said J&K's strong foundation has helped us in frustrating attempts at undermining its secular fabric.

Congratulating the people on setting up of five new medical colleges and two AIIMS in the State, she hoped that these will be completed within the stipulated time-frames.

The Chief Minister said it is the duty of the State Health Department now to follow up so that funds from the Centre are accessed for kick-starting work on various projects taken up under different schemes.

(REOPNES DEL54)



She also appealed to the people of the country to help in building bridges of trust in the state and strongly advocated opening of more routes across the LoC and initiation of a political process to address the challenges confronting Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister said fostering cooperation across the LoC would not only bring political stability across the region but the stakes of local people in peace would also get enhanced.

"It would make the region a hub of emerging economic opportunities leading to cooperation in trade, commerce, tourism, adventure across the region," Mehbooba said.

Describing Jammu and Kashmir as the gateway to Central Asia, she said it could become a corridor of economic activity in the region and the country can take huge benefit of the economic activities going on across the LoC.

Mehbooba also pitched for undertaking more state-specific Confidence Building Measures (CBM), including dialogue with people of all shades of opinion to ensure that no segment of the population is left out in the march for growth and prosperity.

"Any grievance, if left unattended, bleeds the whole system," she said, while appealing to build a constituency for peace and dialogue across the country.

She expressed optimism that the Prime Minister, who is credited with taking very bold decisions, would further carry forward this vision to usher in an era of peace, stability and prosperity in the state and the region.

Later, replying to a question by a participant, Mehbooba favoured inclusion of more goods in the list of items being traded across the LoC.

She said her government is also working on providing proper facilities of banking to the cross-LoC trade activities.
The Centre today launched the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for three states -- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Earlier on May 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Rs 8,000-crore scheme at Balia in Uttar Pradesh designed to provide 5 crore free LPG connections to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the next three financial years.

The scheme is being partly funded from the savings of the GiveItUp initiative.

Fifteen women from BPL families from the three states were handed over LPG connections today, the Petroleum Ministry said in a statement.

Speaking at the event, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "The administrative cost of Rs 1,600 per connection, which includes a cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, etc would be borne by the government."



He added that the scheme would change lives of women from BPL families in a major way by reducing the drudgery of cooking with polluting fuels and go a long way in reducing indoor pollution and other health-related problems faced by them.

The government aims to provide 25 lakh of new LPG and 15 lakh PNG connections to increase the use of clean fuel in Gujarat.

Over 15.5 crore consumers have benefited from direct transfer of subsidy on LPG to their bank accounts, which has also resulted in prevention of subsidy leakages to the unintended.

"The voluntary surrendering of subsidy by over 1 crore customers under the GiveItUp campaign has helped the government provide LPG to poor households," he said.

Pradhan spoke about the ministry pushing the oil marketing companies (OMCs) in offering customer-centric offerings like online booking and release of new connections and online booking and payment for LPG refills, among others.

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, along with BJP national President Amit Shah, were present at the event.
China today accused the US of "severely damaging" mutual trust as it hit back at the Pentagon for issuing a "hyped up" report on Chinese military capabilities that "deliberately distorts" its defence policies.

China also expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the annual report, which it said, has misrepresented the country' military development.

In its report submitted to the Congress on Friday, the Defence Department noted that China is using "coercive tactics" and fostering regional tensions as it expands its maritime presence in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) and elsewhere. It said China is focussing on the militarisation of artificial islands built by it in the SCS in a bid to assert its control.

China hit back, with the Defence Spokesman Col Yang Yujun accusing the Pentagon's annual report as misrepresentation of its military development that "hypes up China's military threat".

The report on China's military and security developments has "severely damaged" mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.

The US which accused the Chinese military of lacking in transparency, "deliberately distorted" China's defence policies, and "unfairly depicted" its activities in the East China Sea and SCS, Yang said.

"China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said in a statement.

He added that the US side has always been suspicious.

In his statement, he said it is the US which has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region.

Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US pushed forward the militarisation in the SCS with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.

China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief, he added.

Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha (Spratly) Islands in the SCS serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

The SCS has become a major flash point for military tensions between China and the US in recent years as Beijing which claims sovereignty over almost all of the disputed waters sought to assert its claim by building artificial islands with military facilities. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims.

(Reopens FGN2)



Backing the small states, the US has so far sent three war ships through the waters around the artificial islands to assert the right for freedom navigation.

The Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress yesterday alleged that China was focused on developing and weaponising the islands built in the disputed waters of the SCS to retain greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

It accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities that are causing tensions with other countries in the region.
A tip from a CIA spy to authorities in apartheid-era South Africa led to Nelson Mandela's 1962 arrest, beginning the leader's 27 years behind bars, an article in the Sunday Times reported.

The newspaper cited comments reportedly made by Donald Rickard, a former US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative, to British film director John Irvin.

Irvin's new film "Mandela's Gun", about the months before the anti-apartheid icon's arrest, is due to be screened at the Cannes film festival this week.

Mandela was eventually freed from prison in 1990 and went on to become South Africa's president between 1994 and 1999 before dying in 2013 aged 95.

An article by James Sanders, who said he was asked by Irvin to investigate the issue, said the director travelled to the US earlier this year and interviewed Rickard.

Rickard explained how Mandela was arrested as he travelled between Durban and Johannesburg but did not explain how he had learnt where he would be.

"I found out when he was coming down and how he was coming... That's where I was involved and that's where Mandela was caught," Rickard was quoted as saying.

He added that Mandela was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union".

"He could have incited a war in South Africa, the United States would have to get involved, grudgingly, and things could have gone to hell," Rickard added.

"We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it."



Zizi Kodwa, national spokesman of Mandela's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, called the revelation "a serious indictment" but said it was nothing new.

"We always knew there was always collaboration between some Western countries and the apartheid regime," he told AFP.

He claimed that though the incident happened decades ago, the CIA was still interfering in South African politics.

"We have recently observed that there are efforts to undermine the democratically elected ANC government," he alleged. "They never stopped operating here."



"It is still happening now -- the CIA is still collaborating with those who want regime change."



Rickard, who was reportedly employed by the CIA until 1978, died in March, two weeks after talking to Irvin.
Coast Guard today retrieved the bodies of two boys who drowned in the Bay of Bengal off Chennai coast.

Srinivasan and Sivagurunathan, aged 17 and 16 respectively, drowned while taking a bath behind the Gandhi Statue in Marina beach last night. Their bodies were retrieved today, a Coast Guard release said.

Stating that the strong tidal current along the Marina and steep variant depths of the sea was "not safe" for swimming, Coast Guard said Helicopter CG801 retrieved the bodies of the boys off Chennai coast.
The announcement of biennial election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Uttarakhand on June 11 has triggered hectic lobbying within the ruling party, with state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay among the aspirants.

The Rajya Sabha seat from the state will fall vacant when the six-year term of BJP MP Tarun Vijay comes to an end on July 4.

Biennial elections to 57 Rajya Sabha seats were announced by the Election Commission on May 12.

According to party sources, the long list of claimants for this seat also includes some MLAs who supported Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the floor test conducted on May 10.

The list also includes MLAs like Rajendra Bhandari, Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri and Navpraphat, who have been supporters of former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and former union minister Satpal Maharaj, now with BJP.

However, several Rawat supporters are backing the Chief Minister's wife Renuka for the seat.

Party sources said Uttarakhand PCC president Kishore Upadhyay is also a strong contender.

With nine rebel Congress MLAs, who had joined hands with BJP in a bid to topple the Rawat government disqualified, the ruling party candidate will stand a good chance in the RS poll.

The assembly has an effective strength of 62. Congress has 27 MLAs besides Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. The party also entails support of six members of Progressive Democratic Front (PDF). BJP, on the other hand, has the support of only 28 MLAs.
RPI activists went on a rampage today after its Dalit member Vicky Dhepe, who was injured in an attack earlier this week, died today.

More than 30 vehicles, including two-wheelers, cars and police vans, were smashed by an irate mob consisting of activists of Republican Party of India (RPI), sources in the Police Control Room said.

The activists also vandalised two offices of Bhiwandi BJP MLA Mahesh Chougule, whose son Raju Chougule had been booked in an assault case. Banners put by Chougule were also pulled down, they said.

The trouble in the power-loom town, about 50 km from here, started when the came in that Dhepe, who was seriously injured in the May 11 attack, succumbed to his injuries at the St George Hospital in Mumbai, the sources said.

Dhepe and a few others were assaulted by a group of youth armed with iron rods and choppers, police said, adding Chougule's son was allegedly involved in the attack.

The youth were suspected to be members of BJP.

Police had then filed a case under IPC sections related to attempt to murder (to be changed to murder now), criminal intimidation, breach of peace and also the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against nearly two dozen people, including the MLA's son.

The attack on Dhepe and the other RPI workers was fallout of political rivalry, according to police.

The RPI has given a call for Bhiwandi bandh tomorrow to protest the death of Dhepe.
Destiny of 344 candidates, including of Chief Minister and AINRC founder N Rangasamy, leader of the Opposition V Vaithiilngam (Congress) and P Kannan (AIADMK), would be decided in the election to the 30-member Assembly tomorrow.

The poll is witnessing a multi-cornered contest as never before with the presence of AINRC, AIADMK, BJP and PMK, who are going it alone, DMK-Congress combine and the newly formed PWF, consisting of CPI, CPI(M) DMDK, VCK, MDMK and RSP wooing the 9.41 lakh voters in the tiny Union Territory.

The political parties left no stone unturned to take a shot at power by organising rallies and road shows in the last two months.

As some parties favoured total prohibition as promised in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, AINRC and Congress clearly stated that there was no scope for that in the Union Territory as the excise collected from liquor trade formed major chunk of the revenue.

Poll manifestos brought out by all political parties have promised several developmental programmes.

There are 344 contestants in the fray including 96 independents.

While Puducherry has 23 segments, Yanam and Mahe, enclaves of the Union Territory in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have one constituency each and Karaiakl five constituencies.

All arrangements are in place for tomorrow's polling and voters slips have been distributed covering around 94 per cent of the electorate, officials said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief Amit Shah, CPI General Secretary Sudhakar Reddy, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu



Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi were among those who addressed the voters pitching for their parties.

Of the 930 polling booths in the Union Territory, 148 had been identified to be vulnerable.

Besides local police, Central para-military personnel have also been deployed to ensure free and fair poll.

Counting of votes is slated for May19.
The CIC has directed the President's Secretariat to disclose the action taken against Rashtrapati Bhavan officials who permitted giving on loan the gifts received by the then President Pratibha Patil in her official capacity to a school owned by her family in Amravati in Maharashtra.

Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur directed the President's Secretariat to disclose the information after an RTI application was filed by activist Subhash Agrawal.

In his RTI plea, Agrawal sought "complete information" on action taken against those who permitted gift items received in official capacity by the then President to be given to Vidya Bharati Shaikshanik Mandai, Amravati.

Rashtrapati Bhavan in an earlier RTI reply had said that 155 gifts received by Patil in her official capacity were loaned to the school for display on a purely temporary basis.

All the gift items which included candle set received from UK Prime Minister, a gold medallion and a silver medallion of Nelson Mandela, a gift box from China among others were returned to Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 22, 2013.

Rashtrapati Bhavan in its reply had said the gifts were loaned to Vidya Bharati Shaikshanik Mandal after an MoU was signed between Rashtrapati Bhavan and the institute.

The reply had also said 36 artifacts were handed over to DRDO during the presidency of APJ Abdul Kalam for being displayed in the Brahmos Centre in New Delhi.

All the 36 items were received back at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 3, 2012, it had said.
The Central Information Commission has directed the President's Secretariat to disclose the objections raised by it or by security agencies on allowing a residential complex on a 23-acre plot on Sardar Patel Marg in the diplomatic area.

The President's Secretariat had refused to disclose information citing exemptions under Section 24 (1) of the Right to Information Act.

The section allows intelligence and security agencies listed under it to be exempted from the provisions of the RTI Act except when the information sought by an applicant pertains to allegations of corruption or human rights violation.

Activist Subhash Agrawal said since allegations of corruption have been levelled, the information cannot be withheld under Section 24 (1) of the RTI Act.

"The information sought in the point No 4 and 5 is not covered undersection24 (1) oftheRTIAct," Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur said directing a response to the query.

A single judge bench of the Delhi High Court had in 2010 allowed Edward Keventer (Successors) Private Ltd (EKSPL) use of 9.26-hectare (22.9 acres) dairy farm in the vicinity of Rashtrapati Bhawan for residential purposes after depositing conversion charges of Rs 1,200 crore with the government.

During the hearing, the central government had opposed the conversion citing security concerns and said the area in question comes within the vicinity of President's Estate in Lutyens Bungalow Zone and involves security issues.

The Union government had approached a division bench of the high court on the ground that the security issue should have been weighed by the single judge bench of the court but the same has been totally brushed aside.

The division bench had said the Master Plan permits the use for residential areas and there are many other residential premises in the said area.
of returns witnessed a jump of 68.5% in the first month of the current fiscal year with over 8.32 lakh assessees filing ITRs electronically.

The number of e-filed returns recorded in April 2015-16 stood at 4.94 lakh. In all, 4.33 crore returns were electronically filed last fiscal.

As per the data of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a total of 8,32,499 assessees have filed returns in April 2016.

Unlike previous year, the CBDT had operationalised all the nine types of Income Returns (ITRs) filed by different types of assesses from this fiscal.

Over the years, the process has been simplified and assessees can file returns even from the comfort of their homes.

As per the CBDT, there were over 5.25 crore registered users (on April 30, 2016) and about 49.54% of the returns were received outside office hours. Also, 35.27% of assesses used the utility provided by the department.

An online ' calculator' for filers is meant to help taxpayers assess tax liability.

Divya Baweja, Partner, Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP said during the initial years, was considered to be an onerous task, but now the process has become a "simple affair".

"In recent years, tax department has made a conscious effort to ease the e-filing procedure by simplifying the tax return forms and introducing tax utilities which automatically picks data from previous year's tax return/tax credit statement, thereby making it much easier for a common individual to file his or her tax return," she said.

The CBDT had notified the new forms on March 30, and ITRs can be filed till the stipulated deadline of July 31.

The data further said during April, the maximum returns were filed from Maharashtra followed by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

People with an income of more than Rs 50 lakh per annum and who own luxury items like yacht, aircraft or valuable jewellery will have to disclose these expensive assets with the IT department in the new ITRs.

Last year, the e-filing commenced on July 1 following the controversy over a 14-page form requiring assessees to disclose bank account and foreign travel details.

Later, the form was simplified and the number of pages was reduced to three.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan yesterday said he finds it easier to file his tax returns in India, as compared to in the US.

"I think technology helps. As for example, we moved to automated railway ticketing, the corruption there has come down substantially and the touts no longer squeeze all the supply and sell them separately. Income tax has been automated.

"You don't have to go to the income tax inspector to get your money back. I find it easier to file income tax in India than filing my US income tax," he said to the amusement of many present during a discussion at the Chicago Booth School of Business in London.
Ebola virus can persist in the semen of survivors for up to nine months after their recovery, a new study has confirmed.

The results recall the importance of monitoring survivors in order to prevent the risks of new epidemic outbreaks, researchers said.

An international team of researchers including scientists from the Institute for Development Research in France monitored 450 patients, both men and women, for one year in Guinea.

They took specimens of body fluids (tears, saliva, faeces, vaginal fluids and semen), on the first day of the study, and every three months thereafter.

In order to detect the presence of the Ebola virus in these fluids, researchers used molecular biology techniques employing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and detection of ribonucleic acid (RNA), in hospitals in Guinea.

The results relate to 98 specimens taken from 68 different people. Ebola virus was detected in 10 specimens taken from eight men, for up to 9 months after recovery.

In addition, researchers showed that the persistence of the virus in semen decreases with time - the virus, present in 28.5 per cent of samples taken between the first and third months, was subsequently detected in only 16 per cent between the fourth and sixth months, in 6.5 per cent between the seventh and ninth months, 3.5 per cent between the tenth and 12th months, and finally 0 per cent after 12 months.

The results confirm the findings published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine on a cohort of survivors in Sierra Leone.

Researchers emphasised the need to recommend, at an international level, the use of condoms by survivors in the months following their recovery.

They also insisted on the importance of developing survivor monitoring, or even making it systematic, in order to limit the risks of a recrudescence of the epidemic.

The findings were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
El Salvador has said it refuses to recognize the new Brazilian government put in place after President Dilma Rousseff was suspended to face an impeachment trial.

Left-wing President Salvador Sanchez Ceren said in a statement Saturday that Rousseff's ouster had "the appearance of a coup d'etat."



In a speech, the leader of the Central American nation explained: "We have analyzed the situation and taken the decision to not recognize the interim government of Brazil because there was political manipulation."



He said he was recalling El Salvador's ambassador to Brazil, who had already received orders not to attend any official ceremony involving Rousseff's interim replacement, Vice President Michel Temer.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today lashed out at Europe's silence over the execution of a veteran Islamist leader in Bangladesh, accusing the West of "double standards."



"If you are against political executions, why did you remain silent to the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami who was martyred a couple of days ago," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.

"Have you heard anything from Europe? ... No. Isn't it called double standards?" Erdogan said.

Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at a Dhaka jail late Tuesday for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former government minister was the fifth and the most senior opposition figure executed since the secular government in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation set up a controversial war crimes tribunal in 2010.

In protest, Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh for consultations.

Since coming to power in 2002, Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sought to boost the country's power in the Muslim world.

Last year, Erdogan condemned a death sentence handed to Egypt's deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was a close ally of Ankara until he was overthrown by the military in 2013.

At the time he condemned the West for turning a blind eye to the "coup" by army chief army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who is now president.
Betting big on India's booming aviation market which has outperformed the US and China in terms of domestic passengers traffic growth, Africa's leading carrier Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its operations in India with new flights and aircraft upgrade.

The pan-African flag carrier currently operates a daily double service to New Delhi and Mumbai from capital city Addis Ababa. It also operates freighter services to Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai.

The airline is currently in talks with the Indian civil aviation authorities including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in this regard, Ethiopian Airline's CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told PTI in Addis Ababa.

"We are looking forward to launch flight operations to Chennai from Ethiopia. We are keenly looking at (flying) passengers from Chennai," Gebremariam said without specifying a timeline for commencement of the proposed new fight.

Ethiopian Airlines is already operating 14 flights per week to Delhi and Mumbai each, he added.

India and Ethiopia had signed a pact last year, allowing the carriers of two sides to scale up weekly flight entitlements to 28 from 21.

Under the pact, Ethiopia was also allowed to exchange Bangalore in place of Kolkata as a point of call.

Three additional domestic code share points exclusively to code share with Air India were also granted for Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune.

Both Air India and Ethiopia are part of the 27-member international airline's club, Star Alliance and have code-share pact as well.

Code-sharing of flights allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to multiple destinations where it has no presence.

"Air India is our Star Alliance member and we have contributed a lot for India because of our long time association. We are now looking to expand the alliance (code share with Air India)," Gebremariam said.

According to the International Air Transport Association, air traffic in India grew by 19.4 per cent between January and June last year, the highest amongst top seven domestic airline markets in the world, outstripping China that grew 12.3 per cent and the US 3.7 per cent in the same period.

Globally, Ethiopian Airline operates to 111 destinations including 91 international with a fleet of 68 Boeing aircraft, making it one of the largest and only profitable African carrier.
Aiming at providing relief to agitating students, who have been demanding degrees instead of diplomas, the Noida-based Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) has applied to the HRD ministry for Deemed University status.

"The Noida based FDDI has applied for deemed university status and the proposal has been forwarded to the University Grants Commission for advice," sources in the HRD ministry told PTI.

Officials said while the process of granting Deemed to be University status takes a few months as the UGC appoints a committee to evaluate the proposal but hoped that in this case it would be done expeditiously.

FDDI had signed an MoU with Mewar University in 2012 for awarding degrees. But last year, UGC had termed the MoU as illegal, triggering protests by students.

Around 200 students of FDDI in Noida went on rampage last month, ransacking the premises and damaging two buses, to protest against alleged failure of the institute to give them degrees instead of diplomas.

The students of the institute, which comes under the Commerce Ministry, have also been boycotting classes.

Earlier, the Commerce Ministry had recommended to the HRD Ministry to grant deemed university status to FDDI.

Between 2012 and 2014, around 3,609 students had enrolled with the institute.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) used to grant degrees for all courses at the institute, but it discontinued the practice in 2012 academic session even as 1,250 students were enrolled for various graduate and post-graduate programmes.

FDDI roped in Mewar University of Rajasthan to offer degree programmes from academic session 2012.

However, UGC in September 2014 raised questions over the MoU between FDDI and Mewar University for grant of degrees as the All India Council for Technical Education did not recognize these degrees.
In a covert operation which started with a marijuana trail, a team of five Delhi Police officials camped in Bhubaneshwar are busy tracking Babli, a leading carrier of the contraband from Odisha in recent times.

The name of Babli cropped up twice -- once last year and again lately when the crime branch unearthed an inter-state marijuana racket and a man named Babli turned out to be their source, senior officials said.

The marijuana was sent here with a consignment of mangoes which, investigators say, is the modus operandi of the Odisha module.

A senior police official said, modules in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have emerged to be the major marijuana suppliers in Delhi, with large tracts of land in dense forests there being used for cultivation of the same.

While the Odisha module dispatches marijuana hiding them in trucks transporting fruits and vegetable across India, the Andhra module primarily uses heavy vehicles to transport contraband hiding them under a minimum layer of eatables, which is just the opposite of what the former does.

Hence, as far as logistics is concerned, the frequency of transportation is higher for the Odisha module and lower for that of Andhra, which prefers sending marijuana in bulk, the officer said adding that arrests are also more in connection with the latter.

In the Odisha module, Delhi Police have traced several 'carriers' -- identified as Sonu, Prabhat, Ajmeri, etc -- but succeeded in tracking none. Babli is the latest of them.

Carriers are the intermediaries between the peddlers who bring the contraband here and the investors who put money on marijuana cultivation in the source states, the senior official said.

Earlier this month, a trucker and a peddler, destined to Varanasi, were arrested by the Crime Branch and Babli emerged as their main source. They were taken to Bhubaneshwar on transit remand to track Babli down.

The team of five who are presently camped at Bhubaneshwar have so far only been able to gather input like Babli, who is based in Bhubaneshwar, procures marijuana from official licensed outlets in the state.

"He bribes people and procures much above the quota alloted for individuals. He later sells them off in other states at an exorbitant price," an investigator privy to the operation said.

The team has raided several hideouts where they were informed that Babli could be found, but they have so far not been able to nab him.
Four Indian peacekeepers and a civilian, who laid down their lives while serving in the UN peacekeeping operations last year, will be honoured along with other 124 personnel with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for their courage and sacrifice.

The fallen Indian peacekeepers who will be honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers are Head Constable Shubhkaran Yadav, Rifleman Manish Malik, Havildar Amal Deka, Naik Rakesh Kumar and Gagan Punjabi.

Yadav, serving in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) gave the supreme sacrifice in April last year and Malik, also serving in the same mission, died in August.

Deka, serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) died in June last year and Kumar serving in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) died in January 2015.

Punjabi was serving in MONUSCO in a civilian capacity under the UN Volunteers programme and died in an incident in January last year.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, observed annually on May 29, will be commemorated this year on May 19.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will begin the commemoration by laying a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers.

Later, he will preside over a ceremony at which the medals will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2015.

Permanent Representatives and ambassadors to the UN will collect the medals on behalf of the fallen peacekeepers from their countries.

In his message for the day, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare saidthe sacrifices of the brave men and women of peacekeeping "inspire us to serve with courage and dignity and to pursue continuous improvement and innovation in our work."



"We owe this not just to our departed colleagues, but also to the millions of civilians that we have been entrusted to protect. We must continue to work togetherto enable complex operations tosucceed with rapid, effective, efficient and responsible support," he said.

Last year Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with MONUSCO and Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with UNMISS were posthumously awarded the medal.

India is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, with its military and police personnel having been deployed in UN missions including in Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon and South Sudan.

So far, India has contributed nearly 180,000 troops who have served in over 44 of the 69 peacekeeping operations, including the 103-strong Indian female police unit in the UN mission in Liberia.

Currently more than 105,000 uniformed personnel from 124



troop and police-contributing countries serve under the UN flag, along with 18,000 international and national civilian staff and UN Volunteers.

Last year, 129 peacekeepers from 46 countries lost their lives in the line of duty.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002, in tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

The General Assembly had designated May 29 as the commemoration day because it was the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the world body's first peacekeeping mission, began operations in Palestine.

Since the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948 until April 2016, 3,400 military, police and civilian personnel have lost their livesin the service of peace as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease.

Commemorative activities will be held at the world body's headquarters here and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was established in December 2000 and is awarded posthumously to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations.

The medal is named after the second UN Secretary General, who had died in a mysterious 1961 plane crash.

He was posthumously awarded a Nobel Peace Prize the year he died.
An Indian-origin association of physicians till now focusing on India is keen to establish its South African chapter to work closely with local people and help reduce health inequalities.

The Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) is keen to establish a South African chapter of the organisation.

"Indian-origin doctors have been rallying and coming together to do something good on their own for many years wherever they are, but collectively we can do even more," said Dr Anwar Feroz Siddiqi, US-based Advisor to GAPIO.

Emphasising that Indian-origin doctors should look at what they could do in the countries that they have adopted as their home, Siddiqi said they should identify issues pertinent to their countries and help locals with that.

"By doing so we increase our profile and integrate better in the societies we have settled in," Siddiqi said.

GAPIO President Dr Sanku Rao said in the five years since its inception, there were chapters established in over 30 countries and they were hoping to expand this soon.

Although the focus has been on India, North America and Europe so far, it was now shifting to Africa and other areas of the globe, Rao said.

"We will be going to the Caribbean Islands soon and hope to have our first chapter on the African continent soon here in South Africa," Rao added.

But there were mixed feelings among Indian-South African doctors who are fourth and fifth generation South Africans and expatriate Indian doctors who have settled here since the advent of democracy over two decades ago.

Dr Jothi Nair, a specialist working at a government hospital in Pretoria for the past 20 years, said there was a lot that doctors of Indian-origin could do in the social and welfare sector.

Dr Murthi Sooboo, a third-generation South African, said Indian doctors had been doing a lot of community service for a long time through their respective religious and cultural organisations.

"The concept of bringing together South Africans of Indian-origin is therefore not new because community-based organisations have had their services for a long time. It would of course be nice to be part of an international organisation," Sooboo said.

"It is a challenge though that many of us will have in our diverse communities. The starting point would be to ask those organisations who are doing it whether they would like to be part of this global organisation rather than replicating something that is running successfully already in the country," Sooboo added.

Established in 2009, the GAPIO stands to empower physicians of Indian origin to achieve highest professional standards, to provide affordable good quality healthcare, to contribute to local and regional community development and thereby help to reduce health inequalities and alleviate suffering globally.
German police said today they arrested 120 people following violent clashes between environmental activists and security personnel at anti-coal demonstrations in the east of the country.

A police spokeswoman said the clashes occurred yesterday in Lausitz when around 300 demonstrators forced their way into the Schwarze Pumpe coal-fired power station belonging to Swedish state-owned energy giant Vattenfall.

The protests are part of the "Break Free" campaign launched by Greenpeace and other environmentalist groups in countries including the US, Canada and Brazil to oppose the use of fossil fuels.

The campaign, which began earlier this month, ends this weekend in Germany.

Police said that a group of activists attacked Vattenfall's security guards, tore down fences and stormed the premises.

A spokesman for the company said that firecrackers were also thrown.

Two protestors were injured during the arrests and taken to hospital, police said.

But a spokeswoman for the anti-nuclear and anti-coal coalition Ende Gelaende (Here and No Further) insisted that it was police officers who started the violence when protestors wanted to leave the site.

In addition, pro-coal demonstrators attacked the protestors in the skirmishes, she said.

"I am not aware that activists started the violence," the spokeswoman said.

Members of Ende Gelaende have been blocking the Welzow-Sued mine since Friday and managed to prevent some of the coal deliveries from arriving at Schwarze Pumpe by rail yesterday, forcing the plant to reduce its output.

Organisers said that more than 2,000 people from a number of different European countries took part in the protests, blocking rail access at some points for more than 40 hours.

The protestors were currently discussing how long to continue the demonstration, the spokeswoman for Ende Gelaende said.

Germany, which plans to close all its nuclear power plants by 2022, still gets 42 per cent of its electricity from burning coal.
A family in China's Shanxi Province has conducted a "ghost wedding" with the corpse of a woman to pacify the soul of their son who died as a bachelor, in the latest case highlighting the grisly age old custom in rural China.

The family whose son died three years ago was apparently charged 180,000 yuan (USD 27,000).

They were charged less because they were locals and the dead brides village-farmer parents believed it would be a good social match, state-run China Radio International (CRI) reported.

Posthumous marriage is an ancient and popular custom in rural Shanxi, where the practice is often dictated by tradition and many locals consult fortune tellers who say the family will be cursed if a one of its members die unmarried.

As a result, parents who lose a son will often go to great lengths to secure a so-called "ghost daughter-in-law" no matter how large the financial burden may prove.

Traditionally parents see it as an obligation to help their sons settle down in a marriage.

For the family of a deceased woman, a "ghost wedding" is regarded as a good outcome for a deceased daughter, who otherwise would not be allowed a proper burial, the report said.

The local death rate among young men is higher than the women due to the number of accidents in coal mines. This also means there is often a lack of female bodies available for posthumous weddings, it said.

There have been recent cases of criminals raiding tombs for the bodies of women which they can then sell on to the family of a dead son for a "ghost wedding."



Chen Wenhua, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University, said the government should take measures to regulate the posthumous marriage market, but believes that a complete ban will do little to end the ancient social custom.

Chen has suggested instead that the authorities try to gradually change the way people think.
Gold bars worth over Rs 21 lakh were seized from two passengers at the airport here after they arrived from Bangakok today, officials said.

The two passengers landed at N S C Bose International Airport here by TG 313 flight of Thai Airways. They arose suspicion of customs officials who searched them.

Gold bars weighing around 560 gm, valued at over Rs 17.09 lakh, were recovered from one person and 152 gm yellow metal worth Rs 4.65 lakh was seized from the other, the officials said.

Both the passengers are being interrogated, they said.
Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover says he feels proud for creating a "mud-path" between Indian cinema and Hollywood.

"You all know I am the first commercial cinema actor who went and worked in Hollywood and international cinema and I am still continuing doing that. I am extremely proud of the fact that I created a mud-path between Bollywood and Hollywood," Grover told reporters here.

The 60-year-old actor, said he feels happy that the mud-path he created is being cemented by wonderful actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan.

"I am very happy that the mud-path is being followed and cemented by such wonderful actors like Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, everybody. Today, the Indian cinema is spread to various corners of the world," he said.

Grover is currently shooting for a Malaysian film "I am not a terrorist" - the first movie from the country to be shot in India - at the picturesque resort in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

He recalled starting his film career from the Valley in Sunil Dutt directed "Rocky" and credits the beauty of the state for his success.

"I started my film career in Kashmir. My first film 'Rocky' was shot in Kashmir.I do not know what was in the beauty and the atmosphere here that I achieved success after success and not just in Bollywood but in international cinema as well.

"It all started for me here in Kashmir. And today, after a gap of many years, to be in Kashmir and shooting for a film which is significant in many ways. A Malaysian film is being shot in India for the first time," he said.

The actor feels the affection that film personalities get from the people in Kashmir can't be matched.

"It is so wonderful to be in Kashmir. The affection that I got from Kashmiri people here is unparallelled.

"There is simple love and affection whether it is outside the hotel or where we are shooting, or while interacting (with people). It is something that makes me feel truly emotional," he said.

Grover praised the state for it's hospitality.

"The hospitality of the Kashmir administration - whether it is Tourism Department or JK Police or the army here and even the locals - has been something that we will not forget so easily.

"I am truly happy that I am here in Kashmir and interacting with my Kashmiri fans. I am thankful to all," he said.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced a package of Rs 2,600 crore for development of Faridabad as a Smart City.

"We will request Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu to include Faridabad in the list of first 20 smart cities," Khattar said in his address which was broadcast at 15 rallies in the district.

The rally was organised by BJP MLA Vipul Goyal.

"We have made a plan of Rs 2,600 crores for the development works in Faridabad, which among many cities was chosen for the smart city programme," he said.

The Centre has proposed to develop 100 cities as smart cities across the country in the coming years.

Haryana government is launching an air taxi service in Gurgaon shortly and planning to replicate it in Faridabad, Sonepat and Karnal, Khattar added.

He also interacted with the audience at the rallies through digital link up.

(REOPENS NRG 21)



He said that the present State Government had checked corruption by promoting e-services.

The Government was taking innovative steps to facilitate traders, farmers and other sections of the society through digital services.

E-Biz portal was being developed so that traders could easily get new licence or clearance. Other innovations included a programme for farmers and for issuing certificates by preparing a database of the 2.5 crore population of the State, he said.

The Chief Minister also announced several development projects for Faridabad constituency, including cycle track and other facilities on different roads, construction of two new 'baraat ghars' for dhobi community at a cost of Rs three crore, a new 50-bed hospital.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the Central and State Governments had, carried out development work at a rapid pace.

Similarly, while National Highways were constructed at the rate of two kilometre per day during the reign of the UPA, these were now being constructed at a rate of 20km a day, he claimed.

Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said due to the apathy of previous governments, big industries had moved out of Faridabad and the city had fallen behind in of development. But it would be restored to its previous glory.

Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister O P Dhankar said that cow's milk would be supplied to the National Capital Region through a mobile application.
Robert Gates, the former US Defence Secretary who has worked with eight presidents, today said that he has some "real" issues with the national security and foreign policy of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

"I have some real issues with things he said about national security policy and some concerns. I think there are some contradictions," Gates said.

"You can't have a trade war with China and then turn around and ask them to help you on North Korea. I have no idea what his policy would be in terms of dealing with ISIS," he said when asked about the national security and foreign policy views of Trump.

Gates said that he worries about Trump's admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Gates said these are issues that can always change in case Trump is elected as president of the country.

"They're policy positions, so they can always change. I have seen Presidents do that more than once. I guess one of the things that makes it challenging for me is that he seems to think that he has all the answers and that he doesn't need any advice from staff or anybody else, and that he knows more about these things than anybody else, and doesn't really feel the need to surround himself with informed advisers," he was quoted as saying by the CBS.

Gates has worked with eight US presidents.

"I worked for some very different presidents of those eight. People would say, how could you work for both Barack Obama and George W Bush? And I remind them, well, I worked for Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan," he said.

"The difference is, each one of those presidents, as strong-minded as each of them was, understood he did not have all the answers, and surrounded himself with experienced, thoughtful people who would give good advice, and they were willing to listen," Gates said.

They would often make their own "independent" judgments. They often would act contrary to the advice they were receiving. But, nonetheless, they only acted after they had listened to different points of view and then had the opportunity to make up their mind, he said.
(HCC) has put the proposed initial public offering (IPO) for its ambitious Lavasa project on the back burner for the third time, citing bad market conditions in the realty sector.

The Ajit Gulabchand-led company had originally planned to hit the market with a Rs 2,000-crore IPO in September 2010 but could not proceed with the issue due to unfavourable market conditions.

Then, it scaled down the share sale size to Rs 750 crore in 2014, but again failed to complete the process and had said it would tap the primary market by last September.

Given the condition of the real estate sector, we feel that it is not the right time to file for an IPO and we will wait for the right time. When the sector gets the right momentum we will move the Securities and Exchange Board of India again or do something about it. We are rethinking over our plan, said HCC Group Chief Financial Officer Praveen Sood.

He pointed out that the Sebi approval for the IPO of Lavasa Corporation lapsed last November and since the market was not conducive we did not proceed then. He also said that there were hardly any issues from the realty sector in the past year.

Lavasa had initially filed its DRHP in September 2010 to raise Rs 2,000 crore, and had received the Sebi approvals in November 2010. But, adverse market conditions forced it to defer the plan. In 2014, however, it again filed moved the Sebi with a smaller issue and planned to raise Rs 750 crore through IPO.

As the second attempt also failed, the company, managed to raise Rs 400 crore through a QIP issue in April last year.

HCC, till date, has completed 1,200 residential units in the gated Lavasa City project. In addition, work on 1.5 million sqft of residential, commercial and social development is underway in Dasve and one million sqft of residential development is underway in Mugaon with the project.

On HCCs business, Sood said the company will continue to focus on executing its infrastructure projects.

During 2015-16, HCC secured nine new orders worth Rs 5,764 crore and is the lowest bidder in projects worth Rs 3,701 crore. Our total order book stands at Rs 18,000 crore with additional L1 projects taking the total to nearly Rs 22,000 crore.



Besides, we are expecting some more projects in the hydel and nuclear sectors among others, given the government plan to invest Rs 2 trillion in infrastructure," he said.

Sood also said this strong order book has given them a visibility of around Rs 5,000 crore revenue in the current fiscal, given that nearly one-fourth of the order book is executed every year.

"During the past four years have been on a slide missing orders continuously. This is year, however, for the first time we have seen a significant jump in order inflows. These orders will decide the future of the company," Sood added.
Himachal Pradesh government has drawn up plans for putting the hydropower projects under execution on fast track to harness over 13,500 mw of power.

The state has so far harnessed 10,264 mega watt power, out of which 830 mega watt was harnessed during the year 2015-16 while projects with 265 mw potential are being exploited in state sector, an official spokesman said.

With a view to avoid delays in execution of power projects due to time consumed in obtaining various clearances, time-lines have been prescribed under the HP Public Services Guarantee Act for time bound clearances and NOCs for setting up of Hydro-Power Projects.

Under the state sector,the 65 megawatt Kashang project,, 100 megawatt Sainj and 100 megawatt Uhal hydel power project would be commissioned during the current financial year, he added.

Himachal which achieved 100 per cent rural electrification in 1998,is now concentrating on strengthening the distribution and transmission system to reduce the transmission and distribution losses and ensure regular supply of power to consumers.

For energy Conservation, LED Promotion Programme has been launched in the State under which LED Bulbs are being made available to domestic consumers, below the market price.

The State government has prepared the revised solar energy policy for exploring the possibilities to develop solar energy.

In order to bail out the HPSEB, the government has taken over the entire loan liability amounting Rs 564 crore and the government will also repay the additional loan amounting to Rs. 56 crore during 2016-17.

Besides, the government will provide financial assistance of Rs 50 crore to the HPSEBL for upgrading the rural lines by installing new poles and transformers.
A city-based private hospital and three of its doctors have been ordered to pay Rs 64 lakh to a woman by the apex consumer forum for their negligence in giving requisite treatment to her premature baby resulting in the infant becoming blind for life.

Maharaja Agrasen Hospital here and three of its doctors have been ordered by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to pay the amount as compensation to the mother of the child for the medical practitioners' negligence in screening the infant's eyes, which is the practice in the case of premature babies.

According to the complaint of the child's mother, Pooja Sharma, the baby was in the hospital for nearly five weeks, but during this period the doctors did not carry out the screening and as a result no one noticed that the infant's retina was displaced.

It was much later when she noticed the baby's abnormal visual response that a eye-check up was done which showed total retinal detachment.

The hospital and its doctors had denied the allegation of negligence and had contended that the screening was carried out and it had not revealed any problems. They also said that the mother was advised to come again for follow up checks.

After perusal of the medical records, the court said, "We are not convinced whether the Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening was done".

ROP screening is carried out of premature babies to see if there is any abnormal blood vessel development in the retina of the eye.

"The progress sheet is devoid of details about ROP examination viz. Who performed it, the method, instruments used and drugs (midrates/ tropicamide)/anaesthesia used during ROP testing. The doctor has not mentioned any details of dilation of pupil and findings of indirect ophthalmoscope findings, the intra ocular or extra retinal findings.

"Thus, it was a casual approach of opposite parties towards the premature baby. The opposite party 5 (senior consultant opthalmologist) has not followed standard ROP screening protocol. Thus 'no record means, it was not done'. Even the nurses' daily record does not show any ROP examination was done," the forum said in its order.

"The patient visited hospital for follow up, but nothing is in record about ROP testing. It is not a standard of practice or due care of the patient. Thus, a medical negligence," it added.

The apex consumer forum has directed the private hospital and three doctors to pay Rs 64 lakh as compensation, including the cost of litigation, to the child and his mother.
International casual dining restaurant Barcelos, now operating in 18 countries, has firmed up plans to set up over 30 outlets in India by 2021, with a projected turnover of Rs 200 crore, a top company official said.

"As part of our expansion plans, we intend to set up 6-8 more outlets this year in India in right locations in tier-1 cities, including Mumbai and Jaipur," Barcelos business head Rohit Malhotra told PTI at the launch of its third outlet here.

"With a steady growth in the hospitality sector and the food and beverages segment here and in India, in past 2-3 years, we see great opportunity for Barcelos, which started its journey in Pretoria in 1993 and visualise 30 outlets by 2021."



Malhotra said they were projecting a Rs 200 crore turnover for the world famous Portuguese cuisine chain in India by 2021.

Malhotra confirmed that the Kolkata outlet, the third after New Delhi and Gurgaon (NCR), will serve authentic Afro-Portuguese delicacy with variations of Peri Peri Sauce. "And the basic sauces will be imported all the way from South Africa," he claimed.

"After Delhi, Kolkata was on top of our list as the city boasts of well-travelled people having been introduced to global cuisine. And we will not be compromising with the basic taste of delicacies, but we are adding 45 per cent menu for our Indian consumers as per local demand. We are adding fish with our menu for the first time in India which we will be procuring locally."



With the decor retaining Portuguese-European architecture as evident in over 120 Barcelos outlets all over the world, the logo and interior will largely retain that effect with local feel.

Coming to the Barcelos name, Malhotra said: "It has nothing to do with Barcelona. Instead, Barcelos is a small town in Portugal which used to be a village some years back and the interiors reflect the journey of the restaurant chain all over the globe."



Indranil Roy Chowdhury and Kaushik Roy Chowdhury, directors of Trivia Food and Beverages, hold the exclusive right of the brand Barcelos in eastern region, who said they are hopeful of the chain notching up a large share in the hospitality sector in coming days and spreading its wings in other important cities.
Modern humans may have dwelt in Southern Arabia about 10,000 years earlier than thought, according to a new study which also found that there may have been a trading network and a "gene flow" from the region into territories that are now India, Pakistan and Iran.

The last Ice Age made much of the globe uninhabitable, but there were oases - or refugia - where people 20,000 years ago were able to cluster and survive.

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield in the UK, who specialise in the analysis of human DNA, have found new evidence that there was one or more of these shelters in what is now Southern Arabia.

Once the Ice Age receded - with the onset of the Late Glacial period about 15,000 years ago - the people of this refugium then dispersed and populated Arabia and the Horn of Africa, and might also have migrated further afield.

The view used to be that people did not settle in large numbers in Arabia until the development of agriculture, around 10-11,000 years ago.

Now, the findings by members of the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group demonstrate that modern humans have dwelt in this territory for far longer than previously thought.

The new genetic data and analysis bolsters a theory that has long been held by archaeologists, although they had little evidence to support it until now.

The new discoveries about an Ice Age refugium in Arabia and the subsequent outward migration are based on a study of a rare mitochondrial DNA lineage named R0a, which, uniquely, is most frequent in Arabia and the Horn of Africa.

Researchers have reached the conclusion that this lineage is more ancient than previously thought and that it has a deeper presence in Arabia than was earlier believed.

This makes the case for at least one glacial refugium during the Pleistocene period, which spanned the Ice Age.

The study also describes the dispersals during the postglacial period, around 11,000 years ago, of people from Arabia into eastern Africa.

Moreover, there is evidence for the movement of people in the R0a haplogroup through the Middle East and into Europe and there might also have been a trading network and a "gene flow" from Arabia into the territories that are now Iran, Pakistan and India.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
She wanted to make a movie on Sarabjit Singh while he was in prison, but it was only after nearly two years of his death that Dalbir Kaur met actor Randeep Hooda prepping to play her brother on screen and felt he was perfect for 'Sarbjit'.

Directed by Omung Kumar, "Sarbjit" is based on the Indian national, who died following an assault by fellow prisoners at a Pakistani jail.

"Randeep is excellent. He has played my brother perfectly. When I first came and saw Randeep, I saw my brother in him. He was in a cell when I saw him and I could not help but cry. I broke down," Dalbir told PTI.

"My blood pressure went high and I almost fell ill. It was extremely emotional for me. I had told them that I doubt whether I'll be able to watch the film. Now I am much better," she said.

Sarabjit was convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court. He died aged 49.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will essay the role of Dalbir, who fought for her brother's freedom, relentlessly, for over two decades.

"I met Aishwarya and told her that I am extremely happy that she is playing a role based on me. She had researched about it too from her end. She has done full justice to the part and she is an exceptional actress."



Interestingly, she wanted to make a film on her brother while he was in prison in order to ignite a movement and perhaps push the government to help free Sarabjit.

"When he was in jail, some people wanted to make a film on him. We were keen too as it would have helped us. After his death, many people contacted me wanting to make a film on him but I was not in a state of mind to think something like this could be done," Dalbir said.

"When I heard that Omung wants to make a film, I asked who he is. Then I got to know he had made 'Mary Kom'. I met him and now I am happy someone like him has made the movie."



Dalbir says, once she was on board, there were no requests from her end except to keep the film as real as possible sans "too much of drama."



With "Sarbjit" scheduled to release on May 20, Dalbir's only wish is that the film leads to a development where prisoners in both countries, who have been wrongly accused, are set free.

"I want the film to be loved by all. Both the countries should get some sense and the prisoners who are across the borders should be released. We are so drenched in hatred that sometimes it blinds us and we capture an innocent man," she said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the Indian Air Force (IAF) will give 15 acres of additional land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the expansion of city-based Lohegaon airport.

"The additional land of 15.84 acres will be given to AAI on a lease and formal procedure of land transfer will be done soon. However, AAI can begin the work immediately," said Parrikar, after meeting officials of AAI, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the local representatives.

"Since Pune airport is a part of the IAF's Lohegaon air base, which is sensitive establishment for the Air Force, AAI authorities under the guidance of the IAF will erect a safety wall in order to restrict common people and workers from entering into secured zone of IAF," the Minister said.

Pune District Guardian Minister, Girish Bapat, who was present for the meeting, said in the last two years, the footfall at Lohegaon International Airport has increased from 35 lakh to 55 lakh and even the flight movements have gone up.
One person was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttarakhand police for allegedly smuggling 135 cartons of illicit liquor worth Rs 2.5 lakh in Raiwala area of the district.

Acting on a tip-off, a mini truck was intercepted by the STF team in Raiwala area late last night. On searching the vehicle, the cartons carrying illicit liquor were seized which were hidden under animal fodder, police said.

While one Lokesh Thapa was arrested, his aide Mintu escaped.

Police has filed a case under Excise Act and 207 Motor Vehicle Act in this connection.

On interrogation, Thapa revealed they brought the 'Arunachal' brand liquor from Bilaspur in Ambala and were going to sell it at Satpuli in Pauri Garhwal district in the state.

STF has seized 840 cartons of illicit liquor in the state in last five months.
Waiting to be auctioned off by tax authorities for recovery of their dues, the erstwhile 'King of Good Times' Vijay Mallya's private luxury jet is reminiscent of his high-flying days  interspersed with plush sofas, a cushioned bed, bars, showers and even a bathrobe.

The 25-seater has also got portraits of gods inside while the exterior has got names of Mallya's three children  son and two daughters -- imprinted on the nose of the plane. His own initials 'VJM' form part of the name of the jet.

As banks seek to recover dues worth over Rs 9,400 crore in loans and interest from Mallya's long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines, the Service Tax Department is trying hard to sell off his personal jet to recover its over Rs 500 crore dues.

The Airbus plane, grounded for over three years and gathering dust in a lonely bay at the Mumbai airport, is among the many properties of the businessman that are on the block.

Reflecting the personalised ways of Mallya, once known as 'King of Good Times' and often criticised as being flamboyant, the interior of the plane has also got at multiple spots the winged horse perched over the bold initials 'UB' -- the logo of his UB group.

The pictures shared with the prospective bidders also show a bathrobe placed on a hanger inside a wardrobe.

The Airbus A319-133CJ is on the block with the condition 'As Is Where Is, As Is What Is, Whatever There Is and No Complaint basis'.

Auction of the aircraft, originally scheduled for May 12-13, has been postponed to June 29-30 as only one bidder turned up in the earlier attempt.

Among others, the interested party is required to deposit a pre-bid amount of Rs 1 crore to participate in the auction, to be conducted by state-owned MSTC Ltd.

However, response to the proposed sales of Mallya's other assets has also not been encouraging so far.

Efforts of a consortium of banks, last month, to sell his airline's erstwhile headquarters 'Kingfisher House' in Mumbai failed at the high reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Also, there were no takers for Kingfisher brands and associated trademarks carrying a reserve price of Rs 367 crore.

Meanwhile, lenders have also taken possession of the famous Kingfisher Villa in Goa, which banks say was pledged by Mallya as collateral for loans.

The banks so far have recovered over Rs 1,240 crore by selling shares and collaterals. Besides, more than Rs 1,200 crore is blocked in escrow accounts at the Debt Recovery Tribunal, Bengaluru, and the Karnataka High Court.

In April, the embattled businessman had told the Supreme Court that he was ready to repay up to Rs 6,800 crore.

Amid mounting pressure from lenders on the loan default, Mallya left the country in March, presumably for the UK, and since then, authorities have been making efforts to bring him back.

His passport has been revoked and there is also a non-bailable warrant against him.

He has been objecting to the 'fugitive' tag and said in a recent interview in London that he was in a "forced exile" and has now become "the king of bad times".
India is in talks with "certain" countries in Africa for possible export of the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter even as the Defence Ministry has set a target of USD 2 billion worth of exports over the next two years.

The weapons trial of the LCH is planned in July-August this year. While the Army has placed an order for 114 LCH with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the IAF has ordered 65.

The successful demonstration of the LCH in firing 70 mm rockets was conducted during the Iron Fist exercise of the IAF held recently.

The certification trials with integration of mission sensors such as electro optical system, helmet pointing system and weapon system like air to air missiles, turret gun and rockets are planned between July and August this year.

"We are in talks with certain countries in Africa who have evinced interest in the LCH. With great value for money, the helicopter is an attractive buy for many countries," a senior defence official said.

Asked why the countries would be interested in a chopper which is yet to get final certification, the official said, "The certification is a formal process. The countries interested in the LCH in the current form do not need high features like air to air missiles. For them turret gun along with some other features work."



LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL.

Its features include sleek and narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crash worthy landing gear, crash worthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection, nuclear and low visibility features which makes the LCH lethal, agile and survivable.

Designed for anti-tank and anti-infantry roles with a maximum speed of 275 kilometers per hour, the LCH is also capable of high-altitude warfare since its operational ceiling will be 16,000 to 18,000 feet.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had on Saturday said government is pushing for defence exports and plans to export Tejas fighter aircraft as well.

"I know it is not easy. Weapons and export of defence goods have double problems. One is whom you are exporting to and the second is one has to go on checking all international requirements," he had said.

Explaining that push for exports has started showing results, Parrikar said, "From a meager 140-150 million dollars, this year, I think we have crossed 330 odd million dollars. We have doubled the export. I have set a target for myself. In the next two years, why not touch USD 2 billion. It is not an impossible target.
Investors must pay taxes on money they earn in India and the domestic economy is now strong enough to depend on any "tax-incentivised route" to attract foreign investments, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

He said there was no "serious apprehension" of investors shifting base to other tax havens and he sees no depletion in FDI flows due to re-drawing of decades-old tax treaty with Mauritius -- the biggest source of foreign investments into India.

The amendment would also help check round-tripping of funds and boost the domestic consumption, Jaitley added.

After toiling for almost a decade to redraw the tax treaty with Mauritius, India will begin imposing capital gains tax on investments in shares through Mauritius April next onwards. This has been made possible with amendment to the 34-year old tax treaty between the two countries.

As markets reacted cautiously to India expanding its crackdown on tax treaties to make it harder for investors to use tax havens as a shelter to avoid levies, Jaitley told PTI, "Eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of (Indian) economy."



Stating that the original created "a tax-incentivised route" at a time when India was looking at foreign investments to boost economy, he said the economy has become strong enough and "now those who earn must pay taxes."



The original treaty, signed almost a decade before India opened up its economy in 1991, has helped channellise more than a third of the $278 billion (nearly Rs 19 lakh crore) foreign direct investment India received in the past 15 years.

The imposition of taxes has been "done in a phased manner to avoid shock and I don't expect any depletion to FDI because of this. Also eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of economy," he said.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said the treaty revision will bring in lot of transparency about Mauritius-based entities investing in India.

"It will help us dramatically in curbing round-tripping because there are two very important aspects to it. One is the capital gains regime that will be applicable at the same rate as you would get if you were a domestic resident tax payer in India. So there would be no advantage for anybody coming in through the Mauritius route after 2019.

"Number two, they will also be able to get a lot more transparency on Mauritius companies that will be investing in India through the Information Exchange Protocol that we have also signed," he said.

Asked if the new treaty helps plug the loophole that existed earlier, Sinha said: "There was round-tripping of money for certain that was happening. That, of course, will stop because the capital gains benefit will go away. And the information exchange will be far more thorough."



The redrawn will trigger a similar amendment in India's tax treaty with Singapore. Mauritius and Singapore accounted for $17 billion of the total $29.4 billion India received in FDI during April-December 2015.

India last week signed an amendment to its tax agreement with Mauritius to get the right to levy capital gains tax on companies routing funds into India through the island nation after March 31, 2017.

The short-term capital gains tax will be levied at half the rate prevailing during the first two-year transition period. Short-term capital gains are taxed at 15% at present. The full rate will kick in from April 1, 2019.

India had in August 1982 signed the treaty with Mauritius to eliminate double taxation of income and capital gains to encourage mutual trade and investment.

"At a time when economy is picking up and looking at rest of the world, you incentivise investment in certain areas because economy needs those investment at all cost...Mauritius was created as a tax-incentivised route and a very large part of FDI came through this route," Jaitley said, adding no tax on securities transaction and on dividend was created.

As the nation of just about 13 lakh people emerged as the biggest source of foreign investment in India, suspicion also grew that a chunk of the funds was not real investment but Indians routing cash through the island to avoid domestic taxes, a practice known as 'round tripping'.

"Since 1996, we made several steps in order to renegotiate. Then in 2005, you extended some of their benefits to Singapore. In last one year, Mauritius and India had extensive discussion. At one stage, Mauritius agreed but then there was a rethink. After a lot of discussion, a very balanced decision has come out," Jaitley said.

The Minister said people whose capital grows will have to pay tax, but investments up to March 31, 2017 has been kept out of tax ambit for giving "markets comfort".

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Stating that the treaty provides for 'grandfathering' till March 2017, Jaitley said, "From then till up to two years, 50 per cent of the rate and then from April 2019, 100 per cent of the tax rate (will be applicable)".

But this concessional rate of 50 per cent would apply to a Mauritius resident company that can prove that it has a total expenditure of at least Rs 27 lakh in the African island nation and is not a 'shell' company with just a post office address.

Experts said the prospective application of capital gains provisions and grandfathering of past investments, both in shares and debt, has come as a relief.

"The signing of the 2016 Protocol puts an end to all such speculation and ushers in the much needed certainty for businesses. The amendments, especially the withdrawal of capital gains exemption, reflects the influence of the principles laid down by the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project of the OECD," EY India Senior tax partner Pranav Sayta said.

BMR Legal Managing Partner Mukesh Butani said the move reflects government's seriousness about tax reforms and clarity to address the ease of doing business.

"It would push tax costs for investors but there is certainty and clarity. India in the medium to long term will contribute to attract acting investments and a stable environment will auger well for the India rupee which would make the tax cost look insignificant," Butani said.

Grant Thornton Advisory Pvt Ltd Director Manoj Purohit said the reworked treaty will provide a "great relief to the bonafide investors as it would give them a clarity of taxation and end the litigation on treaty abuse".
With a revised Mauritius pact in place to check round-tripping, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (pictured) on Sunday said investors must pay taxes on money earned in India. He also ruled out any depletion of foreign direct investment (FDI) due to imposition of capital gains tax on investments through the island nation.

He said India no longer needs any tax-incentivised route to attract foreign investments as Indian economy is now strong enough and said there was no serious apprehension of investors shifting base to other tax havens due to the re-drawing of the decades-old tax treaty with Mauritius  the biggest source of foreign investments into India.

By checking round-tripping of funds, the amendment would help boost domestic consumption, Jaitley added.

After toiling for almost a decade to redraw the tax treaty with Mauritius, India will begin imposing capital gains tax on investments in shares through Mauritius from April next onwards. This has been made possible with an amendment to the 34-year-old tax treaty between the two countries.

As markets reacted cautiously to India expanding its crackdown on tax treaties to make it harder for investors to use tax havens as a shelter to avoid levies, Jaitley told PTI, "Eventually markets have to operate on inherent strength of the (Indian) economy."



Stating the Mauritius tax treaty created a "tax-incentivised route" at a time when India was looking at foreign investments to boost the economy, he said the economy has become strong enough and "now those who earn must pay taxes". The original treaty, signed almost a decade before India opened up its economy in 1991, has helped channelise more than a third of the $278 billion (nearly Rs 19 lakh crore) of FDI India received in the past 15 years.

The imposition of taxes has been "done in a phased manner to avoid shock and I don't expect any depletion to FDI because of this. Also eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of economy", he said. Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said the treaty revision will bring in a lot of transparency about Mauritius-based entities investing in India.

The redrawn Mauritius treaty will trigger a similar amendment in Indias tax treaty with Singapore. Mauritius and Singapore accounted for $17 billion of the total $29.4 billion India received in FDI during April-December 2015.

"It will help us dramatically in curbing round-tripping because there are two very important aspects to it. One is the capital gains regime... that will be applicable at the same rate as you would get if you were a domestic resident tax payer in India. So, there would be no advantage for anybody coming in through the Mauritius route after 2019.

"There was round-tripping of money for certain that was happening. That, of course, will stop because the capital gains benefit will go away. And the information exchange will be far more thorough," Sinha said.

India had in August 1982 signed the treaty with Mauritius to eliminate double taxation of income and capital gains to encourage mutual trade and investment.
The new policy will give a big boost to R&D and new innovations within the country while steps are being taken to cut waiting period for trademark and patent registrations, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Terming the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy as "a great step forward for India", the Commerce and Industry Minister also said it would help in creating capacities and institutions to further enhance the robustness of India's regime.

"The policy envisages building capacities, institutions and awareness. It will encourage research and development for greater innovation and also look at traditional knowledge systems. So this is a policy, which is going to drive all these steps," Sitharaman told PTI here.

Talking about steps to reduce pendency of applications, she said the ministry is recruiting people and giving them training and modernising offices.

The total number of patent applications and trademark registration requests pending as on February 1 were 2,37,029 and 5,44,171, respectively.

The registration time for IPRs like trademarks "will come to in line with what is happening around the globe. So our waiting list will not be longer than the waiting list abroad".

"We have taken adequate steps to reduce the waiting list," she added.

Sitharaman said the policy is aimed at making India's regime far more vibrant. "We want more innovation, R&D (research and development) and commercial use of trademarks and other IPRs."



The government has announced the comprehensive national IPR policy with a tagline of 'Creative India, Innovative India' to incentivise entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and curb manufacturing and sale of counterfeits.

The seven objectives of the policy include stimulation of generation of IPRs, need for strong and effective laws and strengthening enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms to combat infringements.

The policy seeks to promote R&D through tax benefits available under various laws and simplification of procedures for availing of direct and indirect tax benefits.

Increasing awareness about IPR will help in building an atmosphere where creativity and innovation are encouraged, leading to generation of protectable IP that can be commercialised.

Bringing the Copyright Act and the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) would benefit industry and individuals, Sitharaman said.

"... Commercial importance (of IPRs) will be better affected when it is under one roof and particularly with the ministry which is so oriented for promotion of such activities," the minister added.
The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad that killed at least 14 people, while a string of other bomb attacks in or close to the capital killed 15 others, Iraqi officials said.

The attack on the gas plant started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the facility's main gate in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces, an official said, adding that 27 troops were wounded.

The IS-affiliated Aamaq agency credited a group of "Caliphate soldiers" for the attack.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire caused by the explosions. Younis said technicians were examining the damage.

A car bomb targeting a shopping area in the town of Latifiyah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the capital, killed seven people, including two soldiers, police and hospital officials said. They said that 18 people were also wounded in the attack, four of whom were soldiers.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three separate bomb attacks targeted commercial areas, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 28 others, police added.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Today's attacks killed 29 people across Iraq. Since Wednesday, more than 140 people have been killed in a spate of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.
A day after election officials seized three trucks carrying Rs 570 crore near Tirupur, the Income Tax department today asked the district administration to move the vehicles back to Coimbatore chest of the SBI to execute search warrants.

"The Income Tax department has given a letter to district collector (Tirupur) to transfer the vehicle to Coimbatore in the bank chest to execute search warrants," Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said.

The development comes even as State Bank of India had claimed the money to be its, saying it was being transferred from Coimbatore to Andhra Pradesh to address cash shortage in that state and as per RBI instructions.

The vehicles were detained by election department officials after chasing the trucks, which were accompanied by three cars, after they did not stop at the check post at Chengapalli in Tirupur District in the wee hours of yesterday.

A high-level committee, headed by Expenditure Observer, carried out a detailed inquiry with the State Bank of India officials for more than 12 hours, with regard to despatch of the money, without valid documents and proper security.

The Bank had staked claim for the money, saying that it was transferred from Coimbatore main branch to its branches in Vishakhapatnam, where there was shortage of cash.

Moreover, this was done according to RBI guidelines, SBI had said.

"To address a temporary cash shortage in Andhra Pradesh, the RBI has authorised transfer of Rs 570 crore from our currency chest in Coimbatore main branch to our special currency administration branch in Visakhapatnam.

"As per RBI instructions, our Coimbatore main branch released the treasure to the authorised SBI personnel, duly escorted by a team of Andhra police. But the convoy carrying the cash was stopped by the EC officials enroute and brought to Tiruppur collectorate for further scrutiny," SBI had said in a statement last night, while terming the EC action as "erroneous".

The release of the containers, which were under tight security since last evening, was delayed, pending orders from top Election Commission officials, an official from election department here said.
A controversial Italian fertility surgeon who has been accused of removing eggs from a woman's ovaries without her consent claimed today he is the victim of a witch hunt.

Severino Antinori, dubbed the grandmothers' obstetrician for helping women in their 60s to have children, was recovering at his Rome residence today, a day after he was rushed to hospital.

He attributed the visit to the stress of being arrested and suspended from medicine over what his lawyers have dismissed as malicious claims.

"I have pains in my chest, I could have had a heart attack," Antinori, 70, told the AGI agency. "I am very ill because of this unjustified arrest. Do they want me dead?



"I am an honest man. I've never robbed eggs from anyone and while all this is going on the embryos that have been sequestrated are dying."



Antinori has been under house arrest since Friday after being detained by police at Fiumicino's airport on charges of aggravated robbery and causing personal injuries.

The charges followed a month-long investigation triggered by a 24-year-old Spanish woman who says she had her eggs harvested after being forcibly placed under anaesthetic while undergoing treatment for an ovarian cyst at Antinori's Milan clinic in early April.

Lawyers for the physician claim the woman had signed consent forms and had tried to blackmail the clinic into giving her a permanent job by threatening to go public with a false version of what happened to her.

The alleged victim has a nursing qualification and had recently begun working at the clinic.

Prosecutors suspect Antinori had offered the woman a job and later diagnosed her as having an ovarian cyst as a pretext for being able to operate and remove eggs from her.

They are also examining statements from other women who say they donated eggs at the clinic in return for payment, which is against the law in Italy.

One of the alleged paid donors was quoted by La Repubblica as saying that Antinori personally oversaw payments for eggs.

"It was 1,000 euros for every harvest and an extra 500 if I brought a friend. I needed money, he needed eggs," the 22-year-old Brazilian told the daily's Sunday edition.

Antinori became famous worldwide in 1994 when Italian Rossana Della Corte giving birth to a son at the age of 63 thanks to his treatment.

Della Corte was the oldest woman to have given birth at the time but that record has since been beaten.

A 65-year-old, Annegret Raunigk, gave birth to quadruplets in Germany last year and Daljinder Kaur, who told AFP she was around 70, gave birth to a boy last month following fertility treatment in India, where a 72-year-old reportedly had a child in 2008.
Italy's health minister is proposing doubling a 'baby bonus' incentive for couples to have more children to combat what she calls a catastrophic decline in the country's birth rate.

"If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years' time, 40 per cent less than in 2010 - an apocalypse," the minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, said in an interview published today by daily La Repubblica.

Lorenzin told the paper she wanted to double the standard baby bonus, currently 80 euros (USD 90) a month for low-to- middle income families, and introduce higher payments for second and subsequent children to encourage bigger families.

Introduced last year, the allowances are currently payable only for babies born between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 up to their third birthdays.

Lorenzin wants to expand eligibility to all under-threes (thereby including those born before 2015) and to extend the provision for an additional three years, covering all babies born up until the end of 2020.

Higher-income families, those with taxable earnings of more than 25,000 euros per year, are not eligible for the scheme, excluding about a third of parents.

The allowances are paid at higher rates for the poorest - those declaring less than 7,000 euros a year to the taxman.

Under the new proposals, the payment for second and subsequent children would be 240 euros/month for average families and 400 euros/month for the poorest.

Lorenzin is an influential member of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left government and would not have floated the increased payments without a green light from him, political commentators noted.

The proposals may however raise eyebrows in Brussels, where the European Commission is pressing Renzi to move faster on cutting the country's budget deficit as a way of bringing down its huge national debt, currently equivalent to more than 130 per cent of GDP.

Lorenzin's proposals would add 2.2 billion euros to public spending over six years, her department estimates.
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Nirmal Singh, today invited Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das to visit the state during Amarnath Yatra.

Singh extended the invitation when he called on Das here, an official release said.

The J&K Deputy Chief Minister was here in connection with a function.

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Singh and his wife Mamta also made a courtesy call on former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Arjun Munda at the latter's residence in Ranchi.

Munda hosted a dinner in their honour.

Jharkhand Urban Development, Housing and Transport Minister C P Singh and Parliamentary Affairs, Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Saryu Roy were among other dignitaries present on the occasion.
An army jawan died today during a "routine training activity" in Assam following which a few of his colleagues roughed up a Captain.

An army officer said that 4-5 jawans got emotional and agitated following the death of their fellow soldier.

The death took place during a routine training activity, he said.

"The jawan complained of chest pain prior to a route march and was checked by the unit medical officer who found him fit. He later collapsed during the march. He was rushed to the field ambulance where he died," the officer said.

He said that 4-5 jawans became emotional while being consoled by their adjutant, the Captain. They got agitated leading to a scuffle, he said, adding that no one was injured.

The incident is being investigated like all cases of death during training, the officer said.
On the eve of Tamil Nadu assembly polls, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK President M Karunanidhi appealed to the voters to exercise their franchise as it was both their "right" and "pious duty."



Jayalalithaa, seeking a successive term for her party, described voting as an "excellent opportunity" for every citizen to uphold their right even as "it is a pious duty" to exercise one's franchise.

"Safeguarding democracy is a pious activity we do for ourselves and our generations," she said in a statement.

Without naming anybody, she said that there was an "evil force which even pawns its children for selfish reasons and scripts things according to situation for its win," which the people were keenly watching.

The efforts of such evil force should be crushed by the people, she said.

Karunanidhi said that it was the time to "act carefully" where the future of Tamil Nadu had to be decided.

"We have the duty of safeguarding democracy and people. Voting is the duty and right of every citizen," he said.

In a statement, he sought the cooperation of all to ensure peaceful polling and that "duty, discipline and dignity," should be maintained.

Polling for 233 Assembly constituencies will be held tomorrow in Tamil Nadu.

Though the state has 234 seats, election to Aravakurichi has been deferred by the EC for May 23 following money flow in the constituency.
In a significant catch, Army has arrested a terrorist of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit in Baramulla district of Kashmir and recovered an Aadhaar card from his possession, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

Abdul Rehman, a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had infiltrated in January and was engaged in recuiting local youth for "suicide" attacks, Army said.

"A special joint operation was conducted with police, in which a Pakistani terrorist - Abdul Rehman, who belongs to JeM cadre, has been arrested alive. It is a huge success because we are hopeful of getting important information from him when we interrogate him," Major General J S Nain, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Baramulla Division, told reporters in Baramulla, about 55 kms from here.

The official said the operation spanned two months, with the security forces keeping a track of Rehman's movement in the Valley before finally arresting him from a forest area near Old Town of Baramulla on Friday.

"We tracked his movement. He came to Baramulla seven times. He tried recruiting people in Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara," the GoC said.

"He told us that he took training at Balakote training camp in Pakistan under ISI's guidance for three-four months. Then in January he infiltrated into India along with his four companions.

"They hid in forest areas for one or two months and then this group spread and Rehman was assigned the responsibility of Baramulla, Sopore and areas near them to recruit for JeM and prepare a module for it and the overall aim was to carry big 'fidayeen' (suicide) attacks," he said.

The official said recruiting youth in Kashmir for suicide missions was something new and a matter of serious concern.

"This is a new thing which has come to the fore as it is for the first time that a group has come for recruitment to the Valley for its fidayeen squad. This is a serious matter.

"So, this is a huge success for security forces and whatever information we get from him, we can then launch operations based on that intelligence," he said.

Major Gen Nain said an Aadhar card has been recovered from Rehman's possession in the name of Shabir Ahmad Khan and if the card turns out to be genuine, it is a "matter of concern" for the security agencies.

In fact, the army official said all the five terrorists were given an Aadhaar card each when they entered the Valley.

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"It will be established by an inquiry whether the Aadhaar card is genuine or not. If it is fake, then it is not a matter of great concern as one can get fake documents. However, if it is original, then definitely, it is matter of concern for all of us," Major Gen Nain said.

He said militant groups were trying to create a situation in north Kashmir similar to south Kashmir where their activities are high.

"There is a lot of terrorist activity in south Kashmir and the situation is hot. Since the last few months, all the outfits are trying to create similar situation in north Kashmir. They thought they could attract people as fidayeen action gets huge media coverage and fame," the army official said.

"During his interrogation, Rehman said the modus operandi was that after recruiting youth, they were to train them for two weeks and supply them arms and ammunition. After the training, they would have got orders from their handlers in Pakistan," he said.

He said Rehman was about to become JeM commander of Baramulla area because there was a vacuum in the area after another JeM militant Mohammad Sidiq was arrested in February.

"We do not know yet how many people have they recruited and he did not tell us in detail about the route of their infiltration. I am sure we will get to know about that during his interrogation," Major Gen Nain said.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said a joint venture company in partnership with the Karnataka government will be set up in three months to take up railway projects.

"We will start a joint venture company with Karnataka government in which the state will acquire some equity, we will take some equity, and will also leverage the equity by pooling some extra budgetary resources, and these resources will not come into the fiscal responsibility and budget management Act of Karnataka," Prabhu said.

He said the idea is for the state government to collaborate with the to create fast and accelerated infrastructure for the state.

"I can declare today, within next three months, we will operationalise this company so that the company can start working. Chief Minister has invited me for a meeting on this, we will take the next step forward to ensure the company is operationalised and take up infrastructure projects," he added.

In February, the Union government had cleared a proposal allowing the to form JV companies with state governments with equity participation to help identify areas that require new railway lines, acquire land for projects and help pool funds as well as jointly monitor these projects.

Prabhu was speaking after renaming Bengaluru city railway station as Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna station.

The station is named after Karnataka's prominent freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna (1798-1831).

Rayanna was the head of the army in the princely state of Kittur ruled by Rani Chennamma and fought against the British.

Prabhu also laid the foundation stone for Yelahanka-Penukonda (120km), Arsikere-Tumakuru (96 km), Hubballi-Chikjajur (190 km) doubling projects, and road overbridge at Koppal.

The road overbridge at Davangere was also commissioned today during the event that was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Union ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar, among others.
Sri Lanka's opposition JVP today accused President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of influencing graft probe against the wrongdoers from the previous Rajapaksa administration to protect them.

"Both President and Prime Minister are slowing down investigations because they want to protect the corrupt," Lal Kantha, a JVP senior told reporters here.

He said the civil society organisations were focusing attention on the lethargy of the police and the judiciary, but they must blame the two leaders.

"This government won't exist if they are to take action against the corrupt," Kantha said.

Since the victory of Srisena in 2015, the Financial Crimes Investigation Division was created to investigate the large scale corruption allegations against the members of the Rajapaksa government including former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his immediate family members.

The FCID has already arrested Basil Rajapaksa, the powerful economic development minister and Rajapaksa's younger brother. His second son Yoshitha was also arrested on money laundering charges. Both have been released on bail.

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe had promised a clean government by probing all allegations against the former regime members.

Several members of the family and senior government members of Rajapaksa have also been questioned, yet there is growing public resentment over the slow speed of proceedings.

Many cases are pending and taken long time over investigations.
US Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi King Salman today ahead of a week of crunch talks on the conflicts in Syria and Libya.

Riyadh has been a key supporter of rebels fighting to overthrow the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Its allies Cairo and Abu Dhabi have also been major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is still withholding its support from a UN- and US-backed unity government in Tripoli.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed "regional issues... Mainly developments in Syria," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

"I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect," he said.

Kerry was to fly to Vienna later today for the meetings on Libya and Syria tomorrow and on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he will fly on to Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

Kerry's spokesman John Kirby said the secretary of state and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni would jointly host the Libya conflict meeting.

Participants will "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," Kirby said.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to dend the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that had undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March taking over key institutions like the central bank and the National Oil Corporation but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

Kirby said the goal was to "ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition in Syria."



The ISSG, under the odd couple of Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect a shaky truce in force since February.
The new airport at Kishangarh, which is being developed to cater to the historical city of Ajmer, is likely to be operationalised by July next year for which airlines have evinced interest to operate flights from Mumbai and Delhi.

Located in the biggest marble market of Kishangarh, the airport building's construction work is most likely to complete in December after which the process for DGCA approval to commission the airport will begin and inspection by teams of air safety directorate will take place, Airport in-charge Sanjeev Jindal told PTI.

He said nearly 85 per cent of the civil and electrical work of the terminal building, which will have a capacity to handle 200 passengers at a time, has been completed and the 2000 meter long runway has also been constructed.

441 acres of land was handed over for the project in 2013 but possession of 69 acre of land is still pending due to compensation issue to be handled by the state government.

Due to the problem of acquisition of the 69 acre land, four km long boundary wall and other important works are still pending.

"Series of meetings took place with the state government and the district administration to resolve the issue and hopefully the piece of the land will be handed over in coming days," he said.

"Because of this issue, we are not able to install important equipment and communication set up. So far, runway of the length of 2 km and 60 per cent of the boundary wall along with perimeter road has been completed.

"However, some runway work and safety area work for about 300 meter has not been completed in spite of various attempts and efforts by AAI because of the continuous agitation by villagers of Rathoron ki Dhani from more than a year, he said.

The project comprises main terminal building which is being constructed to handle small aircraft operation, technical block, fire tower, Air Traffic Control Tower, electric sub station, rain water harvesting, sewerage treatment plant, horticulture and tree plantation.

"After the construction of the infrastructure, approval of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is required.This has been targeted to receive by July 2017 thereafter the commercial operations will begin," he said.

The officer said that the airport will be based on a white theme.

"The building will have installation of murals made of marbles which will give a 3D effect, 'Bani Thani potrait', the painting of the Kishangarh school of paintings, use of marble stone inside the building and other stones outside the building, fountains and other items will give the project a local touch.

Apart from this, green cover in the area will be increased and 2000 trees are targeted to be planted in the monsoon season, he said.

"Approximately 2000 small trees are proposed to be planted in the first phase so that at the time of starting flight operations, there will be a green belt to welcome passengers when they enter airport premises," he said.

Ajmer, which is visited by lakhs of tourists every year, is 135 kms from the state capital and the airport is near NH-11 and at a distance of 25 from the city of Ajmer.
An Assam BJP leader's remark that the party would take 1951 as the base year to detect foreigners if elected will have "no effect" on minorities and has caused "damage" to it in the second phase of Assembly polls in the state, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal has said.

Assam BJP's Election Committee Convener Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement during the campaign will in "no way affect the minorities but has severely affected BJP's prospects in the second phase polls in Lower and Central Assam", Ajmal told PTI.

The two-phased Assembly polls in the state took place on April 4 and April 11.

"Sarma made this statement to score politically but it has caused damage to BJP and will electorally benefit Congress the most. In fact, the BJP high-command should take Sarma to task and ask for an explanation from him on this issue," the All India United Democratic Front leader said.

The process of updating the National Register of Citizens is currently on in Assam with 1971 as the base year which was agreed upon in the Assam Accord.

"The demand for 1951 as the base year will in no way affect majority of the Muslims as most can trace their family linkage to 1951 but will actually affect the Hindu Bengalis as most came from Bangladesh after 1971", Ajmal said.

"Our stand is very clear--we stand by the decision of 1971 as the base year which is being followed for updating NRC and we are committed to the Assam Accord," he said.

AIUDF's stand on the issue of foreigners has been clear from the beginning that all foreigners who have come after 1971 must leave but genuine citizens should not be harassed at any cost, Ajmal said.

"Bangladeshis must go. We do not want them to be in Assam but genuine citizens of the country who have been living in the state for generations should not be harassed. I have stated the same in Parliament," he said.

Asked about allegations that his party was formed after the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants Determination Tribunal (IMDT) Act, to protect the interests of Bangladeshi migrants, he said this was "absolutely false and a propaganda spread by Congress".

"Our party was in existence for six months before the scrapping of the IMDT Act in 2005 and we are not for protecting foreigners," he said.

Asked about his party being viewed primarily as a party for the minorities, the AIUDF chief said this was "not true. We are a secular party committed to the development of all communities in the state".

"In this Assembly polls, out of the 73 candidates we have fielded, 33 are from different communities across the state and we want all-round development of all the communities," he said.

On allegations that madarsas in Assam were emerging as hubs for jihadis, Ajmal said these are just "speculation and an example of witch-hunting".

"There is no jihadi activities in madarsas. In most cases, it has been found that people are arrested on suspicion but later released after several years, thereby completely ruining their lives", he said.

Police should arrest only those against whom they have concrete evidence of indulging in such activities and not ruin the lives of people by keeping them in jails, Ajmal said.
Some 50 activists backing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community staged a rare sit-in Sunday in Lebanon to demand the abolition of a law criminalising relations "against nature".

In the first such protest in four years, they also demanded the release of four transsexual women as they gathered outside the Hbeish gendarmerie in Beirut, where activists say morality police often hold such suspects.

"Homosexuality is not a disease," and "Sex is not illegal -- your law is archaic," read a placard at the event organised by the Lebanon-based Helem association, considered to be the most important Arab group defending LGBT rights.

"Repeal 534" could also be read, a reference to the article in the Lebanese penal code under which sexual relations "against nature" are outlawed and punishable by up to one year in prison.

Helem chief Genwa Samhat told AFP the sit-in, two days before the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, "calls for the abolition of this section of law dating from the (1920-1943) French mandate in Lebanon".

"Most people arrested under this law aren't detained in the act but in the street because of their appearance," she said.
Bangladesh's embattled former prime minister Khaleda Zia's legal woes got worse today after a defamation case was filed against her for alleging that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son has stashed USD 300 million in a bank account.

A complaint was filed with a Dhaka court against Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Zia for alleging that prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has stashed USD 300 million in banks, which the plaintiff, a pro-government politician, said was 'defamatory'.

AB Siddiqui, president of the pro-Awami League Jananetri Parishad, filed the case against the 70-year-old former prime minister at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.

The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abdullah Al Masud heard the matter and ordered police to investigate, media reports said.

In an address during the May 1 rally at Dhaka's Suhrawardy Udyan, the BNP chief had asked Prime Minister Hasina to have her son questioned in custody over his "USD 300 million stashed away in banks".

"Her remarks are offending. I believe her comments, without providing any evidence or fact, were meant to defame the prime minister's son," reads the petition by Siddiqui.

Khaleda along with several other BNP leaders have been claiming that that the documents of a case over bribing a FBI agent in exchange for information about Joy talked about the USD 300 million in the account of the prime minister's son.

Joy shot back at Khaleda on the social media after the remarks, calling her "a liar and a thief".

"Madam, if you know where the USD 300 million is, please let me know," Joy had said in his Facebook post on May 1, adding, "I would like to donate it to orphans."



Speaking at Parliament, Hasina has dared Khaleda to accept the challenge thrown at her by Joy.

Khaleda has been sued in two cases filed against the two- time former prime minister on the issue.

On May 3, a Taka 1 crore defamation case was filed with a Comilla court against Zia for her comment.

On May 1, Khaleda at a rally in Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka alleged that senior journalist Shafik Rehman was arrested for "collecting information on his (Joy's) involvement in siphoning off Taka 2,500 crore".

Zia is already facing a slew of graft cases.

Last month, a court rejected two petitions of Zia who appeared before it in a graft case which accuses her of embezzling over USD four lakh from a trust when she was the premier.
A local association of liquor traders today claimed to have showm black flags to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for suggesting imposition of prohibition in Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow Sharab Association leader Kanhailal Maurya claimed that slogans were shouted against Kumar and black flags were shown to him.

Police, however, did not confirm the incident.

JD(U) MP KC Tyagi, who had accompanied Kumar to Lucknow today, referred to the incident during his speech at a Kisan Sammelan addressed by the Bihar Chief Minister.

"It was a failed attempt to show black flags to him," Tyagi added.

There are over 72,000 licensed liquor shops across the state.
Pictures of London's first Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan's visit to one of the city's most famous temples where he performed rituals ahead of his election have gone viral on social media.

Pictures from the temple visit emerged on social media this week as Khan described the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in north London's Neasden as one of his favourites.

"Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden is one of my favourite places in London," the 45-year-old had said on his Facebook post dated May 3, days before his runaway victory in the mayoral elections.

"As Mayor, I will stand up for London's Indian community, and strengthen London's friendship with India. I look forward to leading a trade delegation to India at the earliest opportunity," Khan said.

In one of the pictures, Khan, who is son of a Pakistani migrant bus driver, is seen performing "Jalabhishek" or water ritual on a golden idol of Shri Swaminarayan.

The visit was a clear attempt on his part to stress his message of wanting to be a mayor for "all Londoners".

"Let me be very clear, I'm not a Muslim leader or Muslims' spokesperson, I'm the mayor of London. I speak for all Londoners," the Labour party politician had told reporters soon after his victory.

The British capital's first Muslim mayor, elected by an overwhelming mandate, has criticised British Prime Minister David Cameron's government and his Conservative party mayoral campaign rival Zac Goldsmith for their divisive election campaign.

"David Cameronand Zac Goldsmith chose to set out to divide London's communities in an attempt to win votes in some areas and suppress voters in other parts of the city," Khan had written in The Observer, in his first article a day after being sworn in as the new mayor on May 9.

"They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other - something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope it's something the Conservative party will never try to repeat," he said.

Goldsmith's camp has been criticised for using unpleasant tactics in the campaign, including trying to cash in on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity among Indian-origin Londoners by issuing leaflets with the message -- "Standing up for the British-Indian community".

Khan is reportedly planning a visit to India soon, in an attempt to counter this negative messaging and present his secular credentials.

Khan beat Goldsmith with 57 per cent votes -- the largest mandate of any British politician in history -- marking the return of Labour rule to the UK capital after eight years.

He was officially sworn-in as the new mayor of London at a multi-faith ceremony in Southwark Cathedral here on May 7.
Hundreds of Madhesi demonstrators today scuffled with Nepal police as they tried to stage a sit- in and resumed protests against the controversial new Constitution, demanding more rights, adequate representation and re-demarcation of provincial boundaries.

Traffic movement in the capital was disrupted in the vicinity of Singhdurbar, the main administrative complex of the country, for hours due to the protest.

About 2,000 protesters carrying placards with anti- government and pro-Madhesi slogans gathered at Singhdurbar and Nayabaneshwor areas, an hour before the government offices opened.

They forcefully tried to enter the prohibited areas, triggering a scuffle with riot police who were deployed to guard the important government offices.

The leaders and cadres of Federal Alliance, the grouping of seven Madhes-based political parties and 22 other ethnic groups, also joined protesters.

Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, Upendra Yadav led the protests at Maitighar Mandala and Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato at Hanumanthah.

There was heavy presence of security personnel in the area since early morning to prevent any untoward incident.

The major demands of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.

"Our other demands include proportionate representation, inclusive representation for the Madhesis and other marginalised groups in various state mechanisms, and rights related to language and citizenship certificate," said Laxman Lal Karna, vice-president of Nepal Sadbhawana party, one of the members of the alliance, told PTI.

The alliance started their Kathmandu-centric fresh protests yesterday.

Madhesis earlier had launched six-month-long agitation from September to February in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

The alliance has this time changed its strategy and focused on capital city in an attempt to draw attention of the government and other stakeholders to their demands.

On Friday, Madhesi parties rejected the government's fresh call for talks and asked the ruling coalition to create a "conducive atmosphere" for dialogue to end the political crisis.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, accused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's government of using excessive force to suppress their agitation demanding more constitutional representation.

"Government is not serious enough to address the issues raised by the agitating Madhesi parties through dialogue," the Front had said.
Hundreds of Madhesi protesters today scuffled with Nepal police as they restarted protests against the new Constitution and press for their demands relating to more rights, adequate representation and re-demarcation of provincial boundary.

Traffic movement was disrupted in the vicinity of Singhdurbar, the main administrative complex of the country, for hours due to the protest.

About 2,000 protesters gathered at Singhdurbar and Nayabaneshwor areas, an hour before the government office open.

They forcefully tried to enter the prohibited areas, triggering a scuffle with riot police who were deployed to guard the important government offices.

The protesters were carrying placards with anti- government and pro-Madhesi slogans.

The leaders and cadres of Federal Alliance, the grouping of seven Madhes-based political parties and 22 other ethnic groups, also joined protesters.

There was heavy presence of security personnel in the area since early morning to prevent any untoward incident.

The major demands of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.

"Our other demands include proportionate representation, inclusive representation for the Madhesis and other marginalised groups in various state mechanisms, and rights related to language and citizenship certificate," said Laxman Lal Karna, vice-president of Nepal Sadbhawana party, one of the members of the alliance, told PTI.

The alliance started their Kathmandu-centric fresh protests yesterday.

Madhesis earlier had launched six-month-long agitation from September to February in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

The alliance has this time changed its strategy and focused on capital city in an attempt to draw attention of the government and other stakeholders to their demands.

On Friday, Madhesi parties rejected the government's fresh call for talks and asked the ruling coalition to create a "conducive atmosphere" for dialogue to end the political crisis.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, accused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's government of using excessive force to suppress their agitation demanding more constitutional representation.

"Government is not serious enough to address the issues raised by the agitating Madhesi parties through dialogue," the Front had said.
BJP today rejected Congress charge of "direct interference" by PMO to ensure "reversal" of NIA stand in Malegaon case, insisting that discharge of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and others had occurred in accordance with laws.

The ruling party also took a swipe at Congress over its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe and said during the UPA rule, "no evidence" could be collected in the case that dragged on for years.

The charges were dropped in accordance with the laws, party national secretary Shrikant Sharma said about the NIA giving a clean chit to Pragya and removing charges under MCOCA against another key accused Colonel P S Purohit.

"The case had dragged on for years in court when the UPA was in power but no evidence was produced. Now Congress is questioning the entire legal process. It should not give colour to terrorism and politicise the issue," he said.

"Congress leaders had insulted the Supreme Court by questioning the hanging of (1993 Mumbai blast convict) Yakub Memon and (2001 Parliament attack convict) Afzal Guru. Now they are seeking a SC-monitored probe even though everything has happened in the Malegaon blasts as per law," Sharma said.

He claimed that stringent MCOCA charge was dropped against some accused on the court's directions.

Sharma also raked up the Ishrat Jahan case saying the UPA government had "misled" the apex court by changing affidavit even though goverment agencies had "confirmed" that she was a LeT terrorist.

BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli, while rejecting the Congress allegation of "direct interference" by PMO in Malegaon case, charged that during UPA's 10-year rule, the investigative agencies were not allowed to do their job.

"Under Prime Minister Modi's government, no interference is there. The courts are reposing faith in the agencies, no castigation is there," he said.

Kohli said if the agency finds there is lack of evidence on the basis of which to proceed "which may have been driven by political reasons under the Congress, they will now obviously make those corrections."



Hitting back, he said, "Under the Congress-led UPA rule, scam after scam came, the investigative agencies were not allowed to do their job. The Supreme Court even called CBI a caged parrot," he said.
After being on the run for 25 years, Chinese police have arrested a suspected mass murderer, who hacked to death six members of a family, the state-media reported today.

The man known only as Guo, admitted to having hacked a family of sixto death with an axe in Raohe county of Heilongjiang province in March 1991, following dispute over trivial matters.

Acting on information received earlier this month, police went to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, apprehending Guo and his wife Wang last Sunday, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The case is still under investigation.
Seeking addressing of water and sanitation woes in their areas, over 57 per cent of eligible voters in Ballimaran ward in north Delhi today came out to cast their franchise in the municipal bypolls held today.

Ballimaran sits in an eponymous Assembly constituency and for this by-election had 28,448 registered voters, out of which 57.63 per cent or 16,396 voted.

"We do not get enough water here. One and half hours of water supply in the morning is all we get the entire day," said 60-year-old Ziauddin, a resident of Kasimjan area.

"Apart from the water shortage, we have also been facing lack of cleanliness and awful drainage system since quite a few years now. AAP (area MLA Imran Hussain) has not done enough to address the issue," said Krishan Solanki, 40, who works in a private company.

Interestingly, among the voters who queued up to the polling stations, some had "little to no hope of change" but still cast their votes as it was their "duty in a democracy".

"We want a better living standard for ourselves and our children. We want good education for them. However, over the years nothing has changed and I don't expect any change even after this election. I and my family cast our votes because it's our duty to do so in a democracy," said a 32-year old woman who did not wish to be named.

The ward had an "ultra-sensitive" polling station. It is represented in Delhi Assembly by AAP minister Hussain who heads the Food, Supplies and Environment ministry.

Traditionally a Congress bastion, Hussain's brother-in-law Mohammad Sadiq is the AAP candidate from Ballimaran' and during his campaign, he had promised to continue "the good work done by his predecessor".

Apart from Sadiq, Congress' candidate Obaid Khan and BJP's Nitin Tiwari are also in the fray from here.

Ballimaran, a densely populated area near Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi carries a distinct identity for the house of Mirza Ghalib in Gali Qasim Jan.
Bangladesh police today announced the arrest of a suspected Islamic militant over the hacking to death of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend here amid a series of murders of intellectuals, writers and minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

The suspect, Shariful Islam alias Shihab, has been detained from Kushtia early today, said Dhaka metro police (DMP) spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar.

Police said that the suspect belongs to an Islamist militant outfit.

"Shihab is an activist of the Ansarullah Bangla Team. They have been hiding in Khulna since the killing," Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled.

No other details were available, bdnews24.Com reported.

On the evening of Apr 25, assailants barged into the apartment of Xulhaz Mannan, a programme officer with the USAID and an editor of Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine.

Xulhaz and his theatre activist friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were hacked with meat cleavers on their head and neck, which forensic experts said was to ensure instant death.

Militant outfit 'Ansar Al Islam', which claims to be the Bangladesh affiliate of al-Qaeda, had claimed responsibility for the killings as well as six other previous killings of bloggers-online activists and the publisher.

Witnesses said five to seven people, clad in T-shirts and jeans, were involved in the killings and fled the scene after firing from guns, shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.

The attackers also injured a security guard of the building.

A patrol police officer was also injured while trying to stop them.

He, however, managed to snatch a bag from one of the assailants, inside which two firearms, ammunitions and a mobile phone were found.

Xulhaz's family filed a case over the murders the same day against five to six unidentified men while police initiated another over the attack on one of its men and the seizure of firearms.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent weeks especially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the latest attack, a 70-year-old Buddhist monk was hacked to death yesterday inside a remote monastery in Bangladesh, with police saying the incident bore the hallmark of previous killings of secular bloggers and minorities by Islamists.

A liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last month by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.

On April 30, a Hindu tailor was also hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop.

The ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Indian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks although the government denies their presence in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh police today arrested a Islamic militant from a banned terror group over the hacking to death of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend amidst a string of brutal murders of secular bloggers, writers and minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment here on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.

The 37-year-old suspect, Shariful Islam alias Shihab, was arrested from Kushtia early today.

"He is a member of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team," Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told reporters at a press conference.

During initial interrogation, Shihab confessed that he had been a member of another banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami, Bangladesh (Huji) before he joined Ansarullah Bangla Team, Islam said.

The killers were well trained and they had planned the killing two months ago, he said while describing the arrest as a "breakthrough" in the high-profile case.

"They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam," Islam said.

He was produced before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaisarul Islam, which placed him on three-day remand this afternoon. Detectives sought a ten-day remand for him.

Police said Shihab owned one of two guns that were used in the twin murders.

Police seized four mobile phone sets, a tab and a USB flash drive from his possession, Islam said.

"Shihab has been hiding in Khulna since the killing," Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled.

On the evening of April 25, assailants barged into the apartment of Xulhaz Mannan, a programme officer with the USAID and an editor of Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine.

Xulhaz and his theatre activist friend Tonoy were hacked with meat cleavers on their head and neck, which forensic experts said was to ensure instant death.

Militant outfit 'Ansar Al Islam', which claims to be the Bangladesh affiliate of al-Qaeda, had claimed responsibility for the killings as well as six other previous killings of bloggers-online activists and the publisher.

Witnesses said five to seven people, clad in T-shirts and jeans, were involved in the killings and fled the scene after firing from guns, shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi, who is living in an old age home here with his wife, and directed Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to meet him.

Accordingly, Sharma met Kanubhai and spent about 45 minutes with him at Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram at Gautampuri in South Delhi.

After the conversation, PM directed the authorities to ensure that the couple has a comfortable stay.

"PM has taken note of reports about Shri Kanubhai Gandhi. He asked Minister Mahesh Sharma to meet Kanubhai," PMO tweeted.

"PM and Kanubhai had a long conversation. They spoke in Gujarati and had a very pleasant discussion," PMO said in another tweet.

Later Kanubhai said that he is an old follower of Modi and he (Modi) remebered all the help I had extended to him.

At that time Sonia Gandhi was against both of us, he said, adding that "Modi understood everything in Gujarati".

Sharma later said Modi offered "all support" to the couple.

Yesterday, Delhi's SC/ST Welfare and Women and Child Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar had visited them.

After over four decades of stay in the United States, Kanubhai (87) and his 85-year-old wife Shiva Lakshmi Gandhi had returned to India in 2014 and spent about a year-and-a-half in various Ashrams in Gujarat before checking into Delhi ashram on May 8.

Kanubhai is the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi's third son Ramdas.

Kanubhai left India at the age of 17 and studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later worked at NASA's Langley Research Centre. His wife holds a doctorate in biochemistry.
Three persons, including two Myanmar nationals, were today arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the brutal killing of a 70-year-old Buddhist monk inside a remote monastery, police said on the latest attack on minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

Two Rohingyas - Abdur Rahim, 25, and Md Zia, 26 - besides Sa Mong Chak, 35, were picked up from their homes in different areas this morning, Naikhyongchharhi police station officer- in-charge Abul Khayer said.

The development comes a day after Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in Bandarban hill district's remote and rugged Naikkhangchari area, was found with his throat slit, in a killing that bears the hallmark of previous murders of intellectuals and minorities by Islamists in the country.

Mawng used to live alone at the monastery Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang, situated some 230 metres away from the nearest village Uppar Chak Para where his family members live.

His family filed a police case over the murder yesterday.

The two Rohingya men were seen loitering near the monastery on Thursday following which the monk told his son about the two unidentified men and that he was feeling unsafe since then, the Daily Star quoted Khayer as saying.

He had also told his son that 'something unexpected will happen to me and you should stay alert'.

Today's arrests coincide with the nabbing of a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend here on April 25.

Bangladesh has been reeling under a series of systematic assaults in recent weeks especially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

The monk's killing comes exactly a week after a 65-year- old Muslim Sufi preacher was hacked to death in a similar attack by unidentified machete-wielding assailants in northwestern Rajshahi city.

A liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last month by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city, and just two days later, the gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka.

On April 30, a Hindu tailor was also hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop in central Bangladesh.

The ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Indian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks though the government denies their presence in Bangladesh.
Nearly 46 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the high-stake MCD bypolls for 13 wards today, being billed as a litmus test for popularity of the AAP government even as BJP and Congress put a stiff fight in Delhi.

Braving scorching sun, voters queued up since early morning in the wards falling under three corporations - SDMC (7), NDMC (4) and EDMC (2).

"45.9 per cent of the 6,68,870 voters exercised their franchise in the bypolls which were held peacefully," an election official said.

BJP, which is ruling the civic bodies, and Congress both exuded confidence of an impressive performance, while AAP hoped to replicate its Assembly polls magic in its maiden outing at the civic hustings.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay claimed that "based on grass-roots feed back, BJP is likely to be the top performer in today's civic by-polls."



Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said "the enthusiastic manner in which the people of Delhi came out to vote clearly showed that they were unhappy with the AAP government and the BJP-ruled MCD."



He said the results of these bypolls would provide a "big surprise" as the Congress party would be making "huge gains" in it.

Convener of Delhi AAP Dilip Pandey said that the party was "very optimistic and hopeful" that the "hard work" of its volunteers will yield "good results".

He, however, did not agree with suggestions that the results of the by-polls will be a test of popularity of the AAP government, saying it was a "local" affair.

BJP alleged that some state election staff "favoured" the ruling AAP leaders.

Police said no untoward incident was reported, except a commotion reported outside a polling station in Ballimaran, which was controlled.

"One EVM in Ballimaran ward did not function in the beginning of polling, but by 8:30 am it was replaced," Delhi State Election Commissioner Rakesh Mehta said.

"People continued to queue up at Bhati ward even till 6 PM as the authorities allowed people to vote who had entered the polling stations till 5 PM," a Delhi State Election Commission official said.

Counting of votes will be held on May 17.

(REOPENS DES60)



The Bhati ward recorded the highest voting percentage of 64.36, while Matiala registered the lowest of 33 per cent, an election commission official said.

In Ballimaran the voter turnout was recorded at 57.6 per cent, while in Jhilmil it was 53.72 per cent, Nawada 53.49 per cent, Wazirpur 53 per cent, Khichripur 51.38 per cent and Tekhand 51.12 per cent.

The voting percentage in other wards was relatively less with Shalimar Bagh (North) registering 49.82 per cent, Nanakpura 43.65 per cent, Vikas Nagar 42.82 per cent, Quamaruddin Nagar 40.63 per cent and Munirka 36.39 per cent.

"Total of 3,06,990 votes were polled in the by-elections for the 13 wards," said the official.

The election commission in a statement said according to information from the police, 78 unlicensed pistols and 126 unlicensed cartridges were seized during campaigning period May 1-14.

Also, there were 18 incidents of violence but these were not of grievous nature and nine persons were injured in these incidents.

A total of 257 banners, 246 posters, 132 hoardings were and 19 wall writings were erased for violation of model code of conduct. One FIR were lodged for violation of the code of conduct.

Under the Excise Act, a total of 36,545 quarters of liquor and 192 full bottles of liquor were seized. 96 cans of liquor were also seized.

54 FIRs were registered and 52 persons arrested, while 18 vehicles were seized for violations under Excise Act, said the statement.
The Nepal Army has been criticised by the media here for receiving Bollywood actresses Sonakshi Sinha and Malaika Arora Khan at the international airport as they said the move "demoralises" the army and "reduces its prestige".

The actresses had come for a charity function, headed by the wife of army chief General Rajendra Chhettri for benefit of victims of last year's devastating earthquake.

General Samir Shai was at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Friday to receive Sinha while other senior army officials received Khan, local media reports said, adding that such acts will "demoralise" the army and "reduce its prestige."



However, Nepal Army spokesperson said that the army does not see any thing wrong in the incident.

"The welcome by the army personal was a normal incident," the spokesperson told PTI.

The Army General welcomed the actress outside of the airport, which is normal, he said.

The army personnel worked in close coordination of the Nepal Police personnel for providing necessary security for the two actresses, he added.

Regarding media report about seeking clarification from the army by the government in the matter, the Army said it has no information regarding the matter.
Nepal's four splinter Maoist groups today decided to unify their factions to oppose a move to bring civil war-era crimes under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court amid fears that their top leaders and cadres could face legal action for rights violations.

UCPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda and hardline chairman of CPN-Maoist Mohan Vaidya have all spoken out against the move to allow the apex court to bring crimes committed during the civil war under its jurisdiction.

The six different Maoist factions have been demanding that all insurgency-era rights violation cases should be handled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons.

More than 16,000 people were killed during the decade-long insurgency that also displaced hundreds of thousands of others. The insurgency that started in 1996 ended in 2006 when the Maoists signed a peace agreement with the then government.

"The court is not God. It should give verdict in accordance with Nepali society, law and the spirit of the peace process," Narayankaji Shrestha, senior leader of UCPN-Maoist, said.

As per the Supreme Court verdict, the TRC has been barred from investigating cases of human rights violation that occurred during the decade-long Maoist insurgency and are going through court proceedings and are subjudice.

However, national and international rights watch groups have demanded that that serious cases of human rights abuses should be handled by courts while others could be considered for pardon.

Over 6,000 complaints were registered with the TRC within a month after it called upon victims and survivors of cases like murder, arson, rape, loot, extortion, torture and others.

Meanwhile, four Maoist factions including Prachanda-led UCPN-Maoist, CPN-Revolutionary Maoist led by Ram Bahadur Thapa, Revolutionary Communist Party led by Mani Thapa and another smaller faction led by Basanta Gharti have reached an agreement for unification.

The Maoist factions are likely to announce the unification within a week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he told the French foreign minister that Paris's support of a UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem cast doubt on the impartiality of a peace initiative it is promoting.

"I told him that the scandalous resolution accepted at UNESCO with France's support, that does not recognise the bond of thousands of years between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, casts a shadow over the impartiality of the entire forum France is trying to convene," Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting after his talks with Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Netanyahu was referring to a resolution adopted last month by the Paris-based UN cultural body on the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, which made no reference to the fact it is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and is the most sacred site in Judaism.

Netanyahu said Ayrault told him the "decision stemmed from a misunderstanding and that he would personally see to it that it does not recur."



Sources close to Ayrault said on Sunday that France "regretted" the resolution, echoing remarks by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who on Wednesday called it "clumsy" and "unfortunate" and said it should have been avoided.

Ayrault's visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah, where he will be meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas later in the day, is in preparation for the May 30 international ministerial meeting to try to revive peace talks that have been frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives were not invited to the French peace meeting, and today Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to indirect peace attempts, blaming the Palestinians for refusing direct talks.

"I told him that the only way to advance true peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct talks, without preconditions," he said of his meeting with Ayrault.

"Any other attempt just distances peace and gives Palestinians a means of evading dealing with the root of the conflict, which is not recognising the State of Israel," he said.

"They're simply avoiding negotiating with us," Netanyahu said of the Palestinians.

Sources in Ayrault's entourage said today the French peace initiative was not aimed at "preventing or bypassing" direct talks between the parties, which Paris believes is the only way to resolve the conflict.

"The problem is there are currently no negotiations," the sources said.
Scientists have developed a bio-glass material that can mimic cartilage and encourage it to re-grow, an advance that may lead to implants for replacing damaged cartilage discs between vertebrae.

Cartilage is flexible connective tissue found in places such as in joints and between vertebrae in the spine. Compared to other types of connective tissue, it is not easy to repair.

Scientists from Imperial College London in the UK and University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy have developed a bio-glass material that mimics the shock-absorbing and load bearing qualities of real cartilage.

It can be formulated to exhibit different properties, and researchers are now hoping to use it to develop implants for replacing damaged cartilage discs between vertebrae.

Scientists believe it also has the potential to encourage cartilage cells to grow in knees, which has previously not been possible with conventional methods.

The bio-glass consists of silica and a plastic or polymer called polycaprolactone. It displays cartilage-like properties including being flexible, strong, durable and resilient, researchers said.

It can be made in a biodegradable ink form, enabling the researchers to 3D print it into structures that encourage cartilage cells in the knee to form and grow - a process that they demonstrated in test tubes.

It also displays self-healing properties when it gets damaged, which could make it a more resilient and reliable implant, and easier to 3D print when it is in ink form.

One formulation developed by researchers could provide an alternative treatment for patients who have damaged their intervertebral discs.

When cartilage degenerates in the spine it leaves patients with debilitating pain and current treatment involves fusing the vertebrae together. This reduces a patient's mobility, researchers said.

Scientists believe they will be able to engineer synthetic bio-glass cartilage disc implants, which would have the same mechanical properties as real cartilage, but which would not need the metal and plastic devices that are currently available.

Another formulation could improve treatments for those with damaged cartilage in their knee, researchers said.

Surgeons can currently create scar-like tissue to repair damaged cartilage, but ultimately most patients have to have joint replacements, which reduces mobility, scientists said.

Researchers are aiming to 'print' tiny, biodegradable scaffolds using their bio-glass ink. These bio-degradable scaffolds would provide a template that replicates the structure of real cartilage in the knee.

When implanted, the combination of the structure, stiffness and chemistry of the bio-glass would encourage cartilage cells to grow through microscopic pores.

The idea is that over time the scaffold would degrade safely in the body, leaving new cartilage in its place that has similar mechanical properties to the original cartilage, researchers said.
Riding on the popularity of liquor ban in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today demanded that prohibition be imposed in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due next year.

On his first visit here after donning the mantle of JD(U) president, Kumar also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement prohibition in all BJP-ruled states like in his home state Gujarat.

"Don't worry Akhileshji (the UP Chief Minister)...Ensure total prohibition. When liquor was banned in Bihar, people had problems for a few days. But, subsequently there was no problem," Kumar said addressing a farmers' conclave here.

He urged his UP counterpart to ensure liquor is not available within a distance of five km from UP-Bihar border to discourage people from his state to consume alcohol.

"I have written to the UP chief minister in this regard," he said, adding he was awaiting a reply to his letter.

The Bihar Chief Minister expressed hope that the liquor ban in his state would be replicated in other states with equal success if implemented.

He said country liquor as well as Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) have been totally banned in Bihar and to ensure its success, existing laws amended.

Commenting on Kumar's anti-liquor campaign, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, "It appears more of a case to divert attention from his failure on law and order front in Bihar."



During his day-long stay here, Kumar also visited Ambedkar Mahasabha, apparently to send out a message to Dalits, who constitute a sizeable vote bank in UP, where JD(U) is likely to filed candidates in Assembly polls scheduled next year.
Amid speculation over a tie-up with Ajit Singh's RLD, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya today ruled out any alliance for the state assembly elections, asserting that the party will fight on its own and win two-thirds majority.

The comments of Maurya, who was in the national capital to strategise on the crucial elections with top party leaders, assume significance as there was a buzz that the party was open to an alliance with the Jat leader to consolidate anti-SP and anti-BSP votes.

He suggested that the parties willing to support BJP could contest the election on its lotus symbol.

"We don't need any alliance. We are going to fight with full strength. We will come to power with a big majority without any alliance.

"Lotus had bloomed in 73 (out of 80) Lok Sabha seats and now I see BJP getting 265 plus seats in the assembly polls. This is not merely a statement but reality. Poeple are fed up with SP and BSP and see a strong alternative in BJP. Congress is nowhere in picture," he told PTI. The UP assembly has 403 seats.

Singh was also being wooed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who wanted RLD to merge with JD(U) but the talks are believed to have been stalled.

Some reports had said Singh, who joined hands with almost all major parties, including BJP, in the past, was open to going to the polls as an ally of the saffron party.

Maurya, however, insisted that his party was not considering any such an alliance.

"If there are parties who want to be associated with BJP, they should not think of an alliance but they can fight on the BJP symbol," he said without naming RLD or Singh.

Party president Amit Shah had appointed Maurya, a first time Lok Sabha member from an OBC community, as the state chief last month, hoping to revive a social alliance of upper castes and a chunk of backward class voters that kept the party ahead of its rivals for much of the 1990s.

Riding on the 'Modi wave', it had swept the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 but ruling SP and Mayawati's BSP are said to have regained the lost ground, making its job of returning to power in Lucknow after almost 15 years harder.

Maurya, who has had a stint in Vishwa Hindu Parishad and



is seen as a champion of Hindutva agenda, said BJP will fight the polls on the plank of development and 'Ram temple' will not be a poll issue.

The "misgovernance" under Samajwadi Party dispensation coupled with "rampant corruption and poor law and order", he said, will be major issues.

The voters in UP shifted between SP and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party but were let down by both and will now plump for BJP, the 47-year-old Kushwaha leader said.

Maurya said 'Ram temple' was an "emotive issue" for the party but will not be on its poll agenda as the matter was in the Supreme Court.

"I do expect that the apex court takes a decision at the earliest and the temple is built," he said.

When asked whether BJP will project a chief ministerial candidate, he said any decision in this regard will be taken by the party's central leadership.

The party leaders are crisscrossing the state to build its campaign and its cadres observed Panchayati Raj Day on April 24 in over 35,600 villages where they interacted with the locals.

The remaining about 54,000 villages will be covered by party workers by May 26, when the Modi government celebrates its two years in office.

The Modi government's "development agenda" has touched a chord with the people in UP and they will vote for BJP in the 2017 assembly polls, Maurya claimed.
Search operations to locate the five persons, including four tourists from Punjab, washed away ina flash flood in Loti Nalla near Chaba, 60 km from here, made no head way on the sixth day today.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) search team abandoned the operations last evening on the presumption that the bodies might have flown into Kol Dam reservoir and are likely to come on to the surface in next few days, Sub-Divisional Magistrate GS Negi said.

A local guide was also among the victim.

Teams belonging to the district administration are continuing the search operation, Negi said.

Earlier, the district administration had stated that the bodies might have been buried under 20 to 30 feet of the debris carried by the flash flood.

Now, it feels the bodies may have been washed away into Kol Dam, Negi said.

People have been asked to inform the administration in case any body is spotted, he said.

The state government has already announced a relief of Rs 4 lakh to the next of the kin of each victim and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has given the assurance that all efforts would be made to locate the bodies.
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) as part of its efforts to implement its bio-refinery project, the first in the country, has signed a bio-refinery termsheet with Finland's Chempolis Oy in New Delhi.

The termsheet shall be the basis for formation of joint venture agreement for implementation of the project, a company release said here today.

It was signed on Friday by Chempolis Oy President, Asia-Pacific and America, Pasi Rousu, and NRL General Manager S D Maheshwari.

Top NRL officials and A Manickam, ex-ambassador of India to Finland and presently director of Chempolis India were present on the occasion.

A partnership agreement for the bio-refinery project was signed between NRL and Chempolis Oy in October 2014 in the presence of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and President of Finland Sauli Niinisto.

NRL is implementing India's first bio-refinery project at an estimated cost of Rs 950 crore which would produce bio-ethanol with co-production of furfural and acetic acid from locally-available non-food biomass feedstock with technology from Finland.

The release further said 49,000 tonnes of bio ethanol produced annually would primarily be used to blend NRL petrol as mandated by the National Policy on Biofuel. The surplus is to be sold to other oil marketing companies.

The bio-refinery is expected to give a fillip to bamboo cultivation in the region and bring about a socio-economic transformation, it added.
A charter bus headed to a casino has crashed in far South Texas, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on US Highway 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said.

"The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over," he said. "Everything's real preliminary right now."



Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said.

The trooper said it was raining yesterday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 am (local time). He said no other vehicles were in the area at the time.

"Our troopers are going to look into what happened but it's going to take us some time," he said of the investigation. "We just know the driver lost control."



The National Transportation Safety Board said last night it was sending a team to also investigate the wreck. They were expected to arrive today.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel told the Laredo Morning Times the bus belonged to OGA Charters was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo.

The bus company is based in San Juan, in Hidalgo County in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. A message left at the bus company yesterday was not immediately returned.

Hein said 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo, where the eighth victim died. Fifteen were taken to Laredo Medical Center. Seven were taken to a Dimmit County hospital in Carrizo Springs.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokeswoman for Laredo Medical Center, said bus passengers being treated there were in stable condition. She said she could share no additional information.

The highway at the accident scene was reopened by early evening. Laredo about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years. In January 2015, two state corrections officers and eight inmates were killed after their Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus struck a piece of displaced highway guardrail west of Odessa.

The bus fell about 20 feet before striking a Union Pacific freight train that happened to be passing beneath the highway. Last Thursday, the NTSB concluded that the wreck was caused by the bus hitting the guardrail piece.

Seventeen passengers died in 2008 near Sherman when their bus plunged over a highway bridge on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri. The NTSB blamed that crash on a retreaded tire on the right front axle that was punctured by an unknown object.
Weeks after Bihar banned sale of liquor, the Centre has asked state-owned fuel retailers to buy as much ethanol as they can from distilleries in the state for mixing in petrol.

Bihar, which in early April banned sale of liquor in the state, had asked the Oil Ministry to explore if Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) can lift the entire ethanol produced by the distilleries in Bihar.

The Ministry discussed the Bihar government request with the oil marketing companies and asked them to maximise procurement of ethanol from the state, official sources said.

According to oil companies, about 6 crore litres of ethanol may be produced in Bihar through sugarcane molasses.

The oil firms will strive to absorb this ethanol for their programme to mix sugarcane extracted ethanol in petrol, to help Bihar, they said adding the move was likely to give about Rs 300 crore to farmers of the state through sugar mills / distilleries.

This will also ensure proper utilisation of molasses in the state.

As part of its plan to cut dependence on import to meet oil needs, the government is promoting use of alternate renewable sources of energy such as bio-ethanol and bio-diesel.

As much as 5 per cent ethanol is doped in petrol that is sold in 21 states and four Union Territories, sources said adding the plan is to raise the blending to 10 per cent.

The programme to mix ethanol extracted from sugarcane molasses was started in 2003 with a view to cut India's dependent on imports to meet its oil needs as well as provide remunerative price to sugarcane farmers but not enough supplies was available all these years.

Against the requirement of minimum 120 crore litre of ethanol for meeting the mandatory 5 per cent blending, only 30.6 crore litre was doped in 2011-12 which dropped to 15.4 crore litre in the following year.

During the sugar year 2013-14, only 38 crore litres of ethanol was available for blending with petrol as against the requirement of 120 crore litres that year.

The NDA government after coming to power in 2014 decided to raise the price at which ethanol will be procured to Rs 48.5-49.5 per litre. This resulted in 67.42 crore litres of ethanol coming in during 2014-15 sugar year (October 2014 to September 2015).

In the sugar year 2015-16, the government is hopeful of exceeding the 5 per cent target, sources said.

Oil firms have floated tender for buying 266 crore litres of ethanol procurement with a view to meet 10 per cent blending target, they said adding more than 135 crore litres has been offered for the current sugar year.

India consumes 2,800 crore litre of petrol and to meet 5 per cent blending would need 140 crore litre of ethanol.
Amid the outrage over the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar, his family today demanded a CBI probe into the incident as BJP took to streets across the state in support, holding protest marches.

Three persons, including Upendra Singh, a history sheeter allegedly linked to RJD strongman and former Lok Sabha MP from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin have been detained in connection with the incident but no arrests have been made so far.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in Lucknow, has expressed "sadness" and said the "guilty will not be spared".

The slain journalist's family, including his wife and father, have demanded CBI investigation, saying they have no faith in the local police.

"There is indeed a political angle to my husband's murder two days ago as he did not have personal enmity with anyone. But there could also be professional reasons," Ranjan's wife Asha Devi said, and demanded a CBI probe. She sought death sentence to the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath for justice. Ranjan's 75-year-old father Radha Chaudhary and brother Gautam echoed her demand.

"The state government should bear cost of education and related needs of 16-year-old Ashish Ranjan and his eight year-old sister Sakshi Ranjan as their father will no more be with them to secure their future," Gautam Ranjan told PTI.

BJP, meanwhile, staged protest demonstrations across the state with its Bihar unit chief Mangal Pandey staging a dharna in Siwan to demand the arrest of culprits and a CBI probe.

The journalist's family alleged that he was murdered by incarcerated RJD leader Shahabuddin's men and Bihar Police lacked the will to conduct a free, fair and impartial probe in the matter, Pandey told reporters in Siwan.

Under the circumstances, the murder case should be handed over to CBI, he said and demanded security to Ranjan's family besides a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to his kin.

Police sources said three people, including Upendra Singh, the main accused in the killing of Shrikant Bharti, the spokesman for sitting BJP MP from Siwan, Om Prakash Yadav, who has a running feud with Shahabuddin, have been detained but not yet arrested. Bharti was gunned down in November 2014.

"Whatever is happening in Bihar has saddened me. I assure the people of the state that whoever is guilty will not be spared," Kumar told reporters in Lucknow.

Representatives of several unions of journalists met Kumar and handed over memoranda seeking action against the perpetrators, compensation and a government job to the kin of Ranjan.

With the incident acquiring political overtones, former



Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at Nitish Kumar for visiting Uttar Pradesh when the state was "gripped by violence". He was referring to the murder of a teenager Aditya Sachdeva, allegedly by the son of a ruling JD(U) MLC, and Ranjan.

"It is regrettable that neither the Chief Minister nor his ministers have time to visit the families of the slain teeanger in Gaya and that of a journalist in Siwan district," he said in a statement deprecating Kumar's visit to Varanasi and Lucknow.

Referring to Ranjan's killing, Modi said fingers were being pointed at jailed former MP Shahabuddin amid reports that a hit list released from Siwan jail containing the names of 23 people included the slain journalist.

Ranjan, the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was said to have been instrumental in the release of a video in which RJD Minister Abdul Ghafoor and another party leader were seen meeting Shahabuddin in jail. He was gunned down at a fruit market on Station Road in Siwan on May 13.

RJD had recently nominated Shahabuddin to its national executive despite his prolonged incarceration in a string of criminal cases.
As Sebi readies to tighten its rules for controversy-ridden P-Notes, major foreign investors including JPMorgan, HSBC, UBS and Goldman Sachs have supported the proposed provisions for immediate reporting of any breach to the regulator and filing of suspicious transaction reports.

However, these investors have opined that introduction of any further control measures is unlikely to be "resource effective" as the regulatory requirements in India are already more stringent than other jurisdictions globally for Offshore Derivative Instruments (ODIs) commonly known as Participatory Notes or .

They have also sought to allay concerns emanating from a large chunk of end-beneficial owners of being located in Cayman Islands, which accounts for over 41% of all such entities.

In a representation before the capital regulator, these investors said the fund managers invest money on behalf of many investors and that needs an entity to pool such investments.

As many funds have hundreds - at times thousands - investors from multiple countries, it is not possible for a fund manager to open separate securities and banking accounts for each investor across different and Cayman Islands happens to be "one of the eligible jurisdictions with regard to investments as FPIs as well as subscription of ODIs".

They also said the establishment of funds in Cayman Islands is independent of their decision to invest in India as these funds invest globally and India is "often just one part of their portfolio".

As part of an analysis conducted by Sebi, which would consider a tighter set of norms for next week, Cayman Islands is followed by Mauritius (11.09%) as the second-biggest location for end-beneficial owners of ODIs. Other major locations include the UK and the US with over 10% share each.

Typically, P-Notes are instruments issued by registered foreign institutional investors to overseas investors who wish to invest in the domestic stock without registering themselves directly in India, but still need to go through a proper due diligence process.

P-Notes now make up for about 10% of the total FII inflows as against over 50% at the peak of stock market bull run in 2007. Rules have been tightened several times in recent years to check any misuse of this route, but P-Notes have still continued to court controversies.

The total outstanding investment through ODIs stood at over Rs 2.2 lakh crore at the end of March 2016.

As of March 31, 2016, as many as 37 foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) reported outstanding ODIs, out of which the top 10 accounted for 73% share. The biggest FPIs in this regard included arms of Morgan Stanley, Copthall Mauritius Investments, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, HSBC, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Swiss Financial Corp and JPMorgan.

Out of a total of 2,448 entities that are subscribing to ODIs, over 60% are interestingly mutual funds.

The foreign investors that made their representations before Sebi also included Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, CLSA, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Societe Generale and Standard Chartered.

The foreign investors said they were "supportive of Sebi requiring breaches in which ODIs are transferred to ineligible counterparties to be reported to Sebi as soon as practicable after identification".

Besides, they also extended their support for ODI issuers being explicitly required to report to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-India) the cases of suspected market abuse through use of ODIs in form of STRs.

Acting upon recommendations of the special investigation team (SIT) on black money, Sebi plans to tighten due diligence requirements for issuance and transfer of controversy-ridden P-Notes and put the onus on investors to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering law.

While Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has been of the view that the regulations have already been strengthened to check any misuse of this route for money-laundering like activities, it has decided to put in place additional safeguards as suggested by the SIT.

The regulator plans to put in place six specific changes to the KYC (Know Your Client) norms and transferability of ODIs in this regard.

The foreign investors, however, said that increasing the KYC-related requirements as such would not effectively curtail any market conduct violations.

The proposed changes have been finalised after discussing with stakeholders concerned, including some major issuers of P-Notes, and they have broadly agreed to the suggested measures in the interest of the markets, a senior official said.

These include mandating the issuers of P-Notes to file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), if any, with the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in relation to the ODIs issued by them.

On KYC guidelines, while current regulations also mandate that ODIs can be issued only after compliance to the KYC requirements, the issuer entities have been adopting either the Indian AML (Anti-Money Laundering) norms, norms in the jurisdiction of the issuer or the rules in the jurisdiction of the end beneficial owner or the ODI subscriber.

As per the proposal, Indian AML norms would need to be followed by issuer entities for carrying out customer due diligence of the ODI subscribers.

Officials said the regulations have been very robust to check any misuse of P-Notes and the proposed changes might not affect the flow of funds in a big way as they are mostly procedural in nature and do not drastically change the regulatory framework.

The Supreme Court-appointed SIT on black money last year had suggested that Sebi should further strengthen its norms to keep a tab on beneficial ownership of P-Notes as these are widely used by foreign investors and could be prone to misuse.

The slew of measures that have now been proposed by Sebi in this regard would require the ODI issuers to identify and verify the persons with exposure in excess of a pre-defined threshold in the subscriber entities -- which could be 25 per cent in the case of a company and 15 per cent in the case of partnership firms, trusts or unincorporated bodies.

The issuer would also need to do reconfirmation of the ODI positions on a semi-annual basis while such reconfirmation reports, along with any breaches and the remedial actions, would need to be reported to Sebi.
After a long wait of 13 years, a Pakistani woman was granted Indian citizenship.

Deputy Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal handed over the certificate of Indian citizenship to Tahira Hazoor last evening, officials said here today.

Tahira had got married to Maqbool Ahmad, a resident of Qadian, Gurdaspur, in 2003.

33-year-old Tahira, who hails from Faisalabad in Pakistan had applied for Indian citizenship in March 2011 after completing the mandatory 7 years of stay in India.

Even the Punjab government had recommended her case to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs but she was neither granted Indian citizenship nor a temporary visa for Pakistan.

In the absence of citizenship, for last 13 years she was not allowed to move out of Qadian, she said.

She has two daughters and a son from her marriage, all of them have Indian citizenship and are free to move to any place, Tahira said.

Elated over getting Indian citizenship, Tahira said she will first go to Pakistan to see her mother who has been unwell for last the five years. She said she will also apply for Indian passport soon.

Her husband Maqbool and her daughter Sumayala are currently in the UK to attend the wedding of a relative.

She could not accompany them because she did not have Indian citizenship and passport.
Two Palestinian men who travelled through eight countries to get to Arizona are in limbo as their asylum cases play out in immigration court.

One of the men has been in immigration detention in Arizona for 18 months, while the other was recently released on bail while his asylum claim is heard in court.

Mounis Hammouda and Hisham Shaban fled Gaza several years ago and spent months traveling from Cyprus through Central America to get to the US.

They are part of a global refugee crisis emanating from the Middle East that has touched off a political uproar in Europe and the US.

The immigrants who are caught or who turn themselves in at the US-Mexico border often take much longer journeys than the typical path of refugees who settle in camps.
A Parliamentary panel has pulled up the government for its "self-defeating" approach of not allocating adequate funds for cleaning and water bodies and castigated the Environment Ministry for not spending even resources at its disposal for the purpose.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forest in its 283rd report of Demands for Grants (2016-17) of Environment Ministry has recommended that adequate budgetary provisions should be made to the River Conservation Plan (NRCP).

"The committee finds that more and more and water bodies are getting polluted and the level of their pollution is increasing day-by-day. In such a scenario, not allocating the required funds even for the ongoing works shows a self defeating approach," the committee chaired by Ashwani Kumar said.

It noted that the Environment Ministry utilized only Rs 37.35 crore out of the allocated Rs 66.73 crore upto December 2015 during 2015-16.

On one hand, the Ministry complains of not having been provided adequate funds for the programme and on the other it is able to expend only 56 per cent of the allocation made.

"The committee while recommending that adequate budgetary provisions should be provided to the Ministry for River Conservation Plan during the year 2016-17, advises the Ministry to ensure that the funds are utilized optimally and the targets are met under the scheme," it said.

The main objective of NRCP is to supplement the efforts of the state governments for improving the water quality of polluted stretches of . The project entails preventing the pollution loads from reaching the rivers by undertaking various abatement measures.

These include intercepting raw sewage flowing into the rivers and diverting them for treatment, setting up sewage treatment plants, low cost sanitation works to prevent open defecation on river banks and constructing electric and improved wood-based crematoria to help conserve forests, among others.

The committee observed that against the target of 117 million litres day (mld) of sewage treatment capacity, only 77 mld capacity could be created in 2015-16.

"The Ministry informed that the balance treatment capacity of 50 mld cannot be created in 2015-16 due to non-availability of adequate or required budget provisions under the NRCP during the year," the committee observed.
The French foreign minister met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders today and said an upcoming aimed at restarting peace talks will proceed, despite Israeli objections that direct negotiations are the only way forward.

Paris is to host an meeting in May of 20 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to discuss the peace process. Israel and the Palestinians have not been invited.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his one-day visit today.

"We must demonstrate that the path that we are proposing will be the one that will allow for an exit out of the extremely serious situation, the impasse which we find ourselves in. I explained to him (Netanyahu) what that means," Ayrault said.

"I will not ask him to come to the meeting on May 30, he wasn't invited, only at a second date. So I understand his disagreements but it only convinces me of the need to do something to move this impasse," he said, adding that he spoke "frankly" with the Israeli prime minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that direct negotiations, without preconditions, are the best way to reach a final agreement and that "any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict".

"They simply avoid negotiating with us as part of their desire to avoid resolving the root of the conflict, which is recognising the national state of the Jewish People, ie the state of Israel," he said.

The Palestinians, who have welcomed the French proposal, also said it will be held as planned. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an adviser to the Palestinian president said: "The French and Arab efforts are ongoing and are quickly on the right track to hold the peace conference."

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, mediated by the US, collapsed in 2014.
Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte vowed today to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders.

In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city warned his constant campaign threats to kill were not rhetoric.

"What I will do is urge Congress to restore death penalty by hanging," Duterte told a press conference in the southern city of Davao.

He also said he would give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders against organised criminals or those who violently resisted arrest.

"If you resist, show violent resistance, my order to police (will be) to shoot to kill. Shoot to kill for organised crime. You heard that? Shoot to kill for every organised crime," he said.

He added military sharp shooters would be enlisted in his campaign to kill criminals.

Duterte, 71, said he wanted capital punishment -- which was abolished in 2006 under then-president Gloria Arroyo -- to be reintroduced for a wide range of crimes, particularly drugs, but also rape, murder and robbery.

The centrepiece of Duterte's stunningly successful election campaign strategy was a pledge to end crime within three to six months of being elected.

Duterte vowed during the campaign to kill tens of thousands criminals, outraging his critics but hypnotising tens of millions of Filipinos fed up with rampant crime and graft.

On one occasion he said 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

He complained that people no longer feared the law, and he would change that.

"We have a society now where obedience to the law is really a choice, an option only," he said.

"Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. I will kill you. No middle ground. As long as the requirements of the law are there, if you try to evade arrest, refuse arrest... and you put up a good fight or resist violently, I will say: 'Kill them'."



Duterte is due to be sworn into office on June 30 for a six-year term.

The current president, Benigno Aquino, warned repeatedly during the campaign that Duterte was a dictator in the making and would bring terror to the nation.
Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted friendly relations with China and confirmed he was open to direct talks over a territorial row that has badly damaged bilateral ties.

Duterte also announced that China's ambassador to Manila would be among the first three foreign envoys he planned to meet on Monday, after winning the May 9 presidential election in a landslide.

"Well ties have never been cold. But I would rather be friendly with everybody," Duterte told reporters in the southern city of Davao when asked whether he wanted closer ties with China than seen under current President Benigno Aquino.

Relations between China and the worsened sharply throughout Aquino's six-year term over conflicting claims to parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.

To enforce its claims, China has in recent years built contested reefs into artificial islands, some topped with military-capable airstrips.

In 2012 China also took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing area within the Philippines' economic exclusive zone.

The Aquino administration responded by signing a new defence pact with the United States and filing a legal challenge with a United Nations tribunal asking it to rule that the Chinese claims to most of the sea were invalid.

It also sought to raise the issue at multilateral events, such as summits of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

China reacted furiously to Aquino's tactics, demanding that the negotiate directly but also insisting that it would never give up any of the territory.

Aquino refused to hold direct talks, fearing the better resourced and more powerful China would have an advantage.

He also said there was no point in talking with China if it insisted there was nothing to negotiate.

Duterte, who will be sworn into office on June 30, said he planned to continue raising the issue in multilateral environments.

But he also repeated a campaign pledge to hold direct talks with China, if other negotiations failed.

"If the ship of negotiation is in still waters and there's no wind to push the sail, I might just decide to talk bilaterally with China," Duterte said.
Several former Polish defence ministers are calling for the dismissal of the current minister, arguing that he is undermining the image of Poland's military within NATO and Polish society itself.

The letter, made public today, comes several days after Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz accused his predecessors of leaving the country defenceless with mismanagement and allowing Russian agents to influence military training.

The signatories say Macieriewicz's claims aren't true.

They said he has discredited the army, undermined the country's image with its allies and encouraged "aggressive activities against our country" by enemies.

A spokesman for the president, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice party, denounced the letter as a "tool of the opposition" being used in a "political fight."



The letter was signed by former Defence Ministers Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Bronislaw Komorowski, Radoslaw Sikorski, Bogdan Klich and Tomasz Siemoniak, and former deputy defence minister Janusz Zemke.
At least one police officer was killed and four others injured after a roadside bomb targeted their vehicle in Egypt's restive North Sinai governorate today.

The vehicle was on a security mission in el-Masaeed district in North Sinai when the bomb went off.

Security forces combed the area in search for the attackers. The injured policemen were transferred to Al-Arish Military hospital for treatment, officials said.

Egypt's North Sinai became the stage of 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.
Three persons were arrested today in connection with the last night's triple murder in city's Ashvinikumar road area, where one of the victims was a relative of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, police said.

Police are looking for four more persons in connection with the murders which they suspect occurred over extortion money pertaining to a land deal in Amreli district.

While one of the victims is identified as Bharat Togadia, the relative of the VHP international working president and brother of the Leader of Opposition in Surat Municipal Corporation, Prafful Togadia, others are Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel.

The matter took a political turn with RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav questioning the law and order situation in Gujarat.

"What kind of governance (raaj) is here?" Lalu tweeted against the backdrop of the "jungle raaj" barb hurled by BJP at the JD(U)-RJD coalition government in Bihar over the recent killings in taht state.

Gujarat state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki also tweeted, "Where is the law and order in Gujarat?"



The victims were stabbed by unidentified persons inside Hirani's office in Varachha locality at around 9 PM.

Mahesh Radadiya who was injured in the attack is battling for life in hospital.

"We have arrested three persons in connection with the triple murder and have identified four other persons whom we are trying to locate and arrest as they are currently absconding," said Surat Police Commissioner, Ashish Bhatia.

He said extortion of money in connection with a piece of land in Amreli district was the prima facie reason behind the murders.

The attackers allegedly used to extort money from Balu Hirani.

The officer said the assailants had come to meet Hirani seeking Rs 50 lakh yesterday.

"These people were extorting money from Hirani and had come to meet him demanding Rs 50 lakh. When other victims, Bharat Togadia, Ashok Patel and Mahesh Radadiya tried to intervene, they attacked them with sharp weapons," Bhatia said.

The arrested persons were identified as Mehul Bharwad, Lalu Bharwad, and Imran.

A team of Varachha police and crime branch sleuths has been deputed to arrest the main accused, identified as Gautam Golden and Ganesh Mangadh.

While Bharat Togadia and Hirani died on the spot, Patel succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

Pravin Togadia today attended the last rites of Bharat and demanded proper investigation into the matter.

"Human life is precious. This is a sad incident that a young life was lost, so police should take action and arrest the culprits," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, reacting to questions over law and order



situation in Gujarat, BJP's state unit president Vijay Rupani said the Congress "has no moral right to comment".

"During the Congress rule, the state had descended into chaos in terms of law and order, and it is the BJP government which restored law and order situation. Gujarat is taking proper steps to ensure law and order," he said.
A Hong Kong man linked to the city's pro-democracy opposition was arrested in China over a plot to use a drone to disrupt a visit to the city by a top Communist Party member, state media reported today.

The man identified as a 56-year-old Hong Konger named Guo, who had "financed several figures in the (Hong Kong) opposition", was arrested in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen, Xinhua said.

According to the report, a member of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement "had told Mr Guo to buy a drone" that would be used for "disruptive activities" during next week's visit to the semi-autonomous city by the third-ranked member of China's communist party Zhang Dejiang.

Zhang, the chairman of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, who is also responsible for Hong Kong affairs, is scheduled to meet with business leaders and member of the local parliament during the trip.

The Hong Kong police confirmed the arrest Sunday.

"We received a notification from (the) mainland this morning and we are trying to seek more information about this," assistant commissioner of police Nelson Cheng told reporters.

He added protesters will be banned from using drones during Zhang's visit.

"We will by all necessary means prevent any suspicious objects from entering the security zone," Cheng said.

Hong Kong is self-governing and retains liberties not seen on the mainland under a "one country, two systems" deal, made before the city was handed back to China by colonial power Britain in 1997.

But there are fears those freedoms are being eroded by increasing interference from Beijing.

Zhang is the most senior member of China's communist part to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests paralysed parts of the city for months in 2014.

Guo was described by the Shenzhen police as the "head of a criminal gang" who was also arrested for money laundering, telephone fraud and the illegal sale of over 800 Hong Kong residency cards, according to Xinhua.

Four other people -- one Hong Konger and three Chinese -- were also arrested.
A day before Tamil Nadu goes to polls, Union minister Prakash Javadekar today asked voters to "punish" both AIADMK and DMK, alleging that they were indulging in "corruption" and "insulting" people by offering them freebies.

He said both AIADMK and DMK have "failed" the state and it its people over the last 50 years and and it is time to bring in change.

"Tomorrow Tamil Nadu voters are going to decide the future for the next five years. My appeal to voters is to vote 100 per cent. My second appeal is that it is time to punish both parties - AIADMK and DMK because of their corruption.

"It is the time to punish for taking voters for a ride, for insulting them by offering freebies. Are voters beggars? It is time to punish them for not creating jobs, for abject neglect of irrigation for over 50 years, and for promoting sand mafia. This is a time to change," Javadekar said.

Javadekar said, "I will ask people to vote for a new beginning. I have seen in extensive public campaigns. There is aspiration, people want life of dignity, self-respect and not freebies. Both Dravidian parties have demoralised people by distributing freebies and bribing. Therefore our appeal is to start a new beginning and vote for BJP," he said.

Tamil Nadu is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with AIADMK, DMK-Congress, PWF-DMDK-TMC combine, BJP-led alliance and PMK in the fray.

More than 5.79 crore voters in 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu will decide the fate of 3,776 aspirants, including four chief ministerial candidates - incumbent J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK, DMK's M Karunanidhi, DMDK's Vijayakant and Anbumani Ramadoss of PMK.

Campaigning in the state ended on Saturday for May 16 Assembly polls, bringing the curtain down on the gruelling two-month-long exercise.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will be thrown a special 90th birthday celebration with horses, her favourite animals, at Windsor Castle.

The monarch turned 90 on April 21, but party organisers decided to add the celebration to the end of the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show, which she has not missed since she won a cup there in 1944.

The 900 performing horses will stage a re-enactment of the Queen's life story, with set pieces from her birth through to World War II, her marriage and coronation, and her 64-year reign, 'The Sunday Times' reported.

The extravaganza, to be screened live on British TV on Sunday evening, will also include music from Kylie Minogue and appearances by British actors Helen Mirren and Damian Lewis.

Military bands and ceremonial troops have flown in from Oman, Canada and other parts of the Commonwealth for the party, hosted by the Queen's son and heir Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with other royals attending.

The closing scenes will feature one of the Queen's show horses, Barber's Shop,a thoroughbred that won its category at the show last week.

The celebration, funded by sponsors, is expected to produce a 1 million pound surplus, which will go to various charities supported by the monarch.

Rare family photographs has also been released to mark the celebration.

In one photo, seen publicly for the first time, shows a young, smiling, future Queen and then Princess Elizabeth with her sister, Margaret, and their father, George VI, each holding one of her beloved corgi dogs.

Another photo shows Princess Elizabeth ready to go for a swim with her father, standing alongside George VI on the edge of an outdoor swimming pool.

In a third she is seen looking intently as a bird rests on her arm.
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri believes Chelsea will be a revitalised force under his fellow Italian boss Antonio Conte.

Former Chelsea manager Ranieri takes his current side to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Leicester having dethroned the Stamford Bridge club as Premier League champions, having once been 5000/1 colossal outsiders for the title.

Chelsea will kick-off against Leicester a huge 31 points behind the new champions.

It has been a season of upheaval for the west London club, who sacked former manager Jose Mourinho in December and then brought in Guus Hiddink for the Dutchman's second spell in caretaker charge.

Sunday's match will mark the end of Hiddink's current Chelsea stint, with Italy manager Conte arriving at Stamford Bridge once his country's Euro 2016 campaign in France is finished.

Chelsea are an unusually low ninth in the table but Ranieri believes it won't be long before they are challenging for the title again, with Conte having won three Serie A crowns in Italy when in charge of Juventus.

"He is a tough man, it is hard for him to change because he will make a little revolution there," said Ranieri.

"I am waiting for it, I await the revolution when he arrives. He changes everything. He is very concentrated in his job, the little things. He wants to care for everything, nutrition, everything."



Ranieri managed Chelsea between 2000 and 2004, before being replaced by Mourinho. Before kick-off, Chelsea are expected to line-up to give the new champions a guard of honour, but Ranieri said the honour was for Leicester's players, not him.

"I will stay in the dugout. I can say thank you to the fans but it is for my players."



Leicester hold their title parade on Monday and then fly to Thailand, the home nation of the club's owners, on a goodwill trip on Tuesday.

The Foxes will return for pre-season in July and then they will be involved in the International Champions Cup.

Leicester travel to Glasgow to play Celtic on July 23 before heading to Los Angeles for a match against Paris Saint-Germain a week later.

They round off the competition against Spanish champions Barcelona in Stockholm on August 3, in what Ranieri hopes will be useful preparation ahead of Leicester's inaugural Champions League campaign.

"The pre-season is more or less the same, apart from changing the names of the opponent," he said.

"It's good experience for my players but it's important to feel and understand the difference. It's important to play against these teams.
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has met UK Minister of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Ed Vaizey and other key stakeholders in the international film industry at Cannes Film Festival-2016.

The purpose of the meetings was to apprise them about the new initiatives taken by India in the film sector and the myriad opportunities available for the global film industry in India, said a release today.

The issue of participation of UK in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held every year in Goa was also discussed during the meeting, it said.

Rathore also met Jerome Paillard, Executive Director, Marche Du Film, Cannes Film Festival and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival.

Rathore apprised them about the International Film Festival of India and sought their engagement and involvement to take IFFI to greater heights in the near future and in league with the other International Film Festivals.
The Centre's green panel has given its nod to RIL for carrying out eight additional exploratory well drilling to ascertain reservoir capacity and commercial viability of hydrocarbons in the block CY-III-D5 in Bay of Bengal off the coast of Tamil Nadu.

Reliance Industries has been awarded exploratory rights for hydrocarbons prospecting in the offshore block DY-III-D5 under the New Exploration Licensing Policy-III. RIL has already been given the environment clearance to drill 11 exploratory wells in this block. As on date, the company has drilled nine wells and discovered hydrocarbons in three wells.

Since seismic data and the drilling campaign shows presence of hydrocarbons in the block, RIL is planning to carry out eight additional exploratory well drilling to establish the reservoir capacity in this block.

"In a recent meeting, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry examined the proposal. After detailed deliberations, the committee recommended the project for environment clearance," a senior government official said.

The Committee has recommended the Ministry to give final clearance to RIL's project subject to certain specific and general conditions, the official added.

Among key conditions specified, the Panel has suggested the company to ensure gas produced during the testing should be flared with appropriate flaring booms. The flare system should be designed as per good oil field practices and oil industry safety directorate guidelines.

The company should ensure that there is no impact on flora and fauna due to drilling of wells in the offshore sea. It should undertake conservation measures to protect the marine animals/biota in the region.

The company should monitor the petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals concentration in the marine fish species regularly and submit report to the government.

Among others, the Panel suggested that all the hazardous waste generated at the rig/offshore facility should be properly treated, transported to on shore and disposed of in accordance with the norms.

Reliance entered the exploration and production business by becoming a 30 per cent partner in an unincorporated joint venture with British Gas and RIL in the Panna Mukta and Mid and South Tapti blocks.

Besides Panna Mukta and Tapti (PMT) blocks, their domestic portfolio comprises of five conventional oil and gas blocks in Krishna Godavari, Mahanadi, Cauvery Palar, Gujarat Saurashtra and Cambay Basin and two Coal Bed Methane (CBM) blocks in Sohagpur East and West in Madhya Pradesh. The company also has blocks in overseas.
Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro made a subtle jab at Republican presidential presumptive nominee Donald Trump while accepting the Excellence in Media honour at the GLAAD Media Awards.

The award ceremony took place last night in New York, said The Hollywood Reporter.

"You think you've got it bad, LBGT community? I don't think you know what it's like to be really discriminated against," De Niro quipped upon taking the stage.

Making a reference to Marco Rubio's "small hands" comments that fueled the feud between the former candidate and Trump, De Niro said, "I recently turned on the television and saw this odd guy with little hands, and he was raving. Turns out, the ones being discriminated against are straight, middle-aged white men."



The actor went on to take another jab at Hollywood's diversity issue, joking that he'd lost out on many roles to the likes of Michael B Jordan, John Boyega and Jennifer Lawrence.

"It makes sense. I've been losing parts right and left to what used to be called 'diversity actors,'" he said.

"One that really hurts, seeing the role of Dr Dre in Straight Outta Compton going to Corey Hawkins. And I can't remember the last time I got a Teen Choice Award... It's not easy being a straight, white man."



Ending his speech on a more serious note, De Niro, 72, left the audience with empowering words on the importance of supporting LGBT rights.

"As an actor, I don't judge the characters I play. As a person, I don't judge the characters I play with," he said to cheers and applause from the crowd.

"I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where freedom of expression in art and in life were the norms. Now, we have to look outside our bubble to the world where, because of religious beliefs or ignorance or mean-spiritedness, it's not so easy."



He concluded, "I'm proud to stand with you. I'm GLAAD.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today announced a compensation of Rupees five lakh to the family of a channel journalist who was killed by unidentified persons at Dewaria in Chatra district on May 12, official sources said.

The chief minister has also sought an action-taken report from Director General of Police D K Pandey in connection with the killing of the 35-year-old journalist, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, they said.

Singh was shot dead by unknown persons near Dewaria panchayat secretariat on Thursday night, triggering widespread condemnation of the attacks on journalists across the country.

A bandh was observed in Chatra town on May 13 in protest against the killing.
A Russian yacht detained by North Korean coast guards was released today and has set sail for the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian officials said.

"The Russian yacht Elfin today left the North Korean port of Kimchaek headed for Vladivostok," Denis Samsonov, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang told Russian state television today.

Yury Bokcharev, Russia's consul in the city of Chongjin, told Russia's RIA Novosti agency that local North Korean officials had said the boat's detention was a "misunderstanding".

Another diplomatic official in Vladivostok, Igor Agafonov, told the RIA Novosti agency that the five-member crew of the yacht had been in contact and confirmed that they were sailing home.

The Russian sailboat was detained by North Korean coast guards late Friday as it sailed through the Sea of Japan from a competition in the South Korean city of Busan to its home city of Vladivostok.

Russia's foreign ministry said yesterday that a note was sent to the North Korean authorities seeking an explanation for the boat's detention.

Russia shares a short land border with North Korea and enjoys relatively friendly ties with the country's reclusive Stalinist regime.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Paul Ryan may soon endorse presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a top party leader said today.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said this is based on his assessment of the Trump-Ryan meeting this week, wherein they talked about various policy issues and how to unify the party.

"I don't speak for Paul Ryan, but what I can tell you is that I think both of these guys came into the meeting expecting a good meeting, but I think they left and it was a great meeting," said Priebus, who was the only third person in that room.

"I think they made a lot of progress and I would be surprised if we didn't get there, you know, not too much longer in the distant future," Priebus said.

At the same time, the RNC Chairman said Ryan wants to make sure it's real, he doesn't want to just put on a show.

"He wants to understand and make sure there's a real understanding of each other before he makes that endorsement," he said.

Priebus warned a section of the party leadership on trying to mount a third-party candidate and described this as a suicide mission.

"They could try to hijack another party and get on the ballot, but, look, it's a suicide mission for our country because what it means is that you're throwing down not just eight years of the White House but potentially 100 years on the Supreme Court and wrecking this country for many generations," Priebus said.

"I think that's the legacy these folks will leave behind. I think it's very dangerous and there's other ways to get assurances on the things that they are worried about, which is what Paul Ryan is doing, and making sure that some things are understood before moving forward with some particular people and I think Paul Ryan's approach is much better," Priebus said.

Appearing on the same Sunday Talk Show on Fox News, the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Trump is not a traditional conservative.

"He has never claimed to be a traditional conservative, but he has said that he will nominate very conservative judges, people worthy of Scalia and Thomas. He is clearly working with the Federalist Society and others to put together a speech on the judiciary that will draw a very sharp line with Hillary," he said.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and Punjab on the plea of the father of a Pakistani national, who landed in Amritsar jail after surviving the 2007 terror attack in the Samjhauta Express, seeking his immediate release.

Irfan, who was onboard Lahore-bound Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007, survived the bomb blasts that had ripped apart two passenger bogeys killing 68 persons and injuring several others, and subsequently landed in a jail where he is languishing since then.

A bench comprising justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal issued notices to the Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs and the Punjab Government on the plea filed by Delhi resident Ashok Randhawa, who runs an organisation 'South Asian Forum for People Against Terror'.

Randhawa, who has been given the Power of Attorney by Muhammad Zahoor, father of Irfan, to pursue the case in the Supreme Court, has sought a direction to the Centre and the state to take "immediate and necessary steps regarding release of Irfan who is confined in Amritsar jail".

"The petitioner and father of the victim made various representations to the authorities of Indian and Pakistan governments, but till date they did not receive any reply or response," the plea said.

Seeking enforcement of fundamental rights like right to life and equality before the law, the plea also said that Irfan, a resident of village Chak in District Sargodha, had come to India on valid travel documents and was in the train on the fateful night.

Efforts to find whereabouts of Irfan after the blasts did not fructify as neither the DNA sample provided by his families back in Pakistan match with any of the deceased here nor did it come to light that he had landed in a jail, it said.

Later, Randhawa met the father of the victim when he visited Pakistan to meet the family of his Pakistani friend who had died in the terror attack.

The plea was filed after he learnt about the incarceration of Irfan, who had come to India on a religious visit.

Sixty-eight people, mostly Pakistan nationals, were killed in the bomb blasts in the train on the night of February 18, 2007 near Panipat in Haryana.
Common cremation grounds for members of all castes will be set up in Punjab as part of efforts to eradicate caste based discrimination, state Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman Rajesh Bagha said today.

He said that the state Rural Development and Panchayat Department has come out with a plan following recommendation by the Comission and also advocated having electric crematoriums.

In a statement here, Bagha said that in most of the villages in Punjab, there are separate cremation grounds for each community and these cremation grounds receive monetary grants from governments at regular intervals.

Calling for ending this trend, he said that only one common cremation ground should be set up in villages and cities if it can suffice keeping in view the population.

He also said that cremation grounds should have facilities for electric cremation as it would reduce environmental pollution and the need for fuel besides saving trees.

Bagha said that senior advocate of Punjab and Haryana High Court H C Arora had brought this matter to the attention of the commission through an application in which he had stated that steps must be initiated for establishing common cremation grounds in order to get rid of the menace of casteism.

He said that the commission had instructed the state Rural Development and Panchayat Department, which prepared a plan for constructing common cremation grounds.

He elaborated that the department had also formulated a plan to disburse a grant of Rs 5 lakh per village to those villages who are willing to build common cremation grounds.

He said that the commission has now directed the department to modify the plans and include the facility of solar and electric cremation facility as well.

Bagha also said that people face difficulty in performing the last rites of their near and dear ones owing to separate cremation grounds which often lack proper infrastructure.

He said that there should be proper arrangement of drinking water, availability of electricity, concretization of approach roads to the cremation grounds, planting of trees in the cremation grounds, construction of permanent sheds and platforms apart from having facility of solar and electric cremation so that people face no problem in cremating their beloved ones.
Suicide attackers stormed a gas plant north of Baghdad today, killing at least seven people and setting fire to tanks in the latest such assault claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

Brett McGurk, the top US envoy to the coalition battling ISIS, said meanwhile that the increase in such attacks showed the jihadists were under pressure in the face of the offensive against it.

The attack on the Taji plant, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the capital, was launched at dawn.

Eight attackers broke into the plant and set off a car bomb at one of its entrances, said Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan.

Some attackers detonated suicide belts and were killed by bullets, according to Maan, who said explosions set three gas storage tanks alight.

Plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky but the fire was quickly brought under control.

The attack killed at least seven people and wounded at least 22, security and medical officials said.

In an online statement, ISIS said that the attack was carried out by four suicide bombers, for whom it provided noms de guerre.

"They killed the guards at the gate before raiding the headquarters and killing all inside," the statement said.

When additional Iraqi forces massed at the gate for an attack, "our brothers detonated a car bomb in the middle of their gathering", and the militants clashed with security forces and detonated explosive belts among them.

The jihadist group estimated the number of dead and wounded at 45.

ISIS has been steadily losing ground to the Iraqi security forces in recent months.

According to the government, ISIS controls only 14% of Iraqi territory, down from the 40% it held in 2014.

But the group has intensified its attacks behind the front lines, detonating car bombs in civilian areas and infiltrating sensitive sites with suicide commandos.

"Daesh (ISIS) is turning to targeting civilian facilities in cities after losing the battle on the front," said Colonel Mohamed al-Bidhani of the government's "war media cell".

Yesterday, a group of ISIS fighters sneaked into Amriyat al-Fallujah, a government-held town west of Baghdad, in a similar suicide raid that killed five people.

The group also claimed responsibility for a spate of bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday that killed close to 100 people, the bloodiest day in the capital this year.
Seven police personnel were injured in a clash with inmates of a Reang refugee camp in North Tripura district, 20O km from here, following the suicide of a camp inmate early this morning.

North district superintendent of police Manik Das said the trouble began three days ago when the inmate or internally displaced person (IDP) at Narsingpara camp in Kanchanpur subdivision had been caught catching fish illegally from the pond of a person at nearby Kashirampur.

The 32-year-old camp inmate was beaten up by the pond owner and villagers. He was admitted to Kanchanpur hospital, from where he was released on Friday last.

However, he was readmitted yesterday following some complaints and committed suicide this morning by hanging himself from a nearby tree.

Das said the youth had left behind a note saying none was responsible for his death and his body was sent for the post mortem.

However, as rumour spread that the youth was killed in hospital, a mob of camp inmates attacked the pond owner's house and ransacked it.

Police rushed to the spot and was injured by the mob, Das said adding the injured policemen were rushed to the hospital.

The situation was now under control and a huge contingent of police have been deployed in the area, the SP said.

Senior police officials were camping at the spot to avert any untoward situation, he added.

37,000 Reang IDPs are staying in seven evacuee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision following ethnic clashes with the Mizos over possession of land since 1997. They fled from neighbouring Mizoram and took shelter in the evacuee camps.

Prafulla Mahanta, senior leader of Asom Gana Parishad,



an ally of ruling BJP, had visited the spot and lent his support to the agitators. To pacify them, Assam government then announced to set up an All India Institute of Ayurveda at Raha.

Student bodies like All Assam Students Union, the Congress and other organisations too had extended their support to the demand to set up AIIMS at Raha.

The agitation had been temporarily called off after Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain and BJP MP Ram Prasad Sarmah assured protesters of initiative to fulfil their demands.

During the Congress regime, the state had showed a number of locations, including Raha and Changsari to the Centre for setting up an AIIMS in Assam.
A shopkeeper was shot dead and another person received bullet injuries after they were attacked by robbers in Shamli district.

The 30-year-old shopkeeper, Satpal, was returning home along with another man when two robbers stopped their bike and tried to loot them near Vedkheri village in the district, police said.

Before they escaped from the spot, the robbers shot dead Satpal.

Agitated over the incident, villagers held protest and blocked the Meerut-Karnal highway.
Six persons were killed when a car collided with a state transport bus near a village on Mumbai-Goa Highway in Maharashtra's Raigad district this morning, police said.

The car was going from Mumbai to Mandangad in Ratnagiri district when it collided head-on with the bus coming from the opposite direction close to Indapur village at around 7 AM, Raigad police control room said.

The bus was going from Panaji to Mumbai.

In the accident, all five occupants of the car and one bus passenger died on the spot, police said.

The five occupants of the car were from the same family, they said.

Five of the deceased have been identified as - Swapnil Rajaram Tambe, Swati Swapnil Tambe, Rushabh Swapnil Tambe, Suryakant Tambe and Santosh Tambe (all car occupants).

The bus passenger who died in the mishap was yet to be identified, police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is on, they added.
The family of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan today demanded a CBI probe into the case as it expressed apprehension about a political angle behind the murder, while BJP staged a state-wide agitation on the issue.

Ranjan's 75-year-old father Radha Chaudhary demanded a CBI investigation in the murder saying he has no faith in local police.

The family wants a CBI probe so that the culprits could be brought to justice, said Radha Chaudhary's another son Gautam.

Ranjan's wife said there could be political reason behind his murder.

"There is indeed a political angle to my husband's murder two days ago as he did not have personal enmity with anyone. But there could also be professional reasons," Ranjan's wife Asha Devi said.

She demanded death sentence to the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath to get justice.

Gautam urged the state government to bear the cost of education and related needs of Ranjan's children.

"The state government should bear the cost of education and related needs of 16-year-old Ashish Ranjan and his eight year-old sister Sakshi Ranjan as his father will no more be with them to secure their future," Gautam Ranjan told PTI.

The district bureau chief of vernacular daily 'Hindustan', Ranjan was shot dead by unidentified assailants near a fruit market on Station Road here on May 13.

Meanwhile, BJP took out protest march throughout Bihar while its state unit president Mangal Pandey staged dharna in Siwan demanding arrest of the culprits and a CBI probe.

Pandya claimed that the journalist's family had alleged



that he was targeted by incarcerated RJD leader Md. Shahabuddin's men, and Bihar Police lacked will to conduct a free, fair and impartial probe in the matter.

Under the circumstances, the murder case should be handed over to CBI, he told reporters and demanded security to Ranjan's family and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to his kin.

The BJP MP from Siwan, Om Prakash Yadav, met the grieving family and offered financial assistance to them.

An RLSP delegation comprising its two MLAs Sudhanshu Shekhar and Lalan Paswan also met Ranjan's family.

Siwan police have detained three persons for questioning in connection with the journalist's murder.

Meanwhile, mediapersons under the auspices of Bihar Working Journalists Union (BWJU) condemned Ranjan's murder and demanded security to journalists throughout the state.

"The incident had put all journalists at risk in discharging their duties for fair and fearless reporting on any issue," the BWJU said.

"Bihar government should ensure safety and security of journalists to enable them discharge their duties without fear," it said.

The BWJU also demanded that Bihar government provide Rs 25 lakh assistance to the kin of the slain journalist and also regularisation of service of his wife, who is a contractual teacher. It said arrangement should also be made by the state government to ensure free education for Ranjan's children.

An eight-member steering committee headed by Ravi Upadhyay was constituted to work for protection of journalists.
Spain says it is preparing to receive its first two batches of refugees from Greece and also expects to welcome more from Italy as part of a European Union relocation program.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Sunday a first group of 87 refugees from Greece is due to arrive in Spain "between May 24 and 26" and 63 more would arrive "at the beginning of June."



Fernandez Diaz said 18 refugees 17 Eritreans and one Syrian national had come from Italy in November and 32 more were expected to arrive soon.

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said last year that Spain had approved the resettlement of 854 refugees from countries bordering Syria and planned to accept a total of 1,449 refugees over a two-year period.
The government today decided to withdraw the the notification recommending a CBI inquiry into the controversial sting CD episode in which Chief Minister Harish Rawat was purportedly seen negotiating a deal to allegedly buy back the support of rebel Congress MLAs.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh, Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh said after the meeting.

The Cabinet, however, resolved to constitute a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the sting operation.

The decision comes ten days after the CBI had summoned Rawat for questioning in connection with its inquiry into the controversial sting CD which the agency had found to be genuine. Rawat was to appear before the agency on May 9. However, he did not turn up.

The notification recommending CBI probe was issued on April 2 when the state was under President's rule.

Since law and order is a state subject, CBI can probe cases of crime in a state only on the recommendation of the government concerned or under instructions from court.

Singh said the Law Department had given concurrence to the proposal to withdraw the notification.

Rawat was in Kedarnath when the Cabinet met under Hridayesh and decided to withdraw the notification.

The sting CD made by the editor-in-chief of a private news channel and circulated by the nine Congress rebels who had created a political crisis in the state by siding with BJP in the Assembly, purportedly shows Rawat negotiating a money deal with the journalist to buy the support of MLAs who had revolted against him.

After many twists and turns, Rawat was finally reinstated as Chief Minister, over six weeks after he was ousted by the Centre, with the Supreme Court putting its stamp of approval on the floor test in the state Assembly.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for visiting Uttar Pradesh at a time when his state was "gripped by violence".

"It is regrettable that neither the Chief Minister nor his ministers have time to visit the families of the slain teenager in Gaya and that of a journalist in Siwan district," he said in a statement resenting Kumar's visit to Varanasi and Lucknow.

Referring to the Rajdeo Ranjan murder case, Modi alleged that fingers were being pointed at incarcerated former RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin.

45-year-old Ranjan was instrumental in the release of a video in which Shahabuddin was seen meeting RJD minister Abdul Gafoor and another leader a couple of months back.

Claiming that the Bihar Police was clueless about finding the killers even two days after the incident, the former deputy chief minister demanded a CBI probe, and said the local police was incapable of carrying out an impartial probe in the matter.

Alleging that there was a pattern in the murder case, Modi recalled that a BJP MP's spokesperson Srikant Bharti too was also gunned down by unidentified assailants in Siwan district in November, 2014.

The RJD, a part of the ruling Grand Alliance government in Bihar, had recently nominated Shahabuddin as a member of its national executive.
All arrangements are in place for the bypoll to Palair Assembly constituency of Khammam district in Telangana to be held tomorrow, authorities said.

Thirteen candidates, including nine Independents, are contesting for the seat after Congress MLA from the constituency Ramreddy Venkat Reddy passed away in March this year.

The contest is expected to be a triangular one between ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Congress and CPI(M).

TRS has fielded state Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao while the opposition Congress has named Venkat Reddy's wife Sucharita Reddy as its candidate. TDP and YSR Congress, who are not contesting the polls, are supporting the deceased MLA' wife. BJP is not contesting either.

CPI(M) has fielded P Sudarshan Rao for the seat.

The campaign to the by-election got over yesterday.

"The district administration has made all necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the bypolls," Khammam district Collector Dana Kishore told PTI today.

As many as 41 flying squads are monitoring activities to ensure enforcement of the model code of conduct, he said.

Apart from central paramilitary forces, police personnel from the state have been deployed as part of the security arrangements, he said.

There are 243 polling stations in the constituency, and 1,90,351 eligible voters would cast their ballot. The elections would be held from 7 AM to 6 PM and the results would be declared on May 9.
More than 5.79 crore voters will seal the fate of 3,740 aspirants including arch rivals Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK President M Karunanidhi, as the stage is set for polling in 233 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu under tight vigil tomorrow.

Besides AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, the electoral field also has two other chief ministerial candidates -- actor-turned politician Vijayakant of DMDK-PWF- TMC combine and PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss.

Of the total 234 constituencies, polling will be held in 233 seats as the Election Commission had deferred the process in Aravakurichi segment in Karur district to May 23 due to "unlawful" activities of candidates and political parties in "bribing" voters.

Incidentally, election authorities have seized more than Rs 100 crore unaccounted cash in the state, the largest among the five states where elections are held since last month, amid allegations by rivals that both AIADMK and DMK were unleashing money power to lure voters.

More than a lakh police and paramilitary personnel would man over 65,000 polling booths across the state, which is witnessing a multi-cornered contest also featuring BJP, seeking to make a mark along with a few minor allies.

Jayalalithaa, seeking a record second successive term in office, and Karunanidhi, eyeing to lead DMK to power after back-to-back drubbings in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are contesting from R K Nagar in the city and Thiruvarur respectively.

R K Nagar has the maximum number of candidates at 45, with DMK (Shimla Muthuchozhan) and VCK (Vasanthi Devi) also fielding women nominees to take on Jayalalithaa. BJP's M N Raja is also in the fray.

BJP's candidates include its National Secretary H Raja and state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan.

In their hectic campaign, Jayalalithaa sought a renewed mandate based on her government's performance while Karunanidhi harped on the theme of 'change' for his party to come to power after a five year hiatus.

Jayalalithaa also launched scathing attacks on the DMK- Congress alliance, restored after the split in 2013, calling it a 'coalition of loot' as she slammed them for corruption, such as in 2G spectrum allocation, CWG and AgustaWestland deal.

Her party's manifesto offered several freebies, including mobile phone and 100 unit free power to all, and promised to usher in a phased manner prohibition, an issue raised by other parties prominently during the electioneering.

DMK and others have assured to implement prohibition in one go if they were voted to power.

AIADMK and DMK have been slapped showcause notices by the Election Commission for violating model code, saying their election manifestos do not "substantially" fulfil its guidelines and asked to respond by 5 PM today.

Karunanidhi, who described Jayalalithaa as a 'Queen,'

levelled charges of corruption and money power against his party's arch-rival even as he repeatedly made fervent pleas to the voters to chose DMK over AIADMK on May 16.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed several rallies, and other BJP leaders targeted the two Dravidian parties for corruption and alleged non-performance.

Positioning itself as a viable third front, the combine of DMDK, People's Welfare Front comprising Vaiko's MDMK, CPI-M, CPI and VCK and Tamil Maanila Congress led by G K Vasan has also attacked both DMK and AIADMK, which have ruled the state alternately in recent decades and pushed for a change.

To ensure free and fair polling, the state police will deploy about 77,000 personnel drawn from its own force, Home Guards, Ex-servicemen and ex-forestmen.

The Election Commission has provided 30,000 paramilitary forces personnel.

In the 65,616 polling booths set up across the state, around 6,300 have been identified as sensitive where extra monitoring mechanisms have been put in place.

Control rooms have been set up and police presence increased in many booths.

Counting of votes will be taken up on May 19 even as Tamil Nadu is known to generally elect one clear winner from the two Dravidian giants, DMK and AIADMK, since 1967.

Counting in Aravakurichi will be done on May 25. Local DMK heavyweight K C Palanichamy is locking horns with AIADMK's former Transport Minister K T Senthil Balaji in the constituency.

Considering the needs of differently-abled persons, the EC has made special arrangements, including distributing Braille material and making arrangements for wheelchairs which can even be booked online.

Where there were no ramps or they were not in proper shape, directives had been given to make temporary arrangements, Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said.
The lingering uncertainty on sale of high-end diesel vehicles in the national capital region has come as a big blow to Japanese auto major Toyota's "confidence in India", forcing its domestic unit to rework its plans.

"Toyota Motor's confidence in India has taken a big knock after the Supreme Court ban since mid-December last on sale of high-end diesel cars and SUVs, and the continuing uncertainty... Is only adding to it. But it is our job at Toyota Kirloskar Motor to reinstate that confidence," TKM Vice-Chairman Shekhar Vishwanathan said here over the weekend.

Stating that "the element of trust has been broken" between Toyota and the country as a whole, he said "it has become very difficult to launch new products or commit fresh investments. This is in spite of the fact that we have been producing vehicles complying with all the norms laid out in the country from day one".

"If we were to go and ask the headquarters for new products, they would ask how do you know it will not get banned? And I have no answer. So, my first step is to make sure the ban gets lifted. If that means paying a nominal cess, so be it even though we don't believe the cess is a fair idea," he asserted.

On December 16 last year, the apex court banned sale of all diesel cars/SUVs with an engine capacity of 2,000 cc or more till March 31. It then extended the ban till April 30. As of now, there is no final word on when the SC will conclude the hearing and issue a final order.

Toyota models - the Innova, Fortuner, Land Cruiser and Prado - except the Corolla and lower-end models have taken a hit. The ban has also upset all calculations for Mahindra, Tata Motors, Toyota and Mercedes.

M&M tried to work around the ban as it launched existing vehicles with down-sized engines within a month of the SC order.

For now, Toyota is playing along. The Innova Crysta is the first launch following the Supreme Court restriction.
Donald Trump will release his tax details only after its audit is completed, his aide said today even as a top Republican leader claimed that it was unlikely to impact the party's presumptive nominee's electoral prospects.

"(Trump) has said he will release his tax returns, never has changed his position. What he has said is, he's under audit now. And once the audit is completed, he will release the taxes," Paul Manafort, a top advisor to the real estate tycoon told CNN.

Manafort said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit is going on last eight year's worth of tax returns.

"And anything beyond eight years is not going to be reflective of anything other than interest on the part of the media," he said.

During the interview Manafort was asked: "You know Nixon released his returns while under audit. And Donald Trump released his returns to a gaming commission, I believe, while under audit when he was trying to get a casino in New Jersey."



Manafort replied that this was an issue "the media is interested in. It's not an issue that Middle America is interested in, frankly. Donald Trump has been very clear. He will release it.

"He will comply when the audit is done. You talk to tax attorneys who are not politically motivated, and they will tell you they would never advise their client to release any tax information in the course of an audit."



Last week, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton took a jibe at Trump for not releasing his tax returns, a break from the decades-long precedent in the race to the White House.

But in an interview to Fox News, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he was not sure whether Americans actually care whether Trump releases his taxes or not.

"And that's a question for Donald Trump and he's either going to benefit or suffer from the decisions that he makes on that particular issue," he said.

"But whether this issue is going to apply to Donald Trump in a negative way or not I'm not sure of. But so far, most things have not because he represents something far different than these particular individual issues," he said.

"It's a bigger question, which is who is going to blow up the system? Who is going to get the change that people want done? People are angry and they're angry and they want something done and they view Donald Trump as the person to do it. That's what this election is coming down to," Priebus said.
Members of Turkey's right-wing MHP party were prevented from holding a congress today aimed at unseating longtime leader Devlet Bahceli and recovering ground lost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party.

Dissidents from the Nationalist Movement Party launched a campaign to oust Bahceli, 68, after a general election in November in which the party shed half its support - taking just 40 seats in the 550-member parliament compared to 80 five months previously.

Bahceli, who has led the party for 19 years, said in January that the next party congress would take place in 2018, meaning he would be in charge until then.

But polls show MHP members hungry for change, with over 500 signing a petition in support of holding an extraordinary congress to expedite his ouster.

In a show of unity, MHP's four contenders for leadership, including charismatic former interior minister Meral Aksener, arrived today near the Ankara hotel - the venue of the congress - in the same vehicle, escorted by hundreds of cars.

But they faced iron barricades, with police stationing water cannon nearby and denied entry into the hotel.

"Party congresses not party leaders will have the final say," the four candidates said in a joint declaration, near the police barricades.

"Turkish democracy and law were trampled upon," they said.

Party members waving Turkish flags outside the hotel shouted "Bahceli, resign!".

Replacing Bahceli, who lacks appeal with younger voters, could boost support for the MHP at the expense of Erdogan's conservative ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The outcome could jeopardise Erdogan's ambitions of winning a big enough majority in the next elections to allow him to change the constitution to boost his powers.

Four contenders to succeed Bahceli have emerged, including 59-year-old Aksener, a former deputy speaker of parliament seen as the strongest candidate.

They have vowed to press ahead with the congress, despite the legality of the meeting being called into question and police sealing off the venue.

"There is no such security measure even at the Syrian border," another dissident candidate Sinan Ogan told reporters.

The country's highest appeal court said this week it will rule on the issue within a month, while two lower courts have issued conflicting decisions.

Aksener refused to leave the scene unless she was granted a written official document that they were barred from entry, to use in their legal battle.
Two persons including a woman was killed and three others injured when a speeding private bus hit an auto in the outskirts of Barsana village in Mathura district today, police said.

The accident occurred when speeding private bus coming from Barsana hit the auto coming from Goverdhan to Barsana this afternoon, the police said.

The auto driver and a woman identified as Shakuntal Sharma from Baishali in Jaipur who was on a pilgrimage were killed in the accident, they said adding the bus driver abandoned the bus and fled.

The injured have been admitted to hospital, they added.
United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide grants worth USD 150 million (about Rs 1,001 crore) to India in the next three years to aid the farm sector, a top official said.

"IFAD will invest USD 150 million in the next three years for the agriculture sector in India," Oscar Garcia, Director, Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE), IFAD told PTI.

The Rome-based agency has been working in India since 1978. It has provided USD 17.7 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects reaching about 45.9 crore people in rural areas to reduce poverty.

"We see that the projects take longer time to run, around 16 months on an average. That affects the performance of the overall project. We understand the reasons why this happens, because we are working in remote areas where sometimes the state capacity is not that strong," he said.

The agency has shared the concern with the government, and both of them are working collectively on the issue.

Garcia said IFAD wants to make sure that benefits of its interventions in the rural areas remain once the projects are over to ensure sustainability of the work.

"I think better convergence with the schemes and programmes of the government of India is a very good way to ensure a better sustainability of benefits," Garcia said.

The Lead Evaluation Officer, IOE, IFAD Fabrizio Felloni said there is a need for better linkages of farm produces with markets that will improve the efficiency and make households self sufficient.

Felloni said IFAD projects in rural areas have been able to improve the material conditions of the households and health of women, among others.

The agency is also introducing technological solutions so that farmers can fetch better prices of their produces, he said.

"The Government of India assured funding in public programmes. But we look more and more on quality and that the projects are well targeted," Felloni said, adding it will communicate these with state and central governments to scale up the projects in future.

On the recurring drought conditions in India, Garcia said there is a need for more sustainable use of water resources in rural areas as well as more conscious approach towards natural resources management.

Besides, to reduce the wastage of perishable produces in India due to lack of infrastructure, IFAD is working with other UN agencies to fill the gap, he said.

"We are aware of some other initiatives taking place to improve the efficiency of distribution chain to reduce waste of food, which accounts close to 40 per cent. We will be partnering other UN agencies who are working in this field," Garcia said.
A cell phone handset of Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya was 'stolen' today from his house at Ramnagar here, police said.

According to a complaint lodged by the additional PA of Dattatreya, the cell phone was kept on charging in the visitor's room at his house at 8 AM. A large number of visitors were in the room to meet the minister and someone "stole" the mobile during that time, they said.

"Following the complaint, we have registered a case under section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of IPC and investigations are underway," Musheerabad Police Station Inpsector B Mohan Kumar told PTI.

It was a personal mobile phone of Dattatreya, one of his aide said.
With Uttar Pradesh emerging as a new destination for film makers, the state government is promoting its cinema policy at the Indian pavilion of ongoing Cannes International Film Festival.

A three-member delegation is participating at the festival and a team of renowned Bollywood personalities are representing the state at the event.

This is the first time for Uttar Pradesh to attend any film festival and they are looking forward to partner with foreign film makers through their film development council for co-producing movies that will be shot in the state.

"We have received interest from film makers based in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK and China to shoot their films in UP," UP Film Development Council, Vice-chairman, Gaurav Dwivedi told PTI over phone from Cannes.

He said that foreign filmmakers are keen to shoot in Agra and Varanasi.

"Australian film maker Christopher Simon has shown interest to shoot a period film set around 1950s in Lucknow and Kanpur. UK based Shirali Le Mercier, Emilia Wileman and Canada's Mahi Kaur will shoot their films in Varanasi," Dwivedi said.

According to UP Film Development Council member Vishal Kapoor, there is tremendous scope to develop UP as an attractive movie shooting destination, which will help create jobs in the state.

"UP's participation in the international film festival will enhance the state's image at the global platform. This will not only attract foreign tourists to UP, but also increase job opportunities," Kapoor said.
China's new 'Guam killer' missile, capable of hitting targets some 5,500 km away, is raising new fears of a growing Chinese threat to key American military facilities and stability in the Pacific Rim, the Congress has been warned.

A congressional panel has issued a report warning of the dangers of the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, during a week in which US-China tensions flared anew with a US Navy destroyer sailing close to a Chinese-claimed island in the disputed South China Sea.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said this week that China's DF-26 missile -- dubbed by analysts the "Guam killer" and unveiled at a high-profile military parade in Beijing last September -- allows China to bring unprecedented firepower to bear on the US territory of Guam. The territory sits well within the missile's range.

"Foremost among China's military assets capable of reaching Guam, the DF-26 IRBM represents the culmination of decades of advancements to China's conventional ballistic missile forces," CNN quoted the commission's report as saying.

While the current state of Chinese guidance technology makes any threat low at the moment, the report warned that "China's commitment to continuing to modernise its strike capabilities indicates the risk will likely grow going forward."



The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to look at issues between the two Pacific powers. It is required to submit an annual report to Congress on US-China relations and advise Congress on possible legislative and administration actions.

Guam, home to Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Naval Base, has been as a place from where the US could project power across the Pacific while having its forces at relatively safe distance from possible threats, including North Korea and China.

A study last year from MissileThreat.Com at the George C. Marshall Institute in Washington warned, "Prior to the deployment of the DF-26, China's only way to attack Guam would have been with H-6K strategic bombers, which would have been much less effective given the strong defensive capabilities of the US military on the base."



About 6,000 US military personnel are based on Guam. The US Air Force has sent regular rotations of B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers as well as top-line fighter aircraft to Andersen. The US Navy has four attack submarines homeported in Apra and can use the base as a resupply point for other warships.

Guam sits 4023 km from Beijing, which puts it about 1,120 km beyond the range of China's land-based medium-range missiles. But intermediate-range missiles such as the DF-26 have a range of up to 3,400 miles, according to the Pentagon, putting Guam within striking distance.

(Reopens FGN9)



RAND has warned that a Chinese missile strike of 100 IRBMs like the DF-26 could close Andersen Air Force Base to large planes for 11 days. And that's where the threat to Pacific Rim stability -- from flashpoints such as disputed islands in the South China Sea -- comes in.

"China's leaders could be more willing to resort to military force in such a crisis if they believed they could successfully neutralise Guam," the congressional commission's report says, because the territory would be a key point of reinforcement for US forces operating farther to the west.

The panel's report points out that China showed off only 16 DF-26 launchers at last September's parade. "But inclusion in the September 2015 parade indicates it has likely been deployed as an operational weapon," the report said.

The findings came out Tuesday, the same day the US Navy sent a guided missile destroyer within 12 miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea where China has built an airstrip.

China responded by scrambling fighter jets and dispatching warships to "expel" the American ship from the area around Fiery Cross Reef, part of the Spratly Islands claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In January, China said it had completed building a runway on the island, one of three it has been constructing in the South China Sea with dredged material.

The latest passage of a guided missile destroyer was the third that the US Navy has conducted in the South China Sea.

The transits, which the US says assert rights granted under the International Law of the Sea, have stoked tensions between Washington and Beijing.

"The provocative actions of US military ships and airplanes have exposed the US motive of trying to destabilise the region and seek benefit from it.

"It also proves again the rationale and necessity of China's construction of defense facilities on relevant islands and reefs," Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesman for China's Defense Ministry, said in a statement.

Washington says the US plans further transits. "The United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. That is true in the South China Sea as in other places around the globe," a Pentagon statement said.
A woman, whose husband allegedly raped a 23-year-old lady from Uzbekistan, has been arrested for blackmailing and trying to force her into flesh trade here.

The accused Anjali has been arrested but her husband Altaf is absconding, the police said.

According to the police, the woman alleged she was raped by Altaf, who introduced her to his wife Anjali and the couple blackmailed her and tried to force her into flesh trade.

It said Altaf had befriended the Uzbek woman on Facebook and she flew down to Delhi on May 6 after being lured by him on marriage promise.

Altaf then took her to a hotel where he allegedly raped her and filmed the act, the police said, adding that he then began to blackmail her with his wife.

The couple, she alleged, had snatched her passport, visa and money. They also confined her into a room and allegedly beat her up regularly. She was forced to attend to the guests, the woman claimed, it said.

The complainant confided into a friend living in Delhi and they approached at the Vasant Kunj (north) police station.

A case has been registered under IPC Sections 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 376 (rape). A case under the immoral trafficking act has also been registered and the police are probing the possibility of a bigger racket involving Uzbek women flourishing in the area.
A 35-year-old Nepalese woman was arrested after she allegedly assaulted police officials and created a ruckus in an 'inebriated state' at the Vasant Vihar Police Station in south Delhi today.

The incident took place early in the morning when an auto-rickshaw driver came to the Vasant Vihar Police Station with his vehicle in which the woman was seated.

The driver complained that the woman was neither paying him the fare nor was she stepping out of the three-wheeler, a police official said.

The woman, later identified as Reena, a native of Nepal who stays here at a rented room in Munirka, was also allegedly verbally abusing the auto driver.

When two women police officials went ahead to intervene, Reena allegedly attacked them both.

She even allegedly bit one of them on the palm.

Other officials soon rushed to their rescue, following which Reena was taken for a medical examination.

Doctors later confirmed that Reena was heavily drunk, the official said, adding that she has been arrested under charges of obstructing and assaulting public officials on duty.

The police are still trying to contact her friends and relatives.
Youth Congress members today staged a protest near the residence of Social Justice Minister Arun Chaturvedi and sought his resignation over the recent deaths of 11 children with special needs.

Police used water cannon to prevent the agitators and arrested 52 members for "protesting without permission".

They were later released, police said.

The members of the Youth Congress demanded resignation of the Minister over the deaths of the 11 inmates of a government-run home, Youth Congress leader Ashok Chandna said.

Eleven children with special needs, who were staying at the government-run home in Jamdoli near Jaipur died last month in SMS hospital and JK Lone hospital where they were admitted with septic shock after allegedly drinking contaminated water.
Planning a wedding is an arduous task and more often than not, one finds it difficult to get everything right. In the day and age of all things digital, WedMeGood is a godsend for a soon-to-be married couple.

Sample this: Your wedding is around the corner and you are running out of time to get the right florist or find the right venue. The photographer has bailed and the "mehndiwala" is quoting rates way out of your budget. Instead of pulling your hair out, all you need to do is download the app from theGoogle Play Store and App Store for both Android and iOS users respectively.

After the installation, the app will set up an account for you and let you have a wedding you've always dreamt of. The app not only keeps in mind the different budgets one might have, but also lets you add family members in order to distribute this huge burden. Workaholics can also rejoice, since it makes sure everything is done well before the D-Day.

A user can browse through multiple categories, including makeup artists, photographers, choreographers and the like. These categories can further be filtered based on the budget and location. To book a particular service or vendor, one can either get in touch with them through the contact details provided on the WedMeGood website or directly send enquiries through the app.

The app also contains user reviews of the catalogued vendors, with which an user can make an informed decision.

After exploring the different facets of the app, I recommended it to my brother and his fiancee, whose wedding date is fast approaching. The gratefulness they expressed reinstated my belief that this app was nothing short of a miracle for a worried couple.

If you want to plan your dream wedding without having to run after the florist or the DJ, WedMeGood is the app for you.
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Alyssa Recio (left) collects money as Rachel Recio (center) hands a cup of lemonade to Bill Mock during the 4th Annual Lemonade Day Coastal Bend on Saturday, May, 14, 2016, along Shoreline Boulevard in Corpus Christi.

SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Girl Scout Emily Salinas from Troop 96026 prepares a cup of lemonade for a customer during the 4th Annual Lemonade Day Coastal Bend on Saturday, May, 14, 2016, near the food court at La Palmera mall in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Lisa Cooper wears a lemon head as she talks to Mayor Nelda Martinez during the 4th Annual Lemonade Day Coastal Bend on Saturday, May, 14, 2016, near the food court at La Palmera mall in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Zane Scholl hands a cup of lemonade to Amanda McGlone as Maddie Brenner (back left) Leana Hinojosa and Briellyn Towne prepare extra cups during the 4th Annual Lemonade Day Coastal Bend on Saturday, May, 14, 2016, near the food court at La Palmera mall in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Boy Scouts from Troop 6 prepare cups of lemonades for customers during the 4th Annual Lemonade Day Coastal Bend on Saturday, May, 14, 2016, near the J.C. Penney store at La Palmera mall in Corpus Christi.

By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

Rachel Recio and her two sisters woke up at 4 a.m. to gather the elements they needed for the grand opening of their small business. They hauled their merchandise, signs and booth decorations that transformed their lemonade stand to a makeshift tiki bar on the Bayfront.

The trio's 9-hour establishment was one of about 600 businesses that sprouted in the Coastal Bend during the fourth annual Lemonade Day. Each year, the learning program teaches kids how to become entrepreneurs, and about 2,100 children stretched their business savvy, cooperation skills and marketing techniques during this year's program.

The Recio girls learned a fundamental for their first start up: Location is key. The young business owners raised about $130 from 6 a.m. to noon by selling their lemonade blend  a concoction of powdered lemonade, fresh-squeezed juice and a hint of mint  to March of Dimes participants and downtown walkers.

"At first, we weren't selling at all, and it was disappointing," 14-year-old Rachel Recio said. "But it started picking up, and we were happy."

Across town, Zoey Gutierrez, 6, of Girl Scout Troop 96026, may have been half the age of the Recio girls, but her two years of Lemonade Day experience gave her an advantage.

The 13 scouts set up in the La Palmera mall food court entrance and took shifts, standing with signs, handling the money and pouring lemonade for customers.

"We got to make signs and sell lemonade," Zoey said. "It's a lot of fun."

Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez stopped by La Palmera to offer her support to the young entrepreneurs. Boy Scout Troop 6 set up a stand near J.C. Penney and pack of Cub Scouts sold lemonade near the Great American Cookies store.

This year, participants faced an added challenge with the boil water notice that took effect Friday night. But they were quick to resolve that issue, Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paige Kimball said.

"(The kids) learned you always have to be prepared and ready to switch things up," Kimball said. "They did a really good job of going with it and being flexible."

Leana Hinojosa and her two business partners from Metro Prep at Miller High School learned how to adapt by assessing the situation and reaching out to one of their moms who worked at Walmart to secure 40 gallons of water for their stand in the main hallway in the West Court at La Palmera.

"We contacted some people," 13-year-old Leana said, as her two business partners nodded in agreement. "You just go with it and improvise. That's how we learn."

Twitter: @Caller_Esther
COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES A young boy is pushed down Shoreline Boulevard on Saturday, May 14, 2016, during March for Dimes' March for Babies.

SHARE COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Participants walk down Shoreline Boulevard on Saturday, May 14, 2016, as they take part in March for Dimes' annual March for Babies. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Participants walk down Shoreline Boulevard on Saturday, May 14, 2016, as they take part in March for Dimes' annual March for Babies. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Participants take part on Saturday, May 14, 2016, in March for Dimes' annual March for Babies on Shoreline Boulevard. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Jacqueline Harvey pushes her 14-month-old daughter Kaileigh on Saturday, May 14, 2016, during March for Dimes' March for Babies on Shoreline Boulevard.

By Courtney Sacco, courtney.sacco@caller.com Twitter- @Caller_Courtney

Shoreline Boulevard was awash in purple Saturday morning as people sporting the hue took part in the March of Dimes' annual March for Babies.

The 3-mile walk started at McCaughan Park and traveled down Shoreline Boulevard to the American Bank Center and back. March of Dimes hopes to reach its fundraising goal of $57,000 through this event and continuing donations by the end of June.

The March of Dimes works to lower the incidence of premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality through fundraising for medical research and community education.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/CITY OF ARANSAS PASS

Aransas Pass received more than 12 inches of rain in five hours starting on Sunday, May 15, 2016 causing widespread flooding.

By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times

Oso Pool will be closed after flooding caused mechanical issues in the pump room.

City officials have closedthe pool Monday for repairs. The pool is expected to reopen at 5 a.m. Friday and return to its normal schedule.

*********************

About 7.55 inches of rain were reported at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi as heavy rainstorms crossed the Coastal Bend and as much as 10 inches fell on the Southside, National Weather Service officials said.

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Flour Bluff has places that are almost completely submerged.

According to AEP Texas, there is one piece of equipment on Redmond Street near Waldron Road in Flour Bluff that is being tested before full power should be restored to that area.

Customers should expect power by 3 p.m., said Omar Lopez, a company spokesman.

Live Blog 5.16.16 Flash Flood Warning

The onslaught of storms that impacted Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas and Refugio Counties brought rainfall totals of 10 to 15 inches in a 24-36 hour period, National Weather Service officials.

Those hardest hit were on Corpus Christi's southside (along Oso Creek), Ingleside, and Aransas Pass. Numerous homes were flooded in Ingleside and Aransas Pass.

More storms are headed to South Texas on Wednesday afternoon.

About 20 units of Treyway Terrace, a public housing development, were damaged by flooding, said Gary Allsup, CEO of the Corpus Christi Housing Authority.

Staff is evaluating the situation, he said, and will relocate affected residents to a hotel if the damage is extensive enough to be displaced.

A National Weather Service map shows 48-hour rainfall totals for the area with many places getting more than 10 inches. More rain on the horizon for Tuesday.

The Songwriters' Showcase planned for tonight in Port Aransas has been canceled. Due to standing water the venue a new date will be announced later.

Aransas Pass has received more than 12 inches of rain in a five hour period. The EOC has been operational since 4 a.m. and roughly 20-30 rescues have been performed.

Avoid these areas:

Highland and Saunders

1400 Matlock

1100 N Houston

501 N avenue A

100  1100 Blk. S. Arch

100  1100 Blk. S. Euclid

1200 N. Commercial

Parts of FM 1069

Check out this video from the Flour Bluff area:

A homeowner in Flour Bluff talks about the flooding #stxwx pic.twitter.com/qpld4QzYMG  Rachel Denny Clow (@CallerClow) May 16, 2016

More than five inches of rain fell near Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Flour Bluff among the hardest hit by flooding.

Flooding near the intersection of Saratoga Boulevard and Greenwood Drive has caused a sewage overflow into the La Volla Creek, according to a city news release.

An estimated 400,000 gallons of domestic wastewater spilled into the area. City crews responded and contacted appropriate officials, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Qualitys Regional office.

Too much water at the Watergardens.

Oso Parkway near Everhart Road is under water.

Schools have delayed starts across the Coastal Bend and others are delayed.

The Staples Street bridge (FM 2444) over Oso Creek is closed. It's the bridge by the botanical gardens.

The City of Corpus Christi Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to monitor the heavy rains and flooding occurring in the area. The bad weather has forced the closure of the following streets:

Southbound ramp at Crosstown Expressway and Port Avenue

Port & Tarlton

SH358 westbound at SH286 N

S. Alameda at Six Points

Agnes and Laredo under SH286

200 block of Carancahua

Airline south of SPID

7100 block of Rodd Field

Holly at Flynn

Shea Parkway

The Calle Subdivision at Greenwood and Saratoga has moderate to heavy flooding with most residential streets impassable.

The water has receded enough on Everhart Road that there are about 1.5 driveable lanes. Stalled cars at Holly Road and Crosstown Expressway. Rodd Field and Williams is under water.

Ray High School's basement is flooded as well.



Here's a list of school and office closures and delays

Canceled:

Flour Bluff ISD

Tuloso-Midway ISD

London ISD

Pre-Kindergarten classes at Aransas County ISD.

Delayed:

City of Corpus Christi senior centers delayed opening until 10 a.m.

DPS driver's license office delayed until 10 a.m.

Catholic schools in Corpus Christi will have a two-hour delay.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi - will open at 10 a.m.

West Oso ISD - delayed two hours

School of Science and Technology - two hour delay



Richard Milburn Academy - two hour delay; staff, please arrive 30 minutes prior.

Gregory-Portland Independent School District -- delayed two hours.

Aransas County ISD -- Elementary campuses to start at 10 am and secondary campuses will begin classes at 11 am. All staff members need to report to work at 9 am.

**Elementary buses will begin picking up at 9am and secondary buses at 10am.**



Corpus Christi Independent School District -- All CCISD schools will be delayed 2 hours today. Elementary schools will begin at 10 am and Middle and High schools at 11 am. CCISD employees should proceed to their work locations as soon as they can do so safely.



InglesideISD - until 10:00 am and buses will run at 9:00 am due to all of the rain.

Del Mar College - until 9 a.m.

Several locations across town are flooding, including areas along McArdle Road, Holly Road, Staples Street, Kostoryz Road and areas Downtown. Intersections across town are flooding and Corpus Christi police have several reports of stalled vehicles in high water.

About midnight police received a report of an SUV stalled at Port Avenue and Tarlton Street with people inside. Water was rising up to the SUV's windows, according to emergency radio communications.

National Weather Service Corpus Christi meteorologist Lara Keys said the heavy rain came from a tropical air mass that produced rain falling in the same areas for long periods of time.

"We had a lot of moisture in the area," Keys said.

Keys said the city's Southside saw the most rain overnight, causing flooding and street closures.

She said about 10 inches of rain were reported in some areas near South Padre Island Drive.

Rain totals at the Corpus Christi International Airport were 5.01 inches.

Keys said the showers and thunderstorms will start to move away from the area tonight, but this afternoon there is still a 40 percent chance of rain.

Monday night will be mostly cloudy and in the upper 70s, Keys said.

Tuesday will be mostly cloudy, with a high temperature in the mid-80s.

Oso Creek, which was at 18.3 feet at 12:15 a.m., is expected to crest at 23 feet by sunrise. At 20 feet the creek is considered flooded.

Weather Service meteorologists said up to 2 inches of rain had fallen between 10 p.m. and midnight and 2 inches more could be expected. It's also expected wind gusts for the area could reach 30 mph.

About 5 inches of rain were reported at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi after weather moved into the Coastal Bend about 9 a.m. Sunday and continued through the afternoon.

As of 6 p.m. police had responded to more than 30 vehicle crashes Sunday, including vehicles that hydroplaned and struck highway barriers.

In Nueces County about 6,000 people were without power due to thunderstorms and lighting, AEP Texas officials said

"We are expecting a lot more rain tonight and into Monday morning," National Weather Service Corpus Christi meteorologist Penny Zabel said.

About 9:15 p.m. Sunday the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the Coastal Bend.

"The potential for heavy rain and flooding will continue overnight into early Monday morning," states an email from the Weather Service. "Continued redevelopment of showers and isolated thunderstorms over the coastal counties will be possible tonight. In addition, a line of thunderstorms is organizing over northern Mexico and will move east overnight into early Monday morning."

The temperature Monday will be in the low 80s with a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain. Tuesday will be in the mid-80s, partly cloudy with a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain and Wednesday will be in the low 80s with a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain.

"There will be a lot of rain this week, it will wind down Monday afternoon but it will continue the rest of the week," Zabel said.

Twitter: @CallerNatalia
File photo

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By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times

In early March Texas voters couldn't quite decide on a handful of election contests. Those races, including a hotly contested bout for a Nueces County commissioner seat, are set to be decided in just over a week.

The runoff elections will be Tuesday, May 24. Early voting starts Monday and continues through Friday. Nueces County voters will have 13 voting locations to choose from, and those sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Residents who voted in March must cast their ballots in the same party primary, and any registered voter who did not vote in the March election is free to vote in either runoff election.

Across the county, voters will see different ballots. Democrats in Robstown, for example, will have a county commissioner and constable nominee to pick, and Republicans in much of Corpus Christi will have a justice of the peace race to decide. Nueces County Clerk Kara Sands said the slim ballots could lead to a dismal turnout, but she stopped short of making any predictions.

"A lot of people voted (in March) for the presidential race or wanted to support someone locally," Sands said. "So how many people are going to show up to vote for a railroad commissioner or a couple judges if they don't think it's important to them? I'm not sure."

There are three statewide office nominations up for grabs. Both Democrats and Republicans have yet to name their choices for railroad commissioner, and Republicans need to pick their nominees for two judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals, Places two and five.

But the hottest race in Nueces County is likely between Joe A. Gonzalez and John Marez. Gonzalez is an eight-year veteran of the Nueces County Sheriff's Office, and Marez is a former City Councilman and currently serves as vice president of the Corpus Christi Independent School District Board of Trustees.

The candidates agree on future growth in the Robstown area and ongoing issues like property tax valuations and drainage being their chief concerns should they be elected  they just disagree on which type of prior experience is best. Gonzalez said county specific work is ideal; Marez said holding a prior elected office is critical.

"This next commissioner is going to be a big part of those things," Marez said. "It's important voters get someone who isn't learning on the job, but already has the public service experience and is ready to go from day one."

The duo emerged from a field of six candidates in March with Gonzalez being the top vote-getter. He bested Marez by about 180 votes, and Marez beat out third-place finisher John Martinez by about 100 votes. Both candidates emphasized the position's importance to rural voters who don't live in incorporated municipalities.

"You are the government for them," Gonzalez said. "There are parts of Precinct 3 where there is no government other than the county, so for them it's especially important because we're their voice and how they can get issues resolved like trash pickup, tax concerns and drainage."

There is no Republican running for the seat, which had been held by Oscar Ortiz for two decades. The position, plus a car allowance, pays $85,000, and it's a four-year term.

Sands is encouraging the public  especially those living in areas with contested races still to be decided  to find time to vote in the next few days.

"A lot of folks are more interested in the presidential race, but local politics are where most of the decisions are made that will affect us on a daily basis," she said. "So it's very important to get out to vote in these local races."

Twitter: @reportermatt

Who's eligible?

Voters who are registered in Nueces County may vote at any of the early voting polling locations for the May 24 Democratic and Republican primary runoff.

The rules:

If you voted in the Democratic party primary, you are eligible to vote only in the Democratic party runoff.

If you voted in the Republican party primary, you are eligible to vote only in the Republican party runoff.

However, if you did not vote at all in the March primary, you are eligible to vote in either party runoff.

*In the November general election every registered voter can pick any candidate on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation.

Source: Nueces County Clerk's Office

Elections

State Races

Democratic

Railroad Commissioner

Cody Garrett

Grady Yarbrough

Republican

Railroad Commissioner

Wayne Christian

Gary Gates

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2

Mary Lou Keel

Ray Wheless

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5

Scott Walker

Brent Webster

Kleberg County

Democratic

Sheriff

Tim Camarillo

Juan J. Gonzalez

Nueces County

Democratic

County Commissioner, Precinct 3

Joe A. Gonzalez

John Marez

Constable, Precinct 5

Frank Flores III

Gilbert Gomez

Precinct Chairman, Precinct 70

Coretta Graham

Robert J. Robertson

Republican

Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2, Place 1

Wendy Herman

Jo Woolsey

San Patricio County

Republican

County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Howard J. Gillespie

Ross L. McElwee
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Urging registered voters to vote can seem a quixotic venture. But it isn't a lost cause  even in a primary runoff like the one for which early voting begins Monday. Realistically, we will fail to persuade all but a small minority to vote. But the ones we reach will be empowered individuals indeed.

Every vote always counts. But each vote counts more when turnout is low. The majority, by not voting, put the power in the hands of the few who do. Turnout in the March 1 primary was less than 22 percent statewide and more than 27 percent in Nueces County. Those voters had the enticement of the presidential primaries, which will be missing from the runoff ballot along with the other decided primaries.

What's left is slim pickings  a Railroad Commission nomination for both parties, Republican runoffs for two Court of Criminal Appeals places, the Nueces County Precinct 3 commissioner runoff, a two constable races position and a Democratic precinct chair. The few who turn out will be the true believers in civic duty and those with specific vested interests in the outcome of a particular race. For example, energy investors would have a stake in who fills that seat on the Railroad Commission, which regulates mineral energy resources.

Here are our recommendations:

Railroad Commission: Republican Gary Gates and Democrat Cody Garrett.

Gates, a Rosenberg businessman with oil interests on personal property, displays a convincing grasp of energy issues and  typical of Republicans who run for Railroad Commission  is an enthusiastic advocate for the oil and gas sector. His opponent, former state Rep. Wayne Christian, is the wrong kind of candidate for this position  a politician looking for a stepping stone, a huckster, an attention-seeker with nothing in his experience to suggest that he would bring any value to the commission.

Garrett, a political operative, is pro-union, pro-safety, pro-environment, pro-regulation  which likely won't play well in the general election but this is the Democratic runoff. He is well-informed and committed. His opponent, Grady Yarbrough, has run for other offices and usually gets some notice because the name Yarbrough is familiar in Texas political history especially when spelled Yarborough.

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2: In this Republican runoff, the clear choice is Mary Lou Keel, a longtime Houston district judge with extensive experience, including capital cases. She is certified in criminal law, which is germane to the position. Her opponent is not. The winner will face Democrat Larry Meyers, the longtime incumbent, who switched parties after the last election.

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5: No endorsement. In this Republican runoff, neither candidate shines. Scott Walker won a plurality on the strength of having the same name as the Wisconsin governor.

Nueces County Commissioner Precinct 3: This Democratic runoff is for the seat, not just the nomination, because there is no Republican candidate. Our choice is Joe A. Gonzalez, the president of the county deputies' association, who helped negotiate a new collective bargaining contract in a constructive manner. Gonzalez considers Republican Sheriff Jim Kaelin a mentor, which suggests that partisan politics won't be Gonzalez's game. His opponent, Corpus Christi school trustee and former city councilman John Marez, is the closest thing to an incumbent in this race for an open position. Marez has experience, but Gonzalez's rise to leadership among his peers and his accomplishments for a 29-year-old suggest a bright future and a reason to give the next generation its chance. He showed us an encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of Precinct 3 and county government issues, from staffing to drainage to road conditions.

Important to know: Early voting starts Monday and ends May 20. Election Day is May 24. Registered voters who skipped the March 1 primary can vote in the runoff. Registered voters who voted in the primary can't switch parties for the runoff.
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Fiesta de la Flor presented by Citgo is a labor of love and admiration for a young woman and a family that should be celebrated all year. I have educated a few of my friends about Selena and her lasting impact on Corpus Christi. When people from all over the world are willing to book flights and hotel rooms to attend a festival you know you have something special. It's the kind of experience that creates lifetime memories  the kind of memories that people talk about for years.

As I walked through the festival grounds on May 6 and 7 I couldn't help but smile as I heard all of the different languages being spoken, grandparents dancing with their grandchildren and the familiar faces of many friends from our Corpus Christi business community. To say that our audience was diverse is an understatement.

The addition of the Silent Disco at the Art Museum of South Texas as well as the larger footprint to accommodate food trucks and vendors made the logistics of the festival a huge success. The happenings of last weekend were reported by more than 120 media representatives. We had 83 million views/mentions in print, digital, TV and radio platforms. That's an ad value of nearly $2 million.

Our Facebook page alone reached 705,093 people. Fiesta de la Flor was a trending topic on Twitter and Snapchat, our newest social media marketing tool, had 594,069 viewers. People who wouldn't have otherwise known about Corpus Christi are now aware of us and they are continuing to share and post about the festival. The bottom line is that there are a lot of eyes and ears learning about Corpus Christi and what we have to offer.

Fiesta de la Flor is good for our hotels, our restaurants and overall our city's reputation. The reality is that while the oil industry is a strong foundation of our city, we can't rely on it to fill our hotel rooms year-round. Tourism is a huge economic driver. I believe it is time to fully embrace tourism and its value to our community and start the discussion to determine what tools we need to grow the meeting and convention market, as well as the tools to put events such as Fiesta de la Flor together and market them.

The tourism industry had a $1.37 billion economic impact in Corpus Christi in 2014. San Antonio, just a short drive away from here, enjoyed a $13 billion economic impact from its tourism industry in 2014. That means there is plenty of room to grow our tourism industry here at home.

Tourism is a natural and authentic industry for Corpus Christi because of our beaches, beautiful weather and great attractions. According to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, 85 percent of all tourism-related revenue in the U.S. is generated in coastal states  where beaches are the leading tourist attraction.

Visitors want things to see and things to do. Those who say we as a community should cater to the locals and not the visitor should think again. Why does it have to be one or the other? We can do both. Visitors bring tax dollars that help create jobs and build businesses.

We have a good thing going in our city with the growing Dia de los Muertos street festival, the recent Food Truck Festival, the record breaking attendance at Buc Days and Rodeo Corpus Christi and Fiesta de la Flor. The Downtown Management District's Texas Main Street Program designation will bring positive changes to downtown. The Texas State Aquarium has made a $50 million investment to double the size of the aquarium.

Let's keep the momentum going and let's work together to build on this success. Fiesta de la Flor is an outward and visible way to celebrate our city's diversity and offerings. It is time that we forget about what part of the city we live in or the color of our skin and accept that this is a good thing for our community. At the end of the day we should all focus on making Corpus Christi a better place to live and visit.
| BY Lynchy |

Scott Harris, the Aussie expat co-founder and creative director of Mistress, Los Angeles looks to young creatives for guidance rather than legends

The award season has stirred from its slumber. Wed love for you to attend the Show and Party, read an invitation from the Andy Awards. It will be a special evening with industry legends in the room. As much as I appreciate industry legends, I am a 20-year advertising veteran, and I find myself more inspired these days by twentysomething creatives.

They struggle with meager wages, unhealthy hours, layoffs; just like we did at that age. But todays twentysomethings also have to deal with something the legends never had to when they were starting out: the responsibility of connecting and engaging with about 83 million of their Millennial peers. The pressure to reach the most coveted consumer audience today falls onto the youngest members of the industry who are expected to understand them better than their bosses. No small task.

Years ago, senior people didnt ask junior copywriters for a quick explanation about how Boomers or Gen-Xers most popular media platform worked. It was television, duh. Senior agency creatives presided over a kingdom built of TV and radio scripts, billboard headlines, and magazine and newspaper layouts  mediums that essentially hadnt changed in decades.

Today, agencies look to their twentysomethings as authorities on platforms that have been around a year or two  sometimes just a few months and often in beta. It makes sense: Theyre living it. And so, the pendulum swings. Creating campaigns using new technology falls on the shoulders of a group that wasnt even alive when industry legends were interrupting The Cosby Show with 30-second works of art.

To land a job back then, all creatives needed was a portfolio of clever print ads and maybe a TV spot or two. Today, creatives who cant design, write, Photoshop and operate a camera, while also bringing in passion skills like programming or music production, dont get a second look from a progressive agency.

The agencies attracting the best talent are dynamic. Theyre reacting to real-time events, interacting with audiences, and arent tied to a predetermined medium. Theyre solving clients problems with bespoke solutions. The result is energized clients and brands and a refreshingly unpredictable work environment.

Sure, there are still a few dinosaurs roaming the industry, grazing on the same TV buys as their ancestors. But they are neither inspiring nor innovative; two traits driven twentysomething creatives demand of the company they keep.

As for timelines: Two decades ago, a month to concept a print ad was considered polite, and you were well within your rights to yell at the fool who dared demand a day less. Not today. Shrinking budgets and growing procurement departments require the twentysomething-year-old creative to churn out entire multiplatform campaigns in a matter of weeks. Just ask Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCos global beverage group, who said Pepsi has gone from making four TV spots a year to between 400 and 4,000 pieces of content instead.

And when it comes to executing that content  the posts, activations, social engagement tactics, and real-time responses to cultural events and content  the quality expected is just as high. The standard of the insights and the craft required are no different than that single print ad that once took months to make.

Legends can hold up their great print and poster campaigns or those epic 30-second TVCs as a testament to the great old days. They were simpler times. A creatives job had fewer moving parts. More time was spent creating less, for much more money. Indeed, it was a great time to be a creative. But what truly inspires me is the work generated by a younger generation of creators.
The partner said he was concerned about the effect his financial difficulties would have on his practice and, due to a "strained relationship" with the former employee, "erred on the side of safety in the belief that advising [the employee] of the non-payment may cause unrest within the office".
Police ask anyone who saw a trail bike with two people on it in the Tuggeranong area between 5.15pm and 6.15pm on Saturday to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at act.crimestoppers.com.au.
When asked if it would seem ludicrous that a childcare centre was closing for another to possibly open on the same site, Ms Tobler said: "It would seem ludicrous that someone would be considering doing that when the centres that are already in that area are not full. We have been unable to fill the places to cover our costs and we've been putting in a concerted effort over two years to do that".
"Any contractor that ignored such an explicit instruction from a client would never win a tender. So what to do? Revert to a form of contracting last seen 30 years ago where the union still delivers the labour deal, but this time the head contractor directly employs workers instead of sub-contractors," he said.
Strong gains in population, jobs and home prices coming out of the recession werent enough to shield metro Denver from an erosion in its middle class.

Middle-income households in metro Denver shrank from 58 percent of the population in 2000 to 53 percent in 2014, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

That shrinkage didnt come primarily from households moving into higher income brackets, but rather from more households moving into lower-income ones.

We still have a lot of people who are middle income. But I can understand the reason for concern, said Gary Horvath, a Broomfield economist. The recovery, in terms of income, hasnt been strong.

Metro Denvers share of upper-income households increased 1 percentage point to 25 percent, while lower-income households rose 4 percentage points to 22 percent, according to Pew.

The trend toward a smaller middle class is a national one and has been underway for four decades, but sluggish economic growth has exacerbated it.

Between 2000 and 2014, the middle class shrank in nine out of 10 metro areas. In a quarter of metros, middle-class households no longer made up a majority, up from a 10th of metro areas in 2000, Pew found.

Nationally, 51 percent of households are middle-income, 20 percent are upper-income and 29 percent lower-income.

All five Colorado metros in the study saw a drop in the share of middle-class families. Besides Denver, that included:

 6 percentage point decrease in Colorado Springs to 51 percent

 3 point decrease in Fort Collins to 56 percent

 6 point decrease in Pueblo to 51 percent

 7 point decrease in Grand Junction to 52 percent

In most metros, the gain in the lower-income tier outpaced the rise in the upper-income tier.

Grand Junction was an exception, earning it a mention in the report. The share of upper-income households doubled from 10 percent of the total in 2000 to 20 percent of the total in 2014.

Grand Junction got to the national norm by nearly doubling the share of its upper-income population from 2000 to 2014, making it one of the big winners, Pew researchers said.

Horvath attributes that to a surge in natural gas and oil activity last decade, although that trend has since reversed. Denver, by contrast, was coming off a tech and telecom boom in 2000 that contributed to elevated wages and low unemployment.

Pew defined a lower-income household as one earning 66 percent or less of the median income in a given metro area. Upper-income households made double the median, which is the middle point where half of households make more and half make less.

By Pews definition, a three-person household was middle class in 2014 if its annual income fell between just under $42,000 and about $125,000. Pew offers a calculator on its website so people can see what class they fit into based on household size, income and location.

One of the most disturbing findings in the study is even though the bar needed to enter the middle class dropped from $45,115 in 1999 to $41,641 in 2014, a smaller share of the population was able to cross it.

Peter Morici, an economist at the University of Maryland, notes that the U.S. economy has grown an average of only 1.7 percent a year since 2000, just half the pace seen under the Reagan and Clinton administrations.

The middle class is shrinking, suicides and drug abuse are up, fertility has dropped precipitously, millions of college graduates are stuck at places like Starbucks, and homeownership is at a 48-year low, he said in a commentary.

Presidential candidates in both parties  Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders  have tapped into that deep discontent with surprising success in the primaries.

Aside from political turmoil, experts warn that widening income inequality might slow economic growth and make social mobility more difficult. Children raised in predominantly lower-income neighborhoods are less likely to reach the middle class than those from more economically mixed communities.

Middle-class adults now make up less than half the population in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Houston.

The shrinking of the American middle class is a pervasive phenomenon, said Rakesh Kochhar, associate research director for Pew and the lead author of the report. It has increased the polarization in incomes.

But Horvath said there are more benign reasons to explain some of the middle-class decline. When a high-paying job is created in an area like Denver, an even larger number of lower-paying service jobs tend to follow.

Sectors like hospitality, food service and health care have seen some of the strongest growth in the state in recent years, he said.

Also, between 2000 and 2014, more and more baby boomers have shifted from pocketing peak wages to collecting a Social Security check in retirement, pushing down household incomes.

The report documents several other key trends:

 Income for the typical household fell in 190 of the 229 metro areas studied, even in wealthier cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.

 Income inequality is lifting some Americans closer to the top even as people in the middle fall farther. Median incomes fell 8 percent nationwide from 1999 to 2014. Yet the share of adults in upper-income homes rose to 20 percent from 17 percent. Middle-income households declined to 51 percent from 55 percent.

Wendell Nolen, 52, is among those who experienced the slide from middle-class status. Eight years ago, he was earning $28 an hour as a factory worker for Detroits American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings, assembling axles for pickup trucks and SUVs.

But early in 2008, things unraveled. After a three-month strike, Nolen took a buyout rather than a pay cut. Less than a year later, the plant was closed and American Axle shipped much of its work to Mexico.

Now Nolen makes $17 an hour in the shipping department of a Detroit steel fabricator, about 40 percent less than he made at the axle plant.

America is losing jobs because of the free trade stuff, Nolen said. Theyre selling America out.

Overall, cities with the largest share of the middle class are more likely to be in the middle of the country, while those with the highest share of low-income household are concentrated in the Southwest.

Metro areas with the highest share of upper-income households are more likely to be found in the Northeast or along the West Coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Colorado cities

According to the pew research center study, between 2000 and 2014:

 Denver metros middle class shrank by 5 percentage points to 53 percent of the population, while the upper class increased 1 point to 25 percent, and the lower class increased 4 points to 22 percent.

 Colorado Springs saw a 6 percentage point decrease the middle class to 55 percent, with 4 of those percentage points moving into the upper income bracket (at 22 percent) and 3 points moving into the lower bracket (at 24 percent).

 Fort Collins middle class decreased 3 percentage points (to 51 percent) and its upper class decreased 2 points (to 12 percent), resulting in a 5 point increase in the lower income bracket (to 37 percent).

 In Pueblo, the middle class dropped 6 percentage points to 51 percent, the upper income group increased 2 point to 12 percent and the lower income group increased 4 points to 37 percent.

 Grand Junctions middle class dropped 7 percentage points to 52 percent, the upper income bracket increase 9 points to 20 percent, and the lowest income bracket dropped 2 points to 28 percent.

In some instances, the numbers are rounded.
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Welcome to another story on an upcoming Alfa Romeo model . Nothing is ever certain , company insiders are quoted, and dates are given for the release of new models, some more implausible than the other. This time we talk about the Alfa Romeo-badged SUV , which, according to new information, is set to make its debut by the end of 2015.

This time, the news comes from British news daily The Telegraph, which recently spoke to Damien Dally, Alfa Romeo UK boss. According to the report, Mr. Dally confirmed that there will certainly be an SUV in the next two or three years, adding that Fiats ownership of both Alfa and Jeep means the exchange of technology will be easy.

But wait, theres more. The same source added that Alfas SUV would share many of its mechanical bits with the Jeep Cherokee , which is based on the Giulietta platform and also underpins the Dodge Dart  talk about platform sharing.

No word on where it will be sold first, or what engines will be used to power it, but rest assured the Chrysler-Fiat parts bin will provide the engineers with everything they need to make this become a reality.

By Andrei Nedelea

Note: 2003 Alfa Romeo Kamal Concept pictured.

PHOTO GALLERY
Alfa Romeos future product strategy includes the introduction of the Stelvio SUV, but it seems that the Italians are also working on a compact, too, which could wear the Kamal moniker.

The name has been thrown into the mix by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) about a month ago and it was just discovered by Autoblog on the United States Patent and Trademark Office registry.

Linking it to Alfa Romeo is a small CUV concept introduced by the automaker back in 2003, and if the latest info is correct, then expect the new vehicle to be underpinned by a scaled-down Stelvio platform.

Alfas first SUV will ride on the same architecture as the recently launched Giulia and use the same turbocharged four-cylinder and V6 diesel and petrol engines.

Despite the Alfa Romeo Stelvio being officially announced by the FCAs CEO, Sergio Marchionne, in February, there is no trademark for the Stelvio name in the United States Patent and Trademark Offices database. Not that we know of, anyway

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: Shelley Gilmore

It means different things to different people. If you are homeless due to mental illness your definition of hope is different than someone who has applied for a job and is waiting for results.

Hope. Its something we all should have in common but in some cases, hope is hard to come by. As we head into summer, we look back at our New Years resolutions. However, based on the recent Castanet poll, a large majority of respondents dont set goals on New Year's. I wonder why this majority has decided that hope for something better is not something we should plan for?

Many of the children in our community have no ability to truly affect their fate. As many as one in five children in our region are living in poverty and are powerless to change their world. Powerless to truly identify and enact hope.

Living as a child whos father left when she was very young, Jenna, was one of these children. A family who relied on not only the local food bank but other shelter organizations as well as before and after school care. She was a child who should, by the nature of being a child, have had a chance to dream about fairy princesses and castles and her prince charming.

Her reality was that her family struggled to meet the basics of life. They often went to school hungry, they often couldnt afford those extra cool school supplies or field trips. They relied on their neighbours to bring them dinner a couple times a week. All these things creating extra challenges along the way  behavioural issues, trust issues, and instability.

So where is the hope in this childs life? When does she get to be a child? What are we doing as a community to ensure she has a roof over her head, food in her belly and has the chance to someday realize the final result of hope?

Hope. Its something that we should all have the fundamental right to, but unfortunately, even if these children manage to have a semblance of hope, many are powerless to affect their outcome. Many of us watching, feel powerless to make a difference.

Hope. Our communities are moving toward collaborative efforts to affect things like poverty and homelessness and it's desperately needed. There is a famous saying it takes a village to raise a child  possibly an overused statement but never more poignant. Agencies providing the services are realizing they need to work together and move towards collaborative community tables.

United Way is working with these agencies and is engaged in these tables to look at services and community needs and be the support needed. Everything from youth engagement to prenatal care, to preschool readiness to breakfast programs, childcare and mental health support. All of these services support these children striving to have hope.

Our communities have the power to affect the outcome and from what we are seeing we are moving toward banding together to find solutions. We simply cannot keep working in silos and change the outcome.

Hope. For children living in poverty locally, it's about trusting that our community can help. We dont need more, we need more effective and accountable ways of serving these little people in our community.

Lets all look at the bigger picture of the needs of our children  the social, emotional and health of this next generation.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed Anthony von Mandl

Okanagan College is bestowing its highest honour on three notable Okanagan residents.

Anthony von Mandl O.B.C., Bill Redmond and Dr. Rita Winkler will be named Honorary Fellows of Okanagan College during Convocation ceremonies on June 4, in Kelowna.

Von Mandl, proprietor of VMF Estates, founder of Mission Hill Family Estate is a self-made entrepreneur, who will be recognized for his pioneering efforts in making the Okanagan a winery destination.

Born in Vancouver, von Mandl founded a wine importing firm in Vancouver at the age of 22. Despite difficult initial years, he successfully grew Mark Anthony Wine Merchants, and in 1981 began to realize his audacious dream: to produce world-class wines in British Columbias then unknown Okanagan Valley. Little did he know that in order to realize his vision he would need to organically build a more than half billion dollar corporation from the ground up without outside financing.

Mission Hill Family Estate, which von Mandl conceived and built to endure for centuries, has become internationally known, and been called the gold standard of wineries by Conde Nast Traveler. In 1994, Mission Hill won the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London for Top Chardonnay Worldwide and in 2013, the familys Martins Lane Pinot Noir won the Trophy for Best Pinot Noir in the World in London at the Decanter Wine Awards, the worlds most significant competition with over 14,000 wines entered, putting the Okanagan on the international Pinot Noir map. In 2016, Mission Hill was once again named Canadian Winery of the Year, for the sixth time.

von Mandl has been recognized personally and professionally for his extensive contributions to the industry. In 2005, he was awarded British Columbias highest distinction, the Order of British Columbia. In 2011, he was the recipient of The Warren Bennis Award for Leadership Excellence alongside A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble. Previous winners include Mikhail Gorbachev, Benazir Bhutto, and Howard Schultz of Starbucks. In 2015, he was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.

A former YPO International Board Member, von Mandl has served on the Advisory Boards of the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He is also Chairman of the von Mandl Family Foundation, a charitable organization that supports cancer research in both Canada and the United States.

Bill Redmond spent 40 years building his career in the wholesale food industry. He is the founder and former president and CEO of HRI Supply Ltd. Redmond launched the company in 1978 and guided its growth until it merged with Sysco Corp. in 2001. HRI Supply is the only food distribution company in the B.C. Interior to merge with a Fortune 500 company in the past 30 years. After the merger Redmond continued his career as president and CEO of Sysco Kelowna until he retired from the company in 2004.

Retirement has been anything but slow for Redmond, who is involved in a number of community organizations. He is active in the Rotary Club of Kelowna and is past-president as well as past-director. He served as Okanagan Colleges first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (2007). He was chairman of the Kelowna Roads Task Force as well as a number of private equity funds. He is still involved in business and is a partner in Dockside Marine Centre.

Its an honour to be recognized by Okanagan College, said Redmond. I was thrilled to be a part of the School of Business and came to realize what a wonderful institution we have right here in Kelowna. My career in business has brought me a lot of joy and I will be proud to address the graduating business class of 2016.

Dr. Rita Winkler is a forest hydrologist with a career spanning more than 35 years. During this time she has worked in government, academia and private consulting in operational settings, education and research. Winkler is credited with sustaining B.C.s longest running paired watershed experiment, which is located at Upper Penticton Creek in the South Okanagan. Research at this site focuses on improving our understanding of water supplies from forested watersheds and how natural disturbance, land management and climate change can affect this vital resource.

Winklers own research on snow processes in forests changed by insect outbreaks, wildfire, logging and regrowth, as well as the resulting changes in streamflow regime, has refined our understanding of the science and guided the development of forest management practices.

Her association with Okanagan College dates back to the 1990s when she was involved in selection of the Forest Renewal BC Chairs in Forest Hydrology. She has been involved in the Colleges Penticton Speaker Series and has mentored and collaborated with faculty members at the College for more than 20 years.

I am thrilled to receive this honour from Okanagan College, said Winkler. It is a privilege to be included in the group of Fellow recipients, a program that clearly highlights the College and President Hamiltons commitment to acknowledge the contributions community members, employees and students all make to life in the Okanagan.

Anthony von Mandl and Dr. Rita Winkler will attend the morning ceremony on Saturday, June 4 in Kelowna. Bill Redmond will address the graduates in an afternoon ceremony on June 4.
Photo: Robert Redlich

Historic bricks unveiled at the back of what is now the Metro Central building, will be saved.

Attention was first shone onto the bricks in a Castanet story a few weeks ago. The original question centred around advertising markings on the bricks for Union Gasoline and Kelowna Grower's Exchange.

While Kelowna Museum curator Amanda Snyder said the markings themselves may not be of historic significance, the bricks are.

"In preparation for demolition, a hazardous materials investigation of the existing building on Water Street revealed that the concrete stucco on portions of the exterior contained asbestos," said Westcorp spokesperson, Gail Temple.

"Removal of the stucco revealed brick walls which Westcorp learned, after speaking with Amanda Snyder, Curatorial Manager with the Kelowna Museum, were sourced from Knox Mountain."

Officials with Westcorp, which will be demolishing the Metro Central building as part of the footprint for a new downtown hotel, said salvaging of the bricks will begin at 7 a.m. Monday.

Folio Building Group will oversee, and conduct reclamation of the bricks.

A portion of the reclaimed bricks will be used on the Kelly OBryans building, a small portion will be used by the Folio Group on some infill buildings in South Pandosy, a portion will be donated to the Kelowna Museum, and the remainder will be donated to the City of Kelowna for use in various other locations in the downtown core.

Once the brick reclamation has concluded, demolition of the building will commence. New temporary pay-parking stalls will be available a couple of weeks later.

Kelowna Brick Works, which was located near Knox Mountain, was founded in 1905. The company used clay found at Knox Mountain to produce the red bricks used in construction of many downtown Kelowna buildings during the early 1900's.
Photo: File Photo

Three people are in custody after a traffic stop at Orchard Park Mall Wednesday turned up 1.8 kilograms of marijuana and a loaded firearm.

Police pulled over a green Nissan after finding it was linked to a robbery in Vernon the day before.

One person ran away from the scene, but was later apprehended.

The 37-year-old female driver and a 24-year-old male passenger were arrested, along with another male associated with the incident. All three are from the Vernon area.

Police say they are facing charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm.
Photo: Twitter - Jamie Rye

Firefighters responded to a four hectare fire near Savona, west of Kamloops, on Saturday afternoon.

The BC Wildfire Service sent 12 firefighters, one crew of contract firefighters and two air tankers to the fire.

The Savona Fire department also responded.

No structures were directly threatened and the fire is now contained.

Highway 1, 45 km west of Kamloops, was also closed for a time, but has since reopened.
Photo: Contributed

Kamloops RCMP arrested a man after responding to a report of domestic violence involving a firearm at the 1900 block of Westsyde Road around 9:15 p.m. Saturday.

For the safety of the residents in the area, Westsyde Road was closed to traffic for a short period of time, said Sgt. Darren Michels.

He said the incident was safely dealt with.

The man was taken into custody and a number of firearms were seized.

The suspect is expected to make a court appearance on a number of charges, said police.

We wish to thank the public for their patience with the traffic disruption. This investigation is an example of the ongoing effort of the RCMP to keep Kamloops safe.


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Anchorage, AK, United States

Anchorage is a great place to visit if you're looking for an adrenaline rush. From skiing and snowboarding in the winter to rafting and fishing in the summer, Anchorage has something to offer everyone. In addition to its outdoor activities, Anchorage also has a variety of cultural and historical attractions, including the Anchorage Museum and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

Anchorage Luxury Hotels

Portland, OR, United States

Portland is a city that is located in the US state of Oregon and it is known for its art scene, food, and coffee. There are a lot of interesting places to visit in Portland, such as the Portland Art Museum, where you can see a variety of art from all over the world. Another place to visit is the Powell's City of Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world. If you're looking for a place to eat, Portland has no shortage of amazing restaurants, such as Pok Pok, which serves Thai cuisine, and Le Pigeon, which serves French cuisine. And, of course, no trip to Portland would be complete without trying some of the city's famous coffee, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

Portland Luxury Hotels

Florence, Italy

No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to Florence. This historic city is home to some of the country's most famous attractions, including the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Michelangelo's David. There's also plenty to see and do outside of the city center, including the picturesque Tuscan countryside and the vibrant university town of Arezzo.

Florence Luxury Hotels

Florence Luxury Villas

Asheville, NC, United States

Asheville is a city in western North Carolina. It is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Buncombe County. Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the United States. The city of Asheville proper had a population of 84,236 in 2010. The city is known for its art deco architecture, mountain scenery and outdoor activities, and as the birthplace of American novelist Thomas Wolfe. It is also home to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the second largest craft brewery in the United States.

Asheville Luxury Hotels

Asheville Luxury Cottages

Long Beach, CA, United States

There's plenty to do in Long Beach, California without ever having to leave the city limits. If you're looking for a little adventure, head to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a glimpse of the ocean's creatures or take a walk on the boardwalk at Rainbow Harbor. If you're more of a history buff, the Queen Mary is a must-see. This retired ocean liner is now a hotel and museum with plenty of stories to tell. And no trip to Long Beach is complete without a visit to the iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge.

Long Beach Luxury Hotels

Long Beach Luxury Villas

Cincinnati, OH, United States

Cincinnati is a city located on the Ohio River in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. The city was founded in 1788 and named after the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers. Cincinnati is a major U.S. city and the metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million people. The city is well-known for its German heritage, Oktoberfest celebration, and its variety of chili dishes. Cincinnati is home to three major sports teams: the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, MLB's Cincinnati Reds, and the NBA's Cincinnati Cavaliers. The city is also home to the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. The city's historic neighborhoods include Over-the-Rhine, Mount Auburn, and Hyde Park. Cincinnati is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of attractions and places to visit, including the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Newport Aquarium, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Cincinnati Luxury Hotels

Laughlin, NV, United States

Laughlin, Nevada is a great place to visit if you're looking for a fun and affordable vacation. There are plenty of casinos and resorts to choose from, as well as plenty of outdoor activities and attractions. Be sure to check out the local nightlife, and don't forget to take a trip down the mighty Colorado River.

Laughlin Luxury Hotels

Laughlin Luxury Resorts

Anaheim, CA, United States

Anaheim, California is home to both Disneyland and California Adventure Park. The parks are just a short walk away from each other, and make for a great day of exploration. Anaheim is also home to the Anaheim Angels and the Anaheim Ducks, so there's always a game to catch. If you're looking for something a little more low-key, Anaheim has a great shopping district and a variety of restaurants to choose from.

Anaheim Luxury Hotels

Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Santa Cruz is a great place to visit! There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of my favorite places to visit are the Boardwalk, the wharf, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Boardwalk is a great place to go for a walk, ride on the amusement park rides, and eat some of the delicious food. The wharf is a great place to go for a walk, eat some seafood, and listen to the street performers. The University of California, Santa Cruz is a great place to visit to learn about the history of the area and to see some of the beautiful architecture. I highly recommend visiting Santa Cruz if you are looking for a fun and interesting place to visit!.

Santa Cruz Luxury Hotels

Eugene, OR, United States

Eugene, Oregon is a great city to visit with a lot of places to see and things to do. One of the most popular attractions is the University of Oregon campus, which is home to a number of museums and a large football stadium. The city also has a vibrant arts scene, with a number of theaters and art galleries. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the dozens of parks and hiking trails in the area, and there are also a number of wineries and breweries in the area.

Eugene Luxury Hotels

Branson, MO, United States

There's plenty to see and do in Branson, Missouri, from state parks and amusement parks to theaters and shopping. Here are some of the most popular places to visit: Silver Dollar City is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." Table Rock State Park has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. The Titanic Museum features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. Branson Landing is a shopping and entertainment complex on the waterfront. There's something for everyone in Branson, Missouri  come visit and see for yourself!.

Branson Luxury Hotels

Panama City Beach, FL, United States

The white sand beaches and emerald waters of Panama City Beach, Florida, are a popular tourist destination. The city is home to numerous hotels, resorts, and restaurants, as well as amusement and water parks. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, kayaking, and surfing.

Panama City Beach Luxury Hotels

Panama City Beach Luxury Resorts

Monterey, CA, United States

Monterey is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, United States. It stands at the southern end of Monterey Bay, on the Pacific coast. The city is also the home of the Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey is the largest city in the Central Coast region of California. The main attractions in Monterey are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the downtown area.

Monterey Luxury Hotels

Norfolk, VA, United States

Norfolk, Virginia is a great place to visit for its historical places and military bases. Some places to visit in Norfolk are the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and the Norfolk Naval Station.

Norfolk Luxury Hotels

Palm Springs, CA, United States

Palm Springs is a vibrant city located in the Coachella Valley and is known for its year-round sunshine, resort atmosphere and Mid-Century Modern architecture. Top places to visit include the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs Art Museum, Indian Canyons and Moorten Botanical Garden. For a truly unique experience, be sure to check out the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale  the worlds largest vintage furniture and design event.

Palm Springs Luxury Hotels

Palm Springs Luxury Resorts

Palm Springs Luxury Villas

Rochester, NY, United States

Rochester is a city in western New York State and is the county seat of Monroe County. Rochester is known for its annual festivals, including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Rochester Fringe Festival, and the Holiday Folk Fair International. Places to visit in Rochester include the George Eastman Museum, the Strong National Museum of Play, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and the Seneca Park Zoo.

Rochester Luxury Hotels

Pigeon Forge, TN, United States

Visit the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge for a unique experience. This museum is dedicated to the Titanic, one of the most infamous ships in history. Tour the ship and learn about the passengers and crew who were on board. You can even see the actual artifacts recovered from the shipwreck. If you're looking for a little more excitement, head to Dollywood. This amusement park is home to roller coasters, a water park, and plenty of other rides and attractions. Plus, the park is themed around the life and music of Dolly Parton. No trip to Pigeon Forge is complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains. These mountains offer a variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. Plus, the natural beauty of the area is simply breathtaking.

Pigeon Forge Luxury Hotels

Jacksonville, FL, United States

Jacksonville is less than an hour's drive from the beaches of Amelia Island and St. Augustine, and a little more than two hours from Orlando. The city has a lot to offer visitors, including a riverwalk, museums, and a vibrant arts scene. Jacksonville is also home to the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.

Jacksonville Luxury Hotels

Minsk, Belarus

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is a city that has something for everyone. If you're looking for a little history, Minsk has plenty of it, with churches and monuments dating back to the 12th century. If you're looking for a lively nightlife, Minsk has that, too, with plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants. And if you're looking for a little nature, Minsk has parks and gardens to enjoy. Here are just a few of the places you can visit in Minsk: The Holy Spirit Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Minsk, is a must-visit for history buffs. The National Library of Belarus is a huge library with more than 18 million items in its collection. The Opera and Ballet Theatre is a beautiful building that hosts performances of both opera and ballet. The Victory Park is a large park with a war memorial, a children's playground, and a lake. And for a little bit of nature in the heart of the city, the Botanical Garden is a great place to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Minsk.

Minsk Luxury Hotels

Jaipur, India

Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is known for its palaces, forts and temples. Some of the places to visit in Jaipur include the Amber Fort, the City Palace, the Jantar Mantar Observatory and the Hawa Mahal. Jaipur is also a great place to shop for traditional Indian handicrafts.

Jaipur Luxury Hotels

Chicago, IL, United States

Chicago is a city full of culture and history. There are plenty of places to visit, such as the Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to many restaurants and bars, so there is something for everyone.

Chicago Luxury Hotels

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a beautiful city located on the north island of New Zealand. There are many places to visit in Auckland, including the Sky Tower, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the Auckland Domain. The beaches in Auckland are also worth visiting, especially Karekare and Piha. Auckland is a great place to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

Auckland Luxury Hotels

Auckland Luxury Villas

Amsterdam, Netherlands

If you're looking for a city that's got it all, Amsterdam should be your go-to destination. From the city's lively and vibrant nightlife to its charming and quiet neighborhoods, Amsterdam has something for everyone. Be sure to check out the Anne Frank Huis, the Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh Museum, as these are some of the most popular attractions in the city. And if you're looking for a little bit of nature, be sure to take a walk or bike ride through Amsterdam's many parks.

Amsterdam Luxury Hotels

Berlin, Germany

There are so many great places to visit in Berlin that it can be hard to know where to start. From the iconic Brandenburg Gate to the fascinating Reichstag Building, there's something for everyone in this vibrant city. If you're looking for a bit of history, make sure to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial or the DDR Museum. And for those looking for a bit more fun, there's always the Alexanderplatz Christmas Market or the Zoologischer Garten. No matter what your interests, Berlin is a city you won't want to miss.

Berlin Luxury Hotels

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a city of contrasts with its gleaming temples and skyscrapers, chaotic markets and tranquil canals. While it's a popular tourist destination, Bangkok is a city that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. Some of the top places to visit in Bangkok include the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the floating markets and the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Bangkok Luxury Hotels

Bangkok Luxury Resorts

Bangkok Luxury Villas

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a city in Belgium that is worth visiting. It is full of medieval charm and there are a lot of things to see and do. Some of the places to visit include the Markt, the Belfry, and the Begijnhof.

Bruges Luxury Hotels

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels is a city in Belgium that is best known for its chocolate, waffles, and beer. But there is much more to see and do in Brussels than just indulge in the local cuisine. There are a number of interesting historical landmarks to visit, such as the Grand Place and the Atomium, as well as a variety of parks and gardens. And, of course, Brussels is also a great city to explore on foot.

Brussels Luxury Hotels

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary's capital, is a city of thermal baths and medival, baroque and art nouveau architecture. Crowded with tourists, the city is bisected by the Danube River into the hilly Buda and the more developed and flat Pest. Among the main places of interest are the neo-Gothic Parliament, the Chain Bridge linking Buda and Pest, the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda bank, and the State Opera House and Heroes' Square on the Pest side.

Budapest Luxury Hotels

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Home to some of the best beaches in Mexico, Playa del Carmen is a favorite tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. With its lively nightlife, gorgeous coastline and ample shopping opportunities, there's something for everyone in this tropical paradise. Don't miss the opportunity to visit some of the area's most popular attractions, such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba, or the eco-friendly Turtle Beach. With its friendly people, delicious food and stunning scenery, Playa del Carmen is a place you'll never want to leave.

Playa del Carmen Luxury Hotels

Playa del Carmen Luxury Resorts

Playa del Carmen Luxury Villas

Denver, CO, United States

Denver is a great city for visitors. There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of the top places to visit include the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, and the Colorado State Capitol. There are also plenty of great restaurants and shops to explore. Denver is definitely a city worth visiting!.

Denver Luxury Hotels

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is a city located in Ireland. It's a city full of culture, with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist spots are the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, and the Dublin Castle. There are also plenty of pubs and restaurants to discover.

Dublin Luxury Hotels

Dusseldorf, Germany

Dusseldorf, Germany is a city with many different places to visit. The city has a mix of old and new buildings, and a variety of activities to do. The best places to visit in Dusseldorf are the Konigsallee, the Rhine Tower, and the Oktoberfest. The Konigsallee is an open-air shopping mall that has many high-end stores. The Rhine Tower is the tallest building in the city and offers great views of Dusseldorf. The Oktoberfest is a week-long festival that celebrates German culture and food.

Dusseldorf Luxury Hotels

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh, Scotland is a beautiful city to visit. The architecture is very old and unique, and there are plenty of historical places to visit, like Edinburgh Castle. There are also plenty of parks and gardens, and lots of shops and restaurants.

Edinburgh Luxury Hotels

Rome, Italy

Rome is a city rich in history and filled with beautiful places to visit. Make sure to stop by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Also be sure to visit St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel while in Rome. If youre looking for a little more nature in your trip, head to the Villa Borghese gardens or the Janiculum Hill for some wonderful views of the city. And of course, no trip to Rome is complete without a gelato!.

Rome Luxury Hotels

Rome Luxury Villas

New York, NY, United States

There are many amazing places to visit in New York State. Some of my favorites are the Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Finger Lakes. If you're looking for a city break, New York City is definitely worth a visit. There's endless things to see and do, from touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to visiting world-famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. No matter what your interests are, you'll be able to find something to enjoy in New York State.

New York Luxury Hotels

New York Luxury Villas

London, United Kingdom

London is a city rich in history and full of amazing places to visit. Some of my favorite places are Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. There is so much to see and do in London, you could spend weeks here and never run out of things to do. If you're looking for a city full of culture and history, London is the place for you.

London Luxury Hotels

London Luxury Cottages

Madrid, Spain

Madrid is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the world. From the Royal Palace to the Prado Museum, theres plenty to see and do in Madrid. If youre looking for a little bit of nature, Madrid has plenty of parks, like the Buen Retiro Park, to relax in. And dont forget to try some of the delicious tapas and wine while youre in town.

Madrid Luxury Hotels

Memphis, TN, United States

The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Memphis is a city rich in history and culture. From Graceland to Beale Street, there are plenty of places to visit in Memphis. Be sure to check out Sun Studio, where rock 'n' roll was born, and the National Civil Rights Museum, which tells the story of the African-American civil rights movement. Memphis is also home to some amazing food, so be sure to try some of the city's famous barbecue and soul food.

Memphis Luxury Hotels

Miami Beach, FL, United States

There is much to explore in Miami Beach, from the famous Art Deco district to the vast beaches and crystal-clear waters. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding, while history buffs can explore the ancient burial mounds at Miami Beach. Shoppers and foodies will find plenty to keep them busy, with vibrant neighborhoods like Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive offering unique boutiques and award-winning restaurants. And of course, no trip to Miami Beach is complete without a visit to world-famous South Beach.

Miami Beach Luxury Hotels

Miami Beach Luxury Resorts

New Orleans, LA, United States

You can't visit New Orleans without trying some of the local food. Beignets, Po' Boys, and gumbo are just a few of the must-try dishes. While you're in town, be sure to check out the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and St. Louis Cathedral. If you're looking for some nightlife, Bourbon Street is the place to be. And, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Mardi Gras!.

New Orleans Luxury Hotels

Milan, Italy

Milan is a city located in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is a popular tourist destination because of its historical and artistic heritage. Some of the places you should visit while in Milan are the Duomo, La Scala, and Castello Sforzesco.

Milan Luxury Hotels

Naples, Italy

Naples is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Italy. There are countless places to visit, such as the Royal Palace, the Museum of San Martino, and the Church of Gesu Nuovo. Naples is also home to excellent shopping and dining options. Be sure to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the city's many cafes and take a stroll through the picturesque streets.

Naples Luxury Hotels

Paris, France

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It's home to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, as well as a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene. If you're looking to explore all that Paris has to offer, here are some of the top places to visit: The Eiffel Tower: This iconic landmark is a must-see in Paris. Climb to the top for stunning views of the city, or take a ride on the elevator to the bottom for a closer look at the structure. The Louvre Museum: This world-famous museum is home to some of the most famous works of art in the world, including the Mona Lisa. The Notre Dame Cathedral: This beautiful cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Make sure to climb to the top for some amazing views of the city. The Champs-Elysees: This famous avenue is a popular destination for shopping and dining. Be sure to wander down the street and take in all the sights and sounds. The Arc de Triomphe: This towering arch is another iconic landmark in Paris. Climb to the top for some amazing views of the city.

Paris Luxury Hotels

Paris Luxury Villas

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is a city rich in history and culture. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy, and the nightlife is vibrant. Prague is a truly unique city and a must-visit for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.

Prague Luxury Hotels

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is known for its beautiful beaches and turquoise waters. This paradise is a favorite destination for travelers looking for a Caribbean getaway. Punta Cana is home to a wide variety of resorts and activities, from enjoying the sand and surf to golfing, spas, and shopping. Nature lovers can also explore the areas jungles, caves, and waterfalls.

Punta Cana Luxury Hotels

Punta Cana Luxury Resorts

Punta Cana Luxury Villas

Marbella, Spain

If you're looking for an idyllic and luxurious Spanish escape, look no further than Marbella. Located on the country's Costa del Sol, Marbella is home to stunning beaches, top-notch resorts, world-class golfing, and much more. A visit to Marbella is the perfect way to experience all that Spain has to offer.

Marbella Luxury Hotels

Marbella Luxury Villas

Marrakesh, Morocco

Marrakesh is a city in Morocco that is full of culture and history. There are several places to visit in Marrakesh, including the Palace of the Bahia, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and the Saadian Tombs. The souks (markets) are also a must-see, where you can find everything from souvenirs to spices to traditional clothing. Be sure to enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or cafes in Marrakesh; the food is delicious and the atmosphere is always lively. Marrakesh is a wonderful city to explore and definitely worth a visit!.

Marrakesh Luxury Hotels

San Francisco, CA, United States

San Francisco is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason. There are plenty of things to see and do in this vibrant city. Here are some of the top places to visit: 1. Fisherman's Wharf: This neighborhood is home to a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as a popular pier where you can enjoy views of the bay. 2. The Golden Gate Bridge: This iconic bridge is a must-see for any visitor to San Francisco. 3. Alcatraz Island: This former federal prison is now a popular tourist attraction. It's a must-see for fans of history and crime dramas. 4. Chinatown: This colorful neighborhood is home to some of the best food in San Francisco. Be sure to check out the Dragon Gate entrance. 5. The Mission District: This trendy neighborhood is home to hip restaurants, bars, and art galleries.

San Francisco Luxury Hotels

Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the Kremlin, Red Square, and Saint Basil's Cathedral. Other great places to see include the Bolshoi Theatre, Gorky Park, and the Tretyakov Gallery. There are also many churches and other historical buildings to explore. Moscow is a lively city with a lot of culture and nightlife. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Moscow.

Moscow Luxury Hotels

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The city is built on a lagoon in northeast Italy and is known for its canals and gondolas. There are many places to visit in Venice, including the Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and the Rialto Bridge. Venice is also home to many museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Venice Luxury Hotels

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria is a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace, the Ringstrasse, and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Vienna is also home to some of the world's best shopping, including the Karntner Strasse and the Graben. Finally, no visit to Vienna is complete without experiencing the city's world-famous nightlife.

Vienna Luxury Hotels

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is a marvelous city located in the heart of Switzerland. It is a city that has something to offer for everyone. From amazing restaurants and beautiful architecture to exciting nightlife and gorgeous parks, Zurich has something for everyone. Some of the most popular places to visit in Zurich include the Bahnhofstrasse, which is the city's most famous shopping street, the Lindenhof, which is a beautiful park with amazing views of the city, and Grossmunster, which is a stunning Romanesque church. Zurich is also home to some of the best museums in the world, including the famed Museum of Art and the Swiss National Museum. With its mix of old-world charm and modern amenities, Zurich is a city that is definitely worth exploring.

Zurich Luxury Hotels

Acapulco, Mexico

If you're looking for a Mexican vacation spot with plenty of history and culture to explore, Acapulco is a great option. From the archeological wonders of the ancient city to the stunning coastal views, there's something for everyone in Acapulco. Plus, with its temperate climate, it's a great escape from colder winter weather.

Acapulco Luxury Hotels

Acapulco Luxury Resorts

Acapulco Luxury Villas

Nashville, TN, United States

One of the United States' most interesting places to visit is Nashville, Tennessee. There's plenty to see and do there, from the Grand Ole Opry to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Music is a big part of the city's history and culture, so be sure to catch a show while you're in town. Other popular attractions include the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, and the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Nashville is also a great place to eat, with a wide variety of restaurants serving up everything from barbecue to Mexican food. So if you're looking for an exciting and diverse city to visit, be sure to add Nashville to your list.

Nashville Luxury Hotels

Nashville Luxury Villas

Atlanta, GA, United States

What's not to love about Atlanta? From the iconic Georgia Aquarium to the World of Coke, from the Fox Theatre to Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta offers a wealth of destinations for tourists. Sports fans will want to check out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and history buffs will enjoy the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Braves fans can take a tour of SunTrust Park, and shoppers will enjoy the many boutiques and malls in the city. There's also a great restaurant scene in Atlanta, and music lovers will want to check out the many venues offering live music. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation spot or a place to explore on your own, Atlanta is a great choice!.

Atlanta Luxury Hotels

Miami, FL, United States

The Magic City is a top tourist destination for a reasonthere are endless things to do in Miami! From exploring the trendy neighborhoods and dazzling beaches to soaking up the Latin culture and nightlife, Miami is jam-packed with amazing places to visit. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Wynwood Walls: This outdoor art exhibit is a must-see for any art lover. The colorful murals are awe-inspiring and definitely Instagram-worthy. 2. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: This estate is dripping with luxury and opulence, from the grandiose architecture to the expansive gardens. It's the perfect place for a day of relaxation. 3. South Beach: This world-famous beach is a must-visit for any sun-seeker. The crystal-clear water and soft sand make for the perfect day-long beach getaway. 4. Little Havana: Experience Cuban culture at its best in Little Havana. From delicious food to lively music and dance, there's something for everyone in this vibrant district. 5. Art Deco District: This district is home to Miami's most iconic architecture. Take a stroll down the charming streets and admire the colorful buildings that make Miami so unique.

Miami Luxury Hotels

Miami Luxury Villas

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a must-see destination in Japan. There are endless places to explore in this city - temples, shrines, gardens, and more. The Shinjuku district is a great place to start, with its neon-lit streets and myriad shops and restaurants. For a taste of traditional Japan, visit the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa or the Imperial Palace. Nature lovers will enjoy the Hamarikyu Gardens or the Hama-rikyu Teien Garden. And for a unique experience, take a trip to Mount Fuji.

Tokyo Luxury Hotels

Tokyo Luxury Villas

Buenos Aires, Argentina

There are plenty of places to visit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some popular tourist destinations include the obelisk, the Casa Rosada, and the Puerto Madero district. Every barrio (neighborhood) has its own unique culture and flavor. San Telmo, La Boca, and Palermo are some of the most popular barrios. There are also many parks and plazas, such as Plaza de Mayo and Plaza de la Republica, that are worth checking out.

Buenos Aires Luxury Hotels

Hamburg, Germany

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany is Hamburg. From the lively and colorful harbor district to the grandiose City Hall, there is plenty to see and do in Hamburg. Some of the other popular places to visit include the Reeperbahn district with its pubs and nightlife, the Planten un Blomen botanical gardens, and the architecturally stunning Rathausmarkt square.

Hamburg Luxury Hotels

Lisbon, Portugal

The capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city of fascinating contrasts. From its coastal location, visitors can enjoy stunning ocean views, while its hilly, narrow streets are home to a maze of charming traditional homes and lively nightlife. A city of 7 hills, Lisbon is a bustling metropolis with something for everyone. Here are some of the top places to visit: The Belem Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbons most iconic landmarks. This 16th-century fortress and lighthouse is a must-see for visitors. The Alfama district, with its winding streets and tile-roofed homes, is the oldest district in Lisbon. This is the perfect place to get lost and explore the citys history. The Lisbon Zoo is a great place to enjoy a day out with the family, with over 2,000 animals from around the world. The Christ the King statue, located atop a hill in the suburb of Almada, offers impressive views of Lisbon and the river Tagus. The Lisbon Oceanarium, located in the Parque das Nacoes district, is home to more than 12,000 marine creatures and is one of the largest aquariums in Europe.

Lisbon Luxury Hotels

Lisbon Luxury Villas

Malaga, Spain

Malaga is an attractive seaside city in southern Spain with a long history. There are many places to visit in Malaga, including the Gibralfaro Castle, the Alcazaba fortress, and the Malaga Cathedral. Malaga is also home to a variety of museums, including the Picasso Museum. The city is well known for its beaches, and there are many delightful places to relax and enjoy the sun and the sea.

Malaga Luxury Hotels

Malaga Luxury Villas

Munich, Germany

When planning a vacation to Munich, Germany, be sure to include these top places to visit: The Marienplatz is a must-see square in the city center, featuring a beautiful Glockenspiel show and the Old and New Town Halls. The Englisher Garten, Europes largest city park, is a great place for a relaxing stroll or a picnic. OlympiaPark is home to the famous 1972 Olympic Stadium as well as a huge amusement park. The Frauenkirche is a stunning church in the old town with a Glockenspiel of its own. Beer lovers will want to visit the Hofbrauhaus, the worlds most famous beer hall. For a bit of history and culture, check out the LudwigMaximilians-University and the Deutsches Museum. There is so much to see and do in Munich  these are just a few highlights!.

Munich Luxury Hotels

Granada, Spain

Granada is a city in southern Spain that is known for its Moorish architecture and history. The city is home to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress that was constructed in the late 1300s. Visitors can also enjoy the citys many churches, including the Cathedral of Granada. Granada is also a convenient base for exploring the other cities and towns in Andalusia.

Granada Luxury Hotels

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest is a city full of history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Palace of Parliament, which is the world's largest civilian building. Other places to visit include the old city center, which is full of charming streets and buildings, and the Botanical Garden, which is the largest botanical garden in Romania.

Bucharest Luxury Hotels

Bologna, Italy

Bologna, Italy is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist destinations include the Piazza Maggiore, the Tower of Asinelli, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. There are also plenty of museums and churches to explore, and the city is full of charming restaurants and cafes. Bologna is an excellent destination for a vacation, and there is something for everyone to enjoy in this amazing city.

Bologna Luxury Hotels

Porto, Portugal

Porto is a port city in Portugal that is well known for its wine. It's also a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Porto, including the old city center, the Dom Luis I Bridge, and the Clerigos Tower. Porto is also home to the famous Port wine caves, which are a must-visit for wine lovers.

Porto Luxury Hotels

Cologne, Germany

Cologne, located on the Rhine River in western Germany, is a city well worth visiting. The city has a long and rich history, dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. Some of the city's most popular tourist attractions include the Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, and the RheinEnergieStadion. Additionally, Cologne is home to a wide variety of museums, shops, and restaurants. In fact, the city has been ranked as one of the best places to live in Germany. So, if you're looking for a great European city to visit, be sure to add Cologne to your list.

Cologne Luxury Hotels

Istanbul, Turkey

If you're looking for an exotic and affordable vacation destination, look no further than Istanbul, Turkey. Filled with historical places to visit and bargains to be found, Istanbul offers something for everyone. Be sure to visit the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque while you're there. Don't forget to bargain for the best prices when shopping in the bazaars, and enjoy some delicious Turkish cuisine while you're at it. Istanbul is sure to leave you with a lasting impression.

Istanbul Luxury Hotels

Istanbul Luxury Villas

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai is a fascinating and exotic city that offers visitors a mix of traditional Middle Eastern culture and modern, cosmopolitan life. There are plenty of places to visit in Dubai, from the towering skyscrapers of Downtown Dubai to the luxury shopping malls and luxurious hotels of the Palm Jumeirah. Don't miss a chance to experience an Arabian night out on an epic dhow cruise, or take a trip out into the Arabian Desert to see the stunning sand dunes.

Dubai Luxury Hotels

Dubai Luxury Resorts

Dubai Luxury Villas

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp is a city located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital of the province of Antwerp and has a population of over half a million people. Antwerp is a popular tourist destination due to its many historical buildings, museums, and art galleries. Some of the most popular places to visit in Antwerp are the Cathedral of Our Lady, the City Hall, the Rubenshuis, and the Antwerp Zoo.

Antwerp Luxury Hotels

Lyon, France

Lyon is a beautiful city in the south of France that is full of culture and places to visit. Some of the most popular places to visit in Lyon are the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, the Place Bellecour, and the Vieux Lyon. The Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere is a beautiful cathedral that is a must-see when visiting Lyon. The Place Bellecour is a large square in the heart of Lyon that is full of restaurants and cafes. The Vieux Lyon is a district in Lyon that is full of old buildings and is a great place to wander around and take in the sights.

Lyon Luxury Hotels

Athens, Greece

If you find yourself in Athens, there are definitely some spots you won't want to miss. The Acropolis, Parthenon, and Olympic Stadium are all essential stops, but there are plenty of others, too. If you're looking for a bit of history, the National Archaeological Museum is a must-see, while nature lovers will enjoy a visit to the botanical gardens. If you're looking to relax, take a walk along the beach in Glyfada or head to the Plaka district for a charming and picturesque setting. No matter what you're interested in, Athens has something for you.

Athens Luxury Hotels

Athens Luxury Villas

Helsinki, Finland

While in Helsinki, make sure to visit these popular tourist destinations: The Senate Square and Lutheran Cathedral The Sibelius Monument Ateneum Art Museum Market Square Helsinki Zoo.

Helsinki Luxury Hotels

Vilnius, Lithuania

The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is a picturesque city with a rich history. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of charming churches, narrow streets, and pretty squares. There are also lots of museums and other places of interest to visit, including the Hill of Crosses, Gediminas Tower, and the Presidential Palace. Vilnius is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars to enjoy in the evening.

Vilnius Luxury Hotels

Reykjavik, Iceland

A city of remote beauty, Reykjavik is teeming with interesting places to visit. One of the worlds most northern capitals, Reykjavik offers stunning landscapes and a wealth of cultural experiences. From the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church to the popular Golden Circle tour, theres plenty to see and do in Reykjavik. Be sure to check out the citys lively nightlife scene, too  you wont be disappointed!.

Reykjavik Luxury Hotels

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Some of the most popular places to visit in Glasgow include the Gallery of Modern Art, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. There are also many wonderful parks and gardens to explore, including the Botanic Gardens and Glasgow Green. For those interested in history and architecture, there are many fascinating old buildings to see, such as the Glasgow Cathedral and the University of Glasgow. And for those looking for a lively nightlife, Glasgow has no shortage of pubs, clubs, and restaurants.

Glasgow Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles, CA, United States

As the birthplace of Hollywood and home to some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, there's no shortage of places to visit in Los Angeles. Start by exploring the city's iconic neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills and Hollywood, then venture out to attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach and Disneyland. And don't forget to savour the city's world-famous cultural scene, with its abundance of museums, theatres and restaurants.

Los Angeles Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles Luxury Villas

San Diego, CA, United States

San Diego is a city located in California and is a major tourist destination. One of the main reasons people visit the city is for its many beaches. Coronado Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach are some of the most popular and are all within close proximity to the city center. Other attractions in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, and the USS Midway Museum. Restaurants, bars, and shopping can be found throughout the city, and world-renowned museums, like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are also located in San Diego.

San Diego Luxury Hotels

San Diego Luxury Resorts

San Diego Luxury Villas

Washington, DC, United States

Washington, D.C. is a city full of history and places to visit. Some popular places to visit are the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Smithsonian. D.C. is also home to a number of monuments and memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There are also a number of museums in D.C., like the American History Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.

Washington Luxury Hotels

Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Aside from its beautiful beaches, there are plenty of places to visit and things to do in Cancun. Some of the most popular attractions include the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, the eco-park Xcaret, and the nightclubs and bars in the resort district.

Cancun Luxury Hotels

Cancun Luxury Resorts

Cancun Luxury Villas

Virginia Beach, VA, United States

Virginia Beach is one of the top tourist destinations on the East Coast. From the Virginia Beach Boardwalk to the miles of sandy beaches, there's something for everyone to enjoy. There are also plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions to keep visitors busy. Some of the most popular places to visit in Virginia Beach include: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk: This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. First Landing State Park: This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. Cape Henry Lighthouse: This lighthouse is one of the oldest in the country and offers stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of other things to do in Virginia Beach, including dolphin and whale watching tours, kayaking, and golfing. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation or a romantic getaway, Virginia Beach is sure to please.

Virginia Beach Luxury Hotels

Virginia Beach Luxury Resorts

Beijing, China

If you're looking for an amazing cultural experience, be sure to add Beijing, China to your travel bucket list! With beautiful temples, charming hutongs (traditional alleyways), and a lively food scene, there's something for everyone in this bustling city. Plus, Beijing is home to some of the most iconic attractions in China, like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. So if you're looking for an unforgettable East Asian adventure, be sure to add Beijing to your list!.

Beijing Luxury Hotels

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is a metropolitan city that is home to over 10 million people. It is a city full of culture, history, and a vibrant nightlife. There are plenty of places to visit in Seoul, including the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and N Seoul Tower. The Jeongdongne district is a must-see for anyone interested in art and culture, and the Itaewon district is a great place to go for a night on the town.

Seoul Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States

Known for its dramatic lake and mountain scenery, South Lake Tahoe offers visitors plenty of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include floating down the river on a tube, hiking the trails in the summer and skiing or snowboarding the slopes in the winter. The city also has a variety of restaurants and nightlife options, as well as casinos for those looking to try their luck.

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Resorts

Daytona Beach, FL, United States

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is approximately 40 miles northeast of Orlando, and 85 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The city is known as "The World's Most Famous Beach." Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida. The Daytona Beach area is a popular tourist destination. It is well known for its beaches, sports events, and motorsports. Daytona Beach was the birthplace of NASCAR and home to its first track, Daytona International Speedway. Dayton Beach also features a large number of tourist-oriented businesses, such as motels, restaurants, and bars.

Daytona Beach Luxury Hotels

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The coastline of Rio de Janeiro is breathtaking, and the views from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are unforgettable. Rio's world-famous beaches are the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sun and the surf. The city's rich culture and history can be experienced in its many museums and in the lively nightlife. Rio is also a great place to shop for souvenirs.

Rio de Janeiro Luxury Hotels

Rio de Janeiro Luxury Villas

Jaco, Costa Rica

Jaco is a town on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It's about an hour drive from San Jose and is a popular spot for surfers, sunbathers, and tourists. There are a number of beaches in the area, as well as restaurants, bars, and hotels. If you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy the Costa Rican sun and beaches, Jaco is a great option.

Jaco Luxury Hotels

Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway is a city with plenty of places to visit. You can find the peace and tranquility of nature parks and green spaces, experience the city's vibrant nightlife, or take in the historical and cultural sights. Here are a few of the top places to visit in Oslo: The Royal Palace: Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Vigeland Park: Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. The Maritime Museum: This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. The National Gallery: The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. Aker Brygge: Aker Brygge is a popular waterfront district in Oslo, home to a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops. The area is a great place to people watch and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord.

Oslo Luxury Hotels

Lima, Peru

If you're looking for a city that's bursting with culture and flavor, Lima, Peru is the place for you! This vibrant destination is home to some of the most amazing places to visit in all of South America. From ancient ruins to lush rainforests, there's something for everyone in Lima. Here are just a few of the must-see attractions in this amazing city: The Larco Museum is one of Lima's top tourist destinations. This incredible museum is home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world. The Historic Center of Lima is a must-see for any history lover. This vibrant area is home to some of the oldest architecture in Lima, including the iconic San Francisco Monastery. If you're looking for a little bit of jungle in the city, head to the Parque de la Reserva. This lush park is home to beautiful gardens, a zoo, and even a butterfly farm! No trip to Lima would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu. This ancient Inca citadel is one of the most iconic sites in all of South America.

Lima Luxury Hotels

Ankara, Turkey

Ankara is the cultural and political center of Turkey. The city is home to many museums, including the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and is a popular destination for tourists. The Citadel, the Ataturk Mausoleum, and the War of Independence Museum are all popular tourist destinations in Ankara. The city is also home to a vibrant nightlife and is a popular destination for students.

Ankara Luxury Hotels

Birmingham, United Kingdom

There are plenty of great places to visit in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Some of the most popular places to go include the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the Black Country Living Museum. These places are all great for tourists, as they offer a variety of attractions, including beautiful gardens, interesting art, and a recreation of an old-fashioned town. Additionally, there are plenty of other great places to visit in Birmingham, such as the Jewellery Quarter and the German Christmas Market.

Birmingham Luxury Hotels

York, United Kingdom

With a rich history that spans back over 1,000 years, York is a must-visit destination in the United Kingdom. Explore the city's medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone streets, or enjoy a leisurely walk along the River Ouse. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, such as the York Minster cathedral, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the National Railway Museum. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy in York.

York Luxury Hotels

Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, Scotland is a must-see destination on any traveler's list. Filled with rolling green hills, historical sites, and plenty of outdoor activities, there's something for everyone in this charming town. Start by exploring the city center, which is home to a variety of shops and restaurants. Make sure to check out the Inverness Castle, which offers commanding views of the area, and the Inverness Cathedral, a beautiful example of medieval architecture. Outside of the city center, there are plenty of other attractions to explore. The Loch Ness Monster is said to make its home in the loch here, and visitors can take boat tours to hunt for the mythical creature. If you're looking for a more active adventure, take a hike in the hills or go fishing on the loch. No matter what you choose to do, Inverness is a beautiful and welcoming town that is sure to charm you.

Inverness Luxury Hotels

Marseille, France

The Vieux Port (Old Harbor) is the oldest port in France. It is a beautiful place to visit with its sailboats, restaurants, and cafes. The Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica is also worth a visit. It offers stunning views of the city. If you're looking for a more lively atmosphere, head to the La Canebiere. It's a wide avenue with plenty of shops and restaurants.

Marseille Luxury Hotels

Marseille Luxury Villas

Honolulu, HI, United States

Honolulu is a city located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. It is the most populous city in the state of Hawaii and the county seat of the City and County of Honolulu. Honolulu is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world and is located in Honolulu. Other places to visit in Honolulu include Diamond Head, the USS Arizona Memorial, and Hanauma Bay.

Honolulu Luxury Hotels

Honolulu Luxury Resorts

Honolulu Luxury Villas

Bar Harbor, ME, United States

Famous for lobster and stunning ocean views, Bar Harbor is a popular destination in Maine. There are plenty of things to do in the town and its surroundings, including hiking, biking, whale watching, and exploring Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor Luxury Hotels

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

There are many places to visit in Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is a popular park with beautiful rock formations. Pike's Peak is a 14,115 foot mountain that offers great views and outdoor activities. The Broadmoor is a world-renowned resort with lovely gardens and a championship golf course. Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge and a popular tourist spot.

Colorado Springs Luxury Hotels

Fort Myers Beach, FL, United States

Just an hours drive from the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist spot, especially in the winter when the snowbirds migrate down. The seven-mile-long beach is known for its white sand and clear water and is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, and kayaking. There are also a number of restaurants and bars in the area, as well as a few stores.

Fort Myers Beach Luxury Hotels

Biloxi, MS, United States

There are plenty of places to explore in Biloxi, Mississippi  from the citys iconic Beaches to the picturesque Bay Saint Louis. Venture into the citys downtown area to check out the many shops and restaurants, or take a walk along the shoreline. No matter what you choose to do, youre sure to have a great time in Biloxi.

Biloxi Luxury Hotels

Palermo, Italy

If you're looking for a city with a rich and diverse history, Palermo is the place for you. This coastal city in Italy is teeming with medieval architecture, churches, and cathedrals. Be sure to check out the Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Europe, and the Palazzo dei Normanni, the seat of the Sicilian government. Don't miss out on the city's vibrant nightlife and vast array of restaurants that serve up some of the best food in the country.

Palermo Luxury Hotels

Palermo Luxury Villas

Manila, Philippines

The capital of the Philippines, Manila is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant culture. There are plenty of places to visit in Manila, including the walled city of Intramuros, the Rizal Park, and the Manila Bay. The city is also home to a large number of churches, including the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church. Manila is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy.

Manila Luxury Hotels

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is an alpine village in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is famous for its ski resort, mountaineering and hiking trails. The views of the Matterhorn from Zermatt are iconic. The village is car-free, making it a cyclists' and pedestrians' paradise. There are many places to visit in Zermatt, including the village's beautiful churches, impressive museums, and great restaurants.

Zermatt Luxury Hotels

Basel, Switzerland

Basel is a city located in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel has a population of about 176,000 and is the third most populous city in Switzerland. Basel has many interesting places to visit, including the Basel Munster, the Basel Rathaus (town hall), the Basel Zoo, and the Munsterhof, the old town square. Basel also has a number of art museums, including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Schaulager. Basel is a great city to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

Basel Luxury Hotels

Copenhagen, Denmark

There are a number of places to visit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn, and the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is a beautiful amusement park that has something for everyone. It is perfect for a day of fun with family or friends. Nyhavn is a charming canal district that is popular for its brightly colored houses and lively atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing cruise down the canal or take a seat in one of the many cafes and restaurants. The Rosenborg Castle Gardens are home to a majestic castle as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. There is plenty to see and do in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen Luxury Hotels

Steamboat Springs, CO, United States

Steamboat Springs is located in northwestern Colorado. The town is named for the steamboats that traveled up the Yampa River in the 1800s. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination, known for its skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and rafting.

Steamboat Springs Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is home to many tourist attractions. Some popular places to visit in Abu Dhabi include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Ferrari World Theme Park, and the Yas Island Waterpark. There are also a number of museums and shopping malls in Abu Dhabi, making it a great destination for those looking for a mix of culture and leisure.

Abu Dhabi Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi Luxury Resorts

Abu Dhabi Luxury Villas

Bogota, Colombia

There's a lot to see and do in Bogota. Some of the top places to visit include the historical La Candelaria district, the cobblestone streets of Plaza de Bolivar, the Monserrate mountain, the Bogota Botanical Garden, and the Gold Museum. La Candelaria is home to many brightly-colored colonial buildings, churches, and plazas. Plaza de Bolivar is the center of Bogota and is surrounded by important landmarks like the Presidential Palace and the National Capitol. The Monserrate mountain is a popular tourist destination due to its stunning views of Bogota. The Bogota Botanical Garden is the largest in Colombia and features a wide variety of plants and trees. The Gold Museum is home to the largest collection of Pre-Columbian gold artifacts in the world.

Bogota Luxury Hotels

Cebu, Philippines

Due to its location and its rich history, there are plenty of places to visit in Cebu. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include the Cebu Taoist Temple, the Fort San Pedro, the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, and the Magellan's Cross.

Cebu Luxury Hotels

Cebu Luxury Resorts

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is a small town in Portugal with a population of around 22,000. It's located in the Algarve region and is a popular tourist destination. Some of the places to visit in Lagos are the beaches, the old town, and the Marina. The beaches are beautiful and there are a lot of them to choose from. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways with lots of shops and restaurants. The Marina is a great place to walk around and watch the boats.

Lagos Luxury Hotels

Medellin, Colombia

Some places to visit in Medellin, Colombia are: the Botanical Garden, the Ethnographic Museum, the Jardin Botanico, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Park of Lights, and the San Pedro Claver Church.

Medellin Luxury Hotels

Genoa, Italy

While there are many places to visit in Genoa, one of the must-sees is the city's cathedral. Dedicated to San Lorenzo, the church features an intricate Gothic facade and a Renaissance interior. If you're looking for a place to take in some stunning views, head to the Genoa Aquarium, which is located on the promenade stretching along the city's harbor.

Genoa Luxury Hotels

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam. Its a bridge town thats best explored on foot. The narrow streets are a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architecture. There are tailors, artisans, and lantern shops galore. The food is also some of the best in Vietnam. Be sure to try the local specialties, like Cao Lau and White Rose dumplings.

Hoi An Luxury Hotels

Hoi An Luxury Resorts

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan is a city with a lot of culture and history. There are a lot of places to visit, like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. There are also a lot of great restaurants, like the Flame Club, which has a great atmosphere and delicious food.

Baku Luxury Hotels

San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

San Luis Obispo is a city located in the central coast of California. It's known for its natural beauty, relaxed vibe, and abundance of things to do. Some of the top places to visit in San Luis Obispo include the Madonna Inn, Hearst Castle, and the Paso Robles wine country. The city is also home to a variety of beaches, parks, and other attractions. In addition, San Luis Obispo is a great place to live, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and other amenities.

San Luis Obispo Luxury Hotels

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The city is located on the west coast of the island and is the administrative, commercial, and industrial center of Sri Lanka. Colombo is also the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, with numerous Buddhist temples. There are a number of places to visit in Colombo, including the Galle Face Green, the Dutch fort, the Pettah Bazaar, and the Sri Lankan National Museum.

Colombo Luxury Hotels

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia is home to some of the most stunning temples and historical landmarks in the country. The city is also a great place to enjoy traditional Javanese culture and cuisine. Some of the must-see places in Yogyakarta include the Borobudur Temple, the Prambanan Temple, and the Sultan's Palace.

Yogyakarta Luxury Hotels

Cefalu, Italy

Looking for a beautiful and historic place to visit in Italy? Look no further than Cefalu. This town is teeming with history and stunning architecture, and its location on the coast makes it the perfect place to relax and take in the stunning scenery. Don't miss the Duomo di Cefalu, a 12th century Norman church that is definitely worth a visit, or the Palazzo dei Normanni, a former royal palace.

Cefalu Luxury Hotels

San Jose, CA, United States

San Jose, California, is home to a variety of tourist destinations. Some popular places to visit include the Winchester Mystery House, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There are also a number of lovely parks, such as Kelley Park and Plaza de Cesar Chavez, that are well worth a visit. San Jose is also home to a number of great restaurants, so be sure to check out the local cuisine. Whatever your interests, San Jose has something to offer visitors.

San Jose Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in China. There are many places to visit in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Victoria Peak, and the Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is also a great place to shop, with many high-end malls and markets.

Hong Kong Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong Luxury Resorts

Orlando, FL, United States

Orlando is a city in the central region of Florida, in the United States. The city is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the metropolitan area also known as Greater Orlando. Orlando is well known for its theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. Other tourist destinations in Orlando include the Holy Land Experience, the Orlando Science Center, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, one of the largest universities in the United States.

Orlando Luxury Hotels

Orlando Luxury Resorts

Orlando Luxury Villas

Philadelphia, PA, United States

If youre looking for a place thats rich in history and culture, Philadelphia is the place for you. The city is home to numerous iconic landmarks, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Theres also a great variety of museums and other attractions to explore, such as the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum. And, of course, Philly is the birthplace of Americas favorite sandwich, the cheesesteak. So why not visit Americas most historic city and see for yourself what all the fuss is about?.

Philadelphia Luxury Hotels

Nice, France

France is known for its many beautiful places to visit, and Nice is no exception. With its stunning coastline and mild climate, Nice is a popular tourist destination. Some of the most popular places to visit in Nice include the Promenade des Anglais, the Castle Hill, and the Old Town. There is also a wide variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy in Nice. If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing place to visit in France, Nice is definitely worth considering.

Nice Luxury Hotels

Nice Luxury Villas

Singapore, Singapore

Singapore is a popular tourist destination, brimming with cultural and natural attractions. From award-winning restaurants to serene gardens and pristine beaches, there is much to explore in this diverse city-state. Here are some of the top places to visit in Singapore: 1. Marina Bay: This iconic waterfront district is home to stunning architecture, world-class landmarks, and a vibrant nightlife. 2. Gardens by the Bay: These stunning gardens feature a mix of plants from around the world, as well as towering sculptures and a biodome. 3. Chinatown: This lively district is home to traditional Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as vibrant street markets. 4. Little India: This neighborhood is known for its vibrant culture and colorful temples. 5. Sentosa Island: This resort island is home to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, and a variety of entertainment options.

Singapore Luxury Hotels

Singapore Luxury Resorts

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is one of the United Kingdom's major cities, with a population of over 321,000. The city is home to two universities, Queen's Medical Centre, and seven football grounds. Nottingham is known for its lace-making and bicycle manufacturing. The city has a rich history, dating back to the Bronze Age. There are plenty of places to visit in Nottingham, including the Nottingham Castle, the Sherwood Forest, and the National Ice Centre. The city also has a lively nightlife, with a variety of pubs and bars.

Nottingham Luxury Hotels

Cannes, France

Cannes is a city located in the south of France. Some of the places to visit in Cannes are the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the Boulevard de la Croisette, and Le Suquet.

Cannes Luxury Hotels

Cannes Luxury Villas

Park City, UT, United States

Park City, Utah, offers visitors a wealth of places to visit and things to do. Main Street, with its charming shops and restaurants, is a must-see. The Park City Museum tells the town's fascinating history, and the Park City Utah Temple is a beautiful sight. For outdoor enthusiasts, there's plenty of skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer. And don't forget to visit the Olympic Park, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.

Park City Luxury Hotels

Park City Luxury Resorts

Port Angeles, WA, United States

If you're looking for a quaint, small town to visit in the US, Port Angeles is worth a stop. Located in the state of Washington, it's right on the Pacific coast with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains. There's plenty of things to do in the area, from hiking and fishing to whale watching and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries.

Port Angeles Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

If you're looking for a fun-filled Florida getaway, look no further than Fort Lauderdale! With its miles of pristine beaches, world-famous shopping and vibrant nightlife, there's something for everyone in this seaside city. Here are some of the top places to visit in Fort Lauderdale:  Las Olas Boulevard: This popular shopping and dining district is home to some of Fort Lauderdale's most upscale boutiques and restaurants.  The Beach: With its wide, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, Fort Lauderdale's beach is a major draw for visitors.  The Everglades: Just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades are home to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, bald eagles and manatees.  The Broward Center for the Performing Arts: This world-class performing arts center is home to a variety of theater, dance and music performances. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Fort Lauderdale today!.

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Resorts

Myrtle Beach, SC, United States

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to visit in the area, including amusement parks, beaches, and golf courses. Myrtle Beach also has a lively nightlife, with plenty of bars and restaurants.

Myrtle Beach Luxury Hotels

Myrtle Beach Luxury Resorts

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is one of the most visited places in Austria. It is a city rich in history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Mirabell Palace, and the Salzburg Cathedral. There are also many hiking trails and parks to enjoy.

Salzburg Luxury Hotels

Pattaya, Thailand

Pattaya is an amazing city with plenty of places to visit and things to do. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, Pattaya offers something for everyone. There are lovely beaches, interesting temples, great shopping, and exciting nightlife. With its moderate climate and affordable prices, it's no wonder Pattaya is a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world.

Pattaya Luxury Hotels

Pattaya Luxury Resorts

Pattaya Luxury Villas

Dallas, TX, United States

Dallas is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the ninth most populous city in the United States and the third most populous city in the state of Texas. Dallas is also the main city of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. The city's prominence arose from its historical importance as a center for the oil and cotton industries, and its position as a major transportation hub for the South. Dallas is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, and transportation. The city is home to the world's largest airline hub and the third largest cargo airport in the United States.

Dallas Luxury Hotels

Kolkata, India

Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It is the second most populous city in India, after Mumbai, and the third most populous metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi. The city is notable for its colonial architecture, art and culture, and for its overwhelming poverty. Kolkata is home to the Indian Museum, the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the National Library of India, and the Indian Statistical Institute.

Kolkata Luxury Hotels

San Antonio, TX, United States

San Antonio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas. There are plenty of places to visit in this city, from the well-known River Walk to the exquisite Spanish missions. If you're looking for a fun place to spend the day, you can't go wrong with San Antonio.

San Antonio Luxury Hotels

Seattle, WA, United States

There are many wonderful places to visit in Seattle, Washington. Some of the most popular attractions include Pike Place Market, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Museum of Pop Culture. There are also many parks and gardens, such as Volunteer Park and Seattle Chinese Garden, as well as plenty of restaurants and shops. Located on the other side of the world, Western Australia is a great place to visit for those looking for something different. Some of the most popular attractions include Rottnest Island, the Margaret River region, and Monkey Mia. There are also plenty of beautiful parks and gardens, such as Kings Park and Botanic Garden, as well as restaurants and shops.

Seattle Luxury Hotels

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool is a city located in North West England and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom. The city is known for its football teams Liverpool and Everton, The Beatles, and its maritime history. Liverpool is a popular tourist destination and is home to various tourist attractions including Mersey Ferry, Liverpool Cathedral, and Albert Dock.

Liverpool Luxury Hotels

Malmo, Sweden

Malmo is Sweden's third largest city with a population of over 310,000. It is located in the province of Scania on the country's southern tip. Malmo is a vibrant city with a strong arts and cultural scene. There are plenty of places to visit in Malmo, including the Malmo Castle, the Botanical Gardens, and the Turning Torso skyscraper. Malmo is also home to a large shopping district and a lively nightlife.

Malmo Luxury Hotels

Gothenburg, Sweden

Goteborg, Sweden's second largest city, is a major port on the country's west coast. It's a popular tourist destination, known for its lively nightlife, beautiful architecture and delicious seafood. Some of the city's highlights include the Liseberg amusement park, the Botanical Garden, and the charming old town district. Goteborg is also home to a large number of museums, including the Volvo Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Universeum science center.

Gothenburg Luxury Hotels

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and is a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Ljubljana, such as the castle, the old town, and the cathedral. The city is also home to many museums, art galleries, and parks. Ljubljana is a great city to explore on foot, and there are many restaurants and cafes to enjoy.

Ljubljana Luxury Hotels

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australia is a vast country with plenty of stunning places to visit, but Sydney is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist destinations on the continent. From the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the beautiful beaches and lush national parks, there's something for everyone in this lively city. There's also a thriving food and nightlife scene, so you'll never run out of things to do in Sydney.

Sydney Luxury Hotels

Sydney Luxury Villas

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

There's a lot to love about Melbourne  its lively arts and culture scene, its parks and gardens, its diverse range of restaurants and cafes, and its stunning architecture. Here are some of the best places to visit in Melbourne: - Federation Square: This iconic square is a great place to people-watch and take in the city's impressive architecture. It's also home to a number of museums and galleries, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the National Gallery of Victoria. - Queen Victoria Market: This vibrant market is a must-visit for foodies and shoppers alike. It's the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and offers a vast array of fresh produce, meat, seafood, and souvenirs. - Melbourne Cricket Ground: If you're a sports fan, be sure to check out the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It's also home to the Australian Football League, and has hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby Union World Cup. - Royal Botanic Gardens: These beautiful gardens are a great place to relax and take in some of Melbourne's natural beauty. They're home to a number of different gardens, including the Australian Garden, the Sculpture Garden, and the Japanese Garden.

Melbourne Luxury Hotels

Melbourne Luxury Villas

Vancouver, BC, Canada

The top places to visit in Vancouver are Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, and Chinatown. These are all must-see attractions that offer an array of activities, scenery, and history. Stanley Park is a world-famous urban park that features greenery, beaches, gardens, and a stunning view of the North Shore Mountains. Granville Island is a vibrant neighbourhood with unique shops, restaurants, and art galleries. Gastown is the city's oldest neighbourhood and is home to charming cobblestone streets and funky boutiques. Chinatown is one of the largest and most vibrant Chinatowns in North America and offers delicious food, interesting history, and vibrant culture.

Vancouver Luxury Hotels

Toronto, ON, Canada

From the CN Tower and Hockey Hall of Fame to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Distillery District, there are plenty of amazing places to visit in Toronto, Canada. With something for everyone, Toronto is a great city to explore. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!.

Toronto Luxury Hotels

Montreal, QC, Canada

Montreal is a vibrant city with something for everyone. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Notre Dame Basilica, the Olympic Stadium, and Mount Royal. The city is also home to a lively arts and culture scene, with theatres, art galleries, and music venues. Montreal is a great place to visit year-round, with festivals and events happening throughout the year.

Montreal Luxury Hotels

Seville, Spain

Seville is one of the most visited places in Spain for a plethora of reasons: its stunning architecture, tapas bars, flamenco and great weather. The Giralda Tower is a must-see when in Seville as is the Plaza de Espana. Andalusian culture is heavily present in the city and is best experienced by wandering the narrow streets and alleyways, popping into a lively tapas bar for a drink and some snacks or enjoying a flamenco show.

Seville Luxury Hotels

Seville Luxury Villas

Ocean City, MD, United States

Ocean City is a seaside resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, on the Atlantic coast. It is well known for its long promenade, its fishing, and its crab cuisine. There are plenty of places to visit in Ocean City, including the boardwalk, amusement rides, shopping, and restaurants. You can also visit the Assateague Island National Seashore, which is home to wild horses, or head to the nearby town of Berlin for more shopping and dining options.

Ocean City Luxury Hotels

Cambridge, MA, United States

If you're looking for a quintessential New England town to visit, Cambridge, Massachusetts is the place for you. With its elaborate architecture and Colonial history, Cambridge is a lively town with plenty of things to see and do - perfect for a weekend getaway. Some of the places you won't want to miss include the Harvard University campus, the charming and lively shops and restaurants in Harvard Square, and the leafy paths of the Cambridge Common.

Cambridge Luxury Hotels

Laguna Beach, CA, United States

Laguna Beach, California is a place known for its stunningly beautiful coastline, excellent restaurants, and art galleries. But there's more to Laguna Beach than meets the eye. Here are some of the best places to visit in Laguna Beach: Crystal Cove State Park: This state park is known for its coves, tidepools, and bluffs. It's a great place to go hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. Heisler Park: This park is a great place for a walk or a picnic. It's also home to some of the best views of the Pacific Coast. Downtown Laguna Beach: This charming downtown area is home to art galleries, boutique shops, and excellent restaurants. Aliso Beach: This beach is known for its excellent surfing and swimming conditions. It's also a great place to take a walk or enjoy a picnic.

Laguna Beach Luxury Hotels

Hot Springs, AR, United States

In downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, you'll find historic buildings, antique shops, and art galleries. For nature lovers, there are also plenty of places to visit, including the Garland County Arboretum, Ouachita National Forest, and Hot Springs National Park. Spa enthusiasts can enjoy a relaxing day in one of the area's hot springs. And no trip to Hot Springs is complete without a visit to the world-famous Bathhouse Row.

Hot Springs Luxury Hotels

Sedona, AZ, United States

There are many places to visit in Sedona, Arizona. Among the most popular are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon. The town's unique red-rock formations and ancient ruins offer plenty of photo opportunities. Visitors can also enjoy hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Sedona is a great place to relax and take in the natural beauty of the Southwest.

Sedona Luxury Hotels

Sedona Luxury Resorts

Boulder, CO, United States

Boulder, Colorado is a breathtaking city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The city is home to stunning views, ample outdoor recreation, and a lively arts scene. Outdoor enthusiasts will love exploring the city's many trails, parks, and open spaces. History buffs will enjoy checking out the city's museums and historic sites. Culture seekers will appreciate the city's many theaters, art galleries, and restaurants. No matter what your interests, you'll find something to love in Boulder.

Boulder Luxury Hotels

Key West, FL, United States

Key West is a small island off the coast of Florida that is filled with history, charm, and fun places to visit. Its lush tropical setting and the laid-back vibe of the island make it a popular destination for those looking for a relaxing getaway. There are plenty of places to explore in Key West, from the charming historic district to the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys. Here are some of the top places to visit in Key West: -The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: This iconic museum is dedicated to the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West for over 20 years. -Duval Street: This lively street is the heart of Key West's nightlife and is home to many bars and restaurants. -The Southernmost Point: This landmark is located at the end of Duval Street and is the southernmost point in the continental United States. -The Key West Lighthouse: This picturesque lighthouse is a popular spot for tourists and offers stunning views of the island. -The African American Heritage House: This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans in Key West. -The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory: This attraction is home to over 2,000 butterflies and a variety of other tropical plants and animals.

Key West Luxury Hotels

Key West Luxury Resorts

Key West Luxury Cottages

Key West Luxury Villas

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden is a city with many places to visit. One place is the Vasa Museum, which is home to a ship that sunk in 1628 and was raised from the ocean floor 333 years later. The ship is preserved and on display in the museum. Another place to visit is the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The palace is open for tours, and visitors can see the royal apartments, the throne room, and the Hall of State.

Stockholm Luxury Hotels

Destin, FL, United States

Looking for a place to visit in Florida? Look no further than Destin! This city is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants, and plenty of places to shop. No matter what you're looking for, you can find it in Destin. Be sure to check out the Destin Harbor and the fishing pier for amazing views and plenty of things to do. If you're looking for a place to relax, head to the beach and enjoy the sun and sand. There's something for everyone in Destin, so be sure to visit this amazing city!.

Destin Luxury Hotels

Destin Luxury Resorts

Ashland, OR, United States

There are many places to visit in Ashland, Oregon. Some of the most popular places are the Shakespeare Festival, Lithia Park, and Mt. Ashland. The Shakespeare Festival is a great place to see some of the best plays in the world. Lithia Park is a beautiful park with a river running through it. Mt. Ashland is a great place to go skiing in the winter.

Ashland Luxury Hotels

Seaside, OR, United States

One of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast is Seaside. With its wide, sandy beach and majestic promenade, Seaside is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to eat and shop, and the Seaside Aquarium is a must-see. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, whale watching, or just taking a leisurely stroll along the beach.

Seaside Luxury Hotels

Newport, RI, United States

Newport is a picturesque town located in southern Rhode Island that is home to some of the most visited tourist destinations in the United States. The city is known for its miles of beaches and historic mansions that line the coast. Some popular places to visit in Newport include the Cliff Walk, the Breakers Mansion, the Museum of Yachting, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Newport Luxury Hotels

Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy is a popular tourist destination, thanks to its well-preserved medieval city center. The city is famous for its art, food, and wine. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, making it the perfect base for exploring this beautiful region of Italy. Don't miss the Duomo (cathedral), the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia.

Siena Luxury Hotels

Reno, NV, United States

Home to the University of Nevada, Reno and a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions, Reno is a great place to visit. Some of the top places to see in Reno include the Nevada Museum of Art, the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, and the Reno Events Center. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking and skiing at Lake Tahoe and biking and kayaking on the Truckee River. In addition, Reno is home to a diverse array of restaurants and nightlife venues.

Reno Luxury Hotels

Atlantic City, NJ, United States

Atlantic City is a popular East Coast tourist destination, known for its boardwalks, beaches and casinos. There are plenty of places to visit in Atlantic City, from the Boardwalk Hall and the Absecon Lighthouse to the Atlantic City Aquarium and Lucy the Elephant. For a more thrilling experience, head to one of the city's casinos, where you can try your hand at blackjack, slots, roulette and more. Atlantic City also offers a wide variety of restaurants, from seafood spots to pizza places, so you're sure to find something to your taste. And if you're looking for some nightlife action, the city has you covered there too. Atlantic City is definitely a place worth visiting!.

Atlantic City Luxury Hotels

Atlantic City Luxury Resorts

Lake George, NY, United States

Looking for a place to visit in upstate New York? Look no further than the stunning Lake George. This picturesque locale is located in the heart of the Adirondacks and is known for its pristine beauty and terrific recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, and skiing, among other activities. Don't miss the chance to take in the spectacular views from the summit of Prospect Mountain or from the water's edge.

Lake George Luxury Hotels

Buffalo, NY, United States

If you're looking for a city that has it all, Buffalo is the place to be. From its vibrant downtown district to its abundance of parks and nature preserves, there's something for everyone in Buffalo. Here are some of the top places to visit in Buffalo: 1. The Buffalo Zoo - One of the top zoos in the country, the Buffalo Zoo is a must-visit for animal lovers of all ages. 2. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery - Buffalo's answer to the Louvre, the Albright-Knox is home to some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. 3. The Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village - This living history museum offers a glimpse into what life was like in Buffalo in the 1800s. 4. The Buffalo River - Take a walk or bike ride along the Buffalo River, one of the city's most picturesque areas. 5. Delaware Park - This large park is home to a variety of attractions, including a zoo, a golf course, and a nature preserve.

Buffalo Luxury Hotels

Rochester, MN, United States

Rochester, Minnesota is a city with plenty of places to visit. There's the Mayo Clinic, the Apache Mall, and several other shopping areas, as well as a variety of restaurants. There are also a few parks and golf courses. For those who love the outdoors, Rochester is also close to several state parks and the Mississippi River.

Rochester Luxury Hotels

Duluth, MN, United States

If you're looking for an amazing place to visit, Duluth, Minnesota should definitely be at the top of your list. This city is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States, and there are plenty of things to do here that will keep you entertained for days on end. Some of the most popular places to visit in Duluth include the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Glensheen Mansion, and Chester Creek Park. Additionally, there are a number of excellent restaurants and shopping areas in the city, so be sure to explore everything that Duluth has to offer.

Duluth Luxury Hotels

Maputo, Mozambique

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Maputo, such as the Jose Eduardo dos Santos Museum, the Maputo Cathedral, and the Rua da Independencia. Maputo is also home to the Maputo Bay, which offers beautiful beaches and great seafood.

Maputo Luxury Hotels

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, located on the northeast coast of Spain, is a renowned tourist destination and one of the most popular cities in the world. There are plenty of places to visit in Barcelona, such as the Gothic Quarter, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and more. The city is also home to a lively nightlife and some of the best restaurants in the country.

Barcelona Luxury Hotels

Barcelona Luxury Villas

Split, Croatia

Split is a city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is the second-largest city in Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatia. It has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, which includes the City of Split and the surrounding towns, has a population of over 330,000. Split is a popular tourist destination and is the home of the Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other popular tourist destinations include the Riva, the Peristyle, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, and Sustipan.

Split Luxury Hotels

Split Luxury Villas

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the administrative center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Dubrovnik is nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic".

Dubrovnik Luxury Hotels

Dubrovnik Luxury Villas

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

Byron Bay is a magical place. It's no wonder that it's one of the most popular destinations in Australia. The town is set in a beautiful location, surrounded by rolling green hills and the bright blue ocean. There's plenty to do in Byron Bay, whether you're looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an adventure-filled trip. Some of the top places to visit in Byron Bay include the iconic lighthouse, the stunning beaches, and the lush rainforest. There's also a great nightlife and plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy. If you're looking for an amazing Australian getaway, be sure to add Byron Bay to your list!.

Byron Bay Luxury Hotels

Wellington, New Zealand

If you're looking for a little slice of heaven on earth, look no further than Wellington, New Zealand. With its gorgeous landscape and plethora of activities, there's something for everyone here. Whether you're a nature lover or a city slicker, Wellington has something special to offer. Top Wellington attractions include the Zealandia eco-sanctuary, the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, and the sprawling Te Papa museum. For those who love getting out into the great outdoors, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails, as well as lovely seaside towns and villages to explore. And of course, no trip to Wellington would be complete without trying some of the delicious local cuisine  be sure to sample a traditional Maori hangi feast! So what are you waiting for? Book your flight to Wellington today and start planning your perfect holiday!.

Wellington Luxury Hotels

Saint Louis, MO, United States

If you're looking for a fun place to visit with a rich history and plenty of things to see and do, look no further than Saint Louis, Missouri. This vibrant city is home to a variety of interesting attractions, including the Gateway Arch, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. There's also no shortage of restaurants and shopping options in Saint Louis. So, whether you're looking for a place to explore new cultures and cuisines or you're just looking for a place to have some fun, Saint Louis is a great option.

Saint Louis Luxury Hotels

Bloomington, IN, United States

The city of Bloomington, Indiana is home to a variety of attractions and places to visit. The Indiana University campus is a popular destination, as is the city's historic downtown district. Monroe County Courthouse
Herbert Lorenze Renegar, 87, of Red Bank, died on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

He was born in Miami, Fl., on October 23, 1928. Mr. Renegar graduated from Kirkman Vocational School and worked as a draftsman before joining the Navy in 1951. He spent three years at Pensacola Naval Air Station as a Tradevman, teaching instrument flight as well as being the Unit draftsman. After his Navy tour, he spent over 20 plus years in the Missile Industry at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. When he returned to Chattanooga, he worked for Astec and later retired from McKee Baking Company.

In his youth, he played the tenor drums in the Miami Drum and Bugle Corps for eight years and later played in the Recruit Drum and Bugle Corps in San Diego, CA. Bud enjoyed out of door activities, especially with his family and friends. He had a terrific sense of humor and will be greatly missed by those left behind. He was of the Presbyterian faith.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Royals Getchell Renegar; father, Frederick Herbert L. Royals; sister, Jo Ellen Wells and her husband, LeBron; grandfather, Eldie Renegar; grandmother, Neppie Lacey; step-grandfather, Herbert Lacey; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Reecie A. Renegar; son, Steve A. Renegar and his wife, Rhonda; granddaughter, Jessica Lynn Renegar; uncle, Robert T. Lacey and his wife, Dottie and family; niece, Wanda Markham and her husband, Steve and family; and nephew, Gary Lee Ashley and his wife, Cindy and family.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Alzheimers Research or MaryEllen Locker Breast Cancer Center.

Bud and his family want to thank Dr. Donald Zeigler and Dr. Sonya Bible with Physicians Home Healthcare; Buds private caregiver, Jennifer Dalton; Guardian Home Health including Renita Ricketts, Theresa Scearcy, Elaine Reese, Norbert Waegela and Farrah Still; and Avalon Hospice including Cindy Lewis, The Q, Karlie Styles, Brandi Smartt, Krista Pickett, Debbie Beachboard, Laura Teague, Trisha Demonsthenes, Chaplin Don Sapp. God bless everyone who helped Bud and Reecie.

Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 16, in Chattanooga National Cemetery with Chaplin Don Sapp officiating.

Visitation is from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, at Lane Funeral Home on Ashland Terrace, 877-3524.

Visit www.lanefh.com to share condolences.
Google has released a new keyboard app, just for the iPhone, called Gboard.

The company was first rumored to be working on a keyboard for iOS a couple of months ago, with a report from the Verge saying that it would include a variety of built-in search functions.

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The app released this week delivered on those promises, with quite a few features that aren't around on the standard iPhone keyboard. The new app lets you search straight from the keyboard, using normal Google search, image search or a search just for GIF animations. (Prepare to see a lot more of those in your text messages.)

The Web search results can be particularly useful if you're trying to send a link to someone. Just tap on an individual result, and it will paste its URL into your text bar. There's also an emoji search bar, so you no longer have to go a-swiping if you want to send someone a very specific emoji that you haven't used recently.

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Gboard also lets you swipe between letters to type, which can really speed up word processing on your phone. Rather than having to peck out each letter, you can just slide from key to key. Gboard won't, however, tap into any existing keyboard shortcuts you may have, so that may slow you down if you've set up your own shorthand for the iPhone keyboard. Gboard will suggest words, but you can't set up your own shortcuts.

Gboard's privacy policy says that Google will not send anything you type  apart from searches, that is  back to Google. The keyboard can adapt to your typing by, for example, learning the particular way you spell your name or the goofy spelling of your favorite restaurant.

But those special additions to your personal dictionary stay on your own device, the company said. And the company's policy proclaims that "data can't be accessed by Google or by any apps other than Gboard."

Gboard will save your search history as well, but you can clear that from the privacy settings on the app.

The app has its own setup process, which is pretty easy to follow. Just in case you don't get it to work, however, you can add a new keyboard to your iPhone by installing the app and then heading to Settings >Keyboard. From there, choose "Keyboards" and select "Add New Keyboard." You should see a list of any third-party (non-Apple) keyboards on your phone listed. Select the keyboard you want, grant it access and you should be good to go.

The app is free to download from the App Store now.
SANAA, Yemen  A suicide bomber on Sunday detonated his explosives among police officers standing in line outside a police base in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla, killing 25, security and health officials said. At least 17 more people were injured in the attack, and the officials said the death toll was likely to rise further.



The Yemeni affiliate of the extremist Islamist State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media networks by sympathizers with the group.



Sunday's victims were officers returning to work for the first time since last month's recapture of Mukalla by forces of the internationally recognized government. The port city had been held for more than a year by Yemen's local al-Qaida affiliate.



The victims also included young men applying for jobs with the city's local police, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.



Sunday's blast came a week after the IS in Yemen claimed responsibility for an explosion that struck a navy base in Mukalla, killing at least six soldiers.



The IS affiliate in Yemen emerged during the country's ongoing civil war and has been striving to expand its footprint amid the turmoil gripping the impoverished country in the southern corner of the Arabian peninsula. Yemen has been embroiled in a conflict pitting the country's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies against President Abed Rabbo Mansour's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.



Throughout its year-long rule of Mukalla, al-Qaida forged an alliance with local forces fighting the Houthis in cities like Taiz and Aden. Those local fighters are backed by the Saudi-led coalition, a reflection of the complexities of Yemen's conflict.



Meanwhile, Yemen's warring parties have been holding U.N.-brokered negotiations in Kuwait to resolve the conflict. A truce, which began April 10, has mostly held despite multiple breaches by both sides.



Associated Press
Author Ransom Riggs reads from his book "Tales of the Peculiar" at BookCon at McCormick Place on May 14, 2016. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune)

Before the first event at BookCon kicked off Saturday, entertainer Rubin Ervin had complete control of the room.

"High-five your neighbor  give them a massage, make it weird," Ervin said to the accumulation of teenagers packed into one of McCormick Place's ballrooms to see a panel discussion featuring young adult authors Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver, Sabaa Tahir and Melissa de la Cruz.

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After another round of physical activity  clapping, fist pumps, stand-ups and sit-downs  the crowd was amply warmed up.

"Have as much fun as humanly possible, but please do not make it to YouTube today," Ervin joked.

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And so began BookCon, a fan convention for book lovers that combines storytelling and pop culture in a daylong event. Organized by ReedPOP, which also organizes New York Comic Con and C2E2, among other conventions, BookCon is the consumer side of BookExpo America, the book industry's long-running trade expo that last week capped off a three-day stint in Chicago.

BookExpo is usually an East Coast event; this was its first time here since 2004. Saturday marked the first time BookCon was held in Chicago in its three-year history.

"There are so many publishers based in New York, so it's cool to introduce them to this entirely new audience," said Brien McDonald, show manager for BookCon. "(BookExpo) serves a very distinct market of connecting publishers and trade insiders, and we just thought, going back three years now, that we have this amazing platform with all of the major publishers are here, incredible authors, why are we not flipping the switch to bring this out to consumers."

The consumers ReedPOP targeted had a distinct slant toward children's and young-adult audiences, something McDonald said was intended.

"We go where our fans take us, and our demographic just devours Y.A.," McDonald said. "Y.A. is sizzling; it's a crazy growth area in publishing. What's really funny is, with all of this move to digital, they're buying books. Millennials buy paper books. Everything is iPhone and mobile-based now, yet book sales are going up in that market."

Attendees at BookCon  projected to number around 7,000, according to McDonald  were treated to a marketplace featuring publishers big and small, and a host of panel discussions featuring big-name authors such as Kate DiCamillo, Dav Pilkey and Ransom Riggs, with a slight smattering of comedian-authors (Tig Notaro), YouTube personalities (Hannah Hart) and home-improvement stars (Jonathan and Drew Scott of HGTV's "Property Brothers").

Though a substantial portion of BookCon was intended for teens and young adults, not all the young people in attendance were necessarily Y.A. readers.

"It's pretty diverse as far as age demographic  there are a lot of young adult novels going on here," said Adrian Stubbs. "I kind of wish there were more literary things, like philosophy or classics, but it's good to have a place where people can go to get their things out there."

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Stubbs' cousin, Shavonne Johnson, added that while she wished BookCon branched out to more genres, she was pleased with aspects of the event, such as its programming selection.

"I like getting introduced to books or authors I haven't heard of," Johnson said. "I liked the panels, and getting to hear different authors being put together was interesting."

Panel discussions at BookCon were diverse, and each panel tackled the difficult topics often addressed in books for young readers, such as good-and-evil and the need for greater diversity in children's literature.

"The history of human civilization and human art is that of extreme sadness," said children's author Sherman Alexie, whose most recent book, "Thunder Boy Jr.," was released last week. "The Iliad doesn't end well, 'War and Peace' is not an uplifting novel. ('Thunder Boy Jr.') started at my father's funeral  it starts in sadness but ends in love."

"We speak so much about representation because that one (character of color) has to be sort of all things," Leigh Bardugo, author of the fantasy-adventure Grisha trilogy, said during the same discussion. "That's why we need more of it. That's why in books with that one person, they can't be the only person of color. The real task before everybody, writers and publishers, is to have more diverse characters."

Though panels could cover heavy topics, many panelists discussed the ways literature can be uplifting.

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"One of the things about young adult literature is that it delivers a message of hope," Oliver, author of "Before I Fall" and the Delirium trilogy, said during one panel discussion.

Fellow panelist de la Cruz agreed.

"When you read these novels when you're 12 or 14 or in high school, these books are a beacon of light that it's going to be OK, that you're going to make it," she said.

jmikula@tribpub.com

Twitter @jeremymikula
Another CMC artist in residence, Ayako Kato, also did what she does best in the structured improvisation "So and so ," a conversation between three dancers and double bassist Jason Roebke (Friday, cornetist Josh Berman). Acting has no place in Kato's brand of improvised theater: She, Jessica Cornish and Corrine Imberski simply respond to the music, each other, the space, their own inner compasses. When artists are this talented and experienced, they end up telling a suspenseful story whose twists nobody knows. Roebke's sly comedy set the mood, and Kato was a miracle of suspension and detail, fluid thought embodied in seemingly effortless movement.
At Bernie Sanders' Portland campaign field office, volunteers spent April getting independents and new voters to register as Democrats so they can vote in the Oregon primary. Now the challenge is to ensure they cast their ballots. (Chris Megerian / Los Angeles Times)

Reporting from Portland, Ore.  If Bernie Sanders wins the Oregon primary on Tuesday, his victory will have been secured back in April.

Oregon has a closed primary, meaning anyone who wants to vote for a Democratic candidate needs to be registered with the party. The Sanders campaign, which has lost every other state with a closed primary, launched a statewide effort here to get independents and new voters to sign up as Democrats before the April 26 deadline.

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Volunteers worked the phones, made the rounds at college campuses and staked out farmers' markets, targeting places where the young and the liberal gather.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

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"You say, 'Hey, you're feeling the Bern?' They come over and register," said Monte Jarvis, the Oregon state director for the Sanders campaign.

The number of voters who switched their party affiliation this year so they could vote for a presidential candidate in the primary neared 130,000, and most of them signed up as Democrats, according to the Oregon secretary of state's office.

You say, 'Hey, youre feeling the Bern?' They come over and register.  Monte Jarvis, Oregon state director for the Sanders campaign

Although undoubtedly some of those new Democratic voters will cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, the registration effort could end up as the most critical part of the Sanders campaign in Oregon. The Vermont senator has been expected to pull off a victory here despite trailing Clinton by a wide margin in a recent poll.

Closed primaries have been a challenge for Sanders because his support has been stronger among unaffiliated voters, who often lean liberal or express skepticism of Clinton. The problem is compounded because young voters, who overwhelmingly back Sanders, are less likely to register with a party than their older counterparts, who are more likely to cast ballots for Clinton.

It's a hurdle the Sanders campaign wanted to remove, or at least reduce, when it started moving staff members to the state in the month before the party-registration deadline.

Jarvis, the state director, previously worked for the campaign in Utah and Kansas, but he lives in Portland, where he moved to an eco-village more than a year ago.

TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >>

Volunteers targeted the university towns of Eugene and Corvallis, as well as Ashland, Bend, Medford and Salem.

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Sometimes they placed calls from home; other times they gathered at field offices. Part of the challenge was simply explaining the closed primary process to voters.

"In order to cast your vote for Bernie, you have to be a Democrat," Jarvis said. "There's no other way to do it."

Out of the 92,000 voters who signed up as Democrats this year, nearly 29,000 did so in the last two weeks before the deadline.

"It was great. It completely opened up our universe of potential voters," said Kelli Kuhlman, a 28-year-old environmental researcher who helped organize squads of volunteers for the registration effort.

Now the question is what the new registrations will add up to. A recent poll from the Portland firm DHM Research showed Clinton with a wide lead in the primary, 48% to 33%. Even when the firm ran the numbers with higher turnout among young and new voters, two target audiences for Sanders, Clinton was still up by 7 points, outside the margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.

"I was surprised," Jarvis said. "It was a stark contrast to what it feels like."

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John Horvick, the vice president and political director at DHM Research, said lags in data transfer meant it was unclear whether the poll adequately sampled voters who recently signed up as Democrats.

Either way, Jarvis said he hopes the poll is a reminder for the Sanders campaign to kick up their efforts in the final days before the primary and encourage voters to turn in their ballots. In Oregon, many ballots are submitted by mail or drop box.

"There's usually a rush at the end," he said. "We're trying to do everything we can to make this rush as big as possible."

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chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian
Police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a woman Saturday morning in the Ashburn neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

The woman was walking in the 3300 block of West 85th Street about 2:30 a.m. when a male attacker drove up to her in a tan four-door sedan, according to an alert from the Chicago Police Department.

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The man got out of the car and chased the woman into an alley, where he caught and sexually assaulted her, the alert said.

The attacker fled the area in an unknown direction.

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The suspect is a black man 20 to 25 years old. He is 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10 and has a fair complexion. He had a low fade hairstyle and a goatee. He has a birthmark or a tattoo on his right hand, and he was wearing a white T-shirt and black sweatpants, according to the alert.

Anyone with information about the suspect should contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.
Several yards of police tape dangle in the wind near the scene of a fatal shooting in the 1500 block of south Lawndale in Chicago on Feb. 24, 2016. (Antonio Perez, Chicago Tribune)

The number of homicides increased in the first months of 2016 in more than two dozen major U.S. cities, going up in places that also saw rising violence last year, according to statistics released Friday.

The increases were small in some areas, and many big cities also had declines. But the numbers were particularly grim for a handful of places -- Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas -- where the number of homicides increased in the first three months of 2016 after killings and other violent crimes also went up in 2015.

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"I was very worried about it last fall, and I am in many ways more worried, because the numbers are not only going up, they're continuing to go up in most of those cities faster than they were going up last year," FBI Director James B. Comey, who got an early look at the numbers, said Wednesday. "Something is happening."

Criminologists and law enforcement officials, including Comey, say the causes of the increases are unclear, and they offer a variety of possible explanations, including gang violence and bloodshed stemming from drug addictions. Comey also again suggested that greater scrutiny of police had possibly changed the way that officers and communities interact, an idea he voiced to much disagreement last year.

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"I don't know what the answer is, but holy cow, do we have a problem," Comey said.

I don't know what the answer is, but holy cow, do we have a problem.  James B. Comey, FBI director

Criminologists say it is too soon to draw conclusions from these increases, and they point out that homicides and crime rates in general are still far below what they were a quarter-century ago

But Comey said that even with the big-picture numbers in mind, he remained concerned.

"Something people say to me, well, the increases are off of historic lows," Comey during a discussion Wednesday with reporters at the bureau's headquarters in Washington. "How does that make any of us feel any better? I mean, a whole lot more people are dying this year than last year, and last year than the year before, and I don't know why for sure."

Law enforcement leaders in big cities that have seen more homicides have offered varying causes, said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the group of law enforcement leaders that released the data.

In some places, gangs have been viewed as the primary source of violence, while police chiefs in other cities have said people are dying after robberies and altercations while trying to get heroin, he said. A number of police chiefs have also expressed concern about repeat violent offenders.

"If you put it in perspective, it's much, much lower than what we experienced in the '90s," Stephens, a former police chief in Charlotte, said in an interview Friday. "But still, for me and others, the fact that we've had these spikes in different cities is not something that should be ignored. And I can tell you that the police are not ignoring it in places that are experiencing this."

Stephens cautioned that his group's data -- gathered from more than five dozen police agencies -- was not nationally representative, because it focused only on the country's biggest cities and counties.

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He said the group only began collecting these statistics last year after police chiefs in Washington, Chicago and other cities expressed concerns about what they were seeing in their communities. There had not been a need to gather this data before because crime had been falling for two decades, Stephens said.

All told, half of the agencies reported seeing increases in homicides, while the other half reported that killings remained even or below the same numbers seen last year. Some of the numbers defy easy explanation. In places like Los Angeles and Memphis, police reported double-digit increases in homicides, while the number of nonfatal shootings was flat or down.

Other cities have experienced worsening violence since the three-month window covered by this data. Philadelphia numbers reported to the police group showed one fewer homicide in the first three months of this year than last, but more than 75 additional nonfatal shootings. As of Friday, the number of homicides had surged 15 percent ahead of the same period last year.

Even in cities that are seeing more killings, "those homicides are not randomly distributed around the city," said Richard Berk, a professor of statistics and criminology at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Crime, like politics, is local," Berk said.

The Brennan Center, a law and policy institute in New York, said in a recent analysis of crime occurring in big cities last year that just three cities -- Baltimore, Chicago and Washington -- accounted for more than half of the overall increase in homicides last year in the country's 25 biggest cities.

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Chicago police have said that most of the increase in violence there is driven by gang members using illegal guns and that it is largely concentrated in just a handful of areas in the city's south and west. Eddie Johnson, the Chicago police superintendent, has also pointed to what he described as a small number of previously known offenders "driving the violence" there. Cathy L. Lanier, the D.C. police chief, raised similar concerns last year.

Berk cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the new data about anything nationwide.

"Some parts of the city are safe, always, and some parts of the city are unsafe," Berk said. "I live in Philadelphia, there are some neighborhoods I won't go into after dark."

During his remarks, Comey said he was worried about this being "a problem most of America can drive around." As examples, he said that on Chicago's Magnificent Mile or the Las Vegas Strip, people may not be as acutely aware of the killings in other parts of those cities.

"It's happening in certain parts of the cities, and the people dying are almost entirely black and Latino men, and we can't drive around that problem," he said.

In his remarks last week, Comey revisited an idea he put forward last fall, saying that police may have become less aggressive in an era of increased scrutiny on officers. This idea is generally known as the "Ferguson effect," taking its name from the Missouri city where protests erupted after a white police officer fatally shot a black 18-year-old in 2014. New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton has also referred to a "YouTube effect" because of the video recordings that can spread online.

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However, pointing to high-profile videos does not explain the surge in violence in some places and a decline in others. New York City had one of the most visible incidents caught on camera in recent years when a man died after being placed into an apparent chokehold by an officer in an encounter that was recorded. As of last week, homicides in New York were down 13 percent so far this year compared with the same point last year.

In Cincinnati, where a police officer was charged with murder after shooting a driver during a traffic stop that was recorded, the number of homicides through last week had reached 24, up from 22 last year. Jacksonville, Florida, had no similar video that got nationwide attention, but the number of killings in that city increased to 30 from 18 at the same point last year.

On Wednesday, Comey said he resisted the term "Ferguson effect," instead saying he was referring to "a sort of viral video effect" that he thought "could well be at the heart of this or could well be an important factor."

"He is not the only one that has that perspective," Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said Friday. "It's not one that I share."

Comey's suggestion speaks to a sentiment expressed by some current and former officers as well as their relatives and former law enforcement officials, who have described feeling increasingly buffeted by criticism and unhappy at seeing the police widely painted as villains for the actions of some officers.

When he made similar remarks before, Comey drew pushback from law enforcement officials, civil rights activists and the White House. After Comey said in October that the "crisis of violent crime" could be linked to "a chill wind blowing through American law enforcement," President Barack Obama said there was no evidence to suggest officers were pulling back, and Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said the same thing.

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On Friday, the White House responded to Comey's new remarks by saying again that Obama had seen no evidence to suggest that officers were policing less aggressively because they fear being recorded.

"This administration makes policy decisions that are rooted in evidence, that are rooted in science," Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said during a briefing Friday. "We can't make broad, sweeping policy decisions or draw policy conclusions based on anecdotal evidence. That's irresponsible and ultimately counterproductive."

"There isn't evidence out there to draw any firm conclusions about what's happening," Earnest said.
The future USS Zumwalt is underway for the first time conducting at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. (Dennis Griggs / Handout)

BATH, Maine  The U.S. Navy is ready to take ownership of the Zumwalt, its largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer.

Sailors' uniforms and personal effects, supplies and spare parts are being moved aboard the 610-foot warship in anticipation of crew members taking on their new charge, said Capt. James Kirk, the destroyer's skipper.

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The Zumwalt is the first new class of warship built at Bath Iron Works since the Arleigh Burke slid into the Kennebec River in 1989. The shipyard is expected to turn the destroyer over to the Navy this week.

"We've overcome lots of obstacles to get to this point," said electrician John Upham, of Litchfield. "I think everybody in the shipyard is proud of the work we've done."

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The ship features an angular shape that makes it 50 times more difficult to detect on radar; it's powered by electricity produced by turbines similar to those in a Boeing 777; new guns are designed to pummel targets from nearly 100 miles away. Advanced automation will allow the big ship to operate with a much smaller crew than on current generation of destroyers.

The final cost of the Zumwalt is expected to be at least $4.4 billion.

The original concept for the land-attack destroyer was floated more than 15 years ago then underwent several permutations. The final design called for a destroyer with a stealthy shape and advanced gun system that can fire rocket-propelled projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.

But the growing cost forced the Navy to reduce what was originally envisioned as a 32-ship program to just three ships. The loss of economies of scale drove up the cost of the individual ships.

The slow-going and rising costs were little surprise after the General Accounting Office warned that the Navy was trying to incorporate too many new technologies into the ship.

"Zumwalt was a challenge to assemble because of all the new technologies, but sea trials show it is a world-class warship with unique capabilities," said Loren Thompson, senior defense analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.

Some of the ship's 143 crew members have been in Bath for more than two years to prepare for the day they take control of it. The sailors will continue training to prepare the ship to be formally commissioned into service as USS Zumwalt at a ceremony in October in Baltimore, Kirk said. From there, the ship will travel to its homeport in San Diego for further tests and trials.

Shipbuilders in Bath are busy on the second ship in the class, the Michael Monsoor, which will be christened next month. Work also is underway on the third and final ship, the Lyndon B. Johnson.

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Jay Wadleigh, president of the largest union at the shipyard, said Bath Iron Works was selected for the job because the Navy knew it would be done right.

"I think the way the Zumwalt performed on the three different sea trials was better than anybody expected  us, the Navy and the company," he said.

Associated Press
Huntington, Ind.  Chris Setser worked a 12-hour graveyard shift while his children slept, cleaned the house while they were at school and then went outside to wait for the bus bringing them home. He stood on the porch as he often did and surveyed the life he had built. The lawn was trimmed. The stairs were swept. The weekly family schedule was printed on a chalkboard. A sign near the door read, "A Stable Home Is A Happy Home," and now a school bus came rolling down a street lined by wide sidewalks and American flags toward a five-bedroom house on the corner lot.

"Right on time," Setser called out to the driver, waving to his children as they came off the bus.

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It had been two months since Setser and 800 others in Huntington were told their manufacturing jobs would soon be outsourced to Mexico, but so far nothing about his routine had changed. He was still making $17 an hour on the third-shift line at United Technologies. The first layoffs wouldn't take place for a year, maybe more. "We'll be fine because we've always been fine," Setser had said again and again, to his fiancee, his four children, and most of all to himself, but he was beginning to wonder if the loss of something more foundational in Huntington was underway.

Into the house came 10-year-old Johnathan, who had heard a rumor at school that factory workers would also be moving to Mexico. "No way, bud," Setser told him. "We're staying right here."

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In came 14-year-old Ashley, holding a payment notice for a school field trip. "Are we going to become one of those families with a voucher?" she asked.

"Don't worry," he said, handing her $20 from his wallet.

All around him an ideological crisis was spreading across Middle America as it continued its long fall into dependency: median wages down across the country, average income down, total wealth down in the past decade by 28 percent. For the first time ever, the vaunted middle class was not the country's base but a disenfranchised minority, down from 61 percent of the population in the 1970s to just 49 percent as of last year. As a result of that decline, confusion was turning into fear. Fear was giving way to resentment. Resentment was hardening into a sense of outrage that was unhinging the country's politics and upending a presidential election.

But Setser remained a believer in what he called the "basic guarantees" of the working class. He had his work history of near-perfect attendance. He had his home mortgage, his two cars, his weekly bowling night and his annual family trip to a small Indiana lake.

Most of all he had the assurances of what life had always been in Huntington, a town of 17,000 that remained a living museum to the iconic middle class. It was located not on the marginalized fringes of America but on the Heartland Highway, a place where 85 percent of the residents were considered working class. For generations it had helped manufacture the country's baby shoes, ice cream cones, barbecue grills and dentures, and even if the recession had taken many of those good-paying jobs from Huntington, it had yet to take away from the middle class mythology at the town's core. "Time honored American strength," read one motto on a city website. "Tenacious! Industrious! Resilient! Strong!"

Now Setser's oldest child, 16-year-old Krystal, walked into the house holding an envelope from Indiana University. It was her first college solicitation letter, and she tossed it aside on the kitchen counter. She was a smart student and a voracious reader. She had always assumed she would go to college, but lately she wasn't so sure. "Like we are going to be able to pay for that," she said.

"Things have a way of working in the end," Setser said.

"Yeah, right," she said.

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The family china was polished in its cabinet. The spices were alphabetized on the shelf.

"You'll see," he said. "Life always evens out."

Chris Setser stands in his living room as his daughter Krystal, 16, uses her phone. The factory where Setser works is outsourcing its jobs to Mexico. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)

That was the philosophy he had been living out for 13 years by packing a lunch and leaving for the third shift at exactly 9:30 p.m., which was what he had done one night in February, back when his biggest complaint about a job in the middle class was its utter predictability. He had driven past the same farms and Little League fields to the same United Technologies factory. He had parked in the same space and then changed into the same blue uniform to plug the same small parts into the same electronic control boards for heating and air conditioning units.

The temperature inside was always set to 70 degrees. Oldies music piped onto the factory floor. A few minutes before 10 p.m., the regular call came over the speakers. "Lights." "Positions." "Lines are rolling."

Setser had heard rumors earlier in the day that the company had decided to move its operations to Mexico, but he found them hard to believe. While dozens of other manufactures had left Northeast Indiana, his factory, United Technologies Electronic Controls, or UTEC, was still taking back contracts from China and winning president's awards for performance. It was the area's largest employer and also a rare place where America's fraying social contract had remained mostly intact: Employees helped the factory's parent corporation earn more than $6 billion in annual profit. In return they got a decent hourly salary with good overtime, bonuses for completing work-training programs, a turkey to take home on Thanksgiving and a ham on Christmas. "Successful businesses improve the human condition," read one sign posted on the factory wall.

Setser and his parents had moved to Huntington in the 1990s in part because of that idea. "The Town That Works!" was what one Huntington advertisement had promised in those years, and so they had moved from Chicago for lower rent, better schools and reliable union work. First Setser's mother had been hired at UTEC, then his brother-in-law, and then eventually Setser himself was called in off the wait list. "From Day One to Day Dead," was the saying about a job at UTEC, because once people were hired they usually stayed until retirement.

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But on that night in February, another announcement had come over the factory speakers, instructing all UTEC employees to report to the cafeteria. The factory manager was standing at the front of the room, holding a piece of paper and reading into a microphone.

"A difficult decision," he said.

"Relocation is best," he said.

"Northern Mexico," he said.

"No questions," he said, and then he told employees they would have an hour-long break in the cafeteria to process the news before returning to their lines.

A similar announcement had come earlier that day at one of UTEC's partner factories, a Carrier air conditioning plant in Indianapolis, where the mention of Mexico to the plant's 1,300 employees had been followed by cussing and boos. Donald Trump had issued a statement - "disgusting," "un-American" - and some Carrier employees had threatened to destroy equipment in the latest wave of the betrayal and rage that had become so much of a part of the political moment.

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But in polite-and-steady Huntington, the cafeteria stayed quiet except for the hum of the vending machines. A psychologist who had been brought in to counsel workers waited alone at her table. The company security guards eventually wandered off to eat lunch. UTEC employees sat quietly in the cafeteria and watched the clock, until finally Setser stood and motioned for others to follow. "Let's go," he had said, and none of his co-workers had any doubt about where he was going, because there was no other choice.

They still had their jobs. Those jobs were the thing keeping them in the shrinking 49 percent of the middle class. So with five minutes left before the end of the hour, all 250 UTEC employees returned to their places on the lines.

The Setser children -- from left, Krystal, 16, Ashley, 14, Zach, 12, and Johnathan, 10, do their homework in the kitchen. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)

His solution to every problem had always been work. Work harder. Work weekends. Work doubles. Work a second job. In Northeast Indiana, the epicenter of American manufacturing, everything was right there if you were just willing to work for it, so in the weeks after the announcement Setser had taken every available shift, increasing his hours and working 19 consecutive nights while still making it back home on school days to stand on the porch and wait for the bus.

Every evening was a sit-down family dinner. Every dinner they took turns going around the table to talk about their days. Every night they finished dinner and sat together to watch movies in the living room, where now Setser's fiancee, Jennifer Bowers, was looking over plans for their summer wedding. It would be her first marriage and his third. She had been looking online for a photographer, but so far the only one she liked charged more than $1,000.

"I know we have to start cutting corners, but we don't want to cut on this," she said.

"It's just bad timing," Setser said. He had done the math, and the photographer would cost the equivalent of a little more than two weeks in take-home pay. And while that wouldn't have mattered before February, now it did.

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"We're only getting married once," Bowers said. "A good wedding, some nice family pictures - that seems like a basic thing to have."

We're getting to the point where there aren't really any good options left.  Chris Sester

"What about building up a little cushion?" he said, because that seemed like a basic thing, too.

Together between his overtime and Bowers's small salary at another manufacturer in Fort Wayne, they had remained firmly in the middle class by finding ways to make their money stretch. When they wanted to drive to Florida for their first overnight vacation in a decade, Setser could volunteer for more overtime to save up the cash. When they wanted a new TV, he could spend the 10 percent premium he earned for working third shift. He had cashed out part of his 401(k) account to pay for his daughter's braces, purchased some of their basic household items with credit cards and taken out a no-money-down loan on their $95,000 house.

He had never worried too much about saving money, because there was always more to make. Every night was another shift. Every week was another paycheck. It was Day One to Day Dead, but now a few executives from Mexico had begun visiting the UTEC factory to prepare for the move and the layoff was closing in.

"I don't want to spend too much and put us in a bad position," Setser said, thinking of the photographer.

"We're talking about a family heirloom," Bowers said. "This is what we will look back on. This is who we are."

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He squinted and pursed his lips. He looked back at her and nodded.

"You're right," he said. "We can make it work."

A man sits in the dining room at Nick's Kitchen, which has been serving meals in Huntington for more than a century. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)

It was beginning to seem to him as though that was the new ethos of Huntington: from "The Town That Works" to making it work, and now the sun was rising on the cornfields, the local radio broadcaster was shouting, "Good morning Hoosier Heartland!" and Mark Wickersham was in his downtown office as director of economic development.

It was his job to recruit businesses into Huntington - to sell the viability of the town and its workforce - and for generations the product had mostly sold itself. It had state-of-the-art manufacturing parks and easy shipping by train or freeway. It had two lakes, an operating drive-in theater and a museum to honor Vice President Dan Quayle, a longtime resident whose endorsement of the city during one campaign stop in the 1980s had been reprinted and displayed all across town: "Here we're taught the values of middle America, like faith in God, family, neighbor helping neighbor, the dignity of work, morality, integrity and personal responsibility," he had said.

"Through hard work and determination we can achieve anything!" Wickersham had written in his own business recruiting pitch, and somehow during his career he had successfully helped Huntington's leadership stave off one crisis after the next while upholding a middle class life for the 85 percent. They had saved downtown from the drain of the freeway bypass. They had opened job centers and retrained the manufacturing workforce. They had used generous state and local tax breaks to lure manufacturers from Germany, Japan, Brazil and Australia. A year after the recession, the town's manufacturing parks were nearly full and the unemployment rate had dropped to 5 percent, even if some of those new jobs paid 10 or 15 percent less than what the middle class had been earning a decade before.

"We are certainly aware and concerned that Joe Lunchbox is still behind the eight ball," Wickersham said, and now he was at already at work staving off another crisis, this time at UTEC.

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"There's always another big blow, but we always recover," he said. "That's ingenuity. That's a community that comes together during the hard times and pushes ahead."

But that was also first-shift optimism in a three-shift town, where it was Tom Lewandowski's job to protect the other two shifts. "We've got a whole lot of smart people in smart suits, just whistling their way through a graveyard," said Lewandowski, a union organizer in Fort Wayne, who was now traveling to Huntington to survey the mental health of employees at UTEC.

A man walks past buildings, many vacant, in downtown Huntington. As the local economy has soured, the town has seen increases in foreclosures and illegal drug use. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)

He had made the drive enough times to already suspect what he might find. Stride Rite had left Huntington for Mexico at the tail end of the recession; Breyers Ice Cream had closed its doors after 100 years. In the weeks after each factory closing in his part of Indiana, Lewandowski had listened to politicians make promises about jobs - high-tech jobs, right-to-work jobs, clean-energy jobs - but instead Indiana had lost 60,000 middle-class jobs in the past decade and replaced them with a surge of low-paying work in health care, hospitality and fast food. Wages of male high school graduates had dropped 19 percent in the past two decades, and the wealth divide between the middle class and the upper class had quadrupled.

"These jobs aren't the solution so much as they're part of the problem," Lewandowski said, and now the result of so much churn was becoming evident all across Indiana and lately in Huntington, too. Fast-food consumption was beginning to tick up. Poverty was up. Foreclosures were up. Meth usage up. Heroin up. Death rate up. In Dan Quayle's Middle America, one of the biggest news stories of the year had been the case of a mother who had let her 3-week-old child suck heroin off her finger.

"Despair is our business, and business is booming," Lewandowski said. "Workers have lost all agency in their lives. They've based their lives on believing in something that turned out to be a lie. They work when they can, for what they can, for as long as they can until it ends."

Despair is our business, and business is booming.  Tom Lewandowski, union organizer

As second shift finished in Huntington, several of those UTEC workers gathered at an Applebee's that displayed construction hats on the wall. Earlier in the day, an employee had been suspended for taping a "Run for the Border" bumper sticker to one of the company's roving robots - the biggest act of rebellion yet. A few employees had been trying to popularize a boycott of United Technologies products, and others had started using their regular 10-minute breaks to campaign for Trump in a traditionally Democratic factory. But for the most part their work was continuing unchanged, with attendance steady and factory production on the rise. They couldn't risk losing their jobs or their UTEC severance packages, so the only way to vent was to come here, where the discussion on this night was of a country in decline.

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"This is how it feels to be sold out by your country."

"It's pure greed."

"They wanted to add another 6 feet to their yachts."

"You're telling me those people down there are going to be able to crank out 12 million units a year - no drop in quality, no incidents, no safety issues? Yeah. OK. Good luck with that. There's a reason they're going to make $3 an hour."

"We're becoming like a third-world country. We're going to have nothing left but fast food."

"Fast food and hedge funds. That's where we're going."

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An image of the American flag is seen on a drive-in movie theater's screen. (Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post)

"What in the world is happening to this neighborhood?" Setser was saying now, waiting again for the school bus on his front porch. In the months since the announcement at UTEC, the steady march of anger and anxiety had been moving down his manufacturing line, part after part, shift after shift, and lately he had begun to notice things about Huntington that he had once overlooked. There were weeds creeping up around the neat craftsman homes, a stray needle in the alley and a fresh layer of graffiti on the nearby apartment building. "Can't anyone keep up a house anymore?" he said.

His children came home on the bus, and they sat down for family dinner and took turns talking about their days. Bowers had booked the wedding photographer. "Expensive but worth it," she said. The two boys had decided they wanted to go back to Florida, where they had vacationed, because they thought it might be nicer than Indiana. Krystal had met with an adviser at school and decided she wanted to become a dental hygienist, because the adviser thought there were lots of openings, and if so Krystal was happy to clean teeth.

Setser had begun looking for his next job, too, because he had heard rumors that UTEC might begin layoffs sooner than he originally thought. He had inquired about work at a local milk factory and at the General Motors plant in Fort Wayne, but both places already had waiting lists and both would likely require a shift change and an initial pay cut.

"We're getting to the point where there aren't really any good options left," he said. "The system is broken. Maybe its time to blow it up and start from scratch, like Trump's been saying."

Krystal rolled her eyes at him. "Come on. You're a Democrat."

"I was. But that was before we started turning into a weak country," he said. "Pretty soon there won't be anything left. We'll all be flipping burgers."

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"Fine, but so what?" she said. "We just turn everything over to the guy who yells the loudest?"

Setser leaned into the table and banged it once for emphasis. "They're throwing our work back in our face," he said. "China is doing better. Even Mexico is doing better. Don't you want someone to go kick ass?"

"That doesn't really seem like you," she said, and for a few seconds she stared back at him, as if examining someone for the first time. The spices were alphabetized on the shelves. The family schedule was printed on the wall. Theirs was a happy home, a stable home.

"You said it always evens out," she told him.

"Maybe I was wrong," he said, but now his voice was quiet.

"You said things just have a way of working."

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"Maybe not," he said, because with each passing day he was seeing it more clearly. The town was losing its best employer, and all around him stability was giving way to uncertainty, to resentment, to anger, to fear.

He stood up from the table and looked at the clock. For now the factory in Huntington was still open, and he had a routine to follow. He washed the dishes. He helped his children with their homework and got them ready for bed. He told them everything was going to be OK. Then he waited as night closed in on a three-shift town, and at exactly 9:30 he left for work.
Donald Trump had always described his run for president as unique. Going it alone without support from senior leaders of the Republican Party may just be another thing that sets him apart.

"Does it have to be unified? I'm very different than everybody else, perhaps, that's ever run for office. I actually don't think so," Trump told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday.

A growing roster of Republicans have said they won't back their party's presumptive nominee in November, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who competed against Trump this year, and Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee. On Sunday, the 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said "a lot of things would have to happen" before he'd campaign for Trump.

While that hasn't rattled Trump, he sounded disappointed after House Speaker Paul Ryan wasn't ready to back the real-estate developer and television personality who's dominated the Republican primaries. "I was blindsided a little bit, because he spoke to me three weeks ago, and it was a very nice call, a very encouraging call," Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Ryan told CNN on May 5 that Trump needed to stop the bullying and demonstrate his conservative credentials. "I hope to support our nominee," the Wisconsin representative said. "At this point, I'm just not there."

Ryan's remarks were a sign of how much Trump needs to do to bring Republicans along with him after a divisive and bruising primary season. Trump's final opponents, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, bowed out after the May 3 Indiana primary, where Trump captured 53 percent of the vote.

Asked on NBC if Ryan should still chair the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July if he continues to withhold support, Trump punted: "I will give you a very solid answer, if that happens, about one minute after that happens."

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that Ryan's political career "is over but for a miracle" after he "disrespected" the more than 10 million Republican voters who've supported Trump.

Ryan may soon be "Cantored," said Palin, in a reference to former Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, considered to be the front-runner to become House speaker before he lost his primary election in 2014 to an unheralded college professor.

While some Republicans in Congress reject Trump, other current and former lawmakers have said they will back the reality TV star as the nominee -- if nothing else, than to block Democrat Hillary Clinton's path to the White House.

"I think it would be better if it were unified, I think it would be -- there would be something good about it," Trump told ABC, referring to the Republican Party. "But I don't think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense."

Trump's rise has been fueled by dissatisfied Americans who've lost their jobs, and young people saddled with debts, and the party needs to take heed, McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "You have to listen to people who have chosen the nominee," McCain said.

Still, he called on Trump to apologize for belittling comments made in 2015. Campaigning in Iowa in July, Trump said McCain, a naval aviator shot down during the Vietnam War and held as a prisoner of war for five years, was "not a war hero."

"It's important for Donald Trump to express his appreciation for veterans -- not John McCain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war," McCain said.

Pivoting to his likely general election opponent, Trump told ABC that bringing up Bill Clinton is "fair game" because he's involved in Hillary Clinton's campaign, though the offensive treatment of spouses like his own wife, Melania, is "unfair."

At rallies over the weekend Trump linked the Democratic front-runner with husband Bill Clinton's past marital infidelities and 1998 impeachment. "She's married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics," he said in Spokane, Washington, on Saturday. "Hillary was an enabler and she treated these women horribly."

"He was impeached for lying about what happened with a woman, and she's going to take ads about little Donald Trump?" Trump said, referring to the Clintons. "I don't think so."

Groups supporting Clinton have reserved millions of dollars in television advertising that's expected to focus on the Republican's past demeaning statements about women.

Bloomberg
When looking for the perfect gifts for graduates, head to Market Square, celebrating 100 years of pleasing shoppers as the first planned shopping center in the United States.

Stop in at Valentina where there is an array of personal gift items like a pretty gold and diamond initial necklace that is sure to please. Unicorn Designs has unique pendants featuring little glimpses of nature that will be treasured for years to come.

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If the grad is moving into a dorm room or first apartment, visit Williams-Sonoma to pick up colorful cookware in brilliant shades of aqua, blue, orange or red and check out their whimsical popcorn poppers that are miniaturized versions of movie theater machines.

When the big day arrives, be sure to stop by Market Square's newest shop, Molly Flavin Floral Design to pick up a bouquet to give to the graduate. The shop also has beautiful arrangements to adorn the serving table at the graduation party. And speaking of that graduation party, stop in at Gerhard's Elegant European Desserts to order a plate of heavenly French macarons or a luscious strawberry cheesecake that will please all your guests.

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Sweet Pete's Candy offers generous party packs including chocolate dipped sandwich cookies and pastel Holland mints that make entertaining easy. Treat the out-of-town guests who came in for the graduation ceremony to a memorable meal at Market House on the Square where they serve 28-day dry-aged New York Strip steaks, stuffed jumbo shrimp and a fresh array of produce from their own farm in Sheffield, Illinois.

Market Square off the intersection of Deer Path Road and Northwestern Avenue in Lake Forest has more than 20 shops filled with great gift ideas so plan your visit today. Go to www.shopmarketsquare.com for more information.
While cookouts and picnics are common occurrences on Memorial Day, it carries much more significance than a day off of work.

Memorial Day was originally Decoration Day, established three years after the Civil War ended by an organization of Union Veterans. It was a day designated for the nation to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead with flowers, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Many cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day dating back to 1866, but President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.

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It wasn't until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars and it was declared a national holiday in 1971, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Cities and towns across the nation host a variety of activities to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It is observed on the last Monday of May since Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, according to history.com.

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In Naperville, Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and American Legion Post 43 host a parade to honor veterans and remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country. The Village of Plainfield will also hold a Memorial Day Parade, kicking off at Ira Jones Middle School then traveling to Settlers' Park for a ceremony.

Reflecting the origins of Memorial Day, still today many visit the cemetery and place flags and lay flowers on the graves of loved ones lost in service to the U.S.

The family and staff at Friedrich-Jones and Overman-Jones Funeral Homes in Naperville and Plainfield offer a variety of ways to honor veterans. Both locations are experienced with accessing VA burial services and memorial benefits, advising families on available options for veterans.

For more information on veterans funerals and memorials services, visit friedrichjones.com or contact Friedrich Jones Naperville at 630-355-0213 or Plainfield at 815-436-9221.
North Chicago police are looking for two people suspected of shooting a man in the arm early Sunday, police said.

The man, in his mid-20s, was shot in the left arm in the 1500 block of Victoria Avenue about 1:10 a.m., North Chicago Police Sgt. Freddrick Diez said.

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Paramedics took the man to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Diez said. The man has since been released from the hospital.

Police received multiple reports of shots fired and are looking for two people who ran west after the shooting, the sergeant said.

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Bullet casings from two different weapons, a .38 caliber and a 9-millimeter, were found on the street, Diez said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 847-596-8741 or use the anonymous online tip form available on the police department page at northchicago.org.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
State Rep. Sam Yingling talks at an anti-fraud event at the Round Lake Police Department on Saturday. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)

Seniors learned ways to avoid being taken advantage of by scammers during a Saturday anti-fraud event hosted by Illinois State Rep. Sam Yingling.

Berenice Martinez, community outreach liaison with the Illinois Attorney General's Office, said scammers most often prey on seniors because scammers believe the elderly have time and money.

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"My office has been hearing of a number of scams that are hitting the community," Yingling said. "The more awareness there is the better for residents."

One common scam is to call homes and use "alarm tactics"  such as pretending to be an IRS representative  and threaten arrest or deportation if a payment isn't made immediately, officials said.

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The callers sound convincing, often giving fake names and badge numbers, and may even know the last four digits of their target's social security number, Martinez said.

She suggested immediately hanging up the phone as soon as someone asks for personal data, such as social security or bank account numbers, and calling the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 to report the scam.

"You can always call back the organization or group they said they were calling from to verify why they need that," Martinez said.

Other recommendations included getting a credit report every four months from one of the three consumer reporting agencies  Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Martinez said children are also common targets of identity theft because their credit isn't frequently checked. Parents were told to call 866-999-5630 to learn additional step needed to get a child's credit report.

"Check your child's credit report as often as you check yours," Martinez said.

Yingling added that shredding documents is a significant measure to fight identify theft. Yingling will host a community document shredding event June 11 at the Grayslake Police Department. Two bags of documents will be shredded at no cost.

For those who shred documents at home, Martinez said the ideal shredding tool is a cross-cut shredder that turns paper into confetti. Those using a strip shredder, which shreds documents into long strips, should add water and alcohol to the shredded paper.

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"If scammers know they can get $10,000 out of the information in your papers, they're willing to invest three hours worth of time putting your shredded papers together," Martinez said.

For Grayslake residents Leyon and Ellinor Bradford said the event was useful.

"We appreciate this meeting and all the literature on fraud and credit," Leyon Bradford said.

Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelancer for the News-Sun
Zion police and fire crews on the scene where a vehicle went into the water and an occupant fled on Sunday in Zion. (Joe Shuman/For The Lake County News-Sun) (Joe Shuman / Chicago Tribune)

Rescue crews found an empty vehicle submerged in a Zion lake early Sunday, a fire official said.

A person had been seen swimming from the vehicle, which was located about 25 feet from the shore near the Horizon Village Apartments off Kenosha Road, according to a news release from the Zion Fire and Rescue Department.

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Crews searched for the swimmer for more than an hour, but did not locate anybody, according to the fire department.

Rescue personnel from about 20 fire departments in Lake and Kenosha counties assisted in the hours-long search, which included divers checking the vehicle and the surrounding area, according to the release. After more than 90 minutes, the crews shifted their focus and the vehicle was towed from the lake.

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The call about the submerged vehicle came in about 1 a.m., and the last unit left the scene at 4:30 a.m., according to the release.

Zion police and fire crews on the scene where a vehicle went into the water and an occupant fled on Sunday in Zion. (Joe Shuman/For The Lake County News-Sun) (Joe Shuman / Chicago Tribune)

One diver received a "very minor cut" to the hand and was treated at the scene, according to the fire department.

The release noted that diving operations in local lakes and ponds can be dangerous  especially at night. Because of the risk, night dives are only undertaken when there is a potential rescue.

Illinois State Police are investigating, but a spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
Lorrell Kilpatrick remembers growing up in the New Addition neighborhood of East Chicago and how off-putting it was for visitors to see BP oil tanks nearby.

"A row of oil tanks was right outside the living room window of our house," Kilpatrick told several hundred people at the Break Free Midwest environmental protest Sunday afternoon in Whiting Lakefront Park. "My aunt used to say people would come to visit her and they would be so nervous  that one visitor would run to the window and constantly look out the window because he just could not believe that people would live with dozens of oil tanks right in their backyards.

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"But that's life for people right here in Northwest Indiana."

Kilpatrick, a leader with Black Lives Matter Northwest Indiana, and others spoke of the health and environmental challenges for those who live among heavy industry in Northwest Indiana and elsewhere in the Midwest during a protest aimed at BP Whiting Refinery and other fossil fuel producers. They also spoke about the need to fight projects in their own backyards  from pipelines to fracking to petcoke dumping.

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Grammy Award artist Malik Yusef talks to the crowd about the need to change at a BP protest at Lakefront Park in Whiting, Ind. (Jim Karczewski/Post-Tribune) (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

The Break Free Midwest event is one of several organized across the world to urge energy companies to make the switch to more renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar. Beyond Northwest Indiana, attendees hailed from Louisville, Ky., Michigan and Illinois.

Olga Bautista, who is coordinator for the Chicago Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke, said individuals may feel powerless when going up against multibillion dollar companies when trying to protect their families and communities from the effects of pollution, but her experience shows that you can fight and win.

"It all starts with the rank and file," Bautista said. "The best commodity we have is ourselves."

Peoria, Ill., resident Joyce Harant wanted to attend the event since she is active with a southern Illinois anti-fracking group and in attempts to shut down a coal-fired power plant.

"It's always energizing to go to events like these," Harant said. "You see all of these faces and get a sense that you're not alone in these fights. There's a kinship of brotherhood and sisterhood. We all face the same battles; there are just different faces."

Since finishing a $4 billion upgrade, BP Whiting Refinery has shifted most of its refining from light, sweet crude to heavy oil sands from Alberta, Canada. It is the largest processor of tar sands oil in the United States. A processing error in March 2014 dumped as much as 1,600 gallons of oil into Lake Michigan.

Kristin Todd Frank and her daughter Marta talk about driving to school everyday through East Chicago, Ind., and the BP plant. (Jim Karczewski/Post-Tribune) (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

The rally was followed by a large march toward the BP Whiting Refinery. Some protesters held parts of a pipeline, while others held were held signs reading "Wind and Solar" and "A Carbon Free Future."

Police were visible near the entrances to the park, and they blocked off vehicle traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard between Schrage Avenue and 129th Street in anticipation of the protesters' march route.

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Protest spokesman Thomas Frank, of East Chicago, said 41 people were arrested and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing at the end of the demonstration. Frank, who himself was arrested himself, said about two-thirds of those arrested were released by Sunday night.

Whiting Police Chief Steve Miller said several protesters were arrested for staging a sit-in just past the refinery's main entrance on 129th Street. Miller could not provide an exact number of arrests, but said four police wagons two Lake County and two East Chicago Police Department wagons were deployed at his department's request. The protesters were booked and held in the East Chicago City Jail because of space constraints. They have since have been released and will be tried in Whiting City Court, he said.

"We talked to (the protesters) beforehand and told them to stay off the property," Miller said. "They were peaceful, though, and didn't cause further trouble."

The event's "core group" of organizers were Southeast Environmental Task Force, Chicago SE Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke, MN350, 350 Forest City, 350Kishwaukee, Duneland Environmental Justice Alliance, Frack Free Illinois, IL Climate Activists, National Nurses United, Rising Tide Chicago, organizers said.

Freelance reporter Michelle L. Quinn contributed

cnance@post-trib.com
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The "Yuanwang 21" transport ship carrying the Long March-7 carrier rocket arrives at Qinglan Harbor in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, May 14, 2016. [Xinhua]

China's new generation Long March-7 carrier rocket arrived at Wenchang, Hainan Province, on Saturday afternoon where it is scheduled for its maiden launch late June.

The rocket is now at Qinglan Harbor in Wenchang after a six-day journey by sea from Tianjin and will soon be taken to the Wenchang satellite launch center by road.

The Long March-7, a medium-sized rocket using liquid propellant, can carry up to 13.5 tonnes to low Earth orbit. It will transport cargo for China's planned space station and is expected to become a main carrier for space launches.
An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103 heading to the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in South China Sea. [Xinhua]

Defense Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun on Saturday expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to a Pentagon report that he said has misrepresented China's military development.

In an annual report on China's military activities, the U.S. Defense Department hyped up "China's military threat" and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said, adding that the U.S. side has always been suspicious.

Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region. Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the United States pushed forward the militarization in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.

He said China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief.

The U.S. annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the U.S. side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.
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The United States and five Nordic countries on Friday said they are concerned about what they see as Russia's dangerous military actions in the Baltic Sea region.

The United States and the Nordic countries warned Moscow about "its nuclear posturing, its undeclared exercises, and the provocative actions taken by Russian aircraft and naval vessels," according to a joint statement issued Friday as U.S. President Barack Obama hosted leaders of the five countries at the White House.

While Russia has been critical of the deployment of U.S. missile defense systems in Eastern Europe, flyby incidents with the participation of Russian combat airplanes in the Baltic Sea have become a source of tension between Russia and the United States in recent weeks.

On Friday, the United States expressed concern after Russian bombers flew over the U.S. guided missile destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.

But Russia has repeatedly said that its pilots operated in accordance with international rules in the Baltic Sea region.

In the joint statement, the United States and its Nordic partners also emphasized that the sanctions against Russia's economy should remain in place.

Nevertheless, the six nations said they recognized the need for "an appropriate dialogue with Russia to be maintained" to enhance transparency and reduce risk, and to address issues including countering the Islamic State and ending the conflict in Syria.
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Two local journalists were shot dead in two separate attacks on them within a span of 24 hours in India, officials said Saturday.

The fatal attacks were carried out in India's two eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand.

On Friday night, gunmen killed Rajdeo Ranjan, the bureau head of Hindi-language daily Hindustan in Bihar's Siwan district, about 144 northwest of Patna, the capital city of Bihar.

"Rajdeo Ranjan was fired on from a point-blank range last night," a police official said. "Though he was immediately rushed to a nearest hospital but doctors there declared him brought dead."

Reports said Ranjan, a senior journalist was returning home from the office, when attackers shot him in head and neck.

Police in Bihar have detained two persons in connection with killing of journalist.

"CCTV footage and other evidences have been collected by forensic team from place of incidence," a senior police official at Siwan district said. "The motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained.

Earlier on Thursday night, unidentified gunmen killed another journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh working with a local television channel in a similar attack in Chatra district, about 150 km northwest of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

"The 35-year-old Akhilesh Pratap Singh working with a local news channel was gunned down near the panchayat secretariat of his village," an official posted in Ranchi said.

The killings has evoked strong condemnations. The Press Club of India has expressed "serious concern" at the brutal murders and said they were "part of attempts on part the mafia to muzzle the independent voice of the media".

India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley also condemned the killings.

"I strongly condemn murder of journalists, Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan and Akhilesh Pratap Singh in Chatra district," Jaitley wrote on twitter.

Police, so far, is clueless about the killings.

Last year nine journalists were killed in India, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based media watchdog said five of them were killed in the course of their work, while as the reason behind killing of remaining four remained unclear.

India figures at rank 133 on the World Press Freedom Index for 2016, released by Reporters Without Borders for 180 countries.

India is becoming a "more dangerous place to practice journalism", says New York based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Traders wait for Chinese online retail giant Alibaba's stock to go live on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Sept 19, 2014. In 2015, Gucci and other brands owned by Paris-based Kering SA filed a suit in New York against Alibaba.[Photo/Agencies]

E-commerce giant Alibaba has pledged to stop fakes appearing on its online platforms after being suspended as a member of an international anti-counterfeiting group.

Alibaba Group Holding's membership was suspended by the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition on Friday.

The suspension came only about a month after the company became the first e-commerce member of the nonprofit global organization that fights counterfeit products and piracy.

The coalition announced the suspension after questions were raised about conflicts of interest involving the organization's president and complaints from some members, who view Alibaba as a haven for cheap counterfeits.

Alibaba said on Sunday the suspension will not affect its relations and cooperation with the coalition. "As the world's largest e-commerce platform, Alibaba is an integral part of the solution to solving the worldwide issue of counterfeiting," the company said.

"We will continue to discuss and communicate with more brands in the IACC  expedite the process to remove products identified as fakes and protect the interest of brands, no matter big or small," it said.

The coalition has more than 250 member companies, including leading brands such as Apple and Rolex.

According to people familiar with the matter, the suspension is likely to lead to Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma calling off his plan to deliver a keynote speech at the coalition's annual spring conference in Orlando, Florida, from Wednesday to Friday.

The suspension comes as Alibaba is transitioning from a platform attracting buyers with cheap goods to providing good quality, genuine brands. Membership in the coalition is the type of endorsement the company is looking for to back this transition.

Tian Hou, an analyst at TH Capital in Beijing, said Alibaba is keen to seek global recognition in line with its status as the world's largest online retailer. "It is willing to clean house, but all transitions and upgrading require time," Tian said.

The coalition memberships of two US e-commerce sites, Wish.com and The RealReal, have also been put on hold.
BEIJING - Chinese police have dismantled a pyramid scheme involving more than 5,800 victims from 28 provinces and millions of yuan, said the Ministry of Public Security on Friday.

"Wantong Qiji," which became "Global Unity," was run by World Capital Market Inc (WCM). It claimed to sell third-party cloud computing services, according to the ministry statement.

The company promised investors returns of 60 percent to 80 percent in 100 days.

According to Xie, a businessman from south China's Guangdong Province, he was asked to pay 1,999 U.S. dollars for company membership and would be rewarded with at least 32 digital assets, each worth one dollar, every day. He was told he could cash half of them in and spend the rest on the company's shopping website.

From March 2013 when the scheme started to August 2014, about 5,000 people like Xie invested. With the increase in membership and more "assets" being cashed in, the company shifted to other strategies, such as increasing cashing fees and making excuses like upgrading servers to delay payment. It also encouraged investors to trade their digital assets among themselves.

In 2015, the company set up a string of new companies and persuaded investors to convert their digital asset to shares in the new companies. Eventually, most investors did not receive any return and many lost their original investment.

The scheme was run from Beijing by a small ring led by WCM president surnamed Xu. They posed as high-profile investment bankers and venture capitalists. To impress investors, they organized trips for them to Hong Kong and Dubai.

Last June and August, police received alerts from the People's Bank of China and the Guangdong branch of China Securities Regulatory Commission that the company and its owners were not qualified to conduct public financing, which led to the criminal investigation.

Despite a slick public profile, the company did not invest any money from investors in any projects, nor could the capital it held have sustained the stated returns, the ministry statement said.

Xu is now in custody.

China has seen a fast increase of illegal financing, from 2,000 cases a few years ago to 10,000 cases last year. In the first quarter of this year, police opened investigations into about 2,300 cases, including online peer-to-peer broker Ezubao, which cheated about 900,000 investors out of more than 50 billion yuan (7.6 billion U.S. dollars).

The Internet has made such schemes harder to detect and easier to operate, the ministry said. An increasing number of cases involve foreign suspects and websites or servers registered abroad.

Police will launch special operations against these new types of illegal financing and work to close loopholes in the legal system, said Liu Lujun, a senior officer with the ministry.
An undated file photo shows China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning. [Photo for chinadaily.com.cn]

Defense Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun on Saturday expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to a Pentagon report that he said has misrepresented China's military development.

In an annual report on China's military activities, the US Defense Department hyped up "China's military threat" and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said, adding that the US side has always been suspicious.

Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region. Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the United States pushed forward the militarization in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.

He said China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief.

The US annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.
An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103 heading to the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in south China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

For quite a long period of time after World War II, no country had challenged China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and related rights in the South China Sea, long recognized by the international community, a senior Chinese diplomat said in an article.

The article, co-authored by Fu Ying, chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress of China, and Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute of the South China Sea, reviews the chain of events leading to the escalation of tensions in the South China Sea.

It combs the historical facts date back to ancient times that the sovereignty right of South China Sea islands belongs to China and has been recognised by the international community for a long time.

"This area in question was initially discovered and named by China as the Nansha Islands, over which China was the first to exercise sovereignty and that exercise has been ongoing," it said.

"Before the 1930s, there was no dispute over China's ownership of them, as reflected in many maps and encyclopedias published around the world."

It said the Cairo Declaration of November 1943, signed by the heads of the governments of China, the United States and the United Kingdom, proclaimed that "...Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China."

In 1947, the Ministry of the Interior of China's Nationalist government renamed a total of 159 islands, islets and sandbanks, including those of the Nansha Islands, historically under China's jurisdiction in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the Nationalist government officially published a chart of its territorial waters that China had owned in the South China Sea demarcated by an eleven-dash line, the article noted.

"For a long time afterwards, the United States made no objections whatsoever. Given it being a long-term ally of Taiwan and its heavy presence in postwar Asia, the US had every reason to be aware of the existence of the chart. Obviously, China's position was recognized and acknowledged," it stressed.
An orphan's hand is held by an adult in Ruzhou, Henan province on Dec 20, 2015. [Photo/IC]

CHONGQING - Li Chenghong, 52, has four children to raise, but none of them are members of her family.

Recruited by a children's home in Chongqing, Li has spent six years raising four children, aged between 3 and 14 years old.

Her "sons and daughters" all have some disability. Before being put in the care of Li and her husband, all lived in the orphanage.

Six years ago, Li saw an ad on TV and applied to be a foster parent. Now she and her husband Zhou Huagang, 53, live in a four-bedroom apartment at the home and receive 2,000 yuan every month for caring for the children. The couple pay most of the children's expenses out of their own pockets.

"When I first came here, I had so many difficulties. I lost 10 kilograms of weight in the first month," Li said. Her own daughter is a nurse in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, but Li herself had no experience with disabled children.

China's national day for disabled people on May 15 is an opportunity for child-care institutions to show how these quasi-families have succeeded where conventional care often fails.

Chongqing was among the first to make use of foster parents and in the last nine years, more than 20 couples have worked with about 100 children.

To become a foster parent, you must be older than 35 years old, with grown-up birth children who no longer need support. The "mother" must be a full-time housewife and if the father has a job, he must return home every day. If he needs it, the father will be given a job in the orphanage.

"We want the children to feel closeness, continual care and the integrity of a family," said Li Pengmei, director of the home.

Families are carefully watched by the institutions because they live on site, said Li Pengmei.

Luo Jiaojiang, director of the social development institute at Wuhan University, described how finding full time parents could create a loving and stable family unit for the children. "Surrounded by caring adults, children have a better chance of emotionally healthy lives," she said.

China has more than half a million orphans and disabled children institutionalized for one reason or another in the care of almost 900 approved organizations. Of the 500 children living at the Chongqing home where Li Chenghong works, around 90 percent have severe disabilities. Those who live with foster parents are generally the least severe cases.

"Caring for a child with severe disability requires more manpower and more money," said Zhou Huagang, the foster father.

"We are always looking for more couples willing to help us," said Li Pengmei.

"These foster parents really deserve so much credit. The salary we pay them is quite thin considering the work involved. They come to help mainly out of a kind heart," she added.
High school students in Chongzhou, Sichuan province, participate in an earthquake drill on Thursday. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An alarm sounded at 2:28 pm on Thursday at Chongzhou High School in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Teachers told students to take shelter under their desks and cover their heads with their books or hands.

Within seconds, everyone was ordered outside to an evacuation point in the school playground.

This was not a real disaster, it was a drill held to mark the eighth anniversary of the deadly Wenchuan earthquake, which left 6,9226 dead and 17,923 reported missing.

Zhao Weidong, executive mayor of Chongzhou who was in charge of the drill, said such practice runs had been carried out all over Sichuan in advance of the anniversary, some using the earthquake early warning system.

At 2:28 pm on Monday, schools in Wenchuan and Beichuan counties and the provincial capital of Chengdu reacted to a simulated magnitude 8.0 quake.

The warning system sent information to the schools telling them when seismic waves were due to arrive.

"The seismic waves from the simulated quake were expected to arrive at our school after 17 seconds. The alarm from the system gave students time to escape to safety," said Gao Jian, headmaster of the Century Road South School in Chengdu.

His school had the earthquake early warning system installed two years ago. Since then, it has practiced regular earthquake drills in order to prepare students for the real thing in future, Gao said.

The real-time system sounds within seconds of a quake and can save lives when the tremors are magnitude 6.0 or higher because the warnings, transmitted via radio waves, travel faster than seismic waves.

"Radio waves travel at 300,000 kilometers per second, while seismic waves travel at 3 to 6 km per second. People who live in nearby areas may escape before the seismic waves arrive," said Chen Huizhong, a research fellow with the China Earthquake Administration's Institute of Geophysics.

China only started attaching importance to earthquake early warning systems after the Wenchuan earthquake. Japan and Mexico started much earlier, Chen said.

The country's early warning system now covers 30 provinces and has also been installed in Nepal to cover one-third of its geographic territory and half the population, according to Wang Tun, the creator of the system.

"Now, Nepal is the fourth country in the world to have an earthquake early warning system after Mexico, Japan and China," he said.
SHENZHEN - Shenzhen police said on Sunday that they have arrested five members of a gang selling Hong Kong identity cards in Shenzhen city, Guangdong province and Hong Kong.

According to an initial investigation, the identity cards sold by the gang were used in crimes related to credit cards, money laundering, telecom fraud and illegal business.

The police seized 815 ID cards. Two of those detained are from Hong Kong and three from Guangdong.

Investigation showed the chief of the gang Hong Kong resident Guo, 56, has a previous criminal record for fake IDs and fraud. The other suspect from Hong Kong has a record for drug-dealing, theft, gambling and other crimes.

Further investigation is underway.
Actress Zhou Xun (R) asks Chengdu Research Base chief Zhang Zhihe some basic information about pandas in Sichuan May 15, 2016.[Photo provided by sina.com]

Chinese actress Zhou Xun traveled to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province on Sunday. The actress met with her newest fellow United Nations Development Program Ambassadors, two male pandas.

Zhou, who is the UNDP China National Goodwill Ambassador, fed the two eight-month old twin pandas bamboo shoots in a panda nursery and asked base chief Zhang Zhihe some basic information about pandas.

"The two pandas were chosen as the UNDP Animal Ambassadors for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in January. And Zhou Xun lent her support to the UNDP Global Panda Naming Campaign and Search for Panda Champions for the Global Goals," said Li Jie, an information officer at the base.

In January, UNDP launched the Global Panda Campaign to name the two pandas and search for 17 Panda Champions for the Global Goals as an innovative approach to engaging the public on the SDG.

"People worldwide can visit pandas in 25 designated zoos in 17 countries and make a video clip in which both they and pandas can be seen. After the clip is uploaded to the website - www.sdgpanda.org - they can participate in the selection of the 17 Panda Champions for the Global Goals. The winner will be announced in July," Li said.
GUANGZHOU - South China's Guangdong province reported a new Zika case Sunday, bringing the total number of imported infections in the province to 12.

A 37-year-old male, a Chinese citizen residing in Venezuela, developed a skin rash and a fever after returning to Enping city on April 28 and tested positive for the virus Saturday, the health and family planning commission of Guangdong said.

He is currently isolated in hospital and receiving treatment.

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency in February amid a Zika outbreak in Central and South America. China has also been on alert as the warming weather may facilitate the spread of the mosquito-borne virus.

Symptoms of Zika include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain.
NANNING - A high-speed train left impoverished Sanjiang county in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sunday and three hours late arrived in Guangzhou, 400 kilometers away.

Sunday witnessed China's biggest railway expansion for ten years with nearly new 300 pairs of trains.

Most of the new trains link small cities in Central and West China with metropolises and hopes are high that better connectivity means increased prosperity.

Wu Yunsong, Party chief of Pingyan village in Sanjiang expects to see visitors from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

In fact, the county has benefitted since 2014 from a high-speed train service between Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, and Guangzhou via Sanjiang.

"The train brings more than 2,000 visitors to Sanjiang each day," Wu said. "About 60 percent of villagers are profiting from tourism, at least 100 yuan (about $15.3) a day."

Better transportation has also helped farmers. A cargo service has brought fruit and vegetables from Guangxi directly to Beijing since the end of 2013.

In the last five years, about 1.85 trillion yuan was spent on railways in central and western areas, with about 23,000 kilometers of new lines opened. Last year, 9,531 kilometers of new lines went into operation at a cost of 824 billion yuan (about $127 billion).

China plans to spend 3.5 trillion yuan in the next five years on more than 30,000 kilometers of new track, with central and western parts key to the plan.
WUHAN - China will increase the number of hospitals conducting organ transplants to 300 in the next five years, said medical expert Huang Jiefu, on Sunday.

According to Huang, the number of donation coordinators, whose job is to convince relatives of potential donors and help with the entire process of donation, will double in the same period.

Currently organ transplants are performed in only 169 hospitals, said Huang, head of a national organ donation and transplant committee and former vice health minister, at a forum in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province.

China now has the most registered organ donors in Asia and the second highest number globally. Each year, about 300,000 patients need transplants but last year only 2,766 people donated major organs after death, almost double the number in 2014, and 10,057 transplants were performed.

On January 1, 2015, China banned the harvesting of organs from prisoners.
China is to increase the number of organ transplant hospitals from 169 to about 300 by 2020, according to the chairman of the National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee.

Huang Jiefu said the increase will enable the nation to become the world leader in terms of the number of lifesaving procedures performed.

Huang, the former deputy minister of health, was speaking on Sunday at an annual awareness-raising event held by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Red Cross Society of China in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

In 2010, the two organizations set up China's public organ donation system in an attempt to end long-term dependence on death row inmates as major organ donors for transplants.

By February, 6,238 Chinese citizens had donated organs after death, saving 16,827 patients, according to the Red Cross.

"China has achieved a transition from relying on executed prisoners as a major source of organ donations," Huang said. "To improve access to the procedure, we're opening more transplant centers, and will have about 300 by 2020."

China currently has 169 organ transplant centers, performing about 10,000 surgeries annually. However, there are 30,000 patients awaiting transplants each year.

In contrast, the United States has more than 300 transplant centers, performing the most transplants worldwide.

Ye Qifa, director of the transplant center at Central South University in Wuhan, said Chinese organ transplant surgeons are highly capable but in short supply.

Huang said more surgeons are being trained, and with increasing organ donation awareness, "we'll open more centers to save more lives".

The number of organ donations will be made public on the website of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation.

"Fairness and transparency are crucial to encouraging and sustaining public organ donations," Huang said.

But he also said cost is a major barrier for people wanting access to transplants. As a result, the health authority is carrying out research to initially cover kidney transplants under health insurance.

He said that in China a kidney transplant costs more than 300,000 yuan (about $46,000) and a liver transplant about 630,000 yuan.
Lyu Yajun works on an embroidery product to be shipped to Taiwan in Fenglingtou, a township in Shangrao county, Jiangxi province, in March. ZHUO ZHONGWEI/ FOR CHINA DAILY

As Taiwan's new leader prepares for her inauguration, business people look for relations with the mainland to remain on an even keel

Editor's note: China Daily is publishing a series of reports on cross-Straits relations ahead of the inauguration of Taiwan's new leader. The reports are jointly compiled with the Taipei-based China Post. The first, by China Daily reporters An Baijie and Hu Meidong and China Post reporter John Liu, looks at how business people are viewing the joint ties.

As Friday, inauguration day for Taiwan's new leader, approaches, businesspeople across the Straits are concerned about uncertainties brought by the political change in Taiwan.

They have urged the new government, led by Democratic Progressive Party politician Tsai Ing-wen, not to destroy the good basis for peaceful development built up over past years.

They also say that people on both sides of the Straits should not suffer from political confrontation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Taiwan investor Nien Shun-jung said he is confident about his business on the mainland even though Tsai's inauguration could bring uncertainties to cross-Straits relations.

Nien, 38, CEO of Crown Wei Pingtan Trading Co, runs a gift shop named Taiwan Gege at the Aoqian township duty free market in Pingtan, Fujian province, the closest place on the mainland to Taiwan. The shop opened three months ago and all goods sold there are imported from Taiwan and are exempt from customs duty.

"I don't care who Taiwan's ruling political party is because it's none of my business. No matter who the top leader of Taiwan is, he or she will not turn a blind eye to the mainland's huge market," he said.

"The mainland's supportive policies have made Pingtan an ideal place for Taiwan's ambitious younger people and experienced middle-aged businesspeople like me to look to for our future," he said.

An exhibitor from Taiwan makes tea for visitors during a cross-Straits expo in Wuyishan, Fujian province. Zhang Guojun / Xinhua

Last year, cross-Straits trade volume reached $188.56 billion, and about 40 percent of tourists visiting Taiwan came from the mainland, which is also the island's largest investment source and its prime export destination.

Reflecting the advanced development in exchanges across the Straits, nearly 100,000 Taiwan companies have set up operations on the mainland, while last year alone, 9 million people traveled across the Straits in various capacities.

Tsai is replacing Ma Ying-jeou, from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang, as Taiwan's top leader. She has said that once she takes office, she will expand the island's export markets to Southeast Asia and attract more tourists from countries in that region.

But mainland-based Taiwan businesspeople say the challenge lies in the fact that change won't happen that soon.

Steve Lai, executive director of the Supply Management Institute in Taiwan, said: "From what we've heard ... transformation can't happen that quickly. Until major changes to the island's export trends occur, Taiwan dearly needs the mainland market."

With observers waiting to hear Tsai's comments on cross-Straits relations in her inauguration speech, Taiwan businesspeople said her main challenge is to find the "political language" that can please Beijing.

Beijing has called repeatedly for Taipei to continue peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, adding that it must accept the 1992 Consensus  that the mainland and Taiwan belong to "one China".

On May 5, People's Daily said in an editorial that if Tsai refuses to accept the 1992 Consensus, this will be considered an act that jeopardizes cross-Straits relations. The editorial, which set an unprecedentedly serious tone, has been viewed as a warning from Beijing toward Taiwan's new government.

During the annual session of China's top legislature in March, President Xi Jinping told lawmakers that the mainland's policy toward Taiwan is clear and consistent, and it will not change with Taiwan's political situation.

Ni Yongjie, deputy director of Shanghai's Taiwan Research Institute, said the mainland has sent a strong signal to Taiwan authorities that accepting the 1992 Consensus is the premise for further developing cross-Straits relations.

Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in March that cross-Straits relations could be affected by unknown factors. He urged Tsai to clarify her understanding of these ties.

But observers said that Tsai and the DPP appear to prefer political ambiguity in an attempt to maintain the status quo in cross-Straits ties.

Lai said, "From what I understand, Beijing doesn't allow such ambiguity." As a result, cross-Straits relations are now "stuck'' and it will take great wisdom from both sides to resolve the issue. If not, there are likely to be consequences for the economies on both sides of the Straits, and "this may be particularly hurtful to Taiwan," Lai said.

There are measures Beijing can take to punish Taiwan  for example, by squeezing the flow of mainland tourists to the island, he said.

Hopefully, both governments won't jeopardize the momentum built up over the years and will adopt pragmatic approaches that benefit both economies, he said.

Tension may hurt Taiwan

Justin Mo, 25, who owns the Sanyou Duty Free Shop in Pingtan, said Beijing and Taipei should not quarrel or fight, as business development needs a stable environment.

Taiwan's political parties should not play cross-Straits relations "as a card" to cater to a small group of people, as this could harm the island's economy, he said.

Ho Hsi-hao, chairman of the Taiwan Business Association in Zhangzhou, Fujian, said Tsai has promised to maintain the status quo.

"We hope that she won't worsen cross-Straits relations, as this will not be in Taiwan's interests," Ho said.

Although Tsai won the election in January, her support came mainly from her core constituency. If she keeps cross-Straits relations on good terms, Taiwan merchants will support her re-election. If not, "we will be forced to go back and oppose her", Ho said.

Asked how Taiwan businesses on the mainland may be jeopardized by any tension that arises after Tsai takes office, Ho said the impact will be limited.

Taiwan and its residents will bear the brunt of any tension, he said, citing the recent decline in mainland tourists visiting the island as an example. "The mainland is still an important market," he added.

Chiang Pin-kung, former chairman of the Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation, advised the new government to maintain social harmony for both sides. It should sign the cross-Straits pact on trade in goods as soon as possible, he added.

Nien, the Taiwan businessman who worked on the mainland from 1999 to 2010, said there might be uncertainties arising from the island's political transition, but the direction of peaceful development will not be changed.

He has moved his family  including his son who is in primary school and his daughter who is in kindergarten  from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Pingtan. Nien believes it is the right choice for his family to invest and live on the mainland.

"I have made up my mind to strive for my future on the mainland for at least another 10 years," he said.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.
Chinese students take part in the first examination of the national college entrance exam, also known as gaokao, at a school in Guiyang city, southwest China's Guizhou province, on June 7, 2014. [Photo/IC]

After they learned on the weekend that 38,000 places from Jiangsu's quota for university enrollment will be given to high school graduates from provinces or regions with meager education resources, the anger some people in East China's Jiangsu province have expressed is understandable, as they worry it will mean their own kids will have less chance of getting enrolled in good universities.

Despite the promises from both the local and central education authorities that the enrollment rate for local students by universities will not drop this year, more needs to be done to convince local residents that the authorities are serious about what they say.

The move to give more university places to students from provinces or regions with fewer institutes of higher learning is a bid by the central government to promote education equality by getting all provinces and regions to more equally share educational resources.

Nevertheless, there can never be too much caution in designing and putting into practice such a measure.

Of all the concerns that need to be taken into consideration, the primary one is that the interests of local residents should be well balanced.

It is also important for the decision-making process to be transparent. Local people need to be kept well informed about how their chances of sharing good education resources will be affected by the adjustment in quotas.

Now people in Jiangsu believe that their cheese has been moved without their knowledge. Thanks to the lack of transparency about the move, they have enough reason to believe that their own interests are being infringed on.

Reforms concerning the enrollment of college students are no small matter, as they involve the interests of all families who hope their children will go to college. Education equality should not be achieved by the shifting of educational resources in favor of the some regions at the cost of those in the other ones. There should be wiser ways to achieve the goal.

--China Daily
Yutaka Yokoi,Japanese ambassador to China.

The previous Japanese ambassador to China, Masato Kitera, assumed office in December 2012 amid what he called "a dry and cold wind like that of the Beijing winter blowing between the two countries".

Yutaka Yokoi took over the ambassadorship on Sunday when, in Kitera's words, "the warm sunshine of spring" is beginning to take hold.

Indeed.

The foreign minister of Japan just paid an official visit to Beijing, the first after a four-year-and-a-half hiatus.

Negotiations on higher-level contacts are reportedly underway.

There appears to be an unannounced consensus that China-Japan relations have sailed past their most difficult time in decades and are on the mend, albeit slowly.

It is thus understandable that well-wishers in both countries will place more expectations on the shoulders of the new diplomatic envoy. Especially since Yutaka has the reputation of being a seasoned "China hand".

Counting his time in Beijing learning Chinese, Yutaka has lived for more than 15 years in China, and, in his own words, "witnessed the entire process of China's reform and opening-up". He has thereby developed broad personal connections with Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly.

Yutaka's appointment is certainly a welcome choice. His experience in and with China should prove conducive to better managing the fragile and volatile relations.

But it is too early to speak of "warmth" in the China-Japan relationship. Distrust runs deep since Tokyo's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands. And it's ongoing attempts to meddle in the South China Sea are making things worse.

While the prospects of a serious meeting between the leaders of the two countries remain slim, there is little an ambassador can do to make a substantial difference.

Yet that in no way diminishes the value of Yutaka's presence. On the contrary, his special profile and expertise is a precious asset for handling the tricky relations at such a sensitive juncture.

The Japanese foreign minister's latest visit was the outcome of a shared feeling that the damaged ties should no longer be left unattended and allowed to further deteriorate. But it will take strenuous confidence-building efforts to get genuine improvement.

Yutaka has a particular advantage when it comes to what is badly needed for the ties. Besides communicating vital messages more accurately and efficiently to and from Beijing, he is now in a better position to promote what he identified as critical in salvaging the strained tiesfacilitating people-to-people exchanges.
Chinese visitors arriving at Helsinki Airport grew by 50 percent last year compared with the previous year, Finland's state-owned civil aviation company Finavia said on Friday.

About 300,000 Chinese passengers visited Helsinki Airport in 2015. The number surpassed the amount of Russian passengers for the first time. More than half of the Chinese passengers were first-time visitors.

As a result of Russian economic downturn and the ruble devaluation, the number of Russian travelers dropped from 400,000 in 2014 to 280,000 in 2015.

Finavia said Helsinki Airport had a total of 16.4 million passengers in 2015, of which 3.6 percent were Chinese. Chinese passengers were now the fourth biggest foreign group at the airport, following Swedes, Germans and Brits.

In April, Finavia reported that travelers from China were the biggest spenders, who spent a total of 16.6 million euros ($18.77 million) at Helsinki Airport in 2015, followed by Russians and Koreans.

Helsinki Airport is the main international airport of Finland. Measured by the amount of connections to Asia, the airport is the fifth biggest one in Europe.

There are currently 17 Finnair flights directly to Asia. Among the Asian destinations, six are in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Xi'an and Guangzhou.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault as they meet in Jerusalem, May 15, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Sunday that his country still opposes Paris's efforts to revive the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The initiative, to convene an international peace conference to reignite the negotiations, was endorsed by the Palestinians and instantaneously rejected by Israel.

As part of France's bid to push forward with the initiative, Ayrault met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, he is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

In the meeting, Netanyahu reiterated Israel's opposition to the bid. "I told him that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions," he said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting.

"Our experience with history shows that only this way did we achieve peace with Egypt and Jordan, and that any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict which is non-recognition of the State of Israel," he said.

Netanyahu also slammed Paris's support for a recent resolution by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem, which didn't acknowledge the Jewish links to the site.

He told the French minister that the France-supported resolution "casts a shadow on the fairness" of the peace bid.

"(Ayrault) told me that this decision stemmed from a misunderstanding and that he would personally see to it that it does not recur," Netanyahu said.

Ayrault was echoing Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who backtracked on the decision on Wednesday, telling the parliament it was "clumsy" and "unfortunate."

The April 15 resolution by the Paris-based UNESCO referred to the hilltop site in "occupied Palestine" and to Israel as the "occupying power."

It made no reference to the Jewish history of the site, which Jews revere as the place of their historic temples, that last of which was ruined by the Romans in 70 AD. Today, the compound is holy to both Muslims, who know it as Haram al-Sharif (or "The Noble Sanctuary") and to Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount.
(Photo : Getty Images) A Buddhist monk was found hacked to death at a monastery in south east Bangladesh on Saturday morning.

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A Buddhist monk was found hacked to death at a monastery in south east Bangladesh on Saturday morning.



The 70-five year-old monk, identified as Mong Shwe U Chak, was chief of a monastery located in the hilly district of Bandarban.



Police said the monk was found dead with slit throat inside the Buddhist temple. They said Chak was murdered Friday night and his dead body was discovered early Saturday morning.



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"He was hacked to death," a local leader Ounthwai Chand confirmed, according to a Prothom Alo report.



The police have revealed that an investigation has been launched into the matter. Meanwhile, the police are yet to determise the identity of the killers as well as motive behind the murder.



"This monk killing is the first of its kind in the hilly district. We are investigating to unearth the reason behind the murder and the killers will be brought to justice after the move," district police chief Mizanur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune.



The murder of the Buddhist monk is the latest in a series of murders of bloggers, writers, liberals and Christians in Bangladesh.



A minority Muslim leader and preacher was murdered by machete-wielding assailants in the northwest part of the country last week.



In a similar attack, the publisher of Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine Xulhaz Mannan was hacked to death in the last week of April month.



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TagsBangladesh, Buddhist Monk, Monastery, Murder
(Photo : Getty Images) China has set aside over 4 trillion yuan to improve the country's infrastructures.

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The Chinese government has allocated 4.7 trillion yuan ($723.8 billion) to aggressively improve the country's infrastructure within three years.



The plan is aimed at developing China's transportation network including the rapid transit network, basic traffic network and urban transit network, according to China Daily. Under the plan, up to 300 railway, highway, airport, and waterway projects will be commissioned. Of which, 131 are expected to be completed this year, 92 in 2017, and 80 by 2018.



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China also plans to allocate two trillion yuan to push 86 railway projects, as well as build and repair nearly 20,000 kilometers of railway. A separate 580 billion yuan budget will be invested to promote 54 highways, 460 billion to develop 50 airports, and 460 billion for ten waterway projects.



China will additionally provide 1.6 trillion yuan to support over 100 urban rail transit projects and establish some 2,000 kilometers of new lines.



The plan, which was jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transport, will take advantage of reforms designed to stop the country's economic slowdown.



Earlier this month, China's economy posted a positive increase in the first quarter. The upward trend was due to the abundant capital flow to infrastructure projects and real estate development. Investment reached over 1.5 trillion yuan ($235 billion), up by nearly 20 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.



Furthermore, new projects are sprouting in almost all parts of China, with total planned investment up by nearly 40 percent year-on-year between January and March, the fastest so far since 2012.



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Tagschina, infrastructure, railway, transit system, economic slowdown
(Photo : Getty Images) China has accused the US of failing to implement a WTO ruling against unfair tariffs on Chinese products.

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China on Friday accused the United States of not following the recent World Trade Organization's (WTO) ruling against unfair tariff on a range of imported Chinese products.



"By disregarding the WTO rules and rulings, the United States has severely impaired the integrity of WTO rules and the interests of Chinese industries," China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a statement. The statement was released and distributed by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.



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In response, a US Trade Representative spokesman said America is "working diligently to comply with the recommendations" and intends to fulfill its WTO obligation.



The tariff case dates back to 2012, when Beijing appealed the WTO to order the US to end the imposition of duties on 15 diverse products from China including thermal paper, steel sinks, and solar panel. China described these tariffs as 'highly unfair.'



The WTO's Appellate Body delivered the judgment in December, 2014. The court's ruling upheld China's claim that the products subjected to tariffs did not benefit any public body or favor any particular manufacturer.



The implementation of WTO's Appellate Body ruling was to be done by 1 April, 2016, according to WTO records.



Trade tensions between the US and China have been on a rise in the past couple of months. Last month, America's leading steel manufacturer US Steel Corp filed a trade complaint against Chinese steel imports.



US Steel Corp, in its complaint, accused China of indulging in serious trade malpractices such as fixing prices, and stealing trade secrets.



Earlier this year, China's leading telecommunication company ZTE Corp was penalized by the US State Department for violating Washington's export control on Iran.



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Tagschina, China and US, WTO, China and WTO
(Photo : Reuters) Chinas Tsinghua Holdings Co. has invested in Marvell Technology.

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China's Tsinghua Holdings Co. has revealed that it has acquired an unspecified stake in Silicon Valley's chip maker Marvell Technology. The revelation was made in a filing with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on May 6.



The state-owned limited liability corporation, however, failed to file a disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Filing with the SEC is required if a company is buying over five percent of a publicly traded U.S. firm.



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A representative of the Chinese firm refused to comment on the issue, while a spokesman for Marvell Technology claimed he has no idea of Tsinghua's investment size.



"As far as we are concerned, they are a shareholder for investment purposes," the Marvell Technology representative said.



Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on Monday that both companies have already received federal approval for the unspecified transaction.



The most recent filing highlights the interest of Chinese investors in the semiconductor industry of the U.S. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has been persuading Chinese firms to go local to minimize dependence on foreign-made chips.



Earlier last month, Marvell Technology fired its husband-and-wife management team Chief Executive Sehat Sutardja and President Weili Dai after an accounting investigation discovered issues with the "tone at the top," such as putting intense pressure on sales and finance personnel to reach the specified targets.



Timothy Arcuri, an analyst affiliated with Cowen & Co., believes that the change of management will allow a part of Marvell to be put up for sale. He, however, expressed uncertainty whether U.S. regulators will approve an all-out or partial Chinese sale.



"This thing is absolutely ripe for China to come in," he said nonetheless.



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TagsTsinghua Holdings, Marvell Technology, Silicon Valley, Chip Maker, Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission
(Photo : Getty Images) A tea parching farmer parches fresh tea leaves in a heated pot on March 9, 2007 in the outskirts of Chongqing Municipality, China.

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The world's oldest tea leaves, which was excavated from an ancient Chinese emperor's tomb, is set to be exhibited in a museum in northwestern China starting Wednesday, May 18, Zhang Yun, the museum's deputy director, said.



The 2,100-year-old tea leaves were discovered by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology while investigating the Han Yang Ling Mausoleum between 1998 and 2005. It will be put on display at the Hanyang Mausoleum Museum in Shaanxi Province's Xi'an.



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The tea leaves, which has been officially recognized by the Guinness World Record as the oldest in the world, was found buried with Emperor Jing (188-141 BC), the father of Emperor Wu. His reign was one of China's most prosperous, according to Xinhua news agency. The area where the leaves were discovered was called Chang'an during the Han Dynasty and marked a starting point of the ancient trade route network called the Silk Road.



The tea mixed with grains was initially discovered in 2005. However, the fossilized leaves was only confirmed as tea in 2015 after archaeologists used microfossil plant analysis techniques to test the samples.



"The analysis results showed that the remains were all dried tea sprouts when they were buried," researcher Yang Wuzhan said. He noted the leaves support theories of ancient Chinese' drinking habits during the Western Han Dynasty (207BCE-9CE) and it will play a significant role in the history of Chinese tea culture.



In ancient China, tea leaves were an important commodity. They served various purposes including being drunk as a beverage, mixed in meals, and even as herbal medicine.



In Chinese culture, mourners are known to bury things with the deceased in the belief their deceased relatives will use the items in the afterlife.



Other keepsakes found in the emperor's tomb include pots, chariots with several horses, and other animals like pigs, cows, dogs, sheep.



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Tagstea culture, tea, Guiness World Record, Han Dynasty
(Photo : Andrew Harrer/Pool/Getty Images) U.S. President Barack Obama (C) speaks as Xi Jinping, China's president (R), and Francois Hollande, France's president (L), listen during a P5+1 multilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit on April 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.

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China is currently looking at its relations with the US while it deals with the issue concerning the South China Sea dispute.



Chinese Chief of the General Staff Fang Fenghui, while talking to US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford in a video conference on Thursday, pointed out that his country is keen about working out an effective mechanism to prevent further tensions to escalate in the disputed islands, according to ABC News.



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The Chinese official further narrated, through a statement posted on the Defense Ministry's website, that China is giving value on the freedom of navigation "more than any other country in the world."



"The common ground and prospects for cooperation between China and the US far exceed our disagreements and contradictions," Fang said while reportedly denying that his country is responsible for the growing tensions relative to the South China Sea dispute.



Accordingly, China would like to "take the big picture of China-US relations" in addressing territorial claims issues over the islands and to limit the risk from further erupting.



The report noted that a "sharp verbal exchange" followed after "a US destroyer's sail-by past China's largest man-made island in a move to exercise freedom of navigation."



In the meantime, China Daily reported that China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations vice president Fu Mengzi stated that both the Chinese government and the US have agreed that maintaining stability in South China Sea is important.



"It is not worth it if relations between the two militaries deteriorate over the South China Sea issue," Fu said, while adding that the American government must take on a "more constructive role" in addressing it.



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TagsSouth China Sea, South China Sea Dispute, US-China relations
(Photo : Getty Images) In a move that shows disapproval for China's position, the U.S. has said that India is ready for NSG membership.

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In a strong rebuttal to China's position that India does not fulfill the criteria for NSG membership, the U.S. on Friday said that India is fully ready for NSG membership. A top Washington official said India meets requirements of missile technology control regime and therefore qualifies for NSG membership.



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"I'd point you back to what the President said during his visit to India in 2015, where he reaffirmed that the U.S. view was that India meets missile technology control regime requirements and is ready for NSG membership," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said.



Kirby's remark on Friday came in response to media reports that China and Pakistan are jointly opposed to India's inclusion into the elite nuclear club.



China defiantly defended the decision to block India's NSG membership just hours before Kirby's remark. Beijing claimed that other NSG members support its view that signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a pre-requisite for inclusion of new members in the NSG.



"All the multilateral non-proliferation export control regimes including the NSG has regarded NPT as an important standard for the expansion of the NSG," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Friday.



India and with three other United Nations members, including its arch-rival Pakistan, are yet to sign NPT - an international treaty that aims to put an end to nuclear proliferation.



India refuses to sign the NTP as it considers the treaty to be very discriminatory in nature. New Delhi also insists that the possession of nuclear weapons is very critical for its national security.



Pakistan too considers nuclear weapons as immensely critical for its national security and hence has refused to sign the NPT. Islamabad has categorically stated that it would support India's NSG membership only if Pakistan is also allowed to join the nuclear club.



However, Islamabad's poor track record in nuclear proliferation is said to be a huge stumbling block to its NSG membership. In 2004, Pakistan's famous nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan publically admitted that he was involved in proliferating nuclear weapons technology to North Korea and Iran.



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TagsIndia and China, china, India and US, NSG, Nuclear Supplier Group, Pakistan
(Photo : Getty Images) China has rejected a Pentagon report on its military activities.

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Beijing has rejected a Pentagon report on its military activities saying that the U.S. Department of Defense 'hyped up' China's military threat in its report.



China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun blasted the Pentagon's 2016 report on 'military and security developments involving the People's Republic of China,' which was presented to Congress on Friday.



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Expressing strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the report, Yang said the report paints a false picture of Beijing' military developments.



"The U.S. Defense Department hyped up China's 'military threat' and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea," the spokesperson said on Saturday, according to Xinhua news agency. "China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."



The annual U.S. report said that China continues to modernize its military. The report also revealed that China's military modernization program entered a new phase in 2015.



"China's investments in military and weaponry operations continue on a path to increase its power projection, anti-access and area denial and operations in cyberspace, space and electromagnetic emerging domains," said Abraham M. Denmark, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.



Denmark, however, made it clear that U.S. approach to China focuses on reducing risk, expanding common ground and maintaining Washington military superiority. He further noted that Washington is encouraging China to be more transparent about its military modernization program.



"As the United States builds a stronger foundation for a military-to-military relationship with China, we will continue to monitor China's evolving military strategy, doctrine, and force development," he said.



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Tagschina, US, Pentagon, Military, Congress
(Photo : NASA) Global surface temperature anomalies in April 2016 compared to 1961-1980 average.

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The latest NASA data showing last April being the hottest month ever recorded only confirms it's going to get hotter and hotter and hotter in the months ahead.



NASA records showed April was the sixth month in a row where the global temperature was over one percent above the 1951-1980 average. April had a temperature anomaly of 1.11 degrees Celsius (1.99 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th century average.



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The trend for 2016 is disturbing: every month since January have been the hottest months in over 130 years of record keeping.



NASA data also shows that in each of the past seven months, the global average surface temperatures have exceeded the 20th century average by more than 1 degree Celsius or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.



The heat records set from January to April ensure that 2016 will set a new record for the warmest year in NASA's database, even if the rest of this year sees somewhat cooler global temperatures.



New data to be released next week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is expected to show the last 12 consecutive months all broke records for rising heat.



These increases around the world mean that within the last year, global temperatures have risen by 25 percent since the 1880s. As a result, sea ice levels are expected to be at an all time low this summer.



Record temperatures are expected to continue from between four to six months after which they might begin to taper off



Seattle reported its April average temperature (high + low divided by 2) at 56.7 degrees, way beyond the old record of 53.6 degrees. And exceeding a monthly temperature record by 3.1 degrees is also a record for Seattle.



Overseas, in Singapore, the Meteorological Service Singapore confirmed April is the warmest April since it began keeping records in 1929. The highest daily maximum temperatures exceeded 34 degrees Centigrade on most days in April.



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TagsNASA, hottest month ever recorded, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, April 2016
(Photo : Harvard Medical School) Geneticist Dr. George Church and some of his work

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Imagine a future Earth where some children are born without both biological parents. Or persons created as physically or intellectually superior by creating their genomes. These are just two of the many consequences that might occur if scientists proceed with their idea to create synthetic human genomes.



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This form of creation was the main topic discussed at what has become a controversial closed door meeting last May 10 at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. Some 150 persons, mostly scientists, attended the hush-hush gathering and were told not to reveal the issues discussed.



What is known is that those present shared ideas about creating synthetic human genomes using chemicals. This new project will involve not reading but writing the human genome. That means artificially synthesizing all three billion chemical letters in the DNA blueprint for human life to control the outcome. In essence, the project proposes to use chemicals to manufacture all the DNA contained in human chromosomes.



It's never been done before and the ethical and legal implications of this technique that's different from gene editing are enormous.



In effect, the project -- if implemented -- would make scientists God.



The project has been given the name "HGP-Write: Testing Large Synthetic Genomes in Cells" by its proponents, one of whom is the famous Dr. George Church, a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. His innovations have contributed to nearly all next generation DNA sequencing methods used today. He's also closely linked to the gene editing technique known as CRISPR.



Those invited to the meeting were told the project's primary goal "would be to synthesize a complete human genome in a cell line within a period of 10 years."



Dr. Church said the meeting was closed to others not because of sinister motives but because the project organizers had submitted a paper to a scientific journal and weren't allowed to discuss the idea publicly before publication.



He also took exception to some of the negative hype that has since latched onto the project such as the creation of designer babies and super soldiers.



Dr. Church said the project isn't aimed at creating people, just cells. The project also won't be restricted to human genomes. The project's aim will be to improve the ability to synthesize DNA in general, which could be applied to animals, plants and microbes.



"They're painting a picture which I don't think represents the project," Dr. Church about the negative reviews received by the meeting. "If that were the project, I'd be running away from it."



The project was initially called HGP2: The Human Genome Synthesis Project, with HGP meaning Human Genome Project.



Experts say synthesizing DNA is very difficult and prone to mistakes even with advanced technologies since existing techniques can only reliably make strands about 200 base pairs long.



These base pairs are the chemical units in DNA and a single gene can be hundreds or thousands of base pairs long. To synthesize one of these base pairs, multiple 200-unit segments have to be spliced together, an enormous task.



Relying on custom-designed base pair series opens to the door to a vast range of possibilities such custom-designed or designer humans, or "quasi-humans" (the term for humans without any parents) if scientists decide to proceed along this minefield.



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Tagssynthetic human genomes, Harvard Medical Schoo, Human genome, DNA, Dr. George Church, CRISPR
(Photo : Getty Images) Satellite image of the Lingshui airfield on the coast of Hainan island in South China Sea. China is expected to build more military and civilian facilities on its newly reclaimed land in the South China Sea to strengthen its territorial claims.

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As a display of its strength and control over the South China Sea, China is expected to build more military facilities such as surveillance systems in the artificial islands it has reclaimed in the disputed waters.



In a span of two years, China had added more than 3,200 acres of reclaimed land to several contested islands, reefs, and features it occupies such as the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly group of islands, the Pentagon said in a report that was submitted to the US Congress on Friday.



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The report said that since China finished its major land reclamation work last year, it is just about ready to construct more military facilities this year including a 9,800 foot-long airstrip that can accommodate advanced military aircraft such as fighter jets.



"Additional substantial infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, is expected to be built on these features in the coming year," the report said



Continuous presence



In the annual report which focused on China's military activities in 2015, the Pentagon also noted that Beijing is likely to use its reclaimed features in the disputed waters to establish a significant presence in the region and to build civil-military bases.



The Pentagon report comes at a time of heightened tensions over maritime claims by China and other neighboring nations over the South China Sea.



Beijing has reiterated that the South China Sea dispute must be resolved bilaterally between China and claimant states. China has repeatedly protested against any third party intervention in the conflict.



Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing the region. But China has lambasted the US' decision to patrol near China-controlled territories in the South China Sea under the guise of the freedom of navigation principle.



Outside intervention



The Pentagon report said China is developing its military capabilities to fight off outside intervention in the impasse, but is careful enough to avoid any confrontation with the US in Asia.



"China demonstrated a willingness to tolerate higher levels of tension in the pursuit of its interests, especially in pursuit of its territorial claims," the report said.



In the same report, the Pentagon accused China of using 'coercive tactics' in the South China Sea to protect its claims.



China is claiming sovereignty over a large portion of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas as well as other resources. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Brunei have competing claims.



Chinese President Xi Jinping has pushed for a diplomatic approach to settle the South China Sea dispute, such as "friendly dialogues" between China and other claimants.



President Xi said the US must stop intervening in the dispute, adding that it is not a party to the conflict and should therefore not meddle in China's affairs.



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TagsScarborough Shoal, spratly islands, military facilities, Washington, china
(Photo : Youtube) Studying the community of micro organisms thriving in our environment is known as a microbiome.

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The U.S. White House released an announcement regarding a new National Microbiome Initiative worth $121 million, which aims to study microscopic organisms that are thriving in the environment including in human bodies, which all adds up to significant health impacts, food security and global climate.



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Prior to this, the U.S. government already invested more than $900 million from 2012 to 2014 for microbiome research and development. Now, another $120 million will be invested for federal funded research on top pf $400 million received from private groups.



For this massive microbiome project, 160 organizations will be actively participating from NASA, the Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project's aim is to not only study the microbiome, but to also pinpoint how this community of microorganisms living amongst us can impact our body weight, and how they help us to basically breathe and live.



According to White House associate director for Science and Technology, Jo Handelsman, this will fully change the future of the microbiome. The government agencies, departments, private organizations and foundations will bring about experts from scientists to researchers to reveal pivotal new information about the environment and our health such as how the marine ecosystem changes after an oil spill, the impacts of climate change and how it brings about more allergies, including the tiny changes that can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, according to White House officials.



According to New York University's director for the Human Microbiome Project, Martin Blaser, microbes touch and affect everything inside the biosphere. This new research can provide a new area of research that can affect the life and health of future generations.



Blaser adds that this micro approach can now finally answer many health and environmental issues that have evaded scientists for a long time, however, this will not happen in one day. He says that this is a scientific frontier, where it is important to develop tools and experimental systems that are all needed for analysis.



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TagsUS, White House, national microbiome initiative, microbiome
(Photo : NASA/Goddard/Conceptual Image Lab) The four Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, spacecraft (shown here in an artist's concept) have now made more than 4,000 trips through the boundaries of Earth's magnetic field, gathering observations of our dynamic space environment.

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Space weather also includes magnetic explosions as NASA satellites were able to detect these new cosmic activities above the surface of Earth, by observing the magnetic field of the planet and common space weather events as well.



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This new discovery can help astronomers to predict space weather with more accuracy as magnetic storms triggered by solar activity can produce destructive impact on Earth such as disrupting telecommunications due to magnetic reconnection, disturbing the planet's network of satellites.



The planet is protected by this magnetic layer in the atmosphere known as the magnetosphere that serves as a shield from dangerous radiation from space. A magnetic reconnection occurs when the Earth's magnetic field and the sun's magnetic field or any magnetic field across space, interacts with each other from different wavelengths.



When these fields run into each other and clash, they get disrupted and scramble back into reconnection resulting in these magnetic explosions. On a micro level, this explosive magnetic reconnection is filled with protons and electrons shooting out in every direction.



Scientists have already observed this interaction before however in this new study, this is the first time that astronomers were able to obtain measurements of these electrons. During observations, electrons were seen shooting in straight lines from its original source beginning at hundreds of miles for every second, in otherwise restricted field boundaries.



When the electrons reach the end of these straight trajectories, they bounce back as a new magnetic connection in the magnetic field.According to author of the study, Jonathan Eastwood of the Imperial College London, there were past theories about electron movement in magnetic reconnection however, this is the first direct evidence of this activity.



NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS), began in March 2015 where observations were obtained between that time until October 2015, when electrons finally achieved a magnetic reconnection when the planet's magnetic field lines were disrupted and clashed with the sun's magnetosphere. Using simulations known as the crescent model, results confirmed that electrons travel a certain distance before it bounces back again.



This new study is published in the journal, Science.



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TagsMagnetic Field, magnetic explosions, space weather, NASA, Magnetosphere, NASA MMS, magnetic reconnection
(Photo : YouTube Screenshot/interesting on the planet) Imagine Disneyland with a focus on Islam and communism. Thats the plan for World Muslim City, a new billion-dollar theme park being built by the Chinese government in a bid to make the world a little smaller.

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China is allocating $4 billion to build an Islam theme park, an effort to establish a Chinese-accepted version of Islam and to improve Sino-Arab ties.



The theme park, which has been dubbed the World Muslim City, will feature a mosque-like Golden Palace equipped with minarets prayer chanting, with street names and signs in Arabic, and light and dance show based on the Chinese version of Aladdin The Thousand and One Nights to be performed by local Hui Muslim dancers.



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Guests will reportedly be asked to remove their shoes before entering the park, and women will be given the freedom to wear or not to wear their traditional clothing. There will also be a gift shop where visitors can buy a traditional outfit.



China's latest project is aimed at capitalizing on the Muslim market and improving Sino-Arab ties despite the fact that Beijing's relationship with its Uighur Muslim minority has been controversial.



The construction of the theme park started in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2020. It will be situated in a small city in Yinchuan in the inland Ningxia autonomous region, which is the home of Hui Muslims who are Mandarin speakers and are ethnically similar to Han Chinese population, according to The Independent.



Quartz reported China will build a 900,000-square foot terminal to cater the possible flock of Arab Tourists. There are also plans to create a direct flight from Amman and Kuala Lumpur.



Despite China's attempt to please the Muslim community, it has received little attention from the Arab world. "So far, Arab visitors have responded to the region's largest and most expensive tourist draw with only tepid enthusiasm," Kyle Haddad-Fonda, a journalist associated with the Foreign Policy wrote.



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Tagschina, Arab, Sino-Arab ties, Muslim, Islam, World Muslim City
(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech ) NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has made measurements of Martian weather for two Mars years, since arriving there in 2012.

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NASA's Mars Curiosity rover reveals the weather and environmental patterns happening on the dusty, Red Planet, as its local atmosphere shows clear skies during the winter, dustier conditions in spring and summer and windy skies during fall.



This week, Curiosity marked its second Martian year exploring the alien world, after landing and exploring the Gale Crater four years ago. One Martian year lasts 687 Earth days, which also means that this is the exact amount of days for Mars to complete its orbit around the sun.



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According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, measurements obtained from the Gale Crater that include temperature, air pressure, ultraviolet light and minute traces of water vapor reveal strong evidence for a repeated weather pattern, indicating changing seasons.



This has been a long time goal of Curiosity's mission, to investigate further the modern atmosphere, weather and climate for a better idea of the planet's weather billions of years ago. During that time, the Gale Crater had lakes, as groundwater would have been ideal habitats for microbes.



Even if Martian surface and terrain are now less hospitable for life, there are still dynamic environmental forces at work, according to NASA scientists. Curiosity obtained temperature measurements ranging from 15.9 degrees Celsius during summer afternoons to negative 100 degrees Celsius on winter nights.



According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada, the weather station of the rover compared measurements obtained every four hours every day, which is total to 34 million measurements so far. This duration is also crucial right now, since this is the second time that seasons are being repeated based on weather patterns.



Mars also possesses seasons like Earth since they both have similar axial tilts, providing them a yearly rhythm of weather patterns, resulting in great difference between day and night temperatures. Even when it gets warmer during the day on the surface of the Gale Crater, temperatures plummet during night to negative 90 degrees Celsius because of Mars' thin and tenuous atmosphere.



The results also show that since Mars has a more elliptical orbit than Earth, this produces extreme seasons especially in the southern hemisphere, affecting Gale Crater which is located near the equator. According to Curiosity team's German Martinez from the University of Michigan, Mars is so dry especially in the Gale Crater that its water vapor content is a thousand to less than 10,000 times on Earth.



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TagsNASA curiosity rover, seasons on mars, mars exploration, Mars, weather patterns on mars
(Photo : Facebook/YI Camera) The original YI Action Camera was launched in 2015 as an alternative to GoPro's entry-level cameras.

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Chinese company Xiaomi Inc. has officially unveiled the YI 4K Action Camera 2 in China, as an updated version of the original model which was launched in 2015. The new action camera is currently available on Gearbest with a price tag of about $249.99.



The YI 4K action camera features a 12 megapixel Sony IMX377 image sensor that enables users to capture 4K video resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). The camera also captures Full HD (1080p) videos at 120fps as well as HD (720) videos at 240fps.



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The sensor comes with a 155 degree wide angle lens and f/2.8 aperture. The device features a 2.19-inch LCD touchscreen with a 330 ppi resolution that's protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass. Inside, the device uses an Ambarella A9 chipset, which is also found on GoPro's Hero 4 Black Edition, and is powered by a 1,400 mAh battery that can last up to two hours of usage time and up to 8 hours when on standby.



Other specs include a six-axis gyroscope with electronic image stabilization feature and support for Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi connectivity, and dual-band 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz. The colors available for the camera are black, white and rose gold. The camera is also available for purchase on other retailers such as Geekbuying.com, however, with more expensive prices.



To compare it with last year's model, the original YI Action Camera came out with a 16 megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p videos at 60fps, 720p videos at 120fps and 480p videos at 240fps, using the Sony Exmore R BSI CMOS sensor. The YI Action Camera was launched as an alternative to GoPro's entry-level Hero action cameras at only $65.



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TagsXiaomi YI 4K Action Camera Specs, Xiaomi Inc., YI Action Camera, Chinese Device News
(Photo : ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images) A Chinese man was tricked into paying more than 50,000 yuan for a simple haircut that only costs 68 yuan.

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A Chinese man was tricked into paying much more than what he expected for a simple haircut in a hair salon in Pudong New Area, Shanghai.



The man, named Yang, went to the Zhenxuan Hair Salon branch located in Yijiang Road in Pudongs Zhangjiang town in February, according to Shanghai Daily. He wanted to get a simple haircut which costs only a mere 68 yuan (about USD $10), but was surprised to pay more than 50,000 yuan (about $7654) in total for all services rendered.



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Yangs barber initially gave him the low-cost trim, but later persuaded the poor customer to try a special South Korean-made hair-care product that costs 368 yuan (about $56.33) per tube. Yang consented, but what he did not know was that the barber would be using a total of 14 tubes, raising the haircuts cost to 5,220 yuan ($799).



Shocked at the high price, Yang asked the barber for an explanation. Instead, the salons chief barber persuaded him to avail of a membership card that will give him discounts. Yang willingly paid another 6,000 yuan ($918) for it, believing that he would be refunded after the salon helps him find another person to take on his membership card.



After a while, Yang went back to get his supposed refund, but was told to pay another 9,000 yuan ($1,377) to pass his membership card to another person.



By March 8, Yang had already paid out a total of more than 50,000 yuan for two membership cards and two scalp-cleaning cards. Realizing that he had been duped, he reported the case to police, Pudong New Area Market Supervision Administration officer Liu Wei said.



We were astonished to hear of a case in which so much money was involved, Liu said.



On March 12, the administration launched an investigation based on the nearly 30 complaints received over the same hair salon. The salon manager, who was on pregnancy leave when Yang was cheated, said several barbers had resorted to cheating customers to feed their addiction to gambling.



Huang Xuezhen, director of the Zhenxuan Hair Salon chains, said that branch of its salon will be fined 30,000 yuan ($4592) for the misdemeanor.



I would like to thank the administration, otherwise I would not know about such scandals, Huang said, assuring customers that [the salon chain] will not dare to do that in future.



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TagsPudong New Area, Zhenxuan Hair Salon, haircut, Trim, scams
(Photo : Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) A stray puppy, now a dog (not pictured), is apparently being used to teach kids at the Chengdu Caotang Primary School how to be responsible and concerned about life.

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Pupils at a school in southwest China recently celebrated the third anniversary of a dog becoming their class pet.



Fifth-grade pupils at Chengdu Caotang Primary School held a party in celebration of the third year since they found a dog named Xile, the Chengdu Business News reported. They found Xile as a little puppy at the time and have been taking care of the pooch ever since.



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Xile, which is Chinese for happiness and joy, was the star of the party, complete with a costume, a cake, and singing. The party was held on Friday.



Teaching Responsibility



A teacher said that the dog looked both very sad and very cute when the pupils found it as a puppy three years ago. And because they found it difficult to drive away, they instead asked the schools authorities if they could be allowed to take care of it.



The schools headmaster, Lan Jihong, said she was thinking about the pupils safety should they be allowed to take the dog into custody. However, she thought of the incident as a possible opportunity to teach the kids a real-life lesson on responsibility. Because of this, she found it hard to reject the pupils request.



But at that time I found I couldnt say no to the pupils because a real education is about an attitude towards life, Lan is quoted as saying, adding that if she had rejected them, I [would have] sent out a message that people can discard life willingly.



After receiving permission, the pupils then raised funds to look after the dog. They built a kennel where the dog could stay while inside the schools premises, and only take it home when storms complete with lightning and thunder frighten it.



According to the class teacher, Xiles presence helps the pupils realize the importance of being responsible and being concerned, adding that even the naughtiest of students soften when they look at the dogs eyes.



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TagsChengdu Caotang Primary School, Xile, Dog, teacher's pet, stray dog
(Photo : YouTube) Samsung Galaxy C7 is currently one of the hottest topics in the tech circle.

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Samsung Galaxy C7 is currently one of the hottest topics in the tech circle as GFXBench revealed a 5.5 inch display smartphone and other exciting specs. Samsung is said to be working on their next Galaxy platform with the upcoming Galaxy C series, but the first to be on the spotlight is Samsung C5 then comes Samsung Galaxy C7.



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There have been several cross-platform databases that released their own speculated features, looks and specs but these are still inconsistent which makes Samsung Galaxy C7 remain as rumored.



GFXBench also revealed that Galaxy C7 will be using the latest Android software, version 6.0 Marshmallow. Camera-wise, C7 is said to have 16MP primary (rear) and 8MP front lenses powered with an octa-core processor clocking at 2.0 GHz Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip. It also has a full HD display with 1920x1080 resolution with 4GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 32GB internal storage. Samsung Galaxy C7 is said to come in a metallic body finish and the price could go around US$205, according to GSM Arena.



Some of the features that were also shown on GFXbench for Samsung Galaxy C7 are typical sensors, NFC functions and microSD support. Although nothing is official about this rumored smartphone, these specs and feature could more or less be what people should expect from the upcoming device. Samsung is yet to neither confirm nor deny all of these rumored specs and features sorrounding Galaxy C7 smartphone.



In addition to the rumors, the South Korean tech giant is said to release C7 within the next few weeks. Nevertheless, Samsung has been known to do multiple launches of smatphones and mobile devices throughout the year, as this is how they do business.



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TagsSamsung Galaxy C7, Samsung Galaxy C5, Samsung, Galaxy C7, Galaxy C7 Specs, Galaxy C7 Release
(Photo : China Photos/Getty Images) A Chinese migrant worker prematurely gave birth to triplets and is now in desperate need of funds for their treatment.

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A Chinese migrant worker is desperately in need of funds to pay for the treatment of her newborn triplets.



The mother, a migrant worker in Shenzhen, gave birth to triplets in a hospital in the middle of April when she was only 29 weeks pregnant, according to the Nanfang Daily. The babies were born underweight at 1,390 grams, 1,080 grams and 650 grams respectively. They are also seriously ill and in need of urgent medical treatment.



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Shortly after birth, the babies were put inside incubators. Doctors attending to the triplets said they had multiple medical problems which include impaired breathing.



Doctors said the babies have a highly probability of survival, after gaining healthier weight levels and reaching a stable condition brought about by a month-long treatment. They now weigh 1,720 grams, 1,350 grams and 920 grams respectively.



Despite the improvements in their health, the triplets still suffer from lung problems and low weight, and have need to stay in intensive care for about a month. They are in need of at least 10,000 yuan (about USD $1,530.77) per day for their hospital treatment in Guangzhou.



The parents are in dire need to raise funds to meet the needs of the triplets. It is estimated that they will have to raise a total of about 300,000 to 500,000 yuan ($45,923 to $76,538) for the medical treatment for a period of up to two years.



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Tagstriplets, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, premature birth, Migrant worker
The 2016 Worldwide Marriage Encounter Conference/Convention to Be Held in Tampa this June Now Open to All Married Couples

TAMPA, Fla., May 15, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- The 2016 Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) Conference/Convention that will be held at the Tampa (FL) Convention Center from June 17 to 19, 2016 is now open to all married couples, it was announced today.

The convention, which will feature Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott and their special marriage program, will have Bishop Bill Skylstad, the North American leadership priest, deliver the keynote address.

Les and Leslies vision for building stronger, life-long marriages is to equip a band of more than a million marriage mentors who walk alongside less experienced couples. Research reveals that marriage mentoring is one of the best things we can do to cut the divorce rate and improve marriages  whether couples are engaged, newly married or married for decades.

The Parrotts have been featured in USA Today and the New York Times. Their television appearances include CNN, The View, The OReilly Factor, The Today Show and Oprah.

Bishop Skylstad is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. He is Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane in Washington retiring in 2010. He is a former President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and he currently serves as the North American Secretariat Ecclesial Team with Gene & Maggie Tokraks.

The WWME North American convention is held every two years and brings together couples who have experienced a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend. This years convention is being opened to married couples who have not been on a WWME weekend so they can see the benefits of going on the regular WWME marriage enrichment experience.

In addition, to the 3 day conference/convention, which includes programs for children and youths, there will also be a Priest Day experience on Friday, June 17th at the Tampa Convention Center. That special program focuses on inspiring and supporting priests who have been part of the WWME weekend. That program will also be open to priests who have not been on the regular WWME weekend experience.

Married couples interested in registering for the conference/convention should go to wwme2016.org and sign up for the very special three day event. Couples can also learn more about WWME by going to wwme.org.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 48 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities. The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at the parish where the couples return to their homes in the evenings. WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other. Priests are also encouraged to attend a WWME weekend, which offers insights into their relationship with the church and their parishioners, and how their Sacrament of Holy Orders interacts with the Sacrament of Matrimony. WWME offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in todays world. To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online, go to wwme.org , or contact the WWME national office at 909-332-7309.
home US Alabama government signs bill banning dismemberment abortion

The governor of Alabama signed a bill that protects unborn children from being torn part by part while inside their mother's womb.

S.B. 363 or the "Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act," signed by Gov. Robert Bentley on May 12, will take effect in August. This means that what was formerly known as "dilation and evacuation" abortion or dismemberment of a fetus will no longer be allowed in the entire state.

"This act would prohibit and punish any individual who performs or attempts to perform a dismemberment abortion unless necessary to prevent serious health risk to the mother of the unborn child," S.B. 363 reads in part.

Dismemberment of a fetus, according to LifeSiteNews, accounts for majority of second-trimester abortions -- around 92 percent. Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino testified in Congress of the procedure done to terminate the pregnancy, saying that the unborn baby is torn limb-from-limb. The larger parts are removed first after which the abortionist reaches in "again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart, and lungs."

"Governor Robert Bentley is to be commended for his action in signing into law the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which will prohibit this barbaric inhumanity in our state," Alabama Citizen for Life National Director Cheryl Ciamarra said in a statement. "We appreciate the exceptional leadership of Senator Phil Williams and Representatives Mack Butler for spearheading the enactment of this landmark lifesaving legislation."

The bill garnered a 72-26 vote in the House of Representatives and a 30-2 vote in the state Senate. Alabama is now the fifth state to adopt this into law, following Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Mississippi. Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, and Nebraska likewise have similar pending legislation.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said, "The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is starting to transform the debate about abortion policy in the United States."
home World British Prime Minister calls Nigeria and Afghanistan 'corrupt'; Archbishop of Canterbury reacts

In a video footage that quickly became viral, British Prime Minister David Cameron was captured describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as "fantastically corrupt countries," prompting the Archbishop of Canterbury to react in defense of the Nigerian president.

The video footage by ITV News that quickly circulated online showed Cameron as saying: "We had a very successful cabinet meeting this morning, talking about our anti-corruption summit. We have got the Nigerians a actually we have got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain. Nigeria and Afghanistan - possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world."

The Queen did not respond to Cameron's statement, but Archbishop Justin Welby reacted in defense of Nigerian President Muhammed Buhari.

"But this particular president is actually not corrupt," Welby said, referring to Buhari.

According to Christian Today, the archbishop possesses credibility when it comes to Nigerian affairs since he has made groundbreaking reconciliation works with armed groups in Africa and the Middle East before being ordained.

The Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 report by the independent anti-corruption group Transparency International ranks Nigeria at 136 while Afghanistan is at 166.

"There is no doubt that historically, Nigeria and Afghanistan have had very high levels of corruption, and that continues to this day," Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International, said in a statement. "But the leaders of those countries have sent strong signals that they want things to change." De Swardt also criticized the U.K. for providing a safe haven for corrupt assets.

Nigerian President Buhari later spoke at an anti-corruption event at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on Wednesday, May 11, saying he agrees with the British prime minister's remarks that Nigeria was "fantastically corrupt." Buhari admitted that he had been "shocked and deeply embarassed" by Cameron's comments, but said he's not interested in an apology from him. Instead, he said he'd rather want the U.K. to return assets stolen by officials who had fled to London.
home Entertainment Caitlyn Jenner rep denies rumors of 'sex change regret'

A spokesperson for Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, has denied that the reality star is feeling "sex change regret." This came after rumors surfaced that she is contemplating reverting back to being a man.

"Of course it's not true," Jenner's representative told Daily News, and it's "not worth commenting on such an idiotic report."

Earlier this week, "Kardashian Dynasty: The Controversial Rise of America's Royal Family" author Ian Halperin said during an interview with The Wrap that, while doing research, sources told him that Jenner had been miserable for months now.

"One source confirmed to me Caitlyn has made whispers of 'sex change regret,' hinting she might go back to being Bruce Jenner," he said. Also, a friend allegedly told him, "It hasn't been easy for Caitlyn, it's been very hard."

Halperin's source claims that while Jenner is "thrilled she has raised awareness about how transgender people have long been discriminated against," she might transition back in the next couple of years (he believes it would be within three years, according to Page Six). Those who know her personally are not expected to be surprised since she is allegedly finding her situation to be more difficult than she anticipated.

"I say Caitlyn is still homophobic, is a believing Christian and my sources say [she] struggles every day with the idea of being gay, which is a sin according to what she believes in," Halperin said, as quoted on Page Six. "She said many times that she is not gay. Again, my sources say it's been so hard on her, there's been so many bouts of fits [and] depression, that they see small signs that point to that fact."

Moreover, a source reportedly told the author that Jenner is still into dating women. However, the former Olympic athlete said in an episode of reality series "I am Cait" that she doesn't see herself doing that anymore.

"I've been there, done that. I've got three very strong ex-wives. I just don't see it," she expressed.

Jenner made waves last year when she revealed to Diane Sawyer on ABC's "20/20" that "for all intents and purposes, I am a woman." She had become a symbol for transgenders, and many had supported her going public on her transition.
home Entertainment Christian rapper Lecrae releases 'Unashamed' memoir

Christian rapper Lecrae opens up about his troubled past in a new book titled "Unashamed."

"I'm hoping my scars will heal other people," Lecrae told the Associated Press. "I'm dealing with my pain and guilt in a healthy way for people to see me navigate. I'm not saying that I have it all figured out. But I am saying that I'm willing to wrestle with it in a productive way."

The memoir talks about the two-time Grammy award-winning artist's experiences, including abuse in childhood, drug use and alcoholism, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Lecrae, according to the book's description, "holds nothing back" -- he shares handwritten excerpts from his personal journal, answers his critics, and reveals sensitive information about his life.

Months before the book's release, the artist had already provided his fans with some teasers, including personal photos that were to be included. He also said in a statement last year that he was writing the book for people who have yet to find out who they are, those "who feel confined by the labels given to them."

"As an artist my ambition is to make honest music, and I feel the same way about writing this book," he said. "I want to be honest about where I've come from and what I've learned along the way. I want to influence culture, to help catalyze and inspire, and help other people find understanding. If they find some inspiration and some clarity for their own lives, as they follow my journey, then I have succeeded."

The 208-page book gives readers a first-person account of the Christian rapper's experiences. Starting from the first chapter, a sample of which is posted on its website, he shares how he had felt ignored and rejected, of fitting in yet not fitting in. He discusses how this raises the question of "what it means to be Christian in a world that assumes Christians are obnoxious. Or irrelevant. Or hypocritical. Or judgmental. Or ignorant. Or bigoted. Or any number of negative adjectives." He also said that it seems God had been preparing him for this all his life.

"If you live for people's acceptance, you'll die from their rejection," the description of the book reads. "This is the story of one man's journey to faith and freedom."

"Unashamed" was published early this month and is available at brick-and-mortar stores and online, including B&N, Amazon, and iBooks. The memoir will reportedly be followed by a brand new album slated to be released later this year.
home World Iraqi Christians blame US government for ISIS invasion, says Chaldean priest

Father Douglas al-Bazi, a Chaldean priest who runs a church and displacement center in Ainkawa, Iraq, has visited the U.S. this week to raise awareness about the plight of Iraqi Christians who he says blame the U.S. government for letting the Islamic State take over their homes and villages during the Iraq invasion in 2014. The priest said the displaced Iraqi Christians think the American government has prioritized finding water on Mars over saving them.

"My people, they [ask why] NASA can find water on Mars but they were not able to find the Islamic State [when] they were just in the middle of desert by hundreds, [with] Toyota cars everywhere," Bazi said during a press conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, May 10.

"[They were] just in the middle of the desert and [the U.S.] was not able to find them by satellite. This is a disappointment," he added.

Bazi was referring to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's discovery of water on Mars in September 2015, which was celebrated by many people worldwide.

After the American troops had completely withdrawn from Iraq in 2011, radical extremists surfaced and easily invaded Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, as well as most parts of northern Iraq in 2014. The invasion led to displacements and genocide of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yazidis in the region. However, it was only until IS was set to attack the Kurdish town of Erbil that the U.S. started its airstrike campaign despite possessing significant intelligence beforehand.

"So the Yazidis and Christians, they ask why America just helped those people and they forget about us? Also another group called Shabak, they had the same feeling," the priest said.

Most of the money coming in as foreign government aid does not go to Christians and other religious minorities since the money is being directed through the Iraqi government, according to Christian Post. In order for the fund to reach Christian refugees, it must be sent directly through churches and dioceses that are helping them.

Bazi, who serves the Mar Elias Church and refugee camp in Ainkawa, was also a former hostage by the Islamic militants.
home World N.Ireland attorney general on Ashers' gay cake case: 'No one should be forced to be mouthpiece for someone else's views'

Northern Ireland's Attorney General John Larkin QC expressed his view on the case filed by gay activist Gareth Lee against Christian-owned Ashers Baking Company. He said that it was not right to force the defendants to express a political opinion that contradicts their religious beliefs.

"No one should be forced to be the mouthpiece for someone else's views when they are opposed to their own a whether in print or in icing sugar," said Larkin in his argument at the appelate court, as quoted by WND. He was also quoted by Belfast Telegraph as saying, "The wrong occurs, and can amount to cruelty, to make someone say something fundamentally at variance with their political opinion or religious views."

In 2014, the McArthurs, who run the bakery, were sued by Lee for having refused to make a cake with Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert along with the slogan "Support Gay Marriage." A lower court judge ruled last year that they were guilty of discrimination. The appeal was initially scheduled to be heard in February but was moved to May. According to WND, Larkin asked for the delay so he could present arguments regarding the issue of people being forced to express views that they disagree with, which violates freedom of speech.

"The attorney general has decided to intervene, using his constitutional power to raise questions about the validity of the legislation used against the [bakery owners] McArthurs," said Christian Institute spokesman Simon Calvert. "And it is clear from the decision taken by the three judges, including the lord chief justice, that he has raised matters of importance."

Gay activist Peter Tatchell, although very much in favor of LGBT equality in Northern Ireland, said that he wants also "to defend freedom of conscience, expression and religion." In his view, the lower court was in error when it ruled against the McArthurs.

"A business providing a public service has a legal duty to do so without discrimination based on race, gender, faith and sexuality," he wrote on The Guardian in February. "However, the court erred by ruling that [Gareth] Lee was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation and political opinions. ... His cake request was refused not because he was gay, but because of the message he asked for. There is no evidence that his sexuality was the reason Ashers declined his order."

He emphasized his point by asking if gay bakers should accept orders for cakes decorated with homophobic slurs, or if Muslim printers should be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed or Jewish printers to publish a person's denial of the Holocaust.

"If the Ashers verdict stands it could, for example, encourage far-right extremists to demand that bakeries and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim opinions," he said. "It would leave businesses unable to refuse to decorate cakes or print posters with bigoted messages."

The four-day hearing at the appeals court ended on Thursday, and the ruling is expected to be revealed in a few weeks.
home US Obama administration's guidance on LGBT-friendly restroom policies in public schools criticized

President Barack Obama's administration is imposing transgender-friendly bathroom policies in public schools, something that has sparked outrage and calls for further debate on the already high-profile issue.

The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education have issued a letter to school districts on Friday that directs public schools to let transgender students use restrooms based on their gender identity. According to CNN, the letter "does not carry the force of law," although it reportedly puts across the message that the schools should comply, otherwise their federal funding could be put in jeopardy.

The letter says in part: "As is consistently recognized in civil rights cases, the desire to accommodate others' discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex."

It directs schools to address students based on their preferred names and pronouns, and let them use facilities in accordance to the gender they identify with. It, basically, underscores the administration's stance on gender issues.

North Carolina, where there is a directive for people to use restrooms and similar facilities based on their biological sex and not their gender identity, is among those who are not happy with the letter.

"Most Americans, including this governor, believe that government is searching for a solution to a problem that has yet to be defined," NC Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement. "Now, both the federal courts and the U.S. Congress must intercede to stop this massive executive branch overreach, which clearly oversteps constitutional authority."

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that families in America will not accept it, labeling the guidance as "social engineering" and accusing the Obama admistration of "blackmail." Similarly, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said that it's "outrageous" and has called school administrators in his state to ignore the directive.

"The directive is nonbinding and does not carry the force of law," Bryant said. "Because these decisions are better left to the states, and not made at the point of a federal bayonet, Mississippi's public schools should not participate in the president's social experiment."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, likewise, blasted the directive, saying that having spent years in law enforcement, he recognizes that seriousness of the dangers of sexual predators, and that "we should not facilitate allowing grown men or boys to be in bathrooms with little girls."

Supporters of LGBT rights, on the other hand, laud the administration's move, with Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin saying that the "groundbreaking guidelines" underscores the U.S. president's position on discrimination against transgender students and calls it "a truly significant moment" for transgender youth and all young people.
home Faith Pastor Jamal Bryant son fathered out of wedlock, DNA test confirms

The Rev. Jamal Bryant, pastor of Empowerment Temple Church in Northwest Baltimore, is supposedly the father of a son born out of wedlock and there's a DNA paternity test to prove it.

The child's mother, Latoya Shawntee Odom, a 34-year-old Californian massage therapist, bare it all to Obnoxious Television through a series of text messages that she had a sexual relationship with the popular pastor and gave birth to his son, whom she named John Karston Bryant, in July 2015. The woman also freely and willingly provided Obnoxious Media a copy of the paternity test that Bryant has requested and paid for.

The test was carried out by LB Genetics, one of the most trusted DNA testing facilities in California among U.S. federal courts. The facility specializes in paternity, family relationship, and human identification testing. Test results sent to Odom showed that Bryant is 99.9999% father to the 10-month-old boy.

"The alleged father, Jamal Harrison Bryant, cannot be excluded as the biological father of the child, John Karston Bryant, since they share genetic markers....The probability of paternity is 99.9999%, as compared to an untested, unrelated man of the Black population," read a statement in the test results signed by Karl-Hans Wurzinger and certified by notary public Oma Marquez Lopez.

Odom claimed that Bryant had pleaded her to have an abortion fearing that he might not survive another scandal. She also said that the pastor is inconsistent to the $1,100 a month child support he has supposedly agreed to and refuses to be a father figure.

According to a previous report from Baltimore Sun, Bryant has two children before his marriage and has acknowledged one of them only after a court battle over child support payment surfaced. He and his now ex-wife, a former model, filed for divorce in 2008. Court papers indicated that his ex-wife charged him of adultery and cruel treatment.

Bryant, the son of the presiding bishop of the oldest organized black church in America and a vocal supporter of civil rights and Black Lives Matter campaign, has also been known for his flashy lifestyle.
home World Philippine elections 2016 news: Filipino transgender woman wins Congress seat, celebrates historic win for LGBT community

Neophyte politician and transgender Geraldine Roman is the first transgender politician elected to the House of Representatives in the predominantly Catholic Philippines.

"The politics of bigotry, hatred and discrimination did not triumph. What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect," the 49-year-old Roman told Agence France-Press (AFP) about the May 9 elections where she secured a sweeping victory of 62% support in the congressional district of Bataan, northwest of Manila.

According to Manila Bulletin, Roman succeeded her mother who has stepped down after completing a maximum of three terms of service as a representative. Roman's father, who died in 2014, was also a former congressman.

She said she's keen on proving her critics wrong who stereotype the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as frivolous and who dismissed her as a one-issue politician.

"At the start, my opponents are trying to convert my gender into an issue and it turns out that people don't mind," Roman told Reuters. "People look beyond the gender and look at what you offer and what's in your heart. That is the most important thing."

Roman vowed to push for the anti-discrimination bill and to campaign for the lifting of restrictions imposed on transgender Filipinos from changing their name and gender. She added that her priority is the people of Bataan and in providing scholarships to the country's underprivileged.

Roman, who was born male but has been living as a woman for two decades now, speaks three other languages: Spanish, French, and Italian. She has worked as a senior editor at the Spanish News Agency and met her partner of 18 years in Spain.

She legally changed her name and gender in the 1990s after undergoing a sex reassignment surgery.

Roman hopes that her historic victory as the first transgender politician in the country would inspire LGBT Filipinos. She said, "I want to inspire everybody. There are many factors for discrimination: on the basis of gender, age, educational attainment, creed. So to all people who experience discrimination, I want to inspire them."
home World Teenage girl burned in 'honor killing' in Pakistan

In yet another case of Pakistan's "honor killing," a teenage girl was burned by a local jirga on April 29 in Galyat's Makol village for allegedly helping her friend elope.

Abbottabad police arrested 13 members of the jirga as well as the mother and brother of the young victim identified as Ambreen Riasat. District police chief Saeed Wazir told Reuters that the victim's mother and brother were also arrested since both were present during the jirga meeting and agreed to the council's sentence.

"The jirga then took her to an abandoned place outside the village and made her unconscious by injecting her with some drugs," narrated Wazir. "Then they seated the girl in a van in which the couple had escaped. They tied her hands to the seats and then poured petrol on her and the vehicle." Wazir added that he hasn't witnessed such a barbaric attack in his whole life.

According to local newspaper Dawn, district police officer Khurram Rasheed said the police recommended an exemplary punishment for those involved and that the case will be tried by Anti-Terrorism Court. "If proven guilty, the suspects could face the death sentence or life in prison," Rasheed said.

The police also said that the honor killing was ordered because the couple's elopement had caused irreparable damage to the village's reputation.

"A Jirga [tribal council] does not have any right to give such orders. Even the law does not support the tribal system; who are they to give orders to kill someone?" Ansar Burney, a leading Pakistani civil rights leader, told Al-Jazeera.

According to Al-Jazeera, the country's independent Human Rights Commission recorded nearly 1,100 women who were sentenced to death last year in honor killing.

These honor killings also take place in most parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Targeted mainly against women, honor killings are considered as a culture of violence against women.
BBC says it's too Christian, will increase programming on other faiths

A BBC internal review has concluded that it is too Christian in its religious output and should increase programming dealing with other religions.

The findings in a report by Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC's head of religion and ethics, show there is a disproportionate amount of programming on Christianity compared to faiths like Islam and Hinduism, reports the Times.

Ahmed told a House of Commons meeting on religious literacy that his report would address criticisms from representatives of other faiths that they were underserved.

While the BBC would not be drawn on whether programmes would be cut to make room for greater diversity, Songs of Praise, the BBC's flagship religious TV programme, is believed to be secure.

Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the Times: "We would not wish Christians to have any less exposure."

In a statement, Ahmed said: "We do look at the number of hours we produce, and measure that against the religious make-up of society. We also carry out checks to give us a better understanding of how we represent the different faiths across the various BBC channels and services.

"Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and there are more hours dedicated to it than there are to other faiths. Our output in this area is not static, though. It has evolved over the years and we regularly assess it."

The Church of England said faith was growing worldwide and that: "Any comprehensive review needs to move beyond arguments of mere proportionality to embrace the need not only for greater religious literacy but also increased resources to explore religious world views."
Franklin Graham: Does President Obama think he's sultan of Washington in issuing pro-LGBT school restroom decree?

Rev. Franklin Graham did not mince words in criticising U.S. President Barack Obama when the latter issued a decree on unrestricted transgender access to restrooms in all public schools.

"Who does President Barack Obama think he is? The sultan of Washington? Does he think he can just make a 'decree' and we will bow down and simply obey?" a clearly indignant Graham writes on his Facebook page.

Obama's order requires all schools across the country to allow students to choose restrooms and locker rooms according to "their internal sense of gender." Schools that refuse to comply are threatened with loss of funding and lawsuits from the federal government.

Graham says Obama did not consider at all the welfare and privacy cherished by straight male and female students. He warns that some students will take advantage of the decree to sexually molest their classmates.

"What about the privacy and protection of all the other students? Isn't this discrimination against all of them?" he asks. "This opens up bathrooms to sexual predators and perverts. A decree does not carry the force of law  that's the job of Congress."

Graham once again raised questions about Obama's faith in God. "The President obviously must have no fear of God, who made us and created us male and female. I hope that school districts across this nation will defy President Obama and his administration's radical progressive agenda to promote and advance the sin of homosexuality and the LGBT agenda," he says.

On the other hand, Graham is lauding North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and other state legislators for standing up to "the bullying and intimidation of the Obama administration" over the state's new bathroom privacy and security law. The legislation prohibits cities within the state from enacting ordinances that will allow people to use public restrooms based on their preferred gender.
Holy Spirit works wonders in W. Virginia as thousands experience spiritual awakening

In John 20: 16-23, Jesus Christ gave His Apostles the Holy Spirit by breathing on them. He told his followers: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

More than two millennia after Jesus defeated sin and death through His resurrection, the Holy Spirit is still very much at work. In southern West Virginia, for instance, thousands of residents are experiencing spiritual awakening, openly talking about God and even witnessing miracles right before their very eyes.

In an article on Charisma News, Billy Carrico of Bethel Temple Assembly in Nolan said the spiritual atmosphere in the area where he lives is amazingly vibrant, with people voluntarily showing up to be baptised in the name of the Holy Spirit.

"We walk into a restaurant and people are talking about God," Carrico said.

He even shared that in the nearby Williamson Field House, up to 2,000 people show up every night to attend meetings and profess their faith.

"People who aren't necessarily going to church are talking about it. Every church is being affected," Carrico said.

In addition to these, he also said he witnessed some miracles in his area, such as a woman who had been unable to bear children for years who became pregnant, and a person with poor vision who suddenly regained clear eyesight naturally.

Katie Endicott, the Prayer Club sponsor at Mingo Central High School, credits this high enthusiasm towards spiritual renewal to the impromptu preaching by Logan High student Skyler Miller, who was cured from leukaemia.

"When Miller started preaching in the hallways it inspired students to rise up and be bold in their faith," Endicott told Charisma News. "We had never seen that many souls come to the Lord in such a quick time."

Miller nevertheless attributes his fellow residents' spiritual renewal to God and the Holy Spirit.
ISIS news: Islamic State fighter tells captors: 'Kill me now, I have to be in heaven by 4 p.m.'

One captured Islamic State (ISIS) fighter appeared to show how the mind of a typical Islamic militant works when he told his captors to kill him immediately since he had to be in "heaven by 4 p.m. for a religious ceremony."

The unnamed ISIS fighter told his Peshmerga captors that it was the Muslim festival of Isra and Mi'iraj, which celebrates the night journey of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, to Jerusalem and his claimed temporary ascension to heaven to receive instruction from Allah, a report from the Clarion Project organisation says.

The ISIS fighter claimed he wanted to attend a commemoration ceremony for this event in heaven, which he said would start at 4 p.m.

The fighter also told his Peshmerga captor, "Don't take care of me, you are an infidel."

Nevertheless, Lt. Col. Salim al-Surji of the Peshmerga forces personally bandaged the wounds of the prisoner after a battle at the town of Tel Asqof in Iraq in which several Peshmerga fighters were killed.

"While I was filming the ISIS men on my phone," Surji told Rudaw media, "I saw that one of them was moving his ankle. So that's when I put my hand on his chest and found that he was breathing. He was also conscious and talking. His explosive belt had not detonated and he was hurt in his ankle due to the explosion of one of his comrades. He was unable to walk. He told me 'you are infidels, kill me.'"

Al-Surji said he didn't listen to him and still bandaged his ankle.

"While I was bandaging his wound I asked him where he was from and he said he's from Samarra (a city in Iraq) and that he came to fight here with 50 other armed men. They were supposed to commit suicide using their suicide belts because today is the anniversary of the Isra and Mi'iraj celebration. He told me 'all of us must be in heaven by 4 p.m., kill me.'"

Al-Surji apparently did not oblige him. The report did not say what happened to the ISIS fighter afterward.

Meanwhile, the ISIS reportedly buried alive dozens of its own "apostate" fighters accused of cowardice.

The ISIS also executed dozens of its own fighters for fleeing the battlefield, according to local media reports cited by Russia Today.

Ahlul Bayt News Agency reported that ISIS buried alive some 35 of its own fighters outside the town of Qayyarah, near Mosul. The fighters had reportedly run away from a battle against Iraqi government forces near Kirkuk.

The ISIS has gained notoriety for its merciless punishment of individuals branded as criminals and dissenters. It regards anyone who refuses to submit to its rule as guilty of apostasy and therefore deserving of death.
Man with facial tumour the size of 2 heads says he longed for death before Christian charity gave free life-changing treatment

In a life defined by hopelessness and misery, one man eventually found salvation that can only happen with God's blessings and mercy.

For 36 years, Sambany, a 56-year-old man from an impoverished family in Madagascar in Africa, had been wanting to die for the literally heavy load he was carrying. He had been carrying a gigantic tumour on his face, weighing 16.45 lbs. and the size of two heads, disfiguring his face.

Sometimes it felt "hot like fire," Sambany said. "When walking, it's too heavy. I have to hold it," he was quoted as saying in a report on the website of the Christian charity organisation Mercy Ships.

The tumour not only caused him tremendous discomfort; it also made him a pariah in their community to his utter dismay. The people in the neighbourhood, even some of his friends and family members, rejected and mocked him. They would tell him, "Why are you still alive? No one can help you!"

As much as he wanted to seek medical help, he and his family could not afford the cost of surgery and treatment. "Every day, I was just waiting to die," Sambany said.

Then one day hope suddenly emerged from out of the blue. He learned that a hospital ship that could treat tumours for free was coming to Madagascar.

Despite his extreme difficulty in walking because of the extra load he was carrying, Sambany told his family, "Die or survive, I want to go to that ship!"

Realising that this was the only opportunity for Sambany to find treatment, his family sold a rice field to pay for the journey. Five people took turns carrying him on their backs for two days on their way to the port where the floating hospital from Mercy Ships was docked.

They eventually reached the ship, Africa Mercy, one of four hospital ships run by Mercy Ships. The Christian organisation uses retired ocean liners and ferries that have been transformed into floating hospitals.

Mercy Ships is an international charity that was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens. The organisation operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programmes, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally ill patients.

The doctors at Mercy Ships were stunned by the size of the tumour on Sambany's face. They told him that the maxillofacial surgery they would perform on him would be extremely high-risk.

Sambany acknowledged the doctors' concern but gave them his consent. "I know I might die in surgery," he said. "But I already feel dead inside from the way I'm treated."

With God's grace and mercy, the surgery turned out to be a success. Sambany was finally freed from the burden he had been saddled with for 36 long years.

With his head still wrapped in bandages, he looked into the mirror and said, "I am happy...I've got a new face. I am saved!"
'Satan 2': Russia preparing to test new powerful nuke missile that can obliterate entire country the size of France

A war among the world's biggest nuclear nations may not be imminent yet, but one or two of these nations seem to preparing for an Armageddon battle.

Following North Korea's lead, Russia is preparing to test a highly powerful nuclear missile capable of wiping out an entire country the size of France from the face of the Earth, killing millions of people in the process.

Being manufactured for the past seven years, this Russian intercontinental ballistic missile called RS-28 Sarmat has been sinisterly nicknamed "Satan 2" because of its sheer strength.

The weapon can house a dozen nuclear warheads inside its shell, making it the largest atomic weapon-carrying rocket ever manufactured. It weighs 100 tons, and reportedly has an operational range of around 10,000 kilometres, or four times the size of France.

Russian media has boasted that this missile can easily "erase from the face of the Earth land plots the size of Texas"a statement viewed by some as an attempt to intimidate Russia's long-time rival, the United States.

Adding to RS-28 Sarmat's unthinkable strength is its remarkable speed. It can supposedly travel so fast that missile defence systems will not be able to detect it.

Even more worrisome, this weapon utilises stealth technology that makes it capable of being detonated in a place without radar systems detecting it. This means that people in its line of target can be completely obliterated without warning.

According to The Express, Russian broadcaster Zvezda said this kind of powerful weaponry will "determine in which direction nuclear deterrence in the world will develop."

"Satan 2" is not the first intercontinental ballistic missile that Russia will test. Earlier, Moscow built a Soviet-era version of the missile known as R-36M, the original "Satan" missile, but it did not perform as expected during the field test.

The warheads used for these missiles are fitted with advanced technology to override the U.S. missile shield.
Syrian refugees being sneaked into U.S. communities, and Americans aren't happy about it

How would you feel if strangers enter your house without permission and they live with you all of a sudden? Of course, you will be shocked and definitely not pleased.

Some Americans are feeling the same shock and displeasure upon learning that Syrian refugees were sneaked into their communities by federal resettlement contractors who reached a deal on the matter with local officials. The latter did not bother to seek their constituents' consent, reports say.

One of these communities is in the small city of Rutland in the state of Vermont, where about 100 migrants from war-torn Syria were resettled.

Last Thursday, residents of Rutland gathered at a public library to demand an explanation from their city mayor, Chris Louras, on why he negotiated the deal with federal resettlement contractors behind closed doors.

Some of the protesters held placards saying "Veterans Before Refugees," "What's the Rush?" "Fix Rutland First," and "What's the Cost?"

Louras reportedly announced last April 26 that the city will be welcoming 100 Syrian migrantswith the deal already sealed.

David O'Brien, a Rutland resident, said he expected the local government to consult them with such a big decision, which some fear may usher in the entry of Sunni radicalism and terrorism in the area.

"Something like relocating 100 refugees, especially from a very tough part of the world, war-torn Syria, is something you would just logically think you would have a discussion about," O'Brien told WND.

Bill Jalbert, another resident, said that while he does not oppose helping refugees from Syria, members of their community who are also in need should be prioritised by the government.

"A lot of people are not against helping the refugees. I'm not personally against helping the refugees, I just think we have a lot of people in this state we need to help before we help the refugees," he also told WND.

Matt Howland, who also lives in Rutland, for his part demanded accountability from government officials who approved the deal on accepting Syrian migrants without subjecting it to public scrutiny.

"[This] is not just going to roll over and just take this without asking hard questions, without holding people accountable and making people answer the questions and put forth a plan, and let people know what's going on," Howland said.

Rutland is not the only American community which will receive Syrian refugees. Small communities in northern Nevada are also set to accommodate 75 migrants, according to a local radio station affiliated with the NPR.
Ukraine's Jamala takes home Eurovision crown with song about war

Ukraine's Jamala struck a surprise gold in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song entitled 1944, about war-time deportations of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union, in one of the most controversial wins in the competition's history.

In a show known down the years for its playfulness and camp, 32-year-old Jamala struck a sombre tone with her lyrics about strangers coming to "kill you all", in reference to the forced removal of ethnic Tatars by Josef Stalin during World War II.

Jamala, herself a Tatar, stood on the Stockholm stage singing "you think you are gods" against a blood-red backdrop.

She said her great-grandmother was one of the Crimean Tatar victims of Stalin who deported the group en masse to Central Asia after accusing them of sympathising with Nazi Germany. Many of the 200,000 deported died on the way or in exile.

Jamala pleaded for "peace and love to everyone" when collecting the trophy ahead of Australia in second place and Russia in third spot. Despite being far from Europe, Australia attended the competition for the second time after an invitation from organisers.

While the Eurovision voting has long been tainted by political alliances among competitor countries, songs are not allowed to be political. However, Jamala's entry seemed to come close to breaking that rule.

Event organiser, the European Broadcasting Union, said Ukraine's offering did not contain political speech and therefore did not break Eurovision Song Contest rules.

"The song refers to a historical fact and Jamala makes reference to a story that happened in her family," EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre told Reuters after the show.

She said the song referred to what happened in 1944 and not recent events. Crimea was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014.

At a press conference, Jamala appeared to struggle with tears when she talked about a close relative that the song was about.

"I would prefer that all these terrible things did not happen at all to my great-grandmother and I would even prefer this song not to exist," she said.

Bookmakers had tipped Russia to win the competition followed by Australia and Ukraine at number three.

Russian contestant Sergey Lazarev played down any political implications of Ukraine's victory.

"I am trying to think that it is all about music and not about politics. We are at a song contest, not a political one," Lazarev told reporters after the contest was over.

As late as last year, Ukraine decided not to take part in Eurovision with war again ravaging the country as troops take on Russian-backed rebels.

Tatars, a Muslim people from the Black Sea peninsula, opposed the 2014 annexation of Crimea, which followed the overthrow of a Moscow-backed president in Kiev.

Inside the stadium on Saturday, the world's biggest international music show took place with the audience dancing and partying.

But the hosts of the contests, last year's winner Mans Zelmerlow and comedian Petra Mede, also struck a serious chord.

"This competition was created in 1956 to unify a continent torn apart by war, and right now Europe is once again facing darker times. That reminds us just how important this evening actually is," Zelmerlow said. And Mede added: "Because tonight, we set aside any differences we might have, and unite through our love for music," she said.

The organisers expected more than 200 million to tune in. The competition is reaching ever wider outside Europe with this year's final being live broadcast for the first time in the United States and China.

One of the most memorable Eurovision winners in recent years was Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst who won in 2014 with the ballad Rise Like a Phoenix.
Virgin Mary statue in California shedding 'miraculous tears,' witnesses claim

"It appears miraculous."

Priests and other witnesses reportedly made this initial remark after seeing what some believers say is a weeping statue of the Virgin Mary at a residence in Fresno, California.

The unnamed priests, according to the statue's caretaker, visited the residence of Maria Cardenas recently following reports from a local television station that the statue was shedding oily tears that smelled like roses.

The Cardenas family says the statue has been shedding tears for about a year and a half now, according to CNA and EWTN News.

The witnesses say the tears appear to well up in Mary's right eye and stream down her face.

Maria Cardenas has placed a glass under the statue's chin to collect the apparently miraculous tears, sharing them to visitors upon requests.

She told ABC30 Action News that the Virgin Mary statue was given to her as a gift 10 years ago. However, she said it only started weeping when her cousin was killed more than a year ago.

The family requested the media not to disclose their exact address since they do not want to be swamped by people. However, they have already invited many people into their home to see the weeping statue for themselves.

"We're not hiding her, but at the same time, we don't want anything to happen to her [Virgin Mary statue]," the caretaker who requested anonymity told ABC30.

Bishop Armando Ochoa of the Diocese of Fresno said in a statement that he has been informed about the apparently miraculous statue but has not seen it himself.

"It is unknown who the priests are that were being referenced in a related televised news story, as the Diocese has not had any member of the clergy report this matter to the Bishop's Office, to date," Bishop Ochoa said.

According to Catholic miracle expert Michael O'Neill, the Church could take one of three possible options after conducting an investigation of an alleged miracle.

If scientific investigationsin this case, DNA testing of the tearsproved that the miracle was authentic, the Church could give its highest recognition that the phenomenon is "worthy of belief."

The Church could also decline to make a determination on whether or not a supernatural character is present in the reported miracle but state at the same time that it is not contrary to the faith.

Lastly, the Church could reject the supposed miracle once it determines that it is only a hoax.

"The Catholic Church is very cautious with these matters and employs science where possible to ferret out hoaxes and other non-supernatural explanations," said "Miracle Hunter" O'Neill.

"Tears are collected and tested to see if they are human (pig's fat has been found in some false cases) and statues may be x-rayed to rule out any internal mechanism used to fraudulently mimic the flow of tears," O'Neill told CNA in e-mail comments.

"Some weeping icons have been shown to have natural causescondensation or leaking ductwork in the wall behind them. On a few very rare occasions these lachrymations (tears) have been found to have no explanation and are worthy of belief as being miraculous," he said.
An Alief man suspected in a Houston slaying and the shooting of a state district judge in Austin will not face a murder charge in Harris County, officials said Friday.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office dismissed a murder charge against Chimene Hamilton Onyeri, 28, clearing the way for him to be transferred first to Austin for a probation violation and then to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he faces a racketeering charge that could land him behind bars for decades.

In a wide-ranging indictment from Calcasieu Parish, prosecutors charged Onyeri and five other people in a crime ring beginning in 2008 that included several crimes including identity theft, passing counterfeit money and the 2015 slaying in Houston.

The group is accused of using fraudulent gift cards embedded with stolen credit card numbers to buy products from the Apple stores in the Galleria, Sugar Land and Willowbrook malls. They are also charged with using a fraudulent debit card to bilk victims of thousands of dollars. In one instance, they allegedly stole more than $15,000 from an ATM in a Louisiana Wal-Mart over the course of five hours.

Onyeri is at the center of the allegations and could face 50 years of hard labor if convicted in the Bayou State. His sentence may be lengthened because of the allegations in the Harris County shooting.

Onyeri was charged in Harris County in the death of Jacobi Alexander at an apartment complex in the Alief area last May. That first-degree felony has been dismissed, but could be filed again, according to Onyeri's attorney.

"They could always refile it if they think it's in their best interest," said Sam Adamo.

He credited the Harris County District Attorney's Office with dismissing the charge after the delay of evidence and witness statements from the Travis County Sheriff's Office threatened to violate state law requiring the information to be released to the defense.

The lawyer said Onyeri denies shooting Austin Judge Julie Kocurek on Nov. 6, who was seriously injured outside her northwest Austin home.

"He knows he didn't shoot the judge, so he's confident they're not going to file that charge," Adamo said. "If they do, he knows he will beat it."

During that investigation, police got a tip that Onyeri was involved in the shooting and also bragged about a Houston murder, saying he stood over Alexander's body as he shot him in the head. Police found Alexander's body lying on the ground in a courtyard near a swimming pool.

Onyeri was named as the primary suspect in Kocurek's shooting but he has not been charged. Court records show that Onyeri had a case before Kocurek in Austin, where prosecutors were seeking to revoke his probation in a fraud case, a move that could send him to prison for as long as 20 years.

In that case, he and a friend were arrested during a traffic stop in 2012 for possession of 17 fraudulent gift cards embedded with stolen credit card numbers.

Besides the case in Austin, Onyeri has long been in and out of trouble with the law in Houston. In 2013, he was acquitted by a jury during a trial on charges of armed robbery. He also was arrested and charged with murder in a 2008 shooting, but those charges were later dismissed. It was unclear Friday whether those allegations could also affect the charge in Louisiana.
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Residents in the Houston metro area can expect brief, heavy downpours Sunday afternoon with possible rain fall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, weather officials said.

RADAR: Get weather updates on Chron.com/Weather

As storms roll across Southeast Texas and the Houston metro area Sunday, the heaviest rains are expected to hit between 2 and 4 p.m, according to the National Weather Service. The showers are expected to continue through 7 p.m. when the storm moves northeastward out of the region.

>> Click the gallery above to see the place in Houston that flood the quickest when it rains.

Heavy rain is expected Monday, with a storm that could dump another 1 to 4 inches of rain on the region. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's storm prediction puts the Houston area under a slight severe weather risk on Tuesday. Rain is expected through Friday.
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.
Peste 300 de liceene s-au inscris in Startup School si sunt gata sa invete bazele antreprenoriatului tehnologic. Vezi cum a fost la evenimentul de lansare a programului national de educatie antreprenoriala
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - How do you talk like a Clevelander?

As Cleveland prepares for masses of visitors during the Republican National Convention, cleveland.com is collecting the words and phrases we take for granted - but may confuse the heck out of tourists.

For example, the Shoreway. Or treelawn, just in case that comes up in conversation. Got something to add to our guide? Add it here, or email reporter Emily Bamforth at ebamforth@cleveland.com.

To sound like an informed Clevelander, catch up on the news you might have missed this past week.

A higher minimum wage? Cleveland City Council is introducing legislation to set the minimum wage at $15, after a petition drive collected more than twice the signatures needed to push the issue. Bamforth has five reasons for, and five against, the idea.

Transgender bathrooms in schools? President Obama on Friday decreed that transgender students can use the bathroom and locker rooms of the gender they identify with. Stephen Koff and Sabrina Eaton gathered reaction from Northeast Ohio schools.

Planned Parenthood defunded? The organization is suing Ohio in federal court, arguing the state violated the U.S. constitution when it defunded the organization, punishing it for advocating safe abortions. Reporter Bob Higgs explains how Planned Parenthood is trying to keep state funding.

Legal medical marijuana? The Ohio House on Tuesday approved a bill legalizing marijuana use for people with qualifying medical conditions with a doctor's recommendation, Jackie Borchardt reports.

Alcoholic ice cream? Yum. Joe Ericksen wants to put alcoholic ice cream concoctions on the menu at his Conneaut ice cream shop Heavenly Creamery. A new bill in the Ohio Statehouse would allow him to serve boozy ice cream and sell it to-go in small quantities, Borchardt reports. Just imagine the combinations.

Heroin legislation? As opioid overdose deaths ravage the nation, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to pass 18 pieces of legislation intended to fight the epidemic, Eaton reports. The Senate adopted its own bill two months ago. After the House passes its package, the two chambers will form a conference committee to hammer out differences.

Bankrupt East Cleveland? Filing for bankruptcy protection won't save East Cleveland, but it could allow the city to create a more detailed plan for fixing its finances and negotiating existing contracts. Bamforth explains.
United States Election Countdown

In this May 8, 2016, file photo, spectators cheer as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Lynden, Wash. Guest columnist Dean Boland urges people to seek out opinions counter to their own. (AP Exchange, Elaine Thompson, file photo)

Guest columnist Dean Boland is a writer and self-described technology nerd living in Lakewood, dreaming of the day an AI robot will cook dinner for him.

Dean Boland

This political season is a high season for being offended. The back and forth between Republican presidential candidates and less often Democratic ones, has been argued as "offensive" to one side or the other.

The claim is made so often that what is lost is this: There is no right in our culture, especially for adults, to not be offended. The founders of the country installed the First Amendment specifically for those that say things that offend others. No one expressing a completely benign and widely accepted idea needs a free speech right to the same degree as the person expressing an "offensive" idea. The word itself had dissolved into one without meaning or with a meaning that eludes capture - like a muddy pig.

Instead, we should all be embracing being offended. It is what makes our country great. In so many other countries, even our allies, expressing beliefs that are nothing other than offensive is criminal. In France and Germany, disputing that the Holocaust happened is a criminal offense, while espousing belief that Elvis is alive is not. In many Muslim theocracies, espousing a lack of belief in God is punishable by imprisonment and Saudi Arabian lawmakers recently advocated for the death penalty for the expressions of love between same sex individuals on social media or blogs.

This recoiling from being offended is infantilization. Instead, we should be teaching our children and acting likewise, to actually read and listen, very closely, to the expressions of ideas we find offensive. There are two good reasons for this.

One, nothing solidifies a person's belief on one side or the other of a controversial issue like listening intently to the "offensive" other side and not being persuaded. The confidence we seek our children to have is buoyed not by praise for expected behaviors, but by giving them tools to reinforce that confidence themselves. Encouraging them to have their beliefs challenged, and give consideration to "offensive" ideas is a great way to build that confidence in their existing beliefs.

Second, reasonable people should be persuadable by arguments that run counter to their firmly held beliefs. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio is one such recent example. He is a staunch conservative who has been firmly against, and was likely offended by, the notion of same sex marriage. However, once his own son revealed he was gay, the senator's position changed. What was once "offensive" to consider or permit, now became something he understood and was persuaded was a good idea. Shying away from ideas or speech (or trying to shut it down by disinviting speakers or simply calling something "offensive") cuts people off from both of these values underlying offensive speech and ideas.

Seek out offensive ideas. Seek out the writing and speeches of people you think are offensive. Either your position will become that much more solid and reliable for you, or, as in the case of the senator, you might just open to a whole world that the "offensive" label had closed off to you. In either case, you reveal your immaturity and perhaps cowardice by ignoring an idea by simply labeling it offensive.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.
North Olmsted police car

North Olmsted police investigate theft of Florida woman's wallet: police blotter

(File photo)

Theft, Brookpark Road: A woman from The Villages, Fla., came to the North Olmsted Police Department about 9:30 a.m. May 2 to report her wallet was stolen while she shopped the previous day at Walmart. The woman said her wallet may have been removed from her purse in the store. She said she was suspicious of a well-dressed man who talked to her in the store and may have distracted her. Police checked store video, but it did not capture the theft.

IRS scam: A woman resident told police May 4 that she had been receiving calls from someone pretending to be an Internal Revenue Service employee. The caller told the woman she was in trouble and had to tell him her full name and Social Security number. The woman provided the man with the final four digits of her number. When he called back a second time demanding the same information, she hung up and decided to call the police. Officers referred her to the Social Security Administration and told her to call them if she spots any suspicious credit card or bank transactions.

Shoplifting, Brookpark Road: Walmart security called the police to their store about 1:30 p.m. May 6 regarding a female shoplifter. A store loss prevention officer said he had suspected the woman of stealing in the past but couldn't prove it. However, this time, he watched her put about $36 worth of makeup in her purse before trying to leave the story without paying. The woman was charged with misdemeanor theft, police said.

Impaired driving, Brookpark Road: An officer was called May 6 to the intersection of Brookpark Road and Great Northern Boulevard about a car blocking the intersection. Officers discovered a damaged car stopped in the westbound lane of Brookpark. The car was running but had front-end damage and wasn't moving. The driver, who appeared intoxicated, said the damage to the car was old, he wasn't in a recent accident, and he didn't know why the car wasn't moving. Police suspected the driver had been drinking. After failing field sobriety and alcohol breath tests, the driver was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired and blood alcohol content above the legal limit.

Shoplifting, Lorain Road: Police May 7 responded to TJMaxx department store regarding a suspected shoplifter caught in the men's department. The man had concealed multiple ties and underwear in a jacket pocket, according to police. He then tried to leave the store without paying, police said. A security officer stopped him.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Rocky River Mayor Pam Bobst and Bill Cowan unveil the new Ohio historic marker at the Cowan Pottery site.

(Carol Kovach/Special to Sun News)

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Passersby may not realize the significance of the old yellow farmhouse at 19621 Lake Road, at the eastern end of the city.

Those attending the unveiling of the historic marker at the Cowan Pottery site pose for a photo. Behind them is the former showroom. Buildings in the rear housed the factory.

Thanks to a joint effort between Rocky River Historical Society and Cowan Pottery Museum Associates, a new Ohio historical marker was unveiled May 13 on the front lawn of the house that once served as a showroom for the Cowan Pottery Studio from 1913 to 1931. Mayor Pam Bobst and Bill Cowan, grandson of R. Guy Cowan, who founded the business in 1912 in Lakewood, uncovered the sign.

Lauren Hansgen, curator/historian for the Cowan Pottery Museum, which is housed at Rocky River Public Library, said an Ohio historical marker was placed at the original Cowan site, on Nicholson Avenue in Lakewood, last year. Soon after, efforts began to get a marker for the Rocky River location.

"The timing was perfect," Hansgen said, noting that the annual Cowan Pottery Symposium was scheduled for May 14 - the day after the marker was unveiled.

Several dozen people from the historical society, Cowan Pottery Museum Associates, the city, library and community members attended the May 13 ceremony.

The Cowan Pottery Ohio historic marker is the first marker in the city.

Jenny Dieringer, co-president of Rocky River Historical Society, said the event is significant because this is the first Ohio historical marker in the city. Three other sites - the old Westlake Hotel, the old Rocky River Bridge and Bradstreet's Landing - are marked with plaques noting their national significance.

Roger Stanbridge of Cowan Potter Museum Associates said Cowan Pottery "burned bright throughout the 1920s. The company created some great items that people could have in their houses. Things were going well as Cowan and the business was expanding, until the Depression hit and the bank needed its money back. Fortunately, Cowan's influence remains and its mark on artistry has lasted through the years."

Stanbridge said Cowan was a training ground for artists and artistry. "Rocky River should be proud to be the home of the Cowan Pottery Museum."

Bill Cowan travelled from Chicago to attend the ceremony and symposium. He thanked the Cowan Pottery Museum Associates and historical society for spearheading the marker initiative.

These samples of Cowan pottery were displayed in the former showroom during the festivities on May 13.

Tom Barrett's family purchased the Cowan property in the 1930s and has allowed the museum associates access to the property for special occasions, like the centennial celebration in 2012 and the historical marker ceremony. On the east side of the house is a white stucco building used as office space. It was constructed to be the new, expanded pottery factory. Unfortunately, due to the Depression, Cowan closed in 1931 before it could move into the new space. The Barretts used the stucco building as a restaurant for many years and family members lived in the house for a time.

Bobst said Rocky River residents have a love of history and treasure landmarks like the Cowan property.

The historical marker was designed so those passing by the property could read it easily. The text is the same on both sides.

Hansgen said Cowan pottery's influence is still strong. The pottery can be found in the Smithsonian, Cleveland Museum of Art and other collections, but comprehensive holdings are in the Cowan Pottery Museum at Rocky River Library. Among the most famous items in the collection are the Jazz Bowl created by Viktor Schreckengost, as well as vases, bookends and lamps or candlesticks. The museum rotates the collection in order to showcase the pieces.

For more information on Cowan Pottery, visit rrpl.org/cowan or the associates' Facebook page.
Westlake police cruiser new.JPG

Westlake police tackle reports of fraud, theft and break-ins.

(Patrick Cooley/cleveland.com)

Mystery dialer, Center Ridge Road: A business owner May 8 reported being victimized by a phantom phone caller who ran up $13,000 worth of overseas long distance charges to Cuba and Tunisia on March 19 and 20. It is unknown how the calls were put through, as the company is closed on weekends. The victim has placed a block put on international dialing from his firm.

Suspicious situation, Creekside Drive: Somebody filed an online mail forwarding order with the U.S. Postal Service to have a resident's mail sent to a New Jersey address. The man reported the matter to Westlake police and the Postal Inspection Service May 6 after no mail was delivered for several days.

Break-in, Orchard Way: A homeowner's alarm company alerted Westlake police to a break-in May 6. The front door had been kicked in. Cash, a 38-caliber revolver, and jewelry were taken.

Theft, Detroit Road: A woman's car had items taken from it the night of May 7. Two purses, a tablet, car title, spare ignition key, baby seat, and clothing were removed from her 2015 Kia Optima. There were no signs of forced entry. A neighbor's car was rummaged through but nothing was stolen.

Fraud, Sperry Forge Trail: Someone obtained credit cards from Illinois grocery and home improvement store chains in the name of a Westlake resident. The suspect made $9,000 worth of purchases before he found out about the identity theft and reported it May 8.

Theft, Center Ridge Road: Two purses worth a total of $400 were stolen from a business May 8. The suspects used a black Mercedes Benz to get away, according to police.

Theft, First Street: A Parma man's $800 cellphone was taken from a business May 8. The owner set it down and forgot about it. It was gone when he went back.

Theft, Detroit Road: A Westlake woman's unlocked 2016 Kia Sportage had a GPS, tablet, and parking pass taken from it the night of May 8.

Theft, American Way: $6,660 worth of fiber optic cable and associated equipment were reported stolen from a job site May 9.

Theft, Detroit Road: A 20-year-old Cleveland man dashing through a Detroit Road parking lot drew the attention of a passing patrolman May 10. He had just dumped $135 worth of items stolen from a store and was being chased by an employee. The fleet of foot suspect escaped for the time being. A petty theft warrant was obtained for him.

Computer scam, Westlake Village Drive: An 81-year-old man was scammed out of $768 for phony computer repairs. A foreign-sounding caller had him send a check to a Nevada address. No repairs were made to the computer, which appeared to be operating correctly anyway. He reported the theft May 10.

Disorderly conduct by intoxication, Clemens Road: A 32-year-old Bay Village man begged for beer money from customers of two gas stations on Clemens Road May 11 and 12. After buying his beer, the man retired to a nearby woods to enjoy his libations. The guzzler was arrested for disorderly conduct by intoxication and warned to stay off the property.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Despite the billions given to charities each year, nonprofit start-ups aren't nearly as successful as their private-sector counterparts.

Newly established charitable organizations often have difficulty attracting financing, and some observers say their failure rates are even higher than the large numbers of venture-capital-backed start-ups that falter yearly. However, one Texas-based organization is beating the odds while bringing smiles to cancer patients and their families.

CareBOX, a cancer charity, has an innovative approach that turns traditional nonprofit fundraising on its head. The organization touts a mission-driven business model that combines the power of crowdfunding with the simplicity of a gift registry.

Taken together, CareBOX provides donors with an easy and direct way to improve the quality of life of a cancer patient.

"Our website makes it easy to donate to patients in need. It's a 1-2-3 process that's quick and easy for the donor, but more importantly [it's] more efficient for the patient," said Lisa Keefauver, CareBOX's communications and program director.

By logging on to CareBOXProgram.org a donor can click on a patient's photo, read about their diagnosis and purchase items on the patient's specified "wish list," which will then be sent directly to their doorstep.

"Wish list" items include an array of essential-care supplies that are often not covered by insurance, such as hospital masks, medication cups, bed trays, shower seats, nutritional shakes and disinfecting wipes.
Mark Zuckerberg is hosting a summit for conservative leaders on Wednesday.

So says Glenn Beck, who says he will attend. "It would be interesting to look him in the eye", Beck writes  on Facebook.



This is presumably what Zuckerberg had in mind last week, when he said he would be "inviting leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum to talk with me" in the wake of a Gizmodo story alleging that Facebook suppressed news items about conservative topics, or from conservative publications.



"Mark wanted to meet with 8 or ten of us to explain what happened and assure us that it won't happen again," Beck writes.



Facebook has since argued, over and over, that the suppression charge isn't true  or, at least, that it doesn't have any evidence that it's true  but the story continues to have legs.



Read more from Recode:



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Narendra Modi's sweeping victory in the May 2014 Indian general election prompted jubilation among his Hindu supporters in Varanasi, the northern city on the Ganges he had chosen as his parliamentary seat.

The energetic leader of the nationalist Bharatiya Janata party seemed to usher in a radical change from the sclerotic Congress government he had deposed, promising jobs for the young, toilets for the poor and economic reforms for investors and entrepreneurs.

Two years on, and even Mr Modi's supporters in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, are beginning to wonder if the prime minister will be able to achieve half of what he has pledged  whether the target is a clean-up of the polluted Gangesor the revival of Indian manufacturing.

"Modi's a realist," says one retired banker in Varanasi, "but he hasn't achieved anything yet. People say he needs more time."

Higher up the Ganges in Kanpur, the industrial city once known as the Manchester of India, business leaders say the erratic supply of electricity has improved slightly. But there are few new jobs for the 1m or so young Indians who enter the workforce each month: lack of power, the difficulty of acquiring land, restrictive labour laws and constant interference by bureaucratic and corrupt government inspectors have made sure of that.

"Definitely his vision is perfectly OK," I.M. Rohatgi, who runs an education business and heads the Merchants' Chamber of Uttar Pradesh, says of Mr Modi. "But the implementation is taking time."

Before he took office, Mr Modi's liberal enemies feared he would become a powerful, authoritarian prime minister who would impose or allow his religious backers to impose fundamentalist Hinduism on India's heterogeneous population.

There has been some of that. One Muslim businessman in Kanpur said he was worried about "intolerance" following the lynching of a man in Uttar Pradesh on suspicion that he had eaten beef (cows are holy to Hindus).
LIVERPOOL  Last fall, when Kelsey Harvey adopted her first dog Maya, she realized she wanted to give more to the animal-rescue community.

We just love her  shes just part of the family, you know? Harvey says of the one-year-old Tibetan-Spaniel mix. I just cant imagine her out on the streets or living out of a dumpster.

On Feb. 8, Harvey actualized that goal and opened up Barklyn Grace  an online store that sells pup-branded apparel and donates 10 percent of the profits to animal-rescue organizations.

Harvey, 24, is a Liverpool resident who works full time as a marketing consultant for Galson Laboratories, an industrial hygiene analysis lab in DeWitt.

Barklyn Grace is a one-woman project  Harvey is the founder, CEO, sole owner and only employee, and dedicates her free time to the business. She graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2013 with a bachelors degree in business administration, though she focused more on marketing during her collegiate studies.

On Barklyn-Grace.com, Harvey sells several different dog-themed shirts priced from $15.99 to $32.99, as well as water bottles for $21.99, a coffee mug for $17.99, and a baseball cap for $24.99. Since opening up shop on Feb. 8, shes had to foot startup costs totaling upwards of $650. The site averages 300 visitors each week and had generated a total sales volume of nearly $3,800 as of mid-April, Harvey says.

Since its February launch, Barklyn Grace has donated to Hope for Paws, a Los Angelesbased animal-rescue organization. The nonprofit is run by a husband and wife duo who keep their followers updated by posting videos of rescues, rehabilitations, and adoptions. Most of the stories are heartwarming  dogs cowering in bushes are rescued, cleaned up, and cared for in a story with a happy ending. Occasionally, thats not the case, and Hope for Paws rescues a dog a little too late. Harvey has personally admired Hope for Paws since before starting her business, and thats why she chose it as the first organization toward which shed designate Barklyn Graces donations.

Hope For Paws devotes all their time and effort to rescuing these homeless and sick dogs from dumpsters, ditches, under bridges, on the side of the road, under cars, or wherever it may be, Harvey says. They feed them, clean them, medicate them, and rescue them wholeheartedly, and that is exactly the goal we wanted to be a part of.

Harvey says the name Barklyn Grace emerged from a brainstorming process where she tried to use dog-related words to create a name that would flow, and also sound like an actual brand, she says. Her clothing brand is similar to Vineyard Vines, a preppy clothing retailer based on Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts  except the featured logo is of a dog instead of a whale. Vineyard Vines is known for its pastel colors and yacht-bound vibes, and is popular on college campuses.

That range of 18- to 25-year-olds is precisely the age group Harvey says shes targeting.

I feel like graphic T-shirts are very in right now, Harvey says. I wanted to form a brand that would appeal to the younger demographic.

Social media has been an avenue Harveys pursued, and it seems to be working  Barklyn Graces Instagram account has nearly 3,800 followers and each post generates about 400 likes. Harvey does all the design work herself, and says shes received nothing but positive feedback since opening.

At this point in the businesss short lifespan, Barklyn Grace is donating solely to Hope for Paws. But Harvey says shes exploring local animal-rescue organizations and clothing vendors to solicit as Barklyn Grace gains traction. As Harvey explores the evolution of Barklyn Graces brand, she says shes not in a position to open up a storefront anytime soon, but is considering the possibility of a warehouse space in the future. For now, shes content operating the business from her apartment.

Its scary because you dont know what its going to become, Harvey says of the startup business. If it works, it works, and if it doesnt, then it doesnt. But its fun for me  and its for a good cause.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
Attorneys in Fiji case given until December to suggest trial date

Judge gives defense and prosecuting attorneys until Dec. 19 to suggest trial date and duration.
Mississippi ranks 50th in the nation in infant mortality, 50th in physical activity, 50th in heart disease deaths and 49th in overall health.

We in Tennessee rank only slightly better, prompting one of my public health colleagues to remark, "Thank God for Mississippi."

Yet Mississippi does rank No. 1 on a health measure that matters greatly, as this year we in Shelby County battle the largest measles outbreak in the nation. Mississippi has a 99.7 percent vaccination rate for measles compared to the national median of 94.7 percent for children who enter kindergarten.

How can this be?

Well, it has to do with a law  a law that does not allow parents in Mississippi to send their children to school unless they have been vaccinated for measles even if they claim an exemption "due to personal and religious beliefs."

Here is some background. Measles vaccinations are mandatory for all school-going children across the nation. However, parents can submit an exemption. While all states allow exemptions due to medical reasons, such as AIDS or an immune deficiency, states differ on allowing exemptions based on personal or religious beliefs. And this affects the vaccination rate.

In states like Washington, where the law was lax and only a signed document from a parent was required, nearly 25 percent of the parents in certain counties chose an exemption. When the bar was raised, requiring a signature from a health provider, the exemption rate dropped by a quarter. And in states where there is no exemption, such as Mississippi, the exemption rate due to personal and religious belief is nearly zero.

The personal beliefs issue seems to be used somewhat arbitrarily: Even as Mississippi does not allow personal beliefs to opt out of childhood vaccination, it does allow doctors to discriminate against gay people by refusing treatment.

As a society, we are at a crossroads. We are contending with a fundamental and even a constitutional question: How do we balance public health and safety (as in the case of the measles vaccine) and personal choice?

In Mississippi, a state Supreme Court came down on the side of public safety. "To the extent that (vaccines) may conflict with the religious belief of a parent, however sincerely entertained, the interests of the schoolchildren must prevail," it found.

I say provide freedom but raise the bar. If a parent wants an exemption based on their beliefs, then they must home-school their children so as not to put others at risk, as the Mississippi measles exemption law does. I do not believe an individual's personal choice trumps the public interest, especially when it comes to spreading disease.

Here's why it matters: California had one of the most lax rules for vaccination exemptions, and thousands of parents filed petitions for exemptions each year. Then in 2014 a measles outbreak led to over 100 cases. And now California, like Mississippi, has a law not allowing vaccine exemptions for religious and personal beliefs.

It may not be every day that Mississippi can say it leads the nation. The state should be proud that it has not seen a single case of measles in the past two decades.
The Tennessee State Capitol stands apart from newer buildings in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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By Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

NASHVILLE  The Tennessee House ethics committee hasn't met in at least six years. The Senate ethics committee has gone more than a decade since its last gathering.

In that time, there has been no shortage of legislative troubles in Tennessee.

One lawmaker was forced to resign from his Senate seat as he faced allegations that he had an affair with a 22-year-old intern whose boyfriend tried to extort $10,000 from the legislator.

Another is facing federal felony fraud and tax evasion charges.

A third is the subject of an ongoing probe by the state's attorney general, who already has determined that the lawmaker potentially poses a "continuing risk to unsuspecting women."

The reason for the lack of ethics meetings, some experts say, is not that Tennessee lawmakers are more ethical than their counterparts in other states. Rather, it's a system the Tennessee General Assembly has established, one that is unlike many other states across the nation.

Tennessee has two different approaches to handling ethics complaints against elected officials. First, there's the Tennessee Ethics Commission, which regulates lobbying activity and publishes lawmakers' financial disclosure statements.

Although the commission is able to receive complaints from members of the public, they must confine them to lobbying or statements of economic interest.

"For us to handle a complaint it has to be in one of those areas," said Drew Rawlins, the commission's executive director.

So that leaves the House and Senate ethics committees.

If a resident wants to complain about a lawmaker violating the state code of ethics or using their office for personal gain, Rawlins said, they need to go to one of those committees.

But going there isn't so simple.

The Senate committee allows any Tennessee resident  including senators themselves  to file a complaint, said state Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, who has served as chairman of the committee since 2013.

The House committee only allows House members to file a complaint. That means a resident would have to convince a lawmaker to file one against a colleague.

Any other person who believes the legislature's ethics code has been violated is "encouraged to contact a member of the committee to determine whether a complaint is appropriate," committee attorney Doug Himes said.

That setup is a significant problem, Tennessee Common Cause Chairman Dick Williams said.

"The committee as it's structured is not conducive to bringing forward complaints," he said. "A fellow member of the legislature who wants to get support from other members is not going to file a complaint."

Ethics reforms often occur after high-profile scandals. Tennessee put in place additional measures after the 2005 federal bribery probe involving lawmakers known as Tennessee Waltz, which resulted in seven legislators being arrested.

But Williams said the state should take a more aggressive approach rather than waiting for another major investigation.

"I think good legislators would come out looking better if you had a proactive approach," he said.

A review of Tennessee's eight surrounding states, as well as California, Connecticut and Florida, reveals the system in place in the Volunteer State is unlike many others.

Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and North Carolina, as well as California and Florida, all have some form of legislative ethics committee in addition to a state agency empowered to investigate complaints against lawmakers.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia and Connecticut have opted for a different approach, instead letting non-legislative ethics commissions handle oversight.

In Georgia, residents can file complaints with the legislative committee about lawmakers abusing their power and not disclosing conflicts of interest. But they also can report lawmakers for making sexual advances, requesting sexual favors or engaging in other forms of verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

That's not the case in Tennessee, where sexual harassment complaints are directed to the office of legislative human resources. A Tennessean investigation early this year found that process mired in secrecy.

There isn't a consensus on which state has the best system. But the Connecticut Office of State Ethics, which handles complaints filed by members of the public against a public official, with the exception of judges, has been praised as a model.

To ward off frivolous complaints, which are kept confidential until probable cause is found, the person filing it could face a penalty if it is false.

The Connecticut Office of State Ethics can also initiate its own cases, said Carol Carson, executive director.

"If I read a news story and it suggested a violation, we could investigate it," she said.

The Tennessee Senate Ethics Committee has not met since 2005, Overbey said. A Senate spokesman said there have been a "handful" of complaints filed since then but all have been investigated and resolved before a full committee meeting was needed.

That's despite the fact that in 2009, then-Sen. Paul Stanley, R-Germantown, faced scrutiny over allegations he had an affair with an intern. Stanley later resigned.

The House Ethics Committee has not fielded a complaint since the 106th General Assembly, which convened in 2009 and 2010, said Himes, the committee's attorney.

Himes previously told The Tennessean that since he began working for the committee in 2003 there have been fewer than 10 complaints, none of which have been substantiated.

By comparison, since January 2010, the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has received 16 complaints. In five of those cases, the commission found lawmakers in violation of the code of ethics. In addition nine complaints were dismissed, and two cases are still pending, Schaaf's office said.

In 2014 the Connecticut ethics office conducted 132 reviews of potential violations by elected officials, state employees, lobbyists or contractors. The year before it reviewed 232.

Although two Tennessee lawmakers  Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, and Rep. Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville  are facing separate forms of scrutiny, there have not been formal complaints filed against them in the House committee.

Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers Crossroads, chairman of the Tennessee House ethics committee, said there is no reason to believe the system isn't working.

"Until someone brings us a complaint, we have no reason to be meeting," he said. McDaniel said he doesn't believe the state has a "huge ethics problem."

Still, Carson said it is important to have a system in place to ensure lawmakers are following the rules.

"I think that people naturally don't pay attention to the rules when nobody is watching," she said.
DeSoto Central in Southaven

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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

The DeSoto County Foundation for Excellence in Education has announced a $90,000 fundraising goal for its 2016 teacher grant program, which has provided more than $1 million in classroom grants to local teachers since 1989.

Program spokeswoman Deborah Morgan said organizers hope to award 175 grants when money is distributed during the annual presentation ceremony this fall, tentatively planned for the last Thursday of October.

"That's the dream," Morgan said of the 175-grant goal. "That would be an awesome figure if we can reach it."

The nonprofit Excellence in Education group formed as a way to help teachers finance classroom expenses not covered through regular funding sources. Teachers are selected for grants on the basis of proposals they submit, and winners typically receive a check of several hundred dollars  the maximum is $500  to pay for everything from lab kits, to books, to trips.

Teachers from all 42 public schools in the DeSoto County school system are eligible, as well as teachers from Northpoint Christian School and Sacred Heart.

DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Cory Uselton, a former principal at DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, said the grants are a great example of the community working together with the school system.

"We are very appreciative of the Foundation for Excellence in Education grants," Uselton said. "Our teachers have used these grants to enhance their classroom instruction, and our students are the ones who ultimately benefit.

"This is a great example of how our school district benefits from the generosity of supportive community partners."

Morgan said several area businesses have already committed funding toward this year's goal, including a $5,000 commitment from an unnamed industry that could not participate last year. Last year's grant total of $66,500, which provided grants to 146 teachers, was down from $84,400 the previous year because of the loss of that major donor. This year's $90,000 goal, if achieved, would get the fundraising back on track toward a higher amount each year.

Since 1989, $1,055,604 has been distributed. In addition to the yearly teacher grants, the Foundation awards an annual scholarship to an education major at Northwest Mississippi Community College and another scholarship to an education major at the University of Mississippi-DeSoto.
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Joe Saino

Memphis

I have been following stories about the Memphis Health Education and Housing Facility Board, and began investigating all the various boards and commissions operated under the city of Memphis and Shelby County governments. I found that there were city and county Health Education and Housing Facility Boards (HEHFB). As usual, the one run by the county was better, more open to records access and less controversial.

The outstanding difference was a provision of the county board statement of policies and procedures that restricted the amount of cost paid to the board counsel. On just five bonds issued by the Memphis HEHFB, this difference amounted to $59,000. The Memphis HEHFB says it has issued over 85 bonds. This overpayment to the board counsel could be as much as $1 million at the average of the five bonds reviewed.

The City Council and the mayor should demand these changes in the Memphis HEHFB: Board agendas should be posted online at their website on the same day they are posted in the Daily News. All supporting information given to board members along with their agendas should be posted online at the website along with the agenda. Minutes of the meeting should be posted on the website not later than one week after the meeting. Bond costs and parties to the expenses should be posted on the website when sent to the state as required by law (report of debt obligation). Adopt the same or similar ordinance as the county limiting board counsel fees.
SHARE Ray Brown

By Ray Brown, Special to Viewpoint

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

This oft-quoted remark attributed to 19th-century British statesman and writer Benjamin Disraeli summarizes how attempting to understand Memphis' most at-risk neighborhoods only through numerical data points can lead to erroneous conclusions.

Having written Vision Studies for five Memphis neighborhoods, I have learned that without careful analysis of what's really going on behind the numbers, observers can easily misunderstand actual conditions and needs. This can perpetuate myths and stereotypes about urban residents.

For example, in response to a neighborhood survey conducted by a Memphis City Council member, residents listed "walking" as their primary exercise. Analysis showed low car ownership. Because Memphis Area Transit Authority had discontinued the only bus in the neighborhood, residents walk not only for exercise, but also for transportation.

The same survey showed that residents were not asking for "free stuff," but for help with the most basic aspects of life, such as better nearby health care, more employment and training opportunities, protection from gang activity, and something as basic as repairing a worn out, leaking roof.

A recent post on the Smart City Memphis blog refutes the myth that gentrification is affecting Memphis' "fallen star" neighborhoods. Instead, their problems stem from persistent, intractable poverty. For most, median household income averages less than $16,000 and the median home value barely tops $41,000.

Lenders use those values when deciding whether to grant a mortgage or construction loan, and for how much. Far from experiencing a financial windfall from the sale of their property to some fictional developer or urban pioneer, many homeowners are trapped in deteriorating homes they can't sell and also lack the means to move.

Developers, even nonprofits, cannot build or repair homes whose cost would exceed their value without heavy subsidy by government programs that have all but disappeared.

As its revenues continue to decline, Memphis' most challenged neighborhoods keep struggling. Their redevelopment will require imagination, creativity and commitment from government, business, institutional, philanthropic and financial sectors forming partnerships that foster new, more comprehensive approaches to solving the real problems and meeting the real needs of residents. One such partnership exists in the Klondyke/Smoky City neighborhood.

Established and led by the neighborhood's community development corporation with help from the city's Neighborhood Redevelopment Department, the partnership brings together school principals, police commanders, city and county government representatives, code enforcement and blight clearance, and neighborhood residents.

They meet monthly not merely to discuss conditions, but actively to change them. Residents also helped shape a neighborhood vision plan to guide redevelopment decisions. As a result, crime is down and fewer blighted structures remain, and people again have hope.

A measure of their success lies in the emerging partnership between the neighborhood and the nearby Crosstown Concourse, which has agreed to help residents improve their health care options.

In an era of diminishing resources and expectations, how we meet the economic and existential needs of our most vulnerable citizens will determine who we are as a community. We must continue to find such creative new ways to meet, incorporating skills training, opportunities for starting small businesses, and education into the physical improvement of the neighborhood's homes, parks, streets and commercial areas.

If all that sounds too "squishy," consider that in a city of strong neighborhoods, the value of every home rises. Investment in streets, parks and safety rises. In short, the quality of life everyone's life rises.

Strengthening neighborhoods is a practical economic issue for every taxpayer. Working together in community partnerships to create a city of strong neighborhoods benefits us all.

Ray Brown consults with local governments and private developers on urban design and neighborhood redevelopment strategies. He chairs the Downtown Memphis Commission Design Review Board.
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By Simone Tulumello, Special to Viewpoint

I am not a Memphian. I live near Overton Park and I am a "protester."

However, I don't protest "for the grass." I protest for Memphis. Fencing the greensward does not help Memphis solve its problems  quite the opposite.

Some insist that Memphis has more pressing problems, like crime and poverty. Indeed, I protest for the real problems of Memphis. I am researching public safety at the University of Memphis, thanks to a Fulbright grant.

Please believe me, crime (and poverty, its stepmother) cannot be "solved" in the same way you solve a technical problem. Do not trust those politicians who say they will. "It takes a village," and time. It takes addressing the root causes of crime and poverty.

Two of these causes, two problems of Memphis within the "public" realm, are at stake in Overton Park.

First, someone says that to see Memphis rise, we need to attract the "creative" class. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Memphis has all it takes to be a creative city. Cities exist to foster relationships among people, hence, cooperation and development  creative cities, in a nutshell.

To see Memphis rise, we need to unleash its human potential. But Memphis is a city where color matters, as we know. In a city broken in two, the creative potential of social relationships is halved.

It takes public space to overcome racial and social divisions. When they meet in a neutral space, people overcome prejudices and get ready to collaborate.

The problem is that Memphis lacks public and diverse spaces. Overton Park is among the few places where you can meet people from all backgrounds, white and black, rich and poor. The Memphis Zoo, on the contrary, is overwhelmingly frequented by affluent families. By transforming an open, diverse, free park into a fenced, homogeneous paid parking, we are reducing the capacity of Memphis to unleash its potential.

Second, someone says. "Let's build a parking garage; solve the problem." Temporarily, however: In a matter of years, the zoo would grow and need more parking again. Memphis does not need more parking. It desperately needs efficient public transportation. There is no thriving and just city without it.

Nowadays, thousands of Memphians cannot reach the places where jobs are. Others spend hours driving, while they could be relaxing or meeting people on the buses, which are public spaces, also.

I ride the buses and love it. Do you know how gentle bus drivers are and how many interesting people you meet? Public transportation makes people healthier, too. Obesity kills more people than guns in Memphis.

It takes a stick and carrot to improve the use of public transportation by the public. The stick would be to make driving less appealing by reducing parking. The carrot would be adequately funding Memphis Area Transit Authority to allow MATA to improve routes and service.

Taxes exist to redistribute wealth and help the whole city be better off. However, the city of Memphis invests in MATA $20 million a year, only 3 percent of its budget. Let's double this amount. Moreover, in few years, improving public mobility will unleash the potential of Memphis. The economic impact for the city would be much higher. This could be enhanced if all the metropolitan communities used and contributed to public transportation.

Overton Park is a good place to start changing Memphis  to stop fencing any square foot of thriving public space, and to stop throwing money into private transportation and invest in public transportation, which would benefit all Memphis area residents.

It takes a village to solve crime and poverty. It takes serving the "public." Let's start from Overton Park.

Simone Tulumello is a researcher in planning and geography at University of Lisbon in Portugal and University of Memphis.
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By Cyrus R. Vance Jr., Jackie Lacey and Bonnie Dumanis, Los Angeles Times

The FBI paid six figures for a hacking tool to get into San Bernardino, California, shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5c after Apple refused to unlock it.

That's one down, more than 1,000 lawfully seized phones to go.

As recently as 18 months ago, Apple and Google  whose operating systems run 96.7 percent of the world's smartphones  would comply with judicial orders to extract evidence from mobile devices and send the data to prosecutors.

In 2014, however, the companies re-engineered their operating systems to make their devices encrypted by default. They could no longer unlock their own products.

Since then, 230 inaccessible Apple devices have come into the Cyber Lab of the Manhattan district attorney's office pursuant to judges' warrants. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is sitting on 150 warrant-proof devices, and the Los Angeles Police Department now has more than 300. San Diego and Riverside counties have 11 connected to murder cases.

Hundreds more smartphones line the shelves of police and prosecutors' offices across the country. Each is believed to contain evidence crucial to the investigation and prosecution of serious state offenses, including homicide and child sex abuse.

Each corresponds to a real crime against a real victim who may never receive justice. Others conceal evidence, without which prosecutors cannot hold defendants accountable for their wrongdoing, or can charge them only with lower-level crimes. Some hold information that would exonerate the wrongfully accused.

Hundreds of criminal investigations will remain stalled until Congress intervenes. The lawful exploit employed by the FBI to open Farook's iPhone works only on that model and operating system, and Apple could patch the flaw exploited at any time. Moreover, tools of the kind used to open that phone cost far more than most local agencies can afford.

Data encryption is leading to a rare level of internecine conflict between American law enforcement and American industry. A technological arms race between the government and Silicon Valley is in no one's interest. Technology companies don't want their products used to protect criminals. Judges don't want their search warrants rendered meaningless. And victims of crime don't want evidence-free zones.

Centuries of jurisprudence hold that no item is beyond the reach of a court-ordered search warrant. In the past, criminals stored evidence of their crimes in safes, file cabinets and closets. Today, that evidence is found on smartphones.

Our laws haven't kept pace with this evolution in technology. In the void, large technology companies have rendered themselves not judges, but gatekeepers, of the data necessary to solve crimes.

Last month, Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., proposed a way forward. They released a draft bill that would require technology companies to provide law enforcement with decrypted data, or the technical assistance to get it, when ordered by a court to do so.

The bill restores the authority of judges, requires firms to be compensated for their assistance, and leaves tech companies free to decide how to design their operating systems  so long as the company can comply with court orders.

No draft bill is perfect, which is why the senators have requested that stakeholders  including technology companies  simply discuss it.

State and local prosecutors stand ready to advance that discussion with data, real-life case examples, legal briefs and testimony that document the effect mobile device encryption is having on public safety and victims of crime.

At the same time, we continue to ask tech companies to provide their own metrics to quantify the purported trade-offs in personal data security if the Burr-Feinstein proposal were enacted. To start: Did Apple's routine compliance with court orders until 2014 ever lead to anyone getting hacked?

While government agents and Silicon Valley engineers play cat and mouse over encryption, unapprehended criminals remain out there, free to reoffend. While Apple and Google work to stay ahead of the budding cottage industry of lawful hacking consultants, statutory time limits for prosecutions tick away.

Congress, not Silicon Valley, must determine the balance in our society between personal privacy and public safety. It should start by considering the Burr-Feinstein proposal without delay.

Cyrus R. Vance Jr. is the Manhattan district attorney. Jackie Lacey is the Los Angeles County district attorney. Bonnie Dumanis is the San Diego County district attorney.
Mark Spencer is PPS to Elizabeth Truss, the Environment Secretary, and thus himself a member of the Government. Last year, he wrote to a constituent that the Governments proposed Extremism Disruption Orders would in some circumstances apply to a situation where a teacher was specifically teaching that gay marriage is wrong. He has also written that racists, religious fundamentalists and homophobes should not have the freedom to spread their message of hate through what are often vulnerable communities.

All this raises formidable questions. Is the UKIP member who seeks to adopt a child in Rotherham a racist? Is the Catholic teacher who tells her pupils the churchs view of marriage a homophobe? Is the Sunni or Shiite who believes that Mohammed flew to heaven on a horse a religious fundamentalist?

I ask them because of the trailing in todays papers of the Extremism Bill which will be part of this weeks Queens Speech. The Sunday Telegraph report makes no specific mention of those Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) or of Extremism Banning Orders (EBOs) being contained within it. But it does say that there will be sweeping new laws [to] ban hate speakers from working with children and other vulnerable groups, in the same way that paedophiles are vetted to stop them being given jobs in schools.

People with clear links to extremism would be required to be registered with the Disclosuure and Barring Service, the successor to the Criminal Records Bureau system, and employers would check with the DBS when candidates apply for jobs working with children, teenagers, or other vulnerable people. Records of people with connections to extremism will be disclosed to education officials, councils, and other employers. The Bill could also ban organisations that promote hatred, which sounds as though the Government may introduce those EBOs, but is not sure.

It may not be certain because of the difficulty of nailing down a definiton of extremism in the first place. The Telegraph claims that the Bill has been delayed because the Home Office has struggled to produce a legally watertight definition. One definition, from the governments counter-extremism strategy, focuses on vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, it says. But what is a British value? Is supporting liberal democracy, for example, a value?

I think we can agree that it is. But why is such support distinctly British? Do not most Canadians support liberal democracy, or most Spaniards for that matter  or many Iranians, since that country has a progressive section among its middle class? After all, Britains public culture is distinctive because of its institutions rather than because of values. Ministers may be wrestling with these conundrums, since the Telegraph also reports that such a definition has been dropped because it was thought to be vulnerable to legal challenge.

Perhaps it might be recast to make opposition to Parliamentary democracy the test. That would catch the Salafist extremists who yearn to replace it with an Islamist state. But it might also have caught Ed Milibands father, who seems to have spent much of his academic career teaching his students that the road to Parliamentary democracy was a dead-end for socialism. Are we sure that a workable definition of extremism exists? What about the law of unexpected consequences?

I spent my last years at Westminster working with Michael Gove and Pauline Neville-Jones to ensure that a Conservative Government, were one returned, would target extremism as well as violent extremism  that public policy should drain the swamp before the crocodiles reach the boat, as the Justice Secretary once put it. Disagreement about whether government should pursue such an aim divided the Party at a senior level  just as it did the then Labour Government, the security services, the police and what has been called the deep state.

David Camerons instincts were robust, he listened to sense, and he acted wisely. Under the Coalition, policy toughened up. Government stopped lending patronage, appearing on platforms with, and funding Muslim Brotherhood or Jamaat Islami fellow travellers. It has been able to do that by using common sense and without changing the law. The growing realisation that Islamist extremism has only a tangential connection with our foreign policy has sunk further home. After all, what did the Charlie Hebdo murders or attacks on Belgium have to do with foreign policy?

Cameron has thus helped to change the culture for the better. No wonder Sadiq Khan was so keen, in his campaign for the London Mayoralty, to distance himself from  and in some cases apologise for  aspects of his past words and conduct. It is true that there is further action against Islamist extremists which might not be possible without legal changes  such as ensuring that University Vice-Chancellors pull their collective finger out, bar hate preachers and thus make campuses safer for, say, Jewish or gay students.

And it is tempting to wave away these pernickity arguments about definitions  saying, as an American judge once said about hardcore porn, that one knows extremism when one sees it. But it doesnt follow that because a definition is difficult it can therefore be brushed aside. Making law means finding definitions. Get them wrong and consequences follow  such as Extremism Bill itself being extreme. Ministers aims are right, at least as far as can be seen, but their means may not be. Backbenchers and others will want to put this Bill under the magnifying glass.
Boris is booming. The Sunday papers seem to be wall-to-wall Boris: see our Newslinks for the way he dominates the front pages.

But for some weeks, I have known the Boris bubble was swelling to barely comprehensible, and to some people highly alarming, dimensions.

As his earliest and most frivolous biographer, I can detect, with the sensitivity of a trained parasite, the early signs of a Boris boom, for there is a correlation with the growing number of requests I get to write and talk about him.

What a scene-stealer the man is. A few deft touches on the volume knob  a readiness to stretch the boundaries of good taste just a sixteenth of an inch beyond what respectable opinion will tolerate  and pow, there he is, obliterating for an hour or two the build-up to the Queens Speech.

Look how the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip did it in his interview in this mornings Sunday Telegraph:

The whole thing began with the Roman Empire I wrote a book on this subject, and I think its probably right. The truth is that the history of the last couple of thousand years has been broadly repeated attempts by various people or institutions  in a Freudian way  to rediscover the lost childhood of Europe, this golden age of peace and prosperity under the Romans, by trying to unify it. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what it is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void. While Mr Johnson is not arguing that the bureaucrats of Brussels are Nazis attempting to bring back Hitlers Reich, his comparison is startling. Clearly, he sees parallels between the choices that confronted his beloved Churchill, and Britain, during the Second World War and the decision facing voters next month. This is a chance for the British people to be the heroes of Europe and to act as a voice of moderation and common sense, and to stop something getting in my view out of control, he says.

A six-letter name beginning with H and off the story goes. In no time at all, his fellow Balliol person, Yvette Cooper, is condemning him for playing a nasty, nasty game, while on his own side (though on the opposite side in the European debate) Nicholas Soames describes him on Twitter as The unchallenged master of the self-inflicted wound, hash-tag #sansjudgementsanscredibility.

In a coruscating piece for the latest London Review of Books, entitled Nigels against the World, Ferdinand Mount ridicules a number of the Leavers. He has Michael Gove looking more than ever like a gleeful hamster on steroids, while Matt Ridley is dismissed for his flamboyant optimism, first seen in action when he was the chairman of Northern Rock.

But the first Leaver whom Mount accuses, in a couple of detailed paragraphs, of having not much clue about what is to happen afterwards, is Boris: Johnson in particular changes his ideas once a fortnight.

The referendum is becoming, or perhaps always was, a struggle between two quite different mentalities. This is how, in a democracy, people discover which side of the argument they are on.

The Remainers are led by Establishment Man (or Woman, but in its purest form, the male version still predominates). He is a civilised person, who under normal conditions  i.e. when he is running the show  has a good sense of humour.

But he is profoundly shocked by the irresponsibility of the Leavers, with their apparent belief that one can just make things up as one goes along, and neednt worry what the consequences might be either for oneself or for other countries.

On the other side, we find the Free Spirits, or mavericks, who see life as a glorious adventure, in which ones liberty should be shackled by as few rules, regulations, treaties, obligations and inhibitions as possible.

David Cameron is a perfect example of Establishment Man. He stands (as Gordon Brown once did) for Prudence; won the last general election by appealing to our cautious preference for the devil we know; hopes to win the referendum by making the same case.

The Establishment decided during the prime ministership of Harold Macmillan (1957-63) that the prudent thing to do, or at any rate the least bad, was to join the Common Market, as it was then known. Cameron is Macmillans successor: a progressive, liberal, pragmatic, Anglican Conservative, whose upper-class connections conceal from most observers how ruthlessly professional he is. Ferdinand Mount is Camerons mothers first cousin.

Boris, one need hardly add, is the most famous Free Spirit in politics. He takes risks, tells jokes, gets stuck on zip wires, makes disreputable references to Hitler.

Because he is unpredictable, he is amusing to watch. One never quite knows what he will say or do next. There are occasions when he himself does not know what he will say or do next, but there is also a vein of deep calculation behind his antics.

He is now engaged in a vast popularity contest, of a kind he has specialised in since the age of 16. It is possible that the more indignant the Establishment becomes, the more popular he will grow, so that his claims to be Captain of the School, or President of the Union, or Editor of the Spectator, or Mayor of London, or Leader of the Conservative Party, can no longer be denied.

But it is also conceivable that the Boris balloon, having swelled to unimaginable size, will quite suddenly go pop, leaving behind a few shreds of brightly coloured rubber.
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Each year a wave of new turkey hunting products floods the market but only a few really work. Vanderburgh County resident Kevin Allen discovered a couple that performed too well.

Last year, Allen purchased two realistic inflatable turkey decoys. This year, Allen discovered his decoys can trick more than turkeys.

"I don't get much time to turkey hunt so I rely on a few hunting buddies for extra information. I called up an old friend on May 6th and he broke the news that turkeys were mostly moping rather than gobbling and strutting. However, he thought we might tag-team a tom with unified calling," said Allen.

Shortly before daylight on May 7, the duo reached their chosen hunting area. At 5:15 a.m., they tried to wake up any still snoozing gobblers with a few sounds from three different types of locator calls.

However, the woods and surrounding hillsides remained deathly silent, prompting Allen to whisper, "This isn't a good sign." His words would foretell about what was soon to unfold.

Allen intended to hunt a ridge due south of his buddy's chosen spot. The coordinated calling plan was that shortly after sunrise, each hunter would make a fly-down cackle followed with a slight amount of hen chatter.

Upon reaching his ridge site, Allen deployed his inflatable decoys and followed the agreed calling routine. Unfortunately, his calling would sound too good to other nearby ears.

What ensued is reportedly becoming a "not that rare" turkey hunting happening.

In the dim light of dawn, Allen caught a flicker of motion. Then he heard a series of squeaks emitting from his decoy.

"It was unreal  the decoy was oozing its last gasps because a large bobcat had leapt upon it with intent to kill," said Allen.

In a flash, the cat realized it had not grabbed a real turkey but had a deflating, squeaking decoy in its claws. Instantly Allen stood up and the dastardly decoy destroyer bounded into the undergrowth. Allen gathered the ventilated victim and headed to his friend.

The two studied the "corpse" of the defunct decoy and decided that they should move to a distant hunting area and try again. They figured the turkeys were staying silent in that area because they were under pressure from bird-eating bobcats like the one Allen accidentally called in.

"I've hunted turkeys four times this season and encountered bobcats twice. Most hunters I know report seeing fewer turkeys this year. The birds they've spotted were in large, open fields away from dense timber and bobcats," said Allen.

Other Hoosier hunters have reported bobcats stalking turkey decoys or have been attracted by to turkey calls. Because of this predatory boldness many say Indiana is overdue in opening bobcat seasons.
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Stephen and Carolyn Dickens

50th anniversary

Stephen (Steve) and Carolyn Dickens of Evansville plan to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a renewal of vows and reception at the Crescent Room over Memorial Day weekend.

Dickens and the former Carolyn Thomas were married April 10, 1966, during Steve's four years of service in the U.S. Army Security Agency.

They are the parents of Jennifer Drake of Evansville and Janine Poole of Knoxville, Tennessee. They have four grandchildren.

Steve Dickens retired from GE Plastics in Mount Vernon, Indiana. Carolyn Dickens retired from Sears and continues to work there part-time.
DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS The lobby of Hotel McCurdy has turned into a cabinet factory to supply the 113 apartments in the old building. The Kunkel Group hopes to have the renovation complete this summer.

By Thomas B. Langhorne of the Courier and Press

Kate McKinney likes her West Side neighborhood. But the 30-something freelance writer and social media consultant yearns to live in Downtown Evansville.

McKinney is more than familiar with the area. She has worked Downtown for close to two decades. She has friends there. She and her husband attend a Downtown church.

Urban areas are "definitely more my taste," said McKinney, who is actively looking with her husband for a Downtown home to buy.

"I love suburban houses and the yards. I just like to be close to things," she said. "I get more energized by being around other humans. I like seeing people out walking downtown and walking their dogs and getting to know people. Just the idea that there might be a band playing up the street.''

In the aspirations of such people lies the real hope of reinvigorating Downtown Evansville, says Josh Armstrong.

"The Children's Museum (of Evansville) is a great institution. Central Library, a million visitors a year, it creates a lot of vitality for Downtown. The Ford Center helps," said Armstrong, Southwest Indiana Chamber Downtown Alliance director. "But it's the residential development that's really going to change the pace of Downtown."

Armstrong produced a lengthy list of new and relocated businesses that have opened or expanded Downtown. He is excited, of course, about the new regional medical school campus, which is expected to open in spring 2018. The Downtown convention hotel is under construction and expected to open in December.

There has to be more than that, Armstrong said.

"It's this idea that we've had, and other communities suffer from it  that one big project is going to fix Downtown  and it doesn't work that way," he said. "It is a series of projects, but most importantly it's residential development. When you have residents living in Downtown buildings, they go about their day engaging with Downtown businesses in that very sort of personal way. They stop, they get a cup of coffee. In the evening they have a beer. You see them coming and going as they're walking their pets.''

It's not that Downtown suffers for lack of enough people interested in living there. There's a pent-up demand for affordable and market rate Downtown housing product.

A 2015 city housing needs assessment study update reported that available living units are almost 100 percent occupied. With rental housing projects now in the pipeline and in planning phases, city officials think Downtown's occupancy rate can be lowered over the next three or four years from a stifling 98-99 percent to a "market equilibrium" closer to 94 percent. That adjustment would give people somewhere to move and could sustain itself for a decade.

Help is on the way.

The renovated historic Owen Block at Second and Chestnut streets is set to open to tenants in stages in late June. That's 15 units. The long-dormant Hotel McCurdy will begin renting its 113 apartments floor-by-floor in August or September. Developers of those high-profile additions report more than 40 people combined are on waiting lists.

Armstrong can cite several smaller and less-celebrated additions of new rental units to existing Downtown buildings. He estimates these could add another 230-250 rental units to Downtown over the next four years.

For example:

The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana anticipates converting its "1913 building" at 5th and Vine Street into a housing project that would create between 50 and 70 one- and two-bedroom apartments. But YMCA officials do not expect that project to commence until 2018, and there is no projection on when the apartments will be ready to occupy. Maybe 2019.

The housing project will not be possible without space that will be made available with the planned construction of a new fitness facility. The Downtown Y redevelopment, for which space hasn't yet been selected, will be aided by $5 million from Indiana's Regional Cities program. It also will require another $5 million in private funding. The YMCA anticipates the conversion of the 1913 building will be paid for by a developer yet to be selected.

Hard times

In the 1960s, Armstrong said, some 7,000 people lived Downtown. Now the number is closer to 1,200. It likely would be even smaller had Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel's administration not offered a variety of low-interest loans and other incentives to developers to encourage Downtown housing growth. In 2004, the city began offering grants of as much as $20,000 for every apartment built in the city's center. That amount fell steadily with time.

What happened to all the people? Economic upheaval happened.

In the late 1950s, Evansville experienced hard times. Manufacturing plants such as Briggs, Chrysler, Hoosier Cardinal and International Harvester closed and some 20,000 jobs were lost.

Over the next few years, city officials identified Downtown revitalization among their priorities. The Civic Center was constructed, and Evansville began its urban renewal program. That resulted in the demolition of hundreds of buildings in the city core.

"Basically, (then-Mayor) Frank McDonald Sr., tore almost everything down from Fourth Street to the river," said city metropolitan development director Kelley Coures, a lifelong city resident and a student of its history. "Many of them were old, and not quality housing."

Downtown businesses closed. By 1970, Downtown was a place of parking lots. Main Street was a shadow of what it had once been. With the economic upheavals of the decades to follow, Downtown redevelopment came in fits and starts.

But things didn't work out as hoped.

A master plan unveiled in 1970 by the development company Landeco, included plans for a hotel, office buildings, apartments and a department store where riverfront buildings had been or would be demolished.

But financing for Landeco didn't happen, Delays lasted for three years. The Riverside I apartment building did happen, but didn't get going until March 1972  two months after McDonald departed. The city dismissed Landeco in 1973.

Riverside I was torn down in 2003 to make room for Vectren's tower on the riverfront, Coures said, but its 113 units were always full. It was yet another Downtown housing loss.

"(The demolitions) created a gap that it's taken all these years to fill, and now people want to move back into an urban environment. You know, 20 years ago nobody did. Now we need product," Coures said.

'Spectacular'

It's not realistic to think Downtown Evansville could accommodate 7,000 people again, Josh Armstrong said. Too much of the available land is already committed to other uses.

"Some buildings you could convert, some you can't," Armstrong said. "Certainly the Fifth Third building, Vectren, Old National Bank  those are here for the next 50 to 100 years in their present capacity. I don't think the land area available to build enough housing to return to that level."

But with the various projects now in the pipeline, it's not unrealistic to think the Downtown population could approach 3,000 over the next several years.

Coures has suggested City Council should find money for incentives  tax relief, grants and other awards to private developers  to construction of housing Downtown.

Armstrong and Coures provided the same answer when asked to name a Downtown building that is prime for conversion to rental housing: The former Old National Bank tower at 420 Main St. The 18-floor office building, which is about half-occupied, went on the real estate market last fall. It has about 149,000 net square feet and 135,000 usable square feet.

Its asking price: $5 million.

Old National Bank departed the tower about a decade ago when its new Riverfront headquarters opened. It has a sixth-floor balcony, which formerly housed the bank's administrative offices and conference area.

The ground floor, which retains the look of a bank lobby, has been used by a handful of political candidates  including Mayor Lloyd Winnecke  as a campaign headquarters.

"That building would make a spectacular residential development," Armstrong said. He cited the view, available parking for 155 vehicles and room for about 115 rental units.

"If it was done correctly, it would be top-of-market, whether it was done in condominiums for sale or rental or a combination of both," he said. "If I was looking to invest $20 million in a residential building, I wouldn't be looking at any other thing."

Snowball effect

With the average cost per square feet of a condo Downtown is nearly three times as much as the cost for average home sales in Evansville, there can be little doubt there would be a keen demand for new Downtown residential housing.

Coures and Armstrong pointed to Kunkel Square Apartments at Fourth and Main streets, a building that is full with a waiting list  yet has no covered parking, no gym, no doorman. But Kunkel Square does have luxury apartments with premium finishes.

Adam Kunkel, project manager of the McCurdy's newest iteration, knows what he has.

"The IU med school would help, obviously, but the market is here with or without that," Kunkel said at the McCurdy. "Don't get me wrong, the med school's a blessing for all of us, but we've seen this building for 10 years now down here. The med school will certainly be yet another force of momentum that's going to keep pushing this further and further."

Armstrong said the McCurdy in particular can inspire a snowball effect if its developers fill it quickly.

"The absorption there is going to be so fast that it's going to be a lesson to our developers who have been on the outside waiting, with their just toe in the water," he said.
By Max Roll of the Courier and Press

A spokesperson for Deaconess Hospital in Evansville confirmed Sunday afternoon that an FBI agent working an operation in Southern Illinois was shot and flown to the Downtown campus.

Ashley Johnson said the agent was stabilized in Evansville and transferred out of town to another hospital. She said the FBI did not tell her where the agent would be taken or the agent's medical condition.

"He was not here long at all," said Johnson. "FBI wasn't very forthcoming with details."

The agent was involved in a manhunt for Dracy "Clint" Pendleton, 35, who is charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Mahomet, Illinois police officer May 7.

Authorities were searching for Pendleton in Eddyville, Illinois, a small town within Shawnee National Forest in Pope County.

The Courier & Press's Southern Illinois correspondent Len Wells confirmed that the agent was flown from Evansville to a hospital in St. Louis.

A St. Louis television station is reporting that the agent was airlifted to St. Louis and is expected to survive.

Illinois State Police have scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m.

ISP reported Thursday finding a truck in Delwood, Illinois that was reportedly stolen by Pendleton.

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This story will be updated.

Related:

Police shut down section of national forest amid search for alleged shooter
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By Jessie Higgins of the Courier and Press

A dozen or so enterprising kids gathered outside the Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville on Saturday afternoon to sell their old toys and and a few handmade items.

It was cMoe's fourth annual Kids Flea Market for children 16 and under.

"This is a great way to encourage entrepreneurship in kids and see what skills they have," said Ashley McReynolds, cMoe's director of marketing and outreach.

Kids like Owen Goodall, 11, who stayed up late Friday night building marshmallow launchers out of popsicle sticks, plastic spoons and rubber bands.

Saturday, Goodall gave would-be buyers demonstrations of his creation, sending marshmallows high in the air, then running beneath them to try and catch them in his mouth.

"I was looking on websites for things to make and found them," Owen said. "I made them last night. I stayed up until 10."

On the other side of the Kids Flea Market, Callum Appel, 15, sold a selection of repurposed wooden doors, built into vintage-looking chalk boards and coat racks.

"We were visiting family up in Vincennes and we went to this shop and there were all these old doors there for sale," Appel said.

With a little guidance from his mother, Appel spent the last month creating the pieces he would sell Saturday.

"It was pretty easy," said Appel, who hopes to become a biological engineer. "Rustic, oldish and chalkboards seem to be popular."

Within an hour of the market opening, Appel had made more than $100.

"This is all about encouraging kid's entrepreneurial spirit," McReynolds said. "We like to think these are the future business leaders of Evansville and the Tri-State right here."
EVSC office on Walnut Street in Evansville.

By Kelly Gifford of the Courier and Press

Stringtown Elementary, Fairlawn Elementary, Evans, Delaware, North Junior High, Lincoln, Helfrich Park STEM Academy, Central High, Reitz High School.

These are only some of the schools Javion Madison has attended since kindergarten. The 17-year-old can't even remember the exact number, but jokes that he enrolled in almost every school in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.

Madison changed schools for a number of reasons. Sometimes he'd get into trouble and transferred to find a better fit. Many times, however, Madison switched because of his parents. They moved between homes after leases expired or because they couldn't afford a place. After his parents separated, Madison floated between several homes depending on space and if it was near his school at the time.

CANVASS PODCAST: Securing affordable housing in Evansville

Hundreds of students throughout EVSC leave school each day and head to a place that isn't a permanent home for them.

On average, 500 students in EVSC are homeless at one point during the school year, according to Kathy Gray, associate superintendent for The Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships. Although there are several factors that can contribute to a family becoming transient, Gray said the inability to afford housing is a key contributor to why many of the students become transient or homeless.

"In some of the district's higher poverty schools, they move in and out of several schools in their area," Gray said. "We are trying to do whatever we can to create policies and procedures that make education the stability in a student's life when other things might not be."

Homelessness by EVSC standards does not just mean students are living on the streets. The district uses the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act definition, meaning a person who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This could be a student whose family lost their home and is living with a relative while they get back on their feet or a student whose parents cannot afford rent and move elsewhere until they find a permanent address.

Thanks to community partnerships, McKinney Vento and Title One  a federal grant that gives local districts money to improve the academics of disadvantaged students  EVSC is able to offer programs to assist students in these situations. Teachers and administrators have gotten better at spotting the signs of a student in need of help at home. In the early 2000s, between 100 and 150 instances of homelessness were reported throughout the student population each year. Alma Debrowski, social worker for special populations, said tracking students wasn't as effective then.

Some of the signs Debrowski and others look out for is attendance. Students may all of a sudden be missing from school at odd times in the year and then pop up at another school. She said the teachers and school workers are better equipped now to ask about sensitive topics in a non threatening way to give families the help they need.

"There are a lot of obstacles when trying to reach out to families we suspect need help. Their addresses could change quickly, or they could not have the same phone number anymore," she said. "Thankfully the relationships with families and their class teachers, social workers and counselors have strengthened, and we are seeing more families reach out to us because they hear about our resources."

Schools within EVSC arent just a place of learning for students, they are also a resource for families to get some basic necessities. This is because EVSC is part of the Coalition of Community Schools, which partners with agencies, organizations and businesses around the area to help give students and their families the help they need to maintain and further their education.

These different programs range from family engagement and social supports to extended learning and youth development. One of the key challenges Gray said transient students in EVSC face is transportation. Based on a family's circumstances, the district can arrange special transportation so students can stay in their school instead of transferring. Other programs and services offered are in conjunction with organizations around Evansville or created for school specific needs.

At Caze Elementary, first grade teacher Jeremy Buente saw a need for more parent engagement at the school. With the help of the administrative staff and other teachers, he created the school's parent teacher association.

Buente said involving families in a child's education plays an important role in how that child learns and engages themselves in school. When families are focused on basic needs such as food or housing, education may be on the back burner in terms of priorities.

Teachers throughout the school found that making themselves available for not just students but their families as well made the children more attentive in the classroom. Caze began family visits this year, where teachers would visit students' homes or another meeting place to go over how students were doing and to help develop a better relationship with families.

"When we can engage with families and see what they are going through, I can teach my kids better and understand what they are needing," Buente said. "They see that we are willing to go out of our way for their child, so then they might be more likely to tell us when they need referrals for the clothing bank or a special bus pick up."

Establishing that relationship can be difficult when students are coming in and out of a classroom throughout the year. Buente said of the 28 students he taught in his first year of teaching in 2009, only six stayed at Caze through fifth grade. It can be very challenging trying to catch students up on the skills and standards he tries to set when new students enter the classroom, Buente said.

Bosse High Principal Sheila Huff has seen the same situations throughout her decades of teaching throughout the district. She said the lack of stability and consistency that comes with being housing insecure can be seen in both the classroom and a student's overall learning.

The students' performance doesn't just affect their own futures but the school's as well. Huff said in many cases students won't officially withdraw or enroll in another school before testing time and their absence, whether they've been gone a week or several months, is counted against the school when it comes to scoring. She added that her teaching and administrative staff often take on many more responsibilities in order to give students and families that they need, leaving them feeling burnt out by their roles.

For Madison, moving schools became frustrating because he would make friends and then have to find a new peer group once he enrolled at a different school. He already struggled with enjoying school as a kid. His situation and surroundings impacted that, and his grades, greatly.

Madison is technically a junior in high school now but dropped out this semester to take care of his son, now three months old, while his girlfriend, Tiare, finishes her final semester, before graduating. The two also have a near two-year-old daughter together and live with Tiare's grandparents.

Since his children were born, Madison began to apply himself more to school and saw how important an education can be for not just furthering himself but his family as well. This summer Madison plans to go to summer school at Bosse and hopes to graduate after next school year once he earns all of his credits.

With the many programs offered throughout EVSC, Huff said the common denominator for all of them is giving many families back their dignity. Many parents feel they have failed their children and sometimes become too proud to ask for help.

"People for whatever reason seem to believe that having money makes you a better person," Huff said. "Having money simply means you have more opportunities. We try to give families back their dignity through programs that allow them to regain control over their lives and give their children a better future."

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Related:

Families often struggle to find, pay for decent housing
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For fans of orchestral music, it can be a huge treat to hear something out of the ordinary. Season to season, orchestras, by definition, focus on performing their specialties from the standard repertoire: symphonies, concertos and oratorios.

But every once in a while, the repertoire is expanded by an adventurous music director and his/her musicians to include something they rarely tackle: an opera in a semi-staged concert version.

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Jonathan Yates, is planning to conclude its 2015-16 season in such fashion with Giacomo Puccinis La Boheme. Considered the most popular opera in the entire repertoire, a version of this 1890s Italian opera will be presented Saturday, May 21, at the Norwalk Concert Hall.

Two years ago, we finished our season with a concert production of (Bizets) Carmen and it was received really well, Yates said. We thought another production would be great fun ... and fills a gap, since staged opera, which is enormously expensive to produce, is rarely done in Connecticut.

For La Boheme, the nonprofit, fully professional NSO is planning a grand event that will feature about 200 voices from the Fairfield County Chorale, the Fairfield County Childrens Choir, the Norwalk Community College Chorus and a slate of young professionals from the world of opera.

The opera is set around 1830 in Paris, which is rife with Bohemians  a term used to describe the struggling writers, painters, musicians and philosophers who made the city their home. The tale follows the lives of the poet Rodolfo, the painter Marcello and their love interests, Mimi and Musetta. (The opera was the inspiration for Broadways Rent.)

More Information Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Ave. Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m. $50-$10 for students. 203-956-6771, norwalksymphony.org See More Collapse

Mimi will be sung by Canadian soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, who, according to the Toronto Star, brings the stage to life whenever she sets foot into the spotlight. Also from Canada is Amelia Watkins as Musetta, who was featured in the NSOs Messiah earlier this season. Brian Cheney will be Rodolfo, while Wes Mason will play Marcello.

 La Boheme is, in so many ways, an opera about youth and artists in a complex world, Yates said. Its wonderful to have a cast that fits the bill so perfectly.

For this semi-staged production, the guest soloists will not just stand and sing in their respective spots on stage, which is often the case for a concert production, but will infuse action into the piece, he said.

We want the opera to come alive for our audiences. Of course, music reigns supreme, but our fine director, Christopher Mirto, wants to engage the audience while immersing them in the music and drama of this tragic love story. The fun is in making it immersive.

Chicago born and bred, Yates is credited, along with his board, with reviving the NSO, founded in 1939, and bringing it from near financial ruin to functioning entirely in the black.

Known for his programming acumen, Yates has collaborated as a pianist and conductor with many of the countrys most renowned musicians, including Midori, Kim Kashkashian and David Finckel. He has conducted new music with the Brooklyn Knights orchestra, founded by Greater Bridgeport Symphony Maestro Eric Jacobsen.

Jacobsen recently announced that Yates will be the featured soloist on piano and guest conductor for the GBS Salutes Spring concert on April 22, at Bridgeports Klein Memorial Auditorium.

He received his graduate diploma in conducting from the Juilliard School, where he studied with James DePreist and Otto-Werner Mueller, and was the recipient of the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. Yates received a master of music degree from State University of New York, and a bachelors degree from Harvard University, where he studied with Robert Levin.

pasboros@ctpost.com; Twitter: PhyllisASBoros
Though lead poisonings in Flint, Mich., have dominated national news coverage, state health sources said Connecticut is facing its own lead crisis.

Nearly 60,000 Connecticut children under age 6 were reported with lead exposure in 2013, and an additional 2,275 children had high enough levels of the metal in their blood to be considered poisoned. Of the states cities, Bridgeport had the highest number of exposures, at nearly 6,000.

At least one expert said Bridgeports high numbers are the result of a perfect storm of different factors.

We do have a great need, said Audrey Gaines, the citys lead poisoning prevention director. We have a very transient community. We have a lot of people who dont speak English. I think all of that plays a part, along with our housing stock.

Of Bridgeports 58,500 housing units, more than 75 percent were built before 1978, when lead paint was outlawed.

While state and local numbers seem high, health experts say the actual numbers may be higher because of significant gaps in state-mandated testing. Even though Connecticut has some of the strictest lead screening laws in the country  requiring every child to be tested twice, once a year, before age 3  DPH figures show that only half were screened twice.

More Information Children and lead exposure City/Town 0-4 mcg 5 mcg or higher Ansonia 467 20 Bridgeport 5,754 402 Derby 268 9 Fairfield 931 6 Milford 872 7 Monroe 271 Oxford 178 3 Seymour 329 4 Shelton 608 5 Stratford 1,047 23 Trumbull 530 5 Westport 405 1 Lead exposure and poisoning Results of lead screenings of children younger than 6 in 2013. There is no safe level for lead exposure. Results of 5 micrograms or higher indicate lead poisoning. Source: State Department of Public Health Chart shows number of children per city found through state-mandated screening to have lead in bloodstream. The first column shows number of children with levels up to 4 micrograms per deciliter; the second shows levels of 5 mcg or higher. A level of 5 mcg indicates lead poisoning, but no level of exposure is considered safe. See More Collapse

In Bridgeport, on the other hand, Gaines said regular screenings may be why the city reported such high numbers.

Were identifying a lot of cases through screenings, she said. There may be more cases in other cities, but maybe theyre not identifying them the way we are.

Still, lead is a major concern in the city. Lead is just one of those things that doesnt go away, said Dr. Allyson Driggers, chief of pediatric ambulatory medicine at the Bridgeport campus of Yale-New Haven Childrens Hospital. There is no normal level of lead.

How poisoning happens

Unlike in Flint, whose residents were poisoned when a corrosive water source was directed through aging lead-lined pipes, the main culprit in Connecticut is lead paint. Healthy babies and toddlers are driven to move and explore. Through frequent hand-to-mouth activity, they may ingest the toxin through peeling lead paint chips, which taste sweet, and lead dust, created as doors and windows in older housing open and close over the years, grinding down the paint.

Though banned in 1978, lead-based paint is present in countless older apartment buildings and homes, especially in urban centers. But, the problem isnt just in the inner cities. DPHs 2013 numbers show children age 6 and under exposed to lead in Fairfield, Stratford, Trumbull and across the state.

Nearly 75 percent of Connecticuts housing was built before 1980, compared to 57 percent nationally, according to the National Center for Healthy Housing. This, and the fact that the housing is often in poor cities, makes the state one of the top 10 nationally in terms of lead poisoning risk, according to a 2012 DPH report.

Since 1999, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has funneled more than $116 million to the state government and to cities and nonprofits for lead abatement and related activities.

In 10 years, after four consecutive HUD grants, Bridgeport has remediated almost 1,000 units, said Sabine Kuczo, until recently the manager of Bridgeport Lead Free Families. Bridgeports most recent allocation, for $2.3 million, is aimed at making an additional 110 housing units lead free.

No safe amount

Since 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Connecticut health officials have defined lead poisoning as a blood lead level of greater than or equal to 5 micrograms per deciliter  although experts agree there is no such thing as a safe amount.

In 2013, the state health department reports, there were 5,754 children in Bridgeport with a blood lead level of 4 micrograms or lower, and 402 at 5 mcg or higher.

Once it enters the bloodstream, lead can affect the nervous system and can cause anemia, kidney damage, muscle weakness, brain damage and death. Driggers said, the patients who require treatment are those who have a lead level of 45 or higher. Most of the cases she sees have a level between 5 and 15.

But even at those low levels, there can be cognitive difficulties, she said.

These can include a loss in IQ points and speech and developmental delays, as well as hearing, behavioral issues and hyperactivity. But leads immediate impact can be subtle or even imperceptible, since its symptoms are not uncommon: Loss of appetite, fatigue, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea and irritability.

The effects of lead exposure are irreversible.

In two recent studies, researchers at the Childrens Environmental Health Initiative, out of Duke University and the University of Michigan, examined lead-screening results and Connecticut Mastery Test scores, focusing on 18,000 fourth-graders.

In both studies, CEHI said that the stark difference between blood lead levels by race  especially between white and black fourth-graders  was mirrored in the wide disparity in CMT scores in both reading and math.

Both studies conclude that exposure to lead may account for part of the achievement gap among Connecticut schoolchildren.

Gaps in screening

Without a blood test, pinpointing the cause of a childs illness or condition can be difficult, in part because the toxin can affect children differently.

Connecticuts Requirements and Guidance for Childhood Lead Screening set stringent rules on testing. State law says labs have 48 hours to inform the state and local health departments when they have a report of someone whose lead count is above a certain level. However , DPH numbers show that about 30 percent (more than 22,000) of children between 9 months and 2 years old did not have a blood lead test in 2013. And about half of all 3-year-olds that year who had been tested once when younger never had a second test.

Driggers, however, said the population shes seen is largely compliant with screening, mostly because they understand how important it is. Our patients are some of the highest-risk patients, as they mostly live in inner city areas with older housing. We havent had a lot of problems with people getting screened.
Stamfords interim superintendent of schools said complying with a federal directive to let students use the restroom of the gender they identify as will take a coordinated effort between teachers, students and parents.

The guidelines, jointly issued Friday by the U.S. Education and Justice departments, say any school receiving federal money cant discriminate based on sex, including transgender students.

Its going to take more than opening up every bathroom and locker room to whomever wants to use it or slapping up a unisex sign, interim schools chief James Connelly said. Were talking about social development here.

This is part of a social development were seeing throughout the country right now. Its developing and evolving every day.

Connelly said the directive should require more than just a parental request for their child to use a certain bathroom.

It gets difficult in some cases because all a parent has to say right now is my child identifies as a boy or a girl, and there is no medical documentation or anything, he said. I think we need more than just a note from parents. I think the requirements are a little loose at the moment.

While the issue might not sit well in North Carolina  which recently stirred nationwide controversy by prohibiting transgender people from using the restroom they identify with  it was applauded in Connecticut where many school districts already follow the requirements.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the guidance provides educators with tools they need when setting school policy that provides a safe learning environment for all.

Every child, no matter their gender identity, should be treated equally and fairly in a safe, supportive environment, Malloy said.

Since 2011, transgender equality has been part of the state law that prohibits discrimination in public schools, said Thomas Mooney, an education lawyer whose firm represents Bridgeport and a number of other school districts in the state.

As a result, Connecticut educators are sensitive to and sophisticated about this issue, Mooney said.

Mark E. Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, said he has been vocal about providing a safe learning environment that fosters a culture of inclusion.

We are fortunate to live in Connecticut  a state that has led the fight against all forms of discrimination and implements inclusive policies that welcome all members of society, Ojakian said.

The federal rule says when students or their parents notify a school that a student is transgender, the school must treat the student consistent with the students gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to have a medical diagnosis, undergo any medical treatment, or produce a birth certificate or other identification document before treating them according to their gender identity.

At the same time, the directive makes clear that schools can provide additional privacy options to any student for any reason. So students uncomfortable do not have to use shared bathroom facilities.

No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr., said in a statement.

Staff writer Nora Naughton contributed to this story.
BRIDGEPORT - Police are exploring whether the shootings of two people late Saturday night are connected to the homicide on Friday.

A man who was brought by ambulance to St. Vincents Medical Center from the 10:30 p.m. shooting on Park Avenue and Olive Street had a gunshot wound in his back and underwent surgery, city spokesman Av Harris said Monday. The victims condition has been upgraded from serious to stable, officials said.
"Narrative," a term usually linked with storytelling, describes the placement of an event or series of events into a wider context to set the scene for a story as a whole.

Related: 5 Ways to Get Media Coverage as a Startup

In books and movies, narrators skip over certain events or actions to focus on others that are more important or directly affect the story's characters. Each scene is connected to the bigger picture: the story in its entirety.

In public relations, setting a narrative for a brand's story or a company's announcement is just as important. But this aspect is often overlooked: Press releases typically follow the inverted pyramid writing style and focus on the importance of an event or announcement itself. But they're more effective if they take a step back and analyze the event's or announcement's importance to the industry and its consumers as a whole.

Today, as the startup ecosystem becomes ever more saturated with the hundreds of pitches for new apps, products and services constantly being pitched to the media, something more is needed: a clear narrative and placement of the announcement in the wider context. These moves can make a world of difference, and dramatically improve your chances for coverage.

So, how do you create your own narrative?

1. Tell your own story.

Editors' in-boxes are inundated daily with an overwhelming supply of pitches for "revolutionary" new products and services. That's why grabbing their attention with clear and concise information about your announcement is key. However, even the companies that succeed at clarity still focus too much on what my product is, not on why it is important.

The inverted pyramid style pushes the most vital information to the top of the release, with too little emphasis on context. Publicists risk failing to explain to the real significance and the positive impact their product or service can make.

This is not to say that you should exaggerate the importance of your announcement. Claiming that your new fitness app is going to "solve the obesity problem in the U.S and save millions of lives" will likely be met with sneers by skeptical journalists. But outlining the problem (high levels of obesity) and its solution (motivating people to be more active and eat more healthily) is important.

Expressing your company's larger aims and values, then, is a the best way to engage with and appeal to journalists and potential consumers. The allure of your companys big mission and future potential is far more attractive than the small win of your singular announcement.

2. Invoke an emotional response.

Many of us were left teary-eyed by the closing scenes of Titanic, as Leonardo DiCaprios character Jack slipped under the icy waters, leaving Rose (Kate Winslett) bobbing alone on that raft. If, however, we had seen only that one scene on its own, without the rest of the movie and its character development, we would have been less likely to reach for the tissues.

That's the power of a strong narrative. We found the scene upsetting because we had seen how much Titanic's characters had been through up to that point. We looked at the big picture rather than any single scene.

The same concept applies to PR. Relating your announcement to the bigger issues which your product aims to solve can incite an emotive response from your readers. While the launch of a new driving safety app, for example, might not grab readers, the fact that nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, and that more than 20 million are permanently injured, will. Offer readers a real-life issue they can relate to, and you will have their attention.

According to Peter Noel Murray, Ph.D, neuro-imagery research reveals that consumers evaluating brands and choosing products are more influenced by emotions -- personal feelings and past experiences -- than information -- brand attributes, features and facts.

Similarly, Antonio Damasio, professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, argues that emotion is a necessary component to almost all decision-making. Damasio says that when people are confronted with a decision, emotions from previous, related experiences affix values to the options they're considering. And those connections in turn create preferences.

At the end of the day, journalists want to share stories which add to the wider conversation, but most importantly stories which their readership will enjoy, share and engage with. Add this emotive element, and show why your news could make a big difference, to improve your chances of coverage.

3. Consider the bigger picture.

It's uncommon for a story to focus just on one character. Generally, we base our feelings toward a particular character on the behavior and characteristics of other players in the story too.

The same goes for the business world. The impact your announcement has will be based on what is going on in your industry as a whole.

An example is funding announcements -- one of the most common PR releases. While a $200,000 cash injection from an angel investor might be a real turning point for your company, allowing you to push your business model to the next level, that sum might pale in significance to funding rounds going to other major players in the industry.

Related: How to Find and Approach the Right Reporters

What's more, the news-reading public has grown accustomed to announcements of multi-million-dollar investments over the last 15 years, a period of extremely active venture capital funding, which reached new highs in 2015. As a result, it is now uncommon to see funding announcements of less than $1 million even covered.

So, even if your company has been lucky enough to raise funding at a high enough level to be considered newsworthy, your narrative remains your PR's main factor. Think of how you can highlight how the influx of capital will be used, and why the positive changes that result will make a difference in everyday peoples lives.

Fitting your story into the wider trends and problems different players are seeing and trying to solve will increase your chances of attracting media attention, a sentiment echoed by TechCrunch editor Mike Butcher in his controversial post entitled "The Press Release is Dead; Use This Instead."

A good way to pick up on trends and follow the direction of the general conversation is by reading leading publications regularly and looking at editorial calendars. These calendars, released annually, outline themes for each month for publications like TechCrunch and Entrepreneur. Keeping track of these tools helps you weave your individual brand story into a wider context, making it more important and relevant to a wider audience, and increasing the likelihood it will be covered.

But, don't forget that narrative thread: When you have spent years devoting energy to creating, developing and finally launching a new product or service, you may find it difficult to turn past your company's "page" and look at its story as a whole. In addition, how that story fits into the bigger picture will depend on a range of external factors generally outside of your control.

Related: How to Get Noticed in Today's Crowded Business Environment

But narrative has to stay uppermost. Narrative is the dirt path that leads us through the impenetrable forest, so we move forward and don't feel lost, journalist Wade Rawlins has said. So, see your own impenetrable forest as your competitors all shouting their news at the same time as you. Then see the path through the trees as the narrative that conveys your company's mission and the effect it can have on society as a whole.

Related:



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Pa. is about to vote. Here's what to know about voting and ballot access in 2022
Takeaways from the DeSantis-Crist debate

Democrat Charlie Crist came out swinging against Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis in the only televised debate in the Florida gubernatorial race.
The power suit has moved out of the office and onto the street in a variety of colours with the celebrity support of Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett.

by Damien Woolnough
The relationship with the EU is not a marriage. It is a treaty which can be replaced by a better treaty, writes George Carey (pictured)

Ive been half expecting an invitation from the spin doctors of Vote Remain to sign a letter by retired churchmen to the newspapers, explaining how Brexit will bring about the coming of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Official church bodies have rightly resisted telling Christians how they should vote  the consensus in this country is that religious gerrymandering is wrong  but the fundamental religious impulse is for unity and the fellowship of nations.

Brexit seems to be about division and disintegration so it seems natural that religious leaders should oppose it.

But what if the relationships at stake in the EU were bringing about division rather than unity? Because that, reluctantly and sadly, is the view I have come to.

Many Christians seem to believe that our relationship to the EU is analogous to divorce  and Christians dont divorce do they? But there has never been an absolute prohibition on divorce among Christians.

The Bible allows divorce under certain circumstances and even the most traditional churches have accepted that marriages can die, or can be annulled.

To follow the analogy of marriage and divorce there comes a time when such harm is taking place within the marriage that there is no choice but to end it.

But of course, the relationship with the EU is not a marriage. It is a treaty which can be replaced by a better treaty.

So there should be no squeamishness about unity, peace and harmony. Many countries contribute to brotherly fellowship and international peacemaking without surrendering their democratic controls.

In the case of relationships within the EU, many of us feel that the current structures and arrangements are now causing the very division, conflict and unhappiness that they were created to cure.

Look only at the rise of far-Right and far-Left political groupings throughout the Continent. As an octogenarian I shudder, because it was in my lifetime that these kinds of fascism and totalitarianism brought terrible conflict to the Continent.

One Bible narrative which springs to mind in this context is the Exodus story of the people of Israel leaving captivity in Egypt, led by Moses. Pictured is Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments

The structures of the European Union are hardened against reform. The Roman Catholic Church, and indeed the Church of England in their pronouncements on the EU, have always made clear that they have reservations and criticisms of the EU.

But the truth surely is now dawning that only a catastrophe will bring about any degree of change. If the threat of exit by Britain  one of the largest contributors to the EU budget  cannot bring EU leaders together in any serious attempt at negotiation, then surely any hopes of making the EU into a more democratic, responsive body are doomed to failure?

For the British in particular, it is the loss of sovereignty and the inability of Britain or indeed any member state to reform and restore the democratic freedom of the nation state which have made the impositions of the EU such a running sore for many people.

It is likely that a significant number of British people will always resent the loss of sovereignty and will be dragged eternally against their will into any further pooling of power in Brussels.

The possibility of joining the single currency or the Schengen zone has been kicked into the long grass forever.

In the Exodus story, voice of God cried: Let my people go

The choice is therefore a frosty and semi-detached relationship within the EU, or that of a strong and warm friend, ally and neighbour on the outside.

One Bible narrative which springs to mind in this context is the Exodus story of the people of Israel leaving captivity in Egypt, led by Moses into the wilderness and eventually to the Promised Land.

That began with the invitation by Joseph to his erstwhile people to escape famine and enter Egypt, though that resulted in the people of Israel facing hardship and restrictions on their liberty.

To leave Egypt and face the unknown consequences was not immediately an attractive option. But the voice of God cried out, Let my people go.

If the prospect of being in control of our own laws is not enough, we should prize the ability to control our borders if we vote to leave on June 23.

We are an island people, proud of our heritage and history. We have been generous; happy to share our riches with newcomers on the understanding that they own our history and share our values.

Yet there is now huge pressure on our population, due to an unasked-for experiment in uncontrolled immigration that has seen millions added to the population of the UK in the past two decades. We now have no choice but to take back control of our borders.

Sir John Majors uncontrolled immigration intervention this week to suggest that concerns about immigration are divisive and dangerous is wide of the mark.

To allow uncontrolled immigration is where danger lies. It is clear that neither local or national government can provide basic infrastructure, schooling and healthcare for our current growing population.

Sir John Majors uncontrolled immigration intervention this week to suggest that concerns about immigration are divisive and dangerous is wide of the mark

We are not alone in Europe in being alarmed by the pressure of immigration as millions seek better lives here. We understand their longing and the doors remain open to asylum seekers, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that the external borders of the European Union are unstable and unsafe.

The disastrous effect of open internal borders due to the Schengen agreement means that the terror threat in mainland Europe is at an all-time high.

We found out this week that the Government has undercounted EU migration by about 800,000. But the truly frightening figures for the UK public are the official population projections for the UK.

Our population is set to grow by nearly 10 million in the next 25 years to over 74 million.

But there is also a high migration assumption in the official figures, which now looks even more likely, that the increase will be in the region of 16 million. We will need to build 16 more Birminghams and that will have a terrible effect on the standards of living of many Britons.

Does anyone seriously believe that this rate of population growth is truly sustainable for our small and crowded island?

It is often remarked upon that older people are more likely to support Brexit than those who are younger.

Perhaps that is because the young have only known the European Union. In our risk-averse culture they cannot envisage a world in which the UK can possibly stand by itself on the world stage.

Those of us who are older have known a time when the UK was entirely independent  like most countries in the world.

But to imagine life outside the EU is not an act of nostalgia and a return to the 1950s and 1960s, but simply a case of looking around the world at countries like Canada, Australia, and indeed the United States.

As we approach June 23, Project Fear should play no role in our individual decisions. The reality is that every X we put in a box is an act of hope, not fear.

That is the nature of democracy. The Christian insight is that hope is at the heart of our condition as human beings. We cannot possibly know the future, even with the help of sophisticated computer models, so we must take a step into an unknown future.
The single greatest achievement of the European idea  bringing people together in industry, trade and co-operation  matters so much

A few years before his death in 2014, veteran Labour firebrand Tony Benn wrote a book, Letters To My Grandchildren, setting out the challenges they would face. He was a passionate opponent of the EU. But now his son, Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn  himself a grandfather  issues a highly personal and heartfelt plea to Mail on Sunday readers to vote to remain in the EU for the welfare of future generations.

On Thursday June 23, Britain will hold probably its most important vote ever on our place in the world. The outcome of the EU referendum will not only affect us today; it will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren tomorrow and in the years ahead.

When our children are born, we are their world and they become ours. Through long, sleepless nights and each new day we do everything we can to ensure they feel safe and loved.

When they start school, that transition from us knowing everything about their lives to them living their own begins. And as we finally wave them off, we hope more than anything else that they will prosper and be happy.

Becoming a parent changes our view of the world. We finally understand that it is not about us any more but about those who will come after us. And becoming a grandparent, as I now am, reinforces that realisation. Thats why we, the older generation, have a particular responsibility as we approach this referendum.

The world I was born into in 1953  the year of the Queens coronation  had a population of 2.7 billion, 51 million of whom lived in the UK. Today, 7.4 billion live on this small and fragile planet  65 million of them in our country. By the time my grandchildren, who are 18 months and four months old, get to my age, the worlds population will have reached the 10 billion mark.

Partly, this is because we are living far longer and in far better health than before; something we all celebrate. It is also a story of extraordinary economic development and improvement in many peoples lives as absolute poverty has been reduced.

Working together we have built international humanitarian institutions which enable us to extend a helping hand to those in trouble.

And the continent of Europe, for centuries beset by war, has found peace. I lost an uncle in the Second World War and a great-uncle in the First World War  an experience shared by countless other British families. Anyone who has visited the cemeteries of those terrible conflicts, in which the flower of two generations of Europeans gave their youth and their lives, will have been moved to tears.

Veteran Labour firebrand Tony Benn was a fierce opponent of the EU

Row upon row of gravestones carry the names and ages of the fallen, but the most poignant of all are those which bear the simple inscription A Soldier of the Great War  Known unto God because no one knew whose brother, son, father or uncle lay beneath that immaculately cared for ground.

And that is why the single greatest achievement of the European idea  bringing people together in industry, trade and co-operation  matters so much.

It didnt happen by accident. It came about because people of purpose put their mind to it and created an institution of co-operation to replace centuries of conflict  what we know today as the EU  that has made a return to those European wars unimaginable.

So we should never forget from where we have come; nor should we ever take the peace we enjoy today for granted. It was hard won.

We are today part of the largest single market in the world, which has brought jobs and investment. Workers rights  paid holiday, improved maternity and paternity leave, limits on working time and a fairer deal for agency and temporary workers  are all protected by the EU.

If we fall ill on holiday in France or Spain, we get free or subsidised medical care without having to worry about the cost.

If we phone home, from next year we will no longer face expensive roaming charges.

Europe has helped to improve our environment, including cleaner air, cleaner beaches and better protection of our most precious habitats. We are now engaged in a great struggle to prevent dangerous climate change affecting us all.

I have seen with my own eyes as a Cabinet Minister the power and influence Europe has, by acting together, in international negotiations that are the only way to do what needs to be done before it is too late.

The future our children and our grandchildren face will involve great change. It is, after all, the story of our own lives.

When I was born there were nearly 700,000 coal miners in Britain and no personal computers. Today, there are very few miners left but we have 1.4 million people working in technology.

The British Empire has gone and in its place is the Commonwealth. The Berlin Wall has given way to the new democracies of Europe. We have seen the rise of terrorism and new global powers, including the astonishing economic development of China.

The British Empire has gone and in its place is the Commonwealth. The Berlin Wall (pictured) has given way to the new democracies of Europe. We have seen the rise of terrorism and new global powers, including the astonishing economic development of China

And all the while, innovation has continued apace. Today, a child in Tanzania can watch a lecture in the US in high definition on a mobile phone and be inspired to set up their own tech company.

But being able to Skype our grandchildren also means that criminals can use new technology to plan crimes and worse.

Air travel, which has shrunk the world and opened our minds, sadly also allows those who seek to do us harm to move about more easily. Which is why we need to work together to maximise the benefits of change and minimise the risks.

Now I realise that we dont often think about the EU in these terms. But it shows why the Leave campaigners are doing such a great disservice to our children and grandchildren.

The outers may claim that pulling up the drawbridge and quitting the EU will give us back our national sovereignty. But will walking away from Europe really give us greater control over those international forces all around us?

Will it make the lives of UK citizens now and in the future better? And will it help our children and grandchildren to manage the changes they will see in their lives? The answer to all these questions is no.

And when it comes to sovereignty, sharing some of it with others benefits both our country and the nations we share it with.

Its like any relationship. Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you dont. But together were better off.

Of course, the EU can, at times, be a frustrating institution and it needs to change. But that is not a reason to leave; we need to continue to reform it.

For me, a really compelling argument for staying in is this: we are a great and powerful country, one of the worlds biggest economies and a leader in the UN, Nato and  yes  in the EU, but we need to act across borders if we are going to manage the refugee crisis and combat climate change, global inequality and terrorism.

The future lies in co-operation. So as we make this decision, lets have uppermost in our minds the future welfare of our grandsons and granddaughters.

Its why this particular grandad will vote Remain on June 23 and why I urge all my fellow grandparents to do so too.
Two years ago, the Select Committee on International Development, of which I was a member, decided to scrutinise the work that Britain supports in the disputed Palestinian territories.

UK taxpayers spend about 90million a year on projects in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

A large chunk is transferred to a World Bank trust fund and on to the Palestinian Authority (PA), who then control the cash.

UK taxpayers spend about 90million a year on projects in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Smoke rises after a bomb blast in Gaza City in this file picture

Before we visited the region, I received evidence that the PA was paying convicted terrorists salaries based on a tariff, where longer jail time equalled more cash. I was keen to verify this.

I expected an elaborate money trail, phoney names and bogus bank accounts, but I had no need to be a super-sleuth.

Instead, I walked into a meeting with the PA finance minister and asked: Do you pay convicted terrorists a monthly salary, with higher payments awarded to criminals who have spent more time in prison?

His response was clear: Yes.

Revelation: Former Labour MP Michael McCann (pictured)

It makes a farce of DFID denials that they are supporting suicide bombers and child killers.

They are guilty of turning a blind eye to UK taxpayers cash being used to incentivise murder.

Here is the problem with the DFID defence: our money goes to the PA via the World Bank with the objective of empowering the PA to manage its financial affairs. Once the cash is transferred, we no longer control how it is spent.

DFID argues it funds specific programmes. But that is self-evidently impossible when the cash is placed into a World Bank pot, then passed to a PA bank account.

Even if you buy that explanation, consider this: DFIDs agreement with the PA sanctions aid payments in return for an explicit commitment to non-violence.

Paying terrorists rewards violence and breaches that aid agreement.

Now that this newspaper has exposed this dreadful reality, DFID must suspend these payments until the PA honours its pledge on non-violence.
As I have actually been to North Korea, and lived in Russia, I feel qualified to comment on some stupid remarks by a Leftist BBC favourite, Peter Kosminsky.

Mr Kosminsky, a much-garlanded film-maker, absurdly compared government plans to reform the BBC with the control of the airwaves in North Korea and Russia.

Heres the thing I noticed about North Korea, and which was true of all the communist states in their pomp (which I saw). Those ridiculous slogans you see everywhere, urging praise for the Great Leader, or acclaiming the Partys wise rule, have a hard purpose.

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The BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. The BBC is soon to lose the power to be judge and jury in its own cause

What they say to the people is: You are powerless. We can put this insulting, arrogant rubbish on the wall in 8ft letters, and you can do absolutely nothing about it.

It is a deliberate humiliation of all thinking people.

And the only thing comparable to this in modern Britain is the BBC. Here, it ceaselessly transmits material which many of us believe to be false, propagandist or contentious. Mr Kosminsky said the BBCs main job is to speak truth to power. But the BBC is power. Who can speak truth to it?

We are compelled to pay for it under the threat of imprisonment, it decides which opinions are approved and which are not. It can and does utterly ignore the views of about half the population.

On many occasions I have spotted clear instances of bias, complained in calm, well-marshalled detail about them, taken them through stage after stage and at the end been told  by the BBC themselves  that they have done nothing wrong.

Many of you will have had similar feelings of powerless fury as you have listened to the Corporations presenters, and its dramas and soap operas, despising your morals and tastes, ignoring things you know to be true and important, and treating things as uncontested fact which, let us say, have not been proven.

If you doubt this bias, then listen to the words of several prominent BBC people. Mark Thompson, the then director- general, said in 2010 that the BBC had suffered a massive bias to the Left.

Andrew Marr, left, and John Humphrys, right, who have both criticised the corporation despite working for it

The distinguished presenter Andrew Marr said the Corporation was a publicly funded urban organisation with an abnormally large proportion of younger people, of people in ethnic minorities and almost certainly of gay people, compared with the population at large.

All this, he said, creates an innate liberal bias inside the BBC. The equally distinguished John Humphrys has also said: The BBC has tended over the years to be broadly liberal as opposed to broadly conservative.

Theres no real dispute about it, and it is quite unjust and wrong. But last weeks White Paper on the BBC offers a tiny spark of hope. The BBC is soon to lose the power to be judge and jury in its own cause. If you pursue your complaint hard enough, it will go to Ofcom, an outside regulator.

I urge you to do as I shall do, and  as soon as it is in place  use this new freedom to the full. My only fear is that Ofcom itself is infected by the same establishment Leftism as the BBC. It will have to prove me wrong. But such small changes can sometimes bring about revolutions.

As much as I mistrust all optimism, I am entitled to hope. Let us all speak truth to BBC power.

A clear message from Moscow

The Prime Ministers daft claim that a British exit from the EU could lead to war is not just panic-mongering, but wrong.

The real fault-line in Europe lies between Germany and Russia. Its amazing how many call the EU Europe when it excludes Russia, the biggest country in Europe. In fact, the EU is the continuation of Germany by other means, swelling and spreading eastwards, abolishing frontiers and gobbling up territory as it has so many times before.

On the march: Russian servicewomen during a Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square last week

Russia, meanwhile, has begun to make it plain  by increasingly spectacular celebrations of its 1945 triumph over Hitler, including a Victory Day parade in Red Square last week  that it will not take much more of this.

After decades of putting up with Western expansionism, and the scandalous transformation of Nato from a defensive alliance into an aggressive one, Moscows had enough. If there is a new war in Europe, the EU will be the cause of it, and all its members will be dragged into it.

Contrary to what Mr Cameron said, Britain was far safer when it stayed aloof from these continental quarrels. All our present misfortunes began when we foolishly took sides in the great Russo-German war of 1914.

Should senior police officers grizzle to the Queen about how a state visit was quite a testing time for me? Is Her Majesty much interested? She is the Head of State, not some counsellor or grievance expert.

Do members of the Armed Forces likewise inform her that combat was quite a testing time for me? I do hope not.

The Queen speaking to 'Gold Commander' Lucy D'Orsi about the state visit of the Chinese at a garden party

I was more shocked by Gold Commander Lucy DOrsis apparent belief that the Chinese state visit was all about her, than by the Monarchs obvious distaste for the way the Government had made her suck up to the appalling waxworks of the Chinese Politburo.

However testing Ms DOrsi found her dealings with the despotic Chinese goon squad, her Metropolitan Police colleagues seem to have found a way of working happily and willingly with them. Some of us will not forget the shocking way they arrested peaceful protesters and searched their homes, while allowing fake pro-Peking crowds to drown out dissent and block it from view. If this was a test, they failed it.

By the way, I am not a Brit  a dismissive term used by Irish- Americans, and am surprised to see David Cameron using the word in a serious speech.
Jon Platt and his girlfriend Sally Barclay outside the High Court

Jonathan Platt, the 44-year-old parent who successfully challenged a 120 penalty notice for taking his daughter out of school without her heads permission, stood on the steps of the High Court on Friday, chest puffed up with pride, and hailed the courts decision as a triumph for the little guy.

In his eyes, he was Asterix the Gaul, Ramsay MacDonald and Mahatma Gandhi all rolled into one. He had taken on the system and won.

Thanks to his heroic efforts, it is now up to parents to decide how regularly their children should go to school. If they want to take their children to Disneyworld in Florida during term time, as Jon Platt did last year, theres nothing schools can do to stop them.

Youll forgive me if I dont regard this legal victory as an unqualified blessing. As the co-founder of four free schools  as well as a parent who worries about his own childrens education  I cannot help but wonder how teachers are going to do the job weve entrusted them with if there are no penalties for playing truant. How can they deliver a syllabus to a class of 30 children, something that requires a good deal of careful planning, if those children can drop in and out whenever they like?

How can teachers arrange school trips if parents are at liberty to pull their children out at the last minute, as Mr Platt did last year?

How can they teach children the importance of sticking to a timetable if theres no penalty for failing to turn up to a lesson?

In essence, the High Court has ruled that a headteachers view about the harmful effect of low attendance  a view based on years of professional experience  should be given less weight than that of Mr Platt.

It does not harm them at all, this self-appointed expert announced outside the High Court. How do I know? Because my own kids are doing really, really well in school.

If thats true, Jon, its because your childrens teachers are too responsible to allow them to fall behind as a result of your cavalier attitude to their education.

Theyve probably kept them back during break, when they could be having a cup of coffee in the staffroom, and gone over the work theyve missed. Do you really think its fair to exploit their dedication in this way just because its marginally easier for you to take your kids on lavish, overseas holidays during term time?

This is the worst kind of selfishness, refusing to inconvenience yourself in any way, no matter how much extra work it creates for others. Its also an expression of utter contempt for a group of beleaguered professionals who deserve our respect.

But what I find really galling about Mr Platts common man routine is the impact his campaign will have on under-privileged children.

The vast majority of schoolchildren who are guilty of persistent absenteeism arent the sons and daughters of well-heeled professionals like him, but are living in welfare-dependent households.

Theyre not being kept out of school so they can be taken to Florida. Its because their parents  or in many cases, a single parent  cant be bothered to get up in time to get them ready in the morning.

Or because theyve forgotten to wash their school uniform. Or because theyre too hungover to do the school run.

According to the Department for Education, more than 430,000 English children miss out on a month of schooling every year and many find it impossible to keep up, however hard their teachers try to compensate. Mr Platts own children may be OK, but for most theres a direct correlation between low attendance and low attainment.

Of children who miss more than 50 per cent of school, only three per cent manage to get five good GCSEs, including English and maths. The reason the last government made it easier for schools to fine parents who neglect to send their children to school was to help those vulnerable children whose deadbeat mums and dads refuse to behave responsibly.

The Schools Minister Nick Gibb said at the time: We know that children who are absent for substantial parts of their education fall behind their friends and struggle to catch up. These new measures were designed to protect children who are most at risk of falling behind  mainly because their parents cant be bothered to get them into school every day  and if they make life slightly more difficult for sharp-elbowed, pushy parents like Jon Platt, thats surely a price worth paying.

Those middle-class families who regard him as a hero because it will enable them to go on overseas holidays during term time when flights are cheaper are overlooking the impact of the High Courts ruling on the kids of less affluent parents.

Those children are already struggling to keep up. In 2013, only 33.5 per cent of pupils on free school meals got five good GCSEs, including English and maths, compared to 60.5 per cent of all other pupils.

Now the High Court has made it harder for schools to fine negligent parents, that gap is unlikely to get any smaller. Is it really a victory for the little guy when the system rules in favour of well-off parents at the expense of children from low-income families?

Before this High Court decision, headteachers were able to exercise discretion about whether to give a child permission to be out of school during term time. And in exceptional circumstances, such as the funeral of a grandparent, such permission was granted. But thanks to Jonathan Platt, this system will have to be abandoned because heads can no longer threaten parents with fines if they flout their authority.

The Government will be forced to introduce a new law making school attendance 100 per cent compulsory. That will be Mr Platts legacy.
The final hard shape of the referendum battle now starts to emerge out of the mist. Two great issues dominate  the future of the economy, and the question of immigration.

On the economy, it would be hard to deny that the Remain camp have struck the shrewdest blows and have assembled the most formidable collection of arguments and supporters.

The Brexiteers may complain about outsiders telling us what to do  and this is a problem for the supporters of the EU.

Boris Johnson: Sir John Major's Oxford speech hit Boris Johnson and Michael Gove on an exposed flank

But the fact remains that when Barack Obama, Mark Carney and Christine Lagarde all advise against a UK departure, the combined weight of their counsel is huge.

Rather than moan about their intervention, the Exit camp need to find supporters of comparable quality, and they need to do so quickly.

The intervention of Sir John Major on the Remain side is also bad news for those who want to leave. Mr Majors image of reasonable decency is still hard currency in many English homes. His chiding of the Brexiteers for supposed scaremongering may well be effective.

The serious sceptics have known from the start that they must avoid being bracketed with Ukip and Nigel Farage, whose fierce passion for their cause has always narrowed its appeal.

Sir Johns Oxford speech hit Boris Johnson and Michael Gove on an exposed flank. They must still be smarting from his charge that they have knowingly made false claims about the cost of membership.

If they now try to recover by making too much of the immigration issue, their sharpest weapon, they will endear themselves to the Ukip hardcore, but risk losing support in the softer centre.

The Prime Minister has cunningly steered around the problem of debating against his fellow Tory, Boris Johnson, by ensuring that his major televised appearance will be back- to-back with Mr Farage. That is the dividing line he most wants to draw.

Inexorably, the conflict is becoming more concentrated, more unforgiving and more interesting. But it is also far from over, and neither side can afford to be complacent or even confident.

Big step for the RSPCA

The Mail on Sunday wholeheartedly welcomes a major apology and climbdown at the RSPCA.

Its new chief, Jeremy Cooper, has admitted  not a moment too soon  that the charity had become too political and too heavy-handed.

And so it has, launching contentious prosecutions, attacking farmers over badger culls, and snatching pets from their owners.

This newspaper has exposed many of these wrong actions and campaigned to persuade the Society to return to its roots and abandon its lofty, moralising posture.

It is baffling that the charity ever thought that it was entitled to behave as it has been  arrogant and self-righteous both in its major public stances and its treatment of individuals. The Charity Commission has much work to do, to persuade them to rediscover their true purpose.
Until Tuesday it was the leave that dare not speak its name. The Government line was clear. There were no contingency plans being drawn up for Britain's exit from the European Union.

Then George Osborne appeared at the Treasury Select Committee, and seemed to have set Larry the Downing Street cat prancing around the room. 'I think there would be very significant financial volatility around a vote to leave,' he told the assembled MPs. 'The Bank of England and the Treasury are doing quite a serious amount of contingency planning for the impact on financial stability in the aftermath of a vote to leave.'

According to Treasury sources, these comments did not actually represent a great tactical volte-face from the 'In' camp.

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A Minister, referencing Marlon Brando's homicidal officer from Apocalypse Now, said this was the week the Leave campaign, which is backed by Boris Johnson (left), went full Colonel Kurtz (right)

'There hasn't really been a shift,' said one official. 'There is no 'Brexit plan'. We're not involved in any detailed contingency preparation around issues like new trade relationships. But the Bank of England has a statutory duty to ensure financial stability, so obviously they are looking at different scenarios.'

The mood in the Remain campaign continues to be one of nervous optimism. Their narrow poll lead is holding. The local elections contained little evidence of anti-European fever sweeping the land. The Outers are engaging in another of their regular bouts of in-fighting.

So it is true, Ministers and their allies in the struggle to keep Britain anchored in the EU have not been drawing up formal contingency plans for Brexit. But they have most certainly been gaming it.

Senior Downing Street and 'In' campaign officials have produced a 1,200-word document  Timeline: How The UK Leaves The EU  which sets out, in painstaking detail, what would happen in the hours, days, weeks and months after a vote to leave. Intended for internal use to assist the campaign in illustrating the numerous dangers of an 'Out' vote, it begins as David Cameron appears on the steps of Downing Street the morning after the referendum to announce to the nation he will deliver on his promise to invoke Article 50 and initiate British withdrawal, and ends two years later with the UK separated from the EU, struggling to cement new trade deals and facing the imposition of damaging tariffs on exports.

The document is not packed full of ludicrously apocalyptic predictions. Russian landing craft do not appear off Beachy Head. Islamic State does not run amok on the streets of London, Birmingham and Glasgow. Soup kitchens do not immediately spring up along the Mall. And because of that it makes for utterly terrifying reading. Shorn of the hyperbole and hysteria that has been the hallmark of this campaign, it depicts in a simple, sober and compelling way the slow but inexorable fall of a nation.

First there is political paralysis. Cameron disappears on a seemingly endless round of shuttle diplomacy as he attempts to cajole and bully our former partners into granting propitious terms for our exit. The day-to-day business of running the country grinds to a halt as MPs demand a series of emergency debates, Ministers rush out emergency statements, and their civil servants scramble to come to terms with the full impact of Brexit on their departments. The SNP again raises the spectre of independence. The unions make threatening noises over the potential loss of workplace protection. The farmers begin protests at the potential loss of subsidies.

Former London mayor Boris Johnson talks at the Armada House Conference Centre in support of Brexit

The diplomatic picture is equally dark. Britain finds itself excluded from a major EU summit as the remaining members debate its fate. Faced with their own domestic political pressures, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel decide they cannot be seen to be bowing to UK demands. Britain's exclusion from the single market is confirmed.

More than 30 countries which have free-trade agreements with the UK respond by demanding renegotiation of the terms. France announces that the Le Touquet agreement, which allows the UK to operate border controls at Calais, will be reviewed  with a view to returning border controls to Dover. Donald Trump sends the 'Out' campaign his congratulations. So does Vladimir Putin.

But by far the most chilling scenario is the potential impact on the UK economy. The document predicts that on the afternoon after the vote, 'Bank of England Governor Mark Carney announces that the emergency support put in place to protect banks from instability as a result of Brexit uncertainty is being made available, in a bid to calm markets'  evidence of what Osborne meant when he referred to the Bank's contingency planning.

Next, the credit-rating agencies warn that financial insecurity is threatening the UK's capacity to secure deficit reduction. Businesses start laying off workers.

Growth forecasts are revised down. The expectation of reduced tax receipts forces the Treasury to begin to plan an additional round of spending cuts. Unemployment begins to rise, leading to an increase in the welfare bill. Additional cuts need to be identified. And so the vicious Brexit cycle continues.

Boris Johnson speaks as he visits Reidsteel, a Christchurch company backing the Leave Vote

This is, of course, simply a prediction, and a partial one, from people attempting to convince us all to cast our votes in a particular way. But these are not fantastical claims. They appear to me to represent a systematic, logical and relatively measured analysis of Britain in the months and years following any withdrawal from the EU. 'Project fear!!!', the 'Out' campaign will scream in response. Maybe. But let's put aside the crystal ball for a second. Last month the economic office of Frankfurt confirmed it was receiving concrete requests from financial services firms to relocate from the UK.

In the same month, it was revealed that financial firms intending to remain within the UK had introduced a pre-referendum hiring freeze. Last week, Reuters reported that four-fifths of UK-listed firms were already hedging against the risk of a Leave vote, knocking ten per cent off the value of sterling. Construction projects are being put on hold, as are major international property investments. The shadow of Brexit is already having a chilling effect on the economy.

Yesterday, I asked the CBI what its view was on the competing economic claims on EU membership. 'The evidence that a vote to leave the EU would make a serious dent in our economy, jobs and prosperity is overwhelming and still growing,' said a spokesman. 'The continued lack of a realistic argument on how the UK economy would be better off outside the EU is revealing. If a different conclusion could be credibly shown, Leave campaigners would have done so by now with fewer than 50 days before the vote.'

The out campaign is fighting logic with hysterical threats

Unfortunately, Leave campaigners were otherwise engaged last week. Boris Johnson appeared in Cornwall, waved a pasty and a bunch of asparagus at the crowds and declared: 'I think all this talk of World War Three and bubonic plague is totally demented.' His colleagues in the Vote Leave campaign turned up to the premiere of Brexit: The Movie, left in high spirits and issued an emotional late-night press release threatening ITV with 'consequences' if it dared host a debate between Cameron and Nigel Farage.

At the same time, Farage's own campaign was releasing a video that compared refugees to 'vicious snakes'. 'This was the week the Leave campaign went full Colonel Kurtz,' said a Minister, referencing Marlon Brando's homicidal officer from Apocalypse Now.

Yes, it's true, the 'In' campaign is trading in fear. But it is rational fear. Political gridlock. Diplomatic isolation. Economic recession, or even depression. Their Timeline is worryingly convincing. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe it is nothing more than hyperbole and black propaganda.

But to demonstrate that, those campaigning for 'Out' need to produce their own Timeline.

And it has to contain more than a handful of asparagus, hysterical threats, and some good old-fashioned immigrant bashing.

As the CBI says, those calling for Brexit have less than 50 days to make their case. It is time for Colonel Kurtz to return from 'up country' and start making it.
Nigel Farage refuses to be put in the shade by fellow anti-EU campaigner Boris Johnson, who posed brandishing pasties in Cornwall.

A Ukip insider says: Nigel will tour the North in an open-top bus crammed with pretty girls to show he is more popular up there, while the Tories are so hated they only feel safe in Lands End.

Nigel Farage who will tour the north in an open-top bus crammed with pretty girls to show he is more popular up there

Overhearing fellow pro-EU Tory MPs discuss why anti-Brussels colleagues resemble the so-called Ward 8 at Broadmoor rebels who plotted against John Major, party grandee and wag Sir Nicholas Soames interjected: Plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose  as they say at Romford Market, nest-ce pas?

Cameron loyalist Anna Soubry says shes the victim of a dirty tricks plot over claims she made a tasteless quip about the crisis-hit steel industry in the Commons Tea Room.

Cameron loyalist Anna Soubry says shes the victim of a dirty tricks plot over claims she made a tasteless quip about the crisis-hit steel industry

According to one source, the Business Minister joked: Im so busy, lots of steelworks to close, ho ho I mean keep open. She denies making the remark and blames mischief-making Brexit Tories. We believe you, Anna.

Film crews rolling up at Jeremy Corbyns house to quiz him on Labours latest crisis are greeted by a twitch of the curtains.

It is the Labour leader, using his phone to film the filmers. He then emails the footage to aides who are under orders to compile a dossier on media intrusion.

Sighs one broadcaster: It is the behaviour we usually get with cranks.

Nicky Gavron, Ken Livingstones Jewish former Deputy Mayor, puzzled Labour activists by light-heartedly suggesting that for all Red Kens comments about Hitler and Zionism, he had more in common with Israelis than he might think. Asked why, Nicky said an Israeli friend had observed: Because he always refuses to apologise.

The Newsnight discussion on the Governments plan to curb the BBC, including forcing it to name stars earning over 450,000, was a feeble affair.

It would have been enlivened if Tory Andrew Bridgen hadnt waited till the cameras stopped rolling to put Newsnight and Dragons Den host Evan Davis on the spot: Come on Evan, do you earn over 450,000? Nothing like it! squealed Davis.
Olive oil has been used as a beauty treatment for centuries.

Cleopatra was said to use it on her skin alongside milk baths and ancient physicians noted its use in the role of massage.

Now the seemingly age defying French-born model Yazemeenah Rossi, 60, from Malibu, has revealed that smothering olive oil on her face - and rapeseed oil through her grey locks - are her key anti-ageing beauty hacks.

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Mieka Smiles, 34, from Middlebrough, a mother-of-two, was inspired by age-defying model Yazemeenah Rossi, aged 60, to use olive oil on her face and rapeseed oil on her hair

Week one of Mieka's olive oil regimen, left. The bottle of oil cost just 2 and there was no particular technique to applying it - just pour and smother. A month of daily use later and Mieka noticed her skin was less shiny and blemish-free, right

But can the cheap kitchen cupboard staples really help to turn back the hands of time like they appear to have for Yazemeenah, who has fronted campaigns for Marks & Spencer and JD Williams?

Mieka Smiles, 34, a writer and mother-of-two, from Middlesbrough, Teesside, puts it to the test for a month. Here's how she got on...

'Ooh, I'll oil you up,' remarked my ever hopeful husband.

It was a typical (mostly ignored) response from my other half.

But I guessed that would be the last of the amorous comments for at least a month given I'd spend most of it looking like an oily chip.

Yazemeenah, from Malibu, has revealed that smothering olive oil on her face - and rapeseed oil through her grey locks - are her key anti-ageing beauty hacks

I was all set try out a beauty hack championed by stunning Marks & Spencer model Yazemeenah Rossi, 60, who looks at least 20 years younger than her years in my reckoning.

Mieka was intrigued by the idea of putting oil on her face and hair, and is keen for any non-surgical anti-ageing hacks

I'm very conscious of ageing.

Despite Botox and fillers being a popular option for others my age, I'm also a huge hypochondriac and convinced the effect would leave me looking more weird than wonderful.

So I was intrigued as I was hopeful about trying out the entirely natural wrinkle busting regime.

OLIVE OIL

There was no great technique to this 2 beauty tip  just pour and smother.

I decided to apply the oil before bed as makeup wouldn't sit on top of it.

The first thing that I noticed was the smell of the oil. It wasn't unpleasant at all, but not a smell I wanted as my signature fragrance.

Application was straightforward, although you do need to take care with pouring it into your hands.

It actually felt like a very luxurious facial massage and not in any way greasy. It had the texture of an expensive emollient.

A point of caution: eyes.

Mine aren't particularly sensitive, but the oil did sting when rubbed into them and so I avoided the area. A shame given that's where my wrinkles are rapidly accumulating.

I was conscious of the oil as I laid my head down of an evening, but come morning the oil was gone.

I'm not sure if it had rubbed off onto my pillow  as there was certainly no evidence of that  or if it had just worked its way into my skin.

A good splash of warm water was enough to get my skin ready for my daily pile of makeup.

Over the course of the month my skin felt smoother to the touch and certainly more supple. Kind of the effect you'd expect from an expensive facial.

Week one: Mieka did not have high hopes for the regime, but she smothered her face with olive oil every night before bed

It also had a more even tone. I found that my skin was clearer too with fewer breakouts: possibly not something you'd expect after rubbing oil directly onto your face. And quite shockingly, less oily.

As an acne sufferer in my younger years, I would have tried anything to clear my skin. A quick Google search shows that many in that situation now are giving olive oil a go with interesting results.

However, disappointingly, I didn't witness any actual reduction in my existent wrinkles. And the uber wrinkle between my eyes on my forehead didn't budge.

Can any treatment really promise that though?

I'll certainly continue with the regimen: cheap, effective and all-natural, with a host of benefits.

Week two (left): She was consciuous of the feeling of the oil when she laid down to sleep each night, but come the morning the oil was always gone. Week three (right) Mieka noticed her skin becoming more supple

Week four: Over the course of the month Mieka found that her skin became clearer and she had fewer breakouts. She also found her face was less oily

RAPESEED OIL

Smothering oil on my hair is not an entirely new concept. I can remember the warm-up hair oil treatments of the Nineties, pinched from my mum's stash.

My hair is highlighted and so definitely in need of anything that will offer an intensive condition.

Application, once again, was pretty straightforward but it wasn't a nice job.

My hair felt absolutely thick with oil that smelled of grass. It was also difficult to judge how much to use.

Week one: Mieka's hair is highlighed and in need of moisture, so the oil was good in that respect - but she didn't like applying it

Week two (left): She found the oil difficult to remove in the morning and had to shampoo twice to get rid of it. Week three (right) She noticed her hair becoming softer and it looked noticibly sleeker

If I'd have had to go out of the house for an emergency midnight jaunt, I'd have been mortified.

Come morning, it was only two intensive shampoos that would shift the stuff. And I'd then need to heavily condition my hair that I'd scrubbed it within an inch of its life.

It made me wonder the treatment's worth, given I was nourishing my hair, only to strip it right back again.

Butmy hair was noticeably softer and shinier after the rapeseed oil treatments. The extra conditioning possibly?

Given the rigmarole, I did keep the treatments to twice or three times a week as my school-run mornings are tight enough as it is.

Again the expense was minimal (around 2 a bottle) so perhaps worth a go if you have the extra time to spare.

Week four: While she feels that it might be worth doing if you have the time and it's cheap at only 2 for a bottle of oil, she didn't enjoy the rigmarole of doing it
A woman who was told she wouldn't be able to have any more children was ecstatic to find out last year she was pregnant.

But her joy was cut short when her daughter died in utero because of a common urinary tract infection doctors did not pick up in time to save her baby.

Gold Coast mother of one Jaime-Lee Groves, 27, was shocked to learn in July that she was pregnant seven years after a car accident crushed her pelvis and doctors told her she would not be able to have another child, according to Kidspot.

'When I found out I was pregnant I was so emotional,' Ms Groves said, adding that she was excited for her family's new arrival, who she named Amelia-Rose

Gold Coast mother of one, Jaime-Lee Groves, 27, (pictured) learned that she was pregnant in July, despite doctor's predictions that she couldn't conceive, but at just 26 weeks her daughter died in utero

A common urinary tract infection had caused her unborn daughter, named Amelia-Rose, to become sick and die - shattering the excited expectant mother's dreams

'When I found out I was pregnant I was so emotional,' Ms Groves said, adding that she was excited for her family's new arrival

In her 26th week of pregnancy, Ms Groves said she began to feel contractions and rushed to the hospital but was told that everything was alright and was sent home.

As soon as she got home her water broke and Ms Groves headed back to the hospital.

Tests showed she had contracted a common urinary tract infection that had caused her water to break and left very little fluid around her unborn daughter.

In her 26th week of pregnancy, Ms Groves (pictured) said she began to feel contractions and rushed to the hospital but was told that everything was alright and was sent home

As soon as she got home he water broke and Ms Groves headed back to the hospital and was told that she had a UTI

'They induced my labour and we talked about whether or not we would resuscitate her if it came to that - and we agreed we would. But she stopped breathing before I gave my last push,' Ms Groves said.

When she asked hospital staff if her daughter had died, Ms Groves said they turned and looked at her with sadness in their expressions and placed her stillborn daughter on her chest.

'Finding out I was pregnant had been a dream come true,' she said. 'And then it was ripped away.'

Ms Groves was induced into labour but her daughter died in the womb and was unable to be resuscitated

'Finding out I was pregnant had been a dream come true,' she said. 'And then it was ripped away'

UTI infections are extremely common in men and women but pregnant women can be more susceptible.

Ms Groves said she didn't feel any of the typical symptoms, like a burning sensation when she urinated and that she essentially felt like nothing was wrong.

The mother of an eight-year-old daughter said she was not warned about the risks a UTI could pose to her pregnancy and is now warning other expecting mothers to be aware of the dangers.
Now she has more than 12,000 followers on Instagram

It takes her up to an hour to make each meal because of all the details

The mum started the account because her daughter is a fussy eater

She uploads photos of the meals to her Instagram account Lunarbell Lunch

Parents around the world try many different tactics to cater to their fussy children... but one mother has taken her creativity to a new level.

Sarah Gonzalez, a mother-of-six from America, creates incredibly detailed artworks out of meals for her children- from realistic Disney characters to an array of colourful animals.

She then uploads her creations to Instagram, where she boasts more than 12,000 followers on her account Lunarbell Lunch.

Lots of effort: Sarah Gonzalez creates incredibly detailed artwork out of her children's food

Don't change their spots: The mum-of-six started creating the meals to placate her daughter who was a fussy eater

Monkey business: The project started when Mrs Gonzalez's four-year-old daughter, Valerie, refused to eat her lunch

Going swimmingly: She started looking into creative food plating and got inspiration from the Internet to create her own fun meals

Mrs Gonzalez plates up incredible creations out of fruit, vegetables, meat and dyed bread and often gets thousands of likes on each picture.

Mrs Gonzalez told Nanny Magazine that she started creating the fun food after her then four-year-old daughter, Valerie, refused to eat her lunch.

'She would complain and throw temper tantrums over everything I offered her,' she said. 'I started researching different ways to encourage her to eat better and that is where I discovered the world of creative food!'

'She would complain and throw temper tantrums over everything I offered her': Mrs Gonzalez said that it was extremely different to get her daughter to eat her food beforehand

Success: The first time she gave Valerie a 'fun' meal the four year old ate every bite

Colourful and healthy: Now Valerie is 'so excited' for lunch each day and to see what Mrs Gonzalez will make for her

Counting fun: She can also now sneak in healthy food to her kids's lunches because they don't realise what they're eating

Mrs Gonzalez started plating up her daughter's food creatively, to try and entice her to eat it. The first time she gave Valerie one of the 'fun' lunches, the four-year-old loved it.

'It was instant success... for the first time she was eating every bite on her lunch plate and so excited for the next days creation,' Mrs Gonzlaez said.

Not long after, she started sharing her creations on Instagram, where many praised her for her efforts.

Timely: It takes the mum up to an hour to create each lunch, and says that she takes requests from Valerie and her other kids

Under the sea: Shortly after Mrs Gonzalez started uploading pictures of her kid's food to Instagram

Five a day: The mum now has more than 12,000 followers on Instagram and gets thousands of likes on every photo

Fun food: Some of the most popular designs she's done are Wall-E, Woody from Toy Story and The Count from Sesame Street

The dedicated mother spends a maximum of an hour on each of her food creations... making sure to get them perfect.

She said the lunches have also allowed her to sneak in food that her kids had previously refused to eat, like celery, because they don't realise what it is.
Princess Mary looked like she was ready to walk down the aisle again to husband Fred as she attended an event dressed in a stunning cream three-tiered dress and carried a bouquet of flowers.

The brunette beauty also showed she really is all about sustainable fashion, recycling the dress from seven years ago.

Wearing the same stunning cream, one-shouldered Ole Yde dress she wore on a State visit to Vietnam in 2009, the Princess looked the part as she celebrated the Royal Danish Yacht Clubs 150th Anniversary.

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Princess Mary looked ready to be a bride again as she arrived to a function in a cream dress whilst carrying a bouquet of flowers

Mary was happy and smiling as she arrived at an event for the Royal Danish Yacht Club with her husband

At her wedding in 2004 (above), Mary wore a dress by Danish designer Uffe Frank which had a six metre long train

Mary looks just as gorgeous 12 years later, as she did on her wedding day

Princess Mary used accessories to freshen up the look - opting for a pale pink flower on her shoulder and a gold rectangle clutch paired with matching heels.

In true Princess Mary fashion, her hair was styled up and adorned with a gold fern.

The Tasmanian Princess joined Prince Frederik, Prince Henrik and Queen Margrethe on a yacht which departed from the royal barge on Amalienborg and sailed across the harbour to the Copenhagen Opera House for the Jubilee Ball.

Mary has recycled the Ole Yde dress, which she wore in 2009 on a State visit to South Vietnam

Princess Mary replaced the black bow that adorned her shoulder in 2009 with a matching pink flower

Her hair was perfectly swept up and adorned with a gold fern

Princess Mary looked every part the royal as she stepped off a yacht in Copenhagen on Friday

The royals were greeted on arrival by the Yacht Clubs president, Lars Ive, and the Queen and Tasmanian-born Princess were presented with bouquets of flowers by two young girls.

Its been a busy week for the Princess and mother-of-four, who as Patron, attended the opening of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2016 the day before.
Last year, Sharon Kelly  who was adopted as a baby  met her birth siblings for the first time. She and her new-found sister Marcia Turner reveal how the discovery has changed them

'I couldnt have hoped for better... I truly felt that I belonged, and between the talking, the laughter and the hugging, the missing years seemed to disappear,' says Sharon Kelly (pictured, far left, with her sister Marcia)

Sharon, 56, works as a scriptwriter for the BBC. She is separated from her husband and has a 20-year-old son, Dexter.

Life is strange. Last April, I received a mysterious message on Friends Reunited asking if I was the Sharon Kelly of my childhood address.

I didnt recognise the name but deep down I knew who it was  one of my half-sisters.

Id been put up for adoption at six weeks old but my biological mother went on to marry and have four more children: Marcia, Julie, Chris and Sharon (Sharon was not the name my birth mother chose  my adoptive mother renamed me).

This was my first contact with my half-siblings, although Id known about them since tracing the address of my birth mother Ann when I was 18.

I had approached her for the first time in my mid-30s, when my son Dexter was ten months old; I wanted to unearth my own genetic history for his sake.

When I met Ann, she brought her husband John to meet me, but it was obvious from the start that she was uncomfortable.

She did ask me questions about my life, including whether Id had a happy childhood. I didnt want her to feel guilty so I lied and said yes.

In fact, it was anything but. My adoptive mother loathed me, an attitude she often reinforced with violence.

'The most surprising and incredible connection is Marcia being a writer as well... it must be in the genes,' said Sharon, who is 53 weeks older than Marcia

By the time she died in 2005 we hadnt spoken for many years. But there was a reason Ann was so ill at ease.

She was terrified of her children finding out about her shameful secret: me, the out-of-wedlock baby, given away. This fear made it impossible to pursue a relationship beyond our one and only encounter.

However, when Ann died, John, who had kept a baby photo Id given her in a drawer for 20 years, decided it was now or never for their children to know about their elder half-sibling.

I found out about my mothers death from my half-sister Julie when she followed her Friends Reunited message with a phone call. It was difficult to feel any grief as I didnt know her, but her passing was a new beginning for me.

Next, I spoke to Marcia, who is the closest in age to me  only 53 weeks younger. There were no awkward silences as we made a stab at catching up on the past 50 years of our lives.

In fact, its one of the traits we siblings all share: the gift of the gab.

And I couldnt wait to see what else we had in common, because for me, as an adoptee, Ive never quite known what has made me me  nature or nurture?

When we all finally met last summer, I was welcomed with a warm, open tenderness and lots of drink (the fondness for a tipple may also be genetic!).

Im pleased to say I can recognise my smile in one sister, the same impossible hair in another, and a shared sense of humour in all of us.

But the most surprising and incredible connection is Marcia being a writer as well.

I think its fair to say that neither of us comes from the kind of bookish background that would naturally support the idea of us being writers; it must be in the genes.

But what about the nurture side? My siblings appear to be settled, steady and secure  unlike me.

At times I flail around in life. My work is precarious, as is my financial situation, and Im impulsive.

But they all grew up in a stable family. Its hard for me to escape my negative childhood experiences without some residual emotional scars and erratic behaviour.

'The only way to survive my upbringing and the constant onslaught of criticism was to rebel,' said Sharon (pictured in 1962)

Marcia calls me the wild child in comparison to her and the others. I have to admit that even in my mid-50s Im a party animal who still backpacks and is always on the lookout for the next adventure. I believe my nonconformism is due to nurture  or rather, the lack of it.

The only way to survive my upbringing and the constant onslaught of criticism was to rebel.

I forged my personality out of being separate and other from my mean-spirited, controlling adoptive mum.

But maybe Marcia would have been different with an elder sister  more carefree, even wild. Being the eldest she had to take on a lot of responsibility for the younger ones.

Weve all seen the TV programme Long Lost Family highlighting the joys of reunions, and our first get-together was no different.

I couldnt have hoped for better. It was incredible; I truly felt that I belonged, and between the talking, the laughter and the hugging, the missing years seemed to disappear.

But the joy of meeting my sisters and brother is tinged with sadness and a certain amount of anger.

It underlines the lack of love, care and warmth in my childhood. And when I catch glimpses of what its like to belong to a big family I feel, at times, like a child with her face pressed up against a sweetshop window.

They have had a lifetime together: a shared history, joint experiences and common goals. Im still trying to find my place in this new, old family.

And at the moment, I still feel as though Im on my best behaviour, not quite ready to show the warts-and-all me, or ask for help if its required.

If Id been allowed to meet them all those years ago, we would be established by now and Dexter would have grown up with lots of aunts, uncles and half a dozen cousins who are all around the same age as him.

This would have given him the extra support he might have needed coming from a single-parent family.

Dexter has yet to meet them. Its hard for him to visualise these new people as being related to him. He has his uncle, Paul, my brother from my adopted family, with whom I am close, despite him living in Australia.

'The joy of meeting my sisters and brother is tinged with sadness and a certain amount of anger,' said Sharon (pictured from left: Julie, Chris, Sharon and Marcia in 1967)

When I told Paul about my half-siblings I was worried he would feel left out. But he is pleased and asks about them. I hope one day they will all meet up.

It is a pity Ann is not alive to see how easy it has (and could have) been. I am sure that if this had happened in her lifetime it would have helped to heal her pain and guilt. And I would have had time to ask all my questions.

The main one being: who was my father? She told me it was a one-night stand. But Id like to know more, if possible. Now I never will.

However, theres no point in what-ifs and, despite an unhappy start in life, Im now at peace with how its turned out.

Not least because of Paul, my brother-in-arms in a family at war. I wouldnt have missed my relationship with him for the world.

We have a bond of a shared childhood and over 30 years of adulthood. I cant hope to replicate this with my biological family, but Im sure were going to give it a good try. Weve already met on several occasions and will continue doing so.

Im grateful to Anns husband John, who kept my photograph and details all these years, and had the courage to tell his children the truth. Im also thankful for social media and the change in social mores.

Who would have thought that at the grand old age of 56 I would get a second chance at being part of a family? Like I said, life is strange.

Marcia, 55, writes detective novels under the pseudonym M K Turner. She is married to Geoff and they have two children, George and Eleanor.

I am fortunate to be part of a close family  I know that if the chips were down I could rely on them for support.

I know that if I needed cheering up I could organise a get-together and we would eat, drink, make merry, probably dance and almost definitely sing  badly. So its been a shock to discover I have a sister who grew up without us.

My mum died in September 2014. It was not unexpected as she had been ill for some time, but it was still a shock to lose the person who was always there, the one I knew inside out  or at least thought I did.

Then, one evening in April 2015, my dad asked me to sit down as he had something to tell me.

My mind raced and I thought the worst, as he too had health problems. So I was surprised when his shaking hand gave me the photograph of a beautiful baby girl.

Whos this? I asked, noting the name Sharon on the back. I have a sister called Sharon, but it wasnt her.

Your sister, he replied simply. Your mum got pregnant before we met and had to give the baby up for adoption. Thats her. I thought you should know.

He explained that when he first met my mum and asked her out, she had refused as she was pregnant, then months later he drove past her at a bus stop and stopped to offer a lift.

Having had the baby, she was going to visit her, and they both went to what my dad presumes was a foster home to see Sharon, whom Mum had called Suzanne.

Suzannes adoption had been arranged and it was Mums last chance to see her. Mum was devastated and Dad has said that had circumstances and timings been different, he would have adopted Sharon. But at the time they werent even courting.

Sharon with her siblings (clockwise from left) Marcia, Julie, Chris and Sharon. 'Of course, we would all have loved to have grown up together and to have been there for Sharon,' said Marcia

My mum had a child out of wedlock? Impossible! Mum was prim and proper  prudish even  and would hold the newspaper in front of her face when anything saucy came on the TV.

How could she have had a baby at that age? Mum loved babies  how did she deal with the heartache of giving one away? Of course, it was not acceptable to become pregnant outside marriage in the 1950s  it was shameful.

Then Dad told me that my missing sister had contacted Mum when shed had her own child. Theyd met, but Mum refused to tell us or let us meet her as she thought we would be ashamed of her for giving up her baby.

I believe she knew us well enough to know that wouldnt be the case, and the truth was that she was ashamed of herself. I cant imagine how hard that was for her, or how awful my sister must have felt.

Perhaps if Sharon had told Mum how horrible her childhood had been, she might have made a different decision.

Dad told us that he had tried to persuade our mother to tell us. He knew we wouldnt care how Sharon arrived in the world, that we would want to know about her and make her part of the family. He was delighted when I confirmed we wanted to find her.

I speak for the whole family when I say that, knowing our mother as we did, we understand why she refused to introduce us to Sharon, however skewed her reasons are to others.

But it is heartbreaking to think about those extra years we could have had together.

Initially, I felt cheated and resented my mother for denying us our sister, although I realised how ridiculous it was for me to feel cheated, having been brought up in a normal, loving family home, when Sharon had endured an awful childhood and Dexter had grown up without the gaggle of cousins that my own children had.

As a result  albeit unintentionally  Mum left me with the legacy of guilt about her decision. And if I feel like this, I can only imagine how she felt  and it was all so unnecessary and avoidable. She didnt need to live with that burden, nor Sharon with the pain of that rejection.

Once Id stored Mums sorrow away, excitement took hold. It was amazing to know that I had an elder sister; I was no longer the eldest child.

I have no idea why this made me happy  it was too late for Sharon to be put in charge, or to take the blame, or to be old enough to know better.

Nor would she be the one that had to be in before all her friends and have to book a taxi before she went out, only for the rules to be relaxed for the others.

I was also happy that we were five children and not four  any addition to a family is a good thing. There would be no more secrets, and who cared about the gossips? It took my siblings and me less than 24 hours to find Sharon, and we were relieved that she was pleased to have been found.

I was amazed to find that she was also a writer  what were the chances of that? Having been made redundant from my job as a regional director for a national lettings agency in 2010, I suddenly had the time to write.

While my novels are reasonably successful, I discovered that Sharon was a proper writer  a scriptwriter for the BBC.

We arranged to meet when Sharon was next in Bristol, where we live. Before the meeting we were speculative, nervous and emotional, but that disappeared within minutes once she arrived.

We talked, ate, drank and sang. We felt comfortable in a way that is only possible with your nearest and dearest.

Sharon has become simply another sibling. We introduce her as our sister because thats what she is.

Shes not a half of anything; to describe her as such would imply she might be less than equal, and shes not. I do wonder if our personalities would have developed differently had we grown up together.

I call Sharon the wild child because she managed to cram so much  some good, some bad  into her teenage years.

I doubt she would have been quite so wild if shed had Mum and Dad as parents, as the thought of hurting them was unthinkable for all of us, but I cant see that she would ever have been the good, never-draw-attention sort that I was.

I am convinced I would have had a different take on life, been a little braver or more adventurous, had Sharon been around.

For one thing, she would probably have already broken all the rules imposed on me, giving me more freedom and the benefit of her experience.

Of course, we would all have loved to have grown up together and to have been there for Sharon when she most needed the support of a loving family.

The guilt returns when I think of her coping with the breakdown of her marriage.

But you cant turn back the clock  we have to look to the future.
'I didnt fit in with people my own age  I had the wisdom that comes from having been married, betrayed and divorced. It was 18 months after my marriage ended before I slept with anyone,' says Lindsay Bytof

Getting divorced at 25 left Lindsay Bytof, now 29, an MA student from London, feeling disconnected from her peers.

Nick was my first boyfriend and my first love, so getting married at 21 (he was 20) after five years together seemed like the natural thing to do.

We had a big white wedding with 100 guests at a beautiful ranch house overlooking vineyards in our home state of California. What a waste of 10,000 that was.

Wed had our ups and downs. Id developed hyperthyroidism which left me fatigued (and made my sex drive plummet), while he was in a state of perpetual youth, wanting to go to Disney World and the movies.

And while I had a steady job teaching drama, Nick was struggling to make it as a screenwriter. I thought his unhappiness was due to being out of work, so it was a huge shock when  four years after we married  he told me he had fallen for someone else. I felt as though my world had ended and went into a period of mourning. I still dont think Nick deserves my friendship.

Six months after the split, I moved to New York for a fresh start, throwing myself into work and the dating scene.

I didnt fit in with people my own age  I had the wisdom that comes from having been married, betrayed and divorced.

It was 18 months after my marriage ended before I slept with anyone  and that one-night stand left me feeling empowered.

Sex became a positive thing, something I hadnt put much importance on with Nick, and it began a period of kicking up my heels. While I worried that my old circle of friends (now mostly in serious relationships) would judge me, I felt comfortable with girlfriends in their early 20s.

By the time I met Phil through a mutual friend on Valentines Day 2014, I was a much stronger person. Id been through one of the worst things I could imagine happening, and had not only survived, but grown as a person.

A stand-up comedian from England, Phil was visiting a mutual friend in New York. We had an immediate connection  and we didnt even kiss.

After his return to the UK, wed write long letters and talk on Skype. I fell ridiculously in love with him.

When I visited him in London exactly one year later, any initial awkwardness had disappeared by the time we had taken the tube from the airport to his flat.

A couple of days later, wed both said, I love you, and by September I had moved to London on a student visa to do an MA in applied theatre at Goldsmiths university.

My relationship with Phil is stronger, more supportive and more open than it was with Nick; we discuss whats bothering us, rather than resorting to confrontations.

We are living separately with no plans to marry, but that doesnt make our relationship less meaningful. I think commitment can be accomplished without the paperwork.

I can see myself as partners with somebody and having children, but whats the point of marriage? It guarantees nothing.

Divorced with three children by the age of 24, Santana Hard-Corr, 27, a baker from Felixstowe, Suffolk, worried that no other man would want her.

Santana with children Tayla, six, Theo, five, and Tobias, ten. 'I felt like the only person in the world who was going through this in my 20s,' she said of her divorce

The thought of being single at 40 used to be my worst nightmare. I considered myself lucky to have found the one at 15, and to be married at 20  I felt sorry for friends who were still looking for the right person.

Having a family felt like living the dream. Oliver and I didnt plan to have babies so young, but by the time I was 22 (he was 23), we had two children, Tobias and Tayla, and another on the way.

Just after having our third baby, Theo, I discovered Oliver had been cheating on me with two other women. I was an idiot to take him back, but I worried about how I would cope on my own with three children  and I would have been ashamed to admit I had failed at the marriage. I didnt see a way out of my situation.

We had counselling with Relate, but the day before our third wedding anniversary, when I was 23, Oliver told me he didnt love me any more and left.

I cried every day for a week and begged him to come home. The wake-up call came when he asked me to wait for him for a year while he went out with other women because he felt hed missed his youth. The next day I went to a solicitor to file for divorce.

The first year on my own was tough, but not as hard as I had feared. I realised how much I had done for Oliver when we were married  Id looked after the kids, gone to university, held down a job, cleaned the house and put dinner on the table every night. He didnt even put out the bins.

It was actually easier around the house without him. The hardship was affording the rent and childcare on my own. I ended up selling our house and moving to a cheaper rented flat just so I could afford to pay for nursery  I was too proud to go on benefits.

I felt like the only person in the world who was going through this in my 20s. None of my friends was in the same situation  most werent even in relationships.

I trawled the internet to find others like me when I came across a blog called trashthedressonline.com, written by and for divorced women in their 20s. I met lots of girls in the same situation through the site, and exchanging emails was incredibly therapeutic.

Planning for a future that never happened made me realise the importance of living in the moment.

I signed up for burlesque dance lessons and a fire-eating course, and learned to play the ukulele.

Oliver and I had never had a holiday, so I went travelling in China last year with a friend, and I now do fire-eating performances at festivals around the country.

When people discover Ive been married and have three children they are shocked because I look young for my age and I have such crazy hobbies.

At the age of 24, I had my first ever date! I am always upfront with men about having children, and it doesnt seem to put them off, although I did dump one man who only wanted to see me at weekends when I didnt have the kids.

I dont waste time on relationships that arent working. When I met my current partner a year ago  on Tinder, of all places  he was initially shocked then delighted that I have children. Tim, who is 34, moved in with us after six months, and says we make his life complete.

Im keen to have as many life experiences as possible these days, and Tim is having them with me.

He has just taken me on a surprise trip to Holland to see my favourite swing band. Whats cemented our relationship is the fact Im not reliant on him. Were together because we want to be, and I still believe wholeheartedly in marriage.

Lauren Timperley, 28, an accounts clerk from Coventry, had her finger on fast-forward when she married at 20, but now its on rewind.

'Within days of us splitting up, I felt as though I had my life back. I had missed out on being 21 and doing all the crazy stuff everyone else does,' says Lauren Timperley

I was the least likely person in school to marry young.

Music was my thing, not boys  but at 17, when I met my first boyfriend Anthony, I fell for him completely. He was nine years older, with a job, his own flat and the same taste in music  we met watching The Libertines.

The day after I finished my A-levels, I moved from Manchester to live with him in Coventry.

My mum was sad I was leaving, but sent me off with the understanding that if I ever needed to come home, it wasnt a problem. My friends thought it was all wildly romantic, which spurred me on.

When I turned 20, we got married in a register office with eight guests. My friends kept asking if I was sure it was what I wanted to do, which annoyed me. I wanted it to happen, so why were they interfering?

Things started to go wrong a few years into the marriage.

Anthony was diagnosed with depression and had to give up work. My role turned from wife to carer, and I wasnt prepared for the impact his illness would have on my life.

I dreaded going home because I didnt know what I would find  often he would be in the same spot on the sofa as when Id left him eight hours earlier.

I became withdrawn, not talking to colleagues or seeing friends. Soon the resentment crept in. Id see my friends nights out on Facebook and think, Why cant I do that?

My responsibilities felt too much to cope with at 25. I harboured such anger towards Anthony, I wouldnt talk to him. Our relationship became toxic.

Eventually Anthonys antidepressant medication and counselling kicked in, but as soon as he felt well enough he ended our relationship (I was 25 then, and 27 when the decree nisi came through).

While I was initially upset, I was also secretly relieved. I had guilted myself into staying so long because I feared people would think me awful if I walked out on someone so ill  and I was worried that people would say I told you so because wed got together so young. Fortunately, my friends and family were too nice to do that.

Within days of us splitting up, I felt as though I had my life back. I had missed out on being 21 and doing all the crazy stuff everyone else does. While my friends were partying and getting drunk, I was making sure my husband got out of bed and ate. Suddenly I had freedom.

Ive been making up for lost time  going to gigs all over the UK and rekindling friendships Id let slide.

Ive worked in the same office for eight years, but colleagues have only got to know me in the past 12 months because Ive come out of my bubble.

Thats one of the biggest life lessons for me  to open up to friends and listen to them, not get angry when they show concern.

Im certainly not ready for another relationship.
Social scientist Ashis Nandy talks of Freud like a character in a cafe or nukkad.

The one thing I really enjoy about Delhi, beyond the city, beyond the food, is that Delhi as a city gives you an opportunity to meet and listen to people, the extraordinary and ordinary, talking of history, memory and adventure.

There is a huge bouquet of options but I guess the favourite is India International Centre, cosmopolitan enough to contain a lecture of Kashmir, a discussion with Medha Patkar and lecture by Ashis Nandy on the same evening.

Legend

I arrived early with a bunch of students all keen to see a man who excited a whole generation with his ideas.

He is late. I bump into Medha Patkar. It is like enacting a pilgrimage. The women is a living legend, a Cassandra who along with Aruna Roy, Teesta Setalvad gave voice to the voiceless, talks of the injustice to the Narmada oustees.

She asks me to write, asks us all to remember Narmada.

For her more than displacement the act of forgetting becomes even more criminal as routine like a drug flatters our lives.

Medha is hurrying to the airport.

One feels fortunate to have said hello to a woman whose courage and persistence, in fact tenacity, has been legendary.

It is like shaking hands with Joan of Arc.

Medha disappears and one waits for Nandy.

Between tea and biscuits, the man floats in. He is tipping eighty and yet still plays the bottle imp, complains that his recent claims to respectability is wearing him out.

He has come to give the third Freud lectures. Ancestors are important for Nandy not to worship, or create genealogies, but to converse.

The ancestor becomes lens, mirror and kaleidoscope for a subject and he proceeds to capture psychology, more particularly Freud in India.

Nandy loves conversation, ideas and one can see him light up with anecdotes.

No one enjoys an anecdote more than Nandy. It is an aperitif to intellectual life.

He talks of Freud like a character in a cafe or nukkad.

Freud in Vienna gets domesticated to Freud in Calcutta and tacitly there is a sense of affinity in the intellectual life of the two cities.

Calcutta becomes another pretext for inventing and domesticating and translating the West.

There is laughter and poignancy as the city wrestles with each great intellectual and idea.

For Nandy, the Indian encounter with the enlightenment needs to be chronicled.

It is an encounter with Freud, Marx, Darwin, each upsetting, each refreshing in its own way.

Marx and Freud have run their course.

In fact each now desperately demands to be reinvented but Nandy says Freud is replete with possibilities.

India greeted Freud differently from his reception in the West. India was not Victorian.

In fact we took the sexuality almost casually. As he hinted even grand aunts and housewives read Freud with a straight face.

It was not sexuality that bothered them, but the other aspects of the Freudian myth.

It was as if the Indian storyteller was desperate to rework new possibilities.

Analysis

Nandy talks of Girindrasekhar Bose, the father of Freudian psychology tells of how one of his daughters visited Freud.

She arrives at Freuds house to find Freud is a dog lover and she is mortally scared of dogs.

Freud greets her and asks didnt your father tell you what fear of dogs mean?

Unfazed the women writes in her memoirs that she wished she could psychoanalyse his love for dogs in the same way.

The openness of India leaves the expert and the doctor as vulnerable to analysis.

The attention slowly shifts to Nandy.

Freud oddly becomes a text and then pretext to view one of Indias most playfully inventive social scientists.

He is fascinating to watch and listen to even as he peddles his favourite anecdotes.

The west comes alive in a different way as even the otherness of the west becomes part of us.

He talks of Kipling, the orientalist and imperialist, talks of Kiplings greatest creation Kim.

In Kim and through Kim and his companion the Lama, Kipling -the white imperialist suddenly creates a critique of the West.

For a moment, Kipling and Tagore become improbable siblings in their critique of the West.

The alien and the familiar are merely two layers in the icing called life.

Curiosity

The audience is fascinated by the man and his work, wondering what made him different from the standard stuffy social scientist playing second fiddle to the World Bank.

Some think it is his style, the stray dog curiosity that made him shift from medicine, to sociology, to psychoanalysis.

Others feel it is his ability to hybridise the eccentric and the dissenter, which allows him to tease out possibilities and keep them alive.

Some worry or more wonder about his silences think of fields he has not or does not want to talk about.

But what is moving is to see three generations of social scientists struggle, wrestle, contend with the work and achievements of the man.

Nandy is vintage scholarship, not the forgotten flavour of the week or a part of an idiot list of 50 important Indians.

The creativity of the man, his perennial playfulness eludes such idiot cliches.

The audience is a beehive of memories and expectations, each wanting to add a little story, each wanting to find out a little more about the man.

A vintage evening, where a wonderful scholar lets the audience go home with a wonderful feeling. The event itself becomes a tribute to the quality of the man and his style of work.
He is the Bhartiya Janta Partys blazing gun and has fired again.

After raising political temperatures over the AgustaWestland deal scam, Dr Subhramanian Swamy has shot off a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

In a letter that is in possession of Mail Today, Dr Swamy has urged Singh to set up a SIT and have it monitored by the high court or the Supreme court.

Dr Swamy demanded SIT probe in the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Swamy cited political interference on behalf of Mr Shashi Tharoor that such a court-monitored team is needed.

This is not the first time Swamy has written to Rajnath over the Sunanda death mystery.

In fact, he wrote two such letters earlier in July and December 2014 asking to investigate the case afresh.

The home ministry obliged him at that point. But now he wants a SIT to probe the murder case.

Speaking to Mail Today, Swamy alleged: 'This is a murder. Of course this is a murder... Even the FIR says so.

He further states: There was a question whether there was poison in the system or not. The FBI, to whom the Delhi Police has sent (viscera) has confirmed the presence of poison.

Swamy is demanding that the Congress leader and Sunandas husband must be subject to custodial interrogation.

The two-page letter is sure to sour relations between the ruling BJP and the grand old party.

The recently-concluded Parliament session has already seen no-holds barred attack and counter attacks over the chopper deal which incidentally Swamy himself led the charge for his party.

And with this letter, more political fireworks can be expected. But Subhramanian Swamy has a word of caution for the Congress.
The Delhi governments petition highlights problems faced in day-to-day administration of law and order as Delhi Police is run by the Centre, unlike in other states.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court has agreed to act as an 'umpire' between the Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who have been engaged in an intense power struggle.

The tension and war of words started ever since Arvind Kejriwal took over the reins of Delhi, 15 months ago.

The court issued notice to Centres Ministry of Home Affairs on a petition filed by the Kejriwal government - seeking a judicial declaration on the boundaries of the constitutional relationship between the Delhi government and the Centre, in administering the national Capital - to clearly earmark each of their powers.

The Delhi governments petition also highlights the problems faced in day-to-day administration of law and order as Delhi Police is run by the Centre, unlike in other states.

Several disputes have risen between the Union of India and the government of the NCT of Delhi in the recent past, over various facets of administration of the NCT of Delhi.

Kejriwal government told the apex court that from the appointment of public prosecutors, to the setting up of Commissions of Enquiry to look into instances of corruption and maladministration by public servants, the Union - acting through the Lieutenant Governor - has opposed most executive decisions taken by the Delhi government.

Delhi government moved the apex court under a rarely invoked provision - Article 131 of the Constitution - which vests exclusive jurisdiction with the Supreme Court over disputes between states of the Union and between the Union and its states.

Emphasizing that it wants to ensure that day-to-day lives of people are not affected by the Centre-state conflict, the petition points out that the L-G had unprecedentedly declared void several orders issued by a democratically-elected government of Delhi.

Keeping in mind the constitutional relationship between the NCT of Delhi and the Union of India - as set out in Article 239AA of the Constitution - the NCT of Delhi has come to the conclusion that these questions relating to the distribution of legislative and (co-extensive) executive powers are questions that require to be resolved finally and conclusively so as to prevent any further adversity to its residents.

Disputes have risen over the past one year on the question whether the Delhi government can act in relation to other matters in List II (State List) without prior approval of the administrator, that is the Lieutenant- Governor, the Delhi government pointed out.

The AAP government has stated that the Constitution has distributed legislative powers to the Union of India in List I and powers to the State in List II.

Powers in List III are concurrent.

In case of Delhi, the subject matter to Police, Law and Order, and Land in List II, is reserved to the Union of India unlike in other states.
National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti not to act like pliant, puppet leaders who connived against the states political rights to remain in power.

While talking about the role of the state government in extending the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to the state, he said tragic silence by Mehboobas government can spell doom for the state.

There is a larger, more sinister plan to destroy Article 370 by rendering it irrelevant, Dr Abdullah said referring to recent developments about establishing the Sainik Colony in Srinagar and of industrial policy favourable to entrepreneurs not residing in J&K.

'I have personally witnessed how a long-existing lobby in New Delhi has used pliant leaders and regimes in the state to erode Article 370', said NC president Farooq Abdullah. Seen (left) with son Omar Abdullah.

The J&K government has assured it has no proposal to establish Sainik colony in Kashmir and has promised to review the industrial policy.

The government has also accused the NC working president, Omar Abdullah, of trying to set Kashmir on fire, destroy its tourism industry and economy by issuing proactive statements on such sensitive matters.

NC continued its campaign against the coalition government headed by Mehbooba with the party passing a resolution on Saturday pledging to safeguard the states Special Status as provided in Article 370 of the Indian Constitution at all costs.

In a day-long meeting of the NCs legal cell chaired by Abdullah, the NC pledged to foil all efforts which are being engineered to erode the autonomy available to the state.

The party said it will leave no stone unturned to restore the states internal autonomy as it existed prior to 1953 and also supported the resolution passed for the restoration of autonomy in the Legislative Assembly in 2000.

The NC resolved to protect the rights of the people of the state guaranteed under the states constitution and laws.

Addressing partys legal cell at NC Headquarters, Abdullah said there were clear indications that a long-existing lobby in New Delhi was reinventing its mission to erode what remains of the states internal autonomy.

Mehbooba Mufti and her colleagues should draw lessons from history and fear the reprisals of political connivance with forces inimical to the interests of the state.

I have personally witnessed how a long-existing lobby in New Delhi has used pliant leaders and regimes in the state to erode Article 370 and rob the state of its constitutionally guaranteed internal autonomy - one step at a time, Dr. Abdullah said.

This is a chronicle of betrayals and breach of faith that started with the deposition and incarceration of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and continues to this day. At every juncture in our history, this lobby in New Delhi has used pliant leaders and co-opting regimes in the State to inflict irrevocable damage on Article 370, Dr Abdullah said.
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At least when it comes to the economic question the EU referendum debate is surely all but over.

The views from business and economists are so overwhelmingly that Brexit will damage our short-term economic prospects that it is scarcely possible for anyone to argue otherwise.

Interventions from the IMF and the Bank of England in the last few days have prompted fury from the Leave campaign, but I am afraid these organisations are simply doing their job, giving their opinion on the economic effects of Brexit. And while there are business voices that take a different view, the sense that Brexit poses a grave risk to the economy is the overwhelming view.

Staying in: Almost two-thirds of firms in the Continent said Brexit would make them less inclined to do business in Britain (pictured: David Cameron campaigning for Britain to remain in the European Union)

One of the most intriguing pieces of research in recent weeks emerged from law firm King & Wood Mallesons, which surveyed not British businesses, but Continental ones.

The views of major listed companies in France, Germany Spain and elsewhere matter because it is their decisions that will determine whether investment into the UK thrives or falters, if we quit the EU.

Their views of what trade deals should be agreed with a post-Brexit Britain matter powerfully. Such trade deals will not be decided by business leaders, but only a fool would believe that governments on the Continent will not be alive to the views of their own industry.

On these points the findings were clear. Almost two-thirds said Brexit would make them less inclined to do business in Britain.

A similar two-thirds would like any new trade deals to penalise Britain for having quit. They are saying in effect: Why should businesses in Britain get as good trade terms as us if they are not playing by the same rules?

It is no more and no less than British business would say if the situation was reversed. There are many issues that will combine to help people decide on the great EU debate and some may feel that other concerns such as sovereignty are simply more important.

But on the economy, the case really should be closed.

A last this week we will get the final recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority on retail banking in the UK. The one thing that this must contain is a standardised monthly banking bill.

The idea that our bank accounts are free is an illusion that distorts competition; runs the risk of encouraging mis-selling and hampers consumer choice.
The UK has about 7,000 GP surgeries, most of which are in converted homes. In times gone by, these were perfectly suitable for the needs of patients and doctors. Increasingly, however, they are not.

According to a British Medical Association survey, 70 per cent of GPs say their premises cannot provide a full range of primary care services. This is unfortunate, first because more and more people are visiting their local surgeries and second, experts across the NHS believe GPs have a growing role to play within the health service.

So surgeries need to change if they are to meet the needs of the 21st Century. This is where Assura has a strong hand to play. The company works with GPs to create modern primary health centres, which offer patients not just consultations with doctors, but a range of other services, from nurse-administered vaccinations to blood tests and physiotherapy.

Modern: Assuras health centres enable GPs to widen their range of services

Assura shares are 57p and annual results being published this week should show strong growth. Importantly, the company is committed to providing shareholders with a generous dividend, which is expected to total 2.1p for the year to March 31 and is increasing by about 10 per cent annually.

For investors in search of income, therefore, Assura offers sustainable and long-term growth. It is also an extremely stable and secure investment, which is particularly attractive in todays unpredictable and volatile environment.

Ever since the NHS was founded, GPs have had the rent on their surgeries paid for by the NHS, with levels set by a department within Revenue & Customs. The system still exists, so when Assura builds modern healthcare centres, GPs pay the rent and are reimbursed by the NHS. In effect, Assuras income  the money it receives from doctors  is Government-backed.

Doctors also tend to take out long leases on new healthcare centres  normally more than 20 years  so the income stream is extremely safe, hence the companys name.

In recent years, the Government has been trying desperately to work out how to make the NHS more efficient, a challenge that has seemed insurmountable at times, not least in the past few months. As officials have fought over hospital care, funding for primary healthcare has slightly slipped off the radar.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has said that strengthening GP care is a priority

The rent on new modern centres is invariably higher than on converted Victorian homes and, even though the long-term benefits are clear, GPs have found it difficult to obtain the requisite approval from the Government.

Now, there are signs that attitudes are changing. NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has said that strengthening GP care is a priority and Prime Minister David Cameron himself agreed that a transformation of primary care was a prerequisite of the modern NHS.

The Government has already committed 1billion to new primary care premises and more cash is likely to follow over the next few years.

As the population ages, visits to the GP increase and consultations are now running at around 340million a year. In many cases, patient needs could be catered for by nurses, pharmacists, social workers and other healthcare professionals. If these specialists are all in the same place, care can be allocated more efficiently so GPs can focus on what they are good at.

Change is always slow in the NHS, but Assura is not resting on its laurels. The company is growing not just by developing new sites but also by acquiring existing properties and extending facilities to improve and enlarge them.

The group owns 301 centres, worth just over 1billion in total, and in a trading update in February chairman Simon Laffin said there was a 135million pipeline of development and extension opportunities.

That figure might well increase when the company announces its results on Wednesday. Profits are expected to show an eye-catching 79 per cent increase to 28.5million for the year to March 31, helped by rising rental income and lower interest payments. In the current year, analysts expect further strong growth to 41.3million.

Midas verdict: Assura is the largest company in the primary healthcare property sector and it is determined to become even larger. A 300million share placing last year has increased its financial strength, so it is well placed to acquire and develop properties when opportunities arise.

The company has also established good relationships with GPs nationwide, who frequently recommend Assura to their colleagues when they are pondering a move to modern premises.
Sir Keith Mills, the man behind Air Miles and the Nectar card, and who headed Britains 2012 Olympics bid, used an offshore company to buy a Caribbean holiday home.

Mills was one of two captains of industry named in a database of individuals with connections to offshore companies based in the British Virgin Islands as part of the so-called Panama Papers, a cache of documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Sir Nigel Rudd, the chairman of engineering group Meggitt and a former chairman of Heathrow airport and former deputy chairman at Barclays, was named as a shareholder in a BVI business called Opus Capital Ventures Two.

Revealed: Sir Keith was named in the Panama Papers'

Mills is listed alongside his wife as a shareholder in BVI company Onedin.

A spokeswoman for Mills said: As is common in the Caribbean, when Sir Keith bought his holiday home it was owned by a BVI company. The company owns no assets other than his holiday home.

If he sells the home for a profit he will be required to pay UK tax on any gains, she added.

BVI firms can be used for a range of purposes, including allowing foreigners to buy homes in jurisdictions where they would otherwise not be allowed to. There is no suggestion Mills gained any tax advantage.

The database of offshore firms was released last week by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
European missile giant MBDA is poised to win a 411million contract from the Ministry of Defence to develop the Spear 3 weapon. The deal is likely to secure 700 UK jobs.

The Spear 3 is described as the sister weapon to MBDAs Brimstone already in service with the RAF in Iraq and Syria against so-called Islamic State. The contract is expected to secure 350 skilled jobs at MBDAs sites across the UK with an additional 350 jobs at supplier companies.

Spear 3 has already been test-fired from a Typhoon aircraft but the contract will allow MBDA to develop the missile for use with the controversial F35 Lightning stealth fighter, made by Lockheed of the US. The missile is expected to come into service with the Lightning in 2025.

Lethal: Spear 3 will be used with the Lightning stealth fighter

It uses a turbojet engine rather than traditional rocket power and it will be further developed before going into full production after four years.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: These new missiles combined with our new F35 Lightning will enable us to hit our enemies harder. They are both part of our commitment to increase defence spending to keep Britain safe.

Tony Douglas, equipment chief with the MoD, said the weapon provided decisive operational advantage. The F35 has been dogged by problems during testing but is intended to be the mainstay of the Royal Navys two aircraft carriers.
BURBERRY BLUES Burberry could face a 7 per cent fall in profits this week due to a slowdown in Chinese spending.

Its earnings are expected to tumbled to 415million for the year to the end of March.

Chinese consumers account for 40 per cent of its turnover and it has suffered a 20 per cent-plus fall in sales in Hong Kong.

CRUNCH BID British crisp brand Tyrrells has bought German organic crisp maker Aroma Snack Foods.

The purchase makes Germany Tyrrells biggest European market. It will also boost the companys annual sales by 10 per cent. Tyrrells exports to over 37 countries.

PHONE NUMBERS Fierce competition in Europe is likely to cause mobile phone giant Vodafone to post full-year earnings down 1.7 per cent to 11.7billion tomorrow, as strong growth in emerging markets offsets disappointing European sales.

Vodafone is also expected to give an update on Februarys deal to merge its Dutch business with Liberty Global.

INTERNET BREACH Google faces a 2.4bililon fine next month for breaching EU competition rules. The internet giant is being investigated by the European Commission over monopoly abuse.

The maximum possible fine is around 5billion, or a tenth of Googles total annual sales.

CHEAPER OVERDRAFTS Banks are to be forced to help customers find cheaper overdrafts and loans as part of a crackdown on the big four.

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to demand this week that banks fund a price-comparison service. The big four lenders control about 77 per cent of personal current accounts.
A 3.5billion gas development to the west of the Shetland Islands by French giant Total is a welcome boost to the struggling North Sea industry.

The Shetland Gas Plant will officially open today, with peak production expected to be 500million cubic feet of gas each day  the equivalent of 90,000 barrels of oil.

During the peak of its construction, the project employed more than 2,500 workers. There will be 80 permanent jobs on the plant, helping the beleaguered Shetland economy.

Jobs boost: An aerial view of the Shetland Gas Plant which is due to officially open today

The new project comes amid turmoil in the North Sea oil sector as the weak oil price has led to thousands of jobs being culled.

The biggest oil giants are delaying investments, cutting spending, selling off assets and reducing jobs.

It is estimated that more than 5,500 jobs have been cut already since the oil price fell 60 per cent from a high of $115 a barrel in the summer of 2014 to $48 today.

It is also estimated that more than 65,000 indirect service jobs that were reliant on the oil industry have also been lost.

The Shetland plant processes gas from Laggan-Tormore  two gas fields deep under the sea which are more than 77 miles from the UK mainland. These are two of the biggest deepwater fields in the North Sea.

Now production has begun at the site it will produce about 8 per cent of the UKs gas, supplying energy to around two million British households.

Total estimates that around one fifth of the UKs remaining gas reserves lie in the area to the west of Shetland.

The area where the development lies  under 600 metres of water  was once deemed too difficult to operate from due to weather conditions.

The project itself was delayed by more than a year due to the weather which added millions on to its costs. Construction involved removing a peat bog where the plant was built.

The Laggan field was discovered in 1986 and the Tormore field was found in 2007. Total got the licence to Laggan in 1995 and drilling in the area began in 2004.

The gas from these fields will be piped to the plant on Shetland for processing before being piped to the UK mainland into the national gas grid.
The taxman has won a 1million VAT stand-off with fast-growing Mexican restaurant chain Chilango  over whether burritos are hot or cold snacks.

A judge ruled against the chain, which claimed its burritos, tacos and other items were cold food.

Sold to be taken away cold, they are zero-rated while VAT of 20 per cent is due on hot food to go. Tribunal judge Barbara Mosedale decided that customers expected hot food. The fact that parts  guacamole, sour cream and salsa  were cold did not justify zero-rating.

It's a wrap: A judge has ruled VAT is due on burritos

The row even saw tax officials visit Chilango outlets and probe the food with thermometers to check the temperature of its burritos.

Luis Castro, Chilangos head of quality control, argued that historically, Mexican workers made burritos in the morning to be eaten cold at lunchtime. But the judge said his evidence was not relevant.
The Co-operative group has been accused of pushing Fairtrade products off its shelves in a row with independent members. They are pressing the group to review the range ahead of next Saturdays annual meeting amid suggestions that it has betrayed promises made in previous years.

The independent members  drawn from 20 other co-ops  complain that while popular Fairtrade products continue to feature in Co-op stores, less popular products such as muesli, honey, ale, orange juice, cashews, charcoal and cotton wool seem to be finding less shelf space.

Fairtrade products are not sufficiently visible in our stores, the societies say in a statement to members.

Criticised: The store is accused of marginalising less popular Fairtrade goods

It calls on the annual meeting to give its backing to a review to allow members and customers a genuine opportunity to choose Fairtrade at their local store.

The row is likely to provide a rare flashpoint at the annual meeting, which will be broadcast live on the internet as part of the groups new One member, one vote structure.

About 2.5million members of the group are eligible to vote at the annual meeting if they have spent a qualifying amount in shops or have used its legal or insurance products.

Those Co-op members voting online or by post have until Wednesday to cast their votes.

The group defended its position by pointing out that it was the largest convenience retailer in the world for Fairtrade products and the largest Fairtrade wine seller in the world bar none.

It said that demand has been strong in core Fairtrade categories  including bananas, tea, coffee, wine, sugar, cocoa and flowers.
British businesses should be forced to pay high duties and face tough trade barriers if the UK quits the European Union, according to continental companies.

A study of 300 leading firms across France, Spain, Italy and Germany found that two-thirds believed Britain should be penalised in future trade deals in the event of a Brexit.

The findings come amid a slew of warnings from economists that Brexit would damage UK growth.

How European businesses could turn against Britain: The map shows the percentage of businesses less likely to trade with the UK after Brexit

Comments from Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and International Monetary Fund director general Christine Lagarde in the past week have been slammed as political meddling by Vote Leave campaigners. But concerns that Brexit would hit trade appear to be confirmed by the latest survey, commissioned by legal group King & Wood Mallesons and carried out by pollster Opinion Matters.

Two-thirds of the 300 firms questioned said they thought their governments should negotiate a new trade deal with Britain after Brexit rather than allow it to continue to export freely. However, the figure was even higher among the biggest companies  with 85 per cent of those with annual turnover of 3billion or more saying that a new trade deal should be negotiated.

Those findings will be welcomed in part by Vote Leave campaigners, who have denied Britain would face a long period of uncertainty after a Brexit, arguing that EU states would be forced by economic necessity to strike a deal with the UK.

But in a blow to hopes that Britain could enjoy the same terms of trade as today, 62 per cent of continental companies said any such deal should impose tough custom duties or other trade barriers on British firms.

The same proportion said they would be less inclined to do business with Britain if it left the EU. In Germany the figure was 56 per cent, in Italy 63 per cent and in France and Spain 64 per cent. But continental executives also recognised their own vulnerability to Brexit, with more than two-thirds saying it would damage their business, with less investment coming from the UK.

Warning: The IMFs Christine Lagarde said the UK economy will be hit

Former Treasury Minister Lord Myners said of the findings: The resounding verdict from businesses on both sides of the Channel is that leaving Europe would mean more barriers to trade, less investment and fewer jobs in the UK. This would have hugely damaging long-term repercussions for the economy.

The survey showed the level of anger in European states towards the prospect of Brexit. In Spain, 58 per cent of firms questioned said Britain should be penalised in trade deals if it leaves the EU. In France the figure was 56 per cent and Germany 61 per cent. In Italy the figure was as high as 76 per cent.

The research comes as the economic aspect of the European debate has leapt to the top of the agenda. Carney warned last week that Brexit could lead to a recession, saying: We would expect a material slowing in growth.

Lagarde echoed that warning, saying on Friday that uncertainty over the referendum was already showing signs of hitting the economy and could entail sharp drops in equity and house prices, increased borrowing costs for households and businesses, and even a sudden stop of investment inflows into key sectors such as commercial real estate and finance.

Critics laid into both Carney and Lagarde, with Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg calling for Carney to be sacked for becoming too political. Former Chancellor Lord Lamont said after the IMFs intervention: This daily avalanche of institutional propaganda is becoming frankly ludicrous.
Banks, building societies, insurers and credit card providers are detecting  and preventing  800 cases of fraud worth an average 5million a day.

But scams that slip past security filters are costing victims millions of pounds  money which often cannot be recovered.

The overall rate of financial fraud, largely affecting bank accounts and credit cards, has risen 20 per cent in the past year, according to credit checking company Experian.

On the rise: Financial fraud, largely affecting bank accounts and credit cards, has risen 20% in the past year

Meanwhile, fraud prevention service Cifas, which counts major banks and insurers among its members, has reported a 49 per cent increase in identity fraud cases.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales recorded 5.2million frauds last year and 2.5million cybercrimes. City of London Police is currently trying to trace an estimated 600million of financial losses.

Business is booming for masterminds of fraud  while people who thought of themselves as scam aware, or who thought they were acting sensibly on legitimate information, are being cheated out of their life savings.

A recent example is 1million stolen from elderly and vulnerable people in what is known as courier fraud, where criminals convince people  with legitimate sounding, authoritative shtick  to hand over cash or bank cards to a courier on their doorstep.

The law caught up with these culprits, with eight men jailed for a total of 34 years earlier this month. This is a result of one of the biggest courier scam investigations carried out by UK police, described as an industrial-scale conspiracy to commit fraud.

People from Bedfordshire, Devon, Hertfordshire, Cornwall, Kent and London were among the victims. A 76-year-old woman from Poole lost 135,000, while a 94-year-old man from North-West London handed over 130,000.

But everyone needs to know about fraud, not just the elderly. Lisa Hardstaff, of credit checking company Equifax, says: People across every generation need to be alert to fraud.

From the younger generation who store more information on smartphones, to older generations with fewer credit accounts and who therefore do not often check their credit information. Whatever their age, we recommend monitoring credit reports for changes to accounts or new accounts they didnt authorise.

FRAUDSTERS PRETENDED TO BE ME TO STEAL 40K 'Frustrated': Chief executive David Smith, chief executive of Mind, Hull and East Yorkshire Fraudsters showed just how low they are prepared to stoop last week after trying to steal from the mental health charity Mind  by impersonating the boss of the Hull and East Yorkshire branch in an email. Chief executive David Smith, who lives with his partner in York, says he was left feeling frustrated and powerless when he discovered the charity had been targeted in what is often referred to as CEO fraud. A message was sent to the organisations assistant accountant from an address that looked remarkably similar to Davids. But on closer inspection it can be seen that instead of an m the scammers had used an rn. In the message the sender posing as David asks whether there is 39,350 available for a wire transfer  the average amount for this type of scam  and demands an email back to let me know. David, 45, says: Our employee thought it odd that I would try to avoid our usual controls and use slightly strange language. This shows we cant ever assume emails are trustworthy or secure. Id advise people to always double-check email addresses  and warn others to as well. Big companies have fallen foul of this type of scam with UK losses tipping more than 32million. Only 1million was recovered by victims. Fraudsters search the internet for names of company bosses to imitate and look for names of their work associates in a practice known as social engineering  made far easier because of information widely available on the internet.

Mind-blowing: In the message the sender posing as David asks whether there is 39,350 available for a wire transfer

FRAUD TYPES

There are many names for different frauds  courier scams; identity fraud; investment fraud; CEO scams; change of bank account; betting and shopping fraud, to name a few.

But whatever the buzzy title, the deception will often follow a similar pattern. Reasons given for contacting you range from a new investment opportunity, security concerns over one of your accounts or helping the police  but the end result is you being asked to do something unusual.

For example, surrendering your bank account PIN, redirecting a planned transfer of money to a different account at the last minute or putting money from your current account in a new safe account while security checks are carried out.

So-called mortgage fraud has seen hackers intercept emails between homebuyers and their solicitors. They impersonate the solicitor and ask the homebuyer to redirect a property deposit into a different account  where they can withdraw the money. Victims are left with no money to secure a mortgage and buy their home.

HOW THE SCAMS WORK

Methods used by scammers are often referred to as phishing, smishing and vishing. They all relate to the same sort of tactic but describe whether it was used via email, text message or over the phone.

Typically you might be asked to click on a link in an email or text, or an official sounding voice from a caller on the phone will glean details and request you try to make a financial transaction.

Always question who is asking and if it looks to be a request from someone or a company you know, double check with the individual or business separately.

Often you will be put under time pressure  one of the most powerful ways con-artists achieve compliance from victims. Always take a step back.

I WAS HIT ONCE AND THEN TWICE MORE Victim: Peter Cregan says paying to protect his identity is invaluable Peter Cregans identity fraud nightmare started a couple of years ago when he and his wife Gail received a 500 bill from a mail order company they had never shopped with. Thieves use a real persons identity and postal details to set up a fake shopping account, but ask for goods to be delivered elsewhere. They get the items while the victims receive an invoice. For Gail, 53, the problem was resolved swiftly but for engineer Peter, 52, it took more than six months to clean up the mess. Victims of identity fraud often have to prove their identity; update banking passwords or order new cards; explain the case to debt collectors instructed to chase payment; and repair a damaged credit rating  which companies refer to in deciding what loan or credit card rates to offer. Peter, who lives in Buckinghamshire, says: I felt like I was being investigated even though I hadnt done anything wrong. He is now registered with fraud prevention service Cifas, which costs 20 for two years. Fraud victims names and details are flagged on a fraud database, warning Cifas members to carry out extra checks if products or services are requested in their names. Peter also pays 10 a month for a service called Identity Watch Pro from credit reference agency Equifax, offering fraud alerts and unlimited access to his credit report. Credit checking agencies Experian and Callcredit offer similar deals. Some people argue the monthly fee is not worth paying if they can check their credit report for irregularities more cheaply or for free on an ad-hoc basis. But Peter says it is invaluable for people like him, because once your details have been abused it is likely to happen again. He adds: Within a month of the first fraud there were two more instances. In one, my card was used in Canada, a country Ive never visited. But this time around I was alerted quickly so could sort everything out before it became a bigger problem.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Do not click on links in emails or in mobile phone text messages, even if it looks to be from your bank or a shopping account you have. Open a new web page on your computer and log into accounts separately.

Hang up if you get a dodgy call. A popular scam involves a caller telling a victim there is suspicious activity on their account and advising them to dial the number on the back of their debit card and speak to the banks security department. If a fraudster has called you, he or she can wait on the line even when you replace a phones receiver in its cradle. They stay quiet when you pick the receiver up again and play ringtones so you believe you are phoning your bank. If you want to double check, use a different phone or wait ten minutes so the current call is disconnected. That way you can be sure you are calling your bank.

Check your credit report regularly for any suspicious activity via agencies such as Experian, Equifax and Noddle.

Warn others. Being able to spot the hallmarks of a scam is a great first step  but staying quiet about it will not stop someone you care about from being caught out.
More than 1.8million jobs could be lost as 370,000 small businesses plan to cease trading over the next five years, according to new research.

These businesses each employ close to five employees on average.

The survey by Opinium for Bizdaq, a marketplace for businesses up for sale, found that a further 424,000 business owners plan to quit their companies by selling them within five years  a method which is far more likely to protect jobs.

Jobs at risk: The survey found that the business owners most likely to be thinking about an exit within five years are those in London

Of the 1.8million jobs that could be affected by closures, 370,000 will be within the next 12 months, as small business owners start to cease trading, said Bizdaq.

The companys chief executive, Sean Mallon, said: It is astonishing, given the Governments rhetoric around job creation, that little is being done to preserve the number of jobs at risk within Britains small businesses.

If the Government were to make leaving a business easier and promote this as the norm, then hard working small business owners could capitalise on their efforts and we could retain more than 1.8million jobs  its a win-win situation.

The survey found that the business owners most likely to be thinking about an exit within five years are those in London, at 43 per cent. Those in the East of England are happiest running their firms, with 11 per cent considering exiting.

The revenue of a business did not affect whether an owner was planning to leave  the East of England had both the lowest exit rate and the lowest average revenue, while the East Midlands  which had the highest average revenue  was second only to London for business owners looking to exit.

With the EU referendum edging closer, small business owners across the UK are still split on whether to leave or not  41 per cent said the UK should stay in the EU, 44 per cent were in favour of leaving, and 15 per cent said they were still undecided.

The region most likely to support staying was Wales, with 53 per cent of respondents for remaining, while the North West is most likely to support leaving, with 59 per cent in favour of Brexit.

The survey also revealed that small businesses with a higher revenue were more likely to want to stay in the EU. The average annual revenue of those in the remain camp was 93,000 against 84,000 for those wanting to leave.

The sectors most likely to support Brexit were the hospitality, construction and professional services industries, whilst those in education, IT and wholesale wanted to remain.

Brexit debate: Labour MP Chuka Umunna said there is no evidence that small businesses are more in favour of leaving the EU than bigger firms

Mallon said: It is clear that Britains small business owners are relatively undecided as to whether its better the devil you know and remain in the EU, or whether their business would benefit from less EU regulation and more state control. It seems the larger the business, the more EU trade they are likely to have and there seems to be a correlation with these companies wanting to remain in the EU.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who was Shadow Business Secretary until last year, said last week: The Leave campaign often claims that our micro, small and medium-sized businesses are more in favour of leaving Europe than our bigger businesses, who favour remaining. But there is no evidence for this. Not only are the polls clear  a majority of small businesses consistently support staying in the EU  so is the logic.

Our small businesses benefit from the EUs single market  tariff-free trade and full access to a market of 500million people. In the single market, they benefit from a simple set of rules meaning they dont have to have multiple production lines due to differing product standards.
The international community has responded with fury at the competition

They say it illustrates Western double standards regarding free expression

Organizers say the politically-charged event is not about Holocaust denial

Iran has ignored furious condemnation from the international community to declare a Holocaust-themed cartoon competition such a success they will hold another one.

The exhibition, totalling 150 entries from 50 countries, with many entries deriding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's policies, opened Saturday in Tehran.

One cartoon depicts the Israeli leader as a member of the ISIS jihadist group and holding a sabre in his hand.

Iran has said the competition - which featured 150 drawings from 50 countries - has been a huge success

The competition featured many images of Western leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Organizers have insisted it is aimed at criticizing alleged Western double standards regarding free expression

Another shows a map of the Middle East with a coffin bearing the word 'Holocaust' flattening Palestinians in place of what should be the country of Israel.

Organizers have insisted it is aimed at criticizing alleged Western double standards regarding free expression and not at denying the Nazi genocide.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map.

It has also criticized depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, arguing that Western countries tolerate expression deemed offensive to Islam but not the questioning or denial of the Holocaust.

'We have never been after denying of the Holocaust or ridiculing its victims,' contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei said in a speech opening the event.

'If you find a single design that ridicules victims or denies, we are ready to close the exhibition. Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust were subject to oppression by Nazis.'

Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed six million Jews during the Second World War-era genocide.

The denial or questioning of the genocide is widespread in the Middle East, where many believe it has been used as a pretext for the creation of Israel and to excuse Israel's actions toward the Palestinians.

'Holocaust means mass killing,' Tabatabaei added. 'We are witnessing the biggest killings by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Palestine.'

Some 150 works from 50 countries are on display in the contest, which opened on the anniversary of Israel's creation in 1948.

Many of the works portrayed Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians, and many compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

A woman looks at some of the cartoons displayed in the competition, many of which portrayed Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians

Some $50,000 in prize money will go to 16 finalists, with the top winner receiving $12,000. The government claims the event is run without government support

The contest was organized by non-governmental bodies with strong support from Iran's hard-liners, who were opposed to the nuclear deal and are against taking further steps to improve ties with the West.

Some $50,000 in prize money will go to 16 finalists, with the top winner receiving $12,000. The exhibition runs through May 30.

Tabatabaei also depicted the contest as a response to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, saying Western countries have a 'double standard' when it comes to free speech.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the competition and accused Iran of denying and belittling it as well as 'preparing another Holocaust'.

'Over the weekend Iran convened a special Holocaust-denial cartoon contest,' Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting. 'We raise this here because it must be understood what our problem with Iran is.

'It is not just its policy of subversion and aggression in the region; it is the values on which it is based. It denies and belittles the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust.'

The Iranian government has distanced itself from the contest, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said was organised by a non-governmental organisation without any support from the authorities.

Netanyahu had fiercly opposed last year's nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which saw the lifting of international sanctions in return for Tehran ensuring that its nuclear programme remains purely for civilian use.
Accused: Reese M. Hartstirn (pictured) is alleged to have strangled an eight-year-old girl unconscious in the bathroom of a Chicago restaurant before taking her into a stall on May 7

A 33-year-old man has been charged after allegedly choking an eight-year-old girl unconscious in the bathroom of a Chicago restaurant on the afternoon of May 7.

Reese M. Hartstirn of West Town followed the girl into the bathroom of Jason's Deli after she became separated from her mom in the restaurant, police said. He then allegedly strangled her with his bare hands.

He is then said to have picked up her unconscious body and carried her into a bathroom stall, closing the door so that she could not escape, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The girl's mother, who had heard her daughter cry out, then entered the bathroom to rescue her, with Hartstirn trying to push her out of the cubicle, police said.

Hartstirn was restrained by the deli's other customers until the police arrived at the South Loop deli, the Tribune reported.

He was then taken to First District police station, where he began swinging his fists at an officer, KTLA reported.

The girl was taken to Comer Childrens Hospital by her mother, but no information has been released on her condition.

Hartstirn, who lives on the 500 block of North Racine Avenue, was charged with a felony count of aggravated kidnapping and a felony count of aggravated battery to a child under 13.

He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault to a peace officer and a misdemeanor count of battery.

He appeared before court Monday, where Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois remanded him without bail.

He is set to go before court again on May 16.
A teenage girl and her friend died on their way home from prom after she lost control of the car and slammed into a tree, police said.

Four girls from Bridgeton, New Jersey were in the car at 3.45am Saturday when driver Daisia Sulton, 17, crossed over to the other side of the road and hit a tree while driving along a curve on Route 49.

Sulton and passenger Mikayla Mosley, 15, both died on Saturday. Zyiah Stocks, 16, was hospitalized in critical condition, and Jada Barriento, 17, is in stable condition.

All four girls attended Bridgeton High School's prom Friday night, held at Centerton Country Club a few miles from their school.

Daisia Sulton, 17, (left) was driving with three other girls from Bridgeton High School in New Jersey, when she lost control of the car and hit a tree. Sulton and passenger Mikayla Mosley, 15 (right) both died on Saturday

The accident occurred on Saturday along Route 49, just hours after the girls enjoyed their high school prom. Pictured Sulton, left, and Mosley, right. Zyiah Stocks, 16, center was hospitalized in critical condition

The girls were reportedly following a car with three boys when the accident happened. The boys told a witness they had gone to Ocean City after prom and were on their way home. Pictured, Sulton, left

Police Sergeant Jeffrey Flynn said he didn't know where the girls had been or where they were headed at the time of the crash.

A witness told CBS the girls were following another car with three boys, who said they were on their way home to Bridgeton after going to Ocean City on the eastern coast, about 10 miles south of Atlantic City.

Thomasina Jones, the Bridgeton schools superintendent, said the girls were in the 10th and 11th grades.

Jones said news of the tragedy came on the same day as a funeral for another student who was killed in a recent car crash.

'Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and certainly we are praying for the two students who are in the hospital right now. We want them to pull through and recover from the crash,' Jones said.

She said chaplains and grief counselors will be at the school on Monday and that the district will collect money to help the families bury their children.

Stocks, left, was in critical condition, with family and friends cheering for her to pull through on social media. Jada Barriento, 17, (right) is in stable condition

Balloons, flowers and cards were left at the base of the tree where the two girls died, and tire tracks were still visible in the grass

Balloons, flowers and cards were left at the base of the tree where the two girls died, and tire tracks were still visible in the grass.

Catherine Osborn told CBS: 'It's just sad. Their prom...they're just starting their lives and in a flash, it just changes. It's very sad.'

Friends and family shared their disbelief, and paid tribute to the girls on social media.

One person tweeted under the username @sele_ox: 'Bridgeton is just in tears. RIP to the girls who last night had the great time of their lives @ prom to be left in memories.'

One Facebook user paid tribute to Sulton, writing: 'My heart is so heavy right now, I can't believe what I'm hearing. My heart won't accept it...

'RIP Daisia Sulton, blood couldn't make us any closer I love you baby and you're truly going to be missed- that beautiful smile, your kind and goofy laugh.'

An investigation is ongoing.
A seaman whose quick-thinking saved the lives of those aboard two of the Titanic's lifeboats finally received a gravestone at his New Jersey resting place Saturday, 73 years after his death.

Titanic enthusiasts joined members of Robert Hopkins's family at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City as a black granite headstone bearing his name was unveiled and blessed.

Hopkins's body has rested in the unmarked grave since he died in 1943 - but now he and his story have been recognized.

Hero: This undated picture shows Robert Hopkins, who was aboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912. He stopped two lifeboats from hitting one another, saving 103 lives. But his grave had no stone until Saturday

The able seaman, who was born in Belfast and immigrated to the US in 1900, was asleep in his bunk when the Titanic, which was carrying 2,225 people, hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, around 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.

After the collision, which happened on April 14, 1912, he was assigned to help load and launch the lifeboats, of which there were only 20 - the legal minimum - capable of carrying just 1,178 people.

As the ship continued its plunge into the icy depths, First Officer William Murdoch ordered Hopkins to board Lifeboat 13, which was carrying many third-class passengers.

But Lifeboat 15 began its descent while Hopkins's boat was still underneath it - a miscalculation that meant that it was in danger of crushing on Lifeboat 13.

'Hopkins, from what we've seen, called up and told them to stop lowering,' explained Titanic International Society co-founder and president Charles Haas.

'He and another crewmember went to work with a pen knife to cut the ropes [holding Lifeboat 13 up]. If Hopkins had not done what he did, 13 and potentially 15, would have been lost.'

His actions saved 103 people - including himself - placing them among the 705 survivors of the infamous disaster.

Survivors: Hopkins was placed in charge of Lifeboat 13, similar to the one seen here. It would have been crushed by another lifeboat being lowered from the ship - likely killing everyone - until he stepped in

After his rescue Hopkins returned to sea and later became a longshoreman in Hoboken, across the Hudson River from the pier in lower Manhattan where Titanic was supposed to have docked, according to the Titanic International Society.

And it was in New Jersey where he died on November 17, 1943, at the age of 73, and was laid to rest unmarked and largely forgotten.

But that changed when the Titanic International Society decided to hold its annual convention in Newark and made arrangements to visit Holy Name Cemetery.

Realizing Hopkins had no gravestone, they worked with the archdiocese to acquire one.

'When I realized one was unmarked, I immediately offered to provide a headstone at no cost, with permission from Newark Archbishop John Myers,' said Andrew P. Schafer, executive director of the archdiocese's Catholic Cemeteries.

The Society also notified Hopkins's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who attended the stone's unveiling ceremony,nj.com reported.

'As a youngster, his name was not in any book," said Virginia Hopkins, his granddaughter. 'It's really a great honor to know what he did.'

As well as Hopkins, four other survivors of the Titanic - including two who were aboard Lifeboat 13 - are interred at Holy Name Cemetery.
Three men were gunned down in a touristic area of the resort city of Acapulco, Mexican authorities said.

They were killed on a street just off the beach, the Guerrero state prosecutors' office reported on Saturday.

Authorities identified them as Marco Olegario Quintana Pelaez and Luis Miguel Rojas Gomez, both 21, and Marco Antonio Acosta Morales, 27.

Officers found nine bullet casings of 9mm and 45mm calibers close to the location of the shooting.

Two 21-year-olds and a 27-year-old were killed Saturday on a street just off the beach in a touristic area of Acapulco, authorities said. Pictured, a man and a woman help a relative who got shot

Authorities found nine bullet casings of 9mm and 45mm calibers close to the location of the shooting. Pictured, a wounded man lies on the ground and a second one sits in his car waiting for assistance as police arrive

No one else got hurt and activities returned to normal after the shooting, the prosecutor's office said.

Authorities have not announced a motive so far.

Acapulco city and Guerrero state have experienced a wave of violence attributed to conflicts between drug gangs.

At least two rival groups are currently fighting for control in Acapulco, authorities said.

The Pacific Coast city was famed for decades as a favorite beach destination for Hollywood stars and other tourists.

But the US government recently banned its employees from traveling there for any reason due to the violence.

At least two rival groups are currently fighting for control in Acapulco, authorities said. Pictured, a man and a woman help their relative after he got shot
Melissa Reid was photographed arriving at her explusion hearing in the South American country

The family of drug mule Melissa Reid last night spoke of their 'joy and relief' that she is to be expelled from Peru after serving almost three years in prison there.

The 22-year-old, who was caught trying to smuggle 1.5 million of cocaine out of the South American country in 2013, will now be allowed to return home to Scotland after a judge granted her freedom.

Reid made an impassioned plea to be released under new expulsion laws at a court hearing in the Peruvian capital Lima last month. But it wasn't until last night that she found out her application had finally been granted.

Judge Ana Zapata Huertas ruled the young woman 'showed repentance for the crime she had committed, as well as her intention to reinsert herself into society so she would avoid reoffending'.

Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday last night from the family home in Lenzie, Dunbartonshire, her father Billy, 55, said: 'We are all relieved and delighted  although I don't think it has fully sunk in yet.

'We would like to thank the Peruvian authorities for agreeing to this resolution and allowing our daughter to come home to us.

'Almost three years of our lives have been spent with this significant burden on our shoulders  it has taken its toll on the whole family.

'We now hope Melissa will be able to demonstrate that she is the asset we believe she can be and not a liability.

He added: 'Melissa has spent three years in conditions that would not be tolerated in this country, thousands of miles away from those she loves.

'She regrets the predicament she finds herself in, is apologetic for her actions and wants to show that she can be a credit to her family and make things right.

'She wants to prevent anyone else being sucked into her situation and show that one wrong decision can have massive consequences.'

A Peruvian court spokesman confirmed yesterday: 'Callao's Fourth Criminal Court has approved British national Melissa Reid's application and agreed her expulsion from Peru to her country of origin.'

Reid and her accomplice Michaella McCollum, from County Tyrone in Ireland, were jailed for more than six-and-a-half years after being caught with 24lb of cocaine in their suitcases at Lima International Airport in August 2013.

Billy and Debbie Reid (pictured) have just heard the news that their daughter Melissa is to be released from prison in Peru to return to Scotland. She was jailed along with her friend Michaella McCollum after being caught with cocaine which they intended to smuggle back to Spain

McCollum (left) and Reid (right) initially claimed they were forced into carrying the drugs but pleaded guilty to charges later and struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence

The pair, who had both been working in Ibiza before travelling to Peru, initially claimed they were forced into carrying the drugs but pleaded guilty to charges later and struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence.

McCollum was released on parole in March but currently cannot leave Peru. Unlike Reid, the 23-year-old opted to be freed under 'Semi Libertad', a benefit available once prisoners have completed a third of their sentence but which requires them to stay in Peru for the remainder of it.

Reid applied for a return to Britain under a law designed to reduce Peru's prison population, which is applicable to most first-time foreign offenders sentenced to less than seven years in jail once they have served a third of their jail term.
The story of Breagha Patterson's history-making surgery - including restarting a dead heart for a transplant - sounds more like a Hollywood movie script than a medical procedure.

It involves a special flight carrying a re-animated heart from a dead person, a race against time, an all-important phone call at just the right time, and a life-saving operation in Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital.

Ms Patterson has advanced cardiomyopathy, and the 22-year-old has been a part of ground-breaking medical procedures twice.

Breagha Patterson, 22, and her mother, Maggie Patterson (left). Breagha underwent groundbreaking surgery to have a re-animated heart transplanted into her

An example of a heart-in-a-box system used to keep organs alive by pumping blood through them after they've been removed from a donor's body (stock image)

Ms Patterson underwent her surgery at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, where research into the hear-in-a-box technique has been conducted for the past 15 years

Cardiomyopathy affects the heart muscle, and means the heart becomes progressively weaker, decreasing its ability to pump blood.

In 2015 she was the first Australian to receive the smallest mechanical heart device in the world, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Now, she's received a heart from a dead person via a technique called 'ex-vivo organ care system' - or 'heart-in-a-box'.

It involves taking a heart from a donor who has suffered circulatory death and using a machine to 're-animate' it and keep oxygenated blood pumping through it until it's transplanted into another person.

Ms Patterson was the youngest Australian to receive a Donation after Cardiac Arrest heart.

And there's a time limit on how long the heart can stay outside the body.

Maggie Patterson and daughter Breagha Patterson. Breagha is looking forward to getting on with life as normal after successfully receiving a re-animated heart

The ex-vivo organ care system involves taking a heart from a donor who has suffered circulatory death and using a machine to 're-animate' it and keep oxygenated blood pumping through it until it's transplanted into another person (stock image)

When she woke up, Ms Patterson knew that she had a new heart

Ms Patterson's new heart had to be flown to St Vincent's, spending about six hours in the heart-in-a-box, the longest a donor heart.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Emily Granger told Sydney Morning Herald her team were nervous about the travel time for the heart.

In preparation, surgery had to begin before the heart had even arrived at the hospital.

'We had a four-hour blackout in communication while the heart was on the plane. This is a huge challenge because Breagha needed about two hours of preparation surgery before we can stick the new heart in,' she said.

The team of surgeons were waiting from a call from the pilot of the plane to get started, and just before it landed they were told to begin.

There was a 45-minute window to remove Ms Patterson's old heart and replace it with the re-animated one.

Despite the risks, the surgery was a success, with the re-animated heart beginning to beat on its own within seconds.

Waking up, Ms Patterson knew that she had a new heart.

'I was smiling, I was smiling so much,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She's now looking forward to getting on with life, getting active again and focusing on her studies at university.

The heart-in-a-box technique has been in development at St Vincent's Hospital for the past 15 years and has potential to dramatically reduce organ waiting lists and increase the number of organs supplied by up to 50 per cent, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on US Highway 83 north of Laredo, Webb County spokesman Larry Sanchez told the Laredo Morning Times. An eighth person died later at a hospital.

The driver apparently lost control of the bus, which originated from San Juan, near the southernmost tip of Texas and was headed to Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino more than 250 miles north west along the border, CNN reported.

A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said

The bus, owned by OGA Charters, crashed north of Laredo, about halfway to their destination, at around 1pm on Saturday with 52 people on board

The bus, owned by OGA Charters, crashed north of Laredo, about halfway to their destination, at around 1pm on Saturday with 52 people on board.

Twenty-two of the passengers were sent to Doctors Hospital, 15 went to Laredo Medical Center and seven were being treated at Dimmit County hospital.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokesperson at Laredo Medical Center said its 15 patients were in stable condition, NBC reported.

Most of the passengers were elderly people, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The bus company is based in San Juan in Hidalgo County. There was no answer at the bus company and no one immediately responded to a message left there.

The fire department described it as a rollover involving just one vehicle. Firefighters received the call late Saturday morning. By late afternoon, the highway at the scene remained closed.

Southbound traffic is being rerouted to FM 133 and cars travelling northbound on US 83 are being rerouted to Texas 44, the Laredo Morning Times reported.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years.
A German Shepard named Ranger got the best present anyone could ask for when his soldier father returned home to America from being in the Army.

In order to surprise the dog, the soldier's friend distracted the pooch by throwing a green ball in the yard for a game of fetch.

When the dog returned with the ball he saw his owner had returned after many months of being away.

The dog wagged his tail in delight and barked happily after seeing his best friend who was still wearing his military uniform.

'Where you been buddy?' the owner asks his overjoyed pet who can't stop panting with excitement. While the event took place several years ago in 2012, the video has resurfaced online this week, racking up thousands of views since being posted to YouTube a while back.

In order to surprise the dog, the soldier's friend distracted the pooch by throwing a green ball in the yard for a game of fetch.

When the dog returned with the ball he saw his owner had returned after many months of being away

The dog wagged his tail in delight and barked happily after seeing his best friend who was still wearing his military uniform
A British Muslim millionaire who donated thousands of pounds to Sadiq Khan's mayoral campaign previously bankrolled a hate cleric whose TV channel described Jews as a 'cursed race' who brought the Holocaust upon themselves.

Farouq Sheikh, 59, donated 15,000 towards Mr Khan's campaign last year and is said to be friends with the newly elected London Mayor. The pair were photographed together at the Asian Business Awards in London in March.

But Mr Sheikh also donated at least 150,000 over a three-year period to a charity founded by Dr Zakir Naik, an Indian cleric who has been banned from entering Britain since 2010 for saying 'every Muslim should be a terrorist'.

Supporters: Care home tycoon Farouq Sheikh, left, and Sadiq Khan at the Asian Business Awards in London in March

The bulk of the money Mr Sheikh donated to Naik is believed to have been funnelled to the preacher's satellite channel, Peace TV, which claims to have a global audience of 100 million. The channel was reprimanded by Ofcom in February after it broadcast an anti-Semitic lecture by the late preacher Israr Ahmed.

In the speech, Ahmed said: 'That is the mark of this cursed race, that despite God's divine grace they do not take advantage of the opportunity to repent, which is why they are afflicted by great calamities, and the example is what happened to them at the hands of the Germans.'

The news that one of his donors has financed a cleric and a channel accused of anti-Semitism will be hugely embarrassing for Mr Khan after an election campaign dogged by reports that he had shared platforms with extremists.

The Labour Party itself was also caught in anti-Semitism rows after MP Naz Shah said Israel should be relocated to the United States, and Ken Livingstone said Hitler was a Zionist.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said: 'All donations were made in accordance with Electoral Commission rules. Apart from supporting the Prince's Trust, we were not aware of any other donations Farouq Sheikh had made to other organisations.' The spokesman refused to say if Mr Khan will return the 15,000.

Through their Cosaraf Charitable Foundation, care home tycoon Mr Sheikh and his brother and business partner, Haroon, 60, have donated 245,000 to two of Prince Charles's charities  the Prince's Trust and Mosaic  since 2010.

Dr Zakir Naik is an Indian cleric who has been banned from entering Britain since 2010 for saying 'every Muslim should be a terrorist'

Cosaraf started donating money to Naik through his Birmingham-based Islamic Research Foundation International (IRFI) charity in 2010, despite that being the year he was banned from the UK.

At the time, Naik was quoted as saying: 'If he [Osama Bin Laden] is terrorising the terrorists, if he is terrorising America  the biggest terrorists  then I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist.'

A Prince's Trust spokesman said: 'We maintain the highest ethical standards when raising funds and do not accept donations from businesses or individuals if there are legitimate concerns. We oppose any form of racism or discrimination.'

A spokesman for the Sheikh brothers said: 'Cosaraf is a UK-registered charity that supports philanthropic causes in Britain and abroad.

'Neither it nor its trustees endorse or support extremist or anti-Semitic views in any way.

'The foundation did not knowingly donate money to any organisation that funded extremism. It ceased its donations [to IRFI] following a robust periodic review in early 2012.'
When David Cameron was caught on camera last week before an anti-corruption summit describing Nigeria as fantastically corrupt, the African states president rallied to the Prime Ministers defence by agreeing with him.

But although Muhammadu Buhari is seen by some as leading the battle against corruption, worrying allegations swirl around one of his close allies.

Rotimi Amaechi, who travelled with the president to the summit, is Nigerias transport minister and is said to have bankrolled Buharis presidential campaign.

When David Cameron *(left) was caught on camera last week describing Nigeria as fantastically corrupt, the African states president Muhammadu Buhari (right) rallied to the Prime Ministers defence by agreeing with him

In the Nigerian press he has been dubbed ATM  the American term for cash machine  because of his ability to produce vast sums of money at short notice.

He remains in his post despite being accused of misappropriating 338million by a commission investigating the sale of state assets.

Some of that money is likely to have come from UK taxpayers, who gave the country 1billion in aid over five years to 2014, including 248million in 2014 alone.

Separately, Amaechi is accused of diverting 140million of state funds into Buharis presidential campaign, with reports he paid for media, consultants and private jets.

A leaked draft budget for 2016 showed the Nigerian government earmarked 16million for the refurbishment and maintenance of the presidents official residence, Aso Rock Guest House, in the capital Abuja

The allegations come as the president stands accused of enjoying a lavish lifestyle while many millions suffer in poverty.

A leaked draft budget for 2016 showed the Nigerian government earmarked 16million for the refurbishment and maintenance of the presidents official residence, Aso Rock Guest House, in the capital Abuja.

There was also a request for 13million for building a VIP wing at a hospital used by families of the president and his ministerial team.
Janina Wojcik told her husband she was going on holiday when she walked out of their Altona home in Melbourne on Christmas Eve in 1962.

But Mrs Wojcik, who was a missing person for 54 years, would never see him again.

After one of the longest investigations in Australian history, police have confirmed Mrs Wojcik changed her name, remarried, and set up a new life in Canberra.

Police have confirmed that Janina Wojcik (pictured), who disappeared from her Melbourne home more than 50 years ago, fled to Canberra to create a new life

Police renewed their calls to help solve the disappearance in June 2013 and appealed for a man  believed to be in contact with Mrs Wojcik to come forward, The Age reported.

In 2013 Detective Senior Constable Dalli said: 'We would dearly love to have this case solved.

'The original investigators did the best that they could with the tools that they had at the time, however, technology has come a long way and we are asking people to reach out on their social networks in the hope of solving this one.'

The breakthrough finally came when Det Senior Constable Dalli received a call from the ACT Trustees Office last year,The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

After further investigations, detectives obtained death and marriage certificates and began to piece together the puzzle.

Mrs Wojcik went missing from her Altona home in Melbourne and was believed to move to Australia's Capital Territory, Canberra

Police confirmed that Ms Wojcik, who vanished in her late 40s, died in Canberra six years ago, aged 87

Their marriage broke down in 1962 and Mrs Wojcik left Melbourne without telling a soul.

She met a new man named Karl Gruber, who she married in 1977, and resettled in Canberra where she became a public servant.

She died in the capital six years ago, aged 87. Mr Wojcik died before investigators could tell him that the mystery was solved.

Det Senior Constable Dalli told the Sydney Morning Herald it was a gratifying end to a long-standing investigation.

'For me it was rewarding because we were able to work out what happened, she wasn't a victim of a crime, she resettled and it looks like she lived a happy life,' he said.

The original police investigation established that a taxi driver took her from Altona to the Newport railway station, but from there her movements remained a mystery.

At the time her husband told police that he had last seen her at their David Street home wearing a blue skirt and white cardigan.
A Labour MP was last night at the centre of a new row over Jeremy Corbyns fitness to lead the party.

Moderate Peter Kyle reignited the debate over Mr Corbyns position by saying: I wont be bullied into uniting around a losing leader.

He made his controversial remark as Mr Corbyn made a surprise appearance at the annual conference of Blairite think-tank Progress in London.

Moderate Peter Kyle (left) reignited the debate over Mr Corbyns position by saying: I wont be bullied into uniting around a losing leader

The move was seen as an olive branch to his critics on the Right of the party, with Mr Corbyn also promising a more inclusive politics that brought more people into the Labour fold.

But Mr Corbyns speech  dismissed by one critic as the same, rambling, boring, 1980s Leftie rhetoric  appeared to spark a fierce reaction from Mr Kyle.

The MP for Hove told a conference session: I will unite around a winning vision for Britain. I wont be bullied into uniting around a losing leader.

The comment sparked a fierce debate after the meeting, with one Labour MP saying: Peter is only saying what the rest of us think.

When asked by The Mail on Sunday if he was calling Mr Corbyn a loser, Mr Kyle insisted he had been talking about the future  not the present.

He said: I was not personalising it about Jeremy  Jeremy personally is not capable of bullying.

Labour last night selected an NHS doctor who has backed the junior medics strike to stand in the Tooting seat made vacant by new London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Rosena Allin-Khan, an A&E doctor at St Georges Hospital, Tooting, last month attacked the Government for not compromising, adding: With a heavy heart, emergency doctors have taken to the picket line.
A prediction that specialised factories that perform amputations to 'cut off people's toes, feet and limbs' will be introduced if the rising rate of diabetes in Sydney's western suburbs is not controlled.

Due to an increased bloating local population over the last 20 years, a call for urgent preventative action is needed to control the rising rates of the condition.

Diabetes poses a serious risk to a person's entire body which requires daily self-care to help prevent further damage and occurs when the pancreas no longer produces the insulin needed in the body.

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A prediction that specialised factories that perform amputations to 'cut off people's toes, feet and limbs' will be introduced if the rising rate of diabetes (stock) in Sydney's western suburbs is not controlled

An estimated 300,000 people are said to have type 2 diabetes in Sydney's western suburbs or at high risk of contracting the condition due to obesity (stock) seen in the population in the region

Two types of diabetes exist, type 1  representing 10 to 15 per cent of all cases of diabetes and is most common in childhood and not caused by lifestyle factors.

And type 2 which represents 85 to 90 per cent of cases and can be caused by family history, ethnic background and being overweight  particularly around the waist.

The only difference being that type 2 can be prevented.

An estimated 300,000 people are said to have type 2 diabetes in Sydney's western suburbs or at high risk of contracting the condition, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

People in places such as Auburn, Blacktown, Holroyd, Parramatta and the Hills District are mostly being affected.

Western Sydney Local Health District chief executive Danny O'Connor told The Sydney Morning Herald: 'It's about the survival of the species.

Health professionals are telling people to cut down sugary drinks (stock) and fast food and employ healthier eating habits and physical activity into their lives

It is believed that the prevalence of obesity - which contributes to contracting diabetes  may be linked to the scarcity of fresh food and groceries in the area.

He said: 'If we continue to consume too many calories and convert to diabetes, we will have to build factories to cut off people's toes, feet and limbs and help them when they go blind.

Mr O'Connor believes a conservation of fatty and sugary foods is needed but we are 'at least ten years too late'.

Costs across Australia are reaching $14.6billion annually for diabetes a figure expected to rise to $30billion by 2025.

In hope to improve health of the local population The Western Sydney Diabetes partnership is considering a wide range of measure including better transport, education programs in schools, building green spaces and improving access to fresh food.

The Western Sydney Diabetes partnership is considering a wide range of measure including better transport to stop people using their cars and green spaces to do physical activity (stock)

DO I HAVE DIABETES AND WHAT TYPE DO I HAVE? There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes  represents 10  15% of all cases of diabetes Type 2 diabetes  is more likely in people with a family history of type 2 diabetes or from particular ethnic backgrounds. In addition to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, there are two other types of diabetes: Pre-diabetes - a condition when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Left untreated it may develop into type 2 diabetes within five to ten years. Gestational diabetes - a form of diabetes that occurs in pregnancy and mostly disappears after the birth. Source: Diabetes New South Wales

It is believed that the prevalence of obesity - which contributes to contracting diabetes  may be linked to the scarcity of fresh food and groceries in the area.

Reaching fast food is cheaper and more convenient and can often be the default option for many families in the area.

Mr O'Connor said: 'If we were a clever society we would apply some comprehensive social engineering to reduce lifestyle-related illness.'

Diabetes New South Wales said that learning about healthy food options, the importance of physical activity and monitoring your blood glucose levels can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Costs across Australia are reaching $14.6billion annually for diabetes a figure expected to rise to $30billion by 2025 say health professionals (stock)
Betrayed: Irene Brown, 68, whose cats were taken away

The new head of the RSPCA has admitted it has lost its way after a sustained campaign by The Mail on Sunday to expose how the charity had become politicised and strayed far from its traditional role of caring for animals.

In a hugely embarrassing climbdown, newly appointed chief executive Jeremy Cooper yesterday admitted: The leadership was too adversarial, and promised: We are going to be less political.

His comments came as the charity made an extraordinary U-turn in the latest scandal revealed by this newspaper.

Earlier this month we reported how retired nurse Irene Brown, 68, had returned home after two weeks in hospital to find her beloved cats had been taken away by the RSPCA while she was ill.

She had feared she would never see her pets again.

But yesterday a delighted Miss Brown welcomed the return of three of her cats in a victory for The Mail on Sunday.

All five of her cats were removed by the RSPCA on the day Miss Brown was struck down by meningitis last December.

Police who were called to the property by concerned neighbours had contacted the charity.

Three sheep, which she also owned, were shot the next day in the presence of an RSPCA inspector.

Last night, Miss Brown thanked the MoS for highlighting her plight after three of the cats were returned.

But Miss Brown, 68, is still battling to get her other two cats back.

Her legal adviser, Warren Salter, said yesterday: Its incomprehensible that the RSPCA feel they have the right to hold on to Miss Browns cats.

The Mail on Sunday report two weeks ago. Last night, Miss Brown thanked the MoS for highlighting her plight after three of the cats were returned

Right up until the last moment before the handover, they were still demanding the right to inspect Miss Browns home to see that it was up to scratch when she had not done anything wrong apart from fall ill. This sort of abuse of power is monstrous.

There is no suggestion any of the animals in Miss Browns care were mistreated or neglected and the RSPCA said her family had asked the charity to rehome them, which was arranged by a third party.

The charity insists it did not authorise the killing of the sheep.

When Miss Brown asked for her cats back, she was reportedly told by the inspector that her home was an unsafe environment.

She says the house was in disarray because the ambulance crew moved furniture to get her out after she collapsed.

Miss Brown's beloved sheep, which were shot in the presence of an RSPCA inspector

She said: I am relieved to have my cats home but I wont rest until they are all back. They were taken without my consent while I was unconscious. I feel betrayed.

I am so grateful for the support I have had from The Mail on Sunday and its readers.

The RSPCA, which has a turnover of 135 million, and has been accused of alienating farmers over badger culls and launching politically motivated prosecutions against hunts.

The MoS has led the way with a series of reports about the RSPCA. They included revelations that hundreds of healthy animals were being put down simply because the RSPCA could not find homes for them.

And the charity was accused of cruel dishonesty earlier this year after it seized and killed an elderly cat when concerns were raised about its appearance  and then lied to its distraught owners.

The charity later apologised.

An RSPCA spokesman said: It is a matter of regret that Miss Brown was distressed by our actions. Our priority, as always, was the welfare of the animals.
The campaign is now being backed by former Labour MP Michael McCann

Department for International Development will this year give the PA 25.5m

Call to cut funds to Palestinian Authority until it ends support for payments of 'salaries' to suicide bombers and child killers

Jewish groups are launching a campaign to stop British aid being used to fund Palestinian terrorists following shocking revelations in The Mail on Sunday.

They are demanding the Government cut all funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it ends support for payments of salaries to suicide bombers and child killers.

The Department for International Development (DFID) will this year give the PA 25.5 million.

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Jewish groups are launching a campaign to stop British aid being used to fund Palestinian terrorists following shocking revelations in The Mail on Sunday. Hamas shows off its firepower earlier this year

The campaign is backed by former Labour MP Michael McCann, who reveals today how the PA finance minister openly admitted to such funding during a visit two years ago by Parliaments International Development Select Committee, whose members were investigating aid spending in Palestine.

McCann says DFID is guilty of turning a blind eye to UK taxpayers money being used to incentivise murder.

In March, we exposed how rewards for murder flowed from British and European funding bodies to terrorists accused of atrocities.

The campaign is backed by former Labour MP Michael McCann (pictured)

Our investigation found millions being passed on from the PA to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)  which in turn gives it to convicted terrorists locked up in Israeli prisons, and their families.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which represents the Jewish community, and advocacy group the Israel-Britain Alliance, will put pressure on MPs to attend the June 13 debate on aid spending forced by Mail on Sunday readers.

Over 228,000 signed an online petition calling on MPs to stop spending a fixed sum of 0.7 per cent of national income on aid.

Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, said it supported aid for people in need, but added: Until DFID can be absolutely sure that money is going to the right people, and not funding terrorists and incitement, either directly or indirectly, we call for the aid to be suspended while a rigorous review takes place.

Mr McCann, who became director of the Israel-Britain Alliance after losing his seat last year, said: People dont want their hard-earned cash given to terrorists.

A DFID spokesman said aid funding helped build Palestinian institutions and promote economic growth.

They blew up my sister... so why do we reward them?

The brother of a British woman killed in a Jerusalem blast has denounced the Government for allowing UK aid to support the Hamas terrorists behind the atrocity.

Mary Gardner, an evangelical Christian, died five years ago after a bomb left in a suitcase near a bus stop exploded. She was in Israel studying ancient Hebrew.

Now her brother Thomas has called on Ministers to ensure that British aid handed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) does not fund killers.

Mary Gardner, an evangelical Christian, died five years ago after a bomb left in a suitcase near a bus stop exploded. She was in Israel studying ancient Hebrew

Im really upset our taxes are directly or indirectly supporting the terrorist who murdered my sister, said Mr Gardner, 48, from Edinburgh.

The attack in March 2011 was led by Hassin Qawasme. He is thought to have been paid almost 14,000 since his arrest under the Palestinian rewards for murder scheme, receiving a salary of about 365 a month.

PA officials admit such payments are made  although the DFID insists none of the aid given ends up in the pockets of terrorists.

I asked Palestinian chief if killer terrorists were being paid salaries and he said YES, ex-MP reveals

By Michael McCann, International Development Committee member 2010-2015

Two years ago, the Select Committee on International Development, of which I was a member, decided to scrutinise the work that Britain supports in the disputed Palestinian territories.

UK taxpayers spend about 90 million a year on projects in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

A large chunk is transferred to a World Bank trust fund and on to the Palestinian Authority (PA), who then control the cash.

Before we visited the region, I received evidence that the PA was paying convicted terrorists salaries based on a tariff, where longer jail time equalled more cash. I was keen to verify this.

I expected an elaborate money trail, phoney names and bogus bank accounts, but I had no need to be a super-sleuth.

Instead, I walked into a meeting with the PA finance minister and asked: Do you pay convicted terrorists a monthly salary, with higher payments awarded to criminals who have spent more time in prison? His response was clear: Yes.

It makes a farce of DFID denials that they are supporting suicide bombers and child killers. They are guilty of turning a blind eye to UK taxpayers cash being used to incentivise murder.

Here is the problem with the DFID defence: our money goes to the PA via the World Bank with the objective of empowering the PA to manage its financial affairs.

Once the cash is transferred, we no longer control how it is spent. DFID argues it funds specific programmes.

But that is self-evidently impossible when the cash is placed into a World Bank pot, then passed to a PA bank account.

Even if you buy that explanation, consider this: DFIDs agreement with the PA sanctions aid payments in return for an explicit commitment to non-violence.

Paying terrorists rewards violence and breaches that aid agreement.

Now that this newspaper has exposed this dreadful reality, DFID must suspend these payments until the PA honours its pledge on non-violence.
Driverless cars, drones and space travel will form the centrepiece of a Queens Speech which will echo Harold Wilsons famous invocation of the white heat of technology.

The package of science fiction-sounding measures to be announced in Her Majestys speech on Wednesday is part of David Camerons strategy to portray Britain as a cutting-edge innovator on the world stage.

It will also help the Prime Minister demonstrate to his critics that he is not obsessed by the EU referendum to the extent that he is neglecting domestic politics.

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Driverless cars, drones and space travel will form the centrepiece of a Queens Speech which will echo Harold Wilsons famous invocation of the white heat of technology

New legislation will be introduced to ensure driverless cars  which are expected to be in showrooms by 2020  can be insured under ordinary policies.

The same Transport Bill will pledge Government support for businesses investing in pilotless drone aircraft  which could potentially replace the delivery vans used by companies such as Amazon  and vow to create the first commercial spaceport outside the US.

It comes five decades after Harold Wilson hailed the rapid pace of scientific and technological change in the 1960s by promising to the 1963 Labour Party conference that the Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution will be no place for restrictive practices.

Official tests on driverless cars, which are already operating in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and the Netherlands, will soon start on 40 miles of public roads in the UK.

Ministers hope they will make journeys safer and more environmentally friendly, and some supporters claim they will be the most significant change in transport since the transition from horse-drawn carriages to motorised vehicles.

Shuttle pods at Heathrow Airport which will be adapted to become the first driverless vehicles to be tested on London roads

The Treasury estimates the sector could be worth up to 900 billion worldwide by 2025.

The Transport Bill will also promise to explore ways to increase growth and innovation in the drone industry, and aim to increase revenues from the space sector from 12 billion now to 40 billion by 2030.

This will include building the countrys first commercial spaceport by 2020, which could act as a European hub for the space flights planned by Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic.

The proposed British Bill of Rights was condemned by Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron

Eight potential locations for the rocket launch sites, including Newquay in Cornwall and Campbeltown in Scotland, are being scouted.

Wednesdays Queens Speech will also include a British Bill of Rights, which is being viewed as a bid to assert the supremacy of UK courts in the run-up to the EU referendum.

The UK will remain a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, so foreign criminals and terrorists will still have their cases heard by Euro judges.

But when there is a clash between British judges and their counterparts in Strasbourg, the final decision will rest with the UK.

The move was condemned by Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron last night.

He said: It is a very dangerous move for the Tories to scrap everything and start again from scratch.

Camerons meddling will only risk our future.
The BBC has been accused of hypocrisy after grilling Hollywood actress Jodie Foster (pictured with US actress Julia Roberts, centre, and US actor George Clooney) about stars pay

The BBC has been accused of hypocrisy after grilling Hollywood actress Jodie Foster about stars pay  while refusing to disclose how much its own on-screen talent takes home.

In a tense interview, arts editor Will Gompertz repeatedly asked Foster how much George Clooney and Julia Roberts were paid to appear in the new movie she directed.

But MPs said the exchange at the Cannes Film Festival, screened during the Ten OClock News on Friday, smacked of double standards.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: Its the hypocrisy of the BBC  asking someone else how much they are paying people when it has strenuously resisted transparency on how it spends its money.

The Jodie Foster film has been funded privately, but the BBC is getting taxpayers money. It should reveal how much it is paying people when they make 150,000  or more than the Prime Minister  every year.

Under proposals in last weeks White Paper, the Corporation will have to publish the names of anyone paid more than 450,000 in broad bands  a move that had been fiercely resisted by the Corporation.

In his interview, Gompertz, 50, repeatedly asked Foster about the salaries Clooney and Roberts had received to appear in Money Monster, and whether they were paid the same.

Foster initially tried to laugh off the questions but when Gompertz persisted, she said: I would never tell you that. But Gompertz insisted his questioning tapped into the issue of sexism in Hollywood.

He also pointed out that her movie was about journalists interrogating their subject properly to get to the truth and you are not helping me here.

Gompertz ended his report by saying: That exchange was a bit like the movie itself: tense, interesting, in its way revealing, but ultimately a bit disappointing.

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The BBC last night said: Will was doing his job. The interview was clearly about journalistic integrity and about equality in Hollywood. In that context, asking whether the two main actors were paid the same amount was a legitimate question.

Gompertz was appointed arts editor in 2009 on a reported starting salary of 150,000, although he later denied it was that much.

Last year he described his home as a crummy 1940s house in Oxford  although Land Registry documents show he bought it for 1million in 2005.
Donald C Rickard, who died earlier this year aged 88, revealed he tipped off the South African police about Mandela's whereabouts in 1962, leading to his arrest

An unrepentant former CIA agent has told for the first time how he led South African security forces to Nelson Mandela on the day he was arrested back in 1962.

Donald C Rickard, 88, who was officially working as U.S. vice consul in Durban at the time, said he provided the tip-off as part of a Cold War geopolitical power play because Mandela was the worlds most dangerous communist outside of the Soviet Union.

The undercover officer learned Mandela would be travelling from Duban to Johannesburg on August 5 and claims he gave details of Mandela's route to his contacts in the police force, meaning they were able to set up a roadblock, The Sunday Times reports.

Mandela's car was stopped en-route and agents recognized him in the back dressed as a chauffeur and took him into custody.

Mandela, who ran the armed wing of the ANC and was advocating open rebellion and revolution against South Africa's government, was the most wanted man in the country at the time.

After his arrest he was tried and given a life sentence, serving 27 years before he was released.

Mandela went on to become president of a newly reformed South Africa and one of the most influential human rights figures in history.

However, in an interview with filmmaker John Irvin just weeks before he died, Rickard said he had no regrets about having Mandela jailed.

The agent firmly believed Mandela was in the pocket of Communist Russia and was planning to incite the Indian population in the Natal region, where he was based, to rise up.

That, Rickard says, would have paved the way for a Soviet invasion, setting up a conflict between Russia and America that could have seen the region descend into chaos.

Rickard remained unrepentant about the arrest, claiming Mandela was an avowed Communist trying to cause a Soviet invasion of South Africa, and 'had to be stopped'

Mandela was arrested while traveling from Durban to Johannesburg in a car on August 5, 1962, and spent the next 27 years in jail before being released (pictured with wife Whinne after being freed)

He said: 'We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it.'

Rickard, who retired from the CIA in 1978 and spent the rest of his life living in Colorado, passed away just weeks after giving his tell-all account, on March 30.

He was born in Rangoon, Burma, in 1928 before being forced to flee with his parents and three brothers in 1942, during the Second World War.

The family walked nearly 200 miles from their old home to India, according to The Pagosa Springs Sun, where they settled in Mussoorie for a number of years before moving to San Francisco.

After graduating from Bucknell University with a degree in political science, Rickard went on to a job in the U.S. State Department.

According to his obituary, Rickard was never officially associated with the CIA, but instead worked as a diplomat in countries including Pakistan, South Africa and South Korea.

While rumors have long circulated about the CIA's involvement in Mandela's arrest, nothing has been confirmed until now.

While the CIA has long been rumored to be involved in Mandela's arrest, nobody from the agency has spoke about those accusations until now (pictured, Mandela during the South African elections in 1994)

A retired South African intelligence official, Gerard Ludi, told Newsweek in 1990 that the CIA had a mole inside the Durban ANC branch that was feeding information to agents.

The CIA has refused to comment on the rumors, and has also refused to release files it holds relating to Mandela or its activities around the time of his arrest.

In 2014 Ryan Shapiro, a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, launched a lawsuit attempting to get access to that paperwork, but was denied.

While Mandela has been linked to the Communist party many times over the years, he always denied belonging to the party.
But King later said he was 'using it to make a point', adding that people were 'too politically correct'

A civil rights group launched a campaign against the word in 1957, and it is now widely regarded as disparaging and offensive

The term 'Japs' became common during the Second World War, especially after Japan launched a surprise attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor

King pictured Trump like 'the guy at the end of the bar' who says: 'Why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans?'

Peter King, a New York representative, criticized Donald Trump's potential foreign policy and pretended to impersonate the likely nominee

Republican congressman Peter King used an anti-Asian racial epithet while caricaturing Donald Trump on Morning Joe - and later refused to apologize for it, opting to repeat the slur instead.

King, a US Representative for New York's second congressional district, slammed Trump's potential foreign policy during an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Friday.

'National defense and homeland security are issues that mean the most to me and there's real issues with him, real problems with his views,' King said.

'I don't know if he's thought them through or it's just like the guy at the end of the bar that says, "Oh, screw them, bomb them, kill them, pull out, bring them home. You know, why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans?"'

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Republican Congressman Peter King caricatured Donald Trump during an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe (pictured) on Friday and used an anti-Asian racial slur in the process

The term 'Japs' became common during the Second World War, especially after Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online lists it as 'usually disparaging', while the Oxford dictionary states it is 'offensive'.

A civil rights group, the Japanese American Citizens League, launched a campaign to eliminate the use of the term in 1957.

But King, who endorsed Trump regardless, refused to apologize for using the slur, and told The Hill he was using it to make a point and would make it again.

'I stand by the merits of what I said. I was quoting the guy at the end of the bar who needlessly offends, who makes snaps decisions and doesn't care, who suddenly says, "The hell with them, the Japs and Koreans,"' King told The Hill.

King, whose grandparents were Irish immigrants, said he wouldn't get offended if someone used the term 'mick' - an offensive term to designate Irish people.

'Were getting too politically correct. Let's not get overly sensitive here,' he added.

King (pictured at the First In The Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire in April) later refused to apologize for using the racial epithet and repeated it instead

King also told the website he would 'never' apologize to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group that blasted him for using the slur.

'It is unconscionable for a national elected official to use such a derogatory term to describe the Japanese people, or by extension, Japanese Americans. We ask Representative King to apologize and to refrain from further use of derogatory language targeting any national, ethnic or minority group,' CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

King and the group have feuded in the past. When King was Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, in 2011, he wrote a letter challending Attorney General Eric Holder's decision not to prosecute the CAIR as part of a terror finance case.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus also asked King for an apology.

'Mr. King knows his words have an impact. Using the J word is disgusting and harkens back to a shameful time in our history when violence, xenophobia, and the internment of Japanese Americans were everyday phenomena,' Representative Judy Chu, chairwoman of the caucus, told The Hill in a statement.
The notorious Apex gang which has wreaked havoc across Melbourne has been connected to its first death.

It has emerged that one of the vehicles stolen in a series of violent Apex carjackings in November last year was involved in a fatal crash.

Melbourne mother of two Amanda Matheson, 47, died in a head-on smash last November in the city's south-east.

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Melbourne mother of two Amanda Matheson, 47, died in a head-on smash last November in Melbourne's south-east. Her family blames the Atex gang for her death

A stolen BMW, which was driven by a 15-year-old Apex member, was travelling on the wrong side of the road when it collided with the 47-year-old's car, the Herald Sun reported.

A relative of Mrs Matheson blames the Apex gang for her death.

'Mandy was just on her way to work to provide for her family,' a relative told the Herald Sun.

'She didn't take the easy option to give up, take drugs and steal, and she lost her life for it. Why should these gang members be allowed to make their own rules?'

Alleged Apex member Issac Gatkuoth, 18, was in court this week over the November crime spree.

The court heard Gatuoth was subjected to an horrific upbringing in war-torn Sudan and then Kenya before coming to Australia aged nine, according to the Herald Sun.

Mrs Matheson's family member told the paper: 'We understand the hideous upbringing, but drugs and crime are no answer. He came here and got a second chance. Mandy doesn't have that now.'

The notorious gang are known for brutal carjackings, home invasions and mass brawls. Chaos descended on Melbourne's CBD during Moomba celebrations in March when scores of Apex gang members arrived in the city taunting police and attacking onlookers

Task Force Tense was established last year to deal with the threat of the Apex gang made up predominantly of youths of African background

The brutal gang is made up predominantly of boys and men of African background, mostly Sudanese and also Somali.

Gang leaders are believed to specifically target young boys to give them a better chance of avoiding prosecution if apprehended.

The problem of containing the gang has come to a head in the past year, according to Victoria Police.

Apex members were filmed causing chaos in March as more than 100 members clashed in Federation Square and on Swanston Street in front of families attending a Moomba community event.

The gang is said to be over 150 members strong, has been in operation for up to five years and recruits boys as young as 12.

Victoria police established Task Force Tense late last year to deal specifically with their threat.

Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Graham Ashton, said 'intensive work' began in November last year to deal with the gang and extra resources would be brought in.

'That group has been, in our view, responsible for what has been a range of motor vehicle theft, aggravated burglaries,' Mr Ashton said.
A Sydney dominatrix has revealed the secret desires of her high-paying clients, from kidnapping to medieval torture and martial arts moves - but no sex.

Mistress Tokyo works as a dominatrix in Sydney's inner west. She performs punishing BDSM - otherwise known as bondage, discipline, sadochism and masochism - on clients or 'slaves' from bondage to acting out scenes.

She's appearing at Sexpo 2016, the world's longest running sexuality and lifestyle exhibition, which is celebrating it's 20 anniversary in Australia. She is conducting a rope bondage showcase.

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Mistress Tokyo, also known works as a dominatrix in Sydney's inner west. She performs punishing BDSM on clients or 'slaves' from bondage to acting out scenes

Mistress Tokyo is appearing at Sexpo 2016, the world's longest running adult exhibition, holding a rope bondage showcase

Speaking to News.com.au, Mistress Tokyo described a typical scenario in a BDSM scene. To begin with, a client, or as she calls them 'slaves', are assessed over the phone, and parameters are set up between reality and fantasy during a quick conversation before the session begins.

A typical client of Mistress Tokyo is a man aged between 20 and 60, with a university education.

'They have a high disposable income and are people who require a higher level of stimulation in their lives,' she said.

A session can involve anything from latex, leather and rope bondage to dramatic role play scenes where acts involving torture, medical treatments or corporal punishment are acted out.

It can cost $200 dollars for a 30 minutes with Mistress Tokyo, though she has charged up to five figures for a 14-hour session.

'Those are more extended, elaborate psycho drama scenes like kidnapping, or things that involve martial arts,' she said.

A session with Mistress Tokyo can involve anything from latex, leather and rope bondage to dramatic role play scenes where acts involving torture, medical treatments or corporal punishment are acted out

A typical client of Mistress Tokyo is a 20-60 year old man, usually with a university education. She says they have a high disposable income and are people who require a higher level of stimulation

Miss Tokyo doesn't have sex with her clients and they are actually not allowed to touch her at all. She says anything involving nudity or intimate sexual contact on herself is off the table

Like the majority of dominatrix, Miss Tokyo doesn't actually have sex with her clients. In fact, they are not allowed to touch her at all.

'Anything that involves nudity or intimate sexual contact on myself, it's not even on the table. It's completely unavailable,' she told News.com.au.

'BDSM is about having a cathartic, often emotional experience which is created by the psychodrama or the physical stimulation.

BDSM, stands for bondage, dominance, submission and sadomasochism and typically involves physical forms of punishment like spanking and whipping. The relationship usually involves a 'dom', who assumes the controlling role and a 'sub' who takes a passive, obedient role.

Mistress Tokyo acts out much more hardcore scenarios, including one where she acts as a crazy surgeon.

'I do piercings, insert urinary catheters, do enemas and rectal examinations. I can do skin stapling and sutures. I don't do anything intravenous or any incubation. I don't put tubes down your throat or anything. I don't use scalpels because they're permanent.'

BDSM, stands for bondage, dominance, submission and sadomasochism and typically involves physical forms of punishment like spanking and whipping

The aim of Sexpo is to bring adult products out of adult stores and present them to the public in a comfortable and fun atmosphere.

Mistress Tokyo has over 6,000 followers on Instagram where she posts various pictures showcasing the BDSM lifestyle. Photographer Lucas Konrad Messerer also captures her various dominatrix roles in his studio.

Mistress Tokyo is holding a rope bondage exhibition at Sexpo 2016 in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park.

The health, sexuality and lifestyle exhibition is the worlds longest-running adult exhibition, celebrating 20 years in 2016.

The idea for Sexpo was conceived in 1995 in Melbourne and is is one of the largest exhibitions in Australia, having drawn crowds of over 2.5 million people.
Thousands of tiny red crabs are carpeting beaches in Orange County and creating an amazing spectacle for swimmers and surfers.

Lifeguards estimate that hundreds of thousands of the tiny crustaceans washed up Friday on beaches in Newport Beach.

Others were spotted in Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach is within the Marine Life Protected Act, so the crabs wont be tampered with, reported the OC Register.

Sylvie Bergeron, of San Diego, at left, and her sister Line Bergeron, of Quebec, walk with their dogs next to tuna crabs that washed up onto the beach at Shaw's Cove on Friday in Laguna Beach

Pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north

'Where they lie is where they must stay,' Marine Safety Lt. Kai Bond said.

'We have to let Mother Nature take them away.'

Others reported seeing the crabs and commented on how there could be scores of them one day and then none at all.

We have a band of them right by our (lifeguard) building down to Balboa,' said Newport Beach lifeguard Capt. Boyd Mickley.

'Yesterday, we didnt have any. They are here today  with the next high tide they could be gone.'

The Orange County Register reports that pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California, but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north.

Lifeguards estimate that hundreds of thousands of the tiny crustaceans washed up Friday on beaches in Newport Beach

The 1- to 3-inch-long crabs have washed up for several years along the Orange County coastline.

Before that, they hadn't been seen in the area for decades.

'Theyre the trippiest things youve ever seen,' surfer Amanda Turner told the OC Register. 'They were all alive.'

Last year when the crabs showed up at Balboa Island and China Cove, maintenance workers shoveled them and took them to a dump.

'Theyll probably just leave them to be eaten by the birds or taken out by the tide,' Mickley said of this year's appearance.

Surfers John Layman and Wayne Sterner said there were so many crabs that they could hear their claws bottom of their boards.

'When you take off on a wave, you could hear them clicking on the bottom of your board, Layman said. They were all over the place. They swim backwards, they look really funny when they swim. Its not a big deal, its just interesting when it happens.
A man who spent his step-children's inheritance - including 'substantial' savings and insurance - after their mother died of cancer appears to have no remorse about his actions.

New Zealand woman Anne Roberts died in 2012, leaving behind an estate but no will, and her children James Roberts-Gooch and Alexandra Gooch have been forced to take her former partner, Gary Watt, to court, according to Stuff.co.nz.

He's admitted being guilty of spending the majority of the money and says he hasn't been withholding what's left, despite not liking the 'little b******s'.

New Zealand man Gary Watt was in a relationship with Anne Roberts when she died, and after becoming administrator of her estate, spend the majority of it and gave none to her children

Anne Roberts died in 2012 without a will, believing Watt would take 'do right' by her children. They haven't received any of her estate

Ms Roberts' children Alexandra and James, who were 14 and 16 respectively when she died

Watt's new partner, Heather Duffy, aboard a jet ski. Among the items Watt purchased with Ms Roberts' estate were a jet ski, car and motorcycle.

After Ms Roberts died, Watt became administrator of her estate and bought a jetski, car, motorcycle, and at least one luxury holiday - a cruise with his new partner, who's believed to be from Bilgola, New South Wales.

Photos on social media show them on board a cruise ship and his new partner astride a jet ski in one and a Triumph motorcycle in another.

James, who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, and Alexandra, who moved to Queensland to live with her father after Ms Robert's death, were entitled to two-thirds of their mother's estate.

Four years later they still haven't received any of it.

They say their mother said 'Gary will always do the right thing by you kids'.

According to Stuff, rules which apply when someone dies without a will meant Watt was entitled to Ms Robert's chattels, a third of her estate and $155,000.

Watt's new partner astride a Triumph motorcycle. A motorbike was one of the items that he spent Ms Robert's inheritance on

Watt and Ms Duffy also went on a luxury cruise together using money from Ms Roberts' estate

Watt, pictured with his new partner, says he doesn't like James and Alexandra and has admitted being guilty of spending her estate

Watt pictured with new partner Heather Duffy. Watt has admitted the items he purchased with his former partner's estate are 'long gone'

But last year, the Family Court ordered Watt to pay them nearly $300,000.

Anne Roberts and Watt pictured together before she died

Earlier in 2016, an order was placed on the home the family once lived in, worth $580,000, so that James and Alexandra could be paid what they are owed from Watt's share of the house when it's sold.

James has applied to have Watt made bankrupt to force a sale of the property, but knows after legal fees are paid there won't be much money left.

Watt admitted to Stuff he'd blown the majority of the money.

'Yes I bought [the items], they're long gone.

'Through loans, through investments and stuff I lost it, so it was pretty piss-poor management. I'm guilty, there you go.'

He did offer James and Alexandra $30,000 each after Ms Roberts died, but they turned it down, believing they were being ripped off.

He also said Ms Roberts hadn't asked him to care for her children when she died.
A British horse rider has died after falling during a jump at an eventing competition in New Jersey.

Philippa Humphreys, 33, was thrown from her horse as he jumped over a table during a cross country time trial at the New Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.

Mrs Humphreys, who has a baby daughter, was given CPR at the scene by a nurse who was among the crowd. Paramedics arrived in less than a minute, but she could not be saved.

The married mother-of-one was pronounced dead in hospital on Saturday afternoon.

British horse rider Philippa Humphreys (pictured with her husband, Peter) has died after falling during a jump at an eventing competition in New Jersey

Mrs Humphreys, 33, was thrown from her horse as he jumped over a table during a cross country time trial at the New Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.

Officials at the event at the Horse Park of New Jersey said Mrs Humphreys sustained fatal injuries in a rotational fall - which is when a horse hits a fence with its front legs, propelling the rider over the top.

This often leads to the horse flipping over and falling on top of the rider, however it is not known if that happened in this instance.

The horse, a 13-year-old gelding called Rich N Famous, was not injured in the accident.

Mrs Humphreys was born in Chester, Cheshire, but moved to the United States in her 20s and lived in Rockford, Michigan, with her husband Peter and young daughter Millie.

She rode horses from a young age and continued to take part in eventing competitions, as well as training children.

'It is with deep regret that we announce that rider, Philippa Humphreys, 33, suffered fatal injuries in a fall at fence 16, the table, on the cross country course ... at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event,' chairman of the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event Dan Wunderlich said.

Tragic: Mrs Humphreys, who has a baby daughter, was given CPR at the scene but she could not be saved

Mrs Humphreys (pictured) was born in Chester, Cheshire, but moved to the United States in her 20s and lived in Rockford, Michigan, with her husband Peter and young daughter Millie

'Humphreys, a British citizen living in Rockford, Michigan, was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in nearby Hamilton, New Jersey, where she was pronounced dead by the attending physician.

'All of us connected with the Jersey Fresh International are deeply saddened by today's tragic news and we extend our condolences to Philippa's husband, Peter, and to her entire family.'

Rusty Lowe, a safety officer from the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, praised medical staff for their efforts to save the rider.

'The medical staff that were on duty here today did a tremendous job and gave a heroic effort to attempt to treat and resuscitate Philippa,' he said.

'Unfortunately, her injuries were severe enough that she could not be resuscitated.'

The event was not cancelled and will continue on Sunday as planned.

A horse had to be put down following a separate incident at the event in New Jersey on Saturday, Horse and Hound reported.
Former president Jimmy Carter bestowed an honorary doctorate on Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman Saturday - paying the Southern rock icon back for the support he'd been given 40 years before.

Allman, the longtime keyboard player and vocalist for The Allman Brothers Band, received the honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Mercer University in Macon, where the band spent its early years.

And Carter, who was there to present the award, told the crowd he might not have been president if the band hadn't 'adopted' him.

Former President Jimmy Carter (left) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman embrace as Allman receives an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia, on Saturday

'When the Allman brothers, back in 1976, adopted me and began to let the nation know that I was okay with them, most people said, "Well if he's OK with the Allman Brothers then he must be qualified to be president,"' Carter said, drawing laughs from the audience.

'It had been more than 140 years before a candidate from the Deep South had even been considered for this office,' the former Georgia governor added, saying it was the Allman Brothers who made the difference.

Allman was awarded the doctorate, the university said, 'in recognition of a truly extraordinary accomplishment in creative work.'

The university has only bestowed the doctorate of Humanities on musicians twice before: Once for Chuck Leavell, also a member of the Allman Brothers Band, and again for rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard.
A new sleeping mask could help you choose what you dream of - by enabling you to take control of the action.

Developers Steve McGuigan and Duncan Frazier of Brooklyn, New York, designed the mask, called Remee, to help users become aware that they are dreaming while it is happening.

This is the first step to achieving a state of lucid dreaming, during which a person knows they are dreaming and manage to take control of the action.

'You think of a purple cow, you turn a corner, and theres a purple cow,' user Thomas Peisel told CBS 2.

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The mask (pictured on user Thomas Peiser), called Remee, began with a Kickstarter campaign during which New York-based developers Steve McGuigan and Duncan Frazier collected more than $500,000

The project began in 2012, when McGuigan and Frazier, then 30, launched a Kickstarter campaign hoping to raise $35,000 - and collected $572,891.

Lucid dreaming designates a state during a person becomes aware they are dreaming while remaining asleep.

Getting into a state of lucid dreaming is the first step that allows someone to change the parameters of the dream.

Remee uses six LEDs to create a light pattern meant to tell the user they are dreaming.

By default, the lights flash towards the end of the night, when most people reach Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep - the phase during which dreams usually occur.

Remee uses six LED's to create a programmable pattern that flashes when the user is most likely to be dreaming. This enables the user to become aware that they are dreaming

This increases the chances of the mask flashing the pattern while the user is indeed dreaming.

The lights, which are not bright enough to wake up the user, signal that a dream is happening.

'We're kind of pinging your waking mind with these patterns so at the very least you're getting a little more attention to your dreams,' Frazier told CBS 2.

It is then up to the user to take control and influence the course of the dream.

Some need time and practice - and read books and websites - to master the art of lucid dreaming.

'Anything we can imagine we experience directly,' Peisel told the network. 'You can walk through walls, you can even talk to the dream itself.'

Dr Daniel Erichsen, a sleep expert, told the channel there was 'no harm' in using the mask, but that there was 'no evidence' that it would work.

Remee is currently for sale online for $95.
Says Obama must promise no inmates will be sent to his state if it closes

Pat Roberts, senator for Kansas, is holding out in protest over Guantanamo

But he has still not been confirmed in the position because of one senator

The first openly gay man to be nominated as secretary of the Army has still not taken up the position eight months after being put forward because of a single hold-out senator.

Pat Roberts, the Republican senator for Kansas, says he will not confirm Eric Fanning until Obama pledges that no inmates from Guantanamo will be brought to his state if the installation is closed.

But the White House has accused Roberts of grandstanding and putting national security at risk for the shake of his own narrow political ambitions.

Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, told NBC News: 'It is hard to imagine that Senator Roberts takes this particularly seriously.

'You may recall the last time that anybody talked about Senator Roberts was when he filmed a video of himself crumbling up the president's plan to close Guantanamo and throwing it in a wastebasket.

'So maybe he relishes the opportunity to be before the camera, but it's not apparent that he takes this critically important national security issue all that seriously.'

Roberts admits that he has no opposition to appointing Fanning to the post, but says it is up to the White House to meet his demands before he gives the go-ahead.

He added: 'Let me be very clear on this - as a veteran, a Marine - I support Mr. Eric Fanning for this post.

'If the White House calls and assures me that terrorists held at Guantanamo will not come to Ft. Leavenworth (a military facility in Kansas), I will release the hold - immediately.'

Roberts has shown himself unwilling to budge, even in the face of criticism from the likes of Republican veteran John McCain.

The former presidential candidate implored Roberts to change his position on the Senate floor last month, saying it 'is not fair' to leave the United States Army without crucial leadership.

He added: 'Mr. Fanning is eminently qualified to assume that role of Secretary of the Army. So I would urge my friend and colleague to not object to the unanimous consent that I am proposing.'

Pledging to close the controversial Guantanamo Bey detention camp was one of the first pledges made by Obama after taking office in 2009, and a policy he has showed renewed interest in during his final months in office.

While the President has lambasted the center as undermining America's credibility and national security, shuttering the facility has proved controversial, not least because of concern over what will become of the remaining 80 inmates.
Two men who were part of a panel to make sure 7-Eleven were paying employees fairly have criticised the company for firing them.

Dr David Cousins and Professor Allan Fels were part of an independent panel that was reimbursing 7-Eleven workers after it was discovered around two-thirds of 7-Eleven stores in Australia were underpaying employees.

They were fired on Wednesday after the company decided to bring the independent process in-house.

The panel stopped work on Friday, and all existing and new wages claims will be handled by an independent unit within 7-Eleven. Prof Fels has accused the company of trying to get out of paying back workers.

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Dr David Cousins and Professor Allan Fels were part of an independent panel reimbursing 7-Eleven workers after it was discovered around two-thirds of 7-Eleven stores in Australia were underpaying employees

In a statement on Saturday, Dr Cousins said 7-Eleven tried to take control of the process as the number of exploitation claims rose, despite promising it would be independent and anonymous.

'The company was spooked by suggestions it might have to pay out in excess of $100 million.'

'It started to push back on very large determinations and sought to have a direct influence on the claims determination process.'

That included demanding the names of workers, despite the process being anonymous.

Many of these workers victims of the 'half pay' scam, where as many as two-thirds of 7-Eleven employees were being paid as little as $10 an hour before tax.

Prof Fels believes most of 7-Eleven's 20,000 workers over the past decade have been underpaid by about half.

On Thursday, 7-Eleven announced that they would continue to pay back 'valid' claims but Dr Cousins said the company's new standard of proof was too high to meet.

He said 7-Eleven was demanding documents like pay slips that franchisees had deliberately destroyed or falsified.

'7-Eleven deserves the condemnation that it has received for unilaterally terminating the panel,' Dr Cousins said.

Professor Allan Fels (pictured) believes most of 7-Eleven's 20,000 workers over the past decade have been underpaid by about half

So far 421 7-Elven workers have been paid $16.7 million since the process began eight months ago, with another 1931 being assessed and a further 1400 about to start

New chief executive Angus McKay (pictured) said 7-Eleven would continue to pay back 'valid' claims, after he said workers had been trying to defraud the company

New chief executive Angus McKay has said 7-Eleven would continue to pay back 'valid' claims, after he said workers had been trying to defraud the company.

So far 421 workers have been paid $16.7 million since the process began eight months ago, with another 1931 being assessed and a further 1400 about to start.

Some claims have even reached the level of $350,000 to $400,000.
The US failed to properly investigate Saudi Arabian involvement in the 9/11 attacks and removed evidence that Saudi officials aided the terrorists from the public version of the 9/11 Commission Report, a commission member has said.

John Lehman, who was secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration, said the 28 classified pages contain evidence that as many as six officials aided the Al-Qaida terrorists that attacked the US on September 11, 2001.

Those officials worked for the Saudi Embassy, Saudi charities and California's King Fahd Mosque, which is funded by the Saudi government, he told CNN Thursday.

Evidence: John Lehman (pictured), who served on the 9/11 Commission, said that redacted pages from its report linked Saudi Arabian officials to the 9/11 hijackers - although there was no absolute proof

Links: The officials worked at the Saudi Embassy in the US (left) and the Saudi-government-funded King Fahd Mosque in California (right). Lehman says the US did not properly investigate possible Saudi links to 9/11

The people in question had 'hard ties' to the Saudi government, he said, and even harder ties to the terrorists: one drove the hijackers from San Diego to Phoenix after they failed their first flight school.

Lehman told CNN there was no 'smoking gun' in the classified pages and that the Saudi government itself could not be connected to the attacks, nor were any senior Saudi officials proven to be funding Al-Qaida.

But he said that there were clear connections between the attackers and Saudi Arabia.

'It was no accident that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis,' he told 60 Minutes in April.

'They all went to Saudi schools. They learned from the time they were first able to go to school of this intolerant brand of Islam.

And he also said huge gaps in the Commission's knowledge affected its ability to make conclusions, as the US government never properly investigated Saudi leads.

He said a new investigation was needed.

The Commission that Lehman served on was intended to examine the intelligence failures that allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur, and to finish the work of an earlier panel.

But according to Lehman it was shut down before the roles of the Saudis in question could be confirmed - and now nobody knows where they are.

Commission: Lehman's Commission investigated intelligence failures that led up to the attack. When its report was published 28 pages were redacted. It is these pages, Lehman says, that show links to Saudi officials

Acquitted: Diplomat Fahad al Thumairy (pictured) was the only Saudi Arabian implicated in the plot, according to two chairs of the commission, and he was acquitted

However, on the same day that he made his remarks to CNN, Lehman also appeared to contradict himself in a written statement.

According to CNN, he said that he agreed with an April statement made by the 9/11 Commission's chair and vice chairs, former Republican New Jersey Governor Tom Kean and former Democratic Representative Lee Hamilton of Indiana.

They said that 'only one employee of the Saudi government was implicated in the plot investigation.'

That man was Saudi diplomat Fahad al Thumairy, who was based out of Los Angeles, and who was acquitted in the commission's final report.

Lehman finished by saying he did not believe that the Saudi government or any of its senior officials supported the 9/11 attacks.

Interest in Saudi Arabia's possible role in the 9/11 attacks has grown in recent months as consideration has been given to declassifying the previously redacted 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission Report.

Lehman is urging for the declassification of the 28 pages, which are being reviewed and may be released to the public in the summer.

And so is Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir. He told reporters last week in Geneva, 'Our position, since 2002 when the report first came out, was "release the pages."'

He added, 'We know from other senior U.S. officials that the charges made in the 28 pages do not stand up to scrutiny. And so yes, release the 28 pages.'

It was also reported Thursday that the FBI had 80,000 pages of unreleased information on the 9/11 attacks, some of which might prove links between the family of an adviser to Saudi Arabian royalty and the terrorists.
Dozens of bikers gathered in Waco on Saturday almost a year on from the Twin Peaks shootout that left nine people dead in order to protest what they see as unfair treatment by law enforcement.

Attorney Paul Looney, who is representing some of the 154 bikers facing charges over the brawl that also saw 20 people wounded, vowed to fight for justice for those due in court.

He said: 'All these cases need to go to trial. Theres not enough evidence to convict anyone.

Dozens of bikers gathered outside the McLennan County courthouse on Saturday almost a year after the mass brawl between two rival clubs in Waco, Texas

The club members gathered to hit out at what they see as unfair prosecutions by county officials who have charged more than 150 of them with felony offences

Paul Looney, an attorney representing some of those charged (left), told the bikers that their cases needed to go to trial because 'theres not enough evidence to convict anyone'

'The only person who might be in deep trouble would be a biker wearing colors, if he were the one who fired the first shot.'

The bikers gathered in the parking lot outside the McLennan County courthouse which was ringed by police, according to the Waco Tribune.

The demonstration was organized by the Sons of Liberty Riding Club, but attended by members from several different organizations.

Violence broke out at the Twin Peaks 'breastaurant' on May 17 last year as members of the rival Cossacks and Banditos motorcycle clubs met to discuss business with one another.

Tensions had been simmering between the two groups for moths over a territory dispute and reports indicate fight could have been sparked when one biker ran over another's foot in the parking lot.

It is not known who fired the fatal shots, but ballistics reports indicate that four of the lethal bullets came from a rifle that is of the same caliber used by police.

The rally was organized by the Sons of Liberty Riding Club, but was attended by members of various groups

The bikers argue that, while some members did engage in criminal activity, most of those who have been charged were merely present when the violence took place and had no part in it

In the wake of the brawl 170 bikers were arrested, and last November County District Attorney Abel Reyna won indictments against 106 of them.

Then, in March, another 48 were indicted by a grand jury, bringing the total up to the current 154.

Many of those indicted are not members of the Cossacks or Banditos, but belong to smaller 'support clubs' who were there at the time.

All of those are facing felony charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, making them complicit in the killings and facing sentences of between 15 years and life behind bars.

Nobody has yet been charged with murder for the nine deaths, thought Reyna described his investigation as 'ongoing'.

Speaking at Saturday's rally outside the courthouse, Looney added: 'All 170 of the Twin Peaks people were arrested without due process.

'Every American should be frightened by what they saw here.'

Nine people died and 20 were injured when a huge fight broke out at the Twin Peaks diner in Waco on May 17 last year between the Cossacks and Banditos gangs

More than 170 people were arrested following the fight, some of which was caught on CCTV (pictured), and most of them are now facing between 15 years and life in jail

The Coassacks and Banditos had been involved in a simmering turf dispute for months before violence erupted at the restaurant, leaving nine dead

Other attorneys have also been highly critical of Reyna's approach, saying he is criminalizing people for simply being there when the violence broke out.

Don Tittle, representing around 15 bikers suing McLennan County for wrongful prosecution, said: 'There were people that were tragically killed, and there is no doubt there's some individuals that should be charged with criminal offenses.

'But the overwhelming majority of the people there that day were nothing more than present at the time that the incident occurred.'

Gang laws mean that prosecutors do not have to prove that each of the accused committed a crime, simply that at least one member from each group was involved in criminal activity.
Suspended: Rev. James Williams (pcitured above) has denied the sex abuse allegations

A priest and former president of a prestigious Catholic high school on Long Island in New York has been suspended after the order says allegations of sexual abuse of a student were deemed credible.

The Marianist order, also known as the Society of Mary, said Friday it conducted a 'comprehensive investigation.' Details of the alleged abuse have no been revealed.

They say Rev. James Williams has denied the allegations.

Prosecutors say the statute of limitations for misdemeanor sexual abuse expired in 2013. They say the victim was legally an adult at the time and has said twice he doesn't want to press charges.

Williams resigned in 2011 as president of the all-boys Chaminade High School but remained a priest.

He could not be reached Saturday. There was no immediate information on a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

'Its always hard for victims of sexual violence to report these heinous crimes. Its harder when the perpetrator is an alleged man of God. And its especially hard in Catholic school settings that are relatively small and tightly knit with deep loyalties and so we are deeply grateful to this brave victim,' said David Clohessy, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said, according to the New York Post.

Chaminade is a well known school whose alumni include Fox News commentator Bill OReilly, U.S. Senator Alfonse DAmato, and actor Brian Dennehy, according to the New York Post

The priest was president of school since 1999, reported the New York Daily News.

'We believe our actions reflect the solemn promise we have made to ensure the protection of the young men entrusted to us, our highest priority,' the Marianists said.
Talks also covered Libya which has been split

Secretary of State John Kerry has met with the King of Saudi Arabia to discuss efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East - ahead of international talks in Europe this coming week.

Kerry met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and several other members of the royal family, in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Sunday, for critical talks on the fighting in Syria, Libya and Yemen which have been ravaged by violence in recent years.

They discussed the need to strengthen a shaky truce in Syria, where both President Bashar Assad's government and opposition forces including al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front, which the U.N. has designated a terrorist organization, are accused of making multiple breaches.

Secretary of State John Kerry has meet with the King of Saudi Arabia to discuss conflicts in the Middle East - ahead of international talks in Europe this coming week (pictured)

Kerry met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, and several other members of the royal family, in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Sunday, for critical talks on the fighting in Syria, Libya and Yemen which have been ravaged by violence in recent years

Kerry's spokesman said the goal was to 'ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition in Syria'.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia, along with a number of other Western countries, Persian Gulf monarchies and Turkey back terrorist groups fighting against Assad.

Both Saudi Arabia and America have rejected attempts by Russia to get Syrian rebels placed on the U.N. terrorist list. Once on the terrorist list, groups can no longer be considered to have broken a truce.

'I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect,' Kerry told Salman at the beginning of their meeting, Press TV reports.

The U.S. State Department said Kerry and Saudi officials also discussed the need to strengthen the truce in Yemen where warring parties have been holding U.N.-brokered negotiations in Kuwait to resolve the conflict.

The conflict pits the country's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies against President Abed Rabbo Mansour's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

A truce began April 10 and has mostly held despite multiple breaches by both sides.

Kerry, pictured speaking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, right, is trying to shore up the shaky truce in Syria that has been fraught with violations on both sides

They discussed the need to strengthen the truce in Syria, where both President Bashar Assad's government and opposition forces including al-Qaida affiliate Nusra Front, which the U.N. has designated a terrorist organization, are accused of making multiple breaches

The U.S. State Department said Kerry and King Salaman also discussed the need to strengthen the truce in Yemen where warring parties have been holding U.N.-brokered negotiations in Kuwait to resolve the conflict

On Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated his bomb among policemen standing in line outside a police base in a southern Yemeni city, killing 25 people, security and health officials said.

The Yemeni affiliate of the extremist ISIS group claimed responsibility.

Kerry was traveling later Sunday to Vienna where he planned to host, with Italy's foreign minister, talks on Libya on Monday, and, with his Russian counterpart, meetings on Syria on Tuesday.

The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on the speaker and president of Libya's House of Representatives for what the Obama administration said was their efforts to obstruct and delay political transition in the country.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been split between rival governments.

Last year, the U.N. brokered a deal on a unity government to heal the rift among the Libyans. But the new government has so far failed to gain support from various factions.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (center) was welcomed by Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir in Jeddah's King Abdelaziz International Airport on Saturday

Kerry (left) shook hands with Saudi foreign minister al-Jubeir ahead of his talks with King Salman about conflicts in the Middle East

The 17-member International Syria Support Group includes Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and others. The August deadline that the U.S. has set for starting a political transition is a target, not a drop-dead endpoint for negotiations, Kerry has said.

The U.S. ultimatum has spurred speculation that if the deadline is blown, U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia might respond by giving the Syrian opposition stronger weapons to fight Assad.

Kerry also has said indirect peace talks between the Syrian opposition and the Assad government probably would resume 'some days' after the Vienna meeting.

Those U.N.-led talks have been stalled since the opposition suspended participation last month in protest.

The U.N.'s humanitarian aid coordinator for Syria has expressed dismay about 'disappointing' levels of access so far this month to besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
When a widow received a letter directly addressed to her deceased husband with the honorific 'late', it bought back devastating memories of the day he died.

Sydney mother-of-three Christine McAuliffe was shocked when a letter arrived from St George bank for 'Late D McAuliffe' - her husband Daniel, who died almost two years ago after a battle with depression.

At first she thought it was her bank letting her know they were aware he'd died, but instead it was an 'unexpected and hurtful' reminder, Kidspot reported.

Christine McAuliffe was horrified to be sent a letter from St George bank addressed to her late husband Daniel two years after his death. The couple are seen above with two of their children

The bank addressed the letter to 'late' D McAuliffe to his widow's dismay to inform him of his eligibility for new credit cards

'I calmed myself down and tried to think rationally through unexpected tears: he is dead, banks aren't exactly known for their warm and fuzziness,' she said.

She had filled out forms and even given the bank a copy of his death certificate to let it know he'd died.

'I was definitely not expecting that inside the envelope would be a credit card for Daniel and a warm and welcoming message to him announcing the fact that they were sending him this lovely new credit card,' she told Kidspot.

She got one as well - as the 'secondary cardholder'.

Mrs McAuliffe said 20 months after Daniel's death, she was trying to rebuild her family's life.

'Some days are harder than others but the incredible bureaucracy, which institutions force us to endure, is both damaging and unnecessary.'

It was already hard enough, but 'unexpected and hurtful' reminders of his death made it worse.

A St.George spokesperson said in a statement on Monday: 'We take this matter very seriously and it is not the experience we want for our customers. We have made attempts to call Mrs McAuliffe to apologise and ensure her we are doing everything we can to address this matter today.'

Mrs McAuliffe said the blunder brought back painful memories of when she first came to terms with her husband's death
His car was found on Wednesday but it may have been there for a few days

Police are desperately searching father who uncharacteristically disappeared from his home a week ago.

Michael Modesti, 33, vanished from his Beverly home, in Adelaide's west, last Sunday and has not made contact with his family, partner or friends since around 11pm that night.

His girlfriend Crystal Catacchio told police he made no indication that he was in trouble when they spoke on Sunday night about meeting up with his young son and became concerned when he didn't follow up with either of them the next day.

Michael Modesti, 33, vanished from his Beverly home, in Adelaide's west, last Sunday and has not made contact with his family, partner or friends since around 11pm that night

His girlfriend Crystal Catacchio told police he made no indication that he was in trouble when they spoke on Sunday night about meeting up with his young son

Mr Modesti's mobile phone and bank cards were found inside his home, further concerning police about his welfare.

His Mitsubishi Magna was abandoned nearby in Chenoweth Avenue, West Croydon, on Wednesday, but police believe it could have been sitting there since as early as Monday morning.

Officers went door-to-door making inquiries with local residents over the weekend to see if anyone has information about his whereabouts or last known location.

Chief inspector Jerome Teakle said some residents have indicated that he was known to frequent the area but there have been no fresh leads on his disappearance.

Mr Modesti's mobile phone and bank cards were found inside his home, further concerning police about his welfare

His Mitsubishi Magna was abandoned nearby in Chenoweth Avenue, West Croydon, on Wednesday, but police believe it could have been sitting there since as early as Monday morning

Officers went door-to-door making inquiries with local residents over the weekend to see if anyone has information about his whereabouts or last known location

Chief inspector Jerome Teakle said some residents have indicated that he was known to frequent the area but there have been no fresh leads on his disappearance

This is out of character and we do have some serious concerns,' he said on Sunday.

He urged anyone with information on the father-of-one's whereabouts to contact police immediately.

Mr Modesti is of Caucasian appearance with short brown hair, brown eyes and tattoos on his right arm. He has a muscular build, is around 178 centimeters tall and weighs 80 kilograms.
A Navy SEAL instructor has been removed from training duties as the death of one of his former students remains under investigation.

James 'Derek' Lovelace, 21, died during training on May 6 at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California, while undergoing 'drown-proofing' tests.

Several people involved with SEAL training told NBC News that an instructor was grabbing at Lovelace from below, during a drill that involves treading water while handcuffed.

The instructor will not directly train students for the time being and his future duties remain to be determined, NBC News reported.

James 'Derek' Lovelace (pictured), 21, died during training on May 6 at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California, while undergoing 'drown-proofing' tests

'While the investigation is ongoing, the instructor involved has been assigned duties apart from directly training students for the time being,' Navy spokesman Lieutenant Trevor Davids said Saturday.

'As the investigation progresses and details become clear, his Commanding Officer will reassess his status.'

The instructor, an enlisted petty officer first class, joined the Navy in 2008 and previously received a Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with 'V' device for valor according to the Washington Post.

He has served Coronado and in Little Creek, Virginia, and was deployed to Afghanistan at least twice, the newspaper wrote.

Sources said Lovelace was held underwater until he passed out by an instructor who then blamed the drowning on the trainee's 'inability to perform'.

The swimming drill came during Lovelace's first week of training and was brought to an abrupt end when an official spotted him 'having a hard time', a Navy spokesman said.

The official account is that the young man was taken to the edge of the pool where instructors tried to revive him, but were unable to.

Navy SEAL officials have suggested that Lovelace may have had an underlying health condition which flared up during the exercise, but more than six sources connected to SEAL training claim the recruit's death was far more sinister.

None of the sources who spoke to NBC News were at the pool when Lovelace drowned, but some of them are family members of people who were there and one is a former SEAL who is connected to a trainee on the program.

Sources said Lovelace (pictured) was held underwater by an instructor who then blamed the drowning on the trainee's 'inability to perform'

They all said Lovelace was held underwater by an instructor before he lost consciousness.

The SEAL trainees were doing a 'combat tread' drill in the pool last week, three of the sources said, which sees them tread water in camouflage uniforms while instructors grab at them from below.

'This instructor took advantage of the student instructor relationship, held the student underwater until he drowned, then blamed it on the student's inability to perform,' a source said.

They added that a number of recruits saw the incident, which was captured on video.

'[Lovelace] was hands on with the instructor,' another source said. 'He passed out first and was sent back in. The instructor kept physically and verbally harassing him.'

Lynsi Price, Lovelace's sister, said her family felt they have not been told the 'true story' of how her brother died.

'My brother shouldn't have died and I feel like it's being covered up,' she said.

However Lovelace's father, Jimmy, said his son did not drown and may have had fluid in his lungs, leading to a heart attack.

The Navy did not comment.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has launched an investigation into Lovelace's death.

'Every individual who may have information pertinent to this investigation will be interviewed and every available bit of evidence will be analyzed,' spokesman Ed Buice said.

Lovelace was the third SEAL trainee to die in six months.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Caplen Weare (left), 24, died while drunk-driving after being dropped from the program. Seaman Daniel DelBianco (right), 23, killed himself after five nights without sleep during 'Hell Week'

Weare (pictured) had dreamed about being a Navy SEAL since he was eight, and blamed himself for failing the program. Some are asking if men like him are supported enough if they fail the test

Four weeks earlier, Seaman Daniel DelBianco, 23, killed himself while in the middle of 'Hell Week' - a grueling test in which cadets go for seven days with little sleep.

His father said DelBianco had not slept for five days when he threw himself from the 22nd floor of a San Diego hotel.

And in November, Petty Officer 2nd Class Caplen 'Cap' Weare, 24, died when his pickup truck crashed off the I-5 in San Diego.

He had not been wearing a seat belt and his blood alcohol level was just under twice the legal limit.

All three men died during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or BUD/S, which is designed to push cadets to their limits to make sure they can handle the stress of combat as an elite Navy SEAL.

Weare's mom told The Washington Post that her son had wanted to be a Navy SEAL since he was eight and that he took it badly when his commanding officer told him he had failed a pool test.

'He told me he didn't blame the chief, he said he actually liked him,' his mother recalled. 'He always took responsibility for himself.'

She added: 'I should have been there and he shouldn't have been out by himself that night.'

Before his suicide, DelBianco had said of his SEAL application: 'My life won't feel complete unless I do this. Every time I read about or see pictures of SEALs, I feel motivated. The experience will shape and define the rest of my life.'

For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or visit http://www.samaritans.org/
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his plans on Friday to scrap a police review board and replace it with 'civilian investigative agency' to look into cases of misconduct and brutality.

The decision to abolish the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) comes a month after a task force released a scathing report recommending a new board to help mend strained relations between Chicago's police force and the city's minority communities.

The task force report said IPRA was underfunded and staffed by former law enforcement officials whose findings were routinely reversed by the body's leaders.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his plans on Friday to scrap a police review board and replace it with 'civilian investigative agency' to look into cases of misconduct and brutality

Emanuel's announcement comes after the Task Force on Police Accountability issued a report saying Chicago police have 'no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color'.

It also accused the police force of alienating black people and Latinos for decades by using excessive force and honoring a code of silence.

It recommended replacing the 'badly broken' IPRA with a 'new and fully transparent and accountable Civilian Police Investigative Agency.'

In an article on the Chicago Sun-Times, Emanuel wrote: 'It is clear that a totally new agency is required to rebuild trust in investigations of officer-involved shootings and the most serious allegations of police misconduct.'

Emanuel proposed a new Community Safety Oversight Board in an effort to 'give a voice to Chicago residents whose lives are affected daily by police practices'.

Public meetings and public reporting from the police department are also part of a comprehensive reform plan, which Emanuel said would be presented at a city council meeting on June 22.

IPRA was formed in 2007 to respond to community concerns about police accountability.

Critics have long questioned the length of time the body takes to make rulings, and the frequency with which it finds justification for police actions in cases of alleged misconduct.

But the cash-strapped city is struggling with unfunded pension liabilities and major budget cuts for schools, so it is not clear how Emanuel would obtain additional resources for police oversight.

Emanuel has been besieged by calls for his resignation since the city took months to release a video of a white officer, Jason Van Dyke, fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald in October 2014

Emanuel has been besieged by calls for his resignation since the city took months to release a video of a white officer, Jason Van Dyke, fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald in October 2014.

Footage taken from the Van Dyke's police car show McDonald, 17, carrying a knife in his hand while he bounded out in front of the car before running down the road.

Van Dyke, who has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge, was shown emptying an entire magazine into the young man with most of the 16 shots fired at point-blank range as he lay motionless on the ground.

It also emerged that Van Dyke was the subject of 18 civilian complaints over 14 years, including allegations that he used racial epithets and excessive force, police and court records show.
Claimed BBC has 'very, very white' culture and is 'an oppressive institution'

Sir Lenny Henry has attacked fellow black actor Will Smith for not doing more to help improve diversity

Veteran comedian Sir Lenny Henry has slammed fellow black actor Will Smith for failing to stay true to his race and using his fame to help improve diversity on screen.

Speaking to the Sunday People, Sir Lenny, 57, said: 'If a movie makes more than a hundred dollars, some black people stop being black  they become Will Smith.'

He also attacked the wider Hollywood industry, claiming writers and directors had failed to represent a wider, multicultural society on screen.

Of the recent Academy Awards, he said: 'The Oscars were ridiculous. The only brown person nominated was the bear in Leo Dicaprio's film, The Revenant.'

His comments were made as part of an interview in which he also slammed the BBC's 'very, very white' culture.

The beloved entertainer, who received a knighthood last year for services to drama and charity, described the BBC as 'an oppressive institution' and said while moves were being made towards improving diversity on screen, there will be no real reform until there is change 'behind the camera'.

He said: 'I worked at the BBC for 35 years before I had a meeting with anyone who looks like me. The only people like me were cleaning the corridors and that is not right.'

The Dudley-born star made similar comments in his acceptance speech at last week's Baftas, where he collected the prestigious Special Award in recognition of his career in television.

Calling on the BBC to implement change, he said: 'If it feels like I'm banging on a bit about diversity all the time its because I believe in increasing it so we truly reflect our fantastic nation, ensuring that all those 14 years old out there, superglued to their phones who hope to work in TV, irrespective of their race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, can realise that ambition as I was able to realise mine.'

He added: 'If we do this, we will make this fantastic industry even greater and I know everybody in this room agrees. So please let's keep working together to make this a reality, let's create a coalition of the willing and please let's put this in the charter.'

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Sir Lenny, who co-founded Comic Relief with director Richard Curtis, also hit back at black British star John Boyega, 24, who recently came under fire for apparently criticising people who complain about lack of diversity in film and television.

Boyega was forced to clarify his comments after he said: 'To complain about what is going on is not going to benefit us. It is not. Be the change you want to be'.

Of the Star Wars actor, Sir Lenny said: "Meritocracy works on a level playing field. But what if its not level and people who dont look like you are making the decisions?

The comedy legend has spoken out about diversity before. In 2014, he gave the annual Bafta television lecture, discussing the deterioration of black and Asian minority ethnic involvement in the creative industries.

It was hailed as a groundbreaking speech that helped reframe and reignite the discussion about diversity in British television.

Under fire: Actors Will Smith and John Boyega were both critcised by Sir Lenny Henry for not helping to improve the situation for black actors working in the film and television industries

Sir Lenny's comments come shortly after the government this week highlighted the need for greater diversity within the BBC.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale's White Paper includes targets for on-screen ethnic minority, gay and disabled actors.

Diversity will be part of the corporations mission statement for the first time, in a bid to make the BBC the leading broadcaster promoting diversity.

Mr Whittingdale said the BBC should accurately and authentically represent and portray the lives of people across the UK while raising awareness of the different cultures and the alternative viewpoints that make up its society.
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ISIS terrorists launched a suicide attack on a state-run gas plant in Baghdad's northern outskirts on Sunday, killing at least 11 and injuring 22, officials report.

Jihadi fighters set off a suicide car bomb at the entrance of the facilityin Taji,12 miles north of the Iraqi capital, at around 6am local time, allowing anothervehicle carrying at least six attackers with explosive vests toenter and clash with security forces, police sources said.

A spokesman for Baghdad Operations Command said three of thefacility's gas storages were set alight before security forceswere able to bring the situation under control.

Terrorist attack: Flames and smoke rising from tanks after an ISIS suicide bomb attack on the Taji gas plant, about 12 miles north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday

Iraq's Oil Ministry said the attack had not disrupted theplant's production of gas for cooking and electricityproduction.

But the Electricity Ministry said two nearby power stationshad halted operations due to a cut in gas supplies from the Tajiplant. It was not clear how long it would take to restore flowto the power stations, which provided 153 megawatts to thealready overstretched national grid before the attack.

An employee who lives nearby said after hearing a powerfulblast he saw flames and black smoke coming from inside thefacility. Dozens of police and army vehicles rushed to the sitewhere shooting lasted for about an hour, he said.

A U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS has been training army forces for months at a military base located in Taji.

In an online statement, the Islamic State group said the attack was carried out by four suicide bombers, for whom it provided noms de guerre.

Under fire: ISIS attacked by blowing up a car at the entrance, which allowed a second vehicle of terrorists to drive into the plant at attack security staff, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 20

Eight suicide bombers broke into the gas plant and blew up a car bomb at one of its entrances, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said in a statement

ISIS later said in an online statement that fighters with machine guns had killed the guards at the plant which it said the Iraqi army was using as a headquarters

'They killed the guards at the gate before raiding the headquarters and killing all inside,' the statement said.

When additional Iraqi forces massed at the gate for an attack, 'our brothers detonated a car bomb in the middle of their gathering,' it went on, saying that the militants clashed with security forces and detonated explosive belts among them.

IS has been steadily losing ground to the Iraqi security forces in recent months.

According to the government, IS controls only 14 percent of Iraqi territory, down from the 40 per cent it held in 2014.

A U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS has been training army forces for months at a military base located in Taji

But the group has intensified its attacks behind the front lines, detonating car bombs in civilian areas and infiltrating sensitive sites with suicide commandos.

Separate explosions in Baghdad's southern outskirts onSunday left three people dead and 12 wounded, police sourcessaid.

On Saturday, a group of IS fighters snuck into Amriyat al-Fallujah, a government-held town west of Baghdad, in a similar suicide raid that killed five people.
Kathryn Smith (pictured) was left with a two centimetre stab wound on her cheek after being jumped by as many as 10 lags on a prison stairwell

The drug addict mother who stamped her 21-month-old daughter to death had her face slashed in a 'revenge attack' in jail.

Kathryn Smith was left with a two centimetre stab wound on her cheek after being jumped by as many as 10 lags on a prison stairwell.

The 23-year-old screamed in agony as she was maimed in a brutal four minute assault that saw her punched, kicked and knifed.

Sources inside the notorious Foston Hall women's prison in Derbyshire say the attack was planned by violent inmates desperate to seek revenge on the evil young mother for the utterly savage murder of her helpless toddler.

Ayeeshia Jane Smith, who weighed just 20lbs when she died, was killed while she cried 'stop mummy, stop daddy'.

Her mother stamped on her chest with such force that she suffered a fatal heart injury, three broken ribs and bit through her own tongue.

Experts said her injuries were so severe she resembled a high-speed car crash victim.

Smith was last month jailed for a minimum of 24 years. Her ex-partner, Matthew Rigby, 22, was convicted of causing or allowing the child's death, but cleared of murder.

The jail attack was led by two women, thought to have used a homemade blade.

A source told The Mirror: 'There had been a lot of talk about attacking Smith, but most people wouldn't go through with it as they don't want time added on to their sentences.

Sources inside the notorious Foston Hall women's prison (pictured) in Derbyshire say the attack was planned by violent inmates desperate to seek revenge on the evil young mother for the utterly savage murder of her helpless toddler

'But these two really went for it and left her in a bad way.'

Inmates at Foston Hall have included some of Britain's most evil women. Moors Murderer Myra Hyndley was a prisoner for almost four decades before dying at 60.

In sentencing Smith in April, Judge Andrews said: 'You were completely self-centred. You wanted to take care of Ayeeshia yourself but not at the expense of running your love life the way you wanted.

Ayeeshia Jane Smith (pictured), who weighed just 20lbs when she died, was killed as she cried 'stop mummy, stop daddy'. Her mother stamped on her chest with such force that she suffered a fatal heart injury, three broken ribs and bit through her own tongue

'You are a devious, manipulative and selfish young woman who would stop at nothing to get your own way.

'To that end you were prepared to tell lie after lie, telling professionals what you thought they wanted hear.
Paul Keetch allegedly texted his ex that he would 'send you the cat's ashes' after their split

A former MP threatened to have his ex-partner's cats killed if she did not have sex with him, it has been claimed.

Paul Keetch, the MP for Hereford from 1997-2010, allegedly texted her he would 'send you the cat's ashes' after their acrimonious split.

Another message was said to state the woman - who has not been named - had '12 hours to agree' or he would release intimate pictures of her, The Sun reported.

A mutual friend of the two told the paper Mr Keetch had been sending her text messages ever since she moved out of their home in Clapham, London.

The friend said: 'Recently his mood seems to have become dark and messages very hateful.

'Things have gone badly wrong and Keetch is totally out of control. She thinks he is possibly having a midlife crisis.'

Mr Keetch, a Lib Dem Brexiteer, refused to discuss the content of texts between himself and his ex when contacted by MailOnline.

He said: 'I informed a mutual friend of ours on Friday before I knew that this story was coming out that she can have the cats at any time as long as she pays for their transport.

'I'm not going to discuss any messages that are sent between me and [his ex]. They are a private matter so I'm not prepared to discuss them.'

Mr Keetch, who is now a partner in London-based lobbying firm Wellington Street Partners, has been an avid campaigner for Brexit.

The 54-year-old make headlines in 2010 after pictures were published showing him kissing Irene Spence, who was the estranged wife of SAS soldier Cameron Spence.

At the time the married father-of-one denied he had been in a 'long running' affair with her, while Mr Spence was said to be 'spitting tacks' at the revelation.

The couple were seen walking hand in hand, hugging and kissing in the street before going to the MP's flat.

They were seen emerging from the property the following morning and travelled by Tube to Westminster, where they went their separate ways.
A three year old girl is believed to have been sexually assaulted while she slept next to her brother in a rural Western Australian town.

Police are patrolling Bruce Rock, a rural town 250 km east of Perth, after receiving reports a three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at a property between midnight and 4am on Saturday.

Police say it's suspected a man entered the room where the siblings were sleeping and the abuse was carried out as the girl's five-year-old brother slept nearby.

Police are patrolling Bruce Rock, a rural town 250 km east of Perth, after receiving reports a three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at a property between midnight and 4am on Saturday

Police are checking CCTV in the area, along with surrounding towns, in a bid to find the man.

Bruce Rock is a small town in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region and has a population of about 500 people.
Bookmakers have stopped taking bets on Night Manager actor Tom Hiddleston becoming the next James Bond.

Coral have reacted to a flurry of punts on the 35-year-old taking over from Daniel Craig in the blockbuster franchise after news broke last week that he was seen meeting franchise director Sam Mendes.

His odds had shortened to 1/2 - making him far and away the favourite to land the prestigious gig.

Bookmakers have stopped taking bets on Night Manager actor Tom Hiddleston (left) becoming the next James Bond. Coral have reacted to a flurry of punts on the 35-year-old taking over from Daniel Craig (right) in the blockbuster franchise after news broke last week that he was seen meeting franchise director Sam Mendes

However, betting on him has now been suspended entirely, suggesting the bookies are convinced he will be ninth man to play 007.

The Bond bosses have so far remained silent about whether Daniel Craig will reprise his role after four films.

Hiddleston has been at the forefront of speculation as to who will replace him if he does go ever since wowing as sexy spy Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager earlier this year.

Punters are believed to have upped their bets after he was seen meeting with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Sam Mendes, director of Skyfall and Spectre, last week.

A source told MailOnline how the actor was spotted at London's Soho House: Dean Street on Wednesday.

But Hiddleston has since played down the rumours, telling chat show host Graham Norton: 'The thing is the position isn't vacant as far as I am aware. No one has talked to me about it.

Ready to move on? Daniel with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and director Sam Mendes in 2014

'I think the rumours have all come about because in the Night Manager I play a spy and people have made the link.'

In an interview with Esquire magazine this month, the London-born star praised Bond creator Ian Fleming's character: 'I think it's because he represents an archetype.

'There's this idea of British strength which doesn't draw attention to itself but gets the job done. That's our brand.

'We know it's inelegant to blow your own trumpet and impolite to show how much you care, and yet we expect you to win! You don't find it in France or Spain.'

Although Daniel Craig denied reports in January he had quit the role of Bond, he told the Mail On Sunday's Event magazine last September that there's a deal in place that might require him to keep going.'Im contracted for one more but Im not going to make predictions.'

Luther star Idris Elba and Homeland actor Damian Lewis had initially been frontrunners for the job in before the surge in backing for Hiddleston, Coral said.
Kate Moss has kicked out her toyboy lover Count Nikolai von Bismarck and warned him that his riotous lifestyle has to go out the door with him.

The supermodel, 42, has had enough of her 29-year-old lover's debauched ways and sent him packing from her country home after 'erratic' behaviour during a week away in the Cotswolds.

The final straw came when the blood-drinking Count Nikolai was said to be hallucinating on the trip and jumped out of a window to chase an imaginary intruder, reports the Sun.

Kate Moss has kicked out her toyboy lover Count Nikolai von Bismarck (both pictured) after his wild ways became too much to handle

Kate, who has had her fair share of bad boy lovers in the past, has growing concern for her partner and it is believed he has been shipped off to a rehab clinic while she promotes a skincare range in Canada.

The pair started dating after Kate split from her musician husband Jamie Hince, 47, in July, and since then they have been seen enjoying a holiday together in Brazil.

It is also believed that Nikolai has also moved into her 4million pad in Highgate, north London.

Unlike her previous high profile partners, Nikolai, the great-great-grandson of Prince Otto von Bismarck, the 19th-century Iron Chancellor of Prussia, is a society photographer and once admitted he drank 'cow's blood' while spending time with a tribe in Ethiopia.

During her younger days Kate was well known for her party lifestyle with claims that she would enjoy drink and drugs, such as cocaine, on wild nights out.

However, her current beau's behaviour has become too much for the fashion icon.

Before separating from guitarist Jamie Hince (left) Moss formerly dated with drug addict rocker Pete Doherty

A source said: 'Nikolai was acting a bit crazy in the Cotswolds and it has brought everything to a head.

'She wants him sorted out. Nikolai does not look great at the moment, he looks generally the worse for wear and his face is a bit bloated.

'There are definitely problems which he will have to sort out or they will be over. Friends have warned him that he will lose Kate if he doesn't change.'

Kate is no stranger to dating men with a wild streak, before marrying The Kills guitarist Hince in 2011, she famously embarked on a tumultuous relationship with Libertines frontman Pete Doherty.

Doherty, who also played in indie band Babyshambles, has battled addiction to crack cocaine and heroin for some years and the pair often found their relationship splashed across the front pages.
Some employees have been able to take several weeks to settle their pet in

Companies who offer the leave say their employees are more loyal

The trend has been adopted by ANZ in New Zealand

Pet lovers and their furry friends are rejoicing at a new kind of paid leave that allows them to care for their pets in the same way a parent would for their young child.

With one in twenty new pet owners now offered 'paw-ternity' leave by their employer, the movement is getting closer to our shores, with ANZ in New Zealand now providing the benefit to their employees.

While each workplace assesses on a 'case-by-case basis,' some employees have been able to take several weeks to settle their pet into a new environment.

'Anyone can request flexibility for any reason, including "paw-ternity" leave,' ANZ spokeswoman Sonia Bell told the NZ Herald.

One in twenty new pet owners in Britain have taken paid leave to care for their animals

Some companies offer a few hours of leave, and some offer a few weeks

'For our employees, flexibility is about supporting our people in delivering results in the most productive way possible, while balancing these commitments with personal priorities.'

The bank, which employs 9,000 New Zealanders, has so far granted paw-ternity leave to three employees  though these decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Some British companies offer a few hours to a few weeks of paid leave for employees to take care of their furry friends.

They said the leave was instrumental in aiding a pet's early development, embracing a pet-friendly culture, and that employees who took the leave were more loyal, and very appreciative.

Companies who offer the employee benefit say it's as good for the pet as it is for the owner, with employees tending to be more loyal and very appreciative after using the leave
ISIS fears their de-facto capital Raqqa in Syria is about to come under attack and has declared a 'state of emergency', coalition officials have said.

The Islamist terrorist group, which has been in control of the city since 2014, reportedly 'feels threatened' and has been putting up airstrike covers around Raqqa.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said ISIS' declaration of state of emergency is a response to recent military progress by Syrian government forces in the area.

ISIS has reportedly been putting up covers and moving troops around Raqqa ( pictured in 2014) after declaring a state of emergency

'We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqa, we know this enemy feels threatened, as they should,' Col. Steve Warren the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition told CNN.

'They see the Syrian Democratic Forces, along with the Syrian Arab Coalition, maneuver both to their east and to their west.

'We've had reports of ISIL [ISIS] repositioning both their combat capabilities, and we've seen reports of them repositioning personnel ... either within the city or even out of the city.'

This comes after Syrian government forces retook a hospital in the east Syrian city of Deir al-Zor, following an ISIS attack on Saturday morning.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ISIS had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces, and that at least 24 ISIS fighters died in the fighting.

Taking it back: Members of the Syrian armed group Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa hold positions in the frontline against ISIS outside Ayn al-Issa, in the countryside of Raqqa province

ISIS's Amaq news agency said its fighters staged a 'major offensive' on the southwestern edge of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, storming the Assad Hospital and cutting the supply route between the a Syrian army base and the airport.

Islamic State controls most of Deir al-Zor province and has laid siege since March last year to the remaining government-held areas in the city of the same name, which is close to Syria's eastern border with Iraq.

Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capitalin the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by themilitant group in neighbouring Iraq.

Islamic State also said it had taken control of a checkpoint, a fire station, university accommodation, grain silos andsome territory near the al-Tayyam oil fields, in the vicinity ofthe state-held military airport on the city's southern edge.

Russia's RIA state news agency on Saturday reported a sourcewithin the airbase on the southern edge of the city as saying anIslamic State attack had been repelled.

The Observatory and Amaq said there were ongoing fierceclashes between government forces and Islamic State in the areaof the attack.

Islamic State said it killed at least 80 government troops,took three prisoner and destroyed a number of armoured vehicles.
A number of werewolf sightings have been reported in woods outside of Hull, sparking locals to organise a a hunt for the beast on the next full moon.

Over the past months, witnesses have come forward to speak of spotting a huge, hairy creature around the Barmston Drain, a man-made channel near the town of Beverley.

Some locals believe the sightings are evidence of a mythical Yorkshire beast called 'Old Stinker'.

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The Barmston Drain, east Yorkshire, where several people claim to have seen a werewolf

Witnesses say that the beast looks half man half wolf, like the creature from the American Werewolf series (pictured, in London)

A woman who sighted the potential werewolf in December told the Express 'It was stood upright one moment. The next it was down on all fours running like a dog. I was terrified.

'It vaulted 30ft over to the other side and vanished up the embankment and over a wall into some allotments.'

She said that it both ran on all two legs and on all fours, as if with the qualities of both human and wolf.

Another couple said they saw something 'tall and hairy' eating a dog next to the channel, which runs through the countryside.

They added that it jumped over an 8ft-high fence, with the animal in its mouth.

Another woman who was walking her dog spotted something 'half dog half human', she told the Express.

Her dog, she said, refused to go any further along the path they were walking down.

One woman said the beast was on all fours, and then ran away on hind legs with a large animal in its mouth

According to the newspaper, locals who believe something could be lurking around the banks of the Barmston Drain are going to go on a hunt on the night of the next full moon.

They will be armed with cameras to prove their scary sightings were real.

Local Labour councillor Steve Wilson has said he was willing to offer his services to the effort.

He the Express 'I am happy to keep a diary of sightings by people around here and report them to Hull Council.'

Witnesses and folklore experts have been quick to link the sightings to the well-known legend of Old Stinker.

Old Stinker is said to roam in the Yorkshire Wolds, an area of beautiful countryside north of the Barmston Drain.

More specifically, the beast is supposed to stalk the Wold Newton Triangle, an area known for mysterious activity. For centuries, tales have circulated of zombies, ghosts, the Old Stinker werewolf and other paranormal activity.

'There is the legend of a werewolf called Old Stinker  a great hairy beast with red eyes, who was so called because he had bad breath,' author Charles Christian told the Hull Daily Mail.

'It was known for the wolves to dig up the corpses from graveyards. From that sprung the idea that they are supernatural beings, who took the form of werewolves.

'When people would glimpse what they thought was the rear lights of a car in front, it would instead reveal itself to be the red eyes of a wolf.'

But now, those well-versed in the paranormal fear that Old Stinker has outgrown his triangular haunt, and moved to the Barmston Drain.
More than 28 million households will receive information this week on how to vote in the crunch EU referendum on June 23.

The Electoral Commission has launched an unprecedented drive to get people signed up to the electoral roll by the deadline of June 7.

There are thought to be around 7.5 million adults in Britain who are eligible to vote but are currently unregistered.

Anyone who is already on the register and who has not moved since last week's elections do not need to sign up again.

All 28 million households will get a copy of the Electoral Commission's leaflet, left, this week which includes instructions on how to vote on June 23

The eight-page leaflet, which has cost taxpayers 2.4million, also includes a copy of the ballot paper for the referendum and instructions on how to vote - by placing a single cross in either the leave or remain box.

The two main campaigns also have a page each in the booklet, which is the second of four publicly funded leaflets that will be sent to every home.

Alex Robertson, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission said: 'This is an historic event and we don't want anyone to miss out.

'A lot of people won't have voted in a referendum before or will be unsure what the question is. Our booklet gives everyone the information they need.

'If you aren't already registered to vote then make sure you do it by the 7 June deadline or you'll miss out on the referendum. It's easy and only takes a few minutes online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

'Tens of thousands of people are doing it every day.'

Electoral registrations are recorded live on the Government website. There was a large spike ahead of the May elections last week - and a spike on polling day as unregistered people signed up to be able to take part next time

As well as the leaflet to every home, the Electoral Commission will launch advertising across TV, radio, online and social media channels.

The Commission said its previous campaigns had successfully produced a surge of registrations ahead of elections and referenda.

It said 140,000 people registered in the final weeks before the Scottish independence referendum, boosting the Scottish electorate to its highest ever level.

On the registration deadline day before last year's general election 469,000 people registered - but 23,000 people tried to register the next day after and were unable to take part on polling day.

Earlier this year, there were 1.3 million applications to join the register during the Electoral Commission's awareness-raising campaign for the 'super Thursday' elections.
A 46-year-old man has been charged with rape after a 'gentle and kind' elderly widow was attacked in her own home.

Unemployed Jason Batchelor, from Wallington, south London, is accused of forcing his way into the pensioner's property before sexually assaulting her and leaving her with bruises across her body.

The woman, who is in her 70s, opened the door to her home in Purley, south London, at 7.50am on Wednesday after becoming aware of a man on her doorstep.

He wedged it open with his foot before forcing his way into her home and attacking her, police said.

Unemployed Jason Batchelor, 46, is accused of forcing his way into the widow's property in Purley, south London (pictured above), before sexually assaulting her and leaving her with bruises across her body

Batchelor, who is also accused of one count of sexual assault and one of ABH in connection with the alleged attack, is now due to appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning.

Officers from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said the victim is continuing to recover and provide them with information.

The woman, who is described as 'gentle' and 'kind', was treated in hospital for her injuries but is now staying with her son.

Neighbours spoke of their shock at the attack carried out not far from the commuter town centre.

The victim's 760,000 home is in the same area as Russell Hill Lodge, a care home for the mentally ill, as well as Russell Hill Road Day Nursery and the secondary school Thomas More Catholic School.

Residents said police attended the house, with a police car and a van parked round the corner.

A man, who said he knew her fairly well, but didn't wish to be named, said: 'She's a very gentle and kind woman.

'She's a widow who lives on her own. She is staying with her family at the moment

'She used to paint and she is quite artistic, I don't know whether she does that now.

'I was very shocked when I found out. I hope she is alright.'

He added: 'When it happened it was around 8am which is when a lot of people are taking children to school. It's a weird time.'

He added: 'Unfortunately, we couldn't get round there to offer our support or speak to her because the police were there all day and it was a crime scene. Nobody could access it.'

The woman, in her 70s, opened the door to her home in Purley, south London (above), on Wednesday after becoming aware of a man on her doorstep. He wedged it open with his foot before forcing his way in, police say

Another neighbour, who also didn't wish to be named, described her shock at finding out what had happened.

She said: 'I was just in shock. All of these different things went through my mind.

'I thought, I was glad he didn't come to my door, was he knocking doors randomly? I don't know.

'But then I felt awful for thinking so selfishly. It must have been horrible for her.'

She added: 'I was taking my kids to school when it happened, I left at around 7.45am.'

The neighbour described her as 'independent' and 'not frail at all'.

She said: 'We once had developers try and do something with our properties and she was very vocal, saying, 'nobody is touching my house'.

'She is very independent and I think, a community person.'

Another neighbour, who also didn't wish to be named, said: 'I know she is OK. She is with her son.

'I know she went to hospital as a precautionary visit, but I think she is alright.'

The victim has described the suspect as a white man who was about 5ft 8ins tall with short brown hair.

The victim lives in the same area as Russell Hill Lodge a care home for the mentally ill, which is hidden behind a row of trees next to the Russell Hill Road Day Nursery (pictured)

He spoke with what was possibly a Scottish accent and had a tattoo or a mark on his neck and a tattoo on the left side of his chest, which was described as circular.

Detective Inspector Keith Ward of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: 'Specially trained detectives have been deployed and are supporting the woman whilst she continues to bravely provide the investigation with vital information that could help identify and arrest this man as soon as possible.

'Detectives are working around the clock and are carrying out door-to-door enquiries, gathering CCTV and speaking to anyone who was in the area at the time, to see if they saw or heard anything suspicious.

'We are totally alive to the fact that an incident like this will cause alarm to people living in the area, and I would like to provide as much reassurance as I can that detectives are doing everything we can to arrest the suspect.

'We ask that anyone who recognises the suspect description contact us as a matter of urgency. For anyone worried about doing this, I would reassure them that they will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and there are ways and means that innocent people put to us can be eliminated from our enquiries.'
A brothel madam who allegedly manipulated a homeless man into killing her fiance out of 'pure greed' tried to pressure her partner into changing his will before he died, a court has heard.

Susan Stewart told Tony McGrath, 57, she was pregnant and pushed him to include her in his will just months before he was shot dead in his Brisbane home in May 2013, according to the Courier Mail.

Tyson John Taylor, 41, a homeless man who was allegedly in love with Ms Stewart - who worked at a local brothel - pleaded not guilty to murder in the Brisbane Supreme Court this week.

Rugby league identity Tony McGrath, 57, was murdered in 2013. The accused, 41-year-old Tyson Taylor, pleaded not guilty to his murder in the Brisbane Supreme Court

Prosecutors allege Ms Stewart used the feelings Taylor had for her to manipulate him into killing Mr McGrath.

'She was a prostitute that McGrath believed he was engaged to, to be married,' crown prosecutor Vicki Loury said.

'She was a woman Tyson Taylor was also in love with. She was a woman who cynically manipulated both men, ultimately out of pure greed.

'She thought she was to inherit Mr McGrath's estate.'

The court was told prostitute Susan Stewart (left, in white jumper) manipulated a homeless man into killing her fiance out of 'pure greed' tried to pressure Mr McGrath into changing his will before he died

Police divers search for a murder weapon in a creek in Woolloongabba in Brisbane in May, 2013, when McGrath was found dead in his garage with a shot to his head

A friend of Mr McGrath said the 57-year-old - who was the president of a local rugby league referees association - approached him to 'urgently' change his will in August 2012, about nine months before he was killed.

Solicitor Geoffrey Mines said the changes to his friend's will made any children he had with Ms Stewart beneficiaries, and if they did not have children the estate would go to Ms Stewart.

It comes after Ms Loury said the jury would have 'little difficulty' accepting Taylor was guilty if they found a confession he later made to undercover police posing as a criminal gang was genuine.

Taylor had been recruited to the false syndicate after investigators exhausted their traditional methods, taking on pretend jobs such as surveillance work and collecting fake diamonds, Ms Loury said.

Taylor pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge stemming from allegations he set Mr McGrath's home alight in 2012 (pictured)

This culminated in February 2014 when he met with its 'big boss' in a penthouse hotel suite, the court was told.

The jury heard Taylor initially denied involvement in Mr McGrath's death but eventually said he shot him in the head after the covert officer emphasised the organisation's values of truth, respect and honesty.

Photographs of Mr McGrath's body lying next to a large pool of blood sprawling on his garage floor were also shown in the court.

Mr McGrath's sister, Carmel Waugh, also appeared in court, giving evidence her brother had been in love with Ms Stewart and wanted the relationship to work.

In 2013 the Brisbane Rugby League Referees Association paid respect to Mr McGrath, who was president of the group before he was killed

The jury heard Mr McGrath had given Ms Stewart more than $550,000 before he died.

The crown alleges Ms Stewart secretly manipulated both men out of greed and thought she was going to inherit Mr McGrath's estate.

Ms Loury said an analysis of Ms Stewart's finances showed a total of $1.1 million had been transferred to her by three different men between July 2009 and May 2013.

Taylor was also a client of Ms Stewart with invoices found at her house suggesting he'd spent more than $20,000 on sexual services between August 2008 and February 2009, she added.

Taylor also pleaded not guilty to attempted murder for allegedly trying to set fire to Mr McGrath's home.
A father-of-two who was twice fined for taking his children on holiday during term time is taking his fight to the European courts, claiming the law contravenes his human rights.

American-born Noah Myers, who lives in Brighton with his solicitor wife and their two boys, will argue that the law goes against article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with respect for 'private and family life'.

Mr Myers said he had been bolstered by last week's landmark ruling by the High Court that parents would not be breaking the law if their child's attendance over the rest of the academic year was sufficiently regular.

Father-of-two Noah Myers, from Brighton, is taking his legal fight to the European courts after being fined for taking his sons out of school during term-time without permission, claiming it contravenes his human rights

The test case centred on Jon Platt, who was fined 120 for taking his seven-year-old daughter to Disney World in Florida. The trip, in April 2015, made her miss seven days of lessons.

The 45-year-old businessman claimed he should not have been punished because his daughters attendance record was otherwise exemplary  92 per cent.

Isle of Wight Council spent 13,000 of taxpayers' money taking him to the High Court, but three senior judges refused to accept his family breaks were illegal.

His victory will help parents take term time holidays without fear of being prosecuted - and potentially allow some of the 200,000 fines handed out over the years to be reclaimed.

Now Mr Myers hopes the same ruling by the European courts will place councils under further pressure not to issue fines if parents take their children out of school for a term-time holiday.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mr Myers said: 'I have been waiting to see the outcome of the Platt battle and am now preparing to press ahead with my European case.'

Myers and his wife were first fined 60 last August for taking their two boys - aged six and ten - out of school for three days.

The chemical engineer had asked the junior and primary schools for permission to take the two youngsters to Wroclaw, Poland, where their 18-year-old cousin Maddy, an Olympic hopeful, was taking part in a weightlifting competition.

Brighton and Hove Council issued a second fine when the family visited the US to visit the boys' step-grandmother, who was shortly moving away to take up an an academic post in China.

Mr Myers added: 'I think parents have a right to take this kind of decision. Of course I think that good attendance is very important but the present law needs to be scrapped.'

His case is being backed by former Lib Dem MP John Hemming, who has set up a group called The Parents' Union to campaign for the term-time holiday ban to be axed.

Test case: High Court judges ruled last week that Jon Platt, pictured after his victory, should not pay a 120 fine for taking his daughter on holiday during term time, potentially paving the way for other parents to do so

Mr Platt, pictured with fiancee Sally, said parents should have the right to decide what is best for their children

Earlier this week, Mr Platt spoke out about the landmark ruling he had secured and dedicated his victory to the parents who have 'no choice' but to take term time holidays because of work or money.

He said: 'I'm absolutely delighted as will hundreds of thousands of other parents who have had to live with this draconian system where taking your kids on holiday amounted to a criminal offence.

'It's parents who should decide what's best for their children.'

Following Mr Platt's victory, a Department for Education source said: The evidence is clear that every extra day of school missed can affect a pupils chance of gaining good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.

We are confident our policy to reduce school absence is clear and correct.

We will examine todays judgement in detail but are clear that childrens attendance at school is non-negotiable, so we will now look to change the legislation.

We also plan to strengthen statutory guidance to schools and local authorities.

Last week's High Court decision will make councils less likely to prosecute people - and could open the floodgates for others to beat fines as long as their child is rarely absent from class.

The ruling could lead to a rush of families trying to find cheaper flights and hotels outside the school holidays, but travel companies could respond by now hiking prices in term time, a period that has been traditionally cheaper than during the school holidays.

Under current laws, councils can issue a fine of 60 for unauthorised absences, which rises to 120 if it is not paid within 21 days.
Aaqil Ahmed, the broadcaster's head of religion and ethics, has compiled a dossier which accuses the BBC of ignoring faiths outside Christianity

The BBC has accused itself of being too Christian in its output - and is considering scrapping some of its long-running programmes in favour of shows for Muslim, Hindu and Sikh audiences.

Aaqil Ahmed, the broadcaster's head of religion and ethics, compiled a report following consultation with non-Christians who expressed their belief that the BBC is disproportionate in its religious content.

The feeling is that while there are plenty of shows that celebrate Christianity, there are too few for other faiths.

BBC director general Lord Hall has been handed the dossier and is believed to be giving thorough consideration to its suggestions.

It comes after last week's white paper on the BBC ordered the broadcaster to offer more for ethnic minorities.

In a statement provided to The Sunday Times, Ahmed said: 'Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and there are more hours dedicated to it than there are to other faiths.

'Our output in this area is not static, though. It has evolved over the years and we regularly assess it.'

As it stands, religious programming across the BBC includes the likes of Songs of Praise, Sunday Morning Live and The Life of Muhammad on television. Moral Maze, Beyond Belief and Thought for the Day feature on radio.

When quizzed on whether the aim of increasing non-Christian output would come at the detriment of Christian shows, a spokesperson said: 'Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and the BBC is committed to delivering a range of content that both reflects, celebrates and challenges religion and ethics across BBC TV, radio and online.'

As it stands, religious programming across the BBC includes the likes of Songs of Praise (pictured), Sunday Morning Live and The Life of Muhammad on television. Moral Maze, Beyond Belief and Thought for the Day feature on radio

'We are intending to do more programming around Christianity and more on other faiths as well, so there is absolutely no question of an "either or" on our output.'

Muslim critics have suggested that the BBC could televise Friday prayers, cover Eid or show children attending madrasahs to boost their Islamic serving.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, admitted he was wary about any such changes.

He commented: 'There is a real feeling by Christians of being let down by the Establishment.
Chris Gray, buyers agent with Your Empire, says to

Buyers need to be savvy when

As property price growth in Australia begins to slow, buyers need to be savvy if they want to maintain their investment.

Chris Gray, presenter on the Sky News Business channel and buyers agent with Your Empire recommends avoiding city centres if you want your purchase to remain as recession proof as possible.

He told Daily Mail Australia that there is no limit of supply here, and developers have more freedom to build property. This can lead to a supply glut and drive prices down.

As property price growth in Australia begins to slow buyers need to be savvy if they want to maintain their investment

Chris Gray, buyers agent with Your Empire recommends avoiding city centres (pictured) if you want your purchase to remain as recession proof as possible

What might seem like a desirable location to some, may not be to others. In fact Mr Gray said: most people dont want to live in the CBD (central business district), they want to live five to 15 kilometres out.

He explained that there is a limited supply in 'blue chip' suburbs that surround the city, which means consistent price growth over time.

'There's a constricted supply of housing, most of these areas are already built up,' he said.

'Developers generally have a three-storey building limit here.'

With that in mind buyers need to remember that convenience is key when purchasing property.

Mr Gray explained that it's not just the house itself, but the amenities that surround it that will attract buyers and maintain investment.

He explained that there is a limited supply in 'blue chip' suburbs that surround the city, which means consistent price growth over time- The house pictured is in Balmain, in Sydney's inner west

BUYING RECESSION PROOF PROPERTY Avoid city centres: There is no limit of supply here. Developers have more freedom to build, increasing supply and driving prices down.

Blue Chip Suburbs: Suburbs that are within 5-15 km from a city centre are the most desirable.

Convenience is key: Purchase within a 1 km or 15 minute walk from a suburb centre. This gives tenants easy access to cafes, parks, public transport, beaches and other amenities without having to find parking.

Hospitals and schools: Properties close to schools, universities and hospitals are more likely to sell during a recession.

Purchase at median house price: This increases the chance of finding a buyer. If a house is too expensive only a small amount of people will be able to afford it.

'We look to buy within a one kilometre or 15 minute walk from the centre of a suburb,' he said.

This gives tenants the opportunity to enjoy cafes, parks, beaches and public transport without having to find parking.

Mr Gray points to Manly, a beach-side suburb in Sydney's north.

'From Manly its easy to get the ferry to the city,' he said. 'But if you have to drive from home and find parking before you get on the ferry it makes the trip a lot harder.'

Furthermore close proximity to hospitals, schools and universities is always favourable, Mr Gray told Daily Mail Australia.

He explained that in a market boom nearly everything will sell, but when it comes to a recession the properties nearer to these services will stay desirable, whereas others may not.

'In the last two or three years a lot of people may have bought something that's not perfect, and they will struggle to sell when the market is down.'

Mr Gray recommends purchasing a property close to public transport

From Manly its easy to get the ferry to the city 'but if you have to drive from home and find parking before you get on the ferry it makes the trip a lot harder,' said Mr Gray

Clearance rates are a key property indicator used to establish if the market favours buyers or sellers.

Mr Gray said that clearance rates of inner city suburbs is generally between 70-80 per cent, which means buyer demand is high.

Compare this to a clearance rate of 50 percent in the Central Coast, 80 kilometers north of Sydney. This indicates low auction interest and declining house prices.

Mr Gray recommends purchasing within one kilometre of the centre of a suburb- This gives tenants the opportunity to enjoy cafes, parks, beaches and public transport without having to find parking

A way to protect your investment is to purchase at median house price, said Mr Gray. This increases the chances of finding a buyer.

'So for Sydney this means spending $1 million.'

He explained that a plush $5 million dollar home might sound nice, but wont necessarily maintain its price tag.

'Only a small portion of people will be able to afford it,' he said.

Properties close to schools, universities and hospitals are more likely to sell during a recession
The Conservative Party have been rocked by a new bullying scandal after a teenage activist quit saying she had 'victimised and bullied'.

Jade Smith, 18, from Redcar, said she was so threatened she felt scared to walk into town.

In a letter sent to the party disciplinary committee she said she had been bullied since the Tories lost the General Election on May 7 last year.

In particular, she said she was targeted by the South Tees Conservative Association chairwoman Christine Hobson.

She told MailOnline: 'I couldn't go to town because I was so scared of seeing her.

'It was psychological. I didn't know what she was saying about me but I lost a couple of friends over it...they just stopped talking to me.'

Jade Smith (far right) who is campaigning for Britain to leave the EU said she was bullied and victimised

Miss Smith claimed she was targeted by South Tees Conservative Association chairwoman Christine Hobson

The Tories faced criticism last year for their response to the death of Elliott Johnson, 21, who took his own life after complaining of bullying.

Lord Feldman, who was in charge of the party's operations at the time, faced calls to resign after claiming he was unaware of the allegations about election aide 'Tatler Tory' Mark Clarke - who was accused of bullying Mr Johnson.

Miss Smith said 'nothing had changed whatsoever' after Mr Johnson's death.

She told MailOnline: 'I know the sad situation with Elliott wasn't a one-off. It happens day in, day out. There is a bullying culture to young people in the Conservative Party. I don't expect anything to change.'

She added: 'Chris Hobson told lots of people I was playing off Elliott's death which wasn't true at all.'

Miss Smith, a student at Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College in Guisborough, said she had 'given up most of my life' for the party in the lead-up to the General Election.

It was after that the bullying and harassment began, she said.

She said: 'I'm not trying to say what happened to me was as serious as what happened in the party last year, but I completely flunked my exams because of the state I was in.'

She had clashed with Ms Hobson who objected to her mentioning meetings on social media.

She threatened to boot her out of the South Tees Conservative Association's executive and the party.

The teenager insisted her messages  put up on her private Twitter account and deleted afterwards  were essentially harmless.

She said: 'I never wished to damage the Conservative Party. I worked very hard for the party. Perhaps at times I was overzealous on my private social media, but I was 17 at the time.'

On a separate occasion, Miss Smith was left devastated when she was referred to by Tory president Charles Heslop OBE as the 'star' of the party, only for Miss Hobson to walk off without acknowledging the comment.

She tried to put aside their differences but claimed her efforts to reconcile with Ms Hobson were met with an email saying: 'I have absolutely nothing to discuss with you.'

Miss Smith, who will study politics at Leeds Metropolitan University next year, has now quit the party and joined UKIP.

She said: 'UKIP have been very supportive. I believe there's still an elitist attitude within the Conservatives.

'If the Conservatives wish to attract more young people they really have to start looking into allegations like mine seriously.'

In response to the allegations, Ms Hobson told MailOnline: 'It's all untrue. I've got no further comment to make.'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes the EU referendum is 'unnecessary' but is reportedly ready to stand behind David Cameron's campaign

Angela Merkel believes the UK referendum on the EU is a 'completely unnecessary' risk but will not speak out for fear of helping the Brexit campaign, it was claimed today.

The German Chancellor is said to believe David Cameron agreed to the poll only to placate Eurosceptic members of the Conservative Party.

Mrs Merkel is said to believe a Brexit would be the 'ultimate disaster' for the EU and is ready to join Mr Cameron's campaign if wanted.

But In campaigners in Britain have warned it would be counter-productive because EU leaders are seen as acting in their own interests rather than Britain's.

A German government source told the Sunday Times: 'It was a completely unnecessary risk that comes as a result of party politics rather than actual concern for Britain's best interests.'

They warned the crunch vote on June 23 'will make us sweat until the last moment'.

They added: 'All eyes will be on Britain in June. Given the huge challenges Europe is facing at the moment, this extra instability is the last thing anyone needs.'

Mrs Merkel told Mr Cameron she was prepared to follow US President Barack Obama in to the breach for the In campaign when the leaders all gathered in Hannover for a G5 meeting last month.

But a campaign source said: 'Voters assume EU leaders want us to stay but they assume it's in their interests for us to stay, not that it is in our interests.'

Downing Street has urged EU leaders in Brussels to avoid 'disasters' in the final six weeks of the referendum battle.

A Brexit vote is seen as Europe as damaging at a time Europe faces challenges from Russia and the migration crisis in the Middle East.

Mr Cameron's campaign has been publicly endorsed by a string of world leaders.

Mr Obama flew in on Air Force One to warn Britain would be relegated to the 'back of the queue' for trade deals with the United States.

The intervention came after French President Francois Hollande warned of 'consequences' after a Brexit vote for immigration controls at the Channel ports.

US President Barack Obama warned Britain would be at the 'back of the queue' for a trade deal when he flew into London to back Mr Cameron's campaign




Police have arrested Everton FC striker Oumar Niasse on suspicion of assault.

The 26-year-old 13million February signing was detained by officers after they were called to a property in Broughton Lane in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Officers say they attended after an assault was reported at 12.55am on Friday.

The 26-year-old 13million February signing was detained by officers after they were called to a property in Broughton Lane in Salford, Greater Manchester

Niasse, who has played for his home country of Senegal, has only made two appearances for Everton

Niasse was questioned by police in custody before he was released on bail pending further enquires.

A spokesperson for Everton told the BBC the club 'condemns unreservedly any form of abuse.'

'In this case, we understand an investigation is under way to establish the facts,' they added.

Niasse, who has played for his home country of Senegal, has only made two appearances for Everton since his move.

He is known for his pace, strength and a high work rate but has not had many opportunities to perform because of injuries.

Ex-manager Roberto Martinez said his team would have been boosted if Niasse could have played more.

Police were called to a property in Broughton Lane (pictured) in Salford, Greater Manchester
Tensions are rising on Manus Island with dozens of detainees staging protests through the detention centre demanding they be granted entry to Australia.

Detainees marched in torrential rain within the detention centre on the island off Papua New Guinea's coast on Saturday, holding signs declaring that Australia was responsible for detainee deaths on Manus Island and Nauru, according to The Courier-Mail.

'Shut down Manus Hell. Let Hostages in,' one banner reportedly read, while another stated: 'Where is sanctity of law? Stop playing games. Every death in PNG and Nauru is blood on your hands'.

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Tensions are continuing to heat up on Manus Island with dozens of detainees staging protests through the detention centre at the weekend demanding they be granted entry to Australia

Protesters marched in torrential rain within the detention centre on the island off Papua New Guinea's coast on Saturday

One Afghan refugee, 24-year-old Riaz Samadi, was violently assaulted on Saturday by a local man who accused him of being a 'womaniser' after he was in a relationship with the man's daughter, according to the news report.

Two asylum seekers sent to Manus Island have died, including one Iranian man killed during a riot in 2014 and another Iranian man killed by an infection after he cut his foot.

PNG officials on Manus Island reportedly expressed concern regarding the recent protests and said tensions were building between locals and detainees since detainees have been allowed to walk among the community.

'They (locals) are suddenly seeing many, many refugees on the streets after years of them being locked up and out-of-sight,' one senior source told The Courier Mail.

The protesters held signs declaring that Australia was responsible for detainee deaths on Manus Island and Nauru

Almost 180 asylum seekers deemed genuine refugees have moved from the detention centre to a smaller facility in East Lorengau where they can freely roam with a 6pm curfew

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the detention centre would close last month, following a ruling by the country's Supreme Court that deemed the detention centre illegal

'We don't want unwanted pregnancies or extramarital affairs, or refugees drinking and smoking drugs, or fights with locals, to inflame this very difficult situation.'

Almost 180 asylum seekers deemed genuine refugees have moved from the detention centre to a smaller facility in East Lorengau where they can freely roam with a 6pm curfew, according to the report.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the detention centre would close last month, following a ruling by the country's Supreme Court that deemed the detention centre illegal.

The Australian federal government has ruled out bringing the asylum seekers and refugees to Australia, including to another detention centre on Christmas Island.

Mr Turnbull spoke with his PNG counterpart, reiterating the government's stance that the men would not be coming to Australia.

The Australian federal government ruled out bringing the asylum seekers and refugees to Australia, including to another detention centre on Christmas Island

Earlier this month, former and current detainees at the Manus Island immigration detention centre lodged an application for compensation after a court ruling decreed their detention is and was illegal.

The ruling from the Supreme Court has opened the door for more than 900 current and former asylum seekers to each claim up to $125,000.

The amount is based on past compensation cases and the amount of time each asylum seeker spent in the detention facility, Ben Lomai, the lawyer leading the claim.
The U.S. Navy will soon take possession of its largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer: the Zumwalt.

Sailors' uniforms and personal effects, supplies and spare parts are being moved aboard the 610-foot warship in anticipation of crew members taking on their new charge, said Capt. James Kirk, the destroyer's skipper.

The Zumbalt is the first new class of warship built at Bath Iron Works since the Arleigh Burke slid into the Kennebec River in 1989.

The shipyard is expected to turn the destroyer over to the Navy this week.

Early morning sun shines on the Zumwalt at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The shipyard will soon hand over the largest missile destroyer to the U.S. Navy

The missile destroyer will be not only the Navy's largest warship, it will also be its most technologically advanced

'We've overcome lots of obstacles to get to this point,' said electrician John Upham, of Litchfield. 'I think everybody in the shipyard is proud of the work we've done.'

The ship features an angular shape that makes it 50 times more difficult to detect on radar; it's powered by electricity produced by turbines similar to those in a Boeing 777; and new guns are designed to pummel targets from nearly 100 miles away.

Advanced automation will allow the big ship to operate with a much smaller crew than on current generation of destroyers.

The final cost of the Zumwalt is expected to be at least $4.4 billion.

The original concept for the land-attack destroyer was floated more than 15 years ago and then underwent several permutations.

The ship features an angular shape that makes it 50 times more difficult to detect on radar and is powered by electricity produced by turbines

The final design called for a destroyer with a stealthy shape and advanced gun system that can fire rocket-propelled projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.

But the growing cost forced the Navy to reduce what was originally envisioned as a 32-ship program to just three ships.

The loss of economies of scale drove up the cost of the individual ships.

The slow-going and rising costs were little surprise after the General Accounting Office warned that the Navy was trying to incorporate too many new technologies into the ship.

'Zumwalt was a challenge to assemble because of all the new technologies, but sea trials show it is a world-class warship with unique capabilities,' said Loren Thompson, senior defense analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.

The cost of the Zumwalt, which was first conceptualized 15 years ago, is expected to be at least $4.4 billion

Some of the ship's 143 crew members have been in Bath for more than two years to prepare for the day they take control of it.

The sailors will continue training to prepare the ship to be formally commissioned into service as USS Zumwalt at a ceremony in October in Baltimore, Kirk said.

From there, the ship will travel to its homeport in San Diego for further tests and trials.

Shipbuilders in Bath are busy on the second ship in the class, the Michael Monsoor, which will be christened next month. Work also is underway on the third and final ship, the Lyndon B. Johnson.

Jay Wadleigh, president of the largest union at the shipyard, said Bath Iron Works was selected for the job because the Navy knew it would be done right.
Police said they are investigating the two deaths as a murder-suicide

He was reportedly discovered in his mother's Poughkeepsie home

Her husband was found dead from an apparent suicide the same day

She was discovered in the basement of her Staten Island home

A woman who was found with her neck slashed in her Staten Island home Saturday may have been killed by her ex-husband in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.

Iwona Pawliszyn, 43, was found dead at around 10:27am at her Buffalo Street home in the New York City borough by officers who responded to a reported assault.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, according to the New York City Police Department.

Around the same time Pawliszyn's body was discovered, her ex-husband was found dead from an apparent suicide in Upstate New York.

The two deaths are being investigated as a murder-suicide, police told Daily Mail Online.

Iwona Pawliszyn, 43, was found with her throat slashed in her Staten Island home Saturday. Around the same time, her ex-husband was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot

Pawliszyn was discovered in the basement of her Staten Island, New York home Saturday. Photo courtesy of NY1 News

According to the Staten Island Advance, Pawliszyn was found in the basement of her two-story home.

The Advance reported the woman was discovered by a family friend, and that police 'arrived to a very bloody scene'.

The ex-husband died in his mother's home in Poughkeepsie from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the New York Post reported.

He was identified as Pawel Pawliszyn by neighbors who spoke to the Post. Public records show he was 39 years old.

Neighbors who spoke to the New York Daily News said the couple had two daughters and a teenage son, and that the ex-husband moved out of the home in the fall of 2014.
A New Jersey girl was mauled by one of her family's pit bull mixes when the pet snuck upstairs.

Janaya Everett, three, was viciously attacked in her grandmother's home in West Orange, New Jersey, on Saturday by one of the dogs.

Family members said the animals are kept in the basement and they are not sure how the two dogs were able to get out.

Janaya Everett (pictured), three, was viciously attacked by a pit bull mix in her grandmother's home in West Orange, New Jersey, on Saturday

Dwyane Harper, Janaya's grandmother's boyfriend, was working on a car outside when he heard blood-curdling screams coming from inside the home.

He ran upstairs to find the child covered in blood, with her scalp destroyed.

'The baby was laying on the floor bloody with her scalp all messed up, and just a mess... horrible, horrible thing,' Harper told ABC 7 New York.

Harper told the news station the dogs snuck in right after Janaya's grandmother left the room.

'The child was just laying on the ground helpless, like I thought the baby was dead, but apparently not,' Andy Jacobson, who ran to help the girl after the attack, said.

Harper and Jacobson stayed with Janaya until EMTs arrived. Once they were on scene, they didn't wait for a stretcher and carried the girl out in their arms.

Janaya was rushed to the hospital from her grandmother's home (pictured) and went straight into surgery

The dogs were removed from the home, but they will most likely be put down because of the attack (Getty stock image, pictured)

'When they took the baby out of the house, one of the EMTs took the baby in his arms.

'That was good he didn't waste time for no stretcher or none of that (sic), he just took the baby,' Jacobson said.

Janaya was taken to University Hospital and went straight into surgery. She is expected to make a full recovery, according to ABC 7 New York.
The daughter of a woman brutally killed by her uncle in 2009 has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

Chloe Heuston, 38, and her father Nick Waterlow, 68, were stabbed to death by her brother Anthony in their home in Randwick, Sydney, seven years ago.

Her brother, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was cleared of murder by an Australian court which ruled he did not know what he was doing when he launched the attack.

The woman's daughter Ruby was three at the time and suffered facial injuries. Now nine, she has lost her sight after suffering a brain haemorrhage and is battling leukaemia.

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Ruby Heuston, nine, (above in Randwick's Children's Hospital) has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia seven years after the brutal killing of her mother and grandfather

Her father, Ben Heuston, revealed she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia on Sunday, telling Mamamia it was 'one of the most aggressive forms'.

'She was ill so we took her to hospital and as soon as we did they said something was wrong,' he said, recalling the moment he first noticed his child was unwell in November.

'She woke up one night and was blind, basically going to die. The hospital told us to get ready for it,' he said.

The family did not notice her deteriorating condition at first because many of them had been unwell, he added.

Chloe Heuston (left) and her father Nick Waterlow (right) were stabbed to death in November 2009

Anthony Waterlow, above, was cleared of murder by mental illness and placed in a high security hospital

'Unfortunately everybody got sick and we couldn't really see it.' Children at her school were also poorly, making her symptoms - which included headaches, bruises and vomiting - seem more normal.

When he took his daughter to hospital a day after first noticing she was unwell, Mr Heuston was told she may likely have died.

Ruby spent a month in the intensive care unit of Randwick's Children's Hospital where she learned to walk without the use of her sight.

She is now undergoing chemotherapy which she will continue until 2017.

The nine-year-old's mother Chloe (above with her when she was a toddler) was stabbed to death in 2009

Ruby's father Ben revealed her symptoms began as headaches, tiredness and vomiting but quickly escalated

She was taken to hospital and within a day her family was warned she may not recover. Above, Ruby is comforted at her bedside by her aunt, Penny, and hospital staff

The child was just three when her mother and grandfather were attacked in the family's Randwick home. She and her other siblings were in the house at the time

Her family is appealing for help to pay for her care on a fundraising page, setting their target at $220,000. So far well-wishers have donated $33,000.

Ruby was three when her mother was killed by her brother in her Randwick home. Anthony Waterlow, her uncle, was cleared of murder by way of mental illness in 2011 and placed into a mental home.

Her father later became embroiled in a legal battle with his late father-in-law's partner. He sued Juliet Darling for a share in the property she lived in with Nick Waterlow in 2012.
a slab of meat like a baby, and them sharing a romantic meal of hot dogs

Hilarious pictures feature the pair pushing a trolley through the store as they gaze lovingly into each other's eyes

Instead the Minneapolis couple, who love a good bargain, decided to get them taken in their favorite store - Costco

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While most engagement pictures feature time-worn cliches such as frolicking through fields, or a sunset stroll down the beach, a Minneapolis couple decided they wanted to get their romance in bulk.

Dan Klamet and Karinne Tarshish both love a bargain, almost as much as they love each other.

So when Dan popped the question to Karrine, 27, they decided to forgo the traditional 'lovey-dovey' pictures and have them taken in their favorite store - Costco.

Dan Klamet and Karinne Tarshish decided to forgo the traditional 'lovey-dovey' pictures and have them taken in their favorite store - Costco (pictured)

The hilarious images feature the couple laying their hands on a strawberry cake as Tarshish flashes her diamond ring

In another, vaguely disturbing picture, Tarshish carefully cradles a slab of raw meat like a baby as Klamet, originally from Lawrence, Kansas, wraps his arms around her

The couple shared a romantic meal of hot dogs and soda under the bright florescent lights of the Costco store

In another funny tongue-in-cheek picture Klamet leaning down to tie his shoe as his girlfriend fans herself in excitement of a proposal

The hilarious images features the pair pushing a trolley through the store as they gaze lovingly into each other's eyes.

In another, vaguely disturbing picture, Tarshish carefully cradles a slab of raw meat like a baby as Klamet, originally from Lawrence, Kansas, wraps his arms around her.

'Traditional photos seemed very awkward to us. In fact, we were not planning to take any engagement photos to begin with,' Tarshish, a director of operations at Title Choice, told ABC News.

She explained that their wedding photographer had thrown in a free engagement photo session as part of their wedding package so they decided to have some fun with it.

'I had joked before that we should have our engagement photos be of something mundane, like shopping at Costco (which we do often), watching TV, or eating at a buffet. I thought it would be even funnier to glamorize those things.'

Tarshish said that traditional engagement photos, featuring time-worn cliches such as frolicking through fields, or a sunset stroll down the beach, had always seemed 'very awkward' to the couple

So when their wedding photographer threw in a free engagement photo session as part of their wedding package so they decided to have some fun with it

Even Tarshish's father Sully - also a huge fan of the budget conscious store - makes an appearance in their photos. He appears as just another Costco customer sat upon a scooter in the background (pictured)

Their other engagement pictures include Tarshish flashing her diamond ring - by putting it on a strawberry cake, Klamet leaning down to tie his shoe as his girlfriend fans herself in excitement of a proposal and the couple sharing a romantic meal of hot dogs and soda.

Even Tarshish's father Sully - also a huge fan of the budget conscious store - makes an appearance in their photos. He got in on the fun, appearing as just another Costco customer sat upon a scooter in the background.

The pictures have already been seen more than 85,0000 times since they were posted on Imgur just three days ago.

'Anyone who knows Dan and I know how much we love Costco. There isn't much to it,' said Tarshish. 'We just like good deals, and we both like Costco as a company. I will say that my family is pretty gung-ho about Costco. We generally get everything there.'

The couple are due to tie the knot on October 15 in Edina, Minnesota.

Costco were unavailable for comment.

The hilarious pictures were taken by wedding photographer www.emmerlee.com.

The pictures have already been seen more than 85,0000 times since they were posted on Imgur just three days ago (pictured leaving the store)

The couple said they love a 'good deal' and were both fans of Costco as a company - so decided to shoot their pictures in store
A chocolate shop has shared a 'cheeky' job vacancy seeking the perfect teenager to 'join the real world of employment.'

Chocolate Country in Montville, a small town in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, posted the hilarious ad to their Facebook page late last year.

'Chocolate Country is looking for a teenager whilst they still know everything to join our team at weekends,' the advertisement read.

A chocolate shop has shared a 'cheeky' job vacancy seeking the perfect teenager to 'join the real world of employment'

Chocolate Country in Montville, a small town in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, posted the hilarious ad to their Facebook page late last year

'This position would suit someone maybe still at school who wants to relieve the burden from their parents of having to pay for everything'.

Owner and chocolatier, Julie Walters told Daily Mail Australia the ad was mainly aimed at parents.

'It tells parents the skills their kids need to have before going out into the work force,' she said.

These skills include being able to look people in the eye when you speak to them and lasting eight hours without a phone.

Ms Walters said that she had hired staff in the past who weren't up to the task, so thought it was time to tell people what the artisan chocolate shop really needed form an employee.

'We were basically looking for someone that could interact with people,' she said.

However the honest ad initially backfired and received very little responses.

Owner and chocolatier at Chocolate Country (pictured), Julie Walters said the ad was mainly aimed at parents

'I think a lot of kids saw it and thought they'd have to work too hard,' Ms Walters said.

But the applications started to trickle through and Chocolate Country have since hired three teenagers who meet the criteria.

Ms Walters said that the shop is always looking for people to help them out so if you think you can 'push a brush like you mean it' give them a call.
The Sky News commentator tweeted the event to her 53,000 followers

Former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally took to social media to vent her rage over what she says is her (former) banks antiquated attitude to women.

In a series of tweets to her 53,000 followers, Ms Keneally said her bank would not take her instructions in regards to her joint account and were asking to speak to her husband.

Ladies, we can run a state, or sit on boards, or be CEOs, but wed better have our husband handy if we want to discuss our own bank accounts, she wrote.

Former NSW Labor Premier Kristina Keneally took to social media to vent about her bank

She said the bank would not take her instructions regarding a transaction on her joint bank account

The Sky News commentator said she had made a $200 purchase on her credit card, which was blocked as a suspicious transaction. In trying to get the matter dealt with, Keneally says she was not treated equitably, as the bank continued to ask for her husband.

The posts were met with some agreement from Twitter users, who said they had similar experiences with NAB.

After telling the bank she was taking her business elsewhere, she said they called her back to apologise but it was too late.

According to Keneally,an operator continually asked to speak to her husband, leading the Sky News commentator to call the bank's views on women 'antiquated'

The bank attempted to apologise to Keneally, but by then it was too late

The major bank said the issue could have been caused by the way the account was initially set up

Ive had too many cases with NAB where I was told get your husband on the phone  despite having a joint bank account, she said.

I encouraged NAB to think seriously about how to treat women with joint accounts equitably.

A spokesperson from the bank told Daily Mail Australia the issue was more likely to do with the way the account was set up originally.

Sometimes the way accounts are set up can limit what we say to different account signatories, however this has nothing to do with gender, they said.

But, we do want to help customers when they're not happy with us - and, if we've done the wrong thing in this case, we will say sorry for the experience.

We're also happy to help customers to set up accounts with equal access too.
A woman so desperate to have children she turned to her best friend to be a surrogate mother was shocked when she 'miraculously' fell pregnant just weeks before her friend's due date.

Lauren Lichtnauer and her husband, Myron, had tried to have children for years, even undergoing 21 unsuccessful IVF treatments - including four miscarriages.

After watching her friends struggle, Rosie Luik - a Brisbane model and mother-of-four - decided to step in and be a surrogate for the Lichtnauers.

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Lauren Lichtnauer (rigtht) was desperate to have children and turned her best friend, Rosie Luik (left) to become a surrogate mother, only to fall pregnant just weeks before the due date

'I just blurted it out, I said, 'look, we'll discuss it later, but basically I'm going to have your baby',' Ms Luik (right) said

'I just blurted it out, I said, 'look, we'll discuss it later, but basically I'm going to have your baby',' Ms Luik told 60 Minutes.

'I knew I was good at it. I'd had three babies. I had never had a complication. I just wanted to help Lauren.'

Ms Lichtnauer told 60 Minutes she was conflicted at different times during the surrogacy, but ultimately was thrilled her best friend was able to help her.

'It was surreal - I was jealous she got to carry these babies, but I was also in complete utter amazement and awe that someone would love me and find me special enough to do that for me,' she said.

'I knew I was good at it. I'd had three babies. I had never had a complication. I just wanted to help Lauren,' Ms Luik said

Ms Luik had twins for her 'best friend' as a surrogate mother in March 2013

'Seeing my best friends face when they were placed in her arms was just magical and it's something I will never forget,' Ms Luik said

Throughout her struggles to conceive, Ms Lichtnauer - who is also a model - said she doubted herself and whether she would ever have children of her own.

'I would question myself and berate myself over whether it was nature's way, or the higher powers telling me that I wasn't meant to be a mum,' she said.

'As much as I love Rosie and loved her then there was part of me that would look at her and secretly hate her.'

Amazingly, whiel her friend was pregnant as a surrogate mother, Ms Lichtnauer (pictured) fell pregnant with a baby of her own

After watching her friends struggle, Rosie Luik (pictured) - a model and mother-of-four - decided to step in and be a surrogate for the Lichtnauers

Ms Lichtnauer has three children after trying desperately for years to conceive unsuccessfully

Amazingly, just weeks before Ms Luik was due to give birth to the twins, Ms Lichtnauer fell pregnant.

'I started to cry and said [to Rosie], 'I have something to tell you and please don't be mad and please don't hate me',' Ms Lichtnauer told 60 Minutes.

'She said, 'What?' and I said, 'I'm pregnant', and she burst into tears.'

'I was just over the moon,' Ms Luik said.

Both Ms Luik (pictured) and Ms Lichtnauer agreed the amazing scenario strengthened their friendship and brought their families closer together

Lauren Lichtnauer and her husband, Myron, had tried desperately to have children for years, including having 21 unsuccessful IVF treatments - including four miscarriages

Ms Luik (pictured) said the children she had for Ms Lichtnauer call her their 'tummy mummy'

'I was just like, 'Oh my god, you did it!''

Ms Luik added the twins she carried for her best friend call her their 'tummy mummy'.

Both Ms Luik and Ms Lichtnauer agreed the amazing scenario strengthened their friendship and brought their families closer together.
Hate preachers, such as radical cleric Abu Qatada, will be banned from working with children under laws to be outlined in the Queen's Speech

A crackdown on hate preachers working with children and other vulnerable groups will be placed at the heart of the Queen's Speech this week.

The set-piece relaunch of the Government agenda is also set to include new laws for a British space port, rules on the use of drones in British air space and provisions for driverless cars.

New laws will also pave the way for higher fees at the best universities and there will be a draft bill on creating a British bill of rights.

The new laws on hate preachers will come in a counter extremism bill and will mirror a ban on paedophiles working with children.

The Sunday Telegraph said it would stop radicals infiltrating schools, colleges, charities and care homes to find people vulnerable to extremism.

Announcing the Government's counter-extremism strategy plan last year, the Prime Minister said: 'We know that extremism is really a symptom; ideology is the root cause, but the stakes are rising and that demands a new approach.

'So we have a choice: do we choose to turn a blind eye or do we choose to get out there and make the case for our British values.

'A key part of this new approach is going further to protect children and vulnerable people from the risk of radicalisation by empowering parents and public institutions with all the advice, tools and practical support they need.'

The paper said the Home Office has struggled to produce a definition of 'extremism' in the Bill as the existing one in the counter-extremism strategy - 'vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values' - was not thought likely to stand up in court.

Wednesday's constitutional choreography, which will see the Queen visit Parliament in a flamboyant display of pageantry, will see Mr Cameron's government attempt to demonstrate it has not ground to a halt for the referendum.

The EU debate has left the Cabinet and wider Conservative deeply and the Government has faced accusations it has pressed pause on its entire agenda.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said his department's bill would help prepare Britain for the future.

He told the Telegraph: 'Driverless cars and commercial space flight might seem like something from science fiction, but the economic potential of the new technology is huge,' he said.

'If we want to propel Britain's economy into the modern age, and generate the jobs that will come with it, it is vital that the right rules are in place to allow new transportation to flourish.'
A Florida police chief has issued himself a ticket after learning he had made a parking error.

Groveland Police Chief Melvin Tennyson was caught with his vehicle parked blocking the sidewalk outside City Hall on Tuesday night.

Florida resident David Bires shared photos of Tennyson's offending parking job on Facebook, noting police were ticketing residents $40 for parking in their own driveway if the blocked sidwalks.

Groveland Police Chief Melvin Tennyson issued himself a ticket after a passerby pointed out his parking error, blocking a sidewalk, in photos shared on Facebook (one shown above)

Florida resident David Bires shared photos of Tennyson's vehicle parked blocking the sidewalk outside City Hall on Tuesday night

Bires wrote on Facebook (pictured) that the police department was ticketing residents $40 for parking their vehicles in their own driveways if they block the sidewalk and asked if it is okay when the police chief does it

'Groveland police department is handing out tickets to people who park their vehicles in there own driveway if they block the sidewalk, $40.00 tickets are issued,' Bires wrote.

'But when the chief of police block sidewalks it's OK? Share this post.'

Bires' post was shared more than 300 times in less than 24 hours, and the next day the police department said Tennyson had been made aware of the violation and issued himself a ticket.

Tennyson told The Orlando Sentinel that he was not made aware of Bires' Facebook post until Wednesday morning after he had paid his self-imposed fine.

On Wednesday, the police department said Tennyson had been made aware of the violation, had issued himself a parking ticket and paid for the violation

The police department also shared a photo with a copy of Tennyson's receipt after he paid for the violation

On Facebook, the police department even shared a copy of Tennyson's receipt after he paid the $45 parking violation fee.

'In response to a previous social media post about the Chief of Police parking on a sidewalk let it be known he was made aware of the violation and he issued himself a parking ticket,' the Groveland Police Department wrote.

'Chief Tennyson has since paid for the violation. Attached is a copy of the receipt and the Chiefs response and email to the City Manager and City Council.'

In Tennyson's email to the City Manager and City Council, he noted that he was in a meeting with City Manager Redmond Jones at City Hall at the time and had pulled up to Jones' car and run inside.

Bires pictured left and Chief Tennyson, pictured right. Chief Tennyson explained he had voluntarily paid the fee for improper parking because it was the right thing to do

POLICE CHIEF EXPLAINS TO CITY COUNCIL WHY HE VOLUNTARILY PAID $45 PARKING VIOLATION FEE Mr Jones and members of the council, Last night while I was conducting business and a meeting with Mr Jones at City Hall, I parked next to Mr Jones's vehicle along Highway 50. And parking, I believed that I was far enough off of the sidewalk as to not block the walkway along side of City Hall. I was advised by one of my road supervisors that they had a concern that I was in fact blocking part of the walkway along side City Hall. As a result of my parking, I believe the supervisor was correct, therefore I have voluntarily paid the $45 parking violation fee to City Hall for improper parking. The reason I have done this is due to the fact that we enforce our parking violations as well as all laws and city ordinances. I cannot therefore hold anyone accountable until I hold myself accountable, and as I have always said, it starts at the top. Very respectfully, Chief Tennyson

Following the meeting, he said a Groveland Police Road Supervisor called him and informed him that he was parked on the sidewalk.

He also explained why he had voluntarily paid the fee for improper parking, noting it was the right thing to do.

He wrote: 'The reason I have done this is due to the fact that we enforce our parking violations as well as all laws and city ordinances.
Parishioners of a tiny church in rural Herefordshire have long believed a rumour that their altar cloth once belonged to Queen Elizabeth I.

It was kept at St Faith's Bacton in an old wooden frame.

Now, having spotted it by chance, experts at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) have concluded the exquisitely-embroidered cloth of silver is so lavish, it is likely to have come from a dress worn by the Tudor monarch herself.

Discovery: Once used as an altar cloth at St Faith's Bacton church in Herefordshire, experts have now found the lavish material, which is exquisitely embroidered, originates from a dress worn by Queen Elizabeth I

The discovery is all the more exciting because, apart from accessories like her gloves, none of the queen's famously-magnificent dresses are known to have survived.

Such is its national importance that, for security and conservation reasons, it can no longer remain at the church, despite an historic link dating back hundreds of years.

Evidence for its royal provenance is strong. In the queen's famous Rainbow Portrait in Hatfield House, her Hertfordshire residence, she is dressed in a strikingly similar fabric and one of St Faith's early parishioners was her faithful lady-in-waiting, Blanche Parry, who received clothes from her royal mistress.

Tracy Borman, HRP's joint chief curator and a leading Tudor historian, described the cloth as 'a remarkable survival, a beautiful thing'. She added: 'This is an incredible find.'

This was 'a high status fabric which Tudor sumptuary law dictated could only be worn by royalty or the highest echelons of the aristocracy', she said.

The queen dazzled her contemporaries with her luxurious attire.

A German visitor to England in 1598 described 'dresses so extremely magnificent, as to raise any one's admiration at the sums they must have cost'.

The St Faith's cloth - silk woven with strands of silver - dates from the last decades of the 16th century when such fabric would have cost the equivalent of three years' wages for an average labourer.

Its embroidery - caterpillars, butterflies, squirrels, stags, frogs, flowers and rowing boats in coloured silks with gold and silver threads - makes it even more expensive.

'It's incredibly valuable,' Borman said. 'It's so exciting.'

The queen's dresses were so precious in their day that, after she stopped wearing them, they were cut up and recycled for different purposes - like cushions - or given away.

Royal account books record such gifts to Parry.

Borman said: 'Cushions get a fair battering, whereas an altar cloth is a venerated object. I think that [may explain] its remarkable survival.'

Dress to impress: Queen Elizabeth I was known by her 16th century contemporaries for her luxurious attire

The cloth is large, measuring more than 2 metres by 1 metre, and was retired from its altar use more than a century ago.

Bacton was the birthplace of Parry, who began her 57-year service supervising the royal cradle rockers.

She died as Elizabeth's Chief Gentlewoman of the Bedchamber.

Borman said: 'Blanche was the benchmark by which Elizabeth measured all her other ladies because she was utterly loyal. She didn't have a personal life. She didn't marry.

'Nothing came in the way to her service to Elizabeth, who absolutely adored her.'

Parry's heart is interred at St Faith's, which also has a monument depicting her kneeling beside a godlike Virgin Queen.

The altar cloth donation might have been a similar act of veneration.

Borman spotted the cloth while researching Elizabeth I, visiting the 'idyllic' church to view the Parry monument: 'It was only because I was having a wander round the church that I saw this extraordinary material on the wall. It was one of those chance discoveries.'

Eleri Lynn, HRP dress curator, said: 'Generally, cloth of silver is reserved for members of the immediate royal family only.

'It is also wrought in the most costly materials by skilled makers. This alone makes it an incredibly rare survival.

'Incredible find': Tracy Borman, Historic Royal Palaces joint chief curator and Tudor historian is excited by the discovery at St Faith's Bacton

'The connection with Parry and her receipt of dresses from Elizabeth I herself, and the resulting possibility that this was Elizabeth's own dress makes this one of the most important Tudor textiles in the world.'

She added that this was a skirt panel, judging from curved seams: 'Elizabeth only had two embroiderers and two tailors, which she had on retainer for her entire reign.

'This panel, from later in her reign, would be the work of embroiderer John Parr and tailor William Jones.'

Borman will include the discovery in her new book, titled The Private Lives of the Tudors, published by Hodder & Stoughton on May 19.

HRP, an independent charity, looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

Although the cloth's condition is remarkably good, it needs conservation to preserve it. HRP then plans to display it, possibly at Kensington Palace.

Charles Hunter, church warden of St Faith's, which dates back to the 13th century, said: 'The altar cloth is one of our greatest treasures, and we have been trying for many years to find out more about it.

'It wasn't until HRP came to have a look at it that we realised we had a very precious object.

'We're looking forward to getting all the relevant agreements in place, so that HRP can conserve the altar cloth and look after it for us.
EastEnders will have fans in tears as the much loved Peggy Mitchell bows out of the soap by taking a fatal overdose to end her battle with terminal cancer.

The Mitchell mother, played for 22 years by Barbara Windsor, will tragically die alone as she takes a cocktail of pills to end the constant pain caused by the illness ripping through her body.

Peggy's last scene in Albert Square was said to be 'incredibly emotional' with executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins hailing the performance of Windsor, 78, as 'stunning'.

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End of an era:EastEnders will have fans in tears as the much loved Peggy Mitchell bows out of the soap by taking a fatal overdose to end her battle with terminal cancer

A source close to the popular BBC soap, told the Sun that its writers thought that this end most characterised the stubborn fighting spirit of Peggy.

They said: 'She's Peggy Mitchell, she'd never just sit and wait to die. It feels right she should wrestle back control and die on her own terms. At the end, the drugs make her hallucinate.

'Her final scene is incredibly emotional.'

Peggy taking her life could prove controversial for some viewers, however it is not the first time that soaps have tackled a character leaving in such a way.

Fans of ITV's Coronation Street were distraught when character Hayley Cropper committed suicide after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Hayley, played by actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, left The Street after 15 years by chugging back a mixture of drugs alongside her husband Roy..

Fans and fellow actors poured out tributes to both the moving performance of Hesmondhalgh and the loss of the character after the farewell episode aired in 2014.

The fact Hayley was helped by her husband when she took her own life was an aspect of the farewell that Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire Nadine Dorries took issue with.

Devastated: Fans of Coronation Street were distraught when character Hayley Cropper (pictured with husband Roy) took her own life after a battle with pancreatic cancer in 2014

She wrote: 'Not everyone has a loving Roy. For many people the NoK (next of kin) is a hospital, care home or a similar budget constrained autonomous body #scary.'

EastEnders bosses said they spent a lot of time discussing suicide and the issues with Peggy's final farewell before they decided to go ahead with the plot line.

In particular the show liaised with the charity, Samaritans.

A show spokeswoman said: 'EastEnders has a rich history of tackling difficult social issues and Peggy's story is one of these.

'We have worked closely with leading medical experts and various charities, including the Samaritans, to ensure that this storyline is portrayed as sensitively and responsibly as possible.

'At no point do we glamourise or romanticise the issue of suicide, in fact we have taken great care to show the audience not only Peggy's perspective but the many different views of those around her.'

Samaritans praised the soap for working alongside it to ensure viewers weren't exposed to unnecessary risk.

Speaking on behalf of the charity, Lorna Fraser said: 'Samaritans' aim is not to shut down coverage of suicide, as this would drive the discussion underground and discourage people from speaking out if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts.

'Programmes, including soaps, can help raise awareness of some of the issues surrounding suicide, such as the devastation caused for loved ones  an issue EastEnders have starkly depicted through Peggy's story.

'Often when a person reaches a point of becoming suicidal, they lose sight of this, sometimes even believing their loved ones would be better off without them.

Which is clearly not the case  the impact of suicide leaves behind long-lasting repercussions.

'We are delighted that EastEnders continues to work with us and urge other TV dramas and news organisations to do the same.'

Samartians would like to encourage anyone who has been affected by Peggy's story to get in touch with them.
A man who allegedly smuggled 686 kilograms of cannabis for a 'cartel' hid the drugs inside towels or bedsheets soaked in women's perfume to throw police off the scent, a court has heard.

Beau 'Jingles' Kerslake, 32, appeared in Brisbane Supreme Court last week to apply for bail.

During his appearance, a 21-page document presented to the court shed light on how one of Australia's largest 'weed cartels' was allegedly able to move more than 2.4 tonnes of cannabis between Victoria and Queensland.

A man who allegedly smuggled 686 kilograms of cannabis for a drug' cartel' hid the drugs inside towels or bedsheets soaked in women's perfume to throw police dogs off the scent (stock image)

Kerslake was allegedly part of the nine-person group responsible for importing about $24 million worth of marijuana to Brisbane between June 2013 and January 2014, the Courier Mail reports.

The court heard the 32-year-old and four other suspected mules stashed up to 60 kilograms of 'high quality hydroponic cannabis' in their bags for each journey.

Before he was arrested in December 2013, Kerslake allegedly made the trip 32 times - collecting frequent flyer points with each journey.

The 'mules' only ever flew with Virgin Australia, bought tickets with cash at the airport just before take-off, and always checked their bags, according to the newspaper.

Kerslake was arrested by Queensland Police in December 2013 - after he allegedly made 32 trips from Melbourne to Brisbane

Kerslake was allegedly part of a nine-person group responsible for importing about $24 million worth of marijuana to Brisbane between June 2013 and January 2014 (stock image)

Kerslake and eight other people have been charged with trafficking under Queensland's strict VLAD anti-bikie laws, meaning they could face as much as 15 years in prison if found guilty.

The Courier Mail claims the group would purchase cannabis in Victoria for about $2500, then transport it back to Queensland and sell it for more than double the amount.

The drugs were kept at a stash house on the Gold Coast, the court heard.
A wanted man has been caught after almost 20 years of evading police for an armed home invasion in Connecticut, police said.

Jose Manuel Blanco-Dominquez, 57, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was arrested in connection with the break-in in Willimantic, Connecticut, in 1997, on Saturday.

He was pulled over at 7.45am by Boxborough police sergeant Brett Pelley, who noticed that his cars plates matched a warrant in a national criminal database, the Boston Herald reports.

Jose Manuel Blanco-Dominquez (left) was caught after 20 years on the run after being stopped by Sgt Brett Pelley (right) who noticed the car matched a warrant in the national criminal database

Blanco-Dominguez gave Pelley one of his aliases, but the officer saw through it, Boxborough police chief Warren Ryder told the Herald.

Despite insisting that he is often pulled over by mistake, Blanco-Dominguez was arrested without incident when Pelley refused to buy his cover story.

Most officers would have said all right, it seems unlikely, but he kept digging, Ryder told the newspaper.

Ryder is not surprised by Pelleys instincts being right  around a decade ago, he also arrested a man wanted for murder during a traffic stop.

Blanco-Dominguez had avoided being caught for so long, he appeared to be in denial when it actually happened, Ryder added.

He managed to stay off the grid for a long time, the chief said. I can only guess that over 20 years, he maybe got a little lazy or complacent that no one is coming to look for him.

Authorities say Blanco-Dominguez was part of a gang who broke into a home in Willimantic, Connecticut, in June 1997.

The four men, from Lawrence, held the family inside  four adults and two children  at knifepoint.

A neighbour reported the break-in and when police arrived at the scene, they arrested three of the assailants  but Blanco-Dominguez allegedly escaped by jumping out of a window and running into the woods.

The men caught that day, all from the Dominican Republic, were investigated and found to have gang connections as well as being involved with drugs and money laundering, the Herald reports.
Eleven people were hospitalized Saturday after an SUV collided with a bus near Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.

The 2004 Isuzu SUV was traveling in the wrong direction on Sherberth Road near Osceola Parkway, south of the Walt Disney World Resort, when it struck the bus head-on around 6pm, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Both vehicles caught on fire after the impact. Video captured near the scene shows a plume of black smoke rising from the burning bus.

Scroll down for video

A bus and an SUV caught on fire Saturday after colliding near Disney World in Florida. Officials said the SUV was traveling in the wrong lane before the crash

In video captured by a motorist, the bus can be seen in flames after the head-on collision

Eleven people were hospitalized after the crash. In video, people can be seen walking away from the crash site

Thick smoke rose from the crash site in video posted online. Charges were pending against a 36-year-old female driver who officials said was traveling in the wrong lane

Eight out of 16 people on the Freightliner bus were sent to hospital after the crash.

The female driver of the SUV and a male passenger were sent to hospital in serious condition. A child traveling in the SUV was also hospitalized.

Charges were pending against the 36-year-old SUV driver.

It was unclear what charges she will face, but she was was 'clearly... at fault', a Florida Highway Patrol official told Daily Mail Online.

It is not known why the SUV ended up in the wrong lane.
British taxpayers forked out nearly 150,000 to train beekeepers in Kyrgyzstan, it has been revealed.

The two-year project, which ended in 2014, helped 60 people learn the trade.

It was funded through the Darwin Initiative - a grants scheme led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The programme helps countries 'rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources', according to the government website.

It has previously given a quarter of a million to snail projects in India, Malaysia, Nepal and Laos - as well as 300,000 to look after the giant salamander population in China.

The programme, which ended in 2014 and cost 149,646, was funded through the Darwin Initiative

The initiative was criticised by Conservative MP Philip Davies.

He told The Sun on Sunday: 'This is the type of spending that brings overseas aid into disrepute. The public thinks overseas aid is to help countries and people who have suffered natural disasters.'

Andrew Mitchell - who ended aid to China and Russia as Development Secretary - also questioned the funding.

He said: 'This is precisely the sort of misconceived expenditure that brings Britain's brilliant and life-changing international development programme into disrepute.'

But a Government spokesman said: 'Looking after the planet on which we all depend is in our national interest and the right thing to do.'

Almost 150,000 was spent by British taxpayers to train beekepers in far-flung Kyrgyzstan

The revelations comes as Britain is set to increase aid to countries such as Nigeria and Afghanistan, described by the Prime Minister as being 'fantastically corrupt'.

The Department for International Development has committed to spending 12bn official development assistance (ODA) budget on states and regions officially classified as 'fragile'.

This is more than the 30 per cent previously given to troubled areas.

Afghanistan and Nigeria are among 23 countries that are on the international list of 'fragile' countries.

Britain pledged 435m to the two countries last year - up 35 per cent since 2010 when Mr Cameron came to power.
Iran has mocked the Holocaust by staging a Nazi-themed cartoon contest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns the Islamic Republic is planning for another genocide.

The exhibit featured some 150 works from 50 countries, with many portraying Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians, and others comparing Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is designed to threaten its very existence.

But Netanyahu said Sunday it was more than Iran's belligerent policies that Israel opposed, but its values.

The Israeli Prime Minister lashed out at Iran for staging a second Holocaust-themed cartoon contest that mocked the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews. Pictured: A cartoon from 2016 competition

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Pictured: A cartoon from 2016 competition

PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday it was more than Iran's belligerent policies that Israel opposed, but its values. Pictured: A woman inspects her pictures from the exhibition

'It denies the Holocaust, it mocks the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust,' Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting. 'I think that every country in the world must stand up and fully condemn this.'

State Department spokesman Mark Toner, traveling with Secretary of State John Kerry in Saudi Arabia, said the United States was concerned the contest could 'be used as a platform for Holocaust denial and revisionism and egregiously anti-Semitic speech, as it has in the past'.

'Such offensive speech should be condemned by the authorities and civil society leaders rather than encouraged. We denounce any Holocaust denial and trivialization as inflammatory and abhorrent. It is insulting to the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust,' Toner said.

The denial or questioning of the genocide is widespread in the Middle East, where many regard it as a pretext Israel used for its creation and to excuse its actions toward the Palestinians.

But speaking to the New Yorker in April, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said of the contest: 'It's not Iran. It's an NGO that is not controlled by the Iranian government. Nor is it endorsed by the Iranian government.'

Zarif told the New Yorker that the exhibition did not need a permit but all exhibitions or conferences in Iran need a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, according to Iran Wire.

In April, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left) said: 'It's not Iran'. But Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (right) said Sunday it was more than Iran's belligerent policies that Israel opposed, but its values

Contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei (second from left) said: 'Holocaust means mass killing. We are witnessing the biggest killings by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Palestine'

And contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei told Nasim news agency that he was 'coordinating [the competition] with Ministry of Culture and officials have been kept informed about the event.'

While Iran's President Hassan Rouhanis government may not be directly and officially responsible for the exhibition, if it seriously opposed it, the administration could refuse to issue a permit and deny visas to participants, according to Iran Wire.

Tabatabaei said in a separate interview: 'Holocaust means mass killing. We are witnessing the biggest killings by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Palestine.'

He said the purpose of the Tehran event was not to deny the Holocaust but rather to criticize alleged Western double standards regarding free expression - and particularly as a response to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and others.

The contest was organized by non-governmental bodies with strong support from Iran's hardliners.

A previous contest in 2006 got a boost from then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hardliner who referred to the Holocaust as a 'myth' and repeatedly predicted Israel's demise.

Contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei told Nasim news agency that he was 'coordinating [the competition] with Ministry of Culture and officials have been kept informed about the event'

The exhibit featured some 150 works from 50 countries, with many portraying Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians, and others comparing Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
This is the first picture of the nurse who was stabbed to death at a south London mental health facility.

Patrick Clarke, 68, was killed at Southleigh Community Hospital in Croydon, South London, on Thursday.

It is thought he was filling in at the hospital because it was short staffed when he was killed.

Patrick Clarke, 68, (pictured) was stabbed several times at Southleigh Community Hospital in South Croydon

Neighbour Richard Gould, 71, told the Press Association: 'It is tragic. I knew him as a neighbour to say hello to and chat over the fence.

'He was a really nice, kind man. A very gentle man - a real gentleman.

'He was retired, he would just stand in occasionally when they were short staffed.'

On Sunday afternoon friends of Mr Clarke arrived at the bungalow he shared with his wife Shirley to drop off a bunch of red flowers.

His family declined to talk about his death.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Clarke was killed by a stab wound to the chest.

Southleigh Community Hospital (pictured) in Croydon is an independent 25-bed hospital for people with complex mental health problems

Police were called by London Ambulance Service just after 2.30pm on Thursday after Mr Clarke was attacked at the south Croydon hospital

A spokesman for the hospital, a private facility that provides treatment and rehabilitation for adults with long-term mental health problems, said: 'We are greatly saddened to confirm that a member of staff lost his life following an incident in the hospital.

'Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues. He was a valued and respected member of staff who will be deeply missed.'

A 40-year-old man has been charged with Mr Clarke's murder.
Australians may see themselves as a hard-partying bunch but new research has shown they go to bed earlier than any other country.

The University of Michigan study found a typical Australian adult goes to bed around 10.45pm  a full hour earlier than the Spanish, who have the worlds latest bedtime.

It also found that people in Singapore and Japan get the least sleep, while people in the Netherlands get the most, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

Most Australians go to bed around 10.45pm - the earliest average time of any country. People from Spain go to bed the latest around 11.45pm, a full hour later than Australians

Sleep data from more than 5,400 people across 100 countries was collected for the study using a free smartphone app originally designed to beat jetlag.

While social pressure explained the difference in bedtime across countries, the bodys internal clock  the Circadian Rhythm  was responsible for waking times being roughly the same.

Co-author Daniel Forger said: Across the board, it appears that society governs bedtime and one's internal clock governs wake time, and a later bedtime is linked to a loss of sleep.



The study collected sleep duration data from more than 5,400 people across 100 countries. The average bedtime for Australia can be seen in the top left of Figure B

He added: At the same time, we found a strong wake-time effect from users' biological clocks  not just their alarm clocks. These findings help to quantify the tug-of-war between solar and social timekeeping.

The study also found that middle-aged men slept less than any other group and that on average woman slept about half an hour longer than men.

People who spent more time outside were found to sleep better than those who spent most of their time indoors.

The study also found that middle-aged men slept the worst of any group, and that woman slept for 30 minutes longer than men

Associate professor Michael Gradisar from Flinders University said the study contributed to a growing body of evidence looking at the relationship between culture and sleeping patterns.

He said: We were believing that environmental influences might dictate people's bedtimes and how much sleep they get, but we didn't find they had a very strong effect.
A young couple were beaten by a Brazilian cage fighter when they were caught in an argument between the man and his former lover, police say.

Pamela Alves, 26, and her boyfriend went to stay with their friend Miliane Silva, who lives with her son in Rio Branco, in Brazil's western state of Acre.

But in the middle of the night police say Miliane's ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Deroci Barbosa, tried to break into the house.

Police say Brazilian cage fighter Deroci Barbosa (pictured) broke into the house and assaulted the couple

Pamela Alves (pictured after the alleged assault) said she was sleeping when she heard the door of the house being kicked in

The professional fighter ignored them, kicked the door in and started to attack them, it is claimed

The couple heard him trying to break in and got up to ask him to stop. The professional fighter ignored them, kicked the door in and started to attack them, it is claimed.

Ms Alves said: 'We were sleeping when we heard the door being broken. I begged him for the love of God to leave us alone.

'I begged him to stop. When I was against the wall, he and my boyfriend fell on the floor fighting. That's when I went out running to a neighbour's place.

'I thought he killed my boyfriend when I saw him coming out of the house holding a knife. We were collateral victims.'

However, Barbosa has claimed he went to the house to visit his son and it was the people inside who started the fight.

He said: 'It started when a young man who was also in the house started threatening me saying he is part of the military and he could use his gun.

'That's when I tried to defend myself with my backpack and the fight started.'
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Rail enthusiasts turned out in force to see the Flying Scotsman chug once more as the locomotive marked its return to Scotland with trips in the Borders, Midlothian and Fife.

The famous steam engine left Edinburgh's Waverley station shortly before 11am on Sunday, where around 800 people cheered it on as the engine departed for Tweedbank in the Borders.

Hundreds more lined the route in parts and congregated at places such as Galashiels and Tweedbank to get a closer look at the locomotive.

Flying Scotsman made its way across the Forth Bridge into Fife as the locomotive marked its return to Scotland this afternoon

Following a 10-year restoration, the locomotive made its way from Edinburgh to the Borders and back along the reopened Borders Railway travelled from Edinburgh to the Borders and back along the reopened Borders Railway

The stunning engine was quite the spectacle as it crossed Forth Rail Bridge, at North Queensferry, on its historic return to Scotland after being fully restored

The journey followed an eleventh hour u-turn by Network Rail, which had announced on Friday the train could not travel along the route

It crossed the Forth Bridge later in the afternoon.

The Flying Scotsman was allowed to take to the tracks after Network Rail reversed a decision to cancel trips at short notice.

The track operator said on Friday evening that the locomotive would no longer be able to make the planned tours because it had not been able to carry out safety assessments on some lines.

Thousands turn out to see the historic engine make its way across the Forth Bridge into Fife as it marked its return to Scotland

The Nations favourite locomotive, today's journey was a long-anticipated one, delighting locomotive fans who turned out in force

Full steam ahead: Rail enthusiasts turned out in force to see the Flying Scotsman chug once more as the locomotive marked its return to Scotland with trips in the Borders, Midlothian and Fife

Stunning: The famous steam engine left Edinburgh's Waverley station shortly before 11am on Sunday, where around 800 people cheered it on as the engine departed for Tweedbank in the Borders

Fan favourite: Hundreds more lined the route in parts and congregated at places such as Galashiels and Tweedbank to get a closer look at the locomotive

Iconic: Built in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 1923, Flying Scotsman pulled the first train to break the 100mph barrier in 1934

History: The National Railway Museum in York bought the locomotive for 2.3 million in 2004 before work got under way on its decade-long restoration two years later

The decision dismayed hundreds of rail enthusiasts planning to see the recently refurbished steam engine.

Following widespread outcry, led by Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay, Network Rail reversed its position and said checks had been carried out overnight to allow the train to take to the track.

The engine arrived at Waverley to fanfare on Saturday evening.

Controls: Flying Scotsman engine fireman Gordon Hodgson, 77, (left) and driver Steve Chipperfield, both from Carlisle, in the engine room, as they arrive at Tweedbank railway station from Edinburgh

Celebration: Mr Hodgson toasts the gathered crowd with a tip of his hat as the famous train arrives at Tweedbank Railway Station

Rearranged: The Flying Scotsman was allowed to take to the tracks after Network Rail reversed a decision to cancel trips at short notice

Issue: Track operator Network Rail said on Friday evening that the locomotive would no longer be able to make the planned tours because it had not been able to carry out safety assessments on some lines

Huge draw: Hundreds of people queue at Tweedbank in the hope of getting a seat on the gorgeous old engine, just recently restored

Proud as punch: Fireman Gordon Hodgson gives the steam engine a quick once over to ensure it was looking pristine for today's run

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne offered a 'wholehearted and sincere apology' for the earlier cancellation which Mr Mackay described as a 'debacle'.

An investigation is still to take place into the reasons for the premature cancellation.

Built in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 1923, Flying Scotsman pulled the first train to break the 100mph barrier in 1934.
At least 17 people have been injured today after a bus smashed through a traffic light pole and careened into a shop in the capital.

The bus was travelling through Harlesden, in north west London, when it crashed seriously injuring at least two people.

Witnesses described seeing bus windows broken so passengers could jump to safety, while 45 people were evacuated from nearby buildings.

The bus crashed through a traffic light pole before smashing into the shop (pictured), an eyewitness claimed

Police and ambulance services were called to the incident at about 2pm today where they treated 17 people

Eyewitness David Minogue told the BBC: 'It was so quick, I just saw this big red bus flying across the road, knocking down the traffic light pole and crashing into the shop.'

Another witness, identified only as Harry, told the Evening Standard: 'It looks like it's just come off the road and gone into the shop.

'The air ambulance is there and there are so many cars I can't even count them.

'The whole shop front looks like it's been completely caved in, if someone was in front of that shop it can't be good.'

Harlesden High Street is now closed between Acton Lane and A404 Manor Park Road.

Kevin Brown, Deputy Director of Operations at London Ambulance Service said: 'We were called at 2:03pm to reports of a collision between a bus and a building on Harlesden High Street.

'We sent multiple resources to the scene including a single responder in a car and a number of ambulance crews.

'We also sent our incident response and hazardous area response teams, alongside London's Air Ambulance. We treated 17 patients at the scene.

'We took three patients as a priority to hospital. 'A further nine adults and four children with minor injuries were also taken to hospital and one was treated and discharged at the scene.'

Emergency services cordoned off the scene after being called to the incident in Harlesden just after 2pm

London Fire Brigade Station manager Sam Kazmanli said: 'The building has been severely damaged so a cordon has been put in place and people have been evacuated from the area.

'Firefighters worked quickly to ensure there were no additional casualties. I'd ask people to avoid the area if possible as there is heavy traffic disruption.'

A Brent Council spokesperson said: 'As this incident will be investigated by the emergency services, it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further on what the cause was and what impact a roadside railing at the location may have had, given the apparent speed of the vehicle when it came off the road.'

Tony Akers, Transport for London's head of bus operations, said: 'There will be a full investigation into the incident.'
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus brushed off the latest charges about Donald Trump's truthfulness by saying everyone is entitled to 'forgiveness and redemption.'

Prieubus was asked to defend the party's presume nominee as he got grilled about a new Washington Post report that dug through past allegations that Trump used to impersonate a PR flak at his own office in order to steer favorable coverage of himself.

'People are entitled to forgiveness and redemption,' Prieubus replied on ABC's 'This Week,' before trying to steer his answer toward Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton.

'And the question I think most people have in this regard is whether or not people are who they say they are. And Hillary Clinton  I mean, you can talk about this issue of 30 years ago with 'The Washington Post.'

Trump denied it was him pretending to be 'John Miller' on a 1991 call with a 'People' magazine reporter Friday, although he has previously admitted he did use the tactic as a joke and once testified in a court case that he did something similar.

'I think bigger questions are, on Hillary Clinton's watch in regard to exchanging cash for favors in the Clinton Foundation ... ' Priebus continued.

Seeking forgiveness: Priebus defended Trump and said the mogul had never lied to him personally

After trying to turn the tables on Clinton when pressed again on Trump's truthfulness, Priebus said The Donald had never lied to him personally.

'I have to judge people by -- based on how I have dealt with individuals one on one. I have never had a situation where he's lied to me. I've never had a situation where he was not gracious and  to me,' Priebus responded.

Senior Trump advisor Paul Manafort said he believed Trump's latest explanation, appearing on CNN's 'State of the Union.'

'I couldn't tell who it is. Donald Trump says it's not him, I believe it's not him,' Manafort said. 'He said there's nothing in there. I have no basis to believe otherwise.'

'The tape has not proven that it's him,' Manafort continued. 'The justification for the tape is, well, he  words that are on that tape are words that Donald Trump uses. I have been working for Donald Trump for six weeks. I'm using words he uses,' he added.

'Now, I'm not the person on that tape. It's  there's no basis in fact, other than some allegation. And now they're even saying that he leaked the tape, that he had this tape for 25 years, and he leaked the tape. It makes no sense.'

Trump senior advisor Paul Manafort says he doesn't believe it was Trump on the tape

Bombshell: Mitt Romney says it's 'disqualifying' if Trump doesn't release his tax returns

Trump also took fire Sunday for not stating clearly whether or not he will release his tax returns before the election.

As ABC anchor Jonathan Karl noted, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney said: 'It is disqualifying for a modern day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns -- there's a bombshell in them.'

'I don't think the traditional playbook applies,' Priebus responded.

'It's going to be up to the American people  they're going to have to decide whether that's a big issue or not.

'This is an issue the media is interested in. This isn't an issue that middle America is interested in,' Manafort told CNN during his appearance there Sunday.

Trump slammed the Times' 'hit piece' about his treatment of women

1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado

Priebus was also asked to defend Trump's conduct toward women after a Sunday New York Times piece interviewed women Trump dated over decades.
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For some, a trip to the park means feeding the ducks. But this bird wasn't looking for bread as she took on a crayfish and swallowed it whole.

Amateur photographer Thinh Bui captured the astonishing sequence of events on camera, following the female Hooded Merganser duck as she devoured her prey.

The Merganser, which is a breed of duck, followed the freshwater crustacean across the lake they shared in the Golden Gate State Park in San Francisco.

The light brown bird begins following the red crayfish, and it seems to pick up a sense of danger - propelling itself out of the water in an attempt to escape.

But it is not quick enough, and soon the Hooded Merganser has scooped up the helpless animal in its yellow beak - but not after a splashy fight. It carries it around as it paddles across the water, holding the lobster-like creature by one of its legs as it gears up to devour it.

Bui, from Fremont California, managed to shoot incredible images of the duck then forcing the crayfish down its gullet. It was, Bui said, swallowed whole in around four minutes - as is relatively customary for the Hooded Merganser.

The female ducks are identifiable by their cinnamon-coloured crest, while the males are more striking with a black and white pattern. They dive for crustaceans and fish and have also been seen eating frogs.

Hooded Merganser's are the only Merganser variety which inhabit just North America.

Amateur photographer Thinh Bui captured an astonishing sequence of events on camera, in which a female Hooded Merganser duck eats a crayfish whole

The light brown bird begins following the red crayfish, and it seems to pick up a sense of danger - propelling itself out of the water in an attempt to escape

The pair clash on the surface of the lake in San Francisco's Golden Gate State Park. The birds eat freshwater crustaceans, fish and frogs

The female duck carries it around as it paddles across the water, holding the lobster-like creature by one of its legs as it gears up to devour it

Bui, from Fremont California, managed to shoot incredible images of the duck, which then began forcing the crayfish down its gullet tail first

The helpless crayfish was, Bui said, swallowed whole in around four minutes - as is relatively customary for the Hooded Merganser

The delicate armoury of they hard-shelled animal can be seen in the stunning photographs, but its hard casing didn't deter the duck

The duck looked as if she could have underestimated the size of the hard-shelled crustacean, but carried on eating regardless

The cinnamon-crested duck swallowed her prey in around four minutes, the contrasting red and brown making for striking imagery
'I just feel something happened,' the distraught mother said

Kidd's mother traveled from Louisville, Kentucky to search for her daughter

Her Facebook page was deleted and her cell phone and bank account numbers changed, making it even more difficult to track her down

Nayla Kidd, 19, has been missing since May 5

The Facebook page of a missing Columbia University student was mysteriously deleted and her cell phone and bank account numbers were changed, police said.

This will make it even more difficult for police to track down Nayla Kidd, who has been missing for more than a week, the New York Daily News reported.

The 19-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native was last seen on the Ivy League school's Morningside Heights campus at 5pm on May 5, police said.

Kidd, who is a sophomore at Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, missed all her finals since vanishing, which raised red flags for her mother.

'Someone whos just so bright, so creative, just talented beyond measureat the age of 15 she built a super computer, shes published in scientific journals...'

'For her to just drop the ball, I just feel something happened,' the missing student's mother, La Creis Kidd, told Pix11.

The distraught mother traveled from Kentucky to help search for her daughter, and even hired a private investigator.

Kidd is described as thin, 5-foot-9, 120 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the New York City Police Department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

Her family created a Facebook page to gather information on her disappearance.
Up to 15million life insurance holders could have their payouts halved because insurers did their sums wrong.

Major insurance firms are telling faithful customers who have paid their annual or monthly premiums for up to 20 years to either double their premiums - or face eye-watering reductions to their cover.

'Death payments' are being slashed by an average of 50 per cent and cut back by 70 per cent in the worst cases, with experts claiming companies miscalculated customers' policies.

Up to 15million life insurance holders could have their payouts halved because insurers did their sums wrong

Customers that were struck by the cutbacks were 'whole of life' insurance policyholders - which is typically bought by people wanting to cover their families and mortgage in case they die.

With 'whole of life' insurance, premiums are reviewed usually after 10, 15 and 20 years, when the level of cover can be altered.

Reports have emerged that thousands of affected customers have had their complaints rejected by the Financial Ombudsman on grounds that their policies are 'too old'.

One rejected customer had paid their premiums to insurance firm Sun Life of Canada since the 80s to safeguard his mortgage.

He was told his cover would be cut by a shocking 70 per cent - taking him from 113,500 to 36,950, an investigation by the Sunday Telegraph reported.

A spokesman for Sun Life of Canada said other policyholders were in a similar situation, being told their cover would be reduced by a similar amount.

'Death payments' are being slashed by an average of 50 per cent and being cut back by 70 per cent in the worst cases

Critics branded the cutbacks 'outrageous' and blamed insurers for being 'over-optimistic' with their calculations.

Alan Steel, chairman of Steel Asset Management, a financial adviser, said: 'The whole business is absolutely outrageous.

'The truth is many of these contracts paid a high commission and that is why they were sold.'

Danny Cox, head of financial planning at the financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'The main reason this has gone so wrong is that underwriters assumed the investments underlying these policies would make double-digit returns, but in fact they have performed far worse.'

The Financial Ombudsman has had over 10,000 complaints about whole-of-life cover plans in the last six years and upheld only around 20 per cent of cases.

Some customers even claimed they have never been informed about the reviews, while others claimed the reviewing system was not explained clearly enough so that they understood how severely the terms could change.

A spokesman for the Ombudsman said: 'Complaints about these contracts are consistently high and usually linked to the review dates.

'Most complaints we see about whole-of-life policies are from people who don't understand how the policies work.
Paul Ryan didn't press Donald Trump to act more presidential during a meeting this week on Capitol Hill with GOP leaders, a top aide to the presumptive Republican nominee said today.

'Donald Trump was not asked by the leadership to change. And there's no reason for him to change,' his senior strategist Paul Manafort said today on CNN's State of the Union.

House Speaker Ryan and Trump primarily talked about policy, he said, describing the meetings the real estate mogul had overall as 'very positive.'

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said during an appearance on ABC's This Week that he'd be 'surprised' if Ryan didn't end up endorsing Trump, the GOP's presumptive nominee.

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Don't change: Trump advisor Paul Manafort says House Speaker Paul Ryan had positive meeting with Trump

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said during an appearance on' ABC's This Week that he'd be 'surprised' if Ryan didn't end up endorsing Trump, the GOP's presumptive nominee

Ryan spoke warmly of Trump on Thursday at a news conference after their meeting but said he was not ready to back the billionaire.

'Seeds were planted' and 'positive steps' were made, Ryan said. Still, the top-ranking Republican argued, it will take more than a single, 45-minute session for unification to place.

The two Republicans have different positions on trade, taxes, entitlements, Trump's Muslim ban and immigration among other issues.

Priebus contended on Face the Nation that the two Republicans 'agree on far more than they disagree on.'

The Supreme Court, the platform of the Republican Party, abortion.

'I think you have got about 80 percent overlap,' he said,'and you have seen, actually, Donald Trump this week nuance a little bit on some of those positions that you have just outlined.'

The party chair told CBS' John Dickerson, 'There is plenty of common ground.'

'And when the choice is Hillary Clinton, someone who has made a career of lying and...skirting the issues,' he said, bringing up her emails, Benghazi, and the Clinton Foundation, a'nd a guy who has never run for office and might have some stories out there that...make some interesting news?'

Given those choices, Priebus predicted voters will 'choose the person that is going to cause an earthquake in Washington and get something done over Hillary Clinton.'

This morning Trump and Ryan stayed out of the spotlight and let the Republican Party chief make the rounds on the Sunday news shows instead.

'I get the sense that it was a great meeting. I get the sense that it was everything both parties wanted it to be,' Priebus said on This Week. 'I got the sense that things are moving in the right direction.'

Priebus predicted that Ryan, a longtime friend and fellow Wisconsin native, would ultimately give Trump his blessing.

'I would be surprised if he doesn't get there, because he wants to get there,' he told ABC's Jon Karl.

That Ryan did not endorse Trump after one meeting doesn't mean the party will still be bickering two months from now at its July convention, he indicated.

'If you suddenly had reservations and then come out after 45 minutes and say, OK, here's the big bear hug, let's move on. I think everyone gets that the process is better in going through the real details of what everyone brings to the table,' he said.

The process isn't over. Yet, Priebus said it's his belief that both sides were happy with the progress that was made.

'So I don't think anyone left surprised or chapped. I think it ended in the right way for everybody involved,' he stated.

Ryan spoke warmly of Trump on Thursday at a news conference after their meeting but said he was not ready to back the billionaire

A top Trump supporter on Capitol Hill, Senator Jeff Sessions told ABC's Karl this morning that he, too, felt comfortable with the outcome of the Thursday pow-wows.

'He did a great job...He talked, they talked, explained concerns they had, and he responded appropriately,' Sessions said, and the conversation was not 'tense.'

As for Trump's tone, Sessions said he believes the Republican standard-bearer will be more mindful of what he says.

'I think he's already being more careful about some of the things he says,' the Alabama senator stated.

Trump likes to give free-slowing speeches to large crowds that are not ready-made like the ones many politicians read off a teleprompter.

'He goes straight at the issues people are concerned about,' the senator said, adding, 'and I think that's part of his strength.'

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd spoke to Trump on Friday, and he told her that 'Ryan talked about the success Ive had' in their meeting.

'Paul said to me that he has never seen anything like it because Im a nonpolitician and I beat very successful politicians. He was really fascinated by how I won.'

Trump told Dowd Ryan did not speak to him about his comments regarding women.

'He wants me to be me,' Trump said.

CNN's Jake Tapper asked Manafort about the comments on State of the Union this morning.

Trump's version of events conflicts with the recap people in Ryan's orbit are giving, Tapper said. They say Ryan did talk to Trump about comments he's made about women and Latinos.

'So, which is it? Did he affirm to Paul Ryan, Speaker Ryan, that he was going to behave in...or was the conclusion he's got to be him?' the CNN host asked.

Manafort told him, 'Look, both statements have elements of -- or both true, actually.'

The senior Trump aide noted that his boss attracted a record number of votes in the primary and came in first in a 17-way race.
there is no old boys' network in theatre

Damian Lewis has said that he wouldn't send his children to boarding school aged eight because he found boarding a 'very violent experience' when he was young.

The awarding-winning Homeland star, who attended prep school Ashdown House and 37,000-a-year Eton College, has a nine-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.

But he said he would not send them to board at that age because of the hardship that comes with living apart from parents.

Damian Lewis (pictured holding his Emmy Award for his role in Homeland) has said that he wouldn't send his children to Eton aged eight because his old school is a 'very violent experience' for the young

'I went at eight and I think that's very hard. You go through something which, at that age, defines you and your ability to cope,' he told the Sunday Times Magazine.

'There's a sudden lack of intimacy with a parent, and your ability to get through that defines you emotionally for the rest of your life.

'It's a very violent experience in those first few weeks. It's just, boom! And you deal with it.'

The son of a City broker, he also claimed that he would take great pride when at school discos he would speak to girls in his 'unconvincing mockney' accent and they would tell him he didn't sound like an Etonian.

And even at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and as he pursued a successful acting career afterwards, he was reluctant to tell people that he went to Eton because he was conscious of attitudes towards privilege.

Even at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and as he pursued a successful acting career afterwards, he was reluctant to tell people that he went to Eton. He is pictured in starring Wolf Hall (left) and Homeland (right)

It was only in the wake of 2001 series Band of Brothers that he 'self-consciously' announced his past because he knew it would impress Americans.

And Lewis' perception of people's attitudes towards Eton proved true when the Wolf Hall actor was invited to switch on a laser display to mark a state school's 50th anniversary earlier this year.

A former pupil of Acland Burghley's in Tufnell Park, north London, tried to block the his appearance claiming his privileged background made him unsuitable.

The petition - which only attracted 124 signatures - said the school had a 'long and proud tradition in comprehensive education' whereas Eton 'represents the reproduction of privilege and inequality in the UK'.

Lewis (pictured in his upcoming film Our Kind of Traitor) also revealed he gets irritated when people claim the arts is dominated by public school children, insisting that there is no old-boys' network in theatre

On Lewis, it added: 'We have nothing against him as an actor or local resident, but he is a wholly inappropriate choice for this celebration of a wonderful local comprehensive school.'

But the actor, 'surprised' by the petition, said the pupil missed the point of the occasion, which was about community and celebration.

Lewis, who is tipped to be the next James Bond behind bookies' favourite Tom Hiddleston, also revealed he gets irritated when people claim the arts is dominated by public school children, insisting that there is no old boys' network in theatre.
He was placed on a

A judge has granted a one-week extension for a toddler to be kept on life support to give an appeals court time to weigh in.

Two-year-old Israel Stinson was admitted to hospital at the beginning of April after suffering a severe asthma attack. After being a placed on a ventilator and still struggling to breath, he was officially declared brain dead by doctors.

However Israel's parents believe their son is alive and are fighting to move Israel from California to New Jersey where the laws on what determines brain death differ, Fox40 reported.

U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller, in Sacramento, had rejected a request by the boy's mother, Jonee Fonseca, for Kaiser Permanente Medical Center to keep her son on life support until she could find a new facility for him, CBS News reports.

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Fighting: Two-year-old Israel Stinson was admitted to hospital at the beginning of April in California, but was declared brain dead after being placed on a ventilator and still struggling to breath

'While Ms. Fonseca's maternal instincts and moral position are completely understandable, the concerns reviewed here suggest she is unlikely to obtain the relief she seeks,' the judge wrote.

But she did grant the desperate family a week another week to appeal.

The Fonsecas are planning to go to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals early next week.

Israel suffered devastating brain damage following an asthma attack that left him without oxygen for 40 minutes.

But his parents insist that he is recovering and even released a video showing their son moving in a bid to prove that he is still alive.

'Now not only is he responding to our touch and our voice, but I've seen him take breaths off the ventilator, it's very hopeful and a good feeling,' Fonseca said.

The family are hoping to relocate Israel to a New Jersey facility but that move will be impossible unless the child undergoes an operation in which feeding and air tubes are inserted into his body. This is something Calfornia doctors have refused to perform.

Israel's doctors are confident that the child cannot be brought back from his state.

'In brain death we know there are instances where patients appear to move,' pediatrician Dr. Angelica Ha told Fox40.

'God is telling me not to let go': Jonee Fonseca is fighting to move her son from California to New Jersey for further treatment after he was declared brain dead in the former

The family is fighting to move Israel from California to New Jersey where the laws on what determines brain death differ

'So they may look like twitches or muscle contractions, and that can be very difficult for people to see. But in brain death, the brain is not functioning. It's an irreversible condition.'

Kaiser Permanente attorneys said keeping Israel on life support would rob him of the 'dignity of death'.

However the parents, Jonee Fonseca and Nate Stinson, are hopeful their son can bounce back.

'He'a very much alive,' Jonee told the network.

Fonseca added: 'We understand that he's not exactly as we want him to be. But that doesn't mean we have to start planning a funeral.'

Court documents describe the Fonsecas as 'Christians with firm religious beliefs that as long as the heart is beating, Israel is alive.'

'I do feel like it's getting harder, but we made it this far and made it farther than anyone else,' Israel's father, Nate Stinson, told KOVR. 'I believe that God is with us and we are going to keep pushing on.'

The family has started a GoFundMe account in an attempt to raise money for the journey.

Israel is currently being held at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in Sacramento.

'While my son has been in the PICU since April 1, his only nutrition has been Dextrose, which I am advised is the equivalent of 7-Up,' Mrs Fonesca wrote on the website.

Israel Stinson, 2, suffered an asthma attack which suddenly led to a brain death diagnosis

'This has been the case for three weeks now! So Israel is essentially starving and Kaiser refuses to give him the necessary protein, fat and vitamins intravenously. They simply refuse to.

'We will use your contribution to fight Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in Sacramento and to pay for an air medical transfer to another hospital, likely in another state.

'We have a fabulous attorney who is working around the clock to save our beautiful boy.

'God is telling me not to let go.'
A woman who went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain on Christmas Eve 2013 remembered feeling 'out of it' after getting a dose of morphine.

But as she came to, she realized her hospital gown was open and a male nurse was touching and kissing her.

The woman said she lay still, seemingly frozen. She says when she was discharged, her nurse, Thomas Mark Moore, told her: 'I'll find you Sweetie.'

She told nobody, even when Moore allegedly sent her a Facebook friend request days later. A year and half after her discharge from Poudre Valley Hospital, she reported Moore to police in Fort Collins, an hour north of Denver.

Moore, who was arrested in December 2015, is charged with inappropriately touching seven women in Colorado and three others in Nebraska following an investigation triggered by one alleged victim who stepped forward last year

A woman treated at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska (pictured), accused Moore of unspecified misconduct in June 2013

That report in August set off an investigation that turned up eight other women who alleged that Moore, 43, had fondled, groped or kissed them at hospitals in Colorado and Nebraska over a two-year period, according to court documents.

Moore, who was arrested in December 2015, is charged with inappropriately touching seven women in Colorado and three others in Nebraska following an investigation.

Moore's case highlights how easy it can be for nurses who are fired or forced out of their jobs over alleged misconduct to find work elsewhere, in part because some states  Colorado is among a handful  don't require hospitals to report nursing law violations to regulators.

Colorado's nursing board also doesn't have the power to conduct criminal background checks for license applicants.

The hospitals apparently knew about some alleged misconduct by Moore.

He was terminated from three hospitals before he was arrested and a Nebraska hospital reported an unspecified incident involving him in 2013 that never led to charges.

But without any prosecution pending, it doesn't seem that they shared the information with other facilities.

He also held nursing licenses in Alaska and Wyoming.

Lawyers representing Moore, who is due back in court Monday on some of the allegations, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Telephone numbers for his home and for possible relatives have been disconnected, and he did not respond to a letter sent to him in jail.

Despite being fired from at least two hospitals amid accusations of misconduct, Moore was able to continue finding work as a nurse until he was arrested last December

A LONG TIMELINE OF ABUSE ALLEGATIONS THAT ENDED IN ARREST June 23, 2013: Woman treated at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, accuses Moore of unspecified misconduct. The hospital reports the allegation to police two days later. No charges filed. September 2013: Moore starts working at UCHealth, which operates Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins and Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center. Dec. 24, 2013: A woman treated at Poudre Valley Hospital with severe abdominal pain says that while she was under the influence of morphine, Moore inappropriately touched her and kissed her. She reports the allegations to Fort Collins police Aug. 13, 2015. January 2014: A woman says Moore touched her inappropriately while she was medicated at Poudre Valley. She makes a report in January 2016 after learning Moore had been charged. March 2, 2014: A woman treated at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff says Moore touched her in a sexual way. She complains to the hospital, but the outcome of the complaint isn't clear. Fort Collins police find her complaint during an investigation of Moore, leading prosecutors in Nebraska to file charges in January 2016. March 6, 2014: A woman being treated for abdominal pain at Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center says Moore touched her breasts while massaging her shoulders after giving her pain medication. She says she was in and out of consciousness. She reports the allegations to police a few months later but doesn't want to pursue charges. She changes her mind after other women step forward. March 11, 2014: Moore surrenders his nursing license in Alaska amid an investigation into "undisclosed convictions on his license application," according to state records. March 28, 2014: A woman who went to Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center for abdominal pain says Moore gave her morphine and touched her breasts. The woman reports the allegation after Moore's arrest. June 19, 2014: A woman who went to Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center with pain from kidney stones says she was falling asleep after Moore gave her morphine and Tramadol. She says she felt him lie next to her but thought she was dreaming until he touched her breast. Moore stopped after someone knocked on the door, she says. She reports the incident after Moore's arrest. Dec. 28, 2014: A woman who went to Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center with kidney pain says Moore gave her morphine. She says he touched her breasts. She reports the incident after Moore's arrest. January 2015: A woman who went to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff when she was intoxicated and suicidal said Moore touched her breasts. After she was transferred to the behavioral health unit, she says Moore sent her a Facebook friend request and flirtatious messages. She reports the allegations to police in January 2016. Feb. 3, 2015: A woman who went to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff with a migraine was given an antipsychotic drug and a painkiller. She says she woke to find Moore touching her breasts. When she was discharged, she says Moore told her that the drugs might make her hallucinate. According to court documents, Moore wrote in his nursing notes that she had called him her "lover" when she woke up and said she had a "weird dream." She contacted Fort Collins police after Moore's arrest. March 2015: Regional West Medical Center in Nebraska fires Moore. June 2015: UCHealth, owner of Poudre Valley Hospital and the Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center, fires Moore July 2015: Moore starts work at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colorado. Aug. 13, 2015: Woman reports alleged Dec. 24, 2013, misconduct at Poudre Valley Hospital to Fort Collins police. Sept. 21, 2015: Moore gets nursing license in Wyoming. Dec. 21, 2015: Moore arrested for alleged unlawful sexual contact in the Dec. 24, 2013, Fort Collins case. Jan. 6, 2016: Colorado suspends Moore's nursing license. Jan. 20, 2016: Fort Collins police say that a second woman reports being inappropriately touched by Moore at Poudre Valley days after the Dec. 24, 2013 incident Feb. 29, 2016: Wyoming suspends Moore's nursing license.

Brie Akins, executive director of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said sex offenders often go undetected because most victims don't go to authorities because they don't want to be subjected to scrutiny and they may blame themselves for what happened.

'There is still a lot of shame around that,' she said.

In Moore's case, Akins said, some of the women also may have wondered whether they would be believed since they were under the influence of painkillers.

But even when the patients risked speaking out and authorities were notified, nothing happened.

Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska  a city of 15,000 in the state's panhandle  reported an unspecified complaint involving Moore and a female patient to police in June 2013.

No charges were filed at the time, but it's not clear why. Moore is now charged with abusing three women at the hospital in 2014 and 2015.

In August 2014, a woman told police that Moore had tried to grope her breasts a few months before at the Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center in Greeley, an agricultural and college town about 35 miles from Fort Collins. She wanted to warn authorities but didn't want to press charges.

However, after Moore was arrested in the Fort Collins case in December, Greeley Detective Dave Arpin contacted her again. Since other women had stepped forward, she decided to pursue charges too.

Court records indicate both Fort Collins police and the state board that oversees nurses knew of one complaint that Moore inappropriately touched a female patient at the Greeley Emergency Center in April (pictured)

In Colorado, complaints to the nursing board are confidential and officials say they can't even confirm whether a complaint exists. Any disciplinary actions taken as a result of a complaint, however, are made public.

Citing those regulations, a spokeswoman for the Division of Regulatory Agencies, Rebecca Laurie, refused to say how many complaints were filed against Moore while he worked in Colorado.

After police began investigating the 2013 case in Fort Collins, a nursing board investigator told a detective that Moore was fired after two complaints against him at the Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center in March 2014 and April 2015, court records state.

Moore also once held a license to work in Alaska but, according to records there, agreed to surrender it in March 2014 amid an investigation into 'undisclosed convictions on his license application.' The state denied a request from The Associated Press to disclose the details.

Last year, before his arrest, Moore was fired from the company that owns the Poudre Valley and Greeley hospitals and also lost his job in Nebraska.

The hospitals will not say why he was terminated.

Still, he was able to get a nursing license in Wyoming and find a job at a Denver-area hospital.

North Suburban Medical Center said it hired an outside firm to do a background investigation on Moore, including checking with his previous employers.

He lost that job after his arrest, and his Colorado nursing license was suspended.
Bernie Sanders supporters got spiritual Friday to share their love of the Republican hopeful during an intimate Wiccan ceremony.

The ritual was held in Woodstock Park, Oregon ahead of the state's primary Tuesday.

Participants were 'smudged' with the smoke from burning sweetgrass that was wafted over them before they were able to enter the sacred circle.

Organizer Leigha Lafleur, 41 welcomed the small crowd to the Feeling the Bern ritual and told those gathered she prepared to lead them in the 'amplification of positive energy of Bernie Sanders and the progressive movement'.

A prayer circle for Bernie Sanders in a Portland park pic.twitter.com/zIMzYW6IZm  Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) May 14, 2016

"Be the Bern. Be the Bern. Be the Bern." pic.twitter.com/EIkDU6g8WV  Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) May 14, 2016

Lafleur, a patent agent, fervent Bernie supporter and a Wiccan priestess, had officially listed the event on the Sanders campaign website.

After the crowd had been individually blessed into the circle she continued: 'And we welcome center.

'Welcome all that is above and all that is below, welcome all that ever has been and all that ever shall be, welcome ancestors' ancestors' ancestors, and future ancestors' ancestors' ancestors.

'Welcome all of the people who want to make change in the world for the positive, to a more generous and gentle and loving, positive future. Welcome, center.'

Among those who attended were a 24-year-old mother who does Tarot readings and brought her toddler, a 43-year-old researcher, a 53-year-old semi-retired chef and a 36-year-old food service employee with his dog, reported Portland Mercury.

The attendees gathered around a small rug, where four candles, flowers and an imitation ballot box were laid out.

As part of the ceremony, each person was handed a replica ballot and took turns declaring what they would like to see changed, which included ending private prisons, increasing access to college and labeling genetically modified foods.

Lafleur, a patent agent, fervent Bernie supporter and a Wiccan priestess, had officially listed the event on the Sanders campaign website

Sen. Bernie Sanders (pictured in Oregon) is banking on a major turnout in the state's primary this week to power his underdog presidential campaign to a badly needed victory against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton

But Sanders (pictured in Oregon) remained hopeful: 'Oregon is one of the most progressive states in the United States, and the agenda we have is the agenda that the people of Oregon feel comfortable with.

At the end of the event, Lafleur reminded those gathered to stay engaged in local politics and not just the presidential race, reported LA Times.

She said: 'We can't just be putting all our energy into Bernie, and when the election cycle is over, then what?'

They then circled the rug and chanted: 'Be the Bern, be the Bern, be the Bern', then passed around cherries and ginger lemonade.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is banking on a major turnout in the state's primary this week to power his underdog presidential campaign to a badly needed victory against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

A poll released last week by DHM Research showed Clinton with a 15-point advantage in Oregon, leading Sanders 48 percent to 33 percent.
The desperate search for a Texan woman who went missing from a cruise ship on Friday when she climbed onto a deck railing and fell backwards, has entered its third day.

Samantha Broberg was seen on ship surveillance footage scaling the railing on the Carnival Liberty's 10th deck moments before she fell overboard at around 2am. The footage has not yet been released to the public.

But the Coast Guard was not contacted until 5pm Friday, when the 33-year-old's disappearance had been confirmed.

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Missing: Samantha Broberg, 33, was reported missing and fell overboard. She is pictured here with her husband. It is not known if he was on board the cruise

A search was underway on board the ship and rooms were checked

'Based on the video analysis, we can confirm that it appears she climbed up and sat on a deck railing and subsequently fell backwards,' Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz told ABC News.

Carnival Liberty departed from Galveston, Texas, for a four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico on Thursday and is due to return on Monday morning.

A Coast Guard aircraft was dispatched from Mobile, Alabama, to search the area about 200 miles southeast of Galveston.

Search efforts are still ongoing to find Broberg as experts say that the warm waters around the Mexican Gulf means she may still be alive.

The ship reported that a surveillance video showed a woman falling overboard about 2 a.m. Friday. Pictured here is a search on board the Carnival cruise to Mexico

Broberg's traveling companions, who have not been identified, notified staff that Broberg was missing but it is not known if she was traveling with her husband

Broberg's traveling companions notified staff that she was missing - sparking a ship-wide search. The cruise liner's surveillance footage was reviewed and the Coast Guard notified after she was seen falling backwards into the Mexican Gulf.

It is not known if she was traveling with her husband.

A Coast Guard statement says its district command center in New Orleans was contacted by the master of the cruise ship Carnival Liberty.

'Authorities were notified including the U.S. Coast Guard which has been conducting search and rescue efforts in the area the ship was located when the individual was last seen,' Carnival said.

'Carnival's CareTeam is providing support to the guest's traveling companions and family. We are keeping our guest and her loved ones in our thoughts during this difficult time.'

'Unfortunately, it appears the guest may have gone overboard early this morning. Authorities were notified including the U.S. Coast Guard which is initiating a search effort in the area where the ship was located when the individual was last seen.

Location: A Coast Guard aircraft was dispatched from Mobile, Alabama, to search the area about 200 miles southeast of Galveston (pictured)

Statement: 'Carnival's CareTeam is providing support to the guest's traveling companions and family. We are keeping our guest and her loved ones in our thoughts during this difficult time'

Passengers described feeling saddened about hearing the news of Broberg's disappearance.

'Our steward came into our room, checked the closets, checked the bathroom, looked under the bed looked out on our balcony. I mean, they did a very thorough search,' passenger Jo Trizila of Dallas told NBC.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged college graduates to be good citizens in a commencement speech on Saturday.

Speaking to the graduates of Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan, Thomas referenced his own personal and professional struggles.

Thomas paid tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who he said was kind to him when it mattered most, the Washington Examiner reports  a reference to the scandal surrounding his appointment to the high court after Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment in 1991.

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (pictured) urged college graduates to be good citizens in a commencement speech on Saturday

Thomas (left) paid tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia (right), who he said was kind to him when it mattered most

The explosive nomination hearings brought the country to a standstill 25 years ago  but also made headlines recently as the subject of a new HBO drama called Confirmation, starring Wendell Pierce as Thomas, Kerry Washington as Hill and Greg Kinnear as Senator Joe Biden, who chaired the committee.

Thomas also urged graduates to preserve liberty by focusing on their day jobs rather than trying to achieve huge political goals, according to the Examiner.

He also urged them to be open with their faith and beliefs  especially in this world that seems to have gone mad with political correctness'.

At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty in our form of government, I think more and more than it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties in their daily obligations, he said.

He noted that while most commencement speakers urge graduates to go and change the world, he believes they should solve their own problems and fulfil their obligations.

Thomas' nomination hearings were the subject of recent HBO drama starring Wendell Pierce (pictured) as Thomas

Scandal star Kerry Washington (pictured right) plays law professor Anita Hill (left) in HBO's Confirmation

He concluded his speech by telling the audience to thank their families and teacher  the people who have shown you how to sacrifice for those they love.

Thomas, who is known for his silence on the Supreme Court, also spoke to each graduate as they received their diploma.

Hillsdale College has an outpost in Washington, D.C. that Thomas wife Ginni helped establish while an associate vice president there.
A charity called Friends of TS Queen Mary bought ship for 20,000 and subsequently raised funds to restore her

Built in 1933, the ship was withdrawn in 1977 and languished at Tilbury since 2009 after many brushes with death

The Queen Mary ship was the largest Clyde pleasure steamer ever built, with certified

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Real flesh-and-blood royalty would not have drawn such Clydeside crowds yesterday  all the lined, quayside spectators; the excursion craft Clyde clipper on her special four-hour cruise for the occasion; the flotilla of small craft and the exuberant sharing of snaps on social media...

Why such excitement at the return of a battered, dingy old ship, long stripped of her machinery, away from the Firth since January 1981 and which ended her service (latterly with Caledonian MacBrayne) nearly forty years ago?

Well, the Queen Mary is not any old hulk. For one  in terms of gross tonnage and certificated passenger capacity (1,820)  she was the largest Clyde pleasure steamer ever built.

The Queen Mary (pictured being towed in to Greenock) is not any old hulk. In terms of gross tonnage and certificated passenger capacity (1,820), she was the largest Clyde pleasure steamer ever built

The excursion craft Clyde clipper on was her special four-hour cruise for the occasion. There was a flotilla of small craft and the exuberant sharing of snaps on social media

Real flesh-and-blood royalty would not have drawn such Clydeside crowds yesterday  all the lined, quayside spectators there to see the restored TS Queen Mary

Launched at the yard of Denny Bros, Dumbarton, in March 1933, she was, even by the standards of today (far less in the middle of the Great Depression), of extraordinary style and comfort.

Most of the Clyde steamers had to carry mails, light cargo and even the occasional car; do regular ferry dashes midweek for impatient commuters. The Queen Mary, though, was built for pure summer fun.

She was exceptionally beamy, most roomy, beautifully fitted out in the Art Deco style of the day and combined ample covered accommodation with abundant open deck-space.

What was more, she was specifically built for excursions from Glasgow  a daring step after some decades when, given city-centre smog and the filthiness, at the time, of the Clyde itself, most chose to head for the likes of Gourock, Wemyss Bay or Craigendoran and catch their steamer there.

As a result  and given her rapid success on all-day doon-the-watter excursions from Bridge Wharf  the folk of the Second City of the Empire fast took the new pocket-liner to their hearts and, after some years of absence, she resumed cruises from Glasgow near the end of her CalMac career.

But she was also a turbine-steamer. Fabulously smooth, quiet in operation, and confidently fast on her three propellers (she attained nearly nineteen knots on trial) she could handily sail round Arran or up Loch Fyne and back on one days outing.

Launched at the yard of Denny Bros, Dumbarton, in March 1933, she was, even by the standards of today (far less in the middle of the Great Depression), of extraordinary style and comfort

Most of the Clyde steamers had to carry mails, light cargo and even the occasional car; do regular ferry dashes midweek for impatient commuters. The Queen Mary, though, was built for pure summer fun

She was exceptionally beamy, most roomy, beautifully fitted out in the Art Deco style of the day and combined ample covered accommodation with abundant open deck-space

And it was on the Clyde that William Parsons had first, at the turn of last century and with her elder sister, the King Edward, proven the efficiency and safety of steam-turbine technology  with the result that, by the time Clyde yards were churning out the celebrated Dreadnought battle-ships, all were fitted with Parsons turbines.

Many more turbine-steamers would over ensuing decades serve the fare-paying Clyde public, on a booming holiday and excursion trade that would endure into the 1960s.

Plenty of these (the King George V, the Saint Columba, the Marchioness of Graham and the lovely Duchess of Hamilton among them) are still fondly recalled.

Theres a good story about the Queen Mary, too. Buckingham Palace permission had, of course, been sought to name her after the Kings consort.

But when, two years later, Cunard White Star approached the Sovereign to ask if they might name their vast new liner after Queen Victoria, directors went weak at the knees before King George V and their spokesman fatefully grovelled, Your Majesty, we seek your permission to name this vessel after our nations greatest Queen, and....

Thank you, he boomed, already bored witless and keen to get rid, my wife will be very pleased. So there was nothing for it but to call the Cunarder Queen Mary, and the owners of the 1933 original had then to be begged to change the name of their own far smaller craft. (Thus, from 1935 to 1976, she sailed the Clyde as Queen Mary II, though sported a plaque and a portrait of our Queen s Granny as gifts from a gushingly grateful Cunard White Star.)

What was more, she was specifically built for excursions from Glasgow  a daring step after some decades when, given city-centre smog and the filthiness, at the time, of the Clyde itself, most chose to head for the likes of Gourock, Wemyss Bay or Craigendoran

Given her rapid success on all-day doon-the-watter excursions from Bridge Wharf, the folk of the Second City of the Empire fast took the new pocket-liner to their hearts and she resumed cruises from Glasgow near the end of her CalMac career

She was also a turbine-steamer. Fabulously smooth, quiet in operation, and confidently fast on her three propellers (she attained nearly nineteen knots on trial) she could handily sail round Arran or up Loch Fyne and back on one days outing

And it was on the Clyde that William Parsons had first proven the efficiency and safety of steam-turbine technology  with the result that, by the time Clyde yards were churning out the celebrated Dreadnought battle-ships, all were fitted with Parsons turbines

But, by 1975, this old girl was the very last of the Clyde turbines, finally withdrawn in September 1977.

And, just a year ago, languishing at Tilbury since 2009 after many brushes with death since her Clyde withdrawal, she seemed certain for scrap.

She had narrowly escaped the breakers yard by a sneeze in 1980, was stripped of practically everything sellable by a subsequent proprietor, and in 2009 (after decades as a floating restaurant in London) was almost hauled off to France.

She survived, at last, because last July she was arrested after her latest but unlucky owner, businessman Ranjan Chowdhury, had failed to pay her harbour-dues  and, being duly put up for auction, was last October bought for just 20,000 by a charity determined to save her.

Friends of TS Queen Mary boasts comic and actor Robbie Coltrane as patron, and subsequent appeal for funds opened many corporate pockets, the money necessary to fix her up for the long tow home being amassed in a matter of weeks.

Many more turbine-steamers would over ensuing decades serve the fare-paying Clyde public, on a booming holiday and excursion trade that would endure into the 1960s

By 1975, this old girl was the very last of the Clyde turbines, finally withdrawn in September 1977. And, just a year ago, languishing at Tilbury since 2009 after many brushes with death since her Clyde withdrawal, she seemed certain for scrap

She had narrowly escaped the breakers yard by a sneeze in 1980, was stripped of practically everything sellable by a subsequent proprietor, and in 2009 (after decades as a floating restaurant in London) was almost hauled off to France

She survived, at last, because last July she was arrested after her latest but unlucky owner, businessman Ranjan Chowdhury, had failed to pay her harbour-dues  and, being duly put up for auction, was last October bought for just 20,000 by a charity determined to save her

They now hope to whip up some 3million to refurbish her for a new life afloat in Glasgow city centre, by the much-loved Finnieston crane; a sought-after venue for meals, drinks, nights-out, weddings and so on.

Her return has moved hearts all the more because the tale of every other Clyde steamer  the indefatigable Waverley apart  has ended unhappily. No others survive and those snapped up for preservation met assorted sticky ends.

Its unlikely the 1933 beauty will ever again sail under her own steam. There is barely enough Clyde cruising demand these days to keep the Waverley going and, of the Queen Marys three turbines, two are in museums and one is missing.
A 23-year-old woman who was bitten by a shark off the coast of Florida was taken to the hospital with the two-foot long animal still attached to her forearm.

The woman, whose name was not released, was treated at a hospital in Boca Raton on Sunday and expected to be released the same day.

The baby nurse shark suffered a worse fate and died before the fire rescue arrived on the scene, with one witness telling the Sun Sentinel the animal had been provoked.

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A 23-year-old woman was bitten by a shark off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida on Sunday afternoon. The animal died while it was out of the water but remained latched on to her arm

She remained calm and had to be taken to the hospital with a splint supporting the weight of the animal on her arm. A witness said the woman and her friends had been holding the shark up by its tail

The 23-year-old remained calm after she was bitten off the coast of Red Reef Park on Sunday afternoon, and little blood was involved in the accident.

A lifeguard, police officer and fire rescue were on the scene, but the shark's ridged teeth remained firmly lodged in the woman's arm.

She was taken to Boca Regional Hospital in an ambulance with a splint to support the dead animal's weight, and should be released today, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Eleven-year-old witness Nate Patrick told the news site he saw the woman and her friends 'holding the shark by its tail' and 'messing with it' before the animal lashed out.

He defended the nurse shark, which can grow up to 14 feet, and said: 'Sharks are the most humane thing ever. So it wouldn't bite them if they hadn't been messing with it.'

Nurse sharks are slow-moving and have strong jaws along with razor-sharp, serrated teeth.

According to National Geographic, the animals will bite defensively if they are stepped on or bothered by humans.
There have been protests since Friday against fossil fuel

More than 52 people were arrested and 150 spent the night on the tracks

have been arrested for protesting on a railroad

More than 50 protesters have been arrested for trespassing on a railroad track in an anti-oil protest in Washington state after a two-day shutdown.

After approximately 150 people spent the night in tents along the tracks near two refineries, the authorities were able to clear everyone out peacefully.

The protesters were asked to leave around 5am. Most listened, packed their things and left, according to BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas.

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Approximately 150 people spent the night on a Washington state railroad to protest big oil companies and fossil fuels

After spending the night in tents and sleeping bags more than 52 people were arrested for trespassing on the railroad

'It was peaceful. 80 percent removed their belongings and cleared out,' he told ABC News.

The 52 people who were arrested were given citations for trespassing and one was cited for resisting arrest.

Before the arrests, officers told protesters they could move to a designated location to demonstrate but couldn't stay on the tracks, Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt said.

Those arrested are expected to be released, according to protest spokeswoman Emily Johnston said.

She added that the protests would continue but not on the tracks, ABC News reported.

Johnson said the main goal of the protest is to inspire people to speak out against climate change and said the fossil fuel industry needs to be held accountable.

Rail lines have been shut down since Friday due to the protests, which have included marches, bikers and canoe and kayakers making their point noticed.

Protests have taken place all weekend across the country by climate activists hoping to make their voices heard

Anti-oil protestors walk past the Tesoro refinery rail yard in Anacortes, Washington, to promote an accelerated transition to renewable energy sources

Climate activists from around the Northeast gathered Saturday at a key crude oil shipment hub on the Hudson River in upstate New York to denounce fossil fuels and promote an accelerated transition to renewable energy sources.

The action targeting crude-by-rail trains and oil barges at the Port of Albany is part of Break Free 2016, a two-week series of actions targeting key fossil fuel projects around the globe to protect local communities and fight climate change.

About 40 activists from numerous groups attempted to line up across the river in kayaks Friday to practice blocking oil barges, but police and several U.S. Coast Guard boats herded them into a cluster.

Police blocked access to a railroad bridge over the river where activists had planned to unfurl banners.

The protests have been in the form of marches, biking events, kayakers and camp-outs to force oil companies to halt production

About 40 activists from numerous groups attempted to line up across the river in kayaks Friday to practice blocking oil barges

Albany was chosen as the focal point for activists in the Northeast from Pennsylvania to Maine because it's a hub for crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region to East Coast refineries.

For three years, residents of a low-income housing project beside the oil train route have been fighting expanded crude oil shipments at the port by Global Partners, a fuel transport firm based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

'We have to stop these explosive bomb trains from rolling through our communities across the continent,' Marla Marcum, a member of the Climate Disobedience Center in Arlington, Massachusetts, said on Friday.

'We have to keep fossil fuels in the ground and bring the focus to renewables.'

Several U.S. Coast Guard boats herded the 'kayak-tivists' into a cluster to allow barges to pass through the area

Climate activist events are also planned this weekend in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Thornton, Colorado, as well as in Germany, Turkey, New Zealand, Brazil and Nigeria

Mark Romaine, chief operating officer of Global Partners, said in a prepared statement Friday the company is committed to safety and has been inspected more than 270 times in the last three years with only a handful of minor infractions that were promptly corrected.

'It's clear we take our jobs and our responsibility to the community, to safety and the environment very seriously,' Romaine said.

Climate activist events are also planned this weekend in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Thornton, Colorado, as well as in Germany, Turkey, New Zealand, Brazil and Nigeria.
The senior Conservative Party official at the heart of the Tory bullying scandal was last night implicated in the controversy over election spending limits.

Mark Clarke, known as the Tatler Tory, had been in charge of the partys battle bus campaign in which supporters were driven into target seats ahead of last years General Election.

A leaked email shows he wrote to candidates and their teams to advise them how to declare spending on the campaign buses to the elections watchdog.

Mark Clarke (left image and far right), known as the Tatler Tory, had been in charge of the partys battle bus campaign

The email assured candidates that the partys London head office would use national campaign funds to pay for the buses  though there is controversy over whether the money should instead have been counted as local expenditure.

Clarke said the bus had been signed off by senior Tory officials, including party chairman Lord Feldman and strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, and gave it the full financial, organisational and practical support of CCHQ [Conservative Campaign Headquarters], the Sunday Telegraph reported.

It also said that CCHQ would fund all activist refreshment, with an estimated budget of 700 a day for food.

Ten police forces are examining Tory spending on last years General Election campaign amid allegations thousands of pounds were wrongly declared, in breach of electoral law. Deliberate breach of individual candidates spending limits  usually around 15,000  is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or one-year jail term.

Any candidate found guilty would be barred from holding public office for three years, triggering a new election.

The Tory Party has admitted failing to declare 38,000 of hotel costs to the Electoral Commission, blaming an administrative error. Battlebus 2015 was the brainchild of Clarke, who was later accused of bullying Elliott Johnson, an activist who committed suicide last September. Clarke denies the allegations.

Clarke, who had been nicknamed the Tatler Tory after the society magazine tipped him for a Cabinet post, was thrown out of the party for life last year.

A party spokesman said: The party always took the view that our national battle bus, a highly publicised campaign activity, was part of the national return.
An AT&T employee was found dead dangling upside down from a utility pole in Los Angeles.

Rescuers found Robert Alfred Hernandez, 61, of Studio City, just before 3pm on Friday in the Valley Glen neighborhood, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

They brought him down and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Initial reports suggest Hernandez had a medical emergency while he was working, authorities said.

An autopsy on Hernandez was pending on Sunday. No cause of death has been announced at the moment.

Rescuers found Robert Alfred Hernandez, 61, of Studio City, dangling upside down from a utility pole just before 3pm on Friday in the Valley Glen neighborhood of Los Angeles (file picture)

'It is officially undetermined if this was an electrical incident versus a medical emergency,' Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

'Initial indications are the patient suffered a medical emergency causing death, but an official determination will be made by the LA County coroner.'

Hernandez's work vehicle, which had an AT&T logo on it, was parked nearby when rescuers found him.

'We were extremely saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our employees,' AT&T spokeswoman Meredith Red wrote in an email Saturday afternoon according to the Los Angeles Times.

'Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and co-workers.'

AT&T is working with authorities to investigate the death.
Hundreds of migrants from the Caribbean are travelling more than 6,000 miles to enter the European Union through Greece, the Mail can reveal.

Instead of trying to get into the United States a few hundred miles to the north, many are making the journey across the Atlantic to Istanbul in Turkey.

From there, they travel along the coast to join thousands of refugees on the perilous crossing of the Aegean to the Greek islands.

Hundreds of migrants from the Caribbean are travelling more than 6,000 miles to enter the European Union through Greece, the Mail can reveal

On arrival some claim to be from Somalia or even from Syria or Afghanistan in an attempt to gain asylum and get free travel across most of the EU.

Last year almost 400 migrants came to Greece from the Caribbean, the vast majority from the Dominican Republic.

And a further 150 have arrived from the Dominican Republic in the first three months of this year.

It confirms suspicions that economic migrants are using the European refugee crisis to enter the continent. More than a million people tried to enter the EU by sea last year, with many making the boat crossing from Turkey to Greek islands such as Lesbos.

EU border guard Anna Smigielska, whose job is to interview migrants arriving on Lesbos to identify their nationality, said: For us it seems strange, but they say its one of the easiest ways to get into Europe. I asked some of them, how is it you are coming this route?

They say there are cheap flights and they dont need visas for Turkey, so it is not so hard.

In one case, she said, a migrant from Haiti  on the same Caribbean island as the Dominican Republic  claimed to be from Syria.

In one case a migrant from Haiti  on the same Caribbean island as the Dominican Republic  claimed to be from Syria

She said: We kept saying, You dont speak Arabic and, frankly, you dont look like you are from Syria, but he kept insisting he was. Finally, we said, You really have to say you are from somewhere other than Syria. He replied, OK, Im from Afghanistan. Only after a long time did he admit to being from Haiti.

They fly from the holiday resort of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam and transfer for a flight to Istanbul, where they are believed to pay smuggling gangs to organise passage over sea to Greece.

A spokesman for EU border agency Frontex said: Although geographically it is an extreme form of travel to go from the Dominican Republic, once a route is established by genuine refugees other economic migrants tend to follow because they know it is a way.

Similarly, many migrants from Morocco travel through Greece rather than crossing the Mediterranean to Spain. Concerns about Caribbean migrants entering Europe through Turkey were first raised five years ago by Dutch officials.

It was sparked by Dutch carrier KLM noting the high number of no shows on return flights from Istanbul to the Dominican Republic via Amsterdam, which travellers from the island are required to book before entering Turkey.

And Frontex said in 2012 a group arrived on a land border between Greece and Turkey, refusing to speak other than to say that they were from Somalia. Only when a translator spoke to them in their native Spanish did they realise they were from the Dominican Republic.

The majority arriving on the Greek islands are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. But last year, the Greek coastguard also registered 351 migrants from the Dominican Republic, eight from Haiti, two Cubans, one Jamaican, two from Honduras and two from Colombia.
Mr Sunak he must now also choose a Cabinet to tackle a plethora of issues facing the UK, having earlier vowed to run No10 with 'integrity and humility' before warning of the 'profound challenges' to come. He faces a 40bn black hole in the public finances amid speculation he could delay the Halloween Budget, while his new Cabinet must also deal with skyrocketing energy bills and soaring inflation that has left families struggling amid a cost-of-living crisis. The new PM has vowed to appoint a Cabinet of 'all the talents' as he tries to foster party unity. He told MPs yesterday that he wanted his government to represent the 'views and opinions' from across the Conservative Party. It comes after his predecessor Liz Truss was accused of failing to appoint MPs from across the Tory spectrum when she entered office last month. She is now expected to take a break from politics after her turbulent premiership, friends believe. Mr Sunak is expected to bring back some Johnson loyalists, keep members of Ms Truss's team - and promote his allies. And there could yet be another return to frontline politics for Michael Gove. It was also reported last night that Dominic Raab could get the Home Secretary role.
A man whose name is on a list of unindicted co-conspirators involved in the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal is fighting to keep his identity from being publicly released.

'John Doe', as he is being referred to in court papers, has asked a federal appeals court to stop the release of names this week, arguing that it would unfairly brand him a criminal for life.

A number of news organizations filed a motion in January for the release of the list, which names the people the government believes were involved in the conspiracy but do not have sufficient evidence to charge them with a crime.

US District Judge Susan Wigenton denied John Doe's request to keep the names secret but moved the government's deadline to release the list from last Friday to the upcoming Tuesday.

A man whose name is on a list of unindicted co-conspirators involved in the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal is fighting to keep his identity from being publicly released (file photo)

Jenny Kramer, John Doe's attorney, appealed the decision to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, contending that her client's reputation would be damaged by being 'publicly branded a felon' and violated his due process rights.

'That sacred right  the right not to be branded a criminal without due process of law  will never be diminished, no matter how much media attention the Bridgegate fiasco attracts,' Kramer wrote.

Wigenton disagreed with Kramer's argument that Doe wasn't given a chance for due process and said she was puzzled he didn't intervene until the night before the list was to be released.

Earlier in the week the judge ruled that the list should be released because the public's interest outweighs privacy concerns, adding that there is 'very little that is private about the lane closures or the lives of the people allegedly connected to them'.

Bruce Rosen, an attorney for the media organizations, called John Doe's motion 'frivolous and desperate' and urged the court to penalize him for filing it.

He said the motion for a hearing was essentially an attempt to reopen the case and is unsupported by legal precedent since Doe hadn't demonstrated 'extraordinary circumstances'.

In addition, Rosen wrote, Doe's argument was without merit because his name likely will be divulged at trial, making the withholding of the names merely delaying the inevitable.

Kramer, who served under Christie when he was US attorney, responded that Rosen's contention that her client wouldn't be harmed by the release of the names was 'absurd.'

Bridget Kelly, Christie's then-deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a top Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have been charged in the Bridgegate scandal

Gov Christie, whose approval ratings droped after Bridgegate, has denied advanced knowledge about the closure

'If John Doe did not join the conspiracy to block access to the George Washington Bridge as an act of political retribution, publishing a Government letter saying that he did is a supreme injustice,' she wrote.

The US Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting two former allies of Republican Gov. Chris Christie in the lane-closing scandal, also opposed the release of the list.

David Wildstein, Baroni's deputy who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the Bridgegate closure, said Christie knew about them as they were happening

Bridget Kelly, Christie's then-deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a top Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency that operates the bridge, have been accused of creating traffic jams for political revenge against a local Democratic mayor.

Baroni and Kelly have both pleaded not guilty to federal wire fraud and civil rights charges. They will face trial in September.

The two were charged after it was revealed Kelly had written an email that read: 'Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.'

Two of the three access lanes from Fort Lee, New Jersey to the toll plaza of the George Washington Bridge were closed for four days in September 2013.

Port Authority workers received the orders from high-ranking officials and were told not to warn Fort Lee police officers or public officials, according to the New York Times.

The official reason given for the closures was a traffic study.

But David Wildstein, Baroni's deputy at Port Authority who pleaded guilty last May to conspiracy in the Bridgegate closure, said it was done to punish Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich after he did not endorse Christie for re-election.

He has claimed Christie knew about the lane closings as they were happening, the New York Times reported.

Gov Christie, who saw his approval ratings drop after Bridgegate, has denied advanced knowledge about the closure.
A flood of legal highs into the country's prisons has sparked a wave of violent attacks, threatening to 'severely undermine' the efforts of Justice Secretary Michael Gove (pictured) to rehabilitate thousands of inmates

A flood of legal highs into the country's prisons has sparked a wave of violent attacks, a report reveals today.

A powerful committee of MPs warns jails in England and Wales are seeing rising levels of 'violence, self-harm and suicide'.

The chaos behind bars threatens to 'severely undermine' Justice Secretary Michael Gove's efforts to rehabilitate thousands of inmates and reduce reoffending rates, the Justice Select Committee said.

Safety in jails in England and Wales continues to deteriorate 'significantly' despite measures designed to make them safer, the MPs warned.

The new penal reform agenda will see governors given more control over how their jails are run. Thousands more inmates will be granted day release.

It will also see jails rated by league table on how well they perform in turning inmates away from crime.

Mr Gove has also set out plans to transform the education system in prisons to help more inmates get jobs on the outside.

The report revealed the sharp increase in deaths behind bars which topped 100 in the year to March  the highest level for more than a decade.

There were more than 20,000 assaults on other prisoners last year, a rise of more than a quarter in just 12 months.

Attacks on staff topped 5,000 - a jump of more than a third compared with 2014.

Earlier this month staff at Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London walked out over health and safety concerns.

The report warns the influx of legal highs made prisoners more difficult to deal with.

The Prison Officers' Association told the MPs officials did not move quickly enough to combat the problem.

In December last year prison inspectors warned prison bosses they needed to tackle supply of the drugs into jails and provide treatment for inmates.

Today's report also pointed towards a 'more challenging' mix of prisoners and a higher than anticipated prison population, as well as staff cuts.

Committee chairman Bob Neill said: 'The ministry hoped that prison safety would stabilise. In reality it has deteriorated further and continues to do so. This is a matter of great concern and improvement is urgently needed.

Safety in jails in England and Wales continues to deteriorate 'significantly' despite measures designed to make them safer, the MPs warned

'We will examine the details of the Government's ambitious penal reform agenda in due course.

'But this cannot wait. It is imperative that further attention is paid to bringing prisons back under firmer control, reversing recent trends of escalating violence, self-harm and disorder.

'Without such action, the implementation of these wider reforms will be undermined.'

In a speech last week Mr Gove conceded the most recent figures for deaths in custody and violence in prisons are 'terrible', adding: 'There's no point trying to minimise, excuse or divert attention away from the increasing problems we face.'

Prisons minister Andrew Selous said the report 'demonstrates the very serious challenges facing the Prison Service and shows how badly prison reform is needed'.

'We must do better at reducing violence and self-inflicted deaths, and preventing drugs entering prison. We must do more to help prisoners with mental health problems. We have to ensure prisoners can be rehabilitated so they are no longer a danger to others.'
Fans have taken to social media to wish the British actor a speedy

Tim Healy has reportedly been fighting for his life after he was taken ill while filming the hit show Benidorm.

The 64-year-old actor, known for his starring roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Coronation Street, was filming for the ITV series when he was struck down with a mystery illness in Spain.

He was in a clinic in Spain for nearly a month but was airlifted to a hospital in Manchester on Saturday after his condition stabilised.

The actor Tim Healy was at one stage fighting for his life after he was taken ill while filming the hit show Benidorm

The 64-year-old actor (pictured in the show Benidorm, centre), was filming for the ITV series when he was struck down with a mystery illness in Spain

Tim's wife Joan, pictured together, is thought to have kept a bedside vigil while the actor was in hospital

Fans have taken to social media to wish the actor a speedy recovery.

Scott Garnham, who plays Tony in the West End production of Billy Elliot, tweeted this evening: 'Well this is very sad. Wishing Billy Elliot original Dad (Tim Healy) a speedy recover [sic].'

Tim played Jackie Elliot in the West End musical Billy Elliot, for an eight-month stint in 2005.

According to The Mirror, he was filming for Benidorm when he fell ill - and at one stage was left fighting for his life.

Tim's wife Joan is thought to have kept a bedside vigil, while his ex-wife, Loose Women star Denise Welch, is believed to have flown to Spain to visit him.

Tim married Joan, 54, in November. The pair are pictured together at a charity ball in Manchester in 2012

Tim played the part of Brian Tully in Coronation Street - pictured here with Anthony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully

Tim shot to fame when he played builder Dennis Patterson (right, standing) in the hit 1980s comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

The pair split in 2012 - when Denise broke down in tears on live television as she confessed her 24 year marriage to Tim was over. She revealed the news on Loose Women.

The couple have two sons together, Louis, 15, and 27-year-old Matthew Healy - a rocker with the band, The 1975.

Tim married Joan, 54, in November.

A source told The Mirror Tim had been in hospital for three and a half weeks, and at one point 'was fighting for his life,' adding: 'he was flown to Manchester on Saturday and his condition has improved. The doctors are keeping a constant eye on him.'

An ITV source said filming schedules had been 'adjusted to accommodate Tim's absence on screen,' adding: 'Everyone on Benidorm, both cast and crew, just wants him to rest up and recover well in his own time.'

Tim shot to fame when he played builder Dennis Patterson in the hit 1980s comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Most recently, he starred as Gastric alongside veteran actor David Jason in Still Open All Hours.

An ITV source said filming schedules had been 'adjusted to accommodate Tim's absence on screen'. He is pictured here in 1986

Tim has played transvestite Les/Lesley in the show since 2010 - and filming was under way when he fell ill

Tim's wife Joan is thought to have been by his side at the hospital, while his ex-wife, Loose Women star Denise Welch (pictured with him in 2009), is believed to have flown to Spain to visit him

Filming is under way on the latest series of Benidorm, which follows the daily goings-on at a fictional hotel at the Spanish resort.Tim has played transvestite Les/Lesley in the show since 2010.

A nine-episode ninth series of the popular programme was commissioned in February and is currently in production.

This is the second time Tim has fallen ill while filming for Benidorm.

In 2011 he was rushed to hospital for life-saving surgery after he was diagnosed with the condition intermittent claudication.

After doing tests doctors found he had blocked arteries down both of his legs and told the actor to quit smoking.

Tim - who has smoked since age 11 - lost both his parents to heart-related trouble.
Jeremy Corbyn struggled to admit he was middle class despite his 133,000 income and seven-bedroom house when questioned on ITV's Peston on Sunday (pictured)

He grew up in a seven-bedroom manor house, attended private school and now earns nearly 133,000 a year.

But yesterday Jeremy Corbyn struggled to admit he was middle class.

The hard-Left Labour leader was questioned about his background as he appeared on ITV's Peston on Sunday, and was told that some of his critics say he doesn't understand the middle classes.

Presenter Robert Peston said that 'by chance' he had seen the 'rather lovely' house Mr Corbyn grew up in.

He commented that the property  Yew Tree Manor in Shropshire  was a 'pretty nice place to grow up in'.

Mr Corbyn, 66, attempted to play down his affluent roots.

He said that whoever owns the home now 'has spent a lot more money on it than my mum and dad were ever able to'.

Mr Peston pushed the point, saying: 'A very simple question: Do you think of yourself as middle class?' Squirming, Mr Corbyn replied: 'Oh gawd, I don't know.'

He eventually accepted that because of his income and the house he owns he is middle class, like all MPs.

But he insisted that he saw himself as someone who 'represents a community of the poor and the better-off'.

Mr Corbyn said: 'Listen, I live in my own house, well it's a shared ownership with a bank actually, it's called a mortgage these days. I live in a house, I'm an owner-occupier in my constituency. That puts me in a minority.

'Yes, every MP has a lifestyle which is, I suppose, more or less middle class, but I see myself as somebody that represents and is proud to represent a community of the poor and the better-off but above all it's a community that wants to come together to ensure that everybody, everybody can achieve their maximum in life and in society.

'That is what a better Britain would look like.'

Yew Tree Manor, where Mr Corbyn grew up, is a seven-bedroom property with two acres of land in the countryside, near Newport, is worth around 1.2million

Yew Tree Manor, where Mr Corbyn grew up, is a seven-bedroom property with two acres of land in the countryside, near Newport.

Once part of the Duke of Sutherland's Lilleshall estate, the house had outbuildings and a paddock and is now worth around 1.2million.

8 REASONS WHY JEREMY IS MIDDLE CLASS Earnings: He is paid nearly 133,000 a year as an MP and leader of the Opposition, putting him in the top 2 per cent of earners. Home: He owns a 650,000 home in affluent Islington, north London, more than twice the UK average price. Private school: Mr Corbyn attended Castle House School, where fees today are more than 7,000 a year. Pension: A recent study estimated his pension pot is worth 1.6million. Family home: He spent many of his formative years in Yew Tree Manor, a seven-bedroom house. Allotment: As a keen gardener and allotment holder, Mr Corbyn embodies middle-class urban aspiration. Food: A vegetarian, he recently declared himself an aficionado of kebab shops where he said he enjoys a good falafel  a very metropolitan upper-middle-class foodstuff. Name: Jeremy and his three brothers  Edward, Andrew and Piers  were given solidly middle-class names. Advertisement

Before his family moved to Shropshire, young Jeremy spent his first five years in a five- bedroom detached house in the village of Kington St Michael in Wiltshire.

That property was recently put on the market for 610,000.

Mr Corbyn's father, David, was an electrical engineer and his mother Norma a scientist and teacher.

Their sons had very middle-class names  Jeremy and his three older brothers Edward, Andrew and Piers.

Both his parents were committed socialists but they nonetheless enrolled him in the private Castle House School, in Newport, where fees today are more than 7,000 a year, and then sent him to Adams' Grammar School, also in Newport.

Mr Corbyn owns a 650,000 home in Islington, north London.

A recent study of his pension and earnings suggested he has banked more than 3million in taxpayer-funded pay and pensions over the past 30 years.

Official records suggest that he has been paid some 1.5million since he was elected as an MP in 1983.

His MP's pension pot is estimated to be worth a staggering 1.6million  enough to leave him with an estimated 50,000 a year when the Islington North MP leaves Parliament.
He was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm

A 17-year-old boy has been charged for stabbing his older brother during a domestic dispute.

Police were called to a home in Macquarie Fields, a suburb in south-west Sydney, at around 10.20pm on Sunday night after reports of a stabbing.

Officers found a 24-year-old man with multiple stab wounds to his back and arm which he allegedly sustained in a fight with his younger brother.

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Police were called to a home in Macquarie Fields, a suburb in south-west Sydney, at around 10.20pm on Sunday night after reports of a stabbing

Officers found a 24-year-old man with multiple stab wounds to his back and arm which he allegedly sustained in a fight with his younger brother

Blood spatters could be seen on a yellow picket fence outside the house.

The man was taken to Liverpool Hospital where he remains in a stable condition, while his brother was arrested after attending Macquarie Fields police station.

The teenager has been charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He has been refused bail and will appear in a childrens court on Monday.

The teenager was arrested after attending Macquarie Fields police station where he was charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
Oshin's chance at survival has already diminished with treatment delays

In March, court ordered he be treated with chemo despite their opposition

The parents of a six-year-old cancer sufferer have again faced court to fight an order forcing their son to undergo radiotherapy, on top of chemotherapy, against their wishes.

Angela Kiszko and Colin Strachan denied their son Oshin the potentially life-saving treatments for medullablastoma, a brain cancer, over concerns about side-effects.

But the Perth boy's chance at survival has already declined because of the delay to treating him with chemo and radiotherapy, WA Today reports.

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'I don't want my son's brain fried with radiation, the effects are too harsh, too damaging, and I find it really difficult to even call it a treatment,' the mother said

He had originally been given a 50-60 per cent chance of surviving five years if he began both chemo and radiotherapies imminently.

Because of the delay, a Princess Margaret Hospital doctor told the WA Family Court on Monday combining treatments will now give Oshin just a '40 per cent chance of survival'.

The Perth boy could have died in a matter of months without chemotherapy. He has now had two rounds of chemo.

The doctor said he was not convinced that treatment alone could save the boy and recommended radiotherapy.

A ruling on radiotherapy treatment for Oshin is expected to be made on Monday.

The parents had expressed concern over the possible side-effects of chemo and radiotherapy, which can carry high long term risks of intellectual disability in medullablastoma patients, particularly young children.

Six-year-old Perth boy Oshin (pictured) was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in December last year

The parents have kept up their objections, despite Oshin's mother (left) admitting in a 60 Minutes interview last month she 'doesn't understand' chemotherapy

Last month, Oshin's mother admitted in a 60 Minutes interview she doesn't understand chemotherapy.

'I don't understand it, and I've said that to the oncologist if I could understand your treatment I'd be for it but in my head I just cannot understand it', Ms Kiszko told 60 Minutes.

'They're treating cancer with a carcinogenic, or two carcinogenics, it doesn't make sense to me and I find it really difficult to see that that's called a treatment.'

Ms Kiszko said she didn't want her son's brain 'fried with radiation'.

Oshin's mother said that she would have preferred to treat him in an alternative clinic in Asia, despite the facility having no scientific backing.

'I don't want my son's brain fried with radiation, the effects are too harsh, too damaging, and I find it really difficult to even call it a treatment,' she told the program.

Angela Kiszko (left) and Colin Strachan (right) wanted to send their son to a treatment facility in Asia

'As parents we know our child better than anyone.'

Professor Brian Owler, a neurosurgeon from the Australian Medical Association, said the risks of the treatment were present however many children 'survive not only the tumour but get treatment and go on and live happy and fulfilled lives.'

'Children with medulloblastoma go through years of what I see as torture, medical treatments, relapses, just to get this  maybe  five years,' Ms Kisko told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She told the newspaper: 'I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can.'

Family Court chief justice Stephen Thackray admitted the chances of him surviving more than five years even with treatment were slim.

'I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can,' the mother said

A judge earlier ruled Oshin (pictured), has to be given intense chemotherapy for a brain tumour, despite his parents objecting to the treatment

Despite it being against the odds, Judge Stephen Thackray said the chance of a cure in the future 'is the matter that most heavily must weigh in the decision'.

Ms Kiszko said she did not want to put her son through the treatment after seeing what it had done to her mother and step-mother - both of whom died of cancer.

'I have watched and learned what all these children and their families go through and it is nothing short of toxic hell,' she said.

'The children are not really alive, they are completely drugged and exhausted and on the verge of death.

'It almost feels like Nazi Germany and I am honestly sickened by the treatment of all these children.'

The courts had been called in when the ethics committee of Princess Margaret's Hospital split on whether they could support palliative care.

Western Australian Family Court ordered he be treated by chemotherapy despite their objections in March, with a ruling expected on radiotherapy on Monday

Ms Kiszko (middle) said she didn't want her son's brain 'fried with radiation' (Colin Strachan, back, and Oshin, front)

If the court enforces radiotherapy treatment, together with chemo, the Perth boy will have a 50-60 per cent chance of surviving five years
A holiday crush warning has been issued about Britain's favourite hot spots, Majorca, Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands.

Millions of European tourists will be visiting the islands this year as 'safe haven' alternatives to terrorism-risk areas such as Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.

However, environmentalists on the island suggest the hotels, roads, beaches, water and sewer system will struggle to cope with the invading hordes.

The fight for spaces on sun loungers around hotel pools and the beaches is likely to be fiercer than ever.

Balearic islands including Majorca and Ibiza (pictured) have warned they are getting overbooked early as tourists turn away from areas at risk of terrorist attacks such as Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt

Gerard Hau, a spokesman for Grup Balear d'Ornitologia Defensa de la Naturalesa (GOB), an umbrella group for environmentalists in the Balearics, warned: 'This will be a crazy year.

'The infrastructure will not cope. Mallorca is booked out. We will have serious problems this summer.'

British package holiday companies have cancelled flights to areas of north Africa and Turkey, where tourists have been targeted by terror groups claiming links to ISIS.

They have laid on extra flights and hotels in the Balearic Islands, the Spanish mainland, Italy and Portugal.

However, many destinations have long since sold out and prices have risen.

The islands are also braced for a big rise in stopovers by cruise ships, with 524 vessels expected in the Majorcan port Palma.

Ibiza predicts 154 cruise ships this season, up 28 per cent on last year.

The Balearics, with a permanent population of 1.1 million, had 13 million visitors last year. The main airport in Majorca, Palma, is already pushing its airport capacity of 66 flights a day to 100 this season.

Mr Hau said: 'People come here to enjoy life, but they are stressed because they can't get a seat on the buses  there aren't enough buses.

The islands, including Majorca (pictured), also expect a rise in stopovers by cruise ships, with 524 vessels expected in Majorcan port Palma

'Already we have 60,000 rental cars on this island. We are second only to Hong Kong in our car density. The traffic is gridlocked, so people are stressed. There are no parking places.'

Mr Hau suggested the sewage system may not be able to cope with peak holiday season demand. As a result, there is a problem of raw sewage reaching the beaches and bathing water.

'Last year we had problems with sewage,' he told The Observer.

'The system just couldn't cope, and we do not let people into the sea if there are such problems.

'If they can't go in the sea sometimes, they are stressed.

'They are stressed because there is no room on the beaches, they are stressed and they won't come back.

'Tourism is a vital thing, mass tourism is a tricky, tricky thing. This year will be a crisis year.'

Millions of European tourists will be visiting the islands this year as 'safe haven' alternatives to terrorism-risk areas such as Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt

The authorities in Spain and the Balearics have worked hard to move resorts upmarket with a crackdown on public drinking and loutish behaviour.

Ironically, some of the real problems to the islands comes from trekkers going off the beaten track.

Mallorca has a rare population of 100 black vultures and these are under threat from people walking up to and disturbing the nests. At the same important sand dunes, which are wildlife habitats, have been eroded.
Thousands of cancer patients in England are being denied drugs available in Scotland or Wales.

More than 4,000 are missing out on life-extending treatments they would be able to get across the border.

Charities last night warned that dying patients might be forced to move home if the Government does not intervene.

Thousands of cancer patients in England are being denied drugs available in Scotland or Wales

They said the fact Scotland and Wales are able to supply certain drugs shows that the system in England  governed by NHS rationing watchdog NICE  is broken.

The Rarer Cancers Foundation looked at eight drugs denied to English patients with cancers of the bowel, ovaries, pancreas, kidneys and blood, who would be able to get treatment if they lived in Scotland or Wales.

Some 4,068 patients would be prescribed the drugs each year were they available in England, the charity calculated.

Chief executive Andrew Wilson said: Access in England is slipping back at a time when health services in Scotland and Wales are getting their act together on cancer drugs.

In the past Welsh patients have been forced to leave their homes and families behind to receive life-extending drugs. Now there is a very real prospect this situation could be reversed, with English patients forced to cross the border.

Four of the eight drugs  including Bosulif and Revlimid  treat blood cancers. Another is Abraxane, which can extend life by two months for pancreatic cancer sufferers.

NICE has faced criticism over its strict drug rationing system. It calculates the cost of one extra quality year of life  and if this is above 30,000, or 50,000 for the most seriously ill, funding is denied.

Scotland and Wales are able to supply certain drugs (stock image)

The Scottish Medicines Consortium and the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group use more flexible methods.

Next week NICE will take control of the 400million-a-year Cancer Drugs Fund. Previously run by NHS England, this was set up to provide drugs not approved by NICE  although its list of funded treatments has been cut over the years.

Charities say the move will turn back the clock to when cancer patients were routinely denied access to the best new medicines.

But NICE chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon insisted in Saturdays Daily Mail that drug companies must reduce their prices.

He said that the way the CDF was run until now had temporarily distorted the differences between England and the rest of the UK.

He added: Im very hopeful that once we settle down again in England we will be at least as good for access to cancer treatments as Scotland. But he claimed pharmaceutical companies have to recognise the economic circumstances the NHS is in and do their bit.

Fifteen cancer charities have written to Prime Minister David Cameron expressing deep concern about the drugs provision system in England.
Nasa hopes that it will show whether planet is gas or solid

A Nasa mission is hoping to uncover whether Jupiter is a solid planet and not, as previously thought, a enormous ball of gas.

Nasa's Juno probe, which has been enroute to Jupiter since 2011, is due to arrive next month, and will be launched into orbit around the solar system's biggest planet.

For the first time, scientists will be able to see what lies beneath Jupiter's atmosphere, and to find out what the planet actually looks like.Discovery

Discovery: Thanks to Nasa's Juno probe, scientists will be able to see what lies beneath Jupiter's atmosphere, and to find out what the planet actually looks like

Jupiter is 318 times bigger than Earth and has a hydrogen and helium atmosphere thousands of times thicker than that of our planet.

While it has long been thought that Jupiter does not have a solid surface, no one has been able to prove it - until now.

'Jupiter is a planet of total extremes,' Andrew Coates, professor in planetary science at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory told the Sunday Times.

'It holds twice the mass of all the other planets put together and its atmosphere has amazing bands of coloured gases that rotate in opposites, but we have never known what lies underneath or if it has a rocky core. Juno could answer many of those questions.'

Long journey: An Atlas V rocket launches with the Juno spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida

The Nasa New Frontiers mission launched Juno in 2011, and is now believed to be set to enter orbit a few weeks early of its original arrival date of July 5.

According to Nasa, owing to the intense radiation churned out by Jupiter, the mission is expected to get a critical dosage quickly, and may only last 30 orbits of the planet before it flatlines.

With any luck, it will send back images of the Jovian aurora, as well as peering beneath the clouds to the deeper atmosphere and further, using gravity measurements to reveal details about the planet's core.

Work will also continue on Esa's Jupiter icy moons explorer (Juice) mission, set for launch in 2022.

The mission will explore the gas giant and three of its larger moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
If there is an area of Spain that harbours a land blessed with vineyards and fantastic restaurants, then I was certain I would know about it. How wrong I was.

And it seems that Im not the only wine fan who, remarkably, has failed to appreciate the magical delights of Emporda, a dramatic part of the Costa Brava just 60 miles south of the Pyrenees.

I only discovered this secret gem on an escorted bike tour. Long ago, the sculpted hills and outcrops, and the enormous plains and valleys that make up the wilds of Emporda, were one of Europes  and the worlds  biggest vineyards.

Wheels of fortune: Jilly Goolden rests beside a vineyard during her escorted bike tour in Costa Brava

You can still find the skeletons of some stone-terraced vineyards, but now only the best sites are being cultivated again.

Big investment and unbridled enthusiasm have created a brave new industry. Not only did I pedal past some vineyards, but I visited their cellars and got to taste some exceptional bottles.

While wine is definitely my thing, Im afraid Im a bit of an amateur on a bike. However, I needn't have worried.

The Pirinexus, the longest cycle-touring route in southern Europe, takes you through the national parks of this region, weaving through cork forests on deserted tracks, and occasionally steering you along empty roads.

Inevitably, there are some tough uphill sections to encounter, but the good news is there are support vehicles for those who want to take it easy. And for more experienced riders, there are plenty of challenging routes to be found.

My first night was spent in a modern hotel, Can Xiquet, in Alt Emporda  the region is split into two, with Baix Emporda to the south.

The hotel was brilliantly designed to take advantage of the impressive views. After breakfast, I climbed aboard my bike for the first time and set off.

Never before has exercise been such a joy, interrupted by a little wine-tasting in the morning, and then a leisurely lunch by the sea in El Port de la Selva.

An enormous church sits perched above the endless fields of Baix Emporda in Catalonia, Spain

Afterwards, there was an easy cycle through the valley to Mas Estela, where the land has been rejuvenated by a Catalan/French couple who make wines as naturally as God intended  all biodynamic and raw, and admittedly a little bit wacky.

The fitter members of our group cycled over the escarpment and down to Dalis perfect seaside village, Port Lligat, and adjacent Cadaques (on this occasion I took in some of the masterly views from the support vehicle).

There was a lot to marvel at, but without exaggeration the greatest miracle was finding a new restaurant, Compartir, backed by the former owners of the world-renowned El Bulli; the tasting menu was quite simply the most spectacular and delicious meal I have ever enjoyed.

The next day we were driven south to Baix Emporda and set off on a bucolic cycle track through woods scented with wild fennel, flowers and myrtle.

Then we plunged down into the movie set that is Finca Bell-Lloc, a beautifully restored old farmhouse with stunning rooms and the most daring wine cellar ever. The cellar was created from the rusted hull of an old ship; a modern art installation meets James Bond.

And there we tasted wines  unlabelled except for a band of steel around the bottles neck  that catapult this almost forgotten wine utopia to the top table.

Every one of my senses became finely tuned in Emporda.
With cruise ships carrying millions of holidaymakers every year, crew regularly come across items left behind by forgetful passengers  and some are far stranger than others.

While items such as reading glasses or clothing are the norm, staff have recovered everything from family heirlooms to bundles of cash in staterooms vacated by travellers.

MailOnline Travel spoke to a number of employees within the industry to reveal the most unusual belongings left behind by passengers, including sex toys, expensive watches and womens underwear.

Employees and passengers have made some unusual discoveries on board cruise ships

A Cunard Line spokeswoman said staff once found a 150-year-old 18-carat gold signet ring with a passengers great-great-grandfathers initials etched on the side.

The passenger lost the priceless object as they disembarked a ship.

The Cunard spokeswoman said: It was picked up by another kind passenger who couldnt find a member of staff at the time, so the lady took it home with her and posted it back to our customer service team.

Our customer service team had already been alerted to the missing item by the guest who had lost the ring, and our team immediately recognised it from the discussions they had with the owner.

The owner was reduced to tears when informed it had been found. Once returned, they visited the jewellers where it was valued at 1,500, but it was the sentimental value of the ring that made it priceless to our guest.

Items left behind by previous guests have ranged from glasses and condoms to jewellery and underwear

On another occasion, a Cunard Line employee found a solid gold Rolex watch in a stateroom.

The spokeswoman said: The guests reported that they had left it on board and after corresponding with the ship the customer service team were able to confirm that it had been safely found.

Once the ship had arrived in Southampton the guests decided to drive from Exeter to collect the watch from the offices due to the value and sentimental value of the item.

The guests were so relieved, and grateful to be reunited with the watch, the couple in question presented the customer service team with a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a thank you.

An employee who works for a different cruise line and requested anonymity told MailOnline her colleagues have found discarded sex toys, more than $500 in cash in an envelope and false teeth after passengers have checked out.

Passengers have gone online and shared their amusing or shocking tales about items they forgot on a ship or the unusual belongings that didn't go home with the previous guest.

In a forum on CruiseCritic.co.uk, one user wrote: 'Was having trouble closing the lower draw of the cabinet. Dug deep behind the drawer and came up with a half dozen pair of women's panties. Thankfully all clean and folded.'

Another holidaymaker added: 'The room steward had not cleaned under our bed for a while which became apparent when putting the suitcases there.

'There were a couple of used Depends [adult nappies] and a condom. While possible ... seems unlikely those things would have been left by the same passengers.'

One user was stunned when they visited lost and found, adding: 'I left my glasses behind in the theatre one evening, went back to retrieve them but they had gone.

'Checked with customer services but no one had handed them in. They funny thing was the lady on the desk brought out a whole range of glasses and sunglasses and asked if mine were amongst them. There were about 20 pairs all from that cruise and we had only been on the ship a few days.'

Adam Coulter, UK editor of CruiseCritic.co.uk, told MailOnline passengers usually leave behind items such as mobile phones, digital cameras, shoes or underwear.

He added: 'As with hotels and resorts on land, it's easy to leave items on board at the end of your cruise.

'Most lines will try and help recover missing items, but there's no absolute guarantee.

'Allow extra time to pack, and always do a final thorough cabin search before you disembark, including drawers, under the bed, and the back corners of the safe, to avoid that last-minute packing dash.'

Passengers who have left an item on a cruise ship usually have a limited amount of time to claim it before it is disposed of.

Carnival Cruise Line, for example, has a policy that states items forwarded to the lost and found department will be kept for 30 days.

If a lost item has been recovered and the passenger wants it returned it will be shipped at their own expense.

But not all items will be returned.
A US air marshal, who was armed with his service weapon, reportedly was removed from a passenger jet at London's Heathrow Airport because he was allegedly intoxicated.

Metropolitan police officers were called to a Los Angeles-bound plane at Terminal 2 after the United Airlines captain claimed a man was trying to board under the influence of alcohol.

A police spokesman said the man was breathalysed and arrested, but released from custody a short time later with no further action.

Police were called after the captain suspected a passenger was under the influence of alcohol (file photo)

When police were called to the plane they were told the man stank of booze as he arrived for the long-haul flight, according to a report in The Sun.

He was hauled off the Boeing 777-200, which took off two hours behind schedule, leaving passengers upset, and taken to Heathrows police station.

Flight 935 was carrying up to 269 passengers on the transatlantic flight last Monday.

A source on the plane told The Sun: The captain smelt alcohol on the breath of one of four armed US air marshals who were on board.

Police were called. It caused quite a scene.

Flight 935 was carrying up to 269 passengers on the transatlantic flight from Heathrow's Terminal 2

The Federal Air Marshal Service is part of the Transportation Security Administration and has a motto of detect, deter, defeat.

The TSA confirmed to MailOnline Travel that it is aware of an alleged incident involving an employee.

A spokesperson said: 'While we cannot comment publicly on internal matters currently under investigation, we take all allegations of misconduct seriously.

'TSA holds its employees to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct and takes appropriate action when allegations of misconduct are substantiated.'

Air marshals are not allowed to consume any alcohol within four hours of a non-mission flight and eight hours of a mission flight.

A Scotland Yard spokesman told MailOnline: On Monday, 9 May police were called at around 12:25pm following concerns by the captain of a flight due to leave Heathrow for Los Angeles that a person trying to board was under the influence of alcohol.

Officers attended and breathalysed a man, and he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being over the prescribed limit.

The man was taken into custody at Heathrow Police Station but released shortly after with no further action.

A police source told The Sun the man had not broken any UK laws.
It looks as if its all but official: heart-throb actor Tom Hiddleston to become the next James Bond.

Bookmakers Coral yesterday suspended all betting on the Bond succession after strong support for The Night Manager star made him a 1-2 odds-on favourite to win the role.

Punters are believed to have reacted to news that the Hiddleston, 35, enjoyed a meeting with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Sam Mendes, director of Skyfall and Spectre, last week.

Bookmakers Coral yesterday suspended all betting on the Bond succession after strong support for The Night Manager star made him a 1-2 odds-on favourite to win the role

The Bond bosses have so far remained silent about whether Daniel Craig will reprise his role.

Hiddleston was a huge success in The Night Manager earlier this year and caused a sensation by revealing his bottom in a sex scene with co-star Elizabeth Debicki, 25.

Now his celebrated rear has become the talk of America after it was censored from an AMC network screening of the passionate tryst, right.

After angry US viewers took to Twitter to complain, coining the hashtag #Hiddlesbum, AMC has now agreed to reshow the episode in full tomorrow  but after 11pm.

Sir Antony Gormleys current London art show Cast is well named as, I can reveal, the artist will be wheelchair-bound for eight months, his left leg in a cast, thanks to torn ligaments in his foot.

Sir Antony is keeping the cause of his injury strictly secret.

But to create prints for the show, the Angel Of The North sculptor, 65, covered his naked body in petroleum jelly and fell repeatedly on to the paper. Perhaps he is suffering for his art?

Jennifer Lawrence, below, suffered another of her adorable red-carpet tumbles last week, tripping at the new X-Men fan screening at Londons BFI Imax.

And I might just have discovered the reason for her shaky sense of balance.

As a toddler, J-Law, 25, was hit in a freak car accident.

Neighbour Joe Main tells me it was a miracle two-year old Jennifer emerged with only cuts and bruises after he reversed over her in the 1992 accident in Louisville, Kentucky.

I hope she doesnt hold a grudge. It was simply an accident, said Joe. Could this explain Jennifers red-carpet wobbles?
Gwyneth Paltrow hosted a sleepover and birthday brunch for her daughter Apple on Saturday to celebrate her 12th birthday.

And it turns out Apple had at least one very special guest - four-year-old Blue Ivy Carter.

Beyonce's daughter, wearing a white striped dress, was pictured with Apple, in a gray tee and shorts, in a sweet photo posted to Instagram by the actress.

Besties: Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple Martin, left, celebrated her 12th birthday on Saturday with the help of Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy Carter, four

'Birthday brunch squad #godsistersandbesties,' Gwyneth wrote alongside the snap that also included two other youngsters.

The photo appeared to have been taken in a wood-paneled room that served as the bedroom for the girls with a large bed, camping mattresses, comforters and pillows.

The Shakespeare In Love Oscar winner also shared a throwback snap of Apple from 10 years ago, when she was two.

Celebratory sleepover: The two were joined by two other girls for the sweet photo shared by Paltrow on her Instagram with the caption: 'Birthday brunch squad'

Cutie pie: The actress and GOOP founder also posted a picture of Apple from 10 years ago, when she was two, writing: 'Happy birthday, Apple Martin, great love of my life'

In the close up portrait, Apple is seen with her face colorfully painted with cat's whiskers and a flowers across her forehead.

She's sucking her thumb as she gazes at the camera with her big blue eyes.

'Here she is 10 years ago today on what was her second birthday,' Gwyneth wrote.

'Happy birthday, Apple Martin, great love of my life.'

Proud mama: The Shakespeare In Love Oscar winner also ahs a son Moses, 10, with her ex-husband Chris Martin. They are shown on vacation as they joined the Coldplay frontman on tour in Latin America in April

Apple is Gwyneth's eldest child with ex-husband Chris Martin.

The former couple also share son Moses, who turned 10 in April.

The Hollywood star split from the Coldplay frontman after 10 years of marriage and their divorce was finalized in April 2015.

Celebrity moms: Gwyneth is godmother to Blue Ivy as is former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland, both pictured with Beyonce and Jay Z Carter in 2012
They say love knows no faults, but that can't be said of Sharon Osbourne's marriage to rocker Ozzy Osbourne.

Sharon Osbourne is said to be willing to give her 'cheating' husband another chance following his alleged infidelity with hairstylist Michelle Pugh but there's a one condition.

The Talk co-host is demanding that Ozzy check himself into Pine Grove in Mississippi for treatment for sex addiction, according toThe Sun.

It's not over yet: Sharon Osbourne is willing to take her 'cheating' husband Ozzy Osbourne another chance on one condition - that he check into Pine Grove treatment center in Mississippi for sex addiction, The Sun reports

Sharon told a friend that the 67-year-old 'is squirming with remorse' over his reported affair with Michelle, 45.

Just a few days ago, Sharon was ready to throw in the towel on the union and was reportedly speaking to a divorce attorney.

But she appears to have had a change of heart, and the couple's cuddly display at an event in Los Angeles on Thursday showed plainly the affection they still feel for one another.

Cuddly display: Sharon was ready to throw in the towel on the union and was reportedly speaking to a divorce attorney but 'believes they can eventually recover from this if he is prepared to get proper help'

Ozzy was seen giving his wife an affectionate kiss on the check at the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest news conference at the Hollywood Palladium.

Sharon may be separated from Ozzy but she's still his band manager, and both were seen wearing their wedding rings.

'It's true Sharon has spoken to a divorce lawyer and she is still as mad as hell,' a friend told The Sun. 'But she believes they can eventually recover from this if he is prepared to get proper help.'

The alleged mistress: Ozzy's alleged other woman Michelle Pugh was spotted on Friday strolling to work at Meche salon in Beverly Hills, CA where she is a hairstylist

Low profile: The 45-year-old hairstylist was said to have taken a few days off to lay low for a while amid the Ozzy 'cheating' scandal, according to The Sun

Needing some company? Michelle was accompanied by a friend on the way to work

Added the friend: 'She also wants them to attend marriage guidance counseling.'

Pine Grove is where Tiger Woods checked in following his cheating scandal and marital bust-up in 2010.

Meanwhile, Michelle Pugh was seen on Friday strolling back to work at the Beverly Hills salon where she is a hairstylist.

Sorry: Ozzy is reportedly 'squirming with remorse' for his indiscretion while Sharon is 'still mad as hell'

Tall tale: Sharon returned to work on The Talk on Tuesday after 'discovering Ozzy's affair' last weekend

She was said to be keeping a low profile in the wake of the Ozzy scandal.

Sharon 'discovered Ozzy's affair' with Michelle after searching through his computer and finding incriminating emails, according to Us Weekly.

Word of Sharon and Ozzy's marital bust-up emerged over the weekend with the heavy metal rocker moving out of their Beverly Hills, California home, according to Page Six.

The rocker has since returned to the couple's house and Sharon has moved out, the news site reported.

Sharon did not appear on her The Talk show on Monday, but returned to the chat panel on Tuesday and explained, in part, her personal hardship.
They are one of pop culture's cutest couples.

So it's rather fitting that Pixie Lott and Oliver Cheshire headed-up the celebrities at Annabel's Cannes Party on Saturday night.

The pair oozed sex appeal at the Chopard-sponsored bash, which feted the annual French film festival.

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Sexy: Pixie Lott and Oliver Cheshire headed-up the celebrities at Annabel's Cannes Party on Saturday night

Amping up the glamour for the festivities, the blonde beauty commanded attention in her monochrome choice of attire.

A floor-length, halter-neck ensemble by DSQUARED2, it consisted of a white, backless waistcoat and black, pleated skirt for contrast.

As if that wasn't enough, the latter also featured a daring thigh-high slit, which offered onlookers a clear view of her envy-inducing long legs.

Wow-factor: Pixie had clearly pulled-out all the stops for the occasion in the French Riviera town

Amping up the glamour, the blonde beauty commanded attention in her monochrome choice of attire

The pair oozed sex appeal at the Chopard-sponsored bash, which marked the annual French film festival

Sweeping her blonde hair back into a wet-look style, she also added some heavily-defined eye make-up and diamond jewellery for added glitz.

Carrying a rigid clutch bag, she was on fine sartorial form and clearly dressed to impress.

However, boyfriend Oliver Cheshire was no less impressive in his three-piece houndstooth DSQUARED2 suit.

She's not shy! Sweeping her blonde hair back into a wet-look style, she also added some heavily-defined eye make-up and diamond jewellery for added glitz

Pixie's halter-neck ensemble consisted of a white, backless waistcoat and black, pleated skirt for contrast

Model behaviour: Oliver Cheshire was no less impressive in his three-piece houndstooth suit

On fine form: Carrying a rigid clutch bag, she was on fine sartorial form and clearly dressed to impress

Teaming it with a crisp, white shirt the Orlebar Brown model looked incredibly dashing.

Ensuring the classic look had a modern edge, he wore a brown pair of brogues without socks which wasn't just cool - but seasonal too.

Posing up a storm a the French Riviera bash, he was every inch the dapper model.

Not that they were the only celebs there! Colin Firth and his wife Livia also attended the bash in dazzling style

Dapper dude: The British star may be 55 years-old, but showed little sign of ageing on the red carpet

Also there was La Vie En Rose actress Marion Cotillard, who braved bolder colour for the occasion

Gorgeous: The Oscar-winning actress set off her look with dramatic earrings

Life of the party! Oliver seemed in great spirits as he danced along behind Pixie

Packing on the PDA: Pixie and Oliver couldn't keep their hands off each other at the bash

Living it up: The pair appeared to be having the time of their life as they partied the night away

Put em up: The pair danced with their hands flailing in the air

Smitten: Oliver gazed deep into Pixie's eyes as they celebrated in style at the glitzy bash

Not that they were the only celebrities there, of course.

Colin Firth and his wife Livia also attended the bash in dazzling style.

He stepped-out in a navy blue suit, while she opted for a black dress featuring gold embellishments.

Also in attendance at the glamorous event was La Vie En Rose actress Marion Cotillard, who braved bolder colour for the occasion.

Star-studded: Charli XCX looked out of this world in a galaxy print grey dress

Busty display: The Fancy hitmaker made the most of her ample cleavage in the sexy number

Dazzling duo: Charli cosied up to Pixie as they flashed the flesh in their daring dresses

Cosy corner: Pixie rushed Charli away to a seating area where they enjoyed a quick chat

Socialite style: Mary Charteris and Jack Guinness were dressed to impress at the event as they also wore DSQUARED2

On the decks: Lady Mary got the crowds going as she played her tunes

Hitting the dance floor: Pixie and her model beau got everybody on their feet

Party pals: Charli and Pixie appeared very close as they enjoyed a drink together

A-list action: French beauty Marion enjoyed an animated conversation with the Firths

Group shot: The party continued well into the night and the gang couldn't resist a photo opportunity
Marco Pierrer White Jnr with his fiancee Kim Melville-Smith outside The Ivy in Kensington, London

Oh dear! Things seem to be going from bad to worse for celebrity chef Marco Pierre Whites wild child son.

Just weeks after I revealed he had been involved in a ruckus with his own mother, Marco Jnr, 20, has now been charged with driving while under the influence... after reversing a Range Rover into a parked police car.

Marco  whose behaviour can be peculiar at the best of times  admits he was in high spirits and couldnt stop talking after the accident, which happened late last month in West London in broad daylight.

The surprised officer understandably breathalysed Marco and didnt seem amused when the flamboyant model made a joke about snorting cocaine. Marco has since confessed to me he was under the influence of a cocktail of substances at the time.

To make matters worse  if thats possible!  young Marco was at the wheel of his new girlfriends car and tells me he was not insured to drive it. Marco Jnrs outrageous ways have become a source of amusement among his friends  but his parents will no doubt be most concerned by my news.

Marcos mother Mati lives next door to him in Chiswick, West London, and is said to be at her wits end over her sons behaviour.

I revealed in February that she had been charged with assault following a bust-up involving Marco and his older brother Luciano, 21, at their 500,000 townhouse.

Marco claims his father has forbidden him from having a debit card to stop him spending cash on recreational drugs.

But just last week, Marco Jnr posted a Snapchat picture that appeared to refer to a cocktail of prescription drugs and material for smoking cannabis, saying: Mixed promethazine with codeine and a spliff that needs to be rolled.

I can only hope his delightful new girlfriend Kim Melville-Smith, 36, can keep her toyboy on the straight and narrow.

Kim runs successful fashion business Imnu London and Marco says he is madly in love with her, although he only broke up with his fiancee Jessica Hydleman six weeks ago.

Marco tells me he and Kim plan to marry and start a family right away. I just hope for Marcos sake that responsibility will help curb his wild ways.

Marcos mother and father both declined to comment on the incident last night.

Marco Jnr posted a Snapchat picture that appeared to refer to a cocktail of prescription drugs and material for smoking cannabis

A word of advice for stunning 90210 actress Jessica Lowndes, who has been excitedly telling friends she and ex-boyfriend Thom Evans are madly in love, and  three years after they broke up  are back on as a couple, this time for good.

He might not be on the same page, Jessica.

Poor Jessica has been sending messages to pals describing how the former Scottish international Rugby Union player and model told her she is the love of his life

Poor Jessica has been sending messages to pals describing how the former Scottish international Rugby Union player and model told her she is the love of his life and has asked her to join him on an exotic holiday in June.

But I am afraid his entourage tell me Thom has no plans to spend his future with her and that he very much does not consider himself back together with her.
James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff shocked fans when they issued a joint statement announcing they are to divorce.

And the Scottish actor, 37, has allegedly formed a close friendship with his X-Men co-star Alexandra Shipp, 24, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

A source told the publication: 'Its no great secret how theyve got close. James has been quite open among the cast and crew that his marriage was over  and it seems he has struck up a friendship with Alex since then.

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Hands on: James McAvoy, 37, has allegedly formed a close friendship with his X-Men co-star Alexandra Shipp, 24, according to new reports

They continued: 'Its been the source of some gossip among those connected to the film  but theyve kept things low key.'

The Penelope star refused to comment on the reports he had been linked to Alexandra when he returned to his marital home on Sunday.

James arrived at the 1.9 million four-bed terraced house in north London with his estranged wife Anne and their ten-year-old son Brendan.

When questioned, the star declined to comment on any aspect of their marriage, and the pair later left together on bicycles.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Alexandra and is awaiting comment.

End of an era: James and Anne Marie-Duff, 45, shocked fans when they issued a joint statement announcing they are to divorce

James was pictured at last week's X-Men: Apocalypse premiere at London's BFI IMAX placing his hands around Alexandra's waist as they shared a joke.

The American beauty takes on the role of Storm, previously played by Halle Berry in the noughties, in the latest film in the franchise.

It is believed the pair struck up a friendship on the set of their film amid long running marriage issues between James and Anne-Marie.

Filming for the latest X-Men installment began in March 2015 with the cast on location in Montreal, Canada.

Hair today, gone tomorrow: The pair were in playful mood at last year's Comic-Con, where they sported matching shaved heads

WHO IS ALEXANDRA SHIPP? Alexandra was born in Phoenix, Arizona but moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career

She shot to fame playing the titular role in Lifetime biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B

She plays Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse - a role originally starring Halle Berry

Alexandra also starred in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

She is also a talented singer and has recorded several tracks

In 2013 she hosted the annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards alongside Josh Duhamel



Whilst the cast has not yet been confirmed, it is expected the pair will reprise their roles for the next film in the series, X-Men: The New Mutants.

Alexandra has previously expressed an interest in working with the franchise and even explained she would like to film a solo spin-off.

The star shot to fame as a child star, and was known for her role as KT Rush in the Nickelodeon series House of Anubis.

She later made a name for herself as the titular role in Lifetime biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B.

She is also passionate about singing and has recorded several tracks for her EP.

James is reportedly still living with Anne-Marie and the pair's relationship is amicable.

The source added: 'He and his wife are still living together and things are pretty amicable, but there was no doubt he is now single. He and Alex were certainly very tactile.'

James and Anne-Marie met on the set of Shameless over a decade ago, where they played on-screen lovebirds Steve McBride and Fiona Gallagher.

They issued a joint statement which read: 'It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce,' the pair said in a joint statement.

Making waves: The American beauty takes on the role of Storm, previously played by Halle Berry, for X-Men: Apocalypse. She initially shot to fame playing the titular role in Lifetime biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B

'We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son.

'We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our childs privacy during this time.'

X-Men star James and fellow thespian Anne-Marie are parents to a son named Brendan, born in 2010.

The stars tied the knot in a low-key ceremony on October 18, 2006.

Following their nuptials, the Scottish actor confessed to radio host Ryan Seacrest that his wife had made him complete, making him feel 'like myself a little bit more'.

James previously explained that the couple liked to keep their marriage private and preferred to shun the limelight.

He also explained that he made a conscious decision not to work alongside his wife in case they became 'a target.'

Keeping things civil: The star is reportedly still living with Anne-Marie and the pair's relationship is amicable

He explained he was worried starring together could lead them to the same fate as former co-stars and now exes, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner and Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he explained: 'We've been offered a hell of a lot of parts playing opposite each other in films and TV and we just turn them down.

'If you do work together you put yourself up, you make yourself a target and you make your relationship a target and all of that. We're very keen not to do that.'

The split comes in the midst of James' promotional tour for his new film, X-Men: Apocalypse, which is set to drop on May 27.

He recently joined his co-star Jennifer Lawrence for an appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday evening, just as news of his marital separation broke.

Viewers were quick to claim there was 'outrageous flirting' between James and Jennifer as they joked comedian Jack Whitehall and Hollywood heavyweight Johnny Depp on the sofa.
Blac Chyna surprised her mom Tokyo Toni with a brand new car, sharing the moment on her Snapchat Saturday.

The 28-year-old documented the unveiling of her surprise gift for Tokyo just days after Mother's Day.

The model, who is expecting a child with her fiance Rob Kardashian, donned a brightly patterned floral Adidas track suit just hours after touching down in Washington, D.C..

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Sharing a moment: Blac Chyna surprised her mom Tokyo Toni with a brand new car, sharing the moment on her Snapchat Saturday

The star glowed while dressed in a blue, black, green and white two-piece set, adding large framed sunglasses and dark hued Yeezy sneakers.

Blac, who hid her growing baby bump beneath her loose fitting cover up, wore no makeup.

The pregnant star styled her platinum blonde locks with a braid, opting to leave her long tresses loose.

The mom of one filmed a series of snaps after arriving to the city with Rob just hours after they were spotted leaving their hotel in Miami.

Happy occasion: The 28-year-old documented the unveiling of her surprise gift for Tokyo just days after Mother's Day

Pure joy: The star, who is expecting a child with her fiance Rob Kardashian, donned a brightly patterned floral Adidas track suit just hours after touching down in Washington, D.C.

Grinning ear to ear: The mom-to-be glowed while dressed in a blue, black, green and white two-piece set, adding large framed sunglasses and Yeezy sneakers

Blac got her mom a brand new Nissan and filmed her mother's reaction upon receiving it.

Tokyo jumped up and down for joy while screaming 'Chyna got me a car!'

The starlet then proceeded to film close ups as she gave details about the car, adding that its 'brand new,' '2016,' and 'fully loaded' with a 'double sunroof' and 'leather seats.'

Exciting day: Blac got her mom a brand new Nissan and filmed her mother's reaction upon receiving it

Fun: The pregnant star styled her platinum blonde locks with a braid, opting to leave her long tresses loose

Smiles for days: Tokyo jumped up and down for joy while screaming 'Chyna got me a car'

The twosome lip synced to Rihanna's song Rude Boy while sitting in the car; later Tokyo told the camera that she was so happy she could cry.

A grinning Rob, 29, made an appearance in her snap, dressed in a white T-shirt and a New York Yankees hat.

Blac then exclaimed that 'this is so her' while filming her mom driving away in her new vehicle, followed a snap of the two of them dancing.

Making memories: Blac, who hid her growing baby bump beneath her loose fitting cover up, wore no makeup

Good times: The twosome lip synced to Rihanna's song Rude Boy; later Tokyo told the camera that she was so happy she could cry

The starlet then proceeded to film close ups as she gave details about the car, adding that its 'brand news,' '2016,' and 'fully loaded' with a 'double sunroof' and 'leather seats'

Blac shared a video from her snap to her Instagram, captioning it with: 'Today was an amazing day! Got my mom a fully loaded 2016 Nissan, exactly what she asked for!'

Adding: 'She's not a flashy person and it makes me so happy that I was able to do this for her! Love you mom!!'

The Washington, D.C.-born star and her beau were seen arriving at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia earlier in the day.

Enjoying time together: A grinning Rob, 29, made an appearance in her snap, dressed in a white T-shirt and a New York Yankees hat

Bonding moment: Blac shared a video from her snap to her Instagram, captioning it with: 'Today was an amazing day! Got my mom a fully loaded 2016 Nissan, exactly what she asked for'

Love is in the air: The pregnant star and her beau were seen arriving at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia earlier in the day

The twosome are in the capital for a club appearance at Bliss nightclub scheduled for Saturday evening.

The model, who has a three-year-old son King Cairo with her former beau rapper Tyga, announced her pregnancy in early May.

Blac and Rob started dating in January 2016 and became engaged in April.

Staying in step together: The twosome are in the capital for a club appearance at Bliss nightclub scheduled for Saturday evening

Strike a pose: Blac, who has a three-year-old son King Cairo with former beau rapper Tyga, announced her pregnancy in early May
She looked stunning in her mother's vintage coral dress when she accompanied her husband to the Chopard green carpet collection event at the Cannes Film Festival earlier on Saturday.

And Livia Firth, 46, underwent a costume change for the watch company's star-studded Gent's Party at Annabel's later in the evening, wowing in a classy black frock.

The Italian-born beauty put on a close display with her actor husband Colin, 55, for the cameras as they posed with their arms around each other.

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Stunning! Livia Firth, 46, underwent a costume change for Chopard's star-studded Gent's Party at Annabel's on Saturday evening, wowing in a classy black frock as she posed with husband Colin, 55

Livia's sophisticated dress had an embroidered chest piece with sheer sleeves and overlay. She matched the garment with a teetering pair of black heels for extra elevation.

Her neatly styled chestnut tresses looked full of health and vitality, while her expertly applied make-up ensured she was at her glamorous best for the event.

She decorated her perfect peepers with thick eyeliner and lashings of mascara and added a touch of sparkle to her look with some dangling earrings.

Glamorous: The Italian-born beauty and Colin posed with actress Marion Cotillard

Debonair: Colin was typically dashing in a navy suit with a monochrome tie and white shirt

Meanwhile, Colin was typically dashing in a navy suit with a monochrome tie and white shirt, finishing the ensemble off with some polished black leather shoes.

Clean-shaven for the high-profile event, the star also ensured his short locks were perfectly-coiffed.

The couple were joined by French actress Marion Cotillard, 40, who put on a vibrant display in a purple polo-neck top with burgundy PVC leggings.

Handsome: Clean-shaven for the high-profile event, the star also ensured his short locks were perfectly-coiffed

Earlier in the day, the Firths were joined at the green carpet collection by Caroline Scheufele, the artistic director and co-president of Chopard.

Livia, who is the creative director of Eco-Age - which aims raise the profile of sustainability, ethics and social welfare - has been promoting the idea of sustainable fashion for some time and regularly wears recycled outfits for high profiles events.

She told the Telegraph this month: 'The biggest message is every time you buy something, always think, Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?.

'If the answer is yes, then buy it. But youd be surprised how many times you say no. That should tell you something about how the current model in fashion is unsustainable - and needs urgent change.'
She's walked for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world, making her debut at New York Fashion Week in 2014.

But Bella Hadid will be bringing some international glamour to the runways in Sydney this week as she prepares to make her first appearance at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia.

The 19-year-old touched down in Australia on Sunday morning, flashing her toned midriff in a cropped black tracksuit.

Off-duty beauty! Bella Hadid touched down in Australia on Sunday morning, flashing her toned midriff in a cropped black tracksuit

Ensuring her gym gear was given a fashionable touch, the brunette added a thick black choker and a pair of over-sized reflective sunglasses.

The model-of-the-moment completed her dressed down outfit with a pair of basic trainers, and was swamped by fans as she made her way through the terminal.

Her long raven locks were kept free-flowing, and she appeared to wear very little makeup as she made her cheery entrance following a 21-hour flight from Cannes by way of Paris.

Fashionable: Ensuring her gym gear was given a fashionable touch, the brunette added a thick black choker

Stunning: Her long raven locks were kept free-flowing, and she appeared to wear very little makeup

Swamped: The 19-year-old was swamped by fans as she made her way through the terminal

Earlier that day, the model shared a snap from the first class cabin, making light of the long journey Down Under.

Having stopped over in Dubai, she shared a snap of her feet up in the luxurious seat as she settled in to watch the animated film Kung Fu Panda.

'Bout to hit up Kung Fu Panda. 17 hours to go!' she wrote.

Selfie time! Fans were sure to quickly snap photos of Gigi's younger sister as she made her way through the terminal

Fresh faced! The beauty looked impossibly fresh-faced as she touched down after the 21-hour flight from Cannes

'Gonna write a novel': Bella shared a snap from inside her first class seat making light of the travel time to Australia

'Gonna write a novel or shoot a short film Brb (be right back).'

The brunette stunner and younger sister of fellow model Gigi will make her debut appearance at Carriageworks for MBFW.

She will walk exclusively for Melbourne brand Misha to launch Misha Gold, a new premium collection, on Sunday.
It's one of the toughest colors to pull off on the red carpet.

But Diane Kruger looked glamorous in a frilly yellow gown as she attended the GLAAD Media Awards in NYC on Saturday.

The 39-year-old actress looked stunning in the floor-length, tired dress that featured a dramatic sheer train.

Brighter than the sun: Diane Kruger wore a floor-length, yellow gown to the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday

The frock, which was designed by Prabal Gurung, displayed a halter neckline and a layered, chiffon front.

Diane accessorized her look with Monique Pean earrings and a solid black clutch.

For hair, the model and actress went for an old Hollywood vibe, choosing structured waves.

The stunner glammed up her face with a classic, dark eye and bold red lip.

Multiple elements: The frock, which was designed by Prabal Gurung, displayed a halter neckline and a layered, chiffon front

Going together: Her date for the night was designer Prabal, who wore a smart black suit

Her date for the night was dress designer Prabal.

The 37-year-old Singapore native wore a classic, black suit, going the modern route with a slim tie.

On Instagram, Diane shared a snap of the duo's table, featuring hand-written notes addressed to them.

Kisses: Diane accessorized her look with Monique Pean earrings and a solid black clutch

Letters: The actress also posted a snap of their table, featuring hand-written notes addressed to them

'We so GLAAD we came  #whyamIsocheesydunno #GLAAD,' wrote Diane.

In the snap, a quick letter was written to the star, asking her to join the organization.

'Diane- Welcom, thank you for joining us tonight. I hope you will consider becoming a member of GLADD,' read the card.
She's known for her amazingly svelte figure.

So it's no surprise model Alessandra Ambrosio was keeping things toned on Saturday morning as she attended a yoga class with her fiance Jamie Mazur.

The 35-year-old mother-of-two looked refreshed as she left the class, and showed off her flat midriff in a long sleeve white crop top.

Fitness is important: It's no surprise that Alessandra Ambrosio was keeping things toned on Saturday morning, when she opted to take a yoga class with her fiance Jamie Mazur

Some gunmetal grey leggings by Beyond Yoga with a texture from the thigh down and a pair of white slip-on flats completed the fitness-minded ensemble.

Her brunette tresses were scraped back into a high ponytail and though it was an exercise session, the fashion-conscious runway star saw fit to add just a dash of additional style with some small dangling earrings.

She carried her yoga mat in a pink bag featuring a flower pattern and a grey strap with a large tassel.

The Victoria Secret beauty shielded her eyes from the wonderful California sun with mirrored aviator shades.

Good session? The 35-year-old mother of two looked refreshed as she left the class, and showed off her flat midriff in a long sleeve white crop top

Long-time beau Jamie brought up the rear and looked as though he had decided to change after the session, as he sported a simple white t-shirt, jeans and white sneaker combination.

He carried a far fuller bag which seemed to contain his yoga outfit in addition to his own mat.

But the pair made sure that they rewarded their hard work at yoga by heading out for a day date afterwards.

Sports luxe: Some gunmetal grey leggings by Beyond Yoga with a texture from the thigh down and a pair of white slip-on flats completed the fitness-minded ensemble

Reward time: The pair rewarded their hard work at yoga by heading out for a day date afterwards

The two whipped home and got changed before heading out for some fresh juices.

Alessandra swapped her leggings for a pair of white high-waisted jeans which she wore with loose it tank and a blue and white stripped shirt.

The casual but chic look was finished off with a pair of orange espadrilles and lots of gold jewellery.

Changing it up: Alessandra swapped her leggings for a pair of white high-waisted jeans which she wore with loose it tank and a blue and white stripped shirt

Added extras: The casual but chic look was finished off with orange espadrilles and lots of gold jewellery

Jamie meanwhile, popped on some dark jeans with a white T-shirt and a blue coaches jacket with an emblem featuring a moose on it.

While it appeared that Saturday was just a mother-father outing, the pair has recently been focused on son Noah's fourth birthday.

The model and her partner threw their youngest a big birthday bash last Saturday and then had a family celebration on Sunday.

Posting pictures from both events, Alessandra wrote: 'And... My baby is 4 already #myboy #growinguptoofast #morethenwords.'

Casually cool: Jamie meanwhile, popped on some dark jeans with a white T-shirt and a blue coaches jacket with an emblem featuring a moose on it
She is guaranteed to bring the laughs whatever the occasion.

And Jennifer Saunders did exactly that when she attended the Moonwalk 2016 event in London on Saturday evening.

The 57-year-old comedian put on typically comical display as she joined forces with 1000s of participants who prepared to walk in the moonlight wearing bras in a bid to raise awareness of breast cancer as well as raising money for breast cancer research.

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Ever the entertainer: She is guaranteed to bring the laughs whatever the occasion and Jennifer Saunders did exactly that when she attended the Moonwalk 2016 event in London on Saturday evening

Keeping spirits high, the Absolutely Fabulous star appeared to be in a particularly playful mood as she posed for snaps alongside the likes of Harriet Thorpe, Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent ahead of the event.

One funny shot saw the star lean forward and direct her chest towards the camera as she cupped her breasts with a cheeky grin on her face.

Clad in a black T-shirt, jeans and a khaki bomber jacket for the march, Jennifer joined her fellow walkers by placing a bright floral garland around her neck.

Philanthropist: The 57-year-old comedian put on typically comical display as she joined forces with 1000s of participants who prepared to walk in the moonlight wearing bras in a bid to raise awareness of breast cancer

Meanwhile, Jennifer has been hot on the promotional trail of the highly-anticipated, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

The award-winning actress was pictured stepping out of Global Radio studios in London on Wednesday alongside co-star Joanna Lumley as they continued their campaign.

The comical duo were seen getting helped out of the studio building and making their way into a waiting car as they no doubt headed off to their next interview destination.

Aloha! Clad in a black T-shirt, jeans and a khaki bomber jacket for the march, Jennifer joined her fellow walkers by placing a bright floral garland around her neck

The official synopsis for the film reads: 'Edina and Patsy are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around Londons trendiest hotspots.

'Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi.

'Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forevermore!'

Keeping spirits high: The Absolutely Fabulous star appeared to be in a particularly playful mood as she posed for snaps alongside the likes of (from left) Harriet Thorpe, Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent ahead of the event

The movie boasts appearances from more than 60 celebrities, including Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Jon Hamm and Rebel Wilson.

Meanwhile Jane Horrocks as Bubble, Celia Imrie as Claudia Bing and June Whitfield as Mother are back reprising their roles.

As well as starring in the film, Saunders wrote the script, which was directed by Mandie Fletcher, produced by Jon Plowman and Damian Jones.

The original TV series was first broadcast in 1992 and continued for five seasons.

The film hits cinemas in the UK on July 1, 2016 with US and Australia release dates of July 22 and August 11, respectively.
After a long hot summer, the Sydney weather has finally taken a chilly turn over the past month.

So it's no surprise that Lara Bingle was all rugged up in a baggy black coat as she arrived for a photo shoot at The Front studios in Sydney on Saturday.

The 28-year-old's coat noticeably obscured her stomach - and any signs of a potential baby bump - following speculation that she could be expecting her second child with husband Sam Worthington.

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Nothing to see here! Lara Bingle kept her physique swathed in fabric by sporting a baggy black coat as she arrived for a photo shoot with famed fashion photographer Simon Upton in Sydney on Saturday

Lara looked typically chic in her stylish ensemble, pairing the coat with a pair of blue denim jeans.

The reality TV star sported chunky black boots on her feet and hid her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses.

She appeared to be makeup-free, no doubt keeping a fresh face before being made up by the glam squad at the shoot with famed fashion photographer Simon Upton.

Stylish: The 28-year-old looked stylish in black following speculation that she could be pregnant with her second child to husband Sam Worthington

This isn't the first time this week that the ex-WAG has suspiciously swathed her stomach in public.

On Friday, Lara appeared at Sephora Sydney to promote her skincare range, where she noticeably hid her torso, behind what appeared to be a portfolio, amid speculation she may be expecting.

'It was so wonderful to meet all the amazing Sephora beauty advisors today,' the blonde wrote next to a photo of herself educating the store staff on her product, The Base.

Back to business: Lara kept her torso covered as she promoted her skincare range in Sydney on Friday, keeping a portfolio in her lap amid speculation the model may be pregnant

She added: 'These guys really know their stuff! Pop in for a consult and try out my @thebasebylb products.'

The former Dancing With The Stars participant looked striking in a conservative ensemble that was worlds away from the bikinis that she was once famed for.

She looked incredible in a black blazer over a dress, which was baggy enough to shroud her frame and hide any evidence of a possible baby bump.

'It was so wonderful to meet all the amazing Sephora beauty advisors today,' wrote the 28-year-old on Instagram as she plugged her product

Tanning tycoon: The former glamour model struck a sultry pose in front of a shelf of her tan based products

The reality TV star, who is married to actor Sam Worthington, appeared on KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday morning, where she addressed her rumoured pregnancy.

During the interview, she told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson that any any news of a second pregnancy would be kept between her and husband Sam.

'I think being pregnant is such a personal thing for a woman. I just find it weird even talking to you about it,' she said.

Loving herself! The busty reality TV star admired her own reflection in the mirror

'I think being pregnant is such a personal thing for a woman': Lara clammed up after Kyle and Jackie O questioned her about her rumoured pregnancy, saying she felt weird talking about it

'Sam and I, it should just be between us and close family,' she continued, before revealing she probably won't have as many as four children, after previously expressing her desire to have a larger family.

'I think since having rocket, ... maybe not four,' she laughed, referring to the couple's first son they welcomed 13 months ago.

But she admitted her 39-year-old husband 'would have many' children if it were up to him.

'It's just life changing but the most rewarding thing,' she said of new-found life as a mother.
Laverne Cox worked her magic in a total of three scene-stealing dress at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on Saturday night.

The 31-year-old transgender actress, who hosted the night's event, first arrived in a revealing Mikael D red dress which put her ample cleavage on full show.

She then changed into a forest green dress and an elegant floral print frock that was slashed at the hip, putting her toned leg on full show.

Smoking hot: Laverne Cox cut a mesmerizing figure as she attended the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday night

Green with envy: Cox traded the red frock for an elegant skin tight green dress with a flowing train

But first, Laverne arrived to the star-studded event with her glossy long locks parted in the center and curled into loose, glossy ringlets.

She brought out her brown eyes with a healthy coat of mascara, shimmering eye shadow, while bronzed blush contoured against her cheeks gave her an added radiant spark.

Catching the eye: The 31-year-old's Mikael D frock was backless, had very skinny straps, and did very little to cover up her ample cleavage

She also had a slick of dark lipstick, jewels by Forevermark Diamonds and carried a gold clutch.

Laverne continued to dazzle when she made her way onto the stage in the striking green gown with long sleeves.

While the halter dress was far more modest in comparison to her sexy red number, it did flatter her figure by hugging her hips and slender waistline.

Super star: She brought out her brown eyes with a healthy coat of mascara, shimmering eye shadow, while bronzed blush contoured against her cheeks gave her an added radiant spark

More than chest a glimpse! Cox's plunging dress put her ample cleavage on full display

Saturday was a big night for Laverne and not just because her hit show Orange Is The New Black was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series.

But also, because earlier that day Deadline reported that she is set to star in new CBS show, Doubt, marking the first time a transgender actor has played a transgender character on network television.

She will also star in the upcoming film Freak Show, which is about teenager named Billy Bloom who decides to run for homecoming queen at his conservative high school school.

Laverne later changed into a slinky green gown with cut-out sleeves and a mermaid train as she hosted the festivities.

Green with envy: Once on stage, quick-change Laverne then swapped the red dress for an emerald green number with long sleeves

The hostess with the mostess: Cox worked the crowd with her charm and glistened thanks her doamond encrusted bling by Forevermark Diamonds

Simply stunning: The actress put her leg on display in an elegant floral print gown
Brianna Goff used to smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day until she discovered vaping, and then started a business when she discovered others with the same problem.

Goff, 38, owns B-Town Vapes inside the Doc and Eddys Plaza at 711 15th St. W. in Billings, and shes worried that new federal regulations treating the growing electronic cigarette industry like traditional cigarettes could put her out of business.

Vaping is being vilified, and it should be praised, Goff said last week.

This month, the Food and Drug Administration released new regulations on the growing e-cigarette industry, winning praise from public-health advocates and angst from the vaping community.

While vape shop owners knew federal regulations were coming, they said the FDAs proposals are too costly and could put them out of business by cutting their supply from manufacturers.

The biggest blow is to manufacturers of vaping juice, the liquid heated in a mod device and vaporized in a sweet-smelling cloud. They must now register every flavor (some make hundreds, with varying levels of nicotine), list ingredients and obtain authorization from the FDA.

Vaping advocates say these regulations could cost manufacturers millions, which they cant afford.

A lot of the companies will just quit Its going to be awful. Youre basically killing an entire industry that has grown so rapidly, Goff said.

Billings has six vaping shops, and e-cigarettes are sold in convenience and groceries all over town. The boom came in 2014, when four shops, U-Blaze Vapor, the Vape Shop, Vapor Craziness and Juicity (then called Montana Vapor Outlet) opened within six month.

A second Heights shop opened last month, Old Skool Vape Society.

E-cigarettes have grown into a multi-billion business nationwide and started cutting into sales of tobacco. Vaping advocates note that large tobacco companies have pushed for increased U.S. regulation of e-cigarettes for years.

They also point to an April study by a British medical organization, the Royal College of Physicians, that concludes e-cigarettes provide more benefits to users than harm.

In the United States, however, public health advocates say consumers deserve to know more about what theyre putting in their bodies. They add that current regulations do little to protect children.

Donna Healey, a spokeswoman for RiverStone Health, noted that about 16 percent of high school students reported last year using electronic cigarettes, according to a Centers for Disease Control report.

The FDA has taken a long-awaited step to protect the health of minors by regulating e-cigarettes. Right now, theres no scientific consensus on the potential benefits or harms of vaping. While cigarette smoking has declined among youths in recent years, e-cigarette use has skyrocketed, Healey said in a written statement.

Federal regulations prevent retailers and manufacturing from marketing e-cigarettes as a way to quit tobacco. However, shop owners in town say theyve stopped their heavy smoking since they started puffing juice vapors.

Anecdotally, they add that customers have similar stories, and theyre afraid the regulations will have an unintended, ironic side effect: forcing people to go back to tobacco for their nicotine fix.

A lot of people are worried that (vaping is) going to completely go away, said Dan Michaelis, general manager of the Juicity store in Billings.

Juicity has five employees and manufactures and sells 100 to 200 bottles of juice daily, said Kellie Rogers, who owns the Billings and second location in Evanston, Wyo.

She said she supports limited regulation, and she thinks manufacturers should be treated the same as restaurants and food servers.

Submit the facilities for spot checks from local health departments, but dont force them out of business, she said. Otherwise, vapers will go to the black market, ordering online from Chinese manufacturers or buying ingredients and making their own.

Theres really no way to stop it, so they may as well regulate it on a reasonable level, she said.

Rogers added that the industry is working through advocacy groups such as the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives to lessen the blow.

Its ridiculous, (but) I dont think it will end us. I think we all will fight it and come out with some sort of agreement, said Rogers, also a former smoker.

Goff said her shop strives to serve customers without glamorizing vaping, especially to children. B-Town Vapes is tucked inside a liquor store, which is already limited to sales to adults, and the juice bottles are displayed on black shelves with simple descriptions of the flavors.

It lacks flashy descriptions of names often cited by opponents as appealing to kids, and Goff said she instead focuses on a deep knowledge of the products by her staff.

There has be to some regulations that are welcome. I get that. Its a necessity Weve always been about educating customers on the safety, she said.
She resides with her troubadour husband Gary Clark Jr and their cherubic son Zion in the United States.

But model Nicole Trunfio's arrival in Sydney on Saturday comes at an opportune time as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kicks off on Sunday.

As always, the 30-year-old's airport attire was effortless and stylish, putting her trim pins on display in a pair of slashed skinny jeans.

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'Made it!' Nicole Trunfio cut an effortlessly chic figure in slashed skinny jeans as she arrived back in Sydney with her husband Gary Clark Jr. and their son Zion on Saturday

Over the top of a sleek black V-neck top, she opted for a sporty touch with a khaki bomber jacket.

She pumped up her height with a pair of sexy black open-toe mules, clutching her one-year-old as her beau pushed their luggage on a trolley.

The brunette beauty shared several snaps to Instagram of their long-haul journey.

Chic: Over the top of a sleek black V-neck top, she opted for a sporty touch with a khaki bomber jacket

Leggy lady! She pumped up her height with a pair of sexy black open-toe mules, clutching her one-year-old

One big happy family! The West-Australian native married American musician Gary Clark Jr. three weeks ago in a star-studded ceremony in California

In one snap, the Perth-born beauty shared a selfie with her son as they both showed off how photogenic they are, as eyes pierce the lens.

Nicole added an angel and devil emoji in the caption, while doing a shout out to all mother's who travel on long-haul flights with babies.

'Looks like an [angel] acts like a [devil],' the mother-of-one wrote before adding, 'Anyone who knows, knows. #wishmeluck.'

Growing family: They welcomed Zion in January 2015

'Looks like an [angel] acts like a [devil]': Prior to departure, Nicole shared a selfie with her son with sympathy for mothers travelling with infants on long-haul flights

While there was no reason mentioned in the posts for her trip Down Under, it would no doubt to have some involvement during Sydney Fashion Week.

The West-Australian native married American musician Gary Clark Jr. three weeks ago in a star-studded ceremony in California.

For the nuptials, Nicole wowed in a white Steven Khalil wedding dress and had plenty of celebrity guests in attendance.

Her fellow Australian models Gemma Ward and Jessica Gomes, who served as bridesmaids on the big day.
Caitlyn Jenner's sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer set her transgender journey in motion last year.

And the reality star and 20/20 journalist were presented with the award for Outstanding TV Journalism at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City for their efforts on Saturday.

The reality star wore a dazzling sequined dress as she took to the stage to reflect on how that interview had changed her life.

Show-stopper: Caitlyn Jenner wore a black sequined dress as she presented Diane Sawyer with the Outstanding TV Journalism Award at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York on Saturday

The former Olympian looked glamorous in black heels and drop earrings as she told the crowd she had been determined to open up about her decision to transition from Bruce in a way that would ' elevate not just me, but this community.'

In the 20/20 interview last year, which was seen by more than 20 million people, the reality star confirmed she was transgender.

'And it was done perfectly,' Caitlyn said of the TV special, which she praised as 'compassionate.'

Here she is! Journalist Diane Sawyer introduced 'the astonishing Caitlyn Jenner'

Glamorous: The 66-year-old looked stylish in a dazzling black gown with asymmetrical neckline

'Not just for me, but for the community. And it really started this last year off, for me, on such a positive note,' said Caitlyn.

The I Am Cait star also said she watched the nerve-wracking 'coming out' with her famous children by her side, checking social media for reaction.

'I remember, sitting on the couch, getting ready to watch the show. I had not seen it,' she said.

'But my biggest concern, always, and anybody in this room, when you have secrets, and you live your life with secrets, your biggest concerns are your loved ones.

'I have ten children. My biggest concern was my kids, especially my last two, little Kendall and Kylie who are 17 and 18 at the time.

Trailblazer: The I Am Cait star said she most worried about how Kylie and Kendall would be affected by her decision to come out as transgender

Center stage: The I Am Cait star said her family was floored by the positive reaction on social media as the 20/20 special aired

'I remember sitting down on the couch, I had Kylie on this side, and Kendall on this side and the show was getting ready to go,' she told the crowd at the event, which was hosted by Laverne Cox.

She remembers thinking 'how's it going to go?' and then being floored by the positive reaction.

'Within minutes after the show started, social media started to go crazy,' she remembered.

'Celebrities, I think it was Lady Gaga was the first one with these positive comments and the list went on and on and on,' she said.

Stunning: The reality star added black drop earrings and heels

'And of course I do live in the most social media family, by far, and I got Kourtney, Kimberly, Khloe, Kendall Kylie, everybody's there on the couch. And they can reach about 250 million people, and they've all got their phones, going 'Oh my God, look at this comment, look at this comment!'

She finished up saying: 'It has been quite a ride for the past year. And there is nothing better in life than living your life authentically.'
She's one of the hottest supermodels in the business, desired by countless people across the globe.

But soon Bridget Malcolm will officially be off the market as she prepares to walk down the aisle with her American fiance, Nathaniel Hoho, in two months.

The 23-year-old has opened up about her impending nuptials, telling the Daily Telegraph she will be getting married in 'Amish country' in Pennsylvania on July 23.

'I'm actually getting married in under two months, which has snuck up on me:' Bridget Malcolm discussed her upcoming wedding to Nathaniel Hoho with Weekend Sunrise on Sunday

She also revealed that they would be having a party on Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, in November.

In an interview with Weekend Sunrise on Sunday she announced that her wedding plans are going 'really good.'

She continued: 'I'm actually getting married in under two months, which has snuck up on me.'

'But yeah, it's all been very easy and very:' The 23-year-old's wedding plans have been a breeze thus far

The stunner added: 'But yeah, it's all been very easy and very.'

Bridget is currently back Down Under for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.

However, instead of walking in one of the shows, she will simply be attending as a front row guest.

'It's kind of awesome,' she said of the role reversal.

'After ten years of modelling, I've never, ever watched a fashion show and my first one that I'm going to watch is Mercedes.'

She revealed that her fiance would be keen to move to Australia in the future.

'He wants to move here. I'm ok with that. Maybe in the future if I want to settle down, but that's a long way off,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'After ten years of modelling, I've never, ever watched a fashion show:' Bridget will be attending Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia as a guest instead of walking in the shows

The Victoria's Secret Angel told Daily Telegraph that she will be sitting front row at one of Toni Maticevski's shows, and also catching up with the designer for a friendly lunch.

Bridget previously opened up about her upcoming nuptials to Daily Mail Australia, revealing that she's actually planning to have two ceremonies.

'We are having two weddings,' the stunning blonde said. 'Hes [fiance Nathaniel Hoho] a Pennsylvania boy so we are going to have one July 23rd next year, and one in Perth so two summer weddings.'
She's come under fire on social media for leaving her one-month-old baby Luna at home during evenings out with her husband.

But Chrissy Teigen doesn't seem to be affected by the shaming attempts, as she stepped out again on Saturday for a dinner date with husband John Legend in New York City.

It appeared the 30-year-old model was in fact quite confident, as she flaunted her amazing post-baby body in a saucy black number.

Date night: It appeared 30-year-old Chrissy Teigen was in fact quite confident, as she flaunted her amazing post-baby body in a saucy black number on Saturday night

The obvious focal point of the outfit was her black sheer skirt, which provided a glimpse of her astonishingly toned limbs.

Some black hip-hugger panties, which themselves had sheer panels, upped the sexiness factor even more.

On top, the Lip Sync Battle host went with a slightly more modest black shirt with ruffled sleeves.

A pair of shiny black heels and a small black clutch completed the eye-catching ensemble.

Not shy: The obvious focal point of the outfit was her black sheer skirt, which provided a glimpse of her astonishingly toned limbs

Almost a puffy shirt: On top, the Lip Sync Battle host went with a slightly more modest black shirt with ruffled sleeves

Always looking good: Some extensive eye make-up and a slick of pale pink lipstick ensured the model was looking glam for her night out

Her dirty blonde locks were parted in the middle and left to cascade down past her shoulders.

Some extensive eye make-up and a slick of pale pink lipstick ensured the model was looking glam for her night out.

Husband John, 37, apparently decided to take the lead from Chrissy and went with an all black suit complete with black shirt and tie.

Dapper: Husband John, 37, apparently decided to take the lead from Chrissy and went with an all black suit complete with black shirt and tie

The new mother got some flack earlier this month for stepping out to dinner with John, and leaving the then three-week-old Luna at home.

'I went to dinner. People are p****d. Good morning!' she tweeted the next day.

John also came to his wife's defense: 'Funny there's no dad-shaming', he Tweeted, 'When both of us go out to dinner, shame both of us so Chrissy doesn't have to take it all. We'll split it.'
Wonderland beauty Anna Bamford has a decade of Home and Away episodes to catch up on before she heads to Summer Bay for a guest role.

The 26-year-old admitted she used to watch the long-running soap as a teenager but has fallen behind.

While I havent been watching it in recent years, I was a big fan growing up when Rebecca Cartwright was on the show, she told the Daily Telegraph.

When I was around 13 I loved it.

New role: Anna Bamford, 26, will have a guest role on Home and Away

Anna was last seen on TV a year ago playing girl next door Miranda Beaumont on Wonderland, her first ever acting role, and was excited about swapping Bondi for Palm Beach.

Its a show thats been running for so long and is the most iconic Australian show so I am really excited about being a part of that, she said.

Anna was nominated for Most Outstanding Newcomer and the 2016 Logie Awards but lost to 800 words actress Melina Vidler.

Last role: Anna was last seen on TV a year ago playing girl next door Miranda Beaumont on Wonderland, her first ever acting role

Up and coming: Anna was nominated for Most Outstanding Newcomer and the 2016 Logie Awards but lost to 800 words actress Melina Vidler

The Sydney actress was snapped at Thursday nights InStyle Women of Style Awards in an elegant black ankle-length dress.

Showing off her glowing complexion and stunning physique, the dress was paired with strappy black heels and smouldering makeup to compliment her effortlessly chic look.

On Instagram, Anna revealed that she had prepared for the red carpet event by undergoing a blueberry peel procedure at The Clinic, which is known to revive dull skin.

Making an entrance: The Sydney actress was snapped at Thursday nights InStyle Women of Style Awards in an elegant black ankle-length dress
They may have found love in an unconventional way.

But Married At First Sight couple Mark and Christie have enjoyed a night on the town with the only other successful couple from the reality show, Erin and Bryce.

Taking to Instagram this weekend, Christie shared a selfie of the foursome as they partied it up at Melbourne hotspot Club 23.

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Double date! Married at First Sight couple Mark (R) and Christie (second from right) have enjoyed a night on the town with the only other successful couple from the reality Erin (second from left) and Bryce (L)

Despite being based in Sydney, Christie makes regularly trips to Melbourne to see partner Mark, who owns a farm seven hours away in rural Victoria.

'Great night out !! Again in Melbourne! I'll get mark to Sydney one day!!' Christie captioned the shot of the group smiling.

She also added hashtags '#9married #christieinthecity #club23'.

Later in the evening, Mark shared a video of his lady love downing an alcoholic shot before the loved-up pair break out in song and dance along to a nightclub remix version Whitney Houston's hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

City visits: Despite being based in Sydney, Christie makes regularly trips to Melbourne to see partner Mark, who owns a farm seven hours away in rural Victoria

Good times: Later in the evening Mark shared a video of his lady love downing an alcoholic shot before the loved-up pair break out in song and dance

'Lets get embarrassing,' Mark wrote alongside the short clip, possibly referring to their lack of singing ability.

Although there was some initial hesitation, Mark and Christie appear to be coping with their long distance relationship just fine.

Christie and Mark, who still wear their wedding rings from the show, recently revealed neither of them have plans to move interstate, with Mark telling Today Extra earlier this month that 'its a little bit of a Mexican standoff.'

Night out: 'Lets get embarrassing,' Mark wrote alongside the short clip, possibly referring to their lack of singing ability

Reunited: Although there was some initial hesitation, Mark and Christie appear to be coping with their long distance relationship just fine

'Were still negotiating, because I have a business and hes starting his business with the farm,' Christie told the program.

'Its scary to just sell up everything, what if it doesn't work, then one of us if left with nothing.

'I worked hard for where I am today, I cant just let it go.'

The couple were also quizzed about whether their would make their television 'marriage' official, with Mark saying it was something they were 'committed' to.

The couple still wear the wedding bands they exchanged on the show, although Christie chose to wear her ring on her right hand instead of left.

Mark joked all he had to do was move the ring from that hand to the other.

Move coming? Christie and Mark, who still wear their wedding rings from the show, recently revealed neither of them have plans to move interstate just yet

Going strong: The couple were also quizzed about whether their would make their television 'marriage' official, with Mark saying it was something they were 'committed' to

Meanwhile Erin and Bryce revealed in April that children would feature in their future.

Also appearing on Today Extra, a coy Bryce, 31, said when it came to having children, they were: 'Letting nature take its course'.

'We really have just taken it day by day,' he said. 'So if something like that happens, it happens, but you know you have to play it by ear.

'[If] the stalk comes that's what happens doesn't it.'

Talk of family appears to be a U-turn for Erin, who previously said she was not ready to have children.

The retail manager had previously insisted she was young and looking to travel rather than start a amily.

The news appeared to throw a clucky Bryce, who said he did not want to be an old father.

Future plans: Meanwhile Erin and Bryce revealed in April that children would feature in their future
It takes just under 24 hours to travel from Paris to Sydney; an exhausting long-haul flight that requires a stop-over halfway in either the Arab Emirates or Asia.

But Bella Hadid was looking exceptionally well-rested as she stepped out in Sydney on Saturday after touching down earlier that day.

The 19-year-old flashed some skin in a black corset top as she enjoyed lunch at the iconic Bondi Icebergs restaurant.

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No jet-lag here! Bella Hadid looked exceptionally well-rested as she stepped out in Sydney on Saturday

The lithe beauty showed off her slim pins in a pair of blue straight leg jeans, draping a sheer black top over her forearms but allowing it to flow behind her off her shoulders.

She added black suede pointed-toe pumps to her ensemble, and added more luxe to her look with her trusty black crocodile Givenchy bag.

Bella, the younger sister of blonde bombshell model Gigi, appeared to wear little makeup for the outing, putting her natural beauty on display.

Her appearance of restfulness doesn't come as a huge surprise however, with the model sharing a snap from within her first class cabin while en route Down Under.

On trend: The lithe beauty showed off her slim pins in a pair of blue straight leg jeans, draping a sheer black top over her forearms

Luxury: She added black suede pointed-toe pumps to her ensemble, and added more luxe to her look with her trusty black crocodile Givenchy bag

Making her debut: The brunette beauty will walk exclusively for Melbourne brand Misha to launch Misha Gold, a new premium collection, on Monday

Having stopped over in Dubai, she shared a snap of her feet up in the luxurious seat as she settled in to watch the animated film Kung Fu Panda.

'Bout to hit up Kung Fu Panda. 17 hours to go!' she wrote.

'Gonna write a novel or shoot a short film Brb (be right back).'

She will walk exclusively for Melbourne brand Misha to launch Misha Gold, a new premium collection, on Monday.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia runs from Sunday May 15 to Friday May 20.
They have been happily loved-up for nearly six years.

And on Sunday, Kyly Clarke took to the opportunity to share a touching message to husband Michael as they marked their fourth wedding anniversary.

Taking to her social media sites, the 34-year-old uploaded a snap alongside the caption: 6yrs together & 4th year Wedding Anniversary. It's always the little things. Family walk @michaelclarkeofficial.

'It's always the little things': Kyly Clarke shared a touching tribute to beloved husband Michael as they celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on Sunday

Meanwhile, the sporting ace shared: 'Happy Anniversary wifey @kylyclarke been a great weekend with my two girls.'

The smitten duo were in a relationship for 18 months before they married in May 2012, they then went on to welcome daughter Kelsey Lee three years later.

The day before, the lovebirds took their six-month-old baby for what would seem to be her first bush walk as they couple enjoyed another warm Sydney Autumn day.

Sharing a sweet snap to Instagram, Michael clearly seems to be enjoying everything fatherhood has to offer as he looked at ease while holding his adorable little girl.

'With my girls': Michael and Kyly Clarke took their six-month-old daughter Kelsey-Lee for what would seem to be her first bush walk as they couple enjoyed another warm Sydney Autumn day on Saturday

Taking in the view: The doting new mum appeared to relish showing her daughter the spectacular mountain views

'Bush walk with my girls @kylyclarke,' the 35-year-old simply captioned the loving family picture.

The sporting ace looked slick in a blue T-shirt and a pair of dark sunglasses while beaming mother Kyly sported a white singlet top and a pair of Ray Ban aviator shades.

Kelsey-Lee looked at peace wrapped in a white blanket as she sucked on a bottle in her father's arms.

Proud parents: The loved-up couple wed in 2012 after 18 months of dating and welcomed their first born in November last year

Since the birth of their adorable tot, Kyly has been open with her transition into motherhood and confessed it has given her a 'new-found appreciation' for family.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia last week, the media personality reflected what it means to be a mum and looked forward to her first Mother's Day.

'Time is so precious and as you get older and now that I have a daughter, I have this new-found appreciation for my mother,' she told DMA.

The mother-of-one also gushed over her daughter and admitted that Kelsey-Lee is still her top priority.

'Our priority is her, her smile lights up a room,' she said, adding that watching her daughter learn and develop is exciting.

Changes: Since the birth of their adorable tot, Kyly has been open with her transition into motherhood and confessed it has given her a 'new-found appreciation' for family

Meanwhile, it seems Michael has so-far been able to avoid nappy duty with Kyly confessing she has done most of the work in that department.

'He's good. I'd probably say I've done most of it, only because he's been out working,' she confessed to the OK! Magazine when asked about about diaper duty.

Adding: I'm lucky because my office is in the home, but when it comes to seeing to her during the night it's quite funny - if she cries, both of us just jump up out of nowhere saying, "Are you going or am I?" It's a team effort.'
From baby showers to celebrations of art, this star has it covered.

Nicky Hilton was pregnancy style perfection as she stepped out at the annual MOCA Gala in Los Angeles, California.

The 32-year-old joined a number of stars to support the Museum of Contemporary Art on Saturday evening.

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Bump beauty: Nicky Hilton was pregnancy style perfection as she stepped out at the annual MOCA Gala in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday

While the designer may be heavily pregnant, she has certainly shown no signs of slowing down of late.

Nicky spent Friday celebrating the upcoming birth of her first child with husband James Rothschild and, on Saturday, was once again celebrating, this time in the name of art.

For the star-studded gala, the socialite stepped out in a baby blue dress which featured a silk satin unstructured bodice and layers of chiffon ruffles.

The dress - which finished mid-calf - had an empire waistline which was perfect for fitting and accentuating the star's growing bump.

Ruffles galore: For the star-studded gala, the socialite stepped out in a baby blue dress which featured a silk satin unstructured bodice and layers of chiffon ruffles

Showing it off: The dress - which finished mid-calf - had an empire waistline which was perfect for fitting and accentuating the star's growing bump

Following the dress' romantic and feminine feel, Nicky drew attention to her bump by wearing a slightly darker blue ribbon at the waistline and had some delicate very realistic white flowers fastened to it.

Despite the fact she is very pregnant, the 32-year-old risked swollen feet and ankles and wore a pair of nude pumps.

She further accessorized the look with a white sparkle hard cased clutch and a pair of drop diamond earrings.

Flattering fashion: The heiress showed off her blossoming baby bump in the flattering layered dress

Pretty as a princess: Nicky looked phenomenal in her prom style dress

Glowing: The heiress looked radiant as she happily showed off her pregnant figure

Added extras: Following the dress' romantic and feminine feel, Nicky drew attention to her bump by wearing a slightly darker blue ribbon at the waistline and had some delicate very realistic white flowers fastened to it

Scrubs up well: Joining Nicky at the party was blast from the early 2000s Hollywood party scene past, oil heir Brandon Davis

Nicky - who is due in July - then wore her blonde hair swept back into a low bun with a little bit of volume on the top of her head.

Joining Nicky at the party was blast from the early 2000s Hollywood party scene past, oil heir Brandon Davis.

Brandon - who was once dubbed Greasy Bear - was looking very sharp and not at all like the bloated party boy the world once knew.

Sibling act: Two other dapper gents also joined in the art fun - brothers Luke and Owen Wilson

Doing it his way: The A List siblings donned classic suits with Luke mixing things up a little by adding a pair of suede leather sneakers

Two other dapper gents also joined in the art fun - brothers Luke and Owen Wilson.

The A List siblings donned classic suits with Luke mixing things up a little by adding a pair of suede leather sneakers.

Also attending the gala was Patricia Arquette, who brought along her artist beau Eric White.

Date night: Patricia Arquette attended the evening with her artist boyfriend Eric White

Art crew: Inside the Medium star was joined by (L-R) art dealer Maggie Kayne, actress Elizabeth Olsen and designer Rosetta Getty

Inside the event Patricia was seen chatting away to Hollywood's hot young thing, Elizabeth Olsen.

Standing out on the event's red carpet was Girlfriends Guide To Divorce star Lisa Edelstein.

Lisa wowed in a sheer white ballgown with delicate floral embroidery which made her look like walking piece of art.

Shining bright: Meanwhile, Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez sparkled literally in a crystal encrusted gown

Sheer delight: Standing out on the event's red carpet was Girlfriends Guide To Divorce star Lisa Edelstein

Meanwhile, Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez sparkled literally in a crystal encrusted gown.

The 2016 gala this year honored renowned artist, Ed Ruscha.

The event also gave guests a chance to get a sneak peek of new exhibition Dont Look Back: The 1990s at MOCA, which features a number of pieces acquired by the gallery which have not been on display in years.
She's the ever stylish news presenter on the Nine Network's hit breakfast show Today.

And as a wedding guest, Sylvia Jeffreys' sense of fashion doesn't wane as was evident when she stepped out in Byron Bay on Sunday.

The 30-year-old cut a feminine figure in baby blue lace, smiling and laughing with the other guests while they stood outside the church.

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Blue jean baby! Sylvia Jeffreys cut a feminine figure in baby blue lace as she attended a friend's wedding in Byron Bay on Sunday

The frock, by Australian label Lover, hugged her svelte frame and allowed her to subtly show off her enviable physique.

She wore a pair of black block-heeled sandals and carried a large pouch clutch, while shielding her eyes from the strong sun with a pair of Celine sunglasses.

Her makeup was subtle, with a nude lip and a beautifully matte visage with just a hint of bronzer.

Hourglass: The frock, by Australian label Lover, hugged her svelte frame

Accessories queen: She wore a pair of black block-heeled sandals and carried a large pouch clutch, while shielding her eyes from the strong sun with a pair of Celine sunglasses

Natural beauty: Her makeup was subtle, with a nude lip and a beautifully matte visage with just a hint of bronzer

Despite her photogenic good looks, the popular journalist said she gets 'uncomfortable' posing in front of the camera.

'I don't know how to pose,' she confessed to Sunday Style before opening up about how she has learnt to feel comfortable in her own skin.

'Normally on photo-shoots, I get really anxious and self-conscious,' she said.

Anxious: Despite her photogenic good looks, the popular journalist said she gets 'uncomfortable' posing in front of the camera

'I don't know how to pose': She admitted to Sunday Style earlier this year

Whoops! At one point, the blonde beauty appeared to have dropped her bag

Sylvia, who starred on the stunning cover of the glossy, told the publication that her height has given her grief in the past.

She admitted: 'I've only just started wearing high heels. I always wanted to be one of those petite girls.'

At 5ft 10ins without the help of stilettos, it's unsurprising the Brisbane-born reporter would feel that way.

New: She told the publication she had just started wearing high heels

Much loved: Sylvia is the ever stylish news presenter on the Nine Network's hit breakfast show Today, starting on the show in 2014
POWELL, Wyo.  The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is catching, tagging and returning hundreds of walleye in Buffalo Bill Reservoir to determine if suppressing the unwanted fish is feasible.

Five Game and Fish employees worked west of Buffalo Bill Dam.

Only a light breeze ruffles the surface of the lake, but falling snow accentuates a soggy night for the men in two boats doing very wet work. A portable generator provides electricity for the booms' electrical arrays they lower into the shallow water where the walleye spawn. The arrays send a jolt of electricity to stun the fish. Then the guys net the dazed walleye near the surface to deposit them in a live well.

If they haven't been tagged before, each fish receives two tags that resemble short, wire antennas jutting from their sides. Five hundred of the tags will offer either a $10 or $100 reward.

"Here's one of the bigger females," said Jason Burckhardt, Game and Fish Department fisheries biologist with a walleye that would tickle any angler. It weighed 2.58 pounds.

Next, Burckhardt notes a tagged male of smaller proportions, but worth its weight in gold with a $100 tag.

Sean Cooley, Game and Fish fisheries technician, determines each walleye's sex and size and then inserts the tags before returning them to the lake. "Looks like seven recaps," Cooley said.

They call them "recaps" or recaptures; walleye previously caught and tagged.

The higher the recapture rate, the less variance in the abundance estimate, said Daniel Kaus, Montana State University-Bozeman graduate student working on the project so he can build a walleye population model.

The guys wear protective gear to avoid being shocked. They tag at night because the walleye are easier to catch where they are spawning, Burckhardt said. They launch at dark, sometimes remaining on the lake until 3 a.m.

The walleye bounty is to encourage fishermen to report the tagged walleye they catch whether it is a reward fish or not. The more anglers report their marked walleye, the more accurate the mortality estimate will be, Burckhardt said. The purpose of the tagging program is to determine a means to suppress the walleye population.

By catching, tagging and then releasing the walleye, they can estimate walleye mortality when anglers report the tagged fish they caught, Burckhardt said.

It's called mark and recapture to estimate a population's size. A portion of the population is captured, marked and released. Later, another portion is captured and the number of tagged walleye within the sample is counted.

Since the number of marked walleye within the second sample should be proportional to the number of marked individuals in the whole population, an estimate of the total population can be calculated by dividing the number of marked walleye by the proportion of marked walleye in the second sample.

For example, if Game and Fish tag and release 100 walleye and 50 tagged fish are caught by anglers, they can assume that is half the population and further deduct that the population totals 200 walleye, Burckhardt said.

"We're going between 500 and 700 (walleye)," Burckhardt said. As of April 26, about 350 had been tagged. They have caught females drained of eggs, so they know the fish are spawning. They will keep catching walleye until 700 are tagged or the spawn ends.

There are two components of the study, angler-caused mortality and Game and Fish-caused mortality, Burckhardt said.

The walleye prey on trout inhabiting the wild fishery in Buffalo Bill. A wild fishery means fish are not stocked.

Previous studies showed walleye eat a lot of juvenile trout, Burckhardt said. Game and Fish wants to maintain the wild fishery in Buffalo Bill that in turn supports trout on the North Fork of the Shoshone River.

A lake trout female produces several thousand eggs, compared to a walleye female that bears 20,000 to 200,000 eggs, Kaus said. Although the walleye hatchling survival rate is much lower than lake trout, the sheer number of offspring one female can produce makes a big difference.

If Kaus can obtain the vital rates (survival and death), then he can run a simulation model to determine population growth each year. From there he can calculate the rate of mortality needed to suppress the population, Kaus said.

At Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho, years of effort to stamp out lake trout has seen progress in the last few years, Kaus said.

If enough effort is exerted, walleye can be suppressed in Buffalo Bill, but the question remains, how much would that effort cost, Kaus said. Game and Fish wants to know the degree of suppression needed and the price tag.

The illegal walleye introduction likely occurred from 2002 through 2004.

If a tagged walleye is caught, anglers are asked to call the Cody Game and Fish office at 307-527-7125 or the phone number provided on the tag.
Little Mix have revealed that they would 'love' to make a cameo on Home And Away and Neighbours with Perrie Edwards confessing she is 'obsessed with surfer boys'.

The British girl group, who have just finished their east coast tour of Australia, said they were approached to appear on one of the shows during this visit, but could not fit it in their schedule.

The girls - Perrie, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson - vowed to appear on one of the Australian soaps in the future.

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Girl power: Little Mix have revealed that they would 'love' to make a cameo on Australian soaps Home and Away and Neighbours, pictured are the girls performing in Sydney

'We would love to do a cameo,' Jade told the Daily Telegraph. 'We were asked. Absolutely.'

Edwards, who split from One Direction's Zayn Malik in August last year, said that she was impressed with the caliber of men during her time in the country.

She said: 'I am obsessed with surfer boys. Any hot surfer guys, Australia is the place for men.'

Leigh-Anne was also reportedly named after one of the characters on Home and Away.

'Australia is the place for men': Perrie Edwards confessed she is 'obsessed with surfer boys', pictured on stage in Sydney

Stylish: Edwards (pictured at Sydney airport) split from One Direction's Zayn Malik in August last year

A helping hand: Jesy Nelson held tight to one of Little Mix's back up dancers as she made her way through Sydney Airport on Saturday

The girls also opened up about the pressures of fame during their trip Down Under.

Jesy spoke to Smallzy's Surgery on Nova 96.9 about how it can sometimes feel as though they are being 'constantly hounded'.

She said: I think it's ok for a fan to get all excited and not ask you questions because back in the day if I'd seen a Spice Girl I'd be the same.

'Justin Bieber is on a totally different level. Sometimes you can get people asking for a picture of you who aren't even fans of you and they just want to be like look who I met.

'Then sometimes you can end up feeling like you don't have a life because you don't want to go out because you're constantly getting hounded but we're lucky we're not at that stage where we can't walk out the door.'

Scorching: Perrie Edwards put on a red hot display as she posed by the poolside in Australia on Wednesday

Bootylicious: Perrie looked absolutely incredible when she hung out in a black swimsuit earlier this week

The girls have been soaking up the Australian sun since landing in the country earlier this week.

They took to the stage at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Thursday for the first night of the tour.

The stars of the hugely-popular girl group were looking as powerful and energetic as ever, as they belted out some of their biggest hits as part of their Get Weird Tour.

They then appeared at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Friday, with Jesy leading the glamour in a glitzy cut-out leotard.

The girls found fame on the UK's The X Factor in 2011, after being put together for the eighth series of the popular talent show.

They went on to win the competition, making them the first group to ever take out the title.

Fun times: The members of Little Mix proved that they have been making to most of their time off down under as they shared fun videos with fans
He's eagerly awaiting the birth of his third child with wife Megan Fox - after the couple decided to give their relationship another go.

And Brian Austin Green looked like he didn't have a care in the world as he stepped out in Beverly Hills to grab coffee for two on Saturday.

The 42-year-old actor rocked a casual outfit of light jeans and a blue striped crew neck T-shirt showing off his inked arms.

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Relaxed: Brian Austin Green looked like he didn't have a care in the world as he stepped out in Beverly Hills to grab coffee for two on Saturday.

He accessorised with some black sunglasses to keep out the glare from the scorching sun and a practical Apple Watch.

Brian, who seemed deep in thought, completed his look with a pair of off duty green trainers.

He sported an on trend full beard and a fashionable undercut hairstyle accentuating his curly locks.

The star appeared to be in high spirits as he picked up his caffeine hit, despite his wife feeling unwell a couple of days ago.

Laid back: The 42-year-old actor rocked a casual outfit of light jeans and a blue striped crew neck T-shirt showing off his inked arms

Mum-to-be Megan had stepped out in Beverly Hills on Friday, but appeared to look a little under the weather as she ran errands.

The 29-year-old actress told photographers she was not feeling well after being asked how her third pregnancy was going.

She is several months into her pregnancy and it appears like she may still be suffering some morning sickness - or in her case, all day sickness.

Not smooth sailing: A pregnant Megan Fox stepped out in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday and she was a little under the weather

Sipping on some soda water, the star still looked fantastic despite not feeling great.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actress covered up her bump in a loose-fit sheer tee which she wore with a black tank underneath.

Megan then added a pair of leggings which allowed her to be comfortable without having to resort to maternity wear.

Keeping it simple: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actress covered up her bump in a loose-fit sheer tee which she wore with a black tank underneath

Try again: The star's pregnancy came as a bit of a shock to many of her fans as she had filed for divorce from the baby's father, Brian Austin Green (pictured 2014) in August after 11 years together

She finished off her look with a pair of silver ballet flats and big black oversized sunglasses.

The star's pregnancy came as a bit of a shock to many of her fans as she had filed for divorce from the baby's father, Brian Austin Green, in August after 11 years together and five years of marriage.

But the actress revealed last month that they were expecting a baby, and they have since decided to give their relationship another go.

The couple are already parents to two sons: three-year-old Noah and Bodhi, two. She's several months along in her third pregnancy.

Aside from a new member of the family being on its way, the actress has another baby of sorts about to arrive - her film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows.

The film is a sequel to the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and is set for release June 3.
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She been putting on sensational sartorial displays ever since she landed in Cannes last week.

And Kendall Jenner lived up to her superstar model status on Saturday evening as she attended the Vanity Fair and Chopard after-party in Cap dAntibes, France.

The 19-year-old beauty turned heads on the night as she sported a plunging wrap dress for the star-studded bash held at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in celebration of Cannes Film Festival.

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Model beauty: Kendall Jenner lived up to her superstar model status on Saturday evening as she attended the Vanity Fair and Chopard after-party in Cap dAntibes, France alongside Kate Hudson, Salma Hayek and Petra Nemcova

The brunette beauty drew attention to her perky cleavage in the satin navy dress while featured sparkling tasselled sleeves.

She gave a glimpse of her lean legs thanks to the tasselled detain along the thigh-skimming hemline and added height to her model frame with black heels.

Kendall opted to highlight her natural beauty with glowing foundation, sculpted brows and a nude lip while her dark locks were loosely tousled.

When in Cannes: The 19-year-old beauty turned heads on the night as she sported a plunging wrap dress for the star-studded bash held at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in celebration of Cannes Film Festival

Strike a pose: She gave a glimpse of her lean legs thanks to the tasselled detain along the thigh-skimming hemline and added height to her model frame with black heels

How low Cannes you go? The brunette beauty drew attention to her perky cleavage in the satin navy dress while featured sparkling tasselled sleeves

Professional posers: Kendal was seen getting the seal of approval from supermodel Heidi Klum as the pair posed together for a stunning snap

Top model: Heidi, 42, looked stylish as ever in a velvet top and patterned skirt as she showcased her model figure in an all-black ensemble

Kendal was seen getting the seal of approval from supermodel Heidi Klum as the pair posed together for a stunning snap.

Heidi, 42, looked stylish as ever in a velvet top and patterned skirt as she showcased her model figure in an all-black ensemble.

She accessorised with a small handbag and completed her ensemble with strappy heels and lustrous locks.

In good company: Kate Hudson was seen posing alongside Australian actor Joel Edgerton and model Heidi Klum

Bright and beautiful: Clad in a plunging tangerine gown, the Fool's Gold star dazzled on the evening, showing off glimpses of her gym-honed figure

Kate Hudson was seen posing alongside Australian actor Joel Edgerton while she also took snaps with German model Heidi.

Clad in a plunging tangerine gown, the Fool's Gold star dazzled on the evening, showing off glimpses of her gym-honed figure.

Featuring a chiffon halterneck with splashes of navy blue, the glamorous gown cut to the waist, flashing some sideboob and her toned arms.

Chums: Actress Salma Hayek and actor Russell Crowe were also spotted at the event, as Salma opted for a busty baroque co-ord

Simple stunning: The 49-year-old teamed the navy and black top with matching figure-hugging trousers while she completed the look with a small black bag and platform heels

What a crowd: She stood out from the crowd at the Vanity Fair dinner in partnership with HBO as she and husband Francois-Henri Pinault were seen posing with dapper Joel Edgerton

Stylish guests: Salma also spotted to pose with actress Chloe Sevigny as they watched the beautiful sunset

Nipping in at her tiny waist with a matching belt, the column style dress also featured a risque split at the back, exposing a pair of gold platform heels.

Actress Salma Hayek and actor Russell Crowe were also spotted at the event, as Salma opted for a busty baroque co-ord.

The 49-year-old teamed the navy and black top with matching figure-hugging trousers while she completed the look with a small black bag and platform heels.

She stood out from the crowd at the Vanity Fair dinner in partnership with HBO as she and husband Francois-Henri Pinault were seen posing with dapper Joel Edgerton.

White on trend: Model Petra Nemcova turned heads in her striking white gown which featured fishtail skirt and nude inserts

Simply chic: Jury member Kirsten Dunst and Chopard Artistic Director and Co-President Caroline Scheufele also posed together at the event

Happy to be here: TV personality Carly Steel - wearing a gold and black Mac Duggal gown - and Model Victoria Silvstedt were both in attendance as the swanky soiree

Catching up: Trudie Styler and musician Mick Jagger were spotted having a chat together at the event

Dressed to impress: Actress Paz Vega stunned in her Ermanno Scervino co-ord while producer Lara Alameddine also cut a stylish figure on the night

Nice to see you: Actors Colin Firth and Joel Edgerton were spotted greeting each other as the night kicked off

Daring to bare: Actress Carolina Parsons put on a busty display in her glamorous attire
Bella Hadid was seen holding onto her risque black corset top as she left Watsons Bay Hotel in Sydney on Sunday.

The 19-year-old model protected her modesty by holding up the low-cut lattice-front top with her hand as she made her exit in the evening.

She had only landed in Sydney from Paris hours earlier but looked impossibly well-rested and fresh-faced during her day out.

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Protecting her modesty: Bella Hadid was seen holding onto her risque black corset top as she left Watsons Bay Hotel in Sydney on Sunday

Bella, the younger sister of blonde bombshell model Gigi, showed off her slender frame in a pair of blue straight leg jeans.

The brunette beauty, who is in Australia for Fashion Week, also draped a sheer black top over her shoulders.

She completed her look with suede pointed-toe pumps and her trusty black crocodile Givenchy bag.

Natural beauty: She had only landed in Sydney from Paris hours before, but looked impossibly well-rested and fresh-faced during her day out

Day out: She was seen laughing and joking with friends while she enjoyed sunset at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel

She was seen laughing and joking with friends while she enjoyed sunset at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel.

Earlier in the day she was seen enjoying lunch at the iconic Bondi Icebergs restaurant.

The model appeared to wear little makeup for the outing, putting her natural beauty on display.

Her appearance of restfulness doesn't come as a huge surprise, however, with the model sharing a snap from within her first class cabin while en route Down Under.

Off-duty beauty: She completed her look with suede pointed-toe pumps and her trusty black crocodile Givenchy bag

Stunning: Bella, the younger sister of blonde bombshell model Gigi, showed off her slender frame in a pair of blue straight leg jeans

Having stopped over in Dubai, she shared a snap of her feet up in the luxurious seat as she settled in to watch the animated film Kung Fu Panda.

'Bout to hit up Kung Fu Panda. 17 hours to go!' she wrote.

'Gonna write a novel or shoot a short film Brb (be right back).'

She will walk exclusively for Melbourne brand Misha to launch Misha Gold, a new premium collection, on Monday.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia runs from Sunday May 15 to Friday May 20.

No jet-lag here! Bella Hadid looked exceptionally well-rested as she stepped out in Sydney on Saturday

On trend: The lithe beauty showed off her slim pins in a pair of blue straight leg jeans, draping a sheer black top over her forearms

Luxury: She added black suede pointed-toe pumps to her ensemble, and added more luxe to her look with her trusty black crocodile Givenchy bag

Making her debut: The brunette beauty will walk exclusively for Melbourne brand Misha to launch Misha Gold, a new premium collection, on Monday
They are normally glued at each other's sides but on Sunday lawyer Anna Heinrich attended Australian Fashion Week without her boyfriend Tim Robards.

The 29-year-old reality star, who dates ex Bachelor Tim Robards, arrived solo looking striking at the Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in an off-the-shoulder black top and A-line skirt on Sunday.

However, northwards, just outside Cains, Tim , 33, was flaunting his muscular physique in front of Crystal Cascade Waterfalls telling Instagram fans: 'When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower...'

Solo show: Anna Heinrich attends Maticevski show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Barangaroo Reserve, Sydney, without beau Tim Robards on Sunday

A different world: Tim , 33, was flaunting his muscular physique in front of Crystal Cascade Waterfalls telling Instagram followers: 'When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower...'

The pair have not featured together on each other's Instagram pages for two weeks and Anna last appeared on chiropractor Tim's page enjoying lunch with him at the AboutLife Cafe in Bondi Junction.

And around that time was the last he appeared with her on the photo-sharing website was when they posed at her fellow lawyer pal Lauren Tess's 30th birthday party.

Yet on Sunday, Anna put on a chirpy display at Fashion Week and later took to social media to write: 'My high expectations were exceeded - what a spectacular show.

Smiling: The lawyer appeared in jolly spirits at Fashion Week

Fashionista: The pair have not been together on each other's Instagram pages for two weeks and Anna last featured on chiropractor Tim's page enjoying lunch with him at the AboutLife Cafe in Bondi Junction

'Kicking off what's bound to be a phenomenal week of fashion #MBFW Make sure you follow me on snapchat.

Anna also put in a solo appearance on Thursday as she stepped out at the InStyle Women of Style Awards at The Star in Sydney.

Earlier this year, OK! magazine claimed Anna had moved out of the couple's home after a row between the pair.

Two weeks ago: Anna last appeared on chiropractor Tim's page enjoying lunch with him at the AboutLife Cafe in Bondi Junction

Here they are: He last appeared with her on the photo-sharing website was when they posed at her fellow lawyer pal Lauren Tess's 30th birthday party

Sharing a picture of the article to his his 165,000 fans Instagram, Tim used a caption to decipher 'gossip mag language' and vehemently denies claims they had split.

He wrote: 'The term 'Heated argument'... Actually means 'god I'm full, no I don't want your last piece of steak thanks.

He continued: 'Anna, 30, has already moved out' interprets as 'Anna is actually 29 and the only thing she is taking out is the rubbish!'

Where's Tim? Anna attended the star-studded event without her man Tim Robards
Her husband Oliver Curtis is embroiled in a court trial amid claims of 'insider trading'.

But PR maven Roxy Jacenko appeared to be leaving her worries behind for a fashionable night out with her four-year-old social media sensation Pixie Curtis.

The mother-of-two and her daughter were seen enjoying a girls outing together at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2016 opening Toni Maticevski show on Sunday in Sydney.

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Girls' night: PR maven Roxy Jacenko and her four-year-old daughter Pixie cut stylish figures in their designer outfits at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2016 opening show in Sydney on Sunday

The high-profile pair both donned designer outfits - Roxy in Gucci, Pixie in Dolce and Gabbana childrens wear.

Roxy's red Gucci frock showed off the 34-year-old's trim figure and fell in pleats around her calves while it buttoned at the front.

She was also sporting a pair of platform heels with ankle straps and her signature blonde locks fell in loosely around her face.

Lady in red! Roxy was sporting a stunning Gucci dress which featured buttons at the front and a pleated skirt

Pixie donned a patterned Dolce and Gabbana dress in shades of blue and red, and she paired it with some cute Marc Jacobs gold mouse sling back shoes.

She was also sporting a large red bow in her hair, complementing her copper-coloured curls.

Roxy accompanied her husband Oliver Curtis to court on Friday for day three of his trial.

Like mother like daughter: Pixie, who was wearing Dolce and Gabbana, appeared excited to be at the high-profile Toni Maticevski show with her doting mother

Prosecutors allege Mr Curtis conspired with his former best friend, John Hartman, to commit insider trading offences between May 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

The alleged offences netted the pair a reported $1.433 million, prosecutors told the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Just prior to jury selection, the 30-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge telling Justice Lucy McCallum and potential jurors: 'Not guilty, your honour.'

'Fav show': Roxy uploaded various shots of her and her daughter ahead of attending the fashion event

On Wednesday the court heard the businessman bought his childhood friend a $900 Blackberry phone so he could use its 'secret' text messaging system to exchange insider tips on share trades, prosecutors allege.

During his opening address, senior Crown prosecutor David Staehli SC heard that Oliver Peter Curtis used tip-offs from his former best friend John Hartman to net the alleged profit, which they then shared.

Mr Staelhi told the court Mr Curtis used money from the alleged scheme to buy Hartman a $60,000 Mini Cooper vehicle and a $20,000 Ducati motorcycle.

'Wingman': The girls snapped away before leaving for the show, which Roxy referred to as their favourite

The money was also used to take the pair and their friends on a holiday to Whistler, Canada and Las Vegas, it was claimed.

Mr Curtis was accused of using $156,000 to pay 12 months upfront rent on the $3,000-a-week Bondi apartment where he was living with Hartman, who prosecutors said did not have to pay rent.

It was also claimed by Mr Staehli that Mr Curtis went to the city and bought Hartman a Blackberry phone before the first of the 45 alleged transactions that allegedly occurred under the scheme between May 2007 and June 2008.

Conservative chic: Roxy cut a sombre figure as she arrived at NSW Supreme Court for the first day of her husbands trial on Wednesday

At the time, Mr Hartman was an equities manager at Orion Asset Management and Mr Curtis worked as a banking analyst.

Mr Staelhi told the court the phone was given to Mr Hartman so he could send him tips on Blackberry's 'secret' text messaging system, known as 'pinging'.

He told the eight men and seven women on the jury the benefits of using the Blackberry meant 'you could send a message which was not capable of being intercept-able'.

'Crew': Roxy regularly shares snaps of her children to Instagram. Pictured here with Hunter and Pixie having fun among her Hermes bags

'Such a message would be secret... discreet.'

Justice Lucy McCallum also told the jury Mr Curtis was innocent until proven guilty.

If found guilty, the Australian investment banker could face a maximum five-year jail sentence.
She is renowned for her quick wit and sharp tongue.

But Bethenny Frankel let her body do the talking as she hit the town on Saturday night.

The Real Housewives of New York star, 45, looked sensational as she led the red carpet glamour at the launch of the Beauty and Essex bar in Las Vegas.

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Hot houswife! Bethenny Frankel, 45, looked sensational as she led the red carpet glamour at the launch of the Beauty and Essex bar in Las Vegas

Showing off her incredibly toned body, the Skinnygirl boss slipped into a very daring cut-out dress.

The black number showed off her generous cleavage as well as her toned abs as she struck a pose at the bash.

With her dark hair shorter and lighter, she looked every inch the hot Housewife.

She gave the younger guests a run for their money in the racy number, which seemed to be the dress code.

Model Jocelyn Chew turned heads in an eye-popping black dress, featuring a plunging neckline which left little to the imagination.

Strike a pose: Showing off her incredibly toned body, the Skinnygirl boss slipped into a very daring cut-out dress

Headturner: Model Jocelyn Chew turned heads in an eye-popping black dress, featuring a plunging neckline which left little to the imagination

Stunning: Jocelyn looked amazing as she worked the camera on the red carpet

In the navy: Fellow model Jasmine Sanders also looked stunning, showing off her curves in a skintight navy blue dress

Fellow model Jasmine Sanders also looked stunning, showing off her curves in a skintight navy blue dress.

Bethenny quit the Bravo reality show four years ago in order to get married and have a baby.

Her co-star LuAnn de Lesseps discussed Bethenny's controversial return during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live.

'It's like the good old days. You know, you'd be surprised,' she explained.

Orange you looking good: Actress Jaime King worked a quirky patterned dress and silver heels

'This season, she gets along with people that you wouldn't expect her to get along with, and hates people you wouldn't expect.'

Romantically, Bethanny was last linked to toyboy Michael Cerussi, with whom she enjoyed a romantic beach vacation in December.

Since her split from husband Jason Hoppy two years ago she has also been linked to billionaire Warren Lichtenstein.

Dapper: Austin Stowell was also at the event, marking the launch of the new Sin City hotspot
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She's been making the most of her time at the iconic Cannes Film Festival by attending the glitziest soirees and most exclusive parties.

But Kendall Jenner decided to ramp things up a gear as she joined mum Kris for a cruise around the French Riviera on a speedboat as they enjoyed some time aboard Roman Abramovich's mega-yacht Eclipse on Sunday.

Making a stylish arrival to the docks in a cream playsuit, the 20-year-old model showed off her lean legs in the thigh-skimming playsuit before taking to the seas.

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Canne do attitude! Kendall Jenner, 20, ramped things up a gear as she joined mum Kris for a cruise around the French Riviera on a speedboat on Sunday

Showing off her incredibly perky posterior in a skimpy salmon bikini, the brunette beauty seemed in great spirits as she raced through the ocean whilst Kris watched on from the comfort of a boat.

Clad in contrasting colours of black and white, the mother-daughter duo seemed in great spirits as they soaked up the sun on the boat, with Kendall showing off her famous model pins in a thigh-skimming cream playsuit, whilst Kris opted for a black crochet maxi dress.

Layering up in a matching cardigan, the model of the moment dazzled on the day, channeling Riviera chic in her stylish ensemble.

Magical in monochrome! Clad in contrasting colours of black and white, the mother-daughter duo seemed in great spirits as they soaked up the sun on the boat, with Kendall showing off her famous model pins in a thigh-skimming cream playsuit

Wonder in white! Layering up in a matching cardigan, the model of the moment dazzled on the day, channeling Riviera chic in her stylish ensemble

Perfectly paired: Kris looked equally chic as she concealed her impossibly youthful figure in the crochet jumpsuit, whilst her daughter dazzled in her cream striped ensemble

Wearing her raven coloured locks loose and tousled, the young star was a vision of beauty as she concealed her eyes behind a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Slipping her feet into a pair of tan sandals, she opted to go barefoot once on the boat before stripping off to reveal her skimpy bikini.

Thinking about safety first, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star then donned a life jacket on the jetski and tied her long tousled locks back into a loose ponytail.

Cruising with the Kardashians! Kendall and Kris appeared to be in good spirits as they raced through the waters

Quick change! Kendall slipped out of her cream playsuit into a salmon coloured bikini and life jacket as she hopped on her jetski

All aboard! The duo appeared to be enjoying some quality time together as they chatted away on the speedboat

All aboard! Kendall and Kris were among the stars who enjoyed some time aboard Roman Abramovich's mega-yacht Eclipse

Wet and wild! Kendall and Kris chilled out on the boat as they teared through the seas on their sunny afternoon trip

Boat party! The Jenners' stopped off on a luxury yacht before heading out on a speedboat and jet ski

Making a splash! Kendall hopped aboard her jet ski and spent some time exploring the French Riviera

Meanwhile, Kris looked equally chic as she concealed her impossibly youthful figure in the crochet jumpsuit.

Proving to be both sensible and stylish, the momager protected herself from the sun in a white trilby hat with a black band and donned a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Taking it easy for the day, the pair were no doubt recovering from a star-studded night at the Vanity Fair afterparty.

Rearly important: Kendall sported a tiny bikini for her day of splash about

Vroom! The reality star got off to a great start for her efforts in the water

Like Miami Vice! Kendall looked to be an old pro

Bit of all white! Kendall was a vision of beauty as she stepped out with her tanned and toned pins on show

Helping hand: The model paused to adjust her sandals, an appropriate footwear choice for the unstable decking




Irish chef Colin Fassnidge has blamed the 38,000-strong chef shortage in Australia on laziness.

The My Kitchen Rules star and restaurant owner said younger generations just aren't willing to work too hard and tackle life as a chef.

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'A lot of young people don't want to work hard.'

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Not impressed: Irish chef Colin Fassnidge (pictured at a Sydney event in November last year) has blamed the 38,000 chef shortage in Australia on lazy young people

'It's now all about kids with tweezers wanting to put dots on plates.

'So when they start out, they're like "oh, this is hard," he said.

The Daily Telegraph also reports that Justin Hemme's restaurant group Merivale is feeling the strain and struggling to recruit 50 chefs.

Tough times? The Daily Telegraph also reports that Justin Hemme's (seen in November 2012 at an event in Los Angeles) Merivale Group is feeling the strain, recruiting for 50 chefs

The company's human resources manager Kate Tones told the publication they have at least 47 positions to fill.

Colin also said he has had to stop from himself opening other restaurants as he worries about having a lack of staff due to the shortage.

TV chef Colin owns 4Fourteen and recently sold Paddington's The Four In Hand restaurant.

The location sadly closed its doors in early 2016 with Colin claiming to Daily Mail Australia at the time that it was due to location being sold for $10million.

Difficulties: Colin (seen in 2014) also said he has had to stop himself opening other restaurants as he worries about having a lack of staff thanks to the shortage

Besides his renowned cooking locations, he was also crowned GQ magazine's Chef of the Year in 2013 and released his long-waited debut cook-book Four Kitchens in February the following year.

In April, Colin told Sunday Style how it has been hard to juggle his professional and personal life.

The father-of-two explained to the glossy publication that it is very difficult to live with a chef because they 'burn out' quickly.

'It's a hard life, it's the highest divorce, drugs, drink, suicide industry,' he said.

'Living with a chef is very hard, it's not good. We are the worst people in the world.'

Despite admitting life isn't all as it seems, Colin revealed he and his wife, Jane Hyland, have made a promise to one another that the drama in the kitchen remains there.
In The Nice Guys they play an unlikely duo thrust together by a quirk of fate.

And it seems that the chemistry for the retro-themed buddy film has spilled off the screen, as Ryan Gosling, 35, and Russell Crowe, 52, were all smiles as they laughed and joked around in Cannes.

Attending the photocall for their latest flick, the duo couldn't help but smile and laugh as they played up for the cameras on the red carpet.

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A real double act: It seems that the chemistry for the retro-themed buddy film has spilled off the screen, as Ryan Gosling, 35, and Russell Crowe, 52, were all smiles as they laughed and joked around in Cannes.

Hitting the red carpet, the two Hollywood A-Listers were full of smiles as they posed together - sharing jokes and banter as their co-stars joined them.

Ryan, who recently welcomed his second child with partner Eva Mendes, cut a dashing and dapper figure in his dark navy two piece suit, which he teamed with black slip-on loafers

He teamed his smart tailored outfit with a stripy shirt, which he wore open at the neck; adding a casual vibe to the whole ensemble.

Those guys! Attending the photocall for their latest flick, the duo couldn't help but smile and laugh as they played up for the cameras on the red carpet

Jokers: Hitting the red carpet, the two Hollywood A-Listers were full of smiles as they posed together - sharing jokes and banter as their co-stars joined them.

The Canadian star looked impeccably groomed, with his beard clipped short and his short blonde locks slicked back.

Russell went down the smart casual route, and teamed a navy tee-shirt with a grey blazer, jeans and dark brown Oxfords.

The Australian native looked suitably well groomed, and had slicked his greying locks back and off his face, while he also sported groomed and trimmed facial hair.

Dapper gent: Ryan, who recently welcomed his second child with partner Eva Mendes, cut a dashing and dapper figure in his dark navy two piece suit, which he teamed with black slip-on loafers

Happy chappy: Russell went down the smart casual route, and teamed a navy tee-shirt with a grey blazer, jeans and dark brown Oxfords

A serious moment: The Australian native looked suitably well groomed, and had slicked his greying locks back and off his face, while he also sported groomed and trimmed facial hair

Dapper duo: The A-Listers looked smart and suave as they stood side-by-side

Banter by the sea: The Oscar-winning star looked to be in high spirits, and could couldn't help but laugh and joke around as he posed with Ryan.

Whose glasses? Fooling around, the duo swapped Russell's aviator sunglasses between them and pulled a series of jokey poses

The Oscar-winning star looked to be in high spirits, and could couldn't help but laugh and joke around as he posed with Ryan.

Fooling around, the duo swapped Russell's aviator sunglasses between them and pulled a series of jokey poses.

The duo were joined by the rest of the cast and crew for the action comedy, with the likes of Matt Bomer and young rising actress Angourie Rice appearing alongside the duo and the director, Shane Black.

The whole crew: They were joined by the rest of the cast and crew for the comedy, with the likes of (L-R) Matt Bomer and young rising actress Angourie Rice appearing alongside the duo and the director, Shane Black

In on the hi-jinks: Angourie joined in with the fun and games on the red carpet

What a trio: The two A-Listers and the young starlet were full of smiles as they made their way into the press conference

Dapper dude: Meanwhile Matt, 38, went for a dapper riviera look - teaming a pair of white shoes, chinos and a shirt with a navy blazer

Rising starlet: The 15-year-old opted to ear a floaty lilac mini dress with black ankle boots, which gave the petite Australian star a height boost

Angourie, 15, opted to ear a floaty lilac mini dress with black ankle boots, which gave the petite Australian star a height boost.

Meanwhile Matt, 38, went for a dapper riviera look - teaming a pair of white shoes, chinos and a shirt with a navy blazer.

In the film Ryan play a private eye who investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy, however, things go slightly awry and he is thrust into an unlikely partnership with Russel's hired enforcer.

Snap shot: Russell couldn't resist continuing the jokes as him and Ryan sat down at the following press conference

Give him a hand: The duo kept their schtick going as the afternoon went on
At least for Donald Trumps most loyal Montana supporters, Saturdays GOP delegate election results were not torn from the pages of The Donalds bestselling book The Art of the Deal.

Most in the Montana GOP conceded that Donald Trump, the partys presumptive nominee for president, is on track to win the nomination outright at the Republican National Convention.

Trump should have 1,237 delegates from across the country committed to voting for him in the first round of the nominating process. That means there shouldnt be a second vote in which delegates can vote for whomever they want, which is probably a good thing for Trump, given Montanas delegation lineup.

At least a third of the people elected at the Montana GOP Delegate Convention are Cruz supporters. Five of them  Ken and Peggy Miller, Theresa Manzella, Dan Happel and Seth Berglee  were named to the Cruz for President Montana Leadership Team on April 23. A sixth, Jennifer Fielder of the American Lands Council, donated to Cruz campaign and has on Facebook praised Cruz support for local control of federal lands.

Ken Miller, a former party chairman and state legislator, told The Gazette on Friday that it was time to focus on defeating the Democratic nominee.

Cruz was my first pick. He was my early pick. We had the ability to have the most knowledgeable of the constitutional rule of law candidates that weve seen in a long time, which was exciting to someone like myself, but it was not to be, Miller said. In my opinion, the nation cannot survive eight more, four more, years of Obamas direction.

Seven people supported by the Trump campaign landed on the list of 24 delegates. To make sure there was no mistake about which delegates it favored, the Trump National Campaign posted workers at the top of the stairs to Northern Hotel conference hall and handed out bright green fliers naming its picks. It was hard to get to the voting area without taking one.

Lists are the grease of delegate process. There were 160 candidates to fill 24 spots Saturday, more than convention veterans had seen in 28 years. In the crowded field, coalitions form and lists are made to tell supporters how to vote. Rarely does anyone take ownership of the list.

In a third floor conference room at the Crown Plaza, down the street from where the actual voting took place, lists began to appear as would-be delegates mingled with convention voters. One of the more peculiar lists was an index-card sized crib note with the list of 18 candidates, many of whom are employed by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke or Sen. Steve Daines.

The list just appeared on an information table along with a sheet of Northern Hotel stationary bearing what appeared to be Zinkes signature. Zinkes staff said their boss had not produced a list.

Yet another list on orange paper was placed on a table immediately behind where Trump workers handed out theirs. No one claimed ownership of the orange list, either.

But list that seemed to line up best with the candidates that were elected was a scarcely circulated white sheet of paper decorated with stars containing the names of more delegates than any other.

I think the moral to the story is that its politics as usual in Montana, said Audrey Walleser, a leader of the Montanans for Trump grassroots campaign. Were not embracing outside people.

None of the candidates campaigning at the Crowne Plaza the morning before vote spoke ill of Trump, though several would only go so far as saying they would honor the vote of the public and that Trump clinching the nomination in a first round vote seemed certain.

Zinke, who was among the delegates elected that the Trump campaign endorsed, said the party needed to get behind Trump.

Its the shake-it-up candidates that prevailed, and Donald Trump got ahead on three issues, Zinke said. No one was farther right on immigration. He went far on immigration and then on jobs, which we all care about because if we dont have a vibrant economy, I can tell you nothing else matters. Because we cant afford to keep a strong military, we cant afford the promise, we made and weve made a lot of promises in the country. And lastly, Donald Trump is anti-establishment because America knows best. Thats exactly the problem, is that the government and those in government have become corrupt. They no longer answer to the people.
She continues to kick goals in the fashion industry with her hugely successful clothing brand Camilla.

And Australian designer Camilla Franks is feeling fulfilled in every way since reconnecting with her 'soulmate'.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the 40-year-old gushed over her current partner, a mystery Welshman, and how they have only just rekindling their romance after falling in love 20 years ago.

Soulmates: The Australian designer has spoken about being reunited with the love of her life after 20 years apart

'We met and fell in love at first sight when I was 19 or 20. We were together for three years, living in the UK, but my visa ran out and I had to go back to Australia.'

She continued by saying that at that young age, and without things like FaceTime to help with the long distance, their relationship didn't last.

However, the two kept in contact and reconnected last year and Camilla has been more than happy to return to the UK to live with him, having Welsh heritage of herself.

'A very special person': Camilla gushed to The Daily Telegraph about her partner, who she is living with in Wales

'I feel like Im home again. Hes my soulmate, hes my best friend, hes my creative partner. Hes kind and talented. Hes my right arm, my left arm. Hes a very special person.'

The designer is currently based in Cowbridge, Wales, where she lives with her partner and works with her design team.

However, she is back on home soil at the moment for her show at this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, which kicked off on Sunday.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in 2015, she said the year had already started out better than 2014, which proved to be a particularly challenging one for the eccentric designer.

Kicking goals: Designer Camilla Franks has found huge success with her clothing label, Camilla, designing luxurious caftans, swimwear and accessories

She was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy whilst working in India, a paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face, and split with boyfriend, Jonny Sonic.

Camilla was seen getting close to House Husbands actor Firass Dirani, 30, over the 2014/15 New Year period but maintained the pair are just good friends.

'Hes a very dear friend of mine, hes very beautiful, not only on the outside, but also on the inside.

'And we've been friends for many years now, we went to acting school together and hes part of my life and part of my world and I adore him.'

'A very dear friend': Camilla and her close friend and actor Firass Dirani were romantically linked in early 2015, however she insisted they were nothing more than pals
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She is one of the many models who have made their way to the South of France to enjoy the events taking place during Cannes Film Festival.

And Heidi Klum was certainly making the most of her time in the stunning French Riviera as she hopped onto a boat with her 29-year-old boyfriend Vito Schnabel.

The 42-year-old supermodel was dressed appropriately for the sunny conditions as she sported a bright pink dress which featured a dipped hemline as they left for lunch hosted by Harvey Weinstein on a yacht.

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Pink perfection: She is in the South of France to enjoy the events taking place during Cannes Film Festival and Heidi Klum was certainly making the most of her time in the stunning French Riviera

The blonde beauty tied her locks up into a simple bun and sported large hoop earrings as she elongated her enviable legs in pink heels.

She completed her look with diamond rings while her natural beauty was highlighted with simple make-up.

Her New York art dealer partner teamed a black top with navy trousers while he donned black shades and white trainers.

Bright and beautiful: Heidi her 29-year-old boyfriend Vito Schnabel were seen leaving Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc after attending the star-studded Vanity Fair and Chopard party held there the night before

Hold these: The America's Got Talent judge was seen handing her heels to her loving boyfriend as she hopped onto the boat

The couple were seen leaving Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc after attending the star-studded Vanity Fair and Chopard party held there the night before.

Meanwhile Heidi has vowed to keep her four children, daughters Leni, 11, and Lou, six, and sons, Henry, 10 and Johan, nine, off her own social media accounts.

The model made a conscious decision to not post photos from which they can identified on her Twitter or Instagram accounts because she wants them to have as normal upbringing as possible, despite her global fame.

Fashion fan: The 42-year-old supermodel was dressed appropriately for the sunny conditions as she sported a bright pink dress which featured a dipped hemline

Making her way: The blonde beauty tied her locks up into a simple bun and sported large hoop earrings as she elongated her enviable legs in pink heels

Easy does it: Heidi completed her look with diamond rings while her natural beauty was highlighted with simple make-up

Loved-up: Her New York art dealer partner teamed a black top with navy trousers while he donned black shades and white trainers

Private pair: Heidi is reluctant to upload lots of photos of her with her boyfriend, 29-year-old because she wants to keep some parts of her life private and just for her

Getting the shades on: She told News Corp Australia, I feel like you have to have a certain privacy still. Sometimes I give a glimpse of my private life, or my boyfriend, but I feel like there has to be a limit to it because I don't want to share everything, either

Soaking up the sun: Heidi looked relaxed as she sailed towards the Eden Roc hotel with a coy smile

In an interview given to News Corp Australia, Heidi - who was previously married to Seal - said: I don't really post my family (on social media). I don't show the faces of my children, I chose not to do that - ever.

Heidi is also reluctant to upload lots of photos of her with her boyfriend, 29-year-old because she wants to keep some parts of her life private and just for her.

She added: I feel like you have to have a certain privacy still. Sometimes I give a glimpse of my private life, or my boyfriend, but I feel like there has to be a limit to it because I don't want to share everything, either.

Partying on the high signs: Heidi attended the private luncheon hosted by Len Blavatnik and Harvey Weinstein aboard the Odessa II yacht

Cheers! Heidi caught up with film mogul Harvey and David Glasser

Back on dry land: Heidi was spotted returning to the hotel later on Sunday following her leisurely lunch

A flying visit: It wasn't long before the couple were back at their hotel

This is the life: The couple were also spotted soaking up the seaviews from the grounds of their hotel

Cheers! The mother-of-four enjoyed a cheeky glass of French vino while her boyfriend dried off from his swim

Sporty: Vito changed into some pink swimming trunks as he cooled off in the pool

Daredevil: Vito took the plunge off a diving board into the cool waters of the Mediterranean

Back on dry land: Vito dried off after his swim in the warm French sunshine

Cooling off: The art dealer refreshed himself as he sipped on a cool drink by the water

Pensive: The pair looked deep in conversation as they enjoyed their stay in Cannes

Tropical: Heidi's enviably sun-kissed glow stood out against her fuchsia dress as she topped up her tan on Sunday

Coordinating couple: Vito's shorts were almost the exact same shade of pink as his beau's wrap-around dress

You've got company: The handsome duo were joined by a number of other guests at the hotel who were also hoping to bask in the sun

Sunshine! Heidi shared this picture on Instagram with her 2.7m followers as she showed off the back of her fuschia dress

Fly! Heidi Klum looked sensational as she jumped off a board into the gorgeous blue water

Meet and greet: Television presenter Alan Yentob (left) and Josh Berger, the chair of the British Film Institute, joined Heidi for the private luncheon
Guy Ritchie and his wife Jacqui were among the well-heeled congregation at a society wedding over the weekend.

The Sherlock Holmes director put on his Sunday best to mingle with the guests at the wedding of Alexander Spencer-Churchill and Scarlett Strutt in Suffolk.

The 47-year-old filmmaker looked smart in a classic morning suit, accessorised with a pocket square and dove grey waistcoat as he arrived at St Peter's Church, Stutton.

Happy: Guy Ritchie looked to be in good spirits as he attended a society wedding in Suffolk with his wife Jacqui on Saturday

Wife Jacqui, 34, cut a stylish figure in a pastel pink two-piece with contrasting burgundy peep toe sandals.

She wore her long highlighted tresses in top plaits and left loose at the bottom, flowing over her shoulders.

The couple were attending the wedding of their friends Alexander Spencer-Churchill and Scarlett Strutt.

Alexander Spencer-Churchill - a distant relative of Winston Churchill - is the third son of Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill, whose father was the 10th Duke of Marlborough.

Formal: The 47-year-old filmmaker looked smart in a classic morning suit accessorised with a pocket square and dove grey waistcoat

Pals: Wife Jacqui, 34, cut a stylish figure in a pastel pink two-piece with contrasting burgundy peep toe sandals and posed for a photo with fellow guest Florence Brudenell-Bruce

The couple were attending the wedding of their friends Alexander Spencer-Churchill and Scarlett Strutt (pictured)

In love: The newly married couple shared a kiss as they left the historic church in front of guests and joined by the page boy and bridesmaids

He was once romantically linked to the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton.

Actress Florence Brudenell-Bruce was also a guest at the wedding.

The bride looked stunning in a flowing white lace gown and a delicate veil and wore a pretty flower band of daisies.

Her rustic bouquet of wild daises, which matched her headdress, perfectly complemented her pared back choice of dress.

Beautiful: The bride looked stunning in a flowing white lace gown and a delicate veil and wore a pretty flower band of daisies

Cute: The couple were joined by their bridesmaids and page boys for photos in front of the church

Say cheese! Ritchie posed for pictures at the wedding with Ade, Piers Adams and developer Nick Candy

The groom kept things smart in an all grey morning dress with a cream waistcoat and plain navy tie and accessorised his look with a white pocket square and a simple rose as a buttonhole.

The newly married couple shared a kiss as they left the historic church in front of guests and joined by the page boy and bridesmaids.

A host of celebrities and aristocracy descended on the small village of Stutton near Ipswich for the service.

Just married! The groom kept things smart in an all grey morning dress with a cream waistcoat and plain navy tie and accessorised his look with a white pocket square and a simple rose as a buttonhole

Happy: Guests threw confetti over the newly married couple as they exited the church and headed for the reception

Alexander was once romantically linked to the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton (pictured with Lord Frederick Windsor)

Proud: The Bride and her father arrive for the service at St Peter's Church in the small village of Stutton near Ipswich

Veiled: The bride looked beautiful on the arm of her father before she entered the church for the service

Notable figures at the wedding included property developers Richard Candy and Anton Bilton, who was joined by his wife Lisa, and Bryan Ferry's ex wife Amanda Sheppard.

Aristocrats Lord Frederick Windsor, the only son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, brother of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, were also guests.

Henry Wyndham, the uncle of the groom through his sister Lady Jane Spencer-Churchill and the former chairman of auction house Sotheby's looked smart in morning dress.

And the founder of JCB Lord Anthony Bamford attended the ceremony with his wife Lady Bamford.

Mother of the bride: Lady Jane Spencer-Churchill is pictured with her brother Henry Wyndham, the former chairman of auction house Sotheby's

Aristocratic: The Groom's father Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill and his wife Sarah Goodbody

Famous guests: Lord Anthony and Lady Carole Bamford attended the service

Pretty in pink! The former wife of Bryan Ferry Amanda Sheppard was joined by a female friend at the wedding

Dashing: Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, brother of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, paces across the grass
Superman star Henry Cavill has reportedly split from his girlfriend after less than a year.

The 33-year-old actor has left 19-year-old student Tara King devastated after ending their romance, even though she thought he was 'the love of her life'.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: 'Henry and Tara have split - it is official. Henry said the two of them could remain friends and he even invited her to his recent birthday party, which she went to, but the relationship is over.

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Over! Superman star Henry Cavill has reportedly split from his teen girlfriend Tara King after less than a year

'It has been very difficult for Tara, who has been saying he was the love of her life.'

The split comes as a surprise as less than two months ago, Henry - who met Tara at Mahiki nightclub in London - gushed about how Tara was always there for him when he is having a hard time.

He said: 'She protects me and is protective of me when I am having a hard time.

'She's there when I need looking after and the world is a little too heavy.

The 33-year-old actor has left 19-year-old student Tara King devastated after ending their romance, even though she thought he was 'the love of her life'

'Then she will happily take that weight for me and make sure that I am OK.'

Despite his fame, the 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice said he is thankful Tara treats him as a 'normal' human being.

He said: 'Tara allows me to be me and she doesn't have a problem with that. She treats me like a normal human being.'

The couple met last year and went public with their romance last October.
The last surviving actress from the iconic movie Casablanca has died.

Madeleine Lebeau played Yvonne, the jilted lover of Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine, in the 1942 film.

Lebeau's stepson told The Hollywood Reporter that she had died aged on May 1 in Estepona, Spain aged 92, after breaking her thigh bone.

The French-born actress was preceded in death by all of her credited Casablanca co-stars, including leads Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Iconic role: The last surviving Casablanca actress Madeleine Lebeau has died aged 92; she is seen in the 1942 movie in her role as Yvonne

In Casablanca Lebeau's Yvonne was rejected by Bogart's Rick following a one-night stand.

She was seen drowning her sorrows at his nightclub, before making another drunken pass at him, after which he tasked a bartender with taking her home.

Yvonne later returned on the arm of a German soldier.

In a memorable scene from the movie as the French patrons and German drinkers battled to sing their national anthems, Yvonne cried and shouted Vive La France as she performed the Le Marseillaise.

When Lebeau filmed Casablanca, she and her Jewish actor husband Marcel Dalio had just fled France themselves, escaping Paris in 1940 shortly before the Germans invaded.

They reached Lisbon and after a wait received Chilean exit visas.

The French-born actress was preceded in death by all of her Casablanca co-stars, including Humphrey Bogart

But in a scene worthy of Hollywood itself, when their ship docked in Mexico they and 200 others were said to have been left stranded, with their purchased visas found to be fake.

The couple eventually received temporary Canadian visas and entered the U.S.

Lebeau made her Hollywood debut in 1941, filming Casablanca later that year, while on a $100-a-week contract with Warner Bros.

Dalio also appeared in the movie as Emil the croupier.

Lebeau and Dalio divorced in 1942, with Lebeau later marrying Oscar nominated screenwriter Tullio Pinelli.

After the war she returned to Europe and continued her career as an actress, appearing in 20 more movies, mostly French.

She also starred in Fellini's 1963 movie 81/2.
Sean Penn kept a low profile on Saturday as he indulged in a low key sushi lunch in Malibu.

The 55-year-old actor looked mis-matched in a leather jacket, a printed grey T-shirt and a pair of navy blue Adidas striped tracksuit bottoms.

His hair was left in a scruffy, natural style as he made his way to his car following his healthy lunch.

Healthy eating! Sean Penn kept a low profile on Saturday as he indulged in some lunch at Bui Sushi in Malibu

The actor looked slightly disheveled as he donned a pair of navy blue trainers.

Sean has been attracting a lot of media attention in recent weeks thanks to his interview Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman last October.

He has said that he believes his interview with the notorious drug-lord has had a significant impact on the war on drugs.

He made headlines in January when it emerged he had interviewed the murderous cartel leader without tipping off authorities, who were desperately trying to locate and recapture him.

Individual look: The 55-year-old actor looked mis-matched in a leather jacket, a printed grey T-shirt and a pair of navy blue Adidas striped tracksuit bottoms

And his rambling 10,000-word account of the farcical stunt, published by Rolling Stone, was scathingly mocked for giving El Chapo the global publicity he wanted.

It featured beaming photographs of the Oscar winner with the fugitive, who has since been recaptured and is set to be extradited to the US for a trial.

Days after the article's release Sean told Charlie Rose he regretted the saga.

Going for the natural look: The actor looked slightly disheveled as he donned a pair of navy blue trainers

But in a new interview with the Financial Times, Sean pedals back on those words, saying he now thinks he has in fact changed the international conversation about drug trafficking.

'When I said it failed, that turned out not to be the case,' he told the FT's Matthew Garrahan over lunch at the Oceana club in Santa Monica.

'There's no question there's ultimately been more conversation about the drug war.'

Exclusive interview: Sean has been attracting a lot of media attention in recent weeks thanks to his interview Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman last October

Sean gave no specific examples of this impact. He added: 'I can't prove it. But I've noticed that there's been more debate.'

By way of supporting his claim, Sean told Garrahan he recently met Mexico's former president Vicente Fox in Los Angeles.

'He told me he agreed with everything Id said in the article,' Sean said.

The secret meeting took place in October last year and came after del Castillo and the kingpin shared a raft of flirtatious text messages.

Making a change: He has said that he believes his interview with the notorious drug-lord has had a significant impact on the war on drugs

El Chapo was captured in the Mexican city of Los Mochis in January - a day before Sean's article was published - and he is now back in a maximum security prison.

Sean later said he 'assumed' Mexican authorities knew he was meeting El Chapo - though he wrote about trying to hide from authorities in his Rolling Stone piece.

Speaking to the FT, Sean also hit out at Kate Del Castillo, the Mexican actress who brokered his meeting with El Chapo.
When it comes to red carpet glamour, Lady Victoria Hervey rarely puts a foot wrong with her fashion choices.

The blonde beauty started off her Sunday by dazzling in a daring sparkling dress that highlighted her chest at the American Honey premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The 39-year-old British socialite later changed into a demure white bridal style gown as she attended the Land of the Moon premiere, which took place shortly afterwards.

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Bold: Lady Victoria Hervey is showstopping in sheer sparkly dress which accentuates her ample bust at Cannes Film Festival on Sunday

Vision: Victoria's trim figure could be seen through the nude sheer material as she put on a very leggy display at the American Honey screening before swapping for a white gown for From the Land of the Moon premiere

For the first screening, Victoria went all out to impress in her daring ensemble which had strategically placed diamantes around her bust.

Delicate sparkling beading adorned the arms of her unique ensemble as she stepped out on the sunny Croisette in the south of France.

Victoria showed off her toned torso through her garment, which fell to the floor in a sheer train as she walked.

Legs appeal: She wore a glitzy miniskirt underneath it to make the most of her gym-honed physique and her long, tanned legs

Layered look: She wore a glitzy miniskirt underneath it to make the most of her gym-honed physique and her long, tanned legs

Victoria's trim figure could be seen through the sheer material as she put on a very leggy display on the night.

She wore a glitzy miniskirt underneath it to make the most of her gym-honed physique and her long, tanned legs.

Meanwhile, her hair was swept up in an elegant updo, with cascading curls falling down her back.

She completed her showstopping outfit with a pair of alluring diamond heels with red jewels on the straps.

Stunning: Victoria's sheer figure hugging frock featured a thigh split which showed off Victoria's best assets as she strutted her stuff on Sunday at the American Honey official screening

Backless: The daring frock showed off plenty of flesh through its backless cutout on the red carpet

Victoria joined a host of stars to watch the screening of the comic drama about a teenage girl who joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying and law bending.

The film, which stars Shia LaBeouf, McCaul Lombardi and Arielle Holmes, and is directed to Andrea Arnold, is in competition at the 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival.

The socialite was recently promoting her book, Lady In Waiting, the first title in the Wristband Diaries series.

Lady Victoria is known for being a model, socialite and aristocrat but she has now been signed on a three book deal with publishers, Totally Entwined.
He never fails to cut a handsome figure.

But fans of Colin Firth may be worrying if he's been a little too committed to his latest health regime - after appearing gaunt on the red carpet.

The 55 year-old displayed a particularly slimline shape while attending Chopard's Gent's Party at Annabel's in Cannes on Saturday night.

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Then and now: Compared to several months ago (L) Colin Firth displayed a particularly slimline shape while attending Chopard's Gent's Party at Annabel's in Cannes on Saturday night

The British performer - whose hit projects include A Single Man and Bridget Jones - was noticeably slighter at the bash, where he was accompanied by wife Livia.

Wearing a dark suit with a crisp, white shirt, his jawline appeared to be more pronounced and his face less rounded as he posed for photographs.

Displaying more expression lines, his cheeks also appeared to be less full.

Less is more? The British performer - whose hit projects include A Single Man and Bridget Jones - was noticeably slighter at the bash, where he was accompanied by wife Livia

Back in the day: Colin was his his usual healthy weight while filming Love, Actually in 2003

Fortunately, chances are his weight loss is for the sake of a new movie role - as he previously did to play a prisoner of war in The Railway Man.

Based on the true story of British officer Eric Lomax, Firth plays the soldier who is captured by the Japanese during the Second World War and forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway.

The Oscar-winning actor, who won for The King's Speech has previously spoken about how mastering a characters physical appearance is key to his acting method.

His Mr Darcy moment: Colin pictured on-set in Pride and Prejudice with co-star Jennifer Ehle

Radiant: Livia's sophisticated dress had an embroidered chest piece with sheer sleeves and overlay

He said: Some people spend days, weeks even, getting inside a character, getting under his skin, working out how he thinks, what makes him tick.

My secret is that I get outside the character. Take my character in [2009 film] A Single Man: its the big glasses that draw you in, make Georges anguish believable.

Together, Colin and Livia were joined at the party by French actress Marion Cotillard, 40, who put on a vibrant display in a purple polo-neck top with burgundy PVC leggings.

Earlier in the day, the Firths were joined at the green carpet collection by Caroline Scheufele, the artistic director and co-president of Chopard.

Livia, who is the creative director of Eco-Age - which aims raise the profile of sustainability, ethics and social welfare - has been promoting the idea of sustainable fashion for some time and regularly wears recycled outfits for high profiles events.

Handsome: Clean-shaven for the high-profile event, the star also ensured his short locks were perfectly-coiffed

She told the Telegraph this month: 'The biggest message is every time you buy something, always think, Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?.

'If the answer is yes, then buy it. But youd be surprised how many times you say no.
Her parents are two of the most stylish people in showbiz, so it's little wonder Lily-Rose Depp was looking flawless at the Cannes Film Festival.

The fashion forward 16-year-old looked sweet in a black and yellow satin bomber jacket and white dress as she left a private party in the south of France.

The daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis showcased her street cred in the sassy combination as she stepped out on La Croisette on Saturday.

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Street cred: Lily Rose Depp, 16, showed off her flair for fashion as she stole the show in satin bomber jacket at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday

Lily gave her cream frock an edge by throwing a gold and black bomber jacket over her shoulder as she partied the night away on the Riviera.

Her cream dress featured a flattering ruffled neck that looked fabulous on her svelte figure.

The skater-style skirt featured silver buttons and featured a subtle print.

Lookalike: Lily showed off her natural beauty just like her mother Vanessa Paradis. She oozed glam with a ruby red lip

Lily showed off her natural beauty and oozed glam with a ruby red lip.

She added a touch of blush to her cheeks to accentuate her fabulous features which resembled her mother Vanessa.

Her hair was scrapped back into a bun as she showed off her effortless style at a party in Cannes.

She slipped on comfy yet chic sandals with silver statement roses on the straps to complete her look.

All grown up: Lily shows off her chic style in her bold get-up as she takes Cannes by storm

Just a day earlier Lily-Rose showcased her bold sense of style in a cropped sheer shirt which boasted puffball arms at a press call for her film The Dancer.

The design boasted a contrasting silk collar as well as elaborate button detailing along the centre.

She paired the look with denim jeans that were emblazoned with a feminine floral motif, though a frayed hem toughened up the look of the garment.

Effortlessly cool: Lily-Rose enjoyed another moment in the spotlight as she dazzled photographers for The Dancer (La Danseuse) photocall on Saturday evening

Chic: The daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis showcased her bold sense of style in a cropped sheer shirt which boasted puffball arms

She injected a pop of vibrancy into the otherwise muted colour scheme with purple mid-heels and an intricate gold arm cuff that was adorned with jewels.

Her honey blonde locks were swept into an easy bun, with the young star opting for a more undone look by allowing sporadic wisps of hair to fall freely around her face.

The Dancer, slated for release on September 28, tells the story of Loie Fuller, who was the toast of the Folies Bergeres at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumiere Brothers.

The film revolves around her complicated relationship with protege and rival Isadora Duncan, who is played by Lily-Rose.
Farmer Wants A Wife star Adam Nelson was forced to shut down his Gippsland, Victorian based dairy farm over the weekend due to the Australian dairy crisis.

According to the Herald Sun the closure of the farm came after the 'nation's two largest processors, Murray Goulburn and Fonterra, slashed the price [by 10 per cent] it pays suppliers at the farm gate.'

The 26-year-old took to social media to announce the devastating news, writing: '10 years of building a life and business for myself, has been ripped out from under my feet and has left me devastated, disheartened and extremely disappointed.

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Coming to an end: Farmer Wants A Wife star Adam Nelson was forced to shut down his Gippsland, Victorian based dairy farm over the weekend due to the Australian dairy crisis

'The reality of the last week is slowly sinking in. In one foul swoop, thousands of farming families have been left high and dry with nowhere to turn.

'Along with many others to come, my [80] cows have left my farm and my business shut down at the hands of Fonterra,' he continued.

The farmer included hashtags in the post for, dairy crisis, support Aussie farmers, save our farmers, shame on you Fonterra and shame on you MG.

Broken: He took to Instagram to announce the news: '10 years of building a life and business for myself, has been ripped out from under my feet and has left me devastated, disheartened and extremely disappointed'

Alongside the heartbreaking post Adam shared an image of himself taking in the last moments of his business.

He was pictured sitting on the edge of the stable gate with his head firmly planted in his hands.

Following the post, many of his fans and fellow farmers gave words of support to the businessman.

One wrote: 'praying for you and others for a new season,' while another left 'So sorry to hear, used to work on a dairy farm. How can we get involved?'.

Gutted: He added: 'The reality of the last week is slowly sinking in...My [80] cows have left my farm and my business shut down at the hands of Fonterra'

Adam was quick to reply to the well wishes, writing: 'The support you are all showing for myself and fellow Aussie farmers is being receive with a great deal of gratitude and appreciation.

'I/we thank you all!!! In regards to the best action for you as consumers, buy Brand Name Products!!!

'Don't buy $1 a lt [litre] milk as it is crippling the fresh milk market with VERY little margin being passed on (sic).

Consequences: According to the Herald Sun the closure of the farm came after the 'nation's two largest processors, Murray Goulburn and Fonterra, slashed the price [by 10%] it pays suppliers at the farm gate'

'This is the quickest way to make a return to farmers without volatility of the Australian dollar and global markets.'

Adam went on to state to the Herald Sun: 'As farmers we have a responsibility and laws in place for the protection and welfare of our animals, but where are the same regulations for human beings?

'This is going to tear families apart. The repercussions of this have nothing to do with dairy farming at all.'
It may have been directed by Ridley Scott.

But actress Susan Sarandon claims Thelma and Louise wouldn't be made in modern-day Hollywood because male studio bosses are sexist and closed-minded about women in leading roles.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, she claimed 'a lack of imagination by men' was to blame for Hollywood not being more pre-occupied with feminist themes.

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Susan Sarandon claims Thelma and Louise wouldn't be made in modern-day Hollywood because male studio bosses are sexist and closed-minded about women in leading roles

Miss Sarandon, 69, was appearing alongside her Thelma and Louise co-star Geena Davis, 60, when she let slip that the film would not stand a chance now.

Talking at a Kering Women In Motion Talk, she was asked if the 1991 film could be made today and said: Maybe as an animation? I dont think the studios have fallen off their horse and had some kind of epiphany about women in film.

Because after Thelma and Louise, they predicted there would be so many films starring women. That really made a lot of money. But it didnt happen.

She added that in some ways it is harder now than ever for women to get ahead in the film industry.

She explained: There are still many more male executives making these decisions. Hollywood has become more and more corporate and the kind of people making those decisions and the basis on which theyre making those decisions.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, she claimed 'a lack of imagination by men' was solely to blame for Hollywood not being more feminist-focused

Miss Sarandon, 69, was appearing alongside her Thelma and Louise co-star Geena Davis, 60, when she let slip that the film would not stand a chance now

Whereas women can see a woman or a man in a leading role, I dont think its as easy for a guy to see a woman in a leading role and say Ill get behind that.

I think its a cultural thing, and thats part of what slows it down: a lack of imagination on the part of men.

Miss Davis said it is a recurring problem, where films such as The Hunger Games or Mamma Mia! are said to be changing the Hollywood landscape because of their strong female leads, only for it to amount to nothing.

She said: Thats one of the really uncomfortable things, because when they said that I believed it. It didnt happen.

Then five years later another movie comes out and they say okay, now things will change. And that keeps happening.

The thing about film is it can change overnight. It isnt like real life, where it takes so long to get women to be half of congress or boards or CEOs. The next movie somebody makes can be gender balanced. We dont have to sneak up on it, just do it.

Directed by Sir Ridley Scott, Thelma and Louise - which also launched the career of Brad Pitt - is held up as touchstone of feminism, which proved controversial at the time.

Its ending, which saw the characters drive their car off a cliff after being cornered by the police, was also branded reckless.

All men? Whereas women can see a woman or a man in a leading role, I dont think its as easy for a guy to see a woman in a leading role and say Ill get behind that' she said

Three's a crowd: Host Ramin Setoodeh with Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis at the Kering Talks event

Miss Sarandon said: I dont know if you remember, but there were a lot of people who were very offended by the movie. Because women having those kind of options got people upset, suddenly we were accused of condoning suicide which was ridiculous.

I cant say that when we made it we were making a feminist film. We were making a buddy film where we had power and choices, but I certainly didnt anticipate that it would be such an affront that we backed into this white male heterosexual landscape that had been that long held.

This is not the only way that the film industry has become harder for women over the last 25 years. Miss Sarandon also took a swipe at the pressures piled on young stars by social media and the paparazzi.

She said: I wouldnt have survived if there had been someone outside of the [celebrity hotspot] Chateaux Marmont watching me come and go.

Theres also something so self-conscious [about social media], with people photographing their food, youre just constantly outside and its expected of you to maintain [that]. Thats part of your job now, is to have a certain amount of followers.

It takes up so much energy, then it so much becomes about the way you look and how much weight you have. Thats a big distraction.

I admire the Kristen Stewarts of the world who manage to maintain their sanity, working and seeming authentic while they are under so much scrutiny all the time.
Eight killed, 43 injured US after charter bus rolls over

Eight people were killed and 43 were injured in the US state of Texas after a charter bus rolled over on the highway, county officials said.

The bus, which was traveling near the state's border with Mexico, was headed to a casino in the town of Eagle Pass, according to a statement from Webb County, where the accident occurred.

Seven people died at the scene while one other died at the hospital, county spokesman Larry Sanchez said.

The bus was traveling near the Texas state border with Mexico, headed to a casino in the town of Eagle Pass, when it rolled leaving seven people dead at the scene while one died in hospital Scott Olson (Getty/AFP/File)

According to the county 44 people were sent to the hospital, including the individual who died.

The bus had been traveling from the Rio Grande Valley in the state's southern tip, when it rolled over. Emergency responders received a call around 11:30 am (16:30 GMT) about the accident, which included people pinned under the bus.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the roll over.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein reported that it was raining at the time of the accident but the cause of the crash was still unknown, according to NBC News.

The accident happened some 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of the border city of Laredo.
China's Cultural Revolution, now highly collectible

At the "East is Red" shop in Shanghai, every nook and cranny is packed with memorabilia of China's Cultural Revolution, from small badges of Chairman Mao Zedong to gigantic posters of his iconic image.

Owner Guo Bing himself is a child of the Cultural Revolution, born in 1966, the year the chaotic and violent decade was launched on May 16. His parents named him with the Chinese character for "soldier", a common practice at the time.

But now, Guo sees profits rather than Communist Party ideals in the relics of the past, as the market booms for collectibles from a time scarred victims would prefer to forget.

A shop in China's Shaoshan sells Chairman Mao Zedong memorabilia Johannes Eisele (AFP)

"Prices have risen because of the anniversary of the Cultural Revolution," said Guo at one of his two shops in China's commercial hub, whose gleaming skyscrapers epitomise the country's economic boom after the abandonment of Maoist orthodoxy.

"People suffered during the Cultural Revolution," Guo admitted, before quickly adding: "We are meeting demand. There is a market."

Guo was a "Little Red Guard" as a child in Jiangsu province, he said, wearing his older brother's army uniform, pinning a Mao badge to his chest and signing patriotic songs.

One of them, "The East is Red", gave him the name for his business, which has dealt in Cultural Revolution memorabilia for two decades.

- Mao and a mango -

For some buyers, such objects tap into nostalgia for a simpler time, when the state provided everything and society was more equal, despite the abuse the victims suffered.

"It was an exciting time for kids," Guo said. "Most collectors now are old people, younger people lag behind."

The objects on offer range from an enamelled metal plate with the slogan "Chairman Mao's revolutionary art and literature line victory forever" to a book of cartoons published in early 1977, soon after Mao's death and the fall of his widow Jiang Qing.

Along with the three other members of the "Gang of Four", she was officially blamed for directing the mayhem. Once a movie actress in Shanghai, she was among a cabal of radicals with links to the city who were among the driving forces behind the Cultural Revolution.

"We can remember history," Guo said.

On a high bookshelf in the shop, a framed picture shows Mao with a mango, which became an object of veneration after the leader gifted the fruit to a group of workers in 1968.

The cult of the mango, as it is known, was even the subject of an exhibition at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich in 2013.

The reproduction sells for 50 yuan ($8), Guo says -- but an original would cost hundreds of dollars.

The disparity offers a opportunity for the unscrupulous to profit, and collectors and dealers said that rampant fakes are a problem for Cultural Revolution memorabilia, like other collecting categories in China.

On Chinese website Kongfz.com, an eBay-like platform for antiquarian books and other items, a search for Cultural Revolution turns up nearly 200,000 items with the most expensive an extensive collection priced at 3.0 million yuan.

- 'A sensitive time' -

"All along, people have appreciated Cultural Revolution objects," said long-time dealer and collector Lin Ji.

"Where there is a market, there are fakes," he added, citing reproductions of Red Guard armbands as an example.

Mao badges and the "Little Red Book" of his thoughts and sayings were once ubiquitous in Chinese households, but collectors hope growing scarcity will increase prices over time.

"There are too many things (from the Cultural Revolution). But the good stuff is getting harder and harder to find," said Guo, who has a prized Mao statue stored away at home, not for sale.

Despite the rampant consumerism -- and Communist kitsch is also popular among some foreign buyers -- the Cultural Revolution remains a sensitive topic, even 40 years after it ended.

The ruling party fears that a full historical reckoning would undermine its legitimacy, strongly opposes a revival of leftist thought and shuns comparisons between Mao's personality cult and the strong leadership of current President Xi Jinping.

The founder of the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre, a private museum which includes several exhibits from the Cultural Revolution, declined to be interviewed by AFP in the run-up to the anniversary.

"It's a sensitive time right now," said Yang Peiming. "The museum is an art museum without any other meaning."

A shop in China's Shaoshan sells Chairman Mao Zedong memorabilia Johannes Eisele (AFP)

A street vendor sells Chairman Mao Zedong memorabilia in Shaoshan Johannes Eisele (AFP)

A shop in China's Shaoshan sells Chairman Mao Zedong memorabilia Johannes Eisele (AFP)
India eases red tape but foreign firms still struggle

Narendra Modi was elected two years ago this week promising to ease India's notorious red tape and unpack regulatory tangles, but for foreign firms, doing business in the world's fastest-growing large economy can still be a costly headache.

With a billion consumers and rising middle class, India holds dazzling potential -- yet despite signs of change on the ground, high-profile corporate tussles continue to bamboozle investors.

British firms Cairn Energy and Vodafone have this year been hit with fresh bills for billions of dollars in backdated tax and threats of asset seizure linked to long-running disputes.

India ranks 130 out of 189 on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index -- the worst of all G20 countries Manjunath Kiran (AFP/File)

Agribusiness giant Monsanto in March threatened to pull out of India over government plans to slash cotton seed royalties paid by local firms by about 70 percent to help farmers.

And two major American business bodies this month voiced disappointment with the glacial pace of market reforms.

In a submission to the US commerce secretary, the National Association of Manufacturers urged Washington to press for change during a visit by Modi in June.

"Despite statements made by Prime Minister Modi and other senior Indian officials over the past two years, there has been limited progress in many key areas that make it challenging to do business in India," the group wrote.

- Open for business? -

Modi took power after winning elections in May 2014 promising to make India "open for business", seeking to replicate an impressive economic track record as chief minister in Gujarat and speed up a market opening that began 25 years ago.

The potential is breathtaking: India's population will overtake China's within six years and comprise 1.7 billion people by 2050, according to the UN.

But India ranks 130 out of 189 on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index -- the worst of all G20 countries.

Regulations vary capriciously across its 29 states, where even the same law can be interpreted in bafflingly different ways.

"It is a hassle, it's a pain, the amount of (tax) bills we get, the number of licences we need," the India head of one major European retailer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Any store that we open, there are between 25 to 40 licences. It's just a mess."

A much-reviled 2012 retrospective tax law has not been repealed, with telecoms giant Vodafone and oil explorer Cairn charged billions over previously cleared dealings.

"The finance minister himself has said on more than one occasion that retrospective taxes have been an own goal," Naushad Forbes, president of the Confederation of Indian Industry, told AFP.

"They ruin our reputation and don't bring us any revenue."

Trade remains a bugbear, with US exporters to India lamenting eye-wateringly high tariffs and protectionist restrictions, and years-long talks with the EU all but stalled.

"One big conflict at the highest level (is) that the Modi government is very pro-investment but at the same time, very anti-trade access," said Richard Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

Even Facebook -- personally courted by tech-loving Modi in Silicon Valley -- ran into trouble with Free Basics, an initiative to give limited free Internet to the poor.

After Indian entrepreneurs railed against corporate paternalism, Free Basics was blocked by the telecoms regulator, in a ruling ostensibly over data pricing.

Some suggest India's buoyant economy, expected to have grown 7.6 percent this year, has bolstered nationalist tendencies.

- Change afoot -

While headline-grabbing corporate wrangles spook investors, many businesses say they see signs of change.

Several executives told AFP they find civil servants more approachable under the Modi government and said a drive to bring a vast ocean of approvals online has had a tangible effect.

"We have certainly seen an improved willingness amongst some individuals in government organisations to close out historic project problems," said Liz King, India managing director of engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald.

Hundreds of backdated tax cases have been quietly resolved and it appears new ones are not being taken forward, said Rossow of CSIS.

"In the weeds there are good things happening," he said.

The UK India Business Council said its members still cite legal and regulatory impediments as their biggest challenge to doing business in India.

But, said its head Richard McCallum, things are moving faster.

"It used to take three months to incorporate a company in India and now we are doing it in three weeks," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power after winning elections in May 2014 promising to make India "open for business"

India's population will overtake China's within six years and comprise 1.7 billion people by 2050, according to the UN Money Sharma (AFP/File)
Alleged Islamist militant held for Bangladesh gay activist murders

Bangladesh police have arrested a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of two gay rights activists, part of a spate of murders of intellectuals, writers and religious minorities, officers said Sunday.

Xulhaz Mannan, an editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were murdered in a Dhaka apartment last month by about six men carrying machetes and guns.

Police on Saturday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam Shihab, described as a member of a local Islamist militant outfit that has been blamed for a string of similar gruesome murders of secular and atheist bloggers.

Shariful Islam Shihab (C) in Dhaka on May 15, 2016 after his arrest in connection with the murder of two gay rights activists - (AFP)

"We've arrested one man in connection with the murder of Xulhaz Mannan," Dhaka police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP.

"He is a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team," he said, adding that the two activists were murdered on the orders of the ABT leadership.

Washington has condemned the killings of 25-year Tonoy and Mannan, 35, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID, as pressure mounts on Bangladesh to curb the attacks and bring those responsible to justice.

Both men had received threats from Islamists over their championing of gay rights.

At a press briefing in the capital on Sunday, police said Shihab -- who has denied carrying out the killings -- owned one of two guns used in the murders and has also supplied arms and bombs for previous ABT operations.

Police seized Shihab in the western town of Kushtia, where he allegedly heads an ABT unit, after raids on several properties, in what Dhaka counter-terrorism chief Monirul Islam said was a "breakthrough" in the case.

"They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam," Islam said, adding the investigation was ongoing.

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has claimed responsibility for killing the pair, saying the two men had worked to "promote homosexuality" in Bangladesh.

But Bangladesh police chiefs have said their murders have the hallmarks of local Islamists, while the secular government has blamed the opposition.

Several members of homegrown Ansarullah Bangla Team were convicted last year over the 2013 murder of atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

- Monk murder -

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in the southeastern district of Bandarban -- the seventh such killing since the start of last month.

Two Muslim Rohingya refugees, who fled persecution in Myanmar, and a member of the Chak ethnic community to which the monk belonged are being held for questioning over his murder, local police inspector Anisur Rahman told AFP.

Suspected Islamists have been blamed or claimed responsibility for the scores of murders carried out since last year, as fear grips the Muslim-majority nation over the rising violence.

Last year four secular bloggers and a publisher were hacked to death, while Christians, Hindus and Sufi, Ahmadi and Shiite Muslims have also been killed since.

No one has yet been convicted over those deaths, despite a number of arrests.

The Islamic State group has claimed a number of the killings, but authorities insist there is no evidence of the group's presence in Bangladesh.

A long-running political crisis in Bangladesh has radicalised opponents of the government and analysts say Islamist extremists pose a growing danger.

Medics move a trolley carrying the body of murdered gay rights activist Mahbub Tonoy at a hospital in Dhaka on April 26, 2016

Xulhaz Mannan was the editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community
Straight-talking Swamy takes aim at India's old elite

He's been called India's Donald Trump: a media-savvy right-wing populist who is unafraid of upsetting everyone from the ruling elite to religious minorities as he rails against corruption.

And after returning to parliament following a 15-year absence, Subramanian Swamy says he won't temper his shoot-from-the-hip style that has made him one of India's most popular if divisive politicians.

"The country's mood has changed, like in America," the 76-year-old told AFP in an interview at his home in New Delhi.

Subramanian Swamy says he won't temper his shoot-from-the-hip style that has made him one of India's most popular if divisive politicians Prakash Singh (AFP)

"You know Donald Trump -- I would never have thought that a politician in the US could even get out of the first round (of the presidential primaries) with the kind of bluntness that he has shown.

"But people now want to know the truth and I have established that what I say I mean, I mean what I say.

"People come up to me in airplanes and other places and they want to shake hands, take a selfie and say that we like you very much because you tell us the truth."

A Harvard alumni, Swamy first entered parliament as an elected member of the lower house, the Lok Sabha, in 1977 and had a stint as law minister from 1990-91.

After a lengthy absence from Delhi's corridors of power, he was nominated to the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, last month with the backing of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It gives him a new platform to flay the likes of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he has ridiculed as an idiot, and tell central bank chief Raghuram Rajan to "go back to Chicago" where he was a finance professor.

- Parliamentary language -

While raucous debate is a regular feature of India's parliament, personal insults are meant to be off limits but the quick-witted Swamy often manages to outsmart the speaker.

"Everyone knows buddhu (a Hindi word meaning idiot) is codeword for Rahul Gandhi but it escaped expunging as the speaker didn't know what I was saying," he joked.

His similarly irreverent social media posts have brought him 2.64 million Twitter followers, more than four times Gandhi's following.

But supporters say Swamy is more than just a parliamentary wag and point to his track record of helping expose top-level corruption.

His dogged campaigning over the corrupt allocation of telecoms licences a decade ago helped put one government minister behind bars.

More recently, he has been asking awkward questions over a controversial deal to purchase military helicopters from the Italian company Agusta.

Swamy has also filed a private criminal complaint accusing Gandhi and his mother Sonia -- president of the main opposition Congress party -- of misappropriating property belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.

Both fiercely deny Swamy's allegations, saying the claims are evidence that Modi and his allies are pursuing a vicious vendetta against them.

Swamy's critics say that many of his accusations fail to stand up and the supposedly fearless Swamy is soft on the current government.

Although Swamy used to head his own party, he joined Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013, a year before it won power.

They also accuse him of stirring religious tensions in a country with a gory history of communal violence, notably by urging the construction of a Hindu temple at a site also claimed by Muslims in the city of Ayodhya.

- 'Stifling political correctness' -

He has argued that Muslims -- who account for around 14 percent of the population -- should be stripped of their right to vote unless they acknowledge their Hindu ancestry.

"Those minorities who stay with us, they may have complete freedom to follow their religion but culturally they should be like us," he told AFP.

Writing in The Hindustan Times, the author Manu Joseph said Swamy's hardline towards Muslims and the Gandhi family -- who epitomise India's traditional elite -- mean he is "surely the Trump of India".

Both men had benefitted from the feeling "that political correctness has become despotic and stifling", Joseph argued.

"In Trump and Swamy and others of their type, people find an outlet," he added.

Some observers say Swamy's confrontational style will backfire for the government, which needs to start mending bridges if it wants to get key policies through parliament.

Such arguments cut little ice with Swamy who is dismissive of what he calls a glorified "debating club" in the world's largest democracy.

"Should I forget about corruption so that you can pass some bills? Don't be silly," Swamy said.

After a lengthy absence from Delhi's corridors of power, Subramanian Swamy was nominated to the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, last month Money Sharma (AFP)
IS bombs kill 47 Yemen police in former Qaeda bastion

A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group and a second blast killed 47 police Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule ended last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS in the city of 200,000 people that was recaptured by government forces from the rival jihadists of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 41 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said after earlier giving a toll of 31 dead.

A member of the security forces patrols a street in the Yemeni port of Mukalla, 480 km (300 mi) east of Aden, on May 3, 2016

The bomber detonated an explosives belt after joining a line of men at a police recruiting centre, a provincial official said.

More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

Hadramawt's security chief, General Mubarak al-Oubthani, was at the recruitment centre at the time of the attack but was not hurt.

However, he was the target of a second bombing afterwards as he was preparing to head into central Mukalla, a security official said.

The bomb exploded as Oubthani walked out of his office, killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.

An IS statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, a second rare operation by the jihadist group in an area known to be a stronghold of its Al-Qaeda rivals.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 soldiers were killed in jihadist attacks outside Mukalla. IS said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city's eastern outskirts.

The attacks included a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of the commander of Hadramawt's second military region, General Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped unharmed, officials said.

- Suspected suicide bomber -

On Sunday, troops guarding an army post in Khalf opened fire on a vehicle after they suspected its driver of being a suicide bomber, a security official said, adding the vehicle sped away.

The general boasted on Friday that his forces had captured some 250 Al-Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla and nearby coastal towns, including its commander for the city of Shihr, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.

Al-Qaeda was driven out of the area last month with the backing of Emirati and Saudi special forces.

The Pentagon revealed last week that a "very small number" of US military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation.

The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, USS Boxer, and two destroyers.

The offensive against Al-Qaeda comes amid a truce and peace talks between the government and Iran-backed rebels it has been fighting with support from a Saudi-led coalition since March last year.

Speaking in Kuwait, the UN special envoy to Yemen said he was optimistic despite unresolved "difficult matters".

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference.

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

Jihadists from both Al-Qaeda and IS took advantage of the conflict in the country to expand their presence in Hadramawt and other areas of the south, including second city Aden where the government has its base.

IS has claimed several attacks on government and coalition targets in Aden in recent months.

Washington regards Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has stepped up a longstanding drone war against it in recent weeks.

But the jihadists retain a strong presence and still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.

Map of Yemen locating the port city of Mukalla where two attacks killed at least 37 police recruits, according to medics AFP (AFP)
Israel shuns French initiative after UNESCO vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poured cold water on Sunday on the Middle East peace initiative advanced by France by questioning its impartiality, a claim swiftly denied by Paris.

Speaking to ministers ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu relayed remarks he had made to French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who was visiting the region ahead of a May 30 international ministerial meeting.

Ayrault's visit aimed to prepare for the conference that would try to revive Middle East peace talks, frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opens the weekly cabinet meeting on May 15, 2016 at his Jerusalem office Gali Tibbon (AFP)

Israeli and Palestinian representatives have not been invited to the French meeting to prepare for such a conference, mooted for the autumn.

"I told him that the scandalous resolution accepted at UNESCO with France's support, that does not recognise the bond of thousands of years between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, casts a shadow over the impartiality of the entire forum France is trying to convene," Netanyahu told ministers of his talks with Ayrault.

He was referring to a resolution adopted last month by the Paris-based UN cultural body on the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, which made no reference to the fact that it is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and is Judaism's most sacred site.

Sources close to Ayrault said on Sunday that France "regretted" the resolution, echoing remarks by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who on Wednesday called it "clumsy" and "unfortunate" and said it should have been avoided.

But at the same time, Ayrault rejected Netanyahu's questioning of French impartiality, insisting that an Israeli-Palestinian peace process was imperative to prevent the spread of deadly Islamist violence.

"France has no vested interest, but is deeply convinced that if we don't want to let the ideas of the Islamic State group prosper in this region, we must do something," he told reporters at Ben Gurion airport after meeting both Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

- Direct talks 'only way' -

While Israelis have just celebrated the 68th anniversary of their state's inception, Palestinians on Sunday were marking the 1948 creation of Israel as the "nakba" -- catastrophe in Arabic, as more than 760,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes.

Clashes erupted on the Gaza Strip border between Palestinians and Israeli forces, and the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups called for uprisings against Israel.

Palestinians also marched in several cities in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his opposition to indirect peace attempts, blaming the Palestinians for rejecting direct talks.

"I told him that the only way to advance true peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct talks, without preconditions," he said of his meeting with Ayrault.

"Any other attempt just distances peace and gives Palestinians a means of evading dealing with the root of the conflict, which is not recognising the State of Israel," he said.

Sources in Ayrault's entourage said the French initiative was not aimed at "preventing or bypassing" direct talks between the parties, which Paris believes is the only way to resolve the conflict.

"The problem is there are currently no negotiations," the sources said.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki told reporters after Ayrault met Abbas that unlike the Israelis, they welcomed the French initiative.

"We wish France and its efforts success because the French efforts are the only ones on the ground now, and could eventually result in giving the political process a good push forward at this stage," Malki said.

The French, determined to push ahead with the peace initiative despite Israel's reluctance, remain cautious as to the prospects of its success.

The United States has yet to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry, who was the central force behind the latest failed round of peace talks, would attend the May 30 Paris summit.

Ayrault said on Sunday the US "shared our concern" and indicated France would be willing to shift the date of the conference to accommodate Kerry's schedule, should the need arise.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on May 15, 2016 in Jerusalem Menahem Kahana (AFP)

Palestinian women walk past a mural in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2016, on the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" Said Khatib (AFP)
China says Pentagon report 'severely damaged' relations

China on Sunday accused the US of deliberately distorting the facts in a report on the Asian giant's defence policy, warning Washington it had "severely damaged" trust between the superpowers.

The Pentagon on Friday said Beijing had been building up military facilities on reefs and islets in a bid to assert its claims to the contested waters of the South China Sea.

China's military has also been using "coercive tactics" to foster tensions with its neighbours, but will ensure they do not snowball into outright conflict, according to the annual report to Congress.

The South China Sea, an important shipping route thought to be home to vast energy deposits, has become a growing source of tension between Beijing and Washington as the US turns its focus on Asia Ritchie B. Tongo (POOL/AFP/File)

Beijing hit back on Sunday in comments published in state media, with a defence ministry spokesman saying the Pentagon report had "deliberately distorted China's defence policies".

"It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region," spokesman Yang Yujun said, according to the official news agency Xinhua.

"The US annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides."

Yang accused the US of being behind the "militarisation in the South China Sea", parts of which are claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as China.

The South China Sea, an important shipping route thought to be home to vast energy deposits, has become a growing source of tension between Beijing and Washington as the US turns its focus on Asia.

Washington fears Beijing is seeking to impose military controls over the entire area, where China has built massive structures including radar systems and airstrips on reclaimed reefs and islets.

The Pentagon report estimated China has reclaimed 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land around the Spratly Islands, also claimed by the Philippines, over the past two years.

Beijing has been angered by the growing US attention on Asia and US forays into the Sea, including sailing warships close to reclaimed islands.
Kerry holds Saudi talks ahead of Syria, Libya meetings

US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to secure its support ahead of a potential showdown with Russia at talks on the Syrian conflict.

After his Saudi meetings, Kerry was due in Vienna which this week will host the international contact groups engaged in efforts to halt fighting in Syria and Libya.

Riyadh is the key backer of rebels fighting to overthrow Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and Kerry is keen to keep the opposition on board with a shaky ceasefire in force since February.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in Jeddah on May 15, 2016, as Washington and Riyadh consult ahead of another week of diplomacy on the Syria conflict Dave Clark (AFP)

Saudi allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are also major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is withholding its support from a UN-backed unity government in Tripoli.

Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at the royal court in a palace in Jeddah.

"I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect," he told King Salman as the pair sat down, before reporters were ushered out.

"On Syria, the secretary provided an update of the situation on the ground following last week's reaffirmation of the cessation of hostilities," a US spokesman said.

"The secretary also gave an update on Libya," he said.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed "regional issues... mainly developments in Syria," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The monarch discussed "aspects of cooperation between the two countries and developments in the region and efforts in that regards," SPA reported.

Kerry also discussed cooperation in "fighting terrorism" with the Crown Prince, who is also interior minister.

Bin Nayef had orchestrated the kingdom's crackdown on Al-Qaeda, which launched a wave of attacks on foreigners and government targets between 2003 and 2006.

- Focus on Libya security -

After his talks in Vienna, Kerry will fly on to Brussels on Wednesday for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will jointly host the Libya conflict meeting on Monday.

Participants will "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," according to US officials.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to end the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that has undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March, taking over key institutions such as the central bank and the National Oil Corporation, but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

The State Department's Kirby said last week the goal is to "ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition."

The ISSG, chaired by Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian Assad's regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect the fragile three-month-old ceasefire.

Officials hope next week's meeting will inject new life into the peace process and -- if the ceasefire holds -- secure talks on forming a unity government.

Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan reported on Sunday that peace talks might resume on May 23, citing sources it did not identify.

On the ground, clashes between rival Islamist rebel factions near Damascus since late last month has killed more than 300 fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Sunday.
Hiring licensed clinical therapists to help mentally ill inmates at the Yellowstone County jail is proving to be difficult.

The Mental Health Center, which was awarded a contract for services by the county in March, received zero applications despite advertising for six weeks online, at colleges and with professional associations, said Barbara Mettler, the centers executive director, this week.

The centers human resources department also expanded its search by mailing 700 letters recently to all licensed professional counselors in Eastern Montana, Mettler said.

One person responded on Friday to the letter. Mettler said she didn't know yet whether the person was qualified but was happy to finally have an applicant.

Not that Mettler thought hiring for the two new jobs would be easy. But no response was more of a surprise than we thought, Mettler said.

Its getting to be this way everywhere in the state, she said.

Mettler attributed the hiring problems to working in a jail and to workforce shortages.

People are not entering the field and licensed clinical therapists can make more money in a lot of other places, Mettler said.

In March, county commissioners approved contracting with MHC for services to replace a previous agreement it had with Billings Clinic, which provided one staffer. The center agreed to provide two full-time staff, along with on-call service, to conduct risk assessments of all inmates and to provide other services, like group therapy on topics such as criminal thinking and domestic violence.

MHCs services will help inmates while in jail as well as continue to offer care when the person returns to the community. The goal, county and MHC officials said, is that by treating mental illnesses while people are in custody, fewer persons will return to jail after release.

At least 50 percent of people incarcerated have some form of mental illness, Mettler said.

The MHC is seeking licensed therapists, which require a masters degree and licensing by the state to do therapy, Mettler said.

We need a high level of education and experience, she said.

But MHC has a tough time competing on salaries with private sector positions and hospitals, she said.

The center is offering a salary in the mid to upper $40,000 range plus a stipend of about $300 a month because of working at the jail. Mettler said the normal starting salary is about $42,000.

Mettler said the county wanted MHC to start in April, but the center thought it would take at least two months to hire for the jobs. Its now been about two and a half months, she said.

MHC hasnt signed the contract yet and will notify the county if it cant hire anyone, Mettler said.

MHC was the only provider to respond to countys request for proposals. The agency serves thousands of people with mental and physical disabilities in 11 counties and offers numerous services, from individual and group therapy to the HUB Drop-In Center.

We will keep trying until the jail finds someone else, if they even could. I dont want to dump it back on them, Mettler said.

Meanwhile, the county is providing mental health care through a part-time counselor with Billings Clinic, said Kevin Gillen, a Yellowstone County civil deputy attorney. The county also is working on contracting with Billings Clinic to provide tele-psychiatric consultations, he said.

The county will take an inmate as needed to Billings Clinic for an assessment, he said.

Contracting with MHC will cost about $144,000 a year and there will be additional expenses for on-call work. Previously, the county's contract with Billings Clinic was for $98,000. The additional funding is coming from the sheriff's budget.

Gillen said the county had wanted to start services with MHC by May 15.
Rebel infighting near Syria capital kills hundreds: monitor

Fighting raging between rival Islamist rebel factions to control a key opposition stronghold near Damascus since late last month has killed more than 300 fighters, a monitor said on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in Eastern Ghouta pitted the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam faction, which has been taking part in peace talks in Geneva, against the Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat groups, both led by Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

"More than 300 fighters have been killed as Islamist rebel factions battle for influence in the Eastern Ghouta," since April 28, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria and millions more driven from their homes since the conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 Mohamad Abazeed (AFP/File)

He said most of the rebels killed belonged to Jaish al-Islam or Al-Nusra.

Abdel Rahman said the clashes broke out after several attacks launched by Faylaq al-Rahman on positions held by Jaish al-Islam in Eastern Ghouta, a belt of countryside and small towns east of the capital that seen heavy fighting throughout Syria's five-year-old civil war.

Ten civilians have also been killed, he added, including a doctor and a child.

The doctor, identified as Nabil al-Daas, was the only specialist gynaecologist still practising in Eastern Ghouta. His death was also reported by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Residents and local officials have tried to mediate an end to the clashes and have staged protests urging the rival forces to stop the bloodletting to no avail, according to the Observatory.

Fighting has continued intermittently with both sides setting up roadblocks and building defences across Eastern Ghouta, said the Britain-based monitoring group which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports.

Jaish al-Islam is the dominant rebel group in Eastern Ghouta. One of its leaders -- Mohammed Alloush -- was named as the opposition's chief negotiator at peace talks in Geneva.

Syria's fractured armed opposition movement has been ravaged by infighting, particularly between jihadist groups and their rivals.

More than 270,000 people have been killed and millions more been driven from their homes since the conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Egypt jails 152 over anti-government protests

Egyptian courts have handed out jail sentences on the weekend to 152 people for taking part in unlicensed anti-government protests, judicial officials and lawyers said on Sunday.

The rulings were issued on Saturday by separate courts, with a first group of 51 people sentenced to two years in jail and later in the evening 151 others given five-year sentences for the same reasons.

International and domestic rights groups accuse President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of running an ultra-authoritarian and repressive regime with zero tolerance for dissent in a crackdown that has been escalating since he deposed in 2013 his democratically elected Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi.

A protester sits in front of riot policemen during a demonstration on April 15, 2016 in central Cairo against a controversial deal to hand two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia Mohamed El-Shahed (AFP/File)

The defendants were among scores who were detained on April 25 during or on the sidelines of anti-government protests, including against Egypt's decision to handover to Saudi Arabia two Red Sea islands.

"We are in a state of shock since yesterday," defence lawyer Mohamed Abdelaziz, director of Al-Haqanya foundation of rights and freedoms, said on Sunday.

Their verdicts can be appealed.

"The whole case is built on random arrests," said rights lawyer Mokhtar Mounir from the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.

He said most of the defendants were aged between 20 and 25 and that many had been arrested arbitrarily by the police as they were out on the streets or in cafes but not taking part in any demonstration.

Police had quickly dispersed protests against the islands deal on April 25 and arrested dozens of people. Prosecutors charged them with participation in illegal rallies.

The deal to hand over the islands in the Straits of Tiran had galvanised dissidents who oppose Sisi.

In the leadup to the protests, police already made dozens of arrests to discourage a repeat of a large rally on April 15 at which demonstrators chanted for the "fall of the regime".

The government says the islands had always belonged to Saudi Arabia and that Egypt had merely administered them while on lease since the 1950s.

Critics accuse Sisi of "selling" the islands in return for Saudi investments.

Since Morsi's ouster authorities have banned all but police-approved rallies in line with a presidential decree and overseen a crackdown that has killed hundreds of Islamist protesters and thousands imprisoned.
Russian officials say North Korea released detained yacht

A Russian yacht detained by North Korean coast guards was released Sunday and has set sail for the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian officials said.

"The Russian yacht Elfin today left the North Korean port of Kimchaek headed for Vladivostok," Denis Samsonov, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang told Russian state television on Sunday.

Yury Bokcharev, Russia's consul in the city of Chongjin, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that local North Korean officials had said the boat's detention was a "misunderstanding".

Yury Bokcharev, Russia's consul in the city of Chongjin, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that local North Korean officials had said the yacht's detention was a "misunderstanding"

Another diplomatic official in Vladivostok, Igor Agafonov, told the RIA Novosti agency that the five-member crew of the yacht had been in contact and confirmed that they were sailing home.

The Russian sailboat was detained by North Korean coast guards late Friday as it sailed through the Sea of Japan from a competition in the South Korean city of Busan to its home city of Vladivostok.

Russia's foreign ministry said Saturday that a note was sent to the North Korean authorities seeking an explanation for the boat's detention.
Netanyahu says Iran 'preparing another Holocaust'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Sunday a Tehran anti-Israel cartoon contest themed around the Holocaust, accusing Iran of denying and belittling it as well as "preparing another Holocaust."

The exhibition, totalling 150 entries from 50 countries, with many entries deriding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's Middle East policies, opened Saturday in Tehran.

"Over the weekend Iran convened a special Holocaust-denial cartoon contest," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opens the weekly cabinet meeting on May 15, 2016 at his Jerusalem office Gali Tibbon (AFP)

"We raise this here because it must be understood what our problem with Iran is," he said.

"It is not just its policy of subversion and aggression in the region; it is the values on which it is based. It denies and belittles the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust."

Several cartoons on display poke fun at Netanyahu, with one depicting the Israeli prime minister as a member of the Islamic State jihadist group and holding a sabre in his hand.

Another shows a map of the Middle East with a coffin bearing the word "Holocaust" flattening Palestinians in place of what should be the country of Israel.

The Iranian government has distanced itself from the contest, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said was organised by a non-governmental organisation without any support from the authorities.
Press groups urge probe into Indian journalist killings

A coalition of press freedom groups Sunday urged a swift investigation into the murder of two Indian journalists in 24 hours, crimes that heightened fears about media safety and freedom in the country.

Rajdeo Ranjan, local bureau chief for the Hindi-language daily Hindustan, was shot five times by unknown gunmen late on Friday while he was travelling on his motorcycle in the eastern state of Bihar.

On Thursday evening, television journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was shot dead as he returned home on a motorbike in restive Jharkhand state bordering Bihar.

Journalists shout slogans during a protest in Siwan, northeast India on May 14, 2016 following the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan

Police have not yet made any formal arrests in either case.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the shootings took to nine the number of journalists killed in the past year in India, which has been ranked as Asia's deadliest country for reporters.

"We utterly condemn the killings, demand a speedy and thorough investigation and justice for our colleagues," Brussels-based IFJ president Jim Boumelha said in a statement Sunday.

"The toll of killings in India is undermining press freedom and the government and police must act to bring the killers to justice and put an end to impunity."

The Indian Journalists Union, an IFJ affiliate, said both of the reporters were killed because of their work exposing corruption and criminal activities in the underdeveloped states. Police have similar suspicions.

"Rural reporters, who are the most neglected and poorly-paid journalists in the country, are braving the threats and intimidation of a political and criminal nexus," the Indian group said in the same statement.

The National Union of Journalists of India has threatened nationwide protests if police fail to move quickly to bring those responsible to justice.

India was Asia's deadliest country for journalists in 2015, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

It is also one of the most restrictive for them, ranked 133 out of 180 nations by the group.

Journalists in the world's largest democracy often face harassment and intimidation by police, politicians, bureaucrats and criminal gangs, while scores work in hostile conditions in conflict-ridden pockets of the country.
Egypt sentences 6 inmates for beating jailed Frenchman to death

An Egyptian court on Sunday handed down seven-year prison sentences to six men convicted of beating to death a jailed Frenchman in 2013, while his family and the defence have blamed the authorities.

Forty-nine-year-old Eric Lang, who taught French in Cairo, died after a beating in a cell on September 13, after spending six days in a Cairo police station.

Lang had been stopped on the street because he was not carrying identification and was then detained because his visa was not valid.

French teacher Eric Lang, who died on September 13, 2013 in a police station in Qasr el-Nil, Egypt, seen in a picture taken on February 5, 2016 in Nantes, western France, of a photo released by Lang's family Loic Venance (Eric Lang Family/AFP/File)

Lang had remained in detention although the prosecution had ordered his release a day after his arrest, family lawyer Raphael Kempf had said.

According to the prosecution's case, six inmates in his cell had beaten him to death. They were convicted on Sunday of "assault leading to death," according to the verdict read by a court official in Cairo.

Several of the defendants' lawyers had called into question the prosecution's case, arguing the autopsy showed he had been beaten for more than six hours with a rod, according to one of the lawyers, suggesting police involvement.

Lang's mother and sister had also cast doubts on the official account, and filed complaints against two police officials and the interior minister over the failure to rescue him.

"He was arrested, tortured, killed for nothing, and France did not help in releasing him when he should have been extradited," Nicole Prost, Lang's mother, said at an April 13 news conference in Paris.

The French government called for justice at the time.

"France is mobilized, in Paris like in Cairo, for the truth of this tragedy to be uncovered, and to request that Egyptian authorities ensure us there would not be impunity and that those responsible face justice," said a foreign ministry spokesman.

Lang had been detained during a tense time in Cairo, when police and the military had been out in force to quash protests by Islamist supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

International and domestic rights organizations say the police regularly torture and kill detainees and prisoners while in custody, something the interior ministry denies.

The verdict on Sunday comes as Egypt fends off accusations of police involvement in the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose badly mutilated body as found after he disappeared in Cairo in January.

Egypt has denied police were involved in Regeni's death, and its interior ministry had suggested a criminal gang was behind his death, a theory ridiculed in Italy.
Four dead as Philippine clans clash over election

Four people have been killed in clashes between rival political clans in the southern Philippines, authorities said Sunday, just days after a contentious election reinstated a local mayor.

Fighting has flared between Sabal and Buisan clans in the strife-torn southern province of Maguindanao over the vote on May 9, the same day as national elections, which saw Muntasir Sabal retain his post, beating out a Buisan-backed opponent.

A member of the Buisan family was killed a day before the polls and subsequent violence on Friday and Saturday claimed three more lives.

Supporters of rival presidential candidates clash in Datu Unsay on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on May 8, 2016 Mark Navales (AFP/File)

About 15,000 people have fled the town of Talitay since Friday as fighters from both sides gathered in the area, local police chief Senior Inspector Freddie Solar said.

He said those fighting had ties to the country's two largest armed Muslim groups that once fought the government to set up a separate Islamic state in the south of the largely-Christian Philippines.

"This is not an ordinary family feud because both sides have relatives and supporters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)," he said.

Though both groups have signed truces with the government as part of a peace process, most of their followers have not disarmed.

The military has sent forces into the area since the clashes erupted, but soldiers are not engaging either of the armed groups to avoid breaking the ceasefire, said regional military spokeswoman Captain Jo-ann Petinglay.

The police chief said local religious leaders and MILF representatives were trying to negotiate a ceasefire to end the latest bout of violence, while chief MILF negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal denied his group was involved in the fighting.

The province of Maguindanao has long been the site of violent political conflict between powerful Muslim clans.

In 2009, the country's worst political massacre occurred in the province as followers of one such clan killed 58 people in an attempt to prevent an election challenge from a rival group.
UN envoy to Yemen says 'optimistic' about peace deal

The UN special envoy to Yemen said Sunday he is optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country, but admitted "difficult matters" remain unresolved.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said some progress had been achieved in the talks which began on April 21.

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," he told a news conference.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference at the information ministry in Kuwait City on May 15, 2016 Yasser al-Zayyat (AFP)

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

But the envoy declined to provide details on the progress made other than an agreement in principle to free 50 percent of prisoners and detainees before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in the first week of June.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict, which the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

The talks pit the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi militia and their allies of forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh against the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

UN Security Council Resolution 2216, issued more than a year ago, orders the Huthi rebels to pull out of territory they occupied in a 2014 offensive and surrender heavy arms they captured.

Pro-government forces, backed by Saudi air power, pushed the rebels out of five southern provinces last year.

The Huthis however still control the capital Sanaa as well as large parts of the country's north and west, and the Saudi-led coalition has drawn strong criticism over heavy civilian casualties.

The stumbling block at the talks remains the form of the government that would control Yemen in a transitional period.

The rebels are demanding to share power with Hadi while his delegation insists he is the legitimate head of state under UN resolutions.
Turkey's Erdogan blasts Europe's silence on Bangladesh leader's execution

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday lashed out at Europe's silence over the execution of a veteran Islamist leader in Bangladesh, accusing the West of "double standards."

"If you are against political executions, why did you remain silent to the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami who was martyred a couple of days ago," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.

"Have you heard anything from Europe? ... No. Isn't it called double standards?" Erdogan said.

Motiur Rahman Nizami Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh, was hanged at a Dhaka jail on May 10, 2016, for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan Rizwan Tabassum (AFP/File)

Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at a Dhaka jail late Tuesday for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former government minister was the fifth and the most senior opposition figure executed since the secular government in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation set up a controversial war crimes tribunal in 2010.

The 1971 conflict, one of the bloodiest in world history, led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh from what was then East Pakistan.

Prosecutors said Nizami was responsible for setting up the pro-Pakistani Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the war.

The trial heard Nizami ordered the killings, designed to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation.

In protest, Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh for consultations.

Since coming to power in 2002, Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sought to boost the country's power in the Muslim world.

Last year, Erdogan condemned a death sentence handed to Egypt's deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was a close ally of Ankara until he was overthrown by the military in 2013.
Philippine president-elect Duterte vows to kill criminals

Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte vowed Sunday to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders in a devastating war on crime.

In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city warned his campaign threats to kill were not rhetoric.

"What I will do is urge Congress to restore (the) death penalty by hanging," Duterte, 71, told a press conference in Davao.

Philippines' President-elect Rodrigo Duterte speaks to the media at a restaurant in Davao City on May 15, 2016 Ted Aljibe (AFP)

He also said he would give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders against organised criminals or those who violently resisted arrest.

"If you resist, show violent resistance, my order to police (will be) to shoot to kill. Shoot to kill for organised crime. You heard that? Shoot to kill for every organised crime," he said.

He said military sharp shooters would be enlisted in his campaign to kill criminals.

Duterte also vowed to introduce a 2:00am curfew on drinking in public places, and ban children from walking on the streets alone late at night.

If children were picked up on the streets, their parents would be arrested and thrown into jail for "abandonment", Duterte said.

- Fear the law -

Duterte said he wanted capital punishment -- which was abolished in 2006 under then-president Gloria Arroyo -- to be reintroduced for a wide range of crimes, particularly drugs, but also rape, murder and robbery.

He added he preferred death by hanging to a firing squad because he did not want to waste bullets, and because he believed snapping the spine with a noose was more humane.

The centrepiece of Duterte's stunningly successful election campaign strategy was a pledge to end crime within three to six months of being elected.

Duterte vowed during the campaign to kill tens of thousands criminals, outraging his critics but hypnotising tens of millions of Filipinos fed up with rampant crime and graft.

On one occasion he said 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

He complained on Sunday that people no longer feared the law, and he would change that.

"We have a society now where obedience to the law is really a choice, an option only," he said.

"Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. I will kill you. No middle ground. As long as the requirements of the law are there, if you try to evade arrest, refuse arrest... and you put up a good fight or resist violently, I will say: 'Kill them'."

Duterte is due to be sworn into office on June 30 for a six-year term.

The current president, Benigno Aquino, warned repeatedly during the campaign that Duterte was a dictator in the making and would bring terror to the nation.

However his preferred successor, Mar Roxas, an establishment politician who promised to continue Aquino's slow but steady macroeconomic reforms, ended in a distant second place.

- Death squad fears -

Duterte has been accused of running vigilant death squads during his more than two decades as mayor of Davao, a city of about two million people that he says he has turned into one of the nations safest.

Rights groups say the squads -- made up of police, hired assassins and ex-communist rebels -- have killed more than 1,000 people.

They say children and petty criminals were among the victims.

Duterte boasted on one occasion during the campaign of being behind the squads, saying they killed 1,700 people. But other times he denied any involvement.

Duterte also made international headlines for constant use of vulgar language, including on one occasion branding the pope a "son of a whore".

After scorching criticism in the mainly Catholic nation, Duterte sent a letter of apology to Pope Francis.

He also said he would visit the Vatican to make a personal apology, but on Sunday reneged on that pledge.

"No more. That's enough," Duterte said when asked about the planned trip, pointing out he had already sent the letter.

He said the trip "could be an exercise in duplicity", as he complained that some Church leaders in the Philippines indicated he may not have been forgiven.

Duterte was raised a Catholic.

But among his closest advisers is Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious group who calls himself "the Appointed Son of God".

Philippines' President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, poses for selfies with supporters at a restaurant in Davao City on May 15, 2016 Ted Aljibe (AFP)
Why are more than 3,000 Montana kids in the child protection system now, more than ever before?

Meth, opioids, alcohol, other drugs, mental illness, neglect, domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse.

The crisis of child abuse and neglect that doubled the number of Yellowstone County children placed in out-of-home care to more than 450 last year is getting worse. Between Jan. 1 and last week, the Yellowstone County Attorneys Office had filed for protection of 185 children, compared with 162 kids in the same period last year.

The most frequent contributing factor in these cases is parental drug addiction that leads to neglect so severe that the children arent safe at home. The fact that child abuse and neglect cases continue to grow in our community looms over efforts in Helena to remedy the crisis in the state Child and Family Services Division. The states child protection agency is besieged by understaffing, burnout, high turnover and criticism for not working better, faster and smarter.

Next week, the Protect Montana Kids Commission, a panel appointed late last year by Gov. Steve Bullock, is scheduled to finalize recommendations for changes in child protection statutes and within the division. The commission has some good ideas that the Bullock administration and the Legislature need to implement. But the Bullock administration must take urgent action before the Legislature convenes, including theses steps:

Hire a new administrator to fill the vacancy created this month by Sarah Corballys resignation and hire a deputy administrator.

Vastly improve communications.

Provide a safe, confidential way for staff to express concerns to division leadership without fear of retaliation.

Improve staff recruitment and retention.

The governor and lawmakers must recognize that abuse and neglect of children is statewide problem, not just a CFSD problem. Addiction treatment and mental health care has to be more accessible and available  before children are neglected. Many children in foster care have one or both parents in the corrections system, which needs more capacity for effective treatment and parenting education.

Theyre not just child and family services problems, theyre systems problems, said Bart Klika, a commission member and professor at the University of Montana School of Social Work.

The stigma associated with asking for help stops many parents from dealing with problems before children are abused or neglected, Klika said.

All parents need help, Klika said.

To recruit and retain good child protection workers, Montana will have to do more to support these professionals. Secondary trauma is an occupational hazard for workers who deal daily with abused and neglected children.

The social workers need access to counseling, and they need to see a future for themselves in child protection, Klika said. Thats why the commission suggests creating career ladders that provide incentives for good workers to stay in jobs where they excel.

A draft of commission recommendations notes that last year, the division lost 97 child protection specialists and that the average remaining worker has been on the job for less than two years. Those relatively inexperienced workers are loaded up with 40 to 50 kids cases  more than double the number of recommended as a maximum by national accreditation standards.

This is a complex and multi-faceted challenge, said Jani McCall, the only commission member from Yellowstone County. The rebuilding of the division itself will take time, excellent leadership and management, strong CPS workers and supervisors and resources to do the job."

McCall and Klika are correct that easing Montanas child abuse and neglect crisis will require action within and outside the CFSD. As McCall said: Addressing prevention is the only answer to turning the tide on the high number of youth that continue to enter services.

Caring adults are needed to work in our community as volunteers and professionals to support healthier families. Montanans must demand that public policies at the federal, state and local level focus on prevention as well as protection. Its so much better to stop the hurt before it happens.
Pro-democracy Hong Konger arrested in China for drone plot: Xinhua

A Hong Kong man linked to the city's pro-democracy opposition was arrested in China over a plot to use a drone to disrupt a visit to the city by a top Communist Party member, state media reported Sunday.

The man identified as a 56-year-old Hong Konger named Guo, who had "financed several figures in the (Hong Kong) opposition", was arrested in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen, Xinhua said.

According to the report, a member of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement "had told Mr Guo to buy a drone" that would be used for "disruptive activities" during next week's visit to the semi-autonomous city by the third-ranked member of China's communist party Zhang Dejiang.

A Hong Kong riot policewoman stands on a cordoned-off street on February 9, 2016 Dale de la Rey (AFP/File)

Zhang, the chairman of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, who is also responsible for Hong Kong affairs, is scheduled to meet with business leaders and member of the local parliament during the trip.

The Hong Kong police confirmed the arrest Sunday.

"We received a notification from (the) mainland this morning and we are trying to seek more information about this," assistant commissioner of police Nelson Cheng told reporters.

He added protesters will be banned from using drones during Zhang's visit.

"We will by all necessary means prevent any suspicious objects from entering the security zone," Cheng said.

Hong Kong is self-governing and retains liberties not seen on the mainland under a "one country, two systems" deal, made before the city was handed back to China by colonial power Britain in 1997.

But there are fears those freedoms are being eroded by increasing interference from Beijing.

Zhang is the most senior member of China's communist part to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests paralysed parts of the city for months in 2014.

Guo was described by the Shenzhen police as the "head of a criminal gang" who was also arrested for money laundering, telephone fraud and the illegal sale of over 800 Hong Kong residency cards, according to Xinhua.
LGBT activists stage rare Lebanon sit-in

Some 50 activists backing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community staged a rare sit-in Sunday in Lebanon to demand the abolition of a law criminalising relations "against nature".

In the first such protest in four years, they also demanded the release of four transsexual women as they gathered outside the Hbeish gendarmerie in Beirut, where activists say morality police often hold such suspects.

"Homosexuality is not a disease," and "Sex is not illegal -- your law is archaic," read a placard at the event organised by the Lebanon-based Helem association, considered to be the most important Arab group defending LGBT rights.

Activists from of the lebanese LGBT community take part in a protest outside the Hbeish police station in Beirut on May 15, 2016 Anwar Amro (European Commission/AFP)

"Repeal 534" could also be read, a reference to the article in the Lebanese penal code under which sexual relations "against nature" are outlawed and punishable by up to one year in prison.

Helem chief Genwa Samhat told AFP the sit-in, two days before the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, "calls for the abolition of this section of law dating from the (1920-1943) French mandate in Lebanon".

"Most people arrested under this law aren't detained in the act but in the street because of their appearance," she said.

While Lebanon is considered more tolerant of LGBT issues than other Arab states, police still stage regular raids on nightclubs and other venues frequented by homosexuals.

Homosexuality is also often ridiculed on television shows.

The last such protest in Beirut was in 2012, when dozens demonstrated outside a court to protest against the use of an anal "test" for suspected gay men.

"These tests continue, despite the justice ministry asking police to stop the practice," Samhat said. "This is humiliating."

"Arrested people are still screened for AIDS, while this should be voluntary. There is a preconceived idea that all homosexuals have AIDS," she added.

"People also continue to be sacked if their boss finds out they're gay. They're made to say they quit voluntarily for fear of being denounced."

An event on Sunday organised by the pro-LGBT Proud Lebanon group was cancelled under pressure from Christian religious authorities, organisers told AFP.
Philippines' Duterte wants friendly ties with China

Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he wanted friendly relations with China and confirmed he was open to direct talks over a territorial row that has badly damaged bilateral ties.

Duterte also announced that China's ambassador to Manila would be among the first three foreign envoys he planned to meet on Monday, after winning the May 9 presidential election in a landslide.

"Well ties have never been cold. But I would rather be friendly with everybody," Duterte told reporters in the southern city of Davao when asked whether he wanted closer ties with China than seen under current President Benigno Aquino.

Philippine Marines take position during a beach landing military exercise on April 11, 2016

Relations between China and the Philippines worsened sharply throughout Aquino's six-year term over conflicting claims to parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.

To enforce its claims, China has in recent years built contested reefs into artificial islands, some topped with military-capable airstrips.

In 2012 China also took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing area within the Philippines' economic exclusive zone.

The Aquino administration responded by signing a new defence pact with the United States and filing a legal challenge with a United Nations tribunal asking it to rule that the Chinese claims to most of the sea were invalid.

It also sought to raise the issue at multilateral events, such as summits of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

China reacted furiously to Aquino's tactics, demanding that the Philippines negotiate directly but also insisting that it would never give up any of the territory.

Aquino refused to hold direct talks, fearing the better resourced and more powerful China would have an advantage.

He also said there was no point in talking with China if it insisted there was nothing to negotiate.

Duterte, who will be sworn into office on June 30, said he planned to continue raising the issue in multilateral environments.

But he also repeated a campaign pledge to hold direct talks with China, if other negotiations failed.

"If the ship of negotiation is in still waters and there's no wind to push the sail, I might just decide to talk bilaterally with China," Duterte said.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao, also said he would meet with the ambassadors of China, Japan and one other, in his hometown on Monday -- his first day of public appearances since winning the election.
Senior IMF official visits Iran

The International Monetary Fund said Sunday that its second in command was on a two-day visit to Iran for discussions on economic developments.

The Washington-based lender said First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton would meet with senior Iranian government officials, private sector representatives and bankers, as well as academics and students.

The visit follows the lifting of sanctions linked to Iran's nuclear program in the wake of a landmark deal between Tehran and world powers signed in July.

IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton speaks during a press conference on "Joint Action Against Tax Fraud and Money Laundering-Transparency at the Global Level," during the IMF and World Bank Group 2016 Spring Meetings on April 14, 2016 Mandel Ngan (AFP/File)

"His discussions will focus on the IMF's continuing dialogue with Iran, and Iran's economic developments and policy initiatives, following the recent lifting of sanctions," the IMF said in a statement.

The IMF currently does not have an economic program underway in Iran aside from statistical and technical assistance, according to a spokesman.
Obama slams Trump in speech: 'Ignorance is not a virtue'

US President Barack Obama on Sunday criticized the populist campaign of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, decrying "anti-intellectualism" and noting that "ignorance is not a virtue."

Obama did not specifically name the brash New York real estate developer during his remarks at a university graduation ceremony in New Jersey, but it was clear he was referring to the candidate who is running on a slogan of "Make America Great Again!"

The Democrat told students not to pine for an American golden age of years past, saying, "The good old days were not all that good," as he pointed out problems with racial discrimination, poverty and lack of equality for women.

US President Barack Obama delivers the commencement address for Rutgers University in New Jersey, May 15, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP)

"The world is more interconnected than ever before and it is becoming more connected every day. Building walls won't change things," Obama said, an apparent jab at Trump's calls for a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants out.

Obama noted that no wall could stop outbreaks of infectious diseases like Ebola and Zika, or help the United States remain competitive in a time of globalization.

"Suggesting that we can build an endless wall along our borders and blame our challenges on immigrants, that does not just run counter to our history as the world melting pot," Obama said.

"It contradicts the evidence that our growth and our innovation and our dynamism has always been spurred by our ability to attract strivers from every corner of the globe."

The US president also denounced politicians who hold themselves up as examples of straight-talkers but shun political correctness.

"In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about," he said. "That's not challenging political correctness. That's just not knowing what you're talking about."
Afghan minority Hazaras plan protest over power project

Thousands of minority Shiite Hazaras are expected to protest in Kabul on Monday over a multi-million-dollar power transmission line, in what could potentially snowball into a political crisis for the beleaguered government.

The planned protest follows a massive rally last November galvanised by the beheadings of a group of Hazaras, which became a symbol of the broader public discontent with President Ashraf Ghani's regime.

The TUTAP power line, which would connect the energy-rich Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan, is regarded a crucial project in the electricity-starved region.

Afghan protesters demand that the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity project cross through the Salang Highway, in the eastern province of Khost on May 15, 2016 Farid Zahir (AFP)

But it has been mired in controversy, with leaders from the minority group demanding that the line be routed through central Bamiyan province, which has a large Hazara population.

The line was originally set to pass through Bamiyan but the government decided to reroute it through the mountainous Salang pass north of Kabul, saying the shorter route would expedite the project and save millions of dollars in costs.

Hazara leaders in the ethnically divisive nation lashed out at the Pashtun president, saying the decision to reroute the line was a sign of discrimination.

"People will pour into Kabul's streets to stage a massive protest before marching towards the presidential palace," Hazara lawmaker Arif Rahmani told AFP.

"We want the power line to cross through Bamiyan, which has seen no development in 15 years. We are demanding justice, not charity."

Organisers of the protest expect thousands of people to participate in the rally, which comes in the midst of the Taliban's annual spring offensive launched last month.

"Staging peaceful protests is the civil right of every Afghan citizen... We respectfully request that our countrymen not allow the enemy (to) misuse this opportunity and disrupt public security," the interior ministry said in a statement.

The dispute, which highlights the challenges of modernising the war-torn country, threatens to overshadow TUTAP which could help ease nationwide power blackouts.

Hazara protesters repeatedly heckled Ghani during an anti-corruption summit in London last week.

The president faces rising unpopularity amid endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and growing insecurity in Afghanistan.

The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the mainly Pashtun Sunni Taliban.

There has been a surge in violence against the community, with a series of kidnappings and killings in recent months that have triggered a wave of fury on social media.

In November, thousands of protesters marched coffins containing the decapitated bodies of seven Shiite Hazaras through the Afghan capital.

Their bodies were found in southern Zabul province, which is under Taliban control and has been the scene of clashes between rival militant factions.
Official: Pilot dies in crash during performance at airshow

ATLANTA (AP)  A pilot was killed Saturday when his biplane crashed while performing a stunt at a metro Atlanta airshow.

The pilot crashed and died while flying in tandem with another plane during an aerial acrobatics stunt Saturday afternoon at the Good Neighbor Day Open House Airshow at DeKalb Peachtree Airport, said DeKalb County Public Information Officer Sheira Campbell. The airport is about 11 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta

The pilot was the only one aboard the plane when it crashed at 4:49 p.m., DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan said in an emailed statement. It was the first accident in 30 years of the PDK Good Neighbor Day Airshow, Brennan said.

Authorities investigate the site of a small plane crash at DeKalb Peachtree Airport on Saturday, May 14, 2016, near the end of the Good Neighbor Day Air Show. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT MBI (REV-SHARE)

Campbell said the pilot will not be identified until his next of kin are notified. Campbell also said there were no other injuries on the ground and there was no other damage other than the aircraft.

She said the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were both on the scene and investigating.

In a news release, DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May said, "A tragedy occurred as professional pilots entertained and educated thousands today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the pilot who lost his life."
Officials: 8 dead, 44 hurt, in South Texas bus crash

LAREDO, Texas (AP)  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in far South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on U.S. Highway 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said.

"The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over," he said. "Everything's real preliminary right now."

A damaged OGA Charters bus is hauled away after a fatal rollover on Saturday, May 14, 2016, south of the Dimmit-Webb County line on U.S. 83 North in Texas. (Laredo Texas, Nuevo Laredo Mexico out, Mandatory credit Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times.)

Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said.

The trooper said it was raining Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 a.m. He said no other vehicles were in the area at the time.

"Our troopers are going to look into what happened but it's going to take us some time," he said of the investigation. "We just know the driver lost control."

The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday night it was sending a team to also investigate the wreck. They were expected to arrive Sunday.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel told the Laredo Morning Times the bus belonged to OGA Charters was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo. The bus company is based in San Juan, in Hidalgo County in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. A message left at the bus company Saturday was not immediately returned.

Hein said 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo, where the eighth victim died. Fifteen were taken to Laredo Medical Center. Seven were taken to a Dimmit County hospital in Carrizo Springs.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokeswoman for Laredo Medical Center, said bus passengers being treated there were in stable condition. She said she could share no additional information.

The highway at the accident scene was reopened by early evening. Laredo about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years. In January 2015, two state corrections officers and eight inmates were killed after their Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus struck a piece of displaced highway guardrail west of Odessa. The bus fell about 20 feet before striking a Union Pacific freight train that happened to be passing beneath the highway. Last Thursday, the NTSB concluded that the wreck was caused by the bus hitting the guardrail piece.

Seventeen passengers died in 2008 near Sherman when their bus plunged over a highway bridge on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri. The NTSB blamed that crash on a retreaded tire on the right front axle that was punctured by an unknown object.

Although the retread itself wasn't the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, the bus company didn't have the authority to leave Texas after failing an inspection three months earlier, and the company that inspected the bus wasn't equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy. The owner of the Houston bus company was charged with making false statements but avoided prison in 2014 after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in a plea agreement.

___

Information from: Laredo Morning Times, http://www.lmtonline.com
Aruba, Citgo negotiate deal to reopen shuttered oil refinery

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  The Aruban government and Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. are finalizing an agreement to reopen an oil refinery that has been shuttered since 2009.

Aruban Energy Minister Mike de Mesa says the accord calls for the rehabilitation of the facility and provides the U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA with a 15-year operational lease and a 10-year extension option. The refinery is expected to process 209,000 barrels of crude per day.

De Mesa announced the accord in a Friday afternoon news conference with Prime Minister Mike Eman and said the signing ceremony will take place in the coming days. Eman called the reopening important for Aruba's economic development.
Vyatchanin edges Lochte in 100 backstroke in Pro Swim Series

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Ryan Lochte was all smiles Saturday night, calling it a "fun day" in the pool after getting a chance to swim some events he doesn't normally enter.

But when it came to saying what events he will enter at the Olympic trials in June in preparation for his fourth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Lochte clammed up and turned coy.

"I have certain events that I want to do at trials, but I'm going to keep that myself and just wait until the day comes," said Lochte, who lives and trains in Charlotte.

Ryan Lochte swims during the 50m Butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Lochte finished second behind Russian-born Arkady Vyatchanin in the 100 backstroke Saturday at the Arena Pro Swim Series in what has become his home pool. He also was sixth in the 50 butterfly, which is not an Olympic event but something he wanted to try.

"It was the shortest day I have ever had in the pool," Lochte said, laughing. "Ten times shorter than the 400 (individual medley, which he won Friday night)."

Lochte said he wasn't particularly pleased with his times, he felt like he put forth good effort.

"I just have to tune up my strokes and making them a lot crisper  pretty much everything," Lochte said. "We're six weeks out (from the trials) so it's time to get zeroed in."

Vyatchanin, who parted ways with the All-Russian Swimming Federation, touched in 54.80 seconds to take the 100 backstroke. Lochte, an 11-time Olympic medalist who has won four golds, was close behind in 55.22.

"It was pretty slow but it was a win, so I will take it," said Vyatchanin, who trained for almost two years with Lochte in Florida.

Cody Miller dominated the 200 breaststroke, winning by more than 3 seconds in a time of 2:12.22 over Mauro Castillo Luna.

Anthony Ervin, who spent part of the night signing books for fans, won the 50 freestyle in 21.98 seconds after outkicking Canada's Santo Condorelli.

Ervin's memoir, entitled "Chasing the Water Dragon," hit the bookshelves last month.

"We've been doing a lot of technique work the last few weeks," Ervin said. "Technique work with the training, as well as trying to get that start down. . I think it's been paying off. I'm not only hopeful, but I'm enthusiastic about the next few weeks."

Jonathan Gomez took the 200 butterfly, Conor Dwyer won the 400 free, and Condorelli the 50 butterfly.

Dwyer, who led wire-to-wire to take his second win at the meet after winning the 200 free on Friday, said he's eager for the trials.

"I've put in almost two months up at altitude, and I'm just excited to taper," Dwyer said.

On the women's side, Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer had a strong showing in the 50 butterfly, winning in 25.87 after finishing in fifth place in the 50 freestyle.

"I didn't have that spark that I wanted," Vollmer said of the 50 free.

That changed in her second race.

"I tried to think about having really good contact with the water... and feeling the water the whole way through my stroke," Vollmer said about the 50 butterfly. "It felt pretty good going along. So I'm really happy with that result."

Leah Smith set the only meet and pool records Saturday, finishing the 400 free in 4:05.21.

Other winners included Cammile Adams in the 200 butterfly, Chantal Van Landeghem in the 50 freestyle, Kylie Masse in the 100 backstroke, Anne Lazor in the 200 breaststroke.

The meet will end Sunday.

Ryan Lochte swims during the 100m Backstroke event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Cammile Adams, right, is congratulated by Hannah Saiz, left, after winning the 200m Butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Jonathan Gomez swims during the 200M Butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Dana Vollmer, left, and Penny Oleksiak, right, looks at the scoreboard after the 500-meter butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. Vollmer won the event with Oleksiak coming in second. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Chantal Van Landeghe, left, gets a hug from Michelle Williams, right, after winning the 50m freestyle event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Cammile Adams swims during the 200m Butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Arkady Vyatchanin, back right, looks toward Ryan Lochte, front, after winning the 100-meter backstroke event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. Lochte came in second. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Dana Vollmer, left, races Penny Oleksiak, right, to the finish of the 50-meter butterfly event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Ryan Lochte swims during the 100m Backstroke event in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
UP

Presidential pitches. Billings received a rare visit from a major party presidential candidate when Bernie Sanders rallied 3,000-plus supporters Wednesday at MetraPark. Hillary Clintons campaign announced that former President Bill Clinton will be in town May 20 to campaign for his wife.

DOWN

Cowboy cuts. After losing $6 million in the Wyoming legislative session earlier this year, the University of Wyoming has been asked by Gov. Matt Mead to cut $35 million more from its biennial budget. In Powell, Northwest Community College announced that three programs and four staff positions will be eliminated to save $2.6 million as the state struggles with a steep drop in natural resource revenues.

UP

History buffs. Recent pledges brought the Yellowstone Kelly interpretive site to $384,000 in funds raised for the $500,000 project on the east end of Swords Park. Donations announced last week included pledges from the Billings Tourism Improvement District, Joseph Sample, Scott and Beth Stephenson and The Billings Gazette.

Organizers near fundraising goal, plan week of Yellowstone Kelly events Nearly 90 years after the death of Luther Sage "Yellowstone" Kelly, the community he loved i

UP

New zoo digs. ZooMontana broke ground on an outdoor event pavilion that will be built with donations from the Home Builders Association and Eggart Engineering and Construction. The zoo is financing the balance of project costs through Stockman Bank.
Ohio grand jury rules fatal police shooting was justified

CLEVELAND (AP)  An Ohio grand jury has agreed with a prosecutor's finding, ruling that a fatal shooting by a police officer in a Cleveland suburb was justified and reasonable.

Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County Prosecutor Tim McGinty announced the grand jury decision Friday while commending Richmond Heights officer Greg Patterson's actions.

Patterson fatally shot Carlumandarlo Zaramo on Dec. 6 after Zaramo's wife told dispatchers her 46-year-old husband had a gun and had threatened to kill her and their 11-year-old son.
Ledecky turns in another dominating performance in 400 free

ATLANTA (AP)  Katie Ledecky is basically swimming against herself in her final tuneup for the U.S. Olympic trials.

Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle at the Atlanta Classic on Saturday night, grabbing the lead as soon as she dove in the water and stretching the margin with every lap.

The 19-year-old brought the crowd to its feet at the Georgia Tech aquatic center with a blistering final lap to finish in 4 minutes, 0.31 seconds  less than 2 seconds off her world record of 3:58.37. When she climbed out of the water, she was barely breathing hard.

Katie Ledecky gets out of the pool after winning the 400-meter freestyle at the Atlanta Classic swim meet Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

"It felt good, it felt strong," Ledecky said. "It's a good time for right now."

Hali Flickinger took the runner-up spot in 4:09.03, trailing Ledecky by nearly half the length of the pool. Brittany MacLean (4:10.24) was the only other swimmer within 10 seconds of the winner.

Ledecky is used to that sort of dominance.

"I've had a lot of races like that," she said. "I'm always just focused on my own lane and doing what I want to do  maintaining good stroke, good rhythm, good pacing. That's what I did tonight."

Ledecky added to her 200 free victory on the opening night of the meet. She'll wrap up the competition with two more events  the 100 free and the 200 individual medley  on Sunday but won't tackle the 800 free, probably her signature event.

The Atlanta Classic is Ledecky's final meet before the Olympic trials, which begin June 26 in Omaha, Nebraska. Until then, she'll get in some more high-altitude training in Colorado, attend her brother's graduation from Harvard, and work to maintain the dominating form that has set her up to be one of the biggest stars in Rio.

Tellingly, Ledecky's time in Atlanta was nearly 3 seconds faster than the gold medal-winning performance by the late Camille Muffat in London four years ago.

The American teenager will be an overwhelming favorite in both the 400 and the 800 free, and increasingly looks like the swimmer to beat in the 200 free. She's also added the 100 free to her repertoire, giving her a chance to add another individual event or at least claim a spot on two relays at the Olympics.

After warming down for another half hour in the adjacent diving well, Ledecky paused on deck to sign autographs and pose for pictures with dozens of young fans.

"They're all really cute," she said. "I know how much fun it must be to watch some big swimmers racing hard here as we lead up to trials. I was one of those little swimmers 10 or 12 years ago, getting as many autographs as I could."

In another event Saturday night, Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian won the 50 free in a water-churning 21.93. While that wasn't nearly fast enough to win an Olympic gold, it sets up Adrian to at least make a run at swimming the unpredictable event in Rio.

He failed to qualify for the 50 free in London, beaten out for the two U.S. spots by Cullen Jones and Anthony Ervin. Adrian considers himself more of a natural in the 100 free, an event he won four years ago.

"It was OK," the California-based Adrian said. "Anytime you pop one under 22, you can say, 'Hey, that was a solid swim.' I would love to be faster. For us coming out from the West Coast, usually when we get to these meets (on the East Coast), it's like every day you get a little bit better."

Adrian will compete in the 100 free on Sunday.

"Looking forward to the 100," he said. "We'll see if we can pop a good one."

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry

Katie Ledecky competes in the 400-meter freestyle at the Atlanta Classic swim meet Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Katie Ledecky, front left, dives off the starting block for the 400-meter freestyle at the Atlanta Classic swim meet Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Katie Ledecky adjusts her swim cap before the start of the 400-meter freestyle at the Atlanta Classic swim meet Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Ryan says there's no timeline for unifying behind Trump

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)  House Speaker Paul Ryan says he doesn't have a timeline for unifying behind presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

During a news conference Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, reporters asked Ryan whether he hopes to have party unity before the GOP convention in July. He says "this is a process, we still have some time to go."

Ryan also says that Republicans are in the process of unifying while "Democrats are still ripping each other apart."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks at a press conference during the Republican Party of Wisconsin 2016 State Convention at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. (Evan Siegle /The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

Ryan says he and Trump will have policy disputes, "no two ways about it," but that it's important there be "real party unity, not pretend party unity."

Ryan says that while there are questions about Republicans refusing to back Trump, "we're really in the never Hillary camp."
China says US report hypes up its so-called military threat

BEIJING (AP)  China's defense ministry criticized a U.S. report assessing its island-building efforts in the South China Sea, saying it "hyped up" China's so-called military threat.

The U.S. Defense Department's annual report on China's military activities had "wilfully distorted China's national defense policy," said ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, adding that the U.S. was too suspicious.

China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the Pentagon report, Yang said.

FILE - In this May 6, 2016, file photo, soldiers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy watch as the USS Blue Ridge arrives at a port in Shanghai. Seeking to calm escalating tensions in the South China Sea, top generals from China and the U.S. spoke by phone Thursday, May 12, 2016, and said they were ready to work out an effective mechanism to prevent confrontation and maintain stability in the region. (AP Photo, File)

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," he said. "China's deepening military reforms and its strengthening of weapons and equipment building are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."

The report to the U.S. Congress on Friday said that China was focused on developing and weaponizing the islands it has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

It accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities that are causing tensions with other countries in the region.
New Hampshire authorities suspend search for missing hiker

SARGENTS PURCHASE, N.H (AP)  Authorities have suspended the search for a missing Canadian hiker whose car was found in a visitors center near Mount Washington.

Authorities launched a search Thursday for 47-year-old Francois Carrier of Drummondville, Quebec. State conservation officers and volunteers spent Saturday searching in and around the visitors center for him. Rescue dogs found Carrier's back pack, which authorities believe he lost May 8 while hiking.

A witness contacted local police Saturday afternoon about a man he believes was Carrier. The witness says he saw him carrying a duffel bag earlier in the week.

Authorities say Carrier's family has arrived from Quebec and will continue searching for him. He's been added to the national database for missing persons.
Sharks hammer Knights to move into 2nd place in NRL

SYDNEY (AP)  Cronulla thumped Newcastle 62-0 to pull level on competition points with Brisbane and Melbourne atop the National Rugby League on Sunday.

It was Cronulla's seventh win in a row, while Newcastle hasn't been beaten as badly at home since a 50-0 shutout by Parramatta in 2005.

Brisbane won and defending champions North Queensland lost in a rare NRL doubleheader on Saturday at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The Broncos beat Manly 30-6 while Melbourne defeated now fourth-place Cowboys 15-14.

The first-place Broncos lead on points differential, with Cronulla second and Melbourne third, all with 16 competition points. North Queensland has 14.

Later Sunday, Canterbury also dominated its opposition, beating Wests Tigers 36-4.
Nostalgia for Mao 50 years after China's Cultural Revolution

LUOYANG, China (AP)  Fifty years after Mao Zedong unleashed the decade-long Cultural Revolution to reassert his authority and revive his radical communist agenda, the spirit of modern China's founder still exerts a powerful pull.

Millions of people were persecuted, publicly humiliated, beaten or killed during the upheaval, as zealous factionalism metastasized countrywide, tearing apart Chinese society at a most basic level.

Student groups tortured their own teachers, and children were made to watch mobs beat their own parents condemned as counter-revolutionaries. Gangs engaging in "armed struggle" killed at least a half million people while countless more committed suicide, unable to cope with relentless persecution.

In this photo taken Monday, May 2, 2016, an enormous statue of Mao Zedong looms over the No. 1 Tractor Factory in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. Fifty years after Mao unleashed the decade-long Cultural Revolution to reassert his authority and revive his radical communist agenda, the spirit of modern China's founder still exerts a powerful pull. Millions of people were persecuted, publicly humiliated, beaten or killed during the upheaval, as zealous factionalism metastasized countrywide, tearing apart Chinese society at a most basic level. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

It was only in 1981  five years after Mao's death  that China's government officially pronounced the Cultural Revolution "a catastrophe."

But in the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the political movement, downplaying that period's violent excesses. In the marble halls of power in Beijing, Cultural Revolution-era song-and-dance performances are being revived. China's liberals see ominous signs of a society tugged backward by ideological currents.

"Either it's because people have forgotten the Cultural Revolution or are increasingly dissatisfied with social conditions, but since the mid-1990s these kinds of ideas have been gaining currency," said Xu Youyu, a former Chinese Academy of Social Sciences researcher.

Maoists long for China to reverse its path toward market capitalism and return to Mao's radical vision of a classless society steered by a powerful and ideologically pure leader. They have largely embraced President Xi Jinping as one of their own, though he has never endorsed their views outright, and the nuances of his personal ideology  especially on economic matters  remain a cipher. Many see encouraging echoes of Mao's political style in Xi's crusade against corrupt party bureaucrats, and in his staunchly populist rhetoric, nationalistic bent and repeated demands for ideological conformity.

But the surge in Maoist sentiment and distrust of the status quo points to the complex risks facing Chinese leaders. The legitimacy of the Communist Party is staked upon both Mao's legacy and a tacit promise of bettering people's lives. Those two pillars may prove difficult to maintain as China navigates a painful economic transition that threatens to shed countless miners and factory workers and widen social inequality.

While China went through similar reforms a decade ago, the economy was growing much faster at the time and citizens lacked organizational tools such as the Internet and social media platforms.

Grassroots Maoism has been "blossoming in every corner" in the past few years as social media has taken off, said Han Deqiang, a prominent Maoist lecturer and professor at Beihang University in Beijing. "Many consider General Secretary Xi Jinping a leftist, so we are certainly rising, even if we cannot vote or demonstrate under the Chinese system," Han said.

___

RETHINKING 'CATASTROPHE'

The Cultural Revolution is considered to have begun May 16, 1966, when the Communist Party's Politburo purged a number of leading officials. Over the following decade, Mao deposed two heirs apparent, his "Little Red Book" of sayings was elevated to the level of holy scripture, and millions were imprisoned, sent to labor camps or exiled from the cities. Xi himself spent years living in a cave dwelling and laboring in the fields of his father's native province of Sha'anxi.

The government now calls the decade-long revolution "a catastrophe." Yet in the central province of Henan, that determination rings hollow in Luoyang, a 3,000-year-old city long familiar with the ancient axioms of governance.

A capital for nine dynasties, Luoyang was built by the Duke of Zhou, a sage praised by Confucius for conceiving the quintessential Chinese idea that heaven granted emperors the right to rule only if they performed virtuously and ably. If not, they risked being deposed.

Today, Luoyang seethes.

Downtown, an enormous statue of Mao looms over the red-brick No. 1 Tractor Factory, one of many local icons of state-owned industry that was either privatized or shuttered by decree in the 1990s as China prepared to join the World Trade Organization. In the outskirts, struggling steel plants and glassmaking firms line roads winding along hardscrabble hills.

Nearly every day in Luoyang's Zhouwangcheng Plaza, retired or unemployed workers sing odes to Mao under a billowing Communist Party flag. Zhao Shunli, a retired veteran who collects discarded food outside restaurants to survive, performs red song-and-dance routines in a uniform decked with Mao pins.

People swarm around a clothesline and squint at dozens of pinned essays condemning the past 30 years of liberalization or positively reappraising the Cultural Revolution.

When asked, many reject historical accounts of widespread political chaos during the period, or absolve Mao of responsibility, saying he did not explicitly order violent abuse.

Even Xi, whose administration is now trying to slim down state-owned sectors, does not escape criticism.

"Xi speaks of it so it must be Chinese theory," read one essay critiquing current policy. "But no. Supply-side economics is not Chinese, it's actually American poison."

Wang Chunwen, a 38-year-old who has washed dishes for 10,000 yuan ($1,500) a year after losing his teaching job, stopped reading one of the printouts to recount how he plunged into the world of Maoist blogs after buying his first smartphone two years ago.

"China has transformed beyond recognition," he said. "When Mao started the Cultural Revolution, he was ordering surgery on a sick person. Now, China is in the terminal stage of cancer."

It was here in the plaza that Xu Xiaobin met a group of Maoist retirees who changed his thinking five years ago. That was before he was laid off from his 3,000 yuan ($460) -a-month machining job and condemned to a life of off-and-on construction work that has slowed to a trickle as the economy sputters.

"Even the word 'layoff' didn't exist" in Mao's time, Xu said, standing outside the state-owned gear factory that used to support his family of four. "You look on the Internet and there are people showing off their wealth. Then there are people like me, working under the sun in 40-degree (Celsius, 104-degree Fahrenheit) heat."

Born in 1974, Xu scarcely experienced China under Mao, whose death in 1976 started China's journey toward liberalization. But during childhood, Xu saw pictures of his laborer father, and was told he was respected, not denigrated.

___

PROTESTS AND CRACKDOWNS

Many formerly in the state sector have taken their grievances to Luoyang's streets. Thousands of decommissioned army veterans have been petitioning for years for retirement benefits, which have led to confrontations with police, who break up even private meetings in restaurants, said veteran Qin Shuiyan.

Perhaps no one has drawn Luoyang authorities' ire more than Wang Xianfeng, a 57-year-old retiree who in recent years has pulled together Maoist rallies with thousands of people, prompting multiple crackdowns.

She discusses Maoist thought semi-weekly in a rented home next to the plaza and organizes followers who distribute thousands of pamphlets. Police once tore down the door and seized her group's public address system, Wang says.

Luoyang police declined a request for a telephone interview and did not respond to questions submitted by fax.

Wang was sentenced to two years in a labor camp in 2010, but her ardor for the ruling party and its leader has hardly dimmed. In her eyes, a new Cultural Revolution has already arrived under Xi.

"He wants to inspect these people who've enjoyed their lifestyle for so long," she said. "It's a class struggle, so of course they're going to resist him, just like during the Cultural Revolution, when landlords didn't want to give up their position.

"If he needs us, we're ready to fight for him."

Maoism nationwide remains loosely organized, however. The community is bound mostly online by blogs and forums. Public demonstrations of even modest size are quickly shut down and unauthorized monuments to Mao, like giant statues, are razed in the heartland regions where Maoism burns hottest.

In 2012, the government launched a crackdown on public displays of "red culture" like singing and posters. It also briefly shut down Utopia, a popular Maoist news site and messaging board. Analysts say it was part of an internal party struggle that brought down Bo Xilai, party secretary of the southwestern Chongqing metropolis, who allied Maoism ideology and culture with economic policies that boosted state enterprise.

Xi, however, has sent signals that he in fact supports many elements of Bo's Chongqing model. He made a prominent visit to Chongqing to observe Bo's handiwork a year before his downfall, and many elements of China's economic plan laid out in 2013 bears that model's hallmarks, analysts say.

___

WHITE-COLLAR SUPPORT

The breadth of neo-Maoists  and their support for Xi  was recently on display in the port city of Tianjin, at a funeral for Ai Yuejin, a Maoist professor at Nankai University and popular online lecturer.

Ai's fiery talks praising Mao's legacy drew followers from as far as Shanxi and Fujian provinces. Hundreds of fans, nearly all wearing Mao pins and some crying Ai's name in grief, circled a casket draped in a Communist Party flag, where the professor lay in repose with a People's Liberation Army peaked hat on his head.

In the courtyard, followers read poems or gathered around Liu Yiran, a celebrated playwright and director of Maoist-themed television shows. Hou Zhongyi scanned the crowd to explain that not only laborers but white-collar Chinese were pinning their hopes on a leader they wished would outright assume Mao's mantle.

"We haven't had anybody decent until Xi," said Hou, who worked in publishing in Beijing.

Whether Xi gives a nod to the Maoists as the Cultural Revolution's anniversary approaches this month could reflect his political standing, analysts say.

If he felt politically confident, Xi could seek to allow commemorations of the movement "in a more positive light" compared to the Communist Party mainstream, which has historically preferred to suppress discussion of the period altogether, said Bo Zhiyue, a watcher of elite Chinese politics at Victoria University in New Zealand.

Divisions are already beginning to show. In March, a commentary in the state-run Global Times tabloid warned against overly discussing the Cultural Revolution. Yet a group staged a concert at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing featuring lavish productions praising Mao and Xi this month, reportedly angering some party elders who wondered how the performance gained approval.

Song Yongyi, a Cultural Revolution historian at California State University in Los Angeles, said the Communist Party  and Chinese society itself  will be divided as long as the party does not allow a full and open reckoning of modern China's darkest period.

"As long as Mao's picture is hanging on Tiananmen, you cannot say the Cultural Revolution has completely ended," Song said.

___

Follow Gerry Shih on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gerryshih

In this photo taken Monday, May 2, 2016, an enormous statue of Mao Zedong looms over the No. 1 Tractor Factory in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. Fifty years after Mao unleashed the decade-long Cultural Revolution to reassert his authority and revive his radical communist agenda, the spirit of modern China's founder still exerts a powerful pull. Millions of people were persecuted, publicly humiliated, beaten or killed during the upheaval, as zealous factionalism metastasized countrywide, tearing apart Chinese society at a most basic level. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, a supporter of Mao Zedong ideology removes the Chinese national flag after a day of singing and dancing in praise of the late Chinese leader on Zhouwangcheng Plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, supporters of Mao Zedong ideology gather to dance and sing in praise of the late Chinese leader on Zhouwangcheng plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Monday, May 2, 2016, supporters of Mao Zedong's ideology dance and sing in praise of the late Chinese leader on Zhouwangcheng plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, a supporter of Mao Zedong removes a banner praising the late leader's ideology after a day of singing and dancing in praise of the late Chinese leader on Zhouwangcheng Plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, men read essays pinned on a clothesline, condemning the past 30 years of liberalization or positively reappraising the Cultural Revolution at Zhouwangcheng Plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Monday, May 2, 2016, a Chinese veteran wears pins with the image of Mao Zedong as he watches others dance and sing in praise of the late Chinese leader at Zhouwangcheng Plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, Zhao Shunli, a retired veteran who collects discarded food outside restaurants to survive, performs red song-and-dance routines in a uniform decked with Mao pins at Zhouwangcheng Plaza in Luoyang in central China's Henan province. In the ancient city of Luoyang, the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, while downplaying that period's violent excesses. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Saturday, April 23, 2016, flower wreaths are placed as mourners line up under the banner that reads: "Prof. Ai Yuejin" outside the funeral house for a ceremony for Ai, a Maoist professor at Nankai University and popular online lecturer, in Tianjin in eastern China. Ai's fiery talks praising Mao Zedong's legacy drew followers from as far as Shanxi and Fujian provinces. Hundreds of fans, nearly all wearing Mao pins and some crying Ai's name in grief, circled a casket draped in a Communist Party flag, where the professor lay in repose with a People's Liberation Army peaked hat on his head. (AP Photo/Gerry Shih)

In this photo taken Sunday, May 1, 2016, Xu Xiaobin speaks during an interview near Luoyang in central China's Henan province. It was here in Luoyang's Zhouwangcheng Plaza that Xu met a group of Maoist retirees who changed his thinking five years ago. That was before he was laid off from his 3,000 yuan ($460) -a-month machining job and condemned to a life of off-and-on construction work that has slowed to a trickle as the economy sputters. Born in 1974, Xu scarcely experienced China under Mao Zedong, whose death in 1976 started China's journey toward liberalization. But during childhood, Xu saw pictures of his laborer father, and was told he was respected, not denigrated. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this photo taken Saturday, April 23, 2016, a mourner holds up a banner with poetry lamenting the death of Ai Yuejin, a Maoist professor at Nankai University and popular online lecturer, outside the funeral house at a funeral ceremony for Ai in Tianjin in eastern China. Ai's fiery talks praising Mao Zedong's legacy drew followers from as far as Shanxi and Fujian provinces. Hundreds of fans, nearly all wearing Mao pins and some crying Ai's name in grief, circled a casket draped in a Communist Party flag, where the professor lay in repose with a People's Liberation Army peaked hat on his head. (AP Photo/Gerry Shih)

In this photo taken April 23, 2016, mourners wearing pins of Mao Zedong gather for a funeral ceremony for Ai Yuejin, a Maoist professor at Nankai University and popular online lecturer, in Tianjin in eastern China. Ai's fiery talks praising Mao's legacy drew followers from as far as Shanxi and Fujian provinces. Hundreds of fans, nearly all wearing Mao pins and some crying Ai's name in grief, circled a casket draped in a Communist Party flag, where the professor lay in repose with a People's Liberation Army peaked hat on his head. (AP Photo/Gerry Shih)

In this photo taken Saturday, April 23, 2016, mourners wearing pins of Mao Zedong take photos outside the funeral house as they gather for a funeral ceremony for Ai Yuejin, a Maoist professor at Nankai University and popular online lecturer, in Tianjin in eastern China. Ai's fiery talks praising Mao's legacy drew followers from as far as Shanxi and Fujian provinces. Hundreds of fans, nearly all wearing Mao pins and some crying Ai's name in grief, circled a casket draped in a Communist Party flag, where the professor lay in repose with a People's Liberation Army peaked hat on his head. (AP Photo/Gerry Shih)
IS attack and bombings leave 29 dead across Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP)  The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault Sunday on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad that killed at least 14 people, while a string of other bomb attacks in or close to the capital killed 15 others, Iraqi officials said.

The dawn attack on the gas plant began with a suicide car bombing at the facility's main gate in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Several suicide bombers and militants then broke into the plant and clashed with security forces. The dead included six civilians and eight security forces; 27 troops were wounded.

The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency credited a group of "caliphate soldiers" for the attack.

A federal police man stands guard outside the natural gas plant in Taji, 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, May 15, 2016. The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault Sunday on a natural gas plant north of the capital that killed more than a dozen people, according to Iraqi officials. (AP Photo)

Closed-circuit television images showed as an explosion hit inside the facility. As flames engulfed the facility and nearby palm trees, pedestrians were seen running for cover. A crowd gathered to watch as thick black smoke rose above the plant, sections of which were left in ruins. The top of one of the gas-processing units was blown off.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish the fire. He said technicians were examining the damage. Hours after the attack, passers-by inspecting the damage posed for cell phone photos in front of the ruined complex.

Elsewhere, four separate bomb attacks left another 15 people dead and 46 wounded in the fifth-straight day of IS-claimed attacks in and around the Iraqi capital. Since Wednesday, more than 140 people have been killed in a spate of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.

The wave of attacks comes as Iraqi ground forces have achieved a number of key territorial victories against the extremist group.

Brett McGurk, the Obama administration's diplomatic point man in the international fight against the Islamic State group, told journalists in Jordan that the tide was turning against extremists.

"This perverse caliphate is shrinking," said McGurk, a presidential envoy to the 66-member anti-IS coalition.

In the past month, IS has lost a swath of key territory along a supply route in Iraq's vast western Anbar province that the extremists had used to ferry fighters and supplies between Iraq and Syria. But after losing territory along the Euphrates River valley, that line has been cut, according to Iraqi and coalition officials.

As the Islamic State militants are pushed back along front lines, the group is increasingly turning to insurgency-style terrorist attacks to detract from their losses, the officials said.

However, despite battlefield successes against IS, Iraq's political leadership is in disarray as a deepening political crisis has gridlocked government. Parliament has not met for more than two weeks after supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone. The breach followed repeated delays to government reform legislation that lawmakers claimed would fight Iraq's entrenched corruption.

"It's possible that some of the political unrest in Baghdad has led (the Islamic State group) to think that they can somehow stir up more chaos than usual," said Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk assessment newsletter.

"ISIS hopes that somehow if they just keep up the pressure, the Iraqi government will at best collapse or at least become incapable of pursuing a cohesive approach" to fighting the extremists , Rabkin said, using an alternative acronym for IS.

While the U.S.-led coalition acknowledges the planning phase of Iraqi military operations against the Islamic State group has been slowed by political unrest, Rabkin says there is no evidence the IS terrorist attacks have had a direct impact on the military campaign against the extremists.

Besides the assault on the gas plant, Sunday's attacks included a car bomb at a shopping area in the town of Latifiyah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the capital, that killed seven people, including two soldier, officials said. Eighteen people were wounded in the attack, four of whom were soldiers.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three separate bomb attacks targeted commercial areas, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 28 others, police said. At total of 29 people were killed in the day's violence.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

IS extremists still control significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city of Mosul. The group declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria and at the height of its power was estimated to hold nearly a third of Iraqi territory. Iraq's Prime Minister says the group's hold has since shrunk to 14 percent.

___

Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Murtada Faraj in Baghdad and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

Iraqi firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a natural gas plant in Taji, 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, May 15, 2016. The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault Sunday on a natural gas plant north of the capital that killed more than a dozen people, according to Iraqi officials. (AP Photo)
Bangladesh police arrest suspect in killing of gay activist

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP)  Police in Bangladesh said Sunday that they have arrested a suspected Muslim militant for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital.

Police identified the suspect as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad. They said he joined another militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, in mid-2015.

Shihab, 37, was arrested in the southwestern district of Kushtia, Munirul Islam, head of a newly formed police counterterrorism unit, told a news conference. He did not give any further details.

Members of Bangladesh Police Detective Branch (DB) escort a man, center, whom they have identified as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad as they walk him in front of the media in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Police said Sunday that they have arrested Shihab, a suspected Muslim militant for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital. (AP Photo)

There have been a series of recent attacks targeting atheists, moderates and foreigners in Bangladesh. Only one of 15 such killings has been prosecuted since 2013.

Islam said that Shihab allegedly killed Xulhaz Mannan, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, because he was a gay rights activist and promoted the gay community's cause through a magazine as an editor.

He said Shihab told police during questioning that he took part in stabbing to death Mannan and his friend as ordered by his group's high command. There was no independent confirmation of the police officer's claim.

Police earlier said they identified at least five people who took part in the killings on April 25 from video footage collected from buildings near the crime scene in Dhaka's Kalabagan area.

"We are checking the footage to determine whether Shihab is visible there," Islam said.

The Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida had claimed responsibility for the April 25 killing of Mannan and his friend, Tanay Majumder. Mannan was also a cousin of former Foreign Minister Dipu Moni of the governing Awami League party.
52 climate activists arrested in Washington railroad protest

SEATTLE (AP)  Authorities cleared the railroad tracks of protesters and arrested 52 climate activists Sunday morning in Washington state, after a two-day shutdown.

About 150 people spent the night in tents and sleeping bags on the tracks near two refineries in northwest Washington, according to BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas.

They were asked to leave at about 5 a.m. and most gathered their belongings and left the area near Anacortes, Melonas said.

Authorities wrap up clearing the railroad tracks of protesters Sunday, May 15, 2016, west of Burlington, Wash. Dozens of climate activists were arrested Sunday morning, after a two-day shutdown. About 150 people spent the night in tents and sleeping bags on the tracks near two refineries in northwest Washington, according to BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

"It was peaceful," he said. "Eighty percent removed their belongings and cleared out."

The 52 people arrested were cited for trespassing, according to the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management. One person was also cited for resisting arrest.

Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt said that before anyone was arrested, officers advised protesters that they could move to another designated location and demonstrate.

A spokeswoman for the protesters said she expected everyone arrested would be processed and released from police custody.

Emily Johnston said protests would continue around Anacortes on Sunday, but she didn't expect people to return to the railroad tracks.

Johnston, who had participated in a blockade of the Seattle harbor to protest Shell Oil's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, said the success of protests like the one in Anacortes can mostly be seen in the way they inspire people to speak out about climate change.

"People power matters," Johnston said.

She also spoke about the contrast between arresting people for protesting about saving the planet and the lack of government action against the fossil fuel industry.

"We really need to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable," Johnston said.

The rail line has been closed since Friday because of the protests, and trains will begin running again Sunday afternoon after a cleanup and safety sweep of the tracks, he said.

Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot also took place in demonstrations near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

Hundreds marched to the refineries Saturday and a smaller group blocked the railroad, all demanding energy policy changes. The railroad knew about the protest in advance and rerouted rail traffic to avoid the area.

The railroad spur provides rail transportation for the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries, as well as animal feed and other products.

The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. Similar demonstrations were held around the country during the weekend.

In upstate New York, climate activists gathered Saturday at a crude-oil shipment hub on the Hudson River in an action targeting crude-by-rail trains and oil barges at the Port of Albany. A group of activists sat on tracks used by crude oil trains headed to the port. Albany is a key hub for crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region.

In Washington state, organizers targeted two refineries that are among the top sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Tesoro has started shipping Bakken crude oil to its refinery, and Shell is proposing an expansion project that would similarly bring in Bakken crude oil by train.

Officials with Shell and Tesoro said in earlier statements that they respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, and that safety is their highest priority.

Crowd estimates of Saturday's march ranged from several hundred to about 1,000 people, Skagit County spokeswoman Bronlea Mishler said.

Bud Ullman, 67, who lives on Guemes Island, participated in the march, which he described as good-spirited, peaceful.

"The scientists are right. We have to get away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and it has to be done in a way that takes into serious consideration the impact on workers, families and communities," he said.

Many of the nearly 40 groups involved in organizing the event also participated in large on-water kayak protests against Shell's Arctic oil drilling rig when it parked last year at a Seattle port.

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AP reporter Phuong Le contributed to this report.

Protesters in kayaks and canoes demonstrate near Anacortes, Wash., about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal Sunday, May 15, 2016. The protest was part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Protesters in kayaks and canoes demonstrate near Anacortes, Wash., about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal Sunday, May 15, 2016. The protest was part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Protestors march near oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP)

Members of the Seattle Raging Grannies sit in their rocking chairs chained together on the Burlington-Northern Railroad tracks at Farm to Market Road in Skagit County on Friday evening, May 13, 2016, in Burlington, Wash. From left are Deejay Sherman Peterson, Anne Thureson, Shirley Morrison and Rosy Betz-Zall. Hundreds of people in kayaks and on foot are gathering at the site of two oil refineries in Washington state to call for action on climate change and a fair transition away from fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Anti-oil protestors walk past the Tesoro refinery rail yard in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP)

A demonstrator takes a break on the three-mile walk to the tip of March Point near a pipeline from one of the oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

In this Friday, May 13, 2016 photo, Eric Ross speaks to "kayak-tivists" with the Tesoro and Shell refineries behind them in Anacortes, Wash. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

This Saturday, May 14, 2016 photo shows the Shell oil refinery on March Point in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. Protests in the area are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

Tents line the tracks to the Tesoro refinery on March Point during a Break Free PNW blockade near the oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

Paul Martinsen sets up a camp chair on the train tracks leading to the Tesoro refinery, during the Break Free PNW blockade, in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

Alamo Rolff prays with hundreds of protestors before the Break Free PNW Indigenous Day of Action march past the oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

Protesters march towards the tip of March Point during the Break Free PNW Indigenous Day of Action near the oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)
WEST GLACIER  If youre worried about how crowded Glacier National Park has become, heres one way to look at it that doesnt make it seem so bad.

The people who visited the park last year accounted for less than eight-tenths of 1 percent of the total number who visited the public lands overseen by the National Park Service.

Visitation numbers for 2015 totaled more than 307 million people  307,247,252, to be exact. Thats a record, and almost a 5 percent increase over the previous mark of 292.8 million established in 2014.

Glacier hosted 2,366,056 of them, setting its own second straight visitation record, even though wildfires closed one of its two main entrances and shut down a significant chunk of its most popular attraction, Going-to-the-Sun Road, for 2 weeks.

In breaking its record, Glacier once again proved to be one of the top 10 most popular national parks in America.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park was, as usual, first, with almost 11 million visitors  twice that of No. 2 Grand Canyon National Park.

Glacier was 10th, about 445,000 visitors behind No. 9 Acadia National Park in Maine.

Yellowstone, the national park Montana shares with Wyoming and Idaho, welcomed more than 4 million people for the first time ever last year, good for fifth place.

A National Park Service audit bumped the previously announced total visitation number up from 305 million to 307 million. With NPS celebrating  and promoting  its 100th birthday in 2016, the record may again be short-lived.

In addition to their top-10 finishes, Glacier and Yellowstone were two of five national parks singled out for milestone moments in 2015  Yellowstone for surpassing the 4 million-attendance mark for the first time ever, and Glacier for welcoming the 100 millionth visitor in the parks 105-year history.

Becky Janssen of Bakersfield, Calif., who was spending the summer in Whitefish with her two children, was chosen out of a line of cars at the West Entrance of the park by Superintendent Jeff Mow on the morning of June 11 to represent visitor No. 100 million.

While the park celebrated the milestone, the number also highlighted the pressures that growing numbers of visitors are placing on Glacier and other national parks. It took 79 years since its establishment in 1910 for Glacier to reach 50 million visitors, and just 26 years for it to get 50 million more.

The 307 million visitors is for all the places overseen by the National Park Service, not just its 59 national parks.

That includes national monuments, national battlefields, national recreation areas, national parkways and more.

With them, the list of sites grows to 410and only two of the top 10 most-visited national parks make the top 10 list for all NPS units. The most-visited place in the National Park System last year was the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, with more than 15 million people.

Grand Canyon, No. 2 on the national parks-only list, drops to No. 10 when visitation at all NPS units are figured in.

In addition to Glacier and Yellowstones milestones, Grand Canyon National Park surpassed 5 million visitors for the first time, Rocky Mountain National Park went over 4 million for the first time, and Joshua Tree National Park surpassed 2 million for the first time.

Of the 371 NPS units reporting visitors in 2015, 57 broke records. Eleven had more than 5 million recreation visits.

The National Park Service also said tent camping in campgrounds rose 13 percent in 2015, RV camping was up 10 percent and backcountry overnights were up 7 percent.
Dutch Holocaust museum exhibits Jeroen Krabbe paintings

AMSTERDAM (AP)  More than 70 years after tens of thousands of Dutch Jews were deported and killed by the Nazis, the Netherlands is finally getting a national Holocaust museum.

It will be three years before the new museum is completed, but on Monday it opens its doors to host a harrowing exhibition of paintings by actor and artist Jeroen Krabbe.

The location of the museum, a former teacher training school in the heart of Amsterdam's old Jewish quarter, is a small but hugely significant ray of light in the dark history of Jews in the Dutch capital during World War II.

Dutch actor and artist Jeroen Krabbe poses in front of his painting which tells the story of his grandfather Abraham Reiss, left, who was murdered in the Sobibor Nazi German extermination camp, during a press preview at the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, May 12, 2016. More than 70 years after tens of thousands of Dutch Jews were deported and murdered by the Nazis, the Netherlands is finally getting a national Holocaust museum. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Some 600 Jewish children were spirited to safety via the school from a neighboring kindergarten where they were being held while awaiting deportation, said curator Annemiek Gringold. On the other side of the street stands the Hollandsche Schouwburg, a theater used by the Nazi occupiers as a gathering point for Jews who were rounded up  often with the help of Dutch collaborators paid a bounty for each person they betrayed  and transported to their deaths.

In all, 104,000 Dutch Jews were among the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The theater is now home to a memorial to those victims. Nearby are also the Jewish Historical Museum and a 17th-century Portuguese Synagogue.

The nine paintings on show Monday are collectively titled "The Demise of Abraham Reiss." They trace the life of Krabbe's grandfather, who was murdered by the Nazis in 1943 in the Sobibor death camp in occupied Poland.

From a man sitting in a forest of birch trees on the edge of Amsterdam, the paintings trace Reiss' life in pre-war Amsterdam to his detention in the Westerbork camp in the northeastern Netherlands and his arrival at Sobibor, where he was greeted by a snarling dog and shadowy, faceless guards. The final painting shows thick smoke billowing out of the chimney of Sobibor's gas chamber and a flock of geese, whose honking was intended to drown out the screams of Jews being murdered, according to a text accompanying one of the paintings.

The artist said he couldn't bring himself to visit Sobibor. So instead he drew on the memories of camp survivor Jules Schelvis, who wrote a book about his experiences and built models of the camp and its gas chambers. The models are exhibited in the same room as Krabbe's paintings.

Schelvis, who died last month, survived his time in the camp but lost 18 relatives there, including his wife, Rachel. In 2009, he recalled his Sobibor experiences in the Munich trial of John Demjanjuk, a retired Ohio autoworker who was convicted of 27,900 counts of accessory to murder but always denied serving as a Sobibor guard.

Krabbe said he also used his acting skills to imagine how his grandfather would respond to the horrors unfolding in his life.

"I wanted to get under his skin," Krabbe told The Associated Press. "To imagine how it would be to experience what happened to him and how he would have reacted. It was like I had to play a role."

The holocaust museum will stand among other institutions in the Netherlands charting the history of Jews and their killings during World War II, including Amsterdam's Anne Frank House. That museum, built around the hidden apartment where the teenage Jewish diarist hid with her family from the Nazis until being betrayed and dying in the Nazis' Bergen-Belsen camp, attracted more than 1.2 million visitors last year.

Gringold said the holocaust museum will shine a light on other victims.

"There is one Anne Frank, but 104,000 Dutch Jews died and we have to tell their story, too," she said.

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If you go:

Entry to the exhibition is via a ticket costing 15 euros ($17), which also gives access to a group of museums and other sites in what is known as the Jewish Cultural Quarter including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, Jewish Historical Children's Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue.

The holocaust museum is at No. 27, Plantage Middenlaan in Amsterdam. Tram lines 9 and 14 stop nearby. Get off at the stop called Artis.

Museum staff display a school research project of a student with a picture of a deported Jewish resident of an Amsterdam neighborhood prior to a press preview at the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, May 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Museum staff display pictures of Jewish residents of an Amsterdam neighborhood and pictures of school children who did a research project on the deported residents prior to a press preview at the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, May 12, 2016. More than 70 years after tens of thousands of Dutch Jews were deported and murdered by the Nazis, the Netherlands is finally getting a national Holocaust museum. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch actor and artist Jeroen Krabbe poses with two of his paintings who tell the story of his grandfather Abraham Reiss who was murdered in the Sobibor Nazi German extermination camp, during a press preview at the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, May 12, 2016. More than 70 years after tens of thousands of Dutch Jews were deported and murdered by the Nazis, the Netherlands is finally getting a national Holocaust museum. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
New website helps Germans and migrants meet, talk about life

BERLIN (AP)  During the height of the migrant crisis in Europe last fall, Lasse Landt came to a startling realization.

Thousands of migrants were pouring into Germany every day, but the 36-year-old startup consultant from Berlin hadn't met a single one of them.

"It was all over the media, every day on the talk shows you had people talking about the refugee crisis. I had never seen a refugee," said Landt. "I just wanted to find out if it was real."

In this May 1, 2016 photo Cindy Spieker, Ahmed Haj Ali, Paul Spieker and Abdul Wahab, from left, sit around a table in Berlin. The group met through a website called 'Let's integrate!' that sets dates between refugees and locals in Berlin. (AP Photo/Jona Kallgren)

His experience is typical for most Germans, and many have volunteered with charitable groups in part to meet the migrants they're hearing so much about. But Landt went further  and the result is a kind of dating website for Germans and migrants, albeit without the romantic aspect.

Together with Khaled Alaswad, a 25-year-old Syrian he met at a computer coding class for migrants in Berlin, Landt started a project to help refugees and locals meet up. Called Let's integrate! , it allows users to pick a time and location and set up a "date."

The idea is to set as low a hurdle as possible for the meeting. No preparation is needed  people just need to show up and hopefully have a good conversation. Or if the language barrier is too high, have a conversation with hand signals.

Alaswad said his friendship with Landt has helped him land on his feet in Germany.

"If the refugees never talk face to face with a local person, they will never know anything about the culture here," he said. "There is just such a big difference between our culture and the German culture."

Germany registered around 1.1 million irregular migrants in 2015, most of them refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. But with the closure of the Balkans migration route from Greece to Germany, the number of migrants coming in has dropped dramatically this year. So attention has now shifted to integrating the refugees, who will most likely spend several years, if not their whole lives, in Germany.

The authorities are focusing on having migrants learn the language and get jobs. The German government has promised to introduce subsidized workplaces earmarked for refugees.

"In Germany, we have a very technocratic view of integration," said Landt. "It is basically, you do a language class, you get a job and then you are integrated. But really, it is very much about social contact. Something you can achieve before you wait six months for your language class and another year before you are somewhat fluent."

Let's integrate! was launched May 1 and so far at least a dozen meetings have taken place. More Germans have signed up than migrants, so organizers are putting up posters in refugee homes to try to even out the numbers.

The service is free but only available in Berlin, though there are plans to expand it to other German cities soon, including those where migrants have received a less-than-enthusiastic reception. Fears about migrants have been stoked by far-right and nationalist groups, who have staged hundreds of rallies near refugee homes or planned shelters.

To identify each other at the meeting point, people are asked to hold up their index finger and thumb to make an L and I  for Let's integrate  a bit like a secret hand signal.

One of the first meetings was between two Syrians and two Germans. Abdul Wahab, an 18-year-old Syrian, said he simply did an Internet search for "Integration Germany" and found the page. Ahmed Haj Ali, a 23-year-old refugee from Damascus, found the website on Facebook.

"I want to stay here for a long time," Haj Ali said. "This will help me adapt to their culture and help me learn German."

Haj Ali and Wahab met with Cindy and Paul Spieker, two siblings from Berlin who were also involved in building the website. After meeting at a shopping street in Berlin, the group traveled to a park, where the Germans drank beer and the Syrians enjoyed orange juice.

"We all fear what we don't know," said Paul Spieker. "The refugees are worried about us and we are worried about the refugees."

"When you meet, you realize that they are people like us and there is no need to be worried," he added.

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Online:

https://letsintegrate.de/en
American forward Bobby Wood joins Hamburg from Union Berlin

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)  United States forward Bobby Wood is joining Hamburger SV from German second division side Union Berlin.

The 23-year-old Wood has signed a four-year deal through June 2020, the Bundesliga club announced Sunday.

"We're very happy that we could realize this transfer so early and are looking forward to a young player with lots of potential, one who has also international experience from the national team," Hamburg chief executive Dietmar Beiersdorfer said.

Wood has four goals in 16 appearances for the United States.

Wood, who was born in Honolulu, has been playing in Germany for nine years. He joined 1860 Munich's youth setup from Irvine Strikers in 2007, going on to score three goals in 50 games for the first team in the second division.

Wood joined Union last summer after half a season on loan at Erzgebirge Aue. He scored 17 goals and set up three more in 30 league games this season for the capital club.

Hamburg was expected to struggle against relegation but finished relatively comfortably compared to recent seasons in 10th place and five points above the relegation zone.
Germany: Police arrest over 100 people at anti-coal protest

BERLIN (AP)  German police say they have arrested more than 100 people demonstrating against a coal mining in eastern Germany.

Cottbus police say the protesters were among about 300 people who had forced their way onto the site of the Schwarze Pumpe coal-fired power plant late Saturday. Two protesters were injured during the police operation, which was continuing Sunday.

The protest was organized by the groups Klimatecamp (Climate Camp) and EndeGelaende, which loosely translates as "it's finished now." Their goal is to prevent the mining and use of coal, which is considered a major source of carbon emissions that are contributing to climate change.

Activists of the environmental groups Robin Wood and ' Ende Gelaende' ( It's finished now) hang at a bridge to block the railway tracks near the Vattenfall power plant in Schwarze Pumpe , eastern Germany, Sunday May 15, 2016. Poster reads" It's finished now - Stop using coal" . Police say they have arrested more than 100 people taking part in a demonstration against a coal mining in eastern Germany. Cottbus police say the protesters were among about 300 people who had forced their way onto the site of the Schwarze Pumpe coal-fired power plant late Saturday. ( Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)

The German news agency dpa quoted the plant operator, the Swedish company Vattenfall, as saying the protest is preventing supplies from reaching the power station.
Palestinians mark uprooting anniversary with sirens, marches

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Palestinians have marked the anniversary of their uprooting almost seven decades ago with sirens and low-key marches.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out in the Mideast war over Israel's 1948 creation. The refugees and their descendants now number several million and most still live in the region.

Sirens wailed for 68 seconds Sunday in the West Bank to mark the passing of 68 years since what Palestinians call their "nakba," or catastrophe.

Palestinians act in a play enacting "Nakba" or Catastrophe day in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Palestinians marked the 68th anniversary of their displacement following the Israeli declaration of independence in 1968. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Cars stopped and pedestrians stood still in the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem during the commemoration.

Marchers used keys and other props to symbolize their demand to return to what is now Israel.
US monument status won't guarantee Stonewall Inn's future

NEW YORK (AP)  The area surrounding the Stonewall Inn is poised to become the first national monument dedicated to gay rights, but that doesn't necessarily mean the property will always be a bar.

There's actually nothing in the national monument designation or even the city's landmark law to prevent New York's most famous gay bar from someday becoming a coffee shop, a frozen yogurt joint or anything else.

The tavern was the site of a 1969 uprising that is widely viewed as the start of the modern-day gay rights movement. The bar closed that same year, just months after patrons resisted a police raid.

In this May 9, 2016 photo, visitors gather outside the Stonewall Inn, the iconic symbol of the modern gay rights movement across from Christopher Park, in New York. The area surrounding the Stonewall Inn, the site of a 1969 uprising widely viewed as the start of the fight for LGBT rights, is set to become a national monument. But that doesnt mean the bar will always be a bar. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The space was occupied for years by other businesses, including a bagel shop and a Chinese restaurant, before it reopened as a bar in the 1990s. In Stonewall's current incarnation, under new owners since 2006, half the original space occupied by the bar is now a nail salon.

Co-owner Stacy Lentz said she and her partners bought the bar "to preserve history and make sure it wasn't made into a Starbucks." She said she is thrilled by the national monument discussions.

"This solidifies everything we have worked for to keep the legacy alive for generations to come," she said.

The management company that owns the building did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The monument would be located in public spaces and possibly a small triangle of land across from the tavern.

But U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat who's been pushing for the national monument designation for years, says nothing would force the Stonewall to remain a bar.

President Barack Obama is expected to move quickly to greenlight the monument, two people familiar with the administration's plans told The Associated Press. They weren't authorized to discuss the plans publicly and requested anonymity.

Nadler said the spot is worth recognizing because it would "tell the story of the United States," as do park sites in Seneca Falls, New York, dedicated to the women's rights movement, and Selma, Alabama, named for the civil rights movement.

The Stonewall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark. It was designated a New York City landmark last year, the first time a site had received the designation because of its significance to LGBT history.

Originally built as stables in the 1840s, adjoining buildings at 51 Christopher Street still have the brick-and-stucco facade that greeted bar-goers the night of the June 28, 1969, protests.

What began as a police raid escalated into days of street demonstrations that triggered an activist movement and prompted gay New Yorkers to stop hiding their identities and speak out publicly.

Patrons at the Stonewall are ecstatic the area will be recognized with a national monument. Jonathan Early called the Stonewall "the heart of the LGBT movement." And as he passed by the bar last week, Jesse Furman said, "It really says something. It is a place of so much happiness and acceptance. Think about it. This is America's landmark for the gay community."

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Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1

In this May 9, 2016 photo, a tour group stops outside the Stonewall Inn in New York. The area surrounding the Stonewall Inn, the site of a 1969 uprising widely viewed as the start of the fight for LGBT rights, is set to become a national monument. But that doesnt mean the bar will always be a bar. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Palestinian men traveled through 8 countries to reach US

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP)  Mounis Hammouda and Hisham Shaban were stranded in Honduras, penniless after being ripped off by a smuggler who was supposed to get them to Mexico so that they could arrive at their final destination, the United States.

The Palestinian men had traveled across the world to escape bloodshed and torture in their homeland, and desperately phoned a friend in Canada to wire them money so they could finish their trek.

When they showed up at the U.S.-Mexico border in November 2014, Hammouda remembers seeing the American flag, and feeling relieved.

In this Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015 photo, Mounis Hammouda sits in an immigration detention center in Eloy, Ariz., showing a picture of his father, Jameel Hammouda, who he says was tortured by Hamas because he worked for a rival organization. Mounis Hammouda says he fled Gaza because his family was targeted by Hamas, the Islamic political party. His father still lives in Gaza. (AP Photo/Astrid Galvan)

"I know that America is a country of freedom. It's a country of opportunity. It's a country of democracy. Everybody knows that America is a country that helps the world," he said.

They presented themselves at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, claiming asylum. The FBI cleared the men and said they didn't pose a threat, and they were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

After spending over a year in a detention center, Hammouda posted bail with the help of a fundraiser and Shaban remains.

"Thank God things are good. I finished with the detention and I have freedom," Hammouda said. Hammouda remains in Tucson and is learning English. He is in the process of obtaining a work permit.

The migrants are part of a global refugee crisis emanating from the Middle East that has touched off a political uproar in Europe and the U.S., highlighted by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants.

The immigrants being apprehended on the U.S.-Mexico border often take much longer journeys than the typical path of refugees who settle in camps and endure long waits to gain official refugee status and a home in the U.S.

Some simply grow frustrated and make the trek across the globe on their own to come to America.

Some migrants cross into the U.S. illegally; others, like Hammouda and Shaban, turn themselves claiming asylum. They were among nearly 42,000 people to seek asylum in 2014 in the U.S., a more than 20 percent increase from 2010.

Immigrants claim asylum because they believe they will face persecution or torture in their homeland.

They can stay in the U.S. if an asylum officer and immigration judge determine that such a fear exists. Many are detained during this process, but some are granted bail while their request moves through the immigration court system, which can take years.

The process is different for refugees, who must first be accepted by the U.S. before they come here. Many of them lose patience and find alternative ways to get to a safer place, said Muzaffar Chishti, of the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute.

Chishti, who heads the institute's office at the NYU School of Law, said the migration of Middle Eastern and Asian residents to the United States is growing.

"There has to be some informed smuggling network and the existence of those networks in those countries is a factor," he said. "I think the bigger concern about this population is the security issue, which is where the Trump and Ted Cruz of the world are saying, 'Hey this is a vulnerability now.'"

Hammouda, 30, said he fled Gaza in 2011 after members of Hamas, the Islamic political party, tortured his father because he worked for Fatah, a rival organization. He said his family was targeted.

He said he had to drop out of college and quit his pursuit of a law degree. He was blacklisted and couldn't find work.

Relatives helped him find money and a visa to leave Gaza in 2011. He traveled alone to Cairo, Istanbul, and both parts of Cyprus before settling in a refugee camp in the Greek-controlled part.

Thousands of miles away in Gaza, Hammouda's family feels the pain of his ordeal.

His father Jameel Hammouda said he misses his son but knows he can't return. The elder Hammouda spends his days on a bed at the guest room and only leaves the house to see a doctor or have medical exams.

"I don't want Mounis to come back here. I want to leave and be with him away from here," he said.

Shaban, 32 also grew up in Gaza. He said his family lived next door to a Hamas operative who was the target of a bombing that left Shaban's family home destroyed. None of his relatives was injured, but he said he felt unsafe.

After two years of studying social work, Shaban saved up money and left in 2010. He lived in a government-funded apartment before losing funding and moving to the camp in Kofinou, in the Greek-controlled part of Cyprus, he said.

He met Hammouda there, where the men bonded over being unable to work as the economy tanked and their government aid shrunk. There was no work for the men and nothing for them to do, they said.

The men heard one day that they didn't need a visa to enter Venezuela, so they spoke with Greek immigration officials who agreed to let them go there, even funding portions of their flights, they said.

They arrived in Caracas in March 2014, and eventually made it to Nicaragua, where they lived for a short time, at one point in the streets. They found a man who agreed to help them get from Nicaragua to Mexico for $1,000 each.

But the smuggler only got them as far as Honduras, and the men were left without any money or a place to stay, they said.

Using money wired by a friend in Canada, they made it to Mexico, were detained by authorities for a time and released, and then turned themselves in at the border in Arizona in 2014.

While Hammouda has been released, Shaban has been denied asylum and has been ordered removed from the country, but the government hasn't found a place to send him because Palestine is not an officially recognized state.

ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said the agency is still working with Saudi Arabia, where Shaban was born, to obtain travel documents. But Shaban said that the country won't accept him because he is not a citizen.

"I just came here to come and live in America, not to make problems," Shaban said.

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Associated Press Writer Fares Akram contributed from Gaza.
Lebanon holds second round of municipal elections

BEIRUT (AP)  Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis from neighboring Syria.

Voters are heading to the polls in the Christian, Druze, and Shiite Mount Lebanon regions  which includes the suburbs of the capital and its mountainous surroundings.

The Hezbollah party-militia, which is deeply involved in the war in neighboring Syria, is expected to win in its strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs.

A Lebanese woman stands inside a ballot booth before casting her vote at a polling station during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections monitoring group is reporting dozens of election violations, including vote buying and voter intimidation. It recorded 647 violations in the first round of elections, which included Beirut, last week.

Polls close at 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT).

Lebanese citizens and policemen stand next to campaign posters for Beirut municipal candidates in front of a polling station in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese policeman stands guard next to campaign posters for Beirut municipal candidates in front of a polling station in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese policeman stands guard inside a polling station in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Lebanese women stand in front of municipal candidates election campaign posters near a polling station in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese man casts his vote at a polling station during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese man inks his thumb after casting his ballot at a polling station during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Lebanese citizens line up to cast their votes at a polling station in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Men help carry a disabled voter into the polling station to cast his vote during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese woman casts her vote at a polling station during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Lebanese man casts his vote at a polling station during the municipal elections in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Lebanon is holding the second round of municipal elections Sunday amid a political deadlock that has paralyzed state institutions at the height of a refugee crisis caused by the war in neighboring Syria. Sunday's polls include municipal elections for Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, in a country deeply divided in the group's involvement in the Syria war. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Few solutions in wake of Texas school finance ruling

DALLAS (AP)  Now that it's clear Texas' complicated school finance system is here to stay, cash-strapped districts around the state must find a way to move forward  whether that's pressuring lawmakers for more money or finding a taste for raising property taxes.

The Texas Supreme Court rejected arguments Friday by a coalition of 600-plus districts that the "Robin Hood" school funding system, in which wealthy districts share local property tax revenue with those in poorer areas, was unconstitutional.

The unanimous decision, which stemmed from a lawsuit over the GOP-led Legislature's 2011 move to cut $5.4 billion in education funding, does not mandate the Legislature to do anything, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Republicans at the party convention that the issue "for now, has been resolved."

File - In this June 6, 2011, file photo, protesters against cuts in funding for Texas public schools rally in the rotunda in the state capitol, in Austin, Texas. Now that its clear Texas complicated school finance system is here to stay, cash-strapped districts around the state must find a way to move forward, whether thats pressuring lawmakers for more money or finding a taste for raising property taxes. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

But that didn't keep the justices from urging that lawmakers should do something. As Justice Don R. Willett wrote, they have "vast discretion in fulfilling their constitutional duty to fashion a school system fit for our dynamic and fast-growing state's unique characteristics. We hope lawmakers will seize this urgent challenge and upend an ossified regime ill-suited for 21st century Texas."

Whether lawmakers will accept that challenge remains to be seen. When the 2017 legislative session convenes in January, there will be a number of other financial obligations, including covering the continued costs of $3.8 billion in property and business tax cuts, fixing the state's embattled foster care system and finding more money for a road and highway network overtaxed by a booming population.

Plus, Patrick has promised to make up $4 billion in federal funding for free and reduced-price school lunches that will disappear if Texas defies the Obama administration's order to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

Patrick and many other Republicans in the state Legislature seized on the ruling to advocate for increasing "school choice" in the form of expanded charter schools and voucher programs. Outnumbered Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, said 2017 should bring a major effort to strengthen traditional public schools  though that will be a tough sell.

"The issue requires the Texas Legislature's undivided attention this next session," said Buddy Guerra, a Democrat from McAllen on Texas' border with Mexico. "The future of our state is at stake."

The high court made clear that "kids deserve transformational top-to-bottom reform," said Karen Rue, president of the Texas Association of School Administrators. What's needed the most, she says, is a better understanding of what it costs to educate 5.2 million students  second-most in the U.S. after California.

"What does it take in today's economic environment to actually turn on the lights, pay teachers, provide training" and does that amount ensure that students are ready for college, Rue asked.

The Texas State Teachers Association notes that the state spends an average of $9,561 per student annually, below the national average of $12,251. But Rue, who is a superintendent in a district north of Fort Worth, noted there's an array of rankings to see how one state compares to the next. "Whether or not they fit us is really the point," she said.

Texas' overall funding mechanism is similar to ones found in many other states, with base funding that's augmented by extra "weights" for those who need specialized or extra instruction, according to Allan Odden, a national school finance expert based in Chicago.

"The one wrinkle for Texas is that special component to get resources from high-wealth districts to low-wealth districts," Odden said. "That's a unique Texas thing."

What's important for districts to determine, he said, is whether money is being used efficiently. Odden said studies don't indicate whether student performance improves if a school focuses on small classrooms, and there's no discernable benefit to offering more electives to keep students engaged.

Public schools rely heavily on property taxes because Texas has no state income tax, so unless the Legislature changes the funding formula, the only way districts will be able to keep up with rising costs is increasing taxes, Texas Classroom Teachers Association general counsel Lonnie Hollingsworth said.

But if that happens, then lawmakers need to ensure that money stays with the local school district instead of diverting it to other purposes statewide.

"Had this mechanism been in place years ago, the schools would be in a much better situation," Hollingsworth said.

All told, the issue isn't going away, said attorney Rick Gray, who represented more than 400 districts in mostly poorer areas in the case that the Supreme Court decided Friday.

"What school districts have to do is turn to the Legislature and ask, and try and force, Texas lawmakers to do their jobs," Gray said. "There's enough good Texans in the Legislature that will realize that changes need to be made."

___

Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Dallas contributed to this report.

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BOZEMAN  June 18 will be the first day that Museum of the Rockies visitors can take in an exhibit theyve never seen before  and probably will never see again.

Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero: The Villas of Oplontis near Pompeii will illustrate not only the wealth that people loved to show off during the years before Vesuvius did them all in and buried their communities on Aug. 24, 79 AD, but the lives of the slaves who worked to make their opulent masters quarters memorable. The exhibit will remain on display through Dec. 31.

This scale of luxury is hard to imagine. This is how the one percent lived, said Regina Gee, an associate professor of ancient art at Montana State University and adjunct curator of art history at the museum. Gee has been working with two other researchers on organizing the artifacts originally found in the Italian villas and is an expert on the frescoes found there.

A few years ago, she and her colleagues obtained permission from Italian authorities to organize an exhibit of artifacts from the site to travel to the United States  artifacts that had never left Italy.

Gee said the nearly 150 pieces are currently on display at the University of Michigan. Theyll be headed to Smith College in Northampton, Mass., after their six-month stay at the Museum of the Rockies.

The Museum of the Rockies exhibition will thus be the only opportunity for people west of the Mississippi River to see the artifacts.

Those artifacts include marble statues, jewelry, elaborate boxes in which to carry valuables  even an ancient pair of dice.

Theres nothing that can compare with them, Gee said. I still cant believe we got permission.

Gee said the exhibit also shows the human side of the tragedy.

When the volcano erupted, about 50 people hid in a concrete vaulted storage room, awaiting rescue by boat. It is from those people that exhibitors found gold jewelry and coins in an exquisite money box, Gee said, that people carried with them as they tried to leave. Thats part of the story we get to show people.

A structure adjacent to the villas is evidence of nearby wine-making. Gee said the ash from the volcano transformed the Pompeii region into a top wine and tomato producer.

Gees student, Carol Mealer, predicts in Montana Historian magazine that the exhibition will dazzle museum-goers of all ages.

She points to the artifacts from three social strata that will be on display  the very wealthy, the daily activities of household slaves, and the economic enterprise run by freemen who enabled and sustained the physical and social fabric of elite villa life.

Quoting Gee, Mealer wrote, Vesuvius had to bury the region in order to preserve the region.

The villa is believed to have belonged to the second wife of Emperor Nero, Poppaea. A prominent amenity contained in the villa, constructed on a cliff 40 feet above the sunny Bay of Naples, was a huge swimming pool surrounded by marble sculptures.

For whatever reason, the Museum of the Rockies states on its website, the villa itself had been abandoned by the time of Vesuvius catastrophic eruption in 79 AD, but a commercial wine distribution center next door was thriving. Falling ash and pyroclastic (fast-moving hot gas and rock) flows buried empty dining rooms that had seated more than 100 people, an 80-meter swimming pool, private rooms adorned with spectacular frescoes and marble columns resting on mosaic floors ready for re-sale.

There have been a lot of great shows about Pompeii, but (the artifacts) are usually cherry-picked items from different villas, Gee said. They call it Daily Life in Pompeii or something like that. This is something much more specific, and Im so looking forward to it.
The Latest: 52 activists cited for trespassing Washington

SEATTLE (AP)  The Latest on oil protests (all times local):

10:15 a.m.

Fifty-two climate activists were cited for trespassing Sunday morning after authorities cleared their protest campsite on top of railroad tracks leading to two oil refineries in Washington..

Protesters march towards the tip of March Point during the Break Free PNW Indigenous Day of Action near the oil refineries in Anacortes, Wash., on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. (Grant Hindsley/seattlepi.com via AP)

One person was also cited for resisting arrest.

A spokeswoman for the protesters says she expected everyone to be processed and released from police custody. Emily Johnston says protests would continue around Anacortes on Sunday, but she doesn't expect people to return to the railroad tracks.

Protesters in kayaks and canoes were putting their boats in the water Sunday about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate change and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

___

9:30 a.m.

Authorities cleared the tracks of protesters and arrested 52 climate activists Sunday morning in Washington state.

A spokesman for the rail line near two refineries in northwest Washington says about 150 people spent the night in tents and sleeping bags on the tracks near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas says they were asked to leave at about 5 a.m. and most gathered their belongings and peacefully left the area.

The rail line has been closed since Friday because of the protests. Melonas says trains will begin running Sunday afternoon.
The victim had just been baptized at Seventh-day Adventist Church

60-year-old Hawaii man was shot in the back by an

A man was shot in the back moments after he was baptized inside a Honolulu church, police said.

Paramedics treated 60-year-old Tali Talitonu for a gunshot wound to the back during a mass ceremony at the Samoa-Tokelau Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

The suspected shooter, Vieolesolo Tavita, 59, was charged Sunday with attempted murder and gun offenses, according to the Star-Advertiser.

A 60-year-old man was shot by a woman after he was baptized during a mass ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii

The man was shot in the back Saturday and treated for his injuries. The suspected shooter, Vieolesolo Tavita, 59, was charged Sunday

The shooting happened at the Samoa-Tokelau Seventh-day Adventist Church (pictured)

The victim's nephew, Taleni Asuega, said up to 100 people, including many children, were spilling out into the courtyard when a woman pulled out a gun and shot Talitonu once in the back, near his right shoulder.

A church elder grabbed the shooter's gun hand, pointing the weapon away from the victim and the crowd, and disarmed her, Asuega said.

Asuega told the newspaper that the woman is also a member of the congregation. He says he doesn't know what prompted the violence.
Spain preparing to receive its first refugees from Greece

MADRID (AP)  Spain says it is preparing to receive its first two batches of refugees from Greece and also expects to welcome more from Italy as part of a European Union relocation program.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Sunday a first group of 87 refugees from Greece is due to arrive in Spain "between May 24 and 26" and 63 more would arrive "at the beginning of June."

Fernandez Diaz said 18 refugees  17 Eritreans and one Syrian national  had come from Italy in November and 32 more were expected to arrive soon.

Migrants and refugees walk among fields on their way to Idomeni camp, after trying to cross the Greek-Macedonian border, Saturday, May 14, 2016. Thousands of stranded refugees and migrants are camped at the makeshift refugee camp of the northern Greek border point of Idomeni. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Aaron Levine didn't feel like a miracle.

After three weeks in an induced coma, the oldest survivor of last year's deadly Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia struggled to accept how severely his injuries had limited him.

His 80-year-old shoulders and ribs were crushed, his right lung was punctured and spinal fractures left him partially paralyzed.

Machines kept him breathing and fed. It would be months before he could walk or move his hands.

The May 2015 crash that killed eight people and injured 200 more had turned Levine's upside down.

Scroll down for video

Aaron Levine and his wife Barbara pose for a portrait at their home in Washington. The couple were among the people injured in the deadly Philadelphia derailment last year

Scenes from the May 13, 2015 crash in Pennsylvania that killed eight people and injured 200 more

Aaron, an active lawyer, art collector and world traveler, and his 77-year-old wife, Barbara, of Washington, D.C., were heading to New York for an art show when the train left the tracks.

Investigators said the train entered a sharp curve at 106 mph  more than twice the posted speed limit  when it crashed.

The National Transportation Safety Board is meeting on Tuesday in Washington to determine the cause.

A few days after the derailment, the Levines were supposed to jet off for Europe.

Instead, Aaron lay in intensive care in Philadelphia considering what his life had become and how it would end.

He called one of his sons and asked him to research assisted suicide.

'I thought it was all over for me,' Aaron said in an interview.

'I'm 80 years old. The end of my career. And now I'm totally decimated. So, I figured, I wanted out.'

Aaron's son wouldn't oblige. Fine, the old man said. He didn't need help. He would jump out the window instead.

'My son said, "You can't get to the window,''' Aaron recalled, a stroke of humor balancing the darkness.

'After that happened, I kind of had my mind set  I decided to live.'

Aaron doesn't remember the crash.

The walls of the train car  the second car behind the locomotive and the mangled business class car  caved in on him as it hurtled off the tracks and came to a rest on the side where he and his wife were sitting.

According to an NTSB report on the medical response, Aaron was the oldest person to survive the crash. At first, it wasn't clear if he would.

'They said I had one foot in a coffin and the other on a banana peel,' Aaron said.

Barbara, thrown from her aisle seat, screamed for him. She couldn't move. Her pelvis was fractured in five places.

The Levines said they may attend Tuesday's NTSB meeting in Washington, but are hesitant to believe the investigators' findings.

The couple worries about crumbling infrastructure and a lack of adequate funding for public transportation.

Levine (pictured with his wife) can now walk short distances and lift his hands to his head. The lawyer has resumed working on a limited basis but isn't sure he'll ever be able to try a case in front of a jury again

Investigators and first responders work near the wreckage of the train from Washington to New York, that derailed in north Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

According to an NTSB report on the medical response, Aaron was the oldest person to survive the crash. At first, it wasn't clear if he would

Aaron, who made a career of representing women harmed by defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices, wants someone held accountable.

'It wasn't an act of God. It was an act of stupidity,' he said.

Emergency responders took crash victims to eight different hospitals using ambulances, police vehicles and city buses, depending on the severity of their injuries.

Barbara went to Hahnemann Hospital near downtown on a bumpy ride in the back of a police wagon.

She and her family tracked down Aaron at Temple University Hospital, a trauma center closer to the crash site in North Philadelphia.

Two days after the crash, Barbara was transferred to be by his side.

Temple University Hospital received 39 patients, more than any other hospital.

Aaron was the most critically injured and the last to leave, almost 80 days after the crash.

And with regained movement in his hands, he's back playing the piano with Barbara  his accompanist on trumpet  by his side

Aaron was 15 when his family moved into Barbara's family's Brooklyn apartment building.

Her father, a pharmacist, filled prescriptions for his father, an optometrist.

They married a week after her college graduation and settled in Washington while he finished law school. He started his own firm there in 1967.

In the 1970s, his litigation helped get the Dalkon Shield, an intrauterine contraceptive, pulled from the market after it was found to cause severe inflammations and the loss of fertility.

Aaron and Barbara had three children  two lawyers and a doctor  and now have five grandchildren.

They are among dozens of passengers suing Amtrak to cover the cost of their recoveries. The Levines' costs include a $3.5 million bill from Temple.

A year after the crash, Aaron's condition has improved, along with his outlook.

He can walk short distances and lift his hands to his head.

He's resumed working on a limited basis but isn't sure he'll ever be able to try a case in front of a jury again.

And, with regained movement in his hands, he's back playing the piano with Barbara  his accompanist on trumpet  by his side.

Last week, the Levines hired a driver to take them to New York, to complete the trip to the art show they had started when they boarded the train a year ago at Union Station in Washington.

Sean Kelly, a friend and gallery owner, saw Aaron in the hospital the day after the crash.
Egypt court convicts 6 for killing Frenchman in 2013

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt's official media says a Cairo court has convicted six men of manslaughter and sentenced them to seven years in prison for beating a French man to death while in police custody in 2013.

Egypt's official MENA news agency says the verdict was issued on Sunday.

Egyptian officials at the time said Eric Lang was killed by cellmates while in detention at a central Cairo police station. They said the Frenchman was drunk when he was arrested on the streets of the upscale Cairo neighborhood of Zamalek.

FILE -- This June 2007 file photo shows Eric Lang, a French resident of Cairo, who died Sept. 13, 2013 while in police custody in the Egyptian capital, on the balcony of an apartment in the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood of Cairo, Egypt. On Sunday, May 15, 2016 Egypt's official MENA news agency said a Cairo court has convicted six men of manslaughter and sentenced them to seven years in prison for beating Lang to death while in police custody in 2013. (AP Photo/Alain Alain Blottiere, File)
Two held on cyber crime offences

Two men have been arrested in Merseyside over the alleged supplying of software for use by computer hackers.

The suspects, both aged 21, were arrested shortly after 7.30pm on Thursday at separate addresses in Southport.

The men were kept inside the properties in Moreland Drive and Old Park Lane as specialist officers from Titan, the North West regional organised crime unit, forensically examined electronic devices using a mobile cyber forensic lab provided by Europol.

The men were arrested at separate address in Southport.

Both have since been taken to separate police stations in the region and will be interviewed on suspicion of committing cyber-crime offences.

The investigation is supported by the National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said Titan.

Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson, head of operations at Titan, said: "These arrests are a significant step forward in our relentless fight against cyber-crime which is a type of criminality that really does affect us all. Not everyone will understand yet what cyber crime is or how it impacts on normal people but it is an increasing threat to anyone who uses the Internet and organised crime groups often sit behind it.

"Cyber criminals who hack into your computer or that of your business or your bank account or your social network can do so from anywhere in the world. So it is vital that law enforcement agencies in different countries work together by sharing intelligence about potential offenders and pool resources and expertise to tackle this common goal.
Boris Johnson branded 'tin-pot imitation Churchill' after linking EU to Hitler

Boris Johnson faced a furious political backlash after he compared European Union efforts to build a federal super state to Hitler's plans to dominate the continent.

While the former London mayor acknowledged the EU was using "different methods" to the Nazis, Remain campaigners said his incendiary comparison to the Third Reich showed he was unfit for high office.

However pro-Brexit Tories said he was simply stating a "historical fact of life" about the failure of successive attempts over the centuries to establish a "greater Europe".

Boris Johnson speaks at Armada House in Bristol as he outlines a positive vision for Brexit

The latest row erupted after David Cameron was attacked last week by Leave campaigners for suggesting that British withdrawal from the EU could lead to the outbreak of the Third World War.

Mr Johnson - seen as the de facto leader of the Leave campaign - said the past 2,000 years had been dominated by doomed attempts to unify the continent under a single government to recreate the "golden age" of the Romans.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods," he said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph.

"But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

His comments were immediately condemned by the Remain campaigners with shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn branding them "offensive and desperate".

"Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass," Mr Benn said.

"After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate."

Field Marshal Lord Bramall, a former head of the Army who took part in the D-Day landings, said Mr Johnson's remarks were "simply laughable".

"I know only too well, this comparison of the EU and Nazi Germany is absurd. Hitler's main aim was to create an empire in the East and violently subjugate Europeans," he said.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown said: "People are fed up with yet another tuppenny tin-pot imitation Churchill promising to 'fight them on the beaches' while weakening our defences and wrecking our economy."

Labour former cabinet minster Yvette Cooper said Mr Johnson was playing a "nasty, nasty game".

"The more he flails around with this kind of hysterical claim, the more he exposes his shameful lack of judgment, his willingness to play the most divisive cynical politics, and the emptiness of his arguments," she said.

Mr Johnson's comments were, however, defended by the pro-Brexit former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith who said he was simply stating a "historical fact of life".

"I think the whole process of trying to drive Europe together by force or by bureaucracy and democratic means ultimately makes problems," he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show.

"All he is doing in the interview is he is talking about the trend towards the idea of this kind of concept of some kind of greater Europe, that's all."

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said that Mr Johnson - a classical scholar - had drawn a "very interesting historic parallel".

"Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, Napoleon and Hitler all wanted to create a single European power," told ITV's Peston On Sunday. "What Boris has said is the EU is following the footsteps of these historic figures but using different means."

Former chancellor Lord Lamont said there had been "fascist theorists" who believed very strongly in a united Europe.

He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: "I don't think he (Mr Johnson) was saying people who favour the European Union were comparable to Nazis.
Cleric facing historical sex assault allegation arrested in Kosovo

A Catholic cleric accused of a historical sex offence has been arrested in Kosovo after a five-year police hunt.

Father Laurence Soper, in his mid-70s, was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant over an allegation of child abuse dating back to when he taught at St Benedict's, a private independent Catholic school which is part of Ealing Abbey in west London.

In March 2011, Soper was believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome and was due to return to London to answer bail, but he failed to show up, sparking an international search.

Father Laurence Soper was believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome and was due to return to London to answer bail

After more than five years evading officials, he was arrested in Kosovo on Wednesday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We are aware of the arrest and we are liaising with the relevant authorities."

In June 2010 the Met said a man, then in his 40s, had made a historical allegation of sexual assault relating to his time at the school.

Soper was arrested in September that year on suspicion of historical sexual assault, and bailed to return to a west London police station pending further inquiries, but failed to appear.
Family's relief as Peru moves to free drugs mule Melissa Reid

The father of convicted drugs mule Melissa Reid has spoken of the family's relief and delight after authorities agreed to release her from jail in Peru and expel her from the country.

Billy Reid said their "prayers had been answered" following the court ruling.

He expressed his belief that his 22-year-old daughter could become an asset and a credit to her family when she returns to the UK.

Melissa Reid was jailed in 2013 for six years and eight months after admitting trying to smuggle cocaine from Peru to Spain (AP)

Reid, from Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, and Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, were jailed in 2013 for six years and eight months after admitting trying to smuggle cocaine worth 1.5 million from Peru to Spain.

McCollum, 23, was freed in March under new legislation on early prison release introduced in Peru last year after serving two years and three months.

Peruvian authorities agreed to release Reid after a court hearing on Friday.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Mr Reid, 55, said: "We are all relieved and delighted, although I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. We went to bed on Friday night unsure of what the future held for us as a family and woke to find out our prayers had been answered."

He thanked the Peruvian authorities for "allowing our daughter to come home to us" and suggested almost three years of worry had "taken it's toll" on the family.

Mr Reid said his daughter wants to prevent other people from being sucked into the situation she found herself in.

"We now hope that Melissa will be able to demonstrate that she is the asset we believe she can be and not a liability," he said.

"She regrets the predicament she finds herself in, is apologetic for her actions and wants to show that she can be a credit to her family and make things right."

A magistrate ruled that she had been remorseful and shown her ''intention to be reinserted back in society" at an earlier hearing.

Newspaper reports suggested the court was to inform the British embassy of the decision so arrangements could be made for her to be returned to the UK.

The Foreign Office said on Saturday it was providing assistance to Reid and remained in contact with her family and local authorities.

However, it is anticipated to be some time before the women can return home.

McCollum and Reid were caught with the haul at Lima Airport on August 6 2013 while attempting to fly to Spain. They were caught trying to board a flight with 24lb (11kg) of cocaine in food packets hidden in their luggage.

They claimed they were forced into carrying the drugs but pleaded guilty to charges later that year.

McCollum and Reid faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence.
FISHTAIL  The Tippet Rise Art Center opens to the public in June with a weekly concert series curated by musical director Christopher ORiley, National Public Radio host and internationally acclaimed pianist.

But its not just music that will be the attraction in Stillwater County this summer.

The idea behind Tippet Rise is to make art happen in beautiful places. The art begins as soon as you enter the property with the unusual look of a curved fence.

Tippet Rise Director Alban Bassuet has been working with owners Cathy and Peter Halstead for five years to turn 11,500 acres in Stillwater County into the Tippet Rise Art Center.

Bassuet expects people to come from around the world to see this new land art space that pairs stunning landscape with equally magnificent art.

The landscape features a sculpture by Mark di Suvero called Beethovens Quartet intended to be played like a twirling steel drum.

Mark tries to get to things that are beyond language, Bassuet said.

The couple owns enough land to keep true to that goal. Beethovens Quartet is miles from the nearest structure, sitting in the rolling hills above Murphy Canyon. Yet, it doesnt feel jarring to come upon this huge steel work in rural Montana, where it is framed by nothing but sky.

Our motivation is to have sculpture that interacts with nature, Bassuet said. We see the curation of sculpture as important as the curation of music here.

Another di Suvero piece, Proverb, was previously on display in Dallas, where it was nicknamed The Keys to Dallas. Now, its sitting in the bottom of Box Canyon where sheep and cattle graze in the summertime.

The di Suvero works are part of a half-dozen land-specific sculptures at Tippet Rise. A guide is required to get visitors from one sculpture site to the next.

One of the most unusual landscape pieces is Daydreams, a site-specific work by internationally known environmental artist Patrick Dougherty.

Before Dougherty arrived to twist local willows and sticks into curious shapes, Bassuet and the Halsteads hired JXM & Associations and CTA Architects to design and build a school in the style of a one-room prairie school house from the 1800s that sits just down the road from Tippet Rise.

Every detail is exact from the shingles blowing off the roof to expose the beams and the nails pushed up from wind and weather. If it werent for the new concrete foundation, you would guess that the school has been there for 100 years.

The willows and sticks drape the exterior and weave through the interior of the building. Somebody commented that the work looks like something from a Tim Burton movie. Others refer to it as the house from the Wizard of Oz.

Bassuet explained that when Dougherty arrived on the property with his son and an assistant, he leaned on the inside wall of the school house and thought back to his days as a youngster day dreaming in school. The willows take on an almost-human appearance, leaning into the old chalkboard with gaping holes that resemble eyes.

The site is styled after a handful of places around the world that feature land art. They aim for a connection between the natural landscape and art. The Halsteads said they were most inspired by the Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, N.Y., which exhibits an extensive collection of international artists.

We wanted to combine our ideas with the beauty of a specific place, Cathy Halstead said.
Man held over rape of elderly woman in own home

A man has been arrested in connection with the rape of an elderly woman in her own home.

The woman, in her 70s, opened the door to her home in Purley, south London, at 7.50am on Wednesday after becoming aware of a man on her doorstep.

He wedged it open with his foot before forcing his way into the property where he raped and assaulted her, the Metropolitan Police said.

Police have arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of rape and he remains in police custody

The woman, who is "bravely" helping officers with their investigations, described the suspect as a 5ft 8in white man with short brown hair.

He is believed to have a Scottish accent and a tattoo or mark on his neck, and a circular tattoo on the left side of his chest.

Police arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of rape on Saturday, and he remains in police custody.

Detective Inspector Keith Ward, from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said the woman was being supported by specialist officers.
Police name driver and passenger who died when car plunged into a canal

Two people who died after the car they were travelling in crashed into a canal have been named by police.

Driver Kieran Lundie, 21, and passenger Gemma McMonagle, 24, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in water running off the Forth and Clyde canal in the north of Glasgow.

Three other people were taken to hospital, one in a critical condition, following the single-vehicle collision in Balmore Road, Lambhill, at around 12.45am on Sunday.

Police Scotland said the blue Ford Focus was heading north when the car apparently went out of control

Police Scotland said the blue Ford Focus was heading north near Skirsa Street when the car apparently went out of control.

It came off the road and struck a wall and railings before landing in the water near Lambhill Cemetery, officers said.

A 25-year-old woman and two men, aged 25 and 24, who were also passengers in the car, were taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The woman is described as being in a critical condition, the 25-year-old man is stable, and the 24-year-old escaped serious injury but was treated for shock.

Dozens of tributes have been placed at the scene of the crash near with f riends of the victims laying flowers by the water.

A Celtic strip covered with hand-written messages was tied to a fence at the scene of the crash.

Sergeant Nicola Taylor said: "Our inquires are continuing into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.

"It would appear that no other vehicle was involved and I would like to speak to anyone who either witnessed this crash or anyone who remembers seeing the vehicle travelling in Balmore Road just prior to the crash."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the road policing team in Govan on 101.
Flying Scotsman crosses Forth Bridge in triumphant visit to Scotland

One of the world's most famous trains has crossed the Forth Bridge as Flying Scotsman marked its return to Scotland.

Hundreds of people gathered at stations and vantage points to catch a glimpse of the restored steam engine as it took to the Borders, Midlothian and Fife on Sunday.

The train left Edinburgh's Waverley station shortly before 11am, where officials estimated 800 people turned out to see it depart for Tweedbank in the Borders.

Flying Scotsman makes its way along the new Borders rail route near Heriot

Hundreds more lined the route in parts and congregated at places such as Galashiels and Tweedbank to get a closer look at the locomotive.

After a return to Waverley, Flying Scotsman headed to Fife with a new group of passengers on board as it crossed the famous Forth Bridge.

People gathered at vantage points in North and South Queensferry to watch the locomotive cross the distinctive red bridge that has carried trains over the Forth since 1890.

Hundreds of pictures of the crossing were posted on social media by those watching from the shore and people on board.

The meeting of the two engineering masterpieces nearly did not happen after Network Rail cancelled Flying Scotsman's planned trip.

The track operator said on Friday night that the locomotive would no longer be able to complete its tour because it had not been able to carry out safety assessments on some lines.

The decision dismayed hundreds of rail enthusiasts planning to see the recently refurbished steam engine, and after an outcry led by Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay, Network Rail reversed its position and said checks had been carried out overnight to allow the train to take to the track.

The engine arrived at Waverley to fanfare on Saturday evening and Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne offered a ''wholehearted and sincere apology'' for the earlier cancellation which Mr Mackay described as a ''debacle''.

An investigation is still to take place into the reasons for the premature cancellation.

Built in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 1923, Flying Scotsman pulled the first train to break the 100mph barrier in 1934.

The National Railway Museum in York bought the locomotive for 2.3 million in 2004 before work got under way on its decade-long restoration two years later.

Flying Scotsman thrilling Scottish rail enthusiasts

Flying Scotsman overcame issues with Network Rail

The Flying Scotsman passes Holy Island as it powers through the Northumberland countryside

Flying Scotsman passes over the Royal Border Bridge that spans the River Tweed

Flying Scotsman is continuing its tour of Britain after Network Rail reversed a decision to cancel trips at short notice.

Flying Scotsman arrives at Tweedbank railway station from Edinburgh's Waverley station to Tweedbank in the Borders.

Crowds of people gathered for a glimpse of the world-famous engine.

Engine fireman Gordon Hodgson, 77, from Carlisle, waves to the crowds.

Flying Scotsman engine fireman Gordon Hodgson, 77, and driver Steve Chipperfield, both from Carlisle, in the engine room.
Birthday boy Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win Rome title

Andy Murray celebrated his birthday in style by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final in Rome.

Murray, turning 29 and the first Briton to win the Italian crown in the Open era, was in scintillating form against world number one Djokovic, who had won 12 of his 13 matches against the Scot since the 2013 Wimbledon final.

Four-time champion Djokovic was second best against Murray, who beat the Serb for the first time on clay and clinched his 12th ATP Masters 1000 title.

Andy Murray, pictured, secured his first win on clay against Novak Djokovic (AP)

Murray needed less than an hour to overcome Frenchman Lucas Pouille in his semi-final on Saturday, while Djokovic required more than three hours to see off Japan's Kei Nishikori in a game which finished at 11.13pm local time.

Unsurprisingly Murray made the better start, forcing a trio of break chances in Djokovic's first service game that he was denied.

But with rain threatening at Foro Italico, Djokovic was off target with a backhand two games later and Murray, who returns to world number two, broke to take a 3-1 lead.

Djokovic beat Murray in last week's Madrid Open final to lead the pair's head-to-heads 23-9, but failed to adapt to the slippery conditions as well as his inspired opponent, who opened up a 5-2 lead before wrapping up the opening set 6-3 in 46 minutes with a brilliant forehand drop shot.

Murray fired 11 winners in the opening set and began the second in similar vein with the confidence to open up with his full repetiore of shot-making that had Djokovic, bidding for his 30th ATP Masters 1000 title, on the backfoot.

The British number one broke Djokovic again in the fifth game of the second set and a superb overhead backhand volley helped him hold serve in the next game to go 4-2 up and put one hand on the trophy.

Djokovic, who would have passed the $100million-mark in prize money with victory, looked weary after his late-night triumph against Nishikori and continually conveyed his displeasure at the conditions with several stares and expletive exchanges with the umpire.

He held serve to trail 4-3 in the decider, but was broken again by a rampant Murray, who claimed the second set 6-3 and completed the perfect preparation for next week's French Open, with an outrageous off-court passing shot.

"It's great. I played well this week," Murray told the ATP's YouTube page.

"I know Novak had a tough couple of days. His match with Rafa (Nadal) was a very tough physical match and (on Saturday) as well (against Nishikori) contributed a bit to today's result for sure.

"I'm aware I had to go out there and be patient and learn a little bit from the mistakes I made last week and I managed to get off to a slightly better start and that made a big difference.

"When you play against the best players in the world you go in knowing that you have to play great tennis to win.

"Sometimes you do and you don't win, they're that good. But today for me was great. I'll enjoy it, take a couple of days' rest now and obviously Paris is the one where I want to play my best tennis again.

"So I need to prepare well for that but in terms of the matches I've played the last few weeks through Monte Carlo through to now is as good as I've played on clay so I'm hoping for a good tournament there."

When asked if the win gave him the confidence to dominate on all surfaces, Murray added: "Dominant - I don't know if that's the right word.

"I can certainly play well on all the surfaces. I think last year I proved that with the way I played on the clay and this year to back it up again.

"So I'm happy about that, but I still need to get better. I'm going to have to improve because guys like Novak play their best tennis always at the big events.

"If I want to win I'm going to have to continue to get better."

The French Open, the second grand slam of the year, gets under way at Roland Garros next week.
Two people treated in hospital after being struck by car pursued by police

Two people are being treated in hospital after being involved in a crash with a car being pursued by police.

The incident in Fife on Sunday comes just days after nurse Jill Pirrie was knocked down and killed by a car that was being chased by officers in Edinburgh.

The latest incident happened at around 4pm in the village of Oakley, near Dunfermline.

Jill Pirrie, 33, was making her way home from work at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary on Thursday evening when she was hit by a Ford Ka that was being pursued by officers

Police said officers signalled for a silver Honda to stop but it drove off and crashed with a Renault Scenic.

Two people in the Scenic, described as elderly, were taken to hospital for treatment.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Officers in Fife are investigating a road traffic collision which occurred in Oakley.

"It happened on Sir George Bruce Road around 4pm after uniformed police officers signalled for a silver Honda to stop.

"The vehicle made off from the officers and subsequently collided with a blue Renault Scenic a short distance away.

"The two elderly occupants of the Renault have been taken to hospital for treatment."

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is currently reviewing the circumstances that led to Ms Pirrie's death in Edinburgh on Thursday night.

The 33-year-old was making her way home from work at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary when she was hit by a Ford Ka being chased by police.

The mother-of-one was treated at the scene but later died at the hospital where she worked.

Four people were traced on Friday in connection with the incident on Old Dalkeith Road. Police have not released details of their ages but reports have suggested they are all teenagers.

Ms Pirrie's mother Brenda McDonald, 64, from Edinburgh, told The Sunday Mail all of her loved ones would now rally round to protect Jill's five-year-old son.

She told the newspaper: ''Jill was loved by everyone who knew her, but most especially by her close family.

''We will miss her more than words can express. She was the kindest person on earth.''

Ms McDonald also said she wants to know ''exactly what happened'' during the incident.

''I want every single detail and there is no way that I am going to allow things to be left like this,'' she said.
Islamic State claims attack in Yemen's Mukalla, 10 soldiers killed

ADEN/CAIRO, May 12 (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that killed ten soldiers in the Yemeni port city of Mukalla on Thursday.

The militant group said in an online statement that one of its members had blown himself up in a car near government troops.
Film veteran Ken Loach attacks EU but warns against Brexit

By Julien Pretot

CANNES, France, May 13 (Reuters) - British film director Ken Loach launched a scathing attack on the European Union at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, but said Britain should stay a member to avoid lurching towards the far right.

Loach was talking to journalists about his film "I, Daniel Blake" in which Dave Johns plays a Newcastle joiner seeking a disability welfare pension who drifts into poverty along with a single mother of two (Hayley Squires) whom he is trying to help.

The 79-year-old, who won the coveted Palme d'Or in Cannes in 2006 with "The Wind That Shakes the Barley", expressed his shock at the way the poorest were being treated, calling on the "real left" to unite throughout Europe.

"There is a common denominator between all the European countries. There's a conscious cruelty in the way we're organising our lives now, where the most vulnerable people are told that their poverty is their own fault, if you have no work, it's your fault," he told a politically charged news conference.

Squires said people on benefits were depicted as "scroungers". Screenwriter Paul Laverty asked: "Why are we picking on our most vulnerable people?"

While "I, Daniel Blake", focuses on a British problem, it has a much broader reach, according to Loach.

"There are people who understand what is happening but their political structures are not allowing them to be heard," he said. "We've got to let them be heard and make alliances across France, Spain, Greece, wherever."

Britons will vote in a referendum on June 23 on whether to quit the EU. Leaving would be a massive error, Loach believes.

"It's a dangerous, dangerous moment," he warned.

"On the one hand the EU is a neoliberal project, a drive towards privatisation, a drive to deregulate the safeguards that are there for workers.

"On the other hand, if we leave we know the individual governments will be moving to the right as far as possible... putting the interests of big business to the fore. I mean, we are faced with a far-right government if we leave.
Moody's confirms Poland's rating, cuts outlook to negative

By Marcin Goettig

WARSAW, May 14 (Reuters) - Moody's Investor's Services confirmed Poland's rating but cut its outlook to negative on Saturday, citing rising fiscal risks and the conservative government's shift to more unpredictable policies and legislation.

Just over half the analysts polled by Reuters expected the move after fellow rating agency Standard and Poor's rattled investors with a downgrade in January, saying the new government's policies eroded the independence of institutions such as the top court.

In contrast, Moody's said Poland's economic resilience and a track record of robust growth underpin the A2 rating, the highest of the three major agencies.

The affirmation will probably lift the Polish zloty and bonds in the coming days, the finance minister said. Nearly half of economists polled forecast a downgrade.

Moody's noted "fiscal risks arising from a substantial increase in current expenditures ... as well as the government's intention to lower the retirement age."

Since coming to power in October, the eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party has raised budget spending by over 7 percent, passing a new child benefit programme worth about 1 percent of gross domestic product in 2016 alone.

Finance Minister Pawel Szalamacha told reporters on Saturday that while he agreed with Moody's decision on the rating, the outlook cut was "over-cautious, burdened with some pessimism". Poland would further raise spending in line with a planned increase in tax revenue, he said.

The new child benefit is financed mostly by a one-off source of budget revenue this year. Many economists remain sceptical the government will be able to improve tax collection, given unsuccessful efforts by previous governments.

Poland, a member of the European Union since 2004, says it aims to observe the EU fiscal deficit ceiling of three percent of GDP next year and to reduce that gap to 1.3 percent by 2019.

INVESTMENT CLIMATE

Moody's said the government's shift towards more unpredictable policies and legislation could hurt investment.

"(This is) reflected in the ambiguity with respect to the conversion of foreign-currency denominated mortgages and in the prolonged stalemate between the government and the ... constitutional court," Moody's said.

The PiS party has promised to help thousands of Poles who took out loans in Swiss francs when the franc was relatively cheap. Aides to President Andrzej Duda, an ally of PiS, are working on proposals to solve the problem.

PiS has also tried to reform the constitutional court in ways that critics say make it hard for judges to review, let alone challenge the ruling party's legislation.

Moody's said it could cut Poland's rating if the state's fiscal position or the investment climate worsen.

"A protracted (or escalation in the) conflict between the government and the constitutional court that leads to substantial capital outflows could also exert downward pressure on the rating," Moody's said.

Moody's has held Poland's A2 rating stable since 2002, when the country was much poorer and more corrupt than it is today.

S&P currently rates it two notches lower at BBB+, outlook negative. Fitch is one notch lower at A-, outlook stable.

The full statement from Moody's is available here:
Divided Bosnian Serbs rally for and against government

By Daria Sito-Sucic and Gordana Katana

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia, May 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of Bosnian Serbs staged rival rallies for and against the government in the capital of Bosnia's autonomous Serb region on Saturday, kept apart by a heavy police presence after warnings of violence.

Authorities had banned both sides from marching through Banja Luka to avoid confrontations in the politically charged atmosphere in the build-up to local elections in October.

The opposition was protesting against what it sees as corruption and the poor state of the economy while the rival rally was a show of support for the government.

"We have to fight for our state," Serb Republic President Milorad Dodik told about 10,000 flag-waving supporters, some carrying pictures of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We want peace. Today we defend our republic from treason."

Among Dodik's supporters was Darko Mladic, son of the Bosnian Serb wartime military leader Ratko Mladic who is facing war crimes charges at The Hague.

Across town, a similar number of opposition protesters waved anti-Dodik banners saying: "This is not Sicily, we have had enough of Godfathers". They demanded early parliamentary elections, economic reforms and the investigation of what they called political murders and corruption cases.

The opposition rally was addressed by Sonja Karadzic, daughter of former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, who was jailed in March for genocide.

Worried that unrest in Bosnia could destabilise his own country, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic had urged Bosnian Serb politicians to prevent the protests turning violent.

But police kept the demonstrators apart with metal barriers and city-centre cafes and shops were closed. The rallies ended peacefully.

ACCUSATIONS

Political tensions in the Serb Republic have risen since elections in 2014, when Dodik's ruling party lost its place in the Bosnian government to the Alliance for Change, a pro-Europe reformist group, and remained in control only of the Serb Republic government.

Dodik, who favours closer ties with Russia and has threatened to pull his region out of Bosnia's complex state structure, says officials who support a reform agenda designed to bring Bosnia closer to the European Union are traitors.

The opposition accuses Dodik of autocracy and corruption. He has been investigated for embezzlement and abuse of office but never charged.

Since coming to power with Western backing 10 years ago, Dodik has adopted nationalist policies aimed at increasing his region's autonomy and weakening state institutions by blocking laws in Bosnia's national parliament.
Iraqi leader says political crisis helps Islamic State attack

By Stephen Kalin

BAGHDAD, May 14 (Reuters) - A political crisis in Iraq is hampering the fight against Islamic State, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday after some of the bloodiest attacks on Baghdad this year.

Abadi's government has been crippled for weeks since parties resisted a cabinet reshuffle aimed at fighting corruption. In a televised speech, he said a "climate of dispute" had given the militants space to operate in areas under nominal government control.

"The political conflict among politicians and their impact on the brave security forces permits acts of terrorism to occur," he said.

Hours earlier, an attack by Islamic State on a town near Baghdad killed five members of the security forces and wounded 13. On Wednesday, suicide bombers killed at least 80 people, the highest daily toll in the capital this year.

Seventeen soldiers died in blasts on Thursday in the western city of Ramadi and 16 people, mostly civilians, were killed north of Baghdad on Friday.

Saturday's attack in Amiriyat Falluja, just west of Baghdad, began around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) when at least nine Islamic State militants, including four suicide attackers, infiltrated the town, police sources said.

The fighters took up positions in a disused residential complex and exchanged fire with army, police and Sunni tribal fighters charged with holding areas retaken from Islamic State.

A police colonel said the attack was aimed at distracting security forces from closing in on the nearby city of Falluja, which Iraqi forces have ringed for more than six months.

The police sources said all the assailants were killed in a battle lasting about three hours, but Mayor Shakir al-Essawi told Reuters that security forces were searching for one militant they suspected was still hiding out.

A separate explosion in southern Baghdad's farm district of Madain killed two people and wounded seven, police sources said.

Prime Minister Abadi dismissed claims that rival political parties were behind the violence and pinned the blame squarely on Islamic State, which has been pushed out of key cities in recent months but still controls large areas it seized in 2014.
The battle for one of North Dakota's U.S. Senate seats didn't end when former Gov. William Langer was elected in 1940.

When Langer, a Republican, showed up in the Washington, D.C., to be sworn in early 1941, he was informed that a group of North Dakotan citizens had petitioned for him to be denied the seat. They cited his "financial misconduct" as governor for grounds for denial, and a majority of committee members reviewing Langer's actions later agreed.

"The minority warned against allowing the Senate to be used by a winner's opponents to overturn the results of a lawful election," a biography on the Senate's website stated. "In its requirements for election to the Senate, they noted, the Constitution makes no reference to moral purity."

More than two years after he won the 1940 election, however, the full Senate voted to seat Langer.

Heated electoral politics are nothing new, and North Dakota's history is filled with examples of candidates sparring over policy and personal lives.

Some say the battle between leading Republican candidates for governor, Fargo businessman Doug Burgum and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, has become "nasty," a term that's even used by a Stenehjem television ad. The lead-up to the June 14 primary election has seen the candidates trade barbs over the Stenehjem's alleged support of the Affordable Care Act and Burgum's involvement in angel fund tax credits.

"It's just too bad that we've gotten this way in North Dakota politics," state Rep. Roscoe Streyle, a Minot Republican who is supporting Stenehjem, said on the What's on Your Mind radio show last month regarding Burgum's television ads. "I have never seen anything so dishonest and nasty."

But even modern political history in North Dakota includes plenty of controversy during election season. There was Kevin Cramer's ad attacking former U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat, over parental notification on abortion, accusations of private detectives snooping into congressional candidates' personal lives and claims that former Gov. Ed Schafer, a Republican, spent too much time scuba diving in Mexico.

"I don't think it is terribly unusual," Bruce Gjovig, a Grand Forks resident who was a delegate to this year's North Dakota Republican convention, said of the current governor's race. "Candidates try to push the negatives up on the other candidate that they're opposing, and they also try to sell themselves."

Mike Jacobs, the former publisher of the Grand Forks newspaper who now writes a weekly political column, agreed that the tone of this election cycle is "not unprecedented and not as personal in the sense of going after the character of somebody as campaigns in the past."

"We don't see Burgum or Stenehjem going after the moral character of the other one," he added.

Gjovig said that may have to do with voters' preferences that campaigns be based on the issues rather than personal lives.

"You can garner a lot of sympathy for a candidate by attacking them unfairly," he said.

Division?

One memorable battle was the Democratic primary race in 1992 between former Sen. William Heigaard and then-Attorney General Nicholas Spaeth. Heigaard won the party's endorsement for governor, but Spaeth won the primary election.

Just days before the general election between Spaeth and Schafer, the Republican candidate at the time, Heigaard declined to even say he was voting for his party's nominee, according to an Associated Press report. Though he said he wasn't bitter over the primary defeat, Heigaard added there had been "substantial damage" done to the party over the battle.

A Democrat hasn't held the governor's office since.

Bob Valeu, former Democratic-NPL Party chairman, said the party has struggled to recover from the 1992 election. He sees similarities between what happen to Democrats then and Republicans now.

"I think it will create a division within the (Republican) party," Valeu said.

State Rep. Marvin Nelson, a Democrat from Rolla, is running uncontested in the June primary and will move on to the general election.

For his part, Burgum, who lost the Republican endorsement to Stenehjem at the state GOP convention, isn't worried about hurting fellow Republicans in the general election later this year. He plans on winning in June and supporting the party's candidates.

But Stenehjem questioned how Burgum would govern after running a "negative campaign."

Cramer, a member of the U.S. House who skipped the Republican endorsing convention and won the primary election in 2012, doesn't think the current race for governor will hurt the party.

"In my view, what we're going to see on primary election day is probably the largest Republican turnout in years, if not ever," he said. "And that's party building."

On the issues

Despite Stenehjem's call for Burgum to adhere to the "11th commandment," the doctrine widely attributed to Ronald Reagan that Republicans don't speak ill of other Republicans, Burgum said he's well in-bounds to point to Stenehjem's record in office. He also cited a Stenehjem ad that claims Burgum will pay or say anything to become governor as an example of "name-calling."

"I didn't get into politics thinking that wasn't going to happen," Burgum said.

Stenehjem said he hears from voters who want candidates to talk about themselves rather than "dragging down the other candidate." He called claims in Burgum's ads "demonstrably untrue," and Burgum has said he strongly believes in the angel fund goals.

Despite that back-and-forth, Valeu said Burgum and Stenehjem largely have tried to stay on the issues. That's more than he can say for the presidential race, where presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has used his Twitter account to call his opponents lightweights and liars, among other labels.

Valeu said North Dakota has largely avoided that brand of politics because people here have a "better sense of fairness."

But Jacobs pushed back against the notion of "North Dakota nice." He said if public officials here were caught doing more questionable things, the nasty campaigns would follow.

"By and large, there's not a lot of shenanigans going on," he said. "I think North Dakotans are perfectly capable of being nasty and have been nasty in the past."
Car blast kills two in Qamishli, northeast Syria - official

BEIRUT, May 14 (Reuters) - Two people were killed when a car exploded in the town of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Saturday, around 10 days after local security services warned about a possible attack, a Syrian Kurdish official said.

The media officer for Kurdish internal security force, the Asayish, Abdallah Saadoun, told Reuters the vehicle exploded in a car wash. One of the dead was a car wash worker and one was a Kurdish YPG militia fighter who was nearby, Saadoun said.

The YPG controls swathes of northeastern Syria including most of Hasaka province where Qamishli is.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said two people died and at least five were injured in the blast. Syrian state media said five people died in the explosion.

Saadoun said the Asayish had warned citizens more than 10 days ago about a car which might enter the area carrying explosives.
Unions call for strike unless Nigeria reverses pump price increase

ABUJA, May 14 (Reuters) - Nigeria's two main labour unions have called for a general strike from Wednesday unless the government reverses a plan to increase petrol prices by up to 67 percent, a joint statement said on Saturday.

Last week, the government announced it was scrapping a costly fuel subsidy scheme and raising the price of gasoline, which many Nigerians rely on for electricity generation as well as transport.

The West African nation is grappling with its worst economic crisis for decades because a slump in oil revenues has hit public finances and caused a shortage of hard currency needed to fund fuel imports.

However, raising fuel prices is sensitive, because many Nigerians see the subsidy as the only benefit they derive from living in Africa's top oil producer which is gripped by graft and poverty despite its energy wealth.

Nigeria imports almost all its gasoline because its refineries have been neglected for years.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, representing millions of workers in the private and public sectors, called on its members to shut down Nigeria from Wednesday unless the government abandoned its plans.

The strike would be indefinite and would also cover airports, seaports and banks, they said in a statement.

"Nigerian are therefore advised to stock sufficient food items that will last for a while for the prosecution of the current struggle against (a) neo-liberal agenda in Nigeria," the unions said.

The West African country tried to end fuel subsidies in 2012, doubling the price of gasoline overnight, but later reinstated some of the subsidy to end a wave of strikes called in protest.
Iraq takes aim at media as security forces struggle to contain strife

By Saif Hameed

BAGHDAD, May 15 (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite-led authorities have shut the offices of two television channels popular with Sunni Iraqis and ordered a satirical show off air, tightening control over the media as political tensions rise in Baghdad.

The crackdown, which began in March, appears to be prompted by concerns that the channels could enflame sectarian rivalries which over-stretched security forces would struggle to contain. But it also raises fears over freedom of expression in Iraq.

The Communication and Media Commission (CMC), has shut down the Baghdad office of the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, closed the local TV channel Al-Baghdadia, and ordered a halt to broadcasts of the satirical Albasheer Show.

It said Al Jazeera and Albasheer Show, which mocks powerful Iraqi figures in the spirit of The Daily Show in the United States or France's Le Petit Journal, have violated a code of professional conduct.

The CMC is a state authority tasked with implementing government policy. It gave few details and declined requests for comment.

"They had some reservations about using the term 'militias' when referring to the Hashid Shaabi," said Waleed Ibrahim, Al Jazeera's Iraq bureau chief, referring to a coalition of mostly Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups formed to fight Islamic State.

He said the CMC also objected to opinions expressed on the Qatar-based channel by guests in talk-shows broadcast from Doha. "We tried to explain that these are the guests' points of view and not necessarily ours," he said by telephone from Jordan.

Al-Baghdadia, a television channel owned by Iraqi entrepreneur Awn al-Khashlok and featuring programming popular with Iraq's Sunni minority, was shut down in March. A CMC statement said the channel lacked proper authorisation.

These are some of the strongest restrictions on media in the nearly two-year tenure of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist who came to office promising to mend the rift between Sunnis and the Shi'ite majority. His office did not respond to requests for comment.

Abadi's predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, decreed a state of emergency restricting media coverage in 2014 after Islamic State seized a third of the country's territory. Those restrictions were eased when Abadi succeeded him.

Maliki, a close ally of Iran, also revoked Al Jazeera's license a year earlier, accusing the Doha-based network of adopting a sectarian tone after it covered Sunni demonstrations against him. The license was restored last year.

Iraq's Shi'ite-led governments have had volatile relations with nearby Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries since Sunni autocrat Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

The country's Iranian-backed leaders have accused their Sunni neighbours of employing well-funded media outlets to undermine Iraq's political process by highlighting the suffering of Sunnis and covering anti-Maliki protests in 2013.

Shi'ite-backed media, in turn, face criticism of coverage accusing Gulf countries of supporting Sunni militancy in Iraq.

POLITICAL CRISIS

Iraq's security forces, while battling Islamic State in the north and west, are on high alert in Baghdad. Bombings are still common in the capital -- including three on Wednesday that killed at least 80 people -- and a political crisis risks sinking into clashes between supporters of rival politicians.

The government has been crippled for weeks by disputes over Abadi's proposal to replace party-affiliated ministers with independent technocrats following popular demands to dismantle political patronage networks.

Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his followers to protest in order to pressure Abadi to follow through on reform pledges.

Abadi has proposed a new cabinet lineup, but parliament has failed to approve it. Lawmakers scuffled inside the chamber a month ago and have not convened a session since demonstrators stormed the assembly complex two weeks later.

"With each political crisis, they look for areas that attract the public's attention. Whenever a media outlet focuses on a problem, they order it to be shut down," said Ziyad al-Ajili, head of the watchdog Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory.

"They are currently implementing the same decisions taken in the past, when freedom of press was truly nonexistent," he said, referring to Maliki's eight-year rule.

The CMC issued a warning over a programme aired on Al Ahad, a channel run by the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia. The show's host, Wajih Abbas, compared 7th century Muslim caliph Othman to Saddam Hussein, offending Sunni sentiments.

NO LAUGHING MATTER

Another target of the CMC was a group of young irreverent Iraqis who produce the satirical Albasheer Show from neighbouring Jordan.

Sumaria, an independent channel, was forced to take the programme off the air last month even though its sketches often satirize Islamic State, mocking the militants' cruelty and violence.

The CMC ban was prompted by an episode that ridiculed a Shi'ite cleric for discussing whether drinking milk from a dead cow was religiously sanctioned. The show continues on Youtube and Deutsche Welle's Arabic channel.

Its host, Ahmed al-Basheer, said he refused the government's demand to alter the programme's content.

"This is the formula of the show. This is how it is written and the level of freedom that it enjoys," he said. "We will continue to criticise and ridicule those who are corrupt."

Journalists face more than government censorship in Iraq. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least six journalists were killed in Islamic State-held Mosul last year, and in January two were gunned down in Diyala, an eastern area under government control.
Suicide bombing kills several security recruits in Yemen

May 15 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla on Sunday, residents said, as recruits were lining up at a military base in the Fua suburb, killing or injuring several of them.

It marked the second deadly blast to hit the city, which was a hub for Al Qaeda before the group was pushed out in a military offensive last month.
Islamic State Yemen suicide bomber kills 25 police recruits- medics

By Mohammed Mukhashaf

ADEN, May 15 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 25 new recruits inside a police compound in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla on Sunday in an attack claimed by Islamic State, medical and security sources said.

The victims were queuing up to register when the bomb, which wounded 25 others, went off, the sources said.

It was the second deadly blast in four days to hit the city, a hub for al Qaeda before the militant group was pushed out last month in an offensive by Yemeni troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

In a message on its online news agency Amaq, Islamic State said Sunday's attacker was a "martrydom-seeker" who had detonated his explosive belt. It said around 40 died in the attack.

The city's security director, Mubarak al-Awthaban, who was at a nearby office when the suicide bomber struck the Fowa camp in the southern part of Mukalla, survived, security sources said.

Before being forced out, al Qaeda militants took advantage of more than a year of war between the Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to carve out a mini-state stretching across much of the southern coast, including Mukalla.

Their militant rivals in Yemen's branch of Islamic State have carried out a series of suicide attacks on all parties to Yemen's tangled conflict.

The growing Islamist militant threat has led the Houthis and the Yemeni government to embark on peace talks now under way in Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab countries intervened in the war in March 2015 in support of the government, which had been swept into exile by the Houthis.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State view the Arab coalition as a pawn of the West and see the Shi'ite Muslim Houthis as apostates deserving death.
Netanyahu tells France's Ayrault he still opposes peace conference

JERUSALEM, May 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try revive peace talks.

Palestinians welcomed the proposal but Israel is concerned an international forum would try to dictate terms for a peace deal.

In public remarks to his cabinet after meeting France's Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu said: "I told him the only way to advance genuine peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions."

Anything other than bilateral talks would give the Palestinians an "escape hatch" through which to avoid meeting his demand that they recognise Israel as the "nation state of the Jewish people", he said.

Israel made the same arguments in the formal response it gave last month. France hopes an international conference would set out a framework for peace negotiations after U.S. efforts to broker a two-state deal collapsed in April 2014.

After meeting Netanyahu, Ayrault travelled to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to discuss the initiative with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Neither spoke to reporters.

An international gathering, planned for May 30 in Paris, is set to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations), the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation.
Brexit leader Johnson says EU on same doomed path as Hitler

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, a leading campaigner for Britain to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum, said in an interview that the EU was following the path of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon by trying to create a European superstate.

The former London mayor, a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the EU lacked democracy and a unifying authority and was doomed to fail.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically," Johnson was quoted as saying in an interview.

"The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

While fellow pro-Brexit Conservative colleagues supported Johnson's comments, he drew criticism from the "In" camp.

Hilary Benn, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said Johnson had lost his moral compass.

"After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate," Benn said in a statement.

Johnson, a front-runner to succeed Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party, has emerged as one of the most important voices in the "Out" campaign ahead of the June vote.

Cameron, who is leading the "In" campaign, has argued that Britain's membership of the EU makes the country more secure, more influential and more prosperous. He also says Britain, which is not part of the single-currency euro zone, will not be dragged into ever closer union among the EU's member states.

But an opinion poll published on Saturday suggested that twice the number of voters believed Johnson was more likely to tell the truth about the EU than Cameron.

With less than six weeks to go until the referendum, voters are evenly split between wanting to remain in the EU and preferring to leave, opinion polls have shown.

In his interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Johnson said he wanted the British people to be "the heroes of Europe" again, creating echoes of the language used by war-time prime minister Winston Churchill, the newspaper said.
Turkish police seal off hotel to halt dissident opposition congress

By Gulsen Solaker and Mert Ozkan

ANKARA, May 15 (Reuters) - Police sealed off a hotel in Ankara on Sunday, preventing dissidents in Turkey's nationalist opposition from holding a party congress that could jeopardize President Tayyip Erdogan's plans for more power.

Several hundred members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have launched a bid to oust Devlet Bahceli, leader for much of the last two decades. To do so they need to change party rules at a special congress.

The AK Party needs the MHP's support to change the consitution to give Erdogan more powers. Bahceli loyalists seem willing to do this, but dissident leaders, including former interior minister Meral Aksener, have said they will oppose the plan.

Dissident leaders issued a statement on Sunday accusing Erdogan's AK Party of intervening to try to block the congress.

"The executive branch staged a coup against the judiciary branch. The constitution and law are being suspended. A change in the MHP became the AK Party government's nightmare," the dissidents said in their statement.

Around 5,000 people gathered at police barricades near the hotel where the congress was scheduled to take place. Police sealed off the road leading to the hotel with barricades and water canon. "Bahceli should resign," the crowd chanted.

"If the MHP gets stronger it will become an alternative to the AK Party," said Ibrahim Dizdar, previously the provincial head of Giresun, who was suspended by Bahceli.

"The government is trying to prevent us because they are seeing our excitement here today."

Bahceli's party won about 12 percent in last November's election, getting 40 seats in parliament, which the AK Party needs to call a referendum on changes to the constitution to grant the president greater power.

Aksener has vowed to defend Turkey's parliamentary system and oppose Erdogan's plan.

AK Party officials reject any suggestions that the MHP's leadership battle and their party's efforts to win its support on constitutional change are in any way linked.

Turkish courts on Friday gave conflicting rulings on whether the nationalist opposition can hold the congress.

Bahceli's faction sought an injunction to block the meeting but an Ankara court upheld the dissidents' countersuit. State broadcaster TRT reported verdicts from two other local courts that would halt the congress.
Kathmandu riot police scuffle with anti-constitution protesters

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU, May 15 (Reuters) - Protesters from southern Nepal scuffled with riot police in Kathmandu on Sunday when they took their campaign against the country's new constitution to the streets of the capital.

Stones thrown by the crowd smashed the window of a government jeep but no one was seriously hurt, the police said.

More than 50 people have been killed in eight months of protests in the south where the minority Mashesi oppose a plan to divide their fertile plains bordering India into parts of several provinces.

The unrest, which has caused fuel shortages in Kathmandu as the Madhesis blocked imports of essential goods from India, is a threat to Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who survived an attempt by the opposition to topple his fractious coalition early this month.

On Sunday, riot police in black helmets and carrying shields pushed back hundreds of protesters trying to break through a barricade protecting government offices and parliament.

"This is a protest against exploitation and we will continue to fight to ensure our rights," said Sharbendra Nath Shukla, a leader of the Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party, part of the Madhesi coalition organising the protests.

Several ethnic minority groups from the hills also joined Sunday's protests.

The constitution, put in place in September, was the final part of a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels which ended a decade-long rebellion in 2006.

But many Madhesis want their region, home to half of the country's 28 million people, to become an autonomous state within Nepal and not be broken up into parts of six of the seven federal provinces as envisaged in the new constitution.

Covering 23 percent of landlocked Nepal, the region is the country's bread basket, providing rice, wheat, and is home to industries including jute and sugar.
CENTER  Anna Benjamin, Center, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2016, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck, where she had been a resident since October 2014. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Center, with the Rev. Dennis Ristvedt officiating. Burial will be at Lutheran Cemetery, north of Center.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.

Anna Wilhelmina Starck was born Dec. 27, 1915, the daughter of William and Adeline Starck, on the family homestead seven miles east of Center. She attended school at Center Consolidated School. Anna loved growing up on the farm and frequently recalled bringing the cows in for milking on her saddle horse, shocking wheat and taking care of the chickens, turkeys and geese.

Anna married Jesse Benjamin in November 1936, and they made their home in Center, where she became very active in community organizations and activities. She loved music, played the piano, clarinet and organ, occasionally serving as an organist at Saint Pauls Lutheran Church. She also sang in the church choir and played clarinet in the Center Community Band. She was a life member of St. Pauls Lutheran Ladies Aide and also served on the Cemetery Board. Anna was a member of the Center Golden Age Club and worked tirelessly to establish the Center community bus services, served on election boards and other civic activities.

Anna was very proud of the Center community and the state of North Dakota. With her husband, Jesse, serving as the mayor of Center and as an officer in the Star Route Mail Carriers Association, she traveled to other North Dakota cities and several states. While traveling, she was very curious about the places she visited and she always spoke with pride about Center, her home town, and her home state of North Dakota.

Anna loved her family and took great pride in their accomplishments. When grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren arrived, Anna welcomed them each with open arms, enjoying her special time with them. No one was a stranger at her home. Many times those who had no other place to go could be found at her table with her family.

Anna is survived by her son-in-law, Joe (Marna) Knue, San Antonio, Texas; her daughter, Noreen (Charlie Chuck) Sampson, Medical Lake, Wash.; her sons, William Bill (Cindy), Pretoria, South Africa (Bismarck) and Lee (Claudia), Center; seven grandchildren, Miriamah Saba, Las Vegas, Nev., Daniel Benjamin (Tamara), Freeman, S.D., Jesse Saba, Brooklyn, N.Y., Deana Benjamin, Pecos, N.M., Anna Leinius, Bozeman, Mont., Carly Benjamin, Center, and Ford Benjamin, Pretoria, South Africa (Bismarck); seven great-grandchildren, Samira Tamules, Las Vegas, Aysia Tamules, Denver, Tori Turpin, Las Vegas, Ashlynn Anna Benjamin, Freeman, Tyce Benjamin, Freeman, and Teagan Benjamin; and three great-great-grandchildren, Kairo, Keira and Caia.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Adeline Starck; her husband, Jesse; one daughter, Marna; one daughter-in-law, Claudia; her brother, Ervin; and her sister-in-law, Charlotte.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider memorials to Saint Pauls Lutheran Church/Cemetery Fund.

Please go to www.BuehlerLarson.com to share memories of Anna. (Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan)
Bangladesh police arrest Islamist over gay activists' killing

DHAKA, May 15 (Reuters) - Police in Bangladesh have arrested a home-grown Islamist militant over the killing of two gay rights campaigners amid a surge in violent attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the south Asian nation.

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of Bangladesh's first magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and fellow activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, were killed in a apartment in the capital Dhaka late last month.

The attack was claimed by al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent.

Police, however, arrested Shariful Islam, 37, a member of the banned local militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team, in connection with the murder. The Bangladeshi government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda have a presence in the country.

Monirul Islam, chief of the counterterrorism unit of Dhaka Police, told a news conference on Sunday Islam was arrested in the southwestern district of Kushtia. He was brought to the news conference but did not comment.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Islamic State militants also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two foreigners late last year. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the recent attacks.

Western security experts doubt that there are any direct operational links between Islamic State, based in the Middle East, and militants operating on the ground in Bangladesh.

In the latest attack, an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday at a temple in a remote region of southeastern Bangladesh.
Azerbaijan announces military exercises ahead of Nagorno-Karabakh talks

BAKU, May 15 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan on Sunday announced joint military exercises with Georgia and Turkey, plans which are likely to raise tensions with neighbouring Armenia a day before talks in Vienna over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The territory, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia since a separatist war ended in 1994.

A ceasefire agreed on April 5 after an outbreak of fighting has been violated every day, say locals.

"To increase the combat capabilities and combat readiness of the Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia, we deemed it worthwhile to carry out joint military exercises," Azeri Defence Minister Zakir Gasanov said on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear when the exercises, which have also taken place in past years, would be carried out.

A spokesman for the Armenian Defence Ministry did not comment on the implication of the exercises for Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Several soldiers, from both sides, have been killed in exchanges of fire since the ceasefire was declared. An Azeri soldier was killed on Thursday near Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Armenia said its serviceman Aram Ohanyan died of wounds on Saturday after being shot by an Azeri sniper near southwestern Armenian border, in an incident unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Netanyahu tells France's Ayrault he still opposes peace conference

By Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM, May 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try to revive peace talks.

Palestinians welcomed the proposal but Israel is concerned that the conference that France seeks to hold in the autumn would try to dictate terms for a peace deal.

In public remarks to his cabinet after meeting France's Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu said: "I told him the only way to advance genuine peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions."

Israel made the same argument in the formal response it gave last month. France hopes an international conference would set out a framework for peace negotiations, after U.S. efforts to broker a two-state deal collapsed in April 2014.

"I know that Netanyahu does not agree (to the French proposal)," Ayrault told reporters after his talks with the Israeli leader in Jerusalem and a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank.

Ayrault said France would continue to pursue the initiative and that its ultimate goal was for both sides to return to direct talks, with international intervention laying the groundwork.

"It is very clear to us, and I said this today to both the prime minister and to President Abbas, that we cannot take the place of the two parties," he said at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport at the end of a one-day visit to promote the plan.

"Only they can conduct direct negotiations to achieve a solution," Ayrault said. "But because things are currently stuck ... external intervention is necessary to provide renewed momentum."

An international gathering of ministers, tentatively planned for May 30 in Paris, is set to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations), the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation.

Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for an autumn peace conference.

While objecting to the French initiative, Netanyahu, a right-winger, has stopped short of saying Israel would boycott it.
German politicians say Merkel left EU exposed to Turkish blackmail

By Michelle Martin

BERLIN, May 15 (Reuters) - German politicians accused Chancellor Angela Merkel at the weekend of making Europe overly dependent on Turkey in the migrant crisis, leaving the bloc vulnerable to blackmail by President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey, refusing to bow to European Union demands to rein in its broad anti-terror laws, said on Friday talks on a deal to provide visa-free travel in return for stopping illegal migrants reaching the EU had reached an impasse and the bloc must find a "new formula" to salvage the agreement.

Merkel, whose popularity has suffered due to her liberal migrant policy that saw Germany take in more than one million migrants last year, had spearheaded EU efforts to secure the deal, signed in March.

While the numbers of migrants have dropped sharply this year, Merkel continues to attract criticism from her conservative allies in Bavaria as well as the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

"I'm not against talks with Turkey but I think it's dangerous to become so dependent on Ankara," said Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

Seehofer told Welt am Sonntag (WamS) that the deal with Turkey had helped boost support for AfD, which is currently polling at up to 15 percent.

Sahra Wagenknecht of the opposition far-left Linke party told the same newspaper Merkel had essentially negotiated the deal without involving her European partners.

"The chancellor is therefore responsible for Europe having become vulnerable to being blackmailed by the authoritarian Turkish regime and for Erdogan feeling noticeably strengthened to crush human rights underfoot," she said.

Cem Oezdemir, co-leader of the Greens party and the son of Turkish immigrants, also told WamS the deal had put Europe at risk of being blackmailed and said Merkel was largely to blame.

While the EU is desperate for the deal to succeed, it also insists that Turkey meet 72 criteria, including anti-terror laws which it says Turkey uses to stifle dissent. Ankara says it needs sweeping legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State.

Merkel is due to attend the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23 and there are plans for bilateral talks with other leaders in attendance, her spokesman said on Friday.

Members of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's junior coalition partner, also expressed concern.

Carsten Schneider told WamS Merkel had made Erdogan the key to her refugee policy and if he stopped cooperating, "the extent of Germany's isolation in Europe will become clear again", while Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel said Merkel should not "kowtow" to Erdogan.

But SPD Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Tagesspiegel newspaper Turkey was still the key country for migration to Europe, adding: "We need to cooperate to some extent if we want to avoid the circumstances we had last year."
Fugitive British priest lived in Kosovo under false name

By Fatos Bytyci

PEJA, Kosovo, May 15 (Reuters) - A British former priest wanted for child sex abuse lived as a historian in Kosovo, was treated to cakes by his neighbours and almost died in a freak accident a year ago, local people told Reuters on Sunday.

Lawrence Soper was arrested on Wednesday in the town of Peja following an international arrest warrant.

Soper is accused of sex offences while he was a teacher in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain. British media said the former abbot from Ealing, west London, now in his 70s, had jumped bail in 2011 and a European warrant was subsequently issued.

For the past 4 or 5 years he lived under the name Andrew Charles Kingston in a secluded street near the centre of Peja. He had even started to speak Albanian.

"We were shocked," said a neighbour, who declined to be named.

"He told me he was a historian writing a book about Kosovo, we even gave him cakes, and meat when we had a barbecue. He told us he had a wife and she died and he was alone living on his pension. A very nice person."

"Whenever it was sunny he would go on to the balcony to read books. We saw him as a poor person and our tradition says you have to help people who are alone. But we saw in the media that we were wrong," another neighbour said.

Through the window of the house where Soper lived, fresh bread could be seen in a plastic bag on the refrigerator. Plates had been left to dry on a table.

FRESH AIR

He told neighbours he had tried living in Kosovo's capital Pristina but it was too noisy and dusty. He preferred the fresh air of Peja, surrounded by mountains that are topped by snow at this time of year.

Soper nearly died in 2015 when he fell into a basement on a construction site and cut his throat on a metal bar. Neighbours said he lost a lot of blood and was rushed to hospital. He gave the name of someone in Britain to be contacted in the event of his death.

Soper's secret life ended when plain-clothes police knocked on his door this week.

"Police arrested this person after we were notified that he was wanted on a European arrest warrant," said Veton Elshani of the Kosovo police. "He was put in detention pending extradition."

A government source said extradition could take about five months if Soper appeals.

Neighbours wondered why Soper had chosen to live in Kosovo, an impoverished country that seceded from Serbia in 2008.
Google faces a recordantitrust fine of around 3 billion ($3.4 billion or 2.3 billion) from theEuropean Commission in the coming weeks.

The European Union has accused Google of promoting itsshopping service in internet searches at the expense of rivalservices in a case that has dragged on since late 2010.

Following three failed attempts at a compromise in the past six years, Google is believed not to have any plans to settle the allegations unless the EU's Antitrust Commission changed its stance.

Google (stock picture of employee under Google logo) could be hit with a record antitrust fine over allegations it promoted its own shopping service in internet searches at the expense of rivals. The European Union wants search engines to be more transparent about how they promote adverts in search results

The Sunday Telegraph reported sources close to the case as saying officials planned to announce a fine as early as next month, but the bill had yet to be finalised.

Google will also be banned from continuing to manipulatesearch results to favour itself and harm rivals.

A TIMELINE OF EVENTS 2007 - US Federal Trade Commission investigates Google's acquisition of online advertising firm DoubleClick and rules it can go ahead. 2008 - US Justice Department blocks a deal to allow Yahoo to run Google search ads on Yahoo sites. 2009 - Rivals file complaints against Google to national regulators in Europe, citing competition concerns. 2010 - European Commission launches formal antitrust probe of Google's search business. This is still ongoing. 2013 - FTC drops its two-year investigation of Google, concluding it had not manipulated search results to damage rivals. 2014 - European politicians pass a non-binding resolution calling for the break-up of Google's search engine business from the rest of the company. 2015 - New EU antitrust commissioner Ms Vestager charges Google with distorting search results to favour its own shopping services over rivals and reveals that she is also investigating Google's Android business.

The Commission can fine firms up to 10 per cent of theirannual sales, which in Google's case would be a maximum possiblesanction of more than 6 billion (4.7 billion).

The biggest antitrustfine to date was a 1.1 billion fine imposed on chip-makerIntel in 2009.

But the Telegraph reported the fine was likely to be in the region of 3 billion.

The Commission and Google both declined to comment.

It comes just a month after the EU Anti-Trust Commission accused Google of 'stifling competition' by abusing the dominant position of its Android operating system.

The commission claims Google was making manufacturers pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser.

Officials said Google has allegedly given financial incentives to manufacturers and mobile network operators if they exclusively pre-installed Google Search on their devices.

It has also blocked some manufacturers from selling smartphones which ran on 'competing operating systems based on the Android open source code'.

The Commission believes these moves have stopped other mobile browsers from being able to compete with Google in the rapidly growing smartphone and Android markets.

It comes after Google also faced criticism earlier this year for the amount of tax it pays in the UK.

The company has agreed to pay the UK treasury 130 million in back taxes and interest dating back to the previous decade, but has been criticised over the amount.

The European Union's antitrust commission can fine firms up to 10 per cent of their annual sales, which could mean Google (Google headquarters in Mountain View, California pictured) may face a possible maximum possible sanction of more than 6 billion (4.7 billion)

The European Union's digital chief has also warned that he wants search engines - such as Google's and Microsoft's Bing - to be more transparent about advertising in web search results.

European Commission vice-president Andrus Ansip, said he was worried about how transparent some search engines are when displaying ads in search results.

The Commission is also looking into the transparency of paid-for reviews as well as the conditions of use of services such as Google Maps and Apple's iOS mobile operating system.
Narrow majority of French back labour reform protests - poll

PARIS, May 15 (Reuters) - A slim majority of French people are in favour of protests against a deeply contested labour reform the ruling Socialist Party is pushing through parliament, a poll showed on Sunday.

The government faces strikes and new waves of protests after opting last week to use a rarely used constitutional clause to pass the legislation in the face of opposition from rebel Socialist lawmakers and other leftists.

Some 54 percent of those surveyed said they supported the protests against the law to free up France's rigid labour market while 45 percent did not, according to the BVA poll of 1,160 people on May 12 and 13 for Orange and Itele.

Support had fallen only slightly from the 56 percent seen when the poll was first conducted in early April.

Protesters' anger is focused on the government's plans to make hiring and firing easier in an attempt to get stubbornly high unemployment falling, with presidential elections a year away.

Street protests have been called for next week while unions have called on railway workers, dockers, truckers, airport and refinery workers to hold strikes.

Opposition to the reform has also spawned a series of protests by youths that have grown into a broader anti-establishment movement.

However, as those protests have become increasingly violent in clashes with riot police, their public support has fallen, down 11 percentage points over one month to 49 percent, according to an Odoxa poll of 993 people on May 12 and 13 for Le Parisien newspaper.

In a visit to the western city of Rennes to support riot police enforcing a protest ban after violent clashes, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 1,300 people had been arrested across France since the start of the protests two months ago.

"Maintaining order is harder than ever," he said, vowing to keep cracking down on any cases of "extreme violence".
Norway's wealth fund to sue Volkswagen over emissions scandal

May 15 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said on Sunday it plans to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen AG over the German automaker's emissions scandal.

"Norges Bank Investment Management intends to join a legal action against Volkswagen arising out of that the company provided incorrect emissions data," Marthe Skaar, the fund's spokeswoman, said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

"We have been advised by our lawyers that the company's conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor, it is our responsibility to safeguard the fund's holding in Volkswagen," Skaar added.

The legal action would take place in Germany, a separate fund spokesman told Reuters, declining to give details as to when it would happen.

The Financial Times on Sunday first reported the sovereign fund's plan to sue Volkswagen.

The $850 billion oil fund is expected in the coming weeks to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen in German courts in the coming weeks, the newspaper said. (http://bit.ly/1TccjaL)

Volkswagen, which admitted last year that it had used sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, was unavailable for comment outside regular business hours.

Norway's wealth fund said last year that Volkswagen's actions had contributed to a loss of 4.9 billion crowns in the fund's second quarter.

The carmaker reached a nearly $10 billion deal with the U.S. government last month to buy back or fix about a half million of its diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds.

Norway's wealth fund also recently turned up the heat on U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron to do more to report on the risks of climate change.
British director turns attention to the U.S. with "American Honey"

By Sarah Mills

CANNES, France, May 15 (Reuters) - The British director of the new film "American Honey" said she had discovered a "different America" in her research for the gritty drama, and was shocked by the poverty she had witnessed.

Andrea Arnold's movie, competing for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, follows a group of teenagers travelling across the United States trying to make money selling magazine subscriptions.

As the 'mag crew' go door-to-door trying to convince anyone they come across to sign-up and give them money, "American Honey" shows the contrast between the lives of the youngsters and of the often wealthy people they meet on the doorsteps.

Acclaimed filmmaker Arnold, known for her unflinching depictions of life in Britain with films such as "Fish Tank" and "Red Road" spent time travelling across the United States to prepare for her latest project.

"I got to see an awful lot when as I was travelling and I got quite upset about some of the towns I went to, some of the poverty I saw," she told a news conference on Sunday before the screening of her film in Cannes.

"It seemed really different to me than in the U.K. because when people don't have money they can't get healthcare and they can't do things like go to the dentist and stuff like that and those kind of things really shocked me."

Amongst the mostly unknown cast is American Shia LaBeouf, the "Indiana Jones" and "Transformers" star who said he has first hand experience of growing up in a poor town.

"This is not new information to me, so it's not like I discovered that - in Bakersfield where my father lived for a stint the only thing there is a prison you know so everybody works at the prison, yeah that's not new information I am part of that under class," he said.
Facebook's Zuckerberg to meet conservatives on political bias flap

May 15 (Reuters) - Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will meet this week with prominent conservatives in the media, a spokesman said on Sunday, to address allegations of political bias at the popular social networking site.

Some 12 "conservative thought leaders" will join the meeting with Zuckerberg on Wednesday, a Facebook spokesman said. Among the invitees are media personality Glenn Beck, Fox News Channel's "The Five" co-host Dana Perino and Zac Moffatt, co-founder of Targeted Victory, a technology company that aims to bring transparency to media buying.

Facebook came under fire last week when an unnamed former employee told technology news website Gizmodo that workers often omitted conservative political stories from the company's "trending" list of topics.

Zuckerberg said Facebook has "found no evidence that this report is true," but would continue to investigate. A U.S. Senate committee has also opened an inquiry into Facebook's practices.

Beck, a former Fox News host, took to Facebook early Sunday to say he is going to the meeting in Menlo Park, California, and "it would be interesting to look him (Zuckerberg) in the eye as he explains."

"While they are a private business and I support their right to run it any way they desire without government interference," Beck said, "it would be wonderful if a tool like face book INDEPENDENTLY CHOSE to hold up Freedom of speech and freedom of association as a corporate principle."

On Friday, Facebook outlined its "Trending Topics" guidelines in its media relations section and stated that reviewers are neither allowed nor advised to discriminate against sources.
My husband is the fourth generation to be working on his family farm. When he set off for college 11 years ago, it was with the notion that farming wasnt worth it and there were better things out there. Who wants to work so hard and not get paid for the time and effort you put in on the farm?

But as our lives have evolved, weve found that there is really no replacement to what you really earn being a farmer. Its not a paycheck (because it really isnt); its a sense of pride, commitment and hard work ethic that shows through in everything we do.

We work with heart and dedication to our families, and support our communities and local businesses. We are stewards of the land, because we understand that its the only land were going to be given. Its like heaven on Earth: open skies, fresh air and family always around.

But it isnt all roses. Its tough work, competition for land is fierce, input costs are high and bottom lines are a gamble. But were still here, because we are the future of agriculture in this state, because the bottom line isnt what drives us  its the heart and soul of generations before us.

Help us carry on the proud tradition of family farming in North Dakota. We have a choice in the upcoming primary election on June 14. Keep the corporations out. Let us preserve our heritage and family farm agriculture. Vote no on Measure 1.
Guinea to take legal action against Global Witness -president

By Saliou Samb

CONAKRY, May 15 (Reuters) - Guinea will take legal action against watchdog group Global Witness over a report that said Sable Mining Africa Ltd financed President Alpha Conde's election campaign in 2010, the president said on Sunday.

The legal action would aim to force Global Witness to provide proof to back up its claims, said Conde who denied the allegations.

The watchdog group also said in its report published last week that Sable Mining, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands, paid money to Conde's son, Alpha Mohammed Conde, for bribes to secure the rights to its Mount Nimba iron ore concession.

"No member of my family is involved in anything corrupt," Conde told a news conference on his return from a foreign trip on state business. He gave no further details of the contemplated legal action.

"Since I have been in power we have made transparency in the mining sector a priority. It's for this reason that we have annulled 800 (mining) permits that were not active and which the holders were using for speculation," he said.

Global Witness specializes in investigating illegality and corruption in the natural resources sector. It based its report on what it said were leaked company documents.

The report, which Reuters was unable to verify independently, did not specify the nature of those documents.

Calls to the organization on Sunday seeking comment were not answered. An email on Sunday to Sable Mining Africa's public relations agency requesting comment was not answered.

Conde was elected in 2010 after decades of dictatorship and authoritarian rule. His election was considered democratic and he was re-elected last year to a further five-year term.

The West African state has significant mineral resources, in particular iron ore, and the government carried out a review of mining permits between 2012 and 2015 to ensure that deals had been negotiated legally and transparently.

Conde said Guinea will double its bauxite production between now and 2018 and improve its energy production in the medium term to help the aluminium industry.
Islamic State on the defensive, territory shrinking in Syria and Iraq-U.S. official

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN, May 15 (Reuters) - Islamic State has not gained significant ground since it took the Iraqi city of Ramadi a year ago, which it then lost in December, as the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria has been helped by better intelligence and better equipped local forces, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.

Islamic State "is shrinking so they are very much on the defensive," Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, told a news conference in Amman.

Islamic State controls the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria and is proving a potent threat abroad, claiming credit for major attacks in Paris in November and Brussels in March.

McGurk said that U.S.-led coalition effort to capture Mosul and Raqqa was making progress.

"We are doing precision strikes in Mosul almost every day," he added. "There is constant synchronized pressure," he said.

McGurk cited a recent operation in which the coalition located and targeted Islamic State's cash stores in Mosul and "took out hundreds of millions of dollars out of their coffers."

This triggered a cash crunch that forced the militants to cut the pay of their fighters by half. He did not say when the operation took place.

Islamic militants' nervousness was evidenced by the recent public executions in the city's main square and a widespread clamp down on internet services in Mosul, McGurk said.

In Raqqa, McGurk said valuable intelligence gathered from a major trove of data and information obtained by U.S. special forces in a raid in eastern Syria last year allowed the coalition to better target militants, McGurk said.

"We will be beginning over the coming weeks and months a pressure campaign on Raqqa in all its aspects," said McGurk.

President Barack Obama's decision last month to raise the number of special forces in northern Syria which was the biggest expansion of U.S. ground troops since its civil war began, would help accelerate recent gains by U.S.-backed local forces, McGurk said.

He cited the militants' loss of the strategic town of Shadadi in northeast Syria in February to the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces formed from Kurdish and Arab forces.

"We don't want U.S. forces cleaning these cities... We believe a sustainable model is for local people to take back their territories and homes and it's took some time to organise local forces to do that. You can see we are starting to have some real momentum now," he added.
Colombian police seize 8 tonnes of cocaine near Panama border

BOGOTA, May 15 (Reuters) - Colombian national police confiscated 8 tonnes of cocaine along the border with Panama, the government said on Sunday, in what may be one of the largest seizures in the country in recent years.

The haul, with an estimated value of $240 million, was discovered in an underground hideaway on a banana plantation in the municipality of Turbo in Antioquia department, officials said.

"The biggest seizure of drugs in history. A hit against criminals," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter.

Three people were arrested in the operation.

Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the drugs belonged to the Clan Usuga crime gang. The United States has offered a $5 million reward for the capture of the gang's leader.
Activists in Pakistan have always paid a price for free speech and are still doing so. This was sadly, on view again when Khurram Zaki, activist, media campaigner and the voice for the voiceless people, was gunned down on May 7, 2016 in north Karachi while he was travelling with his friends Khalid Rao and Jazib Qamar.

Four people on a motor bike opened fire on Zaki and fled.

He was a brave man who stood up against religious extremism and injustice. He was believed to have been killed because he championed free speech.

On the killing of Zaki, famous classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani said: "I think the present period of our history is perhaps the worst that we have seen. There is absolutely no tolerance left and anyone who speaks out against fundamentalism and intolerance is being targeted. Of course, Pakistan's political history is replete with incidents of people disappearing, people being picked up, tortured and killed but it was always clear who the enemy was. However today, we cannot dare to identify the enemy of freedom of expression and freedom of speech in spite of the fact that today we are supposed to be living in a democracy. I think Zaki was seen as a threat by the authorities who wanted to maintain status quo. He was challenging this so-called democratic state and its state machinery, and therefore he was not to be tolerated."

"Zaki was killed because of two reasons: one he was a Shia and second, an outspoken supporter of human rights no matter who the victims were, whether Ahmedis, Christians or Hindus," said Allama Maqsood Ali Domki, secretary general, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen. "Everyone knows that Zaki openly talked against Lal Mosque (incident) and had criticised the policies of (the armed) forces. Therefore, he was hardly acceptable," he added.

Another veteran journalist Zia Rehman said, "With the Rangers-led targeted operation aimed at cleaning Karachi in its third year, there appears a marked improvement in the law and order situation in the city. The network of Taliban groups, sectarian outfits and criminal gangs have been shattered to a great extent while militant wings of political parties have also weakened. Khurram Zaki's murder was sectarian. He was killed mainly for three reasons: a Shia by sect, an outspoken critic of extremist groups and a heavy presence on the social media criticising the militant groups. Zaki's murder is another blow to human rights activists who have been urging the state to crack down on the militants and their networks. Zaki's killing comes at a time when Pakistan's rights activists feel they are increasingly under attack."

Muqaddas Haider, the SSP of Karachi's central district, said the police have been investigating the murder from all sides, but, at this moment, were unable to say anthing about who was involved in his killing. Haider said that an FIR was filed in which the involvement of extremist groups was mentioned, but added that the case requireed "some months of investigation because a new weapon has been used to open fire on him and we cannot ignore (the involvement of external) elements".

According to a source, Zaki could have been killed over personal matters.

The chief of the Jaffaria Alliance of Balochistan, Allama Maqsood Ali Domki, strongly condemned the murder, saying that it was a great injustice against the people. He pointed out that when Hazara people were attacked in Balochistan by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi - police said that it happened as a result of a fight between transporters but later proved who was behind the killings.

Domki said that Zaki was was killed because he was a Shia and also because he talked against religious extremism. He demanded a fair investigation into the case.

On the reasons why Zaki could have been killed, Kermani, on the other hand, said: "Of course he was a Shia. It is easy to bundle his killing with other sectarian killings, but I do not believe he was killed because he was a Shia. I believe he was killed because of what he was saying and because of what he stood for. If one hears his last speech, he clearly points towards who he thinks is the enemy and also points towards the authorities not doing enough to eliminate terrorists and religious terrorism in Pakistan."
One local woman is looking to challenge the North Dakota laws in place for driving under the influence of drugs.

Jan Kuhn, director of Sacajawea Substance Abuse Counseling in Dickinson, stood before law enforcement officials involved with the North Dakota Association of Counties on Thursday to ask members to sign a petition to amend the current driving under the influence of drug laws.

Kuhn said the penalties for driving under the influence of drugs are far less than alcohol because how vaguely the law is written. The North Dakota Century Code only states a person cannot drive under the influence of any drug or substances to a degree which renders that person incapable of safely driving; or if theyre under the combined influence of alcohol and any other drugs or substances that make them incapable of driving.

Kuhn is proposing a bill to make .05 nanograms the legal limit for marijuana and other drugs to better enforce driving under the influence of drugs laws. Kuhn said this number is the same threshold currently used in Colorado, Washington and Oregon.

Basically we are brainstorming on what it would cost for the departments, Kuhn said. A lot of things have to be put in place, but we are starting the conversation.

Dickinson Police Sgt. Nick Gates said the current cost for a drug recognition expert training is around $6,000, which is paid by the department and are held throughout the country.

Theres not enough places to train drug recognition experts and the requirements are pretty stringent, Kuhn said. So you know, departments need grants to send their people to training. 

Gates, a drug recognition expert, knows how stringent that training is. He needed 100 hours of drug training, two weeks of in-classroom training and one week of on-site training to achieve the distinction.

During his training, he went to California and had to test individuals under the influence of drugs to be able to properly identify them.

Gates is in support of having more trained drug recognition experts in the state. He said with this bill, it would also be easier to identify those with drug addiction and legally get them the help that they need.

You would be able to track people that have a problem, he said. If nobody forces their hand on getting clean, they wont get clean.

However, Dickinson Police Capt. David Wilkie said he is concerned about how much this bill would cost law enforcement departments.

This would have to be financially affordable for a department, he said.

Wilkie said it would also mean having more staff unavailable to complete these specified trainings.

Hes also concerned with the costs for testing. Currently, the Dickinson Police Department sends its urine samples to a national toxicology lab in California for testing.

If you do 150 DUIs a year and you are going to start charging $85 a test to do all of those, it is going to significantly impact the budget of a department, he said.

Those suspected of driving under the influence of drugs in North Dakota are currently urine tested, though Kuhn said she hopes the state will adopt saliva testing like in Colorado.

In Colorado right now, they are doing a pilot program using hand-held saliva rapid instruments so they can get accurate readings on the nanogram levels instantly, she said.

Her hope is the tool would be made available to every drug recognition expert officer in the state.

Sen. Kelly Armstrong, R-Dickinson, noted there are many more steps that must be taken before Kuhns proposal can be passed legislatively.

Our law enforcement is busy and they are doing their best to protect our community, he said. We have to make sure that if we do something like this that we give them the resources to implement it, because otherwise it would not be fair to local law enforcement for the Legislature to go and write some sweeping legislation without a mechanism for them to implement it and make sure they have the resources to do it well.

Kuhn said she hopes the association will give their answer on the petition in September after they have had time to discuss the issue and their concerns in depth.

In the meantime, she said, Im going to continue pushing legislators on moving forward.

Kuhn said she hopes to see this bill passed sooner rather than later.

Id like no less than two years and if anything would happen in the Legislature about legalizing marijuana in the state of North Dakota, then I would absolutely say than, Before you legalize it marijuana, you would have to have DUID laws on the book, she said.
FARGO -- North Dakota offers a microscopic share of the delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination for president, a race few observers see as close. Yet Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton both seem invested in a victory in the state when it votes next month.

Just this week, the Clinton campaign announced the opening of a Fargo office and named a state director, Marcella Jewel. The campaign also said former President Bill Clinton would stump for his wife here on May 20.

Meanwhile, Sanders himself made three appearances in North Dakota on Friday, May 13, including a rousing speech to about 1,800 people in south Fargo. In Fargo, Sanders urged the crowd to deliver him a win in the North Dakota Democratic caucus on June 7, the last major day of voting in the primary season.

Political scientists say there are a number of reasons why the Democratic presidential candidates would spend resources in North Dakota instead of battling it out in more delegate-rich states such as California, which also votes June 7.

For Sanders, there is no option but to campaign in all the remaining contests because he is desperate to chip away at Clinton's commanding lead, said Barbara Headrick, a political science professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

The Vermont senator's chances of winning the nomination are remote, but he hopes his continued presence on the campaign trail and at the convention puts pressure on Clinton from the left. From that perspective, winning more states could give oomph to his argument.

"He continues to tell his supporters that he has a chance to win. I'm not sure how much he believes that, because it's a very, very, very small chance. But the more delegates he can get, the more influence he might have on the party platform going forward," Headrick said.

Sanders trails Clinton in pledged delegates 1,433 to 1,716. Counting superdelegates, Clinton's lead is much wider. It takes 2,383 to win the nomination.

Mark Jendrysik, a political science professor at the University of North Dakota, wasn't surprised Sanders decided to spend a day campaigning in North Dakota, even though the deep-red state is essentially a nonfactor in the Democratic Party nationally. The state will have only 23 delegates at the Democratic National Convention, less than 0.05 percent of the 4,763 available.

"North Dakota's delegates are not going to be pivotal in any Democratic convention ever," he said. Sanders's goal is "more spreading his message and continuing to build what he sees as a movement."

If Sanders wins the state's caucus, "It would certainly add to his claim that, 'The views I represent should be listened to,' " Jendrysik said.

Sanders has said that he may have a shot at the nomination if superdelegates--Democratic party leaders who can vote for whoever they want--shift their support from Clinton to him. But Headrick said that was a pipe dream, and would only be possible in the unlikely event Sanders surpasses Clinton in pledged delegates.

Though he's not aware of any statewide polls in the Democratic race, Jendrysik said he expects Sanders will win in North Dakota. He's done well in whiter-than-average, low-population states that eschew a primary in favor of a caucus, which tends to reward candidates with more fervent supporters.

The Clinton campaign's decision to have the former president, Hillary Clinton's top surrogate, headline a Fargo rally on Friday, May 20, was probably a direct reaction to Sanders coming, Jendrysik said.

"It's bad to be seen as ignoring the state," he said.

A similar dynamic was at play in 2008 when then-Sen. Barack Obama, who had already won the caucus in the state, was announced as the keynote speaker at the North Dakota Democratic state convention. Nearly two weeks after Obama announced his appearance at the convention in Grand Forks, Clinton also secured a speaking spot at the convention.

Perhaps in a similar vein, a few days after Donald Trump supporter Ben Carson was added as a speaker at this year's North Dakota Republican state convention, Sen. Ted Cruz announced he also would visit the convention.

On whether it would be smart for Hillary Clinton to show up herself, Headrick said it would depend on her priorities as she looks ahead to the fight with the Republican nominee, who is virtually guaranteed to be Donald Trump.

"I think it's a matter of resources for her, whether she thinks it's worth it, related to the general election at this point," Headrick said.

Regardless of the motivations, campaigning in a state like North Dakota that rarely sees a presidential race up close is efficient in some sense, low-cost and high-impact, Jendrysik said.

"You're going to be on the front page of every newspaper," he said.
Ronald Wahl served in the infantry for some of the most famed operations of the Vietnam War: Nine Days in May, Operation Francis Marion and others.

It got pretty dicey at times, he said.

Now, 50 years later, he still deals with what happened over there.

It will never leave. Its always there in some degree, he said.

Wahl was 19 when he was drafted. He completed nine months of training at Fort Lewis in Washington, then went to Vietnam in September 1966 as part of the Third Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment of the Fourth Infantry Division.

It was my time to go, so I went and did the best I could, said Wahl, who was a squad leader and sometimes would fill in as necessary as a platoon sergeant and lead the 40 or so men.

Was he prepared for that kind of an assignment at 19, 20?

No choice, he laughs. I wanted to do the best I could for the guys.

Going into the war, Wahl hadnt formed a full opinion on whether the United States should be in Vietnam. He just knew he was supposed to defend his country and didnt analyze it too much. But that all changed when he got into combat.

The minute you lose your first man, your outlook changes, he said.

Wahl returned to Wing in September 1967, discharged as a staff sergeant E6. Later, he would go to Southern California and join the Iron Workers International Union. He would spend winters there and summers running an excavating and concrete company in Wing.

But five months after he got out, he started looking for help.

I had trouble adjusting and self medicating, he said.

Wahl had what is now known as post traumatic stress disorder. There was little help for dealing with the trauma of war back then, he said.

It was more or less just passed over, because no one wanted to look at it, he said, referring to it as a suck-it-up situation.

With extensive counseling and the support of his family, he got through it. He learned about the importance of working through the issues so they didnt come back later in life.

This will come out of you in one form or another if you dont deal with it, said Wahl, who advises anyone who comes back from conflict to get help immediately. Find an institution that can help determine the best wind-down process and get checked out.

Dont deny it, like most of the Vietnam veterans did, said Wahl, who continues to find help with frequent reunions with the men he served.

He always learns something new or sees something different than the way he thought it was. The reunions are soothing for the soul, but he understands theyre not for everyone.

His two daughters also know about his service, and that helps, too.

We talked and we hashed through it, he said. They need to know. Theyre interested in knowing and they want to help me now as much as they can with things that may arise.

Wahl wants everyone to enjoy their freedom but not become too complacent in it. Do everything you can to maintain it, he said.

We are privileged to live in the country we live in, he said. Enjoy and cherish the freedom.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that investors must pay taxes on money earned in India and ruled out any depletion of FDI due to imposition of capital gains tax on investments coming from Mauritius from next year.

The minister was of the view that the country no longer needs any tax-incentivised route to attract foreign investments as India economy is now strong enough.

Mr Jaitley indicated that the new treaty with Mauritius will check round-tripping of funds and would help boost domestic consumption. Last week in a treaty between the two countries, India will begin imposing capital gains tax on investments in shares through Mauri-tius from April next onwards. Eventually markets have to operate on inherent strength of the (Indian) economy, said Mr Jaitley said in an interview to a news agency.

Stating that the Mauritius tax treaty created a tax-incentivised route at a time when India was looking at foreign investments to boost economy, he said the economy has become strong enough and now those who earn must pay taxes.

The imposition of taxes has been done in a phased manner to avoid shock and I dont expect any depletion to FDI due to this, he said.
The Finance Ministry had last year notified a new investment pattern for EPFO, allowing the body to invest a minimum of 5 per cent and up to 15 per cent of its funds in equity or equity-related schemes.

Hyderabad: Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has said the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) may invest more than Rs 6,000 crore in equity market during the current financial year.

The minister, however, said a final decision will be taken by the Central Board of Trustees at the next meeting. Last year, EPFO had invested about Rs 6,000 crore through SBI Mutual Fund's two index-linked ETFs (exchange-traded funds) -- one to BSE's Sensex and the other NSE's Nifty.

"It (investments into ETFs) may increase over last year because it will yield benefits in the long run even if there is no benefit in the short term. Last year, we had invested Rs 6,000 crore. This year, we may invest more than that. There was discussion with bankers and investment managers and officials from BSE and NSE," Dattatreya told PTI on the sidelines of a programme yesterday.

The Finance Ministry had last year notified a new investment pattern for EPFO, allowing the body to invest a minimum of 5 per cent and up to 15 per cent of its funds in equity or equity-related schemes.

However, the EPFO management decided to invest 5 per cent of its incremental deposits in ETFs only during the last year, the minister added. "Our ministry has prepared a report on the investment performance. We will study that report also.

Based on that report, we will decide how much to invest in ETF and shares of PSUs. We will take a decision on whether to increase the investments in stock markets, and if so, how much," he explained. According to Dattatreya, the pension body has so far invested Rs 5,800 crore in shares of state-owned oil companies' shares.
Aishwarya celebrated her 15th year at the Cannes festival in style. Photo: AFP

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was glistening in gold as she walked the Cannes red carpet on Saturday. The Bollywood star, who is one of the Indian faces of an international beauty brand, celebrated her 15th year at the festival in style.

Aishwarya brought Hollywood glam to the red carpet in a beautiful embellished Elie Saab gown. She accessorised with diamond open-ended neck piece, rings and side swept hair. Ash attended the screening of Steven Spielberg's kiddie flick The BFG.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attends Steven Spielberg's 'The BFG' at the Cannes film festival. Photo: AFP

A photo posted by Glamour Fashionista (@glamourfashionista_) on May 14, 2016 at 6:20pm PDT

A photo posted by @aishwarya_bornnov1 on May 14, 2016 at 8:36pm PDT

The Bollywood diva has a lot in store this year at Cannes, as she is not only celebrating her 15th year at the festival, but she will also be premiering her film Sarbjit at the festival. Director Omung Kumar and co-star Richa Chadha are expected to join her for the grand premiere.

A video posted by Nov. (@b2nov) on May 14, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

Ash celebrated her 'Canniversary', with a cake cutting ceremony at the festival, which was followed by a photoshoot. Ash also struck a pose with Hollywood actress Blake Lively. Both ladies walked the red carpet together. After walking up the iconic stairs, they greeted each other and posed for pictures together, before heading in for the screening.
Rumours have been running wild that Salman will finally tie settle down with the Romanian beauty later this year.

Salman Khan sent tongues wagging when he turned up at the Mumbai airport with rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur and his mother Salma. The couple, fuelded rumours of an impending wedding announcement, when Iulia was snapped out of the airport hand-in-hand with Salmans mother.

In this picture, we see Iulia showing off her toned abs. Last time, she was also spotted working out at the gym at Arpita Farm in Panvel. We wonder Salman Khan is sharing his fitness tips with rumored girlfriend Iulia these days.

Lulia has been spotted on several occasions, spending some quality time with Salman on and off the film sets. The two even headed out for a family getaway in Delhi, where they went on a hike together.

Rumours have been running wild that Salman will finally tie settle down with the Romanian beauty later this year. Recent reports also suggested that it was Salmans ailing mother, who is encouraging her son to tie the knot. Going by the pictures from the airport recently, it sure looked like Iulia has Salmas stamp of approval.
Sonu Sood and Jackie Chan on the sets of 'Kung Fu Yoga'.

The shoot of Indo-China magnum opus Kung Fu Yoga starring Jackie Chan and Sonu Sood is finally over. Sonu Sood took to his Twitter and posted few pictures from the sets on the last day of the shoot.

Life is a Journey..not a Destination! Beijing to Mumbai.. Here I come.  pic.twitter.com/OO4o4TLhOi  sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 15, 2016

Bye Bye Beijing  will c u soon. pic.twitter.com/YEsvSwmjBZ  sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 15, 2016

And it's a WRAPPP! the last shot of #kungfuyoga! What a journey with the most grounded man I ever met. #jackiechan pic.twitter.com/ABsk3O82Wc  sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 13, 2016

The multi-lingual action-adventure film is understood to have completed several rounds of international shooting, includes in Beijing, Dubai and India. The film is directed by Stanley Tong, who also directed Rumble in the Bronx, and is scheduled to be released later this year.

Also starring Indian actresses Amyra Dastur and Disha Patani, the film features Jackie Chan as a professor of archaeology who teams up with an Indian professor to locate Indias lost Magadha treasure in Tibet. The film was announced by Chinese film regulators as part of an India-China co-production agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to China last year.
Ranbir and Katrina were all smiles and giggles after successfully pulling off a dance routine.

All you Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif shippers out there can breathe a sigh of relief as the ex-flames might finally be getting along on the sets of Jagga Jasoos. The former power couple, who are in Morocco shooting song sequences for their adventure flick, were all smiles and giggles after successfully pulling off a dance routine.

A video of Ranbir and Katrina dancing to some cute but complicated, limb-tangling steps has surfaced online. The co-stars have been shooting for the same song for the past few days. It sure looks like all those long hours of practise is finally paying off for the two, on a personal and professional level.

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif shooting for a super fun song in Morocco! #JaggaJasoos pic.twitter.com/2FLfKsam5I  RanbirKapoor.Net (@RanbirKapoorFC) May 14, 2016

While some reports claim that the ex-lovers are going through a rough patch and allegedly even refused to kiss for a scene, other reports suggest that there might just be a reconciliation. Going by this video, Ranbir and Katrina look like they have worked out their differences and are enjoying their time in Morocco.

Bright colors & brighter smiles! Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif during a song shoot for #JaggaJasoos in Morocco  pic.twitter.com/16SY9NT64q  RanbirKapoor.Net (@RanbirKapoorFC) May 14, 2016

'Jagga Jasoos' that is being produced by Ranbir, has hit many road blocks along the way. The film had reportedly suffered a major setback when it's leading pair- Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif- called off their 6-year relationship.
Prosecutors had sought a fine of more than $7,400. (Photo: Instagram/ andihegedus)

A Japanese court found an artist not guilty of obscenity for displaying figurines modeled on her vagina, signaling a step towards freedom of expression, although the court fined her for distributing digital data of her genitals.

The Tokyo court dismissed prosecutors' charge that Megumi Igarashi, who works under the name "Rokudenashiko" or "good-for-nothing girl", had displayed obscene objects, saying her figurines - decorated with fake fur and glitter - could be considered "pop art".

"This verdict is extremely rare, said Takashi Yamaguchi, one of her lawyers, adding that it had "high historic value".

Igarashi said she was "20-percent happy" that the court acknowledged her figurines as art, but stressed she was "completely innocent".

We are all super excited to have new copies of ROKUDENASHIKO'S english debut as well as postcards, stickers AND little vinyl MANKO figurines !!!! (Sum glo in the dark ~ imagine that!)  #koyamapress #massivegoods #rokudenashiko  A photo posted by Page & Panel: The TCAF Shop (@tcafshop) on Apr 21, 2016 at 1:37pm PDT

The court found Igarashi guilty for distributing digital data of indecent material and fined her 400,000 yen ($3,700). Prosecutors had sought a fine of more than $7,400.

"I am of course indignant. I will appeal and continue to fight in court," she told a news conference, where she displayed several pink vagina figurines that prosecutors had argued were obscene.

Igarashi was arrested and briefly jailed in 2014 after building a kayak and making figurines modeled on her vagina, and sending 3D printer data of her scanned genitalia, used to make the boat, to a number of donors who helped fund the project.

Igarashi's arrest and detention triggered a debate about women's rights and artistic freedom in Japan. More than 1,000 people tweeted about the verdict soon after it was announced, many of them expressing anger and questioning the court's logic.

#FreeManko #EmancipateTheVag #rokudenashiko #discwoman Lemme tell you "what is obscenity." Support the cause: proceeds of the Manko tee all go to Rokudenashiko's Tour and Legal Fund. A photo posted by MASSIVE GOODS (@massivegay) on Apr 6, 2016 at 1:47pm PDT

"What? How about products resembling male or female genitalia displayed at adult sex shops? Are they permissible?" questioned one Twitter user in response to the verdict.

Although Japan has an extensive pornography industry, it is regulated by a section of the criminal code that dates back to 1907. Video pornography in Japan has often used digital mosaics to obscure genitalia in sex scenes to avoid obscenity charges.

While depictions of female genitalia remain largely taboo, representations of male genitalia are shown at shrines and at some festivals, where giant phalluses are paraded openly through the streets as symbols of fertility and sexual health.
Washington: A new study has found that the girls from progressive societies do better at mathematics.

Research co-authored by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) showed that the "math gender gap" is much wider in societies with poor rates of gender equality and is far less pronounced in societies that hold progressive and egalitarian views about the role of women.

The researchers analysed the relationship between math scores of 11,527 15-year-olds living in nine different countries and the Gender Gap Index (GGI) in their country of ancestry. The GGI measures economic and political opportunities, education, and well-being for women.

Co-author Almudena Sevilla explained, "These boys and girls grew up and live in the same country, but their parents came from elsewhere. So, differences in how well girls perform compared to boys, given that they are in the same environment and exposed to the same institutions, is likely to be the result of parents (or their social network) transmitting values about gender equality to their kids."

The researchers found that the more gender equality in the country of ancestry, the higher the math scores of girls relative to boys living in the same country. The findings were significant and robust even when the researchers controlled for other individual factors that may affect youths' math performance.

In particular, the results show that an increase of 0.05 points (or one standard deviation) in the GGI is associated with an increase in the performance of girls in maths, relative to boys, of 7.47 points - equivalent to about one and a half months of schooling.

The researchers described the results as a contribution to a policy problem of "first order importance" as it highlights the relevance of gender social norms on girls' educational outcomes. They argue that policies which attempt to change cultural values about women's role in society "may prove decisive in reducing the maths gender gap," which is accepted as a contributing factor in the gender pay gap.

The study is published in American Economic Review.
Washington: If you want to hold on to your memories, then hit the sack for some deep sleep as a new study suggests so.

Researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (McGill University) and the University of Bern provided evidence that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the phase where dreams appear, is directly involved in memory formation, at least in mice.

Researcher Sylvain Williams said, "We already knew that newly acquired information is stored into different types of memories, spatial or emotional, before being consolidated or integrated," adding "How the brain performs this process has remained unclear, until now. We were able to prove for the first time that REM sleep is indeed critical for normal spatial memory formation in mice."

To test the long-term spatial memory of mice, the scientists trained the rodents to spot a new object placed in a controlled environment where two objects of similar shape and volume stand. Spontaneously, mice spend more time exploring a novel object than a familiar one, showing their use of learning and recall.

When these mice were in REM sleep, however, the researchers used light pulses to turn off their memory-associated neurons to determine if it affects their memory consolidation. The next day, the same rodents did not succeed the spatial memory task learned on the previous day. Compared to the control group, their memory seemed erased, or at least impaired.

"Silencing the same neurons for similar durations outside REM episodes had no effect on memory. This indicates that neuronal activity specifically during REM sleep is required for normal memory consolidation," said lead author Richard Boyce.

In particular, REM sleep is often significantly perturbed in Alzheimer's diseases (AD), and results from this study suggest that disruption of REM sleep may contribute directly to memory impairments observed in AD, the researchers noted.

The study is published in Science.
The exact timing of this event and the origin and identity of the Jewish visitors are unknown.

Washington: A new study reveals the Bene Israel community in the western part of India carries genetic proof of the Jewish roots. They anyway, have always considered themselves Jewish.

"Almost nothing is known about the Bene Israel community before the 18th century, when Cochin Jews and later Christian missionaries first came into contact with it," says researcher Yedael Waldman.

"Beyond vague oral history and speculations, there has been no independent support for Bene Israel claims of Jewish ancestry, claims that have remained shrouded in legend," he added.

"Human genetics now has the potential to not only improve human health but also help us understand human history," says another reasearcher Prof. Eran Halperin.

According to their oral history, the Bene Israel people descended from 14 Jewish survivors of a shipwreck on India's Konkan shore.

The exact timing of this event and the origin and identity of the Jewish visitors are unknown. Some date the event to around 2,000 years ago. Others estimate that it took place in 175 BCE.

Still others believe their Jewish ancestors arrived as early as the 8th century BCE.

The research team based their study on data from the Jewish HapMap project, an international effort led by Prof. Harry Ostrer of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, to determine the genetic history of worldwide Jewish diasporas.

They used sophisticated genetic tools to conduct comprehensive genome-wide analyses on the genetic markers of 18 Bene Israel individuals.

The study has been published in PLOS ONE.
People block a road with a burning tyre during a protest over the gang rape (Photo: PTI)

Guwahati: The brutal rape and murder of beautician Champa Chettri, a 20-year-old in Baragolai, Tinsukia district of Assam, continues to boil Assam with police on Sunday claiming to have cracked the case by arresting two suspects.

The girl's charred and disfigured body was discovered floating on the Dihing River.

The police have since arrested two men - Biswajit Chettri and Moinul Ali - and charged them under Section 366, 376 and 342/34 of the IPC.

Champa Chettri was reported missing by her family on April 29 when she did not return from her workplace, a local beauty parlour.

Her body was found floating in Dihing river by some local youths on May 3.

After attempt to burn the body of the victim failed, the perpetrators are suspected to have dumped her body into the river.

Rakesh Furba Sherpa, president, Tinsukia Regional Committee of All Assam Gorkha Students Union, also wrote to the Prime Minister equating the barbaric incident of rape and murder with the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

It is sad that the 2012 Nirbhaya case has been repeated in Assam... I don't think you've learned anything about laws for women's safety despite all your foreign trips in the last two years," he wrote.

The Gorkha students also called a bandh in Tinsukia on Monday demanding strict action against the accused.

The Assam police which is tight-lipped about its findings claimed that they are probing the incident and waiting for forensic report.
A US national, five Sudanese, two Yemenis, a Somalian and two Djibouti nationals were handed over to the FRRO for deportation.

Hyderabad: Police conducted raids in Asifnagar, Langer Houz and Humayun Nagar on Sunday and detained 11 foreigners. Police said the 11 were students and their passports had expired. DCP B. Limba Reddy said the students were staying illegally.

Police said 150 foreigners were checked. A US national, five Sudanese, two Yemenis, a Somalian and two Djibouti nationals were handed over to the FRRO for deportation.
Amaravati: As many as eight workers were buried alive under heaps of earth in an an under-construction commercial complex in Guntur city on Saturday evening. Two bodies were recovered and one person was pulled out alive. The mishap occurred at around 8 pm at the busy Lodge Centre in Lakshmipuram of Guntur city.

According to the reports, work on the basement for the cellar of the commercial complex, being built by Phoenix Construction near the Harihara Mahal cinema theatre was under progress since the past few days.

The builders had dug 20 feet for the basement, sources said. Labourers from Peda Godipadu village of Prattipadu mandal were involved in centring works, and laying the metal grid for the construction of pillars when tragedy struck.

According to sources, nine workers were on the spot and wanted to finish the task on hand so that they could take rest on Sunday.

At around 7 pm, a boulder slipped from the beneath the boundary wall of the commercial complex adjacent to the construction site. One of the labourers, Seshu, went to inspect the source of the sound but was trapped under the soil that was caving in rapidly. The other workers rushed to help him, but they too were trapped under the soil.

The locals immediately alerted police, revenue, fire departments and the Guntur Municipal Corporation.
New Delhi: After Pakistan which pulled out of India-mooted South Asian Satellite Project, Afghanistan too has shown no interest in the venture. Sources said Afghanistan has tied up with a European company for its space-related needs.

"We had several rounds of discussions with Afghanistan. At one point they demand a particular thing and we have an agreement. In the next meeting, they would put forth some other demand. "Another issue was the location of the satellite. The location where India and Afghanistan wanted to place their satellite in the orbit was more or less the same," an official involved in the negotiations said.

Sources said Bangladesh too is not very keen on the satellite project as it is set for launch of its own geostationary communications satellite Bang Bandhu-1. However, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are still keen on taking the project forward and talks are on with these countries.

In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ISRO to develop the satellite which can be dedicated as a "gift" to the neighbouring countries. He had also made the announcement at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

India had held deliberations with experts from other SAARC countries to finalise modalities for the satellite exclusively for the regional grouping. The expenditure on the ground system of the proposed South Asian Satellite Project will be borne by the regional bloc countries, while India will bear the expenses to be incurred on building and launching it.

"The objective of this project is to develop a satellite for the SAARC region that enables a full range of services to all our neighbours in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting applications like television, DTH, tele-education and disaster management," the official added.

The satellite is to be launched in December this year.

Since the beginning, Pakistan had insisted that the project be brought under the ambit of SAARC, which was opposed by India. Following this, Pakistan opted out of the project. India has made it clear that it will go ahead with the project irrespective of whoever is on board.
Agra: In a shocking incident, a teenage Hindu-Muslim couple set themselves ablaze as their families objected to their alleged relationship. The couple locked themselves in a room during the wee hours of Saturday and set the room on fire. Their bodies were locked in a tight embrace, said the police.

According to a media report, the boy, Sonu Mohammad, and the girl, Sheelam Kumari, studied in the same school. Mohammad, who was a Class 10 student and Sheelam, a year junior to him, fell for each other. However, their families objected to their relationship as the duo hailed from two different communities.

The couples death came as a shock to the neighbours and families of the deceased as they didnt have an inkling of the incident. Sheelam was married off to a man from Kuberpur on May 9. The girl didnt show distress when she paid a visit to her parents place on Friday. She seemed to be quite happy, but the next morning we found her dead body along with Sonu, Sheelams brother lamented.

I saw flames coming out of Sonus room at around 4 am. I immediately rushed to the spot in an attempt to check on the room. The police came an hour after the incident, broke into the room and doused the flames, Sonus brother was quoted as saying.

Though the bodies have been sent for autopsy, the families have refused to lodge any complaint with the police. Prima facie it seems to be a case of suicide, the police said.
The army has taken the task to educate all villagers to not give any information to strangers on phone. (Representational Image)

Leh/New Delhi: An alert has been sounded along the Sino-India border after local residents, including a village head, got several telephone calls from "spies" either from Pakistan or China about army deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The caller, posing himself as either a colonel or a local official, made queries about the army presence in the area and the timings of their movement, official sources said.

Recently the 'sarpanch' (village head) of Durbuk village, located at an altitude of 13,500 feet above sea level between Chang La and Tsangte village, received a call in which the caller asked whether "outstanding" issues with the army had been sorted.

The sarpanch, who was sitting inside an army camp at the time of receiving the call, got suspicious and enquired from the caller about his identity.

Despite the caller identifying himself to be from Deputy Commissioner's office, the sarpanch identified as Stanzin snubbed him and said he should get in touch with the army.

He also inquired from the local DC's office only to find that no one from that number had called. The number was shared with the army which found that the number appearing on the sarpanch's phone had been masked and it was a computer generated call.

Talking to PTI over phone, Stanzin said he received the call only once. "The caller was asking about the movement of troops and whether the roads had been built in the area for their movement.

"He claimed that he was from the army headquarters but with his stupid queries, I did get suspicious and informed the army officer standing next to me," he said.

Later, the army found that several people in villages along the Sino-Indian border had been receiving calls from such unknown numbers and in a few cases basic information had been shared out of "pure ignorance" by the villagers.

The army took the help of the state administration and a mass campaign has been launched to educate people in general and those living along the Sino-Indian border not to share any information with any unidentified caller.

The army has also asked its formations along the LAC to educate all the civilians in their Areas Of Responsibility (AOR) so that such spies do not get any information about the movement of troops.

The army has laid special emphasis on educating the elected members and office bearers of Hill Council as they had some information pertaining to army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which man the borders with Pakistan and China, to remain alert and not to give any kind of information to these suspicious callers.

This was based on an analysis by the army that calls were being received by only those people who were either sarpanch or working in state government and were privy to some information about the troops and ITBP officials.

The army has asked people to get in touch with the nearest army unit with names of the callers and telephone numbers, name and telephone number of the recipient, details sought by the caller and queries raised by him.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has pulled up Centre for "not doing anything" on the proposal sent by the AAP government for revision of pay scales of public prosecutors of the district courts here.

"You (Centre) are not doing anything on the proposal," Justice J R Midha said, adding the revised salaries are to be paid by the Delhi government then why the central government was not giving a go ahead for the same.

"The manner in which the file is moving, shows that the Centre is not interested in doing anything," it said, adding the file was sent to the LG in September last year, after which it was sent to the President of India for his approval as the Delhi government does not have power to decide service related issues.

"This is a minor thing, You resolve it," the court advised Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre.

The Judge said he was "disturbed" after reading the file, as the Centre had put a number of unwarranted objections in it.

The judge also asked why the Finance Ministry was sitting over the file since six months.

Delhi government counsel Rahul Mehra submitted that they had sent the cabinet note in December last to the LG approving hike in the salary of the prosecutors.

Mehra contended that the LG has put a stay on the proposal and sent it to the President on the ground that service matters do not lie in Delhi government's domain.

The court was hearing a petition filed through advocate Ashish Dixit seeking contempt action against Home Secretary for not complying with the court's September 9, 2015 order.

The court in its September 2015 order had directed the Delhi government that the decision to increase the pay scales of Delhi public prosecutors be implemented without any delay.
Panaji: A troop of 50 staff members marched out of Vijay Mallyas 'Kingfisher Villa' on Saturday giving way to bouncers from Mumbai, brought in by the State Bank of India, after the lenders took physical possession of yet another prime asset of the liquor baron to recover the loans defaulted by him.

The palatial holiday resort was taken over after the revenue officials in Goa had on Wednesday allowed the lenders to take physical possession of Kingfisher Villa in Candolim.

According to reports, the bouncers  over 40 of them distributed across the sprawling three-acre property  were not briefed about how long their stay at the famed villa would be, but the men are quite kicked about the idea of being there.

Initially we were told by our agency that our client SBIs property needed to be secured in Goa. It was much later that someone told us the property belonged to Mallya. Given the high-profile case, we were told to be keep a watch for media presence and be on our best behaviour, Radheshyam heading the bouncer team of Mumbai-based ADF security services said.

For some of us, visiting Goa itself is a first, let alone visiting Mallyas mansion, he added.

SBI notice put up in front of Kingfisher House (Photo: Twitter)

Revealing that the villa staff were allowed to take away some furniture and other movables along with their personal belongings, Radheshyam said that they also took away a few cars. But two cars are still on the premises. Proper authorisation is needed to take them away, he explained.

The villa, valued at Rs 90 crore, used to be Mallyas base in Goa and also the venue of many of the famous parties hosted by him during his good times.

Advocate Parag Rao, who appeared on behalf of United Spirits, said that the company had withdrawn its claim before the collector on Saturday.

Representing the bankers consortium, SBICAPS had sought physical possession of the property under Section 14 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act in late 2014.

Last week, media reports had said that Mallya put up a villa manager as a caretaker to thwart the banks attempt to take it over.

The villa was mortgaged to the lenders while obtaining loans for the now defunct airliner, but the caretaker, who claimed to be an employee of United Breweries, and the subsequent establishment of tenancy rights would have made it difficult for the banks to take over the property.

According to reports, bankers attempts to take possession of the villa were repeatedly stalled by USL, which claims the first right to buy the property as it is a tenant.

So far, the banks have recovered over Rs 1,400 crore by selling shares and collaterals and over Rs 1,200 crore is blocked in escrow accounts at Debt Recovery Tribunal, Bengaluru and the Karnataka High Court. Mallya had told the Supreme Court he was ready to repay up to Rs 6,800 crore of the total dues of over Rs 9,400 crore.

Last month, the consortium of banks had failed in its attempt to sell Kingfisher Airlines erstwhile headquarters Kingfisher House in Mumbai because of the high reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Attempts to sell the Kingfisher brands and associated trademarks carrying a reserve price of Rs 367 crore had also found no takers. Mallya left the country on March 2 for London. Earlier this week, the Government asked Britain to deport Mallya, citing the revocation of his passport and a non-bailable warrant against him.
Chennai: The curtain came down on the nearly two month-long gruelling campaign for the May 16 Assembly election on Saturday. More than 5.79 crore voters in the state will decide the fate of 3,776 aspirants.

Tamil Nadu is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with AIADMK, DMK, PWA-DMDK-TMC combine, BJP and PMK candidates in the fray.

Chief Minister, J.Jayalalithaa is seeking a successive term in office, where elections have dethroned ruling parties in recent decades. As many as 65,616 polling booths have been set up in 32 districts and 6,300 booths have been identified as sensitive, where security had been beefed up.

Meanwhile, a whopping Rs 570 crore, being transported in three container trucks from Coimbatore to Andhra Pradesh by State Bank of India, was seized by election officials in Tirupur. The three container lorries loaded with bundles of cash and escorted by police personnel from Andhra Pradesh were intercepted by election officials near Chengapalli in Tirupur district last Friday.

However, SBI produced documents to claim the sum seized stating that it was an inter-bank money transfer. Arundhatri Bhattacharya, the bank chairman, said, This is legitimate money that was being transferred by the banks from Chennai to Hyderabad and it has got nothing to do with the election money as reported in the media.

Senior officials of SBI are in Tirupur to establish the banks ownership of the funds. A senior SBI official said the containers were erroneously confiscated and the bank officials were talking to police supported by documents.

EC notice to Jayalalithaa , Karunanidhi

Election Commission on Saturday night issued notices to Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and DMK chief M Karunanidhi for violating model code of conduct by not reflecting rationale for the promises made in their parties manifestos and ways to meet financial requirements for implementing them. The Election Commission asked both of them to explain their stand for non-compliance of guidelines of the agency.
The weather department also issued an advisory to fishermen residing in coastal areas.

Chennai: Heavy rain may lash Chennai and northern districts of Tamil Nadu from Monday as a low pressure has developed in southeast of Colombo in Sri Lanka, the weather department and bloggers have forecast.

Director of Regional Meteorological Centre S. Balachandran told pressmen that the low pressure is expected to develop into a depression during the subsequent 48 hours over the same area.

According to V.Senthilkumar, an independent weather blogger, the low pressure area is located approximately 500 km southeast of Colombo.

This is likely to become well marked low pressure area in 24 hours and further expected to concentrate as depression. This system is expected to track towards west-north western direction and will come closer to Tamil Nadu coastal areas in 48 hours.

He said that under this influence, medium to rather heavy rain is expected to lash over many parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Sunday. T. Gokul, another weather blogger, said the southern parts of Tamil Nadu such as Kanyakumari and Rameswaram might experience heavy rain on Sunday. Chennai and northern districts may get heavy rain on Monday.

The weather department also issued an advisory to fishermen residing in coastal areas. It advised fishermen in deep sea to return to coast, as strong winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph are likely along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts.
Tirupur: What began as a most intriguing, real life drama ever ended as a comedy and had the country in stitches at yet another farce by official India. Amazed at the largest-ever seizure of cash in poll-bound Tamil Nadu  a whopping Rs 570 crores stacked in hundreds of bundles in three container lorries  Election Commission officials were beginning to believe they had made the greatest catch of their lives.

However, it turned out to be just another one that got away as the claimed the money as legitimately belonging to it. Touted as the biggest seizure of cash in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, the catch was made after a hot chase in the dead of night Friday on a desolate bypass road in true Tamil potboiler gangster film style. Tamil Nadus dubious distinction of emerging at the top in poll-time cash seizures could have hit the sky by the prospect of a Guinness Record, but thankfully the premier bank of the nation saved the state.

It is a routine transfer of money from chest to chest with all the necessary documents and the clearance from the Reserve Bank of India, SBI chief general manager Ramesh Babu told Deccan Chronicle. The personnel accompanying the three trucks had the required papers for the transfer. The Election Commission wanted some additional documents and we have given that as well. They have formed a committee where all these will be placed and hopefully, the trucks will resume journey.

For the most part of Saturday, since the EC officials tipped off their media friends about their biggest pre-poll catch, there was high excitement in the news rooms that their reporters and camera crew had got the biggest story of this high-stakes election, of course apart from the polling on Monday and the result three days later. The incessant flow of reports from across the state about seizures of cash and gifts allegedly being ferried for pleasing the voters added to this fever. The tally till then stood at Rs.104 crore, a record even in the state which prides itself on being the cash-for-votes capital of the country.

Actually, we have not seized the money but only detained the three trucks, explained state chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni about the midnight chase and seizure.

A high-level team (committee) comprising election observers and other senior officials, including income-tax officers, will go through the documents submitted by the SBI and clear them to proceed, he explained.

Informed sources told this newspaper late night that all the documents were in order and it is just a matter of a couple of hours for the EC approval for the trucks to move on. A happy ending for the biggest seizure tale but an anti-climax for what could surely have been a page-one screamer.
Lufthansa flight LH764 from Munich stuck at the airport in Mumbai on Saturday after four of its tyres burst on landing Friday night. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: A Lufthansa aircraft, carrying 163 passengers from Munich in Germany to Mumbai, experienced a tyre burst at the main runway at around 10.45 pm on Friday.

While no injury was reported and a tragedy was averted, the aircraft blocked the main runway on Saturday and flights landed and took off from the secondary runway, causing delays in all flight timings.

At around 8 pm on Saturday, the aircraft was towed from the primary runway. Officials of the Mumbai International Airport Limited and Air Traffic Control (ATC) inspected the primary runway, to give it a green signal to restart operations.

The primary runway could be used at around 9 pm on Saturday after almost 22 hours of the incident. Commenting on the delays, a top airport official said, Most of the flights were delayed for an average of 30 to 40 minutes.

Civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered a probe into the incident. The official spokesperson of Lufthansa Airlines said, We certainly wont join in the speculation, but will cooperate very closely with the local authorities.

According to ATC sources, the Lufthansa aircraft landed on the main runway 09-27 at 10.53 pm. At the time, an ATC official, a crew member of Air Arabia and another of Air India noticed smoke coming out from the landing gear (four tyres) of the aircraft.

Immediately, a full emergency situation was declared at the airport and fire fighters were deployed.

The pilot of the aircraft was informed, who switched off the engine. Later, passengers were de-boarded from the front gate using stairs. According to airport sources, the tyres were completely destroyed and the iron beneath it was visible.

According to officials of Lufthansa Airlines, 163 passengers were on board the Airbus A330 D-AIKR. The plane was removed from the runway after the assembly of four new tyres.

After the incident, the secondary runway 14-32 was opened as the aircraft was stuck on the main runway.

As the secondary runway was in operation, several flights were delayed and were forced to go around, said sources. Four international flights from the city were cancelled Mumbai-Singapore of Singapore Airlines, Mumbai-Newark of Air India, Mumbai-Munich of Lufthansa Airlines, Mumbai-Newark of United Airlines. The cargo aircraft of Cathay Pacific was diverted to Hyderabad.

A total of 427 passengers and 25 crew of Singapore Airlines Mumbai-Singapore flight, and 265 passengers and 15 crew members of the Mumbai-Newark United Airlines flight UA49 were given accommodation by their respective airlines in Mumbai.

Ashok Pawar, a resident of Chembur, said, I was going to Singapore by Singapore Airlines for a vacation. I finished my immigration process on Friday night on time, but then came to know that the flight was cancelled.

Explaining the cause for delays, an official from the Mumbai airport told The Asian Age that the secondary runway is of short length so aircraft movement takes more time in comparison to the primary runway. Also, wide body aircraft cannot taxi on the secondary runway so they were cancelled. Interestingly, Emirates operated a B777-300 ER as Emirates flight EK 500 from Dubai to Mumbai instead of their regular Airbus 380 as the secondary runway could not accommodate a wide-body aircraft on it.

(THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON ASIAN AGE AS MAY THE CASE BE)
New Delhi: Congress on Sunday said the fresh chargesheet filed by NIA in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has put a question mark on India's commitment to fight terror and demanded that the probe should be monitored by the Supreme Court.



The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath by letting the Supreme Court monitor the case.



The NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become 'Namo Investigation Agency', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at "decimating and demolishing" the "meticulous" probe conducted by Mumbai ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.

Read: Malegaon blasts: PM, Rajnath on Cong radar as Sadhvi Pragya gets clean chit



He claimed the agency dropped MACOCA charges to see that all the statements recorded by the ATS become inadmissible as evidence.



Sharma demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the "sudden reversal" of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and "dilution" of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MACOCA and other offences.



"The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," the former minister said.



Sharma questioned the government whether, with the fresh NIA stance, it is "negating" Karkare's "sacrifice". He demanded that Modi himself should intervene in the matter.



He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.



"(It goes on to) show that the earlier probes, charges which were filed and arrests made were all wrong. The fact is, the steps were taken only after proper probe. We have always maintained that, with lot of seriousness, that terrorism and crime have no caste and religion," he added.
Maria Babu, who was pulled out alive, being shifted to the GGH. (Photo: E. Tejo Roy)

Amaravati: Relatives of the workers who have been buried alive on Saturday blamed absence of proper safety measures for the tragedy.

According to the grief-stricken relatives, all the nine workers were students, and were working during the summer holidays to earn extra income for their studies.

The workers were identified as B. Sunil, Seshu Babu, J. Prasanth, B. Rajesh, Bablu alias Babu, J. Sudha, M. Moshay, B. Solomon and V. Maria Babu. Maria Babu, who was pulled out alive from the soil, has been admitted to the Government General Hospital with severe injuries.

Their relatives alleged that the construction company did not take any safety measures and despite the soil being loose, dug 20 feet for basement.

They alleged that the 20 feet digging was the cause of soil heaps falling. The Minister for social welfare R. Kishore Babu, who reached the spot on hearing the news, faced an angry mob who stopped him and broke the windshield of his car. Police rushed to the spot and resorted to using their canes to control the situation.

Meanwhile, rescue operations were continuing with the help of floodlights. Deputy Chief Minister N. China Rajappa, who was on tour of West Godavari started for Guntur, cancelling his tour.

Minister for labour K. Atchhan Naidu announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of Seshu. Ministers P. Narayana and P. Pulla Rao expressed shock over the incident.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has voiced concern over low enrollment in government schools in Telangana and directed the state government to apprise it about the steps taken and progress made to "attract" children.

The apex court noted that although Telangana government has taken steps like appointing more teachers and improving the quality of education to attract children, but that failed to solve the problem.

"We direct the competent authority of the state to apprise us about the progress made to attract children. The state is required to take appropriate decision keeping in view the ground reality so that the children come to schools," the court said.

"Let the steps be taken as thought appropriate by the state, for the obligation is that of the state to comply with the provisions of Right to Education Act, 2009," a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh said.

Senior advocate P V Shetty, appearing for Telangana, informed the bench that the state has taken a number of steps like mid-day meals, transportation from the residence to the schools, providing free textbooks and two sets of school uniforms, no detention policy up to Class IX besides among others.

"Telangana has also taken number of steps like special training to the out-of-school children enrolled in age appropriate class through non-residential training centres, making provision for dropout girls by enrolling them in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and continuation of their education, making arrangement for providing aids and appliances and escort facility to the children requiring special needs," he said.

However, the bench said, "The effort may be a laudable one but that does not really solve the problem; the provisions that have been made, if on a careful scrutiny, may tempt the parents to send the children to schools but principal purpose being education, there is some kind of thinking in the mind of parents as well as the children. The state is required to take care of the same."

The matter is now listed for next hearing on July 13.

The direction of the bench came on a plea filed by J K Raju and others, seeking direction for steps to be taken for filling up vacancies of teachers in schools of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

On the last date of hearing, the apex court had taken strong note of the fact that almost 400 government schools in Telangana have "zero enrollment".

The concern came after the state government informed it that out of 18,139 primary schools, 398 schools have zero enrollment, 980 schools have between 1-10 students and 2333 schools have between 11-20 students in year 2015-16.

Migration and shrinking of habitations were cited as reasons for the lack of attendance in schools. The precarious condition had resulted many government schools functioning with zero strength or about 10-20, making them uneconomical, with the Education Department unable to provide teachers.
Siwan: The family of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into the case as it expressed apprehension about a political angle behind the murder, while BJP staged a state-wide agitation on the issue.

Ranjan's 75-year-old father Radha Chaudhary demanded a CBI investigation in the murder saying he has no faith in local police.

The family wants a CBI probe so that the culprits could be brought to justice, said Radha Chaudhary's another son Gautam.

Read: Bihar scribe murder: Nitish says guilty won't be spared

Their demand came on a day when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he was saddened by the killing of a journalist in his state and promised swift action against the guilty.

But it seems like the family does not have faith in the government either as Ranjan's wife said there could be political reason behind his murder.

"There is indeed a political angle to my husband's murder two days ago as he did not have personal enmity with anyone. But there could also be professional reasons," Ranjan's wife Asha Devi said.

Read: Four held in connection with journalists death in Bihar

She demanded death sentence to the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath to get justice. Gautam urged the state government to bear the cost of education and related needs of Ranjan's children.

"The state government should bear the cost of education and related needs of 16-year-old Ashish Ranjan and his eight year-old sister Sakshi Ranjan as his father will no more be with them to secure their future," Gautam Ranjan told PTI.

The district bureau chief of vernacular daily 'Hindustan', Ranjan was shot dead by unidentified assailants near a fruit market on Station Road here on May 13.

Meanwhile, BJP took out protest march throughout Bihar while its state unit president Mangal Pandey staged dharna in Siwan demanding arrest of the culprits and a CBI probe.
Abdul Rehman was arrested in a joint operation by 46 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla. (Photo: Twitter/ANI)

Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir: In a significant catch, Army has arrested a terrorist of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit in Baramulla district of Kashmir and recovered an Aadhaar card from his possession, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

Abdul Rehman, a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had infiltrated in January and was engaged in recuiting local youth for "suicide" attacks, Army said.

"A special joint operation was conducted with police, in which a Pakistani terrorist - Abdul Rehman, who belongs to JeM cadre, has been arrested alive. It is a huge success because we are hopeful of getting important information from him when

we interrogate him," Major General J S Nain, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Baramulla Division, told reporters in Baramulla, about 55 kms from here.

Police seized an Aadhaar card from his possession. (Photo: Twitter/ANI)

The official said the operation spanned two months, with the security forces keeping a track of Rehman's movement in the Valley before finally arresting him from a forest area near Old Town of Baramulla on Friday.

"We tracked his movement. He came to Baramulla seven times. He tried recruiting people in Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara," the GoC said.

"He told us that he took training at Balakote training camp in Pakistan under ISI's guidance for three-four months.

Then in January he infiltrated into India along with his four companions.

"They hid in forest areas for one or two months and then this group spread and Rehman was assigned the responsibility of Baramulla, Sopore and areas near them to recruit for JeM and prepare a module for it and the overall aim was to carry big 'fidayeen' (suicide) attacks," he said.

The official said recruiting youth in Kashmir for suicide missions was something new and a matter of serious concern.

Read: 18 terrorists infiltrated Kashmir Valley in April, 3 killed

"This is a new thing which has come to the fore as it is for the first time that a group has come for recruitment to the Valley for its fidayeen squad. This is a serious matter.

"So, this is a huge success for security forces and whatever information we get from him, we can then launch operations based on that intelligence," he said.

Major Gen Nain said an Aadhar card has been recovered from Rehman's possession in the name of Shabir Ahmad Khan and if the card turns out to be genuine, it is a "matter of concern" for the security agencies.

In fact, the army official said all the five terrorists were given an Aadhaar card each when they entered the Valley.

"It will be established by an inquiry whether the Aadhaar card is genuine or not. If it is fake, then it is not a matter of great concern as one can get fake documents. However, if it is original, then definitely, it is matter of concern for all of us," Major Gen Nain said.

He said militant groups were trying to create a situation in north Kashmir similar to south Kashmir where their activities are high.

"There is a lot of terrorist activity in south Kashmir and the situation is hot. Since the last few months, all the outfits are trying to create similar situation in north Kashmir. They thought they could attract people as fidayeen action gets huge media coverage and fame," the army official said.

"During his interrogation, Rehman said the modus operandi was that after recruiting youth, they were to train them for two weeks and supply them arms and ammunition. After the training, they would have got orders from their handlers in Pakistan," he said.

He said Rehman was about to become JeM commander of Baramulla area because there was a vacuum in the area after another JeM militant Mohammad Sidiq was arrested in February.

"We do not know yet how many people have they recruited and he did not tell us in detail about the route of their infiltration. I am sure we will get to know about that during his interrogation," Major Gen Nain said.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy on Saturday wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking his intervention in setting up a Special Investigation Team ( SIT) to take forward the probe into mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar , wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

The BJP leader has been crying foul over the death of Pushkar.

Swamy has even alleged that the wife of the Congress leader was killed in a professional way.

Sunanda was found dead inside her suite at a five-star hotel here in January 2014, a day after she was involved in a spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over the latter's alleged affair with Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Her viscera samples were sent to the FBI lab in Washington DC in February last year to determine the kind of poison that killed her after an AIIMS medical board identified poisoning as the reason behind her death.

The FBI had endorsed the AIIMS report on poisoning and also said that a "dangerous chemical" was present in her body that may have killed her.

Swamy had earlier written two letters -- one in July, 2014 and another in December 2014 -- to the Home Minister in this regard.
ITBP troops with their brand new SUV at forward areas along the China border. (Photo  PTI)

New Delhi: Security agencies have sounded an alert along the Sino-India border after local residents, including a village head, got several telephone calls from spies either from Pakistan or China about army deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

According to sources, the caller, posing himself as either a colonel or a local official, made queries about the army presence in the area and the timings of their movement.

Sources further said recently the sarpanch of Durbuk village, located between Chang La and Tsangte village, received a call in which the caller asked whether outstanding issues with the Army had been sorted.

The sarpanch, who was sitting inside an Army camp at the time of receiving the call, got suspicious and enquired from the caller about his identity.

Despite the caller identifying himself to be from deputy commissioners office, the sarpanch snubbed him and said he should get in touch with the Army. The number was shared with the Army which found that the number appearing on the sarpanchs phone had been masked and it was a computer generated call.
New Delhi/Guwahati: In a serious incident of breach of discipline and officer-jawan clash in the Army, four to five jawans roughed up an officer after a fellow jawan collapsed and later died during a route march in an Army infantry unit in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

What angered the others was the fact that the jawan had complained of chest pain before the route march but was medically examined and found fit by the doctor on duty, clearly indicating a possible case of medical negligence. The jawan collapsed and died after he was brought to the field ambulance. The Army, which has ordered an inquiry, claimed a few jawans got emotional and engaged in agitated behaviour, leading to a minor scuffle. The five jawans got into a scuffle with their officer, who was of the rank of captain. Some reactions on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp went overboard, claiming the situation was like a mutiny, but this was rejected outright by Army sources, who said it is not a case of any mutiny. The incident, nevertheless, brought back memories of the horrific officer-jawan clash near Nyoma in Jammu and Kashmirs Ladakh region in 2012.

A case of the death of a jawan during routine training activity has taken place in an infantry unit in the Northeast. It is not a case of any mutiny. The jawan complained of chest pain and was checked by the unit medical officer and found fit. The jawan later collapsed during the route march. He was rushed to the field ambulance, where he succumbed, said an army.

Army to probe command failure

Four to five jawans got emotional at the death (of the jawan), and when being consoled by their adjutant, indulged in agitated behaviour, leading to a minor scuffle. No one was injured seriously. The incident is being investigated as is the practice in all cases of training deaths, said an Army source. Sources also warned against the designs of some to spread baseless rumours on social media platforms.

The Army is likely to probe the apparent command and control failure that led to such a situation. Observers note that while a few jawans got understandably agitated, their roughing up an officer was a clear case of indiscipline. The Army is likely to probe on what basis the medical officer certified the jawan as fit when he had complained of something as serious as chest pain, after which the jawan participated in the physically-exacting route march.
Patna: While the police is struggling for clues in the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, his father Radha Krishna Chaudhary and Opposition parties on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday Mr Chaudhary, 75, said, Everyone knows who conspired to kill my son. I want a CBI probe into the matter as I have no faith in the state police. I just want a free and fair investigation.

Ranjan was shot from point blank range on Friday by unidentified motorcycle-borne criminals. According to journalists he worked with, Ranjan never discussed his professional problems with his family.

Later, Ranjans wife Asha Devi said, After the murder of (BJP leader) Srikant Bharti two years ago, Ranjan had once mentioned that someone was threatening him. BJP senior leaders also demanded a CBI investigation.
Hyderabad: Condemning the lathicharge on farmers of Kistapur, Congress leader Shabbir Ali on Sunday warned the TRS government of an agitation if it forcibly acquires land from farmers for irrigation projects.

Mr Ali, Leader of Opposition in the Telangana state Legislative Council, was speaking to mediapersons at Gandhi Bhavan, He alleged that the government was using coercive methods to collect consent letters from farmers to acquire land for the Mallannasagar reservoir in Medak district.

He said that the government was not willing to pay adequate compensation to the farmers as prescribed by the Land Acquisition Act 2013. He alleged that the TRS government has re-designed the Mallannasagar reservoir by increasing its capacity from 1.5 TMC to 50 TMC without calculating the economical impact.

It wants farmers to settle for peanuts while denying them the promised benefits under the Compensation Act. He said that the land which government proposes to acquire was fertile and two crops were cultivated every year.
New Delhi: A home ministry official, who had disappeared after being summoned by the CBI four days back, was detained on Sunday by the agency in connection with a case against him of allegedly issuing FCRA notices arbitrarily to several NGOs for financial gains.

Anand Joshi, an Under Secretary in the ministry, was being questioned by the sleuths of Special Crime division of the CBI. Joshi, who had disappeared on Wednesday morning from his home in Indrapuram in Ghaziab-ad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi and taken to the CBI office for questioning.

CBI spokesperson Devpreet Singh said the CBI was tracking the accused and based on information that he was in West Delhi area around 5 pm, he was detained. No decision has yet been taken on whether to arrest him.

The case was slapped against Joshi and some other unnamed persons for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices and arbitrarily issuing notices to several NGOs, registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which were receiving foreign contributions, including activist Teesta Setalvad's Sabrang Trust.

Joshi has rejected the charge and accused his seniors of pressuring him to give a clean chit to NGOs. In a note which he had left before leaving home, he claimed he had been subjected to mental harassment.

The matter came to light after files pertaining to alleged FCRA violations by two NGOs run by Ms Setalvad went missing from the home ministry. The files were traced and restored to the FCRA division but CBI was asked to investigate the matter.

It was noticed that the files had gone missing when the ministry decided to cancel FCRA registration of Setalvad's NGOs, Sabrang Trust. Sabrang Trusts licence was suspended on Septe-mber 9, 2015 by MHA for alleged multiple violations of FCRA rules, including misuse of funds.

When officials found that the files had gone missing, they conducted an inquiry and identified Joshi as the official who had taken away the files. He was summoned and the files were restored.

An Under Secretary is not allowed to take away files, only officials of the rank of Joint Secretary and above are allowed to take the files home. It is a serious violation, the CBI official said.
Hyderabad: With the state government and L&T missing milestones in building the Hyderabad Metro Rail, the clause in the agreement that covers penalty for delaying the project is to be relaxed.

Under the agreement, the government is liable to pay L&T a penalty of Rs 32 lakh a day for the delay in handing over the required land  the right of way  to build the project. L&T is liable to pay Rs 64 lakh per day if it delays the project.

The 72-km Metro Rail was scheduled for completion on July 5, 2017, but L&T announced recently that it would take time at least till December 2018.

Key dates Contract awarded to L&T in July 2010; agreement signed in September 2010.

Though neither side is insisting that the other pay up, the concessionaire agreement is being amended as a precautionary measure to fend off possible legal cases.

During a media interaction earlier this month, Mr Shivanand Nimbargi, the newly appointed managing director and chief executive officer of L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd, gave indications to this effect. He said, The delay is liable to attract the penalty provision under the Force Majeure clause of the agreement. The company is in talks with the government to sort out the issue.

Force Majeure refers to chance occurrence, unforeseen circumstances that free both parties in a contract from liability.

Official sources in the municipal administration department said, The issue has been taken to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He was informed about the need to relax the penalty so as to avoid legal troubles in future.
Hyderabad: TS employees are demanding scrapping of contributory pension scheme introduced in in 2004 and a return to the old scheme. All staff appointed after 2004 are part of CPS.

Employees say 10 per cent of basic pay and DA and 60 per cent of the government matching grant are being paid as pension without specifying the rate of interest. Restrictions like allowing an employee to withdraw only 10 per cent of the accrual after 10 years and withdrawal of 25 per cent during service were against the interests of employees.

They cited the examples of West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala governments implementing the old scheme. It does not guarantee any returns. The money of employees would be subjected to the vagaries of the stock market. The amount is not being properly credited to the account of the employees. There was no certainty about the amount of pension to be rece-ived, said Telangana Udyogula Sangham president A. Padma Chary.

The government should revert to the old pension system to provide social security to employees and their families, said Mr G. Deviprasad of TNGOs Association. The CPS fund in Telangana state currently stands at `1,678 crore.
HASSAN: Patrolling along Shiradi Ghat on National Highway 48 has been beefed up by the police after a gang targeted passengers during the nights on the Ghat section which is surrounded by thick forests on both sides. Police are on a vigil from Donigal point to Chowdeshwari Temple, the border point in Hassan leading to Mangaluru.

About a fortnight ago, a gang of three members targeted three trucks on the Ghat section besides a car, attacking the occupants and decamping with cash. The gang looted two mobile phones and cash of Rs 4,000 from one of the trucks and robbed Rs 10,000 from another vehicle too. Later, the gang attacked a car but to no avail. All the attacks on the vehicles occurred on the same night.

Worried over the gangs presence on Shiradi Ghat, police have tightened security all along the Ghat section upto Chowdeshwari Temple. Speaking on security measures in place on the Ghat section, a senior police officer told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday that highway patrolling has been intensified and vehicles are being checked near Maranahalli and Donigal in the Ghat.

Whenever we get information on a vehicle moving in a suspicious manner, we stop them immediately and let them go only after ensuring that there is nothing suspicious. Police suspect that three gangs are operating on the highway looting passengers.
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday night issued notices to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK chief M Karunanidhi for violating model code of conduct by not reflecting rationale for the promises made in their parties manifestos and ways to meet financial requirements for implementing them. The Election Commission asked both of them to explain their stand for non-compliance of guidelines of the agency.

Read: Jayalalithaa will sweep Tamil Nadu polls, says survey

The development accentuates the prevailing hullabaloo in the state as it goes to polls on May 16.

The two notices, which has virtually similar wordings say that prima facie the manifestos of the two parties "have not substantially fulfilled the guidelines of the Commission".

The poll panel gave them time till 5 pm on May 15 to respond "to explain your stand for non-compliance of the guidelines of the Commission and also reflect the rationale for the promises made in your manifesto and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for the same."

Read: TN polls: Jaya promises free mobile phones, sops for women in manifesto

The Commission warned that if the two leaders fail to respond to the showcause notice, it will take "further appropriate action" against their parties without further reference to them."

The showcause notice is based on complaints from people regarding the election manifestos.

Referring to the guidelines on election manifesto for political parties and candidates, the Commission reminded the two parties of section 3, which says that "in the interest of transparency, level-playing field and credibility of promises, it is expected that the manifesto also reflects the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for it.

"Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled."

Read: TN polls: Jaya raises stakes, promises to scrap medical entrance exam

Both the party supremos have left no stone unturned in their attempts to woo voters. Be it colour TVs or cancellation of medical exams, the arch rivals have promised to bestow every possible thing that would substantiate their chances of winning the polls. Parties in Tamil Nadu are known to promise things like colour TV, mixer grinder, ceiling fans and free rice in their election manifestos.
Mumbai: Former Congress MP Priya Dutt on Sunday called on Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, a day after suspected Sena workers pelted stones at a meeting organised by the Opposition party here.

Dutt arrived at 'Matoshree' (residence of Uddhav) in suburban Bandra in the afternoon and had about half an hour long meeting with the Sena chief, a source said.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of last night's event in which a group of workers, allegedly belonging to Shiv Sena, pelted stones at a public gathering organised by Congress, where Mumbai unit chief of the party Sanjay Nirupam was also present.

Nirupam had organised the conclave in suburban Kandivali to highlight alleged corruption in Shiv Sena-BJP-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as part of Congress' "pol khol" (expose) campaign ahead of the next year's civic elections.

Dutt, however, claimed she did not discuss anything political with Uddhav. "There was nothing political in our meeting. I met him owing to personal relation," the former Congress MP told PTI.

Asked about the Dutt-Uddhav meeting, Nirupam said he was not aware of it. "I was not aware about the meeting though she has every right to meet anyone in personal capacity.

Still, I will speak to her on the issue (the meeting)." Political observers think in the coming days Congress- Shiv Sena fight may turn ugly in the wake of the latter's "pol khol" campaign.

Opposition Congress is targeting the saffron party by repeatedly referring to BJP Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya's remark about prevailing corruption in the country's richest civic body.

Last week, Somaiya had said "there was widespread corruption in the BMC and it was in the grip of a powerful mafia controlled by a saheb from Bandra, his brother-in-law and his PA."

Latching on the remark, Mumbai Congress yesterday filed a police complaint demanding registration of an FIR against unnamed persons, including "a saheb from Bandra", over alleged graft in the BMC.
Shillong: The ruling Congress in Meghalaya on Saturday charged Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with distributing hate pamphlets ahead of the Feb 16 Tura Lok Sabha by-election.

The pamphlet has allegedly warned people to either convert or else leave "Hindusrashtra" soon apart from declaring that Christianity will be "erased" by 2021.

The Congress, which has condemned this, has also lodged a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner in Delhi demanding an immediate probe into the matter.

"These anti-social elements are terrorising the general voters of the constituency by disturbing the hate pamphlets across the 2-Tura (ST) Parliamentary Constituency.

"There is a strong apprehension that these anti-social elements will cause disturbance and chaotic situation in elections," the state congress said in a statement.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the groups were trying to spread communal disharmony to hamper the on-going by-polls and urged the electorate to not get disconcerted and maintain peace and harmony.

The Returning Officer has directed West Garo Hills district SP Mukesh Singh to file an FIR against unknown miscreants involved in the act.

Meanwhile, campaigning has ended at 4 pm on Saturday with no untoward incidents except for the reported hate speeches involving the Congress candidate and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's wife Dikkanchi D Shira earlier this month, Chief Election Officer F R Kharkongor said.

"Campaigning was peaceful in all the five districts till the time it ended today at 4 pm. There was no untoward incidence reported," Kharkongor said.

In the reported hate speech, the Returning Officer is expected to summon Dikkanchi for questioning very soon following which necessary action will be taken as per law, Mr Kharkongor said.

The by-election was necessitated following the demise of former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma earlier this year.

The BJP, which did not put up any candidate, is supporting the National People's Party candidate and former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma's son Conrad K Sangma and so are the regional parties in the state.

The ruling Congress has 13 out of the 14 MLAs in the five districts the constituency is spread over. But Conrad feels he has an edge over Dikkanchi as his father Purno A Sangma has a huge following and has been their leader for a very long time.
BJP president Amit Shah flaunts Outlook magazine cover of 2013 with the photograph of a malnourished Kerala child, which turned out to be a Sri Lankan child as per US State Department report

KOCHI: When you are in pit dont dig. Somebody needed to impart this wisdom to BJP president Amit Shah as his attempt to rescue Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the negative fallout of the now infamous Somalia comments has landed him in further embarrassment.

The cover page picture of Outlook weekly displayed by Mr Shah in Thiruvananthapuram to prove the pitiable status of the tribals in Kerala has no connection with the state itself. An online journal naradanews.com has reported that the picture carried by Outlook was not from Attappadi or Kerala, but it was culled out from a report by the US State Department to Congress named Incidents during the Recent Conflicts in Sri Lanka in 2009.

The picture displayed in the cover of the Outlook was on page 64 of the 73-page report. Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday Mr Shah had displayed the magazine to prove that Mr Modi was not comparing Kerala with Somalia, but was only highlighting the living conditions of the tribal communities in the state.

Mr Shah quoted a slew of media reports, especially of 2013 when several incidents of infant deaths were reported from Attappady, a tribal hamlet, to prove his point. But displaying a deceptive cover picture to prove his point may be his undoing.
Media reports that have been circulating suggest that the Army, one of the three armed services, has instituted a study headed by Lt. Gen. Philip Campose, a retired vice-chief of army staff, to suggest ways to make cuts in the force in around three months time to rightsize the Army. The aim is to initiate targeted reductions to improve the forces tooth-to-tail ratio  the number of personnel required to support a combat soldier. If the approach to reduce the size of the Army, and that too within a period of three months, is true, nothing can be more amateurish than what is being attempted.

There is no denying the fact that the size of the defence services has bloated much beyond the needs of efficient war-fighting. The tooth-to-tail ratio, which is under scrutiny, has become a cliche among some intellectuals who simply do not understand that the militarys size and shape has an irrefutable relationship with the countrys military doctrine for war-fighting and the consequential constituents of military structures.

Military modernisation is a field that is least understood. It is assumed that it is related to inducting high technology weapons and equipment. On the contrary, it encompasses the renovation of a wide spectrum of war-fighting related specialties, such as joint warfare concepts and doctrines, higher defence management set-ups, military organisations from the highest to the lowest levels, the logistics chain, command and control structures, C5I2SR systems, infrastructure, mobility including trans-regional transformations, training needs, human resources policies and a host of other issues. Changes that will be brought through the modernisation process will contribute to efficient integrated joint war-fighting. The scope of military doctrine evolved will be restricted to the extent of availability of funds, and the timeframe needed to induct high technology, modern weapons and equipment.

Cutting the military flab is not a standalone issue, but a part of the military modernisation process. When such a plan is set in motion, it creates a few new structures to operationalise the revised war doctrine and some of the weapons and equipment systems inducted. However, it will resize a number of structures that are not in sync with the revised war doctrine. Arbitrary cutting of the tooth-to-tail ratio is nothing but an attempt at a surgery without knowing where the tail is or how much of it needs to be cut. China went through the process of military reforms at least 10 times since 1949. Its military strength stands at 2.3 million. Chinas President Xi Jinping, during his speech on September 3, 2015 at the World War II victory celebrations, announced a further cut of 300,000 troops.

At the end of this 11th phase of restructuring, Chinas military strength is expected to be two million, compared to 6.27 million in 1949. Have the force reductions come about by cutting the tooth-to-tail ratio and that too within a timeframe of three months? The worlds military community must be amused by our approach to force reduction and military modernisation. The examination of a few sample areas will elucidate the point.

China today has five theatre commands. They are the five joint operational commands. Its entire fighting forces, including those guarding the borders, are under these commands. The United States controls global operations through six of its unified theatre commands. What about India? India today has 14 operational commands (six of the Army, three of Navy and five of Air Force), and a joint service theatre command based in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. What happens in the event of a war between India and China? In Chinas case, the western theatre command headquartered at Chengdu (Sichuan) alone will handle the entire military operations from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, including border management in peacetime and the switchover to a wartime scenario.

India will field nine operational commands, besides units under the Union home ministry, and with most commands having overlapping jurisdictions. Do we realise the implications of such a confusing arrangement managed by multiple headquarters, commanders and staff in a serious business such as war?

Take the case of military logistics chains. Today, each service has its own logistics chain to meet their requirements, based on our British-era war strategy and doctrine. In case we adopt an integrated joint war-fighting concept, the logistics chain can be combined and some restructuring done to meet the logistics requirements of an integrated joint war-fighting machine.

Do we straightaway get to the business of making these changes, and some others that are clearly visible? No. By acting abruptly we will only create a huge unsolvable confusion. The answer lies in undergoing restructuring after remodelling our war strategy and military doctrines. And there is no doubt this process cannot be completed in three months; it will have to be handled in a time-bound manner and in well-thought-out phases. This job should be entrusted to a new Chief of Defence Staff, and his team comprising the three service chiefs. The government can give the final nod to that.

The process of military modernisation and restructuring can be initiated by the government enunciating the national security strategy and appointing a CDS. That will send a clear message indicating its resolve to modernise the defence forces and adopt integrated joint operations as its war-fighting strategy. This must be followed up by the issuance of a national defence strategy by the defence ministry. The threat perception, extent of military capacity to be built and the scope of joint war-fighting will have to be defined in this document. The bureaucracy could pose a number of impediments and suggestions on how not to restructure the defence forces. But it is in our national interest and the political leadership should step in and push through these reforms, the way Mr Xi Jinping did for China.
The Pentagons annual report to the US Congress on Chinas nuclear power, its territorial aggression in the East and South China seas and troop buildup close to the Indian border is not so much alarmist as a realistic assessment of rising military capabilities. However, the force posture warning is specially relevant to India, now caught in the middle of changing global geopolitics. China is putting forth its usual defence, that it follows a national defence policy thats defensive in nature, but this alters little in India-China ties, despite Narendra Modi striking a personal rapport with Xi Jinping.

These strategic shifts couldnt have gone unnoticed in the Indian establishment and think tanks as the nation moves closer towards the US in civil nuclear matters, besides signing a preliminary military logistics agreement. Americas espousal of Indias cause for a Nuclear Suppliers Group slot also created tensions, with China vehemently protesting. The warmer India-US vibes may lead to cooling of the earlier close defence ties with Russia, which experts say is moving somewhat closer to Pakistan as a counterbalancing measure.

Indias move away from Russia as the key arms supplier could be over its unreliability in technical terms as well as the intent evidenced in the aircraft-carrier deal. Truth to tell, India is out on a limb thanks to prickly neighbours and must continuously reassess its strategic position in the region. It was Sun Tzu who said a leader must be capable of comprehending unfathomable plans, which is what India may be trying to do with Chinas latest moves.
While all the developed and developing countries of the world constantly endeavour to modernise and update their educational structures, we in India seem to have other ideas. When people in authority, whose every word is reported in the national (and international) press, both print and electronic, unabashedly make uneducated statements with a high degree of candour wherein claims are made about ancient Indias prowess in plastic/cosmetic surgery going to the extent of replacing a human head with that of an elephant and thus leading to the genesis of the elephant god, what signal does that give to our above average students?

Many an unsubstantiated statement has also been proffered about our expertise in stem cell biotechnology in days of yore. Are we attempting to move ahead in our educational sphere or taking retrograde steps? Has anybody bothered to pause and gauge as to how our scientists, the objective ones at least, have cringed on being subjected to such torture? Also, without batting an eyelid when tall claims are made that we flew aeroplanes before Isaac Newton had even time to spell the word gravity, where does that lead us?

We would not be far off the mark if we conclude that what is being witnessed is, undoubtedly, the politicisation of education. Before we proceed any further it may be quite appropriate to debate whether it is education that we are talking about or mere literacy of the pedestrian kind. Let us keep aside the Degrees Controversy that has engulfed the topmost political/ministerial offices in the country and persuade ourselves that we are indeed dealing with an educated class, though mere possession of degrees may not always lead to proper education.

Soon after the Emergency when the Janata Party came to power with a myriad of political components (the BJP was yet to be born and was in its erstwhile avatar of the Jana Sangh), one of the first things it did was to ban history text books brought out by the NCERT. These were books authored by highly respected left historians like Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, R.S. Sharma and Bipan Chandra. That was a highly-loaded political decision taken in 1977.

Are things any better today? Events that are unfolding around us do not give us much encouragement to think positively in this realm. While there could be room to criticise some of the things the Congress did while in power, to be fair, it has to be said that while there could have been a bias in selecting some of the academics in terms of their left leanings, those who were commissioned were academics with impeccable reputations unlike the half-baked ones that the present dispensation has been bringing in; suffice to name just one, the Chairman of the Indian Council for Historical Research, Dr. Sudershan Rao, whose appointment was condemned!

Looking at the educational scenario in different states, ruled by different political parties too does not enthuse us. Each party seems to have its own vested agenda of some sort. Rajasthan wants to do away with the Nehru legacy. By removing Nehrus Tryst with Destiny, the state is hell bent not only in playing with historical events but is blind to the fact that it is indeed playing with the destiny of its own students! A party like the BJP which has hardly any stalwarts of international standing is on the one hand struggling to adopt and appropriate leaders whom it has at times in the past despised.

For instance, Baba Saheb Ambedkar. On the other hand, it is trying to keep at a distance leaders like Nehru because followers of Nehru, in BJPs thinking, can only be Congressmen, but adopting Ambedkar can bring in potential Dalit votes. Nor does the BJP have any compunctions in appropriating Kamaraj in order to ingratiate the Tamil society and thereby attempt to win a few votes in Tamil country.

Karnataka is making it mandatory for students of professional courses to study Kannada from the coming academic year. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and many other states have toyed with two- and three-language formulas and all these policies have made life difficult for the students. The idea of choice and option which should be the guiding force and facilitate students progress does not seem to have any priority in the way policies are formulated. The latent factor that goes into such jingoism and chauvinism is the insider vs outsider factor. Make things hard for those who have migrated into a state and keep them away from taking a share in the states cake. The son-of-the soil policy has wrought havoc not just in the sphere of education but has had an adverse effect in not enabling the migrants to have a degree of integration at their own pace and of their free will. Forcing things down the throats of people is not a civilised way to treat citizens.

The concerted efforts of our states should be towards improving the lot of our children through proper educational reforms. It is no secret the various sectors and the industry feel that almost 90 percent of our graduates are unemployable! Those in the seventh/eighth standards are unable to even handle maths of the third standard. Nor can they write proper sentences in any language. We should concentrate on improving standards, rather than indulge in politicising education.

(The writer is Professor of Eminence, department of Sociology/Social Work at Tezpur University.)

Voices speak out against politicisation of education

We are still very feudal and medieval in our character. What happened during ancient times was there used to be a dominant ruler who wanted its subjects to fall in line. This seems to be the mindset of present day BJP as well. Now newspapers are writing as to what happened in Rajasthan and two months back there was a controversy as to who was the architect of Modern India. It is to be expected in India because of the historical factor.

But a government/ party that has been voted as the majority party has no right to re-write Indias history. As an academician I have huge issues with projection of Nehru himself. There were so many freedom fighters and politicians - all those who gave their life for Indias freedom. The present discourse whether it is BJP or Congress I am not in favour of any of the parties because both have their dominant discourse as to who got freedom for India. This has been happening at the state and central level for a long time.

All these people dont understand we cant erase Nehrus contribution to modern India whether they like it or not. We can tear Nehrus books and destroy Nehru but cant destroy the facts. There was a time there was also removal of English writers. This is nothing but Fundamentalism.

What BJP is doing is a kind of terrorism like that of Afghanistan Taliban who tried to destroy Buddhist history. Either they should stop talking on modernism and embrace fundamentalism. India has a collectivist and secular image, these activities must be read as a dangerous part.

India exists because of Muslims, Hindus, Jains and Christians. If we want India to exist in a pluralist manner we have to oppose what is happening. This has to be read outside the binary logic of BJP and Congress as these two parties are not the character of India. The party which has five years of mandate cannot re-write a history of 1,000 years.

Professor G. Ravindran, Head of Journalism and Communication department, University of Madras.

There is a big difference between what happened in Rajasthan and what happened in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu its political vendetta. No historical fact has been removed. One or two government programmes, the credit for which they thought would go to the former CM Karunanidhi, were removed by the present government. What has happened in Rajasthan was totally different, because they removed portions from Nehru's Discovery of India. The book introduces the evolution of mankind to a child. Its not only Jawaharlal Nehru many Muslim scholars writings also removed. Its out and out destroying the multi-cultural concept and introducing a uni-cultural one.

If they want to update the syllabus, they should have brought in discrimination in the name of caste and the kind of society we have. Now they are trying to glorify the Vedic religion in India. Celebrating diversity is the essence of Indian culture. If you bring the single religion, single culture then you are demolishing the concept of India. People belong to any religion can live safely in India and it is proved after the independence.

Updating syllabus is bringing in new scientific ideas, new discoveries and anthropological developments. But if you go and talk about only unscientific ideas like pushpak vimanas and warships in the ancient period then you are outdated. In the new education policy, the central government wants to Sanskritise education. Instead of national integration, they are talking about cultural integration. Its not a progressive step, but a regressive one.

P.B. Prince Rajendra babu, General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System, Tamil Nadu.

It is the plan of the RSS to inject their own views into the minds of students. Though many are okay with the act, it is felt that the RSS should be open to accepting others views as well. It is essential that the students are left to decide what opinion to accept and what not to and teachers should ensure that the students are given that freedom. That is the proper method of teaching. Politicization of education is mostly seen in subjects like History and Sociology. Teachers and politicians fail to realise that without knowing the past, students will be unable to understand the present.

The RSS is distorting history, a method I condemn. In the past as well, the Congress distorted history by trying to impose their views on the students. The only distinction was the different angles in which the distortion is taking place. We must oppose this act and encourage freedom for students. History should be taught according to the rules of historiography and not based on the politicians in power.

Prof. Arunan, Former Professor in Madurai Kamaraj University
For a proper understanding of Jawaharlal Nehru, independent Indias first Prime Minister who was as much revered as he was reviled, we have to shed some of preconceived notions about him He was a dreamer, yes, in contrast to Sardar Patel who was a man of action who in one fell sweep made all princely states fall in line and used force when Junagadh and Hyderabad showed resistance and coolly called it police action. It was Nehru who took the Kashmir issue to the UN after the Indian troops beat back the Pakistani tribesmen and the Pakistani army. The result was a ceasefire to be followed by plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries differed on terms of the ceasefire and on pullback of troops. Since then we have one part under Indian control and another part in Pakistans hands.

Why did Nehru take the issue to the UN after Maharaja of Kashmir acceded to accession to India? Was it because he was too much of a democrat to force an unwilling people be a part of India? The UN resolution said the accession should be ratified by the people. Nehru wrote: When Kashmir acceded to India in October 1947, there was no mention of plebiscite by India. What India said was that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be consulted. The first mention of plebiscite came long afterwards in a resolution of the U.N. Commission, which we accepted. That resolution contained various conditions to be fulfilled before the question of plebiscite came up. Among these conditions was the withdrawal of the Pakistan forces.

In May 1956, he said: My justification for being in Kashmir primarily is because the people of Kashmir or a great majority of them, the national leaders, invited us and because I think that a very large section of them want us to be there. If nobody wants us there in Kashmir, we shall have no place there. We can't keep an army of occupation in place there. So that, both for practical reasons and other reasons, the natural result is that we should seek a settlement of the Kashmir issue as it is today in the ceasefire line, subject to some changes here and there.

In another setback to Nehrus policy, the UN did not accept election held in Kashmir under Indias control as a substitute for plebiscite. The UN said the wishes of the people of the entire state should be ascertained. In the first election, Sheikh Abdullah won and became Chief Minister. Later, he called for self-determination and fell afoul of New Delhi and was kept under preventive detention in Kodaikanal. When Mohammed Jinnah insisted on partition and Mahatma Gandhis determined opposition delayed grant of independence by the British, it was as Rajaji predicted in 1946.

Contrast this pragmatists view with Nehrus stand. He said well into independence: So far as the two-nation theory is concerned, we have never accepted the fact that Pakistan was a result of the two-nation theory. It may be so in the minds of the people of Pakistan but we did not agree to it even then. Our position has been that we cannot consider a nation and a religious community as the same thing. Nations contain more than one religious community. Even if all the Muslims in India believed in this theory, we would not accept it or even if all the Hindus believed in it.

Being a true secularist, Nehru found the very idea of a theocratic state repugnant. No wonder the Sangh Parivar despise him. Another misconception is that Nehru felt betrayed when China invaded India in 1962, inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Indian army and later unilaterally on Arunachal, having made a point that it was a disputed territory. A stand that China sticks to this day. The fact was the border issue was discussed when Nehru visited Peking in 1954 and when Chinese Premier Chau-en-Lai made a return visit in 1956. No agreement was reached, though.

Cited as a crowning glory of Nehru in foreign affairs was the non-alignment policy, coming together of Asian and African countries that had just gained independence from colonial rule the central pillar of which was keeping equal distance from both the super powers. The first conference in Bandung, Indonesia, saw participation of Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia, Egyptian Premier Abdul Nasser and host Sukarno, besides Nehru. The panch sheel, five principles of coexistence enunciated at Bandung suffered a blow when China, which joined the movement at Nehrus urging, sought to settle a territorial dispute through use of force.

In domestic issues, a blot on Nehrus democratic credentials was the dismissal of the worlds first democratically elected communist government in Kerala. It was the fallout of a mass agitation against the government of EM S Nambodiripad against an education bill that sought to regulate the wages and working conditions of teachers in private educational institutions. Up in arms was the Catholic Church as well as the Nair community, both of whom ran several institutions and a saw the bill as an encroachment on their rights. Nehru relented in the face of mass protests.

Most controversial was Nehrus policy of democratic socialism or mixed economy with emphasis on public sector commanding the heights of the economy. Rajaji, his long associate during the freedom struggle, turned a bitter critic of what he called the licence-permit-raj system which said was the root cause of corruption.

Rajaji stood vindicated when P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh opened up the economy leading to liberalisation and globalisation. But when foreign majors came to India the so-called Bombay Club of big industrialists, pleaded for protectionism. If they are able to stand up to competition from MNCs, it was because of the foundation laid by Nehru on industrialisation. Maybe, he neglected agriculture, which Gandhi said should be the focus with villages as fulcrum of growth.

But then it was a different where the nation was ruled by stalwarts who agreed to disagree and yet remained best of friends. When Nehru died in May 1964, a year or so after the Chinese invasion from the shock of which he could not recover, Rajaji paid a glowing tribute. He said: Eleven years younger than me, eleven times more important to the nation, eleven hundred times more beloved of the nation, Sri Nehru has suddenly departed from our midst and I remain alive to hear the sad news from Delhi  and bear the shock... .The old guard-room is completely empty now... I have been fighting Sri Nehru all these 10 years over what I consider faults in public policies. But I knew all along that he alone could get them corrected. No one else would dare do it, and he is gone, leaving me weaker than before in my fight. But fighting apart, a beloved friend is gone, the most civilised person among us all. Not many among us are civilised yet. God save our people

 The writer is a Chennai-based senior journalist and political analyst
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The agenda of Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to accelerate industrial growth in the state has not gone down well with the Opposition parties.

During his recent visit to Shanghai, Mr Badal said an E-Cycle Valley would be developed in Ludhiana. He claimed he has studied the entire ecosystem necessary to come out with affordable electric cycles.

I am confident this can be implemented at Cycle Valley in Ludhiana. The Punjab government will fast-track permissions and allot land to all the five promoters who have decided to set up manufacturing facilities, including four Chinese and one Taiwanese company, said Mr Badal. Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann, who is never short of words, was of a different opinion, as he quipped: In the past as well, Sukhbir had planned some projects, like starting water buses and constructing roads that last for decades, but the reality is known to every Punjabi.

Few years back, he had gone to China with an army of officers to learn how to use wheat straw to produce electricity, but the fact is that a mill owner near Khamanon was already producing electricity out of wheat straw. Moreover, even Google or YouTube can teach you this technique. Then, what is the need for this show-off? The actual thing is that none of the Akali leaders, including Sukhbir, can go to countries like Canada and America as the Punjabi community residing there doesnt even want to see the Akalis, so Sukhbir satisfies himself by going to Korea, China and Japan, added Mr Mann. Some twist in the Punjab investment story, we say!

Test of a loyalist

Recently, veteran Bharatiya Janata Party MP Bhola Singh, known for his flowing Hindi oratory, asked Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan a pointed question. Mr Singh asked what was the majboori of the government that prevented it from adopting an aggressive approach against Reliance Industries, which is involved in various arbitration cases with the Centre? Mr Pradhan, a known Narendra Modi loyalist, tried to reassure Mr Singh saying that there was no majboori as the nation is being led by Mr Modi.

The witty MP immediately shot back by saying its fine that Mr Modi is the Prime Minister, but you too are Dharmendra and to top that, also a Pradhan (head of department in Hindi), so you too should be proactive. The repartee left the minister shaking his head in embarrassment and left the entire Lok Sabha in peals of laughter.
He was also a prolific author on education in the Indian community and Tamil culture among Indians in South Africa. (Photo: Twitter)

Johannesburg: An Indian-origin pioneering Tamil scholar and author, who was instrumental in persuading the South African government to introduce Tamil as a language at secondary schools, died at the age of 103.

Cundasamy Kuppusami, who died on Friday, began his career as a teacher and went on to become the first inspector of schools in the Department of Indian Education when the system was still segregated by race in the apartheid era.

The South African-Indian community is mourning the death of Mr Kuppusami.

He was also a prolific author on education in the Indian community and Tamil culture among Indians in South Africa.

Among his most popular books which are still sought after are 'A Short History of Indian Education', Religions, Customs and Practices of South African-Indians' and 'The Three Pillars of Tamil'.

Mr Kuppusami was a founder member and the longest serving member of the South African-Tamil Federation (SATF).

"Volumes could be written about this doyen and his contribution to our language, culture and the arts. The centenarian was one of the greatest Tamil scholars that we had in our midst," said SATF representative Bobby Pillay.

He was responsible for the drafting and the layout of the first Tamil alphabet card that the SATF printed and distributed freely to all Tamil organisations in the country to utilise at their schools. The late Mr Kuppusami was also responsible for spearheading the numerous Tamil teacher programmes that the SATF held in the past.

"Whilst still with the then Department of Indian Education, he was instrumental in persuading the department to commence Tamil as a language at secondary schools. Mainly through his efforts, the first Tamil class commenced at the Brindhaven Secondary School, at Montford in Chatsworth with the combined efforts of the Tamil Advancement Society," Mr Pillay said.

Mr Kuppusami's funeral will take place on Sunday at his hometown Durban.
US military officials are closely watching social media and news reports that say ISIS believes it may soon come under siege in Raqqa, Syria, its self-declared capital, the report said. (Representational Photo)

Washington: ISIS has declared a state of emergency in their de-facto capital of Raqqa in Syria, a US official has said while asserting that the dreaded terror network is feeling "threatened".

"We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqa, whatever that means," Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, was quoted as saying by CNN. "We know this enemy feels threatened, as they should," he said.

US military officials are closely watching social media and news reports that say ISIS believes it may soon come under siege in Raqqa, Syria, its self-declared capital, the report said.

Media reports have indicated that ISIS is moving personnel around the city and trying to put up covers in certain areas to shield potential targets from airstrikes and ground attacks.

"We've had reports of ISIL repositioning both their combat capabilities, I guess what they think may be coming next," Warren said, using another name for ISIS.

"And we've seen reports of them repositioning personnel ... either within the city or even out of the city."

US military also notes that the movement of fighters who have been well dug in throughout Raqqa could give overhead surveillance aircraft an improved chance of finding and targeting them.

And while the US has not officially said it believes ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi still remains in or around Raqqa, several officials say that has continued to be a working assumption.

However, they are monitoring any potential intelligence that he could be in other locations as well.

"Baghdadi remains extremely careful" about his personal security, a US defence official was quoted as saying. The US will continue to try to find him, the official said. But even if he is located and captured or killed, the US assessment is that it would not immediately change the scope and capability of ISIS operations, because there are other leaders ready to step in.
Washington: The US is committed to maintaining its "vital" but "complicated" relationship with Pakistan, the Obama Administration has said amid a row over a decision by the Congress to block the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to the country. "It is an important, vital relationship that we strongly believe in. Is it complicated at times? Absolutely it is. And do we see eye-to-eye on every issue with Pakistan? No, we don't," State Department spokesman, John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference.

"But that's why the relationship matters so much because we have shared threats and shared concerns, shared interests in the region. And we're going to continue to work at it," he said on Saturday. Kirby was responding to a question on the statement made by Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz that his country's relationship with the United States has been under stress for the past three months.

Kirby said he has not seen the statement. "I didn't see his comments. So I'm going to refrain from responding specifically to that sentiment," he said. Kirby did not agree when asked if the US-Pakistan ties are not at the best of times these days. "It is an important relationship that we continue to work at very, very seriously. We're going to remain committed to. And I would not share that characterization of it," Kirby said.
Gill Parker Payne of Gastonia, from North Carolina, pleaded guilty in a New Mexico federal court to a misdemeanour hate crime charge of using force to intentionally obstruct the woman's free exercise of her religious beliefs. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

Washington: A 37-year-old man has admitted in court that he ripped off a Muslim woman's hijab on board a flight in the US after screaming "Take it off! This is America!".

Gill Parker Payne of Gastonia, from North Carolina, pleaded guilty in a New Mexico federal court to a misdemeanour hate crime charge of using force to intentionally obstruct the woman's free exercise of her religious beliefs.

Near the end of his Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque last December, Payne decided he had to take action.

Read: Muslim woman left in tears, thrown out of plane for 'no reason'

Seated a few rows in front of him was a woman he had never met before. She was wearing a religious headscarf, known as a hijab, which Payne recognised as a Muslim practice.

He stood up, walked down the aisle and stopped next to her seat. Looking down at the woman, Payne instructed her to remove the covering, the Washington Post reported.

"Take it off! This is America!" Payne was quoted as telling the woman. When she did not do it herself, Payne grabbed the hijab from the back and pulled it all off.

Violated, the woman, identified by the Justice Department only as K A, quickly pulled the hijab back over her head.

As part of a plea deal with the federal government, Payne on Friday pleaded guilty to obstructing the woman's exercise of her religious beliefs.

"Because I forcibly removed K A's hijab, I admit that the United States can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I intentionally obstructed K A's free exercise of her religious beliefs," he said in a written statement in the plea agreement.

Payne awaits sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of up to USD 100,000. "No matter one's faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence," Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, was quoted as saying in a statement.

"Using or threatening force against individuals because of their religion is an affront to the fundamental values of this nation," she said.

FBI data show that hate crimes against nearly every group fell from 2004 to 2014. However, anti-Muslim hate crimes are the only exception, remaining nearly unchanged. There were 156 in 2004 and 154 in 2014.

The Bridge Initiative, a Georgetown University research project focused on Islamophobia, found in a report this month that anti-Muslim violence and vandalism rose last year from 154 to 174 reported incidents.

The 2015 incidents included 12 murders, 29 physical assaults, eight arsons, nine shootings or bombings, and 50 threats against people or institutions.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said this week that China's DF-26 missile -- dubbed by analysts the "Guam killer" and unveiled at a high-profile military parade in Beijing last September -- allows China to bring unprecedented firepower to bear on the US territory of Guam. (Photo: AP, Representtaional Image)

Washington: China's new 'Guam killer' missile, capable of hitting targets some 5,500 km away, is raising new fears of a growing Chinese threat to key American military facilities and stability in the Pacific Rim, the Congress has been warned.

A congressional panel has issued a report warning of the dangers of the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, during a week in which US-China tensions flared anew with a US Navy destroyer sailing close to a Chinese-claimed island in the disputed South China Sea.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said this week that China's DF-26 missile -- dubbed by analysts the "Guam killer" and unveiled at a high-profile military parade in Beijing last September -- allows China to bring unprecedented firepower to bear on the US territory of Guam.

The territory sits well within the missile's range. "Foremost among China's military assets capable of reaching Guam, the DF-26 IRBM represents the culmination of decades of advancements to China's conventional ballistic missile forces," CNN quoted the commission's report as saying.

While the current state of Chinese guidance technology makes any threat low at the moment, the report warned that "China's commitment to continuing to modernise its strike capabilities indicates the risk will likely grow going forward."

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to look at issues between the two Pacific powers. It is required to submit an annual report to Congress on US-China relations and advise Congress on possible legislative and administration actions.

Guam, home to Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Naval Base, has been as a place from where the US could project power across the Pacific while having its forces at relatively safe distance from possible threats, including North Korea and China.

A study last year from MissileThreat.com at the George C. Marshall Institute in Washington warned, "Prior to the deployment of the DF-26, China's only way to attack Guam would have been with H-6K strategic bombers, which would have been much less effective given the strong defensive capabilities of the US military on the base."

About 6,000 US military personnel are based on Guam. The US Air Force has sent regular rotations of B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers as well as top-line fighter aircraft to Andersen. The US Navy has four attack submarines homeported in Apra and can use the base as a resupply point for other warships.

Guam sits 4023 km from Beijing, which puts it about 1,120 km beyond the range of China's land-based medium-range missiles. But intermediate-range missiles such as the DF-26 have a range of up to 3,400 miles, according to the Pentagon, putting Guam within striking distance.
The five, who were not named, were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-meter motor boat almost 3,000 km (1,865 miles) from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said. (Representational image)

Sydney: Australian police have charged five men suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join Islamic State (ISIS) via a journey that would start in a small motor boat taking them to Indonesia and the Philippines. The men, aged between 21 and 31, were charged on Saturday with preparing to enter a foreign country "for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters on Sunday "their intentions to travel to the Middle East to engage in terrorist war fighting were known to the authorities," and that their passports had earlier been cancelled.

The five, who were not named, were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-meter motor boat almost 3,000 km (1,865 miles) from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said. The men, in custody since Tuesday, will appear in court on Monday.

Brandis said that when it became clear to the men they could not leave "in an orthodox way, they remained under surveillance so that if they attempted to leave the country in this very unusual way they would be able to be stopped and they were." There is "an unusual character to the plot, I know it has been ridiculed, but these are serious crimes," he said.

No Current Threat

A separate police statement said there is no current threat of a terrorist act to the Australian community arising from this investigation. Australia, a staunch United States (US) ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of potential ones. There have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead.

About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organisation such as Islamic State, Australia's Immigration Minister said in April. Police said earlier this week that it was unclear where the men had planned to put the boat in the water. Indonesia and Australia share a maritime border, but it spans several hundred kilometres of open sea at its narrowest point.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Melbourne-born radical preacher Musa Cerantonio, a vocal supporter of Islamic State who was deported from the Philippines to Australia in 2014, was among those charged. Police declined to comment on the report.

On Sunday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she will attend Syria peace talks in Vienna on Tuesday co-chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces. (Representational Image)

Baghdad: Officials say militants have attacked a state-run natural gas plant outside the Iraqi capital, killing at least 11 people.

A police officer says Sunday's assault started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the main gate of the plant in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces. He added that 15 other troops were wounded.

Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a coordinated dawn assault on a natural gas plant north of the capital.

A report Monday by the IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency credits a group of "Caliphate soldiers" for the attack on the plant in the Baghdad suburb of Taji.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Sunday a Tehran anti-Israel cartoon contest themed around the Holocaust, accusing Iran of denying and belittling it as well as "preparing another Holocaust."

The exhibition, totalling 150 entries from 50 countries, with many entries deriding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's Middle East policies, opened Saturday in Tehran.

"Over the weekend Iran convened a special Holocaust-denial cartoon contest," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

"We raise this here because it must be understood what our problem with Iran is," he said.

"It is not just its policy of subversion and aggression in the region; it is the values on which it is based. It denies and belittles the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust."

Several cartoons on display poke fun at Netanyahu, with one depicting the Israeli prime minister as a member of the Islamic State jihadist group and holding a sabre in his hand.

Another shows a map of the Middle East with a coffin bearing the word "Holocaust" flattening Palestinians in place of what should be the country of Israel.

The Iranian government has distanced itself from the contest, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said was organised by a non-governmental organisation without any support from the authorities.

Netanyahu had fiercly opposed last year's nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which saw the lifting of international sanctions in return for Tehran ensuring that its nuclear programme remains purely for civilian use.
Abul Khair, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikkhangchhari Police Station, confirmed that they were detained from their houses, reports the Daily Star. (Representational Image)

Dhaka: Law Enforcers on Sunday detained three suspects for their involvement in the killing of an elderly Buddhist monk in Bangladeshs Naikkhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district.

The suspects have been identified as Abdur Rahim, 25, Md Zia, 26, and Sa Mong Chak, 35.

Abul Khair, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikkhangchhari Police Station, confirmed that they were detained from their houses, reports the Daily Star.

U Damma Oaing Cha Bhikkhu, a 73-year-old Buddhist monk, was found dead, with his throat slit, in his temple Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang yesterday.

Read: Elderly Buddhist monk hacked to death in B'desh

Khair quoting the locals said that two Rohingya men were seen loitering some place away from the usual walk way near the murder spot.

The elderly monk had on Thursday reportedly informed his son that he was feeling unsafe since two unidentified men roamed the temple area.

He had also informed that something unexpected will happen to him and asked his son to stay alert.

Aung Sa Dhoai Chak, the victims son, said his father did not have any enmity with anyone in the area.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
The report also notes that China has continued to assert sovereignty over the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the south-eastern South China Sea. But the country's focus has shifted to developing and weaponising those man-made islands so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict, according to a new Pentagon report.

In its most detailed assessment to date of China's island-building program, the Defence Department said three of the land features in the Spratly Islands now have nearly 10,000-foot runways and large ports in various stages of construction. And it has excavated deep channels, created and dredged harbours, and constructed communications, logistics and intelligence gathering facilities.

The report argues that the accelerated building effort doesn't give China any new territorial rights. But it says the airfields, ship facilities, surveillance and weapons equipment will allow China to significantly enhance its long-term presence in the South China Sea.

"This would improve China's ability to detect and challenge activities by rival claimants or third parties, widen the range of capabilities available to China, and reduce the time required to deploy them," according to the report released Friday.

"China is using coercive tactics short of armed conflict, such as the use of law enforcement vessels to enforce maritime claims, to advance their interests in ways that are calculated to fall below the threshold of provoking conflict," the report adds.

The 3,200 acres only represents China's reclamation in the Spratleys and doesn't include its building in the Paracels, further northwest, including the contested Woody Island, in its estimates. China has deployed anti-aircraft missiles to Woody Island.

The Pentagon declined to release details on the amount of increased reclamation in the Paracels or to provide a more concrete estimate of the increase in building in the Spratly Islands.

Chinese officials have defended the land reclamation by saying it is Beijing's territory, adding that the buildings and infrastructure are for public service use and to support fishermen. It accuses the Philippines, Vietnam and others of carrying out their own building work on other islands.

The report also notes that China has continued to assert sovereignty over the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan.

Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Paracels, and the three along with the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim all or parts of the Spratlys. The US says it takes no side in the territorial disputes, but supports freedom of passage through the area, which is one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

China's island building, the report concludes, is designed to walk right up to - but not cross - "the threshold of provoking the United States, its allies and partners, or others in the Asia-Pacific region into open conflict."

More broadly, the report says that China is steadily increasing its role and power around the world, while continuing to modernize and build up its military and inventory of ships, missiles and aircraft.

Specifically, it notes China's plans to build its first overseas military facility in Djibouti to help support naval operations in the region.

The report also repeats assertions by Defence Secretary Ash Carter that continued provocation by China may only improve US relations in the Asia Pacific.

"China's increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims, its forceful rhetoric, and lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities and strategic decision-making continue to raise tensions and have caused countries in the region to enhance their ties to the United States," the report said.

US officials have been increasingly concerned China's activities could be a prelude to enforcing a possible air defence identification zone over the South China Sea, similar to one it declared over disputed Japanese-held islands in the East China Sea in 2013.

As noted in previous year's reports, China continues to target US government and Defence Department computer systems through cyber intrusions. The report said that during 2015, China used its cyber capabilities to spy on the US and steal information from computer networks.

"The information targeted could potentially be used to benefit China's defense industry, high-technology industries, and provide the CCP insights into U.S. leadership perspectives on key China issues," the report said.
China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun holds up a report on China's Military Strategy during a press conference at the State Council Information Office in Beijing, China. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: China's defence ministry criticised a US report assessing its island-building efforts in the South China Sea, saying it "hyped up" China's so-called military threat.

The US Defense Department's annual report on China's military activities had "wilfully distorted China's national defence policy," said ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, adding that the US was too suspicious.

China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the Pentagon report, Yang said.

"China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature," he said. "China's deepening military reforms and its strengthening of weapons and equipment building are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."

The report to the US Congress on Friday said that China was focused on developing and weaponising the islands it has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

It accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities that are causing tensions with other countries in the region.

Yang said it was the United States that had been "frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the South China Sea to make a show of force.
Some genres come with a set of expectations that is often too difficult to overcome so most films don't even try anything different. Content to be what they are, they end up relying on being clever or finding a fun new way to present the same old story. The Romantic Comedy is no different. Once a redefining film comes along, a thousand imitators sprout up and take what was once innovative and fresh and run it into the ground. Worse than those films are the ones that attempt to redefine the genre and then end up falling into the same pitfalls and create a vapid waste of time. 'How To Be Single' starring rising stars Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, and Leslie Mann is that later sort of Romantic Comedy. In its attempt to be edgy, feminine, and genre redefining, it ends up being generic, boring, and unfortunately wastes your time.

Alice (Dakota Johnson) and Josh (Nicholas Braun) have been an item ever since an unfortunate chance meeting put the pair in a compromising and embarrassing situation. Four happy years later and Alice is ready for a break. College is over, she's on her way to start a career as a paralegal in New York City, and for the first time in her life, she has a chance to live by herself and be her own person. Even though she tells Josh it's only a break, he takes it as a tragic end to their romance. It's not long after their breakup that Alice starts to fully experiment with the single life in the city. Living with her single doctor older sister Meg (Leslie Mann) makes the living part of being in the city easy, but the fun part is left up to her coworker, the brash and party hungry Robin (Rebel Wilson). As these three ladies navigate their lack of meaningful romance, Lucy (Alison Brie) desperately clings to online dating metrics as an aggregate for finding the perfect man.

I feel the need to clarify that the reason why my recap of 'How To Be Single' is so short wasn't due to my absolute disliking of the film but because the movie really is that thin. The crux of the film is that each of the four main women played by Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Rebel Wilson, and Alison Brie need to somehow find a way to love themselves and be alone without needing a man in order to be happy. However, the film seems to go a long way to say that while you can have fun being single, it helps to have a guy in the picture or at the very least a brash party-going best friend who is intent on seeing you engage in meaningless sex with random partners night after night. For a film that desperately attempts to push the female empowerment button, it does more harm than good. These aren't strong female characters who stand as statues of individualism and equality, they're cardboard caricatures and not very likable ones at that.

Part of the problem with 'How To Be Single' is the interwoven story structure that apes too much from films like 'Love Actually' for its own good. We're supposed to see each of these women sharing an interconnected microcosm of New York life, but in actuality, the only thing in common is a thin connection to Anders Holm's hound dog bartender Tom and his bar. While they share plenty of promotional artwork together, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, and Rebel Wilson are the only three women who share any screen time together. Alison Brie may as well have not even been in the film at all as her character goes nowhere, is forgotten about for twenty-minute stretches and has no bearing on Alice's crusade for individualism or any of the other central characters for that matter. On top of that, none of the male cast lead by Damon Wayans Jr., or Nicholas Braun are even remotely believable or likable. The only guy that is even remotely likable is Jake Lacy's adorable and big-hearted Ken as he tries to prove to Leslie Mann's Meg that his affections are genuine, even if she's pregnant from a sperm donor. Had the film focused on just those two, the audience might have gotten something actually worth watching. It wouldn't have been new or exciting exactly, but it at least would have been charming and heartfelt, something the rest of this movie is not.

A lot of my irritation and disappointment with 'How To Be Single' stems from the film's marketing as a female-driven romantic comedy that is supposed to shake up the genre in some way. It fails to do that on an epic level. There is an entire scene where Leslie Mann scolds Alice for watching 'Bridget Jones' and falling into that unrealistic romantic expectation trap, but then the entire movie apes key plot elements from films like the previously mentioned 'Love Actually' as well as 'Knocked Up,' 'He's Just Not That Into You' and countless others. Even for a female-driven film without a dominating male star, the film is still ultimately about the men. I am flabbergasted to state that with four female lead actresses this movie fails the famed Bechdel test. Somehow, these four female characters never once manage to have a conversation about something in this movie that didn't involve a man or men in general! Add in some poor attempts at raunchy gross-out humor and you have a film that is sadly thin on character and desperately unfunny. With the cast assembled I was actually hopeful for that this might turn out okay, but even with modest expectations in check, I was gravely let down with 'How To Be Single.'

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'How To Be Single' arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Warner Brothers Home Video. Pressed on a BD50 disc, the disc is housed in an eco-friendly Blu-ray case. The Blu-ray opens with a series of trailers for other upcoming new Warner Brothers releases before arriving at a static image main menu with standard navigation options.
Lahore: Days after Pakistan alleged that an Indian lobby was making "untiring efforts" to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets from the US to it; a top minister has accused India of "supporting" terrorists and separatists, particularly in restive Balochistan, media reports said today.

Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif yesterday said that India was "supporting terrorists and separatist groups in Pakistan especially in Balochistan and the issue of Indian terrorism had been raised internationally by Pakistan".

Talking to Dunya News, Asif claimed that Pakistan Peoples Party's Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, had lobbied against the provision of F-16s to Pakistan by the US.

"The Indian lobby has been making untiring efforts to reverse the US decision, and a strong attempt, through Senator Rand Paul's resolution, to block the sale itself," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has told the Senate on Thursday.

Congress opposed funding of eight F-16 aircraft through foreign military funding of the United States, he said The US Congress has initiated a move to block USD 450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to "demonstrate its commitment" and taking action against the Haqqani terror network.

According to the National Defence Authorisation Act, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan, USD 450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that

Pakistan continues to conduct military operations against the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.

The move comes days after the US told Pakistan to put forward its national funds to buy eight F-16s worth USD 700 million after some top Senators put a hold on the use of American tax payers' money to partially finance them.
My earliest memory of doing cross-stitch is when I was about 12 years old. A birthday gift-set of fabric with designs to embroider had me spend my winter holiday learning this. Cross-stitch is not part of the popular repertoire of traditional Indian embroidery. But, just like its more natural for me to speak the English language than write or converse in Hindi, cross-stitch is also native to my fingers.





The process of embroidering a picture using squares fascinates me. It breaks down the figure, not unlike the pixels of a digital image, and youre never quite sure how its going to look until youve finished. Counting the threads as you go along is also a great exercise in concentration. Fabrics used for doing cross-stitch are called even-weave, or matte, woven to ensure the same number of threads per inch, vertically and horizontally.



The cross-stitch method uses the little squares, demarcated by dots formed between the warp and the weft threads, for easy insertion of the needle. There are many variations of cross-stitch, including a half cross-stitch called tent stitch. And Ive devised my own version, of a crazy cross-stitch, that does not count the warp and the weft threads, but layers of cross-stitches are used for blending colours to create subtle, shaded effects.



For years I had worked with variations of this stitch without questioning. But as my curiosity grew, I asked around, wanting to know how it had come to India. Many people assumed it was the influence of Christian missionaries.



Having attended an Irish Catholic convent school, I know how the culture they brought with them has percolated into our lives. But, could there be some other link? Research revealed cross-stitch in garments from Hissar, Bihar, Sindh and Baluchistan  folk and tribal dresses from late 19th or early-20th century.



Adopted stitch



Kasuti, which is done in Karnataka, also uses the spaces between warp and weft threads, counting them, to create geometric patterns, but its not clear how this technique came to the subcontinent, or why it remains on the periphery of the embroidery practices for which India is renowned.



While convents may have imparted this skill to most urban embroiderers, cross-stitch is not confined to the cities. Its a recent addition to the kantha repertoire. They call it tin phor, for the 3 steps that complete 1 set of crosses.



The Bagh and the Phulkari embroiderers of the Swat Valley have also used this stitch alongside the darning stitch. And, in Daman and Diu, the clothes of the Portuguese and Christian women, which are renowned for their embroidery, use cross-stitch among other embroidery stitches.



Recently, at the Dastkar Basant Bazaar in New Delhi, I found beautiful cross-stitch Jat embroideries, adding greater complexity to its origins. This is done by Garasia Jat women, who stitch geometric patterns in counted work, based on cross-stitch, studded with minute mirrors, to fill yokes of their long gowns called churi. They are Islamic pastoralists who originated outside of Kutch, but their embroidered dresses are unique to Kutch and Sindh.



At the Kala Raksha stall, tent stitch or half-cross stitch and other variations of the stitch were embroidered on tunics, cushion covers, purses and other items.



Historically, the earliest example of a cross-stitch-embroidered piece was discovered in a Coptic tomb. Preserved by the dry desert climate, a design of upright crosses on linen from 500 AD was unearthed in Upper Egypt. Few pieces of decorated fabric from ancient civilisations have survived because, unlike metal and ceramic objects excavated from archaeological sites, natural fibres do not survive the rigour of time nearly as well.



Not only is it difficult to ascertain exact details, there is not enough accurate information to trace the specific origin of cross-stitch embroidery. Courtesy the great Silk Route, this embroidery has found a cross-cultural identity like few others, and cross-stitch is done in different countries across the world.



In Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, very fine and detailed cross-stitch is done on sai goshas, which are V-shaped strips used to identify and decorate bedding rolls when not in use. The embroidery is also done by ethnic groups in Vietnam and Thailand.



The technique and designs of cross-stitch also spread throughout Europe. Historical evidence suggests it first originated in China, where the stitch was widely used during the Tang Dynasty (between 618 AD and 906 AD). The designs may have spread from China via the Silk Route to Greece and Rome, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East; and through the Crusaders, onto Europe.



Paradoxically, it has also been suggested that this embroidery practice may have travelled in the opposite direction, citing the first important migration of foreigners into China that occurred during the Tang Dynasty. Persians, Arabs and travellers from Greece and India also travelled via the Silk Route to China. The caravans carried articles for sale as well as itinerant craftsmen who practised their skills wherever they settled. Their influence on the designs of Chinese textiles is evinced in patterns that bear similarity to Persian fabrics.



Status message



The spread of cross-stitch designs to so many locations makes it difficult to pinpoint its exact origin. But, one of the more important and widespread functions of cross-stitch has been to embellish peasant garments and household linens. In Palestine, once a traditional craft practised by village women, it was an important symbol of Palestinian culture, often as a way of indicating family wealth and status in the community.



The Samplers that were popular in Europe were generally stitched by young girls learning how to sew, recording alphabet and other patterns to be later used in their household sewing. The earliest surviving, dated Sampler was stitched in 1598 by an English girl, Jane Bostocke, almost 400 years ago. The unfolding of this ancient and fascinating lineage, linking a contemporary art practice to ancient civilisations, not only cites globalisation as an age-old concept, but reveals how a humble stitch can transcend the boundaries of religion and nations to forge a universal language.




Seven workers were killed after a landslip occurred at the construction site of a multiplex at Lakshmipuram here last night.





Another worker was rescued in a critical condition and rushed to the Government General Hospital for treatment.



The workers belonged to Gottipadu village under Pattipadu constituency adjacent to Guntur city. The state government announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the victims' families, Guntur district Collector Kantilal Dande said.



The incident occurred last night when the 30-feet deep basement work related to the multiplex was going on. Some 18 workers were said to be working there when suddenly eight of them were caught in a landslip.



Following the alarm raised by co-workers, excavators were pressed into service to clear the mud and extricate those trapped underneath.



Initially, only one body could be extricated even as rescue effort was hampered due to collapse of a compound wall of an adjacent building.



The National Disaster Response Force personnel from Mangalagiri rushed to the accident spot and stepped up the operation to dig out bodies.



The workers were identified as T Seshu (21), B.Saolomon (21), B Sunil (21), J Prasanth (18), B Rajesh (25), J Sudha (40) and B Babu (18), Guntur Municipal Commissioner Nagalakshmi said.



Irate villagers of Gottipadu attacked Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu's car as he reached the spot late in the night.



Ravela represents Pattipadu constituency and all victims belong to it.



Sensing the angry mood of the victims' relatives, police whisked the minister away from the scene in their vehicle.



Andhra Pradesh Home Minister N Chinna Rajappa, who rushed to Guntur from Amalapuram, said an inquiry would be conducted into the mishap and those responsible would be brought to book.



Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who returned to Vijayawada around 2 AM from a five-day personal trip to Malaysia and Thailand, expressed sorrow over the mishap.



AP Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, MLAs Alapati Rajendra Prasad, N Anand Babu, collector Kantilal Dande and other officials supervised the rescue operation






An army jawan died today during a "routine training activity" in Assam following which a few of his colleagues roughed up a Captain.





An army officer said that 4-5 jawans got emotional and agitated following the death of their fellow soldier.



The death took place during a routine training activity, he said.



"The jawan complained of chest pain prior to a route march and was checked by the unit medical officer who found him fit. He later collapsed during the march. He was rushed to the field ambulance where he died," the officer said.



He said that 4-5 jawans became emotional while being consoled by their adjutant, the Captain. They got agitated leading to a scuffle, he said, adding that no one was injured.

The incident is being investigated like all cases of death during training, the officer said.
A married couple and their two accomplices have been arrested for allegedly running a fake call centre and cheating customers of various banks through M-Pesa, a mobile-based money financing and micro-financing service provided by Vodafone, police said on Saturday.





The accused used to siphon off money upto Rs 5,000 from customers account after tricking them into disclosing details of their credit cards by saying that they had earned reward points against their previous transactions.



They used to swindle customers by claiming that the reward points would be credited in cash in their accounts.



Modus operandi

The gang, using the unique modus operandi, duped more than 400 people across the country in less than a year.



Those arrested have been identified as Tej Bahadur, kingpin of the racket, Uma Bharti Kushwah, her husband Amar Prajapati, and Brajesh Narayan Shukla.



The bank account related data of more than 3,000 customers and other incriminating materials were recovered from the fake call centre during a raid on May 9, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav.



Interrogation of Tej Bahadur revealed that he procured bank details of customers from his associates employed at various private and nationalised banks. About the recovery of SIM cards in bulk, Yadav said that all of them were activated SIM cards of Vodafone which Bahadur used to procure from Shukla.



Since M-Pesa allows transaction of only upto Rs 5,000 per day on each account, the gang had been using the activated SIM cards for maximum money transfers every day, he said.



Besides assisting Bahadur in the entire fraud of duping people, the married couple was working as tele-callers at the call centre.



They had appointed over a dozen female tele-callers on payroll whose job was to allure the customers and obtaining details of their credit cards.




A frequent user of cabs, Richa Chaudhary, 30, felt slightly uncomfortable while taking a cab at night last month. But then there was hardly any choice.





I use a cab at least twice a week. I boarded a cab from Khan Market to Model Town last month around 10 pm. I realised the driver was drunk and kept praying that I reach safely. I felt uncomfortable but did not have any other option. I could not have changed the cab at that time, says the fashion designer.



But travelling in cabs like Ola and Uber also means women have to be constantly on guard.



I always make it a point to click images of the number plates. I always make it a point to inform a friend of the car number or talk on the phone so that the driver gets the impression that my family members are alert that I have boarded a cab, says Chaudhary.



With cases of molestation by cab drivers being reported widely, users are sceptical of the background checks being conducted by the app-based companies. Globally, Uber has run into trouble with the regulators claiming that the company has violated laws. However, the company claims it is only a cab aggregator and does not own any vehicles.



According to media reports, prosecutors in San Francisco have sued Uber over its background check policies. In Spain and Thailand, Uber was asked to stop its services after regulators found they were in violation of the transit law. The company has also faced charges in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, say reports.



Regulators across the world have often said such companies give commuters a false sense of security, according to media reports.



In several cases, women do not pursue their complaints as they think it would hardly make a difference. Companies often do not respond to feedback in which women have listed bad experiences, say commuters.



Anshika Dinker, a law graduate, says the media reports on molestation cases in these cabs play in her mind before she decides on which transport to take.



I feel sceptical knowing that there are hardly any background checks on the drivers. The media reports have made me more conscious now. I usually prefer to take the Metro which has a reserved womens compartment, says Dinker.



What bothers Priyanka Roy, 28, about taking these cabs is not only the lack of a proper screening system for drivers which she read about in the papers but also the lack of a monitoring system.



It is always safe to travel in cabs which can be tracked by the company. This is often missing in cabs aggregators which have cheaper rates. It is otherwise best to take autos which have no centralised lock system and a commuter can jump out in case of an untoward incident, says Roy.



But women travellers still take to cabs like Ola and Uber which also offer share options in which a person can travel with other commuters. The competitive rate of the cab aggregators is the primary reason why most people prefer these to other cabs.



Unless it is late at night, I am okay travelling in these cabs. News surfacing on several untoward incidents has now made me careful to not avail these cabs late at night, says Shromona Dasgupta, who works with a multinational company. Reeja Jacob, 27, echoes this. I do not take these cabs if I am travelling alone at night. I do not mind using these at other times as it is very convenient.



The route tracker in the app-based cabs is what makes some women feel secure in using vehicles run by the aggregators. Mostly there are no problems, several users say, with courteous drivers at the wheel.



The experiences have been smooth so far. I rely on the GPS to aid me if some driver pretends or actually does not know the way, says Madhurita Goswami, who works with a national daily.



I especially use Ola cabs at night and have never had any bad experiences, says Joyeeta Biswas, 29.



However, most commuters feel there is an immediate need to improve the tracking system in these cabs. Days after the alleged molestation of a Belgian woman, Delhi Commission for Women has asked cab aggregators Uber, Ola, Taxiforsure, Ridz, and Meru for information to see if they comply with Delhi government rules, like fitting GPS tracking devices and panic buttons.




Delhi government claims it has come down heavily on cabs run by app-based taxi-hailing firms, with ban on peak-time charges and more disciplining on roads. Special Commissioner Transport K K Dahiya says app-based companies like Uber and Ola still require a licence to operate as an aggregator of taxis in the city.





The online cab-hailing services were declared illegal till licensed by Delhis Transport Department, following the infamous Uber rape case in December 2014 which sparked concerns over lack of safety for women commuters in public transport.



While the question of its legality is being discussed in courts, Dahiya tells Deccan Herald, We are registering complaints against all operators who do not have licence. In at least 11 cases, the head of Uber India has been named, Dahiya says DH.



Ola is also one of the violators, he adds.



He says as part of a special drive to rein in unlicensed aggregators, the Delhi government has impounded 595 taxis. These vehicles were seized in the last few weeks over surge pricing, violation of permit norms and passenger complaints.



Just when the Delhi government was letting its intentions known to taxi aggregators, the Capital saw yet another incident of alleged sexual crime in a moving cab. This time, a Belgian woman on a 90-day tourist visa to India said she was molested by an Ola driver.



Governments abroad have also taken on taxi aggregators. S P Singh, a senior fellow of the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training, says the city of Rio de Janeiro recently saw a crippling protest by taxi drivers against Uber, the US-based ride-hailing firm with a presence in 445 cities worldwide.



Major highways were jammed for hours, he says about last months protest in Rio, which is months away from the Olympic Games. The regular taxi drivers are demanding that Uber leaves Brazil. Despite being banned by the Rios city council, the smartphone-based cab-hailing application operates under a court injunction  a scenario not unfamiliar to Delhi.



Citing unfair competition, Delhi local taxi driver groups have demanded curbs on Uber and Ola.



Even though the city rules allow only CNG cabs, Uber and Ola drivers, who are private contractors using their own vehicles, often use diesel-fuelled All India Tourist Permit (AITP) vehicles, authorised by Central government, to run point-to-point services in Delhi-National Capital Region.



At Ola, we have been working relentlessly over the last 6 months to help tens of thousands of diesel taxi driver-owners across Delhi-NCR by highlighting their plight to the EPCA (Environment Pollution Control Authority) as well as the relevant Govt authorities in order to get some respite, as well as facilitate a more structured phase out, a company statement from Ola had said.



Ola said it had also helped tens of thousands of drivers exchange their old diesel cars for new CNG cars through discounts from car manufacturers and easy loans from financial institutions.



According to an estimate, nearly 60,000 diesel cabs ply in Delhi-NCR. Singh claims that most of these ply for Uber and Ola.



Earlier this week, however, Supreme Court gave a reprieve by converting its blanket ban to gradual phase-out.



Surge pricing

Another looming concern regarding app-based taxi-hailing firms is surge pricing, a business practice in which app-based firms raise the fare when demand for the cabs go up in a particular area. Delhi government had ordered cab aggregators to follow the government approved rates for taxi services. Scores of cabs were impounded for levying peak charges during the odd-even road-rationing scheme, between April 15 and April 30.



The app-based companies create unfair competition for local companies, Singh says, describing protests in Delhi and Rio. Meru, black-and-yellow taxis and economy radio cabs have taken up cudgels against app-based services like Uber and Ola.



Special Commissioner Transport Dahiya says Uber is yet to file a fresh application after its application for a licence was rejected last year. But he said Ola has applied

for it.



Singh says it is hard for city to rein in app-based taxi-hailing companies as the job of enforcement lies with two agencies  Transport Department and Delhi Police.



Powers are divided. Police is under Centre, while the Transport Department comes under the Delhi government. Both the agencies are responsible for enforcement. But I think, the Transport Department should restrict itself to drafting regulations, he says.


The shameful incident of a cab driver registered with Ola allegedly sexually assaulting a Belgian national once again highlights the threat to women safety at the hands of the citys unregulated cab services.





Ola driver Balraj Singh was accused of forcibly kissing the Belgian tourist in the middle of a ride. He was arrested the next day, but the recent incident proves that no lessons have been learnt despite the conviction of an Uber cab driver for raping a customer in December 2014.



The driver involved in that case was sent to life in prison. Shiv Kumar Yadav, who was hired after he submitted fake documents, had threatened to assault the victim with a rod if she raised an alarm. More than 10 months later, Yadav was found guilty on charges of rape and endangering the life of the victim.



Police investigation in the latest case also shows that the cab aggregators are still not following the rules before registering drivers on their apps.



Reports have now been sought by the Delhi High Court, Central government and the Delhi Commission for Women.



Women safety cannot be compromised at any cost. The state governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh must show zero tolerance on this issue, says DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal.



The incident also prompted External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to ask Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung for a report. We are committed to the safety and security of all foreign nationals in India, she tweeted.



Ola and Uber have repeatedly been involved in similar incidents of molestation and misbehaviour. It is also alleged that they are not ready to share the data on drivers and vehicles registered with them nor are they serious in checking the legal documents and antecedents of the registered drivers.



The 25-year-old Belgian woman, visiting India on a tourist visa, was subjected to sexual harassment after she hired an Ola cab on May 7. She was traveling from a mall in Gurgaon to south Delhis Chittaranjan Park.



On the way, the driver claimed that his GPS had stopped functioning and signalled the woman to sit next to him, says Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Mandeep Singh Randhawa.



The woman alleged that Singh suddenly grabbed and kissed her. When she protested and asked him to stop the cab, Singh dropped her at south Delhis Govindpuri.

After Singh drove away, the victim informed a friend in Chittaranjan Park. A call was made to the police control room after which the womans statement was recorded at her friends house.



As per Delhi government rules, taxi aggregators need to install GPS- and GPRS- based tracking devices and a display panel showing the map and the total distance covered.

It is also the responsibility of the taxi aggregators to ensure that a panic button is installed so that in case of distress, the passenger can alert the nearest police control room.



But no such facility was available to the Belgian victim.



We were told that the complainant was scheduled to leave the country next day due to which we wanted to ensure that the accused was identified and caught within hours, Randhawa adds.



The details of the cab driver were later sought from Ola. Balraj Singh, who hails from Rajasthans Alwar district, was tracked down and arrested from his house in Gurgaon on May 8.



The complainant identified the cab driver and was able to leave for her country as per her original schedule on May 8, Randhawa says.



In her complaint, the woman alleged that Singh deliberately took the wrong route after Hauz Khas and snatched her mobile phone when she threatened to inform her friend. Before fleeing, Singh also deleted her phones call records.



Though the victim had not saved her friends phone number, she retrieved it through an SMS. A case has been filed against Singh, but no action has been initiated against Ola so far.

Womens rights activists also reckon that such incidents tarnish the countrys image and that tourists will be carrying a negative image while heading back home.



The punishment to the criminal should be exemplary. The authorities should show the same sense of urgency even if the victims are from our own country. A few black sheep tarnish the image of the entire workforce and the country in general, says activist Abha Singh.



Singh adds that the FIR should be registered not only against the driver, but also against the cab aggregators. When a passenger books a cab, she does not book the cab driver. She books the cab aggregator. These firms must be booked for criminal breach of trust, she says.



Another activist, Kavita Shrivastava, says there should be a crackdown on cab aggregators so that the message is loud and clear that there will be no compromise on womens safety.



There should be a complete ban on the app-based cab services. The way women are being teased and molested in cabs clearly shows that the fear of law is not there. Such firms must be banned till they comply with safety standards and regulations, she adds.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the threat to womens safety, the Delhi Commission for Women has also issued a notice to five app-based cab services, including Ola and Uber.



The commission believes that not all drivers possess the Public Service Vehicle Badge issued by the Delhi Transport Department. They have sought to know the number of taxis which operate under their banners and the number of drivers whose details have not been duly verified.



What is the protocol followed by you to connect to the police in case a distress call is received? says the notice issued by DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal.



Please provide us copies of all standard operating procedures followed by you for the same, data on response time and a brief summary of all cases in 2015 that have required police intervention, it adds.



On May 10, the Delhi High Court had also raised similar concerns and told the cab aggregators to provide details of their drivers and get their antecedents checked by police. The court stated that the safety of passengers cannot be compromised.



We have to ensure that no passengers are harmed by any of the drivers in future, Justice JR Midha said in the order. The matter has been listed for July 22. According to rules, the cab aggregators are restrained from registering drivers convicted in the past 7 years.



Among the latest incidents, another Ola cab driver misbehaved with a group of journalists in central Delhi on May 12. A complaint led to Ola suspending the driver, Mohammad Usman.



The complaint was also filed with Tilak Marg police station, but no FIR was registered.

The journalists had hired the cab from Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia near India Gate. The driver allegedly misbehaved with them when they questioned him for not reporting in uniform and wearing his badge.



Usman misbehaved, cancelled the trip and told the journalists to get out from the cab. They went ahead to complain with Ola on which the companys executives called Usman. He, however, refused to drop the passengers to their destination.



The journalists informed police, but Usman was only told to pay a fine. He was soon allowed to return to the roads and look for his next customers.



An Ola spokesperson says they have removed the drivers involved in the 2 recent incidents from their platform. We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour from drivers-partners registered with us. We have also assured full support on sharing all required information like driver details and GPS coordinates to police. Ola is committed to the safety of its users at all times, the spokesperson adds. Uber has also given similar assurances in the past.


Genres : Anime, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Plot Synopsis

The mayhem continues in Ranma 1/2! Things just can't stay quiet at the Tendo Dojo. After a morning ruckus, Ranma hits his head, falls into water, and turns completely into a girl. Now, even when Ranma transforms back into a boy, he still thinks he's a girl! Things become even more complicated when Shampoo, still in love with Ranma, gets a surprise visit from Chinese Amazon twin sisters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, two of her protegees who have it in for Ranma. Then, after Soun and Genma's master, Happosai, uses moxibustion to weaken Ranma, he must master a new legendary technique and defeat Happosai to become strong again. Everything culminates in a final battle against Happosai as Ranma fights to regain his strength!
Over 12 per cent of the country's total land area, which amounts to around 0.42 million square kilometres, is vulnerable to landslide hazard, the Geological Survey of India has said.



About 12.6 per cent of the total land mass of India falls under the landslide-prone hazardous zone, according to a study by the GSI, under the directive of the Ministry of Mines.



"Out of the total land area prone to landslide, 0.18 million square kilometres fall in the North East Himalayas, including Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya. About 0.14 million square kilometres fall in North West Himalayas in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir," the study said.



"Another 0.09 million square kilometres in Western Ghats and Konkan hills in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra and 0.01 million square kilometre in Eastern Ghats of Aruku area in Andhra Pradesh are found to be landslide-prone," it said.



As per the Ministry of Mines' directive in 2013, the GSI envisaged a six-year-long national programme, the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM), in each of its regions from field season (FS) 2014-15 to prepare seamless 1:50,000 scale landslide susceptibility maps following a GIS-based approach.



According to a senior GSI scientist, the GSI-based approach was done through development and use of site-specific/terrain-specific weights/ratings, adequate field and remote sensing inputs.



"The landslide-prone Himalayan terrain also belongs to the maximum earthquake-prone zones where earthquakes of Modified Mercalli intensity VIII to IX can occur, and thus, are also prone to earthquake-triggered landslides," the geologist at the GSI headquarter here in Kolkata told PTI.



The GSI has the onus as the "nodal agency" for the Indian government for landslide data repository and landslide studies and it is engaged in all types of landslide and slope stability investigations. In fact, GSI has been carrying out macro scale (1:50,000) landslide susceptibility zonation since last four decades.



However, compared to the available landslide-prone areas in India (0.42 square kilometre), the target achieved so far by GSI (60,000 square kilometres) till FS 2013-14 has been only 14 per cent.



Moreover, the existing landslide susceptibility maps are old and analog maps which are difficult to be disseminated and updated in future. This warranted GSI to impart maximum stress on completion of this basic task on landslide susceptibility at a faster pace.



For the NLSM, the GSI is using an internationally peer-reviewed methodology on 1:50,000 scale, exclusively developed through a four-year-long (2007-2011) international research in collaboration with the Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, The Netherlands.



The NLSM project in vogue has been conceived, monitored and mentored continuously by the landslide experts of the newly-constituted Geohazards Research and Management (GHRM) Cell, CHQ, Kolkata.



Talking more about the project, the GSI official said for the completion of the entire NLSM target (0.42 million square kilometre), two priorities are identified  Priority 1 (about 66 per cent of the target) areas where habitation and roads exist is based on both the high-resolution remote sensing (RS) and field inputs.



The other one is the Priority 2 (about 34 per cent of total target) which are high-altitude and extremely inaccessible areas where fieldwork is difficult (or minimal) and the inputs maps are mostly based on high-resolution Remotely Sensed (RS) data.



During FS 2014-15, six per cent of NLSM Target in Priority 1 (16480 square kilometre) was completed by GSI in FS 2014-15 on a priority basis in Uttarakhand as per the advice of the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) led by the Cabinet Secretary of the Central government.



The reports of all the completed items of NLSM in Uttarakhand have already been handed over to the Uttarakhand Government.



It was learnt that during the FS 2015-16, NLSM work is in progress with the deployment of 75 trained geoscientists in all the landslide prone Regions of India (NR, NER, ER, CR and SR) in 36 on-going items.



"We are expecting that 42 per cent of NLSM target in Priority 1 (1,16,150 square kilometre) is expected to be completed by the end of XII th Five-Year Plan (end of FS 2016-17)," the official said.



And the entire target of Priority 1 is expected to be completed by the end of FS 2019-20, he added stressing that it is estimated that economic loss due to landslides may reach between 1-2 per cent of the gross national product in many developing countries.


Stepping up attack, Congress today alleged "direct interference" of PMO in the "sudden reversal" of NIA's stand in the 2008 Malegaon blast case and pressed for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into it while apprehending that Samjhauta Express blast case may also meet the same fate.



The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath and discharge duties in line with that oath irrespective of his "ideology".



The NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become 'Namo Investigation Agency', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at "decimating and demolishing" the "meticulous" probe conducted by Maharashtra ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.



He demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the "sudden reversal" of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and "dilution" of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MCOCA and other offences.



He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.



"There was direct interference from the PMO...from his (PM's) office, I have said it earlier and everything is being proved, a dirty tricks department is being run. This government is centrally co-ordinated," Sharma said.



Elaborating, he said Col P S Purohit, an accused in the blast case, had allegedly written a letter to NSA Ajit Doval on January 6 and on January 8, it reached the Home Ministry and on January 9, the Home Ministry "started working" on it.



"...I have not seen such speed in movement of even files in the government," the Congress leader said.



"Our demand is clear. We insist the Prime Minister that his office, when he takes oath, he doesn't belong to a particular party, ideology, but the Prime Minister of India and should discharge duties in line with the oath," he said.



While pressing for Supreme Court-monitored probe, Sharma said the apex court should take "seize" all the papers relating the case, relating the probe, confessional statements, charge sheet and the correspondence among government, NIA, attorney general, NIA and Home Ministry, among Home Ministry, Home secretary and PMO.



"There is rule of law in the country and law doesn't discriminate. If this permission is given, like I said, then we ourselves are weakening India's case against terrorism. Because, dropping MACOCA means, the recorded statements which courts accept as evidences, will be useless now," he said.



"The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," the former minister said.



While demanding PM's intervention in the case, Sharma questioned whether, with the fresh NIA stance, the government was "negating" Karkare's "sacrifice for the country" by calling it as "dubious".



He also expressed apprehension that after the Malegaon case, the Narendra Modi dispensation may "destroy" the 2007 Samjhauta Express matter too, claiming that the NIA is "working" in that direction.



He claimed the agency dropped MCOCA charges in Malegaon case to see that all the statements recorded by the ATS become "inadmissible as evidence".



The Congress leader alleged that NIA chief Sharad Kumar was given extension in service to get this work done.



"Whatever they are doing are doing in a planned manner. If there is no MCOCA, all those who gave statements will deny to have made the statements and court will not take cognisance and all (the accused will be out). And things will repeat," he said.



Referring to an alleged statement by the NIA chief that nothing had happened after 2008, Sharma said, "The question is not which organisation, which caste, religion and people of which region are involved. But whether a NIA chief should say such thing? One who was to be relieved, has been given extension to get these things done."



He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are face with charges.



"and (also) show that the earlier probes, charges which were filed and arrests made were all wrong. The fact is, the steps were taken only after proper probe. We have always maintained that, with lot of seriousness, that terrorism and crime have no caste and religion," he added.

AICC spokesperson RPN Singh, who also addressed the press conference, referred to reports of Colonel Purohit writing to the NSA allegedly seeking the latter's intervention in the case, and said it was a matter of concern.



"I want to know how many letters the NSA receives from such terrorists and has he forwarded it to the Home Ministry for action? If this is the internal security of the country, if this is how the terror cases will be politicised, then it is a matter of concern," he said.



Singh said the UPA government had set up the NIA and ensured it remained above political interference "as terrorism can not be compromised with".



"This is the first time we see that such terror plots which hurt the very heart and soul of this country are being manipulated by the government and people who gave up their lives to protect the very idea of this country are being postured as wrong and people who tried to destroy this country their allegations are being held as being true," he added.



Referring to the Samjhauta blast case, Sharma alleged that the NIA was working in a direction similar to the Malegaon case.



He said news was being "planted" in newspapers that "information had been received in 2009, through America, that some other organisations were behind this (Samjhauta Express blast)...some Karachi-based industrialist had put money in the Samjhauta Express blast. Chargesheet has been filed in that case too.



"And who gave the information? I am telling you today, it is some jihadi who is in a jail in America since 2003. And he is giving information about 2007 Samjhauta Blast case."



The Deputy Leader of Congress in the Rajya Sabha also accused the government of intervening in functioning of all the arms like investigative agencies, prosecution and judiciary dealing with the explosion case.



In this context, he cited the claim made by former special public prosecutor in the matter Rohini Salian last year that she was "pressurised to go soft" on the accused in the case.



Salian, he said, was removed by the BJP government and NIA, in the wake of her claims.



The "same story" has repeated itself again as the current special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal too has stated that he was "not even informed" about filing of the chargesheet by NIA yesterday, the Congress leader said.
Bangladesh police today arrested a suspected Islamic militant from a banned terror group over the hacking to death of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend amidst a string of murders of secular bloggers, writers and minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.





Xulhaz Mannan, editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment here on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.



The 37-year-old suspect, Shariful Islam alias Shihab, was arrested from Kushtia early today, said Dhaka metro police (DMP) spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar.



"He is a member of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team," Dhaka counter-terrorism chief Monirul Islam said.



At a press conference, police said Shihab owned one of two guns that were used in the twin murders.



Islam said Shihab's arrest was a "breakthrough" in the high-profile case.



"They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam," Islam said.



Police said that the suspect belongs to a banned Islamist militant outfit, the Ansarullah Bangla Team.



"Shihab is an activist of the Ansarullah Bangla Team. They have been hiding in Khulna since the killing," Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Mashrukur Rahman Khaled.

On the evening of April 25, assailants barged into the apartment of Xulhaz Mannan, a programme officer with the USAID and an editor of Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine.



Xulhaz and his theatre activist friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were hacked with meat cleavers on their head and neck, which forensic experts said was to ensure instant death.



Militant outfit 'Ansar Al Islam', which claims to be the Bangladesh affiliate of al-Qaeda, had claimed responsibility for the killings as well as six other previous killings of bloggers-online activists and the publisher.



Witnesses said five to seven people, clad in T-shirts and jeans, were involved in the killings and fled the scene after firing from guns, shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.



The attackers also injured a security guard of the building. A patrol police officer was also injured while trying to stop the attackers.



The polie officer, however, managed to snatch a bag from one of the assailants, inside which two firearms, ammunitions and a mobile phone were found.



Xulhaz's family filed a case over the murders against the unidentified men while police initiated another case over the attack on one of its men and the seizure of firearms.



The United States had condemned the killings of Tonoy and Mannan, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID.



There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent weeks especially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.



In the latest attack, a 70-year-old Buddhist monk was hacked to death yesterday inside a remote monastery in Bangladesh, with police saying the incident bore the hallmark of previous killings of secular bloggers and minorities by Islamists.



A liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last month by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.



On April 30, a Hindu tailor was also hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop.



The ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Indian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks although the government denies their presence in Bangladesh.
Three persons, including two Myanmar nationals, were today arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the brutal killing of a 70-year-old Buddhist monk inside a remote monastery, police said on the latest attack on minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.



Two Rohingyas - Abdur Rahim, 25, and Md Zia, 26 - besides Sa Mong Chak, 35, were picked up from their homes in different areas this morning, Naikhyongchharhi police station officer- in-charge Abul Khayer said.



The development comes a day after Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in Bandarban hill district's remote and rugged Naikkhangchari area, was found with his throat slit, in a killing that bears the hallmark of previous murders of intellectuals and minorities by Islamists in the country.



Mawng used to live alone at the monastery Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang, situated some 230 metres away from the nearest village Uppar Chak Para where his family members live.



His family filed a police case over the murder yesterday.



The two Rohingya men were seen loitering near the monastery on Thursday following which the monk told his son about the two unidentified men and that he was feeling unsafe since then, the Daily Star quoted Khayer as saying.



He had also told his son that 'something unexpected will happen to me and you should stay alert'.



Today's arrests coincide with the nabbing of a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend here on April 25.



Bangladesh has been reeling under a series of systematic assaults in recent weeks especially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.



The monk's killing comes exactly a week after a 65-year- old Muslim Sufi preacher was hacked to death in a similar attack by unidentified machete-wielding assailants in northwestern Rajshahi city.



A liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last month by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city, and just two days later, the gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka.



On April 30, a Hindu tailor was also hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop in central Bangladesh.



The ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Indian Peninsula have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks though the government denies their presence in Bangladesh.
In a significant catch, Army has arrested a terrorist of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit in Baramulla district of Kashmir and recovered an Aadhaar card from his possession, raising serious concern in the security establishment.





Abdul Rehman, a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had infiltrated in January and was engaged in recuiting local youth for "suicide" attacks, Army said.



"A special joint operation was conducted with police, in which a Pakistani terrorist - Abdul Rehman, who belongs to JeM cadre, has been arrested alive. It is a huge success because we are hopeful of getting important information from him when we interrogate him," Major General J S Nain, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Baramulla Division, told reporters in Baramulla, about 55 kms from here.



The official said the operation spanned two months, with the security forces keeping a track of Rehman's movement in the Valley before finally arresting him from a forest area near Old Town of Baramulla on Friday.



"We tracked his movement. He came to Baramulla seven times. He tried recruiting people in Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara," the GoC said.



"He told us that he took training at Balakote training camp in Pakistan under ISI's guidance for three-four months. Then in January he infiltrated into India along with his four companions.



"They hid in forest areas for one or two months and then this group spread and Rehman was assigned the responsibility of Baramulla, Sopore and areas near them to recruit for JeM and prepare a module for it and the overall aim was to carry big 'fidayeen' (suicide) attacks," he said.



The official said recruiting youth in Kashmir for suicide missions was something new and a matter of serious concern.



"This is a new thing which has come to the fore as it is for the first time that a group has come for recruitment to the Valley for its fidayeen squad. This is a serious matter.



"So, this is a huge success for security forces and whatever information we get from him, we can then launch operations based on that intelligence," he said.



Major Gen Nain said an Aadhar card has been recovered from Rehman's possession in the name of Shabir Ahmad Khan and if the card turns out to be genuine, it is a "matter of concern" for the security agencies.



In fact, the army official said all the five terrorists were given an Aadhaar card each when they entered the Valley.



"It will be established by an inquiry whether the Aadhaar card is genuine or not. If it is fake, then it is not a matter of great concern as one can get fake documents. However, if it is original, then definitely, it is matter of concern for all of us," Major Gen Nain said.



He said militant groups were trying to create a situation in north Kashmir similar to south Kashmir where their activities are high.



"There is a lot of terrorist activity in south Kashmir and the situation is hot. Since the last few months, all the outfits are trying to create similar situation in north Kashmir. They thought they could attract people as fidayeen action gets huge media coverage and fame," the army official said.



"During his interrogation, Rehman said the modus operandi was that after recruiting youth, they were to train them for two weeks and supply them arms and ammunition.



After the training, they would have got orders from their handlers in Pakistan," he said.

He said Rehman was about to become JeM commander of Baramulla area because there was a vacuum in the area after another JeM militant Mohammad Sidiq was arrested in February.



"We do not know yet how many people have they recruited and he did not tell us in detail about the route of their infiltration. I am sure we will get to know about that during his interrogation," Major Gen Nain said.


Three persons were arrested today in connection with the last night's triple murder in city's Ashvinikumar road area, where one of the victims was a relative of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, police said.





Police are looking for four more persons in connection with the murders which they suspect occurred over extortion money pertaining to a land deal in Amreli district.



While one of the victims is identified as Bharat Togadia, the relative of the VHP international working president and brother of the Leader of Opposition in Surat Municipal Corporation, Prafful Togadia, others are Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel.



The matter took a political turn with RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav questioning the law and order situation in Gujarat.



"What kind of governance (raaj) is here?" Lalu tweeted against the backdrop of the "jungle raaj" barb hurled by BJP at the JD(U)-RJD coalition government in Bihar over the recent killings in taht state.



Gujarat state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki also tweeted, "Where is the law and order in Gujarat?"



The victims were stabbed by unidentified persons inside Hirani's office in Varachha locality at around 9 PM.



Mahesh Radadiya who was injured in the attack is battling for life in hospital.



"We have arrested three persons in connection with the triple murder and have identified four other persons whom we are trying to locate and arrest as they are currently absconding," said Surat Police Commissioner, Ashish Bhatia.



He said extortion of money in connection with a piece of land in Amreli district was the prima facie reason behind the murders.



The attackers allegedly used to extort money from Balu Hirani.



The officer said the assailants had come to meet Hirani seeking Rs 50 lakh yesterday.



"These people were extorting money from Hirani and had come to meet him demanding Rs 50 lakh. When other victims, Bharat Togadia, Ashok Patel and Mahesh Radadiya tried to intervene, they attacked them with sharp weapons," Bhatia said.



The arrested persons were identified as Mehul Bharwad, Lalu Bharwad, and Imran.



A team of Varachha police and crime branch sleuths has been deputed to arrest the main accused, identified as Gautam Golden and Ganesh Mangadh.



While Bharat Togadia and Hirani died on the spot, Patel succumbed to injuries in the hospital.



Pravin Togadia today attended the last rites of Bharat and demanded proper investigation into the matter.



"Human life is precious. This is a sad incident that a young life was lost, so police should take action and arrest the culprits," he told reporters.



Meanwhile, reacting to questions over law and order situation in Gujarat, BJP's state unit president Vijay Rupani said the Congress "has no moral right to comment".



"During the Congress rule, the state had descended into chaos in terms of law and order, and it is the BJP government which restored law and order situation. Gujarat is taking proper steps to ensure law and order," he said.
After imposing liquor ban in his state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today advocated total prohibition in Uttar Pradesh, drawing instant flak from the ruling Samajwadi Party, which accused him of making "negative comments against the state" and thereby "strengthening communal forces".





During his day-long visit here today, Kumar demanded that prohibition be imposed in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls early next year.



His visit today and other recent tours of the state, however, did not go down well with ruling SP leaders.



Kumar had visited Varanasi a few days back.



"The manner in which Nitish Kumar has been targetting UP, coming here every now and then, his comments against the SP government will embolden communal forces against which the UP government is fighting," SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.



He said Kumar has joined the "league" of MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who visit UP frequently and criticise the state government and the ruling party, which is fighting "communal forces".



By making "frequent trips" and "misleading" the people here, Nitish Kumar is "strengthening communal forces", he said.



Chaudhary said Kumar spoke of prohibition but did not say a word on development.



"Don't worry Akhileshji (the UP Chief Minister)...ensure total prohibition. When liquor was banned in Bihar, people had problems for a few days. But, subsequently there was no problem," Kumar said addressing a farmers' conclave here.



He urged his UP counterpart to ensure liquor is not available within a distance of five km from UP-Bihar border to discourage people from his state to consume alcohol.



"I have written to the UP chief minister in this regard," he said, adding he was awaiting a reply to his letter.



Earlier, addressing a farmers' conference here, Kumar asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement total prohibition in all BJP-ruled states like in his home state Gujarat.

The Bihar Chief Minister expressed hope that the liquor ban in his state would be replicated in other states with equal success.



He said country liquor as well as Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) have been totally banned in Bihar, and to ensure its success, existing laws amended.



Commenting on Kumar's anti-liquor campaign, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, "It appears more of a case to divert attention from his failure on law and order front in Bihar."



During his day-long stay here, Kumar also visited Ambedkar Mahasabha, apparently to send out a message to Dalits, who constitute a sizeable vote bank in UP, where JD(U) is likely to filed candidates in Assembly polls scheduled next year.


From time immemorial, India has sculpted itself as a centre for medicine and healthcare. A peek into the history books will reveal a plethora of facts into the countrys medical past, when great pioneers such as Charaka and Sushruta made ingenious breakthroughs in Ayurvedic medicine, as was the order of the day.





Even in recent times, Indias tradition as a tourist hub, has been paralleled by its distinction as a medical tourism destination, a rare confluence of warm hospitality and state-of-the-art hospitals. Even as we read, people from around the world are making a beeline to hospitals here, wanting to get well.



So what exactly is medical tourism? A unique term that adds new dimensions to the concept of wellness, medical tourism refers to the travel of people to another country for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment in that country. Nilaya Varma, Partner (Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare), KPMG, puts it as, Medical value travel is the term that has been preferred to refer to the trend of patients seeking healthcare beyond borders. The operative word here being value, since patients seek value when they choose to undertake travel for healthcare.



The term value is also of importance in this context since the practice of medical tourism adds and generates value for the country under deliberation.



Medical tourism or travel for health comprises of 2 different segments. One segment comprises of people who travel to other countries for rejuvenation purposes, and the other segment comprises of people who travel for curative care that is not available in their countries. While the former is a luxury segment, the latter is economy, Varma adds.



Above all, it is for critical, terminal, specialist, intensive and tertiary care and treatment that foreigners seek India. Historically, India has been welcoming critical cases from Iraq, Nigeria, Tanzania, Oman, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the CIS, among others.



Medical tourism in India is a fast growing segment. Hospitals participating in medical tourism are increasing focus on niche segments; hospitals specialising in dental, reproductive and wellness are also forming an sizeable portion of Indian medical tourism, said Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of leading healthcare provider Manipal Health Enterprises.



Favoured destinations in India is led by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.



Due to the establishment of some of the earliest medical schools in the southern states of India, healthcare infrastructure available here is of high standards. This also resulted in the creation of a pool of clinical schools and entrepreneurial skills made available to the medical tourism industry to help facilitate growth at a faster pace than the rest of the states, Varma says.



Today, Chennai caters to 40% of the medical tourism in India, making it the top destination for treatment. Delhi NCR with some premier hospitals such as Medanta, has emerged preferred destination on the medical tourism map. Even Kerala aims to become Indias healthcare hub in 5 years.



India and the World



According to data published by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the overall Indian healthcare market today is worth $100 billion, and is expected to grow to $280 billion by 2020, a CAGR of 22.9%.



The Indian medical tourism industry is pegged at $3 billion per annum, with tourist arrivals estimated at 2,30,000. The Indian medical tourism industry is expected to reach $6 billion by 2018, with the number of people arriving in the country for medical treatment set to double over the next 4 years, IBEF further informs. 



Globally, medical tourism is fast evolving. Established destinations like Thailand and Singapore are being challenged by upcoming destinations like India and Turkey, while in order to capitalise on the movements of medical tourists across Europe, the US and the UK, newer destinations like Poland, Hungary, and Costa Rica are haring in healthcare.



Says Varma, On one hand, rising cost of healthcare services has compelled patients from developed nations to seek low-cost healthcare services in other countries. On the other hand, lack of healthcare infrastructure and expertise for complex surgeries has motivated patients from developing nations to seek quality healthcare services in other countries. This cross-border movement is also triggered by rising non-communicable diseases, which required specialised treatments and entail high treatment cost.



As a medical tourism destination, India is known for high-class treatment at affordable costs. The countrys cost arbitrage gives it a definite edge over other countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Medical treatment in India enables savings of 30-70% on total expenditure.



The right ingredients for an active medical tourism programme are skilled doctors, state-of-the-art medical facilities capable of providing excellent medical care, especially in niche areas like transplants, joint replacements, cancer therapy, heart disease, and bariatric surgery, for a fraction of the cost in their home countries, in a country that is well-connected, safe, and has good infrastructure, Dr Ballal states.

Indian doctors and their reputation globally is a definitive advantage, along with cost effectiveness, which in many fields is about 20% or less of the cost in the Western world. Also, snazzy medical facilities and proficiency in English has upped Indias reputation as a medical tourism hub, he adds.



In a similar tone, Varma adds that in addition to cost arbitrage, India has developed high reputation in advanced and lifesaving treatments in the fields of cardiology, orthopaedics, nephrology, oncology, and neuro surgery, which has a lot of potential, and by right promotional strategies, can turn the country into a leading player in medical tourism.



Where the money comes from



While medical tourists to India have reason to smile, the joy is much on the face of the care-givers as well. In terms of the business that this field generates, experts estimate that around $20 billion is earned from the allopathic branch, and alternate forms of medicine, including Ayurveda and wellness programmes. And prospects are pretty high to sustain this growth for the next decade.



Experts speak about domestic medical tourism, which is very much prevalent in Indian geography, and is mainly driven by inadequacy of medical facilities in certain states. This geographical skewness arises due to either inadequate spend on developing healthcare infrastructure by the state governments, or preference of private players for urban locations, Varma says.



Even as Indias rise as a medical tourism hub is evident, several major problems exist. Firstly, in terms of domestic medical tourism, there is inequitable distribution of suitable healthcare infrastructure within the country, to balance the heavy influx of patients at super-speciality hospitals in few urban centres. In terms of inbound medical tourism, there are a few procedural glitches that ought to be fixed.



Get well soon



Meanwhile, to improve the countrys role in medical tourism, the Government of India has taken up initiatives for the promotion and augmentation of the industry, such as offering a separate category of medical visa, which can be extended for an additional 12 months beyond the one-year issue period. Besides, a no-hindrance-clearance has been provided for medical tourists at the airports.



For the accreditation of hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has set up a National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, under the Ministry of Commerce, while there are plans to build 50 tourism circuits, along with a medical circuit connecting hubs of modern medicine and Ayurveda.



So as the health of Indias economy improves, it is to be seen how it further intensifies its bid to rule global healthcare. Varma confidently forecasts: With its inherent strengths, and burgeoning healthcare costs worldwide, India stands a great chance of exporting its healthcare services in the form of medical value travel to patients not only in the developing nations, but in developed countries as well. A healthy countrys care for a healthy world!




Genres : Anime, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Plot Synopsis

The mayhem continues in Ranma 1/2! Shampoo visits Ranma, bringing a souvenir bell from China and along with it a Phantom Cat, who's in search of a bride! Ranma will have to endure his fear of cats in order to defeat the Phantom Cat... Then, after series of certain events, Ryoga becomes the strongest martial artist in the world. After that, Kuno gets his hands on a secret sword called the "Manganmaru," which grants the user three wishes, and one of them is to have a date with the Pigtailed Girl! Finally, a mysterious foursome has come from China in search of the legendary Dragon's Whisker and will stop at nothing to get it. But what is the Dragon's Whisker and what does it have to do with Ranma?!
A Home Ministry official, who had disappeared after being summoned by the CBI four days back, was today detained by the agency in connection with a case against him of allegedly issuing FCRA notices arbitrarily to several NGOs for financial gains.





Anand Joshi, an Under Secretary in the ministry, was being questioned by the sleuths of Special Crime division of the CBI.



Joshi, who had disappeared on Wednesday morning from his home in Indrapuram in Ghaziabad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi and taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning.



CBI Spokesperson Devpreet Singh said the CBI was tracking the accused and "based on information that he was in West Delhi area around 5 PM he was detained". No decision has yet been taken on whether to arrest him.



"He has been brought to CBI headquater and is being qestioned about the allegations against him," she said.



The case was slapped against Joshi and some other unnamed persons for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices and arbitrarily issuing notices to several NGOs, registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which were receiving foreign contributions, including activist Teesta Setalvad's Sabrang Trust.



Joshi has rejected the charge and instead accused his seniors of pressuring him to give a clean chit to NGOs. In a note which he had left before leaving home, Joshi claimed he had been subjected to mental harassment in recent months.



The matter came to light after files pertaining to alleged FCRA violations by two NGOs run by Setalvad went missing from the Home Ministry. The files were traced and restored to the FCRA division but CBI was asked to investigate the matter.



It was noticed that the files had gone missing when the Home Ministry took a decision to cancel FCRA registration of one of Setalvad's NGOs, Sabrang Trust, sources said.



Sabrang Trust's licence was suspended on September 9, 2015 by MHA for alleged multiple violations of FCRA rules, including misuse of funds for personal benefit of trustees.



When Home Ministry officials found that the files had gone missing, they conducted an inquiry and identified Joshi as the official who had taken away the files. He was summoned and the files were restored.



An Under Secretary is not allowed to take away files, only officials of the rank of Joint Secretary and above are allowed to take the files home. It is a serious violation, the CBI official said.




Facebook is the worlds most influential source of news. Thats true according to every available measure of size  the billion-plus people who devour its News Feed every day, the cargo ships of profit it keeps raking in, and the tsunami of online traffic it sends to other news sites.





But Facebook has also acquired a more subtle power to shape the wider news business. Across the industry, reporters, editors and media executives now look to Facebook the same way nesting baby chicks look to their engorged mother  as the source of all knowledge and nourishment, the model for how to behave in this scary new-media world. Case in point: The New York Times, among others, recently began an initiative to broadcast live video. Why do you suppose that might be? Yup, the F word.



Yet few Americans think of Facebook as a powerful media organisation, one that can alter events in the real world. When blowhards rant about the mainstream media, they do not usually mean Facebook, the mainstreamiest of all social networks. Thats because Facebook operates under a veneer of empiricism. Many people believe that what you see on Facebook represents some kind of data-mined objective truth unmolested by the subjective attitudes of fair-and-balanced human beings.



None of that is true. Recently, Facebook rushed to deny a report in Gizmodo that said the team in charge of its trending news list routinely suppressed conservative points of view. Last month, Gizmodo also reported that Facebook employees asked Mark Zuckerberg, the social networks chief executive, if the company had a responsibility to help prevent President Trump in 2017. Facebook denied it would ever try to manipulate elections.



Even if you believe that Facebook isnt monkeying with the trending list or actively trying to swing the vote, the reports serve as timely reminders of the ever-increasing potential dangers of Facebooks hold on the news. That drew the attention of Sen John Thune, who heads the Senates Commerce Committee. Thune sent a letter Tuesday asking Zuckerberg to explain how Facebook polices bias.



The question isnt whether Facebook has outsize power to shape the world  of course it does, and of course you should worry about that power. If it wanted to, Facebook could try to sway elections, favour certain policies, or just make you feel a certain way about the world, as it once proved it could do in an experiment devised to measure how emotions spread online.



There is no evidence Facebook is doing anything so alarming now. The danger is nevertheless real. The biggest worry is that Facebook doesnt seem to recognise its own power, and doesnt think of itself as a news organisation with a well-developed sense of institutional ethics and responsibility, or even a potential for bias. Neither does its audience, which might believe that Facebook is immune to bias because it is run by computers.



That myth should die. Its true that beyond the Trending box, most of the stories Facebook presents to you are selected by its algorithms, but those algorithms are as infused with bias as any other human editorial decision.



Algorithms equal editors, said Robyn Caplan, a research analyst at Data & Society, a research group that studies digital communications systems. With Facebook, humans are never not involved. Humans are in every step of the process  in terms of what were clicking on, whos shifting the algorithms behind the scenes, what kind of user testing is being done, and the initial training data provided by humans.



Everything you see on Facebook is therefore the product of these peoples expertise and considered judgment, as well as their conscious and unconscious biases apart from possible malfeasance or potential corruption. Its often hard to know which, because Facebooks editorial sensibilities are secret. So are its personalities: Most of the engineers, designers and others who decide what people see on Facebook will remain forever unknown to its audience.



Facebook also has an unmistakable corporate ethos and point of view. The company is staffed mostly by wealthy coastal Americans who tend to support Democrats, and it is wholly controlled by a young billionaire who has expressed policy preferences that many people find objectionable. Zuckerberg is for free trade, more open immigration and for a certain controversial brand of education reform. Instead of building walls, he supports a connected world and a global community.



You could argue that none of this is unusual. Many large media outlets are powerful, somewhat opaque, operated for profit, and controlled by wealthy people who arent shy about their policy agendas  Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, Fox News and The New York Times, to name a few.



But there are some reasons to be even more wary of Facebooks bias. One is institutional. Many mainstream outlets have a rigorous set of rules and norms about whats acceptable and whats not in the news business.



The New York Times contains within it a long history of ethics and the role that media is supposed to be playing in democracies and the public, Caplan said. These technology companies have not been engaged in that conversation.



According to a statement from Tom Stocky, who is in charge of the trending topics list, Facebook has policies for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality of the items that appear in the trending list.



But Facebook declined to discuss whether any editorial guidelines governed its algorithms, including the system that determines what people see in News Feed. Those algorithms could have profound implications for society. For instance, one persistent worry about algorithmic-selected news is that it might reinforce peoples previously held points of view.



If News Feed shows news that were each likely to Like, it could trap us into echo chambers and contribute to rising political polarisation. In a study last year, Facebooks scientists asserted the echo chamber effect was muted.



But when Facebook changes its algorithm  which it does routinely  does it have guidelines to make sure the changes arent furthering an echo chamber? Or that the changes arent inadvertently favoring one candidate or ideology over another? In other words, are Facebooks engineering decisions subject to ethical review? Nobody knows.



The other reason to be wary of Facebooks bias has to do with sheer size. Caplan notes that when studying bias in traditional media, scholars try to make comparisons across different news outlets.



To determine if The New York Times is ignoring a certain story unfairly, look at competitors like The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. If those outlets are covering a story and The Times isnt, there could be something amiss about the Times news judgment.



Such comparative studies are nearly impossible for Facebook. Facebook is personalised, in that what you see on your News Feed is different from what I see on mine, so the only entity in a position to look for systemic bias across all of Facebook is Facebook itself. Even if you could determine the spread of stories across all of Facebooks readers, what would you compare it to?



Facebook has achieved saturation, Caplan said. No other social network is as large, popular, or used in the same way, so theres really no good rival for comparing Facebooks algorithmic output in order to look for bias.



What were left with is a very powerful black box. In a 2010 study, Facebooks data scientists proved that simply by showing some users that their friends had voted, Facebook could encourage people to go to the polls.



That study was randomised  Facebook wasnt selectively showing messages to supporters of a particular candidate. But could it? Sure. And if it happens, you might never know.


Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader has advised builders and contractors to get workers at construction sites enrolled for smartcards, which will help the workers to avail various benefits from the government.





He spoke, inaugurating a free medical camp for construction workers and their family members, organised by Father Muller Hospital in Mangaluru on Sunday.



The minister said that most construction workers are not aware of their health status and are also unable to have regular health checkups. The RBSY card will be provided to workers below the poverty line. The card is issued by the Labour Department. The builders have to issue certificates to the workers and ensure that they have enrolled their names with the Labour Department to avail the facility, Khader explained and added that it is also the responsibility of builders to provide drinking water facility to workers at the construction sites.



MLC Ivan DSouza, who was the guest of honour, said that the workers should utilise the facilities provided to them by both, the central and the state governments. There are various schemes for workers from the unorganised sectors. The workers are also being offered monthly pension scheme, PF and other facilities. The smartcard holders can avail treatment at any hospital in the state, at an expense of up to Rs 5000. Also, Rs one lakh is provided in case of permanent disability occurring during the work and Rs two lakh in case of death, the legislator listed out.



DSouza, meanwhile, urged the central government to frame a policy for the benefit of labourers. The central government should not ban tobacco. If done so, lakhs of beedi workers in the state will lose their jobs. Instead, the government should open garment factories in various districts, to provide alternative work, he added.



Credai (Mangaluru) President D B Mehta has urged the government to utilise the fund of Rs 100 crore, which is deposited by the contractors, at the Labour Welfare Board. There is a need to bring changes in the rules, in order to assimilate various schemes meant for the labourers, and so that the funds are utilised. The members of Credai have been directed to keep first aid boxes at all construction sites and to test the borewell water at least once in six months. The Credai will launch a scholarship scheme for children of construction workers in the near future, he said and added that there are around 14,000 construction workers in the district.



Father Muller Medical College Hospital Administrator Rev Fr Richard Coelho, District Health Officer Dr Ramakrishna Rao and Credai Secretary Naveen Cardoza were present.


To promote eco-friendly construction activities among youths, Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Mysuru chapter has come up with a novel idea. It has launched student chapters, roping in engineering, management and architecture students from 12 colleges in city, on Sunday.





The aim behind new initiative is to encourage and guide budding brains to incorporate environmental-friendly ideas in construction of buildings. Apart from young denizens, general people are also targeted to encourage them to adopt green practices.



Participating in the launching ceremony, organised at Mahalakshmi Kalyanamantap in Vishveshwaranagar, here, IGBC national chapter Chairman Prem C Jain said, India is the only country in the world to treat earth as mother. Mother earth is hence considered sacred and if we pollute it, there is no salvation, he said.



By 2022, when the country reaches 75 years of independence, India should be the leader for other nations in this regard. With abundant natural resources, youth must take pride in promoting eco-friendly buildings, he suggested.



Citing an example of river Ganga, where environment and water bodies are polluted in a large scale, Jain said, it was high-time to go back to the roots to follow the civilisation method to bring in changes. By utilising environmental-friendly components in construction activities, it is possible to maintain healthy environment and to preserve natural resources, he added.



Jain explained the benefits of adopting 4R modelReuse, Reduce, Recycle, Refusein construction activities.



The concept



A green building is one which uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building.



Considering the tremendous benefits that it offers, green building concept is gaining major importance in India, informed IGBC Mysuru chapter chairman M G Somashekar and added that the vision and mission of the IGBC is to ensure sustainable quality environment.



Professionals will guide and train students about eco-friendly construction activities on par with international standards, how to save energy, conceive green building ideas and other allied activities. The students will be provided training by June.



For architects



Addressing the audience, Indian Institute of Architect (IIA), Mysuru Chairman H E Chandrashekar urged Jain to identify experts from the IGBC to train architects in Mysuru. Training could be offered in maintaining, certifying buildings and how to develop eco-friendly buildings, he said.



Student representatives from Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology (VVIET) said that the initiative would definitely help promote eco-friendly activities.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mysuru chapter Chairman N Muthukumar, Builders Association of India (BAI), Mysuru, chairman N Subramanya, Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI), Mysuru president S Prakash and others were present.



Student chapters at...



Mysuru School of Architecture

School of Planning and Architecture

Wadiyar Centre for Architecture

ATME College of Engineering

Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE)

Vivekananda Institute of Leadership Development (VILD)

Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE)

Maharaja Institute of Technology (MIT)

Shri Dharmasthala Manjunateshwara Institute of Management and Development (SDM-IMD)

MYRA School of Business

Mahatma Gandhi B Ed College

Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology (VVIET)






The idea sounds like fantasy: an invisible film that can be painted on your skin and give it the elasticity of youth. Bags under the eyes vanish in seconds. Wrinkles disappear.



Scientists at Harvard and MIT have discovered that it is not fantasy at all. Reporting in the journal Nature Materials on pilot studies with 170 subjects, the researchers say a second skin composed of commonly used chemicals deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration can accomplish that  and in small studies of it, so far no one has reported irritation or allergic reactions.



Undereye bags are just the start. You can soak the film with sunscreen and protect yourself without worrying about sweat or water washing it away, researchers said. They expect it can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistures and soothes.



The chemicals are siloxanes  their basic form is one atom of oxygen linked to two atoms of silicon  which form polymers, long chains of repeating units. The researchers made a large collection of them by modifying molecular features such as the chain length to get the ones with the properties they wanted.



Then they devised a two-step process. First, a polymer, a clear liquid, is applied. Its chains are not very strong, though, so the next step is applying a product that links them together. By modifying the chemistry of the chains, researchers can alter the properties of the second skin, depending on how it will be used, making it more or less permeable, for example. A more permeable second skin might be used for undereye bags while a less permeable one might hold a medication in place. It can be removed with a solution that dissolves the polymer.



The research was funded by a small, privately owned biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Living Proof, and the product is being developed by another similar Cambridge company, Olivo Laboratories, which owns the patents. All of the authors on the new paper have an equity interest in Living Proof and so, indirectly, in Olivo.



The report describes pilot studies, the first test of the product. The researchers say that they are not sure yet when they will have enough data to submit to the FDA for marketing approval  they will know more later this year.



I think it is brilliant, said Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia, who was not involved in the research. What they have done is design a clever biomaterial that recapitulates the properties of young and healthy skin. They can use it as sort of a Band-Aid over old and aging skin and get very significant results.



Dr Murad Alam, professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, who also was not associated with the study, was impressed, too, but he cautioned that it was still early.



This is a first step, he said, and all these applications will require further work. But, he added, if the testing is successful, I think it will be very popular.



The idea for second skin originated more than a decade ago when Dr R Rox Anderson, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, was approached by Living Proof, which had been working on a polymer to be used as a hair product. Since dermatologists also know about hair, the company consulted him. Why, Anderson asked the company executives, couldnt there be a polymer to put on skin?



A lot of what happens when we age and skin starts wrinkling and sagging is loss of elastic recoil, he said. When we move skin, it doesnt snap back to what it used to be. What if there was a way to restore the elastic nature of skin? Anderson ticked off what would be needed: It has to be nearly invisible. The skin still has to be able to breathe through this stuff. And it needs to be strong enough and elastic enough that it actually affects the recoil of the skin. That, he said, is the challenge I put to them. Dr Robert Langer, a biomedical engineer who is a professor at MIT and a scientific founder of Living Proof, started searching for something that would work. We made literally hundreds of polymers, he said. We were looking for safety, spreadability, adherence, and the right kind of mechanical and optical properties.



Long-lasting solution



The skin can last for more than a day. One of the first applications, said Dr Barbara A Gilchrest, a Harvard dermatology professor who is part of the research team, was on undereye bags, a condition that plagues so many middle-aged and older people.

We wanted something that is elegant, and the ultimate test is right there on your face, she said. You really cant see it. Its there. It looks normal. We saw that as a very high bar. If you can achieve that youve done something impressive.



The researchers emphasise that the second skin is significantly different from a product that Living Proof tried to market a few years ago as a cosmetic that could correct undereye bags. Those studies included tests on people with undereye bags and those with dry skin on their legs. In one study, participants put second skin on their forearms to see how quickly the skin returned to normal after it was pinched in a suction cup  a test of elasticity. In another study, people were randomly assigned to use second skin or a placebo under their eyes. Trained observers graded the subjects on the appearance of the undereye skin. The products durability was tested in volunteers who wore it while running in heat and working up a sweat, while swimming, and while going out in a rainstorm.



One of the important uses, the researchers said, is in treating eczema and the sort of dry skin that comes with aging, with dry itchy patches on the back and legs that keep people up at night, scratching.



We tell people to pat their skin with a damp washcloth and put on a heavy moisturiser, but that only lasts a short time, Gilchrest said. They end up with greasy goo all over the sheets, and they wake up in the middle of the night, terribly uncomfortable. We need something that was easier to use and didnt make a mess and stays. Which is what this stuff does.




The government has shown enough courage to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Mauritius to bring under the tax net capital gains on sale and transfer of shares routed through one of the most popular tax havens. While attempts were made in the past as well to plug the loopholes in the three-decade old treaty, the successive governments were somehow bullied by the big boys of the stock market, who would threaten to almost destabilise the Indian markets by engineering wild gyrations in the benchmark indices. Each time an attempt was made or even broad government-to-government discussions took place, these powerful lobbies would resort to their blackmailing tactics to browbeat the government. Even successive efforts by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to strengthen the regulation of certain instruments, considered to be channels of black money, were scuttled by the beneficiaries of the most porous tax treaty among the 96 odd DTAAs that India has operationalised.

Not without any basis, the tax treaty is considered to be a preferred option for round-tripping of Indian black money, first travelling to Mauritius through third-country routes and then returning back home fully legitimised in the form of either portfolio investment in the stock market or even Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Taking advantage of this agreement, the gains on share transactions would go tax-free since an entity resident in Mauritius can choose to abide by the laws of that country, which incidentally has no such tax. Having taken the bull by the horns, the Ministry of Finance should not succumb to the bears who have started creating panic again in the market by resorting to rumour mills around the impact of the development on participatory notes, a popular route for unregistered foreign investors to bet on India.

Top finance ministry officials are at pains to explain how the changes in the Mauritius treaty, to be implemented from April 2017 would not have an impact on instruments, other than the shares, such as debt derivatives and debentures. They have no reason to be rattled this time. Having explained its stand, the government should stay its course irrespective of the pressure of the market, open to manipulations. Also, similar amendments must be brought in other such treaties which are used for the round-tripping and avoidance of taxation in the country. The ones with Singapore and the Netherlands have to be amended and they should be brought on a par with the DTAA with Mauritius.




Thousands of Iraqis stormed parliament on April 30 demanding water and electricity and an end to corruption and the ethno-sectarian regime imposed by the US in 2003.





To reach the building hosting the legislature, the protesters had to breach the fortifications of central Baghdads Green Zone which also houses government offices, ministries and embassies, including the monumental US mission. Since this zone has been off-limits to most Iraqis since 2003, the event has been seen by some as a revolution against the hated US.



Iraqis have been infuriated by legislators refusal to confirm a cabinet of technocrats who can not only manage the country but also tackle rampant graft. The Shia fundamentalist-dominated regime, installed and supported by the US, has developed powerful patronage networks that the ministers and legislators refuse to dismantle although these networks are the source of mismanagement and corruption.



Shia militias that prey on Sunnis have worked as enforcers for the networks and have been deployed to bolster the army in the campaign against Islamic State, seen by Sunnis as anti-Sunni. This regime is not only responsible for alienating Sunnis but also for the rise of IS and al-Qaeda which have brought nothing but death and destruction to Iraq and neighbouring Syria.



Having camped outside the Green Zone walls for weeks, the protesters entered the area, slapped prominent parliamentarians and broke up furniture. The protest movement is led by radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who opposed the US invasion and formed a militia, the Mahdi Army, to fight US forces.



While his party is part of the Shia fundamentalist regime, he has clearly decided to latch onto the issues that have plagued the majority of Iraqis over the past few years. In the battle against corruption, he has the support of Iraqs senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.



Shias are in the forefront of the campaign for a new system of governance because they not only see that the communal model imposed by Washington has divided and destroyed the country but has also led to the carnage inflicted on civilians by IS and al-Qaeda. While Iraqis from all communities die and are maimed by suicide and car bombings, the majority has been Shias, who are targeted at markets or during pilgrimages.



In March, 1,119 Iraqis were killed; in April 741, 410 of them civilians. Since more than 90 civ-ilians were slain by three explosions in Baghdad on May 10, cas-ualties could be high this month.



The main reason for violent attacks claimed by IS are the military successes the Iraqi and Syrian forces have had against the cult, which has lost considerable territory in both countries, is strapped for funds, and suffers a reduction in recruits.



By mounting deadly bombings in Iraq, IS punishes its enemies, terrorises the populace, undermines the security forces, weakens the government and keeps itself in the news. Attacks also maintain the impression that sectarian violence in Iraq is endemic and cannot be quelled.



This is a view adopted as early as in 2006 by US Vice President Joe Biden, who visited Baghdad unannounced two days before the storming of the Green Zone with the aim of giving a boost to Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. Appointed in 2014, al-Abadis efforts to reconcile with Sunnis and tackle graft have been stymied by parliament.



Sectarian partitionIn 2006, while serving in the Senate, Biden and Leslie Gelb, an influential commentator, produced an article calling for the partition of Iraq into Shia, Kurdish, and Sunni regions. Bidens visit coincided with a New York Times article by Tim Arango who quoted experts who favour partition.



One such expert was Ali Khedery, a former US official of Iraqi origin who advised US ambassadors and generals serving in the country. In his view, Iraq should become a confederacy or be partitioned. He claimed Iraq is a violent, dysfunctional marriage of sects and ethnicities. We should...broker an amicable separation or divorce that results in self-determination for Iraqs fractious communities.



Partition or confederal statelets would be the worst possible option, compounding the disaster the US wrought on Iraq by adopting a communal divide-and-rule strategy to perpetuate the US occupation. Conflict would erupt over territory and boundaries, over oil and other resources.



Baghdad would be cleansed of its remaining Sunnis and Kurds by extremist Shia militias. Kurds would go north to their autonomous region but Sunnis would flee the country rather than be confined to a rump Sunni statelet in resource-poor Anbar, Salahuddin, and Nineva provinces. Shia and Kurdish regions would reap the benefits of Iraqs oil which would serve as a casus belli for Sunnis.



The sole but, admittedly, impossible solution for Iraq is abandoning the ethno-sectarian model and reinstating secularism. This could be done by simply outlawing all religion- and ethnic-based political parties, dissolving communal militias, establishing parties with secular agendas, banning from office politicians with ethno-sectarian connections and ideologies, and prosecuting those who have enriched themselves while serving in post-2003 governments.




An initiative to provide Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs in 73 government degree colleges will soon be launched by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).





It will primarily cover colleges in the backward districts of the state such as those in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.



Since last year, the IIMB started a project to impart education in English communication in these colleges on the lines of its tele-education programme - Satellite and Advanced Multimedia Education (SAME) - in select government schools.

The English education programme has on its rolls 20,000 students. The aim will be to impart MOOCs parallel with the English education programme, said Gopal Naik, professor and chair, Economics and Social Sciences Area, IIMB, who will head the project.



A month and a half ago, we had a meeting with faculty from the Maharanis College and quite a few students have shown interest in enrolling for such courses, said Naik.



As many as 100 students from the college in the commerce and management disciplines have registered, showing their intent to enrol.



The MOOCs will be extended to other colleges depending on the level of interest shown by them, said Naik. In addition to MOOCs and English, we may also add soft skills and other courses. We are looking to use various platforms for providing MOOCs, Naik said.



The IIMB has tied up with EdX, a platform for MOOCs started by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Naik said that a number of facilities needed to be ensured such as equipment, common facilities for colleges to enable students to register and access courses.



The connectivity of colleges is a big area of difficulty. There needs to be a common lab where students can come and access the course. Students and teachers need to be oriented to what it would impart, he said An official from the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) said MOOCs will help and supplement the education of the government students.



Students have varied interests and with MOOCs, they could enrol in courses of their choice. A person interested in computer science can enrol for courses in java, basic, computer language programmes and so on.



What are MOOCs?



MOOCs are a very recent form of distance learning where courses are offered online, usually for free, to very a large group of people. Courses are imparted by means of video lectures, course works as well as interactive forums and social media.



Gopal Naik, professor and chair, Economics and Social Sciences Area, IIMB: The connectivity of colleges is a big area of difficulty. There needs to be a common lab where students can come and access the course. Students and teachers need to be oriented to what it would impart.


The state government is reportedly willing to give pre-university lecturers another increment as they have been demanding for long.





The lecturers had boycotted the evaluation of II PU answer scripts for 18 days in April, urging the government to pay them better. They withdrew the protest after the government assured them that it would consider their demand later provided they attended to evaluation duty immediately. The government gave them one increment at that time.



On Sunday, office bearers of Karnataka PU Colleges Lecturers Association met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. They mentioned that lecturers in Karnataka were being paid around 10,000 less than what their counterparts were getting in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They also demanded that pre-university lecturers who had completed NET/PhD be promoted to degree lecturers. A committee headed by IAS officer G Kumar Naik had recommended correction of the disparities.

Official sources said the government was in favour of meeting some of the demands, including a second increment, but an announcement could not be made right now as the model code of conduct was in place in view of the MLC elections. The chief minister gave us a patient hearing. He said the government will respond positively to our demands. Another round of discussion is likely to be held by the end of this month, association president Thimmaiah Purle told reporters.
Iceland's elections are publicly funded, with funds awarded based on polls of the electorate; the Pirates have consistently polled higher than any other party, and the incumbent coalition (whose parties are polling in the single digits) has been scrambling to avoid a general election after the Panama Papers revealed that he had secret offshore accounts that benefited from his bailout of Iceland's planet-destroying banks.

The Pirates stand to receive 35% of the 1.6m pot of available election funds, but party chair Birgitta Jonsdottir has downplayed the money, saying that the Pirates have been happy to fundraise with flea markets in the last election, and that election funds were a distraction for a party with virtually no expenses, apart from paying its employees' salaries.

Jonsdottir would likely be the country's Prime Minister if an election were held today.

She is also the founder of the International Modern Media Institute, which has called for Iceland to establish itself as a "Switzerland of Bits" where whistleblowers and the documents they leak would find safe havens.

She has previously expressed her desire to extend asylum to Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.

The Pirates do not have a formal leader, but poet and activist Birgitta Jonsdottir MP is the chair of the Pirate parliamentary group and their de facto spokesperson. She said: "We did not expect this. We don't care. Democracy doesn't revolve around getting loads of money from the government. "We funded our campaign at a flea market before the last elections and that was fine. We feel we need to be able to pay the salary of our employees. Anything more than that is too much."

Iceland's Pirate Party secures more election funding than all its rivals as it continues to top polls

[Matt Broomfield/Independent]





(Image: Piratka Birgitta Jonsdottir, Piratska strana, CC-BY-SA)
Twenty-three people including 7 students 3 children died on the spot and two were hurt in 2 mishaps on Saturday night in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.





In Andhra Pradeshs capital Amaravati, 8 workers, who were all students, were buried alive under falling earthen embankment in an under-construction commercial complex in Laxmipuram in Guntur city on Saturday night. Seven bodies were recovered and 1 person was pulled out alive. According to the Amaravati police the mishap occurred when the workers were digging 20 feet under at the site near Harihara Mahal for the cellar of a commercial complex built by Phoenix Constructions.



On the other hand in Telangana, 16 people including 15 of a family from Nanded district of Maharashtra including 5 women and 3 children were killed in a road mishap involving a tipper and a 3-wheeler in Adilabad district in the wee hours of Sunday.



The victims, mostly brick kiln workers, were travelling in an auto when a speeding gravel-laden tipper collided head on with the auto carrying 18 people, Adilabad District Superintendent of Police Tarun Joshi said.
With an eye on the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday called for a complete ban on liquor in UP.





At a function here, Nitish invoked Mahatma Gandhi and said that ban on liquor in Bihar was the real ''tribute'' to him (Gandhi) in the centenary year of the famous 'Champaran Satyagraha' (an agitation by Gandhi during the British rule in Bihar's Champaran district).



He urged UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ban liquor in UP and said that though there might be initial opposition but the people would welcome it in the end.



The JD(U) leader said that prohibition had received support of the people in Bihar. ''Now the people in Bihar realise that liquor ban is in the interest of the society,'' he added. Nitish has expressed his resolve to continue to strive for a total ban on liquor in the country. He plans to visit different parts of the state in the days to come seeking support from the people for his endeavour. Nitish, however, had to face opposition from the members of the state liquor manufacturing association during his visit.


The stage is set for the May 16 single phase polls where over 5.8 crore voters in Tamil Nadu will decide the fate of more than 3,700 candidates vying for 233 seats.





In all, 3,740 candidates are in the fray that includes 319 women and 2 transgenders, who are testing their first electoral waters from Madurai and RK Nagar in Chennai.

However, the Election Commission has postponed the elections to Aravaikurichi constituency due to rampant distribution of money to bribe voters.



In the intense battlefield, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress combine, Vijayakanths DMDK-Peoples Welfare Front (PWF) comprising DMDK, VCK, Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and Left parties, caste-based Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the debutant Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) led by actor Seeman are the key contestants.



This apart, several small outfits are also testing their electoral fortunes on their own in contesting some select constituencies. The presence of more than 3,700 candidates in the fray is the highest since the 1996 Assembly elections in which a record 5,017 candidates contested.



Not only is Tamil Nadu for the first time, witnessing multi-cornered contest in Assembly polls but is also witnessing 4 chief ministerial candidates in race.



This includes Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) contesting in RK Nagar, M Karunanidhi (DMK) from his home town Tiruvarur, former union minister Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK) in Peenagaram and actor Vijayakanth (DMDK-PWF-TMC) in Ulundurpet.



In addition, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin (Kolathur), BJP state unit chief Tamizhisai Soundararajan (Virugambakkam), VCK leader and former MP Thol Thirumavalavan (Kattumannarkovil) and 2 time chief minister O Panneerselvam (Bodi) are among other notable contesting candidates. While all the Opposition parties moved away from freebies, the AIADMK has stuck to its 2011 formula of offering freebies including free mobile phones and 50% discount to women to buy two-wheelers.



In the case of DMK, a decent show in the polls is important since Karunanidhis son M K Stalin, who was tipped as the party chief, toured extensively across the state for poll campaign. The fledgling Naam Tamizhar Katchi is also in the fray, but is unlikely to create any ripples, though it was excepted to make its presence felt in several pockets, especially in the coastal belt of the state. Likewise, the BJP, which is going alone, is also expected to bring surprises in southern parts of the state.



The State has a total electorate of 5,82,01,687 of which 2,88,63,013 are men, 2,93,33,954 women and 4,720 others. In all, the Election Commission has set up over 64,000 polling booths of which 9,630 are classified as sensitive and about 1,400 hyper-sensitive.



Explain violation of code: EC to MK



The Election Commission on Sunday asked DMK to stop political propaganda and campaign in the social media and sought an explanation from party president M Karunanidhi as to why action should not be taken against him for violating its code of conduct, PTI reports from Chennai.




Kerala will go to poll on Monday, with the final electoral roll of the state standing at over 2.6 crore voters.





The Assembly election will be held in the states 140 constituencies; the Election Commission has set up 21,498 polling stations and 148 auxiliary polling stations. A total of 1,203 candidates are in the fray.



Speaking with reporters here on Sunday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) E K Majhi said special arrangements were in place for sensitive and vulnerable polling stations. Apart from the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) security, webcasting will be done in 3,137 polling stations, he said. A total of 52,000 state police personnel have been drafted for poll duty, apart from CAPF personnel.



The CEO said the state has witnessed a relatively high rate of seizure of unaccounted money and material during the poll campaign. Surveillance squads seized Rs 23.78 crore, 23 kg of gold and 11,540.26 litres of liquor as part of the expense-monitoring drive. The office of the CEO had also initiated programmes to increase awareness on voting. Majhi said the commission expected the average voter turnout, in recent elections in Kerala about 75%, to go up to 80%. The Meteorological Centre in Thiruvananthapuram has predicted heavy rain in parts of Kerala on polling day.



About 3.91 lakh voters were added after conclusion of electoral roll updates, taking the total number of voters to 260,19,284. For the first time in Kerala, 2 third-gender voters, from Palakkad and Thrissur, figure in the electoral roll. The Election Commission of India, considering the states population density, has permitted a maximum of 1,750 voters per polling station as against 1,200 to 1,500 in other states.



Focus on Kannur



The EC has made special arrangements for the politically sensitive Kannur district. Micro-observers will be posted at critical and vulnerable polling stations in the district. CPM Polit bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan, contesting from Dharmadam, is among prominent candidates in the fray in Kannur.



Issues pertaining to the district were brought to the notice of the EC and a special meeting was held to discuss these issues. Measures are in place to ensure that there are no complaints on bogus voting or otherwise, the CEO said.
After the Malegaon case, the Congress has expressed fears about the Modi government diluting the Samjhauta Express blasts case in which some right wing groups were named as prime accused.





Targeting National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Congress accused the Modi government of erasing evidence gathered by investigating agencies against right wing leaders in cases such as the Malegaon blasts and the Samjhauta Express blasts.



On the other hand, they are creating false documents to implicate opposition leaders, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters here accusing Doval of overseeing the dirty tricks department of the Modi government.



The Congress also took exception to the extension granted to National Investigation Agency Director General Sharad Kumar.



He is getting all this done for the government, Sharma said.

First it was Malegaon and now is the turn of the Samjhauta Express blasts case, the Congress leader said urging the Chief Justice of India to take note of these developments and intervene.



Last week, the NIA filed a fresh chargesheet in the Malegaon blasts case dropping all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and 5 other accused. The NIA also dropped charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts case.



Purohit, along with Swami Aseemanand of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, have been accused of carrying out blasts in the Samjhauta Express in 2007, killing 68 persons  most of them Pakistani nationals.



Flashing copies of a letter, purportedly written by Purohit to Doval, Congress spokesperson R P N Singh wanted the government to clarify on how many such letters the NSA has received from terrorists seeking intervention in the investigation.




The Union Environment Ministry plans to come out with a new law to substantially enhance the penalties for environmental crimes.





The move was made because most of the violations of green laws happen due to absence of deterring penalty clauses in the law.



The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest will bring out a new law on the civil penalties that will seek to impose heavy fine on the violators. The fine could be Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 crore depending upon the nature of the violation, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told DH in an interview.



Realising the proposed legislation and improved compliance to eco-norms are among the major tasks ahead for the ministry over the next 2-3 years.



Besides coming out with the new law, if changes are needed in the existing legislation, we will make those changes also, Javadekar said on the eve of the NDA government completing 2 years in office.



An expert panel, headed by the former Cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian had earlier suggested overhauling the penalty clauses in the environment and wildlife laws as they are too weak to deter anyone.



The Subramanian panel reviewed 6 laws. They are Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 ; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and The Indian Forests Act, 1927.



The punishment required under the acts does not always act as a deterrent to violators. The chargesheets filed (in such cases) rarely come to successful fruition because of lack of manpower and adequate capacity to pursue them effectively, the panel recommended.



Putting in place a more stringent compliance norms with rigorous punishment options will be one of the priorities of the Green Ministry, Javadekar said. Asked about cleaning up the Ganga, the minister said a series of pollution control measures undertaken in the last 2 years resulted in 35% reduction in pollution of the mighty river. We have recently submitted a report to the Prime Ministers Office, he added.

The ministry identified 3400 polluting industries and asked them to improve their machines and install pollution measurement instruments to check the outflow and emissions. Almost 2400 units have installed these machines and the rest have promised to do so.



Almost 700 of these polluting units were on the banks of Ganga. No black liquor or spent wash is flowing into Ganga now. The government is also going to install more common effluent treatment plants, Javadekar said.



Laws reviewed



Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981


The Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday arrested a Pakistani militant in Baramulla on a mission to recruit youths for carrying out suicide attacks in the Valley.





A senior police officer told DH that Abdul Rehman son of Mohammad Sadiq Khan, a resident of Pollas village in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, belonging to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, was using fake identity and had even managed to get hold of a Aadhaar card.



We are trying to ascertain whether the Aadhar card is fake or the militant had managed to get an original one from authorities, he said.



The officer added that the captured militant, who was active for the past 2 months in Baramulla district, was assigned the task of recruiting local youths for carrying out fidayeen attacks in Jammu and Kashmir by his handlers across the border.




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.
REVEALED: The Truth Behind Salman Khan's Girlfriend Iulia Vantur's Wedding Pictures With Romanian Musician
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by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com)  Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569)

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Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war!
Franklin County officials slam Ohio election security mandate

Franklin County commissioners, all Democrats, criticized GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose's election security mandates and their $375,000 cost.
The Air Forces top officer has selected a biography written by an Air Force Reservist for inclusion on the Chief of Staff Reading List 2016.

At All Costs by Chief Master Sgt. Matt Proietti tells the life and death story of Medal of Honor recipient Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Dick Etchberger. Its Proiettis first book and has a narrative fit for Hollywood.

Etchberger was a ground radar superintendent during the Vietnam War and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2010, 42 years after he was killed in March 1968. He was shot while riding in a rescue helicopter following an overnight battle at a mountaintop in Laos, where he helped maintain a secret radar site that aided the U.S. bombing campaign in North Vietnam.

The CSAF Professional Reading Program was created in 1996 by General Ronald Fogleman to develop a common frame of reference among Air Force members -- officers, enlisted, and civilians -- to help every Airman become better, more effective advocates of air and space power. Each CSAF since then has enhanced and continued the Professional Reading Program. The current CSAF is Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. To view the CSAF Reading List 2016, visit:

http://static.dma.mil/usaf/csafreadinglist/

Proietti, who is an Individual Mobilization Augmentee, began his journey to write At All Costs in 2008 while he was filling in as chief of the Air Force news team in Washington, D.C. The staff heard rumblings that Etchberger might be nominated for the Medal of Honor. He asked his team of junior writers if anyone was interested in researching and preparing an article on the Vietnam War hero. Knowing their supervisor was a history buff, they suggested he take it on himself.

As Proietti began learning more about Etchberger, he became intrigued with the life and career of the man who was credited with saving the lives of two fellow Airmen during the battle for Lima Site 85, one of dozens of dirt airstrips maintained by the CIA as part of its Air America network.

He started his research by traveling to Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Etchbergers hometown. It was there that he met high school friends and family members of the Airman. What he learned was that the future Medal of Honor recipient led a life focused on helping others long before his actions that earned him the nations highest honor for military valor.

I got really excited about the story, and I knew one [article] just wouldnt be enough, he said.

From his initial research, Proietti crafted a three-part series on his own time after his Washington duty orders ended. He would have been done with the story at that point except Cory Etchberger, one of the late chiefs three sons, reached out to him to ask if he was interested in working with him to write a book about his father. Cory said he contacted Proietti after reading his articles.

Lots of people have written articles about Dad, but Matt is the only one who got every detail right, he said.

Cory Etchberger, a 25-year veteran of the college lectern, started work on the book in 2006 and had done research, gathered a contact list and developed an outline. However, because he lacked a strong writing background, he knew he would need some help. He talked to his brother, Richard, and they agreed that Proietti was the man for the job.

Despite his rookie status as an author, Proietti had plenty of writing chops to qualify him for the job. He is a 31-year veteran of the Public Affairs career field who has won the Department of Defenses coveted Thomas Jefferson Award for communications four times. He began writing in grade school, and when the Air Force gave him the opportunity to write professionally, he couldnt believe it.

Not a week goes by that Im not thankful to the Air Force for giving me the opportunity to write, said Proietti.

After transition to the Air Force Reserve in 1988, he spent a decade working as a community newspaper editor in Southern California. Since becoming a traditional reservist, and later an IMA, Proietti has served in a variety of roles, writing, editing and mentoring young writers. Until recently he was the reserve assistant to the Public Affairs career field manager at the Pentagon. He is now assigned to 3rd Combat Camera Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and on extended active duty as Public Affairs manager for the Air Force Reserve Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

He said his role as a chief master sergeant gave Proietti a unique understanding of the responsibilities Etchberger would have had as an enlisted leader.

Proiettis first met Cory in 2009 at his then-home in Switzerland. They went through his fathers old service records and what unfolded, as the GI interpreted them for the late chiefs son, was a clearer picture of the career of an outstanding Airman. The biographer said he became fascinated by the narrative because so many Medal of Honor stories are about young Airmen who made a split decision to do something heroic, while the story of Dick Etchberger revealed the full career of a man who lived the Air Force core values, was a good wingman, and was loved and respected by superiors and subordinates alike.

Two years after Proiettis research began, President Obama approved the Medal of Honor for Etchberger, presenting it to his sons during a White House ceremony Sept. 21, 2010. (Ceremony: https://youtu.be/HrQCVCWT_HQ)

The initial plan was for Proietti and Cory to co-write the book, but as the project progressed, they decided it would be best for the Air Force writer to take over the pen. He spent the next several years doing research, spending hours at the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library in Austin, Texas, and interviewing and writing letters with Etchbergers former supervisors and the men whose lives he saved, including retired Tech. Sgt. John G. Daniel of La Junta, Colorado.

He should have a 55-gallon drum full of medals. I wouldnt be alive without him, said Daniel.

In the hours preceding his death, Etchberger defended the Lima Site 85 radar camp against an attack from North Vietnamese special forces. Etchberger used a handheld radio to call for a rescue and air strikes. According to Daniel, they basically had to call air strikes in on themselves, figuring they were dead men anyway.

Etchberger, Daniel and Capt. Stan Sliz survived the night by returning small arms fire and exchanging grenades with the enemy. When the light of day finally brought a CIA rescue chopper, Etchberger repeatedly exposed himself to heavy fire while helping Daniel and Sliz, both of whom had suffered serious injuries, onto an Air America rescue helicopter. Daniel lost consciousness as soon as he was aboard.

After ensuring his men were safely loaded, Etchburger joined them. As the helicopter peeled away, an enemy round pierced the floor and hit Etchberger, resulting in serious internal injuries and bleeding. He died by the time the aircraft reached safety.

Daniel, who was unconscious until the next day, was confused by the news of Etchbergers death.

It didnt make sense to me. He was the only one who wasnt injured (that night). I thought, what the hell? said Daniel. He told me, Ill be right up. Ill see you in a minute.

Proietti, who traveled on military business a good deal over the last five years, said he would work on the story everywhere he went. The biography was written on airplanes, in hotel rooms and on weekends at his home in the hills outside of Sacramento, California.

Finally, on December 1, 2014, Proietti said he officially finished writing and began proof reading. Fellow public affairs IMA Senior Master Sgt. Ray Sarracino created the cover illustration, which features a full-length photograph of Etchberger in his uniform, the Medal of Honor and a map of Laos and North Vietnam. The book went to press in early 2015; 5,000 copies paid for by the Etchberger Foundation, which will receive half the profits. The foundation will use the proceeds to educate others about the life and sacrifice of its namesake, provide leadership and service awards to ROTC students, and to assist Air Force families in financial need.

Cory said hes pleased with the book and credits Proiettis ability to ask the right questions and build historical context with creating an accurate portrayal of his father. He hopes that those who read At All Costs will come away inspired to continue his fathers legacy of helping others.

With the first edition of the book in print, Proietti is now working on a screen adaptation and will have a draft version of a script completed this spring. He also hopes to write more books in the future, including works of fiction.
A cool pre dawn breeze swept across the border country between Belleek and Corlea as around 1,000 hardy souls gathered to take part in an historic and memorable cross-border walk.

It was all in aid of the Darkness Into Light programme and you could almost feel the goodwill and bonhomie as local DJ Gerard Maguire got the huge crowd limbering up with some stirring disco music.

From 3.30 am onwards people from Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Kinlough, Belleek, Garrison and Derrygonnelly, to name just a few areas, gathered at the spacious Erne Gaels GFC ground for the beginning of the walk.

This cross border walk was pretty unique as it was the only one if its kind in the country.

Every walker paid 20 to register and was given a yellow T shirt with the words Darkness Into Light in big bold letters.

And then at 4.15am local PP, Father Tiernan Beggan and Church of Ireland Vicar Rev Ngozi Njoku cut the tape and the walkers set off on the 3.6 mile walk around the border.

And that set the scene for a long yellow line of walkers, some of them carrying bright candles of hope as they strode confidently into a Donegal/Fermanagh dawn.

The route took the walkers, who included a high proportion of families and many smiling children down the Main Street of Belleek before turning left at Rooneys Corner and heading for Corlea.

There were well-lit marshals at every turn of this lovely border circle with well lit tractors, stand by medical facilities and lit candles along the route.

Slivers of dawn were stealing in when the walkers turned right at Corleas Crooked Bridge and well known Mulleek musician Tom Flanagan was playing a rousing version of Sean South as we headed for Bonahill/Derryhillew and Frank Dolans Lane.

A big hill had to be scaled at Dolans Lane and then it was a nice flat walk along the Commons back to the GAA grounds as we walked into the light of a lovely dawn.

The walk took around an hour and 15 minutes for most of the walkers although Erne Gaels manager Maurice McLaughlin and Fermanagh GAA PRO Pauric McGovern were among a hardier core of runners who landed back at the GAA Centre for a heavenly cup of tea.

All of the walkers were then treated to bottles of water, tea scones and biscuits in the GAA Centre where a successful raffle was held.

It was a very special night for the local Erne Gaels club as its popular club chairman Declan McCaffrey had won a Club Volunteer Award for small clubs at a ceremony organized by the Irish News in Belfast earlier on Friday.

Declan is also a driving force behind the Darkness Into Light campaign and is also a tireless promoter of mental health issues.

And it was a special morning also for the tour de force that is Bernie McNulty who celebrated her birthday, in between making sure that this mega event ran smoothly.

The walk, which was one of scores taking place all over the country, attracted over 120,000 nationwide to raise funds for Pieta House, a voluntary organization that does so much to combat the effects of suicide in Irish families.

Pieta House organizes this annual event to remember those who died by suicide and to raise awareness of depression.

The pre dawn 5 km is a symbolic event that ends as the dawns first light is breaking.

It was held in 100 locations all around the country.

Speaking afterwards Bernie McNulty said;

Words fail me, it really was a very emotive and humbling experience and it showed this larger community in a truly great light.

And the fact that around 1,000 people turned out in Belleek at 4.15 am in the morning sort of speaks for itself.

There was a wonderful cross-border, cross-community spirit, the weather was superb and where else would you hear the cuckoo.

It really surpassed all our expectations and everyone was so supportive.

It took a lot of hard work and organizing, but seeing all those people from a truly wide area in the early morning was just so inspiring.

One of the busy Bernies next goals is to try and get a Pieta House going in Letterkenny.

But for now she is recovering from last weekend.

And maybe next year will be even bigger!
Excitement reached fever pitch at Malin Head on Friday as filming began on the 8th film in the Star Wars saga.

Although Malin Head loop, as the circuit from The Crossroads to Banbas Crown and back is known, was closed to all but local traffic, many made their way to the Seaview Tavern, Farrens Pub and the pier, to soak up the fantastic atmosphere, the glorious sunshine and amazing scenery.

When news emerged that actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and director Rian Johnson touched down just after lunchtime, the excitement levels were ratcheted up several more notches.

Many had hoped that at least one of the films main characters would make it to Donegal, but landing three of the films leads, including Luke Skywalker, star of the original trilogy, brought things to a whole new level.

Ali Farren of Farrens Pub, told the Democrat, Malin Head has never seen anything like it. Weve had a constant stream of visitors and our phone hasnt stopped. Everyone wants to know about it. Youd expect the local and Ulster media to be interested but its attracted attention all over the world, before filming even started. The people here are as proud as punch.

This is going to have amazing tourism benefits, not just here in Malin Head and Inishowen, but right throughout Donegal, the North West and Northern Ireland. To come to Malin Head, people have to travel up the west coast, from Dublin or from Belfast. Its a win-win situation.

Credit must go to Aideen Doherty from Carndonagh who is, head of the Donegal Film Office, Donegal County Council and Failte Ireland for securing this.

You cant buy the type of publicity Star Wars is bringing to our area. If 1% of the people that have been here in the last week come back and spend 1 in this area, this will be of benefit.

Once the film is released, at the end of 2017, we will be seen the world over. If we get seen for two minutes, well be happy. If we get more, well be over the moon.

They are actually filming at two spots, both of which are breathtaking, in the best weather you could ask for. And were even hearing that theyre thinking of coming back to Malin Head for the next film as well!

Pictured: Visitors at Malin Head watch to seen if they can get a glimpse of the actors. Photo Brian McDaid
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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.
FR Oliver Brennan, former parish priest at Blackrock, has said the support he got from family and friends kept him sane during the two-year ordeal he suffered when he was falsely accused of child abuse.

FR Oliver Brennan, former parish priest at Blackrock, has said the support he got from family and friends kept him sane during the two-year ordeal he suffered when he was falsely accused of child abuse.

Fr Brennan was speaking on the Marian Finucane programme on RTE Radio One last Saturday.

It was the worst thing in the world, he said, to be accused of the worst crime of all.

He said that on the 14 August 2010 the bishop with a child safe guarding officer read out to him the accusation and he was told that he would have to leave the parochial house by 6pm that evening and a statement would be read out at the 6.30pm Mass.

He was then asked if he had anywhere to go.

He said he had a wedding to officiate at that day but was told that would not be possible.

He then went to stay at his brothers house.

In the interview with Marian Finucane he was asked he he had been told who had made the allegation. He replied: No. He had not been told.

Fr Brennan said he then decided to ask the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to investigate the matter.

It was not until January 2011 that his accuser made a statement to the PSNI which Fr Brennan said was mixed up.

At one point (in her statement) she said: he never touched me. 

Fr Brennan said he did remember the person who made the accusation.

I was not in this parish but I remember giving her family some help.

He said his accuser had been involved in a case in which it was alleged that she stole money and he had gone to the police asking them not to pursue it.

I was trying to help her.

Interview

The police interviewed me in April 2011. They were very thorough. They interviewed a lot of people in the area.

In November 2011 they sent documentation to the Public Prosecution Service and three days later I was told is was over.

I received clearance from the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service.

But that was not the end of the matter. The Catholic Church sent documentation to the Vatican which was cleared last May.

Then the Diocese of Armagh held its own administrative process and on 19 October last Fr Brennan was called in by Cardinal Brady and told there was no case to answer. The allegation was false.

It would put the fear of God into a lot of other priests, said Marian.

Fr Brennan said he hadnt been invited back to the parish but he would have like to have gone back to meet his former parishoners. He has now been appointed to a new parish.

It had initially made him bitter about the Church but he was not bitter anymore.

There were many calls of support from listeners some of whom said he should take a case against his accuser.

Fr Brennan said some parishioners from Blackrock wanted him to take a case, but he said:

Its very important to forgive.
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(Photo: REUTERS / Nigel Roddis)Women react after the Synod session which approved the consecration of women bishops, in York July 14, 2014. The Church of England voted on Monday to allow women to become bishops, a historic decision which overturns centuries of tradition in a church that has been deeply divided over the issue.

The Church of England has voted to allow its first ever female bishops 20 years after it ordained its first women priests.

The decision Monday reversed a previous rejection in 2012 and comes after intensive work by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby with church lay members being the stumbling block.

"Today is the completion of what was begun over 20 years with the ordination of women as priests," Welby said.

"I am delighted with today's result. Today marks the start of a great adventure of seeking mutual flourishing while still, in some cases disagreeing.

Women can serve as bishops in other Anglican Communion churches in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Swaziland and the United States. The Church of England ordained its first female priests 20 years ago.

"As delighted as I am for the outcome of this vote I am also mindful of those within the Church for whom the result will be difficult and a cause of sorrow."

The new measure contained concessions for parishes that continue to object to the appointment of a women bishop and it gives them the right to ask for a male alternative and to take disputes to an independent arbitrator.

CHEERS AFTER VOTE

There were cheers in the hall at the Church of England General Synod in York, northern England on Monday, as the measure passed after five hours of debate.

The measure had the backing of British Prime Minister David Cameron along with Welby.

The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, said, "This is a momentous day.

"Generations of women have served the Lord faithfully in the Church of England for centuries. It is a moment of joy today: the office of Bishop is open to them.

"To those who ask 'what took you so long?' my answer is that every decision has a cost and there will be those within our body who will be hurting as a result of this decision.

"We move slowly because we move together. But in moving together we achieve not only what is just but also model what is right."

Sentamu who was born and grew up in Uganda said, "As the African Proverb says, "Whoever walks fast, travels alone. Whoever walks far, walks in the company of others."

The World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit expressed appreciation for the a historic vote by the General Synod of the Church of England.

The vote will later be presented for confirmation by the British Parliament and will be received by Queen Elizabeth II in her role as titular head of the national church.

"I ttrust that this decision will encourage women in the Church of England to use their gifts in all positions of Christian ministry to which their church now may call them," said Tveit.

"The WCC member churches welcome the use of the gifts God has given to both men and women, and respect one another's traditions," said Tveit in a statement July 15.

The results came in a series of three votes across different houses of the Church of England each needing a majority of two thirds.

The House of Bishops voted 37 for, two against with one abstention.

The House of Clergy voted 162 for, 25 against with four abstentions.

The House of Laity voted 152 for, 45 against with five abstentions.

Anglican sources said the first female bishops could be appointed before the end of 2014.
(Photo: REUTERS / Neil Hall)The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby speaks with female priests after their march celebrating the 20th anniversary of women becoming ordained priests in the Church of England in London May 3, 2014.

A group of women who formed "Roman Catholic Womenpriests" say they will push their quest for female ordination in the Catholic Church from which they have been excommunicated.

The group said from California they are devout Catholics and have formed an association called the "Roman Catholic Womenpriests," CBS Los Angeles reported on May 13.

The RCWP was organized in 2002 when seven women were ordained by some male bishops on Europe's Danube River.

Despite the ban on the ordination of women, noted by Pope Francis in his November apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" (the Joy of the Gospel), the women said they continue to defy their church to answer a call from God.

On May 3, the Church of England celebrated the 20th anniversary of women becoming ordained priests in London.

In September the Pope had excommunicated Australian priest Father Greg Reynolds, in his first such act, for supporting the ordination of women as Catholic priests.

Reynolds told National Catholic Reporter he believes the excommunication is linked to his support for same-sex marriage and that he had attended rallies that favor changing the definition of marriage.

The Roman Catholic Womenpriests assert they were excommunicated by the church simply because they are women.

They say they have challenged the Church's Canon Law 1024, saying only baptized males can be ordained, and they describe it as "an unjust law that discriminates against women."

"It's a sexist law created by some humans and the call of God trumps that," Jennifer O'Malley, one of the self-proclaimed female priests, now said to number 180 worldwide, told CBS. Most of this group are Americans.

The RCWP claims its ordinations are valid.

"We are ordained in apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church." On their website they defend their movement and explain their fight for the ordination of women.

"We women are no longer asking for permission to be priests. Instead, we have taken back our rightful God-given place ministering to Catholics as inclusive and welcoming priests," they write on their website.

In November, Pope Francis affirmed the Catholic Church's millennium old ban against the ordination of women saying the church is not going to change its position.

"The reservation of the priesthood to males, as a sign of Christ the spouse who gives himself in the Eucharist, is not a question open to discussion," the Pope wrote in Evangelii Gaudium.

He acknowledged that "... many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection ...."
(Photo: REUTERS / Neil Hall)The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby speaks with female priests after their march celebrating the 20th anniversary of women becoming ordained priests in the Church of England in London May 3, 2014.

Pope Francis' suggestion that the Catholic Church should study how women could take on a larger role in church leadership could result in women holding the office of deacon, and the suggestion has also triggered debate on females in the priesthood.

Francis was speaking on May 12 to women in the International Union of Superiors General, made up of nuns from different orders from around the world, when he made his remarks, Catholic News Service reported.

Pope Francis told the heads of women's religious orders that he would set up a commission to study the New Testament deaconesses and he also said more can and should be done to involve lay and consecrated women in church decision-making at every level.

He was asked if he would establish "an official commission to study the question" of whether women could be admitted to the diaconate, and responded: "I accept. It would be useful for the church to clarify this question. I agree."

Andrew Brown, wrote in The Guardian newspaper that Francis "has made many friends outside the Catholic Church and many enemies inside it."

He said, "His latest, throwaway suggestion that women might be ordained deacons will make him thousands of new friends  and even more embittered enemies. For it touches directly on the most neuralgic question in contemporary Catholicism: the constitution of the priesthood."

In his column in Brown wrote that the difficulty for traditionalists is that there were clearly women called "deacons" in the New Testament.

"The arguments against ordaining women priests come down ultimately to the fact that Jesus didn't do it, and neither did the early church," wrote Brown.

"He didn't make women (or anyone) priests; but the early church did recognise men who were doing some of the things that bishops now do, and it did recognise women called deacons. The traditionalist argument is that those women did an entirely different job than what is now meant by the word."

Then the director of the Holy See's Press office, Father Federico Lombardi, issued a statement that seemed intended to clarify what the Pope said.

Lombardi said, "The Pope did not say he intends to introduce the ordination of female deacons and even less did he talk about the ordination of women as priests."

He noted, "In his reply, the Pope said understanding about the role of female deacons in the early Church remained unclear and agreed with the sisters that it would be useful to set up a Commission to study the question."

Guardian commentator Brown wrote, ""The more the question is discussed, the less convincing the traditional answer becomes. If the commission manages to report before Francis dies, we should see real fireworks."
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
Pool boss denies 'false' breastfeeding story

The chairman of the Western Swimming Pool has accused a national newspaper of printing a false story about a mother being stopped from breastfeeding there.

In a statement posted on Facebook Adrian Christian says they "completely deny" the facts of the incident as reported in the Daily Mail.

The story alleges that a local woman was forced to stop feeding her baby daughter whilst they were in the pool in July 2014  with claims she was posing a risk to life.

Mr Christian admits she was asked to stop for safety reasons  but because the ratio is one adult to two children and her husband was left with three kids under the age of eight.

He says the pool has always allowed breastfeeding and its a shame that the journalist from the publication failed to report his response to the questions she put to him.

Claims that the woman had won a landmark legal battle were also disputed  Mr Christian says it made commercial sense to pay her 2,000 in compensation.

He said whilst they were prepared to defend the defamatory accusations they took the best option for the pools finances  which are supported by tax and rate payers money.
Eye Candy may have gone off the air last year, but that doesn't mean the co-stars don't still keep in touch.

The former MTV series starred Victoria Justice as Lindy, a hacker on the hunt for a serial killer she met online (while also trying to find her missing sister). The 10-episode run featured a variety of daring adventures to figure out the identity of "the Flirtual Killer," with plenty of bodies dropping along the way. Unfortunately, the series, itself, was killed after only one season.

Enstars recently caught up with one of its main stars, Harvey Guillen, at Out Magazine's Fashion Vanguard Awards at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. Fans will recall that Guillen played Lindy's good friend George and he talked about his old MTV co-stars. As it turns out, everyone's now spread out and living in different area codes, but the group still remains in touch and (seemingly) pretty tight.

"Kiersey [Clemons who played Sophia]--she's actually one of my writing partners--so we wrote a project that we're really excited about. Victoria is shooting Rocky Horror and we're really close. We group chat all the time and it's kind of sad because we miss each other and we're all over parts of the world," Guillen said. "I was in Colombia shooting last week and Kiersey was in LA, Victoria was in Vancouver, Ryan [Cooper who played Jake] was in New York, so we just group texted and said, 'Can we just be in one place at one time?' But I love them. And I know that it's for the best that we're just friends and continue to be friends."

The actor also dished on the fashion event and how he's into styles that aren't gender specific.

"There's these shirts and long gated skirts that can be unisex, which are like giant shirts or a girl can wear and put a belt on and it becomes a dress, or a guy can wear and call it a dress," he said. "So there's no labels and barriers, I'm really into that."

Guillen also commented on the recent political drama in North Carolina over House Bill 2 (also known as HB2), which infamously outlaws a person from using a restroom in a government building that is not designated the same gender they were born as (singling out and complicating things for those who are transgender). It's been called "the most anti-LGBT law in the U.S." Over a hundred corporate leaders from major companies like Miramax and Bank of America, signed their names calling for HB2's repeal ( a similar move got Georgia's governor to repeal a similar law)

"Actually, my writing partner is from North Carolina and she was appalled and very saddened that they're going back 50 years in what we've been looking forward to and moving forward in the future," he said. "And I think [the letter from business leaders is] a good thing, I think companies should stand by and say we're not gonna have our LGBT brothers be discriminated against and if you're not going to be willing to give them the freedom to live their lives, then we're not gonna do business with you."
Move to plug loopholes was long overdue but more remains to be done.

The decision to amend the 36-year-old convention for avoidance of double taxation between Mauritius and India to curb revenue losses and money laundering has come not a day too soon. The treaty with Singapore will also be amended. For decades, more than half the foreign investments coming into this country had been routed through these two tax havens to avoid payment of taxes, in particular taxes on capital gains. But there was always a rather thin dividing line between avoidance of payment of taxes and ostensibly-legal sharp accounting practices on the one hand, and evasion of taxes and conversion of black money through round-tripping of funds through different jurisdictions, on the other. Whereas the latest moves will make Mauritius and Singapore less attractive to route investments to India, some of these transactions could now come through Cyprus and the Netherlands which do not levy taxes on gains made through short-term transactions in financial securities. More importantly, the Indian government continues to allow opaque methods of investments in shares and debt instruments through participatory notes which make it difficult for regulatory authorities to ascertain the source of funds and the beneficial owners of corporate entities. (A beneficial owner is a legal term wherein specific property rights are vested in a person or entity although the legal title of the property may belong to another person or entity.) There is currently an estimated $30 billion of investments through P-notes in Indian stock exchanges.

The Indian government has been particularly keen on not rocking the boat by specifying a transition period for the new convention to kick in and introducing a grandfathering clausesuch a provision implies that an old rule will continue to apply to existing situations while the new rule will apply prospectively to future cases; those exempt from the new rule thus acquire what are called grandfather rights. Thus, those seeking to book capital gains on short-term transactions (that is, buying and selling securities within a year) will be exempt from paying half the taxes due between April 2017 and March 2019 and only thereafter, pay taxes on capital gains at the full rate. The new rule will be applicable only to those entities who invest a minimum of 27 lakh (or 1.5 million Mauritian rupees) in a year, akin to the limitation of benefits clause in the treaty India has signed with Singapore. Shorn of jargon, what the new rules mean is that it will become more expensive for foreign portfolio investors, institutional investors and direct investors to route their funds to India via Mauritius.
Just choose one way you meet the financial requirement and stick to it, so don't disclose anything else. Disclosing more only causes confusion and may even lead to a refusal if ECO doesn't quite understand your intentions. You need to SHOW how you are meeting the requirement, and it's not up to the ECO to pick and choose from the myriad of details you disclose how you may meet the requirement - they won't do it for you.



So either under Cat A (with sponsor returning to UK) or Cat D (savings). Neither is better - they are alternatives. Make sure you give full information required, and in case of savings, show how the savings are made up, through gifts, asset sales, transfers from current account etc.
This is the Peyia bus -Never used it myself (or seen it for that matter!). Peyia village itself has plenty of shops, restaurants and bars but is up a bloomin' steep hill (or down depending on your location). My neighbour doesn't have a car, but tends to walk everywhere anyway, however, he gets all his groceries from Phillipos (local BIG supermarket) - he rings them up, they come and collect him, shops a month's worth then they transport him back to his apartment along with groceries - no extra cost.So there are options. It is very ex-pat intensive here, but they don't bother you if you throw rocks at them.
We've been here since June last year and my husband has yet to make any French business connections.... for a few reasons:



1) Learning to speak business French is much more difficult than he imagined. He doesn't have time to do his normal job and have lessons and study and have a family. To be honest the longer we spend here (he is working for a French company btw) the less he wants to learn and the more he just wants to leave!!



2) Doing business in France is beyond backward, slow, frustrating and time consuming. It appears you cannot just find a business connection, go to meet them for coffee, send them some emails and do business. For him (engineering) everything revolves around a 'presentation' in front of a formal committee/panel of 3. You must go and present yourself/your company/your product/your brand in a very formal way in front of a panel of 3 people. It's always 3. They consult each other, ask questions, formally shake hands and off they go. He has done business all over the world and he's never encountered anything like this!



3) French people do not take too kindly to foreigners giving them advice or instructing them.... here lies the biggest problem. This is the biggest hurdle. He is far more educated and experienced than the people he meets but they don't want to give him projects. Now, he doesn't bother with the French. He has concentrated on British, Nordic and Germanic markets and that's working well for him.



4) Working here is very old fashioned. It is not uncommon for companies not to have websites, to have one that is totally dysfunctional or really outdated. My husband is working with people who won't use LinkedIn for fear of identity theft. They're in their 40s btw. The company has just spent 40,000 euros re-doing their website and it's terrible. Atrocious doesn't come close - so you might do well here lol.
Hello everyone.



Please bear with my mouthful post and if this question may have been here somehow because I am feeling so stressed out with my situation right now. I have Relatives visa (but I am married to a South African. SA embassy in my country issues Relative visa and not Spousal). And now, a company offered me a job and I know that I need to have this work endorsement thing to legalize everything. They have given me a 3 month probation contract for the meantime since that is how it works first, if they like my performance then the permanent contract will follow. I am working on processing my endorsement at the moment. I would appreciate any enlightenment/opinion/advice you can give me.



My questions are:

1. Why is it illegal to work while the endorsement is still being processed when VFS / HA requires employment contract as a requirement? Isnt it that when you get a contract you are supposed to be working and you cant breach it? What company would make their newly hired employee not come to work for 2 or so months while waiting for an endorsement result?



2. About the requirement of Police clearance/security certificate. They dont want anything older than 6 months. But the one I have issued by the highest authority from my country is valid for a year. I got this last Oct. 2015 and would lapse Oct. 2016. I came here to SA by February. Is there an alternative way I can thats faster to have this become a proper requirement to submit?



3. What does documentation proving cohabitation means?
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What does it mean to become a successful woman  and does it mean something different for our mothers and daughters?

Across oceans and decades, amid stubborn silence and aching separation, three generations of women find their own answers in Houston novelist Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis novel Before We Visit the Goddess.

The novel opens with Sabitri, an old woman in India, who sits down to write a letter to her granddaughter, urging her to reconsider dropping out of college.

Sabitri reaches back into her memory, recalling the day she perfected the recipe that made her Kolkata sweet shop  the business that provided her livelihood  famous: The smooth, creamy flavor of fruit and milk, sugar and saffron mingled and melted on my tongue, she writes. Satisfaction overwhelmed me. This was something I had achieved by myself, without having to depend on anyone. No one could take it away. Thats what I want for you.

For Sabitri, that sweet-shop independence was hard-won and a long time coming.

More Information Before We Visit the Goddess By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Simon & Schuster, $25 See More Collapse

She grew up in rural Bengal, desperate for an education. She was given the chance to attend college in Kolkata, but a single mistake soon put an end to her opportunity. She married, dropped out of school and never finished her degree; instead, she had a daughter, who eventually had a daughter of her own.

When her husband died, Sabitri came into her own, supporting her daughter with her business savvy and sugary confections.

But she is the last generation of her family to live her entire life in India. Sabitris daughter, Bela, emigrates to the United States, never to return.

And in turn, Belas daughter, Tara, grows up in a Houston suburb, all Indian features and Texan boots, never being told much about her grandmother.

The three generations of women fight themselves and each other, often diving helplessly back into the past, that vessel in which all emotions curdle to regret.

Divakaruni was born in India and teaches creative writing at the University of Houston.

A novelist, poet and short-story writer, shes the author of 16 other books, including Oleander Girl and One Amazing Thing.

This novel, like some of her previous work, bridges the gap between India and America, moving between a land of tradition and a land of opportunity.

In some ways, Divakaruni has lived this story.

She, like Bela, came to the United States as a young woman. She was 19, far from her family and living on her own for the first time.

It was at once a thrilling adventure and terribly, terribly scary, Divakaruni said.

She worked a series of odd jobs, scrambling to earn the money to stay in college. But even as she struggled, she said, I could see that as a woman, so much more had opened up for me.

Growing up in India, the idea of a successful woman was very clearly delineated for me, she said. You went to college, you got married, you made a good marriage, you had kids, and you brought them up well. Thats what society was saying to me.

Her mother, meanwhile, struggled as a single parent to make ends meet and impressed on Divakaruni the importance of being independent.

I was getting, even in India, mixed messages, Divakaruni said. And then I came to America, and all those rules changed.

But coming to the United States presented plenty of challenges.

America, for most immigrants, its the golden land, she said. Thats the lasting myth of our time: You come to America, all your problems will be solved. As immigrants find out, this is a wonderful country, but it will not solve all your problems.

Divakarunis characters discover that; they struggle to survive financially, strive to be independent, fall in love and into relationships that ensnare them.

Each generation of this family is given more freedom, but each woman ends up being trapped until she finds a way to claim that freedom.

The novel moves from rural India to the freeways of Houston and back, shifting as the characters speak up in turn, explaining themselves.

Each chapter begins in a different time and place, a slightly disorienting experience that plops the reader into a new world, listening to a new voice, again and again.

Before We Visit the Goddess is a novel in stories, Divakaruni said, a form that gave her the freedom to offer the voices of multiple characters, all telling stories that overlap until, finally, the truth is seen. It really becomes a chorus, a symphony of sorts, she said. Thats how I think of this novel.

The book has been an instant best-seller in India, but much of the story is based in Houston. Divakaruni, who moved to Houston 14 years ago when her husband got a job at Shell, said she feels as though she finally understands Texas well enough to use it as a setting for her fiction.

For readers who are Texan, I hope they will recognize and enjoy Texas in this book, she said. But for the readers who are not, I wanted them to know a Texas they dont often think about: a Texas that is very multicultural, that is diverse.
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Left reeling in the wake of Uber and Lyfts abrupt withdrawal from Austin following a vote requiring drivers fingerprints, Daryl Faulks found himself out of a job and decided to venture south.

Faulks, who has been driving for the ride-hailing companies for about a year, has come to rely on the extra income to supplement the money he makes from teaching high school and selling real estate.

So when Austin voters decided May 7 to retain city regulations that Uber and Lyft opposed, he planned to drive to San Antonio the following Saturday to try and find business.

I believe I have no choice, he said. I have a $581 car payment Ive got to make, and I have other bills I have to pay.

Unlike Austin, San Antonio made the fingerprint part of background checks optional for drivers, prompting the companies to resume operations here during a trial period.

Though demand for ride services is said to be lower in San Antonio than in Austin, Faulks is one of many Austin drivers taking advantage of the Alamo Citys more flexible regulations.

More Information Upcoming meetings The City of San Antonio is hosting two roundtable discussions to gather public input on its ride-hailing pilot programs: Wednesday, 5:30-7 p.m., St. Margaret Mary's Church Activity Center, 1314 Fair Ave. June 1, 5:30-7 p.m., TriPoint YMCA Grantham Hall, 3233 N. St. Mary's Street See More Collapse

The rules here now are among the most permissive of big Texas cities. In Houston, where fingerprint checks are mandatory, Lyft pulled out and Uber is threatening to follow suit. And Dallas requires drivers to obtain permits based on either city-conducted background checks without fingerprints or third-party checks that the city might audit.

In the coming months, San Antonio residents and elected officials will have to revisit the citys interim rules as the nine-month pilot programs created for the upstarts come to an end.

Well be reviewing all the information soon, Mayor Ivy Taylor said. I can say in general that Im so pleased that we came up with a solution that made sense for San Antonio.

Finding a compromise

San Antonio is one of many cities nationwide grappling with how best to regulate the ride-hailing companies, relatively new services that typically dont operate under the same regulations as traditional taxi companies.

Fueling that debate are some widely publicized incidents within the ride-hailing sector that have raised public safety concerns in recent months.

Some incidents have occurred in Texas. Late last year, Dallas police arrested a Lyft driver in the sexual assault of a woman he picked up. And a Houston Uber driver was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of sexual assault, but a grand jury decided he wouldnt face charges.

After Uber and Lyft left San Antonio in early 2015, the City Council and staff worked to create a program that would make the optional fingerprint checks free for drivers. There have been no reported crimes involving the citys Uber and Lyft drivers since the companies returned.

Some drivers have shown interest in the citys checks. Nearly 180 drivers have applied for it, and of those, 120 completed the process. But those drivers can be difficult to find through the ride-hailing companies mobile apps.

Like Austins City Council, the San Antonio City Council initially approved rules that would have required the companies drivers to submit to fingerprint background checks like traditional taxi drivers, among other things. The companies, claiming the fingerprint checks would hamper the efficiency of their business models, left the city when the rules took effect in April 2015.

Both Lyft and Uber argue their background checks are just as effective as fingerprint checks.

Lyft uses a company called SterlingBackCheck that runs an applicants Social Security number and other identifying information through several criminal records databases to check for offenses within the last seven years. It also conducts a driving record check, a vehicle inspection and an in-person screening.

Uber uses a company called Checkr that conducts a similar process to check applicants criminal histories within the same time frame. It also checks an applicants driving record.

The Houston Uber driver who had been accused of sexual assault was found to have served 14 years in prison on a felony drug charge that occurred more than seven years before he began driving for Uber, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The San Antonio model

After months of controversy, Lyft agreed to the citys pilot program in August and resumed operations here in December.

With the pilot program, San Antonio has stepped up as a clear leader, paving the way for ridesharing as a modern transportation option and setting an example for other cities across the state, Lyft spokeswoman Mary Caroline Pruitt said in an email last week. We hope that other Texas cities like Austin and Houston look to it as a proof point that innovation and safety can go hand-in-hand.

The council came to a similar agreement with Uber in October, prompting the company to immediately resume its services in the city. The company did not respond last week to several requests for comment.

A third ride-hailing company, Austin-based Get Me, started operating in San Antonio in January under the same sort of pilot program. Unlike Lyft and Uber, the company has encouraged its drivers to undergo the citys additional check, but only nine have done so.

Weve been pretty straightforward from the beginning and weve been following the rules, said Jonathan Laramy, the companys co-founder.

Drivers who want to participate in the citys background check can request an application through the San Antonio Police Department. They receive a voucher to get the fingerprint check for free through Morpho, a company with four locations in San Antonio. Those that successfully complete it receive an identification number from the city that they can upload to their profiles on the ride-hailing companies mobile apps.

I think its going really well, said Tech Bloc co-founder Lew Moorman, a former Rackspace president who campaigned for keeping the ride-hailing companies in town. I think a number of drivers have taken up the option.

Because the companies have declined to disclose how many drivers they have in San Antonio, its impossible to determine what percentage of drivers have opted to take the additional step. The majority of the 120 completed checks have been for Uber drivers, and the company said earlier this year it exceeded a goal of signing up 2,000 drivers in the city.

SAPD spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame, said police have not received any reports of criminal conduct by Uber, Lyft or Get Me drivers, and no drivers have failed the citys background check. He said the department will weigh in on the pilot programs when the City Council begins reviewing them next month.

District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino, who oversaw the process of creating the programs, said he considers them a success.

Weve covered all the bases, he said. There are those who feel they need (drivers with additional checks), and those who feel they dont, and now they have a choice.

Finding a driver who has passed the citys check can be tricky for riders, who are matched with the drivers nearest them through the companies mobile apps. If theyre matched with a driver who doesnt have citys ID number, they must cancel the ride and hail another through the app until theyre matched with someone who does.

There are locations throughout the city where the odds of being matched with a fingerprinted driver could be higher. The companies are required to supply pickup and dropoff data to the city every three months as part of the pilot program requirements, and Trevino said the airport and downtown are the most active areas.

But in areas farther from downtown where there are fewer drivers, the chances of finding a fingerprinted one are lower. Trevino said he thinks that will change once some version of the pilot programs become permanent.

Once we codify this or move forward with a more long-term solution, I think were going to see a more balanced system there, he said.

Rider choice

For some riders, the odds of getting a fingerprinted driver dont matter. Luke Hammond, a San Antonio resident who has been using Uber and Lyft since they starting operating in the city, said he doesnt buy the argument that such checks are necessary for public safety.

Nobody wants to ever argue about something when you invoke public safety, he said. The worst thing thats ever happened to me is the car was less clean than I wanted it to be. Ive never been concerned about my safety.

Juan Cano, a real estate manager who lives in the Southtown area, uses Uber or Lyft for work and for fun. He said safety never has been a concern for him, but he understands why it might be for others.

I dont know what a fingerprint buys you, he said. Then again, Im a former Marine, 31 years old, and Im not scared of who I get in a car with, so my perspective is different.

Marissa Villa, a resident who used Uber regularly after Aprils hail storm totaled her car, said the safety of the service has crossed her mind. But convenience trumps that concern, she said, because calling for a ride and canceling it if a driver hasnt passed the citys check would be a hassle.

I appreciate the efforts to try and make it as safe as possible, but its something people use because its easy, she said. Any extra steps would probably be too much for anyone who uses the app.

Some drivers feel the same way. Alan Johnson, a San Antonio Uber and Lyft driver, opted to complete the citys extra check only because he thought it would be easy. It ended up being more trouble that he thought it was worth  he said he waited for weeks for an appointment, wound up at the wrong place for the check and had trouble with the paperwork.

At first I couldnt wrap my head around why Uber and Lyft werent interested in going through that process, but boy, was I surprised, he said. It was a very unorganized system.

When he finally got the citys ID number, riders didnt appear to notice it.

Ive yet to find anybody who has said anything about it, and Ive done more than 6,000 rides, he said.

Trevino said he doesnt think some riders seeming ambivalence should influence the citys ride-hailing policies.

To do something or to respond to something because a certain group says they dont care about something is not good governance, he said. Its a policy that says weve got to think of everybody and offer a choice.

Moving forward

The city is hosting roundtable discussions to gather public input on its ride-hailing pilot programs. The City Council will consider the feedback in June and begin drafting permanent rules.

If it opts to keep the fingerprint checks optional, it will have to decide whether they ought to remain free for drivers. The city collected about $18,000 from each company participating in the pilot programs and uses that money to pay for the checks.

Traditional taxi drivers have to pay for their own checks, something many cabdrivers perceive as unequal. As part of its ride-hailing discussions, the City Council and staff plan to examine and possibly revise the code that regulates taxis and other for-hire vehicles.

I think, comprehensively, staff will have to look at how were going to deal with ground transportation across the board and what other cities are doing as this issue continues to evolve across the country, Deputy City Manager Erik Walsh said.

The patchwork ride-hailing regulations that have cropped up across Texas have moved state Sens. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, and Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, to call for statewide regulations to make it easier for such companies to operate.

It can be difficult for these types of companies to operate when there are different ordinances in cities that are adjacent to each other, like the urban areas of Dallas/Fort Worth, said Nichols, who chairs the Senate Committee on Transportation.

State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said he expects to consider such legislation next session but would prefer to leave ride-hailing decisions to the cities.

Its more than just a fingerprint argument, he said. If it grows to be more than that and a problem that cant be solved through local control, then the Legislature will get involved.

Until new regulations are created, Austin drivers likely will continue to look south for extra cash. San Antonio driver Paul Castilla said the influx already has had a huge impact on the city and reduced business for local drivers.

Its going to cut into our piece of pie for a while until they find something else to do, he said.

kblunt@express-news.net
Election officials are reminding voters participating in early voting this week for the May 24 primary runoff that they must maintain the same party affiliation they declared in March.

If you voted March 1, then you have to vote in the same party, said Jacque Callanen, Bexar County elections administrator. If you didnt vote in March, you will be asked to declare a party.
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DALLAS - A monthslong battle for chairman of the state Republican Party fizzled on Friday as a Houston-led insurgency that could have pulled the state GOP even further right was turned back before a vote could take place.

Amarillo businessman Tom Mechler defeated Houston lawyer Jared Woodfill in all but four of the 31 breakout caucus sessions where delegates cast their votes Friday morning. When it was clear Mechler had the overwhelming support of the delegates, Woodfill conceded the race from the convention stage and urged the party to unite behind the incumbent. The delegates elected Mechler chairman on a voice vote Friday afternoon.

"It is an honor to have been elected to continue serving the Republican Party of Texas," Mechler said in a statement. "Our Party is strongest when we are united, and I look forward to working each and every day to keep the RPT the most dominant state party in the country. Today the work begins to demolish the Democrats this November."

The chairman race was a pitched battle that exposed a rift over the role of its leadership in Austin.

For months, Woodfill said that Mechler should be ousted for not being more vocal about the myriad issues that arise during legislative sessions at the Capitol, particularly ones that hit a chord with social conservative voters.

According to Mechler, the chairman should focus on growing the party, especially in Texas' booming Hispanic and Asian populations, and make sure the state GOP operates a responsible budget.

Mechler, who will hold the post until GOP delegates convene again in two years, is most immediately tasked with trying to unite Texas Republicans after a bruising presidential race between Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. After Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, Mechler wasted no time earlier this month promising to put the entire party apparatus behind the billionaire's general election bid against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Mechler's message, which reminded voters of the party's debt and vulnerable majorities in the Legislature just a few years ago, resonated with delegates in their caucuses.

"He worked for Steve Munisteri, and our party was in shambles financially when Cathie Adams was president," said Claudia Bright, a delegate from Texarkana. "Steve took over, we got back in the black, and Mechler was there helping him. I just prefer to stay with the horse that's running the race well."

Another delegate said he had never met Woodfill but supported Mechler because the chairman has focused on minority recruitment during his tenure, especially in border counties where local and state politics are dominated by Democrats.

"Mechler is aggressive in going after counties that are Democrat areas and try to work with them and turn them red," said Alfredo Hinojosa of Nueces County.

During the campaign, Woodfill tried to paint Mechler as insufficiently conservative to lead the party - a tactic that still resonates with the Houston lawyer's supporters.

"Our opposition painted him as a trial lawyer, and Republicans don't like trial lawyers, so that's what happened," said Ann Hastings of Houston. "Jared wanted to lock in the conservative credentials of the party. I am disappointed."

Woodfill's loss was a blow to the wing of the party that wanted a chairman who would use his position to push state lawmakers to deliver on the legislative goals spelled out in the party platform. They pointed to longtime goals that continue to elude Republican leaders in Austin who enjoy some of the largest majorities in decades, including banning so-called "sanctuary cities" and repealing in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

"Tom Mechler says we have to 'carry the water' of elected officials and not hold them accountable to the platform," read a Woodfill campaign flier. "That's just wrong! They work for us."
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WASHINGTON  With Congress unwilling to act, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett is marshaling Democrats to pressure the Obama administration to stem the soaring costs of prescription drugs.

The San Antonio Democrat has stepped up efforts to persuade the National Institutes of Health to take the unprecedented step of breaking patents on high-priced pharmaceuticals developed with taxpayer assistance.

Doggett also is pressing a lavishly funded entity created by the Affordable Care Act to spend more of its money on studying which drugs work best and making those findings widely known.

In his expanding efforts, the veteran congressman is planning to hold hearings in San Antonio and elsewhere about what he considers the exorbitant price of many prescription drugs.

He also said he intends to seek cooperation from local Veterans Affairs offices and military installations related to the effectiveness of drugs theyve prescribed.

Behind the scenes, Doggett has taken the lead in organizing Democratic senators as well as House members in the gridlocked Congress, which has exhibited little interest of late in tackling issues with controversy.

An appeal he authored this spring to the Health and Human Services Department included signatures of Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, among others.

Doggetts efforts stand out because they amount to Democrats challenging a Democratic administration rather than Washingtons usual partisan warfare.

With the Obama administration resisting his recent overtures, Doggetts criticism is growing more pointed.

It goes to a too-cozy relationship between one of the countrys most powerful special interest groups and the Congress and also to a too-cozy relationship with this administration, he said last week.

Smirking bad boy

The sharp rise in prescription drug costs  driven in part by spending for specialty drugs like those for cancer and hepatitis C  catapulted the issue into prominence last year. About a fourth of Americans who take prescription drugs say they have difficulty paying for them, the Kaiser Foundation reported last month.

New Braunfels resident Betty Scholl said that even with a coupon, her mother is paying $362 for the inhaler she needs to treat her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Because of that monthly outlay, her mother, Theresa Doege, 88, has difficulty making ends meet.

Even with help from the Any Baby Can assistance program, her mother has to make hard choices  like how to pay to have her lawn cut after receiving a notice from the city.

Its impossible, Scholl said. You have to jump through hoops to get prescriptions. Sometimes she says, Ill just do without.

Cynthia Nelson, president of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, said drug costs are a growing burden for many of her organizations 1,200 clients, 800 of whom she said are in active case management.

Her organization provides skilled nursing hospice care and other services, including rental assistance and prevention education. All told, Bexar County has at least 5,600 HIV positive cases, she said.

Foundation clients get prescription help from government agencies thanks in part to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, passed by Congress in 1990. But for many, funding for HIV and AIDS drugs is far from sufficient, she said.

Even with copay help, sometimes out of pocket cost can be $500-plus a month, she said.

Most presidential candidates this cycle offered solutions. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, along with presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, have embraced the far-reaching proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Negotiating prices for seniors drugs was barred by Congress before the expensive Medicare prescription drug benefit took effect a decade ago.

With Medicares share climbing to 29 percent of U.S. drug expenditures and industry profits at stake, the presidential campaign assertions point to a high-decibel fight next year in Congress no matter who holds the White House.

Doggett, 69, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, was elected to Congress in 1994. Amid complaints last year about ongoing boosts in prescription drugs, he set up a task force in the House to tackle the issue. He said last week that his initiative is aimed not just at the Obama administration in its waning months but also at preparing for what lies beyond.

In a speech April 26 in Washington in front of the liberal Center for American Progress, Doggett referred to the blizzard of price gouging (that) has been accompanied by a blizzard of lobbying and campaign contributions by the nations largest pharmaceutical companies.

He recalled the much-publicized price increase last year of the anti-parasitic drug Daraprim by Turing Pharmaceuticals and its former CEO Martin Shkreli.

This is not about just the smirking face of one smug bad boy who engineered a 5,000 percent overnight price (boost).  It is a pervasive, industry-wide problem, he said.

Doggett noted concerns in Texas about new drugs costing more than $300 a month for routine conditions such as diabetes.

Major pharmaceutical companies have become giant marketing operations, expert at defending their monopoly pricing, expert at public relations, expert at avoiding taxes and wielding political influence, he said in the speech

Asked for a response, a Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spokeswoman wrote in an email: New medicines are transforming care for patients fighting debilitating diseases like cancer, hepatitis C, high cholesterol and more. At the same time, the share of spending on medicines has been consistent for more than 50 years.

March-in rights

Doggett and allies are pressing the government to exercise so-called march-in rights, aptly named because it would amount to an aggressive action that hasnt been invoked since the law enabling it passed in 1980.

If its determined that a pharmaceutical developed with federally funded research is not sufficiently available, the National Institutes of Health essentially could ignore a patent and grant additional licenses for that drug.

In letters this year, Doggett and allies urged the Health and Human Services Department to issue official guidance on the march-in authority, in effect warning manufacturers prone to exorbitant pricing.

On March 28, Doggett took the lead in pressing the government to hold march-in public hearings on an expensive drug for prostate cancer.

The drug, Xtandi, was developed at the University of California at Los Angeles with research that the National Institutes of Health and the Army helped fund. Its jointly marketed by Medivation Inc. of San Francisco and the Japanese company Astellas Pharma Inc.

Doggett noted in a letter to government agencies that the drug, sold in Japan and Sweden for $39,000 for a year's treatment and in Canada for $30,000 is priced in the United States at $129,000.

The NIH has a powerful tool to hold companies accountable for barriers to access to drugs developed through support of U.S. taxpayers, including price, he wrote in a letter signed by a dozen members of Congress, half of them senators.

The federal agencies have not been receptive. In a response addressed to Doggett, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell was noncommittal, saying the march-in authority is strictly limited and that its use had been rejected three times since 2004. She added that she did not believe additional guidance is needed as a message to companies.

National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins, pressed on the matter by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., at a Senate hearing last month, said he worried that invoking the authority would harm his agencys relationship with drug manufacturers.

Durbin replied that doing nothing sends the message that its fair game, open season, for whatever price increases they wish.

They havent said no yet, Doggett observed last week. But the responses are revealing. If given the choice between maintaining a cozy relationship with the pharmaceutical industry and addressing price-gouging, they prefer the former.

Doggett also is seeking action from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a little-known entity established in the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The nonprofit agency, which goes by PCORI, funds research projects aimed at producing wise decisions about health-care treatments. It receives $500 million yearly from a $2 tax on every health insurance policy  money thats guaranteed through 2019  on top of $150 million annually from the Treasury.

Doggett, after marshaling 39 other House members, told PCORI in a recent letter that it needs to invest more of that money in research about effectiveness of many pharmaceuticals  and then put out that information in consumer-friendly fashion.

In an interview, Dr. Joe Selby, PCORI executive director, said the institute has his been shifting money to drug research.

Lately, we have begun getting more questions about the drugs. It is reflected in our funding, he said, noting PCORI-funded studies comparing treatments for hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and soon studies of anticoagulant medicines.

As far as the advice to better communicating those findings to people, Dr. Selby said the issue would be taken up soon at a board meeting.

Doggett, told of that reply, remarked: Sounds to me like a typical bureaucratic response.

bill.lambrecht@hearstdc.com
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LAREDO  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on U.S. 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said.

The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over, he said. Everythings real preliminary right now.

Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said.

The trooper said it was raining Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 a.m.

Our troopers are going to look into what happened but its going to take us some time, he said of the investigation. We just know the driver lost control.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday night it was sending a team to also investigate the wreck. They were expected to arrive Sunday.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the individuals who lost their lives and those who were injured in this tragic accident, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said. When our deputies arrived on the scene, they immediately began assisting all who were on the bus and securing the area along with our law enforcement partners.

Of those on board, Hein said 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo, where the eighth victim died. Fifteen were taken to Laredo Medical Center. Seven were taken to a Dimmit County hospital in Carrizo Springs.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokeswoman for Laredo Medical Center, said bus passengers being treated there were in stable condition. She said she could share no additional information.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel said the bus belonging to OGA Charters was headed to the Kickapoo Lucky Casino Hotel in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo.

According to federal safety records, the company, which is based in San Juan, in Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley, had a satisfactory safety record, and no crashes in the past two years. OGA Charters provides services for school, shopping, casino, business, church, corporate, family and employee transportation trips.

A message left at the bus company Saturday wasnt immediately returned.

Early Saturday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his condolences to the crash victims.

Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the tragic accident in South Texas today. I ask the entire State of Texas to keep the families of loved ones lost today, as well as the Dimmit County community, in its thoughts and prayers during this difficult time, he said.

The highway at the wreck scene was reopened by early evening.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus wrecks in Texas in the past several years.

In January 2015, two state corrections officers and eight inmates were killed after their Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus struck a piece of displaced highway guardrail west of Odessa. The bus fell about 20 feet before striking a Union Pacific freight train that happened to be passing beneath the highway. Last Thursday, the NTSB concluded the wreck was caused by the bus hitting the guardrail piece.

Seventeen passengers died in 2008 near Sherman when their bus plunged over a highway bridge on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri. The NTSB blamed that crash on a retreaded tire on the right front axle that was punctured by an unknown object.

Although the retread itself wasnt the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, the bus company didnt have the authority to leave Texas after failing an inspection three months earlier and the firm that inspected the bus wasnt equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy.

The owner of the Houston bus company was charged with making false statements but avoided prison in 2014 after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in a plea agreement.
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DALLAS  In his first home-state appearance since leaving the presidential race, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told supporters at the Texas GOP convention Saturday not to lose hope in the face of uncertain times.

A conservative movement had grown around his campaign, he said on stage before thousands of Republicans, and it would continue to grow, though it would not take the White House.

He made no mention of his primary opponent, Donald Trump, whom many Texas Republicans are struggling to accept as their standard bearer. Instead he seemed to speak to many of their concerns: that the party and nation had moved from its roots and must be pulled back from the abyss.

He referenced the sentiment every one of us feels: We have got to save our country.

The 20-minute speech, welcomed with a standing ovation, became a sort of seminar on what it means to be conservative, tailored to his Texas supporters who consistently throughout the convention voiced concern about Trumps values.

Some party members here have pledged to stay home if Trump locks down the nomination, and others said they would vote Libertarian. Most said they would hold their noses and vote Trump for the sake of party loyalty, though they worried what his potential White House tenure could entail.

I dont know what the future will hold. We may face some challenging days ahead, Cruz said. I am convinced from all of my soul: God is not done with America yet.

He stressed the success the movement has found, reminding the audience of the widely pessimistic predictions for both his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign and his 2016 presidential bid, both of which far exceeded expectations.

Cruz recognized the tens of thousands of Texas volunteers who pushed his campaign, and the 12,000 in particular who traveled cross-country with the Texas strike force in an unprecedented mobilization of grass-roots activism. He thanked them all, offered them his love and reflected fondly on his 13-month campaign.

It sparked a movement, he said, predicting those who rallied behind him will be the core of the movement pulling this country back from the abyss.

Challenges remain to be tackled, Cruz said, naming big-government-left-wing socialism among them. For any supporters who felt lost by Cruzs defeat in the presidential race, he offered an agenda.

It includes reforming military rules of engagement that Cruz said tie the hands of American soldiers; abolishing the IRS, the Affordable Care Act, common core teaching standards and the U.S. Education Department, all standard components of his stump speech throughout his unsuccessful presidential bid.

America remains a center-right country, Cruz said. A country that embraces the Judeo-Christian values that built this nation.

Beyond avoiding any mention of Trump, Cruz also stopped short of saying unite, a recent buzzword among Republicans eager to mend the fractures of a viciously divisive primary race.

He made no call for his former supporters to vote Republican  to vote Trump  in the general election, which many Republicans worry could see exceptionally low turnout because of ideological splits in the electorate. Still, Cruz left strong indication that he would be back on the national political scene again.

For those that are discouraged, let me simply say this: Truth will prevail, Cruz said. Texas will lead the way.
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Donald Trump had barely met Rowanne Brewer Lane when he asked her to change out of her clothes.

Donald was having a pool party at Mar-a-Lago. There were about 50 models and 30 men. There were girls in the pools, splashing around. For some reason, Donald seemed a little smitten with me. He just started talking to me and nobody else, Brewer Lane said.

She continued: He suddenly took me by the hand, and he started to show me around the mansion. He asked me if I had a swimsuit with me. I said no. I hadnt intended to swim. He took me into a room and opened drawers and asked me to put on a swimsuit.

Brewer Lane, at the time a 26-year-old model, did as Trump asked. I went into the bathroom and tried one on, she recalled. It was a bikini. I came out, and he said, Wow.'

Trump, then 44 and in the midst of his first divorce, decided to show her off to the crowd at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He brought me out to the pool and said, That is a stunning Trump girl, isnt it? Brewer Lane said.

Donald Trump and women: The words evoke a familiar cascade of casual insults by the presumptive Republican nominee for president, hurled from the safe distance of a Twitter account, a radio show or a campaign podium.

But the 1990 episode at Mar-a-Lago was different: a debasing face-to-face encounter between Trump and a young woman he hardly knew. This is the private treatment of some women by Trump, the up-close and more intimate encounters.

The New York Times interviewed dozens of women who had worked with or for Trump over the past four decades and women who had dated him or interacted with him socially. In all, more than 50 interviews were conducted.

Their accounts reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women and unsettling workplace conduct, according to the interviews, as well as court records and written recollections.

What emerges from the interviews is a complex, at times contradictory portrait of a provocative man and the women around him, one that defies simple categorization.

Pressed on the womens claims, Trump disputed many of the details, such as asking Brewer Lane to put on a swimsuit. A lot of things get made up over the years, he said. I have always treated women with great respect. And women will tell you that.

But in many cases there was an unmistakable dynamic at play: Trump had the power, and the women did not.

For Brewer Lane, her introduction to Trump at Mar-a-Lago was the start of a whirlwind romance  a heady blur of helicopter rides and high-end hotel rooms and flashing cameras.

It was intimidating, she said. He was Donald Trump, obviously.

With his purchase of the Miss Universe Organization, Trump was in the business of young, beautiful women.

Temple Taggart, the 21-year-old Miss Utah, was startled by how forward he was with young contestants like her in 1997, his first year as the owner of Miss USA, a branch of the beauty pageant organization. As she recalls it, he introduced himself in an unusually intimate manner.

He kissed me directly on the lips. I thought, Oh my God, gross,' Taggart said. He was married to Marla Maples at the time. I think there were a few other girls that he kissed on the mouth. I was like Wow, thats inappropriate.'

Trump disputes this, saying he is reluctant to kiss strangers on the lips.

His level of involvement in the pageants was unexpected, and his judgments, the contestants said, could be harsh. Carrie Prejean, who was 21 when she participated in the Miss USA contest in 2009 as Miss California, was surprised to find Trump personally evaluating the women at rehearsal.

We were told to put on our opening number outfits  they were nearly as revealing as our swimsuits  and line up for him onstage, she wrote in her memoir, Still Standing.

Donald Trump walked out with his entourage and inspected us closer than any general ever inspected a platoon. He would stop in front of a girl, look her up and down, and say, Hmmm. Then he would go on and do the same thing to the next girl. He took notes on a little pad as he went along, Prejean wrote.

She continued: It became clear that the point of the whole exercise was for him to divide the room between girls he personally found attractive and those he did not. Many of the girls found the exercise humiliating. Some of the girls were sobbing backstage after he left, devastated to have failed even before the competition really began to impress The Donald.'

Trump, in an interview, said he would never do that. Such behavior, he said, would bruise egos and hurt feelings. I wouldnt hurt people, he said. Thats hurtful to people.

A Preoccupation With Bodies

Inside the Trump Organization, the company that manages his various businesses, Trump occasionally interrupted routine discussions of business to opine on womens figures. Barbara A. Res, Trumps former head of construction, remembered a meeting in which she and Trump interviewed an architect for a project in the Los Angeles area. Out of the blue, she said, Trump evaluated the fitness of women in Marina del Rey, California. They take care of their asses, he said.

The architect and I didnt know where he was coming from, Res said. Years later, after she had gained a significant amount of weight, Res endured a stinging workplace observation about her own body from Trump. 'You like your candy,' she recalled him telling her. It was him reminding me that I was overweight.

Her colleague Louise Sunshine experienced similar observations from Trump when she gained weight. But she saw it as friendly encouragement, not a cruel insult. He thought I looked much better thin, she said. He would remind me of how beautiful I was.

Trump frequently sought assurances  at times from strangers  that the women in his life were beautiful. During the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant, he sat in the audience as his teenage daughter, Ivanka, helped to host the event from onstage. He turned to Brook Antoinette Mahealani Lee, Miss Universe at the time, and asked for her opinion of his daughters body.

'Dont you think my daughters hot? Shes hot, right?' Lee recalled him saying. I was like, Really? Thats just weird. She was 16. Thats creepy.

Women as Trusted Colleagues

To build his business, Trump turned to women for a simple reason: They worked hard  often harder than men, he told them.

When Trump hired Res to oversee the construction of Trump Tower, he invited her to his apartment on Fifth Avenue and explained that he wanted her to be his Donna Trump on the project, she said. Few women had reached such stature in the industry.

He said: I know youre a woman in a mans world. And while men tend to be better than women, a good woman is better than 10 good men,' Res said. He thought he was really complimenting me.

Trump entrusted several women in his company with enormous responsibility  once they had proven themselves worthy and loyal. Sunshine had little experience in real estate, but as a top campaign fundraiser for then-Gov. Hugh Carey of New York, she had fulfilled a lifelong wish for Trump: She secured him a vanity license plate with his initials, DJT, which adorned his limousine for years.

Sunshine worked for Trump for 15 years, becoming a major New York real estate figure in her own right. Res remained at the company for 12 years, left after a disagreement over a project and then returned as a consultant for six more years. Both expressed gratitude for the chances Trump had taken on them.

In a rough-and-tumble industry thoroughly dominated by men, Trumps office stood out for its diversity, recalled Alan Lapidus, an influential architect who designed the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City.

He is a lot more complicated than the cartoon character. The top people in his company were women, like Barbara Res, Lapidus said. For any company to hire a woman as chief of construction was actually startling. I dont know of a single other developer who had a woman in that position. The respect for women was always there. Thats why, in spite of the comments he makes now  and God knows why he says these things  when he was building his empire, the backbone was women.

Wife and Partner, and Regret

No single figure better encapsulated the paradoxes of Trumps treatment of women in the workplace than his first wife, Ivana.

He entrusted her with major pieces of a corporate empire and gave her the titles to match. She was the president of Trumps Castle, a major casino in Atlantic City, and the Plaza Hotel, the storied complex on Central Park South in Manhattan. She ran that hotel, Res said. And she ran it well.

But he compensated her as a spouse, not a high-level employee, paying her an annual salary of $1 for the Trumps Castle job, according to her tax documents. And he grew to resent her outsize role. By the end of their marriage, Trump wrote in his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, he regretted having allowed her to run his businesses.

My big mistake with Ivana was taking her out of the role of wife and allowing her to run one of my casinos in Atlantic City, then the Plaza Hotel, Trump wrote. The problem was, work was all she wanted to talk about. When I got home at night, rather than talking about the softer subjects of life, she wanted to tell me how well the Plaza was doing, or what a great day the casino had.

I will never again give a wife responsibility within my business.

He seems to have kept his word. His current wife, Melania, has marketed her own lines of beauty products and jewelry. But Trump remains mostly uninvolved in her work. After calling it very successful, he struggled to describe it. What is it, on television with the sales? he asked.

Accusations and Denials

Once his first marriage started to collapse, Trump faced his most serious allegations of aggression toward women.

When Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, by journalist Harry Hurt III was released in 1993, it included a description of a night in which Trump was said to have raped Ivana in a fit of rage. It also included a statement from Ivana that Trumps lawyers insisted be placed in the front of the book. In the statement, she described an occasion of marital relations during which I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited toward me, was absent.

During a deposition given by me in connection with my matrimonial case, I stated that my husband had raped me, the statement said. I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.

Trump denied raping Ivana, and she did not respond to a request for comment. After the allegation re-emerged in the news media last year, Ivana said in a statement, The story is totally without merit.

In the early 1990s, Jill Harth and her boyfriend at the time, George Houraney, worked with Trump on a beauty pageant in Atlantic City, and later accused Trump of inappropriate behavior toward Harth during their business dealings. In a 1996 deposition, Harth described their initial meeting with Trump at Trump Tower.

Donald Trump stared at me throughout that meeting. He stared at me even while George was giving his presentation, Harth said in the deposition. In the middle of it he says to George, Are you sleeping with her? Meaning me. And George looked a little shocked and he said, Well, yeah. And he goes, Well, for the weekend or what?'

Houraney said in a recent interview that he was shocked by Trumps response after he made clear that he and Harth were monogamous.

He said: Well, theres always a first time. I am going after her,' Houraney recalled, adding: I thought the man was joking. I laughed. He said, I am serious.'

By the time the three of them were having dinner at the Oak Room of the Plaza Hotel the next night, Trumps advances had turned physical, Harth said in the deposition.

Basically he name-dropped throughout that dinner, when he wasnt groping me under the table, she testified. Let me just say, this was a very traumatic thing working for him.

Harth, who declined to comment, gave the deposition in connection with a lawsuit that alleged Trump had failed to meet his obligations in a business partnership. Trump settled that case but denied wrongdoing. Harth withdrew her own lawsuit against Trump alleging unwanted advances, but she has stood by her original claims.

Trump said it was Harth who had pursued him, and his office shared email messages in which Harth, over the past year, thanked Trump for helping her personally and professionally and expressed support for his presidential candidacy.

Defending His Record

Trump says the world misunderstands his relationship with women.

He sees himself as a promoter of women  a man whose business deals have given them untold opportunities for employment and advancement. Hundreds and hundreds of women, thousands of women, are the better for it, he said.

Several women who have held positions of power within the Trump Organization in recent years said they had never known Trump to objectify women or treat them with disrespect.

I think there are mischaracterizations about him, said Jill Martin, a vice president and assistant counsel at the company. Martin said Trump had enthusiastically supported her decision to have two children over the past five years, even when it meant working from home and scaling back on business travel.

Thats hard with women lawyers, she said. For me, hes made it a situation where I can really excel at my job and still devote the time necessary for my family.
ALEXANDRIA, La.  A former childrens television show host who vanished decades ago amid allegations he sexually abused kids on a camping trip in this state is due to be arraigned Monday on rape charges.

Almost 40 years after he was accused of obscene behavior with young boys, 76-year-old Frank John Selas III on Thursday was brought to the Rapides Parish Detention Center, the Daily Town Talk reported. Selas lawyer says his client is innocent.
LAS VEGAS  On a drive through this desert city, the blight from the housing collapse of eight years ago can be seen on almost every block: Overgrown yards and boarded-up windows identify the foreclosed and abandoned homes that still pockmark southern Nevada.

But not all the dwellings are empty.

Squatters have descended on every corner of the Las Vegas Valley, taking over empty houses in struggling working-class neighborhoods, in upscale planned communities and everywhere in between. And they often bring a trail of crime with them.

While some unauthorized tenants are families seeking shelter, police here say they are more frequently finding chop shops, drug dealers and counterfeiters operating out of foreclosed homes. One man who police say was squatting has been charged with murdering a neighbor during a burglary.

Even as construction cranes have returned to the Las Vegas Strip and unemployment here has fallen to single digits, the situation is getting worse: The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has received more calls about squatters each year since it began tracking the problem; there were more than 4,000 complaints last year, up 43 percent from 2014 and more than twice as many as in 2012.

Residents say the explosion of squatters has shattered their sense of security, leaving them wary of any new neighbors at a time when the city is still trying to climb back from the depths of the recession.

Things get out of hand pretty quickly when these people move in, said Jacquelyn Romero, 59, who has lived in her neighborhood for about 15 years. Were trying to do almost like a neighborhood watch, just to keep ourselves safe.

Like many homeowners here, Romero does not know how many squatters have taken up residence on her block over the past few years. There was the one who broke into cars on the street, and the one who threatened neighbors with a metal pipe. She is sure there have been others in the neighborhoods foreclosed and boarded-up homes, but it is sometimes hard to identify them.

The problem has grown so acute that the Nevada Legislature passed a law last fall to make it easier to arrest squatters, who often brandish phony leases in hopes of staying longer in the homes they have taken over.

People drive through neighborhoods and look for houses that appear to be vacant, said Lt. Nick Farese, who is leading the Police Departments anti-squatter efforts. He said squatters occupied homes across this entire city of 600,000 people, adding that we have seen a direct correlation between squatter houses and crime: burglaries, theft, robberies, narcotics.
They have freedom but want something more  exoneration.

A film that has been making the film-festival rounds  Southwest of Salem  makes a strong case that this is precisely what they deserve. A private screening occurred recently at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, coinciding with a showing in Toronto.

Anna Vasquez, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh and Cassandra Rivera are the San Antonio Four  lesbians accused in 1994 of sexually abusing Ramirezs two nieces, 7 and 9 at the time. They were convicted of aggravated sexual assault and indecency with a child. Ramirez got 37 years in 1997 for being the alleged ringleader. The other three were tried together in 1998, each getting 15 years.

The womens sexual orientation was brought up during trial, apparently by way of tortured explanation of why these women would have sex with little girls, according to the film. And, during their trial, an expert witness hinted at satanic ritual.

The Salem in the films title is a reference to the witch hunts and trials of yore. Tales of satanic rituals and the sacrifice of children abounded in the years just prior to the trials. And these werent kind times for the LGBT community generally. The lie about homosexuals as natural sexual predators has been around for a very long time.

Vasquez was paroled in 2012. After one of the alleged victims recanted  saying she was coerced by her father  the fours Innocence Project attorney, Mike Ware, persuaded the court and the DA to take a new look at the case. The other three were released in 2013.

Judges at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will determine the womens fate. In February, Senior District Judge Pat Priest, who presided over the joint trial of three of the women, recommended new trials for the women but said they had not proven their innocence.

The states expert now says she was wrong to conclude back then that the girls had been abused. The science she used is part of a slew of procedures that forensic experts now label junk science. Priest took exception to that characterization, but its hard to label certain science now discredited as anything but.

The other niece has not recanted. Ramirez said she has love letters written to her by the girls father, the implication being this was about her rejection of him. Their defense attorneys didnt present them at trial. The father, Javier Limon, says he didnt write them.

The recanting niece has had a falling-out with Limon. The other woman reportedly remains close to him but has told the DA that she doesnt want to testify if there are new trials.

There is an emotional scene in the film in which Ramirez and the recanting niece meet. The regret displayed by the niece is, to my eye, convincing.

I understand some of the other issues here. We want a system that presumes that children who make such accusations should be believed. And they should be  until it is unreasonable for them to be.

If the criminal appeals judges vacate the convictions based on actual innocence or because a state-sponsored expert at the trial gave now discredited testimony, the initial trial court will look to the district attorney for the next steps.

The DA can retry, offer plea bargains or file a motion of dismissal. In the case of convictions vacated because of junk science, how that motion for dismissal reads could determine if the women are due compensation for wrongful convictions and imprisonment.

If the DA asks for dismissal but doesnt specify actual innocence, they are still technically exonerated but face an array of difficulties ahead beyond being denied compensation. They could have trouble expunging records and traveling abroad, said Ware.

The system, for a variety of reasons, has an exceedingly hard time admitting it screwed up.

But not always. Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood has started a Conviction Integrity Unit to seek out wrongful prosecutions. And, in this case, he told the Express-News in February, We have the option to try all four of those cases again, but at this point, I do not foresee that.

Therein lies hope. If the criminal appeals judges find actual innocence and compensation is forthcoming, my guess is that it wont be nearly enough to assuage the pain. How could it?

o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net

Twitter: @oricardopimente
Ahead of Tuesday's (17th May) EU Farm Ministers meeting, co-operative Copa & Cogeca have urged the EU to step up efforts to solve the worsening agriculture situation and outline how best to tackle climate change.

Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen warned: "Despite measures agreed by the EU, the market situation has not improved.

"We have been hit badly by the Russian ban on farm exports which was our main destination for our exports.

"A priority for the EU must be to re-open this market. The EU Commission must also step up its efforts to find new export markets and boost promotion measures.

"Member States also need to ensure that aid from the package agreed last September is paid out as only a fraction has reached farmers until now."

Mr Pesonen went on to highlight the contribution agriculture and forestry make to fighting climate change.

"We are committed to making it work to help combat climate change.

"We welcome the Paris global climate deal which stresses that agriculture must adapt in a balanced way without jeopardizing food production.

"In the upcoming legislation on climate change, there consequently needs to be flexibility between the sectors included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-Emissions Trading Scheme (non-ETS)."

Copa Vice-President Henri Brichartis sets to press the demands at a high-level meeting with the Dutch Presidency on Tuesday.
A group of Innovative Farmers in Herefordshire have found that Shropshire sheep did not damage apple trees when grazed in an orchard.

Sheep would normally devastate the apple trees but this breed has been found instead to bring many benefits.

Through the field lab at Broome Farm, Peterstow in Hereford, a group of farmers found that sheep can help with tree management, weed control and soil health.

Sheep Field Lab - Orchard Broome Farm

Mike Johnson of Broome Farm, who grows apples for cider production, said: "Through the field lab I wanted to find out what sheep can do to keep lower branches pruned without causing major damage to the trees.

"We struggle to prune the suckers growing at the base of trees (and its expensive!), but it seems that the sheep nibble these shoots down, meaning our workload is reduced and we save money!"

Innovative Farmers is a national network run by farmers for farmers, to investigate solutions to every day practical farming problems.

Through the network, orchard owner Mike Johnson linked up with other farmers in the Hereford area.

Sheep grazing in the orchard

The Soil Association, a partner in Innovative Farmers, helped find experts and advisors to lead the group, including researcher Emily Durrant from the Bulmer Foundation and Liz Bowles from the Soil Association, enabling Mike and the other local farmers conduct a more structured observation as part of the field lab in his orchard.

Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association is co-ordinating the field lab. She said: "Sheep are excellent natural lawnmowers, keeping grass and weeds down and providing fertiliser at the same time.

"Using sheep to reduce competition from grass instead of spraying or mowing helps orchard owners reduce the work required in the orchard, improve the soil health and reduce soil compaction."

As well as showing that the Shropshire sheep did not harm the trees, the group were able to monitor other benefits of grazing sheep in the orchard.

The importance of minimising soil compaction due to reduced passing of machinery in the orchard and building soil fertility by grazing sheep in the area was noted.

Beneficial soil organisms, such as mycorrhiza which are important to plant health and growth, should also be present where soil is not disturbed for significant periods  such as in the apple orchard.

The field lab will continue and these effects will be further investigated. The group have applied for additional funding from the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) to explore the long term effects of grazing in orchards.

Innovative Farmers is a not-for-profit network giving farmers research support and funding on their own terms.

Many of the best ideas in farming come from farmers. But most research happens off-farm. Innovative Farmers changes that.

It helps farmers find lasting solutions to practical problems, from managing weeds and pests with fewer chemicals to testing more sustainable animal feeds through on-farm field labs.

Together farmers are finding new ways to grow better food, cut waste and pollution, and protect their farm from volatility.
House of Prayer Christian Church has GI Bill eligibility revoked

House of Prayer Christian Church on Hodge Street in Fayetteville remains open despite having its GI Bill eligibility revoked.
Christopher Markus has revealed that Nick Fury was left out of Captain America: Civil War because they didn't want to see him taking sides.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Fury, who has been played by Samuel L. Jackson since he made a cameo appearance in the credits of Iron Man back 2008, was the big omission from the Civil War cast list .

Markus teamed up with Stephen McFeely to pen the film's screenplay and explained why they left out such a popular character from the latest film.

Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, Markus said: "Primarily it felt like one too many possible opinions. We didn't want him to take one side or the other, because that's not his place in the universe.

"And then we didn't want another, 'Is he still with the government? Is he opposed to the government but supporting the government?' It got to be the potential for a lot more polemic discussion that the movie did not have room for."

Captain America: Civil War has already grossed over $700 million after just two weeks on release; it is already the fifth highest grossing movie of the year behind Zootropolis, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Jungle Book, and Deadpool.

The movie marks the return of Anthony and Joe Russo to the director's chair while we see Chris Evans reprise the role of Captain America for the first time since Avengers: Age of Ultron last year.

Civil War kicks off Phase 3 of Marvel films, which will build up to the release of Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2 in 2018 and 2019.

Captain America: Civil War is out now.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Summer is just around the corner, and many couples are planning their romantic holidays together. There are many reasons to jet off on a couples' holiday; warm weather, beautiful scenery and the chance to spend lots of quality time with your other half.

Vegan on Female First

Of course, you might be looking for that extra bit of sparkle on your next holiday, and we've got a solution for you - It's world's most romantic plant based foods.

We spoke to travel experts from Travelbag, (www.travelbag.co.uk) to get the low down on the most romantic plant based foods in the world, and where to find them.

Pomegranate - Dubai

According to ancient Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, pleasure and procreation, planted the first pomegranate tree. Throughout history, the pomegranate has long been associated with fertility.

It's not just mythology and legend that gives the pomegranate a romantic reputation. Recent studies have shown that the pomegranate is packed full of antioxidants, which increase the blood flow and heightens intimacy.

So where's the best place to eat pomegranates? These juicy fruits can be found all around the world, but they're extremely popular in Dubai. Here you and your partner will be able to find a variety of restaurants that serve pomegranate in a range of forms, including frozen yoghurt and delicious fried chicken liver in pomegranate sauce.

Chilli Peppers - Thailand

Chilli peppers feature in a variety of hot and spicy dishes across the globe, but did you know that they release endorphins that heighten your mood and boost your energy? This is great for anything from good conversation to getting between the sheets!

Chilli peppers are found all around the world, but perhaps one of the best places to go to sample some chilli recipes is Thailand. This is the home of the Bird's Eye Chilli, a very hot chilli that comes in a variety of colours. Birds Eye Chillies are used in a variety of Thai dishes, including tasty curries and salads.

Figs - Los Angeles

In ancient times, figs were said to be Cleopatra's favourite food. These sweet, delicious fruits are still popular today, and are featured in a variety of recipes and classic dishes.

One of the best places to find fig restaurants is Los Angeles. Here the growth and production of figs is rife, and there are many places that specialise in creating fig-based dishes.

So no matter if you're eating out or staying in, whether you're in Dubai or New York City, you're bound to find yourself indulging in some of the world's most romantic foods - the perfect addition to your couples holiday.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is continuously in the limelight owing to her back to back stunning appearances at the Cannes Film Festival 2016, recently spotted at the press conference for her forthcoming film, Sarbjit.

15 'Black & White' Pics Of Aishwarya Rai From Cannes That Show Her Real Elegant Avatar

Along with Aishwarya, the entire Sarbjit team members (Omung Kumar, Richa Chadha, Jackky Bhagnani and Bhushan Kumar) except Randeep Hooda, were present at the press conference for Sarbjit.

Check Out Their Stunning Pictures Here:

Taking about Sarbjit, Richa Chadha recently talked about her co-star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as how she is in awe of her!

She told "She is so sharp. She has that meticulous South Indian brain. She knows all her lines at the back of her mind. We have to applaud the fact that Hindi is not her mother tongue, and here she is trying Punjabi."

"She is managing her house, her daughter, shooting for films and brands - and she does it all so well. Most of my scenes were with her and she was very protective of me, and guiding me like a mentor. She is a superstar and the world's most beautiful woman."

"Her name itself is a big brand. Initially I was always like, 'Should I talk to her or not', but she is so welcoming and genuine. We hit it off really well right on the first day. No pretence, no problems at all."

In the film, Richa will be seen playing the character of Sarabjit's wife Sukhpreet. Randeep Hooda will be seen playing Sarabjit Singh in the film while, Aishwarya will portray the role of Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur.

Sarbjit is a biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan. He was attacked and killed by inmates at a Lahore prison in April 2013.
P Balachandran, the writer of the upcoming Dulquer Salmaan movie Kammatipaadam, recently opened up about his lead actor. Balachandran opines that Dulquer is a highly dedicated actor, who is ready to accept challenges.

According to the writer, the central character of the movie, Krishnan, demands an actor who can deliver a balanced performance without any inhibitions. Dulquer is such an actor, who can adapt his role perfectly.

He is ready to take up challenges and wants to break his limitations. The actor is constantly making efforts to use the vast possibilities of his characters. Balachandran feels that it the biggest plus of Dulquer.

P Balachandran and Dulquer Salmaan have earlier shared the screen in some popular films, including the recently released blockbuster Charlie. Balachandran is making a comeback into screenwriting, after a long gap.

Kammatipaadam, which depicts the story of Kochi's growth from a village into a metro city, is directed by National award-winning cinematographer-director, Rajeev Ravi. Vinayakan essays another key role in the movie.

The actor is playing Gangan, the right hand of Krishnan, played by Dulquer Salmaan. Vinayakan's role in the movie is said to be the most challenging character played by the actor in his career, so far.
Columbus, OH-based Oxer Capital, Inc., has launched a mezzanine fund designed to fill the capital needs of lower middle-market private businesses.

Oxer BCP Mezzanine Fund, L.P., a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), raised over $122m from established community banks located throughout the Great Lakes region, accredited individuals and SBA.

Created by regional bank mezzanine capital investors Mark Bahlmann and Frank Capella as well as private company investor/advisor Dan Phlegar, Oxer is actively looking to invest in profitable and growing businesses, primarily located in the Great Lakes region with annual revenues between $10 million and $100 million.

The investment firms business model focuses on making direct, privately negotiated, non-control investments ranging from $2 million to $10 million per company.

Typical uses of capital include growth initiatives, management buyouts, acquisitions, recapitalizations and employee stock ownership plans.

FinSMEs

15/05/2016
New Delhi: Cutting across party lines, Lok Sabha members on Wednesday demanded that common entrance test for medical admissions be conducted in regional languages, expressing their unhappiness over the Supreme Court order for a single test from this year itself.

Sharing the concern of members, the government assured the House that it would try to convince the Supreme Court that more time is needed to switch over to the new system.

Last month, the apex court had asked the Centre and CBSE to conduct a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, through National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The court had also rejected the pleas of the state governments, private institutions and minority institutions for allowing conduct of separate entrance tests.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, members urged the government to take necessary steps to address the issue and suggested that an ordinance could also be brought in this regard.

Responding to the pleas made by the members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the government in principle is in favour of having common joint entrance test.

"We will convey to the court that children need more time... We will reiterate and try to convince the court," Naidu said, adding that some state governments have also approached the court in this regard.

It is a serious issue and the court should appreciate it, he added.

According to him, there are two views about common entrance examination as some private institutions and state governments are conducting their own tests. Some malpractices have also been alleged, he noted.

Meanwhile, the Centre has approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to hold entrance examination for MBBS and BDS for the academic year 2016-17 in six regional languages.

Congress member Rajeev Satav urged the government to address the issue immediately either by bringing an ordinance or going back to the Supreme Court.

He also took a swipe at the Centre, saying there might have been some shortcomings in the submissions made by it before the apex court.

Tathagat Satpathy (BJD) demanded that the Centre should come out with a clear stance on the issue and go back to the court. "It is important for the government to take a clear stance... otherwise it would damage the future of students," he noted.

He recalled that earlier the Supreme Court had allowed conduct of the entrance examination in regional languages but later it was changed "Probably because of a weak case put up by the Centre".

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (TMC) said how students from remote areas, who have been preparing for the exam in regional languages for years, can be asked to appear for the common test now.

"Let us stand by students. We cannot let them suffer," she said, adding legislative measures should be initiated to address the issue as it concerns not just West Bengal but many other states also.

"Even if you are angry at some autonomous institutions...it should not be directed at poor students whose future would be in jeopardy," she said.

Emphasising that the entrance test should be conducted in a transparent and merit-based manner, Mohammed Salim (CPI-M) said there should be "uniform and level playing field" for the students.

The matter should have been discussed by the House, he added.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the common joint entrance examination should be deferred for this year and if that is conveyed to the Court, then there would be peace.

Prem Singh Chandumajra (SAD) said the Centre should include Punjabi as a language for conducting the entrance test as it is not currently in the list of languages given to the court.
BERLIN Police found a pig's head bearing a written insult against German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the entrance to her constituency office in the northeastern town of Stralsund on Saturday, state police said.

Police declined to provide further details about the insult when contacted by Reuters, saying an investigation had been launched.

Merkel's popularity has waned due to her liberal migrant policy. More than a million migrants arrived in Germany last year, many of them fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, and concerns about how Europe's largest economy will be able to integrate them are now rife.

An INSA poll published on Wednesday showed that almost half of Germans did not want her to stay in office for a fourth term after an election next year. [ID:nL5N1885DU]

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mary Milliken)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BEIRUT Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital.

The fighting in and around the hospital also killed at least 24 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said.

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said its fighters staged a "major offensive" on the southwestern edge of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, storming the Assad Hospital and cutting the supply route between the a Syrian army base and the airport.

Islamic State controls most of Deir al-Zor province and has laid siege since March last year to the remaining government-held areas in the city of the same name, which is close to Syria's eastern border with Iraq.

Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory controlled by the militant group in neighbouring Iraq.

Islamic State also said it had taken control of a check point, a fire station, university accommodation, grain silos and some territory near the al-Tayyam oil fields, in the vicinity of the state-held military airport on the city's southern edge.

Russia's RIA state news agency on Saturday reported a source within the airbase on the southern edge of the city as saying an Islamic State attack had been repelled.

The Observatory and Amaq said there were ongoing fierce clashes between government forces and Islamic State in the area of the attack.

Islamic State said it killed at least 80 government troops, took three prisoner and destroyed a number of armoured vehicles.

The Syrian government and its Russian allies make regular aid drops into the encircled city and there are frequent air strikes on Islamic State targets in and around Deir al-Zor.

(Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut and Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Editing by David Clarke and Helen Popper)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New York Times (NYT -2.08%) recently reported what might at first seem like a solid Q1, until you consider that the company receives a huge part of its revenue from a shrinking market. Unfortunately, its future growth plans center on that market.

In this clip from the MarketFoolery podcast, Mark Reeth and Jason Moser talk about why they're not buying into the company's growth plans for the next five years, and why consolidation is much more likely in the future. Then they "speculate wildly" about what kind of company might acquire the parent company of The New York Times, given what we've seen in the media space recently.

A transcript follows the video.

This podcast was recorded on May 3, 2016.

Mark Reeth: We begin with earnings. Jason, why don't we start with The New York Times? We've been telling the same story about newspapers for a while now. Money is heading in the opposite direction. Paper is the way of the past. Print is dead. But The New York Times is showing a little spark of life this quarter.



Jason Moser: You're going to have some big pro-print people who are going to say, "How dare you, Mark Reeth! Print isn't dead!"



Reeth: [email protected], send it my way. Send it via email, because print is dead.



Moser: Definitely facing some challenges there. We had talked about this, I guess, a couple of weeks ago in regard to the big Gannett acquisition recently. The bigger question today is, what's worth more -- the information you're getting or the brand that's giving it to you? And I think, for the longest time, the brand was very important, because it signified a reputation and earned trust. I think, as time goes on, you see a lot of these brands maybe skew to one side of the political spectrum or the other. You have your loyalties there.



Reeth: You pick and choose your side.



Moser: Exactly. And I think that's fine. There's no big deal with that. But, generally speaking, what the Internet has done is disrupt virtually everything that we do in our lives. Newspapers indeed fall into this category. I think, when you look at The New York Times, the good news for them is, they've made this pivot away from print and toward digital media subscriptions, and circulation is growing in that regard. That's a positive. I think the bad news, though -- there are a number of bad points, or challenges they have to deal with. They're dependent on advertising as part of their revenue generator.



Reeth: It's newspaper, yeah.



Moser: And advertising is dwindling. It's becoming less and less a piece of the pie, which isn't good. We look at this quarter, advertising was 37% of total revenue. A year ago, it was 39%. A year before that, it was 41%. So they're becoming more and more dependent on paying subscribers. And that's fine, if you can grow paying subscribers. And they are growing their paying subscribers. But when you look at the actual subscription revenue, the subscription revenue is growing far more slowly than the actual subscribers, which would indicate a lack of pricing power. And that's not surprising. We don't really have to make a leap to get there.



But then, you have to start asking yourself, from an investor's perspective, is this something that is really worth investing your capital in? I see enough challenges here to where -- I think really, the best opportunity for anybody in this space is going to be consolidation. And we're watching that shake out right now. And I think The New York Times is going to have to be a part of some type of consolidation in order to make it a more attractive story for investors. As it stands today, I just don't see enough there to make investors excited about the years to come.



Reeth: Yeah. They're clearly trying to make investors excited. They've got some big promises. And one of them, I pulled this from their earnings, they generated $400 million in revenue through online advertising and subscriptions in 2014. They want to double that to $800 million by 2020.



Moser: I want a toilet made of gold, Mark. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen.



Reeth: [laughs] When you have other companies, like Facebook, for Pete's sake, is struggling with online advertising right now. I think you said this earlier -- it's a large pie, but it's getting divided up very quickly between some large companies out there. The New York Times is going to be fighting for the same ad revenue with Facebook. Facebook, with their news feed, is trying to become the New York Times of the Internet. The New York Times is going to have to fight them, on Facebook's home turf. I don't see $400 million turning into $800 million in six years. I don't see it happening in 20 years for The New York Times.



Moser: [laughs] I tend to agree with you there. I think this landscape only becomes more and more competitive. And when you have platforms out there like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Snapchat and maybe even LinkedIn, to a lesser degree, competing for all of those digital eyeballs -- for The New York Times to be able to grow advertising revenue at that kind of a rate seems like a stretch. I think it'll boil down to consolidation in the industry. I think there are going to be more partnerships reached with a lot of those major platforms in order to potentially offer some revenue sharing there that could be beneficial for them down the road. But it's just a far different space than it was even 10 years ago. Unfortunately, The New York Times was built in a different time, on a different premise. It's not as nimble or as savvy as a lot of these newer media companies are. And I think that's where a lot of the challenges are going to be for a while.



Reeth: Really quick, let's speculate wildly. Who buys The New York Times? What conglomerate does The New York Times become a part of? A lot of media companies, like you said, are combining forces these days. I think Comcast just bought [DreamWorks Animation] the other day. Is it so far afield to say that one day, The New York Times and, I don't know -- Warren Buffett owns a whole bunch of newspapers out there. Is it so crazy to say Warren Buffett gobbles up The New York Times someday? Again, speculating wildly. What are your thoughts for the future?



Moser: Yeah, I don't think that's necessarily as crazy, or as big of a leap. Buffett likes newspapers a lot. I think he really likes going down to the local level. I think, when you look at it from a national level, that's probably where more competition is. But that local level, that's where, I think, probably, those local tabloids have a little bit of a better advantage, because they're the only ones covering that space.



I mean, that's a really good question. I mean, Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for himself. That's not an [Amazon.com]-owned business. But it is a Bezos-owned business, and it's becoming more and more a part of Amazon's model. I mean, I don't think it would be all that far-fetched to see a digital property consider bringing something like The New York Times under its wing, in order to bring some more national media savvy.



I don't know -- speculating wildly, perhaps Google? Perhaps Facebook? I mean, I don't know that I necessarily see that happening, but it wouldn't shock me if it did.



Reeth: Yeah, absolutely.
Think you have a good grasp of Social Security? Chances are, you probably don't know enough about Social Security -- arguably the most important program for seniors in this country -- to pass a simple pop quiz about it.

MassMutual Financial Group put more than 1,500 people to the test in 2015 by asking 10 relatively basic true-or-false questions about the program. If you're feeling brave enough, you can try taking the quiz. A mere 28% received a passing grade (at least seven correct questions), with one lone respondent out of 1,513 getting all 10 questions correct. Given this lack of knowledge, it's no wonder that a host of Social Security misconceptions continue to persist.

Here are seven of the most common Social Security misconceptions that need to be put to rest.

1. Deciding when to file is cut-and-dried

As MassMutual's data shows, the decision to claim benefits isn't as simple as selecting A or B. Every individual has unique aspects of their life that need to be reviewed to determine when it's optimal for them to file for benefits. Some seniors, such as the rich or highly indebted, might do best to file for benefits early, while seniors with little or no savings would most likely be best off working longer and allowing their benefit to grow. The key point being that no two paths are alike, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with the system to understand how it'll best serve your retirement needs.

2. Your decision to file only affects you

Some people believe their decision to file for benefits is a personal one, but for anyone other than single individuals, the decision to file could have an adverse impact on the people they love.

For example, if you're the highest-earning individual in the household and you file for benefits as early as possible (age 62), then you're setting up your spouse to receive a lower survivor benefit if you pass away first. The same can be said for couples with a large disparity in lifetime earnings between the two spouses. It would make more sense for the higher-wage earner to hold off on filing for benefits as long as possible in order to boost benefits for the couple later in life. Deciding when to file for benefits can mean looking at the bigger picture beyond just your own income expectations.

3. You should file for benefits as soon as possible

Another common misconception is that filing for benefits as early as possible is your best bet. In some cases this can prove true, such as for persons in poor health, people who desperately need the added income, those who have saved more than enough to cover their retirement needs (and can thus look at Social Security as "bonus" money), and lower-income spouses.

But filing early means accepting lower benefits throughout your lifetime. Your full retirement age, or FRA, is the age at which you become eligible to receive 100% of your benefits. For people born between 1943 and 1954, FRA is 66 years. Filing at age 62 could leave you with a monthly benefit that's just 75% of your FRA. If you don't have adequate retirement savings, then filing for benefits early could put you in a real bind during your golden years.

Additionally, if you file for benefits early while still working, the Social Security Administration could withhold some of your benefits if you earn too much. Granted, you will be recompensated down the road in the form of delayed-retirement credits, and this practice stops once you hit your FRA. Nonetheless, it can be a nuisance for those who were expecting a big income boost from their Social Security income.

4. Social Security income will fully fund your retirement

A truly scary misconception some seniors have is that Social Security will completely fund their retirement. According to the Social Security Administration, retirement benefits are only designed to cover about 40% of your working wages, meaning you should have a Plan B in place, such as an investment account, a pension, or other sources of income beyond Social Security.

Furthermore, it's important to recognize that benefit replacement isn't entirely commensurate with what you've earned throughout your life. In other words, higher lifetime wage earners will net larger monthly benefits, but the percentage of their income being replaced will be much lower than that of a lower-income individual. Data from AARP recently showed that high-wage earners (defined as $72,138 and above) had approximately 35% of their working income replaced by Social Security compared to a 57% replacement for low-wage earners ($20,289 and below).

5. Social Security income can't be taxed

A number of people assume that because Social Security is taken out of their working wages via the payroll tax, they're free and clear of having to pay tax on Social Security income ever again. Not true.

For single filers with $25,000 to $34,000 in modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and joint filers with $32,000 to $44,000 in MAGI, up to 50% of Social Security benefits can be taxed by the federal government. Earn more than $34,000 in MAGI as a single filer, or $44,000 as a joint filer, and up to 85% of your Social Security benefits become taxable. This doesn't even take into account that 13 states also tax Social Security benefits, four of which -- Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia -- offer no exemptions.

6. Your filing claim can't be undone

Some retirees dread the decision to file for benefits because they believe that once they lock in their application for benefits, it can't be undone. In reality, the Social Security Administration allows seniors to use Form 521 to undo an application for benefits as long as they change their mind within 12 months of signing up for benefits and repay every cent they've received from the SSA.

For instance, assume an unemployed 62-year-old files for benefits because they're having no luck finding a job. However, six months after they begin receiving benefits, they land a well-paying job. Our fictitious 62-year-old could use Form 521 to undo their benefits application, repay all income received from Social Security, and allow their benefit to grow at roughly 8% per year as if their original filing never even happened.

7. Social Security is going bankrupt

Last but not least, we have what's easily the most pervasive Social Security myth of all: that Social Security is going bankrupt.

According to the SSA's 2015 Board of Trustees report, the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust is on pace to burn through its existing cash reserve by 2034. The reason the program is expected to burn through its reserves involves two major demographic shifts -- namely, the mass retirement of baby boomers and Americans' rising life expectancies.

But just because the OASDI is running out of cash doesn't mean the program is insolvent. Whether you're retired, about to retire, or a millennial who's three decades from retirement, Social Security will be there for you. In a worst-case scenario, per the trustees' report, benefits could be cut by up to 21% to sustain payments through 2089. Although practically no one likes the idea of cutting benefits, it's one of a few guaranteed ways to fix Social Security for multiple generations to come.

Knowledge is power, and the more you know about Social Security, the better your odds of getting the most out of the program.
Think you have a good grasp of Social Security? Chances are, you probably don't know enough about Social Security -- arguably the most important program for seniors in this country -- to pass a simple pop quiz about it.

MassMutual Financial Group put more than 1,500 people to the test in 2015 by asking 10 relatively basic true-or-false questions about the program. If you're feeling brave enough, you can try taking the quiz. A mere 28% received a passing grade (at least seven correct questions), with one lone respondent out of 1,513 getting all 10 questions correct. Given this lack of knowledge, it's no wonder that a host of Social Security misconceptions continue to persist.

Here are seven of the most common Social Security misconceptions that need to be put to rest.

Image source: Pixabay.

1. Deciding when to file is cut-and-driedAs MassMutual's data shows, the decision to claim benefits isn't as simple as selecting A or B. Every individual has unique aspects of their life that need to be reviewed to determine when it's optimal for them to file for benefits. Some seniors, such as the rich or highly indebted, might do best to file for benefits early, while seniors with little or no savings would most likely be best off working longer and allowing their benefit to grow. The key point being that no two paths are alike, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with the system to understand how it'll best serve your retirement needs.

2. Your decision to file only affects youSome people believe their decision to file for benefits is a personal one, but for anyone other than single individuals, the decision to file could have an adverse impact on the people they love.

For example, if you're the highest-earning individual in the household and you file for benefits as early as possible (age 62), then you're setting up your spouse to receive a lower survivor benefit if you pass away first. The same can be said for couples with a large disparity in lifetime earnings between the two spouses. It would make more sense for the higher-wage earner to hold off on filing for benefits as long as possible in order to boost benefits for the couple later in life. Deciding when to file for benefits can mean looking at the bigger picture beyond just your own income expectations.

3. You should file for benefits as soon as possible Another common misconception is that filing for benefits as early as possible is your best bet. In some cases this can prove true, such as for persons in poor health, people who desperately need the added income, those who have saved more than enough to cover their retirement needs (and can thus look at Social Security as "bonus" money), and lower-income spouses.

But filing early means accepting lower benefits throughout your lifetime. Your full retirement age, or FRA, is the age at which you become eligible to receive 100% of your benefits. For people born between 1943 and 1954, FRA is 66 years. Filing at age 62 could leave you with a monthly benefit that's just 75% of your FRA. If you don't have adequate retirement savings, then filing for benefits early could put you in a real bind during your golden years.

Additionally, if you file for benefits early while still working, the Social Security Administration could withhold some of your benefits if you earn too much. Granted, you will be recompensated down the road in the form of delayed-retirement credits, and this practice stops once you hit your FRA. Nonetheless, it can be a nuisance for those who were expecting a big income boost from their Social Security income.

Image source: Pixabay.

4. Social Security income will fully fund your retirementA truly scary misconception some seniors have is that Social Security will completely fund their retirement. According to the Social Security Administration, retirement benefits are only designed to cover about 40% of your working wages, meaning you should have a Plan B in place, such as an investment account, a pension, or other sources of income beyond Social Security.

Furthermore, it's important to recognize that benefit replacement isn't entirely commensurate with what you've earned throughout your life. In other words, higher lifetime wage earners will net larger monthly benefits, but the percentage of their income being replaced will be much lower than that of a lower-income individual. Data from AARP recently showed that high-wage earners (defined as $72,138 and above) had approximately 35% of their working income replaced by Social Security compared to a 57% replacement for low-wage earners ($20,289 and below).

5. Social Security income can't be taxedA number of people assume that because Social Security is taken out of their working wages via the payroll tax, they're free and clear of having to pay tax on Social Security income ever again. Not true.

Image source: Patrick Purcell, Income Taxes on Social Security Benefits via IRS.

For single filers with $25,000 to $34,000 in modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and joint filers with $32,000 to $44,000 in MAGI, up to 50% of Social Security benefits can be taxed by the federal government. Earn more than $34,000 in MAGI as a single filer, or $44,000 as a joint filer, and up to 85% of your Social Security benefits become taxable. This doesn't even take into account that 13 states also tax Social Security benefits, four of which -- Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia --offer no exemptions.

6. Your filing claim can't be undoneSome retirees dread the decision to file for benefits because they believe that once they lock in their application for benefits, it can't be undone. In reality, the Social Security Administration allows seniors to use Form 521 to undo an application for benefits as long as they change their mind within 12 months of signing up for benefitsand repay every cent they've received from the SSA.

For instance, assume an unemployed 62-year-old files for benefits because they're having no luck finding a job. However, six months after they begin receiving benefits, they land a well-paying job. Our fictitious 62-year-old could use Form 521 to undo their benefits application, repay all income received from Social Security, and allow their benefit to grow at roughly 8% per year as if their original filing never even happened.

7. Social Security is going bankruptLast but not least, we have what's easily the most pervasive Social Security myth of all: that Social Security is going bankrupt.

Image source: Flickr user TaxRebate.org.uk.

According to the SSA's 2015 Board of Trustees report, the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust is on pace to burn through its existing cash reserve by 2034. The reason the program is expected to burn through its reserves involves two major demographic shifts -- namely, the mass retirement of baby boomers and Americans' rising life expectancies.

But just because the OASDI is running out of cash doesn't mean the program is insolvent. Whether you're retired, about to retire, or a millennial who's three decades from retirement, Social Security will be there for you. In a worst-case scenario, per the trustees' report, benefits could be cut by up to 21% to sustain payments through 2089. Although practically no one likes the idea of cutting benefits, it's one of a few guaranteed ways to fix Social Security for multiple generations to come.

Knowledge is power, and the more you know about Social Security, the better your odds of getting the most out of the program.

The article 7 of the Most Common Social Security Misconceptions originally appeared on Fool.com.

Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Since 1996, two dozen states have approved medical marijuana laws in the U.S. The most recent was Pennsylvania, which passed medical marijuana legislation just last month. We've also witnessed four states legalize the sale of recreational marijuana.

For medical marijuana patients, approval of the drug at the state level means possible new pathways to treatment. Though each state typically differs on what diseases and disorders qualify, glaucoma, epilepsy, and most terminal cancers are ailments that commonly fit the bill. For the states themselves, legalization is primarily motivated by the additional revenue-generating potential. Since marijuana is taxed, medical marijuana provides a way for states to funnel extra money to schools or law enforcement.

10 countries (aside from the U.S.) where medical marijuana is legal But marijuana's expansion is particularly fancied by investors. And who can blame them, with ArcView Market Research calling for 30% compound annual growth for the industry between 2016 and 2020 in the U.S.? However, it's not just the U.S. that offers the marijuana industry an intriguing growth opportunity. Here are 10 other countries aside from the U.S. where medical marijuana is currently legal in some form.

1. Canada Our neighbors to the north are currently working on specifics that could allow for the use of recreational marijuana. But when it comes to medical cannabis, Canada legalized its use back in 2001. Based on data from 680 News, some 28,000 people are licensed to use medical marijuana in Canada, with a total of 29 producers licensed by the federal government.

Image source: Flickr user Vic.

2. Australia Less than three months ago the Australian Parliament passed the Narcotic Drugs Act, which will allow for cannabis to be grown for medical and scientific purposes. Australian lawmakers still need to develop regulations for the country's now-infant medical marijuana industry, and growers will need to apply for production licenses before patients have regular access to medical marijuana.

3. NetherlandsThe Netherlands may be best known for its "pot shops," but it also has a small medical marijuana industry. Netherlands' Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport has commissioned just one company, Bedrocan Cannabis, to supply marijuana for medicinal use. Since few insurers are currently covering medical cannabis in the Netherlands, its use hasn't grown very quickly.

4. FranceFrance may not allow for the sale of medical marijuana in the traditional sense, but in early 2013 its Health Minister, Marisol Touraine, passed a decree allowing for the sale of medications that contain cannabis derivatives, such as cannabinoids. In Jan. 2014, France wound up approving GW Pharmaceuticals' Sativex, an oromucosal spray containing the cannabinoids CDB and THC that's designed to treat spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.

5. UruguayUruguay is a game-changer, as it was the first country in the world to fully legalize the cultivation and sale of marijuana, be it recreational or medicinal, in May 2014. Two years later, Uruguay's legal cannabis industry is still playing catch-up with long-established home growers, but this appears to be a budding industry on all fronts.

Image source: GW Pharmaceuticals.

6. Romania Like France, Romania doesn't allow the outright use of medical marijuana. Instead, in late 2013 it approved the use of medicines containing marijuana derivatives to help ease patients' pain. Conditions include epilepsy, cancer, and multiple sclerosis -- and yes, GW Pharmaceuticals' Sativex is approved in Romania.

7. ChileFollowing a pilot program in 2014, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a decree in 2015 that allows for the Institute of Public Health to manufacture cannabis for medical purposes, which includes the treatment of cancer, refractory epilepsy, and chronic pain derived from arthritis and multiple sclerosis. This new medical marijuana initiative is expected to help approximately 4,000 Chilean patients.

8. Czech RepublicMedical cannabis was approved for use in the Czech Republic in 2013, but its uptake has been extremely slow due to a host of factors. For example, cannabis can only be imported from the Netherlands via Bedrocan; a special electronic prescription is required from a specific group of medical professionals (i.e., not all physicians can prescribe medical marijuana); and medical marijuana is not covered by medical insurance, meaning its high price deters consumers.

9. ColombiaColombian President Juan Manuel Santos passed legislation this past December allowing for the use of medical marijuana. The move follows Colombia's 2012 legislation decriminalizing marijuana possession of up to 20 grams. Per Santos' decree, marijuana can be used to treat the sick, as well as be imported, exported, and studied scientifically.

10. Jamaica Last, but not least, in April 2015 Jamaica amended its drug laws, in effect decriminalizing the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana, and also allowing for the creation of a cannabis licensing authority that'll regulate cultivation and distribution of cannabis for medical and scientific use. Given Jamaica's rich history of growing marijuana and general proximity to the U.S., it could transform into a major medical marijuana supplier to the States.

Image source: Flickr user Oswaldo.

Tread wisely As you can see, marijuana's influence is spreading like a weed. Although recreational marijuana is where the big dollars have been in select U.S. states, the industry can still, as a whole, do quite well servicing medical marijuana patients.

Now, keep in mind that this expansion doesn't make marijuana a slam-dunk investment. In fact, in the U.S. it's a downright risky investment as long as the federal government maintains the substance's schedule 1 status. Without any alteration to Capitol Hill's current regulations, U.S.-based marijuana businesses will face higher taxes than normal businesses due to their inability to take deductions, and could have limited access to basic banking services, which increases security concerns and makes expanding difficult.

Marijuana remains a fast-growing and intriguing industry, but it simply doesn't appear ready for long-term investors as of yet.

The article 10 Countries (Aside From the U.S.) Where Some Form of Medical Marijuana Is Legal originally appeared on Fool.com.

Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Forget the old "sell in May and go away" mantra. With the S&P 500 currently trading at almost exactly where it started 2016 despite a historically painful start through the middle of February, astute investors know there are still plenty of great stocks on sale.

So we asked five Motley Fool contributors to offer a single stock they believe offers investors a compelling opportunity to open or add to their positions. Read on to see which companies they chose and why:

Steve Symington: I think now is the perfect time for investors to grab shares of Netflix . The streaming-video titan's share price was recently knocked back after Netflix told the market it expects to grow its subscriber count by "just" 2.5 million in the second quarter -- bringing its global member base to a whopping 84 million -- including roughly 500,000 in the U.S. and 2 million from international markets.

This comes as Netflix is poised to gradually switch a huge chunk of its domestic membership base to higher pricing tiers per the terms of a grandfathering agreement put into motion when it increased prices for new members two years ago. According to Netflix, more than half its U.S. members pay just $7.99 or $8.99 for its $9.99 HD two-screen plan and will be presented with options to maintain that plan at the higher rate, downgrade to a one-screen plan for $7.99, or upgrade to a UHD four-screen plan for $11.99. And Netflix won't make any hasty moves here; rather, it's rolling out the options to members slowly over the course of the next year, management says, "so we can learn as we go." As a result -- and considering Netflix's value proposition has only continued to grow as it invests in highly regarded original content -- the company anticipates modest churn in the near term, with strong year-over-year margin expansion set to resume in the third quarter.

As a result, I think astute investors with the foresight to buy now can kick back and enjoy the show as Netflix serves up market-beating returns from here.

:Investing in fertilizer stocks may sound like a boring idea, but you'd be amazed at some of the opportunities that the industry has to offer right now. TakeCF Industries , for example, which is down more than 20% year to date while peers such as MosaicandPotash Corporationare in the green. CF's returns are astonishing when you compare the performances of these stocks over the past decade.

CF data by YCharts

Focus on nitrogen has largely worked in CF's favor over the years as demand for nitrogen -- the most widely used nutrient for key crops like corn -- is relatively inelastic compared to potash and phosphate.

CF shares lost ground after the company announced its intended merger with Netherlands-based OCI last year. The complications involved -- such as the setting up of a merged company that will be based in the U.K. have made investors wary. However, investors must also know that the merged entity will be the world's largest nitrogen company and will continue to trade in the United States. The deal, expected to close by mid-2016, will expand CF's global footprint even as shifting its base to the U.K. will lower its taxes substantially. CF estimates its after-tax synergies to beworth $500 million.

I'm excited about the stock regardless of the merger. CF should continue to generate strong returns going forward given its leadership position in the North American nitrogen market and recent growth initiatives. For the growth potential, the stock is trading incredibly cheap as of this writing at less than half its 52-week highs and 11 times trailing earnings, which compares to an industry average P/E of 21. What's more, CF also offers a dividend yield of 3.6%. That makes for an excellent bargain, I'd say.

Todd Campbell: The best bargain-bin stocks are those that are being sold off because of problems that are temporary, rather than long-term. In the case of Gilead Sciences , shares are down 15% this year over decelerating sales of its hepatitis C drugs in the United States. In my opinion, those worries are short-sighted.

Last quarter, sales of Gilead Sciences' HCV drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni slipped 6% versus a year ago. That was primarily due to contractual price discounts designed to open these drugs up to patients with a less severe disease. Yes, competitors are forcing Gilead Sciences to be aggressive on pricing, especially with government payers, including the VA, but there are still 3 million people in the U.S. with HCV, and Gilead Sciences' market share remains above 90%.

In June, the FDA is expected to approve Gilead Sciences' next-generation pan-genotype HCV drug and that could insulate the company against competitors and help stabilize prices. Also, if Sovaldi gets the nod in China, where 10 million people suffer from HCV, sales could get a nice boost beginning in 2017.

Gilead Sciences is still the dominant player in HIV treatment, and it's got new cancer, hepatitis B, and NASH drugs in the works that could fuel future growth, too. Given that Gilead Sciences' bulletproof balance sheet allowed it to repurchase $8 billion in shares last quarter, boost its dividend by 10%, and still exit March with over $21 billion in cash, this is a top stock to consider buying on sale.

Any company with direct exposure to commodities or energy has been taking it on the chin for a couple of years, now and there are loads of solid companies in these parts of the market that are selling for pretty steep discounts. One company that looks especially appealing today is Helmerich & Payne .

As an owner and lessor of land rigs, Helmerich & Payne has been hit with a pretty hard blow, as the total amount of active rigs in the field has declined to the lowest levels since we started keeping track of them more than half a century ago.

US Rig Count data by YCharts

The bright side is twofold. The first is that when demand for drilling picks back up again, Helmerich & Payne's entire fleet of rigs are higher-specification ones that are capable of handling the challenges of shale drilling. These new rigs have been slowly pushing competitors' older rigs out of the market and gaining overall market share, a trend that will continue when the market does turn. The other reason the company looks attractive is that it has kept a clean balance sheet through the downturn and is at much less risk than others.

With shares trading at their lowest price to tangible book value since the 2008-2009 recession and a dividend yield of 4.2%, Helmerich & Payne looks very cheap today.

: Oh, do I have an underappreciated stock on sale in General Motors . On April 21, Detroit's largest automaker announced first-quarter results that trampled estimates. GM earned $1.26 per share compared with analysts' estimates of about $1. The company is practically printing money in North America, retaking its foreign automaker throne in China, all while staying on pace to break even in Europe this year.

Despite printing money and improving its business, Wall Street is still reluctant to buy in thanks to "peak auto sales" concerns. "Do these companies actually have to go into a recession to prove that they are really different and much healthier than they used to be?" David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar, was quoted as saying.

I agree with Whiston wholeheartedly, but GM's growth story is one that eludes investors. As GM is the top foreign automaker by market share in China, as well as the U.S., where does its growth story come from now?

GM has made it clear that it intends to force its way into new business strategies, which was pushed into focus recently with a $500 million cash investment in ride-sharing company Lyft, as well as the acquisition of self-driving technology start-up company Cruise Automation.

While that strategy might not pay dividends for some time, investors often overlook the fact that GM Financial is set to double its profit from the end of 2015 to the end of 2018. Investors also overlook the fact that Cadillac is a top growth priority for the company, which would help drive the top and bottom lines higher.

GM is a company printing money currently with an overlooked growth story, and you can own its 4.5% dividend yield paying a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 5.4. Maybe owning a company in a cyclical industry isn't for you, but you can't argue that GM isn't on sale.

The article 5 Great Stocks on Sale Now originally appeared on Fool.com.

Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Gilead Sciences and Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
We Fools like to keep watchlists of companies we think could be worth owning. Sometimes a company will stay on our radar for an extended period of time as we increase our understanding of the company or wait for circumstances surrounding the company to change or for the share price to drop to the right level.

To give you a sneak peak at some of the companies that we have on our radar, we asked a team of Motley Fool contributors to share a company they are watching closely, but that they do not yet feel comfortable buying. Read below to see which stocks they highlighted.

Todd Campbell: I've been on the fence about AbbVie for a while, but if a couple more ducks fall into a row, I may add this biopharma giant to my portfolio soon.

The main reason I've been hesitant about AbbVie is Humira's pending patent expiration. Humira is the planet's best-selling medicine, and it accounts for a whopping 61% of AbbVie's total sales. If sales drop off a cliff when Humira's patent protection ends later this year, AbbVie is likely to struggle to make up the difference.

However, management has been saying for a while now that a steep drop in Humira sales isn't in the cards. The company's guidance last fall actually called for Humira's sales to increase, rather than decrease, through 2020. Some of that optimism is due to the method of use patents that management thinks could insulate it against Humira look-a-likes for a few more years.

If management is right, AbbVie still has time to boost sales from other drugs to insulate itself against future Humira competitors. Last year, it spent $21 billion buying Pharmacyclics to leapfrog to the front of the pack in hematology cancers like chronic lymphocytic leukemia. And AbbVie spent an additional $5.8 billion in cash and stock recently to acquire Stemcentrix to get its hands on a promising drug that targets solid tumors.

Given AbbVie's optimism and its expanding cancer product line, I'm increasingly warming up to the company. Of course, it doesn't hurt that AbbVie pays a market-beating 3.6% dividend, too.

Neha Chamaria:I was expecting Cummins to follow peer footsteps and downgrade its full-year outlook when it reported its first-quarter earnings earlier this month. Instead, the engine manufacturer earned a dime more than Street estimates and reiterated its guidance of a 5%-9% drop in revenue and 11.6%-12.2% in operating margin.

Cummins' outlook may appear uninspiring, but compare it with Caterpillar's guidance, and you'll understand why I'm impressed: Caterpillar's operating margin slipped to 5% during the past 12 months, and it expects its revenue to decline 24%-28% this year. Both companies face similar macroheadwinds as each derives a significant portion of sales from off-highway and international markets. However, Cummins has clearly demonstrated greater resilience, which is why I'm encouraged to add it to my watchlist.

That said, end markets remain visibly weak, and there's little to suggest a turnaround in key sectors like mining and oil and gas. More importantly, Cummins' key customer,PACCAR, is emerging as a major threat as it continues to replace Cummins' engines with its own in its trucks. So even after off-highway markets recover, Cummins will have to find new ways to boost its share in the trucking market, which looks a tricky bet. So while I'm watching Cummins, I'd wait to see how things pan out once macroeconomic conditions improve before betting my money on the stock.

A PACCAR Peterbilt 579truck, powered by Cummins engine. Image source:PACCAR.

Matt DiLallo: I've had my eye on Halliburton for quite some time, but I've been on the sidelines because I wasn't sure it could pull off its ambitious plans to acquire rival Baker Hughes . Turns out, I was right. The company recently announced it wasn't able to convince regulators to approve the merger, which ended up costing the company a hefty $3.5 billion breakup fee as well as millions in acquisition-related costs. Now, the company needs to chart a new way forward on its plan to become a one-stop-shop for oil and gas companies needing oil-field services.

The company had hoped that acquiring Baker Hughes would enable it to scale much more quickly. However, it will now need to take a new approach, which could include selective acquisitions to boost areas in which it is weak. That said, the company has been vague about what it does plan to do next, which is why I'm still on the sideline.

Specifically, what I'd like to see from Halliburton is a detailed plan of areas where it wants to grow, how it plans to grow those areas, and why that will drive returns going forward. Until I see that, and like what I see, I'll just keep this stock on my watchlist.

Brian Feroldi:I'm a huge believer that the push toward green energy is here to stay, so I've had SolarCity on my watchlist for quite some time. I love that the company holds the title as thelargest residential and commercial solar installer in the U.S., which makes it the low-cost producer in the space. That's a great competitive advantage to hold in a industry that's rapidly becoming commoditized, and it should give the company a huge leg up over competitors in the long term. Better yet, since only a tiny fraction of U.S. households have made the jump to solar, I think it's reasonable to assume SolarCity will continue to grow rapidly for years to come.

So, if all of the above is true, why haven't I purchased shares yet?

One big reason is that I find the company'sfinancial statementsdifficult to decipher. SolarCity relies on complex financial products that allows consumers to install solar on their roof without putting up a dime upfront. That's wonderful for consumers and is a big reason the company has grown so quickly, but the financial complexities make it difficult for me to fully understand its financial statements.

Another huge reason I've yet to buy shares is that the company faces the very real risk of states changing their policies on net metering. SolarCity is currently depending on net metering rules to make solar an attractive alternative to the grid, so if rules change, so does the company's value proposition.

Just recently, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission changed its net metering rules, and Solar City actually pulled out of the state altogether. That speaks volumes about how dependent the company is on these rules, especially when you consider that Nevada is one of the sunniest states in the U.S.

Over the long term, I'm willing to bet that both of my issues with the company will diminish, and I could see myself one day becoming a shareholder. I'm firmly convinced solar costs will ultimately drop so low that it becomes a no-brainer to install solar just about everywhere in the U.S., which will turn SolarCity into a wildly profitable enterprise.

However, we're not there yet, so while I'm rooting like crazy for SolarCity to succeed, I'm doing so from the sidelines.

Tim Green: Waiting for the right price can be hard, but pulling the trigger too soon on a stock, before there's an adequate margin of safety, is a recipe for lackluster results. Shares of memory chip maker Micron have tumbled about 72% since the beginning of 2015, driven by oversupply in the DRAM and NAND markets erasing the company's profitability. The stock may look like a bargain, but it's not quite there yet.

Micron manufacturers commodity memory chips, and the company is subject to the inevitable swings of the market for those chips. When times are good, Micron can generate impressive profits, like it did in fiscal 2014 and 2015. When times are bad, losses follow. In fiscal 2012, Micron posted a $1 billion loss, and the company drifted back into the red in its latest quarter.

Valuing Micron based on recent performance is a bad idea; instead, average performance and book value are the most useful metrics. Micron currently trades below its book value, but the stock isn't quite as cheap as it was the last time oversupply ravaged the industry. A stock price of $8 per share is the most I'd be willing to pay for Micron. At that price, a substantial discount to book value creates a comfortable margin of safety. Micron closed Friday at $9.56.

The situation could still get much worse for Micron, as the PC market continues to slump and the smartphone market slows down. But supply and demand will eventually be brought into equilibrium, although how long that takes is anyone's guess. I'm watching Micron closely and waiting for the price to tumble below $8 per share. If that happens, I may turn into a buyer.

The article 5 Stocks We're Watching but Not Buying Yet originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brian Feroldi has no position in any stocks mentioned. Matt DiLallo owns shares of SolarCity. Neha Chamaria has no position in any stocks mentioned. Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned. Todd Campbell has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Cummins, Paccar, and SolarCity. The Motley Fool owns shares of Halliburton. 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.
If you asked a group of investors to name the very best bank stock to own for the long term, I bet you'd hear a lot about Wells Fargo , U.S. Bancorp , or maybe a few other large, well-known banks.

I seriously doubt you'd learn about Glacier Bancorp , a $9 billion bank spanning six states in the Rocky Mountain region. That's a shame, because this regional bank stock is about as good as it gets.

Eye-catching performanceOver the past 20-, 15-, and five-year periods, Glacier stock has outperformed Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, and the S&P 500 on a total return price basis. Total return price includes reinvested dividends along with stock price appreciation. The following chart speaks for itself.

GBCI Total Return Price data by YCharts

A stock doesn't have that much long-term success without a strong fundamental business that drives it higher. Glacier is no exception.

Since the bank's current CEO, Michael Blodnick, took the reins in 1998, the bank's total assets have leapt from $790 million to $9.1 billion today. Earnings per share over the same period have risen from $0.39to $1.54, adjusted for stock splits. Comparing Glacier's returns and operating metrics to industry elites such as Wells and U.S. Bancorp again shows exceptional performance.

Q1 2016 Return on Average Assets Return on Average Equity Efficiency Ratio Glacier 1.27% 10.47% 55.5% U.S. Bancorp 1.32% 13% 54.6% Wells Fargo 1.21% 11.75% 58.7%

According to the most recent quarterly banking profile from the FDIC, the industry average return on assets was 1.03%, return on equity was 9.12%, and the efficiency ratio was 59.9%. These three banks are all well ahead of the rest of the industry, each justified as a top performer.

Glacier's returns on assets and efficiency ratio are in line with U.S. Bancorp's and beat Wells Fargo by both measures. A bank's efficiency ratio represents the expenses required to generate a dollar of its revenue. A lower ratio is considered more efficient.

Source: company website.

Glacier's return on equity is above industry averages, but it does trail both Wells and U.S. Bancorp. One headwind to higher ROE is the bank's decision to hold more capital relative to its assets than either of the other banks here. Glacier's assets-to-equity ratio is 8.3, compared with 9.2 and 9.4 at U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo, respectively.

The benefit of the extra capital is twofold. It protects the bank from unforeseen economic problems and losses, and it provides the bank with ammunition to pursue acquisitions and new opportunities as they arise. Long term, the theory goes, these dual benefits will result in higher shareholder value than the small improvement in return on equity with lower capital.

Even better for investors, Glacier's management has a very shareholder friendly style Since 1998, Glacier has completed 17 significant acquisitions, with No. 18 currently in the works. Growth by acquisition can be a powerful driver of shareholder value, as long as each deal is appropriately priced, structured, and strategically justified. Growth for the sake of growth can be a death knell.

However, Glacier's growth strategy is fully aligned with shareholder value. Blodnick explained as much in his 2015 letter to shareholders.

That's music to an investor's ear. It's an acquisition strategy based on building value, with no ego to be found.

The bank's dividend currently yields 3.1%, better than U.S. Bancorp's 2.4% and Wells' 3.04%. Glacier's yield here does not include a special dividend of $0.30 per share paid to shareholders in January. The bank has paid a special dividend each of the past two years.

Glacier's management and board have a stated goal to increase the dividend 10% per year, however, the bank will follow through on that target only if its capital base is sufficiently strong and there isn't a higher value use for that cash, like an acquisition. In other instances, where capital is in excess at a year end, management has issued special dividends.

In each case, the capital allocation decisions are prudent, thoughtful, and always include the shareholder's perspective as a priority.

A premium price for a premium stock The market recognizes Glacier as an elite bank stock, and it prices the bank's shares accordingly.

GBCI Price to Book Value data by YCharts

There are certainly cheaper bank stocks available in the market today. However, few represent the quality of bank that Glacier, U.S. Bancorp, or Wells Fargo offer. And when investing in banks, quality should always come first.

Warren Buffett put it thusly in his 1990 letter to shareholders: "We have no interest in purchasing shares of a poorly managed bank at a 'cheap' price. Instead, our only interest is in buying into well-managed banks at fair prices."

To me, Glacier Bancorp meets the definition of a well-managed bank to a "T." It's operating performance is on par with the best banks in the country, its policies are prudent and shareholder friendly, and its management team has a proven track record of success. For any bank stock investor, this regional stock is a winner worth a closer look.

The article The Best Bank Stock You've Never Heard Of originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jay Jenkins has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool has the following options: short May 2016 $52 puts on Wells Fargo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
In late 2013, Boeing formally launched the 777X -- the next-generation version of its popular 777 widebody jet. The 777X, which features updated engines and a new wing to boost range, payload, and fuel efficiency compared to the 777, is scheduled to enter service in early 2020.

Boeing will reduce 777 output over the next few years. Image source: Boeing.

Despite the fact that it has this 777 replacement in the works, Boeing insisted throughout most of 2014 and 2015 that it would be able to continue producing the original 777 at a record 8.3-per-month pace through the end of the decade.

Earlier this year, Boeing finally acknowledged that it will need to cut 777 output. At the company's analyst day last week, Boeing executives provided more details on just how low 777 deliveries will go in the next few years.

Boeing announces a production cut

In January, on Boeing's Q4 earnings call, CEO Dennis Muilenberg announced what many analysts had already concluded was inevitable: a 777 production rate cut. As of 2017, Boeing will reduce production to seven per month from the recent 8.3-per-month rate.

Boeing plans to maintain that seven-per-month rate through the transition to 777X production. To do this, it has said that it needs to bring in 40 to 50 orders for the current-generation 777 each year for the next few years.

Over the past year and a half, Boeing has been slightly behind this desired order pace. It received 38 firm orders for the current-generation 777 in 2015 and has secured another 12 firm orders so far in 2016.

A production rate isn't a delivery rate

It might seem obvious that with a production rate of seven per month, Boeing would be delivering about 84 777s annually starting next year. For 2017, that estimate may be roughly accurate. However, in 2018 and 2019, deliveries will be a good deal lower.

Low-rate 777X production will begin in 2018. Image source: Boeing.

The main reason is that Boeing will start building some 777X models on the 777 production line in 2018. Some of these could be used in the flight-test campaign -- others will just be stored until the 777X is certified by regulators and can be delivered to customers. Either way, they won't be delivered in 2018 or 2019 (unless the 777X development schedule is accelerated).

Additionally, Boeing will include "blanks" on either side of the early 777X models it builds. That simply means that there will be empty positions where Boeing would usually be building airplanes. This will give workers more time to build the new and relatively unfamiliar 777X. But in practice it means that true output will be lower than seven per month.

How much lower? At its analyst day, Boeing executives opined that deliveries of current-generation 777s will actually slow to about 5.5 per month by late 2018 and remain at that rate in 2019.

What it means for Boeing

777 production cuts are bad for Boeing because this model has been a big cash cow over the past two decades, and especially in the last few years. By 2019, lower 777 production will negatively impact Boeing's cash flow by more than $1 billion relative to 2016. (The cash flow decline could be even worse if Boeing has to cut 777 deliveries below 5.5 per month, as some analysts expect.)

However, the 787 Dreamliner program recently turned cash-positive after years of burning billions of dollars of cash annually. By 2019, higher cash flow from the 787 (and from the 737, which is scheduled for three production rate increases by 2019) will more than offset the impact of lower 777 deliveries.

When 777X deliveries start in 2020, cash flow from that program should start to rebound. Five years from now, all three of Boeing's main commercial aircraft programs should be churning out buckets of cash, sending free cash flow to a record high.

That's reason enough for Boeing shareholders to stick around, despite some potential turbulence related to 777 production and deliveries over the next few years.

The article Boeing Reveals Just How Far 777 Output Is Poised to Fall originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of The Boeing Company. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
With the massive amount of shale gas the United States is sitting on, there's probably not going to be an opportunity to be long-term bullish on natural gas prices for a long time to come. If prices go up, the oil and gas industry has the raw materials available to immediately drill that price back down.

That doesn't mean there won't be periods where investors can be bullish on natural gas for the shorter term. The price of natural gas has to stay at least a level at which the oil and gas producers can make some money drilling new wells.

Significant natural-gas producer Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG) just held its first-quarter 2016 earnings call and provided some interesting comments that suggest now is the time try and profit from a short term bull run for natural gas.

The Marcellus is the keyProducing natural gas from shale was a game changer for the industry. The Barnett and Haynesville shales turned the natural gas market on its head initially. The true disruptor, however, came in the form of the Marcellus.

The amount of natural gas in the Marcellus is enormous. The wells are prolific, and the economics of production from the play are superior. From a standing start in 2010, the Marcellus alone now accounts for 20% of all U.S. natural gas production. That is just incredible.

If natural gas prices are going to improve, something must stop the Marcellus monster.

Cabot Oil & Gas provides some number-crunchingIn the company's first-quarter 2016 earnings call, Cabot management revealed that it had done some homework on where Marcellus and Utica shale gas production is headed in 2016.

Cabot's engineers examined the production data of more than 4,000 natural gas wells located in northeastern Pennsylvania. These wells produce from mainly the Marcellus and Utica. From this well data, Cabot's engineers built production estimates looking forward for all wells in the region.

What Cabot's engineers concluded is that production from the area was set to decline by 25% from the start of 2015 through the end of 2016. With Cabot expecting that only 120 additional natural gas wells will be brought on production over the remainder of 2016, the company believes that Marcellus production is set to fall.

A look at the actual activity levels in the Marcellus would certainly suggest that a fall in production has to happen.

Source: Cabot Oil & Gas corporate presentation.

During the first quarter of 2015, there were 17 rigs active in this northeastern Pennsylvania region. This year that number is down to just four.

Southwestern Energy confirms itThe 2016 production guidance from one of Cabot's Marcellus competitors lends even more support to an outlook of declining production. In the Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) Q4 2015 earnings call held in late February, the company provided specific guidance on production. Southwestern expects production to be down 25% year on year by the end of this December.

That sounds like a big production decline, but you don't know the half of it. Southwestern has been a growth machine over the past decade, taking natural gas production higher eightfold.

Source: Southwestern corporate presentation.

This is one of the giants of the shale gas business, seeing its production roll over in a major way.

It is time to get some natural gas exposureAll of this information points to the fact that Marcellus production growth is not just ending but that production is also going into decline. Natural gas production outside the Marcellus has been in decline for some time.

According to energy reporting firm Bentek Energy, U.S. natural gas production as a whole was down 1.2 billion cubic feet per day year on year in April.

Similar to the situation for oil, there is a lot of natural gas in storage in the United States. The past winter was unseasonably warm and is the cause of most of this scenario. By early next winter, if weather is more normal, these production declines are going to start getting a lot more notice, which will be very bullish for prices.

Investors can get this exposure by owning pure-play natural gas producers like Southwestern Energy and Cabot Oil and Gas. The smart way is to build a basket of these producers to put into your portfolio rather than just owning one or two of them. That way you don't take on nearly as much specific company risk but do still get direct exposure to natural gas prices rising.

The article Given Up on Natural Gas Prices? Here's a Significant Source of Hope originally appeared on Fool.com.

TMFWolfpack has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Here's what a hyperloop will look like. Eventually. Image source:Tesla Motors.

It's been a busy year for fans of Elon Musk's Hyperloop project. In fact, it's been a pretty busy week.

In February, we learned that Elon Musk is revisiting the idea of building a $6 billion, 400-mile, 800-mile-per-hour electromagnetic subway connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco. In partnership with engineering companyAECOM , he's building a short Hyperloop test track outside of SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, California.

One month later, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) signed an agreement with the government of Slovakia to "explore building a local Hyperloop system" in Bratislava, again with AECOM doing much of the heavy lifting. There's also the potential that the Slovaks will build intercity Hyperloops to connect their capital city with Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary, and they may even build a cross-country Slovakian system stretching 250 miles to Kosice.

And now, fast-forward a couple more months, and here's what we've learned this week: A third company, formerly named "Hyperloop Technologies" and now going under the moniker "Hyperloop One," is rushing to build its own Hyperloop projects with the help of a team of 11 other companies -- AECOM included.

In a rapid-fire series of press releases this week, Hyperloop announced that it has:

Formally adopted the name"Hyperloop One" (hereinafter "H1"), which should help to distinguish the company from rival builder HTT.

Secured $80 millionin financing "toward building the world's first full-scale Hyperloop," attracting a team of investors that include General Electric 's venture capitalarm, GE Ventures.

's venture capitalarm, GE Ventures. Begun "privately funded feasibility studies" into the construction of Hyperloops in Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as the possibility of building Hyperloops connecting to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Conducted an open-air test of Hyperloop's propulsion system in the Nevada desert, accelerating a prototype Hyperloop "sled" to 116 mph in 1.1 seconds.

Blink and you'll miss it: H1's Hyperloop "sled" races down the test track. Image source: Hyperloop One.

Pause for applause

Clearly, Hyperloop One enjoyed a banner week and deserves praise for its achievements. In fact, praise was immediately forthcoming. Elon Musk, father of the Hyperloop concept, tweeted: "Full credit to the team that's doing this. All happening without any help from me."

But our question is: What does all of this mean to investors? Venture capitalists are starting to invest in Hyperloop, sure. But how can we invest in Hyperloop?

The first announcement of the Hyperloop concept back in 2013came by way of Elon Musk's Tesla Motors electric car company. But while Tesla is a publicly traded company (albeit unprofitable) and has a stock you can buy, both Tesla and Elon Musk have expressly disclaimedany involvement in H1's Hyperloop project.

That said, if you've been reading carefully so far, you'll surely have noticed one other publicly traded company that is involved. One name that keeps popping up again and again, wherever a story involving "Hyperloops" surfaces: AECOM.

How to invest in Hyperloop?

AECOM is helping H1 build Hyperloops in the desert. AECOM is helping HTT offer Hyperloops to Slovakia. AECOM is even helping Elon Musk build his own Hyperloop test track back home at SpaceX HQ.

What do we know about AECOM? Well, when last we checked in on the engineering giant, we noted that the company was not "profitable," having ended fiscal 2015 with a loss. That's no longer the case.

As data from S&P Global Market Intelligence confirm, while unprofitable last year, AECOM earned a $21.4 million profit through the first six months of this fiscal year 2016. AECOM is also free cash flow positive, having generated $160 millionin cash profits so far this year, and $578 millionin free cash flow over the past 12 months. Valued on that basis, the company's $5 billion market capitalization gives AECOM a price-to-free cash flow ratio of 8.7. The company is projected to grow earnings at 9.2% over the next five years, giving it a price-to-free cash flow-to-growthratio of less than 1.0.

Is that cheap enough to buy? It depends. AECOMdoes carrya pretty heavy debt load -- about $3.5 billion net of cash. On the other hand, though, H1 says it plans to build and demonstrate "a full-scale [Hyperloop] system later this year." That suggests there could be chunk of work, and a big cash infusion, coming AECOM's way in the very near future. And if the actual construction projects in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and California materialize, then business could boom even bigger.

Even if you're not convinced that AECOM stock is quite cheap enough to buy today, if you're interested in investing in Hyperloop, this is clearly a stock to watch. Unless and until Tesla makes a move itself to get into the Hyperloop business, there's no other publicly traded company on Earth that has its fortunes more closely tied to Hyperloop than AECOM.

H1's prototype Hyperloop "sled" test bed. Image source: Hyperloop One.

The article Hyperloop Project Surges Past 100 MPH originally appeared on Fool.com.

Rich Smithdoes not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 291 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric Company. 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.
Increasingly, American seniors are putting off the golden years of retirement. Nearly 20% of Americans over 65 are punching a clock, rather than hitting the links -- the highest percentage since the 1960s.The reason for this trend is clear and worrisome: Too many Americans haven't saved enough money to retire comfortably.

Here's the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The finding backs up survey results showing that more American workers are planning to continue working past the age we typically think of as "retirement age."

According to the 2015 Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey, only 14% of working Americans over age 55 plan to retire before reaching 65, and 53% of people over age 55 plan to work at least part-time during retirement.

Coming up short

American companies have steadily been swapping out pensions for employee retirement savings accounts such as 401(k) plans, and unfortunately, many Americans are failing to contribute to these plans to the extent necessary to finance retirement.

According to TransAmerica, the average American's retirement savings total about $63,000, even though the average worker thinks they'll need to save $1 million by retirement. This tremendous gap in savings bodes poorly for future retirees.

Many baby boomers plan to make up for their shortfall by relying heavily on Social Security. Currently, half of Social Security retirement beneficiaries count on Social Security for more than half of their income, and TransAmerica's reports that a quarter of workers expect Social Security to be their primary source of income, including 35% of baby boomers.

Social Security is not designed to cover the lion's share of retirement expenses. The program is only meant to replace about 40% of the average person's pre-retirement income. This year, the average monthly Social Security check is $1,345, which works out to a bit more than $16,000 per year. That's unlikely to fund the type of retirement lifestyle that most Americans envision.

A big problem

Given the reality of inadequate savings, it's no surprise that more workers are staying at their jobs. However, many seniors who plan to work later in life may face some harsh realities.

Less than half of workers surveyed by TransAmerica consider their employer be "aging friendly," and almost a quarter of workers say that their employers aren't aging friendly at all. Aside from the potential challenges of finding work later in life, many workers may overestimate their desire to keep working. In a Fidelity survey conducted last year, 64% of retirees said stress was a strong or somewhat strong factor in their decision to retire.

That could help explain why the Employee Benefit Research Institute has consistently found in its surveys that a significant number of people retire sooner than planned. Specifically, 46% of retirees have stopped working sooner than they had planned, and 55% said they did so because of a health problem or disability. Only a third of respondents to EBRI's study said they retired early because they could afford to.

Image source: Flickr user seniorliving.org

Every little bit counts

The average American worker with an employer-sponsored retirement plan contributes roughly 8% of their income to it, and that might not be enough. Even increasing contributions by three or four percent could make a big difference over time.

For example, contributing $5,200 per year (about 10% of the median U.S. household income) to an account that earns a hypothetical 6% per year results in a portfolio valued at $185,402 after 20 years. However, if that contribution is boosted to 12% of income, or $6,240 per year, then that nest egg would swell to $243,000.

If you want to avoid becoming part of this trend of delayed retirement, then you'll need take your financial destiny into your hands and save consistently and aggressively.

The article The Scary Reason So Many People Are Working Beyond 65 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Before you invest in a mutual fund, you need to know more about it than simply whether it appeared on a best mutual funds list. Although some of the funds that make these lists are undoubtedly good, using them as the sole basis to pick the mutual funds that you will invest in is a mistake. Many best-of lists feature the top-performing funds over a short or specified period of time. In order to find mutual funds that have a chance to be top performers over the long run, you need to dig a bit deeper.

In recent years especially, index mutual funds that passively mimic the performance of market benchmarks like the Standard & Poor's 500 index have gained in popularity due to their low costs, their investing style, and in many cases, the fact that they outperform many actively managed funds in the same fund category. To choose a mutual fund that is not just popular but also has a better chance of producing long-term results for your portfolio, assess it in terms of the following seven characteristics that the best-performing mutual funds have in common.

1. Low expenses

For any investment vehicle,there are some factors that are within your control and some that are not. An example of a factor that you cannot control is the direction of the stock market.A key factor that you can control is knowingthe expense ratio of the mutual funds that you choose to invest in.

A2010 study by independent investment research firm Morningstar showed the impact of low expenses in fund performanceto be quite significant. In every mutual fund investment category studied, the lowest-cost quintile of funds outperformed the highest-cost quintile by a decent margin.

Similarly, aVanguard studyshowed the impact of differing levels of annual fees on a hypothetical $100,000 initial account balance over 30 years with a yearly return of 6%. After 30 years, the balance in the account would be:

$574,349 with no mutual fund expenses.

$532,899 with mutual fund expenses of 0.25%.

$438,976 with mutual fund expenses of 0.90%.

The numbers in both studies clearly illustrate the negative impact of mutual fund fees on an investor's returns. When assessing mutual funds, consider prioritizing funds with low or no expenses because they can potentially perform better for you in the long run.

2. Strong fund management

One of Morningstar's key tenets of its medalist rankings of mutual funds is a strong manager or management team. Beyond just the fund manager, top mutual funds also have a solid group of analysts who research the stocks or other investments bought and sold by the fund managers.Additionally, traders help make sure that the fund trades are properly executed.Even for index funds, the underlying manager can have an impact.

The best mutual funds reflect the performance of their managers.The 2015 Morningstar analyst report for T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth included this example of a strong fund manager:

A manager change in a mutual fund that you hold should be viewed as a huge red flag, and you should watch the fund closely. Learn as much as you can about the new manager and find out if he will be changing the investment process or other factors that have made the fund a success in the past.

3. Consistent investment process

You need to fully understand the costs and the investment strategy of any mutual fundbefore you invest in it.For actively managed funds, look at the fund's investment process. Consider the following questions:

Is the fund consistent?

Does it differentiate the fund from its benchmark index?

What makes it unique and different from other funds (in a positive fashion)?

Is this process sustainable year in and year out?

It is important that you are able to understand the fund's investment process and why this process is unique and presumably better than other investment options available to you. If you can't answer the question "Why should I invest my money here?" then the answer is that you probably shouldn't.

4. Strong parent company

Running a mutual fund is a complex proposition that requires more than just a skilled manager to be successful. Having a strong parent company can help with the recruitment of talented support staff. A strong, ethical parent company can set the tone for all of its funds in terms of stewardship, which Morningstar defines as:

The manner in which funds are run.

The degree to which the management company's and fund board's interests are aligned with fund shareholders.

The degree to which shareholders can expect their interests to be protected from potentially conflicting interests of the management company.

A 2014 report by Morningstarnamed four fund families as the recipients of its top stewardship grades -- Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, Dodge & Cox, and American Funds -- noting that they also had been successful in terms of Morningstar's success and risk-adjusted success ratios.

T. Rowe Price has since been featured as an example of a top-notch mutual fund company: "T. Rowe Price has acted in fund holders' interests by closing funds with surging asset bases and avoiding trendy fund launches," reported Chartered Financial Analyst Katie Rushkewicz Reichart for Morningstar in 2015. "Reasonable fees and a manager compensation plan focused on long-term performance are other pluses."

5. Strong relative performance

When looking at mutual funds, investors should compare apples to apples. Comparing the performance of a fund that invests in government bonds to one that invests in large-cap domestic stocks is meaningless. These funds will be different in almost every way.

When judging the past performance of a fund that you are considering buying or one that you already own, look at the fund's performance in the context of its category or peer group of funds. Assess how the fund's trailing three-, five-, and 10-year performance histories rank. In the case of an actively managed fund, find out if the fund's track record was achieved under the current manager.

6. Size of the fund

Size matters when it comes to managing a mutual fund. Over the years, many mutual funds have produced enviable track records in their early years of existence only to see that performance taper off as their reputation grew and new investor money poured in.

Size is especially critical in mutual funds that invest in small- or mid-cap stocks. These stocks havemore limited investment opportunities, and at some point, a fund manager can run out of good opportunities within the fund's investing niche.

Mutual fund companies that are shareholder-centric might close the fund to new investment, which can help. But as the fund grows in size due to its own success, management problems can surface again.

To address growth problems, some funds have transitioned from small-cap funds to mid-cap stocks. Others have just started investing outside of their original investment mandates, and the results of such diversification have been mixed.

The issue of size is not as much of a concern for mutual funds that invest in large-cap stocks or for index funds. Nonetheless, savvy fund investors pay attention to the assets under management for funds and look for any performance drag if the fund gets too big.

7.Differences from the benchmark

For actively managed funds, consider differences from the benchmark. Many large-cap stock funds have been accused of being "closet indexers" in that the composition of their holdings is not that different from that of their benchmark index, which is usually the S&P 500.

Too often these closet indexers underperform the index, and investors pay higher expenses than if they had just bought into an index fund.For example, T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth has provided a higher return with less volatility than the average fund in the mid-cap growth category.

Bottom line: Get to know the fund before you invest in it

Selecting and monitoring top-performing mutual funds is not easy. Whether they're index funds or actively managed funds, review them for the seven characteristics of top mutual funds listed above before investing. Index funds should have ultra-low expenses and track their underlying indexes closely. Actively managed funds need to be monitored for a number of factors.

Of all the factors to consider when reviewing mutual funds, low expenses are always a good starting point. As with any investment you might be considering, it is important to fully understand why a given mutual fund is an appropriate place to invest -- never invest in anything that you don't understand.

This article originally appeared at GoBankingRates.

The article The Top 7 Characteristics of the Best Mutual Funds originally appeared on Fool.com.

GoBankingRates has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
There was growing buzz in Hollywood over Oscars weekend for hunky actor Idris Elba to take over the coveted role of James Bond, at the same time debates raging over diversity in the movies.



As Elba made the rounds of Hollywood parties on Friday night, one power movie exec told the New York Post of Elba as 007, Is the world ready? I think so.

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Further sources added they were confident Elba could take on the iconic part.



Though actor said last year of the Bond casting, Its all rumorville, the rumors are kicking up again night among not just fans but Hollywoods elite. Elbas also said, If human beings want to know if theres any connectivity between all of us, the one thing Ive heard around the world universally is that, Youll be great at James Bond! Others said to be possibilities to take over the role from blond Bond Daniel Craig include Billions star Damian Lewis and lesser known James Norton.



Elba had been considered a Best Actor contender for his role in recent Beasts of No Nation, but he was snubbed in a year that no black actors were nominated, including Will Smith and Creed star Michael B. Jordan. Some like Smith have boycotted, while black presenters onboard for the show this year include Jordan, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, Common, John Legend, Pharrell Williams and Louis Gossett Jr.



But perhaps besides the Bond buzz on Oscar weekend, karma was on Elbas side, too. At the exact time he entered a reception for this years British nominees at Fig & Olive as the nights surprise guest, the Bond theme suddenly started booming on the audio system.

Click here to read more in the New York Post.
Madeleine LeBeau, who played Humphrey Bogarts jilted mistress Yvonne, in Casablanca, died May 1 in Spain after breaking her thigh bone. She was 92 and was the last surviving credited cast member of the classic film. Her stepson Carlo Alberto Pinelli confirmed her death to Variety.

In Casablanca, LeBeau gets teary-eyed when La Marseillaise is played and shouts Viva la France! She was among several cast members who were actually refugees from the German occupation.

Her life echoed the film: After she made her screen debut in French film Girls in Distress in 1939, LeBeau and her husband, actor Marcel Dalio, fled Paris for Portugal. They were said to have received transit visas that allowed them to enter Spain and then Portugal before continuing on towards Chile. They were stranded in Mexico when their visas turned out to be forgeries and were able to enter the United States with temporary Canadian passports.

She soon found work in Hollywood and appeared in Olivia de Havilland starrer Hold Back the Dawn and Gentleman Jim, starring Errol Flynn, before being cast in Casablanca. Her husband, who played Emil the croupier in Casablanca, filed for divorce during the production. She starred in Paris After Dark and Music for Millions in Hollywood before returning to France after WWII.

Among her European films were The Royalists, Cage of Gold, Une Parisienne and Federico Fellinis 8 1/2, as Madeleine, the French actress. She appeared in the French TV series Allo Police before retiring from the screen in 1970.

She later married Italian screenwriter Tullio Pinelli, co-writer of 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita, who died in 2009.
A French internet companys PR stunt, that featured a group of fake commandos approaching a historic celebrity-filled hotel near the Cannes Film Festival, caused a panic Friday.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a group of six men in the militia-style gear approached the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc where Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter was hosting an exclusive party on the property. One of the men stormed the stairs leading up to the resort.

"We were all caught off guard," publicist J.R. Savet told The Hollywood Reporter Saturday. "And then someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool area. It was pretty scary. The fact that the men appeared to be (dressed like) an ISIS-like militia group was quite shocking.

Savet said security was quickly called to address the issue, while the hotel staff continued to serve food to the guests without showing signs of panic.

The whole incident turned out to be a publicity stunt for a French global marketplace called Oraxy, which the company says is reserved exclusively for (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals). The group of men also sped by a few large yachts owned by Steven Spielberg, Ronald Perelman and Roman Abramovitch, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It was not a terrorist attack. It was a communication effort and publicity for an internet site, French National Police said in a statement. Officials described the incident to The Hollywood Reporter as just a bad joke  a really bad one.

An Oraxy spokesperson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter the incident was a publicity stunt and that it was coordinated with maritime authorities. The spokesperson said the unidentified owners feel really bad about scaring people on the hotel property.

The Cannes Film Festival remains on high alert after an audit was conducted following the Paris terror attacks. The Interior Ministry conducted terror drills in preparation for the star-studded festival.

Click for more from The Hollywood Reporter.
Hillary Clinton padded her already commanding lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by winning the larger portion of the delegates allocated at Saturday's raucous Nevada State Democratic Convention.

Clinton took seven delegates, while Sanders walked away with five, according to local reports. As the results were announced, Sanders supporters in attendance shouted in protest, reacting to news that a number of Sanders supporters were barred from participating.

One local report showed that by a slim margin, Clinton's 1,695 supporters allowed to participate outnumbered Sanders' 1,662 backers.

Clinton won the state's caucuses back in February, earning her 13 delegates. Meanwhile Sanders got 10 delegates. The delegates awarded Saturday were in addition to those.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
A Republican lawmaker has proposed legislation that would ban federal spending on yoga classes for federal workers.

The bill from Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., doesn't prohibit federal workers from doing yoga. But they would have to use their own money to rebalance their chakras if his proposal became law.

The bill is one of Salmon's several proposals to reduce wasteful federal spending. Salmon said free yoga classes aren't something taxpayers should pay for just because workers get those kinds of perks at high-tech companies.

"The government isn't Google, so stop trying to be," he said. "Startups across our country are offering unique benefits to their employees in exchange for working in a developing business with a new culture."

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who has staked out a leading role as a Donald Trump critic, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are the top prospects being courted to run as an independent candidate against Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Mitt Romney, the Republican's 2012 presidential nominee, is among a group of Republicans actively leading the independent candidate effort, according to a Washington Post report. Sources tell the Post Romney has personally reached out to both men in recent days.

Earlier options for an independent candidate included former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and retired Marine Corps. Gen. James N. Mattis. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and retired Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal were also listed as possible candidates.

"The governor is not entertaining nor will he run as an independent," Kasich's spokesman Chris Schrimpf said. Kasich shut down his quest for the Republican nomination earlier this month after Trump won the Indiana primary.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
A charity group that helps homeless military veterans on Chicagos South Side says the city is trying to take control of the meager facility to make way for the restaurants, shops and other commercial venues that would complement the proposed Obama presidential library and museum.

Group leaders said the RTW Veterans Center is the last privately-owned property on a stretch of S. King Boulevard near the proposed Washington Park site for the Barack Obama Presidential Center and that city building inspectors unexpectedly arrived last April to find an overwhelming 32 code violations at the facility.

We dont appreciate being muscled out and put in the situation of having to negotiate from a position of despair, facility center Director Jah Ranu Menab told FoxNews.com on Saturday.

Menab thinks the University of Chicago, which is working with the Obama Foundation to bring the presidential center to the South Side, is also part of an apparent effort to ultimately force the facility into receivership.

The fate of the veterans facility -- which officials say serves more than 3,000 meals monthly -- may well be decided Tuesday, when officials return to Cook County Circuit Court for a hearing on the efforts to fix the buildings problems.

Menab admits that the facility is in disrepair, with some violations related to a fire hazard, rats nests and raw sewage flowing onto the basement floor.

However, he says the situation, which includes fines of $16,000 daily, looks like an attempted land grab and that the prestigious university, where Obama was a law professor, exerts a tremendous amount of influence over the city and its future.

The university strongly denies any involvement in the city's dealings with the center and its building and on Friday issued the following statement:

The mission of providing support for veterans is extremely important, and numerous University of Chicago community members have volunteered their time at the RTW Veterans Center. The university is not engaged in discussions regarding the center's property and has no plans to purchase it."

Veterans center co-founder Daniel Doc Habeel, a Vietnam War veteran, acknowledged Saturday that people associated with the university have indeed volunteered time. But he also expressed uncertainty about the universitys involvement.

lts hard to say because everybodys hiding their hand, Habeel said.

Center officials argue the states budget crisis has created an increased demand for their services, including serving three meals daily on every day of the week, and that theyre open to negotiating for a fair selling price, to perhaps relocate to a better, nearby facility.

To be sure, each side has suggested the other is perhaps battling in the media for the best price for the property, about a half-block from the proposed Washington Park site.

The not-for-profit facility, which receives no government funding, cited in a press release Wednesday a history of building inspectors in other places forcing a worn-out building into receivership so a prospective developer is eventually able to acquire the property without having to negotiate.

The city says the fines are not being enforced and that the case landed in court because numerous 311 calls led inspectors to visit the facility, where they learned about the severity of the problems, including a structurally unsafe porch.

Nevertheless, the city on Friday expressed a continued willingness to work with the facility, while also pointing out that the court in December granted a six-month extension to fix the property, including the porch that remains unrepaired.

The city has been diligently working with the RTW Veterans Center for the past year to address outstanding building code violations, the city said in a statement to FoxNews.com. And the city will continue to work with the organization to ensure repairs are completed and that the site is safe and accessible for veterans.

A 2014 study commissioned by the university found the presidential facility would have about 800,000 visitors a year, which would have an annual economic impact of $31 million on the neighborhood economy, enough to support a new hotel, 11 new retail outlets and 30 new restaurants.

The Obama Foundation is scheduled to decide by this summer on either the Washington or Jackson Park proposals, both on the South Side.

The foundation sent a letter in November to the facility praising its efforts in helping veterans and expressing a willingness to work together.

The Obamas have a long history of passionate support for our veterans and military families, the letter in part states. I want to personally thank you for the work you do.  We are humbled by your invitation to join your weekly meeting and look forward to working with you in the future.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton made campaign stops Sunday in Kentucky ahead the states primary later this week, pitching a pro-jobs agenda and trying to stop rival Sen. Bernie Sanders extended string of victories, as the primary season enters its final stages.

We just have to get more Americans a chance for better jobs with better incomes so you can believe youre going to give your children and grandchildren a better life, Clinton said at a rally in Louisville. We can put more Americans to work.

Clinton and Sanders will compete Tuesday in Kentucky and Oregon, while Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump will try to add to his delegate count in Oregon.

There are 28 Republican delegates at stake in Oregon toward Trump securing the party nomination with 1,237. He now has 1,134 delegates with 436 still available in the partys seven remaining state contests.

Trump was not on the campaign trail Sunday. Since becoming the nominee in early May, the billionaire businessman has increasingly focused on financing a general election campaign and getting the party to rally around his candidacy.

Clinton already has an insurmountable lead in the delegate race, 2,240-to-1,437, toward 2,383 to clinch to party nomination.

The 55 at stake in the states Democratic primary Tuesday and the 61 in Oregon wont change the outcome of the partys primary. However, Sanders has won 10 of the past 12 state contests, which is inspiring the Vermont senator to keep his campaign alive through the remaining nine Democratic contests and the partys nominating convention in July.

We are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent, Sanders said at a rally Sunday in Paducah, Ky. What we are seeing is massive levels of poverty that should not be taking place in the richest country in the world.  A handful of wealth families are controlling the political and economic life of this nation.

(The states unemployment rate of 5.6 percent is above the national average of 5 percent.)

Clinton is expected to do well in Kentucky, which has a Republican governor and two GOP senators. She soundly defeated Barack Obama their 2008 primary contest in the state, and limited polling shows Clinton with a double-digit lead ahead of Tuesdays contest.

As one of the countrys most liberal states, Oregon would appear like Sanders territory. However, the states Democratic primary is open only to registered Democrats, a situation that has hurt Sanders in other states with so-called closed primaries," considering his crossover appeal to independent voters.

Polling in the state varies, but a new and frequently cited survey by the Portland-based firm DHM Research shows Clinton leading by double digits.

The former secretary of state is also trying to move toward an anticipated general election race, against Trump. Her campaign sent out a fundraising email Saturday highlighting the cost of running two races, under the headline Nuts.

On Sunday, Clinton again turned to Trump, saying as she has before that hes a loose cannon for suggesting that more countries have nuclear weapons and using the United States against the Islamic State.

Ive never heard such reckless, risky talk from somebody about to be a nominee for president than Ive heard from Donald Trump when it comes to nuclear weapons, Clinton said in Louisville. He says he would use nuclear weapons. This is scary, dangerous talk. This is the talk of a loose cannon.
The Nevada State Democratic Convention on Saturday night devolved into an unruly and unpredictable environment following several disputes over rules governing delegates for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, leading to law enforcement officials being called to keep the peace.

Two issues in particular stung Sanders supporters gathered at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel: (1) the approval of a set of temporary rules seen as less favorable to the Vermont senator by his backers and (2) the allocation of the 12 delegates up for grabs. In the final tally, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took seven delegates and Sanders five. Clinton's supporters outnumbered Sanders backers 1,695-to-1,662, an echo of her slim victory in Februarys Democratic caucus, 53-47.

But Sanders supporters, riled by the news that nearly five dozen people were not given delegate status, said the results were skewed. Convention Credential Committee Co-Chair Leslie Sexton said 64 Sanders delegates  almost double Sanders eventual 33 delegate shortfall  were disqualified for various reasons and not given the opportunity to appeal, The Hill reported.

Sexton initially said she was not allowed to give a report about Sanders delegates  for an unspecified reason  but she eventually presented her findings once chants of recount and let her speak broke out, The Hill reported.

Contrary to procedures and precedents set by the committee, nearly none of the 64 people were presented with the opportunity to be heard by the committee or to demonstrate that they are registered Democrats, Sexton said.

The Nevada State Democratic Party said 58 of those excluded Sanders supporters were denied for reasons such as not registering as a Democrat by May 1 or due to a lack of personal information. Of the 64, six were allowed to be seated after their appropriate information was provided, the party said. Eight Clinton supporters were denied delegate status for similar reasons, The Las Vegas Sun reported.

A decision by Convention Chair Roberta Lange to quickly gavel the convention after a yea or nay vote that Sanders backers protested only raised the ire of those already upset at Saturdays results. Lange quickly left the ballroom after officially closing the meeting.

But Sanders supporters remained, chanting and pondering their options, according to videos of the event posted at RealClearPolitics. Law enforcement officers and hotel security quickly formed a line in front of the stage as an unidentified individual pleaded with the crowd to exit. At one point several lights in the hall were reportedly turned off to try to get attendees to leave. Eventually, the attendees in the room peacefully dispersed. No arrests were reported.

The Director of Security for the Paris Las Vegas Hotel informed the State Party and representatives from both presidential campaigns that the property could no longer provide the necessary security under conditions made unruly and unpredictable, Stewart Boss, Nevada state Democratic party press secretary, said in a Sunday statement.

Sanders hadnt addressed the convention controversy as of Sunday night, but in a release to his supporters on Friday he touted working together respectfully and constructively on Saturday.

Of the 43 Nevada delegates headed to the Democratic National Convention in July, 20 will support Clinton and 15 are set to back Sanders, with eight others as superdelegates who can choose to vote for whomever they want. Most superdelegates have said theyll back Clinton.

Most of the Nevada convention was a raucous affair, with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., even getting booed at one point.

If youre booing me, youre booing Bernie Sanders, Boxer said. Go ahead, boo yourselves out of this election.

The Republican delegate-selection meeting Saturday at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center occurred without incident. A crowd of just more than 1,000 people selected 27 delegates to the Republican National Convention, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Those delegates are bound to vote on the first ballot according to Februarys Nevada caucus results. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump won the state with 46 percent of the vote in that contest, securing 14 delegates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Researchers at University of Hawaii at Manoa have determined that theres a small, but potential, chance that Hawaii would suffer from a direct hit from a mega tsunami in the next 50 years.

Hawaii News Now reported Friday that a study about the possibility of a tsunami generated from a magnitude-9.0 earthquake near the Aleutian Islands was published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth.

Researchers gave the event a 9 percent chance of happening.

"These are rare events. They don't happen all the time but there is a chance for them and our effort here is to try to define what that chance might be," Rhett Butler, the leading scientist in the study, told Hawaii News Now.

Experts believe that Hawaiian residents would have about four hours to get to safety if a tsunami was generated from an Aleutian Island quake.

Butler said the study wasnt conducted to scare people, but to remind them to be prepared for the possibility of a catastrophic event and be prepared.

Click for more from Hawaii News Now.
An 87-year-old woman kidnapped by her great-grandson and his friend told them to "behave yourself in prison" as they were sentenced to years behind bars for the bizarre crime.

Hazel Abel was snatched from her home, bound and gagged, stuffed into the trunk of her car with her pet Chihuahua and driven 200 miles from Washington to Oregon before she untied herself and escaped when the perpetrators stopped at a Walmart, the Tri-City Herald reports.

The Kennewick, Wash., woman attended the sentencing in Benton County Superior Court Thursday and heard her great-grandson Dyllan Martin apologize to her as he was sentenced to 9  years in prison for his role in the November 2015 kidnapping, the paper reported.

His cohort Billy Underwood also apologized as he was sentenced to 10  years in prison, according to the Herald.

I cant begin to tell you boys how sorry I am for what youve all been through these past few months, Abel said in a statement that was read to the judge, the paper reported. It could have ended so much worse than it did if youd carried out the plans you had for me.

The Herald reported that Martin and Underwood had planned to kill her.

Ive asked why so many times and yet havent been able to be given an acceptable answer, she said, according to the paper. Behave yourself in prison and maybe some day you will have a good life.

Martin turned 17 after the kidnapping. Underwood is 16. They were charged as adults, according to the Oregonian.

A third co-defendant, a 14-year-old girl, was ordered to serve as much as 2  years in a juvenile facility, the paper reported. She is appealing.

Martin and Underwood had pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

The Herald reported that at the sentencing prosecutors urged a 14-year prison sentence for each one, while saying that Martin had targeted his great-grandmother as an easy mark.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two tourists took a bison calf for a ride in an SUV this week during a visit to Yellowstone National Park, EastIdahoeNews.com reports.

Park rangers ticketed the pair, a man and his son who were visiting from another country, after they pulled up to a ranger station Monday with the animal in the vehicle, according to the news website. They apparently thought the calf was cold.

They were demanding to speak with a ranger, Karen Richardson told the news website. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.

Richardson, of Victor, Idaho, was on a field trip with a group of fifth-graders and other parents.

She snapped a photo of the animal in the SUV and posted it on Facebook, EastIdahoNews.com reported.

Dear tourists: the bison calf is not cold and it is not lost. PUT IT BACK, her post said.

Another parent on the field trip with Richardson, Rob Heusevelt, told EastIdahoNews.com it didn't faze the duo they were breaking the law. Yellowstone visitors arent supposed to approach wildlife or get too close to large animals.

They didnt care, Heusevelt told the website. They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.

He said the bison calf was driven back to where it was found and released.

Last month, a Yellowstone visitor approached a bison lounging on the grass and reached out to pet the giant animal, a scene caught on video.

"She's totally antagonizing it. Where are the rangers?" a shocked witness is heard saying in the video.

Click here to read more from EastIdahoNews.com.
Air Force fighters and bombers are soaring into the wild blue yonder with new paint jobs, quietly reviving an old tradition.

The decorative painting and designs on the noses and wings of Air Force planes may not be as racy as they were during World War II, but they are just as meaningful, the Air Force Times reports.

This is a tradition across the Air Force," Col. Jeff Smith, commander of the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, Ore., told the newspaper. This truly is a source of morale and pride, especially for the dedicated crew chief to know that they have a little mark of themselves on the airplane.

It took 31 days to transform one of the units dull gray F-15 Eagles into a colorful work of art, commemorating the Oregon Air National Guards 75th Anniversary, the Air Force Times reported.

Basically, we just wanted something bold that was going to make an impact, Master Sgt. Paul Allen, the artist behind the paint job, told the paper. The guys took a lot of pride in this. ... And people considering coming into the Guard who see this see we have a lot of pride in our unit.

Nose art caught on among American aviators during World War II with images of racy pin-up models and cartoon characters, according to the paper.

It died in the early 1970s when Air Force Chief of Staff John Ryan called for a moratorium on the practice.

Today, there are strict rules in place and all nose art suggestions have to be vetted through a rigorous approval process, the Air Force Times reported.

The nose art must be "distinctive, symbolic, gender neutral, intended to enhance unit pride, designed in good taste," and abide by copyright and trademark laws, the paper reported, citing a 2015 Air Force memorandum.

Click here to read more from the Air Force Times.


William Smith has been eating oatmeal every morning of his life, so when the 80-year-old Massachusetts man saw a Quaker Oats "best recipe" contest, he was quick to mail in his favorite: oats topped with brown sugar, pineapple and coconut flakes.

But Smith's "Hawaiian Special" recipe, which he wrote by hand on a piece of paper, was rejected and returned to him a few days later -- with a letter accompanying it.

"Please be advised that your letter, with attachment, does not constitute a valid entry into the Contest in accordance with the Official Rules available at www.bringyourbestbowl.com," wrote a representative for PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats Company.

"The submissions are accepted through either the contest application on Quaker's website, select retailer websites, Twitter, or Facebook during the submission period," the March 3 letter read. "We will not accept entries via alternative methods of entry."

Smith, who doesn't own a computer, called the letter "discouraging" and a form of age discrimination.

"When I see corporate America and how they can't take a paper

submission, I think it's ridiculous," Smith said Friday from his home in Sturbridge, Mass. "They don't realize where they came from."

Smith decided to send in his "Best Bowl" recipe in late February after seeing an advertisement for the contest and its prize: $250,000.

On a piece of paper, he jotted down four ingredients in legible handwriting and including the bowl's name, "Hawaiian Special."

"I have been using your product since 1946," he wrote. "I am 80 years old."

A PepsiCo spokeswoman Jody Menaker told FoxNews.com the company had apologized to Smith for the tone of the letter he received in response to his entry.

"For this specific contest, entries could only be accepted online," she said. "The intent behind that was not meant to make the promotion seem inaccessible, but rather to ensure a level playing field across all submissions."

Menaker added that PepsiCo greatly appreciated Smiths enthusiasm and support of the contest, as well as his love for Quaker.

Smith knew that winning the money was a longshot but said he never expected to receive a rejection letter for his failure to submit his recipe electronically.

"I realize times have changed but Im sure the man on the Quaker Oats box doesnt recognize a computer either," he quipped.

"I think its age discrimination but I would never force the issue," he said. "When you reach a certain age, you have to let things go."

When FoxNews.com asked Smith for the photo seen above, he readily agreed to submit it -- by "snail" mail. That's when his granddaughter, Jacklyn, with her newfangled computer, stepped in to help her grandpa.
The U.S. Coast Guard continued its search Saturday for a missing Texas mother who fell overboard Friday morning while on a cruise to Mexico.

Samantha Broberg, 33, was identified as the woman who was missing from the Carnival cruise ship about 200 miles off Galveston, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The Carnival Liberty told the Coast Guard that it had a video of a woman falling overboard at about 2 a.m. Friday and after a passenger check it was determined that Broberg was the woman missing.

Coast Guard officials told WFAA-TV that teams have been searching a 30 by 50 nautical-mile area nonstop since Friday evening. Officials said she wasnt wearing a life jacket when she fell from the ship.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Broberg is a stay-at-home mother of four from Arlington. The lone glimmer of hope the Coast Guard offered Saturday was that the water was warm at this time of year so it would take a little while before hypothermia sets in.

Rescuers are using HC-144 Ocean Sentrys, twin-engine aircraft from Mobile, Ala. and Corpus Christi, TX to aid the search.

The Broberg family said in a statement that they wish for privacy at this time and they hope for the best.

We are shocked and deeply saddened by the incident that occurred on the Carnival cruise ship, the statement said. We hope and pray the U.S. Coast Guard is able to bring Samantha home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from WFAA-TV.
A woman bitten on the arm by a shark during a swim in Florida on Sunday showed up to the hospital with some company  the shark still attached to her arm.

The unidentified 23-year-old woman was in stable condition at Boca Regional Hospital, Fire-Rescue Spokesman Bob Lemons told The Palm Beach Post.

A bystander on the beach killed the 2-foot nurse shark, but when she was admitted, the 23-year-old woman still had the toothy fish lodged in her arm.

The Boca Raton Regional Hospital operator told the Associated Press that the woman had been treated and was in the process of being released Sunday afternoon.

Nurse sharks are rarely unprovoked threats to humans, according to the National Parks Service. The fish have razor-sharp teeth and will often latch on to humans they bite for several minutes before letting go. Because of the size of their teeth, however, nurse sharks do not generally penetrate deeply into an individuals flesh.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Illinois woman who survived a suicide attempt after killing her 28-year-old adopted disabled daughter pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Wednesday and could be sentenced next week to more than a decade behind bars.

Prosecutors have recommended Bonnie Liltz, 57, be given four years of probation and mental health treatment; however, Judge Joel Greenblatt has the authority to send her to prison for 14 years, The Chicago Tribune reported. Liltz had originally been charged with first-degree murder, which carried a minimum of 20 years behind bars, The Chicago Sun Times reported.

Liltz had been the primary caretaker for her daughter, Courtney, who had cerebral palsy and was adopted by Liltz when she was 5 years old. Because of her condition, Courtney could not feed herself or talk and her mobility was strictly limited.

But Courtney, with the mental capacity of a toddler, was still able to show some feelings and perform some functions. When a family friend came over to visit Liltz and Courtney before she died, Courtney was sitting on a blanket playing with toys and watching television, The Tribune reported. When the family friend told Courtney that she was pretty, the girl squealed, got up and took a few steps.

Liltz twice suffered from ovarian cancer, and the second time, in 2012, the disease forced her to put Courtney in an assisted-living facility. Unhappy with the way Courtney was cared for at the facility, Liltz decided no one else would be able to care for Courtney if something were to happen to Liltz, who had also developed severe intestinal issues, The Tribune Reported.

I felt the only place she would be safe would be in heaven with me, Liltz said Wednesday in court. I have a pain inside that is beyond words. I pray every day that someday we will be together again.

When Liltz awoke early on May 27 with serious abdominal pain, she believed her intestines were failing, and thought she was about to die.

I thoughtI was dying. I prayed to God, Whats going to happen to Courtney? I was scared and overwhelmed, Liltz said. I couldnt bear the thought of her in an institution for the rest of her life.

So, authorities said, Liltz wrote a suicide note and mixed together the powders of varying medications. She placed some in Courtneys feeding tube and drank the rest herself, washed down with a glass of wine, The Tribune reported.

Liltz and Courtney were found unconscious in their beds the next day, but Liltz survived the overdose. Courtney did not.

Liltz said Wednesday that she wished she could turn back the clock andcare for her again.

I never felt she was a burden, Liltz said. Every day was a privilege.
China's defense ministry criticized a U.S. report assessing its island-building efforts in the South China Sea, saying it "hyped up" China's so-called military threat.

The U.S. Defense Department's annual report on China's military activities had "wilfully distorted China's national defense policy," said ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, adding that the U.S. was too suspicious.

China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the Pentagon report, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," he said. "China's deepening military reforms and its strengthening of weapons and equipment building are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."

The report to the U.S. Congress on Friday said that China was focused on developing and weaponizing the islands it has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

It accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities that are causing tensions with other countries in the region.

Yang said it was the United States that had been "frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the South China Sea to make a show of force."
Venezuela is descending into a deepening crisis that could end in violence, including the possibility of a coup against that countrys embattled leftist government, senior U.S. intelligence officials said Friday.

There is a potential for real violence, one of two officials said in a briefing with a small group of reporters. Its hard for me to see how this ends easily.

The officials, who have extensive experience in the region, said that they and others in the intelligence community increasingly believe that President Nicolas Maduro could be removed from office, either in a palace coup led by associates close to him or in a military uprising. They said that the possibility of an overthrow or street violence is of concern to American officials, who want to avoid anarchy in an oil-rich country just a three-hour flight from Miami.

The goal is to mitigate the crisis that theyre experiencing, said the official. Its in the United States interest that Venezuela not bottom out.

He said, however, that Washingtons options are limited because of Mr. Maduros antipathy toward the U.S., which he frequently blames for orchestrating an economic war designed to destabilize his government.

The more the United States intervenes, he said, the more were the problem.

Venezuelas information ministry and Mr. Maduros office didnt respond to requests seeking comment. But the president on Friday said that he was declaring what he called a state of exception and economic emergency to deal with both the economic crisis and threats against his rule.

Mr. Maduro didnt detail what the decrees reach would be, but he said the decree gives him the power to repair the economy and neutralize and defeat the external foreign aggression that has been initiated against our country. He didn't provide evidence of threats Venezuela faces nor did he elaborate on the measures he might take with his new powers.

U.S. officials have been closely following the growing degradation in Venezuela, characterized by acute shortages of basic foods and medicines, which doctors say has caused deaths that could have been easily prevented. Rolling blackouts and electricity rationing keep much of the country in the dark for hours on end. With foreign reserves running low, imports have fallen hard.

Venezuelan government officials are concerned the discontent could lead unnamed people to move against Mr. Maduro, who has ruled for three years, the intelligence officials said.

Were seeing the government concerned about an overthrow, the second intelligence official said. Theyre paranoid about the question of a coup.

Mr. Maduro also faces the possibility of a recall referendum, which the opposition has pledged to stage, as permitted in the constitution.

The intelligence officials, though, say the president is trying to delay the validation of signatures to trigger a referendum until next year. A recall then would only remove Mr. Maduro, with the rest of his term to be finished by his vice president. If the vote takes place this year, not only would Mr. Maduro be out of a job, but new elections would be called, a far better scenario for the opposition.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
The teacher crisis is real, and were not going to work our way out of it simply by making it easier to hire teachers.
Miami Driveway Sealing Paving & Asphalt Contracting Services Site Launched

Driveway and carpark surfacing specialists, Miami Driveways, servicing the greater area of Miami, and south Florida, has launched a site outlining its entire service offer, a new gallery portfolio, tips, advice, strategies and more, for sealcoating and asphalting.

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Miami Driveways, specialists in sealcoating and asphalting driveway and carpark surfaces, has launched a site outlining its entire service offer, a new gallery portfolio, tips, advice, strategies and more, servicing the greater area of Miami, and south Florida.

For more details, visit the website: http://www.miamidriveways.com.

Miami Driveways is a growing number of local paving & driveway specialists, undertaking a host of various surfacing needs for its clients. Services rendered include: asphalt paving, sealcoating, pothole repair, crack filling, excavation, overlay and even line striping and traffic marking, and more. Its website features a new image gallery from jobs undertaken in 2016, showcasing its portfolio.

A word of advice from Miami Driveways, regardless of which contractor is hired, is in choosing a reputable company to do the job. The website cautions against scams, setups and paying too much for unreliable services and ultimately bad workmanship. It says ideally it's best to use local contractors, with a strong reputation and word of mouth referrals from friends and relatives. Miami Driveways also encourages clients to ask lots of questions, as reputable contractors have the knowledge and experience making them willing and able to answer.

Miami Driveways outlines the necessary steps for asphalting in detail on its website, including: prepping, which involves removing all vegetation and the old driveway if applicable; letting a two to eight inch gravel base settle prior to asphalt application; and letting the asphalt completely dry before using it. It say that it really is best to engage the help of a professional contractor, because preparing and setting the asphalt requires a certain level of heat.

It says, it's local Miami and South Florida contractors are also adept at filling and sealing cracks, patching and overlaying, which can save clients money in instances where it's not necessary to install new asphalt or pavement. Or they can advise on asphalt alternatives, including stones for pathways and carparks for a natural looking finish, and so on.

Services rendered by Miami Driveways are offered to clients anywhere in the South Florida, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. There is an online quote request form or a number to call for project estimates. Over 70 percent of materials collected on jobs is recycled.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.miamidriveways.com

Contact Info:

Name: John Smith

Organization: Miami Driveways



Release ID: 115115

For more information visit r



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Sydney's Detail Smoother Skin Clinic Publishes Cellulite Treatment Guide

Detail Smoother Skin has released a new how-to guide on cellulite treatment. Sydney women and other interested parties can find the guide online at http://www.smootherskin.com.au/cellulite-treatment-sydney/.

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This most recent free guide from Detail Smoother Skin contains well-researched and detailed scientific information designed for women who want to get rid of their cellulite. The guide has been released for free to help Sydney women achieve a higher greater understanding about the process involved with cellulite treatment.

Detail Smoother Skin, a leading Sydney skin clinic, has published this new how-to guide after receiving many questions via their Facebook page, email and phone calls. The company's management team recognised the need to provide better education for their customers. Rather than addressing each concern individually, the decision was made to invest time and money to create this guide for any woman facing the challenge of trying to eradicate unwanted cellulite without pain or downtime.

The Full How-To Guide Goes Over The Following Points and more:

Overview of Cellulite & Fat - How to identify one from the other, to avoid applying the wrong treatment to affected areas of the body

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What to Expect Before, During & After Cellulite Treatment - How to prepare physically and mentally for each phase of the treatment, to avoid surprises or disappointment

Andrew Chim, CEO at Detail Smoother Skin spoke at length about the guide, excited to share the details, the reasons behind creating the guide on cellulite treatment and what Detail Smoother Skin hopes to accomplish with it: "I hope this guide will give women a better understanding about what cellulite is, because there are many myths about it online. Some of that misinformation can be dangerous. With this free cellulite reduction guide, consumers will be better educated and able to make an informed decision as to which cellulite treatment is best for them."

The new guide has received strong interest already, with the majority of feedback being positive according to Andrew: "It's always encouraging when you spend time and resources creating something to help people, and you get great feedback like we have here."

Detail Smoother Skin plan to release several more free guides by the end of the year to further educate their customers and Sydney consumers. Their initial guide on Tattoo Removal has triggered significant online discussion, one reason behind Andrew's decision to create more guides.

Sydney women and anybody interested in learning more about modern alternatives for cellulite treatment are able to request a copy of the how-to guide online directly from the treatment page of the website: http://www.smootherskin.com.au/cellulite-treatment-sydney/

More information about Detail Smoother Skin, its services, pricing and people can be found at the company's website - http://www.smootherskin.com.au

For more information about us, please visit http://www.smootherskin.com.au

Contact Info:

Name: Andrew Chim

Organization: Detail Smoother Skin

Address: 8 Spring St, Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 92315999

Release ID: 114947

For more information visit r



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Summer was once known as a dry season for video game releases  a time to get through before the fall flood of games. Nowadays things are different, with a wider market of games releasing all year long thanks to a booming indie scene and a constant drip of triple-A titles.

For some, summer is a time to get outdoors; for most gamers, it's a time to unwind and tackle new virtual adventures. Whether you have time off or just need new games to immerse yourself in, we looked at the summer release schedule and noted some games that you might want to put on your radar (or plan your life around).

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Expansion

Release: May 31

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

CD Projekt Red already proved it could create compelling Witcher 3 DLC with Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine promises to be even grander. Blood and Wine takes you to a new region, Toussaint, which already looks breathtaking from photos. The region may be untouched by war, but a vicious beast is terrorizing it, and Geralt is hellbent on getting to the bottom of it. Did we mention that the adventure should take over 30 hours to complete? We're more than glad to step into Geralt's shoes once again, even if we know some bleak experiences and tough choices are coming with it.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Release: June 7

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Fans have been waiting a long time for a new Mirror's Edge; they weren't even sure if it would ever happen. That's why it's so exciting that this summer we'll finally get to run alongside Faith once again in this origin story. EA has taken her to new heights, making this adventure open world with multiplayer components. While we're still unsure if Catalyst can capture the excitement of its predecessor, we're eager to find out. Freerunning across a vast city, fighting against corruption as an awesome character like Faith just seems like a good way to spend summer.

No Man's Sky

Release: June 21

Platforms: PS4, PC

No Man's Sky captured our interest so much that it was one of our cover stories. Hello Games' sci-fi title has you exploring a vast, procedurally generated universe, discovering new planets, collecting resources, and getting up close and personal with unique wildlife. No Man's Sky has had a lot of hype surrounding it for good reason  the atmosphere is fantastic for an exploration game. Now it's time to see if it will finally deliver. We have a feeling we'll be discussing our discoveries and experiences with friends for a good part of the warmer months.

Mighty No. 9

Release: June 21

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS, Vita, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux

After patiently waiting through several delays, it looks like we'll finally be able to play Keiji Inafune's spiritual successor to Mega Man this summer. For years, fans have been pleading for more Mega Man games from its mastermind, and for good reason  they're some of the best platforming experiences of yesteryear. This is as close as it gets. You control robot Beck and shoot projectiles at enemies while you platform through the world's obstacles. While Mighty Number 9's delays haven't been easy to endure, we're hoping it's all for the best and that we're given something that reminds of us why we fell in love with 2D platformers in the first place.

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Release: June 28

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS, Vita, PS3, Xbox 360, PC

The Lego games are always a blast, but adding Star Wars: The Force Awakens to the product just makes things infinitely better. Even more impressive is that TT Games isn't just doing a retelling of the movie, it's also adding new material that will be canon to the movies, covering the mysterious period between Return from the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Mostly, we're just excited to control the Lego version of Rey and relive some of her best moments. The new content is just a great bonus.

Turn to the next page for more picks, including an escape-room adventure and an expansion set in underground New York.

Zero Escape 3: Zero Time Dilemma

Release: June 28

Platforms: 3DS, Vita

The Zero Escape series has a reputation for a good reason  it tests your mind in more ways than one. Whether you're solving a tough puzzle or deciding who to trust, these games keep your mind spinning. Zero Time Dilemma is set to be the final installment of the trilogy and promises to tie up some of the loose ends, while also providing a new and exciting escape-the-room adventure. Bring on the psychological terror of having other people's lives in your hands while you attempt to outsmart the mysterious man named Zero holding you captive and forcing you to play his deadly game because he hates humanity. Sounds like he has some issues to work out.

The Division: Underground Expansion

Release: June (Xbox One), July (PlayStation 4, PC)

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The Division managed to captivate a slew of dedicated players when it first released, but didn't have much end-game content. Hopefully, this expansion will give players a reason to boot up the game again. The last update, Incursion, fixed a bit, but we're hoping Underground has more meat. Underground opens up a new area for players in the underworld of New York. A new place to explore with more loot? Sounds like what we've been waiting for!

Monster Hunter Generations

Release: July 15

Platforms: 3DS

Monster Hunter Generations seeks to expand upon the more accessible approach taken by Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. This time out, Capcom is giving players more choice with four different styles, including those focused on aerial, acrobatic fighting and counter-attacks. Players also have access to a number of weapon-specific finishing moves called "arts," giving them an edge in combat against a growing menagerie of beasts.

I Am Setsuna

Release: July 19

Platforms: PS4, PC

The summer has some good choices for JRPGs with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, but I Am Setsuna looks to be the most interesting and is the most promising. The game is a throwback to the RPGs of '90s and has already drawn comparisons to Chrono Trigger and earlier Final Fantasy games due to using a similar active-time battle system to those games. Even just a look at Setsuna evokes a nostalgic feeling for the era when JRPGs were at the top of their game, and that's exactly what Tokyo RPG Factory aimed to create. This is the first game from the new studio Square Enix created that's devoted to RPGs, and we can't wait to see what I Am Setsuna has in store for those of us who have been waiting a game in this vein.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Release: August 23

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Some time has passed since we've seen Adam Jensen. Mankind Divided takes place two years after Human Revolution's events, and the world is now in a more chaotic place. Those who have augmentations and those who don't are at odds. After what happened in Human Revolution, where we saw augments get out of control, people are paranoid about them getting abused again. Eidos Montreal has promised plenty of improvements, from the boss fights to production levels for Mankind Divided. Will you play Jensen stealthy or lethal to get things accomplished? All we know is he's bound to face some philosophical conundrums about human nature and the future along the way.

Darkest Dungeon

Release: Summer

Platforms: PS4, Vita

Though Darkest Dungeon is taking a bit longer to come to PlayStation systems, we know that console gamers have much to anticipate. Your family has unleashed an unspeakable evil on the kingdom, and it is up to you to muster a band of adventurers to combat it. Along the way, you'll face physical injury and emotional scarring as you seek to heal the wounds your kin have inflicted. We quite enjoyed the PC version, and developer Red Hook has only improved on it since release.

This article has been edited from its original version to correctly identify the captor in the Zero Time Dilemma entry.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was among the right people enshrined on the memorial wall on Saturday, Oct. 21.
A bumper crop of budding entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the states emerging recreational marijuana industry are jockeying for position in Benton County, but a good deal of uncertainty remains about whos in, whos out, what they plan to do and where they plan to do it.

Case in point: The former grass seed warehouse at 27630 Llewellyn Road.

Owned by Seed Research of Oregon, the facility has been vacant for some time and is currently listed for sale or lease. Located a few miles south of Corvallis on Highway 99W, the complex is surrounded by grass seed fields.

It includes more than 40,000 square feet of warehouse space in four buildings with two loading docks and an associated suite of offices. The structures are painted a discreet shade of beige and landscaped like a light-industrial park.

In the last five months, three separate business entities have filed land use compatibility statements  known as LUCS forms for short  on the property with Benton County. An approved LUCS form indicates that the property meets local zoning requirements for the proposed use and is a necessary step toward obtaining a recreational marijuana license from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the state agency charged with regulating the commercial cannabis trade.

The first, filed in December by Helio Estates Inc. of Portland, proposed using a 14,000-square-foot warehouse in the complex for processing, warehousing and wholesale distribution of marijuana.

The second was filed in March by Aryeh Goodblatt, also of Portland. That proposal called for setting up marijuana production and processing operations in all four warehouse buildings.

A third LUCS form, filed May 10 by FirstEmerald LLC of Kirkland, Washington, stated that the applicant intended to start an indoor production operation but did not specify how much space it would occupy.

A check with the applicants showed that the first two have withdrawn their interest in the location.

Those particular plans are not going forward, said attorney Bear Wilner-Nugent, the registered agent for Helio Estates. The company is pursuing other opportunities elsewhere.

However, he added, he has other clients looking at business opportunities in the recreational pot business in rural Benton County who may be filing their own LUCS forms soon.

Aryeh Goodblatt, a real estate broker with a Portland-area firm called Oregon First, said his clients decided to look for space elsewhere because of some uncertainty about the water supply at the Llewellyn Road location. With so many people scrambling for space to launch commercial cannabis businesses in Oregon, he said, theres no time to wait around.

Thomas Wu, a principal in FirstEmerald, acknowledged he was moving ahead with his plans for the site but declined to offer any specifics about what he wants to do there, saying he was worried about a backlash in his current job.

While Im still waiting for the license to go through, I cant really disclose much about what Im doing, he said.

That combination of uncertainty about the future and unwillingness to go public appears to be par for the course for the commercial side of Oregons pot business, which is just now getting off the ground a year and a half after voters passed a ballot measure making recreational weed legal in the state.

As of last week, the OLCC had received 948 applications from people who want to grow, process, distribute, sell, research or test marijuana for the recreational market, and the agency predicts that number could double by the end of the year.

OLCC officials say they expect to issue about 850 recreational marijuana licenses in 2016. So far, however, only eight have been granted, none to mid-valley operators.

That could be about to change. OLCC records show the agency has received 19 license applications from people who want to set up shop in Benton County, a number that seems destined to climb as local officials say theyve seen a steady stream of requests for information.

Weve received many dozens of inquiries, said Chris Bentley, a senior planner with the Benton County Community Development Department.

Theres definite interest, agreed Jared Voice, a senior planner with the city of Corvallis.

(By contrast, only one license application has been filed with the OLCC from Linn County, where growing, processing, wholesaling and retailing of recreational pot have been prohibited by the county commissioners and local bans have been enacted by multiple municipalities, including Albany, Lebanon and Sweet Home. Voters will have a chance to weigh in on those restrictions in the November general election.)

Most of the LUCS forms filed with Corvallis and Benton County officials are for indoor or outdoor growing operations, primarily in rural parts of the county. Indoor grows are limited to 10,000 square feet under state law, while outdoor plantations can be up to 40,000 square feet, roughly an acre.

Several forms were filed by Corvallis dispensaries aiming to obtain OLCC licenses to continue retail sales of recreational cannabis after the expiration of their temporary authorization from the Oregon Health Authority, which governs medical marijuana.

Three LUCS forms have been filed by people hoping to obtain processing licenses to produce marijuana extracts, including one who plans to produce cannabis-infused confections and skin creams.

While most of the forms were filed by homegrown entrepreneurs, there are also some out-of-towners in the mix. Two are from Portland, with one each from Eugene, Springfield, Salem, Lebanon and Dallas, Oregon, plus one from Kirkland, Washington. In some cases its impossible to tell exactly where the applicant is from, either because theyre hiding behind the anonymity of an opaque corporate structure or because a government official redacted their city of residence from the form provided to the newspaper.

Based on a series of listening sessions held by Benton County officials earlier this year, opposition to commercial pot production has been fairly muted among local residents.

We did hear from some citizens who were concerned with negative effects, but I will say those people were not in the majority, Bentley noted.

Nonetheless, theres an undeniable stigma connected with marijuana among some parts of the population, a hangover from nearly a century of government prohibition.

Even though commercial production, processing and sales of recreational marijuana is now legal in Oregon, its still largely uncharted territory, and concern over potential fallout is keeping many of those who hope to profit from this emerging industry reluctant to talk about it in public.

We kind of look at it as a gold rush or an oil boom  we see it as an opportunity take advantage of changing times, said one woman who hopes to start a modest-sized growing operation in the Kings Valley area with her boyfriend.

But neither she nor her partner were willing to give their name to the newspaper  at least, not before knowing their license application has been approved by the state.

We dont want to have any negative consequences, he said.

We deal in a pretty conservative industry currently  if were not going to benefit from it, we dont want any cost from it, either.
Peaceful demonstrations in Bad Godesberg : 400 people gather to mourn Niklas

Bad Godesberg In a show of sympathy for Niklas P. and his family, hundreds of people came to express their sorrow and stand against racial and ethnic hatred.

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Following the deadly attack on 17-year-old Niklas P., demonstrations were held Saturday afternoon in Bad Godesberg. Police said the gatherings were peaceful and no incidents were reported. Melanie Dittmer, a leader on the right extremist scene had called for a demonstration at 2 p.m. About 50 from her group met at the back side of the Bad Godesberg train station. They held up signs with what seemed like a harmless motto, Stoppt die Gewalt (Stop the violence) but the message was meant to incite fear and hatred of foreigners.

While the right extremist group held racist speeches, participants of the opposing demonstration sang We shall overcome. About 400 people of their group Bonn stellt sich quer came and outnumbered the right wingers by a large margin. The group Bonn stell sich quer literally translates into Bonn has tolerance; it believes in an inclusive society and refuses to tolerate any displays of xenophobia. The group gathered near the Sparkasse KolnBonn (bank) on Rheinallee. It included members of political parties, unions and churches. Martin Behrsing, a spokesperson for the group said the many people who came mainly wanted to show their sympathy for Niklas. Adagio for strings from Samuel Barber was played, expressing in music the thoughts of those gathered to remember Niklas.

Bonns Mayor Ashok Sridharan said the group Bonn stellt sich quer wanted to honor Niklas at the place where his life was taken, and not let his death be exploited by the right extremists. It is abhorrent that the right extremists try to use this as a pretext for their xenophobia. Let us join together in mourning so this place is not further degraded. He noted that the best friend of Niklas was Muslim, and one of those friends who tried to come to his aid when he was attacked, was also Muslim. The Mayor said, We will confer at the highest levels in the next weeks to see what consequences come as a result of this incident. Work has to be done in the city, especially through the schools to reach the young people and try to prevent an act like this from ever happening again. We cannot allow this to be handed over to the right extremists.

Because Melanie Dittmer, former member of right extremist political parties NPD and ProNRW had been recently charged in a Dusseldorf court, she was not allowed to speak in Bonn. She had received an 8-month suspended sentence for inciting racial and ethnic hatred amongst the population. In her place, the Nurnberg right extremist Ester Seitz spoke.

Bus service at Rheinallee was stopped at 1 p.m. and the intersection was blocked off. Closures at Rheinallee, Rungsdorfer Strae and Friedrichallee were all lifted at around 5 p.m. and traffic resumed.

Once again, the attackers are described as follows:

Person 1:

-17-20 years-old

-1.8 - 1.85 meters tall

-brown skin

-stocky build

-black hair, shorter on the sides and longer on top

-black jacket

-jeans

-spoke German without an accent

Person 2:

-17-20 years-old

-dark black hair

-1.8 - 1.85 meters tall

-brown skin

-thin

-white jogging pants

-white pullover (Adidas or Nike)

-spoke German without an accent

Person 3:

-older than 18 years

-long hair, black and curly, shaved on the sides

-thin

-full beard

-black leather jacket

-jeans

-shorter than the others

Investigators are asking for help from the public. Who saw the attack? Who might have seen the attackers either before or after the beating took place? Who has information about the identity of the attackers? Police ask to call them at (0228) 1 50.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
IS Says It Executed Woman Who Spied for Russia

by Fatima Tlisova May 13, 2016

The Islamic State (IS) group has announced it executed a native of the North Caucasus, whom it accused of spying for the Russian intelligence services.

What makes the case unusual is that the alleged spy was a woman.

The execution was covered in the latest issue of Istok (The Source), the terrorist organization's Russian-language propaganda magazine. It reported that Elvira Karayeva, also known Sumaya among extermist Islamists, was convicted of spying for Russia's special services and was executed in Syria.

According to Russian media reports, Karayeva, 28, was born in Karachaevo-Cherkessia, a republic in Russia's North Caucasus, and was an ethnic Karachay, a Turkic-speaking group.

In 2013, Karayeva, along with her teenage daughter, went to Syria to join the militants. Before leaving Russia, she was reportedly married four times to members of the Islamist armed underground in the Caucasus. All of her husbands were either killed by Russian security services or died under unclear circumstances.

All accusations denied

The Istok article claims Karayeva was under surveillance by "the security services of the Caliphate" from the moment she arrived in Syria because she was already suspected of having links with Russia's special services.

The IS magazine says she was repeatedly questioned but categorically denied all accusations. However, after IS in Syria received an audio recording from their counterparts Ingushetia, another North Caucasus republic, proving she was working for the Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB), Karayeva admitted "all crimes," Istok writes. She was shot in the head by one of the IS "mujahideen," after which her body was "thrown in a garbage dump," the article states.

IS claims Karayeva betrayed a large number of Islamist militants in the North Caucasus to the FSB, and the group says it was able to obtain evidence of seven such cases. The Istok article includes several photos of jihadists it says were "victims" of Karayeva's "treachery." The magazine claims she personally poisoned her last husband, an Islamist who had sworn allegiance to IS.

The Russian special services have not responded to the reports that Karayeva was executed.

While the case of Elvira Karayeva marks the only time the Islamic State's Russian-speaking wing has announced it executed a woman, IS routinely puts women to death.

Another execution

Nor does Karayeva's case represent the first time that IS has executed an alleged Russian spy: Four months ago, the group posted a video online of the execution of a young man from Chechnya, also in Russia's North Caucasus, whom it accused of being an FSB spy.

The video was uploaded to the Internet on December 3, 2015  two days after Chechnya's pro-Kremlin ruler, Ramzan Kadyrov, said in an interview with Russian state media that he had placed agents inside IS in both Syria and Iraq.

In the IS execution video, Magomed Khasiyev, 23, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, admits spying for the Russian intelligence services, after which a Russian-speaking IS militant cuts his throat on camera.

IS did not publish a photo or video of Karayeva's execution, either in Istok magazine or other Internet resources.

Islamic State distributes Istok through its channels on various social networks. The Russian-language propaganda magazine is aimed at audiences in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

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Dunford, Chinese Military Leader Speak via Video Teleconference

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2016  At the request of the Chinese army, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke yesterday via video teleconference with Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the Chinese joint staff department.

"The video connection was lauded by both as a valuable channel of communication and means to exchange views, manage both cooperative and contentious issues, and avoid miscalculation," Joint Staff spokesman Navy Capt. Greg Hicks said in a statement today announcing the call.

This was the first interaction between the two leaders since Dunford became chairman in October, Hicks said.

Dunford acknowledged the areas of cooperation in the bilateral relationship, as well as the stability in the military-to-military relationship, Hicks said. "He delivered key messages regarding U.S. commitment to uphold the rules-based international order, defend U.S. allies and interests in the South China Sea, while affirming a desire to avoid confrontation," he added.

Cooperation in Ensuring Peace

Both sides expressed the importance and urgency of cooperation in ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and commitment to denuclearization, Hicks said.

"Additionally," he said, "General Dunford expressed appreciation for recent progress in military-to-military exchanges and conveyed that although differences exist between the U.S. and China, keeping open lines of communication was essential to managing those differences."

Dunford proposed an effort to bolster risk reduction mechanisms within the military-to-military relationship to better manage these difficult issues, the Joint Staff spokesman said.

"General Dunford and General Fang both expressed a wish to use the video teleconference connection more frequently to address key issues," he added, "and General Dunford affirmed that if called, 'someone will answer and listen.'"

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter; General Lori Robinson, commander, North American Aerospace Defense and commander, U.S. Northern Command; Harjit Sajjan, Canadian Minister of Defence May 13, 2016

Remarks by Secretary Carter, General Robinson and Defence Minister Sajjan in a Press Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: -- Good morning everyone. It's a pleasure to be here this morning with Minister Sajjan, Chairman Dunford, General Vance, and of course, General Lori Robinson, our newest combat commander here in NORTHCOM.

I recommended her to the president for this post because she is the most qualified officer for this important assignment. I have complete confidence in her. I've known her and worked with her for quite some time. She has many responsibilities in this important role.

One of them I highlighted this morning and about which we were just conferring was the role that NORAD plays -- I think NORTHCOM and NORAD play in defense of the homeland. We are accelerating the defeat of ISIL overseas. That is necessary. We're getting results there and we expect more. That's necessary, but it's not sufficient.

We also need to defend our people here in the homeland and also our forces, which we know are sometimes particularly targeted by violent extremists. And so that's one of the things that we've been discussing here, the leadership and one of the early priorities that General Robinson will have, among her many other priorities.

But she's a superb officer, and I'm confident is going to do an excellent job also. I welcome her to this role. I very much appreciate the collegiality and strong role that our Canadian partners play here in North America. These are not only colleagues, but friends of mine, very respected friends of mine. I'm glad to have them here with me.

And let me turn things over to my good friend, Minister Sajjan, hear him to make some remarks, and then we'll take some questions from you.

DEFENCE MINISTER HARJIT SAJJAN: Thank you, Secretary Carter.

It's great to be able to be here today. As you know, that the safety of our citizens is always our number one priority, and NORAD plays a significant role in this capacity, and the unique binational relationship that our two countries have is extremely important.

So it's a privilege for me to be here today alongside General Vance as part of this change of command, to say farewell and commend Admiral Gortney for his tremendous work, and also to welcome General Robinson to this command.

I know that when I saw the resume, when Secretary Carter showed me General Robinson, and General Vance had spoken very highly of her, and the prime minister directly was extremely impressed. And as we were saying, "have you seen her resume?" So it's extremely impressive. But it goes to show our great relationship that we do have as nations. We're not just here, but also abroad on the counter-ISIL fight in Iraq and the transnational fight that we're going to be a part of as well.

Thank you.

SEC. CARTER: Okay. Peter?

STAFF: We have time for a few questions here. We'll start with Dan Lamothe..

Q: Yes, good afternoon. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post.

Mr. Secretary, you outlined a couple of measures that are being taken to better protect American troops at home. I'd be interested in your thoughts on whether you think that's sufficient, and whether or not American troops on American bases should have the option to carry their own firearms.

SEC. CARTER: Well, we're constantly assessing the force protection posture here, so we are making adjustments all the time. And local commanders have considerable latitude, which is appropriate, given the enormous number of installations we're talking about, not just bases themselves, but the thousands of off-base DOD installations that we operate.

So in all of those cases, we're assessing them; any possibility of threatening behavior with respect to them. We do that constantly. We're constantly making changes and adjustments. And individual base commanders have substantial ability to make those adjustments.

With respect to armed protection, there are provisions for that. There have been, and we've made some substantial steps to clarify that -- them so that members who are appropriately trained and authorized by the commander of an installation can be armed and are armed right now.

But again, there is substantial commander's discretion in that regard, as is appropriate given the number and variety of installations.

But overall, our posture is one where we strengthen considerably after Chattanooga constantly adjusting it -- continue to constantly adjust it. And one of the things that General Robinson, General Dunford and I were just speaking about was DOD's roles in counter-ISIL protection of the Homeland. Obviously law enforcement and Homeland Security intelligence are the lead agents there but we strongly support them. Obviously, most importantly, by destroying ISIL overseas -- that's necessary but it's not sufficient if we need to protect here at the homeland as well. That's an early priority for General Robinson who's (biz?) for all of us.

STAFF: Before we take the next question, please stick the microphone up. Tom, you have a question?

Q: Absolutely, and this is for General Robinson. I got to know Taryn with the Air Force Academy. And told me how long you been up. Was she on your mind today?

GENERAL LORI ROBINSON: Yes.

Q: And what would that conversation be today (inaudible)?

GEN. ROBINSON: So, actually I would -- I would tell you that I knew she was peeking over the clouds, and I knew that she was saying, "You go, Mom." And I know that if she was here today, it would have been awesome, but she was here in spirit. And so I said hello to her this morning, and said thanks for the strength.

And so she was here. She was here with us.

STAFF: Next question, Patrick Tucker.

Q: Thank you. Patrick Tucker from Defense One. This is both -- for both General Robinson and the secretary.

STAFF: Can you speak up Patrick --

Q: Sorry about that. Patrick Tucker Defense One. The U.S. has spent more than $108 billion on missile defense. And yet the other day Russia's strategic missile force commander Sergey Karakayev was talking about new ICBMs, terribly capable ICBMs and terribly lethal ICBMs that could penetrate U.S. missile defenses.

In your opinion, is the threat from Russian ICBM's overstated and what can be done to overcome that threat in the time you have left?

SEC. CARTER: Well, I'll say something, and then ask General Robinson to chime in.

Our missile defenses we have designed for Iran and North Korea. They are not designed for, nor are they capable of defending the United States from the very large Russian nuclear force. The United States hasn't had the capability to do that for attacks ordered by Moscow, either Russia or the former Soviet Union, for many decades. Our protection against attack with -- nuclear attack from any nation is deterrence and the threat of retaliation. There we are modernizing and keeping a safe-secured, reliable deterrent.

That's necessary. One of the reasons for that is the Russ -- is Russia's buildup. But our missile defenses are not designed for, and in fact are not capable of defending the United States against a Russian missile attack.

Lori?

GEN. ROBINSON: Yes, sir.

So, I would also add that in my last job, I was paying a lot of attention to North Korea. So this job is an extension of that. And I will begin my deep study and understanding, and pay close attention to Iran to ensure that the homeland is safe.

STAFF: Another question from the local press. (Joanne ?) you have a question?

Q: I do yes. This is for General Robinson. So you have quite the extensive resume -- military background -- but how did it feel today stepping into this new role of commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command?

GEN. ROBINSON: It is humbling. It is an honor. And I can't think of a more sacred responsibility than defense of the homeland. And to be able to do that and be in this level of command is unbelievable.

And I look forward to working for Secretary Carter in this very important job.

STAFF: We've got time for one more.

Q: Dan Elliott with the Associated Press. Secretary Carter why do you think it took until now for a woman to be promoted to a combat command responsibility like we had today?

SEC. CARTER: Well, the fact that General Robinson was the first female Co Com is a good sign because there are women officers of her quality in our officer corp now from whom the president and I can select our senior-most military leader. She was selected because she was the most qualified officer for this job.

I do hope, well, I know that there are more in her wake -- more female officers in her wake -- and I hope the excellence she represents is an inspiration to women to join our armed forces because as you know I believe it's essential to preserve the high quality of a military that we now have in our all-volunteer force.

We reach in to all parts of our population, so it's essential that women who want to participate have every opportunity to do and every other part of our population because I need quality wherever it is found but General Robinson is an officer with just tremendous experience and I said she has it all and she was the clear obvious choice for me -- by far the (way?) the best choice for this job. I'm delighted to have her and working here with her.

STAFF: Thanks everybody. Appreciate it very much.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/759694/

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-175-16 May 13, 2016

Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Belgium's Expanded Role in the Counter-ISIL Air Campaign

I want to commend Prime Minister Charles Michel and Defence Minister Steven Vandeput for today's announcement that Belgian aircraft will begin conducting strikes within Syria as part of the coalition air campaign against ISIL. Belgium is an important member of the coalition, and this contribution comes at a key moment in the campaign. Belgian aircraft played a key role in the air campaign over Iraq from October 2014 to June 2015. As they return to Operation Inherent Resolve as part of a scheduled rotation with the Dutch military, Belgian F-16s now will operate with greater flexibility and coherence of effort as a result of the decision to conduct strikes in Syria as well. We continue to stand with the people of Belgium as they have responded with resolve and character to the attacks of March 22nd. Together with Belgium and all of our coalition partners, we will deliver ISIL a lasting defeat.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/759621/

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Security Council demands Boko Haram 'immediately' end all violence in Lake Chad Basin

13 May 2016  Deeply concerned at the alarming scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by the activities of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region, the United Nations Security Council demanded that the group "immediately and unequivocally cease all violence and all abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law."

Through a Presidential Statement, the Security Council also expressed deep concern that the activities of Boko Haram continue to undermine the peace and stability of the West and Central African region. The Council strongly condemned all terrorist attacks, abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law by the group in the region, including those involving killings and other violence against civilians, notably women and children, abductions, rape, sexual slavery and other sexual violence, recruitment and use of children, and destruction of property.

Concerned by reported violations and abuses of human rights and large-scale displacement of the civilian population across the Lake Chad Basin region as a result of Boko Haram's activities, the Council also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted who remain in captivity, including 219 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno state, Nigeria in April 2014 among the reported thousands of others held captive by Boko Haram.

"The Security Council recognizes that some of such acts may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes [and] stresses that those responsible for these abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable and brought to justice," the statement stressed.

As for the "alarming scale" of the region's humanitarian crisis, Council members recalled that there are now more than 2.2 million Nigerians, and over 450,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Moreover, an estimated 4.2 million people in the Lake Chad Basin region face a food security crisis, including 800,000 in Nigeria's northern Borno and Yobe states, Nigeria, where an estimated 184 children a day risk starvation without the immediate provision of emergency food assistance.

While commending the support provided to the displaced populations by the global community, in particular the people and governments of the Lake Chad Basin region, including with the assistance of humanitarian actors and relevant UN entities, the Council urged the international community to immediately support the provision of urgent relief assistance for the people most affected by the crisis in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Indeed, approximately 10 percent of the $531 million required to fulfil such assistance has been received this year, noted the Council.

Further to the Statement, the Council commends the important territorial advances by the governments of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria against Boko Haram, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) headquartered in N'Djamena, Chad. The Council urged the Member States participating in the MNJTF to further enhance regional military cooperation and coordination, particularly to consolidate military gains, deny safe haven to Boko Haram, allow humanitarian access and facilitate the restoration of the rule of law in liberated areas.

"The Security Council underscores the importance of a holistic approach to degrade and defeat Boko Haram that includes coordinated security operations, conducted in accordance with applicable international law, as well as enhanced civilian efforts to improve governance and promote economic growth in the affected areas," the Statement stressed.

Welcoming the crucial initiative of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to convene the Second Regional Security Summit on 14 May 2016 in Abuja to evaluate the regional response to the threat posed by Boko Haram, Council Members urged countries in the Lake Chad Basin to complement the regional military and security operations against the group by national and regional efforts, with the assistance of bilateral partners and multilateral organizations, to improve livelihoods, provide humanitarian assistance to displaced, facilitate stabilization efforts, reconstruction, and development and economic recovery.

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'Paramount importance' for Lebanon to elect a president  UN envoy

13 May 2016  A United Nations envoy for Lebanon reported to the Security Council today on how the current political paralysis, including the two-year presidential vacuum, is negatively impacting the country's ability to make vital decisions.

"Undoubtedly, since the resolution was passed in September 2004, a lot has been achieved," Terje Roed-Larsen said at a press stakeout following closed-door consultations with the Security Council, referring the 15-member body's resolution 1559, which declared support for free and fair elections in Lebanon and called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.

An example of such achievement included the withdrawal in 2005 of Syrian troops and military assets from Lebanon on the basis of the resolution. Mr. Roed-Larsen recalled that it was an agreement which he made on behalf of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan with Syrian President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo, highlighting that had been honoured by Syria's Government "to the letter."

The UN official, who is stepping down from his duties as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Security Council resolution 1559 after serving in this role for 12 years, noted that the agreement was followed by the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria in 2009, and also allowed the presidential and parliamentary elections to be freely and fairly conducted in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

"These landmark events demonstrate the positive and important impact that resolution 1559 has had on the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon," he underlined.

However, Mr. Roed-Larsen stressed that other provisions of the resolution are not only lagging behind, but the failure to implement them may also erode the progress achieved so far.

"At the Council today, I spoke at length about the presidential vacuum and its negative effect on the ability of Lebanon to make important decisions. The current paralysis undermines the institutions that have proven effective in running the country," he warned.

Lebanon has now been without a Head of State or military chief for two years. The envoy said it is of "paramount importance" for the country to elect a president and get the parliament to function properly. He added that it is an "internal matter" and the international community should only advise Lebanese decision makers, leaving the election of a president to the parliament.

Meanwhile, he underlined that the most outstanding provision in resolution 1559 is the disarmament and disbandment of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.

"Since 2004, not only have the militias' presence and activities continued but if anything they have expanded. Their growing capabilities are a source of concern. They represent a major and very dangerous threat to Lebanon's sovereignty, stability and political independence," he stressed.

With Mr. Roed-Larsen's departure at the end of the month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to task the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, to take on the responsibilities of reporting on resolution 1559 until the end of this year, so as to give the next Secretary-General flexibility to choose on how to report on the resolution.

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US-Nordic Summit Takes on Russian Aggression

by Mary Alice Salinas May 13, 2016

President Barack Obama said Friday that an agreement between the U.S. and five Nordic nations to increase cooperation in the face of rising Russian aggression is an effort to ensure that "smaller nations are not bullied by larger nations."

The president hosted the leaders of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland at the White House for a summit covering issues that included Islamic State terrorism, climate change and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) deal.

"We're united in our concern about Russia's growing aggressive military presence and posture in the Baltic/Nordic region," Obama told reporters after multilateral talks.

While the countries will keep pushing for dialogue and cooperation with Moscow, Obama added, "we also want to make sure that we are prepared and strong, and we want to encourage Russia to keep its military activities in full compliance with international obligations."

The nations vowed to increase cooperation between NATO and the European Union. Denmark and Norway will also contribute to what Obama called "an enhanced allied forward presence to bolster our collective defense in Europe."

The NATO alliance is expected to announce the deployment of a multinational force to Baltic states and Poland during a July NATO summit in Warsaw.

Growing tensions

Tensions have been rising since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, support for pro-separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, and ongoing violations of the Minsk agreements, which aim to de-escalate the conflict.

Since then, the NATO alliance and Russia have bolstered their military presence and activities in the region, and the rhetoric between Russia and the West has also escalated.

In March, Russia's ambassador to Denmark said the NATO country could be targeted by nuclear missiles if it joined the alliance's anti-missile shield.

In April, U.S. and European Union officials accused Russia of conducting aggressive and unsafe military maneuvers over international waters in the region. Moscow denied the claim.

Also last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Sweden not to join NATO, saying that if it did side with the alliance, Moscow would "take necessary measures." Sweden has had a long-standing policy of remaining neutral in armed conflicts.

The U.S.-Nordic summit came one day after the U.S. anti-missile defense system in Romania, aimed at protecting NATO members, became operational. The move infuriated Moscow, despite assurances from Washington that Russia is not a target.

'We stand side by side'

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Friday that "the transatlantic link" is "key to preserving European and global security."

"At times when basic rules and norms of international standards are contested, we stand side by side to defend them," Lofven said. "We will not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea or accept Russian aggression in Ukraine."

Obama hailed the Nordic countries for their global cooperation and contributions, saying they "consistently punch above their weight." But they are reluctantly being pulled into the standoff between Russia and the West, said one analyst.

"They are very uncomfortable because they all desire a more healthy and positive partnership with Russia, but over the last two years [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has changed his relationship with the West," said Jorge Benitez, director of NATOSource and senior fellow of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council.

"He [Putin] has chosen to use military force against his neighbors. He has chosen to do a lot of more aggressive intelligence, information warfare and political coercion against them. So they have had to reassess how they are going to react to Russia," Benitez said.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto called for strengthening security and stability in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe, including "appropriate dialogue with Russia to enhance transparency and reduce risks," adding that Nordic countries are security providers for the region, Europe and the world.

In a joint statement following the summit, the leaders committed to strengthening investments in defense and military capabilities, as well as in diplomacy and regional cooperation to enhance European security.

They also agreed to contribute and cooperate more on issues like migration and refugees, climate change, energy, safeguarding the Arctic, the economy, trade, development and humanitarian assistance.

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Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 14, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter, ground-attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in Syria:

-- Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL rocket rail.

-- Near Mara, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.

Officials added that an administrative error yesterday resulted in a strike being reported to have taken place near Waleed, Syria. No strikes were conducted there.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL command-and-control node.

-- Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Rutbah, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb facility and an ISIL staging facility.

-- Near Beiji, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker.

-- Near Fallujah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.

-- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL tunnel system and an ISIL road-roller.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Afghan govt. to finalize peace agreement with militant group

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 10:28AM

Afghanistan is reportedly set to finalize a peace deal with a militant group within days in a breakthrough effort to end the 15-year conflict in the country.

Ataul Rahman Saleem, the deputy head of the Afghan government's High Peace Council, said the deal with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed on Sunday after two years of talks.

A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to endorse the final version of the agreement.

The agreement would mark a much-needed success for Ghani in forging peace with militants fighting against the government in Kabul.

Attempts by the Ghani administration have so far failed to open a way for dialogue with the Taliban militant group, mainly via overtures to the Pakistani government which is widely suspected of supporting the group.

The deal commits the group to ending its war against Kabul, respecting the Afghan constitution, and ceasing all contact with other armed, anti-government militant groups.

According to the report, Hezb-i-Islami has only intermittently been active on the battlefield for some time. Its last known major attack was in 2013, when at least 15 people, including six American soldiers, were killed in Kabul.

Saleem also stated that a few points in the agreement were still to be thrashed out, adding, "It is strongly possible that we get to the final points tomorrow and finalize the peace negotiations."

Brokered under the auspices of the High Peace Council, a government body tasked with negotiating an end to almost 40 years of war, the agreement allows Hezb-i-Islami to operate as a bona fide political party and participate in elections at every level.

It also gives legal immunity for "all past political and military proceedings" by Hezb-i-Islami members and mandates the release of all prisoners within three months.

Hezbi-i-Islami in turn pledges to end the war, function as an "active political party," halt all military activity and dissolve all its military organizations, and cease all contact with other anti-government organizations.

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4 dead, 12 wounded as blast rocks southern Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 10:4AM

At least four people have lost their lives and a many others sustained injuries when a bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near a police training center in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand.

Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the attack took place in Nad Ali district of the province, located approximately 650 kilometers (403 miles) southwest of the capital, Kabul, at round 8:30 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Saturday.

Brigadier General Abdur Rahman Sarjang, provincial police chief, said two policemen were among those killed in the bombing.

However, a security official, who requested not to be named, said three policemen were killed in the act of terror.

The force of the explosion caused damage to nearby houses and buildings.

Abdul Saboor, the principle of a nearby school, said two students were injured and all windowpanes of the school were broken as result of the bomb blast.

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for Taliban militant group, later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity 15 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror.

The war removed the Taliban from power but insecurity is still rampant in the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops.

The Taliban militant group recently announced the start of its annual spring offensive against Afghan security forces and US-led foreign forces across the conflict-ridden country.

The Taliban said in a statement that the campaign had begun on April 12. The militants dubbed the offensive "Operation Omari" in honor of the Taliban founder and long-time leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who purportedly died at a hospital in Karachi, in Pakistan, in April 2013.

A massive Taliban attack killed 64 people and left 347 others wounded in the capital, Kabul, on April 19.

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UN Security Council condemns Boko Haram violence, ties with Daesh

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 4:35AM

The United Nations Security Council has condemned crimes committed by Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists, raising concerns about cooperation between the Nigeria-based group with the Daesh terrorists.

In a statement approved on Friday, the Security Council called on Boko Haram to "immediately and unequivocally cease all violence and all abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law."

Boko Haram's actions undermine "peace and stability" in West and Central Africa, the 15-member UN body said, expressing alarm at the terrorists' "linkages" with Daesh.

The Security Council also urged the immediate release of the thousands of people held captive by Boko Haram, including many schoolgirls abducted in 2014.

Boko Haram militants kidnapped a total of 276 girls from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok in the troubled Borno state in April 2014. Several dozen girls escaped afterwards, but the fate of 219 others is still unknown.

The UN Security Council statement came ahead of a Saturday summit to evaluate efforts to combat Boko Haram.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will be joined by counterparts from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and France for the summit in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja, along with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The UN Security Council also voiced support for Buhari's "crucial initiative" to hold the summit.

An estimated 20,000 people have been killed and more than two million others made homeless since the beginning of the bloody Boko Haram militancy in Nigeria in 2009.

In 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Daesh, which is primarily operating in Syria and Iraq.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," has spread its attacks from northeastern Nigeria, its traditional stronghold, to the neighboring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

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Security Council 'deeply disappointed' over failed election deadlines in Haiti

14 May 2016  The United Nations Security Council has expressed its deep disappointment that Haitian actors failed to meet the election and inauguration deadlines agreed upon in the February political accord, calling on all actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order.

In a statement, the Council welcomed, however, the reconstitution of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and noted the establishment of a commission to evaluate and verify the elections held in 2015, stressing the need for the commission to be technical, apolitical, transparent and complete its work within its 30-day mandate.

"The members of the Security Council noted the increasing number of challenges Haiti faces; they can be best resolved through close coordination between a democratically elected Government, Haitian civil society, and Haiti's international partners," the statement said.

Reiterating their strong condemnation of any attempt to destabilize or manipulate the electoral process, in particular through violence, the Council urged all candidates, their supporters, political parties and other actors to refrain from violence or any action that can further disrupt the electoral process and political stability.

The Council also urged all actors to resolve any electoral disputes through constructive engagement and the appropriate legal mechanisms, and for the Government of Haiti to hold those responsible for any violence accountable.

Welcoming the continued efforts of the UN, other multilateral agencies, regional organizations and UN Member States in supporting Haiti's "critical needs," the Council also commended the Haitian National Police, with support from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), for their efforts to maintain peace and protect the civilian population.

In addition, the Council said it looked forward to the planned field visit of Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous to Haiti. The visit is aimed at "conveying to Haitian actors the sense of urgency expressed by the Council towards a swift conclusion of the electoral cycle as well as at assessing MINUSTAH's contribution to the overall situation on the ground, with a view towards this providing options that could inform future steps towards its appropriate configuration," the statement said.

The members Council also expressed their intention to continue to follow closely the situation in Haiti.

On 14 February, the Haitian National Assembly elected Jocelerme Privert as the island nation's interim President, one week after former President Michel Martelly departed without a successor.

On 25 April, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply concerned that the agreed-upon date for holding elections in Haiti  24 April  had not been met. That date had been set following an agreement  known as the 5 February Agreement  between Haitian stakeholders to preserve institutional continuity and further the electoral process.

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Military Drones Flood War Skies Over Syria, Iraq

by Sirwan Kajjo, Mehdi Jedinia May 14, 2016

When an Iraqi soldier heard a buzzing sound overhead last month in Iraq's Anbar province, he took aim and shot down what looked like a bird-sized model plane.

After studying the device, Iraq's Ministry of Defense said it was a surveillance drone available for purchase on the Internet for less than $1,000 that was being flown by the Islamic State (IS) group.

"The brave warrior ... was able to hit a spying plane belonging to the gangs of IS," the ministry said in a Facebook post.

Such incidents are becoming increasingly common in both Iraq and Syria. Drones from at least seven nations  and several militias and military forces including IS  are crowding the skies above Iraq, Syria and Turkey, according to interviews with analysts and officials in the region.

"Drones [have] opened new aspects to the wars and changed the shape of the battlefields, making the confrontations more complicated and more sophisticated," said retired U.S. Army Col. Robert Cassidy, who is studying their proliferation.

The drones being used in Iraq and Syria range from state-of-the-art military hardware used by the U.S.-led coalition to rudimentary consumer products used by IS and various militias.

Countries flying drones

Turkey, Syria, Iran, Russia, the U.S., Britain and Iraq all have used drones in the region. Kurdish militias, Syrian rebel forces, and the Hezbollah and IS have also used some form of drones.

Their missions range from simple surveillance to precisely targeted assassinations of key terrorists by the U.S.-led coalition.

While the Pentagon tries to keep its drone program covert, it has admitted several times in recent months to striking specific IS targets with drones, according to news reports.

Among the targets was Islamic State's Jihadi John, who was shown in gruesome videos beheading U.S. and Western hostages.

The drone program, which is run by the CIA and the Joint Special Operation Command, largely operates out of a Turkish military base.

Britain has joined in the drone operation, according to published reports, and Turkey announced that its forces used four U.S.-made drones in a May 1 attack against IS.

The Pentagon refused a request from VOA to discuss specifics of its drone program, which has grown in scope since its initial mission targeting terror suspects in Pakistan and Yemen.

The widening U.S. use of drones has drawn criticism from human rights groups, some in Congress and foreign powers.

In Syria, IS has responded with countermeasures, including blanketing rooftops and alleys in its de facto capital, Raqqa, with cloth and burlap. The extremist group has also flooded the Internet with names and addresses of several U.S. military personnel who are involved in drone operations.

Technology savvy

Unlike other jihadi groups, IS has proven itself technology savvy. It uses makeshift drones to gather information about its enemies and to produce aerial footage for propaganda videos.

During the battle of Kobani in 2014, IS released drone footage that purportedly showed its fighters engaged in suicide attacks.

Military officials say IS has increasingly flown spy drones near the bases of Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

"We can clearly see IS drones flying over our front lines to collect intelligence," said Qadir Qadir, a Kurdish peshmerga commander.

Qadir said drone traffic has become so heavy that military commanders report difficulty in distinguishing IS drones from Kurdish and coalition drones.

"Sometimes they are too high for us to reach or we're not sure if they belong to our friends or to enemies," he said.

Experts say IS has developed its drone arsenal from kits and parts found on the Internet. There are several IS drone factories near the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to news reports.

Iraqi forces, which have been fighting IS since mid-2014, say they too use drones. "They are particularly helpful to obtain information on (IS) bases," Lt.-Gen. Anwar Hama Amin, the commander of Iraqi Air Force, told VOA.

Several reports say Iraq has purchased some of its drones from Iran, which supports the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.

Amin denied using Iranian drones, said Iraq buys most of its devices from China and some from the United States. "The ones from the U.S. are only for surveillance purposes, but we use the Chinese drones to hit IS targets," he said.

Proliferate

The commander said drones have proliferated because they are inexpensive and fairly easy to assemble. "You can buy the pieces in the market and find their designs on the Internet," he said.

Kurdish forces, who fight IS in northern Iraq, say they use drones to gather information on IS.

"IS can be very unpredictable as their fighters move across vast territories and their numbers change constantly," said Aras Haso Mirkhan, deputy commander of the peshmerga forces near Mosul. "Drones have made it possible for us to track them wherever they go."

Iraqi Kurds use their drones in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition, Mirkhan said. "We use them in every front line, but I can't say their exact numbers," he said.

Syrian skies similarly are swarming with drones belonging to various factions in the 5-year-old civil war, military analysts say.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in October that the Syrian campaign was the first test for Russia's use of spy drones on a massive scale. He said the unmanned aircraft collect intelligence in Syria "around the clock."

Russia entered the war with military aircraft in September, providing the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with added firepower in their fight against anti-government rebels and IS.

Iran also uses drones to help the Syrian regime.

The powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in February that a Shahed 129, an Iranian-developed unmanned aerial vehicle, was providing combat support to pro-government forces in Syria.

"Iran has invested tremendously in drone technology in the past decade," said Sajjad Jafari, an Iranian drone specialist who is based in Tehran, told VOA. "Iranian drones have helped Syrian government in its war against IS."

Iranian drones have been spotted by satellite imagery in several Syrian military bases, including air bases in Damascus and Hama.

The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Iranians in support of the Assad government, has also used drones.

Hezbollah's al-Manar television' has broadcast footage of what it said was a drone attack near the Syria-Lebanon border.

IHS Janes, a military analysis company, said the group has been using an abandoned Lebanese airbase near the Syria borders as a launch pad for unmanned aircraft.

"Such support certainly boosts the [Syrian] regime's momentum in the battlefield," said Washington-based analyst Ahed al-Hendi who closely observes the patterns of war in Syria.

But anti-Assad rebel groups such as the Army of Islam are also using drones. "They set advanced cameras on drones to be used for surveillance on opposing parties," al-Hendi said.

Turkey, reeling from the spillover of regional wars, is pouring millions of dollars into developing its own drone program for use against IS fighters in Syria and Iraq and Kurdish insurgents inside and outside of Turkey.

The Anka Block A, the largest drone that Turkey's has produced, made its debut in February.

A Turkish drone in April spotted two missile launchers in northern Aleppo in Syria, according to Hurriyet newspaper, which cited Turkish security sources.

The Turkish military struck the IS positions with its howitzers, killing 13 IS militants and wounding seven others.

Analysts said the Turkish military also uses drones against Kurdish militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) inside Turkey, a move that is causing controversy among Turks as civilian casualties are mounting.

"There are legal issues associated with [drone use], particularly over how decapitating strikes against citizens involved with the PKK are decided," said Can Kasapoglu, a defense analyst at the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.

VOA's Rikar Hussein, Uzay Bulut and Fatima Tlisova contributed to this report.

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Key Boko Haram Leader Captured in Nigeria

by Moki Edwin Kindzeka May 14, 2016

Cameroon says the multinational joint forces fighting Boko Haram have captured five leaders of the radical Islamist group, including Boukar Kaou, traditional ruler of Kumche in Nigeria. Dozens of the terrorists were killed and 60 women and children freed.

Cameroon's communication minister and government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma says 1,000 troops of the multinational joint task force fighting Boko Haram organized systematic raids between May 10 and 12 on Boko Haram bases in Nigeria's Madawaya forest, some seven kilometers from Cameroon's northern border, killing 58 Boko Haram fighters.

Tchiroma says 15 Nigerian women, three Cameroonian women and 28 children who had been held captive in the Boko Haram stronghold were freed and taken to Cameroon. He says huge quantities of war weapons were either destroyed or seized.

The minister says five leaders of the terrorist group, including the traditional leader of Kumshe and emir of the terrorist group, were arrested along side dozens of their supporters.

He says after a recent successful operation in Goshe and Kumche on the Nigerian territory, so many Boko Haram fighters escaped to the Madawaya forest and created camps for their fighters, where they also trained suicide bombers especially young women and girls. He says the destruction of their training camps have made the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria to realize that the forest served as the main training ground for suicide bombers and child fighters that regularly attacked the two countries. He says none of the Cameroon and Nigerian forces were killed.

Cameroon believes the militants have resorted to suicide bombings because their fire-power has been drastically reduced following ceaseless attacks on their stronghold since December 2015 by an eight thousand-strong multinational joint task force with troops from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Benin and Niger.

The United Nations reports that Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed more than 25,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million.

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Raids on Boko Haram Disclosed as Abuja Summit Targets Terrorism

by Isabela Cocoli May 14, 2016

Multinational forces fighting the Islamic extremists of Boko Haram arrested five of the group's leaders and freed dozens of captive women and children, Cameroon's government said Saturday.

The raids targeting Boko Haram bases in the northern Madawaya forest earlier this month freed 28 children and at least 18 women, according to a government spokesman.

The news came as a summit to discuss regional security and strategies to fight Boko Haram was underway in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

In his opening remarks, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said about $1 billion was needed to help development in the Lake Chad region in order to "eradicate the causes" that "proliferate terrorism."

Buhari said that the "main problem now is rehabilitation" of destroyed infrastructure such as schools, health clinics, roads and bridges, as well as attending to displaced people, most of them women and children.

French President Francois Hollande said it was essential that the international community do more for the region, warning about the humanitarian situation of the countries of the Lake Chad Basin  mainly Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon  under attack from Boko Haram.

Noting the achievements of Nigeria under Buhari in the fight against Boko Haram, Hollande said that although the terrorist group had been weakened and forced to retreat, it still remained a threat.

Pledging full support of his country against the extremist group, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it was imperative to maintain the momentum to win the war against Boko Haram and build the right conditions for stability in the region.

Addressing the summit, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was of paramount importance that Boko Haram be defeated not only militarily but also ideologically.

Blinken said Washington was "deeply committed" to helping the military effort and also to reconstruction, but the "victory on the battlefield is not enough."

A "sustained and comprehensive approach" is needed to combat extremist ideology, reconstruct shattered communities and investigate multiple claims of human rights abuses against armies involved, Blinken said.

Besides the U.S. and the European Union officials, the summit brought together Buhari's counterparts from around the region.

In 2014, Boko Haram captured swaths of territory in Nigeria and declared a self-styled caliphate.The next year, it declared allegiance to the Islamic State. Since Buhari became the president of Nigeria, the army has stepped up military actions against Boko Haram, leading the president to announce that the Islamist group had been "technically" defeated.

Boko Haram's insurgency has spilled beyond Nigeria's borders. Attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger have claimed at least 20,000 lives and forced more than 2.6 million people to flee their homes, including 300,000 children.

Reporter Saleh Shehu Ashaka and VOA's Hausa service contributed to this report.

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UN: North Korea Provided Firearms to Congolese Police

by VOA News May 14, 2016

A group of 30 North Korean military instructors may have violated United Nations sanctions when they provided pistols to Congolese army and police officers during training exercises, the United Nations said in a new report.

A panel of experts said pistols were issued to members of the army and national police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and some eventually ended up in the hands of Congolese peacekeepers working with the U.N. mission.

According to Congolese soldiers and police, the pistols were issued during a training program in 2014 for the Congolese presidential guard in Kinshasa, the DRC capital. This is seen as a violation of U.N. sanctions that ban North Korea from selling weapons or providing military training.

Some of those pistols appear to have made their way onto the streets of Kinshasa. The group said "the same type of pistol was available for sale on the black market" in the capital.

Military tactic training

Also mentioned in the report, which several media saw Friday, the experts said Rwanda continues to train Burundian refugees in military tactics, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza.

According to the report, the U.N. experts met with Rwandans who said they had trained Burundian fighters or traveled themselves to Congo to fight with the Burundian opposition.

"Similar outside support continued through 2016," the report said. "This took the form of training, financing, and logistical support for Burundian combatants crossing from Rwanda" to Congo.

The Rwandan government, however, "denied any involvement" in the training or recruitment of Burundian refugees, the report said.

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Germany Warns Russian Cyberspies Aim To Damage Infrastructure

May 14, 2016

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned that Russia is trying to sabotage critical infrastructure through cyberspying.

The BfV agency said on May 13 that Russian intelligence agencies appear to be behind a range of "aggressive" attacks in the last decade, including last year's Sofacy hit on the German parliament and APT 28 hit on NATO members that knocked a French TV station off the air, as well as a hack code-named "Sandworm" that brought down part of Ukraine's power grid last year.

"Cyberspace is a place of hybrid warfare," said BfV chief Hans-Georg Maassen, referring to a mixture of conventional attacks, special operations, sabotage, and propaganda.

"The information security of German government, administrative, business, science, and research institutions is under permanent threat," he said.

"The campaigns observed by the BfV are generally directed at obtaining information, i.e espionage," he said, but Russian cyberspies "are also showing a readiness to sabotage."

Germany's Defense Ministry announced recently that it is creating its own cyberwarfare department in response to what it says is the growing threat of electronic attacks.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/germany- warns-russian-cyberspies-aim-damage- infrastructure-sandworm-sofacy-/27734062.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Work Joins Groundbreaking for Ballistic Missile Defense Site in Poland

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

REDZIKOWO, Poland, May 13, 2016  At a groundbreaking ceremony here for an Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site today, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work emphasized the system is for the protection of NATO members and not directed at Russia.

As American and Polish flags fluttered in the breeze, Work and dignitaries including Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment Patrick Auroy tossed shovelfuls of dirt to signify the start of the construction phase.

"Today we stand at a strategic inflection point and a change in the strategic landscape," Work said at this Polish military base situated in a northern village. Europe and NATO face a range of new and complex security challenges, he said. Addressing those challenges will require a "more capable NATO alliance, one that continues to evolve and adapt to threats," he said.

In efforts to protect the alliance, NATO is making important investments, including in missile defense, he said.

Yesterday, Work was in southern Romania for the inauguration of the first Aegis Ashore site in Europe. The ceremony in Deveselu marked the operational certification of that site.

Russia 'Not Quite Getting' Message

Russia was never a consideration in the years of discussions and planning for the ballistic missile defense system, Work said. The reason for the defense system is primarily because of the threat from Iran, he said.

"As long as Iran continues to develop and deploy ballistic missiles," he added, "the United States will work with our allies and partners to defend against this threat.".

He pointed out that due to physics and geography, it is "simply not possible" for the NATO ballistic missile defense system to undermine Russia's strategic deterrent. Russian officials know that fact, Work said, pointing out that they are among the most advanced missile operators in the world.

Macierewicz agreed that the site is for defensive purposes only.

"We understand that Russia is not quite getting this point that we are reiterating," Macierewicz said, through an interpreter.

Polish Officials Hail 'Important Day' for Nation

Having the site in Poland reinforces the Polish commitment to unity in NATO and peace and security in Europe, Polish leaders said.

"It is truly a very important day for Poland, for NATO and for Europe," Macierewicz said. "This is a very important day for peace in Europe and in the world."

The main reason to have the site in Poland is to protect the security of Poland and its allies, he said, noting "aggressive steps" have been directed at the security of Poland.

"We can truly say that Poland is safe," he said. "Poland, together with its allies, has a guarantee that an aggression will never take place."

Polish President Andrzej Duda said the Aegis Ashore site improves the collective security of NATO members. "From the security point of view, the winner is the entire nation of Poland and all my compatriots," he said.

Protecting NATO Nations

The ceremony in Poland marks the start of the final phase of the missile defense project, Work explained.

The first phase involved putting an early warning radar in Turkey and stationing U.S. warships with ballistic missile interceptors in Rota, Spain, he said. The second phase involved constructing the first Aegis Ashore site in Romania. The site yesterday was operationally certified to perform its mission, marking the completion of Phase 2 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, Work noted.

The site in Poland will be physically and operationally the same as the Romanian site, he pointed out. It is to be completed in 2018. The site is capable of defending the central and northern arc of NATO, Work said. The Romanian site is to provide ballistic-missile deterrent coverage of southern Europe, he added.

Officials explained that the Aegis Ashore site is the land-based capability of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system. The Aegis Ashore sites are staffed by U.S. Navy personnel who serve on rotational deployments, officials said.

Work thanked other NATO members for their contributions to the collective defense of the alliance, including the United Kingdom for investing in ground-based radar, and Denmark and the Netherlands for upgrading their frigates with new radar.

In time for the NATO summit in the Polish capital of Warsaw in July, alliance leaders are expected to declare initial operational capability for the NATO ballistic missile defense system, Work said. When that is declared, the early warning radar in Turkey, the site in Romania and the U.S. ballistic missile defense ships at sea will all be linked to a command center in Germany, and be able to work together to engage missiles directed at Europe, Work said.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

Release No: NR-174-16 May 13, 2016

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work's Visit to Romania and Poland

Deputy Secretary of Defense Spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson provided the following:

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work visited Poland and Romania to participate in two Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense ceremonies and meet with senior governmental leaders to discuss emerging security challenges in the region, May 10-13.

In Romania, he visited Bucharest and Deveselu, May 11 and 12, and met with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Minister of National Defense Mihnea Motoc and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lazar Comanescu. He thanked Romanian officials for Romania's important global and regional contributions to NATO and its pledge to spend 2 percent of GDP on national defense by 2017, and offered condolences on the recent deaths of two Romanian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Work also provided remarks at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Dacian Ciclos and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg marking the operational certification of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site in Deveselu.

In Poland, he visited Redzikowo May 13, where he provided remarks at a ceremony, attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda, which broke ground for a second Aegis Ashore site. Work also met with Minister of Defense Antoni Macierewicz and thanked the people and government of Poland for their commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on national defense by 2017, as well as its support of NATO's missile defense efforts and contributions to tackling broader security challenges.

Throughout his trip, discussions focused on enhancing cooperation with NATO allies to integrate ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities into a NATO missile defense system, as well as regional security items of interest. The deputy secretary emphasized countering the threat of a ballistic missile attack from outside the Euro-Atlantic area is a collective security challenge that requires collective defense. He also explained the two BMD ceremonies were important steps in our efforts, and those of our Allies, to protect against the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles of increasingly greater ranges, lethality, and sophistication, and stressed that the Aegis Ashore sites are in no way directed at Russia, cannot undermine Russia's strategic deterrent and are fully compliant with international agreements.

www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/759541/

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'Colorado secret space facility to help fight against Daesh'

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 1:30PM

The Pentagon is reportedly seeking to use its new secretive space facility in the military campaign against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday that he wants the new Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center (JICSpOC) to join the fight, according to The Washington Post.

The installation is a secret space facility located within Schriever Air Force Base in the state of Colorado.

It has been operating since October last year, and includes officials from the National Reconnaissance Office, which operates US spy satellites and works with intelligence agencies such as the NSA and the CIA.

"I have instructed our space community to join the fight [against Daesh], to figure out what we can do to contribute," the Post quoted Carter as saying after he paid a visit to the center.

"We need them to work right now on problems of space's role in conflict, first of all, because we are in conflicts today," he added.

The US along with some of its regional allies has been engaged in a military campaign against Daesh since September 2014.

Carter said last week that the battle against Daesh "is far from over." He said the US-led coalition had to do a lot more to curb the terror group.

This is while, Colonel Steve Warren, a US spokesman for the so-called anti-Daesh forces said the group has "not gained an inch" in Iraq.

He told the Pentagon press corps on Friday that Daesh terrorists "are showing resilience that's to be expected. It's a war, they're going to fight."

Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, control parts of the country and also overran neighboring Iraq in 2014.

The US-led coalition stands accused of having done little to stop Daesh's advances in parts of Syria and in Iraq.

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Pentagon Wants Its New Secretive Space Center to Join Fight Against Daesh

Sputnik News

21:00 14.05.2016(updated 22:00 14.05.2016)

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday that he wants the Pentagon's new space center, the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center, to be involved in the fight against Daesh, The Washington Post reported.

The secretive center also known as the JICSpOC was established by the Department of Defense in October on a military base in the countryside east of Colorado Springs.

It has a role not only in preparing for potential conflicts against rival countries, but in counterterrorism, the article read.

During his visit to the center, the Defense Secretary underscored that the center is capable of more than just "war games" with potential adversaries.

"We need them to work right now on problems of space's role in conflict  first of all, because we are in conflicts today. I'll just remind you that we are in the counter-[Daesh] fight, and I have instructed our space community to join the fight, to figure out what we can do to contribute," Carter said.

However, the secretary provided no details on what the center would do in the fight against the terrorists.

"But his comments highlight aspects of its work. The center includes some officials from the National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the nation's spy satellites and works closely with the National Security Agency, Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies," the article read.

Recently, Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of the US Strategic Command, said that extremist organizations have accessed space-based technologies to encrypt their communications.

The US-led has spearheaded an anti-Daesh coalition of nearly 60 nations since the summer of 2014. The coalition has been conducting airstrikes against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Daesh has been designated a terrorist organization and is outlawed in numerous countries, including in Russia and the United States.

 Sputnik

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Belarus: execution shows 'callous disdain' for international human rights law - UN experts

13 May 2016  United Nations human rights experts today condemned Belarus' continued use of the death penalty following reports that a man whose complaint was before the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) had been executed, despite a specific request from the Committee for a stay of execution.

"I am appalled by reports of the recent execution of Sergey Ivanov by the Belarusian authorities," said Miklos Haraszti, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.

Reports indicate that Mr. Ivanov, who was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in 2015, was executed on around 18 April this year.

Mr. Ivanov's brother had petitioned the Committee, arguing that Mr. Ivanov's trial had been unfair. During the trial, he remained handcuffed and was obliged to wear special clothes with the label "capital punishment" on them. It was also alleged that he was not brought promptly before a judge upon arrest and had limited access to a lawyer.

Mr. Ivanov's execution means Belarus, since 2010, has executed eight people whose cases were registered for examination by the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Belarus is a State party.

Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia that applies the death penalty, despite repeated calls for its abolition from many in the international community, including the members of the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Mr. Haraszti once again urged the Belarusian authorities to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty, as an interim legal step towards it full abolition.

The human rights expert also voiced grave concern at news that another defendant, Sergei Khmelevsky, was sentenced to death by a court on 6 May. "The news testifies to the lack of progress on the human rights situation in Belarus," he said.

The Human Rights Committee had requested the Belarusian authorities not to carry out the sentence, pending the examination of Mr. Ivanov's case.

Non-compliance with the Committee's request for interim measures constitutes a violation, by Belarus, of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to ICCPR.

"The decision to proceed with the execution of the death penalty amounts to both a callous disdain for and a grave breach of Belarus' international human rights obligations," said Nigel Rodley, Special Rapporteur on new communications and interim measures.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

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China, US pledge to control risk

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 10:28, May 14, 2016

2 countries' senior military officials also agree to work constructively to manage differences

Senior military officials from Beijing and Washington have pledged to try to manage their differences in a constructive way and effectively control risks, following recent maritime tensions in the South China Sea.

Tensions rose after the US guided-missile destroyer William P. Lawrence entered Chinese waters on Tuesday off Yongshu Reef in the South China Sea in what the US claims was a "freedom of navigation" operation.

Observers said it will take time to see if Washington will match its words with deeds, as the United States may seek to increase its military presence in the region.

During a video conference on Thursday night Beijing time, Chinese Chief of the General Staff Fang Fenghui told US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford that China values freedom of navigation in the South China Sea "more than any other country in the world".

Fang, also a member of China's Central Military Commission, urged the two sides to bear in mind the overall situation and to constructively manage their differences.

Dunford was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that the US is willing to work with China to establish an effective mechanism for risk control in order to peacefully maintain stability in the South China Sea.

The conversation came at a time when Beijing and Washington have exchanged barbs after US military patrols and exercises near China's Nansha Islands.

Fu Mengzi, vice-president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said both countries agree on the need to maintain stability in the South China Sea, and neither wants conflict.

"It is not worth it if relations between the two militaries deteriorate over the South China Sea issue," he said, adding that the US should play a more constructive role to resolve the issue.

During a regular news conference on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang blamed "a certain country" that is thousands of kilometers away from the South China Sea for "stirring up tensions in the region".

"Unlike this country, China sincerely hopes to maintain regional peace, stability, security and prosperity, because this is in accordance with our own interests," Lu said.

China's stance on the South China Sea has won wide support from the international community, with nearly 40 countries voicing support for its statements.

Meanwhile, a statement issued at the close of the seventh ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum on Thursday said that the participating Arab nations support China's efforts to peacefully resolve territorial and maritime differences through dialogue.

Fu of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said Washington is likely to continue to take advantage of the South China Sea issue to realize its goal of an Asia-Pacific rebalance.

James Baker, who served as secretary of state under former president George H.W. Bush, told China Daily that although there are areas of converging interests with China, areas of tension will continue to exist. "But we need to manage differences that are going to exist."



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China using 'coercive tactics' in South China Sea: Pentagon

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 12:0AM

The US Department of Defense has warned China against employing "coercive tactics" in pursuing its maritime interests, accusing Beijing of reclaiming and weaponizing lands in the South China Sea.

In its most recent and detailed assessment of China's island-building program in the disputed waters, the Pentagon said Friday that China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the southeastern South China Sea.

The report added that three of the land features in the Spratly Islands now have each a nearly 3-kilometer runway and large ports under construction, as part of China's plan to create man-made islands on the archipelago.

"This would improve China's ability to detect and challenge activities by rival claimants or third parties, widen the range of capabilities available to China, and reduce the time required to deploy them," read the report.

"China is using coercive tactics short of armed conflict, such as the use of law enforcement vessels to enforce maritime claims, to advance their interests in ways that are calculated to fall below the threshold of provoking conflict," it added.

The Pentagon further accused China of reclamation of land in the Paracel Islands, including the Woody Island where China has deployed anti-aircraft missiles.

China claims sovereignty over most of the sea, which serves as a crossing for more than $5 trillion in maritime trade. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also lay claim to some parts of the sea.

The Pentagon concluded the report by warning that China's land building was designed to walk right up to  but not cross  "the threshold of provoking the United States, its allies and partners, or others in the Asia-Pacific region into open conflict".

Aside from challenging China's sovereignty claims politically, the US has on numerous occasions sent warships near Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The latest instance of such measures occurred on Tuesday, when the USS William P. Lawrence navigated to within 12 nautical miles of a land feature in the sea known as Fiery Cross Reef.

In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Washington needs to put an end to its military patrols near the Spratly Islands.

"As the US seeks cooperation with China, it ought to respect China's core interests and important matters of concern," the top Chinese diplomat said.

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Economy Seen as Key to Kim Jong Un's Long-term Rule

by Ham Jiha May 13, 2016

This week North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un capped years of political maneuvers, purges and executions by assuming the post of party chairman, declaring it the start of the "Kim Jong Un era."

The event was widely seen as cementing his leadership role, but analysts in Washington and Seoul say that revitalizing the North's ailing economy appears to be the key to maintaining his long-term rule.

Ken Gause, Director of the International Affairs Group at the Center for Naval Analyses, said fixing the country's economy will be major challenge.

"He has to show some sort of progress on the economy. I believe that is intimately linked to his ability to consolidate his power," said Gause, who is following the North Korean leadership closely.

Growing threat

With international sanctions increasing, mismanagement of the already crippled economy could lead to tensions in the regime, according to the North Korea expert.

Gause said the reshuffle of top officials and policy announcements at the party gathering showed Kim still needs more time to fully consolidate power.

"I would argue that this is a step toward consolidation of power. But he has still not fully consolidated his power and that's probably going to take another year or so," he said.

Gause said Kim's nuclear policy is a major obstacle to the country's economic development.

"Ultimately what North Korea wants to do is to be able to engage the United States and South Korea without preconditions, which means without having the denuclearization issue standing in the way," said Gause.

Obstacle to growth

Whether Kim will choose economic prosperity over nuclear weapons remains unclear. Addressing more than 3,400 delegates at the congress, Kim vowed to maintain his declared policy of pursuing nuclear weapons and economic growth simultaneously.

Kim also announced a five-year economic plan, the first since the 1980s.

Over the next five years, the North should "fly the flag of victory" and become a "scientific and technological, economic and highly civilized power," Kim said.

He also called for efforts to improve the country's power shortage crisis. Many analysts say increasing electricity output is key to reviving the North's economy.

At the gathering, Kim wore a dark Western-style suit, grey tie and horn-rimmed glasses that resembled the ones worn by his late grandfather and the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung. Some analysts speculated the resemblance could be an indication that young Kim will seek economic reform, following in the footsteps of his grandfather.

Plan lacks actions

Critics, however, argued Kim's economic plan did not contain a new vision or specific actions.

Lim Kang-taeg, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, South Korea's state-run research institute specializing in inter-Korean affairs, called the plan a rehash of previous announcements.

Kim Young-hee, a specialist on the North Korea economy at the Korea Development Bank in Seoul, said the economic plan is designed to support Pyongyang's nuclear ambition.

"What this means is they plan to complete miniaturization of nuclear weapons within five years. They are trying to cope with economic hardship while developing nuclear weapons," said Kim.

In his first public appearance after the party gathering, Kim Jong Un visited a factory making farming machinery wearing a suit, the North's state media said Friday.

Han Sang Mi in Seoul contributed to this report, which was produced in collaboration with VOA Korean Service.

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North Korean Consulate in Russia 'Concerned' With Yacht Detention

Sputnik News

16:00 14.05.2016(updated 18:01 14.05.2016)

The North Korean Consulate General in Russia said it was "concerned" with the detention of a yacht carrying Russian athletes, the acting head of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Vladivostok said Saturday.

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik)  The Russian Embassy in North Korea had sent a note demanding explanation from Pyongyang over reports claiming that the North Korean coast guard had detained the Elfin yacht with athletes from Russia's Far Eastern Primorsky Territory in the Sea of Japan. Russian Far Eastern transport authorities said that the yacht was in neutral waters at the time of the incident.

"The North Korean Consulate General in Russia said it was concerned with the situation and expects the same from the central authorities. In essence, they responded to the note here on site and addressed it to their offices. The same is true in Pyongyang," Igor Agafonov told RIA Novosti.

Agafonov said the Russian Foreign Ministry, its mission in Vladivostok and the Consulate General in North Korea were tasked with working to resolve the situation surrounding the detention through diplomatic channels.

The embassy could not yet confirm whether Russian Consul General Yuri Bochkarev received permission to visit the detained yacht, the diplomat added.

"We expect a lot from this visit," he stressed.

The vessel arrived in the Kimchaek port in North Korea earlier Saturday.

A spokesman of the Vladivostok rescue center said that the crew of the yacht was safe.

 Sputnik

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N Korea Yet to Provide Any Explanation Over Detained Russian Yacht

Sputnik News

12:37 14.05.2016(updated 13:04 14.05.2016)

Moscow is still waiting for explanations from Pyongyang for the reasons why a yacht with Russian athletes on board was detained by the North Korean Coast Guard, a Russian embassy media spokesman told RIA Novosti.

"The Korean side has not yet given us any clear-cut explanations for the incident, but they have promised to provide them shortly. The embassy wants to know why the yacht was detained and demands its immediate release," Denis Samsonov told RIA by telephone from Pyongyang.

He added that pertinent requests had earlier been sent to the North Korean Foreign and Defense Ministries.

The Russian Consul General has been instructed to go to the port city of Kimchaek where the Elfin yacht with five athletes from Russia's Far Eastern Primorsky Territory arrived earlier in the day.

"The crew is alive and well. We are still expecting the reasons for the detention from North Korea," Igor Agafonov, the acting representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Vladivostok, told RIA.

The yacht was on the way from the South Korean port of Pusan to Vladivostok when it was detained by a North Korean coastguard boat in the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is looking into the incident.

 Sputnik

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North Korean Coast Guard Detains Yacht With Primorye Athletes

Sputnik News

04:33 14.05.2016(updated 08:30 14.05.2016)

North Korea's Coast Guard has detained a yacht carrying Primorye athletes, a representative of the "Vladivostok" rescue center told RIA Novosti.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Vice President of the Primorsky Sailing Federation Evgeny Khromchenko said on his Facebook page that a vessel under the flag of North Korea had detained a yacht with athletes from Russia's Far Eastern Primorsky Territory.

"The [Elfin] yacht was detained by the coast guard [of North Korea]. The crew is fine," the representative said.

Russian Far Eastern transport authorities have confirmed that the yacht had been detained, saying that it was in neutral waters at the time of the incident.

Regional representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti that they were looking into the incident and had informed the Russian consulate in North Korea of the yacht's detention.

 Sputnik

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Zarif: Parties to JCPOA obliged to discharge duty tangible to people

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 14, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, must discharge their obligations tangible to people so that they would feel the positive outcome.

The foreign minister made the remarks in his speech to the inaugural ceremony of a conference in Tehran of Iranian ambassadors abroad entitled 'the JCPOA, the Economy of Resistance; Opportunities and Capacities'.

The Iranian ambassadors should focus their efforts on helping the country's economic growth and enhancement of the life standards of the people, Zarif said.

'We have gathered together here to exchange views on all the new chances and opportunities for making use of the JCPOA in the light of the Economy of Resistance,' he added.

Referring to some opposition to the JCPOA in the US, Zarif said that certain opponents to Iran deal, who have the record of supporting the Zionist regime, tried to slow down the implementation of the deal by pursuing their close-minded views.

He said that the hostile approach towards Iran by the JCPOA opponents in the US requires the Iranian ambassadors to exercise vigilance and push forward the goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

9341**1416

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Salehi: Iran nuclear enrichment process making progress

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 14, IRNA -- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi said on Saturday that Iran's nuclear enrichment process is making progress within the framework of the country's scientific capacities and natural resources.

He made the remarks in his speech to the inaugural ceremony of a conference in Tehran of Iranian ambassadors abroad entitled 'the JCPOA, the Economy of Resistance; Opportunities and Capacities'.

Salehi said that Iran's nuclear program is on the right path naturally and compatible with the strategic plans of the country in a transparent way based on international factors.

Iran is upgrading its nuclear technology using modern machinery, Salehi said.

Salehi said that in the nuclear business, Iran has begun selling heavy water in the international market.

He said that Iran has made a breakthrough in applying nuclear technology to produce medicine.

9341**1416

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Araqchi: JCPOA stabilized Iran peaceful nuclear program

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 14, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday that the nuclear deal Iran reached with the six world powers last year known as the JCPOA  stabilized Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

He made the remarks in his speech to a conference of Iranian ambassadors abroad.

Araqchi said that the JCPOA removed the heavy costs inflicted by arbitrary sanctions on the country and six anti-Iran UN Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the parties to the JCPOA must discharge their obligations tangible to people so that they would feel the positive outcome.

The Iranian ambassadors should focus their efforts on helping the country's economic growth and enhancement of the life standards of the people, Zarif said.

9341**1416

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Putin: No nuclear threat from Iran

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sat 14 May 2016 - 13:03

TEHRAN (ISNA)- Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed Western claims on establishment of missile shield system to confront Iran's nuclear threat.

"Let's remember that just a few years ago all our opponents were saying in one voice that our partners in the West, in Europe and in the United States needed the missile defense system to avert the missile and nuclear threats from Iran. Where are these nuclear threats from Iran now? They are absent. But the creation of the missile defense system continues," Russian president said.

"If by using their capabilities in world media they are still able to mislead someone into believing that it does not threaten Russia or that it is only a system of defense, no one present at this table, at this session will be misled by them. Nothing like this, this is not a defensive system, this is a part of US strategic nuclear potential taken to the periphery," Putin said adding that by periphery he means Eastern Europe, AP reported.

Putin said that the United States itself signed an agreement with Iran as one of its initiators. "Indeed, they did everything right; we supported this position of the US administration," Putin said.

End Item

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Daesh terrorists raid western Iraqi city, kill six

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 1:9PM

Takfiri Daesh terrorists have launched attacks in a town in Iraq's western Anbar Province, killing at least six people.

The police chief of the town of Amriyat Fallujah, Col. Ali al-Issawi, said on Saturday that the victims  a civilian and five security forces  were killed when 14 Daesh militants launched coordinated raids at military, government and residential buildings in the town.

Al-Issawi said five of the attackers blew themselves up while clashing with security forces, and nine others who had been holed up inside buildings were later killed by security forces.

He added that another 18 people were wounded in the attacks.

Earlier accounts by Iraqi security officials had reported fewer bombers, and the civilian death toll had been reported higher.

Large swathes of territory in western and northern Iraq have been under the control of Daesh since being overrun by the Takfiris in the summer of 2014.

The government-controlled town of Amriyat Fallujah is located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Fallujah, itself a Daesh bastion in Anbar.

Iraq's regular army troops as well as Popular Mobilization units are engaged in operations to liberate the city.

Iraqi forces have been making steady progress in western Iraq this year, retaking full control of Anbar Province's capital city, Ramadi, and liberating territories in several regions of the province.

Another Daesh stronghold is Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province and the country's second largest city, which is located in northern Iraq.

The liberation of the strategic town of Fallujah would pave the way for the Iraqi leadership's long-anticipated offensive against Daesh in Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pledged to put an end to the Daesh terrorist campaign by 2016.

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Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree to Reopen Border Crossing

by Ayaz Gul May 13, 2016

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday agreed to reopen a main border crossing for thousands of stranded passengers and transit trade convoys, four days after a fencing dispute brought traffic to a halt.

The decision to resume routine border traffic at the northwestern Torkham crossing came after Afghan Ambassador Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal met with Pakistani military chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss the matter and other issues related to border management, said a Pakistani army spokesman.

"Both sides showed resolve to continue efforts to fight terrorism, bring lasting peace in the region," stated spokesman Lt. General Asim Bajwa, giving details of the meeting in Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered.

Tensions escalated on Tuesday when Pakistani authorities began installing a fence at "a vulnerable portion" of the border crossing to ensure better management and stop any illegal movement.

Afghan authorities immediately objected and alleged the construction activity was being undertaken on their country's soil, but Pakistan maintained the fence was 30 meters deep inside its territory.

The dispute drew "an offensive attitude" by Afghan border forces and prompted Pakistan to halt the work and consequently close the gate for all kinds of traffic, Pakistani officials said.

Islamabad has long called for Kabul's cooperation in ensuring strict border controls. Pakistani officials insist such measures will discourage militant movement on either side and help in reducing terrorist acts in both countries.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 2,500-kilometer-long porous frontier, known as the Durand Line.

Successive Afghan leaders, however, have for decades refused to accept the demarcations from past British rule of the Indian subcontinent.

Kabul wants to renegotiate the Durand Line but Islamabad rejects the demand, saying the theater has long been settled. The border dispute, critics say, has been the source of other issues dividing the two countries.

Pakistani officials say the fencing at Torkham is part of ongoing efforts to implement strict controls along the entire frontier with Afghanistan and "they will serve interests" of both nations.

The border tensions come at a time when bilateral relations have plunged to new lows over allegations that Islamabad is not preventing the Taliban and militants linked to the Haqqani terror network from using Pakistani sanctuaries to launch attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's foreign policy chief, Sartaj Aziz, again rejected the charges on Thursday.

Pakistan is being blamed "for supporting the Haqqani network without providing any concrete evidence to enable us to take additional action" against the network or other terrorist organizations, Aziz told the national parliament.

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Kapustin Yar Range Upgrades to Complete in 2017 - Russian Missile Forces

Sputnik News

22:26 14.05.2016

Upgrades at Russia's Kapustin Yar test range will be completed by 2017, the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) chief of range services said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Knyazev added that the SMF plan to produce 10 new trajectory-measuring system stations to deliver them to Kapustin Yar by 2025.

"A large amount of construction work is underway at the range as part of the modernization of the experimental-test base Completion of the work is planned in 2017," Dmitry Knyazev said.

May 13 marked the 70th anniversary since the establishment of Kapustin Yar, near the city of Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea.

 Sputnik

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Russia's Northern Fleet Troops Work Out New 2016 Arctic Winter Tasks

Sputnik News

18:45 14.05.2016

The Russian Northern Fleet land and coastal troops continued readiness exercises to work out tasks in the Arctic during 2016 winter drills and expeditions, including with the use of snowmobiles and sleds, the fleet commander said Saturday.

MURMANSK (Sputnik)  The fleet's independent motor rifle brigade's reconnaissance company joined the Russian Geographical Society for an expedition along the White Sea coast aboard three Army A-1 snowmobiles in February, Vice-Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said.

"Reconnaissance troops performed a set of measures to inspect Arctic armor and equipment in extreme conditions during the expedition. They also gained daytime and nighttime experience in driving snowmobiles in unfamiliar terrain," Yevmenov said at the Northern Fleet military council's expanded session.

Additionally, the motor rifle brigade personnel for the first time deployed new tactical actions using regular specialized equipment, including snowmobiles and double-link snow and swamp-going vehicles, as well as deer and dog sleds.

Another motor rifle brigade group of 60 held the first tactical live fire drills to counter the threat of modern terrorism on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in March.

"The tasks performed were transporting personnel and equipment to the Arctic islands aboard air transport aircraft, navigating to an assigned area on snowmobiles, and equipping firing positions and recreational areas for personnel in challenging winter conditions," Yevmenov said.

The vice-admiral added that paratroopers completed the first in the fleet's history landings on the Russian drifting polar station Barneo near the North Pole after undergoing special training with the Airborne Forces division in Pskov.

 Sputnik

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Why Russia's Reviving Its Nuke Trains

Sputnik News

18:05 14.05.2016

Russian "Barguzin" strategic missile trains may become an asymmetric response to NATO's complex European Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system deployed in Romania and Poland, military experts believe.

Russian designers have begun to create new elements of "Barguzin"  Russia's combat railway missile complex (BZhRK) aimed at transporting and launching strategic nuclear missiles.

Citing a military source with the knowledge of the matter, Russian Regnum news agency wrote that the project's exact completion date would be announced in early 2018. Back in 2014, Strategic Missile Forces Commander Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev told journalists that the sketches of Russia's future railway-based missile complex had been finalized.

It was reported that the Russian Army may receive five Barguzin railroad ICBM systems by 2020. In late February 2016 the head of the Strategic Missile Forces' military education department, Viktor Nesterov, informed Echo Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) Radio that a new generation of ICBM-launching trains would enter the Army service in 2020.

Russian military experts regard the system as a powerful counterbalance against NATO's European Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system deployed by the United States in Eastern Europe.

On Thursday, the Pentagon military officials inaugurated their missile defense base in Deveselu, Romania. The Deveselu base is one of the first major European elements of the US global missile shield. The cornerstone of the military site is an Aegis Ashore missile defense system equipped with an AN/SPY-1 radar and vertical launchers for 24 Standard SM-3 Block IB missiles.

A similar ground-based Aegis system is currently under construction in Poland. The Polish base is due to become operational in 2018.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed Thursday that the deployment of the elements of the US global missile shield in Europe undoubtedly poses a direct threat to the Russian Federation's security.

"From the very beginning we have said that, according to experts  and we are certain of this, undoubtedly  the deployment of missile defense systems indeed poses a threat to the security of the Russian Federation," Peskov told reporters.

The Pentagon and NATO war planners have been "encircling" Russia since the end of the Cold War seeking to nullify the country's nuclear deterrence capability. However, with Barguzin nuclear trains the threat would be seriously mitigated.

The crux of the matter is that the Russian BZhRK looks similar to any other ordinary cargo train and cannot be detected by an adversary. The elusive nuke complex also moves constantly across the system of the country's railroads. It is worth mentioning that the Russian railways are ranked second longest globally. In general, the combat railway missile complex can pass up to 1,000 kilometers daily.

The first BZhRKs entered the Soviet Army service in 1987 but were completely decommissioned in 2007 in accordance with the START II (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) treaty between the US and Russia.

However, the modernized BzhRK Barguzin system does not violate the provisions of the New START treaty signed by Moscow and Washington on April 8, 2010, in Prague.

Each Barguzin train will be armed with six ICBMs RS-24 Yars which could be brought into firing position within minutes. Furthermore, Barguzins will be also equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems and a sophisticated stealth technology.

Russian military expert Leonid Nersisyan notes in his article for Regnum, that Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in the early 2000s prompted serious concerns in Moscow and forced Russian military planners to seek new ways to counter potential threats.

The other destabilizing factor is the Pentagon's Prompt Global Strike (PGS) concept, Nersisyan underscores. The US is developing a system that can deliver a precision-guided conventional weapon airstrike at targets throughout the world within one hour using hypersonic weapons.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly signaled that Washington's efforts at implementing the European BMD and creating Prompt Global Strike (PGS) weapon systems is dealing a blow to the ongoing talks on nuclear disarmament between the countries.

However, Nersisyan stresses that the Russian BZhRKs will nullify the challenge posed by the US Prompt Global Strike (PGS) concept.

 Sputnik

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US, Allies Closing Off Extremists' Gateway Into Syria, Carter Says

by Carla Babb May 13, 2016

Closing the sole remaining area along the Syrian border where foreign fighters can enter and leave Islamic State-controlled territories is one of the top priorities of U.S.-led coalition forces, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Speaking Friday in Colorado, Carter said "sharing and fusing" information across the battlefield is helping to prevent attacks and restrict foreign fighters' movements.

"Specifically, DoD [Department of Defense] is sharing what it collects from the battlefield with other domestic departments that are the leads for screening and watchlisting," the Pentagon chief said.

Fingerprints retrieved from IEDs (improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs) and personal information gleaned from captured terrorists are added to a database known as the Biometrics Enabled Watchlist, available to all government departments and to U.S. allies, Carter said.

During meetings earlier this month in Germany with members of the anti-IS coalition, Carter said they discussed efforts to drive Islamic State fighters out of the Manbij area of Syria. This region near Aleppo "is a critical transit point for terrorists planning to execute attacks outside Iraq and Syria," Carter said. "Together we must close this last entry-exit area for foreign fighters into Europe and beyond, once and for all."

Diminishing returns

The Islamic State group has seen its oil revenues decline by 50 percent, and the number of foreign fighters joining the Islamist extremist group is down by as much as 75 percent, a U.S. military official said Friday.

Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the anti-Islamic State operation in Iraq and Syria, told reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference from Baghdad that U.S.-led airstrikes targeting Islamic State oil tankers and wells have been a factor in shrinking Islamic State's income, along with falling oil prices.

"We attribute the reduction in foreign-fighter flow to a range of factors, including our military gains on the ground, as well as active steps by governments to strengthen and enforce border security and also counter-recruitment efforts," Warren added.

'Shoving match' in Syria

Despite the Islamic State fighters' continuing loss of territory in Iraq, Warren said, the extremists have taken control of two small towns in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border.

The U.S. officer said a "shoving match" is in progress between IS fighters and other Syrian rebel groups in the area known as the Marea Line.

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Syria Faces Multiple Challenges as World Powers Convene

by Pamela Dockins May 13, 2016

The U.S. and Russia will co-host a new round of talks on Syria's crisis next week to try to maintain a cease-fire and improve the delivery of aid, but the Syrian government's recent military advances may diminish the ability to restart political talks seen as the best hope for ending the war.

The 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will convene in Vienna on Tuesday and is expected to discuss the stalled political talks, difficulties in maintaining the February cease-fire and the U.N.'s uneven results in delivering humanitarian aid.

"Not all of the trend lines in Syria are going in the right direction," said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

He commented on Friday, shortly before Secretary of State John Kerry departed on a two-week trip to the Middle East, Europe and Asia, where he will focus on issues including unrest in Syria as well as in Libya.

In Syria, the U.S. and Russia began stepping in to broker a series of localized cease-fires in late April, to help keep a nationwide cessation of hostilities enacted in February from fraying.

While the overall level of fighting between the government and rebels is down, tensions between the two sides have continued to flare.

A U.N.-led effort to deliver humanitarian aid to besieged cities has yielded mixed results. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that the Syrian regime blocked aid groups from delivering medicine and food to civilians in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.

In late April, another round of U.N.-facilitated talks on a political transition in Syria ended with no face-to-face meeting between the government and the opposition. It is unclear when the next round of so-called proximity talks will take place. In an interview with Russia's Sputnik news agency, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said he would await the outcome of the Syria support group's session before convening another round of proximity talks.

Some analysts say Syria's military dynamics could hamper progress in proximity talks.

What matters is the "leverage that you bring into the room," said Atlantic Council Middle East analyst Nussaibah Younis. "With the backing of Russia, the Assad regime has managed to make some real progress in its fight against the rebels," and, as a result, will be unwilling to compromise, she said.

Russia said it would use Tuesday's session to call for an end to commingling between terrorist groups and rebels in Syria.

"It is important that all Syrian participants in the cease-fire process resolutely distance themselves from terrorists," Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said in a Thursday briefing.

US, Italy seek stabilization of Libya

While in Vienna, Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will focus on security in Libya as they co-host a ministerial meeting to discuss support for the country's new government.

Western powers hope Libya's Government of National Accord can unite the country, which has been in a state of chaos since leader Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

In a Friday briefing, a senior State Department official said the Libyan government would most likely request additional training and equipment to help bolster its internal security and fight Islamic State militants.

Support sought for Nagorno-Karabakh

Additionally, while Kerry is in Vienna, the U.S., Russia and France will focus on an effort to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is officially part of Azerbaijan.

In April, the region suffered one of its worst outbreaks of violence in years.

Kerry will begin his trip in Saudi Arabia, a country that is part of the International Syria Support Group.

After Vienna, he will attend a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels and then will travel to Burma in a show of U.S. support for the country's newly elected government.

In the following week, Kerry will join President Barack Obama in Vietnam.

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Daesh declares state of emergency in Syria's Raqqah: US

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 4:32PM

The Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group has declared a state of emergency in Syria's northern province of Raqqah, a US military official says.

Colonel Steve Warren, a US spokesman for the so-called anti-Daesh forces, told reporters on Friday that the terrorist group is moving its forces around the provincial capital and trying to put up covers in certain areas to shield potential targets from airstrikes and ground attacks, CNN reported.

"We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqah, whatever that means," Warren said.

He said media reports indicate that Daesh has been repositioning "both their combat capabilities" as well as militants "either within the city or even out of the city."

"They see the Syrian Democratic Forces, along with the Syrian Arab Coalition, maneuver both to their east and to their west," Warren said.

"Both of these areas becoming increasingly secure, and the Syrian Democratic Forces increasingly able to generate their own combat power in those areas," he added.

Tajir Kobani, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, and Turkmen fighters, backed by the People's Protection Units (YPG) said earlier this week that the coalition commanders have been planning a final operation to liberate Raqqah from Daesh.

Raqqah has been under full control of Daesh since February 2014. The city has also been pounded by US airstrikes which purportedly have been targeting the terrorists' positions inside Syria since September 2014.

The US along with some of its regional allies launched its campaign inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or the United Nations.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Iran vows to continue advisory aid to Syria

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 5:22PM

Iran will continue its military advisory aid to Syria as per the Syrian government's request, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says.

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its advisory assistance to the Syrian government at the level requested and required," Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Saturday.

He added that the Syrian crisis should be settled through political approaches and emphasized that the Syrians' vote should finally solve the conflict in the Arab country.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, since the outset of the Syrian crisis, has stressed the political settlement of this crisis and has repeatedly announced that the Syrian problem has no military solution," the Iranian spokesperson pointed out.

He added that foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs runs counter to objectives and interests of the Syrian nation.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has furthermore displaced over half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Daesh attack on Syrian hospital claims 20 lives

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 1:50PM

Nearly two dozen people have been killed in an attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on a hospital in eastern Syria.

Pro-militant sources said Saturday that the attack on al-Assad hospital in the city of Dayr al-Zawr killed 20 people, most of them Syrian soldiers and allied fighters.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack came at the eastern entrance of the hospital and sparked clashes between government forces and Daesh militants. The London-based monitoring group said at least six militants from the Takfiri group were killed. There were no immediate reports about the number of the wounded.

The group claimed militants are now in control of the hospital along with a dormitory and a silo facility. Syrian media said troops have locked the militants inside the hospital with fighting going on.

Local media said the attack on the hospital was part of a larger militant offensive into Dayr al-Zawr which began late Friday.

They said militants were attempting to capture key facilities in the city, adding that a similar attack on the city's main airport was thwarted by Syrian forces.

The attack on the Assad hospital in Dayr al-Zawr is the latest in a string of militants' raids on health-care facilities. Daesh, which is controlling parts of land in Syria and neighboring Iraq, has repeatedly used civilian structures like hospitals and schools as a main target of its attacks in Syria. Rights group have documented numerous cases of such bombings and attacks over the past months.

Physicians for Human Rights said in a recent research that militant forces had carried out about a dozen attacks on medical facilities with Daesh being responsible for at least eight of them, noting more than a dozen medical staff have been killed in those attacks.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Syria seizes Turkish-made arms, medicines from terrorists

Iran Press TV

Sat May 14, 2016 10:21AM

The Syrian army has killed all members of a terrorist group affiliated with al-Nusra Front, confiscating Turkish-constructed ammunition and medicines from the militants.

An unnamed Syrian military source told the official SANA news agency on Saturday that the incident took place on a road to the Qantara village in the southern countryside of the western province of Hama.

The source said the terrorists were slain during a special operation conducted by a unit of the Syrian army.

In a video released by Russia's RT television network on Friday, Syrian intelligence forces said they have captured a haul of medical supplies near Aleppo City that came from Turkey and was destined for Daesh elements in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

A staunch opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish government has long been providing support to Takfiri terror groups operating to topple the government in Damascus.

Reports say Turkey actively trains and arms the Takfiri terrorists operating in Syria and facilitates their safe passage into the war-torn Arab country.

In May 2015, the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet posted a video on its website that purportedly showed trucks belonging to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, also known as the MIT, carrying weapons to the terror groups in Syria.

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China's military posture poses major challenges for Taiwan: Pentagon

ROC Central News Agency

2016/05/14 19:16:49

Taipei, May 14 (CNA) China's continued efforts to develop and deploy military capabilities intended to coerce or invade Taiwan if necessary have posed "major challenges" to Taiwan's security, the U.S. Department of Defense said in its annual report on China's military power to Congress.

In the report released Friday, the department said China's overall strategy continues to use both persuasion and coercion to hinder the development of attitudes favoring independence in Taiwan.

Despite positive developments across the Taiwan Strait last year, including the historic meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou () and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping () last November in Singapore, there have been no signs that China's military posture opposite Taiwan has changed significantly, the report said.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China "continues to develop and deploy military capabilities intended to coerce Taiwan or to attempt an invasion, if necessary," the defense department said in the "Force Modernization for A Taiwan Contingency" chapter of the report.

"These improvements pose major challenges to Taiwan's security," which has been based historically upon the PLA's inability to project power across the Taiwan Strait, the natural geographic advantages of island defense, the technological superiority of Taiwan's armed forces, and the possibility of U.S. intervention, the report said.

China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has not renounced the use of force against Taiwan for unification, if necessary.

The report said, meanwhile, that China appears prepared to defer the use of force as long as it believes that unification over the long term remains possible and that the costs of conflict outweigh the benefits.

But China still argues that "the credible threat to use force is essential to maintain the conditions for political progress and to prevent Taiwan from making moves toward de jure independence," it said.

In the face of China's multi-decade military modernization effort that has eroded or negated many of Taiwan's historical advantages in deterring PLA aggression, Taiwan is also taking steps to respond to the threat, it added.

These include steps to build its war reserve stocks, grow its defense-industrial base, improve joint operations and crisis response capabilities, and strengthen its officer and noncommissioned officer corps, the report said, adding that these improvements partially address Taiwan's declining defensive advantages.

Noting that Taiwan's military spending has dropped to approximately 2 percent of its gross domestic product, the report said that China's official defense budget has grown to about 14 times that of Taiwan's.

"Recognizing China's continued growth in military spending, Taiwan is working to integrate innovative and asymmetric measures into its defense planning in order to counterbalance China's growing capabilities," the report said.

As for the U.S. position on cross-strait issues, the report said that Washington maintains a one-China policy that is based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).

The U.S. "opposes any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by either side and does not support Taiwan independence" and "continues to support the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues in a manner, scope, and pace acceptable to the people on both sides," the report said.

Consistent with the TRA, the U.S. has contributed to peace, security, and stability in the Taiwan Strait, including the provision of defense articles and services to help Taiwan maintain a sufficient self-defense capability, it said, adding that Washington has announced more than US$14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan since 2009.

The U.S. is Taiwan's main weapons supplier.

(By Elaine Hou)

ENDITEM/ke

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Turkish Air Force Strikes PKK in Country's Southeast, North Iraq

Sputnik News

16:06 14.05.2016

The Turkish Air Force has conducted a series of air operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in the country's southeastern Hakkari province and in Northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement Saturday.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the PKK, the Kurdish pro-independence organization considered to be terrorist by Ankara, and the Turkish army resumed.

Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are taking place.

"During the air operations, strikes against the separatist terrorist organization's [PKK] positions designated in advance in Hakkari province and in [Northern Iraq] areas of Basyan, Gara, Hakurk, Zap, Metina, were carried out. Terrorist hideouts and their air defense emplacements were destroyed," the statement reads.

On Saturday, the PKK armed wing the People's Defense Force (HPG) claimed responsibility for downing a Turkish military helicopter in Hakkari a day before. Both pilots were killed. The Turkish General Staff said the crash had taken place due to a technical malfunction.

 Sputnik

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Kurdish Militants Claim Responsibility for Downing Turkish Army Helicopter

Sputnik News

13:46 14.05.2016(updated 13:47 14.05.2016)

The People's Defence Force (HPG), the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Saturday claimed responsibility for downing a Turkish military helicopter, refuting the Turkish General Staff's claim that the crash took place due to a technical malfunction.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Friday, a military helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey's province of Hakkari. Both pilots were killed. According to Ankara, the crash took place due to a technical failure.

"The Turkish general staff's statement on an accidental crash of the helicopter is not true. It was downed by us because it belongs to the Turkish colonial troops and carries out operations against the Kurds," the HPG statement read.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the PKK, the Kurdish pro-independence organization considered to be terrorists by Ankara, and the Turkish army resumed. Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews in Kurdish-populated towns, preventing civilians from fleeing the regions where the military operations are taking place.

 Sputnik

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<p>Standard-Times file photo</p><p>Residents of the Lake View community have long pulled together in times of adversity, as after the May 11, 1953, tornado that killed seven people and destroyed much of North San Angelo.</p>

When I was young I always wondered why my family was the first to go into the storm cellar and the last to leave.

Now I know why.

The Lake View Tornado.

On May 11 of 1953, a tornado tore across north San Angelo killing 13 people and injuring 159.

Our elder family members had been through the thunderstorms and huddled inside the concrete cellars when bad weather came to knock. They took no chances.

I grew up hearing stories about hail storms, wind storms, dust storms. snow storms and who knows what else.

But our relatives who lived through the nightmare on May 11th, told the best stories.

The tornado was one of six violent tornadoes sweeping through West Central Texas.

The National Weather Service office in San Angelo estimated the tornado created a 20-mile path of destruction from 17 miles northwest of San Angelo to just east of Armstrong Street.

It's a wonder the tornado didn't claim more lives, including schoolchildren. The late Principal Mac Snodgrass was principal of Lake View's Junior High School that year.

Snodgrass was preparing to drive a bus full of elementary schoolchildren home at 2:30 p.m. on May 11.

In 1987, Mr. Snodgrass was interviewed by Standard-Times reporter Keely Coghlan.

"Superintendent Jean Burleson had gotten a call from the DPS that there was a possibility of a tornado  this was back before they had warning alarms," Mr. Snodgrass told the reporter.

"We saw the cold coming and I was checking the kids in their rooms," he said. "None of us had ever seen a tornado, and we figured it was just another spring cloud coming across the field."

Even so, he decided to not have students get on the bus because the "cloud" was in the path of where he would be driving.

"The tornado hit about 2:20 p.m." he said. "There was bedlam for a while. Students were crying and screaming, the principal & Marine Corps veteran said. "It took some screaming of my own to quiet things down."

Lake View seventh-grade student Bill Linton told a Standard-Times reporter what happened when the storm hit the school.

"We could hardly breathe," he said. "I knew something was going to happen, but I didn't know what. Mrs. Vada Burns, our teacher, told us to get into the hall. We had hardly gotten out of the room until the glass on the seat side of the classroom caved in. There was a rush of wind," Bill said. "Dust, dirt, sticks, everything seemed to crashing into the room and the hall.

"You couldn't see for the rain," Bill said. "It was like trying to look through a board fence. Then the roof was either sucked off or blew off. I couldn't tell which."

The students said rain fell on them in the hall as they huddled together screaming and crying.

"We were all scared, but you couldn't hear the crying and screaming for the wind and rain," Bill recalled.

"Teachers did what they could to calm their students and keep them safe. Wayne Mitchell and others pulled pieces of the fallen roof off students."

Charles L. Cotten moved his students into the auditorium until the rain let up.

Third-grade teacher Jessie Yarbrough had her class sing when the lights went out. When the rain and hail began blowing in she had the class lie on the floor quietly.

"The storm tore off the roofs of two junior high classrooms. Though there were an estimated 1,000 people in the school when the tornado hit, injuries were not serious. One teacher broke an ankle, and several students and teachers were cut by glass fragments.

Repairs to the school building alone were estimated at more than $250,000, the damage so extensive that the Texas Education Agency allowed the school to cancel classes for the rest of the school year.

When the storm finally moved on, Principal Snodgrass delivered the students on his bus route to their homes. But for some of the children, their homes had vanished.

"We would let the kids off the bus and there was no home there, just a stack of wood, the Snodgrass said.

STORY OF THE STORM

If you would like to share your story of the Lake View Tornado, send it by Internet to rick.smith@gosanangelo.com

Or mail it to Rick Smith at P.O. BOX 5111 San Angelo, Texas 76902
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A San Angelo girl, 15-year Hannah Greening, died in a crash in Utah over the weekend, according to Gephardt Daily, an online news organization.

She and three other people from San Angelo were traveling past the entrance to Arches National Park when another vehicle pulled out in front of them.

Greening died in a nearby hospital as a result of her injuries. The others in the car sustained minor injuries, Gephardt Daily said.

To read the complete story, click here.
Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.

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"A significant part of the Roma are unfit for coexistence. These Roma are animals, and they behave like animals. ... Inarticulate sounds pour out of their bestial skulls. ... These animals shouldn't be allowed to exist. In no way. That needs to be solved  immediately and regardless of the method."

These words were written, not in 1943, but in 2013. They are from an article by Zsolt Bayer, one of the founders of Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz, and a friend of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Bayer's attitude toward the Roma (Gypsies) is part of a broader theory that big corporations, leftists, Jews and Muslim migrants are engaged in a conspiracy to undermine Hungarian identity. "There are all kinds of weapons: traditional, chemical, atomic," Bayer argues. "And now we see that there are also racial weapons. This is the weapon that they, the 'invisible hands,' have employed against Europe and against the white race."

Orban is not quite so blunt, but he seems more than willing to gather the political benefit of ethno-nationalism. "We, the Hungarians of national solidarity," he has said, "must squeeze all disunity out of Hungarian life."

Hostility to outsiders, of course, pre-existed the political movement taking advantage of it. But what role does leadership play in encouraging this attitude? This has been a topic of recent research by Emile Bruneau of the University of Pennsylvania and Nour Kteily of Northwestern University. They have devised an appropriately offensive scale on which to measure blatant dehumanization.

In September 2014, a representative sample of Hungarians was asked to place Muslim migrants somewhere on the familiar "ascent of man" scientific illustration  the one showing the gradual development from monkey to Homo sapiens. The same survey was done in October 2015. In a little over a year, the level of blatant dehumanization in Hungary doubled.

There are a number of possible explanations. But Bruneau postulates that political rhetoric played a role. "When people see this as normative," he told me, "they are more likely to express themselves."

Bruneau also has studied the disturbing neuroscience of bigotry. One might expect dehumanization to light up emotional, pre-rational parts of the limbic system. Instead, he says, "it is deeply seated in the cortex, in a reasoned cognitive response." Viewing others as less than human involves a very conscious and deliberate decision.

"Dehumanization," argues Bruneau, "morally disengages us." Most humans hold to a morality that forbids harm to other humans. But if someone is regarded as less than human, those moral rules no longer apply. This rationalization is what allows people who commit genocide to go home, kiss their children and sleep at night. It is also what leads Bayer to say: "Whoever runs over a Gypsy child is acting correctly if he gives no thought to stopping and steps hard on the accelerator."

How does this relate to U.S. politics? In a survey of Americans conducted by Bruneau and Kteily, the dehumanization of Muslims (as you'd expect) was a strong predictor of support for policies such as carpet bombing in the Middle East or denying visas to Muslims. "Conservatism does predict some support for these positions," says Bruneau, "but dehumanization goes above and beyond this. It is more strongly predictive than political ideology."

Blatant dehumanization also was more strongly correlated with support for Donald Trump than for any other candidate.

If political leadership can increase dehumanization  as the evidence seems to indicate  Trump is guilty of it. He has falsely asserted that "thousands and thousands" of Muslims cheered after the World Trade Center came down and that Syrian refugees are entering America with "cellphones with ISIS flags on them." He has called for a ban on Muslim migration and the establishment of a database to track Muslims in the U.S.

Trump has turned legitimate concerns about terrorism into the indictment of a religion. In his rhetoric, the distinction between "these people" and the American "we" is clear enough. But there is a problem, other than the obvious ethical one. Bruneau and Kteily also surveyed Muslim Americans. And the more they feel dehumanized, the less likely they are to report activities that might be related to radicalization.

This is a vicious and dangerous cycle: Dehumanizing rhetoric, leading to distrust of government and law enforcement, contributing to tragedies that feed dehumanizing rhetoric. Both our ideals and our safety are compromised when politicians provide permission for bigotry.

Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.
Mercedes chiefs Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff on Sunday disagreed over the sensational first-lap crash in Barcelona.

As the stewards looked into Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's crash, team chairman and F1 legend Lauda pointed an angry finger at the reigning triple world champion.

"For me, unacceptable," said the great Austrian.

"First of all we must talk to Lewis, because Nico was defending his lead," Lauda told German television in Spain.

But team boss Wolff disagreed, declaring that it was in fact a "racing incident".

The stewards agreed, and Hamilton told reporters that Rosberg was correcting an underpowered engine setting when he dove into the diminishing gap.

As for who was most to blame, "I'm not going to get into it," said Hamilton.

"But as I said, huge apologies to the team and I'll do everything to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Rosberg also apologised but he hinted he was unhappy with Hamilton's move.

"The stewards' decision is the stewards' decision and so I go with that verdict," said the German.

Told that it it sounds like he blames Hamilton, Rosberg insisted: "I didn't say that."

Wolff explained: "It's not a situation where you can attribute 100 per cent of the blame to either one of the drivers.

"Niki Lauda's driver perspective means he has an opinion. This is his instinct and that's fair enough," Wolff said.

Lauda said he accepted Hamilton's apology.

"For me it's relatively easy -- Lewis apologised, which is fine for me so it's done and we think about the future," he said.

Wolff, meanwhile, allayed fears that the crash could cause Mercedes to end its current policy of allowing the drivers to freely race.

"We won't change our approach," said Wolff. "We owe it to F1 and to the fans to let them race. We let the drivers race and sometimes this can happen."

(GMM)
IAFC welcomes new CGI Dr. Anupam Ray

Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) leaders met with Hon. CGI Dr. Anupam Ray, the Consul General of India, Houston and welcomed him as new CGI who took charge a couple of weeks ago.

Dr. Prasad Thotakura, IAFC President, briefed CGI Dr. Ray about the vibrant Indian American community and their contributions towards the growth of the local economy, commitment to invest and donate their resources for the development of motherland, India.

IAFC, formed in 1990, promotes and provides a common platform to exchange views with local, national and international level policy makers. Its mission is to improve US-India relations, support developing countries, promote global democracy, protect the interests of the Indian American community and educate members of US Congress and Senate.

IAFC a non-partisan, non-political, non-profit organization supports and encourages all Indian Americans who run for political offices at all levels irrespective of their political party affiliations.

Dr. Prasad Thotakura, who also serves as the Chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT), an amalgamation of the Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) and the India Association of North Texas (IANT) gave a presentation on Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza that was built with the support and contributions of the Dallas / Fort Worth community. Now, it stands as the largest Gandhi memorial in the USA.

IAFC President Dr. Prasad Thotakura, Executive Vice President, Mr. Taiyab Kundawala. Vice President, Mr. Rao Kalvala, Board of Directors - Mr. Murali Vennam, Mr. Ramki Chebrolu and Mrs. Ranna Jani welcomed CGI Dr. Ray and invited him to visit Dallas and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at his earliest convenience. Dr. Anupam Ray appreciated the effort of the MGMNT leadership in building such a memorable Gandhi memorial and accepted the invitation.

IAFC leaders commended Dr. Rays vision and commitment in providing seamless consular services to the Indian American community through his office.

Dr. Anupam Ray is a physician by education and was a Neuro-surgery resident before he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1994. He has held key diplomatic assignments as Political Officer in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Desk Officer, as manager of Indias successful campaign for the position of Commonwealth Secretary-General out of London, and as a senior member of the Indian team in the UN Security Council in New York. He was the first employee of Indias outgoing aid agency (Development Partnership Administration) created in 2012. In addition to a medical degree, he has a M.A. in Public Administration and speaks English, German and Hindi.
Telangana Night 2016 - A Grand success

TDF, Canada is pleased to announce the grand success of its 4th Annual Cultural fest Telangana Night 2016 held on May 07, 2016 that witnessed a huge turnout and awesome response from Telangana community.

TDF, Canada has successfully completed another event in promoting Telangana literary, cultural activities in Canada, and contribute to social & developmental activities in the state of Telangana, India.

Established in 2005, TDF, Canada is a federally registered not-for-profit organization formed by the Telangana Non Resident Indians living in Canada to preserve the cultural identity and contribute to its development.

The foundation committee expressed deep sense of gratitude to Prof.Kodandaram, chairman of the Telangana JAC, who graced the occasion as chief guest. The Inspiration and motivation of his speech will drive us and all attendees towards building Bangaru Telangana. Sincere thanks were extended to Dipika Damerla, Ontario province Deputy Minister for health, originally hailing from Hyderabad for being the honorable guest on the occasion.

She is the prime force behind building development bonds between Ontario province and Telangana state. Organizers also thanked Sri Lohith, Telugu actor and artist, who exhibited his multi-faceted talents and thrilled the audience throughout the programme along with TDF Global leaders, TDF USA chapter leaders and TDF, Canada city chapter leaders for being the guests of honour for the event.

The attendees included Telangana families and friends from in and around the Greater Toronto Area with more than 800 enthusiastic participants cheering the event.

The event started off with lamp lighting, Ganesh pooja dance, India & Canada National anthems, Telangana state song followed by a two minute silence in honor of the Telangana martyrs & Prof. Jayashankar sir, the ideologist of Telangana.

Noted Telangana Academician Dr. M. Kulashekhara Rao was felicitated on this occasion for his contribution to literary works. The program was filled with the unique Telangana flavor throughout the event in fest & feast in Songs, Dances as local talented artists including children enthralled the audience with a lot of folk & other song and dance programs, including a special sammakka saralamma procession dance. Authentic Telangana dinner with many traditional dishes was also served at the event.

Organizing committee extended its vote of thanks to several sponsors, volunteers, cultural participants and each and every one who helped in organizing the event successfully.

Contributions, efforts & dedication from everyone towards making fellow Telanganites happy and keeping the essence of Telangana alive in Canada were greatly appreciated.

The success is measured by everyones active participation and happiness and organizers thought they met their goal by looking at the enthusiastic participation of women and smile on childrens faces. TDF, Canada pledged to continue to organize & celebrate Telangana cultural events with everyones continued support in the future.

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The Problem With Rajan

In an interview to a channel, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has indicated his interest in a second term at RBI. His three-year term ends this September.

Recently, Subramaniam Swamy had indicated his displeasure with Rajans policies and said that Rajan should be sent back to Chicago.

Now, whether Rajan was right in his economic policies or not is a matter for economists to decide. What would probably work against Rajan is his nature of criticizing and lecturing the government on issues beyond his scope as RBI Governor.

For example, at public events at places such as IIT and elsewhere, Rajan spoke out against intolerance and seems to be telling the government on how it should curb it. This is clearly an offshoot of his Western upbringing where people are exposed to a different sort of culture.

For example, George Clooney can openly support Barack Obama and Clint Eastwood can support Mitt Romney and nobody would think twice about it. Because, thats the culture in the US! But transporting that attitude to the Indian context overnight can only be a recipe for disaster.

Whether for good or bad, the government is the representative of the nation and criticizing it in public would make it lose face. Rajan might think he was just exercising his right to freedom of expression, But the BJP would lose face and look upon his comments as politically motivated or a brand building exercise being indulged in by Rajan.

People in positions of authority and responsibility should be doubly careful with their remarks, especially in India where the political climate is influenced by a hundred different factors.

Having said that, it is also unacceptable for Subramaniam Swamy to openly disrespect the RBI Governor by saying he should be sent back to Chicago.

Swamy could have said that he disagreed with Rajans policies, in a respectful manner. But if he did that, he wouldnt be Subramaniam Swamy then, would he?
Watch and Chat LIVE with Superstar Mahesh

Hyderabad: Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu joins Freedocast - Indias leading live broadcasting platform!

Get a chance to interact with Mahesh Babu live only on Freedocast! The interaction is scheduled for May 14 at 1830 hours IST.

Download the Freedocast App on iOS or Google Play today and get a chance of a lifetime to live chat with your superstar!

About Freedocast:

Freedocast is a live video/audio broadcasting and streaming app for iOS and Android platforms. Connect this app to your Facebook and Twitter and broadcast anything you like, live to your family & friends. You can also browse through topics and broadcasters to find live broadcasts that interest you, right away. This is not it; you can also chat with your group during any live broadcast and send claps to the broadcaster.

For more information please visit

Press note released by: Indian Clicks, LLC
Director Vikram Kumar's Variety Torture

Vikram Kumar is considered as one of the genius directors in Indian cinema industry at the moment. He has a very special talent of presenting complex stories in a very simplistic way so that even a layman could connect to. After 13 B and Manam, Vikram Kumar has once again put his talent to display in 24.

Although the actors feel blessed to be working with super talented Vikram Kumar, rumor has it that he is a nightmare to his producers!

Vikram Kumar is a very moody person who works on his own terms, says the buzz. Annapurna Studios people that have worked with him for Manam share their weird experiences with Vikram Kumar during the shoot.

Now it is Gnanavel Rajas turn to see the other side of this genius director. When Raja asked Vikram to trim 24 by nine minutes, he stopped answering his calls, they say.

Vikram Kumar didnt even care to talk to the producer even after he went to the directors home to discuss about trimming the film.

Edit whatever you want to, I wont be doing it, said Vikram Kumar as per the grapevine. When Vikram Kumar was supposed to attend a promotional event for an FM channel, he has reportedly switched his phone off and wasnt reachable for anyone.

Gnanavel Raja had to apologize to the FM people for his directors odd behavior. We hear many other stories about Vikrams weird attitude and the torture that his team goes through on and off the sets.
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Naidu Decides To Bypass Centre

In a move that could raise the hackles of the Union government, the TDP government has decided to go ahead with a Metro Rail Project for Amaravati despite the Center not giving permission for the same.

The Center had rejected the Metro Rail project saying that it would not be viable in a city with a population of less than Rs 20 lakh. But with Venkayya Naidu promising to get the file cleared, TDP sent the file again to the Urban Development Ministry. There has been no response yet.

The TDP government has meanwhile decided to sign an agreement with the Delhi Metro Rail Authority to execute the project on a turnkey basis.

The project will cost approximately around Rs 1300 crore and Naidu has decided to bypass the Center and seek the amount as a loan from Japan International Co-operation Agency.

Maybe Naidu should not rush into this project blindly. Hyderabad which has a lot of money is struggling with the L& T project there with many saying that it has turned into a loss making venture for the MNC post-bifurcation. Besides, how will the Center respond to this move of Naidu?
Nothing To Do With Special Status

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 17th of this month and the yellow media is saying that it is to demand special status for Andhra Pradesh. But the real reason is otherwise say Party insiders.

Apparently, the visit has nothing to do with special status. It is to come to an understanding over the Rajya Sabha seats.

Naidu wants to know whether Sujana Chowdary will be continued with in the Union government failing which the TDP would not want to nominate him to Rajya Sabha. Instead, if the BJP is willing, they would send Yanamala Ramakrishnudu to Rajya Sabha and ask for a cabinet berth for him.

Besides, the BJP was offered one Rajya Sabha seat by the TDP. Nirmala Seetharaman is the BJP Rajya Sabha member from AP. But the BJP have not sent any proposal asking for renomination of any of its members from AP again. This has Naidu a bit worried. Hence, the Delhi visit to clear all these apprehensions.

Special status is just to keep the public happy.
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Haiti - Politic : Haiti deeply disappoints the UN Security Council





Friday in a press statement on Haiti "the members of the Security Council expressed their deep disappointment that Haitian actors failed to meet the election and inauguration deadlines agreed upon in the February 5 political accord, the Haitian-owned and -led roadmap for the swift conclusion of the current electoral cycle, and called on all Haitian actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order.



However, they welcomed, the reconstitution of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and noted the establishment of a commission to evaluate and verify the elections held in 2015, stressing the need for the commission to be technical, apolitical, transparent, and complete its work within its 30-day mandate.



The members of the Security Council noted the increasing number of challenges Haiti faces; they can be best resolved through close coordination between a democratically elected Government, Haitian civil society, and Haiti's international partners.



The members of the Council reiterated their strong condemnation of any attempt to destabilize or manipulate the electoral process, in particular through violence, and urged all candidates, their supporters, political parties and other actors to refrain from violence or any action that can further disrupt the electoral process and political stability, and to resolve any electoral disputes through constructive engagement and the appropriate legal mechanisms and for the Government of Haiti to hold those responsible for any violence accountable.



The members of the Council commended the Haitian National Police, with support from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), for their efforts to maintain peace and protect the civilian population.



They also welcomed the continued efforts of the United Nations, other multilateral agencies, regional organizations and United Nations Member States in supporting Haiti's critical needs.



The members of the Security Council looked forward to the planned field visit of United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous in Haiti, aimed at conveying to Haitian actors the sense of urgency expressed by the Council towards a swift conclusion of the electoral cycle as well as at assessing Minustah's contribution to the overall situation on the ground, with a view towards his providing options that could inform future steps towards its appropriate configuration.



The members of the Security Council expressed their intention to continue to follow closely the situation in Haiti."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Facing a Task Unfinished is the newest album from pre-eminent modern hymn writers, Keith and Kristyn Getty, to be released on June 17. The album, which champions congregational singing and mission, follows the radical example of the hymn "Facing a Task Unfinished," rewritten from its original 1931 version, where its urgent call propelled individuals, families and churches to global witness.

This studio album features the Getty's band, live congregational singing, and fresh global sounds. Facing a Task Unfinished features the Gettys' unique blend of Irish and Bluegrass melodies, paired with fresh global sounds. The album was recorded in Nashville's historic Ocean Way Studio with an intimate live audience of friends.

Produced by live album recording veteran, Nathan Nockels (Passion, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels), the album features special guests such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo ("O Children Come"), Fernando Ortega ("My Worth is Not in What I Own"), and John Patitucci ("Consider the Stars"). The title hymn of the album, "Facing a Task Unfinished," was featured in a global hymn sing on February 21, 2016 as 1.1 million believers in 100 countries sang the song on a single day! And it was also featured at ICRS' 2016 Sunday night of Worship.

Keith and Kristyn Getty are renowned modern hymn writers from Northern Ireland. One of Keith's most popular compositions, "In Christ Alone," (co-written with Stuart Townend) is the #1 most-sung hymn in the UK since 2006 (CCLI) and among the top 20 most-sung hymns in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Songs from the Getty catalog are sung by an estimated 100 million people annually in churches around the world. The duo has released multiple albums and performed at notable venues as diverse as London's Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Grand Ole Opry. The Gettys met in Belfast, Northern Ireland when they began songwriting together.

They were married in 2004, and two years later, they recorded their first project as a couple in the United Kingdom and Nashville, TN. In 2006, they made the journey overseas to America and lived in Ohio for three years as they began their professional career. They moved to Nashville in 2010.

TRACK LISTING

01. Facing a Task Unfinished

02. May the Peoples Praise You

03. Living Waters

04. O Children Come

05. For the Cause

06. The Lord Is My Salvation

07. Lift High the Name of Jesus

08. My Worth Is Not in What I Own

09. We Believe (Apostle's Creed)

10. He Will Hold Me Fast

11. Psalm 24 (The King of Glory)

12. Let the Earth Resound

13. O Church Arise (Arise Shine)

14. Beyond These Shores (Instrumental)

15. BONUS: Consider the Stars

Tags : Facing a Task Unfinished Keith and Kristyn Getty the gettys keith and kristyn getty new album Keith and Kristyn Getty news
Published on 2016/05/15 | Source

The plastic-surgery tourism boom in Korea appears to be waning with the number of Chinese customers shrinking from its peak of over 79,000 in 2014.

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Official figures are not yet out, but a look at the preliminary tally revealed by the 10 most popular cosmetic hospitals among Chinese visitors shows a 20-percent drop from 13,500 customers in 2014 to 10,000 last year.

Despite the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome last year, the number of foreign patients in Korea edged up from 266,501 in 2014 to 280,000 last year. But Chinese customers dwindled, chiefly because their satisfaction rating is plunging.

The streets of the affluent Gangnam area where the plastic surgery clinics cluster are virtually empty these days. Until early last year, they teemed with Chinese women wearing the characteristic casts protecting their brand-new noses, but no longer.

Clinics are worried but have only themselves to blame for their greed. A staffer at one plastic surgery clinic said it now treats only about half of the Chinese patients it saw early last year.

But the head of another plastic surgery clinic claimed these days Korean plastic surgeons are flying to China to conduct operations.

Chinese people are losing interest in getting plastic surgery in Korea because of a series of reports of malpractice and price gouging of foreigners.

In March of this year, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV broadcast a report exposing overcharging by Korean hospitals, and the Beijing News daily highlighted the side effects customers suffered from conveyor-belt practices.

Medical industry insiders here said there was plenty of publicity in China for cases of plastic surgery performed by unqualified doctors.

The government wanted to attract a million foreign patients by 2020 and generate W2.9 trillion in medical revenues, but that now looks like a distant dream (US$1=W1,171).

The Ministry of Health and Welfare took steps in April to enable foreign patients to check what procedures they receive and how much they should be paying. Foreign patients can also reclaim 10-percent VAT, and the government has capped the commissions agents can charge.

Jin Ki-nam at Yonsei University said, "We should consider the decline in Chinese medical tourists an opportunity to improve treatments offered here rather than focus simply on attracting huge numbers".
By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2016/05/14

The Actual Case The Actual Case

The film is based on an actual unsolved case that shocked the nation for over a decade, and regarded the disappearance of five kids, from 9 to 13 years old, in the Daegu Mountains in 1991.

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The children (U Cheol-won, Jo Ho-yeon, Kim Yeong-gyu, Park Chan-in and Kim Jong-sik) were living in a village near Mt. Waryong and on the 26th of that year decided to head to the mountain to search for salamander eggs, following a path that begun in the back of their school. After failing to return for several hours, their worried parents called the police. The authorities though, were certain that it was a usual case of children getting away for a few days and then returning, and they did not proceed to a formal investigation, despite the parents' pleas.

A few days later, and after the pleas from their parents became public, the case became of national concern. President Roh Tae-woo sent 300,000 police officers to comb the whole area, with the investigation being nationally televised. The search extended to bus and train stations in the whole country. Corporations, teams and individuals donated 42 million as a reward for anyone who could find them. Children in local schools organized a campaign (Find the Frog Children Campaign) and photographs of the five children were printed on milk cardboard boxes. Many of the parents, devastated, abandoned their works to search for their kids everywhere in the country. More than 8 million flyers were distributed all over S. Korea.

A year later, the film "Frog Boys" was screened, in order to persuade the children to return, since they were many who believed that they had simply abandoned their homes. A special police investigation team was assigned exclusively to the case until 2001, having searched the mountain over 500 times, without being able to find a single clue, though. Expectantly, extreme theories started to surface: abduction from aliens, from North Koreans, from scientists for secret experiments, while there were even those who suggested that the parents have killed their children and then buried them. During this time, the police received more than 550 wrong notices.

On November 26, 2002, a man picking acorns in the mountain discovered pieces of clothes that eventually led to the discovery of the bodies in a ditch. Their bodies were jointed and seemed like they died while hugging each other, with the police assuming that they froze to death. However, since they were situated just 3,5 kilometers away from their homes, in a spot where they see the city lights and hear the sound of cars, the theory that they had just been lost soon crumbled.

Furthermore, and after extensive investigations in the surrounding area, a number of bullet shells were discovered, the children proved to be tied up, and had head injuries from a pointed instrument. The moss on their skulls suggested that someone had buried them in a hurry, with the bodies coming to light because rainwater removed the soil that covered the ditch.

The discovery, once again, instigated a number of theories. However, the investigation proved that some psychopath probably murdered the children. The fact that he had buried them in an area where the ground is quite hard showed that the crime was premeditated and that the perpetrator had time to bring his tools from somewhere.

Despite promises by the police for solving the crime, in 2006, the case file had to close, since the statute of limitations expired. The perpetrator was never found.

The Film

The script stays very close to the facts, although it adds some elements of fiction. In that aspect, "Children..." revolves around Kang Ji-seung, a celebrated documentarian who is ostracized from Seoul to Daegu when a fraud is revealed regarding his works. The aforementioned incident takes place during his first days in the area, and he decides to shoot a documentary on the subject, despite the objections of the channel's director.

During his investigation, he stumbles upon Hwang Woo-hyeok, a professor of psychology who teaches at the local university and has a theory regarding the incident that nobody wants to utter. Due to a strange call received by the parents of Jong-ho (one of the kidnapped), and their unusual reaction, he is convinced that they are the perpetrators, a theory Ji-seung also embraces after meeting with them.

Lee Kyoo-man directed and co-wrote a film that excels in the depiction of the various characters, particularly in Jong-ho's parents, in the whole concept of the grandmother character, and in Hwang Woo-hyeok. The continuous flashbacks he presents are not tiresome, but helpful in the progression of the plot. At some points, he obviously over-dramatizes the situation, although that is justified, in a case that shocked the whole nation.

The script has some flaws, particularly in the last part where it strays from the actual case, though not to a degree to ruin the rest of the 132-minute film.

Park Yong-woo is consisted in his depiction of Kang Ji-seung, without disappointing nor making an impression, since his role is not so demanding, apart from the last part of the film. On the other hand, Ryu Seung-ryong as Hwang Woo-hyeok is impressive. His depiction of a man who transforms from accuser to accused is so stunning, that there are moments when he appears the most tragic figure in the film, even surpassing the parents. His performance is one of the picture's biggest assets. Sung Ji-ru and Kim Yeo-jin, who play Jong-ho's parents, are also impressive in their respective parts.

The cinematography by Ki Se-hoon is also a point of excellence, with the depiction of the various eras and the rural area the film takes place in being accurate and visually impressive. Kim Hyeong-ju has done a great job in editing, despite the fact that he had a difficult task with the many flashbacks, which he managed to blend artfully in the script.

Overall, "Children..." is a great film, which excels in all aspects, with the sole exception of the last part, which actually deprives it of masterpiece status. It is also a good chance for the spectator to discover a case that shocked the country for more than a decade.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Children..." is directed by Lee Kyoo-man and features Park Yong-woo, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sung Dong-il, Sung Ji-ru, Kim Yeo-jin and Park Byung-eun.
Published on 2016/05/15 | Source

Korea Airports Corp. will open the nation's first private jet terminal at Gimpo International Airport next year, it said Thursday.

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The terminal will be big enough to accommodate seven private jets and have hangars for four.

An industry insider said, "Even though we are a latecomer to this area, we hope to get ahead of Chinese and Japanese airports in terms of competition".

So far celebrities like Tom Cruise and Paul McCartney who came to Korea last year landed their private jets at Gimpo, but the lack of facilities exposed them to risks from huge crowds of fans as well as long waiting times. One Middle Eastern oil tycoon landed at the airport but took off again in a huff when he discovered that Gimpo lacked the facilities, and the fear is that such things could cost Korea valuable investments.

The new terminal will offer premium services such as fast-track immigration that takes only two to three minutes. In contrast, it takes more than 20 minutes for business-class fliers on commercial carriers to be processed at immigration.

The facility will also protect the privacy of wealthy travelers, though the private jets will still share the runways with commercial airplanes.

Last year, three or four private jets owned by major business figures landed or took off at Gimpo every day. Conglomerates like SK Telecom and Hyundai Motor operate a total of 10 private jets, while 75 percent of fliers who arrived at Gimpo last year on private jets were foreigners attending various official ceremonies, movie premieres, concerts or hospitals for treatment.

The new terminal "will play a huge role in helping Korea attract major international events or investments", an industry insider said. "This year alone, more than 1,400 private jets will land at Gimpo and the growth trend will continue".

The terminal is also expected to boost Gimpo's profits. Commercial carriers pay W700,000-800,000 each time they use Gimpo's landing strip, but private jets pay W1.1 million and another W3.2 million a day to use a hangar (US$1=W1,167).
Published on 2016/05/15 | Source

Shinsegae Department Store in downtown Seoul is set to open its duty-free shop next week after a large-scale renovation.

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The eighth to 12th floors, a quarter of the total business area, have been transformed into duty-free shops in a never-ending quest for Chinese money, while other facilities have also been remodeled to offer a better shopping environment for foreign customers.

The renovations shift the store's focus squarely on the duty-free business, with the number of brands there decreasing from 610 to 520 as Koreans desert offline malls for more individual shopping experiences.

Instead, there is now a kiosk where foreign customers can get an immediate VAT refund or use international delivery services. They also can store their luggage in the basement while shopping.

Shinsegae hopes to increase the proportion of sales to foreigners to over 20 percent of the main branch's total sales.

But it remains to be seen whether it can achieve the goal without the top three luxury labels Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Chanel, which are often the biggest draw for the newly rich from abroad.

Meanwhile, Shilla's duty-free shop, which opened in Yongsan in March, has recently succeeded in persuading Louis Vuitton to set up shop there.
Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

15:16, 24 OCT 2022
Halloween is coming! Here's when to trick or treat in your town
There is much international concern on the massive radicalism and violent extremism in Pakistan and especially in Pakistans Punjab. We in India are particularly perturbed because it affects us greatly. Groups in Pakistan-Punjab like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) think in terms of pan-Islamism and focus on re-jigging religion to suit their political ambition, use all means to impose and spread their version of politicised religion to capture power and use violence and threats on those who oppose their agenda.

The result of this terrorism is that it causes insecurity, leads to massive expenditure on security and surveillance that could be used on development and infrastructure and curbs individual freedom locally, nationally and internationally. We need to seriously look at the roots of this radicalism in order to understand and stop this scourge.

Read | JeMs Azhar lives freely in Pakistan, govt never detained him: Report

A major researcher in Pakistan, Ayesha Siddiqa, who had earlier exposed the Pakistan military-business linkages, has been studying Pakistan Punjabs terror groups. She says that: JeM is different from the Taliban because it does not impose its cultural agenda on the local population, but in fact works and intermingles with them. This is because they want to increase their support base and get legitimacy in society.

This kind of tactic can be both an advantage because they get more recruits. But the disadvantage is that if a society believes in secular laws as opposed to ordained ones they can resist and report these ideologues/recruiters to state agencies who should have a real interest in rooting them out as a way of curbing terrorism.

To know if a state is serious about curtailing terror is by unearthing the terror groups relation with the state. Siddiqa and others, including many Indian analysts, have shown that these terror groups work more outside Pakistan-Punjab, like in India, especially in Kashmir, in Afghanistan and even in Central and West Asia. So in effect, they cooperate and have the protection of the state. But they have also organised attacks within Pakistan. While Pakistan talks of demobilising, disarming and cleaning up these groups, in reality, sections of the Pakistani deep state, like the Inter services intelligence (ISI) or military high ups, save them. These groups continue to be seen as strategic assets and are used for foreign policy and geostrategic reasons.

Read | Afghan peace process: Deal expected with Hizb-i-Islami

The linkages that States like Pakistan have with terror groups are largely ignored internationally because States need each other in international politics. Rogue States and even liberal ones which are soft on radicalised and violent groups because they use them for political agendas is a dangerous and long-term disrupting phenomenon and needs to be looked at and acted upon in much more critical ways by States, international organisations and analysts.

Another important point to be considered that Siddiqa and others have made is that it is not poverty that is the driving force for spreading radical ideologies. It is driven by middle class level leadership which uses such ideology and religious manipulation to capture power. This is a major point to ponder over. And this connects to schools, educational institutions and religious indoctrination for violent movements. In other words the role played by religious institutions and schooling.

This is the area where the least attention is being paid internationally. It is well established that young boys  victims of the Afghan conflicts  were adopted and schooled in Pakistani madrassas and trained to become the lethal Talibs. Even while they assisted in the removal of Soviet rule, Afghanistan especially, but also other countries and people in the region, paid the price exacted by the ruthless Taliban.

Pakistan obviously has not learnt from this history. An even more lethal force is now at large. No law or court in Pakistan acts against Masood Azhar who propagates that the killing of non-Muslims is ordained and incumbent. He even justifies the killing of women and children in wars. His writings are freely available to schools and colleges since they are allowed to be propagated.

Read | From Pak madrassa to instant paradise: A child bombers journey

The schools that are nurseries for such violent interpretation, training and action, many researchers, including Siddiqa, show, are not the old-style madrassas, but hybrid modern schools that mix modern skill learning with religious interpretations. The same militant training is being propagated by radical elements in universities as well. Even as the State professes that it would like to curb militancy and violent radicalism, it is unable to do so. Especially since the social base for radicalisation is increasing.

Some forces who oppose radical Islam believe that the best way to counter them is to radicalise their own youth as a militia of religious warriors who can then have religious wars and face-offs. As a consequence, school and university education has become a contested site for such a debate. But the reality is that politicised religion is a step towards radicalisation and militancy which is not confined to any one religion or stream of thought. It works as a double-edged sword for all who use it.

In this context, India, just like other countries, must look into their own schooling and educational system and see what has worked and what has not. India can take and also give some lessons internationally. India has to learn to widen its education base, improve education methods, infrastructure and give access to the millions deprived of it. But what India can show as a model is that the State interventions in education and the government schools and universities have largely maintained a secular and constitution-based model of education. This pattern should be deepened and widened if India wants development, security and international leadership. Any tampering will damage not just education but the country as a whole.

Anuradha Chenoy is professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

The views expressed are personal
Tamil Nadu is all set to vote for a new assembly along with neighbouring Puducherry and Kerala, the polling for which will begin at 7am on Monday. However, reports of large scale distribution of cash for votes from different parts of the state have cast a shadow on the polls.

On Saturday, Nirvachan Sadan postponed the elections in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur assembly segments in view of the seriously vitiated atmosphere due to cash seizures since April.

The commission is satisfied that the current electoral process in Aravakurichi assembly constituency has been seriously vitiated on account of unlawful activities of the candidates and political parties and their workers in bribing the electors and unlawfully inducing them by offering money and other gifts of consumable items to woo them in their favour, the Election Commission said on Saturday.

It is amid this campaign against misuse of money that Tamil Nadus 5.82 crore voters will get a chance to exercise their franchise on Monday to elect 232 members to the assembly. A total of 3,776 candidates are in fray, including 320 women and two belonging to the third gender. The total number of polling stations is over 65,600.

In all there are four chief ministerial candidates, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, PWF-DMDK-TMC combine choice film star-turned-politician Vijayakanth and Pattali Makkal Katchis Anbumani Ramadoss, a former union health minister.

But the fight is essentially between the two Dravidian majors  the AIADMK and the DMK. J jayalalithaaa is virtually going at it alone, barring a couple of minor allies, whereas the DMK has teamed up with its trusted old ally, the Congress and few other regional parties.

Meanwhile, the EC on Sunday directed the DMK to stop campaigning on the social media and sought an explanation from Karunanidhi as to why action should not be taken against him for violating the code of conduct. The DMK also sought more time from the EC to reply to the notice it was served along with the AIADMK for allegedly violating the code of conduct in their manifestos.

In Puducherry, the battle is between two Congress parties  the one led by Sonia Gandhi and the breakaway party led by N Rangasamy, who is the chief minister. There are a total of 334 candidates in fray including 21 women.
For the first time in Keralas political history, a two-way contest to the finish line has been reshaped by the presence of a third rival- BJPs National Democratic Alliance (NDA)- as a result of which the upcoming polls are in for a photo finish.

While traditional contenders- the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed Left Democratic Front (LDF)-continue to dominate the states political arena, the NDA could play party pooper for the two fronts by cutting into their vote share.

With no clear winner in sight, the UDF hopes to become the first incumbent party to retain power in the state. The Left on the other hand will be hoping for history to repeat itself so that it can regain one of its old bastions. For the saffron party, the elections are an opportunity to prove that it is no longer a pushover in the southern state.

The Left, which enjoys a slight edge over the other two, is banking on Keralas 28% Muslim population to form the government.

Both UDF and LDF have tried wooing voters from minority communities in the run up to the election.

Dont allow these people to enter your kitchen to find out what you cooked for the day, veteran Congress leader AK Antony said as he tried to dissuade people from electing the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) because of its perceived anti-beef stand.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also in the running for the chief ministers post, said there was no doubt that they will cross the hundred mark easily.

However, even ardent supporters did not share the CPI(M) politburos confidence as they claimed that winning hundred or more seats in the state with 140 constituencies will be a herculean task.

The BJP has left no stone unturned while campaigning for the polls. From pumping in money, to getting party bigwigs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host rallies, the right-wing party has tried its all to pose a threat to the other two traditional rivals.

In the absence of a clear wave in favour of any front, the polls are likely to run down to the wire. The solar scam and the brutal rape and murder of a Dalit woman in the state were among the key issues that dominated the campaign.

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Charging the DMK and the AIADMK with distributing money to voters in all the 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, PMK leader S Ramadoss on Sunday urged the Election Commission to disqualify the candidates of these parties and postpone Mondays election.

In a statement in Madurai, he said the Election Commission has postponed the elections in Aravakurichi citing distribution of money to the voters. This means EC has openly admitted the distribution of money.

Claiming that action of the Election Commission in postponing the election in one constituency will not bear any fruit, he said PMK had been demanding action against distribution of money since the elections were announced.

Alleging that money was distributed in all constituencies, he urged the Election Commission to disqualify candidates of DMK and AIADMK and postpone the polls.


BJP candidate for Coimbatore South Assembly constituency was allegedly attacked on Sunday by AIADMK workers in Coimbatore.

The incident took place when Vanati Srinivasan was getting into her car after attending a funeral, police said.

A gang armed with sickles and iron rods attacked her and she sustained injuries on her hand though BJP workers accompanying Vanati tried to protect her. The window panes of the car were also damaged.

The miscreants fled the scene after the incident. Later, Vanati left the spot in another vehicle.

A few BJP workers, who suffered injuries were admitted to the government hospital, they said.

Vanati blamed the police for remaining mute spectators during the attack and said she would lodge complaints with the District Collector and Police Commissioner.

AIADMK is afraid of sure defeat in the constituency and was indulging in such activities to scare the rival candidates and voters, she said.
A tractor trolley carrying around 40 villagers to a goddess temple in Ratangarh village of Datia district turned turtle in Shivpuri district on Sunday morning killing eight persons and hurting at least 30 others.

The deceased included a six-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman Rajkumari. The injured, some of whom are critical, have been hospitalized in Shivpuri.

The Shivpuri district administration, has announced an immediate Rs 13,000 financial assistance to the kin of each of the deceased, district collector Rajiv Chandra Dubey said.

According to Shivpuri police sources, the accident happened early in the morning near Davra village under Dinara police station area (350 km from Bhopal), when the tractor trolley carrying around 40 villagers from Khaniyadana (Shivpuri) overturned possibly due to the driver taking a nap.

All eight passengers who died in the mishap were killed on the spot. Besides, the 6-year-old boy and the 40-year-old woman, the six other deceased have been identified as Ravindra Prajapati (18), Maniram Prajapati (50), Rabudi Prajapati (30), Manoj Prajapati (25), Harnam Prajapati (30) and Bhagwan Singh (55).

All the passengers from Khaniyadana were on way to offer prayers at Ratangarh goddess temple in adjoining Datia district.
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is upping her Cannes red carpet game with every successive appearance. The star who walked the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival again on Saturday wore an Elie Saab gold lace gown with an embellished bodice.

Read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchans most relaxed Cannes appearance

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of the film The BFG at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes on Saturday. (REUTERS)

She was there to attend the screening of Steven Spielbergs The BFG. Aishwarya is promoting her second film after her five-year break, Sarbjit, at the festival. The film, directed by Oomung Kumar, will also be screened at the festival. Kumar and Richa Chadha are also at Cannes to attend the screening.

Read: Aishwarya slips into sexy red gown for her 2nd Cannes 2016 outing

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan poses during portraits at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday. (AP)

#aishwaryaraibachchan in a gorgeous red dress by Naeem Khan! #day3 #Cannes #lorealcannes #lorealista #makeupdesigner #lorealmakeup A video posted by iCANnes by L'Oreal Paris (@icannesbylorealparis) on May 14, 2016 at 4:32am PDT

Earlier, at an important event on Friday, Aishwarya chose to flaunt a red ruffled gown from New York-based designer Naeem Khan. On the terrace of Hotel Martinez, post her press interactions, the LOreal Paris team celebrated the 15th year Canniversary of Aishwarya by cutting a cake and presenting her with a bouquet of red roses.

For her first Cannes appearance on Friday, the 42-year-old actor floated down the red carpet in a close-fitted Ali Younes beaded cape couture gown. She added a pop of colour with turquoise eye shadow, completing her look with middle-part waves.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan once again stopped the glam fest at Cannes in its tracks. (AFP)

Indian Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai arrives on May 13, 2016 for the screening of the film Ma Loute (Slack Bay) at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. (AFP)
Kriti Sanon, who is leaving no stone unturned to perfect her role in upcoming flick Raabta, has reportedly injured her ankle while shooting an action sequence.

Read: I havent seen the dark side of Bollywood, says Kriti Sanon

According to media reports, the 25-year-old actor, who was shooting in the Hungarian city, sustained injuries while sprinting across the roof of a castle. She lost her grip and crashed onto the safety mat, twisting her ankle in the process. She has been advised rest for a couple of days.

Watch: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon in Manma Emotion from Dilwale

Directed by Dinesh Vijan, the upcoming flick, which also stars Sushant Singh Rajput, is slated to hit the theatres on February 10, 2017.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
He has been the bad man of Bollywood for almost four decades, and unlike the current generation of actors, Gulshan Grover never bothered about being offered the same kind of roles throughout his career.

Only weak actors worry about getting typecast and I was never like that. Those who are truly talented and trained do not worry about this because they can break an image with a sincere performance in one go, says Grover, who will be seen playing a hero in a digital film.

The actor, who played negative role in films such as, Ram Lakhan (1989), Dilwale (1994) and Raja Babu (1994), was nominated for the National Award for his performance in the film I AM Kalam (2010). Grover feels projects such as these give actors the opportunity to prove their mettle. For so many years, I played a baddie but here came a normal sensitive film like I Am Kalam and I got nominated for the National Award. Projects such as these make actors confident and feel that they can make or break their image on the silver screen, he says.

Read: I left Delhi to become a star: Gulshan Grover

The actor lived in Delhi before he moved to Mumbai in 1976 to get into Bollywood. Even now, there are some things about the Capital which he misses a lot. I miss Delhi winter and it is so fantastic to be here during that time. Delhi has people who have the courage to go out there and find a way. That is what I keep it in my arsenal when I am abroad. I dont forget where I set out from, says Grover.

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The ban imposed on diesel cars and SUVs with engine capacity of 2,000cc and above in Delhi-NCR by the Supreme Court has impacted about 5,000 jobs in the automobile sector, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

It also said that the ban, which has been in effect since December 16, has resulted in production loss of around 11,000 units.

... production loss due to the ban of these vehicles in NCR from December 16, 2015 to April 30, 2016 has resulted in 11,000 vehicles, which translates to impact on approximately 5,000 jobs in the industry, Siam said, in a written submission to the Supreme Court.

Giving a ground level impact of the apex courts restrictions, it further said if extended across the country, it (the ban) would lead to a loss of production of one lakh vehicles over the same period and would have impacted 47,000 jobs.

Stating that no dealer is financially capable of indefinitely holding such large stocks of 2,000cc and above diesel passenger vehicles and SUVs, it said: The banned stocks had to be transferred to non-NCR dealers for disposal.

Opposing levy of Environmental Compensation Charge (ECC) on diesel vehicles, the automobile industry body said it could result in permanent job loss of a significant number of industry employees and the problem becomes manifold if such measure gets extended to other parts of the country beyond NCR.

As there are several PILs filed for banning of four-wheeler diesel passenger vehicle and registrations are pending in different high courts in the country, Siam apprehended that a replication of the Supreme Court ban to across the country could result in a huge, prejudicial adverse impact on manufacturing and direct and indirect employment on a pan India basis.

Such adverse repercussions, even on existing employment and much more for future job creation are significant, and without a long term comprehensive policy could be potentially disastrous, Siam said in its submission.

It further said: There is no established link between engine capacity and emission levels. As such the 2,000 cc limit is arbitrary and the impact of banning these vehicles has an infinitesimal effect on air quality.
The AAP government spent about Rs 15 crore on advertisements in the print media during the 91-day period till May 11, according to an RTI reply.

The list of publications which received money from the Kejriwal government for carrying the advertisements interestingly included dailies from Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu among other states.

The Delhi government disbursed a total amount of Rs 14.56 crore for advertising excluding broadcast from February 10 to May 11, according to a reply provided to a RTI query by advocate Aman Panwar.

The AAP government came under attack from the opposition Congress on Sunday for its advertising campaigns.

On one hand we dont have money to pay salaries to sanitation workers, on one hand we dont even have money to pay for pension but on the other they are spending huge amounts (for advertisements) for self publicity, Congress leader Ajay Maken said.

The Delhi government spent around Rs 5 crore in publicising the two rounds of the odd-even scheme, implemented for 15 days each in January and April respectively, the Lok Sabha was told recently.

Minister of state for home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said that expenditure of print media stood at Rs 1.67 crore while an amount of Rs 3.72 crore was spent to advertise the road-rationing policy on electronic media.

As informed by the government of NCT of Delhi, the total expenditure on odd and even campaign so far is Rs 539.41 lakh (Rs 5.39 crore), the minister said in reply to a question. The Opposition has targeted chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the the odd-even measure, enforced as an anti-pollution initiative by the AAP government, terming it as a publicity stunt.
A woman was arrested and a hunt launched for her husband for the alleged rape of an Uzbek national and pushing her into prostitution in south Delhis Vasant Kunj area.

According to the 23-year-old womans complaint, Altaf alias Raju, 34, befriended her on Facebook in May last year.

He told her that he was in love with her and proposed to her. He also asked her to come to India and join his business. When she landed in India, Altaf took her to a hotel room in Mahipalpur and repeatedly raped her on the pretext of marriage, a senior police officer said.

Read: Arrested for rape, toy seller turns out to be serial rapist

The woman further alleged that Altaf held her captive in the room and made video recordings of her.

He later introduced her to his wife Anjali, 23, and threatened to post the videos online if she tried to leave the country.

The woman alleged that the couple took her passport and cash and pushed her into flesh trade. She said they sent clients to the room and forced her to entertain them, the officer told HT.

The woman managed to escape on Saturday with the help of a friend and approached the Vasant Kunj police, who registered a case of rape and immoral trafficking.

Anjali was arrested and Altaf, who has several criminal cases registered against him, was on the run. Our teams are raiding his hideouts and we expect to arrest him soon. We are also investigating whether he was running a flesh trade racket involving the trafficking of Uzbeki woman, another police officer said.

Read: In Delhi, a rape accused has 83% chance of acquittal
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave Delhi a small reason to cheer: The city is no longer the most polluted in the world. That crown of thorns now sits on the head of Zabol in Iran. Reacting to the report, New Delhi-based policy think tank Centre for Science and Environment said this has been made possible because the city adopted some important measures: The Euro IV emission standards were introduced in 2010; in the last two years, actions have been taken like not allowing pre-2000 trucks to enter the city; the closure of Rajghat coal-based power plant, the odd-even traffic management and crucially building public opinion around the issue.

Read: Half of worlds 20 most polluted cities in India, Delhi in 11th position

As is the nature of political parties, the Delhi government has been quick to claim credit for the pollution ranking. But this chest-thumping is a bit premature because the work is far from over and it will take years of concerted effort to improve the air quality in the city. There is another reason why we must not rejoice: In the worlds 20 most polluted cities there are 10 Indian cities, and all are in the north and central belt, which is exactly where the density of population is among the highest in the country. In fact, even when the 2014 list of polluted cities came out and Delhi topped it, the focus was so much on the Capital that most forgot about the plight of the citizens in the smaller cities who not only have a hard time living in such a polluted atmosphere but also have to contend with half-measures from their governments.

Read | AAP rushes to claim credit over pollution ranking

For example, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board recently issued a notice to brick entrepreneurs of Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Hapur to convert from natural draft kilns to induced draft kilns in 90 days. It is estimated that the brick kiln sector is the largest contributor to PM10 emissions in the NCR region after transport, road dust and thermal power plants. There are around 700 brick kilns in the three districts of Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Hapur. Most of these kilns are natural draft Bulls Trench Kilns. While the UPPCB has rightly identified brick kilns as an important source of air pollution, experts say that the technological solution suggested is inadequate and will not lead to a reduction in pollution.

Instead of focusing on some cities --- they make headline news no doubt ---- the focus must be on an all-India air pollution plan since it is the fifth largest killer in the country.
Despite holding a number of rounds of discussions, the state government is yet to take concrete measures to check students suicide in the state.

Since the Class 12 results of the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education examinations were been declared on May 12, more than eight students have committed suicide and another six have attempted to commit suicide, taking the toll of students who have take the extreme step in the state to more than 42.

Earlier in March, after the chief minister intervened, a suicide prevention committee was formed in the state assembly. The committee, however, is yet to submit its report.

Results are crucial moment for students and the committee should have been ready with some plans, said educationists.

We were given four months time of to submit a report on ways to prevent students from committing suicide so we are in the process of drafting it, said Archana Chitnis, president of the suicide prevention committee and former state education minister.

We will try to submit our report soon, she said.

Minister of state for school education Deepak Joshi said all government-run schools in the state will have a counseller. But the government is yet to initiate the process for appointing counsellors in government schools.

In the wake of a spurt in suicides by school students, concern was raised in the state assembly during the budget session. Chief minister tried to boost the morale of students, saying that they should accept failures. Citing the Bhagvad Gita, he appealed to students not be stressed over results.

School education minister Paras Jain and Deepak Joshi too encouraged unsuccessful students while announcing the Class 12 board results on May 12.

The board has launched a programme Ruk Jana Nahi for the students who failed in the Class 12 examinations so they do not lose another year, said Jain.

In accordance with the cabinet discussions on students suicide and instructions of chief minister, we have decided to let failed students appear in the State Open Board exams and give them another chance to clear the exam within this session, he said.

The stress of the results is visible as more than 500 students are calling the MPBSE helpline every day before the Class 10 results are scheduled declared on May 16. The helpline data, states that 800 calls came every day prior to the Class 12 results were declared.

Helpline counsellor Neeta Tiwari said, Now we are mostly getting calls from Class 10 students. We are advising unsuccessful students that they still stand a chance as they can write the exams through the open school scheme.

7 students commit suicide

At least seven students who appeared for the Madhya Pradesh board Class 12 examinations allegedly committed suicide in different parts of the state during the last 72 hours. The results of the examinations were declared on Thursday. Six other students who allegedly attempted suicide after failing to pass in the examinations are battling for life at hospitals in different districts.

Over 30 students in the state have taken their lives due to exam-related stress since January. Amir Mehboob, a Bhopal-based parenting counselor blamed poor communication between students and authority figures for the growing suicides. There is a yawning communication gap between children and parents as well teachers and students, due to which pent-up feelings and problems of children stay unresolved, resulting in extreme cases to suicides, Mehboob said.
Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro made a subtle jab at Republican presidential presumptive nominee Donald Trump while accepting the Excellence in Media honour at the GLAAD Media Awards.

The award ceremony took place last night in New York, said The Hollywood Reporter. You think youve got it bad, LBGT community? I dont think you know what its like to be really discriminated against, De Niro quipped upon taking the stage.

Making a reference to Marco Rubios small hands comments that fuelled the feud between the former candidate and Trump, De Niro said, I recently turned on the television news and saw this odd guy with little hands, and he was raving. Turns out, the ones being discriminated against are straight, middle-aged white men.

Read: Raging Bull Robert De Niro to be at Cannes with Hands of Stone

Read: Robert De Niro refuses to show anti-vaccine documentary at Tribeca

The actor went on to take another jibe at Hollywoods diversity issue, joking that hed lost out on many roles to the likes of Michael B Jordan, John Boyega and Jennifer Lawrence. It makes sense. Ive been losing parts right and left to what used to be called diversity actors, he said.

One that really hurts, seeing the role of Dr Dre in Straight Outta Compton going to Corey Hawkins. And I cant remember the last time I got a Teen Choice Award... Its not easy being a straight, white man.

Ending his speech on a more serious note, De Niro, 72, left the audience with empowering words on the importance of supporting LGBT rights. As an actor, I dont judge the characters I play. As a person, I dont judge the characters I play with, he said to cheers and applause from the crowd.

Watch: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway in The Intern trailer

I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where freedom of expression in art and in life were the norms. Now, we have to look outside our bubble to the world where, because of religious beliefs or ignorance or mean-spiritedness, its not so easy.

He concluded, Im proud to stand with you. Im GLAAD.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
A 70-year-old woman passenger on wheel chair was not allowed to board her Air India flight to New York from Mumbai via Delhi allegedly due to over booking.

The incident took place on Friday. The woman was later flown on the airlines Delhi-London Heathrow flight to provide her a connecting flight for her destination, New York , an Air India official said.

Air India attributed the denial of boarding to the woman passengers on its flight AI 101 (Mumbai-Delhi-New York) due to the cancellation of its same flight on Thursday.

The incident was brought out by her daughter, who tweeted, seeking airlines help in this regard.

Air India has ofloadsd my 70y mother from her US flight becoz of overbooking. She is wheelchairbound and scared. Please help! @airindiain  Tierra travels (@RupalTierra) May 13, 2016

In fact, Air India flight which was to depart for New York via Delhi was cancelled due to some technical issue. As a result some of the passengers of that flight were accommodated in its Fridays flight, leading to denial of boarding to many passengers including this woman, airline sources said.

All the stranded passengers were given accommodation, the official said, adding, the woman passenger was later flown to Delhi from where she boarded Air India flight AI 115 for London. The London staff was also informed of her arrival and told to provide her all help in getting a connecting Air India flight to New York from there.
After Pakistan, which pulled out of the South Asian Satellite Project, Afghanistan too has shown no interest in the venture mooted by India.

Sources said Afghanistan has tied up with a European company for its space-related needs.

We had several rounds of discussions with Afghanistan. At one point they demand a particular thing and we have an agreement. In the next meeting, they would put forth some other demand.

Another issue was the location of the satellite. The location where India and Afghanistan wanted to place their satellite in the orbit was more or less the same, an official involved in the negotiations said.

Sources said Bangladesh is not too keen on the satellite project as it is set for launch of its own geostationary communications satellite, Bang Bandhu-1.

However, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are still interested in taking the project forward and talks are on with these countries.

In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked Isro to develop the satellite that can be dedicated as a gift to the neighbouring countries. He had also made the announcement at the Saarc summit in Kathmandu.

India had held deliberations with experts from other Saarc countries to finalise modalities for a satellite exclusively for the regional grouping.

The expenditure on the ground system of the proposed South Asian Satellite Project will be borne by the regional bloc countries, while India will bear the expenses to be incurred on building and launching it.

The objective of this project is to develop a satellite for the Saarc region that enables a full range of services to all our neighbours in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting applications like television, DTH, tele-education and disaster management, the official added.

The satellite is to be launched in December this year.

Since the beginning, Pakistan had insisted that the project be brought under the ambit of Saarc, which was opposed by India. Following this, Pakistan opted out of the project.

India has made it clear that it will go ahead with the project irrespective of whoever is on board.
An alert has been sounded along the Sino-India border after local residents, including a village head, received telephone calls from spies either from Pakistan or China, about army deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The caller, posing as either a colonel or a local official, made queries about army presence in the area and the timing of their movements, official sources said.

The sarpanch (village head) of Durbuk village, recently received a call where he was asked whether outstanding issues with the army had been sorted out.

The sarpanch, who was sitting inside an army camp at the time of receiving the call, got suspicious and enquired from the caller about his identity.

Despite the caller claiming to be from the Deputy Commissioners office, the sarpanch snubbed him and said he should get in touch with the army.

He also inquired at the local DCs office, only to find out that no one from that number had called. The army later found that the number appearing on the sarpanchs phone had been masked and that it was a computer generated call.

Talking to PTI over phone, the sarpanch, Stanzin, said he received the call only once. The caller was asking about the movement of troops and whether the roads had been built in the area for their movement.

He said he was from the army headquarters but from his stupid queries, I got suspicious and informed the army officer standing next to me, he said.

Later, the army found that several people in villages along the Sino-Indian border had been receiving calls from such unknown numbers and in a few cases, basic information had been shared out of pure ignorance by the villagers.

The army took the help of the state administration and a mass campaign has been launched to educate people in general and those living along the Sino-Indian border not to share any information with any unidentified caller.

The army has also asked its formations along the LAC to educate all the civilians in their Areas Of Responsibility (AOR) so that such spies do not get any information about the movement of troops.

The army has laid special emphasis on educating the elected members and office bearers of Hill Council as they had some information pertaining to army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which man the borders with Pakistan and China, to remain alert and not to give any kind of information to these suspicious callers.

This was based on an analysis by the army that calls were being received by only those people who were either sarpanch or working in state government and were privy to some information about the troops and ITBP officials.

The army has asked people to get in touch with the nearest army unit with names of the callers and telephone numbers, name and telephone number of the recipient, details sought by the caller and queries raised by him.


Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mahatma Gandhi, saying like the world keenly listened to the Father of the Nation, it now listens to Modi.

First, the world would keenly listen to everything Mahatma Gandhi said. Today, the world listens to Modiji, he said at the launch of the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the presence of BJP chief Amit Shah and chief ministers Anandiben Patel (Gujarat) and Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan).

In his speech, Shah compared Modis campaign for giving up LPG subsidy by well-off people to that of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastris call of voluntarily giving up one meal to deal with food shortage.

The response to the appeal was unprecedented. Perhaps never before did any Prime Minister get such a massive response, Shah said.

If we look back, perhaps (former PM) Lal Bahadur Shastri had made a similar appeal to the countrymen to stop eating dal-rice which received immense response and people had stopped eating it, the BJP chief said.

On PM Modis appeal, one crore people have left the (gas) subsidy which is not a small thing, he said.

Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel said the Prime Minister had fulfilled promises made before the Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the gathering, Raje said Modi always believed in working for the benefit of the poor.

Recently, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu had hailed Modi as a Gods gift to India, drawing a sharp jibe from Congress which wondered whether his flattering chant was much different from Dev Kant Baruahs India is Indira and Indira is India remark for which he was castigated.
From Bihar MLCs son allegedly shooting a 20-year-old to Supreme Court upholding defamation as a criminal act and Sushil Kumar being left out of Indian Rio Olympics plans, here is your weekly digest of news.

Sunday - 8th May

Indian Army may cut non-combat jobs

Army chief General Dalbir Singh has ordered a study to determine how the 1.2-million strong Indian Army, can be rightsized, said a top army officer familiar with the plan.

The chief has asked one of his senior-most generals to come up with recommendations by August-end to initiate targeted reductions to improve the forces tooth-to-tail ratio  the number of personnel (tail) required to support a combat soldier (tooth).

The army has a sanctioned strength of 49,631 officers but is short of 9,106 officers. Reorienting roles of officers could help improve the ratio.

Full story: Indian Army wants to be leaner, may cut non-combat jobs

Bihar MLCs son kills 20 year old

The son of a ruling Janata Dal (United) lawmaker allegedly shot dead a 20-year-old student in a case of road rage in Bihars Gaya town on Saturday night, triggering a wave of protests against the Nitish Kumar government.

Police said member of the legislative council (MLC) Manorama Devis son, Rocky, sprayed bullets on a car --- in which Aditya Kumar Sachdeva was travelling with four friends --- after an altercation over overtaking. A bullet pierced through the rear windshield and fatally hit Adityas head. He was in the back seat.

Full story: Bihar youngster shot dead after overtaking car of JD(U) leaders son

Monday - 9th May

NEET stays, states barred from holding medical exam

Rejecting the states demand for their own entrance examinations, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that all admissions to medical and dental courses would be held on the basis of a single National Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test (NEET).

It is also clarified that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies, a bench headed by justice AR Dave said.

However, the court gave relief to students who complained of not getting enough time for NEET-1 held on May 1. It said students would be allowed to appear in the second phase of the test on July 24, provided they gave up their NEET-1 score.

Full story: States cant hold medical entrance tests for MBBS, BDS: Supreme Court

BJP waves Modis degrees, AAP says they are forged

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made public on Monday what it said were Narendra Modis university degree certificates, seeking to blunt opposition allegations that the Prime Minister had fabricated his education qualifications.

The party deputed its top leaders  Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley  to defend Modis qualifications that became a subject of intense speculation after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed the Prime Minister had faked them.

The BJP leaders accused Kejriwal of lowering the level of public discourse in the country and sought an apology from him.

But within an hour of the BJPs press conference, Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said Modis certificates were forged, citing what it said were glaring discrepancies in various details on the documents.

Full story: BJP waves PM Modis university degrees, Kejriwal calls them fake

Tuesday - 10th May

Second year in a row, IAS topper is a Delhi woman

A 22-year-old woman from Delhi topped the 2015 civil services examination on her first attempt and a railway officer from Jammu and Kashmir secured the second position as the results of one of Indias toughest tests were announced on Tuesday.

A total of 1,078 candidates cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. Tina Dabi topped the test, followed by Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan and Delhis Jasmeet Singh Sandhu.

Full Story: Delhis Tina Dabi tops in UPSC 2015 exams | List of other toppers

Diesel cabs can operate in Delhi-NCR till permit expires: SC

The Supreme Court said on Monday diesel taxis with national permits could ply in Delhi until their permit expired but banned new registrations of such vehicles that provide pick-up and drop facilities in the Capital.

The order is a relief for commuters, who struggled with traffic snarls and protests after the top courts April 30 order  that banned diesel taxis in Delhi to improve air quality  forced over 50,000 All India Tourist Permit (AITP) cabs off city roads.

Full story: Diesel cabs can operate in Delhi-NCR till permit expires: SC

Wednesday - 11th May

Getting Mallya back becomes difficult

Britain has refused to deport Vijay Mallya and asked New Delhi to seek his extradition, the government said on Wednesday, in a setback to Indias efforts to bring back the embattled liquor baron who left the country owing more than 9,000 crore to a consortium of banks.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha that India will initiate the process of extraditing Mallya to face investigators probing money laundering charges. The British governments response came nearly a fortnight after India made a request for the deportation of Mallya, whose diplomatic passport was revoked last month.

Cancellation of passport does not result in automatic deportation, that is the stand taken by UK, Jaitley said. Mallya resigned from the Rajya Sabha this month.

Full story: UK wont deport Vijay Mallya, FM Jaitley says not surprised

SC declares Harish Rawat winner in Uttarakhand assembly trust vote

The Supreme Court on Wednesday formally declared Harish Rawat the winner in the Uttarakhand assembly trust vote after which Presidents rule was lifted in the state, facilitating his return as chief minister.

Shortly after the top courts order, the Union cabinet recommended revocation of Presidents rule, which was done later in the evening, ending nearly two months of a political impasse in the state.

Congress vice- president Rahul Gandhi was quick to react, saying democracy won in Uttarakhand.

Full story: Harish Rawat shows whos the boss in Uttarakhand, but conditions apply

Thursday - 12th May

India chokes up list of top polluted cities

Half of the worlds 20 most polluted cities are in India, said a World Health Organisation report released on Thursday, indicating industrial and vehicular exhaust were choking large parts of the country with little oversight or a monitoring mechanism.

Delhi is no longer the worlds most polluted city, dropping to 11th position with smaller towns galloping past the Capital.

The top spot is taken by the Iranian city of Zabol that falls in the middle of a dust bowl. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh take second and third spots, respectively.

Delhis pollution levels improved slightly with PM 2.5 concentration recorded at 122 micro gram per cubic metre of air  still six times above the WHO safety limit of 20 and three times above the Indian standard of 40.

Full story: Half of worlds 20 most polluted cities in India, Delhi in 11th position

Sushil Kumar may move court for Rio berth

Sushil Kumar plans to take his Olympic ticket hunt all the way to court with the Wrestling Federation of India making it clear it is not in favour of his demand for a selection trial.

The double Olympic medallist will file a motion in the Delhi high court in a day or two, a source told HT, saying, It is one of the options but we hope the matter is resolved before this.

Kumar  who seems almost certain to miss the Rio Games in August with his name left out of the list of probables sent to the Indian Olympic Association, as reported by HT on Thursday  has been demanding trials in the 74kg weight category. Making his chances bleaker is the fact that the younger N ar sing hP an ch am Ya dav has already bagged a quota in this division with a bronze finish at the 2015 Worlds in Las Vegas.

Full story: Wrestler Sushil Kumar may move court for Rio Olympics berth

Friday - 13th May

Free speech not absolute, criminal defamation stays

Defamation will remain a criminal offence in India, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday, rejecting pleas from top politicians and public intellectuals that the British-era provision was an outdated idea that undermined free speech.

The verdict deals a blow to advocates of free speech, who had hoped to nudge the courts to either abolish or water down the criminal defamation law which, they say, discourages dissent and forces people to hold back even fair criticism of powerful people.

The court said the right to speech was sacrosanct but not absolute, and that ones right to reputation was part of ones fundamental right to life.

Full story: Supreme Court upholds defamation law contested by Rahul, Kejriwal, Swamy

Hindustan bureau chief gunned down in Bihar

A senior journalist and Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan was shot dead on Friday, the latest in a string of crimes that underline the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar.

Five criminals on motorcycles shot two bullets at 42-year-old Rajdeo Ranjan while he was on his way home on a bike. One bullet hit Ranjan on the head and the other on the neck. He was taken to the hospital but was declared dead.

Ranjan worked for Hindustan  a sister concern of Hindustan Times and one of Bihars largest circulating newspapers  for 20 years. Police launched a manhunt to catch the killers. The motive behind the murder wasnt known.

India is considered one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world with political influence mixed with a nexus between criminals and industry causing a surge in crimes against reporters.

Full story: Rajdeo Ranjan, bureau chief of Hindustan, shot dead in Bihars Siwan

NIA clears Sadhvi, says police likely planted RDX in Malegaon

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) dropped all charges against religious leader Pragya Thakur and five others for lack of evidence in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, saying a shoddy probe by Maharashtra authorities forced the U-turn.

The investigators revoked provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case and alleged the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) planted explosives on one of the accused.

The September 2008 blast in the Muslim-majority Malegaon town killed six people and injured 101. HT had reported on April 24 that the NIA was planning to let Thakur and others off the hook for lack of evidence.

Full story: Malegaon case: NIA gives clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya, five others

Saturday - 14th May

US backs India for NSG spot after China red flag

The US has reiterated its backing for Indias candidature for the Nuclear Suppliers Group after China defended its move to block Indias entry on the ground that it had not signed on to a key global non-proliferation treaty.

Reports have suggested China is acting at the behest of its key ally Pakistan to block Indias efforts to join the 48-nation bloc, a move that will make it easier access nuclear technology and know-how.

Id point you back to what (President Ba rack O ba ma) said during his visit to India in 2015, where he reaffirmed that the US view was that India meets missile technology control regime requirements and is ready for NSG membership, state department spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday. He was responding to a question on the reports that China and Pakistan have come together to oppose Indias candidature for the NSG.

Deliberations about the prospects of new members joining the NSG are an internal matter among current members, he said. Im going to refer you to the governments of China and Pakistan with respect to their positions on Indias membership.

Full story: After Chinas red flag, US backs Indias entry into nuclear club

Ahmedabad to Karnavati? RSS eyes new names

Ahmedabad might soon be known as Karnavati, Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar and Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar, if the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has its way.

The Sangh that was crucial in pushing through Gurgaons name change to Gurugram last month is now preparing for more such reversals to highlight Indian culture and cleanse foreign influence.

Critics say the name changes are an attempt to re-write Indias history and extend the Sanghs cultural influence.

The RSS has made such attempts in the past but its clout in the BJP  that rules Gujarat and Maharashtra among other states  strengthens the possibility of such changes being accepted by governments.

Full story: Ahmedabad to Karnavati? RSS wants name change for more Indian cities
A teenager was stabbed by her lover in Gaya district of Bihar on Saturday.

The victim was rushed to Gaya Medical College and later referred to Patna where her condition is said to be critical.

Enraged by the incident, a mob thrashed the boy and later handed him over to the police.
Its a flood of VIPs in Marathwadas Latur district  among the regions hit worst by the severe water scarcity that the state is facing.

In the past few weeks, three former CMs, a former deputy CM and two party chiefs have made their way to the parched district.

Read more: Railways withdraws Rs 4 cr water bill to Latur, promises more Jaldoot

And, the show is set to get bigger, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party organising a massive rally on Sunday, which all its 22 MPs will attend.

So far, former CMs Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and Narayan Rane, former deputy CM Ajit Pawar, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and leaders of the opposition, Dhananjay Munde and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, have visited Latur, Osmanabad and Beed, to speak to villagers and slam the state government for poor relief work.

Read more: Latur village says no to water-guzzling sugarcane

The NCPs stance: comparing CM Devendra Fadnavis administrative skills with that of Sharad Pawars and how his government handled the 1993 Killari (in Latur) earthquake by setting up special cells.

The NCP has demanded that a mini-Mantralaya be set up on the lines of that special cell. After his visit last week, leader of opposition in the state council, Dhananjay Munde, submitted a memorandum to Fadnavis, asking for special administrative units to be set up for the next two months.

Read more: First showers boost Laturs water stock

It is the failure of the administration that the intensity of the drought has been on the rise day by day. The then chief minister Sharad Pawar had set up a special cell at Latur during the 1993 earthquake and also made sure two of his ministers, Padmasinh Patil and Vilasrao Deshmukh, sat at Latur and the neighbouring Osmanabad, Munde said.

The Shiv Sena slammed its allys policy. Its chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded a complete loan waiver for farmers in distress. The Congress Narayan Rane, on Friday, had demanded an ex-gratia of Rs25,000 each for all farmers as relief.

The BJP, sensing it was fighting a lonely political battle, is now all set for its Sunday show. After visiting farmers across villages through Saturday, the party has organised a Jaljagaran (water awareness) rally at the Ambedkar grounds that is expected to be attended by at least 20,000 people.

We have asked each of our MPs to visit at least three district councils so that we cover all 58 circles in the district. The MPs will visit villages, talk to farmers to understand their situation and try to make villagers aware about the schemes and initiatives our government has launched.

The district party unit has launched many initiatives, including a 50% grant to set up water-harvesting units for farmers and planting 1.50 lakh trees, said Shailesh Lahoti, BJPs city president for Latur.

In its effort to convince people about the governments concern, the BJP will cash in on its decision to bring water to Latur by train  so far, 6.5 crore litres of water have come from Miraj.

Sources said it will also boast about watershed management projects under its Jalyukta Shivar scheme. But for political observers in the region, the focus is not so much on this years drought, as it is on next years civic polls in Latur. We have no representation in the municipal corporation of Latur.

We will bat on projects implemented by the government and try to gain political ground in the city and even in rural parts, said a state-level BJP leader, not wishing to be named. Political analyst HM Desarada said, Both governments are equally responsible for the plight of farmers.

The Congress-NCP rule ensured benefits went to contractors, while the incumbent government is implementing disastrous schemes like the Jalyukt Shivar. I dont think any party has contributed enough to boast.

Amit Deshmukh, Latur MLA and son of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, said he does not think his political rivals will bank on initiatives like bringing a water train. It is a time to coming together rather, instead of gaining political mileage in the wake of the drought, he said. The Latur municipal corporation, which will go to polls next year, does not have a BJP corporator.

In the 70-seat body, there are 50 corporators from Congress, 12 from NCP and eight from the Shiv Sena and RPI.

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Chhattisgarh government has extended the ban on outlawed CPI(Maoist) and its six frontal organisations for another year.

The ban on the CPI(Maoist) and its six frontal organisations has been extended for another one year, a state home department official said on Sunday.

The CPI(Maoist) was first banned along with its affiliates in Chhattisgarh in April 2006 under section 3 of Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act-2005, and since then the state government has been extending the ban every year.

The six frontal organisations of the Maoists that have also been banned are -- Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh, Krantikari Adivasi Balak Sangh, Krantikari Kisan Committee, Mahila Mukti Manch and Jantana Sarkar.

The ban will be effective from April 12, 2016, for the next one year, the official said.

Chhattisgarhs Bastar region, comprising seven districts - Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma - is spread out in about 40,000 sq km areas where security forces have been fighting the Maoist menace for over last three decades.
The Congress on Sunday alleged direct interference by the prime ministers office in what it said was the sudden reversal of NIAs stand in the Malegaon case and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe in the 2008 blasts.

Stepping up the offensive, the opposition party expressed fear that Samjhauta Express blast case could go the same way.

There was direct interference from the PMO...from his (PMs) office, I have said it earlier and everything is being proved, a dirty tricks department is being run. This government is centrally co-ordinated, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

Read: Why NIA dropped charges in Malegaon case

The BJP rejected the accusations. The case had dragged on for years in the court when the UPA was in power but no evidence was produced. Now, Congress is questioning the entire legal process. It should not give colour to terrorism and politicise the issue, BJPs national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

The NIA on Friday filed chargesheet against 10 accused in the case, the most prominent in a string of alleged Hindu terror cases, but dropped all charges against religious leader Pragya Thakur and five others for lack of evidence.

The Congress termed the charge sheet as U-turn and alleged that NIA was reduced to Namo Investigation Agency.

It asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold constitutional oath and discharge duties in line with it, irrespective of his ideology.

The charge sheet, said Anand Sharma, appeared to be aimed at decimating and demolishing the meticulous probe conducted by Maharashtra ATS led by Hemant Karkare, who was killed by Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

He alleged that one of the accused, Col Prasad Purohit, wrote a letter to national security adviser Ajit Doval on January 6 and on January 8 it reached the home ministry, which started started working on it a day later.

...I have not seen such speed in movement of even files in the government, Sharma said.

Four people were killed in a blast in the Muslim-majority town of Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 29, 2008. A month later, Pragya was arrested on charges of terror.

Read: Anti-terror cell may have planted explosives on Malegaon accused: NIA
Thousands of government documents and office equipment were packed into cardboard cartons and steel trunks, and loaded onto some 200 trucks that drove them over 300 km to Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

This biannual ritual of relocating the state secretariat and other government offices from winter capital Jammu to Srinagar, called Durbar Move, was started by Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh and has endured for the last 144 years.

As the Durbar closed phase-wise in Jammu on April 29 and 30, thousands of government employees boarded buses to travel in batches over four days to Srinagar. The Records Convoy and the employees buses were escorted by police teams, a crane and empty buses and trucks.

A labourer is adjusting boxes containing official records of Jammu and Kashmir states' civil secretariat, for loading them into the trucks. (Nitin Kanotra / HIndustan Times)

Ministers, legislators and around 5,000 government employees  from top bureaucrats to helpers  moved this year, according to official estimates. Each employee was paid a travel allowance of Rs 15,000  increased from Rs 10,000 earlier this year. This year, 49 offices of the state government moved in full and 52 others did so in camp, wherein only 33% of their staff or 10 officials (the minimum) moved.

The Durbar opened in Srinagar on May 2, and will move back to Jammu in November.

Documents from the Estates Department website show that about 2,000 rooms were booked in 79 hotels in Srinagar to accommodate the visiting employees. In addition, more than 200 employees were allotted rooms in the tourism departments facilities, around 600 employees in government quarters and about 50 officials in private properties.

Srinagar also got a facelift. In the first week of May, potholes were filled, and zebra crossings and railings were repainted. Officials said preparations for the Durbar Move included improvement in security, sanitation, accommodation and transportation facilities as well.

A labourer is adjusting boxes containing official records of Jammu and Kashmir states' civil secretariat, for loading them into the trucks. (Nitin Kanotra / HIndustan Times)

Though no information on the total cost of the move is released by the government, each department prepares its own estimate, top government officials told HT. However, recent media reports pegged the total expenditure at around Rs 100 crore.

In 2012, then chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, Do I think the Durbar move is a waste of money? Yes I do. Is there an alternative? I havent seen a viable alternative suggested.

Though some, like the former CM, find the expenditure and waste of time unnecessary, not everyone is against this relocation.

I personally feel this is a desirable thing because there is no other state in the world like Jammu and Kashmir, which is so diverse in language, culture, religion and topography, said state education minister Naeem Akhtar. Money spent in Durbar Move is a very small proportion of what is spent in running the government. The social interaction that it provides cannot be measured in money.

Labourers carry the official documents of a civil secretariat to unload a truck during the bi-annual darbar move from Srinagar to Jammu, last year. (Nitin Kanotra / Hindustan Times)

Reports show that former chief minister Farooq Abdullah tried to keep the secretariat at Srinagar permanently in 1987. But faced with opposition in Jammu, he reversed the decision within a month.

No government can stop the practice of Durbar Move now, for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, said prominent Kashmiri columnist Zahid G Muhammad.

Experts say the two regions of the state are greatly diverse, and people from neither would want the capital to be shifted permanently to the other.

A labourer unloads the official documents of a civil secretariat, last year. (Nitin Kanotra / Hindustan Times)

Political scientist Professor Noor Ahmad Baba said a mechanism needs to be developed to have the administration simultaneously in both parts of the state with the help of modern technology if the Durbar Move is to be done away with.
Goa Legislative Assemblys Deputy Speaker Vishnu Wagh suffered a heart attack at a public function here, following which he was rushed to hospital.

Wagh was attending the birthday function of Goa BJP vice president Anil Hoble on Saturday night, when he felt uneasy, family sources said.

The BJP MLA from St Andre was rushed to the Cardiac Care Unit of the nearby Goa Medical College and Hospital where he underwent angioplasty, they added.

He is said to be recovering.
A woman sub-inspector of police from Kutch district of Gujarat claimed on Saturday that a deputy Superintendent of Police forced her to level allegations of sexual harassment against the SP of Kutch (East), G V Barot.

A letter written by the inspector, where she made allegations of sexual harassment and torture against the SP, surfaced on Friday.

I was forced by a DSP to write a letter against Kutch (East) SP, she told reporters at Gandhidham in Kutch district.

The DSP asked me to do so to put mental pressure on the SP who is monitoring a cheating complaint filed at A-Division police station in Gandhidham against the DSPs son, she claimed.

The DSP forced me to write a complaint letter against the SP even when I told him that I did not want to do so. He wanted to clear the name of his son against whom a case is lodged on the charge of forging papers to sell a doctors property, she further claimed.

The DSP blackmailed me to write the letter because of a mistake committed by me during the investigation of domestic violence case after which he had threatened to suspend me, the PSI added.

During investigation in the domestic violence case, I had said there was no criminal case after which the DSP threatened to suspend me as the man against whom the case was filed later killed his wife. In order to save my job, I decided to write the letter as per the DSPs instruction, she claimed.

The DSP could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.

In the letter addressed to the Director General of Police and Gujarat Chief Minister Anadiben Patel, the PSI made allegations of sexual harassment and torture against Barot.

The complainant has threatened to commit suicide if no action was taken against the SP who she claimed forced her into sexual relationship with him and later, forced her to abort her child with the help of another PSI.

When contacted, Barot termed the allegations as highly irresponsible and senseless.

When asked during investigation, she accepted it was her mistake, he said.

On asked if action will be taken against the PSI, the SP said action would be taken as per instructions from the Gujarat Home department.
Indias future highways could be the latest force multiplier for its air force.

The Indian Air Force wants new public roads to be designed to serve as runways for its warplanes, providing an alternative for launching operations if key airfields are bombed out by the enemy, said a top officer.

The IAF, which has 53 airfields across the country, has firmed up an ambitious plan for emergency airstrips in important sectors  identifying road locations, minimum infrastructure requirement and portable logistics support.

It shared the plan for backup runways with the ministry of road transport and highways.

The first such runway is likely to come up on the 302km Lucknow-Agra Expressway, likely to be operational by the year-end.

As part of its plan to use highways as runways, the IAF landed a Mirage 2000 fighter on the Yamuna Expressway in 2015, days after two combat planes landed on an airstrip in Saifai village in UPs Etawah.

We have communicated with the road transport ministry and got the plan for future road constructions  We have identified the roads, which are coming up and can be utilised (as backup runways), a senior IAF officer was quoted as saying in a report tabled in Parliament on May 3.

He said the IAF had covered significant ground over the past year.

Also, existing road sections have been identified for converting them into alternative airfields with a straight stretch of at least 3km.

Alternative runways are likely to dot new highways in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra  states where several fighter squadrons are based.

We are not just looking at recovering fighters on roads. The plan is to create facilities that can be quickly converted into airfields that allow us to reload ammunition and launch missions, said another IAF officer who did not wish to be named.

Countries known to have emergency airstrips on highways include China, Germany, Sweden and Singapore.

The new facilities, where peacetime training will be carried out, are set to come at a cost as state governments will have to acquire more land to convert road stretches into full-fledged airfields.

Such highway sections must fulfill requirements needed to land a plane and for takeoff such as installation of runway lighting, firefighting equipment, communication network, radars, weapon storage and makeshift air traffic control.
It took nearly 12 hours to mobilise staff to begin moving the Lufthansa aircraft that was stuck on the tarmac of Mumbai airport on Friday night. The aircraft was finally towed away 22 hours later.

The aircraft carrying 163 passengers from Munich got stuck on the tarmac around 10.50pm after its landing gear failed. It sat on the airports main runway till the next morning. Although flight ops were moved to the secondary runway, at least four flights, including the Lufthansa return flight to Munich, were cancelled. These included a flight each by Air India and United Airlines bound to Newark.

The Singapore Airlines Airbus 380 was also cancelled. All flights were running up to 40 minutes late and about 1,000 passengers bound to long distance international destinations were held up in the city.

According to airport sources, the German carrier approached Jet Airways for help around 7 am on Saturday. While airport officials did not comment on the delay, a Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the airlines engineers began the rescue work on Saturday morning.

Jet Airways was approached by Lufthansa on Saturday morning requesting help to shift their aircraft from the runway. A team from Jet Airways was mobilised at 8.30am along with equipment to rectify the landing gear, said the spokesperson. The first look at the Airbus A330, a twin-aisle aircraft with a capacity of 240-odd fliers, showed all tyres had ruptured and landing gear had got stuck on the tarmac.

The planes braking system had taken a severe beating. Our first task was to lift the plane so the tyres could be removed. It took a few hours to fix the aircraft jack and lift the jumbo, said an aircraft maintenance engineer from Jet. The damaged tyres were replaced. A few hours also went in fixing the brakes, officials added.

Airport sources said want of manpower and resources led to the delay. Until now, Air India has the best technical infrastructure for aircraft recovery, but in this case, they were only able to provide two aircraft jacks. The work wouldnt have been possible if Jet had not stepped in, said an official.

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The Jammu and Kashmir government has identified three sites for setting up as many colonies for rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley and has conveyed to the Union home ministry about the initiation of the process.

Sources said one of the identified sites is in Baramulla district, which is close to the national highway and the railway station.

There are around 62,000 registered Kashmiri Pandit families in the country, who migrated from the Valley due to militancy in the early 1990s. While about 40,000 families are living in Jammu, around 20,000 moved to Delhi-NCR and the rest settled elsewhere in the country.

Sources said the land identified at Baramullas Kanispora Johema partly belongs to private owners and the state government has approached them for sale. The process to identify two more sites in central and south Kashmir is on.
A third person was detained on Sunday in connection with the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

The man is the caretaker of the CCTV footage and he was quizzed by the police team from Siwan which arrived in Patna to investigate into the disappearance of the footage.

Earlier, the Bihar Police collected evidence from the crime scene of the murder and detained two suspects.

Our special teams comprising a team of forensic science, Special Task Force (STF) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials had been dispatched to Siwan last night. They have collected all possible evidences from the crime scene, besides police have apprehended two suspected accused, and interrogation is going on, said the DGP.

Ranjan, a journalist with Hindi daily Hindustan was shot dead by unidentified men near the Siwan railway station on Friday.

Two bullets were fired at the Siwan bureau chief of the daily that hit his head and neck. He was shifted to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

According to police, five motorcycle-borne criminals were waiting for Ranjan, who was walking down the road to his home, and shot him twice.

Read | Bihar: CCTV footage of Hindustan journo Rajdeo Ranjans murder missing

Read | Shahabuddin aide quizzed over Bihar journalist Ranjans murder
Expanding its money laundering probe into Laffaire Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate has asked around half a dozen lenders of Kingfisher Airlines to furnish details of the financial transactions conducted by the long-grounded air carrier and its top executives.

The banks have been asked to furnish details of all domestic and foreign inward and outward remittances of KFA (Kingfisher Airlines). Information such as from which accounts the money came in and to which accounts they were transferred, have been given to the ED, a source said.

The aim, it seems, is to look at whether there was any case of money laundering or whether the money was parked in any tax haven, said another source.

Read: Mallyas Kingfisher villa in Goa sealed, may fetch Rs 90 cr

The Enforcement Directorate had asked for financial details from both public and private sector banks and a part of these details were submitted last week.

Read: ED moves Interpol for red corner notice against Vijay Mallya

So far, the ED was focussing on Rs 900-crore loan that IDBI Bank had given to KFA to investigate whether there was any money laundering involved. The move to seek details from more banks indicates widening of the probe into the Mallya saga.

Last month, a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against the fugitive baron Vijay Mallya in the IDBI case. Besides, markets regulator Sebi has also expanded its probe into possible siphoning off funds by the promoters on suspicion of lapses in financial dealings of various listed companies of Mallya-led UB Group.

The market watchdog has also flagged the matter to other agencies and government departments, including the Corporate Affairs Ministry and its probe agency for white-collar crimes, SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office).

The market regulator is looking into violation of securities market regulations, including the strict disclosure requirements about insider dealings with the promoters and related parties.

Besides, Sebi is also probing any possible violation of norms aimed at checking fraudulent and unfair trades and comprising the interest of minority shareholders. Mallya, currently said to be in the UK, recently lost control of another of his prime asset Kingfisher Villa in Goa.

After an order from North Goa Collector in favour of banks, the lenders took the possession of the Kingfisher Villa on May 12.
A lecturer posted with an intermediate college in Chetganj has been arrested on charges of sexually exploiting a Banaras Hindu University (BHU) research scholar.

Police said the scholar had lodged a complaint with the Lanka police in Varanasi on April 11. The complainant alleged that accused Awadhesh Kumar fell in love with her around two years ago and promised to marry her.

She further claimed that in order to win her trust, he even took her to a temple where he solemnised the marriage. Later, they started living together. Their relationship continued for about two years but when she asked Kumar to get the marriage registered in court, he started avoiding her, the complainant added.

Despite the research scholar lodging a complaint, the police did not arrest the accused initially. The polices apparent inaction compelled her to meet senior superintendent of police Akash Kulhary who directed Lanka police to ensure swift action in the case.

It was then that the police arrested Kumar. Station officer Sanjiv Kumar Mishra said that the lecturer has been arrested and further investigation in the matter was on.
The BJP rejected on Sunday Congress charge of direct interference by PMO to ensure reversal of NIA stand in Malegaon blast case, insisting that discharge of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and others had occurred in accordance with laws.

The ruling party also took a swipe at Congress over its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe and said during the UPA rule, no evidence could be collected in the case that dragged on for years. The charges were dropped in accordance with the laws, party national secretary Shrikant Sharma said about the NIA giving a clean chit to Pragya and removing charges under MCOCA against another key accused Colonel PS Purohit.

The case had dragged on for years in court when the UPA was in power but no evidence was produced. Now Congress is questioning the entire legal process. It should not give colour to terrorism and politicise the issue, Sharma said.

Congress leaders had insulted the Supreme Court by questioning the hanging of (1993 Mumbai blast convict) Yakub Memon and (2001 Parliament attack convict) Afzal Guru. Now they are seeking a SC-monitored probe even though everything has happened in the Malegaon blasts as per law, Sharma said.

Sharma claimed that stringent MCOCA charge was dropped against some accused on the courts directions. Sharma also raked up the Ishrat Jahan case saying the UPA government had misled the apex court by changing affidavit even though goverment agencies had confirmed that she was a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist.

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said during UPAs 10-year rule, the investigative agencies were not allowed to do their job. Under Prime Minister Modis government, no interference is there. The courts are reposing faith in the agencies, no castigation is there, he said.

Kohli said if the agency finds there is lack of evidence on the basis of which to proceed which may have been driven by political reasons under the Congress, they will now obviously make those corrections. Hitting back, he said, Under the Congress-led UPA rule, scam after scam came, the investigative agencies were not allowed to do their job. The Supreme Court even called CBI a caged parrot, he said.
The Congress on Sunday said the fresh chargesheet filed by NIA in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has put a question mark on Indias commitment to fight terror and demanded that the probe should be monitored by the Supreme Court.

The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath by letting the Supreme Court monitor the case.

The NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become Namo Investigation Agency, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference in New Delhi while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at decimating and demolishing the meticulous probe conducted by Mumbai ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.

He claimed the agency dropped MACOCA charges to see that all the statements recorded by the ATS become inadmissible as evidence.

Sharma demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the sudden reversal of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and dilution of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MACOCA and other offences.

The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation, the former minister said.

Sharma questioned the government whether, with the fresh NIA stance, it is negating Karkares sacrifice. He demanded that Modi himself should intervene in the matter. He accused the government of consistently trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.

(it goes on to) show that the earlier probes, charges which were filed and arrests made were all wrong. The fact is, the steps were taken only after proper probe. We have always maintained that, with lot of seriousness, that terrorism and crime have no caste and religion, he added.
Enraged residents set fire to six vessels and clashed with the police in Shantipur, Nadia, on Sunday morning over a delay in launching rescue operations following a boat capsize in the Ganga river.

Police had to resort to firing rubber bullets and tear gas shells, besides taking up a baton charge, to control the mob.

The boat, which was ferrying people from Kalna in Burdwan to Shantipur in Nadia, capsized on Saturday night. While local residents alleged that dozens of people had drowned, district officials said around five people were reported missing. The bodies of the deceased may have been swept away by the strong river current, sources in the administration said.

Read:Several missing after boat capsizes in Bengals Burdwan

Residents of the area were enraged because rescue operations could be launched only by Sunday morning, nearly 12 hours after the incident. We reached the spot as soon as we were alerted. However, rescue operations were hampered because of the low light conditions and the rain, said Soumitra Mohan, district magistrate of Burdwan.

Most of the passengers in the boat were returning from a fair in Kalna when the incident occurred. As the word spread, local residents began agitating near Shantipur Ghat.

Early the next morning, police launched a baton charge to disperse the crowd  further infuriating them. They began throwing bricks at the police, injuring an assistant sub-inspector, and set six vessels on fire. A large contingent of police personnel was later deployed at the scene of the agitation, and tear gas shells and rubber bullets were used to control the mob.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar advocated on Sunday total liquor prohibition in Uttar Pradesh, drawing instant flak from the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), which accused him of making negative comments against the state.

During his day-long visit to Lucknow, Kumar demanded that prohibition be imposed in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls early next year. His latest visit and other recent tours of the state, however, did not go down well with ruling party.

The manner in which Nitish Kumar has been targetting UP, coming here every now and then, his comments against the government will embolden communal forces against which the UP government is fighting, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

Chaudhary said Kumar has joined the league of MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who visit UP frequently and criticise the state government and the ruling party, which is fighting communal forces.

Members of Lucknow Liquor Association stage a protest demonstration against Bihar chief Minister Nitish Kumar. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Chaudhary said Kumar spoke of prohibition but did not say a word on development. Dont worry Akhileshji (the UP chief minister)...ensure total prohibition. When liquor was banned in Bihar, people had problems for a few days. But, subsequently there was no problem, Kumar said addressing a farmers conclave. Kumar urged his UP counterpart to ensure liquor is not available within a distance of five km from UP-Bihar border to discourage people from his state to consume alcohol.

I have written to the UP chief minister in this regard, he said, adding he was awaiting a reply to his letter. Kumar also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement total prohibition in all BJP-ruled states like in his home state Gujarat.

Kumar expressed hope that the liquor ban in his state would be replicated in other states with equal success. He said country liquor as well as Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) have been totally banned in Bihar, and to ensure its success, existing laws have been amended.

Commenting on Kumars anti-liquor campaign, BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, It appears more of a case to divert attention from his failure on law and order front in Bihar.
The Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested an alleged Pakistani militant who was operating in North Kashmirs Baramulla area with the help of a fake identity and an Aadhaar card that may have been acquired through dubious means.

The militant belonged to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, police said, adding that they are probing how the militant came in possession of the document. The card is computer-made. We are trying to ascertain if it is a fake card or an original that the militant managed to get from the authorities through dubious means, said a senior police officer from the area.

A statement released by the police said that the militant commander, identified as Abdul Rehman from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, was arrested on a tip-off from Hajibal in the upper reaches of Baramulla town on Saturday evening. The militant was part of a Fidayeen squad that infiltrated into the country from Kupwara sector in January this year. Rehman was trained at a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp located in Balakot, Pakistan, it added.

Rehman was reportedly working in North Kashmir under the alias Shabir Ahmad Khan, son of Ghulam Rasool Khan. Police said he was also known by other names, including Saad and Shahid.

The militant, who was arrested in a joint operation by the police and the Army, was reportedly planning to establish a Jaish-e-Mohammad base in Baramulla town. He was operating in and around the area, trying to recruit youth for his training module, said an officer.

Police said they recovered a Kalashnikov rifle, four grenades, a wireless set, ammunition and incriminating documents from Rehmans possession.

The incident has once again raised concerns over the procedural lapses that reportedly occur during the issuance of important identification documents. In July last year, a supervisor at an UIDAI centre in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, got an Aadhaar card made for his dog  Tuffy. The card was cancelled only when a disgruntled resident filed a complaint against the dog owner.

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Father of murdered Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan has said that everybody knew who had killed his son and demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.

Radhakrishna Choudhary, a small farmer, also claimed on Saturday that his son had no known enemy.

He said, Everbody knows, at whose instance my son has been killed. Conscious that bigwigs may have been involved in the murder, Choudhary demanded a CBI inquiry, saying he had no faith in the local or state administration.

Rajdeo Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief of the Hindi newspaper Hindustan, which is part of the HT Media, was shot dead on Friday at a busy market near the Station Road in the district.

There is now increasing suspicion that Ranjan may have been killed under a well-planned conspiracy.

Top police personnel investigating the case told HT that there is an uncanny resemblance of this case with an earlier one, executed with the same professionalism and finesse.

If it is such a case, it could even be a local politics linked, they said.

DIG, Saran range, Ajit Rai said, The case has an uncanny resemblance to that of the murder of Shrikant Bharti in November 2014. The place and site of Bharti and Rajdeos murder is the same-the same crowd cover was used to wrap the killing and make getaways.

The difference in this case is that the killers used silencers to muffle the reports of the five bullets fired as not to scare the crowd and people hardly knew of the murder till the body fell to the ground and started oozing blood from five wounds to the body.

Bharti was a close aide of BJP parliamentarian from Siwan, Om Prakash Yadav and was killed. Police investigations had revealed that the killer was hired from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, while one Upendra Singh, a close aide of incarcerated ex-MP of Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin was involved.

Three persons have so far been detained in connection with the case.

One of the people detained under suspicion is the same Upendra Prasad, who is now being interrogated intensely, police said.

Incidentally, Rajdeo had in the last four months extensively focussed his pen on the Shrikant Bharti murder and implication of Shahabuddin aides in a case where two brothers were soaked in acid and burnt by his henchmen.

Police said, It seems from the scan of his writings over the months that he had written extensively on Bharti and the acid killings in which the ex-MP aides. were involved. Maximum reports are on them and he had earned bylines on each. We are looking at a possible connection to the crime.

DIG Rai said the mobile of Rajdeo, the journalist, retrieved from the killing site on Siwans station road market area, is now being scanned for the calls he may have received, because it looks like he was called away from office at around 7.30 pm to a site, which happened to be close to the actual area of murder. There is one number, which Rajdeo intermittently received and called on, which is being probed.

Police say, The route that Rajdeo took on the fateful day was not his usual way home from work and it seems his leaving the office suddenly could have resulted from a call he received towards his lifes end.

It is this suspicion that has forced the police to closely scrutinise four private CCTVs which were installed by shops on the Station Road and trace, whether some evidence of the killers can be gleaned from them.

To the polices shock, the shop near the killing site had been rendered inoperational just three days back, besides another, just 200 metres from the site.

Whether they were deliberately tampered with and the shopkeepers directed to keep them off, is now in the ambit of the larger inquiry.

However, the police are scanning two other CCTVs one to the east of the site, some 300 metres down the road and another some 500 metres to the west to scan the traffic at the time of the killing and trace the assailants who had come on motorcycles.

We are looking at the inoperational ones, which are reported to have developed trouble suddenly. The two other CCTVs, if they were functional, will allow us to reconstruct the event and identify registration plates of the motorcycles used in the killing, Rai and Siwan SSP Sourav Kumar Sah said.

The police are also reconstructing whether Rajdeo ever took the road home on other days.

The SSP said: If there is footage on any of these operational CCTVs in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene and matching the time of the killing, we are positive of picking up the assailants.

He said, It would also reveal, whether the CCTVs had been deliberately tampered with while timing the killing.

The police has already pulled up the call details of the victim for the last three months and is examining the records, even as a cyberexperts team has been commissioned to restore any CCTV footage, which could have been lost, due to criminal deletion.

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Hes been called Indias Donald Trump -- a media-savvy right-wing populist who is unafraid of upsetting everyone from the ruling elite to religious minorities as he rails against corruption.

And after returning to Parliament following a 15-year absence, Subramanian Swamy says he wont temper his shoot-from-the-hip style that has made him one of Indias most popular, if divisive politicians.

The countrys mood has changed, like in America, the 76-year-old told AFP in an interview at his home in New Delhi.

You know Donald Trump -- I would never have thought that a politician in the US could even get out of the first round (of the presidential primaries) with the kind of bluntness that he has shown.

But people now want to know the truth and I have established that what I say I mean, I mean what I say.

People come up to me in air planes and other places and they want to shake hands, take a selfie and say that we like you very much because you tell us the truth.

A Harvard alumni, Swamy first entered Parliament as an elected member of the Lok Sabha, in 1977 and had a stint as law minister from 1990-91.

After a lengthy absence from Delhis corridors of power, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha last month with the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It gives him a new platform to flay the likes of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he has ridiculed as an idiot, and tell central bank chief Raghuram Rajan to go back to Chicago where he was a finance professor.

Parliamentary language

While raucous debate is a regular feature of Parliament, personal insults are meant to be off limits but the quick-witted Swamy often manages to outsmart the speaker.

Everyone knows buddhu (a Hindi word meaning idiot) is codeword for Rahul Gandhi but it escaped expunging as the speaker didnt know what I was saying, he joked.

His similarly irreverent social media posts have brought him 2.64 million Twitter followers, more than four times Gandhis following.

But supporters say Swamy is more than just a parliamentary wag and point to his track record of helping expose top-level corruption.

His dogged campaigning over the corrupt allocation of telecoms licences a decade ago helped put one government minister behind bars.

More recently, he has been asking awkward questions over a controversial deal to purchase military helicopters from the Italian company AgustaWestland.

Swamy has also filed a private criminal complaint accusing Gandhi and his mother Sonia -- president of the main opposition Congress party -- of misappropriating property belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.

Both fiercely deny Swamys allegations, saying the claims are evidence that Modi and his allies are pursuing a vicious vendetta against them.

Swamys critics say that many of his accusations fail to stand up and the supposedly fearless Swamy is soft on the current government.

Although Swamy used to head his own party, he joined Modis Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013, a year before it won power.

They also accuse him of stirring religious tensions in a country with a gory history of communal violence, notably by urging the construction of a Hindu temple at a site also claimed by Muslims in the city of Ayodhya.

Stifling political correctness

He has argued that Muslims -- who account for around 14% of the population -- should be stripped of their right to vote unless they acknowledge their Hindu ancestry.

Those minorities who stay with us, they may have complete freedom to follow their religion but culturally they should be like us, he told AFP.

Writing in The Hindustan Times, the author Manu Joseph said Swamys hardline towards Muslims and the Gandhi family -- who epitomise Indias traditional elite -- mean he is surely the Trump of India.

Both men had benefitted from the feeling that political correctness has become despotic and stifling, Joseph argued.

In Trump and Swamy and others of their type, people find an outlet, he added.

Read | Donald Trump, Subramanian Swamy: Right, politically incorrect

Some observers say Swamys confrontational style will backfire for the government, which needs to start mending bridges if it wants to get key policies through parliament.

Such arguments cut little ice with Swamy who is dismissive of what he calls a glorified debating club in the worlds largest democracy.

Should I forget about corruption so that you can pass some bills? Dont be silly, Swamy said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on Sunday to Mahatma Gandhis grandson Kanubhai Gandhi, who is living in an old age home in Delhi with his wife.

Culture minister Mahesh Sharma too meet Kanubhai and spent about 45 minutes with him at Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram at Gautampuri in South Delhi.

Modi directed the authorities to ensure that the couple has a comfortable stay.

PM has taken note of reports about Shri Kanubhai Gandhi. He asked Minister Mahesh Sharma to meet Kanubhai, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) tweeted.

PM and Kanubhai had a long conversation. They spoke in Gujarati and had a very pleasant discussion, another tweet said.

Later, Kanubhai said that he was an old follower of Modi. At that time (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi was against both of us, he said.

#Visuals of Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi speaking to PM Modi over phone, at his old age home in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Oxh8Vkck2d  ANI (@ANI_news) May 15, 2016

After over four decades of stay in the United States, Kanubhai,87, and his 85-year-old wife Shiva Lakshmi Gandhi returned to India in 2014 and spent about a year and a half in various ashrams in Gujarat before moving to Delhi.

Kanubhai, the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhis third son Ramdas, left India at the age of 17 and studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later worked at NASAs Langley Research Centre. His wife holds a doctorate in biochemistry.

Bapu always wanted me to serve people. He wanted me to take pain of all the people and spread happiness, Kanubhai told ANI.

Ever since the news about the presence of Gandhis grandson at the ashram spread, the press and curious visitors have flocked the otherwise largely ignored institution.

Delhis SC/ST welfare and women and child welfare minister Sandeep Kumar visited Kanubhai and his wife on Saturday.
Away from the media glare, Prime Minister Narendra Modis mother, Heeraben, has spent some quality time with her son at his official residence in New Delhi.

Modi tweeted on Sunday photographs with his mother, who visited him at 7 Race Course Road for the first time since he became the Prime Minister.

This photo was tweeted by @narendramodi (Twitter)

My mother returns to Gujarat. Spent quality time with her after a long time & that too on her 1st visit to RCR, the PM tweeted.

A source said Heeraben came to Delhi last week.

Even when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi didnt stay with his mother. Nonagenarian Heeraben lives with her youngest son, Pankaj, in Gujarats Gandhinagar.

This photo was tweeted by @narendramodi (Twitter)

On several occasions, Modi has mentioned how his mother has brought him up even as she struggled to make ends meet.

During his interaction at the Facebook headquarters in the US, Modi almost broke down while talking about her and how she worked as a domestic help to run the family.

Before coming to Delhi to take over the reigns as the PM, Modi visited his mother to seek blessings after the general elections in 2014.
Police on Sunday claimed to have made a breakthrough in the case of journalist Rajdeo Ranjans murder.

Rajdeo Ranjan, 42, the head of Hindi daily Hindustan in Siwan, was shot dead by unidentified men on Friday.

We have cracked the case, almost so, said director general of police PK Thakur. There is just the need to tie evidence by way of recovering and matching of weapons used. Once the weapons are recovered, the case would be concluded.

Two suspects, Upendra Kumar Singh and Shahzad Alam, were arrested for their involvement in the murder and remanded to 14-day judicial custody under the Excise Act on Sunday. Both are known associates of Mohammad Shahabuddin, a former RJD MP serving a life sentence for the murder of two brothers.

Ten others  including Munshi Mian of Pratappur, Shahabuddins native village, and Parmatma Ram, the RJD district president  have been questioned.

However, no eyewitnesses have been located and the CCTV installed in the shop closest to murder spot stopped working just three days before the attack.

Read: People know who killed my son: Father of slain Hindustan journo Ranjan

Siwan police superintendent Sourabh Kumar said the engineer, identified as Radheshyam, who installed the CCTV camera was being questioned. We see no involvement of shopkeepers who had installed these CCTV cameras, he said. One of four operational CCTVs on the same road picked up traffic but its angle covers just half the road.

Forensic and ballistics reports are awaited.

Police have zeroed in on a few phone numbers used to call the deceased, and are in the process of identifying their owners. The last call Ranjan received was discovered to have been made from a SIM purchased on a fake ID.

It is believed that the killers first stopped Ranjan and asked for his identity card before gunning him down. Police findings suggest he might have been shot five times.

The attackers allegedly remained at the spot to confirm he was dead, police said, indicating it might be a contract murder. Investigators believe that the busy locality was chosen to help mask the attackers identity and to facilitate their escape.

This has strengthened the suspicions of a conspiracy behind the murder.

Read: Bihar scribe murder: Nitish says guilty wont be spared

We have a fix on some people who were used in recce of the area, which Rajdeo visited or used to take on his way to office and home, said a top police official, refusing to share more details about the investigation.

We have found that leads that appeared in the press have been tampered with, the official said. There seems to be a deliberate attempt to erase markers that can be linked to the crime.

Police are also looking into the cases similarities with other high-profile murders that took place in crowded areas of Siwan, possibly to create terror.

The Bihar government has constituted a special investigation team of two deputy superintendents of police, three inspectors and five sub-inspectors to identify the killers.

Read: Spate of killings taking sheen off Nitishs prohibition success story

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A coalition of press freedom groups urged on Sunday a swift investigation into the murder of two journalists in 24 hours, crimes that heightened fears about media safety and freedom in the country.

Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan Rajdeo Ranjan was shot five times by unknown gunmen late on Friday.

On Thursday evening television journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was shot dead while he was returning home on a motorbike in Jharkhand.

Police have not yet made any formal arrests in either case.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the shootings took to nine the number of journalists killed in the past year in India, which has been ranked as Asias deadliest country for reporters.

Read | People know who killed my son: Father of slain Hindustan journo Ranjan

We utterly condemn the killings, demand a speedy and thorough investigation and justice for our colleagues, Brussels-based IFJ president Jim Boumelha said in a statement.

The toll of killings in India is undermining press freedom and the government and police must act to bring the killers to justice and put an end to impunity.

The Indian Journalists Union, an IFJ affiliate, said both of the reporters were killed because of their work exposing corruption and criminal activities in the underdeveloped states. Police have similar suspicions.

Rural reporters, who are the most neglected and poorly-paid journalists in the country, are braving the threats and intimidation of a political and criminal nexus, the group said in the same statement.

Read | Bihar: CCTV footage of Hindustan journo Rajdeo Ranjans murder missing

The National Union of Journalists of India has threatened nationwide protests if police fail to move quickly to bring those responsible to justice.

India was Asias deadliest country for journalists in 2015, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

It is also one of the most restrictive for them, ranked 133 out of 180 nations by the group.

Journalists in the worlds largest democracy often face harassment and intimidation by police, politicians, bureaucrats and criminal gangs, while scores work in hostile conditions in conflict-ridden pockets of the country.
Six persons were killed when a car collided with a state transport bus near a village on Mumbai-Goa Highway in Maharashtras Raigad district on Sunday morning, police said.

They were travelling from Mumbai to Mandangad in Ratnagiri district when the car collided head-on with the bus coming from the opposite direction close to Indapur village at around 7 am, Raigad police control room said.

The bus was going from Panaji to Mumbai.

In the accident, all five occupants of the car and one bus passenger died on the spot, police said.

The five occupants of the car were from the same family, they said.

Five of the deceased have been identified as - Swapnil Rajaram Tambe, Swati Swapnil Tambe, Rushabh Swapnil Tambe, Suryakant Tambe and Santosh Tambe (all car occupants).

The bus passenger who died in the mishap was yet to be identified, police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is on, they added.
Seven police personnel were injured in a clash with inmates of a Reang refugee camp in North Tripura district, following the suicide of a camp inmate early Sunday morning.

North district superintendent of police Manik Das said the trouble began three days ago when the inmate or internally displaced person (IDP) at Narsingpara camp in Kanchanpur subdivision had been caught catching fish illegally from the pond of a person at nearby Kashirampur.

The 32-year-old camp inmate was beaten up by the pond owner and villagers. He was admitted to Kanchanpur hospital, from where he was released on Friday last.

However, he was readmitted yesterday following some complaints and committed suicide this morning by hanging himself from a nearby tree.

Das said the youth had left behind a note saying none was responsible for his death and his body was sent for the post mortem.

However, as rumour spread that the youth was killed in hospital, a mob of camp inmates attacked the pond owners house and ransacked it.

Police rushed to the spot and was injured by the mob, Das said adding the injured policemen were rushed to the hospital.

The situation was now under control and a huge contingent of police have been deployed in the area, the SP said.

Senior police officials were camping at the spot to avert any untoward situation, he added.

37,000 Reang IDPs are staying in seven evacuee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision following ethnic clashes with the Mizos over possession of land since 1997. They fled from neighbouring Mizoram and took shelter in the evacuee camps.
The Uttarakhand cabinet on Sunday decided to withdraw the states consent for a CBI inquiry against chief minister Harish Rawat, who was allegedly caught in a sting video negotiating a deal to lure Congress dissident lawmakers.

The decision comes six days after Rawat skipped a CBI notice, summoning the chief minister to the agencys headquarters in New Delhi for questioning.

The consent for a CBI probe was given by governor KK Paul when the hill state was under Presidents rule. A cabinet meeting chaired by senior minister Indira Hridayesh on Sunday cancelled the governors decision and, instead, decided to form a special investigative team (SIT) to carry out the probe.

The Congress government reasoned that an outside agency can investigate the case in the absence of a state machinery or capacity to probe on its own. The government will ask the Centre to take back the CBI investigation, chief secretary Shatrughna Singh said.

The state was under Presidents rule since March 27 after nine Congress MLAs revolted against the Rawat government and sided with the opposition BJP. Rawat was reinstated after he won a Supreme Court-monitored trust vote on May 10.

The controversial video  released on March 26  shows the deposed chief minster trying to lure dissident Congress lawmakers with money and plum posts to support him in a floor test in the assembly on March 28, which never happened.

The video, authenticated by the Chandigarh-based central forensic science laboratory later, was partly instrumental in bringing the state under central rule as allegations of horse-trading swirled.

Rebel leader Vijay Bahuguna, whom Rawat had replaced in 2014 after an intense power struggle, and Harak Singh Rawat who engineered the split in the Congress called the cabinet decision illegal.

They challenged the chief minister to face the CBI if he is clean.

Rawat had admitted his presence in the video but dared critics to prove if he was making any offer in cash or kind. Hang me on the clock tower (in Dehradun) if I had done wrong.

The opposition BJP questioned the cabinet decision and asked why Rawat initially denied his presence in the video but accepted it later. Harish had said he is ready to face the CBI  why does he want to skip the probe now? party general secretary Virendra Bisht asked.

The editor of a local television channel who carried out the sting was contemplating a lawsuit, if required, against the cabinet decision. The SIT is nothing but a way to muzzle my voice. In an act of vendetta, the government wants to harass me, journalist Umesh Kumar alleged.

The same channel aired another video on May 8, in which a Congress MLA alleges that Rawat offered between Rs 25 and Rs 50 lakh to a dozen party legislators to stand by him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis no holy dip in the Kshipra on Saturday during the ongoing Simhastha gave the Congress a chance to attack him with a fresh vengeance which the BJP countered as old habits die hard.

However, what lent the Congress attack an edge was that many sadhus too saw his dipless visit to Ujjain as a sign of arrogance. The religious belief is that a holy dip in the river during Simhastha helps one get rid of ones sins.

In fact, the reason for Modis skipping a holy dip can be traced to his address on the concluding day of a three -day Vaicharik Mahakumbh (ideological conclave). During the address, he asked the people to look beyond the practice of washing sins and earning virtues in 15 minutes and appealed to the sadhus to dump outdated social and religious practices and adopt scientific values ingrained in ancient Indian culture. He regretted that Kumbh was being identified only for Naga Sadhus and confined to snapping their photos, its publicity and their show.

Immediately after Modi left Ujjain, the district Congress launched an attack on him saying he insulted the Kshipra by avoiding a holy dip in the river. The Congress protest got a moral support from Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad head Mahant Narendra Giri.

Talking to the Hindustan Times on Sunday Mahant Narendra Giri termed Modi as an arrogant leader but at the same time he was full of praise for chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He said Modi didnt choose to have even a sprinkle of Kshipra water on him, not to say of a holy dip and he also avoided mingling with sadhus and sants.

Why did he come to Simhastha if he was not to have a holy dip in Kshipra, the Mahant asked. He even said it was often seen that a man got arrogant after getting power. It was Lord Mahakal only who knew about the fate of such persons.

The state Congress chief spokesperson, KK Mishra, said Modis conduct had exposed his pseudo Hinduism. The Congress would launch a campaign to tell people how the BJP had messed up Simhastha and politicised the whole affair to serve its interests.

Rajya Sabha member and one of the organizers of Vaicharik Mahakumbh Anil Dave sought to know if Congress president Sonia Gandhi and its vice-president Rahul Gadhi had any holy dip in any of the sacred rivers during Kumbh.

He said the Congress was in a habit of politicizing every issue. The fact remained the Prime Minister was advised not to visit the mela area given presence of a large crowd over there as his visit would have led to a difficulty before the administration in crowd management.

The BJP national president Amit Shah, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and a horde of BJP and Congress leaders have had a holy dip in the river.
The city anti-corruption bureau (ACB) is likely to search the residence of the 47-year-old man for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs30 crore to clear a land deal claiming to be associated with the state revenue department headed by Eknath Khadse.

With a demand for probe coming in from several quarters, the minister denied that the accused, Gajanan Laxman Patil, was in any way associated to his office. Sources said the ACB may search Patils residence at Muktai Nagar in Jalgaon on Monday itself.

Searching residence is part of ACBs probe each time a government servant is caught accepting bribe. However, in this case, the investigating body is likely to seek a court order to conduct the search.

The ACB is also in the process of evaluating the exact cost of the land in question. Sources said the value of the land may be far less than the market rate. It has been revealed that the government evaluation is Rs5 crore for 27-acre land. The matter is being investigated, said an officer.

The complainant alleged that Patil claimed that he will liaison with the revenue department to pass the land deal in Thane district. ACB sources said Patil assured that he will get the land for him for which he initially demanded Rs15 crore and then Rs30 crore.

The complainant then approached the ACB. The facts were verified and a case was registered on May 9. Patil was arrested last Friday.

Revenue minister Eknath Khadses office, meanwhile, issued a statement stating that Gajanan Laxman Patil does not work officially or privately at the ministers offices in Jalgaon or Mumbai. If someone is using my name for misappropriations and if he is guilty, then action should be taken, said Khadse in the statement, adding that he knew Patil only as he is a resident of his taluka.

Khade added that the application by the organisation for the land was rejected on 27 March, 2014, as it was meant for cattle grazing. The said land was given to the transport department on the instructions of the Bombay high court, the statement read. The organisation had filed a review application, which too was rejected.

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We lost our friends. Ritam was to get married in November. His fiancee works at the nearby Raj Nagar District Centre. Puneet got married just three months ago and was very happy in his wedded life, said Prashant Sharma, one of the six employees of Indiamart who survived a fire that engulfed their office building in Sector-14 in Raj Nagar on Saturday.

Their five colleagues were not as lucky. Piyush Goel, 28, Punit Mishra, 25, Chandra Prakash Tyagi, 26, and Ritam Dwivedi and Hemant Pratap Singh -- both between the age of 25 and 30 -- could not make it out alive.

The survivors were inconsolable while remembering their friends who were cheerfully working with them just a couple of hours ago. The survivors have been admitted to nearby Gargi Hospital for treatment.

All of us reached office around 9.30am and were starting work when we saw smoke in the staircase area. When we checked, we saw a huge ball of fire there. We were stuck inside the office, Prashant said.

The 11 employees were holed up on the second floor office for nearly half an hour as the narrow staircase was engulfed by flames. They also could not go to the rooftop, as the iron door there was locked.

Seven of us jumped to the roof of the adjacent house from a window. But Piyush (Goel), who also jumped with us, could not make it and fell to the ground. He sustained head injuries and died, Prashant said.

We were left with no option. The office was full of smoke and noxious gases, we were beginning to lose consciousness. Realising that we will not get any help, we decided to break the window glass and jump to the roof of an adjacent house where locals had placed a ladder, said Jazib Siddiqui, a survivor who lives in Delhi.

It took four fire tenders and 20 firemen over an hour to douse the flames. Both the first and second floors were gutted, fire officials said. (Sakib Ali/HT)

One of our colleagues, Vikas, is in the hospital. His leg was fractured while jumping out of the building. There were two fire extinguishers in the office but they could not use it, said Captain Gagandeep Singh, the administrative head of Indiamart.

Senior officials of Indiamart soon reached the spot. As the families of the employees learnt about the incident, they rushed to the hospital.

Ram Avtar, Chandra Prakash Tyagis grandfather, who reached the hospital from Modinagar, could barely talk.

I have not told his mother that he is no more. I could not muster the courage, said the man tearfully.

Officials of the Ghaziabad fire department said the building did not have firefighting equipment or a sprinkler system.

We rushed three fire tenders and also called one from Sahibabad. The building did not need a no objection certificate from fire department -- it is needed only for buildings which are either constructed over 500 sqm or more or are at least 15 metres in height, said Akshay Ranjan Sharma, chief fire officer, Ghaziabad.

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The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed a plea seeking retrial of 2003 Amritsar sex scandal involving some local politicians and cable network operators.

The high court bench of justice Kuldip Singh dismissed the plea filed by complainant justice AS Bains (retd), chairman of non-government body Punjab Human Rights Organisation, stating that purported victim women had resiled from their statements and they did not say that they were either forced and threatened by the accused and that alleged sexual intercourse was without their consent. They were the pillars of the case and once the pillars collapsed, the case built on the said pillars also collapsed, the high court bench said in its judgment.

The accused included Sarabjit Singh alias Raju and Hari Om Dhankua, both involved in cable business, former mayor Subhash Chander Sharma, besides Ganesh Poddar, Madan Lal Vij, Gurinder Pal Singh, JS Iqbal and lawyer Rajwinder Singh alias Raja. Initially, the case was investigated by the Punjab Police, but the high court in 2003 entrusted the matter to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the course of investigation, three prosecutrix were examined before different judicial magistrates, wherein they alleged rape. However, in July 2013, the special CBI court, Patiala, acquitted all the accused of charges as women resiled from their statements.

The petitioner before the high court had argued that in this case, the prosecutrix were threatened. The trial continued for several years. The prosecutrix being poor could not withstand the pressure put forth by the accused, who are influential persons. Therefore, it has resulted in mis-trial, the petitioner had pleaded.

In this case, the prosecutrix being victim have not come to this court to state that they were threatened and that due to threat given by the accused, they could not make correct statement before the lower court. Rather, it comes out that the proceedings for perjury are pending against them (prosecutrix) before the lower court and even in that case also, they did not claim that they were threatened and that is why they resiled from their previous statements, the bench recorded, further stating that the high court invervention was warranted only if it was found that judgment was perverse or illegal and evidence were misinterpreted.

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While many Punjabis would not lose a chance to live abroad, some desperate ones have been resorting to illegal means to find a place abroad. But not all have been lucky  in fact, thousands of them havent.

Nearly 6,000 people from Doaba region and Moga district were deported from various countries in the last three years, officials said. Regional passport officer Harmanbir Singh Gill said he had come across many cases where people were sent back for forging documents of stay.

Most of the others, he said, were deported for criminal offences, continuing their stay after expiry of their passports validity or using fabricated documents to gain entry to the country.

Harmanbir said most of those deported had been sent back from Canada, the United States or European countries.

The regional passport office receives around 28,000 applications every month. Officials said at least 10 cases involve forged documents, mostly fake birth certificates. Majority of the cases of fake birth certificates are from Gurdaspur, Harmanbir said.

Harmanbir, however, said the passport office was not to blame for any of the deportations. He said passport officials while sanctioning passports made sure no forged documents were entertained.
The doctrine of Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor--have fewer fronts to fight--may not be going down well with Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh, who does not want to open partys doors to expelled senior leaders Bir Devinder and Jagmeet Brar.

Congress list focuses on Dalits, youths; women get 15 berths

While Amarinder wants to be seen as the one calling the shots, Kishor wants a free hand in deciding whats going to hurt Congress prospects and what will boost them. After Brar and Devinders photo-op at the latters residence in Patiala, Kishor held a meeting with the two last week at the residence of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi to smoothen their ruffled feathers. But according to party insiders, Kishor did not take Amarinder, who was in the US then, into confidence before meeting the two leaders.

Kishor, who has the ear of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and is also handling the all-important Uttar Pradesh campaign, thinks the Bir Devinder-Jagmeet Brar combination may open up yet another front for the Congress, which is locked in a triangular contest with the SAD and AAP. To prevent the two from joining ranks, he wants to bring at least Bir Devinder back into the party fold. Unlike Brar, who is keen to jump on to AAP or the BSP bandwagon, Bir Devinder is keen on a comeback.

Wooing dissidents? Kishor calls on Bir, Brar after duo joins hands

But speaking to HT, Amarinder said he is not going to tolerate indiscipline and would not like to set a wrong precedent in the party by taking the leaders back. Both Bir Devinder and Brar have created a lot of disciplinary problems in the party. We cannot tolerate such things. But I have no problems with Kishor meeting them. Just because I am out the country does not mean nothing will move in the party unit. Whatever Kishor did was in good faith. I am the partys state president and Prashant is my strategist. I met him on Saturday. If he took an initiative to smoothen the ruffled feathers of some leaders, it is not interference in my working. We are working at things together, he said. To deny reports of a rift between him and Kishor, Amarinder also tweeted on Saturday, There is no question of difference of opinion between Prashantji and me on handling the state of affairs or the way forward in Punjab.

Earlier too, Amarinder and Kishor were not on the same page on formers North America tour to woo Punjabi diaspora as Kishor believes NRIs do not influence poll outcome.

With Kishor pulling his own strings in the party, there may be trouble, especially if Bir Devinder remains the bone of contention. Not to forget, many of those who were earlier calling the shots in Amarinders team are now feeling sidelined in the new scheme of things. Having handled campaigns of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, Kishor is trying to be more assertive. Unlike JDU and BJP, he will also have to contend with regional satraps like Amarinder, a senior Congress MLA said.

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The UT administration, which has failed to check begging menace for last so many years, has now decided to use technical and digital aid. This follows after controversy surrounded the Muskaan operation.

The administration has planned to prepare a database of the child beggars through face recognition software, besides getting their DNA profiling. The DNA profiling is a forensic technique used to identify individuals by characteristics of their DNA.

The UT administration is coming up with a training session for officials and employees, who will be involved in the operation of checking beggary menace.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) South Kriti Garg said, To check child beggary, we need to have inter-department co-ordination as we need to rehabilitate and create awareness among children against the menace. For the purpose, a core team has been formed under the chairmanship of UT deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi. The team will include three sub-divisional magistrates, director health services and director school education. Along with the core committee, a support committee will also be constituted, which wll comprise members of NGOs, resident welfare associations and other interested groups who are willing to work for the cause. In an attempt to sensitise children and city residents against child beggary menace, the administration has decided to carry out an awareness drive. The children will be sensitised about the importance of education and explained as to how begging is harmful for their future. A detailed standing operation procedure is being worked out for all departments  social welfare, education, health, police and others, so that the roles are identified to check the menace.

Elaborating about the technical and digital programme, the sources in the administration said, Residents will be encouraged to click picture of the child beggar and post it on the Facebook or WhatsApp, along with the location, so that a proper database can be prepared along with photos. Through pictures, the administration will also prepare a list of areas where they are found, and with help of the face recognition software, the surveys will be carried out to locate the child beggars. DNA profiling will also be done, so that relatives and parents can be traced, in case documentary proof of the same is missing. The beggars keep moving between Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula.

The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) had conducted a survey last year to get to the depth of the begging menace. Chairperson, CCPCR, Devi Sirohi said, A training session is being held, and in collocation with the UT administration, a detailed survey will be conducted.

The CCPCR survey last year had highlighted there are over 1,200 child beggars across the city, of which 40% go to schools. After attending school, they take to the markets and prominent light points to seek alms; during weekends, they work full time. Mostly children of migrant people, they originally are from states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

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A day after the rejig of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), voices of dissent over the new team of state president Captain Amarinder Singh grew louder with many questioning why did the party need a whopping 36 vice-presidents and that too not all deserving.

While the appointment of recent Akali-turned-Congress leader Hans Raj Hans as vice-president has raised the hackles of leaders in Doaba, party veterans are alleging those part of the liquor and sand mafia have been rewarded with plum posts.

Read: Congress list focuses on Dalits, youths; women get 15 berths

The Congress talks about eradicating liquor and sand mafia and at least three MLAs appointed in the PPCC as vice-presidents --- Rana Gurjit, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi and Sukh Sarkaria --- and one appointed as treasurer, Kamaljit Dhillon, have distilleries. The latter also is named for links with the sand mafia in Ropar, said senior Congress leader Amarjit Tikka.

Former minister Gurchet Bhullars son Sukhpal Bhullar, district Congress president of Tarn Taran, too has links with sand mafia and so does Gurmail Singh Pahalwan, who has been appointed as a general secretary. Congress and Akali leaders are together part of the liquor and sand syndicate running in Punjab, he added.

He also alleged that over 80 berths have gone to Jat Sikhs ignoring urban Sikhs such as Aroras, Khatris and Kohlis.

When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) can give 10 seats in Delhi elections to these communities, why is Congress, which is predominantly an urban party giving them just three posts in the state executive in a Sikh-dominated state, he said.

Slots to those without voter-base

Senior party leaders in Doaba said the revamped state body has given top slots to those without mass base. History is testimony to the fact that it is Doaba that has helped the Congress form government in Punjab. This list has shamelessly ignored merit to adjust people without a mass base. Taksali, dyed-in-Congress-wool leaders, have been ignored to give berths to turncoats like Hans Raj Hans. Will workers be enthused to fight elections with leaders who have no mass appeal, said former district president of Jalandhar Manjinder Singh Chaudhary.

Wooing Dalits

Other than having an army of vice-presidents and general secretaries, the list has allotted nearly two dozen top slots to Dalit leaders, including five each from Balmiki and Ramdasia leaders. As many Christains and Muslims too have got berths in the PPCC to ensure all castes and communities get representation.

Read: Capt pays secret visit to Jalandhar dera to woo Dalit support

Youth list based on kinship

Though keeping with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis promise to allot over 40 percent tickets to youth, the oarty has given nearly 25 percent berths to those below 45 as general secretaries and executive members, most who have made it to the list are kin of sitting and former MPs and MLAs. Many more youth, party sources said, would be part of the list of over 300 secretaries and block presidents to be released by the PPCC soon.

DCC chiefs who switched loyalty from Bajwa to Captain get to stay

The new list of 26 Congress district presidents -- that of Ropar and Nawashehar are pending -- announced on Saturday has 12 new names. Interestingly, those who had switched their loyalty to Amarinder from Partap Bajwa, got to stay such as Gurpreet Gogi of Ludhiana (urban), Bikram Mofar of Mansa and Mohan Lal (Bathinda urban). DCC (Ludhiana rural) president Malkit Dhaka, who had switched loyalty to Bajwa and returned to Captains fold, has been ekevated as a vice-president. Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar urban Kapurthala, Ludhiana rural,

Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Bathinda rural, Barnala and Sangrur have new district Congress committee presidents.
Taking into account that the number of donations has doubled from that of last year in the first five months itself, the organ donation programme at PGI is showing promising signs of becoming a success story.

In 2015, a total number of 25 brain-dead organ donations were reported at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER); the number being five till May 2015. This year, however, the number has doubled  10 brain-dead organ donations have been registered so far.

People behind the success story of organ donations at PGI

On Friday (May 13) and Saturday, families of two brain-dead organ donors gave their consent to go ahead with the donations. On Saturday, thanks to consent from family, the kidneys and corneas of Jasbir Singh, a 30-year-old brain-dead donor, impacted four lives.

Jasbir met with an accident in the Chandimandir area on May 12, and was rushed to General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, from where he was transferred to PGIMER on the same day. On Friday, at around 6.30pm, doctors declared him brain-dead.

The Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) at PGIMER immediately got in touch with the national body to look for recipients at a nearby hospital.

As assigned by NOTTO, the harvested kidneys were handed over to Fortis Hospital in Mohali for two patients. To facilitate transport, a green corridor was created between PGIMER and Fortis with the active support of police, said the PGI official.

Two Chandigarh men gave new lease of life to 8 people in 2 days

The organ donation was facilitated through National Organ and Tissue Transplant Programme (NOTP), the Centres deceased donor organ transplantation initiative.

His tragic death did not go in vain. He will continue to live through four others, who have now got a fresh lease of life because of Jasbirs kindness and generosity as an organ donor, said an emotional Som Nath, Jasbirs father.

Earlier on Friday (May 13), another brain-dead patient Pawan Kumar (55) was able to impact four lives when his family agreed for donation.

PGIs first heart transplant survivor wants to join Army

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Rasulpur, in Yamunanagar, was working at the education department in Chachrauli, Haryana. He too met with an accident on May 7 and was rushed to PGI. He was declared brain-dead on Thursday (May 12).

Dr Vipin Koushal, nodal officer, ROTTO, said, It is a positive change. They are coming forward for organ donation putting aside their own loss.
After a long wait of 13 years, a Pakistani woman was granted Indian citizenship.

Deputy commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal handed over the certificate of Indian citizenship to Tahira Hazoor on Saturday evening, officials said in Gurdaspur on Sunday.

Tahira had got married to Maqbool Ahmad, a resident of Qadian, Gurdaspur, in 2003.

33-year-old Tahira, who hails from Faisalabad in Pakistan, had applied for Indian citizenship in March 2011 after completing the mandatory 7 years of stay in India.

Even the Punjab government had recommended her case to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs but she was neither granted Indian citizenship nor a temporary visa for Pakistan.

In the absence of citizenship, for last 13 years she was not allowed to move out of Qadian, she said.

She has two daughters and a son from her marriage, all of them have Indian citizenship and are free to move to any place, Tahira said.

Elated over getting Indian citizenship, Tahira said she will first go to Pakistan to see her mother who has been unwell for last the five years. She said she will also apply for Indian passport soon.

Her husband Maqbool and her daughter Sumayala are currently in UK to attend the wedding of a relative.

She could not accompany them because she did not have Indian citizenship and passport.
The Bathinda police foiled a protest by education guarantee scheme (EGS), alternative innovative education (AIE) and special trainers (STR) teachers in Bathinda on Saturday, but the protesters climbed a water tank at Sewewala village in Faridkot district.

The teachers, who had gathered under the banner of Shaheed Kiranjit Kaur EGS, AIE and STR Teachers Union, had planned a state-level protest in Bathinda. But, many protesters were detained from the Childrens park in Bathinda.

With the police acting tough to foil their protest, several of the protesters gathered at Sewewala village in Faridkot district and climbed a water tank to register their protest. State president of the union Devinder Singh said that the police used force to quell their protest and detained many of them at Childrens park, near the bridge over Bathinda branch of Sirhind canal and near Multania railway over bridge in Bathinda.

These teachers were recruited after a protest by the union in February 2014 before the Lok Sabha polls in which a 14-month-old girl child had died of cold after the administration allegedly snatched the quilts of protesters during a chilly winter night. The protesters are demanding regularisation of their jobs.

Superintendent of police (city), Bathinda, Desraj said that about 20 of the protesters, who were detained, were let off after some time.
The obvious summer destination for the literati is London, where the greatest literary show on earth, of course, Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), opens its miniature edition in the cultural district by River Thames on May 21. It has been the talk of the town and some envy those who are to feature in the limited edition abroad. Colourful graphics of the festivals promising and eastern extravaganza seem most alluring. Just when one thought that cool literary breeze was blowing all the way from South Bank to the sun-scorched May in the city, it seems hot springs have erupted by the Thames. Hot springs are supposed to have healing qualities but for the moment the hot bubbles are scald in the form of an open letter being circulated widely by email.

The one that reaches my mailbox is forwarded by writer-researcher Kavita Bhanot, who is based in London but a familiar figure in the city and Punjab literary circles. It is addressed to the writers attending Vedanta JLF Southbank 2016 and cries out: From Niyamgiri Mountain to River Kafue calling Vedanta to justice. It also makes a strong effort at jerking the literary conscience, saying: Literature doesnt exist in a vacuum. As public figures, we believe that writers and artists also have responsibilities. It makes little sense to discuss books and ideas and the problems of the world in abstraction, while being funded by and publicising a company that has been and continues to be a gross violator of human rights across the world. We hope that you agree, and will withdraw from involvement in this discredited and damaging PR campaign, rather than lending your name to it.

The letter indicts Vedanta in no uncertain terms: Jaipur Literature Festival is claiming to be The Greatest Literary Show on Earth, which has the worlds most hated company, Vedanta, as its key sponsor. Are you aware that Vedantas activities are destroying the lives of thousands of people in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Punjab as well as in Zambia, South Africa and Australia? Are you also aware that Zambian villagers are taking Vedanta subsidiary KCM to court currently in the UK, accusing it of poisoning their water consistently over the last decade? The letter also cites its activities in Chhatisgarh, Odisha, and Goa.

The letter further says: The Vedanta JLF at South Bank is yet again another cynical attempt to distract attention from Vedantas crimes at a time when it stands exposed across India and internationally. Vedantas interests are opposed directly to the Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan Samaj, and black communities it claims to be helping. Now this is something that will have the organisers as well as the writers, participating in the limited edition meant to give Londoners a taste of the larger festival at Jaipur, worried. Will it be festivity over socio-political consciousness? Some of the big names featuring in it are: K Satchidanandan, Namita Gokhale, Jerry Pinto, Salil Tripathi, Meghnad Desai, Rakshanda Jalil, Patrick French, John Elliott, Dean Nelson, Suzan Stronge, and many others.

It may be remembered that K Satchidanandan and Ashok Vajpeyi, poets of eminence, had said they would boycott Zee Jaipur Literature Festival because of the doctoring of the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) tapes. Not many seconded them and, as far as the organisers are concerned, they are bound deeply by contract. This may well be the outcome at Sountbank but the protest has an international focus anyway. It would be interesting to know if any of the participating writers signed the open letter or withdrew because of it.

nirupama.dutt@hindustantimes.com
Activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar (SAD-A) on Saturday staged a protest in front of the office of the deputy commissioner against the suspension of services of Zee Punjabi news channel by a cable network.

The protesters raised slogans against the state government alleging that a cable mafia was working in the state that was preventing people from getting information critical of the government, which amounts to attack on the freedom of press.

District president of party Parminder Singh Balianwali said that the suspension of services of the channel was an attack on the freedom of press. The activists also submitted a memorandum to the Punjab governor through district administration in this regard.

Protest over news channel blackout: MLA Bains, 15 supporters held
The military is always chary of getting involved in law and order operations since these involve operating against its own people. The recent Operation Shanti Bahal launched by Western Command to restore order in Haryana is a case in point. Coordinated by the Ambala-headquartered II Corps some facets of these operations need explanation. Rohtak, the epicentre of violence lies actually in the area of responsibility of South-Western Command.

However the formations nearest units from the Hissar-based 33 Armoured Division could not be deployed in the affected areas because of a large roadblock at Meham. Attempting to remove it wouldve caused bloodshed that the army always balks at. Therefore the task fell on troops of Western Commands 22 Division moving from Delhi. Impeded by road blockades they were ultimately moved to Rohtak by helicopter. Without their integral transport these troops found themselves being offered buses by the administration for area domination. Unwilling to carry out flag marches in civil buses they preferred to do so on foot. Troops from artillery and air defence units of II Corps ex-Ambala were also inducted.

Placards proclaiming the presence of the army were carried by troops undertaking flag marches in order to differentiate them from similarly attired paramilitary and police forces. This is a fallout of a long-standing demand of the armed forces that camouflage uniforms resembling theirs should not be allowed to be worn by other security forces.

Social media had it that contrary to rules, some units fired in the air to disperse rioters. Actually, a Garhwal Rifles jawan being set upon by stone-throwers fired a warning shot when his verbal caution was ignored. Contrary though it is to the service manual that dictates that firing must be for effect and not by using blanks or firing in the air, the young jawans action had the desired effect.

Gyan Chakra, the western command think tank

Western Commands think tank, Gyan Chakra will be inaugurated on May 21. Currently, each service and the defence ministry has its own policy and a research institute located at Delhi. Setting up another one at Chandimandir aims to decentralise the formulation of military thought down to regional level with regard to the specific requirements of the theatre. Gyan Chakra should ideally make use of ample talent available in the tricity among veterans like Generals Oberoi, Panag, Harwant Singh, Rajendra Nath, Raj Mehta, JS Liddar, Brig Grewal and many others waiting to emerge as military thinkers.

Defence theorists feel that civilian experts in various disciplines of strategic affairs should be associated with the institution to achieve a balanced approach. A Red Team for study and analysis of existing and potential belligerents should form an integral part. Others have raised questions of continuity that can be resolved though institutionalising the think tank and putting it on a firm footing.

Theres also the matter of credibility and acceptance of recommendations among serving officers. A feeling prevails that existing think tanks have been reduced to debating clubs with no recognition of advice rendered. I take this opportunity to wish Gyan Chakra a meaningful existence.

(Please write in with your narratives of war and soldiering to msbajwa@gmail.com or call on 093161-35343)
Law Enforcers on Sunday detained three suspects for their involvement in the killing of an elderly Buddhist monk in Bangladeshs Naikkhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district.

The suspects have been identified as Abdur Rahim, 25, Md Zia, 26, and Sa Mong Chak, 35.

Abul Khair, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikkhangchhari Police Station, confirmed that they were detained from their houses, reports the Daily Star.

U Damma Oaing Cha Bhikkhu, a 73-year-old Buddhist monk, was found dead, with his throat slit, in his temple Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang yesterday.

Khair quoting the locals said that two Rohingya men were seen loitering some place away from the usual walk way near the murder spot.

The elderly monk had on Thursday reportedly informed his son that he was feeling unsafe since two unidentified men roamed the temple area.

He had also informed that something unexpected will happen to him and asked his son to stay alert.

Aung Sa Dhoai Chak, the victims son, said his father did not have any enmity with anyone in the area.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Bangladesh police have arrested a suspected Islamic militant over the death of two gay rights activists, one of a spate of murders of intellectuals, writers and religious minorities, police said on Sunday.

Weve arrested one man in connection with the murder of Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Tonoy who were hacked to death last month, Dhaka police spokesperson Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP.

Police said the unnamed man was a member of a local Islamist militant outfit, which has been blamed for a string of similar gruesome murders of secular and atheist bloggers.

He is a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, Sorder said, referring to a local Islamist militant group.

Washington has condemned the killings of Tonoy and Mannan, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID. Both men had received threats from Islamists over their championing of gay rights.

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in the southeastern district of Bandarban -- the seventh such killing since the start of last month.

Suspected Islamists have been blamed or claimed responsibility for the scores of murders carried out since last year, as fear grips the Muslim-majority nation over the rising violence.
China on Sunday said a US report had deliberately distorted facts about its defence policies and unfairly depicted Beijings activities in the South and East China seas, severely damaging trust between the two major powers.



The annual report of the US Defence Department had also said that China was increasing its troop presence along the disputed border with India. The Chinese reaction did not specifically mention India but dismissed the report in its entirety.

Defence ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the report, saying it misrepresented China's military development.

Yang said the report hyped China's military threat and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defence policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, state media reported.

The US annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces, official news agency Xinhua reported.

China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development, Xinhua quoted Yang as saying.

The release of the US report coincided with a Chinese state media report s that Beijing had elevated the Tibet command area and brought it directly under the control of ground forces of the Peoples Liberation Army with an eye on a possible conflict with India.

The Pentagon report , released on Friday, had said that China was building military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, on artificial islands in the South China Sea.

China's military had also been using coercive tactics to foster tensions with its neighbours, but will ensure they do not snowball into outright conflict, said the report titled 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China.'

A US official spoke about the India-China border at the release of the report. We have noticed an increase in capability and force posture by the Chinese military in areas close to the border with India , US deputy assistant secretary of defence for East Asia Abraham Denmark said while submitting the report to the US Congress.

It's difficult to say how much of this is driven by internal considerations to maintain internal stability, and how much of it is an external consideration.

In his reaction to the report, Yang said China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods, Xinhua reported,

It is the US thats been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region. Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the United States pushed forward the militarisation in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.
An Ecuadoran who lost both his feet, is aiming to become the first climber to scale the worlds toughest mountain, K2, with artificial limbs and without oxygen supplies.

Santiago Quintero had half of each foot amputated for frostbite after climbing Aconcagua in Argentina in 2002. But that has not stopped him.

They told me I would never climb 5,000-metre mountains again, the smiling 41-year-old told AFP.

But no one can tell me how I am and what I am. Being what I want to be is my decision.

Quintero scaled Mount Everest, the worlds highest peak at 8,848 metres (29,029 feet), in 2013. The expedition landed him in the hospital in intensive care.

Now he is aiming to conquer K2 -- the second-highest mountain at 8,611 metres, but considered technically the hardest to climb.

He ascended K2, which is on the border between China and Pakistan, once before but stopped short of the summit. His party had to turn back when they sank up to their chests in snow.

He says he caught frostbite on Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, because he could not afford a $100 pair of waterproof covers for his boots.

He spent nine months in the hospital in Spain, where doctors performed the amputations, then a further five years waiting to have prosthetic feet fitted.

With those artificial members, he has already scaled seven of the 14 mountains in the world that are over 8,000 metres high.

In total 188 mountaineers have scaled K2.

They did it with their bodies fully intact, said Quintero. Thats quite different.

He plans to start his hike up K2 on June 13 and finish on July 31.

I am quite determined, he told AFP, while resting during a training climb on the extinct Ilalo volcano in northern Ecuador.

Without the mountains, I think I would rather be dead.
After arguments based on economics and politics, it is the turn of history in the increasingly vicious EU referendum debate, with senior Tory MP Boris Johnson claiming that both Hitler and the European Union had the same aim of unifying the continent under a single authority.

Johnson, the most visible symbol of the Brexit camp, caused further furore on Sunday by using European history to burnish the appeal of Brexit.

The whole thing began with the Roman EmpireThe truth is that the history of the last couple of thousand years has been broadly repeated attempts by various people or institutions  in a Freudian way  to rediscover the lost childhood of Europe, this golden age of peace and prosperity under the Romans, by trying to unify it, the former London mayor told The Sunday Telegraph .

Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what it is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void, he said.

Campaigning for the June 23 referendum on the future of Britains membership of the EU is at full swing, with leaders travelling across the country on customised battlebuses and meeting people in streets, markets and at their doorsteps.

Johnson has been embarrassing his party colleague and pro-EU Prime Minister David Cameron, provoking the latter to debate him on live television, a prospect ruled out by Downing Street.

Critics said his comparison of EU with Hitler was shameful, offensive and desperate, with some questioning his interpretation of history.

Senior Labour leader Hilary Benn said: Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass.

To try and compare Hitler and the Nazis - the millions of people who died in the Second World War, the Holocaust - with the free democracies of Europe coming together to trade and co-operate, and in the process to help to bring peace to the continent of Europe after centuries of war, is frankly deeply offensive.

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A graffiti that read Go home, along with what appear to be swastikas, has been scrawled on the fence near a gurdwara in the Canadian city of Martindale.

A lawyer came across graffiti scrawled on the fence near the Dashmesh Culture Centre, Sikh temple yesterday, a day after nagar kirtan was organised by the centre during which they handed out food as they walk through the community.

For a few seconds, I was in a state of shock, I just couldnt believe what I was seeing, Usman Mahmood was quoted as saying by CBC News.

Someone had written Go home along with what appear to be swastikas, close to centre.

I have seen pictures, I have heard about things, I have read about things but seeing this for the first time, it is a little disturbing, he said.

Mahmood said diversity is one of the things he loves about the Martindale community.

Within a few kilometre-range you have a lot of religions, a lot of faith, a lot of communities that live with a lot of peace and harmony. It is a great community to live in, but it is very sad to see this.

People from all sorts of faiths, whoever lives around this area should stand up to it and say, this is not going to happen in my neighbourhood, he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Iran on Sunday for staging a Holocaust-themed cartoon contest that mocked the Nazi genocide of six million Jews during World War II and said the Islamic Republic was busy planning for another one.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israels destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Irans nuclear program is designed to threaten its very existence. But Netanyahu said that it not just Irans belligerent policies that Israel opposed, but its values.

It denies the Holocaust, it mocks the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust, Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting. I think that every country in the world must stand up and fully condemn this.

State department spokesperson Mark Toner, travelling with US secretary of state John Kerry in Saudi Arabia, said the United States was concerned the contest could be used as a platform for Holocaust denial and revisionism and egregiously anti-Semitic speech, as it has in the past.

Such offensive speech should be condemned by the authorities and civil society leaders rather than encouraged. We denounce any Holocaust denial and trivialisation as inflammatory and abhorrent. It is insulting to the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust, Toner said.

The denial or questioning of the genocide is widespread in the Middle East, where many regard it as a pretext Israel used for its creation and to excuse its actions toward the Palestinians.

Holocaust means mass killing, said contest organiser Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei. We are witnessing the biggest killings by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Palestine.

He said the purpose of the Tehran event was not to deny the Holocaust but rather to criticise alleged Western double standards regarding free expression  and particularly as a response to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and others. The exhibit featured some 150 works from 50 countries, with many portraying Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians. Others depicted Palestinian prisoners standing behind concentration camp-style barbed wire fences, Netanyahu likened to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and a Jerusalem mosque behind a gate bearing the motto Arbeit Macht Frei that appeared at the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp.

The contest was organised by non-governmental bodies with strong support from Irans hard-liners. A previous contest in 2006 got a boost from then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hard-liner who referred to the Holocaust as a myth and repeatedly predicted Israels demise.
Police clashed with Islamist militants in Russias volatile Dagestan region on Saturday, with four rebels and two officers killed, local media quoted police as saying.

Islamic State said its fighters were behind the attack.

The police stormed an apartment in the southern town of Derbent after obtaining information that a wounded senior officer held hostage by the militants was probably dead.

Law enforcers have finished a special operation to destroy the rebels, Interfax news agency quoted a police source as saying. At least four rebels have been annihilated.

One police officer was killed in the shoot out and another 15 were wounded, a local health official told Russian agencies. The senior officer who had been held was confirmed dead by a police official, Interfax news agency said.

Islamic States Amaq news agency said its fighters had clashed with police in Derbent, saying they had killed three officers. It made no mention of losses among the militants.

Islamic State has in the past said it was behind violent attacks on security forces in the North Caucasus, the volatile, mainly Muslim part of Russia where Dagestan is located.

Some militants in Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, where Moscow led two wars against separatists in 1990s, have sworn allegiance to Islamic State.
Militants attacked a state-run natural gas plant outside the Iraqi capital, killing at least 11 people, officials said.

A police officer said Sundays assault started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the main gate of the plant in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Several suicide bombers and militants then broke into the plant and clashed with security forces.

Fifteen other troops were also wounded in the attack, he added.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group recently increased their attacks far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield losses.
Days after Pakistan alleged that an Indian lobby was making untiring efforts to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets from the US to it, a top minister has accused India of supporting terrorists and separatists, particularly in restive Balochistan, media reports said on Sunday.

Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that India was supporting terrorists and separatist groups in Pakistan especially in Balochistan and the issue of Indian terrorism had been raised internationally by Pakistan.

Talking to Dunya News, Asif claimed that Pakistan Peoples Partys Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, had lobbied against the provision of F-16s to Pakistan by the US.

Read | US not to subsidise sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

The Indian lobby has been making untiring efforts to reverse the US decision, and a strong attempt, through Senator Rand Pauls resolution, to block the sale itself, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has told the Senate on Thursday.

Congress opposed funding of eight F-16 aircraft through foreign military funding of the United States, he said

The US Congress has initiated a move to block $450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to demonstrate its commitment and taking action against the Haqqani terror network.

Read | NYT calls Pak duplicitous, backs hold on F-16 subsidy

According to the National Defence Authorisation Act, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan, USD 450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct military operations against the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.

The move comes days after the US told Pakistan to put forward its national funds to buy eight F-16s worth USD 700 million after some top Senators put a hold on the use of American tax payers money to partially finance them.
Indias moves towards second strike capability in its nuclear programme would compel Pakistan to follow suit, an official of Pakistan's Strategic Plans Division has said, according to reports.

Development of second strike capability (by India)  would put pressure on Pakistan to take remedial measures and develop its own version of the capability, said the official from SPD, which serves as the secretariat of the countrys National Command Authority, Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

The reported successful testing of nuclear-capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) last month from its nuclear-powered INS Arihant has taken India closer to what is described as second-strike capability in nuclear deterrence. It refers to the capability of a military to hit back at an enemy in a situation where its land-based nuclear arsenal had been neutralised.

The Pakistani official was speaking at a round-table discussion on Growing Challenges to Strategic Stability in South Asia, organised by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), the paper reported.

Speakers at the CISS round-table discussion say that the reported SLBM tests by India will impact the delicate strategic balance of the region, it said.

Following the test, a statement issued by Pakistans Foreign Office had said: The reported Indian tests of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile and development of a nuclear submarine fleet are serious developments, which impact the delicate strategic balance of the region. It has resulted in the nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean.

Suggesting that Pakistan could have already moved in that direction, the SPD official recalled that Islamabad had set up its Naval Strategic Force Command (NSFC) in 2012.

At the time of the commissioning of NSFC Headquarters, the Inter-Services Public Relations had said that it will perform a pivotal role in development and employment of the Naval Strategic Force. The Force, which is the custodian of the nations second strike capability, will strengthen Pakistans policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence and ensure regional stability.

Former defence secretary, retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi, had claimed last year that Pakistan possessed second strike capability against India. However, defence analysts had questioned the claim, saying that Pakistan was yet to achieve submarine-based assured second strike capability for stable deterrence.

The SPD official, speaking about Indias development of anti-ballistic missiles, said it could give its military planners false sense of security while contemplating military action against Pakistan.

He said up-gradation of military hardware by India for operationalising the Cold Start Doctrine, building a variety of nuclear capable missiles ranging from tactical weapons to intercontinental ballistic missiles, enabling of its nuclear triad, acquisition and up-gradation of aircraft carrier fleet and nuclear submarines were all worrisome developments that would destabilise the nuclear stability, Dawn reported.

Alongside these, the official said, India was also disturbing sub-conventional stability by shifting Pakistan militarys orientation from external to internal security challenges by using its intelligence agencies.

At the round-table, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal of the Quaid-i-Azam University said it would be wishful to think of strategic stability in the region as long as mistrust existed between India and Pakistan.

He said although there was imbalance of power between India and Pakistan, still balance of terror (due to modernisation of weaponry) was sustaining a semblance of strategic stability in the region.

Dr Riffat Hussain, a professor at NUST, said that any additional military capability acquired by India would hurt Pakistan.

CISS Executive Director Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi said that Pakistan needed to closely watch the India-US strategic partnership, especially in the context of the upcoming Logistic Support Agreement (LSA) and accordingly assess its policy options. LSA is to be signed later this year between India and the US.

The prospects of conflict between the two nuclear armed rivals have only increased due to absence of an institutional dialogue process and deliberate escalation by India both by covert and overt instruments against Pakistan, he added.
This month, Pakistans Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), an advisory body formed by military dictator Zia-ul Haq, suggested abandoning paper currency in favour of gold and silver coins while urging the government to adopt an Islamic economic system.

A day later, the panel announced indirect taxes are forbidden under Islamic principles. The councils controversial chairman, Muhammad Khan Sherani, told the media that under Islamic principles only progressive taxation can be levied on the masses.

The statement perplexed many in a country where barely 1% of the population pays direct taxes. Such a move, if binding on the government, would have resulted in a financial crisis.

But given that the CII is a purely advisory body, its edicts are usually taken by the government in its stride.

The problem, say observers, is that while the government considers the council an advisory panel, a number of organisations and sections of the public see it as a guiding force for governance.

The CII, which comprises religious leaders from different schools of thought, is increasingly being taken seriously by people and religious organisations and parties, says Ashfaq Khan, an economist and political commentator.

When it comes to issues such as womens rights and family laws, the CII is particularly orthodox and regressive. Regarding the existing law that requires a written approval from the first wife if a man wants to marry a second time, the council is of the view that the law is against Islamic principles and should be abolished.

Sherani, a stern-looking maulana with a flowing white beard, says the government should amend the law to make the issue of more than one marriage easy and in accordance with Shariah. He adds, We urge the government to formulate Shariah-compliant laws related to nikah, divorce, adulthood and wills.

He had earlier said it is okay to discipline a disobedient wife or children who disobey parents. There is nothing wrong in corporal punishment, he said.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan considers the CII to be regressive. It has condemned the councils recommendations to roll back family laws and called on the government to stand fast in defence of womens rights. So far, no one has paid any attention.

The CII also delves into other controversies. It once recommended DNA testing not be used in crime cases, primarily rapes. This caused law enforcement authorities to slow down in such investigations.

The CII considers DNA testing un-Islamic and wants the government to remain with the Shariah law that requires four mature individuals to testify rape occurred. The council, however, allowed a DNA report to be used as supplementary proof.

What we are seeing is CII is muddling religion and politics, says HRCP member Ghazi Salahuddin. He says for its own agenda, the CII is taking the country back two centuries.

This is a dangerous trend, say observers who argue the CII tries to interpret issues it has no business to interfere in because it does not have the means or the expertise to do so.

In one instance, the CII advised a scientific calendar not be used for determining the placement of the moon with regard to the Islamic lunar calendar, insisting instead the moon must be sighted by people for determination of a new month.

It is fighting against science, says Salahuddin. But the sad part, he adds, is it seems there are millions of people who support the council in its fight against reason and logic.

Despite its advisory nature, the CII has a constitutional status. In the past, there were attempts by elements to make the councils edicts binding on the government.

The HRCP warns this would be a disaster. For example, in one ruling, it said a woman older than 40 can serve as a judge provided she is properly veiled.

Within the council, there is also a growing rift. Sherani recently came to blows with another member over a declaration that Ahmadis, a minority sect of Islam, are not only non-Muslims but that action should be taken against them.

Tahir Ashrafi, who urged Sherani not to revisit the Ahmadi issue, warned that the CII chairman wants cheap publicity on a sensitive issue. Ashrafi warned the consequences of such a policy could be disastrous for Pakistan. So far, no one in the CII is listening.
Pakistan said that Turkey has agreed to help modernise its F-16 fleet at a cost of 75 million dollars, in the wake of US refusal of Islamabads request to help fund the purchase of eight fighter jets.

Earlier this month, the State Department had expressed inability to fund the $700 million deal with American tax payers money and the US asked Pakistan to use its national funds to buy the jets after some top Senators put a hold on the deal.

Through the official news agency, APP, the Pakistan government said this week that Pakistan and Turkey had struck a deal in an aviation project under which Istanbul will modernize Pakistans fighter planes and that some of them have already been flown to Turkey.

APP quoted Volkan Yuzer, the regional coordinator of the Turkey-Asia Pacific Council of Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), as saying that Turkey was manufacturing engines of the F-16 jets, besides making some spare parts.

Pakistan and Turkey enjoy excellent relations. Over this weekend, prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited Turkey to participate in the marraige ceremony of the daughter of Turkish president Recep Erdogan.

In contrast, relations with the US seem to be under a cloud. Earlier this month, Pakistans advisor to the PM on Foreign Affairs, Sartaz Aziz has said that his country would acquire jets from elsewhere if the US does not arrange funding for a previously agreed upon F-16 fighter jet sale.

If funding is arranged, Pakistan will get the F-16s, otherwise we will opt for jets from some other place, Aziz had said.

The US gives Pakistan $265 million as part of foreign military assistance, Aziz said, adding in previous years it was $300 million. The amount received is split between the three branches of the armed forces. Pakistan Air Forces share is $80 million, which they had allocated for the last three years to buy the jets, he said.

The funding we received was part of normal military funding received from US, and not specifically meant for the purchase of F-16s. The US has informed us that we can use the funds for purchase of other military equipment and items, but not F-16s, he added.

Pakistan had earlier reached an understanding with the US for buying eight F-16 planes. Under the deal, Pakistan was required to pay about $270 million from its national funds. The US was supposed to provide the rest from its Foreign Military Financing (FMF) fund. But at a Congressional hearing, US lawmakers made it clear that they would not allow the Obama administration to use US funds for the deal.

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Police found a pigs head bearing a written insult against German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the entrance to her constituency office in the northeastern town of Stralsund on Saturday, state police said.

Police declined to provide further details about the insult when contacted by Reuters, saying an investigation had been launched.

Merkels popularity has waned due to her liberal migrant policy. More than a million migrants arrived in Germany last year, many of them fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, and concerns about how Europes largest economy will be able to integrate them are now rife.

An INSA poll published on Wednesday showed that almost half of Germans did not want her to stay in office for a fourth term after an election next year.
The Reuters story at 1046 GMT on a suicide bombing in the Yemeni city of Mukalla on Monday is withdrawn. The local military command says no such attack took place, and residents have retracted their account.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday lashed out at Europes silence over the execution of an Islamist leader in Bangladesh, accusing the West of double standards.

If you are against political executions, why did you remain silent to the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami who was martyred a couple of days ago, Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.

Have you heard anything from Europe? ... No. Isnt it called double standards? Erdogan said.

Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at a Dhaka jail late Tuesday for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former government minister was the fifth and the most senior opposition figure executed since the secular government in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation set up a controversial war crimes tribunal in 2010.

In protest, Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh for consultations.

Since coming to power in 2002, Turkeys ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sought to boost the countrys power in the Muslim world.

Last year, Erdogan condemned a death sentence handed to Egypts deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was a close ally of Ankara until he was overthrown by the military in 2013.

At the time he condemned the West for turning a blind eye to the coup by army chief army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who is now president.
China condemned the US Defense Departments annual report on the Chinese military on Sunday, calling it deliberate distortion that has severely damaged mutual trust.

In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military activities, the US Defense Department said on Friday that China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year.

Chinas defence ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the Pentagon report and said it has severely damaged mutual trust, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The report hyped up Chinas military threat and lack of transparency, deliberately distorted Chinese defence policies and unfairly depicted Chinese activities in the East and South China seas, Yang was quoted as saying.

Read | China deploys more troops near India border, eyes Pak naval hubs: US

China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature, Yang said, adding that the countrys military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing Chinas peaceful development.

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. (Reuters File Photo)

It is the United States that has always been suspicious and flexing its military muscle by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region, Yang said.

Despite its calls for freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US has pushed forward militarisation of the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang added.

Reclamation work

The Pentagon report said the planned addition of military infrastructure would give China long-term civil-military bases in the contested waters.

It estimated that Chinas reclamation work had added more than 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land on seven features it occupied in the Spratly Islands in the space of two years.

The report said China had completed its major reclamation efforts in October, switching focus to infrastructure development, including three 9,800 foot-long (3,000 metre) airstrips that can accommodate advanced fighter jets.

Soldiers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy watch as the USS Blue Ridge arrives at a port in Shanghai. (AP Photo)

Yang, the spokesperson, defended the construction, saying it serves mostly civilian purposes and helps fulfil Chinas international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

The Pentagon report comes at a time of heightened tension over maritime territories claimed by China and disputed by several Asian nations. Washington has accused Beijing of militarising the South China Sea while Beijing, in turn, has criticised increased US naval patrols and exercises in Asia.

The US report renewed accusations against Chinas government and military for cyber attacks against US government computer systems, a charge Beijing denies. The Pentagon said attacks in 2015 appeared focused on intelligence collection.

Read | China has reclaimed 3,200 acres in South China Sea: Pentagon report
A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in far south Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on US Highway 83, about 46 miles north of Laredo, and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Conrad Hein said.

The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over, he said. Everythings real preliminary right now.

Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said.

The trooper said it was raining on Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30am. He said no other vehicles were in the area at the time.

Our troopers are going to look into what happened but its going to take us some time, he said of the investigation. We just know the driver lost control.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday night it was sending a team to also investigate the wreck. They were expected to arrive Sunday.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department chief Ricardo Rangel told the Laredo Morning Times the bus belonged to OGA Charters was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo. The bus company is based in San Juan, in Hidalgo County in Texas Rio Grande Valley. A message left at the bus company on Saturday was not immediately returned.

Hein said 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo, where the eighth victim died. Fifteen were taken to Laredo Medical Center. Seven were taken to a Dimmit County hospital in Carrizo Springs.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokesperson for Laredo Medical Center, said bus passengers being treated there were in stable condition. She said she could share no additional information.

The highway at the accident scene was reopened by early evening. Laredo about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years. In January 2015, two state corrections officers and eight inmates were killed after their Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus struck a piece of displaced highway guardrail west of Odessa. The bus fell about 20 feet before striking a Union Pacific freight train that happened to be passing beneath the highway. Last Thursday, the NTSB concluded that the wreck was caused as the bus hit the guardrail piece.

Seventeen passengers died in 2008 near Sherman when their bus plunged over a highway bridge on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri. The NTSB blamed that crash on a retreaded tire on the right front axle that was punctured by an unknown object.

Although the retread itself wasnt the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, the bus company didnt have the authority to leave Texas after failing an inspection three months earlier, and the company that inspected the bus wasnt equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy. The owner of the Houston bus company was charged with making false statements but avoided prison in 2014 after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in a plea agreement.
The Nepal Army has been criticised by the countrys media for receiving Bollywood actors Sonakshi Sinha and Malaika Arora Khan at the Kathmandu international airport.

With media reports saying the move demoralises the army and reduces its prestige, the army said it did not see anything wrong in the incident.

The Bollywood actors had come to Nepal for a charity function, headed by the wife of army chief General Rajendra Chhettri, for helping the of victims of last years devastating earthquake.

General Samir Shai was at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Friday to receive Sinha, while other senior army officials received Khan, local media reports said.

An army spokesperson said: The welcome by the army personal was a normal incident.

Army personnel worked in close coordination with the Nepal Police personnel for providing necessary security for the two actresses, he said.

The incident came at a time Nepal-India ties are seeing a chill after last years border blockade imposed by Madhesis in protest against the new constitution.
Mental health advocates are calling a drug bill into question due to concerns over the potential negative effects that it will have on mental health patients. The bill was passed by Kansas lawmakers and will require doctors to try cheaper drugs before more expensive ones on Medicaid recipients.

The process is called step therapy and is nothing new within private and public health insurance plans. It was integral in solving numerous budget issues through its reduction of the cost of providing for health care for poor residents.

However, Rick Cagan, executive director of the Kansas affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, points out that everyone reacts differently to psychiatric drugs in terms of tolerance and response.

"Individuals and their prescribers need to have the greatest degree of flexibility to ensure a good match for patients," he said. "We don't know as much about how the brain responds to this whole kind of cadre of medications ... as we do with cardiac and other kinds of medications."

Nevertheless, the lawmakers who supported the bill, which is expected to be signed on Monday, believe that safeguards are in place to protect those with mental health problems and advocates are simply looking for an unfair exemption from a practice that numerous insured patients must face.

"They just want to be left totally outside so that they don't have to do anything like the rest of the world has to do," said Republican Sen. Jim Denning, of Overland Park. "If a new patient comes into the system, they will be given the right drug or combination of drugs to keep them as healthy and as well as we can."

Despite Denning's assertions, many think that the bill will lead to limitations in the access of certain medication due to cost. Furthermore, there are worries regarding the ability of mental health patients to understand the administrative hurdles that they need to overcome if they're turned away from their doctor due to drug pricing.

"For someone who doesn't own their own transportation, who may or may not have strong cognitive abilities ... our biggest fear is that they will walk out of the pharmacy and they don't come back for the adjustments to be made," said Amy Campbell, lobbyist for the Kansas Mental Health Coalition.

Medicaid currently costs Kansas $3 billion per year, and step therapy could save the state up to $11 million per year. Supporters believe that despite concerns, the process is used across the country and issues of mental health will be taken into consideration.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Amy Howard, of Memphis-based Amy Howard at Home, has a mission: to rescue neglected, old furniture and bring it back to life.

"Over 11 million tons of furniture is thrown away every year," Howard said. "That's why one of our taglines is 'Rescue, restore, redecorate.' "

With more than 30 years of experience in home decor and furniture design, Howard has poured her heart into creating a new line of paints and craft tools that are perfect for any DIY novice or veteran. Her products can be found in ACE Hardware stores nationally and internationally.

Her journey began at a Paris flea market, where she sought out the stories behind each furniture piece.

"It was an almost spiritual experience," Howard said. "I kept thinking, 'Who used this piece? What was the political situation at the time? The fashion styles?' "

So she started to combine her passion for art history with her love for interior design. Howard has taken midcentury modern looks and enhanced them with 17th-century finishes. She also has studied Oriental lacquer finishes and explored their natural ingredients for her own product development.

With her new line, she hopes to help people create a high-end aesthetic with affordable prices and an easy, hands-on approach.

"Our paints and our finishes are natural, which is a beautiful aspect," Howard said.

While most people do gravitate towards beautiful things, they're not necessarily willing to pay top dollar.

Increasingly, people are scouting out furniture at garage sales, estate sales and flea markets. One radical step can lead to a wondrous transformation.

Howard's One-Step Paint requires only that the piece of furniture be wiped free of dirt or grime; there's no stripping, sanding or priming necessary. You just tackle the dilapidated thing with a brush, and the results are stunning.

Howard is obsessed with finishes and the way they play with texture. For a faded industrial look, her liming wax can create a feathery finish on cabinets or a table. The wax must be painted in a diagonal direction, Howard said, starting from the upper left top corner. This technique is called cerusing, and Howard believes it is a massive trend in the DIY movement, an $817-billion-dollar industry.

"But for example, people still want to redo their kitchens for reasonable prices," Howard said. "On average, people spend $5,000 for painting kitchen cabinets. I can redo an entire kitchen for less than $250."

When designing a room, Howard recommends a neutral background and a few objects (lamps and pillows) with bright pops of color, a major trend. That way, you can freshen up the room by changing out the inexpensive items.

Yet another trend that Howard champions is glass backsplashes. Instead of tile, people are increasingly interested in glass or lacquer backsplashes stamped with pretty patterns.

"There's a resurgence of people wanting to learn how to do things themselves," Howard said. "They want to be able to say, 'I did it!' and enjoy the bragging rights."

She also helps people replicate items they've found on Pinterest, though she has some concerns about that website and app.

"Women will go on it for hours, and then it makes them unhappy with everything in their house," she said. "But I would like them to make their houses an impression of theirs through simple DIY projects that will give their homes a soul."
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To think it all started with tartar sauce.

In 2011, Ashley Rose, the founder of Sugar & Cloth lifestyle blog (sugarandcloth.com) and Instagram star with nearly 200,000 followers, was waiting tables at a local restaurant when a customer began yelling for tartar sauce. At that moment, Rose decided she needed to do something different with her life.

She started the blog as a way to showcase her favorite dessert recipes and do-it-yourself projects. She was always baking sweets and making things at home anyway.

Rose also realized she needed to attend as many networking events as possible to get her blog out there. She met Josh Shepard, owner of the photo-booth company Smilebooth, at one of those events. He offered her a job handling the company's photo processing and graphic design, which still allowed her to work on her blog part time.

Sugar & Cloth quickly gained a following. In 2012, Rose was featured on Wired magazine's website for creating a DIY monogram marquee light. She was later approached by Martha Stewart Living to create a Christmas nook for the home. She posted her projects on Instagram and Pinterest and got even more opportunities to contribute to popular DIY sites, such as Poppytalk.

"For two years, I worked out of my living room and dining room, wherever had the most light," said Rose, 27. "I was making money but not enough to sustain myself, so I reinvested everything, even if it was just $50, back into the company."

More Information Ashley Rose's tips for DIY bloggers Be consistent with the frequency and quality of your posts. Let your personality come through in your writing. Invest in the time to learn good photography. Home: Hermann Park area Personal style: Modern, bright, colorful Style heroes: Anyone with a retro, iconic vintage look Pairs of shoes: 60 Favorite shoe or accessory: Fun sunglasses Should toss but can't: "A small Beanie Baby that my grandmother gave me in third grade. It looks like trash, but I can't part with it." Trend you'll never wear: Bib overalls Collectibles: Mismatched glassware from thrift shops, T.J. Maxx or Marshall's On bedside table: A candle and fake plant Recent purchase: A red polka-dot mini skirt from Asos.com Most regrettable purchase: "Those vintage purchases that seem like a great idea, but I end up never wearing them." Must-have beauty product: Sunday Riley skin care First car: Burgundy 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado Morning or night person: Night Favorite vacation: Swimming with the pigs in Exuma, Bahamas Most hated household chore: Laundry Favorite smell: Anything with bergamot Favorite sound: Ocean Must follow on Instagram: @drakeoncake Favorite word: Giggles Favorite food: Tacos Favorite book: "The Shack" by William P. Young Most annoying celeb: Justin Bieber Surprising thing about you: "As much as we travel, I don't like to travel." Theme song: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams See More Collapse

In 2014, Rose decided it was time to work full time on Sugar & Cloth.

"I needed to be more business-minded about the blog because I was getting so many jobs and because it was something I was passionate about. It didn't make it any less terrifying," she said.

By November, Rose moved the business into a space above Tout Suite cafe on Commerce with her boyfriend, Jared Smith, who is the photographer for her site. She now employs a social media assistant and has several freelance contributors. What started as a DIY blog has grown into a lifestyle brand.

Rose has worked with the Food Network, Lowe's, Home Depot, Laughing Cow cheese, Lindt chocolate company and even had a Mother's Day Hallmark card. She conducts regular DIY workshops and is developing a Sugar & Cloth notebook with an Austin company. She and Smith also are launching the Cool Photo School, an online photography course for bloggers.

Recently, they unveiled the Sugar & Cloth Color Wall on the back of The Headquarters co-working space at 3302 Canal in the East End. It's become a popular backdrop for blogger selfies and fashion shoots.

"We wanted to have something that would have our key colors and that was big enough for our really large projects," Rose said. "We also wanted to create something in the community for creatives. I don't think we realized how much people would love it. It has totally made my year."

A native of Charleston, W. Va., Rose says she got her craftiness from her father, Mike Burdette, who was always "fixing and creating things."

"We spent an entire summer making a birdhouse mansion. We could have housed an entire flock. He was so detail-oriented about it," she said.

Rose studied graphic design at Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va., but dropped out her junior year against her parents' advice. "I had a scholarship, and I thought they were going to kill me," she said. "But I needed a break to figure out what I really wanted to do."

She moved to Houston in 2009, where she has family. Her brother, Tyler Burdette, lives in Houston.

Rose credits Sugar & Cloth's success to keeping the blog "authentic."

"I'm naturally a behind-the-scenes person, and I'm not a big selfie person either," she said. "I really try to focus on the content. Being real and genuine makes the difference."

Rose also has shed the aprons of her past, replacing them with bright-colored fashions and big skirts. She finds styles online at Shopbop and ASOS and locally at Myth & Symbol in Rice Village.

"My style could not have gotten any worse when I was waitressing," she said. "I have definitely evolved."
When choosing among presidential candidates, Americans find plenty to debate about their fitness for office, experience, and economic and foreign policies. But the framers of the Constitution made no mention of such qualifications; they were primarily concerned that the president be truly American. And one of the ways that a president counted as truly American was to be, in the Constitution's phrase, a "natural-born citizen."

In the modern era, this phrase has been particularly contentious. There was the clamor over whether Canadian-born presidential candidate Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz met that requirement; there were accusations that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. We can go back at least to 1968, when candidate George Romney had to explain his birth in Mexico.

The concerns appear to arise from a kinetic modern world that impels millions of people to cross political borders seeking refuge or opportunity, and then cross social borders, falling in love and having children. But the fluid nature of nationality and citizenship isn't just a modern condition  it's a defining feature of American identity that dates all the way back to the beginnings of the republic.

The idea of nationality and citizenship being fixed at birth derived from the feudal concept of fealty owed by vassals to their lords, according to William Blackstone, the preeminent authority on English law at the time of the American Revolution. "Natural-born citizens" were those "who are born within the dominions of the crown of England," including its colonies. Then there were "aliens"  "such as are born out of it." Birthplace mattered, Blackstone explained, because "immediately upon their birth" natural-born subjects "are under the king's protection; at a time too, when (during their infancy) they are incapable of protecting themselves. Natural allegiance is therefore a debt of gratitude which cannot be forfeited, canceled, or altered," at least not by the mere will of the individual.

Though Blackstone's concept awarded citizenship to children of aliens born within the British Empire, it also posed obstinate impediments to immigrants wanting to enjoy the rights of freeborn Englishmen, not least the right to own land. The same principle of natural allegiance determined that an alien's loyalty remained fastened to a foreign sovereign. Immigrants might become "naturalized" citizens only if they renounced old allegiances, swore new oaths of allegiance, and demonstrated over some designated number of years their loyalty to the adopted nation.

In the American environment, these rigid notions of national identity eroded amid the turbulent streams of migration pouring into the colonies. Outside New England, which remained an Anglo-American bastion restrictive to immigration, most American colonies competed with one another to draw immigrants. Some extended property rights to resident aliens, while others legislated their own naturalization laws, which were often more inclusive than English law. They tossed out religious barriers against Catholics, Jews, and Protestant dissenters and exempted Quakers and others from having to violate their faith by taking an oath of allegiance. South Carolina, among the most liberal, granted white Protestant immigrants who came into the colony all the rights and privileges "as if they had been born of English parents within the Province." It even welcomed refugee debtors by prohibiting the collection of debts owed by aliens prior to migration.

By 1775, historians estimate that less than half the inhabitants of the 13 colonies were of English descent. British officials, wary of dissident aliens and fugitive debtors filling their American dominions, tried to inhibit immigration by restricting westward settlement and resisting permissive naturalization laws in the colonies. Among the grievances in the Declaration of Independence, one denounced the king for "obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners."

But once they had a nation of their own, Americans worried about the dangers of aliens insinuating themselves into the highest reaches of power in the fragile young republic. In The Federalist Papers No. 68, Alexander Hamilton warned of foreign intrigue among those "deadly adversaries of republican government" who harbor desires "to gain an improper ascendant in our councils" and might raise "a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union." Hamilton held this belief even though he was himself an immigrant to New York born in the British West Indies (as those who have seen the current eponymous Broadway musical know). Even though it's hard to find evidence of actual plots, Hamilton and his fellow Federalists were especially worried that America's frail, young confederation would fall prey to foreign intrigue emanating from jealous European empires (Britain, Spain, and France) not ready to relinquish their ambitions in North America.

The idea that the president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen originated apparently with John Jay, a friend and collaborator with Hamilton on The Federalist Papers. As president of the Continental Congress and as a diplomat during and after the Revolution, Jay developed a healthy distrust of sinister European powers abroad. Jay wrote to George Washington in Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention: "Permit me to hint, whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen."

Washington thanked him for his "hint," but the convention adopted language that was far more elastic. Article II, Section 1, specifies:

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

This language not only allowed immigrants such as Jay's friend Hamilton to run for president, it also made George Washington eligible. Washington and Hamilton had been born British subjects; both became citizens of the United States on July 4, 1776, the day the nation was born.

How did that alchemical transformation happen on that specific day? As David Ramsay, a South Carolina historian, explained in the 1789 pamphlet, A Dissertation on the Manner of Acquiring the Character and Privileges of a Citizen of the United States, once King George cast Americans outside his protection and Parliament  in effect, declaring war on the colonies  the bond of natural allegiance between subject and sovereign was broken. The Declaration of Independence announced that the people of the United States, absolved of all allegiances to the British crown, were now citizens of new "Free and Independent states." By this revolutionary stroke, nearly 3 million people "who had been subjects, became citizens," though Ramsay took pains to clarify that "Negroes are inhabitants, not citizens," that is, not among the "mass of free people, who collectively possess sovereignty."

Ramsey was adamant that people could not claim American citizenship as a birthright unless they were born after the Declaration of Independence called the nation into existence. But he outlined additional paths to becoming an American that included residency within the United States. In a republic based on consent of the governed, he explained, simply living under the new government as a consenting adult demonstrated loyalty. This explains why the framers wanted American presidents not only to be natural-born citizens (or, for the time being, citizens at the time of adoption) but also to have lived 14 years as adults under the new government.

Ten of the first 12 presidents were born British subjects; for them and all future presidents the requirements of residency and citizenship would mitigate suspicion of lingering effects of "natural allegiance" to foreign sovereigns. The framers built into the Constitution an ingenious process of Americanization with proofs of birth, residency, and loyalty that expressed a new concept of citizenship in which individual consent and choice, as much as the "natural allegiance" derived from the accident of birth, determined one's nationality.

Even if the framers were acting on genuine fears of foreign enemies, we should recognize they were also making room, even in the highest office of the land, for talented immigrants who threw themselves in with the revolutionary republic.Where and when people were born didn't necessarily determine their national allegiance. Those "distinguished revolutionary patriots," Constitutional scholar Joseph Story put it, "had entitled themselves to high honours in their adopted country."

The framers did not allow their fears to close the door on the talent and ambition of immigrants who chose to shed old, and adopt new, allegiances  that is, they allowed newcomers to become American.



Don H. Doyle is McCausland professor of history at the University of South Carolina and author of The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War (2015). He wrote this for What It Means to Be American, a partnership of the Smithsonian and Zocalo Public Square.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It even welcomes refugee debtors.
In 1906, in order to sell his Square Deal, Republican president Teddy Roosevelt used what was called his bully pulpit to convince folks that projects like the National Parks program and consumer protection laws were good ideas. At the time, the term "bully" was an adjective meaning "top-notch," as in "bully for you."

Now, however, whether it's a schoolyard bully, a boss who's a bully or even a parent, bullying (picking on and intimidating someone) is now a big problem. In the U.S., one in five children say they've been bullied. And according to the website StopBullying.gov, it has health repercussions for both the bully and the bullied.

Bullies tend to continue their violent and abusive behavior into adulthood (risking injury, incarceration and premature death), while bullied kids are more likely to become anxious, depressed, sad, lonely and develop poor eating and sleeping patterns.

To stop the spread of bullying, researchers at the University at Buffalo developed the Early Childhood Friendship Project. It teaches kids about bullying when they first start to develop aggressive behaviors - ages 3 to 5. The program uses puppets, storytelling and other age-appropriate activities to help kids get excited about sharing and helping others. Teachers love it, and when the program is finalized, the researchers will send program information to qualified educators, free of charge.

To let your school district and daycare center know about it, just Google "University of Buffalo ECFP."

Q: I'm 87 and having a knee replacement. I'm healthy and active, but concerned. How can someone my age make sure to get the best treatment during and after surgery?

Bev G., Ketchum, Idaho

A: You sound like a wonderful example of the new wave of super-seniors. About 2 million folks in North America are 90 or older, and they're proving that you can stay healthy and happy even if you need an operation to replace a worn-out knee.

So to protect older surgery patients, the American College of Surgeons and the American Geriatrics Society have issued guidelines to help assure the best possible outcomes. They're worth knowing, so you can talk to your doctors about them before you head in for your operation.

Before the operation, your docs should determine how to manage all your current and future medications and make sure they're all taken correctly, including an appropriate schedule for preoperative fasting. A couple of hours before the operation, you should be given antibiotics to curb incision-site infection and steps to prevent blood clots should be taken.

During the operation, the anesthesia must suit your respiratory and circulatory health (regional as opposed to general may be a better option). Use of opioid-sparing pain relief should be discussed. Forced-air warmers and/or warmed IV fluids should be used whenever an older person is undergoing a procedure longer than 30 minutes.

Post-op, your docs will have a plan to prevent and deal with delirium, if it occurs; pulmonary complications (keeping fluid out of your lungs); nutrition; prevention of falls, urinary tract infections and pressure ulcers in the legs. To prevent blood clots they will get you up as soon as possible.
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Four inmates died after assaults or head trauma suffered in the Harris County Jail since Sheriff Ron Hickman took office in May 2015, prompting an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Justice about the latest death.

Justice Department attorneys have been monitoring conditions in the jail since 2008 and, despite reforms in staffing and procedures that have improved medical care in key areas, continue to focus on mental health treatment and the use of force against inmates by guards and other prisoners.

Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard said his office was contacted by Justice Department attorneys following the death last month of Patrick Joseph Brown, a Katy man arrested for stealing a guitar who died after an alleged midnight beating by other inmates in a crowded jail cell.

Soard said the sheriff's department did not notify the county attorney about the deaths of the other three inmates - Rodrin Hinton in March, and Robert Brooks and Jose Fierros in June 2015 - until receiving inquiries from the Houston Chronicle. The county attorney is now awaiting additional information on the three deaths, two of which remain under investigation, but they have all been reported by the sheriff's office to the Justice Department, Soard said.

"Certainly when there's an injury or death to an inmate, we are concerned, and on these particular items we're talking to the sheriff's department," Soard said. "All I can say is it's part of the ongoing  investigation that has been going on from 2008."

Ralph Gonzales, media relations manager for the sheriff's office, said the four deaths equate to "0.003 percent of the inmate population" in a jail with an annual population of 120,000, one of the largest county jails in America.

Gonzales said the deaths of Hinton and Fierros remain under investigation and the department would not discuss the circumstances. Gonzales said the department's Office of Inspector General and the Harris County District Attorney's office reviewed Brooks' death and closed the investigations after determining no legal action was required. In Brown's death, two inmates are facing charges of aggravated assault.

"Those incidents are statistically anomalous, not indicative of a trend," he said.

Evidence of a 'pattern'

Local civil rights activists and county officials expressed concern over inmate deaths that followed jailhouse fights or unexplained blunt-force trauma.

"There's clearly evidence of some sort of pattern here of an inability to keep people safe in the jail, which then potentially exposes the county to liability," said Amin Alehashem, staff attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project office in Houston. "Now they are on notice there are severe deficiencies in their ability to keep inmates safe, and they need to take appropriate measures now to make sure this does not continue to happen."

Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, an outspoken critic of the jail and a rigid bail system that he believes is unconstitutional, took strong exception to Gonzales' description of the four deaths on Hickman's watch as statistical anomalies.

"Any homicide is a serious matter, particularly when the person is being held by the government in a cell without actually having been convicted of a crime," Ellis said. "These people aren't statistics; they are lives that matter."

Ellis and Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, another critic of the bail system, have said nonviolent offenders - especially those arrested for misdemeanors - should not be jailed while awaiting a trial. Harris County judges release relatively few inmates on low-cost personal bonds.

Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack, a former Houston police officer and county constable, questioned whether Hickman had used new personnel he has hired to adequately staff the jail.

"Absolutely, I'm concerned," Radack said of the deaths. "Not only am I concerned about the people being protected outside the jail, I think the people inside the jail should be protected as well and resources allocated in a way to run an orderly jail."

In the latest of the four inmate deaths, Brown, 46, had been in the jail for approximately 28 hours on a misdemeanor charge of allegedly stealing a guitar when he was assaulted and later died on April 5. Neither inmate who has been charged with aggravated assault in his death had yet been assessed for their risk to other inmates, according to jail records.

Jail staffers initially were unaware that Brown, one of 20 inmates in the crowded basement holding cell, had been assaulted and was lying on the floor. They were alerted by inmates that Brown needed medical attention. He died of a brain hemorrhage, according to court documents.

The alleged assailants were only identified after a homicide investigator reviewed surveillance video that captured them punching, hitting and kicking Brown. One of the inmates charged in the assault on Brown was allowed to post bond and leave the jail because investigators had not realized a crime had been committed and had not reviewed the surveillance video, the department confirmed.

Brown's death is also under investigation by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

During a news conference after Brown's death, Hickman said the jail was short "several hundred" staff members and that the Inmate Processing Center did not have enough staff to conduct both the periodic checks of jail cells required by state law and monitor surveillance cameras. Jailers are being forced to work mandatory overtime shifts due to the staff shortage, Hickman said.

Alex Bunin, executive director of the Harris County Public Defender's Office, an advocate for quicker screening and pretrial release of defendants, described Brown's death as a tragedy "that should never happen."

'It doesn't make sense'

Like Brown, Jose Fierros, 58, was also being held on a misdemeanor charge - unlawfully carrying a pocketknife. He died after only four days in custody from blunt-force head trauma, according to custodial death records. The manner of his death remains classified as "undetermined" by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, and the sheriff's office has blocked release of his autopsy under an open records law exception for pending criminal investigations.

Magda Fuentes, 31, said Fierros, her uncle, was approached by Houston police officers on the morning of June 17, 2015. He'd been sitting in a park, reading a newspaper while waiting to be picked up by a friend for a construction job, she said. Fierros was arrested and held on $1,000 bond.

Fierros was a diabetic, but his family says he had no other serious health problems.

After his death, Fuentes told the Chronicle she called authorities repeatedly from her home in Austin, trying to find out what happened.

"It doesn't make sense," Fuentes said. "Why did he pass away? That's what we want to know."

State records show that Rodrin Hinton, 33, a Houston resident arrested on a domestic violence charge, died hours after allegedly getting into a fight in a cell with another inmate. When jailers arrived to his cell block at 4:43 p.m. March 24, the fight was over, but Hinton was having trouble breathing.

Sheriff's department officials say Hinton refused medical attention and instead was locked in a holding cell, where he was found unresponsive on the cell floor 22 minutes later and CPR was begun, according to a state custodial death record filed by the department. Hinton was pronounced dead two hours later at a local hospital. His official cause of death has not been determined by the medical examiner.

"There is no way possible that any inmate is supposed to die on the watch of Harris County. They need to properly monitor these people," said Candice Hinton, Hinton's widow. "Basically, they should not let these inmates fight like that. They need to have a very quick response time. How long were they fighting for this to happen? That's totally unacceptable, period!"

'Wild, wild West'

Candice Hinton, who operates a Houston child-placement agency and is expecting Hinton's second child, said the sheriff's homicide investigator assigned to her husband's death has only given her a "very vague" account of what happened.

For example, she does not know any of the details of the cell-block fight that proceeded his death, if surveillance cameras recorded the altercation, or why jail officials didn't summon medical staff to assess her husband's health since he was having trouble breathing.

Hinton was arrested after he allegedly assaulted his wife.

"I understand these people may commit crimes and things like that, but they're still human beings, and you're supposed to treat them firm and fair," said Candice Hinton, who added she retained two local attorneys to review her husband's death. "You don't let them run around in there and have a Wild, Wild West going on in there - that's not OK."

Robert Brooks, 51, died in a local hospital June 12, 2015, after he was transported from the jail with "complications of blunt head trauma" following an assault by another inmate, according to an investigation by the medical examiner's office. He had been charged with sexually assaulting a child.

His death after a cell-block fight will not result in criminal charges, according to the sheriff's office.

A medical examiner's investigation found that Brooks was hit by another inmate and then fell backward and hit his head. The cause of death was listed as undetermined because of evidence that Brooks had received injuries to his head in another altercation before entering the jail, the medical report noted.
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A Houston man arrested for stealing a guitar died after being beaten by two other inmates in a crowded holding cell at the Harris County jail, according to court documents.

The April 4 beating was captured on a cell surveillance camera, but no guards were watching at the time. Jail officials allowed one alleged assailant, Ebenezer Nah, 26, to post bond on a felony drug charge and freed him soon after the attack.

Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ryan Sullivan said Nah was allowed to leave the detention facility because he had not yet been identified by investigators as a suspect in the assault on inmate Patrick Joseph Brown.

Sheriff's investigators later used the same footage to charge both Nah and another inmate, Curtis Anthony Maxwell, 23, with aggravated assault.

Brown, 46, was arrested on a misdemeanor theft charge April 3, but not yet able to post $3,000 bond. He had been housed at the 701 San Jacinto jail only about a day when the assault occurred about 11:48 p.m. on April 4. He died of a brain hemorrhage at a hospital about eight hours after the attack, according to court and county records.

In an e-mail response to questions, Sullivan confirmed that surveillance cameras were recording activities in the cell block that night, but acknowledged no one was monitoring the cameras at that time.

Sullivan said jailers made a mandatory check of the holding cell three minutes prior to the assault, but that staff were initially unaware that an assault had occurred during an argument among the three inmates. Instead, they say they were later notified of "an unknown medical emergency."

"It was not until investigators conducted a review of the surveillance footage that the assault was discovered," Sullivan said in an email.

Diana Claitor, executive director of the Austin-based Texas Jail Project, said the circumstances surrounding Brown's death made her question whether Harris County jails were adequately staffed and supervised. Claitor said Texas county jails generally have a high employee turnover rate.

"But certainly in holding cells where  a lot of different people (are) held together, there should be a lot of supervision," Claitor said. "And especially if they have video, why are they not keeping up with the situation better?"

About 20 inmates in cell

A Houston Chronicle investigation in 2015 found that assaults occurred frequently at the jail. At least 75 in-custody deaths were reported from 2009-2015, most of whom were pretrial defendants like Brown.

The Chronicle identified at least 19 cases in which inmates died of illnesses that were either treatable or preventable, or in which delays in care, or staff misconduct, could have played a role in their deaths.

Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said the agency is investigating Brown's death, reported to the commission on April 5. It's one of seven in-custody deaths reported by the sheriff's office this year, though no details were immediately available.

After Brown's death, a sheriff's investigator reviewed surveillance footage from holding cell No. 338, where Brown, Maxwell, Nah and about 17 other inmates were being held at the time of the assault. Court documents state that the footage showed both Nah and Maxwell hitting and kicking Brown's face, head and body.

The assault lasted less than a minute before Brown crumpled to the ground, curled into a fetal position, "spasmed significantly and rolled to his back," according to a court record. Moments later, Brown stopped moving.

Medical personnel entered the holding cell about 13 or 14 minutes after the incident and started giving Brown CPR, the same record shows. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, arriving shortly before 1 a.m., and died later that morning. Court documents do not state what happened in jail between the end of the assault and the medical staff's arrival.

Stemmed from argument

Investigators were able to determine the identities of Maxwell and Nah from the video and other evidence.

Maxwell, originally arrested and jailed on April 2 after an alleged felony assault involving someone he was dating, was still in Harris County jail and admitted to the assault against Brown, the court record shows. He told investigators the incident stemmed from an argument between Nah and Brown, court records state.

Maxwell told investigators he did not know Nah's name and only knew him from jail. Another inmate who witnessed the incident identified Nah from a photo line-up.

Nah, arrested and jailed on April 1 on a felony drug possession charge, already had posted a $10,000 bond and been released by the time investigators identified him as a suspect in Brown's assault. Charges of aggravated assault were filed against Nah on April 6. That same day, he was arrested by the Houston Police Department for unrelated cocaine possession charges.

Maxwell and Nah are being held in the Harris County Jail without bond. Charges may be upgraded against both men pending the outcome of an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

A former girlfriend, who asked not to be identified, said Brown left behind a teenage son who has been devastated by his father's death.

She questioned how Brown could have been assaulted on camera without anyone noticing.

"All I know is, something like this shouldn't happen," the woman said. "Who gets beat up and killed in jail in a holding cell?"
Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson unveiled a sweeping plan Wednesday for criminal justice reform aimed a keeping low-level, nonviolent offenders out of the crowded jail and reducing the burden on poor and minority defendants.

The $5.3 million plan-with the boost of a $2 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation -includes a diversion court to handle about 8,000 non-violent felonies and a new system to make it easier for defendants to gain release without posting bail.

Harris County has been the target of state and federal allegations of excessive pretrial detention of non-violent and mentally ill offenders that has fueled jail overcrowding and alleged civil rights abuses, including inmate deaths.

The county was the target of a U.S. Department of Justice probe in 2009 and has been warned since by state and federal experts that its practices are unconstitutional.

Anderson said the plan will reduce the jail population and address racial and ethnic disparities in the local justice system.

"As research continues to mount on the negative impact that jail and prison can have on low-level offenders, the mentally ill, and communities of color, [Harris County] can no longer afford to operate with a 'business-as-usual' mentality," Anderson said. "As in most jurisdictions, people of color are over-represented in the Harris County jail."

Anderson was joined by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Interim Police Chief Martha Montalvo, Sheriff Ron Hickman and more than a dozen other community leaders in announcing the plan and the grant from one of the nation's largest philanthropic organizations.

The proposal - which must be approved by Harris County commissioners - drew praise from community leaders and criminal justice experts.

"There is standing racism in this nation, not just in Texas, not just Harris County, but the nation,' said the Rev. William "Bill" Lawson, a longtime leader in the black community. "And we are right now beginning to work on setting up systems to be more fair."

University of Houston law professor Sandra Guerra Thompson said the proposals could change lives.

"They're historic for Harris County," Thompson said. "We're going to see dramatic change. There's still more work to be done, but it's a huge leap forward."

Lock-up rate high

The Harris County Jail, a sprawling downtown complex that is one of the nation's largest county detention facilities, has a higher pretrial lock-up rate than other urban counties across Texas.

A Houston Chronicle investigation last year found that at any given time, as many as 75 percent of the jail's 9,000 inmates have not been convicted of any crime but remain behind bars awaiting trial because they can't afford to get out.

County judges use an inflexible bond schedule to keep defendants in jail, even though about half face non-violent felony or misdemeanor charges. County bond hearings are conducted via videolink and no defense attorneys are provided.

Those who can't afford to pay for their freedom often end up jailed for days or months. The Chronicle found that assaults were frequent and that more than 75 inmates had died in custody since 2009, some from illnesses that could have been treated.

The announcement Wednesday came one day after the sheriff's office revealed that a 46-year-old inmate who had been jailed for misdemeanor theft died after being kicked and punched by two other inmates in a crowded holding cell. The man was being held on $3,000 bond for allegedly stealing a guitar.

The new court-a key element in the plan-is designed to help suspected felons, even repeat offenders, get help for their problems rather than racking up convictions that keep them from getting jobs. It will give first-time offenders hope for avoiding a cycle of crime, Anderson said.

"For many first-time offenders, if they complete this specialized diversion program, their criminal record will be wiped clean," Anderson said. "A sober person with a job is someone we are not going to see again in the system."

She said the goal of the court, which will be presided over by a visiting judge and cost about $1.9 million for staff and resources, is to reduce the jail population and increase diversion - moves that should also reduce disparities for communities of color.

The court and a new county coordinator will work to involve minority communities in shaping criminal justice policies. The efforts should lower the average daily jail population by 885 people and bring cultural awareness to the criminal justice system, she said.

"With this $2 million commitment and another $3.3 million from Harris County, our main goals are to safely reduce our jail population by 21 percent in three years, that's 1,800 people," Anderson said, "and to reduce the glaring problem of racial and ethnic disparity within our jail."

Blacks, who make up 18 percent of Harris County's population, account for 48 percent of the jail population, according to charts distributed by the county.

The new bail system would mean a profound shift in the way defendants are held while awaiting trial.

Anderson and state District Judge Susan Brown, the administrative judge over the felony courts, said the judges are "on board" with easing restrictions on pretrial release after a new screening process can be found.

Jurisdictions all over the country, including federal judges, have screening processes that have proven to be successful, they said.

The looser bail restrictions could lead to a reduction of another 850 people from the daily jail, they said.

Plan praised by critics

Even some of the criminal justice system's harshest critics praised the plan.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, commended county officials for working for months before submitting the grant application earlier this year to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

"Harris County's overreliance on the inefficient and ineffective use of mass incarceration as a means of dealing with low-level and non-violent offenses has resulted in one of the highest jailing and incarceration rates in the U.S. and the world," Ellis said in a statement.

"It wastes countless taxpayer dollars, has been ineffective at making our communities safer, and had a particularly a devastating effect on communities of color and the poor," he said.

Lawson said many of the people who remain in jail are black because they are low-income and cannot afford to get out.

He also said there has been a "standing picture of black people as people who are guilty or will be guilty of crime."

"You don't put a kid in jail because he's black and has a spoonful of marijuana," he said. "If it's possible to divert him from jail, you divert him."

Harris County was one of 11 jurisdictions to receive funding from the foundation.

The MacArthur Foundation, the 10th largest private foundation in the U.S., pledged nearly $25 million in support Wednesday of "ambitious plans to create fairer, more effective local justice systems across the country."

The organization awarded grants between $1.5 million and $3.5 million over two years, and announced it would give nine other jurisdictions $150,000 each to continue reform work.

Reporters Lise Olsen and Lauren Caruba contributed to this report.
The young couple had just finished a late-night snack at IHOP, seemingly flush with happiness after senior prom.

They were driving on Tidwell near Interstate 45 when an alleged drunk driver being chased by police blew through a red light and slammed into their Dodge Charger. First responders rushed to the scene, cutting the 18-year-old driver of the Charger out of the vehicle and rushing him to the hospital. But Jocelynn Valero, also 18, died at the scene, in a mass of mangled metal.

Family members said the two seniors at Yes Prep North Central had been on the way home from prom when the tragedy occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday.

For the Valero family, the grief was overwhelming. One of Jocelyn's four older brothers, Josecho Valero, was just gunned down outside a nightclub in April. The suspect is still at large.

"Josecho and Jocelynn, please wrap your arms around your Mami, dad, three brothers, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends, who love you unconditionally and wish and pray we could just give you one more hug and kiss," a cousin wrote on Facebook under a picture of Jocelynn in a purple gown with a tiara, standing by her brother in a gray suit with a matching purple shirt and tie.

Jocelynn had posted about the loss of her brother just weeks earlier: "My precious brother, how we all miss you. Though you were a cranky guy, you had a huge heart, my angel. Watch out for mom, my three brothers and me. I love you my brother."

Macrina Valero, Jocelynn's mother, asked Saturday for justice for her daughter, whom she described as a "good, respectful" girl who aspired to become a detective.

"She was everything to me," Valero said in a post distributed across social media Saturday afternoon.

HPD's DWI Task Force spotted Edin Palacios-Rodas, the 27-year-old driver of the white pickup, driving erratically early Saturday. An officer attempted to pull him over. He stopped momentarily, but then sped off after the officer got out of his cruiser.

Palacios-Rodas made a U-turn, hopped a curb and barreled through the parking lot of a Fiesta grocery store, said Kese Smith, an HPD spokesman.

Then, Palacios-Rodas turned onto the North Freeway service road, heading north. At Tidwell, the pickup driver ran a red light and slammed into the black Dodge Charger.

Smith said Palacios-Rodas suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. He showed signs of intoxication and faces murder charges, Smith said.

The crash turned the Charger into a mess of mangled metal and forced authorities to shut down the intersection for hours as they investigated and cleaned up debris.

As news of the tragedy spread on Saturday, school officials and students took to social media to express their anguish.

"Our entire community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of our bright shining stars and praying for the recovery of another student critically injured in the same incident," YES Prep leaders said in a statement posted to their Facebook page. "We hope that the person responsible for the reckless behavior that prematurely ended a precious life and endangered another will be held accountable through our justice system and we will support the investigation in every way possible."

A friend posted a photo of Valero in her black prom gown. "I will never forget my best friend," she wrote. "The person I always saved a seat for in the morning the only one I could tell all my problems to without judgement. I love you like you were my own sister. And I'm going to miss you so much."

Friends and relatives expressed outrage about drunk driving and warned others to avoid repeating the mistake.

"My gorgeous sister-in-law. I don't understand why God took you so soon... just weeks after your brother. I know God doesn't give us more than we can bear but, this hurts. HURTS SO BAD," AnaLisa Valero wrote.

A vigil is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the scene of the crash.

Fauzeya Rahman contributed to this report.
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BEIRUT - In a surprise announcement Saturday, Lebanon's Hezbollah militia blamed the recent killing of a militant described as its top commander in Syria on extremist Sunni insurgents. Many expected the powerful Shiite group to point a finger at its traditional nemesis, Israel.

Hezbollah revealed a day earlier that Mustafa Badreddine, one of its most senior figures, died in a mysterious blast in Damascus, the Syrian capital.

Before leading thousands of militants in Syria, Badreddine, 55, is suspected of having roles in the assassination of a Lebanese prime minister in 2005, and other bombings that date to the attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983.

Analysts said Friday that Badreddine's killing appeared to bear the hallmarks of an airstrike by Israel, which has targeted a number of the Lebanese militants in Syria in recent years. But in a statement, Hezbollah blamed it on "artillery bombardment carried out by takfiri groups in the area."

Hezbollah uses "takfiri," an Arabic word, to describe its extremist Sunni Muslim enemies, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

Hezbollah didn't specify which group killed Badreddine or when he died.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said there has been no shelling for more than a week in the area where Hezbollah said Badreddine was killed, Reuters reported.

If Hezbollah had blamed Israel for his death, the group would have come under pressure to launch a tough retaliation that, in turn, would risk triggering war. Israel and Hezbollah fought a brief but devastating war in 2006.

The incident comes amid apparently rising fatigue experienced by Shiite militants in Syria aligned with that country's president, Bashar al-Assad, who are battling his Sunni-led rebellion, analysts say. In recent weeks, scores of the militants from Iran, Iraq and Hezbollah have been killed by hard-line Sunni groups, notably al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra.

Badreddine's slaying by hard-line Sunni fighters, if confirmed, would further highlight how the Syrian civil war has become a proxy conflict driven by sectarian divisions.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni powerhouse, plays an important role in backing the Sunni-led rebellion that is fighting Hezbollah and other pro-government Shiite fighters who have loyalties to Iran. Saudi Arabia's primary enemy is Iran, a Shiite nation, and the two countries are locked in a regionwide competition for influence.

"Things will escalate because of this," said Talal Atrissi, a Lebanese analyst who is close to Hezbollah.

"I expect that in retaliation for Badreddine's killing, Hezbollah will carry out a number of special operations attacks against Jabhat al-Nusra and" the Islamic State, Atrissi said.

Last week, al-Nusra fighters attacked a government-held area near the northern city of Aleppo, killing scores of Iranian and apparently Hezbollah fighters. A tally of media reports on the killings by Reuters put the number of dead at as high as 80.

At least 17 of those killed were Iranians, which the news agency said could have been the highest toll in a battle outside the Islamic Republic since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan is expected to soon finalize a peace deal with a notorious militant group in what could be a template for ending the 15-year war with the Taliban, a government official and a representative of the militant group said Saturday.

The deal is partly symbolic as the group in question, Hezb-i-Islami, has been largely inactive for years, but it marks a breakthrough for President Ashraf Ghani, who has made little progress in reviving peace talks with the far more powerful Taliban.
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DALLAS  Two of the top Republican officials in Texas government are in legal trouble, but you would not have known it by walking around the party's biennial state convention last week.

Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller both received warm embraces during the week-long gathering here. Both officials kept a low profile but earned applause during back-to-back speeches and praise from attendees, who largely dismissed the accusations facing both men as politically motivated.

"It's a bunch of baloney," said Jerry Smith, 75, a Crowley manufacturer and convention delegate. "We've seen this before - (former Texas Gov. Rick) Perry, (former U.S. House Speaker Tom) DeLay. It's just the Democrats attacking people they don't like."

Smith and a dozen other delegates said they were confident Paxton would be cleared of the felony securities fraud indictments against him, which were handed up last summer. Some cited the case of Perry, whose abuse-of-power indictment was dismissed by a state appeals court in February.

Paxton currently trying to get another state appeals court to dismiss the indictments against him - and attended a court hearing on that attempt just blocks away from the convention Thursday.

He also has been sued by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission over the same allegations, that he recruited investors to a Collin County technology startup without revealing he was being compensated by the company.

He has denied any wrongdoing and has predicated he would be cleared.

"If he's is convicted, that's a different story, and he should consider resigning," said Bryan Fair, a 40-year-old systems support manager from Wise County. "But at this point, it's just a he said-she said, and it's probably going to end up just like Perry's."

'Shocked to know'

Few of those interviewed knew about the allegations against Miller, who is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety in relation to two out-of-state trips he took last year using taxpayer money that included personal activities.

Several convention attendees said they assumed those accusations were "baloney" too.

Aside from interviews of delegates by reporters, the legal trouble did not come up at the convention, which mostly centered on the ongoing presidential election.

Little attention at all was paid to Miller, who did not even have a booth in the convention's exhibition hall, though plenty of lower-level officeholders like State Board of Education member Geraldine Miller did.

Paxton had a booth and hosted a faith gathering Saturday morning, but he did not appear elsewhere.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, on the other hand, spoke twice on the convention's main stage for more than an hour combined Thursday, and also held two separate news conferences in addition to an ice cream social.

Neither Paxton nor Miller mentioned their legal troubles in their Saturday speeches, which were 10 minutes apiece.

Paxton used his time to brag about lawsuits he has filed against the federal government, including four challenges regarding environmental regulations and one concerning President Barack Obama's executive action on illegal immigration.

"Since taking office a little over a year ago, you'll be shocked to know that I've sued the Obama administration 10 times," he said. "And I want you to know, I'm not even close to being finished."

'All-star team'

Miller focused his remarks on what he called the greatest threat to Texas farmers and ranchers - "our out-of-control overreach of the federal government" - and delivered a message to likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton - "stay out of our state and leave us the heck alone" - before thanking his family and supporters.

"I'm proud to be part of all-star team of great Texans and Americans leading this great state," Miller said.
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DALLAS - It took less than two minutes for the guy trying to rally Texas Republicans around Donald Trump to discover how much work he had to do.

The Trump staffer in an elephant-dotted tie had only just begun distributing campaign stickers to state party convention attendees leaving the main hall Thursday morning after speeches by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick when one of the activists responded angrily to the idea of voting for the billionaire businessman.

"I despise that man," said Sheridan King, a 62-year-old homemaker from Bedford.

"Aw," the campaign staffer responded, striking a playful tone. "He loves you!"

"Yeah," King scoffed and walked away.

The theme of the 2016 Texas GOP state convention may have been "Unite to Win," but the weeklong gathering here revealed a reluctance among women and other activists in the nation's biggest Republican state to embrace the party's presumptive nominee, even if failing to do so could hand the election to the Democrats.

Abbott, Patrick and other leaders, who, like the state as a whole, initially supported hometown U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, urged the party to unify behind Trump, and many activists said they would. There were plenty of signs, however, that others were not ready, from the bumper stickers on sale in the exhibition hall showing Trump and the words "Nonsensical Ravings of a Lunatic Mind" to the somewhat subdued mood that settled over the typically festive convention, which took place less than two weeks after Cruz suspended his campaign.

"I think a lot of us are still in the grieving process," Comptroller Glenn Hegar said after his speech to the convention, which did not mention Trump, an omission also made by Abbott and most other top officials.

"We need time. People are going to take some time, and then they'll figure out what to do," Hegar said, predicting the party eventually would come together to defeat the Democratic nominee.

Cruz: 'God is not done'

Cruz did little to speed up that process in his highly anticipated speech, which was welcomed Saturday afternoon with a loud standing ovation from the crowd.

The Houston lawyer, who was elected to the Senate in 2012, gave no indication about whether he would endorse Trump. Instead, he delivered a seminar on the meaning of conservatism, repeated lines from his stump speech such as the need to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law and encouraged his supporters to not lose hope.

"I don't know what the future will hold. We may face some challenging days ahead," Cruz said. "I am convinced from all of my soul: God is not done with America yet."

Beyond avoiding any mention of Trump, Cruz also stopped short of saying "unite," a recent buzzword among Republicans eager to mend the fractures of a viciously divisive primary race.

He made no call for his former supporters to vote Republican - to vote Trump - in the general election, which many Republicans worry could see exceptionally low turnout due to ideological splits in the electorate.

Trump did not attend the convention, although rumors of an appearance persisted throughout the week. Instead, his surrogate, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, came to give a speech, which was scheduled for late Saturday - after Tarrant County Commissioner Andy Nguyen.

"Let's put the primary behind us," Sessions urged at the end of a policy-focused speech that centered on trade issues, including a promise that Trump would end the Trans-Pacific Partnership. "It was rough, no doubt about it. But we can and will unite."

Seeking to rout Dems

The Trump campaign declined multiple interview requests.

Several people affiliated with the campaign dismissed concerns about unity, saying there was plenty of time for supporters of other candidates to realize that not supporting Trump could lead to four more years of Democratic leadership.

"Trump and Cruz supporters agree on much more than they disagree, and people will realize that when the election comes," said Chris Casey, 27, a Texas A&M University student who serves as deputy Texas director of Students for Trump and said hundreds came to the campaign booth to sign up as volunteers.

"We have time. We have more time than the Democrats," said Casey, referencing the fact that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont still is fiercely challenging former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for that party's nomination.

That fight is still ongoing, but Clinton is on track to win, and many strategists believe it will be easier for Democrats to unite because their primary has been less contentious.

Democrats often were mentioned by Trump supporters, including Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, who said in his speech that he was devastated by Cruz's loss but would support Trump because "the party is bigger than one man."

"I am going to vote for our nominee, not because of the man he is today, but because of the president I hope all of us can help him to become," Sitton said.

The importance of defeating Clinton also was cited by Don and Kari Hallmark, an Odessa couple who voted for Cruz in the primary but signed up as Trump volunteers Friday.

"Not voting for Trump, or not voting at all, is a vote for Hillary," said Don Hallmark, 24, a Chevron fuel specialist attending his first convention.

Activist Dennis Thrush of Dallas put it another way: "He's not my first choice, he's not my second choice, he's not my 17th choice," said Thrush, citing the number of major Republicans who ran this year. "But he's a whole lot better than the alternative."

A vote for 'evil'?

Others were not persuaded by that argument, however.

Linda Jordan, a delegate from Houston, said she was not sure Trump would be any better than a Democrat, in part because of his past liberal policy positions and political contributions.

"I don't know where he stands, but he has supported Democrats, abortion. He stands for himself. And he is not an American that I want in the White House," said Jordan, who said that if Trump is the GOP nominee, she will not vote. "I will not be held accountable for my vote for someone that evil."

Similar sentiments abounded at the Texas GOP Store in the exhibition hall, where former party official Michael Franks was selling anti-Trump bumper stickers and shirts.

Franks said he had heard from a lot of customers who hoped that Trump would be denied the nomination in Cleveland - an unlikely outcome, given that the businessman is on track to have a majority of delegates and no other major Republican is actively campaigning.

Sheridan King, the activist who despises Trump, said she also was holding out hope for the "very, very slim chance" that he would not get the nomination.

If he does, King said, she would have to make a tough decision. She decried Trump as a sexist, unserious "carnival barker with a Cheeto-face," and said she feared that he would govern as an "emperor," but she added that she was reluctant to help the Democrats.

"I'm not really a #NeverTrump," said King, referring to the Twitter hashtag used by Republicans who say they will never support the businessman. "I guess I'm more like a #PleaseTrumpBeASeriousConservativeSoICanVote-ForYou."

Dylan Baddour contributed to this report.
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May is Mental Health Awareness month and sadly we are still seeing rising incidents of postnatal depression that yet again we are featuring the issue.

In 2010, a 39-year-old new mother took her own life when her baby was just 10 weeks old because she was suffering from postnatal depression because she was struggling to breastfeed her new baby and the pressure to do so was too much! Have we learned any lessons from this? No.

The pressure to breastfeed or 'bressure' as it has been named has almost become a media frenzy with constant stories on 'brelfies' or breastfeeding selfies, especially celebrities, or defiant mums claiming they were stopped breastfeeding in places such as swimming pools.

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I am infuriated by the judgement levied at new mums if they choose to or have to bottle feed and the pressure all new mums are put under at a crucial bonding time to breastfeed. Every baby is unique and so is every pregnancy, birth and new mum.

Every mum and especially new mums know - Breast is Best. We can't avoid it, we get told it at every opportunity but most of all breastfeeding is in our faces - quite literally! There's the 'professionals' that only advocate breastfeeding that vilify those that don't and even worse for me are the breastfeeding 'mob' - the avid breast feeders that positively ostracise a (shock horror) 'bottle feeder'. Yes, that happens!

There are enough pressures in life, enough things to make us feel guilty already without constantly putting in our faces that if we DO NOT breastfeed then our babies will be obese or have heart disease or now it seems be less intelligent.

I couldn't breastfeed - I write about it and the guilt I was made to feel in my book Babyopathy - baby care the natural way! I have heard an untold number of new mum's stories of being pushed out of their baby group or even being blatantly 'verbally abused' by other mums when bottle feeding.

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I wonder on the future of our children when basic compassion seems to be a dying emotion in the very people who should be pure examples of it - we never know someone else's circumstances (unless we take the time to find out) so do not judge, do not vilify for you never know the damage it may cause. The reality faced by mums within their baby's first year is one in 10 will suffer from depression during pregnancy or postnatally and only one in 10 of those will actually get the help they need.

Those that can't or chose not to breastfeed feel guilty enough, do not add to it. There are many other factors that can have an influence on your baby's health and development that you can still play a part of and they are just as important - breastfeeding isn't the be all and end all of your baby's development - their home environment, their sleeping patterns, their weaning, you and your partner's well-being (yes that has an impact too).

Here are my reasons why a bottle can be your friend, even when breastfeeding:

 Introducing a bottle does NOT disrupt breastfeeding! This myth has been widely used to reinforce the Government directive to exclusively breastfeed. Exclusive breastfeeding was a message introduced by the World Health Organisation around 10 years ago because of the inappropriate marketing of certain baby milk brands in third world countries causing devastation to those family situations.

`The ante-natal information is 'introducing a bottle will affect a baby's ability to latch on to the breast' - there is NO evidence whatsoever that this is true. A baby's natural instinct is to latch on and once this is established, merely introducing a bottle once a day will not disrupt that inbuilt instinct. After all, giving them a dummy doesn't, weaning doesn't so why should a bottle?

 Introducing one bottle a day (and this can be expressed milk too not just formula) can also have a huge positive impact for both mum and baby. For mum, it means they can get some extra, much needed sleep, especially if it is the late night bottle. For baby, it can be an opportunity for dad or other close family members to bond. It also means that should mum have to stop breastfeeding suddenly for whatever reason, you don't have a very stressed and hungry baby!

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I spend three times longer online a day than I do sleeping. Fact.

My iPhone is never out of arm's reach, any vicinity without Wi-Fi is a no, and I'm well lensed when it comes to Snapchat.

In my professional capacity I use buzzwords like: buzzword, storytelling, leverage and influencers. My first job in the industry was with a start-up called Goviral.

I love what I do; I thrive in the immediacy of digital and its capacity for reach. I think the fact that the internet, and social media, allows us all to be publishers in our own right - all equal participants in global conversations/communities - is amazing. As is the significant shift in the way brands now communicate directly with consumers. Brands that have power and pull on a commercial level do so as a result of solid 360-degree strategy that blurs the lines between on and offline. Clicks and mortar.

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Working in digital and social media means being always on, always responsive and quick to devise a trend (and jump on the back of one) with a creative campaign that has content at its centre.

The thing is, I've developed these habits. The kind of habits that fuel features like "How social media is ruining your life", "Depressed? Get the fuck off Instagram" and "Social media does not make you happy, sad face".

I have absolutely no desire to look "Instagram ready" nor do I suffer from pangs of FOMO sparked from x blogger's latest jaunt. I do, however, need that access. That information. That window which gives me a look at the good stuff: edgy, independent publications, new brands, artists, photographers, friends, old colleagues, sister. Think considered scrolling with just a hint of neurosis.

So these habits, the habits that now have the holding power (and hideousness) of Donald Trump's comb-over, are starting to affect my personal life and, dare I say it, wellbeing.

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I get home late after a day flitting between tabs open in my browser, and an hour (minimum) commute spent scrolling/switching between accounts. I then delay showering/eating/socialising so that I can catch up on what I may have missed across social. Instagram's algorithm update? No chronological news feed? Golden in my eyes because it evens the score.

I literally look down all the time. We have become a look down generation, void of eye contact and passing conversation. I can't walk to or from the station/office/shop/pub without checking my notifications which then spark an urgency to respond and engage. I'm dismissive of, and frustrated by strangers. I'm grumpy and permanently tired. All the time keeping up the happy facade online.

Innocent, that smoothie brand with all the social banter, recently conducted a survey of 2,000 Brits which revealed the average adult spends the equivalent of 20 weeks a year in front of a digital screen. I do that bare minimum, I 100% get separation anxiety when without iPhone.

Having attended a habits workshop hosted by Swedish design brand kikki.K recently, I was forced to identify the seriousness of these routine habits and what triggers them. For me it's a culmination of timing, company (nada) and worthier distraction.

Research has shown that it takes 66 days to form a good habit. Obviously I'm sceptical, but even writing this piece has highlighted the fact that I need to implement change.

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There are few certainties at Cannes. But one of them is that British veteran Ken Loach will get an ovation for any new film he cares to put before us. The last time he was at Cannes with Jimmy's Hall, he announced that he was giving up feature films to concentrate on documentaries. But I, Daniel Blake, has proved that now he is approaching 80, he is entitled to change his mind.

Daniel Blake is a 59-year-old Newcastle joiner and carpenter who suddenly has a heart attack and is thus thrown on the mercy of the welfare state. It is not an easy process. A healthcare professional strips him of the disability benefit his doctor recommends and he has to claim jobseeker's allowance instead, even though he can't work. At the benefit office, he meets Katie, the mother of two young children who has been forced to leave her single room in London in order to get a flat in Newcastle. Furious at the unfairness of it all, Blake gets evicted from the premises and a friendship ensues which is firmed up at a food bank later on. There, at last, some kindness reaches the desperate pair. At least somebody cares.

Clearly, of course, Loach and Paul Laverty, his now regular screenwriter, care too. But they have been careful not to make too angry and one-sided a film. There is humour there too, and a dramatic ending when Blake and Katie quarrel over her work as an escort. Above all, the performances are terrific. Dave Johns and Hayley Squires carry I, Daniel Blake throughout. If the film isn't exactly Loach's very best work, it is certainly one which will please almost everybody who sees it. Already many territories have a been sold, and there will undoubtedly be more to follow.

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There is rather less to commend the other British film in competition---Andrea Arnold's American Honey. Prized at Cannes for both Red Road and Fish Tank, her first largely American film seems a considerable regression. It has Sasha Lane as a young woman who joins a noisy gang of teens travelling across the Midwest selling magazine subscriptions. Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough are the more experienced members of the cast and there is little doubt that the best thing about the film is their feeling for their parts. This is at least piece about teens you can readily believe in.
We've come a long way since the days when people with learning disabilities were abandoned in institutions.

Ignorance and prejudice still exist, but thankfully attitudes have changed for the better towards those with Down's syndrome and autism for example.

However, society is still failing its most vulnerable as highlighted by the tragic case of Connor Sparrowhawk.

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The teenager drowned in a bath at a unit run by Southern Health NHS Foundation trust and, according to an inspection report published last month, patients are still at risk at this mental health trust three years on from Connor's death.

Connor was affected by autism as well as learning difficulties and epilepsy. His mother Dr Sara Ryan says her son's death shows how people like Connor are denied the same healthcare treatment as others.

Losing a child is devastating. Losing a child partly as a result of other people's neglect is even harder to bear.

It's shocking that people with learning disabilities are still being let down, especially given the promises made after the Winterbourne View scandal.

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The appalling abuse and neglect by care workers at this private hospital against adults with severe learning difficulties led to criminal prosecutions. It also triggered extensive soul-searching as to how this was allowed to happen.

Sir Stephen Bubb's report in 2014 proposed a programme of closures of in-patient institutions providing inappropriate care. A charter of rights for people with learning disabilities and their families was also needed, he said. Another recommendation was ensuring staff have the right skills to support people whose behaviour is deemed challenging.

The Coalition did pledge to move people who should not be in hospitals into the community. I've no doubt there is still commitment to such a well-intentioned goal.

However, it has yet to be reached nearly five years on. The Royal College of Nursing revealed earlier this year that the number of those with learning disabilities languishing in hospitals, when they should be in the community, has increased.

This is an intolerable situation. It's one which has a detrimental impact both on those who are effectively incarcerated, and on their families who often must travel long distances to visit them. That's why I agree that a long-term strategy is needed which joins up the workforce and services.

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An unacceptable inequality still exists between care for people with physical health issues and those with mental health needs. Nowhere more so is this reflected in the fact life expectancy is much shorter for people with learning disabilities than the rest of the population. Their risk of death overall is greater too.

It shows why care staff need specialist training to spot any signs of distress. So often people's needs go overlooked because they lack the verbal skills necessary to communicate. Or they are considered awkward and difficult when really they are in pain and discomfort.

As a social care organisation, Turning Point has taken steps to improve support for people with learning disabilities. Our specialist learning disability nurses have drawn up guidance which has been shared with others working in the field.

The aim is to spare people with learning disabilities unnecessary hospital admissions and importantly to prevent health problems occurring in the first place.

Only when professionals have the right knowledge will they truly understand how to support those with learning disabilities. And only then will they enjoy full and independent lives.

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It's still only at times of crisis that learning disability gets talked about. Or that those who are affected and need specialist support get their voices heard.
By Al Norman

In Atlanta, Georgia, a 53 year old black man is beaten and handcuffed by an off-duty cop working for Wal-Mart, for allegedly stealing a 38 cent tomato. When the shopper produced a receipt, the charges against him were dropped. He is now suing Wal-Mart.

A random incident?

Research published this week by the Tampa Bay Times reveals stunning statistics from 2014: 53 Wal-Mart stores in 3 Florida Counties (Hillsborough, Pasco, and Hernando) generated a paddy wagon caravan of 16,800 police reports in one year alone.

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That's two calls an hour, every hour, every day. "The calls eat up hours of officer's time," the newspaper reports. "They all start at one place." One sheriff told the newspaper, "It is a tremendous strain on manpower."

Over the years, Sprawl-Busters has reported on the crime wave at Wal-Mart stores. In 1999, my first book Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart contained a chapter on Wal-Mart crime, and the retailer's efforts to put a lid on publicity about the problem. In April of 1999, a Texas Judge fined Wal-Mart $18 million for blocking discovery in the case of a woman who was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart parking lot, and raped. The company later apologized through its lawyer for the company's "misguided conduct" during the rape case.

In May of 2006, a labor group called Wake Up Wal-Mart released a national study on Wal-Mart and crime. The study, entitled Is Wal-Mart Safe? analyzed police incident reports from 2004 at 551 Wal-Mart store locations. According to the group's analysis:

 In 2004, police received 148,331 calls for service at 551 Wal-Mart stores in the study, averaging 269 reported police incidents per store.

 For the 551 stores sampled, there were 2,909 reported police calls for "violent or serious crimes," including 4 homicides, 9 rapes or attempts, 23 kidnappings or attempts, 154 sex crimes, 550 robberies or attempts and 1,024 auto thefts.

 Based on the number of reported police incidents for the sample, it is estimated police responded to nearly 1 million police incidents at Wal-Mart in 2004 costing taxpayers $77 million annually.

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A dozen years later, not much has changed. The Tampa Bay Times calculates that Wal-Mart, on average, produce four times as many calls as nearby Target stores. The newspaper said the retailer has been criticized "for shifting too much of its security burden onto taxpayers. Several local law enforcement officers also emphasized that all the hours spent at Wal-Mart cut into how often they can patrol other neighborhoods and prevent other crimes."

"They're a huge problem in terms of the amount of time that's spent there," a Tampa police officer admitted. "We are, as a department, at the mercy of what they want to do."

"Officers know Wal-Mart is such a regular trouble spot that they routinely show up without being called," the newspaper said. On top of the 16,800 incident reports, The Times estimated another 6,200 routine visits were made to prevent crimes---all of this chewing up police time and costing the taxpayer money. "It was almost like they [the police] were kind of just waiting to get a call," one former Wal-Mart employee said..



The Times notes that Wal-Mart's "are natural targets for shoplifters...Wal-Mart lays out its stores in a way that invites trouble and often doesn't have enough uniformed employees to make sure everything runs smoothly." One retail analyst told The Times, "Law enforcement becomes in effect a taxpayer-paid private security source for Wal-Mart."

Sprawl-Busters has chronicled on Facebook and Twitter "the body count" at Wal-Mart, a running thread of violent incidents involving alleged shoplifters and Wal-Mart loss prevention staff or local cops. Tragic deaths have occurred for merchandise worth less than $30. The Times suggests that Wal-Mart is not adequately protecting its stores or its shoppers. The newspaper says the retailer should "hire more uniformed security guards."

The Times compared Wal-Mart's share of police calls to its share of all the property taxes paid in four cities. Their research found that "Wal-Mart's slice of calls was consistently larger than its slice of tax payments. Much larger."

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Hundreds of cities and town across the nation are losing money protecting Wal-Mart's merchandise. It's just another example of public welfare for America's richest family.
Two bookending clashes between the Obama administration and conservatives over bathroom and facilities access made the week just ended a momentous one for transgender Americans. On Monday, the United States Department of Justice exchanged lawsuits with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and his Republican cronies over the state's discriminatory "solution in search of a problem" known to the world as HB2. Then on Friday, the DOJ issued a joint statement with the United States Department of Education clarifying for schools across the country how to comply with Title IX where trans students' access to restrooms and locker rooms is concerned.

Both federal actions provoked a lot of sabre rattling from the right. Responding to the DOJ's request not to implement HB2's restriction on bathroom access, McCrory et al. accused the department of "baseless and blatant overreach" in asserting that gender identity is a protected class under federal law. They reiterated their desire to protect "privacy rights," and paraded out yet again the zombie fiction about men entering women's restrooms to engage in all sorts of nefarious doings. McCrory repeated many of these complaints after the release of Friday's joint DOJ-DOE statement. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who signed a more sweeping discriminatory bill into law shortly after HB2 was passed, also chimed in, joining Tennessee Senator and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Lamar Alexander in declaring the issue a matter "better left to the states."

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In the midst of all this, McCrory declared during a Monday press conference that he "wholeheartedly" supports "fighting discrimination."

Where to begin?

The North Carolina lawsuit's claim about the questionable status of gender identity as a protected class at the federal level is not wholly groundless. While both Title IX and Title VII, which covers discrimination in the workplace on the basis of "sex," have recently been interpreted by the Obama administration to extend to gender identity as well, legal protections in other areas, notably housing and "public accommodations" like restaurants and retail outlets, exist primarily or solely at the state and local level as of now, and coverage is spotty. In rejecting the administration's interpretation of existing federal law, then, McCrory and his conservative comrades-in-arms across the country do have a little legal wiggle room. The larger question, of course, is what are they wiggling about?

To repeat for the umpteenth time, there is no credible evidence whatsoever that transgender women - because where access to public facilities is concerned, we're the primary targets - pose any threat to cisgender women and girls.

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How about the highfalutin and suddenly fashionable phrase "privacy rights"? According to the North Carolina lawsuit, it refers to people's "expectation" that they will "encounter only other people of the same biological sex" in public restrooms, locker rooms, etc. In other words, the right to "privacy" has nothing to do with people's safety - at least not the safety of cisgender women - but rather with their comfort. Or to put it more bluntly, we trans women should be made to sacrifice our dignity and risk getting the shit kicked out of us in the backs of men's rooms because we - or at least the idea of us - makes some people squirm.

It would seem, then, that in doubling down on HB2, the self-professed supporter of "fighting discrimination" is fighting for the right to discriminate.

Unsurprisingly, neither McCrory nor supporters of similar bills elsewhere see it that way. The North Carolina governor notes that HB2 doesn't prohibit state agencies or school boards from making "accommodations" for trans citizens by providing separate (but equal) facilities for us to use - thereby stigmatizing us by quarantining us from the general (cisgender) population, and pointing out to the bigots and bullies who to harass. Ultimately, though, the right-wing gender police don't seem to think there's any discrimination happening because they don't believe being transgender is a real thing. In the face of increasingly vociferous attestations from the medical community, affirmed unequivocally on Monday by DOJ Civil Rights Division Head Vanita Gupta, that "transgender women are women," they repeatedly refer to us as "men." And what's wrong with making men use men's rooms?

It would be easy to write off these "bathroom bills" as an instance of collective hysteria, or even as a bizarre legal fad. But as Samantha Michaels reported recently in Mother Jones, there's strong evidence that the push for their enactment is a well funded, nationally coordinated effort. Moreover, the fact that the conservative group which seems to be spearheading this push, the Alliance Defending Freedom, is simultaneously attacking Planned Parenthood and women's health care, suggests that all this fuss over bathroom use must be about more than easing the cares of the nation's womenfolk.

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So what wrong(s) is HB2 and its partners in crime-fighting "really" attempting to redress? We can approach this question by first considering what makes these bills an attractive means of combating whatever it is they're meant to combat. The simple answer is that besides being one area not yet protected by federal law (at least outside of schools and most places of employment), the issue of transgender bathroom use plays well among large segments of the population. If the threat posed by the predatory trans woman is (like the pedophilic gay man of yesteryear) pure fantasy, the fears that fantasy gives expression to are very real; and exploiting those fears by demonizing us has proven to be a very effective mobilizing tool.

This begs two further questions: What are those fears? and Mobilized for what?

To address the second question first, these bills have been widely linked to the conservative pushback against last year's Supreme Court decision on gay marriage as well as recent federal efforts to extend legal rights and protections to - and to urge civility and common decency in dealings with - LGBT folks. In essence, the bathroom bills are tactical maneuvers in a turf war between broadly conflicting value systems. The right is using them, in concert with assertions of states' rights and calls for respecting "religious liberty," to marshal support for the larger goal of creating federal no-fly zones, ghettos of intolerance where existing attitudes - including those that discriminate against certain of the regions' citizens - may be left to fester (and victimize) in peace.

Why the imaginary threat of the predatory trans woman serves this purpose so well has to do with the fears it encapsulates. At the heart of the "turf war" is another dystopic fantasy popular among members of what I'll call the conservative phallocracy: the fear that their influence is eroding on all fronts. Demographic changes, so the recipe reads, and the rise of cultural pluralism (aka "political correctness") that those changes have helped spur, are menacing the group's longstanding dominance at home. Stir in some truly intractable threats in the international and planetary spheres - terrorism, instability across the Middle East and the Maghreb, and a ballooning global population in the former case; increasingly dire warnings about the effects of climate change and environmental neglect in the case of the latter - and you have a perfect gumbo of apocalyptic paranoia. So while clamoring about federalism and religious freedom is at least buying some time domestically, the downplaying or outright denial of the science around global warming and environmental degradation, and absurd, even hysterical claims about building multi-billion dollar border walls and carpet bombing desert strongholds to find out "if sand can glow in the dark," evince strong fears of impotence and futility.

Cue the trans women.

We're an easy outlet for this thwarted anger and anxiety because of our relative lack of legal protections and our marginal political, social, and economic status. But we're so useful as scapegoats, I think, because we seem to embody a primal source for these feelings. Seen as feminized men (rather than women), we're the very picture of lost virility, and thus ready receptacles for projected insecurities. More damningly still, because our decision to affirm who we are is viewed instead as the embracing of a degraded status, we become not merely fantasy objects of contempt, but criminally negligent citizens as well. At a time when the would-be wall builders and the carpet-bomber wannabes are proclaiming the need for virile men to take up their guns and fight the good fight to make America great again, we trans women's denial of our God-given maleness, dangling between our legs at birth and duly documented on our birth certificates, is a treasonous dereliction of our "natural" duty - and as such, deserving of punishment.

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In the current legal and cultural climate, policing our bodily functions is a practicable measure for redressing the Wrong that is, ultimately, us. But make no mistake, the punishment that haters on the right desire for us is far greater. Viz. the persistent misgendering of us by McCrory, former presidential hopeful and "miserable SOB" Ted Cruz, and others of their ilk. Viz. the toxic trolling that dogs online discourse about trans issues, with its anonymous threats of GBH and frequent use of the pronoun "it" in reference to us. Viz. the occasional candor of lawmakers like Tennessee State Rep Richard Floyd, who in 2012 told a Chattanooga newspaper he would "try to stomp a mudhole" in any trans woman he found sharing a bathroom or dressing room with his wife or daughters.

Let the punishment fit the crime. We exist - our transness must be denied. We speak - our voices must be silenced. We live - we must die.
Image: Donald Trump. Stock Photo. Pixabay.com

A lot of leaders in the West are appalled that Donald Trump, whom they see as a demagogue, bully and know-nothing, has a shot at becoming president of the United States.

Many countries in the former Soviet Union are pulling for the presumptive Republican candidate, however.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised him as a "brilliant and talented person."

Putin likes him partly because Trump has said that he would get along with the Russian president and "with a lot of the world leaders that this country is not getting along with."

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"He says he wants to move on to a new, more substantial relationship, a deeper relationship with Russia," Putin enthused. "How can we not welcome that?"

I'm convinced that other dictators in the former Soviet Union, many of whom chafe over the American government's attacks on their corruption, nepotism and human-rights violations, feel the same way as Putin, though they aren't expressing it publicly, as he does.

From my point of view, it's not just Trump's willingness to work with Putin and other dictators in the former Soviet Union that has led to a lot of support for him in the region.

It's also that they identify with him. Many of these leaders are racists, homophobes, bullies and thugs -- like Trump.

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They feel Trump is a member of their club, a kindred spirit, someone they can understand. And someone who understands them and will turn a blind eye to their mischief.

Much of the world has been offended by Trump's comments that Mexican immigrants to the United States are rapists and that he would ban all Muslim immigrants because of the possibility that some could be terrorists. (He recently backed off the Muslims comment in an attempt to portray himself as more cuddly to American voters.)

Putin understands Trump's penchant for demonizing those who are not like him.

He was the one who demanded that the Russian parliament pass anti-gay legislation in 2013 that drew howls internationally and prompted President Barack Obama to boycott the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

Other countries in the former Soviet Union have drafted the same legislation, indicating that their leaders feel the same way Putin does about those who don't have a "traditional sexual orientation."

Some leaders in the former Soviet Union love to bully others, so Trump's penchant for bullying is just fine with them.

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Because he has yet to become a political leader, Trump hasn't used a government office to intimidate others.

But his bent toward bullying is clearly there -- and leaders in the former Soviet Union are well aware of it.

Take, for example, Trump's comments that "torture works," so he would allow it if he were president, and that he would like to punch protesters "in the face."

I'm sure the torture comments sit well with dictators like Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, which Human Rights Watch has condemned for its widespread use of torture and killing.

Meanwhile, Trump's comment about punching others in the face has to warm the cockles of Putin, who has invaded weaker neighbors Ukraine and Georgia and uses the threat of cutting off Russia's oil and gas to intimidate other neighbors into doing his bidding.

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Although Putin uses his military to punch neighbors in the face figuratively, other leaders in the former Soviet Union literally punch others in the face, or have others do it for them.

The thousands of confidential diplomatic cables that Wikileaks has made public include several American diplomats' accounts of Armenian leaders beating up others over personal grudges -- or having goons in their entourages do the beating.

In 2001, for example, a cable noted that President Robert Kocharian's bodyguard Aghamal Harutiunyan beat a nightclub patron to death.

The patron's offense? Greeting the president with "Hello, Rob" in a restroom.

Apparently Kocharian considered Poghos Poghosian's familiarity an insult, and his bodyguard took over from there.

Harutiunyan's punishment for the murder was probation, which meant he essentially got off Scot-free.

Although human-rights groups called for Kocharian to be indicted in the murder as well, there was no way Armenian prosecutors would have done that.

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Another American cable dealt with Armenian Governor Suren Khachatryan viciously beating a teenager who had stopped one of the governor's sons from sexually harassing a girl. Nothing happened to the governor, of course.

Nor did anything happen to a nephew of current Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who started a nightclub fight in the capital of Yerevan that led to a patron losing an eye.

Trump's remark about punching a protester in the face indicates that he would have no problem with the thuggery that some Armenian leaders have engaged in.

Given that many leaders in the former Soviet Union are racists, homophobes, bullies and thugs, it's no wonder they like Trump. As president of the United States, he would likely receive a hero's welcome in their capitals.
"Painting - more than eating or breathing for me"

Daily life in Qushtapa refugee camp, in Erbil governorate, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) is never easy. But Syrian father of four, Islam Muhammad Botanee, uses painting as a way of expressing his individuality as well as depicting the experiences and challenges of what it is like to be a refugee.

Islam Muhammad Botanee is a self-taught painter. His images are haunting, often dark and painful.

While he continues to look for daily work to feed his family, he is also a man driven by his need to paint every day, if he can.

"Through my painting, I want to express that I am alive here; I'm an active person, I am still doing something ", he said. "I can relax when I paint; it is more than eating or breathing for me. Islam Muhammad Botanee

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The 45 year-old father of four, who left Malkiaa, in Hassakeh governorate, Syria, three years ago, is finding refugee life difficult. Back home, he worked as a carpenter and had his own shop. But he complains that there is no market for hand crafted furniture in Erbil, with most of it imported from Turkey, and he can only find casual construction work or temporary work, for example as a camp monitor during a recent garbage clean-up.

Painting is his way of dealing with all the pressures.

Islam paints in a small shelter next to his family's tent in the camp, as the smells of his oil paints are quite strong. The first public exhibition of his paintings was at a UNHCR-supported event marking International Women's Day. And Islam was excited to show his work to the public.

Many of Islam's works have as their theme violence against women and children. One refers to Yazidi women who were sold in slave markets by extremist groups. Another highlights domestic violence in the camp. women sold at slave markets

Another group of paintings have as their subject attempts by refugees to make the risky journey by sea to Europe, paying illegal smugglers money to try to start another life.

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"I like to use painting to show how difficult life is for refugees. I want to show the challenges that refugees face inside the camp", said the artist. "I'm also trying to do something to change's peoples minds in this camp community, like tackling gender-based violence, illegal immigration and other problems facing the community."

Elderly woman left on her own, after her family left for Europe

His dream is to be known more widely and to formally study painting somewhere in Europe. His artistic hero is Picasso.

A fire at Qushtapa camp which resulted in the deaths of two adults and two children.

"I would love to be a famous painter", he mused. "But, in any case, I cannot stop painting; I have no choice. I have to paint ."

The artist's materialsPhotos: UNHCR/Caroline Gluck
I had the privilege of sharing these leadership lessons at the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Women's Network 12th Biennial Convention in Vancouver BC Canada. These are my remarks.

Turning passion into action is more than a catchphrase - it is the cause of our lives. That is why we are here together - and why I thank Rhonda Nelson and the United Food and Commercial Workers union for inviting me to join you here at the UFCW Women's Network convention. My thanks to each of you and my prayers to everyone affected by the Canadian wildfires. Your response as a community is awe inspiring. We are all in this together.

We are here together today because fearless women before us had the courage and conviction to stand up and take their rightful places in leadership. And for many women, turning passion into action began in early childhood.

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My political activism began in the stroller. In the late 1960s my mom navigated a stroller with 2 of my sisters and me thought the streets of New York City. Years later when writing my first Campaign Boot Camp book I asked her "Mom how did you get past all those 'no solicitation' signs in the apartment buildings?" "I was a mom with 3 babies in a stroller" she replied, "who was going to stop me?"

Now we could never have imagined then that 30 years later, elected from 3000 miles away in California, with the support of UFCW and the union movement, our mom Nancy Pelosi would become the first woman Speaker in the United States House of Representatives.

But politics isn't about the great leap to power - it's about that the steps that you take with your neighbors and your kids for your values, answering a call to service and turning passion into action. You never know - that working mom at a UFCW picket line fighting for 15 and a union could be leading her community in Congress. She can if more of us make an intentional effort to lift up women, lift up diversity, lift up representatives that look like and live like the people.

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won and convened a 50% female cabinet, I loved his answer as to why -- he said "because it's 2015." Well, UFCW Woman, it's 2016 and we intend to break the ultimate gender barrier this fall with a woman President of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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You know it's not just about selecting a 50% female cabinet or electing one woman Speaker or President -- it's about electing female leaders from ALL walks of life and advancing feminist policies. Let's be real - when we say "women" the default for far too long has been white women. We talk about this quite often in the California Democratic Party where I chair the Women's Caucus: When we talk about feminism - equality without apology for all - we can't be talking about for all white women or all highly educated women but all women, regardless of color, class, creed, disability, sexual orientation or sexual identity. We need to be FULLY representative in order to to have authentic leadership and actual results.

We saw this with VAWA - and as a former domestic violence prosecutor I'm so pleased that the UFCW Women's Convention will pass a resolution about domestic violence as a workplace issue. We love that Joe Biden wrote the Violence Against Women Act. But you know who got it re-authorized? Congresswoman Gwen Moore, an African American woman who spoke personally about crimes against her and insisted to the Republicans who wanted to exclude immigrants, Native Women, and LGBT women that they include ALL women under VAWA. We won because rather than having a white man tell other white men how to treat women, we centered the debate on an African American leader whose community was directly affected by the problem. THAT is what turning passion into action with authentic leadership looks like!

So how do we get to more of this authentic leadership?

Women turning passion into action answer a call to service - our message to the future. We find the North Star that guides us -- the values of liberty, justice, equality, and democracy for all. And then we find concrete paths to service: public interest campaigns that grow support and give results.

Many of us remain the primary caregivers for our children and our parents, so family time is harder to let go. And public attitudes remain stereotypical, even among our close supporters.

I remember receiving a service award during my days as a deputy prosecutor. There I was, my speech all lined up, when a dear family friend we called "Mama Tina" approached my table of professional peers, announcing loudly, "I'm praying for your husband." My response, thinking she mistook me for one of my married sisters: "It's Christine; I don't have a husband." "I know," she proclaimed, "that's why I am praying for him!" My colleagues roared with laughter. And this was my friend!

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We hear this all the time. Single? You can't attract em. Married? You're putting your career over them. Parent? Who's taking care of the children? We were in college when my mom ran for Congress and people still asked her who was taking care of her children. Divorced? You couldn't keep em. Widow? You killed em!

I have never heard a man in politics being asked who was taking care of his children. Some ask us these family care questions to protect us from ourselves. Some who did not make our choices as trailblazers repeat to us the rationalizations they made to themselves for why they didn't try. And others just really want to know how we intend to make this work.

Now that I have found the husband Mama Tina was praying for, Peter and I are raising our family and closely connected to the fight for 15. Every boot camp - from across town to the 30 states my daughter has come with me for Pelosi Boot Camps - my first question is childcare. And everywhere we go, we find good paying quality childcare.

We parents know that entering public service means that we need to entrust our precious treasure - our children - to well-paid quality caregivers -- and we in turn must fight to ensure that all of their caregivers are paid a decent wage.

And we know that the fight for 15 is just one issue at stake in this election.

You know that attacks on unions are attacks on YOUR power to have a seat at the table.

Your power is at risk. The election this fall in the US will have ripple effects around the world. Let's review the prospects.



Last July on national television, I predicted Donald Trump could be the Republican nominee and was practically sneered off the set. But I knew - and Congressman Keith Ellison who made the same prediction on a different network last July - also knew - that Trump could exploit the working people's dissatisfaction -- even though he will perpetuate the same trickle down economics that brought us outsourcing, downsizing, and wage theft in the first place! We knew and now everyone sees that Trump's answer is to tell workers "we'll just get rid of the Others - deport Mexicans, ban Muslims, and clear a path for you. Make America Great Again "for whom?" you might ask. Maybe we need to have a ban on Donald Trump until we find out what's going on.

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Do you believe that healthcare is a right not a privilege or are you suing President Barack Obama and trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act?

Do you believe in climate change or do you deny science?

Do you believe that good government has a role in clean air and clean water or like the House Republicans do you want to roll back the nutrition standards Michelle Obama got in the Farm Bill, cut school lunch and - as the House Tea Party budget proposes - eliminate Head Start?

Do you trust the movement you built - the fight for 15 movement that was out in the streets when politicians were still "ready for 1010" in 2014 - the movement that brings fast food workers, retail workers, childcare workers, and homecare workers together? Or do you want to eliminate the federal minimum wage?

Do you want Barack Obama choosing Supreme Court Justices or do you want Donald Trump?

Do you trust veterans care for our courageous military families with Bernie Sanders or with the Republicans who want to privatize the VA and cut earned benefits?

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Do you want to strengthen our American Safety Net Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, or do you want to privatize and slash earned benefits?

Do you want to build bridges or walls?

Do you want military decisions and diplomatic efforts in the hands of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

As Vice President Joe Biden says, "don't compare me to the Almighty - compare me to the alternative. Well these are the alternatives. And it's not just about electing Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump and having her appoint a diverse cabinet. It's about electing a progressive Senate, Congress, and state leadership.

As a Hillary supporter I discuss this with my Bernie supporter friends. We will work to elect leaders and to implement the policies. We're not just here for the primary, for the convention, for the election -- we are here for the work. As a San Francisco Democrat, my values are triangulated against quite often. I push from the left side of the political spectrum all the time. I think my values should be the law of the land - as marriage equality and healthcare now are - and I intend to work with Hillary and Bernie supporters to turn our progressive policy goals into reality.



UFCW Woman, do you trust the work you are doing turning passion into action?

If you do - if you believe in a positive, progressive platform that builds on our progress - then go out of these halls and shout it from the rooftops. From the picket lines. From the phone banks. From the door knocks. From the social media. From the mainstream media. From the union halls. From the voting booths. Let them hear you as we travel that path to equality together.

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And as we work together we know we do so climbing a double stair as women leaders.

We climb a double stair to ascend as professionals and as women, confronting stereotypes and breaking barriers along the way. For women of color, a triple stair. For women of color in the LBGT community, a quadruple stair. We climb and climb, inspired by the dreams of the women who dared to to be what we can be before society was ready for them. And we break barriers along the way, caring dreams with us.

Let me tell you one of those dreams I carry. After going to law school and passing the bar exam, I got a set of embossed seal invitations from the California State Bar for my swearing in ceremony. This was big. Called a girlfriend - she said "oh it's a cattle call - you stand in the civic auditorium with thousands of people and say 'I state your name.' Nothing personal."

Nevertheless I decided to send a California State Bar invitation to my grandmother Nancy D'Alesandro in Baltimore. Yes it was in a cavernous auditorium and no - in her late 80s she couldn't come all the way out west - but like my grammar school, high school and college graduation notices I sent it anyway just to share the moment.

We had been told the family lore that my grandmother had once taken law school classes but had to stop when one of her boys got sick. She lost that boy to whooping cough before there was a vaccine - a tragedy. She raised more children, including my mom, but she never went back to school. She did go on to serve however.

She and her "moccasin army" of women activists helped my grandfather win campaigns for Maryland House of Delegates, US Congress and Baltimore Mayor. She fought the power company late into her 70s saying at one point "I'm on a limited income with unlimited time."

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My grandmother was a servant leader - but in the back of her mind she always wanted to have been a lawyer.

My grandmother wrote: "I am the second happiest person to get this invitation. How proud I am to see you accomplish what I could not finish all those years ago.

Fifty years had gone by but my grandmother had held on to her dream. She hadn't said it much but she remembered. And I realized that I didn't just get my degree - I got her degree. I was the first woman in my family to graduate from law school and the second woman to try.

When I went to court and saw that sometimes I was the only woman in the room - that made an impression. And when it was just me with a female court reporter or clerk or bailiff and all male lawyers or a deposition in a tall building law firm with me as the only woman in the room, I would remember my grandmother's letter and her dream, seeing just how audacious my parents' dream was for me and how even more audacious my grandmother's dream was for her time. I made sure to seek allies with intersectionality and intention. When I go to even progressive events -unlike this lovely, diverse women's convention - sometimes it's me and 5 white guys on a panel. That's unacceptable! So I keep pushing for more inclusion, bringing company with me. And as I continue to climb, I'm carrying my grandmother's dream with me.

Sisters of the UFCW Women's Network - you know this story because many of you have lived it too. You are all carrying the dreams and the unlived lives of your grandmothers, your families, your union sisters and brothers as you turn passion into action.

So when you lave this convention and return to your communities, share the UFCW Women's convention actions with your family, friends, mentors and networks. Reach out - otherwise you may never know whose dreams you carry along with your own. But once you know, you take responsibility for those dreams, and you gain the strength you need to keep turning passion into action, turning aspirations into policies, and yes, turning progressive campaigns into winning elections, and transforming the lives of working people. Go forth, reach out, and grab a hand. If we make the effort we will open doors for women.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads a discussion on gun violence prevention with family members of victims at the Wilson-Gray YMCA in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

In the February 10, 2016 issue of The Nation Magazine, Michelle Alexander, author of the New York Times best seller, THE NEW JIM CROW-Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, wrote an article captioned "Why Hillary Clinton Doesn't Deserve the Black Vote"(Ithttp://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-does-not-deserve-black-peoples-votes/.)It has been the subject of impassioned online debate among Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders' supporters of their respective presidential campaigns.

Professor Alexander's article speaks for itself. I urge all readers of this blog to read it. There are a few excerpts, however, that I will quote that form the basis of my comments in this blog:

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"... recognizing that Bernie, like Hillary, has blurred vision when it comes to race is not the same thing as saying their views are equally problematic. Sanders opposed the 1996 welfare-reform law. He also opposed bank deregulation and the Iraq War, both of which Hillary supported, and both of which have proved disastrous. In short, there is such a thing as a lesser evil, and Hillary is not it."

"The biggest problem with Bernie, in the end, is that he's running as a Democrat--as a member of a political party that not only capitulated to right-wing demagoguery but is now owned and controlled by a relatively small number of millionaires and billionaires. Yes, Sanders has raised millions from small donors, but should he become president, he would also become part of what he has otherwise derided as "the establishment."

"Even if Bernie's racial-justice views evolve, I hold little hope that a political revolution will occur within the Democratic Party without a sustained outside movement forcing truly transformational change. I am inclined to believe that it would be easier to build a new party than to save the Democratic Party from itself".

On important issues such determining for whom to vote or whether to even vote at all in this forthcoming Presidential election my own personal political experiences and observations require me to respectfully disagree with the advice or suggestions of Professor Alexander, whom I too, greatly admire and respect.

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As I write this, I can hear in my ear the words from the sonorous baritone voice of legendary labor and civil rights leader A. Phillip Randolph. On more than one occasion, in speaking about the two major parties, Republican and Democratic, and the role that African-Americans should play in voting, he said "Negroes had no permanent friends(political) or permanent enemies. We have only permanent interests." Your political "friend" today, could be your "enemy" tomorrow. He advised that we(African-Americans) should always vote in support of our "permanent interests"

Considered on the historical landscape of what African-Americans have endured and achieved in obtaining the right to vote, not voting as a "protest vote" will not assure and protect our "permanent interest". Not voting is not a "political option" in the 2016.

agree with most of the the domestic and foreign policy issues and challenges described by Senator Sanders and some of the solutions he proposes. I plan to vote for him in the Democratic California Primary as my form of voter support for him bringing his views to the public during our presidential election.

However, if as a result of the Democratic National Party Convention, Secretary Clinton is chosen as the party's nominee for President instead of Senator Sanders, I will support and vote for Hillary Clinton for President of the United States.

Why? First, because not voting at all would be to dishonor the work, struggle, and legacy of so many persons, several of whom I knew and worked with personally during the Civil Rights Movement. These "Winter Time Soldiers" worked tirelessly, and, in some cases loss their lives, to insure that I and others living today can vote.

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How could I ever, or anyone else, who disagrees with several of Secretary of State Clinton's past or current positions on major domestic or foreign policy issues, not vote, because, they like me, preferred several of Senator Sander's proposals for addressing major domestic and foreign policy issues?

How would I explain not voting to Fannie Lou Hamer, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, murdered by the Klan in Philadelphia, Miss. in the summer of 1964, or to the young girls Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Denise McNair, who were also killed by the Klan on September 15th, 1963 in the Sixteenth Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL, or, my friends and colleagues, Rev. James Bevel, James Orange, Reverends King, Abernathy, Billy Kyles, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Jimmy Lee Jackson, Viola Liuzzo, Unitarian Minister James Reeb and Amelia Boynton, who in March of 1965, was beaten unconscious as she sought to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL to register to vote?

Similarly, how I could face and ever speak again to my beloved colleagues and friends, still with us, like Congressman John Lewis, Rev C. T. Vivian, etc., if I followed the advice of Michelle Alexander and others, and chose NOT to vote in this Presidential election for Hillary Clinton because the Democratic Party did not choose MY preferred candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders?

A measure of the maturity, sagacity, and political integrity of an African-American political leader today is again, whether or not he or she has the wisdom and courage to know how to vote and support the candidate, best among available choices,most consistent with the permanent interests of the African-American community.

Equally, a measure of a non-African-American political leader in the Democratic Party today is to encourage other Sander's supporters that it is also in their best interest to vote for Hillary Clinton, if that is the choice between her and Donald Trump.

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The son of one of my dearest friends and colleagues, Stanley David Levison, deceased, with whom I often worked daily in our joint efforts on behalf of Dr. King, recently wrote me an email in response to our reflections about Michelle Alexander's article. He wrote:

"Clarence:

"One other historical analogy that is relevant to this debate is the agonizing choice many third world national liberation movements had to make in the early 1940's".

"The militants in these struggles had been fighting British imperialism for their entire lives. They had seen friends and family members tortured and killed in the struggle. But, as Hitler began his campaign of conquest they were faced with the imperative to suppress their battle with the British and instead ally with them to defeat Hitler."

"Almost without exception, they made this viciously hard choice. Only the very stupidest of them though there was no difference between the British and Hitler or that it was "revolutionary" to stand aloof from the war."

"If the militants of the national liberation struggles could make the agonizing choice to work with their former enemy the British imperialists because Hitler was a greater evil, it's really infantile self-indulgence for current radicals to imagine that Hillary is so great an evil that its worth allowing Donald Trumpallini - a modern version of Mussolini - to triumph."

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"But, of course, the kind of people who think this ultra-leftist way don't read enough history to know why they are wrong."
There are three problems with the classic idea of revelation, expressible in three sets of questions.



The first set of questions: Is the revealed information really so out of bounds, so beyond the borders of human cognition and fancy and resourcefulness and art and practice--that humans could not have thought of it without the whispered promptings of feather-winged angels? For instance, could 'unaided' reason concoct rules like 'You shall not steal' and 'You shall not murder'? Could routine human intelligence have stumbled upon those moral rules?



The second set of questions: Was any revealed information actually previously concealed? Something revealed must have been concealed. And yet dicta on stealing and murdering, to stay with these examples, were not concealed but were found the world over for many thousands of years prior to the Mosaic revelation of those moral terms. Might we say the very first instance and utterance of those moral rules, a thousand years or five thousand years before Moses and at every geographic point, was the 'original' revelation of these rules?



The third set of questions: Is revelatory data always old, always complete, always static? Must it have an ancient pedigree? Could it have been partial? Could it become obsolete? Could it change? Could it be updated? Could it be clearer? Could it be new? Could the currently living generation, or a future generation, receive revealed, formerly concealed, altogether new information? If supernatural agents wish to inform YOU, why tell ancient authors to scratch the message onto vellum leaves that you may never read?
Ayman al-Zawahiri (left) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (right)

On May 7, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of al-Qaeda, released an audio recording in which he announced that he had given his permission for the al-Qaeda affiliated Syrian jihadist group, al-Nusra Front, to create "a new emirate" in Syria. Currently, al-Nusra Front has militants scattered throughout western Syria and directly controls a region of approximately 2,000 square miles in Idlib Province.

This was not the first al-Qaeda linked emirate. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had declared an emirate in Yemen back in 2012. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) announced the creation of the "Sahara Emirate" in 2010, although technically the emirate was created by a splinter group from al-Qaeda that later rejoined AQIM.

The proposed "Syrian Emirate" is, however, the first emirate in which al-Qaeda's senior leadership has taken the lead in organizing. As such, it represents a direct challenge to the Islamic State (IS) Caliphate announced by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in June 2014, further underscoring the increasingly bitter and oftentimes violent rivalry between the two organizations.

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In the Islamic world an emirate is a political organization and the emir who governs it is a political leader. A caliphate is both a political and religious organization, and the caliph who governs it is simultaneously both a political and a religious leader. The caliph represents the highest political and religious authority within the Islamic world. Typically, in Islamic history, emirates have been subdivisions within a caliphate and emirs local leaders subordinate to the caliph.

Under Sharia law there can only be one caliphate and only one Amir al-Mu'minin--leader of the faithful. The last official caliphate ended in 1922 with the abolishment of the Ottoman Sultanate. The leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of a new caliphate in June 2014, assuming for himself the title of caliph and "leader of the faithful."

Zawahiri's announcement stopped short of calling for the establishment of a rival caliphate. He did, however, lay the foundation for declaring a caliphate at a later date by characterizing the Islamic State as "Kharijites." The term is used by Salafists who agree with Islamic States' religious doctrines but disagree with the organization's political views and agenda.

AL-Nusra Front fighters in Syria

The Kharijites were a radical sect in the early history of Islam that was noted for its extremist views on takfir, the excommunication and killing of Muslims considered insufficiently devout or accused of having abandoned Islam. The term Kharijite or neo-Kharijite is often used as a synonym for extremist Islamic views.

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The announcement, although not wholly unprecedented, capped a sharp change from previous al-Qaeda policy, and has been in process since at least 2012. Bin-Laden had always opposed the creation of either an emirate or a caliphate in the Middle East until the United States was "defeated," in other words, until it either voluntarily withdrew from the Middle East, or was forcibly ejected, and its protection of the Western leaning Gulf monarchies was ended.

Bin Laden believed that the announcement of an emirate or caliphate prior to "defeating" America would result in the United States and its allies bringing overwhelming force against the new state and destroying it.

There are at least three reasons that explain the shift in strategy on the part of al-Qaeda and Zawahiri over the last several years.

First, it is clear that Islamic State has garnered a lot of prestige and influence in the jihadist world by proclaiming itself a caliphate. Since June 2014, IS has drawn over three dozen jihadist movements into its orbit and it has expanded its "geographic reach" to include 30 different provinces or wilayas.

In some cases, like the three Libyan wilayas (Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan), Islamic State is heavily involved from an operational standpoint and has supplied fighters, arms and financial assistance. Others, like the Nigerian Boko Haram or the Philippine Abu Sayyaf, have adopted some of the imagery and sophisticated media techniques of Islamic State, but do not maintain any direct operational links with IS nor does it appear that they are subject to Baghdadi's direct control.

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Of the 30 different wilayas organized by Islamic State, 20 are in Syria and Iraq, and 10 are outside of its core territory. Not all of the wilayas in Iraq and Syria, however, are under its control. Some like the wilaya of Baghdad or Damascus, it has proclaimed but never actually governed. Moreover, outside of the city of Sirte in Libya, all the cities it controls are in its core Syrian-Iraqi territory.

Many of Islamic State's affiliates and provinces outside of its core territory are simply existing jihadist organizations, or splinters of those organizations, that have attempted to leverage Islamic State's prestige by rebranding themselves as affiliates. The Wilaya al Sudan al Gharbi (West Africa Province) is simply a repackaged Boko Haram. The Wilaya Sinai was the Sinai branch of the Egyptian jihadist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) that broke away from the pro al-Qaeda parent organization and declared its allegiance to IS.

By declaring its own official "emirate", al-Qaeda is leveling the playing field and trying to win back for itself some of the legitimacy and jihadist credentials that Islamic State obtained by declaring itself a caliphate.

Disposition of forces in the Syrian civil war as of May 1, 2016

Secondly, it is also possible that al-Qaeda is anticipating the imminent destruction, or the severe curtailment, of Islamic State and is positioning itself to inherit the remains of IS. Many of the Islamic State's foreign affiliates are either splinter groups, which emerged from existing pro al-Qaeda organizations, or former al-Qaeda affiliates that turned away to join IS. By positioning itself to absorb any remnants of Islamic State, al-Qaeda is creating the means for reintegrating those pro-IS splinter groups back into their pro-al-Qaeda parent.

It's not entirely clear why Zawahiri chose al-Nusra Front as the vehicle for al-Qaeda's first official emirate. The al-Nusra Front leadership is openly loyal to Zawahiri. It shows far less independence, and historically has been more willing to follow Zawahiri's lead, than the powerful al-Qaeda affiliates like the North African based al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) or the South Arabian based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). It may also reflect the fact that al-Nusra Front's close proximity to IS means it is more likely to inherit, or be able to seize control, of major urban centers currently controlled by Islamic State militants.

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Finally, Zawahiri's announcement also probably signifies a reassessment of the threat that the US and its allies pose to the new emirate. Given how anemic the US response has been to the emergence of Islamic State, Zawahiri may have concluded that Bin Laden was mistaken in arguing that the US must first be "defeated" before an emirate or a caliphate could be established. He may now feel it is safe to declare al-Qaeda's first official emirate in the heart of the historic Middle East, even if the US continues to remain engaged in Middle Eastern affairs. Will an official al-Qaeda caliphate be far behind?
Sykes-Picot a Century Later

Sir Mark Sykes (left) and Francois Georges Picot (right)

May 16 marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement between Great Britain and France. Officially it was called the Asia Minor Agreement, but it has gone down in history as the namesake of its two principal negotiators--Mark Sykes and Francois Georges Picot .

The agreement marked the beginning of the imposition of European dominance over the Middle East, which would last for roughly half a century. It was the first exercise of European control since the First Crusade at the end of the eleventh century. This time, however, it covered virtually the entire Middle East, not just the thin strip of land from Edessa to Gaza that had hosted the Christian Kingdoms from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries.

The genesis of Sykes-Picot was varied. When the Ottoman Empire formally entered World War I as an ally of the Central Powers on November 3, 1914, Russia had been quick to demand British and French approval for substantial concessions from the Ottomans in the event they were defeated. Russia demanded "the city of Constantinople, the western shore of the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara and Dardanelles, as well as southern Thrace up to the Enos-Midia line," as well as "a part of the Asiatic coast between the Bosporus, the Sakarya River, and a point to be determined on the shore of the Bay of Izmit." Russia even demanded control of Mosul and the oil fields surrounding it.

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Original division of Ottoman lands between Great Britain and France set out in the Sykes-Picot Agreement

The Ottoman entry into the war came at a time when the Allies were reeling on the Western Front. The German advance into France had been checked only a few weeks before at the First Battle of the Marne, (Sept 5-12, 1914). Both sides were now engaged in the "race to the sea," as each army tried to outflank the other. In the process, as each side dug in, they created the system of trenches that would define combat on the Western Front for the next four years.

Great Britain and France readily agreed to the Russian demands, save for the one for Mosul and its oil fields. That concession was reserved for later discussion. At the time, neither Great Britain nor France could spare any troops for the new front, so engaging the Ottoman Army was seen as mostly a task for the Russian Army.

Sykes-Picot was motivated by the British and French desire to both block any further expansion southward by Russia, as well as an attempt to grab a chunk of the Ottoman Empire for themselves, especially the oil rich regions around Basra and Mosul. At this point oil had been discovered in Persia (Iran) and Mesopotamia (Iraq) and along the Caspian. The discovery of oil in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula would not happen until the 1930's.

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The original agreement called for Mosul to be incorporated into the French zone, which would later be organized into Syria, and for Basra to be incorporated into the British zone. It would later be included in the League of Nations mandate for the newly organized state of Iraq.

The final boundaries would be revised multiple times by subsequent treaties. The Versailles Peace Conference (1919), the Treaty of Sevres (1920), its subsequent revision in the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), the San Remo Conference (1920), as well as various League of Nations mandates, all changed the original division laid out in the Sykes-Picot Agreement.

Mosul for example, originally intended to be part of the French zone, was incorporated into the British Mandate of Iraq. In turn, London organized the North Iraqi Oil Company to exploit the Mosul oil fields and gave France a quarter stake in the company. The Golan Heights were originally part of the British Mandate for Palestine, but were traded to France in return for the region of Metula, in what is now northeastern Israel.

Competing claims for territory of the former Ottoman Empire

There were a variety of other side agreements as well, many of which would ultimately prove to be incompatible. These included, famously, the Hussein-McMahon correspondence, which assured that the Hashemite family would rule most of the region in return for their support in organizing and leading the Arab revolt against the Ottomans. This was the revolt that propelled an obscure British Lieutenant named T.E. Lawrence to fame as Lawrence of Arabia.

It also included the Balfour Declaration that declared, "his Majesty's government view(ed) with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." That declaration was subsequently incorporated into the Treaty of Sevres and into the agreement governing the British Mandate of Palestine.

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Italy, Greece and Armenia had all been promised substantial territories in Asia Minor in return for their participation in the war on the Allied side. Armenia, for example, would have received additional territory westward as far as Lake Van, a area also promised to Russia. Italy had been promised various Aegean islands, some of which were claimed by Greece, as well as control of the western and south central coasts of Anatolia around the city of Antalya.

Greece had been promised Smyrna and the region surrounding it--the city hosted a large Greek population. It had also been promised control of Constantinople and all of Thrace, both of which had also been claimed by Russia. Most of these concessions were subsequently cancelled by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

At Versailles, President Woodrow Wilson advocated for the creation of a Kurdish state, but this also was dropped in subsequent negotiations. So, too, were promises to the region's Assyrian Christian population for their own independent nation. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, Russia's new Bolshevik government demanded that Great Britain and France honor the concessions that had been made to Russia back in November 1914. The Allies refused, arguing that the Bolsheviks had forfeited those concessions when they had signed a separate peace with the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918. In retaliation Lenin ordered Pravda to print the text of the Russian copy of the Sykes-Picot Agreement in the Tsarist archives. That's how the world first heard of the hitherto secret agreement.

Prince Feisal and the Arab delegation at the Versailles Peace Conference. T. E. Lawrence is on his immediate right.

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It would be incorrect to say that the current constellation of nations in the Middle East, or their national frontiers, was solely the result of the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The agreement, however, did represent the beginning of the direct assertion of European control over the Middle East and its division into national entities whose borders did not correspond to prevailing cultural, ethnic or religious divides. In that sense the modern Middle East, and all of the conflicts created by the superimposition of those ethnic, religious and cultural schisms on the current patchwork of national boundaries, is the direct and still enduring legacy of Sykes-Picot.
For those of us who love to travel, enjoying different cultures and experiencing sites from our bucket list is what we live for. And yet some of those who dream of traveling to exotic locations like Israel watch the news and wonder if it is a risky choice for a vacation spot. Should I go to Hawaii instead?

I make Israel my home and realize that fear about going there stems from the media's portrayal of it, rather than reality. There is clearly a perceived danger regarding travel to Israel and yet I've come from a small, safe town in Canada to make this place my home.

Despite concerns over political tensions, Israeli tourism remains steady - and I can see why. Once you arrive and sit yourself down at the beach for a beer, any anxiety you might bring with you will melt away. I feel safer walking the city streets in Tel Aviv than when I was living in New York City last summer.

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Last month, a surge in stabbings in NYC was reported in the news with over 800 stabbings in only three months. The reporter went on to say that an Israeli tourist was stabbed while waiting in the subway just the night before. And yet Israel is scary? This prompted me to look into the crime statistics of Israel and the US. Every piece of data I could find showed significantly lower rates per capita in Israel.

So yes, something could happen while you visit Israel, but it could also happen (and statistically is more likely to happen) in your own hometown.

Throughout October of 2015 Israel experienced several terrorist attacks against Israeli police and military personnel in Jerusalem, but the anxiety it created has lingered to this day. The general assumption was that these unfortunate events would destroy Israel's peak tourism season - but they were wrong. People are coming in droves, especially as the temperatures start to rise. It was 96 degrees yesterday, in May!

In fact, it is nearly impossible to find an available hotel room in Jerusalem due to the high number of tourists visiting the country this summer. While headlines may appear alarming, the reality is that life in Israel is continuing as normal.

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With 3.1 million visitors each year, 800,000 of which are Americans, the stats prove that tourism is still going strong. This is especially impressive for a country that is only the size of New Jersey.

Remarkably, tour operators like America Israel Tours have not experienced a significant number of cancellations when safety or political tensions arise, they tell me. I met a US Ambassador stationed in Europe last week who told me that he told his security detail to step back away from his family when he travelled to Tel Aviv last month. That he loved every moment. That he felt safe.

Israel is the cradle of the world's three monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, so naturally it has had to adapt and prepare for tourism. Licensed guides are trained to diligently take every precaution to ensure the safety of their groups by implementing advanced security measures set forth by the government.

It appears to be working because visitors to the Holy Land are returning home with reassuring accounts of their many extraordinary experiences.
Posted originally in Kevin's blog, MyMediaDiary.com.

I suppose I was guilty, but they were such pretty trees. The city of Royal Oak sent me my warning that a fine was on its way if I didn't take care of the maples growing in my garage gutter.

Meanwhile, down the block, we've got our own version of the Boo Radley home that has sat vacant for nearly four years. My wife doesn't like to walk too near it because of the rats that have been seen.

It looks nice from one side...

but that's only if you're driving pretty quickly and don't notice the hole in the door...

But apparently my gutters were more important than this little eyesore right off Normandy road.

If you turn the corner toward Greenfield Road you'll see another odd sight, a public park that was turned overnight into a "parking space" for construction equipment.

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The transformation was approved by the city without consulting neighbors and the contractor cut down a flowering crabapple tree planted by the residents and family members of the lot's donor.



One of these beautiful flowering trees is now gone.

And this spectacular 150-200 year-old American Elm--an American Landmark Tree, has 25% of its roots inside the park and in danger of permanent damage.

According to the city the staging area for construction involved the creation of a road through the park, not the rather disgusting pool that has been built.

We received our bill from the city also informing us that our sidewalk was going to be replaced due to dangerous bumps--requiring us to pay $500 or so.

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I just hope they use a better contractor than the one hired last autumn across the street...

But that's life in the small city. If you're a contractor you park your equipment where you want and knock down a few trees, if you're an own of an abandoned house and just mow the lawn, all's well--maybe put up some new plywood over the windows every couple years. But the real golden ticket seems to go to builders, who have their eyes set on nice wide lots...

In 2012 I stopped in the estate sale of this beautiful house--a time capsule of the 1950s with open space on each side a throwback to the original lots of this neighborhood of the 1920s. After WWII, the lots were split but the building code still required a 50-foot minimum frontage.

A builder is once again seeking a variance to allow for two more homes to be added with 40 foot lots on each side. Our neighborhood has written letters and attended a public hearing of the zoning board three days ago.



The soon-to-be-delayed decision

110 residents signed a petition against the variance and 40 residents attended the meeting with former Royal Oak mayor, Dennis Cowan, represented the builder. One neighbor sent us an update...

The zoning board meeting last night was very interesting. There were a lot of neighbors there and they allowed everyone to voice their opinions. There were a lot of objections to the variances. Then when the board got ready to vote the lawyer was all upset so they granted him his request to move his appeal to June 9th. They said we can all voice our opinions again on June 9th. So we will.

The argument for delaying the vote was that only six of seven board members were in attendance--even though the June 9th vote will also not have all seven present.

Five months ago, my friend, after many weeks of trying, actually contacted the Boo Radley home owner, seeking to purchase the house, knock it down and build another. The owner was interested in discussing things, but never called back.
You likely have heard about the high-stakes case U.S. v. Texas, which pits the federal government against twenty-six states over a policy that would allow an estimated four million undocumented individuals to stay here temporarily. Texas says it has the right to sue the federal government and try to stop the policy because its own law requires issuing driver's licenses to some of those people, which might get expensive. The Obama administration counters that Texas can't challenge a federal policy based on "incidental" costs. The Supreme Court is expected to decide the question by the end of June.

Chances are, no matter how mesmerizing this particular battle over immigration policy, you did not listen to the parties' arguments before the Supreme Court. It's probably best to keep it that way. Even for attorneys used to the slow grind of legal argument, this one was tough.



I have written previously about how confounding immigration law can be. And it's no secret that lawyers have a knack for making simple concepts outrageously complex. Who could forget Bill Clinton's slicing and dicing the word "is" during the scandal over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky? In the U.S. v. Texas argument, the Justices and attorneys could barely have a conversation without getting tangled in mind-bending terminology.

The biggest problem was figuring out whether Obama's policy would grant the undocumented a legal immigration status, one of Texas' objections. The policy says it would make undocumented individuals "lawfully present" for three years, but Obama's lawyer struggled mightily to explain why that doesn't mean they would be here "legally." The lawyer--Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli--told the Justices that "lawful" presence refers to temporary tolerance. It does not make that presence "legal" in the sense of regularizing someone's immigration status.

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Unfortunately, this is entirely accurate. "Lawful" presence is what lawyers call a term of art--it has a definition different from what plain English might suggest. But Chief Justice John G. Roberts understandably mocked this use of language, and Verrilli himself mixed up "lawful" and "legal" during the argument. It was a relief when Verrilli offered to strike the words "lawfully present" from the policy.

Whether "deferred action" is an "immigration status" was a related battleground. "Deferred action" in immigration law refers to the government's granting a temporary reprieve from deportation--exactly what Obama's policy would give the undocumented. The term "status" is typically used to divide people into categories. Most of us have filled out forms asking for our "marital status" and categorizing us as single, married, or divorced. So is the status of having deferred action an "immigration status"? Immigration lawyers say no, because it can be taken away with the stroke of a pen. Obama's policy accordingly indicates that granting "deferred action" to the undocumented does not confer a "legal status." It's another example of something being simultaneously correct and nonsensical.

There were moments when I was the one who felt confused. For whatever reason, Verrilli told the Justices that people with asylum status aren't eligible for deferred action. Sure, but who cares? As a U.S. citizen, I can't get deferred action, either, but I'm fine with that. Chief Justice John G. Roberts confirmed with Verrilli whether he meant what he said, and Verrilli stood his ground. I frankly have no idea what Verrilli was thinking.

By the end of the argument, I was left with the question, how did things get so bad? The answer can only be that lawmakers draft messy language and that attorneys perpetuate or even exacerbate the problem. Too many of us take it for granted that we are the gatekeepers of a complex and confounding field of law. But it should not be that way. We all should be aiming for clarity.

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Iranian workers stand in front of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, about 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Iranian leaders have breached both the resolutions and the nuclear agreement for the third time since the nuclear deal went into effect in January 2016. Iran has repeatedly test-fired, long-range ballistic missiles and laser-guided surface-to-surface missiles.

In October and November, just after the nuclear deal was reached, Iran tested a new ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads.

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In March, Iran again test-fired two ballistic missiles.

More recently and for the third time, the Iranian government fired a test missile two weeks ago which was accurate to 25 feet, which is characterized as zero error, according to the Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi, the Iranian military's deputy chief of staff, and Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The range of existing Iranian ballistic missiles has grown from 500 miles to over 2,000 kilometers (roughly 1,250 miles), which can easily reach Eastern Europe as well as countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Yemen.

Iranian leaders dismiss the notion that the Revolutionary Guard Corps military activities are breaching the nuclear agreement as well as several of the UN Security Council resolutions. World powers appear to acquiesce to Iran's stance as well.

But, the United Nations Security Council resolution (Paragraph 3 of Annex B of resolution 2231, 2015) is clear. 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."

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The second UN Security Council resolution 1929 indicates "Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology, and that States shall take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer of technology or technical assistance to Iran related to such activities".

In addition, the Joint Plan of Action Agreement (JCPOA) of the nuclear agreement between P5+1 and Iran is crystal clear in stating that Iran should not undertake any ballistic missiles activity "until the date eight years after the JCPOA Adoption Day or until the date on which the IAEA submits a report confirming the Broader Conclusion, whichever is earlier."

Global Powers' reluctance

The five members of the UN Security Council have not reacted forcefully or taken appropriate measures to hold the Iranian government accountable for the violations. Generally speaking, China and Russia, which enjoy their strategic, geopolitical and economic alliance with Tehran and favor Iran's counterbalance stance against the US and its allies, have used Iran's line of argument for launching the ballistic missiles.

France, Britain and Germany, which are much to the left of the US, or sometimes follow in the footsteps of Washington's policy towards Iran, have not taken these military maneuvers seriously.

Although according to a report obtained by AP, the launches are "destabilizing and provocative" and that the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile and Qiam-1 short-range ballistic missile fired by Iran are "inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons". The US has been trivializing the issue, failing to hold Iran accountable, and only playing with rhetoric.

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For example, even though Iranian generals have admitted launching ballistic missiles, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said this week "We're still trying to get to the bottom of what exactly transpired." This is an approach designed to dodge dealing with the real issue.

The US has stopped short of calling Iran's actions as violations of UN Security Council resolutions. President Obama will continue to overlook Iran's belligerent actions, including ballistic missile launches and the detention of US sailors by the Iranian forces, until he leaves office. He desires what he sees as his crowning foreign policy "achievement", the nuclear agreement, to remain intact.

President Obama is concerned that holding Iran accountable for these violations might force the Iranian leaders to abandon the nuclear deal, thus causing its failure.

Furthermore, France, Britain and other European countries have less incentive to publicly hold Iran responsible, because of the increasing economic and trade ties with Tehran particularly in the energy sector (oil and gas).

For the Iranian government, advancing its ballistic missile program is a core pillar of its foreign policy after the nuclear program. Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the region. By launching ballistic missiles, Iran also seeks the opportunity to project its power in the region and reassert its hegemonic power.

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Since Iran is certain that launching ballistic is not going to elicit robust reaction from the US and other members of the UN Security Council, the IRGC is more likely to continue its advancement and launching of ballistic missile activities more publicly.

_______________________

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an American political scientist, business advisor and the president of the International American Council on the Middle East. Harvard-educated, Rafizadeh serves on the advisory board of Harvard International Review. An American citizen, he is originally from Iran and Syria, lived most of his life in Iran and Syria till recently. He is a board member of several significant and influential international and governmental institutions, and he is native speaker of couple of languages including Arabic and Persian. He also speaks English and Dari, and can converse in French, Hebrew.

You can sign up for Dr. Rafizadeh's newsletter for the latest news and analyses on HERE.

You can also order his books on HERE.

You can learn more about Dr. Rafizadeh on HERE.
The remarks by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about the commander of the Qods Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, made it clear to those who had wagered on him where he really stands in the scale of internal Iranian differences and the prospects for him to rein in Iranian regional ambitions. Rouhani praised the "heroism and courage" of Soleimani in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Palestine. The president said the Revolutionary Guards were not only responsible for the country's security alongside the police, army, and the Basij, but are also defenders of "our holy sites in Iraq and Syria, and the oppressed in Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan and anywhere we are required to (defend them)." Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov understand fully Rouhani's statements, and are also convinced of the need for Soleimani's role. On the other hand, US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry still prefer to pretend they are not hearing and are not worried about the repercussions of Iranian military adventures outside its borders including overt military intervention in Arab countries. They prefer to ignore the protests of Arab and Turkish leaders, fearing they would otherwise threaten US-Iranian relations, now the centrepiece of Obama's historical legacy; and US-Russian relations, a priority for John Kerry as he dreams of winning the Nobel Peace Prize with his dear friend Lavrov. But this dream will not see the light of day as long as the Lavrov-Kerry duo continues to throw Syria towards more tragedy and bloodletting with their palliative accords and unserious threats. The reputation of the duo today is not good. Their historical legacy will not record for them an achievement on par with the chemical weapons deal, which saw Obama back down from his famous redlines. Rather, history will record their failure and their collusion to move the bar in accordance with cynical interests rather than principles and morals, with regard to the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history. There will be no Nobel Prize for them nor for President Rouhani, who has read well the signs from his American and Russian counterparts, and decided he has room for political manoeuvres instead of working to prove his moderate credentials and take Iran towards a new pattern of regional relations, away from military interventionism and projects for regional dominance.All these facts increase the doubts of the camp that has from the beginning decided that what was happening in Tehran is just a good cop, bad cop routine, with little difference between the moderate ayatollahs and the hard-line ayatollahs. Indeed, both wings consider the Revolutionary Guards to be the basis of the Iranian revolution and the guarantor of its continuation. This is important because there was a faction that used to call for patience, arguing that moderation was bringing new policies to Tehran, including the reining in of projects of regional dominance and intervention in Arab countries.The Gulf countries are thinking seriously about their options. Some are implementing measures that take into account the clarity of Iranian positions, and frustration and annoyance with US and Russian ones. While this will not be translated into direct wars, it could be translated into the protraction of proxy wars involving the US, Russia, Iran, the Gulf powers, and Turkey, from Syria and Iraq to Yemen and Lebanon.It was the military element in the calculations of some Gulf countries and Turkey that prompted in part the US-Russian statement issued last week, which had a flavour of bargaining rather than a flavour of determination to induce a qualitative shift towards a radical solution to the Syrian crisis. Yet Moscow agreed to merely reduce the number of air raids in areas covered by the ceasefire. Washington agreed to increase support for its regional allies, led by Turkey, to help them stop the flow of fighters and weapons or financial support to terrorist groups through their territories.This was followed by a Russian attempt at the UN Security Council to include Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam to the list of sanctioned terrorist groups that already includes ISIS and al-Qaeda. However, US, British, and French opposition stopped the motion, in order to protect the negotiations in Geneva and avoid obstruction of the efforts for a cessation of hostilities on the ground.The course of political negotiations has long been intertwined with the course of military operations, following decisions to this effect made by the axis comprising Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian and pro-regime militias. The battle for Aleppo is fateful in the calculations of this axis, regardless of any statements made by the US and Russia, the Friends of Syria group in Paris, or by other meetings in Vienna or elsewhere. The battlefield is racing with and even beating the negotiating table, with a view to impose one fait accompli after the other in order to tie the hands of the supporters of the Syrian opposition and lower the bar of international positions, especially US positions. What is being sought is to force the moderate rebels to surrender politically and militarily.Since the Paris Group held its ministerial meeting on May 9 and until the Vienna Process meeting will convene on May 17, John Kerry issued and will issue further statements expressing frustration with Russian and Iranian positions, in order to rein them in somewhat, and to warn of a Plan B or a quagmire for the Russians in Syria. But once again, we will hear from Kerry sweet talk as he engages in the diplomacy of smiles and handshakes in front of TV cameras, reassuring his colleague Lavrov that yet another chapter has been added to the annals of US-Russian accords concluded at the expense of Syria.The UN will also express concern and reaffirm the need for a political solution and for negotiations to be rescued, while entirely shirking its responsibility to ensure accountability, and overlooking violations against its own resolutions - all in the name of preserving the political process and bowing down to the fait accompli imposed by the developments on the ground.The General Secretariat speaks of war crimes in Syria while deliberately not holding the government and its allies responsible, and not explaining that the groups that are committing war crimes are already outlaw terrorist groups and not states. As for the governments involved in war crimes in Syria, they are under international law responsible for their war crimes and must be exposed and held accountable, rather than be covered for. The UN thus contents itself with watching while avoiding the issue of accountability.The UN Secretariat and Security Council member states also buried their heads in the sand when Iran challenged the sanctions regime and violated binding UN Security Council resolutions passed under Chapter VII of the Charter, sending military advisors and mercenaries into Syria. The international silence that blessed all these violations is the same thing that contributed into turning Syria into magnet for foreign volunteers fighting alongside the regime in Damascus, just like international silence at the start of the war had led to the growth of terrorism in Syria.Today, the major powers along with Germany and the EU are effectively rewarding Iran for the nuclear deal by repealing resolutions banning Tehran from supplying weapons, fighters, and advisors anywhere it pleases outside its borders. Today, Tehran is stating publicly that it has a military arm in Syria supporting Bashar al-Assad, entering as a direct party to the civil war along with its militias.Today, the figurehead of Iranian moderation, President Hassan Rouhani, in a speech he delivered in Kerman in south-eastern Iran, has declared that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are defending the security of countries that requested Tehran's help, mentioning by name Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon. He said: "We see now the effects of the heroic deeds of Soleimani in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Lebanon," before praising him for his "courage", as other Iranian officials vowed a "great revenge" for the death of 13 Iranian military advisors from the Revolutionary Guards in Syria.Iran's brigades are openly and publicly being deployed to Syria, to encircle Aleppo in coordination with Russian and Syrian air raids, not against ISIS but against moderate Syrian rebels. The goal is to improve the regime's military position on the ground, especially since the countries that back the Syrian opposition are undermining the Syrian rebels by withholding weapons and by forcing through regional and international accords that tie their hands. Simply put, in the absence of a clear and sustained military policy in support of the opposition, the strategy of draining the opposition and forcing it to surrender is succeeding.The Russian-Iranian axis in Syria is coherent and clear in its military and diplomatic strategy. It is betting on the incoherence, hesitation, and weakness of the backers of the opposition.Agreeing a ceasefire is better than continued bloodletting. The Russian and American expression of keenness for a political solution soon should be welcomed and encouraged. However, the fact of the matter is that Russia is pursuing a strategy on the ground whose goal is to decimate the Syrian opposition and/or categorize its groupings as terrorists, like it has done with the Nusra Front even before it resorted to terrorism. The fact is that the US Secretary of State's concerns for Russia to be drawn into a quagmire in Syria is only empty rhetoric. As long as Washington does not uphold accountability and monitoring mechanisms, its rhetoric will turn into poison for innocent civilians in Syria that is no less harmful than Russian raids, Iranian militias, and the crimes of terror groups and their supporters as well as the atrocities of the Syrian regime against its own people. Translated by Karim Traboulsihttp://www.alhayat.com/Opinion/Raghida-Dergham/15590151/%C2%AB%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%84%C2%BB-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%80-%C2%AB%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%C2%BB-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A
The American Federation of Teachers reached a significant milestone this week: the centennial of our founding. As I've pored over historical documents from our archives, it's clear that, from generation to generation, our union has been a vehicle to fight for positive change both in public schools and in society. As we enter our second century, we remain fiercely committed to creating educational opportunity, building professional voice and agency, and advancing economic, racial and social justice for all.

The seeds of teacher unionism were sown in the late 19th century, with teachers like Henrietta Rodman, who helped found a teachers union in New York City and led the fight to allow women teachers to keep their jobs when they married or had children. In Chicago, Margaret Haley worked through her local union to challenge pervasive poverty, teachers' lack of resources and low pay, and a curriculum imposed by bureaucrats. Recognizing the strength they would have as affiliates of a national union in a larger labor movement, in 1916 both women's unions joined with five other local unions to form the American Federation of Teachers.

Then, as now, working people had many reasons to be angry. The AFT has worked to channel the aspirations underlying that anger into positive action. From the start, our leaders have known that power is necessary to bring about change, and that working people build power through their collective action at the ballot box and the bargaining table and through their skills, knowledge and ideas.

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For 100 years, the AFT has worked to build power and use it for good. In the 1920s, the AFT lobbied Congress for children's rights, improved teacher salaries and programs to combat adult illiteracy. We have continued that work. For example, in 2015, as Congress worked to reauthorize the primary federal education law, AFT members took more than 120,000 online actions and met face to face with legislators to help shape the law so it could have the potential to give educators the voice and resources they need to give children the education they deserve.

The AFT has grown to include other school employees, professors, government workers, nurses and healthcare professionals, and early childhood educators. While the AFT and the larger labor movement grew, so did America's middle-class and working families' standard of living. The labor movement helped ensure that working people, not simply special interests, had power in our democracy. Collective bargaining provided AFT affiliates leverage to advocate for quality, agency and voice on the job--the embodiment of our motto: "A union of professionals."

The AFT has also used collective action to advance racial and social justice. As early as 1918, the AFT demanded equal pay for African-American teachers and lobbied for equal educational opportunities for African-American children. In 1953, the AFT filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education case before the Supreme Court, the only educational organization and union to do so. Hundreds of AFT members traveled south in the 1960s to register new African-American voters and teach in AFT-run Freedom Schools. Today, the AFT is working to attract and retain teachers of color and to promote racial equity in education, the economy and criminal justice. And we stand up against bigotry in all its forms.

The AFT's greatest strength has always been our members, professionals whose skills, knowledge and ideas both strengthen, and are strengthened by, their union. The AFT's Share My Lesson is the fastest-growing free digital collection of resources for educators. The AFT Innovation Fund cultivates promising union-led ideas to strengthen public education. Our student debt clinics have helped members sharply reduce crushing college debt. And AFT members--from registered nurses and adjunct professors to paraprofessionals and parole officers--practice solution-driven unionism, using our expertise to improve the quality of our work.

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You don't hit 100 without some setbacks. Austerity has caused harmful cuts to public education and services throughout our history. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and other governors intent on destroying any curb on their power have waged war on public sector unions. Many elected officials have sought to destabilize public schools and services in order to promote flawed privatization schemes.

It's all the more reason to honor the example of the AFT's founding mothers and fathers, to take our anger, build on our aspirations, and channel them into action--for our cause, our country and our members, and for those we serve and those who will follow. From one generation to the next, we are honoring our past and inspiring our future.
Notes from Indian Country

By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji - Stands Up For Them)

Her nickname was "Pug" and I never found out why? She was 82 and was the editor, publisher, layout and design specialist, photographer, typesetter and sometimes janitor of the Sheridan County Star in Rushville, Nebraska.

I was working as a reporter for the Rapid City Journal when my former schoolmate, Melvin "Dickie" Brewer, from the Holy Rosary Indian Mission Boarding School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and his wife Alma approached me about starting a newspaper on the reservation.

What did I know about running a newspaper? Absolutely nothing. And that's when Pug came into the scenario. What did I need in the way of equipment and how long would it take to learn how to operate it? Those are the first of many questions that came to mind as Dickie, Doris Brewer Giago, Alma, and Mary Irving and I cleaned up and remodeled an abandoned beauty shop right on Main Street in Pine Ridge Village.

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Mary, Doris and I went across the border to Rushville and met Pug for the first time. She looked us over and told us she would lend us her expertise. She made a list of the equipment we would need including a Compugraphic Typesetter that would be used to type film strips to be waxed and pasted to the grid sheets we would be using to layout and design the pages.

With extreme patience she took Doris and Mary under her wing and walked them through the process of preparing the type that would go on to the pages. Coincidentally a brother in Marist Order of the Catholic Church who was working at the Marist compound at Oglala heard about us trying to start a newspaper. He stopped by our office that still smelled of wet paint and looked the place over. He said, "That clothes closet would make a great dark room." And with that he set about with hammer and nails converting it.

We called him "Brother Scottie" and he was an ex-paratrooper from Scotland who had been incarcerated in a German prisoner of war camp in 1944 where he made a great escape and made his way back to England. He joined the Marist Brothers after the war and found himself on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He had been a trained photographer and film developer and so he was kind enough to volunteer his services. And with a startup business, the more volunteers you can get the better.

After getting a small loan from a bank in Rushville, I am sure with a strong word from Pug, and a 1946, restored Plymouth that Dickie put up for collateral, we ordered the Compugraphic Typesetter, turned the sinks in the beauty shop into our layout light tables and started to gather the news stories that would go into our first edition. Brother Scottie got busy taking photos we thought would go with our first news stories. I started to write the entire newspaper.

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In the meantime Pug told us we could use her newspaper office to get our first edition off of the ground and we could use it until our equipment arrived. Mary and Doris, under the watchful eyes of Pug, started to typeset the copy while I waxed it and rolled it on to the grid sheets. It was June of 1981 and we had started to put this entire idea into operation in April of that year. Brother Scottie rushed in with the photos and I waxed them and applied them on the pages with the appropriate stories.

Dickie and I had covered the reservation and the border towns of Rushville and Gordon, Nebraska and even traveled as far as Rapid City looking for advertisers. Trying to sell advertising for a newspaper that has never been published can be very trying. We had also visited all of the stores on the reservation and in the border towns to set up drops for the paper. And so we had a delivery route all set up by July 1, 1981 when the first edition of the Lakota Times rolled off of the presses in Chadron, Nebraska.

I have that first edition on microfiche and I'm almost afraid to look at it. We knew nothing about the art of assembling a newspaper and we could never have done it without the invaluable assistance and advice from Pug. And this was puzzling because we would end up becoming a rival of Pug by going after advertising in the town where she published her newspaper.

Dickie and I took off on the morning of July 1, 1981 with our cars loaded with newspapers. We printed 4,000 copies that first day and we put them on the newsstands for 25 cents a copy. We delivered them to every store and gas station on the reservation and in the border towns.

It was in the very late afternoon on July 1 when I pulled into the village of Pine Ridge on my way back to the newly minted Lakota Times newspaper office. As I slowed down to cruise down Main Street, sitting on a park bench across the street from the Sioux Nation Shopping Center, were two elderly Lakota men each holding a copy of the Lakota Times and reading them in the fading daylight.

My heart soared with joy. Yes, we had done it: We had published our first newspaper.

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There is something enticing about the idea of an island getaway. Though there are thousands of island destinations to choose from all over the world, there is one island that expert travelers do not want to share with you. Why? Because it is way too amazing to share! Sound intriguing? Well, lucky for you, I'm terrible at keeping secrets, and I'm about to spill the beans. As one of the over 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines, the island of Palawan is home to one special, unspoiled tiny town called El Nido.

El Nido manages to be the most unattractive, and yet most beautiful, place all at once. It is a destination that can be both coarse and glamorous in the same moment thanks to its natural beauty and lack of amenities (such as fail-proof electricity). The lack of some creature comforts makes a great deal of tourists steer clear, but leaves the island free for real travelers and adventurers, like me, who seek this authenticity. Still, the journey to El Nido is far from easy. After traveling for nearly 24 hours, (two delayed flights and an 8 hour bus ride) I was dropped off where it was pitch dark, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. With almost no one around at 3am, I thought to myself "What the hell did I get myself into this time?" I also frantically wondered if there was a miscommunication with my bus driver and if he dropped me in some other neighboring town.

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As I pulled into town the next morning by tricycle (imagine a semi-homemade vehicle with three wheels attached to a motorbike), I still was in disbelief that I was in the right place. It was extremely overwhelming, as stores and restaurants were unrecognizable from one another, and every business was seemingly a shack with a sign. However, as time went on and I became visually adjusted, the shops looked more like shops and the restaurants more like restaurants, and everything began to distinguish itself from one another. I met the wonderful people that worked in these places, and in each place the workers and owners were generous and eager to please.

El Nido is different from other places in the Philippines such as Boracay, thanks to the people that live there. Unlike most tourist destinations where the people conducting business are looking to rip off thousands of tourists, everyone in El Nido is incredibly honest and just so happy to have you there in their small town. For example, on my last day in El Nido I had planned an island hopping tour and our boat broke down mid-way, so instead of island hopping we went island limping. We were able to slowly make it to a few nearby islands, but not all of the ones on our list. Though the owner still had to pay the boat captain and crew for their time and for the meals prepared, he still gave me a full refund saying it was the least that he could do, despite that we were out on the boat for the full day. Or take Palawan Divers, the dive shop that was extremely accommodating and arranged for me to have a one-on-one with a dive master after I blew all 3 of my dives due to nerves on day one. The people of El Nido work incredibly hard and will do just about anything to ensure that your stay is memorable. Additionally, El Nido does not have people trying to hustle travelers, and almost no one tries to sell you things on the beach or scam you out of money in this town. The people of El Nido are among the most kind, generous and welcoming people that I have ever met.

I have had many favorite places over the years during my world travels, but I have never traveled to a place quite as lovely as El Nido. In El Nido, my days were spent island hopping (my favorite island hopping experience was with the company Hello El Nido), snorkeling, and SCUBA diving, and my evenings were spent watching the most sensational sunsets that I have ever seen at Republica, a beachside sunset bar in a nearby town. I was making new friends from all over the world at every turn. Not all destinations lend themselves to be as welcoming to solo travelers as El Nido, which is probably why there were so many of us.

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No one wants to tell you about El Nido because adventurous travelers love El Nido just the way it is, flaws and all, and don't want it to become overrun by tourists like you. El Nido is a traveler's heaven, currently lacking the obnoxious and change-demanding tourists that destroy beautiful destinations. Unfortunately, over the next decade, El Nido certainly has the potential to become the next Phuket or Cancun where travelers flock by the thousands to get tan and drink for cheap. That's a scary thought for real travelers who seek destinations with unique character and quirks.

If you love the all-inclusive resort Atlantis type resorts that I personally find to be a living hell, then El Nido is not the place for you. El Nido is difficult. It is difficult to get to and difficult to exist in if you aren't low maintenance. Roads are made of dirt and there aren't a whole heck of a lot of ways to get around. The access to wi-fi is awful, there is basically no ATM, transportation is unreliable, and power outages (including your air conditioning when it's over 100 degrees) happen multiple times a day. For me this is part of the charm and part of the fun. When the wi-fi is touch & go, or there is a blackout, it forces you to disconnect and enjoy the people around you. The sunsets are remarkable, but they are much more beautiful when you enjoy them with new friends from all over the world while sharing stories of the incredible creatures you all saw on your dives. When you share your bar food with someone who is running out of money because they decided to stay longer and there is no money in the one and only ATM in town, that adds to the adventure. These are the experiences that make a destination memorable and enjoyable, not how many whiskey buckets you drank at your all-inclusive resort, or how many times you ordered room service.

On my final morning, I packed up my suitcase, said goodbye to my new friends and staff at my little hotel, and hopped in my shuttle back to Puerto Princesa. Over the next 5 hours as we zoomed past motorbikes overfilled with passengers, ox drawn carts, trikes carrying giant pigs, and kids playing in the streets, I couldn't help but have a heartache for how much I would miss the simplicity of the lifestyle and warmth of the people in Palawan.

If you decide to visit El Nido, my suggestion is run, don't walk. Thanks to the beauty of the islands, it's only a matter of time until this special place is overrun with every tourist on the planet.

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Quick Tips for Travel to El Nido:

Getting there: From Puerto Princesa, take a shuttle instead of the bus--it's faster and more reliable, as the bus does not run on time and stops for anyone standing on the street. It is not direct.

From Manila, book early and spend a little more money to skip the long bus ride to instead fly in and out of El Nido.

Money: Bring as much cash (Philippine Pesos) as you will need for the length of your stay. The first ATM was installed at the end of 2015 and is only filled once a week. It generally runs out of money within a day.

Health: There is a small amount of malaria on the island, so consult with your physician to see if you should bring anti-malaria meds with you. Additionally, the nearest hospital is 6 hours away in Puerto Princesa and the nearest decompression chamber (for scuba divers) is on another island in Coron, so plan accordingly if you have health conditions.

Also on HuffPost:
By Michelle DeFreese

In one of the most contentious elections in Tanzania's post-colonial history, John Pombe Magufuli was elected as the nation's fifth president in October 2015. His first 100 days in office bore witness to sweeping reforms, crackdowns on government over-expenditures, and austerity measures put in place to minimize the country's ailing budget. Magufuli, nicknamed the "bulldozer", controversially removed 150 senior officials from office in an effort to reduce corruption (Tanzania is currently ranked 117 out of 168 countries according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index). Since taking office, comparisons of the leader have oscillated between Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's first post-independence president, and Paul Kagame, president of neighboring Rwanda.

Nyerere, known for his novel brand of socialist political philosophy, introduced a number of reforms focused on egalitarianism and self-reliance. Magufuli, on the other hand, is not a true socialist though his reforms demonstrate socialist leanings. His general political ideology incorporates a mix of influences, leaving both his critics and followers unable to identify the new leader's views within the unique canon of what became known as African socialism under Nyerere. Labeled alternatively a reformer, for lack of a better categorization, Magufuli has by and large reinvigorated the nation's policy of self-reliance, originating from the Arusha Declaration, a political document that formalized African Socialism. Nevertheless, his policies are more akin to those of Tanzania's northwestern neighbor, Rwanda, which seek to improve bureaucratic governance while engaging the private sector to stimulate economic growth.

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Nyerere's presidency promoted two concepts: socialism and self-reliance. While the goal of self-reliance was largely unrealized under Nyerere, as Tanzania was one of the top recipients of foreign aid during his presidency, his policies focused on transforming agrarian societies and artificially created locally administered villages to drive agricultural production and trade. Under Nyerere, ujama, or socially engineered farming collectives, were encouraged with controversial results. Magufuli's version of self-reliance on the other hand, aims to enable intra-regional trade, capitalize on the country's natural resources, and facilitate increased industrialization.

Magufuli appears keen to distinguish his presidency by harnessing Tanzania's resources to fuel economic growth. Tanzania is abundant in gas reserves that are estimated at 55 trillion cubic feet, the second-largest in the region after Mozambique. Under Magufuli's leadership, plans have been advanced for the construction of a 1,410 kilometer oil pipeline between Uganda and Tanga Port in Tanzania.

While some political commentators have looked to Tanzania's past to find corollary comparisons of their new president, others have found Rwanda's leader Kagame to be a more apt analogy. These critiques have spawned a wellspring of new vocabulary on social media describing so-called "Rwandanisation" or the "Kagamecracy" principles of the Magufuli administration.

Comparisons with Kagame arose shortly after Magufuli's announcement to cancel Tanzania's 2015 Independence Day celebrations in favor of a national day of cleaning, resembling the initiation of "clean-up" day under Kagame in 2000, where during the last Saturday of each month, three hours are devoted to cleaning the streets of Kigali and performing communal projects. During Tanzania's Independence Day this year, instead of fireworks and lavish ceremonies, shopkeepers and home owners alike could be seen outside tidying their yards in a nationwide display of umuganda, a term originating from Rwanda meaning global service or "coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome". Umuganda has also been used to describe the political mobilization characteristic of Kagame's two terms in office.

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During Kagame's presidency, Vision 2020 - a program to develop Rwanda into a middle income country by 2020 - was launched to promote economic growth. Rwanda's economy has grown steadily in recent years in part due to policies initiated by Kagame. Reminiscent of Kagame's economic reforms, Magufuli's reforms have included cost-cutting measures to reduce the national budget such as suspending overseas travel for senior government officials in an effort to reduce government spending. Magufuli has pledged to double Tanzania's monthly revenue collection over the next five years and has promised to create more jobs and engage with investors and the private sector to accelerate economic growth. Magufuli has pledged to reduce corruption, improve healthcare and education, and move further towards modernization of the country's ailing transportation and manufacturing sectors.

Despite his short term, Magufuli has already made his mark on Tanzanian political philosophy and thought. Political discussions are peppered with his trademark campaign slogan, hapa kazi tu ("work and nothing else"). Magufuli's presidency has brought about a number of developments centered on catalyzing economic growth. While these achievements (coupled with austerity measures) have been viewed with optimism by some and trepidation by others, they are sure to bring about significant changes. Whether or not these will amass to the same dramatic level of economic revitalization as seen during Kagame's two terms (Rwanda's per capita income doubled under his leadership) remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the people of Tanzania, as well as those in neighboring countries, are hopeful that the long-term impact of Magufuli's policies will have a positive impact not only on the country, but the region.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE- In this April 30, 2014 file photograph, India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Partyas prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi holds his partyas symbol and looks into his phone after casting his vote in Ahmadabad, India. In the Twitterverse ruled by President Barack Obama, India's new Prime Minister Modi may soon overtake the White House on Twitter.An analysis of Twitter accounts a showing the emphasis some governments put on digital diplomacy as a 21st-century tool for statecraft a projects Modi, already the fifth most-followed world leader on Twitter with 4.95 million followers, will soon overtake the White House's 4.97 million.(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, file)

That Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a social media superstar is not unknown. Now his ministers are catching up, at least some of them.

ET Magazine partnered with Frrole Inc, a social intelligence company, based in Palo Alto , California, analysed and ranked the ministers based on their social media activity.

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While Modi has won the crown with the highest social media activity score, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Power Minister Piyush Goyal competed for the second spot.

The analysis was based on "sentiments distribution". So an individual's score on social media activities was split into positive, negative and neutral.

According to the report, Modi got a score of 78% positive and 14% negative. Swaraj's score was 59% positive and 33% negative.

"This shows that Modi's social media presence is mostly about positive, feel-good messaging  more representative of PR usage than operational, unlike some of his ministers," Amarpreet Kalkat, cofounder, Frrole told ET.

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Here's how the ministers scored:

Narendra Modi: 8.5

Sushma Swaraj: 7.3

Piyush Goyal: 7.3

Smriti Irani: 7.2

Rajnath Singh: 7.2

Arun Jaitley: 7.1

Suresh Prabhu: 7

Ravi Shankar Prasad: 6.9

Harsh Vardhan: 6.7

Nirmala Seetharaman: 6.7

Recently, Modi asked his ministerial colleagues to embrace social media wholeheartedly to let people know of the government's success stories.

The 'social media star' Prime Minister even asked them to seek professional help to get a hang of social media platforms and bring social media profiles to acceptable levels.

"The PM said most people from a minister's constituency should be his followers on social media. He also asked ministers to focus on transforming India portal and help popularise it," Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha said.

On 3 May, a group of elderly lawmakers gathered in Parliament's central hall, taking lessons on Twitter and Facebook, and refreshing defunct accounts.

There were formal lessons arranged for them too. Power minister Piyush Goyal, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State Jitendra Singh have been charged with organising tutorials.

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Some of Modi's ministers may have learnt the tricks of social media, but they have a long way to go before they catch up.

Read the entire story in ET Magazine.

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The steeple on St. Francis has a commanding view of the entrance of the city. Siding is missing in this photo taken in 2013. PreviousNext

Decaying Steeple on St. Francis Headed for Demolition



Eagle and North Church streets are closed until further notice.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Eagle and North Church streets are closed until further notice because of concerns over the structural integrity of the 150-year-old steeple on St. Francis of Assisi Church.



Mayor Richard Alcombright said the decision was made to close down traffic around the area and evacuate two nearby buildings on Eagle after meeting with engineers sent by the Diocese of Springfield.



The steeple is expected to be demolished next week. Alcombright said he would have more information on Sunday.



Several "pieces" of the steeple fell Thursday on the south side of the church, hitting the lower roof on that side and falling onto the lawn and onto North Church Street.



The diocese quickly sent an engineering team to look at the structure after being contacted through the local parish. The structure was assessed over the last two days.

Diocese spokesman Mark Dupont said in a statement Sunday morning that "large pieces" of building material were found on the sidewalk and walkways on Thursday.



An emergency inspection by structural engineer Bernie Hunt of Barry Engineers in Pittsfield "found serious structural issues with the steeple."



"Additionally, the buttresses show signs of failing which would compromise the lateral support for the walls of the church," wrote Dupont. "He immediately notified the Diocese of Springfield and the city building inspector of his findings."



The church building was declared unsafe on Friday and the diocese installed safety fencing around the perimeter.



"The diocesan structural engineer has determined given the scope of the serious conditions identified, the only recourse is demolition," he wrote, adding the diocese was planning "the immediate demolition of the steeple followed soon after by the remainder of the church."



The property has been listed with Colebrook Realty; the church is 14,838 square feet and the connected rectory, 12,823 square feet.

Alcombright had hoped the building could be salvaged for some use.



"This is a public safety matter now," he said. "Our concern first and foremost is if it fell, what would it hit?"



It was determined that the street and Flatiron Building and possibly the Village Pizza building could be damaged, and both buildings were closed. The former rectory attached to the church is vacant.



Large signs and jersey barriers are set up on Eagle and North Church to close them off from traffic.



The mayor on Saturday did not know how extensive the demolition would be, if would be just the steeple or also the church.



"We'll be assessing the next steps," he said.

Updated Sunday morning with comments from the diocese.
Imperial Valley News Center

Open Science Prize announces six team finalists in first phase of competition

Washington, DC - Six teams have been selected to advance their product ideas into prototypes to compete for $230,000 in the Open Science Prize (link is external), a global science competition to make both the outputs from science and the research process broadly accessible to the public. The finalists, announced at the 7th Health Datapalooza Conference in Washington, D.C., were selected out of 96 multinational, interdisciplinary teams representing 450 innovators from 45 countries.

These are the first finalists for this recently launched global prize competition, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and the U.K.-based Wellcome Trust with additional funding provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Final prototypes will be submitted on Dec. 1, 2016, and will be demonstrated at an Open Science Prize Showcase to be held in early December. The public will also be invited to consider and vote online for their favorite prototype. The ultimate Open Science Prize winner is expected to be announced in late February or early March 2017. In order to qualify, each finalist team must be composed of at least two or more individuals or entities of which at least one member is a representative of the United States and another is A representative of another country.

The six finalists highlighted through the Open Science Prize competition demonstrate some of the exciting ways in which publically available information can be used to advance biomedical science and health care, said Philip Bourne, Ph.D., associate director for data science at NIH. These innovations illustrate how new knowledge can be derived from existing data sources to advance our understanding of issues such as clinical trials, environmental exposures and neuroscience.

The volume of digital information generated by biomedical research, often referred to as big data, is growing at a rapidly increasing pace. Researchers ability to derive knowledge from data is hindered by their ability to find, access and use it. The goal of the Open Science Prize is to support the development and prototyping of services, tools, and platforms to overcome these hurdles to ensure data can be used to advance discovery and spur innovation.

Open science, by its very nature, transcends borders, said Clare Matterson, director of strategy at the Wellcome Trust. Were supporting these six international teams of innovators so that they can demonstrate the exciting potential of open science both to advance discovery and, through the application of research, to improve health across the world.

The submissions were evaluated based upon the following six criteria:

Advancement of open science

Impact of the innovation on the research enterprise and healthcare

Originality of the idea

Level of creativity and innovation

Technological viability

Feasibility

A panel of expert advisors (link is external) representing leading thinkers in the open science movement provided input to the organizers of the Open Science Prize as part of the judging process.

The 2016 Open Science Prize finalist teams are:

OpenAQ: A Global Community Building the First Open, Real-Time Air Quality Data Hub for the World  Providing real-time information on poor air quality by combining data from across the globe.

Michael Brauer (University of British Columbia, Vancouver)

Joseph Flasher (Development Seed, Washington, D.C.)

Michael Hannigan (University of Colorado, Boulder)

Christa Hasenkopf (OpenAQ, Washington, D.C.)

Asep Sofyan (Institut Teknologi, Indonesia)

OpenTrialsFDA: Making Unbiased Clinical Trial Data Accessible  Enabling better access to drug approval packages submitted to and made available by the Food and Drug Administration.

Emma Beer, Paul Walsh (Open Knowledge International, Cambridge, U.K.)

Ben Goldacre (University of Oxford, U.K.)

Erick Turner (Portland, Oregon)

Real-Time Evolutionary Tracking for Pathogen Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation  Permitting real-time analysis of emerging epidemics, such as Ebola, MERS-CoV and Zika.

Trevor Bedford (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle)

Richard Neher (Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tubingen, Germany)

Open Neuroimaging Laboratory  Advancing brain research by enabling collaborative annotation, discovery and analysis of brain imaging data.

Roberto Toro (Institute Pasteur, Paris)

Satrajit Ghosh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge)

Katja Heuer (Max Plank Institute for Human and Brain Sciences, Tubingen, Germany)

Amy Robinson (Wired Differently, Inc., Boston)

Fruit Fly Brain Observatory  Allowing researchers to better conduct modeling of mental and neurological diseases by connecting data related to the fly brain.

Aurel Lazar, Lev Givon, Nikul Ukani, Chung-Heng Yeh, Yiyin Zhou (Columbia University, New York City)

Ann-Shyn Chiang, Chung-Chuan Lo (National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan)

Daniel Coca, Dorian Florescu, Luna Carlos, Paul Richmond, Adam Tomkins (University of Sheffield, U.K.)

MyGene2: Accelerating Gene Discovery via Radically Open Data Sharing  Facilitating the public sharing of health and genetic data through integration with publicly available information.

Jessica Chong, Michael Bamshad (University of Washington, Seattle)

Tudor Groza, Craig McNamara, Edwin Zhang (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Australia)

A complete description of the competition, including descriptions of the finalist teams and their innovations can be found at: https://www.openscienceprize.org

The Open Science Prize is made possible through a collaboration between NIH and the Wellcome Trust (link is external). The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is also contributing funds to Wellcome Trust for the effort. The NIH effort is part of the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative, launched in December 2013 as a trans-NIH program with funding from all 27 institutes and centers as well as the NIH Common Fund.

About the Wellcome Trust: The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health that supports bright minds in science, the humanities, and the social sciences as well as education, public engagement, and the application of research to medicine. Its investment portfolio allows for the independence to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, our free venue for the incurably curious to explore medicine, life, and art.

About the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) plays a powerful role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. HHMI's headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.
Former CEO of Investment Firm with Main Office in Spain to Pay $8 Million as Part of Agreement to Resolve Criminal Allegations

Los Angeles, California - The former chief executive officer of Absolute Capital Holdings Ltd., which had its primary office in Palma on the Spanish island of Majorca, has entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors in which he will forfeit $8 million that federal prosecutors contend was derived from a fraud scheme conducted by fugitive hedge fund manager Florian Homm, who is accused of overseeing a stock manipulation scheme that caused investors to lose approximately $200 million.

Sean Ewing, 51, a resident of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, has agreed to forfeit $8 million in a civil settlement, and he has agreed to appear in United States District Court on a criminal case that charges him with books and records violations under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Prosecutors filed a criminal information and a Deferred Prosecution Agreement against Ewing on May 5, and those documents became publicly available today. Prosecutors entered into the agreement, in part, because Ewing, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, has agreed to voluntarily travel to the United States to resolve this matter, and he is taking responsibility for the actions alleged in the criminal case.

According to government filings, Ewing, who along with Homm was a co-founder of Absolute Capital, was the companys chief executive officer and chairman. Ewing was also a substantial shareholder of Absolute Capital, which traded on the Alternative Investment Market in the London Stock Exchange. From January 30, 2006 through September 10, 2007, Absolute Capital was a registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and Ewing was listed on SEC filings as chief compliance officer. Absolute Capital managed eight hedge funds (the Absolute Funds) involved in an alleged stock manipulation scheme that was designed to artificially prop up the value of the Absolute Funds and Absolute Capitals stock price.

The Deferred Prosecution Agreement, which resolves the governments investigation as to Ewing, provides that the government will not pursue Ewing in the stock manipulation scheme. The criminal information filed last week charges Ewing with causing Absolute Capital to fail to keep certain records required by the SEC, namely certain annual securities holdings reports and quarterly transaction reports from persons within the company who had access to confidential information, as well as records of pre-approval of securities trades by such access persons. These records were meant to identify material conflicts of interest between Absolute Capital access persons and Absolute Capital clients, which including the Absolute Funds operated by the company.

In the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, Ewing admits that he was named as the Absolute Capitals chief compliance officer in SEC filings, but he failed to adequately discharge responsibilities of that position. Among other things, Ewing failed to require Homm and other senior executives at Absolute Capital who had access to confidential information to provide annual holdings reports and quarterly transaction reports, and he did not ensure that they secured pre-approval of securities trades in order to identify any material conflicts of interest with the Absolute Funds raised by such securities trading.

The United States is continuing to pursue justice and restitution for investors who suffered from the collapse of Absolute Capital, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. Mr. Ewing has admitted that he failed to fulfill duties prescribed by U.S. securities laws that are designed to protect investors, and he has agreed to forfeit the monies we believe he obtained as a result.

Homm was arrested in Italy in 2013 at the request of the United States, and he was subsequently named in an indictment that accused him of orchestrating a stock manipulation scheme designed to pump up the reported returns of his hedge funds, while self-dealing for his own benefit and to the detriment of the funds. The United States sought Homms extradition to the United States. Homm was ordered extradited by the Italian Ministry of Justice, but he was released from custody and is believed to have fled to Germany, where he remains a fugitive.

In December 2015, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Homm and three additional defendants. The superseding indictment outlines a penny stock manipulation scheme designed to pump up the reported returns of the eight Absolute Funds and alleges that the fraud caused investors to lose approximately $200 million. The superseding indictment also charges Homm and the other defendants with money laundering.

As part of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, Ewing will pay the settlement, but will not admit any criminal liability or concede knowledge of any allegedly illegal acts by Homm and others at Absolute Capital.

The Deferred Prosecution Agreement requires Ewing to appear in federal court in Los Angeles soon after he pays the $8 million settlement. In return, the government will dismiss certain seizure warrants filed to restrain Ewing-related assets in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and  if Ewing abides by all of the terms of the agreement, which includes cooperating truthfully with the FBIs ongoing investigation  will dismiss the criminal case within one year.

The case against Ewing is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bailiwick of Guernsey Law Enforcement and the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority provided assistance to the FBIs investigation.
Personalized Virtual Heart Predicts the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death

Baltimore, Maryland - When electrical waves in the heart run amok in a condition called arrhythmia, sudden death can occur. To save the life of a patient at risk, doctors currently implant a small defibrillator to sense the onset of arrhythmia and jolt the heart back to a normal rhythm. But a thorny question remains: How should doctors decide which patients truly need an invasive, costly electrical implant that is not without health risks of its own?

To address this, an interdisciplinary Johns Hopkins University team has developed a non-invasive 3-D virtual heart assessment tool to help doctors determine whether a particular patient faces the highest risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia and would benefit most from a defibrillator implant. In a proof-of-concept study published May 10 in the online journal Nature Communications, the team reported that its new digital approach yielded more accurate predictions than the imprecise blood pumping measurement now used by most physicians.

Our virtual heart test significantly outperformed several existing clinical metrics in predicting future arrhythmic events, said Natalia Trayanova, the universitys inaugural Murray B. Sachs Professor of Biomedical Engineering. This non-invasive and personalized virtual heart-risk assessment could help prevent sudden cardiac deaths and allow patients who are not at risk to avoid unnecessary defibrillator implantations.

Trayanova, a pioneer in developing personalized imaging-based computer models of the heart, supervised the research and was senior author of the journal article. She holds faculty appointments within Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and its School of Medicine, and she is a core faculty member of the universitys Institute for Computational Medicine. For this study, she joined forces with cardiologist and co-author Katherine C. Wu, associate professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, whose research has focused on magnetic resonance imaging approaches to improving cardiovascular risk prediction.

For this landmark study, Trayanovas team formed its predictions by using the distinctive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) records of patients who had survived a heart attack but were left with damaged cardiac tissue that predisposes the heart to deadly arrhythmias. The research was a blinded study, meaning that the team members did not know until afterward how closely their forecasts matched what happened to the patients in real life. This study involved data from 41 patients who had survived a heart attack and had an ejection fractiona measure of how much blood is being pumped out of the heartof less than 35 percent.

To protect against future arrhythmias, physicians typically recommend implantable defibrillators for all patients in this range, and all 41 patients in the study received the implants because of their ejection fraction scores. But research has concluded that this score is a flawed measure for predicting which patients face a high risk of sudden cardiac death.

The Johns Hopkins team invented an alternative to these scores by using pre-implant MRI scans of the recipients hearts to build patient-specific digital replicas of the organs. Using computer-modeling techniques developed in Trayanovas lab, the geometrical replica of each patients heart was brought to life by incorporating representations of the electrical processes in the cardiac cells and the communication among cells. In some cases, the virtual heart developed an arrhythmia, and in others it did not. The result, a non-invasive way to gauge the risk of sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmia, was dubbed VARP, short for virtual-heart arrhythmia risk predictor. The method allowed the researchers to factor in the geometry of the patients heart, the way electrical waves move through it and the impact of scar tissue left by the earlier heart attack.

Eventually, the VARP results were compared to the defibrillator recipients post-implantation records to determine how well the technology predicted which patients would experience the life-threatening arrhythmias that were detected and halted by their implanted devices. Patients who tested positive for arrhythmia risk by VARP were four times more likely to develop arrhythmia than those who tested negative. Furthermore, VARP predicted arrhythmia occurrence in patients four-to-five times better than the ejection fraction and other existing clinical risk predictors, both non-invasive and invasive.

We demonstrated that VARP is better than any other arrhythmia prediction method that is out there, Trayanova said. By accurately predicting which patients are at risk of sudden cardiac death, the VARP approach will provide the doctors with a tool to identify those patients who truly need the costly implantable device, and those for whom the device would not provide any life-saving benefits.

Wu agreed that these encouraging early results indicate that the more nuanced VARP technique could be a useful alternative to the one-size-fits-all ejection fraction score.

This is a ground-breaking proof-of-concept study for several reasons, Wu said, As cardiologists, we obtain copious amounts of data about patients, particularly high-tech imaging data, but ultimately we use little of that information for individualized care. With the technique used in this study, we were able to create a personalized, highly detailed, virtual 3-D heart, based on the patients specific anatomy. Then, we were able to test the heart virtually to see how irritable it is under certain situations. We could do all this without requiring the patient to undergo an invasive procedure. This represents a safer, more comprehensive and individualized approach to sudden cardiac death risk assessment.

Wu pointed out that an implantable defibrillator also has a few risks of its own and that avoiding implantation of this device when it is not truly needed eliminates these risks. Implantable defibrillators, she said, require invasive access to the heart, frequent device checks and intermittent battery changes. Complications, she added, can include infection, device malfunction and, in rare instances, heart or blood vessel damage.

In addition to eliminating unnecessary device implantations, Trayanova noted that this new risk prediction methodology could also be applied to patients who had prior heart damage, but whose ejection fraction score did not target them for therapy under current clinical recommendations. Thus, Trayanova said, VARP has the potential to save the lives of a much larger number of at-risk patients.

With the proof-of-concept study completed, the researchers next hope to conduct further tests involving larger groups of heart patients. The VARP technique is covered by patent protection obtained through the Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures office.

The first author of the Nature Communications article was Hermenegild J. Arevalo, who conducted the VARP simulations for the cohort of 41 patients. Arevalo earned his doctorate in Trayanovas lab, then served as a postdoctoral fellow, supervising the undergraduates who contributed to the virtual heart research. For his work on this project Arevalo won the 2016 Young Investigator Award at the Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions. The co-lead author was Fijoy Vadakkumpadan, who also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Trayanovas lab. Along with Trayanova and Wu, the co-authors were Eliseo Guallar, a professor of epidemiology in Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Alexander Jebb and Peter Malamas, both Whiting School of Engineering undergraduates majoring in biomedical engineering.

Funding for the research was provided by Trayanovas NIH Pioneer Award DP1-HL123271; American Heart Association grant 13SDG145100061; W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Heart Research grant H1202; and Wus NIH Grant HL103812.
American Cancer Society Report Assesses Progress against Goals Set for Nation

Atlanta, Georgia - A new report assesses how the nation fared against the ambitious challenge goal set by the American Cancer Society to reduce the cancer death rates by 50% over 25 years ending in 2015. The report finds areas where progress was substantial, and others where it was not. The report, appearing in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, says the best improvements were seen in cancers for which prevention, early detection, and treatment tools are available, including cancers of the lung, colon, breast, and prostate.

How much more progress will be made going forward will depend on how well policy makers and the American public work together to continue progress in those areas, and in making the best available care accessible to all.

In 1996, the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society challenged the United States to reduce what looked to be peak cancer mortality in 1990 by 50% by the year 2015. The goals made clear that achieving that challenge goal would require a broad, multi-sectoral effort, not the effort of any single organization.

The current analysis, led by Tim Byers, MD, of the University of Colorado, examined trends in cancer mortality across the 25-year challenge period from 1990 to 2015*. The report found:

In 2015, the overall cancer death rate was 26% lower than in 1990 (32% lower among men and 22% lower among women).

Among men, mortality rates dropped for lung cancer by 45%, for colorectal cancer by 47%, and for prostate cancer by 53%.

Among women, mortality rates dropped for lung cancer by 8%, for colorectal cancer by 44%, and for breast cancer by 39%.

Declines in the death rates of all other cancer sites were substantially smaller (13% among men and 17% among women).

The major factors that accounted for the drops were progress in tobacco control and improvements in early detection and treatment.

As we embark on new national cancer goals, this recent past experience should teach us that curing the cancer problem will require 2 sets of actions: making new discoveries in cancer therapeutics and more completely applying those discoveries in cancer prevention we have already made, write the authors.

The report says not fully reaching the goal should be seen as an opportunity. That the ACS challenge goal to reduce US cancer mortality by 50% over the 25-year period from 1990 to 2015 was only one-half achieved should be seen as a glass half full. This progress should eliminate any historical remnants of cancer fatalism, and it should now stimulate our national imagination about what might be possible to achieve into the future.

The report says the effort also has a valuable lesson in goal-setting: The best goals are those that stretch the limits of what might actually be achieved by renewed efforts. There is a sweet spot in goal setting between projecting what will likely happen regardless of renewed efforts (setting the bar too low) and creating unrealistic challenges that tend to paralyze us (setting the bar too high).

The report concludes: All sectors of civil society will need to join in efforts to further reduce cancer mortality in the United States, including those focused on the many social determinants of cancer, including income, availability of care, and many other social and environmental factors impacting cancer-reducing policies and programs. How much more progress we will make will depend on the extent to which policy makers and the American public can join together to create systems and incentives to understand cancer better, to reduce several of the known risk factors for cancer, to better diagnose cancer earlier, and to assure that state-of-the-art treatment is available for all.

* 2015 rates were estimated as a linear extrapolation of the trends from 2010 to 2014
Secretary Johnson Presents Awards for Valor

Washington, DC - Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson today presented the 2016 Department of Homeland Security Secretarys Award for Valor to 13 outstanding individuals who have displayed exceptional valor while serving the Department, or while off-duty acting only as a concerned citizen willing to help those in need.

On a routine basis, Ive been consistently impressed with the repeated acts of valor committed by our DHS people, across our components, whether on or off duty, said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson. I want everyone who is receiving this award, which is the highest award I can give for an act of valor, to know how proud we all are of you for how you represent us in the Department of Homeland Security.

Joined by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and DHS senior leadership, Secretary Johnson recognized 13 DHS employees for their courage and selfless actions that protected individuals from harm, saved anothers life, or safeguarded infrastructure in support of national security.

The following individuals, listed by component order, received the 2016 Secretarys Award for Valor, the highest recognition from the Department for extraordinary acts of valor:

Gloria Betts, Transportation Security Officer, Transportation Security Administration, Jacksonville, Fla.

On June 14, 2015, Transportation Security Officer Gloria Betts stopped for gas while returning from a vacation in Key West, Florida. At the gas station, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was talking to the occupants of a pick-up truck when one of the passengers opened fire on the trooper. TSO Betts immediately moved to keep other patrons away from the live fire, and then ran to assist the injured trooper, remaining with him until help arrived. The Sheriff's office reported that TSO Betts was an asset during the incident and a consummate professional during the initial investigation.

Kevin J. Carmen and John J. Chiartas, III, Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, Transportation Security Administration, Philadelphia, Pa.

On January 12, 2016, John Chiartas and Kevin Carmen acted quickly to provide medical assistance to an unresponsive passenger needing resuscitation. During a potentially dangerous emergency landing, the recipients remained with the ill passenger and provided medical assistance until the aircraft arrived at the gate and medical personnel could respond.

Justin Sawhill, Transportation Security Officer, Transportation Security Administration, Coraopolis, Pa.

While returning home one morning, Transportation Security Officer Justin Sawhill observed a glow coming from a nearby house and went to investigate. He discovered a burning vehicle in the driveway and called 911. As the fire began to spread to the garage, TSO Sawhill ran to the front door and knocked until a woman answered. She asked TSO Sawhill to help her get her four young children safely out of the house. TSO Sawhill carried one child while guiding another by the hand. The fire had overtaken the front of the residence, blocking their primary exit. So they retreated to the rear of the house, where he assisted the woman through a window and then passed the four children to her before exiting himself.

Matthew Silverman, Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service, Transportation Security Administration, Chelsea, Mass.

On February 18, 2016, Matthew Silverman was on his way to work when he witnessed a Revere, Massachusetts police cruiser involved in a high speed pursuit suddenly crash into two utility poles. Electrical sparks flew and gasoline began pooling underneath the cruiser. Mr. Silverman pulled the officer to safety just before the vehicle erupted in flames. He provided initial first aid treatment for shock and lacerations, and directed other citizens to keep the scene safe until first responders arrived. The officer was transported to the hospital for his injuries and is recovering.

Jennifer X. Tran, Jackie E. Hisey, Operations Support Specialists, California Service Center, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Operations Support Specialists Jackie Hisey and Jennifer Tran volunteered to locate a colleague who missed an appointment at a local Department of Veterans Affairs clinic. After checking all emergency contacts, Ms. Hisey and Ms. Tran sought permission to make a trip to their colleagues personal residence accompanied by local police. After determining that their colleague had made an attempt on his own life, first responders transported him to the VA hospital for much needed care and counseling. Ms. Hisey and Ms. Trans commitment to a colleague in need exemplifies devotion to duty.

Benjamin E. Jacober, Operations Specialist Third Class, Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane, U.S. Coast Guard, Portsmouth, Va.

On July 6, 2015, Operations Specialist Third Class Benjamin Jacober was off-duty with his shipmates from Cutter Harriet Lane near Bocas del Toro, Panama. As the group was walking, Petty Officer Jacober saw two women in the water frantically waving for help. Petty Officer Jacober sprinted down the beach and entered the water. Using his training as a Cutter Rescue Swimmer, he reached one of the fatigued women and kept her head above water. Petty Officer Jacober towed her back through rough waves to shore, and his fellow crewmembers assisted them onto the beach. A lifeguard was able to rescue the second victim.

Joseph G. Perkins, Seaman, Telecommunication and Information Systems Command, U.S. Coast Guard, Alexandria, Va.

On February 24, 2016, while traveling with soldiers from the U.S. Army Old Guard to a ceremony, Seaman Joseph Perkins witnessed a car lose control, collide into two other vehicles, and ram into a guardrail. He and three soldiers called 911 and provided assistance. There was an unconscious woman inside the car, which had caught fire and was continuing to accelerate into the guardrail. Together, using a flashlight, a tire iron, and their own fists, they broke the drivers side window and pulled the unconscious woman from the vehicle and carried her more than 100 feet to safety. Seaman Perkins and a soldier rendered first aid and were able to stabilize the woman until medical professionals arrived.

George D. Sullivan, Assistant Field Office Director, William G. Adamson, Technical Enforcement Officer, Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Brendan Lundt, Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Boston, Mass.

On January 10, 2016, while off duty, Assistant Field Office Director George Sullivan, Technical Enforcement Officer William Adamson, and Special Agent Brendan Lundt were awakened by smoke in their hotel rooms and soon discovered a structure fire. After evacuating their loved ones, the three raced to help other guests. Mr. Sullivan climbed up three floors, using only the railings of the balconies, to get to the trapped people. Special Agent Lundt assisted from the ground while Officer Adamson assisted local fire fighters. Mr. Sullivan made the climb three times, rescuing four people. Remarkably, no one was injured during the entire incident.

Jeffrey E. Ellis, Deputy Attache, Homeland Security Investigations, International Operations Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Dakar, Senegal

On March 13, 2016, Deputy Attache Jeffrey Ellis was at a seaside restaurant in Grand Bassam, Cote dIvoire while on temporary duty assignment. Attache Ellis heard gun shots and helped his U.S. embassy colleagues and two other bystanders evade the assailants. Their escape was impeded by a seven-foot stone wall. Attache Ellis helped everyone scale the wall and take shelter in a local residence. Attache Ellis contacted the Marines at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan and provided situational reports. Over the next two hours, Attache Ellis monitored the perimeter security, and once rescued by security forces, provided an eyewitness account of the terrorist attack. The next day, he continued with his assignment in Abidjan to provide counterterrorism training.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Using Force Against Muslim Woman to Obstruct Her Free Exercise of Religion on an Airplane

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gill Parker Payne, 37, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today in the District of New Mexico to one count of using force or threat of force to intentionally obstruct a Muslim woman, identified as K.A., in the free exercise of her religious beliefs.

According to court documents, on December 11, 2015, Payne and K.A. were on board a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque, New Mexico. K.A. was wearing a religious headscarf, known as a hijab. Payne was seated several rows behind K.A. on the airplane, and did not know her. Payne admitted that he saw that K.A. was wearing a hijab and was aware that it is a religious practice of Muslim women to wear a headscarf.

Payne further admitted that shortly before landing, but while still in-flight, he walked up the aisle to where K.A. was sitting and stopped next to her seat. Payne proceeded to tell K.A. to take off her hijab, stating something to the effect of, Take it off! This is America! Payne then grabbed the back of the hijab and pulled it all the way off, leaving K.A.s entire head exposed. As a result, K.A. felt violated and quickly pulled the hijab back up and covered her head again.

No matter ones faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Using or threatening force against individuals because of their religion is an affront to the fundamental values of this nation, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to be vigilant in protecting the religious liberties guaranteed to all Americans.

This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals, including members of our Muslim community, to express their faith without fear, said U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez of the District of New Mexico. The U.S. Attorneys Office is committed to protecting the religious rights of Muslims in New Mexico by aggressively prosecuting those who wish to perpetrate hate crimes against them.

All Americans, regardless of their differences, deserve to be treated with respect, said Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBIs Albuquerque Division. As the lead agency for enforcing federal civil rights laws, the FBI will continue to hold accountable those individuals whose intolerant acts harm others. I would like to thank the FBI staff in Albuquerque and Charlotte, North Carolina, for their work on this case, as well as the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office and Albuquerque Aviation Police.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

This case is being investigated by the FBIs Albuquerque Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen of the District of New Mexico and Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Divisions Criminal Section.
Notice Asking Women Advocates Not to 'Arrange' Hair in Open Court in Pune Sparks Outrage
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You've got it hand to Sweden for pulling off quite the Eurovision Song Contest spectacular: from Justin Timberlake's A-list glitz, its self-aware humour, to the impenetrable charm of hosts Petra Mede and Mans Zelmerlow.

However, there was one sour note in the proceedings which left a bad taste in the mouths of more than a few viewers; making for a surprisingly offensive moment in what was elsewhere a very jovial, good-hearted evening.

While poking fun of Europe's general hysteria for all things Eurovision, host Petra Mede began to show off some of the memorabilia available from the night's show.

First was the standard Eurovision hat, then she moved on - to a straitjacket. "And if youre a really crazy fan I strongly recommend the Eurovision straitjacket," she joked "You know what they say - crazy is the new black."

Though Swedish humour is certainly well-known for its darker, drier strands; it's a wonder whether Eurovision is ever an appropriate place for jokes targeting mental health, and many viewers were left a little shocked by the gag.

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 7 most bizarre moments in Eurovision history



In the end, Ukraine came out the surprise winners of the evening, beating both Australia and Russia in a tense new voting system. Jamala's poignant song "1944" about the mass deportation of Tatars under Josef Stalin, moved voters across Europe to earn her first place with 534 points, forcing Dami Im's "Sound of Silence" for Australia and Sergey Lazarev's "You Are The Only One" to miss out on victory with 511 and 491 points respectively.
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How awkward is it that we couldn't even vote for what was clearly the best song of the night?

Yes, all entrants were soon forgotten when hosts Sweden came on to perform the ultimate interval act, somehow even upstaging Justin Timberlake himself with a song they claimed combined all the elements of previous winners.

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The titled "Love Love Peace Peace", as performed by hosts Petra Mede and Mans Zelmerlow, turned out to be the ultimate dream for any Eurovision fan; packed with references to the most bizarre, sublime entrants of past years.

We had battle horns, epic violin players, Russian grandmothers baking bread, a man in a hamster wheel, a burning piano, sexy butter churners, and heavy metal monsters. Does Eurovision get any better than this?



That said, the night's winner turned out to be the surprisingly normal, and sincerely felt, Ukranian entry. Jamala's "1944", about the mass deportation of Tatars under Josef Stalin, moved voters across Europe to earn her first place with 534 points, forcing Dami Im's "Sound of Silence" for Australia and Sergey Lazarev's "You Are The Only One" to miss out on victory with 511 and 491 points respectively.
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Ukraine has won the Eurovision Song Contest, narrowly beating Australia and Russia in a nail-biting grand final.

Jamala's poignant song "1944" about the mass deportation of Tatars under Josef Stalin, moved voters across Europe to earn her first place with 534 points, forcing Dami Im's "Sound of Silence" for Australia and Sergey Lazarev's "You Are The Only One" to miss out on victory with 511 and 491 points respectively.

"I know that you already sang a song about peace and love, but actually I really want peace and love to everyone," Jamala said when asked how she felt by Swedish host and last year's Mans Zelmerlow. "Thank you so much."

Herself a Crimean Tatar, Jamala's haunting performance was more stripped-back than many of the more upbeat, club-friendly efforts. The title "1944" refers to the year in which Stalin shipped Tatars in over-crowded trains to Central Asia. Thousands died during the journey or starved to death upon arrival, and they were not allowed to return to Crimea until the Eighties.

"That terrible year changed forever the life of one fragile woman, my great-grandmother Nazylkhan," soprano Jamala, real name Susana Jamaladinova, said before the contest.

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Despite the hard-hitting subject matter, the song had an appealing pop flavour and the lyrics avoided mention of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, there is likely to be a political backlash to the result, due to continuing tensions between the Ukraine and Russia.

Elsewhere, the UK's Joe and Jake left disappointed, finishing in 24th place with 62 points. Response to the duo's performance of cheery song "You're Not Alone" was overwhelmingly positive both in the arena and among viewers at home, but they failed to rack up the votes.

 7 most bizarre moments in Eurovision history

Justin Timberlake performed "Rock Your Body" and "Can't Stop the Feeling" during the interval, much to the excitement of the flag-waving audience, while Graham Norton provided yet another witty, acerbic commentary. He toasted the late Sir Terry Wogan, the "voice of Eurovision" from 1971 to 2008 during song nine, when the broadcaster had told him it was acceptable to start drinking.

Voting at this year's contest was more exciting than in past years due to a shake-up in the way the results were delivered to viewers. The final outcome was decided by a 50:50 split between professional juries and televoting from each of the 42 participating countries, with the televoting results only added onto the scoreboard at the end of the night.
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Frankie Boyle is back to doing what he does best - stirring up a whole lot of controversy.

The comedian turned in his first spot as host on the BBC's Have I Got News For You, after several appearances on the show's panel.

What happened next was to be entirely expected: The Mirror reports that several bracing jokes, aimed at the Queen, were cut from the eventual broadcast of the quiz on 13 May.

One centered on a discussion of artist Dan Llywelyn Hall attempting a second portrait of Her Majesty after his first was heavily criticised. Boyle then mentioned the 2005 portrait of the Queen, painted by Rolf Harris; an artist later convicted of indecent assault in 2014.

"The Queen keeping Rolf Harriss hands busy for a week is probably the best thing shes ever done," Boyle commented.

Another cut joke saw Boyle take aim at David Cameron's branding of foreign governments as "fantastically corrupt" at a Buckingham Palace reception. "Even the Queen seemed to give him a look like No," he joked. "Its very hard to tell if the Queen is unhappy with you. She hasnt really cracked a smile since Diana died."

Her Majesty, however, didn't come out completely unscathed in the final broadcast; Boyle's branding of the royal family as, "the products of centuries of incest" employed "to try to sell fridge magnets", wasn't cut from the show.

Comedians say the most controversial things Show all 11 1 /11 Comedians say the most controversial things Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Katie Price 'I have a theory that Jordan married a cage fighter cause she needed someone strong enough to stop Harvey from f***ing her. Getty Image Comedians say the most controversial things Dapper Laughs on sexual harassment Remember, its only sexual harassment if shes more attractive then [sic] you. Comedians say the most controversial things Jimmy Carr on Reeva Steenkampf death 'I blame her. If she hadnt been in that disabled toilet none of this would have happened.' Getty Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Rebecca Adlington I worry that Rebecca Adlington will have an unfair advantage in the swimming by possessing a dolphin's face. Comedians say the most controversial things Dapper Laughs tells audience members she's 'gagging for a rape' She's gagging for a rape. We'll have a chat afterwards.... Poor girl, do you want to come backstage after, yeah? Bring two of your mates, youll need them. Comedians say the most controversial things Jim Jefferies on why he could never be gay 'I can never be gay because I can never f*** another man...because I can never f*** something that I respect.' Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Reginald D Hunter uses N-word several times at football gala The Professional Footballers' Association later asked the comedian to pay back his fee PA Comedians say the most controversial things Russell Brand booed at GQ awards for Nazi joke And the Nazis did have flaws, but, you know, they did look f**king fantastic, lets face it, while they were killing people on the basis of their religion and sexuality. Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Barack Obama When Barack Obama was giving his speech after being elected as president, he had to do it behind three inch thick bullet-proof glass. I thought that was a bit harsh  just because hes black doesnt mean hes going to shoot anyone' Rex Features Comedians say the most controversial things Anthony Jeselnik on Boston marathon bombing There are some lines that just shouldnt be crossed today. Especially the finish line. Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Camilla Parker Bowles 'Does anyone think that Camilla is what Princess Diana would look like if she survived the crash'.

Elsewhere, Boyle's most controversial line to be censored, which caused gasps amongst the attending audience, touched upon last November's Paris terrorist attacks.

When discussing the accusations that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had associations with Islamist fundamentalists, Boyle stated; "If sharing a stage with extremists made you an extremist, the Eagles of Death Metal would be the most wanted men in the world."

Though he swiftly admitted, "That probably wont make the edit."

This is hardly the first time the BBC has edited out some of Boyle's more risque jokes. Back in 2013, several jokes were edited out of a BBC3 broadcast of charity event Give It Up for Comic Relief, where the comedian stated that he'd wished the Queen had "died" during her hospitalisation, "because they wouldnt have been able to tell anyone. They would have had to hollow out her body into a suit and fill it with helium."
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It's only a testament to the incredible strength of David Bowie's legacy that his work in David Lynch's 1992 film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is considered merely a minor work from the artist.

There, he played Phillip Jeffries, the long-lost FBI agent returning with visions of a meeting between the strange likes of the Man From Another Place and Killer Bob; characters well-known from the original Twin Peaks TV series.

With so many of the original cast returning to Showtime's revival of the show, it's perhaps not entirely surprising to learn Bowie himself was set to reprise his role of Jeffries. Indeed, actor Harry Goaz revealed to The Dallas Morning News that the musician was set to return for a brief cameo in the series, before his death on 10 January of this year.

Bowie would have joined the returning likes of Kyle MacLachlan (as FBI Agent Dale Cooper), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), and David Lynch himself, who previously starred as the hard of hearing FBI chief Gordon Cole.

Catherine Coulson's name is also on the list, confirming she filmed several scenes as fan-favourite Margaret "Log Lady" Lanterman before her death last year. New additions include Amanda Seyfried, Ashley Judd, Michael Cera, Tim Roth and Oscar nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh.



David Bowie: Life in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1960s Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures Davy Jones; life before David Bowie Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1964 Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie 'In Mime' at the Middle Earth Club, London, 1968 Ray Stevenson/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1969 I T N/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1973 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1973 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie, with his wife Angela (Angie) and his son Zowie, after receiving an award for his latest record "Ziggy stardust" in Amsterdam, 1974 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1970s Sunshine/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie poses with a pig David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, confirmed his death on Twitter Duncan Jones/Twitter David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1980s Everett Collection/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie gives a press conference presenting the Japanese movie 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' directed by Nagisa Oshima, during the 36th International Film Festival in Cannes, 1983 AFP via Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage during a concert in La Courneuve, 1987 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie during his concert in West Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany, 1987 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie shakes hands with Princess Diana, 1993 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie autographs copies of his newest album 'Outside' at the grand opening of a Herald Square music store 26 September 1995 in New York AFP/Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs at the Panathinaikos stadium in Athens during a rock festival, 1996 Reuters David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and his wife, supermodel Iman smile as they pose for photos after Bowie received a star on the world famous Walk of Fame 12 February in Hollywood, 1997 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie getting ready to perform 'Earthling' at the Phoenix Music Festival in 1997 Pat Pope/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie on stage performing during the Tibet House Benefit Concert in New York City, 2001 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie Meltdown concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, June 2002 Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing during his concert at the Stravinski hall stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, 2002 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 'Last Call with Carson Daly' TV programme taping in New York, 2003 Startraks/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie walks with his with wife Iman and daughter Alexandria (2) in New York, 2003 Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage on the third and final day of 'The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival 2004' at Seaclose Park, in Newport, UK Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and Kate Moss at the 2005 CFDA Awards dinner party at the New York Public Library in New York City, 2005 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and model Iman arrive to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, 2008 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie anf Tilda Swinton at the MoMA's 6th Annual Film Benefit in New York, 2013 BFANYC.COM/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures Flowers are left below a mural of David Bowie on the wall of a Morley's store in Brixton on 11 January 2016 Getty



Principal photography is now confirmed to have been completed, with Lynch himself directing every episode set to be aired; with the series both written and produced by Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost.

Twin Peaks is set to premiere on Sky Atlantic in the UK in early 2017.
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Female gorillas have been documented engaging in lesbian sex for the first time.

The behaviour was observed by scientists during a research trip to the Rwandan section of the Virunga mountain range in central Africa.

The wild mountain gorillas, observed by a team led by Dr Cyril Grueter of the University of Western Australia, are believed to gain pleasure from having sex and may do it when they have been rejected by males.

While many species of male primates are well known to engage in homosexual behaviour, females have been subject to far less attention. Female gorillas have also been observed having lesbian sex in Uganda, but the data has not been published or subject to scrutiny.

The research group set out to shed light on the evolutionary origins of homosexuality, as gorillas are closely linked to humans. But the team were surprised to observe 44 instances of same-sex contact between female gorillas during their field study.

Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals Show all 4 1 /4 Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals 251445.bin Getty Images Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals 251464.bin DANIEL HOWDEN Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals 251446.bin Getty Images Gorilla warfare: The battle to save one of Africa's rarest animals 251447.bin DANIEL HOWDEN

Aggression between females did not occur prior to sex as the team had expected. Dr Grueter told Daily Mail: They were obviously deriving sexual pleasure from each other.

The scientist also explained the mechanics of lesbian gorilla sex, adding: It usually happens that two females get on top of each other, rubbing their bellies and genitals together.

Dr Grueter concluded that the courtship displays are purely sexual behaviour and not necessarily reflective of sexual orientation or preferences, which are believed to be fluid.

A theory to explain the phenomenon is that some of the females engaged in sex out of frustration after being rejected by a male, or after becoming aroused after witnessing sex. Other theories speculated that female gorillas have sex in order to attract males.

However, some dominant male gorillas would occasionally aggressively interrupt the proceedings, though others were unconcerned.

The researchers also noted the gorillas would try to seek privacy. The study said there was a tendency for such copulations to take place in secluded places with dense vegetation, probably to avoid a negative response by the [male] silverback.

Lesbian sex did not occur between gorillas who were closely related, although there was contact between an aunt-niece pair.

The report concluded: Same-sex sexual contacts among females are clearly a component of the behavioural repertoire of mountain gorillas, albeit a relatively infrequent one.

Given that such homosexual interactions happened in a completely wild setting, the claim that it is an artefact of captivity is not applicable.
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The UKs fertility watchdog is becoming increasingly concerned that private clinics are offering add-on treatments which have not been properly tested to see if they actually work, it can be revealed.

In a series of interviews with The Independent, leading experts variously claimed some clinics were giving out expensive, potentially harmful stuff like Smarties, announcing breakthroughs that were closer to marketing hype and that half of the people treated did not actually need any help to have a baby.

A Cambridge university immunologist also said the use of immune-suppressant drugs by clinics was based on a flawed theory that this could help prevent miscarriage and broke the medical maxim to first do no harm.

Recommended Read more IVF clinics must not be allowed to exploit childless families

Other techniques questioned by several experts include pre-implantation genetic screening, intrauterine insemination for women with unexplained infertility, and the use of time-lapse photography. The cost of such treatments can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Despite regular announcements of new techniques, progress has been relatively modest. In the 10 years to 2013, the average birth rate following IVF rose from about 20 per cent per cycle of treatment to 26.5 per cent.

After the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority was contacted about the experts concerns, the HFEAs chair Sally Cheshire said it was planning to take action to help patients decide which techniques were worthwhile.

Although the vast majority of clinics provide excellent care for fertility patients, we are becoming increasingly concerned about IVF treatment add-ons without a strong evidence base being offered at some clinics, she said in a statement.

We know from talking to patients that they can find navigating the IVF process difficult and the offer of add-ons can increase their confusion, and the cost of their treatment.

Patients are often not sure whether they need the additional treatments but worry that they could regret not making every attempt they can to get pregnant.

She said the HFEA was now working with scientists and the industry to provide accurate and easy-to-understand information about these new treatments.

One of Britains leading fertility experts, Yacoub Khalaf, director of the assisted conception unit of at Guys and St Thomas Hospital in London, stressed that some of those working in private fertility clinics were very decent and honest people.

But he added: At best, patients are subject to exploitation; at worst, patients are being subjected to harm.

All of this needs to be subjected to rigorous checks -- and a reality check among the providers and the users.

Mr Khalaf said some fertility clinic staff were simply putting two and two together about treatments that appeared to show signs of success without waiting for genuine scientific proof.

He said there might be a small number of patients who would benefit from such treatments, but this was not a recipe to just dish out expensive, potentially harmful stuff like Smarties.

Some patients, through their use of expensive, unproven medication, could be deprived of the financial resilience to try again, he added.

IVF treatment was developed in the 1960s by Sir Robert Edwards in work that later won him the Nobel Prize and one of his first graduate students was Martin Johnson.

Now emeritus professor of reproductive sciences at Cambridge University and joint senior editor of the journal Reproductive BioMedicine and Society, he pointed to a lack of scientific rigour behind some fertility clinic techniques.

What it means is the treatment could be making their situation worse and certainly not improving it -- and is costing them money. Its all about anecdotal evidence or no objective evidence, Professor Johnson said.

He said he felt the people doing it generally acted in good faith. People can believe something that isnt necessarily true. I would not describe it as a scandal. Its over-enthusiastic clinics hyping some of their treatments more than they should do so, he said.

But when asked if he had an understanding attitude towards their actions, Professor Johnson disagreed, saying: Im trying to think of explanations for why people, who are otherwise ethical, might do this.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. 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Dr John Parsons, founder and former director of King's College Hospital's assisted conception unit and a trustee of the Progress Education Trust fertility and genetics charity, has more than 30 years experience in the field.

Now semi-retired, he said he felt very strongly that the industry  whatever you want to call us  has used whatever is to hand, regardless of whether it works or not, ever since Ive been involved.

Every time there was a new, in inverted commas, breakthrough, it was tried on everybody and anybody, said Dr Parsons.

Its got a bad smell about it. Its all about the money. I worked in Kings College Hospital and was paid an NHS salary, but you get tainted by it. That was a pretty unpleasant feeling.

I genuinely believe at least 50 per cent of the people who got pregnant didnt need our help.

Perhaps the most alarming technique is the use of drugs to suppress specialised immune cells in the mother's uterus.

Cambridge University immunologist Professor Ashley Moffett said the idea that the foetus might be attacked by its mothers body because half the unborn babys DNA comes from the father was first suggested by Nobel Prize winning biologist Sir Peter Brian Medawar, known as the father of transplantation.

Thats a very attractive idea, but its actually not correct. But its become firmly embedded and its extremely hard to dislodge it, even among scientists, Professor Moffett said.

Theres certainly no evidence that it [immune-suppression] does any good and there is the potential that it can do harm because these treatments are immunosuppressive.

Risking immunosuppression in someone who is young and fit is to me  first do no harm.

She said one woman given immunosuppressant drugs by a private clinic became pregnant, but also seriously ill with a fungal infection. After the infection got into her bloodstream, she lost the baby as a result quite late in the pregnancy".

I think these women are quite obviously, one understands, desperate, desperate and they will try anything, Professor Moffett said, adding that their financial exploitation was "very sad".

Professor Adam Balen, chair of the British Fertility Society, which speaks on behalf of the industry, said the most important thing was for patients to be given a genuine choice.

Clinics have to be transparent and be open and provide appropriate information about exactly what it is they are offering and provide their own statistics as to the potential prospects of success, he said.

All of these treatments have been tested around the world and have been studied in clinical trials  every single one. None have been shown to do harm.

Professor Balen, a reproductive medicine consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said exploring new techniques was also useful in driving up the success rate, which he said could be as high as 50 per cent for the best clinics.

It is acceptable to provide certain treatments that may not have been conclusively shown to be absolutely beneficial to everybody, provided patients are informed, he added.

Asked about critics of this idea, he said: There are some people who are very outspoken and may have an axe to grind.
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The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority and several leading experts have warned that some treatments offered by private fertility clinics do not have a sound evidence base.

Here are some of the treatments that have been questioned and, in one case, "widely discredited":

Intrauterine insemination for unexplained infertility

Recommended Read more IVF clinics must not be allowed to exploit childless families

Sperm is taken from the man, specially prepared and then injected into the uterus. This is used appropriately for donor sperm, but is also controversially offered by clinics to help some couples to conceive.

Dr John Parsons, former director of King's College Hospital's assisted conception unit, said: The evidence that it has any effect is very poor indeed.

Professor Adam Balen, chair of the British Fertility Society, said: Thats hotly debated at the moment. The Nice [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] guidelines have swung backwards and forwards. Different studies have come out, some suggesting benefits, some suggesting no benefit.

Theres a divide in the infertility community  when theres a divide maybe theres no right or wrong answer.

IUI treatment presents for some people possibly no additional benefit over and above having sex at the time of ovulation. It would be wrong to say its a highly successful treatment, but its not wrong, its not doing harm.

Pre-implantation genetic screening

Embryos are examined to see if they have any potential problems, such as an abnormal number of chromosomes.

Dr Parsons said this sounds like a good idea but unfortunately thats really not good enough as evidence.

Professor Balen: I think the evidence at the moment is routine screening of embryos does not significantly improve the chance of having a live birth. In some cases, it may be helpful.

Theres no doubt theres a high rate of genetic abnormalities in embryos created both through nature and IVF.

Time-lapse photography of embryos or embryoscope

Photographs are taken of the embryos before implantation to see which ones appear to be developing normally.

Professor Balen said: Thats been a very interesting development and I think the jury is still out on time-lapse photography.

The incubators are extremely good. We did put together a proposal for the study to see if it was the incubators or the time-lapse imaging that may or may not be beneficial.

Freezing of embryos of women in their late 30s and beyond

Professor Balen has warned that because of the decline in women's fertility by this age, clinics should not give women "false hope" that they will be able to get pregnant using frozen embryos.

Immune-suppressant drugs

These are used to make natural killer or NK cells in the mothers uterus less effective. The idea is that miscarriages are sometimes caused by the immune system attacking the foetus because its DNA does not match the mother's as it is half hers and half the fathers.

In a paper published in the journal Human Reproduction last year, Professor Ashley Moffett and a colleague at Cambridge university wrote: Despite the lack of scientific rationale and advice from clinical governing bodies, such as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, an increasing range of tests and therapies are still offered to women undergoing IVF or attending recurrent miscarriage clinics based on the myth that uterine NK cells need suppressing to prevent damage to the embryo.

The Human Fertilisation & Embryologist Authority says: The theory behind reproductive immunology has been widely discredited, and there is no evidence that immune-suppressive therapies improve your chance of getting pregnant.
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Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest oil company, is being readied for market. At the moment it is owned entirely by the Saudi Arabian government, but next year, if all goes to plan, anyone in the rest of the world will be able to buy a share in it.

The numbers are huge. Aramco pumps 12 per cent of the worlds oil supplies, five times as much as the largest non-state owned oil company, ExxonMobil. It sits on the worlds largest oil reserves. Potentially it will become the worlds most valuable company, with some people suggesting that it will be worth five times that of Apple. Even if only 5 per cent of the company is floated initially, as is the plan, that will still make the offer the largest that the world has ever seen. It will be the worlds largest privatisation by far. And so on.

Anything of this size is going to change, if not the world, at least the country, the region and the energy industry. So what might it mean?

There are at least three stories here. One is Saudi Arabias need to reduce dependence on oil, and to use its oil wealth to finance diversification. A second is the impact of this on global finance. And a third, going beyond economics, is the effect on the Middle East more generally.

The Saudi problem is a familiar one, where dependence on a single industry crowds out other activities. It has been dubbed the Dutch Disease, because when North Sea gas was first developed by the Netherlands, it pushed up wages and other costs and made the rest of the economy uncompetitive. The Netherlands coped because it had a strong civic society and, in any case, the energy industry never dominated to the extent that it does in Saudi Arabia or indeed Russia. To counter this the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Muhammed bin Salman, announced the Vision 2030 plan, which involves raising money by selling part of Aramco to fund other industries and to build up what it aims to become the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund. Thus, part of the money is reinvested in the country and part invested abroad.

The intention is admirable, and if the recent plunge in the oil price says anything it is that it is too dangerous to rely on a single industry. Critics have noted that this is very much a government-driven top-down project rather than a market-driven bottom-up one, but it is hard to see quite how the country can do anything other than this to get the economy to diversify. Prince Salman, who is 30 and a leader of the next generation of the ruling royal family, suggests investment in tourism, health care, manufacturing, and education. One aim is to increase the private sectors share of the economy from 40 per cent to 65 per cent. If this happens, Saudi Arabia will become more normal, more like the diversified economies of, for example, Oman. That will inevitably change the character of the nation too.

The second issue, the impact on global finance, falls into two parts: the sale itself, and the build up of the sovereign wealth fund. As far as the sale is concerned this will be a test as to how much investors want to put into a mature industry. There is of course a huge debate as to the speed at which the world economy can get away from fossil fuels. But oil and gas are less threatened than coal  they are somewhat cleaner for a start. So we will see to what extent investors will put money into this industry, given the additional factor of political risk on top of environmental risk.

As for the sovereign wealth fund, well, it exists already, and this clutch of investors has already shaken up world markets. Sovereign funds can take a long-term view that most investment vehicles cant. They can also take moral stands: Norway is divesting of its holdings in the coal industry on environmental grounds. Saudi Arabia has already considerable power as an investor. If all goes to plan that power will become much greater. We have become used in Britain to have much of our investment, particularly in property, to be financed by foreigners. That balance will shift even further.

Finally there is the impact on the region. If the Saudi economy becomes more broadly-based, more normal, then that will affect its neighbours. At a practical level, if this proves an effective way to raise funds, expect other governments controlling national oil companies to sell off some of those shares too. This will mean greater scrutiny of their activities, because if you sell shares to global investors you have to comply with international accounting and legal standards. What happens at Aramco will become a modernising force for the region. Is the unequivocally positive? Well, probably, yes.

There is a final twist to this tale. The worlds largest privatisation will cap what must be Britains largest intellectual export over the past 50 years, the big idea developed in the UK that has been imitated around the world. The first big share sale was that of British Petroleum, begun in 1976 by Denis Healey, the Labour Chancellor. The precursor of BP was the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, based in Iran just across the Gulf from the precursor of Aramco, an offshoot of Standard Oil group, now ExxonMobil. So the first major privatisation was of an oil company that struck oil on one side of the Gulf, and the biggest one will be of an oil company that stuck oil on the other.
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An assistant head teacher has written a scathing open letter of resignation to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, condemning the governments education reforms.

Zoe Brown, who writes teaching blog The Girl on the Piccadilly Line, accused the Conservative Party of having destroyed the education system, arguing that reforms over the last six years had focused on tests not genuine learning.

She said budget cuts also meant schools have had to cut back on support staff, while a forced increase in pension contributions had left teachers worse off and suffering from low morale.

In the six short years I have been teaching, your party has destroyed the education system. Obliterated it. Ruined it. It is broken, Ms Brown wrote.

In some ways I dont feel like a teacher at all anymore. I prepare children for tests. Theyve not enjoyed it, Ive not enjoyed it, but weve done it: and one thing my children know how to do is answer test questions.

Ms Brown pointed to recent research that found nearly half of Englands teachers plan to leave the profession in the next five years, and also highlighted an article for the Independent written by her fiance, who also quit as a deputy head teacher in March.

Despite quitting her job, Ms Brown wrote that she would keep up the fight, adding: If you do end up losing your job over your shambolic running of the education system  make sure they dont replace you with Boris.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It is disappointing to hear of any teacher choosing to leave the profession, and we will respond to this letter in due course.

"But we make no apologies for our reforms that are giving more children than ever before the best start to life. Thanks to the hard work of teachers there are a record number of children in good or outstanding schools  1.4 million more since 2010.

We want that trend to continue which is why the proposals in our White Paper will put power back in the hands of the teachers and school leaders who know their pupils best, alongside new measures to more swiftly tackle failing and coasting schools.


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Azealia Banks has apologised for the controversial comments she made earlier this week.

The 24-year-old Harlem-born musician targeted Zayn Malik with a series of homophobic and racist insults in a lengthy tirade on Twitter and attacked 14-year-old Disney actress Skai Jackson.

The inflammatory remarks prompted an unprecedented backlash on social media and Banks was suspended from Twitter. The rapper was also dropped from a headline set at Rinse FMs Born & Bred Festival in East London.

After initially refusing to issue a proper apology, Banks has now posted a letter of apology to her Instagram account.

Dear World, she writes. Now that the immediacy of the infamous incident has worn off, I've had some time to decompress & take a more rational assessment of things.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. 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I want to extend my sincerest apologies to the world, she goes on to say. Employing racial/sexual slurs/stereotypes in attempts to make fun of or degrade another person or group is absolutely unacceptable and is not fair or fun for anyone.

Allowing my anger to get the best of me, I've managed to insult millions of people without reason. And for that I give my deepest apologies, she adds.

Banks attacked Malik in a series of tweets, calling him a curry scented b***h and writing, Imma start calling you punjab you dirty b**ch.

After being told to simmer down by Jackson, Banks started to target her too, calling her a black little b***h and prompting criticism for advising Skai to have plastic surgery and grow some hips and start your menses.

In a later Instagram post written today, Banks has also sought to explain her reference to the word curry.

"I personally really enjoy curry and cook with it often," she writes. "I feel compelled to clear the air with curry itself because that's a bridge I don't want to burn. I still want to be able to enjoy it freely without guilt or judgment. (BTW, black peoples traditionally cook with curry too.... Just saying)."

Last week, Banks issued an apology of sorts for those offended by her comments but not those she directed the derogatory remarks at. Big apologies to anyone who was offended by any of the things I said. Not sorry I said it. But sorry for the way I made people feel.

Everyone except the targets of my tirades, she added.

Banks has often been in the public eye for her controversial remarks and public diatribes. Iggy Azalea, Sarah Palin and The Stone Roses are just some of the individuals who have been on the receiving end of her criticism.

A representative for Banks did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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Shia LaBeouf has said that he was part of the underclass in America and spoken forthrightly about his experience of growing up in small town America.

During a Cannes press conference, the 29-year-old actor, performance artist and director explained that his father worked in Bakersfield in California.

In Bakersville, where my father lived for a time, the only thing there is a prison. So everyone works in the prison, LeBeouf said according to reports in The Guardian.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

Im part of that underclass. Thats where I come from, so I know about it, LeBeouf added.

LaBeouf was born in Los Angeles in 1986 and has spoken about his childhood a number of times in the past. His father is a Vietnam War veteran and his mother is a dancer and ballerina turned visual artist and clothing jewelry designer. LeBeouf has said that his father was on drugs during his childhood and was placed in drug rehabilitation for heroin addiction.

A representative for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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Detectives have launched a murder investigation after a man was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police were called around 3.15am to reports of shots and a collision near the junction of Melbourne Road and Capworth Street, in Leyton, east London.

They arrived and found a man, in his 20s, had been shot.

Paramedics battled to save his life, but he died at the scene a short while later.

Scotland Yard said his next of kin have been informed but officers are waiting for a formal identification.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out at Walthamstow public mortuary on Sunday.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody at an east London police station.

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Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Packer, from the homicide and major crime command, said: "The motive for the shooting is unclear at this stage.

"I need to hear from witnesses who saw anything suspicious in Leyton early on Saturday morning, and from anyone who has information that may help the murder investigation."

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 020 8345 3865 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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David Cameron has announced that the Government will bring in new laws to encourage the adoption of children in care.

Writing in the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister said vulnerable children had been let down by society and promised zero tolerance of state failure around social care.

The proposed legislation will encourage the permanent adoption of children by foster carers, even if that means ignoring family connections.

In his article, Mr Cameron wrote: "For too long, whether through misguided notions of what is right or sensitivities about not wanting to cause offence, we have let the most vulnerable in our country down.

"These are not someone else's children; they are all of ours, so every part of society should be stepping up to help care leavers get a shot at building a decent life."

Mr Cameron wrote that he was unashamedly pro-adoption and stressed the need for children to be given a stable home.

We will legislate to tip the balance in favour of permanent adoption where that is the right thing for the child  even when that means over-riding family ties," he said.

"This is a vital move that will mean much greater importance is attached to the long-term stability and better outcomes that it can offer.

Courts and social workers have begun to favour less stable placements with distant relatives such as great-aunts and uncles, rather than adoption by new families that would produce more permanent solutions and better outcomes."

As a result of that policy, adoption numbers had almost halved over the past two years, Mr Cameron said.

The government will outline its plans in the Queens Speech on Wednesday.

In March it was announced that children taken into care would be fast-tracked into permanent adoption away from their natural parents if it was deemed to be in the childs best interest.

Currently it can take up to 18 months for children to be in care to be adopted  a time scale ministers admit is too long.

The new legislation will also introduce a care-leavers covenant, which will mean more personalised help for young people at the end of their time in state care, such as providing a mentor until they are 25.

Reforms will also set new, demanding standards for all child and family social workers to meet by 2020, with a new regulator introduced to oversee the care system.

According to government statistics, a third of people who have been in care become homeless in the two years immediately after they leave.

Almost half of children and young people in care are said to have a diagnosable mental health disorder compared with around one in 10 children who are not.

Emma Smale, co-chair for the Alliance for Children in Care, said: Investment in monitoring [care] outcomes is vital and we want to see the introduction of the measurement of childrens emotional wellbeing.

"This will help ensure that the system recognises the long lasting impact of traumatic experiences and help towards giving children in care the future they deserve.
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Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell joined hundreds of protesters in a demonstration against Topshop owner Sir Philip Green and his companys treatment of employees.

Activists from the group Class War and trade unionists descended on the companys flagship store in London's Oxford Street, blocking the entrance and setting off red smoke bombs.

Around 200 people were heard chanting "Topshop, shame on you" as part of a campaign demanding the High Street clothing chain pay the living wage, with 16 other shops targeted across the country.

Petros Elia, general secretary for United Voices of the World union, which organised the event, told The Independent that John McDonnell joined the protests after speaking at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

He said: "He's a steadfast trade unionist, and always has been. Despite the fact he's the Shadow Chancellor, he risked smear campaigns from the media [by joining the protest], which is all the more impressive."

Mr Elias added: "Topshop have remained reticent and have washed their hands of the cleaners. It's morally repugnant."

Rikki Blue, who witnessed the protest, told The Independent: Police wouldnt let us anywhere near the store and Topshop hired men the size of houses to block our entry.

Its really exciting for the new workers movement. The government are all very scared of this kind of movement taking off.

Leaflets handed out by United Voices of the World said Topshop cleaners had experienced a campaign of bullying and intimidation, and that two employees had been suspended for requesting living wage pay. Around 600 leaflets were placed among clothes in the store.

The leaflet said: Instead of investing in his workers, Green has prioritised his billionaire playboy lifestyle, including the purchase of a custom-built luxury yacht worth over 100m.

Protesters now marching down Oxford Street pic.twitter.com/c4Eo0vxIuF  Joe Nerssessian (@joenerssessian) May 14, 2016

Teresa Grey, one of the protesters, said she and her fellow protesters had taken to the streets to "make their voices heard".

"Two Topshop cleaners joined our union. For that, one was sacked, the other suspended," she said.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 New Conservative Party leader and incoming prime minister Rishi Sunak waves as he leaves from Conservative Party Headquarters in central London having been announced as the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. 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Aysan Dennis, from protest group Class War, told the Press Association: We want our voices heard. This is a class war.

Asked why she was blocking traffic, she pointed at Topshop and said: I dont care. The tax dodgers are the real criminals.

The protest comes after Topshop owner Mr Green was called to appear before MPs to answers questions about BHS, which went into administration last month.

Topshop could not be reached for comment.
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While it may not be as widely known or celebrated as Christmas and Easter, Pentecost is one of the most significant dates of the Christian calendar.

The festival, which this year falls on 15 May, commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples following the death of Jesus Christ.

The biblical account describes how the apostles, who were gathered to celebrate the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, began to talk in foreign tongues, leading the massed onlookers to assume that they were drunk.

However, Saint Peter explained that the disciples were inspired by the Holy Spirit and preached the first Christian sermon, prompting the conversion and baptism of 3,000 people.

This first Pentecost marked the beginning of the Christian church as an official, meaningful movement, so the celebration is widely considered the birthday of Christianity.

Why is the festival called Pentecost? When is it celebrated?

The festivals name comes from the Greek word Pentekostos, meaning 50.

It is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, marking 50 days since the final Sabbath of Passover, and so falls on a different date each year.

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Why is it also known as Whitsun?

While Pentecost is more widely used in the UK, traditionally the church has referred to the celebration as Whitsun, or Whit Sunday.

It is believed that the name comes from Pentecost being a day for baptisms, when participants would dress in white.

Whitsun is also thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon word wit, meaning understanding, to celebrate the disciples being filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

How is it celebrated?

Between 1871 and 1978 the festival was marked by a UK bank holiday on Whit Monday, the day after Whit Sunday, before it was replaced by the current Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday of May. However, Pentecost Monday is stilll a public holiday in many European countries, such as France, Germany and Belgium.

Within Christianity the day is still popular for baptisms, while some churches hold Whit Walks. Folk traditions such as cheese rolling and morris dancing also have long-standing associations with Whit Sunday.
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The Leave campaign has lost its "moral compass" and become "hysterical", two senior Labour politicians have claimed after Boris Johnson compared the European Union with Adolf Hitler's attempts to control the continent.

The former London mayor and Conservative MP claimed the last 2,000 years had seen a number of failed attempts to recreate the "golden age" of the Romans.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods.

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

"But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe.

"There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

The Shadow Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn, described the former London Mayor's comments as "offensive and desperate".

"Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass," he said.

"After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate."

Former Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper joined the condemnation and called on Mr Johnson to not play "political games with the darkest and most sinister chapter of Europe's history".

"The more he flails around with this kind of hysterical claim, the more he exposes his shameful lack of judgement, his willingness to play the most divisive cynical politics, and the emptiness of his arguments," she said.

"One week it is dog whistle attacks on President Obama. Now he is trying to liken the institution that has kept peace on our continent for decades with Hitler, who pursued the genocide of millions of innocent people.

"All because he is desperately seeking headlines for a desperate campaign."

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Campbell said Mr Johnson's comments showed his unsuitability for high office.

"Not content with insulting the President of the United States, he now grossly misrepresents the history, aims and objectives of the European Union which was founded to enshrine democratic values and to prevent a repeat of the fascism which polluted the continent under the Nazis," he said.

But Mr Johnson was supported by the former Conservative former chancellor Lord Lamont who said it was a "fact there were fascist theorists who believed very strongly in a united Europe".

"I don't think (Mr Johnson) was saying people who favour the European Union were comparable to Nazis, he said.



 What to believe about the EU referendum

Another backing Mr Johnson was Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who described him as "a joker" but insisted he was serious enough to become Prime Minister.

"Boris goes on surprising people. They say he can't do this [become Prime Minister], he's a joker  it's like Ronnie Reagan," he told the Mail On Sunday.

"Could he do it? Yes. If you'd asked me six months ago I'd have said no but I've changed my mind."
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The grandson of Winston Churchill has accused Boris Johnson of fundamentally dishonest gymnastics for reversing his position on the planned multibillion-pound TTIP trade agreement between the US and the EU.

The former Mayor of London had previously called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Churchillian in its brilliance.

Recommended Read more The truth about TTIP and the NHS

Writing in the Daily Telegraph in 2014, he said the deal was a great project that is altogether unsordid.

He wrote: It is Churchillian in that it builds transatlantic links, it is all about free trade, and it brings Britain and Europe closer to America. The idea is to create a gigantic free-trade zone between the EU and the US  There is absolutely nothing not to like about the TTIP.

He said those opposed to it were leftwing misery guts anti-globalisation campaigners.

He also dismissed the fear that the NHS would be vulnerable to competition from US firms - a stance which is now the official position of Vote Leave.

But since joining the Brexit campaign, Mr Johnson has changed his tune.

What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Show all 5 1 /5 What's the European Parliament ever done for us? What's the European Parliament ever done for us? A cap on the amount of hours an employer can make you work The Working Time directive provides legal standards to ensure the health and safety of employees in Europe. Among the many rules are a working week of a maximum 48 hours, including overtime, a daily rest period of 11 hours in every 24, a break if a person works for six hours or more, and one day off in every seven. It also includes provisions for paid annual leave of at least four weeks every year Getty Images What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping the people of Britain to avoid smoking In 2014 MEPs passed the Tobacco Products Directive strengthening existing rules on the manufacture, production and presentation of tobacco products. This includes things like reduced branding, restrictions on products containing flavoured tobacco, health warnings on cigarette packets and provisions for e-cigarettes to ensure they are safe What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping you to make the right choices with your food Thanks to the European Parliament, UK consumers have access to more information than ever about their food and drink. This includes amount of fat, and how much of it is saturated, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and so on. It also includes portion sizes and guideline daily amount information so people can make informed choices about their diet. All facts must be clear and easy to understand What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Two year guarantees and 14-day returns policy for all products Consumers across the EU have access to a number of rights, from things which are potentially very useful, to things which used to be annoying. For example, shoppers in the UK receive a two-year guarantee on all products, and a 14-day period to change their minds and return a purchase, these things are useful www.PeopleImages.com-licence restrictions apply What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Keeping your air nice and fresh (and safe) Believe it or not, although the situation is improving, some areas of the UK have appalling air quality. A report by the Royal College of Physicians released on 23 February says 40,000 deaths are caused by outdoor air pollution in the UK every year. Air pollution is linked to a number of illnesses and conditions, from Asthma to diabetes and dementia. The report estimates the costs to British business and the health service add up to 20 billion every year

Comparing the EU to a pantomime horse in a speech last week, he said waiting for all 28 member countries to agree won a joint position to negotiate with was slowing down the process.

He said As for the argument that we need the muscle of EU membership if we are to do trade deals  well, as I say, at the results after 42 years of membership, the EU has done trade deals with the Palestinian Authority and San Marino. Bravo.

But it has failed to conclude agreements with India, China or even America.

Why? Because negotiating on behalf of the EU is like trying to ride a vast pantomime horse, with 28 people blindly pulling in different directions.

He said in recent years the TTIP negotiations had been stalled in part by Greek feta manufacturers and the French film industry.

Sir Nicholas Soames, the MP for Mid Sussex, told the Observer said Mr Johnsons Brexit-inspired U-turn was typical of Boris now regular inconsistencies.

Sir Nicholas Soames said the U-turn was 'typical of Boris now regular inconsistencies' (Getty Images)

The staunch Europhile said: It is another example of Boriss complete lack of credibility and coherence on this very important transaction.

People will simply not understand this fundamentally dishonest gymnastics.

The Observer reported that friends of Mr Johnson said he is still privately in favour of the deal but he just thought it would be easier for the UK to achieve on its own without the EU.

One said: What hes attacking is the fact that the vested interests of member countries prevent any progress towards a TTIP deal. If the UK votes to leave the EU, we can do our own trade deal with the US free from member state interference.

Mr Johnson has been accused by many commentators on both sides of the divide of only backing the Leave campaign to improve his chances of becoming the next leader of the Conservative party.

This is due to the seeming pro-Europe stances he has taken in the past in his columns and public speeches.
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Nigel Farage has said he would vote for Donald Trump to be the next US president, despite admitting he has reservations with some of the Republicans controversial policies.

The Ukip leader said his support for Mr Trump was largely based on his intense opposition to the frontrunner to be the Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Lets put it like this, I couldnt vote for Hillary even if you paid me, he said.

Recommended Read more Donald Trump defends call to ban Muslims from US for third time

If you put me up against a wall, its got to be him [Trump], not Hillary.

The comments came in an interview with Robert Peston on ITV, and the presenter asked if Mr Trump had not become toxic to UK observers due to his proposals for a ban on Muslims entering the US.

Mr Farage would not be drawn on Mr Trumps apparent Islamophobia, but said: I have reservation encouraging people to beat up protesters, one or two things like that bother me.

But I tell you what, I think hes going to win.

Last night, Mr Trump was asked whether he would follow Barack Obama in giving a recommendation to the British public over the vote to stay in or leave the EU.

In an interview with the British broadcaster Piers Morgan, the billionaire businessman started by saying he has no preference, but added: I think if I were from Britain I would probably not want it [the EU], I would want to go back to the different system.

Mr Trump said he would do deals with anybody, regardless of the way the UK votes, and said unequivocally that Britain would not be at the back of the queue for a new trade deal in the case of Brexit, as was suggested by Mr Obama.

Mr Farage was shown the Trump interview on Sunday morning, and joked that it goes to show Donald Trump is measured, neutral, doesnt want to get stuck into the punch-up.

He suggested that, unlike Mr Obamas comments, Mr Trump had given a very diplomatic answer.
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A former US diplomat who was working as a spy for the CIA revealed that he was responsible for an apparent tip that led to Nelson Mandelas 1962 arrest.

The Sunday Times revealed that Donald Rickard, who served as the US vice-consul in Durban and was a CIA operative, admitted to providing the intelligence that resulted in Mr Mandelas capture during a taped interview with British filmmaker John Irvin.

Mr Rickard said that Mr Mandela was considered the worlds most dangerous communist outside of the Soviet Union and was about to incite a rebellion against the apartheid regime, opening the door for Soviet intervention.

If the Soviets had come in force, the United States would have had to get involved, and things could have gone to hell, Mr Rickard said.

We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it.

When Mr Mandela was captured, he was disguised as a chauffeur in Durban.

Mr Rickard reportedly died two weeks after making the bombshell admission.

The revelation has prompted calls for the CIA to release more information about their involvement in Mr Mandelas arrest, as well as their relationship with the apartheid government.

Mandelas early capture certainly hindered the struggle against apartheid, said Ronnie Kasrils, a senior official of the African National Congress, who had worked with Mr Mandela prior to his arrest. It is clear that the regime and its spooks worked hand in glove with the CIA. The CIA needs to come clean on what happened.

Nelson Mandela gives a speech in the early 1960s (2003 Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty)

After his arrest, Mr Mandela, who was elected to be South Africas first black president, served almost 28 years in prison for his efforts to rebel against white minority rule in the country. He repeatedly denied claims that he was a communist.

At the time of Mr Mandelas August 1962 arrest, the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union was at its height. The CIA had eyes on various regions of the globe where they saw communism as a growing threat, including Cuba, East Germany, China, and Vietnam.

That same month, CIA briefings - released in September - revealed that government officials were first receiving notice of what would later become the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Eleven Soviet merchant ships are on their way to Havana and we strongly suspect they are carrying arms, one briefing reads. Such a delivery would not be far short of the total amount of Arms delivered in the first half of 1962.

The US intelligence community regarded communism as the biggest threat to democracy at the time, and believed that any spread of Soviet power would compromise the countrys safety.

Because of this, US President Ronald Reagan had placed the ANC on a terrorism watch list in the 1980s - and Mr Mandela required special permission to visit the US during and after his 1994 to 1999 presidency.

He was finally removed from the list in 2008.

Its frankly a rather embarrassing matter, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had said.
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A suicide bomber has killed at least 25 police recruits inside a compound in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla, according to medical and security sources.

The victims were queuing up in the Fowa compound when the bomb went off. Extreme Islamist group Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, in which about 25 others were wounded.

It was the second deadly blast in four days to hit the city, a hub for rival Islamist group al-Qaeda before it was pushed out last month in an offensive by Yemeni troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The police officers were returning to work for the first time since last month's recapture of Mukalla by the Government's forces.

In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

The Yemeni affiliate of Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the attacker was a "martyrdom-seeker" who had detonated his explosive belt.

The city's security director, Mubarak al-Awthaban, who was at a nearby office when the suicide bomber struck, survived, security sources said.

Before being forced out, al-Qaeda militants took advantage of more than a year of war between the Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to carve out a mini-state stretching across much of the southern coast, including Mukalla.

Their militant rivals in Yemen's branch of Isis, also known as Islamic State or Daesh, have carried out a series of suicide attacks on all sides in Yemen's tangled conflict.

The growing Islamist militant threat has led the Houthis and the Yemeni government to embark on peace talks now under way in Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab countries intervened in the war in March 2015 in support of the government, which had been swept into exile by the Houthis.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Isis view the Arab coalition as a pawn of the West and see the Shia Muslim Houthis as apostates.

The US military announced last week it had deployed a small number of personnel to Yemen to aid in the fight against AQAP, its first troop presence in the country since the Houthis took much of the country.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
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Tourists visiting Americas famous Yellowstone National Park have been criticised for putting a bison into their car because they thought it looked cold.

Karen Olsen Richardson shared a photo of the incident on Facebook, explaining she witnessed the scene during a recent trip to the park in the mountainous region of Wyoming.

The highlight of the trip, she wrote. Dear tourists: the bison calf is not cold and it is not lost. Put it back! (yes, the park rangers took care of the situation).

Weston Olsen later posted: Haha! My sister was in Yellowstone and caught some idiots doing this.

Ms Richardson told East Idaho News how the tourists lifted the bison calf into the back of their SUV because they thought it was cold, and drove it to the ranger station.

They were demanding to speak with a ranger, she said. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.

The parent was reportedly among a group of adults on a school field trip to the park accompanying fifth graders  children aged between 10 and 11.

Another parent, Rob Heusevelet, added: They didnt care. They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.

He explained the pair were told to remove the bison from the car and warned they could be in trouble for touching the animal.

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. 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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

They were ticketed over the incident and told to drive back to where they picked up the bison so they could release the animal, he adds.

Yellowstone National Park officials have warned visitors about the dangers of getting too close to the wildlife.

Bison can run three times faster than humans can sprint and are unpredictable and dangerous, they explained.

Visitors must give the animals enough space and alter their own behaviour to avoid interacting with an animal in close proximity.

Yellowstone National Park could not be reached for comment.
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Black and Latino teens in Colorado are being arrested for marijuana offences at a disproportionate rate to their white counterparts, and the disparity has grown since recreational use of the drug was legalised.

A report by the Colorado Department of Public Safety found that between 2012 and 2014 arrests of black adolescents between 10 and 17 years old increased by 58%, while among Latino adolescents arrests were up by 29%.

Meanwhile, among white adolescents the number of arrests fell by 8% overall.

Recommended Read more What marijuana does to your body and brain

Colorado residents voted to legalise recreational use of marijuana for users over 21 years old in 2012, with the law coming into effect in 2014.

Most juvenile arrests are for possession, for which offenders typically pay a fine.

According to the report, Colorado elementary and secondary schools saw a 34% increase in the number of cannabis arrests between 2012 and 2014.

But marijuana law enforcement in schools and from county to county varies widely, leading to systemic inconsistencies across the criminal justice system, BuzzFeed News reports.

Cannabis around the world Show all 13 1 /13 Cannabis around the world Cannabis around the world Morocco Farmers destroy cannabis plantations under Moroccan police supervision in the northern Moroccan Larache region, pictured here in 2006 AFP/Getty images Cannabis around the world Colorado Growing business: Cannabis on sale at River Rock Wellness Sam Adams Cannabis around the world Oakland Oaksterdam in Oakland, California, is the world's only university dedicated to the study and cultivation of cannabis Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Cannabis around the world Seattle A cannabis smoker marks the start of the new law by the Space Needle in Seattle Getty Images Cannabis around the world China Cannabis growing wild in China, where it has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria Cannabis around the world Uruguay Uruguay has voted to make the country the first to legalize marijuana AFP/Getty Cannabis around the world Colorado A groundswell of support from the public led to full legalisation in Colorado Getty Images Cannabis around the world Berlin A man smokes licenced medicinal marijuana prior to participating in the annual Hemp Parade, or 'Hanfparade', in support of the legalization of marijuana in Germany on August 7, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The consumption of cannabis in Germany is legal, though all other aspects, including growing, importing or selling it, are not. However, since the introduction of a new law in 2009, the sale and possession of marijuana for licenced medicinal use is legal. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Cannabis around the world UK The UK latest figures show 2.3 million people used cannabis in the last year AP Cannabis around the world Amsterdam Tourists visiting Amsterdam will not be banned from using the citys famous cannabis cafes Getty Images Cannabis around the world Merseyside These 25 cannabis plants, seized in Merseyside police, could have generated a turnover of 40,000 a year Cannabis around the world San Francisco April 20, 2012: People smoke marijuana joints at 4:20 p.m. as thousands of marijuana advocates gathered at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The event was held on April 20, a date corresponding with a numerical 4/20 code widely known within the cannabis subculture as a symbol for all things marijuana. Reuters Cannabis around the world Spain A cannabis users' association will pay the town of Rasquera more than 600,000 a year for the lease of the land

A 2013 survey by the Colorado Department of Public Health revealed that the area with the highest rate of teen cannabis use, Pueblo County, where 32.1% of high school students use the drug, saw just five teens arrested in 2014.

In comparison, in Aapahoe County, where an average number of adolescents smoke the drug  around 20%  there were almost 400 arrests for marijuana offences in 2014.

The 2013 survey also found that black and Hispanic teens are more likely to use cannabis than white teens, with 25.9% of black students and 23.6% of Hispanic students saying they had used the drug over the last 30 days, compared to 17% for white students.

However, the difference in usage does not account for the large discrepancy in arrests.

While black students are 1.5 times more likely to use marijuana, they are 2.2 times as likely to be arrested for an offence related to the drug.

The report will add fuel to calls for reforms to law enforcement practices that have a disproportional impact on Americas black and Latino population.
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North Carolina receives more than $4 billion in federal education funding each year. Now the federal government is considering withholding that money because, the Justice Department says, the state has passed a law that violates the civil rights of transgender individuals by forcing them to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates instead of their gender identity.

But would federal officials really withhold billions of dollars meant to help educate poor children, children with disabilities, and college students who cant afford to go to school without federal aid?

Theyve done it before.

The federal government withheld funds in the 1960s from more than 100 school districts in the south that refused desegregation, according to Gary Orfield, an education scholar and co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California-Los Angeles.

That was the first time in American history that there had been a massive cutoff of federal aid funds, Orfield said. And it worked dramatically.

School districts adopted plans to integrate to turn the federal-funds spigot back on.

The withholding of money was a new tool in the federal governments civil rights arsenal, made possible by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Before that law was passed, the federal government hadnt had a way to cut off funds on civil rights grounds.

It wasnt just schools that saw the impact: Hospitals across the south, too, were forced to change discriminatory policies after they began receiving Medicare funding the 1960s. The funding provision in the nations central civil rights law, Orfield said, was the absolute key to breaking the apartheid system of the south.

The federal government has pulled funding only occasionally since that era, Orfield said.

People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Show all 10 1 /10 People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Caitlyn Jenner People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Miley Cyrus Getty People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Kristen Stewart People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Cara Delevingne People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Keegan Hirst People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ruby Rose People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights St Vincent (who's in a relationship with Cara Delevingne) People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Annie Lennox People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ellen Page People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Justice Anthony Kennedy

In the early 1980s, for example, the federal government withheld scholarships to low-income students at Grove City College, a small private Christian college in Pennsylvania, after the school refused to promise to comply with Title IX, the federal law barring discrimination based on sex. The college objected and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which issued a mixed decision: The Education Department was within its rights to strip the grants, but it was only the colleges financial aid program  not the whole institution  that had to comply with Title IX.

In 1990, the department terminated its federal assistance to DeKalb County schools in Georgia after the district refused to give federal officials the access they needed to investigate claims that the district had discriminated on the basis of a disability. The district came into compliance in 1991 and became eligible again for federal funding.

But even though the Education Department uses its power to strip funding rarely, school districts know that the threat is not an empty one  and that often makes them willing to comply with federal civil rights directives.

This is a nuclear weapon that you dont want to use. But the fact that it exists and its used sometimes tends to make people very much more interested in settling, Orfield said.

The Obama administration has been more aggressive about threatening to withhold education funds on civil rights grounds than any administration since that of President Lyndon Johnson, Orfield said.

Last year, the U.S. Education Departments Office of Civil Rights opened more than 3,000 investigations related to issues ranging from sexual violence and racial discrimination to the treatment of English language learners and students with disabilities. The department reached more than 1,000 settlement agreements with districts and colleges, according to its annual report.

Critics accuse the Obama administration of using the threat of withholding money to force school districts to go beyond what federal civil rights law actually requires.

And that  the unsettled question of what federal law really requires regarding protections for transgender people  makes the fight over transgender students access to bathrooms somewhat different than the fight over desegregation, Orfield said. By the 1960s, courts had made clear that segregated schools were illegal. But today, federal law regarding the civil rights of transgender people is still evolving.

The Education Department has not yet issued a decision about North Carolina school funding. A spokeswoman said its review is ongoing.

 Washington Post
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Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trumped warned of an 11 September-level attack led by refugees who enter the US with mobile phones funded by the so-called Islamic State.

In an interview with the National Border Patrol Councils Green Line radio programme, Mr Trump answered whether or not he believed it would take a large-scale attack on US soil for Americans to wake up about border security.

I do, I actually do, he said. Bad things will happen - a lot of bad things will happen. There will be attacks that you wouldnt believe. There will be attacks by the people that are right now that are coming into our country, because, I have no doubt in my mind.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Mr Trump added that refugees are entering the US with mobile phones that brandish the ISIS flag, adding that the militant Islamist organisation is funding their phone bills.

I mean you look at it, they have cell phones, he added. So they dont have money, they dont have anything. They have cell phones. Who pays their monthly charges, right? They have cell phones with the flags, the ISIS flags on them. And then were supposed to say, Isnt this wonderful that were taking them in?

Mr Trump suggested that immigration policies of his Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton would lead to such dangers.

[Clinton] wants the Syrians to pour into the country - we dont know if theyre Syrians, by the way, he said. We have no idea who they are because much of it is undocumented. A lot of these people dont have any documents. Wait until you see the problems well have with that.

Mr Trump did not cite any specific intelligence he had received that would suggest such an attack is imminent.

Once the New York real estate tycoon is formally nominated to be the Republican candidate, then he will receive an intelligence briefing from the Director of National Intelligence - a tradition undergone with candidates in both parties. But his numerous assertions about US national security without formal intelligence briefing indicate the candidate plays by a different set of rules - even in matters of trade.

With regards to the EU referendum, Mr Trump told Piers Morgan in an ITV interview to be aired Monday, that the UK would not fall to the back of a queue when trading with the US, the Guardian reports.



I mean, Im going to treat everybody fairly but it wouldnt make any difference to me whether they were in the EU or not," he said. "Youd certainly not be at the back of the queue, that I can tell you.

President Barack Obama recently warned that the first priority of the US would to be to negotiate trade deals with the EU - and it could take up to a decade to work out a new arrangement with the UK.



It could be five years from now, 10 years from now before were actually able to get something done, he said.


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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has threatened to seize factories that have ceased production and arrest their owners after extending emergency powers amid the countrys massive economic crisis.

Mr Maduro made his remarks Saturday, ordering all actions to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralysed by the bourgeoisie. He added that factory owners sabotage the country by halting production at their plants.

Recommended Read more Venezuela accuses US of plotting coup as Washington warns of collapse

The Associated Press reports that Empresas Polar, the countrys largest food and drink distributor, closed its last beer plant, claiming that the company lacked the capital to purchase the raw materials necessary to continue production.

But Mr Madero sees the actions of Empresas Polar as a deliberate attempt to destabilise the economy.

The crisis has polarised Venezuelans, many of whom are protesting for a recall of the president. According to unnamed US intelligence officials, Washington doubts that Mr Maduro will allow a recall referendum to take place this year, according to Reuters.

The left-wing president accused Washington of plotting a coup against his administration - similar to the temporary ousting of then President Hugo Chavez in 2002.

You can hear the ice cracking. You know theres a crisis coming. Our pressure on this isnt going to resolve this issue, one official told reporters..

This is really not the case that the US is rooting for any outcome other than there not be an economic meltdown or social violence, another said. There are reasons for concern that over the summer as Venezuela gives importance to payments on debt over imports that these events could spiral.

Some activists, however, suggest that the US is fanning the flames that could lead to a coup.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles said that if Mr Maduro blocks motions for a recall, then the countrys crisis would only worsen, the AP reports.

If you obstruct the democratic way, we do not know what could happen in this country, Mr Capriles said at a rally. Venezuela is a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Former Venezuelan vice president and Maduro ally Jorge Rodriguez accused the opposition of fraud in collecting signatures calling for the recall.

They got signatures from dead people, minors and undocumented foreigners, he said, although these claims are denied by opposition leaders.

Mr Maduros Friday emergency declaration extends his powers for 60 days. While US officials speculate that he will not finish his term, which ends in 2019.
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Police in Bangladesh have arrested a suspected Islamic militant for hacking two gay rights activists to death, following a spate of murders of academics, writers and religious minorities in the capital city of Dhaka.

Xulhaz Mannan, founder of Roopbaan magazine for Bangladeshs gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy, were murdered in a Dhaka apartment last month by at least six men carrying machetes and guns.

Police said the man they arrested  who is unnamed  was a member of a local Islamist militant group which has been blamed for a string of similar murders of secular and atheist bloggers.

Dhaka police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sorder said: Weve arrested one man in connection with the murder of Xulhaz Mannan - he is a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team".

Washington has condemned the killings of Tonoy and Mannan, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID. Both men had received threats from Islamists over their championing of gay rights.

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in the southeastern district of Bandarban  the seventh incident of its kind since the start of April.

Recommended Read more Obama will name Stonewall the first national monument for gay rights

Other victims targeted have included high-profile cultural and intellectual figures, as well as private individuals said to have been murdered byIslamists who objected to their lifestyles.

Homosexuality remains illegal in Bangladesh and the country is thought to be one of the most dangerous places for LGBT people to live in the world.


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Human-rights activists have projected the Isis flag and the phrase "Daesh bank" onto the side of the Saudi embassy in Berlin.

The "guerrilla light project" was organised by artist Oliver Bienkowski, who wanted to highlight the country's relationship with the extreme Islamist movement and its much-criticised human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of indirectly creating Isis through the propagation of its fundamentalist Wahhabist interpretation of Islam.

Saudi Arabia has also been accused of financially supporting extremist rebel groups in Syria.

The country's Government has refuted any suggestion they have funded Isis, citing their work with the US and Italy to prevent people donating to the terror group.

Another message projected onto the Berlin embassy's wall highlighted the treatment of Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for criticising the government.

The message read as: "10 years and 1000 slashes just for blogging #FREERAIF."

Mr Badawi received the first 50 lashes of his sentence in January last year, but the rest have not been given amid the international outcry and concern for his health.

Inspecting him after the lashes, a team of eight Saudi doctors found him medically unfit to face more flogging.

This is not a permanent suspension and authorities could go through with further punishment despite the reservations about his health.

There have previously been co-ordinated protests calling for Mr Badawi's release outside Saudi embassies in cities across the world including Berlin.

In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Helvetiaplatz, Berne, Switzerland In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in London, UK In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Ensaf Haider speaks during a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Ottawa, Canada In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Warsaw, Poland In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests A poster depicting Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, asking for his immediate release, hangs on a gate of a building in Italy In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Paris, France In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Brussels, Belgium In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi AFP In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Ensaf Haidar, centre, wife of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, holds a vigil in Montreal, Quebec, urging Saudi Arabia to free her husband Getty In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Participant of the Amnesty International protest holds a banner which reads: 'Je suis Raif!' in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests People take part in a protest by Amnesty International, for the immediate release of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy in The Hague In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests A participant attends the Amnesty International protest demanding the immediate release of Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Amnesty International stages a protest demanding the immediate release of Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, in front of the Saudi Embassy, The Hague, The Netherlands In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Protesters simulate a flogging in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, during a demonstration against the 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashes of Saudi activist Raef Badawi for 'insulting Islam' in a blogpost In pictures: Raif Badawi release protests Raif Badawi release protests Protesters simulate a flogging in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington, during a demonstration against the 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashes of Saudi activist Raef Badawi for 'insulting Islam' in a blogpost

His wife and children are now living in Canada where they were granted asylum after receiving death threats.

Mr Bienkowski is part of the collective Pixel HELPER which organises such projects.

The Independent has contacted Pixel HELPER and the Saudi embassy for comment.
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German police say a pig's head was left outside the constituency office of Angela Merkel, inscribed with an "insulting" message towards the Chancellor.

The incident took place at the entrance to Ms Merkel's office in the northeastern town of Stralsund, where she began her career in politics in 1990.

Officers confirmed the inscription was directed at Ms Merkel herself, but refused to say exactly what was written because a criminal investigation has been launched.

The pig's head was found outside the office in the early hours of Saturday, they said.

Ms Merkel remains the most powerful political leader in Europe, but her popularity at home has suffered in recent months.

A poll published last week by INSA suggested almost half of all Germans did not want her to stay in office for a fourth term after an election next year.

The dip in the Chancellor's popularity has in part been ascribed to her liberal policy towards refugees arriving in Europe. Last year, more than one million people made the journey from Africa, the Middle East and Asia to make new lives in Germany, many fleeing war and persecution.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

But the impact has not just been on Ms Merkel's personal approval ratings. The INSA poll also showed a huge 17 per cent drop in support for the two parties which make up Germany's ruling "grand coalition", with voters increasingly moving away from establishment politics.

It suggests the popularity of the two Volksparteien - major parties - is at its lowest level since the end of the Second World War. A similar move away from established parties saw Austria elect a far-right, anti-immigrant gunslinger as president last month.
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There was a time when France sniggered at the sex scandals that periodically enlivened British or American politics. Jamais ici, they would say. "We are relaxed about sex, unlike the prudish and hypocritical Anglo-Saxons.

But the male-dominated world of French politics, for so long immune to scandal, is abruptly having to deal with serial accusations of its own forms of hypocrisy and prudishness. Last week Denis Baupin, the vice-president (deputy speaker) of the national assembly, resigned to fight allegations that he had groped or sexually harassed eight female colleagues in the past 15 years. He denies the accusations en bloc.

Last Tuesday the finance minister, Michel Sapin, one of the most senior members of the government, was forced, after serial denials, to admit that he had behaved in an inappropriate way towards a female journalist at the Davos international forum last year. The woman bent over to recover a fallen pen. It is alleged that Mr Sapin reached out and twanged the elastic of her knickers.

Recommended Read more Call to tackle allegations of sexual harassment in French politics

Now 16 female former cabinet ministers from all parts of the political spectrum have published a joint statement swearing never to remain silent again about aggressive sexual behaviour by male colleagues.

When I first heard what Sapin was supposed to have done, I thought Is that all? a well-known French woman radio journalist told The Independent. Much worse things happens or used to happen. We took it for granted. But the younger generations of women journalists  and it is becoming a very female profession in France  will no longer put up with it.

Exactly a year ago, a group of French female political reporters blew the whistle on the repeated sexist comments and behaviour of the countrys male politicians. In an article in the centre-left newspaper Liberation, they said that they hoped that the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair three years earlier had started a new era. We hoped that the macho habits, which symbolise old fashioned politics and attitudes, were on the way to extinction. Alas no, they wrote.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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The article listed dozens of examples of sexual harassment, and sometimes outright sexual blackmail, practised by older, male politicians and government officials. An unnamed politician and friend of President Francois Hollande was quoted as saying that he only liked journalists with big breasts. A member of parliament door-stepped by female TV reporters was reported to have said: You are street-walking, Are you looking for a client?

Female journalists are bombarded, the article said, with text messages offering information in return for a meeting over a drink or dinner on Saturday night.

Women working in political parties, or even junior, elected women politicians, are said to be regarded as easy prey by their senior male colleagues.

There is a law of silence, which many women prefer not to break, said a female parliamentary assistant. If you make a fuss, you are no longer helping the party. You are someone who is disrupting the partys work.

Magali Della Sudda, a political scientist in Bordeaux, said: In a world where reputation is everything, a woman working for politicians has little hope of finding another job if she makes a complaint.

Mr Baupin, a senior Green politician, was alleged last week to have harrassed, and on one occasion groped, a series of female colleagues over 15 years. Some of the alleged victims were scarcely junior. They include an MP, an assistant mayor and a party spokeswoman. Mr Baupin denies the allegations and has announced that he will sue for defamation.

Why did the women not speak out earlier? They say that they did not want to cause problems for the French green movement, which is now called Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV). They also suggest that their positions became even more awkward last year when Mr Baupin married the party leader, Emmanuelle Cosse, who had since resigned to join the government as minister of housing.

Denis Baupin, left, and Michel Sapin have both been accused of sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour (AFP/Getty)

They say that they decided finally to speak out, to the news website Mediapart, after Mr Baupin signed a declaration in March condemning sexual harassment.

Mr Baupins defenders suggest that the timing of the complaints is politically motivated. The French green movement has been split down the middle in recent months between moderates, who wish to support or join the reformist centre-left government, and those who wish to fight against it. Mr Baupin and his wife Ms Cosse are leading moderates.

Other Green party officials say that  like DSK before him  Mr Baupins behaviour towards women was an open secret. Both Mr Baupin and Ms Cosse say this is rubbish.

Other questions are being asked about the timing of this weeks allegations and about the French medias new-found interest in sexual harassment by politicians. As one female member of parliament pointed out, many French women have to put up with constant harassment, at work and on the street. They are often in a weaker position to protest or resist than female polticians and journalists.

The senior woman radio journalist points out that, until recently, some women journalists in France used sex appeal to gain information. In the 1970s, Francoise Giroud of LExpress, the first woman to edit a French weekly news magazine, boasted that women journalists were much better at extracting information from male politicians.

Romantic partnershps between politicians and journalists are common in France. Recent examples include President Hollandes ill-fated partnership with the Paris Match journalist Valerie Trierweiler.

The senior woman radio journalst told The Independent: The truth is that things are changing as the generations change. A few years ago, none of this stuiff would have been published. It would have been gossiped about but not published.

The change is healthy, but women have to be careful not to go too far down the road to a new prudishness, where no form of mildly risque joking or flirting is permitted.
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For decades, British Airways has given away food and drink to every passenger. But The Independent has learned that BAs new boss may soon overturn that policy - offering short-haul economy passengers the chance to buy upscale sandwiches.

Airline sources suggest that Alex Cruz, who took over as Chairman and Chief Executive at BA last month, may bring in Waitrose to supply high-quality snacks at premium prices.

The move would turn catering from a cost into a revenue stream, and allow BA to offer lower headline fares against rivals such as easyJet and Ryanair. Since easyJet launched in 1995, it has charged for meals and drinks.

Making money from short hops has long been a problem for BA - especially at Gatwick, which is easyJets biggest base. Until now, BA has always insisted that free inflight catering is an essential part of its product, promising passengers: Whenever and wherever you are travelling, we offer a complimentary snack or meal and bar service.

On some longer BA flights in Europe, such as to Athens and Istanbul, economy passengers get a three-course meal, but on shorter hops the snack may merely be a small pack of pretzels or a mass-produced roll.

Airline food across the classes Show all 6 1 /6 Airline food across the classes Airline food across the classes Virgin Upper Class Clockwise from top right: Salted butter, malted wheat and oat roll, glass of Gardet Brut Premiere Cru Champagne



Thai beef salad, seared sirloin beef, dressed with a sweet chilli, lime and ginger dressing and crumbed roasted cashews. Created for Virgin by Lorraine Pascale



Italian buffalo mozzarella, heritage tomatoes and sweet pepper berries, drizzled with Italian extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic glaze



Brioche and butter pudding, served with Madagascan vanilla syrup and double cream Sam Barnes Airline food across the classes Virgin Premium Economy Clockwise from right: Chicken, sweet potato and coconut curry, with coriander rice



Asian slaw salad of carrots, celeriac, sweet chillies and slaw dressing. As well as Jacob's crackers, Croxton Manor Mature Cheddar, 1/4 bottle of wine



Apple & blackberry pudding Sam Barnes Airline food across the classes Virgin Economy Clockwise from bottom right: Slow-cooked beef bourguignon, with rosemary, roasted root veg and mustard mash



Mediterranean orzo salad, dressed in a sun-blushed tomato and roasted pepper dressing



Gu Chocolate Orange. As well as Jacob's crackers, Boursin Garlic & Herbs, 1/4 bottle of wine Sam Barnes Airline food across the classes All Nippon Airways first class Clockwise from top right: Miso soup



Pickles preserved in vinegar Japanese tea



'Koshihikari' brand rice from Nichinan-cho Hino-gun in Tottori Prefecture



Simmered sablefish in soy-based sauce



Seasonal salad with wasabi



Dressed asparagus and konjac with sweet sesame paste



Marinated salmon in piquant-vinegared sauce



Japanese tea



Clear soup with a steamed prawn cake



Zensai, 'a selection of morsels' including Japanese omelette and sake-steamed abalone Sam Barnes Airline food across the classes All Nippon Airways business class Clockwise from top right: Assorted pickles



Seasonal salad



A selection of morsels including dressed bamboo shoot and simmered octopus



'Koshihikari' rice



Simmered duck and vegetables



Miso soup



Deep-fried sea bream with thick ponzu sauce Sam Barnes Airline food across the classes All Nippon Airways economy Clockwise from top right: A selection of fresh fruit



A selection of traditional appetisers



Seafood curry with steamed rice



Japanese noodle with spring onions, served with soy-based sauce



Miso soup Sam Barnes

In contrast, low-cost airlines believe passengers will gladly pay for more enticing food. Flybe offers Food Doctor pots of couscous and lentils for 3, while easyJet sells hot focaccia sandwiches for 4.50. Airport retailers such as Boots, M&S and Pret A Manger have also increased the range and quality of food to take on board.

Asking economy passengers to pay for meals would help to differentiate BAs Club Europe service. Some business-class passengers have criticised a recent cabin densification programme on the Airbus A320 fleet, which, they say, has reduced comfort.

Mr Cruz is the first leader of a large, traditional airline to have founded a low-cost carrier. Before taking over at BA, he ran the Spanish budget airline, Vueling. Both carriers are part of IAG - whose Chief Executive, Willie Walsh, appointed Mr Cruz to replace BAs outgoing boss, Keith Williams, saying: We're expecting great things from Alex.

The airline consultant, John Strickland, said: One only has to look at the roaring trade in take onboard food at BA's home base, Heathrow Terminal Five, to see that if the right quality and product choice is offered then this certainly presents an opportunity for the airline. Alex Cruz has already proved that this can work during his time at Vueling.

As long as the airline is able to differentiate between its lower-fare customers and those on higher-price flexible tickets in terms of service offer, it should be able to make such a transition successfully.

 British Airways Boeing 777 Erupts in Flames at Las Vegas Airport

Malcolm Ginsberg, Editor of Business Travel News, said: Waitrose, very much middle class, would seem to be the ideal partner. The move could also help reduce waste.

A spokesperson for BA told The Independent: We always listen to our customers ideas and feedback and we are constantly looking at a range of ways to enhance the flying experience. As and when we have anything new to announce, well let you know.

BA has some experience of charging for meals. It offers long-haul travellers from Heathrow the option to upgrade in advance to a 18 Gourmet menu, featuring poached king prawns with sliced mushrooms and braised Herefordshire beef cheek.

Some BA cabin crew are concerned that an increase in choice, and the need to handle payments, would sharply increase their workload, especially on shorter flights. One long-serving cabin crew member said: "On a busy Amsterdam we hardly have time to serve everyone, let alone take money.

Three years ago BA adapted the budget carriers policy of charging for checked-in bags by selling hand-baggage only fares for short-haul flights to and from Gatwick. The practice has now spread to other European routes.

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Q We were due to fly out from Funchal in Madeira last week to Bristol, but flights cancelled due to cross winds. We were treated very well by easyJet, who were very efficient during this delay. We were accommodated for the night in a nearby hotel and flew out a day late. Can you tell us if we are entitled to any compensation for the day's delay, including the additional cost of car parking?

David Harrison

A Madeiras airport, east of the islands capital, Funchal, is one of very few Category C airports in Europe. Pilots require special training before they can land at one of these airports. Funchal has exciting terrain (a neighbouring volcano), and a runway on stilts extending into the Atlantic. So it is prone to weather-related delays.

Some of the rules about delays on departures from European airports (and all flights by EU airlines are quite clear. If you are significantly delayed (two hours for shorter flights, three hours for most European flights), the airline is obliged to provide meals and accommodation commensurate with the wait. It seems easyJet fulfilled its obligation well.

On flights of this length, cash compensation of 400 is due to passengers whose arrival is delayed by three hours or more. But airlines can cite extraordinary circumstances as a reason to avoid paying. While some aviation lawyers have sought to argue that weather is not a legitimate excuse, I think it would be unreasonable to take easyJet to court. If the airline had to pay out more than 50,000 to passengers each time weather delayed one of its planes, fares would soar and routes would shrink. Indeed, Funchal could be cut from the schedules of UK carriers.

Instead, see what your travel insurance may offer. Many policies provide cash compensation for delays of 12 hours or more.

For more on Cat-C airports, visit bit.ly/Cat-C

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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When Brazil re-elected President Dilma Rousseff in 2014, I challenged the idea  shared by the Economist magazine, among others  that had the elections been determined by GDP (that is, by economic wealth) and not by universal suffrage, Rousseff would have never been re-elected. What seemed like a harmless remark back in 2014 turned into a nightmarish reality, as the president was forced out of office earlier this week.

Lets start calling things by their name: whats happening in Brazil today is a coup detat. A coup sponsored by both internal and external forces; forces that have many times before done away with democratically elected governments in Latin America, to satisfy the needs of neoliberal capitalism. Just for a quick check, remember the coups orchestrated in Venezuela in 2002, Haiti in 2004, and Honduras in 2009, under the uninterested eyes of the international community.

What we are seeing now is an impeachment process that was well in the making from the moment the validity of one of the largest democratic elections in the history of the world was questioned.

White, privileged, wealthy, male Brazilians have led the impeachment charges; those same white, privileged, wealthy, male Brazilians that used to have suffrage all for themselves  before power was wrested from their often-bloody hands by former slaves, indigenous populations, women, and LGTB groups.

If you have any doubt, take a look at the photographs of every anti-Rousseff demonstration in the past few months. These street demonstrators did not hesitate in openly calling for a military intervention, and went as far as asking Americas Donald Trump for help.

This sort of unruly conduct was not limited to the streets. White rich men, in politics and the media, have been stoking the fires for almost as long as long as President Rousseff was in office. If there was any doubt about what sort of people the campaigners are, the impeachment vote in the Brazillian parliament a few weeks ago, featured congressman Jair Bolsonaro, who dedicated his anti-democratic vote to a former Military Junta leader and to a known torturer.

Rousseff's supposed crime is to have used some state-controlled banks to fund a series of social projects for the most needy in Brazilian society  projects that had been affected by the world financial crisis from 2008 onwards. In other words, as far as we know, she hasnt moved a single real from the states coffers into her own pockets, unlike many of her accusers.

Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Show all 5 1 /5 Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Clarice Lispector Complete Stories (translated by Katrina Dodson) Clarice Lispectors stories have now, finally, been collected in English, so that we can read all the major works that have made her a legend in Brazil. The stories bring out the heat and passion of everyday characters and everyday lives, including teenagers becoming aware of their sexual and artistic powers, middle-class women with the daily concerns of home and love (or lack thereof), animals, and children. Lispector was born in 1920 into a Jewish family in the Ukraine and brought to Brazil as a child, when her family fled the pogroms. The author of varied and dazzling works, it is perhaps for her stories, such as Love and Family Ties, she is most adored. Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Paulo Scott, Nowhere People (translated by Daniel Hahn) Driving home through Sao Paulo one night, Paulo, a well-heeled law student and democracy activist, passes a figure at the side of the road. A n indigenous, Guarani Indian girl stands in the heavy rain. When Paulo elects to give her a lift to her familys roadside camp, their fleeting encounter will have far-reaching repercussions. Scott conjures a society riven with race and class divisions, still seething with anger at the now fading hopes raised during the countys awkward transition to democracy Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Tatiana Salem Levy, The House in Smyrna (translated by Alison Entrekin) A light-footed and subtle novel that doesnt skirt lifes sorrows (love gone wrong, disease, death). The protagonist, who suffers from a mysterious and debilitating illness, is the granddaughter of a Sephardic Jew who left Turkey for Brazil. When her dying grandfather gives her the key to his house in the ancient city of Smyrna, Turkey, she sets out on a quest, retracing her familys history across continents and reviving with every step. Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Michel Laub, Diary of the Fall (translated by Margaret Jull Costa) The narrator of Diary of the Fall is marked by his complicity in a childhood prank at his Jewish private school which left the schools only Catholic boy badly injured. Meanwhile, his father wrestles with his own memory as it is unpicked by A lzheimers, and his grandfather, an Auschwitz survivor, spends his final years jotting down fictionalized memories, so determined is he to forget the reality. Notable for the restrained power of its short paragraphs, this novel tackles guilt, class and racism in a fresh and moving way. Five of the best Brazilian writers, past and present Milton Hatoum, The Brothers (translated by John Gledson) Set in a Lebanese immigrant community in the A mazonian city of Manaus, The Brothers is the story of the identical twins Yaqub and Omar, their mutual jealousies and their familys disintegration. It conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of the Amazon as well as the experience of a Lebanese family in a setting very different to the one in Raduan Nassars Ancient Tillage, but one equally prone to strong passions. Hatoums novel was, in fact, first read by Nassar, who was a mentor to Hatoum years before the novel appeared.

To have an idea of how unreasonable the charges are, imagine a UK in which the British people would take to the streets to demonstrate against David Cameron and George Osborne for having deviated funds from military or trade budgets to pay for social housing or boost teachers salaries.

Unlike President Rousseff, many of those who have attempted to impeach her or replace her in this new corporate and corrupt government are being investigated for charges including conspiracy, money-laundering, forging documents and misappropriating public funds.

These include new acting president Michel Temer, who has appointed a new cabinet of wealthy, privileged, white, male politicians like himself.

Brazil, remember, is among the most diverse countries on the face of earth. Not since the last dictatorship has a cabinet been so unrepresentative of the Brazilian people.

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Though it has not been widely reported outside Brazil, anti-coup demonstrations are still going on (just follow the hashtag #NaoVaiTerGolpe) and the future of this most wonderful and distinct country still hangs in the balance.

Once again, the spectre of an unequal, undemocratic Brazil has been awakened. Hopefully this time ordinary Brazilians  white, black, Asian, indigenous, men and women, gay and straight  will find the strength put it to sleep for good.

Manuel Barcia is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Leeds
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The announcement by Hezbollah that the death of Mustafa Badreddine in Syria was due to artillery fire by rebels fighting the Assad regime appeared, at first glance, to clarify just which of his many enemies have finally managed to catch up with him.

But in death, as in life, mystery and intrigue shrouded the man who has been held responsible for some of the most spectacular atrocities in the Middle East.

There had been no recorded shelling of the area near Damascus airport where he was killed. And, even if there had been artillery rounds coming in, it is extremely unlikely that the Syrian rebels would have had the information and the sophisticated weaponry to carry out a surgical strike which takes out one person but causes little collateral damage.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia, stated that their investigation showed that Takfiris  had carried out the attack. The term Takfiri is used generically for extremist Sunni militants.

The al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra had earlier claimed credit for eliminating Badreddie  but it maintained it had taken place during a battle in Khan Touman, south of Aleppo which does not really add up.

Hezbollah had also said initially that an Israeli air strike had resulted in Commander Badreddines martyrdom. But this version of events was subsequently withdrawn.

Mystique had grown around Badreddine reminiscent of another urban guerrilla celebrity, Carlos the Jackal in the 1970s and 80s. Lebanese born Badreddine practised extreme violence from the shadows, but also, like the Venezuelan, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, had time for racy pastimes.

There is no official record of Badreddines existence . No passport, no drivers licence, or bank accounts have been found in his name and very few photographs have been discovered. The special tribunal for Lebanon, sitting in the Hague, investigating the assassination of Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri described him as an untraceable ghost.

Yet, at the same time the Hezbollah commander drove around in a Mercedes in the Beirut seaside resort of Jounieh, a Christian district, where he owned an apartment and, an upmarket jewellery shop. According to reports he had 13 mistresses, Muslim and Christian.

Middle East burns as Hezbollah delivers US a fiery warning Show all 2 1 /2 Middle East burns as Hezbollah delivers US a fiery warning Middle East burns as Hezbollah delivers US a fiery warning 4.main.REUT.jpg Hundreds gathered in Kabul yesterday in protest at the film The Innocence of Muslims REUTERS Middle East burns as Hezbollah delivers US a fiery warning 5.reut.jpg REUTERS

But it is the sheer array of adversaries which illustrates the importance of Badreddine, who had taken the nom-de-guerre of Sayed Zul Fikar, after the fabled sword of Imam Ali, the most venerated figure in Shiadom, in the turbulent realpolitik of the region and offers pointers to possible consequences to his death.

The 55-year-old Hezbollah commander had been accused of being in charge of the assassination of Hariri in 2005. He had also been accused of plotting, along with his brother-in-law and mentor Imad Mughaniyeh, of bombing of the US Marines base in Beirut in 1983, killing 241 people.

He was convicted, under the alias of Elias Fouad Saab, in Kuwait in connection with the suicide car bombings of the US and French embassies. He was freed from there after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and later organised attacks on American and British forces in Iraq. In 1996, it is claimed, he was involved in the bombing in the Saudi city of Khobar, killing 19 Americans. He had also been involved in virtually every significant action against the Israelis.

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The Syrian regime was suspected of commissioning the Hariri assassination and the backlash from that in Lebanon led to Basher al-Assad having to pullout Syrian troops from the country. And it is in Syrias civil war that Badreddine has been playing a key role for the last five years. He is believed to have arranged the meeting between President Assad and Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader and President Assad paving the way for thousands of the militias fighters to be deployed in support of the regime.

Badreddine was, in many ways, central to the Shia militias presence in Syria, in charge of its fighters. After his killing Hezbollah stated the commander had said months ago that he would not return from Syria except as a martyr or carrying the flag of victory.

The outcome of Syrias savage strife remains uncertain. Hezbollah maintains it is stopping Sunni extremists from coming into Lebanon, and protecting Shia shrines. But it is also beholden to the Assad regime for being a conduit for its supplies of Iranian weaponry.

Ali Larijani, the influential parliamentary speaker in Iran, another country backing President Assad, eulogised Badreddine, declaring his that his martyrdom will inspire and strengthen resistance against the enemy. But, following the recent election victory of President Hassan Rouhani and his liberal supporters, Tehran has begun to draw down its military presence in Syria.

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Hezbollah had sent sizeable forces into Syria and has a paid a heavy price, with around 2,000 killed and 5,000 wounded. There has been dissent among some of the bereaved families and questioning in the rank and file over the continuing losses.

The death of Badreddine, the militias main proponent of the Syrian mission, is likely to be a factor in decisions it makes over the scale of its commitment in the conflict. And, considering his pivotal role in Hezbollahs military history, the loss will be felt in operational level in other arenas.

More details, meanwhile, will emerge about the killing, with every possibility of a surprise or two in store.

More than one mourner at Badreddines funeral voiced suspicion that Hezbollah has been infiltrated by spies. The reverberations from the end of Sayed Zul Fikar is unlikely to fade away quickly.
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Where do official statistics come from? From the Office for National Statistics (ONS), of course. But how are their figures actually produced? Where do they come from?

Its not a question most of us tend to think about. And if we did my guess is that many would assume that theres some sort of central supercomputer, which is automatically fed digital data from all around the economy  from shops, from factories, from banks, from port authorities, from hospitals, and so on.

The bit about banks is sort of true. Financial institutions do regularly pass on data on all the money in current accounts and all the loans outstanding to the ONS. Yet people will probably be surprised to learn that a great deal of the rest of the data that the ONS regularly produces about GDP, unemployment rates, wages, household incomes, wealth and the like comes from surveys.

ONS statisticians do not actually scrape digital information from the economy in the way that Facebook or Google automatically scrape data from their users account or from queries entered into a search engine.

What statisticians do is to ask a roughly representative sample of firms and households to fill out forms detailing what theyve spent recently. They ask a sample of arriving passengers at airports what theyve come to the UK for. They visit a number of shops and check the prices of popular groceries. And from these samples the gross up to create a picture of the whole economy.

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So if a sample of 1,000 construction firms from around the country saw a total fall in output of a certain magnitude in a month, statisticians assume that all construction firms in the country saw a roughly similar output fall and that becomes the national statistic for construction activity.

If a group of families of middling income who took part in an ONS household finances survey saw their incomes stagnate over the past year, the ONS will conclude that the average income of all families in the UK stagnated. That will be published as the official figure. And so on.

Some readers will probably think this sounds a pretty flimsy way to generate important national statistics. Grossing up is bound to throw up inaccuracies. People will make mistakes, or even lie, when responding to surveys. Shouldnt there be a more exact method?

But think about it, should all firms and households be wired up to some supercomputer to get a completely accurate picture? Do you fancy uploading your daily expenditure to an ONS terminal in your home every evening? Never mind the hassle, what about the privacy implications?

Perhaps thats where we will, ultimately, end up, as the digital revolution unfolds and this kind of data becomes ever easier to transmit. We might not even have to think about sending it to the authorities one day.

But, in the meantime, theres actually nothing inherently wrong with the ONS sampling methods. Provided the sample is big enough (taking in tens of thousands of firms and families in every survey) it can create a surprisingly accurate picture.

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We know its accurate because an economys data has to add up. In a national economy, aggregate income must equal aggregate expenditure and this must equal aggregate output. And the data the surveys produce does  more or less  add up.

But not always, and we should also be wary of the pitfalls of the survey method too. Last week the ONS produced a report on a long-running dispute about the true levels of migration to the UK. The number of National Insurance (NI) numbers being distributed to European Union citizens, so they can enter the UK labour market, has been much higher than the official figures on migrants from these countries.

The ONS concluded that its main figures  based largely on the International Passenger Survey (IPS), which interviews up to 800,000 people entering and leaving the UK each year  were a more reliable estimate of the scale of long-term immigration flows to Britain than the NI numbers.

So how accurate is the IPS? Mervyn King, the former Governor of the Bank of England, pointed out to MPs in 2006, that the IPSs sampling resources were overwhelmingly concentrated at big airports. Regional airports were barely covered.

King added that the grand total of airline passengers in 2005 arriving outside of Heathrow, Gatwick or Manchester who actually said to an IPS researcher Yes I am a migrant coming into the UK, was an almost comically small 79. And this was despite the fact that much of the increase in passengers arriving in the UK from Poland and other countries in those years was concentrated in regional airports. In other words, there was a major sampling error.

The ONS eventually admitted this deficiency in the IPS and, in 2009, it changed its coverage to beef up the presence at regional airports. But one respected migration expert, Jonathan Portes of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, suspects the IPS is still not capturing the true picture on immigration.

Yet, the most glaring example of the deficiency of sampling approach lies in the ONSs household wealth calculations. It is pretty much impossible to locate a credible researcher in this field who believes the ONS's Wealth and Assets Survey gives an accurate picture of the assets of the wealthiest, thanks to under-sampling of those at the very top.

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I doubt the Duke of Westminster sits down and fills out these forms says Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, referring to the UKs wealthiest landowner. Most researchers prefer to calculate the wealth of those lucky few at the summit of the mountain from estimates from tax data and newspaper rich lists, rather than relying on what the ONS produces.

This is sensitive territory. It would be wrong for people to write-off all ONS statistics as inherently dodgy. That way philistinism and anti-scientific demagoguery lies. But at the same time the statistics have to be subject to expert challenge  and the ONS should be more receptive to such challenges than it has been in recent years.

As a recent Government-commissioned review of the ONSs work by Sir Charles Bean concluded, the statistics agency should be more intellectually curious and collaborate more with outside researchers.

Where does that leave the rest of us though? What should we do when even the experts disagree over the statistics? Deepening our knowledge of where these figures, which profoundly shape our political debates, come from would be a good start.
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From Canada to Switzerland, the idea of universal basic income (UBI) is gaining popularity. The Swiss are due to vote on the idea on 5 June this year. In the UK, the Green Party has flirted with the idea and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has expressed an interest, too.

It sounds great  but the basic income changes the relationship between people and government in frightening ways.

The benefits of a basic income appear straightforward: it allows us to fell our bloated welfare state in an instant. Rather than the tangle of different means-tested benefits and entitlements available today, everyone will be paid a basic income by the state, which should cover  or almost cover - the basic cost of living. Work, therefore, becomes an activity pursued to increase personal income.

And yet the UBI actually expands the remit of the state. Replacing the welfare system will perhaps reduce the vast armies of bureaucrats recruited to administer the benefits system, but while the state  in bald terms of its size and cost  may shrink, the role of the state will expand. This is troubling.

The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline Show all 5 1 /5 The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline 406756.bin GETTY IMAGES The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline 406757.bin GETTY IMAGES The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline 406758.bin GETTY IMAGES The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline 406759.bin GETTY IMAGES The impact of welfare cuts: Britons on the breadline 406760.bin John Lawrence

With UBI, ever citizen will rely, at least in part, on his or her income being handed out by the state. Rather than there existing pockets of state dependency, all of us will become (albeit to differing degrees) dependent.

The state will now have a role in topping up everyones pay packet. Instead of the state playing a role within society and the economy, where private action is inadequate (for schooling and healthcare, for example), and as a safety net of last resort (as the welfare state was originally conceived,) it becomes an manager and provider for all. It will become a constant fixture of the financial lives of us all, a sort of lifetime employer.

The implications are huge. At a time where the way we live our lives and our consumption habits have become the constant, nagging concern of the state  from minimum prices for alcohol to the sugar tax  there the worrying potential for a basic income to be used to enforce a change in peoples spending habits and lifestyle.

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Observe how commentators observe that someone claiming social benefits may be spending a portion of this income on cigarettes, alcohol or gambling. In the US, for example, welfare payments are often made in food stamps, redeemable only for items the state considers essential.

In an age of increasing lifestyle regulation, a basic income would open the door to increased state diktat.

At the same time, the state will essentially step into the role of subsidising business. To a lesser extent, this already happens today. There are already low-income jobs in the US where workers rely on food stamps to supplement their incomes. In the UK, many low-paid workers require housing benefit to keep a roof over their heads.

UBI would not eliminate this problem but extend it: the primary role of the state will be to top up its citizens pay packets and pensions.

Many economists observe that when it comes to wages, the floor price is often determined by the cost of the workers' ability to survive from day-to-day. That is, that they must pay at least the bare minimum in order for the workers to eek out some sort of shelter, and acquire at least some sustenance in order for them to return to work the next day.

Not anymore: with a basic income, the state will guarantee everyones basic ability to survive from one day to the next. And so work, however skilled, will potentially pay less.

If workers are able to to survive on lower wages, with business now rely on wage subsidy by the state, then businesses will expand their profit margins thanks to the intervention of the state.

Is that what we want? It may appear utopian, but the basic income will change the relationship between the citizen and the state significantly  and not in the ways we might hope.
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Ive got power. Did you know that? If you look closely, you can see it in my Twitter picture and my Facebook status. I have power, and I use it all the time. But this week I almost lost it  because I was groped on the street.

It happened as I was walking and talking on the phone. I was using a headset, and my hands were by my sides.

Its a wide pavement where I walked, along Londons High Holborn, and the streets were not crowded at 10.30am. But a man was walking in the opposite direction towards me; directly towards me. There was no need for him to walk anywhere near as close as he did.

As he approached, he took his hand out of his pocket. That set off a signal in my mind: I immediately put my hand to my jacket pocket over my phone, because I assumed he might be about to attempt to pickpocket me. How wrong I was.

Now he was so close I had no time to change direction. As I swerved to avoid him he reached out with his hand, grabbed what he could, and brushed his full body alongside mine  and then kept on walking, as if nothing had happened.

I watched as he casually put his hand back in his pocket, not changing speed and only marginally straightening his path as he left me  his quarry  in the distance. It happened in a matter of seconds, and then I came to. I was still on the telephone.

Hello? Ria? Are you still there? my friend asked.

Yes, Im still here. But a man just groped me.

I said it out loud, and nonchalantly. My first thought was simply that just happened. Like it was normal, like it happens every day. Because it does  but, of course, it shouldnt.

My second thought was at least he didnt get anything. I meant my material possessions, that he hadnt stolen anything from my pocket. But he did get something: he got my dignity, my power, my right to be me. And when I realised that, I got angry.

If there is one thing I hated as a bullied nerd in high school, it was that feeling of regret after the event. If only I had said that, I would rage. I wish I thought of that at the time I would make personal vows: Next time that happens

This was my next time. This was my chance to do something, and do it now.

They gave peace a chance: How the women of Greenham Common struck a blow for feminism and inspired today's protest movements Show all 3 1 /3 They gave peace a chance: How the women of Greenham Common struck a blow for feminism and inspired today's protest movements They gave peace a chance: How the women of Greenham Common struck a blow for feminism and inspired today's protest movements 390274.bin They gave peace a chance: How the women of Greenham Common struck a blow for feminism and inspired today's protest movements 390275.bin FRANTZESCO KANGARIS They gave peace a chance: How the women of Greenham Common struck a blow for feminism and inspired today's protest movements 390276.bin BRIDGET JONES

So I turned around and followed the man back up the street. Racing through my mind were all the times I watched videos on the internet and thought wasnt it fortuitous someone thought to film this. Here was a coming together of all those little thoughts into one moment of action: I took out my phone, camera at the ready, and the man stopped and turned to look before he crossed the street; I took his picture.

No more anonymity for you, buster. You might have got your sexual kicks when you grabbed me for a second or two, but I have your face. In my phone. And, now, on Twitter  forever.

With that, I turned around and kept walking. He didnt follow me, though I was prepared to run, scream and raise hell if he tried anything. He did what any coward would: pretended it wasnt him. But it was him. He knows it and I know it. And now, thanks to almost 1,000 retweets (and climbing), so do a whole lot of other people.

Police have taken a statement and are circulating the picture as they dont believe it was a first offence.

So yes, I have power. I almost lost it when a bully tried to take what didnt belong to him. But I got it back. And Im stronger than ever now.

Ria Lina is a stand-up comedian, cabaret performer and writer for BBC Radio 4

This story was amended on Tuesday 17th May
The announcement that the Dublin-based digital agency In the Company of Huskies had acquired fellow agency Brando during the week didn't come as a surprise to many within the Irish advertising industry.

Huskies is headed up by Jonathan Forrest, one of the early pioneers and visionaries of the digital advertising industry, and has been responsible for plenty of award-winning creative work down through the years.

Brando, which was set up in 2006 by Darren McGrath and Brendan O'Flaherty, both of whom were also converts to the digital world, has also won its fair share of accolades and admiration within the industry and was one of the first agencies to open up an overseas office in Prague.

In recent years the agency morphed into a full-service agency, but with digital at its heart.

The deal will create an agency with a turnover of 8m and 55 staff and it may be the first of several such M&A transactions we could see over the coming year as the industry braces itself for further change and disruption.

The acquisition may not go down in advertising history as a particularly big transaction - but it does send out signals to the wider industry that change is definitely going to come. Precisely 'when' is an entirely different matter.

Unlike other developed advertising markets, the level of M&A activity in Ireland in recent years has been negligible. Some of this has to do with the ownership structure of the industry and the relatively small size of the market.

While all the major global agency networks are represented in Ireland, and were active on the M&A front in the 1980s and 1990s, it would appear that their appetite for further acquisitions has been whetted a long time ago.

With the exception of a few acquisitions by the likes of Dentsu Aegis Network, Havas and Core Media, the M&A market has been conspicuously quiet in recent years.

A lot of this is due to the fact that the global networks already have a presence in the Irish market and a bolt-on acquisition does not materially alter their bottom line. So why bother?

Instead, their focus has been on developing markets globally, particularly in Asia and South America. As a satellite of London, Dublin has rarely registered on the international radar.

Some of the global networks have opted to take minority shareholdings in some agencies here, letting the local management and the majority shareholders do all the running, in return for an annual franchise fee and a split of any dividend that may arise.

But the most likely reason for their absence from the M&A market is that most of the global networks have a very clear profile of the type and size of agency they want to acquire and these have to adhere to certain investment ratios that are designed to deliver shareholder value. With the exception of one or two of the bigger independent players, the vast majority of independent Irish agencies simply don't fit the bill.

On the one hand, this is worrying for many of the smaller Irish agency bosses hoping to cash in their chips before they head off into retirement. While some of them may already have succession plans, others may not.

Those agencies that can't see beyond the end of the calendar year should at least be considering all their options - and this includes merging with other agencies that happen to be in the same boat.

Mergers, of course, can be notoriously difficult to get right. Inflated expectations, culture clashes and too many egos in the one room can often derail the best of merger plans. Hands up who remembers the ill-fated nuptials between Publicis Groupe and Omnicom a few years ago?

On the other hand, M&A activity could be forced upon them by the most unlikely of sources - their clients, some of whom have started to bang the drum.

It is no secret that many big global brands are becoming increasingly concerned, and indeed frustrated, over the number of agencies they have to deal with, their lack of integration and their continued adherence to a model - built around silos - that appears to be broken.

It is not unusual for some international brands in Ireland, for example, to have as many as eight agencies, all representing different disciplines, reporting to the marketing department. This is unsustainable and not in the best interest of the client - and it does not necessarily generate the best ideas or the best work. Anyone who tells you otherwise is whistling past the graveyard.

Even the term 'agency' would appear to be outmoded, with some international clients preferring the term 'partner'.

And that partner does not necessarily have to be an agency either. It could be one of the big global tech players or one of the international consultancy firms. Or indeed a mobile phone operator or an online retailer.

In other words, it's all to play for - and in the near future, absolutely everything is likely to be up for grabs.
The names of high-profile solicitor Ivor Fitzpatrick and the hugely wealthy trucking magnate Robert 'Pino' Harris have been drawn into the story of the so-called Panama Papers, thanks to their association with the legendary yacht, the Christina O.

An examination by the Sunday Independent of the leaked files of the Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm show its involvement with the Christina Limited Partnership and a consortium deal put together by the blue-chip Dublin law firm Ivor Fitzpatrick & Co.

The Christina Limited Partnership, which was incorporated in the Cook Islands in April 2000, was used by Mr Harris and other investors to manage their longstanding investment in the yacht made famous by its original owner, the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

The appearance of the Christina Limited Partnership in the Panama Papers can be explained by the presence of a loophole in Ireland's tax laws which remained in place until it was addressed by the Revenue Commissioners in 2005. Prior to then, Irish individuals could legally offset interest paid, losses and capital allowances of a foreign-registered partnership's trade against their tax bill in Ireland.

In the case of 'Pino' Harris, the Revenue's closure of the tax loophole, which failed to distinguish between Irish-registered and foreign-registered partnerships, came too late. In 2008, the multimillionaire businessman successfully defended an appeal brought against him by the taxman after he offset the 9.1m cost of refurbishing the Christina O against his Irish tax bill. That refurbishment successfully restored the famous yacht to the levels of luxury which had made it famous under its original owner, Aristotle Onassis. Such was the level of luxury on the vessel which the Greek tycoon used as the venue for his marriage to Jackie Kennedy; on one visit with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton exclaimed: "I don't think there is a man or woman on this earth who would not be seduced by the pure narcissism shamelessly flaunted on this boat". While some hosts would have been offended by such a remark from their guest, Onassis replied, saying: "I have found that to be so".

In the near 60 years in which it traversed the Mediterranean Sea, the Christina O's guest list included the world's most famous and most powerful people. Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, the Begum of Aga Khan, Frank Sinatra and Maria Callas were just some of the those entertained beneath its canopied deck.

But while the yacht owes its fame to its associations with 'Ari' Onassis, in the summer of 2004 it captured the essence of Ireland's excess with the 1.5m wedding of Sean Dunne and Gayle Killilea.

Among those in attendance at the affair were Irish rugby internationals Mick Galwey and Ronan O'Gara, former Fianna Fail fundraiser Des Richardson, designers Ian Galvin and Karen Millen, Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan and former Irish Nationwide chief executive Michael Fingleton.

Mr Fingleton's ties to the Christina O went deeper thanks to his decision to advance a 2m loan to Sandyway Investments - a Dublin company headed up by solicitor Ivor Fitzpatrick - to help finance the yacht
It's thought that the possible merger between CityJet and Stobart Air remains on the table, but that knitting them together would be complicated.

A decision on whether Stobart Air and CityJet will merge is likely to be made by the summer, it's understood.

And the Sunday Independent also believes that if a deal is struck, it will involve CityJet taking a substantial majority stake in the merged business, with existing shareholders in Stobart retaining a small minority.

Stobart Air operates the Aer Lingus Regional services on a franchise basis, and generates virtually all its revenue from the partnership. CityJet, which is based in Dublin, has its main operational base in London City Airport.

It's not clear that Invesco Perpetual, whose desire to exit its investment in Stobart precipitated a sales process, would remain a shareholder as part of a merger.

It's also thought that a merger deal envisages Aer Lingus cutting its stake in a Cayman Islands vehicle called Propius Holdings, which was used to acquire aircraft used by Stobart. Another investor would then take an up-to 66pc majority stake in Propius.

CityJet declined to comment, as did Stobart Air.

Last week, Stobart Air announced that chief executive Sean Brogan is leaving the airline. He is understood to have tabled a rejected management buyout offer for the carrier.

It's thought that the possible merger between CityJet and Stobart Air remains on the table, but that knitting them together would be complicated.
A former Nama official who received a two-year suspended sentence for disclosing confidential information relating to the agency has secured fresh employment and is believed to be in the process of looking to buy a new home in Dublin.

Enda Farrell pleaded guilty before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to eight counts of unlawfully disclosing information, in breach of the 2009 Nama Act. Owing to the presence of several mitigating factors, his sentence was suspended in full.

Judge Karen O'Connor noted on Thursday that the former Nama official had admitted his wrongdoing and had suffered a loss of personal and professional reputation.

She also accepted that his fall from grace had had a psychological impact on him.

The court heard how on dates between May 2012 and July 2012, the then portfolio manager sent copies of records detailing the valuations of hundreds of properties linked to developers including Paddy McKillen, Michael O'Flynn, the Cosgrave Development Group and Pat Doherty's Harcourt Group to a number of third parties.

Mr Farrell's Senior Counsel, Michael Bowman, said that once those offences emerged, his client lost his job. He had also compromised his prospects of securing future employment, Mr Bowman added.

The Sunday Independent understands that in recent months the 40-year-old father of three has secured work with a respected wealth-management firm.

While Mr Farrell is not engaged with the company as a full-time employee, it is understood that he has been retained for his expertise on a number of significant projects relating to the real-estate sector.

It is further understood that prior to being engaged by his new employers, the former Nama official informed them that he was in the course of being prosecuted for his transgressions at the State agency.

Having considered the matter, the company decided to offer him the opportunity to restart his career.

Although Mr Farrell is now based in Belgium, it is understood that he is actively seeking to buy a home in Dublin so that he can return to live here.
Quinn Snr, a former billionaire and now a discharged bankrupt, made a trimphant return to his former businesses last year when he accepted a 500,000 annual salary to act as a consultant to QIH, which owns the building and packaging division of his former empire.

An interim report into recent attacks made against companies formerly owned by businessman Sean Quinn in the border areas of Fermanagh and Cavan has concluded that the risk of injury or death is "quite high".

The assessment, carried out by an overseas, corporate risk management firm, is also set to conclude that the escalating campaign of violence and intimidation is being co-ordinated by a senior 'for hire' dissident Republican.

The Sunday Independent has learned that the report will say that the Republican is acting with a group of up to six others, several of whom are before the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin on unrelated matters.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that she is "very concerned" with ongoing reports and is being kept informed of developments in the region.

"There is the highest level of co-operation between the gardai and PSNI on this issue," said the new Tanaiste.

Sean Quinn Snr, who last week requested the operators of a controversial Facebook page set up in his honour to remove it "immediately" has consistently condemned threats made against his former businesses, describing them as "offensive and unacceptable".

The attacks in the region have included death threats, acts of sabotage, discovery of bullets and chilling notes as well as signs warning executives that they "face the gun".

A pig's head was dumped outside the home of a staff member of Quinn Industrial Holdings Limited (QIH), whose directors include Quinn's former senior lieutenants Liam McCaffrey and Dara O'Reilly.

The owner of a crane hire company was also warned to remove his equipment from a wind farm once owned by the Quinn Group before it was "burnt to the ground".

The PSNI and gardai are working jointly to monitor and subdue the threats and attacks which have prompted several companies to carry out risk assessments because of the duty of care owed to their workers.

Concerns for the safety of staff prompted Carsten Sondergaard, the Danish Ambassador to Ireland, to contact Fitzgerald and her officias after Vestas, a Danish company operating a windfarm formerly owned by the Quinn Group, sought its embassy's assistance.

Quinn Snr, a former billionaire and now a discharged bankrupt, made a trimphant return to his former businesses last year when he accepted a 500,000 annual salary to act as a consultant to QIH, which owns the building and packaging division of his former empire.
Irish Continental Group (ICG) chief executive Eamonn Rothwell is intending to stay on at the company and has categorically ruled out retirement, stating that it is "not on the agenda".

The ICG boss told the Sunday Independent he had no intention of retiring despite turning 60 last year.

He was speaking after the company's annual general meeting in the Gibson Hotel on Friday where the company posted increased revenues in the opening four months of the year of 91.4m.

Rothwell also said the company is not preparing for a British exit from the EU as he deemed it impossible to do so.

"It's a complex thing, it's a political decision at the end of the day.

"If people want to leave and if the vote is against, which looks unlikely based on the bookies' odds, it will take two years at a minimum to negotiate an exit.

"So you can't possibly anticipate the various aspects of what that negotiating settlement might look like.

"So to try and start planning around something that will take two years to negotiate would quite frankly be a waste of time," he said.

Stockbrokers have predicted ICG may be debt free by the end of 2016 and the company has gone some way in achieving that in the first four months of the year.

Net debt at the end of April was 25.9m compared with 44.3m at the end of December.

However, despite the progress made by the firm in reducing the company's debt, Rothwell refused to be drawn on a forecast for the remainder of the year.

"We don't ever forecast ahead and the summer is a key trading period for us.

"At the end of August, September we'll have a better feel for the year, but at this stage we don't give an outlook in the statement," he said.
In 2014, Dublin City Council followed by Kildare reported the highest amount of write-offs and waivers, at 34m and 16m respectively, the report found.

Local authorities wrote off or waived 201m worth of unpaid commercial rates in one year.

Commercial rates are taxes paid by businesses to fund local services. They are supposed to generate around one third of a local authority's income.

The write-offs and waivers are contained in a recently published report by a local government oversight body, which also reveals that some local authorities are much worse than others at collecting commercial rates.

In 2014, Dublin City Council followed by Kildare reported the highest amount of write-offs and waivers, at 34m and 16m respectively, the report found.

Their large size relative to other authorities would have contributed this.

In total Ireland's local authorities are owed around 340m in unpaid rates, according to the National Oversight and Audit Commission.

NOAC previously warned that two thirds of local authorities are operating in the red and reliant on bank overdrafts and borrowings to make ends meet.

NOAC was established in July 2014 and is charged with scrutinising the performance of local authorities and helping to develop best practice.

Local authorities with poor track records at collecting rates were identified in its April report which looked at 2013 and 2014 performance. Frequent changes of company identities and the high volume of small ratepayers (a quarter pay less than 5,000) were identified as obstacles to collecting rates.

Louth should have collected a total of about 42m in rates in 2014, according to the report. In practice it collected 23m, 56pc of the total, and wrote off or waived around 15m in bad debts. Donegal County Council similarly collected 56pc of the total rates owed to it in 2014 and wrote off or waived around 8m.

NOAC noted that dissolved town and borough councils were incorporated into Louth and Donegal county councils in 2014, bringing substantial rate collection arrears with them.

Limerick, Monaghan and Leitrim collected 64, 63 and 60pc of the total rates due to them respectively.

All local authorities have revised their debt management and credit control policies since 2014 and improvements are expected in 2016.

James Treacy, managing director of StubbsGazette, said most local authorities need to do more to address unpaid rates.

"Aside from the unacceptably high level of arrears and write-offs, what is perhaps even more disturbing is that local authorities have been negligent in deploying all of the avenues open to them to improve performance, as evidenced by the extraordinarily variable performance of individual authorities that seems to be directly correlated with collections practices.

"The NOAC report discloses that some 340m in unpaid commercial rates is owed to more than 30 local authorities up and down the land.

"This at a time when government subvention of local authorities is under increasing threat, seriously compromising the quality of local services such as water, sewage, parks and other amenities. In the case of the seven worst performers, the percentage of the total rates due collected in 2014 ranged from just 56 to 67pc."

"Given that commercial rates account for some 32pc of local authority income, the failure of local authorities to collect what is due to them is all the more extraordinary.

"The fact is that by applying some systematic, best practice debt collection procedures, a substantial proportion of these sums owing is retrievable."

Data prepared by StubbsGazette for the Sunday Independent shows that some local authorities have pursued unpaid rates aggressively through the courts in recent months.

A smattering of county councils have registered judgments worth a combined 10m since the beginning of 2014 in pursuit of businesses who have not pay rates.

Registering a judgment publicises the debt, making it harder for the company owing the money to borrow.

Fingal County Council registered 481 judgments against debtors since January 2014, according to research by StubbsGazette. The average value of the judgments registered by Fingal was 6,369.

South Dublin was in second place, registering 428 judgments since the start of last year. Average award size in 2016 was 6,992.

Other local authorities who have registered debts through the courts in recent months include Carlow (18 so far this year), Offaly (six in 2016) and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown (10).
The latest EU figures show that European milk powder prices fell by between 6.2pc and 7.9pc in the second half of April, cheese prices were down by another 1.6pc and butter prices by 1.4pc.

Two years ago the Irish dairy sector was on a roll. In 2014, the processors paid farmers an average price of 36 cent per litre for their milk. With EU quotas, which had capped annual Irish milk output at 5.4 billion litres since 1984 due to be lifted at the end of March 2015, farmers and processors geared up for a massive expansion in dairy production.

Things haven't quite worked out as planned. Sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and economic uncertainly in China mean that the new Russian and Chinese customers upon whom the Irish dairy sector was relying to consume all of the extra milk we would produce after the end of quotas have failed to materialise.

The result has been a rout. Dairygold cut its milk price by a further 1 cent to 23 cent in March while Glanbia, the country's largest dairy processor, paid 24 cent a litre (including a 1 cent subsidy from Glanbia Co-op) for April milk - the prices paid by the processors to farmers are slightly misleading, as they are inclusive of VAT at 4.8pc, which adds just over 1 cent a litre at current levels. And milk prices are almost set to fall even further.

The latest EU figures show that European milk powder prices fell by between 6.2pc and 7.9pc in the second half of April, cheese prices were down by another 1.6pc and butter prices by 1.4pc. Most analysts now reckon that market returns for milk are now down to 20 cent or even lower with the processors having to dip into their reserves to make up the difference.

Seamus O'Donohoe, chief executive of the co-ops' representative organisation ICOS, reckons that his members spent 100m supporting milk prices last year. Dairygold, the largest fully farmer-owned processor, spent 20m of this. And the cost keeps adding up. A Glanbia spokesperson says that the Glanbia co-op will spend up to 30m supporting milk prices this year.

Propping up milk prices in this way is at best only a temporary measure. Even the best-managed processors have only limited reserves and once they have been spent, they're gone. As one seasoned observer of the dairy sector observed: "You can't eat the same meal twice." The euphoria which surrounded the abolition of quotas just 14 months ago is now just a distant memory.

Earlier this month, ICMSA president John Comer called for the introduction of "voluntary" milk supply reduction schemes, which sound suspiciously like quotas, in Ireland and other EU countries.

According to Mr Comer, it costs farmers 28 cent to produce a litre of milk even before the cost of their labour is included.

"This just can't go on and policymakers telling farmers that this is simply a trough in the market, to cut costs and to restructure loans to survive is simply pointless. Repayment capacity has been wiped out and even if loans were restructured, many farmers simply cannot survive at these prices levels. What we need is a viable milk price that, at a minimum, covers the cost of production".

While the processors' situation is not quite so desperate as that of the dairy farmers, it is still pretty grim. Propping up the prices it paid to farmers reduced Dairygold's 2015 operating (pre-interest) profits by almost one-third to 19.2m.

While most of the Irish dairy processors are farmer-owned co-ops, two of the largest, Kerry and Glanbia, are corporate hybrids with the original co-op retaining a significant shareholding in the PLC - 13.7pc at Kerry and 35pc at Glanbia. In addition, ownership of Glanbia's Irish milk processing assets is split 60:40 between the co-op and the PLC.

This hybrid structure hasn't always found favour with co-op purists but it has indisputably generated enormous wealth for the original farmer co-op shareholders. A Kerry spokesperson points out that the co-op's remaining PLC shareholding has a market value of 1.9bn. That doesn't count the seven spin-outs of PLC shares to co-op members since 1993. Kerry reckons that another 30pc of the PLC's shares, worth another 4bn, are held in what it calls the "broader community" in counties Kerry, Limerick and Clare.

It is a similar story at Glanbia where the co-op's remaining PLC shareholding is worth 1.7bn and where co-op shareholders received shares worth more than 170m in last year's share spin-out.

Which is what makes last week's dramatic events at Kerry so intriguing. On Tuesday, news broke that the Kerry CEO Stan McCarthy had stepped down as chief executive of the Kerry co-op. This was the first time since Kerry floated on the Stock Exchange in 1986 that the PLC chief executive wasn't the co-op boss also.

When we contacted Kerry for comment on Mr McCarthy's resignation from the co-op, we were assured that all was sweetness and light. "Stan stepping back from the co-op has nothing to do with our commitment to farmers," said the spokesperson, who pointed out that the co-op had nothing to do with collecting, processing or paying for milk.

"Stan will continue to be available to all shareholders and milk suppliers," he said.

Nothing happening here, move along folks.

Then on Thursday, the Farmers Journal, which can usually be relied upon to get these things right, ran an obviously well-sourced story that a mediator had been appointed to resolve a dispute between the PLC and farmers over the Kerry milk price.

According to the Journal, the milk suppliers allege that Kerry is not honouring its commitment to pay the "leading" milk price in Ireland and that the Kerry milk price is 1.4 cent a litre lower than that paid by Carbery, the dairy processor owned by the four West Cork co-ops.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter, the dispute makes one thing clear: If even the mighty Kerry - by far the most successful and diversified of the Irish dairy processors - is feeling the strain from the milk price collapse, then no-one is immune.

Dairying is a cyclical business. The last price collapse in 2009 was almost as severe as the current one. However, this trough has lasted much longer than previous dairy busts. Since peaking in early 2014, European butter prices have halved, milk power is down almost 60pc while Cheddar cheese prices have fallen by "only" 45pc.

And there seems so to be no end in sight. In fact, things could get even worse before they get better. US dairy exports have doubled over the past five years. About 15pc of US dairy output is now exported, with plans to increase this to 20pc by 2020.

This could be very bad news for Irish farmers and dairy processors. The full impact of the milk price collapse wasn't felt until mid-2015 when most of that year's milk output had already been collected and processed. This year will be different, with farmers pressuring processors to subsidise a full year's dairy production. Having already spent up to 100m propping up milk prices in 2015, the cost to processors could be even greater in 2016.

If they are forced to do so then the implications for many processors could be extremely serious indeed. It is no secret that, compared to most other major milk producers, Ireland is seriously over-endowed with dairy processors. As well as a "big four" of Glanbia, Kerry, Dairygold and Lakeland there is a plethora of second-tier processors to handle a 2015 milk output of 6.4 billion litres.

By comparison almost 95pc of New Zealand's annual milk output of more than 19 billion litres is processed by just one company, Fonterra. It is a similar story in other major dairy producers such as the Netherlands (12 billion litres) and Denmark (5 billion litres) where just one company, FrieslandCampina in the Netherlands and Arla Foods in Denmark, processes the vast bulk of total milk output.

The continuing survival of a multiplicity of Irish dairy processors bears more than a passing resemblance to what has been happening in the health service where the political imperative of keeping local hospitals open often trumps best medical practice.

"The name over the door and who is in control is still very important," observes one long-time dairy analyst.

As a result of these strong local loyalties, consolidation in the dairy processing sector has tended to be a very slow and gradual process. Aurivo (formerly Connacht Gold) took over Donegal Creameries in 2012, Glanbia purchased Wexford in 2013, Lakeland acquired Fane Valley's dairy processing business earlier this year while it is no secret that Dairygold boss Jim Woulfe has been casting covetous eyes at the neighbouring Arrabawn co-op.

A sustained period of lower prices could dramatically speed up the pace of dairy processing consolidation. A Lakelands merger with Aurivo has long been mooted while Dairygold's Arrabawn tie-up could finally be consummated.

However, the process of consolidations almost certainly needs to go much further than such incremental deals. Other second-tier processors including Carbery and Centenary will almost certainly find themselves participating the dairying's very own version of musical chairs.

Also likely to find itself in the mix is Ornua, formerly the Irish Dairy Board, whose executive pay levels recently attracted unfavourable attention. While there was a clear need for a co-ops' co-op to sell Irish dairy products in export markets when there were dozens of dairy processors, might not a future single super-processor decide to do the job itself?

With farmers, farm organisations and banks all likely to pile on the pressure, dairy consolidation is only getting started.
Providence Resources chief Tony O'Reilly Jnr has been threatened with an ultimatum by a small group of shareholders.

The company has been informed that if a deal to farm out an interest in its flagship Barryroe field off the Cork coast is not on the near-term horizon by the end of the month, the board will be asked to remove O'Reilly.

The Sunday Independent has learned that the unrest has been driven by a group of private shareholders with a less than 10pc stake in the Irish oil and gas explorer.

The group is considering an attempt to convene an extraordinary general meeting at which shareholders would vote on O'Reilly's position, if a satisfactory conclusion is not reached.

Under the Companies Acts, an EGM can be convened at the request of shareholders holding at least 10pc of the voting rights.

Providence's corporate broker, Joe Nally of Cenkos Securities in London, confirmed the minority revolt, but said he believed there would not be sufficient support for an EGM following discussions with sharehodlers.

"There will be no special resolution because there will be no-one to support it," Nally said, adding that even if there was enough support to put a motion before shareholders, the motion would "be roundly and soundly defeated".

Providence refused to be drawn on the row, instead seeking details of who was involved in the revolt.

The shareholder plot comes at a sensitive time for Providence, whose shares are currently suspended from trading.

The shares were suspended last month after the company was hit by an adverse legal ruling in the UK - a ruling that Providence said could cost it $7m.

Finding a partner to exploit the Barryroe field has been a long-running saga.

In February 2015, Providence announced that, subject to certain closing conditions, it had agreed a deal with an unnamed partner. However, the deal did not proceed as the partner (understood to be Dutch firm Sequa Petroleum) did not meet the conditions.

Providence has deep links with the O'Reilly family. Its roots lie in Atlantic Resources, the company founded in 1981 by Tony O'Reilly Snr.

In 1991 Atlantic was acquired by Conroy Petroleum and Natural Resources, which demerged certain assets into a new company named Providence in 1997.

In London Providence shares have plummeted from 707.5p in the summer of 2012 to 13.75p as of their suspension.
Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell OConnor in her new office at Leinster House. Photo: David Conachy

Helping to create new jobs in rural Ireland is top of the agenda for Ireland's new Enterprise Minister.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor told the Sunday Independent that her first priorities are "to ensure that the continued upturn in the economy continues and that job creation continues to grow right across the country".

She said she wants to encourage more multinationals to consider establishing a base in rural parts of the country, adding that "there are many benefits to basing companies in regions outside our major cities".

"My aim is to deliver sustainable full employment by 2020 by delivering on an extra 200,000 jobs created, of which a sizeable amount of 135,000 jobs will be outside Dublin. I want to ensure that all counties in Ireland benefit from job growth and the wider positive effects to society of job creation," Ms Mitchell O'Connor said.

"In the next few weeks in order to ensure all voices will be heard, I will be meeting with key stakeholders. One of the things I'm keen to do is engage with small business. These are the backbone of rural Ireland and I want to ensure that I can put in place the right conditions for small businesses to thrive."

Ms Mitchell O'Connor is likely to come under pressure to push for changes to the tax treatment of Irish entrepreneurs.

Prior to the last budget, her predecessor Richard Bruton lobbied Finance Minister Michael Noonan for a review of Ireland's 33pc capital gains tax rate with a view to "a significant reduction".

Noonan instead introduced a limited relief whereby the rate on 1m of chargeable gains would be 20pc.

Ireland's capital gains regime is far less favourable than that of the UK, where sole traders or business partners pay a rate of 10pc on 10m of chargeable gains. The tax treatment of share options has also been criticised.
The majority of government websites failed to meet plain English guidelines set out by the State's Clear Language initiative in 2003 and, more recently, the Irish Public Service Reform plan 2014-2016, the company said.

A review of government websites has claimed a college education is required to understand more than half of them.

Government websites which provide instructions on social assistance and programmes for at-risk youth were found to be hardest to read.

Some 25 core government websites, plus Dublin City Council's website, were tested by consulting group VisibleThread, an Irish company whose software finds poor readability and other issues in documents and websites. The company said 16 of these required a third-level education - which more than half of Irish people do not have - to be understood.

Ranked bottom of the survey overall was the website of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, closely followed by the website of the Department of Justice and Equality.

Their sites lagged significantly behind the next worst performing websites in the rankings, VisibleThread said. Its recommended a complete overhaul of the sites to meet plain English guidelines.

The majority of government websites failed to meet plain English guidelines set out by the State's Clear Language initiative in 2003 and, more recently, the Irish Public Service Reform plan 2014-2016, the company said.

This reform plan mandated: "The public service must simplify the language that it uses when communicating with service users. There must be a stronger focus on, and a commitment to, the use of plain language right across the public service so that application forms and information are more easily understood, thus improving the experience of the customer and reducing the requirement for repeated contact."

VisibleThread's website analysis was undertaken between February 26 and March 14.It measured metrics such as readability, the use of "passive" language, long sentences and word complexity density.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs came bottom of the poll in the long sentences category.

Examples included: "This project will review national and international literature on the participation experiences of seldom heard young people and identify good practice in the field of participation of seldom heard children and young people relevant to the Irish context (including participation of key groups such as Travellers, children and young people with disabilities and children and young people from disadvantaged/vulnerable backgrounds/communities)."

Agencies that ranked highly in the study included the National Children's Hospital, whose website took first place overall for clarity, and the Courts Service, which came second.

The Department of Education and Skills came third, An Post came fourth and Failte Ireland came fifth.

The National Children's Hospital operated the smallest website of those measured, suggesting a close relationship between brevity and readability.

Fergal McGovern, chief executive of VisibleThread, said cost savings could be achieved through better clarity. "Using plain language has been demonstrated to have two clear advantages - better engagement and compliance and cost savings" he said. "When citizens can understand online communication, agencies enjoy increased trust and revenues. Citizens can self-serve and complete tasks online.

"International experience shows that simple actions such as rewriting a tax collection letter have produced major gains in revenue.

"For example, the US Veterans administration revised a letter asking beneficiaries to update contact information. The effort saved $8m in follow-up costs."

Two government agencies are understood to be currently upgrading their websites - the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Communications.
When Mark Zuckerberg's daughter Max was born last December, the Facebook founder and his wife Priscilla Chan announced they would donate 99pc of their Facebook shares - amounting to roughly 40bn - to charitable ventures in their lifetime.

Notably, the new mission-driven organisation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, would be a limited liability corporation rather than a non-profit foundation. This allows the Zuckerberg family to give their money not just to charities but to thriving, for-profit businesses that they believe serve some higher purpose.

While cynics decried Zuckerberg for this decision, his deliberate move makes it clear you can care about your bottom line while also trying to "change the world".

The Facebook boss isn't the only business leader today pushing to invest in, create and develop commercial ventures with social values. This month, Wired magazine devoted an entire issue to the rise of the mission-driven corporate: traditional companies including Unilever, Patagonia and OPower made it on to that list, along with start-ups such as peer-to-peer lending platform Kiva. All of a sudden, it seems, it's cool to have a conscience in business.

It's clear from these examples that a "social mission" doesn't necessarily have to be as lofty as digging wells in Rwanda or distributing vaccinations in India. It could simply be to nurture independent businesses in your local area or bring internet access to more people. Either way, the purpose has to have clear value, and, if it resonates, you go from selling a product to kick-starting a movement.

Take Yancey Strickler, the co-founder and chief executive of crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, which he reincorporated as a public benefit corporation last September.

B-Corps, as these certified companies are called, are legally required to generate a benefit for society, even at the risk of profits. In fact, their boards are legally obliged to take social impact into account even if the management teams change; they also publish a report on their annual impact alongside financial results.

B-Corps say that drawing a line between what you sell and what you stand for can confer a huge competitive advantage.

Outdoor clothing company Patagonia incorporated as a B-Corp in 2012 agreeing, among other things, to share proprietary information with competitors if they believe it will help the environment.

Soon after, its sales started to rise; 2015 was the most profitable year in the company's half-century history.

In 2015, Kickstarter pledged to donate 5pc of profits to fund arts and music education. The crowdfunding pioneer now helps fund more than 100,000 projects, raising $2bn since 2009. And yet it is also three or four times the size of a clutch of younger, hungrier competitors.

Sometimes the vision and business model go hand-in-hand. For example 34-year-old Londoner Jake Hayman worked in the charity sector for a decade before setting up a for-profit start-up called 10 Years' Time, which helps high-net worth individuals donate their money in a way that will have resonate a decade hence.

Hayman's team charges clients up to 35,000 and spends six to 12 months on a charity sector like homelessness, trying to identify underlying, systemic problems and early interventions that can make a difference over the medium-term. His five-month old company has already worked with four millionaires who will make donations worth 7m this year.

What is behind this philanthropic renaissance?

Here's a clue: all of Hayman's clients are in their 20s and 30s. Some made money young - sold a start-up or retired early from a lucrative City career - while others have simply inherited their wealth and don't know what to do with it. This change is largely generational.

A recent Deloitte survey of more than 7,000 millennials from 29 countries found that personal values had the greatest impact on decision-making at work, rather than maximising profit or growing the business.

More than 60pc in senior positions (such as heads of department) have "chosen not to undertake a task at work because it went against their personal values or ethics" and over half refused a job because of the organisation's values.

Julie Hanna, a serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Barack Obama's Presidential ambassador for global entrepreneurship, says she has seen a distinct shift in attitude among millennials she employs and advises.

Despite being in an era of what Hanna calls "hyper-capitalism" where profits are the ultimate endgame, the MBA students she speaks to are more interested in business ethics and leadership than they were 10 years ago, and her younger mentees have been taking pay cuts to do jobs with greater meaning.

A pattern is emerging in Silicon Valley: young college graduates are quitting jobs that don't align with their values, and searching for purpose far earlier in their careers than their parents were.

It could be because of the growing disparity in wealth between the generations. For the first time in history, the lives of those who have started their careers in the past decade or so will not be materially better than their parents'. They have therefore had to redefine their ideas of success.

Perhaps the millennial generation can correct the obsession with quarter-to-quarter growth and give commerce its conscience back.
The iconic British Prime Minister had a long, intimate and often affectionate relationship with this country, says our reviewer.

Earlier this month, I was on Parliament Square in London and bemoaning the clutter of often kitsch statues (Mandela, Gandhi, and a windblown Lloyd George), not least because it blunts the original impact of one statue, the marvellous hulking sculpture of Churchill, in overcoat and cane, standing in front of the great House of Commons in which he dominated for so long.

Churchill is an extraordinary character who shaped modern Europe, spanned multiple wars and, in 1940, single-handedly kept the lights on to save the world from Nazism. Brexit advocates take note. There are few historical figures so engagingly quotable, not least about Ireland, with which Churchill had a long, intimate and often affectionate relationship, as this short but utterly compelling book by Paul Bew makes clear.

On hearing that the pro-Treaty forces had retaken Dublin's Four Courts, but with its archive destroyed, Churchill quipped, "better a State without an archive, than an archive without a State".

But his most famous quote is the "dreary steeples", describing how Europe had been transformed but Ireland, and especially Northern Ireland, remained divided. This was in 1922 - how far-seeing. It is oft repeated but still worth paraphrasing:

"The position of countries has been violently altered. The modes of thought of men, the whole outlook on affairs, the grouping of parties, all have encountered violent and tremendous change... But as the deluge subsides and the waters fall short we see the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone emerging once again. The unaltered integrity of their quarrel is one of the few institutions that have been unaltered in the cataclysm which has swept the world."

It is a brilliant and prescient observation which, by referring to the "integrity" of the quarrel, is respectful as well as despairing. Indeed, the quote epitomises the very essence of Churchill's long and complicated relationship with Ireland. He had respect for both sides of the Irish question and yet knew deep down that Britain's conquest (or development) of Ireland had created the complication. He respected the Irish wish for self-government and ultimately independence and yet passionately wanted Ireland to stay within the Empire as a vital and friendly component. Ironically, he later wanted this precisely so that Ireland could overcome the division and partition of 1920.

Far from being some knee-jerk imperialist, Churchill had a deep and engaged understanding of Ireland. It began early. His grandfather, the Duke of Marlborough, was Viceroy of Ireland and Churchill's father, Lord Randolph, served as the Duke's secretary. From age two to six, Churchill lived in the Phoenix Park, and remembered tales of the Fenians and Home Rule intrigues. As a result of the family's Irish stay, Lady Randolph Churchill's American sisters both married Irishmen: one Irish first cousin was a Bolshevik (Claire Sheridan) and another was an Irish nationalist - Shane Leslie, of Castle Leslie in Monaghan. Churchill was also related to the Londonderry family.

Later, in 1886, Lord Randolph became notorious for saying that "the Orange card was the one to play" in stirring up opposition to Home Rule, but Winston himself became a committed Home Ruler, having defected to Gladstone's Liberals from the Conservatives. However, he was always balancing this with a heartfelt commitment to Irish Unionism and Bew, offering a refreshing Ulster perspective to all this, expertly teases out the development of Churchill's thoughts on this dilemma. Managing the demands of Redmond's Nationalists and Carson's Unionists took some doing.

The onset of the First World War postponed Home Rule, and serious ethnic unrest, and Bew is interesting about the traumatic effects of trench slaughter on both Irish sides, with even Carson baulking at the carnage wrought by Churchill's own disastrous decision to land at Gallipoli. He also interestingly credits Carson with later having reservations about the arming of the UVF at Larne in 1912, which introduced the gun into the Irish question. Carson merely wanted the threat of armed resistance, not the real thing.

Through Churchill's mediation, Redmond and Carson were almost at a settlement. But the 1916 Rising occurred and Irish Republicanism swept away limited Home Rule demands. Not that the Republicans were able to gain a whole lot more, even after an armed struggle. Churchill's reaction to this armed struggle was very hard-line and uncharacteristically so. However, he was often a contradictory figure and, as a master politician, he could hold contrary views. Having publicly mocked Terence Mac Swiney's hunger strike, he then concedes to the Mayor of Cork's bravery

With Treaty talks underway, Churchill again tried hard to find an accommodation. Ulster was already gone, by 1920, so it was a matter of accommodation between Republic and Empire. Nationalist mythology paints the Treaty as done under great duress, but it is hard to see how the British could have offered more. Churchill watched as those he became close to, such as Collins and Kevin O'Higgins, were cut down by Irish Republicans.

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His relationship with Eamon De Valera was later sorely tested by Irish neutrality in World War Two. It is hard to overestimate the incredulity and hurt this caused in the UK. Churchill took it personally, and his anger publicly and unfairly later, famously responded to by De Valera in a speech which is often considered heroic but which many of us would consider just as myopic and self-pitying as Churchill's. Europe is in ruins, millions have died but the main focus for neutral De Valera is his 800-year-old Irish struggle. The Long Fellow was a bit of dreary steeple himself. To Churchill's dismay but grudging respect, De Valera eventually dismantled the 1921 Treaty and won full freedom for Ireland, but he also reinforced partition. The two men became friendly and Churchill repeated his wish for a united Ireland. He never wanted otherwise.

This is a provocative and fascinating book, all the more enjoyable for the energy and charm of its singular focus.
Benny Lewis of Fluent in 3 Months has signed an open-ended book deal with John Murray Press. Photo: Facebook

An Irish man, who speaks over 10 languages (all self-taught) and claims anyone can learn any vernacular in three months, has signed a multibook deal to teach others his "language lacking" method.

Benny Lewis from Cavan town signed his open-ended book deal with John Murray Press.

The publishers described the 33-year-old's teaching method as "groundbreaking".

Lewis runs a successful blog called Fluent in Three Months, where he offers "language hacks" to enable visitors to quickly improve their language skills.

The site attracts one million visitors a month, and while the title shouldn't be taken too literally, Lewis is confident that his method of teaching can help people learn faster than other methods.

His teaching method is divided into short lessons that each contain a "hack", (a tip that helps the reader use the language).

Lewis developed the website in 2009 as a way of tracking his own learning progress.

According to his publishers, it is now the largest language-learning blog in the world. His YouTube videos have been watched more than 6.5 million times, with his TedX talk attracting 1.2 million views.

The enthusiastic polygot left Ireland for Spain in 2003 after completing a electrical engineering degree in UCD. He took up Spanish classes but after six months he found that he could barely speak the local language.

"I spent six months in Spain. I took expensive language classes. I studied every day. I repeated the same words and phrases over and over. But I still couldn't actually speak Spanish," he writes on his blog.

However, he made a turning point after meeting a confident polygot at a party.

"While in Spain, I met a guy who changed my life. He was at an international party, switching from one language to another as he moved between guests," he says.

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Lewis asked his new friend what his secret was to picking up languages and the answer surprised him.

"He explained that to speak a language, youve just got to start speaking it. Theres no magic, he said. You only need a willingness to make mistakes.

"I tried his advice, and Ive never looked back since."

Lewis decided to abandon traditional learning approaches, and everything changed.

Lewis, who is an Irish language ambassador to the EU, says he can speak 10 languages, including: English, Irish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Mandarin, Chinese and Esperanto, as well as being proficient in American Sign Language.

He says he has a "professional mastery" in four of these languages, "good fluency" in another two and the remaining five he can "get by pretty well".

"Learning languages has given me confidence in conversations, new friends and insight into other cultures. Its opened up new worlds for me. I set up this community so others can have the same experience," says Lewis.

"I help people just like you to feel confident in speaking another language, even if theyve only just started learning. My mission in life is giving people permission to make mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the faster you become a confident language learner."
When Eibhlin Mac Maighistir Gede first met her husband, Laszlo Gede, she was tending to his dying wife Iren, while herself preparing for a life in the convent. But Laszlo's "magnificent pale blue eyes" set her on an entirely different course.

Eibhlin has just written her late husband's story, and her own equally remarkable story, in her memoir, Liffey Green, Danube Blue.

Laszlo was a Hungarian clarinettist who came to Ireland in 1969 after surviving the Second World War and being imprisoned by the postwar communist authorities. He escaped to Austria with Iren, his third wife, during the Hungarian uprising of 1956, before settling in Ireland.

As remarkable as Laszlo's story is, Eibhlin's is just as fascinating. When Laszlo died, at the age of 90, in 2005, she returned to her home town of Dublin. "I went into a terrible darkness. I couldn't manage life without him."

She started writing the book as a way of occupying herself, as well as paying tribute to her late husband.

She remembers their first meeting: "I was working in Vincent's private hospital, nursing his darling Iren. She was terminally ill. She loved me and I loved her, I really felt for her. I went in one day to do her checks and Laszlo was there. I must have met him many times, but she said, 'Lazlo this is Eibhlin'. His face was loving and I could see that he was a lovely man. Iren was very clever. She wanted me for him, no doubt about it. I was a nurse, and nurses are kind. She knew I would be very kind to him."

It was love at first sight.

"That was when I fell in love with him, even though I went to the monastery after that," she adds with a laugh. "But my journey was going in a different direction because one of the sisters had asked me had I thought about being a sister. I entered an enclosed monastery, the beautiful Carmelite nuns."

When she first entered the convent, Laszlo came to visit her to talk her out of it. His wife had since died.

"We argued politely, or exchanged views politely. He wanted me to come out immediately and I wouldn't. He said, if you ever leave, please get in touch with me. I said of course, never thinking in a million years I was going to leave because I loved it. It was just heavenly.

''I was there for a year but my journey was not that journey. My soul craved that austerity and I wanted to stay in the monastery with all my strength but it was like I was in my little boat and the wind and waves were pushing me out and back from where I came."

When she was admitted to hospital in St Vincent's after a spell of bad health, an old nursing friend brought her out to visit her father in his apartment in Dundrum, which was strictly against the rules for a Carmelite nun.

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"When I saw dada and the apartment, I realised I had to come out." A day later, she was no longer a nun.

Eventually, she contacted Laszlo. "He didn't answer... but he arrived on my doorstep several weeks later. He was living in Luxembourg at the time. I was overjoyed. I was madly in love with him, and he with me. He had three wives before me.

''I introduced him to my dada and they got on well even though they were much the same age. My father looked his age but Lazlo was extremely young-looking and handsome. You'd get weak at the knees."

She describes him as a George Clooney for his time. The pair married four years later. She says it was a kind of relenting on her part as she was still struggling with dedicating her life to religion. And there was another issue.

"When we married I was finding intimacy very difficult because of my childhood brush with paedophilia."

Eibhlin grew up in Dublin of the 1940s and 1950s.

"It was nice but tough because money was very scarce. My parents were terribly good, too good. They were beautiful human beings. Mother took in paying guests to supplement father's income.

"They had a mortgage to pay and three mouths to feed. It was during this time that mother was asked would she care for this priest and she did.

She took him in and looked after him and it was during that time that he took advantage of their kindness and got me alone."

Later, he suggested to her parents that he take all three children for a holiday to the west of Ireland, to say thank you for the kindness they showed him.

"I was nine years of age and very timid. He got me in the dunes while my siblings were out swimming. He collared me and all I could do was pray to our lady.

"The next thing, I heard my sister calling me and she came down and looked into the dunes and she took my hand and brought me away.

''Years later, I asked her why she came and she said she had a feeling in the water to go and look for me."

The family's hardship may have been surprising considering Eibhlin's mother's family were descended from Edward III, but her royal connections were not talked about at home.

"It was never discussed because my mother's family were protestants and became Catholics and with all they had seen up in Belfast, they just didn't want to talk about it.

''And anyway, we were just working-class people now and people would say you had delusions of grandeur."

Liffey Green, Danube Blue is published by Merrion Press. All proceeds go to St Vincent de Paul
Aleksandr Borodin was what you might call a gentleman composer. He was a scientist, and music was what he did for fun. Not that it made him any less serious about it. The evidence is there in a number of popular pieces, from the vast sweep of his immaculate symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia to the more intimate expression of artistic perfection in his String Quartets. And his only opera, Prince Igor, supplied the melody that was turned into Stranger in Paradise which would become one of Tony Bennett's signature songs.

Borodin was born in St Petersburg in Russia in 1833. His father was Luka Stepanovich Gedevanishvili, a Georgian prince, who had an affair with his mother, the much younger wife of an army doctor.

As was the way of things at the time, the child was registered as the son of one of the father's staff, in this case his valet Porfiry Borodin. So Aleksandr Porfiryevich Borodin would be the boy's name.

But of course, as this was Imperial Russia, being part of Prince Luka's staff was the same as being his serf, so as Porfiry's legitimate son, Aleksandr was his biological father's serf as well.

At the age of seven, the Prince freed him from his obligations, and looked after his education. Though close to his mother, Aleksandr never recognised her as such, and referred to her as his aunt.

He was bright, excelling at languages and music - he'd written a little polka by the time he was 10 - but his real fascination was with the sciences.

He specialised in chemistry at the Medico-Surgical Academy - the elite Russian institution of the time - earning a doctorate, and going on to qualify as a medical doctor as well, though he never practised. Apparently he couldn't stand the sight of blood!

After some years working abroad, he came back to St Petersburg to become Professor of Chemistry at his alma mater. He was busy with his music as well, and had become part of the group known as The Mighty Five, which included Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov as well, who were forging a new path for Russian composition that would be free of the influences of Western Europe.

Borodin's First Symphony dates from this time, though it's significant, given the demands of his day job, that it took him five years to complete it.

Prince Igor, the opera that's considered his masterpiece, was almost 20 years in the making, and still wasn't finished when he dropped dead at a fancy dress ball at the age of just 53.

Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov saw to it that the work was completed, as they did with his Third Symphony, both parts of a highly regarded musical legacy that's strong on melody and lush lyricism. Borodin made a significant mark too in his chosen fields of science and medicine. His research in organic chemistry led to the discovery of the aldol reaction, a process that's prominent in industry from pharmaceuticals to plastics.

He was also a fervent campaigner for women's rights, a radical position to adopt in the second half of the 19th century. With the Academy restricted to male students, he was the first to offer courses in medicine to women in the Women's Medical School he helped found in St Petersburg,

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For such a high achiever in his professional life, it's ironic that he's most remembered now for the beautiful music that was the product of his downtime, when he'd get away from the lab and the lecture hall and simply relax.

George Hamilton presents The Hamilton Scores on RTE lyric fm each Saturday and Sunday morning from 10am.
Mundy, The Celtic Tenors, Louis Walsh's boyband Hometown - and their hundreds of shrieking, teenybopper fans - as well as Fianna Fail's Jim O'Callaghan, Rhona Blake of FleishmanHillard and film crews from RTE, UTV Ireland and Independent.ie, were just some of the people who turned up for the launch of Independent News & Media's Rising Against Homelessness CD at the Hard Rock Cafe in Temple Bar on Friday night.

Cormac Bourke, Editor of the Sunday Independent, gave a speech to launch the CD, as did Niall McLoughlin, head of the One For Ireland campaign.

Following on from the sold-out Rock Against Homelessness concert last month at the Olympia with HamsandwicH, The Strypes and many more, the CD is the latest project by Independent News & Media to raise money for, and awareness of, the worsening homelessness crisis in Ireland.

The money raised from the Rising Against Homelessness: 16 for '16 CD - which has 16 artists reworking tracks from our past for a modern Ireland - goes to the One For Ireland Campaign and to Focus Ireland's youth homelessness projects. It is on sale for 10 at all Starbucks cafes and HMV stores.

The CD, which was produced by INM, is pure class.

It features, among many others, Mundy with Glen Hansard, Donal Lunny and the late Fergus O'Farrell rebooting beautifully Dominic Behan's The Patriot Game, to The Waterboys reworking the traditional Wild Mountain Thyme, to Hometown re-imagining The Auld Triangle by Brendan Behan.

This is to say nothing of Dolores O'Riordan singing God Be With You, to The Chieftains and Sinead O'Connor performing The Foggy Dew, to August Wells doing The Night Visiting Song or The Saw Doctors doing Villains.

But back to the launch. Hometown performed Behan's The Auld Triangle and Mundy did a storming rendition of The Patriot Game, with the help of Sarah Lynch on violin.

Just off the plane from New York, Ken Griffin's August Wells played a sublime version of The Night Visiting Song by The Dubliners.

Then to finish the night, The Celtic Tenors (who will be on the next INM charity CD out later this year) brought the 300 people in the Hard Rock Cafe to their feet with Nessun Dorma and then an even more emotive Time To Say Goodbye... to homelessness.
RTE's former London Editor has warned the UK leaving the EU could cause serious problems for thousands of Irish people who emigrate to Britain each year.

Brian O'Connell, who left the State broadcaster in 2012, is spearheading one of the main cross-channel pressure groups trying to prevent 'Brexit' because of the knock-on effect it will have on Ireland and the Irish.

Irish4Europe is a coming-together of various Irish groupings in Britain, and is fighting a fierce campaign to try to keep Britain in the EU club.

Citizens from Ireland living in the UK are allowed to vote in June's referendum.

In a 2011 census, over 400,000 in the UK identified themselves as Irish-born.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Mr O'Connell, one of the founding members of Irish4Europe and a UK director for the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce, warned 'Brexit' could have serious consequences for trade between the two countries.

"Britain is Ireland's biggest trading partner - and Ireland in turn is Britain's fifth most important trading partner.

"If the borders are tightened, what will we do in terms of the common travel area and passport-free zone between both countries?

"I've lived in London a long time and I can get in my car and drive to Dublin on the ferry. Nobody asks me for a passport or any similar documentation.

"But if you've got to secure your borders against migrants from EU countries, how will the British cope with a free-travel area of this kind?

"Will the common travel arrangement be ended? And if that is done, what impact will it have on trade? None of this is part of what is termed Project Fear - but these are the sort of questions the Leave side can't answer."
Stephen and Catherina McGarry want a criminal investigation into the death of their baby, Jennifer Anna

A couple who lost their baby in a botched birth never fulfilled their dream of having a family.

And now, 23 years after the death of their beloved little girl, Jennifer Anna, Catherina and Stephen McGarry have finally received an apology from the HSE.

Following the death of their baby, the couple, from Sallynoggin, Dublin, suffered seven miscarriages. They never had another child.

A HSE review of the case, which only concluded this year, found that Jennifer Anna suffered a spinal injury in a forceps-assisted delivery in the Coombe Hospital on November 28, 1991, which led to her death. Some of the baby's organs were also removed without her parents' knowledge.

The HSE review found Jennifer Anna should have been delivered by Caesarean section and her death most likely would have been avoided if this had happened.

The McGarrys now want a criminal investigation.

"If I did something wrong I would have to be held accountable for it. What happened to me destroyed my life," Ms McGarry said.

Her labour took longer than expected and, instead of carrying out a section, a doctor - named in the report as Registrar of Obstetrics H - delivered the baby using forceps. In his notes, he described the birth as routine, although one midwife described it as a "very difficult delivery". The doctor later moved abroad and was not available for interview for the HSE report.

Jennifer Anna was brought to the Specialist Care Baby Unit, where she died in her mother's arms on Valentine's Day, 1992. The HSE report stated: "Baby X [Jennifer Anna] should have been delivered by Caesarean section at an earlier time... this would have resulted in Baby X not being delivered by forceps...thereby most likely avoiding the injury that occurred to her spinal cord and that eventually resulted in her death."

The HSE report does not apportion blame for the death, but includes an apology from the hospital for "deficiencies" in the care provided and the failure to obtain consent for organ removal.
The winner of the 8.2m Lotto jackpot will receive an extra 50,000 in interest because of the delay by the National Lottery in releasing the money, the Sunday Independent has learned.

A dispute followed presentation of the winning ticket, which was sold in the XL Stop and Shop on Stephen Street, Sligo, on March 5.

Following negotiations, and after considering High Court action, the winner says the matter is resolved after a decision by the National Lottery to pay interest on top of the 8,244,502 jackpot win.

A well-placed source said this figure was around 50,000  bringing the total winnings to just under 8.3m.

Lotto bosses last night refused to give any details on why the money had not been paid out in the standard fashion.

In a statement, it confirmed it would provide an update once this prize money has been collected.

As has always been the case, the National Lottery never comments on the specifics of individual claims to protect the privacy of the claimant, it added.

As operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland has a right to withhold payment if it feels the claims procedure has not been strictly adhered to, or if it believes a ticket has been tampered with.

It was initially believed that the ticket involved in this win may have been the subject of a dispute within a syndicate or a family.

However, Athlone-based T&N McLynn Solicitors, acting on behalf of the winner, quickly moved to quash the speculation.

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It said its client, who wishes to remain anonymous, was disappointed over media comments made by the Lottery authorities.

The statement also dismissed rumours that the money was not paid because a syndicate was owed as part of the winnings.

Rumour and speculation has manifested in claims that the non-payment to date of the winnings is, amongst other things, due to a syndicate having some sort of an entitlement and an internal dispute arising therein.

We can state that such claims are incorrect. There is no syndicate and there is no dispute. There never has been any dispute between the winner and any other third party, it stated.

The solicitors said their client presented the relevant ticket to the Lottery authorities several weeks ago, but payment was not sanctioned due to a concern. This has since been addressed.

It has always been our clients contention that there was not any valid reason why Premier Lotteries Ireland, the licensed operator, would be unable to pay out to them on this winning ticket, said the statement.

It added that while High Court action had been considered, the solicitors and their client are now satisfied that the matter has been largely resolved.

The statement claimed that the Lottery would pay out the principal sum, together with appropriate interest in due course.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Deirdre Farrell, of Amorys Solicitors in Dublin, pointed out that under Irish law the ticket would be deemed to be a contract between the National Lottery and the purchaser.

Applying fundamental principles of contract law, the rate of interest on late

payment of the winnings would need to be stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket, or else agreed specifically between the National Lottery and the ticket holder directly.

The other alternative is that the matter would be dealt with by the courts in litigation between the parties.

A court has discretion to award interest  currently at 8pc per annum  on the whole or any part of damages awarded from the date the cause of action accrued, to the date of judgement.

However, she said for a court to award interest on that basis, the ticketholder would need to have succeeded in High Court proceedings.

Interest automatically applies on a judgement sum from the date of the judgement to the date the sum is eventually paid by the defendant.

Meanwhile, former mayor of Sligo Matt Lyons confirmed that he has received 15,000 from the National Lottery as his newsagents, Stop and Shop, sold the winning ticket.

And while he remains completely in the dark as to the identity of the winner, it is now believed to be a person living locally.

I dont have a clue who the person is, and the Lottery wont tell us, Mr Lyons added.

It is not the first time the former councillor has hit the jackpot, having sold a 4m winning ticket in December 2009.

The winner of the 8,244,502 prize picked up a 20 Normal Play ticket on Saturday, March 5  the day of the draw.

The winning numbers were 2, 8, 16, 24, 33, 42, and the bonus number was 47.
A hidden epidemic is lurking in school playgrounds and street corners throughout rural Ireland as a new wave of psychoactive drug abuse sweeps up risk-taking teenagers, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Over the past 18 months, counsellors at drug treatment centres in Cavan and Monaghan, and some midland towns, have become increasingly alarmed by the number of young men and women, some aged just 15 years, presenting with "chaotic addiction" to 'New Psychoactive Substances' (NPS) - chemically produced narcotics that have a profound effect on the brain.

Synthetic cannabis, sold as 'K2 Spice', 'Blueberry Mix' and 'Clockwork Orange,' among others, is a major concern.

Community workers describe the substances as "more problematic" and "more dangerous" than the real thing. They say people are mainly buying their drugs online.

Although the Government banned all substances with psychoactive effects in 2010, drug workers say "it's easier than ever" to source former 'head shop' highs.

They believe the rise in NPS use is "directly linked" with the demise of rural Ireland and the scourge of youth unemployment over the last five years.

Driving through the main streets of Cavan town on a sunny Friday afternoon, all appears well. The shopping areas are busy, traffic is bumper-to-bumper and helpful locals are happy to offer directions with a smile.

But behind those eyes, behind the scenes, and behind many closed doors, fears are growing over the widespread, rampant use of new mind-altering narcotics.

Young people from both disadvantaged and comfortable backgrounds are entwined in the disturbing phenomenon.

Tim Murphy, community supervisor at the Cavan and Monaghan Drugs and Alcohol Service, says there is a misconception that drugs are a problem only in Dublin.

"Rural Ireland isn't fully acknowledging the extent of the drug problem on the ground. Cavan and Monaghan have a very much indigenous drug problem," he said.

"Parents and schools are seeing children as young as 12 years of age showing interest in NPS," he said.

Mr Murphy claims serious problems have persisted in the area since the back end of Ireland's heroin epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.

"When you see drug problems take a foothold, it's often on the back of social deprivation and unemployment," he said.

"A lot of young people are out of work and I would have grave concerns about a new generation being caught out. I'm worried that history may to some extent be repeating itself," he said.

Mr Murphy said he is aware of local cases where pupils have been caught in possession of NPS on school grounds. However, he stresses that appropriate action has been taken by the school.

"We've been out to most of the local schools in partnership with the gardai over the last six months to get the message out and educate people about these new drugs and the dangers, but unfortunately a lot of parents just assume 'not my kids'. But these new substances are changing the playing field with comparatively unknown long-term consequences," he said.

Although the latest official figures from the Health Research Board, the lead agency in Ireland supporting and funding health research, recorded just 44 cases of treatment for psychoactive substances nationwide in 2013, a new EU Drug Markets Report, published by Europol, reveals that Irish teenagers and young adults are the biggest users of illegal psychoactive drugs in the EU.

The UK government is being urged to put off a ban on so-called legal highs among concerns that the Irish model isn't working.

The drugs and alcohol service in Cavan and Monaghan alone has had approximately 50 new psychoactive substance referrals since 2014.

It is receiving up to 10 referrals every week in connection with poly drug use.

Cavan also has a significant heroin problem, with around 75 individuals coming to see the methadone-prescribing GPs on a weekly basis.

"Our treatment numbers have doubled in five years. We have up to a dozen still waiting to access this treatment and they are frequently waiting 12 weeks or more to get into treatment," he said.

"When people ask for help with addiction, they present in crisis and we need to respond right there and then, otherwise we will lose them.

"The new Government needs to recognise the scale of the problem. The longer we leave these new drugs without a correct response, the worse it is going to get," he said.

"These products are coming from faceless manufacturers in foreign countries where there is no quality control, so we have no idea what is coming in. The packaging is very shiny and very well turned out and clearly targets young people with a professional perception of quality control," he said.

Liam [not his real name], a 20-year-old from Cavan town, told the Sunday Independent he started smoking 'Clockwork Orange' when he was 17.

"It was so easy to get and you get more for your money than normal weed. I got it from my friend, we all smoked it together at a mate's house. At first I thought it was great, I was like a zombie. Then after about a year I started getting sweats, vomiting up yellow stuff. I lost about three stone," he said.

"I was smoking it every hour of the day. I started saying silly things, I thought I was seeing stuff. I thought creatures were coming out of the telly when I was on the Playstation. I became threatening and abusive towards my parents and my brothers," he said.

Liam's family eventually intervened and he ended up in the psychiatric unit of Cavan General Hospital to get the drug out of his system.

"It's so easy for young people to get it over the internet or around the town, you've no idea. I just want to tell them to stay away from it. It destroys your insides, it leaves your head really, really messed up," said Liam, who has been in treatment for the last 10 months.

"I've just brought my circle closer and stay around my family. I can see a future now but I couldn't even imagine that I had one a year ago," he said.

Tony Geoghegan, CEO of Merchants Quay Ireland, a nationwide voluntary organisation providing a wide range of services to the homeless and drug users, said about 150 young people have presented at its drop-in centre in Athlone last year.

"There is no doubt about it, there is a serious drug problem in the midlands, particularly in the main urban centres of Athlone, Portlaoise, Mullingar and Longford town," he said.

"It's a fair mix of drugs but outside Dublin you see a lot more use of psychoactive substances. How they are getting onto the streets is the million-dollar question, whether they are made in labs or whether they are being bought over the internet - it is difficult to know," he said.

Drugs that mimic heroin and benzodiazepines are very popular in the midlands region - these include 'Mephedrone', 'Snow Blow', and 'D-10'. Tablets such as Valium, Roche and Dalmane are also rampant.

Although the HSE has had success in establishing treatment clinics in the problem areas through the Midland Regional Drugs Task Force, some people are still forced to travel to access help.

Counties Longford and Offaly are particularly under-resourced.

"We had about 300 people on outreach in Westmeath and Longford last year, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. Many people who are using recreationally wouldn't identify themselves as problem drug users, it's only if you're living at home and your family becomes aware that it starts to become an issue," said Mr Geoghegan.

Alan [not his real name] thought the best way to escape his drug problem in the midlands was to move to Cavan town five years ago.

"It was the worst move ever. I ended up relapsing. I left the midlands to avoid the situation but it's worse here. Synthetic weed is just seconds away at any time.

"It's terrible, it's destroying young people's lives around the town," he said.

"I think Cavan is one of the worst I have ever seen for drugs. People talk about Dublin but it's actually more rampant in the countryside, but it's all very hush-hush," he said.

"I got my first pull of the new stuff last September and I liked it. I thought it was really different but when you haven't got it, that's when the problem kicks in. The side-effects of it are worse than heroin. It's all you can think about, it's a mad, intense feeling, you have to have it, you'll do anything to get it. It made me goof off like heroin, it was crazy," he said.

"The situation in Cavan today is 10 times worse than it was when I arrived, and once a young person gets caught in the trap, it's almost impossible to get out," said Alan, who was forced to wait eight months on a waiting list for treatment - during this period he overdosed twice.

Fr Jason Murphy, chaplain at Breifne College, Cavan, recently spoke out at the funeral of a young person. "Numerous parents have contacted me, frightened out of their wits about the situation," he said.

"There is a very angry community out there. We feel that we are held hostage by these people. Despite all the good work and efforts by our community and county we are battling against dark forces," he told a local radio station.

"I am disgusted at the people who are selling this on the street to vulnerable young people, who are being targeted not just to buy it but also to sell it on to others. The people who are passing it on are just like you and me - it's not some big, bad man who is selling it," he said.

Barry, a recovering heroin addict, tried to escape his drug demons in the UK by moving to rural Ireland in late 2014.

"I thought Cavan would be perfect, a sleepy little rural town. I thought it would be the best place to go to get clean but I relapsed at Christmas," he said.

"I was shocked by the availability of street drugs. The town I come from in England is five times the size of Cavan and there might be one or two numbers you can ring but you'll still have to travel for half-an-hour. Whereas here I could call about six people and have it delivered to my door in 10 minutes," he said, adding: "Heroin is more available here."

The Cavan-Monaghan Drug and Alcohol Service desperately needs more resources to deal with the growing epidemic - currently there are just four staff dealing with the issue across both counties. The centre receives annual HSE funding of 213,000.

"It's not enough. We need to recruit at least two full-time case managers and rehab coordinators. We also need a full-time young persons counsellor and prevention education worker so that we can build on our work with the schools and other young persons projects," said Tim Murphy.
ANGER: In the original photograph of a Dublin ceremony the two officers, part of a guard of honour, are shown in the top right

The decision of a top trade union magazine to remove two officers from official photographs at a ceremony in Dublin has left prison staff perplexed.

The Irish Prison Service has a number of members that belong to a guard of honour for attending funerals of colleagues and special ceremonial events.

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In September 2015, these members took part in a stately march in the capital. At the end, they lined up for a group photograph - subsequently supplied to both the Irish Prison Service and the Prison Officers Association (POA) to be printed in upcoming autumn editions of their magazines.

However, when the photograph was reproduced in the POA's Prison Officer Magazine - crowned overall winner of the Public Sector Magazine Award in 2015 - two of the officers had been photoshopped out.

In the original picture, as seen above, these two officers are standing directly behind the second officer from the right - yet they are clearly missing from the photo reprinted by the POA.

Sources claim the two men, who work at Dublin's Cloverhill Prison, were removed because they are not members of the POA, having previously resigned from the organisation for "personal reasons".

"This has caused a large amount of complaints from staff in Cloverhill who work with these two officers, and as a consequence a branch meeting was held late last year with two national officers in attendance," said one source.

"When questioned as to why these officers were removed, it was stated by a national officer that they were not members and the POA was within its rights to remove them from the photo. . . it was an editorial decision," he said.

"The question was asked if it was the intention of the union to send a clear message to members that if you leave they will effectively make you disappear or vanish from existence, to which a national officer stated, 'if any member sought to discuss the issue again they would be thrown out of the union'," a source told the Sunday Independent.

Last November, the guard of honour travelled to a Northern Ireland Prison Service training centre to attend a memorial service for deceased members.

Again, group photos were taken and distributed to both the Irish Prison Service and the POA's magazine.

However, when the image appeared in the December edition of the POA's publication, the same officers were cropped out once again.

"This is a very sinister tactic to send a message to members who may have considered leaving the union, and is a clear warning," said the source.

"This behaviour is unacceptable from a body which is supposed to protect staff. Many of the staff that I've spoken to consider the actions of the national officers to be nothing more than outright bullying and are outraged by their actions not once, but twice, in successive magazines.

"Both of the officers concerned are seeking legal advice on the matter."

The POA failed to respond to queries on this issue despite repeated attempts to speak with a representative.
A 33-year-old pedestrian is in a serious condition this morning after a car collision in Cork.

The man was injured in the accident at around 3.20am on the Cork to Limerick Road (N20) at Deerpark, Charleville.

He was taken to Cork University Hospital where his condition is described as serious.

The male driver (46) and other occupants of the car were uninjured in the collision.

The road is closed to facilitate a Forensic Collision examination and is expected to remain closed until around lunchtime.

Local diversions are in place.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have been on that stretch of road between 3am and 3.30am to contact the Gardai in Mallow on 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
ELECTION HAMMERING: Lucinda Creighton has stepped down as leader of Renua Ireland

Lucinda Creighton has stepped down as Renua Ireland leader after she failed to return a single candidate in the General Election.

In her resignation speech, Ms Creighton accepted responsibility for policy decisions that did not capture the public imagination, but said she was proud of what the party had achieved.

Speaking at a Renua national members meeting in Portlaoise, she said setting up a party had been a "remarkable journey" which did not end the way she planned.

Ms Creighton paid tribute to her colleagues including husband Paul Bradford and former TDs Billy Timmins and Terence Flanagan who left Fine Gael to join Renua.

She said they took "huge political risks" as she believes it is more difficult to be re-elected as a new party member. She had special praise for Offaly county councillor John Leahy, whom she said possesses the "qualities of leadership that our country is crying out for".

Speaking to the Sunday Independent after the meeting, Mr Leahy said he was "disappointed" to see Ms Creighton resign and insisted the party did not blame her for the election wipeout.

Mr Leahy said he is interested in succeeding her but would like to see if other candidates will also put their name forward.

Ms Creighton instructed Renua's national executive committee to begin the process of electing a new leader.

In her final speech as a party leader, she attacked Taoiseach Enda Kenny for the inclusion of Independent Tipperary TD Michael Lowry in the new government.

She also claimed Independent News and Media (INM) ran an "unrelenting and unprecedented smear campaign" against her during the election.

The allegation is understood to relate to a complaint made against Ms Creighton to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo).

It was claimed Ms Creighton received reduced legal fees in the case taken against her by developer Michael O'Flynn, which she failed to declare.

During the election campaign, she said she was willing to produce evidence to prove the allegation was untrue.

However, despite several requests she never revealed how much she paid in legal fees.

Ms Creighton was invited by Sipo to provide evidence that proved she did not receive a benefit in kind on her legal fees but decided against it.

Sipo eventually ruled she did not have a case to answer as there was no evidence provided by the complainant to support the allegation she received cut-price legal fees, which should have been declared.

Yesterday, she also defended Renua President Eddie Hobbs's views on public-sector pay, which others in the party believed lost them votes.

"I believe many people in Ireland regretted that Eddie did not stand to run for the Dail, I certainly did, but at least he was brave enough to say he wanted to make a difference and not commentate from the sidelines," she said.

She also praised newly appointed communications minister Denis Naughten and social protection minister Leo Varadkar.

Meanwhile, next Friday is the closing date for candidates to put their name forward for the Labour Party leadership contest.

Former environment minister and Labour deputy leader Alan Kelly announced he will put his name forward on the Late Late Show on Friday night.

Former public expenditure minister Brendan Howlin is expected to make an announcement on his intentions in the coming days, but has so far remained coy on the issue.

Former education minister Jan O'Sullivan has also not ruled herself out and Cork East TD Sean Sherlock is also understood to be interested.

Postal ballots for the contest will be issued to Labour Pary members on May 23 and have to be returned by June 17.

Recently resigned Labour leader Joan Burton said she would not publicly back any of the candidates and wished them all good luck.
THE new junior health minister has asked for more sympathy for smokers - and argued that pubs and bars should have designated indoor sections for smokers.

Finian McGrath, who is a smoker, has also said the there shouldn't be further increases in tobacco duty.

Mr McGrath is a member of the Independent Alliance and was last week given ministerial responsibility for the disability sector, and will attend Cabinet meetings as a so-called "super junior".

But while the programme for government has committed to making Ireland tobacco-free by 2025 with less than 5pc of people smoking by then, Mr McGrath has argued that the country should rollback on the smoking in workplaces ban, which was introduced in 2004.

Speaking to the Sunday Business Post, and expressing his "private, personal view", Mr McGrath said Ireland should allow smoking in designated areas in pubs and bars - something that happens in some other countries.

"I was in Portugal with the justice committee two years ago and I saw it firsthand," he said. "I was in Germany a couple of years ago and - I think it was Frankfurt - they had a similar position and I saw it working."

Ireland was the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace in 2004.

Mr McGrath nonetheless stressed he fully supported the programme for governments commitment to making the country tobacco free.

Last week, Mr McGrath was in the headlines when he admitted he hadn't paid his charges because he is opposed to Irish Water and the way charges were implemented.

He has since indicated he will pay the bill after facing significant criticism in the Dail.
Mr Kenny and his siblings were left a 14-acre site in Castlebar, Co Mayo, from his mother Eithne when she passed away four years ago. Photo: Morgan Treacy

Taoiseach Enda Kenny inherited his family home and a share in a residential development site in his late mother's will.

Mr Kenny and his siblings were left a 14-acre site in Castlebar, Co Mayo, from his mother Eithne when she passed away four years ago.

The Taoiseach was left the home where he and his brothers and sister were raised.

However, details of the inheritance only emerged in recent weeks, following the publication of last year's Dail register of members' interests.

The register showed Mr Kenny owned four properties - his main residence in Mayo, an apartment in Dublin, an office in Castlebar and the family home in Islandeady.

The Fine Gael leader also owned an agricultural site in Castlebar along with a share in the development site, which local auctioneers estimated to be worth around 168,000.

However, a number of Castlebar auctioneers said it was unlikely the land would be sold soon due to its location and a lack of residential development in the county.

Land-registry documents showed the site was registered in Mr Kenny and his siblings' name in February last year.

The home where the Taoiseach was raised is estimated to be worth around 90,000.

Registry of Deeds records showed the property was transferred into the name Mr Kenny and his sister Maria Hastings last July.

Mrs Kenny, who passed away in November 2011, stated in her will that her home should be left to her son Enda and the contents should go to her daughter Maria.

She left the site of a previous family home to the Taoiseach's brother Henry.

Ms Kenny's publicly available will, which was first written in September 1996, also directed that Mr Kenny be allowed to purchase a field she owned in Raheen for IR20,000.

Mr Kenny owns agricultural land in the same area, according to the Dail register of members' interests.

His mother also directed in her will that donations should be made to the Royal National Life Boat Institution (RNLI), Conquer Cancer Campaign and two Dublin churches.

Mrs Kenny directed that half of the rest of her estate was to go Ms Hastings and the other half to be shared by her sons John, Henry, Kieran and Enda.

Ms Kenny passed away at 93 years of age and was remembered fondly by her family and thousands of mourners at her funeral in Castlebar.

The Taoiseach described the Mass as a celebration of his mother's life and asked for a round of applause for all the "mothers of Ireland" during an emotional ceremony.

Fr Pat Donnellan, the local Islandeady priest, said Mrs Kenny was immensely proud of her son.

"When each election came around I heard her say she 'threw the tongs out the door after them for good luck', and I know it was then that she stormed the heavens and prayed that all would be well," Fr Donnellan said.

"Her modest nature did not allow her to boast, but I know she was as proud as punch that God blessed her with a son who is Taoiseach."

Mrs Kenny was the daughter of a Donegal lighthouse keeper and the Fine Gael leader proudly references this in key speeches.
A damning report into the safety of Irish Rail, warning of an alarming number of trains running red lights and failing to heed stop signs, has been sent to the Minister for Transport as a matter of urgency, the Sunday Independent can exclusively reveal.

The 32-page document will cause serious concern to passengers who made 40 million journeys with Irish Rail in the past year.

In the report, Regulator Gerald Beesley heavily criticises senior management at the public transport service and draws on incidents including the 1987 Kings Cross tragedy in London, in which 36 people lost their lives, to warn of the dangers for rail passengers if safety measures are not adhered to.

Under the title of Safety Management, the report warns that the rail network is a high hazard industry where chance events can result in multiple fatalities and life-changing injuries.

It points out that the fact that fatalities have not occurred to date is not due to a safe environment, but rather a matter of luck. However, rather than accept concerns over safety issues, the Commission has told the Government that the findings were continuously challenged to the point of being a distraction to the Regulator when completing his work.

The Sunday Independent has learned that several attempts were made by senior management at Irish Rail to block a separate report by the Commission of Railway Regulation into an incident at Midleton railway station. The multiple attempts included a demand that the report be withdrawn, and correspondence with the CIE group solicitor, according to sources close to the Regulator.

In 2015, the Regulator stated that it was evident that Iarnrod Eireann was taking a noticeably different approach toward safety regulation. He continued: It is of concern that the type of sentiment expressed in correspondence with the regulator may be a reflection of a leadership attitude to safety that would be less than the Commission expects.

The report notes that an audit into safety management was issued in December 2014 but was met with an immediate negative reaction from Irish Rail.

It raised fundamental issues of policy, culture, governance and management and serious concerns about the safety of rail passengers who use the network each day.

Most concerning, however, is the fact that there has been a significant increase in Signals Passed at Danger (SPAD) events on Irish rail networks.

In 2013, a total of 18 such incidents were reported, and although the figure dropped to 10 in 2014, by 2015, the numbers of SPAD events had jumped once again to 15 by August of that year.

Railway signalling relies heavily on track-side warning lights; however, due to speed, distractions and fatigue, these primary signals can be missed. The result can not only result in damage to track and rail infrastructure with costly disruptions to rail services, but it can also lead to loss of life.

In 2015, apart from the growing number of SPADs, a total of 12 other Operational Incidents occurred on rail networks around the country.

In one particular incident, the number of carriages used on a train operating on

the Midleton line was too long for both the platform and the signalling constraints at Midleton station,

putting passenger safety in danger.

The Commission noted that it is important not to define safety as an absence of accidents. In this context it is worth noting that in his inquiry into the fire at Kings Cross underground station (November 18, 1987), Desmond Fennell QC reported that a safety manager had warned management about complacency.

It quotes Mr Fennell as saying: A safe environment is not one in which there is an absence of or a low number of serious injuries or accidents, but is the result of active participation by management and staff in identifying hazards and then doing something about them. In other words, the absence of accidents is a negative measure largely dependent on luck.

In his summary, the Regulator described the working relationship between Irish Rail and the Commission as strained throughout 2015, while it was carrying out the safety report. He said: It is of concern to the Commission that at the most senior level of management, there appears to be a misapprehension in regard to the need for Safety Management Systems to conform to the Deming cycle [a management system that leads to improvement], and that responses from that same quarter indicate a lack in appreciation of the importance of just culture and organisational learning in safety management.

He continued by saying it is the Commissions determination that safety issues are matters that should be accepted rather than continuously challenged.

The Commission for Railway Regulation was established in 2006.

The report comes in light of three major rail disasters on Irish tracks. The most infamous occurred in 1980, when 18 people lost their lives and 70 more were injured in a train crash at Buttevant, Co Cork, when the Dublin to Cork train was derailed.

A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann stated yesterday that the Railway Accident Investigation Units Investigation into Signals Passed at Danger (SPADs) on the Iarnrod Eireann Network 2012-2015 confirms the importance of investment in train protection systems to further reduce the number of SPADs on Irelands rail network.
UP to 20 secret recordings were submitted to the O'Higgins Commission by garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe, several of which contradicted allegations made against him by senior gardai, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The secretly recorded tapes of conversations between Sgt McCabe and other officers led to a "climb down" on the Garda position "on a few occasions" during O'Higgins Commission hearings, according to sources.

Allegations of further contradiction in evidence will increase pressure on the Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan to clarify why she praised Sgt McCabe in public while her legal team claimed privately to the inquiry that he was motivated by malice.

In another incident, an officer claimed in the witness box that Sgt McCabe refused to cooperate with an internal Garda investigation whereas the recording revealed otherwise, according to sources.

A source close to Sgt McCabe last night claimed senior officers "tried to bury" him during the inquiry.

Sgt McCabe, who regularly recorded conversations with colleagues, was asked to submit the tapes by Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins, who headed the inquiry.

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Last night, Fianna Fail TD and former minister Willie O'Dea called on the Ms O'Sullivan to clarify claims that her legal team argued that Sgt McCabe was motivated by malice.

Mr O'Dea also said justice minister Frances Fitzgerald should be insisting on an explanation from Ms O'Sullivan.

"This is crying out for an explanation and it should be done without delay - it is very important that the public have confidence in the gardai," he told the Sunday Independent.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, who also called on the Commissioner to address the claims, is expected to demand answers from the justice minister in the Dail this week.

However, the Government yesterday maintained a wall of silence.

Ms Fitzgerald refused to comment and Taoiseach Enda Kenny's spokesman said he would not address what he "deemed to be allegations".

It comes as the Sunday Independent learned the Commissioner's right to make senior promotions within the force is to be given to the new Policing Authority sooner than had been expected.

It is understood that up to 70 appointments, including several at the top ranks of assistant commissioner and chief superintendent which are currently due to be filled, will now be overseen by the authority headed by former Revenue Commissioner Josephine Feehily.

A Government spokesman confirmed yesterday that the role of making appointments will pass to the Authority "at an early date".

Although the provision for overseeing appointments is in the legislation passed last year, it is understood that the imminent transfer of the powers came as a shock to many in Garda headquarters when it was learnt only last week.

Sgt McCabe's secret recording of a meeting with two officers led the Garda legal team to ultimately withdraw their claim he was motivated by "malice" in bringing forward his complaints about the force.

The Garda view that Sgt McCabe was motivated by "malice" came to light early in the hearings, in a letter from the Garda Commissioner's senior counsel outlining the evidence that would be produced to the inquiry.

The letter said the evidence would include an account from two officers of a meeting they had with Sgt McCabe. They claimed Sgt McCabe said at the meeting he was making his complaints because of "malice" he felt towards another senior officer.

It transpired that Sgt McCabe secretly recorded the meeting and gave the tape to the inquiry.

After examining it, Mr Justice O'Higgins found that the garda's allegation that Sgt McCabe said he was motivated by malice did not tally with what was recorded on the tape.

There is no record of these events in the final report of Mr Justice O'Higgins, although they are believed to be recorded in the transcripts of the hearings.

Mr Justice O'Higgins did refer indirectly to the "wrong" questioning of Sgt McCabe's motives.

"Some people, wrongly and unfairly, cast aspersions on Sgt McCabe's motives; others were ambivalent about them," the report said. It went on to say that Sgt McCabe acted out of legitimate concerns, that he had shown courage, and performed a genuine public service at considerable personal cost.

It also said he was a dedicated and committed garda who was "never less than truthful" in his evidence. He was a man of integrity and raised legitimate concerns about the force.

A spokesman said that under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, the Garda Commissioner cannot by law comment on any evidence or submission given to a judicial inquiry.

However, senior sources said after Sgt McCabe's recording came to the light, the judge asked for clarification from the Garda's legal team. It was "clarified" for the judge that the force was not questioning Sgt McCabe's integrity.

The source added that the O'Higgins report made no finding that gardai had presented false or misleading evidence to the tribunal. They said that Mr Justice O'Higgins had not recommended any disciplinary action against any member of the force.

Sgt McCabe routinely recorded his conversations with other gardai and officials as he came under pressure in his campaign to highlight poor standards and malpractice in the force.

A recording of his conversation with Oliver Connolly, the confidential recipient, was leaked to the media.

According to a leaked transcript of the alleged conversation, Mr Connolly told Sgt McCabe: "If [Minister Alan] Shatter thinks you're screwing him, you're finished."

In a statement last week, Mr Connolly said the taping was a "breach of confidence of a confidential discussion in my former role as confidential recipient".

The O'Higgins report was published last week. It found "many instances where the gardai failed in the performance of their duties" caused by "poor performance" and by "poor supervision". The report found Sgt McCabe's "hurtful" complaints of corruption against the then Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan to be without "a scintilla of evidence". His complaints made against a number of senior officers were also "unfounded" and gardai were "exonerated of wrongdoing".

The O'Higgins inquiry said Sergeant McCabe was "prone to exaggeration", and while some of his complaints were upheld, others were proven to be "overstated", "exaggerated", "unfounded" and ultimately "withdrawn".
The mother of a boy with cerebral palsy has spoken out against her frustration with the lack of available services and funding in Ireland for families of children with special needs.

Shauna Gallagher (35) from Cliffoney, Sligo, had prepared her son Rory to start school last Wednesday.

Days before, the little boy with cerebal palsy had accompanied his mother to Dunnes Stores where he picked out his lunch box and school bag and was looking forward to his big day.

Then Shauna received a text message from the HSE saying that Rory could not attend the local Montessori as planned because there wasn't adequate funding for a special needs assistant.

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The mother-of-three was devastated to learn that her little boy was being let down again after several earlier setbacks.

"I sat at the kitchen table and cried angry, bitter tears," said Shauna when speaking to Independent.ie

"It's been a battle since day one and I'm exhausted.

"We were told on April 28 that Rory had been accepted into the school and funding was provided for his special needs assistant. We'd been down to the school a number of times for interviews and to help Rory become familiar with his new setting. Everything seemed in order, as far as we were aware."

But then Shauna was advised that Rory needs two special needs assistants but the funding wasn't available.

He needs toilet assistance and child protection regulation states that two attendants are required.

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"I understand that's the law and believe me, I think it's a necessary law but why weren't we told this from the start? Why was it left until the very last minute?," said Shauna.

"Rory was so excited. He couldn't wait to start school. He was so upset when he found out that it wasn't happening. He couldn't understand."

Shauna and her husband Gerry (37) believe that the HSE wants to send their son to a special needs school in Sligo town, which is about 25km away from their home.

"They want him in a wheelchair and on a bus to go to the school in Sligo town. He doesn't have any intellectual disbilities. He should be able to receive a mainstream education. He has a right to it," said Shauna.

This is the latest disappointment in a long-line of battles that the Gallagher family have endured with the HSE.

Shauna, who worked for the HSE as an administrative clerical assistant for 14 years, says she has been battling with the organisation since Rory was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eight-months old.

Doctors in Ireland told the Gallagher family that their son would spend his life confined in a wheelchair. They also said he wouldn't learn to talk and would be legally blind.

"I knew there had to be other options so I did some research. I couldn't accept that this was my little boy's fate," said Shauna.

"I couldn't give up hope that something could be done."

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The Gallaghers and local community organised a series of fundraisers to cover the cost of surgery for Rory in a hospital in St Louis, Missouri in the US.

"HSE officials told me it wouldn't work. It was so negative. They tried to convince me that my son would never walk and this doctor would be unable to help. I even heard someone use the term 'witch doctor' at one stage," said Shauna.

Doctors in the St Louis hospital found that Rory had perfect vision in one eye and 14 per cent in the other. They also found that his vision could be improved between 40 and 60 per cent.

His legs, which had been locked like scissors, were straightened after neuro-surgery severed incorrect signals from the brain.

Rory can stand with aids and is taking steps. His vision has also improved and he can fully understand what people are saying to him and even attempts some words of his own.

The only aid equipment that the HSE provided was a used prone-stander made in 1989 which dad Gerry welded and painted.

The HSE told the family that they didn't have the funds for a gait-trainer (to enable Rory to practice walking), so the family purchased a Kaye walker mobility aid in the US and a Rifton pacer on ebay for 350.

They also purchased night splints which Rory wears to bed to keep his legs straight.

"We couldn't afford that equipment. We were blessed to have the support of our local community through fundraising," explained Shauna.

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Rory needs to return to the USA for further surgeries which will allow him further improve , he also requires a follow-up eye operation. The family are selling their Sligo home to afford the treatment.

"I am exhausted and suffering with depression but I can't give up.

"The HSE had my son wrote off but I've given him a real, beating chance at life," said Shauna.

"All I wish to do is enable him. I need to have Rory cared for in a caring, enabling environment. I want him to have his independence. I love him so much. He's a beautiful little boy and he brings me so much happiness but I want him to have the chances he deserves in life. It's not fair that we have to fight and beg for everything.

"I'm hurt and broken by the system," said Shauna.

The parents are looking to get their son into Ireland's only conductive education school (for children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders) Dungannon, Tyrone.

The couple's two children, Lily (11) and Kyle (16) have had to go without so much so that the family could provide for Rory.

"I wanted to sign Lily up for swimming lessons but we couldn't afford them. I know it's something small but she really wanted to learn. It's things like that. They adore their little brother but it's hard on them too," she said.

"I heard Brendan O'Connor on The Late Late Show on Friday night say there are about 15,000 children waiting for an assessment of needs in Ireland at the end of 2015.

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"I know it's true because Rory is one of those children.

"He has been on a waiting list for the Central Remedial Clinic for three-and-a-half years. That's no fault of the CRC. We have been fighting to get him a place there but he needs to be referred from our local Area Intervention Service," she said.

"The funding just isn't there for the services we need and it's heartbreaking. It's a constant struggle but as a mum I won't give up. Rory is so driven and determined and I want to see him walk."

Rory's goal is to walk into primary school and Shauna believes if he receives the necessary surgeries at the right time, her son can realise his dreams.

Boxers Katie Taylor, Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlon are taking part in the Hell and Back endurance test in October to raise funds for Rory.

"We've been blessed to get their support. They've been absolutely fantastic," said Shauna.

"Paddy even said that when he wins the gold in Rio [Olympics] he'll be wearing his Team Rory wrist band."

For those interested in donating or helping organise a fundraiser for Rory, please visit www.gofundme.com/roryswishtowalk
The country house market has remained extremely strong over the last 12 months with high demand for second homes, castles and good quality estates.

In 2015, 42pc of our country home buyers were from outside of Ireland. We saw two real categories of buyers - the first being the returning Irish, people who have done very well abroad and are returning home with sterling or dollars to take advantage of an attractive exchange rate. The second was the international buyer looking for a safe haven for a second home where they can switch off from their busy lives. According to our own research, 80pc of these transactions are cash purchases.

In the first four months of the year, I have noticed more US buyers, mainly looking for a holiday home or something a little different, or to say they own a piece of Irish soil. We are also noticing many European buyers looking at Ireland as a possible place to bring up their children. We have a long-established and successful education system for a fraction of the cost of our UK or European counterparts.

The great legacy of the last decade for this sector is that fine and great homes of all shapes and sizes and their surrounding lands have been restored and transformed into the magnificent properties they once were, now presenting good value for money.

Many have come to the market for a variety of reasons, not least as a consequence of the global economic downturn.

Like any sector in property, there will be buyers for value, both within Ireland and from overseas, and certainly there is value available at the moment. Land as a traditional producing commodity is now more affordable and this return to value is good news for Ireland. As always, not just here, but in the world at large, money seeks value, the bonus is finding that value in Ireland.

Land is still very much in demand. The more land with a residence, the more attractive it is to both domestic and international buyers. There are very few estates in Ireland over 500 acres and when do they do come to the market, they are actively pursued, such as The Kilcooley Estate in Thurles on c1,263 acres.

Additional factors making Ireland an attractive prospect for international buyers include our favourable stamp duty rates compared to those in the UK, lower property taxes, upgraded roads and motorways and ease of access to international airports at Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Waterford, Knock and Farranfore.

All in all, Ireland still remains an excellent safe haven to live. With easy access to the UK and Europe, excellent road and rail infrastructure, a fantastic education system and of course the friendliness of the Irish people.

Roseanne De Vere Hunt is head of Country Homes, Farms and Estates at Sherry FitzGerald (Irish affiliate of Christies International Real Estate)
With Newhall House in Ennis, Co Clare, selling agent David Ashmore, late of Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, has just launched his first property in his new role as MD for Ireland Sothebys International Realty. The property is thought to have been built to the design of renowned architect Francis Bindon, and still boasts many original features  though in need of restoration  including a music room with baroque-style organ, while the grounds include a picturesque ruined abbey, two folly gate lodges, lakes, mature woods and a quadrangle of farm buildings, all of which make it a good investment for those in the business of weddings or a deep-pocketed private buyer looking for the Downton experience. The property is just 26km from Shannon airport and is being jointly offered for auction with Owen Reilly, with an AMV for the house on 65 acres of 500,000; house on 294 acres, 1.55m and the entire lot on 310 acres, 1.7m. It goes under the hammer on June 9 at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis at 3pm.

Time to invest in the investors.

To the amazement of all and sundry this week, figures released by Daft.ie confirm the fact that rents in Ireland are now higher than they were at their peak in 2008. The average national rent is 1,006 per month. This figure has been on the rise since 2014 with annual rents increasing year on year by 10pc. Be under no illusion, this figure is going to continue upwards for the foreseeable future.

A normally functioning market in Ireland has three fundamental requirements, sufficient numbers of social/affordable homes, an annual supply of approximately 25,000 new housing units nationally and an adequate supply of private rented accommodation.

The role of addressing the homelessness and social housing crisis has been handed to the freshly appointed minister Simon Coveney, and with the housing waiting list at 140,000, it should keep him busy while preparing the promised '100-day housing strategy'. The supply of new housing is still playing catch up and even though the 25,000 required annually won't be achieved this year, it is expected to be up on the 12,000 units reached in 2015. Whether first-time buyers can secure finance is a separate issue.

Finally, we have a significant ongoing need for rental accommodation through private investors who contributed just 5pc of the 5bn total borrowed for housing in 2015. Currently 31pc of us live in rented accommodation and, if we stay in line with international trends, that percentage will rise. Private investors whether individuals or property professionals are a vital cog in the property wheel and if this is not addressed urgently, this crisis will only deepen. They must be encouraged back to the market, albeit in a controlled manner. While the priorities remain the provision of homes for the underprivileged and first-time buyers, it'd be remiss of the Government to ignore the importance of the private investor.

Country back in vogue?

During the downturn in the housing market, country homes were high up on the casualty list. In fact, I would say that decreases in value took second place only to development land which decreased by over 90pc in value. In the country homes market, those worst affected experienced decreases of up to 80pc, according to Marcus Magnier of Colliers International. "The market today is in a more positive frame of mind with many properties having experienced a rebound of 30pc from their lows of 2012, but this doesn't necessarily follow through once the price exceeds 1m."

One issue that's concerning purchasers is Brexit and most UK buyers are likely to sit tight until post Referendum.

The market in 2016 has seen a number of prime country homes and trophy properties come to market (see 10 Most Expensive Country Homes on page 4) including Westport House, Castlehyde in Fermoy (Michael Flatley's palatial home) and Glin Castle in Limerick. While the market has improved, a real challenge for purchasers can be sourcing finance as lenders are less keen on this type of security with little or no regular return or income likely and the only likely upside being capital appreciation.

As a result, many such properties are purchased without finance. According to a report just released by Savills, 85pc of their country homes sales over the last three years have been cash transactions. The single biggest deal in each of the last three years was a cash deal from either a UK or US-based purchaser. According to Harriet Grant, head of Country Homes in Savills: "Buyers at the top end of the spectrum highlight location as a top priority." Where do most potential purchasers want to buy? Within striking distance of the largest cities, with the two most popular counties being Wicklow and Cork.

According to another long-time specialist in country homes, Robert Ganly of Ganly Walters: "The dominant factor in the market for country houses is the strength of the overseas buyer. There was a lack of stock at the start of the year due to the record sales in 2015."

Overall, it seems, the market remains positive with real value available to those with the readies.

Paul Hannon's new home in New Homes

The demand for new homes in Cork is second only to Dublin nationally. In each of the last five years there has been a shortfall in the delivery of new homes in Cork city of up to 800 units. A gentle recovery is at last under way with planning application figures already up significantly in 2016, albeit off a low base. Alongside this and, as highlighted last week, a large land bank owned by Cairn Homes, which was purchased as part of Project Cleare last year, is now being marketed and attracting significant interest from both local developers and further afield. The average price of a typical three-bed starter home in Cork ranges from 260-310,000, depending on its location.

No doubt, Sherry FitzGerald has noted this growth in the market - they announced the appointment this week of Paul Hannon as director of New Homes, Cork. Paul will work alongside Sheila O'Flynn, who has led the Cork business for 17 years, and Ivan Gaine, who is head of New Homes nationally. With 15 years at Lisney in development services, sales and strategic property advice, Paul has many years' experience in the property sector in Ireland. He also spent four years with an international development company specialising in mixed developments in both the UK and Ireland.

Interest rates sliding downwards - slowly

Two of the main residential lenders in the Irish marketplace, AIB and KBC, announced reductions to their variable lending rates this week. Even so, the rates in Ireland still fall well short of those in other European countries.

Take the new AIB variable rate which will be 3.4pc from July 1, a figure of over 3.4pc above the base EU lending rate of 0pc. Compare that with the current Bank of Ireland rate of 4.5pc. The average variable rate in the main EU states currently is 2pc, while Ireland's average variable rate is in the region of 4pc. Most of the major lenders in Ireland are now back in profit and open for business again. In recent years, Irish banks seemed to be looking to lend only to cast-iron low-risk borrowers. The appetite of the banks is healthier than it was 24 months ago but they are still being stymied by the onerous Central Bank borrowing requirements.

We will probably continue to see further reductions of between 0.1-0.3pc in rates over the coming months from all the lenders because of increased competition in the Irish mortgage market as new providers enter the market, pressure from the Central Bank, and the healthier financial position banks now find themselves in.

The ECB rate, which currently hovers around 0pc, is expected to stay at this level for the short to medium term to limit deflationary pressures in Europe. For every 0.25pc of a reduction on a 25-year 300,000 home loan, repayments reduce by 41 per month.
Mary O'Brien, CEO of the Irish Landmark Trust, recalls the restoration of one their most popular buildings, the Wicklow Lighthouse. "I remember being in Wicklow when we took it on and there was a floor-and-a-half of bird droppings," she says. "It had been empty since the early 1800s."

Unlike most restoration projects, which retain some sense of their former layout, the Wicklow Lighthouse was never a home, just a tower and a wooden stairway to the roof, where 20 tallow candles burned. So the architect on the project, Maura Shaffrey, one of Ireland's foremost conservation architects, had a clean slate, rare in a conservation build.

"The architect took a very creative approach to it. Each bedroom has a different ceiling. One has a domed ceiling, and another has a flat ceiling. Down on the ground floor, the walls are at least six feet thick so we were able to cut out a guest WC in the walls of the tower where a window had been."

The rebuild was installed floor by floor, with the next connecting steel staircase being added in bit by bit, as each new level was completed. The bedrooms are lower down, with the living room and kitchen at the top, taking advantage of the panoramic views.

"In a nutshell, our purpose is the conservation of Ireland's architecture," Mary O'Brien says. When the organisation was established, in 1992, there was little in the way of protection for heritage buildings. It was set up to answer a perceived need "to save buildings", explains Mary, who has worked with the Trust since its foundation. "It was clear that throughout the country, buildings were being neglected or demolished."

Employees of the Trust travelled the country, identifying sites in need of help. Amongst the 26 properties currently run by the trust are castles, towers, gate-lodges, a Georgian townhouse, a mews, a lighthouse, a restored mill and several lighthouse keepers' cottages. Alongside the perennial favourite Wicklow Lighthouse, the tiny Merrion Mews in Dublin 4 and Helen's Tower in Co Down are two of the most popular properties.

Unlike other conservation projects, the Trust doesn't preserve the buildings to be viewed by the public from the other side of a velvet rope. Instead, they conserve and update these architecturally interesting buildings with modern comforts - electricity, heating, showers, and then rent them as short-term let holiday homes, working "particularly with the smaller properties which can get overlooked", says Mary.

Now, with increased legal protections on such structures, owners tend to contact the trust about taking over a site, typically on a 50-year lease. "They may not have the expertise or the finance," Mary explains.

Working on a conservation project is a labour of love for all involved. For starters, it tends to take longer and cost more than a new build. And it involves "a real challenge", according to architect Eamonn Monaghan from Keys & Monaghan Architects - installing the levels of comfort expected by a modern holidaymaker while staying true to the original nature of the building.

Eamonn has worked on several projects for the Trust, including Annaghmore Schoolhouse in Sligo and the CIL (Commissioners of Irish Lights) lightkeepers' cottages in Co Donegal. "Every building is different; every building demands a different response. You can't just make a uniform solution that will fit all," says Eamonn.

Making an old building work for 21st Century requirements is tricky. Adding wires and pipes into hollow ceilings or through six foot thick walls is not easy, nor is complying with fire safety regulations, reconfiguring a heritage building to provide universal access, or finding crafts people who have specialist skills such as lime rendering.

"It's getting hard to find people skilled in that area but the ones that you do find are disciples," Eamonn says of the contractors who work on this sort of project.

Normally, a project begins with a period of extensive research about the building, what its last use was, how it was constructed, the materials used.

And then there's the specific needs for each type or location of building. Working on the lightkeepers' cottages in Donegal was typical. "We had to just strip it back, and then look at reasonable levels of accommodation for tourists," he says. "They're both two bedroom houses, with very generous living accommodation. But also because of the particular location of St John's Point, which is famous for its diving, we have provided external showers. So it's slightly different from other accommodations. More suited to outdoor types."

When the recession began, government funding to the Irish Landmark Trust was cut, so today, beyond what they receive from the Heritage Council, the trust relies on charitable donations and the money raised from rentals.

Two years ago they launched the Irish Landmarker initiative, which for an annual contribution (150, 300 or 500) gives you various perks, including discounts on holidays with the trust and entry into a monthly raffle for a weekend for two, as well as entry to a community dedicated to protecting some of our most beautiful structures.

"We've got something unique that nobody else has," Eamonn reflects, summing up the appeal of properties looked after by the Trust. "The satisfaction of bringing new life to an older protected structure is immense."

The Irish Landmark Trust, (01) 670 4733; Irishlandmark.com
Arriving next month is an all new car from Suzuki that should appeal to the more grown up drivers as much as the younger set, who are the main devotees of the super mini-class of vehicle.

The Baleno is a size bigger than the well-regarded Swift and comes with equipment on the entry level model that will shock many rivals - and it has a brand new 1-litre Boosterjet petrol engine that Suzuki engineers claim has the equivalent level of power and torque as a normally aspirated 1.8 litre unit.

But while the 3-cylinder power plant may be the star attraction, the level of equipment on the entry level SZ-T model will force rivals to up their game to compete. It comes with 16'' alloy wheels, HID headlights, air conditioning, Sat/Nav, DAB radio, rear privacy glass and Bluetooth, steering wheel controls, seven-inch touchscreen, reversing camera, front fog lights, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink, leather steering wheel, follow-me-home lights and trip computer. A lot of bang for your buck at under 18,000.

The top grade ST-5 adds safety features such as adaptive cruise control, radar brake support and LED rear lights with automatic climate control, keyless entry and keyless start, and electric rear windows. The step-up price is an extra 1,500.

The big interest to the younger driver will be the amount of punch the tiny engine can put out. The 110bhp turbocharged unit with 105g/Km C02 emissions and 117Nm of torque on tap reaches peak at 2,000 rpm when the high combustion efficiency of Boosterjet technology kicks in as fuel goes through a greater atomisation process for improved combustion. It delivers an instant spurt of speed, great for overtaking, and also reduces the amount of gear-changing required.

Suzuki claims over 64 mpg in its test figures but drivers may never reach this level as the Baleno is fun to drive and encourages high revving travel.

The manual transmission is a five-speed box but an extra gear would be useful for cutting fuel consumption and engine noise on motorways.

Good room up front and more than adequate for two adults in the rear, the Baleno has a lightweight design which makes the car seem more energetic. The interior trim has some hard plastics and some rivals have brighter interiors but seats are supportive if somewhat on the firm side. Overall an agile and nippy fun car to drive with light steering.

Suzuki plans to sell 250 models this year and 400 in a full year through its 23 dealerships.

Also to be launched at the same time is a mild hybrid Baleno SHVS with a 1.2 litre Dualjet engine with stop/start technology and just 95g/km C02 at 18,995. This is the first foray in to the hybrid market and more versions can be expected in the next few years.

On the way from the Japanese firm is a small crossover which may be called the Ignis, which will appear at the Paris Motor show later this year. It is expected to arrive in January. There will be a new Swift next April, a new S-Cross in October and a Vitara in September.
Colossal car insurance rates are preventing emigrants from returning home because they are treated like "first-time drivers" all over again, the Sunday Independent has learned.

Motor insurance experts say the spiralling cost of comprehensive cover could have a major impact on Taoiseach Enda Kenny's intention to lure 70,000 emigrants back by 2020.

Emigrants who have been gone for more than two years are being told that their 'no claims bonus' no longer applies as it is "impossible" for insurance companies to check the driving records of clients that have been living abroad.

One expat, who has been living in Melbourne for the last five years, says he is reconsidering plans to move home after being quoted an insurance rate of 5,400 for a 2004 Audi A4 - a car worth an estimated 4,000. He was paying just 450 for car insurance on the same car before leaving in 2010.

Conor Faughnan, director of consumer affairs at AA Ireland, says although the price of cover has gone up across the board, returning emigrants are bearing the brunt. "In essence, people returning from overseas are getting treated as if they are first-time drivers all over again because it becomes impossible for an insurer to check their status," he said.

"If you have a big gap on your record, the insurance companies can't see what your penalty points record is, can't see what your claims history is, and because they have no data, they sort of have to assume the worst, so you get rated as if you have a poor claims history or poor penalty points status," he said.

"It feels unfair and there is no doubt that it is harsh on people. It's something that you've got to factor in as one of the hidden costs of returning home," he said.

Although Mr Faughnan says insurers deserve a lot of criticism for their behaviour over the last 12 months, he says their treatment of returning emigrants is "somewhat justified".

"To some degree, an excessive insurance premium is understandable. They're blind to the data, they can't see their history. They've got no access to their insurance record or police records, they can't confirm anything," he said.

Eimear Beattie, president of Irish Families in Perth, says concerns about car insurance have been raised by a multitude of emigrants planning to move home.

"It is emerging as a major barrier for five-year planners with families. Many fear they would be better off here than go back, due to this issue," she said.

Mr Faughnan says the insurance companies should be doing a lot more to reduce the motor insurance burden.

"Let's be realistic, Australia is a country that legally and culturally is quite similar to Ireland, there isn't even a language barrier. It is presumably readily possible to be able to properly check if a driver has a clean history and they should be looking at ways to do that," he said.

"They didn't even have to switch sides of the road so they may be on the other side of the globe but really they haven't travelled very far at all," he said.

Piaras Mac Einri, lecturer in migration studies at University College Cork, says far too little attention is being paid to the general costs of returning home.

"Would-be return emigrants face multiple hurdles now, notably in housing, insurance, transferability of pension rights and rising costs for health care which in most cases will be inferior than that available in the countries where they are now," he said.

"Cutbacks in pay levels and uncertainty in contract terms mean that in certain cases there can be considerable gaps in wages and prospects elsewhere and here. These are powerful incentives for staying away," he said.

Marie-Claire McAleer, head of research and policy at the National Youth Council of Ireland, is calling on the new Government to prioritise and tackle the obstacles that returning expats face.

"It is really important that return migrants are welcomed back to Ireland and that their transition is as smooth as possible," she said.

"Although work has been done to address some of the barriers to return experienced by young Irish emigrants, many challenges remain," she said.

"The imposition of costly penalties, like car insurance, serves to both inhibit the prospect of return and make returning to Ireland more difficult. In order to encourage, support and facilitate return migration back to Ireland, these issues need to be resolved," she said.
There are few cars that can be considered truly game-changing, but the Toyota Prius is one. It was almost 20 years ago that the Prius spawned the hybrid revolution and since then these pioneers have been continuously rewriting the rulebook. Now in its fourth generation, the Prius is lighter, stronger and more dynamic than the car it replaces but in 20 years the market has changed, so has Toyota done enough to stay ahead of the competition?

While still the familiar Prius, the new car gets a sportier styling and is now longer, lower and wider and based on the new TNGA, or Toyota New Global Architecture, platform for higher quality and rigidity. Overall it's a much smarter looking vehicle with hints of Toyota's hydrogen Mirai model.

At the rear, sharp character lines and a coordinated LED light cluster add to the car's striking hybrid presence, but that presence is at best distinctive and at worst polarising so it's not going to appeal to everyone - but then Prius buyers have always made a statement about being environmentally friendly.

Inside, the new cabin is more upmarket with a modern, almost space-age, feel. The instrument panel is now housed in the centre of the dash. However, some of the fittings feel a little cheap, particularly the shiny white centre console.

The smaller battery has been moved to under the rear seat, helping to lower the centre of gravity and free up luggage space, bringing the boot size to over 500 litres - but as a result, headroom in the back is a little tight though the rear seats can split 60/40 and fold down.

It is now even greener than before; the 1.8 petrol engine has been tweaked and Toyota reckons you will get 94.1mpg (3litres/100km) and emit just 70g/km of CO2 emissions, so road tax is 170.

The most noticeable change from the previous version is that it is now much better to drive thanks in part to the new platform and feels much more agile with more precise steering. The improvements to the centre of gravity are evident when cornering as it is noticeably more responsive, stable and changes to the suspension make it a comfortable and smoother drive.

Even the CVT gear box has improved, it doesn't make quite the same droning noise as it did but it's still not particularly appealing.

Prices for the new Prius start at 31,450 for the entry level, while the Prius Luxury Spec starts at 33,550. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, 15ins alloys, front fogs, air con, rear-view camera, 7ins multimedia, touchscreen and Toyota Safety Sense. Trade up the Luxury spec to add 17ins alloys, dualzone air con, heated front seats, wireless phone charger, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.

Endorsed by celebrity A-listers, the Prius became the world's best-selling petrol-electric hybrid. But two decades later the market is a much more crowded one and the Toyota Prius is no longer the only hybrid in the village. There are now fuel-sipping alternatives from a range of car makers and even a frugal diesel is a competitor.

The Prius name has become synonymous with Toyota and hybrid technology and this Prius is the best version to date. Despite the increased competition, it is still the car to beat in the green car market and will continue to be the benchmark against which rivals are measured.
Tim Martin, the 61-year-old Northern Irishman behind giant pub chain JD Wetherspoon, this week emerged as one of the biggest financial backers of the Brexit campaign.

The pub baron, who has five bars here in the Republic, insists that a vote to leave the EU on June 23 will not affect his chain's ambitious expansion plans here.

He told Review that he will continue with plans to have 30 pubs in the Republic, even if there is a vote for Brexit in the referendum.

"If we vote to leave, it will make no difference whatsoever to our plans in Ireland," says Martin (above), who has amassed a fortune estimated at over 300m from his chain, which now has more than 900 pubs.

The businessman confirmed that he has given 250,000 to the Vote Leave campaign as it prepares for the Brexit referendum.

Asked if he thought Brexit would make it more difficult to trade in Ireland, he says no.

"I don't think so. If you look at the successful companies in the catering trade, universally they are American.

"McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King trade very successfully in Ireland and they are not from the EU. Not one business from EU countries in the pub and restaurant trade has been as successful as the Americans at opening in other countries.

"It is really a shaggy-dog story to say that it would make a difference, because Britain's biggest trading partner is the United States."

The casually-attired Martin grew up in Northern Ireland and New Zealand, and his father worked as a Guinness rep in Derry.

He set up his first pub in London almost four decades ago when he became bored of studying law at university.

"What bloody awful pubs they've got in London. Bugger it, I'll open my own pub," he recalls thinking to himself.

The Watford-based Wetherspoon chain now has annual sales of almost 2bn, and employs 35,000 staff.

Martin's entry into the pub market on this side of the border in 2014 has shaken up the bar trade, as the Wetherspoon pubs compete fiercely on price.

So what motivated the pub baron to join the Brexiteers and put his money where his mouth is?

"My main point is that democracy is vital for prosperity and freedom... If you look around the world, the countries with the highest levels of freedom and prosperity, apart from a few Gulf oil states, are democracies.

"In the EU, democracy is slowly being removed. It has moved from being a Common Market towards being a union."

Martin believes that the laws of the EU are instigated by the European Commission, which is not elected, and cannot be deselected by voters.

"The EU is heading in the wrong direction. We should have a common market and we should have good relations with the EU," he says.

The Wetherspoon founder insists Brexit should not affect workers moving between Britain and Ireland.

"I personally think we should have mobility of labour, as Ireland and Britain had for many decades before they were in the EU."

Martin says the US example is a good one for Ireland, because it enshrines democracy and freedom in its constitution.

"Millions of Irish people have gone to North America to live," says the businessman. "They haven't gone to South America, where democracy is shaky."

Martin has repeatedly argued that businesses are hampered by red tape from Brussels.

"The regulations from the EU make it extremely confusing, because I don't think many people know where Brussels laws and regulations end and national laws start. It's chaotic."
It will be one hundred years ago tomorrow since that Knight of the Realm and Irish Rebel Roger Casement walked into a London courtroom to face trial for treason. It would end predictably with a death sentence, but will be remembered too for a speech from the dock that would reverberate across the world.

The other executed rebels of the Rising had been court-martialled, denying them the opportunity to make a speech from the dock. Casement's civil trial afforded him the opportunity to explain his motivations and make the case that as an Irishman he should not have been charged with treason against the English Crown.

"My 'treason' was based on a ruthless sincerity that forced me to attempt in time and season to carry out in action what I said in word," he argued.

"If small nationalities were to be the pawns in this game of embattled giants, I saw no reason why Ireland should shed her blood in any cause but her own, and if that be treason beyond the seas I am not ashamed to avow to it or to answer for it here with my life."

His speech echoed around the globe. Pandit Nehru, later PM of India, wrote: "It seemed to point out exactly how a subject nation should feel."

Casement had been captured when he landed on Banna Strand in Kerry on the morning of Good Friday 1916, two days before the insurrection scheduled for Easter Sunday. Captured with him were almost two thousand rifles transported on the Aud for distribution to the rebels.

The seizure of the arms was a massive setback, and a major factor in the cancellation of the Rising throughout most of the country. Casement, in fact, had landed in the hope of persuading the leaders to postpone their rebellion, confident that with a little more time he could persuade the Germans to land troops on Irish soil.

From the moment of his capture, Casement's fate was all but sealed. The British authorities took a particularly dim view of his involvement with the Rising, as for two decades he had been regarded as a staunch pillar of the Establishment.

Coming from good Anglo-Irish stock, his father had served as a captain in the King's Own Regiment of Dragoons. By the time of the Rising, Casement himself enjoyed international celebrity status as a human rights campaigner, having been knighted in 1911 for his work exposing the plight of Amazonian indians at the hands of white slavers.

Before South America, Casement had made his reputation as a thorn in the side of the monstrous King of Belgium, Leopold II, who was inflicting a savage reign of terror on the Congo. In the mid-1880s, the great powers of Europe convened at the Berlin Conference to carve up the continent of Africa.

Little Belgium was not a great power, but the avaricious Leopold was determined to grab a piece of empire for himself. At the Berlin Conference, he proposed that Belgium would found and oversee a Congo Free State to improve the lives of the natives.

Under the cover of this supposedly noble enterprise, Leopold raped the Congo. He enslaved millions into forced labour, extracting a fortune in ivory and rubber. Historians differ on how many natives died under Leopold's brutal regime, but a figure of some ten million is widely accepted. Leopold's mercenary Force Publique instigated the foul punishment - seen during the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s - of chopping off the hands of transgressors.

Roger Casement arrived into the Congo as the Belgian king prepared his land-grab. The Irishman joined the African International Association of Henry Morton Stanley, already famous for greeting a missing explorer with the line: "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"

Casement quickly realised that Stanley's Association was a flimsy front for Leopold's evil exploitation of the land. Casement ran into the Polish writer Joseph Conrad and they compared notes on the appalling treatment of the natives by the Belgian colonists.

In 1899, Conrad published his devastating critique, Heart of Darkness, which exposed the racism and savagery of white imperialists. Conrad's novel would be transposed to the big screen many decades later by Francis Ford Coppola as Apocalypse Now.

In 1903, now a senior diplomat in the British Colonial Service, Casement was commissioned to investigate human rights in Leopold's Congo Free State. He spent weeks travelling about the Congo Basin interviewing enslaved native workers, their overseers and even the mercenaries of the hated Force Publique.

The result was The Casement Report published in 1904. Packed with devastating eyewitness statements, the report laid bare "the enslavement, mutilation and torture of natives on the rubber plantations". The impact of Casement's report was swift and powerful.

Lobby groups came together across Europe and the United States to put pressure on Belgium, while governments demanded reform. As a direct result of Casement's investigation, the Belgian parliament conducted its own investigation, resulting in the Belgian State seizing the Congo from Leopold's personal grasp and setting up a more humane administration in the renamed Belgian Congo.

On leave in Ireland in 1904-5, Casement joined the Gaelic League and Sinn Fein. After retiring from the consular service in 1913, he immersed himself in republican activity, co-writing the manifesto of the Irish Volunteers with Eoin MacNeill.

After the start of the Great War, Casement travelled widely, fundraising in the US and attempting to solicit armed help from the Germans. Before, during and after his trial, the British government covertly circulated photographed passages from Casement's so-called Black Diaries in which he detailed his secret life as an enthusiastic homosexual.

The prevailing consensus of experts is that the diaries are genuine. Intended to blacken his image, the diaries didn't deter figures including WB Yeats, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and George Bernard Shaw from pleading for clemency.

Dubliner Shaw - already world famous, and on his way to becoming the only individual to win both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar - even offered to script a defence for Casement, but Casement politely turned him down, a decision he was said to have later regretted.

Predictably his appeal failed, and he became the last of the Easter Rising leaders to meet the executioner.
A remaining German tower on a Normandy beach is a reminder of what could have been if D-Day ended differently.

From the D-Day landings to fine dining and delicious home cooking, Normandy brings past and present together in a fantastic French getaway.

Roam in Rouen

Stretching alongside the River Seine, Rouen is Normandy's historic capital and its stunning Gothic cathedral dominates the landscape (it's the city's best-loved building and well worth a visit). In contrast, the modern Church of Joan of Arc is also striking.

It rises over the Place du Vieux-Marche, where the saint was burned at the stake in 1341. Dine at La Couronne (lacouronne.com.fr) - dating from 1345 - it's where Julia Child enjoyed "the most exciting meal of my life". Try the Normandy cheese board.

How: rouenturisme.com

Tour the beaches

Expand Close A remaining German tower on a Normandy beach is a reminder of what could have been if D-Day ended differently. / Facebook

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Whatsapp A remaining German tower on a Normandy beach is a reminder of what could have been if D-Day ended differently.

Normandy's beaches aren't just for sunbathing.

At daybreak on June 6, 1944, Allied Forces stormed these sands in the biggest amphibious invasion in history - they were, of course, fighting the Nazis.

Five historic beaches include Juno, Utah and Omaha, with guided tours available from the nearby town of Bayeux - where you can also see the famous tapestry.

Giant German towers along the coast serve as a chilling reminder of what could have been had D-Day ended differently.

How: normandie-tourisme.fr

Visit Wilde Kitchen

Expand Close Legendary apple tarts: Dubliner and cook Sinead Allart (nee Wilde). / Facebook

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Whatsapp Legendary apple tarts: Dubliner and cook Sinead Allart (nee Wilde).

A beautifully restored farmhouse at Benoitville is the home of vivacious Dubliner and cook Sinead Allart (nee Wilde). Located just 20km from Cherbourg, Allart operates a charming bed and breakfast and cookery school.

Guests can sign up for one to six-day courses in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Her apple tart is legendary. If the meals served up here are a testament to Sinead, then the cheeky, three-legged cat, Tom, is proof of the skills of her husband, the Belgian-born vet, Philippe.

How: wildekitchen.net; from 165pp

Check into Chateau La Cheneviere

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This 18th-century mansion and farm at Port-en-Bessin is now a luxurious hotel nestled in the Normandy countryside. Set just 3km from the D-Day beaches, it was occupied by the Nazis in WWII and later taken over by the Americans.

It was fully restored in 1988 and won the Conde Nast Johansens award for best countryside hotel in 2016. Chef Didier Robin's restaurant is inspired by traditional and regional recipes.

How: lacheneviere.com; rooms from 260 in high season

Don't miss

The cows! Normande cattle are beautiful creatures with their characteristic panda eyes or 'lunettes'. But they're not just pretty faces... their milk produces Camembert, one of Normandy's biggest exports.
You will be spoiled for choice around St Chinian.

Languedoc-Roussillon is a luscious spot for a foodie break, says food writer Trish DeSeine.

Why Languedoc?

It's a wildly beautiful region of France, a little rough around the edges, but its wine industry is rapidly transforming itself to challenge the cooperatives and the globalised market threatening to destroy small producers - and the wine itself.

The local produce is simple, but abundant and fabulously good and fresh if (like everywhere in Europe) you choose your market, butcher or greengrocers carefully and avoid the big supermarkets.

What should I pack?

Sturdy walking shoes, a well-stocked Kindle and an alarm clock (you need to get up early if you insist on going to the beach and want to beat the traffic). Oh, and lots of good wine research!

First thing to do?

Head to La Cave St Martin in Roquebrun (lacavesaintmartin.fr) for tapas and wine on its shady terrasse overlooking the Orb. Enjoy the scenery, and insider knowledge on the region's natural wines.

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Best food and drink?

Learn to cook (and eat and drink!) like a native at one of Martin Dwyer's residential cookery courses in his, and wife Sile's, beautiful old Presbytere maison d'hote in Murviel les Beziers (lepresbytere.net).

In Beziers, Pas comme les Autres natural wine and tapas bar (pascommelesautres-beziers.com) was recently opened by young sommelier and native Bitterois Romain Henry Niess. Romain spent quite a few years in London, working with Gordon Ramsay and Claude Bosi and there's no better man to guide you (in perfect English!) through the exciting Languedoc natural wine scene.

My favourite restaurants are the dreamy St Barth (lestbarth.com), just outside Marseillan, where you eat its exquisite oysters at the edge of long wooden pontoons which stretch out towards the oyster beds.

In Sete, Anne Majourel's La Coquerie (annemajourel.fr) has no menu, just her inspiration from the famous local fish market of the day.

What should I avoid?

I'm not much of a beach person at the best of times, but find the beaches of the region particularly unappealing. Head instead for luxury at the beautiful, peaceful pool at Chateau Les Carrasses in Capestang (lescarrasses.com) or the pool and spa at its 'little brother', Chateau St Pierre de Serjac (serjac.com) near Puissalicon.

What should I bring home?

A well scribbled notebook of new wine discoveries (find them in Ireland thanks to MaryPawleWines.com or Languedoc-Outsiders.com when you come home).

Trish's food shopping tips

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For food shopping, youll be spoiled for choice with markets around St Chinian  especially St Chinian itself on Sunday morning.

Nearby, the best indoor/outdoor markets are magnificent Pezenas, Sete and Narbonne Halles where amongst the superb produce, you can pick out seafood, hams, tieilles and pizzas and have them cooked and served for you at tables in the aisles.

In Sete particularly, the bars and bistros serve great food from midday onwards. It makes for a fantastically colourful and lively outing, mingling with groups of local friends and families chatting noisily and playing cards.

Pols pick

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Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) starts a new, twice-weekly service from Dublin to Montpellier from May 20. Pastis serves a fabulous set menu, just off the pretty Place St Anne  dinner from 37.50 with three glasses of wine for 20. See pastis-restaurant.com.

Trish Deseine's bakery apartment in Cazouls-les-Beziers is on airbnb.ie from 50 per night. See also trishdeseine.com.
My Week: Conor McGregor*

Monday: I wake up. Although, of course, I have not actually been asleep. No, no, my friend. Not in the way that other, mere mortal people sleep. Instead I have trained myself to metaphysicise; I have transmorgorified, I have metamorphisitised, I have fundamentally reimagined a way of resting my body, so that I am consciously wrestling with the inner movements of my muscles, even as my body believes it is sleeping. And while I do dat, my amigo, I am also full of the most beautiful feelings and emotions. My woman, my girl, the future first Lady of Ireland and myself, did go and promenade the town last night, with a pint of Guinness and my very good friend and training partner, Artem "The Russian Hammer" Lobov.
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Colm McCarthy Opinion Free money is not the way to head off a crisis

Managing the macro economy involves three perspectives. These are the short-term  the next six months or a year; the medium-term  the next four or five years; and the long-term  the issues that demand to be addressed decades in advance. From the perspective of Irish governments in recent times, only the short-term merits attention, with the medium-term left to the civil service and the long-term to sporadic commissions and academic worrywarts.
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New hospital for a tenner may come at too high a price

The Taoiseach is under a lot of pressure  the kind of pressure that leads to costly mistakes. It perhaps explains why he has been saying things that are not quite true. Micheal Martin is in a tight political corner. From all sides hes being told he has to get the contract signed for the new National Maternity Hospital.
The Gerry Adams's study in comparative suffering between northern Catholics, the oppressed of Apartheid South Africa and civil rights-era African-Americans reflects something different to a confused meandering about history. Nor is he simply indulging a national gift for exceptionalism. This is not just about Catholics and their suffering, but the exceptional company in which Sinn Fein associates have sometimes placed Adams. By their reasoning he stands with Nelson Mandela. According to his own view of the past, he not only belongs in the same company as civil rights hero Rosa Parks, but among the millions sold into slavery, the whipped, degraded, raped and murdered of America's pre-Civil War southern states. Can he really be so convinced of this that he will tweet the toxic N-word?

Adams is an intelligent and very calculating man. He proved this in the role he played to bring peace, and in the Provos' long war. Details to follow. At some future point.

I wonder if the ghosts of the past are not rattling the gates here. It is significant that his widely condemned comments come in the middle of the long season of Irish anniversaries - the Rising, the War of Independence, the Civil War. A man of his age is looking to the judgement of posterity. At some point the younger generation of Sinn Fein leaders will surely decide it is time for him to move on and enjoy a fruitful retirement divided between Belfast and some part of Donegal where there is no access to wifi.

Even in these days it must be possible to find a bungalow in the wilds that will free him from the pressures of the daily tweet. He might content himself with raising bees and walking the dog. This "man of war, man of peace" - as described by my colleague Mark Devonport - has ghosts of his own who propel the narrative of invidious comparison. So do most people who have been involved in war, especially one as brutally intimate as the conflict in the North. But only Gerry Adams and a few close colleagues know the detail and extent of his involvement. He knows that in this age - unlike the age of Revolution - certain unpleasant truths may be revealed in his own lifetime, and almost certainly afterwards. He has long faced accusations - routinely denied - about his involvement at the most senior levels of the IRA at the time it carried out some of its worst atrocities.

I imagine him visualising his place on a sunlit summit with his arms around the shoulders of Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. But this is not what the judgement of history, in this age of leak, revelation and more sceptical thinking, is going to deliver. There will be no repeat of the myth-making of the revolutionary period, no gods made of men, as was the case with Dev and Collins.

Back in the mid-1980s, I lived in Belfast, but was beginning to specialise in South Africa. I travelled to the country first in 1984 and witnessed apartheid in all its indignity. I went to live there after Mandela left jail and the country began its bloody march towards democracy. I saw it go from a time of dehumanising segregation that reached into every part of black people's lives - the complete denial of democratic and human rights, the age of massacre and death squads - to the election of Mandela as the first leader of a non-racial democracy. It was very different from the Belfast I left behind.

The Catholic population of the state of Northern Ireland certainly suffered under unionist rule. Read Michael Farrell's excellent The Orange State for a primer on institutionalised sectarianism in the era leading up to the first civil rights demonstrations. It is also fact that the Republic for decades did little about this suffering. From the end of the Civil War, the platitudes about national unity were just platitudes, often mouthed by Republican heroes. For the most part the governments of the Republic muttered but did little to advance the rights of their co-religionists up North. Then came Lemass and O'Neill and what might have been the beginnings of something. We need not rehearse here the reasons for failure, except that they remind us of the toxic power of bigotry and the terrifying consequences of armed nationalisms - plural intended - in a religiously divided society.

For people like me who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s , the North was sitting down to tea with the news in the background: a body found on a Border road, a Catholic found butchered in an alley off the Shankill Road, a part-time member of the UDR killed in front of his family, and Paisley on television, a sudden splash of vinegar in our faces. For the most part, the Southern mindset was partitionist. We did not wish to know. Whatever was happening was happening somewhere else. Occasionally an atrocity by one side or another would unite us in condemnation. But then back to the routine business of scarcely noticed funerals. I was often reminded of this by people I met on the Falls Road or in the small villages where triumphalist Orange marches reminded them each summer of who had won and lost in a long-ago battle.

Partition has a long history in the southern mind. Go back to the great campaigns of Daniel O'Connell and Charles Stewart Parnell and you find that in their outlook the north-east was essentially a separate place, good for rhetorical jousting and occasional political forays - O'Connell once staged an abortive political invasion of Ulster - but not much more.

The Catholics of the Falls Road and Derry found their Southern cousins a distant bunch, the kind who might be glad to send a Christmas card but heaven forbid you should turn up on their front door expecting a cup of tea.

In the South, people supported whatever measures governments of all hues took to deal with those we called 'subversives'. Hangings, deaths by hunger strike, special courts and brutality in garda cells. Remember the 'Heavy Gang'? Our craving for security was born in part out of the fear of chaos induced by the vicious Civil War. Never again would an armed insurrection by a minority be allowed to challenge the will of a democratically elected government. Those days are behind us. But the legacy to define and describe them accurately is only beginning. That is why Gerry Adams is so preoccupied by comparison with Civil Rights America and Apartheid South Africa.

Each situation was different, with some similarities. Contrast and learn, yes. But abandon this pointless exercise in comparison. The ones with a right to a place on a sunlit summit are those who kept faith in living as decent human beings. They stayed and took care of their families. They worked for small cross-community groups, mourned murdered friends from the 'other' tradition. They believed in peace from the beginning. They were the majority.

Fergal Keane is a BBC Special Correspondent
Maurice McCabe approached this newspaper first with his complaints about what he claimed was corruption and mismanagement in the Bailieboro District after we published an article about alleged misbehaviour and lack of supervision of young gardai.

Bailieboro was not named in the inside page article, for legal reasons, but the description of the events and activities of young gardai would have made it clear to those in the know that some of the events described in the article had taken place in the Cavan-Monaghan Division.

McCabe merely confirmed details of the report but then went on to make very serious allegations against senior gardai. These were investigated by the Sunday Independent over a period of some months and found to be baseless. Contact with McCabe ended after a series of calls and two meetings.

The report by Judge Tom O'Higgins last week supported this newspaper's position that McCabe's allegations against two highly respected senior officers were 'unfounded'.

About two years after this initial contact with the Sunday Independent, McCabe made further contacts with other journalists and became a media celebrity based largely on material relating to the quashing of road traffic offences.

These allegations led directly or indirectly to the ousting of a minister for justice, a garda commissioner, two legal inquiries entailing the spending of millions in public money and a very large amount of media coverage. Prior to the independent legal inquiries there was a prolonged internal inquiry.

All the matters under scrutiny at such expense to the taxpayer should and could have been dealt with at local level when they first arose.

The problem in Bailieboro, as in many rural districts at the time, primarily stemmed from systemic issues with An Garda's management structures. Bailieboro was one of a number of stations to which gardai on promotion from inspector to superintendent were sent to do their '18 months' in 'uniform duties' before returning to their careers in Dublin.

Bailieboro had seven different superintendents in almost as many years.

Another factor came into play in Bailieboro that has not been highlighted. The Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat government of 2002 onwards had as an election promise the recruitment of 2,000 extra gardai. This was done under then Justice Minister Michael McDowell almost in one fell swoop in 2005-2006, leading to the collapse of the garda training system.

The impact of the mass recruitment caused sergeants and inspectors across the country to be moved from their local management positions into 'training' to try to cope with the unprecedented influx of recruits. This caused mayhem.

Groups of these new recruits began turning up in stations with almost no one to supervise them. In Bailieboro the situation was worsened by the dispute then taking place and involving Maurice McCabe, who was the sergeant in charge (SIC).

Prior to McCabe's approach, the Sunday Independent obtained a series of text messages between one young garda and a number of young women which contained graphic descriptions of sexual activity and which was in wide circulation among people in the area. At the same time, in the same division this newspaper learned of a young female garda conducting a public affair with a senior officer from outside the division. At one point a patrol car was ordered by the senior officer to pick him and the young female officer up from a pub to be taken to her apartment.

The indiscipline - not criminality or corruption -aside, large parts of garda management have become very ineffective. This has been highlighted graphically in reports from the Independent Garda Inspectorate and particularly in its two latest reports, Crime Investigation (November 2013) and Changing Policing in Ireland (December 2015).

These reports contain damning indictments of the gardai, of far greater magnitude than anything Maurice McCabe had alleged, but were largely ignored by politicians and much of the media.

The Inspectorate was almost aghast at some of the findings. One among many that jumped from the pages of the last report was that ordinary uniformed gardai - including some of those who entered the force under the McDowell mass intake - were being left in charge of investigations into serious crimes including rape.

Both reports point very directly to major failings in management. Its last report pointed to other forces in the UK where rape is only investigated by senior detectives. In the gardai's case, junior gardai are left with these investigations and often fail because there are relatively few senior detectives left in the force. A number of detectives took early retirement in the past decade due in many cases to frustration.

The single tragic episode at the centre of this latest affair was the murder of Sylvia Roche Kelly in April 2007 by Jerry McGrath, when McGrath was granted bail after a serious assault on a woman in the Cavan-Monaghan division. Gardai have attempted to blame 'the courts' for the supposed lenient view on bail. But, the Irish courts grant bail in even serious cases because gardai take so much time to process cases.

Further worsening the situation was the fact that a swathe of garda middle management was engaged almost full-time in academic study to enhance their promotion prospects. One retiring officer spoke to this newspaper about a division outside Dublin where almost every middle managing gardai "had their noses in laptops all day long studying for exams". The entire crime investigation in this division was lumped into the basket of a senior detective in his 50s who oversaw some remarkably successful cases and whose career ended without any further promotion despite what was regarded as great police work.

Despite continued media speculation last week that the O'Higgins report might have an impact on current Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan, government sources said there will be no repeat of the de facto sackings of Martin Callinan and Alan Shatter.

Importantly, however, Judge O'Higgins drew attention to the fact that gardai, like any other employees in the public or private sector, have the legal right to speak out to journalists or whoever they wish where they see corruption or inefficiency.

One of the major points raised in the introduction to his report by Judge O'Higgins was that garda whistleblowers are exempt from prosecution under the Protected Disclosures Act of 2014.

Mr Higgins wrote: "The purpose of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is to ensure that those making complaints about 'relevant wrongdoings' should be able to do so without fear of adverse repercussions. The gardai are afforded protection under that act. This is clearly in the interest of the general public, and indeed of the gardai themselves."

He also had this to say: "Many organisations and institutions have an instinctive hostility to whistleblowers. This may be explained by cultural or historical reasons. The hostility may be as a result of a particular understanding of what constitutes loyalty. Under that understanding, any criticism from within is regarded as suspect, disloyal, or even treacherous. This notion of loyalty can be all the more ingrained in organisations, such as An Garda Siochana, with a strong tradition of internal solidarity.

"However, there is a growing realisation that the activities of whistleblowers, so far from being disloyal, may be motivated by a genuine concern for, and dedication to, an organisation.

"In the case of An Garda Siochana, such an approach can enhance the quality of the service provided to the people of Ireland. The ability of an organisation to learn from past errors is essential for the improvement of its future performance."

The situation within the gardai has reached a historic low in terms of its ability to act as a police force. Senior officers, speaking strictly off the record, say this.

Rape investigations are taking four years or more with fewer than half even getting to court. The pain this causes victims is unquestionable.

Gang-related murderers have a less than one-in-10 chance of being caught and convicted.

The Garda Inspectorate report of 2014 found there is widespread manipulation of crime figures, which led to the Central Statistics Office suspending the publication of all data from the garda for six months. They also found gardai in some divisions are devoting more time to covering up crime than investigating it.

The crime stats, which the public has access to on the CSO site, are quite difficult to interpret but the real picture of crime is shown when recorded offences per 100,000 population are compared with stats on the Director of Public Prosecutions' site for convictions per 100,000 population. This suggests and in many divisions the actual conviction rate is around one per 40 offences.

These nonsensical statistics underlie the fact, as Judge O'Higgins points out, that of all the scandals and controversies, manufactured or real, the "interest of the general public" is the one thing that is not paramount in garda management thinking.
If there's one thing that has scarred the debate on abortion in Ireland, it's the tendency of both sides to use their moral certainties as weapons.

Pro-lifers glibly accuse those who back abortion of killing babies. Pro-choicers just as casually assert that those who object to it are endangering women's lives.

Both positions are internally consistent when viewed in isolation from one another, but there's no doubt that this retreat into absolutism on both sides has poisoned the national conversation on abortion to the point where rapprochement or compromise has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible.

Each argument contains within it a need to annihilate the legitimacy of the other, so they go toe to toe like heavyweight boxers trading blows in the ring.

Anyone venturing publicly into this debate has a choice. They can either bring a can of petrol to the scene of the fire, or a hose.

Sabina Higgins made her choice last week, and the flames are still roaring.

In unscripted remarks to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in Trinity College, she slammed the circumstances in which traumatised women are forced to give birth to babies with a "foetal abnormality" as "outrages against the world and nature" and "against women".

It was later clarified that she meant to say "fatal abnormality", to refer to those women who have spoken movingly of being trapped by Irish law between going to Britain for a termination or else carrying to term babies which have no chance of surviving outside the womb; but this is the danger of making unscripted interventions into contentious debates.

A wrong word gets uttered and there's no written version to immediately set the record straight, so misunderstanding reigns.

What happened next was a classic example of how the issue of abortion is abused in Ireland.

Pro-lifers immediately claimed that Mrs Higgins had called certain babies "outrages against nature". She hadn't. She was referring to forced pregnancies. To suggest otherwise is to twist her admittedly muddled words.

Pro-choicers then responded by stating that Sabina's critics were denying her the right to an opinion on a subject about which she felt strongly. That wasn't true either.

Neither side cared if they misrepresented the other's views, because the aim was to win a tactical advantage in an ideological battle.

That risks making it seem as if Sabina was innocently caught in the crossfire, but of course she wasn't.

She must have known what she was doing when she stood up to speak, and that her remarks would have a greater impact precisely because of who she is.

Not Sabina Coyne, former actress and mother, but Sabina Higgins, wife of the President of Ireland.

Had it not been for that biographical detail, it would hardly have caused a stir that a lifelong card-carrying liberal feminist had criticised the country's abortion law as an "outrage".

What gave her words potency was that they were spoken by a woman who represents Aras an Uachtarain. Because it's absurd to pretend that she doesn't.

There may be no rules about how the spouse of a President should behave, and each holder of that position may only have instinct and convention to guide them; but it is still undeniably a real role.

The Aras website even has a whole section detailing the President's wife's engagements, and it includes numerous pictures of her at formal events, under such captions as "Sabina attends the official opening of the restored Rich mond Barracks".

Some of these events are held at the Aras, such as last October's 'Tai Chi Reception'.

This was not a private event at her private home, but a public event in a public building, and she spoke as such, turning to her husband at one point and saying: "Maybe next year we'll have another day." The "we" was unambiguous.

There's a clear understanding here, even if it isn't written into Constitutional law, that Sabina is part of a package. If not, why is she being presented to the Irish people as such, and why was the aforementioned clarification issued through the President's own head of communications?

The question then is whether a woman who lives alongside her husband in well-upholstered luxury at the people's expense, enjoying the advantages that come from being given this quasi-official role inside the fabric of national life, should also accept the responsibilities that come from being part of the Presidential set-up.

The most important of which is to be Presidential.

That means representing all Irish people, not only those with whose opinions one happens to agree. Whether her husband does so either is another matter; there are times when he seems more intent on establishing his right-on credentials with the student politics crowd than with speaking for Middle Ireland.

But those are questions for him to answer.

Sabina must answer for herself, and her supporters certainly should not hide her behind the farce that she is an independent woman free to speak her mind without consequences. There are always consequences.

Being Presidential doesn't mean doing and saying nothing, like some surrendered wife. It means doing and saying what is appropriate in the circumstances.

Last October, there was a reception and "latching-on morning" at the Aras for Cuidiu, the National Parenthood Support Charity, attended by over 100 new mothers.

Sabina spoke at that of her own experience breastfeeding twins in the 1970s; she was also given an award in honour of her support for breastfeeding.

The difference there was that she did not use the event to denounce in intemperate language those who do not share her views.

This is the crucial distinction between her and Martin McAleese, whose name was invoked by defenders of Sabina all week to supposedly prove that there's nothing unusual or wrong about the spouse of a President getting his or her hands dirty with politics.

It was a facile comparison. The reconciliation that McAleese sought with the representatives of loyalist paramilitaries was done quietly behind the scenes, with the approval of the government of the day; he made no one-sided public pronouncements.

There would only be an equivalence if Sabina Higgins had taken on the task of facilitating a symbolic peace process between warring factions in the abortion debate - speaking to both sides in an effort to identify common ground, a project which could have a positive effect if undertaken in good faith - but Sabina didn't set out to build a bridge last week.

Instead she all but blew up any chance of building even the ricketiest bridge between pro-life and pro-choice communities.

This tendency to go off on solo runs is increasingly the mark of the Higginses as a political couple.

They both did it during the Rising centenary too, and those currently defending her only do so because they happen to agree with her on this particular issue.

If the President's wife was a vocal pro-life Catholic appearing at public events with the imprimatur of the Aras calling abortion an "outrage against nature", they'd hardly be so sanguine.

And, of course, pro-lifers are the same, only attacking her for speaking out because they don't like her views.

These are the sorts of toxic divisions which Sabina Higgins could commit herself to healing, if she too has the patience to devote years of hard work to the necessary dialogue and diplomacy; listening, rather than merely evangelizing.

If she is not prepared to desist from taking up partisan positions on some of the most contentious issues of the day, then the very least the President's wife can do is to have her pronouncements scripted, so that the rough edges can be smoothed out to avoid offence.

Senior public figures cannot just talk off the tops of their heads.

Or, you know, she could just stop co-hosting events with her husband on this unspoken semi-formal basis and strike out on her own as a feminist campaigner.

That could be fun too. But she can't do both.
Henry Cavill with Tara King (right) and his mother Marianne Cavill (left)

Henry Cavill and Tara King arrive for the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Henry Cavill and Tara King attend the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Superman actor Henry Cavill has reportedly split with his girlfriend Tara King.

The 33-year-old actor has been dating 19-year-old student for the last seven months, but it's said the age gap grew too much in recent weeks, according to reports in The Sun.

"Henry and Tara split, it's official," an insider told The Sun.

"Henry said the two of them could stay friends and he even invited her to his recent birthday party which she did go to. But their relationship is over.

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Whatsapp Henry Cavill and Tara King arrive for the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

"It has been very difficult for Tara, who has been saying he was the love of her life."

Their relationship hasn't been without its critics with most commenting on the 14-year age gap and Cavill's unfiltered comments about their relationship during the Batman v Superman press tour earlier this year.

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"She protects me and is protective of me when I am having a hard time," he told The Mirror.

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Whatsapp Henry Cavill with Tara King (right) and his mother Marianne Cavill (left)

"She's there when I need looking after and the world is a little too heavy. Then she will happily take that weight for me and make sure that I am okay.

"Tara allows me to be me and she doesn't have a problem with that. She treats me like a normal human being."

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The couple first met at London club Mahiki in September.
Margot Honecker, the widow of the former communist leader Erich Honecker, who has died aged 89, was reviled by her fellow East Germans as the 'Purple Witch', for her startling tinted hair-dos and for her 26-year reign as People's Education Minister in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Although Margot Honecker was good-looking and elegantly dressed, she was more than just a trophy wife for the president of the Kafka-esque communist state, where one in three inhabitants was a secret police informer. Driven by her own ambitions and ideological convictions, she continually sought out positions of influence. While her husband was the arch-bureaucrat, she was seen as the hard-line fanatic.

As minister of education from 1963 to 1989, she used her role to politicise the GDR's state education system, saturating the curriculum with Marxist-Leninist propaganda and introducing military and weapons training in schools for an expected future confrontation with the West.

According to historians, Margot Honecker was also behind much of the harshness of the repression meted out to dissidents and was active in organising a policy under which the children of "enemies of the state" - dissidents and people who attempted to flee to the West - were forcibly and permanently separated from their parents. Many were placed in foster homes or state adoption institutions, or with the families of childless Communist Party activists.

In 1993, after the end of communism, she fled to Chile. Her husband, in power between 1971 and 1989, joined her later the same year, but died of cancer in 1994.

She remained unrepentant about her role in building one of the most repressive regimes in the communist bloc, protesting that no one could seriously expect her to "sacrifice my world view and my convictions on the altar of contemporary history".

"I have had enough of the persecution that is inflicted on former citizens of the German Democratic Republic," she said in 2009. "We lived good lives in our GDR. You can say what you like, but the facts can't be ignored."

At the time more than 2,000 German families were reported to be still searching for family members lost as a result of the forced adoption policies she had instigated.

She was born Margot Feist on April 17, 1927 in the city of Halle. Her father, an unemployed shoemaker and communist, was imprisoned by the Nazis in 1934 and later conscripted into the Wehrmacht, while her mother died, leaving Margot and her younger brother to fend for themselves during the World War II.

She was 18 when the war ended and the Soviet Union gained control of eastern Germany. Trained as a clerk and a telephone operator, she soon became involved in the communist Free German Youth (FDJ). In 1949, at the age of 22, she became the youngest member of East Germany's parliament, the Volkskammer.

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Margot met her future husband at meetings of the FDJ, of which Honecker was then director. He was 15 years older than her - and married. When Margot became pregnant and gave birth to their daughter Sonja in 1952, Erich divorced his wife and he and Margot married the following year. In 1955, she began working at the Ministry of Education, rising to the top position there in 1963.

The Honeckers' romance soon cooled and from the 1970s they lived largely separate lives, with both reportedly having numerous affairs. Yet they maintained a powerful political alliance, particularly after Honecker became head of the Politburo in 1971.

In the late 1980s, Margot Honecker was in the forefront of resistance to the politics of glasnost and perestroika introduced by the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. When Gorbachev visited East Berlin in 1989 to mark the 40th anniversary of the GDR, she conspicuously sat down after one of his speeches to discourage applause.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Honeckers took refuge in a Soviet hospital in Germany, then fled to Moscow, where they eventually found refuge in the Chilean Embassy. The news that the pair were sharing the same room caused great amusement in the GDR and some joked that Honecker's subsequent extradition must have come as a relief.

Meanwhile, Margot Honecker moved to Chile, where her daughter was living, observing that her husband could "look after himself". Honecker was released by the German authorities in 1993 owing to poor health and joined his wife in Chile.

In 2012, in an interview with a German television channel, Margot Honecker described her homesickness for a "lost nation" and called the GDR's demise a tragedy. She dismissed victims of the regime as "criminals who today make out that they were political victims" while, of those who risked (and in many cases lost) their lives trying to escape East Germany, she claimed that there had been "no need for them to climb over the wall, to pay for this stupidity with their lives". Much to the annoyance of German taxpayers, she also complained about her 1,500 state pension, which she received every month from Germany, calling it "derisory".

Asked whether she had any feelings of guilt, she replied: "It didn't touch me at all. I have a thick skin".

Margot Honecker, who died on May 6, is survived by her daughter.

 Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Charlie Bird and partner Claire Mould at Strictly Against Breast Cancer in aid of Breast Cancer Ireland at The Convention Centre Dublin

Charlie Bird with his wife Claire Mould on the banks of Dublin's Grand Canal

Retired RTE journalist Charlie Bird has tied the knot with his long-term love Claire Mould.

The pair were married in a romantic courtyard ceremony at Fitzwilliam Place in Dublin.

Afterwards the couple were joined by family and friends for photos along the Grand Canal.

Around 75 guests attended the wedding, and retired RTE journalist Joe O' Brien was Charlie's best man.

Charlie, who is currently promoting his new book A Day in May: Real Lives, True Stories about last May 23, the day Ireland made history by becoming the first country in the world to introduce marriage equality by popular vote.

The 66-year-old divorced father-of-two and grandfather said last week that he felt he was ready to tie the knot again.

The couple, who have been together for a decade, met at a Bruce Springsteen concert here and have been together ever since.

Shes so much fun. Shes great craic, he told RTEs Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show last week.

He said his future bride shares his love of hillwalking and other outdoor pursuits and the pair just clicked.

Mr Bird, who was married for 24 years to the mother of his children, Mary OConnor, said he is ready to settle down again after splitting from her in 1998.

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Looking tanned, relaxed and healthy, RTEs former chief news correspondent said he is not ready to slow down yet after taking early retirement from RTE in 2012 after 38 years with the State broadcaster, following a brief stint as Washington correspondent in 2009.

Just because youre 66 doesnt mean you should be on the scrapheap, he said.

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He revealed he is currently working on various projects, including his recently-published book called A Day in May which chronicles the lead-up to the historic Marriage Equality referendum last May.

The book includes 50 powerful interviews with members of the LGBT community in Ireland and their family and friends, which he said was inspired by his involvement chairing the Yes Campaign in last years referendum even though I consider myself to be one of the most heterosexual people in the world.
'Other creatures that might benefit from this technology include the kouprey, an ox-like creature from Cambodia, and the buffalo-like anoa, from Sulawesi.' Photo: Getty

Under the watchful eyes of a group of heavily armed guards, three rhinos graze on the grassland of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Most of the world knows that the rhinoceros is threatened, but the status of these animals is in another league. They are the planet's last three northern white rhinos. None is capable of breeding. The northern white, which once roamed Africa in its thousands, is in effect extinct. The three - named Sudan, Najin and Fatu - are the last of their kind.

In a few months, however, a group of scientists from the US, Germany, Italy and Japan will attempt the seemingly impossible: to rescue the northern white rhino - smaller and hairier than its southern cousin - from the jaws of extinction. In October, they plan to remove the last eggs from the two female northern whites and by using advanced reproductive techniques, including stem cell technology and IVF, create embryos that could be carried to term by surrogate rhino mothers. The northern white could then be restored to its former glory. The procedure would be a world first.

It is an audacious plan -and a controversial one. Many conservation experts believe the resources being used to create northern white embryos would be better spent on saving other rhino species by providing them with protection in the wild. Why try to restore the species if the cause of its extinction has still not been tackled, they ask. Others say that taking a hi-tech approach to species preservation could lull the conservation movement into thinking it would always be able to fall back on science to help reproduce a species once it gets into trouble.

These points are rejected by project scientists. "Unless we act now, the northern white rhino will go extinct. And don't forget that, once we have developed IVF and stem cell technologies to save it, we will then be able to use them to rescue other threatened species," said one of the project's leading scientists, Professor Thomas Hildebrandt, of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. "For example, there are only three or four rhinoceros from Borneo left in captivity and none known in the wild," said Hildebrandt. "We could use this technology to rescue them."

Other creatures that might benefit from this technology include the kouprey, an ox-like creature from Cambodia, and the buffalo-like anoa, from Sulawesi.

But not everyone agrees with the hi-tech approach.

"We put millions of dollars into protecting the northern white rhino in Garamba national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo," said Susie Ellis, of the International Rhino Foundation.

"However, the species was lost there when the park became a conflict zone and we had to pull out to ensure the safety of our staff. If there is no political will, there is only so much that organisations like ours can do."

"We need to take a multifaceted approach to this challenge, and hi-tech science is certainly one of them," added Ellis.

"In fact, there is no easy answer regarding the northern white rhino. It is now functionally extinct.

"The best lesson we can learn from that is to never let that happen again with any other species."  Guardian
Members of Bangladesh Police Detective Branch (DB) escort a man, center, whom they have identified as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad as they walk him in front of the media in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Police said Sunday that they have arrested Shihab, a suspected Muslim militant for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital. (AP Photo)

Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested a suspected Muslim militant over the killing of a gay rights activist and his friend in Dhaka.

Officers identified the suspect as Shariful Islam Shibab, a former member of a banned Islamic group, Harkatul Jihad, who joined another militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, in mid-2015.

Munirul Islam, head of a newly formed police counter-terrorism unit, told a news conference that Shibab was arrested in the south-western district of Kushtia based on evidence from the investigation.

The Bangladeshi branch of al Qaida had claimed the April 25 killing of Xulhaz Mannan, an employee of the US Agency for International Development, and his friend Tanay Majumder in the Bangladeshi capital.

Only one of 15 such killings has been prosecuted since 2013.

Mr Islam said 37-year-old Shihab allegedly killed Mr Mannan because he promoted the gay community's cause through a magazine as an editor.

He said Shihab told police during questioning that he took part in stabbing Mr Mannan and Mr Majumder as ordered by his group's high command.

Police said earlier that they had identified at least five people who took part in the killings from video footage collected from buildings near the crime scene in the Kalabagan district.

"We are checking the footage to determine whether Shihab is visible there," Mr Islam said.

Mr Mannan was a cousin of former foreign minister Dipu Moni, of the governing Awami League party.
Opponents of oil trains and barges that service the Port of Albany paddle along the Hudson River in Albany, New York (AP)

Hundreds of climate activists have marched to the site of two refineries in north-west Washington state to call for a reduction in reliance on fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, a smaller group continued to block railway tracks leading to the facilities for a second day.

Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot took part in a massive demonstration near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate change and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

A day before, about 150 activists pitched tents and set up camp on nearby railway tracks to block the flow of oil flowing to the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries.

"We can't wait any more. We've got to do things now," said Clara Cleve, 76, of Edmonds. "Direct action is very effective. My grandchildren are not going to have a place to live unless we move quickly now."

Ms Cleve said she plans to spend another night in a tent on the tracks and is prepared to be arrested for trespassing if necessary.

The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels.

Similar demonstrations are taking place in Los Angeles and Albany, New York, and in Washington, DC.

In upstate New York, climate activists gathered at a crude oil shipment hub on the Hudson River in an action targeting crude-by-rail trains and oil barges at the Port of Albany.

A group of activists sat on tracks used by crude oil trains heading to the port. Police did not report any arrests as of midday on Saturday. Albany is a key hub for crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region.

In Washington state, organisers are targeting two refineries that are among the top sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Tesoro has started shipping Bakken crude oil to its refinery, and Shell is proposing an expansion project that would similarly bring in Bakken crude oil by train.

Officials at both Shell and Tesoro said in earlier statements that they respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, and that safety is their highest priority.

A Shell spokesman also noted that the company, which employs about 700 workers at the refinery, is proud to be a part of the community and the refinery is a vital part of the region's energy infrastructure.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said no trains were scheduled on Saturday but he declined to say whether any are expected to run on Sunday.

"We had anticipated this and therefore adjusted scheduling with customers," Mr Melonas said. "At this point, we're allowing the protest on our property."

There were no arrests as of Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The tracks, which connect BNSF's mainline to Anacortes, serve the two refineries, as well as other customers who ship animal feed, steel and lumber by rail, Mr Melonas said.

Crowd estimates of the march ranged from several hundred to about 1,000 people.

Bud Ullman, 67, who lives on Guemes Island, participated in the march, which he described as good-spirited and peaceful.

"The scientists are right. We have to get away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and it has to be done in a way that takes into serious consideration the impact on workers, families and communities," he said.

The three-day event ends on Sunday and has included "kayaktivists" demonstrating on water, community workshops and an indigenous ceremony.

"I'm here because there's nothing more important to me than protecting the Earth," said Elizabeth Claydon, 24, who lives in Seattle. "This is an urgent matter, and traditional ways are not working."
BORIS Johnson faced a furious political backlash after he compared European Union efforts to build a federal super state to Hitler's plans to dominate the continent.

While the former London mayor acknowledged the EU was using "different methods" to the Nazis, Remain campaigners said his incendiary comparison to the Third Reich showed he was unfit for high office.

However pro-Brexit Tories said he was simply stating a "historical fact of life" about the failure of successive attempts over the centuries to establish a "greater Europe".

The latest row erupted after David Cameron was attacked last week by Leave campaigners for suggesting that British withdrawal from the EU could lead to the outbreak of the Third World War.

Mr Johnson - seen as the de facto leader of the Leave campaign - said the past 2,000 years had been dominated by doomed attempts to unify the continent under a single government to recreate the "golden age" of the Romans.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods," he said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph.

"But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

His comments were immediately condemned by the Remain campaigners with shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn branding them "offensive and desperate".

"Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass," Mr Benn said.

"After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate."

Field Marshal Lord Bramall, a former head of the Army who took part in the D-Day landings, said Mr Johnson's remarks were "simply laughable".

"I know only too well, this comparison of the EU and Nazi Germany is absurd. Hitler's main aim was to create an empire in the East and violently subjugate Europeans," he said.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown said: "People are fed up with yet another tuppenny tin-pot imitation Churchill promising to 'fight them on the beaches' while weakening our defences and wrecking our economy."

Labour former cabinet minster Yvette Cooper said Mr Johnson was playing a "nasty, nasty game".

"The more he flails around with this kind of hysterical claim, the more he exposes his shameful lack of judgment, his willingness to play the most divisive cynical politics, and the emptiness of his arguments," she said.

Mr Johnson's comments were, however, defended by the pro-Brexit former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith who said he was simply stating a "historical fact of life".

"I think the whole process of trying to drive Europe together by force or by bureaucracy and democratic means ultimately makes problems," he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show.

"All he is doing in the interview is he is talking about the trend towards the idea of this kind of concept of some kind of greater Europe, that's all."

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said that Mr Johnson - a classical scholar - had drawn a "very interesting historic parallel".

"Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, Napoleon and Hitler all wanted to create a single European power," told ITV's Peston On Sunday. "What Boris has said is the EU is following the footsteps of these historic figures but using different means."

Former chancellor Lord Lamont said there had been "fascist theorists" who believed very strongly in a united Europe.

He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: "I don't think he (Mr Johnson) was saying people who favour the European Union were comparable to Nazis.

"He was simply saying that historically, from the Romans, Charlemagne, Napoleon, there have been all sorts of attempts to dominate Europe and these have all floundered because Europe is not naturally one entity."
RIOT SQUAD: French police march at a protest in Paris against a new labour law, forced through parliament without a vote by the socialist government. Photo: Christophe Ena/AP

In Paris's Place de la Republique, in the shadow of Marianne - the allegorical symbol of liberte, egalite, fraternite - all the talk is of defiance, despite the many baton-wielding riot police.

After an extraordinary week in which France's socialist government resorted to emergency constitutional powers to force through deeply divisive reforms to employment law - avoiding a parliamentary vote it would almost certainly have lost - the youth movement, whose protests have spread across France, is debating its response.

"We had had enough before. Now, we've had enough of enough," one participant in the Nuit Debout (Up All Night) movement, which has occupied the central Paris square since March, said yesterday.

The youth-led cause has been taken up across France, but Place de la Republique - still a shrine to those killed in last year's terrorist attacks - has become the rallying point for protests against the "El Khomri law".

(It is named after work and employment minister Myriam El Khomri, but happens to sound a bit like "connerie" - "bullshit".)

Scenes of riot police in protective gear clearing the square with tear gas were broadcast around the world and made the square look like a war zone, but most evenings, the atmosphere is more like a music festival: people sit around smoking, drinking beer, discussing politics and planning a workers' paradise.

There are makeshift tents and stands: Poetes Debout, Avocats Debout, Cinema Debout, Ecologie Debout, Feministes Debout. There is a medical centre, a canteen, even a welcome stand.

By the small hours, most of the older protesters have gone home, leaving the young, determined and hardline still standing (or sitting cross-legged on the grey paving slabs), discussing Trotskyist economic theory, anti-capitalism and exploitation. Most feel - justifiably - alienated and ignored by France's political elite on the right, left and centre. But the greatest disappointment, the most profound despair and anger, is reserved for France's ruling socialists.

"Who are we going to vote for in next year's presidential election?" wails one woman in genuine anguish. "Who can we vote for on the Left? There is nobody."

Franck, a 23-year-old student, has not read the law that is dividing France.

Neither have Emmanuel (28) and Martine (46) - not surprising, given that the final document ran to 392 pages. It doesn't matter, they say. They've read enough to know it's an erosion of employment rights and will mean more pain and insecurity for workers.

The new law amends France's complex Code du Travail, most notably making the maximum 35-hour working week more flexible, increasing the maximum working day from 10 hours to 12, subject to union agreement, and introducing a cap on redundancy and tribunal payments. But it's not just the reforms that are causing anger.

"This is about much more than the employment law; it is against many things," says Martine, who is dispensing legal advice at the Avocats Debout stand. "It is to say we won't vote for Francois Hollande, we won't vote for the right, and we certainly won't vote for the Front National. But where is the candidate we can vote for? We feel completely lost."

Kevin Poperl (28) who has a master's degree in economics, is founder of the Nuit Debout economics and politics committee, which has drawn up a written opposition to the El Khomri law. He agrees the protests are about much more than the latest reforms.

"This law was the last straw, but our goal is to change the capitalist mode of production more generally. It will take time. We will not solve 200 years of economic stalemate in a few weeks, but people are becoming more politicised, and this has not happened for 30 years. I am a communist, and we want to reappropriate the economy. People feel we can have capitalism with a human face, but I don't believe that is possible."

Poperl, who describes himself as left of France's hard-left Front de Gauche, says he will continue the protests until September, when his unemployment benefit will stop and he'll have to find a job. "Then I'll be here in the evenings and weekends," he says. "I don't know if it will be possible to have the change we want without violence: it depends on the position of the enemy. Violence is legitimate, but not always necessary. Each time I walk away from here, I am super-optimistic that change will happen."

Drama student Victor Le Normand (23) disagrees: "We're fed up, but violence will get us nothing." He says all voices are welcome and heard - even the heckler clutching a beer can who shouts his support for the police for "defending us all".

University lecturer Emmanuelle (33) says Nuit Debout is an expression of a desire to reform the system. "We need to put the people at the heart of decisions. Right now, we're not being heard or listened to. We feel politically impotent. This isn't just about the work law; it's a revolution in society."

By morning, the protesters have mostly gone and an army of street cleaners has cleared the detritus, though not the graffiti sprayed on the stone balustrades of the Metro entrance. Marianne, the centrepiece of the square's 24m facelift two years ago, is looking jaded.

For Pascal Perrineau, director of Cevipof, the research unit of the Paris Institute of Political Studies (known as Sciences Po), there is an element of tired predictability about Nuit Debout. He says it is just a protest against France's political class in general and the socialist government in particular. "They look like angelic idealists, but when you delve into who is behind Nuit Debout, it's the same old militant hard left: Trotskyites, anarchists, radical anti-capitalists and neo-communists."

Perrineau says the movement has channelled deep disappointment with Hollande and the Left. "It's a negative movement. People are rejecting something, but today there is no person from the Left they can vote for. What the Nuit Debout people are expressing is the malaise felt in France, nothing more."

 Observer
At least 25 people were wounded in the attack.

A suicide bomber has detonated his explosives among policemen standing in line outside a police base in the southern Yemen city of Mukalla, killing 25 people, according to security officials.

The blast injured 17 more including young men applying for jobs with the city police.

The Yemeni affiliate of Islamic State claimed the attack in a statement posted by sympathisers on social media networks.

The officers were returning to work following last month's recapture of the city by forces of the internationally recognised government.

The port city had been held for more than a year by Yemen's al Qaida affiliate.
US president Barack Obama has taken a swipe at Donald Trump as he urged college graduates to shun those who want to build walls around the United States or embrace ignorance.

Mr Obama used his commencement speech at New Jersey's Rutgers University to illustrate a worldview which counters the ideas espoused by Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Looking out at a sea of red and black gowns, Mr Obama told roughly 12,000 graduating students that the pace of change on the planet is accelerating, not slowing, and that recent history has shown that the toughest challenges cannot be solved in isolation.

"A wall won't stop that," Mr Obama said, bringing to mind Mr Trump's call for a border wall between the US and Mexico.

"The point is, to help ourselves, we've got to help others - not pull up the drawbridge and try to keep the world out."

The US president did not mention Donald Trump by name, but his intended target seemed clear.

Repeatedly, Mr Obama referred to disparaging comments about Muslims and immigrants, and opposition to free trade deals.

But he appeared most incensed by what he described as a rejection of facts, science and intellectualism, which he said was pervading politics.

"In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue," Mr Obama said.

"It's not cool to not know what you're talking about. That's not 'keeping it real' or 'telling it like it is'. That's not challenging political correctness. That's just not knowing what you're talking about.

"And yet, we've become confused about this," he continued, warning that the rejection of facts and science would lead the US on a path of decline.

Some 50,000 students and their families packed High Point Solution Stadium for the ceremony, the first at Rutgers to involve a sitting president.

The public university's leaders lobbied the president for years to come to campus for the school's 250th anniversary, and Mr Obama praised the school for its diverse student body and research programmes.

The address was the second of three commencement speeches which Mr Obama will deliver during his final graduation season as president.

Earlier in May, the president told graduates at historically black Howard University that the country is "a better place today" than when he graduated from Columbia University more than 30 years ago.

The president will also speak on June 2 at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The university also bestowed an honorary law degree on the president, adding to the half-dozen or so other honorary degrees that Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate Mr Obama has received.
Three men have been shot dead in a popular tourist district in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, authorities confirmed.

Two 21-year-olds and a 27-year-old were killed on a street just off the beach, the Guerrero state prosecutor's office said.

No further details were immediately available on the victims, and there was no word on a possible motive.

Acapulco city and Guerrero state in general have experienced a wave of violence attributed to warring drug gangs.

Authorities say at least two rival groups are fighting for control in Acapulco, which for decades was famed as a favourite beach destination for Hollywood stars and other tourists.

The US government recently banned its employees from travelling there due to the violence.
The Harmony Of The Seas pictured at Saint-Nazaire, France

Tens of thousands of French wellwishers waved au revoir to the largest cruise ship in the world as it set sail on its maiden voyage to the UK after 32 months in a French shipyard.

The one billion US dollar Harmony Of The Seas cut a gargantuan silhouette on Sunday as it left the western port town of Saint-Nazaire.

At 362 metres (1,187 feet) long, the 16-deck ship, is bigger that the Eiffel Tower and holds the records as the widest cruise ship ever built - boasting a 6,360-passenger-capacity.

The Harmony Of The Seas is expected in Southampton on Tuesday, ahead of its inaugural voyage on May 22 to Barcelona.
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Have you ever been disappointed by something not turning out as you had expected, which left you less than happy? It might have been a promotion, raise or bonus, yet it left you disappointed, especially because you knew you had done everything to get that outcome.

God has done everything he has promised to secure our salvation. The Lord has set us free from sin, shame and guilt. So we faithfully gather Sunday after Sunday.

We take part in Bible study after Bible study, prayer meeting after prayer meeting, revival after revival, conference after conference, and retreat after retreat. After all the singing, praising, dancing and shouting, you are so jubilant. But not enough to go outside those four walls and share the word you just heard with the lost. Neither have you considered that if you don't share it, who will? You had a good time; you feel great. But outside the four walls of your church or convention center is a lost world. If you don't share Jesus with them, you are "just church'n."

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:8, "For bodily exercise profiteth little." It has its place. More important is the message of 2 Corinthians 4:3, "But if our gospel (The Good News of Salvation) be hid, it is hid from them that are lost." The lost on your jobs; the lost in your neighborhoods, schoolrooms, college campuses, and even the lost among our merchants. Jesus gave a commandment: "Go ye into all the (your) world, and preach the Gospel to (share the salvation message with) every creature (everybody you know)." If you are not doing that, you are "just church'n."

To the Lord it is more important that we stop shouting, singing, clapping and praying inside the Church and start going out into the highways and hedges to the homeless, fatherless, motherless; the hungry; the drug addicts and dealers; the prostitutes (male and female) and compel them to come to Jesus the Christ, and receive him as their own personal Lord and Savior. Because if we are not doing that, guess what? We are disappointing God because we are "just church'n."

It is the responsibility of every born-again child of God to tell somebody, anybody, everybody "That God so loved the world (you) that he gave his only begotten son (to die for your sins and mine) that whosoever (somebody, anybody, everybody) believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. If you are not sharing that, you are "just church'n."

Norman Davis serves as an elder for High Calling Ministries International in Anderson and is a former contributing writer to a Christian publication based in New Jersey.
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By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

Rep. Brian White isn't answering questions about an Anderson County home that he rented from two brothers who were campaign donors.

White and his family spent at least five years as tenants in a nearly 3,900-square-foot home with a pool on Concord Road, according to a May 7 article published by the Post & Courier newspaper in Charleston. The Republican from Anderson is chairman of the state House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. He is running without opposition for a ninth term in the House.

Bradley and Bryan Moorhouse purchased the 7-acre tract where the house sits for $500,000 in 2007, county property records show. They are nursing home administrators for National Healthcare Corp., according to the Post & Courier.

National Healthcare Corp. has been White's largest corporate source of campaign donations, according to records compiled by the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Besides $7,000 in contributions from the company, White has received campaign donations in the past from Bradley and Bryan Moorhouse and other National Healthcare Corp. executives.

White, who works as an insurance agent, ignored repeated requests for comment from the Charleston paper. He also did not respond to a phone call and two text messages last week from the Independent Mail. White has not disclosed how much he paid in rent at the home on Concord Road, nor is he required to do so under state ethics laws.

Although White has not faced a political challenger since 2002, he has been among the most prolific members of the General Assembly in raising and spending campaign cash in recent years, state records show. White has collected more than $467,000 in campaign contributions since 2008. During the same period, he has made more than $343,000 in campaign-related expenditures, including sizable donations to two groups that his wife, Courtney, was affiliated with.

White, his wife and their three daughters moved into the Concord Road house in 2008 after selling their home on Edgewood Avenue in Anderson, according to the Post & Courier and county land records. They moved out after paying $295,000 for a home on Dursely Drive near Anderson in 2014.

While renting the home on Concord Road, White led a House panel that oversaw the state's health care spending and policies, including those affecting the nursing home industry, according to the Post & Courier. In 2012, Bradley Moorhouse was appointed to a state panel that reviews health care facility expansion permits and regulations.

According to the Post & Courier, South Carolina is one of the National Healthcare Corporation's top markets, with 2,141 nursing home beds, home care programs in nine cities, hospice locations in seven, and assisted-living facilities in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville.

The newspaper also noted that South Carolina has been a growth market for the for-profit nursing home industry, with the second-largest increase in nursing homes among states from 2008 through 2012, while the number of nursing homes nationwide declined, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Bradley Moorhouse, who is the director of a nursing home on East Greenville Street in Anderson, became the sole owner of the Concord Road house in 2012, county land records show. He listed the house as his legal residence.

After being contacted by the Post & Courier, Anderson County Assessor Mike Freeman began investigating property tax payments from the Concord Road tract. Because of higher tax rates, the owners of rental houses typically pay about three times as much in annual property taxes as residents who live in their homes.

Bradley Moorhouse paid $34,013 in back taxes on the Concord Road property on Thursday, records show.

"He took care of it right away," Freeman said.

Bradley Moorhouse could not be reached for comment.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM.
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By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

Anderson County Assessor Mike Freeman plans to hire a Charlotte-based company to help find property tax scofflaws.

Under terms of a proposed arrangement that Freeman hopes to finalize in the next few weeks, Tax Management Associates will receive 30 percent of all additional property tax revenues that it helps recover, with the rest of the money going to the county.

Tax Management Associates uses online databases to track down property owners who aren't paying their fair share of taxes. That group would include people who claim they are living in their homes when they are actually using them as rental properties. Because of higher tax rates, owners of rental properties typically pay three times as much in annual property taxes as people who live in their homes.

Last week, Freeman received a $34,013 payment from Bradley Moorhouse, a nursing home executive who was renting an upscale house on Concord Road that he had listed several years ago as his primary residence. State Rep. Brian White and his family lived as tenants in the home for at least five years, according to a recently published article in the Post & Courier newspaper in Charleston.

Freeman said the payment from Moorhouse was the largest that he could recall in the past three years involving an improperly classified rental home.

But Freeman also said his staff doesn't have the resources to conduct a thorough review of every parcel in Anderson County, which is precisely the task that Tax Management Associates plans to complete.

Tax Management Associates helped recover $4.6 million from property owners in three Indiana counties last year, as well as another $1 million from a business in Norwich, Connecticut, according to news accounts on the company's website.

Freeman said he doesn't know how much additional revenue Tax Management Associates will uncover in Anderson County.

"I think most people are honest," he said. "But we'll have to see."

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM.
KATIE MCLEAN/Independent Mail Laura Brooke Wicker, Anita Butler's oldest daughter, holds her daughter, Hannah Wicker, 8, at Anita's funeral on Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Anderson. Butler passed away in a motorcycle wreck while riding with her husband, Tyus Butler, senior pastor at Labor of the Fields in Anderson. Tyus remains in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

By Charmaine Smith-Miles of the Independent Mail

The motorcycles could be heard before they were seen.

Before the funeral procession for Anita Butler had ended, the motorcycles and cars lined the roads inside the Forest Lawn Cemetery on U.S. 29 North, forming a circle of steel and chrome around where hundreds of people gathered to hear two ministers preach at her grave side service.

People came in their black leather vests, their skirts and their neckties to honor the woman who was a mother, a grandmother, a wife and a Sunday school teacher.

"She had a calling on her life," said the Rev. Vernon Bagwell, who is an assistant pastor of the Labor of the Fields ministry that Anita and her husband, Tyus, founded. "She spent her life helping people with hurts, habits and hang-ups."

To that, the crowd gathered around her casket echoed, "Amen."

Anita Butler was 44 years old. She died May 7 when the motorcycle that she and her husband were riding ran off the right side of the road and struck a guardrail on S.C. 418 in Greenville County. The two were participating in a "Look Twice, Save A Life" motorcycle-safety event when the crash occurred.

The crash killed Anita and has left her husband in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital. Bagwell said Saturday that Tyus is still in the hospital's neuro-intensive care unit.

"We are claiming in the name of Jesus that he's coming back," Bagwell said. "We are asking for everyone to pray for him."

On Wednesday, the two were set to renew their wedding vows at Gethsemane Baptist Temple on S.C. 81 South in Starr in honor of their 20th wedding anniversary, said the temple's pastor, the Rev. Sam Duncan. He said the Butlers were members at Gethsemane Baptist Temple for years until they started the Labor of the Fields ministry.

"With them, you never had to beg them to come," Duncan said. "They were at church on Sunday morning, Sunday evening and every Wednesday."

About 10 years ago, the Butlers started the Labor of the Fields ministry. After several moves into temporary locations, the Butlers were able to move the ministry into a church on Airline Road in Anderson. And in August 2015, they opened another location in downtown Iva, in the town where Tyus grew up.

Bagwell said both ministries are still operating, each one open nearly every day of the week for either a worship service, an addiction recovery meeting, or simply to serve a meal to those who are hungry. The volunteers at the ministry serve up about 3,500 plates of food each month to those in need, Bagwell said.

Bagwell said he was one of those to whom the Butlers reached with Christ's message.

"Tyus and I grew up together," Bagwell said. "He came around, visiting me, telling me about Jesus for about 10 years before I finally listened. God used Tyus to help me. He's helped a lot of people."

Bagwell and Duncan said the couple was devoted to their work with others. Tyus was self-employed through a grass cutting business he owned.

Now, their two youngest children  15-year-old David and 13-year-old Addison  are staying with family. And the members at Gethsemane Baptist Temple are hosting a fundraiser for the children on June 4, Duncan said.

"I believe Anita has traded Brown Road for Hallelujah Square," Duncan said to the crowd. "And I know when I get to heaven, she is going to be the first one aggravating me. But in the meantime, if I know Anita, she would want you to pick up your lives and honor God."

Follow Charmaine Smith-Miles on Twitter @Charmaine_AIM.
DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals, the global leader in sustainable antibiotics, next generation statins and anti-fungals, has appointedas its new. He will also be theAnurag is a seasoned chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences industry professional, having acquired a wealth of business and product management experience during his 17 years of strategic, operational and financial leadership. He has an excellent track record in uniquely challenging global and indigenous business environments, specifically in forging strategic partnerships with innovators, driving organizational profit and establishing credibility. Anurag has previously held senior management positions at various companies, most recently as Vice President, Custom Pharmaceuticals Services, Dr. Reddys Laboratories (DRL). He also has experience of escalating business growth at three US-based companies, BASE-SAF, a chemical manufacturer; ORC International, a market research consultancy and Frost and Sullivan, the global growth consulting firm. His areas of expertise have, therefore, encompassed driving business, strategic marketing, and motivating cross functional global teams for peak performance, mergers, acquisitions and new ventures.Anurag holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, New York, USA. He has authored several articles which have appeared in leading publications such as LA Times, Chemical Week, Modern Plastics, International Journal of Polymer Sciences, Economic Times & Business India. He has also presented scientific papers and has been a key spokesperson at several international conferences.is the global leader in sustainable antibiotics, next generation statins and anti-fungals. DSP develops, produces and sells raw materials, intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products. Our employees worldwide work together to deliver cutting edge generics solutions that help to keep customers ahead of the competition. Headquartered in Singapore, the group has operations in China, India, Egypt, the Netherlands, Spain, the US and Mexico. DSP is a 50/50 Joint Venture of Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, and Sinochem Group, a Fortune 500 enterprise.
Implementation of effective technological solutions can unlock the true potential of Indias transport & logistics sector was the underlying statement at the launch event of Association of MSMEs in Information Technology (AIM-IT) in the financial capital earlier today.

AIM-IT which is Indias first sectoral organisation for Medium, Small and Micro IT enterprises (MSMEs) was founded by well-known technocrat Mr Vinit Goenka in 2015. The association was set up with an aim of representing, advocating and promoting interests of IT-MSMEs to ensure economic and technological advancement of the country.

The event theme  Challenges and Opportunities of Modernising Indian Railways through implementation of IT saw participation from all key stakeholders of the sector including, central & state govt ministers, bureaucrats, IT and logistic companies, start-ups, innovators, and policy makers. Riveting discussions were held on various important subjects such as, Role of MSME companies in Railways, Shaping the future of Smart of Railways, Internet of Things and Indian Railways, and Smart Cities: Smarter Roads - Smarter Transport.

Addressing the audience, Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Railways announced slew of initiatives taken by his ministry to revamp and modernize Indian Railways. He remarked that the ERP project undertaken by Indian Railways is the largest such IT project undertaken by any country. Speaking on the need to support indigenous IT solutions, the honourable minister said, The Rail Ministry has started a special fund of Rs 50 crore to support IT companies coming up with innovative solutions for Railways. We are looking for solutions in critical areas such as customer interface and also IT security. Cyber Security is of utmost importance to us

While speaking on the importance of including IT-MSMEs in building and implementation of technology in infra projects by the Government, Mr Vinit Goenka, founder chairman of AIMIT said, India is the fourth largest base for new businesses in the world and home to over 3,100 tech start-ups. It is time that Govt taps into these new, technology-driven companies to help India solve infrastructural issues which has been stunting its growth since Independence. Currently India is deprived of research and innovation due to irrational and biased policy strategies of large corporate houses and IT MNCs from the west who dominate the IT sector. We strongly feel that if Government includes MSMEs in IT then we will see path-breaking and cost-effective solutions in the transport sector.

The other highlight of the event was presentation of the draft policy document of the revolutionary technology - On Vehicle Smart Module (OVSM) to Chief Guest Suresh Prabhu, honourable Union Minister of Railways, by AIM-ITs founder chairman, Mr Vinit Goenka.

OVSM was one of the top five recommendations which were selected after a nationwide campaign conducted by a special policy group - #ITforParivahan. This policy group was set up by Govt of Indias IT task force members and renowned technocrats Padmashree Dr. Mohandas Pai and Mr. Vinit Goenka as a platform to crowd source ideas to improve Indian infrastructure.

Mr Vinit Goenka said that implementing IT will help government build transparent, economic, fast, scalable solutions through disruptive and inclusive ideas.
Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan reportedly said that Vodafone has not paid "a single naya paisa" as yet on the demands made on it. eportedly said that Vodafone has not paid "a single naya paisa" as yet on the demands made on it.

Rajan said India is making serious efforts to become "a more friendly place to do business".

"One of the things that we have been working hard on is creating a predictable tax structure,"Rajan was quoted as saying.

Rajan reported that 'Make in India' programme is about a lot of things that are taking place in India.
The Indian space agency is all set to undertake the maiden launch of its very own indigenously version of a 'space shuttle', a fully made-in-India effort. This is India's first test flight for the indigenously made Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD)., six years after Nasa grounded its reusbale launch shuttle in 2011.

ISRO

This will be the first time Isro will launch a spacecraft, which has delta wings and after launch it will be glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. Scientists at ISRO believe that they could reduce the cost of launching stuff into space by as much as 10 times if reusable technology succeeds, bringing it down to $2,000 per kg.

Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, K Sivan said it will take at least a decade to have a full-scale reusable launcher, which will land like an aircraft and can be recovered and reused. It is cheered as a baby step towards the historic launch of the advanced RLV by 2020, VSSC director K Sivan said: "RLV-TD is a baby step towards the launch of the advanced RLV with air breathing propulsion system (ABPS) and reusable launch vehicle technology. The purpose of developing advanced RLV with ABPS is to reduce the cost of space launches, if engines and structures are recovered and re-used. Current RLV-TD has no recovery plans," he said.

The shuttle is unlikely to be recovered from sea during this experiment as it is expected that the vehicle will disintegrate on impact with water since it is not designed to float.

PTI

The purpose of the experiment is not to see it float but to glide and navigate from a velocity five times higher than the speed of sound onto a designated virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal some 500 km from the coast.

The RLV-TD being experimented is a scale model which is almost 6 times smaller than the intended final version, which will take at least 10-15 years to get ready.

ISRO

The only countries that have attempted operational flights of a space shuttle are America, which flew its space shuttle 135 times and then retired it in 2011. Since then it lost its capacity to send astronauts in space on American-made rockets.

The Russians made only a single space shuttle and called it Buran it flew into space just once in 1989. After that the French and Japanese have made some experimental flights.
The paradise on Earth, Kashmir, is one of the top romantic destinations of the world. Leading travel magazine 'Lonely Planet has ranked the Indian state second only to Switzerland in this year's most romantic tour destinations around the world.

Kashmir Tourism

The scenic valley with its ice covered mountain slopes and the Chinar trees makes a pristine scene which cannot be found anywhere on earth. Shikara boats to cruise Srinagars Dal Lake are also one of the major attractions and set a picture perfect romance for couples.

Kashmir Tourism

Kashmir Tourism

Reuters

Tourism authorities in the valley felt that the recognition which came amid the threat of militancy would further boost tourism in the state.

Kashmir which has immense tourism potential has for long suffered due to the years of militancy. But with the militancy coming down, the valley has witnessed a steady increase in both domestic and foreign tourists. An estimated 4,000 tourists arrive in Srinagar every day.

Kashmir Reader

The tourism season which begins around mid-March continues till around October.
When we talk about animals in Australia, the first one that comes to mind is the Kangaroo, their national animal. Yet, the country is ready to go ahead with mass killings of kangaroos.

Yes, its true. Australia is about to kill 1900 kangaroos this year.

Reuters

Reuters

The Australian government has decided to kill that many by August 1, to control their population. The reasons cited by the government is that the growing Kangaroo population is causing de-vegetation, also leading to complete degradation of certain areas, both of which may have a devastating impact on the environment.

The killing will be done by government-hired shooters.

Reuters

Theyll shoot the Kangaroos in the head for an instant death. Sadly, this is not the first time that Australia will carry out lawful killing of kangaroos. Previously in 2008, almost 4000 kangaroos were shot dead. It is being said that this heinous act will be carried out in the night, when the animals will be grazing in the grounds.

Did you know that when the shooter misses a shot, the animal is left wounded badly, leading to a slow and painful death. Even worse, the baby kangaroos are left to die or are euthanised after the mother is killed.

No matter what the reason, killing innocent animals is not the solution. Animal rights organisations and NGOs are saying that this mass killing of kangaroos is aimed at promoting the kangaroo meat industry. According to them, this is a way to encourage people to eat kangaroo meat.

Reuters

Apparently, there's not a scientific backed argument that the kangaroos population is on a rise. Kangaroos are considered slow-reproducing animals as the females are able to produce only one joey per year. Thus, it is biologically impossible for the animal's population to rise suddenly.

We dont know if this mass killing of Kangaroos is correct or not, but this act is downright cruel. We really hope they find another way out because kangaroos are one of a kind, and killing them is not justified.
The USA: How To Make Them Give A Damn? By Christopher Black May 14, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " NEO " - In a report published in the American journal, National Security News, on May 9th, the day of the celebration of the victory of Soviet and allied forces over the fascist forces in1945, it was stated that, in terms of the eastern threat-which is a reference to Russia-EUCOM (the American Forces European Command) will be moving from a training to a war fighting stance. The article continues, this does not mean that the U.S. is planning a war with Russia, merely that it will shift its force structure in a manner aimed at deterring Moscow and defending NATO and European partners should Russian President Vladimir Putin attempt what he has done in Ukraine. Of course, the authors do not state what Russia attempted in Ukraine, because that phrase is a cover for the American arranged putsch that put in power the US puppet government in Kiev. That regime then attacked the peoples of the eastern Ukraine because they refused to accept the American backed coup against their democratically elected president and the crushing of their culture. And when Americans say that they are not planning a war, we know that is exactly what they are planning. What are the wars in Ukraine, in Syria, the destruction of Yugoslavia and Libya, but a part of the war against Russia? The article then refers to the deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Russia, and Moscows continuing aggressive, belligerent actions against U.S. warships and aircraft in international spaces. This, again, is code meaning that Russia will not let us walk all over them in the Baltic, Ukraine, Syria or anywhere else. It confirms that preparations for war continue steadily, as I have related in previous articles, comparing the NATO build up of forces in the east of Europe to the build of German forces prior to the launching of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazis surprise attack on the Soviet Union, on June 21, 1941. The similarities mount with each passing month. The Russian government, well aware of what is happening, has responded with close surveillance of American combat ships entering the Baltic which threaten Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and Russian access to the Atlantic. It has also created three new army divisions; two of which are to be placed on the western front facing NATO forces in Eastern Europe and one on the southern flank. Just recently, the Americans transferred their top general in Korea, General Scaparotti to the command of American forces in Europe, replacing the bellicose General Breedlove. The change is more than routine or cosmetic since Breedlove was an air force officer. Scaparotti, even more bellicose than Breedlove, is an army combat general with experience in several US attacks on sovereign nations His replacement in Korea, General Brooks.is also an army combat general who was deputy head of army operations in the attack on Iraq, and also has a record of being involved in American aggression against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and the war on terror in the middle east, meaning the war on Iraq and Syria. Both these men are fighting generals, not office chair warmers. Their appointments suggest increased aggressive actions by the Americans on the Korean peninsular and on Russias borders. In fact on May 4th, the day he assumed command of the NATO forces in Europe, General Scaparotti stated that, NATO needs to stay agile and ready to fight tonight. Alarming words. In an attempt to counter the continued American pressure, President Putin, on Monday, May 9th called for the creation of a non-aligned system of international security to counter global terror. What he meant by that is unclear, non-aligned in what sense? What would a non-aligned system look like? We must not forget that a Non-Aligned Movement still exists. Formed in 1961 in Beograd by Indias Prime Minister Nehru, Indonesias President Sukarno, Egypts President Nasser, Ghanas President Nkrumah and Yugoslav President Tito, it advocated a road between the opposing forces in the so called Cold War. Fidel Castro said in a speech in 1979, that the Non-Aligned Movement wants to ensure the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, ne-colonialism and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference ort hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics. These objectives were, it should be noted, completely in line with Soviet policy but totally opposed to everything American imperialism was trying to achieve, domination of the world. The Russian government has repeatedly stated it supports the objectives expressed in Castros speech. The United States has repeatedly stated and proved that it will not tolerate them. Therefore, it would seem that reviving the Non-Aligned Movement, which lost its direction with the end of the Cold War, could be an important step in creating what President Putin has in mind, a non-aligned movement with military power. The Non-Aligned Movement has currently 120 nations. Are they prepared to join Russia to build a common security architecture? Is that what President Putin has in mind? Interesting questions, interesting possibilities. But do the leaders of those nations or any of them, have the desire, the will and the courage to do something before a catastrophe occurs? Whether President Putin is talking about establishing a common security initiative with those countries, or just the BRIC nations, without a common ideology it is difficult to see how those countries can come together. But then, perhaps, today a common ideology is not necessary, only a common fear. We shall see. President Putin is highly intelligent and perhaps has some concrete ideas in mind to push this forward. We can but hope. For he also knows, as we all know, that when he says in his May 9th speech that terrorism has become a global threat he is really stating that the United States has become a global threat. It is clear that the terrorists the world is facing are U.S. proxy forces attempting to destabilise the word for American interests. The battle against terrorists in Aleppo is really a battle against U.S. forces in Syria. No one is any longer fooled by the vague term terrorists. This has been made abundantly clear by the invasion of Syria by U.S. forces in the past few weeks, setting up advance bases for something bigger. President Putin actually said it in his speech when he said, double standards and short-sighted indulgence to those who are nurturing new criminal plans, are unacceptable. The reference could only be to the NATO alliance and the Unites States in particular. The call for the creation of a non-aligned security system can also be interpreted as recognising the total irrelevance of the United Nations and its role in international law of securing world peace. Its irrelevance has increased year by year along, with that of international law; the United States and its allies treat both with contempt. We can expect only worse after the American elections. The two likely contenders for the American presidency are equally intent on making America great again, of dominating the world. Since they, on behalf of the ruling elite, offer no rational solutions to the American people for the increasing economic decline and social breakdown that is occurring in the United States, war is their only way out. Its time for a new Bandung Conference, the conference that was the precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement, held in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia, a conference of African and Asian states, hosted by President Sukarno. The member nations adopted a declaration on promotion of world peace and cooperation which included Nehrus five principles: mutual respect to each others territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in domestic affairs, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful co-existence. These principles need to be renewed and in light of the reality, made concrete by a common system of international security as President Putin suggests. For as Harold Pinter, the Nobel Laureate for Literature in his acceptance speech of the Nobel Prize said, The United States quite simply doesnt give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. How to make them give a damn, he once asked me, before they kill us all? How indeed? That is the question. Christopher Black is an international criminal lawyer based in Toronto, he is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and he is known for a number of high-profile cases involving human rights and war crimes, especially for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook .
At least 12 persons were reportedly killed late Friday night by suspected herdsmen at Tarfi village, Binnev Ward, in Buruku local government area of Benue State.

The attack also left so many villagers with varying degrees of injuries while several others were still reported missing and unaccounted for, reports Vanguard.

A source told Vanguard that the armed men stormed the village in their numbers from neighbouring Tarka Local Government at about 11pm, shooting sporadically and burning down houses and huts in the community.

There is no doubt that it is this same group of herdsmen that have been terrorizing Tarka and Buruku Local Government Areas in recent times that are responsible for this attack, the source said.

This time they stormed Tarfi village, Binnev Ward, in Buruku late last night at about 11pm, in a commando fashion shooting and killing anything that stood in their way.

It was a well coordinated attack. They marched through the village burning down houses and huts, farmland, food barn and any property that belonged to the indigenous people.

At the moment, the calls we received from home indicated that about 12 persons were killed while many sustained serious injuries and many others still missing and unaccounted for.

As Im speaking with you, the locals, including women, children and the elderly, have all fled their homes, trekking long distances to seek a safe place to hide, while the intruders have gone into hiding though their cows are still grazing in the village.

When contacted, the Benue Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the attack, said the Police recorded five deaths in the incident adding that the Command was on top of the situation.

Yamu said, yes I can confirm the attack on Tarfi village, Binnev Ward, in Buruku Local Government Area of the state by suspected Fulani herdsmen; so far we have record five deaths, two persons were killed in the village but three others who sustained injuries in the attack died on their way to the hospital.
Residents of Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi state have been thrown into mourning following the discovery of the dead body of a 17 year old man who allegedly committed suicide over a failed marriage proposal. According to a press release by the State Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed, the Victim, Usman Abdu, who hails from Ganja ward in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi State committed the act on the 13th of May 2016 at around 9pm by hanging himself on a tree with rope.

DSP Mohammed said that the scene of incident was visited by Police detectives led by the DPO in Soro Police Division of the local government and the victim was photographed and rushed to Soro hospital where he was certified dead by a medical doctor.

Preliminary investigation revealed that victim hanged himself when his cousin, a 12 years old girl of the same address rejected his marriage proposal Exhibit recovered include rope which the victim used in hanging himself while the corpse has released to relative for burial after postmortem examinations. The PPRO said
Having a will is not something that is very common in Nigeria especially because of the fee involved but it would not only save and preserve the dead persons wish, It can also help in solving a lot of problems that usually arise after the decease.INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you in this piece 4 things that happen to people who die without a will.

Children, spouses and ex-spouses, and siblings will fight. And fight. And fight.

Death does not always bring out the best in people. Interestingly, the prospect of pending death is often seen as an occasion to mend fences. But once the death actually occurs, all bets are off and the gloves come on.

This is more likely to happen in families where the heirs have different socio-economic statuses. The son who cant hold a job wants to know why his rich older brother needs yet more money. The rich older brother thinks he should be put in charge of managing the unemployed brothers share of the estate. And so on. But the decision shouldnt be theirs; its yours.

A will is your way to skirt this squabble. Its your money and you can give whatever amounts you want to whomever you want. End of story.

Your heirs will fight for a long time, and it will be stupidly expensive.

Because you werent specific about your wishes, your heirs are free to continually disagree. Your heirs undoubtedly will have conflicting self-interests. Most people die with considerable assets that arent liquid  a house, for instance. While a wealthy inheritor can afford to hold on to the house, his less privileged counterpart wants a fast sale for immediate cash in hand.

Your will is your chance to end the argument before it starts.

When a will is probated, the deceaseds property and assets are inventoried and appraised and then, after debts are paid, the remaining assets are distributed among the chosen heirs. If there is no will, then conflict of interest arises.

Nobody can read your dead mind, which leads to people calling other people liars.

Did you promise your niece that you would help her pay for her sons college education? And only you and she know that and now you are dead. Nobody else in the family knows that youve been quietly footing the bill for your granddaughters fancy private school. Its none of their business when you are alive, but it becomes their business when you are dead.

You may not get the kind of funeral you want.

So you wanted a happy party where friends gather and share funny stories about you? No somber memorials for you, right? Well in that case, its best to clearly state what you want in both a will and a separate letter that can easily be found upon your death. Because like Prince, sometimes folks cant find the will all that quickly.

what do you think???
It is not uncommon to meet different personality at a typical Nigerian party. Some would come to the party just for the item 7 while some would come to criticize what others are wearing. It is based on this that INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you in this piece 7 amazing types of people you are likely to find at a Nigerian party.



The Picture Freak

This set of people will take picture from the beginning of the wedding to the end. Every one minute theyre taking pics. If its not a selfie, theyre begging someone to help them out.

The Food Fighter

Theyre ready to pick a fight if theyre not served food or drink on time. They would fight anyone who tries to stop them from achieving their goal which is to eat to their satisfaction.

The Attention Seeker

These one have no chill.They are all over the place seeking attention. They will go out and come back hundred times. They just want to be noticed by that guy or lady seating at the back, middle and front, thats all.

Fashion Police

Theyre at the wedding to criticize, condemn what people are wearing. They will analyze you from head to toe. Their job is to look for the faults in peoples clothes, make up and shoes..Ladies are guilty of these especially.

Just There For Item No 7

By the hungry look on their face you will know them.Most of them will still keep asking for more. They will eat and claim not to have eaten. Some even come with disposable bags to pack food home.

The Quiet Observers

They just sit quietly and observe everything going one. Theyre hardly ever noticed as they just remain in one place from the beginning of the ceremony to the end.

The i hear, i branch

Most of time, these people have no idea who the celebrant is.They just roam around town every Saturday, looking for anywhere theres wedding reception and when they find one.

which are you guilty of ???
It can be quite tasking balancing a relationship with a full-time job, especially if he has a different job from yours. Some of us, whether as a first or last resort, take to dating a co-worker.This can be very easy to fall into, because the more time you spend in the office together, the more likely it is that you get close to this your male co-worker. It is a natural process and happens a lot. However, some people go beyond a friendship and start dating their co-worker. Many women like to keep their affair under wraps and away from the office right? So what could be the reason for it? Well, whatever the reasons,INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together in this piece the cold truth about dating a co worker.

1. Dating a co-worker leads to gossip

When a person dates a fellow colleague, ultimately other people in the office will start gossiping about the relationship. This might not go down well with the boss. Therefore, if one dates a coworker, the affair should be kept as a secret. People may start to question if you got a promotion or an incentive because of your relationship with Bob the HR Guy. Be prepared for the office rumour mill.

2. Personal difference might lead to trouble

In every relationship, there might be arguments and fights in a relationship. Unfortunately, you dont get to storm off to work and leave your problems at home. They are following you to work and you have to deal with them all day. This might affect professional relationships.

3. Breaking up is difficult

Breaking up an affair with a co-worker is all the more difficult, for the simple reason that you both have to work in the same office! The tension may cause someone to resign or ask to transfer.

4. Dating the boss: Win or Lose

This situation can take you at a higher position or you could end up losing your job. Dating the boss means there will most likely be special preferences: from rewards to bonus and references. However, this might not go well with the other co-workers in the office. Eventually, people may come to doubt if you occupy certain positions or are given certain benefits because of merit or because of who youre romancing. If you want people to focus on your professional abilities, then this may be one area you may want to avoid.

do you agree???
A biological father, Daniel Joseph, 31-years have been handed over to the Kaduna Police Command for raping own two years old daughter name withheld. The incidence was said to have occurred in Gonin-Gora, Chikun local government area of the state and leading to the daughter discharging.

Joseph, a Carpenter was said to have been exposed by his Neighbours who reported the case to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development after which he was handed over to the police command (CID).

It was also gathered that mother of the girl is late and giving room for the father to allegedly have carnal knowledge of his daughter. Upon interrogation, the suspect was said to have denied it but people in the area testified that he is fond of the ungodly act.

It was however gathered that a Doctor who examined the little girl confirmed penetration & serious infection.

Efforts to reach the Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Zubairu Abubakar for formal confirmation of the development proved abortive as he was not picking his calls. Earlier, the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Rabi Abdulsalam expressed shock and condemned the act in totality. She however directed that the little girl be given proper medical treatment. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalist, NAWOJ through it state Chairperson, Juliet Nwogu Oyoyo also condemned the act and disclosed it plan to organize a rally to kick against rape and molestation of the women folks.
The second annual Human Rights Film Festival is underway in Gaza, bringing a measure of glitz and glamour to a city that continues to be under Israeli siege. While the Hollywood elite are turning on the glamour at the Cannes Film Festival, this modest and very different festival is a break from everyday routine for the people of Gaza. The idea here is to let residents of Gaza, where there are no functioning cinemas, experience a little cinematic escapism, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the festival, said.

Attendees of all ages, so tired of conflicts and embargoes  were clearly happy to get a chance that doesnt often come their way, Jamjoom added. Organisers say the event is meant to give the people of Gaza a chance to feel at peace, however momentary it may be. The slogan, the hashtag of our festival is in Arabic Badna Nitnafas  which means in English we want to breathe, we want to breathe air, we want to breathe freedom, said Saud Aburamdan, one of the organisers of the festival.

The event is also intended to send a message to the world that Gaza is not a city of terrorists but a city of people who love life, Aburamdan added. Gaza has another face, another beautiful face. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip love life, they are not terrorists  they also can go and watch a movie. Over the course of four days, 70 films are scheduled to screen, among them narrative features, documentaries and shorts, all free to the public.

While the Cannes festival may be getting all the headlines, the film fans who came out on the first night of the Gaza event said that their version, which is certainly not nearly as flashy, is, to them, just as special. Gaza resident Maysa Al-Atrash said: Im excited. I like an event like this, activities for me and my kids, a cultural event.

Aljazeera.
Hezbollah has said its top military commander Mustafa Badreddine died as a result of artillery shelling by a Sunni armed group in Damascus. The Lebanese Shia group announced Badreddines death on Friday and a military funeral was held for him on the same day in southern Beirut.

Investigations have showed that the explosion, which targeted one of our bases near Damascus International Airport, and which led to the martyrdom of commander Mustafa Badreddine, was the result of artillery bombardment carried out by takfiri groups, Hezbollah said in a statement. Takfiri is a word used by the group to refer to armed Sunni groups.

Hezbollah earlier said it was working to define the nature of the explosion and its cause, and whether it was the result of an air strike, or missile [attack] or artillery. Badreddine, 55, was one of the highest ranking officials in the group, and believed to be responsible for its operations in Syria, where thousands of its members are fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said Badreddine was the most senior Hezbollah commander to have been killed in Syria since the conflict began.

Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses in Syria, with some sources estimating that at least 1,200 fighters have died since the group started its involvement in the war, she said. Hezbollahs military intervention in Syria caused a divide in Lebanon. Some say it was totally wrong as it exposed Lebanon to threats. However, Hezbollah sees this as an existential decision because the Syrian government provides a lifeline to the group.
A judge in Iran told a man sentenced to death: If youre innocent youll go to heaven after youre hanged. Reza Hosseini, one of four people executed on 3 May on drug charges, pleaded not guilty to the charges in a trial that allegedly lasted just two minutes before he was found guilty and sentenced to death.

But the judge presiding over the case reportedly responded to Hosseinis protests that he was innocent by telling him if that was the case he would go to heaven after the execution, Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported. Hosseini was hanged at Karajs Ghezel Hesar Prison in northern Iran.

In a will seen by IHR, the 34-year-old insisted he was innocent, and mentioned the comment made by Judge Tayerani. His wife Azadeh Geravand also asserted Hosseinis claims, adding that he had been subject to torture and had been prevented from seeing his family. In the first 70 days of his imprisonment Reza was subjected to torture and interrogations, she told human rights news site HRANA. We were not allowed to visit him until he was transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison. But, even then, we werent granted our first visit with him until after 11 months of imprisonment.

The narcotics mentioned in Rezas case file were discovered by authorities in our neighbours home whom we dont even know. The only reason why Reza was arrested is because he got into a physical altercation with the authorities in the parking lot of our residence. The majority of executions in Iran are linked to drug charges, with Amnesty International highlighting the rise in executions in Iran in a recent report.
An Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court on Friday handed a 12 months jail term to a 22-year-old unemployed man, Innocent Ali, for stealing a womans handbag in a church. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Taiwo Akanni, who sentenced the accused without any option of fine, said the punishment will serve as a deterrent to others. The accused was arraigned on July 20, 2015 on a one-count charge of stealing.

The convict, whose address is unknown, pleaded guilty the day he was arraigned and had since then been in custody

The accused jail term will include the number of days he had been in custody. The prosecutor, Insp. Clifford Ogu, had told the court that the offence was committed on July 5 at Christ Royal Family International Church, located at 2, Adegbola St., Ikeja.

Ogu said the accused stole a womans handbag in the church and ran away. The accused was sitting beside a woman, one Mrs Ekundayo Oyenuga, in the church, and after the service, the woman left her bag to meet with the pastor, but on her return, the bag had disappeared. It was the CCTV camera that revealed the accused, Ogu said. He said that police was able arrest the convict through the account number he gave the complainant to pay in N15, 000 before he would release other document in the bag to her.

The items in the bag are a blackberry phone valued at N45,000, cash of N10,000, a drivers license, ATM card, car key, international passport and an Ipad, Ogu said. He said that when the accused was arrested, he had already spent the money and sold the mobile phone. The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Daily Times

Ebonyi State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Thursrday insisted that Fulani herdsmen should leave the state, following their nefarious activities, which had, in recent times, endangered the life and property.

Daily Trust

An ex-officio member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bayelsa State, Engineer Akpoebi Benson, has accused the states election petition tribunal, sitting in Abuja, of bias and perversion of justice.

Leadership

As more reactions continue to trail the removal of fuel subsidy and increase of pump price on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N86.50K to N145.00 per litre by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Rescue Nigeria Anti-corruption Network (ReNAN), has rejected the increment and calls for reversal.

Tribune

The Iyase (Prime Minister) of Benin Kingdom, Sam Igbe, has formally announced the passage of the Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa.

The Nation

The ongoing Operation CRACKDOWN on Boko Haram by the Nigerian Troops in Sambisa Forest is yielding significant success according to the military.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged the Federal Government to tackle the resurgence of militancy and oil pipelines vandalism in the Niger Delta.

The President of the Association, Mr Francis Olabode-Johnson, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.

Nigeria is losing a large percentage of its revenue due to the activities of the militants, he told the news agency.

I want government and the multinational oil companies to use modern technologies in checking pipelines vandalism and crude oil theft.

The PENGASSAN boss added that modern technologies should be used in such a way that vandals would not have access.

We also expect the managers of these pipelines to imbibe the culture of regular maintenance while government lives up to its responsibility of providing security to these national asset, he said.
The federal government of Nigeria recently announced a new price for petrol as a result of subsidy removal. However, there has been different reactions from different individuals and bodies as a result of this action.It is based on this that INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together prominent reactions trailing the new petrol price.

Former Governor Lagos State and a national of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu hailed the removal of petrol subsidy by President Muhammadu Buhari describing it as a courageous decision to reallocate funds to other more socially productive services and undertakings.

Tinubu said in a statement that it would have been politically easy for the President to sit back and let the subsidy remain in place, adding that in the art of governance, the easiest policy is rarely the best one.

He equally said that:It was a benefit all were to enjoy. Yet, because past governments were not for and of the people, the true meaning and objective of the subsidy policy became lost. Over the years, the operation of the measure was distorted to where it no longer functioned for the benefit of the masses but for the undue enrichment of a small club of businessmen, some legitimate in their work, some not. Instead of remaining a positive aspect of the social contract, the subsidy was transformed into an opaque haven of intrigue and malfeasance.

Former governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, was however of a different opinion when he urged the Federal Government to reverse the N145 new petrol pump price introduced on Wednesday.

Musa, who is also a national leader of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Kaduna.

He said that the governments action would inflict more pains on Nigerians.We are in trouble; the already bad situation will get worse and it will worsen the poverty level of Nigerians, he said.

The politician said that he would support the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) planned mass protest to compel the Federal Government to reverse the decision.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, also condemned the recent removal of oil subsidy by the Federal government which has caused the pump price of petrol to jump to N145 per liter. According to Falana, Buhari has reneged on his campaign promise of not increasing pump price. Falana said this in a statement he release yesterday May 12th.

The Nigerian Labour Congress on Wednesday said it would resist the federal governments scrapping of fuel subsidy and increase of petrol price to about N145 per litre.

The unilateral increase in prices of petroleum products today by government represents the height of insensitivity and impunity and shall be resisted by the Nigeria Labour Congress and its civil society allies, the congress said, through a statement by its General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson.

what do you think???
Syrian government forces have regained control over a hospital in the city of Deir Az-Zor, government sources told Al Jazeera, after ISIL seized it, killing 20 troops and taking medical staff hostage. Steffanie Dekker, reporting from bordering Turkish city of Gaziantep, said that government forces also reportedly took back a university accommodation in the city.

Syrias official news agency SANA reported that the military eliminated a number of ISIS (ISIL) terrorists who had infiltrated a hospital in Deir Az-Zor city and taken doctors, patients, and other civilians hostage. A source on the ground told SANA that army units clashed with a group of ISIS terrorists that had infiltrated al-Assad Hospital in Deir Az-Zor, which resulted in the death of the terrorists, SANA reported.

ISIL, which controls most of Deir Az-Zor province, has stepped up its offensive to take more territory from the government there. The hospital and the university dorm that the military said it had regained are located in the centre of an area that the government controls.

The area has been surrounded and besieged by ISIL for months now  There has been fighting back and forth between both sides, but this was different because the attack came from multiple sides, from the north, west and the south, Dekker said. She also received reports that ISIL is trying to cut some vital supply lines for the Syrian government between a military airbase, a main brigade headquarters, and the centre of the city.
In 2011; In Egypt, Bothaina Kamel (48) a political activist, TV presenter and a candidate for president, was hauled in for questioning because of her outspoken criticism of the nations military rulers and said she is facing allegations of slandering a top official and the military. Clashes between Muslims and Christians in the center of Cairo left 51 people wounded, as Coptic Christians pursued a sit-in protest against the violence.

1999; In South Africa, Winnie Mandela was sentenced to six years in prison for her part in the kidnapping and beating of three black youths and the death of a fourth.

2013; Nigerias President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency allowing soldiers to arrest people at will and take over buildings suspected to house extremists in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. An official in the Kaduna state said gunmen armed with assault rifles and suspected to be Hausa-Fulani cattle herders killed 11 people in a village there. In Benue state, a government spokesman said an attack blamed on Hausa-Fulani cattle herders there killed at least 12 people.

2000; In Zimbabwe elections were set for June 24-25, but the opposition objected because voting districts were not yet established and a May 29 deadline for candidates was thought too soo

2002; In Sierra Leone UN sponsored voting for the presidency and parliament took place for the 1st time since the war ended in 2000.

2005; Congos legislature adopted a constitution that reduces the required age for presidential candidates, a change that would allow President Joseph Kabila to stand in the countrys next elections.

2007 ; In southern Nigerias Rivers State unidentified gunmen snatched a Nigerian working for Italian oil giant Agip.

2010; In southern Nigeria gunmen sporting military uniforms kidnapped four Lebanese road construction workers in an attack that left a soldier and a gang member dead in Abia state. The 4 workers were freed on May 22.

2007 ; In South Africa deputies and experts attending the Pan African Parliament called for Western countries to help reverse the environmental damage to the continent that they had helped create.

2008 ;, In Kenya an international aid worker said officials backed by armed police are forcing some 9,000 Kenyans displaced by postelection violence to leave a refugee camp in Kitale.

2008; In Sudan clashes erupted in Abyei between the northern-based national army and former guerrillas from the south. Arab Misseriya nomads, some armed by the northerners, and the southern Ngok Dinka, protected by the SPLM, held a historic animosity in the area over land and water. The UN mission (UNMIS) there did little more than protect the local UN base

2010; , In Algeria a moderate earthquake killed two people and injured 43 other

2010 ;, In eastern Central African Republic villagers at Guerekindo killed two Ugandan rebels of the Lords Resistance Army in a self-defense initiative.

2010;, Four African countries (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) signed a new treaty on the equitable sharing of the Nile waters despite strong opposition from Egypt and Sudan, who have the lions share of the river waters. The new agreement, the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework, is to replace a 1959 accord between Egypt and Sudan that gives them control of more than 90 percent of the water flow. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned at the weekend that Cairos water rights were a red line and threatened legal action if a partial deal is reached.

2010 ; In Sudan government troops killed 108 fighters from the rebel Justice and Equality Movement in the Jebel Moon area of western Darfur. Government forces also battled JEM rebels near Nyala in south Darfur where 27 police and 33 rebels were killed. Forces loyal to a renegade south Sudanese general clashed with government troops for the fourth time in two weeks, leaving at least five soldiers dead.

2011;, In Libya NATO conducted 147 air sorties, 48 of them strike sorties that aimed to identify and hit targets but not always deploy munitions. Targets included surface-to-air missile launchers, ammunition stores and artillery pieces.

2011 ;, Tunisian army troops deployed along the border thwarted an attempt by 200 troops from Gadhafis army to cross the border aboard some 50 off-road vehicles. 3 pro-Gadhafi officers who defected landed at Tunisias port of Zarzis on a boat. 2 people suspected of links to al-Qaidas North African affiliate were arrested overnight, one with a belt of explosives and the other carrying a grenade.

2012 ;, In northern Mali hundreds of residents of Gao took to the streets to protest against the Tuareg rebels, Islamists and an Al-Qaeda group that took control of the city after a March coup.
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Who be Rishi Sunak wey go be UK new prime minister? Getty Images Former chancellor Rishi Sunak go be UK next prime minister. Di 42 year...
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has explained his request for a N13.12 million loan from the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, meant for logistics for an official assignment to China. In a statement signed by the Director, Public Relations and Protocol in the Ministry, Peter Dama, Lai Mohammed said the letter to the NBC requesting for a loan was mischievously leaked to social media by staff of the commission.

The statement added that the loan was to cover tickets and travel expenses of a five-member delegation being led by the Minister to Beijing, China, for a Conference on Tourism for Development.

The loan being requested for is for the ministry to meet up its obligations to enable the Minister and members of his delegation attend the all important conference. The loan is not meant for the minister alone as personal expenses, but for the expenses of all members of the delegation. The Conference is being organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in conjunction with the Government of the Peoples Republic of China, under the overall theme Tourism for Peace and Development. It will feature amongst others, discussions on major issues for sustainable development including the contribution of Tourism to poverty reduction and peace. The conference is a veritable platform to develop synergy and partnership with players in the global Tourism Industry which will go a long way in boosting our drive to diversify the Nigerian economy, it stated.

Source:LIB
$10,000 for a pot of tea sounds excessive, but thats the kind of price that wealthy tea-collectors are willing pay for a few sips of original Da Hong Pao, perhaps the worlds rarest tea. With a single gram priced at a whopping $1,400, this famously pricey tea is actually worth over 30 times its weight in gold!

So what make Da Hong Pao tea so valuable? According to Chinese tea master Xiangning Wu, its mainly its rarity. There are hardly any original Da Hong Pao trees left, and the antique varieties that grow in Wuyi mountains, Chinas Fujian Province, are so rare that theyre considered almost priceless. In fact, generations-old tea makers have a special yearly ritual to Da Hong Pao  they go into the mountains every spring to pray to tea god Lu Yu for new shoots. Some reports suggest that the leaves are wiped with goats milk as they grow, and after harvest, theyre baked and then left to gain flavor for up to 80 years.

Legend has it that these original Da Hong Pao also has incredible medicinal value  it is said that the when the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor fell ill, she was cured by this particular tea. Following the incident, the emperor clothed the four bushes that provided the medicinal leaves with great red robes. And thats how the tea got its name  Da Hong Pao  which translates to Big Red Robe. Today, six Da Hong Pao bushes growing on a brick terrace in a vertiginous limestone face, in the Wuyi Mountains, are believed to be offshoots of those original bushes.

Travel writer Theodora Sutcliffe, who recently visited Wuyishan city in the mountains to find out more about the tea, confirms this, explaining that not all varieties of Da Hong Pao are expensive. Though aged or antique versions can sell for extremely high prices, a Da Hong Pao of reasonable quality can cost around $100 per kilo in Wuyishan, she writes in her BBC report. But every genuine Da Hong Pao originates with a cutting from a single group of mother trees. And its these original trees that produce the rare and sought-after original tea.

Oddity Central.
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The Quiet Man was decades ago, but Cong has remained a bustling destination scene for those wanting to visit the location of John Ford's epic masterpiece. The surrounding countryside is full of hidden treasures as well, as long as you know where to look.

Head north out of Cong on R345 and you'll come to a small village called The Neale (An Eill). It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sort of town, with a few homes and a pub sitting along the main road. There's a church, too, called St. John the Baptised Church & Calvary, and it's there that the little village's Heritage Walk starts.

Follow the path of the walk (and it's absolutely not necessary you do so in order to visit the places along the way, as most are accessible from the main roads), and you'll come first to the Fr. O'Malley Millennium Park. The park is dedicated to the memory of John O'Malley, one of the major players in the local land league movement. A cornerstone of the community through the famine years, it was O'Malley that saw the building of The Neale's school and church in the 1870s.

Keep going and you'll see the site of the Lord Kilmaine House, and the first of The Neale's iconic follies - expensive structures built for dramatic effect rather than practical purpose. The land was once the home of the first Englishman to settle in Ireland, a map maker and sheriff named John Browne. His descendent would be Sir John Browne, the 7th Baronet and 1st Baron of Kilmaine, who would leave a lasting legacy throughout the countryside  most noticeably in the form of the follies that lay along the rest of the Heritage Walk.

The Gods of the Neale is the closest to Lord Kilmaine's house, a stone monument that has been carved with images of a unicorn, a griffin and an angel. The inscription on the monument is where the town gets its name, calling the figures The Gods of the Neale.

The next sits in the middle of a field and, at one time, it was the center of estate life. The Doric-esque temple was once used for family gatherings and teas, a place that the ladies of the house would use as a retreat from the responsibilities of daily life. It lies abandoned and overgrown today, a symbol of an era when there was a massive disconnect between land owners and their tenants.

The last of the follies built by Lord Kilmaine is the most visible  you can see it on your way into town. The massive, 30-foot (9-meter) tall step pyramid is one of Ireland's most unlikely monuments, and no one's quite sure why it's there. One story says that it was built as a memorial to Lord Kilmaine's brother, Sir George Browne. Another story suggests that it was built as a famine relief measure, when the lord tasked the locals with gathering up all the rocks and stones that lay scattered across his estate and then use them to build a pyramid.

It's not on the Heritage Walk, but just outside the village is a now unassuming home that once had the eyes of the world on it. The Lough Mask House was once leased by Captain Charles Boycott, whose duties included collecting rent from the other tenants. He took up residence on May 1, 1874, and it was the dawn of the Land War. When the agricultural and economic crash of the 1870s sent Irish farmers into destitution, the Lough Mask House started sending out eviction notices. The people, backed by Fr. O'Malley, converged on the house in a series of riots that led to the coining of the term boycotting and drawing the world's attention to this small piece of land in County Mayo.

Today, the monuments of The Neale remain strange landmarks in a town whose history still lies largely undiscovered, a place of rumors and remains. There's traces of a few Norman castles that dot the countryside, and stories of hosting Charles Steward Parnell, the great uncrowned King of Ireland  making it a great example of just how filled with history every piece of Ireland truly is.

What do you think is Ireland's best kept travel secret? Send in your tips to submit@irishcentral.com and check out all of Ireland's Travel Secrets here.



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Originally from Attica, NY Debra Kelly is a freelance writer and journalist who has seen most of the U.S. during her travels. Ready for something new, she's now living in the wild hills of Connemara with her husband and plenty of animals. She is a frequent contributor to Urban Ghosts, Listverse and Knowledgenuts.
The Irish American community is being asked to show support for Norwegian Air Internationals proposed transatlantic route between Cork and Boston, which four U.S. Congressmen have opposed by introducing a bill that would block the plan.

The Irish Times reports that the Cork Chamber of Commerce has written to the Friends of Ireland Caucus in the U.S., asking them to back Norwegian Air Internationals application for a foreign carrier permit from the US department of transport, which would allow it to operate a transatlantic service.

In the U.S., trade unions are opposed to the proposed service saying that it will lead to lower wages and changes in work practices.

Earlier this week, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders backed their campaign, saying that the airlines planned service would threaten the jobs of hundreds of thousands of flight attendants, mechanics, pilots and other airline workers in our country and in Europe.

We must do everything we can to prevent a global race to the bottom in the airline industry. If this permit is approved, it would open the door to the same flag of convenience model that decimated US shipping.

Cork Chamber of Commerce said its letter, which was sent to more than 50 political representatives with ties to the Irish American community, was created as a response to information that is deeply inaccurate, misleading and simply untrue.

Opponents of NAI have repeatedly and maliciously impugned Irelands aviation safety oversight, regulatory structures and labour protections, and labelled Ireland as a mere flag of convenience . . . the letter clearly corrects this misleading information.

The opposition to the NAI permit is based on restricting consumer choice and competition and is not on the grounds of safety or labour.

Irish safety standards are amongst the highest in the world and only EU and US crews will be employed, who will be subject to EU law.

The Cork-Boston route was due to commence in May but had to be postponed.The letter itself said opposition to the route was a highly unfortunate development for our economies and a missed opportunity for US and Irish consumers to enjoy additional connectivity between our nations.

Signatories to the letter include Eamonn Brennan, chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority; Michael Cawley, chairman of Bord Failte; Michael OLeary, CEO of Ryanair; Kevin Toland, chief executive of the Dublin Airport Authority; Niall McCarthy, managing director of Cork Airport; and Ian Talbot, chief executive of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.
Articles on vacations and trips to Ireland, castles in Ireland, cities in Ireland and more, including information you need to travel or move to Ireland.
Ian Morris of The Spires, Carrignafoy, Cobh, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to having more than 2,000 images and 100 movie files of child pornography at his home on April 11, 2013.

Sentencing in his case will take place on November 10 to give him an opportunity to continue with rehabilitation.

Sergeant Eoin Buckley said the material was first discovered when Ian Morriss employer carried out an internal audit of employees computers as they were concerned about the alleged leaking of sensitive information from the company. When child pornography was discovered, the gardai were alerted.

Sgt Buckley said officers called to the home of the accused in Cobh in April 2013 to conduct a search. He said that the search was made easier by the defendant who directed them to hard drives and particular parts of his computers where they were likely to find material.

He said: 2,167 images and 107 movie files of various degrees of depravity were found. It varied from images of children standing naked to children engaged in sexual activities with children and with adults.

From the moment we entered the house the defendant did not hold back, he admitted straight away that he had child pornography.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain was told none of the images were generated by the defendant and he had not shared or supplied images to others.

Originally from the UK, Morris has been living in Ireland for the past 15 years and ceased working with his employer as a direct result of this material being found. Sgt Buckley said the defendant lived with his wife, they do not have children and he recently suffered a heart attack.

Judge O Donnabhain said: There is no doubt he has been subject to disordered thinking of longstanding which was deeply embedded. The material on his hard drive is of some considerable depravity.

Significant to me in consideration of sentencing is the efforts he has made for his rehabilitation.

A report on his progress in this treatment was supplied to the court by the defence barrister, Donal OSullivan, who said the accused had no previous convictions and was deeply remorseful for engaging in this activity..

The judge said: He has tried to unlock this disordered thinking. That type of engagement would not be available if I sent him to prison. It merits serious consideration of a prison sentence. This is a serious matter.
New figures show that the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (Mabs) has used the debt relief notice (DRN) scheme to secure 238,000 in debt write-offs for 17 qualifying clients who engaged with its Cork City service alone in the first quarter of the year.

It is one of the highest rates of DRN write-offs in the country. The individual write-offs ranged from 3,000 for one client to 32,000 for another.

Cork Mabs co-ordinator Margaret ONeill described the DRN scheme as a golden ticket for people struggling with unsecured debt.

It really is a once-in-a-lifetime golden ticket. You can simply walk away from the debts. There are no hidden strings. This is a means to a fresh start, she said. We all know the symptoms of carrying problem debt. When this kind of unsecured debt becomes unmanageable, people need support.

This scheme is aimed at people trying to get their life back on track, and can provide for full relief of burden debt up to a maximum of 35,000.

The DRN scheme is part of the Governments insolvency legislation introduced in 2012.

It is designed for people who have less than 35,000 in qualifying debt such as Revenue, credit card and utility bills, bank, credit union, or money lender loans, and other forms of unsecured debt, and who have few assets and a low income.

Applicants cannot have an interest in property, and must be living in rented accommodation or with their parents. Ms ONeill said people who apply to Mabs to avail of the scheme will meet with one of their approved intermediaries who assess each case individually.

Subject to certain criteria, successful applicants must agree to certain obligations for three years, after which the debts are simply written off, thanks to an agreed protocol with the Irish Banking Federation Institute.

Ms ONeill said the DNR scheme is just one of the many free and confidential debt solutions provided by Mabs.

We are the gateway to debt solutions. For some people, the DRN is the perfect solution, but there are others, she said.

New figures show that Mabs is also negotiating with lenders on behalf of 1,440 long-term mortgage arrears householders.

Mabs staff have been attending all repossession hearings since last October 1 and are now seeing more referrals from the courts to their dedicated mortgage arrears advice team.

Mabs national development officer Michael Culloty said these specialist mortgage advisers are giving people in mortgage distress a fighting chance.

It is evident that even at a late stage, deals can be put in place that will keep people in their homes, he said.

However, he said that, in other cases, lenders need to get real in terms of their expectations and demands.

Unfortunately, some lenders and credit servicing firms have their eye only on the rising property market and, where there is an amount of equity in the property, some seem fixated on getting their hands on an appreciating asset no matter what the cost to the homeowner, he said.

Mabs can be contacted on 0761 072000 or through its website, www.mabs.ie.
One of two companies aiming to put Elon Musk's dream of a high-speed transport system come true has finally made its first test off in the Nevada desert.

Hyperloop One released a sled-like car on its man-made track as part of a series of first tests for the transport technology less than a day ago, according to Reuters. At about 160 kph (100 miles), the test vehicle sped across the Nevada desert via electromagnets powering it and the California company that conducted the said test could not be more excited for future tests.

SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Musk had not held back on saying that high-speed pods can bring people to and fro San Fransisco and L.A. a few years' back, and Hyperloop One plans to do just that.

Former engineer at SpaceX and Hyperloop co-founder Brogan BamBrogan said that the test was a huge milestone. The company has announced receiving up to $80 million in funding for the program from GE Ventures, French National Rail Company SNCF and Khosla Ventures.

The short ride through the Nevada desert was just the beginning, according to the company, with its next plans included sleds being able to levitate and carry pods in another test scheduled within the year. Images from the Hyperloop One's first test also showed pretty huge tubes already in place in the desert.

Rob Lloyd, Hyperloop One CEO, predicts the hyperloop carrying cargo 3 years from now and then live people by 2021. He adds that the company is now working on utilizing robots to yield fast construction of the test site.

In a related US Today report, the Hyperloop One's first test was evidence of it just being a mere concept: that it can be done.

Although the test was very swift, at about 2 seconds, the company's founders agreed that it was a lot to take in already. The company is optimistic on the notion that the technology could be developed in an affordable manner, with less grappling on high costs like those of high-tech trains and rail systems.
A former Google employee who was one of the main developers for the Android mobile operating system has admitted under cross-examination that he removed references to Java in the Android code and told others to do the same.

Dan Borstein was testifying on Friday, the fifth day of the trial between Google and Oracle, in which the latter is seeking damages for Google's use of 37 APIs in Android.

This is the second setback for Google on consecutive days of the trial with Oracle's lawyers on Thursday producing an email from Andy Rubin, head of the Android team, that indicated Google was aware could not use APIs, which are part of the Java programming language, as it wished.

Oracle sued Google in 2010 over what it said was illegal use of code from Java in Android. That trial went in Google's favour with the end result, in 2012, being that APIs were adjudged to be not copyrightable.

However this was reversed on appeal and the current trial is trying to establish what damages, if any, Google should pay Oracle. Google's only defence is that "fair use" covers its use of the 11,000 lines of code.

Borstein made the admissionfrom Oracle lawyer Annette Hurst. She produced an email in which Borstein had written: "We don't 'own' the Java API and so can't go around altering it. The party line is that we would love to pass the TCK (compatibility test for Java) for it, if only we could legally get access to it."

Hurst also produced another Borstein email in which he had listed the following terms as those which should be scrubbed from the Android source: "sun oracle orcl java jvm jdk jre jcp jsr patent* licens*".

Also appearing on the fifth day of the trial was Simon Phipps, the former open source chief at Sun.

Oracle's questioning is designed to show that Google was aware that it could not use Java as it wanted without a licence. Google is trying to prove that there was no need for it to obtain a licence to use what it did.

Oracle became the owner of Java when it bought Sun Microsystems in 2010.
Samsungs Galaxy TabPro S (GTS) is one of the first serious contenders in the Windows 10, two-in-one, hybrid, detachable tablet space, until now the domain of Microsofts Surface range.

But after nearly a month of use I have to say that on the surface I am having a love/hate relationship with this sweet, sexy, sassy, hybrid.

As a straight tablet goes it is hard to beat. Samsungs design cred, the amazing 12 AMOLED screen, the Intel Core M3 mobile processor handles everything (within reason), and its battery life is indefatigable  at least 10 hours in video loop.

But as a replacement for a laptop  an oft-used Microsoft Surface claim  it sadly lacks due to one thing  the single USB-C port that is used for both charging and data. Whereas the Surface Pro has a separate power socket, a full sized USB 3.0 port, and a mini-display port  at the expense of its thinness - for low-cost expandability, the GTS requires a USB-C dock that can add somewhere up to $300 to the price.

Let me explain further. With the Surface, you can plug an external screen into the mini-display port using a low-cost cable. You can use the USB 3.0 port for a printer or plug in a low-cost, self-powered USB Hub to add external keyboard, mouse, USB flash drive or more. If you want to have multiple monitors, gigabit Ethernet and extra powered USB 3.0 ports there are plenty of USB 3.0 docks from $100 that will do that. This is possible because it has a dedicated  not a pass through - power socket.

Samsung is not alone  the 12 MacBook, Google Pixel and a few others have the same issue  one port for all. What is needed is a reasonably inexpensive USB-C, pass-through charging, expansion dock that is small, and gives the GTS what is needed to compete with Surface  expandability.

I did try some USB-C docks without success. Microsofts Lumia 950XL Continuum Dock was the perfect size at 64mm square, all the ports you need to drive two monitors, and at A$149.95 is a bargain  did not work. HPs significantly more expensive USB-C Elite Docking station did not work.

Samsung do have a MultiPort Adaptor at $139 that has an HDMI (4K support) and USB 3.0 port  close but to be really useful at least 2 x USB 3.0 ports would be good and perhaps two HDMI (supporting 2 x HD or 1 4K would be fine) and that would need an external power pack and a lot more cost.

And then I realised that USB-C is not quite the standard that USB should be. The issue is that some have Thunderbolt compatibility, some need large external power adaptor (often bigger than the dock) to power USB 3.0 and video ports, and some use proprietary charging voltages and amperages for a quick charge. Some docks are even tied to specific devices to protect the integrity of the experience.

So, for now, I would give the GTS ten-out-of-ten for a stand-alone tablet but zero-out-of-ten as a device that can replace a laptop. That is not being too harsh - all Samsung need to do is supply at least their Multiport adaptor as part of the kit to get back in that game.

Regrettably I need to compare this to category creator  the Surface Pro. The review follows.

Out of the Box - Samsung Galaxy TabPro S

The tablet  a 12 AMOLED screen; Intel Dual Core M3-6Y30 900MHz (2.2GHz Turbo) processor; 4GB RAM; 128GB SSD (no micro/SD support); 5MP front and rear cameras; Wi-Fi AC; Bluetooth and GPS

A keyboard that attaches magnetically to the back and base  it uses a proprietary Pogo Pin connector in the base (a keyboard is an option at extra cost with a Microsoft Surface)

A fast charger that supplies 12V/2.1A, 9V/1.67A and 5V/2.0A  this is not USC-C standard!

A USB 3.0 to USB-C cable

The tablet is 290.3 x 198.8 x 6.3mm and weighs 693g. A 12.3 Surface Pro 4 with M3 processor is 292.1 x 201.4 x 8.45 and 766g.

Screen

This is the nicest 12, 2160 x 1440, 3:2 ratio, 216ppi, AMOLED tablet/notebook screen I have ever seen. It has amazing, vibrant colours, deep blacks, crisp text and images that blow other screens out of the water.

Compared it to the 12.3 Surface Pro 4 (2736 x 1824, 267ppi, 3:2 ratio, IGZO LED) the only advantage is the superb AMOLED colour.

Keyboard

It ships with a full sized keyboard cover  the review model came with an NFC sensor to the left of the trackpad as well. It securely, magnetically, clips to the tablet and the vinyl cover extends over the back to form a stand. It has only two tilt angles  65 and 165 - the first is comfortable for typing and the latter for laid back viewing. Or you can lay it flat.

The Surface, by comparison, has an inbuilt stand for an almost infinitely adjustable so its more useful as a tablet especially when flying as it can stand without the keyboard/cover.

The keyboard is very similar to the Surface Pro 3  all the keys abut each other. My greatest complaint was this design can slow down typing speed  its more hunt and peck. And keyboard travel is more limited but it is reasonably usable.

Microsofts Pro 4 went to island-style chiclet keys to address this and offers a tilt angle as well. It is a much better keyboard.

The trackpad is also smaller  not a big issue but it is a little less convenient that the Surface. The GTS keyboard is not backlit  the Surface is.

On the positive side, the overall depth of the GTS with keyboard and stand is about 100mm less than the Surface.

The GTS has an optional at extra cost Samsung C-Pen (coming) whereas the Surface now ships with one.

Battery

The GTS has a 5200mAh battery that supports fast charging. In real life tests  long haul flight  it easily lasts ten hours at 50% screen brightness (perfect for movies in the dark confines of an aircraft) with Bluetooth connection. The Surface is a tad over 5,000mAh.

In office tests - multi-tasking and higher brightness - it gets over six hours. The secret of the battery life is the M3 mobile CORE processor and the AMOLED screen. While Surface has an M3 option it uses an IGZO LED screen and battery life is around six hours at 70% brightness that is best for movies on this screen.

Early reports indicated the GTS had issues with resuming from sleep and hibernate modes  I cannot fault it in either but then I am sure it has had firmware updates in the interim.

Samsung also has proprietary fast charging and a zero to 100% charge in 2.5 hours  pretty good. It will also charge using a standard 5V/2A USB-C charger that takes around 5+ hours.

Connectivity

It has Wi-Fi AC, dual band 2.4/5GHz MIMO connectivity. Surface has the same specifications but the GTS consistently achieved connection speeds up to double of the Surface (Qualcomm versus Marvel chipset respectively). Not that either is a slouch!

GTS also has a 4G, LTE, CAT 6 (up to 300 Mbps download) version that may be interesting.

Performance

Hmm  battery life or raw power? The power-sipping, 900MHz Intel Core M3 mobile processor, is above a comparable Atom in horsepower but well behind a Core i3, i5 or i7. In everyday use it is fine  word processing, movie watching, audio streaming, and web surfing. It is not a games machine but will play most online games.

I tested using Chrome browser. With 4GB of RAM, it was messing up  not refreshing - multiple tabs in Chrome. That was the only performance issue and it did not happen with Microsoft Edge browser.

To put this in perspective compared to a Surface Pro Core i5 it is about 25% less powerful, 50% less graphics capable, but has 50% better battery life.

I applaud Samsung for using this second generation processor and in not being initially tempted to use the M5 or M7  perhaps in later models.

Samsung Flow

Samsung Flow allows a Galaxy Note5/6, S6/S7/Edge and GTS to work together. Logging into the S7 using the fingerprint reader also give access to the GTS. It is not a gimmick  it actually works well. I understand that this will be extended to all Samsung NFC-equipped smartphones running Android M shortly.

There is no Windows Hello iris recognition feature  but paired with the Galaxy smartphone, you dont need it.

Conclusion

Beautifully made and designed, Samsung quality, superb screen, great battery life, and desirable!

Average camera, speakers and performance. Poor expandability (at present).

But as an everyday Surface Pro user, I can see where the GTS is better and euphemistically, not so better.

As a tablet (slate) only it is a worthy contender with the Surface Pro 4 (comparing the M3 processor models) and has a superior AMOLED screen and a GPS chip that may add functionality over the Surface. It lacks the integrated stand  you may miss that.

As a notebook replacement, it is let down by no SD support, the lack of an integrated stand, a lightweight portable keyboard, and the lack of expandability via a single USB-C port. In this case, look at the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (three processor options), HP Spectre x2, and Dell XPS 12.

For the right user, its a ten-out-of-ten.

But for a regular Surface/Pro/3/4 user it is more like a five-out-of-ten (yes I know I said zero-out-of-ten in the introduction). Samsung need to address this.

As Samsungs first Windows 10 tablet it does a great job  lets see what future models bring.

Galaxy TabPro S Windows 10 Home and Wi-fi is A$1499. Add $200 for Windows 10 Pro and a further $100 for 4G LTE





Related - Review: Gigabyte Aero 15X V8 with 8th Gen Intel Core i7 Coffee Lake H CPU
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) speaks at a news conference Saturday during the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention in Green Bay Credit: Evan Siegle /The Green Bay Press-Gazette

By of the

Based on everything we know about them, it's hard to imagine Paul Ryan endorsing Donald Trump.

But it's even harder to imagine him not doing it.

"It's hard to preside over the convention of your nominee and not support him," says Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole, a friend and House colleague of Ryan's, who like many in the party expects an endorsement to come.

"The speaker's number one job is to help maintain the (GOP) majority, and a rift between the nominee and the speaker is not going to be helpful in the fall campaign," says Cole.

"I would be surprised if he doesn't get there, because he wants to get there," Reince Priebus, a close friend, fellow Wisconsinite and chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Sunday when asked on ABC's "This Week" if he expects Ryan to endorse Trump.

When Ryan agreed to be House speaker last fall, he took a job that's famous for ending careers, that came with the baggage of a divided party and divided government, and that typically means making everyone unhappy.

One of the few political benefits was that it gave Ryan an excuse for staying out of a wild and ugly fight for the GOP nomination.

That's gone now. Ryan's party is nominating the Republican most likely to make him squirm, and neutrality isn't an option for the highest-ranking GOP officeholder in America.

"This is a real quagmire for him," said U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Milwaukee Democrat who likes Ryan and made that comment with sympathy, not glee.

Ryan is conservative in ideology and moderate in tone. Trump is immoderate in tone and populist, nationalist and changeable in ideology.

Ryan supports expanded trade, a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants and cutting entitlement spending. Trump is running against trade deals, wants to deport illegal immigrants and says Ryan's entitlement cuts are political suicide.

The House speaker has been giving speeches this year extolling decorum and decency and respectfulness toward one's opponents. Trump has redefined how profane and personal a candidate can be and still succeed in national politics.

Ryan has very close friends (like Priebus) who are counting on him to back his party's nominee. He has friends and supporters who are appalled by Trump and will be deeply disappointed if Ryan endorses him.

Ryan has House colleagues who believe his failure to back Trump would further divide Republicans and damage their election prospects. He has other GOP colleagues who think they need to distance themselves from Trump this fall to survive.

The Janesville lawmaker represents one of the most anti-Trump states and congressional districts in the 2016 primaries. Yet it's his job to chair the convention that nominates Trump.

In withholding his support, the speaker expressed two kinds of concerns about Trump. The first involves policy and philosophy and whether Trump is committed to conservative ideas and principles. Those concerns can probably be overcome, since differences on issues can be negotiated or overlooked.

But the second set of concerns  about Trump's tone and language and divisiveness  may be tougher for Ryan to swallow, given how different their political styles and voices are.

Over the years, Ryan has told the GOP it shouldn't be the "angry white male party" (2008); that it shouldn't run on "bitter" emotions like "fear of people who aren't like us" (2010); that it shouldn't campaign on "vague platitudes" (2012"); and that it shouldn't "attack people personally" (2008).

Ryan gave a speech to House interns in March saying politics should be a "battle of ideas, not insults." He gave a talk to students at Georgetown University in April lamenting the "vitriol" of today's politics. And he said earlier this month that it was time to set aside "bullying" and "belittlement."

But it's hard to go from giving speeches on civility to embracing the man who called his top Republican rival, Ted Cruz, a "pussy."

And it's hard for Ryan to count on a toned-down Trump when the candidate has embraced his own unpredictability and ridiculed the notion he needs to be "presidential."

Asked if Trump offered any assurances in their private meeting Thursday that he would be changing his tone, Ryan declined to say.

"I want to keep the things we discussed between the two of us, because they're very important and they're personal in some senses," Ryan said.

"All candidates change over the course of a campaign...Trump probably will change more than most simply because this is his first campaign and it's for the highest office in the world," said Cole, the Oklahoma Republican. "So I would expect him to change and evolve over the course of the campaign. (But) I wouldn't care to predict how. I think that's the great challenge here...he's very unpredictable. So if you're running (your own) race, you wake up any morning (and) you're going to have somebody with a microphone in front of you saying, 'Your candidate said this last night. Do you agree or disagree?'"

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, Ryan's Wisconsin colleague, described Ryan earlier this year as "walking on egg shells" over Trump, calling him out when he said things that were "anathema'" to him but constrained by his neutrality as chairman of the GOP convention.

Now, the same prominence in his party (convention chair, House speaker) that allowed Ryan to reserve judgment on Trump makes it untenable to keep doing so.

This is the latest in a series of pivot points in Ryan's political career that have all taken place in his early to mid-40s: his selection as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, their November defeat, becoming House Ways and Means chair, getting drafted as speaker and now the Trump decision, which has been heightened by his own qualms and hesitation.

That hesitation has bought him a tiny bit of time. Trump's candidacy won't become any less polarizing or unpredictable in that time, but pressure within the party to get behind him will grow.

In the coming weeks, Trump could "behave" and work "constructively" with House Republicans in ways that make it all but impossible for Ryan not to endorse him.

Or Trump could be Trump, and do and say things that make their political embrace that much harder for Ryan than it is already.
SHARE Actress/author Rita Moreno spoke Saturday night in Milwaukee at the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukees Five Star Gala at the Pfister Hotel. Here, she is shown at a book signing last month in Los Angeles. Getty Images

By of the

As a young actress, Rita Moreno looked up to Elizabeth Taylor  although that was somewhat out of necessity. There were no Latina actresses available for her to admire.

"It's kind of heartbreaking when I talk about it now, I still get very moved by the lack of opportunities that were available to myself and to the very few others who were Hispanic young actresses," Moreno said.

It wasn't until she was cast as Anita in 1961's "West Side Story"  a role for which she would win the Academy Award for best supporting actress  that Moreno found true inspiration.

"I mean, I was playing a Latina, but I was playing a Latina of substance and self-respect. She became my role model because I didn't have one, ever," Moreno said.

Moreno shared stories of her early career and its trials during the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee's Five Star Gala at the Pfister Hotel Saturday night. The third annual gala celebrated the 15-year anniversary of the organization, which encourages collegiate Hispanic students to obtain their degree through mentoring, networking and other educational opportunities.

HPGM currently works with eight universities in Wisconsin, although that number will soon expand to 10 with the creation of programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Griselda Aldrete, president and CEO of HPGM, said $300,000 had already been raised through the gala. That money would be allocated to scholarships managed by HPGM, including a newly created undergraduate scholarship program.

Moreno said she was glad to speak at the gala because she is an advocate for education among the Hispanic community.

"My hope is that the families of these young people will support them and will remind them of the importance of education because that's changed a great deal since I was a girl," Moreno said. "When I was girl, you could still get certain jobs if you didn't have a diploma. Not anymore."

Moreno said corporate America needs to advance its efforts to grow its Hispanic workforce.

"I think it's important that they understand that we do more. That we do more than sing and dance and make frijoles," Moreno said. "We have so much to bring to the table in this country, and I fear that not enough people still know that."

To achieve success, Moreno advised young Hispanic professionals to maintain their identity and develop strong self-respect. She acknowledged that it was perhaps easier for her to say, but for her, "there's no other way."

"I think we need to remind many people in this country, especially someone like Mr. Trump, of the value and the riches that we bring to the American culture," Moreno said. "We are professors, we are scientists...we are many, many things."
By of the

The Shorewood School District is among several around the country touted by President Barack Obama's administration for their policies prohibiting discrimination of transgender students.

The U.S. Department of Education referenced the suburban Milwaukee district in the report, "Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students," issued Friday as part of its mandate that public schools allow transgender students to use restroom and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities.

Shorewood adopted its transgender policy in 2014, only the second in the state behind Madison to do so.

School Board President Paru Shah said Saturday that she learned of its inclusion from district administrators.

"The first word to come to mind when I heard it was 'proud,'" said Shah, whose board acted in part because it had been contacted by a family whose transgender student would be attending the school.

"It wasn't a fight here in Shorewood," she said. "We're proud to be one of the places other districts look to as an example of...how to treat all students with respect."

Shorewood was the only Wisconsin district referenced in the report, which highlights policies in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Mayor Tom Barrett shakes hands with church members after speaking Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. Credit: Michael Sears

By of the

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gets a text message whenever there's a shooting in the city.

He knows that Sundays are the deadliest day of the week  in the hours just after midnight  and he knows the victims are disproportionately minorities.

"This is going to be a young African-American male," he thinks whenever those text messages come.

"I'm almost always right," he told the congregation Sunday morning at Calvary Baptist Church on N. Teutonia Ave.

Barrett visited the church on Milwaukee's north side as part of his 12th annual Ceasefire Sabbath, which calls on faith-based organizations to help fight violence and improve public safety in the city.

"There are people that you can reach that the police cannot," Barrett told the congregation during the first of his three stops Sunday. His other two stops Sunday were La Luz Del Mundo Church on S. Chavez Drive and Abundant Faith of Integrity Church on Good Hope Road.

While stressing his own responsibility to help create jobs to combat cycles of poverty and violence in Milwaukee, Barrett asked for the community's help in reaching out to young men who may turn to violence.

"So here we are on a Sunday morning," he said, standing at the front of the church. "If someone was in a bar at 2:30 this morning, they aren't in the pews this morning. But they may have a mother or a grandmother or an uncle who is here."

Last year, there were 145 homicides in Milwaukee  the highest number since 1993. Of those 145 victims, 84% were black.

The violence has continued into 2016, and on Saturday, two shootings in the city left one man dead and two wounded. Each incident occurred about a mile and a half from Calvary Baptist Church.

Daniel Walton, 16, agrees that his church should be involved in helping address problems in the neighborhood. But he's not entirely optimistic that the community believes anything will change.

"There have been many plans, but they don't trust that another plan will work," he said.

Walton is the son of Calvary's pastor, the Rev. John Walton.

Bama Grice, another member of Calvary, said the effort must go beyond their church, and beyond their community.

"Everybody in Milwaukee, everybody in Wisconsin, has been affected," she said.
Gov. Scott Walker: His claims on jobs are misleading, writes Rep. Peter Barca. Credit: Paul Sancya

By

Gov. Scott Walker recently published a highly misleading commentary, "The Wisconsin Comeback Continues," in the Journal Sentinel, which highlighted a handful of cherry-picked economic figures and examples. Unfortunately, for communities across the state, for many people struggling to find family-supporting jobs and for too many struggling small businesses, the "comeback" never came.

The governor and Republican leaders seem to believe that citizens should be satisfied by their efforts  which may explain why there has been a lack of bold aggressive action on economic development and rebuilding the middle class on their part. However, polling suggests otherwise  in March the Marquette Law School poll found that 53% of voters disapprove of how Walker is performing his job and the last time they asked, the poll found that 60% of people disapprove of the way Republicans in the legislature are handling their jobs.

Let me be clear about one thing: Legislative Democrats care very deeply about our state's economy and are offering bold ideas for progress. We know our communities flourish when we have many people working at good-paying jobs. We are fighting for the middle class and those striving to get there.

That's why it's so troubling to see that the Governor just does not see the struggles of far too many citizens and instead of working for progress, he just sugarcoats the data.

Here are some sobering figures: More than 10,000 Wisconsin workers received layoff notices last year  the highest since Walker took office. Poverty is at a 30-year high in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is dead last in the nation for new business start-ups. According to Pew research, Wisconsin's middle class is declining more than any other state.

Republicans have a stranglehold on our state government, and yet they did not take any meaningful steps to stem the flow of layoffs or help grow Wisconsin businesses.

Now, in an effort to boost his lagging poll numbers, Walker is cherry-picking data and using indicators that he himself has stated are a poor way of measuring job growth.

In 2012, the governor touted his "commitment to use verifiable, actual job counts, not just monthly job estimates." He also called quarterly jobs figures "the gold standard of jobs measurement." The Journal Sentinel's PolitiFact confirmed that quarterly figures are most accurate, stating in 2014 that monthly statistics are "based on numbers that can fluctuate widely because they are based on a small sample of employers."

And yet, the governor's commentary relies on monthly statistics that he admitted are unreliable. If you look at the "gold standard" numbers that the governor said he'd use 100% of the time, you would not  and could not  call it a "comeback."

The most recently available quarterly jobs statistics show Wisconsin has dropped to 40th in the nation in private sector job growth over the past four years. Wisconsin is dead last in the region. Our state remains 10th of 10 Midwest states in private sector job growth.

Our state has been largely left behind in the national economic growth. Wisconsin's job growth rate over the most recent one-year span was just 1.2%, compared with 2.2% nationally.

Let me repeat: legislative Democrats want to grow wages and our economy. Unfortunately, our efforts to get Wisconsin out of the gutter economically have been stymied by Republicans in power. Assembly Democrats put forward an agenda focused on growing our economy and middle class. Our 15 for 2015 Economic Opportunity agenda aimed to create good-paying jobs, connect workers with available jobs, increase wages and make us more competitive in a global economy. None of these ideas was pursued by the legislative majority and not one was brought to a vote.

Instead of focusing on growing the economy, Republicans focused on growing their own power  doubling campaign contributions and eliminating the nonpartisan ethics boards, among many other changes. Instead of growing wages as we proposed, Republicans drove down wages by passing right-wing policies like so-called "right to work" and gutting prevailing wage protections.

Governor Walker and Republicans also continued their legacy of slashing funds for our public schools and colleges. The non-partnonpartisantive Fiscal Bureau confirms that since 2011, more than $2 billion has been cut from public schools, universities and technical colleges based on decisions by Governor Walker and Legislative Republicans.

When it comes to the governor's stated goal of "more jobs and higher wages," Wisconsin workers deserve more than lip service and magic tricks. They deserve real action.

Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) is the Assembly Democratic Leader.
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By

Over the last 15 years, Wisconsin has led the nation in reforming long-term care services and supports provided to adults with disabilities and frail elders. Wisconsin has served as a national model, and many other states have built on our success. This reform is not about changing Wisconsin's long-term care service delivery. It is about enhancing that system to improve coordination and services, and sustaining programs for the long term.

This approach to coordinated care is not an experiment. The Partnership Program, which operates in 14 Wisconsin counties for Medicaid and Medicare dual-eligible individuals, already combines acute and primary care services with long-term care services. Family Care/IRIS 2.0 will expand the coordinated care approach in Wisconsin by providing all eligible adults with disabilities and frail elders access to coordinated primary, acute, and behavioral health services, in addition to long-term care services. The next generation of Family Care and IRIS will support the person's overall health and well-being, not just their long-term care needs.

When it was launched, Family Care helped transform the way that we think about caring for individuals with disabilities and our aging population. Thanks to many factors, including technological and medical advances, our population is living longer, and there are more community-based options available. Most people prefer to live at home for as long as possible before going to an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Family Care has helped make this possible. At the core of the Family Care program is the goal of providing each individual the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

While Family Care has made great strides to transform how we provide and pay for long-term care in Wisconsin, Family Care does not fully manage all aspects of an individual's long-term, health, and behavioral care needs. Through Family Care, we have been able to stabilize expenditures for Medicaid long-term care related services. However, this same population has had a much larger expenditure growth of acute and primary care services. For individuals currently in long-term care managed care programs, acute and primary care costs grew 10 times faster than their overall Medicaid costs from 2010 through 2015. For individuals currently in IRIS, or a legacy county-based long-term care program, their acute and primary care costs grew 12 times faster. This growth rate is not sustainable and puts the future of the program at risk.

We are committed to maintaining excellence in health and long-term care coverage for our residents, while recognizing that significant growth in the cost of the Medicaid program impacts the state budget and other priorities essential to Wisconsin taxpayers, including education and transportation.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) has been working since 2011 to identify the best way to protect the integrity of our long-term care programs. Since the passage of the state budget almost a year ago, DHS held eight public hearings to solicit feedback and an additional two hearings to receive comments on the draft concept paper. DHS made several changes to the concept paper based on the feedback at the hearings. DHS met and will continue to meet with advocate groups, including a co-chair of the Wisconsin Long-Term Care Coalition, as we continue through this process. We have already demonstrated we are committed to gathering feedback and revising our plan, and we will continue this process going forward.

We have a long way to go until the first members transition to Family Care/IRIS 2.0. Along the way, DHS will solicit additional feedback from the public on detailed changes to the program before submitting them to the federal government for approval. In addition, future providers will be chosen through a competitive procurement process that allows all licensed insurers  national and regional, large and small  to compete to provide service in Wisconsin. Given the numerous steps after Joint Committee on Finance approval, we anticipate the first transition to happen no sooner than Jan. 1, 2018, and for the statewide transition to take as long as 18 months to complete.

All of us, DHS, the administration, the Legislature, advocates, and members, have the same goal of allowing members to live with dignity and independence in the community. This reform is not, and has never been, an attempt to rush long-term care reform or to push forward without the input of our valued partners; however, we recognize that any delay in this process will also delay the benefit of comprehensive services, as well as potential savings. Family Care/IRIS 2.0 is a plan built on ideas and collaboration over several years, aimed at ensuring the quality programs that are so important to the members we serve, are available to them for the long term.

Kitty Rhoades is secretary of the Department of Health Services.
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Hold lawmakers to account over UW

I am writing to follow up on my commentary of March 23 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel titled "Governor Scott Walker is Vandalizing UW System" in light of the votes of no confidence by the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UWM and several other campuses.

The vote of no confidence in the Regents and the UW System president by these faculty members shows the overwhelming opposition by the faculty to the intentional injury being caused to the UW System by the governor and the Legislature.

In response, the governor ridiculed the UWM action as a "collective groan" by the faculty, allegedly motivated by their own self interest to the detriment of the students. Several legislators, including state Sen. Steve Nass of Whitewater, and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna had previously threatened retaliation in response. Nass said that passage of the resolution would prove that even more "reforms" are urgently needed in the next state budget, and Steineke said that even consideration of a no-confidence vote "shows an arrogance that doesn't serve the university or its students well."

At least one campus backed down on a no-confidence vote over these threats. The faculty at UW-Eau Claire did not proceed to a no-confidence vote for fear of retaliatory cuts and further injury by the state Legislature.

It is simply intolerable to have vandals in our state government not only injure our university, but also ridicule and threaten it with worse injury as a result of the faculty's speaking out. This government should not be tolerated further. In the 2016 and 2018 elections, voters of both parties should vote those responsible out of office.

Matthew J. Flynn

Milwaukee



UW is damaged goods

Sadly, the faculty are not the only ones with no confidence in the University of Wisconsin ("UWM faculty backs protest vote," May 11).

Last month, I visited a friend who lives in the Chicago suburbs. In discussing the college options of his two teenage daughters, I was disheartened to learn that he would not allow them to consider applying to Wisconsin. In light of budget cuts, loss of tenure and a general anti-education political climate, he no longer felt that Wisconsin could provide the quality education he demanded for his girls.

I find it deeply upsetting that the current administration has put such a tarnish on our once-elite university system. Clearly, this is not how we attract bright students and their families to our state.

Rob Nelson

Baraboo



Country over party

In the May 11 Journal Sentinel, Paul Ryan is encouraged by conservative columnist Christian Schneider to continue to withhold his support for Donald Trump because to support Trump would "betray his conscience, his decency and his principles" ("Paul Ryan can't give in," Editorials).

On the same day, we have Jim Sensenbrenner quoted as saying that he is "not sure that Donald Trump is going to do the right thing" but that "he would support the Republican nominee no matter who it is" ("Trump urged to unite party").

Wow!

One of our elected leaders would do what he sees as best for the country. The other would apparently put party loyalty over country.

I rather like leaders who will not betray their conscience or decency and have principles. And I like leaders who are strong enough in their convictions to put country over politics.

David L. Cronin

Elm Grove



It is not the new slavery

The recent opinion columns written by James Causey would imply that the problems of the minority race in Milwaukee are caused by the nonminority population.

In a recent article, Causey states: "Black male incarceration...is the new black slavery" ("Grant will help reduce jail population," Crossroads, April 17).

Really? He also states: "Minorities in Milwaukee County jails make up 70% of the population even though they are only 41% of the general population." Well, there might be another reason for this. Maybe young minority males are out menacing their own neighborhoods at a higher rate. Oh, and just maybe the police are doing their job, making arrests as the crimes occur.

An obvious conclusion is that the minorities are committing more crimes and are being arrested at a parallel rate to the crime rate. Let's pull the police out of the minority neighborhoods for a couple of months and see what happens. If the crime rate skyrockets as a result, will Causey have another convenient defense for it?

The law abiding citizens did not put the gun in the hands of the lawbreakers, nor did they put the idea of carjacking innocent people or robbing the corner mini mart in their minds. It starts with good parenting at an early age; it's called "being there." Being there to see that the youth are home at curfew and that the parents know what is going on in their children's lives.

The "new black slavery?" I don't think so.

Jim Gozdowiak

Mukwonago



How to teach innovation

Innovation is presently one of the most overused and abused buzz words in business, politics and education. If taught at all, the instructors are not practitioners with a record of personally creating a product, developing, patenting and producing that product as a business. Teaching entrepreneurship, product development or marketing without instruction on the creative/innovation thought process is a building without a foundation.

A significant problem exists in Wisconsin; I've not found a source for learning the creative/innovation thought process being taught by a qualified person. That instructor would have personally created a product, manufactured that product, and received a patent for a new and useful invention. It seemed obvious to contact the Wisconsin Innovation Network (WIN), "an organization dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship." When I asked (WIN) for directions to educational sources for innovation/creative thought process, they replied, "We don't know." I contacted State Rep. Dale Kooyenga and asked his office to contact (WIN), with a request for innovation/creative thinking courses and education. (WIN) replied to Kooyenga's office: "Google it"!

The computer, so relied upon today for answers, is a collection of the answers and thoughts of others. Innovation and creative thought must originate from within the individual, the result of deep thought and concentration. The mind is a free inexhaustible resource and the exclusive source of true creativity. Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1841 stated, "I hope in these days we have heard the last of conformity and consistency. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Today's society is ruled by conformity, new automobiles cannot be told from another, houses are consistently ugly and the advertising media directs us to acceptable personal appearance.

The next time the president, governor, and mayor decry the lack of innovation and resulting low entrepreneurship and job growth, they should address this: If it is not taught, it is not learned; if it is not learned, it is not practiced.

Stan Johnson

Brookfield



Where policy worked

It isn't everyday that we can directly link public policy with important developments in our community. As the Journal Sentinel highlighted in "PPG opens facility in Oak Creek" last week, PPG's facility in Oak Creek was able to celebrate a $3 million investment that would not have been possible without the support of pro-manufacturing policy.

In December, under the leadership of House Speaker Paul Ryan, Congress passed a package of tax provisions critical to manufacturing growth and competition. The agreement made permanent several key tax provisions for manufacturers, including the research and development tax credit. The bipartisan package also provided extensions of more than 50 other expired tax provisions, including bonus depreciation. Some of these provisions had been in the works for some time, and Ryan championed these policies in his previous role as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Thanks to leaders like Ryan who have supported pro-manufacturing policy, investments like these are possible. When government works together to let businesses like PPG thrive, we can innovate, grow and create jobs.

Jack Marshall

plant manager

PPG coating facility

Oak Creek



On trumpets and strumpets

Regarding the letter, "Trump shames us all," Thomas A. Knapp's knowledge of the English language is about as shaky as his understanding of Donald Trump (Letters, May 10).

A trumpet is a musical instrument, as he writes, but it is not a prostitute. That would be a strumpet.

Carmel Schmidt

Milwaukee



Brainwashing and dividing us

This letter probably won't do a darn bit of good, but here it is anyway. Sometimes it just feels good to yell at somebody.

The amount of blind, ignorant political loyalty in the 21st century is mind boggling. Congratulations, Fox News, MSNBC, et al. You are succeeding in brainwashing and dividing the American public.

President Barack Obama is not from Kenya. Global warming does exist. If your party in Congress didn't come up with it, you can still discuss it and even act on it. It is childish to leave the highest court in the land one justice short for almost a year, even with a perfectly acceptable nominee standing right there. All Muslims are not terrorists. In fact, a huge majority of them aren't. We do not and should not have to keep hanging onto fossil fuels. These things are true, folks. Why are so many people refusing to buy into them?

Where does this nonsense end? What and how long did it take to get people to accept all this garbage? What will it take to make them want to know better? When does one do the work of climbing out of their ignorance? Are people happy being as dumb as Sarah Palin and as resistant to progress as Mitch McConnell?

Are people dead set forever against citizens of our country working together to fix our problems? Are people happy and proud that the citizens of our country are falling apart, due largely to lies? Really?

Terry Schmeckpeper

Onalaska



Questioning 'administrative leave'

Police reporter Bruce Vielmetti's May 9 story headlined "Officer shoots robbery suspect" ended with a sentence I'm sure he has typed many a time: "As in any officer-involved shooting, he will be placed on administrative duty pending investigation of the incident."

Isn't about time to re-examine this policy? What, exactly, is its purpose? It's not as if the police officer involved is a flight risk. If proper procedure wasn't followed, the proper authorities would surely know where to find him or her and take the appropriate action. And how long is the officer on the sidelines while the investigation plays out? Two weeks? Two months? Longer? Meanwhile, the mean streets keep getting meaner.

I'm sure that shootings by police can be traumatic experiences, even if the officer is physically unharmed, but I think they knew that going in  it's not a job for the squeamish. Counselors are probably standing by. And putting someone on administrative duty could well be counterproductive. Sometimes it's better to get right back on the horse, so to speak, isn't it?

I don't know how many officers are sitting behind desks right now  or doing whatever "administrative duty" entails  but I do know one thing: That's not where the crime is.

Jim Szantor

Sturgeon Bay



A solution: immigration

I read with interest the article, "Demographic changes hurting economy," in the business section of the May 8 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

It would seem to me another solution to the problem of smaller families and not enough younger workers entering the workforce  leading to reduced consumer spending and increased stress on pensions and public finances  would be a more welcoming attitude to immigration.

Immigration is often cited as a problem in today's political debates, especially by Republican candidates. Yet the immigrant families I know, mainly from Mexico and Central America, are hardworking people, often working two or more jobs. They may have larger families. They contribute to the economy. They pay taxes. They value and stress the importance of education for their children to get ahead and be productive members of society.

While increased immigration can't be a solution for every country facing a declining level of young workers, the United States is still a "land of opportunity" and in a unique position to take advantage of increased immigration and the contributions new immigrants, or those already in our country, can and do make.

Rita Tenorio

Milwaukee



WEC's challenge

New WEC Energy's CEO Allen Leverett tells shareholders that carbon emission regulations are inevitable ("Climate change regulations 'inevitable,'" May 6).

But why not say that's a good thing? Wind goes worldwide along with pollution! Billionaires, millionaires as well as the middle and poor classes of the world breathe oxygen from the air.

While WEC Energy's is selling Koch brothers energy made of coal to their buyers of electricity, all of these citizens are breathing or coughing in the terrible pollution. No matter how high they build the stacks, they can't eliminate pollution.

WEC has a very small percentage of electricity coming from wind and solar that I hope will become bigger and bigger as windmill design and solar design become better and cheaper.

The corporation could help change a small part of the world, relieving the terrible pollution that we all breathe.

The company could be a leader.

Ellen Steinmettes

Milwaukee
In its application for a Lake Michigan water supply, the City of Waukesha has proposed returning water to the lake by discharging treated wastewater to the Root River at S. 60th St. in Franklin. Credit: Don Behm

By of the

The City of Waukesha must accept strict limits to growth  with no outward expansion beyond its existing borders  in exchange for Lake Michigan water.

That is the consensus of representatives of eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces reviewing the city's unprecedented application for a diversion of water outside the Lake Michigan watershed.

But that was not Waukesha's plan in 2010 when the city requested up to an average of 10.9 million gallons a day of lake water by midcentury to serve a distribution area that included portions of four neighboring communities, including 84% of the Town of Waukesha. The city reduced the volume to 10.1 million gallons a day in 2013.

Regional officials said last week that no more than a daily average of 8.2 million gallons of lake water should be enough to serve their preferred smaller distribution area in 2050, if the city makes good on its water conservation goals.

In a draft statement, the officials acknowledge that approving the diversion to Waukesha would benefit the Lake Michigan watershed and would not result in adverse impacts to the lake's water quality or quantity.

One reason the diversion would benefit the lake is that it would result in turning off Waukesha wells drawing water out of a deep sandstone aquifer. An estimated 30% of the groundwater coming out of those deep wells  1.6 million gallons a day in 2014  was headed for the lake's watershed before it was intercepted and pumped to Waukesha, the statement says.

Waukesha is the first U.S. community located entirely outside the Great Lakes drainage basin to request a diversion of lake water, under terms of a Great Lakes protection compact.

Though state and regional environmental groups have said the city does not need lake water if it just added more wells, the Great Lakes officials appear to have reached a different conclusion.

The draft statement uses results of an analysis of the Waukesha request by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR says the city does not have an adequate supply of water fit to drink, because of radium contamination of deep groundwater supplies, and that all the city's options outside the Great Lakes basin  including drilling additional wells  would have adverse effects on wetlands, streams and inland lakes.

Allowing the city to continue pumping from the deep aquifer is not sustainable, according to the DNR and the draft statement.

In this first test of the compact's restrictions on diversions, Great Lakes officials who must sign off on the request have made it clear they are going to set the bar high for any future applications.

To begin with, Waukesha's proposed future water service area is unacceptable, some of the representatives have said at public meetings in February, April and May. That has been their primary objection to the request.

To make the city's application more palatable, the regional officials last week gave preliminary approval to a map showing a much smaller distribution area that could be served with lake water.

It includes only the city's existing service area plus small pieces of the town completely surrounded by the city. Those are known as islands because they are separated from the remainder of the town and have not been annexed by the city to date.

Waukesha's water distribution area now is slightly larger than the city limits.

It does include 126 residences and businesses in the town, not within the islands, that were hooked up to municipal mains over the years after property owners experienced problems with private wells. The distribution area also includes the Cloverland Farms subdivision in the City of Pewaukee.

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said he accepts the regional group's recommended smaller diversion area as the only way to achieve a lake water supply for the city. Lake water could not be distributed outside the zone.

When asked if this would halt Waukesha's growth at its current water service area boundaries, Reilly said: "It would set the boundary for the foreseeable future."

Reilly added: "The future of Waukesha is redevelopment" of properties within its city limits.

Officials from Great Lakes states and provinces reviewing the request are attempting to reach a consensus on one of three recommendations to be made to governors of the eight states.

Peter Johnson, deputy director of the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, said the possible recommendations are: the application complies with requirements of the compact; the application does not comply; or the application would comply with recommended conditions.

A smaller service area and lower volume of lake water are among the conditions listed in the regional body's draft statement to be forwarded to the governors.

Jim Zehringer of Ohio, the group's chairman, has asked the representatives to vote on the declaration during a Wednesday conference call. If there is no consensus, any state or province not joining the majority will provide a statement explaining its stance.

The group's recommendation will be forwarded to the Great Lakes governors, or their representatives, for a vote to be scheduled during the week of June 20. Only the states, not the provinces, make the final decision.

Unanimous approval of the eight states is required, under the compact. One vote in opposition would derail the city's $207 million plan to build pipelines and pumping stations to carry lake water over the subcontinental divide and return the water to the lake.

If approved, the city would buy lake water from Oak Creek, pump it to Waukesha for distribution, and return the water as treated wastewater to the Root River, a tributary of Lake Michigan.

During two days of regional body meetings last week in Chicago, representatives of Minnesota and Michigan said they would request revisions to the draft declaration.
State Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) lists a condo he owns in a building in De Pere as his voting address. But until recently, Lasees condo was available for anyone to rent at anytime through the popular online lodging website Airbnb.com. Credit: Mark Hoffman

Daniel Bice No Quarter SHARE State Sen. Frank Lasees name is listed on an apartment building in De Pere. The unit has been available for rent on Airbnb. Mark Hoffman Frank Lasee

We know where state Sen. Frank Lasee wants to go.

The veteran Republican legislator wants to go to Congress.

But this is what we don't know: Where he actually calls home.

He says he lives in De Pere, which is located in his Senate district and the congressional one he soon hopes to represent. But the facts raise serious questions about that.

Consider this:

Lasee does rent an apartment in a small complex on Swan Road in De Pere. He is one of two GOP candidates vying for U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble's soon-to-be vacant seat.

But until just the other day, Lasee's "luxury apartment" was available for anyone to rent at any time through the popular online lodging website Airbnb.comfor $210 a night.

Here is the online description of Lasee's place: "2 bdrm 2 bath apartment is located just 7 miles from Lambeau Field. It is beautifully decorated with all of the comforts of home. Overlooking pond, gas fireplace, close to shops and restaurants. 8 Miles to the Radisson Conference Hotel and Casino."

This was so well known that three of Lasee's constituents and a GOP aide pointed this out. Lasee's questionable residency has become a running joke among Republicans in Madison.

So we thought we'd take a firsthand look at his so-called residence.

A colleague of mine here at the Journal Sentinel tried to book Lasee's De Pere place last month, putting in a request for the night of April 21. The colleague had no problem selecting the date, which was listed as being available.

But the request apparently set off a bunch of alarms. Amy Joy Lasee, the senator's wife and the host for the De Pere apartment, began asking scads of questions, including the purpose for my co-worker's trip and personal details beyond what is requested by Airbnb.

After all that, Amy Joy Lasee  who owns a house in Racine, incidentally  denied the request. She didn't say the date was unavailable; she simply turned down my colleague after a lengthy back and forth.

Then, on April 25, conservative talk show host Jerry Baderwent on air to call attention to the same problem. Bader noted that Lasee had recently limited the available dates for his apartment to weekends in which the Green Bay Packers had home games.

Before long, the Lasees pulled their listing from Airbnb entirely, though a cached version of the apartment can still be found.

Reached the other day, Lasee was reluctant to explain why he took down the listing: "Because we wanted to."

A few minutes later, Lasee  who was first elected to the Legislature in 1995  elaborated. "We didn't want everyone in the world looking at it," he said.

Lasee said Democrats made an issue of his residence in a 2014 complaint, which the Government Accountability Board dismissed. He speculated that Republicans are now the ones calling attention to it because he will have a GOP primary in his congressional race.

"It's a campaign issue," said Lasee, who is running against businessman and former Marine Mike Gallagher, a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker's presidential campaign who has a big lead in fundraising so far.

Records provided by Lasee to GAB two years ago included a copy of his 2011 lease for his place. That lease barred the renters from subleasing the property without the owner's consent and restricted the occupants to the two individuals listed on the application.

That would be Lasee and his wife.

Lasee acknowledged that he has a "crazy" living arrangement, saying he lives most of the time in De Pere while his wife owns a Racine house, which is assessed at $262,000. He said he does occasionally stay at his wife's house.

"Yes, it's difficult," Lasee said. "It is what it is."

If he were to declare Racine as his residence, Lasee would have to take on House Speaker Paul Ryan to make it to Washington, D.C. That, of course, would be political suicide.

Senate records show that Lasee lists the De Pere address as his home and has collected $9,139 since January 2015 in mileage reimbursement for travel between his Brown County apartment and the Capitol. A round-trip to the statehouse from Racine would have trimmed about 60 miles from his commute  or about $30 less per trip for Lasee.

Lasee said he and his wife, who is a full-time real estate agent, decided to put his apartment on Airbnb with the hopes of renting it out during Packers weekends. The website, however, did not restrict the dates when my colleague tried to rent it, and Lasee's wife never brought that up as an issue.

Lasee didn't say how often he let others book his place, except to say it happened "very rarely."

But that's as far as the veteran lawmaker would go.

Asked about his Wednesday fundraiser at the home of big-time GOP donor Michael Eisenga, Lasee shut down the conversation.

"I've got to go," Lasee said. "Have a great day."

He refused to answer any text or voice messages with follow-up questions. Eisenga also could not be reached.

Eisenga is the wealthy Columbus businessman who tried in 2014 to persuade state Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) to push through a bill aimed at capping how much high earners pay in child support. Eisenga had recently lost a court fight to trim his child support because of a drop in income.

For his part, Lasee waged a decadelong paternity and child-support battle in the courts with an ex-girlfriend.

"It seems having failed in what looked like pay-to-play effort for a state law change, Mr. Eisenga now has his sights set on federal law," said Scot Ross, head of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. "Based on his long history of self-dealing as a member of the Legislature, who better to target than Frank Lasee?"

More interesting, Lasee listed his wife's Racine home as his residence in that child custody case in 2010 before switching it to De Pere.

He also used his current wife's address again from 2009 to 2011 in his divorce case. He and his wife are listed as borrowers on two mortgages tied to the Racine home, according to online records. The residence is listed as "noncommercial real estate" on his latest state ethics statements.

What to make of all that?

Bader, the conservative talk show host, made it clear that he was not buying Lasee's explanation of his "crazy" living arrangement.

"Your story," Bader said on air, "is hard to swallow."

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.
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By Abbas Djavadi | ( RFE/RL |  

For a long time the Turkish government was accused of assisting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) group. These accusations were heard especially since the battle Syrian Kurds fought with ISIS over the town of Kobani on the Syrian-Turkish border almost a year ago.

Turkish forces avoided any action to help the local Kurdish militia to take Kobani from ISIS. This even provoked a higher suspicion that Ankara does not want to fight the brutal Islamic group.

Is Ankara really helping ISIS? There have been reports, photos, and video footage of arms and ammunition being shipped from Turkey into Syria. Some Turkish journalists are even being tried in Ankara for revealing those reports and information. Countries and groups not so sympathetic to Ankara and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have been arguing that these shipments were sent to ISIS.

There has been no proof of that accusation, while we know that Ankara has been arming and training armed rebel groups other than ISIS who fight the Bashar al-Assad government  some also considered "radical Islamist" and "terrorist."

The "hardest" proof showing the alleged support of the Turkish government for ISIS were documents showing that ISIS has sold part of the crude oil exploited in its territory to some Turkish citizens, including a few described as "Turkish government employees." We also know that, desperate to exchange their oil for hard currency, ISIS has also been selling crude to some in the Assad government and neither of these cases is enough to prove the direct involvement of either Ankara or Damascus as an institution, or a senior Turkish or Syrian official.

Both ISIS and Kurdish militias hold territories on the Syrian side of the Turkish border.

In the last few months Turkish forces intensified their air and cross-border attacks against ISIS militants. They have been doing the same, even more aggressively, with the Kurdish militant groups that they accuse of being an extension of Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been raging a bloody war against Turkey for the last 32 years.

Turkey is a NATO ally of the West while the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq as well as Kurdish militia groups in northern Syria (along part of the Turkish border) are the most reliable armed force for the West to fight against ISIS.





But the fact is that unlike in the West, fighting ISIS has never been and still is not Turkey's No. 1 priority  that would be fighting PKK terror and separatism.

Kurdish militant groups also have their own agenda and priorities. But fighting ISIS is not their top priority either. They have used the Syrian civil war to take control of territories inhabited by Syria's Kurdish minority and they are trying to expand that territory at the expense of other ethnic groups. They have even been accused of ethnic cleansing to reach their expansionist goal.

Their strategic goal seems to be to fill the gap of some 90 kilometers of the non-Kurdish part of northern Syria along the Turkish border. Ankara's top concern is that this would mean expanding the Kurdish presence along the entire Syrian border, completing the ground for a "Greater Kurdistan" and even giving them access to the Mediterranean Sea.





Two years ago when the Iraqi city of Mosul was falling into the hands of ISIS, Iraq's semi-independent Kurdish regional government under Masud Barzani delivered some weaponry to ISIS in order to weaken Iraq's central government and later withdrew its troops without fighting the advancing ISIS militants. Hiwa Afandi, the head of the Kurdish region's information-technology department, even tweeted that "Strategically, it is a huge mistake to eliminate ISIS before we are done with Hashd militiamen. They represent a much bigger danger to Iraqis." Hashd is a collection of mainly Shi'ite militia groups that was created to support Iraq's central government.

Add to this mix a few dozen small and big players  countries, ethnic, religious, or political groups with overlapping and contrasting interests. It seems to be a perfect Middle Eastern classic: You don't know who is your enemy's enemy for how long.

Meanwhile, a few nations like Iraq and Syria are dying and the wholesale conflict is threatening to spill over to so far more stable nations like Turkey.

Via RFE/RL

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

RT: Turkish MP accuses govt of ignoring ISIS locations, police data on bombings
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By Alan Lester | (The Conversation) |  

The recent debacle of David Camerons filmed condemnation of Nigerian and Afghan corruption and the Queens remark on Chinese officials rudeness highlights the persistence of imperial thinking in Britain. There seems to be a continuing assumption within the British establishment that it sets an example for others to follow and that the British are owed deference by others.

Ever since evangelical antislavery activists campaigned for Britain to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, Britons have assured themselves that imperial overrule is compatible with the benign tutelage of other races and nations. Unlike the other European empires, Britons tell themselves, theirs was an empire founded on humanitarian compassion for colonised subjects.

The argument runs like this: while the Spanish, Portuguese, French, Belgians and Germans exploited and abused, the British empire brought ideas of protection for lesser races and fostered their incremental development. With British tutelage colonised peoples could become, eventually, as competent, as knowledgeable, as civilised as Britain itself. These platitudes have been repeated time and again  they are still at the heart of most popular representations of the British Empire.

Even when we are encouraged to pay attention to empires costs as well as its benefits, these costs are imagined solely in terms of specific incidents of violence such as the Amritsar Massacre in India or the suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya. Britain has excused itself from that most structural injustice of empire  the slave trade itself  by the fact that it was Britain that pioneered its abolition.

Acknowledgement that cities such as Bristol, Liverpool and London were enriched by Britains dominance of the trade, that many stately homes were built on its wealth and that the compensation money paid to owners upon emancipation  rather than the enslaved  helped drive the industrial revolution and the growth of the City of London, tends to be confined to more critical quarters.

By contrast, runs the same argument, the benefits that empire brought to the world are universal. Everyone  Nigerians, Afghans and Chinese included  should be grateful for the rule of law, the English language, modern education, railways and free trade, all things that Britain provided in order to usher in the modern age.

Selective memory

But to remember empire in this way is an act of incredible selectivity, if not wilful forgetting. Far from being of universal benefit, these features of British rule were designed in the first instance to benefit British settlers, producers and traders. The partial inclusion of colonised peoples themselves in their benefits had to be hard won by those peoples in the face of racist laws and customs.

Black people generally werent allowed to travel on the railways on the same terms as white people. Gandhis political awakening came when he was thrown out of a whites only carriage on a South African railway. Government-run education systems varied hugely in time and place but were generally not extended to natives. Their education was left to mission societies able to reach only a tiny proportion of them. The Indian Residential Schools of Canada and many of the institutions into which Aboriginal and so-called half-caste children were forced in Australia were notoriously neglectful and abusive.



Library and Archives Canada



One of the first things that some indigenous elites did with their education was challenge white peoples entitlement to rule their countries. The colonial rule of law generally worked in favour of white settlers, elites and men. Even where explicitly racist legislation was avoided, proxies for race such as English language tests were used. These either imposed different standards on native populations or kept Asian people out of settler colonies unless their labour was required.

The wider adoption of English certainly facilitated more global conversations and business transactions among male elites. But it only served to heighten the exclusion of most non-English speaking subjects and women from access to the credit and political capital that flowed through Anglophone global networks.

Much the same could be said for free trade, which tended to enrich the colonial masters rather than their imperial subjects  lets not forget it was the argument for free trade which was used to force China to continue accepting opium imports against its will, starting Chinas Century of Humiliation.

Imperialism was no gift

Democracy was not actually a concept with which British elites were comfortable  or with which colonised peoples were familiar throughout most of the era of Britains imperial rule. Rather, it was something hard won, largely once the British had left.

Those under the benevolent rule of empire did not necessarily experience British imperialism as a gift. For many around the world, the costs of empire were not restricted to the occasional episode of violent repression, nor even to structural injustices such as the slave trade. Rather, these were systematic, everyday costs. These costs included exclusion  from power and privilege in their own lands  coupled with humiliation at being made to pay deference to white people who assumed the right to govern them.

Before condemning the corruption and rudeness of others perhaps we should remember the act of imperialism itself may be seen as self-interested, arrogant rudeness on a global scale.

Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography, University of Sussex

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Levant TV from 2013: British PM Regrets Deeply Shameful Colonial Indian Massacre
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Former President Bill Clinton on Saturday claimed I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state, and maintained that he secured an agreement, which the Palestinians turned down. In fact, no such text was ever presented to the Palestinian side, and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak kept flaking out on commitments previously made, leaving the Palestinian negotiators with nothing to agree to. Negotiator Aaron Miller later admitted, There was not a formalized, written proposal that covered the four core issues. There was no deal on the table. None of the issues were explained enough in detail to make an agreement, though the Israelis made an interesting argument on Jerusalem.

No time here to go into the paternalist and colonial language about giving the Palestinians a state. They are a stateless people because they are unrecognized; they would get a state by recognizing them as such, not giving them anything.

Here are signs Clinton didnt put himself out that much:

1. From the time Clinton presided over the handshake between Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in 1993 to the end of Clintons term, the number of Israeli colonists on the Palestinian land from which Rabin had pledged to withdraw just about doubled. In 1993 there were between 95,000 and 116,000 Israeli squatters in the West Bank and Gaza. By 1996 there were 147,000. By 2000 there were about 200,000. These numbers do not include the squatters in East Jerusalem, which Israel has illegally annexed in contravention of the UN charter. This stab in the back by the Israelis of the Palestine Authority undermined the possibility of a Palestinian state. Did Clinton kill himself stopping this vast expansion of Israeli squatters on Palestinian land? No. Did he do anything at all about it? No.

2. Israel agreed to withdraw its troops from the West Bank by the end of 1998. It did not. Its troops are still there, guarding sometimes murderous or vandalizing Israeli squatters who are trying to displace the Palestinians from their homes. Did Bill Clinton kill himself to get the Israeli troops out of Palestine? No. Did he do anything at all about this collapse of Oslo process commitments on Israels part? No.

3. Donald Neff writes that in

March, 1995 . . . President Clinton invoked the [UN Security Council] veto after all 14 other members approved a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Israel to rescind a decision to expropriate 130 acres of land in Arab East Jerusalem.23 The Clinton administration exercised two more vetoes in 1997, both of them on resolutions otherwise unanimously supported by the 14 other Security Council members. The draft resolution was critical of Israels plans to establish a new settlement at Har Homa  Jabal Abu Ghneim in East Jerusalem in the midst of Palestinian housing.

So did Bill Clinton kill himself stopping Israeli large scale theft of Palestinian land while he was supposedly being an honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians? No.

Clinton was the most partisan President for Israel in our countrys history, and was anything but even-handed in his approach to the Palestinians. The Palestinians complained that theyd get an Israeli proposal, reject it, then get the same one from the Americans; there wasnt really any difference between the positions of those two.

Clinton also defended the brutal Israeli assault on defenseless little Gaza in 2014, blaming it on Hamas and suggesting that they had craftily manipulated world media into blaming the Israelis for killing nearly 2000 Palestinians. Mr. Clinton did not address the issue of proportionality, the key one for critics of the assault. Nor did he address the Occupation, the displacement of Palestinian families to Gaza by the Israelis, or the siege of Gaza, contravening the Geneva Conventions if 1949.

Bill Clintons partisanship for the Israeli side and refusal to act as an honest broker, refusal to stop squatter settlements, refusal to let the UN Security Council demand of Israel that it stop contravening international law, and failure to get an actual text to which Palestinian negotiators could assent, all these defects doomed the Oslo process and doomed the world to more turmoil coming out of this interminable conflict. It also encouraged the Israeli side to think they could get away with anything and so warped them into a Likud far-right regime and an Apartheid state.

Bill Clinton didnt kill himself getting a Palestinian state. His one-sided approach to the negotiations ensured that there would be none. Ever.

-

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Bill Clinton: I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state
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Filmmaker Michael Moore calls the Flint water crisis an issue of racism, as the mostly Black and poor residents of the town will now be faced with expensive water bills.

American filmmaker and author Michael Moore appeared on the show Real Time With Bill Maher and called the Flint water crisis a hate crime, chiding Republican governor of Michigan Rick Snyder and his handling of the crisis.

This was a hate crime, the Flint-born filmmaker said in an article published in The Rolling Stone. They did it because its a Black city, its a poor city, they wouldnt do this to Bloomfield Hills or Ann Arbor or Grosse Pointe.

When Bill Maher pointed out that similar disasters have occurred in majority-white cities, Moore said local government looked quickly into resolving the problem in those cases, instead of what happened in Flint where politicians attempted to cover up the issue.

The residents of Flint have been dealing with the crisis created by elected officials for years, but will now have to literally foot the bill for it. Over the next 5 years households will see their water bills more than double.

According to a report from the Michigan Department of Treasury, the renovations required to make Flints water drinkable and safe again will come with bills expected to jump from US$54 a month to $110 a month. Pipes will be replaced slowly throughout the city.

Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri says the increase in the bill is due to a decline in the citys population.

[Flints water system was] built for 200,000 people, but you dont have 200,000 people, Khouri said, as published in The Fusion.

Today, Flints population is 99,000, meaning residents will have to take on the expenses of a fixed-cost system of those who left the city behind.

Via TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Wochit News: Michael Moore Speaks Out on Flint Water Crisis
Papua New Guinea Immigration [official website] authorities stated on Thursday that the 898 refugees at the processing center on Manus Island are no longer detained because they are allowed to leave the facility. The announcement [The Guardian report] is in response to recent international calls for the country to reform its asylum policies. The authorities are allowing the detainees to travel to the mainland but they are still being housed at the processing center. However refugee advocates believe [Reuters report] the asylum seekers are not allowed to leave the facility as they wish without checking in and out and that the refugees have limited opportunity to access transportation.

Under the controversial policy, those who seek asylum in Australia arriving by boat are detained on the island nation of Nauru or on Manus Island. The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] last month that Australias detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island in northern Papua New Guinea is illegal. The court found that the detention center violates Article 42 of Papua New Guineas Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty. A group of more than 750 detainees held on Manus Island asked [JURIST report] the Australian High Court in early May to order their transfer to mainland Australia and block a transfer to the detention center in the island nation of Nauru.
ONCE the Musical

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18

Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards including best musical, "ONCE the Musical" is a truly original Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, "ONCE the Musical" tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who's about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, "ONCE the Musical" draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It's an unforgettable story about going for your dreams... not living in fear... and the power of music to connect all of us.

Language advisory: "ONCE the Musical" is a beautiful story about love and music that resonates with fans of all ages. There is some adult language, so it is generally recommended for those ages 12 and up.
OMAHA -- A 12-year-old student was charged with assault after she set another students hair on fire outside King Science and Technology Magnet Center, according to Omaha police.

The 13-year-old victim told police she was standing outside, waiting for her mother, when someone said, Wow, your hair is messed up.

She turned around to find that her hair was on fire, and saw the 12-year-old holding a Bic lighter.

The 13-year-olds mother arrived to pick her up before she could confront the other student, according to a police report. When the mother found out what had happened, she returned to King Science Center and reported the incident to school officials.

It is possible that (the suspect) was upset at (the victim) for not including her in a birthday party that she had originally invited her to attend, according to the police report.
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The Shadow Priest  D.C. Alexander

CreateSpace  302 pp.  $7.99

Born and raised in Puget Sound country, D.C. Alexander first pursued a career as a federal agent. That stint gave him plenty of grist for his more recent endeavor as the author of detective thrillers.

His first novel, "The Legend of Devil's Creek" was a serial murder mystery set on a fictional Puget Sound island. It became an Amazon Kindle best-seller.

Now Alexander, a part-time Hansville resident, has changed up venues with "The Shadow Priest," a fast-paced tale of a Department of Defense special agent doing a slow burn.

For six years Nathaniel Arkin has been relegated to a backwater post in the Four Corners area of Colorado. He's a Harvard Law School graduate who was once a rising star in the Division of Criminal Investigation in Washington, D.C. But his career took an abrupt turn when he was inexplicably yanked off a big case he was on the verge of cracking, sent overseas as part of a low-status security detail, and charged with malfeasance in a politically-motivated setup that he was unable to outmaneuver.

Now he works out of the small federal office in Durango. His colleagues include loud-talking, tobacco-chewing Mississippian Bill Morrison, who is a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and SunnyD-swilling family man John Pratt, who works for an interagency counterterrorism task force. As unlikely as this mashup of personalities may seem, this trio is tight-knit, both on and off the job.

Arkin especially appreciates his friends' stalwart support now that his wife, Hannah, is struggling through cancer treatments.

But the stakes are raised with the killing of a local renegade preacher who had built a following based on white supremacy and nationalist sentiments. The victim, who ran a military-style training camp as part of his ministry, was also running for Congress.

Arkin, who is tasked with tracking illegal possession and distribution of military-grade weapons, quickly determines that this is a professional contract killing. And it has some eerie similarities to the case he had been working on so many years ago when his career was derailed.

It's enough to give him flashbacks  The Priest was a lapsed Jesuit who was rumored to have gone underground to orchestrate a campaign that identified and eliminated incipient fanatics before they could wreak significant harm, a la Hitler or bin Laden.

As Arkin and his cronies begin to investigate this assassination case, they realize that their moves are being covertly tracked  and thwarted  by an organized effort that seems to have access to insider information.

Alexander's characters are complicated, and whether his protagonists are interrogating suspects or shooting the breeze with one another, they do it with cocky aplomb. Plot complications pile up quickly, thanks to numerous and fascinating revelations and red herrings. The breakneck pace and the lengths to which Arkin and friends must go are almost enough  almost  to distract the reader from questioning the ultimate believability of the villain's motivation.

But in any event, this is a great beach read.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue honored two for their role in saving a patient who experienced sudden cardiac arrest at the Kitsap Mall recently. Shown are Sarah Lee (left), who assisted the patient, CKFR paramedic Kevin Bernt and mall security guard Ana Hernandez, who started CPR and applied an automated external defibrillator. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Bremerton High School "Knights on Tour" Choir performs at Disney World in Orlando in April. Gregson

IN THE SERVICE

Private Kenneth Gregson, 17, of Bremerton, graduated from Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 6. Gregson successfully completed 13 weeks of intensive basic training at MCRD San Diego as one of 49 recruits in Training Platoon 3235. While in recruit training, Gregson achieved Rifle Expert and earned the coveted Rifle Expert badge. Following 10 days home on leave, he will report to Camp Pendleton for two months at Infantry Training Battalion, after which he will be assigned his permanent duty station.

SCHOOL HONORS

CK student is National Merit Finalist

Abraham C. Shim, a senior at Central Kitsap High School, is a National Merit Scholarship winner.

Shim is one of 2,500 Merit Scholar designees chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The winners of the $2,500 scholarship are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors.

This year's competition for National Merit Scholarships began in October 2014 when over 1.5 million juniors took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than 1 percent of the nation's high school seniors, were named semifinalists on a state-representational basis. Only these 16,000 semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.

CK awards outstanding employees

Central Kitsap School District recently honored its Employees of the Year for 2016.

Amee Coulter was named Teacher of the Year. She is a teacher at Esquire Hills Elementary and was cited for helping students reach their potential by always looking for ways to help them with what they need today and what they will use tomorrow. Coulter was noted for sharing ideas and materials with colleagues and being open to new experiences.

Rebecca Roberts-Duncan was honored as Classified Employee of the Year. She is a paraeducator at Silverdale Elementary and was selected for her outstanding performance and an ability to work as part of a team. She was cited as a natural leader and noted for her "extraordinary" ability to connect with kids.

Bremerton students perform at Disney World

The Bremerton High School marching band and choir entertained guests at Walt Disney World Resort with performances at Epcot and Magic Kingdom in April.

The Bremerton High School Marching Band performed at Magic Kingdom. The Bremerton High School "Knights on Tour" Choir stepped into the spotlight on Waterside Stage at Disney Springs.

The music groups also participated in Disney Performing Arts workshops.

The school's musical groups were selected from applicants across the nation that submitted audition tapes. Students were taken on stage and behind the scenes, where Disney theme parks become classrooms.

COMMUNITY

Ambassadors scholarships awarded

The five 2016 Armed Forces Day Ambassadors were awarded scholarships Wednesday by the Bremerton Central Lions Club.

They are: Grace deMeurisse, lead ambassador, $1,500; Alissa Capuano, best essay, top tickets, $1,000; Andrea Hjorten, $750; Kendelyn Bone, $500; Katie Racca, $250. Read more about the ambassadors in a special Armed Forces Day section, coming in Tuesday's Kitsap Sun.

CKFR recognizes lifesavers

Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue honored two women Monday who assisted a patron of the Kitsap Mall experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

Sarah Lee, a nursing assistant working at a mall kiosk, and mall security guard Ana Hernandez were recognized for responding to a man who fell to the ground clutching his chest on April 22.

Lee responded to the gentleman and instructed a co-worker to call 911 as CPR was started. Hernandez started CPR and applied an automated external defibrillator.

The CKFR board of commissioners thanked Lee and Hernandez for their actions during its meeting on Monday. CKFR's medics, staff from Harrison Medical Center and the patient were also present.

CKFR has been promoting the use of PulsePoint, a phone app that alerts CPR-trained bystanders in the immediate vicinity of a public cardiac emergency, so they can get to the scene and start CPR in the critical minutes before emergency medical teams arrive.

Fire service's employees, volunteers recognized

Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue has named its employees of the year. The honored firefighters, EMTs and volunteers were selected among nominations submitted by fellow CKFR employees. The winners are:

Terry Fassett, Career Firefighter of the Year 2015

Doug Bekenyi, EMS Person of the Year 2015

Matt Porter, Career Officer of the Year 2015

Tammy Sargeant, Support Services of the Year 2015

Linda Jenkins, Volunteer Firefighter of the Year 2015

Judy Henneman, Volunteer EMS of the Year 2015

Tony Stewart, Volunteer Officer of the Year 2015

Jeff Sorenson, Most Inspirational 2015

Bank foundation gives grants

First Federal Community Foundation recently awarded grants to Kitsap County nonprofits.

Easter Seals Washington-Olympic Peninsula Autism Center in Silverdale was awarded a $5,000 community support grant to purchase therapeutic equipment.

New Life Community Development Agency received a $50,000 economic development challenge grant for construction of the Birkenfeld Economic Empowerment Center in Bremerton.

The Central Kitsap Food Bank was awarded a $25,000 community development grant for purchase of a new box truck.

The foundation's next open application period will begin on July 1. Grant guidelines and the grant application can be found at www.firstfedcf.org.

Spelling bee raises money for KACE

Kitsap Adult Center for Education, formerly known as the Literacy Council of Kitsap, held its 25th annual Corporate Spelling Bee at the Baymont Inn and Suites on May 6. The event was made possible by sponsors that included Port Madison Enterprises, the Suquamish Tribe, Flamingo Audio, the Kitsap Sun, Debbie Macomber, Ron Robinson, Rotary of East Bremerton and the Soroptomists of Port Orchard.

Winners of the competition were the Silverdale Rotary Team, "We BEE Ducks." Team members were Ed Ahrens, Mike Gass and Ed Hamilton. Helen's Spellers took second, spelling in honor of Helen Robinson, the late director of the agency, with sponsorship by Ron Robinson. Team members were Joanne Frasene, Mike McCloud, Sandy Schubach and Julie Armitage. Third place went to the Spelling Beests, a team of KACE volunteers sponsored by Debbie Macomber. Team members were Judy Cole-Martin, Cindy Jones and Kathy Kajita.

Money raised through team sponsorship and at the silent auction support the staff and volunteers who help adult students with basic English and math skills, GED preparation, and English as a Second Language instruction. For information, call KACE at 360-373-1539.

LETTER OF THANKS

Great care at Harrison

I have heard so many negative things against Harrison Medical Center in the past few years. On April 5 I had major surgery. I have nothing but good things to say about the care I was given at this hospital, from the time I entered until the day I left. I had exceptional care, understanding, considerate and caring nurses, ER staff, and recovery staff personal from this hospital.

I cannot thank Dr. Ty Chun, MDFACS, who performed my surgery, enough for the exceptional care and understanding he gave me during this difficult time. Checking in on me daily was appreciated and comforting.

So remember, when you go to Harrison be kind. These doctors, nurses, nurse aids and in general all the staff at Harrison work long hours. They do the best they can to make us comfortable and take care of us.

Thank you, Dr. Chun and the Harrison Medical Center staff.

Lillian Nelson, Bremerton

Have an item for Good for you? Email sunnews@kitsapsun.com.
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By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD  The trial of a man accused of child rape abruptly ended this week when a Kitsap judge dismissed all charges against him after evidence surfaced that could have been used by the defendant.

Superior Court Judge Bill Houser found prosecutors had mismanaged the case against Ricko Fernandez Easterling, 44, who was charged with five counts of first-degree rape of a child and two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He was accused in February of assaulting two children known to him after the children described the alleged assaults to a therapist and a sexual assault interviewer.

Easterling had been held in the Kitsap County Jail but was released following the dismissal Monday of his case.

Deputy Prosecutor John Purves wrote in documents that he had asked the investigator on the case, Port Orchard Police Detective William Schaibly, about the exams, but was told the exams had not been conducted.

I relied on that, Purves said.

However, the children had been taken to Harrison Medical Center for the exams. One child refused the exam, the other child was given an evaluation by a sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE, but the findings were normal, said Easterlings attorney, Tim Drury.

Schaibly said that he and Purves had been discussing two separate cases and that his statement about the exams not being conducted was in reference to the other case.

Before testifying in the case, Schaibly said he realized there had been miscommunication about the exams, the truth being that he had no knowledge if they had been conducted, and immediately informed Purves. Schaibly said he learned of the exams when the attorneys learned of them.

I was just as surprised as they were, Schaibly said.

Schaibly said he had not been contacted about the exam, which is how he said the process worked in the past.

According to protocols outlining the duties for examiners published on the website for Kitsap Special Assault Investigations and Victims Services, examiners in such cases should call 911 following the exam to determine the law enforcement agency and then shall share the information.

Scott Thompson, spokesman for CHI Franciscan Health, Harrisons parent company, said that is typically how the process works. Thompson said nurses and staff had no contact with prosecutors before the trial, which was unusual. Thompson said the hospital was looking into the matter.

There were no allegations of dishonesty by prosecutors or investigators in the case, Drury said. However, defense attorneys are entitled to see all evidence that could help their client, such as a sexual assault exam that came back with no findings.

We were told they did not exist, Drury said.

The disclosure came after opening arguments were presented, and Drury asked Houser to dismiss the case, which he did.

In arguing against dismissing the case, Purves noted the two counts of communication for immoral purposes would not be affected by the examination for physical evidence, as no physical contact is required to commit that crime, a gross misdemeanor.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chad Enright said the office believes it can appeal Housers decision, and has 30 days to do so.
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By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD  Testifying he had no plans to kill a fellow inmate, David Kalac said Thursday that he intended to simply fight the man who had given him the finger and loudly called him a rapist and murderer.

I just wanted to fight him, said Kalac, who took the stand in his own defense during his attempted first-degree murder trial. Thats it, fight man to man, settle our differences, and that would be it.

Jurors have been prevented from hearing the substance of an unfriendly conversation between Kalac and fellow inmate Wayne Carlson, which preceded the Dec. 9 assault. Testimony also excluded from the trial is that Kalac was in jail on charges of first-degree murder for the Nov. 4 strangulation death of his girlfriend, Amber Coplin, 30. Carlson knew Coplin. Kalac has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Closing statements are expected Friday.

The case drew widespread attention after Kalac allegedly posted photos of Coplins body on an Internet chat forum, writing that Coplins son would find her body and that he planned to provoke police into shooting him. Kalac surrendered to police in Oregon the next day.

Although Carlson had testified this week that he knew Kalac and that they shared a mutual dislike, Kalac said he did not know Carlson and was surprised that Carlson had started calling him names while Kalac was in his cell and Carlson was in the jails day room.

I didnt want Mr. Carlson to say those things at all, especially when other people can hear, Kalac said.

Kalac was supposed to be locked in his cell at the time. However, using a playing card to prevent the door of his cell from locking, Kalac testified he removed his socks to gain traction on the concrete floor, opened the door to his cell and walked to the second tier of the jail without drawing attention.

Also testifying Thursday, Kalacs cellmate at the time of the incident said Kalac had not shared his plans with him. Jeffrey Allen Cooke said as he was eating dinner and watched Kalac gather his belongings in a jail-issued bag, open the door and walk out.

He said something like, See you later, thats about it, said Cooke, who noted that he immediately closed the door behind Kalac.

Im not leaving it open, Cooke said, which drew laughter from the jury.

Although Carlson testified Kalac sneaked up on him, dragged him from his bunk onto steel furniture in the cell and began stomping on his head saying, Im going to kill you, Kalac testified he pulled Carlson off the bunk and intended to fistfight him, but Carlson was able to evade him.

He was all arms, I couldnt get a punch in, Kalac said.

Kalac denied saying he was going to kill Carlson and testified he said, Put your hands up, fight like a man.

Kalac said he is 6 feet 3 inches, 210 pounds. Court documents from 2013 say Carlson is 5 feet 9 inches, 160 pounds.

When Kalac entered the cell, the door closed behind him, locking the two men in the cell together. Authorities alleged Kalac closed the door, which prevented Carlson from escaping. On the stand, Kalac said he brushed by the door, inadvertently causing it to close.

Carlson was able to push an emergency button in the cell, summoning corrections officers, who ended the altercation. Carlson testified Kalac put him in a headlock, pressing his throat, and choked him with enough force that Carlson was going to lose consciousness.

Kalac said he was exhausted from struggling with Carlson and put him in a headlock, pressing against Carlsons jaw, to wait until officers arrived.

Kalac testified he expected officers to break up the altercation, and he knew he would get caught.

I wanted them to catch me, I didnt want it to go very far, he said.

In addition to attempted murder for the assault on Carlson, Kalac is charged with first-degree burglary and unlawful imprisonment. When jurors begin deliberations Friday, they might also consider the lesser charge of attempted fourth-degree assault, a count added by Kalacs attorney, Andy Anderson.
A limited-edition promotional poster created in fundraising for "Range 15."

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By Rachel Seymour of the Kitsap Sun

POULSBO  One Kitsap native and military veteran was tired of how veterans were depicted in Hollywood films and decided to take matters into his own hands with the help of other veterans.

Jarred "JT" Taylor, a 2003 graduate of North Kitsap High School who grew up in the Island Lake area, teamed up with his veteran friends to fundraise more than $1.1 million for the film "Range 15," according to its Indiegogo campaign website.

"We never expected it to get this big," Taylor said.

The project raised $450,000 in 70 hours. And as the project grew, so did the special effects and cast.

"Hollywood wants our movie," the film's campaign site says. "They want to take it, castrate the script, cast a boy band to play us, and then spend two miserable hours hashing out how war is hell."

Taylor describes the film as a "military-themed, post-apocalyptic, zombie comedy."

While the indie film's cast is composed mainly of veterans with no acting experience, there are several Hollywood stars in the movie, including William Shatner, Danny Trejo from "Machete," and Sean Astin from the Lord of the Rings film series and "The Goonies," according to the Internet Movie Database website.

The plot of "Range 15" centers on a group of veterans who wake up after a night of partying and find that a virus has spread across the country, causing a zombie apocalypse. The group must set out to find a cure for the outbreak and "restore freedom before it's too late."

Promotions for the film claim it's "not your grandpa's war movie."

And when you see it, you'll know why, Taylor said.

The film and its name are spawned from several of the veterans associated with Ranger Up and Article 15, two military lifestyle brands that produce clothing and videos. Taylor is president of Article 15.

Of the nine friends and veterans behind the film, six served in the infantry and special operations. One, Tim Kennedy, fights in the UFC. Two others, Clint Romesha and Leroy Petry, earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary valor, according to the Indiegogo website.

Although their film oozes with patriotism (and plenty of blood), it's not one for kids. It's rated R.

"We will kill lots of s---, all while using our weapons correctly," according to the film's fundraising website. "We're making the military movie you've always wanted someone to make: relentless ball busting, guns, explosions, hot chicks, booze, and more guns. We will not dramatically salute each other."

Matt Best, who appears in the film and is CEO of Article 15, tweeted that he has four sex scenes in the movie. It's hard to take Best and his friends too serious though, so you'll have to see the film if you want to know whether he's joking.

"Range 15" will be in more than 600 theaters across the country June 15.

The film is sold out for its June showing in Poulsbo and Tacoma, as well as a handful of other theaters around the country. A second showing at the Regal Poulsbo Stadium 10 is in the works, according to Taylor. Seattle tickets still were available as of Sunday.

Ticket information can be found at www.range15.com.

The film is directed by Ross Patterson, who also helped write the script with Billy Jay and Nick Palmisciano, the founder of Ranger Up.

"This movie is for the veteran community," he said in a promotional online video.

If civilians happen to like the film, great, Palmisciano said.

If not, he has a few choice words for them.
Anton van Heldon from Forest & Bird writes:

The fishing industry has a laughable case for compensation in the Kermadecs  and the Government shouldnt pay, says Anton van Helden. The fishing industry recently lodged a legal case against the Governments proposal to establish the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. The case does not appear to be about the law, nor even about fish. Its about extracting corporate welfare from the taxpayer and blocking future efforts at marine protection. Most of the fish they are seeking compensation for are not found in the Kermadecs and the industrys interpretation of the law of the sea is laughable.

Strong words.

The fishing industrys assertion that the New Zealand Government does not have the right to create marine protection in the EEZ is clearly laughable. Yet the fishing industry case also argues for compensation for 66 species that they claim a Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will deny them access to. One would imagine that the fishing industry knows a thing or two about fish. However, from Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) data, 34 of the species they have listed do not even occur in the region, a further 10 are listed as unknown for the region, six dont show up in the Ministrys own database, and of the 16 species left, six occur only in the existing marine reserve that covers the territorial seas immediately around the Kermadec Islands. The preferred method of fishing for at least four of the remaining few species is bottom trawling, which is prohibited by the industrys own designation of the Kermadec region as a Benthic Protected Area. Three species have previously had experimental fisheries in the region that came to nothing. Unsurprisingly there has been almost no fishing in the Kermadec EEZ for the last 10 years. So with such thin arguments, and so little chance of winning, why is the industry going to court over the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary proposal?

A good question.

Part of the answer can be understood from the makeup of the industry group taking the case. It is telling that one is an investment company involved almost exclusively with aquaculture and inshore fishing, neither of which can happen in the Kermadec region. The industry is not really concerned about the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. Their strategy appears to be to pressure the Government into avoiding the significant cost of a court case by settling for a small compensation payment over the Kermadecs. While such a solution might be politically attractive in the short term, the long-term consequences for sustainably managing our marine environment would be enormous. The fishing industry is after a precedent which they can then wield to block any attempt to establish genuine marine protection measures in the rest of our EEZ by demanding massive compensation for any new protection proposal. Such demands could then be made against marine protection proposals in the coastal territorial seas. The Government must resist the industrys stand-over tactics and avoid any quick and dirty out-of-court deals. The industrys case provides the perfect opportunity for the courts to establish, once and for all, that the international agreement that established our right to sustainably manage our EEZ came with an equal obligation to preserve and protect our marine environment.

I agree with Forest & Bird.

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The Herald reports:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership legislation has passed its first hurdle with support from National, Act, United Future  and one Labour MP.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill will now be considered by the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee, after passing its first reading 62 to 59.

It was opposed by Labour, the Green Party, New Zealand First and the Maori Party. However, Labour MP Phil Goff voted for the TPP.

In January, Labour leader Andrew Little gave Mr Goff special dispensation to do so, because during Mr Goffs time as trade minister he started the negotiations for the agreements predecessor.

Fellow Labour MP David Shearer had told the Herald he personally supported the TPP, but later said he would be voting along party lines.
Before I attempt to answer this question, I need to disclose my personal views. I was a Rubio supporter but voted for Cruz in the Arizona primary as Rubio has dropped out of the race by then. I was, and am now, not a fan of Trumphowever I will hold my nose and vote for him in the General Election over Hillary Clinton.

The 2016 Presidential election will likely be remembered as one of the most exciting, chaotic, unpredictable and nasty campaigns in history. The presumptive nomination of Donald Trump to be the Republican Partys standard bearer is the first time a major party has nominated a candidate with no prior elected office experience since businessman Wendell Willkie was the Republican nominee for the 1940 election. Yes, it is true that the GOP nominated Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 but he had served in the US Army for all his professional life with some years in major high profile leadership roles such that most would argue he had served his country in a highly public and successful capacity as Allied Supreme Commander in Europe during World War 2.

Democratic race

Before I look at the pluses and minuses that Trump brings to the campaign, it is instructive to look at the state of the Democrat nomination race. On paper, Hillary Clinton is going to be the nominee. The only mathematical chance that Bernie Sanders has of overhauling Clintons almost 300 pledged delegate lead is to overwhelmingly win the remainder of the Democrat primaries AND to then persuade over 250 of the super delegates pledged to Hillary to switch camps. All of the Democrat delegates from primaries and caucuses are awarded proportionately unlike some key winner-take-all Republican primaries (such as Indiana where Trump easily beat Cruz to knock him out of the race). For instance, whilst it is true that Sanders has won the majority of more recent races, Clinton has managed to amass still more delegates in each lost race and, having won the large states that count, Sanders can only chip away at her delegate lead with low single digit delegate margins between him and her. With that said, Clinton is proving to be a remarkably weak front runner. Normally at this stage in a race with a front running presumptive nominee, momentum builds and the victories over the remaining candidate get wider and more decisive. Clinton did fight a rearguard action against Obama in 2008 but really only had a handful of victories during that resurgence and then fell away. It seems that despite the inevitability of the delegate count, Sanders is remaining defiant and is ramping up his attacks and remains capable of beating Clinton if only in smaller state contests. This is significant because whilst Trump is now unchallenged and can concentrate his fire on Clinton, she must still fight Sanders off to her left flank. He has dragged her to the left by virtue of both his socialist roots and his solidly progressive grassroots, populist campaign and so the usual pivot to the centre that a candidate undertakes in a general election campaign (no longer needing to appeal to the more ideological extremes of the partys base) has been delayed for Clinton. Clinton has faced withering fire from Sanders over her vote for the Iraq war, her support for her husbands popular tough anti-crime laws and welfare reforms in the 90s and seems to be adopting knee jerk harder left positions such as the lifting the Federal minimum wage, anti-fracking/anti-oil sentiments and sounding tougher on Wall Street than Hillary would normally be considering her strong ties there.

The big question mark over Clinton still remains that of her fate arising from the FBI investigation into her non authorized email server and the dissemination of classified emails through this unsecure channel thus breaching strict intelligence secrecy laws. All recent reporting suggests the following:

The man hired by Clinton to set up the homebrew server (Bryan Pagliano) has been granted immunity from prosecution and has spoken freely and frankly to the FBI;

Clintons entire inner circle has now been interviewed by the FBI and Clinton has been advised that she will be next and last. This is the standard pattern of federal agents targeting a key person;

FBI Director James Comey has gone on the record effectively dismissing the Clinton spin reaffirming that this is an investigation not a security review and that he and his agents will not be deterred by her rank and status;

Various former Federal prosecutors have weighed to remind us that Clintons intent (innocent or otherwise) will be irrelevant  if top secret material is proven to be transmitted over non secure and non authorised channels, she (and her aides) will have committed the various felonies outlined in various relevant statutes.

Clintons fate lies in the hands of the Department of Justice and its top official, Obama appointee Attorney General Loretta Lynch. If the FBI find a prima facie case of breach and recommend indictment, it will be her and her deputy Attorneys General who will make the decision to file formal charges. The likelihood of stalling to after the election by the DOJ and White House or even a non-indictment decision is, in my opinion, high. However, Clinton (and the Democrat party) runs the risk of not only high level leaks from the career professional investigators (Comey has over 150 agents on the case including several top counter espionage and cyber security experts) but also the prospect of Comeys own resignation over a non-indictment if the evidence is particularly compelling.

If there is no indictment, Clinton will tough it out and rely on a sympathetic pro Democrat media to shield her somewhat from the FBI leaks. If she is indicted, shes toast as a candidate. Sanders is hanging around hoping for an indictment and will argue at the Convention in Philadelphia that hes the next highest delegate winner and so the next in line. Despite polls showing Sanders getting a wider winning margin over Trump than Clinton, look for the Democrats to parachute Vice President Joe Biden in as the nominee as a Hail Mary to save the election. This analysis is then premised on Clinton facing Trump in the autumn general election campaign.

Trumps chances

Anyone who thinks they know what is going to happen on November 8 is likely to be wrong. Trump has upended almost every establishment political prognostication on both sides of the political aisle. He has defied conventional wisdom every step of the way. He has made a stream of gaffes that wouldve ended normal politicians runs, he has ignored media narratives and robustly combatted media opposition and yet still earned twice the media coverage of all of his GOP AND Democrat rivals COMBINED, he has eschewed a delegate winning ground game and what little money he has spent so far has largely been his own money. No one has ever managed to do this and succeed in the modern political era. He has relied more on his natural instincts concerning issues that are driving voters rather than carefully measured, polled and focus group tested sound bites like Clinton and his GOP opponents. Trump says things no one else has dared say especially about Bill and Hillary Clinton. Predictions of Trumps fate, even from more centrist establishment Republicans, are that he is staring down the barrel of a landslide defeat. And yet others look at his remarkable string of victories against all prognostications, the record turnout of GOP primary voters and his ability to defy all the rules of normal politics as evidence that he will ride a wave of voter anti-establishment disgust all the way to a massive win over Clinton. The trouble with these predictions, as you will see as I detail the pros and cons of Trumps candidacy, is that both sides of this argument seem to have compelling reasons to back up their assertions.

Trumps negatives that militate against him winning

1. Dis-unified party.

Most primary races leave wounds and scars amongst the defeated candidates and their followers but generally voters, supporters and surrogates for the defeated candidates get over it and unify behind the nominee. This process has not happened as much or as quickly with Trump. There has been a discernable and visible division amongst centre-right commentators, media, blogs and talk show hosts between those that support Trump and those that opposed him. This has been characterised by the so-called Never Trump movement. Whilst there has been somewhat more of a coalescing around Trump in recent days, the high profile reluctance of House Speaker Paul Ryan to endorse Trump is somewhat unprecedented. Likewise, is the hostile reception of party leaders like Mitt Romney who is alleged to have sounded out high profile Trump opponents like Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska and even Governor Kasich. This divide is clearly evident with invective and criticism of each other from right wing media with angry outbursts from Trump supporters like Fox News hosts and commentators Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter clashing with anti-Trump commentators like talk show host Mark Levin, Blaze TV front man Glenn Beck and a host of National Review editors and writers. Some like popular talk show hosts Bill OReilly, Rush Limbaugh and Hugh Hewitt have tried to remain largely neutral but the warfare inside the conservative movement over Trump, his candidacy, policies and personality is unprecedented and will make it harder for Trump to unify the party. Trump of course doesnt help matters with his uncompromising rhetoric and his clashes with right media personalities such as Megyn Kelly.

2. Poor ground game

Unlike Ted Cruz who was known for his excellent on-the-ground GOTV efforts, data driven voter turnout models and canny delegate wooing tactics, Trump has been slow to embrace this crucial part of winning elections partly because he has relied so much on earned media. Trump seems to be far less interested in this aspect of electioneering than is wise. Clinton has managed to snare some of the same team that drove Obamas highly successful voter targeting and GOTV operation and she has been investing heavily in a good ground game in key battleground states. It is a fact that the Republican National Committee has spent the last 2 election cycles playing electronic and data mining catchup with the Democrats and it is said that the RNCs current GOTV operation is the best its ever been and at least equal with the Democrats. Trumps slowness in this regard may be compensated for by the partys own machinery that will swing in behind Trump. Obama proved that it was possible to get out his unique coalition twice in a row and Clinton will be banking on managing a three-peat.

3. Very high negative polling

Any analysis of polling data comparing past campaigns and candidates reveals that we face a quite unique situation with the two main candidates in 2016 in that both feature unusually high unfavourable polling figures. This is the ratio between those who favourably view a candidate and those who are unfavourable. The latest Gallup Favourable/Unfavourable ratio for Trump is a staggering 33/61 and Clinton is better but still poor at 41/54. To have two such unpopular candidates opposing each other is unprecedented and it remains to be seen as to what will happen to these figures as the campaign moves to a general election footing as each candidate showers media with a wall of negative ads designed to define their opponent.

4. Media portrayal of misogyny sticking

The main stream media have been quick to portray Trump as a misogynist women hater and certainly his comments about Megyn Kelly and Carly Fiorina gives some backbone to these claims. Will Trumps very high negatives with women improve and if not, will Clintons negatives with men be enough to outweigh them? Right now Clinton is on the winning side of that statistical battle.

5. Competing against the first woman President candidacy theme of Clinton

Clinton has, and will continue to aggressively play, the woman card. Just as Obama was campaigning to end centuries of oppression of blacks by being the first black President, so Clinton wants to break a remaining glass ceiling and be the first woman President. To women voters in particular it is a powerful and simple campaign theme. Whether Clinton can overcome her considerable baggage to realise that goal remains to be seen but it is a real headwind that Trump is running against.

6. Poor head to head polling v Clinton

Up until very recently, the head to head polls, both at the national and swing state level, were devastating for Trump and his GOP opponents hammered him relentlessly on that. This more than anything else has fueled much of the negative prediction commentary about Trump from his right wing opponents and this has been seized upon with glee by Democrats, the MSM and left leaning commentators. Polls would be trumpeted showing Clinton barely behind in heavily Republican states like Georgia, winning Arizona (which has voted Democrat only twice since WW2  1948 and 1996) and Clinton leading in national polls by double digits. Electability in the fall in the past has been a powerful electioneering tool for primary candidates but in this cycle, once again a seeming cardinal rule has again been broken. Head to head polls showed in this order: Kasich, Rubio, Cruz then Trump from doing the best to the worse against Clinton (or Sanders) and yet the success of each major GOP candidate has been in inverse proportion to their supposed electability. Part of the reason for this is the truism that head to head polls this far out are meaningless and Trumps surrogates have pointed this out for months and in recent weeks, these polls have tightened considerably with reputable polls putting Trump essentially level pegging in key states like Florida and Ohio and close to the margin error behind Clinton in national polls.

7. Leftist policy provisions and his bombastic personality causing the conservative base to stay at home

The knee jerk reaction of a number of more solidly conservative friends of mine is to refuse to vote for Trump. Some talk up a conservative third party candidate, others say theyll vote Libertarian whereas most say they cannot bring themselves to vote for Trump seeing him as an unauthentic conservative, a closet Democrat and a crass populist and a few flirt with voting for Hillary. These assessments are not far off the mark but increasingly, many are coming to see Hillary and the extent to which Sanders has dragged her so far to the left, as a far greater existential threat to the Republic that many more are doing what I am doing and holding their noses and voting for Trump. The extent to which the conservative base stays home in protest or disgust at Trumps excesses and policy quirkiness may have a large bearing on his success or otherwise in November. A third party candidate is highly unlikely. No one remotely electable has stepped up and in any event, the deadline has passed in most states to even get on the ballot  a task that is complex, time consuming and costly.

8. Trumps caustic management style may see key staff burnt off

Stories abound of Trumps abrasive and take no prisoners style. Will this extend to his campaign to such an extent that key staff abandon him? Its hard to say. Trump has outwitted and outlasted armies of the GOP consultant establishment and utterly defied their collective wisdom by turning it on its head and proving them all wrong. That said, some mechanics of a campaign must be adhered to. Could Trump be so arrogant as to ignore even the practical and good election campaign advice rationalising his behaviour because he so dominated the primary race that the consultants have nothing to teach him? The truth is likely somewhere in the middle  some of their advice is relevant but most of their instincts have been to line their own pockets with fees. If Trump is wise he will attract the best players and listen to the good tactics they have to offer and yet stay true to his instincts that have seen him win so convincingly.

Trumps assets that might see him win

1. Massive earned media

This graph tells the story far better than words. http://clashdaily.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/qmeme_1458400097167_447.jpg This, more than anything else, explains Trumps success. He sucked the media oxygen from the air of almost all his rivals campaigns. Media obsession about all things Trump meant Jeb Bush could spend $150 million and have almost nothing to show for it. Despite the media realising that Trump has been their creation, he remains a ratings dream for networks and cable shows and excellent click bait for on line political news outfits like Politico, the Hill, the Washington Examiner and blogs. This is not going to change in the foreseeable future. Trump will still say outrageous things that will leave media and commentators buzzing and obsessing and now it will be Hillary Clinton who will be overshadowed. Obama got excellent earned media coverage because of his unique persona. Clinton is not unique  she is extremely well known and a rather dour campaigner. Faced with Trumps endless stream of consciousness, provocative tweets and interviews, clashes with media and opponents and his sheer utter unpredictability, he will remain ratings gold as the campaign progresses ensuring his message reaches all corners of the electorate.

2. Record GOP turnout in the primaries translates into larger than usual general election turnout

The increase in Republican primary turnout in this cycle compared to 2012 has been a staggering 60%. As at the end of the New York primary on April 19th, this amounted to an additional 9 million voters! Note that Obama only beat Romney by 5 million votes in the 2012 election. Whilst it is true that in some primaries allowed independents and registered Democrats to vote in GOP primaries meaning some of the higher turnout could be put down to cross over voting, turnout has been massively up even in states with closed primaries (limited only to registered Republicans). The best analysis of this is found at http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/04/25/exclusive-data-analysis-gop-primary-turnout-8-7-million-votes-60-percent-2016-versus-2012/. This trend bodes well for Trump.

3. Lower Democrat turnout

The flip side of point 2 is the significantly lower turnout for Democrat primaries and caucuses and this is in spite of the resurgent and seemingly popular grassroots campaign of Bernie Sanders. Democrats, aside from Sanders supporters, appear to relatively less enthusiastic about their presumptive nominee. This was the reverse in 2008 when Democrat primary turnout was hugely up on the back of Obamas popular campaign. This difference does not bode well for Clinton.

4. Any negative news event in the immigration or terrorism sphere plays into Trumps hands

Any high profile murder by an illegal immigrant (especially one previously deported) will play into Trumps anti-illegal immigration message. Even the ongoing wave of refugees into Europe plays subtly into Trumps hands as it shows the negative cultural impact of uncontrolled immigration. Even more potent would be the indirect electoral benefit to Trump of another global terrorist event. Another Paris or Brussels attack by Muslim extremists makes Trumps policy of pausing on Muslim immigration to the US look reasonable and practical. A terrorist incident like the San Bernardino massacre, especially if close to the election, will guarantee Trump a strong bounce over Clinton as Trump will unsubtly make the Benghazi contrast. Anything more serious than San Bernardino would be game over for Clinton as Trump would ride a wave of almost 911 style voter fear.

5. The party is gradually, albeit slowly, coalescing around Trump

Paul Ryan, after his much publicized summit with Trump, has moved from Never Trump to Probably Trump (but not yet). More Senators (even those who opposed him) are coming on board. Cruz and Rubio will likely hold their noses and eventually endorse. The Bush clan will stay silent and Romney will continue to oppose but likely will temper his attacks. It wont be across the board or full throated but it could be enough to send a sufficient signal to other wavering GOP voters to hold their noses and vote for Trump.

6. Hillary is a lousy campaigner

She is wooden, inauthentic, focus group driven, uninspiring and somewhat prone to gaffes. Her handling of controversies such as the email scandal has been woeful. She is afraid to be interviewed by anyone except a handful of pro-Democrat flunkies who dont really press her hard. Whilst she has handled Sanders reasonably well in their debates, she has not faced the wall of hostile questioning the GOP candidates faced in most of their debates and nor has she had to face Bernie Sanders more recent harder edged criticism as his attacks have ramped up since their debates. Trump, on the other hand, went through a large number of debates where he was the primary target of attacks and he acquitted himself adequately. He is not the purist debater in the Cruz mold nor the compelling story teller like Rubio but he can and will attack and vigourously defend himself. He will not conform to normal debate structures and approaches and will be unpredictable and feisty against Clinton and will not hesitate to bring up a host of negative issues like her email server, her poor record at State, Benghazi and the murky funding of the Clinton Foundation. Clinton has not faced any hard edged opposition in a public forum on any of these matters. Im picking that she may refuse to debate Trump such will be the political risks that he will wipe the floor with her.

7. Clinton is burdened by a sluggish economy and Obamas weak foreign policy  fighting off the Obamas 3rd term meme.

Whilst Obamas popularity has staged a minor recovery, the economy (on Main Street versus the more buoyant Wall Street) has seen very anemic growth. The Obama recovery is the weakest of the all the post-Depression recoveries. The extremely low labour participation rate is a major unseen economic drag. It is down to only 63% from a high of 68% in 2000 and explains why the unemployment rate is seemingly so low at 5%. It is because approximately 11 million Americans have dropped out of the workforce altogether and are no longer seeking work and so are not counted in the unemployment stats. If they (and those forced to work part time) are added in, the true unemployment rate is 9.6% http://www.macrotrends.net/1377/u6-unemployment-rate . This is the first administration since the Depression to preside over a slight decline in net real wages AND net wealth of the vital middle class. Many voters feel they are not any better off despite the stock market recovery. Add to this a string of foreign policy failures or stagnations, Clinton will be seen as an 3rd Obama term and a third term in office for the same party has only happened once since the 22nd Amendment restricted Presidents to two terms (Bush 41 wining in 1988 after the two Reagan terms).

8. Trump benefits from the strong anti-insider establishment sentiment and appeals to Reagan Democrats

This is the greatest unknown and possibly the one thing above all else that could win Trump the Presidency. Frustration at the establishment of both parties is running at record levels. It is palpable and crops up constantly in political discussion across communities. GOP control of the House (2010) and the Senate (2014) has actually made the sentiment worse because the GOP won two large wave elections giving them unprecedented majorities in both houses of Congress to block Obama as voters intended and yet time after time, the Republican leadership caved on key conservative issues to the disgust of the Republican base. This more than anything else explains Trumps success in the primaries. This disgust, anxiety and frustration is bi-partisan. Many many voters of all persuasions see inaction on the border and blame stagnant wage growth and un/under employment on illegal immigration. Trump unashamedly taps a huge vein of fear and discontent especially amongst blue collar workers who were once a key demographic cohort for the Democrats. Lately this group have stayed home from the polls demoralised by the inaction by the party elites of both parties. Trumps promises to make America great and to build a wall may bring record numbers of recent nonvoters to the polls to vote for a successful, confident outsider beholden to no one promising to get things done. The same is true for foreign policy and the rise of Islamic extremism. Middle America is tired of political correctness and waning American power and the seeming impotence of Obamas so-called smart power diplomacy. Trumps promise to make America great again has to the power to plough through all his many negatives and bring dormant general election voters of both parties, long disgusted by business as usual in Washington, to the polls in droves to install the anti-politician who has built a successful business empire.

9. The Teflon factor

Trump has defied political gravity continuously. Normal rules dont apply. Revelations of sordid earlier affairs, drug fueled parties in the 80s, eminent domain abuses, fraudulent claims of Trump University, threats to investigate his political enemies if he wins  all negatives that the media will gleefully report from Clintons oppo research files, will slide off Trump. Almost all of this is baked into the cake. Voters know Trump is flawed, quixotic, not really a policy expert and often all over the page on some issues. They dont care  they believe on the big issues (immigration, Islamic extremism, American jobs and US strength and power abroad) that Trump will face down his critics, ignore the media and Washington commentatiat and just hunker down and finally do the things that Americans have been begging to have done for decades. When faced with a choice between more of the same from Clinton (with the added spice of a rerun of Clinton scandals like the 90s) and the fresh but flawed broom that Trump promises to sweep, it may end up being a no brainer for enough voters in places like Florida, Ohio, Colorado, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania to get him to 270 electoral votes.

As I said, both sides arguments are compelling, All I know is that US voters are in going to be in for the wildest campaign ride possibly in over a hundred years!

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The Knoxville section of ASQ will have a plant tour on Tuesday. DeRoyal's senior director of quality, Elizabeth Reed, will lead a tour of the Royal Precision Plastics plant at 300 Debusk Lane, Powell. Nonmembers are welcome to ASQ events. The cost is $20. Go to the second building on the right. Parking is on the side and front of the building. The tour will begin at 5:45 p.m. Contact Sherman Meade at 865-429-6340 or Sherman.meade@jmusa.com for reservations.

East Tennessee American Payroll Association will meet on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Calhoun's on Bearden Hill. Matt Merriam and Dallas Wilfong from Rapid Paycard will speak on "Paycards and Payroll Best Practices." The cost is $20 for ETAPA members and $25 for nonmembers. Register at etnapa.com/meetingsseminars.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will host an advanced GSA schedule contract training at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon.

The Knoxville area Tennessee Small Business Development Center will conduct a free business startup seminar on Thursday from 9 a.m.  noon at the Blount Chamber Partnership in Maryville. Marcia Whyte of Gratitude Speak will present a relationship marketing lecture from 8:30 a.m.  10 at the Lawhorn CPA Group offices at 6312 Kingston Pike, also on Thursday. On May 23, a GrowthWheel Business Planning program will be presented from 9 a.m.  noon at the Knoxville Chamber. Training program registration information may be found at www.tsbdc.org.
Legal minefield includes more than bathrooms

Bathrooms and boycotts dominate the news. Private matters are the subject of public debate, and a cultural and social chasm has erupted over the rights of transgendered individuals.

The issues, however, are not just social or cultural -- they are intensely legal. With opposing sides facing off, employers are caught in the crosshairs.

Despite recent hoopla, the bathroom debate is not a new one. Years before the North Carolina upheaval or the Target boycott, the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission announced its position that discrimination on the basis of gender identity violates federal law.

Although there is no federal statute specifically identifying transgender individuals as members of a legally protected class, the EEOC reasoned that discrimination against transgender persons is the same as discrimination based on gender in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

As part of its 2013-106 strategic enforcement plan, the EEOC started aggressively pursuing litigation on behalf of transgender employees. Several of the initial cases dealt with bathrooms. For example, the EEOC held that the Department of the Army unlawfully discriminated by refusing to let a transgender woman use the women's restrooms.

The EEOC also found that an employer cannot condition an individual's bathroom access on the worker's first providing proof of surgery, and the agency said a transgender employee cannot be restricted to a single-user restroom unless the same restroom is available to all employees who might choose to use it.

More recently, however, the EEOC's enforcement has moved beyond bathroom policies. Just last week, a technology company paid $140,000 to resolve a transgender discrimination claim filed by the EEOC.

In that case, the employer provided contract workers to a college. The day after an employee told her co-workers that she would be transitioning, the college asked the employer to remove the worker. When the employer complied with the client request, the EEOC said its action broke the law.

In addition to paying damages, the employer is being required to modify its code of conduct and provide gender-identity discrimination training for all its U.S. employees.

Grocer Whole Foods also received a transgender discrimination claim in recent weeks. In a case filed in a New York federal court, a transgender former employee claims he was forced to quit because of harassment, including being called "it" by his manager and being laughed at by co-workers.

The EEOC remains vigilant and, just last week, issued a fact sheet reminding employers of its position that discrimination based on a person's transgender status is sex discrimination. Days later, the state of North Carolina was vigilant in initiating its own legal action, asking a federal court to declare that its law limiting transgender state employees' access to restrooms is not discriminatory.

As the battle rages, employers are left to tiptoe through a social, cultural and legal minefield where any misstep could explode into a boycott from one side or a lawsuit from the other.

Savvy employers will closely follow the rapidly evolving legal developments and practice respect for all views.
SHARE Mary Bogert Jamie Cunningham Wynne Caffey-Knight Julie Carrier

Knoxville Convention Center and Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum General Manager Mary Bogert was named Service/Supplier General Manager of the Year during the 12th annual Pauly Awards. Knoxville Civic Coliseum and Auditorium office manager Jamie Cunningham was recognized as Service/Supplier Employee of the Year.

Attorney Wynne Caffey-Knight has been named to the board of directors of Susan G. Komen Knoxville.

The University of Tennessee College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources welcomed Dr. Julie Carrier as the new head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science on April 1.

Crye-Leike Realtors has retained its No. 6 ranking among the nation's largest and most successful residential real estate brokerage firms. RISMedia's 2015 Power Broker Report ranked Crye-Leike No. 6 among the top 500 largest residential real estate brokerage firms in the United States.

Barry Dunford, Knoxville regional manager for M&M Productions USA, won the Service/Supplier Manager of the Year Pauly Award from the Greater Knoxville Hospitality Association.

Terry Grubb was hired by LDA Engineering as transportation services coordinator. Grubb has 40 years of transportation engineering experience.

Knox County Health Department healthy weight program manager Cheryl Hill has been appointed to the Emerging Leaders in Maternal and Child Health Training Institute. Hill is one of eight nutrition professionals in the nation selected to be part of the 12-month program.

Private wealth adviser Dugan McLaughlin, who works for the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch, has been nationally recognized as a top adviser by Barron's magazine in its annual "America's Top 1,200 Advisors: State-by-State" list, published on March 7.

Travis Humble, Melanie Mayes, Wellington Muchero and Clayton Webster, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers specializing in environmental, biological and computational science are among 49 recipients of Department of Energy's Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards. The Early Career Research Program, now in its seventh year, supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science.

Joseph C. Ratliff has joined BarberMcMurry architects as a project architect. He previously worked for Architecture, Inc., in Reston, Va.

Jessica Rich, senior vice president, and Laura Rathbone, vice president, have joined Civis Bank. Rich and Rathbone formerly worked for US Bank.

R. Larry Smith was awarded the Million Dollar Round Table achievement level, the highest level of insurance sales in the industry, for the 29th year. In July, Smith will become vice president for the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors for Tennessee.

Sevier County Bank named Sue White as manager of the Seymour branch office. She joins SCB from First Tennessee Bank, where she was a financial center manager responsible for retail sales, consumer and commercial lending and staff development. Former branch manager Rhonda Gibson, although electing retirement, will continue to work at the Seymour office in a part-time capacity.
This photo shows The Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. The property, which features 29 rooms, lists for $200 million. The global luxury housing market lost some of its sheen in 2015 as financial markets became unsettled and many wealthy buyers began to look for less expensive homes. (Hilton & Hyland/Courtesy of Christie's International Real Estate via AP)

SHARE The Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, which features 29 rooms, lists for $200 million. The global luxury housing market lost some of its sheen in 2015 as financial markets became unsettled and many wealthy buyers began to look for less expensive homes. (Hilton & Hyland/Courtesy of Christie's International Real Estate via AP)

By Josh Boak, Associated Press

The global luxury housing market lost some of its sheen last year as financial markets became unsettled and many wealthy buyers began to look for less expensive homes.

"The return of realism," is how Dan Conn, chief executive of Christie's International Real Estate, described the high-end market that stretches from San Francisco to Singapore.

Sales in a sector whose average home prices start at $2.2 million slowed in 2015, increasing by 8 percent, half its 2014 pace. The decline most likely reflects stability rather than weakness, according to a report released Thursday by Christie's.

Properties in London and Hong Kong are sitting on the market longer. On average, homes sold for prices 19 percent below the original asking price, compared with 14 percent below the asking price in 2014. The number of luxury-home sales in the often sizzling Manhattan market dipped 5 percent last year. Falling oil prices led sales in Dubai to tumble 25 percent.

"You can't have massive double-digit growth year after year after year," Conn said. "In some ways, there is a limit."

But a luxury market that experts say is normalizing still looks otherworldly when compared with conventional real estate. Some homes include cigar rooms with specialized ventilation and wine collections displayed in climate-controlled glass walls, for example, instead of in cellars.

Around the world, a single square foot in a luxury home varies dramatically  from $200 in Monterrey, Mexico, to $4,500 in Monaco. The highest price paid for a home last year was $194 million for the Barker Road Estate in Hong Kong, which, judging by pictures, was still something of a fixer-upper.

Not all luxury markets reflected the consequences of weaker global economic growth. The cheaper euro helped to boost pied-a-terre purchases in Paris.

Yet in an emerging trend, the luxury market last year reached beyond the traditional hubs of global commerce and posh resort towns. Places with humbler reputations enjoyed sharp increases in high-end sales, a pattern likely to continue through 2016, Conn said.

Christie's reported a 40 percent jump in the sales of luxury properties in Portland, Oregon, for example. And Auckland, New Zealand, experienced a 63 percent surge in luxury home-buying.

Atlanta, supported by an expanding film industry, reported a 25 percent increase, while an improving auto industry boosted luxury home sales in the Detroit area by 17 percent.

Baby boomers looking to cash out of the Vancouver housing market, which has attracted Chinese expatriates, moved to nearby Victoria, which enjoyed a 45 percent increase in luxury sales.

Other brokerages see similar phenomena at the top-tier of housing. During the first three months of 2016, Redfin reported that luxury sales prices dropped 1.1 percent from the same period a year ago.

Average luxury home prices in Miami Beach, Florida, plunged 13.7 percent to $5.7 million, according to the Seattle-based brokerage. Homes for Boston-area Brahmins fell 11.8 percent to $3.2 million. San Francisco tech gurus saw the average luxury sales price dip 4.7 percent to $4.4 million, while the Washington, D.C., area slid 4.2 percent to $2 million.

The main culprit appears to be a volatile stock market. The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index plummeted until mid-February, only to undergo a jagged recovery such that the net worth of millionaires and billionaires has been in near constant flux. The turbulence has left luxury buyers wary about spending lavishly on housing, said Nela Richardson, Redfin's chief economist.

"I'm not saying there is a recession among the 1 percent, but if you look across all luxury goods you're seeing softness," Richardson said. "I think that is attributable to the stock market."

This doesn't mean an absolute retreat from luxury housing.

In Florida, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood have registered price gains after Miami became overheated. San Francisco's recent excesses have spilled across the bay to the more affordable Oakland, where average luxury home prices climbed nearly 50 percent in the past year to $2.4 million.

"There are only so many tech billionaires who can buy in San Francisco," Richardson said.
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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  A "task force" set up by the Tennessee Supreme Court will visit Knoxville and Johnson City this week as part of a "listening tour" to hear complaints from lawyers and others about the state's system for providing legal representation to the poor.

The Indigent Representation Task Force, chaired by former state Supreme Court Justice William Koch, now dean of the Nashville School of Law, is widely seen as a prelude to the court asking the Legislature in 2017 for an increase in funding for the system. The group was established in October after the 2015 legislative session spurned an attempt  led by the Tennessee Bar Association  to increase fees paid attorneys appointed to represent the indigent in criminal cases.

The current rates, unchanged since 1994, provide for lawyers being paid $40 an hour for out-of-court work and $50 an hour for in-court work. There's also a cap on the total amount that can be paid in a case, which varies depending on the type of crime involved but generally set at $1,000 in most felony cases. The ceiling ranges from $500 in some categories, including those involving juvenile defendants, to $5,000 when the defendant is charged with first-degree murder.

Fees allowed or others approved by a judge to help an indigent defendant, such as expert witnesses or investigators, are higher so that the appointed lawyer is often "the lowest-paid person in the courtroom," according to Allan Ramsaur, executive director of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Public defenders typically represent the indigent in criminal cases  and often complain they are understaffed and underfunded  but in many cases they cannot and judges then appoint a lawyer, who is bound by the present fee system.

In Williamson County last week, the public defender announced her office is so overworked that no new cases are being accepted barring exceptional circumstances, according to local media reports. Ramsaur said in many rural counties a multi-defendant criminal case will lead to virtually every lawyer in town being appointed to represent someone and, since lawyers are generally obliged to accept such appointment, they are pulled away from other work.

According to a Supreme Court news release, the current state budget provides a total of about $36 million for representation of the indigent in both criminal and civil matters  $19 million statewide for attorneys representing the indigent in criminal cases, about $12.5 million in child welfare cases and the rest for other matters including mental exams, expert witnesses and investigators.

"We must not accept anything less than the most qualified representation in our courts, but we must also be sure that those receiving indigent representation qualify for those services and that the lawyers who perform the services are adequately compensated," said Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Lee.

A bill (HB1025) proposed in 2015, with TBA support and Democratic sponsors, would have raised the rate of pay for lawyers appointed in criminal cases to a flat $100 per hour, regardless of whether their work was in or out of court, and lifted the caps on overall payments. The legislative staff "fiscal note" estimated the cost to the state budget at $44 million per year. The bill was never brought up for a vote.

This year, two Republican legislators  Rep. Mark Pody of Lebanon and Sen. Ferrell Haile of Gallatin  introduced a bill (HB1445) that would have set the rate at $75 per hour. The cost of that measure was pegged at $21 million in new state spending annually in the "fiscal note." It never came up for a vote either.

Ramsaur said in an interview that the TBA decided not to push the issue this year, despite a state budget surplus of more than $600 million on hand at the outset of the session that wound up being otherwise allocated, because of the Supreme Court's pending Indigent Representation Task Force and its "listening tour."

The task force is looking at other aspects of representing the poor in court as well, including civil litigation and complex conflicts that can arise. For example, he said a methamphetamine bust in one rural county had 10 defendants  most given an appointed attorney  and spinoff civil lawsuits involving child custody, divorces and the like. There are other issues, such as whether the results of an expert witness's review of evidence  a ballistics report, for example  must be turned over to prosecutors before the trial when the expert witness was paid with taxpayer money.

The Knoxville "listening tour" session is scheduled for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday at the University of Tennessee College of Law. The Johnson City stop will be 3-6 p.m. Thursday at East Tennessee State University's Culp Center Auditorium. The listening tour already has had sessions in West Tennessee and has other stops scheduled through the summer.

The task force is expected to present its report to the Supreme Court at the end of the year.
An online politics and polling operation says Gov. Bill Haslam's 2016 voter approval rating stands at 63 percent, almost unchanged from last year. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  Gov. Bill Haslam's 2016 voter approval rating is almost unchanged from last year, according to a survey released last week by Morning Consult, an online politics and polling operation.

In 2015, the polling group put Haslam's voter approval at 63 percent with 24 percent disapproving. This year it's 62 percent approval; 22 percent disapproval. Last year, Haslam was tied for seventh in popularity among governors nationwide, with Gov. Bill Walker of Alaska, an Independent politically. This year, he's alone at seventh. Walker is fifth.

Nationally, the most popular governor in the Morning Consult survey was Massachusetts' Charlie Baker, who has a 72 percent approval rating. The least popular governor is Kansas' Sam Brownback, who has a disapproval score of 65 percent. Both Baker and Brownback are Republicans.

Besides Baker and Walker, governors with a higher approval rate were Republican Larry Hogan of Maryland, Republican Matt Mead of Wyoming, Democrat Jack Markell of Delaware and Republican Gary Herbert of Utah.

New museum chairman: The board overseeing Tennessee State Museum operations has chosen a Nashville real estate investor and developer as its new chairman, succeeding state Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers Crossroads, in the role.

The new chairman, Tom Smith, has in the past clashed with former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe over issues that included whether a given board meeting should be open to the public and on arrangements for selecting a successor to the museum's longtime executive director, Lois Riggins-Ezell.

Ashe, a board member who preceded McDaniel as chairman, is also a board member of the Tennessee Open Government Coalition. Earlier this year, Ashe publicly protested Smith's decision  as chairman of a board committee  to close a "workshop" gathering of board members to discuss procedures for selecting Riggins-Ezzel's successor. Smith subsequently agreed to open the meeting after changes in the format were made.

Ashe also has been considerably more critical of Riggins-Ezell than Smith and has advocated a speedier process for finding her successor than Smith or McDaniel.

Smith was appointed to the board by Gov. Haslam. Ashe was appointed by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey.

The board is officially known as the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission. Its fundraising counterpart, the Tennessee State Museum Foundation, is currently trying to raise $40 million in private donations to go with $120 million in state funding to build a new museum in Nashville. Haslam is leading the fundraising effort, but so far there has been no public disclosure of results in the governor's efforts. Ashe has called for public disclosure of donations to the cause.

DesJarlais poll: U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais says a poll he commissioned shows the 4th Congressional District Republican with a huge lead over his most prominent primary challenger, Grant Starrett  61 percent to 8 percent.

The poll by Market Street Research also shows DesJarlais with a 61 percent favorable rating versus 25 percent negative rating, which a memo distributed to media says is the incumbent's "highest favorable rating since we started polling for him in the spring of 2010."

DesJarlais recently has been prominent as one of the first Republican congressmen to get behind Donald Trump's presidential campaign and in urging other congressmen to join him.

Starrett campaign manager Tommy Schultz disputed the DesJarlais poll, saying a Starrett-commissioned poll taken about the same time "predicts a statistical dead heat" by the Aug. 4 primary election. He said in an email that the poll shows 60 percent of surveyed Republican voters in the district "are angry about Scott DesJarlais' vote for $700 million in food stamps," but provided no details of the poll.

Nickas leads insurance effort: The Tennessee Hospital Association earlier this year formed a spinoff group  named Tennesseans for a Responsible Future  to promote Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal, a Medicaid expansion move that failed in the 2015 legislative session. Last week, the group named Adam Nickas, a former political operative for the state Republican Party and more recently a lobbyist, as executive director.

The move comes with a task force appointed by House Speaker Beth Harwell holding hearings around the state  in Memphis last week  on possible alternatives to the spurned Haslam plan. Nickas told Nashville Post that the new group is "eager to see what the task force comes up with," but voiced misgivings.

"It needs to be comprehensive, and it needs to pass muster with the federal government. And we think Gov. Haslam has already created that plan, one that is conservative and specifically created by and for the needs of Tennesseans."
SHARE Hillary Clinton Sen. Bernie Sanders (AP Photo/John Locher)

By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  Elizabeth Rowland thought the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would be over by now.

Instead, it's the Republicans who have settled on a nominee, while Democrats continue slugging it out for votes and delegates in a campaign brawl that's gone on far longer than almost anyone expected.

The prolonged primary may not be what Rowland, a Clinton supporter from Knoxville, had anticipated. But she doesn't necessarily think it's bad for the party.

"Personally, I'm not concerned about it," she said. "Hillary is well on her way toward having enough delegates to win. Bernie has made valuable contributions to the debate. And I look forward to the convention, when Hillary is going to win."

The protracted fight between Clinton and Sanders, however, is cause for concern among other Democrats.

In an essay published last week in Politico, a senior strategist for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign argued the Vermont senator's attacks against Clinton may hurt Clinton's chances against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in the November general election.

Other Democrats lament that Clinton, who is almost certain to secure the Democratic nomination, must spend campaign funds to fend off Sanders  money they believe would be better spent going after Trump.

In Tennessee, where Clinton easily won the Democratic primary in March, Clinton supporters aren't exactly screaming for Sanders to get out of the race. But they're ready to move on to the general election.

"I think it would be best if we concentrated on Donald Trump," said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat and Clinton backer. "I understand where Sen. Sanders is wanting to drive his agenda further and further. He has shown there is a tremendous amount of dissatisfaction with the system. But he has made his points."

Regardless, Cohen said, "He wants to campaign to the end, and it's going to cost Democrats more money  and it's going to be more money spent on primaries that should be spent on (defeating) Donald Trump."

Memphis political consultant Matt Kuhn, who headed Sanders' campaign in Tennessee, said he's heard other Volunteer State Democrats say Sanders should drop out and let Clinton concentrate on Trump.

But Clinton already has begun turning her attention to Trump, Kuhn said, citing a recent Clinton campaign ad released that uses footage of Trump's fellow Republicans trash-talking the GOP nominee. He said it's one of the best anti-Trump ads he's seen.

Kuhn doesn't buy the notion that Sanders' barrage of attacks against Clinton  at one point, Sanders said she wasn't qualified to be president  will damage her in the general election. Sure, Trump's campaign probably will use some of Sanders' sound bites in its own campaign ads in the fall, he said.

"(But) there's no way the messaging the Bernie campaign is using will come back and haunt Hillary," Kuhn said. "It can only help her, I think, because it excites a part of the Democratic Party that wants to get out there and support the liberal message."

Besides, he said, the squabbling among the two Democrats "pales in comparison to what's already out there on the Republican side."

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, a Nashville Democrat and Clinton supporter, puts it another way.

"We may have a rivalry in the Democratic Party," he said. "But they have a civil war in the Republican Party."

What matters in the end, Cooper said, is that Democrats unite behind their nominee. And he's convinced they will.

"Right now, you could argue that Sanders' voters are energized and enthusiastic and reaching out to the base in a very important way," he said. "The key is whether we come together in the fall. Sen. Sanders has given every indication that his greatest fear is a Trump presidency. So I think you are going to see unity in November."

Kuhn is ready to do his part to restore party harmony. He said he'll "wholeheartedly" support Clinton in November.

"She has the experience," he said. "And there's probably no candidate ever more prepared to be president than Hillary."
Obtained from Twitter via the AP This undated image obtained from Twitter on May 7 shows 16 black female cadets in uniform with their fists raised while posing for a photograph at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The Military Academy launched an inquiry into the image, which spurred questions about whether the gesture violated military restrictions on political activity. It decided against punitive action.

SHARE U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos extend their hands skyward in racial protest during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City on Oct. 16, 1968. Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200-meter dash. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman is at left. (AP Photo) ASSOCIATED PRESS Graduating cadets toss their hats into the air at the end of a graduation and commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy on May 23, 2015, in West Point, N.Y.

West Point officials have decided against punitive action for 16 black female cadets who sparked nationwide controversy by posing for a group photo with their fists raised.

Good. They'll get some counseling but graduate on time, which they have earned in spite of the crazy commotion the photo stirred up.

The women are young. They were celebrating their upcoming graduation. Maybe they didn't how easy it is for some black people to alarm some white people  especially when we are black people in groups.

The 16 women were following an old school tradition by posing in historical-style uniforms before graduation later in May. Controversy erupted because of the upraised fists.

An investigation determined that the cadets had no political message in mind. That would have violated the academy's and the Defense Department's prohibitions against political activities by active service members.

Meanwhile, Internet chatter about the matter exploded.

The New York Times quoted blogger John Burk, a white former drill sergeant, as calling the pose an "overt display of the Black Lives Matter movement." Burk told the Times via email that he had "disciplined soldiers for making Nazi salutes in photos, and felt the raised fist was not much different."

And you don't have to be white to feel that way. In a post titled, "Here's EXACTLY what I'd do to the West Point cadets who took this dishonorable photo," former Rep. Allen West, a Florida Republican and retired Army lieutenant colonel, said the young women should apologize to their class and to the academy.

"(W)hat if these were 16 white male West Point cadets from the South who took a picture in uniform with the Confederate battle flag?" West asked in his blog post. "... And you know those white male cadets would be in serious danger of not graduating and receiving their commission as an Army officer."

Excuse me? Confederate battle flag? Nazi salutes? If you think every raised black fist automatically means Black Lives Matter, you need to learn more about black people  just as we black folks always have been obliged to know what gestures might upset white people.

I was reminded of how, back in 1968, a similar fist-raised gesture by black American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos caused a commotion at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. As the athletes turned to face their flags as the American national anthem played, they each raised a black-gloved fist. Media exploded with chatter, as I recall, not much of it complimentary.

In his autobiography, "Silent Gesture," Smith explained that the raised fists were not a "Black Power" salute, but a "human rights salute." But in that era of the black power movement and Black Panthers, to many folks all raised black fists looked alike.

Although the current cadets weren't talking as the matter was investigated, NPR helpfully quoted the Facebook page insights of Mary Tobin, who graduated from West Point about 13 years ago. The raised fists, she wrote, were not a "sign of allegiance to any political movement," but "an act of unity amongst sisters and a symbol of achievement."

"Our attrition rates are on par with the class at large," she wrote, "but can you imagine what it must feel like to live, train, study, eat, cry, laugh, struggle and succeed in an environment where for 4 years, the majority of the people there don't look like you, it's hard for them to relate to you, they oftentimes don't understand you, and the only way to survive is to shrink your blackness or assimilate?"

It's a familiar story to many of us who ever have been one of the first members of a minority group in a school or workplace. Having an extended family of "brothers" or "sisters" who share the pain helps ease anxieties, even when your signals of celebration alarm folks who don't know much about black folks besides crime stories.

More than a century after Henry O. Flipper became the first African-American to graduate from West Point in 1877, the 16 cadets in the photo represented all but one of the black women in a graduating class of about 1,000, according to the Times.

Yet, as an Army veteran from the last century, I am proud to see even that tiny percentage of black women. It signals a growing respect in this country for the contributions that every race and gender can make to our nation's defense, even if we sometimes make each other nervous.

Clarence Page is a columnist for the Tribune Content Agency. He may be reachedat cpage@tribune.com.
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Last Monday, Gizmodo reported that a former Facebook contractor had revealed the company discriminates against conservative news and news sources when curating the site's "trending topics" section.

Facebook officials denied the allegations, but Sen. John Thune, R-N.D., the Commerce Committee chairman, sent a letter to Facebook demanding details about its news distribution efforts.

Does government have a role in overseeing Facebook's news decisions? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue.

JOEL MATHIS

Oh dear. Republicans are complaining about the media again.

It might be yawn-worthy except for one thing: They might have a point. Facebook has incredible power over the dissemination of news in this country. So much so that government regulation and scrutiny of the company might actually be in the best interest of U.S. citizens.

Maybe it's time to start treating Facebook as a utility. And maybe Thune's inquiry is the place to start.

Consider this: Digiday reported last month that Facebook's control over traffic to news websites had reached unheard-of proportions. "Last year, Facebook surpassed Google as a referral source for publishers," the tech website reported. "Some publishers now see upwards of 75 percent of their social traffic coming from Facebook."

And the company wants more. Instead of merely linking to stories, videos and memes on news websites, Facebook is encouraging publishers to post that content directly to Facebook itself.

One other relevant fact: In the first quarter of 2016, Facebook reported it had 1.65 billion users around the world. Astonishing! The company additionally claims that users spend more than 50 minutes a day with Facebook and its sister apps, Instagram and Messenger.

If there were a real competitor out there, maybe the thing to do would be to toast Facebook's success and wish it well. (Twitter, try as it might, doesn't quite count.) But the free flow of news and information is essential to the workings of our democracy. Facebook  with its unparalleled access to the audience and ability to influence the financial fate of news organizations  has become too critical to that flow.

"The company's power is vast," Vox.com noted last week, "and that power is not always deployed in ways that are transparent and accountable."

The U.S. government has a long  if somewhat neglected  history of trying to ensure media evenhandedness, from the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcast airwaves to requirements that keep companies from owning newspapers and TV stations within the same market. Facebook's power might require updating those traditions for the 21st century.

BEN BOYCHUK

News that Facebook tacks left is hardly surprising. Nor is it particularly shocking that Facebook employees have given more than $118,000 to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, outstripping donations to other candidates by a sizable margin. Facebook employees flocking to Donald Trump's campaign  now that would be news.

But the revelation that Facebook's newsfeed curators evidently went out of their way to exclude right-leaning news sources and promote liberal news outlets should trouble everyone.

Facebook is the largest media company on the planet. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is vastly more influential than any of the press barons of old. Facebook has the power to reshape public opinion in ways William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer could only dream about.

That makes Facebook dangerous.

But the last thing Republicans should do is start regulating media companies again, tempting as it may be. It really isn't the federal government's job to ensure or enforce "fairness" in the media  history notwithstanding.

Truth is, the Fairness Doctrine wasn't fair at all. Broadcasters complied with the rule by shutting out differing points of view and airing only the blandest of opinions. From time to time, presidents would use the Fairness Doctrine to squelch dissenting opinions. Lyndon B. Johnson's administration used the rule to harass right-wing broadcasters. Richard Nixon used it to silence opponents of his Vietnam War policy. Only after the FCC repealed the rule in 1987 did the airwaves become safe again for robust disagreement.

Facebook is a publicly traded company and can do whatever it wants, as long as its shareholders (and maybe its users) are happy. Are they?

Although the site is huge, it isn't really a monopoly. Readers have other options. (Yes, Twitter really does count.) There is no shortage of websites aggregating conservative content. Don't people use bookmarks and RSS feeds anymore?

But if Facebook wants to make this problem go away, Zuckerberg and company should be a great deal more transparent about how it pushes and promotes content. If you're going to be the largest media company on the planet, readers need to trust the source. No trust, no clicks. No clicks, no profits. It's just good business.
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The economic ramifications of the state's controversial new counseling bill are beginning to hit, with Nashville losing two conventions. Other cities, including Knoxville, also are vulnerable to the economic backlash.

The law allows counselors to decline services to clients if the counseling would violate the "sincerely-held principles" of the counselor. Counselors will be required to refer clients to others for appropriate treatment.

Initially the bill made the exemption for sincerely-held religious beliefs, but lawmakers amended its language. Opponents of the bill, including the American Counseling Association, accused lawmakers of legalizing discrimination of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender clients.

Gov. Bill Haslam signed the bill into law, citing its provision for referrals and a requirement that counselors treat those in imminent danger as convincing reasons.

The General Assembly's Fiscal Review Committee estimated the bill's fiscal impact as "not significant."

Nashville, however, has received two financial blows recently as a result of the bill's passage.

Branding the law "discriminatory," the ACA announced Tuesday it would cancel its 2017 convention, which was scheduled to be held in Nashville.

The conference would have brought up to 4,000 people to Nashville, said Richard Yep, the organization's CEO. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. estimates that it would have generated $2.5 million in direct visitor spending and $444,609 in tax revenue for the city and the state of Tennessee.

The bill has been called a "religious freedom" measure, but the second group to cancel a convention in Nashville was a religious organization. Colorado-based Centers for Spiritual Living had expected to bring more than 550 people next February for its three-day annual convention. The group, according to the USA TODAY NETWORK, represents 400 churches, ministries, study groups and teaching chapters, including two churches in Nashville.

Yep said the law is the worst passed by any state in his three decades with ACA.

"This law directly targets the counseling profession, would deny services to those most in need, and constitutes a dilemma for ACA members because it allows for violation of ACA's code of ethics," he said.

State licensing incorporates the American Counseling Association's ethical guidelines, which include: "Counselors refrain from referring prospective and current clients based solely on the counselor's personally held values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors."

The code emphasizes that the counseling relationship is built on trust. Counselors are supposed to explain all aspects of their treatment and work together with clients to devise, review and adjust treatment plans. They also are not to impose their values on clients. If their values interfere with their ability to treat patients, they are supposed to get more training, not abandon the client. Treatment should be about the client, not the counselor.

The law applies to private counselors and therapists, but State Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, wants to expand it to cover school counselors as well.

We have a better idea. Instead of expanding the scope of the bill, lawmakers should scrap it in the next General Assembly. Counselors provide vital therapy to their clients, some of whom are among the most troubled in our society. They should be allowed to abide by their professional code of ethics without interference from the state.

The law has not triggered the same backlash North Carolina's "Bathroom Bill" generated  thankfully a similar bill in Tennessee failed  but the Tar Heel State's experience shows companies and organizations pay attention to states that discriminate and vote with their wallets. If the law remains in place, Tennessee will pay the price.
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After reading the letter "Fair Tax Act would be anything but," it's abundantly clear that the writer has little knowledge of what the Fair Tax is and how it actually works.

His claim that the Fair Tax is designed specifically to burden lower-income wage earners and provide a windfall for the wealthiest Americans is totally untrue. The Fair Tax is designed to be absolutely fair to all income groups.

The Fair Tax is not a flat tax or a value-added tax. It is not a regressive sales tax as many imply. It is designed to replace the convoluted Internal Revenue Service mess we are currently burdened with.

There are many sources available that discuss the benefits of the Fair Tax. BigSolution.org is a good place to begin your research. Please do your homework before you express any misleading, untrue opinions about the Fair Tax.

Fair Tax supporters achieve nothing by misleading and misinforming Americans. Doing so would irreparably damage the Fair Tax image. Fair Tax supporters are interested only in truthfully presenting and enacting a well-researched, well-documented tax plan that benefits all Americans.

Joe O'Hara, Ocala, Fla.
By Lee Hyo-sik





Nature Republic CEO

Jung Woon-ho

Nature Republic, one of Korea's low-cost cosmetics brands, is facing increasing difficulties listing its shares on the local bourse because its founder and CEO has repeatedly run into trouble with the law.

The company initially planned to go public last year but wasn't able to do so because CEO Jung Woon-ho was put behind bars on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Control Act after gambling overseas. Jung reportedly lost more than 10 billion won ($8.7 million) at casinos in Macao and the Philippines from March 2012 and October 2014.

This month, his lawyer set out to sue him for physically assaulting her when the two met at Seoul Detention Center during an argument over her fees. The 51-year-old Jung has also been accused of hiring a legal broker to lobby judges and prosecutors in a bid to receive a lenient sentence.

He is now serving an eight-month sentence and is due to be released in June unless he is charged with additional crimes. Jung was sentenced to a one-year prison last October, but the appeals court reduced this term to eight months earlier this month.












Two major affiliates of Hyundai Group were slapped with a combined fine of 1.29 billion won ($1.1 million) for being involved in illegal business transactions to help their owner families gain more profits, the antitrust regulator said Sunday.

According to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Hyundai Securities, the third-largest brokerage house by asset here, allegedly arranged a deal to rent some 150 multi-function business printers from HTS from 2012, Hyundai Group's computer equipment supplying unit fully owned by the sister and brother-in-law of Hyun Jeong-eun, the group's chairwoman.

Hyundai Logistics, the country's second-biggest delivery service firm by market share, chose another owner relative-run company called 3B in 2012 and bought packing slips at prices that were some 45 percent higher than the market average.

The FTC said that through such illegal intra-affiliate deals, Hyundai Securities gave an extra 540 million won in profit and Hyundai Logistics granted 1.4 billion won to the group chairwoman's relatives.

"This is the first time that the FTC has imposed sanctions against large business group's illegal business trading for the sake of owner family's personal gains," said Jung Chang-wook, director of the anti-monopoly division at the FTC.

Local business groups, or chaebol in Korean, have been criticized for helping their owner families increase personal profits by funneling orders and contracts to subsidiaries owned by other family members or relatives.

Since the anti-trust law was revised to tighten punishments on such practices last year, the watchdog has launched an investigation into major business groups.

"We will keep close tabs on conglomerates' illegal insider trading and take a no-tolerance policy against them," said the FTC official.

Hyundai Logistics put up its packing slip deal for open auction in 2015 after the firm was taken over by Lotte Group in December 2014, the watchdog added. (Yonhap)
By Kim Jae-won



Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has lost its control in a Canadian wind power manufacturing subsidiary, as the joint venture with the Nova Scotia provincial government filed for receivership in March, company officials and the Canadian media reported Sunday.



DSME said that the shipbuilder gave up its 51 percent stake in DSME Trenton, or DSTN, as the company saw its capital decrease, hit hard by rising losses amid the global economic downturn. Its Canadian holding company posted 24.3 billion won of losses last year due to poor performance by DSTN.



"Giving up a shareholder's rights means that we have no responsibility in this company," said a DSME official. "Now, DSTN has nothing to do with us. Even if it is sold to a third party, we will not receive anything from it."



According to the CBC, the plant had no customer orders as of February and was operating in maintenance mode with 19 active employees. It costs about $400,000 per month just to keep the facility open, the Canadian public broadcaster reported, quoting DSTN.



The announcement came as the shipbuilder is going through a tough restructuring program, having posted more than 5 trillion won of operating losses for the last few years due to lack of orders and failure in the marine plant business. DSME plans to submit stronger self-rescue measures to its major shareholder Korea Development Bank later this month, including massive layoffs, salary freezes, shutdown of dry docks and sales of non-core assets.



The shipbuilder also seeks to sell its American wind power affiliate DeWind as part of its restructuring plans. A local consulting firm is evaluating the company's value. DeWind posted a 71.8 billion won net loss last year.



DSME CEO Jung Sung-leep met the company's union leaders recently, seeking their cooperation. He explained that the company's top priority is to survive until demand recovers.



The company suffers from a lack of new orders, having only won one order for two Suezmax tankers worth $130 million so far this year, raising worries that it may fail to achieve its annual goal of winning orders worth $10.8 billion. Suezmax is a term for the largest ship size capable of transiting the Suez Canal in a laden condition, and is almost exclusively used in reference to tankers.



According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service, DSME posted a 31.4 billion won net profit in the first quarter, turning from a 1.1 trillion won of net loss three months ago. Its sales marked 3.5 trillion won during the January-to-March period, down 9.1 percent from the previous quarter.



As the shipbuilder goes through hard times, so do the residents of Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province where its shipyard is located. Merchants in the southern island said their income halved recently compared to last year, as workers from the shipbuilder tighten their purse strings to brace for uncertainties.



Foreign workers in the city are also leaving the region as there is little work for them. According to data from the City of Geoje, the number of foreign residents reached 14,840 in April, down from 14,704 in March.




By Jhoo Dong-chan

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin will meet Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during his three-day state visit to Korea which began Sunday.

According to a Lotte official, Sunday, Shin and Widodo will have a meeting at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul today, to discuss advancements of the group's investment and business in the country.

President Widodo is expected to promise full support for the group's advance into the country.

Lotte Group is currently operating a Lotte Department Store with two duty-free stores and 41 Lotte Marts as well as Angel-in-us cafes and Lotteria fast food restaurants in Indonesia.

Especially, Lotte Shopping Avenue that opened in the capital city of Jakarta in 2013 has reportedly gained huge popularity among Indonesians. Lotte Shopping Avenue is a shopping complex consisting of the group's affiliates such as its department store, duty-free store and Lotteria.

In 2010, Lotte Group's petrochemical unit Lotte Chemicals entered the Indonesian market by acquiring Southeast Asia's leading petrochemical company Titan Chemicals.

Lotte Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with the country's largest conglomerate Salim Group in a bid to enter Indonesia's e-commerce market. The two groups are expected to establish a joint corporation by the end of this year and launch the service next year.

President Widodo is also expected to have a summit with President Park Geun-hye on the same day and meet other Korean businessmen. He is accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Thomas Lembong.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Franky Sibarani came ahead of their president.

Widodo met with the Indonesian community in Korea at the Indonesian Embassy on Sunday morning.

Indonesia is now one of the world's top ten manufacturing countries and a core member state of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) where over 2,200 Korean firms are conducting business.

Korea is reportedly the fifth-largest investor in Indonesia, with total investments reaching $1.2 billion while trade between the two countries peaked at $30 billion in 2011.
Noh Woo-jin (left), Kim Byung-man and Ryu Dam / Screen capture from KBS



By Kim Da-hee

Three popular comedians have lost an appeal against a decision that cleared a game company they sued for breach of contract, Seoul Southern District Court said Sunday.

Kim Byung-man, 41, Ryu Dam, 37, and Noh Woo-jin, 36, famous for their "Expert" sketch on the KBS variety show, "Gag Concert," had sued IX2 GAMES for using their images without consent, seeking 100 million won ($85,360) in damages.

The company signed a contract with the comedians in 2009 to advertise its online website "nolto." The agreement included a radio recording and photo shoot for the website, was renewed three times until 2012.

However, the comedians sued for breach of contract, claiming the company used their images when it recruited affiliated Internet cafes.

Seoul Southern District Court dismissed the initial case on Sept 15, 2015, saying, "There is no evidence that the company distributed images of the comedians to its affiliated Internet cafes since June of 2010."

The comedians then lodged an appeal, claiming the unauthorized use of their images tarnished their images.

But the appellate tribunal dismissed their appeal, saying, "The verdict of the first trial was justifiable."
By Yi Whan-woo



The Park Geun-hye administration is expected to allow all participants of a government-led memorial service for the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju to sing the controversial protest song, "Nimeul Wihan Haengjingok (March for My Love)" this year.



If realized, it will be the first time since 2009 that the government will allow the song to be sung by attendees at the memorial event despite lingering ideological disputes over it.



Sources said the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will approve the mass-singing of the song at a ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of the pro-democracy movement, Wednesday, in line with a demand from opposition leaders.



The ministry will announce its decision today.



Composed by then-student Kim Jong-ryul and written by novelist Hwang Sok-yong in the early 1980s, the song has been used to commemorate the young activists who were killed in Gwangju under the rule of military dictator Chun Doo-hwan on May 18, 1980.



But some right-wing activists have claimed the tune was used as background music for the 1991 North Korean film "Symphonic Poem for the Beloved" and the word "beloved" or "my love" refers to North Korea's late founding leader Kim Il-sung.



Under the administrations of Park and her conservative predecessor Lee Myung-bak, the ministry has insisted that a mass sing-along of the song could undermine "national unity."



The Park and Lee governments also have downsized the memorial service.



They omitted a program under which the all participants, including high-ranking officials, sing the song. They instead invited a choir to sing the song exclusively.



The bereaved families of the 1980 massacre have held a separate memorial service every May 18 in protest. May 18 was first designated as an official memorial day in 1997.



In a meeting between the President and key party leaders, Friday, two floor leaders  Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and Rep. Park Jie-won of the minority opposition People's Party  requested the President to recognize the tune as the official song of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.



Avoiding a direct answer, the President said she will order the veterans affairs ministry to come up with a "good resolution that will not disrupt national unity."



"There are certainly ways to allow the mass-singing regardless of designation of the song as the official theme or not," a ruling Saenuri Party official said on condition of anonymity, Sunday. "We believe the Park administration will come up with a conclusion for legislative cooperation and governance."



The President has been geared toward cooperating with the opposition bloc as the Saenuri Party will be relegated to the second-largest party in the upcoming 20th National Assembly, which will begin its four-year term on May 30.



Park's possible move in support of "March for My Love" is expected to help designating the song as an official commemorative theme.



It is speculated both MPK and the People's Party have pushed for such designation to draw support from Gwangju and the North and South Jeolla provinces.



The MPK seeks to retrieve its support there after it conceded all eight districts in Gwangju to the People's Party in the April 13 general election.



Founded in February, the People's Party seeks to solidify the region as its political powerbase.




By Jung Min-ho

A recent scandal involving Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho proved that even justice can be bought for the right price in Korea.

Hong Man-pyo, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer who defended the CEO in several criminal cases, will be summoned this week for questioning, prosecutors said Sunday.

When Jung was investigated for three allegations of overseas gambling from 2013 to 2015, Hong allegedly asked prosecutors not to indict him.

Jung was not indicted until late last year, when prosecutors found out about his additional gambling activities in Macau and the Philippines.

Jung was suspected of having misappropriated company funds, but Hong allegedly peddled his influence to help Jung avoid embezzlement charges.

Jung was sentenced to one-year in prison last October, but the appeals court reduced this to eight months in April. He is due to be released next month unless he is charged with additional crimes.
Lee Jong-hyeon / Korea Times File



By Kim Da-hee

A German national was denied entry into Korea for what immigration authorities claimed is "possibility of causing social instability."

Lee Jong-hyeon, 80, a Korea-born naturalized German, arrived at Incheon International Airport last Thursday and planned to travel to Gwangju to attend an event marking the 36th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement, which is scheduled for Tuesday. But his entry was denied by the immigration office and he returned to Germany on Friday.

It was his first entry denial by the immigration office. Korea very rarely denies entry of German citizens.

People familiar with the upcoming event said Lee, a permanent advisor for the German branch of Korean European Solidarity, was supposed to deliver a speech about the democratization movement in Germany in the 1980s at the 2016 Gwangju Asia Forum, which will be held on the sidelines of the anniversary event.

Immigration officials said the denial of his entry was "justifiable and legally grounded" but refused to provide details.

The anniversary event organizers said Lee had no problems with his previous visits to Korea in 1990, 1994, 2004 and 2010.

Following Lee's departure, the event's organizers issued a statement denouncing his entry denial. "We will respond strongly against the government in solidarity with democratic forces here and abroad," they said in the statement.
By Chung Hyun-chae



Tobacco makers should print graphic images showing the harmful effects of smoking on the upper part of cigarette packs from December.



The Regulatory Reform Committee announced Friday that it has decided to enforce the toughened regulation in a move to help smokers kick the habit and protect their health.



According to the revised rule, image warnings are required to occupy more than 30 percent of the front and back of cigarette packing. If warning letters are included, the entire warnings should cover at least 50 percent.



"We admitted the health ministry's claim that it is more effective to attach the pictorial warning labels on the top of the cigarette packs than on the bottom in raising awareness about the health hazards of smoking and reducing social and economic costs," a committee official said.



The changed rule was the reverse of the committee's previous decision made on April 22 to allow tobacco producers to place graphic warnings on the bottom of cigarette packs.



This has come under public criticism that the committee was in favor of tobacco companies.



The committee stressed that the reversal was made based on an analysis of the social benefits.



The health ministry submitted research result showing that people can see the warning 10 to 14 percent more frequently when it is printed on the top.



It also noted that economic effect will reach 318 billion won to 424 billion won by saving medical costs.



The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization (WTO), a treaty to fight tobacco epidemic, also advises to increase the visibility of smoking warnings on cigarette boxes.



The health promotion law specifies that the health minister select 10 graphic photos that will be put on cigarette packs and that the pictures are changed every 24 months.



The health ministry said it also plans to change regulations to prevent stores from changing shelves that hide warning pictures on cigarette packs.




Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea Manisha Gunasekera, center, poses with representatives from four tea producers at the Seoul Food 2016 at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on May 10.

/ Courtesy of the Embassy of Sri Lanka



By Rachel Lee

rean tea marketKorea has huge potential in the tea industry, Sri Lankan producers say.

Officials from the Sri Lanka Tea Board and four tea companies flew to Korea to promote their products at Seoul Food 2016 at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province on May 10.

Sri Lanka is the world's largest exporter of black tea, with 7 percent of production.

"Coffee has long dominated in Korea, but we see a growing trend among Korean consumers for quality tea, and we want to touch that trend," Sri Lanka Tea Board Market promotion officer Kusalika Thisaranie Vithanage told The Korea Times.

The Sri Lanka Tea Board, established in 1976, is a regulated body that oversees the industry and promotes Sri Lanka's tea globally. To define, protect and certify the regional origins of Ceylon (Sri Lankan) tea, the organization has registered the "Pure Ceylon Tea" Lion logo in more than 100 countries. The logo is used only on packs that originate in Sri Lanka, contain 100 percent pure Ceylon tea and conform to the board's quality standards.

Ninety-four percent of Sri Lanka's tea is exported.

"At the moment, Korea has about 9 percent of our exports, but we expect to see an increase, the promotion officer said.

By region, there are seven types of tea: Nuwara Eliya, Uda Pussellawa, Dimbula, Uva, Kandy, Sabaragamuwa and Ruhuna.

Lumbini Tea, a family-owned business started in 1984, was one of the three companies that came to Korea for the first time. Targeting a niche market of premium tea, the company aims to appeal to Korean buyers with its quality specialty products.

"We have seen an increasing number of Korean tourists to our country over the last few years, so we came here to find out more about the Korean market. I think there is a huge potential for the industry to grow here," said managing director Chaminda Jayawardana.

TeaTalk, which is participating here for the second time, promotes itself as a young, fun trendy brand that suggests various ideas for drinking tea with foods like waffle, Panini and cakes.

Korea is the third-largest importer of Sri Lankan tea, with 13 percent. China is the biggest (30 percent), followed by Taiwan (20 percent).


Filipino voters cast ballots in Korea

Overseas voting for the Philippines national elections ended on May 9, the embassy said.

Nearly a quarter of 14,112 registered voters in Korea exercised their right, the highest turnout in 12 years.

"I am happy overseas Filipinos living in Korea came out in the highest absolute numbers, the biggest thus far in this country since overseas absentee voting privileges were extended in the 2004 presidential elections," said Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez. "It's clear our people heeded our call to get involved, participate and vote in these polls."

Using the options of postal voting or field voting, registered voters were able to send their completed ballots by mail to the embassy or hand them to a team in Busan or Daegu.

According to the embassy, Korea is one of 17 overseas posts that have adopted a mixed voting system.

Hernandez, who chaired the Special Board of Canvassers in Korea, said it was the first time the embassy had more than one precinct. With the total number of registrants, including seafarers, Korea had 15 precincts of 1,000 registrants each, only five of which were activated based on the turnout.







Envoy highlights special relations with Korea

Polish Ambassador to Korea Krzysztof Majka believes his country and Korea have built up friendly relations in which the two understand each other very well.

At a reception to mark Polish National Day at the Millennium Hilton Seoul on May 11, the ambassador said he was pleased to see a growing interest of his country here, shown by several recent events including "Polish Day" at the Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul on May 1. The embassy organized the event to promote the country's culture and language, and Polish products available in Korea  including cosmetics, pottery and sweets.

"I am proud to commemorate 27 years of fruitful and eventful cooperation between Poland and Korea and in terms of bilateral trade, currently our countries recorded trade turnover of more than $4 billion," Majka said.

"But as a matter of fact, Poland has been present on the Korean Peninsula for much longer. For the last 63 years, Poland has been involved in strengthening the security at the Korean Peninsula as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission."

The envoy said he hoped direct flights would be introduced between Warsaw and Seoul so the two nations could become even closer.

Last year, the biggest Polish art exhibition "Polish Art  an enduring Spirit" was on display at the National Museum of Korea. It featured about 200 works that showed Polish history from the middle ages to contemporary times.





Finnish fashion, lifestyle unveiled

The Finish Embassy launched a fashion promotion at the Lotte Department Store in Jung-gu, Seoul, today.

According to the embassy, the "Finland Fashion Week  Design in Nature" was organized to coincide with Economy Minister Olli Rehn's visit to Korea. The promotion features three Finnish fashion brands  Ivana Helsinki, Marita Huurinainen and Samuji  which have not been seen in Korea before.

The embassy will host a lifestyle event at the Lotte Hotel Seoul on May 17, at which representatives from 10 Finnish companies will have a business meeting with their Korean counterparts.

The fashion week runs through May 22.
Ukraine Ambassador to Korea Vasyl Marmazov talks during panel discussion "Nuclear power: lessons of the past and tasks for the future" at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on April 29.

/ Courtesy of the Embassy of Ukraine

By Rachel Lee

Ukraine Ambassador to Korea Vasyl Marmazov held a panel discussion at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on April 29 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his country's tragic Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster.

"Nuclear power: lessons of the past and tasks for the future," co-organized with the university, began with speeches by Marmazov, Belarus Ambassador Natalia Zhylevich and Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho.

"Among all technological disasters that humankind has already faced, the Chernobyl catastrophe still  even after the accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011  has no analogies in terms of its scope and complexity of long-standing humanitarian, environmental, social, economic and health consequences," Marmazov said.

Five million people suffered in the wake of the April 1986 disaster, which contaminated more than 145,000 square kilometers and 5,000 settlements in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Around 2,300 settlements in 12 regions of Ukraine suffered radioactive fallout. And about 2 million Ukrainians are still officially regarded as affected by the disaster, with around 35,000 families receiving welfare benefits due to the loss of the breadwinner, according to the embassy.

The ambassador said important lessons from the accident prompted lasting improvements in nuclear and radiation safety, and Korea had been a strong partner in helping out.

The National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine and the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012 and Korean experts in radiation protection have been getting training at the Ukraine institution.

"This year, in early April, the Korean delegation, composed of 14 experts, was trained in Ukraine," Marmazov said. "Among the topics of this training course were: organization of early emergency response and medical organization; actions in response to environment contamination, in particular forests, rivers and agriculture, and some human diseases and pathologies after the Chernobyl disaster.

"I am confident that cooperation between Ukrainian and Korean scientists in this area indicates recognition of the 30 years' relevant experience of Ukraine and its significant contribution to eliminating the health effects of the Chernobyl disaster."

The most challenging problem after Chernobyl is the rehabilitation of contaminated areas, he said.

Ukraine focused on two goals for rehabilitation  economic recovery and sustainable development of affected areas. To achieve these, Marmazov believes the country needs "new approaches, scientifically justified decisions and full-scale financial and technical engagement of all the parties concerned."

"Today, 30 years after the Chernobyl disaster, much depends on us and our efforts to protect nature and living conditions so that they are well preserved for generations to come," he said.

"I do hope that humanity has learnt the Chernobyl lesson very well and it will do its best to prevent such disasters from happening again."
By Rachel Lee

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is hosting a workshop today to nurture Korean tourism in Singapore.

The "ASEAN-Korea Tourism Capacity Building Workshop" aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Singapore's tourism industry and focuses on one market  Korea the organization said. The Singapore Tourism Board co-organized the event at the board's auditorium in Singapore.

"Including Singapore, ASEAN is the top overseas travel destination for Korean people," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said. "I hope this workshop serves as a platform for the tourism industry in Singapore to deepen an understanding of the needs of Korean tourists and tourism market and further enlarge the presence in online and social media platforms."

Korean tourism experts gave lectures under the topics "Characteristics of Korean Tourist," "Best Practices of Korean Tourism" and "Online Tourism Promotion" to Singaporean tour guides, tourism agencies and offices.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre has held the event since 2009, with the aim of improving the competiveness of the tourism industries of the 10 ASEAN countries.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 to promote exchanges between Korea and ASEAN member states.
A South Korean squadron achieved 150,000 mishap-free flight hours over a period of 40 years and seven months, the country's Air Force said Sunday.

The Air Force said that its 237 Tactical Control Squadron of the 8th Fighter Wing has achieved 150,000 flight hours without any accident after its KA-1 light attack aircraft landed safely at an Air Force base on Friday. This is the longest accident-free record for a single squadron, the Air Force said.

"The record is meaningful because the squadron has achieved the feat while operating the KA-1 in recent years and helped prove the safety of the South Korean-made aircraft," the Air Force said.

It said the squadron's aircraft have flown a combined 48.3 million kilometers since October 1975, which is equivalent to circling the Earth 1,207 times.

The 237 squadron, established on Oct. 10, 1974, is the only tactical control squadron in South Korea. Its duty is to control air attacks for close air support missions, counter local provocations and conduct air-ground-sea joint operations. (Yonhap)
North Korean leader may have put off carrying out a mock attack on South Korea's presidential office, right after the totalitarian country concluded its rare ruling party congress, intelligence sources here said Sunday.



Seoul had warned ahead of the four daylong Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) event that ended Monday that there was a chance that North Korea could show off an artillery attack on a mock-up of Cheong Wa Dae.



South Korean intelligence confirmed that the North built a scaled-down replica of the presidential office at its Daewon-ri training range just outside of Pyongyang and has moved various artillery pieces to the area. It said that some 50 artillery pieces, including 122 millimeter multiple launch rocket systems and towed howitzers, have been positioned a kilometer away and are ready to turn the building to rubble.



"The North seems to be pulling out its troops and equipment from the firing range after the congress," said an insider, who declined to be identified. "We are trying to determine if the North has opted to cancel the attack or just postponed it."



He said that because the Cheong Wa Dae replica has not been dismantled, it is still possible that Pyongyang just pushed back its drill to better gauge the current situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula.



"The military is keeping close track of Kim's moves and those of its armed forces," the source said. He said the government is trying to determine if the North may have switched from its previous tactic of fueling provocations to concentrating more on improving the livelihoods of ordinary people.



Related to the latest development, a North Korean watcher said with most South Korean media having reported the possibility of the drill in advance, the Pyongyang leadership may have thought they lost the "surprise factor" in conducting such a provocation.



"If the mock attack was put on hold, the order could only have come down from the country's leader Kim Jong-un," he speculated.



In the weeks leading up to the congress, the North made several threats to destroy Cheong Wa Dae.



Kim, while proclaiming the North a nuclear power, had at the same time called for military dialogue with the South, although both Seoul and Washington have brushed off the overture as lacking sincerity. The allies instead called for the country to fulfill its past denuclearization pledge.



The North conducted it first nuclear test in 2006, followed by other tests in 2009 and 2013. The latest underground test carried out in January caused the United Nations Security Council to slap its toughest sanctions yet on the North. (Yonhap)




By Rachel Lee

North Korea spent about $1 billion (1.2 trillion South Korean won) on the seventh congress of the ruling Workers' Party, which makes up about one-sixth of the country's annual budget, a local research institute said, Sunday.

According to the IBK Economic Research Institute, Pyongyang poured about $130 million into accommodation and various events and exhibitions held during the four-day congress.

The cost for large-scale celebratory fireworks on May 10 turned out to be approximately $25 million.

Last October, the North tasked 100,000 citizens to practice for six months for a mass performance, which turned out to be a loss of about $200 million in total. The researcher also said costs for construction projects and road maintenance ahead of the congress were estimated to be $700 million.

"Considering North Korea's annual budget, which is about $7 billion, it can be said that the country has spent almost one-sixth of its money on leader Kim Jong-un's coronation ceremony," said Cho Bong-hyun, an analyst at the institute. "Kim Jong-un once again pushes ahead with the speed campaign since he failed to present any clear vision for his economy at the party's congress and instead wasted its budget to show off."

Cho added that there could be growing discontent among North Koreans since the country's budget available for the economy has dropped.

The North's speed campaign requires the highest quality of work with all resources fully remobilized to carry out projects in the shortest possible given time.

On May 6, North Korea held its seventh Workers' Party Congress, 36 years after the previous event which took place in 1980 under the rule of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong-un.
/ Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho



Gov't appears to be determined, but is missing an important point'

By Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chul

The Korean government should focus more on generating reliable clinical data, which will be the key to the new era of precision medicine, a renowned cancer expert said.

"The government appears to be determined to support those involved in the emerging area, but it is missing an important point," Paik Soon-myung, director of the Avison Biomedical Research Center in Yonsei University's Severance Hospital, said in an interview.

"It's great that the government is trying to support researchers and easing regulations to help Korea take leadership in the field. However, the most important thing is to establish an integrated system in which genomic data for all cancers diagnosed in the country can be collected, because such data will be enormously valuable in the near future."

Precision medicine, which refers to the customization of treatment according to a patient's genetic characteristics, is expected to change the treatment of some of the most challenging diseases. In the field of cancer, change has already begun.

If doctors know which genes are involved in particular cancer cells, in theory, they can block the growth of the cells by interfering with the specific molecules involved. In other words, they can block cancer cells' possible avenues of genetic escape to prevent the cancer from spreading, thereby eliminating the need to use chemotherapy, which also kills normal cells. This idea is behind targeted cancer therapies.

Some drugs aimed at specific cancer-causing mutations, such as Glivec for chronic myeloid leukemia and Herceptin for some types of breast cancer, have proved to be great successes.

"Because common targets have already been explored, pharmaceutical companies now have to develop drugs for rare targets that are present in less than 5 percent of each cancer type," Paik said. "So data for rare cancer mutations are expected to become more valuable."

He believes any country that can provide reliable genetic data for all cancers diagnosed in its territory will have a major advantage in attracting global pharmaceutical firms, which need such information to develop new drugs.

"Let's say 1 percent of breast cancer patients show a similar mutation. To develop a drug for them, a pharmaceutical company has to test 10,000 patients to collect 100 samples," he said. "Cost and effort to screening patients to identify candidates for clinical trials has become the major bottleneck for the industry. This is why private companies are reluctant to develop cancer drugs for rare mutations."

Major hospitals in Korea recently started making their own systems for data collection and analysis, but Paik believes an integrated, state-led system can make the job much faster and cheaper. "It does not mean that the government should build huge buildings. It could just make a database network and implement regulations to keep the sampling environment consistent among different hospitals," he said.

Earlier this month, an international team of researchers sequenced the DNA of tumors and normal tissues from 560 breast cancer patients to identify mutations in 93 genes, and published the results in the journals Nature and Nature Communications.

As more countries open their eyes to the potential value of such research efforts, competition for data collection as well as precision medicine in general is expected to accelerate.

This year, the U.S. government has decided to invest $215 million into the Precision Medicine Initiative, a research project U.S. President Barack Obama launched a year ago. Of the budget, according to the National Institutes of Health, $130 million was allocated to build a national, large-scale research cohort, and $70 million was allocated to lead efforts in cancer genomics as part of PMI for Oncology.

"I have heard that other developed nations such as France and Japan have already started such projects, albeit on a limited scale," Paik said.

"With the field of medicine taking a major turn, it is important for Korea to act fast to take leadership in the new era. This is an opportunity."

Avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is brutal. It attacks healthy tissues along with cancerous ones, causing excruciating pain in patients.

But the worst part of chemotherapy is when it doesn't work for some patients. The different genetic makeup of cancer cells influences their responses to the treatment, and doctors are uncertain whether certain drugs will work.

One of Paik's most notable achievements is the development of Oncotype DX, a diagnostic test that can help women avoid the unnecessary agony of chemotherapy.

About half of all breast cancer patients are diagnosed as node-negative, estrogen receptor positive, which means that cancer cells are not found in their lymph nodes. Among them, only 15 percent is unlikely to respond well to hormonal treatment and therefore has to receive chemotherapy to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery. Until just 12 years ago, it wasn't possible to identify who belong to the 15 percent, and all patients had to receive chemotherapy.

Oncotype DX, which was developed by Paik in 2004, can predict the patient's risk of relapse within 10 years of diagnosis by measuring the activities of 21 genes within a tumor.

"Today, more than 70,000 American patients with the condition receive an Oncotype DX test every year," Paik said. "Since the development of Oncotype DX, about 10 similar test devices have been developed."

"In terms of providing ways to avoid treatments that won't work, one can say Oncotype DX introduced the concept of precision medicine to the field of breast cancer."

Paik, who studies cancer biomarkers both at Yonsei University and the NSABP Foundation in the United States, said he is now working to develop different versions of Oncotype DX for gastric, colorectal and rectal cancers, after having proved that chemotherapy does not work for patients with certain types of the cancers.

"While doing so, I also want to develop new cancer drugs based on our findings about the diseases' biomarkers and characteristics," he said. "The most important thing about targeted cancer therapies is to find targets to aim at. This is the main thing that we have done and will continue to do."

Korea needs to understand the value of data'

Despite Korea's world-class surgeons and researchers, its influence on the world's biomedical community isn't yet significant.

"This is mainly because the country hasn't produced any original work that influenced the global biomedical field profoundly," he said. "Original work comes from original data. Korea needs to invest more resources into generating and analyzing data to reach the next step."

Paik said one of his long-term plans is to build research infrastructure for cancer at Yonsei University College of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1981.

"Since I left Korea in 1982 to study in the United States, I have never thought that I would die outside Korea," he said. "I'm glad to be back finally and to work to improve on what the country is lacking."
By Shlomo Ben Ami

MADRID  The Belgian historian Henri Pirenne linked Europe's birth as a Christian continent in the eighth century to its rupture with Islam. Pirenne probably would never have expected a Muslim ghetto in Brussels to emerge, much less become a hub of jihadism, with marginalized and angry young Muslims revolting against Europe from within its own borders.

Divorce is not an option these days. But nor is the kind of marriage that the Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan advocates. Ramadan, a grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is a Swiss citizen and a resident of the United Kingdom who argues that Islamic ethics and values should be injected into the European system. Europe would then not just tolerate Islam, but actually embrace it as an integral part of itself.

The problem with Ramadan's vision is that Europe is an overwhelmingly secular continent, with a profoundly forward-thinking approach to ethics. Islamic societies, by contrast, are both deeply religious and deeply embedded in the past. When Islamists speak of political or social reform, they are typically looking backward, hoping to resurrect a time when core European principles  from gender equality to gay marriage  were repudiated. Even Muslims who support the modernization of Islam would typically stop well short of Europe's ethical vision.

The flaws in Ramadan's proposed solution to Euro-jihadism mirror the flaws in his explanation for the phenomenon, which he attributes largely to Europe's involvement in the wars in the Middle East, its supposed collusion with Israel's suppression of the Palestinians, and its support of Arab autocrats. "We cannot," he writes , "support dictatorships  be silent when civilians are massacred south of our borders, and hope that we will not receive a response to the injustice and humiliation we have provoked."

But it is the United States that launched wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, offers unconditional support to Israel, and has repeatedly propped up Arab autocrats. And it is Europe that has consistently criticized these policies  often harshly. Yet America is not being subjected to a major surge of jihadist sentiment within its borders.

It might have helped that US President Barack Obama backed away from some of these policies. When the Arab Spring uprisings began, for example, he was quick to cut support for Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, allowing protesters  inspired by the Western model of democracy  to secure regime change. The return to autocracy in Egypt in 2013, via Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's coup d'etat, certainly was not aided by the US or Europe, both of which supported the democratically elected Muslim Brotherhood.

Europe has offered even more direct help to Arab countries in recent years. If it were not for Europe's military intervention, Libyans would still be living under the tyrannical Muammar el-Qaddafi. True, Europe could have done more to prevent the ensuing chaos in Libya. But the people of Libya surely must take responsibility for the proliferation of competing militias that refuse to unite to save their state from total collapse.

More broadly, though the West  especially the US  has made grave policy errors in the Arab world over the last 50 years, external powers cannot be blamed entirely for the region's meltdown. That is the result of a profound civilizational crisis  one that can be redressed only by the people of the Arab world.

If Europe's foreign policy is not responsible for the Arab world's current turmoil, it certainly cannot be the reason for the rise of jihadism within its own borders. The real problem lies at home: a disastrous deficit of effective policies related to social justice, education, housing, and employment for young European Muslims. Marginalization generates frustration, which is subsequently fed by growing Islamophobia and the rise of raucous right-wing movements throughout the continent.

This link is apparent in the fact that the majority of European jihadists come from underprivileged backgrounds. Not particularly well versed in the true teachings of Islam, and lacking opportunities to improve their lives, they become easy prey for extremists. Jihadism, with its absolute certainty and grand mission, offers a sense of purpose, pride, and identity  not to mention adventure  and an outlet for their anger against the "home" that has denied them those things.

The story of America's Muslims is the measure of Europe's failure. Like most Americans, Muslims in the US maintain a certain amount of faith in the American dream. They are mostly middle class, and, despite all the talk about rising economic inequality, they have not given up on the belief that, in the US, hard work and initiative are rewarded.

America is a country of immigrants, with a dynamic economy that has enabled newcomers, time and again, to achieve great success. In Europe, by contrast, improving one's social standing has always been very difficult; and, at a time of economic stagnation and staggeringly high unemployment, it is not getting any easier.

Socially, America also offers something to Muslims that Europe does not. Its fundamentally religious culture enables Muslims to retain their identity to a far greater extent than in secular Europe. Indeed, America's core values  personal responsibility and constitutional patriotism  can be easier for Muslims to swallow than Europe's more aggressively secular brand of liberalism. As a result, integration and assimilation tend to be easier for Muslims in America.

All of this suggests that Europe must look inward to address homegrown jihadism effectively. This does not mean that it should temper its secularism, much less its liberal values. Rather, Europe must breathe life into its own "European dream," ensuring that all people have access to real opportunities to improve their lives. Otherwise, it will face a lost generation of millions of young Europeans  Muslim and otherwise.
Park needs more flexibility, responsibility on labor reform



President Park Geun-hye will be meeting her French counterpart Francois Hollande next month. These two leaders are both struggling with an unprecedented unemployment crisis in their respective countries, but their approach to dealing with it is quite different. There is something do to be learned from the decisive leadership of France's socialist government in dealing with jobless rates.



President Hollande, who has staked his presidency on cutting high unemployment, used a Constitutional tactic last week to bypass parliament to push ahead with a contentious labor reform bill. Hollande has stressed that his labor reform will aim to maintain workers' right while giving more flexibility for companies, but critics are concerned that it will hamper the job security of full-time workers.



Hollande's use of the tactic has sparked an intense backlash, but the swift decision-making, urgent action and sense of responsibility of his cabinet to do actually something about the unemployment is commendable. It is particularly noteworthy that Hollande has made such a controversial decision ahead of a presidential election. The Park administration should move with the similar level of urgency and responsibility for labor reform rather than blaming legislative gridlock over divisive labor bills proposed by her administration. She must remember that the unemployment situation has continually worsened during her presidency while her administration failed to implement proper job creation policies.



The unemployment situation in France and Korea are similar as well. France's youth unemployment stands at 24 percent, one of the highest in Europe with one out of every four young people jobless. In Korea, many young people are stuck in an endless cycle of short-term positions and internships. A latest survey shows that the unemployment rate among people aged between 15 and 29 hit a record monthly high of 10.9 percent in April, up from a 10.2 percent a year ago. The job market will be further hit with the ongoing restructuring in shipping and steel industries.



Like Hollande, Park is unpopular at home and the clock is ticking on her term in office. She has no more time to waste on excuses for her sluggish reform drives on labor and other areas. With the soaring jobless rates, it is more urgent than ever for Park to focus on the solutions to moving the labor reform forward by resolving the Assembly gridlock over her labor reform bills. Park Jie-won, the floor leader of the opposition People's Party, said that a unilateral labor reform without social consensus will not work. The President needs to listen to such advice and direct her administration to complement the fallacies of her labor reform. This kind of policy flexibility is necessary to gain support of the Assembly and the people.



It has been reported that a new minister for managing relations with the Assembly will be created. The minister should uphold the spirit of cooperation demonstrated during Park's meeting last week with the floor leaders of the political parties. The first priority of the minister should be to work with the Assembly to find most effective ways for a mutually beneficial labor reform for workers and businesses. Parties also need to show more sincerity and determination toward the unemployment issue rather than focusing on power struggles and in-house fighting.




By Lee Min-hyung

SK Telecom is moving to expand its global profile in software education by exporting its smart coding curriculum to South American countries.

The nation's largest mobile carrier said on Sunday that it signed a deal with Paraguay's Central Department over exporting the firm's smart education robot, named Albert.

Under the deal, SK Telecom will provide some 10,000 units of the smartphone-based education robot, helping local students learn coding.

"We are going to expand our software footing into not just the Americas, but also European countries, in collaboration with the Korean government," Kim Seong-han, head of SK Telecom's device planning division, said in a statement. "A smart robot coding school and Albert will be at the center of our software export initiative."

The coding curriculum exposes children to mathematical concepts including numbers, calculations and logic, the company said. SK Telecom started the education program in December 2012, in its bid to expand into the profitable mobile-based education market.

The company is also in talks with Paraguay's Ministry of Education to extend the program to the country's elementary schools, according to SK Telecom.

Last week, SK Telecom demonstrated its smart robot for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the Costa Rican capital city of San Jose.

Under the partnership, SK Telecom will provide more than 1,500 Albert robots for 300 elementary schools in Costa Rica, educating more than 400 teachers and 5,000 students there. The educational feat is expected to boost its presence on the continent, the company said.

On May 17, the company is also planning to sign a partnership with the Chilean government after demonstrating the smart coding school programs for government officials there.

Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) previously awarded the smart coding education program for its educational achievement in leading the nation's software education, said the company.
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), speaks at a meeting with Korean reporters, in the Shanghai New International Expo Center, on the sidelines of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyung



By Lee Min-hyung





SHANGHAI, China  Global technology companies should brace for a technological paradigm shift in order to continue sustainable growth, said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO at the organizer of the world's largest technology tradeshow.

"For large companies such as Samsung and LG, it is very important to stay flexible," he said in a meeting with Korean reporters, on the sidelines of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia."

"They are very well-run companies in this regard, but the biggest challenge is not their flexibility. Until recently, it was all about making things. But companies like Microsoft, Facebook or Amazon, got very big without making anything," said the head of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

He cited the companies as examples to stress the importance of technological shifts, which change so fast that global firms should never remain complacent about their industry-leading position.

"Google, for example, grew very quickly, because they have no physical production and didn't have to invest in billions of dollars in factories," he said.



CES Asia all about sensors

He picked "sensors in Asia" as the keyword for the CES Asia, which marks its second anniversary this year.

"The CES Asia reflects the growth, strength and innovation involving all across sensors,'" he said. "Sensors allow new categories including wearable devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), connected cars, driverless cars, drones and many other fast-growing new areas."

He stressed that the CES Asia 2016 was a huge success, and expressed confidence that it would grow faster and bigger in the coming years.

"This is the largest as the regional CES has doubled in size. It has succeeded way beyond our expectations," he said.

This year's CES Asia comes with 375 exhibitors, a significant growth from 250 last year, according to the CTA. The event also expanded from two exhibit halls to four this year.

Due to the growing purchasing power of Chinese customers, the show organizer has chosen Shanghai as the key venue for the regional event.

"For the Chinese market, it is growing 60 percent each year. This is because Chinese customers are very aspirational about technology. They always want something new."

One of the striking differences between the CES in Las Vegas and the regional CES comes from the exhibitors.

"We only allow well-known companies in CES Asia, which is not the case for the U.S. event," he said. "In Las Vegas, you can find many different companies creating smartphone cases."

Even though the CES Asia 2016 came only four months after the CES in Vegas, the organizer put a priority on creating something new, he said.

A group of industry-leading technology companies and automakers  including Intel, BMW and Benz  joined the event, but some 80 percent of exhibitors here were not exhibiting at the CES 2016 in Vegas, he said.
Antitrust regulator in final review stage of mega deal



By Kim Yoo-chul, Lee Min-hyung



SK Telecom's controversial proposal to acquire a stake in CJ HelloVision (CJH) is at a major crossroads, after the country's top antitrust regulator reached a conclusion about the multibillion-dollar deal.



"Working-level discussions are almost completed after thorough review," said an official at Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC), on condition of anonymity. "Whether or not the proposed takeover will hurt fair market competition was the top criteria. We will soon send the results of our review to SK Telecom."



The FTC's conclusion will be shared with the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) as the antitrust regulator has closely cooperated with the two government agencies on the decision.



The deal's supporters and opponents continue to back up their argument by citing similar cases overseas.



SK Telecom said Sunday that the deal should get "unconditional approval" because its plan will help widen consumer choice and realize an "economies of scale" in its content business, helping itself effectively compete with global peers such as Netflix.



Last week, the European Commission (EC) blocked a buyout plan of U.K.-based mobile carrier O2 by Three UK's parent company Hutchison amid worries that a smaller number of operators may harm the competitive landscape.



"The disapproval came as the earlier acquisition plan dealt with companies in the same telecom industry," an SK Telecom official said. "The EC made the decision amid worries over reduced competition, which is not the case for our takeover (between different industries).



"But regulators across the world have rarely disapproved of takeover deals between the telecom and broadcasting industries."



SK Telecom is the country's top mobile carrier, while CJH is Korea's dominant pay-TV operator.



SK also focused on the latest supportive remarks by U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler regarding Charter Communications' takeover of Time Warner Cable (TWC).



The U.S. telecom regulator said the deal is expected to spur healthy competition, providing additional options for customers.



The combination between the telecom and broadcasting sectors is a global trend, vitalizing competition in the pay-TV industry, according to the company.



The company cited approved takeovers such as between U.S.-based mobile carrier AT&T and broadcasting service operator DirecTV.



"Foreign regulators in countries such as the U.S. and Europe have approved M&A deals between the telecom and broadcasting industries, as they identified the deals as a means to activate competition, thereby bringing a good influence on customers' benefits," said the official.





KT strikes back against SK Telecom



While the government has been delaying its ruling on the merger deal, SK Telecom's chief local rival KT said that the deal is mostly aimed at extending SK's ongoing influence in the mobile market to the pay-TV market.



"SK Telecom's claim that the Charter-TWC approval will be beneficial to customers and interested parties don't make any sense as its plan is a combination between the nationwide carrier and nationwide pay-TV operator. This is closer to a previous decision by the FCC to block a ComCast-TWC takeover," KT said in a statement, Sunday.



The statement stressed that because SK Telecom owns its pay-TV affiliate  SK Broadband  the merged CJH will place SK Telecom in a monopolistic position in the mobile market, limiting competition.



"The Charter-TWC deal is a combination between regional pay-TV operators. Business territories overlapped below 1 percent, which is negligible. However, CJH currently owns 19 regional channels. This will give the merged SK-CJH unit more than a 50 percent market share in certain territories which we believe is against the Fair Trade Law," said the KT statement.



Some said the government may grant conditional approval to SK Telecom's takeover suggestion, asking the carrier to accept "lots of conditions" including limits to distribute content produced by the merged unit to other channels and a measure to cap the ceiling in data-using fees to lower bargaining power.




Company agrees with ASML to purchase latest EUV equipment



By Kim Yoo-chul



Samsung Electronics is gearing up to strike back against its logic chip-making rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) by advancing its chip-making technology.



It has agreed with Dutch-based ASML to deploy extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment for mass production in their 7 nanometer processes.



"Samsung Electronics representatives including one executive vice president visited ASML headquarters in the first week of May," an official who is directly involved with the issue told The Korea Times, Sunday.



"Samsung agreed to purchase ASML's latest NXE3400 EUV equipment, a deal which is worth millions of dollars, to deploy the equipment in 7nm processing technology."



ASML is the top supplier in the world of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry. It manufactures machines for the production of integrated circuits such as CPUs and memory chips.



The official said the latest decision by Samsung was intended to diversify the company's logic customer base given some losses of Apple and to further improve sales and operating margins.



"The installation of the upcoming EUV in Samsung's logic chip line is expected to be completed in the first half of 2017, at the earliest. This is the first time for Samsung to deploy an EUV in its chip-manufacturing line," said the official.



The official added that its parts suppliers and clients have been notified of the plan.



EUV lithography uses 13.5-nm wavelengths of UV light to image much finer features and avoid the cumbersome and expensive multi-patterning process.



The reason EUV has taken so long to come to the market is that working with wavelengths of light this small is incredibly difficult, making TSMC hesitant to introduce EUV until they hit the 5nm node.



In the semiconductor industry, a 7nm node offers much better performance than 10nm. But cost is a factor, as a company should spend more for the development of narrower logic chips.



The Samsung plan, therefore, is looking ambitious. However, the partnership with ASML could help Samsung cut the costs over TSMC, given its abundance of cash.





Business diversification



While Samsung is the longtime global leader in memory chips, which are considered commodities, the company's standing in the logic chip business is still weak. TSMC is the longtime leader in this segment.



Samsung's manufacture of application processors  the chips functioning as the brain to control an entire system  for Apple was previously a key to its growth. However, Samsung lost its key Apple business to TSMC in 20nm.



Although Samsung made a comeback in 16-nano and 14-nano to fabricate Apple's A-branded series processor chips, TSMC was named the exclusive supplier of the iPhone 7's processor which will be introduced in the second half of this year, a big blow to Samsung.



The void is currently being filled in by U.S.-based mobile chipset titan Qualcomm, which designated Samsung as its sole partner on 10nm and 14nm.



"Despite some delay, Samsung will be the first mover to 10nm (to fabricate Qualcomm's new Snapdragon-branded processor chips), while TSMC will catch up on a larger scale later. As the 10nm level is a transitory node and the high cost will make the products using that level smaller than older tech, Samsung plans to win back the Apple business in the 7nm level," said another official.



To keep factories operating without voids, Samsung Electronics is appealing to MediaTek, Nvidia and HiSilicon for contracts to fabricate their design chips.



"With aggressive pricing, the Samsung Electronics-GlobalFoundries alliance is keen to work with Apple, again, in the 7nm node. The licensing agreement between Samsung and GlobalFoundries eased the concerns of a business model conflict."




The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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When Gabriel Garcia Marquez died in April 2014, Colombias president, Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, declared three days of national grieving, citing the Nobel laureate as the most loved and most admired compatriot of all times. But the feelings in his hometown were a bit different.

He isnt most loved, Dayvis Sotelo told me 18 months later. At least not here. He abandoned us. She tucked a sweaty strand of black hair behind her ear when she spoke, pointing first at the unpaved street and then at an empty water jug next to her. He left and did nothing for us here.

Here is Aracataca, the birthplace of Garcia Marquez and the basis for the marvelous Macondo in his most famous novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Sotelo, a 34-year-old cosmetologist, echoes a sentiment shared by many in the city of 50,000  a rancor that has not abated in the last three decades, despite the efforts of city officials to create a tourist destination.

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Aracataca is home to the Casa Museo Garcia Marquez, the Casa del Telegrafista (where his father worked) and a monument to the author by the train station. In 2006, officials in Aracataca attempted to pass a referendum changing its name to just Macondo. After the referendums failure, a large banner hung on the main road welcoming the passing motorists to Aracataca-Macondo: Nobel Land, and many streets in the town were renamed after characters in his novels, only adding to the general resentment.

Days after Garcia Marquezs death, and despite competing and higher-profile services in Bogota and Mexico City, a symbolic funeral began at the church of the authors baptism and ended at the home of his maternal grandparents.

Many people turned out, explained Wilmer Zapata, a 49-year-old store owner who, like many in Latin America, refers to the writer as Gabo. There were dancers, musicians, singing children  I remember that some local politicians came out and there was a procession. But everyone knew Gabo hadnt been here in [many] years. Everything was for the publicity, to generate interest in the museum.

The museum, not surprisingly, has a story worthy of Garcia Marquez.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez lived in his maternal grandparents wooden house from his birth in 1927 until he left Aracataca with his parents in 1936. His grandfather died a year later and the house remained in the family, slowly falling into disrepair. Eventually, in the 1960s, the structure succumbed to dilapidation and fire. On its site a new house was built, then demolished in the early aughts to make way for the museum.

The buildings that exist now are modeled on details mined from his fiction, the collected letters of his mother and the recollections of what few of his childhood friends remain. The result is a mishmash of buildings anchored in magical realism and memory. Nothing in the compound is original to Garcia Marquez (not even the color of the walls). Renovations cost $350,000, or about 1.1 billion Colombian pesos. The museum is beautiful, but it also stands in stark contrast to the rest of Aracataca. The buildings people visit memorialize that which never existeda walk down a bougainvillea-lined hallway taken from a novel written a continent away by a man who hadnt been back in his hometown since childhood.

For more than a year, Casa Museo Garcia Marquez Director Daniel Lopez lobbied, along with the mayors office, to bring some of Garcia Marquezs ashes to Aracataca. But the Garcia Marquez family preferred to exhibit the remains in Cartagena, where he began his writing career (and kept a home in Colombia until his self-imposed exile in 1981).

There arent many options for the curators: Most of Garcia Marquezs papers and belongings are in the much larger Colombian cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla, in Mexico, and at the Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin.

Garcia Marquez approved final blueprints for the museum from his home in Mexico City but provided no other input or financial or public support. He never even visited. He left Aracataca no public works, no schools, no foundationnothing for his hometown in will, decree or action.

He couldnt even leave us some dust, said Zapata.

Dust, though, is all there is.

A year and a half after Garcia Marquezs death, I stopped in Aracataca for a meal and ended up spending an afternoon talking to people about Garcia Marquez, violence, and water. Always water.

Two years ago, Aracataca had 40,000 residents. Five years before that the number hovered tens of thousands below, but the population rapidly increased as people displaced by guerrilla forces fled the mountains. In the last 30 years, conflicts between the government, guerrilla forces and the drug trade have displaced an estimated 5.7 million.

Meanwhile Aracataca, in a once lush river valley, now sees rain fall only haphazardly; changes in climate have altered wet and dry seasons on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The region, dependent on water for agriculture, is unable to provide regular access to clean drinking water to 75% of its population.

And, in a move thats straight out of Garcia Marquezs fiction, officials in Aracataca have had several ribbon-cutting ceremonies to begin an aqueduct, initially promised in the 1980s, that still doesnt exist. The most recent ribbon met oversized scissors in 2012, and still, people drink from the swamps.

They spent billions on the museum, local cattleman Pedro Gomez Duarte said, but they cant build us an aqueduct? A reservoir? A tank? Its been decades and people cant drink clean water, but, ah, the Great Gabo once lived here as a child, so forget about his people  well, like he did.

The rumors dont help. Garcia Marquez forever fought the whispers in Colombia about his association with various guerrilla groups. He fled Colombia in 1981, partly due to warnings from his family and friends that he was to be investigated by the army for his ties to M19, a particularly violent organization that popularized kidnappings. A year later, Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for literature and a year after that brought the M19, the ELN, and the notorious FARC to the negotiating table. His involvement in these negotiations, while patriotic to some, seems an indictment to others.

The sources of Aracatacas resentment seem clear: How could a man who supported the guerrillas  and made money from the magic of this land  give nothing back to his people? But the rumors prove to be just that. Other than a few quotes about being vaguely socialist and apolitical, theres nothing concrete tying Garcia Marquez to any group.

Nevertheless, rumors and hearsay abound. Over the course of my time in Aracataca, six people told me that Garcia Marquez gave money to the FARC, a crime akin to murder (nothing I turn up verifies this claim). One man told me Garcia Marquez secretly worked for Pablo Escobar as a courier between the drug kingpin and Fidel Castro, which makes sense given the close friendship between the Cuban and Garcia Marquez. A former lieutenant of Escobars sold this story to a newspaper years ago and then recanted. In a Colombian move familiar to Garcia Marquez, the Cataqueros (as people of Aracataca are called) insist this fiction reveals a truth greater than fact.

As I drove down the stretch of highway that runs by Aracataca a few days after my first visit, I stared out the window at the banana plantations, now mixed in with African palm (palm oil is one of the main industries listed on the city of Aracatacas official website). I turned into town and marveled. There were the bones of the United Fruit Co., its massacre of Colombian banana workers forever memorialized in One Hundred Years of Solitude. There were the train tracks that carted the bodies toward the Caribbean. There were the canals, the creeping vines, the heat and, yes, the dust floating above the oft-unpaved streets that made Aracataca a bit surreal. There was the building where little Garcia Marquez first saw ice. In this hot town, ice must have been an entirely new universe  the extraordinary revealed in the ordinary. And I felt it: the magic of Aracataca.

I looked for a gift shop for about 20 minutes (none to be found), before I gave up and headed to a small house near the Casa del Telegrafista. I found Dayvis Sotelo on her front step, eager to do something about my American manicure.

She pointed at a mural a few hundred feet away. On it a quote from Gabo:

I feel [I could be] Latin-American from any country but without renouncing ever my nostalgia for my land: Aracataca, to which I returned one day and discovered that between the reality and nostalgia was the foundation of my work.

Next to the quote is a cartoonish illustration of the author clapping in wonder as butterflies circle his head.

Sotelo laughed. Its a horrible portrait, dont you think?

Adriana E. Ramirez is a 2015 PEN/Fusion Award-winning nonfiction writer and performance poet based in Pittsburgh. She teaches in the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh, works at the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective and co-founded Aster(ix) Journal.
After super bug outbreaks last year involving a hard-to-clean medical scope, state health inspectors descended on two of Los Angeles largest hospitals and found numerous safety violations that appeared to put far more patients at risk.

At UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the state declared an immediate jeopardy  meaning lives were at imminent risk  on March 4, 2015, after finding staff using contaminated water and a tainted liquid cleaner dispenser being used to ready colonoscopes and other devices for the next patients.

While an immediate jeopardy ruling is rare, inspectors used it again 21 days later at an inspection at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. There they found a widespread pattern of potential ineffective sterilization and storage of surgical instruments as well as problems with the disinfection of scopes.

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Both hospitals quickly worked to fix the inspectors concerns, with the immediate jeopardy lifted after just three hours at UCLA and a day at Cedars. On follow-up visits, the state found the problems had not continued.

UCLA and Cedars officials said Friday they were not aware of any patients who were sickened by the sterilization problems the state regulators found during the March 2015 inspections.

Yet patient advocates said that the reports showed how infection control practices can lag even at top hospitals that had recently responded to bacteria outbreaks.

You would think these very sophisticated leading facilities would have been on a hospital-wide alert, said Lisa McGiffert, who leads the safe patient project at Consumers Union. Hospital leadership is not putting enough resources into infection control.

At the time of the super bug outbreaks, which both began in late 2014 and extended into early 2015, leaders at the hospitals said they had stepped up cleaning of duodenoscopes  the device linked to the infections. At least six people died at two Los Angeles area hospitals, including UCLA, from those infections.

But the inspectors from the state Department of Public Health reviewed more than the cleaning of duodenoscopes. They looked at the hospitals practices in disinfecting all types of gastrointestinal scopes, as well as surgical equipment.

Some of the problems appeared to be longstanding.

For example, at Cedars, inspectors found that employees were not following safety standards as they packed trays of surgical instruments for sterilization in a machine. They found instruments ready to be delivered to the operating room tightly packed in a tray, with employees not opening devices like forceps and clamps at their hinges so that sterilizing fluid could get to all surfaces.

Two Cedars employees told the inspector this is a typical condition of the instruments, according to the inspectors report.

Inspectors found similar problems in sterilizing surgical instruments with hinges at UCLA.

At UCLA, the inspectors said that the hospital had no one supervising the nurses and technicians who cleaned equipment in the rooms where gastroenterologists treated patients with scopes.

The hospital also did not ensure those employees were competent in disinfection practices, the report said. For example, the inspectors found nurses using a cleaning product without being aware that the liquid had to remain on a surface for three minutes to work.

Dr. Zachary Rubin, UCLAs medical director of clinical epidemiology and infection prevention, said Friday he disagreed with many of the inspectors findings.

Rubin said he didnt believe the problem with the liquid cleaner dispenser used in disinfecting the scopes was a threat to patients since the product was used in an early step in the process. The devices then went through an automatic washer, he said, where they were disinfected.

He noted that the Los Angeles County public health department had reviewed UCLAs cleaning of duodenoscopes soon after the hospital identified the outbreak, and a month before state inspectors arrived. The county officials found no problems at that time.

Michael Langberg, chief medical officer at Cedars-Sinai, said the hospital had immediately addressed the findings in the state inspection report.

Langberg pointed out that the state inspectors had not found any surgical instruments that were not sterilized  only the potential for inadequate sterilization.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center infection prevention specialists and other staff have taken numerous additional precautionary steps to further ensure that all surgical equipment is sterile, Langberg said.

An immediate jeopardy is one of the most serious violations that can be levied against a hospital. If the problem is not quickly remedied, a hospital can lose its ability to participate in Medicare. Hospitals can be fined by as much as $100,000 for such violations.

In 2014, the state issued the penalties to just five of Los Angeles Countys 120 hospitals.

State regulators did not immediately respond when asked if the two hospitals had been fined or otherwise penalized because of the inspectors findings.

The violations were detailed in the inspectors statement of deficiencies, which were only recently released.

In their reports, inspectors said disinfected scopes were not safely stored to keep them free of bacteria at either hospital.

The inspectors at Cedars also looked at records of 23 patients who had scope procedures, finding that two of them were not given informed consent  or told about the risks  before the treatment.

In a room at Cedars where doctors performed scope procedures, an inspector found dried debris and dirt caked material in the seam that extended down the length of a radiology table where patients were treated. The nurse in the room said the debris had been present for a considerable period of time.

An inspector at UCLA watched a colonoscope procedure, finding the doctor did not wash his hands before touching the patient, even though university policy requires it.

The state inspectors also faulted the top leaders at both hospitals for failures by key quality assurance committees that are expected to quickly investigate medical errors so problems can be fixed.

UCLAs committee dedicated to quality assurance had not even designated a person to evaluate whether staff were safely disinfecting the scopes after the outbreak, the state report said.

At Cedars, while members of the quality assurance committee had been informed of the outbreak, the inspectors said, there was no evidence that any member had visited the room where the scopes were cleaned.

McGiffert at Consumers Union said such committees at hospitals are crucial to changing practices so problems dont reoccur.

We have no assurance that these committees are doing what they are supposed to do, she said.

Both hospitals had linked their outbreaks to duodenoscopes sold by Olympus Corp. The device is a long snake-like tube with a tiny camera on its tip used for procedures in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Olympus recalled one of its duodeonscope models in January. An outside expert had told the company in 2012 that the design of the device could allow bacteria to remain trapped after cleaning.

Rubin at UCLA said Friday that the university had found seven more patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, in the voluntary testing that happened after the hospital identified the outbreak. That means that in all, 15 patients were sickened by the scope, including three who died.

At Cedars, four patients were sickened by CRE from an Olympus duodenoscope.

Rubin said that at the time of the outbreak, UCLA had quickly tried to determine what was making patients sick  difficult work that other hospitals may skip.

We identified it early, he said, because we looked for it.

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4:07 P.M. REPORTING FROM CANNES, FRANCE

Cannes: Mark Rylance reunites with Steven Spielberg and astonishes anew in The BFG

Mark Rylance in The BFG. (Walt Disney Pictures)

By his own admission, Steven Spielberg doesnt become personal friends with many of the actors he works with.

I have a lot of acquaintances over 44 years [as a filmmaker], he told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. And I havent brought a lot of people into my life from the movies ... 

He has, however, made an exception for Mark Rylance. The director said hes become close with the actor, a fact that runs parallel to their professional lives, with two collaborations under their belts and a third on the way.

Audiences should be glad for the relationship. Rylance, who played the simmering spy Rudolf Abel in Spielbergs 2015 hit Bridge of Spies, returns, in a remarkably different guise, in Spielbergs latest, the adaptation of the Roald Dahl childrens fantasy The BFG, which premieres here Saturday. The 56-year-old British-born Tony and Oscar winner (and Emmy and Golden Globe nominee) stars as said title character -- it stands for big friendly giant. He gives a performance in motion capture as rich and subtle as his turn in the Soviet-era espionage drama.

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Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This week we look at three of my favorite movies of the year so far, plus an extremely exciting retrospective discovery. Its such a crowded week of strong new films that even last years Palme dOr winner at Cannes  Jacques Audiards Dheepan  might feel slightly pushed aside. Audiard is one of the sharpest, most charming filmmakers at work today, and Ill be publishing an interview with him soon.

Im going on a pre-summer holiday to an undisclosed location, so the newsletter will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. But that doesnt mean the movies stop too. Keep an eye out for Maggies Plan, The Nice Guys, Weiner, and Chevalier.

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And well have some more exciting screening/Q&A events coming up soon. Check events.latimes.com for more info.

Nonstop movies. Movies nonstop.

The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos, left, with actors Ariane Labed and Colin Farrell. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

The Lobster

Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos makes his English-language debut with The Lobster, starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in an allegory of relationships. In the film, which also costars John C. Reilly, Ariane Labed, Ben Whishaw and Lea Seydoux, people must either be in a couple or are turned into the animal of their choosing. Its bold, funny, emotional, unsettling and more than a bit brilliant.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang wrote, Its a wondrously silly premise, and one that Lanthimos, not unlike those great cine-surrealists Luis Bunuel and Charlie Kaufman before him, executes with rigorous illogic and immaculate formal control.

In the New York Times, A.O. Scott noted, The Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is a deadpan dystopian comedian, an inventor of absurd, highly regulated societies that seem to exist in hidden pockets of everyday reality. Scott also declared the film perhaps Lanthimos masterpiece thus far.

At MTV, Amy Nicholson adds, The Lobster, as bizarre as it is, hits on something true. Here, movie love is mandatory, not magical, and Lanthimos shows us the arbitrary reasons people convince themselves they belong together, and the tiny compromises that come next. Instead of a happy ending, were left with a question I havent stopped thinking about since: What would we give up for someone else  and is it worth it?

I spoke to Lanthimos, Farrell, Weisz, Reilly and Labed for a story on the mysteries of the movie itself and on the challenges of making a movie so open to interpretation. Few filmmakers answer I dont know as much as Lanthimos.

I think you do this kind of work because you have some questions, Lanthimos said. And the films that we made we tried to structure in a way that they are very open and people can experience them in different ways according to who they are. I can give you an answer, but thats going to be as valid as someone elses answer.

High-Rise

Ben Wheatley is another filmmaker from the festival circuit who just gets better and better. High-Rise is an adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel set amidst an apartment building that becomes a dystopian society all its own, starring Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons and Elisabeth Moss. Theres also an astonishing cover of ABBAs S.O.S. by the group Portishead that they have vowed will remain available only within the film itself. And it alone is worth the price of admission.

In his review in The Times, Justin Chang said, For Wheatley, the repugnance and monstrosity of the human condition demand to be not explained, but accepted  and once accepted, embraced. High-Rise is a stubborn, incoherent wreck of a movie, and I mean that as fairly high praise. You wont follow everything that happens, but you may feel weirdly at home.

I wrote about the film ahead of its world premiere at last falls Toronto International Film Festival, talking to Wheatley, producer Jeremy Thomas and composer Clint Mansell. I also received one of the most well-written emails Ive ever read from Hiddleston.

Ballard used to say he wasnt writing about who we are, but about who we might become, Hiddleston wrote. He said his books are like a roadside warning on a highway, as if to say: Caution: bends ahead.

Love & Friendship

Weve already professed here how much we enjoy the droll, dry films of Whit Stillman, and his latest, Love & Friendship, is another sparkling gem. The film is an adaptation of Jane Austens relatively little-known Lady Susan and it is just a delight to see the sensibilities of Austen and Stillman come together. They are a perfect fit, both keenly aware of the minutiae of social maneuvering and interpersonal gamesmanship. The film also slyly reunites actresses Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny from Stillmans The Last Days of Disco

In his review for The Times, Glenn Whipp noted, Love & Friendship more than delivers on the comedy of manners front, but its also a very funny, unapologetic portrait of a diabolically clever woman.

In the Village Voice, Bilge Ebiri spoke to Stillman, who said of the storys appeal, Its a thing we like in period films and Austen: the idea of a whole society that has texture, a unity of connections.

Our own Rebecca Keegan spoke to Beckinsale recently, and its an engaging read, touching on ideas of how audiences pigeonhole performers and what those performers can do to play with our perceptions of them. Of her role in Love & Friendship, Beckinsale said.

Ive always loved broads, the kind of women Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck played, she said. A woman at the height of her maturity, power, intellect and sexuality. Its kind of a cool moment in a womans life, and I feel like its not valued as much as it should be.

Belladonna of Sadness

One of the most exciting things happening right now in contemporary film culture is the rediscovery of films that, for whatever reason, were unacknowledged in their day and are now getting another moment with audiences. I really appreciate that our understanding of film history is not a fixed thing and that there are always new films to discover, even from the past.

Directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, the 1973 animated Japanese film Belladonna of Sadness is just such a movie and is now getting its first American theatrical release. It manages to be both delicate and extreme, a genuinely unique experience.

In the New York Times, Glenn Kenny wrote, To summarize this film is to present a solid argument that its one of the most unusual ever made  a 1973 Japanese erotic animated musical inspired by the 19th century French historian Jules Michelets account of witchery in the Middle Ages. ...

Belladonna of Sadness is compulsively watchable, even at its most disturbing: The imagery is frequently graphic, and still, after over 40 years, it has the power to shock.

In Rolling Stone, Jason Newman explained the story behind the film and its restoration. But for anyone in need of a warning, take note: Asked how he would describe the film to someone whos never seen it, Belladonna artist Kuni Fukais answer is swift: To not watch it with your family.

In LA Weekly, April Wolfe explored the Los Angeles connections behind the restoration, presented by Cinelicious Pics, SpectreVision and the Cinefamily.

For fans of bizarre cinema, groundbreaking animation and all the glorious things our technology can do, Belladonna of Sadness is a classic with a second life thanks to some good old L.A. ingenuity.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
Centering, in the potters art, is the act that begins all others, the poet, pedagogue and potter M.C. Richards writes as the act to begin her seminal Centering. She ends the book with a poem, the last stanza of which begins, In the big face of flesh, sits, a sleeping Buddha.

In between, you might say, is life. We have been reminded of Richards in Leap Before You Look, the important Hammer Museum show about the influential, experimental Black Mountain College in North Carolina. That show closed over the weekend, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra played the last subscription program of its season over the weekend.

The concert Saturday night at the Alex Theatre in Glendale was meaningful but without apparent center. So it seems appropriate to turn for guidance to Richards, a pivotal figure at Black Mountain and a free spirit who was the first to leap before looking -- but not before becoming profoundly centered.

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LACOs program began with the latest premiere in the orchestras admirable Sound Investment. For the last 15 years, each season has ended with a commission paid for by contributions from the audience. Saturday, it was Evidence, a 19-minute score by Matthew Aucoin, a young composer on the rise.

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin made his LACO debut not with something to show off his incomparable virtuosity but with Mozarts understated Piano Concerto No. 17. Music director Jeffrey Kahane finished the evening with a performance of Schumanns Symphony No. 2 that had a feverish urgency. But at its center, as at the center of the other pieces and even at the center of the fleshy face of the orchestra itself, sat our mysterious smiling Buddha.

For Aucoin, that Buddha has barely begun to peek out. The 26-year-old American composer and conductor premiered two operas last year that received national attention  The Crossing in Boston and Second Nature in Chicago. He is serving as a Dudamel fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and becomes Los Angeles Operas first artist in residence in the fall. He has commissions from both the Metropolitan Opera and L.A. Opera.

But until Saturday, Aucoin had no real L.A. presence. That is instantly changing. He conducts the cello extravaganza presented by the L.A. Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday. His songs will be represented next month in SongFest at the Colburn School. This summer at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, he will conduct his Second Nature and Smetanas The Bartered Bride. In the fall, he conducts Philip Glass Akhnaten for L.A. Opera.

The central idea of Evidence, Aucoin said in remarks to the audience Saturday, is the sense that music, while a devotional practice, requires something more specific than belief, namely physical evidence. He then described the process of his score as a kind of journey at sea. An unmoored boat losing power and direction can lead us to uncertain realms from which we rush in panic to solid ground.

The center of the score, he said, made him apprehensive, fearing that boredom would set in with its meditative string drones barely broken by lyrical lines in the winds. Not to worry, boredom is where the Buddha sits.

The first part of Evidence is all musical adventure. There are constantly changing figures, some chugging in a John Adams manner. A narrative of going somewhere can be sensed, and the excitement that goes along with such nautical adventure, almost as if this were the accompaniment of a silent film.

In the closing section, escape from aimless drifting becomes imperative. But just about to anchor, the ship runs aground. Strings are now scraped like chalk on a blackboard. There is a tense pause before a couple of quiet plucks in cellos and basses and then a shimmering glassy chord at the end. The Buddhas been smiling all along.

Aucoin conducted with a show of intent certainty, looking before leaping and not quite ready himself to give in to essential boredom. But the color and character of Evidence give evidence of a remarkable composer just setting out and well worth following.

Evidence was needed that Hamelin actually played Mozarts concerto. His fingers flew across the keyboard, barely looking to touch the keys. He showed no sign of effort. The impression was that of a magic act, and one in which with an imperceptible flick of a finger, he could turn tautness into tenderness.

Hamelin cuts an elegant figure at the keyboard, but he is every inch the smiling Buddha. For a solo encore, he made Earl Wildes flamboyant arrangement of Gershwins Lisa seem the last word in exquisitely graceful jazz.

Kahane was in an exuberant mood leading both concerto and Schumanns Second Symphony. Brilliantly played, the symphony was often very fast and even daringly profligate. It worked sensationally well, however, because by creating a rapt lyricism in slow movement, Kahane showed this to be a symphonic sun around which the other movements orbit.

There was another poignant center Saturday when Kahane paid tribute to retiring oboist Allan Vogel and flutist David Shostac. They have a combined 85 years playing in the orchestra. Shostac spoke of the orchestras good karma. Vogel smiled, not as the Buddha but simply out of joy and good humor. They have centered the orchestra for as long as most of us can remember.
Madeleine Albright is used to tough crowds. As the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of State, she traveled almost 1 million miles to contain the worlds dictators, hammer out nuclear proliferation agreements and mediate peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

On Saturday, Albright had this to say to the 2016 graduating class of Scripps College in Claremont, where students and professors had called her a war criminal and took umbrage at her suggestion that theres a special place in hell for women who dont support Hillary Clintons presidential campaign:

We should use our opinions to start discussions, not to end them.

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Speaking to more than 600 people at the commencement ceremony on campus, she challenged graduates at the womens college to probe deeply into all perspectives on tough issues so that we are not defined primarily by what keeps us apart.

We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if anyone insists on their own version of reality, she said. To me, this is the great divide in the world today  not between liberal and conservative, rich and poor, or between any one race or creed and all the others. It is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.

Rest assured, theres a special place in heaven for anyone who speaks truth to power.  Madeleine Albright

In an allusion to her comments about the Clinton campaign, she smiled and said, Rest assured, theres a special place in heaven for anyone who speaks truth to power.

Albrights 20-minute speech received boisterous applause, whistles and a standing ovation.

It was a sharp contrast to the reaction that followed her selection as commencement speaker. Some students said they would have preferred to hear from a person of color. Others had denounced Albright as a white feminist and repeat genocide enabler.

Twenty-eight Scripps professors joined their protest, pledging not to participate in the official commencement procession. In an open letter, they cited Albrights role during the Clinton administration at a time when U.S.-led sanctions were blamed for the deaths of Iraqi children and the United Nations failed to stop the massacre of hundreds of thousands of people in Rwanda in 1994.

Albright had been invited to speak at the graduation by leaders of the Scripps senior class. Jennie Xu, a co-president, said she felt it was quite an achievement to book Albright, who some regard as the epitome of a feminist role model.

Albright and her family fled Adolph Hitler as he pushed into Czechoslovakia during World War II. Like the Scripps students, she attended an all-women college.

Years later, as secretary of State and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she made womens issues central to foreign policy.

She was our top choice, Xu said. I was really, really ecstatic.

Art professor Susan Rankaitis was not among the faculty who signed the protest letter, but she said she was glad Albrights selection had sparked a vibrant discussion about what it means to be a role model.

In the long run, this is a good conversation to have, Rankaitis said Saturday. We should continually test our boundaries.

Speaking from the dais, Albright said she had met with members of the Scripps community who were concerned their views were not being represented at this ceremony.

She said she told them that the purpose of her speech was not to defend a particular policy, but to talk about the importance of hearing from  and actually listening to  all perspectives.

This afternoon, she said, I am not suggesting that any of you  graduates, students, alumnae or friends  cast aside your own opinions or downgrade the value of your perspectives on life.

I ask only that you make a real effort to keep learning more. And learning, by definition, means exploring areas of existence and opinion with which you are not already familiar.

About a dozen professors who had skipped the procession sat together in a back row, their regalia left at home. When Albright was finished speaking, they clapped politely.

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Twitter: @LouisSahagun



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The 17th CicLAvia arrived in southeastern Los Angeles on Sunday, kicking cars and drivers off the streets to make room for several thousand bicyclists, walkers, runners and skaters.

The nonlinear, 19-mile route winds north from Watts to Huntington Park, then south to Lynwood and extends east to the Los Angeles River.

Area roads will remain closed until 5 p.m.

The car-free event encourages residents to rediscover Los Angeles from a different perspective. The goal is to promote a cleaner environment and good health.

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1 / 22 CicLAvia riders along Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 22 Ignacio Martinez, 6, center, gets a high five from CicLAvia volunteer Kazi Maimuna as sister Valeria, 9, left, mother Mariana and father Ignacio look on. The family is from Huntington Park and hoped to ride a couple of miles on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 22 Jose Molina, of Silver Lake, takes his Moluccan Cockatoo, named Ice Cream, for a ride. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 22 Travis Gonzales, of Sherman Oaks, does wheelies during CicLAvia. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 22 CicLAvia riders near the start in Huntington Park. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 22 A variety of characters and bikes are seen along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia bicycle festival on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 22 Friends catch a ride, along with a couple dogs, along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Par kCicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 22 Bikes and passersby become a blur along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 22 Many people carried their dogs with them. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 22 Bikes packed Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 22 All types of bikes filled Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 22 Girls set to perform during CicLavia festivities walk past bicyclists along Pacific Blvd in Huntington Park on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 22 A young boy catches a ride along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park, during the latest CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 22 Many people carried their dogs with them. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 22 Many people carried their dogs with them. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 22 A variety of characters and bikes are seen along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia bicycle festival on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 22 Many people carried their dogs with them. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 22 Families took park in the latest CicLAvia bicycle festival on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 22 A variety of characters and bikes are seen along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia bicycle festival on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 22 Bicyclists, walkers, runners, skaters and this guy make their way along Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 22 Bikes packed Pacific Blvd. in Huntington Park during the latest CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 22 Free hugs too at CicLAvia on Sunday. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Previous CicLAvia routes have snaked through downtown, East Los Angeles, the Westside and along Wilshire Boulevard.

The event is modeled after the open streets festival in Bogota, Colombia, which began nearly 40 years ago.

At various stations and hubs along the routes, participants can see live musical and dance performances, line up at a food truck, get their face painted and even take a Zumba class.

CicLAvias organizers are also trying to boost the events economic impact, encouraging businesses to stay open even though streets are closed and coordinating special offers for CicLAvia riders and walkers. A 2013 UCLA study found that sales for businesses along CicLAvia routes increased by anywhere from 10 to 57%.

A few Southeast businesses along the route are offering deals on phone accessories; bilingual childrens books; ear, nose and throat consultations; and furniture, among other things.

The car-free events, run by nonprofit CicLAvia, began in 2010 with a route that stretched from East Hollywood to Boyle Heights. The most recent event in March followed a four-mile route that stretched through Pacoima, Arleta, North Hills East and Panama City.

The festivals organizers picked Southeast Los Angeles for Sundays event because it was a dynamic, vibrant and often under-served community, said CicLAvia Executive Director Romel Pascual.

The open-air street festivals now happen about four times a year and draw, Pascual said, about 50,000 to 100,000 people each time. Pascual wants to make it a monthly occurrence.

When you get out of your car and get on a bike and walk through these different communities, you realize you share things in common, he said.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong
Firefighters battling a blaze at an East Hollywood apartment building Saturday afternoon discovered a woman dead inside the structure, officials said.

Crews arrived at a two-story building in the 1500 block of Hobart Boulevard about 12:30 p.m. after receiving reports that a person was trapped inside the burning complex.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames in less than 15 minutes, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

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One elderly female was found dead inside, he said.

The cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the building is still under investigation, Scott said.

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matt.stevens@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByMattStevens
Hundreds of demonstrators marched down Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday evening demanding that Mayor Eric Garcetti declare a state of emergency and spend $100 million to alleviate the citys homelessness crisis.

Watched over by about two dozen LAPD officers on foot and bikes, lines of protesters walked past the historic Pantages Theatre with signs accusing the mayor of breaking a pledge to address the crisis swiftly and forcefully.

Hey, Garcetti, keep your word! Keep our homeless off the curb! demonstrators chanted as they crossed Hollywood and Vine.

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Passersby thanked the marchers; one man raised his fist and yelled, God bless you!

See the most-read stories this hour >>

Alisa Orduna, the mayors homelessness policy director, marched with the demonstrators, saying Garcetti needed public demonstrations to push through his homelessness agenda.

Orduna said the mayor had received legal advice that the governor would back a state of emergency only in case of a natural disaster, not a chronic social calamity like L.A.'s burgeoning homeless population.

Garcetti proposed spending $138 million to address homelessness, but the source of half the money is uncertain. Food kitchens and other grass-roots relief efforts could help the mayor implement his homelessness agenda.

We need community members to let council members know its OK to open up homeless navigation centers in their neighborhoods, " Orduna said. So far, what theyre hearing from constituents is no.

Claudia Perez, one of the march organizers, said the mayor could do more.

He sits at home. He doesnt see how bad its gotten, said Perez, whose group, LA on Cloud9, distributes tents, food and other supplies to homeless people in South Los Angeles and skid row.

It is absolutely a crisis, and we need the mayor to pass some bills to build shelters and housing, said Mel Tillekeratne, founder of Monday Night Mission, a five-day-a-week skid row food and relief group.

LAPD Officer Aaron Nunez, of the departments Hollywood division, estimated about 1,500 people participated in Saturdays march.

Los Angeles County has the most homeless people without shelter in the nation, studies have found, and over the years local officials have made tackling the problem a top priority. One tally released earlier this month found that nearly 47,000 people were living on the streets and in shelters countywide, with about two-thirds of those living in the city.

The city of Los Angeles has approved a $1.87-billion plan to step up homeless housing, but its unclear where the money would come from. Garcetti wants to spend $138 million this year on general homeless services, but the city is still looking for how to cover half those costs.

The county has set aside $150 million and is talking about creating a millionaires tax or some other funding source to help pay for more homeless services.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown threw his support behind an ambitious $2-billion plan to build housing for Californias mentally ill homeless population.

The governors action comes as cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco have seen increases in homelessness as rising rents and a lack of shelter space push poor people into shantytowns on city sidewalks and in riverbeds and canyons.

Under the plan, the state would issue $2 billion in bonds. The money would be repaid over 20 to 30 years with funds provided under Proposition 63, the millionaires tax for mental health services that voters approved in 2004.

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Semper Memento, a sculpture honoring the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, seems as though it has been under attack itself since it was installed in Laguna Beachs Heisler Park five years ago.

So the city recently put a surveillance camera in the area so the sculpture, by Laguna Beach artist Jorg Dubin, could be monitored.

Two weeks ago Dubin reinstalled the stainless-steel sphere, which he was able to fix after it sustained a 5-inch-wide dent earlier this year, the third time it has been damaged since its installation in 2011.

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I take it personally because I designed and built the piece, Dubin said.

Semper Memento, which translates to Always Remember, contains two steel beams from the World Trade Center ruins resting atop a concrete base in the shape of the Pentagon, with a grassy area in the middle.

Dubin alerted the city about the dent in early March after a friend walking in the park told him about it.

Dubin said he first had to figure out whether the sphere could be repaired or if it would need to be replaced. He recommended the former, and the citys Arts Commission agreed at a meeting in late April to pay the estimated $1,000 repair cost.

Every year, the city budgets $10,000 for repairs and maintenance of its 97 public art pieces, Cultural Arts Manager Sian Poeschl said.

In the last 15 years, six incidents of damage were reported, including the three to Semper Memento, according to a city staff report.

After removing the 75-pound sphere and taking it to his Laguna studio, Dubin discovered that he was able to use a rubber mallet to tap the steel back into place.

No one has been arrested, and Laguna Police Chief Laura Farinella said the department has no idea if the damage was done maliciously or not, the staff report said.

Last year, vandals knocked the sphere off its base.

Both felt aggressive, but the last one [a few months ago] was aggressive with intent to damage, Dubin said. Someone tried to leave a mark, so to speak.

There is something about what these [memorials] represent that some segment does not seem to like.

Dubins Sept. 11 memorial is not alone. In a 2014 incident in Brooklyn, N.Y., paint was smeared on a photo of a New York police officer killed in the attacks.

Though damage to Lagunas public art is rare, Poeschl said the city keeps close watch over the 97 works.

City staff, arts commissioners, artists and residents are constantly looking for any blemishes or more serious damage to the sculptures, murals and paintings, she said.

The new camera is one of 20 throughout the city that will help police monitor high-traffic areas such as Main Beach and the intersection of El Toro and Laguna Canyon roads. With the cameras, dispatchers can quickly assess a situation  perhaps a fight or vehicle collision  and determine how many officers are needed.

They make us more effective in responding to the community, Farinella said.

Poeschl said she will ask the City Council to boost to $15,000 the amount reserved for public art repairs when it considers the budget later this year.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Alderton writes for Times Community News.
The mostly poor and black students enrolled in Detroit Public Schools have been exposed to lead, have endured crumbling classrooms, and have some of the lowest literacy rates in the country. Theyve also seen one neighborhood school after another shut down.

Then this month they had to endure something else. For two days, most of them had no school to go to.

On May 2 and 3  the start of Teacher Appreciation Week  scores of teachers called in sick, shutting down 97% of schools. The action came about after the teachers union said it learned that the district was running out of money, and that teachers paychecks might not be guaranteed past June 30.

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Most teachers went back to school after the union secured a promise that they would be paid through the end of June.

The walkout was yet another troubling episode for a long-beleaguered school district that is hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and behind on payments to its retirement system. It was also another reminder of how the destiny of schools is guided by shifting demographics, the growing charter-school sector and poor economics, though Detroit is an extreme example.

How did things get so bad?

The distrust and financial insecurity that exploded this month followed years of buildup  a mounting deficit, dramatically declining enrollment and management by one state-appointed official after another. The problems paralleled Detroits overall downturn as it lost population and jobs as industry declined.

The district is starved for cash, said Mike Addonizio, an education professor at Wayne State University. That brought them to where they are today.

A major driver of that loss in revenue has been the loss of students. In 2002-2003, Detroit Public Schools counted 164,496 students in its ranks  by this year, that number was down to 47,000. And with each student that leaves, so do several thousand dollars. The district has responded by closing schools, but still retains empty buildings.

The number of K-12 students overall in Detroit  those in private schools and charters as well as public school  dropped from 201,774 in 2002 to 119,758 in 2012.

Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately run, scaled up rapidly as Detroits economy declined, absorbing thousands of students. And in 2011, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, created the Education Achievement Authority, a separate entity that aimed to improve Detroits worst schools. The EAA now has about 6,000 students.

Problems tended to mount because there were few penalties for kicking the problem down the road. Under Michigan law, if a school district reports a deficit, it must file a deficit elimination plan. If the deficit persists, the consequence is largely the filing of another plan.

People see the problem building up, but there has been no positive action to eradicate it, Addonizio said.

Similar problems have plagued other Michigan locales. In May 2013, the teachers of Buena Vista, a tiny shrinking district whose population was almost exclusively poor and black, learned that the district had run out of cash. Teachers offered to come to school anyway  it also was Teacher Appreciation Week  but werent allowed to teach because the district argued that doing so would have violated labor laws.

The Buena Vista students were left without school. Instead, the county offered them skills camp. Eventually, the district was absorbed by other school systems. At around the same time, another district, Inkster, went under too.

In Detroit, the public schools have been under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager since 2009, even though there is an elected school board. Most recently, the manager, Darnell Earley, resigned in part because of his involvement in the Flint water crisis, taking $82,862.90 with him as part of a settlement. Now, a transition manager, a former judge named Steven Rhodes, is in charge.

Then theres corruption  another problem for Detroit Public Schools. The FBI is investigating 12 Detroit principals for allegedly taking $1 million in a bribery scheme. The principals are accused of agreeing to use a school supply vendor in exchange for making money from that vendor, in amounts ranging from $4,000 to $324,000. The principals face charges of federal conspiracy and bribery filed by U.S. Atty. Barbara McQuade.

Corruption allegations not only breed distrust in the state Legislature, the body that often has to bail out the system; they also hurt the districts bottom line. A 2014 report by the districts Office of the Auditor General found 79 payroll fraud cases. People were paid for work they didnt do, and one school lost money simply for not putting it in a safe.

The Legislature is now considering ways to bail out the district yet again. The Michigan House of Representatives voted to give the school system $500 million, but that money would come with strings. The Senate passed a competing a package that included $717 million, as well as a commission to approve the opening of each new school. Several of the unions collective bargaining agreements expire on June 30, but this week, Rhodes said he would wait to renegotiate when he knew how much money he would have on hand.

The distrust around Detroit simmered through the week of the sickout. House Speaker Kevin Cotter, a Republican, called the teachers protest a cheap political stunt, according to CNN.

But Addonizio, the university professor, counters that refusing to work is literally the only leverage teachers have.

The teachers who skipped school demanded a forensic audit of the districts finances; so far, though, the resources for that havent surfaced.

Emma Howland-Bolton, who teaches fifth grade, is concerned that the truth of whats been happening fiscally will never come out. She criticized union leadership for ending the protest before getting assurances of protection beyond June 30.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers  the national union that took administrative control of the Detroit Federation of Teachers  defended ending the sickout, saying she had to do whatever she could to get teachers their paychecks.

She said the union was still pursuing the audit, and a lot of pressure is being brought by the business, and labor and clergy community  to try to get the governor to be responsible here.

Howland-Bolton, meanwhile, reflected on the real losers in any debate about how to fix Detroits schools. My students didnt create the debt, she said, but theyre the ones paying for it.'

joy.resmovits@latimes.com
One of the first things Chinese immigrant Sau Fung Lam did upon arriving in Chinatown 24 years ago was go to the grocery store to try to buy an apple.

She approached the grocer and opened her mouth, as if the English words she didnt know would, by some miracle, slip out. They didnt. So she formed a circle with her fingers and thumbs, a gesture the grocer seemed to understand.

She was handed a large onion.

Since Lam moved from East China to Chicago in the early 1990s, Chinatown has flourished, transforming from a partially Chinese community where residents mostly spoke English into one where Lam can easily communicate in Chinese. Most businesses, restaurants and agencies operate bilingually because the majority of residents speak a Chinese dialect, and nearly 65% are foreign-born, experts say.

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At a time when traditional urban Chinatowns in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia are fading because of gentrification and changing cultural landscapes, Chicagos Chinatown is growing larger  becoming what experts say could be a model for the survival of Chinatowns in the U.S.

In Chicago, where several neighborhoods are no longer defined by the immigrant or ethnic groups that once dominated them, Chinatown is an exception, having anchored the area centered around Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue since 1912.

Leaders say Chinatown has avoided gentrification because Chinese Americans value a sense of belonging and choose to stay in the neighborhood. Few residents move out, and if they do, they sell their homes to other Chinese.

Between 2000 and 2010, Chinatowns population increased 24% and its Asian population increased 30%. Asians make up nearly 90% of the neighborhoods population, according to 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data. Experts also say that of all the foreign-born Asians living in Chicagos Chinatown, nearly 10% arrived in the last three years  a stark contrast to New York and San Francisco, where immigrants no longer fuel Chinatowns.

About 78% of Chinatown residents speak Chinese at home, and of that population, more than three-quarters report speaking English less than very well, according to a 2015 report from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Half of Chinatown residents are employed in one of three sectors: the food and hospitality industry, healthcare and social services, and manufacturing, according to the report.

The neighborhood allows Lam, now 81, to live comfortably in Chicago without having ever learned English. She spends her days eating at Cantonese restaurant MingHin Cuisine, buying savory turnip cakes from Hong Kong Market and singing alongside her sister in a Chinese choir on Wednesdays.

I never think of Chinatown disappearing in Chicago, she said through a translator who works for a Chinese social service agency. If that happened, itd be very inconvenient. Life would be difficult.

Recognizing the national decline of other Chinatowns, city planners and Chicago organizations are committed to investing in this one, which could be why the neighborhood is thriving. In 2013, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning announced a plan to preserve Chinatowns cultural identity by improving public education and elderly care, bolstering transportation infrastructure and creating more public parks.

And in August, the city opened a two-story, $19.1-million branch of the Chicago Public Library that has attracted about 1,500 people a day. It caters to Chinese-speaking patrons, as many residents turn to the library for English classes.

Chinatowns began forming in the U.S. after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882. The law barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S., though exceptions were made for merchants and scholars, said Huping Ling, a history professor at Truman State University who focuses on Asian American studies. The Chinese already living in the U.S. suffered violent racism and discrimination, and were unable to assimilate into the countrys social or economic fabric. Without the means to return to China, they relied on urban clusters  Chinatowns  to survive.

The act was repealed in 1943, though there was an annual quota of 105 new entry visas, and ethnic Chinese people were still banned from owning property or businesses. It wasnt until 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, that racial immigration restrictions were lifted, Ling said.

In San Franciscos Chinatown, the nations oldest, the Asian population dropped 19.3% from 2000 to 2010, though the number of Asians living in the core fell by only 3 percentage points, according to an analysis of census data.

You can see a pattern starting to form, and eviction and housing cases tell the rest of the story, said Cindy Wu, deputy director and planning commissioner at Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco.

Chicago differs from Manhattan and San Francisco in that it doesnt have as high of a demand nor as tight of a supply of rentable apartments, according to a study released in 2015 by New York University and Capital One. But experts and city leaders agree that Chicagos Chinatown could also be thriving because of its commitment to Chinese traditions, which makes it attractive to both Asians and non-Asian visitors.

Nancy Wong, 62, moved to Chicago in 1988 from Hong Kong out of fear the autonomous territory would join mainland communist China. She opened a flower shop on Archer Avenue, near Chinatown, and regularly visits Chinatown to work with clients.

She believes Chinatowns numerous services and agencies for immigrants and Chinese speakers are what make it attractive. There are plenty of elderly housing options, employment training services and English classes, often taught at churches. Residents primary use of Chinese for business helps prevent the neighborhood from existing as just a tourist attraction.

Some young people even work or live in Chinatown just to learn Chinese, she said.

meltagouri@chicagotribune.com

Eltagouri writes for the Chicago Tribune.

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The detective is frustrated. Twenty-two poor African Americans have been murdered and dumped in abandoned houses. Police officials dont seem to care. Reporters dont either. In order to obtain funding so he can properly investigate the homicides and pique the medias interest, the detective invents a serial killer and provides him with a catchy name  the Homeless Killer  knowing this will galvanize concern.

This scenario from David Simons television show The Wire may sound improbable, but it gets at the basic reality that the police are willing to dedicate resources to catching serial killers that they withhold from most inner city homicide investigations. Simon could easily have been thinking of South Los Angeles during the murderous 1980s, when the police first began hunting Lonnie David Franklin Jr., a.k.a. the Grim Sleeper.

Franklin was convicted of 10 counts of first degree murder this month and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the ongoing sentencing phase. His victims were mostly young African-American women, some of whom were prostitutes or drug addicts. The story we usually hear about the Grim Sleeper case is that everyone ignored it  which is an oversimplication. The police certainly paid less attention to the Grim Sleeper than they would have if hed targeted white women in a well-to-do part of town; but more attention than they did to thousands of other crimes in South Los Angeles.

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In the mid 1980s, the number of murders in Los Angeles was more than triple what it is today, partly because of the scourge of crack cocaine, the proliferation of street gangs and easy access to high-powered weaponry. In 1988, for example, there were 874 murders in the city, compared with 280 in 2015. The majority of those cases were in South Los Angeles and received no press coverage whatsoever; many were never prosecuted either.

Homicide detectives in South Los Angeles were over-burdened and overwhelmed in comparison with detectives in more affluent neighborhoods. When a young Asian woman, Karen Toshima, was caught in the cross-fire of a gang shooting in Westwood in 1988, residents in South Los Angeles were outraged by the massive media and police attention. The disparity between the response to the Toshima murder and the multitude of anonymous homicides in South Los Angeles was striking. Thirty detectives were assigned to investigate the Toshima case and police patrols in Westwood were tripled. A $10,000 reward was offered by a neighborhood merchants association.

Media coverage leads to police action. When reporters publicize a murder, law enforcement officials may assign more detectives to the investigation.

If the police did not devote adequate resources to South Los Angeles, they did take heed when they began to suspect that a serial killer was at work in the area. The LAPD created a task force and by 1986, about 50 members of the LAPD were assigned to it full-time. During the two years that the LAPD and Sheriffs Department joined forces to investigate the murder of numerous young black women, the task force logged almost 5,000 tips. City officials offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the killer and the Los Angeles County Supervisors offered $10,000.

As leads dried up in 1987, law enforcement reduced the size of the task force drastically. The Grim Sleepers murder spree seemed to end in 1988, but when he woke up in 2002, the LAPD was dilatory in responding, waiting until 2007 to set up another task force. Still, the victims families and community activists were able to use the sensational nature of the case to their advantage, successfully pressuring city and police officials to inform South Los Angeles residents about the killer and his victims. The Los Angeles City Council in 2008 offered a record $500,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer.

Although serial killers are exceedingly rare, they are a staple of mystery novels, television crime shows and cop movies. Perhaps for this reason they preoccupy the public  especially if they have a catchy name. (It was a reporter who dubbed Franklin The Grim Sleeper.) Media coverage leads to police action. When reporters publicize a murder, law enforcement officials may assign more detectives to the investigation. Conversely, when reporters ignore murders, police department brass often will shift detectives to higher-profile crimes.

Today theres still a huge backlog of unsolved cases from the homicide epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. In 2001, the LAPD finally created a cold-case unit, which consisted of seven detectives who operated out of a cramped, windowless 250-square-foot office. The unit initially focused on unsolved homicides from 1960 to 1998. There were about 10,000.

After decades at large, we know the Grim Sleepers identity and his victims families can take some solace in the fact that he stood trial and was convicted. The same cant be said for many thousands of killers who were never given a catchy name.

Miles Corwin, who teaches literary journalism at UC Irvine, is a former Los Angeles Times reporter and the author of five books, including Homicide Special: A Year with the LAPDs Elite Detective Unit.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Ray Fair of Yale University says that if his election forecasting model is correct, the Republican nominee is likely to win the presidency by a convincing margin. John Sides of George Washington University agrees; the fundamentals, he says, give the Republican about a 60% chance of winning. Alan Abramowitz of Emory University gives Republicans a solid shot at the White House too; his model gives the GOP the edge  but in a very close election.

But thanks to Donald Trump, their carefully honed forecasting models may have lost their predictive magic  a possibility the professors themselves acknowledge.

This time may be different, Abramowitz told me last week.

For decades, political scientists and economists have concocted statistical models to try to predict presidential elections even before the actual campaigns were under way. Their aim wasnt merely to pull off the parlor trick of predicting a winner; more important (to them, at least) was figuring out what makes voters tick. Their underlying theory was that most voters behavior stems from a combination of fundamental factors and not from anything the candidates say or do.

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Abramowitzs model, for example, uses three factors: economic growth, the current presidents popularity, and how long the incumbent party has held the White House.

Starting with that last item: Its hard for one party to keep the White House for a third term, as Hillary Clinton is trying to do. Its only been done once in the last half century, when George H.W. Bush succeeded the popular Ronald Reagan in 1988. Abramowitz calls this the time for a change factor, and it puts the presumptive Democratic nominee at a significant disadvantage.

Right now, the economic fundamentals dont look good for Clinton either. Most forecasts suggest that growth will remain well below 3% all year, a sluggish rate that favors the party out of power.

Obama, on the other hand, is actually helping Clintons chances; his job approval rating in the Gallup Poll has averaged about 50% over the last six months, just high enough to give her a chance of winning.

Most forecasts suggest that growth will remain well below 3% all year, a sluggish rate that favors the party out of [the White House].

Add all three factors together, and the result is close to 50-50, maybe a little below for the Democrat, Abramowitz said. So based on the fundamentals, you would expect this to be a very close election.

Now add a new factor: Trump.

A model like Abramowitzs doesnt take into account attributes of the candidates. It captures arguably the most important things, but not everything, Sides told me.

These forecasting models assume that you have mainstream candidates who will unify each party, Abramowitz conceded. Trump doesnt fit that pattern. Hes off the charts. And its very hard to predict how thats going to play out.

Despite the chilly indifference of the forecasting models, he noted, candidates and their campaigns do matter. In 1972, Democrat George McGovern did worse than the models would have predicted, presumably because many voters saw him as too far to the left. In 1988, Michael Dukakis also did worse than the models predicted, probably because he had the worst campaign in recent memory, Abramowitz said.

So even though the forecasting models say this should be a Republican year, the polls dont agree. An average of recent polls puts Clinton ahead of Trump, 47% to 42%. The Iowa Electronic Market, one of several prediction markets that crowdsource forecasting, projects that Clinton will win 58% of the popular vote. And the conventional wisdom among pundits  not that weve been particularly prescient of lateis that Clinton could win in a landslide.

Trump isnt just disrupting the Republican Party, hes disrupting political science too.

One of the potential problems with the models in an election like this one is that they assume voters arent really paying much attention to politics.

The models  and their underlying theories of voting behavior  rest heavily on how voters feel about the economy on Election Day. In a sense, they suggest that voters decide many elections on the basis of James Carvilles slogan from the 1992 campaign: Its the economy, stupid.

Thats not entirely rational.

As political scientists Christopher M. Achen and Larry M. Bartels point out in their recent book, Democracy for Realists, voters who choose based on the economy are often holding an incumbent president and his party responsible for events beyond his control. (Besides, they note, economic voters choose based on how the economy is doing in the months before Election Day, not during a presidents entire term.)

The result of this kind of voter behavior is that election outcomes are in an important sense random, they write  a matter of whether a given president has been lucky or not. Economic voting may be little more than a high stakes game of musical chairs.

Love him or loathe him, Trump may have changed the equation, forcing voters to think more about whom they want in charge instead of letting GDP growth rates effectively determine their preference. Hes made voting important again.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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The Department of Justice last week threw down the gauntlet in North Carolina, filing a lawsuit alleging that the state violated federal anti-discrimination laws by restricting trans individuals access to bathrooms in state government buildings. One of those federal laws, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, forbids employment discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion  and sex. DOJ says that North Carolina has engaged in sex discrimination, because, in DOJs view, sex includes gender identity.

The governments interpretation of that word  sex  has broadened significantly since Title VIIs passage. Indeed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency created by Title VII and vested with primary enforcement authority for the statute, initially understood because of sex to mean no more than overt disadvantages to women in favor of men, and showed no interest in enforcing the provision at all. Its taken decades for the legal understanding of sex to arrive at where it is today, and its a progression that maps, and mirrors, our cultural understanding of sex as more than just biology.



Sex was added to Title VIIs list of protected characteristics at the last minute by Rep. Howard Smith of Virginia, an avowed opponent of the Civil Rights Act. Although Smith was, incongruously, a longtime supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, his jocular tone during much of the floor debate on the sex amendment suggested that he was less than serious about winning its adoption. (Historians have come to believe that Smith likely was sincere, if only because he feared that an employment rights bill that protected against race but not sex discrimination would place white women at a disadvantage in the workplace.) The amendment ultimately passed, but not without a good deal of bemused commentary from House members  only 12 of whom were women  at the notion that women should stand on equal footing in the workplace.

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The unceremonious addition of sex to Title VII prompted a dismissive attitude among the EEOCs leadership. When a reporter at a press conference asked Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., the agencys first Chair, What about sex? he had only a joke for an answer. Dont get me started, he said. Im all for it. Another of the agencys first leaders wrote off the Title VII sex provision as a fluke that was born out of wedlock.

Not surprisingly, then, although fully one-third of the charges filed with the EEOC in its first year of existence alleged sex discrimination, the agency was slow to articulate what illegal discrimination because of sex even meant. It waffled, for instance, on whether to sanction job ads that were separated into help wanted  male and help wanted  female, or the airline industrys widespread rules that female flight attendants couldnt be married, over the age of 30 or pregnant.

But thanks to pressure from feminist lawyers within the EEOC, as well as forces outside it  notably the National Organization for Women, founded in part to protest the agencys cavalier Title VII enforcement  the agency began to right itself.

In 1968, it ruled that sex-segregated ads violated Title VII, and that flight attendants should not be subject to marriage and age restrictions. In 1972, it updated its Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Sex to prohibit pregnancy discrimination and sex-differentiated terms in employer pension plans. In even later versions of the Guidelines, the EEOC disapproved fetal protection policies that disqualified women from jobs that involved exposure to dangerous chemicals, declared bias against workers with caregiving responsibilities to be a form of sex discrimination, and adopted a definition of pregnancy discrimination that imposed robust obligations on employers to accommodate pregnant employees physical limitations.

The Supreme Courts rulings about Title VIIs sex provision ... have given us a definition of sex that is expansive and ever-evolving.

The Supreme Courts rulings about Title VIIs sex provision  which are controlling on the federal courts that hear such claims  mirrored the EEOCs progress, and have given us a definition of sex that is expansive and ever-evolving.

Since 1964, sex discrimination has come to mean far more than Title VIIs framers could have imagined. For one thing, men have long been able to claim Title VIIs protections, too. Moreover, sexual harassment, which did not even have a name until 1975, has been recognized as discrimination because of sex, and it is illegal whether it occurs between employees of the same sex or different sexes. Height and weight restrictions that disproportionately exclude women applicants  usually deployed in historically male jobs like law enforcement and firefighting  also can be discrimination because of sex.

The Court also has repeatedly affirmed that the law protects women whose very identities set them apart in some way from other women  mothers versus women without children, pregnant versus non-pregnant women, women whose dress and demeanor is more masculine than the norm.

This last principle was enshrined in the Courts 1989 Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins decision. The plaintiff, Ann Hopkins, was denied partnership at the Big Eight accounting firm because it was decided she needed to walk more femininely, talk more femininely, dress more femininely, wear make-up, have [her] hair styled, and wear jewelry. The justices ruled that Price Waterhouses discrimination against Hopkins for being the wrong kind of woman was just as illegal as if it had precluded all women from becoming partners.

Recognition that sex encompasses not just ones biology, but conformance with a wide variety of expectations about appearance, demeanor and identity underpins the movement to win Title VII coverage for lesbian, gay and bisexual workers as well as trans employees. But in this one area, trans individuals attracted legal attention before the LGB community.

Trans workers were the most obvious analogues to Ann Hopkins  in that their appearance deviates from gender stereotypes about what a real man or real woman should look like. The EEOC, in both its internal rulings and in its lawsuits on behalf of wronged individuals, therefore initially concentrated its efforts on those workers. Only after having achieved some success on trans rights did the agency move aggressively to win recognition of sexual orientation as sex under Title VII.

In one recent case, the EEOC alleged that Pittsburgh telemarketer Dale Baxleys supervisor mused about Baxleys relationship with his now-husband, Whos the butch and who is the bitch? Similarly, in its case on behalf of lesbian Baltimore forklift operator Yolanda Boone, the EEOC claims that Boones manager opined she would look good in a dress, and asked, Are you a girl or a man?

Put differently, Baxley is the wrong kind of man because he has a husband, and Boones very legitimacy as a woman is questioned because she is attracted only to other women. Such punishment for non-conformity with sex stereotypes is precisely what the Supreme Court confirmed in Price Waterhouse is discrimination because of sex.

During her remarks this week announcing DOJs lawsuit, Attorney General Loretta Lynch noted, This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms. Shes right. Including gender identity within the legal meaning of sex isnt revolutionary; its a natural step in a process thats been unfolding for 52 years  and hasnt stopped yet.

Gillian Thomas is a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Womens Rights Project and author of Because of Sex: One Law, Ten Cases, and Fifty Years That Changed American Womens Lives at Work.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Donald Trump would have to answer for allegations about repeatedly disrespecting women, but deflected concerns that it posed a major challenge for his presidential candidacy.

The GOP chairman appeared on Sunday television talk shows and was asked to respond to a New York Times report that documented Trumps checkered history of disparaging women and making unwelcome advances toward them.

These are things that he is going to have to answer for, Priebus said on ABCs This Week. But I also think there are things from many years ago and I think that, you know, as Christians, judging each other I think is problematic.

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The New York Times story was based on interviews with women and men who have known Trump since the days when he was known as a ladies man at the New York Military Academy in the 1960s. The report said the GOP presumptive 2016 presidential nominee made offensive comments about female co-workers, humiliated other women and used his purchase of the Miss Universe Organization to cozy up to unsuspecting contestants.

When asked about the allegations on Fox News Sunday, Priebus said it wasnt likely to affect Trumps campaign because the American people want change to come to Washington.

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All these stories that come out, and they come out every couple weeks, people just dont care, Priebus said. I think people look at Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and say, Whos going to bring an earthquake to D.C.?

A Gallup poll published April 1 found that 70% of women had an unfavorable opinion of the billionaire businessman, who has been married three times.

Trump managed to catapult to the top of a crowded Republican presidential field and garner widespread support from voters despite a controversial style and personal politics that are often at odds with traditional conservatives. His positions on taxes, trade deals and military intervention, even as they have shifted, have not won fans among GOP leadership.

But that trend is beginning to shift.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin moved toward accepting Trump as the Republican presidential nominee Thursday after a closed-door meeting intended to show a gradual unifying of the party.

When asked about the encounter between the two GOP leaders on This Week, Priebus said he expects Ryan to endorse Trump.

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I get the sense that it was a great meeting, he said. I get the sense that it was everything both parties wanted it to be.

Other Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, have already moved toward Trump.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, a Trump supporter, said on This Week that Trump, as a nontraditional politician from outside Washington, isnt a typical candidate and therefore isnt judged in the same way. He doesnt expect the allegations of misogyny to stick to Trump even as he is seemingly headed toward to a general election against the first female presidential candidate in U.S. history.

People have not expected purity on his part, Sessions said. What theyre concerned about, theyre deeply concerned about, is this: somebody strong enough to take on Washington.

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Follow me on Twitter @wjhenn
The long-obscure race for a U.S. Senate seat in California is arriving on the states airwaves, and the ads being put out by the top two candidates, both Democrats, explain a great deal about their political goals and, for that matter, about California itself.

The front-runner, Kamala Harris, has been Californias attorney general for more than five years and has run two statewide campaigns for the seat. The second, Orange Countys Loretta Sanchez, has served in Congress for nearly 20 years.

And yet in this big and often politically uninvolved state, each is opening her television ad campaign by reminding the voting public who she is.

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Yes, that does makes sense; a March USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found that nearly a third of Californians hadnt a clue whom to vote for among the two Democrats and the lesser-known Republicans. It would not be beyond the pale for many of the states 17.3 million voters to need visual reminders of their options to fill the seat held since 1992 by Democrat Barbara Boxer.

Underneath the biographic veneer were the strategic thrusts of the candidates. Harris is a tough character with important allies, her ads say. Sanchez is an influential Latina who knows national security, her ads say.

Both Democratic contenders ads seek to hitch a ride in different ways on the insurgent wave that has so complicated the efforts of a candidate each has endorsed  front-runner Hillary Clinton  as she seeks the partys presidential nomination.

The contest between Harris and Sanchez likely wont end in June; the top two Senate candidates, regardless of party, will move on to the November general election. Right now, the top two are Harris and Sanchez, and Republican hopes of vaulting past one of them took a hit with the end of their presidential contest five weeks before the California primary.

If the two Democrats are vying in November, the ads they are now airing predict a battle between the growing power of the partys young and liberal voters and the increasing heft of Latinos, the state Democratic partys most influential voter group over the past two decades.

Harris ads are reminiscent of those she ran during her slam-dunk re-election as attorney general, and theres a reason: Those 2014 ads were meant to influence Harris next race, which turned out to be the one she is in now.

In 2014, when she was running against an unknown and politically destitute Republican, Harris cast herself as tough but caring, a candidate who could put bad guys in jail one minute and high-five with kids the next. So, too, is she credited in the new Senate ads.

But if it was a mere anonymous narrator delivering that message in 2014, Harris campaign has brought in a bigger gun to confer credibility in this race: Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Warren is an icon among the liberal left, second only to the man who now defines that chunk of the party, presidential hopeful and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Warren and Harris have been political allies since at least 2012, when Harris campaigned for Warrens election.

 Fearless, thats what Elizabeth Warren said about Kamala Harris taking on the powerful on behalf of the state of California, a narrator says as a picture of Warren fills the screen. Harris prosecuted violent predators and transnational gangs exploiting women and children. She took on big oil companies violating our hazardous waste laws. And Kamala Harris sued the big banks and won $20 billion for California homeowners.

In case the first mention wasnt enough, viewers see Warren herself make the claim at a California Democratic Party event: Kamala Harris was fearless.

A second television spot, presumably meant for areas where Warrens presence wont necessarily help, repeats much the same language, including the word fearless.

A third Harris ad is a declarative effort to blunt Sanchezs pitch for Latino loyalty. The ad covers much the same territory, in Spanish, courtesy of Dolores Huerta, one of the legends of the United Farm Workers movement. She closes the ad by citing the farmworker slogan she and Cesar Chavez are credited with: Si se puede. Yes, we can.

The importance of Latino voters is evident by counting Sanchezs first batch of ads (3 of the 4 released Friday were in Spanish).

The English-language one repeats a CQ Roll Call citation of Sanchez as one of the most influential women in Congress. But the rest is Sanchez herself, meeting with a wide variety of presumed voters and selling her biography rather than any flashy friends.

I come from you, and Ill fight for you, she says in one of the Spanish-language ads. (The March USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found that Sanchezs candidacy was afloat because of Latinos: Twice as many of them supported her as Harris, who won among other racial groups.)

But Sanchez, too, made a play in her ads for the liberal flank of the party that has been so energized by Sanders come-from-nowhere presidential campaign.

While the thrust of the English-language ad is to tout her familiarity with national security issues in Washington, it also cites her vote against the Iraq war and the Wall Street bailout. One of the Spanish-language ads also reminds voters of her support for a $15 per hour minimum wage. All three issues are key elements of Sanders campaign.

I want to create jobs, expand educational opportunity and healthcare, and pass immigration reform, she says as she faces the camera. Im Loretta Sanchez, and I approve this message because Im ready to meet our challenges at home and abroad.

The competing ads are only the opening pitches of the Senate race. More detail will inevitably be colored in as the candidates outline their senatorial proposals.

But those plans are not likely to differ hugely. The decision likely to be facing California voters is not a straight-up choice between a leftward Democrat and a conservative Democrat. Rather, it would be a more nuanced one, between two women whose political strengths are obvious both in their life experiences and their advertising.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker. For more on politics, go to latimes.com/decker and subscribe to the free daily newsletter.

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Only one hospital in or around Glendale aced a twice-yearly hospital safety report card, while three others earned middling grades.

Glendale Adventist once again earned an A from Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog Group, an organization that advocates for hospital patient safety.

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Leapfrog bases its assessments on a host of criteria, including the chances of contracting infections and patients falls during a hospital stay.

Glendale Adventist earned its third straight A dating to spring 2015.

Hospital Chief Executive Kevin Roberts said Glendale Adventist employs best practices.

Key factors he cited include 24-hour physician presence in the intensive care unit and regular room visits by nurses, Roberts said.

Nurses check on the patients every hour, and during those rounds they make sure the patients needs are anticipated rather than waiting for something bad to happen, he said.

Dignity Healthy Glendale Memorial, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and Providence St. Josephs Medical Center received Cs.

The Leapfrog score is based on an average of 30 categories. Glendale Adventist received its highest marks for having enough qualified nurses and training to improve safety, but fell short in infections in the urinary tract during [intensive care unit] stay.

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Dignity Health Glendale Memorial has consistently earned C grades since 2013, and this time received low marks for categories like hand washing and staff accurately record patient medications.

Chief Nurse Executive Liza Abcede said while the hospital welcomes review from outside agencies, Leapfrogs assessment didnt get the full picture.

The [30] measures identified by the Leapfrog Group for improving quality and patient safety may help improve patient safety outcomes, but they are neither the best nor the only indicators of an institutions quality, she wrote in a statement.

Abcede touted other honors and recognitions Dignity Health Glendale Memorial has received, including the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Healthgrades also ranked the hospital among the top 10% in terms of patient safety for hospitals nationwide.

USC Verdugo Hills earned its second straight C. While Leapfrog praised the hospital for treating collapsed lungs and staff working together to prevent errors, it fell short in preventing bedsores and preventing ventilator problems.

In a statement, USC Verdugo Hills said it is working to improve patient safety and that the Leapfrog methodology is out of date.

Our dedicated efforts have resulted in reduced hospital-acquired infection rates and improvements in other patient-safety indicators, which are not reflected in the most recent hospital-safety score, the statement read.

Indeed, the information Leapfrog accesses from Medicare and other agencies can be several years old, said Erica Mobley, Leapfrogs director of communications.

Nicholas Testa, the chief medical officer at Providence St. Josephs Medical Center in Burbank, said the most recent data is more than a year old and that his staff is working hard to prevent hospital-acquired infections.

Providence St. Josephs earned a C grade, a drop from the B in fall 2015.

The Burbank hospital received low marks for communication with doctors and nurses, but Testa said all employees at the hospital have been learning a new uniform mode of communication to improve response times.

Providence St. Josephs is also working to implement best safety practices from related industries.

We look at the things that people do every single day that can change our culture, Testa said.

--

Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian

--

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Tension between the La Canada Teachers Assn. and La Canada Unified School District over contract negotiations continued to grow during last weeks regular meeting of the districts governing board.

Continuing a new, pre-meeting tradition that began in March, dozens of LCTA members stood at the corner of Cornishon Avenue and Foothill Boulevard to encourage passing vehicles to honk in support of the teachers, while also expressing solidarity in support of a wage increase.

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Teachers participating in Tuesdays demonstration carried black balloons with them from the street into the school board meeting.

Although negotiating parties for the LCTA and school board had seemed close to reaching a mutual agreement over teacher pay raises and a revision of LCUSDs salary schedule for the next school year, contract talks took a negative turn on April 27, according to the unions leader.

LCTA President Mandy Redfern stated the school district unilaterally moved the bargaining process from Interest-Based Bargaining to adversarial, positions-based bargaining. Supt. Wendy Sinnette countered with a statement that several offers had been made and rejected by LCTA representatives.

Teachers were offered a 4.1% raise retroactive to the start of the current school year and increases in the salary schedule in key areas, amounting to an overall increase of 4.3%.

But, according to the LCTA, the salary schedule revisions would actually average out to a 2.68% increase for teachers, which would be further reduced to 1.18% after increasing employee contributions to healthcare and retirement benefits were factored in.

At Tuesdays meeting, Board President David Sagal spoke at length about the current climate of contract talks with the teachers.

We plan to offer competitive salaries and benefits, he said. This has been the districts guiding principle while maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect, with a common goal of doing whats best for your students.

Sagal said the board is aware that some LCUSD teachers are currently exploring opportunities at other L.A. County school districts.

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We want to do everything we can to keep you on our team, he told the teachers. It would be unbearable to have one of you leave the team. What we value and what we aspire to do collide with limited resources.

Supplemental funding from outside the school district accounts for 1% of revenues, Sagal said, with $4.5 million provided annually through donations, not even accounting for boosters clubs, with $1.5 million more in revenue coming in from the local parcel tax.

The parcel tax expires in 2021, so were not on the soundest of footings, Sagal said.

In addition, the district is faced with its own increasing employer contributions to teachers retirement benefits, which will continue to climb until the district is paying 19.1% by 2020.

Sagal compared LCUSD to other demographically similar districts, like Manhattan Beach and South Pasadena, even though they have varying student class sizes, scales of operations and, therefore, varying federal funding levels. San Marino Unified most closely matches La Canada, for example, but receives more supplemental funding than LCUSD and has very strong local revenues and a higher parcel tax.

They have $5.3 million generated annually, Sagal said. Thats more than double La Canada.

During public comment, Redfern spoke first to the packed room.

Weve been accused of engaging in CTA tactics, she said. We, the teachers in this room, are the faces of LCTA. I guarantee that when you step into our classroom for the coming week, we do the best job possible to make sure our students have the best possible education.

Redfern reiterated LCTA has maintained solvency for the last 13 years, including during the recession, and went eight years without seeing a single salary increase.

We did this with the promise that when revenues came in, it would be our time, she said. We feel betrayed that this is happening.

Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer.
The hot sauce founder sat in a Mexican restaurant and eyed the competing varieties offered on the table.

You know we have no more Mago Hot Sauce, a waitress says, brushing past customers who were asking for the popular product.

Sold out, she informed them.

And with that, Clark Olson had further confirmation that he has a business problem, albeit a good one  too much demand.

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Olson, 29, is the mastermind behind the 3-year-old company, whose hot sauces, made at a facility in Irvine, can be paired with meats, cheeses, vegetables, rice  or anything, he likes to say.

The recipes take extra time, but the result is worth the wait, he says, explaining that Mago, magician in Spanish, is that perfected spicy blend of roasted peppers with just the right amount of vinegar.

Were about that balance of heat and flavor, Olson says. And were sticking to it.

Olson spent years getting the formula right, putting in hours on trial-and-error experimentation.

He made the hot sauce at his home in Laguna Beach, packaged it in recycled Pellegrino bottles and shared it with co-workers during lunch at his job at Avilas El Ranchito. The sauce became such a hit that his co-workers and friends encouraged him to sell it commercially.

Soon, the Pellegrino reusables were replaced with glass bottles depicting an elephant pulling a pepper from its trunk, and the company was officially launched.

Mago Red, the flagship hot sauce, now a top seller, is a blend of roasted habanero and Fresno chili peppers, garlic, onion, vinegar and salt. While spicy, the heat doesnt overpower the flavor of foods, Olson says, and the combination is a mix of tropical sweetness with a subtle smoky flavor.

It retails for $6.99.

In addition to the Red, Olson sells a $7.99 Green Thai, a combination of habaneros, jalapenos and Thai peppers for a fruitier blend. The three peppers are roasted together in the oven and enhanced with ginger.

We try to blend different chilies to make versatile sauces for an interesting combination, Olson said. Its a fusion.

But long before he found success, Olson had backpacked through South America teaching English while becoming exposed to the hot peppers primarily found on the continent.

This served as his spark. After moving back to his hometown, Olson, a self-described spicy-food enthusiast who enjoys cooking, couldnt ignore the thought that he wanted to create a sauce inspired by his experiences in foreign lands.

***

He has no desire to compete with Tabasco, Franks Red-Hot Sauce, Sriracha or any other big-name brand.

Mago Hot Sauce is about passion over profit, Olson said, noting that he prefers to create small batches of the finest quality.

Olson, who creates batches every couple weeks  churning out 40 gallons of hot sauce for about 1,100 bottles  sells bottles online, in specialty stores and at farmers markets. Currently in Laguna Beach, Hotel Laguna, Avilas and Pearl St. General store carry the line, as does Growers Ranch Market in Costa Mesa.

Desiree Gomez, owner of Coyote Grill, a Mexican restaurant in Laguna Beach, said she prefers to support local brands and appreciates Olsons passion and hard work.

Its hard to keep it in stock, Gomez said about Mago Hot Sauce, adding that she purchases two cases a week. Theres a huge demand for it, and people get upset if we run out.

People have even resorted to stealing the bottles, said Gomez, so she and her staff now serve portions in ramekins.

Of course, the popularity of hot sauce in general is growing as Americans have become adventuresome eaters who crave zip.

Hot sauce production has been rated one of the 10 fastest-growing industries in the U.S., according to IBISWorld, an industry market research organization.

The growth spurt is attributed to demographic changes, immigration and the developing taste for spicier ethnic food in the U.S., Canada and Japan. By 2017, hot sauce production in the U.S. is expected to be a $1.3-billion industry.

Olson says he would like to give consumers more options, so he is working on a chipotle sauce recipe.

Just as culture, food and art from his overseas travels have inspired him to develop a well-received condiment, he says, friends in the community have helped him accomplish his dream of creating something new.

Laguna College of Art + Design graduate Travis Parr designed the brands logo, childhood friend Erica Wright made the label for the bottles and friend Rudy Andrews is helping Olson with the future of the brand.

In food or life, its a melting pot of culture, Olson says. Im happy to give tribute to different parts of the world in a hot sauce.

For more information, visit magohotsauce.com

--

kathleen.luppi@latimes.com

Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
ZION NATIONAL PARK

Workshop

Explore Zions history, natural wonders and recreational opportunities that include casual walks and mountaineering in slot canyons.

When, where: 7 p.m. Tuesday 5/17 at the REI store in Woodland Hills, 6220 Topanga Blvd.

Admission, info: Free. (818) 703-5300

HIKING

Workshop

Learn hints and tips on hiking Southern Californias tallest peaks: San Antonio (Mt. Baldy), San Gorgonio and San Jacinto, a.k.a. the Three Saints.

When, where: 6:30 p.m. Thursday 5/19 at the Adventure 16 store in Tarzana, 5425 Reseda Blvd., and Friday at the Los Angeles store, 11161 W. Pico Blvd.

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Admission, info: Free. (818) 345-4266 for Tarzana; (310) 473-4574 for Los Angeles.

EASTER ISLANDS, FALKLANDS AND ANTARCTICA

Presentation

Elisa Kotin will share highlights of her month-long trip to Easter Island, the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica.

When, where: Noon, May 22, at Bollywood Masala restaurant, 618 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.

Admission, info: $19.50 for buffet lunch and program. Hosted by the Network for Travel Club. RSVP to Odette Ricasa at (323) 578-3601.

Please email announcements at least three weeks before the event to travel@latimes.com.
So now we should embrace global warming as a benefit to travel? Whats next: iceberg melting tours; watch the polar bear demise package deal; Iceland and its disappearing glacier cruise? We should be concerned more about our carbon footprint and the legacy we are leaving generations to come.

Gina Maslow

Venice

Dont remind me that we have been and are cruising for a bruising [Sampling Luxury by Rosemary McClure, May 8]. Look, I can afford and deserve to travel. Do I care that cruise ships burn a barrel of oil for every ship length traveled through the water? Do I care that airplanes are responsible for 7% of the CO2 in the atmosphere? Do I care that burning fossil fuels have melted the Arctic ice and created climate change and extreme weather? Should drought-caused forest fires burning around the oil shale production region of Fort McMurray, Canada, concern me? Dont think so. Im out of here.

Roger Newell

San Diego

Joining Pancho Villas fight

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Re: The fine article on Columbus, N.M., and Pancho Villa [Go in Peace by Catherine Watson, May 1: Sometime in the 1920s, my Japanese grandmother received a letter from her brother who had been barred from entering the U.S. by one of the exclusionary acts of that period. He had written to tell her he had emigrated instead to Mexico and was fighting with Villa. And then he disappeared into history.

Kiku Terasaki

Laguna Beach

Driving in Mexico

Thanks to Catharine Hamm for her article about driving in Mexico and sorry that her Mexican driving experiences have been a turnoff [If You Drive in Mexico ..., On the Spot, May 1].

Most adventurous travelers would disagree with her opinion and love the freedom to explore a real Mexico vacation by driving.

My husband and I have traveled to all parts of Mexico for the last 20 years and always rent a car. Enduring the occasional credit-card fraud or prior-damage issues is part of the package. We wouldnt consider relying on local service. Driving in Mexico is a beautiful ride and establishes you on par with the locals rather than announcing your tourist status when you hop from a taxi. It has also allowed us to go off campus and see places few have been.

Becky Schultz Burns

Chatsworth

Get a small flash drive that will attach to your keychain. Put in key information. On mine I have insurance information (no social security number), my medical history, list of medications, license plate numbers, emergency contacts and list of doctors. I add to the drive as more things come to mind.

David DiCicco

Del Mar
Fifty years ago on Monday, the Cultural Revolution began in China, kicking off a decade of political upheaval. Chinese society consumed itself in a frenzy of Maoist ideology: Students beat their teachers, children informed on parents.

Ragnar Baldursson first came to China as a student in 1975, a year before the Cultural Revolution ended. He went on to earn a bachelors degree in philosophy from Peking University and is now a deputy chief of mission at the Icelandic Embassy in Beijing and author of the book Nineteen Seventy-Six: A Student Revolutionary Remembers the Year Mao Died.

Baldursson offers a rare foreigners view from Beijing as the country emerged from the movements spell:

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What brought you to China in the first place?

I came to China in 1975. There were two Icelandic scholarships sending scholars to China, exchange students  it was me and another student. We were both fresh out of secondary grammar school. Id just started my studies in electrical engineering at the University of Iceland  Id studied for four or five weeks, then I got the news that I got the scholarship.

We arrived later than most students, at the end of October, just when the weather was getting a bit cold. And the school didnt really expect us. It was kind of a shock, realizing that we had a visa, we had our letters, but we didnt know which school we were going to go to  we were just told somebody would receive us. And the person who came to the train station said, We werent really expecting any Icelandic students. School already started, so theres no class we can put you in, but we will manage.

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We were put in a class with two Spanish students, and two from Latin America, one from Tanzania. There was a lot of visiting factories, going to the countryside. I managed to learn Chinese in one year  and in the summer of 76, could go on to a university.

In 1975, the Cultural Revolution was just coming to a close. How close did you feel to the horrors that were unfolding across the country? Did you feel insulated in Beijing?

In 1975, when I arrived in China, the violence of the Cultural Revolution was already a thing of the past. It was a stable society on the surface, and the foreign students, we were accepted as friends. We were of course very visibly foreigners  there werent many foreigners in China  but there were no restrictions on moving around the city and talking with people on the streets and in restaurants. There was no terror, no horror. People were generally poor, but they smiled a lot. They seemed happy. But they were also tired.

I became quite close with people  roommates and classmates  and everyone I knew, they had witnessed or taken part in atrocities: physical violence, beating of teachers, or at least breaking windows. Id heard stories about elementary school children going into government offices, and if they saw women with long hair, they would go up with scissors and cut it. I know people who burned books. There was one intellectual at the school who was known for his knowledge of languages  he had collected a lot of foreign books. And of course he took the lead in collecting all these books and burning them. Afterwards, he said thats what he regrets most.

What was the feeling in the immediate aftermath of the movement  were people confused? Angry? Relieved?

I was just a young student  its difficult to understand what I saw, and what people were saying. But it seems obvious to me now that when the news came of Maos death  we were called into our dining room at the school, and heard on the radio that he had passed away  people were completely stricken, and they were afraid. They were afraid, and I didnt quite understand what it was about. When [Chinas premier] Zhou Enlai passed away [eight months prior], theyd cry, like they were losing a family friend or a beloved leader. When Mao passed away, it was like they were losing guidance. What to do now? What they were afraid of, I believe now, was that China would be thrown into another Cultural Revolution; that there would be chaos again, and power struggle.

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The Communist Party leaves little room for public conversation about the movements legacy. How much do you think has been forgotten? And to what effect?

Discussions about the Cultural Revolution are very common in Chinese society, but its all in Chinese, and its all on the Internet. Personal stories, theyre all over. But people dont like talking about the past all the time  they talk about the present.

Theres also nostalgia. People like me from the West listen to Deep Purple or Pink Floyd, but people here listen to Peking Opera or revolutionary songs. Not that they want to return to that time. But people do talk. What they dont like is foreigners telling them what happened, because they werent there, they didnt experience it.

What about the younger generation?

Older people here talk about the Cultural Revolution the way that in Western Europe you hear people talking about the Second World War. Its all history; its not really relevant in many peoples minds.

There have been so many changes in the past four decades since I was a student. Back then people were given jobs in the cities, and if you were in the countryside, you were a peasant. The whole society was organized, and individual freedoms were not there. In the 80s this changed. People were able to set up their own enterprises, able to go to university. Now were going through a new phase of changes, where access to information has dramatically changed, with social media  where information about incidents spreads instantaneously throughout society. And if theyre considered to be disruptive they disappear. But theyre already out there.

People [in China] do not have a say in who is the president or the chairman. But still, their grievances and their positions are being heard and addressed by that very government they are not able to choose.

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50 years later, China hasnt faced the lasting mark the Cultural Revolution left on society

From the Archives: How The Times covered Chinas Cultural Revolution

Former top Chinese official indicted on corruption charges
He was a CIA ally against the Soviet Union, a friend of Osama bin Laden and a ruthless insurgent leader whose forces killed thousands of civilians during the Afghan civil war.

Now the inveterate militant Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is trying to open a new chapter by making peace with the Afghan government.

Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hezb-i-Islami militant organization, is reportedly close to a truce that would end nearly two decades in exile for one of the most enduring and controversial figures in the long Afghan conflict.

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Now in his 60s, Hekmatyar has been exiled since the Taliban came to power in 1996 and drove him out of the country. Hezb-i-Islami is often described as the second largest insurgent group in Afghanistan, but his fighters have little presence on the battlefield and many of Hekmatyars former loyalists have defected to the much larger Taliban.

Still, a deal would be a slight boost for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose effort to make peace with Afghanistans insurgent groups has been flagging while the Taliban continues to battle government forces.

The outlines of an agreement, which were reported by multiple sources on Saturday, would require Hezb-i-Islamis military wing to lay down its arms, respect the Afghan Constitution and cut off ties with any other armed opposition groups.

In return, Hezb-i-Islami fighters in government custody would be released and given the same amnesty granted to other militant groups that were formed to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the Cold War and are accused of killing civilians.

Mohammad Umer Daudzai, a former interior minister, praised Hekmatyars support for peace but said he doubted it would affect the course of the fighting.

Hekmatyar has not been a major force in the war in quite a while, Daudzai said.

Once one of the favorite clients in Afghanistan for U.S. and Pakistani intelligence, Hekmatyar gained a reputation as a power-hungry extremist who came to denounce his U.S. patrons. After taking CIA support to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, he battled his fellow mujahideen commanders during a bloody civil war in the 1990s.

His forces and other factions shelled Kabul indiscriminately during those years and are accused of causing thousands of civilian deaths. He negotiated his way to the prime ministership before the Taliban pushed him out when it came to power.

Now believed to be living in Pakistan, Hekmatyar was designated a global terrorist by the U.S. government and had close ties with Bin Laden when the late Al Qaeda leader was based in Afghanistan. Even as Hekmatyars support has waned  Hezb-i-Islamis political wing has a presence in parliament and the Cabinet but does not have ties to him  he retained a measure of influence with writings and recorded speeches in which he often rails against the United States.

The talks between Hekmatyars group and the governments High Peace Council were reportedly held in Kabul over the last two months. In an interview with the Pajhwok news agency, Mohammad Amin Karim, the groups lead negotiator, said Hekmatyars return to Afghanistan was up in the air but the group asked for Kabul to seek the removal of his name from the U.S. blacklist.

Like other former militia commanders blamed for war crimes  including Abdul Rashid Dostum and Mohammad Mohaqiq, both senior figures in the government  Hekmatyar would be shielded from prosecution under a 2007 amnesty law passed under former President Hamid Karzai.

The entrenched impunity for powerful leaders deeply undermined Afghans confidence in Karzais government and is contributing to growing frustration with Ghanis.

Many Afghans revile Hekmatyar because his forces relentlessly and indiscriminately rocketed and shelled Kabul in the early 1990s, said Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch. His forces werent the only ones to do it, but they carried out some of the worst attacks, killing and wounding thousands.

Some observers wonder whether Hekmatyar would try to seek political power again.

I think he is very ambitious. He would not come to Kabul and accept an isolated life, said Haroun Mir, a Kabul-based political analyst. He would certainly engage in politics, and we know what kind of politics he favors.

He has always had radical views, and that could certainly be a problem for the government.

Pajhwok reported Sunday that Ghani was due to discuss the the talks with members of parliament. In a sign of how he might try to sell the agreement, his wife, Rula Ghani, said Hekmatyar and other former mujahideen leaders were old people who should be allowed back home.

They are ending their lives, the Afghan first lady told an audience at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington over the weekend. If they want to come to Afghanistan and finish their lives where they were born, I think it is only the human way to say, OK, you come, but we put some conditions.

The news of the deal comes just weeks after Ghani declared that he would suspend efforts to begin direct talks with the Taliban, a centerpiece of his foreign police since taking office in August 2014.

Months of meetings among diplomats from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the U.S. and China had failed to bring Taliban leaders to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters continued to battle government forces. A truck bombing in Kabul, which intelligence officials attributed to the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, killed 64 people and wounded hundreds last month.

Many analysts believe the Taliban, whose leadership is fractured, is divided over whether to engage in talks and has little incentive to start them while Ghanis unity government is under stress. A major anti-government demonstration was expected in Kabul on Monday, including members of various ethnic and political groups that have formed part of the government but are increasingly disenchanted with Ghanis leadership, the ongoing fighting and a flailing economy.

A former government official who had campaigned for Ghani in 2014, and requested anonymity to speak candidly, said he doubted the wisdom of wooing Hekmatyar.

Why not put that effort toward the group with the power to keep us in a state of war  the Taliban? the former official said.

Special correspondent Latifi reported from Kabul and staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

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shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia
The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault Sunday on a natural gas plant north of the capital that killed at least 12 people, according to Iraqi officials.

The attack started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the main gate of the plant in the town of Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces, an official said, adding that 25 troops were wounded.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

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The ISIS-affiliated Aamaq news agency credited a group of Caliphate soldiers for the attack.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire caused by the explosions. Younis said technicians were examining the damage.

ISIS extremists still control significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the second-largest city of Mosul. It has declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria.

The group has recently increased its attacks far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield losses.

Since Wednesday, more than 100 people have been killed in a string of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.
May 15, 2016, 1:52pm ET

Toyota develops Land Cruiser roving hotspot network for Australian Outback

The SUVs create allow some of the most remote places on earth to connect.

In the civilized world we take connectivity for granted. In the rough-and-tumble wilds of the Australian Outback, however, there are vast expanses without any link to modern society. Toyota has discovered a way to remedy this with a fleet of Land Cruisers.

Equipped with a small cylindrical device developed in conjunction with Flinders University, the SUVs are transformed into mobile hotspots. The devices are "plug and play" and have a range of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles).

Any wifi-enabled device can then connect to one of the Land Cruisers, even as it's on the move, provided it's within range. The data is then relayed to other Land Cruisers that are also on the move, eventually creating a network of moving hotspots that can constantly pass information from one to the other until one is within range of a traditional hotspot connected to the rest of the world.

Called the LandCruiser Emergency Network, Toyota envisions it as an easily mobilized communications system for remote regions  often which don't have paved roads  in case of natural disasters such as forest fires or floods.

Australia buys more Land Cruisers per capita than anywhere else in the world. In some areas, market share is over 90 percent, so the Toyota SUV was a natural fit for the project. So far, the program has been able to cover 50,000 square kilometers of the Flinders Ranges.
Lower Saucon Township police are looking for the thief or thieves who stole a box full of Pennsylvania vehicle emission stickers earlier this month.

The box of 66 stickers was taken sometime between May 4 and May 5 from a Ford Expedition parked in the 2100 block of Schwab Avenue in the Steel City portion of the township, police said.

A Bethlehem man reported the theft after noticing the stickers were missing, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call township police at 610-317-6110.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
LEBANON TWP. - Emergency crews were dispatched to Anthony Road shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday after two vehicles, a Mazda Miata and a Toyota Venea, collided head-on.

Anthony Road was closed between Mt. Lebanon and Silker roads.

Responding were township police, the township's fire and emergency medical service, Clinton Rescue Squad and Califon Rescue Squad. Califon Fire Department assisted with the road closure.

No further information on the accident or injuries was available as of Saturday afternoon.
Key Speakers At The 2016 SALT Conference

Mark Cuban speaks during the Skybridge Alternatives (SALT) conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, May 12, 2016. (David Paul Morris | Bloomberg)

Now we know just how freaked out some Republicans are about Donald Trump leaving the GOP convention this summer with the party's nomination.

According to a Washington Post report, Mitt Romney is leading a group of disgruntled Republicans trying to recruit Mark Cuban and/or others to launch a third-party run.

From the Post report:

" ... these Republicans -- including commentators William Kristol and Erick Erickson and strategists Mike Murphy, Stuart Stevens and Rick Wilson -- are so repulsed by the prospect of Trump as commander in chief that they are desperate to take action."

The talk of a third-party candidate comes with the usual warnings. Such a run could further splinter the Republican party, and the person who runs would risk forever being known as the candidate who opened the doors to White House for Hillary Clinton.

So maybe it wasn't surprising that Cuban, who has dropped more than a few crumbs suggesting he might one day dabble in politics, said no thanks.

But Romney & Co. aren't stopping with Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and star of "Shark Tank." Other targets have included John Kasich, the last Republican to bow out of the primary race against Trump, and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a vocal critic of Trump's.

Cuban, according to the Washington Post story, didn't seem intimidated by Trump, who he has traded jabs with in the past, but reportedly doubts he would have time to mount a serious challenge.

That doesn't mean people aren't talking about it.

Mark Cuban? They think they're going to fight off Trump with Mark Cuban? https://t.co/PN4vBsjyG0  (((The Other David Cohen))) (@David_S_Cohen) May 14, 2016

Yeah, GOP I understand you want an independent to run against trump but Mark Cuban...Mark Cuban?!?!? Lmfao  Patrick ODonnell (@odonnellpattt) May 14, 2016
A Philadelphia man is accused of killing a woman and setting a Bucks County motel on fire, according to news reports.

Fire crews were called early Sunday morning to the Lincoln Motel, 2277 Lincoln Highway in Bensalem, and found thick black smoke coming from two rooms, according to the Associated Press.

After the fire was extinguished, the body of Mellissa Bacon-Smith, of Philadelphia, was discovered in one of the rooms, police said in a news release.

Kevin Small, 45, was arrested and charged Sunday with homicide, two counts of arson, risking a catastrophe, possession of an instrument of a crime, and reckless endangerment.

Small was sent to jail without bail.

As Small was being led by police to his arraignment, he reportedly said he was sorry for "bad things."

Suspect in the Lincoln Motel homicide Kevin Small says sorry for "Bad Things" @JoeHoldenCBS3 has info @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/lQHEvyTBRU  Joshua Crompton (@PhillyNewsGuy) May 15, 2016

Court documents state that an angry Kevin Small set his girlfriend on fire after throwing a cup of gas in her face pic.twitter.com/qfBspeQyM4  Jo Ciavaglia (@JoCiavaglia) May 15, 2016

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Pat Toomey

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

(AP file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Pat Toomey can't have it both ways.

This week Pennsylvania's junior senator made a request of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Call a vote to allow the Senate to act on the appointments of two federal judge nominees in western Pennsylvania, for seats that been unfilled for years.

Let's give Toomey this much: The sand-in-the-gears approach to elevating federal judges isn't just a hindrance to justice, it's a disgrace. Toomey wants action on the confirmations of Judge Marilyn J. Horan in Pittsburgh and Judge Susan Paradise Baxter in Erie. The latter is especially critical because there is no federal judge in the entire northwest corner of the state.

Attorneys and litigants in our area can commiserate, having experienced periodic vacancies in federal judgeships in Easton and Allentown that added to backlogs and forced people to go to Philadelphia for federal court proceedings.

This a problem for the entire country, not just Pennsylvania. And it's beyond hypocritical of Toomey to expect that any judge deserves special treatment when he and most other GOP senators are blocking hearings -- much less an up-or-down vote -- on President Obama's choice of Judge Merrick Garland to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I think this would be progress if we could simply agree to have a vote on these two nominees," Toomey said. "Let's get off this all-or-nothing situation."

Et tu, senator?

McConnell made it clear to Toomey that Pennsylvania isn't going to cut in line. Nine other judges cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee have been in the pipeline longer than the Pennsylvania nominees.

At least Toomey met with Garland, unlike most senators, and came away convinced that the judge is not the right fit for the high court.

Still, if Toomey wanted to make a sensible pitch for fair play he could have done what Sen. Bob Casey did -- call upon McConnell to schedule votes for all the federal judge candidates who have committee approval.

Fair play isn't much of a factor in federal judgeships anymore -- although Casey and Toomey, like other senators divided by party, have found a way to balance their preferences for appointments and tried to keep on top of vacancies.

Everything in the Senate is being colored by the standoff over Scalia's successor. Last week a Toomey spokesman reiterated the rationale for putting off any consideration of Garland (or anyone Obama might nominate) until next year -- to give the American people, through the presidential election, the final say on filling a vacancy that could give liberals or conservatives an edge on the high court.

A recent Quinnipiac poll found that most Pennsylvanians, 54 percent, want the Senate to vote on Garland. The same poll reported that Toomey and Democrat Katie McGinty are in a virtual tie for the race for his Senate seat. Read into that what you will. The way American politics are running today, there is only my side/your side, and never the twain shall meet.

That's the modus operandi of the Senate as well, a body once described as "collegial."

Too often we're reminded that this type of brinkmanship doesn't just retard the business of politics, but the business of the courts -- which, while it can't be totally depoliticized, would be improved greatly by respecting the Constitution and acting on federal judge nominees who are ready to go.
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The North Leitrim Commemoration Committee held a wreath laying ceremony in St Aidan's Cemetery, Kinlough last Sunday, May 8 in memory of 1916 volunteer Owen Greene. Thomas Kelly told those present that Owen Greene fought in Boland's Mills during the 1916 Rising.

He joined C Company 3rd Battalion Dublin Brigade of the volunteers around 1914. On Easter Sunday he paraded with his company on the drill ground of the 3rd battalion at Camden Row, after some time they were dismissed and told not to leave the city.

On Easter Monday morning Owen was instructed to assemble at Earls Fort Terrace with full equipment and three days rations and proceed to Boland's Mills where he was met by the OC. He was stationed at various parts of the mills and on the railway line that ran alongside the mill.

On Friday he was sent with OC Simon Donnelly and two other volunteers to a house on Grand Canal Street to dislodge enemy snipers who were operating there.

Owen was shot in his left leg in nearby Mount Street and was administered first aid by Simon Donnelly.

He was taken from here to St Patrick Duns Hospital where he remained for some months. At some stage Owen was moved to a military hospital at Kilmainham with another brave soldier of Ireland Cathal Brugha. He was released in the middle of July 1916 with the last of the prisoners being released at Christmas 1916.

Owen Greene was a native of Mullaghdun, County Fermanagh. He worked in his uncle's drapery shop at Main Street, Kinlough where he met and married Tessie McGowan, they lived in a house beside St Aidan's Church, Kinlough.

Thomas thanked May Owens daughter for her help and for making information on her father available to the committee.

Wreaths were laid by Martin McGowan on behalf of the family, by Kevin Clancy on behalf of the North Leitrim Commemoration Committee and by Liam (Willie) Kelly on behalf of Leitrim independent republicans. Ciaran Curneen read the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. This was followed by a minute's silence for Owen Greene and everyone who died for Irish freedom. Seamus McGowan recited 'For what Died the Sons of Roisin'. This was followed by a decade of the rosary as gaeilge. The proceedings concluded with Amhran na bhFiann.
Citing concerns raised by the Irish Justice Secretary to her Eurosceptic British counterpart, Michael Gove, Alistair Carmichael, Lib Dem Home Affairs Secretary has accused the Government of being hell-bent on unravelling the Union.

The Irish Minister said that decoupling Northern Irish law and the European Convention on Human Rights could undermine the Good Friday Agreemment on which the peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland was based.

The Ministers letter can be read here.

This also applies to the devolution settlements in Scotland and Wales.

Alistair said:

The devolved settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the European convention hard-wired into them. This Tory government seems hell bent on unravelling the Union by their actions.

We know that, having gone quiet on human rights for a while, the Tories are keen to proceed with their plans to trash the Human Rights Act. Tim Farron said:

It has taken generations to enshrine in law the human rights we all share today. It is a very dangerous move for the Tories to scrap everything and start again from scratch. His meddling will only risk our future. We have fought for centuries to establish our basic rights. It is very dangerous to start playing around with them now in order to score a few political points and placate a hostile cabinet.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
When you fall foul of Godwins Law by bringing Hitler into a conversation, you have to expect to be criticised. Boris Johnson isnt stupid. Far from it. He was trying to get those two words resounding in peoples heads. It doesnt matter that he refined his comments in the interview. The headlines turbo-boost the poison dripping from the Brexiteers in their highly emotive campaign. They play on peoples fears and suggest that leaving the EU would solve all our problems.

Both Tim Farron and Paddy Ashdown have been quick to resoundingly condemn Boriss comments. Tim said:

Under Hitler, Europeans were killing each other, now they are arguing over Eurovision. The European Union is what happens when countries seek to learn from the past and work together. Boris Johnsons latest intervention is what happens when people refuse to learn the lessons of the past and seek to spread discord by inventing conspiracies. The EU has helped secure peace; Hitler destroyed peace and killed millions of innocent people. It is extraordinary that anyone even needs to point this out to him.

While Paddy tweeted:

Boris: Another tuppeny tin-pot imitation Churchill promising "fight them on the beaches" while weakening our defences & wrecking our economy  Paddy Ashdown (@paddyashdown) May 15, 2016

They are right, but we need more proactive, positive commentary from them too:

Weve had precious little melody to counteract the negativity on both sides. I do accept that the Remain campaign has to point out the harsh reality of leaving Europe as defined by virtually every credible international source, but they need to elevate their appeal. Tim Farron did that very well the other day with his excellent speech but thats not going to reach many people. We need him on video saying this stuff, with bite sized snippets to share on social media. Nobody has, as far as I know, produced a video of that speech and I think that was a big mistake. No doubt hell be giving it a few more times over the next few weeks (itll be what the West Wing describes as modified stump) so lets make sure that we can share it. Few voters are going to take five minutes out of their day to read the transcript of a speech, even one as good as that. He adds so much to the words when he delivers them.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
AFANTASTIC evening of fashion, style and of course awards was enjoyed by guests at the VIP Style Awards held in Dublin's Marker Hotel.

Darren Kennedy was a real lively host for the evening and we all had a little giggle when he introduced himself to Conor McGregors two bodyguards, appropriately named Rocky and Drago. Beautiful Limerick ladies who were nominated for awards included Shauna Lindsay who wore a dress by Eamonn Mc Gill Designs and Madeline Mulqueen who wowed in a creation by Jennifer Young Designs. Also in attendance was the very talented Leanne Moore who was looking very on trend in a black jumpsuit.

I had the pleasure of wearing a couture piece by Limericks own Marion Murphy Cooney. The jewellery was designed and created by Azure which is available from Ela Maria in Newcastle West. My hair was styled by Anita from Hugh Campbell Hair Group while my makeup was by Jenny at MAC makeup in Brown Thomas Limerick.

My shoes were also from Brown Thomas Limerick. It came as a complete shock when I was voted by the audience in attendance as the Most Stylish at The Marker and what a coincidence it was that both myself and Nicky Byrne won awards in 2016 and we both won back in 2011! What are the chances!

Nicky won the title of Most Stylish Man both in 2011 and in 2016. Conor McGregor and his girlfriend Dee Devlin, who won the title of Most Stylish Newcomer, were sitting close to me and we all had fun chatting! The highly-anticipated Most Stylish Woman award capped off the night, as Rosanna Davison crowned Vogue Williams as this years winner. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for me online in that category! Roll on next year!
EVA International is Irelands biennial of contemporary art, which takes place in Limerick every two years. While the biennial is one larger thing, it takes place across the city in different venues.

The Limerick City Gallery of Art is hosting part of EVA International, and clearly from whats on show its abundantly full of stories and stuffed to the brim with history.

The place of the archive in art today is difficult to understate. Artists love archives.

The archive is rich in visual material, from photographs, to letters, and official documents. It connects the artwork with a certain seriousness  archaeology, anthropology, sociology, history and politics. Closely related to this, artists also love old photographs, forgotten crafts, and discarded objects for a certain kind of poetic feeling they represent. The poetry of old things lends itself also to storytelling, for a subject matter and structure for the artists voice.

In the first room, John Waids letters to RTE tells of how in 1916 the Irish time zone was moved by 25 minutes 21 seconds to sync with England, and Tiffany Chungs video, map drawings, slab of stone and series of texts, all relate to the clearing out and reconstruction of a densely populated area of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Both are contemporary artists and both artworks are made in the last 3 years, yet they use the working methods and style of an archive  taking deep histories and connecting them to the present.

This line of thinking is continued by three artists who may not use archival material per se, but whose use of craft reminds of that which is forgotten. Godfried Donkor, whose drawings of animals, plants and people sprawl across the walls surrounding two, painstakingly handmade lace outfits; one a jumpsuit, the other a straightjacket. Mona Vatamanu and Florin Tudor, who worked collaboratively to make two sewn maps of the world  one describing each country not by its name, but by its levels of debt; the other showing each country by their main industry type.

Other artists in the Limerick City Gallery of Art are political in a similar way to those above, but take a more romantic approach, working with storytelling and the evocative nature of old objects.

Naeem Mohaiemens artwork, titled Abu Ammar is coming (2016), is large video projection, shown in a small darkened room; the piece involves a series of old photographs, either they sit still or are held by a hand wearing a white glove, slowly turning one over the other. A voiceover repeatedly asks questions about the men in the photographs; who are they, where are they from, what are they doing? Kapwani Kiwanga presents her own kinds of questions, but these are asked through the strangeness by which objects occupy the gallery space; the tossed table, the torn photographs. Again in a darkened room, the traces suggested here imply violence, mysterious with an unnerving potential for danger.

Theres all this and more in the Limerick City Gallery of Art  continuing until 17 July.

The ideas and themes of EVA International sit somewhere between history and politics, wavering in and around the politics of history and the history of politics. Contemporary society is marked by its colonial past on all sides, inside and out, and it is the sticky legacy of imperialism, racism and exploitation worldwide which Koyo Kouoh, this years curator, has made the subject of the 2016 EVA International biennial  in perfect time for the 1916 centenary.

Find more at https://www.facebook.com/ChrisHayesArt.
BISHOP of Limerick, Brendan Leahy, has said that in the lead up to Limericks resettlement programme for Syrian refugees, care must be taken not to import a classification into our migrants.

The issue for me is that we will have a variety of migrants coming; we have European migrants, non-European migrants who are coming with a work permit, then we have people who are coming under resettlement programmes, then we have relocation programs and the asylum seekers who are already here.

I am slightly nervous that we will end up with categories of migrants, and that would be unfortunate because we would end up importing a classification into our migrants.

A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council stated that the Syrians, who will be arriving to Limerick in the next number of weeks, will have the same rights and entitlements as an Irish person, under the 1951 Geneva Convention.

Bishop Leahy said: It could end up that we have those that are looked after better, those who are looked after less well or those who are told to just get on with it.

I think we need to be careful that those who are in the asylum system for 10 years dont drop down the attention span and are left here waiting for their asylum.

Bishop Leahy said that the biggest thing we can offer people is hospitality and welcome, with small gestures making a difference.

He added: We need to support migrants in whatever way we can and by our solidarity. We need to remember our own history of emigration.

Its not just our grandparents who emigrated, its members of our own family. We have to ask ourselves how were there treated when they went there and project that back to ourselves.

A past UL student, Syrian-born Razan Ibraheem, who came to Ireland five years ago said that it is hugely important the first impression of any person. If they feel they are welcomed in the society then it will be hugely different.

Bishop Leahy said that after Christmas, the hype about the migrants lulled and that this has meant our focus on migrants has diminished a bit.

He said: This is the very period where we could start preparing ourselves. Id love to see a bit more coordination going on between us all at this stage. As a migrant to Limerick myself, I have been very welcomed.

Laura McAndrew is a journalism and new media student in UL
THE politically aware pupils of Ahalin NS in Knockaderry have tested and tasted people power and found it works.

In about the same time as it has taken our newly elected TDs to even agree to form a government, the Knockaderry pupils have already delivered on some of their manifesto promises and have raised the money to deliver the remainder.

We should be in government, grinned Gary Storin this week as pupils relived their own school election which took place in tandem with the general election in February and was reported in the Limerick Leader at the time. It was that story which went online which brought Japanese journalist, Shinya Sugizaki to Ahalin school on Monday.

There, the fifth and sixth class pupils explained how, in the run-up to the February election, they set up their own political parties, wrote their own manifestoes, produced their own campaign slogans, posters and videos and canvassed the entire school population for votes. They also appointed a returning officer and a team to count the votes.

After an exciting and fun campaign, the school returned three winners from a list of six candidates.

But, for the elected candidates, the unelected candidates and the voting pupils, this was far from the end of the matter.

Instead, their teacher Cormac Behan explained this week, the pupils wanted to know what would happen their manifestoes and campaign promises. They wanted action, in other words. And they undertook to organise a Fun Day at the school to help pay to make the campaign slogans a reality.

The fund-raising involved a sale of used games and toys as well as organising all sorts of pay-in competitions and almost 800 was raised, Mr Behan said, adding that the manifesto promises had also been brought to a staff meeting.

Already, the pupils pointed out to the Limerick Leader this week, some promises such as new library books, locks on toilet doors and individual coat hooks for each pupil have been delivered on. Others such as a Buddy Bench and giant outdoor PE equipment are on the way, to their great glee and satisfaction. It has been very empowering for them, Cormac Behan said.

The pupils just grinned and savoured the sweet taste of success.

Significantly, the Ahalin pupils included in their programme for improvement the ideas of the defeated as well as those of the successful candidates. And, let our adult politicians take note, this was achieved without a trace of rancour or one-upmanship and without weeks of talks.

I am very happy, said Colm OConnor, a successful candidate for the Playground party. And for him, the big bonus was: We didnt lie.

And while he, along with several others including Eoghan Doherty, have loved their first taste of elections and power and are hugely enthusiastic about being involved in politics when they are older, one or two demur. I wouldnt like it because a lot of politicians are hypocrites, said Liam Barrow.

Shinya Sugizaki, who had spent the previous weekend observing the count in the Northern Assembly elections, was clearly impressed with the pupils grasp of the intricacies of the Proportional Representation and the vagaries of the Single Transferable Vote.

In Japan, he told them, voting is on a first past the post system and a lot of votes are wasted. I would like my readers to know about this system.

He quizzed the children closely on how PR works, on its advantages and disadvantages. Your vote still counts even if your number one doesnt get elected. Your number two still counts. explained Eoghan Doherty.

It was very close and intense, said Gary Storin, explaining how the third seat was filled on the last count. Others explained to him how the counting was done and how they made their decisions.

But they were delighted too that Ahalin and Knockaderry was going to go big in Japan where the Asahi Shimbun, sells over 10m copies a day.
JUST when I thought that the time had come for rural Ireland to shake off its depressing victimhood, become much more assertive and stop the incessant whinging over exaggerated rumours of its demise, along comes Limerick man, John Moran, with an idea to prioritise the urbanisation of the whole population in the interests of the countrys future prosperity.

No more bog trotters with a huge sense of grievance then; no more culchies with a genetic sense of entitlement. Were all going to be slap-happy city slickers in this new concrete utopia that will still be called the Emerald Isle, presumably.

I couldnt believe what I was reading. Paying lip service to rural Ireland, which has been the case since Brian Boru routed the Danes, was infinitely preferable to this new kind of straight talking. I just cant take it. It was like someone had just poured pesticide on my rural roots and I could feel them shrivelling up.

No doubt, the Danes, who were the first to urbanise us, were applauding Mr Morans heroic vision from their ancient settlement graves on the banks of the Liffey, but I found myself reaching for the pike in the rafters and drafting a new proclamation of independence for rural Ireland  just in case this new Government was ever foolish enough to heed his words. He was after all, secretary general of the Department of Finance in the last Government and, during the last five years or so, wielded a lot of influence in overall fiscal policy, which obviously failed to wow the electorate, urban or rural. But the omens arent good. Instead of creating the expected new Ministry for Rural Affairs last week, theyve lumped rural Ireland in with arts and culture. And, seeing that culture is regarded among the powers that be as largely an urban phenomenon, it means that most of the money allocated to the Minister, will be swallowed up in the new global city  or cities, because, apparently, we need more than one.

Now maybe Im over-reacting. Maybe my imagination is running riot and there is still no real substance to Kavanaghs hungry fiend, screaming the apocalypse of clay, in every corner of this land'. Surely, disadvantaged farmers wont give up their hard won status for the joys of urban living, without a fight; surely the turf cutters will never allow themselves to be urbanised.

Nevertheless, I still think we, the people of rural Ireland, should be proactive and stand our ground while we have it. We need to make it clear that we dont want to live in a global city and be part of a melting pot of ideas among smart, innovative, entrepreneurial people. Were smart enough ourselves. We also need to tell the upcoming main global city to take its greasy hands off the Shannon River and drink Dollymount Strand dry if it wants to bask in global glory. But what we need most of all is to maintain our connection to the earth and preserve it and our basic pastoral identity from these latter day Viking city builders.

Mr Moran says that the taxpayers cant afford to subsidise rural Ireland any longer. If the country is to prosper, we must abandon our small town mentality and the ghost estates we encouraged developers to build on the outskirts of small villages less than ten years ago, and concentrate our resources on creating a global city. And maybe a couple of more, if we can fit them onto our 70,283 square kilometres of space without ruining the skyline and blocking out the sun. But youd think that rural dwellers dont pay any tax at all the way we are being dismissed as a hindrance to the advance of the nation. And youd never think either that Irish agriculture contributes 24 billion to the national economy every year.

The citizens of Limerick, however, will be glad to hear that Mr Moran wants to see his own city transformed into one of those turbo charged engines of growth with its population soaring to 600,000 to 750,000.

Presumably, rural west Limerick, Clare and Tipperary will be left to the hen harrier and the privileged few who will still be able to live there, with a private jet parked outside, untroubled by either the taxman or the taxpayer. But, how the GAA is going to deal with the new demographic, I have no idea.

Its a bold vision alright and Mr Moran himself admits that there will be casualties in terms of life as weve known it. But what I find most alarming is not the cursory dismissal of such potential casualties or, when it comes down to it, of rural demands for something essential like a better broadband service. Neither is it the ignoring of rural attachments, loyalties and identity. Its not even the blinkered vision of a metropolitan paradise without a mention of the social problems that would inevitably ensue. Unlike the Vikings of yore, we cant even run a medium sized city as it is, without creating ghettoes.

No, what alarms me most is the suggestion that older people living in fear in isolated rural houses where they were born and where they grew up, would be better off being urbanised in in-town, high-end, ageing-friendly, independent living solutions, with concierge help and in-house medical services, which would allow the residents to stroll down to the shops and markets. Honestly, I cant think of anything - outside of Orwells nightmare world of 1984  that would be less appealing for a rural dweller like myself, in his or her twilight years.

As for the symbiotic relationship between whats left of rural life and the new concrete wonderland now being imagined, Im even more sceptical. Ive had several symbiotic relationships myself in my time, and none of them ever really worked to my advantage. So why should this one?
ATER a lifetime working in wood, woodturning still holds its fascination for John Ryan from Ballyneety. Its not just about working with your hands. The brain is working away too, he says.

And there is satisfaction in being involved with a craft whose origins go back thousands of years. Turned items were found the tomb of Tutankhamun which dates from 1350 BC, he points out. And nearer home, a cauldron found in a bog in Co Monaghan is thought to be over 2,350 years old.

In the old days, turning formed part of a wider picture, John explains. You could have a turner in some of the (iron) foundries and in some of the big industries.

But with automation, he adds, a lot of the traditional skills came under pressure and turners had to be multi-taskers and adept at other aspects of working with wood, such as carpentry, cabinet making or joinery.

That, says John, is still very much the case today and now, only a very few are full-time professionals. In the Limerick chapter of the Irish Woodturners Guild, which celebrates 25 years this year, there are only a handful of full-timers, among them Donal Ryan, Barry Lewis and Liam Flynn.

It can be daunting being full time, John observes, and even more so given that many turners are what he calls earthy people, not really cut out for commercialism. But, he goes on, most of the Limerick chapters 30 or so members are long-time devotees, with very high levels of skill.

It takes a lot of practice and time to develop as a woodturner, John points out. But he believes the work of Irish Woodturners Guild and its Limerick chapter has contributed hugely to honing the skills of its exponents and has been pivotal in saving what was very much a dying craft.

Happily, according to John who is a founding member of the Limerick chapter and its current vice-chairman, the past number of decades has seen a re-igniting of interest. What we are doing now is more at the art end of things, John explains. A lot of our work is one-off and some of the stuff is contemporary art.

There is a lot of satisfaction in it, John continues. I suppose it is the creative urge. You can see something you have made. You can fashion it to whatever idea is in your head. When you start on a piece, there is a significant amount of concentration involved. One slip could destroy your piece.

Moreover, he adds: You dont really know what is going to happen until the very end.

It takes time and practice to build up the skills involved, how to work the chisel and the lathe; how to sharpen your tools, how to saw the timber.

A short film showing Liam Flynn at work exemplifies this. Liam, who is from Abbeyfeale and continues to work there, is one of the foremost artists in wood of his generation.

He works mostly in green, ie not kiln-dried, wood and has built up a reputation for his skill in reading wood. When he examines a piece of a tree, he explains, he is looking to see the grain structure. I am designing the piece as I am looking and I am drawing out roughly what size log of wood I am going to cut, he explains.

He then hefts his log on to a lathe and begins moving it round. I am reading it. In a way, I am reading the material, he explains.

His designs rely for their shape on the wood drying or distorting in a particular way. But it is only because he understands exactly how this will happen that he achieves his distinctive pieces. It is an interplay between the material and its natural drying and my own stamp, Liam says, describing his work. For him, the nature of the wood is not primary. What continues to enthrall him are shape and texture. That, and the fact that there is always something new and fresh to discover. I am still finding new things. I keep adapting and learning new things, Liam says.

My approach, he goes on, is changing a little now. I dont worry about the technical side so much.

Liams work has been bought for some of the worlds most prestigious collections and museums, among them the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It can also be found in the National Museum of Ireland and in Limerick City Art Gallery and the Royal Dublin Society.

And this Saturday, for the first time in many years, Liam will give a demonstration as part of a day-long workshop to mark the Limerick Woodturners 25th anniversary.

Recalling the founding of the Limerick chapter a quarter of a century ago, current chairman Brendan Collins said there were eight or ten of them who got together at the time.

He was an apprentice carpenter but became interested in woodturning and has remained involved since. Their aims, he says, were to raise the profile of woodturning but also to improve members skills and techniques.

Over the years, Brendan explains, they have organised day long workshops for woodturners of all abilities. And at every monthly meeting of the chapter, there is a demonstration following which the members go away and replicate the technique for the following meeting.

For Brendan now, woodturning is more hobby than livelihood but the appeal remains and he talks about different woods as if they were friends.

This Saturdays workshop marking their 25 years will also be a chance for members to showcase their work, Brendan explains. There will be a gallery of work, he says, and a prize for best in show.

The event will take place in the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel starting at 9.30am and a small number of places are available on each of the workshops. Along with Liam Flynn, professional woodturner Donal Ryan from Borrisoleigh will also conduct a demonstration as will Christien Van Bussel, a potter from Holland who took up woodturning when she moved to Wicklow.

Non-members are welcome to attend on Saturday where anybody with an interest in woodturning will be made welcome.

To book your spot or to find out more about Limerick Woodturners you can ring Tom OHalloran on 086-2770904.
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Family & Parenting, School & Education, Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 15 2016

In advance of the Board of Regents meeting on Monday, Senator Todd Kaminsky and the Chair of the Assembly Education Subcommittee on Students with Special Needs, Shelley Mayer, sent a letter to New York State ...

A large number of students are at risk of being denied a recognizable high school diploma simply because they are non-traditional learners or have special needs.

Albany, NY - May 13, 2016 - In advance of the Board of Regents meeting on Monday, Senator Todd Kaminsky and the Chair of the Assembly Education Subcommittee on Students with Special Needs, Shelley Mayer, sent a letter to New York State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, urging immediate action by the Board of Regents to provide greater diploma options for this years class of students.

Kaminsky and Mayer voiced their concern that a large number of students are at risk of being denied a recognizable high school diploma simply because they are non-traditional learners or have special needs.

The Class of 2015 was the first class victimized by discriminatory diploma standards in New York, and unfairly denied recognized high school diplomas, said Senator Kaminsky.

Enough is enough. These students are talented individuals and they deserve to be celebrated with the same distinction and honor that all their classmates receive. One size does not fit all, and just because a student may not pass five Regents exams does not mean they should be condemned to second class status. This injustice must be rectified immediately so that in June, we can honor their potential by providing them, and the Class of 2015, with what they truly deserve: a recognizable high school diploma.

While we work to develop more comprehensive solutions, the Board of Regents must take immediate action to address the problem confronting the class of 2015, said Assemblymember Mayer. We need to do more to develop appropriate diploma options for the diverse students in our schools. Too many students with valuable skills, who have the potential to make tremendous contributions to our workforce and communities, are struggling to develop to their fullest potential.

Without Regents Competency Tests (RCTs), which were eliminated in 2011, and despite some safety net options, students are required to pass five Regents exams in order to earn a high school diploma.

Many students, mainly non-traditional learners and those with special needs, have tremendous difficulties in passing these tests to meet the state requirements, leaving them without a recognized high school diploma.

Monday is the Boards last chance to rule on whether to provide an alternative recognized diploma option for this year's graduates that have encountered difficulties in passing Regents exams.
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
A North Korean coast guard ship has detained a Russian yacht with a crew of five people on board, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, adding it had sent a note to Pyongyang demanding explanation for the cause of the detention.



The yacht was on its way from South Korea's port city of Pusan to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East when it was detained 80 miles (129 km) off the coast in North Korea's exclusive economic zone on Friday, the ministry said, giving no further detail.



The yacht is now in the North Korean port of Kimchaek, and Russia's consul general is awaiting permission from the authorities to meet the crew, the ministry said, adding that their lives or health were not in danger.



(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)




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Coast Guard aircrews continued searching through the day and into the evening Saturday, after beginning a search Friday for a woman who fell from a cruise ship - about 200 miles southeast of Galveston-, Texas. See map at : www.google.com/maps/@27.6743155,-96.8294863,6z.

Samantha Broberg, 33, was reported missing to the ships personnel Friday around noon, which caused the Carnival Liberty to search the ship for her. She was not found aboard the ship, but they reported that video showed her falling overboard from the 10th deck at around 2 a.m. After it was confirmed that she had fallen overboard, the crew contacted the Coast Guard at about 5 p.m.



Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crews from Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama, and Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, have alternated sorties since beginning the search, saturating a 22 by 63 nautical mile area with a combined search area total of more than 3,000 square miles.



The Ocean Sentry aircrews have stopped searching for the night and plan to resume at first light Sunday.www.google.com/maps/@27.6743155,-96.8294863,6z
The Board of Harbor Commissioners last evening awarded 83 sponsorships totaling $359,795, capping off a record year of Port community sponsorships that highlight the Port of Long Beachs role in international trade and dedication to social responsibility.



With the latest sponsorships, the Port has given a total of $737,995 in the current fiscal year, which began last October, for 159 events representing a wide cross section of the city and causes such as the arts, environment, social justice and historic preservation.



Harbor commissioners in August 2015 adopted new guidelines for the Port's community sponsorship program with goals of increasing participation, setting clear, user-friendly guidelines and enhancing the Port's focus on public service.



As the record number of applicants and recipients shows, the new sponsorship policy, coupled with an aggressive outreach campaign, is proving successful, said Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzman. The Port of Long Beach takes great pride in supporting local organizations that represent the diversity of our city and make it such a wonderful place to live.



Among the many events and programs sponsored in the latest call for applications are the International Seafarers Center Maritime Salute, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust environmental education and cleanup program, the WomenShelter of Long Beach annual fundraiser and AIDS Food Store annual reception. Commissioners and Port staff attend many sponsored events as part of the Harbor Departments community outreach efforts.



The Port received 273 applications this fiscal year. The most received in any prior year was 200 applications.




Why Britain Must Choose Brexit Despite the Economic Damage All Economists Say She Will Suffer

Petros Diplas writes: Because Britain must maintain its current enviable and prestigious geopolitical position in the world and if possible to make it even stronger, not only for the sake of "History and the Empire" but also for an even greater future enrichment of herself. Because Britains area of interest is the entire world and not a subset which is Europe. Europe is good for Britain as long as it helps her in her global goals.

Then why the vast majority (over 85%) of all economists emphasize that the British economy will suffer damages by the exit.

Do the British want to undergo a financial loss just for the sake of the Prestige of the kingdom?

Of course not.

Simply the British are the kind of people who prefer the pounds of the future than the pennies of today. In contrast with the vast majority of economists who are against (even to think of) anything that can reduce  even the next day, if not the next hour - the gains of the financial system. We all remember what they have reassuringly saying just before the outbreak of the great crisis of 2007-2008, in order to avoid anything harmful to the financial markets. This is why economists do not want to hear about Brexit.

Certainly, in the very short-term there will be negative repercussions. But only in the short term.

For indeed if Brexit happens there will be turmoil, the Sterling will fall, some foreign investments which came to Britain with a focus on Europe will recede, the City will be shaken, shares will fall. But only initially.



But the British people must think of the future. And future-wise, Britain will not enjoy advantages as an EU member. On the contrary

Should the EU integrate further and create the United States of Europe (USE, as USA) the center of United Europe will be the German-French-Dutch axis while Britain to become just an island at the edge of Europe.

Shifting from the role of a main actor in the global center of the economic, financial and education stage into an extra without any autonomous geopolitical weight. From an Empire to a Prefecture.

Today Britain is a large, autonomous, independent power among America, Europe and the Commonwealth, having 'affiliated' and privileged relations with the majority of the developed and the developing world, where it has given her own language. And these specifics are the ones supplying her with her wealth.

This unique great legacy is not possible for Britain to abandon just to become a small part of a family, with whom she always felt as second cousin but not a sibling.

It just seems like today when on 15 February 1930, Churchill commented: We see nothing but good and hope in a richer, freer, more contented European commonality. But we have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked but not compromised. We are interested and associated but not absorbed.

And in 1953, speaking in the British House: "We intend to meld into a European federal system. We have a special relationship with Europe, expressed by the "with" and not with "the." We are with them but not of them. We have our own Commonwealth and Empire. "

I think that Churchills words apply more to todays situation than ever.

If the EU does develop into USE, the independent course of Britain will be even more successful due to both future supergiants (todays giants) China and India have and always will have a special relationship with the Metropolis of the Empire.

Britain due to the much friendlier entrepreneurial environment has achieved to lure the economic and financial elite of the world. In the last decades, all wealthy Arabs prefer to go to London than Frankfurt. After all Adam smith was British and Karl Marx, German (!). In the years to come all wealthy Chinese and Indians (nearly half of the world) will also come to London and not Frankfurt. Is this not the reason why high housing prices in London are real and not hot air? Is this not the reason why high real estate prices will be sustained because of constant world demand?

To understand better the unique economic comparative advantages of Britain just compare how housing prices have evolved in London and Athens in the past 35 years. In 1981 (year when Greece joined the EU) you could have sold an apartment in Athens and buy with it 2 apartments in London. In 2016 you could sell one of these London apartments and buy 10 of those in Athens (!).

The economic environment in Britain is much more liberal, pro-investment and pro-entrepreneurial compared to the bureaucratic and cumbersome European, which means that the negative situation caused by Brexit will quickly heal.

If after Brexit economic relations with the EU remain pretty much as they are (Europe has more or less accepted that), this will mean that Britain not only has been spared from the European limitations to her economic liberalism but also that the path to greater growth has been opened.

And dont forget the (hidden?) anti-British sentiments of the German-French-Dutch axle which do not help (as we say the feelings are mutual baby...).

However as a foreigner (and not a British) I have to wonder what will Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would do should the UK leave the EU? Will they want to stay in the EU finding this as an excuse to leave the UK? A British friend of mine told me that if Britain suffers severe aftershocks after the Brexit for a long time and on the other hand Europe does well, then it might be a possibility.

By Petros Diplas

Economist - seas@otenet.gr

Financial Journalist, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). (2014  today). Graduate of the Economic School of the University of Athens. State scholarship (1981). Graduate (MA) of the City University of London on International Financial Journalism.(1986). Postgraduate Thesis. World Shipping Crisis 1981-1985: Its tackling by the Greek Shipowners (1986). (Praise of the Financial Times-The FT foreign affairs editor singled it out as the best of the year).

Copyright  2016 Petros Diplas - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Union, Not Brexit, Threatens World Peace and Stability

Britains David Cameron has it backwards, warning Brexit threatens continental peace - calling support for the move reckless and irresponsible, risking Britains economic stability, leaving it permanently poorer.



Former London Mayor Boris Johnson hit back, saying Britains economy is independent of EU membership. The union doesnt preserve peace, and supporting Brexit isnt anti-European.

Napoleon, Hitler and others sought a European super-state with disastrous results. (N)o underlying loyalty to (a united) Europe exists.



National sovereignty is sacred. Sacrificing it to an external authority risks a bad ending. From inception, Eurozone monetary union was an idea doomed to fail.



It includes 19 of the 28 EU member states. Monetary expert Bernard Connolly called the idea a harebrained scheme doomed to fail. Its just a matter of time.



Combining dissimilar countries like economic powerhouse Germany, tiny Cyprus, and troubled Greece under one monetary/fiscal system courts disaster.



Nations under Eurozone entrapment forego the right to devalue their currency to make exports more competitive. They lose sovereignty over their money to monetize debt freely. They cant independently legislate growth stimulating fiscal policies.



NATO member states and partners comprise nearly one-third of world nations. Its post-Cold War transformation into a global police force threatens world peace.



Dominated by America, its the main source of global conflicts, related violence, instability and chaos. Its existence threatens humanitys survival. Perhaps its only chance is disbanding it altogether.



Imagine if 50 states never combined to create America. Imagine a world at peace instead of permanent war.

By Stephen Lendman

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com

His new book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 2016 Copyright Stephen Lendman - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




One partner in the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline project informed investors that competition for pipeline infrastructure within the Appalachian Basin is intense and warned that lack of access to such infrastructure could drag down company earnings.

EQT Corp.s annual report, filed Feb. 11, said investments in affiliate EQT Midstream, one partner in the 301-mile Mountain Valley interstate pipeline, should help yield the infrastructure desired.

Yet a study by a Cleveland-based think tank that promotes renewable energy contends that natural gas pipelines out of the Marcellus and Utica shale formations in the Appalachian Basin are being overbuilt.

David Messersmith, an educator with Penn State Extensions Marcellus Education Team, said he believes the truth resides somewhere in the middle.

There is clearly a need for additional pipeline infrastructure, although perhaps not as much as is currently proposed, he said. This is a market-driven process, and we are perhaps beginning to see the market correct itself regarding pipeline capacity.

He cited a recent decision by Kinder Morgan and subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline to suspend the Northeast Energy Direct interstate natural gas pipeline project. A statement from Kinder Morgan said it decided to suspend the 420-mile, $3 billion project because not enough customers had signed on to ship gas through the pipeline.

It wouldnt surprise me to see additional projects in the Marcellus-Utica basin canceled or put on hold, Messersmith said.

The study suggesting that pipelines are being overbuilt was published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis at the request of Appalachian Mountain Advocates and Appalachian Voices, two nonprofit organizations opposed to both the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the separate Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Karl Cates, a spokesman for the institute, said the two groups did not pay for the study. Funding came from philanthropic foundations that support the institutes work and renewable energy, he said.

The study never explicitly states that the two pipelines are not needed. Instead, it suggests that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions analysis of proposed interstate pipeline projects lacks a comprehensive process to establish the need for new natural gas infrastructure.

Messersmith said FERC does not comprehensively evaluate the need for all pipeline projects serving the same market.

To some degree, I believe the market will identify which projects are needed and capital will flow to those projects, he said. It may be an inefficient system but ultimately I believe it works.

Yet Messersmith also said he believes there is some merit to comprehensively evaluating pipeline infrastructure projects, especially those following a similar path and serving the same market.

Many opponents of the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast projects have said FERC should prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to consider together these similar projects and their cumulative impacts.

FERC has repeatedly said its role does not include a plan or policy focused on the development of natural gas infrastructure. Instead, FERC has said it acts on individual applications and will authorize an interstate pipeline project if it is or will be required by the present or future public convenience and necessity.

Meanwhile, the companies backing the multi-billion dollar Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast projects say the demand is clear. And FERC says its review process does evaluate the possibility of overbuilding.

A FERC filing by Mountain Valley Pipeline reports that natural gas shippers have signed on for 100 percent of the pipelines capacity and are committed to long-term agreements.

Mountain Valley said its $3.5 billion pipeline will help meet the growing demand for natural gas by local distribution companies, industrial users and electric power plants in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. markets.

Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Mountain Valley, said an analysis by Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting and market research firm, confirmed demand for the natural gas that the pipeline would transport. She said the report made it clear that the Southeast market demonstrates more than enough natural gas demand to support the pipelines current capacity.

Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for the 600-mile, $5 billion Atlantic Coast project, emphasized that it, too, will serve strong demand.

There is no question about the urgent public need for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Ruby said.

He said ICF International, which he described as a leading economic consulting firm, reported last year that demand in Virginia and North Carolina for natural gas will increase nearly 165 percent from 2010 to 2035. He said Atlantic Coast paid for the analysis.

He said the natural gas supplied by the Atlantic Coast project will serve electric utilities building or converting power plants to generate power from natural gas instead of coal.

And he said the pipeline will provide additional supplies of natural gas to the Hampton Roads region, where he said service to large industrial customers is sometimes curtailed during periods of peak demand.

Ruby cited a March 11 letter from the Hampton Roads Caucus of state legislators to Virginias U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The letter, signed by 33 legislators, advised the senators that the regions pipeline infrastructure is now operating at capacity and subject to severe stress during periods of extreme demand.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis study also suggests that FERC supports pipeline overbuilding by a rate system that allows pipeline companies to earn a robust profit, with rates that allow a return on equity of up to 14 percent.

Tamara Young-Allen, a spokeswoman for FERC, declined to comment about the issue of return on equity, noting that the commission does not comment on studies like the one by the institute.

The study also lifts a quote from an earnings conference call in August 2015 for Energy Transfer Partners, a major player in natural gas pipelines. CEO Kelcy Warren responded to an analysts question about the potential for overbuilding infrastructure.

The pipeline business will overbuild until the end of time, Warren said. I mean, thats what competitive people do.

The institutes report also said customers of local distribution companies like Roanoke Gas could end up absorbing costs tied to overbuilding.

Roanoke Gas is a subsidiary of Roanoke-based RGC Resources, as is RGC Midstream, the subsidiary involved in the Mountain Valley Pipeline. RGC Midstream has a 1 percent interest in the project.

RGC Resources most recent annual report, filed Dec. 10, featured a lengthy overview of risks tied to the investment in the project. A related statement warned investors in RGC Resources: Any significant delay, cost overrun or the failure to receive the requisite approvals could have a significant effect on the companys earnings and financial position.

Investors face that risk. But what about customers of subsidiary Roanoke Gas? Will they help pay for the pipeline? RGC Midstream anticipates its contribution to pipeline construction ultimately will total about $35 million. It has paid in more than $1.4 million to date.

John DOrazio, president and CEO of RGC Resources, said Roanoke Gas customers will not be affected by pipeline construction costs. He said RGC Midstreams costs are walled off from capital improvements by Roanoke Gas, costs that the company might seek to recover through customer rates.

But energy analyst Cathy Kunkel, one of the authors of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis study, offered another perspective.

Roanoke Gas has entered into a shipping contract for 0.5 percent of the capacity of the pipeline, she said. The rates for shipping contracts are set to recover the capital costs of constructing the pipeline.

She said that although it is true that pipeline shippers, including Roanoke Gas, are not paying up front for the cost of pipeline construction, the shipping rates are designed to recover those costs over the lifetime of the project.

Thus, Roanoke Gas customers will be paying for that share of the pipelines construction costs in their natural gas rates for the next 20 years, Kunkel said.

DOrazio did not dispute Kunkels analysis but said he would emphasize that Roanoke Gas costs as a shipper reflect the expense of reserving natural gas moving through the pipeline.

He said it is prudent for RGC Resources and Roanoke Gas to have another source of natural gas to serve regional demand.

Meanwhile, the study calls on FERC to suspend review of applications from Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast for the certificate needed to begin construction. The commission should establish a comprehensive planning process for natural gas pipelines, the report declared.

Young-Allen declined to comment.

If FERC grants a certificate to one or both projects, the pipeline companies will have access to eminent domain to acquire rights-of-way across private property when negotiations fail to reach an agreement on compensation.

The study warned that landowners are at risk from having their land seized and potentially damaged for pipeline projects that are not needed.
SPRINGFIELD - Comedian Bobby Collins entertained a packed CityStage audience in Springfield with his brand of observational humor on Saturday, May 14, 2016.

The New York native joked about growing up in the Big Apple, living in California, getting older and the 2016 Presidential candidates.

Collins' performance closed out CityStage's 2015-16 season. Collins and his opening act Chris Roach were part of the Stand Up Comedy Series presented by Bud Light.
GREENFIELD-- The Color Vibe 5K painted the city of Greenfield red, blue, green, yellow and purple on Saturday, as the traveling event made its way to Western Mass.

According to organizers, since 2012, the Color Vibe has held more than 300 events with over one million participants and spectators taking part in its colorful runs.

Pricing ranged from free for children 12 and under to the regular price of $70, although online deals were offered with deadlines and prices of $29.99 for individual runners.

While the Color Vibe 5K runs are for-profit events, a portion of the proceeds from the Greenfield run were slated to go toward the United Way of Franklin County. The event took place at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.

Boston is set to host a Color Vibe 5K on June 26. For more information, including a full list of cities set to host a Color Vibe 5K, visit the organization's website here.
Hampshire College

The May 14, 2016 Hampshire College commencement ceremony

(Jim Russell photo)

AMHERST  Endemic racism, persistent sexual assaults and a frivolous school administration that allegedly fails to address those problems were among the themes voiced by Hampshire College senior class speaker Xavier Torres de Janon at Saturday's commencement ceremony on the Harold F. Johnson Library Lawn.

Xavier Torres de Janon

"This school continues to enroll and retain rapists," de Janon charged, in a speech tinged with occasional profanity. The native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, also claimed, "We will become tokens for this campus to profit off."

De Janon was among 355 graduates at Hampshire's 46th commencement. His senior project was titled, "A Comparative Racial Framework under the Brown Scare:

Post-9/11 U.S. Racialization and Persecution of Muslim-Arabs and Latin@s."

De Janon was among students who last month voiced concerns about issues including sexual assaults, racism and divestment, leading Hampshire officials to try to address those issues and cancel a day and a half of classes.

The new graduate said attempts were made prior to the commencement to prevent him from speaking. "I was told I was suicidal by an administrator," he said, without naming the individual.

De Janon alleged that Black Lives Matter efforts on campus were suppressed while swastikas were placed on the grounds, including inside bathrooms.

Despite his vitriol, de Janon said, "I have loved" the Hampshire experience, adding, "I am thankful for the knowledge" gained at Hampshire.

Many stood and cheered at the conclusion of de Janon's address, while a number of attendees sat in their chairs without clapping.

The 2016 Hampshire College commencement; Xavier Torres de Janon's speech comes at about the 1 hour, 31-minute mark:

Keynote speaker Reina Gossett, a noted social justice activist, gave an address tame by comparison.

She said genuine feedback is essential for progress, calling that sort of action a "truth shower."

Gossett discussed the importance of the school's James Baldwin Scholars Program.

She also recited an excerpt from a Jean Jordan poem titled, "From Sea to Shining Sea."

"The natural order is not about a good time

This is not a good time to be against

The natural order".

Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash, who spoke earlier in the program, before de Janon, discussed the power of caring for others.

"I do not believe it is technology that cures us" when ill, he said. "It is care."

Lash said. "That's what carried me through darkness and pain ... Students care. That's why I love you."

Lash has been recuperating for the past five months since undergoing back surgery that was followed by complications, he said.
WEST SPRINGFIELD - The 4th annual Taste of Table & Vine event drew hundreds of wine and beer lovers to the Eastern States Exposition on Saturday.

The event raised money for Baystate Health Foundation's Rays of Hope breast cancer charity. More than 400 wines, 100 beers and 50 spirits flowed at the Better Living Center, ready to be paired with cheese, sushi and chocolates from around the country.

Among the VIP treats were Samuel Adams Utopias, a flat beer with the consistency of a cognac, and the famous Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, so rare and popular that fans are known to camp outside liquor stores that are expecting shipments.

Phil LeBlanc, a liquor sales manager for Table & Vine, said Pappy Van Winkle is aged for 23 years, and many people buy it just to resell it, sometimes for thousands of dollars per bottle.

"A lot of people will scavenger hunt for it. They'll sleep in parking lots," said LeBlanc, adding that it's only released once a year, and in October, the phones at the store ring off the hook. "I do this so people can actually try it."

New City Brewery, established in Easthampton in 2015, was handing out samples of its Jamaican-style, gluten-free Original Ginger Beer.

"Ginger Beet is sort of an emerging beverage. Not a lot of people know it well (but they have) fond memories of ginger ale from their childhood," said Lily Caruso, who was manning the New City booth. The brew has a spicy bite that Caruso said may surprise some people, and its rounded out with pineapple and other fruit flavors.

In addition to beer and wine companies from all over the world, the Taste welcomed Driscoll's chocolate covered strawberries, Cedar's hummus and Wilbraham-based Manny's Olive Oil.

Table & Vine is a division of Big Y Foods, Inc. Michelle Graci, manager of fundraising events for Baystate Health Foundation, said Big Y has long supported Rays of Hope, "pretty much since the very beginning," and donations from the attendees were flowing like fine wine.

"They're very generous ... and enthusiastic," said Graci.
SPRINGFIELD - American International College graduated nearly 700 students in its 131st commencement Sunday at the MassMutual Center.

The commencement speaker was Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his achievements in public office. In his address to the Class of 2016, Sarno thanked the students and their families for their "belief and investment in AIC, and our community, too."

"I know that there are some in this city, this state, our country, that indicate a ZIP code is going to dictate your future," said Sarno. "You have all proven them wrong, and you are dictating your future."

The son of Italian immigrants, Sarno said his parents did not receive an advanced education, and always stressed the value of "school, school and more school."

Sarno studied political sciene at AIC for two years in the early 1980s, leaving before his junior year to work in commercial flooring. After four years, he went to Westfield State to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology.

"This is an important point I make to all young students: Stick it out," he told the graduates. "I finished school, and the rest is history."

Student speaker Mikhail Buchanan received a bachelor's degree in psychology. He remarked on the scarcity of walls and fences on the AIC campus, a sign that the school and its students are part of the community.

"Our school is a small representation of the world and how beautiful it can be when we break down barriers and let people in," said Buchanan, eliciting a round of applause.

Touching the tassel on his cap, Buchanan said, "My peers, this is the easy part. Our other challenge ... is to change the world that was given to us and make it greater."

Communications major Heather Brouillard of Chicopee is AIC's 2016 valedictorian, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Salutatorian Christopher Porter earned a 3.98 GPA and a business management and marketing degree.
Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane, battered in recent years by charges of padding expenses, excessive state-funded travel and mismanagement of state investments, now faces a wrongful-termination claim that alleges a former deputy was fired for trying to stop some of the offices excesses.

Christopher Priests notice of claim, filed Thursday with the Secretary of States office, says Priests termination from the Investment Division last November violated the states whistleblower law.

By Bill Dentzer

[email protected]

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article77478127.html#storylink=cpy
"My utility company keeps trying to get me to sign up for e-billing. Is that better than getting bills in the mail?" asked one lady after a recent presentation. Its a question that comes up often as more and more companies switch to online billing.

I do most of my bill-paying electronically. For instance, my internet provider automatically charges my credit card. I use my financial institutions "Bill Pay" feature for the power company. Ive chosen to opt out of paper statements for several bills. Every utility I have sends me an email alerting me that the monthly bill is ready to view.

By Dale Dixon

Special to the Idaho Statesman

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/better-business-bureau-advice/article77595792.html#storylink=cpy
Missoulas EDULOG looks to hire up to 30 new employees

A Missoula techology company is showing that not all education happens in classrooms. Education Logistics, Inc. is hiring up to 30 new employees to help its services go international.

"The opportunities that this company has allowed for those of us that wanna excel and are willing to do a little learning and expand their knowledge, this is a great format for it," EDULOG Technical Program Manager Nate Sann said.

By Derek Minemyer

Full Story: http://www.kpax.com/story/31972155/edulog-looks-to-hire-up-to-thirty-new-employees

***

Missoula tech company EduLog is expanding rapidly

On any given day, 180,000 school buses around the world get routed by technology created by a Missoula company.

Education Logistics Inc. https://www.edulog.com/ creates software that increases school transportation efficiency and safety for customers all over the globe, including the governments of Saudi Arabia and France. And the firm has been on a hiring spree lately.

Jason Corbally, the president of EduLog, likens the companys recent moves to a baseball team moving from AAA to the "major leagues."

DAVID ERICKSON [email protected]

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-tech-company-edulog-is-expanding-rapidly/article_eaa7a3e3-e844-5ed6-8bf7-9ad2f276f6af.html

Montana Career Opportunities  IT Engineer, Customer Service Representative, Senior Manager/Director/AVP of IT Engineering and Infrastructure , Product Support Analyst and more  Education Logistics, Inc. http://www.matr.net/article-71629.html

Missoula software firm Education Logistics, Inc. adds jobs, eyes new education market in Saudi Arabia http://www.matr.net/article-71630.html
by Paolo Gaudiano , Op-Ed Contributor, May 12, 2016

Timing, as they say, is everything. This age-old saying appears to have been completely forgotten in todays digital world: If you ask online publishers and advertisers when is the best time to reach a reader with a promotional message, the answer seems to be any time. And this, in my opinion, is the most egregious mistake that publishers are making in the way they treat their readers.

One could argue that the root of this problem is the fundamentally flawed assumption that reader and consumer are interchangeable terms. Unless you happen to be Amazon or Angies List, when I visit a website there is a high probability that the only thing I plan to consume is information. I am there because I want to read. I am there because I want to learn. I am not there to buy products, or even to learn about them.

I want to emphasize that this problem and the responsibility for its consequences, in my opinion, rest squarely with online publishers. Advertisers are doing what they should: selling their offerings. They are not in the business of entertaining or providing informationthough many savvy marketers have figured out that doing so can generate interest and create loyalty. Marketers have also labored to understand everything they can about their target audience: where they go, what they like, who they follow, when they are most likely to pay attention.

advertisement advertisement

Has any publisher given a fraction of this level of attention to understanding their readers? In my experience, many publishers do place significant effort in understanding their readers, but almost exclusively to the extent that it helps them figure out how to treat their readers as consumers. Do these publishers do A/B testing to see which ad placement is least annoying? Have these publisher ever asked their readers if there are any parts of the site or any time during the visit when readers would be less annoyed by ads? When evaluating the latest and greatest rich media ad format, have these publishers done focus groups to see how readers reacted to it? Are there any publishers who value net promoter scores above click-through rates?

Google deserves a bit of credit for promoting the idea of micro moments, finding the moments in our daily lives when we are most likely to be receptive to information about products.

As far as I know, they have not started talking about the micro no-no moments, when you should really leave people alone. Asking Google to guide publishers on best practices for when to present ads to their readers would be like asking the proverbial fox to guard the henhouse. And yet, as I have written previously, Google clearly does understand the value of not pissing off visitors, and has experimented with ways of making advertising less annoying on its own properties.

Another aspect of this situation that I find mind-boggling is that ultimately every publisher is a human being. Im sure that even the most callous revenue manager gets annoyed if a telemarketer calls at 8 a.m. on Saturday or during dinner time. Have they not heard the concept of do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

If these people were able to run advertising in the real world, I am confident they could come up with some genius ideas to find the moments when we are most likely to pay attention: billboards would be allowed to jump into the middle of highways as we are driving by; toilet seats would come with built-in LCD panels that only unlock after we watch a 30-second spot; and condom manufacturers... well, you get the point.

Not tonight, honey, this thing just gave me a headache.
For the first time, researchers show how a short test of brain wave patterns can predict how fast an adult can acquire a second language. Share on Pinterest With a short test of brain wave patterns, researchers showed they could predict how fast an adult can acquire a second language. The study of how we differ in our ability to learn a second language is useful not only for understanding bilingualism, but also for researching the processes of learning and neural plasticity  how well the brain changes and adapts through life. In the journal Brain and Language, researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle describe how a 5-minute measurement of resting-state brain activity explained 60 percent of the variability in second-language learning in a group of adult college students. The 19 participants were aged 18-31 years and had no previous experience in learning French. For 8 weeks, they went to the research lab twice a week for a 30-minute, immersive virtual reality, computer-based training session to learn French. Before the participants started their language training, they were invited to sit with their eyes closed for 5 minutes while wearing an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. The EEG headset measured naturally occurring patterns of brain activity in the form of alpha, beta, delta, gamma, and theta brain waves.

EEG patterns predicted ability to learn second language The researchers compared the pre-learning brain wave patterns with various measures of language learning during and at the end of the training program. At various stages of the program, the learner completed a quiz. If they attained a minimum score on the quiz, they could move to the next level. Using the quiz scores, the researchers were able to calculate how fast each participant progressed through the curriculum. The participants also took a proficiency test when they completed the 8-week program. This measured, for example, how many lessons they had completed. The results showed that while the fastest learner completed the lessons twice as fast as the slowest, both attained the same level of proficiency. However, when the researchers compared learners EEG brain wave patterns from before the program with the various measures taken during and after the 8-week course, they found some interesting links. For example, higher power in beta and gamma brain waves, and lower power in delta and theta waves, predicted faster second language learning. This, together with other brain wave measures, led study leader Chantel Prat, an associate professor of psychology, and colleagues to conclude: Weve found that a characteristic of a persons brain at rest predicted 60 percent of the variability in their ability to learn a second language in adulthood. The researchers say their study is the first to use EEG patterns of resting-state brain activity to predict the subsequent rate at which people can learn a second language. Earlier this year, a team from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, showed how preexisting differences in resting-state brain connectivity could predict how well a student learned a second language. However, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a more expensive technology.

Neurofeedback training So, does the finding mean that people whose brain wave patterns predict they are likely to be less successful or slower at learning should not try to learn a second language? Prof. Prat says not at all, and she gives two reasons. First, the fact the brain wave patterns only predicted 60 percent of variability in learning means there is plenty of room for other important factors  such as motivation  to influence learning. Second, it is possible, Prof. Prat explains, to alter ones resting-state brain wave patterns with neurofeedback training  an approach where you can strengthen brain activity patterns that are linked to better thinking and learning skills. She and her team are starting to investigate this angle. They are looking at aspects of brain function that are linked to being able to learn well, she says, and explains that their goal is to use this research in combination with technologies such as neurofeedback training to help everyone perform at their best. By studying individual differences in the brain, were figuring out key constraints on learning and information processing, in hopes of developing ways to improve language learning, and eventually, learning more generally. Prof. Chantel Prat The idea is that people keen to learn a second language but who do not have the desirable brain wave patterns could perhaps use neurofeedback training to alter the patterns and help themselves learn faster.
JOURNALIST: Slovakia, and not just Slovakia, criticized Greece for supposedly not protecting the Schengen borders adequately. How do you see such statements? How do they impact Slovak-Greek relations?



N. KOTZIAS: We have a long history of bilateral relations. Christianity and your alphabet have a lot in common with the Greek missionaries who came to this region. We have very good relations. We also discussed them during the visit of your Foreign Minister, MiroslavLajcak, to Athens. We agreed that we want to find European solutions to European problems. Slovakia, like Greece, is a pro-European country. It is important to stress that neither of our states is responsible for the refugee crisis. We have wars in our neighbourhood, but our states arent responsible for those wars.



JOURNALIST: You came to Bratislava from Austria, where, in recent months, the same thing was being heard as in Slovakia: that Greece should, under certain conditions, leave the Schengen area. Is that proposal still being discussed?



N. KOTZIAS: Everyone is calmer now. Fewer such statements about Greece are being heard. But it is strange to say that we shouldnt be in the Schengen area. As regards Austria, I dealt with the negotiations for that country in the 1990s, when it entered the EU, and the agreement for the accession of Slovakia and other countries was signed in 2003, during a Greek Presidency of the Union. Isnt it nice to hear now, about us, that we should leave the Schengen area. We worked systematically for Slovakia to become a member of the Union.



JOURNALIST: So the proposal for Greeces possibly leaving the Schengen area is no longer on the table?



N. KOTZIAS: Something can always be returned to the table, but if it is explained that something like this isnt logical, then it wont happen. I always said about the refugee crisis that protection of maritime borders is something very different from guarding land borders. We always have to bear in mind what would happen to the people who are coming. We cant just sink their boats and let them drown. That would be illegal. I posed this question to the Council of the European Union: whether Greece should conduct itself in such a manner.



JOURNALIST: What was their reply?



N. KOTZIAS: I never got a clear answer. They would like to tell us to use our navy and to push these people back, thus violating international law. But no one wants to make such a statement. Apart from that, I argue that refugees who are coming to find a better life for their children will, in the end, find their way to Europe. But they arent coming to live in Slovakia or Greece. The Americans built a high-tech wall on their border with Mexico, where there is only desert and one can monitor everything. Nevertheless, people from Latin America cross the border, because they are looking for work. Anyone fleeing from war has an even greater incentive to get past the wall. I spoke with refugees and economic migrants as early as January 2015.



Everyone said it wasnt a problem. I said this because I wanted to draw attention to this when attention was focused on Ukraine. I said that the Ukraine issue is a very important issue for the Unions foreign policy, but I insisted that the movement of refugees would affect even our internal policy.



JOURNALIST: Following the closure of the Balkan route, there are tens of thousands of refugees in Greece. How are you handling this problem?



N. KOTZIAS: The Balkan route has closed. We have 54,000 refugees in Greece. Certain non-governmental organizations are also a problem. Many provide humanitarian assistance, but there are some that take advantage of the crisis to do business.



JOURNALIST: What do you want to do?



N. KOTZIAS: We are trying to persuade the migrants to let us move them to more modern, central accommodations. We dont want to use force, because there are women and children. However, we have to respect the law. I always say that the Syrians left their country because it is not a sovereign state in the legal sense of the word. It is being bombarded by nine countries and there is the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. That is why they are leaving. Syria cannot defend their human rights. When they come to Greece we protect these rights, but they have to respect our laws or the country will collapse.



JOURNALIST: Are you expecting something from the EU right now?



N. KOTZIAS: The refugee crisis is not a Greek problem, it is a European problem. Athens didnt create it, though when one follows the media, they often say that we are responsible. We need to implement all of the decisions we have made in practice. How can someone level unfair criticism at us when countries are refusing to do what they have agreed to do? We have to work together to bring peace to the Middle East. To find a way for people to stay in their homes. IhaveSyrianfriends. Theyareproudpeople. They dont want to leave their region.



JOURNALIST: You are talking about implementation in practice. Slovakia is against the quotas.



N. KOTZIAS: You are straightforward on this issue. You state that you are against the quotas. The other 26 states (of the 28 member states, Hungary, too, is against the quotas) maintain that they are in favor of them, but they are doing little about it. I dont like hypocrisy. It is better for Slovakia to state its opposition and fight for its view, even in court, than for someone else to say they are in favor, but without ever taking any refugees.



JOURNALIST: Are the quotas important, or do you agree that, in any case, they arent working?



N. KOTZIAS: We should implement the decisions we have taken. If we dont like them, we should change them. But lets not be hypocrites, making decisions that we dont implement in practice and accusing Greece. I always said that the refugee crisis is a complex problem that requires a correspondingly complex solution. It was easy to lay the blame on Greece, but that isnt a solution.



JOURNALIST: Did Greece implement the decisions adequately and quickly? The construction of the hotspots was relatively slow in coming.



N. KOTZIAS: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mentioned this issue to the EU Foreign Affairs Council. As usual, to some degree he was critical of Greece, referring repeatedly to the problem in Idomeni. I reacted to this. I told him that money was made available for Idomeni and received by the UNHCR, which didnt do its job. The money for the refugee crisis does not reach us. It is received by NGOs and international organizations and the UN. However, everyone is accusing us, even though it is these organizations that arent doing their job. Regarding the hotspots, they werent ready on schedule. But one of the reasons was that in the first buildings we used materials that the international organizations warned us were carcinogenic, and so we rebuilt them.



JOURNALIST: The arrival of refugees in Greece appears to have slowed. In this regard, how do you see the EU-Turkey agreement? Is it a more long-term solution.



N. KOTZIAS: Last week we had zero new refugees. This week, over 100. They may start coming again. We will see if Turkey honors the agreement. Ankara sets terms. Money isnt a problem. As for doing away with visas, Im not completely sure. I hope there isnt disagreement over certain terms.
JOURNALIST: To start with, I would like to ask you about the extremely problematic situation prevailing in the Aegean, particularly of late. Turkish aircraft are flying over the Greek islands, ships are being harassed, while with an industry of NOTAMs and NAVTEXs the status quo in the Aegean is being disputed constantly.



N. KOTZIAS: A tough battle for power is being waged in Turkey. Its not just the change of prime minister, which has its significance for EU-Turkey relations. An effort is being made to reduce the political system to a two-party system. Also significant is the upgrading of the armys role, both domestically, in confronting the Gulen movement and the Kurds, as well as abroad (Iraq and Syria). That is, many years after Erdogan sent the army to its barracks, the armed forces are re-emerging and, on the one hand, shaping new compromises in the power complex, while also exhibiting unacceptable conduct that is outside international law. All of this is happening in combination with the fact that Turkey has acquired tension hotspots with nearly all its neighbours.



JOURNALIST: And what is Greece doing about what you just described?



N. KOTZIAS: Turkey is currently more on edge than in the past. Greece needs to take care, to not become part of Turkeys problem, as certain circles in Turkey would like. As I explained to the National Council on Foreign Policy, Greece is implementing a foreign policy that is firm on its red lines. Prudent and decisive in its deterrent function. Creatingalliancesandsupport. Soberandcomposed. A policy that uses all of the diplomatic tools. It briefs the members of the Security Council, NATO and the EU on an ongoing basis. It channels intelligence and findings where it should. All of this in close cooperation with the Shipping and Defence ministries.



JOURNALIST: Do you think a heated incident in the Aegean is likely?



N. KOTZIAS: There hasnt been a heated incident during Erdogans time as prime minister and president of Turkey. But if one isnt careful, a heated incident can arise even by mistake.



JOURNALIST: And the reactions on your part?



N. KOTZIAS: Problems arise objectively from the ongoing violations and provocations committed by a portion of our neighbours military machine. But there should be no underestimation of our resolve to defend our countrys sovereign rights and territorial integrity. In foreign policy there are always counterweights of diplomatic and other kinds. In this context we rejected proposals reminiscent of Pontius Pilate-style thinking.



JOURNALIST: In what direction do you see Turkey moving in the coming years, in light of recent developments as well?



N. KOTZIAS: Turkey is a country of multiple contradictions. The main question is, How will it resolve these? If it tries to do it democratically, then it will be a model country for the Islamic world, having found a way to resolve the Kurdish problem and live in peace with its neighbours. If it tries to solve the problems in an authoritarian manner, it runs the risk of drowning in conflicts over social, democratic, religious and national issues.



JOURNALIST: How do you think the NATO operation will evolve from here on in? Countries like Italy are asking that it be extended to the central Mediterranean.



N. KOTZIAS: At the most recent meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, at which there was a discussion of the extension of Operation Sophia, I put forward as a binding condition our being given legal and political guarantees that: a) the regions refugees will not be transferred to Greek islands, particularly Crete, and b) third powers that dispute Greeces sovereignty and territorial integrity will not participate.



JOURNALIST: A few days ago you visited Austria and Slovakia, countries with which we hadvirtually severed diplomatic relations in previous months. Are we close to remedying the situation?



N. KOTZIAS: We have excellent relations with Slovakia, and we are making every effort towards the success of their upcoming EU Presidency, which starts on 1 June 2016. The foreign minister of Slovakia is smart and serious. My visit to Bratislava showed the positive and creatively developing state of our relations. The relations between our two states went through some difficulties due to the economic and refugee crises. I think they understand us much better now.



On the refugee issue, we initially had the same approach as Austria. When the problem mushroomed, Austria sought a solution in national terms. This choice undermined the European solution to a degree, while it created the risk of the EUs fragmenting. Moreover, there were those who wanted to shift all of the problems of the refugee crisis and the responsibility onto Greece. They treated our norther border as an exclusively third-party border.



To keep the situation from getting extreme, we took a series of measures, like recalling our ambassador in Vienna, who returned to Vienna during my recent visit. My efforts were and are aimed at there being full respect for us, on the one hand, and conditions of creative cooperation as well. We restored this. Finally, I would like to note that we are linked to Austria by many common historical memories, we have cultural elements in common. It isnt a country with whom we had problems in the past. I hope we dont acquire any new ones in the future.



JOURNALIST: Vladimir Putin is coming to Athens at the end of May. What relations can Greece have with Russia at a time when the latter has cold relations with the West and NATO?



N. KOTZIAS: Despite the multiple problems that exist in the relations between the West and Russia, we should find ways to talk and communicate with the latter. It is no coincidence that the U.S. itself is talking to Russia regarding a number of fundamental problems in todays world.



The second thing is that the EU needs to come to a decision on what security architecture it wants for the European continent in the 21st century: Will it be an architecture against Russia or with Russia? Even during the Cold War, the answer was the second option. The Helsinki agreements were concluded on this basis.



Finally, I would like to note that all of the longstanding members of the EU, including Greece, are choosing to talk with Russia, while certain newer members of the EU are doing otherwise.



JOURNALIST: Greece has made major openings through trilateral cooperation configurations in the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, etc.). Do you believe that Greeces role in the Mediterranean can be substantially upgraded at such a critical time?



N. KOTZIAS: Together with Cyprus, we have put together trilateral cooperation configurations with Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, and we are thinking about a fifth, with Palestine. With the first two, the cooperation system is not just multi-leveled, as it is with the others, but also multi-thematic. That is, trilateral configurations have been formed among almost all of the ministries, and not just the ministries of foreign affairs. This intricacy in relations imparts a new quality to the trilateral configurations. Through these we are gaining new responsibilities, but also opportunities, in the Eastern Mediterranean region.



Finally, on 8 and 9 September we are holding an international meeting in Rhodes, with the participation of six European states (Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia  as the EU Presidency  Bulgaria and Albania) and six Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Tunisia) on security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is a Greek initiative that, if everything goes as we hope, will contribute to the stability of the region and the creation of a new regional security institution.



JOURNALIST: You have made overtures in the Balkans. Are there solutions on the horizon with the pending issues we have with our northern neighbours (FYROM, Albania)?



N. KOTZIAS: My recent initiative for convening a meeting, in Thessaloniki, of the Foreign and Interior Ministers of Greece and our norther neighbours (21-22 April 2016) was crowned with success. We decided, together, to institutionalize this configuration and meet every six months. This is the second institutional format we have promoted in the region, following the Greece-Romania-Bulgaria trilateral format. With Bulgaria in particular, we have developed extremely good relations, to the benefit of our peoples.



With FYROM we are promoting, in practical terms, the confidence-building measures (CBMs). The CBMs are a product of an initiative we took. The aim is to enhance our social and economic relations. As for the name, I think that the conditions should mature in our neighbouring country so that it can accept a substantial compromise. With Albania we are discussing  based on a composite proposal I made  the resolution of all of the problems and pending issues, as well as capitalization on the potential for joint actions. So I hope we will find common pathways for promoting the necessary and creative solutions.
Despite Flipping in Surf 4 Times in a Year, Marines Say New ACV Is the Future of Amphibious Warfare

Some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV.
HILLSDALE, MI -- Even as the culture continues to shift around them, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas urged Hillsdale College's Class of 2016 to stand firm in their principles and take seriously their duties as U.S. citizens.

Thomas, 67, admitted he felt a little out of touch in front of the 353 graduates who sat before him at Hillsdale's 164th Commencement on Saturday, describing himself as "from another time" and "unapologetically Catholic, patriotic and a Constitutionalist."

"Much that seemed inconceivable is now firmly or universally established," he said. "Hallmarks of my youth, such as patriotism and religion, seem more like outliers, if not afterthoughts. So in a sense I feel out of place doing this or any commencement. My words will perhaps be more of a vintage nature than current in context.

"Today, of course, there is much more focus on our rights as citizens and what we are owed," he said later. "It is not often that one hears of our obligation or our duties as citizens, unless of course there's talk of our duty to submit to yet another new policy being suggested or proposed."

Thomas has served as associate justice for the Supreme Court for 25 years, known for his conservative leanings. He was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and confirmed amid controversy stemming from sexual harassment allegations against him.

Hillsdale President Larry Arnn has known Thomas since 1987, and Arnn commended Thomas on his character and the qualify of his work. Thomas was awarded an honorary doctorate of law during the commencement ceremony. About 5,000 people, including Thomas' wife Virginia Thomas, attended the commencement and another 12,000 people watched an online stream of the ceremony.

Saying he wanted to avoid a formulaic commencement address where the speaker identifies a broad injustice and charges the graduates to go change it, Thomas instead spoke to the Class of 2016 about the importance of good citizenship in upholding liberty.

"At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty and our form of government, I think more and more that it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties and their daily obligations," he said. "In addressing your own obligations and responsibilities in the right way, you actually help to ensure our liberties and our form of government."

He said many of his early lessons on what it means to live as a responsible citizen came from his childhood, raised by his grandparents on a small farm in Georgia. On a farm, it is easy to see the direct correlation between your responsibilities and your benefits, Thomas said, giving the example of planning, planting and harvesting.

It was his grandfather, who died in 1983, who first taught Thomas the importance of upholding the Constitution's ideals, even in the face of society's shortcomings.

"We were taught that despite unfair treatment, we were to be good citizens and good people," he said. "If we were to have a functioning neighborhood, we have to first be good neighbors. And if we were to have a good city, state and country, we had to first be good citizens."

To carry out their duties as citizens, Thomas advised the graduates to express their gratitude to the people who helped them reach this milestone in their lives and to lead by example going forward.

"Do not hide your faith and your beliefs under a bushel basket, especially in this world that seems to have gone mad with political correctness," he said. "These small lessons become the unplanned syllabus for becoming a good citizen and your efforts to live them will help to form the fabric of a civil society and free and prosperous nation where inherent equality and liberty are invaluable.

"You are men and women of Hillsdale, steeped in the best traditions and principles of our great nation. If you don't lead by example, who will?" Thomas added.

Class President Nicholas Brown echoed many of Thomas' sentiments in his address, where he noted the parallels between a liberal arts education and entrepreneurship -- the path he plans to pursue following his time at Hillsdale.

"To some, entrepreneurship and the liberal arts seem like selfish acts. The entrepreneur innovates for profit and the student seeks after knowledge," Brown said. "But in these individual pursuits, something amazing happens. When the discovery of opportunity is followed by action, we begin to serve others."

Brown cited many reasons he is thankful for his liberal arts education, saying it teaches students to think critically and gives them a broad view of how the world works and also how it ought to be.

"We must be reminded there is work to be done," he said. " The world increasingly embraces all that is wrong, false and ugly. We are among the lonely few who have all the right questions. None of us made a mistake in embracing the liberal arts. To those who suggest otherwise, ask them what is the good. My friends, we can do that now."

Lauren Slagter covers K-12 education for The Ann Arbor News. Contact her at 734-255-1419, lslagter@mlive.com or on Twitter @LaurenSlagter.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Milan High School students arrived in style for their prom at the Travis Pointe Country Club on Saturday night.

Click through the gallery to see students' red carpet-ready looks.

Lauren Slagter covers K-12 education for The Ann Arbor News. Contact her at 734-255-1419, lslagter@mlive.com or on Twitter @LaurenSlagter.
BAY COUNTY, MI -- There is a way to rid the shoreline of "Public Enemy No. 1," an invasive weed that has taken over parts of the Great Lakes shoreline, including Saginaw Bay.

Using a $349,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant, Bay County in partnership with other organizations, aims to show everyone how to control -- and even eliminate -- phragmites in the course of two years, said Laura Ogar, Bay County director of environmental affairs and community development.

Bay County will work with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Consumers Energy, Hampton Township and Tuscola County in the project to control phragmites on 725 acres of shoreline, Ogar said. "It includes a lot of education and outreach."

"Treatment can work. It can be effective," she said.

The revelation that the European weed can be stopped and even beaten back comes a decade and more after shoreline property owners and activists fought with state and federal regulators to let them reclaim public and private beaches on Saginaw Bay that were plagued with 15- to 20-foot-high stands of phragmites.

The regulators refused to let people deal with the problem in the lands classified as wetlands.

Times have changed.

"These areas had been kind of traumatized in the past," Ogar said.

"Things have changed, The DEQ has really stepped up and streamlined the permitting process."

"It is OK now to go do that," Ogar said.

Instead of facing fines and even court action as they had in the past for disturbing shoreline vegetation, property owners can check if they need state and federal permits, and go ahead and get rid of their phragmites that, in many cases, completely blocked shoreline access.

The process involves spraying phragmites with herbicide once each year for two years and cutting, then burning the dead phragmites.

"If they are spraying, they don't need a permit from the Corps of Engineers at all," said Mark Lesinski, Bay City Field Office program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"If they are doing something that is mechanically discing or plowing, then yes, they would need a permit," he said.

Likewise, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is on board with helping shoreline owners deal with the invasive phragmites and clean their beaches.

A 2012 law passed by the state Legislature lets landowners rake up vegetation between the waterline and the ordinary high water mark, said Anne Garwood, Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Ecologist with the DREQ in Lansing.

To be sure that what they are doing is allowed with or without a state permit, Garwood encourages people to visit several DEQ websites here and here and to call if they have further questions.

"It's still kind of complicated," she said.

But two ways of controlling phragmites are now allowed, Garwood said. They involve using herbicides rated for aquatic areas to kill the plants, and mowing, she said.

In the demonstration project in and around Bay County, Ogar said, the phragmites will be sprayed from helicopters with a herbicide in the fall, when the plant is sending nourishments into its root for the winter. Then, when the bay freezes in early winter, the phragmites will be cut and burned, she said.

In the second summer, the shoreline should see a 65-70 percent die-off of phragmites, Ogar said. Then the same treatment is done a second time in the fall, with spraying from the ground, she said.

The third summer, it's just a matter of maintaining the land. "Then, when the plant pops up, it's easy to get out there and cut it out," Ogara said.

That maintenance is key to staying on top of the invasive weed and keeping it in check, she said.

It's that process that Bay County and its partners will use when educating the public about phragmites control, Ogar said.

"That is pretty consistent with the recommended techniques for dealing with phragmites," said the DEQ's Garwood.

"We're encouraging people ... neighbors to get together to do something," Ogar said.

At Bay City State Recreation Area, a contractor has been hired for the past eight years or so to spray phragmites, said Unit Manager George Lauinger.

Before the spraying, "You couldn't even see the water from the road," he said.

"Back when it was choked (with phragmnites), those days are gone," Lauinger said.

Now, it's a clear view punctuated by only a few stalks of phragmites. "At this point, they are just doing touching-up," Lauinger said.

He, too, said maintenance is key to keeping phragmites at bay.

"It's not going to be 'Have it done and they'll be gone forever,'" Ogar said.

She credits Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, and Rep. Charles Brunner, D-Bay City, with helping get the phragmites-control grant. And she salutes the band of property owners, namely Save Our Shoreline, who pushed for years to get state and federal regulators to accommodate their demands.

Ogar paraphrased a famous quote of 1960s-70s cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never underestimate the power of a small group of people to change the world.

"They forced the agencies to pay attention."
Grand Blanc, MI -- It was a masqueraded affair for Swartz Creek students celebrating this year's prom.

Nearly 460 students packed the dance floor at the Holiday Inn Gateway in Grand Blanc for the prom which featured a masquerade theme.

The Flint Journal plans to cover nearly 30 proms across Genesee County this year helping families share memorable moments of their high schools students' big day.

Check out the slideshow above to see The Flint Journal's photos from the night. If you have pictures from Swartz Creek's prom that you would like to share, email them to flphoto@mlive.com.
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An Accra High Court (Criminal Division) has ordered the transfer of 52-year-old Gregory Afoko from the East Legon Police Station to the Nsawam Prisons.

The order follows frantic efforts by Ekow Ampah Korsah, lawyer for the accused who is being tried over the death of Adams Mahama, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to prevent the transfer.

He argued that the investigator in the case had not complained of any inconvenience in brining the accused to court to stand trial.

Mr. Korsah, among other things, stated, When prosecution does that, we do not know who actually authorized that petition.

State prosecutors, led by Matthew Amponsah, a Senior State Attorney, had made a strong case for Afoko, a farmer, to be sent to the Nsawam Prisons because the police station was congested.



Prison

Consequently, trial judge Justice L.L. Mensah ruled in favour of the prosecution, indicating that it was appropriate to send Gregory into prison custody, especially when the hearing of the case had commenced.

Earlier, the judge had granted a request by Mr. Korsah to compel the prosecution to give the defence team copies of the witness' statements and pictures taken at the scene of the crime.

On that Mr. Amponsah had noted that giving the defence team the documents they were seeking was tantamount to giving them the police docket in respect of the case.

Mr. Korsah had on the contrary stated that nowhere in the criminal procedure code has the power been given to the prosecution to reject such requests by accused persons.

CJ Gives Green Light

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Meanwhile, the judge had noted that the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, had given him the green light to continue hearing the case before him.

He said the CJ had in a response to the petition, ordered him to continue with the hearing because the basis of the petition was not one that would allow him to discontinue hearing it.

Justice Mensah said, I want to assure everybody that the court is here to do justice, as I sit here called the judge, I am going to appear before the owner [God] of the court.

He added, We must allow the court to do its work, we [as judges] do not look into any face, height, colour, race or anything.

Nuhu Issah Akabila and Yussif Mahama, brothers of the slain legislator, in an April 13, 2016, petitioned the CJ, claiming among other things, that per the posturing of the judge, justice was likely to elude them.

Hearing continues on May 31, 2016.

Meanwhile, Gregory has denied the charges of conspiracy to murder and murder.



Charges

The accused is standing trial for intentionally and unlawfully causing the death of Adams on May 20, 2015 at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region following an acid bath.

According to the Attorney General (AG), Afoko must be charged for conspiracy to murder and murder while one Issah Musah, a member of the NPP who was alleged to have on May 19, 2015 solicited and procured the deadly acid which he gave to two other suspects who in turn poured the substance on Adams, must be freed.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]


The Progressive People's Party (PPP) says it has put measures in place to protect its votes in this year's presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to the party, it would not allow anyone to cheat and steal its votes as it happened in the 2012 elections.

PPP said in a statement, We are prepared to use legal means to aid the Electoral Commission to enforce the laws that govern political parties and elections.

After losing the 2012 election, the PPP faithful did not lose faith in the party. Rather, they have remained ready to demonstrate to Ghanaians that they will stand up for the rights of all citizens, be strong advocates for reforms, work for independence and strengthening of state institutions and look for good candidates for 2016.

The party said it would put up candidates from all the ten regions to contest in the upcoming parliamentary election.

It announced that the party had begun campaign actively and successfully in all the ten regions to confirm the parliamentary candidates.

Party Programmes

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According to the PPP, it has outlined a number of programmes to be undertaken before the November 7 elections.

These include continued confirmation of parliamentary candidates from now to the end of June.

It said from May 21, 2016, the party would launch a national house-to-house and village-to-village campaign by its confirmed candidates.

Prior to our National Convention, we will hold a National Women's Conference on May 28, 2016 in Sunyani on the building of a gender equitable society, and a National Youth Conference on June 18, 2016 in the Volta Region to address youth empowerment and employment.

From June 1st, we will engage the media to publicize PPP's Ten-Point agenda and policies to bring positive transformation to Ghana and will hold a National Convention in Accra on July 16, 2016 to outdoor our presidential candidate, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, the party outlined.

According to the PPP, it would embark on a vigorous national campaign to win votes from August to October.

The party has vowed to continue sounding alarm bells over the 'shameful stealing of tax money' to fund the campaign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), stating, Incumbency is not a passport to steal our money.

By Cephas Larbi


 Former US special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations admits the US is not neutral on Israel-Palestine and that it has acted at times as Israels lawyer in the past, as some have charged

 Former US ambassador to Israel advocates US abstention on upcoming UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements

 Martin Indyk says the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations made a mistake by refusing to admit the progressive Jewish American lobbying organisation J Street.

Martin Indyk, former US special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiation and a key player in US-Israel relations for over 30 years, has said the United States is not neutral and that it doesnt claim to be neutral in negotiations with the Palestinians. He also said he does not think anybody is under any illusion that the United States is in Israel's corner. We don't hide that We shout it from the rooftops.

He also argued the USs position is not inconsistent with being an honest broker, although this might be hard to accept.

When challenged by Head to Head presenter Mehdi Hasan about whether the US plays Israels lawyer, Indyk admitted, There were times when we did, but reflected it is not a role that we should play.

He defended his role as chief negotiator during the 2013-2014 Kerry talks, saying the US delegation did not coordinate with the Israelis in advance as it had done in previous rounds, and blamed Israeli settlement construction for the failure of the talks. It was the settlements that screwed up the negotiations, he said.

Indyk also described the UN as a very hostile place to Israel. However, he said it wouldn't be a bad thing for the United States at least to abstain in the upcoming UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements. This would be huge because the resolution would go through.

Indyk admitted to Hasan that he feels personally responsible for the failure of the latest round of negotiations but promised not to give up on peace until he draws his last breath. He also said that the United States has worked harder than anybody else and he will apologise to nobody for the efforts made to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Asked why the US continues to tolerate being slapped in the face by Israel - for instance, when it announced the construction of new settlements during Vice President Joe Bidens visit to Israel - Indyk said Israeli officials should not be welcomed in Washington if they humiliate the US.

He explained that one of the reasons the US supports Israels security to the tune of 3.5 billion dollars is because it faces some real threats in the region, but asked about withholding any of the money in order to pressure Israel, he said that he can imagine that some circumstances would arise. And it's happened before and I don't rule out that it would happen in the future.

Discussing the power and influence of pro-Israel lobbying organisations in the United States, Indyk said the conservative American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which he previously worked for, is indeed a powerful lobby on behalf of Israel and that  there's no doubt that its influence constrains what an administration can consider that it would do.

He also said the progressive lobbying organisation J Street is more in tune with young Jewish-Americans than the more conservative AIPAC, and that the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations made a mistake by refusing to admit J Street in its umbrella group. J Street needs to be part of the dialogue as it has a way to reach the younger generation in a way that AIPAC has great difficulty doing.

Currently executive vice president at the influential Brookings Institution, Martin Indyk served twice as US Ambassador to Israel, and was also assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs during the Clinton administration. He participated in the Camp David talks in 2000 and led the US peace team in the 2013-2014 negotiations.

Hasan is joined by a panel of three experts: Ghada Karmi, a Palestinian activist, author of Return: A Palestinian Memoir, and Research Fellow at the University of Exeters Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies; Rachel Shabi, an

award-winning journalist and author of Not the Enemy: Israel's Jews from Arab Lands; and Alan Johnson, senior research fellow at BICOM, the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre, and former professor of Democratic Theory and Practice at Edge Hill University.

Head to Head: Should the US be neutral on Israel-Palestine? with Martin Indyk airs on 13 May at 22:00 CAT; 14 May at 14:00 CAT; 15 May at 03:00 CAT and 16 May at 08:00 CAT.

The programme will be online, after it first airs, on YouTube and at this link: http://aje.io/5hlw.

Follow Head to Head on Twitter @AJHeadtoHead and view all previous episodes from the series at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/headtohead/.
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi King Salman on Sunday ahead of a week of crunch talks on the conflicts in Syria and Libya.

Riyadh has been a key supporter of rebels fighting to overthrow the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Its allies Cairo and Abu Dhabi have also been major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is still withholding its support from a UN- and US-backed unity government in Tripoli.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed "regional issues... mainly developments in Syria," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

"I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect," he said.

Kerry was to fly to Vienna later on Sunday for the meetings on Libya and Syria on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he will fly on to Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

Kerry's spokesman John Kirby said the secretary of state and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni would jointly host the Libya conflict meeting.

Participants will "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," Kirby said.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to dend the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that had undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March taking over key institutions like the central bank and the National Oil Corporation but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

Kirby said the goal was to "ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition in Syria."

The ISSG, under the odd couple of Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect a shaky truce in force since February.

Officials hope next week's meeting will inject new life into the peace process and -- if the ceasefire holds -- secure talks on forming a unity government.

And, with Russia and France, Kerry will also co-chair a meeting on the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
London (AFP) - A tip from a CIA spy to authorities in apartheid-era South Africa led to Nelson Mandela's 1962 arrest, beginning the leader's 27 years behind bars, an article in the Sunday Times reported.

The newspaper cited comments reportedly made by Donald Rickard, a former US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative, to British film director John Irvin.

Irvin's new film "Mandela's Gun", about the months before the anti-apartheid icon's arrest, is due to be screened at the Cannes film festival this week.

Mandela was eventually freed from prison in 1990 and went on to become South Africa's president between 1994 and 1999 before dying in 2013 aged 95.

An article by James Sanders, who said he was asked by Irvin to investigate the issue, said the director travelled to the US earlier this year and interviewed Rickard.

Rickard explained how Mandela was arrested as he travelled between Durban and Johannesburg but did not explain how he had learnt where he would be.

"I found out when he was coming down and how he was coming... that's where I was involved and that's where Mandela was caught," Rickard was quoted as saying.

He added that Mandela was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union".

"He could have incited a war in South Africa, the United States would have to get involved, grudgingly, and things could have gone to hell," Rickard added.

"We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it."

Rickard, who was reportedly employed by the CIA until 1978, died in March, two weeks after talking to Irvin.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Freezones Board (GFB), Kwadwo Twum Boafo is accusing a senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana of saying that Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang was appointed Education Minister as a reward for helping the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President John Mahama during the 2012 Presidential debate.

This Lecturer, according to the NDC Communicator, said during a Political Science Lecture in the University that the current Education Minister leaked the questions for the debate to President Mahama.

Thus, President Mahama before appearing on the IEA debate platform had prior knowledge of the questions to be asked by the moderators.

One of their researchers, standing in a classroom in Legon, a so-called Political Science Lecturer and telling children that the current Education Minister, Prof Naana Opoku Agyemanggot an appointment as a minister because she had leaked debate questions to President Mahama and that is the height of insult, Kwadwo Twum Boafo alleged on Accra-based Radio Golds Alhaji and Alhaji Programme on Saturday.

Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang and Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah moderated the 2012 Presidential debates organized by the IEA.

She was then a Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast. She was appointed Education Minister after President Mahama won the 2012 General Elections.

Rumours started emerging after her appointment that she was rewarded with the position for helping the cause of the NDC.

And these rumours, Kwadwo Twum Boafo said were given currency by Dr. Ransford Gyampoh who is also a researcher with the IEA.

Ransford Gyampoh has the balls to go and stand in a classroom and say she was appointed minister simply because she leaked questions to President Mahama, he alleged.

But this claim of the University Lecturer, the GFB CEO said was unfounded especially as Prof Opoku Agyemang was more qualified for the position of Education Minister than the Prof Opoku Agyemang.

I dont know too many people who have been appointed to positions into this country who has proper bonafides to be in that position more than that lady, she has been an educationist, a Professor, a Vice Chancellor of the University and you make her an Education Minister, he said.

But Gyampoh reacting to this claim on Adom FMs Super Weekend News said the claims are neither here nor there.

He said Kwadwo Twum Boafo was just engaging in propaganda to cow him into submission, a strategy which he said would never wash.

He further added that the likes of Twum Boafo has hired students to spy on lecturers.

I am advising parents to warn their kids from being used by politicians, some politicians have contracted some of the studentswhile in class, some of the students whatsapp in classwhen I investigated, I realized that some of them have been contracted by politicians like Kwadwo Twum Boafo to always come to class and whatsapp instead of listening to the lecture, he said.
Kwadwo Twum Boafo

15.05.2016 LISTEN

A Senior Lecturer at the Political Science University of Ghana, has alleged that politicians have started contracting some of the students of the University to act as spies for them at lecture halls.

Dr. Ransford Yaw Gyampoh speaking on Adom FMs Super Weekend News Saturday said these students have as part of their duties being told to record lectures and send to the politicians.

Some students have been contracted to come and record lectures and send to the likes of Kwadwo Twum Boafo and other politicians but they must know that University of Ghana has academic freedom, he said.

Dr. Ransford Gyampoh who is also a research fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) made this revelation while commenting on an allegation by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB) that he accused the current Education Minister of leaking questions to President Mahama during the 2012 IEA debate.

According to Kwadwo Twum Boafo, Dr. Gyampoh further said during one of his Political Science Lectures that Prof Opoku Agyemangs appointment to head the Education Ministry was a reward for the act.

One of their researchers, standing in a classroom in Legon, a so-called Political Science Lecturer and telling children that the current Education Minister, Prof Naana Opoku Agyemanggot an appointment as a minister because she had leaked debate questions to President Mahama and that is the height of insult.

Ransford Gyampoh has the balls to go and stand in a classroom and say she was appointed minister simply because she leaked questions to President Mahama, the GFZB CEO alleged on Accra-based Radio Gold.

But this allegation, Dr. Gyampoh said was unfounded as according to him, Kwadwo Twum Boafo is not a student of the University and hence never heard the details of his lectures.

He further said that Kwadwo Twum Boafo was deliberately peddling untruth as a means of cowing me into submission but this would not wash.

He further called on parents to advice their wards to abstain from such contracts since the University operates within the framework of academic freedom.

I am advising parents to warn their kids from being used by politicians, some politicians have contracted some of the studentswhile in class, some of the students whatsapp in classwhen I investigated, I realized that some of them have been contracted by politicians like Kwadwo Twum Boafo to always come to class and whatsapp instead of listening to the lecture, he said.

Dr. Gyampoh further added that this attitude has had a negative toll on the academic performance of some of the students which was disturbing.
Sanzule (W/R), May 15, GNA - Assistant Manager at the Charlotte Dolphin National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) at Sanzule, in the Western Region, Mr Nathaniel Aboroborah has appealed to the ENi Ghana Limited, a gas processing company, to absorb students from the Institute to do their practical internship.

The move, he noted, would endow the students with skills which would complement the knowledge acquired to feed the oil and gas industry.

Mr Aboroborah was speaking to the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the Institute, which is situated within the catchment area of the ENi Ghana Ltd, an Italian company.

President John Dramani Mahama recently performed a ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of a multi- million dollar ENi project at Sanzule in the Ellembelle District.

Mr Aboroborah said with the emerging oil and gas industry in the District, it has become more relevant for the Institute to re-position itself and consolidate its vision to provide the youth with employable skills.

He said so far, the Institute has trained more than 400 students most of whom are gainfully employed in their businesses with support from government.

Touching on the relevance of Technical and Vocational education in the country, he charged government to give it the needed attention to spearhead technological advancement, which is moving other nations in the 21st century.

He said it was against this backdrop that the Institute was established in 2003 to run a-four-year intensive training programme for the teeming youth in areas such as welding, catering, dressmaking carpentry and joinery.

GNA
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May 15, 2016

U.S. State Department Releases A Statement - As Instructed By Netanyahoo

10:01am  15 May 2016 Barak Ravid @BarakRavid Netanyahu spoke last night with SecState @JohnKerry and asked him to condemn the Holocaust denial cartoon contest in Iran

---

Meanwhile John Kerry expressed his concern (not) for human rights in Arab lands :

1:39pm  15 May 2016 John Kerry @JohnKerry Meeting with @KingSalman today in #Jeddah underscored breadth & depth of US-#SaudiArabia relationship. pic.twitter.com/B1idXVypXr

Posted by b on May 15, 2016 at 13:59 UTC | Permalink

Comments
The Permian Basin section, SEPM will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the upstairs ballroom at Midland Country Club.

Melanie Barnes, geology professor at Texas Tech University, will present Precambrian Geology of Texas.

Cost is $20 in advance, $30 at the door, and includes lunch. Reservations can be made by calling 683-1573 or by sending an email to wtgs@wtgs.org. Online registration is also available at www.wtgs.org by clicking on the Events tab.

West Texas weather focus for SIPES

The Midland chapter of the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists will meet at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in the upstairs ballroom at Midland Country Club.

Eric Ahasic, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Midland since 2014, will give a presentation on Wild West Texas Weather, discussing weather variations, how West Texas geography is a contributing factor and the impact of El Nino/La Nina.

Cost is $20 for guests.

WTGS celebrates 90 years

Members of the West Texas Geological Society will celebrate the organizations 90th anniversary with an awards banquet and dancing Friday in the upstairs ballroom at Midland Country Club.

The awards banquet will be from 6 to 9 p.m., followed by dancing to music by the Sipriano Swing Band until midnight.

Cost is $50 per person. Reservations should be made by 5 p.m. Wednesday by calling 683-1573 or sending an email to wtgs@wtgs.org.

General Electric moves a division HQ to Houston

By Jordan Blum

Houston Chronicle

General Electric said it will move its small Power Conversion division headquarters to Houston as it closes a Pittsburgh plant and consolidates its operations.

The conversion division  not to be confused with the much larger GE Power business based out of New York  will add about 70 jobs in Houston to add to its existing base of 50 employees, said GE spokesman Paul Floren.

The move comes after GE decided to shutter its solar inverter manufacturing plant in Pittsburgh because of a lack of future business orders. Out of the 380 jobs located up there,about 70 of the positions, not necessarily the people, will be redeployed in Houston, said GE Pittsburgh site leader Tim Waldee. These are mostly project manager and engineering jobs moving to Houston, he said.

GE Power Conversion is part of the larger GE Energy Connections business that focuses on shifting industrial systems to more efficient and cleaner electric power.

GE Power Conversion is currently located in Westway Plaza in northwestern Houston near existing GE Oil & Gas offices, Floren said. However, he could not comment on whether the division headquarters will remain there or seek a larger space elsewhere in Houston.
On any given morning in Andrews, you can find a group of old-timers sitting at a table at Cassidys Sub Shop on Main Street, conversing over hot coffee. Len Wilson, a former city manager, has been here for more than 40 years, and in the afternoon session, half of em at this table were born here, he said.

Wilson has watched four oil busts come and go, and this downturn is more like the others than different, he thinks.

In the 80s, many of our businesses hadnt seen a bust before, and they got in trouble in a hurry, Wilson said. This time, for a whole lot of our businesses, this is not their first rodeo.

Still, Permian Basin towns are struggling with low oil prices and oilfield activity at a fraction of what it was two years ago. Lowered mineral values have impacted every economic sector.

It used to be that it was 20 something dollars a barrel down to eight, but now its 100 some odd dollars a barrel down to 40, said Pete Francis, another long-time Andrews resident.

The peak price during the most recent boom was about $114 per barrel. At Fridays close, prices were at about $46 per barrel, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

That plunge in oil prices is what has been the big shock to most area towns. In Andrews, the mineral values have declined about $4 billion, said County Judge Richard Dolgener in a phone interview.

Taxpayers call me and tell me, I dont want my taxes going up any more because Im a single mom or a retired person on a fixed income, said Dolgener. Ive been trying to say since January that taxes in Andrews will probably go up because values went down. Everybodys trying to trudge through it, reducing their budgets. But were still the eighth county in the state producing oil, so were not dead.

Andrews County has weathered this bust better than other small towns because of recent diversification because of large employers like Waste Control Specialists and URENCO, a national enrichment facility just across the border in New Mexico. Many of the employees of both WCS and URENCO live in Andrews, said Francis.

Although Andrews has become noticeably emptier, said Francis and Wilson, its no ghost town. The local oil service companies have been through this before.

James Abney Sr. and his son James Jr. sit talking at a small table by the window on the other side of Cassidys dining area. They own A-1 Welding Inc., and while they prepared for this bust, theyre having trouble building up new clientele.

We were doing well heads during the boom, and when the boom stopped, obviously, the well heads stopped, said Abney Sr. We had money saved and weve been through four or five of these oil busts before and knew it was coming so we were prepared for it, and weve done alright. Its not like were gonna go broke, but once you get specialized, it takes quite a while to get other clientele built up.

The first oil bust Abney Sr. went through was in 1960 when he was a much younger man without worries or too many responsibilities. This time is different.

Weve always been real fortunate as far as having work (during a bust), but this last year is the first time that we actually havent had a job to go to every day, he said. What affected us this time was that we had gotten over to doing primarily welding that pertained to drilling wells with a couple of select companies. I think everybody right now is pretty much just trying to get by, keeping our heads above water. You kinda go into a survival mode more or less and you just try to save enough resources to take you through the hard times.

At the height of the boom, Abney Jr. was working 120-130 hours a week, he said. During that time, oil prices stayed at $100 a barrel for a long time, starting in February and ending July 2014. When prices came down this time, though, they bled slow.

It went for so long; other booms and busts have not been as long, not been as big, not spent as much money, said Dolgener. When its over, its over. Sometimes the music stops, and you dont have a chair.

Painful cuts

For counties like Garza, which has a population less than 5,000 if you dont include the inmates in the prison  the main employer outside the oil field there  programs that are not state-mandated, but are essential parts of such a small community, will be the first to go.

Garza County relies primarily on the minerals beneath its soil. The South Plains county lies on the western edge of the caprock escarpment of the Llano Estacado, which contributes to the wealth of oil in West Texas, along with the fact the Permian Basin was formerly an inland sea.

However, with the downturn the county faces a 30 percent reduction in valuations this year, according to County Judge Lee Norman.

The increasing state mandates and the valuation hits here are going to be devastating, Norman said in a phone interview. We contribute a lot in our community to supporting all the good things a county of under 5,000 can do. So I think all the things we partner with the school and the city on, were all gonna be in the same boat Im afraid, and those things are going away. That hurts deeply.

About 60 percent of the county budget is required by either state or federal mandates to go to law enforcement or judiciary probation, Norman said. The first cuts will be to county employees, Norman said.

The county also provides for senior citizens, who are otherwise homebound, to be driven to Lubbock once a week for doctors appointments by a county employee. Every summer there is a monthlong recreational program that the county partnered with Post Independent School District to provide.

The Senior Citizens Center provides a low-cost lunch that serves 40 people a day regularly, said Patsy Bilbo, who is actively involved in the center. She said that will be the first program to be cut in order to assure the continuation of the Meals on Wheels program for homebound seniors.

Those are just a few valuable programs Norman fears Post could lose.

Those are folks who have no one else but still have a better quality of life by living at home, Norman said. Theres a dozen other things. We have one of the best community recovery programs I know of in this region. Thats not mandated by the state, but where the state doesnt address that, we have. Were part of the largest rural mental health program in Texas with a satellite office here in Post. Thats not required but what do we do with folks when we have to drive two hours to get to a mental health authority? Those things are just what weve developed through the years to help people and were losing our minerals and that is the bulk of the values of this county. This is particularly painful for such a small microcosm with such heavy reliance on minerals.
Midlander named to Texas Board of Professional Engineers

Cathy Norwood of Midland is one of two named to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers by Gov. Greg Abbott. He also reappointed Lamberto Bobby Ball to the board. The board licenses qualified engineers and regulates the practice of professional engineering.

Norwood is a senior consulting engineer for Hickman, McClaine & Associates, Inc. and holds a professional engineer license from the State of Texas.

Albert Cheng of Houston is a public health analyst for Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services.

Lamberto Bobby Ball of San Antonio is vice president and director of client services for CP&Y, Inc. In his first term on the TBPE, he served as the License Committee chair and was recently elected as vice chair.

NCS Multistage adds to Permian sales team

Reece Roberts has joined NCS Multistage LLC as Business Development Manager for the Permian Basin. He will work out of the companys offices in Midland.

Prior to joining NCS Multistage, Roberts was in technical sales with Packers Plus Energy Services, also in Midland, and before that was Region Project Manager with Weatherford international in Fort Worth.

Physician joins Family Care Clinic

Kenneth Winton, DO is joining the Family Care Clinic at 4506 Briarwood Ave. He is currently accepting patients aged three years and up for his primary care family practice.

The 31-year healthcare and emergency room veteran comes from Winters, where he worked for North Runnels Hospital and Clinic. He practiced in Iraan 25 years ago and has practiced in Crane the last five years.

Midland finance advisor recognized

Midlander Laurie Belew, a partner and chief operating office at FJY Financial, has been named to Investment Advisors Top 25 list of the most influential people in and around the financial industry,

Honorees are selected for the impact they have had and will continue to have on investing, practice management, technology, and the regulatory universe, as they help to move the profession into the future. Belew was specifically singled out for her role as an advocate and educator for younger planners just entering the profession. A frequent mentor for novice advisors within the firm, she was instrumental in developing FJYs internship program.
Someone should sue the President for ...
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An armed suspect was shot and killed Saturday night in Osteen by a deputy, according to the Volusia County Sheriff Office.

Deputies approached what appeared to be an abandoned car

Man found inside the car with a gun

Deputies opened fired after man refused to put down gun

The shooting happened just before 11 p.m. along the 1400 block of State Road 415.

Deputies say they encountered what appeared to be an abandoned car on the side of the road. When they approached the vehicle, deputies found a man in the drivers seat. A handgun was spotted in the back seat, which was within reach of the driver, according to officials.

Deputies ordered the man to remain still and not reach for the gun. However, deputies say the man took off his shirt and put it against the drivers side window in an attempt to block the deputies view.

The shirt fell from the window and the man was in the back seat holding the gun, deputies said.

When the man refused to put the gun down, Deputy Miguel Kent opened fire, striking the man.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to deputies.

The mans identity has not been released.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting.

Deputy Kent has been placed on temporary leave with pay, which is standard procedure. Ken has been with the Volusia County Sheriffs Office since 2003.
Marion County deputies are looking for the person who shot a man Sunday morning after he made a withdrawal from the ATM.

Man shot Sunday morning after making withdrawal from ATM

Suspect approached the man's vehicle brandishing a gun

Man shot twice and taken to the hospital

The incident happened just after 6 a.m. at the Wells Fargo located at 9268 Southeast Maricamp Road.

The victim told deputies he entered his car after making a withdrawal when a man approached him with a gun.

When the victim attempted to drive away, the suspect fired several shots, deputies said. The victim was hit twice but was able to get away. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect is described as a black man between the ages of 18 and 21, 5-feet-10 and 130 pounds. According to deputies, he was wearing a black or dark gray hoodie and baggy denim pants.

Investigators with the Marion County Sheriffs Office Major Crimes unit are actively looking for the shooter.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP.
Business / Companies

by Enacy Mapakame

BANKS involved in the transfer of cash to offshore accounts did so within the confines of the law and cannot be held liable for illicit financial flows, Bankers Association of Zimbabwe president Dr Charity Jinya has said.The recent publication of Panama Papers  more than 11,5 million leaked documents detailing financial and attorney client information for more than 214 488 offshore entities  has raised fears that some companies could be siphoning millions from developing countries, Zimbabwe included.Investigations into some local companies caught up in the revelations are underway. "Just like the RBZ Governor noted, some money was sent out of the country via bank transactions, while, in some instances, people crossed borders with bags of money. But, as of now, banks transactions were done within legal jurisdiction; as of now, we have not yet received reports of any illegal activities by local banks," said Dr Jinya.RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya told a Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce meeting in the capital last week that liberalisation of the economy in 2009 played a crucial role in facilitating the externalisation of funds  disguised as free funds  from Zimbabwe by individuals and corporates.The RBZ, which contends that the country has now become a "fishing pond" for the US dollar, opines that not all the transactions involving the transfer of funds out of the country are illegal."Not all of the transactions were illegal, but it is a case of morals, for one to take money from a poor economy to a bigger economy. The problem is we over-liberalised the economy in 2009," he said.Dr Mangudya told The Sunday Mail Business last week that Government was going to look at the nature of the transactions and act accordingly.ZNCC believes that fighting externalisation should necessarily involve the public and private sector.According to Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based research and advisory non-profit organisation, Africa loses close to US$50 billion annually in illicit financial flows. RBZ statistics show that last year an estimated US$1,8 billion was siphoned out of Zimbabwe through illicit transactions, and inflated management and consultancy fees to foreign entities.
After a brief resurgence, drought conditions are retreating from Texas with only four counties in the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle experiencing moderate drought.

There's additional isolated areas in the Big Bend, Deep South Texas and the western Panhandle experiencing abnormally dry soil conditions, but not drought.

Statistically, just 0.73 percent of Texas is under the lightest drought level, down from 1.08 percent a week ago and 38 percent in September, according to Thursday's update.

Ninety percent of the state is drought free, compared to just under 35 percent in September.

According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, an estimated 8,729 Texans reside within areas suffering from drought.

During the past week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate drought status was removed from the western Panhandle and abnormally dry conditions expended to the south in the eastern Panhandle. New abnormally dry areas were added in South Texas in response to developing dry conditions while some improvement to that classification was made in West Texas.

Counties with moderate drought areas include Hemphill, Wheeler, Collingsworth and Hall. Panhandle counties with areas of abnormal dryness include Deaf Smith, Palmer, Castro, Bailey, Motley, Hall, Collingsworth and Childress.

According to the report, over the next five to seven days, the Plains, Midwest and Northeast remain in a very active weather pattern. The greatest precipitation amounts are projected from northeast Texas into southern Missouri, where up to 5 inches of rain is forecast. With this active pattern, a shot of cold air out of Canada will impact temperatures all the way into the South, with below-normal temperatures. They are expected to be coolest over the Central Plains, with departures of up to 15 degrees below normal.

Blayne Reed, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent for Swisher, Floyd and Hale counties, said that during the past two weeks, it appears stripped rust has blown its way into wheat fields in Hale, Swisher and Floyd in force.

"In our wheat scouting over the past 10 days or so," Reed reported Thursday, "we have witnessed this plant disease move from south to north at what have become treatable levels. Conditions had been optimal for an extended period a few weeks ago for spore germination with damp, dewy mornings, cool temperatures, and some good rain events.

"With the help of some southern wind and in conditions like those, the spreading fungal spores had ample opportunity to germinate in wheat with the increased humidity and moisture. These germinating spores infected many of our area what fields and symptoms are now and have been showing up in those selected fields," Reed said.

"Now that we are (and have been) able to see the symptoms plainly, what we need to be looking at is the flag leaf, at or preferably prior to bloom stage. Wheat can handle a large amount of foliage damage to the lower leaves without economic concern, but the flag leaf is of utmost importance as it is the primary source for feeding the head. Up to a point we can say that the percent damage of the flag leaf at or before bloom stage should roughly equal the percent of yield loss we can expect from just about any wheat disease, including stripped rust. That is up until the grain fills at soft dough stage.

"Once the grain reaches soft dough stage, the economics of disease treatment diminish rapidly and even heavily damaged flag leaves should not require treatment."

Reed posted a chart from Dr. Ron French, Texas A&M plant pathologist in Amarillo, to aid producers in determining economic thresholds to begin treatment. That chart is available at: http://halecountyipm.blogspot.com/
A settlement conference on sexual abuse claims against a former St. Stanislaus Church assistant pastor is scheduled this week in U.S. District Court in New Haven.



The case is the third sexual assault on a minor claim against the Rev. Stephen Bzdyra, who served as assistant pastor at the Akron Street, Meriden church from 1979 to 1985. Bzdrya also had claims filed by men who said they were abused while he served at St. Francis Church in New Haven, and as a deacon at St. Hedwig Church in Naugatuck.



St. Stanislaus Church and School and Bzdyra were mentioned with Choate Rosemary Hall as part of the Boston Globes recent Spotlight investigation into sexual abuse claims made in New Englands private schools. St. Stanislaus School closed last year because of declining enrollment. Choate investigated a claim against a faculty member and deemed the allegations had no merit.



The first two lawsuits against Bzdyra were settled by the Archdiocese of Hartford. In February, one of the lawsuits filed by William Dotson in 2010, a former alter boy at St. Francis Church in New Haven, was settled for $500,000. Dotson went public after Bzdyra contacted his nine-year-old son on Facebook, the lawsuit claims.



A nun gave court testimony in that case stating she witnessed some troubling actions by Bzdyra and a young boy in 1989 that led her to write a letter to the bishop.



According to court records, the plaintiff in the St. Stanislaus case scheduled for a settlement this week is identified as PK, whose family belonged to St. Stanislaus Church in the early 1980s. PK is a resident of California and was a minor at the time of the alleged incidents.



The lawsuit filed in 2010 by the Faxon Law Group LLC in New Haven states that Byzdra met PK at St. Stanislaus and traveled to California to meet with him. Between 1980 and 1983, Byzdra allegedly performed lewd and lascivious acts upon PK. On diverse dates, Bzdrya repeatedly sexually molested PK and threatened and intimidated PK so he would not disclose Bzdryas acts, and provided rewards and other inducements to plaintiff to prolong their relationship, according to court documents.



Through its attorneys, the Archdiocese of Hartford sought to dismiss the allegations claiming Bzdryas conduct was outside the scope and course of his employment with the archdiocese. A federal court judge rejected that argument in 2014. Judge Warren W. Eginton quoted a decision from Nelligan v. Diocese to support his decision to deny the churchs motion to dismiss the charges: This court, at least, is not prepared to conclude that an activity which might be undertaken by as many as 4 percent of an employers employees is a clear cut digression from duty as a matter of law.



PKs attorney Timothy Pothin declined to comment on the lawsuit until after Thursdays settlement conference.



Bzdyra is represented by prominent defense attorney Hugh Keefe, who argued the case should be dismissed because the claims were vague and didnt include dates.



Keefe could not be reached for comment Friday.



The Archdiocese of Hartford placed Bzdyra on suspension from his Seymour assignment shortly after the lawsuits were filed in 2010. His current status as a priest was unclear Friday. Representatives from the archdiocese could not be reached for comment Friday.



The other case mentioned in the Globes Spotlight report involves a former Choate student who in 2013 accused a former English teacher of exposing himself when she was a student in 1986. Choate Headmaster Alex Curtis said the schools investigation did not produce any information that needed to be considered or investigated further. The staff members attorney denied the accusation. In 2016, the former student contacted the teachers current employer, Thayer Academy, which conducted its own investigation and said it could not find any corroborating evidence.



The faculty member was briefly suspended when Thayer conducted its investigation, but has since been reinstated.



Choate Rosemary Hall issued the following statement Friday:



Student safety and well being are of paramount importance and central to the mission of Choate Rosemary Hall. Inappropriate behaviors and boundary crossings are not tolerated in our school community and we have been proactive in providing our alumni with reporting resources to respond to any occurrences in the past. The school provides our current students thoughtful education and training around issues of healthy relationships. We commend the courage of the victims that have stepped forward to share their stories with the Boston Globe.



mgodin@record-journal.com (203) 317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz










SOMERS, Conn. (AP)  Just before his 100th birthday, ice cream magnate S. Prestley Blake gave himself a $7.7 million gift  a house built to replicate Monticello, the famed Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson.



Nestled a stones throw from the Massachusetts line in the small Connecticut town of Somers, the 10,000-square-foot house on more than 9 acres of land goes on the auction block May 31. It has never been lived in, failed to sell for the original asking price of $6.5 million and didnt get a buyer at the reduced listing of $4.9 million.



Jeffersons Monticello was built over 28 years at a cost of more than $100,000, according to its official website. Because much of the work was bartered or done by slave labor, it is impossible to figure out an exact cost, The Thomas Jefferson Foundation says.



Blake, the co-founder of the Friendlys ice cream and restaurant chain, lives a few doors down on adjacent property connected by a horse trail. He never meant to live in the replica.



This is my swan song, he said in 2014, when the house was built. This is the last thing Ill leave for posterity. I want this to be an asset to the community.



Other than a three-car garage, the house was built to mimic the original Monticello from the outside. That includes the decorative railings on the roof and the handmade bricks imported from Virginia, laid in the same Flemish bond pattern used by Jefferson.



For its construction, Blake flew his contractor, Bill Laplante, to Virginia to study the original. Laplante said he used photographs and a book with original architectural drawings to help him build the replica.



I would say, with the exception of the garage and the rear elevation, its probably 95 to 98 percent accurate, he said. The footprint is pretty much the same.



The inside of the house is modern, complete with an elevator, gourmet kitchen and lights and heating that can be controlled from a smartphone app. The chandelier in the foyer also can be lowered electronically to replace light bulbs and a bookcase in the master bedroom opens to reveal a hidden safe.



Laplante said the house is also environmentally friendly, with a geothermal heating system. Much of the wood involved was harvested from the property. There are also a few elements inside, such as the finish carpentry on the moldings, which resemble the original.



Some potential bidders are considering it as a potential bed and breakfast or wedding venue; others are interested in living there, said Jack Hoyt, project sales manager for Concierge Auctions. The property has attracted interest from as far away as Florida and Canada.



I try to guess where these auctions will end up and Im often wrong, Hoyt said. I can tell you it will sell from anywhere from zero to $4.9 million. We may start the bidding at $500,000 or $1 million or something like that and then wherever the bidders drive it up to is what the final price will be.



Those who want to participate in the online auction must pay a $100,000 deposit in advance and provide proof they have the funds to purchase the home. The property comes with a couple of drawbacks. The house is visible from the road and people often stop to look and take photos. Its also less than 3 miles from several state prisons.



Now 101, Blake declined to comment for this story.



Its just a spectacular property, said Lisa Pellegrini, the towns first selectman. What we would like to see is just somebody who would continue to take very good care of it.






MERIDEN  A sophomore at Wilcox Technical High School was the states lone recipient of the Presidents Volunteer Service Award.



Hector Cardona III, 15, of Meriden, was the only recipient of the award in the state this year, Wilcox Principal Joyce Mowrey said during a ceremony Wednesday. Cardonas family, friends and classmates attended the presentation of the award, which took place at the start of the school day.



We are very proud and emotional, said Cardonas grandmother, Sarah Cardona, before the ceremony. Hes a good kid.



Hector Cardona Jr., a member of the Meriden Police Department, said he was proud of his son, and noted he did many of the volunteer hours with the police cadets and through the citys Youth Services Department.



Esmeralda Cardona said her son enjoys what he does, and the volunteering came natural to him.



Michelle Leahy, a teacher at the school and the Skills USA adviser, coordinated with Cardona to apply for the award. Leahy said Cardona completed a total of 295 volunteer service hours in 2015 to qualify for the award. Any student can apply for the award, but the process is time-consuming, Leahy said, so many students dont take advantage of the opportunity.



He is going to move mountains as he proceeds, Leahy said of Cardona III. This kids going someplace.



Cardona said he was proud to be a part of the police cadets and enjoyed giving back to the community through his volunteering. He hopes to inspire other students to work toward the award, he said.



Even though he submitted his application with a verified 295 volunteer hours, Cardona noted, he completed around 400.



He added that he was happy his family was able to attend the ceremony.



Without my family, friends and the staff at the school, I wouldnt be who I am today, Cardona said.



Mowrey said Cardona already stands out as a quiet, giving and focused student. He deserves the award and recognition, she said, adding that she hopes it inspires other students to follow in his footsteps.



Leahy said Wilcox students can always be counted on to volunteer their time.



lsievert@record-journal.com 203-317-2225 Twitter: @LaurenSievertRJ






WALLINGFORD  A local river advocacy group rescinded a request to hold a public hearing on a discharge permit sought by chemical production company Allnex after working with state officials and company representatives on an agreement over the discharge of a previously unregulated chemical into the Quinnipiac River watershed.



Earlier this year, River Advocates of South Central Connecticut expressed concern that Allnex, 528 S. Cherry St., would be discharging tetrahydrofuran into the Quinnpiac River without regulation given the companys past discharge violations.



The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protections discharge permit would only require the company to monitor the levels of the discharge, without a standard set to regulate its concentration in the watershed.



The advocacy group, helmed by state Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, obtained enough signatures to request a public hearing before a new permit could be issued by the state.



There was no standard for (tetrahydrofuran) and they were simply going to require them to monitor it, Mushinsky said. Because it does have toxic qualities we did not think that was acceptable.



The chemical is toxic to the central nervous systems, respiratory systems and eyes.



Representatives from DEEP helped the company and advocacy group work on a discharge standard acceptable to both parties. Mushinsky said the agreed upon standard limits the companys discharge into the river to no more than 11,000 micrograms of tetrahydrofuran per liter of water.



Ozzie Inglese Jr., director of DEEPs Water Permitting and Enforcement Division, said he was pleased a compromise was reached.



I think DEEP staff are glad to have played a role in facilitating a solution between river advocates and the company, Inglese said.



Allnex Site Manager Frank DiCristina said he was glad the company was able to work with state officials and the advocacy group to resolve the problem.



I think it turned out great, actually DEEP encouraged us to engage with the river advocates directly and we did and had some really good discussions, DiCristina said. It was a good opportunity to share information and help both sides understand what the request was and through that process we were able to satisfy their concerns



Mushinsky said she was also glad that an agreement was reach and will be looking into other aspects of the companys discharge permit in the coming weeks.



Im just happy that we have standards now to hold them to and we will look at the entire permit when it comes up later this spring and scrutinize the whole thing, Mushinsky said.



DiCristina said the companys relationship with the advocacy group will not end with the discharge permit agreement.



Were going to continue to engage with the river advocates proactively because we potentially have other modifications down the road, DiCristina said. This a good example to how we can work together for the benefit of everyone.



ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ






Just because democracy doesnt work in your favor, you cant take your toys and go home and blame other people. Those were some strong words that Connecticut House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, of Derby, addressed to the leader of her party, Connecticut Republican Chairman J.R. Romano. Her remarks came after Romano had banned a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter, Neil Vigdor, from the GOPs state convention.



Romano later rescinded the ban, but it was a tactic thats all too common in todays political scene: If you dont like the message, shoot the messenger.



Weve been seeing this, over and over, in Donald Trumps campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, including when he made a tasteless remark about Foxs Megyn Kelley after she had asked him a perfectly reasonable question; and when he skipped a CNN-sponsored debate to protest that networks allegedly unfair treatment of him. Never mind that the TV networks have lavished more free coverage on Trump this year than he or anyone else could have afforded to buy.



As for Romano, We are tired of being smeared by Neil Vigdors petty gossip, he said. I have an obligation to defend this party. But one would think he also has an obligation not to embarrass his party with such a petty move.



Our job is to get information, analysis and insight to the public, Barbara T. Roessner, executive editor of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group, said in defending her reporter. A free press doesnt require approval from the state Republican Party, or anyone else. (Hearst owns the CT Post of Bridgeport, The News-Times of Danbury, The Hour of Norwalk, The Advocate of Stamford and the Greenwich Time.)



We know how things work in an unfree country with an unfree press. Several journalists from the BBC were expelled from North Korea recently  after eight hours of questioning and scolding  for speaking very ill of the system of the leadership of the country when they should have been reporting very fairly, objectively and very correctly, said a government spokesman. Which means simply that they werent reporting what the officials wanted them to report.



But thats not how things work in this country. Unfortunately, the fact that Romano said he had no regrets about banning the reporter suggests that he may not understand that point.






Business / Economy

by Livingstone Marufu

GOVERNMENT is considering reviewing the import tariff regime before the end of the year to stem the rising tide of imports, increase production capacity and narrow the trade gap.The envisaged interventions would add to broad measures, such as removal of specified goods from the general import licence, that have since been implemented.A depreciating South African rand has made imports attractive while making local producers uncompetitive.Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha told The Sunday Mail Business that internal devaluation could help narrow the country's negative trade balance."We must promote production capacity for our local industries so that companies can produce quality and affordable goods and create an enabling environment for investors to get funding for them to get new equipment and also buy other necessities to raise their capacity utilisation."If the companies are operating at 20 percent or 30 percent, their costs are also high . . . so we must support local producers with capital and efficiencies."We must also support them in terms of making them produce more goods, but, more importantly, we must have measures that support them in terms of imports, and we have to play around with the tariff regime," said Minister Bimha.Government banned importation of second-hand clothes, shoes, leather products, blankets, maize meal, meat, sugar and flour from September 1, 2015.Section 12 of Statutory Instrument 21 of 2010, as amended in March, requires all public institutions to procure at least 50 percent of their goods and services from local suppliers."Apart from playing around with imports, from removing the goods from general import license, we must support productive capacity to produce more goods."It's a combination of many things and encourages our people to want to buy locally. There are some who have a tendency of importing goods with a view that they are of a superior quality."We can't continue to protect our industry for a long time . . . we need to come out and compete with international products because competition is here to stay," added Minister Bimha.ZimTrade is working with the Standard Association of Zimbabwe to assist local manufacturers  big and small  to produce goods of international quality.
SAN ANTONIO  On Oct. 21, beloved H-E-B deli worker Paula Boyd, 75, was found dead of blunt force injuries in her Northwest Side apartment. Allegedly assaulted and killed by a relative, she was one of 94 people in the city recorded as a victim of homicide in 2015 by the San Antonio Police Department.

For deaths counted by SAPD, 2015 saw nine less homicides than 2014, which was the highest recorded in the last five years. From January through March 15 of this year, the city has seen a total 36 homicides.
An argument between patrons at a popular nightclub on the West Side ended in a shooting and two men being rushed to the hospital Sunday morning.

San Antonio police say an altercation inside Joe's Volcano, 6844 Ingram Road, at about 2:40 a.m., Sunday, escalated in the parking lot once those involved were ejected from the club.
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Eight people are dead and at least 44 injured after a bus rolled over Saturday along U.S. 83 near Galvan Road in N.W. Webb County.

The Laredo Morning Times reports the charter bus, owned by OGA Charters out of San Juan, Texas, was headed to the Kickapoo Lucky Casino Hotel in Eagle Pass when it rolled over.

The bus was about eight miles north of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, according to the Moring Times. The wreck is roughly about 160 miles south of San Antonio.

Webb County spokesman Larry Sanchez told the Morning Times that 7 people died at the scene and another 22 bus passengers were sent to Doctors Hospital, 15 to Laredo Medical Center and seven to a Dimmit County hospital. Another passenger later died at the hospital.

The Associated Press reports the one-vehicle rollover is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years.

Late Saturday afternoon Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement of grief and support for those involved in the crash.

"Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the tragic accident in South Texas today," Abbott wrote. "I ask the entire State of Texas to keep the families of loved ones lost today, as well as the Dimmit County community, in its thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website shows recent inspection reports for OGA Charters. The site shows the carrier had satisfactory ratings from the company's last six inspections.

The website reported the carrier had no reported crashes during the last two years, the time in which the six inspections were completed.
Business / Local

by Livingstone Marufu

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has heightened preparations for the annual Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, with indications that 103 out of the targeted 180 companies have registered to showcase their products in Bulawayo next month.Last year's chapter of the premier tourism showcase attracted 128 exhibitors. This year, the fair will run from June16 to June 18.ZTA head of corporate affairs Sugar Chagonda told The Sunday Mail Business, "Exhibitor recruitment is in progress; to date 103 companies have registered to participate at Sanganai/Hlanganani, registration is still in progress."Our target is to attract at least 180 companies. Last year we had 128 companies at Sanganai including sharing exhibitors."At least 14 foreign exhibitors from countries like India, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa have registered for this year's edition."So far we have 102 buyers from across the globe mainly from Europe, Asia and Africa. We still have some vacant space and hope in the next few weeks it would have been taken up," said Chagonda.Sanganai is famed for attracting high-calibre international buyers as well as exhibitors.Chagonda said the ninth edition of Sanganai is expected to ride on the successes gained by the previous editions.ZTA is expecting 16 international media houses from source markets and bloggers who are involved in tourism writing. The event will target exhibitors in accommodation, airlines, tertiary institutions, hunting and safari operators, Government institutions and parastatals."The world expo allows us to meet and network with exhibitors, visiting buyers, investors and suppliers of the tourism services from all over the world."It also establishes strategic business partnership with tourism players across the globe; derive value from well structured, themed and informative international tourism conferences and workshops."Sanganai/Hlanganani expo makes governments network across ministerial activities and establish strategic partnerships with other destinations or cities."Besides a lot of business and network opportunities during exhibition hours a lively social and cultural exchange parallel to the exhibition and after hours providing more opportunity to network," he said.The expo was declared a national event in 2007. ZTA had set up pre-arranged meetings between buyers and exhibitors to ensure that maximum benefits are drawn.The Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre, the venue of this year's expo, offers an extensive exhibition centre which encompasses a 17-hectare site situated near Bulawayo's CBD.This year's expo will run under the theme "Africa's premier business exchange" which will see exhibitors exchanging business to business ideas with their counterparts.
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Parts of San Antonio saw more than an inch of rain Sunday as showers moved across the city and soaked most of Bexar County.

While National Weather Service meters at the San Antonio International Airport picked up .61 inches of rain as of 2:30 p.m., radar estimates put totals on the South Side at 1.18 inches, and certain areas of Bexar County received as high as 1.5 to two inches of rain as of mid-afternoon.

The rain is projected to stop Monday, but a cold front moving in early Tuesday should bring temperatures back down and cause scattered thunderstorms the rest of the week, according to NWS.

A flood advisory for was issued for Bexar County until 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

A statement from the NWS said heavy rain and thunderstorms in the San Antonio area could cause urban and small stream flooding as well as minor flooding from overflowing poor drainage areas.

A hazardous weather outlook for parts of Central and South Central Texas projected between one and two and possibly up to five inches of rain throughout Sunday and overnight.

Counties in the hazardous weather outlook included Bexar, Bandera, Hays, Travis, Comal, Guadalupe, Atascosa, Kerr, Kendall, Atascosa and Medina.

Strong to severe thunderstorms with possible hail and damaging winds are possible Monday through Thursday for parts Central Texas the NWS reported Sunday on its website.

San Antonio police and fire units responded at about 1:30 p.m. to a high water incident at Hollyhock and Babcock roads, according to scanner traffic and the fire department's webpage.

Police also responded to multiple vehicle wrecks Sunday, according to scanner traffic.

No injuries have been reported.

Despite the rain, two big events happening in San Antonio Sunday went on.

The Tejano Conjunto Festival said the 35th annual music fest continued at Rosedale Park, starting at 1 p.m., a posting on the event's Facebook page reported.

Meanwhile, the annual street wide picnic known as Houston Street Food reported through social media that the picnic was moved inside to the Frost building at 217 E. Houston Street.

The event benefits the San Antonio Food Bank and offers an outdoor dining experience with gourmet picnic baskets prepared by chefs from restaurants along Houston Street.

Portions of Houston Street were to be closed for the event, but the street remains open now that festivities have been moved inside.

Staff writer Jeremy Gerlach contributed to this report.
Data from the U.S. census puts three Texas cities  Austin, Houston and San Antonio  in the top five fastest-growing cities in the United States. And Fort Worth and Dallas arent far behind, ranking among the top 10.

With all this success comes substantial and significant challenges. Theres the familiar refrain about the need for Texas to address the publics demands for more roads, to meet increasing water needs, and to support other critical infrastructure as the population here explodes.

How we meet the needs of roughly 80,000 new public school students each year joins that chorus of concerns.

Northside Independent School District, the states fourth-largest school district, is faced with opening more than 800 new classrooms over the next decade. One new high school opens next year, while another is in the planning stages. A planned school bond in 2018 would possibly pay for eight more schools. Many of NISDs much-needed classrooms may not be ready without significant state support.

Located in the nations seventh-fastest growing county, Comal ISD (current enrollment 21,160) is experiencing some of the areas fastest growth. But property values are rising even faster, meaning that by 2018 the district will have sent more than $24 million to the state for distribution to districts with little or no growth. If kept locally, these funds could support the opening of two new middle schools that same year or pay for nearly $500,000 in portables to accommodate enrollment growth.

At Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, more than 2,000 students have been added in four years, with demographic projections forecasting an additional 5,600 over the next 10 school years. Eleven campuses now have an enrollment above their functional capacity. Its biggest challenge may be the lack of commercial revenue streams, meaning tax revenues are generated mostly from the residential tax base. This creates a much lower wealth-per-student allotment for SCUCISD than any of the neighboring school districts and among the lowest in the region.

In neighboring Boerne ISD (current enrollment 7,940), Superintendent David Stelmazewski is making plans to accommodate a projected enrollment growth of more than 4,400 students over the next 10 years. Despite moving sixth grade to the districts middle school campuses this fall, several of Boernes elementary campuses are at or near capacity. On May 7, taxpayers approved a $175 million bond to fund three new schools and classroom expansions at existing campuses.

Yet a majority of these fast-growth districts receive little facilities funding from the state to help keep pace with the buildings needed to educate the influx of Texas public school students.

Generally speaking, state debt is low, while local debt burdens continue to increase. The reality is that much of the financial burden to keep pace with increasing demand for infrastructure and state services  including public education  is simply shifted to local taxpayers.

All four of these school districts are at or near the threshold of local tax-rate caps, meaning their budgetary needs are reliant on continued tax appraisal growth coupled with student growth.

Unfortunately, the state does not account for growth rate in their facilities-funding models, so the burden falls to local taxpayers to build new schools and carry the debt. We need state funding to reflect the realities inherent in a state with such tremendous population growth. And we need the state to allow for greater flexibility in how local communities manage and meet the demands of a fast-growth school district.

An investment in fast-growth districts is an essential investment in our children in Texas. Its also a reflection of our states commitment to stay economically vibrant and to make our state a place where businesses flock and families can grow and prosper.

David Stelmazewski of Boerne ISD, Andrew Kim of Comal ISD, Brian Woods of Northside ISD and Greg Gibson of Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD are district superintendents.
San Antonio is expected to welcome more than 1 million new residents by 2040. The new arrivals will boost our economy and make the city an even more desirable place to live and raise a family  but well need enough affordable rental housing to ensure that everyone in the city has the opportunity to thrive. And well need to recognize that San Antonio is part of a growing national affordable-housing emergency that flies largely under the radar.

Between 2001 and 2014, the number of households paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent in the United States skyrocketed from 7.5 million to 11.4 million. Thats more than 1 in 4 renter families in San Antonio and across the country barely scraping by, with little money for healthy food, medicine, clothes and other necessities. Too many live in homes disconnected from jobs, transit and other opportunities, profoundly impacting their prospects for fair shots at success.

As a city, state and country, we must make affordable housing a priority. San Antonio is one of five national Promise Zones, a designation that provides us with additional federal money to help create stable, more desirable neighborhoods and equip families to take advantage of new opportunities.

We are also creating a communitywide comprehensive plan called SATomorrow that incorporates a community visioning process and utilizes the expertise of hundreds of San Antonians to develop a blueprint for the future of our city. These local experts specialize in housing, transportation, military affairs, historic preservation, and air and water quality issues, among other topics, offering the breadth of experience necessary to leave no stone unturned as we move San Antonio forward.

After we adopt that plan later this year, we will have a community-based mandate for the development of mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods. And not just because its the right thing to do or because affordable housing advocates like me asked for it  but because the economic, health, education and environmental benefits of doing so are hard to exaggerate.

The profound impact of stable affordable housing on families and communities is increasingly clear from rigorous research. In fact, Dr. Megan Sandel of Childrens HealthWatch considers housing a vaccine and suggests that a stable home literally keeps children healthy. Take, for one example, that roughly 40 percent of childhood asthma diagnoses are tied to exposures at home. But people with asthma living in green affordable housing, which decreases environmental impacts, experience significantly more symptom-free days, reducing the need for costly urgent medical care.

While the benefits of affordable housing are clear, the growing need for it continues to escape the spotlight it deserves. Roughly 16,000 families are on the San Antonio Housing Authoritys public housing waiting list, and 29,000 local families who requested Housing Choice vouchers to help pay rent continue to wait for them to become available. Nationwide, the shortage of affordable rental homes is at least 5 million, not including deteriorating homes in desperate need of rehabilitation.

One key part of the solution is to adopt the Bipartisan Policy Centers recommendation to expand by 50 percent the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Texas and Americas primary tool for creating and preserving affordable housing. The housing credit has financed nearly 2.8 million affordable apartments, supporting 95,000 jobs each year, mostly in the small-business sector.

In Texas alone, it has financed more than 266,000 homes and provided safe, stable roofs over heads to more than 618,000 Texas families. It represents the best of public-private partnerships, leveraging nearly $100 billion in private capital since 1986 and generating more than $301 billion in local income and $118 billion in tax revenues.

Ending our affordable housing emergency and delivering the benefits of affordable housing is critical to achieving our vision of a thriving San Antonio  but it cannot be done by any individual city or state on its own. Governments, businesses and nonprofits will need to work together in support of a shared vision. Doing so will save significant taxpayer dollars and strengthen the economy while reducing health care costs, improving education outcomes and protecting the environment.

Jennifer Gonzalez is the chairwoman of the Housing Commission for the city of San Antonio and executive director of the Alamo Community Group.
Three Texas Education Agency interventions into one communitys public school districts  all in a four-month period  surely set some sort of state record.

While San Antonio holds that distinction, it is not something we should take pride in having accomplished.

Late last week, TEA announced it has launched an investigation into the Southside Independent School District prompted by multiple complaints, Express-News education writer Alia Malik reported.

The district joined the ranks of the South San Antonio and Edgewood school districts. Those districts have been under TEA scrutiny since the beginning of the year. The agency has appointed a conservator for South San and is in the process of appointing a new board for Edgewood.

There have been only six investigations launched by TEA since the start of the year. That San Antonio has been on the receiving end of half of those inquiries comes as no surprise.

Our community has some dysfunctional school boards that are wreaking havoc in their districts. Their bad decision-making is costing district taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in buyouts and lawsuits. It may take years to repair the problems they are creating.

There is much to be said for local control, and we support the concept, but there are always outliers. The majority of those elected to local school boards are dedicated, hardworking public servants who give generously of their time without expectation of personal gain.

Regrettably, not all elected school board members come with the same mindset. Some want to delve into the day-to-day operations and are not mindful that they are only a policy-making body.

In recent years, civic and business leaders have joined the Express-News pleas for state intervention in some of our local districts as runaway school boards have taken over. We are grateful for the agencys decision to heed the calls for help.

The state education agencys intervention in any form is a blemish on a school districts record. It could affect property values, economic development and enrollment, but at times there are few other viable solutions. TEA offers a glimmer of hope that the dysfunctional behavior may be finally nearing an end.

TEA can impose progressive sanctions on a troubled district, or it can scale back its involvement if things start turning around. It is not good when the agency needs to resort to drastic measures to drive home its message.

In the best-case scenario, school districts respond to the attention and make improvements, but it does not always work out that way.

We are disappointed to learn South San does not appear to be making much progress in overcoming its governance issues. A quarterly report submitted by the South San conservator at the end of April states, The conservator finds no evidence that board members have made or will make a commitment to change the behaviors that have led to the governance concerns.

Even more troubling is the three-page rebuttal to the report from South San board President Connie Prado explaining why her actions dont constitute micromanaging.

To correct a problem, it must first be acknowledged.

Some school board members just dont get it. They never will.
If youve enjoyed a bottle of Spanish wine in the last few years  a bold red, a vibrant white, a stylish sparkling wine  it may be thanks to Jorge Ordonez.

For many years, the few Spanish wines available in the United States tended to be mass-produced sherries or dusty reds of mysterious origin. Though Spain had been producing fine wine for centuries, not a lot got through to our shores.

When Ordonez, who grew up in the family wine business in Malaga, Spain, moved to the United States in 1987, Spains tradition-bound wine industry had just been turned upside-down. The nations relatively recent transition to democracy and entrance to the European Union was opening up new international markets. Investment in local winemaking was increasing, onerous regulations were being relaxed and young winemakers began making modern new styles in Spains storied vineyards.

Ordonez, now a renowned producer and distributor of Spanish wines, pushed for further improvements to traditional winemaking. He called for lower yields and careful vinification. He insisted on refrigerated warehousing and shipping. As a result, his wines have classic Spanish spirit and flavor, with the quality and freshness we love.

Importing a broad range of high-quality wines previously unknown outside Spain, he helped Americans fall in love with wines from great Spanish regions like Rioja and Rueda, and with grapes like Tempranillo, Garnacha and Verdejo. His influence on the industry has helped to raise standards for all Spanish wines.

Theres no better time to try Ordonezs wines than during Total Wine & Mores Discover Spain and Portugal event, in our stores now through next weekend. Check out our tasting table to sample the new Demimo, a crisp, clean white wine made from century-old vines in north central Spain. And look for three more new wines from Ordonez: Pallas, Argami and Solnia, each reflecting classic grape varieties from uniquely Spanish growing areas.

Discover these and a whole world of great Spanish wines at San Antonios two Total Wine & More stores.

Del Norte

125 NW Loop 410

San Antonio, TX 78216

(210) 524-9300

The Rim

17530 La Cantera Parkway

San Antonio, TX 78257

(210) 877-9155

You can also shop online at www.TotalWine.com.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Total Wine & More. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
Posted on 05/15/2016, 11:00 am, by mySteinbach

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is pleased to announce it will again award six $500 bursaries to deserving Manitoba students in 2016.

The bursaries are available to MBP members, or their children, who are attending a university, college or other post-secondary institution. Students pursuing trades training are also eligible. Preference will be given to students who are pursuing a field of study related to agriculture or those acquiring a skilled trade that would benefit the rural economy.

We are proud to offer these bursaries to our members and their children, said Manitoba Beef Producers President Heinz Reimer. Investments in education reap strong dividends. Our past recipients have gone on to careers in the trades and veterinary services, among others with many of them settling in rural Manitoba and making significant contributions to their communities.

Those applying must be at least 17 years old as of Jan. 1, 2016 and be an active beef producer or the child of one. Applicants must use the bursary within two years of receiving it and the program they are attending must be at least one year in duration.

Interested students are required to submit an essay no more than 600 words in length discussing what the beef industry means to them, their family, community and Manitoba at large. Students are also asked to include the reasons they enjoy being involved in agriculture.

Applicants must also submit either a high school or post-secondary transcript, proof of enrolment in a recognized institution, a list of their community involvement and three references. The application can be found at www.mbbeef.ca/producers/mbp-bursary.

Completed applications must be submitted to MBP by June 3, 2016. All entries will be reviewed by the selection committee and the winners will be notified on July 31, 2016. The winning essays will also be reprinted in the September issue of Cattle Country.
Business / Local

by Debra Matabvu

ZIMBABWEANS will not experience power cuts this winter season as the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Transmission Company, a subsidiary of power utility Zesa, says it will meet demand.Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said there would only be minimal load shedding if demand rose above projected levels.According to another Zesa subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Power Company on its website, about 1 005MW is being produced by Kariba, Hwange, Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati power stations.The power utility is also banking on the Dema diesel generator, which is expected to produce 200MW during the peak of winter, while Harare Power Station will add 40MW to the grid.Power imports from South Africa and Mozambique will shore up any shortfalls."The power supply situation currently prevailing in the country is that there is no load shedding and it is anticipated that this position will prevail right through the winter season for all customers," Gwasira said."However, if electricity demand rises beyond the projected levels, customers may witness load shedding, though mechanisms have been put in place to minimise the impact."The supply portfolio mix between imports and local generation is reviewed constantly. We are able to meet the current power demand from local generating assets of Kariba South Hydro Power Station, Hwange Thermal Power station and the three small thermal of Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati, coupled with imports from fellow regional utilities such as Eskom of South Africa and Hydro Cahorra Bassa (HCB) of Mozambique, among others."Zimbabwe requires 1 800MW of electricity daily in winter due to higher consumption from use of gadgets like heaters and geysers.According to the Southern African Power Pool's latest monthly report, power trade has significantly declined in the region  an indication that most countries in Sadc do not have electricity shortfalls.In recent years, electricity customers were hit by power cuts during winter, with some suburbs going for more than 16 hours without electricity. Zimbabwe's power supply situation has been stable since December 2015.
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Submitted By Conric Pr & Marketing

Fort Myers  Last fall when Ken and Camille Bairunas noticed land being cleared for a new community only a tenth of a mile from their home, their curiosity was piqued. They visited the site and decided to tour the model, which was not even furnished yet. The Bairunas learned the community, which was being built by D.R. Horton's Southwest Florida division, would be called Westwood Place  but they decided to call it home.

This month they became the first residents of this new gated community, but Camille prefers a different word: "It's not just a community, it's a neighborhood," she insisted, adding that they have already met a few of the other homeowners. Their next door neighbors were scheduled to close two weeks later.

Ken, a retired credit finance professional, and Camille, a retired elementary school teacher, relocated from New Jersey to Southwest Florida in 2006. They have owned new homes; however, this was the first time they were able to choose all the colors, finishes and hardware to personalize their home.

With only 28 homes to be built among a preserve area south of Summerlin Road on Winkler Road in Fort Myers, the intimate size of the community does ensure a small, traditional neighborhood feel. Six luxury estate home plans are available starting in the $300s.

The one- and two-story homes in Westwood Place range from 1,983 to 3,609 square feet of living area. There are 19 homesites available as well as several quick move-in homes and buyer incentives available.

A decorated model is open for viewing seven days a week at 8705 Westwood Oaks Place in Fort Myers. Visit www.drhorton.com/swfla for information.
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Editor's note: Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross respond to questions about Florida community association law. With offices in Naples, Fort Myers, Coral Gables and Boca Raton, the firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.

Q: Every year, our annual meeting includes a vote to rollover surplus funds from the prior fiscal year. Despite the surplus, our budget continues to increase every year. We are unable to determine where the surplus is being spent and would prefer it be applied as a credit to future assessments. Is this surplus required to be disclosed and traced?

A.J.

Naples

A: The association's budget is supposed to be zero-sum, meaning money budgeted to come in is supposed to equal the money budgeted to go out. If the association runs under budget, there is a surplus. The board can keep the budget at the same level and apply the surplus toward the next year's assessments to decrease assessments, or the board can increase the budget and apply the surplus toward the increase. It sounds like your budget has been increasing greater than the surplus.

The budget should reflect the surplus, either as an offset to the operating budget or toward the reserve contribution, but either way the budget should adequately disclose the surplus. If you are in a condominium, your association is required to obtain an audit at least every four years. Thus, there should be a professional opinion on the matter assuming this has been going on for some time. If you are in a condominium, you could also submit a written inquiry to the condominium association and request a substantive explanation. If you are in a homeowners association, the membership can indefinitely waive the audit, but the budget should reflect the surplus in some capacity.

Q: Our community contains a master association with condominiums and single family homes. The condominiums are governed by a separate condominium association under the master's umbrella. The master association is amending and restating its governing documents. Do the condominium unit owners get to vote in the master document vote?

J.J.

Naples

A: With respect to voting rights in master association matters, you have to analyze the specific documents and the allocation of voting rights. In some master associations governed by Florida Statutes, Chapter 720, all of the individual condominium unit owners are also members of the master association, and generally this dictates that each condominium unit owner has a voice at the master association level. Other documents provide that the condominium association itself is a member, and the condominium unit owners do not individually vote, but rather a representative on behalf of the condominium association casts a number of votes allocated to the condominium in the governing documents.

Oddly enough, some of these documents provide that the individual can vote in his or her discretion on behalf of the entire condominium without even seeking a straw poll let alone formal vote of the condominium membership. This is a commonly used voting mechanism and provides an efficient voting process, but also places significant discretion on one individual. If the condominium unit owners have the right to use the master amenities and pay assessments toward those amenities, it is almost certain that the condominium unit owners have a voice in the amendment project at some level, either individually or through representative voting.

I would recommend you have a licensed Florida attorney review the governing documents to determine the voting rights of the condominium association and/or its owners.

Q: A number of homeowners in our community are tirelessly trying to get the board to address a certain item of business. The board has been reluctant to place the matter on an agenda for discussion. How can the membership force the board to take action?

C.D.

Naples

A: There is a mechanism to compel the board to address a specific item of business, but there is no mechanism to force a board to vote on a matter of business.

Specifically, Florida Statutes section 720.303 provides "if 20 percent of the total voting interests petition the board to address an item of business, the board shall at its next regular board meeting or at a special meeting of the board, but not later than 60 days after the receipt of the petition, take the petitioned item up on an agenda ... Each member shall have the right to speak for at least three minutes on each matter placed on the agenda by petition, provided that the member signs the sign-up sheet, if one is provided, or submits a written request to speak before the meeting. Other than addressing the petitioned item at the meeting, the board is not obligated to take any other action requested by the petition."

So, as you can see, you can collect signatures from at least 20 percent of the total voting interests and the board must place the matter on its next agenda. The membership is guaranteed an opportunity to address the board and speak to the board, but there is no statutory requirement for the board to take any action other than listening.

I should also note that despite the fact there is no requirement for the board to vote on the business raised by the petition, the board is nevertheless governing by its fiduciary duty. If the petition raises an issue that triggers a response pursuant to the board's duty, there may not be a statutory obligation to act, but there may be an obligation under the board's fiduciary duty.

Q: Can a homeowners association deny my tenant because of a poor credit history?

A.B.

Naples

A: Generally, yes, but the covenants should clearly provide as such. Florida law on this issue generally supports an association's right to approve or deny leases for cause. The critical analysis requires a review of the governing documents to determine if the right exists in that specific community. If the documents are silent as to the ability to approve or deny leases for cause, I would not advise any policy of lease approval or denial because the silence in the documents creates an implied right to lease to any individual regardless of credit score.

If the documents do provide a right to approve or deny leases, credit score has become a somewhat standard benchmark for denial. The policy is that credit score is an indicator of reliability to pay debt, and the more likely a tenant is to default on a lease, the more likely the community will have higher turnover and create the impression of a motel-like community.
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By Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press

WASHINGTON  In cities across America, the middle class is hollowing out.

A widening wealth gap is moving more households into either higher- or lower-income groups in major metro areas, with fewer remaining in the middle, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

In nearly one-quarter of metro areas, middle-class adults no longer make up a majority, the Pew analysis found. That's up from fewer than 10 percent of metro areas in 2000.

That sharp shift reflects a broader erosion that occurred from 2000 through 2014. Over that time, the middle class shrank in nine of every 10 metro areas, Pew found.

The squeezing of the middle class has animated this year's presidential campaign, lifting the insurgent candidacies of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Many experts warn that widening income inequality may slow economic growth and make social mobility more difficult. Research has found that compared with children in more economically mixed communities, children raised in predominantly lower-income neighborhoods are less likely to reach the middle class.

Pew defines the middle class as households with incomes between two-thirds of the median and twice the median, adjusted for household size and the local cost of living. The median is midway between richest and poorest. It can better capture broad trends than an average, which can be distorted by heavy concentrations at the top or bottom of the income scale.

By Pew's definition, a three-person household was middle class in 2014 if its annual income fell between $42,000 and $125,000.

Middle class adults now make up less than half the population in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Houston.

"The shrinking of the American middle class is a pervasive phenomenon," said Rakesh Kochhar, associate research director for Pew and the lead author of the report. "It has increased the polarization in incomes."

The report documents several other key trends:

Income for the typical household fell in 190 of the 229 metro areas studied, further evidence of the decline in U.S. living standards since 1999. Median incomes fell even in wealthier cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.

Income inequality is lifting some Americans closer to the top even as people in the middle fall further. Median incomes fell 8 percent nationwide from 1999 to 2014. Yet the share of adults in upper-income homes rose to 20 percent from 17 percent. Middle-income households declined to 51 percent from 55 percent.

The hollowing out of the middle class has occurred even as the income needed to meet Pew's definition of the middle has declined. A three-person household had to earn $45,115 in 1999 to qualify as middle-class. Now, that figure is just $41,641.

Wendell Nolen, 52, has experienced the slide from middle-class status firsthand. Eight years ago, he was earning $28 an hour as a factory worker for Detroit's American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings, assembling axles for pickup trucks and SUVs.

But early in 2008, things unraveled. After a three-month strike, Nolen took a buyout rather than a pay cut. Less than a year later, the plant was closed and American Axle shipped much of its work to Mexico.

Now Nolen makes $17 an hour in the shipping department of a Detroit steel fabricator, about 40 percent less than he made at the axle plant.

"America is losing jobs because of the free trade stuff," Nolen argued. "They're selling America out."

Many of the income changes in the past 15 years have been much more dramatic at the local level than nationally. There are now 79 metro areas in which the proportion of adults in upper-income households equals or exceeds the national average of 20 percent. That's more than double the 37 cities in which that was true in 2000.

And the proportion of adults in lower-income households meets or exceeds the national average of 29 percent in 103 areas, up from 92 in 2000.

The report studied 229 of the largest U.S. metro areas, which constituted 76 percent of the U.S. population.

Overall, cities with the largest middle classes are more likely to be in the Midwest. Those with the biggest low-income populations are more often in the Southwest, particularly near the Mexico border. Metro areas with the highest proportions of upper-income households are more likely to be found in the Northeast or along the West Coast.
It didn't take the ascension of Donald Trump to status as the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee to tell party leaders in Florida all was not well.

For years, they've been hearing complaints about the party's failure to stop President Barack Obama's agenda in Washington, D.C.

First, national GOP leaders said they were powerless because they didn't have a majority in either house of Congress.

After Republicans won the House of Representatives in 2010, D.C. Republicans said they also needed the Senate. Then they won the Senate in 2014. "Now they're saying, 'Give us the White House and something will get done,'" said Blaise Ingoglia, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida on Friday at the party's quarterly meeting in Tampa.

"A lot of people are frustrated with Republicans right now. A lot of people want something different," he said. Left unsaid  that explains the Trump phenomenon.

But rather than hitch their star to Trump and hope he carries them to victory in November, the Florida Republicans are stressing additional selling points.

To that end, State Rep. Matt Hudson of Naples, now a candidate for state senate, and State Sen. Kelli Stargel of Central Florida put together a summary of the latest session of the state Legislature. Rather than simply rehash events though, they highlighted accomplishments that will appeal to conservatives. The idea is to counter the perception that electing Republicans doesn't mean anything.

Ten bills ranging from the balanced state budget to support for Israel to legislation to help veterans were highlighted.

"We took 10, we could have found 25," Hudson said.

One, House Bill 43, clarifies that a church can't be forced to do something  rent its reception hall for a gay wedding for instance  that goes against its deeply held beliefs.

"If we can stand for anything, I think religious freedom should be one of them," Hudson said. The law was crafted as carefully as possible to withstand a lawsuit. "There's bound to be a challenge," Hudson said.

Ingoglia said the information will give Republican activists ammunition when anyone argues there's no difference in the parties.

"We have to show them we will fight," he said. It also highlights the importance of turning out to vote for state offices, not just president. "Are you willing to not vote for your state representative and your state senator?" he asked.

"Everyone pays attention to federal first. If you pay attention to the stuff Republicans are doing in the state, you would be immensely proud," Ingoglia said. "In sharp contrast to what's going on in Washington, D.C."

Cory Breier, a party official from Miami-Dade County, was glad to hear a conservative agenda is moving in Tallahassee, if not Washington, D.C.

"This is such good information," he said. "We don't have to look down. We can be proud of our party."

(Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter@NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten)
To build that taco, start with filling, then salsa, then finishing toppings, such as the cilantro and slivered almonds in our zucchini, chorizo and almond tacos. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

SHARE You can't have a great taco with a terrible tortilla. Although flour tortillas are more sturdy than corn, the superior flavor and fragrance of corn tortillas means you should choose them most of the time. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Roasted tomatillo salsa is our go-to, because it's acidic and flavorful, and tomatillos are available year-round. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

By Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Around age 25, I realized I loved tacos more than any other food. I'd like to believe that the innate glory of the taco revealed itself to me, like some kind of divine tortilla-wrapped vision, and that a couple of trips to Mexico broadened my horizons. But who really knows.

Eight years and a literal thousand nights of tacos later, I've come up with some helpful tricks to improve your taco game at home. Because all most people want is to eat better tacos more often, right?

First, a strict definition: tacos equals tortilla + filling + salsa. Any so-called taco missing one of these components is a fraud.

Tacos are temporal. Don't sit around and idly chat while hot tacos sit in front of you ready to be devoured. Eat them immediately.

Tacos taste better standing up. I don't know why.

Don't let inflexible ideas of authenticity get in the way of deliciousness.

OK, let's break this down:

TORTILLAS

Tortillas are the soul of the taco. You can't have a great taco with a terrible tortilla.

In a battle of sturdiness, flour tortillas beat corn tortillas every time. Use flour tortillas for larger, messier tacos.

The slight structural deficiency of corn tortillas pales in comparison to the superior flavor and fragrance they lend to each bite. I use corn tortillas 99 percent of the time.

Corn tortillas are simple to make at home, but frustratingly hard to master. Feel no shame in purchasing top-quality corn tortillas for most of your taco needs. Buy them the same day you plan to use them.

One of the main reasons I live in Chicago is the concentration of quality tortilla factories. (I am only partly joking.)

Warm corn tortillas until soft, supple and fragrant. Place tortillas in a heavy skillet set over medium-high until you notice steam wafting off. Flip and wait until you spot steam again. At this point, the tortilla should be very soft. If not, continue heating for a few more seconds. Wrap warmed tortillas in a towel when done, and let them hang out for a few minutes to further steam.

Heating tortillas on top of the grate over an open flame of a gas stove is also a great idea.

One tortilla is usually enough. Some saucier taco fillings will soak through one, thus requiring two, but there is nothing automatically better about doubling up. If anything, two tortillas make it harder to appreciate the filling.

FILLINGS

Free your mind of what constitutes a taco filling.

Veggie tacos are a thing, and they are exceptional. If I can advance one, ahem, opinion here, it is that vegetables make incredible taco fillings.

Great vegetables for tacos: zucchini, mushrooms, kale, squash blossoms, potatoes, Swiss chard, huitlacoche (a prized corn fungus), refried black beans, poblanos, butternut squash and pumpkin.

I love griddled steak tacos, too, but you can braise beef shoulder for barbacoa or cure round for cecina. Heck, you can eat tongue, intestines, brains and all kinds of other fun parts of the cow. And that's just one kind of animal!

Chorizo is the bacon of the taco world; it makes everything taste better, but it needs a partner. A taco with only chorizo is like a cake made entirely out of frosting.

Grilled fish tacos are almost always mushy. Fried fish tacos are great but messy to make on a weeknight. Don't forget about shrimp tacos.

Adding rice is almost always a terrible idea.

SALSA

Salsa isn't optional. Salsa separates tacos from wraps and other tepid creations.

Salsa requires chilies. Chilies bring excitement and vibrancy to our dull, drab lives.

Make roasted tomatillo salsa. I've got nothing against fresh pico de gallo (made with plump summer tomatoes, of course), but tomatillo salsa is what I usually make, because it's acidic and flavorful, and tomatillos are available year-round. (See recipe.)

The broiler and blender are your best salsa friends. If you want to go hardcore authentic, you could toast all the ingredients on a comal and then grind them by hand using a stone molcajete. Or you could replicate this process in a 10th of the time by broiling the vegetables and then processing them in a blender.

You can combine salsa and the filling into one dish. If you braise chicken and tomatillos together (which you should), there's no need to waste time making a completely different salsa.

Guacamole counts as a salsa.

Most canned salsas suck. Rick Bayless' Frontera brand does not.

Hot sauce is different from salsa. Its main purpose is to add a final flash of intense heat, which is quite convenient if you're serving tacos to a group of people with varying levels of spice tolerance.

Quick and biased hot-sauce guide: Valencia > Cholula > El Yucateco > Tapatio > Tabasco

TACO CONSTRUCTION

Small tacos are usually better than large tacos. It's tempting to stuff each tortilla with as much as possible, but always consider proportion. You want to get a bite with all the components, which is hard if you can barely fold the tortilla over the mass of fillings and toppings. Better to make a slim and satisfying taco, and eat more of them.

Additional toppings are completely optional but can separate a good taco from an exceptional one.

Great toppings: pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, shredded cabbage, radishes, queso fresco.

Boring toppings: lettuce, chopped tomatoes, pre-shredded "Mexican" cheese, canned black olives.

Chopped white onions and cilantro are great toppings but unnecessary if you've included both in your salsa.

Other taco thoughts

The problem with the pre-fried U-shaped shells  the kind made famous by Taco Bell and Old El Paso  is that when you bite in, the filling slides out the side too easily. Plus, they are usually structurally unsound, crumbling apart after one bite.

But fried tacos can be amazing. You just need to fry the tortilla with the filling already inside. Try fried potato tacos (see recipe).

Break any of these rules if you want. The goal is not to adhere strictly to these tips but simply to eat more tacos. Experiment. Cook. Repeat.



ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Makes: about 1 cup

8 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed

1 to 2 serrano chilies

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

Place tomatillos, serranos and garlic cloves on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover garlic with an additional layer of foil. Place under a hot broiler and cook until tomatillos are blackened on top, about 6 minutes. Flip tomatillos and serranos; blacken on the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven; allow everything to cool. Stem serranos and peel garlic. Transfer tomatillos, serranos garlic and salt to a blender. Process until almost smooth. Taste, and season with more salt if necessary. Transfer to a bowl; stir in cilantro and onion.

Nutrition information per serving: 9 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 0 g protein, 73 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

FRIED POTATO TACOS

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes: 12 tacos

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

12 corn tortillas

1 cup vegetable oil

Roasted tomatillo salsa, see recipe

1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup queso fresco

3 limes, quartered

Heat a medium saucepan of water over high heat until boiling. Add cubed potatoes; reduce heat to a strong simmer. Cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander. Transfer to a bowl, add salt and use a fork to mash until smooth.

Heat a large skillet over medium. Warm the tortillas for a few seconds on each side until pliable. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mashed potato into each tortilla. Fold each tortilla over, pressing firmly to close.

Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many tortillas as will fit in one layer, usually three. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 1-2 minutes; flip and brown on the other side, 1-2 minutes. Transfer tacos to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Serve tacos topped with salsa, a handful of sliced cabbage, queso fresco and a wedge of lime.

Nutrition information per taco: 141 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 3 g protein, 251 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

ZUCCHINI, CHORIZO AND ALMOND TACOS

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 12 tacos

8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo

1 large white onion, sliced

1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed, thinly sliced crosswise

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup slivered almonds

12 corn tortillas

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 limes, quartered

Roasted tomatillo salsa, see recipe

Add chorizo and onion to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent and chorizo is starting to brown, 8-10 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic, cinnamon and cumin; stir well. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini softens, about 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, if necessary  usually about 1/2 teaspoon  and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla; warm until you notice steam rising off, 5-10 seconds. Flip and warm until very soft, another 10 seconds. Wrap in a towel and repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spoon some of the filling into the tortilla; top with a sprinkle of almonds, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and roasted tomatillo salsa.

Nutrition information per serving: 180 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 17 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 7 g protein, 440 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
The North Naples man accused of fleeing the scene after fatally hitting a sign holder was ordered held on $500,000 bail Wednesday in Collier County Court.

Etem Alajbegu, 27, of the 6000 block of San Marino Drive, was represented by defense attorney Lee Hollander, who said there was no probable cause for the charge of DUI causing death.

Alajbegu is also facing a charge of failing to remain at the scene of a fatal crash, both felony charges, in connection to the death of Stephen Duzick, 49, at Pine Ridge Road and Shirley Street on Monday. Duzick was a little person employed as a roadside sign holder for a nearby restaurant.

'I'm going through the booking sheet, and what I've got is three pages ... and no mention of glassy bloodshot eyes, odor of alcohol, nothing along those grounds,' Hollander told Judge Rob Crown,

Crown said he found probable cause to support both charges and denied Hollanders request for a $100,000 bond, as well as State Prosecutor Timothy Altieri's request for a $1 million bond. Alajbegu, a native of Macedonia, also cannot keep or obtain a passport and must wear an alcohol-detection device.

Hollander said he has met with Alajbegu's wife, a physician with a practice in Collier County, and said she was 'distraught.' He said Alajbegu is employed with a flooring company.

Duzick had lived in Naples for 14 years, working as a construction worker, truck driver and, most recently, a sign holder for businesses along Pine Ridge Road. He was struck around noon Monday and died at the scene, witnesses said.

The Florida Highway Patrol pulled over Alajbegu and arrested him at 1:43 p.m. Monday after a witness followed the Porsche Cayenne he was driving. According to the arrest report, Alajbegu told troopers, 'I thought I hit a stop sign.'

Broward County court records show the FHP ticketed Alajbegu for speeding on an interstate and for having an expired tag on Sept. 22. That case is pending.

A public memorial service will be held for Duzick at 6 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church of Naples on Orange Blossom Drive.

Connect with Ben Wolford at http://www.naplesnews.com/staff/ben-wolford.
By Patrick Riley of the Naples Daily News

Bonita Springs' old downtown water tower might stay put after all.

Earlier this month, city council unanimously voted to tear down the rotting water tank near the Liles Hotel on Old 41 Road. But Jesse Purdon, who lost his campaign for city council in March, said he has petitioned the city to put a hold on the demolition.

Once residents realized the tank would actually come down, a handful of concerned citizens reached out to him, Purdon said.

"I think that was kind of the tipping point," he said. "I felt that there is something we can do."

Mayor Peter Simmons confirmed Saturday that the demolition was on hold until council's first meeting in June.

The tank, which has been sitting on a concrete foundation at its current location since 2006 but is much older than that, poses a safety risk to its residents and needs to come down, according to the city at the time of the council's vote.

Purdon said he called City Manager Carl Schwing this past week to find out what day the tank was supposed to come down. Once Schwing told him it was set for destruction on May 17, Purdon asked if there was any way to temporarily halt demolition.

"He needed a majority of council to contact him," Purdon said.

Purdon said he reached out to council members, and some emailed Schwing asking to delay demolition, Purdon said.

Mayor Peter Simmons and councilmen Fred Forbes, Greg DeWitt and Mike Gibson were among those who reached out to Schwing, Purdon said. Purdon credits Schwing and city council with temporarily saving the old water tower.

"My phone call to Carl does nothing," he said. "They didn't have to (halt demolition)."

Purdon said the temporary halt on destruction is just the first step.

Purdon said he plans to meet with the Bonita Springs Historical Society to come up with a "game plan" to potentially save the tower, figure out ways to raise the money to do so and present council with a proposal in June.

The wooden tank, which is "one of only two known to exist in town," is typical of water systems in early Bonita Springs, according to written accounts from the Bonita Springs Historical Society. It was originally on the property of Isadore Herman at the northwest corner of Bonita Beach Road and Old 41 Road, according to the account.

In 1988, Lee County moved the tank near Riverside Park.

A new tower was built later, and the city moved the old tank to its current location in 2006.

Purdon said he and other residents consider the old water tower a part of Bonita Springs' history.

"They honestly feel that Old Bonita is slipping away," he said. "Bonita isn't all about gated communities.

"Just trying to hold on to a little bit of the past."
Quarry resident John Gursoy hung a Nazi flag and a sign likening a neighbor to a fascist on Saturday because of a homeowner's association dispute over lake rules. (Submitted)

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By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News

A dispute over boaters' rights in a North Naples gated community led one resident to unfurl a Nazi flag Saturday and erect a sign likening one of his neighbors to a fascist.

John Gursoy, 53, a resident of the Quarry, hung the Nazi flag and sign from a blue and white cherry picker by the back entrance to the community, just north of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard.

A "handful" of residents filed complaints with the Collier County Sheriff's Office, spokeswoman Michelle Batten said. Several others criticized the display on Nextdoor, a neighborhood social network, calling it an embarrassment and a disgrace.

Gursoy said he put the display up around 8 a.m. as a "warning to the community that this is the direction we're going with the current board." It was meant to protest proposed changes to the rules regarding the use of the community's lake, and recent changes to the way existing rules are being enforced.

In particular, he said the Quarry Community Association board recently started enforcing a ban on boats with two-stroke engines. He has a boat with a two-stroke engine, he said, and it was OK'd by previous community leaders when he moved in to the Quarry in July 2013. He said he received a letter Monday demanding he remove the boat from the water.

Gursoy said he is also upset because he's being told he can't moor his boat at another resident's dock, and because the board has proposed changes to the rules that would limit the number of personal watercrafts allowed at a dock and increase the age of boat operators to 14. Gursoy has a 13-year-old son who boats in the community.

He said he can't get an audience with board leaders to hear his complaints. That's why he put up the Nazi flag.

"This flag is symbolic of the most discriminatory, selective enforcement of rules ever in the history of mankind," he said. "That's all that kept coming to my mind. I can't get an audience with anyone. I can't speak the truth to anyone."

Gursoy is the president of Bobcat Tractor Tree & Landscape Eager Beaver Stump Grinding, according to social media profiles. He is also a youth minister at Celebration Community Beach Church, according to the church's staff page.

Peter Rietz, the man who Gursoy's sign likened to a fascist, said he is volunteering with the Quarry Community Association to revise rules for the lake, where residents boat, fish and water ski.

He said the two-stroke engine ban has been in place since Pulte Homes developed the community, and the limit on personal watercrafts is not in the current revision of the rules.

Being likened to a fascist is offensive, said Rietz, who added he is not a voting member of the community association.

"It's very frustrating," said Rietz, a lawyer. "My wife is up in arms. Our neighbors are all up in arms. The police have been here. It's obviously in poor taste and reflects on the individual.

"It's hard to believe how someone who holds himself out as a Christian would behave in this fashion."

Batten said Gursoy's display was on private property. Deputies' attempts to identify and reach the property owner were unsuccessful, she said. Deputies did not order Gursoy to take the flag down.

"There is no crime being committed," Batten said.

Expecting a response, Gursoy said he notified law enforcement before erecting the display. When asked if he felt his dispute over boating rights was in any way equivalent to the Holocaust, Gursoy said that's why he took the flag down around 10:30 a.m., though he left the sign up until about 3:30 p.m.

"The flag was so overbearing in its historical representation that people were missing the message," he said.

Gursoy said he printed the Nazi flag at Kinkos. If he could do it over again, he said he's not sure yet if he would.

"The dust hasn't settled enough for me to figure that out."
Entertainment / Music

by Prince Mushawevato

DENDERA crooner Suluman "Sulu" Chimbetu has dumped Vialy Studios, a stable he helped fortify as a music production power house.Vialy Studios was set up in 2012 and is owned by Oliver Mtukudzi's keyboardist Munyaradzi Viya.Sunday Mail reported that the double "Best Producer Award" nominee is behind some of the country's top albums among them Jah Prayzah's "Tsviriyo" and "Jerusarema", Sulu's "Gunship" and Tocky Vibes' "Toti".Suluman "Sulu" Chimbetu (seated) with fellow musician Somandla Ndebele (dreadlocked) and Blessing Jecha at the new Dendera Studios in Mabelreign, Harare Suluman "Sulu" Chimbetu (seated) with fellow musician Somandla Ndebele (dreadlocked) and Blessing Jecha at the new Dendera Studios in Mabelreign, HarareInformation obtained by this publication indicates the dendera flag bearer has since finished setting up his own studio in the capital, which will provisionally be operating as Dendera Studios.Sulu has also enlisted the services of fellow musician-cum-producer Clive "Mono" Mukundu for his new project that is set for release this August.The two have already recorded a few tracks among them a Nyanja song called "Katundu", which talks about an in individual who is retracing his roots in the hope of pleasing his ancestors. In an interview last week, the dendera crooner confirmed parting ways with Viya but hastened to say "it was all in good spirit"."It is known that we are in the process of setting up our own studio and I'm glad to say the process is almost complete. I don't have a problem with Munya (Viya). I helped him set up and popularise his brand but the time for me to move on and try new things has come," explained Sulu.Indeed one of the new songs "Katundu", recorded by Mono, presents a fresh dendera sound. The timbre borrows from the dendera founding fathers but comes with a fresh flair."For the new album we have engaged Mono. This does not mean though that we are completely shutting out Munya. We will be engaging his services every now and then in our future endeavours," Sulu says.And Viya wishes the crooner well."It's a good move. He will have more time at the new studio. Jah Prayzah has his own studio but I continue working with him. If he wants my assistance, I will gladly chip in. My focus is not just to work with established artistes. I also want to record fresh names and bring them to stardom. Besides these guys came to me from other stables and that is how this industry runs from the time of veteran producers like Bothwell Nyamhondera," remarked Viya.Sulu's close friend and publicist Joe "Local" Nyamungoma added that it was Orchestra Dendera Kings' policy to bring unique material to all productions. "Besides being a producer, Mono is also a musician of note in his own right. He has worked with some of the best talents in the country and his worthiness is already showing. We are satisfied with what he is doing and I'm certain our forthcoming album will be a dynamite," said a visibly ecstatic Nyamungoma.Some of the songs that will feature on the yet to be titled album include "It's Not Necessary" and "Ndiani Arasa Mwana".The tracks are frequently sampled at the musician's gigs and have long become sing-along tunes. Interestingly, Sulu's new project will go head-to-head with Jah Prayzah's new album "Mdara Vachauya", which is also scheduled for release in August."We are not looking much into what others are doing. Our focus is just to create good music that will satisfy our fans. With our new studio in place, only the sky is the limit for us," said Nyamungoma.Likewise, Mono sounds geared up and is certain his effort on the project will be duly recognised by music lovers."We have not done much but so-far-so-good. I have worked with Sulu before on an unreleased project and it is that different touch/sound that he is after. I will give it to him and depending on whether he is not distracted with other commitments, the project will be completed on time," notes Mono.
SHARE A letter from Tom Cruise thanking Former Navy Blue Angel, Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Watson dated May 17, 1985 is shown Thursday, May 12, 2016 at his Marco Island home. Watson took Tom Cruise flying in 1985 to help prepare the then-rising star actor for his character development as Maverick. Top Gun was released May 16, 1986. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Former Navy Blue Angel Curtis Watson, left, is shown in a photo from 1985, next to then-rising star Tom Cruise, center, after flying. Watson took the then-rising star actor, Cruise, in to preparation for his character development as Maverick. Top Gun was released May 16, 1986. Watson said he kept apologizing for his long hair " his role in filming the movie Legend " and kept calling him "sir." (Contributed photo) Former Navy Blue Angel Curtis Watson, left, is shown in a photo from 1985, next to then-rising star Tom Cruise, center, after flying. Watson took the then-rising star actor, Cruise, in to preparation for his character development as Maverick. Top Gun was released May 16, 1986. Watson said he kept apologizing for his long hair " his role in filming the movie Legend " and kept calling him "sir." (Contributed photo) Former Navy Blue Angel, Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Watson is shown in portrait Thursday, May 12, 2016 at his Marco Island home. Watson took Tom Cruise flying in 1985 to help prepare the then-rising star actor for his character development as Maverick. Top Gun was released May 16, 1986. (Corey Perrine/Staff)

By Patrick Riley of the Naples Daily News

It was a pleasant day in the desert near El Centro, California, when Curtis Watson first met Tom Cruise.

Days earlier, in February of 1985, Watson, then a pilot with the Navy's Blue Angels, had received a phone call from the Navy's Fighter Weapons School, better known as Topgun. The instructor had asked Watson if they could take Cruise for a ride to show the young actor what being in a tactical jet was like. The flight would help Cruise with his character development for an upcoming role he was considering, the instructor had said.

Watson knew Cruise from one of his earlier films "Risky Business" ("I thought it was funny as hell") and was immediately sold.

And so one sunny afternoon, a pony-tailed, 22-year-old Cruise showed up to the air field in El Centro  where the Blue Angels held their winter training  ready to experience the ride of his life.

A year later Cruise would play a swashbuckling fighter pilot in the testosterone-laden movie Top Gun, which was released on May 16, 1986. But what Watson remembers from his brief encounter with Cruise is a very quiet, humble, "nice young man."

Some might even say shy.

"I kind of joked with him because he kept calling me 'sir,'" Watson, 65, recently remembered in his Marco Island home. "I said, 'Tom, my call sign's "Griz." Please call me "Griz."' He would say, 'Yes, sir.' I went, 'Tom, stop it.' "

To this day the memory makes Watson howl with laughter.

Then there was the long mane Cruise was still sporting from having shot another movie called "Legend." Cruise had to keep his hair that way in case they needed to reshoot some scenes and thus apologized to the neatly-trimmed officers.

"And I said, 'Tom it's not a big deal,'" Watson said with a smile. "He wasn't in the Navy. We didn't expect him to have a military-grade haircut just to go flying with us."

The two would fly in a TA-4J or "Skyhawk," the Blue Angels' navy blue and gold jet with its 400 to 450 knots producing gravitational forces of up to six "Gs." The two-seater had two full sets of controls, which would allow Cruise to try some of the loops, barrel and aileron rolls himself.

"I think he was  I don't want to say scared, but just somewhat anxious," Watson said. "Because, you know, you have no idea what you're about to get into. If I had been in his position, I would've been somewhat anxious also."

But as the two talked and Cruise asked a few questions, the young actor seemed to grow more comfortable.

"And then as I let him fly and talk him through maneuvers and then I think that's when he started really kind of enjoying himself," Watson said. "I think he was just kind of tense and nervous up until that point."

That's not to say the first time taking over the controls from Watson wasn't a bit of a shock for Cruise.

Watson would show Cruise a maneuver and then raise his heads above his helmet and tell Cruise to reproduce the pattern.

"OK, Tom here's what we're going to do. You got the stick," Watson would tell Cruise.

"I got it?" the actor would reply, not without a hint of frantic nervousness in his voice.

"You got it partner," Watson would say. "He's like, 'Oh, what do I do? What do I do?'"

But despite some early jitters, Cruise would get the hang of it and once the 40-minute ride was over and the duo  now drenched in sweat from the G-forces pulling at their bodies  had solid ground back under their feet, Cruise "had a big smile on his face."

"I think he was kind of in shock," Watson said. "I think he was happy that he didn't throw up. I think he was kind of in a semi state of shock."

After posing for some pictures, Cruise said his goodbyes and left the air field.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said in TV interviews and making-of documentaries that Cruise had been initially reticent about taking the role of Maverick in Top Gun. The flight with the Blue Angels was seen as a last-ditch effort to convince Cruise and, according to Bruckheimer, it sealed the deal. Cruise called the producer from a pay phone immediately after the flight in the desert and signed on to do the movie, Bruckheimer has said.

Cruise was not available for comment, his publicist Amanda Lundberg told a reporter via email.

Whether or not his flight with Cruise persuaded the actor to do the movie, Watson doesn't know. Still, he feels like he played a part in the film. He watches it any time it comes on. The first time was when he and fellow Blue Angels pilots were invited to the premiere in Washington, D.C.

The movie's famous opening scene is Watson's favorite.

"(It) really does capture carrier aviation," he said. "I mean, when I went to the premiere and watched the opening scene, we were all going, 'Cool.' That's what it's like."

Other scenes, like being inverted so close to an enemy jet or doing a flyby past the tower of a base, are a little more far-fetched, Watson said. Though not entirely impossible.

In cross-country flights with the Blue Angels, Watson would sometimes roll his jet upside down, sneak up on his "boss" and wave hello from 20 feet above.

"Would you do that with an adversary?" Watson said. "Probably not."

As for the flybys, Watson acknowledged that he has buzzed by a friend's house before to spook him. But if you did what Cruise does in the movie "you'd probably get in pretty good trouble," Watson said.

Nonetheless, the movie, which was the highest-grossing film of 1986, was "super advertisement" for naval aviation, Watson said.

Attendance at Blue Angels shows soared. Young men wanting to emulate the film's daunting protagonists flooded the Navy with applications. And the officer's club portrayed in the film saw overflow crowds for months.

"They said, my understanding was, right after the movie came out, like the next week and for months, you couldn't get in," Watson said. "I mean, it was packed."

For Watson, the memory of taking Cruise flying is a snapshot of one of the best years of his life. In his dining room hangs a Top Gun movie poster with Cruise's signature on it. Above it are two pictures with the movie star from that day. A few weeks after the flight he received a thank-you letter from the actor.

"It's just one of those memories of the opportunity to meet people that you just never think that you get a chance to meet," Watson said. "A lot of times I don't show this stuff to people, because I'm not sure they'll believe me."
Donald Trump and Rick Scott

By James Call, Tallahassee Democrat

TALLAHASSEE  While Donald Trump works to unify the Republican Party behind his presumed nomination, Gov. Rick Scott is calling on GOP leaders and voters to help Trump secure the White House.

"It is a clear choice," Scott said this week after Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "We have a business person, Donald Trump, that knows how to build jobs. On the other side, we have a career politician that has never created a job in her life."

Trump is following a path blazed by Scott six years ago when the former health care executive completed a hostile takeover of the Florida Republican Party. Initially dismissed as a disgraced businessman, Scott skewered the Republican establishment with a self-financed media campaign and rode an anti-immigration wave and a promise to create jobs to a November victory.

"Rick Scott is the reason why a Donald Trump is even running for office," said Florida House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford. "What you have are two extraordinary wealthy men using their cash to create a fictitious image to make themselves look like they are something that people should embrace."

Although it is not unusual for candidates without elected experience to beat experienced politicians, political scientists and commentators say Scott and Trump differ from the past. They cite their lack of experience as a weapon in a fight against the status quo.

Scott competed against two well-known veteran Republican lawmakers, then-Attorney General Bill McCollum and state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland.

Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor, said as voters' frustration with "politics as usual" has grown over the past decade, they have increasingly turned to candidates who haven't served in elected office.

"It shows the distrust that people have with the political process and the worry that they have about their future," said Jewett.

But some like Pafford and Dockery disagree with Jewett's analysis. They think voters need to take a more active interest in questioning candidates and monitoring elected officials. Both question whether a concoction of frustration, distrust and inexperience is the cure for a dysfunctional political system.

"Voters unhappy with the government should examine what exactly they are unhappy with; who in office have been offenders and who has done the right things," said Dockery, who made a brief run for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2010.

Dockery noted that someone unfamiliar with the history of issues and the mechanics of chaperoning a proposal through the legislative process will often flounder when it's time to deliver the goods.

"How well has it worked out for Scott," asked Dockery. "He's on what, his fifth chief of staff in six years, his fourth Department of Corrections secretary? He's been through numerous education commissioners and the list goes on in almost every state agency."

Politics is a relationship game. While cable news outlets and talk radio may make governing sound easy, building consensus is something of an art that anyone who has ever led a Little League team, fraternity or branch office understands.

"It can be quite difficult for an outsider to take over a political party, especially the way Scott and Trump have done it, trashing the party's members, platform, and interest groups," said Jewett. "Conversely, (a) Jeb Bush while never having held political office before, was considered part of the Republican establishment and part of the broader conservative movement. Thus, when he was elected, he had great success as governor, measured by the amount of priorities he passed through the Legislature."

Jewett once worked for former Congressman Tom Feeney, who served as Jeb Bush's running mate in 1994. The distinction he draws with Bush is echoed by Dockery who suggests that business and government are two different games.

The idea in business is to win at any cost. CEOs have total control over how the business operates and can spend money, noted Dockery. Different skills are required when wheeling and dealing in the political arena.

"In government, our constitution requires separation of power among three equal branches and a system of checks and balances," said Dockery, who served in the Legislature under both Bush and Scott. "These two tenets of governance are extremely difficult for businessmen to adapt too."

Scott, although enjoying a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, has repeatedly seen his proposals blocked. Lawmakers rejected a keystone of his legislative agenda this year; his call for a billion-dollar tax cut and the creation of a quarter-billion-dollar economic development fund.

The Senate has refused to confirm his nominees for agency heads, including the Secretary of the Department of Health this year and the Department of Economic Opportunity last year.

Pafford, like Trump and Scott, rages against the machine.

The difference, he said, is the two Republicans represent the status quo that frustrated the South Florida Democrat during his time in the Florida House. He agrees with Jewett that Trump most likely will mimic Scott's attack on Alex Sink in 2010 when he painted the former state CFO as a career politician more inept and distasteful than Obama.

"Their dollars enable them to create fictitious images and have a lock on what people hear," said Pafford.

Both Trump and Scott have a checkered career in business. Trump has admitted his business strategy includes taking companies into bankruptcy proceedings. Scott resigned as the chief executive of Columbia/HCA amidst a Medicare fraud investigation. He was never implicated or charged while the company agreed to a $600 million settlement with the government.

Scott spent about $78 million of his own money in his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. His reelection cost more than $100 million, including $22 million of his own money. Pafford noted that Scott refused to sit with any newspaper editorial boards in 2010.

He thinks the media is repeating a similar error of not properly vetting Trump.

"What he has done is transitioned the people's government of Florida into a private corporation that funnels taxpayer's dollars to the private sector every chance he gets," Pafford said. "Donald Trump will do the same thing."
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Jim Adduci, Naples and Boston

Local and national

To the Golden Triangle developers, you must have some pull with the "powers that be," seeing that you are going for 18 stories.

Do you think that the condo buyers, and the hotel customers, want the noise and lights from the proposed RaceTrac gas station, across U.S. 41, outside their windows and patios? Of course, you probably only want 12 stories, that's why you are asking for 18. That way they can reject the 18, but approve the 12 stories and nobody's any the wiser (to take a line from Oliver Hardy).

To the Republican Party leaders and politicians who say they can't vote for Donald Trump with a "clear conscience," thanks for showing us (the voter) your true colors.

It shows that you are more concerned with your power and ego than the will of the people, and the well-being of this country. A nonvote is a vote for Hillary Clinton.

I used to have so much respect for Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Thomas Sowell, Glenn Beck and Mark Levin, but after their diatribes against Trump day after day, I see them in a different light.

"Trump mispronounced a word!" "He has no plan."

Yes he does, he's just not giving up all the details yet ("The Art of the Deal"). Go to his site for his positions and solutions.

Many people are assuming that Trump will be a terrible president. Hey, he just might be a good president. He'll be better than Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton. Look what our politicians have done to this country in the last 20 years or so. Maybe a non-politician will do great. At least he loves this country.
SHARE Collier County schools Superintendent Kamela Patton

By Kamela Patton, Superintendent Collier County Public Schools

There seems to be misinformation regarding the amount Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) spends annually per student in K-12 education.

CCPS spends approximately $8,808 per student to provide outstanding academics and extra-curricular opportunities in a safe learning environment for all students.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida spends on average $8,433 per student. Florida ranks 44th lowest in the United States for the amount it spends/invests in per student funding. The top five states (New York, Alaska, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont) invest on average 110 percent more than Florida at $17,715 per student.

For the $8,808 it spends per K-12 student, CCPS does an excellent job maximizing resources to support student achievement and development.

According to the Florida Department of Education's Transparency Reports, 97.09 percent of our general fund expenditures are categorized as Total School Expenditures.

Due to the complexities of education funding, calculating per pupil spending is not a one-step process whereby the total budget is divided by the total student population of a district.

The total budget is comprised of numerous funding sources and reserves that vary by district and state. As a result, some of the funding sources are not included in a per student spending calculation to ensure comparability. As an example, CCPS had the forethought to set aside funds for anticipated budget shortfalls and for future schools.

While other districts around the state have reduced student programs and services, CCPS uses these reserves to preserve student programs and services and continues to increase the opportunities available to our students.

We are also poised to fund the construction of a new high school without debt financing in the next seven years. CCPS reserved these funds for a specific purpose; therefore, they are not included in the per pupil spending calculation.

In addition, Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) and Workforce Education (Post-Secondary and Adult Education) programs are prohibited from funding K-12 education. The student enrollment in these programs, approximately 4,000 students, are not included in our 46,000 K-12 student count, nor their funding; therefore, the associated revenue and expenditures cannot be included in the per pupil spending calculation.

Nutrition services, grants, capital project, and debt service funds are also not included in the per pupil spending calculation. The amount of these stated funds vary based upon the districts' respective demographics.

Districts with higher percentages of free and reduced lunch and English Language Learners receive more funding than districts with lower percentages. These funds are provided for specific purposes, and with the exception of federal grants, cannot be used for K-12 student programs. For example, we cannot pay for teachers' salaries from nutrition services or capital project funds.

While debt service funds cannot be included in the per pupil spending calculation, our decision to accelerate the debt service payments for prior school construction costs will result in being debt-free in 10 years.

In governmental school fund accounting, when transfers are made between funds, these transfers appear in our budget twice resulting in double counting (redundancy) and overstating our total budget. To put this into perspective, the funds you transfer from checking to savings in your personal accounts do not result in additional income.

One example of double counting or redundancy within our CCPS budget occurs when we transfer funds into the internal service funds (self-insured health care, worker's compensation, and employee contributions to their personal flexible spending health care accounts). Therefore, internal service funds are not included in the per pupil spending calculation.

Aligning our financial resources to support the district's academic goals is the result of sound fiscal management and produces continued improvement in student performance.

CCPS' graduation rate has increased 11.8 percentage points from 72.5 percent in 2011 to 84.3 percent in 2015 (9th highest in the state), we've increased the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the state average on grade level state assessments from 33 percent to 91 percent over that same period, and CCPS was recognized by the state as an "A" district.

More information regarding our budget is available online.

The School Board work session on the budget is this Tuesday starting at 4 p.m. I invite you to attend, view online, or watch on the Education Channel.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

Cape Town  White people do not control the economy of South Africa, that is a myth, analyst Moeletsi Mbeki said on Saturday.Political economist Mbeki, former IEC head Brigalia Bam and City Press editor Ferial Haffajee were discussing the strategies needed to protect South African's democracy.Speaking at the Franschhoek Literary Festival, Mbeki said if one listened to the ruling party, all they heard was that white people controlled the economy and black people were out of it."There is this notion that there has been no change, or just... it is superficial," he said.He said this was a narrative that was being perpetuated by the ruling party."The ruling party sees the racial narrative as of benefit to it," he said.He made an example of the recent case against former estate agent Penny Sparrow, who the ANC had opened a case against for racist comments made earlier this year.Sparrow had compared black people to monkeys.Mbeki said the ANC, however, had expected South Africans to forgive President Jacob Zuma, following the Constitutional Court ruling regarding his Nkandla homestead.He said the elite in South Africa, those in "control", only comprised of just over 100 000 people."You can fit all of them into the FNB stadium."There was a huge number of black people in that category in the private sector, he said.Ruling eliteMbeki said the ruling party did not want it announced that only 100 000 people controlled the economy."Because then where is this democracy they are supposed to have brought? They don't want the narrative that the great majority are not in control of their politics and their economy," he said.He said it was possible, however, for South Africa to get past the racial divide.Mbeki also questioned the electoral system in South Africa, which he said excluded the masses.He said there was a facade that structures on ground level decided who went to Parliament and who was in leadership positions.But it was the top six of the ANC, DA, EFF and other parties that decided who represented them, he said.
News / Education

by Staff reporter

SCHOOL Development Associations will soon lose control of development levies, with officials being brought in to monitor and administer funds collected by learning institutions. A School Services Fund will be established at each institution to collect both tuition fees and development levies to ensure greater accountability. Laws will be aligned to the Constitution to facilitate the changes that are part of Government efforts to curb flagrant abuse and misappropiation of money by authorities at public and mission schools. Presently, parents deposit tuition fees and development levies in separate accounts, with SDAs largely determining how the latter are used.A countrywide audit by the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry has revealed that more than US$1,2 billion in levies circulates in State-run and mission schools, with a chunk of it being abused by heads, bursars and SDA officials.Some culprits have either appeared in court or been suspended by the Civil Service Commission. In an interview with our Harare Bureau, Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said the School Services Fund was key to curbing fraud and misappropriation. The fund is provided for in Section 38(2) of the Education Amendment Act (2006).Dr Utete-Masango said, "We, as the ministry, have proposed a School Services Fund that will be resident at schools, with tuition fees and levies being deposited into that single account. The account will have many signatories who include parents' representatative bodies, school heads and other SDA officials. And once the accounts are established, there will be extensive monitoring by the relevant authorities to prevent misuse of funds."We will concretise this proposed system after receiving stakeholder feedback. The ministry is consulting stakeholders across provinces and a team is already dealing with the feedback. Further, we are working on various Statutory Instruments and the Education Act with the ultimate objective of aligning them with the Constitution. And also, the accounts will help learning institutions come up with School Development Plans designed to fulfill the funding requirements necessary to spur school development."Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Teachers' Association representatives welcomed the move, "as long as it would curb irregular activities."
News / Education

by Nqobile Bhebhe

FRUSTRATED National University of Science and Technology (NUST) staff have passionately appealed to Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo to save the institution from imminent collapse.They accuse top management of rampant 'organised looting' of money through shady schemes.A 1033 worded report seen by this writer details the alleged rot at the institution 'that was to be the best university of science and technology in Zimbabwe".The report list 'scandalous' procurement of expensive top of the range vehicles for top management when 'learning departments and laboratories have little to no equipment and chemicals''...where management took a loan of almost a million US dollars, the ones that have arrived at NUST so far are Chevrolet Captivas for the director of works, deputy bursar- finance and admin, and deputy registrar- admin."There is also a latest Toyota Hilux D4D twin cab for the acting vice chancellor, a Toyota Revo for the dean of communications and a Foton 4*4 for the dean of students, just to mention a few" reads part of the report."We hear more are coming...The loan to buy these cars was taken at a time when NUST has an overdraft of + or - $3 000 000.00."The loan was also taken when learning departments and laboratories have little to no equipment and chemicals".With this, the staff members added that "the managers placed themselves ahead of students who pay fees to get quality education and training".The report also says if an audit is done at NUST it will reveal that over the years management have strayed from the university policies governing mileage and telephone allowances among many others."One example we will give you is that deputies of principal officers were not supposed to be entitled to vehicles or mileage allowances but the NUST management extended this facility to these people just like they also started giving monthly fuel allowances to their PAs and senior Assistant Registrars who were not entilted to such allowances by policey,".The report also singled out the acting vice chancellor as being part of this "shamefull looting at NUST"."To add to this shamefull looting the NUST managers are always flying on trips that never bring any development to NUST."We have seen the Acting VC (a proffesor in applied chemistry) flying to attend a conference on IT just to get his fingers on hefty allowances without them contributing anything to the development of the institution,".According to the report, it claims that now that "lecturers are now raising hairs over these issues, management is now trying to wash its hands and pretend that they never erred, that they never stole,".NUST, according to the report 'spends $533 160 00 annually on telephone and mileage allowances whilist research is budgeted at $250 000 00 per year. That is wrong!'It added that a latest audit report reveals that 'about $400 000 of the $1 000 000.00 commited by government to renovate former Epoch Mine facilities into the upcoming Gwanda University is said to be unaccounted for".To salvage the situation, staff members appealed to Moyo to intervene."Honorable minister please attend to this report, if you already do no have it".Reads another section " Honorable minister, please do something about this managment..."The nation cannot watch as these men and women who are reducing the stature and glory of what was two be the best university of science and technology in Zimbabwe are left two their cruel mischief."They should be suspended pending investigations on their activities.Honorable minister please save NUST!'".
Iran deal narrative was 'largely manufactured'

The demise of mainstream political journalism

(NaturalNews) Today's journalists are "clueless" and susceptible to "ventriloquizing" tactics, according to Obama administration insiders who routinely spoon-feed strategic  and often fictional  narratives to the press.A recentprofile of President Obama's "foreign-policy guru," Ben Rhodes, reveals details of the administration's sophisticated media manipulation tactics, which are largely orchestrated by Rhodes  a once-aspiring fiction writer responsible for selling the White House agenda to the press and public.Thepiece, entitled "The Aspiring Novelist Who Became Obama's Foreign-Policy Guru," outlines the career of deputy national security adviser Rhodes, but it also includes comments by a number of other administration officials who admitted to having taken full advantage of journalists who "literally know nothing."For example, the administration's "Orwellian public relations strategy"  as Breitbart put it  was completely successful in creating and controlling the narrative regarding the Iran deal.From the"The way in which most Americans have heard the story of the Iran deal presented ... was largely manufactured for the purpose for selling the deal. Even where the particulars of that story are true, the implications that readers and viewers are encouraged to take away from those particulars are often misleading or false."Quotes from Rhodes and other administration officials reveal a low opinion of contemporary journalists , most of whom are viewed as being uninformed puppets who are easily manipulated.Rhodes describes a "sea change" in journalism:"All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus. Now they don't. They call us to explain to them what's happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That's a sea change. They literally know nothing."Obama troubleshooter and senior director at the National Security Council, Rob Malley, detailed how the administration deployed foreign policy "experts," who infiltrated think tanks and social media platforms during the period leading up to the Iran deal.The administration's shills were successful in influencing "hundreds of often-clueless reporters.""We created an echo chamber," Malley said. "They were saying things that validated what we had given them to say." The White House even has direct access to journalists willing to parrot anything the administration feeds them.Tanya Somanader, director of digital response for the White House Office of Digital Strategy, admitted that the administration had at least two high-level journalists whom it could rely on for faithfully conveying the narrative."For those in need of more traditional-seeming forms of validation, handpicked Beltway insiders like Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic and Laura Rozen of Al-Monitor helped retail the administration's narrative. 'Laura Rozen was my RSS feed,' Somanader offered. 'She would just find everything and retweet it.'"Traditional journalism has gone the way of the dinosaur, according to David Samuels, author of thepiece :"It is hard for many to absorb the true magnitude of the change in the news business  40 percent of newspaper-industry professionals have lost their jobs over the past decade  in part because readers can absorb all the news they want from social-media platforms like Facebook, which are valued in the tens and hundreds of billions of dollars and pay nothing for the 'content' they provide to their readers."Mainstream political journalism is dead, leaving alternative media to fill the vacuum . As John Adams wrote : "The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state."Alternative media now carries the torch of press liberty, while mass media news outlets continue to lose their last vestiges of credibility.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

Harare City Council is said to have spent $100 000 in hiring vehicles for use by council using rate payers' money.This was revealed by the Harare Residents Trust which said from the proceeding at the meeting on 12 May 2016 Full Council notable issue was on the hiring of vehicles by council."Councillors wanted clarification on the cost benefit analysis done by council before hiring of vehicles.It is alleged US$100 000,00 was paid for hiring of vehicle for use by council using rate payers money and ignoring service delivery," said the trust. "The Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said the US$100 000,00 was proper and the cost benefit analysis was done. Councillors were proposing the money could have been used to repair council vehicles."
Facebook censorship and propaganda

'Wikipedia is not our friend'

numerous

(NaturalNews) The old maxim "There is no such thing as a free lunch" has taken on a whole new level of meaning in the internet age, particularly when applied to so-called "free" services like Facebook and Wikipedia.Both of these digital era giants would like the public to believe that they are providing free and useful platforms based on user-created content, but the real truth is that both are heavily influenced by outside interests that dictate what is presented to the public and, perhaps more importantly, what isallowed to be presented, according to the various agendas of these shadowy but powerful influences.For example, Facebook regularly censors content it deems unfit while stacking the deck in favor of "causes" it supports (never mind the fact that Facebook also collects and sells your personal info to corporations  but that's a whole 'nother subject).The censorship of alternative news by Facebook has been well-documented byand other alternative media sources.As reported by"[I]t must be emphasized that Facebook has an unfortunate history of suppressing political speech or even speech about inalienable human rights."In late 2012, for example, Facebook suspended at least 20 accounts operated by individuals in alternative media during a 24 hour period, claiming they violated 'Facebook policies,' not long after threatening to close the official Alex Jones account over an image of Osama Bin Laden with the words 'Al-CIA-da' written underneath. ..."It would certainly appear that Facebook is committed to silencing those who are not supportive of an unrestrained government in partnership with establishment corporations such as itself."There are innumerable other examples of Facebook censorship , as a quick Google search will confirm.But, not only does Facebook routinely engage in censorship, it also generates its own propaganda campaigns, as a recentarticle revealed:"When users weren't reading stories that management viewed as important, several former workers said, curators were told to put them in the trending news feed anyway. Several former curators described using something called an 'injection tool' to push topics into the trending module that weren't organically being shared or discussed enough to warrant inclusionputting the headlines in front of thousands of readers rather than allowing stories to surface on their own. In some cases, after a topic was injected, it actually became the number one trending news topic on Facebook."Since Facebook is a for-profit entity, perhaps it's not too surprising to learn that its practices are less than objective or democratic. But what about Wikipedia  a supposedly-profit organization that many users rely on for theoretically unbiased information on an immense variety of subjects?Wikipedia touts itself as a "free-of-cost encyclopedia with its articles being free-content; those who use Wikipedia can mostly edit any article accessible."But even Wikipedia itself admits that it "has been subjectively criticized; claims show that Wikipedia exhibits systemic bias, presents a mixture of 'truths, half truths, and some falsehoods', and controversial topics could be manipulated and/or spun."That rather surprising admission is actually something of an understatement, according to recent revelations.From an eye-opening article (which I recommend reading in its entirety), penned by consumer advocate Tim Bolen at"There is no question that Wikipedia is not our friend. It is obviously 'Skeptic' Grand Dragon Home Base. Sifting though [sic] Wikipedia articles on health care is like being forced to listen to convicted pedophiles talk about their 'conquests.' ..."Frankly, I think it is time to just shut it down. Wikipedia has failed. It is simply a propaganda tool for the unwashed. ..."Wikipedia is strictly a PR firm, operating a PsyOps black operation against those that economically compete against Wikipedia's 'contributor's' interests." Glaring examples of Wikipedia's caving to corporate interests, particularly those of Big Pharma, can be found inarticles. Here is an excerpt from one of them:"Natural News has now learned from trusted sources that Wikipedia's incredibly biased entry on VAXXED was written by none other than pro-vaccine shill Dr. David Gorski, notorious for his relentless and callous attacks on vaccine skeptics, alternative medicine, and its supporters."I highly recommend that readers investigate the matter for themselves before ever using Facebook or Wikipedia again.Free lunch, anyone?
Schools installing biometric scanners for 'convenience' while breaching student privacy

School administrators routinely spy on students online to track illicit student activity

Church ministries also collecting children's biometrics

(NaturalNews) Students at Harrison Street Elementary school in Geneva, Illinois, will no longer have to keep track of their lunch money. Geneva School District 304 is putting in a new biometric scanner system that will read students' thumb prints at the lunch checkout line. Privacy experts warn that this kind of system could turn unsuspecting students into suspicious subjects, monitored by school administrators and tracked down by local law enforcement The biometric scanner, installed by a local company called PushCoin Inc., has the potential to speed up the lunch line, by forcing students to press their thumbprint into the system. One fifth grader from the district says, "It's good, because you don't have to carry your own money or anything like that. It's just there. Your thumb is easy, because you just have to put your thumb on (the device),"reports.Other area school districts are considering the biometric scanners for their lunch lines, too. Unit District 95 board president Doug Goldberg is looking to install the system for the 2017 school year."I will tell you that many of the kids aren't very good about keeping track of their ID cards. And so moving to biometrics was felt to be sort of the next generation of that individual, unique ID," he said. "We'll record their thumbprints, there will be thumbprint readers at all the cash registers, and they'll simply come by and  bang  hit their thumbprint."PushCoin Inc. connects the child's biometric ID with their parents' home and email addresses. Parents receive email updates regarding the status of their child's lunch account. This technology is not new. Other school districts around the country have put thumb readers, iris scanners and even facial recognition technology in place to make automated processes more efficient, and to track and monitor students.Privacy experts warn that a biometric system can lead parents, students and school administrators down a slippery slope. For the sake of convenience, the privacy of every individual student is surrendered when they give up their biometric ID. This information can easily be intercepted for identity theft, monitoring of students, or targeting of individuals.By default, biometric collection technology gives school administrators more authority, and school becomes more like a surveillance state . By gaining access to student biometrics, administrators can work with local police to enforce compliance to school rules. For example, I have heard from several students and angry parents from the Effingham Unit 40 High School, that administrators there use social media accounts to track student activity outside of school to bust students for things like alcohol use. As school administrators gain access to new personal information, including biometrics , they can more readily target students they don't like.Parents should be standing up and saying enough is enough.Civil rights experts with the ACLU are warning parents about the dangers associated with this technology. Speaking to the, ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka said that biometric scanners send the wrong message to students about protecting their privacy. "I think in this age, when so much is available and so much is accessible online about us and there is all this information that floats out there, to begin to include in this one's biometrics, it really does raise some legitimate concerns," Yohnka said.Yohnka said that law enforcement could subpoena students' personal data right from PushCoin's database in an effort to track down students who may merely be suspected of criminal activity, whether inside or outside of school."We're getting so used to giving up data about ourselves," said University of Washington psychology professor Laura Kastner. She told the, "At some point, Big Brother is going to have a lot of information on us and where is that going to go? And that's just for parents to consider. But from a kid point of view, they have no idea what they're giving up and, once again, the slippery slope in what's called habituation."Even church-based ministries use biometric fingerprint scanners to check students into their facilities. Fellowship One, part of the Active network, services over 4,000 churches in the U.S. The biometric and personal information of adults and children, once entered into the Fellowship One database, can be shared with third-party affiliates, including governments and corporations. All privacy and liberty is lost for some false sense of security.Individuals who have been abused and targeted without warrant, or who have been harassed for their beliefs or their lifestyle, understand that maintaining privacy is essential to maintaining liberty.(Photo credit: SOTT.net)
Workers' health disregarded

Tyson Foods can't seem to stay out of trouble

(NaturalNews) A new Oxfam America report has revealed some deeply disturbing information about the working conditions for workers at Tyson Foods. The " No Relief: Denial of Bathroom Breaks in the Poultry Industry " report, exposes how workers are routinely denied bathroom breaks, and calls for the company to change its ways.The report was compiled after interviewing employees of Tyson Foods and other poultry producers such as Perdue Farms, Sanderson Farms and Pilgrim's Pride. In total, the companies that were assessed represent 60 percent of the country's poultry market. The researchers discovered that workers were often met with ridicule or even punishment after asking to take a toilet break.The situation is so dire that some workers said they had to urinate or defecate on themselves right where they stood, while others simply went without food and drink to avoid potentially losing their jobs over going to the bathroom. Many workers have even starting wearing diapers to work.The supervisors are allegedly under pressure to meet speed and production requirements on the processing line, leading them to make workers wait hours to use the bathroom for just a few minutes, or denying them bathroom breaks altogether. Some workers who were "lucky" enough to be given permission to use the bathroom report being given a mere ten minutes to leave their post, remove their gear, make use of the facilities, put their gear back on, and then return back to their positions.Besides the basic lack of dignity associated with wetting oneself or wearing diapers as an adult, "holding it in" can be uncomfortable and downright painful. Women in particular tend to suffer from the lack of bathroom breaks , as they need to contend with issues such as menstruation and pregnancy. In addition, not using the restroom when the need arises places them at a greater risk of suffering from infections.The report also sheds some light on another disturbing fact about Tyson chicken: "To add to the risk, studies show that poultry workers in many plants may absorb so many antibiotics from handling chicken flesh that they build a resistance to antibiotics , which can make it difficult to treat infections."One worker at an Alabama plant said that supervisors regularly granted permission with a caveat: "Go to the bathroom, and from there, go to Human Resources."Denying workers bathroom breaks is a violation of workplace safety laws, and could even be considered a violation of anti-discrimination laws. The firms in question have been quick to issue denials, with Tyson saying the company does "not tolerate the refusal of requests to use the restroom."According to Oxfam America, 250,000 American poultry workers suffer from high rates of illness and injury, low compensation, and a generally unpleasant and fear-inducing work climate.If you think they treat their workers poorly, they don't treat their farmers much better. In his 2014 book, author Christopher Leonard alleges that the farmers who provide meat to Tyson Foods are essentially locked into a type of contract farming that he likens to "indentured servitude," which is difficult to break free from.This is not the first time that Tyson has come under fire. A 2011 chemical accident at an Arkansas Tyson chicken processing plant , that sent 173 of its workers to the hospital, raised a lot of questions about the chemicals that were being used when processing their chicken. Tyson refused to identify the chemicals, but knowing that chicken is processed with chemicals that can cause such dangerous respiratory illnesses and even death when mixed, does not sit well with many consumers.As if all that wasn't enough to turn people off from supporting Tyson Foods , a 2014 report by the Environment America Research and Policy Center revealed that the firm can be blamed for the majority of the toxic waste that the food industry releases, accounting for more than 18 million pounds of waste dumped into waterways each year.The truth is, you simply don't know what the food you buy in stores contains, unless you have access to a food testing lab like Mike Adams, the Health Ranger does. His book Food Forensics sheds light on many of the common foods people buy, in order to help consumers make informed decisions.People who purchase their chicken from Tyson Foods or the restaurants it supplies are supporting these poor working conditions, not to mention putting their health at risk. Those who wish to eat chicken should seek sources that raise animals humanely on pasture-based, organic farms , and that do not process their meat with chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine.
One person was confirmed to be dead after a plane went down near Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, officials said.

A Cessna 182 single-engine light plane with white and blue stripes was spotted near Angeles Crest Highway and Mt. Wilson Red Box Road about 9:10 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The wreckage was near Mount Wilson Road at the Angeles Crest Highway, state Route 2, in steep mountain wilderness.

The plane was traveling from Montgomery Field Airport in San Diego to Santa Monica Municipal Airport when it lost contact 17 miles east of Van Nuys, according to a Federal Aviation Authority spokesman.

Search and rescue teams were searching for the aircraft but had low visibility due to fog, fire officials said.

Hours later at 4:30 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said preliminary information indicated that they found the aircraft in the Brown Mountain area above Altadena.

Deputies confirmed that one person was dead in the crash.

The San Diego-based plane is owned by Tom Reid, who leases it to experienced pilots.

LA County Coroner identified the pilot on Tuesday morning as 57-year-old Thomas Christopher Bruff, a San Diego resident.

The FAA reported that the pilot had indicated a flight from San Diego to Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles.

The crash site was not on a direct route, as Mount Wilson is about 90 miles northwest of San Diego and 35 miles northeast of Santa Monica.

City News Service contributed to this report.
More than 200 East Bay residents rode their bicycles to Sacramento on Saturday to raise money for six Oakland schools desperately in need of additional state funding.

Saturday marks the 8th annual Ride for a Reason, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Oakland K-12 schools in the past, according to a news release. This years ride raked in $88,659, according to organizers, which will go toward what California considers extras, including a part-time librarian and digital media classes.

The riders, who start the journey between 5 and 7:30 a.m., are typically a mixture of community members and students. Many opt to do the full 109-mile route from Oakland Technical High School, while others prefer the less rigorous 45-mile journey from Vacaville. Both sets of riders meet at the state capitol.

On Saturday, California State PTA Presidentelect Dianna MacDonald and Oakland School Board Member Jody London spoke after the ride about underfunded California schools. They cited the differences in Californias spending versus the national average.

Each year, the state spends about $8,900 per student at Oakland Unified School District. The national average is $11,841.

Weve been doing this for eight years now because California still isnt really prioritizing public education, Paul Vetter, a lead parent organizer, said in a statement. Believe me, there are easier ways to raise money for individual schools than gutting out a hundred mile ride, but we need to inspire other people and our elected officials. Our sweat makes us harder to ignore.

Money raised will benefit Oakland International High School, Westlake Middle School, Brewer Middle School, Claremont Middle School, Emerson Elementary School and Oakland Technical High School.
An East Bay neighborhood terrorized by a swarm of aggressive bees over the weekend is safer now, authorities said.

Concord police told residents Sunday the bees have been mostly eradicated after an amateur beekeeper got rid of a hive Saturday night. A bee expert called to the neighborhood also declared the area safer.

The bees began terrorizing the 3800 block of Hitchcock Drive on Friday, attacking residents, dogs and even a mail carrier. Concord police received a number of reports of "aggressive bees" in the area.

According to one neighbor, two dogs died as a result of numerous bee stings.

Marya Pitravts of Concord said she felt like a hostage in her own home.

It was like a horror movie, she said. I didnt know what was going on.

Pitravts was walking her dog Friday when they were attacked.

It was crazy  they were coming after us, she recounted. My dog was rolling on the ground trying to shake them off. My hair was buzzing with them.  They were all over me.

Even going inside her home didnt help.

They were really aggressive, Pitravts said. Boom! Boom! Boom! They were coming after me even through the window. It was nuts.

Resident Alex Jenke, who was sent to the hospital with minor injuries from stings, says his son is an amateur beekeeper who was relocating hives when he noticed abnormally aggressive behavior.

"He lifted the lid off the second hive, and they made this huge swarm..." he said. "My hair was buzzing with them. I had to shake my hand off. They were all over me."

Norman Lott, a beekeeper called out by the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District, said Pitravts isnt alone.

There were some dogs that were stung, he said. I guess one died  a small dachshund. There was a mail lady that had a hundred bees in her hair.

According to Lott, who is with the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association, Fridays incident serves as a good wake-up call as Africanized bees move into the area.

The breed of honeybees, also known as killer bees, was discovered for the first time in the Bay Area  in Martinez and Lafayette  in 2014. Although they look like regular honeybees, Africanized bees are far more deadly if their hives are disturbed.

Lott says once he finds the beehive he will decide whether it should be controlled or removed.

This hive seems to be over the top so it probably needs to be eradicated, he said.

Lott also cautioned that if a person gets stung, its important to stay calm, leave the area immediately and call the Vector Control District or a beekeeper to assess the situation.

Its much safer, he said. Unless you have your own suit, dont do it.

NBC Bay Area's Rhea Mahbubani and Stephen Ellison contributed to this report.
Commencement speeches usually strike a celebratory tone, but Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg went against the grain Saturday while addressing UC Berkeley grads and spoke publicly for the first time about the tragic death of her husband.

"His death was sudden and unexpected," Sandberg said. "For many months afterward, and at many times since, I was swallowed up in the deep fog of grief  what I think of as the void  an emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, and constricts your ability to think or even to breathe."

Sandbergs husband, Survey Monkey CEO Dave Goldberg, died of a cardiac arrhythmia while the couple was vacationing in Mexico in May of 2015.

During the speech, the Lean In author told students about how the sudden loss affected her, and how she came out of that grief with a stronger sense of self.

"I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss," she said. "But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again."

She said she hopes students will take her words to heart and acknowledged that they too will face immense challenges.

"When the challenges come, I hope you remember that anchored deep within you is the ability to learn and grow. You are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, you can build it up, draw on it when you need it."

She continued: "It is the hard days  the times that challenge you to your very core  that will determine who you are," she said. "You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.
George Lucas is once again considering San Francisco as a possible home for a museum featuring his collection of illustrative art and movie memorabilia.



A site on Treasure Island already has been approved for development, and Mayor Ed Lee has been lobbying the "Star Wars" creator after it was learned plans for a museum in Chicago may be fizzling out.

The mayor has always believed San Francisco would be the ideal location for the museum, said Christine Falvey, a spokeswoman for Lee.

Lee has discussed the move with Lucas and plans to send a formal letter to the filmmaker this week inviting him to consider a site on the west side of Treasure Island facing downtown.

Lucas previously offered to put up about $700 million for the project. The museum deal would need to be approved by the Board of Supervisors and the Treasure Island Development Authority.

San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin says the museum could bolster the island's ferry service.

"Right now, that island is only connected to the East Bay and San Francisco by a highly congested bridge," Peskin said. "But if we could have enough draw, we could actually get a robust ferry service that would be a boon to all the residents of the island as well as to visitors."

The island is in Supervisor Jane Kim's district. She is running for a state Senate seat and hesitated when asked if she would pitch the project to Lucas.

"I still have not heard about the location, the cost," she said. "These are the details we want to hear, and we certainly want to hear from our stakeholders and residents."

Lucas, 72, had previously targeted a site near Crissy Field for his museum, but that plan was squashed by the Presidio Trust.



At the Treasure Island site, an environmental review process has been completed and entitlements have been secured for a mixed-use project featuring 8,000 homes, 400,000 square feet of commercial space and two hotels. The city approvals also allow for construction of either a museum or community facilities on the island.

As for Chicago, city officials there formally asked for a 30-day reprieve from an ongoing lawsuit brought by nonprofit Friends of the Parks, noting they are actively seeking a new site for the museum.

In a subsequent news release, the nonprofit said the decision to suspend the suit would give the opportunity to have a more direct and productive dialogue to reach a potential solution about a museum site.

The group's lawsuit targeted the museums original site, located between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. But, Friends of the Parks made it clear that it opposes any site on Chicagos lakefront. The group said it will either amend the existing lawsuit to encompass the new McCormick Place Lakeside Center site or file a new suit, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Coast Guard is searching for a Carnival Liberty cruise ship passenger who went overboard about 195 miles off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

Watchstanders with the 8th Coast Guard District received a call from the ship's master Friday evening reporting they had video of a woman, believed to be 33-year-old Samantha Broberg, falling overboard at about 2 a.m. Friday, just 10 hours after the ship left the port of Galveston on a four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

Broberg's travel companions had reported her missing earlier Friday, prompting a ship-wide search.

"Our steward came into our room, checked the closets, checked the bathroom, looked under the bed looked out on our balcony. I mean, they did a very thorough search," said passenger Jo Trizila of Dallas. "We knew it wasnt going to end well when the last few updates the announcer said would you please just keep this family in your thoughts and prayers."

The ship's crew made a confirmation check on all the passengers, but Broberg was not accounted for, the Coast Guard said. An HC-144 Ocean Sentry and crew were sent from the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama, to search for the passenger in the area the ship was located when the passenger was last seen.

Youre pretty much on camera 24/7, said Steve Cosgrove of Dynamic Travel & Cruises in Southlake. So, theyre able to go back and see exactly when this person may have gone overboard, what hall she walked down, who she was with, they can actually backtrack where was she prior and all of that type of stuff.

Carnivals CareTeam is providing support to Brobergs travel companions and family, the company said in a statement.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

Human Resources Committee member in Harare City Counci, Councillors has bemoaned non payment of staff by the local authority a development which he said leads to poor service delivery.This was revealed by the Harare Residents Trust which quoted councillor Girisoti Mandere as saying their staff was not getting salaries and thestaff is highly demoralised.Another Councillor Madzokera said since the beginning of this year Finance Committee Chairman should explain their current status because the workers are not happy.Councillor Wilton Njanjazi said the issue of salaries is resulting in poor service delivery so the issue should be looked at closely before it causesmore problems."This is also increasing corruption and cause of conflicts within the council," he said.Acting Mayor Chris Mbanga said when the Council fails to pay the workers there are reasons accompanying that failure, and the issues have to bedealt with.Acting Town Clerk said it is not true that council employees are now going for 6 months without being paid."People are being paid on a daily basis. On a daily basis US$265 000 is credited every day. Grade 11 employees were paid yesterday their December 2015 salaries. Grade 12 and 13 were paid last week. It should be told to the residents to at least pay their current and a bit of the debt to ease the pressure on the council," he said."Massage should be send to residents urging them that they should at least pay current in low densities, it is US$25 and a bit of their debt so thatno water disconnections will be experienced by residents."
A woman caught on camera trying to steal packages from an Alhambra, California, home in Los Angeles County has been arrested after police said video of the woman being confronted, posted on the department's social media, got a whopping 800,000 views.

Rianna Medina, 20, was taken into custody after the Alhambra Police Department released video Thursday of the homeowner catching her red-handed.

"We had over 800,000 hits on this video," Alhambra police Sgt. Jerry Johnson said. "I've never seen that."

The homeowner had arrived to his house about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday when he saw a suspicious-looking woman walking up to his front door and picking up two packages. That's when he turned on his camera and confronted her.

"If I were you, I'd put that down," he told the woman, who responded by saying her mother lived at the home. When he threatened to call police, she dropped the packages and stormed off.

The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, told NBC4 she made a vulgar hand gesture at him as she walked away.

Police found her at a Motel 6 in Rosemead. They said she is aware of the video, but denies wrongdoing.

"You'd think she'd apologize or ask for forgiveness or something," Johnson said. "That certainly wasn't the attitude she portrayed on film."
The Bridgeport Fire department is mourning one of its own after an off-duty Bridgeport firefighter was killed in an accident Saturday afternoon.

City of Bridgeport spokesman Av Harris says that 34-year-old Jimmie Jones, an 8-year veteran of the fire department, was killed in an accident on Bishop Avenue near Connecticut Avenue. Two cars were involved in the crash, which occurred around 3:25p.m. There were multiple injuries and multiple victims required extrication.

Jones was assigned to truck and ladder 6 on the east side Battalion 2 on Central Avenue. His father is a retired Bridgeport firefighter.

Several of Joness truck mates on ladder 6 responded to the crash and attempted life-saving measures.

Joness son was also in the car and suffered a broken leg. Information about the other victims of the accident is not available at this time.

In a statement, Mayor Joseph P. Ganim and Fire Chief Brian Rooney extended their deepest condolences to the family of Jimmie Jones Saturday night, and extended prayers for the recovery of the other victims.
Dallas police have arrested four people in connection to a deadly shooting that happened last Thursday night.

Police say the group broke into 61-year-old John Horton's home in the 3900 block of Ledbetter Drive.

During the incident, officers say a shootout took place between Horton and the alleged intruders.

Horton was shot and killed.

Raul Sanchez, one of the accused robbers, also died.

Marino Sanchez was injured and is recovering in the hospital. Police say he, as well as Jayona Jones and Pedro Alarcon, have been charged with capital murder.
Authorities say a suspected drunken driver being chased by Houston police plowed his vehicle into a car and killed a girl after she and her date attended the prom.

Police say the girl died at the scene early Saturday. Her date was transported to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Officers saw a pickup truck make a U-turn and roll over a curb. Police tried to stop the truck when the driver sped away, allegedly running a red light and hitting the car.

Police say the DWI suspect suffered minor injuries. Formal charges were pending.

The students attended the Yes Prep North Central High School prom. A school statement Saturday says the community was mourning the girl's death and praying for the boy's recovery. Their names weren't immediately released.
The latest installment of L.A.'s sporadic break with the automobile returns Sunday to take over the streets of Southeast Los Angeles.

CicLAvia, billed as the nation's largest open-street festival, will feature a 10-mile route through Huntington Park, Walnut Park, South Gate, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood and Watts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

The event will close the streets to car traffic for people to walk, skate, bike, play and explore different neighborhoods.

Live music, family events and fitness classes will be available along the route's five hubs. Inspired by a weekly event in Bogota, the first CicLAvia was held in 2010.

Since then, more than one million people have participated in 14 such events in the greater Los Angeles area. The most recent CicLAvia took place in March in the San Fernando Valley.

Future installments are planned for Aug. 14 along Wilshire Boulevard and Oct. 9 in the Heart of LA.

For more information, see www.ciclavia.org.

Copyright City News Service
Emotions were running high  even resulting in a reporter getting shoved  during a town-hall meeting held in Long Beach Saturday as frustrated customers voiced their problems with dead landlines and no internet to a high ranking Frontier executive.

Dozens of customers have reached out to NBC4 since Frontier Communications took over Verizon's landline phone, TV and internet service on April 1.

More than 100 customers came face-to-face with an executive at the Long Beach Expo Arts Center hoping to get answers regarding their long lists of problems.

"We have no TV, no internet, no phone," Kelly Mantooth said.

At the meeting organized by Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell, some complained about not having a phone line to call 911, or speaking with Frontier and Verizon customer service reps for hours and getting no help.

"I think Frontier would agree they have an obligation to customers to fix this issue," Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell said.

Frontier executive Melinda White tried to explain what happened.

"I am sincerely sorry for the frustration that this conversion has created for you," White, Frontier Communications West Region President, said.

But customers say they weren't getting answers from the Frontier executive.

In a separate room, more than two dozen service agents and technicians worked to help people on the spot.

"Do they even know what they're doing?" a woman shouted from the audience.

Many of the customers have complained to the California Public Utility Commission, which regulates the service.

"We've had 584 complaints lodged regarding transition," Drisha Melton of the California Public Utility Commission said.

As White left the meeting, she wouldn't stop for additional comment, resulting in a member of her entourage shoving a reporter.

Mantooth said after the meeting, a technician made a surprise visit to her Long Beach home and began restoring each device one by one. She said she plans to stick with Frontier, but that's not the case for all who attended the town hall  many told NBC4 they had already -- or were planning to -- switch carriers.
The small South Texas bus company involved in a rollover crash that killed eight people and injured 44 others had twice been ordered by Louisiana state inspectors in 2015 to take one of its buses off the road to fix brake and emergency exit problems.

Records posted online by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that regulators ordered OGA Charters to sideline the bus in May 2015 because of brake problems and again in August of last year when they were getting worse.

It was not immediately clear Sunday if that was same charter bus that crashed Saturday about 46 miles north of Laredo, Texas, or what steps the company took to fix the problems with its sidelined bus between inspections.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived Sunday in Laredo to try to determine a cause of the crash. Spokesman Keith Holloway said the agency will look at the operations of the company as part of its investigation but declined further comment.

According to federal online records, OGA Charters has two buses and the Motor Carrier Safety Administration had it listed with a "satisfactory" rating in May 2014.

Records noted that the company had reported no crashes in the last two years prior to Saturday. But six driver and vehicle inspections since 2014 found 15 total violations, ranging from driver records and hours they were on the road, to vehicle maintenance problems.

The May 2015 inspection in Louisiana reported brake connections with leaks, problems with the automatic brake adjustment system and a discolored windshield. The bus was put out of service because 20 percent or more of its brakes were defective.

The records don't name the Louisiana community where the inspection occurred.

Another Louisiana inspection just four months later found "general" brake problems, citing some of the same problems, and the emergency exit issue. Details of the emergency exit problem were not immediately available. The report also noted the discolored windshield problem and again ordered the bus out of service.

That the same bus, whether it was the one involved in the deadly crash or not, continued to have brake problems a few months after its initial inspection is a concern, said Shaun Kildare, director of research for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington, D.C.-based group that tracks bus crashes and federal highway safety regulations.

"We know this carrier had the vehicle violation problems," Kildare said. "They apparently didn't do anything. ... When they have vehicle problems they don't fix, that's a question."

The rate of violations for hours of service was marked as a problem area by federal regulators.

Officials at OGA Charters, based in San Juan, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.

Seven people died at the scene of Saturday's crash and another died at a hospital, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Webb County Medical Examiner Corrine Stern on Sunday identified those who died as Altagracia Torres, Maria de Jesus Musquiz, Dora Nelly Gonzalez, Frances Guerrero, Marisela Lopez, Adelfa Garza, Jaime Navarro, and Emma Rodriguez Zamudio.

She did not immediately release ages or hometowns. The Laredo Morning Times reported the victims who died ranged in age from 52 to 81.

DPS Sgt. Johnny Hernandez said the driver, whose name was not released, remained hospitalized Sunday with "major injuries" and had not been interviewed by state investigators. DPS is conducting an investigation separate from the federal probe into the cause of the crash.

Hernandez said DPS investigators don't know yet if the bus that crashed was the same one cited last year by safety inspectors.

State police have said it was raining Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 a.m.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel told the Laredo Morning Times the bus was heading to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Laredo, Carrizo Springs and San Antonio.
Police are investigating a deadly shooting outside a Hialeah motel.

The shooting occurred behind the Rainbow Motel on 2801 W Okeechobee Road in Hialeah Saturday evening.

According to Hialeah Police, the gunshot victim has been identified as 33 year-old Norian Pino. Pino was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he later died.

Police are still searching for the killer.

The investigation is on-going, so check back with NBC 6 for updates
News / Local

by Munyaradzi Musiiwa

THERE was drama in Mkoba Village 16 in Gweru when a family held a funeral wake for a relative after he allegedly faked his own death before fleeing to South Africa.Sunday News reported that the incident occurred on Sunday when Emmanuel Maseva of Mkoba 16 disappeared from home and took all his belongings with him before calling his brother John and his in-laws informing them that he wanted to kill his wife before committing suicide.It is alleged that Emmanuel later called his relatives masquerading as a police officer informing them he had been found dead along Harare-Mvurwi Road and his body had been taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals awaiting post-mortem.John confirmed that his brother faked his own death and "mourners" gathered in Mkoba 16 for three days waiting for his body to arrive so that it would be taken to his rural home."When we received the phone we did not recognise his voice at first. He informed us while pretending to be a police officer that his body had been found along Harare- Mvurwi Road and had been taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals mortuary. We then mobilised resources and hired a vehicle to go and collect his body while other relatives were making burial arrangements."We, however, could not locate his body for three days and we searched in other hospitals in Harare but to no avail. We then made a follow-up with the police but they had not received such a report," he said.John said Emmanuel later called on Thursday informing his relatives that he was alive and was on his way to South Africa."He called on Thursday and told us that he was still alive. He was then spotted in Beitbridge," he said.John suspected that his brother could have developed a mental illness due to depression."We are looking for him, he might have development a mental illness. We want to take him to hospital," he said.
An off-duty firefighter in Connecticut was killed Saturday in a two-car crash, authorities said.

Jimmie Jones, 34, a Bridgeport firefighter for more than eight years, died in the 3:25 p.m. crash on Bishop Avenue, near the intersection with Connecticut Avenue, said Av Harris, a spokesman for the city.

Some of Jones' fellow firefighters from the Ladder 6 truck responded to the accident, he said. They extracted Jones from his vehicle and performed CPR.

Jones' son, a passenger, suffered a leg fracture in the accident, Harris said.

Several occupants of both vehicles had to be extracted by firefighters, he said.

Additional details about the accident weren't available.

"Needless to say this is a very sad day for the Bridgeport fire department," Harris said. "Mayor Ganim joins Fire Chief Rooney in extending deepest condolences to the family of Jimmie Jones and extend prayers for the speedy recovery of all victims of this accident."

Jones' father is a retired Bridgeport firefighter, he said.
A New Jersey woman faces theft and forgery charges accusing her of stealing more than $50,000 from the doctor who employed her, prosecutors said Saturday.

Sussan Lopez, 29, of Cliffside Park, used her position as the doctor's administrative assistant to forge checks and open a corporate credit card account, Ridgewood police investigators said.

The doctor, whose name wasn't disclosed by police, reported the thefts to police in March.

Investigators found that Lopez used the doctor's office corporate identity to obtain a credit card and forged checks from the office's business account, Bergen County prosecutors said.

Online deposits to her account and purchases made with the credit card exceeded $50,000, prosecutors said.

Lopez is charged with second-degree computer related theft, third-degree theft by deception and third-degree forgery.

She was remanded to Bergen County Jail in lieu of $35,000 bail and is scheduled for a May 27 court hearing.

Prosecutors had no information on whether she has retained a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.
An anonymous person whose name is on a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing case has asked a federal appeals court to stop the release of the names this week so he can argue he would be unfairly branded a criminal if the list is made public.

An attorney for the man, referred to as John Doe in court papers, appealed a federal judge's ruling in New Jersey to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, writing that releasing the names without allowing her client to establish that he wasn't a co-conspirator would violate his due process rights.

U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton last week denied the person's request to keep the names secret but moved a deadline to noon Tuesday for the government to release the list. The Associated Press is among the media organizations that went to court for the release of the names.

"We are confident the court will agree with Judge Wigenton and deny this stay request," said Bruce Rosen, of McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, the attorney for the media groups.

Jenny Kramer, an attorney for Doe, contended that her client's reputation would be damaged by being "publicly branded a felon."

In the criminal case, two former allies of Republican Gov. Chris Christie face charges accusing them of creating traffic jams at the bridge for political revenge against a local Democratic mayor. Christie, a former presidential candidate and now a key Donald Trump supporter, has not been charged and has denied advance knowledge of the lane closures.

The list includes the names of people the government believes were involved in the alleged conspiracy but prosecutors have insufficient evidence to criminally charge them.

The U.S. attorney's office also opposes the release of the list.

Kramer wrote in her filing Saturday to the appeals court that courts have found that identifying someone as an unindicted co-coconspirator without giving them a chance to challenge the accusation is a violation of due process.

"Doe will suffer irreparable harm absent the relief sought because once he is named as an unindicted co-conspirator at noon on May 17, the stigma that the Government believes there is evidence that he entered an agreement to shut down traffic at the George Washington Bridge to retaliate against (Fort Lee Mayor Mark) Sokolich can never be removed," Kramer wrote.

The judge said in her ruling that she was puzzled that Doe waited until the night before the list was to be released, originally Friday, to attempt to intervene. The judge disagreed with Kramer's argument that he wasn't given a chance for due process.

Bridget Kelly, Christie's then-deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a top Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, face federal wire fraud and civil rights charges and are scheduled for trial this fall. The Port Authority oversees the bridge operations.

Kelly and Baroni have pleaded not guilty and have asked to have the charges dismissed.
The "King of Queens" is setting up shop on Long Island.

Kevin James' new sitcom for CBS, "Kevin Can Wait," will be shot entirely at Bethpage's Gold Coast Studios.

The show will be the first network prime-time series to originate from a Long Island-based facility, according to Newsday.

The studios are on the property of a former defense contractor that built the lunar module that first landed men on the moon in 1969.

James, who starred in "The King of Queens" on CBS from 1998 to 2007, is a native Long Islander, raised in Stony Brook.

The series cast also includes local standup comics Joey Kola and Chris Roach.

The nearby Grumman Studios has played host to several televised Broadway productions, including "The Wiz Live!" last November.
Three people were killed and two dozen injured at Moscows largest cemetery Saturday in a brawl between ethnic groups, NBC News reported.

Witnesses said the fight, involving about 200 people at the Khovanskoye cemetery in southwest Moscow, was over control of the lucrative burial service business. Some of those involved used weapons, according to witnesses.

Riot police broke up the fight, taking more than 90 people into custody. The Moscow city health department reported three people had been killed and 23 hospitalized, including four gravely hurt.

Migrants are struggling to find work as Russias economy gets hit with Western sanctions and low prices for its oil exports.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump said the U.K. leaving the European Union would not impact trade between the U.S. and Britain if he were to become president, NBC News reported.

In an interview with Pierce Morgan for ITV's "Good Morning Britain," Trump said although he had "big investments" in the U.K., he had "no preference" on the June 23 Brexit vote.

Asked by Morgan if the U.K. would go "to the back of the queue" if Britain chose to leave  a reference to Barack Obama's assertion the U.S. would prefer to trade with large blocs like the EU  Trump said "certainly not."

"With me, [Britain will] always be treated fantastically well," he added.
Local

Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
A woman was in critical condition after someone shot up a car she was in with two other women and a toddler in Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood overnight.



The shooting happened in the early hours Sunday morning. Police said the victim was in a car near 13th and Butler streets with her mother, her sister and a 2-year-old child when someone fired several shots at the car, critically wounding the woman.



The car the woman was in then crashed into another vehicle, police said. Spent shell casings littered the street and sidewalk where the shooting occurred.



No other serious injuries were reported in the shooting or crash, but two men in the other car were treated at a local hospital.



Police did not say what motivated the shooting or release any details about the victim's identity.
A scarf-wearing, green bag-carrying female bank robber had a busy Friday and Saturday, hitting three banks in New Jersey in less than 24 hours.

Her crime spree began shortly before noon Friday at the Wells Fargo Bank, 4306 Route 130 North in Willingboro. The woman, described as possibly 40 to 50 years old and dressed in all black, including a scar on her head, gave a note demanding money to a bank teller at the Burlington County location.

The robber "received a quantity of money," police said.

Seven hours later, the robber struck several towns north at the TD Bank in Hamilton Township, Mercer County. At 6:30 p.m., the robber entered the bank at 1130 Whitehouse-Hamilton Square Road, again wearing all black and a scarf on her head, again passed a note to a teller. She made off "with an unknown amount of money," police said.

Following those two successful heists, the robber struck a third time about 9 a.m. Saturday morning. She stayed in Hamilton Township, robbing the TD Bank at 3470 Quakerbridge Road by using the same note-passing tactic.

Hamilton police described the suspect as a white female, 50 to 60 years old, with dark sunglasses and a bright green handbag. She may have fled in an older model, black Honda sedan.

"We are aware of the Hamilton bank robberies and the similarities of the suspect in the different series of photos," Willingboro police Lt. Chris Vetter said Saturday. "Our detectives continue to investigate our robbery and are looking into the possibility of the same suspect being linked to the other robberies."

Anyone with any information about the Hamilton robberies is asked to contact Detective Matthew Donovan or Detective Frank Burger at (609) 581-4030 or (609) 581-4010. Information may also be reported to the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.

If anyone with information about the Willingboro robbery is asked to contact Willingboro police at (609) 877-3001 or the Citizen Tip Hotline at (609) 877-6958.
A South Jersey community is reeling after two teenage girls died early Saturday morning in a car crash after attending their prom.

Daisia Sulton, 17, and Mikayla Mosley, 15, both of Bridgeton, Cumberland County, were on their way home from a post-prom celebration in Ocean City with two other teens about 3:45 a.m. Saturday when Sulton lost control of the car on Route 49, crossed the median and struck a tree.

Sulton and Mosley both died at the scene, police said.

Mosley's aunt and grandmother wept as they talked about the young woman.

"To know that we're never gonna see her smile again, never hear her voice again," her aunt, Sharon Hood, said.

"She died without no family being around her," Annette Patton, Mosley's grandmother, cried.

Niajah Rainner was close friends with both of the girls.

"I lost two of my best friends in the same day," Rainner said, breaking down.

Two other teens who were in the car at the time, Jada Barriento, 17, and and Eyiah Stocks, 16, remained in the hospital Sunday morning. Both were in critical condition when they were taken to Cooper Medical Center from the site of the crash.

Social media posts indicated the girls attended the Bridgeton High School prom Friday night. School officials said grief counselors would be made available to students on Monday.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation by State Police on Sunday.
News / Local

by Faith Phiri

A FORMER school clerk at Sigola Primary School in Esigodini has been sentenced to 24 months in jail after being found guilty of defrauding the institution of more than $1 000.Sunday News reported that Nomagugu Mlilo (29) of Ntshamatshe Village in Umzingwane District Esigodini, a former clerk at the school, appeared before Esigodini magistrate Mr Muzingaye Moyo last week facing charges of fraud. Of the 24 months, six months were suspended on condition she does not commit a similar offence while a further six months was suspended on condition she pays the $1 134 she stole from the school.Mlilo was arrested when she returned to the country last week, as she had allegedly skipped the border last year after the matter was discovered. Prosecuting, Martha Gwese said Mlilo committed the crime during the period from 18 November 2014 to 10 September 2015."In November 2014, Mlilo was employed as a clerk, with the job title requiring her to receive cash from parents as school levies. She was expected to receipt the money and on the top receipt she gave to parents she would write the correct amount of money paid. However, after the parents had gone, using a transparent receipt, she would write on the duplicate copy putting an undercharge," said Gwese.The court heard that on a date unknown Lister Mangena who is employed as the acting headmistress at the school conducted a sample check after noticing a difference in cash flows between terms. An audit was conducted where it was discovered the money had a shortfall of $1 134.A police report was made but Mlilo fled from the country. She was only arrested recently when she returned home from South Africa where she had relocated after committing the crime. In assessing the sentence, Moyo said the offence was pre-meditated as it went on for long period of time and she could not be granted community service as she was a flight risk.Mlilo begged Moyo to be lenient with her in passing sentence."Your Worship, I am a single mother and I am pregnant. I am asking you to sympathise with me and my family. I did this unlawful act because the money l was earning was not enough for me to sustain my family," said Mlilo.
The Los Angeles City Council took a step toward requiring farmers markets in the city to accept food stamps as payment.

The council voted on Friday to request that the City Attorney's Office draft an ordinance that would require farmers market operators on public and private property to incorporate the state's CalFresh-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer cards as a payment method.

The ordinance was proposed by council members Nury Martinez and Jose Huizar and is aimed at bringing more fresh fruits and vegetables to "food deserts,'' areas with no major supermarkets or other plentiful sources of fresh foods.

Farmers market operators should be able to obtain free EBT terminals from the state, according to the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. The terminals issue "scrips'' that can be used by shoppers at individual stalls and redeemed later by sellers.

The ordinance will be brought back for a future council vote.

In the meantime, Huizar and the food council will host an event on Tuesday at 10 a.m. with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers market operators sign up on the spot to be Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program retailers, which makes them eligible to obtain EBT technology.
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) released the names of four officers Saturday who were involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting in Encanto.

Thongsoune Vilaysane,30, attempted to evade police, and led them on a pursuit through Encanto around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Officers gave several commands to Vilaysane to shut off the car and exit the vehicle. He ignored police commands and reversed the car towards two of the officers, police confirmed.

Officers fired multiple rounds at Vilaysane. He was struck several times. Vilaysane died at the scene on Benson Avenue and Pagel Place just north of Skyline Drive.

The officers involved have been identified as Ryan Cameron, Shawn Boggeman, David Serrano and Trevor Sterling.

Boggeman has been with the department for two years. Cameron, Serrano and Sterling have been with SDPD between four and five years.

The events leading up to the shooting were captured on body cameras worn by the officers, investigators confirmed Thursday.
Want to stay in a bed and breakfast where you can play with horses, goats, pigs and chickens?

John Fiske, who founded the San Diego Farm Animal Rescue, also happens to be an Airbnb host. He is now offering his cozy studio in the Elfin Forest to weary travelers and animal lovers.

Fiske held an official grand opening party at his 2.5 acre animal rescue Sunday afternoon.

"I think people are here today because they want to connect. They want to connect to animals or to other people," Fiske told NBC 7. "The idea is that there is a lot of animals in need."

NBC 7

Fiske started the rescue in 2015 to provide a safe haven for farm animals, but eventually listed the studio on Airbnb to sustain the organization.

"When I first knew him he lived in a condo in Del Mar so this has been new for him," friend and coworker Debra Walters said. "His whole purpose is to rescue animals."

The non-profit has become a full-time job for the environmental lawyer who already works a full-time job.

"It's a big job for him, but he's in it 100%. He's on it because he believes in it," Walters said.

Just to feed one horse for one week costs about $100, so Fiske had to think of another way to fund the rescue.

"The Airbnb basically funds the whole thing right now...They can stay here, wake up and feed a horse a carrot," he explained.

"It's a great facility, it's beautiful. The animals seem really happy here...and the people are having a good time," visitor Ronnie Steinau said.

Fiske has been able to take in more animals and do needed improvements to the property, including clearing the land to make space for more animals, securing a new horse bench and installing pig fencing.

"When he heard this woman was looking for a home for her horse that she couldn't take care of anymore, he was absolutely not ready and yet he went and picked up the horse that weekend," Walters said.

Currently Fiske has four horses, two chickens and one pig and he will soon start taking in goats.

"I probably don't have the space for cows," he said.

Most of the animals are also available for adoption. Information can be found on the website. People can also volunteer or be pet foster parents.

"The funny thing about volunteers is, one of the things we need the most is scooping poop," Fiske laughed. "They can get their hands dirty literally."

[[379595771,C]]

Creating compassion through empathetic experiences raises awareness for the ethical treatment of animals who feel and think, Fiske said. "The goal is just awareness."
Authorities released a series of photos Friday of a man accused of exposing himself to an 8-year-old girl near in Oceanside.

The alleged flashing incident happened around 4 p.m. Tuesday, as an 8-year-old girl was in the parking lot of her apartment complex in the 100 block of Avenida Descanso, according to the Oceanside Police Department (OPD).

The girl told police the stranger asked her if she had seen a dog. The girl told him she had not, and the man then allegedly flashed his genitals to the girl.

The victim ran away to her familys apartment nearby and reported the incident to her mother. She was not harmed, officials said. The girls mom then called police.

When officers arrived, the suspect was nowhere to be found. Police said he was last seen getting into a black pickup truck and driving away from the complex.

In an effort to expose the suspect and net an arrest, the police department released grainy photos of the suspect captured on surveillance video.

Oceanside Police Department

According to investigators, the suspected flasher is described as a tall, skinny man in his mid-30s with short, brown hair. He wore eyeglasses and had a beard.

A surveillance camera also caught images of the suspects truck, described by investigators as a black Toyota Tacoma, possible a mid-1990s to early 2000s model. The truck had a gray interior and a "distinctive" sunroof.

At this point, police say this appears to be an isolated incident involving one victim. No further details were released.

Police said that anyone who recognizes the suspect or the truck can call OPD Det. Steve Stracke at (760) 435-4703 or the OPD (760) 435-4911. If you spot the suspect or truck, take down the license plate and call authorities from a safe distance, the OPD said.
Afghanistan is expected to finalize a peace deal with a notorious militant group in the coming days, in what could be a template for ending the 15-year war with the Taliban, a government official and a representative of the militant group said Saturday.

The deal is partly symbolic as the group in question, Hezb-i-Islami, has been largely inactive for years, but it marks a breakthrough for President Ashraf Ghani, who has made little progress in reviving peace talks with the far more powerful Taliban.

Under the 25-point agreement, a draft of which was seen by The Associated Press, Hezb-i-Islami would end its war against the government, commit to respecting the Afghan constitution and cease all contact with other insurgents. In return its members would receive amnesty and its prisoners would be released.

Ataul Rahman Saleem, deputy head of the High Peace Council  a government body charged with negotiating an end to the war  told the AP that the deal could be completed on Sunday, after two years of negotiations. A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected Ghani to approve the final version of the agreement on Sunday.

Hezb-i-Islami is led by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose forces killed thousands of people in Kabul during the 1992-1996 civil war. He is believed to be in Pakistan, though Karim has said he is in an unspecified location in Afghanistan. He could soon return to Kabul to sign a formal peace deal and take up residence.

Hekmatyar, in his late 60s, is designated a "global terrorist" by the United States and blacklisted by the United Nations. The agreement obliges the Afghan government to work toward lifting those restrictions.

The group has had only a minor role in the conflict in recent years. Its last major attack killed 15 people, including six American soldiers, in Kabul in 2013.

The Obama administration has welcomed the progress toward a peace agreement and said it supports an Afghan-led resolution to the conflict. Hezb-i-Islami should be part of the negotiations along with all other insurgent groups, a senior Obama administration official said in a statement. The official wasn't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

U.S. officials declined to say publicly whether the U.S. would consider lifting the terrorist designation subjecting the group to sanctions if the agreement is reached.

Ghani's spokesman, Zafar Hashemi, would not comment directly on the Hezb-i-Islami deal, telling reporters Saturday that "the doors are open for peace talks" to all groups. He added, however, that "there are developments" and "optimism."

Ghani is due to return to Kabul on Sunday from an official visit to London. Karim said he expected the president to give his final approval to the agreement soon after his return.

Negotiations began in July 2014, Karim said, when Hekmatyar received a letter from Ghani, who was then campaigning to become president. Ghani pointed out that one of Hekmatyar's key conditions for peace  the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan  was about to be met.

"That was the beginning," Karim said.

But progress stalled after President Barack Obama decided against a complete withdrawal and instead to leave a 10,000-strong, largely noncombat force in the country through the end of 2016.

Earlier this year, Hekmatyar began referring to his demand for the withdrawal of all foreign troops as a "goal" rather than a condition, clearing the way for talks to continue.

The political wing of Hezb-i-Islami, which has long had a significant presence in Afghanistan's parliament, has no relationship with Hekmatyar, and its members endeavor to address grassroots concerns rather than engage in high-level politics.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the deal with Hezb-i-Islami would have "no impact" on the overall peace process because "a majority of Hezb-i-Islami members are already part of the government."

The agreement includes a guarantee of equality between men and women and respect for the Afghan constitution, both points of contention with the Taliban.

It gives legal immunity for "all past political and military proceedings" by Hezb-i-Islami members and mandates the release of all prisoners within three months. Karim said there are about 2,000 Hezb-i-Islami prisoners in Afghan jails.

Under the agreement, Hekmatyar would have a "consultant" role on "important political and national decisions." The Afghan government would provide housing and security for Hekmatyar at two or three residences in places of his choosing.

The two sides also commit to bringing millions of refugees home from neighboring Iran and Pakistan. The first stage would be to repatriate 20,000 from Pakistan "with the help of the international community."

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
It's been six months since Christopher Nickerson walked into a hospital with his intestine hanging out of his stomach.

Nickerson, who then lived in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, was walking in the Hyannis section of Barnstable on Oct. 24, 2015, when he says he happened upon a domestic incident and intervened.

"I came across a couple arguing in the road," Nickerson, now 41, recalled Saturday in a phone interview with necn. "I got involved to try to help her, and he ended up stabbing me."

Nickerson, who acknowledges that he had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol, walked to Cape Cod Hospital - his intestine unruptured, but hanging from his body.

While the injury may have been traumatic, Nickerson is adamant that it saved him.

"It was a wakeup call from God," Nickerson said. "It steered me in the right direction."

Nickerson was on a different road before the stabbing - following some personal losses, he had spent the prior 11 years as a drug addict and an alcoholic. And things didn't get easier quickly.

He spent four weeks in the hospital, then more time at the Cape Heritage Nursing Home in Sandwich.

"I ended up losing everything - I had no place to go," he said. "I became homeless."

He was working toward recovery from the stabbing when he reconnected with his mother - he hadn't seen her in 10 years. He bumped into his brother at the hospital and got her number from him.

Within a few days, Nickerson's mother, who had also been homeless, got him into the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Bridgewater. From there, he went to Thayer TSS in Worcester.

That was where a counselor asked him an important question - "How do you feel about living on a farm?"

"I've got a construction background," he replied. "I guess I could live on a farm. That sounds like a great idea."

And so he landed in Oakham, a rural town west of Worcester, at Dismas Family Farm - described on its website as "a holistic, rehabilitative and vocational reentry model."

"It's a fully functional, working farm," Nickerson explained.

The farm has animals. Residents grow vegetables to sell at farmers markets.

Nickerson is excited for the future - his time at Dismas, away from the temptations and the constant reminders that come with city life, has helped him move forward.

"You don't hear sirens going by every night. You don't hear gunshots. You don't hear helicopters flying overhead," Nickerson said. "This is God's country. Why would you not want to enjoy it? How could you not get overjoyed and have a feeling of wonder?"

Despite the gruesome nature of the injury, Nickerson's physical health has improved dramatically.

"Other than having the scars, there isn't really any lingering effect," he said. "I don't have any nightmares from it. It was a traumatic experienced, but I was in a blackout - I think my mind kind of erased it."

Understandably, he still thinks back to that night. He's disappointed Barnstable Police never caught the suspect. And he hopes that the man is captured so that he doesn't hurt anyone else.

But he considers his survival nothing short of a miracle - he walked to the hospital without dying, and he managed to tell police of his medical allergies before he passed out. Were he given anesthesia, the results could have been tragic. And he calls the attack a blessing in disguise - a much-needed catalyst for change.

"Had I not been under the influence, I would never have ended up in that part of town in that part of night," Nickerson said. "It's my fault that I was there - but the fact that I didn't die - that was God."

Nickerson's faith is not a traditional one, but it has carried him.

"I'm not a religious person," he said. "But I've also come to realize that there's a big difference between religion and faith. And for me, faith is having an understanding with a higher power that I understand for myself. It doesn't matter what other people think about that, I understand it."

And even with all the pain he's suffered, the future excites Nickerson.

"I've got a long road ahead of me," he said. "I think I've actually got it."
The fire department in Hyannis, Massachusetts, says 12 fishermen were rescued off the coast of Cape Cod after a tide rose and trapped them early Sunday morning.

The fishermen were on the breakwater near the Kennedy Compound around 5 a.m., where wind was gusting to 30 knots and temperatures were relatively cold.

No injuries were reported, but the fishermen were exposed to wind and cold for a lengthy period of time.
The family of an 80-year-old woman killed when a man went on a deadly rampage in Taunton, Massachusetts, is giving a message of forgiveness.

Patricia Slavin's family says it is praying for her killer and his family.

"The way that she brought joy to this world was just amazing," said her son, Frederick Slavin.

In life, and now in death, the faith of the former nurse and great-grandmother serves as an inspiration.

"As tragic as this was, that gentleman was forgiven instantly from my mother," said another son, Daniel Slavin.

Slavin was stabbed to death by a man her family says she was trying to help. She and her daughter, Kathy, were eating dinner at their Myrick Street home in Taunton Tuesday night when they heard a crash outside - then someone banging on their door.

Father Kevin Cook of the Holy Family Church says the man, later identified as Arthur DaRosa, went into the house and asked where "the gun" was.

"We don't have a gun," they said, according to Cook.

That's when Cook says DaRosa grabbed a knife and attacked them.

Pat Slavin died that night at Morton Hospital. Kathy needed surgery, but is now home recovering.

"It's going to take a long time for her to heal, but daily, we see improvements, and we are just blessed to have so many people care," said Frederick Slavin.

Through such terror, family and friends say they are reacting to the loss of Pat Slavin how she would have wanted them too.

"She's our profile in courage and in faith and trust," said her friend, Merle Coughlin. "Truly an incredible woman, truly."
The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's Office says a fire that killed two people in Northbridge Saturday morning is not considered suspicious.

Responding firefighters said they didn't hear any alarms going off, which leads investigators to believe that there were no working fire detectors on the side of the home where the fire began. The damage upstairs was too extensive to locate any, and a single detector in the basement did not have any batteries inside.

The fatal fire broke out around 3:20 a.m. at 73-75 Border Street in Northbridge. Two residents were able to escape, but two others passed away in the blaze.

The investigation is on-going.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

A Gutu woman last week tried to hide behind a finger by alleging that her husband's nephew raped her after she told the court that their relationship had gone sour because of the affair.Appearing at the Harare Civil court, Henry Ushendibaba said his wife Nelly Matopodzi had been unfaithful during his stay in South Africa and sired a child with his nephew which resulted in their matrimonial problems."The problem is that she had a child with my nephew and when I came back she tried hiding it saying she was raped. We got counselling from relatives and I let her stay but I could not let the child live with us."She also sued me over maintenance for our minor children but we are staying together. She once ganged up with her sister to assault me. I thought we had settled our issues but I can see that she is still bitter," he said.Nelly who sought a protection order against Henry accused him of harassment alleging that he physically, financially and verbally abuses her."Ever since he came back from South Africa this year after being away for eight years he has been harassing me.Recently he chased me away from the house and I am staying with my sister. I have no integrity left."When he came back I apologised for what I had done in his absence and I accepted that he did not want to have the child of my unfaithfulness at his home. I do not ask him to take care of that child but he is always bringing up the incident while insulting me."Nelly who ended up crying in court said she was tired of living in harassment and wanted to be protected by the courts.Presiding magistrate, Barbra Mateko granted Nelly the protection order and advised both of them to resolve their matrimonial issues amicably.
Bridgeport police have arrested a man responsible for the slaying of a 17-year-old in broad daylight Friday afternoon.

According to police, detectives were driving in the area of Madison Ave and Frank St. at 11:59 a.m. on Friday when they heard several shots and saw a man fleeing from the area.

A foot chase ensued and detectives located Deonte Tomlinson, 19, and took him into custody.

Tomlinson was charged with fatally shooting Kahlil Sloan Diaz, 18 while he sat in his vehicle in front of 295/297/299 Madison Ave.

After Diaz was shot, he fled in the vehicle to the corner of Madison Ave. and Frank St. He was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Tomlinson was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit, altering ID marks on a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
A police officer who was shot early Friday morning in Manchester, New Hampshire, was back at home Saturday after spending the night in a Boston hospital.

Ryan Hardy was the first of two Manchester Police officers to be shot, allegedly by 32-year-old Ian MacPherson. Hardy encountered the suspect around 2 a.m.

Near the intersection of Second Street and Ferry Street, Hardy spotted a man fitting the description of a gas station robbery suspect. According to the office of Attorney General Joseph Foster, his face and torso were wounded in the shooting.

About 30 minutes later, fellow officer Matthew O'Connor was shot near the intersection of Rimmon Street and Putnam Street.

O'Connor was treated and released from a local hospital, but Hardy was ultimately transported to a hospital in Boston.

Police confirmed to necn that Hardy was released from the hospital Saturday. His family has requested its privacy.
What the  ! Well, the FBI is back to the same old shady surveillance tricks, shady if you believe the Fourth Amendment still means something.

The next time you are near a courthouse, heck even out on a sidewalk or waiting at a bus stop, you might want to pay a little more attention to any trees or rocks that are nearby. Look closely. See any microphones or cameras? Why stop there? The FBI certainly didnt when it secretly planted microphones in public near courthouses to record conversations and cameras to conduct clandestine video surveillance. And apparently the FBI decided it didnt need no stickin warrant.

But hey, the FBI didnt just bug bus stops, light boxes, hedges, backpacks and vehicles near Alameda Countys Rene C. Davidson Courthouse for 10 months between March 2010 and January 2011. According to Jeff Harp, a former FBI special agent and a security analyst for KPIX 5, a CBS affiliate for the San Francisco Bay Area:

They put microphones under rocks, they put microphones in trees, they plant microphones in equipment. I mean, theres microphones that are planted in places that people dont think about, because thats the intent!

Granted, you dont have much of a reasonable expectation of privacy when you are out in public, but that doesnt mean you have none. And dont be silly by assuming the feds had first obtained a judges approval and a warrant for this surveillance.

Someone authorized it

Yet some fed knew and approved it as the FBI investigated bid-rigging at public foreclosure auctions. As Harp pointed out, An agent cant just go out and grab a recording device and plant it somewhere without authorization from a supervisor or special agent in charge.

According to U.S. Justice Department Attorney Kate Patchen (pdf), the FBI received audio only from a bug hidden in a hedge that was adjacent to steps that are next to Contra Costa County Finance Building. The backpack next to a statue inside the Alameda County Courthouse secretly recorded audio, as did the microphone at the Fallon bus stop in Oakland and the Escobar bus stop in Martinez. The feds also collected audio only from the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oaklandat the upper light box near the top of the courthouse steps, and at the lower light box near the bottom of the steps next to the sidewalk.

The FBI secretly recorded audio and videosome color and some black and whitefrom cameras hidden in three CC vehicles parked in three different locations near the courthouse in Martinez, as well as a AC (Alemeda County) vehicle parked in Oakland.

The defendants attorneys argue the secret surveillance recordings violated their clients constitutional rightsas well violated the rights of all the other people whose conversations were surreptitiously recorded. The FBI may tend to agree, since federal prosecutors now say the recordings wont be used as evidence against East Bay landlord Michael Marr.

Marrs attorneys claim (pdf) the 364 recordings, or dragnet electronic eavesdropping conducted without judicial authorizationno warrant and no Title III orderviolate the Fourth Amendment and the Wiretap Act.

Speaking in a public place does not mean that the individual has no reasonable expectation of privacy, they wrote in a motion to suppress.

They argue that not only should the unlawful recordings be thrown out, but that they should be able to challenge other tainted evidence that might have been obtained as a result of information the government got from the recordings.

In fact, the defense believes the feds committed felonies when they planted the bugs. Also, according to East Bay Express, defense attorneys say government prosecutors moved to withdraw the recordings as evidence so the FBI can cut its losses and sweep its criminal conduct under the rug.

This isn't the first time

This news about the FBIs warrantless surveillance operation isnt the first time the feds were caught conducting secret surveillance around courthouses. Oh noits the third.

The first time the FBI was caught hiding bugs near the San Mateo County courthouse in Redwood City without a warrant. The surveillance came to light thanks to documents filed at court that were part of a sweeping antitrust sting by federal prosecutors. The Recorder reported that in 2009 and 2010, the FBIs bugs had been hidden (pdf) inside a metal sprinkler control box attached to the wall, in a large concrete planter box near a bench where the auctions were held, and in a vehicle parked on the street.

We may be sickened, but we probably shouldnt be surprised, as this is just another case in a long string of cases when the FBI seems to think it is above the law. Its not like the FBI has been particularly forthcoming even when a judge has ordered the agency to hand over more information. As EFF Senior Staff Attorney Nate Cardozo said:
News / National

by Staff reporter

Chinhoyi University of Technology has set up an Entrepreneurship Centre which equips and nurtures student entrepreneurs by providing them with practical skills beyond their academic curriculum as well as funding their ventures. InternshipAfrica-Zimbabwe (IAZ) is one of the success stories of Chinhoyi University of Technology Entrepreneurship Centre (CUTEC). (IAZ) is a fully registered, ground breaking and innovative business organisation which affords opportunities for University students Nationwide to meet with their future employers, assisting them to secure their industrial attachment placements as well as career and professional grooming.The company has been operating for more than year to date and has managed to secure industrial attachment placements for more than 1200 students from various higher and tertiary institutions nationwide. The company scooped a golden trophy at the SMES International Expo 2015, held at Rainbow towers, being the youngest Entrepreneur.InternshipAfrica-Zimbabwe successfully launches Intern platinum Package at this year, 57th edition of Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). An array of blue chip and small companies drawn from across all economic sectors witnessed the launch. Amongst of the organisations which participated are Dairibord Zimbabwe , ZESA Holdings, ZINWA etc. (IAZ) marketing manager Law Chidziva said the new service Intern Platinum will help students by facilitating their Industrial attachment placements in time. Apart from that it will also professionally incubate students by providing them with necessary knowledge of the industry practice before they are placed for attachment. "We realised that students are going to attachment without basic professional knowledge and it becomes a challenge to the employee so we decided to add to our service offering professional grooming. What we do is we conduct workshops where we teach and equip platinum members with professional etiquette." The package is meant to improve productivity to the industry at the same time harnessing student's potential as well as bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and the real professional environment.There are quantum reasons why the industry should make IAZ their own bus stop for human capital development and amongst of these are:You will get well groomed students that will meet the organizational future human resource needs.Students will quickly blend within your organization since they are groomed in relation to the line of the industry of their choice.No recruitment cost involved and less time taken to fill in any arising vacancy.Human resource managers can recruit interns at any time and can easily get students from university of their choice and with specific grades.Enhanced productivity and less wastage of resources.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The ruling Zanu PF is reported to be planning to start a membership registration process which captures the bio data of more than three millioneligible voters among its supporters nationwide using the same system that Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) will use for its biometric votingsystem.Reports say Zanu PF will take that data and give it to Zec to put on the voters roll.It is said when Zec begins its voter registration process, the system will make sure that potential voters in opposition strongholds such as urbancentres wont register; a repeat of the pre-July 2013 election voter registration fiasco.Political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya said with these 3-million voters Zanu PF working in collusion with Zec intends to floor the opposition technicallyin 2018."The menu of manipulation in progress, (Andreas Schedler, 2006,Electoral Authoritarianism:The Dynamics of Unfree Competition)," he said.
News / National

by Munyaradzi Musiiwa

AFRICA Chrome Fields (ACF) will this week sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to revitalise the railway line from Kwekwe to Beitbridge to enable smooth and efficient transportation of ferrochrome to neighbouring South Africa.NRZ runs a line from Kwekwe to Beitbridge via Gweru, Zvishavane and Rutenga. In an interview on the sidelines of a tour of 10 washing plants in Kwekwe set up by ACF, the company's legal advisor, Mr Ashruf Kaka said the company was in negotiations with NRZ and were looking forward to signing an MoU this week with the parastatal to revamp the railway line.Mr Kaka said ACF was also negotiating with NRZ to review their tariffs downwards to enable mining companies to utilise the railway line instead of transporting minerals by road."We have approached NRZ with the view of assisting us by revisiting the tariffs. We are also negotiating with them to give us an opportunity to participate in the upgrading the railway station in Kwekwe as well as upgrading the line from Kwekwe to Beitbridge. The purpose of this is a holistic approach in enhancing railway infrastructure for the purposes of transportation of chrome on one hand or anything else for that matter because once the line has been upgraded and the infrastructure is there all other companies would benefit from the line. We are in the process of signing an MoU which we will probably sign early next week (this week) and from there we will proceed with the next steps," he said.Mr Kaka said ACF had engaged an engineering company to evaluate the infrastructural upgrade as well as looking at the requirements."We have already engaged an engineering company to look into many aspects of this (railway line upgrading) we are sure that they are fully equipped to deal with such issues. This is a long term approach," he said.Mr Kaka said ACF was advocating for decentralisation of chrome deposits to enable other players to come in. Zimbabwe Alloys Company (ZimAlloys) in Gweru and Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (Zimasco) monopolise ownership of the chrome fields."We are asking the Government to enable us to utilise some of the chrome deposits that have been underutilised. We, however, do not intend to fight other companies," he said.Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa said the matter would be considered as long as it will bring benefits to all partners concerned.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Members of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, ZUJ, are expected to start receiving residential plots which were promised to the Union by LocalGovernment and National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere in October 2015 during the National Journalism and Media Awards, NJAMA, gala dinner.ZUJ reported that the residential stands will not be free but will be accessible at affordable rates.The revelations were made by Minister Kasukuwere on May 12 when he spoke to a delegation from the Union during a meeting held at his Makombe Buildings offices."We will release the residential stands in batches and we have about 40 which are ready to be handed to journalists. This will be done nationallybecause ZUJ indicated that it has members around the country. Ensuring that journalists like other Zimbabweans get access to affordable and descent housing is part of my mandate," the minister said.ZUJ Secretary General, Foster Dongozi and Treasurer, Evince Mugumbate attended the meeting with Kasukuwere who was flanked by an official from the ministry.Already, the ministry has pledged a residential stand which will be won by a journalist who excels on reporting local government issues during theNational Journalism and Media Awards, NJAMA.ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi told Kasukuwere that in total they would require close to a thousand residential stands to cater for itsmembership around the country."Addressing housing concerns for journalists is one way of enhancing ethical and professional journalism as it will make journalistsindependent. The Union is also hopping to use the opportunity to acquire a piece of land on which to build offices and recreational facilities inorder to reduce operational costs."The Union's leadership also took the opportunity to thank the minister for supporting the ZUJ campaign for safety of journalists.
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News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Finance and Economic development minister Patrick Chinamasa has said the government is currently resorting to increasing and improving theirrigation in the country in an effort to ensure food security in the country.This come amid recent failed rains which caused crops failure in the country leading to food shortages."We have in successive years supported agriculture, especially with respect to the input supply scheme to small scale farmers, who in the main are the producers of the maize," he said. "They contribute immensely to the production figures for maize, so we have been supporting them. Theproblem of course in the past and as it is in the present, is that there is minimal irrigation development."Chinamasa said their focus now, taking advantage of the drought, is that they should enhance the development of irrigation, not only to communalareas but all over the country."There are measures and policies in place which we are implementing to achieve that. We have also Madam Speaker, if the Hon. House will be aware, we undertook as Government to give free inputs to the cotton industry. We started the 2015/16 season but I hear that the drought could have affected what could have been a very good output," he said. "We have promised to do so for the next three successive seasons; that support to the cotton sector by giving free inputs. We have never supported the growing of wheat, not directly by Government. We have on our part, encouraged the banking sector to give that support and I am aware that support is being given."He said what he can only guarantee is that if those farmers can gain credit from commercial banks, if they grow wheat and he is encouraging them togrow wheat especially those who have water."We can guarantee timeous payment of any wheat output from the winter wheat programme just like we are guaranteeing timeous payment for any maize that is delivered to GMB," he said. "As you know, at the moment we are importing, we are going to give priority of payment to those farmers who deliver their maize to GMB and we want to guarantee that we will make timeous payments."
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low around 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low around 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Zimbabwe's security agents have been blamed for recently raiding and ransacking the exiled Matabeleland Liberation Organisation (MLO) leader Paul Siwela's home in Bulawayo without a search warrant.This was revealed by Sakhumuzi Mlala who wrote that the government of Zimbabwe was running scarred and chasing shadows."The news on the uncouth ransacking of Siwela's private residence by the State security apparatus without a lawful search warrant only saves to bolster the view that the government is hell bent on keeping Mthwakazi people in bondage forever," he wrote."Siwela is the current President of the Matebeleland Liberation Organisation, a political organisation which seeks to restore the Matebeleland Kingdom. The MLO has continually stated that there are five cardinal indices which will determine the successful liberation of Matabeleland. They have chosen not to share these indices with the public, however, they have revealed that what is currently taking place in Zanu PF and the country, that is the in-fighting and the economic callapse, are two examples of the spoken about indices. If we go by this revelation, which seems absolutely credible, it therefore means that the people of Matebeleland should brace themselves by organising themselves to a formidable force to reckon with and prepare for self-governance which may be realised in the shortest period possible."He wrote that the current in-fighting in the ruling party is caused by one thing; that is the impending demise of Robert Mugabe."The death of Robert Mugabe will afford the people of Matebeleland an opportunity akin to the Lancaster house talks, had Dr Joshua Nkomo listened and acted upon the wise counsel of Chief Khayisa Ndiweni and stood up for the interests of the Matebele people then, the chances of attaining self-rule for Matebele then was very feasible," he wrote. "It is with that sense of historic responsibility that the people of Matebeleland should seize the opportunity which will be presented by the demise of Mr Robert Mugabe. This opportunity should never be missed. These two indices as identified by the MLO are enough to sink the ruling party and to uplift the cause of the people of Matebeleland. Sakhumuzi, we are building our nation."Mlala further said it is conspicuously clear that the fear that the State has of Siwela emanates from the knowledge that Siwela has read the political game very well and articulated it succinctly to the people of Matebeleland."Any lawful government needs to do its work, however, it has to go about it in a lawful and respectful manner, the searching of Siwela's private residence without a search warrant is indicative of a rogue government which does not respect certain citizens," he wrote. "No wonder why certain citizens in their millions do not feel that they belong to the collapsing edifice called Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has rejected all people from Matebeleland."He said the government has shown in more ways than one that the people of Matebeleland do not belong to this collapsing edifice called Zimbabwe, however, some brainwashed Matebele still believe in this mirage called Zimbabwe."Siwela and his organisation have started peeling off the dark blanket of lack of self-belief and in the process the oppressor in Harare is beginning to realise the resolve and determination of the people in attaining their Statehood and it is flexing its muscles with a false hope that it may deter people from pursuing the liberation or delay it, Mlala wrote."What the government should be doing is opening up avenues of communication with various Matebeleland liberation movements and sit with them around the table and agree an amicable divorce. This divorce is coming whether the repressive government wants it or not, it is up to the government whether the divorce becomes messy or amicable."He said the Matebeleland liberation movements, all of them, have opted for a peaceful political process meaning that they want an amicable divorce, whereby upon the divorce Zimbabwe and Matebeleland will remain neighbours and friends who can do business together; who can work together to strategically secure and progress their countries."The government should not be hunting for Siwela to kill or to arrest him, his incarceration will not help or move the matters forward, and instead the government should start opening the lines of communication in a mature manner with Siwela and other Matebeleland liberation organisations," Mlala wrote.
The National Pain Strategy, released this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, places strong emphasis on self management and patient education as critical pathways for improving treatment of chronic pain, especially the leading malady, back pain.

Today at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org, researchers representing the VA and North American Spine Foundation discussed implications of the National Pain Strategy for improving pain management and reducing disability.

Some 100 million Americans have chronic or persistent pain, according to the Institute of Medicine, and back pain is the leading cause of disability for people under 45 years of age. The VA estimated in one study that 44 percent of soldiers in an Army infantry brigade reported chronic pain three months after returning from tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq - double the rate among civilians. The North American Spine Foundation says spinal disorders have increased by 300 percent in the last 50 years and now rank as the number-one cause of disability in the United States and in the military.

Robert Kerns, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology at Yale University, spent 38 years practicing in VA healthcare, most recently the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He reported in a panel presentation at the APS meeting that the VA's stepped-care model to help veterans better manage their pain through standardized pain assessments, alternative therapies, patient education and self care is succeeding in reducing opioids use.

"The proportion of VA patients receiving high doses of opioids has decreased significantly in the last four years concurrent with greater use of non-drug alternative pain therapies," said Kerns.

Kern cited better self-management and patient education as examples of new ways the VA is working to improve pain care for veterans, and believes the National Pain Strategy's strong advocacy of self care will provide more educational resources and greater incentives to help physicians empower their patients to become more proficient at managing and coping with their pain.

"Self management programs are teaching veterans with chronic pain to help themselves become more active, manage symptoms, reduce stigma and frustration and minimize depression and other mood disorders," said Kerns. "Several trials have shown that when patients are engaged in their own care they have less pain, less depression, and are more physically active."

Kerns said the VA is funding several research projects to evaluate the efficacy self-management interventions for persistent pain, including novel approaches that employ telehealth and other technologies.

In his panel presentation, Michael Reed, DPT, OCS, executive director, North American Spine Foundation addressed the importance of emphasizing function to prevent or minimize disability in people with spinal disorders. "The current treatment paradigm addresses pain first and function second, but it should be reversed," said Reed. "The pendulum may have swung too far forward in addressing pain and not function, so we need to emphasize both in balance."

Reed reported that the financial impact - direct medical costs, disability payments, lost work time costs and patient costs -- associated with spinal disorders currently are estimated at more than $600 billion a year in the United States alone and Social Security disability payments are approximately $40 billion.

The North American Spine Foundation has established National Spine 10x25 Initiative, a public and professional awareness campaign designed to reduce U.S. spine-related disability by 10 percent by 2025. "Achieving a 10 percent reduction in spine-related disability is a reasonable goal through research, education and advocacy," said Reed. He added that Spine 10x25 is pursuing three core strategies:

Achieve greater social awareness

Create a coalition of vested medical and non-medical stakeholders

Establish a national imperative through advocacy on Capital Hill.


It can't be a tyre issue. It is next to impossible that all four rear tyres of the aircraft get damaged at the same time, a former DGCA official told PTI.

There have not been any instances of such an accident being reported in the country in recent memory though aviation industry officials said such accidents are not very rare.

Over 160 passengers and crew on-board a Lufthansa flight from Munich to the megapolis had a providential escape here last night after all four back tyres of the Airbus aircraft were damaged while landing.The 163 passengers on-board the Airbus A330 flight were be deplaned through stairs and none of them were hurt, the airline saidThe incident that took place at 11.50 pm on Friday forced the Mumbai airport to shift the operations to the secondary runway, leading to cancellation of many international flights besides delays.While the aviation regulator DGCA has initiated a probe into the incident, experts say the damage to the tyres could have been caused either by manual braking or landing at a speed higher than the prescribed limit. Besides the four tyres at the back of the aircraft, there are two in front."In this case, prima facie, it appears to be either a snag in the braking system or the pilot landing at an unusually high speed," he added.He also ruled out any possibility of the incident occurring due to any problem in the runway surface.The delays in flight operations are because the Mumbai airport, despite being the second busiest airport in the country, has only one main runway, while all other major airports have two runways. The accident took place on Runway 27, which is the main runway.The main runway was cleared for operations late evening after the aircraft was towed away to the parking bay.In a statement, Lufthansa said, "On May 13, at 10:50 pm local time, four tyres of the flight LH764 from Munich to Mumbai were damaged. The incident happened on Runway 27."Asked how the tyres got damaged simultaneously, Lufthansa in a late evening statement said, "the regulator, DCGA, is in charge of investigating the incident and we have to wait for the outcome. We certainly won't join into speculation but cooperate very closely with the local authorities."The German airline also said it cancelled the return flight (LH765) to Munich scheduled for today from the city.The cancelled flight was to ferry 223 passengers, who would be booked on other flights.Meanwhile, the airline said it is sending an Airbus A340 to Mumbai to ferry the passengers who were booked on flight LH765 earlier.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai leader Morgan Tsvangirai has refuted widespread claims fuelled by president Robert Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba that he suffers from AIDS.After leading the recent massive demonstration to demand an end of corruption and accountability in government, Charamba commented that Tsvangirai appeared frail and could not march in step with his supporters because of health issues and insinuated the opposition leader was seriously sick with AIDS.Tsvangirai however told the Zimbabwe Standard that he had no serious health problems and that he could not march in step with the mostly youthful party activists because his wife was wearing high heels and needed support from him."I think that Charamba must realise that he cannot compare me with his boss. If Mugabe is frail, it doesn't mean that Tsvangirai is frail as well. I am healthy and I don't have any health problems. In fact [during the march] it was my wife who was hanging onto me because she was wearing shoes which made her require some balance from me. But the long and short of it is that I don't have any health problems," Tsvangirai said.Tsvangirai's health has been the subject of speculation after his wife Elizabeth Macheka told state media journalists during one of the couple's many bouts of separation that her marital problems emanated from the fact that her husband could not have an erection during sex. She told the Herald that she suspected he had been subjected to 'juju' by his late wife's relatives who wanted him to marry another woman, who is related to the party leader's wife Susan who died in a car crash.The health concerns were further fuelled by reports that Tsvangirai had sex with several women known to have AIDS. A United Kingdom-based party activist who suffers from AIDS and has gone public about it, identified only as Adele, claimed that Tsvangirai forced her to have sex with him without protection even though he knew she was infected. Tsvangirai has not responded to the claims but his latest statement has come as a relief to supporters, who are weighing his chances for 2018 in an opposition field enlarged by the emergence of Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First party.
New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs Under Secretary Anand Joshi, accused of arbitrarily issuing notices to NGOs under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and tampering with official files, was detained by the CBI on Sunday.



He was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi.



Joshi was taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning and later he was arrested.



CBI Spokesperson Devpreet Singh said, "He was detained around 5 pm. He has been brought to CBI headquarter and is being questioned about the allegations against him."



Joshi allegedly 'removed files' related to Teesta Setalvad's NGO Sabrang Trust, against whom a notice was served by the MHA in connection with a FCRA violation and cancellation of Trust's licence.



Joshi went missing from his home in Indirapuram on May 11 leaving behind a letter asking his wife to take care of their children and alleged that one of his seniors (Additional Secretary BK Prasad) was harassing him mentally for the last few months.



His letter in Hindi reads, "I am going through acute mental harassment for the last few months. I am writing this letter because now the situation has gone too far. I need peace and that is not possible here. I am leaving home and please do not look for me. You are now both a father and a mother to our children."



"The dedication and integrity with which I was serving the nation, I had never imagined that this would happen to me, while serving my nation," his letter reads.







Joshi's wife Meenakshi alleged that his superior is trying to frame him because he refused a bribe.



The CBI had registered a case against Joshi under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act, after conducting raids at four locations, including Joshis residence and office.



"We have seized cash worth Rs 7.5 lakh and certain incriminating documents, including files pertaining to MHA and Ministry of I&B from the premises of the officer during the raid," CBI had said.



Joshi has rejected the charge and instead accused his seniors of pressuring him to give a clean chit to NGOs.



The matter came to light after files pertaining to alleged FCRA violations by two NGOs run by Setalvad went missing from the Home Ministry.



The files were traced and restored to the FCRA division but CBI was asked to investigate the matter.



It was noticed that the files had gone missing when the Home Ministry took a decision to cancel FCRA registration of one of Setalvad's NGOs, Sabrang Trust, sources said.



Sabrang Trust's licence was suspended on September 9, 2015 by MHA for alleged multiple violations of FCRA rules, including misuse of funds for personal benefit of trustees.



When Home Ministry officials found that the files had gone missing, they conducted an inquiry and identified Joshi as the official who had taken away the files.



He was summoned and the files were restored.



An Under Secretary is not allowed to take away files, only officials of the rank of Joint Secretary and above are allowed to take the files home. It is a serious violation, the CBI official said.



(With inputs from PTI)
In 1956, India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru met the American President Dwight Eisenhower, and in the meeting, he pressed for support for a UNSC seat for China. That was the level of trust between the two Asian neighbours, an example of how they looked out for each other.



Keeping this in mind, how China is currently using this veto power against Indian interests is indeed ironical.



India also diligently passed on the message from Zhou Enlai to the Americans that the Chinese were ready and will march to the Yalu river so the US doesn't push for the Korean war.



A lot has happened since then and it is just one decade of cooperation in an otherwise tense relationship in modern history. To make a limited point- both countries have cooperated in the past, so there is no reason to rule out cooperation on matters concerning security in the future.



How are we cooperating?



As far as making cooperation in fighting terror is considered



- In 2015, just last year India and China agreed upon 'a new security mechanism'.

- Under this, the home ministers will meet every two years and officials at Joint Secretary and Director General level will file an annual review.

- On paper, both countries have agreed to share information on terror networks and their linkages through a dedicated channel.

- India and China have also agreed to take coordinated positions on anti-terrorism at regional and multilateral levels.



Clearly, most of this is just on paper. China recently used its veto to save Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar at the UN. It is a fact that a plane, IC 814, was hijacked in 1999 to get him released from an Indian prison.



How to move forward



The following suggestions are based on meetings conducted with a range of security experts.



First, joint secretary and DG-level officials must meet every 3-4 months instead of once a year. The terror landscape is unfortunately evolving much faster than cooperation among those affected.



While the representatives of intelligence agencies are in touch with each other, there is a huge lack of trust.



How to build trust?



Cooperate in the Area of Mutual Interest: Fighting Islamic Global Jihad



Begin with Sharing Intel on ISIS. According to comments made in July by Wu Sike, China's special envoy to the Middle East, up to 100 Chinese citizens may be fighting for IS. Wu believes the Chinese fighters are Uighurs.



IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, has threatened both China and India saying, "Muslim rights are forcibly seized in China, India, Palestine," and that, "Your brothers all over the world are waiting for your rescue, and are anticipating your brigades." He has revealed his plans on occupying parts of Xinjiang over the next five years.



Indian agencies estimate about 40-45 Indians have travelled to ISIS-controlled areas.



One is plain and simple intelligence sharing on ISIS. But even more important is understanding the basic ideology it propagates, and how it is the same concept that drives several terror groups that we may consider local in nature. Like ETIM or LeT or TTP or JeM.



The purpose is the same - Sharia-ruled Islamic land; not plural, secular nation states.



ISIS is based in the Middle East. The battle here is for the heart of Islam, and once you are stronger in the Middle East, you will have more sway over Muslims scattered in other parts of the world, especially the continent. IS has already attracted a significant number of Muslim youth who see it as a successful model to bring about an Islamic revolution. It is important to note, there are ideological linkages among all Islamic terror groups, traceable physical links among most.



- Share intelligence on ISIS, ETIM, LeT and JeM. Advertise sharing of it on some, and understanding the sensitivities involved, keep cooperation on others quiet.

- Share intelligence to fight the Islamic Jihad concept in the cyber world.



Secondly, India and China have common concerns in Afghanistan. China's concern is that Afghan territory isn't used by the ETIM as a safe haven as it was in when Taliban called the shots. India's concern is that anti-India terrorists don't use Afghan territory as a safe haven as they did when Taliban was in power.



Now, China is in the group of four with Pakistan, US and Afghanistan in getting the Afghan Taliban to talk. Contrary to the popular belief that India is upset over China playing mediator, India actually is quite okay with China's role, if it leads to a safer Afghanistan.



The only caution - Afghan government should be in charge and not Pakistan as a proxy ruler. In order to ensure Afghanistan isn't used by ETIM, LeT, JeM , Haqqanis, Afghan government should call the shots in whatever settlement is arrived at.



India and China can share intelligence on Afghanistan. It is going to be extremely beneficial to China. Right now, China has put all its eggs in one basket, relying entirely on Pakistan. Getting blackmailed by Pakistan, hoping Pakistan's generals would rein in the Uighur terrorists based in FATA in compensation to organising talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban and by not supporting India on its legitimate fight against terror.



The sensitivities are understood in Delhi too, so cooperate behind closed doors. India could use China's connections with Pakistan and China could use India's goodwill in Afghanistan.



Once Afghanistan's former envoy to China told me, "Pakistanis tell us, don't share too much with the Chinese. They aren't your real friends, we are your brothers."



Thirdly, invite journalists, sociologists, government representatives to share the experience on how to deal with internal security concerns.



China it appears has an aggressive approach towards dealing with terrorism in Xinjiang. While India pursues inclusive norms in Kashmir and allows Kashmiris to retain their traditional values and identity by way of not allowing outsiders to buy properties in Kashmir, China has flooded Xinjiang with Han population which today accounts for 40 per cent of the total population of Xinjiang. An exchange between the civil society can help share notes on how to sensitively approach the matter.



Military exercises can more specifically look at counter terrorism cooperation.



Finally Cooperation Between Intelligence Officers on specific matters on the ground:



Crackdown on Uighurs, in Indian opinion, could lead to strong resistance to China abroad. China is aware of this and has been building its relations with countries abroad to ensure that Uighurs do not build a cohesive resistance forum against China. China cannot fight terrorism on its own and would need the help of other countries, including India. For instance, during the Bangkok blasts on a shrine frequented by the Chinese, one of the perpetrators of the crime escaped to the Middle East via Delhi. China recently held a meeting of ASEAN nations asking them to identify Uighur separatists and hand them over, especially countries with substantial Uighur population like Indonesia and Malaysia. India can also contribute towards identifying Uighur activists abroad and provide information regarding their activities.



 The Indian intelligence community feels the Chinese have a closed mindset when it comes to confiding in and cooperating with India because of the Tibetan issue. Indian intelligence community hopes that China instead appreciates Indi's efforts to restrain the Tibetans from undertaking aggressive anti-China activities.



 China has also been facilitating arms supply and support to Indian insurgent groups in Myanmar. 80 per cent of the arms in their possession are of Chinese make. Assuming that not all of it is genuinely supplied by the Chinese, but were bought from arms smugglers active along the Myanmar-China border, there is no doubt this arms supply channel is known to the Chinese and they are possibly turning a blind eye to it. India expects China to halt any such arms supplies and showcase their intention by way of detaining some cadres and also seizing some consignments.



Conclusion: Start slow, build trust, cooperate on the core issues by deciding on common principles.
Will India's greatest post-war mystery - what happened to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose - ever be solved. Going by evidence, did Netaji survive the plane crash that was supposed to have killed him? And why have the secret government files, released with such fanfare, revealed nothing? CNN-News18 Resident Editor Vir Sanghvi explores this mystery



Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is the forgotten hero of India's freedom struggle. Once an integral part of the Congress, he broke with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and fought bitterly with Sardar Patel. Bose rejected non-violence and joined up with the Japanese and the Nazis to fight the British in World War II. He was no Nazi himself, but he believed that the only hope for Indian independence lay in the defeat of the British Empire.



As we know, the British and their allies actually won the Second World War. But even as the British army was closing in, the Japanese announced that Bose died in a plane crash. But did he, really? To this day millions of Indians continue to believe that Bose survived and escaped the advancing British army.



Perhaps the government of India knows the truth about what really happened to Netaji. Perhaps the solution to this mystery lay in the government's Netaji files. But we never had a chance to find out because the Netaji files were classified top secret and locked away. Then, around six months ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally agreed to release the secret files.



There is an official version of Netaji's death. According to this, Netaji flew out from Taiwan on August 18, 1945. The plane broke into two while taking off. Netaji was badly burned in the crash. He died a few hours later in a local hospital. His body was cremated within two days. His ashes were taken to Tokyo where they still remain in the Renkoji Temple. First of all, many of Netaji's lieutenants who accompanied him on his travels were not allowed to get on the plane with him. They never saw Netaji's body. There are no photographs. And there is no death certificate.



Could it be, ask the sceptics, that the crash was staged? Or could it be that Netaji survived the crash? The Second World War was ending, the British army was advancing. Could Netaji's allies, the Japanese, have helped him escape, either by staging the crash or by concealing the fact that he survived?



It sounds like a full-fledged conspiracy theory. And of course it is. But like the theories about JF Kennedy's assassination, it is plausible enough to create genuine doubts. And there is one more factor.

When successive governments in India -- including those run by the BJP -- refused to release the secret files on Netaji's disappearance, they never explained the need for so much secrecy. Whenever questions were asked, the answer was the same: the release of these files would affect relations with friendly foreign nations. And yet, there is nothing new in any of the files which have been finally released.



Which, in itself, is another mystery. If the files were so routine, then why did every government refuse to release them? And the conspiracy theories have continued unabated. Here is a brief run-down of possible solutions to the mystery.



The first theory is that Netaji fled to Russia. There is some evidence that he was on good terms with the Russian dictator Josef Stalin. It has been suggested that Stalin, who had contempt for Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, had some use for Netaji. He offered him asylum and then intended to send him back to India.



Except that Stalin did no such thing - he never sent Netaji back!



And every time the Indian government refused to release the files citing their impact on relations with foreign countries, the conspiracy theorists took this to refer to relations with Russia. It was proof, they said, of the Stalin connection.



The second theory is that Netaji did actually return to India. But he did this in secret. He never told anyone that he was Netaji, assumed another identity and died in 1985.



But in 2005, after six years of investigation, the Manoj Mukherjee Commission, appointed by the government of India, said that Netaji did not die in an air crash in Taiwan. In fact, the Commission said there was no air crash that day. And in a sensational twist, Justice Mukherjee drew attention to a mysterious sadhu called Gumnami Baba, who many people believe, was Netaji in disguise. The government of India rejected the report. But Justice Mukherjee had seen the secret files. Did he know something the rest of us did not?



But, is the Gumnami Baba theory at all plausible? Why would the martial-minded Netaji disguise himself as a sadhu or a holy man? And, if the idea was to return to India in secret, then why draw attention to himself by setting up as a baba with followers?



His closest surviving relative, his daughter Anita Bose, is contemptuous of the Gumnami Baba theory. In January, as interest in Netaji mounted with the release of the secret files, she talked to CNN-News18's Zakka Jacob



Anita Bose: If we could get the DNA extract from the remains kept at the Renkoji temple and that could prove that it was his remains, at least that would make it very likely that he died in that plane crash.



Zakka Jacob: You have been suggesting this DNA test for a number of years now. Why do you think successive Indian governments have been reluctant to do that?



Anita Bose: Maybe the Indian government was reluctant to ask the Japanese government because they felt they would be uneasy about it or feel insulted.







Of all the people who have researched Netaji's disappearance, none has been as tenacious as journalist Anuj Dhar. He has authored several books on the mystery, and even runs an NGO called Mission Netaji.



Vir Sanghvi: Is there anything in the files that confirms the view that Netaji was alive and would have returned to India after the plane crash?



Anuj Dhar: The oldest file is from 1951-52. You would see that in 1951-52, Panditji is writing a note on this file and these notes are available. He's completely against any inquiry into Subhash's death and he says that. 'look, Subhash Chandra is dead . Thereafter we find , what we call a cut-and-paste method. Any home secretary and foreign secy whose name comes on the seal, would not dare go against Panditji's words.



Vir Sanghvi: The Justice Mukherjee Commission took the line that Netaji did not die in the plane crash. Is that correct?



Anuj Dhar: These files were seen by Manoj Kumar Mukherjee and he has given his verdict that the evidence is very fudgy. It shows that this man probably did not die and he had escaped to Russia.



Vir Sanghvi: So, let's assume what he said is accurate. You believe that even if there was plane crash...



Anuj Dhar: No, there was no plane crash. There was no plane crash



Vir Sanghvi: So, when does Gumnami Baba appear?



Anuj Dhar: Gumnami baba then appears in India in '55-56. Nobody knows anything about him. All we know is Sampoornand who was at some point of time, the chief minister of UP, was in contact with him. For 30-40 years, a man like him is in India and in different parts of UP - he was in Lucknow, he was in Basti, he was hiding in all these places. Now, three possibilities are very clear to me. If a man of that stature is alive in India, there's no way the governent would not know. Especially, given the kind of thing the IB does in India, they would find out one day or the other. They did. Number two, if he's SC Bose, there has to be a hell of a lot of reason for him to not come out . Number three, if he's SC Bose, then he cannot keep quiet. Its not par't of his DNA.



Vir Sanghvi: But the big question is why would Netaji return to India and pretend to be a baba and live in isolation? Not contact his family, not declare himself, not contact his friends?



Anuj Dhar: Well, Suresh Chandra Bose, Netaji's elder brother, who was alive at that point of time, deposed before the Khosla commission on record , "My brother is alive till date.' The records are available.



Vir Sanghvi: But, he never mentioned Gumnami Baba?



Anuj Dhar: You have some evidence from Faizabad. Suresh Bose's handwritten notes have been found from Faizabad. The original summons was issued to Suresh Bose by Khosla Commission, the copy's lying in Faizabad. It's not possible. Either this man stole it, or somebody gave it to him.



Vir Sanghvi: What about Netaji's daughter? She's openly skeptical about this theory?



Anuj Dhar: Well, Netaji's daughter was barely two years old when her father reportedly died. We have on record statements made by her mother, who knew everything. Emilie Schenkl passed away in 1996. She was very intelligent. She clearly said. 'he's not my husband'. In fact, there was a proposal made by the government of India in October 1995 that, a few months before she passed away, the ashes from Renkoji temple be brought to India. She refused point blank.



Vir Sanghvi: Isn't it odd that his daughter would be scoffing of this?



Anuj Dhar: The mother said very clearly he did not die and the daughter is supporting the plane crash story theory, after India's foreign minister. So I find a lot of things which are very hanky panky.



Vir Sanghvi: Why would Netaji have to come back in hiding? That's the key question.



Anuj Dhar: There was no such thing called the Gumnami Baba. This man smokes cigars, he used to talk in English, he used to talk about intelligence, security what not. But what Indira Gandhi is doing, what that man is doing ,and so on and so forth. So he was not a baba, as we understand the term. He used to be asked this question that why are you not coming out. and he would say that it is not in India's national interest. People of this country would suffer if I came out. Then, he had given an account of exactly what happened. Well, he had a lot of problem in the manner this country got freedom. He had a problem with India's joining the Commonwealth because SC Bose, as we understand him, had problem with Gandhiji that India must never become a part of the Commonwealth because we have suffered so much under them. He said India was not a free country and he would also say the transfer of power documents be made public in entirety. You would know why he had to go into hiding.



Vir Sanghvi: What is the reason for believing that he was Netaji?



Anuj Dhar: First of all, the handwriting expert's opinion. It's scientifically not possible for a man to copy somebody else's handwriting in two languages for 30 years. I have known for 15-16 odd years people who claim this man was him. I see no reason why not to believe him. They have been telling the truth. So that's there. The writing which has survived him also talks about things we have - a declassification of the file about the INA treasure.What happened to that treasure? Whatever is there in that file, which has been declassified in 2016, this man is talking in '60s.



Vir Sanghvi: So there's an inquiry commission coming up, looking into Gumnami baba and who he was? And you've got how many more files to be declassified?



Anuj Dhar: As of now, there are some 100-odd files which are going to be declassified.



Vir Sanghvi: Do you expect anything to come out of that



Anuj Dhar: Not from these 100 files. Probably, there will be one file where there will be mention of something scandalous on Subhas Bose's personal life. That's the only thing I know of. What I have understood after going deep into this for so many years, is that there are two types of files that the GOI holds. The files they accept on record even before courts of law. There are certain files or information that is so highly secretive, they would never admit.



Vir Sanghvi: But tell me if this was all in the files, why were the successive governments been so reluctant in releasing them?



Anuj Dhar: That's the answer to my question. If there was nothing, then why would they keep them secret. Because they are holding something else.



Historians are sceptical of the claim that Netaji survived the crash. Among them, the highly-respected historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee who has written one of the definitive books on Netaji.



Vir Sanghvi: You're familiar with the conspiracy theories surrounding Netaji's death. Do you, as somebody who has studied the subject in such detail, believe in any of them?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: Whatever there is in the public domain, as a student of history, I can draw my conclusions from those documents. It is very clear that he died in that plane crash in Taipei because there are interviews of the nurse who looked after him, there's an interview of a person, one of his closest comrades, who was in the flight with him and actually saw him coming out of the aircraft with clothes on fire. So there is no reason to doubt this evidence.



Vir Sanghvi: So, why then was so many governments so reluctant to release or declassify these files? Even this government in a parliamentary answer, even before they declassified them, said it would hurt our interests with friendly countries if we released them?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: You know what? This is a complete mystery. There was already a recorded attempt to assassinate Subhash Bose and that file is in the public domain. That hasn't harmed our relationships, as it is, with UK. Why should something else harm the relationship? I mean I don't know, and I really can't see what role this, which is peddled now, that Soviet Union has something to do with it.



Vir Sanghvi: This whole Gumnami Baba hypothesis. Does that make any sense to you, because UP govt will now do an inquiry upon it apparently?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: I don't think so...that's not my reading of Bose, the man. With all his flaws - pro-fascism, shaking hands with Hitler, going to the Japanese, all of which I find quite despicable - he was a genuine patriot. He genuinely believed that he should do something for India. And he did all these things which we now disagree with, because he thought this would lead to India's freedom and India's independence. I mean one should grant him that. Even his critics should grant him that.



Vir Sanghvi: Why do you think this conspiracy theory survived for so many decades?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: Well, most of these conspiracy theories, as you probably know, arise from Bengal where Bose is the great icon. I mean he has been the greater icon than Sourav Ganguly, Amartya Sen, Mamata Banerjee - or all of them put together. Bose is the bigger icon, and there is, or there used to be a very genuine belief among educated Bengalis that Bose was done in within the Congress by Gandhi and Nehru. That there was a genuine fear of Bose within the Congress leadership and this is why they did away with him when they got the chance,so that he wouldn't emerge as a rival to Nehru or Patel, or somebody like that



Vir Sanghvi: So, do you think in a way it's a bit sad that whatever interest it appears to be now in Bose among today's generation does not rest on his political legacy or his life or whatever. But, largely on a question - did he die in a plane crash?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: Yeah. Exactly. This is the really sad part of it, you know, that man is alive because of his death. But there are episodes, particularly when INA is retreating from the North East Frontier - and the Japanese had deserted the INA because the tides of war had completely turned against them - when Bose actually behaves like a hero.



Vir Sanghvi: And you think we just played down that now because we don't even talk about it?



Rudrangshu Mukherjee: Well, you know people think of it as this kind of fugitive who had supernatural powers who could disappear from anywhere he wanted. i think Bose's so-called admirers do him a great disservice by playing up this conspiracy theory, concentrating on his death, rather than the actual work that he did.



Is there really nothing to the conspiracy theories? The jury is out on that one. And the primary reason for doubt remains the ambivalent attitude of the government of India. Why were the files regarded as so sensitive that they could not be released? And even now, have all the files been released? Or are there still secrets hiding in governmental filing cabinets.



A nation needs to know the truth about its heroes. The speculation and the controversy over the death of Netaji has marred his memory. We should remember him for his contribution to the freedom struggle. Instead, when we think of Netaji, it's disappearance that comes to mind. It's time we accepted the official version, or found out the truth. Assuming, of course, the truth is out there.
A scuffle happened between officers and jawans at an Army unit in Arunachal Pradesh following the death of a jawan during a training session.



The jawan reportedly died of chest pain during a routine training activity, an officer said.



"The jawan complained of chest pain prior to a route march and was checked by the unit medical officer who found him fit. He later collapsed during the march. He was rushed to the field ambulance where he died," the officer said.



The Army headquarter has ordered investigation into the incident.



The Army is playing down the incident by saying it is not a case of any mutiny. A few jawans got emotional and agitated leading to minor scuffle. No one was injured seriously.



He said that 4-5 jawans became emotional while being consoled by their adjutant, the Captain. They got agitated leading to a scuffle, he said, adding that no one was injured.
Los Angeles Curiosity around Jon Snow's fate in the new season of 'Game of Thrones' was so much that revealing the secret helped Kit Harington escape from getting booked for over speeding.



The 29-year-old actor, who essays the role in the fantasy epic, was on Jimmy Fallon's show and recalled an incident

where he saved himself from a policeman by telling him Snow's future.



The fifth season of the show ended with Snow being murdered by the members of nights' watch but fans always believed that he will be resurrected in the next series though the makers denied it.



Harington was told by the show bosses to hide the secret even from his family members but the actor told his parents and girlfriend that he will comeback from the dead. But there was another person who knew the secret, a policeman, who was willing to not book Harington for speeding provided he told him about his character's fate.



"One policeman," said Harington. "I was driving to my parent's house and driving too fast and this policeman pulls me over and he said: 'There's two ways we can do this: You can either follow me back to the police station and I book you in, or you can tell me whether you live on the next season.'"



The actor laughed, but the officer stood with a straight face and said, "Whether I take you into the police station

depends on what your answer is."



"I looked at him and said, 'I'm alive next season.' And he says, 'On your way, Lord Commander.'"



After months of speculation, 'Game of Thrones' finally revealed that the fan favourite character is resurrected.
The flight to Kerala is full of travellers going for summer vacations. Children chatter and are all over the aisle. I am off to find out which political front will be on holiday for the next five years from ruling the state. No election in a political state like Kerala has been as exciting and edgy as this one.



I have been speaking to all sides through the last many months. Left Democratic Front (LDF) will come to power was the popular line. So it looked like a predictable election much before it was announced. No fun then!



I said 45 days before the polls that Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is in with a chance. Today I am saying the chances are bleak but be ready for a historic verdict on May 19.



Yes, I am going against polls and many veterans minds I respect.



Historic for two reasons. If Chandy manages to win he creates history by coming back to power for the first time since 1977. It is also historic as it could see the Lotus bloom in Kerala. Now no one really knows whether the Lotus will cut the hammer and sickle of the Communist Party of India Marxist or the hand of the Congress.



But why is this election so unpredictable?



The poll done by the CPM-run Kairali channel gave the LDF 81 and upwards. Not so far back there was talk of 100 seats and a landslide.



That's not happening. It's tight and LDF still has the edge. Psychologically the voters and the netas believe that there will be change every five years.



Let's go through some of the past elections. In 1991 the LDF almost made it. Before the second phase of polling former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and the tide changed.



In 2011 the CPM almost came back but for the unexplained losses in north Kerala, the stronghold of Pinarayi Vijayan which stopped VS Achuthanandan from becoming chief minister again.



So the feeling that Kerala doesn't return a government is not a electoral habit but just circumstances.



Now let's look at why there could still be a surprise.



First the minorities who constitute around 46% of the population. Will they stick to United Democratic Front (UDF) or also vote for LDF. This is because during the beef controversy the LDF fought for the right to eat and this helped them during the local body elections.



Beef is not a big issue now. The UDF and its Muslim powerhouse IUML will be sending a message across to the voters that if Congress loses Kerala (and Assam), it will be a boost for BJP's dream of a 'Congress Mukt Bharat!



If Chandy loses, the state might not see a Christian chief minister in a long time. These are not public discourses. But I am sure these thoughts are seeded in the minds of the two communities.



In Kerala everything does not have a communal prism. With 24 lakh new voters these considerations might not be important.



On UDF election calculators they would put 27 to 30% of the total votes including 46% Minority vote. Then they need 10% or more. This is mathematics.



Now for the chemistry. The BJP has a lot of it this time. The Hindus in Kerala are more secular than others. They have been at the forefront of many social justice movements in the state.



Economically over the years they have lost muscle. The BJP has been silently working on this through VHP and RSS. Hindu businessmen have been trying to regain their economic supremacy. A lot of them started joint ventures while they continued with their businesses. Collaborate and compete is the idea here.



The supremacy of IUML and Christian dominated Kerala Congress in the Chandy government has only added to the urge to try the BJP.



Now, a few numbers here. From 4% votes in 2006 Assembly elections to 10% in the 2014 Lok Sabha to 14% in 2015 local body elections, the journey is only getting better.



This elections could be best chance ever for Narendra Modi and his party. Chandy is publicly challenging Modi step by step including taking him on for his Somalia comment but his eye will be on how much the BJP will poll. He is hoping that they will not hurt his votes.



Let me put this this way - the CPM is more worried about the BJP than the Congress. The Ezhava community, the support base of the CPM, along with the Nair community could favour the BJP in its strongholds in Thiruvananthapuram, Manjeshwarm, Palghat and Chengannur.



It's local partner Velapally Natesan who is a liquor baron and businessman is also promising to turn some Ezhava votes for the BJP. How much will the BJP dent and who will they dent in key Thiruvananthapuram constituencies could decide the fate of the front runner LDF.



The other factor - will women who constitute a majority will vote for the UDF for the partial prohibition and phased total prohibition. The CPM knows it will work and their campaigns are focussed on prohibition. That's another X factor.



But won't the anti-incumbency hit the UDF which was swarmed by corruption and sex scandals? The election campaigning started on these issues.



Corruption is a good talking point. It did damage the image of the chief minister. Sarita Nair and her bedtime stories titillated and scandalised many. But the lady lost credibility by her constant change in screenplay.



I don't think the state is voting on corruption and scandals. A survey on corruption provides an interesting insight. 60% admitted that they have paid bribes and do not feel it is fair to pull up netas for being corrupt!



As the election progressed issues changed. From VS wanting to be chief minister against the wishes of the CPM leadership to Somalia to Libya to Mohanlal campaigning. It's an issue less election and BJP is the only issue.



Will the development track record of the government be tested? This government has done well on this ground despite corruption scandals. In a state where delivery is so dismal, a metro in Kochi and a port in Vizhinjam, smart city and good roads are there to see.



The Gulf dream is almost over. The youth is looking for opportunities. They will think who will be good for this. They are not going to vote just to give turns to the two fronts.



Chandy is proving himself to be one pf the shrewdest leader the Congress has had. He is even better than former Kerala CM K Karunakaran in many ways. He was quick to make it into a Modi versus him fight on Somalia. The CPM had to follow him. His people to people contact programme has been a success and more importantly projected him as everyone's chief minister.



Lack of clarity on who will lead the LDF is a big bother. VS is universally popular. Pinarayi is not. But all indications show that the party will make Pinarayi the chief minister. Will that dampen the cadre? Will there be protest vote by the cadre? Party leaders and workers say it will not.



Another X factor:



The double standards of the Congress and Left in Kerala and West Bengal is another case in point. Rahul Gandhi has not been able to explain this and kept away from last minute campaigning.



So this election will be decided by the Hindu votes. The BJP is doing everything to open its account and will be happy to see the Left sit in the opposition for five more years!



But the fixed deposit policy of alternate fronts after every election in Kerala could well be over.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

PROMINENT figures in various fields, including industry and commerce, have been identified as cash externalisation kingpins and could be arrested in coming days. Police have also activated a crack team in the Criminal Investigations Department to monitor dodgy bank accounts and trail culprits taking cash out of Zimbabwe physically.Sunday News reported it is understood that a significant chunk of the smuggled cash goes to a South African bank in Botswana, and senior law enforcement agents yesterday confirmed they were close to cracking the case, with several individuals lined up for arrest.The agents said detectives were also tracking external wire transfers. Such activities, it is alleged, began years ago but became more pronounced on account of cash shortages of recent weeks as the bigwigs sought to move hard currency out of the local financial system.It is estimated Zimbabwe lost at least US$1,8 billion in 2015 through illicit financial flows. Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said they were working to arrest capital flight."As you have already seen, some suspects have been arrested. This shows that the police are doing a lot in terms of issues to do with externalisation and illegal flight of cash from the country."There is a unit under the Criminal Investigations Department which has been mandated to carry out investigations on all such cases. As long as there is credible evidence, anyone who is caught on the wrong side of the law in terms of illegal cash dealings will be apprehended and the law will take its course."It does not matter who the culprit is. In addition, we are also working on the Panama Papers; there is a team that is perusing the documents to see if crimes were committed."He added that the hunt for First Oil petroleum company directors Alex Nyahuni and Lyton Katunga was on, and The Sunday Mail has it that the two fled to South Africa to escape money-laundering charges.The pair allegedly hit CMED for US$2,7 million and are said to be trying to get a key State witness in South Africa to change testimony implicating them in the alleged fraud.Chief Supt Nyathi said, "Alex Kudakwashe Nyahuni and Lynon Gilbert Katunga are wanted persons in a suspected case of money-laundering, which is contravening Section 8 (2) of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act Chapter 9:24."They approached an ICT expert in South Africa and asked the individual to produce false documents, purporting to be evidence of cash transactions that were made for the US$2,7 which was missing at the Central Mechanical Equipment Depot."Figures stated in the false documents ranged between R500 000 and R5 million. The matter came to light when one of the owners of the company that they had claimed to have paid raised a complaint that he had not received the money. The CID Serious Fraud Squad is handling the case and are hunting these two suspects."A lawyer who preferred anonymity said authorities should immediately amend Exchange Control Regulations and impose stiffer penalties on cash looters. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe liberalised exchange controls following introduction of the multi-currency system in 2009.The lawyer said: "Externalisation is a crime because the authorisation of the RBZ to make certain transactions to offshore accounts. If such a crime is committed, the penalty should be a fine, which is double the amount which would have been externalised or a jail term if one fails to pay such a fine."This is pure criminality and that's why we had some people fleeing the country in the past because they had committed similar offences."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Twenty-one human trafficking victims landed at Harare International Airport on Friday evening and could hardly hold back their tears as they told of the trauma they experienced in foreign lands.The emotional women who had been stranded in Kuwait after falling prey to bogus employment agencies were repatriated back home courtesy of Young Women Christian Association.This was after government had failed to raise emergency relief action to repatriate those affected.Chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Foreign Affairs Kindness Paradza, who led a delegation that welcomed the group said the women went through harrowing conditions."They were terrified but they are happy to be home," Paradza told the Daily News."I can tell you they had a touching send-off from the Kuwait airport. They grouped together and sang the national anthem before taking the plane back home. It was so touching."The Makonde MP said the latest group from Kuwait is just a tip of the iceberg of desperate Zimbabweans stuck in foreign lands."These women are worried about their friends still out there," Paradza said."The women spoke of similar stories of serious abuse. Within this group two told us they were taken to Saudi Arabia."They only escaped from Saudi Arabia after going on hunger strike and taken back to the agents inKuwait, they later escaped from these agents and found refuge at the Zimbabwean embassy there."But many more are still in Saudi Arabia, others were transferred from Kuwait to Egypt. It's unfortunate we do not have an embassy in Saudi Arabia, so we have no communication with them."We also understand that there are others in other Arab countries."Paradza said the women had opened lines of communication with the police and State security agents in a bid for a speedy process of finding the perpetrators."In our report to Parliament on Thursday, we recommended that government must make follow-ups to make sure all girls and women still unaccounted for are repatriated back home," he said."We have recommended that government sets up a special fund and not to rely on individuals. Last Monday, the Speaker (Jacob Mudenda) had a meeting with President Robert Mugabe and briefed him on how a parliamentary delegation had assisted in the repatriation of 32 women, including this group."We must commend our embassy in Kuwait they are doing are great job."A parliamentary committee on foreign affairs was on Saturday expected to travel to Palestine, Dubai and Jordan where they would investigate the treatment of Zimbabweans in those countries.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance (Zwipa) coordinator Linda Masarira said they were deeply concerned with the slow pace government is taking on the repatriation process for those stranded in foreign countries."We feel let down and surprised at the slow pace at which the government of Zimbabwe is dealing with the trapped women in Kuwait after a period stretching about a month now, this is a case of misplaced priorities by the government."The Zwipa founder said it was every government's responsibility to ensure that their citizens are safe regardless of their geographical position worldwide. ."Above everything, the government must have by now acted swiftly to bring our women back from Kuwait, we have other countries reacting urgently to repatriate their citizens from troubled countries," she said."For example when a church in Nigeria collapsed and killed people, countries like South Africa chartered a plane to evacuate their citizens immediately and went on to compensate the victims, why can't our government do the same." said Masarira.
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A strange problem that no one knows much about is the fact that every year, about 3,500 people in the U.S.----most of them small children----swallow button batteries.

Most of the time, the batteries tend to just pass through the bodies without harm. However, if they come in touch with the esophagus or the stomach, the batteries might lead to an electric current producing hydroxide that can burn the body's tissue.

The problem was brought up by a postdoctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shuhei Miyashita. She drew the attention of Daniela Rus, a professor leading the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She showed through a simple experiment that the little batteries could be very dangerous.

"Shuhei bought a piece of ham, and he put the battery on the ham," Rus explained on MIT's website. "Within half an hour, the battery was fully submerged in the ham. So that made me realize that, yes, this is important. If you have a battery in your body, you really want it out as soon as possible."

Hence, Miyashita and Rus headed a team that came up with a creative solution. They developed a tiny, origami robot in a capsule that can be swallowed. Once it is ingested, the robot can open itself and then gets steered by outside magnetic fields. It manages to creep down the stomach walls, grasp and remove the battery that has been swallowed.

The robot can also help to patch up and heal internal wounds, say the researchers. The research team includes scientists from MIT, the University of Sheffield and the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

"This concept is both highly creative and highly practical, and it addresses a clinical need in an elegant way," Bradley Nelson, a robotics professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, told MIT. "It is one of the most convincing applications of origami robots that I have seen."

It was important to find materials that would not be rejected by the human body, but would be used. The most favourable material was a kind of dried pig intestine that can be used in sausage casings.

"We spent a lot of time at Asian markets and the Chinatown market looking for materials," team member Shuguang Li said.

The new origami robot has a lot of importance in medical science. "For applications inside the body, we need a small, controllable, untethered robot system. It's really difficult to control and place a robot inside the body if the robot is attached to a tether," she added.

The team presents the robot this week at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

YouTube/Onder Koffer V
News / National

by Staff reporter

Warring Zanu-PF factions almost came to blows right under the nose of President Robert Mugabe, when the increasingly frail nonagenarian addressed a rally at Chamisa Primary School in Gutu on Friday.The major bone of contention between party supporters loyal to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa (Team Lacoste) and those rabidly opposed to the Midlands godfather succeeding Mugabe, the Generation 40 (G40) group, was about who would take charge of the rally - in a province seen as one of two strongholds for the beleaguered VP.But eyewitnesses told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that spirited attempts by the Mnangagwa camp to block their avowed enemies from superintending over proceedings ended in defeat after Mugabe openly declared his confidence in the Masvingo party leadership - dominated by ambitious G40 Young Turks - taking charge.Mugabe also made it clear during his address that it was now time for party stalwarts to hand the leadership baton to youths - a message that left Team Lacoste members seething with anger as they interpreted it to mean that the nonagenarian was "once again" favouring the G40 at their expense.Zanu-PF national political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere, had apparently started the "drubbing" earlier in the day after he told the province's political leadership that regional commissar, Jappy Jaboon - who is said to be a member of the G40 faction - would be the master of ceremonies."Before this and the president's arrival, chief whip Lovemore Matuke and politburo members Shuvai Mahofa and Josiah Hungwe, who are kingpin Lacoste members, had tried hard to block Jaboon from taking charge of the rally."They also tried to block acting chairperson Amasi Nenjana from sitting at the high table on the grounds that he is not the substantive chair. But this was robustly resisted by G40 faction members," a senior regional Zanu-PF bigwig who said he witnessed the spectacle claimed.Another source also revealed that before Kasukuwere's decisive intervention, Jaboon had allegedly been called off from the podium by Matuke, but refused to budge - resulting in "an ugly and embarrassing standoff"."When he arrived, Tyson (Kasukuwere) took both Jaboon and Matuke to the sidelines for at least 30 minutes as he tried to cool tempers."Many harsh words were exchanged between Matuke and Jaboon and only the intervention of Kasukuwere stopped them from exchanging blows. All the while the sickly Mahofa, who now walks with the aid of a stick, and Hungwe, were barking in Matuke's corner."The situation was so tense, with both factions exchanging bad words. However, Tyson used his powers and force of presence, openly telling Matuke to take the back bench while directing Nenjana to sit close to the president," the second Zanu-PF official said.A Team Lacoste source told the Daily News on Sunday that his camp was very angry about what had happened because "Gutu and Masvingo are our strongholds and the G40 abused their connections to head office to take over"."This thing (G40 aggression) is getting out of hand and unless Gushungo (Mugabe) intervenes again we are headed for big trouble. They (G40) are commandeering everything," the official said.But another official linked to the G40 accused the Mnangagwa camp of being "successionist hyenas who will not stop at anything until they are in power"."I can tell you with certainty that knives are now out for the three bigwigs who wanted to defy the national party commissar. Ngwena (Mnangagwa)'s goons were very disappointed after  mudhara (Mugabe) recognised Nenjana in his welcome remarks," he said.Contacted by the Daily News on Sunday, Jaboon tried to play down the disagreements, while confirming Friday's tiff."It was a small issue and I cannot give you more information. You should go back to the people who gave you that story for more details," he said.Efforts to get comment from Mahofa were fruitless as her mobile phone went unanswered.On Friday, Mugabe fell just short of telling Mnangagwa's allies that he was behind the G40 faction when he virtually told war veterans, the embattled VP's foot soldiers, that their time had passed."War veterans must work to unite the party. Taiva tese kuhondo wani? (Didn't we go to war together?) You are supposed to unite people," Mugabe exhorted them.This came after a group of war veterans aligned to Mnangagwa were said to be attempting to derail the planned million-man march by youths in support of Mugabe."Ko iwo ma war vets tavakupera wani vamwe nerufu (Our time as war veterans is passing) so let this young generation lead us. Munofana kuziva kuti nhaka inotorwa nevadiki vari muparty vanoziva gwara remusangano (You should know that the youths who know the party's direction will take over)."We respect you as freedom fighters but kubva kuhondo politics ndidzo dzaiva pamberi (but even during the war politics led the gun). Mukarasa gwara tokukandai panze (If you go astray we will expel you from the party) like what we did to (Rugare) Gumbo and others," Mugabe said.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 17F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 17F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%.
Mohali:

Table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to quickly bounce back from the disappointing loss against Delhi Daredevils and seal their place in the play-off when they take on a resurgent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL clash.

Knowing that there is scramble among top teams for the playoff berth and holding on to top position is not an easy task, SRH will have to put the loss against Delhi behind and look to put up an all-round performance tomorrow.

What has made tomorrows afternoon game at the I S Bindra PCA stadium here even more important for Hyderabad is the fact that Punjab, which has struggled through the tournament, has suddenly started turning over a leaf under their new captain Murali Vijay, whose appointment was made mid-way.

The Punjab outfit, which is lying at the seventh place with four wins from 11 outings, pulled off a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians at Visakhapatnam last night.

The victory will surely give the struggling side a much-needed boost and the David Warner led SRH will be wary of the fact that Punjab will be a difficult opposition to tackle on their home turf.

Seeing the Hyderabad side in action has been a treat to watch, with its bowlers and batsmen clicking collectively.

Captain Warner is one of the highest run-getters in this edition and he single-handedly led the team to victory more than once. He is among the most successful batsmen in the league, making fifty-plus scores every three innings.

The other opener Shikhar Dhawan has also been in good form steering the team in the event of his skippers early dismissal. Even in their last game against Delhi, Warner (46) and Dhawan (34) had made their contribution with the bat.

It was their middle-order collapse which hurt the teams chances and the Sunrisers, who have some brilliant batsmen in Kane Williamson, Deepak Hooda and wicket-keeper batsman Naman Ojha, will look to mend their ways.

However, it will be interesting to see whom the crowds root for when Yuvraj Singh comes out to bat for SRH.

The Hyderabad sides bowling attack has also been impressive. With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, seasoned Ashish Nehra, latest pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman and Barinder Sran, it is one of the most-feared unit in the current edition of the IPL.

For Punjab, a win against Mumbai Indians yesterday has infused new energy in the team and they will be eagar to win all the remaining three matches.
New Delhi:

Fifteen persons of one family from Maharashtra, including five women and seven children, were reported killed in a road mishap Adilabad district of Telangana, police said today.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of Bhainsa town of the district at around midnight yesterday when a speeding gravel-laden tipper collided head on with the auto carrying 18 persons, Adilabad District Superintendent of Police Tarun Joshi told PTI over phone.

Fourteen persons died on the spot and another died on way to a hospital after the tipper fell on the auto and its occupants were crushed to death, the police officer said, adding, three others who were injured in the incident were shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Nizamabad district.

The deceased were on their way to a temple and had hired the auto, the SP said. The deceased include five women, four boys and three girls, Bhainsa Rural police station Circle Inspector Vinod Reddy said. The family belong to Bhokar mandal in Nanded district of Maharashtra and they had been working in brick kilns in Nizamabad, he said.

With PTI Inputs

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San Francisco:

Facebook CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg had a special guest at his company headquarters to ring in his birthday - his baby daughter Max! Zuckerberg, who turned 32 yesterday and a dad in November last year, took to his Facebook page to announce the news about the little visitor at the California-based social network office.

Max stopped by Facebook HQ to help celebrate my birthday, he posted. Thanks to everyone for so many nice messages. Heres to another year of connecting the world! he wrote further.

The post was accompanied with an adorable photo of Max sitting on the lap of Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg beside mom Priscilla Chan and looking at her dad as he blows out a candle on the birthday cake.

Max and I were thrilled to celebrate her dads birthday together! Sandberg wrote in a comment on Zuckerbergs post.

Following the birth of Maxima, who he lovingly addresses as Max, both Zuckerberg and Chan pledged to give away 99 per cent of their companys shares worth a whopping USD 45 billion to make the world a better place for children.

Interestingly, Zuckerberg, who is one of the worlds richest people with a fortune estimated at USD 51.8 billion, has actually made more money per day of living because of his young age than anybody else on the planet.

His potent combo of youth and wealth has averaged out to USD 4.4 million for every day he has been alive, according to CNBC calculations. That rate is bigger than anybody else on Forbes list of billionaires.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates comes a distant second at USD 3.5 million per day, more so because at 60, he is almost double Zuckerbergs age.
New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was today discharged from AIIMS nearly three weeks after she was admitted to the hospital with complaints of chest congestion and fever.

AIIMS director M C Mishra said Swaraj was discharged after a group of doctors today examined her and found her to be fit.

Swaraj was being treated for pneumonia and the infection had also caused mild renal impairment. She was treated by a group of specialists and was discharged after the doctors declared her fit, Mishra said.

The 64-year-old Union minister was admitted to AIIMS on April 25 after she complained of chest congestion and fever. She was undergoing treatment in the Cardio-Neuro Centre of the hospital.

The doctors had earlier said that it was likely that she contracted the infection due to extreme temperatures during her travels.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

World's oldest tea unearthed from the 2100-year-old tomb of a Chinese emperor will be displayed at a museum next week. The Small bits of the tea, recently recognized by the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest, will be exhibited at Hanyang Mausoleum Museum in Xi'an, capital of ShaanxiProvince starting May 18, said Zhang Yun, its deputy director.

He said the tea was mixed with grains when it was first discovered in 2005 at the Hanyang Mausoleum. The site was the graveyard of Emperor Jing (188-141 B.C.), also father of Emperor Wu, whose reign ushered in one of the most prosperous periods in Chinese history, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. However, it was not until 2015 when archaeologists from the Shaanxi Provincial Archeological Research Institute were able to ascertain the fossilized plant remains were tea. Experts with the Chinese Academy of Sciences used new microfossil plant analysis techniques to examine the samples, the report said.

"The analysis results showed that the remains were all dried tea sprouts when they were buried," said Yang Wuzhan, a research fellow with the institute. It was the first evidence of tea consumed by a Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) emperor, he said, adding that the findings are of great importance to research on the history of Chinese tea culture.

Rowan Simons, attestation officer from the Guinness World Record, on May 6 conferred the certificate to recognise the discovery as the world's oldest tea. He said it has long been known that China is the home of tea and the world record gives us a deeper understanding of China. In ancient China, tea had more and different uses than we have now. It was drunk as a beverage, cooked in meals, and even used as herbal medicine.

Ancient Chinese liked to be buried with their favorite things so they could enjoy them in the next world. Other items found at Emperor Jing's burial site include pottery figurines, an army of ceramic animals and several chariots as well as animal remains, including cows, sheep, dogs, pigs, deer, rabbits and birds.

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Bangalore:

The pace of digital transformation, both globally and in India when it comes to audio and video consumption on smartphones, is tremendous. It is not surprising to note the gradual shift inconsumer preference to consume content has drifted from TVs to personal desktops to laptops and now finally to smartphones.

With over 200 million mobile Internet users in the country and an upswing in content consumption, smartphones are becoming the most potent engines, driving the growth of Internet usage in India, as per a Google India study. Recognizing this and as part of taking forward its legacy of providing an ecosystem of services to its users in China, LeEco, the global Internet and technology conglomerate recently launched its ecosystem membership program in India.

As mobile screens outpace other platforms of viewing content, both globally and in India, to emerge as the primary screen, it is imperative to have a content ecosystem that responds to the trend. LeEco is the first company to introduce the concept of content ecosystem on mobile devices in India.

The company's latest Superphone launch, Le 1s Eco, is the first smartphone to integrate such a wealth of content into this Superphone and spearhead the concept of Membership Program. LeEco introduced Le 1s Eco, over which the company announced 10% cashback offer on HDFC credit and debit cards.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
News / National

by Tinomuda Chakanyuka

THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will investigate cases of schools that are reportedly resisting a directive to teach pupils to recite the National Schools Pledge, an official has said. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango on Friday said although no official reports had been made, it had learnt through the media that some schools were not reciting the pledge.Sunday News reported that some church, trust and private schools around the country have vowed not to teach pupils to recite the pledge which they argue is unconstitutional. However, the Government, council, and Roman Catholic run schools have embraced the pledge and pupils are reciting it as mandated by Government.Dr Utete-Masango said the ministry would send its officials on the ground to establish the state of affairs once they are furnished with the list of the schools reportedly resisting the pledge, and only then they can map a way forward."I think we need to get a list of those schools so that we can investigate. What happened on opening day is that we sent our ministry officials to sample schools and the reports we got were positive. We've only heard through the media that some schools were not reciting the pledge but no official report has been made so far. We would have to check against the information that we have then we can send our Provincials Education Directors (PEDs) to go into those schools and find out," she said.Dr Utete-Masango could, however, not be drawn into revealing the measures that will be taken against school authorities resisting the pledge."We need to investigate first before we can say what measures will be taken and that list will help," she said.Some churches have been on record vowing that the national pledge would not be recited at their schools. Brethren in Christ Church which runs schools in Matabeleland region that include Matopo High School, Mtshabezi High School and Wanezi High school, said pupils at its schools will not recite the pledge. The church argues that the pledge violated the national constitution.Reverend Useni Sibanda, the director of Christian Alliance, is on record saying churches in the ecumenical body will also not allow their children to recite the National Pledge. The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) has also rejected the pledge.Some of the schools that have allegedly resisted the pledge include Bulawayo Adventist High School, Midlands Christian College (MCC) and Midlands Christian School in Gweru and Anderson Adventist School again in Gweru. Mkhosana Seventh Day Adventist in Victoria Falls has also reportedly rejected the pledge.The pledge is contained in the new primary and secondary school curriculum framework adopted by Cabinet on September 22 last year. Pupils in infant school are reciting the following pledge of allegiance: "Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies, I salute the national flag, I commit to honesty and dignity of hard work."For junior and secondary schools, the pledge says: "Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies, I salute the national flag. United in our diversity by our common desire for freedom, justice and equality. Respecting the brave fathers and mothers who lost lives in the Chimurenga/ Umvukela and national liberation struggles. We are proud inheritors of the richness of our natural resources. We are proud creators and participants in our vibrant traditions and cultures. We commit to honesty and the dignity of hard work".The Government argues that the pledge, an excerpt of the preamble to the National Constitution, is meant to foster national pride and patriotism in learners. The National Pledge is also subject of contestation before the courts where the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on behalf of a Harare man, are contesting the constitutionality of the pledge.In his submissions the man, a father of three school going children argues that reciting the pledge was against his religious beliefs. The Constitutional Court is expected to hear arguments on the matter before the end of next month.Like it? Share it!
New Delhi:

Investors must pay taxes on money they earn in India and the domestic economy is now strong enough to depend on any tax-incentivised route to attract foreign investments, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

He said there was no serious apprehension of investors shifting base to other tax havens and he sees no depletion in FDI flows due to re-drawing of decades-old tax treaty with Mauritiusthe biggest source of foreign investments into India.

The amendment would also help check round-tripping of funds and boost the domestic consumption, Jaitley added.

After toiling for almost a decade to redraw the tax treaty with Mauritius, India will begin imposing capital gains tax on investments in shares through Mauritius April next onwards. This has been made possible with amendment to the 34-year old tax treaty between the two countries.

As markets reacted cautiously to India expanding its crackdown on tax treaties to make it harder for investors to use tax havens as a shelter to avoid levies, Jaitley told PTI, Eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of (Indian) economy.

Stating that the original Mauritius treaty created a tax-incentivised route at a time when India was looking at foreign investments to boost economy, he said the economy has become strong enough and now those who earn must pay taxes.

The original treaty, signed almost a decade before India opened up its economy in 1991, has helped channellise more than a third of the USD 278 billion (nearly Rs 19 lakh crore) foreign direct investment India received in the past 15 years.

The imposition of taxes has been done in a phased manner to avoid shock and I dont expect any depletion to FDI because of this. Also eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of economy, he said.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said the treaty revision will bring in lot of transparency about Mauritius-based entities investing in India.

It will help us dramatically in curbing round-tripping because there are two very important aspects to it. One is the capital gains regime... that will be applicable at the same rate as you would get if you were a domestic resident tax payer in India. So there would be no advantage for anybody coming in through the Mauritius route after 2019.

Number two, they will also be able to get a lot more transparency on Mauritius companies that will be investing in India through the Information Exchange Protocol that we have also signed, he said.

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Patna:

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday arrived in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. After receiving warm welcome from JD(U) workers and farmers association officials, he went on to declare why liquor should be banned in Uttar Pradesh too.



Before he could have made any claims on it, liquor association workers staged protest and started shouting slogan "Nitish Go Back" with black flags in hand.



After banning liquor in Bihar, Nitish on Sunday landed in Lucknow with a motive to aware people about the same. He was on his way to address a gathering when liquor association workers came upfront on Kanpur road and asked him to go back.



Liquor association is protesting against the ban and wants it to be revoked as soon as possible.

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Patna:

Cops have detained one more person for questioning in connection with the murder of a senior journalist of a reputed daily vernacular newspaper in the heart of this Bihar town.



Cops had also detained three people on Saturday. All of them had a criminal background and are being interrogated about the killing of Rajdeo Ranjan, Superintendent of Police Saurabh Kumar Sah told PTI.



CCTV footage and mobile phone of the journalist were being checked to gather clues about the murder which took place on the busy Station Road around 8 PM on Friday.



Ranjan (45) was cremated on Saturday.



He is survived by his wife, who is a school teacher and a son and a daughter, who are both students.

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London:

Londons former mayor Boris Johnson today compared the European Union to Adolf Hitler, saying the economic blocs attempts to create a European super-state was similar to that of the Nazi leaders attempt which ended tragically.

The leading pro-Brexit voice for the Vote Leave camp made references to the Nazi leader as well as Napoleon as having failed at European unification.

Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods, Johnson told The Sunday Telegraph.

But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void, Johnson said.

He went on to detail the negative effects of the EU, as the Vote Leave campaign published research suggesting that the single market had failed Britain. Official EU statistics show that over the last decade, the value of British exports of goods to the EU has fallen by 18 per cent.

The Italians, who used to be a great motor-manufacturing power, have been absolutely destroyed by the euro as was intended by the Germans. The euro has become a means by which superior German productivity is able to gain an absolutely unbeatable advantage over the whole eurozone.

This is a chance for the British people to be the heroes of Europe and to act as a voice of moderation and common sense and to stop something getting in my view out of control, Johnson said.

He was immediately attacked by the Remain voters, with former Labour minister Yvette Cooper accusing Johnson of having a shameful lack of judgement and a willingness to play the most divisive, cynical politics.

He should not try to play political games with the darkest and most serious chapter of Europes history. The EU has played a critical role keeping peace in Europe ever since, Cooper said.

With opinion polls suggesting the contest is close, leaders of all the main political parties are coming out strongly with both the Leave and Remain arguments.

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned yesterday that a vote to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23 would deliver an immediate and sustained hit to the economy that could tip Britain back into recession.

If we vote to leave on June 23, we will be voting for higher prices, we will be voting for fewer jobs, we will be voting for lower growth, we will be voting potentially for a recession. That is the last thing our economy needs, he said.

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Jeddah:

US Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi King Salman today ahead of a week of crunch talks on the conflicts in Syria and Libya. Riyadh has been a key supporter of rebels fighting to overthrow the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Its allies Cairo and Abu Dhabi have also been major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is still withholding its support from a UN- and US-backed unity government in Tripoli.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed regional issues... mainly developments in Syria, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect, he said. Kerry was to fly to Vienna later today for the meetings on Libya and Syria tomorrow and on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he will fly on to Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

Kerrys spokesman John Kirby said the secretary of state and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni would jointly host the Libya conflict meeting.

Participants will discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security, Kirby said.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to dend the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that had undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March taking over key institutions like the central bank and the National Oil Corporation but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

Kirby said the goal was to ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition in Syria.

The ISSG, under the odd couple of Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect a shaky truce in force since February.

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London:

Pictures of Londons first Muslim mayor Sadiq Khans visit to one of the citys most famous temples where he performed rituals ahead of his election have gone viral on social media.

Pictures from the temple visit emerged on social media this week as Khan described the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in north Londons Neasden as one of his favourites.

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden is one of my favourite places in London, the 45-year-old had said on his Facebook post dated May 3, days before his runaway victory in the mayoral elections.

As Mayor, I will stand up for Londons Indian community, and strengthen Londons friendship with India. I look forward to leading a trade delegation to India at the earliest opportunity, Khan said.

In one of the pictures, Khan, who is son of a Pakistani migrant bus driver, is seen performing Jalabhishek or water ritual on a golden idol of Shri Swaminarayan.

The visit was a clear attempt on his part to stress his message of wanting to be a mayor for all Londoners.

Let me be very clear, Im not a Muslim leader or Muslims spokesperson, Im the mayor of London. I speak for all Londoners, the Labour party politician had told reporters soon after his victory.

The British capitals first Muslim mayor, elected by an overwhelming mandate, has criticised British Prime Minister David Camerons government and his Conservative party mayoral campaign rival Zac Goldsmith for their divisive election campaign.

David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith chose to set out to divide Londons communities in an attempt to win votes in some areas and suppress voters in other parts of the city, Khan had written in The Observer, in his first article a day after being sworn in as the new mayor on May 9.

They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope its something the Conservative party will never try to repeat, he said.

Goldsmiths camp has been criticised for using unpleasant tactics in the campaign, including trying to cash in on Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity among Indian-origin Londoners by issuing leaflets with the messageStanding up for the British-Indian community.

Khan is reportedly planning a visit to India soon, in an attempt to counter this negative messaging and present his secular credentials.

Khan beat Goldsmith with 57 per cent votesthe largest mandate of any British politician in historymarking the return of Labour rule to the UK capital after eight years. He was officially sworn-in as the new mayor of London at a multi-faith ceremony in Southwark Cathedral here on May 7.

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Moscow:

A Russian yacht detained by North Korean coast guards was released today and has set sail for the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian officials said.

The Russian yacht Elfin today left the North Korean port of Kimchaek headed for Vladivostok, Denis Samsonov, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang told Russian state television today.

Yury Bokcharev, Russias consul in the city of Chongjin, told Russias RIA Novosti news agency that local North Korean officials had said the boats detention was a misunderstanding.

Another diplomatic official in Vladivostok, Igor Agafonov, told the RIA Novosti agency that the five-member crew of the yacht had been in contact and confirmed that they were sailing home.

The Russian sailboat was detained by North Korean coast guards late Friday as it sailed through the Sea of Japan from a competition in the South Korean city of Busan to its home city of Vladivostok.

Russias foreign ministry said yesterday that a note was sent to the North Korean authorities seeking an explanation for the boats detention. Russia shares a short land border with North Korea and enjoys relatively friendly ties with the countrys reclusive Stalinist regime.

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Dehradun:

The Uttarakhand government today decided to withdraw the the notification recommending a CBI inquiry into the controversial sting CD episode in which Chief Minister Harish Rawat was purportedly seen negotiating a deal to allegedly buy back the support of rebel Congress MLAs.



A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh, Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh said after the meeting.



The Cabinet, however, resolved to constitute a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the sting operation.



The decision comes ten days after the CBI had summoned Rawat for questioning in connection with its inquiry into the controversial sting CD which the agency had found to be genuine. Rawat was to appear before the agency on May 9. However, he did not turn up.



The notification recommending CBI probe was issued on April 2 when the state was under Presidents rule.



Since law and order is a state subject, CBI can probe cases of crime in a state only on the recommendation of the government concerned or under instructions from court.



Singh said the Law Department had given concurrence to the proposal to withdraw the notification.



Rawat was in Kedarnath when the Cabinet met under Hridayesh and decided to withdraw the notification.



The sting CD made by the editor-in-chief of a private news channel and circulated by the nine Congress rebels who had created a political crisis in the state by siding with BJP in the Assembly, purportedly shows Rawat negotiating a money deal with the journalist to buy the support of MLAs who had revolted against him.



After many twists and turns, Rawat was finally reinstated as Chief Minister, over six weeks after he was ousted by the Centre, with the Supreme Court putting its stamp of approval on the floor test in the state Assembly.

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Jerusalem:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he told the French foreign minister that Pariss support of a UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem cast doubt on the impartiality of a peace initiative it is promoting.

I told him that the scandalous resolution accepted at UNESCO with Frances support, that does not recognise the bond of thousands of years between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, casts a shadow over the impartiality of the entire forum France is trying to convene, Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting after his talks with Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Netanyahu was referring to a resolution adopted last month by the Paris-based UN cultural body on the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, which made no reference to the fact it is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and is the most sacred site in Judaism.

Netanyahu said Ayrault told him the decision stemmed from a misunderstanding and that he would personally see to it that it does not recur.

Sources close to Ayrault said on Sunday that France regretted the resolution, echoing remarks by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who on Wednesday called it clumsy and unfortunate and said it should have been avoided.

Ayraults visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah, where he will be meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas later in the day, is in preparation for the May 30 international ministerial meeting to try to revive peace talks that have been frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives were not invited to the French peace meeting, and today Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to indirect peace attempts, blaming the Palestinians for refusing direct talks.

I told him that the only way to advance true peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct talks, without preconditions, he said of his meeting with Ayrault.

Any other attempt just distances peace and gives Palestinians a means of evading dealing with the root of the conflict, which is not recognising the State of Israel, he said. Theyre simply avoiding negotiating with us, Netanyahu said of the Palestinians.

Sources in Ayraults entourage said today the French peace initiative was not aimed at preventing or bypassing direct talks between the parties, which Paris believes is the only way to resolve the conflict. The problem is there are currently no negotiations, the sources said.

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Siwan:

Amid the outrage over the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar, his family today demanded a CBI probe into the incident as BJP took to streets across the state in support, holding protest marches.

Three persons, including Upendra Singh, a history sheeter allegedly linked to RJD strongman and former Lok Sabha MP from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin have been detained in connection with the incident but no arrests have been made so far.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in Lucknow, has expressed sadness and said the guilty will not be spared.

The slain journalists family, including his wife and father, have demanded CBI investigation, saying they have no faith in the local police.

There is indeed a political angle to my husbands murder two days ago as he did not have personal enmity with anyone. But there could also be professional reasons, Ranjans wife Asha Devi said, and demanded a CBI probe. She sought death sentence to the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath for justice. Ranjans 75-year-old father Radha Chaudhary and brother Gautam echoed her demand.

The state government should bear cost of education and related needs of 16-year-old Ashish Ranjan and his eight year-old sister Sakshi Ranjan as their father will no more be with them to secure their future, Gautam Ranjan told PTI.

BJP, meanwhile, staged protest demonstrations across the state with its Bihar unit chief Mangal Pandey staging a dharna in Siwan to demand the arrest of culprits and a CBI probe.

The journalists family alleged that he was murdered by incarcerated RJD leader Shahabuddins men and Bihar Police lacked the will to conduct a free, fair and impartial probe in the matter, Pandey told reporters in Siwan.

Under the circumstances, the murder case should be handed over to CBI, he said and demanded security to Ranjans family besides a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to his kin.

Police sources said three people, including Upendra Singh, the main accused in the killing of Shrikant Bharti, the spokesman for sitting BJP MP from Siwan, Om Prakash Yadav, who has a running feud with Shahabuddin, have been detained but not yet arrested. Bharti was gunned down in November 2014.

Whatever is happening in Bihar has saddened me. I assure the people of the state that whoever is guilty will not be spared, Kumar told reporters in Lucknow.

Representatives of several unions of journalists met Kumar and handed over memoranda seeking action against the perpetrators, compensation and a government job to the kin of Ranjan.

With the incident acquiring political overtones, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at Nitish Kumar for visiting Uttar Pradesh when the state was gripped by violence. He was referring to the murder of a teenager Aditya Sachdeva, allegedly by the son of a ruling JD(U) MLC, and Ranjan.

It is regrettable that neither the Chief Minister nor his ministers have time to visit the families of the slain teeanger in Gaya and that of a journalist in Siwan district, he said in a statement deprecating Kumars visit to Varanasi and Lucknow.

Referring to Ranjans killing, Modi said fingers were being pointed at jailed former MP Shahabuddin amid reports that a hit list released from Siwan jail containing the names of 23 people included the slain journalist.

Ranjan, the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was said to have been instrumental in the release of a video in which RJD Minister Abdul Ghafoor and another party leader were seen meeting Shahabuddin in jail. He was gunned down at a fruit market on Station Road in Siwan on May 13. RJD had recently nominated Shahabuddin to its national executive despite his prolonged incarceration in a string of criminal cases.

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News / National

by Lincoln Towindo

TWENTY-ONE more Zimbabwean women lured to Kuwait under the false pretext of getting jobs as housemaids only to be sold into slavery arrived back home on Friday while seven more are at the country's embassy in Kuwait City.The repatriation of the 21 women was facilitated by the Young Christian Women Association, a non-profit organisation, led by human rights lawyer Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chairperson Mr Kindness Paradza who was part of the delegation that visited Kuwait told The Sunday Mail yesterday that there was need to expand the search for other Zimbabwean women in other Arab nations.It has emerged that some of the women could have been shipped to other Gulf Co-operation Council countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar."As of Friday, we had seven other women at the embassy in Kuwait awaiting repatriation. The embassy says it only has four tickets left from the 25 that were provided for by the Young Christian Women Association.The women who arrived on Friday told us that some of their friends they went to Kuwait with were transferred to other Middle East countries," he said.President Mugabe has since received an official report compiled by a Parliamentary delegation that visited Kuwait last month.The report details gory details of how the Zimbabwean women were abused by some Kuwaiti nationals.It recommends that police should withhold clearance from women without relevant educational or professional qualifications intending to apply for Article 20 (domestic work) visas to Kuwait or any other Arab nation.It further recommends that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets up an ad hoc Special Fund to assist in the repatriation of Zimbabwean women still holed up in Kuwait and other Arab countries.The report also suggests that newspapers should stop publishing advertisements for domestic workers in Kuwait.The parliamentary report titled Report of the Zimbabwe delegation to the Bilateral visit to Kuwait' reads, "Statistics provided by our embassy in Kuwait showed that around 190 visas were issued by the Kuwait Embassy in Zimbabwe from July 2015 with 90 girls still to enter Kuwait."The Ambassador with assistance from well-wishers, family and friends, was able to assist in the repatriation of 44 maids who had run away from their prospective employers complaining of various physical abuses."However, to secure their release, relatives of the victims have had to fork out between $1 500 and $3 000 to compensate the "sponsor" for the cost of the air tickets, the agency fees and examination fees."Honourable Members may be interested to know that one girl was so traumatised from the abuse to an extent of being mentally-challenged up to this day. The girl is currently under the care of the Department of Social Welfare."While in Kuwait, the girl could not access medical help because hospitals refused to admit her because she had no identification particulars as her passport had been confiscated by her employer who refused to release it without compensation for the money he had initially paid to an employment agency."The report continues, "What was disturbing, however, was that despite several appeals to head office for help, the Ambassador did not receive any response.The only response he got from the Permanent Secretary Joey Bimha, was on April 1, 2016, informing the Ambassador that the Ministry was unable to help in any way, effectively telling him that he was now on his own."
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had his mother visiting him at this official Race Course Road residence, for the first time since he started living there nearly two years back.



After Heeraben returned to Gujarat, Modi posted photographs on his twitter account in which he is seen showing her around his 7, Race Course Road residence.



My mother returns to Gujarat. Spent quality time with her after a long time & that too on her 1st visit to RCR, he tweeted along with the photographs.



In the pictures, Heeraben is seen in a wheel chair, while the Prime Minister, wearing a grey T-shirt and black trousers, can be seen showing her the greenery and flowers in his residence.



In one of the pictures, Modi, in kurta pyjama and waistcoat, is seen offering a glass to his mother while sitting on a sofa.



Heeraben lives with her another son, a government servant, in Gandhinagar.

Another Picture PM Narendra Modi posted of his mother's first visit to 7 RCR in New Delhi.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi, who is living in an old age home here with his wife, and directed Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to meet him.



Accordingly, Sharma met Kanubhai and spent about 45 minutes with him at Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram at Gautampuri in South Delhi .



After the conversation, PM directed the authorities to ensure that the couple has a comfortable stay.



PM has taken note of reports about Shri Kanubhai Gandhi. He asked Minister Mahesh Sharma to meet Kanubhai, PMO tweeted.



PM and Kanubhai had a long conversation. They spoke in Gujarati and had a very pleasant discussion, PMO said in another tweet.



Later Kanubhai said that he is an old follower of Modi and he (Modi) remebered all the help I had extended to him.



At that time Sonia Gandhi was against both of us, he said, adding that Modi understood everything in Gujarati.



Sharma later said Modi offered all support to the couple.



Yesterday, Delhis SC/ST Welfare and Women and Child Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar had visited them.



After over four decades of stay in the United States, Kanubhai (87) and his 85-year-old wife Shiva Lakshmi Gandhi had returned to India in 2014 and spent about a year-and-a-half in various Ashrams in Gujarat before checking into Delhi ashram on May 8.



Kanubhai is the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhis third son Ramdas.



Kanubhai left India at the age of 17 and studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later worked at NASAs Langley Research Centre. His wife holds a doctorate in biochemistry.

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New Delhi :

With several parliamentarians opposed to the common medical entrance test, the Centre has decided to hold consultations with state Health ministers tomorrow to formulate a strategy regarding the issue.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that he looks forward to the meeting tomorrow and hoped to find a solution to address the concerns of lakhs of medical aspirants.

Looking forward to meeting with the State Health Ministers tomorrow morning on the issue of NEET. I am hopeful that together we shall be able to find some solution to address concerns of lakhs of aspiring medical students & their parents, Nadda tweeted.

According to reports, the Supreme Court had ruled that starting this academic session, students would have to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to seek admission to any medical or dental colleges in the country.

Earlier this week, the apex court also turned down a batch of appeals by states seeking to conduct their own medical admission tests and ruled that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies.

Following the apex courts ruling, opposition parties have raised concerns that students passing out from state boards in vernacular languages and living in remote areas may not be able to perform well in common entrance exam despite being competitive. Several MPs have demanded the government to bring forth an ordinance to stall the NEET for the current academic session.

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News / Regional

by Dumisani Nsingo

THE farming community of Matabeleland South Province is geared to the prospects of a lucrative farming business through supplying its crop produce to the imminent state-of-the-art tomato processing and canning factory in Esigodini.A number of farmers interviewed by Sunday Farming acknowledged that they were ready to supply the tomato canning plant with produce upon being given the specifics and quality of the crop required by the manufacturers.Mr Sifisosenkosi Ndlovu, a farmer from Crocodile Valley Resettlement near Esigodini in Umzingwane District said most of the farmers were ready to supply tomatoes to the plant if it starts operating."As farmers we need to know the type of tomatoes that the company requires and we provide unless if it already has a market from which it will source its produce from. We have adequate water supplies as we have four boreholes and an engine to use for irrigating crops. We will support that project because we have the resources that will enable us to do so," Mr Ndlovu said.Another farmer, Mr Nicodemus Maseko said the opening of the tomato canning factory was going to open up a ready market for farmers within its vicinity and the entire province."We are very excited about this (opening of the factory) development because it will provide a ready market for us. It (the factory) will come handy in terms of cutting down on transport costs, which to a certain extent was affecting the viability of our agricultural enterprises," he said.Matabeleland South's Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) officer Mr Judia Ncube said access to a viable market was affecting farmers' productivity in the province."Obvious the type of tomato required at the factory shouldn't be just an ordinary tomato. The owners of the plant, once indicated that they would contract some farmers and supply them with the requisite seedling so as to deliver their produce for processing."The opening of the plant will open up a market for the farmers to sell their tomatoes within the shortest period of time. The unavailability of a reliable market has seen most of the farmers' produce rotting before being sold resulting in them losing out in potential revenue," Mr Ncube said.Arda board chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza said a meeting would be arranged with farmers in the Matabeleland region to enlighten them on the type of produce to be delivered at the factory."We are going to set meetings with the farming community of Matabeleland where we are going to example the type of crops we need from the selected districts. We intend to do this just before the onset of the opening of the plant," he said.The tomato processing and canning factory is a public-private partnership arrangement between Zagrinda, a company owned by Arda and Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) and beverage manufacturer, Schweppes Zimbabwe.Zagrinda is owned by Arda and DTZ on a 50-50 basis.
Opinion / Blogs

QN

OVERVIEW



COMMENTS

ANSWERS

HOWEVER PART



IN ZIMBABWEAN CONTEXT

HOWEVER PART

DEMANDS OF THE QUESTION



CONTACTS

"Israel prophets used symbolic actions to deliver their messages" Examine this view .To what extent are the Zimbabwean prophets using the same act to deliver their messages? (25) -pt 27In order for one to execute the above question you must have detailed information about symbolic actions & prophets In other words this means that you should highlight the Key Words or ask yourself different fundamental questions. For instance~What are the symbolic actions?~Which prophet used symbolic actions?~Why did they use symbolic actions ?~What's the difference between symbolic actions and other ways of delivering messages?~Are the Zimbabwean prophets using symbolic actions?Israel true prophets and false prophets used symbolic actions .This include the following prophets.~Ahijah of Shiloah~Hosea~Jeremiah~Isaiah of Jerusalem~Hannaniah*~Zedekiah*In Zimbabwean context, it has been suggested that the following prophets used or uses symbolic actions to deliver their messages.~Johane Masowe~Magaya~Samuel Mutendi~Eubert AngelB Vawter define symbolic action as signs that look beyond themselves to other realities.One should note that there are different types of symbolic actions but in this case it is not prudent for the writer to explain unnecessary topics or challenging words.N.B The writer Arthur Marara in his Old Testament Questions and Answers book wrote the same question. In other words this means that you have to get your copy and have more information .The prophet Ahijah of Shiloah used a symbolic action in order for him to divide Israel into 12 tribes ,remember prior the event Israel was not divided .Ahijah as a prophet tore his new garment into 12 pieces and gave some pieces to Jeroboam. This is indicated in 1 Kings 11:29-33.Hosea used his marriage to deliver the message to the Israelites, Hosea married woman of loose morals (Gomer) ,and they went on to have 3 children ;they were given symbolic names .This is indicated in Hosea 1-3.During the Assyrian campaign against Ashdad Isaiah walked barefooted and naked as a sign indicating that one day the Assyrian King would lead the people to hard life ,this is supported by Isaiah 20:3.The symbolic names of Isaiah children .Isaiah 7&8.Jeremiah's ministry was overcrowded by dramatisation. For instance~refrained from communal activities .Jeremiah 16:1~ buying and hiding waist cloth .Jeremiah 13:1~pottery's potter .Jeremiah 18:1~broken flask.Jeremiah 19:1~carrying yoke bars "jogwe in Ndebele language" .Jeremiah 27:1~buying of Anathoth field .Jeremiah 32:6N.B Look for the meanings of the above symbolic actionsIsrael prophets used other ways to deliver their messages.~word plays.~messanger style of speech.~miracles.It has been suggested that Zimbabwean prophets uses symbolic actions.For instance~Eubert Angel drives expensive cars and wears expensive clothessymbolising the gospel of prosperity.~Magaya usually wears sandals during evening services ,it has been concluded that he will be symbolising his humbleness.-One of the kids of Magaya has been named "Yadah" this might be symbolic but the meaning is silent since the parents haven't explained it to the church.~It has been further suggested that changing of the name of Johane Masowe from Shoniwa Masedza might be symbolic but the meaning is silent.~During the Smith regime it is believed that Samuel Mutendi walked almost 200km barefooted.This might be a symbolic name but it is of great value to note that the meaning is silent.N.B One should note that the following things act as a bar to the prophets in order for them to perform symbolic actions~Time frame~audienceZimbabwean prophets uses other ways to deliver their messages. For instance~parables~messanger style of speechJustify the view that Israel prophets used symbolic actions. Show the extent about Zimbabwean prophets.+263777896159 (Whatsapp)Witness Dingani ( Facebook page)
There is a meadow at the Maywood farm and vineyard in Bridgewater that right now is full of birds: red-winged blackbirds, swallows, bluebirds.

There is also a wooden nesting box, nailed high off the ground on an old black cherry tree on the far edge of the field. From it  and from the farms fenceposts and power lines  American kestrels can keep watch, looking for a meal, be it a vole or a dragonfly.

We sometimes see them hovering over the field, which is kind of neat, said Maywood estate manager Greg Bollard.

The nesting box has been in place for five years.

Weve had kestrels in it every year since we put it up, Bollard said. Every year, we band two or three fledglings.

That box, and dozens more like it, are part of a cheering ornithological success story. The kestrel  the smallest falcon in North America, but with its russet and blue-gray feathers, maybe the most vivid-looking  is making a comeback.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had placed the kestrel on its list of threatened species. In 2015, the DEEP upgraded kestrels to a Species of Special Concern.

Its a bird were still closely monitoring, said Jennie Dickson, a supervising wildlife biologist with the DEEP. But this is definitely a step in the right direction.

We dont have exact numbers, said Patrick Comins, director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut. But the emerging pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

If this good news continues for the kestrel, it will be another example of how humans  who have altered the environment in so many terrible ways  can sometimes help a species survive. Nesting boxes for wood ducks in swamps, nesting platforms for ospreys along the Long Island coastline, nesting boxes for eastern bluebirds throughout the state  all have helped reverse declining population numbers for those birds.

When we started the bluebird box program, we had bluebirds in six towns in the state, Dickson said. Today, theyre in 169 towns.

The American kestrel has several things working against it.

The kestrel is a bird of the grassland  a habitat thats getting harder to find as farm pastures return to forests or give way to development.

Dickson said there is also concern that the kestrels food supply might be diminishing, because some insects are not around in the numbers they used to be. And ther species of raptors, such as Coopers hawks, will kill kestrel fledglings for a meal.

And as the fields disappear, so do the kestrels favorite nesting spots: tree cavities, including abandoned woodpecker nests.

Enter people like Art Gingert.

Starting in 1977, when he worked at Audubon Connecticuts wildlife sanctuary in Sharon, Gingert has been building and installing kestrel boxes around the state. At the moment, the count is up to 86 boxes in 26 towns in northwestern and north-central Connecticut.

Im still going strong, said Gingert, of West Cornwall.

He came to the program when he noticed that some parts of the states mosaic of habitats  woods, wetlands, brush lots  were being forgotten.

We had programs for forests, for beaver swamps, he said. But we werent doing anything for the open territory.

The ideal kestrel habitat, he said, is an open pasture with some wet spots in it.

If you find killdeers and bluebirds, you know it will be good for kestrels, Gingert said.

Over the years, hes honed his ability to find good spots for kestrels. His latest nesting box design involves putting a roomy box atop a 12-foot post, which keeps raccoons from climbing up and raiding the nest.

Its like a bluebird house on steroids, he said.

Gingert and others not only build homes for the kestrels; they also visit successful nests each summer to band the fledglings. This banding has helped naturalists get a better understanding of how the kestrel population moves around.

The DEEPs Dickson stressed the complications of keeping the kestrel population growing.

Its preserving the grassland habitat, she said. Its maintaining nesting cavities. Its food supply. Its predators. Its a layering of factors.

But if the current success continues, theres a good chance that kestrels  small, fierce and altogether beautiful  will be hovering over Connecticut fields for bird and human generations to come.

Sometimes, Dickson said, If we can do one thing right, we can get things moving in the right direction.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Opinion / Columnist



Nomazulu Thata is a political activist, an engineering metallurgist by profession, author of two books, a chemistry teacher and lecturer in her present occupation. Her essays are purely personal and do not reflect any political party affiliation. She can be contacted on Nomazulu.thata(at)web.de

She said: "Rape is a Black people's past time." Black South African men regarded rape as a cultural right. I still have to meet a girl of 12 years who was not raped. How it is possible to put all the blame of rape on a mass scale on Black South African men only? Rape is a global evil that is ravaging societies at global level; it should never be put paid on South African men. Sure "racism" comes in if she thinks that is the black South Africans only raping the young girls and babies and infants. There was no need to make a racist statement, if she removed racism her statement was going to be correct because what she said was correctAccording to the whole Judge her "logic" conclusion that South African black men are inherently violent and therefore rapists are wholly incorrect. There are good black South African men out there who are not rapists. Dear white Judge, think global and act local.I wish I could put words in her mouth and say rape had become a global pandemic. Indeed rape is a global scourge, axes of evil, and it is not regional, not confined to South Africa but it's a global challenge. She should have said rape is as old as mankind in as much as prostitution that predates the documentation of the old testament of the bible.Rape is indeed a symptom of a culture, a system of oppression which is much greater than social problems. There is a lot of information on abuse, child brides that are perpetuated by poverty. It is indeed the parents that send daughters away for early marriages due to inadequate resources at home: poverty. She should have talked us through how we are going to combat that culture that feeds rape because early child marriage is rape equally and a global nonsense.The racist Judge should have said: rape is an inherent tendency of male nature, begins with assumption that human sexual behaviour, though based in biological need is an expression of cultural forces. She should have said that rape is part of a cultural configuration which includes interpersonal violence, male dominance and sexual separation. She should also say that she got those quotes from Susan Brown-Muller.She should have said that rape is interpreted as the sexual expression of forces in societies where harmony between men and their environment has been severely disrupted; this is a classical example of South African development, political and economical. She should also quote the source of her findings to make her statements scientifically and politically correct. Those utterances she made are inappropriate because she cites a particular race: black South African men. Rape is a global pandemic experienced in almost all counties in the world it does not matter how developed those countries are.The racist Judge should have given national voice to most individual experiences of sexual violence in South Africa as a Judge. She should have found means to chart possibilities to curb rape in all societies rather than condemn it as a black South African culture. She does not tell us how the victims of rape are going to be rehabilitated in the aftermath of rape. Is she going to draw attention to policy makers and health practitioners and make rape a serious national cancer, a national security risk equally as bad as Apartheid itself?In almost all societies of this world, not only South Africa, women have been treated as objects of sex and it was accepted that a man has the right to sexual intercourse and the woman deserves to be raped. Because it has been the culture in most societies globally to hold women as subjects, rape is not seen as an issue to talk about ever as it serves the man, a higher being than the woman. The white South African Judge in that respect is not wrong at all, I am with her.In developing countries women are kept in constant state of fear and intimidation and are forever conscious of the fact that they can be raped any time. Rape has become a culture of fear, a tool to be used by men willy nilly especially when there are political conflicts in the land, she should have said this! It is common in African societies particularly in African to let child-marriages take place because of poverty; institutionalised rape per se. Again the ways in which men and women in our societies are socialised, the language that can contain eroticization of dominance and submission put young women and girls at risk of rape, the Judge should have said.The racist Judge should know that rape is not an isolated act but also imbedded in factors such as culture yes as she puts it, but also religion and economic discrimination, high rates of unemployment, social insecurity make men especially become violent, but this is not specific to South Africa as she would like to make us believe.Rape is prevalent in Europe: Germany, UK, Netherlands, France, just to mention those few, USA, Asia, Cambodia, India; just name any country in the global set-up; rape is still prevalent in those societies, done to even children and babies. Rape, kidnapping of girls and young women, trafficking of women and girls should be viewed within the same prism, how I wish she should have said this.It is a fact too that in most households, there is rape in decent establishments; in matrimonial beds. A man is the one that enjoys sex and not the woman. The Judge was dead right in that respect. The way men and women are socialised to speak, is most of the time based on the dominant subject of sex. ( Kunjani nyanewethu? Mukadzi ningina!) The subject matter is sexualised to please the man who is present. Men are characterised as hyper-sexualized people and the women play with this belief most of the time to gain currency of acceptance. This statement excludes girls and toddlers and babies who are victims of rape equally.The racist South African Judge is correct, the gamut of cultural, social and institutional practices through which gender is constituted within the African patriarchy leaves a lot to be desired, and we shall be the laughing stock for some generations to come. Child enslavement, child marriages, child trafficking and child abductions, child abandonment does give us the epithet of African violence culture.The repercation of rape especially to babies and children are most horrific to note. Fistula is a medical term that means the tearing in a child's vaginal wall which allows the passage of either faeces or urine leading to continual incontinence. If that is not horrifying then what is horribilis?I pen off for nowUgogo omncaneChirikadzi
Because Travelstart Nigeria understands youre probably an adult, and much more is expected of you, there are a few things you need to ...

Because Travelstart Nigeria understands youre probably an adult, and much more is expected of you, there are a few things you need to stop doing when travelling via a plane.The aircraft bulkhead is not your personal ottoman. It is not there for you to put your bare, un-socked, smelly feet on. Please keep your toesies covered and off our walls. Your seatmates will thank you.As youve probably heard before, that is not water your standing in. Besides, sometimes those planes turn around so quick at out-of-base stations that cleaners at that station dont even have time to clean the toilets properly. And to be honest, sometimes they forget, or just dont clean them.I mean, do people just barge into your office without any warning and decide that it is the perfect space for them to strike a Warrior 3 pose, feed their baby, or pray to Buddha? I didnt think so. The galley is our workspace, or our office so to speak, so please stay out.Were you not just sitting in the airport for two hours? Did you not even consider using the airport restroom? Or do you just have some strange fetish for holding your bladder until the last minute and using airplane toilets?Unless its a medical emergency, then please do. Even ring it a couple of times to add urgency, to get our attention. That is truly what we are there for, and we do want to help you. But ringing your call light for a Vodka Soda, makes you look silly. How about stretching your legs, walking to the back galley, and asking in person?For some odd reason, whatever it may be, this is sort of taboo. So next time youre on a plane, and you want to express gratitude for a great flight, just tell the flight attendants thank you as you deplane.Why you thought cracking out the deep-fried Brussel sprouts you made last night for dinner on your way to Tulsa was a good idea, is truly beyond me. If you feel like bringing some of your own food, please make sure it is stink-free. Your fellow passengers and the cabin crew will thank you.Not only does it stink, it is actually forbidden by the Federal Aviation Administration. The reason? The fumes are toxic, and with a recycled air system in place onboard the aircraft, the system can not filter the toxins from the recycled air. In plain English; you, fellow passengers, and the cabin crew will be forced to continue to breathe toxic air for the rest of your fifteen hour flight to Beijing.What was going through your head when you decided that your flight from Detroit to Chicago would be the best time to cut your toenails. Ewww, gross.Theres some Federal Aviation Regulation that prohibits you from drinking your own alcohol brought on board. The reason: flight attendants need to serve you the alcohol, to monitor how much you are consuming. So just because you thought you could buy a few of those minis at the local liquor store for $1 instead of $8 onboard, wait till you land to consume them.Travel Tip: If you book a flight on Travelstart Nigeria and fly business or first class most airlines will allow you to consume your own alcohol bought ahead of time, provided it is given to, and distributed by a flight attendant.I dont quite understand this one, have you never seen a door before? What makes you think that pulling out the little metal thing that has a picture of a cigarette with a line through it is going to open the lavatory door? Wouldnt it just make much more sense to just push where it says push?Generally, you are allowed two carry-on items. One small light-weight item to be placed under the seat in front of you, provided it does not block the path to the aisle, and a bigger item that may be stowed in the overhead compartments. On average, a 737 holds anywhere from 140-170 people; what makes you think it is ok to use an entire overhead compartment for your small bag, suitcase, jacket, and whatever else you decided to smuggle past the gate agents. Have some curtesy for your fellow passengers, and just place one item in the bin.Until next time, XOXO.
President Francois Hollande yesterday hailed impressive military gains by Nigeria and its allies against the terror sect, Boko Haram, b...

President Francois Hollande yesterday hailed impressive military gains by Nigeria and its allies against the terror sect, Boko Haram, but said the group remains a threat.Hollande who spoke at a joint press conference with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja as West African and European leaders gathered for the second security summit on the extremists said: The results (of the counter-insurgency) are impressive and the rebels have been diminished and forced to retreat.He added: This terrorist group nevertheless remains a threat. This terror group Boko Haramy which massacres, terror attacks has been weakened, forced to move back, forced to lose ground. They have been chased about and they had to give up the territories they were controlling.He thanked President Buhari for the successes recorded by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun and for his determination in coordinating the countries against the sect.He said terrorism has grown largely because it is feeding on the weaknesses of the global financial system.His recipe: We therefore have to fight corruption, dwindling economy as well as tax havens.Continuing, the French President said:And this has indeed an impact on the terrorist groups and their ability to finance arms trafficking as well as terror attacks.Asked whether enough has been done in the fight against terrorism, he said: We have achieved major progress already ybut this is not the end. So we shall continue to fight against all systems that enable all forms of trafficking y- human trafficking happening in the Mediterranean, drug trafficking that has been linked with the terror activities and arms trafficking as well.This afternoon (yesterday) we will be discussing this at the summit and we will further discuss it at the G7 and the G20 about fighting tax havens, countries not abiding by the rules and I will be leading the discussion on this in particular at G7 next month.Hollande who hosted the first security summit on Boko Haram in Paris in May 2014 pledged more support for Nigeria in the fight against the sect.It currently assists by way of intelligence sharing, training of soldiers and by provision of equipment to support the missions of the Multinational Joint Task Force.Hollande said Nigeria and France signed several agreements on defence, culture and other sectors during yesterdays talks.He said: Together with President Buhari we wanted to express all of this work yand we have been signing a letter of intent that embodies the cooperation between these two countries. We also discussed other matters and signed agreements on technical, scientific, and cultural cooperation as well as agreements on development.As you may know, the French Development Agency invests a lot in Nigeria which is the first beneficiary of its loans. There are also a lot of agreements and decisions taken yby our many businesses like Total who are strengthening their businesses in Nigeria.We also entered into agreements in agriculture because we are aware of the needs in Nigeria and we are aware French companies that meet these needs.President Buhari at the joint press conference said that the issue of security in Nigeria and in the world had become more harrowing.He said technology was a major contributing factor to the deterioration of security across the globe.He said: Fundamentally, the issue of security has been more harrowing. The international terrorism now with the help of technology and millions of volunteers respect no bordersy. It is a lot of concern for people of conscience to learn that in Nigeria we have more than two million Internally Displaced Persons most of them women and children.While saying that Nigeria had been the main battle ground, Buhari said his administration was not aware of Boko Harams international colouration until it declared loyalty for ISIS.On the achievement of his administration in the anti-terrorism war, he said: We do appreciate the efforts, the successes recorded by this administration. I was told that a hundred articulated tankers leave Kano alone on a daily basis, seven days a week to go to Maiduguri and you have traders from Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon. So you had at least two million Nigerians, from wheel barrow pushers to traders that benefitted from Maiduguri market before Boko Haram struck.Now if you conduct a survey, that traffic is gradually coming back. You need to ask about this area for you to understand the successes scored by this government with the help of G7 including France in terms of training our military personnel, provision of hardware and keep on pushing Boko Haram out of Nigeria.Nigeria has been the main battle ground. We were not aware of their international colouration until they claimed that they are loyal to ISIS. So I assure you we are doing our best.When we came in they were controlling 14 local governments where they hoisted a flag and declared it a republic or a kind of caliphate of some sort. But now, they are not holding any local government.They are exploiting available technology in terms of using improvised explosive device on soft targets  in Mosques, Churches, markets and motor parks. Many of the territories they held captives have been freed and now our main problem is rehabilitation of infrastructure destroyed, educational, health, bridges blown etc. We have made a comprehensive survey and very soon we will start to empower them.
Opinion / Columnist

I was shocked - no, let me say, dumbfounded - when I learnt that the Zimbabwe Minister of Home Affairs Ignatius Chombo was threatening to ban anti -government demonstrations - further giving credence to the fact that this government has lost all sense of respect for the people from whom they derive the power to govern.As painful as it is, this is to be expected from any power dynamics, and it is entirely up to the people to re-claim their power - as truly, any government's ability to govern is derived from the people.Only the people have the power to keep a wayward government - such as the one we have in Zimbabwe - in check, and they should do that without fear.Indeed, we need to go back to the basics of politics to understand and appreciate this power.The ZANU PF government claims to have been democratically elected in 2013, and as such, obtained its mandate to govern Zimbabwe till the next election in 2018 from the people of Zimbabwe.This process on its own betrays one important fact, that the government of Zimbabwe was appointed by the people of Zimbabwe, and as such is an employee of, and subservient to the people of Zimbabwe.That is why political parties campaign every time there is an election.They would be begging the people to give them the job of governing the country.The political parties - or independent candidates - would be effectively crying out, 'Please give me the job to govern this country. We are capable because of such and such qualifications and experience, and if you employ us, we promise to deliver this and that for the benefit of the country and all its citizens'.It is no different from a person who sends an application letter and CV to a company's shareholders (owners) - and may be called for an interview - 'campaigning' to be given a job on the company's board of directors.The only difference is that a company is a small entity, and as such, may have very few shareholders who would make the decision as to whom to employ on its board of directors.However, a country is a huge entity, and its shareholders comprise of ALL its citizens, and as such, the decision on whom to employ on its board of directors - that is, the government - has to be taken by ALL those that are eligible to vote - through an election process.Any country's elections are effectively its shareholders' meeting in which they would be choosing a new board of directors to run their country on their behalf.The board of directors is, therefore, accountable, answerable, and subservient to the shareholders.Just because the shareholders stay at home, whilst the directors are involved in the effective day to day running of a company - through the appointment of the company executives, and designing and implementing of plans for the effective operations of the company, and so forth - does not mean that they (the directors) are now the bosses and are above the owners.No!The shareholders would always be above the directors.The same approach goes for a country.Just because the shareholders - the citizens - are not involved in the day to day governance of the country, does not subjugate them to the government.The citizens will always be above the government.This is a very important fact that no Zimbabwean should ever forget.The people are the bosses.Furthermore, we pay the government's salaries through our taxes - showing that we are truly their employers.It is about time that Zimbabwe's shareholders exercised their powers without fear.Just because the Privates in an army are holding the guns, does not make them more senior than the Generals, who might not be holding any guns.Similarly, the people of Zimbabwe should not fear their own employees, just because they now use intimidation to do things that are contrary to the desires of the shareholders.The people of Zimbabwe should stand firm and stamp their feet down to show the ZANU PF government who really is the boss in this country.The government has no right whatsoever to deny the people of Zimbabwe their right to express their dissatisfaction with the manner in which this country is being governed.Furthermore, the right to peacefully demonstration and petition is enshrined in the country's Constitution, so where does Chombo derive that power to deprive the people of their rights?Who is now breaking the law?The government should stop taking the people of Zimbabwe for granted by regarding them as fools.Zimbabweans have every right to express themselves peacefully, and no one should stand in the way of that.The government has no right in determining what the people should or should not openly grieve about.There is too much injustice, suffering and oppression in this country, such that people are fed up and they need to express themselves freely and openly.No amount of gagging, repression, or intimidation will stop Zimbabweans from expressing themselves.Stifling free expression has never worked anywhere in the world.ZANU PF should be the first to acknowledge that.This party was formed during the colonial times, where there was widespread oppression of the majority.Both ZANU and ZAPU endured immense repression and stifling by the Ian Smith regime.These two parties were banned for their revolutionary activities.However, no amount of banning, threats, intimidation, restriction, detentions, imprisonment, abductions and disappearances, or assassinations ever dampened the people's spirits.The people boldly soldiered on unfazed, and eventually attained their hard-fought for independence in 1980.During the colonial days, the majority of the oppressed people of this country did not even have any constitutionally-enshrined rights to fight for their freedoms and their country.All the revolutionary activities of those years were illegal and unconstitutional, yet that did not stop the people.In fact, the more they were oppressed, the more determined they became.So why in the world would ZANU PF think that repressing the people would somehow dampen their spirits?If this approach never worked for Ian Smith, why should it work for Robert Mugabe?Are they somehow delusional enough to believe that today's generation is weaker?Well, they are mistaken.It also took decades for the repressed people of Rhodesia to finally take more decisive action against the settler regime.The people of this generation are also trying by all means to be patient with this government, hoping that their cries would be heard.However, that patience is fast running out.The people of this country are not even clamouring to engage in any unconstitutional means to have their voices heard, or for a democratic change of government.They are leaning upon the country's Constitution to express their displeasure at how the ZANU PF government is treating them, and for their desire for a new dispensation - nothing more.The people want their suffering addressed as a matter of urgency.The ZANU PF government can take away the people's jobs, they can starve us, they can intimidate us, they can even kill us, but there is one thing they can never take away - and that is how the people of Zimbabwe truly feel about them - the people are angry, fed-up and repulsed by this government, and they can never be silenced - if anything, they can only get even more determined.
Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has said despite the alleged intimidation of the opposition by the President Muhammadu Buhari...

Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has said despite the alleged intimidation of the opposition by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, he would not be intimidated from criticising the actions and policies of the government.The human rights activist, who had in recent times openly defended several persons being investigated or tried by the EFCC, in a statement on Saturday, stated that he would not, because of Buhari, shy away from fighting for justice and good governance.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had last Monday arrested Adegboruwa for an alleged N61m scam, in which he allegedly conspired with some persons to lease a property in the Lekki area of Lagos State, which was a subject of an Interim Forfeiture Order by a Lagos State High Court.The lawyer and one Jonathan Udeagbala, with whom he committed the alleged offence on August 13, 2013, were on Thursday charged and arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos.The lawyer had been granted bail in the sum of N10m with two sureties in like sum.I was released late last night (Friday) following the bail granted to me by Hon. Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court, Adegboruwa said in a text message to one of our correspondents.In the statement titled, The Struggle Continues, Adegboruwa, said, I have never been under any illusion that it would be a smooth and jolly ride to attempt to be a voice against oppression and dictatorship, but it didnt occur to me that it would take any form of some vendetta.Im told to accept the fact that there is a new administration in town, which does not like opposition and criticisms and that anything can be done to silence all voices of dissent, including assassinations and trumped-up charges.I was told point blank that if anybody is killed today, nothing will happen and that it is proper for me to always expect that any and all things will be deployed against me if I dont keep quiet.According to Adegboruwa, his response was that he was not fighting Buhari or his administration.He said, As known to everyone, many of those working with the President today are my friends, colleagues and some are even my mentors, as it were. But my passion is always justice, transparency and good governance and I cannot because of Buhari shy away from this. So, the struggle continues. I cannot be cowed or intimidated.Justice Oguntoyinbo had adjourned till June 13, 2016, for commencement of trial.Adegboruwa came into the limelight through activism as a Student Union President at the Obafemi Awolowo University in 1992.
Division in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party has ensured that it broke into factions. Twelve of its former gove...

Twelve of its former governors and no fewer than 14 former ministers are leading a breakaway group, which is labelled,The 57-man committee, named in Abuja on Saturday, is expected to take over the running of the party from May 21, when the tenure of the current members of the National Working Committee of the party comes to end.Already, the NWC members led by the partys National Chairman, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, are planning for the national convention scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt on Saturday.The party is expected to elect new national officers at the convention.The former governors, who have formed the breakaway group are Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), Bonnie Haruna (Adamawa), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Donald Duke (Cross River), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Mahmood Shinkafi (Zamfara), Abdulkaldir Kure (Niger), Mohammed Makarfi (Kaduna), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Babangida Aliyu (Niger) Okwesilieze Nwodo (Anambra) and Gbenga Daniel (Ogun).They have been joined by 14 former ministers who served under the PDP-led Federal Government when the party formed the government at the centre.The former ministers are Prof. Tunde Adeniran (Education), Inna Ciroma (Women Affairs), Adamu Maina Waziri (Police Affairs), Prof.Jerry Gana (Information), Dr. Abubakar Suleiman (National Planning), Tanimu Turaki (Special Duties), Ishola Sarafa (Solid Minirals), Zainab Maina (Women Affairs), Joseph Anenin (Women Affairs), Ojo Maduekwe (Transportation), Prof. ABC Nwosu (Health), Dubem Onyia (Foreign Affairs), Bala Mohammed (FCT) and John Odey (Environment).However, it was gathered that the list was still being complied and that more big wigs in the party were planning to identify with the group, which is working to stop Sheriff from emerging as the national chairman of the party on May 21.Among those who have joined the former governors and former ministers are Sen. Ibrahim Mantu, Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, Shehu Gabam, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Rabi Ibrahim, Mairo Habib, Amb. Wilberforce Juta, Ibrahim Bunu, Sen. Joseph Akaagerger, Sen. Zigo Azeez, Sen. Ben Obi, Mrs. Remi Adiukwu and Sen. Ben Obi.Also on the list are Dr. Bolere Ketebu, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, Shittu Mohammed Kabiru, John Dara, Sen. Folashade Grace Bent, Awwal Tukur, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Dr. Patrick Okomiso, Sen. Anietie Okon, Alh. Aminu Yakudima and Mr. Nichola Msheliza.Okupe, a former presidential spokesperson, revealed on Saturday in Abuja, that the group would elect its officers next week.He also said that the time and period of its inauguration would be determined during the week.The group would meet and elect its officers next week. We are serious about recovering the party from the grip of the few, he added.However, Sheriff had said that members of the group were free to leave, alleging that they never contributed to the success of the party in the first place.He accused them of contributing to the deluge of problems facing the party now, adding that if they had worked assiduously with others in the past, perhaps, the party would not have lost power in 2015.Sheriff, who spoke through his media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said, Certain faceless groups have come up with different gimmicks trying to divert attention from the effects of what they did in the past leading to the squandering of the fortunes of the party, or to distract the attention of the chairman from pursuing very lofty and laudable programmes for the repositioning of the PDP or even just to cause mischief.Unfortunately, among such groups are self-styled elders and stakeholders led by Prof. Gana.I have seen him sweating on television, playing with language but at the end of the day saying nothing.I want to specifically say we kept sealed lips about some of the activities of this man believing that we could still find a rendezvous at which we could work together for the progress of the PDP.I must say, and there are witnesses, that this is one character that attempts to play role in every government since the time of the military.Bwala added that given his recent action, It was glaring that Gana would not add value to the repositioning of the PDP..
The National Vice Chairman (South West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, has declared that Governor Ayo...

Ogundipe said the various interest groups in the party must obey the order of a Lagos Federal High Court which stopped the party from going ahead with the Southwest Congress earlier scheduled to hold on Saturday in Akure and Ijebu Igbo, by the two factions in the party.Fayose, while speaking with reporters in Abuja on Friday, maintained that the South West Zonal Congress of the PDP must go ahead. He said no order of the court can stop the delegates from proceeding with the process.The South West PDP is polarized into two groups with one faction loyal to the Senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu while the other faction is loyal to Fayose and his Ondo State counterpart, Olusegun Mimiko.The two factions are presenting parallel candidates for the positions of National Vice Chairman (South West), National Secretary, National Publicity Secretary and National Auditor, ahead of the May 21 National Convention slated for Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.Speaking on the latest development in the party on Saturday, Ogundipe said the National Secretariat of the PDP had received the court order and was ready to abide by it.When reminded of the insistence of Fayose that the Akure zonal congress would go ahead, Ogundipe said the era of one-man show and unilateral decisions is dead and buried in the party.The zonal PDP boss advised all party leaders and members to obey the court order and not resort to self-help. He insisted that nobody in the party, no matter how highly-placed, should hold the court in contempt.He warned that if Fayose and his group go ahead with their congress in Akure as earlier planned, it would be an effort in futility as the court order is clear and unambiguous.Ogundipe said: He (Fayose) is not the party and he is not bigger than the party, he takes orders from the party as a member and it is the party as a body that takes the decision of where to go and we all take orders from the National Secretariat.The court has said nobody should go ahead with the zonal congress and the party has decided to obey the court order and I am here in Ijesa Isu, my hometown. Until the court says otherwise, we wont go ahead with the conduct.I am a law-abiding person and PDP is a law-abiding party. I have told my ogas at the top in the National Secretariat who are the custodians of everything in the party. I have informed them that we can no longer go ahead in the face of a subsisting court order.
Organized labour, yesterday, insisted it would shut down the economy from Wednesday, May 18, should the Federal Government fail to reve...

Organized labour, yesterday, insisted it would shut down the economy from Wednesday, May 18, should the Federal Government fail to revert the pump price of petrol to the pre-May 11 price of N86.50, among other demands, by midnight of Tuesday, May 17. The declaration was made on a day indications emerged that government was disposed to amicable settlement of the price hike impasse with labour.The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, however begged NLC and Nigerians to endure the hike in the price of petrol, saying it would help to revive the economy.The Minister explained that the government action was influenced by the need to reposition the economy into a productive one.Speaking when he paid a visit to the South East regional office of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, in Enugu, he explained that Nigeria was passing through painful structural reforms necessary for rebirth.The Federal Government is not unaware of the hard times Nigerians are passing through as a result of the re-structuring of the economy. The President is genuinely concerned and personally feels the pains too. But this is a necessary phase we must all endure for the restoration of better days, Ngige said.
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was conspicuously absent at the Peoples Democratic Partys South-South zonal Congress held in Port Harcour...

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was conspicuously absent at the Peoples Democratic Partys South-South zonal Congress held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Saturday.While many dignitaries, including current and former governors were present at the occasion, the former President was not at the event that gathered a large crowd at the Obi Wali International Civic Centre in Port Harcourt.Though no reason was given by the party for Jonathans absence, the development may not be unconnected to the misunderstanding between some elders and younger politicians in the PDP.Speaking during the occasion, Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, vowed that the PDP would win the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State and retain the South-South zone as the stronghold of the party.He also declared that governors and leaders of the party would do everything legally to ensure that the party retains the zone.Wike stressed that the governors would provide the required support for the PDP members in Edo State to ensure the party won the governorship election in September.The governor spoke on behalf of the PDP governors in the South-South zone.He said, The South-South governors will make sure that PDP retains the zone. All the governors in the zone will work as a family. We shall give all necessary support to our party members in Edo State for the party to reclaim the state in September.The governor pointed out that the national convention of the party would be successfully held on May 21 in Port Harcourt.Wike added, The ranting of deflated politicians on sponsored television programmes would serve no purpose. The PDP governors and leaders of the zone support the national convention, which will hold successfully on May 21 (2016).He said those issuing press statements on the forthcoming convention were only struggling to be relevant because they knew the strength of the party ahead of the next elections.The governor explained that the South-South PDP governors had all proved to be high-class performers, having delivered on the developmental programmes of the party.Earlier, the new National Vice-Chairman of the PDP, South-South Zone, Emmanuel Ogiri, expressed confidence that the PDP would win the presidency in 2019.Ogiri, however, stated that the disagreement between elders in the PDP and some members of the party would be resolved before the May 21 national convention of the party.In his remarks, the Senate Minority Leader and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conclude the rerun elections in Rivers and other states.He added that the South-South PDP National Assembly members worked hard to ensure that the Calabar-Lagos rail line was included in the 2016 budget.Akpabio said Nigerians were now yearning for the PDP to return to power because they had discovered that the party served them faithfully.The six states in region successfully elected new officers of the PDP in the zone.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday pledged a donation of 40m from his country to Nigeria to help the fight against Bo...

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday pledged a donation of 40m from his country to Nigeria to help the fight against Boko Haram.He praised President Muhammadu Buharis strong leadership.Hammond also announced the UK would train almost 1,000 Nigerian military personnel for deployment in counter-insurgency operations.His promises came as he arrived in Abuja for the second Regional Security Summit on Boko Haram.President Buhari has shown strong leadership in the fight against Boko Haram, a brutal organisation that has raped, murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians and forced over two million people to flee their homes, Hammond said.Their allegiance to, and potential coordination with Daesh (IS), is a reminder of the threat they present to the region and to British interests.Britain and Nigeria, with support from the US, France, and its neighbours, are making progress in degrading Boko Haram, but we must maintain the momentum to win the war, and build the right conditions for post-conflict stability in the region.Boko Haram has killed some 20,000 people during a seven-year insurgency.The UKs money to fight the terrorists will be distributed over four years.Hammonds flattering words follow days after Mr. Cameron was heard describing Nigeria as fantastically corrupt.Following the incident, a Downing Street spokesman said: Both leaders have been invited to the summit because they are driving the fight against corruption in their countries. The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with them as they do so.
By Stephanie Maksin

Family and friends of Heather Brace and Robert Lowther gathered Saturday morning to celebrate a force of love with a Star Wars-themed wedding.

Bride Heather Brace, dressed as Princess Leia, walked down an aisle decorated as the iconic opening credits to the saga.

Groom Robert Lowther walked to the altar wearing a black tuxedo with a black stormtrooper helmet. Groomsmen followed behind, wearing white tuxedos with white stormtrooper helmets. Bridesmaids wearing silver gowns and matching nail polish carried light saber bouquets while an Anakin Skywalker-lookalike followed behind with the rings concealed in the Death Star. At the altar stood Obi-Wan Kenobi who led the ceremony.

Many guests arrived in Star Wars-themed clothing. Some took a simpler approach; one couple was wearing a matching Darth Vader dress and tie. Others chose to be extra creative and arrive in costume. Chewbacca, Han Solo, and R2-D2 all made appearance at the service.

After the ceremony, the newlywed couple met with a line of wedding guests - thanking each one for coming. Bridesmaids and groomsmen took turns posing with the stormtrooper helmets, plastic guns, and light sabers.

The ceremony was held at Lakeside Manor in Gibbsboro.
PISCATAWAY -- President Barack Obama addressed the graduates at its commencement ceremony Sunday.

Obama received an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway.

Approximately 52,000 people, including more than 12,000 graduates seated on the field, received tickets to attend the ceremony under heightened security as Rutgers celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Phillipa Humphreys2.jpg

Phillipa Humphreys and her horse, Rich N Famous (Photo by Lillian Shupe | NJ.com)

A tribute to Eventer Philippa Humphreys was held in the main arena on May 15 prior to the CCI** show-jumping phase of the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.

A day earlier, tragedy, both human and equine, marred the event in two separate incidents.

Humphreys, 33, died after a rotational fall on the CCI*** cross-country course.

Humphreys fell at fence 16, the Grand Table. Her horse, Rich N Famous, a 13-year-old Dutch Thoroughbred cross, survived the fall.

According to witnesses, her horse hooked a leg in the jump, resulting in the rotational fall.

Humphreys was a British citizen currently living in Rockford, Mich. She was the first human fatality in the history of the Jersey Fresh event.

Her survivors include her husband, Peter, and 6-month-old daughter, Millie.

"All of us connected with the Jersey Fresh International are deeply saddened by today's tragic news and we extend our condolences to Philippa's husband, Peter, and to her entire family," said Dan Wunderlich, Chairman of the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event in a statement issued on the evening of May 14.

FEI safety officer Rusty Lowe later issued a statement about the death. "When she went down, a bystander nurse close by immediately went to her aid and initiated CPR. Medical staff was dispatched immediately and arrived within 45 seconds. Resuscitative measures were taken and Advanced Life Support was given. She was attempted to be resuscitated on the scene and was transported to a local trauma center, where she was pronounced dead approximately one hour later. The medical staff that was on duty here today did a tremendous job and gave a heroic effort to attempt to treat and resuscitate Philippa. Unfortunately, her injuries were severe enough that she could not be resuscitated."

Dear Friend, Today, you weren't able to save the life of this young mother. Her injuries were just too severe. But you... Posted by Esdcta Eventing on Saturday, May 14, 2016

A college fund has been established for Millie Elizabeth Humphreys, and donations in her mother's memory are welcomed.

Skyler Decker's and Inoui Van Bost (Photo by Lillian Shupe | NJ.com

In another incident, Skyler Decker's 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood, Inoui Van Bost, was injured in a fall at fence 19, a trakehner, during the CCI** cross country phase. The horse was transported to the nearby New Jersey Equine Clinic in Millstone, where he was euthanized.

This had been the pair's first CCI** together. Decker, 17, lives in Mount Airy, Md.

It was not the first equine fatality at the Jersey Fresh. At least three horses have previously died at the event.

For current equestrian news see Horse News or check out the online version of the print edition.
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A masked man approached an employee outside a closed bar in Journal Square this morning, according to a police report.

(Google Maps )

JERSEY CITY -- A masked man approached an employee outside a closed bar in Journal Square this morning, according to a police report.

Shortly after 4 a.m., the 38-year-old Journal Square Pub employee was bringing the garbage outside when a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and construction-like mask approached him, police said.

The man went inside the building, but nothing was reported missing. The employee told police he was the only one at the business at the time of the incident.

Initially, police believed two men with guns were in the basement of the pub. When they arrived, the employee said he was not sure if the suspect had a gun, police said.

The department's Emergency Service Unit shut down streets in the neighborhood until the building was cleared.
Opinion / Columnist

Job Sikhala, who is the secretary for recruitment in Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC, should mind his own business rather than waffling in the press that being a member of parliament (MP) is a waste of time.Sikhala, who was once an MP of St Mary's exposed himself that during his tenure as a legislature he did nothing tangible for the people he represented. A hard working legislator will always be voted back in power. However, that was different scenario with Sikhala and his former constituency. The residents of St Mary's were always complaining about poor collection of waste disposals and bad sewer system. As a responsible MP, Sikhala was supposed to organize with the local municipality in order to solve such problems.Because he was sleeping on duty, the former St Mary's legislature lost his seat to Marvelous Khumalo in 2008. If being a legislator is a waste of time, why was Sikhala competing for the St Mary's parliamentary seat? Was he forced to do so? Sikhala must be ashamed of his sentiments. His scathing words that being an MP is a waste of time depicts that he is just a man who tasted sour grapes after losing his seat to Khumalo.Like Sikhala, most opposition MPs who represent most constituencies in towns and cities lack commitment to their work. It seems most of them are not aware of their job descriptions. They are only capable of attacking the ruling government without proffering meaning solutions. Checks and balances are important, but they should be backed by solid solutions.There is really need for legislators to develop their constituencies. You cannot boast that you are an MP if you can't represent the electorate. In rural areas, quite a number of these legislatures are performing well in their areas of jurisdiction despite the current economic challenges. They mobilize funds and other necessary resources from well wishers that are needed to develop their constituencies. Buhera South legislator, Honourable Joseph Chinotimba, MP for Magunje constituency, Honourable Godfrey Gandawa and Chirumhanzu South Member of Parliament, Honourable Innocent Pedzisai Munanzvi are some of the unwavering hard working legislators whose work can be greatly cherished.Developing a community is a way of empowering the people in that constituency.It is imperative to note that MPs have important roles to play in the constituencies they represent. Among others, duties of parliamentarians include legislative role, supervisory role, and representative role. MPs should be visible in their constituencies all the time.In most urban areas where MDC-T MPs dominate, the legislators rarely goes to their constituencies such that the electorate who voted for them end up thinking that there have no MP in their constituency. People need food, accommodation and good healthy facilities. Most roads in Harare suburbs like Budiriro, Highfield and Glenview are full of potholes. It is the duty of the responsible MP to liaise with Harare city council to repair those roads. The public needs to be represented.Cdes, lets develop our communities so as to promote growth of the entire nation.
The Jets drafted seven players this year.

Which guy will have the biggest impact in 2016?

Here's your chance to vote, in our poll:

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
PISCATAWAY -- As President Obama left the stage following his convocation address at Rutgers University, he stopped to embrace Rutgers student government President Matt Panconi, standing with other honorees as a representative of the graduating class.

But many graduates leaving High Point Solutions Stadium--as they paused to hug, pose for pictures and rejoice, said they felt the president spoke directly to them.

Emily Haran of Old Bridge, who received her master's in communication information, called the speech interesting and optimistic, but also funny.

"I thought he said some really incredible stuff," she said. "It was meaningful, and I think a really good message for graduates."

Her favorite part?

"I have to say, probably the humor. I didn't expect him to be so funny. He really is quite a personality."

Karenn Marin of Bergenfield, who got her bachelor's in journalism and political science, also took the speech to heart.

"I think his message was that we shouldn't be ignorant, that we should be as educated as possible and have an open perspective," she said.

Some 50,000 students and their families heard the president talk about the rapidly accelerating pace of the world, and to shun those who embrace ignorance and isolationism. It was the first time a sitting president gave the convocation address at Rutgers, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

Obama praised the school for its diverse student body and research programs.

Many of those interviewed said the president's speech had a profound impact, including Alysa Kaporsch, 25, of Union, who was still in her gown standing among the hundreds of people who had just exited the stadium. She said what resonated with her was Obama's statements about young people staying engaged, and not succumbing to cynicism. It inspired her "to look forward, not be so cynical, and keep going."

Donald Warren Jr., 27, of Freehold, also had just exited the stadium gates was looking for his family and friends. He appreciated the pragmatism he felt Obama brought to his address.

"I thought it was pretty realistic," Warren said, "and it gave us logic and reason on political (matters)."

Warren said he recognized that young people today feel politically disaffected. But the president's speech inspired him about how youth, and particularly youth taking to the voting booth, can actually make a difference.

"It definitely needs improvement," he said, referring to his peers being more politically proactive. "He instilled that we could make a difference."

Raelynne Smith of New Brunswick, who received a bachelor's degree in human resource management, said she was deeply moved by the speech.

"It was legendary. Nothing can top him. I'm glad to be part of the 250th anniversary," she said, appreciating some of the campus references that were peppered in the president's speech. "He definitely knew the struggle."

Alejandro Santana of Jersey City, an exercise science major, said the speech hit just the right notes.

"He was funny, so much intellect behind everything that he said. It was the perfect speech, especially for graduation," he remarked.

Exhaling deeply, he gave a wide smile. "Everything he kept saying about 'the wall' -- the little hints -- was really great. Following the debates and the presidential campaign, it's such a big part of the news right now."

Santana, who plans to take a gap year and spend time volunteering and interning in the medical field before continuing his education in physical therapy, hopes one day to become a doctor.

"He just really inspired me to go out and vote, make a difference. Because it's really in our hands, our young generation, and I know a lot of people who just don't vote. It really is up to us. Obama really pushed it."

Staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PISCATAWAY -- Traffic in Central Jersey is going to be very heavy Sunday morning as Rutgers University combines the largest commencement ceremony in the school's history with a visit from President Barack Obama.

Obama is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey Sunday morning to speak at Rutgers' 12:30 p.m. commencement ceremony at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway.

More than 52,000 people, including 12,000 graduates, are expected to begin arriving as early as 8 a.m. for the ceremony. Though commencement will be over by 2 p.m., additional ceremonies and receptions on campus are expected to tie up traffic in Piscataway and New Brunswick until Sunday night.

Among the expected problems:

Route 287: Exit 9 (River Road) will be closed from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday. Rutgers officials suggest vehicles, including those headed to the commencement ceremony, use Exit 8 instead.

Route 18: Avoid the highway in the vicinity of New Brunswick and Piscataway. It will serve as the major feeder road into the commencement ceremony and the other events on the Rutgers campus.

Sutphen Road: The road that passes through Rutgers' Busch campus in Piscataway was closed Saturday and will remain closed Sunday to all traffic except vehicles involved in setting up for the commencement ceremony.

Raritan River bridges: The John Lynch Bridge and the Landing Lane Bridge, which connect New Brunswick and Piscataway, will experience heavy traffic. Some graduates and guests will be walking over the Lynch Bridge, but Rutgers officials discouraged foot traffic on the smaller Landing Lane Bridge.

River Road: The road that runs along the Raritan River in Piscataway should be avoided throughout the day. In addition to the graduation ceremonies at Rutgers, Sunday is the final day of the popular Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church a few blocks away on River Road in Piscataway. The festival crowds are expected to further complicate traffic problems in the area.

Local roads: Heavy traffic is expected on local roads on and near the Rutgers campus, especially College Avenue, George Street, Hoes Lane and Metlars Lane.

The map below shows real-time traffic problems in red. Click the "+" and "-" icons to zoom in and out.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Phillipa Humphreys

Phillipa Humphreys gallops her horse, Rich n Famous, on the cross country course at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey just moments before the rider sustained fatal injuries when the horse fell while attempting a jump. (Photo by Lillian Shupe | NJ.com)

-- A 33-year-old rider died Saturday after she fell from her horse at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event hosted at the Horse Park of New Jersey, organizers said.

Philippa Humphreys, a British citizen living in Rockford, Mich., fell at fence 16 of the course, according to a statement from the competition. Emergency crews rushed her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, where she was pronounced dead.

"All of us connected with the Jersey Fresh International are deeply saddened by today's tragic news and we extend our condolences to Philippa's husband, Peter, and to her entire family," Dan Wunderlich, Chairman of the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, said in the statement.

Humphreys' horse, Rich N Famous, was not hurt, according to the statement. The Chester, England-native came to the United States in 2005.

The Jersey Fresh International is a qualifying selection event for the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team, and helps determine participants for the United States and Canadian World Equestrian Games and Pan Am Games Teams.

I can't believe this is real. Philippa 'Richards' Humphreys had such a huge impact on my life, and I just can't... https://t.co/FPYupOxHep  Sarah Leff (@sarahmarieleff) May 14, 2016
PISCATAWAY -- Seeking to beat traffic and congestion at security checkpoints, hundreds of people descended on High Point Solutions Stadium as early as 7 a.m. Sunday for President Obama's address at Rutgers University's commencement.

Secret Service agents toting M16s, armored vehicles and dozens of police officers greeted graduates and their families as they began arriving on campus. More than 50,000 people are expected at the stadium for the 12:30 p.m. commencement.

Obama, the first sitting president to speak at a Rutgers commencement, is expected to address the crowd at 12:50 p.m.

By 8 a.m., long, snaking lines of people -- some in cap and gown -- led to security checkpoints set up around the stadium's entrances. Anyone entering the stadium must go through metal detectors and comply with a long list of restrictions, including bans on liquids and bags.

Even before approaching the checkpoints, people were required to show their tickets and identification.

The airport-style security is unprecedented for a Rutgers commencement.

Some of the earliest arrivals brought a cheerful perspective to what awaited them, tailgating in parking lots before the checkpoints opened at 8 a.m.

For those who set out later, traffic quickly built on roads leading to the stadium. Motorists reported traffic on Route 18 was at a near standstill by 9 a.m.

The map below shows real-time traffic problems in red. Click the "+" and "-" icons to zoom in and out.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Christie-Fort Lee

The tollbooth lanes, lower left, leading to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee. An attorney for an unidentified and unindicted co-conspirator in the politically motivated scheme to shut toll lanes at the bridge wants an appellate court to stop the release Tuesday of names of others tied to the scandal. (Mark Lennihan | AP file photo)

NEWARK--With a Tuesday deadline fast approaching, the unnamed "John Doe" who seeks to keep the names of others who have been tied to the Bridgegate political scandal from being publicly identified asked a federal appeals court Saturday night to stop the clock.

In papers filed with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, an attorney for the still anonymous individual requested a stay of last week's order by U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton requiring prosecutors to release a list of "unindicted co-conspirators" involved in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane shutdowns--a scheme allegedly orchestrated by former associates of Gov. Chris Christie to boost his re-election campaign.

"It is a due process violation for the government to label someone an unindicted co-conspirator," said attorney Jenny Kramer of Chadbourne & Parke in New York. "Here, the district court ordered the government to disseminate a letter so labeling Doe."

In her Saturday night filing, Kramer said the appellate court should stay Wigenton's order until it can address whether John Doe's rights have been violated.

"Because Doe was not given the opportunity to establish that he is not a co-conspirator, he was not given the process due him before he could permissibly be so labelled," she wrote. "Doe will suffer irreparable harm absent the relief sought because once he is named as an unindicted co-conspirator at noon on May 17, the stigma that the government believes there is evidence that he entered an agreement to shut down traffic at the George Washington Bridge to retaliate against Mayor Sokolich can never be removed.

A consortium of news organizations--including NJ Advance Media--has been waging a court battle to force the U.S. Attorney's office to reveal the list of names of those who federal prosecutors said had conspired in the bridge plot, or in the subsequent cover-up, but had not been charged.

"We are confident the court will agree with Judge Wigenton and deny this stay request," said Bruce Rosen, of McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli in Florham Park, the lead attorney for the media groups.

Two people--William Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor's former deputy chief of staff--are awaiting trial in the so-called Bridgegate scandal. They are accused of deliberately closing down local toll lanes at the George Washington Bridge in an effort to cause massive tie-ups in Fort Lee to punish Mayor Mark Sokolich, after he declined to endorse Christie for re-election.

David Wildstein, another former Port Authority official and political appointee, has already pleaded guilty for his role in the lane closures and is cooperating with prosecutors.

The efforts by John Doe come after Wigenton last Tuesday ordered prosecutors to release a list of other individuals who allegedly played a role in the conspiracy, but were not been charged in the case.

Wigenton agreed that the public had a right to know who the unindicted co-conspirators were, noting in court filings that all of those on the list were public employees, or elected or public officials.

Kramer, a former federal prosecutor, sought unsuccessfully to get Wigenton to keep the list of names confidential, arguing that the release of John Doe's name "brands him as a criminal."

But Wigenton, who had agreed to temporarily delay the disclosure deadline until Tuesday, denied Kramer's request.

"This court does not take the identification of unindicted co-conspirators lightly, recognizing the possible reputational consequences of such a revelation. However, here, this court has given Doe notice and an opportunity to be heard and has thoroughly considered his privacy interests."

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Welcome home, President Obama.

Welcome back to New Jersey, where your American family tree was planted nearly 400 years ago.

When Barack Obama steps to the podium to address the Rutgers' Class of 2016 today at High Point Solutions Stadium, he will be a mere 12 miles from Woodbridge, the town in which his first American ancestor lived, flourished, raised a large family and died 12 generations ago.

In genealogical terms, Jonathan Singletary Dunham is Obama's eighth-great-grandfather and he is buried somewhere near the house he built in 1670, not far from the Woodbridge River, where he opened the state's first gristmill.

Dunham's house still stands and is now the rectory of Trinity Episcopal Church.

As soon as Angela Cipolla, the priest in charge at Trinity, heard Obama was giving the Rutgers commencement speech, she sent a letter to the White House, inviting him to visit his ancestral home, which is now her home.

"He's not going to be far from here," said Cipolla. "I thought he might want to stop by."

The interior of the orange-and-black brick house was recently restored by church volunteers, but the original masonry - including the fieldstone foundation - remains solid and straight.

Outside the rectory is a monument to Dunham and an original stone grist wheel from the mill.

"You can draw a straight line from Jonathan Singletary Dunham to Ann Dunham, Obama's mother," said David Wilson, 58, a congregant at Trinity who researched the family and gives tours of the church grounds. "His mother's roots go all the way back to the earliest days of the colonies."

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns

Overlooked in all the birther talk about Obama's birthplace and heritage is the fact that, on his mother's side, the president is very much an American blueblood.

While Obama is here to help celebrate Rutgers 250th anniversary, his personal American history predates the university by 126 years.

Jonathan Singletary Dunham was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of Salisbury in 1640 - just 20 years after the Mayflower arrived.

Dunham was the first member of his family born in America. His father, Richard Singletary, may have come from England as early as the late 1500s, according to a genealogy chart by another Dunham descendent, Doug Wilson (no relation to David).

Jonathan Dunham, who used his mother's maiden name as his surname, came to New Jersey around 1665 with his wife, Mary Bloomfield, also a Massachusetts native. He was given a 213-acre land grant by New Jersey Gov. Philip Carteret, then opened the mill.

"That made him a wealthy man," Cipolla said.

Dunham got a second land grant of 203 acres and went into politics. He was the clerk of Woodbridge court and was elected to New Jersey's Provincial Congress.

The Dunham family history in New Jersey is well-documented in two genealogy books in the Woodbridge Library.

"The First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Woodbridge and Piscataway (1664-1714)" was written in 1935, by Orra Eugene Monnette, and has a section on the Dunham family.

Another book, "The Ancestors & Descendants of Lewis Ross Freeman," written by Patty Barthell Myers in 1995, traces the Dunhams and the family of Mary Bloomfield. Follow those lines and it becomes clear that Obama is a distant cousin of Joseph Bloomfield, the New Jersey's fourth post-colonial governor.

More recently, "when someone becomes president, people rush to do their genealogy," said Wendi Rottweiler, the Woodbridge history librarian. "So this is very well-documented."

Jonathan Dunham's presence in Woodbridge reverberated to the extent that the Village Kirk (green) area, where his family settled, became known colloquially as Dunhamtown.

The center was Trinity Church, co-founded in 1698 by the Dunham family. Obama's seventh great-grandfather, Benjamin Dunham, led the effort to get the first permanent church built before his death in 1715. (The current church was built in 1861).

Obama's branch of the family left New Jersey for the wilds of western Virginia in the early 1800s, then moved on to Indiana and Kansas, where his great-grandfather, Ralph Waldo Emerson Dunham Sr., was born on Christmas Day in 1894. His mother, Ann, was born in Wichita in 1942 and the rest is modern history.

As for the ancient history, Cipolla said when she took over the small church of about 75 families in August, "the first thing I heard was about our link to Barack Obama. The church is naturally very proud of it."

So she sent an invitation to the White House, hoping she could lead the president through the old cemetery to walk among the pitted and barely legible sandstone headstones of his ancestral uncles and cousins.

Joseph Dunham, who died in 1801, is buried in a place of honor next to the church entrance. Ash Dunham, who fought in the Revolutionary War, is a few feet away, his grave marked by a medallion and American flag.

"I haven't heard back," said Cipolla, who is called Mother Angie by congregants. "I didn't expect to, but it was worth a try."

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.
PISCATAWAY - You have to hand it to the president: He knows how to get in his shots.

The shots in question were against a guy Barack Obama never mentioned by name during a 45-minute commencement speech to the Rutgers Class of 2016. That's Donald Trump.

Trump is of course the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in the race for the job Obama will hold for just seven more months. And there was little doubt the Donald was the target for the brunt of the 45-minute address.

But like the pro he is, Obama started off with a light touch.

"I come here for a simple reason," he said at the start. "To finally settle this pork roll vs. Taylor Ham question."

After getting a laugh, he demurred, saying, " I know better than to get in the middle of that debate."

He went on to joke about the legendary grease trucks.

"Mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers on your cheesesteaks," he said. " I'm sure Michelle would approve."

Obama also showed an impressive grasp of the local geography as he sympathized with the students over the shuttles buses running between the distant Livingston and Cook campuses.

That led him sideways into his attack on Trump. After mentioning the diversity of the student body taking those buses, he praised Rutgers as "What might just be America's most diverse student body."

That permitted him to segue into the serious part of his speech, a five-point embrace of the idea of progressivism.

He began the first point by advising the graduates "When you hear someone longing for good old days, take it with a grain of salt."

"People long for some imaginary past when the economy hummed and all politicians were wise," he said. "Guess what? It ain't so. The good old days weren't all that good. Life is better than is was 50 or 30 or even or even eight years ago."

Eight years ago was, of course, the final year of the Bush presidency. But Obama didn't mention the last Republican president either. Instead he turned the attack on the guy who wants to be the next Republican president.

He urged the graduates "to not fear the future" and to engage with the world.

"A wall won't help that," he said. "The point is, to help ourselves, we've got to help others - not pull up the drawbridge and try to keep the world out."

And he got in a further dig at the Donald's call for restricting Muslim immigration.

"That's a betrayal of who we are," he said. "It would alienate the very communities who are our most important partners in the war against violent extremism."

Just in case there was some uninformed soul out there who didn't get the reference to a certain businessman, Obama went on to talk about the need for public officials to have political experience.

"If we go to the doctor we want to know he went to medical school. If we fly, we want somebody who can pilot the plane," he said. "But in our public lives we suddenly think, 'I don't want somebody who's done it before?'"

Who could that somebody who's done it before be? Hmm, it sure sounds a lot like Hillary Clinton.

But commencement speeches are not the proper venue for open politicking. And

in fact his comments on the use of the military could have been seen more as a shot at Clinton than at Trump.

Recent reporting by the New York Times makes it clear that Clinton who was the pivotal voice advising Obama to begin what became a disastrous intervention in Libya. She has also urged Obama to take a more interventionist role in Syria.

So when Obama said, "Engagement does not mean just employing the military," I found myself asking just who was pushing for all that engagement in Obama's first term. Certainly not the Donald.

And for all the digs he got in at Trump, Obama seemed less concerned with advancing Hillary's career than framing his own in the light of history.

Early in the speech he quoted Martin Luther King 's saying that "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. "

After painting himself as a progressive, the president summed it up by urging the graduates to follow in his footsteps.

"Is it any wonder that I'm optimistic?" he asked. "A generation of Americans has bent the arc of history."

From the continuing applause he got for 45 minutes, Obama sure sounded like he had convinced the audience about the long-term arc of history.

As for the short term, we'll have to wait till November to find that out.
Donald Trump will be in town this week hosting a fund-raiser to retire Chris Christie's campaign debt.

It'll cost you $200 to get in. For $1,000, you get to shake the hand of the governor and the guy who consigned him to defeat in the Republican presidential primary.

For Trump it promises to be just another day on the campaign trail. But for Christie it will be yet another day when the specter of Bridgegate will be hanging over his head as he mans the rope line.

On Friday, the judge in the pending trial of the two defendants in the case ordered a delay until at least Tuesday of the release of the names of unindicted co-conspirators in the 2013 plot to close the access lanes to the George Washington Bridge.

My sources tell me the Gov's name is not on that list. But then last week we learned of a second list, this one of others who "may have had knowledge of the conspiracy ... but did not join."

Christie's name is virtually certain to be on that list. That's because the government's star witness, Bridgegate mastermind David Wildstein, has already charged that Christie knew about the lane closures as the plot was unfolding in September of 2013.

If that list comes out and he's on it, then Christie will once again catch hell in the headlines - perhaps unfairly. The category "may have had knowledge" is a broad category indeed. Lawyers I've spoken to say they wonder why U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's office would even compile such a list.

But they did, and it first came to light in March, when a lawyer representing a number of news outlets including this one filed a request for the list of co-conspirators.

That led Michael Critchley, the defense attorney for former Christie aide Bridget Kelly, to file a request for the names on the second list on the grounds that the information "is crucial to Ms. Kelly's ability to prepare for and defend herself at trial."

Last week, Judge Susan Wigenton released that list to the defense. It's under seal for now, so we don't know exactly who's on it.

What we do know is that things are looking up for Critchley and Michael Baldassare, the defense attorney for former Port Authority official Bill Baroni.

By the time the trial begins, the defense will likely have a long list of public and elected officials who had some role in the scandal but weren't indicted. The obvious question at that point will be why these two were singled out for prosecution under federal law.

They shouldn't have been, according to Harvey Silverglate. Silverglate is a Boston lawyer who is the author of "Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent." The book is based on the premise that if you construe federal law broadly enough, then the average American can't make it from dawn to dusk without committing a few felonies.

Silverglate says the Bridgegate prosecution is a classic example of federal prosecutors turning a political tussle into a federal case.

"This whole imbroglio is really the quintessential political fight," Silverglate told me. "I think it's a very good example of the tendency of the Department of Justice to redefine, recreate, stretch, and contort federal statutes to kind of meet the occasion of the day."

In this case, one of the charges is based on a federal statute criminalizing the theft of public property for private use. The property in this case was the bridge itself. To say Kelly and Baroni stole the bridge is a stretch if there ever was one, he said.

"Federal criminal law is not a fitting subject for creativity," said Silverglate. "Citizens as well as government officials are entitled to notice if they're doing something that violates federal law."

Whether a jury will see things that way remains to be seen. But there's a sort of poetic justice in the governor getting embroiled in a case of prosecutorial overreach, said Silverglate.

Attorney Alan Zegas, left, with his client, David Wildstein at a state Assembly committee hearing during which he took the 5th: We've yet to hear his story of how Bridgegate unfolded - but it can't be good for Christie.

"When Christie was U.S. Attorney, he was as creative as the best of them - or the worst of them," he said. "I'm tempted to say, 'Live by the sword, die by the sword.'"

That sword certainly cut down the governor's political ambitions.

Christie was the consensus front-runner in the race for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination until his minions decided it might be fun to get revenge on the mayor of Fort Lee for failing to endorse him in that gubernatorial race.

Now he's being dragged back into Bridgegate right when he's assuming the role as transition chief for the Trump campaign. Despite Christie's declaration last week that the scandal is "old news," there will be plenty of new news in the eventual revelations of just how big a role he played in it.

But at least there will be plenty to talk about at that fundraiser.

PLUS: The big problem for Christie as this unfolds is the question of just what he knew and when he knew it. He has insisted that he first learned of the bridge closuers from the newspapers, but as noted above Wildstein has said the governor knew about the lane closures while they were still going on.

But there's another guy who also says Christie knew in advance about this fake "traffic study."

And that's Chris Christie himself.

As noted in the "Suppose Samson squeals" column linked above and here, Christie said at his first press conference on Bridgegate that he had directed then-Port Authority Chairman to look at the issue of "dedicated lanes" for Fort Lee locals.

Below is the full passage (italics mine). Note that Christie has never explained just when and what he told Samson to "look at this." Christie's quotes:

"I didn't even know Fort Lee had three dedicated lanes until all this stuff happened, and I think we should review that entire policy. Because I don't know why Fort Lee needs three dedicated lanes to tell you the truth and I never knew it until this whole happening came about.

"My urging to the Port Authority would be to review that whole policy. I sat in that traffic, before I was governor, at the George Washington Bridge. And the fact that one town has three lanes dedicated to it? That kind of gets me sauced.

"But I do believe, and I told Chairman Samson this, that we should look at this. One lane maybe. Three lanes? I don't quite get it. I read something in one of the stories that this was host community relations. I mean what's gonna happen if they get a little bit upset? Are they gonna move the bridge?"

ALSO:

NOTE TO COMMENTERS: Every time I post a conservative criticism of Chris Christie, I receive comments from some wannabe-conservative readers who assume that a criticism of Christie from the right is somehow left-wing in nature.

I have every leading conservative in the state on speed dial. I don't know a single one who is supporting Christie in this controversy, and for an obvious reason: He spent his re-election campaign courting Democrats in the cities to bolster his national image rather than helping his fellow Republicans in swing districts in the suburbs. As a result, his 22-point landslide translated into zero gains in the Legislature.

Google is your friend. Use it before making uninformed coments.
needles.jpg

(Harm Reduction Coalition)

There are five places in New Jersey where intravenous drug users can obtain clean needles for free, and almost from the moment they opened in 2007, the exigent need for these facilities was indisputable.

There is no gray area here: Providing uncontaminated syringes to addicts saves lives, saves money, and often creates a path to recovery, because a trust develops between program administrators and users.

Hamstring these facilities, and addicts will share dirty needles, leading to an HIV epidemic and other deadly infections that can overwhelm the health care system.

So it is a great mystery that these five Syringe Access Programs - or needle exchanges, if you prefer - still don't receive any direct funding from the state.

Let's remember the two choices here: A clean syringe costs 10 cents, wholesale; the lifetime care for one person infected with HIV costs more than $600,000. And New Jersey was seventh in the U.S. in new HIV cases in 2014, with 1,538.

So the best intervention strategy is to make these pilot programs permanent, expand them into underserved areas, and stock them with the supplies they need.

The simple syringe, however, is a budget-buster because of volume. The state doesn't help, and federal dollars cannot be used on syringes because of an archaic law enforced by a Republican Congress in 2011.

That means the people who run the Well of Hope facility in Paterson - which serves 3,000 intravenous drug users who need 10 or more needles a day - walk a tightrope every day. Executive director Jerome King says his program spends $6,000 a month for syringes. Sometimes the money runs out, and the Well of Hope has to close, as it did for two days last month. You shudder at the potential consequences.

It's a national problem: There are 203 syringe access programs in 34 states, and the number of needles exchanged jumped from 24 million in 2004 to 37 million in 2011.

The benefits, however, are obvious: In New Jersey, 25 percent of addicts who visit SAPs are now in treatment; in New York City, SAPs have been directly linked to a 75-percent drop in HIV cases over the last two decades.

Gov. Christie recognizes syringe access as a crucial intervention. His Health Commissioner, Mary O'Dowd, told him this in 2012: Syringe programs are "proven to significantly prevent/reduce transmission" of HIV and Hepatitis, and that these programs "have also been shown to facilitate enrollment of IDUs into rehabilitation programs."

But the governor must acknowledge that SAPs need to be scaled up statewide, because this is the front line of the addiction-infection fight.

Senate Health Committee chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) is drafting legislation to take the 2006 Bloodborne Disease Harm Reduction Act - which created these syringe programs - and make it permanent.

The bill would establish grants to help fund needle purchases, which wasn't in the original law, and allow other municipalities to open facilities with local approval.

Anyone who considers this too bold is ignorant of the siren's song, and blind that users will grab a dirty needle when it is the only one available. The weapons in the war against addiction and disease prevention aren't cheap, and it's time for harm reduction to go mainstream.

More: Recent Star-Ledger editorials.

Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter@NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Opinion / Columnist

As I sat to write this piece my mind was taken back to the academic wars that raged in the lecture rooms of my political science class. There were controversial modules which fuelled these gross debates about national belonging and politics in Africa. The most notable of these modules were political theory, political philosophy, political ideology, culture and change.I was very vocal in my own right, though I could not outshine other radicals like Nhlanhla Sigabade Moyo, Sydics Muradzikwa, Artwell Chiwandire and Pardon Chabata. Beyond grappling with issues of national and continental identity the classroom became a space battling our ideological egos. Therefore, our ideological diversities nurtured us to be readers and critical thinkers with respect for one another's views despite our diverse fraternal tags in terms of ideology. We had liberalists, socialists, feminists and one classmate was nicknamed Aristotle. I called Artwell vaPepereki and he called me vaMahoso. Pardon was our own Chivaura.One of the issues we struggled with was the aspect of 'national identity' since views of scholars like Raftopolous, Mlambo, Mazarire, Mashingaidze, Mandaza, Masipula Sithole and Ndlovu-Gatsheni had a huge bearing in shaping our understanding of 'national belonging'. Much of these local scholars' theoretical grounding was drawn from other sources of high critical thought hence their energetic deconstruction and interrogation of the the idea of the 'nation' emerging from an Afrocentric perspective. Continued exposure to these borrowed perceptions of understanding the academia has shaped debates guided by hesitancy to associate the African-self from the idea of the concept of the 'nation'. The greater part of the fear to be associated with the idea of the 'nation' has also been constructed by the works of Western scholars like Anthony D Smith, Benedict Anderson and Robert Nozik. Within the continent voices of Mamdani, Mafeje, Mbembe and Mazrui still influence a radical rethink of the post-colonial state.Most of my colleagues have remained in that paranoia of embracing the Afrocentric paradigm of conceptualising the nation. However, I am still struggling to arrive at a phase of absolute African intellectual renewal. I have found myself committing to pan-Africanism as my chosen space of intellectual interest. In a bid to intellectually transform myself in matters of understanding belonging to the nation and continent from an African perspective reading widely from my local has become a priority.Fanon (1963) continues to neutralise my Afrocentric certainty to issues of national belonging. Nevertheless not defeating my quest to find the lost soul of the African nation as understood by our local thinkers like Phathisa Nyathi and Cain Mathema. Now this is the beginning of the search for relevant knowledge. The early end-result of this process was the publishing of my first book, Pan-Africanism from the Cradle, the Present and the Future (2014). This was coincidentally the same time I encountered Nyathi (2005) and Mathema (2013). To this day, the two books reflect relevant knowledge of understanding national belonging from scholars whose ideas resonate with my aspirations for integrating the ideologically dismantled people of Africa.Of intellectual relevanceIt is in 1947, the year my father was born. This is 17 years after the imposition of the ugly Land Apportionment Act in Southern-Rhodesia which at the time was federated with what the enemies of Africa christened 'Nyasaland'. That same year in another part of the country, Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya Mathema is born. My first encounter with Cain Mathema, a contemporary of my father is in 2012 at the Midlands State University where he delivered a lecture themed after the title of his book; Zimbabwe Diverse, But One. Time for the plenary session of this lecture came, as usual I grabbed the microphone to contend part of his delivery as was the reason for my fame during those days when the university hosted public lectures. I was associated with the habit of challenging public officials during public lectures. Considering my eloquence flaunting my genius expressions was usually incentivised by endless rounds of applause by other students.In 2013, I bought this very same book I am reviewing and it drew me more closer to the person of Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya Mathema. Two years down the line Pathisa Nyathi's writing inspired me to invite him for an academic colloquium convened by Leaders for Africa Network. As indicated above, these two scholars are relevant because they are our accessible locals who share daily experiences and do not write about home based on what they absorb from polarised media and intellectual platforms. Unlike other local scholars writing about home -away from home, Nyathi and Mathema are relevant local academics thinking in local terms to explain local issues (iNdabazekhaya).Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya: The meaningIn the Hebrew tradition, the name Cain means a spear. The name is derived from the legend of Cain the first murder in the Bible after taking the life of his brother Abel. The meaning of this name is equally crude as the 'terrorist' tag used to misname the heroes of the Second Chimurenga. I find it interesting that the legend of Cain and Abel relates to our context.As we find land being the centre of conflict (hondo yeminda) between Cain and Abel. Biblical record (Genesis 4) bears testimony to Cain's role of tilling the land while Abel specialised in animal husbandry. Cain was not pleased about the favour gained by Abel because of his trade. As a result, Cain (the spear) had to terminate the life of Abel.Symbolically this may translate to the land reform process which saw the Black Zimbabweans uprooting the plunders from the face of this land as a continuum of the two historic Chimurengas which form the bedrock of our nationalism.Remember Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya Mathema was born in 1947, 17 years after the Land Apportionment Act was put into effect. Later in 1969 he found himself back from Soviet military training in a quest to demolish Rhodesian tyranny from the face of the land of his birthright.Likewise, biblically Cain and Abel's war was a struggle for birthright. Surprisingly the same allusion is used by Eshmael Mlambo (1972) in his book Rhodesia: The Struggle for a birthright in a bid to substantiate the birthright essentialism of being Zimbabwean. On the other hand, Cain Mathema's book has a prologue where he personifies himself as one destined to challenge the laws suppressing his people. This automatically places Cain and everyone else born in 1947 and many years earlier to the mandate of confronting the laws that had denied Africans their birthright.At his birth in 1947, Mathema is already shouldering a cumbersome task to 'swallows stone' (Ginyilitshe). From birth, the new Mathema offspring is also accorded the burden of being a custodian of 'home-affairs' (Ndabazekhaya).To this day he has carried that mandate following his service to Zimbabwe as a diplomat and currently as the Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs. At this point may I seek the reader's indulgence to argue that the prophecy carried by Mathema's names is fulfilled when he flashes back to 1969 in the first page of his book. As such I will inclusively call him: The 'Spear' (Cain) that 'swallows stone' (Ginyilitshe) in defence of 'Home-affairs' (Ndabazekhaya). His names (Cain and Ginyilitshe) symbolise bravery in defence of a home, a village and at large a country. In other terms, the narrative of his indulgence with the liberation struggle and many others he acknowledges in the book symbolises their collective bravery for defending the Black birthright. The 1969 flashback serving as a prologue of the book entails the 'swallowing of stone' or rather the bravery which was compulsory for every patriotic African to work towards the ouster of Rhodesian rule in our ancestral soil.Mathema - the spear - swallowing stone - in defence - of home-affairs (2013: 3) further clarifies that the aspect of national belonging transcends difference in ideology and goes far beyond ethnicity. This is demonstrated in his poem 'A maze of blood' which speaks of intermarriages of the ancestors of today's modern Zimbabwe. According to Mathema, Zimbabwe was born out of the cordial ties of her indigenous people and not ethnic wars as we are conditioned think in order to legitimise tribalism. When he alludes to other compatriots in the ZIPRA camp in 1969 he clearly indicates that nationhood is formed out of the struggle which unified citizens were willing to overcome that time.This justifies his dirge dedicated to the life of the late Vice President John Nkomo whose heroic status is endorsed by accolades which describe Nkomo as a nation-builder. Beyond that, the first chapter illustrates that Zimbabwe's homogeneity emanates from the common redemptive interests of those who fought in the First and Second Chimurenga. Moreover, from this perspective, being Zimbabwean is better described by one's patriotic stand in the country's contemporary Chimurenga against neo-colonialism and economic empowerment. Mathema's writing becomes significant as it clearly explains that the unifying values of this country explain the aspect of our national oneness - contrary to the divisive attributes associated with the idea of the 'nation'.The submission by Mathema demystifies divisive pervasions of belonging grounded on political ideological difference. This is where Mathema and Nyathi's line of thought becomes relevant as it searches for the homogeneity of the Zimbabwean experience from a purely Afro-centred academic standpoint. It is this manner of thinking that Zimbabweans need to define themselves on the basis of common interest and a shared destiny bearing in mind that our plurality must be celebrated.Phathisa: One who helps in reconstructing Zimbabwe's demolished cultural heritageWhile Mathema castigates tribalism, Pathisa Nyathi offers a unique appreciation of ethnicity and the need to build on ethnicity to discover the true meaning of being Zimbabwean. From this stand point, Nyathi challenges all the divisive mechanisms grounded on ethnicity which have even largely constituted to Africa's war with herself since the time of the Biafra Crisis until today. In his introduction, Pathisa Nyathi clearly elaborates that the book is a response to the effects of colonially driven cultural change.This coincides with Mathema's analysis on the challenges of nation-building which emanate from proletariat religions currently dividing Africa. One of these religions led to our colonisation and still carries high voltages of the colonial power. As such it was the same religion that has been on the fore of dismissing the new national pledge for being pagan. This reveals that Nyathi and Mathema's contribution to the body of knowledge will enhance the understanding of ourselves taken captive by alien ideological constructs. Therefore, Nyathi's contribution can be viewed as an attempt to relocate the colonised mind from acculturation to self-consciousness which is catalysed by revisiting culture as a medium of re-membering all colonial dismemberments.Strengthening the weakened national thought-powerReligion and ethnicity (tribalism) are fingered in both books as divisive elements challenging the Afrocentric underpinning of national belonging. Therefore, redeeming the mind of the African from the colonial hangover to truly find belonging to the nation must take deep-seated intellectual warfare by Afrocentric knowledge handlers. This will be possible through culturally resuscitated African thought-power in a bid to reinvent a new being which is conscious of its potential to rebuild Africa if well-oriented in local knowledge.Richard Runyararo Mahomva is an independent academic researcher, Founder of Leaders for Africa Network - LAN. Convener of the Back to Pan-Africanism Conference and the Reading Pan-Africa Symposium (REPS) and can be contacted on rasmkhonto@gmail.com
WASHINGTON -- Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who with his wife Miriam spent more than $55 million in an unsuccessful effort to defeat President Barack Obama in 2012, said he would line up behind presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in 2016.

"The alternative to Trump being sworn in as the nation's 45th president is frightening," Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., wrote in Sunday's Washington Post.

Adelson, who with his wife spent more on the 2012 presidential election than any other donor, said the election of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, would mean a third Obama term.

"You may not like Trump's style or what he says on Twitter, but this country needs strong executive leadership more today than at almost any point in its history," Adelson wrote. "Trump has created a movement in this country that cannot be denied."

Adelson, a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, is backing a candidate who once said he had to be viewed as fair to both sides if he was to negotiate a Middle East peace treaty.

"If I go in, I'll say I'm pro-Israel," Trump said during the March GOP debate in Miami. "But I would like to at least have the other side think I'm somewhat neutral as to them, so that we can maybe get a deal done."

He was criticized by both Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Clinton for appearing to proclaim his neutrality in the conflict.

"I don't think we need a commander in chief who is neutral between the Palestinian terrorists and one of our strongest allies in the world, the nation of Israel," Cruz said during the Miami debate.

Clinton criticized Trump's position in her speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee legislative conference in March.

"America can't ever be neutral when it comes to Israel's security or survival," she said. "Some things aren't negotiable. Someone who doesn't understand that has no business being our president."

When Trump addressed AIPAC hours later, he dropped all pretense of neutrality.

"The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable," he said. "They must come to the table willing and able to stop the terror being committed on a daily basis against Israel and they must come to the table willing to accept that Israel is a Jewish state and it will forever exist as a Jewish state."

After delegates cheered Trump's anti-Obama comments during his speech, AIPAC's leadership took the stage the following day and delivered a public apology.

Trump was booed during his speech to the Adelson-funded Republican Jewish Coalition in December after he refused to proclaim Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel. Palestinians seek the Arab section of the city as the capital of their state.

And he was called out by the Anti-Defamation League after he told RJC members that they weren't going to back him "because I don't want your money."

The ADL criticized Trump several other times during the campaign, including his attacks on immigrants, his call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and his delay in distancing himself from white supremacists who are backing him.

Trump's earlier comments led some attending the AIPAC conference, including Rabbi Jesse Olitzky of Congregation Beth El in South Orange, to protest his appearance there.

Both Adelson and Trump lined up behind Netanyahu and strongly fought against the agreement to relax economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Adelson, who called the deal "an issue of paramount importance to me personally" in the Post article, has funded groups and individuals opposed to the agreement, including Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's World Values Network, the Zionist Organization of America and the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran.

Boteach joined Gov. Chris Christie and others at an August press conference in an unsuccessful effort to convince U.S. Sen. Cory Booker to oppose the nuclear deal. Boteach, who first met Booker at the University of Oxford in England in 1992 and studied Torah with him, has been a critic of the senator ever since.

Trump headlined a Tea Party-led rally at the U.S. Capitol in September in which he said the Iran deal was negotiated by "very, very stupid people."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
TRENTON -- The way "Saturday Night Live" sees it, Gov. Chris Christie really, really wants to be Donald Trump's vice president.

And if not? Bruce Springsteen will do.

In Saturday night's opening sketch, the comedy show imagined the New Jersey governor visiting Trump Tower to suggest whom the billionaire businessman should select as his running mate. Trump, the former Atlantic City casino tycoon, recently tapped Christie to run his transition team.

Christie, played by cast member Bobby Moynihan, throws out a few names.

Jeb Bush? Christie and Trump, played by Darrell Hammond, laugh at the idea.

Carly Fiorina? Nope, says Trump.

Marco Rubio?

"Little Marco?" Trump asks. "I can't ask him to be VP until his parents sign the release form."

"I need someone who can lead," Trump continues. "Where do I find that?"

Christie holds up picture of himself.

"How did this get in here?" the governor -- whom some experts say is one of Trump's leading choices -- asks slyly.

Darrell Hammond (left) plays Donald Trump and Bobby Moynihan (right) plays Chris Christie on "Saturday Night Live."

Christie says his next suggestion is "a little outside the box."

"But I feel very strongly about it, the governor says. "Bruce Springsteen!"

"I mean, come on," Christie continues. "He's the Boss, you're the boss. He was born to run."

"He's a Democrat," Trump says.

"He is a god!" Christie yells back.

Christie, of course, is a massive fan of the New Jersey rocker, claiming to have been to more than 130 Springsteen concerts. A viral video recently captured him signing along at a Bruce show in Brooklyn.

Whom does Trump pick in the end? Watch the full sketch above.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday said he "can't say" how much time he'll need to devote to planning the presidential transition of likely GOP nominee Donald Trump.

But the leaders of the last two Republican presidential nominees' transition teams told NJ Advance Media the demands are extraordinary, prompting some GOP state lawmakers to openly question whether that will leave Christie enough time to be an effective governor.

"Once I was named, it was a full-time job," said John F. Lehman, who chaired the presidential transition for U.S. Sen. John McCain's 2008 White House bid. "Six in the morning until eight o'clock in the evening."

Former Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt, who served half a dozen years in President George W. Bush's cabinet before chairing Mitt Romney's transition team in 2012, said he and his wife moved to Washington D.C. and that he spent "eight hours a day on it" in the run-up to the general election.

He predicted that Christie "will be working 12 or 14 hours a day" as a result of his extra Trump duties.

Unlike Christie, the Leavitts had no school age children living at home at the time, and Leavitt was no longer a sitting governor or cabinet official.

Christie's term as governor runs through January 16, 2018, a year after the presidential inauguration.

When asked Wednesday how much travel might come with the Trump transition chairmanship, Christie said: "I don't think it will take me out of state much at all."

Leavitt said if served as transition chairman for Romney while still governor in Utah, "it would have required that I organize things differently."

Given Christie's circumstances, Leavitt said that the governor would need "to have a strong Chief Operating Officer" to delegate to.

As to whether he thinks Christie can serve Trump's chair and New Jersey's governor at the same time, Leavitt said: "That's something Governor Christie is best able to respond to. The governor was elected, and he'll have to meet that accountability."

While Christie's decision to perform these extra duties is voluntary, executing them is not.

The Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010 requires that each party's presidential nominee name a transition chairman and begin planning no less than six months before the general election. A total of $6 million in public financing is supplied for office space and other related expenses to each candidate.

The law was enacted after the 9/11 terror attacks, said Lehman, who served as a commissioner on the independent, non-partisan 9/11 Commission.

Lehman said the commission found Bush had been so delayed and distracted by the Florida recount after the 2000 election that "at the time 9/11 happened, he'd only appointed 20 percent of the national security appointees."

The Bush team's failure to prepare for the transition in time, Lehman said, was partly to blame for the 9/11 terror attacks occurring.



"Had there been Bush officials in all those key jobs, it is far less likely that the attack would have happened," said Lehman.

Lehman said he's concerned that Trump, who had to fight his way through an unprecedented 17-deep field, is only now getting around to naming a chairman in Christie.

"It's already late to start planning," he said.

McCain became the GOP nominee in August 2008, but Lehman says he began planning the transition almost immediately McCain announced his candidacy in April 2007. Reagan began transition planning almost a full year before the general election, he said.



Christie, he predicted, can probably expect to "start with an hour a day" spent on planning Trump's transition "and build up to more than that" as the election approaches. But if Trump prevails in November, "it's 24/7 after the election, and continues like that on into the White House."



"Our transition office was a scaled miniature of the federal government," Leavitt said. "You spend a lot of time coordinating and preparing and meeting people in those departments, because you can't transition this government in the 77 days between the election and the inaugural."



Meanwhile, Republican state lawmakers in New Jersey are expressing concern about the additional duties demanding the attention of a governor who's already hit record-low polling numbers in part from his out-of-state travels.

Christie's approval rate hit 26 percent earlier this month, with voters annoyed that the governor spent most of 2014 and 2015 out of state to serve as the chairman of the Republican Governor's Association and laying the groundwork for his own failed presidential run.

"The governor already has a full time job," said Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R- Somerset). "The notion of having a second full-time job would be very concerning. There are only so many hours in the day. The challenges New Jersey is facing require full-time attention, and some overtime."

When Christie first announced his endorsement of Trump, fellow Republicans in the legislature, including state Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset) expressed concern that he would become a full-time surrogate for the candidate.

Bateman last week expressed similar concerns.

"If it's going to be very time-consuming. He needs to think long and hard about being governor or leaving early," said Bateman. "For now, I think he can do both, but we'll have to wait and see."



Several other Republican legislators said they also would take a wait-and-see approach.

"Everybody wants him in Trenton, we look forward to him doing that," said Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris) "But Trump, I wouldn't be surprised if he ran his own transition. I think it's a leap to assume it's a full-time job."

"If the governor believes he's not being effective, then that's a decision he's going to have to make," added Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R- Hunterdon). "I trust that he's capable of handling both duties, and if not, I trust he'd make the right decision to resign and let the lieutenant governor become the full governor."



One notable longtime Christie GOP ally, however, does't see that happening.

"It's an enormous task and I'm sure he feels enormous pressure," said state Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. (R-Monmouth), who chaired Christie's 2009 election campaign but broke with the governor to support Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president.

"I am sure he's not going to resign," Kyrillos said.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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.
Opinion / Columnist

RAPE is an omnipresent event of traumatic evil. Victims or survivors are subjected to face double blows as they are victimised, and are left to suffer as they relieve this ordeal.Every time you remember, every time you struggle, every time you feel that your heart is breaking under the weight of what happened to you and this can never be easy. Rape is a life-changing event.A violent assault awakens some of the most painful, horrifying emotions that humans are capable of. Terror, shock, unbearable pain, overwhelming helplessness, and vulnerability are just some of the feelings one may experience.These are powerful feelings that do not just go away. Instead they affect every area of one's life.Rape can happen to men, to women of all ages, and to children.The legal definition of what constitutes sexual assault or rape vary from country to country. However, sexual assault generally includes any unwanted or non-consensual sexual contact or attention that is inappropriate touching, harassment, kissing or even unnecessary sexual connotations that make the next person feel uncomfortable.More specific sexual assault in the form of male rape involves unwanted, non-consensual or forced oral penetration.Anyone can be sexually assaulted or raped, regardless of their gender, size, strength, appearance or sexual orientation.Back in the day we hardly heard people talk about male rape, even in this day we still cringe at the thought of a male person being raped and this even made it hard for me to type out this week's column.A lot of visuals visited me and I had to constantly breathe and start over, it is hard to hear about such happening to any person and I can only imagine how it feels for a male to go through such because I will never know.Until very recently, there has been very little in the mass media about male victims of sexual assault, and this absence leads to the belief that sexual assault simply does not happen to men. All victims, regardless of their gender, undoubtedly suffer as the result of sexual assault or rape.It is simply not true than women suffer more than men, or indeed that men suffer more than women whoever has such an experience suffers and no one deserves it more than the other. Heartbreaks come to most of us sooner or later and from the first time we are born we all know that heartbreak is waiting for us.This week our column is on a man who has lived with a heartbreaking experience that no one deserves to go through . . .Rape, I hate this word. It is difficult to write and even more difficult to say or talk about what happened. I grew up thinking that men who are sexually assaulted are not real men from a tender age. I was made to believe that boys and men should be "brave", "strong" and "tough" and therefore it is understandable that experiences which leave you feeling scared, vulnerable and abused can leave some men feeling inadequate and ashamed.My parents were very busy people and were never at home and our maid assumed the role of a "mother" she bathed me, clothed me and fed me from the time I was young and we had developed a bond because she had been a part of our family for a very long time. I was comfortable around her and we shared almost everything that happened in our lives and we often had the same complaints.She got pregnant and the man responsible decided to send her to his home in the rural areas and so she could no longer work for us and we had to hire someone new.Our new maid was overly friendly and often said suggestive naughty things and I did not pay much attention to all this as I thought she was just a different person. I had my boxers and slippers on when she told me she was going to initiate me into manhood. I have no idea why she did it, she was really angry and shouting because I had refused to play with her breasts.I know a lot of people find the issue of male rape funny and unbelievable because they think that men want to have sex all the time, and all men will have sex with anything and anybody, but that is not true, I was only 13 when it happened to me.She told me it was normal, children have sex with their "aunts" and most importantly she was preparing me for manhood. I could not understand what she was talking about and she came to my room ready with a towel around her and it was just the two of us at home.There is something about rape that is so much more terrifying than most crimes. It is the invasion of your body. The act of sex, which is supposed to be an intimate connection between two people, becomes a weapon with which to control you and paralyse you with fear.I understand why people do not want to talk about it because it is an emotive subject. Those who have been victims or survivors do not want to admit it. Those who haven't don't want to admit it could happen to them. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to turn for help either.Friends became fewer and fewer, simply because I became less and less sociable I was scared of telling anyone and at some point I did not know what was happening to me, I was always confused.People often say the only person who can really help you when you hit rock bottom is yourself. So that is what I decided to do. Nothing else was working, I had quite literally nothing to lose. Something needed to change. I decided to talk. I have taken the power back from my rapist and used that experience to raise awareness and positively impact the lives of others. I sincerely believe that if I hadn't broken my silence, I wouldn't be alive today.She took my manhood and put it in her mouth and started giving me a b*** and then she forced me to touch her, go down on her at the time I was not mature enough to understand what was happening. She then proceeded to have sex with me, multiple times. At that point, I did not know what was happening to me, whether it was ok, whether it was normal.After that day she continued to do this and would force herself on me until I got so used to it, I would lie down on the bed, just wanting it to get over as soon as possible.At 13, I began to get raped and my childhood went by having two worlds where I would not remember the rape until something triggered it off and then I would cry endlessly. I never wanted to be at home alone with the maid and each time my parents were away I would cry because I was scared that I would be raped again . . .I grew up having no self-esteem and I was afraid to tell anyone because at some point I thought it was my fault.I only initially told my lecturer who had noticed my weirdness and there after it took me about six months to finally open up to close friends. I had a small group of people, three or four, I could talk to and lean on, but they were limited in what they could say or do.It was when I was 20 or 21 that I began to understand that what had been happening to me for so many years was wrong so one day when she came to jump on me, I kicked her and said no. For the first time in years, I said no to being raped.When I told my mother, she was in shock - she asked me why I had not told her. I told her I had given her signs, that I had tried but she never picked up on it. She said, ''I never knew such things could happen with boys'' and that was the time I realised that boys and men are the forgotten gender.We get abused, but we have no right to voice it because we are supposed to be the protectors. The victims of ''masculinity'' are men themselves. I have been bullied for many years for my sexual orientation as well, but when I told my story the same classmates who laughed at me became my biggest strength and helped me to cope with my childhood.A part of me believed that I was gay because I lost interest and never asked out any girl all my college life and I think it was because of the abuse I went through and it devastated me, but I know now that that it was not true.After facing my demons I took charge of my life and decided to explore my male side and dated. However, I still shy away each time I want to have sex and I leave it at wanting to take things slow.Having a dominant partner reminds me of that maid and I fail to appreciate any effort a woman takes to try and take charge sexually and most of my relationships have failed because people do not understand why an old man like me does not want to have sex. Truth is I want to but I do not know how to block the pictures that flood my head each time I want to have sex.Let us keep talking share your heartbreaking stories on heartsonfire909@gmail.com.
Opinion / Interviews

IN our last week's Lest We Forget Column we were talking to former Zipra Deputy Commander of the Northern Front which stretched from Bulilima up to Nyamapanda Border Post Nicholas Gibson Nkomo whose pseudo name was Gilbert Khumalo. Last week Nkomo spoke about operations along the Zambezi River and ended the first instalment by relating how one of the commanders Sakupwanya was killed in combat in a fierce contact with the Rhodesian forces.Today the old warrior picks up his conversation with Sunday News Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda (MS) by giving an account of an attack which was carried out by the Rhodesians on a Zipra logistics camp across the Zambezi River in Zambia. Read on.MS: Then after the unfortunate death of your regional commander Sakupwanya in combat what happened.Nkomo: That attack that claimed the life of our commander Sakupwanya was around April 1974. So what happened after that attack was that the Rhodesians planted a mine just outside our camp in a bid to hit our troops that would come for reinforcements especially if comrades were to be brought in trucks. However, that anti-tank mine was detected by our engineers and the danger was averted. We then continued with our operations, crossing the Zambezi into Rhodesia to hit selected targets and returning to base in Zambia. It was then in October of that year that there was a serious battle when the Rhodesians attacked our logistics camp at Siajumba. At that camp that is where we kept our ammunition and weapons, all our military hardware was kept there. Our Chief of Logistics during that time was the current Vice-President Report (Phelekezela Mphoko) but when the camp was attacked he was away in Lusaka.MS: How was the camp attacked. Take us through what happened.Nkomo: What happened was that we had a unit that had attacked the Rhodesian soldiers across the Zambezi River and it was under the command of the late David Thodlana (Tshaka Moyo). In that contact Thodlana and his boys had killed quite a number of enemy forces and the Rhodesians made a follow-up in a bid to revenge.MS: Where were you when that camp was attacked?Nkomo: We were at our base which was quite a distance from where the logistics camp was. We got intelligence that there was a Rhodesian unit that was spotted on the Zambian side by fishermen who were our contacts and we alerted those comrades at the logistics camp but they did not move out but instead took defensive positions in a bid to protect it because by the way there was a lot to protect there as we had large quantities of ammunition. However, the Rhodesians attacked it using ground forces supported by helicopters early in the morning. Our comrades gave a good fight there but only two, the commander who is still alive and lives in Gwanda District Hwadalala Nyathi and one of his boys survived. We lost about seven comrades in that battle. However, the Rhodesians also suffered heavy losses because Hwadalala had deployed a Desheka at the centre of the camp which did a good job on the enemy forces.MS: Sorry to take you back a bit after learning of the impending attack why didn't you assist?Nkomo: We were on standby to assist those comrades and we also thought they would evacuate from the camp but they decided to stay put. So what happened was that when everyone was vigilant waiting for the enemy to attack, we heard an explosion from the logistics camp and it was quite a distance from ours. We were surprised when we saw our sentry bringing Hwadalala to us who had managed to make a break through. He was so shocked that even when we decided to reinforce those left behind we had to leave him because at that time he was not in a position to fight. In our unit we were nine and when we were about to arrive at the logistics camp we saw the last helicopter that was evacuating the Rhodesians leaving. At that time we were also met by a big explosion as the Rhodesians had also planted some devices to destroy the military equipment such as ammunition they had found at our camp. There was fire all over.MS: Then what did you do?Nkomo: We found the bodies of the seven comrades there and one of them Albert Marufu died outside the zone of fire as he had managed to make a break through but was unfortunate to be hit. Among those killed in that battle were Cdes Highness who was the brother to the late Vice-President John Nkomo and one of the commanders in the struggle Billy Mzamo. Billy Mzamo and John Nkomo were brothers. Also killed there was David Thodlana's younger brother. Thodlana was the one who had led our unit that routed the Rhodesians across the Zambezi resulting in that enemy's follow-up operation. When we were still trying to figure out what to do next our engineer Zulu noticed that all the seven bodies were booby trapped and advised us not to touch them. A team of engineers from the rear led by the late National Hero Retired Colonel Elliot Masengo (Harold Chirinda) then came in and diffused the booby traps. The Rhodesian forces had also planted landmines around and villagers' cattle were killed when they stumbled on that mine field. Despite that incident we continued with our operations covering the Hwange area. Then came the time of the detente as a result of the Geneva Conference and commanders were withdrawn from the front. There was a lull in military activities.MS: Then what happened to some of you as a result of your withdrawal?Nkomo: I was recalled to the rear and sent to the Soviet Union for further training. That was June 1975 and our group to the Soviet Union was led by Sam Fakazi who had been the camp commander when we were under-going our first military training at Morogoro in Tanzania. Also in the group were Cdes Todd Mpisi and Situmbeko. We were 15 and our training in the Soviet Union was the company commander's course which was very intensive. We were based near the Black Sea.MS: How long were you in the Soviet Union?Nkomo: We started our training in June 1975 and stayed there until February 1976 when we came back. However, we did not go to Zambia but we were flown straight to Dar es Salaam where on arrival we were told about the new developments with regards to the formation of Zipa, a joint military force between Zipra and Zanla. We were then flown to Maputo and we went there to join the command element as we were commanders. From the comrades that I was with in the Soviet Union some did not go with us immediately as we left them in Tanzania. Among the comrades that I went with to Mozambique were people like the late Raphael Baleni who later on became active in the political activities of Bulawayo Province, Gaddafi and Mabhuku. When we got to Maputo we were met by the late John Dube who was the Zipra Chief of Operations and was among the top commanders in Zipa. We also met the now late Rex Nhongo (General Solomon Mujuru), Nikita Mangena who is also late, the now VP Mphoko. Also there was Enoch Tshangana (late Major-General Jevan Maseko). We then went for operations with my unit entering the country through Sipungeberra. We had successful operations with our Zanla colleagues and my unit made two captures of the Rhodesian soldiers whom we took to the rear. However, a few months down the line things did not go well resulting in the crumbling of Zipa and we had to start fighting as Zipra again.MS: Tell us what happened when you started afresh from the western part of the country.Nkomo: We were given the task to operate from the western part of the country and I operated in areas around Embakwe in Mangwe District. As a result of the shortage of personnel because we were still re-organising we had to train some of the people locally without taking them to Zambia. I had a successful operation with my locally trained soldiers in the Embakwe area when we had a contact with the Rhodesian forces.MS: What happened in that operation?Nkomo: The Rhodesians arrived in a village where we were and it was still in 1976. I then realised that we were not going to make it as the enemy forces were combing the area, the only way was to make a break through by engaging them in combat. It seemed they had located the area where we were and I told my other four colleagues that we had to make a plan. Then it happened that the homestead where we were close to, the occupants belonged to an apostolic sect church. We then asked for their church garments and they gladly gave us. We then left the homestead and on our way came across the Rhodesians and they thought we were just church people, they did not suspect us as we even spoke to them. However, when we had just passed each other we turned and opened fire. I can tell you that was a massacre. Those guys were not prepared for anything like that. The Rhodesians were angry with that attack and quickly made a follow-up and what worsened the situation for them was that in the neighbouring district of Bulilima they had also suffered heavy losses at the hands of another Zipra unit that was operating in the Ndolwane area. Stung by that loss the enemy forces made a follow-up.MS: So in their follow-up what did they do?Nkomo: They were so angry that they even drove armoured cars across the border into Botswana. In that follow-up operation they managed to capture two of our contacts, Bango and Ndlovu who had homesteads just across the border in Botswana. They had long suspected the two to be habouring us as one day when the Rhodesians crossed the border they found me at one of the homesteads disguised as cattle herdboy. They looked at me and the black soldiers spoke to me in Setswana and Kalanga. I speak the two languages so they left me alone thinking I was a Motswana. In fact I am multi-lingual as I speak quite a number of languages such as Shona, Kalanga, Setswana, Tonga and of course SiNdebele and English. After that incident I was recalled to Lusaka for re-deployment.MS: Where were you re-deployed?Nkomo: That was the beginning of 1977 and I was ordered by the High Command to go and look for nine comrades who had been deployed to areas around Hwange and Binga but the command element at the rear had lost touch with them. There was no communication. My task was to report back to the rear after a month and so I was given 17 soldiers to carry out that mission. Among the soldiers under my command was the late Stanley Donga (former war veterans chairman for Bulawayo Province and Zanu-PF provincial secretary for security), Gordon Tshuma, Gordon Shumba, Baloyi and Saziso. When we arrived in the villages we had to identify the party leadership, supporters and sympathisers so that we could be accepted. As for me I had no problem speaking to them in Tonga and for the Nambyans I had no problem either as that language is similar to Kalanga which is largely spoken here in Kezi. At first the villagers did not give anything away with regards to the nine comrades with some only saying they once saw them. I think at first they did not trust us and I can tell you if there are people who cooperated with us and kept all the secrets of our movements during the liberation struggle it was the Tonga people. They were just marvelous and passionate about the armed struggle. They never sold out. Ask anyone who was in the armed struggle.MS: So you kept on hitting the brick wall until when?Nkomo: It was only after some time when a village head identified me as the commander of the group and pulled me aside. He told me that there was once a contact between the group we were looking for and the Rhodesian forces at a place called Nyatuwe. We were later to be taken to the scene of the contact, a hilly area where our guys were ambushed early in the morning by ground forces with air support resulting in seven of them being killed and two surviving. That affected me and I decided to revenge. I then called my troops and told them that I was leaving 14 of them to continue with the operations while I take four with me back to Zambia to update the commanders in Lusaka.MS: Did you really find out what happened to the nine comrades?Nkomo: When we got into contact with youths who had been working with them they told us that one day the nine sent one of their contacts to buy them foodstuffs in Hwange town because initially our forces were given money for food so that they could sustain themselves while building trust with the masses. So it seems when their contact bought those foodstuffs the enemy spies followed him and got hold of him. The fact that he bought large quantities raised suspicion because during those days it was rare for rural people to be seen buying large quantities of mealie-meal. The nine in my opinion were naive at that moment as they forgot to apply the most important and basic principle in a guerilla warfare which is concealment. By failing to apply that principle that led to that unfortunate incident. When the enemy forces got hold of that contact and probably tortured him he spilled the beans resulting in that ambush.MS: What then did you do?Nkomo: To give confidence to those that were remaining behind and also to seek my own revenge I decided to do the impossible, taking the fight into the lion's den. I ordered two of my soldiers to go and booby trap a section of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls railway track. For us the remaining 16 we set up ambushes from Cross Mabale to Lukosi Bridge that is along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road. At Cross Mabale, Donga who was my security man took alongside two comrades and in between we deployed them in pairs while I was with three at the Lukosi Bridge. The ambush was also a propaganda one because I knew that if we carried out attacks in that way the Rhodesians would think we were many and it worked.MS: What happened take us through that operation.Nkomo: I told my forces that no military car was to pass through that road after 4pm and as for the railway line operation a goods train derailed as expected after a heavy explosion causing panic among the crew members. We then started attacking military vehicles along the Vic Falls-Bulawayo Road. The guys at the centre of the ambush had bazookas and they did a good job. You see the Rhodesians soldiers used to patrol along that road and on that day they were in for it. There was pandemonium all over and to show that our strategy worked the Rhodesian command in Hwange had to call for reinforcement from a unit that was in Tsholotsho. Air support was also called in and we were later told that Peter Walls himself issued a statement that the whole Hwange area was "infested with terrorists". They thought there were hundreds of freedom fighters that had been deployed in that vicinity. However, we lost one guy at Cross Mabale while a number of Rhodesians were killed including an officer whose death was reported by the newspapers. Although they used helicopters to search for us it was difficult because of night fall.Next week we conclude the interview with Nkomo talking to us about his return to Zambia, the deployment of the large groups of guerillas and formation of detachments and his current political activities in Matabeleland South.
Opinion / Interviews

MDC-T member Mr Victor Mapungwana was sworn in as Senator for his party after the expulsion of Senator Alderman Matson Hlalo from the opposition party. The firing of Mr Hlalo from MDC-T stemmed from a legal challenge he mounted against the election of Mr Gift Banda as MDC-T Bulawayo provincial chairperson as he felt the polls were rigged and Mr Banda did not satisfy the party's constitutional requirement for having been a member of the political organisation for five years.MDC-T vice-president Ms Thokozani Khupe was accused of trying to impose her own choice for the provincial leadership of the party on its structures. However, Senator Hlalo was expelled from the party for taking the party to court and that decision was upheld by the courts resulting in him losing his position as Senator.Sunday News Correspondent Dumisani Sibanda (DS) interviewed Mr Hlalo (MH), who was also fired from Zanu-PF only to later join MDC after the 2000 parliamentary elections. Mr Hlalo spoke on his political future and his views on the operation of Bulawayo City Council which he once served as councillor for 14 years.Below are the excerpts of the interview:DS: Thank you Senator Alderman Hlalo for granting me this interview. You have been expelled from MDC-T and consequently stripped of your position as Senator. Do you think you still have any role to play in politics?MH: Thanks, at least you realise that I do not lose the title Senator because of losing the post. But to your question, oh yes, I still have a part to play in politics. I am continuing with the struggle. I can't give up on principle. At the end of the day, I will be vindicated.DS: What exactly was the problem in MDC-T that led to things turning out the way they did in your case?MH: What happened is a manifestation of the corruption that is there even at the top that is why it is not surprising that some people are now being investigated and might be fired for corruption. Looking at the whole saga you can tell that some people wanted to have a grip on power so as to use it for selfish and corrupt purposes.DS: But what do you plan politically after being expelled from MDC-T? Do you still have some political life left in you after the expulsion?MH: Expulsions are not the end of the world. It is actually, the beginning of an era. What you have to understand is that I had a choice to make, either to be subservient to corruption or keep a post that of being Senator. For me the choice was simple.DS: But how will you operate now that you have been sacked from MDC-T?MH: I will leave the party when the time comes. No one can chase me from a party which I joined voluntarily. I will leave when I want to leave. I am with the people and the people must never be abandoned. Come 2018, we will come up with a big bang they must watch the space. They cannot stop me from organising the people. The irony of it is that if they want to stop me from holding meetings or meeting the people they must have to go to the courts, the same courts they fired me for taking the matter to. What you have to understand is that with me, I consult people and whatever I do it is with their mandate.DS: So at the moment what are you doing politically?MH: We are on the ground and interestingly there is so much enthusiasm for what I did. I am surprised by the reception I have received following the so-called expulsion. The people are saying you are a hero. How many of our politicians do you know can turn down the position of Senator than be puppies of other people? Hlalo refused to be a puppy of somebody. I will never ever be someone's puppy.DS: But why do things end up in this way?MH: Political leaders in general are fixated with a position. Even when they see they took a wrong position, like probably happened in my case, they remain stubborn on that position. Even if they see that their position will make them sink, they will continue even if they know they will hit a stone-wall, they don't put brakes.DS: Given the state of things in the MDC-T do you see it wrestling power from Zanu-PF?MH: I don't want to comment on that.DS: In these meetings with the people as you say what has been happening?MH: As I have said. I have been well received by the people. I have been having a report back. Telling the people that I did exactly what they told me to do not to give up on the court case and these are the results.DS: Some have said this war was really a fight over turf between you and your old rival MDC-T vice-president Ms Thokozani Khupe. What is your comment on that observation?MH: As far as I am concerned Khupe has no political stamina. She is just a political opportunist. I don't waste time over her.DS: What about you? What do you stand for?MH: All what I stand for is to do the right thing. I want the constitution of the party to be followed but some people would rather discard the constitution and surround themselves with bootlickers. I have also had the opportunity to speak to people who have been roughed up by Khupe, those who have been victims of (Ms) Khupe's machinations.DS: There are some who say ah but Hlalo is surely just a rebel. He was fired from Zanu-PF and now MDC-T. What do you say?MH: Well I don't mind being said to rebel against the wrong way of doing things. I don't mind being called a rebel for defending the constitution. Wanting things done in the correct way. In fact, history will repeat itself. I was expelled from Zanu-PF in 1998 but stood as an independent and won against Zanu-PF. But remember, and of course you should not be asking because you were a municipal reporter then covering the story of Matson Hlalo, Charles Mpofu, who is late and Micah Parira Mpofu, who is also late. Remember it was a case of us complaining about how Charlie had been treated in an unfair manner which was against the constitution of Zanu-PF when he wanted to stand in primary elections. Our expulsion was orchestrated by the likes of Edward Simela for insisting that things be done constitutionally. That was it. Wait for 2018. In a nutshell, I can say I have been rebelling against unconstitutional tendencies which are becoming the order of the day in our political parties in the country.DS: What are you saying? That you are being sacrificed because of what you call your principled stand?MH: If you are a principled person, you will find yourself in this situation when you deal with people who do not have principles. Principle is a difficult virtue. It puts you in the situation I find myself in. Some of us were going against Zanu-PF in 1998, long before MDC was formed. We showed people here in Bulawayo when we stood as independents that Zanu-PF could be beaten. In other words, MDC took the cue from us. In politics I am more senior than some of these people, the (Ms) Khupe's of this world who are fighting me in MDC-T .DS: You are an alderman, how do you see the operations of the Bulawayo City Council, which you once served.MH: What is important is for people not to just look at the party one represents when choosing councillors but the backgrounds of the candidates. The parties themselves have a duty to check the backgrounds of people they are fielding. I mean nowadays, you hear of a councillor who is still living at their parents' home with their parents being elected councillor. We have councillors here who do not own property. How do they talk about property when they don't have any? We have councillors who regard being councillor as a full time job, they don't have any other source of livelihood. You have a situation where a person responsible for presenting the budget of a whole city, that is a chairperson of the Finance Committee, who is a shop shelf packer.DS: But there is a whipping system, so the councillors in an MDC-T controlled local authority can't do much, I suppose?MH: But Dumisani, you know that I was a member of a Zanu-PF dominated council but there was robust debate in the chambers. Cry my beloved Bulawayo, you would not get all this nonsense, corruption we are witnessing. We had strong councillors, you know the line up, we had reputable administrators like Dr Mike Ndubiwa, they would not let these things pass. I have everything of mine in Bulawayo and I will fight to protect Bulawayo. Cry the beloved Bulawayo.DS: Thank you for the interview.
Community Hospital

Location: 901 MacArthur Blvd., Munster

Phone: (219) 836-1600

Community Hospital in Munster focuses on patient safety, invests in the latest advanced technology, and employs skilled physicians, nurses and support staff to deliver high-level individual quality care. Patients will find an environment of patient-centered and family-focused care embedded in its culture.

Community Hospital also offers numerous free programs, special events, preventive screenings and support groups to help improve the quality of life in Northwest Indiana, says Don Fesko, chief executive officer for Community Hospital.

Hospital officials are proud of the Best in the Region designation.

This achievement demonstrates that we are focused on what matters most to our patients, including clinical excellence and a total caring environment, Fesko says. Our staff of physicians, nurses and technicians is dedicated to managing all your health care needs when you need it most. It is extraordinary people providing extraordinary care.

SECOND PLACE: Franciscan St. Anthony Health  Crown Point

1201 S. Main St.

Crown Point, Ind.

(219) 738-2100

THIRD PLACE: Franciscan St. Margaret Health

24 Joliet St.

Dyer, Ind.

(219) 865-2141 (Indiana)

(708) 895-1650 (Illinois)

5454 Hohman Ave.

Hammond, Ind.

(219) 932-2300
Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute

Multiple locations

The two spine surgeons at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute have more than 26 years of collective experience and perform 21st-century techniques.

Drs. Nick Nenadovich and Anthony Thompkins are both fellowship-trained and board-certified physicians who have been awarded honors for their published research projects in their specialty.

At Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute, we take a multi-disciplinary approach, which includes pain management and psychology combined with minimally invasive spine surgical techniques, says Dr. Thompkins. This approach allows our patients to have state-of-the-art technology and a faster recovery. Our group has decades of experience and we have earned the trust and confidence of our patients and families.

Dr. Nenadovich says they are honored to be recognized by the community for their work.

The surgeons at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute have trained at many of the finest medical universities in the country, he says. Dr. Thompkins and I both have over two decades of experience, specifically in spinal care and treatment. Its important to note that not only do we work and practice medicine in Northwest Indiana, but we are raising our families here and call Northwest Indiana our home. We appreciate the recognition of being Best in the Region in Spine Care . . . We will continue to strive for the exceptional level of care that our patients deserve.

SECOND PLACE: Dr. Zeshan Hyder  Bone & Joint Specialists

9001 Broadway

Merrillville, Ind.

(219) 795-3360

THIRD PLACE: Community Spine & Neurosurgery Institute

801 MacArthur Blvd. Ste. 405

Munster, Ind.

(219) 836-5167

1600 S. Lake Park Ave. Ste. 1102

Hobart, Ind.

(219) 942-6510
Gailmard Eye Center

Gailmard Eye is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and prides itself in the services it offers as well as its reputation with its customers.

The facility has one of the largest selections of eyeglasses in Northwest Indiana, and provides a wide range of services, from emergencies to pediatric care and difficult contact lens fittings.

Our patients are number one, all the time. We really strive to be the best we can be, and get many word-of-mouth referrals, says Dr. Neil Gailmard, who co-owns the clinic with his wife, Dr. Susan Gailmard. We are truly honored and very excited to be named Best in the Region again, and strive to earn another year.
Tauber Law Offices

Location: 1415 Eagle Ridge Dr., Schererville

Phone: (219) 865-6666

When legal representation is needed, choosing experts in the practice of law is essential; combine that with a true calling for helping people, and youre describing Tauber Law Offices. It brings us great joy to help others. We devote time and energy into making our community a safer place, says Tara Tauber.

With more than 50 years combined experience, the firm handles personal and business matters requiring legal intervention. The trusted firm offers effective service and the all-important attentiveness to each client, with a full range of services that includes estate planning, criminal defense, family law and divorce, business law, real estate, and more. Representation for personal injury, medical malpractice and workers compensation cases is contingency-basedso clients dont pay attorney fees until the case is won.

Best of the Region is very important because it shows the loyalty of our clients and friends and the belief they have in us as a law firm, says Jared Tauber.

And Rhett Tauber says, We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our clients and community, and will continue to provide efficient and competent representation on behalf of our clients.

SECOND PLACE: Kenneth J. Allen Law Group

1109 Glendale Blvd.

Valparaiso, Ind.

(219) 465-6292

THIRD PLACE: Theodoros and Rooth

8750 Broadway, Ste. A

Merrillville, Ind.

(219) 769-6393
Schepel Auto Group

Schepel Buick GMC: 3209 W. Lincoln Hwy., Merrillville

Phone: (219) 769-6381

Schepel Cadillac: 2929 W. Lincoln Hwy., Merrillville

Phone: (219) 738-1900

Tom Van Prooyen, vice president dealer principal of Schepel Auto Group, recalls the two things his father-in-law, company founder Rich Schepel, told him he needed to be successful: First, treat your customers well. Second, treat your employees like family.

Living out that advice has led to continued success for Schepel Auto Group, which has been fulfilling the American dream of new car ownership for loyal customers since 1968. Having so many people vote for Schepel Auto Group as The Times Best of the Regions Best New Car Dealer tells me that were succeeding in exceeding customers expectations, and that were providing the customer service to back up the sales, Van Prooyen says.

Van Prooyens sons, Ryan and Jordan, are the third generation to help in operating the family-owned Schepel Auto Group, and Van Prooyen says, People enjoy the consumer-friendly, low-pressure atmosphere where theyre treated with respect, and where they can get help with their vehicle needs without feeling pressured to buy if theyre not ready to.

SECOND PLACE: Bosak Honda

9800 Indianapolis Blvd.

Highland, Ind.

(219) 922-3800

Bosak Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

3111 W. Lincoln Hwy.

Merrillville, Ind.

(219) 738-2323

Bosak Honda

710 US 20

Michigan City, Ind.

(219) 874-4293

THIRD PLACE: Team Auto Group

(Toyota/Chevrolet/Audi/Volkswagen/Honda)

Multiple locations
Walgreens

Multiple locations

As Best Pharmacy winners, the pharmacists and technicians at local Walgreens locations have made health, wellness and convenience available to their customers. The bright stores and friendly faces have made an impression as the staff do their best to connect with each customer.

In addition to the day-to-day prescription filling, Walgreens offers health support services such as health tests and immunizations. And the friendly pharmacy staff is always available to answer questions regarding prescriptions or over-the-counter medications.

Its a privilege to receive the Best Pharmacy award for the Northwest Indiana region, says Erick Alsvig, director of pharmacy and retail operations in Northwest Indiana. At Walgreens, we strive to make health and happiness more accessible to our customers by giving them the care, service and products they need to feel good every day.

SECOND PLACE: CVS

Multiple locations

THIRD PLACE: Fagen Pharmacy

Multiple locations
The Crossroads Chamber of Commerce and the Winfield/LOFS Chamber of Commerce hope to complete a mid-summer merger that would expand Crossroads' membership to more than 700 and extend its geographic reach east and south.

The Crossroads Board of Directors voted to pursue the merger May 10. The Winfield board had approved it after an April presentation to members on the benefits of joining Crossroads.

The chambers then created a task force to work through the details, with the goal of finalizing the merger July 1.

"It's a really good fit," Crossroads President and CEO Sue Reed said of the potential merger, which would add about 80 members to Crossroads.

"Winfield is really an extension of Crown Point," Reed said. "It makes sense; they have schools that are part of the Crown Point school system, they have the same zip code."

Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce came into being in January 2010 through a merger of the Merrillville and Greater Crown Point chambers of commerce.

The Merrillville Chamber of Commerce was established in 1954 and grew along with that community to include large retail, hospitality and restaurant sectors that offered a vibrant and solid membership base.

The Greater Crown Point Chamber was established in 1950 and came to represent a variety of local businesses and professionals, and to manage and host a variety of community activities focused in and around the downtown square, anchored by the old courthouse.

The Winfield/LOFS Chamber of Commerce was founded as the Lakes of the Four Seasons Chamber of Commerce in 1991, two years before Winfield incorporated as a town, and has grown along with the town.

Among programs it offers is a college scholarship that Reed said Crossroads will welcome and expand.

"Now Merrillville students will be able to benefit," Reed noted.

Winfield chamber members have been invited to attend Crossroads' June meeting as the task force works on the merger details, and the chamber is planning a reception to celebrate the merger once it's accomplished.
Bookies Suspend Bets On Tom Hiddleston Playing James Bond

Trending News: Is Tom Hiddleston The Next Bond?

Why Is This Important?

Because he certainly looks suave enough.

Long Story Short

Bookies suspended betting on who'll be the next James Bond after bets poured in for Tom Hiddleston. Technically, Craig hasn't relinquished his role and there are a number of leading contenders in the running, but Hiddleston looks like the odds on favorite.

Long Story

Do we finally have our next 007?

Speculation has been rampant over the past year since Daniel Craig said he'd rather die than play the British super spy again, but there's technically no proof that the current Bond won't play the role for a fifth time.

But now there's further reason to believe Craig is finito as bets for Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers) crashed in on the bookmakers and caused them to suspend all bets, according to BBC News.

Bets on Hiddleston as Bond closed at an excellent 2-1 odds.

The reason for the rush on betting right now is because Hiddleston was spotted meeting with Director Sam Mendes this week.

"There is no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we've had no choice but to pull the plug on the market," said Nicola McGeady, a spokeswoman for betting agency Coral.

Being British, handsome and having already played a spy in The Night Manager, Hiddleston was already a no-brainer to be in the 007 discussion, but there are others in the running who'd be just as good.

One that immediately comes to mind is Idris Elba (my personal pick), but he's dropped to just 9-1 odds. Poldark star Aidan Turner had 3-1 odds and Mad Max: Fury Road actor Tom Hardy was at 4-1. You could also bet on Henry Cavill going from Superman to super spy, but those odds are just 12-1.

Responding to the allegations, Hiddleston didn't give us any reason to believe he's been picked to fill 007's tuxedo.

I think the rumours have come about because in The Night Manager I play a spy and people have made the link, he said, a quoted by BBC News.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Maybe Hiddleston was meeting with Sam Mendes to play a villain, as he did as Loki in The Avengers.

Disrupt Your Feed

Hiddleston would be good, but Elba would be great.

Drop This Fact

Hiddleston initially tried out for the role of Thor, even adding 20 pounds of muscle, but the director thought he'd be better as the villain.
Porter Health Care System has named Kristen Weinman as director of inpatient rehabilitation at Portage Hospital. A native of Northwest Indiana, Kristen began working for Porter in 2004 and played a role in the opening of the inpatient rehabilitation unit in 2008. She holds a bachelors in behavioral sciences from Purdue University Calumet and a masters in social work from Indiana University Northwest.

Veteran trial lawyer Daniel Vinovich is "coming home" to practice law in the new Crown Point office of the Hilbrich Law Firm. Vinovich, who grew up in Crown Point and still lives there, represents victims of medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury. He has practiced at the Hilbrich Law Firm for 25 years, which also has offices in Highland and Portage.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has appointed Rose Dobbins as the new managing broker of the Porter County office. She is a former president of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors and was previously responsible for developing and mentoring over 200 sales agents.

Residential mortgage lender Ruoff Home Mortgage has hired Cindy Jansky as vice president and branch manager at their Crown Point office. Jansky was most recently at Caliber Home Loans. She has been in the mortgage industry for nearly 31 years and is board president at the Schererville Chamber of Commerce.

Accu-Mold LLC's Nick Lehmann, a program manager for the company in Portage, Michigan, has completed the body of knowledge required to obtain his Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Major corporations and small businesses use the certification to transform themselves through efficiency and growth. Accu-Mold is an economic development enterprise of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
In her last year of college, Lorraine Boissoneault, an avowed Francophile and writer who lives in Chicago, became interested in the French history of North America and the journey undertaken by Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the first European to travel from Montreal to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Her fascination with the great explorer led to a conversation with an underwater diver and the story of La Salles Le Griffon (The Griffin), the first full-sized sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes that disappeared in 1679 with six crew members and a load of furs. It was the first shipwreck in the Great Lakes.

Luckily La Salle had disembarked before the ship made its final voyage. She also learned about a Reid Lewis, a French teacher who decided to re-enact La Salles trip, an eight-month, 3,300-mile expedition he undertook with 16 students and six teachers dressed in the period clothing from that time to celebrate the countrys Bicentennial.

Interviewing the voyageurs as well as visiting places where La Salle had landed during the journey and reading original documents written in French (nothing is ever quite the same in translation, says Boissoneault), she wrote "The Last Voyageurs: Retracing La Salle's Journey Across America: Sixteen Teenagers on an Adventure of a Lifetime" (Pegasus 2016; $27.95).

Its amazing when you think of how much they could withstand, she says, meaning both La Salle and Lewis crews.

Indeed, Lewis and his group of students and educators had to trudge over 500 miles of Midwestern landscape during one of the coldest winters on record in the 20th century, paddle in Voyageur canoes across the storm tossed and freezing Great Lakes and, in keeping with their pledge to emulate La Salle, start their campfires with flint and wood.

Of all the thousands of miles they retraced, Lewis voyageurs felt that Canadas Georgian Bay on Lake Huron was most unchanged and therefore the closest they came to what La Salle would have experienced in terms of the water and landscape.

Were fascinated by history but you cant go back no matter how hard you want to, says Boissoneault, noting she cant imagine seeing Chicago without civilization as La Salle would have done. The past is unobtainable. Most poignant for me is their walk across the Midwest. They were doing the same thing La Salle did and wearing the same clothes but nothing was like how it would have been in La Salles day.
Itll be a Bowie Arts Ball when the late rock icon takes the spotlight at this years annual black-tie fundraiser in support of the South Shore Arts everykid program. Live music by the Somethings will pay homage to Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke. June 3 is the date for an evening of cocktails, dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster. Its for a good cause: Upward of 30,000 children and youth are served with free art classes led by professional artists every year! (219) 836-1839 or www.southshoreartsonline.org

Lyrics 17: Evolution

The West Side Theatre Guild continues its longstanding Lyrics Series with this years edition, Lyrics 17: Evolution! Vol. 1 at 7 p.m. May 28. Directed by Mark Spencer, choreographed by Asia Dickens, and under the musical direction of Marcus Heffner, the program will explore the rich history of lyrics through song, dance, and spoken word. The 90-minute musical revue features over 100 students, staff and community members. West Side High School, Gary. (219) 888-9592 for tickets.

Bead Town

Students from the Gary Public Schools have been happily laboring for months under the direction of artist Stephan Wanger on magical portraits made of discarded Mardi Gras beads, bottle caps, screws, nails and other materials, all depicting Gary homes, including that of Michael Jackson and, in some cases, their very own. This fantastic exhibit continues through May 29 at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, 540 Lake St. in Gary. Place a bid and take one home! But be generous, as all the proceeds go to the young artists! (773) 822-8086 or www.millerbeacharts.org

'Wash, Dry, Fold'

Sisters Trudy and Enola have been bickering all their lives over differences in religion, lifestyle and childhood resentments. Now theyre stuck with each other and their run-down New Orleans Laundromat. Uncle Slackjaw, a Vietnam P.O.W., slips in and out of reality. The arrival in town of Arlene, a tattoo artist, brings the possibility of change. Might she be the catalyst for resolution? Chicago Street Theatre is honored to be one of seven companies in the nation to produce this winner from the American Association of Community Theatres New Play Festival. May 20 through June 4. (219) 464-1636 or www.chicagostreet.org

From Earth

Tall Grass Arts Association in Park Forest hosts a juried exhibition of 53 artists presenting images inspired by, derived from, portraying or interpreting the beauty and mystery of the world of plants. From easily identifiable to hard to decipher, the images are sometimes simply stunning, sometimes playful or wildly transformed. Some present warnings of impending environmental loss; others are narratives symbolizing the artists personal and meaningful experiences with nature. Through June 4. (708) 748-3377 or www.tallgrassarts.org
A 15-year-old girl sat outside the courtroom in Hammond City Hall with her mother, making small talk as she waited for her case to be called in front of the Lake County Teen Court.

The Hobart teen was with a friend about 2 p.m. July 7 at Cabelas in Hammond when a security guard caught them stealing such items as a keychain, deer hunting pants and a lighter.

Because it was the girls first offense, a Hammond police detective withheld asking prosecutors for charges to be filed. Instead, the case was referred to Teen Court.

The Teen Court program in Lake County is coordinated by the Crisis Center Inc. Gavin Mariano, coordinator for Teen Court in Hammond, said the program gives teens an alternative to the traditional trajectory of juvenile justice.

At a Teen Court hearing, a case is reviewed and a sentence is handed down by a jury composed of teens. The teen jurors typically had their own case heard by the court or volunteer for the program.

They are delivering justice to their own peers, Mariano said.

The program is one of the ways officials in Northwest Indiana are trying to curb the number of minors who end up incarcerated for offenses committed as juveniles.

For the first half of 2015, Mariano said 102 teens participated in Teen Court in Lake County. A majority of the offenses the teens were accused of committing were battery, resisting law enforcement and conversion.

The Hobart girl faced seven jurors at a hearing last year with one juror later recusing herself because a relative works at Cabelas.

The youthful jurors asked her why she stole the items, if she was still friends with the girl she was with and what punishment she received at home. A local attorney volunteers as the presiding judge to guide teens through the process.

The girl told the jury a friend convinced her to participate in the theft.

Her mother, who was present with her in court, also explained to the jury her daughter has since paid $350 in restitution to the store.

The girl stepped out of the courtroom so jurors could deliberate her punishment. A few minutes later, she was sentenced to a verbal apology to her mother and five jury duties.

Sitting in the witness box, the girl faced her mother as she apologized to her.

I caused all this drama in the household, she said.

The girl paused as the volunteer attorney handed her tissue to wipe her eyes. The girl shook her head as she looked at her mother.

If the case had not been referred to Teen Court, she could have faced a charge of conversion, a Class A misdemeanor.

The program uses Lake County Juvenile Judge Thomas Stefaniak's courtroom in Crown Point and the courtroom of late Hammond City Judge Jeffrey Harkin. Crisis Center CEO Shirley Caylor said in a prepared statement they plan to meet with Hammond City Judge Pro Tem Gerald Key to discuss Teen Court continuing there.

REDUCING JUVENILES IN JAIL

In Lake County, efforts to reduce the number of incarcerated teens has led to nearly a 50 percent reduction in the Juvenile Detention Center.

Stefaniak said the number of minors who were staying at the facility was once 80 to 104. That number since has dropped to 30 to 50 teens. The average stay for a juvenile is about 13 days.

Diane Weiss Bradley, Lake County chief probation officer, said within the Juvenile Court there also is an opportunity to have the case dismissed if the teen completes requirements created by the judge.

Weiss Bradley said those are the cases where the court has determined it was more of a foolish crime than a dangerous one that put someone at risk.

The teens usually have to steer clear of getting any new charges, attend school, complete community service or seek counseling services.

Stefaniak said Lake County is one of the 19 counties participating in the states Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, which is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Porter and LaPorte counties also are part of the initiative.

The program's goal is to reduce the number of incarcerated minors. The initiative reaches beyond the state, with a total of 40 participating states, according to the Indiana Judicial Centers website.

Joann Price, the countys alternatives initiative coordinator, said the initiative has several strategies it implements into the daily operations of the Juvenile Court.

Price said one strategy includes screening teens when they are sent to the Juvenile Justice Center to see if they are a risk to the community, or if an alternative such as an ankle monitor would be more appropriate.

She said the court also explores what community resources are available for the teens, especially for those who arent dangerous but the court doesnt quite trust to go home, yet.

We want to shift the burden of these alternatives to the communities, she said.

A couple of the strategies focus on data-driven decisions and analysis of how the court is functioning. Price said the county uses Quest, a case management system. That system allows them to track how the cases are being resolved.

Price said it also allows them to examine if there are any racial disparities among the teens coming through Juvenile Court.

Kathleen Guzek, deputy prosecuting attorney for the juvenile division, said officials are beginning to track the number of juvenile cases that are waived and transferred to adult court.

WORKING TO ADDRESS ISSUES FROM SCHOOLS

Stefaniak said the initiative also has provided his court grant money to work on truancy issues.

The court targets students who have five unexcused absences to figure out why the child is missing school. If it is because the family needs some sort of assistance, the court provides referrals to community programs to help them solve their problem.

A parent can be prosecuted by the state if their child has 10 unexcused absences. Stefaniak said the Juvenile Court wants to reach the child before the problem reaches 10 absences.

Last year, a strike team was created to work with the various school districts to address truancy.
CROWN POINT  Local Democrats may have ticket angst this fall.

Usually a lock to beat their Republican opponents in the general election, Democrats will have to strain to win not only the White House and Indiana governors mansion, but also some important local races.

Democrats Mara Candelaria Reardon and Shelli Vandenburgh must attract a more robust voter turnout to recapture the District 12 and District 19 State House seats they lost two years ago to Republican State Reps. William I. Bill Fine and Julie Olthoff.

Closer to home, Democrats have to fret over the potential loss of the 2nd District Lake County Commissioner seat.

Political observers in both parties agree Republican Jerry Tippy, 54, has the best chance to win it and break the Democratic Party monopoly over the countys highways and flood control infrastructure, as well as county government hiring and awarding of vendor contracts since the late Ernie Niemeyer did in 1992.

Incumbent Commissioner Gerry Scheub, 80, was in control there for two decades and is running again, but has a viable opponent for the first time since the Republican-controlled Indiana Election Commission transformed its map, in response to population changes reflected in the last census.

The commission removed Democratic strongholds: Hobart, Lake Station, Merrillville and New Chicago, and added Republican voters in Dyer, Munster and St. John to those already in Cedar Lake, Crown Point, Lowell, Winfield and rural south county.

We have a great opportunity to take that commissioner seat, Dan Dernulc, the county GOP chairman, said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., who was Democratic county chairman when the map was redrawn, said, We knew in 2016 it was going to be tough for a Democrat to win.

Tippy said, Its not just about getting a Republican elected. Its about bringing new ideas and a new way of thinking to county government.

I am the right person to take over that position because of my experience and my desire to bring good government to Lake County. I have over 30 years of experience in the private sector as a business and project manager, and I have over 10 years of experience in the public sector as a town councilman and plan commissioner.

I will propose changes that will improve efficiency and lower the cost of county government. One area of my focus will be the process of bidding and awarding projects. We need a more transparent process that includes many more bidders.

It is also important to take care of issues in the unincorporated areas of the district. Those areas are not served by a municipal government unit and require more attention from the county.

If successful, I will have the time to service the unincorporated areas because I will retire from my current full-time position and work full time as their next county commissioner, Tippy said.

Scheub said he promises more of the same.

I am a full-time commissioner. Ive been one for 20 years. Im in my office every morning by 7:30 a.m. unless I have a complaint or appointment out in the field. I work for my bosses  the people who elect me. That is who I answer to. Im not going to change that.

I have been transparent since Ive been in office. I want everybody to bid because the more bidders, the better off we are. He said bids on county government supply and service contracts are only opened at public meetings.

Scheub said he and former Commissioner Fran Dupey vetoed the local income tax in 2007, then reduced the number of county-owned take-home cars and eliminated payroll positions. The income tax won over Scheubs veto in 2013.

He said he has worked with both Democrats and Republicans to find money for road, bridge and flood drainage improvements for his district.

Scheub said he helped save Lake County taxpayers more than $25 million a year since 2008 by working with other local officials and the Indiana General Assembly, to shift the burden of supporting Hospital Care for Indigents welfare costs to statewide taxes.

Republicans will have their own challenges in the other county races.

Voters in the 3rd Commissioner District will choose between incumbent Democrat Michael Repay and Republican Mark Leyva. Leyva, better known for running against U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, has yet to win a general election in nine tries dating back to 1998. Repay trounced Leyva in a 2012 matchup.

Republican Douglas Grimes hopes to be the first Republican in living memory to be elected Lake Circuit Court judge. He must defeat Marissa McDermott, who hopes to be the first female Circuit Court judge.

Lake Recorder Mike Brown is looking for a second term as keeper of county property records. He is opposed by St. John Republican Gerald Swets.

Lake Coroner Merrilee Frey and Surveyor Bill Emerson are currently unopposed this fall. Dernulc said he is giving thought to recruiting candidates this summer to stand in for those ballot positions.
INDIANAPOLIS  Any politician running in this year's elections who claims state government needs to be more responsive to business does not understand the Indiana General Assembly.

Hoosier lawmakers, with few exceptions, literally almost could not do the bidding of the state's business interests more thoroughly than they already are.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently scored the state's 100 representatives and 50 senators based on how closely their votes, during the 10-week legislative session that ended in March, matched the chamber's position on a variety of business issues.

In total, 76 percent of the Legislature voted in line with the chamber's desired result at least 70 percent of the time, a measure the business group's political arm uses to decide which candidates to financially support in elections.

That includes 24 representatives and 11 senators who voted with the chamber position on every roll call scored by the group.

"This report makes it clear which legislators support pro-economy, pro-jobs bills and which legislators do not," said Kevin Brinegar, chamber president.

Four Region lawmakers were among those attaining a perfect Chamber of Commerce vote record: state Sens. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, and Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek; and state Reps. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, and Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point.

Olthoff, who owns a small business and previously led the Merrillville Chamber of Commerce, said she was pleased by her 100 percent rating because it reflects her legislative priorities.

"I came down wanting to work on economic development issues totally to grow businesses so we could grow jobs," Olthoff said.

The scores for other Region representatives were: Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron, 95 percent; Charlie Brown, D-Gary, 51; Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, 77; Bill Fine, R-Munster, 96; Donna Harris, D-East Chicago, 46; Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, 47; Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, 48; Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, 50; Hal Slager, R-Schererville, 93; and Vernon Smith, D-Gary, 45.

The remaining Region senator scores were: Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, 74 percent; Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, 67; Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, 84; Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, 71; Earline Rogers, D-Gary, 78; and Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, 67.

Brown joked that he was surprised his score was so high this year after regularly ranking among the lowest legislators due to his votes against chamber policies aimed at weakening labor unions.

"It's a pleasant surprise. Maybe they are moving more to the center as opposed to being so extreme," Brown said. "They are in favor of jobs, which I am. They are in favor of improving the economy, which I am."

Moseley, who also has clashed with the business group over its support for Indiana's right-to-work law and repeal of the common construction wage, said he's not opposed to working with the chamber on beneficial policies and his rating shows about half the time they're in sync.

"Sounds to me like we don't do a bad job of finding opportunities to agree to disagree, as well as opportunities to work together," Moseley said.

Soliday, Charbonneau and Tallian received special recognition for their legislative efforts on top chamber priorities involving road funding, water resources and work share programs, respectively.

Charbonneau said he's committed to improving Indiana's water infrastructure to ensure the state can sustain its residents and businesses into the future.

"Quality water resources are vital to the continued growth of the Hoosier state and economy," Charbonneau said. "I will continue to push for measures that responsibly invest in this critical natural resource."

A full copy of the chamber's Legislative Vote Analysis is available online at nwi.com.
VALPARAISO  Porter County voters will want to set aside more time than they did in the spring when they head to polling places for the Nov. 8 general election.

In addition to the heated presidential and gubernatorial races creating long lines, the ballots are going to take a little while to get through as a result of the large number of federal, state, county, municipal and school board seats up for grabs.

There are six potential races at the county level alone, including two seats on the county board of commissioners, according to Kathy Kozuszek, Democrat director at the Porter County Voters Registration Office.

Republican Porter County Councilman Jim Biggs is facing off against Porter County Democratic Party Chairman Jeffrey Chidester for the North District commissioner seat.

Democratic incumbent South District Commissioner Laura Blaney is currently unopposed in her bid for re-election, but party chairs can fill this and other vacancies on the ballot through noon July 5, Kozuszek said.

Porter County Republican Chairman Michael Simpson said he anticipates there will be a full ballot.

We are looking to fill those spots, he said.

The race for three at-large seats on the Porter County Council pits Democratic incumbents Dan Whitten, Sylvia Graham and Bob Poparad against Republican challengers Jeff Larson, Rich Parks and Travis Gearhart.

Democratic County Surveyor Kevin Breitzke faces a re-election challenge from Republican Bill Rensberger.

Democratic County Treasurer Michelle Clancy is up against Republican County Coroner Chuck Harris.

Porter Superior Court Judge Julia Jent is unopposed so far in her bid for re-election.

Simpson said he expects a local voter turnout this fall on the level of the historic numbers during the 2008 presidential election. Local issues are going to help drive the big numbers, he said.

It will be a good spirited election, he said.

While municipal races dont typically take place during a presidential election year, Ogden Dunes has three of its Town Council seats up for grabs because the group is in the process of staggering its terms, Kozuszek said.

The council members, who are all independents, ran for office last year, she said. But the seats for wards 2,3 and 4 are back on the ballot, she said. Those wanting to run for the seats have until noon June 30 to submit petitions based on a percentage of the towns population.

Voters will also find various school board seats up for grabs corresponding to where they live, Kozuszek said.

Districts with open seats are Duneland, East Porter County, Boone Township, Portage Township, Porter Township, Union Township and Michigan City, the latter of which involves some residents of Pine Township.

Those wanting to run for school boards must turn in 10 valid signatures from the areas in which they intend to run, Kozuszek said. The petitions are to be submitted between July 27 and noon Aug. 26.
Six Lake County students received full tuition scholarships from the Legacy Foundation, Lake Countys community foundation, for four years of study at the Indiana college or university of their choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.

The projected scholarship amounts for four years of tuition at the students schools of choice range from $50,612 to $194,173 for a total of $452,773. The scholarships are awarded through the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program.

The program "is designed to raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana and increase awareness of the potential of Indiana's community foundations to improve the quality of life of the state's residents," according to its website.

The students are Marisa Butkiewicz, of Hobart; Taylor Duffy, of St. John; Noah Scibbe, of Crown Point; Jacob Seay, of Lake Station; Ally Szakacs, of Munster; and Samanta Zapien, of Whiting

These Scholars exemplify leadership, character, intelligence and determination to make the world a better place. I am privileged and honored to be able to work with these young adults, said Jodi Kateiva, Legacy Foundation scholarship administrator.

I have specifically chosen to attend Indiana University Bloomington for their top ranked Kelley School of Business, said Butkiewicz. After graduation, I will return to Northwest Indiana to work. It is my dream to see Gary revitalized as a city since that is where my family is from. At Hobart High Butkiewicz is a member of National Honor Society, DECA and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is the senior class representative and participates in many leadership activities in her school and community.

Duffy will study engineering at Purdue University West Lafayette. At Lake Central High she is a member of National Honor Society, Women in Science and Engineering and marching band. She is active in the Girl Scouts of America, Hands to Heaven Puppeteers, and her church youth band.

I have always known financial assistance to attend college would be needed, said Duffy. Therefore, I prioritized my academics and community involvement hoping to be a qualified candidate for an academic scholarship.

Scibbe will study education at Indiana University Bloomington.

I have wanted to teach social studies ever since taking my United States history class because knowing the history of this country is vital for understanding why people are where they are today, said Scibbe. At Crown Point High School Scibbe is head drum major and plays in the saxophone quartet. He is president of Thespian Society and participates in school musicals.

Seay plans to study biochemistry at Purdue University West Lafayette. He is a member of band and National Honor Society at Thomas Edison Senior High. Seay participates in volunteer activities with his church youth group. This scholarship will allow me to invest entirely my time and energy into my education. My ultimate goal is to obtain a PhD in biochemistry, said Seay.

Szakacs will study engineering at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. Awareness of the lack of women in STEM careers needs to be addressed in this area and I plan on encouraging more local women to consider that career path," Szakacs said.

Szakacs is a member of Munster High's student government, French Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, National Honor Society and DECA. She is active in the Munster Parks and Recreation Department, vacation Bible school and Tri Kappa events.

Zapien plans to study neuroscience at Indiana University Bloomington.

With this scholarship, I will be able to receive more opportunities and hopefully, one day save lives," Zapien said. She is class president at Whiting High, a member of National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, the Mayors Youth Advisory Council and the school newspaper.

I hope to be able to receive an education like the one my parents envisioned for me sixteen years ago when they sacrificed everything to come to the United States."
HAMMOND  Hammond officials have decided to examine the cost to build a new City Hall across from the former Calumet National Bank Building downtown.

The option is one of three being looked by city officials, which includes spending money to remain in the current facility at 5925 Calumet Ave.

The City Council at the request of Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. voted 7-2 in February to fund a study of what it would cost to remodel and move into the former bank building at 5231 Hohman Ave. The building, which is now largely vacant, is currently owned by First Midwest Bank.

McDermott said it was decided after that meeting to also look a the cost of building a new City Hall on land the city owns near the bank building.

Mark McLaughlin, McDermott's chief of staff, said the initial study on renovating the bank building is being done by the Crown Point architectural firm of Carras-Szany-Kuhn & Associates. He estimated the study would be completed in July.

McLaughlin said he thought the report looking at a new City Hall would not begin for another 30 days or so, but estimated it might only take a couple of weeks or less to complete.

"This will be easy to do as compared to renovating an old building," he said of the study.

McLaughlin said information being gathered for the renovation, such as how much space and storage the different city departments would need, can be used in compiling the study for a new City Hall.

The location being considered would be on property that McLaughlin believes is largely owned by the Hammond Redevelopment Corp. and consists of a parking lot and some vacant land. He said it is at the northwest corner of Hohman Avenue and Fayette Street, diagonally across from the bank building.

"Hopefully, we can reuse the bank building, but it will come down to what the costs are," McLaughlin said.

The City Council could ultimately reject both options and decide to remain at the current facility. At that point, McDermott said a more detailed study would be done to determine what would be needed to repair and renovate the structure. A preliminary report given to the council earlier this year indicated it could cost $5.25 million or more to repair and renovate the current building.

Officials have speculated it could potentially cost $8 million to $12 million to renovate the nine-story bank building on Hohman Avenue, including parking and other exterior improvements.
PORTAGE  The Portage Fire Department will host its annual Portage Safety Day from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Willowcreek Middle School parking lot, Willowcreek Road and Central Avenue.

Free bicycle helmets will be distributed to children while they last. Also featured will be Rusty the Railcat, Portage Police Department K9 units, fire department apparatus, Indiana Conservation Police and U.S Coast Guard.

Youngsters will also have the chance to participate in a bicycle safety course.
VALPARAISO  Beginning today, The Village Gallery will host a mother-daughter duo, DeBorah and Matzie Stipanovich. Meet the Artists reception begins at 1:30 p.m. The exhibit continues through June 23.

For both women, artistic creativity started early in their lives. Their personal artwork reflects their individual journeys, as they discovered new techniques, methods and mediums.

Matzie Stipanovich studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and expanded her techniques under the instruction of Renee Nagle and Dale Fleming and through her membership in the Gary Artists League. Working in multiple mediums her works include Indiana landscapes of the dunes, regional scenes and subjects along with a mix of contemporary abstracts. Over the years her paintings and German Dutch tole painting in freehand style have been exhibited throughout the Midwest earning her numerous awards.

DeBorah Stipanovichs first art instructor was her mother, Matzie, and went on to follow in her artistic path studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Valparaiso University. Her works depicting Amish country landscapes and the intricate detail of quilt design have garnered her numerous awards and recognition. Working mainly in acrylics, her skill and techniques in oil, pen & ink is equally remarkable.

Residing in Chesterton, both women have been actively involved in the Chesterton Womens Club Annual Art Show as well as members of the Midwest Museum of American Art.

The Village Gallery at Pines Village Retirement Communities showcases artists from around the region and U.S. Located at 3303 Pines Village Circle. Call (219) 465-1591.
VALPARAISO  The public will have one more chance to state their case on a proposed human rights ordinance before the City Council decides to vote on it May 23.

The council will hold special meeting and public hearing with resident comments on the proposed human rights ordinance at 7 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium of Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 605 N. Campbell St.

The human rights ordinance proposed by the citys Human Relations Council has been drafted with public input and outlines a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status and familial status.

In a 6-2 vote on April 19, the city's Advisory Human Relations Council recommended sending its human rights ordinance to the City Council.

Councilwoman Lenore Hoffman, R-4th, said she will not indicate how she will vote until May 23 because she thinks it's fair to remain open to the opinions of citizens at Thursday's meeting and she can't be 100 percent certain what the final version of the ordinance will look like until the time of the vote.

"It is completely accurate to say we all have received hundreds of emails both in favor of and against the ordinance," she said. "I believe that this is one of the most contentious issues a Valparaiso City Council has ever faced. Regardless of how they vote, I will respect each of my fellow council members for voting for what he or she believes is best for our city. I count on the citizens of Valparaiso to do the same."

Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, said he's ready to have the ordinance presented to council and that it has been "vetted to death, public and otherwise."

"We're going ad nauseam on a public hearing for an ordinance that appears to be ready to me," he said.

Councilman Matt Murphy, R-3rd, said based on the hundreds of email messages, he's looking forward to the second and final reading on the ordinance.

"This is certainly a very divisive issue for our residents and its time for us to move on," he said. "I encourage everyone on both sides of the issue to practice civility and respect for those they disagree with."

Councilwoman Deb Porter (D-At-Large), said she believes the human rights ordinance is the right thing to do.

"It provides context in which discriminatory behavior is neither acceptable nor tolerated," she said. "It calls us to treat everyone with dignity and respect. This will make Valparaiso a city where all people can feel safe, respected and welcome."

Council members John Bowker, R-5th, Trista Hudson, R-at-large, and Diana Reed, D-at-large, did not respond to requests to comment.

To read the current draft of the ordinance, go to valpo.us and search Human Rights Ordinance.
Its a simple pledge that has passed the one-year mark at the top of our Opinion page.

It begins: Civility Counts for letters and columns.

And it continues: Letters to the editor and columns should be focused on the issues. No name-calling or other measures allowed. Remember, #CivilityCounts.

It started appearing after the Gary Chamber of Commerce and The Times Media Co. announced the kickoff of Community Civility Counts, which has expanded in several directions and recently hosted a sold-out World Civility Day event in Gary.

The pledge, along with a ban on posted comments online, delivers a great result  no candidate, public official or reader is called names on the Opinion page.

Thats #RegionProud worthy and a major contrast to whats taking place in other parts of the country.

Occasionally, we hear concerns from readers who miss the online comment forums  discontinued about three years ago  and suggest we bring them back to make his or her online experience complete.

We respond that were not planning to do that but point out that we encourage conversations and offer a great way to comment (in addition to traditional signed letters to the editor).

The route we suggest is Facebook, where we have 38 different pages and most of our stories are posted.

There are Facebook pages for each Region city and town and for specialized topics like politics, history, workplace and steel. The main Times of Northwest Indiana page is bustling daily for more than 57,000 people.

An NWI Opinion Facebook page, with nearly 2,300 likes, is where we post most of the content from the daily Opinion page and Sunday Forum. We invite you to join.

Staffers oversee these pages and post relevant content to each one. And readers offer comments, share stories and connect with us in increasing numbers.

Remarkably, weve topped 3 million page views in just one month coming from these Facebook pages.

We recently took an inventory of our Facebook pages and made it easy for readers to find them. If youre interested, visit www.nwi.com/social and connect with as many as youd like.

We also encourage traditional signed letters to the editor. The guidelines are 150 words, once per month, and letters can be sent to letters@nwi.com.

We suggest readers print legibly if the letters are mailed. And we encourage addressing one issue and your opinion. If not in favor of a plan or tax, what would you do differently?

The letters count has been picking up at the same time that the Sunday Forum section is becoming more diversified in topics of interest to Region residents. Thats a win-win all around.

Honoring public service

Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, told how government can work in her keynote address at last weeks Times Business & Industry Hall of Fame luncheon.

She knows, having served 34 years in the Indiana General Assembly and worked with members of both parties as a champion for the Region.

The gridlock that has gripped the federal government over very simple tasks is causing serious issues throughout the nation, said Rogers, who received the Partner in Progress award. This does not have to be the case. This is not how we conduct ourselves in Indianapolis.

Rogers received a very special introduction by video, as Mitch Daniels offered a tribute. Daniels, now president of Purdue University, told how he worked closely with Rogers on key initiatives during his time as governor.

The videos of both Daniels tribute and Rogers speech are attached to this column online. Enjoy them on your next visit.

Thanks for reading us. Please contact me with any questions about The Times or our many publications.
Does anyone really care who is the county recorder in Lake or Porter  or the states other 90 counties?

How about the county surveyor?

Or the county coroner?

How about the Circuit Court judge?

If you are one of the few who cares, then you probably need a vacation. Youve got too many meaningless things on your mind.

Why would anyone care who records deeds?

And does it really matter who signs death certificates?

Does anyone really care  or better yet does anyone really know  who is the county surveyor?

The same goes for the circuit court judge who signs off on a variety of civil matters just as a host of other county judges who in Lake County are appointed, not elected?

The point is we just went through several agonizing weeks of being inundated with mailers, yard signs, billboards and phone calls from the many folks seeking the above mentioned offices.

Collectively, those candidates spent about $500,000 to get our vote. The money would have been better spent feeding the hungry or housing the homeless.

So why do we have to endure the campaigns of those seeking several offices that have virtually no impact on our lives?

In the case of the recorder, surveyor, judge and coroner, its because the states prehistoric constitution says those offices must be elected by the voters every few years.

It doesnt have to be that way. And that is exactly what the Kernan/Shepard Commission on Local Government Reform recommended when it released its findings in 2007.

The commission was appointed by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels, who rightly said there were too many layers of government in Indiana. And all those unneeded elected officials came at too great a cost.

What the commission recommended was a constitutional amendment  or several if needed  to do away with the requirement most of the aforementioned offices be elected.

Instead of being elected, the commission recommended a single county executive, who would appoint the other county offices.

And to date  believe it or not  the Legislature has failed to act on that recommendation.

In terms of the Lake Circuit Court judgeship, I cant see any good reason why that position cant be appointed since all other county-level judges are appointed and stand for retention in Lake County.

The recorder, surveyor, coroner and judge dont establish law and therefore dont need voter approval.

A local judge makes decisions, but there are two higher state courts to resolve appeals.

Think about it. If you cant recall who holds the above offices, then theres probably no need for you to elect them.

Let someone who understands what those offices do make the appointments. You might want to mention it the next time you see your state legislators. They are the ones  with your support  who can change the states archaic constitution.
It's a sickness pervading too many levels of Lake County government, from municipal offices to the county government center in Crown Point.

Cronyism is typically regarded as an ugly term in our social vernacular. In Lake County, it often means standing by ones political allies regardless of  and sometimes especially if  they've done wrong.

Unfortunately for Lake County residents, cronyism appears all too often to be the glue bonding together political alliances  and perhaps the very government system itself. It frequently appears to be celebrated.

The perpetual local practice of cronyism must end, and we all must demand more of our elected officials.

Lake County's history of political corruption runs deep, its story chronicled in the court files of more than 60 government officials or politically tied contractors convicted of crimes against taxpayers within the past three decades.

Many of these past cases began with cronyism and evolved into federal criminal indictments.

But more recent examples, which aren't always criminal in nature, create just as much of a strain on the credibility of our government system.

An ongoing controversy swirls around Northwest Indiana union official Randolph "Randy" Palmateer, representing cronyism at its zenith.

In March, Palmateer was charged at a Hammond sobriety checkpoint with drunken driving  the second such charge he faced since 2011.

In both the recent case and the 2011 case, Palmateer cut deals with Lake County prosecutors, pleading guilty to the lesser misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.

Prosecutor Bernard Carter said the most recent plea agreement was a mistake  something that wouldn't have happened had he known what was going on with the case.

But Palmateer's strong political and social ties raise important questions about favoritism and cronyism.

As the Palmateer controversy continued to swirl last week, the Lake County Council chose to vote for Palmateer's reappointment to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

Palmateer's existing term for the office isn't set to expire until August, and the statute doesn't require county government to make or renew any appointments until Sept. 1, according to the RDA.

But as if to show solidarity with Palmateer and all his legal embarrassments, the five Lake County Council Democrats  David Hamm, Ted Bilksi, Christine Cid, Elsie Franklin and Jamal Washington  voted Tuesday to reappoint Palmateer.

The two council Republicans  Dan Dernulc and Eldon Strong  voted against the reappointment, arguing Palmateer should have appeared before the council to answer questions about the controversy prior to any vote.

This was a reasonable request that fell on deaf ears.

Recent examples of cronyism go well beyond Palmateer's case.

Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington continues to hold court with fellow Democrats in county government offices and on the campaign trail.

Washington faces pending domestic charges of assaulting his wife and a former live-in female subordinate from his private-sector job late last year.

Conventional wisdom suggests government leaders should distance themselves from such a person. It also seems reasonable Washington should resign his post without dragging the county through what promises to be ugly court proceedings.

But the right things aren't happening.

In fact, Marissa McDermott, who won the Democratic nomination May 3 to run for Lake Circuit Court judge in November, has embraced Washington on the campaign trail.

McDermott proudly posted photos on Facebook last month, showing herself walking the campaign trail in Gary with Washington.

The primary opponent McDermott defeated earlier this month  incumbent Judge George Paras  carries his own baggage of cronyism.

David Uzelac, a former Merrillville town councilman and son of current Merrillville Councilwoman Margaret Uzelac, is one of Paras' bailiffs.

Uzelac is infamous for being one of the first to be affected by an Indiana law barring people convicted of felonies  even if those convictions are later reduced to misdemeanors  from serving in public office.

Uzelac's 1984 theft conviction has since been expunged, but it's a questionable controversy to associate with a court of law.

Paras also has a host of other politically tied employees working patronage jobs for his court.

In East Chicago, the City Council continues to explore the ouster of Councilman Robert Battle, who was elected to office in November, despite facing federal homicide and drug charges.

Lake County's epic saga of cronyism appears to have no end.

That's because it's been tolerated far too long by an electorate that either accepts the status quo or isn't paying attention.
BAGHDAD  The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad that killed at least 14 people, while a string of other bomb attacks in or close to the capital killed 15 others, Iraqi officials said.

The attack on the gas plant started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the facilitys main gate in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces, an official said, adding that 27 troops were wounded.

The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency credited a group of Caliphate soldiers for the attack.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire caused by the explosions. Younis said technicians were examining the damage.

A car bomb targeting a shopping area in the town of Latifiyah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the capital, killed seven people, including two soldiers, police and hospital officials said. They said that 18 people were also wounded in the attack, four of whom were soldiers.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three separate bomb attacks targeted commercial areas, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 28 others, police added.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The Sunday attacks killed 29 people across Iraq. Since Wednesday, more than 140 people have been killed in a spate of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.

The wave of attacks comes as Iraqi ground forces have achieved a number of key territorial victories against the extremist group.

This perverse caliphate is shrinking, said the Obama administrations diplomatic point man in the international fight against the Islamic State group. Brett McGurk, a presidential envoy to the 66-member anti-IS coalition, told journalists on Sunday in Jordan that the tide is turning against the extremists.

IS extremists still control significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the second-largest city of Mosul. It has declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria.

The group has recently increased its attacks far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield losses.
An investigation is underway after a woman was found dead in the basement of her Staten Island home Saturday.

Police responded just before 10:30 a.m. on Buffalo Street between Hooper and Durant Avenues in Bay Terrace.

Cops say 43-year-old Iwona Pawliszun's throat was slashed  she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Multiple reports say police are looking at this as a possible murder-suicide, police in Poughkeepsie found the body of Pawliszun's husband. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"I see this kind of thing on television all the time, to have it happen right next door, it's a sign of the world changing and it's getting closer to me, not ready for it," one neighbor told NY1.

The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
Staten Islanders lace-up to help patients across the borough.

Staten Island University Hospital hosted its first-ever Northwell Health Walk Sunday in Midland Beach.

All proceeds will go toward a new Women and Children's Center in the works at the hospital's north site.

The facility will feature an expanded neonatal intensive care unit, postpartum suite and a new labor and delivery unit.

"We definitely have top-sheld maternity on the Island today but now to be in the appropriate setting for that type of care is a wonderful thing," said Donna Proske, Executive Director, with SIUH.

Officials say they raised $80,000, but there's still time to donate.

Go to Northwell Health Walk dot com and look for the Staten Island section.
Sunny skies greeted the first wave of festivals goers as the gates of Shaky Knees Music Fest opened into Atlantas Centennial Olympic Park and International Plaza on Friday.

The fourth annual event is smack dab in the heart of Downtown Atlanta and features five stages. The atmosphere alone is enjoyable. The three-day lineup is also good:

Brit rockers The Struts performed on the Boulevard Stage before an energetic audience. The sun lingered over the stage, with the Georgia Dome standing as a backdrop. Luke Spiller, the bands vocalist, maneuvered the stage with the sass and confidence of a legendary rock star. While The Struts are newcomers to the scene, theyve already established an impressive resume  opening for The Rolling Stones in Paris, and Motley Crue (during their final four shows in LA). They handled themselves, and the audience, amazingly. Look for more great things to come from these guys.

Ghost, a heavy metal act from Sweden, were billed for the opening spot before The 1975. They performed on the Piedmont Stage (right next to the Boulevard Stage). The six-piece group is comprised of a completely anonymous band of individuals, who wear demon-esque masks while on stage. Their music is heavy and tight, with heavy metal guitar fills throughout. The presence of the masked figures cloaked in black is a sight to see.

Janes Addiction and The 1975 served as the opening night co-headliners. Fans lined up an exhausting 11 hours before start time to be front row for The 1975s performance. The boys from Manchester, England were appreciative of the top billing and played a long set before an exited crowd.

On the other side of the festival, about an eight minute walk, Janes Addiction were rocking on the Peachtree Stage. While the music sounded great; the vocals were noticeably off.

Gates open Sunday at 11 a.m. EST. Concerts run until 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday.

Stay tuned for daily coverage and photo galleries of each night. Tickets are still available through the link http://www.shakykneesfestival.com/tickets/. Single-day tickets are $97, while advanced three-day tickets run $215.
An Exceptional Response to a New Therapy

I was diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer in April 2005. I was 45 and had never smoked, and the youngest of my three children was only 7. The lower lobe of my left lung was removed, followed by four rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy. However, my cancer returned almost immediately. By the summer of 2008, I had more than two dozen tumors throughout both lungs and was told there was nothing more to do and that I had three to five months left to live. My youngest child and I both began counseling to help us prepare for my death. However the biopsy used to confirm metastatic spread revealed a newly identified driver for lung cancer, a gene called ALK. In October 2008, I became the fourth person in the world with non-small-cell lung cancer to take an experimental therapy called crizotinib. I hoped it would extend my life for several months, but instead I had an almost complete response  not a cure, but a respite. Since then, I have returned to chemotherapy briefly and enrolled in two more Phase 1 clinical trials for ALK inhibitors. My cancer is currently stable, and in several weeks I shall watch my youngest child graduate from high school, and in the fall, he will enroll at M.I.T. where he will study human biology with an emphasis on cancer research. We are truly living the dream (Im alive!) made possible only by advances in cancer research. Linnea Olson, 56, Lowell, Mass.

Image Hannah Kaplan with her children Sam (left) and Aaron (right). Credit... John Neely

Individualized Medicine Can Be Lonely

I didnt expect there to be a point in my treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma when my doctor would say: Its really up to you. If there was a correct way, Id decide, but we just dont know, and its not ethical for me to make that decision for you. I was offered a choice to skip radiation, based on a PET scan that showed my cancer had responded quickly to chemotherapy. Using a PET scan to gauge response to treatment, and from there predict individual outcomes, is a new idea. While I was pleased to be offered the best science available, I didnt expect that being at the forefront of personalized medicine would feel so scary and uncertain. I trusted my oncologist completely, but here he was telling me that we faced a choice without a clear answer. Skipping radiation would increase chances that my cancer recurred, but radiation would increase my risk for secondary cancers considerably; my short-term survival rate might be better with radiation, but my long-term prognosis was possibly better without it. I have two toddlers. If my cancer recurred, I might die before they were old enough to remember me, but if I had radiation, I might mortgage everyones future quality of life. Individualized medicine is lonely. If everybody is a case study of one, then the precedent set by others becomes much less reassuring, and while I admired my doctor for admitting the ethical dilemmas inherent in the decision and allowing me the choice, it was a decision I did not feel at all qualified to make. It sounds so good, objectively  treatment just for you!  but my experience of it was terrifying, even with excellent doctors who spent hours of extra time talking through all the variables with me. Hannah Kaplan, 34, Minneapolis



Image Linda McCulloch Credit... Courtesy of Linda McCulloch

From a Tragic Car Accident to a Full Life

On the morning of June 26, 2015, I was on the way to pick up supplies for a wedding I was catering. I was feeling a bit off, but ignored it, thinking I had low blood sugar. A voice popped into my head, however, saying, If you dont pull over right now, you are going to die! As I started to slow down, I experienced a brain seizure, blacked out and ended up in a ditch with a broken back and a totaled car. The police said I should have been killed. A hospital scan revealed I had Stage 4 metastasized melanoma that had traveled from a lymph node in my arm to my brain, causing the seizure. I had no idea I was sick. After much testing, I was put on a trial of two new untested immunotherapy drugs. In three months, scans showed that all of my brain tumors were gone and my lymph nodes were back to normal. On Oct. 1, the F.D.A. approved one of the two immunotherapy drugs they tested on me. Today, my CT and brain M.R.I.s continue to show no evidence of cancer. My back is healed, and Ive returned to living a full life. Linda McCulloch, 58, Sonoma, Calif.
Po meets his father, and he sounds like Bryan Cranston, in Kung Fu Panda 3. 60 Minutes honors Morley Safer on his retirement after 46 seasons. And Selina ends up in the hospital on Veep.

Whats Streaming

KUNG FU PANDA 3 (2016) on Amazon and iTunes. At the end of Kung Fu Panda 2, we learned that Po (Jack Black) wasnt an orphan after all. Now we meet Li, voiced by Bryan Cranston, the father he hasnt seen since he was a cub, and Kai (J. K. Simmons), the beast who has been collecting the chi of all of Chinas kung fu masters and imprisoning them. Po has to confront some fairly grown-up ideas in this installment  mortality, absence, selfhood, afterlife  and the character has certainly matured over the three films, Neil Genzlinger wrote in The New York Times. But lots of comedic fight scenes break up the storys more somber stretches, and the animation, especially in 3-D, is simply gorgeous. The kiddies might not appreciate the artistry, but grown-ups certainly will.

Whats on TV

MORLEY SAFER: A REPORTERS LIFE 8 p.m. on CBS. 60 Minutes celebrates Mr. Safer  its longest-serving correspondent, who retired last week after 46 seasons  with a survey of his half-century career. Among those weighing in: Lenell Geter, wrongly convicted of armed robbery in Texas and sentenced to life in prison, whom Mr. Safer helped to exonerate, and Joseph Stringham, a retired United States brigadier general and commander of the Green Beret unit that Mr. Safer accompanied into battle in Vietnam. And still, Mr. Safer really doesnt like being on television. It makes me uneasy, he says. It is not natural to be talking to a piece of machinery. But the money is very good.
Cara Elizabeth Parks and Whitney Powell Snyder were married May 14 at the William Paca House, a historic property and event space in Annapolis, Md. Samuel D. Stabler, a friend of the couple who became a minister for the event through American Marriage Ministries, officiated.

Ms. Parks, 31, is keeping her name. She is a freelance editor and writer in New York. She graduated from Bard College and received a masters in journalism from Columbia.

She is the daughter of Patricia Dixon Parks and Jeffrey N. Parks of Annapolis. The brides father, who worked in Alexandria, Va., retired as an environmental geologist for Shaw Environmental, an environmental engineering, consulting and facilities management firm. Her mother, a decorative artist, retired as the owner of Pat Parks Design, a company in Annapolis that specialized in painting furniture.

Mr. Snyder, also 31, works in New York as the editorial director of news and product at The Huffington Post. He graduated from Brown.
Linda Wen Jeng and Conor Nicholas Healy were married May 14 at their new home in Washington, to which they had invited guests to what was billed as a housewarming party. Tiffany M. Newman, a minister affiliated with the Sacred Life Church in Richmond, Va., solemnized their marriage license.

On May 29, they are to have a nonbinding cultural ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle, an event space in Dublin, where Simone Walsh, a civil family celebrant, is to lead the couple in a Celtic handfasting ceremony in which they bind their hands together with a ribbon.

Ms. Jeng , 41, who will keep her name, works in the division of financial stability at the board of governors of the Federal Reserve in Washington, where she helps develop policies in financial regulation.

She graduated cum laude from Duke and received law degrees from Columbia and the University of Toulouse in France. The brides previous marriage ended in divorce. She is the daughter of Melissa Jeng and Raymond Jeng of Norcross, Ga.
Susan Marie Cheng and Joseph Francis Doctor were married May 14 at the Santa Barbara Womans Club in Santa Barbara, Calif. Kaya Henderson, the chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, who is a Universal Life minister, officiated.

The bride and groom received doctoral degrees in education leadership from Harvard, where they met.

Dr. Cheng, 37, is keeping her name. She is the senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington. She graduated summa cum laude from U.C.L.A. and received a masters in public policy from Harvard.

She is the daughter of Linda C. Cheng and Michael K. Cheng of Santa Barbara. The brides father retired as a senior payroll auditor at the State Compensation Insurance Fund; he worked in Oxnard, Calif. Her mother, now also retired, was a public-health nurse in the childrens services division of Santa Barbara County, where she worked with children with special medical needs, physical limitations or chronic health issues.

Dr. Doctor, 36, is the senior vice president for strategy and policy at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, an organization in Arlington, Va., that oversees board certification of classroom teachers. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale.
Ernest Michel survived the Auschwitz death camp because of a calligraphy course he had taken at his fathers insistence. Having been expelled with other Jewish students from German public schools, he needed to develop a skill, his father had told him.

He did just that: His penmanship became flawless, and the Nazis put it to use at Auschwitz, sparing him from the gas chambers. They conscripted him in a cynical scheme to falsify the death certificates of his fellow inmates, hoping to hide the actual cause of death: extermination. That they enlisted a Jew to do their dissembling was doubly grievous.

Mr. Michel (pronounced mish-ELL) died on May 7 in Manhattan at 92. His account of mechanically forging the death certificates was one of many he would tell in his decades of bearing witness  in writing and public speaking  to the horrors he had observed beginning in 1936, when he was 13 and barred from public school by Nazi racial codes. He never received a formal education beyond the sixth grade.

He was barely 20 when he was given the writing task at Auschwitz. He was in the camp infirmary, being treated for a head wound inflicted by a prison guard during a beating, when an aide asked whether any of the inmates had good handwriting. Mr. Michel volunteered.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.  For 14 years, they seemed made for each other: affable, glad-handing Mayor Pat, and this city, North Carolinas largest and a place long defined more by entrepreneurial hustle and economic success than ideology and hard-edge politics.

These days, it is not entirely clear whether Pat McCrory, the Republican who was mayor from 1995 to 2009, or Charlotte, which Mr. McCrory is now feuding with as North Carolinas governor, has changed more. But it is apparent that the antidiscrimination ordinance that Charlotte sought to change this year and the successful effort by Mr. McCrory and state lawmakers to block the modification have left both the city and its former mayor reeling and distant.

With social issues, you never satisfy the litmus test of either the right or the left, Mr. McCrory said over a Styrofoam cup of lemonade on Thursday. And the social issues are much more complex than the media and the political pundits will give credit for, including the one were dealing with today.

The state has faced a backlash since the Republican-controlled General Assembly, during a one-day special session in March, passed a measure to limit public restroom access for transgender people and prohibit local governments from passing antidiscrimination ordinances. And Charlotte, a city of about 810,000 people that promoted itself in the 1970s as a good place to make money, has taken a particularly hard hit since the law known as House Bill 2 took effect.
BUENOS AIRES  In Argentina, former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been indicted, accused of endangering the nations finances. In Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff is facing an impeachment trial, and her interim successor has appointed only male ministers. In Chile, President Michelle Bachelet, once hugely popular, has seen her approval ratings plunge.

What has happened to the powerful women of South America?

Mrs. Kirchner was indicted on Friday, and Ms. Rousseff was suspended by Congress a day earlier, potentially sidelining two of the regions most influential women. With Ms. Bachelets government also deeply unpopular, some might be tempted to question how advances by women could seemingly be reversed.

If we women throw our weight about in a realm that has been exclusive to men, its logical that these things will happen, said Norma Amorin, 73, a retired beautician here.

The fates of all three leaders today contrast sharply with their standing five years ago. In 2011, Ms. Rousseff began her presidency; Mrs. Kirchner won a second consecutive term; and Ms. Bachelet, after completing her first presidential term with approval ratings of more than 80 percent, led a United Nations agency.
AUJA, West Bank  Samer Atiyat, a Palestinian farmworker, had climbed halfway up a 20-foot date palm and was trimming stalks that held rich clusters of the fruit, still green and unripe. Working near the Dead Sea on land that still evokes its biblical past, Mr. Atiyat, 28, grew animated when asked about a 125-foot bank of solar panels, whose power draws water from deep underground to irrigate the grove.

The water thats brought here comes from the panels, Mr. Atiyat said, using an Arabic slang term for the units, muri, that can also be translated as mirrors.

Solar panels dot some of the poorest Arab villages in the West Bank and Israel, often donated by European governments. But experts in the field say the $100,000 project here in Auja is the first substantial one to be financed by a group involving both Jews and Muslims in the United States, and to have both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims on its technical team. In addition to its environmental benefits, the solar project gives an economic push to farmers who struggle with unreliable and expensive electricity.

In a place of nationalist, religious and political animosity, Palestinian farmers embraced the project on one condition. The community, said Ben Jablonski, who is Jewish and from New York and who led the initiative, insisted only that the collection of donors and engineers be free of any connection to the Israeli settlements scattered across the West Bank on land Palestinians consider their own.
Twenty-four hours after Adam Lindemann sold a Jean-Michel Basquiat at Christies for $57.3 million  an auction record for the artist  he found himself in the role of bidder as selling began for a 1942 Calder standing mobile at Sothebys last Wednesday night. He thought the $3 million to $4 million estimate was too low, that the piece was worth $10 million, given that it had once been owned by Alfred H. Barr Jr., founding director of the Museum of Modern Art.

Mr. Lindemann, 54, an established collector and dealer, jumped into the bidding himself, but dropped out before the piece ultimately sold for $8.3 million with fees.

Had I pushed it, it would have gone to 10, he said later. It wasnt destined to come to me. Sometimes when you bid, youre not going to get it  you just know. It was an amazing purchase for someone to own and to keep for a decade. It was not necessarily the right purchase for someone like me.

Mr. Lindemann, a regular in the New York auction rooms, agreed to share his impressions of the spring sales in real time with a reporter. As both a buyer and a seller, he was active last week, offering an up-close view of the negotiations that go into each sale.
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Investment in China's property sector rose 7.2 percent year on year in the first four months of 2016, official data showed on Saturday.

Growth picked up following the 6.2-percent gain in Q1, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Investment in residential housing grew 6.4 percent in the first four months.

In floor terms, property sales jumped 36.5 percent in the first four months, higher than the 33.1-percent gain in the first quarter.

Sales revenue surged 55.9 percent in the first four months, compared with the 54.1-percent gain seen in the first quarter.

China's property sector has shown signs of improvement in the last four months, with home prices rising in big cities including Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

But markets in smaller cities remain subdued due to a supply glut, and the government is making destocking a top priority.
Since North Carolina passed a bill in March limiting bathroom access for transgender people, many musicians have canceled shows in the state in protest. However, Moogfest, an electronic music and technology festival set to take place in Durham next weekend, is taking the opposite approach and refocusing the event as a demonstration against the law, which is commonly referred to as House Bill 2.

Moogfest will feature a keynote address from Martine Rothblatt, a transgender woman who is the chief executive of United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, and a founder of Sirius Satellite Radio, now SiriusXM. United Therapeutics has an office and manufacturing facility outside of Durham.

I would rather be part of a protest festival than basically just be a silent voice walking away from it, Dr. Rothblatt said in an interview.

Festival organizers plan to provide gender-neutral bathrooms, raise money through clothing sales and help register voters for the November election.
In his monumental Hammerklavier Piano Sonata, Beethoven pushed the boundaries of what this form had been and took the piano itself into new realms of possibility and sound. On Saturday night at Carnegie Hall the brilliant Chinese pianist Yuja Wang played the Hammerklavier quite comfortably. That was the curious shortcoming of an otherwise vibrant, colorful and personal performance.

Ms. Wang, 29, a prodigious virtuoso who brings charisma and a flair for fashion to the stage as well, is best known for elegant, technically scintillating performances of Romantic repertory and 20th-century works. In March, she gave a glistening account of the daunting solo piano part of Messiaens Turangalila Symphony in the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonens performance with the New York Philharmonic.

On Saturday, for the first half of her recital, she brought poise and sensitivity to two early Brahms ballades, and then offered a rhapsodic, poetic performance of Schumanns fantastical, challenging Kreisleriana, a 35-minute suite.

But Beethovens formidable Hammerklavier is a touchstone work that even some master pianists have been wary of. It is, of course, thrilling to hear it played with verve and command. Yet, to me the finest performances, however triumphant, also convey  in the moment  the way Beethoven is brashly reimagining what a sonata could be and a piano could do.
The Treasurys schedule of financing this week includes Mondays regular weekly auction of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week bills on Tuesday.

At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.28 percent. The rate on the six-month issue was 0.37 percent, and the rate on the four-week issue was 0.24 percent.

The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week:

MONDAY

Florida, $241.7 million of revenue bonds. Competitive.

Florida Board of Education, $180 million of public education capital outlay bonds. Competitive.

TUESDAY

Loudoun County, Va., $144.7 million of general obligation bonds. Competitive.

Maryland, $145 million of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission general obligation bonds. Competitive.
You could call him anytime and he would be there, Esperanza Martell, a longtime activist, said. He was dedicated and full of love. Yes, I am one of many who also challenged him, and he challenged me. We had our differences. But we remained friends. He had integrity.

On his last two birthdays, friends and admirers gathered at Hostos not just to celebrate him, but also to make sure nothing was left unsaid. They praised his leadership during the 1976 protests that saved the school where he had taught for years. New York City, facing a fiscal crisis, had considered closing the community college, a bilingual institution whose student body was overwhelmingly Latino and poor. Now his friends want Hostos to put Mr. Jimenezs name on the bridge over the Grand Concourse that connects its two main buildings.

That would be fitting, because he lived to help others overcome obstacles. In recent years, William Rivera has enjoyed rent-free space in Mr. Jimenezs office, where he seeks construction jobs for minority workers. A mutual friend introduced them in 2007, after Mr. Rivera served 12 years in prison for manslaughter. Mr. Jimenez urged Mr. Rivera to think positively, stay focused and surround himself with good people. Instead, he started dealing drugs on Willis Avenue.

Ramon saw me there, and for three straight days he showed up, Mr. Rivera recalled. I was out there, scrambling, watching my back. He was right there with me, telling my customers to run away. He told them I was selling fake stuff, not to buy it. My boys were like, Yo, whats up with that? Things got to the point that I decided to stop selling drugs.

Decades earlier, Mr. Jimenez had stood by another young man in turmoil. That man, Ramon Morales, arrived at Harvard in 1972 by way of El Barrio, the Puerto Rican activist group the Young Lords and a mother who toiled in sweatshops. Surrounded by wealth, he felt out of place. Facing the re-election of President Richard M. Nixon, he felt outrage. He had a violent breakdown that November that landed him at the Harvard infirmary, sedated for three days.

I opened my eyes and was in a kind of stupor, Mr. Morales said. And there was a man sitting next to me. Ramon looked at me and said: Hello, my brother. Ive heard so much about you. When I heard what happened, I came to be by your side.

Mr. Morales had been ready to drop out. But Mr. Jimenez persuaded him that the most revolutionary act he could commit would be to stay and get his degree. He did, and went on to become a co-founder of a successful technology company in the South Bronx. He has since sold it and moved on to other ventures that combine technology and social responsibility. He exudes confidence, born not of ego, but of gratitude knowing someone had his back. Ramon was there for us, Mr. Morales said through tears. He was a loving person with compassion and a great commitment to people.

As Ramon J. Jimenez lay dying, the final three words he heard in that instant that lasts forever were not Harvard-educated lawyer but, simply, I love you.
Anybody know a white girl that looks like this? she asked. We could get money.

Several minutes later, she approached the camera again, this time with a black purse, and pulled out a handful of gift cards.

Holler at me, she sang, if you need a giftie.

Then she seemed to catch herself, saying: I dont need to be on Facebook like this. Im not that type of person. She added, People dont like me because I get money.

There is no mention of theft in the video, or of how the cards and the license came to her. Ms. Lord, who grew up in Queens and sometimes lived with her grandmother on Stanton Street in Manhattan, had been arrested before, in January, and was charged with stealing a purse from a boutique a few blocks away. That case was pending. But her family hoped she had turned things around.

Her sister said the pictures Ms. Lord frequently posted suggesting a glamorous life  a new ring, new nails, selfies in boutiques  hid a need for attention. She was running around with the wrong crowd, her sister said, and her actions in the video may have been for show.

Just because she had them doesnt mean it was hers, Shaquana Lord said.

When, a few days after the video, Ms. Lord was arrested again, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. A woman had stolen a wallet from the Once Upon a Tart cafe in SoHo, but after Ms. Lord was arrested, it became obvious from security video that the thief was a different, much taller woman. Ms. Lord returned home and to Facebook as if nothing had happened.
But why is Mr. Putin, despite his willingness to start military wars, reluctant to declare a real war on corruption  even though, as Mr. Xi has found, anti-corruption campaigns are usually popular with the public?

Only a fool would argue that theres a dearth of corruption in Russia. Recent opinion polls from Moscows independent Levada Center indicate that a majority of people view state bureaucracy as irremediably corrupt. Russian movies and novels are full of officials who take bribes. Why then is the Kremlin so unwilling to undertake a cleanup, particularly in a moment when cutting the cost of corruption could compensate for depressed oil prices?

The commonplace explanation in the Western media is that Mr. Putin himself is deeply corrupt  indeed, that he sits at the epicenter of Russias corrupt edifice. This may be so. But as someone who has spent his life in the Balkans (and therefore knows a thing about corruption), I have learned that being corrupt is hardly a reason not to declare a war on corruption; on the contrary, it could be an incentive, because there is nothing that corrupt politicians hate more than other peoples corruption.

The reason for Mr. Putins reluctance, then, is more complicated.

On one hand, for him, mutual accusations of corruption are the dirty bombs of the intra-elite wars, which cause a lot of collateral damage. Research has long demonstrated that corruption, although hitting the poorest groups in society hardest, is primarily a middle-class concern  and in todays Russia, the middle class to a great extent is composed of these same bribe-taking officials that anti-corruption campaigns should target.

On the other hand, what matters in politics is not the levels of corruption, but the publics perception of how corrupt their country is, and very often the link between the two is not direct. Small and successful wars abroad can be a better instrument to change peoples perception of how corrupt their country is than the actual efforts to reduce corruption. Correlation is not causation, but in the wake of Crimeas annexation, the number of Russians who believed that corruption was increasing plummeted to 30 percent, from 50 percent.
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, urged unity behind Donald J. Trump in a series of interviews on Sunday television shows and said that people just dont care about recent negative reports about his tax returns and his treatment of women.

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Mr. Priebus defended Mr. Trump after an article in The New York Times on Saturday in which dozens of women who encountered Mr. Trump over his career told of unsettling conduct.

Asked by Chris Wallace, the host, if he was bothered by the accusations in the article, Mr. Priebus at first said that Well, you know, a lot of things bother me, Chris, and obviously Im the wrong person to be asking that particular question, but when asked again, Mr. Priebus said that voters were focused on other things.

I dont think Donald Trump in his personal life is something that people are looking at and saying, Well, Im surprised that he has had girlfriends in the past. Thats not what people look at Donald Trump for, he said.
SAN FRANCISCO  As the editor in chief of The San Francisco Chronicle, Audrey Cooper has overseen countless stories on homelessness. But the issue became personal three years ago when she was pushing her 6-month-old child in a stroller through the citys business district. A homeless couple in a tent on the sidewalk were having sex, tent flaps open, as their pit bull stood guard.

Ms. Cooper expressed her outrage loudly and in colorful language.

I probably shouldnt have started yelling at them, she said in an interview in her fishbowl office in the heart of the Chronicles newsroom. They let their dog loose.

San Francisco residents have over decades become inured to encounters with the citys homeless population, the clumps of humanity sleeping on sidewalks under coats and makeshift blankets, or drug addicts shooting up in full view of pedestrians. There are also the tension-filled but common scenes of mentally ill men and women stumbling down streets, arguing with imaginary enemies or harassing passers-by.

One particularly vocal group of residents, San Franciscos journalists, say they feel a sense of urgency in addressing the problem. They are banding together in an exasperated, but as yet vaguely defined, attempt to spur the city into action.
VIENNA  In Austria, at the very heart of Europe, the center is not holding.

After decades in which Austrian politics was dominated by center-right and center-left parties, voters emphatically rejected both in the first round of the election for a new president. The country  focused, like many others in Europe, on the effects of large-scale immigration  now faces a runoff next Sunday between a far-right, anti-immigration populist, who was the leading vote-getter in the first round, and a former Green Party leader.

The power of the presidency in Austria is a subject of debate. But the first round of the race stirred upheaval within the governing coalition of the center-left Social Democrats and the center-right Peoples Party, including the resignation of Chancellor Werner Faymann, which further undercut the influence and stature of the political middle here.

Should the far-right candidate, Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party, win the presidency, he would be the first right-wing populist to become a head of state in 21st-century Europe.

The forces that vaulted Mr. Hofer into the spotlight are evident across much of the Continent, where many traditional parties in the center are embattled and voters are signaling increased discontent with politics as usual. Austria could be a test case for how far voters will go to demand change as immigration joins with diminished economic security and resentment of entrenched elites to create a combustible political mix.
CANNES, France  The BFG, the latest from Steven Spielberg, is based on the 1982 book of the same title by Roald Dahl. Its the story of young Sophie (the newcomer Ruby Barnhill), who one night is plucked from her bed by a giant hand. She soon discovers that the hand belongs to the BFG  voiced with an ache by Mark Rylance  or the Big Friendly Giant. The girl and the giant bond, naturally, and soon enough this funny, creepy, quirky child-snatching story turns into an odd-couple tale about two lonely souls who set out to vanquish a gang of giant hooligans who snack on human beans  people.

Using a combination of physical sets, performance capture and digital wizardry, Mr. Spielberg creates a visually seamless world that looks startlingly real. The BFG is most touchingly an expression of Mr. Spielbergs movie love, evident in its emphasis on dreams, a lovely interlude involving a kind of shadow play and even in an allusion to a Zoetrope, a protocinematic device that creates the illusion of motion.

The film was adapted for the screen by Melissa Mathison, who died in 2015, and remains best known for her screenplay for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which screened in Cannes in 1982. It was Mr. Spielbergs second appearance as a director in the festivals main competition, following The Sugarland Express in 1974. (He won the prize for best screenplay that year.) Since then, his appearances at Cannes have been infrequent: The Color Purple played out of competition in 1986 (The BFG was also shown out of competition), and he served as president of the feature jury in 2013. On Sunday, I spoke with Mr. Spielberg about his new movie, accusations that Dahl was anti-Semitic and what he would change in the film industry, at the Carlton hotel. Here are excerpts:

Q. How did the project come to you?

A. Kathy Kennedy. She got the rights from the Dahl estate about 9, 10 years ago. And she hired Melissa to write the screenplay. I read Melissas script and loved it. There was a lot of work to be done, but it was a wonderful first draft. I got involved in directing it because Melissa and I have been so close all these years; we raised our families together practically.

And then it was just like old home week again, it was such a familiar feeling being in  you cant call them story meetings, theyre like life jam sessions  and out of it sometimes comes an idea that Melissa will write down and it may or may not go into the script. They were very casual, very beautiful sessions. Its hard being here without her.
Lei Yang's wife receives an interview from China Central Television. [Photo/people.cn]

Police in Beijing have confirmed that a man who died in custody had solicited prostitutes, according to their latest statement, issued at 1:44 am, May 11.

The 29-year-old Lei Yang, a master's graduate from the prestigious Renmin University of China, died on the night of May 7, after police raided a foot massage parlor suspected of engaging in prostitution in northern Beijing's suburban Changping District.

The police statement said that Lei tried to evade questioning as he walked out of the foot massage parlor. Evidence showed that Lei "engaged in soliciting prostitution and paid 200 yuan for the service," read the statement.

Lei's death received much public attention. Many people suspected that the police officers had abused their powers in detaining the man, leading to his death.

Lei's wife Wu Tingting, who labels herself as a "reasonable person," expressed doubts over the police allegation, saying that she wishes to know the truth. Her main concern is whether the law enforcement officers involved in her husband's death strictly followed protocols. To find out what really happened, she has agreed to have a post-mortem examination performed on her husband. It will be carried out by a third-party agency under the surveillance of a local prosecutor.

The local procuratorate's spokesperson announced that it has started investigating Lei's death with the assistance of forensic experts.
Alon Sicherman and Micah Dickbauer for The New York Times

Over a million people are buried in the citys potters field on Hart Island. A New York Times investigation uncovers some of their stories and the failings of the system that put them there.

Twice a week or so, loaded with bodies boxed in pine, a New York City morgue truck passes through a tall chain-link gate and onto a ferry that has no paying passengers. Its destination is Hart Island, an uninhabited strip of land off the coast of the Bronx in Long Island Sound, where overgrown 19th-century ruins give way to mass graves gouged out by bulldozers and the only pallbearers are jail inmates paid 50 cents an hour.

There, divergent life stories come to the same anonymous end.

No tombstones name the dead in the 101-acre potters field that holds Leola Dickerson, who worked as one familys housekeeper for 50 years, beloved by three generations for her fried chicken and her kindness. She buried her husband as he had wished, in a family plot back in Alabama. But when she died at 88 in a New York hospital in 2008, she was the ward of a court-appointed guardian who let her house go into foreclosure and her body go unclaimed at the morgue.

By law, her corpse became city property, to be made available as a cadaver for dissection or embalming practice if a medical school or mortuary class wanted it. Then, like more than a million men, women and children since 1869, she was consigned to a trench on Hart Island.

Several dozen trenches back lies Zarramen Gooden, only 17 when the handlebars of his old bike broke and he hit his throat, severing an artery. He had been popping wheelies near the city homeless shelter in the Bronx where he and four younger siblings lived with their heroin-addicted mother. With no funeral help from child protection authorities, his older sister scraped together $8 to buy the used suit he wore at his wake. But the funeral home swiftly sent him back to the morgue when she could not pay the $6,000 burial fee.

For Milton Weinstein, a married father with a fear of dying alone, there was no burial at all for two years after his death at 67. A typographer in his day, he had worked in advertising for Sears, Roebuck & Company. But he lost his career to technology and his vision to diabetes; his wifes mental problems drove their children away. Though she was at his side when he died in a Bronx nursing home, she had no say over what happened to his remains  and no idea that his body would be used as a cadaver in a medical school and then shoveled into a mass grave on Hart Island.

New York is unique among American cities in the way it disposes of the dead it considers unclaimed: interment on a lonely island, off-limits to the public, by a crew of inmates. Buried by the score in wide, deep pits, the Hart Island dead seem to vanish  and so does any explanation for how they came to be there.

To reclaim their stories from erasure is to confront the unnoticed heartbreak inherent in a great metropolis, in the striving and missed chances of so many lives gone by. Bad childhoods, bad choices or just bad luck  the chronic calamities of the human condition figure in many of these narratives. Here are the harshest consequences of mental illness, addiction or families scattered or distracted by their own misfortunes.

But if Hart Island hides individual tragedies, it also obscures systemic failings, ones that stack the odds against people too poor, too old or too isolated to defend themselves. In the face of an end-of-life industry that can drain the resources of the most prudent, these people are especially vulnerable.

Indeed, this graveyard of last resort hides wrongdoing by some of the very individuals and institutions charged with protecting New Yorkers, including court-appointed guardians and nursing homes. And at a time when many still fear a potters field as the ultimate indignity, the secrecy that shrouds Hart Islands dead also veils the citys haphazard treatment of their remains.

These cases are among hundreds unearthed through an investigation by The New York Times that draws on a database of people buried on the island since 1980. The records make it possible for the first time to trace the lives of the dead, revealing the many paths that led New Yorkers to a common grave.

Matched with other public records, including guardianship proceedings, court dockets and hundreds of pages of unclaimed cadaver records obtained from the citys Office of Chief Medical Examiner under the states Freedom of Information Law, the database becomes a road map to unlocking Hart Islands secrets.

Some secrets defy every expectation. Ruth Proskauer Smith, 102, died in her multimillion-dollar apartment in the Dakota building in Manhattan in 2010 after a life celebrated in a Times obituary and by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She now lies with 144 strangers in Trench 359.

My God, she ended up there? Gael Arnold exclaimed, shocked to learn that her mother had been buried on Hart Island in 2013, three years after her death and the donation of her body to science. Her children had assumed that the New York University School of Medicine would cremate her remains and dispose of the ashes, not send her corpse to the city morgue to be ferried to a pit.

Some secrets still resist unraveling. Timothy Daniels, 17, is buried in Trench 209. He died in 1990 in an upstate homeless shelter run by the city for men over 35, a place no juvenile was supposed to be. Yet there is no trace of any official inquiry into how he died there.

The common expectation today is that families will be on the front line of burial arrangements. But as many cases show, families can be lost or outlived, left in the dark or hobbled by the same economic and social forces that drove their kin toward Hart Island.

Under a New York State law rooted in the 1850s and last amended in 2007, next of kin can have as little as 48 hours after a death to claim a body for burial, or 24 hours after notification, if the deceased person is known to have a relative whose place of residence is known or can be ascertained after reasonable and diligent inquiry.

At that point, a body is legally available for use as a cadaver and for burial in a potters field. Medical schools have the right of first refusal; the bodies they reject are passed to mortuary classes for embalmment training, which is required for a funeral directors license.

Views differ over whether the role of cadavers in teaching doctors, or even undertakers, should outweigh any concerns about consent, religious prohibitions or disparate treatment of the poor. Even some anatomists now argue that the governments power to appropriate the bodies of the marginalized should be unacceptable today. But most people are simply unaware of the practice.

With the rise of private body donations, most medical schools no longer claim corpses from the city morgue. Still, the city has offered at least 4,000 bodies to medical or mortuary programs in the past decade; among these, more than 1,877 were selected for use before a belated Hart Island burial, records show. The city temporarily halted the flow of cadavers in 2014 after the medical examiners office was caught in a series of blunders, including bodies lost or mixed up. But the practice resumed last spring when a mortuary school sued.

The city declines to identify the cadavers, invoking a privacy exception to public records laws. Citing security, the citys Correction Department also repeatedly rebuffed The Timess requests to witness Hart Island burials firsthand. Finally, in March, The Times used a drone to fly around the islands shoreline and record burials on video.

For a decade, a small band of activists, led by a visual artist, Melinda Hunt, sought access to the islands handwritten burial ledgers. More than a year ago, Ms. Hunt turned hard-won facts and old images into a website for the nonprofit organization she founded, the Hart Island Project, and shared the underlying data with The Times.

The recovered stories reveal the powerful reach of the past. And they show that in a time of passionate debate over inequality, racism and economic exploitation, the potters field dead speak to us still.

Strangers With Common Fate

The term potters field is biblical, referring to a clay-heavy piece of land near Jerusalem bought with the 30 pieces of silver returned by a remorseful Judas to the chief priests. Worthless for farming, the land would be used to bury strangers. The strangers in New York City after the Civil War were poor immigrants, African-Americans and casualties of the teeming, crime-infested slums.

The city bought Hart Island in 1868. It had been the site of a prison for Confederate soldiers, and for more than a century, the dead shared the island with living inmates of one kind or another, people who were likely to end up in its mass graves themselves.

The island is now haunted by the crumbling remnants of defunct institutions, among them a lunatic asylum, a tuberculosis hospital and a boys reformatory. In the bulldozed barrens between these ruins, inmates outfitted, chain-gang-style, in red stripes and Day-Glo orange caps stack the dead three deep.

Throughout human history, archaeologists say, the treatment of dead bodies has been a key indicator of status differences in a society; the unworthy poor become the unworthy dead. As a burial place, unmarked ground shared with many strangers is at the bottom of the hierarchy. But Hart Islands dead were also always vulnerable to another fate.

New York was among many states that had added dissection to death sentences for murder, arson and even burglary by the early 19th century, when it was otherwise illegal. But the demand for cadavers in medical education had outstripped the legal supply of executed felons, and an illicit market in corpses mushroomed.

Its history is grim. Southern slave owners donated or sold bodies of dead slaves to medical schools; in the North, competing schools imported black bodies from the South in whiskey barrels. Potters fields, almshouse cemeteries and African-American burial grounds were routinely ransacked as medical professors paid for corpses, no questions asked. Other bodies were diverted from morgues and the charity wards of urban hospitals.

Society largely turned a blind eye as long as the body snatchers took the black, the poor or the powerless, historians point out. But when even the bodies of respectable whites were not safe, outrage erupted. There were riots against medical schools in Philadelphia, New Haven and New York, where in 1788 a hospital was sacked and Columbia College medical students were nearly lynched. Furor peaked nationwide in an 1879 scandal, when the naked, stolen body of a United States congressman was discovered in an Ohio anatomy lab.

Lawmakers in many states concluded that the only way to protect the respectable was to give medical schools more of what they were already taking illegally: the bodies of the disenfranchised. One of the first such laws was New York States, passed in 1854 despite vehement opposition from representatives of New York Citys immigrant poor. Over the next 50 years, many states followed suit, some passing laws requiring officials at every almshouse, prison, hospital and public institution to provide corpses to medical schools if the bodies would otherwise be buried at public expense.

Those are the roots of New Yorks present statute. Today, the rise of cremation and body donation has altered funeral practices for many, but in poor communities  not least among a generation of African-Americans who migrated north from the Jim Crow South  a paupers grave and the specter of dismemberment never lost their horror as a final humiliation.

An opt-out provision in the law would seem to exempt the bodies of people who indicate that they do not want to be dissected or embalmed. But few are aware of it, and it may be unenforceable. Certainly it was unknown in the 1990s in the single-room occupancy hotel where an African-American woman named Gwendolyn Burke, blind and halt after a lifetime of menial work, had no way to avoid the potters field.

Sure enough, when she died at 89, Ms. Burke went to Hart Island. But first, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine claimed her as a cadaver and used her body for dissection for 13 months before she was interred in 2000.

She didnt deserve that, said David Minton, the city social worker assigned to Ms. Burkes hotel in Harlem, who learned of her bodys use 16 years too late to object.

Plot Markers 1980s PEACE MONUMENT An Invisible Island Over nearly 150 years, more than a million people have been buried on Hart Island, a graveyard for bodies the city considers unclaimed. Burials began at the northern tip in 1869. Circles on the map ( ) mark areas where bodies have been buried over the past four decades. This 200-foot trench has the remains of 8,904 babies buried between 1988 and 1999. 1980s 1980s 1980s compound hart island Thousands of the dead are lost on the island. Records of burials between 1961 and 1976, possibly here, were destroyed by vandals. Disinterment permits from 1933 indicate that graves in this area may have been consolidated. 450 FT A visitors gazebo was built far from the fields in 2007; recently, relatives won a legal battle and can apply for monthly gravesite visits. Twice a week, bodies are ferried to this dock, along with inmates from Rikers Island who are paid to bury the dead. Building ruins are evidence of other ways the island has been put to use. It has been home to a jail, halfway house, military training camp, sanitarium and a missile base. Gazebo Future plots Future plots This is the area for current burials. Active trench Long Island Sound 2000s A drug treatment center housed here was closed in 1976. In 1989, the bulldozers moved here. Burials fill about 500 feet in trenches a year. The graves are not the 3-by-7-foot plots typical of other cemeteries, but mass graves that begin as trenches, 15 feet wide and 8 feet deep. At the southern tip of the island, 16 people with AIDS were buried at the height of fear and ignorance about the disease in the 1980s. The bodies were buried under 14 feet of soil instead of the usual three. 1990s Hart Island New York City Plot Markers 1980s PEACE MONUMENT An Invisible Island More than a million people have been buried on Hart Island over nearly 150 years. Burials began at the northern tip in 1869. Circles on the map ( ) mark areas where bodies have been buried over the past four decades. 1980s 1980s 1980s compound hart island Thousands of the dead are lost on the island. Records of burials between 1961 and 1976, possibly here, were destroyed by vandals. 450 FT A visitors gazebo was built far from the fields in 2007; recently, relatives won a legal battle and can apply for monthly gravesite visits. Twice a week, bodies are ferried to this dock, along with inmates from Rikers Island who are paid to bury the dead. Building ruins are evidence of other ways the island has been put to use. It has been home to a jail, halfway house, military training camp, sanitarium and a missile base. Gazebo Future plots Future plots Long Island Sound Active trench This is the area for current burials. A drug treatment center housed here was closed in 1976. In 1989, the bulldozers moved here. Burials fill about 500 feet in trenches a year. At the southern tip of the island, 16 people with AIDS were buried at the height of fear and ignorance about the disease in the 1980s. The bodies were buried under 14 feet of soil instead of the usual three. 2000s 1990s Hart Island New York City Plot Markers 1980s An Invisible Island More than a million people have been buried on Hart Island over nearly 150 years. Burials began at the northern tip in 1869. Circles on the map ( ) mark areas where bodies have been buried over the past four decades. 1980s Long Island Sound 1980s compound hart island Thousands of the dead are lost on the island. Records of burials between 1961 and 1976, possibly here, were destroyed by vandals. A visitors gazebo was built far from the fields in 2007; recently, relatives won a legal battle and can apply for monthly gravesite visits. Twice a week, bodies are ferried to this dock, along with inmates from Rikers Island who are paid to bury the dead. At the southern tip of the island, 16 people with AIDS were buried at the height of fear and ignorance about the disease in the 1980s. The bodies were buried under 14 feet of soil instead of the usual three. 450 FT Gazebo Future plots Future plots Active trench 2000s 1990s Hart Island N.Y.C. An Invisible Island Plot Markers 1980s Over a million people have been buried there. Circles on the map ( ) mark areas where bodies have been buried over the past four decades. 1980s Long Island Sound 1980s Twice a week, bodies are ferried to this dock, along with inmates from Rikers Island who are paid to bury the dead. Building ruins are evidence of other ways the island has been put to use. It has been home to a jail, halfway house, military training camp, sanitarium and a missile base. One trench has the remains of 8,904 babies buried between 1988 and 1999. Burials fill about 500 feet in trenches a year. hart island Future plots Future plots Active trench 2000s 1990s Hart Island N.Y.C. 500 FT Where People Are Buried

Tap to advance Hart Island N.Y.C. Burials began at the northern tip in 1869. Circles on the map ( ) mark areas where bodies have been buried over the past four decades. Where People Are Buried

Step 2 of 4 Ferry Dock Bodies from city morgues are ferried to this dock, along with inmates from Rikers Island who are paid to bury the dead. Where People Are Buried

Step 3 of 4 Building ruins are evidence of other ways the island has been put to use. It has been home to a jail, halfway house, military training camp, sanitarium and a missile base. Ruins Where People Are Buried

Step 4 of 4 500 FT One trench has the remains of 8,904 babies buried between 1988 and 1999. Burials fill about 500 feet in trenches a year.

High Cost of Dying Alone

When Leola Dickerson fell to the floor of her house in Pleasantville, N.J., in February 2006, no one was there to notice. Her dog, Champ, waited in vain to be let in. Her upstairs tenant came and went by an outside staircase. Days passed before a mail carrier found her, barely conscious, and called 911.

Her husband, one of 10 siblings, had wanted to retire to live with relatives in rural Alabama, before he died. But Ms. Dickerson, born near Tuskegee in 1919, refused to go back. Im out of the South, she would say. Were set in our ways, and God has blessed us.

Family photographs covered her parlor walls: the children who had called her Grandma on visits from the South after she married their grandfather, Mango, in the 1960s; Mangos nephew Joseph Dixon, the boy she had raised as her son; the grandsons of her deceased employers, Milton and Helen Katz, who had always treated her like kin. Black and white and tan, the faces overlapped inside old picture frames.

But at 86, Ms. Dickersons sole blood relative was her younger brother in New York, Johnny Maddox. After an ambulance took her to a hospital in New Jersey, he arranged to move her to a nursing home in Queens. The nursing home, saying she had dementia, petitioned the Queens County Court to appoint a guardian to manage her affairs and assets, including her house, valued at $88,200, and her monthly Social Security check of $783.

So began Leola Dickersons two-year journey to Hart Island.

In Pensacola, Fla., her dead husbands granddaughter, Constance Dickerson Williams, knew something was wrong. She kept trying to call Grandma Leola, but no one answered. Finally she wrote, but there was no response.

In New York, everyone agreed that Ms. Dickerson needed a guardian, and the court appointed one from a list of lawyers.

On paper, Ms. Dickerson was now covered. By law, the guardian was to exercise the utmost care and diligence when acting on behalf of the incapacitated person and show trust, loyalty and fidelity. His powers and duties included creating an irrevocable burial trust fund, notifying relatives in the event of death and paying reasonable funeral expenses out of remaining assets.

But guardians are paid out of those same assets, and a house on the outskirts of Atlantic City did not promise much. Moreover, the nursing homes lawyers were already claiming thousands of dollars in legal fees for bringing the guardianship petition in the first place.

A year went by as two appointed lawyers in succession declined to serve as her guardian. A third accepted but failed even to file the paperwork required to act on Ms. Dickersons behalf. After an appeal by Dr. Michael Katz, a physician and the elder son of Ms. Dickersons employers, the court appointed a fourth lawyer in October 2007. But by years end he had not submitted the necessary documents, either.

The need to safeguard or sell Ms. Dickersons house was urgent, Dr. Katz knew. He had rescued her from predatory lenders, covered $45,000 in needed repairs with a family loan and helped her collect rent from her tenant. Now, dying of a heart condition, Dr. Katz saw the empty house falling prey to squatters and scavengers.

Leola Dickerson has been part of our family for 50 years, he had written in a eulogy for his mother in 2000, when she died of Alzheimers disease at 86, tended by Ms. Dickerson, then 80. Her years of devotion and caring for our parents will always be appreciated and never forgotten.

Dr. Katz, 69, died on Jan. 18, 2008, and was buried three days later. Ms. Dickerson died at a Queens hospital on Jan. 22. Her body would wait in the morgue for three months and 21 days.

For a long time already, her adoptive son, Joseph Dixon, had been trying to find her. She was a good mother, he would say later. Everybody loved her.

Their relationship had suffered after he left the Army and struggled with drugs. Nevertheless, he visited her in the hospital in 2006 after learning of her fall. When he returned the next morning, she was gone and the hospital would not tell him where. They kept insisting, She doesnt have any kids.

There had never been a formal adoption. But inside the locked Pleasantville house lay his high school diploma and his formal Army portrait. Outside towered the tree he had planted in fourth grade. He tried to find out who controlled the property, to no avail. One day the garage door was open, and the blue Thunderbird that Ms. Dickerson called her baby was gone. He figured then that she had passed.

Notice of her death went to her baby brother, Mr. Maddox, a diabetic undergoing a double amputation. He was in bad shape when she passed, the brothers widow, Bernice, recalled. He was in no position.

Notice also went to the guardian and to the Queens County public administrators office, which calculated that she had only $342.24 left. It would go toward a $7,771.18 claim by the nursing homes lawyers, or to offset $124,258.85 paid to the home by Medicaid.

That year the city referred 80 unclaimed Queens bodies to medical schools. Whether Ms. Dickerson was among them is not a matter of public record, but her burial site is: Trench 331, with 162 other bodies.

Even as her grave sank under bulldozers digging new trenches for the unclaimed, the unpaid tax liens on her house were being bought at auction, repackaged and resold for profit by various hedge funds.

By then the house was a boarded-up ruin where drug deals went down. When a stepgrandson, Thackus Dickerson, finally arrived, trying to find out what had happened to Grandma Leola, sheriffs deputies showed up to demand his ID.

Yet the guardian and the nursing homes lawyers were still battling for the last of her Social Security in 2012, four years after her death, the guardian claiming $23,793.69 in legal fees. He lost. The judge granted him just $1,576, and it became another uncollectable lien against a house in foreclosure that he never went to see.

The guardian, Jay Stuart Dankberg, 70, is a large man who wears big gold rings and meets visitors in a shabby Manhattan office crammed with overflowing cartons. He readily remembered the Dickerson case as a financial disappointment, but said he was hearing of his wards Hart Island burial for the first time.

It shocks me, Mr. Dankberg said. I certainly should be paid, and certainly she shouldnt be buried in potters field.

Where did he think she would be buried?

I hadnt given it any thought, he replied.

Indifference and Betrayals

New Yorks guardianship statute was considered a model when it was passed in 1993. It did not work out that way. Government and news media investigations have repeatedly found the system swollen with well-connected lawyers siphoning fees from wards assets, and choked by paperwork requirements that fail to uncover even flagrant theft.

Past exposes have followed the money, not the human remains of wards with little left to steal. Guardianship data is spotty and often hard to obtain.

But here they are: guardianship files that bear the same names as people sent to Hart Island. Dozens of files can be identified and pulled one by one from courthouse storage.

Few of these wards were wealthy. But neither were they destitute  at least not until they entered the vortex of end-of-life care. In some cases of neglectful guardians, even the last safety net  a burial fund, a private plot, a will  proved no protection.

Thats one of the most horrible, predatory things Ive ever heard, Felice Wechsler, a senior lawyer with the states Mental Hygiene Legal Service and a veteran of guardianship proceedings, said when informed that records showed that many people with guardians ended up on Hart Island.

Constance Mirabelli, a widowed bookkeeper with a jolly laugh and a love of riding city buses, had a rent-controlled apartment in the West Village and a burial plot in a Catholic cemetery before she was placed under a guardianship in 1999 at her landlords initiative.

Im not dilapidated yet, Ms. Mirabelli told the psychiatrist sent by the city after her landlord complained that she was incontinent and sometimes let the bathtub overflow. I can still kick pretty good.

Four years, two guardians and two nursing homes later, Ms. Mirabelli died at 91. And despite her plot at St. John Cemetery in Queens, despite a $2,000 burial fund culled from her modest pension and preserved by court order, Ms. Mirabelli was among the last of 137 bodies to be lowered into Trench 307 in February 2004.

The guardian responsible for her at the time, Jo Ann Douglas, was a lawyer known for lucrative appointments as a law guardian for children in celebrity divorces. In her final accounting, she wrote that she had arranged appropriate transport and burial for Ms. Mirabelli  not specifying that she meant a city morgue truck and a paupers grave. Questioned 10 years later, Ms. Douglas found nothing in her old notes to explain her decision. Do you know if she can be moved to St. Johns? she asked in an email, seeking a way to undo the past.

Again and again, bulging guardianship files show that the consequences of bad luck and bureaucratic indifference fall with disproportionate cruelty on people who lack the buffer of money. Few are more vulnerable than immigrants to this proudly international city.

Ciro Ferrer, of Cuba, lies in Trench 357, where four dozen of 150 bodies have Hispanic names amid an Ellis Island grab bag. For 25 years, working in a food market in Elmhurst, Queens, Mr. Ferrer supported his wife and three children in Havana. But after the authorities found him disheveled and malnourished, wandering the streets near the Elmhurst apartment where he lived alone, he was initially described in records as 70, single and childless.

He told a court-appointed evaluator about his Cuban family after receiving a dementia diagnosis in 2007 and being placed at New Surfside Nursing Home in Far Rockaway, Queens. His guardianship file includes the Havana address and phone number of his wife, Regla, and even a 2008 report by his guardian citing a plan to buy him a phone card to call family outside the country.

But that never happened. The guardian, Nicholas S. Ratush, who collected $400 every month as a fee from Mr. Ferrers $669 Social Security check and paid the nursing home the rest, now says that he was unaware of any relatives and so could not notify any when Mr. Ferrer died on Oct. 29, 2012.

In Havana, Mr. Ferrers daughter, Ilda, 53, learned of her fathers death three years later from The Times. He was still alive, eight years ago, when her mother received a letter from the court evaluator saying that Mr. Ferrer was unable to care for himself, but her efforts to reply by phone and email went unanswered. Mr. Ferrers wife died soon afterward, and the children tried in vain to reach their father through the Red Cross and the United States government.

We could do nothing, his daughter said, but let him die alone.

Wishes and Plans Ignored

To leave your kin to the potters field has long been considered shameful. But Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the citys Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said many people chose not to claim relatives lying in the morgue. The office does not track the numbers, she said, or ask the reasons.

For the big sister of Zarramen Gooden, 17, buried on Hart Island in 1999, the reason still sears: Did we want him in potters field? Hell no! We didnt have the money. I felt so bad knowing that my brothers body was just taken and dumped.

Zarramen was the family clown, the lovable prankster who had known a better life. His father was a good provider, an Army veteran working two jobs as a janitor in Brooklyn, in a hospital and in a bank. But he died when the boy was 7, and the family ended up on welfare and in the drug-ravaged homeless-shelter system. Their mother, Rita Nelson, became addicted to heroin. After Zarramens freak bicycle accident, he bled to death on the way to the hospital.

When their mother died in 2014, the children came up with $7,000 for her burial in Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island, beside her husband. Only then did they learn that the burial plot had room for one more. Zarramen?

They told us it was too late, said the older sister, Malondya LaTorre.

In another trench, from another realm in life, lies Doris McCrea, a widow who retired as the head of records retention for Continental Grain, one of the worlds largest privately held corporations. She outlived her family but had made careful provision to be laid to rest with her husband in a cemetery in Turners Falls, Mass. When she died at 100 on July 10, 2012, she had a generous prepaid burial plan and more than $5,400 in her personal account at the nursing home where she had lived for 15 years. Yet three days later, the city issued a permit to put her in the potters field. Within four months, she was in a trench with 148 others.

Thats criminal, said Audrey Ponzio, a friend and former colleague from Continental Grain, when she learned where Ms. McCrea had ended up.

As in many cases, Ms. McCreas personal information had been lost or ignored in the shuffle near the end of her long life, when she was sent from nursing home to hospital, from hospital to hospice. What happened to this patient is very unfortunate, said Dr. Jonathan Mawere, the administrator of the nursing home, Queens Boulevard Extended Care Facility, who was prompted by an inquiry from The Times to find and try to reactivate her burial plan, three years late.

Unclaimed graves, unspent burial funds and uncollected life insurance abound in this fragmented system, critics say. Even concerned survivors with money to pay for burial themselves are no guarantee against Hart Island.

Take Emmett Pantin, 57, placed on a ventilator in 2008 after a severe stroke. For five years, he was repeatedly reported to have only one living relative, an older brother on active military duty somewhere in Iraq. No one asked the Army to track down this brother, Master Sgt. Gerard Pantin, even when the younger brother died at 62 in July 2013 and was sent to Hart Island, his name misspelled Patin.

In fact, the brothers were two of nine siblings in a family from Trinidad. Relatives there and in the United States had been trying to find Emmett Pantin for nearly a year when they learned from a website that he had died. Immobile, voiceless, suffering bedsores and depression, he had been transferred through at least four medical institutions under the supervision of a court-appointed guardian in his last year of life, records show.

Before he died, they kept telling us they couldnt find him, Sergeant Pantin said when reached in Florida, where he had retired from the Army at 69 in 2015, after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Up to now we didnt know where the body was. I told them: This is America. If somebody went to the hospital and went to a nursing home, how can they not know where he is?

Hospital or Nursing Home Of the more than 65,000 people buried on Hart Island since 1980, at least 52,000 died in hospitals or nursing homes. Train or Bus Stop or Airport Some died or were found elsewhere, including over 275 locations throughout the citys transportation infrastructure, at subway, train, and bus stations and at airports. In a River or Offshore Others washed up in one of New Yorks rivers, creeks, bays or other water features. In a River or Offshore Hospital or Nursing Home Train or Bus Stop or Airport In a River or Offshore Hospital or Nursing Home Train or Bus Stop or Airport Hospital or Nursing Home Train or Bus Stop or Airport In a River or Offshore Of the more than 65,000 people buried on Hart Island since 1980, at least 52,000 died in hospitals or nursing homes. Some died or were found elsewhere, including over 275 locations throughout the citys transportation infrastructure, at subway, train, and bus stations and at airports. Others washed up in one of New Yorks rivers, creeks, bays or other water features. Where the Bodies Come From

Tap to advance Of the more than 65,000 people buried on Hart Island since 1980, at least 52,000 died in hospitals or nursing homes. Where the Bodies Come From

Step 2 of 3 Some died or were found elsewhere, including over 275 locations throughout the citys transportation infrastructure, at subway, train, and bus stations and at airports. Where the Bodies Come From

Step 3 of 3 Others washed up in one of New Yorks rivers, creeks, bays or other water features.

The Cadaver Market

The unclaimed dead wait in cold storage, shelved on racks in city morgues. In theory, all who are destined for that last ferry ride are first subject to selection as educational cadavers under the authority of the chief medical examiner.

In practice, of those buried on Hart Island, only a portion  roughly 300 to 600 out of some 1,500 annually  were ever officially offered as anatomical specimens on the weekly or biweekly lists discreetly circulated by the medical examiners office, citing name, age, race, sex, place and date of death. Fewer still were chosen.

A lot of cherry picking, said Jason Chiaramonte, a licensed funeral director who for many years handled the acquisition of so-called city bodies for Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Its like, Hey, Jason, we have 10 people here; were going to bury them at potters field next week. If you want to take a look, see if you can use some.

Technically, theyre city property, Mr. Chiaramonte added, and technically, theyre only loaning them to us.

Ms. Bolcer, the spokeswoman for the medical examiners office, said the city had stepped up efforts to identify relatives through the Internet and commercial databases. We are enormously conservative about which bodies get offered to schools under the current law that requires us to make unclaimed bodies available, she said.

The street homeless and other casualties of rough living are generally not wanted by medical schools. Old age, however, is no obstacle. And each boroughs morgue has had its own way of parceling out the cadavers, despite recurrent scandals over corruption and lawsuits over body mix-ups.

Rivals for the bodies periodically clash over access to the citys supply, and even over individual corpses. Medical schools have chafed at one-day body loans made to the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, which these days signs out corpses at the Queens morgue, drives them to embalming classes in Midtown Manhattan and returns them after mortuary students have practiced incisions, drainage and chemical infusion  a process that leaves the cadavers unfit for medical schools purposes.

Record-keeping of such loans is sloppy; documents show some bodies signed out and never signed back in. And for decades, McAllister, along with the mortuary science department at Nassau Community College, had even more casual access to the dead, conducting classes in the city morgue at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan until Hurricane Sandy flooded the premises in 2012.

Religious charities that handle burials have fruitlessly sought access to the names of people lying unclaimed.

We cant get the morgue lists, complained Amy Koplow, executive director of the Hebrew Free Burial Association, which is dedicated to providing a traditional private interment to any Jew who cannot afford one. We cant march into Einstein and say: Hold that scalpel! That persons Jewish; they belong to us.

So it was that Milton Weinstein, 67, a Brooklyn-born Reform Jew, became one of three bodies from nursing homes that Mr. Chiaramonte borrowed from the Bronx morgue on April 28, 2009, for Einsteins use. In a log book at the morgue, Mr. Chiaramonte filled out and signed a funeral directors receipt for each. He loaded the bodies on stretchers and trucked them away. It would be at least two years before they were buried.

There are no rules on how long such corpses can be used. The medical examiners office redacted all cadavers names from the records it gave The Times under the Freedom of Information Law. But hundreds could be identified anyway, through comparisons of dates and places of death. Many were separately confirmed by people with access to unredacted records. Some cadavers were traced to past lives and lost relatives.

My God  where was his body for 24 months? Michael Wynston, Mr. Weinsteins estranged son, asked when he learned that his father had been buried on Hart Island on April 20, 2011, two years after his death at Bay Park Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in the Bronx.

With bitterness and self-reproach, Mr. Wynston sketched the broken arc of his fathers life. Widowed in 1970s Brooklyn with a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old adopted daughter, Mr. Weinstein remarried and clung to his second wife, Lynda, then a hospital nurse with a son of her own. Even when her descent into mental illness and abusiveness destroyed the blended family, Mr. Wynston said, his father rejected his suggestion of divorce, saying, Id rather have this than nothing.

His daughter ran away. His stepson fled the turmoil to live with his own father. Eventually Michael, who last saw his father in 2002, changed his surname to Wynston, partly, he said, so my father and stepmother wouldnt find me.

To the stepson, Barry Gainsburg, now a lawyer in Florida, Mr. Weinsteins fate was part of a larger economic unraveling. The bottom line is, his industry was taken out by the computer age, he said, referring to Mr. Weinsteins career as a typographer. He was a good guy; he just got crushed by society.

A diabetic, Mr. Weinstein lost his last job, driving for a car service, because of dimming sight. Destitute and ailing, he and his wife entered the nursing home together. When he died there in 2009, they had been residents for at least three years. But the nursing home, which did not respond to repeated inquiries about the case, sent his body to the morgue as unclaimed, and transferred his widow, over her objections, from the Bronx to a nursing home in Brooklyn.

Its like the nursing home just collects their Medicaid checks, and when theyre done, they just throw them in a heap outside, Mr. Wynston said.

Eventually, after Ms. Weinstein had been shuffled through a series of nursing homes, a Brooklyn hospital contacted her son: She was undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The stepbrothers learned only then of Miltons death. Nobody could tell them where he was buried. Now they realize why: He was still being used as a cadaver.

Its the guilt and regret that I live with, Mr. Wynston said. I essentially abandoned him.

The Ferry Ride Out

In Greek mythology, the ghosts of the unburied dead visit the living, demanding proper burial. In New York Citys lexicon, Hart Island counts as decent burial  at least for those who can afford no other. But the longing to bring ones own dead home runs deep.

Sometimes the islands ledgers show a disinterment date. Here are the favored few, exhumed by number from the trench grid, collected by a funeral home and ferried back for a different ending.

Among these cases are two stories as redemptive as any faith could pray for, stories that illuminate what others have lost in the darkness that surrounds Hart Island.

Monica Murray, the oldest in a large Irish Catholic family, had married at 20. She was a good, protective mother to her two daughters, Maureen and Linda. But in 1986, when they were 22 and 17, she abruptly emptied the family bank account and vanished.

When your mom walks out on you and takes all the money and doesnt leave a note, theres a lot of hurt and anger, Maureen Eastman, the older daughter, recalled.

Their mother briefly surfaced in St. Lucia, living with an abusive man and asking for money. Their father, who had filed a missing persons report, secured a quick divorce. Bitterness drove a wedge between the daughters and their maternal relatives. Except for a sighting at a Long Island halfway house in 1988, they heard nothing more of their mother for 25 years  years when they hated her.

In June 2013, their father got a call that changed everything. Ms. Murray was dead. She had died back in January, and she was buried on Hart Island.

Theres no words to describe how sad and overwhelmed we were to find out thats where she ended up, Ms. Eastman said. We could barely sleep knowing that she was there.

More revelations followed. Their mother had spent a decade in Creedmoor, a psychiatric institution in Queens, before being transferred in 1998 to New Surfside Nursing Home. No visitors; alert but increasingly racked by seizures; ultimately unable to speak.

On Facebook, Ms. Eastman, living in Arizona, contacted New York relatives she had not spoken to for decades. Her mothers brother, a retired firefighter, was adamant: They would bring Ms. Murray back, to Grandma and Grandpas plot in St. Charles/Resurrection Cemeteries in Farmingdale on Long Island.

As cousins gathered, Ms. Murrays daughters learned for the first time that Huntingtons disease ran in the family. Those who inherit the incurable brain disorder become progressively unable to walk, talk, think or swallow. Symptoms typically start in the 30s or 40s, often with impulsive, manic behavior  like taking the money and running.

When she died, Ms. Murray had $6,887 left in her personal account at New Surfside. But she was buried as an indigent because the nursing home, which had collected $1.1. million from Medicaid for her care over the last decade of her life, failed to turn over her remaining funds promptly. (The home declined to comment.)

In an eerie coda, when money surfaced, the Queens County public administrator offered a funeral home $4,295 to disinter and transfer her body to a cut-rate New Jersey graveyard without markers. But when the undertakers checked Hart Island, she was not there. She had already been lifted from the pit, into the bosom of her family.

Her headstone reads: Loving Mother, Daughter, Sister and Aunt.

You feel grief, Ms. Eastman said. But you feel: You know what? Im allowed to love you again, Mom.

That same year, it took a whole community to reclaim another Hart Island exile, a woman who died alone at 53 in her brownstone apartment in Manhattan.

In her late 30s, Sheryl Hurst had been drawn to Congregation Rodeph Sholom, an Upper West Side synagogue, and she sang in its choir for years before formally converting to Judaism. With free-flowing hair and a mysterious facial deformity, she was a familiar presence, but no one knew her story.

Neither of her parents was Jewish. She was born three years after her mother, Terry Saunders, sang in the 1956 Hollywood version of The King and I as the head wife, Lady Thiang. Ms. Hursts younger father, James Hurst, played cowboys in television westerns. Her parents broke up when she was about 4. As a teenager, she tried to kill herself, fell unconscious on a bathroom heater and badly burned her face.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to becoming Jewish, she wrote when she completed an adult bat mitzvah class in 2007. I, an atheist, developed a strong belief and deep love for God.

She had always lived with her mother and was devastated by her death in 2011. But in June 2012, she was looking forward to chanting at a special service, and when she did not show up, the synagogue kept trying to reach her. Finally, the cantor posted a note at Ms. Hursts building on West 76th Street in Manhattan, appealing for information.

Word came back: Ms. Hurst had died in May  the synagogue members had just missed her at the morgue. She was lost to Hart Island.

Everybody was just distraught, said Sally Kaplan, vice president of the congregation. Somehow we had to bring Sheryl home.

They enlisted Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, a rare nonprofit funeral home, to try to retrieve Ms. Hurst for burial in the synagogues cemetery. The process took nine months and was not easy. Among many requirements was written permission from Ms. Hursts long-estranged father in California.

At first, he said he had not had a relationship with his daughter. But when they explained what they were doing, he wept, saying, God bless you all.

Now her headstone bears not only her birth name but the Hebrew name she chose, Eliana, because it means, God answered me, and an inscription by the community that refused to leave her in the dark: Forever in Our Hearts.
Two telecom fraud syndicates led by Taiwanese suspects were found to have cheated residents on the Chinese mainland out of some 23 million yuan (3.5 million U.S. dollars) in 178 cases, the mainland police said on Friday.

Members of the two criminal syndicates included 45 Taiwanese and 32 mainland suspects who were deported from Kenya in April, said a statement of the Ministry of Public Security.

All suspects are currently held at a detention center in Beijing's Haidian district and the police have approached prosecutors for approval of warrant of arrest, the statement said.

Police will continue to investigate the phone scam cases and the suspects' legitimate rights will be protected, it said.

Police have obtained information about other syndicate members at large, the statement said.

Mainland police hope to work with the Taiwan side in collecting evidence, retrieving scammed money and hunting down fugitives, said Vice Minister of Public Security Chen Zhimin, at a meeting with a delegation of judicial officials from Taiwan on Thursday evening.

The two sides have met to discuss jointly fighting telecom frauds from Thursday to Saturday in southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.

Chen Wen-chi, who leads the Taiwan delegation, said that Taiwan is willing to cooperate with the mainland and expected this meeting to lead to future cooperation.
Its been two years since criminal accusations against three lawmakers rocked the California Capitol.

Charged with corruption and perjury in separate cases, three Democratic state senators were suspended from the Legislature in 2014 but kept earning their $95,000 annual salary for many months.

Now, California voters will get their say on a question prompted by that spate of scandal. Proposition 50 on the June 7 ballot asks whether legislators who are suspended from duty should also have their paychecks taken away.

In a year of weird ballot measures  should porn actors be required to wear condoms?  Prop. 50 may be the most unusual one California voters face.

Here are three reasons why:

1. It stems from a bizarre year in the Legislature  not a widespread problem in the state.

Most measures that make the ballot ask voters to weigh in on a question that impacts the masses: raising taxes, for example, or making marijuana legal. Prop. 50, if approved, would apply to very few people. Only 120 people serve in the Legislature in any given year, and the rules for yanking pay are unlikely to be applied very often. When the Senate suspended then-Sens. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello; Leland Yee, D-San Francisco; and Rod Wright, D-Baldwin Hills, with pay in 2014, it was the first time in state history that legislators were suspended.

Prop. 50 is a technical but important fix to the fact that the Legislature cannot suspend its members without pay under the constitution, said Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, the former state Senate leader who carried the bill that put the measure on the ballot. Its nothing more, nothing less than that.

The state constitution already allows legislators to be expelled. But Steinberg in 2014 said such a permanent action was inappropriate because the senators cases were still making their way through the justice system. Since then, Wright was sent to jail for perjury; Yee pleaded guilty to taking bribes; and Calderon pleaded not guilty in a corruption case that has yet to go to trial.

2. No one is spending any money for or against it.

By the time California voters weigh in on a ballot measure, theyve typically been bombarded by millions of dollars of advertising for and against it. Supporters and opponents of Prop. 50, by contrast, have spent so little money that they have not filed a single campaign finance report with the secretary of state. That means theyve spent less than $2,000 on a bare-bones publicity effort that consists of arguments in the voter guide and two simple websites.

The lack of spending reflects a lack of big-money interests involved in this issue. There is no industry battle at play; no unions or corporations stand to win or lose. The scarcity of publicity also indicates that supporters expect the idea will be politically popular.

The voters will look at this and say, It makes sense  you act badly you shouldnt get paid. But people have to look a little deeper, said Jessica Levinson, a professor of political law at Loyola Law School.

The measure sets a high bar for suspending a legislator  approval by two-thirds of the lawmakers house. But it doesnt lay out specific reasons a legislator could be suspended, prompting critics to say it could be wrongly used for retribution if a lawmaker takes a political stand leaders dont like.

This is going to be a great tool for them to use against people like me who stand up against the majority, said Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine.

Anderson was the only senator who voted against suspending Wright, Yee and Calderon, arguing that it amounted to a paid vacation and the Senate should expel them instead. That would have stopped their paychecks and allowed voters to choose a replacement.

3. Prop. 50 is the only change of law on the statewide June ballot.

Californias system of direct democracy has spawned a slew of complicated policy questions voters will likely consider this year. Among them are proposals to limit the price of prescription drugs, put new controls on gun ownership and permit recreational use of marijuana.

But because of a change lawmakers put in place four years ago, citizen-driven initiatives must land on the November ballot. Legislature-driven measures  such as the constitutional amendment in Prop. 50  can still make the ballot in June.

That means that Novembers ballot will be one of the most crowded in years, with voters likely to confront about 20 initiatives. The June ballot, by contrast, asks only one policy question.

CALmatters is a nonprofit journalism venture dedicated to explaining state policies and politics. For more news analysis by Laurel Rosenhall, go to calmatters.org/newsanalysis.
A woman old enough to know better is suing the County of Orange and the City of Newport Beach for failing to process her quickly enough to keep her out of an icky county jail after charging her with drunken driving.

Her civil rights lawsuit is based on gender discrimination. I am not making this up.

Connie Barracloughs beef is that at 4 in the morning, Newport Beach didnt have a female jailer available, which meant she wound up in Central Jail in Santa Ana.

It was a long ride. Frowny face 

Worse, Barraclough had to wait a whole 12 hours in a holding cell before being released and being able to call her children in San Diego.

So not fair.

Yet Barraclough, according to her attorney, already had called from Newport Beach for someone to pick her up.

Now, you might think that Barraclough was arrested on false charges, that she was sober while behind the wheel. Not so.

Barraclough pleaded guilty and took a three-month course on the dangers of drunken driving.

Still, for Barraclough and her attorney, this case is about more than one woman driving in an unsafe manner. This is about the Fourth Amendment. It is about upholding the sanctity of nothing less than the Constitution of the United States of America.

I want to reach out, Barraclough told Register reporter Kelly Puente, because I dont want any other women or anybody to have to go through this.

Barraclough, a 52-year-old Westminster resident, steps forward for interviews, poses for photos. Yet through her attorney, Barraclough declined to be interviewed for this column.

Perhaps my confession to her attorney that I was astounded at his clients boldness put the kibosh on our chat.

DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS

I know almost nothing about Barraclough. This may have been her first time taking one too many sips and getting behind the wheel.

So lets be clear. This column is not about alcohol. It is about entitlement, responsibility and what feminism and civil rights really mean.

Barracloughs lawyer, Los Angeles civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone, argues that men and women must be treated exactly the same at the Newport Beach jail. If drunk men get to be put in a holding tank in Newport Beach before sobering up and being released, then drunk women should have the same right.

Its not exactly what the suffragists fought for when they were force-fed, beaten and jailed when they were fighting to vote nearly a century ago. And its probably not what feminist Betty Friedan had in mind while battling for equal pay.

Still, discrimination is discrimination. Or is it?

DeSimone points out, Everyone who gets arrested is innocent until proven guilty. He says the Fourth Amendment prevents unreasonable seizures. He notes women arrested in Newport Beach are taken to a jail farther away, and with longer booking times than men.

If you arrest a female, DeSimone says, you have to have a female jailer available at the same facility.

The attorney knows the law. He cites two California codes to back up his points.

Code 51 states: All persons  no matter what their sex  are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges or services.

Code 52 states: No governmental authority  shall engage in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives any person of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution.

Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella offers a different interpretation of the codes.

If a woman is going to be detained in the Newport Beach jail, there needs to be a female jailer, Manzella says. But if no female jailer is on staff, code requires that the arrested woman is taken to a jail where there is female staff.

Manzella says the Newport Jail is small, has a small staff and functions as a holding facility. Theres a plethora of reasons to transport an arrestee to Central Jail.

FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS

Regardless how far Barracloughs lawsuit goes, it will cost taxpayer dollars. Even if Newport Beach prevails, the city might wind up shuttering its holding facility simply to avoid future litigation.

All this because, by her own admission, Barraclough chose to drive after having too many drinks.

DeSimone says Barraclough deserves sensitivity. She is a mother and a grandmother. She merely had too many glasses of wine at an Angels game.

With a 4 a.m. drunken driving arrest, that must have been one long game.

Men and women are incarcerated in different jails and prisons throughout the country. There also are far fewer cells for women than men. Is that discrimination or is it simply practical?

More men than women break laws. Families often have to drive much farther to visit women than men because there are fewer facilities for women.

Of being in a holding cell for 12 hours, Barraclough said, I just could not believe what I had to go through. The whole experience was upsetting and very unfair.

Would Barraclough rather have been put in general population? I dont think so.

Try hanging out with a sea of orange jumpsuits in the general population area of the jail. Compared with a holding cell, Gen Pop is far more upsetting.

Not hiring female jailers 24/7 isnt about equality or justice. Its about spending money wisely.

And litigating over how fast you should get out of the drunk tank is akin to the Beastie Boys song You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party!

Contact the writer: dwhiting@ocregister.com
ON THE MOVE

Former Skype executive Lee Ott has been named president and board member of Irvine-based crowd-solving application Pop. Ott previously worked as the partner director of product management at Skype. Ott will oversee operations and product leadership at Pop.

Irvine-based Orange County United Way has added four people to its board of directors and has elected Sue Parks as its new board chair. New board members include:

 Bill Mecklenburg, president, SES Insurance Brokerage Services, Santa Ana

 Scott Sampley, vice president of sales, Enterprise Holdings, Southern California, Orange

 Candice Stack Whitten, managing director, Pimco, Newport Beach

 John Valenta, managing director, Deloitte Advisory, Costa Mesa

HONORS

Tina Aldatz, chief executive of Savvy Travelers, is the 2016 Small Business/Entrepreneur Women of the Year. The award was presented Thursday by the National Hispanic Business Womens Association. The NHBWA nonprofit was established in 1997 in Orange County.

NEW VENTURES

Irvine-based author Sedric Hill has published a new book, Expert Selling: A Blueprint to Accelerate Sales Excellence, with Morgan James Publishing. Hill is president and co-founder of Sales Development & Performance, a consulting firm, in Irvine. The book is billed as a blueprint or GPS for success in the sales industry. The book is available at Amazon.

GOOD WORKS

To commemorate Military Appreciation Month, Caliber Collision in Rancho Santa Margarita, Esurance and several businesses teamed up to thank a local Coast Guard veteran for his service. Chris Herbert Skinner was presented keys to a completely refurbished Cadillac as part of the National Auto Body Councils Recycled Rides, a nationwide community service program that repairs and donates vehicles to families in need. Esurance donated the vehicle, and technicians at Caliber donated their personal time as a community service. The vehicle came with gifts from businesses and individuals in the community.
1+1=1 [By Jiao Haiyang / China.org.cn]

On January 1 this year, China enacted the revised Population and Family Planning Law, allowing a second child for every couple nationwide. As for the birth issue for couples in step families, the central authorities allow regional governments to carry out their own regulations.

Take Beijing for example, couples in remarriages (excluding those who remarry the same spouse) are eligible to give birth to two children, if the two parties in total only had one child in their previous marriage. However, if they already have more than one child before entering the current marriage, they are only allowed to give birth to one. Other provincial governments largely allow remarried couples to give birth to at least one child.

From a family perspective, a stepfamily should also be treated as a new family, in which a child plays an important role in maintaining the family bond; hence, the child's birth right should be respected.

Families with only one child, no matter out of choice or restriction, are fundamentally fragile and prone to risk. Amid a low birth rate, China should underscore the safety of demographic structure more as a means of bypassing these risks starting with policymaking. This is because the country needs a "reserve of young people" and the family needs "a reserve child" to fend off risks. A more liberal and autonomous birth policy means more happiness and better protection.

A sample survey conducted on Nov. 1, 2015 showed that China's population stood at 1,373.49 million, up by 33.73 million, or 2.52 percent, from 1,339.72 million during the sixth national population census in 2010. In appearance, China's population is still on the increase, but it has already started digesting the huge negative momentum amassed during the 1990s.

China's population has long witnessed a low-growth period, and will start to diminish in 2028, or even earlier, according to a U.N. prediction. In other words, the good days for China's population will soon be over, followed by a period of continuous low birth rate and demographic debt.

Hence, China should not worry about having too many people, but about an unwillingness to give birth. The population issue in China today is far different from that of 35 years ago. The change is one from the pressure of sheer size to the problem of an imbalanced demographic structure, from a high birth rate to a super-low birth rate, and from a simple issue to a complicated issue.

The new demographic policies should at least respond to two appeals, promoting the total development of mankind, and preserving the balanced demographic development. But the key is whether China can restore the correct value of the population, along with its development, management and solution making.

The value of the population should comply with the universal value, while the management of the population should be based on a nation's basic conditions. Population is more than a number, but social groups, people's minds and human rights.

Since population is the driving force of social development, China should seek to return the birth right completely to its people as early as possible, apart from creating the condition to encourage the willingness to give birth. In that way, China can escape the "endogenous low-fertility trap" to raise its demographic development as the rejuvenation of population is already part of the nation's rejuvenation.

But nationwide, at least regionally, China has been stuck in the endogenous low-fertility trap, meaning that a total relaxation of birth control would not lead to a baby boom, or a remarkable rebound of the birth rate. China is currently characterized by high cost and a low willingness to give birth. Therefore, the government has to vigorously encourage birth in order to moderately improve the situation.

Population represents the cluster of people and it is a community of shared future. Population is not only the condition and method of development, it is also the purpose of development. Even a population rise will lead to a shortage of medical and educational resources; its natural growth should not be limited. Instead, the government should seek to create an ideal environment for such growth.

Mu Guangzong is a professor at the Institute of Population Research, Peking University.

The article was translated by Chen Boyuan. Its unabridged version was published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Marti Davis [Voting third party is voting for Hillary, Letters, May 11] joins the chorus of Republicans who warn that a vote for a third-party candidate is a vote for Hillary Clinton. While this may be true in some other states, what is ignored here is the inconvenient truth that the Democratic candidate, no matter who she or he is, will win in California. So why not cast a principled vote for a principled candidate. I intend to vote for either ex-governor Gary Johnson or tech wizard John McAfee, whichever is nominated by the Libertarian Party.

If you join me in wanting to vote for a person who supports individual liberty and a constitutional government, who opposed corporate welfare and will keep the government out of our bedrooms, doctors offices and, for the most part, our pocketbooks as well, then join me in voting Libertarian. We will not win, but, at least, we will not be part of the problem

Bert G. Osterberg

Fountain Valley

  

Heres a third-party candidate to consider: Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party. If there ever was a candidate who could get votes from the Right, the Left and the center, its him  especially given the high negative ratings of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. He was a two-term governor of New Mexico, he is fiscally conservative and socially liberal, he started a handyman business while attending a public university and turned that into a 1,000-employee construction company, he is non-interventionist and he is the CEO of a marijuana company (for those that feel it should be legalized).

I think he can garner a high percentage of the disaffected Republican voters, and also many Bernie voters, especially millennials. I could see him being competitive in New Mexico, Colorado, Washington state, Oregon, maybe Vermont (if Bernie is out) and maybe a few states. And, remember, if no one reaches 270 electoral votes, the presidential election gets decided in the House of Representatives. How much fun would that be? Based on recent polls already putting Johnson over 10 percent, I think with a little attention he could be at 15 to 20 percent in the polls fairly quickly, which would qualify him to be in the debates. And it looks like he would qualify for all 50 state ballots.

He is definitely a long shot, but, if this year has taught us anything, its that you never know.

J. Thomas

Irvine

  

We already have a third option to vote for president  the Libertarian candidate! Their candidate will be on the ballot in every state this upcoming presidential election. People are just not aware of the option since they will only watch debates on television with the Republican and Democratic candidates. I would recommend people to go to www.isidewith.com and take the political quiz to see which candidate they most agree with on issues, and then vote for the candidate that most agrees with you on the issues you care about as a voter, not who gets the most media coverage.

Stan McCrosky

Newport Beach

  

Orange County Register, where did you go? A headline regarding alternative candidates and nary a mention of the Libertarian Party. If ever a time seemed ripe for the Libertarians to capture the political disaffection in this country, it appears to be now. The least your new fair and balanced editorial section could do would be to give a mention. Otherwise, I might as well be reading from that rag up the road.

Gayle Jennings

Costa Mesa
SANAA, Yemen  A suicide bomber killed 27 people on Sunday when he blew himself up in a crowd of men seeking to enlist in the Yemeni army in the southeastern city of Mukalla, medical officials said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activity.

About 60 other people were injured in the blast, which took place as would-be recruits gathered at the gates of a barracks in the city, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Pro-government forces and allied Gulf troops took control of Mukalla last month after the withdrawal of al-Qaida militants who had occupied it for a year.

At least seven people were killed Thursday in an attack, also claimed by Islamic State, on an army compound in the city.

Representatives of the Yemeni government and mainly Shiite Houthi rebels, who control much of the north of the country including the capital Sanaa, are engaged in difficult United Nations-brokered peace talks in Kuwait City.

Al-Qaida has joined the fight against the Houthis in some areas while also seeking to gain territory behind government lines in southern Yemen.
Elected officials have a responsibility to follow the rules when it comes to campaign finance and governmental ethics, but these rules are lengthy and complex, so it is important to establish the Orange County Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission to oversee those rules.

Measure A will help candidates and elected officials fix compliance issues caused by common errors through the remedial measures process. The Ethics Commission will provide training and advice to help educate candidates and elected officials, with enforcement penalties implemented in the most serious cases.

With voter approval, the Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission will be comprised of five members, with each commissioner appointed by the Board of Supervisors, following the models used by most ethics commissions in California.

This commission would have the power to subpoena bank records and exercise jurisdiction over the Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics ordinance, the County Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Ordinance, violations of the county gift ban by elected officials, use of county resources for personal gain and violations of the one-year revolving door restriction on lobbying by former elected officials.

For the first time, training and advice mechanisms for TINCUP would be created, as well as a safe harbor provision for those who follow the advice, which will serve as an incentive for elected officials to take the ethics training and act in compliance.

To prevent frivolous complaints, the Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission will require that complaints be submitted under penalty of perjury. Also, filing complaints for the purpose of harassment, intimidation or embarrassment will be a crime.

Measure A is one of the most significant reforms in the history of our county government, and many experts, along with the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Ethics Committee and the Orange County Office of County Counsel, helped to develop Measure A. Shirley Grindle, Bill Mitchell and Mario Mainero have been pushing for an ethics commission for years, and their proposal helped guide County Counsel in drafting the final ballot measure.

This June 7, we have the chance to place Orange County on the forefront of ethics oversight with the first comprehensive county ethics commission in the state by voting yes for Measure A.

Todd Spitzer

Orange

Third District Supervisor

18-year-olds are adults

Re: A well-intentioned, but misguided, law [Opinion, May 12]: I never thought that Id agree with Erwin Chemerinsky. We hold 18-year-olds responsible for their other decisions, like adults. They can vote, go into the armed services and die for our country, and be liable for contracts.

But Gov. Jerry Brown doesnt want them to smoke or use electronic cigarettes. While I agree they shouldnt, its not up to Gov. Brown to make it illegal for them to do so. This time, Mr. Chemerinsky is right.

Dorothy Sheldon

Tustin

  

In this country our young people can vote at 18, they can risk their lives serving in the military at 18, they can enter into legal agreements at 18, they can be sued at 18, they can be charged as an adult with a crime at 18  and even executed. In fact, certain children even younger than 18 can be charged as adults in certain crimes. We recognize them as adults in all ways except for the consumption of alcohol, and now for the use of tobacco products. If, indeed, they are adults, they should be given all the rights of adults. That would certainly include their right to indulge in the adult world of tobacco and alcohol.

To deny these rights to people whom we otherwise recognize as adults brings to mind the words of Frank Zappa: The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.

Milt Rouse

Dana Point

Automation imminent

First, it was a robot taking our calls, replacing a human answering the phone. Now, after political pressure to raise the minimum wage by dictate, rather than the free market, this on top of government demands to pay for employee health care, every employer that can automate their business by the use of robotics is going to do so. When will the liberals learn that, when you mandate some requirement on business, business reacts by moving out of state, out of the country or automating. End result? No jobs for humans.

Bill Ring

Mission Viejo
HUNTINGTON BEACH  Into the ocean, baby, yelled out Dean Seward, a sophomore and one of seven Special Abilities students taking part in a fish release program conducted by Edison High School.

It wasnt the ocean but Lake Huntington. No matter, the students were having a great time as they watched the fish take off for deeper water Friday morning.

The 100 or so finger-sized rainbow trout had been raised in the schools Innovation Lab, where students get hands-on instruction in a variety of sciences and math.

Science teacher Greg Gardiner, along with instructional aide Chris Ruth and interpreter Kaycee Quinn, who communicated in sign language to a couple of deaf students in the group, accompanied the class on its project.

Gardiner scooped fish from a bucket and placed them in ones and twos into plastic cups, which the students took to the waters edge and released.

Were going to let the fish be happy and free, he said to the students, who cheered as the first fish swam off.

Gardiner said the release trip served a couple of goals: to get the students out and into public settings and get them excited about the class. Edison High draws students from across the Huntington Beach Union High School District to participate in its Special Abilities Cluster. Some cant speak or communicate, some are in wheelchairs and may have severe retardation, but at Edison every effort is made to include them in curriculum and school life.

Throughout the year, the Special Abilities students have helped biology students and lab specialists raise and feed the fish.

Its a way for them to engage and look at science proactively, Gardiner said. Its a way to do science thats fun and applicable in their lives.

As Gardiner was scooping one of the fish out of the bucket, Seward, the class jokester, said Yum, yum.

You cant eat the fish, Dean, Gardiner said, bringing out a chorus of giggles.

The Innovation Lab, in its second year, is described as a unique space for hands-on STEM lessons and project-based learning.

The lab is also used for classes in chemistry, physics, botany and robotics.

However, the fish programs and aquaculture classes have been a centerpiece. Students raise the fish from eggs and also learn about water quality, ecosystems and habitat.

Fridays release was the climax of the semester. It was the second release of trout this year. In the fall semester, a group of biology students went to Big Bear to release 162 fish. The Orange County Fly Fishers Club and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife support the trout effort through a program called Trout in the Classroom (TIC).

Later this month, other students from the school will release white sea bass into Huntington Harbour, the second such release of the school year. In December, 46 bass were released into the ocean.

In another class, students learn about aquaponics, a symbiotic system in which water with fish waste is circulated through plants, which extract fish waste from talapia for nutrition and return clean the water to the tank.

As some teachers like to say, the Innovation Lab is a place to do science, rather than just study science.

Fisherman Benjamin Kustura, 30, from Huntington Beach was excited about the fish release Friday, that is before he saw the size of the baby trout.

Fish and game were supposed to do a release this winter, he said, adding that it didnt happen.

Whenever theres a release I try to get down here, he said. This is one of my favorite lakes. Its kind of secluded.

The freedom for some of the tiny trout may have been fleeting when, midway through the release, an armada of ducks along with several geese and a seagull showed up.

Luckily for the fish, shortly after the ducks came, a woman with a bucket of dry food appeared and drew the birds attention.
The GLOW House seems the perfect name for the headquarters of the nonprofit enterprise operating on a busy corner at the edge of downtown Santa Ana.

Start with the way it looks on the outside: a gleaming white two-story building with a brick facade and gray trim.

Inside, colorful drawings and photographs decorate the bright, white walls of the lobby and halls and give the first hints of what GLOW House, salvaged from a boarded-up hangout for crack addicts, is all about: transforming the lives of girls from vulnerable communities.

Its not just the groups of 30 or so girls who come after school from El Sol Science & Arts Academy across the street and other campuses.

It goes beyond the dozens more in satellite programs elsewhere in Santa Ana or those expected to join similar initiatives in Anaheim, San Juan Capistrano and Los Angeles in the coming months.

Think thousands more lives  girls living in poverty in Asia, Africa and South America who are reached through partnerships with other programs.

GLOW House is the headquarters for Global Girls Leading Our World (Global GLOW), a nonprofit launched in 2010 by Laguna Beach resident Kylie Schuyler. Some 10,000 girls in more than 20 countries benefit from Global GLOWs outreach.

Schuyler, wife of Douglas Hodge, Pimcos chief executive, and mother to seven children, has long been involved in local and international philanthropy. With degrees in economics and psychology, she brings her insights of the business world and human nature to bear in pursuing Global GLOWs mission.

What gives the nonprofit part of its unique flavor is the way it is funded. Sales from a frozen-yogurt operation called California Bliss in France help sustain the nonprofit.

The enterprise, which Schuyler and a friend launched two years ago, provides 40 percent of the funding for Global GLOWs $1.5 million annual operating budget. The nonprofit also relies on private donations and public outreach, such as its recent participation in iheartOC Giving Day, for support.

Self-serve with an artisanal flair, California Bliss has a flagship store in Aix-en-Provence in southern France and seasonal pop-up shops in places like Saint-Tropez and Cannes. The company also delivers ready-made servings to restaurants elsewhere in the country.

Schuylers partner, French businesswoman Danielle Ahajot, oversees the business.

The flagship store and pop-up shops all stock literature about Global GLOWs mission. The whole reason for California Bliss, Schuyler says, is to generate cash for the nonprofit.

GLOW House in Santa Ana is the sweet spot for the charitable work, operating as a safe place for girls 10 to 16 to express themselves  in conversations, in writing, in artwork.

Relationships serve as the key to unlock self-expression. College-age mentors, in paid positions, are the role models who nurture in the girls a belief that they can not only have dreams, but achieve them.

Mentoring, Schuyler says, is the most important part of what we do.

FREE TO BE

Its a Tuesday afternoon, and that means sixth-graders from El Sol are occupying what is called the GLOW Room at GLOW House, a comfy place to lounge on big pillows scattered across the rug or against one another.

I know we all love each other, but lets sit up, says Lara Nguyen, one of the mentors, nudging a group of 10 girls into an exercise that involves going around the circle and saying out loud why you rock.

Theres a because Im cool and an I dont know but also answers like because Im creative and when I fail, I try and try again. (The girl with the I dont know answer is prodded into coming up with because Im special.)

Later, following sandwiches and healthy snacks provided by Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, the girls break into smaller go-to groups with their mentors to talk about what they see as their character strengths, based on a survey they completed earlier in the year.

They write down in notebooks their top five strengths, do a free-writing exercise on whether they can identify with those qualities, and lastly, as an art project, cut pictures from magazines to illustrate those five strengths.

All the while, their mentors engage them in thoughtful discussion.

Exercises like this have helped Shanya Olivares, 13, share her voice as a poet. The eighth-grader at El Sol began coming to GLOW House about three years ago, starting with a summer program.

She was dealing with being teased at school. She didnt much like writing, but the mentors encouraged her to write about those things that made her strong.

Everything in school was rough back then, Olivares says. Writing kept me going. It gave me optimistic ideas.

To her, the point of writing poetry is to express and empower herself. But she also hopes other girls understand what she is saying and find inspiration.

Inspiring someone has always been a dream for me.

Shalom Reguerin, 19, was a senior at NOVA Academy Early College High School in Santa Ana two years ago when she first learned about GLOW House. Given to dyeing her dark hair all shades of red and dreaming about becoming a cosmetologist, she says some relatives constantly pressured her to be pretty.

Right away at GLOW House, she felt comfortable.

It was a place where we could talk about things we really didnt talk about with anyone, says Reguerin, who now serves as a mentor at GLOW House while attending Santa Ana College. I had entered a whole new world of OK.

It was OK to be myself.

Her mentoring position and a job at Pizza Hut help Reguerin support her family. But being a mentor is more than just a job, she says.

These girls really mean so much to me. Sometimes I forget that I am a mentor because they teach me so much. They taught me how to love, honestly.

CHARITABLE ROOTS

Original Global Girl, reads Schuylers brief bio on the Global GLOW website. Her childhood couldnt have been more different from that of the girls her nonprofit serves.

I didnt grow up with any hardship, she says.

And yet her upbringing is the root of why she does what she does.

Her long blond hair, blue eyes and deep suntan give Schuyler a definite Southern California glow. But she grew up in a comfortable household in Seattle, one of four girls who were expected to do it all and be successful and learned the value of giving back from a mother who involved them in her charitable efforts.

Schuyler, 54, studied economics in college, became a bond trader and married Hodge after they met in London through their shared profession. She later earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. Her children range in age from 25 to 7, two of them adopted from Morocco.

Global GLOW is an outgrowth of seven years spent in Tokyo from 2002 to 2009 when Pimco tapped Hodge to oversee its Asian region.

Schuyler bonded with other women whose lives were uprooted because their spouses employers had relocated them. The women channeled their energies into social-service projects in Southeast Asia and India.

Shuttling between Japan and Cambodia on behalf of an organization called World Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia, Schuyler helped establish a program that pays impoverished families $10 a month to send their daughters to school. The incentive worked beyond expectations, she says, helping to break a cycle of poverty and protecting girls from being sold into the sex trade.

The girls we first supported in Cambodia have moved on to higher education or have good non-factory jobs, will likely marry later, have fewer, healthier children and will educate those children, says Schuyler, who remains on the World Assistance board of directors.

She started Global GLOW after her family returned to the U.S.

Schuyler planned from the beginning to create a for-profit business to benefit the charity. France was late to the frozen-yogurt craze, she says, but her friend Ahajot, a scrap-metal trader, ate frozen yogurt every day when she lived in the U.S.

Schuyler recalls how Ahajot kept telling her France would fall for frozen yogurt.

She said it to me so often, and years had gone by.

Now the business partners have plans to bring California Bliss to Paris in July and stateside to Miami later this year.

GLOBAL REACH

Global GLOW began partnering last year with LitWorld, founded by author and motivational speaker Pam Allyn in 2007 to fight illiteracy around the world. LitWorld has programs in more than 50 countries and is the catalyst behind World Read Aloud Day and Stand Up for Girls.

In March, 20 girls from the GLOW House traveled to New York City for the HerStory initiative of LitWorld and Global GLOW. The project included a presentation to the 60th gathering of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. About 50 other girls participated, from such countries as Kenya, India, Columbia, Nepal and Jordan.

Olivares and Reguerin were among the Santa Ana contingent who attended the Global HerStory Summit.

Reguerin says hearing the stories of girls with such different backgrounds and limited opportunities  and watching those from landlocked countries frolic at the beach in cold East Coast waters  made the Santa Ana girls feel grateful.

Were so privileged. And then we see these other people and it was just a dream come true for them to be out of where they live  just to leave their cities.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com
The California High-Speed Rail Authoritys newly approved 2016 business plan concedes that the state lacks funding to build the full high-speed rail system. The latest version of the plan shows the state is at least $30 billion short of the funding required to build the project. But, in making the latest changes to the plan, the California High Speed Rail Authority may be finally starting to acknowledge some of the fiscal and political realities of the project.

California leaders have long dreamed of private financing and federal funding arriving at the states doorstep to pay for the train system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. However, since there has been no private financing, no additional federal funding on the horizon, and the CHSRA can use only 25 percent of revenue the state generates from its anti-global-warming cap-and-trade program, the high-speed rail plans are changing again.

The new business plan once again alters the order of construction, with the section between the Central Valley and San Jose now set to be built before the section in Southern California. But in an attempt to appease Southern California, since the new plan ensures the high-speed train wont appear here for decades, CHSRA says it will spend $4 billion in the region, mostly on grade separations and improvements at Union Station in Los Angeles.

It appears the squeaky wheels in Central Valley were just too loud for the authority to ignore. After earlier deciding to drop a stop in Merced already under construction, the agency backtracked and announced that it would keep building that stop. Politically, the high-speed rail project needs all the help it can get and it appeared Central Valley politicians might ditch their support for the project if their region didnt get what it wanted.

So while stops in Los Angeles and Orange County would serve millions of residents and draw far more riders than a stop in Merced County, where approximately 250,000 people live, the political support from Central Valley politicians took priority ahead of passengers and common sense.

We need to look at this as a tool to help us rebuild many of these cities in the Central Valley, CHRSA Chairman Dan Richard explained.

Rebuilding cities in the Central Valley wasnt what taxpayers were originally sold. They were promised a bullet train running from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours. But that wont happen. The rail system is now being viewed a jobs program, not a bullet train focused on moving large numbers of people at high speeds.

The Fresno Bee reports that Central Valley politicians were adamant about getting the stop because they view it as a way to attract another golden goose that will help land the region more state government jobs.

Madera County leaders also expressed hope that having the Amtrak-HSR connection could bolster the countys chances for being selected as a site for a heavy maintenance facility for the statewide high-speed rail system, the Bee reported. Valley counties from Merced to Kern have pitched locations for such a facility, which is eyed as a potential economic golden goose because of the estimated 1,500-plus jobs it could generate to service the trains.

The new high-speed rail business plan also revealed the flimsy house of cards the alleged sources of funding for the train are built upon.

In the business plan, the authority claimed it has managed to reduce the cost of building Phase 1, which will now run from Central Valley to San Jose, to $20.7 billion. The full system cost estimates have been lowered slightly, from $67.7 to $64.2 billion. Thats not really a cost reduction for taxpayers when you consider CHSRA claimed in 2011 that the cost for the entire statewide train system would be $35 billion.

Where will that money come from? The state still doesnt know. If we continue to receive funds, we can open Americas first operating high-speed rail and connect two really important regions of the state, Chairman Richard said.

Thats a really big if and shows the uncertainty around the high-speed rail project. But one thing is certain  taxpayers are getting a raw deal.

Baruch Feigenbaum is a transportation policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
KABUL, Afghanistan  Afghanistan is expected to finalize a peace deal with a notorious militant group in the coming days, in what could be a template for ending the 15-year war with the Taliban, a government official and a representative of the militant group said Saturday.

The deal is partly symbolic as the group in question, Hezb-i-Islami, has been largely inactive for years, but it marks a breakthrough for President Ashraf Ghani, who has made little progress in reviving peace talks with the far more powerful Taliban.

Under the 25-point agreement, a draft of which was seen by The Associated Press, Hezb-i-Islami would end its war against the government, commit to respecting the Afghan constitution and cease all contact with other insurgents. In return its members would receive amnesty and its prisoners would be released.

Ataul Rahman Saleem, deputy head of the High Peace Council  a government body charged with negotiating an end to the war  told the AP that the deal could be completed on Sunday, after two years of negotiations. A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected Ghani to approve the final version of the agreement on Sunday.

Hezb-i-Islami is led by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose forces killed thousands of people in Kabul during the 1992-1996 civil war. He is believed to be in Pakistan, though Karim has said he is in an unspecified location in Afghanistan. He could soon return to Kabul to sign a formal peace deal and take up residence.

Hekmatyar, in his late 60s, is designated a global terrorist by the United States and blacklisted by the United Nations. The agreement obliges the Afghan government to work toward lifting those restrictions.

The group has had only a minor role in the conflict in recent years. Its last major attack killed 15 people, including six American soldiers, in Kabul in 2013.

The Obama administration has welcomed the progress toward a peace agreement and said it supports an Afghan-led resolution to the conflict. Hezb-i-Islami should be part of the negotiations along with all other insurgent groups, a senior Obama administration official said in a statement. The official wasnt authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

U.S. officials declined to say publicly whether the U.S. would consider lifting the terrorist designation subjecting the group to sanctions if the agreement is reached.

Ghanis spokesman, Zafar Hashemi, would not comment directly on the Hezb-i-Islami deal, telling reporters Saturday that the doors are open for peace talks to all groups. He added, however, that there are developments and optimism.

Ghani is due to return to Kabul on Sunday from an official visit to London. Karim said he expected the president to give his final approval to the agreement soon after his return.

Negotiations began in July 2014, Karim said, when Hekmatyar received a letter from Ghani, who was then campaigning to become president. Ghani pointed out that one of Hekmatyars key conditions for peace  the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan  was about to be met.

That was the beginning, Karim said.

But progress stalled after President Barack Obama decided against a complete withdrawal and instead to leave a 10,000-strong, largely noncombat force in the country through the end of 2016.

Earlier this year, Hekmatyar began referring to his demand for the withdrawal of all foreign troops as a goal rather than a condition, clearing the way for talks to continue.

The political wing of Hezb-i-Islami, which has long had a significant presence in Afghanistans parliament, has no relationship with Hekmatyar, and its members endeavor to address grassroots concerns rather than engage in high-level politics.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the deal with Hezb-i-Islami would have no impact on the overall peace process because a majority of Hezb-i-Islami members are already part of the government.

The agreement includes a guarantee of equality between men and women and respect for the Afghan constitution, both points of contention with the Taliban.

It gives legal immunity for all past political and military proceedings by Hezb-i-Islami members and mandates the release of all prisoners within three months. Karim said there are about 2,000 Hezb-i-Islami prisoners in Afghan jails.

Under the agreement, Hekmatyar would have a consultant role on important political and national decisions. The Afghan government would provide housing and security for Hekmatyar at two or three residences in places of his choosing.

The two sides also commit to bringing millions of refugees home from neighboring Iran and Pakistan. The first stage would be to repatriate 20,000 from Pakistan with the help of the international community.
LAGUNA NIGUEL  An unidentified 68-year-old man was struck and killed while walking late Saturday at La Paz and Avila roads, sheriffs officials said.

Orange County Sheriffs Lt. Jarrett Kurimay said a motorist driving northbound on La Paz at 11:05 p.m. hit the pedestrian, who was walking in the street. The driver was not initially arrested.

The pedestrians identity has not been released, pending notification of family.

Contact the writer: cperkes@ocregister.com 714-796-3686
WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps emergence as the Republicans apparent presidential nominee has brought out the worst instincts in the opposition party. Democrats are like a mean drunk in a saloon fight whose opponent has fallen to the barroom floor. You can let the other guy get up  or you can start kicking him in the ribs.

Modern politics isnt about helping anyone off the floor. From top Obama advisers and Democratic National Committee officials to sitting U.S. senators and liberal commentators, the temptation to kick Republicans when they are down has proven irresistible. They ridicule, they make jokes, they assert that the GOP is merely reaping what it has sown.

They tolerated intolerant voices in their party, and they tried to benefit from racist birther conspiracies, sniffed reliably partisan former White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer. Trump is the personification of all [this] intolerance and ugliness.

Its a predictable talking point, and youll hear more of it as the general election unfolds. But if Democrats are paying attention to what is happening in this country, theyll restrain their impulses. Trump could have happened to them.

For starters, it wasnt written in the stars that the New York billionaire would run as a Republican. In 2000, Trump ran briefly as a Reform Party candidate. As recently as 2012, he was registered as an independent, and until 2011 most of his political contributions were to Democrats, including Harry Reid, John Kerry and Edward Kennedy.

In his home state, he gave to every New York Democrat youve ever heard of  Hillary Clinton, Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer, Charles Rangel  and many you havent. From January 1999 to March 2015, when he began making moves to run for president as a Republican, Trump donated $601,000 to New York pols. Fifty-eight percent of it went to Democrats.

So theres that. Would Trumps anti-immigrant spiel and birther fixation  Dan Pfeiffer wasnt imagining that  have played as well in the Democratic primaries? Obviously not, but Trump has other shticks, too.

Like Bernie Sanders, he bashes NAFTA, talks about taxing the rich and says entitlement program budget cuts are off-limits. Like Hillary Clinton, Trump supports Cuba normalization, favors raising the minimum wage and is all about transgender bathroom rights. He turned against the Iraq War almost as fast as Obama  and supported gay marriage before either Bill or Hillary Clinton did. Why wouldnt this program have sold among a Democratic electorate?

I dont mean to pretend that Trumps campaign is built on policy. Its not, which is why hes all over the map on issues. His campaign is fueled by celebrity and chutzpah, and by voters anger at the state of U.S. politics.

But his true attractiveness to voters isnt the big beautiful wall he envisions on the Mexican border, or the havoc hed wreak on Chinas economy, or the irresponsible things hes said about Muslims. Its not even the fact that hell say all these things  his studied flouting of political correctness. Trumps core appeal is that hell act on his own, without consulting the pesky Congress, let alone the cowardly and craven international community, whatever that means. Donald Trump has run as an autocrat.

A depressing fact of 20th century life is that, time and again, voters in the worlds democracies voted strongmen into power. Political scientists have chronicled the authoritative strain embedded in the psychological makeup of many voters. The latest to study this phenomenon is political consultant Matthew MacWilliams, currently writing his doctoral dissertation at UMass Amherst. He devised a poll of 1,800 Republican primary voters.

I found that education, income, gender, age, ideology and religiosity had no significant bearing on a Republican voters preferred candidate, MacWilliams wrote. Only two of the variables I looked at were statistically significant: authoritarianism, followed by fear of terrorism, though the former was far more significant than the latter.

Likewise, in 2008, Vanderbilt University political science professor Marc Hetherington concluded that an authoritarian impulse was the single biggest determination of how Democrats chose between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. (Authoritarians preferred Clinton.)

Hetherington and MacWilliams assert that authoritarian voters are gradually migrating to the GOP. Im skeptical. As I think about how liberals govern  how they wield power in universities, statehouses and from the Oval Office  one can make the case that a thousand Democratic Donald Trumps are already in power:

 When a student writes pro-Trump graffiti in chalk on sidewalks at Emory University, the school president tries to ferret out the culprit with security camera footage.

 California Attorney General Kamala Harris demands that two conservative nonprofits associated with the conservative Koch brothers disclose their donors  or stop raising money in California.

 Last year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court finally ended the crusade by a Democratic prosecutor in Milwaukee, who seized personal computers in late-night raids at conservatives homes, apparently in hopes of finding collusion between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and local conservative groups.

 At Harvard, university president Drew Faust announced that members of sororities and fraternities  and other same-sex clubs or organizations will not be able to hold student leadership positions, be eligible for scholarships or receive job recommendations from the school.

On Friday, the Obama administration directed every public school in the country, and every college that receives federal money, to provide transgender students with bathroom facilities  under penalty of depriving those schools of federal funds.

This is authoritarianism on steroids, and there are hundreds of such examples. Trump is late to the party.

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor of RealClearPolitics.com.
It took the Roman Republic five centuries to devolve into a centralized despotism. It may take ours roughly 240 years to get to the same place, but with decidedly less upside.

Concern over a crossing of a constitutional Rubicon  the northern Italian river whose passage by Julius Caesar and his legion in 49 B.C. occasioned the death of the Republic  has centered on Donald Trump. The Donald might not have conquered Gaul, or written a brilliant account of his exploits, but his Caesarist attributes  overweening self-regard, contempt for existing institutions and a touch of glamour  are all too obvious.

No surprise, then, that some on the left, perhaps rehearsing their roles as cheerleaders for Hillary Clinton, see Trump as a tyrant  a Caesar in training. Others see a reincarnation of Italys fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and link Trumps success to that of the rising European populist parties, which progressives often label, sometimes accurately, as protofascist.

Many on the intellectual right also see in The Donald an imperial pretender. New York Times Republican stalwart Ross Douthat has called the likely GOP presidential standard bearer a protofascist grotesque with zero political experience and poor impulse control.

Two faces of incipent fascism

Trump may seek, as House Speaker Paul Ryan suspects, an imperial presidency. His proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants or proposed ban on nonresident Muslims entering the country would certainly require a robust and oppressive central state. As Rich Lowry of National Review notes, Donald Trump exists in a plane where there isnt a Congress or a Constitution. There are no tradeoffs or limits. There is only his will and his team of experts.

But theres also a progressive side to incipient fascism in America. After all its the militants of the Left who try to shut down Trump rallies, not the other way around. Free speech? Its now common place for social-justice warriors to shout down conservative speakers. And their influence seems leading to new forms of control over the Internet, as recently seen at Twitter and Facebook.

Even the establishment Left appears increasingly Caesarist, brooking no real restraint on executive power, if they hold the reins. Hillary Clinton has already made clear she wont follow her husbands path of compromise with the Republican Congress; if they refuse to go along, she will go around them  just like President Obama has. Her results-oriented authoritarianism, notes left-leaning journalist Matt Yglesias, seems increasingly alluring to progressives.

Here in California, our septuagenarian state duce, Jerry Brown, enthusiastically embraces the coercive power of the state in order to enforce his dictates on climate change. And, for his part, Barack Obama has extended rule by decree to unprecedented lengths. During its first six years, the Obama administration promulgated more than twice as many major rules as during the first six years of the predecessor George W. Bush administration.

Progressive variations of fascism may be more accepted by the media than the Trump version, but both represent a remarkably similar impulse.

Roman Replay?

Restraints on central power are critical to the great republics, but these are clearly loosening in America. Our founders were highly conscious of the Roman Republics structure and sought to emulate it. They saw the need, as did the Romans, for a balance of interests, with limited tenure for consuls, and ways for the common citizenry to express their preferences through elected tribunes. The whole system, notes historian Adrian Goldsworthy, was built around the desire to prevent any one individual from gaining to too much permanent power.

Roman Republican ideals helped shape our constitutional system  with its emphasis on checks and balances  but Romes eventual demise also presents a cautionary tale. As the Roman Republic extended its reach, including more races and peoples under its domain, old structures began to fray. The Senate became a pit of corruption, and there was the rise of various charismatic leaders  Sulla, Marius, the Gracchi  who uprooted the old system and gradually denuded it of meaning. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon en route to seizing power, he assumed complete control of the state, dismantling the old system.

Caesar was an effective reformer, notes historian Mary Beard, modernizing everything from transportation to time-keeping. He created new colonies to resettle the capitals poor and extended Roman citizenship to those living far north of the city. His essential argument was that great things could only be accomplished by dismissing the old republican system with its checks and balances.

So the Republic gave way to the Empire, which, tragically, did not always have leaders of the quality of Caesar or his adopted son Octavian, later know as Augustus. Trump, sadly, has a personality more reminiscent of Nero or Caligula.

The public: Both problem, potential solution

Trumps appeal, like Caesars, has its roots in changing social mores and economic changes. In Caesars Rome, displaced farmers and ex-soldiers felt little sympathy for the patrician elites of their day. Similarly, Americas middle and working classes, particularly among the white majority, hate the economic and political leadership that have flourished while they have suffered through more than a decade of falling real earnings and depressed middle-class opportunities. They also see a popular culture that largely disregards, and even demeans, the traditional values of family, small enterprise or patriotism. Further, they face an oligarchy  mostly lining up behind Hillary Clinton  that dominates both the economy, media and the political system.

These voters, as the New York Times Nate Cohen has observed, are not primarily the uneducated, racist bumpkins often portrayed in the media. Voters embraced Trump not just as an expression of hate, as progressives claim, but because he, like Bernie Sanders on the left, has intuited their concerns. Like Mussolini, who wished to revive the glory of Caesars Rome, however, Trumps xenophobic notion of making America great again is classically fascist.

Rather than a choice, we face a contest between two different kinds of imperial pretenders. After all, liberals, not conservatives, advocate witch hunts against those with dissenting views on such issues as climate change, and even seek to exclude the politically incorrect from donating to museums, seeking to make sure our cultural institutions also follow the party line.

So are we threatened  as in pre-Imperial Rome, post-World War I Italy and Weimar Germany  with witnessing ever more intense battles, possibly in the streets, as two authoritarian movements seek to control the national agenda by seizing power in Washington.

The only hope for changing this course relies on what used to be thought of as the common sense of the American people. If both Trump and Clinton have little regard for constitutional niceties, the people of this country  Republican, Democrat, independent  still generally favor solutions developed at the local level and suspect the power of the federal government.

Roughly half of Americans, according to a 2015 Gallup poll, now consider the federal government an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. In 2003, only 30 percent of Americans felt that way. Survey research finds confidence in large governmental institutions  beyond the military and police  now sits at record lows.

Even millennials, although largely liberal in their orientation, particularly on issues such as immigration and gay marriage, appear to favor community-based, local solutions as opposed to top down approaches to key problems. A recent National Journal poll found that millennials, are far less trusting of major institutions than their Generation X predecessors.

Millennials are on a completely different page than most politicians in Washington, D.C., notes pollster John Della Volpe says. This is a more cynical generation when it comes to political institutions.

These sentiments are likely to be submerged as Americans get to choose between two utterly unlikable authoritarians. Yet, if the Republic survives either of these likely miserable regimes, there is hope that, at some point, Americans will turn back from the idea of an imperial presidency and again see the wisdom in the dispersal  not the concentration  of both political and economic power.

Joel Kotkin is a R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and executive director of the Center for Opportunity Urbanism in Houston. His newest book is The Human City: Urbanism for the Rest of Us.
Annie Baby, a famous novelist, recently topped the ranking of Top 10 Web Celebrities of the Decade in China, released by search engine Baidu.

"Web celebrity" is now a popular concept, since Furong Jiejie (Sister Lotus), a famous female blogger, shot to fame in 2004. Now, being an Internet celebrity seems one of the fastest ways to become famous and earn money, which is the reason it attracts more and more young people to the industry.

Among the people who pay close Followers to web celebrities, around 86 percent are under 25 years old, according to Baidu. Moreover, more than 70 percent of those people are female. "How do web celebrities make money?" and "How to become a web celebrity?" have become hot topics.

Numerous ordinary people have become famous due to their talents or beauty. However, a number of them stand out for various scandals. Some of them have millions of fans on Weibo, the Chinese version of twitter.

Let's take a look at the top 10 web celebrities in China:

Nima Wang





Followers:2.44 million

Born in 1990, Nima Wang is the Editor in Chief of Rage Comic (Baozoumanhua) and the host of Rage (Baozou) Big News Events. Bao Zou Big News Events is a popular show covering news, literature, history, psychology, politics, chemistry and biology. The host wears a headgear with a comic face during the show and uses humorous words to report ridiculous news events.




Beaten, strangled, burned; her body was left overnight in the parking lot of an Irvine office park.

Nearly seven years later, the two brothers who admit to taking her life have also pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, saying the killing wasnt planned.

One of those brothers, Zenaido Baldivia-Guzman, faces retrial after his case was declared a mistrial last week in Santa Ana Superior Court. The second brother, Gabino Baldivia-Guzman, is expected to face trial later this year.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys debate whether the killing legally was first- or second-degree murder, but they dont debate who was responsible.

But even as justice grinds forward, a mystery remains.

The woman had no ID when she was found. She was left with her clothes and a pair of unusual shoes, but without a drivers license or bank card or phone. No one who knew her witnessed her death.

And the things she did have, the things we all carry  fingerprints and teeth and DNA  have provided only half of a puzzle. After seven years of relentless and sometimes unusual effort, the street cops, detectives and criminologists working on the case still dont know who she was.

All of which raises a question: In 2016, when seemingly every public act can be tracked online or on video, when a single keystroke can send our secrets or our faces around the world, how can a woman found dead in a parking lot spend seven years with the name Jane Doe?

LESS THAN A GALLON

John Ring saw her before he could park.

Sept. 5, 2009, was a Saturday, and at 8:30 a.m., the parking lot at Pasternack Enterprises was empty except for Ring. And he was there only because he wanted to catch up on work in his job as vice president of sales and marketing for Pasternack, a military supplier based in the part of Irvine that borders northbound 55.

After he pulled into the lot and saw the woman, facedown and almost certainly dead, Ring was unnerved. He told police that he kept driving for a moment before stopping, a few spaces away, to call 911.

Investigators from Irvines fire and police departments arrived within minutes, calling in a description of the body: a woman, early 20s, black, about 6 feet tall and 150 pounds, a single piercing in each ear. Her face was bloody and bruised, her left eye was swollen, and her tongue was protruding.

She also had been burned.

Orange County Fire Authority investigator John Abel determined that she had been set on fire in the parking lot, probably in the same, slightly curled up position shed been found. Based on the damage to her body and clothes, Abel believed less than a gallon of gasoline was used to set her ablaze, and the fire burned itself out. A crime scene investigator working near the body found, among other things, a blue lighter.

Authorities couldnt say exactly when shed been dumped. They knew only that the cleaning crew saw nothing suspicious before they left, between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., about 10 hours before Ring drove up.

So, around midday, the investigators and crime scene techs gathered the few clues they found at the scene, collected what was left of the womans outfit  shorts, a top and a pair of high heels  and went off to begin the hunt.

SEARCHING high, LOW

As an obvious homicide, the investigation started with two goals  to find the killer and identify the victim.

On both fronts they had half a clue: The woman in the parking lot had been burned. If the crime scene and the body didnt generate many leads, maybe the accelerant or the flames it produced would.

Irvine police Detective Vicky Hurtado, who led the investigation, explained to a jury this month that because police had no address for the victim, she told detectives to visit 15 hotels and motels between Santa Ana and Irvine Spectrum. Initially, she said, they pressed the fire angle.

Anyone who came in smelling of gas, or who had burns on them.  Anyone who left a room in a hurry. Really, anything that could help us identify a suspect or a victim.

Police also began the tedious process of looking at video taken from a half-dozen businesses, watching about 100 hours of cars pulling into parking lots and people signing documents and walking through hotel and motel lobbies.

After a few days, when the hotel queries came up empty, police expanded the search to gas stations and local hospitals. Had anybody bought gas and taken it away in a can or bucket? Had anybody shown up in an emergency room with burns on his hands? Those questions also led them nowhere.

Soon, investigators printed fliers about the woman in the parking lot, the same tactic a family might use to find a lost pet. They handed them out at medical and social service agencies, at child protection units and mental health offices. They took their message to other police departments and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

They heard nothing.

WHO SHE WASNT

Investigators did learn one thing about the woman: Shed never been arrested.

As investigators fanned out to hotels and gas stations and other police agencies, technicians at the Orange County Crime Lab sent the womans DNA and fingerprints to state and federal databases. But the samples didnt match anything in those systems, meaning the woman in the parking lot had never been a criminal suspect or perpetrator or, before her death, a victim.

They also learned she grew up without dental care.

With no matches coming from DNA and fingerprints, crime lab techs next focused on the womans teeth, hoping to find evidence of dental work that could be traced to a particular dentist and, critically, his or her billing records.

But it appeared shed never had any dental work, and her dental X-rays did not match any in the Department of Justice database. Her teeth were another dead end.

With little else to go on, investigators turned their focus to the womans footwear  a pair of Glaze high heels, size 10.

The shoes were really the only item of clothing that had a full label we could identify, Hurtado testified.

Detectives looked up shoe manufacturers. They traced shoe retailers. And, once again, they talked with every store owner and sales associate who might have sold a pair of size 10 heels to a 6-foot-tall woman. But none had.

The investigators also contacted online retailers to see if they had sent any size 10s to anyone who matched a description of the victim. Again, no luck.

They took an unusual step, turning the shoes into the subject of a media campaign.

Within weeks after the body was found, a picture of a pair of size 10 Glaze high heels, black with a metal zipper in the front, manufactured by Elegance Enterprise  plus a police sketch of the woman and contact information for Irvine police  appeared on TV news and in print and online media. The tactic generated several tips but no solid leads.

Investigators even considered a plan to trace her through familial DNA, a rarely used tactic in which DNA is partially matched to biological relatives who might be listed in a state or federal database. That idea was dashed when investigators learned the search could be used only to track down suspects of crimes, not victims.

In all, investigators looked into more than 6,000 missing persons cases. None helped them learn the womans name.

THE OTHER HALF

Investigators had more luck on the other side of their hunt.

One clue at the scene was DNA under a fingernail on the womans left hand. The DNA had a Y chromosome; it was male.

In November 2010, about 14 months after Ring saw the woman in the parking lot, the male DNA found under her fingernail popped up as a match to Zenaido Baldivia-Guzman, then 24, a Santa Ana auto detailer who recently had been convicted on a charge of domestic violence.

Within hours of being taken into custody, Zenaido Baldivia-Guzman and his older brother, Gabino, confessed to taking part in the womans death.

The brothers offered horrific, incriminating detail that matched up with what investigators had discovered.

They said theyd been drinking the night before the body was found and decided to take their work van out to find a woman with whom they could have sex. They described meeting a woman who matched the victims description near Harbor Boulevard and First Street in Santa Ana.

Gabino told investigators that he and the woman negotiated a price to have sex and that she got into the vans passenger seat willingly. But, he added, she began screaming when she realized that Zenaido was behind her, in the back of the van. Zenaido, both brothers said, pulled her into the back of the van and struck her in an attempt to quiet her screaming.

When the tall, strong woman fought back, Zenaido choked her  hard enough to break a bone in her neck and long enough to end her life, prosecutors believe.

Unsure of what to do, the brothers decided to dump the woman in a parking lot they knew near the 55. Theyd detailed some cars there and believed the place would be isolated.

Gabino also told police that he was the one who grabbed a can of gas they used for a generator and used it to set the womans body on fire.

The brothers knew many things about how the woman spent her last moments, but they didnt know her name. And, in a final indignity, they told police they tossed her cellphone into a street.

That wiped out one last path to her identification.

NOT ALONE

The woman is No. 16.

Thats how many women are listed as Jane Doe by the Orange County Coroner. Other Jane Does include a woman found decapitated in a Santa Ana park in 1988, a woman whose bones were found in Anaheim in 1987 and a woman found in a field in Huntington Beach in 1968.

While technology is making it harder than it once was, its not unheard of to die nameless.

In a typical year, about 4,400 people die in the United States without identification, and about 1,000 of those remain unidentified after a year of searching. In all, about 40,000 human remains have been buried or cremated in the United States without being accurately identified, according to federal statistics.

Some of the unidentified dead are tied to suspected serial killers. Others were trying to start new lives, away from family or friends. Still others died before the advent of DNA identification and other modern investigation techniques.

Experts say modern data tracking prevents most people, particularly adults, from falling through the cracks. But the sheer number of killings and unexplained deaths in the United States also means its not uncommon for a person to die  like the woman in the parking lot did  without being identified even as their killers are brought to justice.

They are the people who maybe no one is looking for, said Todd Matthews, a director with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, sometimes known as NamUs.

Investigators havent forgotten the woman in the parking lot. In any homicide, police and prosecutors want to catch the killer and ease the pain of the victims family. Without a name, the family cant be helped.

Zenaido Baldivia-Guzman has offered a message for the womans family, wherever they are. A translation of a handwritten letter of apology, written in his native Spanish, includes this:

I know I took someone so loved.  I do not know how to live with my conscience, because I also have a family.

The woman in the parking lot eventually was cremated. Her death certificate doesnt say when that happened. No one who knew her took part in the service.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
India always views war as last resort, but... : PM Modi to armed forces in Kargil

Murder in Bihar: Shyam Rajak hits out at Modi govt over 'Jungle Raj 'remark

India

oi-Shalini

Patna, May 15: The killing of two journalists in 24 hours, one in Bihar and other in its neighbouring state Jharkhand had led to a war of words between the BJP government and the ruling grand alliance government in Bihar.

Nalin Kohli, the BJP spokesperson has questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to answer the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"Nitish's comeback with Lalu Prasad Yadav was to ensure law and order, but they have failed to handle the situation over the immediate action against his own party MLC, Manorama Devi.

While speaking to OneIndia over BJP's remark on 'comeback of Jungle Raj' in Bihar Shyam Rajak, Food Minister in Bihar said, "BJP should look into their own party as there is more crime in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Jharkhand (BJP-ruled states)."

"We are taking immediate action against crime-related incidents and the BJP is demoralised over the negligence by the citizens of Bihar, that is the reason they are defaming the state's governance by calling it a 'Jungle Raj'."

"One journalist was shot dead in Jharkhand. We are not happy to compare the crime in other states but Nitish government is taking immediate action aganist the crime. Rocky Yadav was arrested for killing Aditya Sachdeva on Saturday, (May 7) for overtaking his car at Bodh road in Gaya."

"What is law and order? It is to take action aganist the crime so, our party is taking actions to curb crime. BJP should answer that how Rocky got licence during their regime in Bihar. I condemned the murder of journalist in Bihar," Rajak concluded.

OneIndia News
 Flash

A Russian yacht detained by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has arrived at the country's Kimchaek port, and the crew members are in good condition, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The Russian Embassy in the DPRK and Consulate General in Chongjin,capital of the DPRK's North Hangyong Province, are taking measures to settle the issue, and a note has been sent to the DPRK side demanding explanations for the detention, the ministry said in an online statement.

Russia's Consul General in Chongjin Yuri Bochkarev is waiting for the permission to go to Kimchaek to meet with the crew.

The Elfin yacht with five crew members on board was detained late Friday by a DPRK coast guard ship 80 nautical miles (150 km) off DPRK's shore, the ministry said.

The Russian side said the yacht was in international waters at the time of the incident. 8 The vessel was on its way from the South Korean port of Pusan to Vladivostok after an international yachts race.

So far, there is no comment from DPRK on the issue.
Ensure enactment of road safety law without delay: Parliament panel

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 15: Explosive growth in India's transport sector calls for a new legislation in tune with the country's changing needs, a parliamentary panel has said, asking the government to ensure its enactment without any further delay.

The report, tabled in Parliament last week, said though the subject falls under concurrent list, any "inordinate" delay can be avoided.

The report comes at a time when after failing to push new road safety bill in Parliament due to opposition from the states, the Centre constituted a group of ministers (GoM) for framing stricter traffic rules.

"An assurance ... regarding 'Enactment of New Road Transport Act' is yet to be fulfilled despite lapse of more than 6 years against the prescribed period of 3 months for the purpose."

"There is an imperative need for enacting a contemporary Road Transport Act in tune with the changing need arising out of explosive growth in the road transport sector in the country," the committee on Government Assurances, chaired by parliamentarian Ramesh Pokhriyal said.

It said any inordinate delay can be avoided with proper planning and meticulous compliance with the due procedures which are apparently found wanting in this case.

The UPA government in September, 2009 had constituted a committee headed by S Sunder and based on its recommendations, a revised bill was drafted and sent to parliamentary committee after approval from the cabinet.

"As things were delayed at every stage, the bill got lapsed with the term of the last Lok Sabha," the committee said. It urged the present government to introduce the requisite bill without any delay. Last month, the GoM, formed by the Centre and headed by Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunus Khan, had unanimously agreed to framing strict penalties for offences like driving by minors, crossing speed limits, drunk driving, talking over phone while driving and jumping traffic lights.

The group in its recommendations submitted to Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has also suggested online learning licences henceforth, besides uniform forms for transport issues and extending the timeframe for driving licences.

The next meeting of the GoM would be held in Bengaluru on May 20 followed by a meeting to finalise proposals on June 10.

Gadkari has said once the recommendations are finalised they will be sent to the Cabinet for approval and subsequently be introduced in Parliament for passage.

The GoM also unanimously agreed on a proposal that entailed spot registration of vehicles at dealers point besides simplification of forms, Khan said. Also, it recommended fitting all public vehicles with GPS, camera, broad band and other such features without which vehicles would not be allowed for registration.

PTI
Hospital, doctors ordered to pay Rs 64L for medical negligence

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 15: A city-based private hospital and three of its doctors have been ordered to pay Rs 64 lakh to a woman by the apex consumer forum for their negligence in giving requisite treatment to her premature baby resulting in the infant becoming blind for life.

Maharaja Agrasen Hospital here and three of its doctors have been ordered by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to pay the amount as compensation to the mother of the child for the medical practitioners' negligence in screening the infant's eyes, which is the practice in the case of premature babies.

According to the complaint of the child's mother, Pooja Sharma, the baby was in the hospital for nearly five weeks, but during this period the doctors did not carry out the screening and as a result no one noticed that the infant's retina was displaced.

It was much later when she noticed the baby's abnormal visual response that a eye-check up was done which showed total retinal detachment.

The hospital and its doctors had denied the allegation of negligence and had contended that the screening was carried out and it had not revealed any problems. They also said that the mother was advised to come again for follow up checks.

After perusal of the medical records, the court said, "We are not convinced whether the Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening was done". ROP screening is carried out of premature babies to see if there is any abnormal blood vessel development in the retina of the eye.

"The progress sheet is devoid of details about ROP examination viz. who performed it, the method, instruments used and drugs (midrates/ tropicamide)/anaesthesia used during ROP testing. The doctor has not mentioned any details of dilation of pupil and findings of indirect ophthalmoscope findings, the intra ocular or extra retinal findings. "Thus, it was a casual approach of opposite parties towards the premature baby.

The opposite party 5 (senior consultant opthalmologist) has not followed standard ROP screening protocol.

Thus 'no record means, it was not done'. Even the nurses' daily record does not show any ROP examination was done," the forum said in its order. "The patient visited hospital for follow up, but nothing is in record about ROP testing.

It is not a standard of practice or due care of the patient. Thus, a medical negligence," it added. The apex consumer forum has directed the private hospital and three doctors to pay Rs 64 lakh as compensation, including the cost of litigation, to the child and his mother.

PTI
We cannot wait longer now: SC to hear Vijay Mallyas contempt case in January for final disposal

L'affaire Mallya: More banks get ED call for financial details

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, May 15: Expanding its money laundering probe into L'affaire Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate has asked around half a dozen lenders of Kingfisher Airlines to furnish details of the financial transactions conducted by the long-grounded air carrier and its top executives.

"The banks have been asked to furnish details of all domestic and foreign inward and outward remittances of KFA (Kingfisher Airlines).

Information such as from which accounts the money came in and to which accounts they were transferred, have been given to the ED," a source said. "The aim, it seems, is to look at whether there was any case of money laundering or whether the money was parked in any tax haven," said another source.

The Enforcement Directorate had asked for financial details from both public and private sector banks and a part of these details were submitted last week.

So far, the ED was focussing on Rs 900-crore loan that IDBI Bank had given to KFA to investigate whether there was any money laundering involved. The move to seek details from more banks indicates widening of the probe into the Mallya saga. Last month, a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against the fugitive baron Vijay Mallya in the IDBI case.

Besides, markets regulator Sebi has also expanded its probe into possible siphoning off funds by the promoters on suspicion of lapses in financial dealings of various listed companies of Mallya-led UB Group.

The market watchdog has also flagged the matter to other agencies and government departments, including the Corporate Affairs Ministry and its probe agency for white-collar crimes, SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office).

The market regulator is looking into violation of securities market regulations, including the strict disclosure requirements about 'insider dealings' with the promoters and related parties. Besides, Sebi is also probing any possible violation of norms aimed at checking fraudulent and unfair trades and comprising the interest of minority shareholders.

Mallya, currently said to be in the UK, recently lost control of another of his prime asset Kingfisher Villa in Goa. After an order from North Goa Collector in favour of banks, the lenders took the possession of the Kingfisher Villa on May 12.

PTI
Malegaon case: Congress wants SC-monitored probe

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 15: Congress on Sunday, (May 15) said the fresh chargesheet filed by NIA in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has put a question mark on India's commitment to fight terror and demanded that the probe should be monitored by the Supreme Court.

The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath by letting the Supreme Court monitor the case.

The NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become 'Namo Investigation Agency', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at "decimating and demolishing" the "meticulous" probe conducted by Mumbai ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.

He claimed the agency dropped MACOCA charges to see that all the statements recorded by the ATS become inadmissible as evidence.

Sharma demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the "sudden reversal" of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and "dilution" of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MACOCA and other offences.

"The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," the former minister said.

Sharma questioned the government whether, with the fresh NIA stance, it is "negating" Karkare's "sacrifice".

He demanded that Modi himself should intervene in the matter. He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.

"(it goes on to) show that the earlier probes, charges which were filed and arrests made were all wrong. The fact is, the steps were taken only after proper probe. We have always maintained that, with lot of seriousness, that terrorism and crime have no caste and religion," he added.

PTI
Modi government will recover money, show Nirav Modi his right place: Ramdev

Rashtra Purush', 'Trader Baba', some new names Maharashtra lawmakers have for Baba Ramdev

Illegal immigrants can cause 10 Kashmir like problems for us: Baba Ramdev

PM Modi should lay foundation stone for Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Ramdev at Udupi

Ramdev meets Mulayam

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, May 15: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today met ruling Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav here days after meeting RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was also present during the meeting, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said, adding that the Yoga guru lauded the work undertaken by the state government.

He appreciated certain welfare and development schemes being undertaken in the state, Chaudhary claimed, describing the meeting as a courtesy call.

Ramdev was in the state capital to meet Sahara chief Subrata Roy, who lost his mother recently.

PTI
Samjhauta blasts: SC seeks reply on plea for release of jailed Pak survivor

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 15: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and Punjab on the plea of the father of a Pakistani national, who landed in Amritsar jail after surviving the 2007 terror attack in the Samjhauta Express, seeking his immediate release.

Irfan, who was onboard Lahore-bound Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007, survived the bomb blasts that had ripped apart two passenger bogeys killing 68 persons and injuring several others, and subsequently landed in a jail where he is languishing since then.

A bench comprising justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal issued notices to the Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs and the Punjab Government on the plea filed by Delhi resident Ashok Randhawa, who runs an organisation 'South Asian Forum for People Against Terror'.

Randhawa, who has been given the Power of Attorney by Muhammad Zahoor, father of Irfan, to pursue the case in the Supreme Court, has sought a direction to the Centre and the state to take "immediate and necessary steps regarding release of Irfan who is confined in Amritsar jail".

"The petitioner and father of the victim made various representations to the authorities of Indian and Pakistan governments, but till date they did not receive any reply or response," the plea said.

Seeking enforcement of fundamental rights like right to life and equality before the law, the plea also said that Irfan, a resident of village Chak in District Sargodha, had come to India on valid travel documents and was in the train on the fateful night.

Efforts to find whereabouts of Irfan after the blasts did not fructify as neither the DNA sample provided by his families back in Pakistan match with any of the deceased here nor did it come to light that he had landed in a jail, it said.

Later, Randhawa met the father of the victim when he visited Pakistan to meet the family of his Pakistani friend who had died in the terror attack.

The plea was filed after he learnt about the incarceration of Irfan, who had come to India on a religious visit. Sixty-eight people, mostly Pakistan nationals, were killed in the bomb blasts in the train on the night of February 18, 2007 near Panipat in Haryana.

PTI
Temperature soars to 45 degree C in parts of Guj, hospitals put on alert

India

oi-PTI

Vadodara, May 15: With heat wave sweeping Kutch, Saurashtra and other parts of Gujarat, Health Minister Nitin Patel has directed all district hospitals to be prepared for tackling emergency situation.

In many parts of the state, daytime temperature in the last couple of days soared to 43 to 45 degrees Celsius.

"The government has appealed to the people to take precautionary measures for protecting themselves from extreme heat conditions. We have put all district hospitals on alert and have directed them to be prepared and render all medical assistance to those affected by sunstroke," Patel said.

In an official press release, the state government has asked people to drink ORS, homemade drinks, lemon water, coconut water etc to stay hydrated.

It also asked denizens to mostly remain indoors during the daytime and to ensure that they do not get directly exposed to sunlight, wear light coloured cotton clothes, cap and use umbrella as precautionary measures.

PTI
Trump is convinced Russia didnt interfere in 2016 polls; blames US for sour ties with Moscow

US midterm polls: American media houses remember 2016, to go slow this time

Hillary Clinton writes to 8-yr-old girl who lost to a boy in class president election

Ted Cruz is 'Lucifer in flesh', says ex-speaker

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, April 29: Former US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner called Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh", in an interview at Stanford University.

"Lucifer in the flesh", Boehner told Stanford's David Kennedy, a history professor emeritus, according to the Stanford Daily.

Boehner said he was "texting buddies" with the other two Republican candidates; front-runner Donald Trump and Ohio Governor John Kasich, CNN reported.

The account in the student newspaper is accurate, a source close to Boehner confirmed on Thursday.

Cruz in response told reporters that Boehner "allowed his inner Trump to come out".

"The interesting thing is I've never worked with John Boehner, I don't know the man," Cruz said. "Indeed, during the government shut down, I reached out to John Boehner, to work with him to get something meaningful done. He said, 'I have no interest in talking to you.' "

US Polls 2016: Ted Cruz announced Fiorina as his running mate

Boehner and Cruz clashed over the government shutdown and Obamacare fights from the time Cruz took his Senate seat in 2013 to when Boehner stepped down late last year.

"When John Boehner calls me Lucifer, he is directing it at you. What Boehner is angry at is me standing with the American people," Cruz added.

Boehner also compared Cruz to the devil last month in a talk before financial industry lobbyists and executives in Florida.

IANS
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 Flash

European Council President Donald Tusk on Monday met with visiting President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling for closer cooperation on coping with refugee crisis.

Turkey risks further dividing its society and worsening relations in particular with the West, as Turkish President Erdogan pushes for executive presidency, analysts here said.

Since being elected president in 2014, Erdogan has been pushing for a switch to the presidential system for him to emerge as the sole figure calling the shots in the government and in his ruling party.

His push for an executive presidency by amending the constitution is expected to gain momentum after he redesigns the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a snap congress scheduled for next weekend.

"The presidential system is a tool which will turn Turkey into a full-blown authoritarian regime," said Koray Caliskan, a professor of political science from Bogazici University in Istanbul.

In his view, Turkey is no longer governed by democracy, but rather by a competitive authoritarian regime that stands for a highly flawed "democratic" system in which the opposition faces unfair competition.

A day after an unexpected meeting with Erdogan last week, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that the AKP would have an extraordinary congress and that he would not run for chairman.

Following Davutoglu's announcement, in which he revealed he was not stepping down by his own choice, Erdogan has been accused by the opposition parties of staging a coup against the government.

"This new situation may exacerbate the authoritarian tendencies that we have been witnessing in recent years," observed Bican Sahin, president of the Ankara-based Freedom Research Association.

A low-profile candidate who will do as told by Erdogan is expected to be elected chairman at the AKP congress to be held on May 22. The president will then most probably ask the new chairman to form a new government.

It is widely argued that a de-facto presidential system will, after a low-profile prime minister takes office, be in place in Turkey.

"With the removal of Davutoglu from office, Erdogan will have no barriers in fully controlling the government and the party," remarked Sahin, who is also professor of political science with Hacettepe University.

Erdogan headed the AKP governments until he was elected president and still has almost complete control over the party.

The AKP government has become particularly intolerant of criticism and adopted a more authoritarian attitude following the widespread Gezi Park protests in the summer of 2013.

Then came two sweeping graft probes that became public in December of the same year. The government has since introduced laws restricting freedoms.

"Turkish democracy is under siege. Electoral authoritarianism of the AKP alienates various groups in Turkey such as the secularists, Kurds and Alevis," said Ayhan Kaya, director of the European Institute with Istanbul Bilgi University.

Erdogan's insistence on stronger presidency risks increasing the tension and polarization in Turkish society, which is already polarized as was never seen before.

"You can't introduce such a presidential system in this country without shedding blood," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), said last week, arguing such a change would result in a dictatorial type of regime.

All opposition parties are against replacing Turkey's current parliamentary system.

Efforts to draft a brand-new constitution and switch to a presidential system is closely linked with the "Project New Turkey" program the Islamist AKP promotes.

The project, which essentially aims to mould the state and society into a religious format, boils down to settling accounts with the secular Turkish Republic, many believe.

Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman, an AKP deputy close to Erdogan, recently revealed the party's dislike of secularism, saying the principle of secularism should be removed from the Constitution.

The current constitution requires a president to be impartial and cut off all his ties with the party he was affiliated with before election.

The president, however, has kept meddling into AKP's affairs, arguing the constitution must be amended to match the de-facto situation.

Being the first president elected by popular vote, Erdogan argues the current dual executive structure in Turkey -- both prime minister and president are being popularly elected -- is no longer sustainable.

Many have misgivings about Erdogan's vision of a presidential system as far as democracy is concerned, as the system he is seeking strongly indicates a one-man rule with only a weakened check-and-balance system.

Last week, Erdogan reportedly said the General Staff and the country's national intelligence agency, both of which are subordinated to the prime minister, should subordinate to him as head of state.

Under the constitution, the president mostly has symbolic powers although he can chair a cabinet meeting when he deems necessary.

As part of efforts to draft a new constitution, Erdogan promotes a presidential system in which harmony of powers will be the key rather than separation of them.

The president also defends a unicameral system in an executive presidency rather than a bicameral one, arguing the presidency would meet with many obstructions in a bicameral system as is the case in the United States.

"It will be very difficult for Erdogan to convince Turkey in favor of this (presidential) regime," said Caliskan from Bogazici University.

In the view of Nuray Mert, a political analyst who writes for the Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey may even be in greater trouble than simply sliding away from democracy.

If the AKP manages to carry out its "Project New Turkey," the country also risks drifting away from market economy toward a nationalist economy based on corporatism, she said in her column on Monday.

A one-man rule in Turkey may also take its toll on Turkey's relations particularly with the Western world, which has often criticized Turkey over human rights in recent years.

"Turkey may drift further away from the democratic Western world," Sahin said.

"All of this will lead to a comprehensive revision of Turkey's relations with the EU and the Western world," Mert argued in her column.
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi). Prior to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, it was the eighth-most populous country in Europe, with a population of around 41 million people. It is also bordered by Belarus to the north; by Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; and by Romania and Moldova to the southwest; with a coastline along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is the nation's capital and largest city. The country's national language is Ukrainian, and most people are also fluent in Russian.
AIR Niugini is leasing a Boeing 767-300 series aircraft from an European airliner while two of its Boeing 767 aircrafts are undergoing maintenances.

The company said in a statement that the Euroatlantic Airways Boeing 767-300 arrived in the country on Monday from Portugal to fly the routes the Air Niugini aircraft normally operate on. Air Niugini wishes to advise the travelling public that the airlines two Boeing 767 aircraft would be undergoing their scheduled maintenance overseas  effective May 12, 2016, the statement said.

The aircraft is under the wet lease arrangement where the pilots, engineers and senior cabin crew on board are from Euroatlantic while the rest of the cabin crew are from Air Niugini.

The statement said the aircraft would be operating on the Brisbane and Singapore routes while .

It said the lease period was for two months. The aircraft returns in mid-July.

Euroatlantic was one of the top providers of wet-lease aircraft arrangement with a large fleet of Boeing 777, 767, 737 and is fully certified IATA/IOSA and EU regulations.

Their major clients from around the world leading airlines including British Airways, Etihad and France/KLM, who leases it airlines to operate on their routes.
Russian Bill Proposes Fines For Online Gambling Users

Published May 15, 2016 by Vlad G

A new bill has been proposed in one of Russia's central regions that would allow for fines that go as high as $300 for online gambling users.

In an effort to stop illegal online gambling, Tatarstan, a region in the Russian Federation has proposed a bill that would bring significant fines for users of online gambling websites. The fines would be extended to parents or guardians that allowed their children to use gambling websites as well.

Gamblers, Guardians and Parents and Even Landlords Could Be Fined

Proposed fines range between 10,000 and 20,000 rubles ($150 - $300) for users of online casinos while fines between 5,000 and 10,000 rubles ($75 - $150) would be given to parents or guardians of minors that were allowed to use online gambling websites. The bill also proposes a heftier fine in the sum of 150,000 rubles (approximately $2,300) for landlords that allow gambling on their properties.

The reasoning behind the new bill was elaborated on by Rafil Nugumanov, one of its main supporters. Mr. Nugumanov argued that the tragedy of online gambling addicts who continued to increase their dire circumstances even though they knew they were using an illegal service in their country impressed him. He also added that without measures that hold online gambling users accountable for breaking the law, the illegal gambling phenomenon in Russia will be impossible to stop.

Some Political Factors Find The New Law Redundant

Some political figures and activists in the field disagree with the bill and call it redundant as the current legislation in Russia completely forbids gambling even via the internet with very few exceptions.

Efforts by local authorities to block gambling websites have registered some success with citizens and internet authorities focusing on closing down websites as well as any mirrors that might emerge.

Russian Legislation allows state run internet monitoring services to shut down all gambling websites without first obtaining a court order. While site owners dont have many tools at their disposal, they can attack the motion in court if they find it does not respect the current legislation.

As if fines werent enough, Russia also introduced new laws in 2013 that restrict some of the basic rights and freedoms of people that have been categorized and gambling addicts, thus require a guardian that would manage their income and assets.
The All Progressives Congress representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dennis Idahosa, says the lingering crisis rocking the APC in Edo state is a threat to the consolidation of democracy in the state.

He spoke on Sunday against the backdrop of the face-off between Gov. Godwin Obaseki and APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

According to the lawmaker, the crisis, which had created wide gap among party faithful, had not only become a threat to the consolidation of democracy in the state, but the development of the state as well.

While noting that it is only in an atmosphere of peace that the progress and development of the state could be achieved, he appealed to all lovers of the state, to ensure that an end is put to the contending issues.

Idahosa, who did not blame any person or group in particular for the crisis, warned those whose intention is to continually feast from the crisis to remember that the ordinary people would be at the receiving end.

The lawmaker commended steps so far taken by the traditional rulers in the state, led by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, towards ending the crisis.

This is what we should all be emulating; to work to see to the end of it rather than fueling it or taking sides.

I am quite aware that there must be disagreement for a better understanding to take place, but not one that should degenerate into name calling on the pages of newspapers and social media platforms.

Like one big family, irrespective of the position we might have taken on this matter, we must ensure that all the contending issues are settled amicably, especially if we are genuinely concerned about the development of our state.

I dare say that Gov. Godwin Obaseki needs a friendly environment to continue with his developmental strides in the state.

Likewise, our National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole needs a conducive environment to continue to superintend over the affairs of our great party at national level, Idahosa said.
National President of Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore socio-cultural organization, Alhaji Abdullahi Bodejo, has said that the Fulani herders can relocate to Sambisa forest.

He, however, added that the facilities for carrying out their cattle business must be provided.

Bodejo also said that they never requested for Ruga settlement in the first place, adding that the Fulani already have their Ruga.

Whether Sambisa or anywhere, the Fulani can stay. The Fulani people do not fear Sambisa or any forest, he told Sun.

The Fulani are ready to stay anywhere there is bush but number one is that there must be water which their cows can drink and there must be grasses for their cows to eat. If Sambisa has all those facilities, you do not need to introduce it to the Fulani; they would go there and herd their cows.

If you see any place where the Fulani do not go to, it is because such a place does not have water and grasses for the grazing of their cows. All the places like Enugu, Benue and Taraba, if Fulani dont go there to fertilize their land, nobody will go there to farm.

The Fulani have settled in many places including the Federal Capital Territory before the farmers came there. So, if the Federal Government could introduce the Fulani to the Sambisa forest, we are ready to go there. I will be the number one person who will go there.

Nobody requested for Ruga settlement in the first place. The Fulani already have their Ruga. What is the meaning of Ruga?

Is it not a place where you have the Fulani houses? So, we already have Ruga but I do not know why all the confusion about all the issues concerning the Fulani in this country.

This is because we have grazing reserve areas and people are not talking about it. They initially talked about the cattle colony and from there, they now started talking about Ruga.

They said they wanted to settle the Fulani in one place but did anybody tell them what they wanted to do? Nobody had any meeting with them on the issue of Ruga but I noticed that there are now desperate people who claim to be Fulani leaders by all means.

You can imagine, for instance, a Fulani man who has about 300 cows and nobody told him that they want to settle him in one place and suddenly, you started hearing about Ruga on the TV, radio and social media.

See how innocent Fulani people are being chased away in the South East, South South and other places as if they are not Nigerians. What caused these things is the issue of Ruga but the Fulani being chased away do not even know about the Ruga policy. Even we the Fulani leaders did not know about the Ruga policy.

We did not know any plan for that by the Federal Government or the Ministry of Agriculture. I have cows for instance and they are staying in Ruga but we have a problem with the cattle routes.

If they are serious, let them come and discuss with the real Fulani leaders and not those who claim to be Fulani leaders and they go behind to collect bribe and speak for our people. How do you think you can settle the Fulani in one place?

How many factories from the cow value chain do we have in this country now? If you say you want to put the Fulani in one Ruga settlement, how can you put for instance about 10,000 cows in one place? Do you want to kill the cows?

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In an interview with punch, Yoruba actress Adekemi Taofeek was asked about the kind of me she likes She replied;

I dont do boys but I do men because a boy is someone that cannot take responsibilities. A man is someone who can handle anything that comes out of the relationship. For instance,

I cant date a boy who I would have to use a condom with to prevent me from getting pregnant because he is not ready for a baby yet. But a man is up to the task and if I tell him I am pregnant, he would start making plans to marry me.

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Reprinted from WSWS

The American FBI has a secret cache of documents, more than 80,000 pages in all, concerning possible ties between the 9/11 hijackers and an upper-class Saudi family who lived in Florida and fled the United States two weeks before the suicide hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people.

A federal judge in Tampa, Florida has been reviewing the documents for more than two years as a consequence of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by a trio of online reporters -- Anthony Summers, Robbyn Swan and Dan Christensen. The review process has been extremely slow because of restrictive FBI rules on how many pages Judge William Zloch may access at any one time.

The existence of the document trove was revealed Friday in a front-page article in the US-based web publication the Daily Beast. The article identified the Saudi family as Abdulaziz al-Hijji and his wife Anoud, who was the daughter of Esam Ghazzawi, an adviser to a nephew of Saudi King Fahd. Ghazzawi owned the home in which they were staying in a gated community in Sarasota, Florida. The home was raided by the FBI after 9/11 but the residents had all departed in evident haste on August 30, 2001.

Visitor logs in the community, known as Prestancia, showed that the alleged ringleader of the 9/11 hijackers, Mohammad Atta, had visited al-Hijji, along with two other 9/11 hijackers, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan Al-Shehhi.

Former Senator Robert Graham, co-chair of the joint congressional committee that investigated the 9/11 attacks, told the Daily Beast that he had never known of the FBI documents on the Sarasota home until they were uncovered by the investigative journalists. He later viewed a portion of these records and confirmed that they identified the three 9/11 hijackers as visitors.

Throughout this period, the FBI had denied that the al-Hijji family had any connection to the 9/11 attackers. The agency changed its story only when Graham said he would testify under oath about what he had read in the file of documents. At this point the FBI conceded the existence of 35 pages of documents.

When Judge Zloch ordered a further search for records, the Tampa office of the FBI came back with 80,226 pages of files marked PENTTBOM, which stands for "Pentagon/Twin-Towers Bombing" in FBI jargon. Judge Zloch has been reviewing these since May 1, 2014 and has given no date by which he expects to finish.

The al-Hijji family exited its Sarasota home, leaving behind three cars, an open safe and disarray that suggested a hasty departure. The security guards at the gated community noted their departure, but did not consider it suspicious until the 9/11 attacks two weeks later.

The FBI initially made only a perfunctory response and did not open a formal investigation until eight months later, in April 2002, "based upon repeated citizen calls" about the conduct of the family during their stay in the United States. One of the few documents released said that this investigation "revealed many connections" between a member of the family "and individuals associated with the terrorist attacks."

The Daily Beast report adds to recent revelations of evidence of Saudi regime ties to the 9/11 hijackers that has been covered up by the US government under both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Graham has actively campaigned for the release of 28 pages of material on the Saudi-9/11 connection comprising an entire chapter of the joint congressional committee report on the 9/11 attacks in which he participated. This material has been withheld for more than 13 years. On April 10, Graham was the main witness interviewed by the CBS program "60 Minutes" in a segment on the continuing cover-up of Saudi-9/11 connections.

In an op-ed column this week in the Washington Post, Graham reiterated his demand for release of the 28 pages, noting that President Obama had promised a decision on declassifying the material by next month. Graham denounced CIA Director John Brennan, who responded to the "60 Minutes" program by publicly opposing any release of the 28 pages.

Also Friday, the Guardian newspaper published an interview with a former member of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission appointed by President George W. Bush, who flatly declared that there was extensive Saudi involvement in supporting the hijackers. Of the 19 perpetrators, 15 were Saudi citizens, most of them having recently arrived in the United States when they seized control of four jetliners on September 11, 2001.

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman, a Republican, told the newspaper: "There was an awful lot of participation by Saudi individuals in supporting the hijackers, and some of those people worked in the Saudi government." While only one Saudi consular official in Los Angeles, Fahad al-Thumairy, was implicated in supporting the hijackers, according to the official account, Lehman believes that at least five officials were involved.

Al-Thumairy was linked to the two hijackers who lived in San Diego before the 9/11 attacks, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, but he was deported rather than charged with a crime. The other five, whom Lehman did not name, "may not have been indicted, but they were certainly implicated. There was an awful lot of circumstantial evidence."
"If you don't like refugees coming to your country, stop voting for politicians who love to bomb the sh*t out of them."

Our delegation from CODEPINK: Women for Peace saw this written on a tent at the Idomeni refugee camp in on the Greek-Macedonian border: As we well know, neither the Greek nor Macedonian governments have bombed people, but they are having to deal with the huge numbers of refugees caused by the decisions of government far away.

The Obama administration which inherited the chaos from the 2003 Iraq war from the Bush administration but that has been bombing ISIS in urban areas in Iraq and Syria has resettled only 1,736 Syrian refugees over the last seven months -- despite President Obama's pledge to resettle at least 10,000 Syrians by September 2016. In contrast, Canada has resettled more than 26,000 Syrian refugees since late 2015, while Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have together taken in millions of Syrian refugees since the conflict began five years ago.

In early May, we had flown from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and then had driven one hour north to the Greek border with Macedonia. The name of the tiny hamlet of Idomeni has become synonymous with the largest refugee camp in Greece.

As we arrived, a tremendous thunder, lightning and hailstorm hit the area, ripping down tents, making mud pools and deluging tents and the clothing and bedding inside. We saw the worst conditions (except cold and snow) that the 13,000 refugees must endure in five camps within four miles of the Macedonian border. All five are "informal, unofficial" camps and refugees can come and go at will. They have refused any attempt to put them into the formal "detention" camps that place them in isolated areas and restrict their movement within Greece. As a result, the services provided are not particularly well organized although all have limited porta-potties, showers and faucets for washing clothes. All have basic food provided primarily by volunteers, non-governmental organizations and the Greek military (in only one camp).

The first camp one comes upon on Highway 75 heading north from Thessaloniki is at the gasoline station and rest stop called EKO. Over 2,000 persons are camping in the large parking lot, grocery store and car wash. Save the Children provides rice porridge and oranges daily for children under 11 years of age and estimates there are over 1,000 children. We helped hand out the porridge by going tent by tent and asking how many children of that age group were in the household (tenthold).

Save the Children coordinators told us that they liked having the daily contact with people in their living space rather than having people stand in another long line. We were greeted with a warm smile and a thank you by every mother to whom we delivered the porridge. The Boat Refugee Foundation of the Netherlands has a number of volunteers that help with the porridge delivery --young women and men from the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and the UK.

At EKO camp we met a distinguished man who told us he was a mathematics teacher in a small village outside of Damascus, Syria. He and his 13-year-old daughter made the trip from Syria, through Turkey, by boat to Samos, ferry boat to Piraeus, train from Athens to Thessaloniki and taxi to EKO camp. He had been at the camp for one month and three weeks. He left his wife and 17-year-old daughter behind in Syria

Leaving EKO camp, we stopped at the Park Hotel on the outskirts of the village of Polikastro where the volunteer headquarters is located. Each night at 8pm, experienced volunteers provide an orientation for new volunteers and update everyone with the day's happenings.

In the back of the Park Hotel is the kitchen of Hot Food Idomeni, a group of volunteers that cook basic meals of staples such as rice, beans and curry in large vats for 5,000 persons each day. Paul of the United Kingdom heads up the volunteer force of 45 persons. Two shifts of 15 people prepare the meals and two groups of another 15 load up the food, drive the food to the camps and distribute it. Paul said that they are spending about $2000 per day for food and transporting the food for 5,000. The Greek military feeds one of the other camps and has called on Hot Food Idomeni to help them when their food ran out. Hot Food Idomeni is a remarkable place to work as a volunteer and it's a great organization to send donations as their work is definitely keeping people alive. Donations can be made through Hot Food Idomeni.

After the Park Hotel we stopped at the 500-person camp called Lidl, named for a nearby merchandise store. Most persons live in white tents provided by the Greek military. The tents are in long military precision lines next to a small runway. The military does not let new volunteers into the camp, only those affiliated with organizations.

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Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future

Colombia is allowing local production of a generic form of a cancer drug that is ultra-expensive because of a government-granted monopoly handed to a giant, multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The U.S. government is stepping in on the corporation's side with a modern form of "gunboat diplomacy" -- even though the giant corporation isn't even "American."

In November 2014, a group of public health advocacy organizations called on the Colombian government to declare that the public interest warrants that the country can produce a generic version of the ultra-expensive cancer drug Gleevec, produced by the "Swiss" giant Novartis. According to a March, 2015 report in Intellectual Property Watch, "Colombia Asked To Declare Excessive Price For Cancer Drug Contrary To Public Interest, Grounds For Compulsory License":

"The evidence supporting a declaration of public interest is self-evident: imatinib [the generic name for Gleevec] is unquestionably effective as a leukemia drug, and was placed on the WHO's Essential Medicines List in 2015. It is also unquestionably expensive for Colombia, costing $15,161 U.S.D per patient per year -- nearly double the country's GNI per capita of $7,970 U.S.D (Atlas Method) in 2014 -- for a drug that is taken as a chronic treatment, not as a cure."

The World Health Organization has declared Gleevec as an "essential drug." A year's supply of Gleevec costs twice the national income per capita. The extraordinarily high monopoly pricing of this drug creates a health emergency in Colombia. The World Trade Organization rules allow countries to do this in the case of health emergencies.

This year the Colombian government agreed to do this, issuing a "compulsory license" enabling local production of a generic form of the drug.

Colombia Threatened

There are indications that right after Colombia enabled local production of a generic version of Gleevec, the U.S. government stepped in to protect pharmaceutical industry profits by threatening to withdraw funding for a peace initiative between the Colombian government and the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and threatening the country's involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Zach Carter writes at The Huffington Post about what happened, in "Colombia Fears U.S. May Reject Peace Plan To Protect Pharma Profits"...

"The Colombian Embassy is concerned that lowering the price of a major cancer drug may jeopardize American funding for peace talks in the South American nation, according to a leaked embassy memo. "In February, President Barack Obama committed $450 million to aid peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a Marxist rebel group known as FARC. The money would help the Colombian government fight the illegal drug trade and retrain FARC members. "But in an April 27 memo, Colombian diplomat Andres Florez said he was worried the U.S. would withhold peace funding if the Colombian government lowered prices on the drug Gleevec, also sold as Glivec. The memo was first posted by the think tank Knowledge Ecology International."

The key phrase in the leaked memo:

"Given the direct link that exists between a significant group of members of Congress and the pharmaceutical industry in the United States, the case of GLIVEC is susceptible to escalate to the point that it could impair the approval of the financing of the new initiative 'Paz Colombia' as well as become an issue in the framework of the free-trade treaty."

That was a translation from Spanish to English. Here is a translation of the translation: The "direct link" referred to here is millions of dollars to key members of Congress from the pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical lobbying jobs for some of their families. The "Paz Colombia" is the peace process with FARC. The "framework of the free-trade treaty" is the threat about TPP participation.

Friday's Politico Morning Trade also reports on this, with a second letter the day after the one above, which said,
Reprinted from Consortium News

A former Obama administration official has asserted that the Iranian nuclear deal marks a radical break with past U.S. policy, contradicting the official White House stance that the agreement is not leading to a new U.S.-Iran relationship.

John Limbert, a Farsi-speaking veteran diplomat who was among the hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and later Professor of Middle Eastern studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran policy during Obama's first term.

Limbert writes, "Although officials will never admit it, there has been a drastic change in relations, and we are seeing interactions that a few [years] ago were unthinkable." Limbert recalls that the United States rarely spoke to an Iranian official for 34 years, and that minor incidents between the two states were blown out of proportion, sometimes into crises.

Now, he observes, Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are "in constant communication" and "are meeting regularly" on issues that go beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Furthermore, the Obama administration has described those contacts as "positive and productive," he writes.

Limbert argues that the attempts by both Washington and Tehran to portray JCPOA as "only a one-off event [that] has no larger implications for U.S.-Iranian relations" are misleading.

"As both governments continue to issue statements that the nuclear agreement has changed nothing and the two sides remain sworn enemies," he writes, "it is clear that much has changed."

Limbert is correct in identifying the state of relations with Iran as a real shift in U.S. policy toward Iran. But the shift is not a "breakthrough" in ending the U.S. policy of treating Iran as an adversary, as he implies.

In fact, it is an adjustment of policy necessitated by the changing U.S.-Iran power relationship. That power relationship is still unequal, but it is now clear that it no longer allows Washington to demand any major policy change by Iran.

Coercion as Policy

For more than three decades, the presumption underlying U.S. policy was that the United States could force Iran to accept a U.S.-dominated regional order, either through regime change or by using coercive diplomacy to get Iran to change its policies to conform to U.S. interests.

The Reagan administration hoped the Iraqi invasion of Iran would lead to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and tried to force Iran to give up its peaceful nuclear program. The Bill Clinton administration not only sought to isolate Iran from the capitalist world but also supported an Israeli effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a conventional missile capability as a minimum deterrent.



Secretary of State John Kerry meets with his diplomatic team and their French counterparts during negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program in Switzerland on March 28, 2015.

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President George W. Bush's neoconservative core group planned to use U.S. military force to overthrow the Islamic Republic once U.S. troops had gained control over Iraq, and was angry when the Olmert government in Israel failed to use force to take down Iran's only foreign ally, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, in 2006.

But those policies were based on the neocons' absurdly exaggerated notions about their ability to use U.S. military power to carry out "regime change" in the Middle East.

The Obama administration came to power without such illusions, but President Obama nevertheless adopted an elaborate strategy of coercive diplomacy aimed at getting Iran to accept the U.S. demand for an end to uranium enrichment.


Professor (Dr) Prakit Vathesatogkit, Executive Secretary of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation of Thailand

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(CNS): As lung cancer treatment outcomes are difficult and five-year survival is abysmally low, preventing lung cancer is a top public health priority. Up to 90% of lung cancer cases are because of tobacco use. Therefore effective implementation of evidence-based and comprehensive tobacco control policies will make a huge difference in slashing new cases of lung cancer as well as preventing a large number of other diseases, disabilities and premature deaths attributed to tobacco use" said Professor (Dr) Prakit Vathesatogkit, Executive Secretary of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation of Thailand.

"More than 100,000 deaths occur each year because of lung cancer in ASEAN. New cases of lung cancer and deaths too are rising each year in ASEAN. That is why tobacco control attains a never-before urgency" added Prof Prakit Vathesatogkit.

IASLC Asia Pacific Lung Cancer Conference (APLCC 2016) is being held in Chiang Mai, Thailand and CNS (Citizen News Service) is the official media partner of APLCC 2016. Prof Prakit was one of the plenary speakers at APLCC 2016.

He added: "Out of the 50,710 tobacco related deaths occurring in Thailand every year, 11,740 or 23% were because of lung cancer. In ASEAN region, it is estimated that out of the total 467,194 smoking related deaths every year, 107,454 were due to lung cancer. Tobacco-related lung cancer deaths will keep growing in catastrophic proportions with ageing 121 million smokers in ASEAN region if we fail to act now. Also it is important to underline that tobacco related lung cancer rate might shoot up because of the combined effect of tobacco industry's aggressive marketing, weak political will on tobacco control and other key factors. Therefore while making progress in treatment of lung cancer is very welcome, more contribution from healthcare workers in tobacco control is direly needed."

Prof Prakit walks the talk!

Prof Prakit Vathesatogkit himself has lived by example of how health professionals can contribute to tobacco control in their lifetime. In his 40 years as a lung disease specialist, he spent first 10 years in clinical management of lung diseases, of which smoking was the major and common cause! He was left aghast not only with late diagnosis of lung cancer but also to see abysmally low cure rates for lung cancer cases. Also available treatment was within reach to only a few of his patients. He finally decided to join the brewing tobacco control movement 30 years ago and learnt by doing. He has indeed set an example for others to imbibe. He has contributed on tobacco control related policy advocacy and then engaged with legislative processes in Thailand. His leadership in tobacco control in strengthening the global tobacco treaty (formally called the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC) is well acknowledged.

Healthcare workers can bolster tobacco control

Health professionals including lung cancer experts have a prominent role to play in tobacco control. They have the trust of the population, the media and opinion leaders, and their voices are heard across a vast range of social, economic and political arenas.

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MENOMONIE  As Chancellor at UW-Stout, Bob Meyer serves as a motivational, if not inspirational, figure for his students and staff.

But where does he find his inspiration?

On Wednesday night, there were plenty of inspirational people on the Stout campus as the recipients of Chippewa Valley Newspapers Extra Effort Award were honored at a banquet ceremony at the Memorial Student Center.

The Extra Effort Award honors high school seniors who have overcome significant adversity in life and show great promise toward the future. There were 14 recipients recognized at Wednesdays ceremony.

Meyer admits this is a hectic time for he and his fellow institution heads, UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt and Chippewa Valley Technical College president Bruce Barker. With the end of the school year in sight, there are countless tasks to finish and little time to see it done.

But when UW-Stout had the chance to host the third annual Extra Effort Award banquet, he was delighted by the opportunity.

Honored and privileged

It is, I would say, an exhausting time of the year, Meyer said. You go to these events and you just think, Oh my, am I going to be able to stay vertical? But then you start hearing the stories of these students that had struggles along the way, and the stories are so inspirational that all of a sudden you have to pull yourself down from the ceiling to get out the door when its over. Its just really something that were honored and privileged to do and to sponsor.

Meyer, Schmidt and Barker were all present to award scholarships to students who will be attending their institutions next year. Chippewa Herald editor Ross Evavold presented scholarships to students who chose other schools and La Crosse Tribune and River Valley News Group editor Rusty Cunningham delivered the closing remarks.

The event was attended by the students and their families as well as teachers, superintendents and mentors. As Cunningham noted in his speech, its never easy to take time away from busy schedules, but in certain occasions it is worth it beyond a doubt.

Meyer was reminded of a story he told as part of his commencement speech last Saturday. The founder of the university, James Huff Stout, lost two children over the years and watched as his institution burned to the ground shortly after it was built. But he rebuilt and he overcame great adversity to develop the vision that still drives the university to this day.

Its all about persevering and overcoming obstacles, Meyer said. These are young kids that had to persevere and had to focus and overcome obstacles and made some great decisions and really proved themselves along the way.

I dont know how you can come to an event like this and not go away feeling pretty good about humanity. Its pretty neat.
Dow Chemical Employees Credit Union (DCECU) donated over 200 staff hours so that members of the team could grab a hammer  and a pneumatic nail gun  and a reciprocating saw and join with more than 17,000 women from across the country to support National Women Build Week with Habitat for Humanity.

A group of women (and a few brave men) from Dow Chemical Employees Credit Union changed out of their business attire May 3-5 and donned pink volunteer T-shirts, construction helmets, work gloves and safety glasses to build a home in the city of Midland. They enhanced and exercised their construction skills through erecting scaffolding, building interior walls and tried their hand at various power tools. These volunteers said they were happy to Build Like A Girl  this years construction theme  to ensure that a local Midland County family would have an affordable, well-constructed, energy-efficient home in which to live and make memories. All participants were amazed at how much they learned and were able to accomplish when working together and volunteers echoed how rewarding it was to work alongside the family in building their new home.
ALLENTOWN, N.J. (AP)  Organizers say a 33-year-old rider has died after she fell from her horse during an equestrian competition at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown.

NJ.com reports that Philippa Humphreys fell at a fence while competing in the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event on Saturday. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Marcus Hillborg has been named the new Hemlock Elementary and K.C. Ling school principal.

Hillborg brings a wealth of experience with him. He has served as an elementary principal for the Alma Public Schools, worked in curriculum at Grand Blanc Community Schools, and has over a half dozen years as a classroom teacher.

I feel very humbled to have been selected as the next elementary principal for Hemlock Public Schools, he said. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the elementary staff, and I am extremely grateful to have the privilege of serving the students and families of Hemlock Elementary and K.C. Ling Elementary. Not only is this a great opportunity for myself, but also for my family. The districts excellent reputation and the family-oriented community is what really appealed to us, and we truly could not be more excited.

Hillborg was selected from a pool of finalists. The district received 42 resumes from people interested in the position. The screening and interview process the district utilized was rigorous and has drawn attention from other school district leaders as they work to fill positions.

The district will host an open house in August for the community to meet Hillborg. In the meantime, he will be working to become more acquainted with the community and will be meeting with people.

We were fortunate to have so many talented individuals apply for this position. I am excited to add Marcus Hillborg to our leadership team and see the wonderful things in store for our elementary buildings under his guidance and leadership, said Superintendent Don Killingbeck.
LAREDO, Texas (AP)  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in far South Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Webb County spokesman Larry Sanchez said seven people died at the scene on U.S. Highway 83 north of Laredo, the Laredo Morning Times reported. An eighth person died later at a hospital.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel says the bus, identified as belonging to OGA Charters, originated in the Rio Grande Valley and was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo. The bus company is based in San Juan in Hidalgo County. A message left at the bus company Saturday was not immediately returned.

The fire department described the crash as a rollover involving just one vehicle. Firefighters received the call late Saturday morning. Victims were taken to at least three hospitals.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokeswoman for Laredo Medical Center, said some passengers from the bus being treated at that hospital were in stable condition. She was unable to say how many victims were at the hospital and said that was all the information she could share. The bus passengers began arriving by ambulance by about noon, she said.

By late afternoon, the highway at the scene remained closed. Laredo about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.

The crash is one of the deadliest bus accidents in Texas in the last several years, including one in January 2015 when two prison guards and eight inmates were killed after their prison bus struck a piece of displaced highway guardrail west of Odessa. The bus fell about 20 feet before striking a Union Pacific freight train that happened to be passing beneath the highway.

Seventeen passengers died in 2008 near Sherman when their bus plunged over a highway bridge on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was caused when a retreaded tire on the right front axle was punctured by an unknown object.

Although the retread itself wasn't the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, the bus company didn't have the authority to leave Texas after failing an inspection three months earlier, and the company that inspected the bus wasn't equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy. The owner of the Houston bus company was charged with making false statements but avoided prison in 2014 after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in a plea agreement.
CANNES, France (AP)  Steven Spielberg, a giant in the world of cinema, landed at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday with his gentle Roald Dahl adaptation "The BFG."

The film, about a young orphan (Ruby Barnhill) taken away by a friendly, big-eared giant (recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance), marks a return for Spielberg to the magical kind of fable he has largely moved away from in recent years. It's also his second film with "E.T." writer Melissa Mathison, who died last November. Spielberg has dedicated "The BFG" (Big Friendly Giant) to her.

"It's a love story that children have for their grandparents. It's a love story that grandparents have for their children," Spielberg told reporters Saturday. "I think this probably the closest I've ever come to telling a love story."

Sitting between his young star and his new favorite actor (Rylance is starring in the director's next two films as well), Spielberg said enchanting fantasies like "The BFG" are just as vital as more realistic tales.

"The worse the world gets, the more magic we have to believe in," said Spielberg. "Hope comes from magic and I think that's what movies can give people. They can give people hope that there will be a reason to fight on to the next day. Hope is everything to me."

Spielberg acknowledged his interest has recently drifted to historical dramas like "Lincoln" and last year's "Bridge of Spies," but he said making "The BFG" was liberating.

"It was revisiting something that I've always loved to do, which is just to tell stories that are from the imagination," he said. "It brought back feelings I had as a younger filmmaker."

"The BFG," which drew warmly respectful reviews in its Cannes premiere, is largely faithful to Dahl's 1982 classic and was made in concert with the Dahl estate. (The author died in 1990.) Producer Kathleen Kennedy first obtained the rights in 1993 and later turned to Mathison for the script.

Spielberg called collaborating with Mathison again "a wonderful reunion and a very bittersweet time, as it turned out, for us."

Dahl was famously anti-Israel and some considered him anti-Semitic. Asked about whether that was an issue for him, Spielberg said he wasn't aware of that, and was only concerned with adapting a book he frequently read to his seven children.

"The BFG," which Disney will release in July, played out of competition in Cannes. Spielberg was last at the French Riviera festival in 2014 as president of the jury.

Rylance, who won a best supporting Oscar for his Soviet spy Rudolph Abel in "Bridge of Spies," performed the Big Friendly Giant through motion capture. The actor is also to co-star in Spielberg's upcoming sci-fi thriller "Ready Player One" and will play Pope Pius IX in the director's "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara."

Spielberg described Rylance as not only a new collaborator but a close friend. He called Rylance's transformation from the quiet Abel of "Bridge of Spies" to the whimsical colossus of "The BFG" as "one of the most astonishing experiences I've ever had in my entire career working with anybody."

Above all, the director sounded no less enthralled by moviemaking at age 69.

"This is something I'll be doing for the rest of my life," said Spielberg.
Wisconsins frac sand mining industry isnt going away, but industry experts say not all mines will survive as market forces change the business model.

Advances in a gas and oil mining technique known as hydraulic fracturing created enormous demand during the past decade for the round, silica sand prevalent throughout western Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. In response, the number of mines jumped from just a handful to 129, according to the latest count by the Department of Natural Resources.

But when oil prices fell, so did demand for silica, and some experts say the new economics will leave some operators in the dust.

There were a lot of mines that should never have been built, said Joel Schneyer, managing director for the investment banking firm Headwaters MB. There were mines built that dont make sense.

Schneyer was the keynote speaker for a two-day industry convention at the La Crosse Center. He spoke to about 70 people, noting attendance was much better than recent industry addresses he gave in New York and Minneapolis.

The convention, put on by the trade publication Rock Products, is billed as a beacon of hope for producers weathering a sandstorm, as low oil prices have sapped demand for the fine-grained sand used to open cracks in underground rocks, releasing hard-to-reach oil and natural gas reserves.

Keith Rauch, a mining geologist and La Crosse-based consultant, offered a briefing on how to open a mine, though he conceded there is not much interest in that now.

Its a tough business, he said. Were at the low point  hopefully.

Schneyer estimates consumption of frac sand was near 40 percent of capacity last year and will fall to around 35 percent in 2016  which is the reason its so painful out there, he told conference goers.

But the industry is not dead, Schneyer said: With oil prices below $40 a barrel, producers are concentrating on their most productive wells, drilling farther and using more sand; EOG Resources, one of the nations largest oil and gas producers, is using about twice as much sand per well as its competitors.

Shale is not going away, he said. Each well you drill you gain a little more knowledge.

With lagging demand and depressed prices, there is no longer enough profit margin to support both mines and shippers, or the existing model, where efficient mines attempt to supply the entire industry.

Thats not how we sell the sand anymore, Schneyer said.

During the boom, when frac sand was a $33 billion industry, publicly-traded mining companies were making a profit of $35 per ton. By the end of 2015, that pre-tax margin had fallen to $7 a ton.

Now successful mines need to own loading terminals and sell their product in the shale basins where they can ship it most efficiently. For producers in the upper Midwest, that means sending sand to the Bakken formation of North Dakota, where product can be hauled directly on major railroads like Canadian Pacific and BNSF.

A million tons of sand on a rail line is worth more than a billion tons 20 miles away, Rauch said.

But its not enough to be near a rail line, Schneyer said.

To maximize efficiency, producers need to fill entire trains with their product, and even some of the mines with rail terminals cant accommodate these mile-long unit trains.

Mines that rely on trucks to haul their product to a rail terminal are too high on the cost curve, Schneyer said, adding that local officials should have been asking potential operators tougher questions about their business models.

Most operations are located along rail corridors, but a Tribune analysis of DNR data suggests there are at least 30 permitted facilities  and another two with pending applications  more than five miles from a rail line.

Schneyer said there will likely be consolidation, re-adjustment and re-alignment as the industry recovers, as mines can easily be re-opened when demand returns, so long as the permits dont expire.

But not every mine will be viable.

Theres a lot of mistakes out there, Rauch said.
Leaders with Saginaw Valley State University and Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center recently signed an articulation agreement to benefit students planning careers in the health professions.

The agreement allows graduates of six programs at the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center  dental occupations, forensic science, health technology/medical science, nursing assistant, physical therapy/occupational therapy/sports medicine and veterinary science  to transfer credits to SVSU.
NATICK, Mass. (AP)  Bad luck followed a group of teenagers heading to the prom on Friday the 13th as the limousine they were riding in caught fire.

WFXT-TV reports the Natick High School students from Massachusetts smelled smoke in the white stretch limousine around 6 p.m. Friday.
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Science, engineering, history and a healthy dose of excitement: The Jack Barstow Airports Discovery Area has something for everyone from toddlers to retired residents.

It will serve as a welcome station and an education destination for both the community and for visitors flying in and out of Midlands airport, but started as just an idea seven or eight years ago, according to committee member Dot Hornsby. She said the Discovery Area would have been impossible to pull off without the help of a specially formed committee.

That committee includes Bonnie McManus, who stepped in to help with the fundraising process and write grants to various organizations.

So far, the committee has received support from the community, including Midland Public Schools Superintendant Mike Sharrow, and is waiting to hear back regarding two grants. McManus said the Discovery Area has a budget of $193,000.

Hornsby said it was the work of McManus that made the Discovery Area possible. The rest of the committee is made up of pilots and engineers who have all pitched in to help with the many aspects of the project.

Weve got professionals on the committee, who are all volunteers. Its just a wonderful combination of talent thats coming together, Hornsby said.

At the first meeting, committee member John Swantek encouraged everyone to write down their visions of what should be included in the Discovery Area. About 50 sticky notes later, the committee had a multitude of ideas and a starting point for its work.

The evolution of what we came up with  that half acre of grassy ground, the vision, the ideas  it just has been exciting, Hornsby said.

One feature many proposed was a fence to keep visitors safe and away from the landing strips and making the area handicap-accessible, McManus said.

The Discovery Area features a pavilion equipped with speakers and tables for classroom lessons or presentations, a custom-designed concrete compass rose for teaching students about directions and air travel, along with play equipment and educational plaques.

It is especially kid-friendly, with a sloping hill that lets children observe planes taking off and landing at the airport and their own modified plane they can climb in and explore.

We are really encouraging groups to come out, whether its school or Scout troops, McManus said.

Though not everything is complete, it is a far cry from the vacant piece of land that once sat adjacent to the Jack Barstow airport terminal. It was named after John Jack Barstow, a pilot from Midland who learned how to fly from one of the Wright brothers and taught Charles Lindberg a few things. He died in a plane crash in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1935 at the age of 29, and the airport was named in his honor shortly after.

As a retired school teacher and counselor from Midland Public Schools, Hornsby said she sees classes from the newly-branded Central Park Elementary School coming out to the Discovery Area in addition to other schools throughout Midland.

Hornsby is also a pilot and the founder and director of the Midland Aviation Camp.

There were no camps for anyone who might be interested in aviation, Hornsby said. I think we have given it exposure. This is just adding to the exposure.
This is the latest in a new series of letters home from a local Marine getting ready to be deployed to the Republic of Georgia to train the Georgian army for their mission in Afghanistan:

It was a short week due to the Easter holiday and May Day. The Monday after Easter, the Georgians go to the cemeteries and decorate the graves. Everyone is also coming back home from visiting relatives, so on Monday night the roads outside of Tbilisi were a parking lot for about 20 miles.

The Marines who will embed with the Georgian Army in Afghanistan arrived this week. The Marine reservists are here as advisors to the Georgian instructor staff. We also are responsible for organizing training and for the facilities maintenance of the camp that we are at. Active duty Marines  those who just arrived  are advisors to the deploying unit and will accompany the Georgians to Afghanistan when the training is complete.

It is spring here, just like every other place in the northern hemisphere. It is rainy at times and the wind blows. The best way to describe the climate here is like the Dakotas. The grass is growing on the camp, and it is a continuous effort mowing and keeping the weeds cut back. I am assured by the locals that it will eventually dry out and everything will turn brown.

Last week the poppies were in full bloom. Every year around this time the veterans organizations sell paper versions of the flower. After seeing so many in real life, of any flower that can be replicated by paper, the poppy is it.

On Sunday, the Marines went out to the home for the developmentally disabled people and helped do spring yard clean up. They managed to do a lot, but there are still another few days of work to go. Hopefully we can get back out there in the next week or so and finish the job.

This series began in the March 20 edition of The Dunn County News and can also be found at www.dunnconnect.com
Every Tuesday night during the academic year, young musicians from the Chippewa Valley gather to practice and prepare.

On Sunday, the time and effort put in will come to fruition at the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony Concert Finale at Chippewa Falls High School at 3 p.m.

Participating in the Youth Symphony requires more than just practicing once a week. Members must dedicate time at home to practicing, and must practice on their own during the winter and summer breaks.

The concert will feature Chippewa Fallss Hayden Guckenberg, the Concerto Competition Winner, performing Mozarts Horn Concerto No. 1 on French horn, accompanied by the youth symphony.

Hayden, a junior in high school, says that this concert provides the community with the rare opportunity to see a symphony  one composed solely of talented youth from the area.

Jody Guckenberg, Haydens mother, said that Hayden has auditioned for this competition before.

His goal was to win it as a senior, she said. Winning it as a junior is a huge accomplishment.

In December of each year, applicants must submit an audio recording of the piece they wish to perform. The competition begins in January.

Last year I got fourth place, and then this year I won it, Hayden said.

He began with the Youth Symphony in eighth grade after his music teacher suggested that all the students try out.

He loves his French horn and playing music, Jody Guckenberg said. For a young person like that, it is a big pat on the back that all the time and private lessons are paying off.

Haydens parents have been in the audience at all of his concerts  most of which take place at UW-Eau Claire.

The concert on Sunday will wrap up the 35th season of the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony.

The symphony will be teaming up with the Chippewa Falls Music Association for the concert event titled, Hooray for Hollywood! Students from the Chi-Hi Wire Choir will open the concert.

The concert will begin with Apollo 13 composed by James Horner. The youth symphony will also perform How to Train Your Dragon composed by John Powell; The Muppet Medley arranged by Bruce Chase; and House of Cards composed by Jeff Beal.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens composed by John Williams will also be played, and it will conclude with Themes from 007 arranged by Calvin Custer.

Following the concert, Hayden will have only one year left with the symphony that has been a major part of his life since middle school.

It will be kind of interesting because its most of what I have known for music, Hayden said. I will miss it.

After high school, he is currently interested in going to school for music education, and his time with the youth symphony has taught him many valuable lessons he can utilize in the future.

More than anything it takes dedication, he said. With dedication comes skill and talent for playing your instrument.
Im writing to comment on the proposed guidance on safe and supportive learning environments for LGBTQ students. I have read the guidance along with the publicly available reference materials and the Top 10 in 10 Years publication. My observation is that the proposal lacks for substance to support the claims made.

The article references four outside publications as support for the proposed guidance (there were 12 citations overall).

The first reference is an unpublished study from the Michigan Department of Education on risk behaviors and sexual identity. Utilizing an unpublished study robs the public of the opportunity to see the issue from the boards perspective. Since this is the first reference used and seems to be a substantial part of the rationale for the proposed policies; the methodology, sample size and data should be publicly available.

The second reference comes from an LGBTQ advocacy group, GLSEN. It was published in 2009 using data from the 2006-2007 school year. I found it curious that the 2009 study was used since the study is conducted every two years and has twice been updated since 2009. By 2013, the number of transgender students who reported being physically assaulted dropped by 38 percent. Ill admit that the 2013 levels are too high, but the data show significant improvement absent of these proposed policies. It would seem appropriate to determine what drove this 38 percent decrease and marshal resources in that direction.

The third reference, Teaching the Movement 2014, comes from the Southern Poverty Law Center. It graded the public school curriculum in all 50 states in relation to their teaching on the Civil Rights Movement. This publication makes mention of LGBTQ issues exactly zero times. Presumably this reference was used because of the headline value  Michigan Receives F in Civil Rights. The problem is that GLSEN also gave an F to Oregon, Iowa, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut  5 of the 14 states that GLSEN identified as having non-discrimination laws protecting students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I am surprised that the board would consider this a reference  I dont believe our public high school teachers would accept it from their students.

The final document referenced is the Michigan Profiles for Healthy Youth (MiPHY). It is a collection of risk data for Michigan students in seventh, ninth and 11th grades who identify as lesbian, gay or bi-sexual or engage in same sex sexual behavior. The publicly available data I managed to track down was only accessible by county, not aggregated across the state. Like the first reference, it would be nice to have access to the data being used for significant policy decisions.

Top 10 in 10 Years Strategic Goals

It is interesting that LGBTQ guidelines were published under the Top 10 in 10 Years campaign which aims to improve student performance. Not one of the sources for the proposed policy showed any relationship between LGBTQ policies and improved student performance. Several other states have implemented similar policies, yet the board provides no data. Before embarking on policy change, we should be confident that the policies enacted will achieve the desired outcomes.

Goal 5 in the Top 10 campaign aims to Ensure that parents/guardians are engaged and supported partners in their childs education. Yet the section in the proposed policy titled Privacy and Confidentiality Regarding Disclosures promotes just the opposite. A student has the right to change their name and gender identity. Upon doing so schools are asked to change unofficial records and notify all teachers (substitutes included) of this preference. Every school employee should honor the students request, yet the student can direct the school to conceal this request from their parents. With the Top 10 guidelines the board promotes the goal of engaged parents. With the proposed policy the board promotes guidelines that may exclude parents.

Perception vs. Reality

Finally, language included in the opening memorandum states the following:

To that end, students should be treated equally, fairly, and protected from discrimination based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

This is perhaps the most concerning part of the entire publication. First, I would note that even the school board admits these policies are aimed to support positions which are not real  they are only perceived. Second, I would caution that a policy based on accommodation of student perception is a Pandoras box that we should be very hesitant to open.

In closing, I am firmly against the broad policy proposal presented by the board. I do believe the two portions worth addressing can be addressed by existing structures rather than by a new, stand-alone policy. Violence against transgender students dropped by 38 percent since 2009  find and fund whatever drove that improvement. Addressing anxiety, depression and suicide risk should not be aimed at just this slice of the student population  as if only LGBTQ students exhibit these risks  but rather be available for the entire student population.

If the school board moves ahead with this type of policy, completely disconnected from sound research and from reality, the board will force my family and many others to pursue home- and private-school alternatives. I take no issue with my children attending school with LGBTQ students or with anti-bullying programs that address various groups who face bullying. I do take issue with policy that seems to be driven more by agenda than by sound reasoning. I hope the board will reconsider their position and withdraw the proposed guidance.

Jeremy Shafer is a resident of Midland.
Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentences include other fees imposed by the state. Unless otherwise noted, defendants are from Midland.

The following people were sentenced recently in Midland Countys 42nd Circuit Court by Judge Michael J. Beale or Judge Stephen P. Carras:
A dog died in a traffic accident in Isabella County on Friday.

A Mount Pleasant school bus was traveling east on M20/Remus Road near St. Andrews Drive, in Union Township, at 3:18 p.m., when it stopped to let children off the bus. Traffic stopped for the bus and was waiting for the bus to resume motion.

At this time a 2002 Ford pickup driven by Robert Wayne Patterson, 60, of Mount Pleasant, failed to stop and struck a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado driven by Dan Gardner Lee, 65, of Remus, who was stopped behind traffic for the bus. Lee and his vehicle were pushed out of the roadway and into a nearby residence. The residence sustained minor damage.

Lee had a dog in the vehicle with him that was injured. Bystanders took the dog to a local veterinarian but it was reported that the dog died while en route to the veterinarian. During the investigation, Isabella County deputies determined that Patterson had been looking at or moving papers in his vehicle when he looked down and failed to see the other vehicles in the roadway had stopped. There was no contact with the school bus during the accident.

Lee was transported to the McLaren Hospital with possible leg injuries, Patterson refused treatment at the scene.

Isabella County Sheriffs deputies were assisted by the Mount Pleasant Fire Department, Mobile Medical Response and the Isabella County Central Dispatch. The incident remains under investigation by the Isabella County Sheriffs Office.
A Midland man who was caught with methamphetamine while drunken driving has been sentenced to jail time.

Joshua James Inman, 35, has been sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit for 125 days. Midland County Circuit Court Judge Stephen P. Carras also levied $2,250 in fines and costs, and three years probation. Inman is to be monitored by a tether after his release from jail.

Inman was charged with meth possession and resisting police after a Dec. 4 traffic stop made by Midland Police on Hedgewood Drive. Court documents state the officer was responding to a report of a vehicle being driven erratically by a man who was not wearing a shirt.

Inman, who police said had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, attempted to exit the vehicle and kept putting his hands in his pockets, then refused to get out of the vehicle when asked by the officer, an affidavit states. Rather than exit the vehicle when asked, Inman attempted to turn on the ignition, causing the officer to remove him from the car.

Once the driver was out of the car, a police dog went around the vehicle and indicated drugs. An officer checked the area and found a piece of foil containing what was believed to be meth.

Inman pleaded guilty to meth possession, resisting police and an added count of second-offense drunken driving in exchange for a six month jail sentence and the dismissal of habitual second offender status.

Inman was represented by attorney Dan Duke of Midland.

Possession of meth is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Thursday, May 12

12:45 a.m.  A 37-year-old man was arrested in Jerome Township for a personal protection order violation.

2:23 a.m.  A deputy is investigating a report of a stolen vehicle. The owner reported her boyfriend had taken her vehicle and not returned it.

4:53 a.m.  A Jerome Township man, 19, was arrested for second-offense drunken driving in Lincoln Township.

10:46 a.m. A deputy was called to North 11 Mile and West Olson roads to a report of a suspicious man walking near a ditch. The caller said she had never seen the man in the area before. The deputy found the 31-year-old man, who lives a block away, and he was picking up cans and bottles out of the ditch.

8:08 p.m.  A motorcycles rear tire was cut while it was parked at a Jerome Township home. Damage is set at $200.

8:36 p.m.  An Edenville Township man, 46, reported a 47-year-old man was flying a drone over his home and he would like the activity to stop. The older man said he would stop.

10:02 p.m.  Police were sent to Maryland and Carolina streets for a complaint of fireworks.
EDWARD GOLD, an advertising director with State Farm, has been named to Media Village's Leaders & Legends, honoring those "who designed and built the foundation of the modern media and advertising industries."

Gold has worked in advertising since 1987 and has been with State Farm since 2003, where he develops media and sponsorship strategy, planning, and execution across all product lines and customer segments. He and his family live in Bloomington.

BAYERN STUBE, a German restaurant in Gibson City, is marking its 25th anniversary.

The restaurant was founded by Peter and Erika Schnabel.It now is owned by their daughter, Jeannne Schnable.

DESTIHL BREWERY of Bloomington now distributes its beers in Oklahoma.
Bloomington-Normal

Nature, concrete and abstract; through May 20, Jan Brandt Gallery, 1106 W. Bell St., Bloomington; paintings by Phil Smith; viewing by appointment at janbrandtgallery@gmail.com.

Three Visions  Patterns-Shadows-Nature; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., through May 28, Eaton Gallery, 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; photography by Mary Jo Adams, Ken Chiu amd Ken Kashian.

ISU University Galleries; noon-4 p.m. Mon., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal; rotating exhibits in three galleries; free; 309-438-8321.

Claire Ashley: Cawt, Taut, Hot ... Not; May 21-Sept. 11, ISU University Galleries, see above; two-gallery installation of pneumatic sculptures. Closing reception and Roundabout performance, 5-7 p.m. Sept. 9.

IWU Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; school hours, noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 7-9 p.m. Tue.; 302 E. Graham St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits; free; 309-556-3391.

Richard Hull; through May 27, IWU Merwin Gallery, see above; paintings and drawings.

Tolerance of the Unexpected; through May 27, IWU Wakeley Gallery; mixed-media works.

McLean County Arts Center; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits, sales, rentals, art classes and lectures; free; 309-829-0011.

Bravo Charlie Alpha; through June 11, McLean County Arts Center, see above; paintings by Kevin Goodrich.

Emerging Illinois Artists 2016; through June 11, McLean County Arts Center, see above; juried show of 34 works by 20 Illinois university MFA students.

The Lay of the Land; through June 10, McLean County Arts Center, see above; paintings by Tony Rio.

McLean County Museum of History; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Tue.), 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits; adults $5, seniors $4, students, children under 12 and members free; 309-827-0428.

Challenges, Choices and Change: Making a Home; McLean County Museum of History, see above; new permanent exhibit exploring experiences of people from around the world who made McLean County their home.

Abraham Lincoln in McLean County; opens May 21, McLean County Museum of History, see above; new permament exhibit on Lincoln's life in Bloomington.

Mary Jungels-Goodyear; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., through May 31, Normal Public Library Art Gallery, 206 W. College Ave., Normal; prints; 309-452-1757.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits and displays with aerial history themes; adults $5, ages 6-11 $3, 5 and under free; 309-663-7632.

Central Illinois

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thu. during fall and spring semesters), 2-5 p.m. Sun., 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; paintings, porcelain, historical artifacts, traveling art exhibits; $3 donation suggested; 217-333-1861.

Spheres of Influence: African Vessels from the KAM Collection; through May 15, Krannert Art Museum, see above; 24 ceramic pots from regions across Africa.

Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; displays and artifacts relating to history of Cornell and Amity Township; free; 815-358-2973.

Eureka College Burgess Hall Art Gallery; 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends, third floor of Burgess Hall, Eureka College, Eureka; rotating exhibits; free; 309-467-6866.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 1-5 p.m. Tue., Thu., Sat., or by appointment; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; permanent and rotating military history exhibits; free (donations accepted); 309-473-3989.

The Vietnam War 50th Anniversary; through Nov. 30, Simpkins Military History Museum, see above.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; displays, special exhibits; free; 309-547-3721.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; Lincoln-era items, audio-visual displays, tours, exhibits, more; adults $7, children/tours $4; 217-735-7399.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water, Peoria; rotating exhibits in two galleries; free; 309-674-6822.

LJ Douglas: Animations and Works on Paper; through June 17, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above.

Our Enchanted Earth; May 13-June 24, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; sculptures by Nikole Cooney.

Peoria Art Guild; Foster Arts Center, Harrison and Washington streets, Peoria; rotating exhibits, gift shop; free; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sun., downtown riverfront Peoria; permanent and rotating exhibits, planetarium shows, Giant Screen Theater and events; $8-$11; 309-686-7000.

Figures of Strength: Artworks by Sculptor Nita Sunderland; through July 10, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; 30 works by Peoria artist, including sculptures, prints, drawings and a painting.

American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition; through May 30, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; touring exhibit featuring 100 Prohibition-era artifacts; $3 in addition to regular museum admission.

Museum of the Gilding Arts; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., April-Oct., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sun., Nov.-March, 217 N. Mill St., Pontiac; displays, history and hands-on exhibits dedicated to the art of gilding and gold beating; free (donations welcome); 815-842-1848.

Pontiac Community Art Center; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 103 W. Madison St., Pontiac; rotating exhibits; 815-844-5831.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; Lincoln-themed exhibits, historical displays, special events, more; adults $12, seniors and students $9, ages 5-15 $5, under 5 free; 217-558-8844.

Unfinished Work: The Taper Collection in the Limelight; through May 15, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, see above; new items from Lincoln-themed collection.
Ive always considered myself to be transgender. No, it has nothing to do with bathrooms. My biological apparatus matches both my birth certificate and sense of reality. What I mean is that Ive always looked at things from an essentially gender-neutral perspective. While I suppose there are some quirky differences between the ways men and women view the world, and while I admire the marketing savvy of the person who wrote, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, Ive never put much stock in the idea that our minds are fundamentally different. I laugh in the faces of men who suggest that girls dont get math, even though one look at my grades would single me out as the pathetic exception that proves the rule. I also have a problem with the idea that women are more naturally inclined to be nurturers than men, and every woman who supports unlimited abortion rights are my exhibits A through Z.

We are not simple functions, or victims, of our nether regions.

But get ready for the gender wars, my friends. Weve already seen a few skirmishes between Donald Trump and female opinion writers, Donald Trump and female television journalists (God forbid I call them broad casters), Donald Trump and female GOP candidates, and Donald Trump and female Democratic candidates.

It appears the Donald is going mano-a-mano with 51 percent of the population and is winning.

Thats right, hes winning. And you know why hes winning? Because among all the women who are supposedly being assaulted by His Mighty Orangeness, a large proportion are thinking creatures who do not feel singled out for his obnoxious attention. Weve seen what hes done to Jeb, Marco, Chris (before he loved him), John, Lindsey and, most especially, poor Lying Ted. Women arent special. We have eyes and ears. We really dont think that Trump is on a crusade against the ladies.

We just think hes one of the many words that rhyme with ick.

I say this as a woman who really despises the conduct and content of the man who is the presumptive nominee of my newly adopted (and soon to be abandoned) party. It is rare that I say never, but the only thing that could ever make me even think of voting for Trump is if Clinton threatens to appoint non-lawyer Cecile We Dont Sell Body Parts Richards to the Supreme Court. But its a long shot.

That said, Im not turned off by Trump because of his alleged misogyny. While he isnt the most chivalrous of fellows, the fact that he has absolutely no time for anyone who vaguely disagrees with him is proof positive that the man is an equal opportunity maligner. Gender really is irrelevant in his rants.

Thats not to say that some of his comments, including his references to Megyn Kellys menstrual cycle, arent disgusting. They are tasteless, and the idea that he could be in the Oval Office is only slightly less appalling than the idea that Bill Clinton did some taste testing of his own there. Regardless of what happens, neither of these fellows should ever end up on the $10 bill.

But when Hillary starts making her sly, dog-whistle references to how Donald Trump demeans the sisters, I head straight for the Dramamine. Part of it is that she didnt care too much about the sisters dating her husband.

Mostly, its about the lazy thinking that goes into the war on women schtick, the fraudulent and awkward attempt to enlist people of vastly divergent philosophies, principles and experiences into one happy sorority of solidarity.

Frankly, the only thing that I have in common with Hillary Clinton and the type of female who thinks like her is my plumbing (and even that should become irrelevant with the impending hot flashes.) She, and they, have nothing for me.

But Im supposed to be offended that Trump is making sexist remarks because Im a girl. For a group that has long lobbied for equality between the sexes, this seems to me like a return to the days of, pink is for girls, blue is for boys.

There is real misogyny in the world, and Ive experienced it, usually from other women and the liberal men who want to date them. Im used to being called ugly, stupid, incoherent, a bad writer, and lots of equally unpleasant things, especially by the sort of people who are otherwise devoted to tolerance and diversity.

And Im not stupid enough to believe that gender is completely irrelevant. Quite the contrary, I think it is extremely important, and thats why the whole idea of gender fluidity repels me. For example, Im frightened at how willing we seem to just ignore the negative impact of this bathroom nonsense. But its like the frog that sits in a pot of water. If you turn up the heat slowly, the frog gets acclimated to the boiling temperatures, and doesnt jump out in time to save itself.

Thats where society is right now. Legalize sodomy? Turn up the temperature. Same sex marriage? Make it a few degrees hotter. Caitlyn Jenner? Your tea is almost ready. Transgender bathrooms? Full boil. Sayonara.

But recognizing and respecting gender is a lot different than using it as a badge of victimhood.

Trump is a creep. But he doesnt look below the waist when going in for the kill.

In a strange way, Trump is an evolved human being who looks at people as either friends or enemies. Whether they stand up or sit down when doing their business is irrelevant.

So I say we all just demagnetize our woman cards and focus on what matters:

Will Bill Clintons platform as first lady require parental consent?
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Zero-tolerance policies are ineffective in combating bullying, an independent government advisory group says in urging schools to take a more preventative approach that includes teaching tolerance to address this "serious public health problem."

In a report released Tuesday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said bullying should no longer be dismissed as merely a matter of kids being kids. "Its prevalence perpetuates its normalization. But bullying is not a normal part of childhood," the report said.

Schools, the researchers concluded, should end zero-tolerance policies that automatically suspend students for bullying.

"There's no evidence that they are impactful in a positive way," said Catherine Bradshaw, a professor and associate dean at the University of Virginia, and part of the committee that wrote the report. "They can actually do more harm than good and in fact don't provide the skill training or replacement behaviors for youth that are suspended or expelled."

The report also said zero-tolerance policies may lead to an underreporting of bullying because suspensions are perceived as too punitive.

Frederick Rivara, chairman of the committee and a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Washington, cautioned that bullying has lasting negative consequences and cannot be ignored. "While there is not a quick fix or one-size-fits-all solution, the evidence clearly supports preventive and interventional policy and practice," he said.

Programs that teach children how to get along with one another and what to do if they see kids who are being bullied, are more effective, Rivara said. Parents, too, can do their part, he said, by encouraging children to tell them if they're being bullied, reporting it to the school or teacher and making sure their schools have effective anti-bullying programs in place.

Another committee member, Sandra Graham, a professor at UCLA, said schools need to be more proactive in teaching tolerance. "We need to be able to learn to live and accept and get along with people who are different from us," she said.

"Bullies are often very popular ... there are a lot of kids who bully to maintain their popularity and social status, so schools need to be addressing that," Graham added.

Bullying behavior is seen as early as preschool and peaks during the middle school years, the researchers said. The problem has morphed from the traditional bully-in-the-schoolyard scenario to newer forms of electronic aggression, such as cyberbullying on social media sites.

The report said both bullies and their victims can suffer short and long-term consequences, including poor grades, anxiety and depression.

A government report this month on school crime from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Justice Department suggested bullying is down sharply from more than a decade ago. It found the percentage of public schools reporting bullying at least once a week decreased from 29 percent in 1999-2000, to 16 percent in 2013-14.

The National Academies was more cautious about trying to gauge the extent to which bullying is a problem across the country. In its report, it said bullying likely affects between 18 percent and 31 percent of young people. It had lower estimates for cyberbullying victims, saying it ranged from about seven to 15 percent of youngsters.
BLOOMINGTON  As far as Tyler and Joe Martin are concerned, Central Illinois and the entire nation need  more than ever  an organization that is more than 100 years old.

"I believe that Scouting is the best program, in today's society, to teach leadership skills to young men," said Joe Martin of Bloomington, an assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 19 in Normal and a former Boy Scout.

"For me, Scouting shaped a lot of who I am," said Tyler, Joe's son, and a member of Troop 19.

"I learned leadership and communication and it takes leadership and communication to get through life," Tyler, 17, said in the Martin family's Bloomington home. "Scouting teaches you to improve yourself, to deal with your weaknesses and to improve your leadership skills."

In addition, Scouts do community service work. Constitution Trail cleanup, helping at the uptown Normal Corn Festival and assisting with little, free libraries are among Troop 19 community projects.

"These men will grow up in service to others and their communities," Joe said.

Service, communication and leadership are attributes that are as important as ever, Joe Martin said.

The Pantagraph asked for an update on Boy Scouting as Boy Scouts of America's W.D. Boyce Council  which covers 14 Central Illinois counties, including McLean County  recently won a recognition that no other council nationwide received.

W.D. Boyce Council  which has 19,000 Scouts and 3,500 volunteers across the 14 counties  achieved gold status of Journey to Excellence for the 17th straight year.

"We have the longest current consecutive streak," said George Clay, the council's Scout executive.

The council received gold status by achieving benchmarks in finances, membership, programming, service, and leadership and governance.

"We are retaining youth longer, providing more and better programs through trained leaders and are increasing our community service hours," Clay said.

"It (the award) says a lot about our communities and the support of our Scouting staff and volunteers," said Bernie Koch, president of the W.D. Boyce Council board. "To make it happen for 17 consecutive years is pretty phenomenal."

"The Journey to Excellence recognition is a testament to the volunteers and parents of Central Illinois and their commitment to kids," Clay said.

He also credited the council's 300 partner organizations which sponsor Scouting units. Partners include churches, veterans' groups, service clubs and school parent-teacher associations.

"Scouting absolutely is still relevant," Koch said. "It is building well-rounded individuals to help them succeed, not only in school, but in their careers. It is building future leaders for our country."

Scouts are taught persistence and getting along with others, Clay said.

"They learn to broaden their view," he said.

"The thing that I always loved about the program is there are opportunities for different types of boys," Joe Martin said. "What's common among them is a love of the outdoors."

Boy Scouts of America has allowed gay youth since 2013 and, in 2015, lifted its ban on gay adults as Scout leaders.

"We are an open membership organization," Clay said.

While the number of Scouts has declined nationally, Central Illinois numbers have remained stable, Clay said.

"It's because of the quality of the programs that the council offers," Koch said. "We encourage the kids to learn new things and we respond to their needs and desires."

The outdoors remain Scouting "laboratories," Clay said.

For example, in addition to weekly meetings, Tyler Martin goes on two weekend camping trips a month and has gone on several "high adventure" trips, which included a week backpacking in the Colorado Rockies.

"It's great to see this generation get away from their cellphones and learn outdoor skills," Joe Martin said.

"The outdoors allow me to relax," said Tyler, a Normal Community West High School senior.

"I like sunsets and sunrises," he said. "I like climbing rocks and feeling like I'm on top of the world. I like being on the ocean and not being able to see anything else."

Scouts have opportunities to earn merit badges from among 110 subjects by studying a subject and demonstrating to a counselor that he has fulfilled the requirements.

Some merit badges are traditional, such as camping, hiking, citizenship, public speaking and lifesaving.

Others are more contemporary, including animation, digital technology, disabilities awareness, game design, geocaching, movie-making, nuclear science, robotics and sustainability.

"We're making sure we're offering badges in areas that are relevant to society and to what the Scouts can do later in life as a career," Koch said.

Tyler Martin is working toward completing requirements to attain the highest rank in Scouting  an Eagle Scout  which requires 21 merit badges. For his Eagle Scout project, he is working at Sugar Grove Nature Center in Funks Grove, staining a gazebo, building a sign holder and putting up informational signs and beautifying a road.

In keeping with the Scouts' goals of leadership development, communication, teamwork and community service, Tyler will be assisted in his project by 15 to 25 fellow Scouts and friends.

There's another reason Scouts do all this, Clay said.
EUREKA  Political strategist David Axelrod encouraged members of Eureka Colleges Class of 2016 to remain committed to their passions, families, friends and community during a keynote address at the colleges 155th commencement ceremony Saturday.

Whatever you choose to do, dont forget about your obligation to the larger community, he said. The greatest threat to our democracy today isnt the economy or equality, war, terrorism, or partisanship. Its cynicism. And as dispiriting as our politics may be today, your generation rejects that cynicism.

Eureka College awarded 123 bachelor of science and 41 bachelor of arts degrees to the Class of 2016. Forty-seven students were awarded academic honors, and eight students graduated from the colleges honors program. The college also awarded the Helen Cleaver Distinguished Teaching Award to Emily Eaton, assistant professor of humanities.

In his address, Axelrod referenced the critical role that recent graduates and young voters had in the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, for which he served as a senior adviser and media strategist to Barack Obama. The cynics, the doubters, the experts and advisers all told us that we couldnt elect a candidate like Barack Obama," he said. "But your generation said, Yes, we can.

Axelrod encouraged the graduates to stay committed to their friends and family, and to pursue their passions. Chasing your passion doesnt mean you have to take a vow of poverty, he said. The one thing, the only thing you can count on, is the love of your friends and family, whether your win or lose, rise or fall, succeed or fail. And we all fail sometimes.

When you find the balance between making a living and making a life, then youll all be rich indeed.

Axelrod also reminded the audience to continue to shape their future throughout their lives. Im not saying, 'Dont write a five-year plan,' just do it in pencil, he said. Im sure Dutch Reagan didnt hear Hail to the Chief as he crossed a stage like this in 1932. His first political campaign didnt start until 34 years after he graduated from this institution, he added. Dont try to plan the next 30 years of your life, because you just never know where youll be.

Engage in the world around you. Keep inspiring us. You are waiting for us to get out of the way so you can heal our politics, our people, our environment. We know youre waiting your turn  not to inherit your future, but to shape it, he concluded.

Class president Connor Cooney echoed Axelrods sentiments by encouraging graduates to get involved. Take a chance, try something new. Eureka taught us that  to try new things, Cooney said.
NORMAL  The former Sprague's service station off historic Route 66 finally could get a happy ending.

The building at 305 Pine St., listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a town landmark, will become a tourist attraction owned and maintained by the town, pending City Council approval Monday.

"We realized that was a very important historical facility on Route 66 and a potential generator of visitors (to Normal)," said City Manager Mark Peterson. "This will be one more reason for people to pull of I-55 and take Route 66 through our community."

Peterson said the town has been negotiating for a year to buy the property from Terri Ryburn, a local historian and Route 66 enthusiast. Ryburn bought the building in 2006 hoping to turn it into a bed and breakfast with a tea room, gift shop and restaurant, but she ran out of resources, Peterson said.

Ryburn could not be reached for comment Friday.

"Pardon our dirt. Need $1.2 million for restoration," read the front window of the building as of Friday. "Send $$ in small, unmarked bills, but lots of them."

The council will consider a $458,000 investment, including $229,000 to buy the property, $200,000 to improve the building, $24,000 to buy an adjoining parking lot and $5,000 to compensate Ryburn for her work, according to a memo prepared by Peterson. That would be paid from the town's capital and general funds.

The town also plans to renovate that parking lot with $148,000 in sales tax funds earmarked for economic development.

Improvements are expected to include a gift shop on the first floor; removal of an addition on the south side; installation of handicap-accessible restrooms; and repair and replacement of exterior timbers and stucco.

Ryburn would get out from under a $229,000 mortgage; receive $29,000; and have 10-year options to operate the building's gift shop and continue living on the second floor for $120 per year.

"We need her to be the face of that property. We're not in a position to hire somebody to go talk about it as groups come through. ... She's incredibly qualified," said Peterson of Ryburn, who holds a doctorate in history from Illinois State University and wrote her dissertation about Route 66.

Peterson said the town could revisit Ryburn's other ideas for the property, but staff didn't want to commit to them up front.

Between grants and $100,000 in her own money, Ryburn installed a roof at the building, replaced HVAC units and windows, improved the bathrooms, added insulation and made other cosmetic improvements.

Ryburn previously received $300,000 in grants for the property from sources including the town, the state of Illinois and the National Park Service. The town could receive a $15,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant that Ryburn applied for to assist renovations.

Normal would control two exterior signs that Ryburn installed which explain the historical significance of the station.

Peterson said the town plans to erect additional signage to encourage visitors to travel to uptown.

"It has the opportunity to bring lots of visitors to uptown who are shopping, buying gas, eating in restaurants and staying overnight," he said of the site.

Peterson said the station isn't intended to compete with the Route 66 Visitors Center at the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington.

"They help one another. The more reasons we give people to drive Route 66 through Bloomington-Normal, the better for everybody," he said.

The building, which housed a gas station, restaurant and garage, was finished in 1931 and is among just a handful of Route 66 stations with second-floor living quarters still standing. It later housed businesses including Corn Belt Manufacturing, Hodges Catering and Bridal World and Yellow Cab.
BLOOMINGTON  Kristi Mills will never forget April 4, 2003, the night she awoke to a man standing at the foot of her bed and the sexual assault that changed her life forever.

With her head and face bound in duct tape, Mills was silenced and sightless during the attack. It was three years before Jeff Pelo, the man responsible for sexually assaulting Mills and three other women, was arrested.

At Pelos 2008 trial, the four women shared more than their stories of how Pelo, a Bloomington police sergeant at the time he was arrested by officers from his own department, raped them and stalked a fourth victim. Pelo was convicted and is serving 375 years in prison.

Four of the five women shared their names with the public, a stark departure from the usual practice of survivors and the media keeping their identities confidential to protect their privacy.

For Mills, the decision to allow her photo and name to be used was part of the healing process. It also was part of who she was before she was assaulted.

"I had never planned on staying quiet if anything like that happened to me. Rape is about control and being quiet is about allowing them (perpetrators) to maintain control," Mills said in an interview with The Pantagraph.

Yet Mills recognizes that every victim may not be able to talk about what took place during what surpasses all other crimes in terms of its intensely personal nature.

Now 39 and living in Chicago, Mills writes an annual essay to mark the anniversary of her assault and posts the message on social media. In her 2016 remarks, Mills talked about her struggle to recover from the long-lasting impact of the attack.

Most importantly, writes Mills, "I won't hide what happened to me. I've found my voice (something not everyone can do), so I speak not only for myself, but for everyone that can't find that voice in the hopes that someday they can find theirs."

Joining Mills during local and national media interviews after the Pelo trial was Sarah Gliege, Pelo's final rape victim. Stepping out in public was a way of showing the burden of shame belongs to the rapist and not the victim, Gliege said at the time.

Pelo's next target was Jonnelle Galuska, but that plan was interrupted after she heard an intruder and summoned police to her west-side Bloomington home. It was not the first time Galuska and her husband had seen the man who had stalked her for a year.

Galuska also spoke out.

"I felt so much shame between the first and last time he was caught on my property, wondering what I did to attract this unwelcome attention. I guess after feeling scrutinized and paranoid for so long, it felt like the only way to feel free again," Galuska said recently about her decision to be identified.

Coming forward has been part of her healing process, too.

"I believe that hearing stories from survivors helps us feel less alone. It also helps us understand that the emotions that come in the aftermath of a predator are a normal part of the healing process," said Galuska, who moved out of state with her husband after the stalking incident.

Sharing the experience of a sexual assault helps others understand that "in a sex assault, sex is just another weapon, like a knife, a gun or any other weapon" and not a topic to be avoided as too personal to broach, said Mills.

"When you tell someone, you no longer have that demon following you around that no one else can see," she said.
NORMAL  Finding avenues for survivors of sexual assault to share their stories is becoming easier, but making the decision to tell others about the trauma of such an intensely personal experience takes time, says an Illinois State University counselor who spends most of her time working with survivors.

The longstanding misconceptions surrounding the crime of rape can be difficult for victims to overcome, said Gail Trimpe-Morrow, coordinator of sexual assault prevention and survivor services at ISU's counseling center.

"We are still in that victim-blaming mode that we've been in for decades," she said.

The notion that a man or woman is somehow responsible for being sexually abused is one of reasons such offenses are among the most under-reported crimes, said Trimpe-Morrow, who estimated that 80 percent of her 15-student caseload involves sex-related trauma. The other 17 full-time and 8 part-time counselors spend at least half of their time with sex assault survivors, she said.

The counseling office is one of several confidential reporting sites for victims on the ISU campus. Staff provide support and information on reporting options, including to police and the university.

Only a small number go to police, said Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner.

"We've got this epidemic out there that we can't address because we don't have the reporting," said Bleichner, noting the number of Normal Police Department reports for criminal sexual assaults doubled in 2015 to 51  the majority of them involving ISU students living off campus.

The reactions of parents and other students to the accusations, and the potential consequences for the suspect who often is acquainted with the victim, are among the issues many survivors must confront, said Trimpe-Morrow.

"We help them sort out what feels right for them. It's not uncommon for survivors to struggle a lot with what they should do," she said.

Student survivors can post their stories on a university website called "Sharing Our Silence." So far this year, 20 stories have been submitted, and 350 students have logged on to read them.

Sharing the details of sex abuse "is very empowering, but typically it takes survivors time to get there," said Timpe-Morrow.

McLean County YWCA's Stepping Stones program also looks for opportunities for survivors of sexual assault to share their stories.

Hilary Pacha, the agency's senior director of prevention and empowerment services, said survivors who have spoken to support groups and at training sessions sponsored by the agency offer valuable insight.

"Our clients felt like they made a difference," said Pacha, adding it's important for victims to maintain control over their information to the extent that is possible.

Initiatives by national support groups to encourage victims to tell their stories also are having a positive influence, said Trimpe-Morrow, who shares the website information with students.

Twin City police agencies disclose information in small doses on sexual assault crimes that affect 1 in 5 women and 1 in 59 men in the U.S.

The Normal Police Department includes calls related to sex offenses on its online daily activity log, with the specific address redacted. Bleichner said residents are kept informed of reported sexual offenses under the town's policy "that protects victims' rights in those sensitive type cases."

But the department does not release details of those reports.

A recent Freedom of Information Act request by The Pantagraph for NPD reports produced more than 400 mostly blank pages as all details were removed, which is different from the information contained in reports of other crimes where redactions are limited to names and addresses.

Normal's legal staff cited a court ruling involving college athletes whose sexual abuse reports were allowed to be kept confidential as the reason for the redactions.

In Bloomington, the police department removes all references to calls related to sexual crimes from its online activity log, leaving residents without any current information of the number and approximate location of the reported crimes.

An annual Bloomington Police Department report lists numbers of various crimes, including those involving sex offenses, but no other details.

Protecting the victim's privacy is behind the city's policy to exclude the information, said BPD spokeswoman Sara Mayer.

Similar FOIA requests to Bloomington and ISU police produced documents with fewer redactions than NPD reports.
"Voices of Survivors" is a new Pantagraph blog that provides a forum for survivors of sexual assault to tell their stories. The Pantagraph is working with McLean County YWCAs Stepping Stones program to collect survivors accounts that, in some cases, may be the first time some of them have shared details of their abuse.

The blog will not include the survivors identities unless they agree to have their names used. It will be updated as stories are made available to The Pantagraph. Survivors who want to share their stories can submit them to Stepping Stones via email: www.ywcamclean.org/voices.

The first entry is from Kristi Mills, one of several women assaulted by ex-Bloomington police officer Jeff Pelo, who agreed to her name being published. Today, she lives in Chicago.

There are more mornings now where I wake up without my first thoughts being a panicky search for an intruder. I can almost see the whole thing being just a figment of my overactive imagination. Maybe that wasnt really me that woke to a man in my house. Maybe the attack was something I saw on TV or in a movie.

But I know thats not true. I know it was real. I know it will always stick with me. No matter how long its been, no matter how far away.

Thirteen years ago, I awoke to the figure of a man in my bedroom. I lived alone and knew something wasnt right. Little did I know that he had been planning this moment. Researching me. Gathering his tools. Waiting for the right moment.

The perfect moment for him was the completely wrong moment for me. Eventually though, it would be the exactly wrong moment for him, too. Little did he know, the woman he thought he had researched, selected, and prepared for, would turn his world as upside down as he turned hers.

My life as I knew it ended that very moment. I didnt realize how much of an impact one moment in life really could have on a persons psyche. The confident woman that I had finally found again after my first marriage had dissolved a few years before suddenly became a terrified shell of a person.

Fear ruled my nights and my days. Terror was my constant companion. Every noise was a threat, maybe a sign that he was coming back. Yet, somehow I found something in me that let me come forward  at first, I think it was the shock that allowed me report it so quickly, and a little bit the terror from thinking he might come back to finish me off.

No matter how scared I was (I never went back to that apartment alone again), I found a way to move forward with the investigation. I drew strength from those around me when I really just wanted to hide. From everything. Yet somehow I found a way to put it away, yet acknowledge what happened.

I made my way through the eventual trial. Realized that while this happened, and I cant change it, I can find a way to respond that was all me  it wasnt him making the decisions anymore. I found my voice, and used it to try to help others, which led to the 20/20 episode, and the Investigation Discovery show, and the Primetime: Crime piece.

Medication, therapy, friends, and family all helped me find a way to get from one moment to the next, an hour at a time, then a day, then a week, until I made it here. Thirteen years  its a strange number to celebrate. Yet here we are. I still cant take a shower without thinking about what happened, cant hear that water running without a little shiver of fear.

I dont have a panic attack about it though, or at least not as often. I still check the locks, a lot. I still listen to noises a little more closely than most. I still have the moment where I freeze as I prepare to react, just in case. Im still a little over aware of things around me. I think I will always be a bit hyper aware. A bit unsettled. A bit scared. But I always know Im not alone.

I found a husband who loves me, even with the quirks and crazy. He knew about me before we really got involved, knew the massive amount of baggage that follows me. And he still signed up for the combat duty that is being in my life. He was willing to tough it out, even knowing that he couldnt fix it, that he couldnt make it better. But hes here for me, no matter how scared I get, no matter how many times I check the locks and ask what that noise was.

Ive surrounded myself with people: close friends, family, and my husband. People I know I can trust with anything. Whether they know it or not, Im thankful every day they are here and in my life. Thank you for being here for me because I dont know how I would have done it, and still keep doing it, without you. You let me know, just by being here, that its OK to just be. I can be weak for a moment, or strong. Scared or confident. You help me be whatever I am at the moment  and thats so important.

And most importantly, I wont hide from what happened to me. Ive found my voice (something not everyone can do), so I speak not only for myself, but for everyone who cant find that voice in the hopes that someday they can find theirs.

Thirteen years ago today, I woke up to a man in my bedroom doorway. He bound me, raped me, and left me there terrified and broken. What he didnt know was that he didnt manage to completely put out the spark of who I was. That little ember managed to use that fear, that terror to rebuild me. It will always be with me. Ill always have those moments. But Im still here, still recovering, and still surviving.
There has been a lot of misinformation lately regarding a piece of legislation, Senate Bill 231, that has been touted by supporters as school funding reform. In reality, the proposal, sponsored by State Sen. Andy Manar, represents a $750 million per year bailout of Chicagos bankrupt public school system at the expense of downstate and suburban schools.

While Sen. Manar and some recent editorials have proclaimed it would help struggling downstate schools, thats simply not the truth. The two largest school districts in this area, McLean County Unit 5 and Bloomington District 87, would lose $8.1 million and $1.9 million, respectively, per year. Nearby Clinton, facing the all-too-real possibility of losing its largest employer, the Clinton Nuclear Power Station, would face a cut of $1.6 million.

Sen. Manar has stated his proposal includes a hold harmless provision to keep schools at their fiscal year 2015 funding levels. However, that provision drops 25 percent every year, meaning in four years, we would be right back to the underlying formula and its massive cuts. Plus, the provision is based on hundreds of millions in additional funding, and the sponsor has identified no source to actually pay for it.

Everyone agrees the current formula is broken. However, SB 231 wouldnt fix the problems and the legislation would do nothing to stop wealthy districts from spending $30,000 or even more per student, while poorer districts spend less.

Keep in mind SB 231 is just one of a multitude of proposals filed by Sen. Manar, all with wildly different impacts on schools. These proposals are political calculations, based as much on getting votes as actually helping schools. That path has apparently worked in the short term, as the measure just barely passed in the Senate. But it now heads to the Illinois House, where downstate Democrats have thankfully made it clear the bill stands little chance of passage.

In the meantime, the governor has proposed fully funding the existing formula immediately for the coming year, bringing to an end the shameful act of proration, or cuts, under which Democrats had given schools less funding than they were supposed to receive. The idea is not a long-term solution, but it would guarantee schools open on time this fall and provide time to work on a real solution that's good for the entire state.

Proponents of SB 231 have claimed Republicans have offered no solution of their own, which is completely false. I filed legislation supported by hundreds of schools through the Vision 20/20 coalition to rewrite the formula based on evidence. Unfortunately, Democrat leaders refused to even let the bill be heard in committee. Regardless, I continue my advocacy of such an evidence-based solution.

Now that SB 231 is likely dead in the House, my hope is we can finally have a real conversation about how to fund our schools for the coming years. We can fix the formula, but it will require bringing everyone to the table, including the education community, parents, and lawmakers from both parties in both chambers.

Make no mistake, Republicans continue to work toward making that happen. We need more leadership and bipartisan cooperation. But we cant settle for a thinly veiled bailout for Chicago. Our childrens futures are too important.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly once again are trying to balance the state's checkbook on the backs of those least able to provide for themselves.

And while a "stopgap" spending measure for social service agencies would provide some welcome relief, it's too little too late for the thousands of Illinois residents who pay taxes and expect to receive needed benefits from state programs.

Both the House and Senate on Thursday approved a proposal to provide $700 million for social service programs that haven't received any state revenue in nearly a year.

As reported by Lee Enterprises' capital bureau, the measure would authorize spending about $450 million from a fund that receives dedicated revenue that can only be spent on human services. The Senate unanimously approved a similar plan last month.

The House plan would add another $250 million from other special funds and would be spent on those funds' specific purposes, such as affordable housing and foreclosure prevention.

Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, who sponsored the measure, said it should help seniors, people with disabilities, disabled children, immigrants and others. But we acknowledge there are many other needs of the state in other departments not covered in this legislation which also have needs, he told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.

The proposal, if signed by Rauner would provide enough money to cover about 46 percent of what social service providers and other programs received from the state last year. It would go to programs and services that havent been receiving money this fiscal year through the court orders and consent decrees that have driven most state spending since the budget year began July 1.

Unfortunately, the proposed spending is not enough to meet the needs of those agencies and it doesn't address all the other state programs that also need funding  a problem that squarely lands at the feet of the governor and legislative leaders who have chosen to play chicken with the lives of the state's residents.

Take, for instance, a new overtime rule for home health care workers whose work allows people to stay in their homes rather than move to more costly nursing homes.

Under rules that took effect May 1, the personal assistants are no longer allowed to work more than 40 hours a week. The Rauner administration said the restrictions were necessary to control costs; the workers' union, Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, estimates the overtime would cost the state $7 million per year out of roughly $36 billion in overall state spending.

It's hard to pick and choose cuts, consolidations and spending delays when you're trying to create a balanced budget. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the inequities in state spending  or state cuts.
Last week, Gizmodo reported that a former Facebook contractor had revealed the company discriminates against conservative news and news sources when curating the sites trending topics section.

Facebook officials denied the allegations, but Sen. John Thune, R-N.D., the Commerce Committee chairman, sent a letter to Facebook demanding details about its news distribution efforts.

Does government have a role in overseeing Facebooks news decisions? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk debate the issue.

Joel Mathis

Oh dear. Republicans are complaining about the media again.

It might be yawn-worthy except for one thing: They might have a point. Facebook has incredible power over the dissemination of news in this country. So much so that government regulation and scrutiny of the company might actually be in the best interest of U.S. citizens.

Maybe its time to start treating Facebook as a utility. And maybe Sen. Thunes inquiry is the place to start.

Consider this: Digiday reported last month that Facebooks control over traffic to news websites had reached unheard-of proportions. Last year, Facebook surpassed Google as a referral source for publishers, the tech website reported. Some publishers now see upwards of 75 percent of their social traffic coming from Facebook.

And the company wants more. Instead of merely linking to stories, videos and memes on news websites, Facebook is encouraging publishers to post that content directly to Facebook itself.

One other relevant fact: In the first quarter of 2016, Facebook reported it had 1.65 billion users around the world. Astonishing! The company additionally claims that users spend more than 50 minutes a day with Facebook and its sister apps, Instagram and Messenger.

If there were a real competitor out there, maybe the thing to do would be to toast Facebooks success and wish it well. (Twitter, try as it might, doesnt quite count.) But the free flow of news and information is essential to the workings of our democracy. Facebook  with its unparalleled access to the audience and ability to influence the financial fate of news organizations  has become too critical to that flow.

The companys power is vast, Vox.com noted this week, and that power is not always deployed in ways that are transparent and accountable.

The U.S. government has a long  if somewhat neglected  history of trying to ensure media evenhandedness, from the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcast airwaves to requirements that keep companies from owning newspapers and TV stations within the same market. Facebooks power might require updating those traditions for the 21st century.

Ben Boychuk

News that Facebook tacks left is hardly surprising. Nor is it particularly shocking that Facebook employees have given more than $118,000 to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, outstripping donations to other candidates by a sizable margin. Facebook employees flocking to Donald Trumps campaign  now that would be news.

But the revelation that Facebooks newsfeed curators evidently went out of their way to exclude right-leaning news sources and promote liberal news outlets should trouble everyone.

Facebook is the largest media company on the planet. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is vastly more influential than any of the press barons of old. Facebook has the power to reshape public opinion in ways William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer could only dream about.

That makes Facebook dangerous.

But the last thing Republicans should do is start regulating media companies again, tempting as it may be. It really isnt the federal governments job to ensure or enforce fairness in the media  history notwithstanding.

Truth is, the Fairness Doctrine wasnt fair at all. Broadcasters complied with the rule by shutting out differing points of view and only airing the blandest of opinions. From time to time, presidents would use the Fairness Doctrine to squelch dissenting opinions. Lyndon B. Johnsons administration used the rule to harass right-wing broadcasters. Richard Nixon used it to silence opponents of his Vietnam War policy. Only after the FCC repealed the rule in 1987 did the airwaves become safe again for robust disagreement.

Facebook is a publicly traded company and can do whatever it wants, as long as its shareholders  and maybe its users  are happy. Are they?

Although the site is huge, it isnt really a monopoly. Readers have other options. (Yes, Twitter really does count.) There is no shortage of websites aggregating conservative content. Dont people use bookmarks and RSS feeds anymore?

But if Facebook wants to make this problem go away, Zuckerberg and company should be a great deal more transparent about how it pushes and promotes content. If youre going to be the largest media company on the planet, readers need to trust the source. No trust, no clicks. No clicks, no profits. Its just good business.
Colorado has been earning millions since the state legalized marijuana for recreational and medical consumption. As marijuana sales continue to inflate, it stated that the Colorado will be using some profit from marijuana sales to create homeless shelters.

Colorado Marijuana Sales To Help The Needy

Colorado Town announced that part of their marijuana sales will be used to help the homeless. High Times mentioned that Aurora City Council have agreed to allot $220,000 gathered from marijuana sales. The amount will be given to a non-profit organization, Colfax Community Network.

The organization will be using the marijuana sales to build shelters for the homeless. The city council agreed to set aside a total of $3 million of Colorado's budget from marijuana sales to fund the Colorado's local services.

The marijuana sales budget allotment would start on 2017, wherein $1.5 billion would be released. The other $1.5 million would then be released on 2018. Aurora Colorado is expecting an estimate of $4.5 million in marijuana sales alone over the span of two years.

"We wanted to be able to show citizens that we are having a positive impact on the community and point to specific projects or initiatives to where that money is going to," Bob Roth, city councilman, told the Huffington Post.

Colfax Community Network

As for the non-profit organization, Colfax Community Network has been supporting homeless families. For their upcoming project, the organization will be receiving a total of $200,000 for their special funds. The council members then cited that they will be monitoring the organization's project before giving them a bigger fund from marijuana sales.

Aside from the housing projects, the Colorado council will also fund Comitis Crisis Center and Aurora Mental Health. The council will allot some fund from the state's marijuana sales wherein they will be providing vans for them to use for their outreach programs. It was mentioned that each van will cost around $30,000 and $44,000.
The Duggars enjoy the limelight for over 10 years with their reality show "19 Kids and Counting." Unfortunately, due to Josh Duggar's controversial sex scandal, the show was cancelled. However, it seems that the Duggars will have their return in "Jill & Jessa: Counting On."

'19 Kids And Counting' Family To Return On TLC

The Duggars faced a huge setback when the oldest child in the "19 Kids and Counting" brood was involved in child molestation when he was younger. After the said controversy, Josh admitted that he was addicted to pornography and that he cheated on his wife, Anna.

However, the Duggars remain united and it seem's that they will soon have their rewards. According to Inquisitr, the Duggar family will soon return on the small screens in "Jill & Jessa: Counting On." The reality show has earned 1.9 viewers and many believe that it will return for season 2.

Per the report, since the "Jill & Jessa: Counting On" finale, over half a dozen Duggar family updates were posted on the series' Facebook page. There are rumors that the show will premiere in Australia on May 14, suggesting that TLC has so much faith in the family because the Duggars still bring high ratings to the network.

Josh Duggar To Appear In 'Jill & Jessa: Counting On' Season 2?

In a separate report from Inquisitr, Josh has been spotted out lately. Many fans are now wondering if he will appear in the future episodes of "Jill & Jessa: Counting On." Although the critics continue to criticize the disgraced reality star, some fans remain supportive of Josh's return per the Hollywood Gossip.

"SOOOO Good to hear news on Josh and family!!" one commenter wrote. "We pray for them often and really believe they should be on the show and sharing how they are walking through such a difficult situation. We believe Josh's story could help so many Christian men who have the same struggle," another follower wrote.

The Duggars' fans believe that the family's experience is a good story of redemption. However, for those expecting to see Josh in "Jill & Jessa: Counting On" it is unlikely. Per the Hollywood Gossip, TLC assured that Josh would never appear in the show. In fact, he has been a persona non grata in the network.

Do you want Josh Duggar to appear in "Jill & Jessa: Counting On" season 2? Should TLC give the eldest child of the "19 Kids and Counting" clan a second chance? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Can artificial intelligence (AI) be used as a defense armor? Well, the Defense Department of the United States is reportedly seeking entrepreneurial Silicon Valley bigwigs to build out the future of defense with the help of AI technology.

With the emergence of artificial intelligence, Washington has sought the expertise of Silicon Valley's technology leaders. In fact, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter visited the Valley for the fourth time to talk about the importance of incorporating artificial intelligence in America's warfare weapons, New York Times notes.

Pentagon's Strong Interest In Artificial Intelligence

Two decades had passed ever since a defense secretary had visited the Silicon Valley. But on Wednesday, May 11, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter made an appearance in a research facility near Google's headquarters.

Carter's visit was reportedly part of the "Third Offset" strategy the 61-year-old defense secretary pronounced last fall. Carter said sophisticated and artificial intelligence-driven weapons would give the American military an edge in the future as China and Russia reemerged as military competitors.

The 'Third Offset' Strategy

America's "Third Offset" strategy refers to two earlier periods when Pentagon planners sought technology to compensate for a smaller military. The first "offset" occurred in the '50s when 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasized nuclear weapons as a deterrence to larger Warsaw Pact armies.

The second "offset," on the other hand, happened in the '70s and '80s. In this era, military planners turned to modern technology in traditional weaponries to compensate for smaller quantities. But today, Carter admitted America is facing major challenges in decoding civilian innovation into a military advantage, acknowledging the fact the nation will neither control nor determine artificial intelligence's path.

"That's different than 30 or 40 or 50 years ago when we expected to control the pace of technology," Carter at the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit Experimental facility aka DIUx. "That's not true anymore, but we still can stay the best military with respect to applications of A.I."

The Concept Of 'Centaur Warfighting'

Carter's speech came weeks after Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work incessantly stressed the significance of artificial intelligence-related technologies in helping create an innovative group of armed forces equipped with increasingly intelligent weapons. Work also advocated the concept of "Centaur Warfighting," the system that combines AI and humans' capabilities of humans to deliver faster response compared to what humans alone could achieve.

Why Artificial Intelligence Application In The Military Worries Other Silicon Valley Execs

As Pentagon pushes to develop artificial intelligence applications in the military, other Silicon Valley executives and tech experts are worried that the line separating smart weapons' offensive and defensive uses will be difficult to maintain.

"We need to figure out where to draw the line and we need to stay on the right side of it," University of California, Berkeley AI specialist Stuart J. Russell said.

In addition, experts are also wary about the moral dimensions and unintended consequences of turning over killing decisions to machines, as per another New York Times report. The move is also thought as an invitation to a new and potentially hostile arms battle.

Fears Over Artificial Intelligence Exaggerated?

Meanwhile, the threats of artificial intelligence has reportedly divided the Silicon Valley. But according to Time, IBM senior manager and research scientist Murray Campbell stressed humans have no reason to worry about AI's existential threats, saying the reason to fear AI was overblown.

"I definitely think it's overblown," Campbell said. "Because the benefits are so huge, that if we don't use AI technologies we're going to be losing out on all of these beneficial effects in health care, in self-driving cars, in education."

In terms of AI's effect on the job market, Campbell emphasized artificial intelligence only aims to make jobs easier and not to eliminate them. Speaking of IBM, the company will also collaborate with eight leading universities to train its cloud-based AI-driven Watson computer system to tackle cybercrime, Times of India reports.

Do you think artificial intelligence could be useful in the military? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been plagued with divorce rumors for a while now. However, despite the reports claiming that their marriage has hit rock bottom, another report comes along. Some sources suggest that Kate Middleton wants to have a friendly date with the A-list couple. Is this true?

Kate Middleton Wants A Friendly Date With Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt

The International Business Times reported that the Duchess of Cambridge wants to hang around with the "Tomb Raider" star because she is a huge fan of Angelina Jolie. In fact, the royal mom wants her kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte to spend time with Angelina and Brad Pitt's children.

"Kate is a huge fan and admires [Angelina] greatly," one source told OK! Magazine. Per the Hollywood Gossip, these rumors started when the power couple met the royals in the Kensington Palace last year.

The four discussed their interest in combating the illegal wildlife trade. The insider added that Prince William and Kate Middleton were very excited about meeting the "Maleficent" and the "World War Z" stars.

Per the report, the celebrity moms talked over the phone for hours and sent a lot of emails. In fact, Kate wants to invite Angelina to a pub or the ballet.

However, while it may be adorable to see Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Kate Middleton and Prince William all together, these reports are not true. The Hollywood Gossip debunked the reports suggesting that the Duchess of Cambridge does not drink much and has never expressed any interest in ballet.

Brad Pitt Cheating On Wife With Marion Cotillard

Meanwhile, speaking of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's relationship, there are rumors that their marital issues spring from his infidelity with his "Allied" co-star Marion Cotillard. The couple used to ignore each other's little flirtations to others but it seems that the "Troy" star is too involved with Cotillard.

"In the past, Brad and Angie have always turned a blind eye to each other's little flirtations. As long as neither of them took it too far, they thought it actually spiced up their relationship," an insider told Hollywood Life.

"But Brad getting emotionally attached to Marion is totally against the rules," the source continued. "That's what makes this a unique situation that could threaten their marriage."

Do you believe that Brad Pitt is cheating on Angelina Jolie with Marion Cotillard? Will the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" eventually split? Is it possible for the royals to be best friends with the power Hollywood stars? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics today. It has been used in medicine, games, government services and automobiles to name a few. In fact, according to new reports, Toyota websites are already powered by an AI framework.

Toyota Uses AI On Their Website

Phys.org reported that one of the largest automobile companies in the world has already used AI on their websites. Toyota, a Japanese automotive manufacturer applied the AI published in a 2011 paper by a UCLA computer science professor. The company applied the AI on its website to help customers customize their vehicles online.

Toyota websites and its Lexus division offer their customers the opportunity to customize their vehicles from a range of models, colors and accessories. The said websites were powered by "product configuration," a software based on a logical form of AI. Professor Adnan Darwiche devised this software.

Per the report, with Toyota's AI powered websites their customers can now perform sophisticated, real-time reasoning to get the exact vehicles they want. For instance, if you want a red Camry with tan interior and performance package, you can check for this combination on its website to check if the company can manufacture it or if it is already available in its inventory.

Aside from this, the AI will also recommend the features that are co-dependent or suggest to remove a minimum number of features when the combined features are not feasible.

"I was very pleased to see this appreciation for the practical significance of my work to the point of adopting it for this massive commercial application," said Darwiche, who is very proud and happy that his work has been applied in Toyota's websites. "What was particularly gratifying is that engineers found my publications sufficiently detailed to implement the work, without additional help from me or my group at UCLA."

Toyota Invests $1 Billion In AI

The New York Times reported that Toyota has invested on a five-year, $1 billion research and development project involving AI. The investment will focus on robotics technologies and artificial intelligence that will help humans drive safer.

"We want to create cars that are both safer and incredibly fun to drive," Gill Pratt, a roboticist, who will lead the project. He explained that Toyota would innovate a collection of sensors and software that will serve as "guardian angels" to protect the drivers.

Are you happy with Toyota's investment on AI? Do you agree that applying AI in the automobile industry is a big help? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
"Song Song" couple fans are thrilled after learning that "Descendants of the Sun" actors Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo recently met over dinner. The 30-year-old actor shared a photo of their meeting together with Yoo Ah In during his fan meeting in Beijing, China. Are there any chances to see them back together onscreen?

Song Joong Ki And Song Hye Kyo Reunion With Yoo Ah In

Song Joong Ki arrived in Beijing to kick off his first of eight fan meetings in China, reports Yonhap News Agency. The "DOTS" actor will be traveling to Shanghai and Guangzhou in the coming weeks and he will be wrapping up his tour in Taipei on June 25.

During Joong Ki's fan meeting in Beijing, many fans were thrilled when the Korean actor shared a couple of photos from his own phone. The first photo showed Song Joong Ki together with Song Hye Kyo and Yoo Ah In.

[PHOTO] 160514 Song Joong Ki - 2016 Fanmeeting in Beijing#SJKFanmeetinginBeijing

His personal photos #1 pic.twitter.com/baU3SlCrwj    SJK_SG (@SongJoongKi_SG) May 14, 2016

Joong Ki revealed that he had dinner with Hye Kyo and Ah In days before he left for Beijing. The actor also shared another photo from the same night along with a photo of him in Greece.

Many fans noted, however, that Joong Ki's outfit on the night of his reunion with Hye Kyo looked similar to the one he wore when he left for Changsha for the show, "Happy Camp." Fans also took notice of Hye Kyo's bracelet, which was similar to the one Joong Ki was wearing during a press conference in Beijing.



Song Hye Kyo And Song Joong Ki Onscreen Reunion: Is It Still Possible?

While Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo's reunion over dinner was enough to send fans to a state of frenzy, many are still hoping to see more from the "Song-Song" couple. In a series of Instagram posts, fans expressed their hopes to see Joong Ki and Hye Kyo reunite in front of the cameras for the 2016 Baeksang Arts Awards.

Joong Ki and Hye Kyo are nominated for the Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress in Television, respectively for their roles in "Descendants of the Sun." The event will take place on June 3, 2016.

Do you still want to see Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo back together onscreen? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!


"The Bachelor" 2016 couple, Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, was recently rumored to be on the brink of calling their engagement off because of irreconcilable difference. However, a recent interview with the couple revealed that their wedding is still on and that they are both looking forward to spending their future together.

Ben Higgins And Lauren Bushnell Breaking Up Over Location And Work Issues?

An earlier report from Life & Style Magazine claims that Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins from "The Bachelor" Season 20 are already facing a lot of problems in their relationship, according to Celeb Dirty Laundry. Bushnell is allegedly having a hard time adapting to Higgins' hometown in Denver.

"The Bachelor" 2016 winner has given Higgins with an ultimatum to either move back to Los Angeles with her or call their engagement off. This has reportedly made Higgins doubt his feelings for Bushnell.

Ben Higgins And Lauren Bushnell Slam Breakup Rumors

In a recent interview with the "Rick Lewis Show," Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell slammed these rumors about their relationship and revealed that their wedding is still on. According to Inquisitr, "The Bachelor" Season 20 couple has even explained the reason for their fight in a Home Depot parking lot that was captured on camera.

If this wall could talk it would say "dang that girl is beautiful" A photo posted by Ben Higgins (@higgins.ben) on May 8, 2016 at 9:25pm PDT



Higgins and Bushnell shared that they were simply fighting over paint colors and pillows, which was far from what media sites were speculating behind their fight. The couple also admitted that the location of their wedding will largely depend on the time of the year.

"The Bachelor" 2016 couple hinted that should they decide to do a summer wedding, they would get married in Portland, Oregon. If, however, Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell decide to tie the knot if January or February, then they will most likely do it in California.
At least 8 people have been killed and 44 injured in a tragic bus crash in Laredo, Texas. The Texas bus accident that occurred on U.S. Highway 83, 46 miles north of Laredo, involved a one-vehicle rollover of a charter bus headed to a Casino.

NTSB to probe South Texas bus crash leaving 8 dead, 44 hurt. https://t.co/N1NaX5UXHY  The Associated Press (@AP) May 15, 2016

"The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over," trooper Conrad Hein from the Texas Department of Public Safety told Fox News. "Everything's real preliminary right now."

A bus has crashed and rolled over on its way to a casino in #Texas, killing eight people https://t.co/rRxQpWLfFt  Sky News (@SkyNews) May 15, 2016

Hein said that 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo. Another group of 15 people injured from the Texas bus accident were taken to the Laredo Medical Center and seven people were taken to Dimmit County hospital. Seven people died on the scene of the bus crash but the eighth victim later died in Doctors Hospital.

TEXAS BUS CRASH: Rain a possible factor in rollover that killed 8, injured 44 https://t.co/RvfVurkL4g pic.twitter.com/jTvZJ6MWwH  ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 15, 2016

One of the survivors of the tragic accident was the bus driver. The Texas bus accident happened during a rainy Saturday morning and this weather could have been one of the reasons why the bus driver lost control of the vehicle.

The trooper added that it will take some time before the Texas bus accident investigation is completed. "I ask the entire State of Texas to keep the families of loved ones lost today, as well as the Dimmit County community, in its thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated via NBC News.
There is little doubt that that dynamic between Rey and Finn was one of the greatest things about "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The chemistry between John Boyega and Daisy Ridley gave "Episode 7" a funny, light-hearted air despite the fact that Rey and Finn are up against insurmountable odds. But is there any chance that the two "Star Wars" lead characters will take their relationship up a notch? John Boyega has a message for Rey and Finn shippers who want to see romance in "Star Wars Episode 8!"

Will Rey And Finn Get Romantic In "Star Wars Episode 8?"

John Boyega recently spoke to Variety, where he was asked if it is possible that Rey and Finn will become an item in "Star Wars Episode 8." The young actor had a clear response: "Finn and Rey - they're just friends."

But is there no possibility that Rey and Finn will ever be in a relationship in "Star Wars Episode 8?" John Boyega chose his answer carefully.

"Finn is a storm trooper, so he doesn't really know what's going on so the romance thing is something that's going to be interesting in the next installment," he explained. John Boyega also added that fans should expect the unexpected in the sequel. "It's not going to go the way you think it's going to go," he said.

Will Finn Get A Girlfriend In "Star Wars Episode 8?"

Although things might not get romantic for Rey and Finn, there is still a possibility that John Boyega's character will meet someone special in "Star Wars Episode 8." TheWrap had previously reported about a new "Episode 8" female lead being tested and that candidates for the role will be chemistry-read with John Boyega. Although the rumors have yet to be confirmed, it looks like the new female lead will have plenty of interactions with Finn.

Will Rey and Finn ever be an item? Or will Finn start a relationship with a completely different girl? The truth will be revealed in "Star Wars Episode 8," which is scheduled for release on December 15, 2017.
Patna: A day after they brought the rail and road traffic to their knees by blocking highways, roads, and train tracks, thousands of Home Guard jawans across the state on Thursday got themselves arrested as part of their 'Jail Bharo' (fill the jail) campaign in their attempt to press for their demands.

According to the police headquarters, over 4,500 Home Guard jawans were taken into custody though most of them were released by the end of the at their own cognizance.

Additional Director General of Police Sunil Kumar said that state-wide 4,523 jawans were arrested including several Home Guard officials and volunteers.

In Patna, over 300 jawans courted arrest at Dak Bungalow crossing though in the lack of buses, only 193 were shifted to the makeshift jail at Bihar Military Police (BMP) campus.

Som Prakash Singh, a representative of the Home Guard jawans, said there was no question of calling off the strike because it was "better to die on hunger strike than die of hunger".

Home Guard jawans launched their strike after talks failed between their representatives and the state government last Thursday. Their demands include a raise in the daily allowance from Rs. 300 to Rs. 500, regularization of their jobs, one time retirement benefit of Rs. 3 lakhs, raise in the retirement age from 58 to 60, and Rs. 10 lakh in compensation to the families of the jawans who die in the line of duty.
Patna: Former Bollywood star of yesteryears and Congress MP Raj Babbar, during his second trip to Patna in less than two months, continued his harangue against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was less of a 'Pradhan Mantri' and more of a 'Paridhan Mantri' (Dress Minister) for Modi's penchant for lavish clothing.

"Since becoming the Prime Minister, Modi had been more concerned with his outfit and look than the issues currently being faced by the Indians. He is a 'Paridhan Mantri' more than he is a 'Pradhan Mantri'," Babbar, who started his political career as a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader only to switch to Congress later on, said.

The star of dozens of movies in the '80s and '90s also took a swipe at the Prime Minister for visiting 27 countries in a year instead of focusing on India and the Indians.

"Every time you turn around, Modi is visiting a new country. He does not have time to visit Bihar where people have been hit by storm, cyclone, and earthquake in the recent months. People of Bihar gave him 31 of the 40 seats in the last Lok Sabha election but he has not cared to visit Bihar where people have been suffering due to natural disasters," the Congress leader said.

Like Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Babbar slammed the Prime Minister for giving a credit line of one billion dollar to Mongolia that, he said, would not benefit India in the least bit.

"All over India, debt-burdened farmers are committing suicide but Modi neither has time for the farmers nor money to help them get out of their debts," he said.

Congress state President Ashok Chowdhary and senior party leader Sadanand Singh were also present at the press conference.
Patna: Journalists, reporters, and political activists in Patna on Saturday took out a number of rallies and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to protest the killing of Hindustan (Hindi) news bureau chief in Siwan Rajdev Ranjan who was gunned down in Siwan on Friday evening.

{gallery}newsimages2016/may/051416{/gallery}Dozens of reporters under the banner of Journalists Association wearing black arm-band took out a rally from their office in Mandiri area to the Dak Bungalow crossing to condemn the killing of one of their colleagues.

Demanding a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh for the deceased journalist's family and death by hanging to those behind Ranjan's brutal killing following a speedy trial, reporters representing various print and digital media across the state ripped the Nitish administration for allowing the return of 'Jungle Raj II' in Bihar where murder, particularly political murders, were becoming rampant by the day.

Similar marches were taken out by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Jan Adhikar Chhatra Parishad, and other political outfits.

A delegation of the National Union of Journalists India met with Governor Ramnath Kovind and handed him a memo asking him to ensure safety and security of reporters and journalists. They also wanted to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but were told that he was in Kalyanbigha in Nalanda district to pay tribute to his late wife Manju Sinha to mark the 9th anniversary of her death.

Meanwhile, police in Siwan have detained four persons in the case, including one Upendra Singh, a man believed to be working for former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin who reportedly ordered the killing of Ranjan from his prison cell.

Authorities said Ranjan died of two bullet wounds, one in head and the other in his neck, as he returned to his home from his office on Friday evening.

In Patna, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, said this was beyond Jungle Raj in Bihar; it was in fact 'Maha-jungle Raj' in the state.

"People are being killed every day in Bihar; opposition leaders and journalists are being targeted everywhere but Nitish Kumar is going around the country talking about prohibition. What kind of leader is he?" Hussain asked.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi also excoriated the Chief Minister saying if this was the example of 'Bihar mein bahar ho' (Kumar's slogan in the last Assembly elections) then he would shudder to even think what the Jungle Raj would look like in the state.

Besides the usual response that culprits would be caught soon, the Chief Minister has so far kept mum on the two killings, including the one in Gaya where the son of a businessman Aditya Sachdeva was shot dead by the son of Janata Dal  U legislator Manorama Devi and notorious criminal Bindi Yadav.

Interestingly, Mohammed Taslimuddin, an RJD MP and an ally of Nitish Kumar, also slammed the Chief Minister saying he had failed to rein in criminals in Bihar and was far from being a 'PM Material'.

"Good governance is in name only in Bihar. 'Maha-jungle Raj' is prevailing in the state but his ambition to become the Prime Minister of India has made him a mad man. Bihar is burning but he is busy promoting prohibition in other states," Taslimuddin said on Saturday.
High school drama student Damaris Vizvett, a senior at Henry J. Kaiser High School in Fontana, is thrilled that she finished in second place in the national finals for the August Wilson Monologue Competition that wrapped up earlier this month in New York City.

When asked if she was disappointed she didnt win first place, Vizvett, 18, said, Honestly, at the end of the day I was super exhausted. She added, The girl who won first was absolutely fabulous.

The second-place win didnt deter her from pursuing a theater, acting or singing career.

Damaris, 18, gave her final performance on Monday, May 2, at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway.

She performed a monologue from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilsons 1995 play Seven Guitars and won $2,000 in cash.

Thats on top of her $500 prize from her previous regional contest win, which also included her all-expense paid, whirlwind four-day trip to New York to perform in the nationals  and tickets to two Broadway plays.

Both of those wins were elevated by a victory at the 28th annual Spotlight program put on by The Music Center in Los Angeles. For that competition, in which she placed in the acting category, she received a $5,000 scholarship and will appear in a performance June 11 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

In the August Wilson monologue competition, 18 high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas and North Carolina performed in the national finals.

Each recited a monologue from Wilsons 10-play Century Cycle, which showcases the African-American experience in the 20th century. The students performed before each other and a panel of celebrity judges. The first-place winner was Ireon Roach from Chicago.

The regional acting contest began in November with a preliminary audition featuring more than 150 students from Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties.

Damaris road to the Big Apple began when she took first place in the regional finals at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles on Feb. 29. The contestants had to memorize a monologue from Wilsons works that was between 1 and 3 minutes long  without the use of props or costumes.

For the finals in New York City, Damaris performed the same monologue but she said the pressure was on this time around.

It was definitely a different performance than what I did at the Taper, she said. The whole setting was different. We all had to be seated in chairs the whole time while we were on stage and watch each other perform. It was very nerve-wracking. Youre trying to stay in character.  It was difficult to try to keep that energy. I was the last person to go up.

Damaris portrayed the character Vera from Seven Guitars. In the piece, Vera is emotionally hurt after her boyfriend leaves her and tells him how the break-up has devastated her.

Damaris and the other contestants not only were taken to see the musicals Hamilton and The Color Purple on Broadway, they also got to meet the casts.

The group also visited the Jazz at Lincoln Center and toured the theaters there.

Damaris flew home the day after the competition and said she came away from her New York trip with many lessons about the life of a theater professional.

It was just learning the different sort of environments we are going to be facing as we go into this as a profession, she said. Were not always going to be confortable, we are going to be out of our comfort zone. It was being able to see and appreciate theater. Just being there was amazing.

After graduation, Vizvett plans to attend Cal State Los Angeles and perhaps major in acting or vocal performance.
A young boy was sent to the hospital Saturday afternoon, May 14, after nearly drowning in the pool of a Wildomar home, authorities said.

The incident was reported just after 3:30 p.m. in the 35000 block of Orange Street, according to a Cal Fire/Riverside County fire news release.

The toddler appeared to be breathing and conscious at the time he was taken to the hospital, according to the release.

This is a developing story. Check back for additional information.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9693, agroves@pressenterprise.com or @AlexDGroves on Twitter.
The mother of a UC Riverside graduate who killed 12 people and wounded 70 others in a Colorado movie theater in 2012 spoke out for the first time this week.

Arlene Holmes condemned the actions of her son, 28-year-old James Holmes, during an interview with San Diego-area news station KGTV, an ABC news affiliate. She also spoke on the importance of early mental illness detection.

Holmes opened fire on a theater of people in Aurora, Colo., in July 2012 during a midnight showing of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.

Story continues below

Theater shooting trial and sentencing

Holmes said her son was a happy child who frequently invited friends over to the family home, but said he underwent significant personality changes by the time he became an adolescent. He became more quiet, was easily irritated and isolated.

By the time James Holmes was in his early 20s, he was showing signs of psychosis, she said.

Arlene Holmes said she was not educated on the topic of mental health and said it was important to recognize early signs of what she now believes was mental illness.

I want to offer up the failure as advice to other people, she said.

Holmes, whose son has been diagnosed with varying forms of schizophrenia, said she was opening up about James in the hopes that her message might prevent something as terrible as the Colorado shooting from happening again.

James Holmes is originally from San Diego. He graduated from Westview High School in 2006 before going to UC Riverside for college.

After Holmes completed his undergraduate studies in 2010, he moved to the Denver area. University of Colorado officials have confirmed he was attending a graduate neuroscience program at the schools Denver campus, but had recently dropped out at the time of the shooting.

Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Aug. 26, 2015.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9693, agroves@pressenterprise.com or @AlexDGroveson Twitter.
Military personnel will receive a free meal and recognition as part of the Corona Chamber of Commerces celebration of Armed Forces Day.

We live in American and were free because of the men and women who have worn the uniform, Bobby Spiegel, president-CEP of the Corona Chamber of Commerce, said by phone. Our chamber is very supportive of the military.

The luncheon, at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 20, at Circle City Center, 365 N. Main St., Corona, will honor active duty military personnel, reservists and veterans, according to a chamber news release.

The event will feature a keynote address from Brig. Gen. Russell A. Muncy, who is commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, according to the release. Following the speech, each member of the military will introduce himself or herself.

Spots for military personnel are open through Monday, May 16, by calling 951-737-3350. Anyone else who would like to attend may purchase tickets for $55 each. Sponsorships range between $500 and $5,000.

Armed Forces Day, which this year falls on Saturday, May 21, was created on Aug. 31, 1949, replacing separate Army, Navy and Air Force days. The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated May 20, 1950.
Great fanfare  including a few hundred Buddhist monks in brilliant orange robes, visitors from Santa Clarita to Houston and a head-shaving ceremony for new monks  marked the opening of a new Buddhist temple in Jurupa Valley on Saturday, May 14.

One of those new monks at the Suddhavasa Temple, located in the shadow of the Jurupa Mountains, was J.J. Bolin, 33, of Glendale  who would become a monk for seven days.

When you chop your hair its (to say) you dont care or worry about anything, said Bolin.

Bolin said he would then serve as a monk for seven days, before returning to his job working for a family business in Woodland Hills.

I tell them the period of time I can be a monk, said Bolin. I told them I have a week. But I love it so much Id rather have like a month or something. But I have to go back to work because living in L.A. is so expensive.

In Thailand, briefly serving as a monk is a rite of passage for many young Buddhist men, not unlike the Mormon practice of sending young people from the church on missions.

The monk, said visitor Sue Intathong, who came from Houston to celebrate the opening of the new temple and witness ceremonies such as the ritual head shaving, is supposed to be free from passion  no attachment, no worry about looks. Free from loving, hate, greed. They try to lead their life simple, humble and pure.

Intathong said the new temple is one of the largest in the state.

Usually, we have a small one and we cant accommodate so many people, said Intathong. This is a very elegant religious landmark.

The 12,000-square foot, two-story temple is on the 3-acre site where the Suddhavasa Buddhist Meditation Center has been operating since 1997.

Buddhists from across the U.S. and around the world have descended on the temple this week as, in conjunction with its opening, it hosts the annual meeting of the Council of Thai Buddhist Monks in America.

Attendees also celebrated the 60th birthday of Abbot Phrakhrusrividesdhammakhun, the leader of the temple.

Boua Ky-Yeith, 41, drove down from Santa Clarita with her aunts, sister and niece. One of the rituals they took part in was placing gold stickers on 108 balls that surrounded the temple. Those balls will be buried in the ground around the sanctuary.

Ky-Yeith said she and her family normally worship at a temple in North Hollywood.

This is a new temple, said Ky-Yeith. Its an occasion for us to do more good deeds.

Representatives from other temples in Southern California came to Suddhavasa with food. An attendee described it as a one big pot luck.

Jitvipa Khamsuwan came with others from her temple in San Diego bearing papaya salad.

Each temple brought different things, said Khamsuwan.

Some of the other Thai dishes served up at Saturdays celebration were fried pork, sticky rice and grass jelly.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9682 or tsheridan@pressenterprise.com
That summer between eighth and ninth grade, Holly Gibbs met a man at a local mall. She was shy and insecure. He was kind and complimentary.

He said I was pretty enough to be a model, Gibbs said. He said things that made me feel really good about myself.

Two weeks of words and promises were enough for Gibbs to be swayed into leaving her South Jersey home with him. But within a couple of hours of running away, Gibbs was forced into prostitution in the casinos of Atlantic City. She was 14.

It can happen in a flash. A teenager from a bad home or a little insecure meets a man who says hell always love her, care for her, give her all she needs. Days later, shes working on the circuit, on the well-known prostitution tracks of Fresno, Los Angeles, Compton, Anaheim and San Bernardino, another victim of sex trafficking.

Gibbs said she was lucky. She was saved two days later. She went to high school, to her prom, then college. But there are those trafficked for weeks, months or even years who go unnoticed. One place where they may get help is at hospitals, Gibbs said.

For the past 18 months, Gibbs has worked within Dignity Healths Human Trafficking Victims Program, believed to be one of the biggest such initiatives in the West.

RELATED: Law officers redefining victims in prostitution

Her job is to train health care professionals across the systems 39 hospitals in California, Nevada, and Arizona to look for the red flags of a sex trafficked victim: a gang members name tattooed on a girls face, bruises, hunger and expressions of fear.

Gibbs, now 38, said she met with others who survived sex trafficking across the country and learned that they could have been saved earlier.

Most of them went through the emergency department several times, and some went through labor and delivery, she said. These were all opportunities when they could have been identified as a victim and someone could have intervened.

So far, shes trained hundreds of staff in emergency departments at all Dignity Hospitals, including those in Glendale, Long Beach and Fontana.

Now shes in a second phase of the program, which is alerting nurses in maternity clinics. Gibbs spoke to maternity staff at Northridge Hospital Medical Center last week, which already operate the well-regarded Center for Assault Treatment Services or CATS, a program that provides support for sexually and domestically abused women and children 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

In the last few years, more awareness has been raised surrounding sex trafficking through the courts and legislature. Law enforcement officials are now more aware that youth caught in prostitution are victims, not criminals.

The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office conviction rate of those who pimp and pander nearly tripled from 2013 to 2014, from 28 convictions to 75. States have increased the sentences of those convicted of pimping and pandering, from what used to be a few months to nearly life sentences. Earlier this year, California Attorney General Kamala Harris launched an initiative called Truckers Against Trafficking in Alameda County, and the Federal Aviation Administration alerted airports on how to spot victims.

Hospitals add another layer to that awareness, said Nancy Bussani, the head of philanthropy for the Dignity Health Foundation.

Within the system, we had lots of things happening to help people who are victims of human trafficking but we didnt have a sense of what was working well, she said. We know virtually every victim is going to come to a hospital or clinic, and if were not recognizing what works, then we cant help them.

The foundation hopes Dignity Healths program will become the national model but they need to expand the program. A fundraiser will be held in San Francisco on May 18 to help bolster money for the program, Bussani said.

She also said the hospital system needs greater community support so that once released from medical care, survivors can find work training programs, housing, and other resources.

It couldnt be solved by hospitals alone, Bussani said. Were not the whole solution,

Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the Orange County District Attorneys office and co-founder of the human trafficking unit there, agreed that the entire community needs to be aware that sex trafficking can happen anywhere. Even in Anaheim, near Disneyland, she said.

She said since her office began the human trafficking unit in 2013, there have been 130 convictions of those who try to sell youth into commercial sex. Men who are caught soliciting youth, known as sex purchasers, have their photograph taken and placed on the district attorneys website, and idea first used in the Inland Empire.

The stunning violence and the lack of humanity that these animals have against these victims  They are told when to eat, what to eat, Schroeder said of those who pimp victims. The victims are so brainwashed and so damaged that they need resources.

National organizations against sex trafficking have found that 72 percent of the victims identity their country of origin as the United States. Still, the public believes its a foreign problem.

Years after she was arrested for prostitution, Gibbs said she never realized she was a victim of sex trafficking until 2009, when she saw a documentary about it.

Thats why she wants to share her story, and to educate the public about human trafficking in general, which includes people who are forced into slave labor.

By all means, we have to educate teens about the tactics used by pimps and gang members to lure victims into prostitution, she said. But we also have to educate kids about human trafficking in general. They should know about worldwide trafficking. We have to be aware in our communities. If were not paying attention, who is?
Trish Anderson, 53, a truck driver from Mississippi, dreams about dedicated truck lanes. A lot.

Dedicated truck lanes that are only for trucks should be everywhere. Seriously, thats the first thing I think of and that should be everywhere, not just even because the ports are going to be congested, she said while resting at an Ontario truck stop.

It would make it easier because you dont have to deal with all the cars. If its all trucks, and everyones in the same mindset, you dont have to dodge traffic.

Shes not the only one dreaming.

With goods movement from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach expected to double in the next decade, logistics industry experts are looking at ways to address an expected tsunami of freight through the regions already congested freeways and streets.

Broad support for SoCal truck lanes  but they could cost $5 billion: https://t.co/VWyTmIZGBt Worth it?  The Press-Enterprise (@PEcom_news) May 15, 2016

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Among infrastructure improvement ideas applauded by local truckers rolling through the Inland Empire are efforts by transportation officials to widen the freeways and fix potholes and a proposal to introduce dedicated truck lanes.

With population and traffic in the Inland Empire expected to grow in the coming years, local officials have been developing plans for new toll lanes, wider freeways, safer on- and off-ramps and more rail transit opportunities  some of which are under construction.

Twenty-year traffic forecasts, according to an informational post on the San Bernardino Associated Governments website, indicate that several Southern California freeways, including the 60 and I-15 in San Bernardino County, will experience increases in truck volumes so great, theyll take up the roadways entire capacity.

Dedicated truck toll lanes have been proposed by Southern California transportation officials, but to build them, according to the SANBAGs online post, the public cost is likely to exceed $5 billion, of which at least $1.2 billion would be for truck lanes within San Bernardino County.

In Riverside County, $500 million in funding has been invested toward goods movement-related rail grade separation projects. The Riverside County Transportation Commission has proposed tolled express lanes through I-15 to relieve congestion. The project has an estimated cost range of $425 million to $450 million.

Dozens of truck drivers were resting in their cabs parked at the TravelCenters of America truck stop at East Guasti Road and Milliken Avenue in Ontario recently, some having spent hours just to get from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the Inland Empire.

Renee Miri, 60, a truck driver from Michigan, said truckers wouldnt mind paying tolls for a dedicated truck lane.

Dedicated truck lanes would be great if you had two lanes where you could pass other trucks because trucks always want to pass, Miri said. Trucks would probably pay tolls because sometimes it takes us five hours to get out of Los Angeles to Barstow when we pick up in L.A. Thats just nuts.

Larry Little, 72, a truck driver from Georgia, said the deteriorating roads in Southern California are in need of improvement.

Theyre going to have to raise the fuel tax or something to do some road repairs because the roads are getting deplorable, Little said.

Transportation California, an industry-based advocacy group in Sacramento, has been pushing for additional investment for infrastructure expansion to address increased traffic in coming years.

Were not advocating for specific improvements other than additional capacity to help meet freight demands, said Will Kempton, executive director of Transportation California and a former director of Caltrans. Our program is concerned about the conditions of the roadway, and there are suggestions about dedicated truck lanes in terms of toll operations to allow for that.

As part of efforts to alleviate congestion, John Husing, chief economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership and an expert on regional goods movement, was commissioned by the Port of Long Beach with the cooperation of the Port of Los Angeles to complete an economic analysis of an Inland Port served by a dedicated train.

The idea involves a train bringing unsorted Inland Empire-bound goods to a facility in the region to be sorted and delivered to local warehouses. Husing said implementing the idea would significantly cut truck traffic from the ports to the Inland Empire.

Imagine taking most of the trucks off the 10 and the 60 between here and the 710 freeway and the harbors, Husing said. In the trucking industry, the key word is turns, so instead of having a truck do at the most a couple of (trips) a day, it can do three to five turns a day, because theyre not stuck in L.A. traffic and theyre not stuck at the gates.
Brain drain among medical doctors trained in Ghana has drastically reduced to over 95%, Management of School of Medical Sciences (SMS) at Kwame Nkromah University of science and Technology in Kumasi has disclosed.



This because of the introduction of the Schools post graduate studies that offers fresh graduate doctors the opportunity to further their education in Ghana.



Professor Baffour Opoku a consultant Obstetrics and Gynecologist, at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital who is also a Lecturer at the school of Medical Science at KNUST, revealed this to Ultimate Fms Isaac Bediako in Kumasi.



He believes Ghanaian Doctors are now enjoying better condition of service which is a motivation factor to the considerable reduction of brain drain among locally trained doctors.



Professor Opoku spoke at the sidelines of the School of medical sciences 40 th anniversarys health walk in Kumasi.



He also describes lack of teaching staff and teaching infrastructure at the School as major challenge that affects effective teaching and learning.



We have been increasing admission over the years but we dont increase the number of Lecturers who teach the students. As I speak to you now, average number per year is 200 students; we need a lot more teachers. We also need bigger classrooms to accommodate this number, bigger wards at the hospital where the students are taken through clinicals sessions.



We further need teaching aids, it is very uncomfortable if as a Lecturer I take about 20 students to one patient to examine; its not the best. We need modules and manikins that we can use to teach the students at least so they have a practical feel before they are taken to the real patient.

Source: kasapafmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have found the soldiers who were accused of assaulting a young boy over a stolen phone in Tamale culpable.



The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal Michael Sampson Oje, who made this known, indicated that the soldiers had been found guilty following a thorough investigation by the GAF into the matter.



Air Vice Marshal Oje was responding to media concerns over the delay in releasing the findings of investigations into brutalities and assault of civilians by military personnel.



Media interaction



At a media engagement in Accra, he told representatives of media houses that the GAF had handed over the case to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for further investigations.



He explained that sometimes the results of investigations were not released on time because after the GAF had completed their work the Ghana Police Service and CHRAJ took over and we have to wait for them to finish their work before we can determine the penalties.



That, he said, was because there could not be double punishment for the same offence.



Additionally, he stated that the personnel of the GAF were bound by two laws, including the Armed Forces Act and the laws of the nation.



The Ghana Armed Forces cannot try cases relating to murder, rape and stealing, as such cases are handled by the police.



Indiscipline



Air Vice Marshal Oje cautioned personnel of the GAF that acts of indiscipline would not be tolerated because the GAF were a disciplined institution.



He gave an assurance that all reported cases about engagement of GAF personnel in any form of indiscipline would be properly dealt with.



We will act rigorously with any officer who takes the law into his or her own hands, he said.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former KMA Boss and an NPP representative in charge of elections in the Manhyia North Constituency, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, has cautioned Felix Ibrahim, a former Constituency Secretary of the party that it will serve his own interest, if he refrains from using the media platforms to settle his scores with the party.



Kofi Jumah contends that whatever issues Ibrahim and others have with the party, should be directed to the legal committee of the NPP for an arbitration of the matter.



According to him, the overwhelming court issues concerning the disagreement in Manhyia North will only frustrate and destroy the roadmap set by the party to reach a middle ground with the disputants.



Whatever writs or court order that is in his possession, Ill suggest that for the interest of peace to rain in the party, he should meet the legal Committee with his Lawyers so that they can settle the issues on that level. If he thinks that theyve not given him a fair hearing, then hes free to go anywhere to pursue his case. Until that is duly followed, let us stay with the decision of the National Executive Committee and stop the media wars-It wont serve anybodys interest, Mr. Jumah cautioned in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM Friday.



Felix Ibrahim, reacting on the same Show this morning told Fiifi Banson that the party has no right to produce any Notice of polls, defying the Appeals Court judgment.



The party should remove the spectacle of propaganda and be fair on all sides. As I speak now, there is an injunction on the polling station elections, and If anybody tries to go contrary to the latest court orders well cite whoever for contempt. Its better we all wait for the Kumasi High court 2 to finish the adjudication of the matter by the end of the month, then we can know the fate of the constituency and matters arising, rather than some few individuals taking an entrenched position to perpetrate illegality by creating a different album.

Source: kasapafmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The flagbearer of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Ivor Korbina Greenstreet, has questioned governments commitment to developing agriculture in Northern Ghana.



Mr. Greenstreet said the sharp decline in irrigation farming in the northern part of the country has led to widespread joblessness among the youth.



Addressing a mini rally in the Damango Township to outdoor the partys parliamentary candidate for the party, Ivor Greenstreet also criticized President John Mahamas accounting to the people tour.



The dams are dry, we see it. Our farming capacities are missing. We are here, we want to work but there are no jobs. So what are they accounting to us?



The CPP 2016 Presidential Candidate is currently embarking on what the party calls Apam Foforo Tour to Northern Ghana.



Led by Party Chairman Prof. Edmund Delle, the delegation is in the Upper West Region after touring the Gonja area.



According to the Partys Communications Director, Kadir abdul Rauf Issifu, the tour is intended to garner the support opinion leaders for the partys November 7 agenda.



We are touching base with opinion leaders [and] people that can support us to prosecute our apam foforo deal once we win the 2016 elections.

Source: citifmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana is praying for peace in this years November 7, elections  but Malam Shamuna Ustaz Jibril, an Islamic Cleric who is credited with many predictions which he attributes to Allah has warned of a possible doom.



The soothsayer has noted that  Ghana is likely to experience an uprising similar to what happened in the Ivorian presidential election, 2010.



What happened in Abidjan 2010 between Alassane Ouattar and Laurent Gbagbo is likely to happen here is things are not done appropriately by the EC Malam Shamuna Ustaz Jibril told Peacefmonline.com in an interview.



A presidential election was held in two rounds in Cote d'Ivoire - The first round was held on 31 October 2010 and a second round, in which President Laurent Gbagbo faced opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, was held on 28 November 2010.



Originally scheduled to be held in 2005, the vote was delayed several times due to the Ivorian Civil War and difficulties involved in the organization and preparation of the election.



As the polls closed for the first round, more unrest was feared as the former rebels were still armed in the north, powerful militias still existed in the west and neither armed group was willing to accept defeat. The second round date was confirmed despite opposition allegations of fraud and demands for a recount of the first round of votes.



With the second round looming, Gbagbo's supporters went on the offensive with aggressive criticism of Ouattara. On 2 December 2010, CEI President Youssouf Bakayoko announced provisional results showing that Alassane Ouattara had won the election in the second round with 54.1% of the vote, against 45.9% for Laurent Gbagbo; he reported that turnout was 81.09%.



However, the Islamic cleric opined that  Ghanaians must be prayerful to avert the hostile happening  Imams, Pastors and any patriotic citizen must pray hard to escape this unfortunate wrath



He also predicted that  the New Patriotic Party [NPP] will win the November polls by a slim margin.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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Court documents have revealed the truly staggering amount of swag that 21-year-old Sydney student Christine Jia Xin Lee bought, after Westpac goofed up and mistakenly transferred $4.6 million to her overdraft account.

It is alleged that Lee, a chemical engineering student, became aware of the glitch in July 2014. She could have chosen to report it on the spot, but decided to go  a different way, and over the next year, she spent pretty much all of it.

A bankruptcy court filing has revealed the goods that Lee purchased on her outrageous (and if were honest, slightly envy-inducing) shopping spree, the heights of which saw her drop a cool $310,000 in a single damn day.

At first, Lee allegedly used a PayPal account to buy items online, including Christian Louboutin boots, Chanel casmere pillows, smartphones, dozens of Hermes scarves and bags, and a Himalayan Crocodile Birkin, costing roughly $150,000.

Her online purchases also included a Dyson vacuum cleaner, because PSA, you dont want dust damaging your ill-gotten booty.

Following this, Lee allegedly transferred funds into a Commonwealth Bank account, and went on no fewer than 20 luxury shipping trips around Sydney, racking up a further $1.2 million between January and April 2015.

Transactions on these trips included $20,050 at the Chanel store, $6885 at Hermes and $1795 at Christian Louboutin in the space of a day. Several days later, per Fairfax reports, she dropped $42,695 across Bvlgari, Christian Dior and Hermes.

After realising their mistake in April 2015, Westpac froze Lees account, and ordered her to hand over the goods shed purchased. Allegedly, just 27 items were returned that month, with a total value of $1 million.

In May 2015, the Supreme Court made an order allowing Westpac to seize further assets, in order to make up the remaining $3.486 million shortfall.

Lee was served with a bankruptcy notice, but missed a court date in September 2015 (probably because she was out somewhere balling too hard). In her absence, the court declared her an unregistered bankrupt.

Earlier this month, Lee was arrested at Sydney airport, attempting to board a flight home to Malaysia, and was subsequently charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

She faced Waverly Local Court on May 5, and is currently out on bail, living in her boyfriends apartment under a court order. It remains to be seen whether the criminal charges will stick, or if she will be forced to pay the money back.

Source: Fairfax.

Image: Facebook.
Now that Daniel Craig has finished his contracted tenure as British superspy and confirmed martini-enjoyer James Bond, the speculation is obviously heating up on who will be his successor. Names like Idris Elba and Tom Hardy are floated constantly, but it turns out that the punters are absolutely set on it being Avengers man Tom Hiddleston.

British bookmakers Coral had a bet running on who would be the next Bond, but uncorroborated reports that Hiddleston was meeting with Bond director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli led to a massive influx of bets, forcing his odds down to 2-1, then 1-2. 1-2 is not a strong bet by any measure.

So they had to frantically cancel the whole damn thing thanks to those dramatically shortened odds. Its a weird one, ultimately, as Craig himself has denied reports that he has resigned the role, and nobody from the Bond camp will confirm or deny whether hell continue. Hes a pretty popular Bond, but they tend not to stay on that long.

Fan favourite is still Idris Elba, despite the legions of Daily Mail commenters who would rather England go to bloody war with France again than have a black James Bond. We all know hed be very good and extremely sexually powerful.

Well have to see how this one goes, but the keen-eyed punters are in Hiddlestons court.

Source: The Guardian.

Photo: Getty Images / Mike Marsland.
Known criminal mastermind Vanessa Hudgens has been fined $1000 and made an example of for carving her name into a federally protected red rock wall.

On Valentines Day this year, Hudgens was visiting northern Arizona when she felt compelled to carve her name and that of long-time boyfriend Austin Butler into the rock.

She is hardly the first tourist to do something tacky in the name of love (cc: that bridge in Paris), but she foolishly shared the results on Instagram, and the National Forest Service had its most high-profile perp in  possibly ever.

Screengrab via Mashable.

Hudgens deleted the offending post, but was cited on a misdemeanour count of damaging a natural feature on U.S. Forest Service land. Said spokesman Brady Smith:

She was caught in the act because she publicised it and shes famous. Im sure there are others who re not famous and publicised and weve never known it.

The High School Musical and Spring Breakers star could have faced a fine of up to $5000, and even possible jail time, but she instead paid $1000 in restitution, which will go towards a volunteer group, who scrub and sand rocks in the area.

The deal was reached in April of this year, but only recently came to light under a freedom of information request.

Finally, Vanessa Hudgens reign of terror has been brought to an end.

Source: Associated Press.

Photo: Axelle / Bauer Griffin / Getty.
Statewide high school football playoff matchups announced

EAST LANSING  On Sunday, the pairings for the 2022 MHSAA Football Playoffs were announced, which begin Oct. 28-29 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-


Lagniappe Simon Romero : Brazil's Temer a conservative



PaHaro/Folhapress



Michel Temer, new Brazil's interim president, signals more conservative shift

BRASILIA  The new Brazilian president's first pick for science minister was a creationist. He chose a soybean tycoon who has deforested large tracts of the Amazon rain forest to be his agriculture minister. And he is the first leader in decades to have no women in his cabinet at all. The government of President Michel Temer  the 75-year-old lawyer who took the helm of Brazil on Thursday after Dilma Rousseff was suspended by the Senate to face an impeachment trial  could cause a significant shift to the political right in Latin America's largest country. Temer's government is starting out well, Silas Malafaia, a television evangelist and author of best-selling books like How to Defeat Satan's Strategies, wrote on Twitter . He'll be able to sweep away the ideology of pathological leftists, Mr. Malafaia added of a conservative lawmaker whom Mr. Temer chose as education minister. Associated Press/ Eraldo Peres



Dilma Rousseff acknowledged supporters after Brazil's Senate voted to suspend her on Thursday. For more than a decade, Brazil has been an anchor of leftist politics in the region, less strident than the governments in countries like Venezuela and Cuba, but openly supportive of them and committed to its own platform of reducing inequality. But parts of Latin America are now drifting away from the left after elections in neighboring countries like Argentina and Paraguay. Mr. Temer seems to be embracing a more conservative disposition for his government as well, with the country's business establishment pressuring him to privatize state-controlled companies and cut public spending. To many of Mr. Temer's critics, the shift is perhaps most evident in the role of women in his and Ms. Rousseff's administrations. The contrasts could not be more glaring. Ms. Rousseff, 68, was a former operative in an urban guerrilla group. She was tortured during the military dictatorship and eventually rose to lead the board of the national oil company before becoming Brazil's first female president. Until recently, relatively few Brazilians had even heard of Mr. Temer. When they did, it often involved references to his wife, Marcela Temer, 32, a former beauty pageant contestant who is 43 years younger than he is. They met when she was just 18. A profile of Ms. Temer in Veja, a newsmagazine, caused a stir by glowingly referring to her as pretty, demure and of the home. It said Mr. Temer was a lucky man to have such a devoted, unassuming housewife as a spouse, especially one who wears knee-level skirts. The magazine did not mention the tattoo on the nape of Ms. Temer's neck featuring her husband's name, but the message was clear: Mr. Temer, a law professor and career politician, embodies a more conservative approach than Ms. Rousseff in the corridors of power and in his own home. Then there is the issue of race. After a long stretch in which Brazil pressed ahead with affirmative action policies, Mr. Temer's critics point out the lack of Afro-Brazilians in his cabinet, especially when nearly 51 percent of Brazilians define themselves as black or mixed race, according to the 2010 census. It's embarrassing that most of Temer's cabinet choices are old, white men, said Sergio Praca, a political scientist at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, an elite Brazilian university. He drew a contrast with Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, who formed a cabinet in which half of the 30 ministers are women. In a speech to the nation on Thursday, Mr. Temer said he would seek to soothe tensions in Brazil, a nation polarized by the impeachment trial of Ms. Rousseff. She is accused of manipulating the federal budget to hide yawning deficits, a budgetary sleight of hand that her critics say helped her get re-elected in 2014. It's urgent to seek the unity of Brazil, Mr. Temer said during a ceremony introducing his ministers. We urgently need a government of national salvation. The new president's supporters point out that he considered a couple of women for cabinet-level posts, including Renata Abreu, 34, a lawmaker, to oversee human rights policies. But that effort, along with other test balloons, did not prosper. First, it became widely known that Ms. Abreu had voted in favor of legislation to make it difficult for women who are raped to get abortions. Then Mr. Temer opted to fold the human rights post into the Ministry of Justice, making it a second-tier appointment. Mr. Temer's offer of the science ministry to Marcos Pereira, an evangelical pastor who does not believe in evolution, also fizzled. He named Mr. Pereira trade minister instead. Then, to the dismay of leaders in Brazil's scientific community, Mr. Temer merged the ministries of science and communications. Like many of Brazil's political leaders, Mr. Temer has legal problems of his own. He was recently found guilty of violating campaign finance limits, a conviction that could make him ineligible to run for office for eight years, leaving a cloud of scandal that has raised concerns about his capacity to govern with a strong mandate. Temer faces the fundamental problem of legitimacy, said Michael Shifter, the president of Inter-American Dialogue, a policy group in Washington. He did not become president as a result of a popular vote, but rather because of a controversial impeachment process.



Brazil's Line of Succession Is

Engulfed in Scandals The process against the suspended president has come to embody public anger over corruption and a battered economy. But those in the succession chain are also engulfed in scandals.

Click on photos and open graphic But some argue, in Mr. Temer's favor, that his cabinet includes officials who held important posts when Ms. Rousseff's leftist Workers' Party was in control. Henrique Meirelles, a banker who is the new finance minister, served as central bank president for eight years during the government of Ms. Rousseff's predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from 2003 through 2010. During that time, Brazil's government gained the respect of investors as incomes soared during a commodities boom. Prominent figures in Brazil's financial markets hope that Mr. Meirelles can rebuild that credibility. Some environmental activists are blasting Mr. Temer's choice for agriculture minister, Blairo Maggi, a soybean farmer and politician who has pushed for opening huge areas of the Amazon to agricultural development. Yet some point out that Mr. Maggi was also open to dialogue, winning plaudits for reducing deforestation rates while he was governor of Mato Grosso State. Still, Mr. Maggi, along with an array of other members of Mr. Temer's cabinet, has been battling corruption inquiries. For three years, investigators examined claims tying Mr. Maggi to a money-laundering scheme . Just this week, the Supreme Court shelved the case. Other ministers appointed by Mr. Temer remain under investigation in separate cases, including Geddel Vieira Lima, a former executive at one of Brazil's largest government-controlled banks who is now the president's secretary, and Henrique Alves, a tourism minister in Ms. Rousseff's government who will occupy the same post under Mr. Temer. The rancor around the ouster of Ms. Rousseff, who will go on trial in the Senate, was evident Thursday on the streets of Brasilia, the capital. Dozens of women chained themselves to barriers surrounding the presidential palace, shouting slogans in support of Ms. Rousseff and expressing alarm about Mr. Temer's top advisers. Maria Herminia Tavares de Almeida, a political scientist at the University of Sao Paulo, said that the last time a Brazilian cabinet did not have any women was in the early 1980s, during the military dictatorship that ruled from 1964 to 1985. Until Mr. Temer's rise to power on Thursday, she said, all the democratic governments have had women. Vinod Sreeharsha contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro, and Paula Moura from Brasilia. A version of this article appears in print on May 13, 2016, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: New Leader in Brazil Hints at a Tilt to the Right.



Simon Romero became the Brazil bureau chief for The New York Times in November 2011. In this role, Mr. Romero covers Brazil and several other countries in South America, including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Before beginning this assignment, Mr. Romero was Andean bureau chief from 2006 to 2011, based in Caracas, Venezuela, where he wrote extensively on a broad range of issues, including President Hugo Chavez's political movement, Colombia's long internal war and indigenous politics in Bolivia. Vinod Sreeharsha contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro, and Paula Moura from Brasilia. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by The New York Times , on May 12, 2016. A version of this article appears in print on May 13, 2016, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: New Leader in Brazil Hints at a Tilt to the Right. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of this website. All comments are posted and published without liability to Petroleumworld. Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.



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Male charged with throwing spikes, rocks

Police identified Blake Bowers, 18, of North Philadelphia, as the man who threw 8-inch railroad spikes from an overpass in University City that struck three vehicles Friday night.

Bowers, of the 1100 block of West Montgomery Avenue, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and related charges.

He is accused of throwing the spikes off an overpass about 40 feet above the 600 block of University Avenue in University City shortly before 8:30 p.m.

One spike smashed through the windshield of a Dodge Charger and lodged in the dashboard; the driver was treated for broken glass in his eyes.

Another spike went through the roof of an Oldsmobile Cutlass, and a third shattered the windshield of a Hyundai SUV, police said Friday.

On Friday, Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives said a suspect was arrested after an Infiniti SUV was hit by a rock. The driver of that vehicle ran up onto the tracks to confront him, and officers arrived and arrested Bowers, police said.

An additional eight spikes also were found on the street below, police said.

- Jonathan Lai

Woman shot

5 times in Kensington

A 24-year-old woman was in critical condition Saturday after being shot five times on a Kensington street, police said.

The woman was shot about 3:30 p.m. on the 700 block of East Willard Street. She was taken by police to Temple University Hospital.

Police said a suspect was taken into custody and a gun recovered. No names were released.

- Julie Shaw

Report: 2 teens killed, 2 hurt in post-prom crash

Two teenage girls were killed and two girls injured in a one-vehicle crash early Saturday in Cumberland County, hours after they reportedly attended a high school prom.

The 17-year-old driver, Daisia Sulton, lost control of the Chrysler PT Cruiser about 3:45 a.m. on Route 49 in Maurice River Township while going around a curve, said Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn of the New Jersey State Police.

She then crossed over to the other side of the road and slammed into a tree.

Flynn said the driver and three passengers were all from Bridgeton, Cumberland County.

One passenger, Mikayla Mosley, 15, was also killed.

A 16-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition and a 17-year-old was in stable condition, he said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Friends and family posted on social media that the girls attended Bridgeton High School's prom Friday night, according to the Associated Press.

- Julie Shaw
The last time I saw and MTB media coverage from Costa Rica, Wade Simmons' shorts where wider than his handlebars. It's been ten years since Decline magazine published that memorable article with the boys getting loose down south, but when I came across the article again, early this past winter, it got me thinking...What I saw flicking through those pages was an opportunity and a place to escape to from the cold and wet winter which was gripping home, here in East Tennessee.San Jose knows downhill although I didn't know what to expect going to Costa Rica with a downhill bike. I watched a few GoPro edits from the local boys and creeped on some Instagram feeds before I left, but was not expecting to ride such raw tracks. Costa Rican trail builders seek quality over quantity. Each mountain seemed to have one track designed around a shuttle road and was well maintained.Carlos Castillo on his trail "Cano". The view of San Jose from the top of Cano was as quality as the track.No trip to Costa Rica would be complete without a trip to the beach, raw chicken, 100ft of string, and a croc feeding...I ate more rice and beans in two weeks than you want to know about... You'd better roll the window down. Like every other country in the world, bike shops and beer go hand and hand.Easily one of the coolest places I have toured was La Lucha's Cabuya factory. The Cabuya plant is used for fiber production and manufactured to twine and rope. More recently the Cabuya farm is host to Alvero Castillo's loam heaven of a downhill track "El Cabuyal".





Huge thanks to the local boys that took care of us. Alvero Castillo and Family, Carlos and Teto Castillo (Ciclon Bike Shop), Tinez, & Chris Rizzon.




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By Colleen Jenkins

(Reuters)  Bidding in an online auction for the pistol George Zimmerman used to shoot and kill unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 topped a total of $65 million on Friday, though the amount appeared to be inflated by fake buyers with names such as Racist McShootFace.

Zimmerman drew wide criticism on Thursday after offering to sell the Kel-Tec PF9 9mm handgun, which the former neighborhood watch volunteer described in the auction listing as an American Firearm Icon.

Zimmerman said the weapon was used to defend his life and end the brutal attack from Martin. Martins family has said the 17-year-old was simply walking home after buying a drink and candy from a local store when he had his fatal encounter with Zimmerman.

Martins killing near Orlando, Florida, sparked nationwide civil rights protests and debate over stand your ground laws, which let people use deadly force without a duty to retreat if they are in fear of being harmed. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the case.

By lunchtime on Friday, bidders in the auction on the United Gun Groups website included shaniqua bonifa and Tamir Rice, the same name as the 12-year-old black boy shot dead by a white police officer in Cleveland in 2014.

The auction is scheduled to end on Wednesday. USA Today reported that the bid by Racist McShootFace was later deleted.

The auction began on Thursday after the first site where Zimmerman attempted to sell the gun rejected the listing. That site, GunBroker.com, said in a statement that it wanted no part in the auction or the attendant publicity.

LETTER OF THE LAW

A listing for the gun then appeared on UnitedGunGroup.com, with a starting price of $5,000. By midday on Friday it had received more than 1,000 bids.

United Gun Group said in a statement that as long as Zimmerman was obeying the letter of the law, the sale of his personal firearm would be allowed on the site.

While not always popular, this is where we stand. There are principles this nation was founded on, and our goal is to do our part to defend liberty, United Gun Group said.

We know that many lives have been forever impacted by the incident February 26, 2012, and were truly sorry to the Martin family for their loss. We will have no further comment on the matter.

The website calls itself a free social network and marketplace that embraces the 2nd amendment and lawful discussion. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. It is contained in the Bill of Rights.

In the auction listing, Zimmerman said he would use money from the sale to counter violence against law enforcement officers by Black Lives Matter, a movement that grew out of Martins shooting. Proceeds would also go toward fighting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clintons anti-firearm rhetoric, Zimmerman said.

According to the listing, the pistol is marked with the number from the Martin case in silver ink and the listing included multiple photographs of the weapon being displayed in court during Zimmermans trial.

The listing closed with a Latin phrase, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum, meaning if you wish peace, prepare for war.

A lawyer for Martins family called the sale offensive but said it would not distract the family from their work advocating against gun violence.

Zimmerman has previously sold on eBay a painting depicting the American flag, and a painting he did of a Confederate flag to raise money for a Florida gunshop owner who declared his store a Muslim-free zone.

(Additional reporting by Suzannah Gonzales; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Tom Brown)
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By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  President Barack Obama toasted Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland at a star-studded state dinner on Friday, lauding the nations for their global influence on civil rights, humanitarian issues and curbing climate change.

The red carpet glamor followed a White House summit where Obama and the leaders of the five nations presented a united front against Moscows recent military aggression in Ukraine and the Baltic region.

But the meeting was more about soft diplomacy than launching ambitious foreign policy endeavors, given that Obamas second and final term ends in January. Americans will vote in presidential elections on Nov. 8.

I thought this was a very useful and important conversation, although there was probably too much agreement to make for as exciting a multilateral meeting as I sometimes participate in, Obama said.

More than 300 guests including rapper Common, comedian Will Farrell and actress Tracee Ellis Ross mingled with diplomats, tech and Fortune 500 CEOs, White House officials, and political donors in a glass-ceiling tent built around a tree on the South Lawn.

Hand-rolled beeswax candles and strings of lights reflected off ten-foot pillars of ice, an homage to the northern lights.

Pop star Demi Lovato, known for her support of liberal causes, was set to perform after a Nordic-inspired meal of ahi tuna, tomato tartare and red wine-braised beef short ribs.

Its a great opportunity to drink wine and make progress on the most serious issues of our time, Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters on her way into the dinner.

RUSSIA

The summit was aimed in part at sending a message to a nation not on the guest list: Russia, which annexed Ukraines Crimea region in 2014 and has stepped up its military posture.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is planning its biggest build-up in eastern Europe since the Cold War to try to deter further Russian aggression, and Denmark and Norway said on Friday they would contribute to the enhanced allied forward presence with NATO.

We will be maintaining ongoing dialogue and seek cooperation with Russia, but we also want to make sure that we are prepared and strong, and we want to encourage Russia to keep its military activities in full compliance with international obligations, Obama said after the summit.

Obama has long expressed admiration for the pragmatic and liberal-leaning politics of the Nordic nations.

There have been times where Ive said, why dont we just put all these small countries in charge for a while? And they could clean things up, Obama said.

(This version of the story corrects the title of Samantha Power in the eighth paragraph)

(Additional reporting by Alana Wise and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Richard Chang and Richard Borsuk)
Fox News Sundays Chris Wallace, asked Republican chairman Reince Priebus the one question that Republicans dont want to answer, and the RNC bosss non-response could have devastating consequences for Republican candidates.

Video:

Transcript via Fox News Sunday:

CHRIS WALLACE: Chairman, I want to start with that article in the New York Times today. Its called Crossing the Line: Trumps Private Conduct with Women. They did more than 50 interviews over six weeks and they say they found repeated instances of Trump insulting women and making unwanted advances, even in the workplace.

Chairman Priebus, does that bother you?

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, you know, a lot of things bother me, Chris, and obviously Im the wrong person to be asking that particular question, but, look, weve been 

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: Wait a minute. Why are you the wrong person? I mean, you are the chairman of the party. This is your nominee and theyre saying that he has mistreated women over the years.

(CROSSTALK)

PRIEBUS: What I would say is, you know, weve been working on this primary for over a year, Chris, and Ive got to tell you, I think that all these stories that come out and they come out every couple weeks, people just dont care. I think people look at Donald Trump and say  and Hillary Clinton and say, who is going to bring an earthquake to Washington, D.C.?

I think the bigger issue when we make these judgments about people are, you know, whether or not individuals are throwing stones in glass houses and when people are hypocrites, obviously, thats when these stories have an impact, but I dont think Donald Trump in his personal life is something that people are looking at and saying, well, Im surprised that he has had girlfriends in the past. Thats not what people look at Donald Trump for.

So I think the traditional playbook and analysis really dont apply.

WALLACE: But forgive me, its not whether or not he had girlfriends, the question is whether or not he mistreated women, whether he made unwanted advances, whether he humiliated women in the workplace. I dont understand why you say that people dont care about that and are you going to look into the allegations?

PRIEBUS: Well, look, Im not saying people dont care about it, Im just saying I think the reason hes where he is at is that he represents something much different than the traditional analysis of individual candidates.
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One thing that has appealed to Republican primary voters and helped Donald Trump win the GOP nomination is the fiction that the spray-tanned billionaires campaign was self-funded.

Trump has never been shy when it comes to boasting about it:

Unfortunately, his claim has always been misleading at best and a complete lie at worst.

A large majority of the cash used to fund Trumps candidacy was money he loaned to his campaign, meaning he can recover it later. Not to mention the fact that almost $3 million of his campaign expenditures went to companies owned by or connected to Trump.

Its very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it, the former reality show host told Fortune in 2000.

In many ways, Trump has actually been able to realize his dream of using a White House run to turn a profit. He certainly hasnt been losing money in a selfless attempt to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

Still, many of his supporters take him at his word and believe the self-funding fantasy is evidence that Trump will never be beholden to any interest other than the American people.

Of course, thats nonsense because Trump has never been interested in the well-being of anybody but himself and his own interests  his 2016 self-promotion campaign has done nothing to change that  but the self-funding lie is one that will finally die in his upcoming general election battle against Hillary Clinton.

Through the fall campaign, Trump now says he will use what he has so often called the corrupt campaign finance system to raise up to $1 billion for himself and the Republican establishment he incessantly berated since announcing his presidential bid.

According to a New York Times report out Friday, billionaire business magnate and big GOP donor Sheldon Adelson also plans to shell out more money to help elect Trump  over $100 million  than he has for any Republican campaign in the past.

Even though it was a dubious claim from the start, Trump will no longer be able to pretend he is using his own bank account to fund his presidential campaign. And, as it turns out, Trump may even use some of the cash raised during his upcoming general election contest to pay back any of the money he did happen to spend during primary season  what a sweet deal that is.

When all is said and done in 2016, theres a good chance that Donald Trump  a man whose campaign was successful in large part because of the self-funding lie  may end up not spending a single dime of his own money.

Self-funded? Dont kid yourself.
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Hillary Clinton told an audience in Kentucky that she is planning on pulling former President Bill Clinton out of retirement to lend a hand in revitalizing the economy.

The Washington Posts Abby D. Phillip tweeted from a Clinton campaign event in Kentucky:

Clinton gets specific on the job Bill would have in her WH: "My husband, who Im going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy"  Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) May 15, 2016

Putting the former president in charge of revitalizing the economy would be the perfect use of Bill Clintons talents. Bill Clinton could play the role of First Gentleman, but when you have a former president who is synonymous with economic success, it would be foolish not to use him as an asset in her Clinton administration.

Republicans cant offer voters anything like the promise that Bill Clinton will be put back to work to build on the economic progress of the Obama years. What Republicans are offering is a novice candidate who plans on tearing everything down that has been achieved since the great recession and giving an $3.2 trillion tax cut to millionaires and billionaires.

Hillary Clintons willingness to discuss what role Bill will fill in her administration should frighten Republicans on many levels. In the corner of the Democratic nominee will the last two presidents who oversaw economic turnarounds. On the Republican side, Trump will be running with the party that caused the Great Recession.

Forget the White House Easter Egg Roll; Bill Clinton might be coming back to the White House to help the former Sec. of State kick the nations economy into overdrive.
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Per an Oct. 21 news story in this publication, lawyers for two Hawaii-based doctors have filed their answer to the brief submitted by the Off Read moreLooking at data, abortion doctors have nothing to fear on Guam
An anchor is either the mainstay of an enterprisethink anchorman in a mile-relay or in a TV broadcastbut it is also what holds you in one place and prevents movement. If a boat anchor is tied around your neck, it takes you to the bottom.

Seldom has the ambiguity or contrasting meaning of anchor been more apt than in the case of Bill Clinton. Politico reported Friday about the Big Dogs latest travails on the campaign trail on behalf of Hillary, including the continuing heckling he gets from leftists over the crime bill of 1994the one that Democrats everywhere are rushing to repudiate:

But he also has been criticized for having lost his magic on the stump, knocked by loyal foot soldiers for talking more about his own record than about his wife, and left by his wifes campaign to defend himself against a steady drumbeat of criticism of the 1994 crime bill, a significant part of his legacy. Hes also emerged as a prime target for Donald Trump, who has branded him an abuser of women.

Yes indeed, good times ahead.

But buried in the story is this remarkable sentence: President Clinton had a 53% favorability rating in a January Washington Post poll.

Fifty-three percent approval rating!? That is astonishingly low for an ex-president. We always like to think well of our former presidents, and usually do after the passage of time. This is 13 points lower than his public approval rating the day he left office in 2001 (before the corrupt pardons came to light a couple days later*). I think George W. Bush is polling higher than this right now. Looks like maybe the Clinton scandals are taking a toll. It may also be a proxy measure for how far left the Democratic Party is now heading; they are turning their backs on the record of the most successful postwar Democratic president.

Meanwhile, out in Nevada yesterday Hillary struggledand may well have used some strong-armed tactics (or used boat anchors around the transport of some Sanders supporters)to eke out a narrow two-delegate delegate edge over Sanders in the state Democratic convention. The Sanders camp is crying foul, but I like this little detail:

The entire convention was plagued by problems, as Sanders supporters decried various voice vote decisions, the delegate counts and booed Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

They booed Babs Call-Me-Senator Boxer? Maybe shes just jealous that Sanders has poached her home turf as the most crazed leftist in the Senate.

* The media, but certainly Trump in a debate, ought to make a point of asking Hillary what her pardon policy would be as president, given her husbands reckless use of the power. A nice little reminder of another chapter of Clinton corruption.

UPDATE: Theres video of Boxer.
Im back from my trip to New Europe, specifically to Prague and Krakow. I highly recommend both cities to potential tourists, and I find the concept of New Europe apt.

Poland and the Czech Republic suffered grievously from the two great scourges of the 20th century  Nazism and Communism. So far, they have avoided the scourge of the present century  radical Islam.

They have avoided it because Muslims are scarcely present in Poland and the Czech Republic. Other than one tour group, we saw no one in either Prague or Krakow who looked to be of Middle Eastern or Northern African origin. We did see a Syrian-Lebanese restaurant in Krakow, so there is some Middle Eastern presence. However, the contrast with Brussels and Munich, both of whose airports we used, was striking.

But the EU, by which I mostly mean Germany, is working to insert Muslims into Poland and the Czech Republic. While we were in Prague, word came of proposed reforms to EU asylum rules that would impose stiff financial penalties on countries refusing to take their share of Syrian asylum seekers. The countries in question include Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

All four denounced the EUs reforms, and with good reason. Its one thing for the EU to dictate banking rules or antitrust policy. Its quite another to tell a nation whom it must allow to settle inside its borders.

The number of refugees in question isnt that large. Poland, as I understand it, will be required to take in about 7,000 (or else pay stiff fines). However, its impossible effectively to vet many of these folks. Thus, theres a good chance that some will be potential terrorists.

The Polish artist who told me these arent refugees, these are fighters was wrong in the main. But he may well be right in a few cases. And a few Islamist fighters can inflict great harm.

In addition, even if there were no immediate risk of terrorism, Poles and Czechs are justifiably concerned about the future. Often it is the children of Muslim immigrants who turn to violence. Their parents may be fairly grateful to have found refuge, but their offspring tend to grow up frustrated and resentful.

Finally, the EUs proposal sets a dangerous precedent. If Germany and its allies can coerce Poland into taking 7,000 residents today, whos to say they wont force it to accept 70,000 tomorrow?

The refugee quotas imposed by Germany and its allies are based on population and economic size, not on national interest. But it is perceived national interest that led Germany to invite Syrian refugees. The country faces a looming crisis because Germans arent reproducing at anything close to replacement levels. Thus, theres an advantage to taking in refugees (whether taking them in is advantageous on balance is another question).

But Poland obtains no such advantage from refugees. When Germany first agreed to take in Syrians, I pointed to a Washington Post report about how Eastern Germanys population is in massive decline, but as soon as you reach the Polish border, the trend is reversed.

For its part, Krakow seems awash in children. Walking through the citys streets and its parks, one gets the impression that many residents have declined to stop at two.

I suspect that religion goes a long way towards explaining the difference between Germany and Poland when it comes to bearing children. Krakow, the city that gave the world Pope John Paul II, is awash not just in children but also in priests and nuns. Church attendance appears to be strong, and not just on Sunday.

Whatever the explanation, Poland doesnt need Syrian refugees the way Germany does. As far as I can tell, it doesnt need them at all.

Nor, unlike Germany, should Poland or the Czech Republic feel a need to atone for past crimes against humanity. They were not the perpetrators of such crimes; among nations, Poland was the main victim.

Without Germany, there would have been no Nazi occupation of Poland and Czechoslovakia. Without the Nazi occupation, there likely would have been no Iron Curtain behind which Poland and Czechoslovakia suffered for more than 40 years.

Germany has done enough harm to the Poles and the Czechs. It should not now be coercing them into accepting immigrants who, almost inevitably, will include radical Islamists.

Old Europe should let New Europe be New Europe.
There is no gainsaying that the Kannywood movie industry has developed in terms of quality of scripting, acting skills and technical approach to movie production.

PREMIUM TIMES Mohammed Lere spoke to Halima Adamu Yahaya, the industrys first female award-winning actress, and she reflected on that progress.

PT: We understand that you were the first Kannywood actress to win the first ever best actress award in the early days of the Kannywood. How did you do that?

Halima: Yes I was, even though I cannot remember which year it was, but it was actually in the 90s.

PT: Were you actually the best at that time?

Halima: I think I was, because the organizers chose me based on what they thought was the best.

PT: How would you rate making movies in your days and now?

Halima: In those days we did not have the equipment like they do now, but one thing we did differently was we produced and acted movies that were pure educational. We watched our dialoguing, costumes, and we actually stuck to the northern culture.

Even when we sang in our movies, we sang meaningful songs and we made sure everything was done in tune with our religion and culture.

Remunerations was basically poor if you compare to what actors collect now in the industry. Yet we were happy doing it as a career.

Now they do not put all those things into consideration. They act however way they want whether it makes sense or not. For me I think it is the money that matters for most of them.

PT: Can you tell us some of your colleagues at that time and the movies you acted?

Halima: Yes some of my colleagues at that time are still acting in present time but mostly in fatherly roles. There is Late Hawwa Ali Dodo, Hindatu Bashir, Halisa Mohammed and Aisha Kiyaddadani.

In the male side, there is Shehu Hassan Kano, Tahir Fage, Ibrahim Mandawari and others. I acted in films like Mukaddari, Sabani, Kara da Kiyashi and others.

PT: What do you do now?

I am now a teacher in a Government Primary School in Rimin Gado Local Government Area, and I teach Arabic and Islamic Studies.

PT: Tell us about your family life.

Halima: I am a married woman with nine children. My husband is a civil servant and very loving. He is very kind, nice and always there for me all through our marriage life till now.

PT: Would you allow any of your child to act now?

Halima: Yes if they want to, but it has to be that they understand why they are there and what they should do as actors because everything is not just like the way we left it.

PT: Ali Nuhu is also one of the oldest Kannywood stars, what would you say about him?

Halima: Yes Ali was a good actor even when he started but we are like his elder ones. He respected us very well as his seniors in the industry. I was in the first film he produced from the stable of his records that time. I think it was in 1998 or 1999.

Ali Nuhu is a marvellous actor.

PT: What would you advise present actors and actresses?

Halima: I will only wish them well and remind them to always remember where they came from especially in physical appearances. How they dress in films and their relationships with people.

PT: Thank you.

Halima: You are welcome.
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that there was no credible intelligence linking Boko Harams source of weaponry to the Islamic State.

Boko Haram last year pledged allegiance to IS, the group based in Iraq and Syria but which has carried out terror attacks in several parts of the world.

While fielding questions from journalists at the closing of the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja, Mr. Buhari said the claim that Boko Haram was getting its arms and ammunition from IS remained unsubstantiated.

He said a major source of the groups sophisticated weaponry was from the various military and police bases attacked at the peak of the insurgency in the affected countries.

The type of weapons they are using, I believe were the ones taken from military bases they attacked at the peak of the insurgency especially in Nigeria, the Nigerian leader said.

If you recall they attacked military bases and carted away weapons, they attacked police stations and broke into their armouries, that was how they got the kind of weapons they have been using to fight.

Frankly, up till now we dont have firm intelligence of what IS has been able to send to Boko Haram in terms of weapons or even money.

But the fact that they said they are affiliated to IS has made many people to believe that they were getting weapons from ISIS, he said.

Mr. Buhari allayed fears that members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, JTF, helping in the counter-insurgency operation in the North East would constitute threat to security in their various communities.

He said the Civilian JTF were carefully constituted by the various state governments, stressing that there was a broad plan to rehabilitate them in governments post insurgency programme.

Over 20,000 people have been killed since the Boko Haram insurgency began in North-East Nigeria in 2009. Millions of others were also displaced by the insurgency although some of them have returned to their communities since Nigerian troops began reclaiming territory from the insurgents.

In a related development, some representatives of foreign governments and international organisations have pledged their continued support for the Lake Chad basin counter-terrorism effort.

They stressed the need for the international community to close ranks with countries of the Lake Chad basin to tackle the root causes of terrorism and the general development of the region.

The United Kingdoms Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Harmmon, said his country had committed a lot of resources in tackling terrorism in the Chad Basin and Nigeria in particular.

Mr. Harmmon said UK would improve its support for Nigerias counter-terrorism efforts through intelligence sharing, training of members of the armed forces and supply of military hardware.

On his part, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken said the United States had been supportive of Nigerias counter-terrorism war in the past two years.

He pledged the USs commitment to improved support to the Nigerian military and to the governments post insurgency plan.

Mr. Blinken said more military equipment would be supplied to Nigeria to counter Boko Haram and to help in sustaining the gains that have been recorded in the war against insurgency.

He, however, warned that the battle against terrorism was far from over as much would be required to win the war as well as the peace.

The Vice President of the European Union, Federica Mogherini said the EU had committed 50 million to support the Multi National Joint Task Force.

He said the EU remained committed to the peace process in the Lake Chad region as well as the resuscitation of economic and social activities in the region.

The Presidents of France, Senegal, Niger, Chad, Gabon, Cameroon as well as representatives of other partners attended the summit.
A former Kano State governor who was accused of helping to distribute N950 million in the #Dasukigate scandal has said he is not being politically victimised.

Mr. Shekarau, a founding member of Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, few months to the 2015 elections.

He was recently arrested by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, amid allegations that he helped distribute N950 million to top Kano and other northern politicians in the build-up to the elections.

The money is believed to be part of the $2.1 billion arms fund allegedly mismanaged by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Mr. Dasuki and some other officials of the previous administration are already being prosecuted for their roles in the scam popularly referred as #Dasukigate.

On Sunday, Mr. Shekarau, who also served as Education Minster under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, said his arrest and detention by the EFCC has no political undertone.

While addressing journalists at a news conference in Kano, he said what happened to me could happen to anybody and it was only godly for me to accept my fate, good or bad.

He, however, insisted that he was ready to spend the next 10 years in the Commissions custody to prove his innocence.

I am not suspecting any political undertone in my arrest but rather regard it as an act of God to test my faith.

I was told that one of the beneficiaries of the N950 million in question implicated me; that I was given N25 million as my share of the money but could not state where, how and when.

Mr. Shekarau, who thanked his supporters, said he was not suspecting anybody behind his ordeal.

The former minister was arrested by EFCC on Thursday in his house at Mundubawa, Kano metropolis.

He was alleged to have collected N25 million as his own share of the money and consequently quizzed by the Commission.

At Sundays conference, Mr. Shekarau did not explain his exact role in the distribution of the funds.
The embattled Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, has apologised to aggrieved leaders of the party over statements credited to him by his aides.

Mr. Sheriff offered the apology at a media briefing in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital on Sunday.

As a well cultured and astute politician, I would never make any comment that would ridicule the party, he said.

A former Minister of Information and a founding member of the PDD, Jerry Gana, had last week led a group of other leading members to announce the takeover of the party from Mr. Sheriff.

Mr. Gana, who appeared to head a group within the PDP called Concerned Stakeholders, met on Thursday at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja.

After the meeting, which was co-chaired by a former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, a former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, and media mogul, Raymond Dokpesi, a communique was released rejecting the decision of the partys National Executive Committee, NEC, to extend the tenure of Mr. Sheriff to May 21, 2016.

The group said as far they were concerned, the tenure of the National Working Committee, NWC, expired on March 24, 2016.

The group said a national convention should have been held to either elect a new NWC or approve the composition of a caretaker committee.

In a swift reaction, Mr. Sheriffs aide, Inuwa Bwala, told journalists at the partys national secretariat in Abuja that the Jerry Gana group was out to cause mischief.

He also accused the group of coming up with gimmicks to divert attention from the effects of what they did in the past leading to the squandering of the fortunes of the party.

Unfortunately, among such groups are self-styled elders and stakeholders led by Professor Jerry Gana. I have seen him sweating on television, playing with language but at the end of the day saying nothing.

I want to specifically say we kept sealed lips about some of the activities of this man believing that we could still find a rendezvous at which we could work together for the progress of the PDP. I must say, and there are witnesses that this is one character that attempts to play a role in every government since the time of the military, Mr. Bwala said.

He also accused Mr. Gana of collecting a loan of N500 million on behalf of the party but which was not accounted for, threatening to drag the former minister before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

But while addressing journalists in Jalingo, Mr. Sheriff said it was not in his character to join issues with highly respected elders of the party.

He denied ever authorising his aides or political associates to react to issues raised by aggrieved elders of the party.

Mr. Sheriff said that the aggrieved members of the party reserved the right to complain about issues affecting the party which they considered inimical to the progress of the PDP.

He, therefore, urged any aggrieved members to bury the hatchet and join hands with the present leadership to rebuild the party and restore the confidence of Nigerians in it.

He also noted that the PDP as the main opposition party in the country could not afford to have a divided house and appealed to members to work for the unity of the party at all times.

He explained that the present leadership of the party was poised to lend a listening ear to all shades of opinions with a view to strengthening it to face the challenges ahead.

He maintained that the battle for 2019 general elections had started in earnest, adding that the party could not afford to remain divided if the desired goal was to be achieved.

Under our leadership and the support and encouragement of stakeholders and supporters, PDP will definitely bounce back in 2019, Mr. Sheriff said.
Nigeria and France have signed five bilateral agreements on Cultural, Scientific Education and Technical Cooperation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said on Saturday.

Mr. Onyeama, who made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja, said the five bilateral agreements were signed in a closed-door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the visiting French President, Francois Hollande.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The minister stated that the agreements, MoU, included three with governments agencies and two for the private sector.

There was an MoU for the cultural, scientific education and technical cooperation and this was between the French government and Nigerian government.

There was MoU between the French Development Agency and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

There was another agreement between the Finance Ministry and this was with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria.

So, those are the three agreements with governments institutions and there were two private sector agreements.

There was one again with the French Development Agency and Zenith Bank, which was represented by its chairman, among other, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the French President Hollande also confirmed the signing of the agreements during a joint news conference with President Muhammadu Buhari after the closed door bilateral meeting between Nigeria and France.

(NAN)
The Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has called on members of the Peoples Democratic Party to take advantage of what he described as the unimpressive performance of the ruling All Progressives Congress to regain power in 2019.

The governor spoke on Saturday at the southwest zonal congress of the party which held at the International Conference Centre in Akure.

He said the future of the PDP depended on the action and inaction of the southwest chapter of the party.

Mr. Mimiko noted that PDP in the zone occupied strategic position in Nigerian political realm.

He said the southwest remained the leading light of politics in Nigeria, calling on the leadership of the party to stand up for what is right and be consistent with the history of progressivism that the zone was known for.

He also appealed to the leadership of the party to stand firm because of the tedious task ahead of them, calling on other members of the party to be united and committed to its success in the future elections.

In his remarks, the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, said the party would do well if all members come together as one.

He also cautioned the judiciary not to allow itself to be used by those who want to cause disunity in the party.

There are people who cannot win elections, but would want to attain power through the use of the courts, he noted.

He also accused the federal government of reversing all the achievements of the last administration, arguing that the countrys fortunes had dwindled after the All Progressives Congress, APC, took over.

The congress elected Eddy Olafeso from Ondo State as the national Vice chairman, south west, of the party.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday urged Ecowas member states and other Western allies to give countries of the Lake Chad Basin financial support for effective implementation of the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan, LCDCRAP.

Mr. Buhari said an estimated 916 million is required for meaningful implementation of the plan, which, he said, is crucial to reducing the high poverty rate in the basin, a major factor in the recruitment of terrorists.

Mr. Buharis comments came when he hosted his counterparts from West African countries, as well as the President of France, Francois Hollande, and representatives of United States, United Kingdom, European Union and China for the concluding session of a two-day regional security summit in Abuja.

Implementing the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan, which was submitted to donor countries and organization at the Conference of Parties (COP 21) side event on the Lake Chad, therefore, remains a vital challenge, Mr. Buhari said.

Saturdays summit, aimed at boosting cooperation between Nigeria, its West African neighbours and other allies to defeat Boko Haram, held two years after a similar one was convened by Mr. Hollande in Paris, and the leaders reviewed the gains recorded in the fight against Boko Haram since then.

Since the first meeting held, we have defeated Boko Haram and secluded them into a small enclave in Sambisa Forest, Mr. Buhari said.

Mr. Hollande echoed Mr. Buharis position, but added that there wasl a need for greater cooperation amongst stakeholders, promising more cooperation in counter-insurgency, training and equipment as well as intelligence gathering and distribution.

France will share intelligence, help in counterinsurgency training and provide equipment to countries in fight against Boko Haram, Mr. Hollande said. On this issue of Boko Haram, when there is threat to a country in Africa, there is a threat in France.

Antony Blinken, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State, said the event highlighted Nigerias influence as a regional power.

This is an evidence of the strength of the Nigerian leadership, with the effort that the President and the Vice President are making to strengthen the economy, fight corruption and deal with the security challenges.

Representatives of European Union, United Kingdom and China also pledged their support towards the final eradication of Boko Haram.

Federica Mogherini, Vice President of the European Commission, said the organisation had concluded plans to contribute an initial 50 million to support the countries ravaged by Boko Haram.

Mr. Buhari called for a focus on key aspects of the recommendations made by different committees set up by Ecowas during the event, saying they needed to identify and address all shortcomings as the war against Boko Haram winds down.

We must take the opportunity this summit presents to evaluate the successes we have achieved, consolidate the gains, identify any shortcomings we have experienced and then draw important lessons.

Foreign heads of state present at the summit include: Paul Biya, Cameroon, Faure Gnassingbe, Togo, Patrice Talon, Benin, Macky Sall, Senegal, Teodoro Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea and Mahamadou Issoufou,Niger, Idriss Deby, Chad and Ali-Bongo Ondimba, Gabon.
The President of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State, Margee Ensign, has called on vice chancellors of Nigerian universities to support the bill banning sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.

Dr. Ensign made the call in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, a day before the university began activities marking its 8th Commencement (2016 Class).

She was speaking against the backdrop of a bill currently being considered at the National Assembly to check sexual harassment and abuses in Nigerias tertiary institutions.

When passed into law, offenders would be liable on conviction to a maximum of five-year jail term without an option of fine.

The proposed law, which is sponsored by Ovie Omo-Agege (Labour Party -Delta Central) and co-sponsored by 46 other senators, seeks to completely prohibit any form of sexual relationship between lecturers and students.

Briefing journalists on the bill, Mr. Omo-Agege had said the nations institutions of higher learning must be sanitised to rid them of lecturers who see female students as prize.

According to him, when the bill is passed and signed into law, any lecturer found guilty will be liable to a jail term of up to five years but not less than two years without an option of fine.

Speaking on the matter, the AUN president said the proposed law was a step in the right direction, saying it would bring sanity to tertiary education in the country.

Although she said she hadnt read the specifics of the planed law, Ms. Ensign expressed the hope that it would address the growing cases of sexual abuse and harassment in the countrys universities.

I hope it (new law) focuses on sexual harassment. In my six years here as president, I have seen that there is a culture in some places where girls are considered as free game, she said.

I have found situations where some male faculty feel they have the power to sexually harass and abuse females students in their classes. To me, that is completely unacceptable and I hope it is criminalized.

She argued that vice chancellors and heads of tertiary institutions in the country have enormous responsibility to make the learning environment conducive for students irrespective of gender.

Dr. Ensign argued that it was criminal for faculty members to frighten students and cause them to believe they had to give something in return for grades.

She, therefore, called on vice chancellors and heads of tertiary institutions in the country to come together and lobby the National Assembly to pass the bill into law.

I am glad this is finally happening in Nigeria and I cant imagine anyone would be opposed to this legislation, she said.

On how AUN has tackled sexual abuse and harassment, Dr. Ensign said the university had developed a code of conduct right from inception for its faculty, students and staff.

Continuing, she said, AUN has always had a code of conduct for faculty from its beginning 12 years ago and it forbids any sexual contact or harassment of females whether they are students or security guards.

We have done training for our male and female students so that they really understand what sexual harassment means, what their rights are and what to do if they are confronted.

I tell our female students, if you have a concern and you are meeting with someone, turn your phone on and record your conversation.

I hate to admit it, but we have had that happen in the AUN, and as soon as the student presents the recording to me, the faculty member or the person involved gets a query and then a hearing and usually goes very quickly.

She deplored cultures and practices that debase and dehumanise women and drew attention to the situation in Pakistan, where women are made to go through what is called honour killing.

Pakistan is an example of how gruesome women are treated in a culture that encourages honor killing. A young girl was burnt to death. While thats not happening in Nigeria, young girls are being married off at very young age and it ruins them forever physically and emotionally, she argued.

I think it is a defining moment for Nigerians and I am proud of the many senators who co-sponsor the new legislation. I call on all vice chancellors to join us at the AUN and lobby for the passage of this bill.
A federal lawmaker has identified policy paths that can be taken by the government to cushion the effects of the new petrol price of N145.

Ahmed Kaita, an All Progressives Congress member of the House of Representatives, said on Sunday that he supported the new price regime as compelled by the prevailing realities; but Government should intervene to reduce the effects on the masses.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, he identified the three paths of intervention as spending on infrastructure, food pricing, and direct social interventions.

But there are no quick fixes, said the lawmaker who represents Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada constituency of Katsina State.

100 percent I support the new price regime.

If we really want a sustainable economy in line with the change agenda of ending corruption, enriching few and waste to give more money to human and capital development, we must brace up and do what is right.

As it is compelled by our current realities resulting from forex shortage due to oil market crisis, what is right is allowing some degree market freedom, removing subsidy and capping the price to allow investors make gains without exploiting the people, Mr. Kaita said.

He continued, It will hurt and we must live under no illusion that there will be quick fixes.

CUSHIONING EFFECTS

The money freed up from subsidy removal should be invested massively in infrastructure, Mr. Kaita said.

Thats already in the budget signed by the President. Release funds with focus on infrastructures like road, rail system and power should be immediate so as to relief citizens and ameliorate conditions of the poor.

Second, the lawmaker said, is food pricing. Prices of food items are going up and some items like tomato are scarce, making things hard. Government has reserves from which we must release to the market. This was done on tomato there weeks ago. Federal Government should collaborate with states so that taxes on food and agricultural products can be reviewed to bring prices down. Thats directly helping people avoid difficulty.

He added that Federal Government should also immediately

execute N500 billion social intervention programmes approved in the 2016 budget.

This contains jobs, social safety allowance for the most vulnerable people, free schooling for science students, soft loan to traders. Like the Budget and Planning Minister, Udo Udoma said spending on infrastructure would begin immediately.

We must also release funds for execution of this first social intervention immediately to support the citizens and cushion effects of the price regime of petrol, he said.

Mr. Kaita expressed opposition to the planned strike by Nigerian Labour Congress set to commence on Wednesday.

Where were they when the economy was being messed up for sixteen years?

He disclosed that about 68 APC lawmakers had been meeting since Saturday to ensure National Assembly support the new price regime despite suspicion of opposition by the speaker (Yakubu Dogara) who may want to toe the PDP line which is his main support base in terms of his position.

While addressing the National Council of Ulamas of the Jamatu Izalatil Bidah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah last week, Mr. Dogara had said he would not give opinion on the new petrol price until the matter was brought to House. He, however, assured the government would not deliberately inflict hardship on people.

But Mr. Kaita said the Speaker should have defended the policy since he is a leader of the ruling party in the House to show his loyalty to the party and Government.
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has reacted to a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report detailing how he spent N260 million days after he was sworn into office.

Mr. Bello, who reacted through his Chief Press Secretary, Kingsley Fanwo, described the report as libelous, but did not deny that the funds were drawn.

In a statement signed by Mr. Fanwo, the governor said PREMIUM TIMES investigation into the spendings was a clear abuse of the right to information. He claimed that this newspaper erred when it said the money was squandered.

The use of the word squander, as far as I am concerned, is a clear abuse of the right to information. Every dime spent by the governor can be accounted for, Mr. Fanwo said.

He, however, refused to provide details of how the funds were used.

Mr. Fanwo said the governor drew the funds to tackle security challenges in the state which he said was a hotbed for criminals for over a decade due to its strategic location.

It is a public knowledge that Kogi State has been contending with serious security breach for the past ten years, he said.

Because of the location of the state as gateway to many states of the federation, the state drifted into a criminal hotbed.

He explained that he took shelter in his private residence for weeks after he assumed office due to the poor state he met Lugard Government House, Lokoja, saying he used part of the funds to renovate his official residence.

The award of contract to renovate the Government House was justifiable. Weeks after his inauguration, Governor Yahaya Bello was operating from his home because the Government House wasnt conducive. The award was to renovate Government House and not his personal house.

If you have ever been to the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, you will appreciate the rot of the architecture. It was not befitting of one of the most historic government houses in Nigeria. In tandem with the present administrations drive to turn the economy of the state to a private sector driven one, we need to start our charity at home. People must love to come to our Government House to transact businesses.

Mr. Fanwo said the governor was committed to fighting corruption and enabling transparency in his administration.

Let me also put on record that the Governor Yahaya Bello administration is contractually committed to fighting corruption and enthroning transparency in the polity. These are the terms of his social contract with the Kogi people, his spokesperson said.

PREMIUM TIMES had on Friday published an exclusive story that detailed how Mr. Bello, appropriated over N260 million to himself shortly after assuming office on January 27.

The report showed that on Mr. Bellos first day in office, the Permanent Secretary in the Government House, Ilemona John, initiated a memo titled, Request For Security Fund.

In the document, Mr. Bello was requested to approve N15 million as his security fund.

He approved the payment of the fund two days later, on January 29.

The Government House Permanent Secretary raised yet another memo just four days later on February 2, with a fresh request for security fund. This time, the amount was jerked to N20 million.

The governor did not waste time as he gave prompt approval for the release of the funds on the same day.

It however became apparent that the money was not enough because Mr. John again raised another memo for the release of more security funds the following day, February 3.

In the new memo, Mr. Bello was requested to approve the release of the sum of Five Million naira (N5, 000,000, 00) only for the replenishment of your Excellencys security fund which has just been exhausted.

Mr. Bello granted approval immediately.

Not done, the permanent secretary who is a Reverend Pastor, quickly returned with another request on the same day (February 3, 2016) seeking Mr. Bello to release another N20 million for the replenishment of his security fund which has just been exhausted.

The governor did not hesitate to give the approval for the release of the funds.

Five days later, on February 8, the Permanent Secretary, again initiated a memo indicating that Mr. Bellos security fund had yet again been exhausted and sought approval for N100 million to be released to replenish it.

Governor Bello granted approval the following day, February 9.

A few hours later on February 9, Mr. John raised another memo informing his principal that the security fund he approved hours earlier had been exhausted and that he needed to approve another N100 Million.

Mr. Bello readily granted approval on the same day.

PREMIUM TIMES cannot say exactly how much has so far been spent as security funds, but documents obtained so far indicate that between January 27 and May 12, Kogi State taxpayers could have coughed out billions to their governor.
The Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, plans to re-open its radio station, to serve as source of information to its host communities.

The Rector of the Institution, Masud Elelu, told journalists on Sunday in Ilorin that Radio Polytechnic was shut down in 1982.

My administration decided to revamp it for the purpose of disseminating information within the campus and the host communities.

According to him, the institution needs N50 million to register the radio station with the National Broadcasting Commission, for transmission rights.

The rector disclosed that the institution would commence soon Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication course.

In the same vein, additional five science courses had been presented to the National Board for Technical Education, for approval.

Mr. Elelu stated that more than 300 staff of the polytechnic had undergone different forms of training in Nigeria and abroad.

He reaffirmed the determination of the management of the institution to encourage training and retraining of its workforce, to enhance effective teaching and learning.

(NAN)
Governors of the North West zone on Sunday met in Kaduna to articulate a common policy on the economic development of the area.

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai, said that the seven governors had received a report of experts they set up to suggest ways of reviving the economy of the seven states in the zone.

He said that the governors had received the first report of experts on the development of agriculture in the zone.

The first report was on the development of Agriculture; we decided to have the meeting with the governors and the experts plus the financial institutions that are lending in the agricultural sector.

We spent few hours discussing their report and recommendation to revive, boost and promote agriculture in the seven states of the North West

This is a new government with commitment to improve on the life of the people. I am sure, I am confident with the commitment of the governors, we will make a difference,  he said.

Also commenting, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State said the governors would later unveil details on the policy and the structure to actualize the dream of people of the North West.

Our aspiration is to put North West back in terms of being an economically independent region, he said.

Governors at the meeting were Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto , Aminu Masari of Katsina, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, as well as Deputy Governor of Zamfara, Ibrahim Wakkala.

(NAN)
The Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, has inaugurated a development tribunal, charged with the responsibility to ensure that the state government collects appropriate taxes and rates on landed properties and corporate businesses in the state.

Bayelsa, like most states in Nigeria, have been experiencing cash crunch due to the global fall in oil prices. There have been delays in the payment of workers salaries in the oil-rich state.

The era in which Bayelsa depended on oil was gone, Mr. Dickson said on Thursday, while inaugurating the seven-man Physical Planning and Development Tribunal in Yenagoa.

Mr. Dickson said payment of tax was a moral responsibility for every citizen, and that henceforth tax defaulters would be brought before the tribunal to face the law.

The governor urged citizens who have grievances to approach the tribunal.

States that have robust internally generated revenue are the ones that take their tax systems seriously, Mr. Dickson said.

Bayelsans doing business outside should come in and invest and own properties, because development is a collective responsibility. Those who are building without obtaining the necessary permit must stop forthwith, as every business must be done according to the laid down laws and procedures.

The governor expressed confidence in the ability of the tribunal members to do their job diligently and in accordance with the law. He warned them not to use arm-twisting tactics in dealing with defaulters.

The chairman of the tribunal is James Lockie. The other members are Selegha Gow, Preye Ineididie, Ngosigha Duobo, Nathaniel Godknows, Stella Raine and Nestor Onyibo.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Emmanuel Ojukwu, has warned people spreading rumour of impending attack of some communities in the state to desist from it, saying there was no substance in the story.

In a statement signed by the police spokesperson in the command, Ebere Amaraizu, on Sunday, Mr. Ojukwu said that anybody found to be spreading the rumour would be prosecuted.

The statement was sequel to media report that some communities in the state would be attacked by suspected herdsmen.

Describing the reports as rumour, Mr. Ojukwu said that they were capable of causing panic and fear in law abiding citizens of the state.

He, however, said that measures had been put in place for the safety and security of communities through relevant partnership with stakeholders to ensure that there was peace across the state.

Rumour mongering creates fear and panic in minds of people even when there is nothing to fear about as command is ready to ensure safety and security of the citizens of the state, he said.

He advised members of the public with useful information to reach the nearest police division through any fast means

The commissioner said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, had dispatched a high-powered Investigative Team from Force Criminal Investigations Department, Abuja, to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the Nimbo killings.

Several people were recently killed in Nimbo community of Enugu by suspected herdsmen.

(NAN)
The German Government has committed three million Euros to assist Ogun State Government in developing its agricultural and construction sectors through demand-oriented vocational training programme.

Horst Bauernfeind of the German agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), made this known in Abeokuta on Sunday at a news conference.

He added that the gesture was part of an ongoing development cooperation between Nigeria and Germany, based on a 1974 bilateral agreement signed by the two countries.

The German explained that the programme, which would run concurrently in Ogun and Plateau for two years, was already at the pilot stage in the two states.

He noted that the objective of the programme was to enhance the employability of young Nigerians through skill acquisition made possible by demand-oriented vocational training.

The GIZ official, who said that the programme would start with the construction sector, noted that it would offer training in vocations like bricklaying, plumbing, wielding, carpentry and electrical installations.

MY team had already embarked on assessment tour of vocational centres and technical colleges in Ogun State to identify possible gaps and areas of needs.

We have also organised a workshop on vocational skills development for the construction industry to aggregate the demands of the stakeholders and develop a programme strategy,  he said.

Mr. Bauernfeind said the programme would focus on improving the personnel and professional capacities of selected training providers to design and implement labour market relevant vocational training.

He said that they also intended to strengthen the role of the private sector in the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

We also aim at improving the quality of in-company training and learning at the work places of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), he said.

The National TVET expert for Ogun, Ibrahim Aliyu, who said that GIZ would provide soft tools, added that other major equipment would be supplied by the host state.

He called for support from the government, the private sector and the members of the public, saying the project is a joint task.

Hafsat Abiola-Castelo, the Special Assistant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Trade and Investment, pledged governments support for the programme.

She said many states in the country had for a long time focused on formal education at the expense of skilled vocational training, which she said the country needed to grow its economy.

There is a gap between what we need and what is available.

The jobs are there but we lack the requisite skill to fill the vacancies and that is why we import labour from other countries every year, while our young ones waste away.

The trend has to stop because it has restricted opportunities from the youths and has continued to breed insecurity in our societies,  she said.

Mrs. Abiola-Castelo, who acknowledged the dwindling financial resources of the state, said that the government would involve the private sector in the provision of the necessary hardware for the training.

We can no longer afford to distance the private sector from vocational education because they stand to benefit from its funding if they must reduce their budget on training and provision of security, she said.

(NAN)
Busan Contents Market 10th anniversary edition finished with good sensations among most of the participants, with many companies attending for the first time and the whole community of Korean distributors taking the stage. The final figures brought by the Organizing Committee were 2,200 participants, 60% of them being buyers, from 883 companies and 45 nations.

Some attendees claimed that the market is showing lower figures since 2-3 years ago, but others highlighted its good results. Newcomers from Europe (Talpa, ITV, FremantleMedia, Off the Fence), Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong) and America (USA, Canada, Colombia, Argentina) had close to 20 meetings on average. 80% were new clients. BCM has meant a lot to our Asian business. We will return next year, one of them remarked.

From the buyers point of view, the great advantage is that they can see in Busan the newest Korean dramas in advance. To continue developing as a key tradeshow in the Asian calendar, BCM must become the place Korean distributors choose to launch new series for Asia Pacific. For example, it could be a good idea for the future editions to organize global screenings for buyers.

Seo Jang Ho, head of international sales & acquisitions of CJ E&M, one of the Top 5 distributors from Korea, said: This is an important tradeshow in our calendar. We have met some of our most important clients from China, Japan and South East Asia. We have many new titles, from which stand the romantic triangle Another Miss Oh! and the family drama Dear My Friends. Both hold universal values.

The Organizing Committee is also reinforcing BCM academic calendar, by bringing to Busan special events like MIPAcademy. We have almost 200 producers that received key information and training about how to produce contents. There is a huge movement in the Korean industry, explained Ted Baracos, director of market development, Reed Midem, organizer of MIPTV, MIPCOM and MIPCancun.

Another effort is towards the promotion of other genres like documentaries and animation, in which Korea has also built a good reputation. For instance, The Asia Documentary Awards recognized Memories of Tsunami Videos in the Marine Documentary Category and With or Without You in the International Co-Production Category.

Digital is definitely booming in Asia. As it happens in the most developed markets USA or Europe there are new OTTs, Web TVs or Online Channels all across the continent, and they way they are consolidating is by producing high quality drama series, which are also available for international sales. At Busan, Tencent (China) was buying dramas and formats with two different teams. Also, Sohu (China), iqiyi.com (China and Taiwan), Amazon Japan, Dramafever (Korea) and iFlix (Malaysia), among others.

Co-production is taking place more frequently between Asian economies: Korea started to understand that this could be a great advantage for its regional expansion, especially in markets like China where exists a strong policy to protect local content. Partnering Chinese companies is sometimes the only way to have content broadcast in that key market.

BCM signed several Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chinese entities: Chamber of Commerce for the Private Sector, Shanghai Broadcasting Film & TV Producers Association, Jiayuguan International Short Film Festival and Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, apart from the one rubricated with China Television Drama Production Industry Association, where BCM will co-host Regular Meeting with Drama Industry Representatives between Korea and China that will discuss mutual exchange and broadcasting in both countries.

Fabricio Ferrara, from Busan
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.




ABU DHABI and DUBAI, UAE, May 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Faisal Al Bannai is a featured speaker at the prestigious .GOV Awards in Dubai

DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm headquartered in the UAE, will be addressing the requirement to add resilience to digital infrastructure in order for Dubai to achieve the ambition of becoming the smartest city in the world by 2017.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160515/367693 )



During his featured talk at the forthcoming .Gov Awards gala event taking place in Dubai on 18 May, 2016, DarkMatter CEO, Faisal Al Bannai will emphasise the absolute necessity for robust cyber security defences in order to permit the normal functioning and ultimate prosperity of nations, businesses and individuals.

The awards are designed to recognise best practice in smart government and the .Gov publication aims to provide its readers with both the inspiration and information they require to realise governments' vision of creating an e-society.

The UAE has received global recognition for having cities that are amongst the 'smartest' in the world, and Dubai is seeking to become the smartest city on the planet by next year. What lies at the heart of this massive effort is the attainment of happiness for the country's citizens, residents and visitors and the role of the government in converting aspirations into actuality cannot be overstated. Digitisation is a key enabler in achieving this goal and needs to be made resilient to cyber attack.

According to Juniper Research, from 2013 to 2015 cyber crime costs quadrupled, and it is forecast there will be another quadrupling from 2015 to 2019. Last year the research company predicted that the rapid digitisation of consumers' lives and enterprise records will increase the cost of data breaches to US$2.1 trillion globally by 2019, increasing to almost four times the estimated cost of breaches in 2015.

Faisal Al Bannai commented, "If information and data is the life-blood of modern, digitised societies, then government agencies and digital network infrastructure providers are its physicians and pharmacists. That is to say, we are very much the custodians of whether digitisation may be used to uplift the quality of life for all stakeholders, or alternatively witness it resulting in a calamitous system failure that threatens our way of life."

Faisal Al Bannai continued, "Given the central role played by digitisation in delivering prosperity to modern societies, safeguarding this infrastructure and the data transmitted over it is one of the single most important undertakings of our time. An end-to-end, perpetual, pro-active, and informed approach to cyber security is imperative, and I am in no doubt that the key differentiator between cities and nations that succeed in the future compared to those that do not will be their level of cyber security resilience."

DarkMatter is the founding Cyber Security Innovation Partner to the .Gov Awards, and is looking forward to recognising and applauding the tireless efforts of innovative government entities and individuals within them to create and secure the digital platforms on which society may scale new heights.

Already a trusted partner to the UAE Government and other leading entities, DarkMatter is staffed by tier one international cyber experts who develop, manage and deploy the most innovative technologies. Solutions adhere to the company's Cyber Security Life-Cycle, which incorporates a four-stage approach involving planning, detection, protection and recovery, and reinforces its secure business solutions.

DarkMatter is leveraging this experience in the wider market as it looks to serve regional and international clients. The company provides a complete portfolio of cyber security solutions and services to organisations that have sophisticated security requirements, from governments and infrastructure operators to large corporations.

-ENDS-

About DarkMatter

DarkMatter is a company that is transforming the cyber security landscape by providing a complete range of state-of-the-art services and solutions to governments and commercial clients. Its end-to-end expertise extends to:

Governance, Risk and Compliance

We work with public and private entities in all verticals to audit and assess their performance against regulatory standards, helping identify gaps and meet obligations.

Cyber Network Defence

Our elite team of cyber experts, engaged across all competencies and functions, tasked with identifying and responding to the most advanced threats, threat actors, and cyber attacks.

Managed Security Services

We offer a remote monitoring remediation and resolution service that puts the full capabilities and resources of the DarkMatter organisation at the service of our MSS teams. Whether you need a SOC built and operated from scratch or you need assistance in upgrading what you currently have in place, DarkMatter can provide assistance.

Secure Communications

DarkMatter's Secure Communications Suite protects fixed and mobile voice, video, chat, email, file sharing, data communication, as well as device management across various platforms and operating systems.

Infrastructure and System Integration

This area underpins our professional services offering for governments and corporations, providing applications, services and solutions that ensure our clients remain at the forefront of cyber security.

Smart Solutions

We offer a comprehensive security suite of services comprising elements of protection for both homes and businesses: The Connected and Secure Home & Office; Technical Surveillance and Countermeasures; Mobile Peace of Mind; and Trusted Hardware supply.

Staffed by global experts and headquartered in the UAE, DarkMatter provides peace of mind through consulting and project implementations that are scalable to clients of any size and that address any domain of cyber security threat or risk. As a trusted partner to governments and critical infrastructure entities, the firm also works with leading global companies operating in the field of electronic and cyber security.

Agile and innovative, DarkMatter takes a comprehensive approach to helping its clients navigate the complex and ever-evolving world of threat and risk mitigation strategies, tools, policies and systems.

http://www.darkmatter.ae

SOURCE DarkMatter
DUBAI, UAE, May 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

NavLink, an AT&T affiliated company, announces the launch of its Disaster Recovery as a Service in UAE and the Gulf region. NavLink's continuous expansion of services enables it to provide more holistic solutions to its customers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160421/358249LOGO )



Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is an innovative, cloud-based, enterprise-grade replication solution to meet the needs of today's hybrid IT infrastructure. It is the replication and hosting of physical and/or virtual servers by a third party to provide failover in the event of a man-made or natural catastrophe.

"With cyber-attacks and natural disasters on the rise, organizations are finding a need to implement disaster recovery plans to ensure that essential data, platforms and applications are stored and protected in highly secure areas," said Mansour Naufal, V.P. Product Development & Service Enablement, NavLink. "Organizations are opting for various DRaaS methods - in-country and out-of-country DR. The location and security of the servers where information will be stored are as important as securing access to this information."

By using NavLink DRaaS, organizations do not have to invest in and maintain their own off-site DR environment, or invest in a secondary datacenter. Another advantage is the flexibility of DRaaS contracts catering for different business needs. Clients will be able to benefit from reduced investment costs, reliable security, recurrent restoration drill tests, Strict RTO and RPO SLAs, minimized usage of computing resources, and much more.

According to the Ponemon Institute January 2016 Research Report on the Cost of Data Center Outages that was sponsored by Emerson Network Power, the cost from unplanned outage can reach up to US$9000/min, while the number one reason for outages is due to UPS failures, followed by Cybercrime.

Using the NavLink DRaaS solution is a way for organizations to mitigate these risks.

For more info about NavLink DRaaS, download our brochure: http://www.navlink.com/node/54

About NavLink

NavLink, an AT&T affiliated company, is a managed services and cloud provider. Founded in 1996, NavLink was one of the earliest adopters of IP service technology and quickly became a leading name throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Today, businesses are faced with growing challenges to respond efficiently to new digital trends in IT, security and control. NavLink is the trustworthy choice among its growing customers as it continually transforms its services to meet the needs of the digital world. At NavLink we not only ensure peace of mind with end-to-end solutions and 24/7 NOC, we offer our customers opportunities for scalability and maximum ROI.

More information on NavLink can be found at http://www.navlink.com.

SOURCE NavLink
On a bright and unseasonably chilly morning, Sen. Booker and members of the GW community gathered to celebrate the end of the university's 195th academic year. With more than 25,000 people in attendance, Sen. Booker channeled life lessons from his parents, personal triumphs and tragedies in a speech that urged graduates to fight for a better, less cynical future by taking control of their own lives.

'We need to change our world'

"I'm tired of this call in our country for this idea of tolerancethat is not the aspiration," Sen. Booker said. "We have a nation right now that seems to think the greatest and highest achievement is for us to be a tolerant nation, but I say no. We're not called to be a tolerant nation. We're called to be a nation of love. What we need to do is understand that we have to love each other, that we have to see each other have worth and dignity and value."

He challenged graduating students to persevere and to be present.

"Stay faithful," Sen. Booker said. "Stay faithful because you have come this far by faithfaith in each other, faith in yourselves, faith in our country. And understand that you may not be called to change the whole world, but to one person, you could make a world of difference."

A unique setting

Interim Provost Forrest Maltzman welcomed graduates highlighting the "one-of-a-kind" opportunity as GW is the only university in the nation that holds its graduation ceremony on the Mall.

"To gather here in the shadow of the monument dedicated to the nation's first president and our university's namesake is a fitting tribute to your achievement in completing your degrees," Dr. Maltzman said.

Before conferring the students' degrees, GW President Steven Knapp conferred two more honorary degrees to Baroness and Parliamentarian Joanna Shields OBE, M.B.A. '87, and philanthropist and Southern Engineering Corporation President Albert Harrison Small.

"Go out, be the light, remain faithful and change our world," Dr. Knapp offered in a final charge to graduates.

Complete coverage including transcripts, photo and video highlights.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160515/367715

SOURCE George Washington University

Related Links

http://www.gwu.edu


CORALVILLE, Iowa, May 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VIDA Diagnostics, Inc. ("VIDA"), the leader in precision pulmonary imaging, today announced the release of VIDA|vision, a suite of clinical software applications built specifically for the pulmonary clinician. VIDA|vision provides insights designed to optimize care decisions, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

"VIDA|vision is an exciting advance for the pulmonary clinician," said Dr. Alexander Chen. "Clinicians will be caring for more patients with pulmonary nodules, some of which may require biopsy. Current challenges include navigating peripheral airways to targeted lesions. The strong analytical platform of VIDA|vision, enables high-quality imaging of peripheral airways which may assist bronchoscopists with delivering precision and personalized care."

VIDA|vision is launching with two applications: Lung Bronchoscopy Planning and Lung Volume Reduction. The base platform enables new applications and expanding clinical utility.

Lung Bronchoscopy Planning focuses interventional pulmonologists on planning and performing diagnostic biopsy procedures for the peripheral nodule. The automated path planning and virtual bronchoscopy features of the software help interventional pulmonologists gain procedural confidence and efficiency in reaching targets of interest.

Lung Volume Reduction provides physicians with information to select an appropriate therapy for severe emphysema patients, using evidence-based quantitative CT (QCT) biomarkers to include heterogeneity and fissure integrity. Once a treatment is selected, the product also provides procedural planning tools to boost procedural confidence and efficiency.

"VIDA|vision represents VIDA's advance into streamlining of our advanced clinical insights into the routine workflow of the pulmonary clinician." said Marcel Nienhuis, Director of Marketing at VIDA. "VIDA's vision is to change pulmonology into an evidence-based practice with the guidance of the leading thought leaders and the changing requirements of the practice."

VIDA|vision is cleared for clinical use in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia.

About VIDA

VIDA is focused on changing the practice of pulmonary care by empowering the pulmonary clinician with precision informatics. VIDA's suite of software and associated analysis services aid early detection, evaluation, and treatment planning of lung diseases, including lung cancer, emphysema, airway obstruction diseases, and asthma. VIDA's software and services are cleared for clinical use in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. VIDA is headquartered in Coralville, IA, with an additional office in Minneapolis, MN.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160104/319103LOGO

SOURCE VIDA Diagnostics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vidadiagnostics.com


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
New Delhi, May 13 : Monsoon is expected to hit Kerala by May 28 - two to three days early, predict weather analysts.

The monsoon this year would reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands by May 15. After hitting Kerala around May 28 it would reach central bay of Bengal and then gradually reach the northeastern states, they said.

"It's a good sign because it, at least, assures timely rains this year, but once the monsoon reaches eastern parts of the country that includes Bihar and Jharkhand it may become stagnant," private weather forecaster Skymet's director Mahesh Palawat told IANS.

Parts of Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur may also see rainfall three to four days before the normal monsoon date, he said.

Some weather analysts, however, claim that stagnant monsoon predicted in eastern parts of India may not be a good sign.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already predicted good rains - 104-06 centimetres - this year. The prediction pattern was based on change in the nature of El Nino pattern.
Damascus, May 15 : The Syrian army recaptured an Islamic State (IS)-held hospital in Deir al-Zour province.

The army on Saturday also freed doctors and nurses, who were taken hostage by the IS inside the Assad Hospital, a military source told Xinhua news agency reported .

Intense battles raged on Saturday morning between the Syrian army and the IS militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based watchdog said 26 Syrian soldiers were killed when the IS militants infiltrated the areas southwest of Deir al-Zour, after which the militants captured the hospital.
Beijing, May 15 : Thirty-two Taiwanese fraud suspects currently detained in China, have confessed to their crimes.

The 65 Chinese suspects and 32 Taiwanese suspects, deported together from Malaysia to the mainland on April 30, belonged to five criminal syndicates, said a public security ministry statement issued on Saturday after Chinese police and a delegation of judicial officials from Taiwan wrapped up a three-day meeting in Zhuhai city.

They were part of the 117 suspects detained in Malaysia for more than 100 telecom fraud cases, the People's Daily reported.

The other 20 Taiwanese were repatriated.

The suspects are held at two detention centres in Zhuhai.
Hyderabad, May 15 : Sixteen migrant abourers were killed when a truck hit an autorickshaw in Telangana's Adilabad district late Saturday night, police said on Sunday.

Two others were also injured in the accident that occurred near Degam village, about 260 km from Hyderabad.

The victims include seven children, aged between one and 12 years. Eight of those killed hail from one family.

The driver of the seven-seater autorickshaw was also killed.

The victims were migrant labourers from Maharashtra's Nanded district. They worked in brick kilns.

The accident occurred when they were on their way to a temple. The truck carrying construction material hit the autorickshaw on the highway.

The auto was crushed under the truck, a police official said.

Thirteen of the occupants were killed on spot while three others succumbed on the way to the hospital.
Brussels, May 15 : Belgian authorities are constructing a full two-mile (3.2 km) pipeline exclusively for beer under the streets of the city of Bruges, a media report said.

According to officials, the pipeline, which is expected to be completed later this year, will pump beer at a speed of 4,000 litres an hour from De Halve Maan Brewery in the centre of Bruges to its bottling plant outside the city, CNN reported on Sunday.

"I think we are the very first ones to do this," says Xavier Vanneste, whose family has run the brewery for 160 years.

There has been a lot of support around town for the project, Vanneste said.

"We received a lot of people spontaneously offering us to pass alongside their house," he said, adding: "They just had one condition -- they wanted a tap-in point."

However, the pipeline is not being built so that people could have personal beer taps inside their homes, instead it is for solving a logistical problem, the authorities said.

In 2010, the brewery moved its bottling plant outside of the city.

Being an older place with small, cobblestone streets, it was hard for tankers to get into Bruges to pick up beer and deliver it to the bottling plant, they said.

After this, Vanneste came up with the idea for the pipeline and started a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the estimated $4.5 million pipeline offering beer rewards.

One of the top donors is restaurateur Philippe Le Loup, who has donated $11,000. He now gets free beer for life.
New Delhi, May 15 : Indian foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been derailed and made "directionless", former external affairs minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has said.

He also stressed that diplomacy "cannot be based on personal agenda" and has to look "beyond one's own nose".

"Where is the foreign policy under this regime? We have not seen one during the last two years," Khurshid told IANS in an interview here.

Asked how, as the country's former external affairs minister, he would assess the performance of the Narendra Modi regime on the diplomatic front in the last two years, Khurshid said: "The foreign policy has been derailed and now it is directionless".

"I should say it is a case of myopia. Any country's foreign policy has to look beyond one's own nose," Khurshid said.

"It cannot get personal; a good diplomatic policy cannot be based on personal agenda. There is a complete failure because nothing really seems to have been achieved by the country despite the fact that the prime minister has travelled so much abroad," he said.

Khurshid said the "worst part" is that India has "lost friends" in the neighbourhood.

"From Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal... we seem to be losing out everyone," he said.

To another question on the Modi government's Pakistan policy, especially in the context of the prime minister's unscheduled visit to Lahore on December 25, 2015, he said: "What did he achieve for the country, what was the use? His visit was soon followed by the Pathankot terror attack."

"I will say terror attack on the Pathankot airbase is a testimony of the complete failure of the Modi government's Pakistan policy," Khurshid said.

Known for his closeness to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Khurshid claimed the party was "serious" about extending a helping hand to Modi on foreign policy, especially with regard to Pakistan.

"But nothing happened that we ought to have supported him ," Khurshid said.

Asked to analyse Modi's approach towards Indo-Pak relations, Khurshid said: "Prime Minister Modi seems to always give an impression that 'look here, what the Congress could not do in so many years, I could do'."

"He landed in Pakistan on an unscheduled visit and gave a message that everything is solved. Then came Pathankot. What better testimony of a failure could be?" Khurshid asked.

He also lamented that India's foreign policy in the last two years could not convince the international community and various countries to be "on our side and support us".

"Not many countries have come forward supporting us. The foreign policy is not only wanting something for your own country. It is also walking along and taking others. It is also about knowing what other countries want from you. In terms of all these, the foreign policy has been a failure," Khurshid said.

Asked to comment on the possibility of the Congress's revival in the near future, he said: "The setback is only temporary and the Congress will get back its position in national politics very soon."

(Nirendra Dev can be contacted at nirendra.n@ians.in)
Baghdad, May 15 : Iraqi security forces on Sunday foiled multiple suicide bomb attacks targeting a gas plant in the suburb of Baghdad, an interior ministry source said.

The attacks occurred when two suicide bombers rammed their explosives-laden vehicles into the gas plant gate and blew them up at Taji area, paving the way for six suicide bombers to enter the facility and set fire to two gas reservoirs, Xinhua cited the source as saying.

The huge fires caused by the explosion extended to several nearby buildings, the source said.

The security forces guarding the facility engaged in fierce clashes with the attackers and managed to kill them all, the source said, adding that at least three employees were also killed and 13 injured.

Fire engines and civil defence teams immediately rushed to the scene and started to put out the flames, the source added.

Iraq has been currently witnessing a wave of violence since the Islamic State (IS) group took control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.

Earlier, a report by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) estimated that 741 Iraqis were killed and 1,374 were wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflicts across Iraq in April.
Chennai, May 15 : National Award-winning actor Bobby Simhaa will don khaki in his next yet-untitled Sarath Babu-directed Tamil-Telugu bilingual project.

"Bobby will be seen as a fearless cop in the film, which will commence its shooting from October. A popular Telugu actor will be seen as the antagonist," Sarath told IANS.

This will be the second collaboration of Bobby and Sarath, after the latest release "KO 2".

"I thoroughly enjoyed working with Simhaa. I'm looking forward to working with him again," he said.

Bobby, meanwhile, awaits the release of Tamil films "Iraivi", "Metro", "Paambhu Sattai", "Kavalai Vendam" and "Vallavanukku Vallavan".
Brussels, May 15 : Michael Gillon and the team from the University of Liege started their research project five years ago. Only in September last year they discovered three planets orbiting around a nearby dwarf star known as Trappist 1.

As the size and temperatures of these three "red worlds" were comparable to the Earth and other planets from our solar system, it could be the best place for finding life, Xinhua news agency quoted Belgian scientists as saying.

"We are looking for planets that could have on their surfaces the conditions like on Earth and maybe host life," said Michael Gillon, a researcher.

The study showed two of the researched planets have orbital periods of about 1.5 days and 2.4 days respectively. Orbiting time of the third one is around 10 days, Gillon said.

"We are already preparing the next phase which will be the most interesting. It is the James Webb space telescope, which is a very big space telescope that will be launching in 2018, so two years from now and with this telescope we will be able to study atmosphere. So, currently we are trying to measure the masses of the planet," he said.

Scientists from Belgium cooperate with international researchers from the US and Britain. They mainly work through the internet system connected to one of the prototype telescope based in Chile.

To detect potentially habitable planets researchers use a so-called transit method. They observe specific stars and trying to catch the planet that will pass in front of them.

"We made this programme on our small robotic telescope Trappist which is in Chile as a prototype for our more ambitious project which is called Speculoos ... It will use bigger telescopes with more sensitive instruments to explore more," he added.

With current Trappist telescope scientists were able to observe only 60 targets. With Speculoos the scope will be wider, up to 500 objects.
Bengaluru, May 15 : Indian Railways will set up three joint ventures with the Karnataka government to build infrastructure projects in the state, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Sunday.

"We will form a JV with the state government and operationalise it in the next three months for infrastructure projects like doubling tracks, extending present rail lines and surveys for new lines across the state," Prabhu said at a railway function here.

The other two JVs will be to operate a suburban train service across Bengaluru and develop one of its stations into a model station under the public-private participation mode.

"Infrastructure development will transform Karnataka into an engine of growth. The equity for the first JV will be from our resources and the state government, which would not come under its Fiscal Responsibility Act," Prabhu said after laying stone for three doubling projects in the state.

Noting that railways was a strategic national asset, the minister said the government could afford to allow it to languish and cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's keen interest to transform it.

"The Railways and the state government will work as partners. We have invested more in Karnataka during the last two years, allocating Rs.2,567 crore in this fiscal budget as against Rs.1,839 crore in 2015-16, Rs.1,305 crore in 2014-15 and Rs.1,124 crore in 2013-14," he said.

The doubling projects are between Yelahanka in north Bengaluru and Penukonda in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh (120km), Arsikere-Tumakuru (96km) and Hubbali-Chikjajur (190 km) at a combined cost of Rs.2,578 crore.

The two projects in the state will enable South Western Railway to run semi-high speed inter-city trains between Bengaluru and Hubbali, covering about 460km in four-five hours as against six-seven hours presently.

All the three projects are expected to be completed by 2019-20.

Prabhu also commissioned a road over bridge at Davangere and laid the foundation stone for another one at Koppal.

Besides Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, union ministers from the state M. Venkaiah Naidu, Anantha Kumar and G.M. Siddshwara and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda were present on the occasion.
The Gwinnett Chamber will honor exemplary organizations located in Gwinnett and across the Metro Atlanta area at the IMPACT Regional Business Awards, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 at the Infinite Energy Forum.

Michael Auten, OHS Atlantas President said, It is an honor that On-Site Health Solutions of Atlanta has been nominated for the Gwinnett Chamber Regional Impact Awards for Healthcare along with some of the most prestigious organizations in the sector. On-Site Health Solutions of Atlanta has been committed to improving the quality of life of individuals and companies by bringing preventative care to the workplace at no cost to the employer, and it is an honor to be recognized by our peers. OHS Atlanta helps thousands of employees each year with early detection of preventable diseases that saves lives and assists companies with lowering or mitigating the ever-increasing cost of healthcare coverage. We look forward to continuing to serve our community by improving the quality of life of employers and employees with our corporate wellness offerings.

The IMPACT Regional Business Awards recognize premier organizations in critical industries that are driving economic development and job creation, while enhancing our quality of life, said Dr. Dan Kaufman, President & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. "In 2015, we launched this pivotal program and received a great response with nearly 500 nominations. Bringing together leaders across these important industries is another example of how the Gwinnett Chamber can fulfill its mission to serve as a community forum.

About On-Site Health Solutions of Atlanta

On-Site Health Solutions of Atlanta is the leading provider of workplace wellness solutions including onsite, no-cost biometric screenings, the exclusive My WellCheck Profile, and their customizable My GetMoving programs. Their goal is early detection of preventable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke which can potentially develop into life threatening conditions along with high medical costs for the employer and employee. Onsite wellness screenings have been shown to lower benefit costs, and improve organizational health using programs that deliver year over year improvements.

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MEDIA & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONTACT

Randy Bernard, SVP Business Development | 678.661.7737 | randy.bernard(at)ohsatlanta(dot)com

PROGRAM CONTACT

Cally DAngelo | 678.957.4958 | CDAngelo(at)GwinnettChamber(dot)org
The Camarillo Chamber of Commerce announces today that it has awarded $10,000 in seed fund to RepWatch, the winner of the 2016 Startup Weekend Ventura County event. The winner was selected by a panel of judges made up primarily of CEOs of local corporations. This award carries no interest or repayment obligations.

Startup Weekend Ventura County was put together by Dignity Health St. Johns Hospitals and the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce to drive economic growth in Ventura County through promoting and encouraging technology startups, says Gary Cushing, CEO of Camarillo Chamber of Commerce. The prize money was donated by the events generous sponsors and is intended to help the winning idea get off the ground.

There were many good business ideas presented at the March 2016 Startup Weekend Ventura County event, adds Darren Lee, President and CEO of Dignity Health St. John Hospitals. But it takes more than just a good idea to create a sustainable business. We are delighted that RepWatch is moving forward by forming an S corporation and setting up shop at the co-work space offered by MAAP Technology in Camarillo. The Ventura County community is rallying for their success and we wish them the best.

RepWatch is founded by four California Lutheran University students. The companys idea is to create a device that measures the health of injured body parts using Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The device is designed to reduce workers compensation costs spent on rehabilitation, to give patients an idea of how healthy an injured body part is, and to give insurance companies a way to monitor patients progress through rehabilitation programs.

Startup Weekend Ventura County (http://startupweekendvc.com), organized by Dignity Healths St. Johns Hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo and the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce, was held March 11-13, 2016 at Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo, California. This 54-hour event brought together entrepreneurial agriculturalists, farmers, physicians, healthcare professionals, engineers, programmers and system developers to address healthcare and agricultural needs with innovative IoT solutions.

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About Dignity Health St. Johns Pleasant Valley Hospital and

St. Johns Regional Medical Center

St. Johns Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and St. Johns Regional Medical Center in Oxnard are members of Dignity Health Central Coast, an integrated network of top quality hospitals, with physicians from the most prestigious medical schools, and comprehensive outpatient services - all recognized for quality, safety and service. Combined both hospitals have received more than 51 quality awards and have been named among Americas Top 100 Hospitals by Healthgrades. Both hospitals are supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to help meet the growing health care needs of our communities. Learn more at dignityhealth.org/pleasantvalley and dignityhealth.org/stjohnsregional.

About the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce

The Camarillo Chamber of Commerce is an association of businesses, education and government with over 500 members that employ about 20,000 people in the Camarillo area. The Chamber of Commerces primary focus points are representing the interests of business to government, improving the local economy, promoting the community, making the Camarillo area a better place to do business and to live, and providing marketing and networking opportunities to members.

Contact: Gary Cushing

ceo(at)camarillochamber.org
Mickalene Thomas (born 1971). Landscape with Camouflage, 2012. Rhinestones, acrylic, oil and enamel on wood panel, 108 x 144 in. Purchase 2012 Helen McMahon Brady Cutting Fund, 2012.22.  Mickalene T African-American art and culture are an important focus in the Museums collections and exhibition history.

Building on the Museums historic role as a leader in collecting and exhibiting African-American art, a new exhibition at the Newark Museum will present a distinguished group of works by leading modern and contemporary artists. Modern Heroics: 75 Years of African-American Expressionism at the Newark Museum explores expressive painting and heroic themes through 34 works of painting and sculpture. Covering a broad span from the 1940s to the present, the exhibition is organized almost entirely from the Museums permanent collection of American Art, with a few additional works loaned by artists and private collectors in New Jersey.

On view from June 18, 2016 through January 8, 2017, Modern Heroics will showcase works by founding figures of the Harlem Renaissance and the Spiral group, along with a diverse selection of contemporary artists. Works by a number of self-taught artists will also be included, highlighting the strength of Newarks collection of Folk and Self-Taught art. Featuring large-scale paintings by Norman Lewis, Purvis Young, Emma Amos, Bob Thompson and Mickalene Thomas, Modern Heroics will also include rarely-exhibited works by Romare Bearden, Minnie Evans, Herb Gentry, and Emilio Cruz, among others; and sculpture by Chakaia Booker, Kenseth Armstead, Kevin Sampson and Thornton Dial.

Mythical and universal subject matter, the bold use of color and large scale, and a direct engagement with materials  gestural approaches to painting and inventive sculptural forms are themes that the exhibition will highlight. Approximately half of the works on display will be by self-taught artists, and several works will be shown for the first time in this exhibition. Through this strategic selection of artists, Modern Heroics will open up a conversation that looks beyond traditional categorizations including self-taught, folk and outsider art, and foster a broader appreciation for all of the works on view.

Modern Heroics is a focused exploration of expressionism across a diversity of styles and subjects, said the exhibition curator, Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Ph.D., Curator of American Art. All of the works in the show have a strong physical quality, and many are layered with symbolism and multiple narratives.

The Newark Museums earliest acquisition of African-American art, Henry Ossawa Tanners The Good Shepherd, 1922, entered the Museums permanent collection in 1929. In 1931 Newark hosted its first exhibition dedicated to African-American art, a group exhibition organized by the Harmon Foundation. From 1944 onwards, the Museum has originated numerous group exhibitions of African-American art, showcasing its rich holdings and bringing new artists into the growing collection, which now totals some 360 works.

African-American art and culture are an important focus in the Museums collections and exhibition history. By presenting a selection of works by both prominent and lesser known artists, this exhibition will open up new perspectives and insights on narrative abstract painting in America as well as on artists that remain underrepresented in museums, said Newark Museum CEO and Director Steven Kern.

Modern Heroics: 75 Years of African-American Expressionism at the Newark Museum will be documented with a fully illustrated catalogue, published by the Newark Museum. A one-day symposium bringing together scholars of African-American art and artists from the exhibition is planned for October 15th, 2016. Speakers will include Lowery Stokes Sims, Curator Emerita, Museum of Arts and Design, and Leslie King-Hammond, Graduate Dean Emmeritus and Founding Director of the Center for Race and Culture at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

This exhibition is sponsored by The Robert Lehman Foundation; Newark Museum Volunteer Organization; Arlene Lieberman; Judy Lieberman; and United Airlines. Additional support provided by The Marie and Joe Melone Exhibition Fund for American Art; and Elizabeth Richards Family Foundation Endowment Fund. For additional information, follow the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/newark.museum or Twitter at twitter.com/newarkmuseum; or by visiting http://www.newarkmuseum.org.
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEAs second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $20,000 to the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) to fund residencies at Atlanta Public Schools. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through thirteen arts disciplines or fields.

The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected, said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. Supporting projects like the one from the Atlanta Shakespeare Company offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.

The Art Works grant will allow the Atlanta Shakespeare Company to continue its eight-year educational partnership with Atlanta Public Schools, an underserved school system with limited funds for theatre programs. ASCs professional teaching artists will lead residencies, eight to ten weeks of carefully curated academic and artistic investigation of a Shakespeare play, at three middle schools and three high schools. These engaging and creative after-school programs will provide participants with training not just in acting basics, safe stage combat, and Elizabethan history, but also in critical workplace skills like time management, effective communication, and the ability to work as part of a team to see a project to completion. The residencies will culminate with participants performing their own production of a Shakespeare play, both for their classmates in the school auditorium and for the public at ASCs Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Residencies help students meet Georgias English Language Arts Standards of Excellence for analyzing and discussing literature, encouraging students to make strides in the classroom while they make personal achievements in self-expression and self-confidence. ASC Director of Education and Training Laura Cole commented on the positive impact the NEA Art Works grant will have on APS students: Watching Atlanta Public Schools student casts speaking Shakespeare on our professional stage for family and friends, and for classmates at their schools, with authority, passion and understanding is one of the high points of our theatre companys season every year. The art our professional Teaching Artists/Actors facilitate with the kids is surprising, entertaining and relevant to the kids lives. It also means they then have advanced knowledge of an oft-studied but often dismissed giant of literature, Shakespeare, and true ownership of the themes, words and ideas that makes his literature so relevant in our schools, homes and cities. We are so pleased to be able to work even more in-depth with the students, teachers and administrators of APS, which is what the NEA awards enables.

About the Atlanta Shakespeare Company at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

The Atlanta Shakespeare Companys Education programs provide opportunities for students, educators, and parents throughout Georgia and the Southeast to experience the power of Shakespeares language and dramatic vision through active participation and performance using dynamic, language-based methods. ASC Education serves students from K-12 grades in fifty-four Georgia counties and six southern states with matinees in Atlanta, touring productions, workshops, residencies and other classroom programs as well as offering professional training to emerging artists at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse is Atlantas only professional Equity theater company producing the works of William Shakespeare and select classic modern plays throughout the year, in an Elizabethan Globe-inspired playhouse on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. This past year the Atlanta Shakespeare Company reached a total of over 20,000 students and 30,000 adults.
In our ongoing commitment to providing excellent health care, the most important factor of this device is that patients will have little to no complications, allowing them to return home sooner, said Dr. Robert Menuet.

Physicians at Opelousas General Health System (OGHS) and Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) are among the first to use a new revolutionary closure device, Vascade, at the catheterization lab at OGHS, which has been chosen as one of five expert training sites for installation of the device.

Vascade, manufactured by Cardiva Medical Inc., has been the closing device of choice at OGHS for the past three years. The device is used to close punctures in the femoral artery during a catheterization procedure in the cath lab. A sheath is placed inside the femoral artery to gain access to the area needing treatment. Once a patient is treated, the sheath is removed from the artery, leaving the puncture origin open. Vascade serves as a plug that closes the puncture wound, thus stopping internal and external bleeding. The closure device eventually dissolves, leaving no residual damage to the artery.

This device causes less discomfort to the patient when compared to other closure products, explained Nick Trahan, director of the cardiac cath lab at OGHS. It reduces the risk for post-procedural complications such as excessive bleeding, which can lead to a drop in heart rate or blood pressure.

Opelousas General Health System was chosen as a training facility for this device because of the expertise of the interventional cardiologists and catheterization technologists on staff, and also because of its low complication rates compared to other facilities across the nation. As a training site, Opelousas General welcomes cath lab staff from all over the country once or twice a month to observe how the device is used.

In our ongoing commitment to providing excellent health care, the most important factor of this device is that patients will have little to no complications, allowing them to return home sooner. Their satisfaction and comfort is our priority, said Dr. Robert Menuet, interventional cardiologist with CIS.

Recently, radiology technicians from Chicago, Illinois visited OGHS to be trained on using the Vascade closure device. The process and staff work like a well-oiled machine, said Bryan Kowalski, one of the technicians. The staff was very accommodating and extremely skilled in using Vascade.

About Cardiva Medical, Inc.: Cardiva Medical, Inc. designs and develops vascular access management products that facilitate rapid hemostasis following diagnostic and interventional endovascular procedures. Since its founding, Cardiva has introduced a series of advanced vascular access management technologies designed to help the body heal itself. Cardiva Medical, Inc. is a privately-held company funded by leading venture capital investors, including PTV Sciences, Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund, L.P, Amkey Ventures LLC and TriVentures. Cardiva was presented the prestigious Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company Award, which recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in the U.S. angioplasty and vascular closure device markets.

About Opelousas General Health System: Since 1957, Opelousas General Health System has been dedicated to the provision of quality health care through its strong commitment and high standards. Central to the success of OGHS's commitment for excellence is the presence of an outstanding and highly qualified staff of physicians, nurses, technologists and other personnel who provide professional treatment in a caring environment. Serving as the region's referral medical center, OGHS is a 241-bed, full service medical center, and the area's most comprehensive community health care facility offering a wide range of medical specialties and state-of-the-art technology. Visit us at http://www.opelousasgeneral.com

About Cardiovascular Institute of the South: Founded by Dr. Craig Walker in 1983, Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is the largest single specialty cardiology practice in Louisiana. CIS cardiologists represent nearly every specialty in heart and vascular medicine. CIS is a world-leader in preventing, detecting, and treating cardiovascular disease. The institute offers a comprehensive heart and vascular program with specialized medical professionals trained in nuclear cardiology, electrophysiology, prevention services, and lipid management, as well as interventional cardiovascular procedures. CIS is also world-renowned for making significant advancements in the development of non-surgical treatments to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD). CIS has earned international acclaim as a leader of research, development and education. Dr. Walker is chairman of New Cardiovascular Horizons, the largest medical education meeting of its type. With a team of more than 525 dedicated members, CIS provides comprehensive cardiovascular care to communities throughout Louisiana, as well as national and international patients, at its 16 clinics. CIS consistently positions itself at the forefront of technology by providing the most up-to-date technology coupled with compassionate care. This mission has guided the institute for more than 32 years of service to south Louisiana. For more information about CIS, call 1-800-425-2565 or visit http://www.cardio.com.
Today is Sunday, May 15, the 136th day of 2016. There are 230 days left in the year.

1866 -- 150 years ago: There will be a meeting of the members of the Library Association at their room this evening at 8 oclock for the purpose of nominating officers for the ensuing year, to be voted for on Monday evening May 7th, at the Library Room.

1891 -- 125 years ago: James OConner and Harry Sage went to Chicago today to purchase a set of fixtures for their sample room on Eighteenth street.

1916 -- 100 years ago: The McCarthy Improvement company of Rock Island was awarded the contract for the paving of thirty-ninth street.

1941 -- 75 years ago: Installation of a traffic activated system of lights at the intersection of routes 150, 92 and 6 at Moline Municipal airport has been started by engineers of the state division of highways.

1966 -- 50 years ago: The activities on the tip of Arsenal Island this morning when hundreds of Quad Citians attended the Sesquicentennial ceremonies for old Fort Armstrong. Crossing Fort Armstrong Ave. to the speakers stand are members of the Infantry and Indian cast who re-enacted the landing by boat of the Eighth Infantry Division to erect the fort on May 10, 1816.

1991 -- 25 years ago: After a years hiatus because of last Junes floods, Quad Citians soon will be pedaling once again in the annual Ride the River bicycle tour of area riverfronts. Ride the River is a leisurely, 20-mile, one way ride through the Quad Cities on a route described as easy, scenic and flat. The ride is on Fathers Day, June 16.
Matt Smith had never heard of Transcendental Meditation a few months ago, but now it's giving him his life back.

When he was discharged from the Army last summer, after more than 10 years of active-duty service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Smith -- a local veteran who asked that his real name not be used -- sought help for post traumatic stress disorder at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Iowa City.

He said they gave him medications, which he'd rather not take. Then one VA counselor suggested he try TM. "I had never heard of it before," he said.

Mr. Smith said he researched it online and learned how to do it in Davenport in mid-March.

He said he saw a big improvement within a few days. "I know it's going to get better. I just want to become me again."

Veteran Jerry Yellin, 92, also said he saw an improvement in his PTSD within a few days of learning TM. He now lives in Florida, but he lived in Fairfield, Iowa -- the U.S. headquarters for TM -- for 26 years.

He said TM finally gave him the "relief" he had been seeking for 30 years, ever since he was discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1945, after the end of World War II.

Mr. Yellin said he joined the Air Corps (now the Air Force) when he was 18, two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

After training, he began flying missions in the Pacific, and on Aug. 14, 1945, Capt. Yellin flew the last combat mission of the war over the Japanese island of Honshu. He was discharged in December of that year.

"One day a fighter pilot, the next a civilian," he wrote on his website, captainjerryyellin.com/about-jerry-yellin/.

"No buddies, no airplane, nothing to hold on to, and no one to talk to. Life, as it was for me from 1945 to 1975, was empty. The highs I had experienced in combat became the lows of daily living.

"I had absolutely no connection to my parents, my sister, my relatives, or my friends. I listened to some of the guys I knew talk about their experiences in combat, and I knew they had never been in a battle, let alone a war zone," he wrote. "No one that I knew who had seen their friends die could talk about it.

"The Army Air Corps had trained me and prepared me to fly combat missions, but there was no training on how to fit into society when the war was over," he wrote.

"I was depressed, unhappy, and lonely, even though I was surrounded by a loving wife and four sons. That feeling of disconnect, lack of emotions, restlessness, empty feeling of hopelessness lasted until 1975" -- the year he learned TM.

Mr. Smith joined the Army in 2004 and was a member of the military police for the first three years. He was sent to Iraq for 15 months in 2006 and 2007, where he was involved in many mortar attacks and firefights.

He signed on for another stint and was sent to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011.

Mr. Smith, 31, now works as a civilian for the Army at the Rock Island Arsenal.

He said his post traumatic stress started when he saw a fellow soldier shot in the head by a sniper in Iraq. He was the truck commander, but he "froze" and couldn't direct his men's response, although all did their jobs properly, he said.

Another time, Mr. Smith was in a convoy headed to Baghdad when the lead truck hit an explosively formed projectile, or penetrator (EFP). He said although no one was killed, he froze again when he saw the devastating injuries some of the men suffered.

On top of incidents like those, he said, soldiers often were sleep deprived because of recurring rocket and mortar attacks.

The Army and Department of Veterans Affairs are studying how TM can help active military members and veterans with PTSD.

Mr. Smith said they are teaching TM to some soldiers so they can deal with the stress of war as it occurs, rather than after they are released. It should be taught to all soldiers, he said, and those with PTSD shouldn't be afraid or embarrassed to discuss it.

Mr. Yellin said TM, not drugs, is the answer for PTSD. Millions are spent on antidepressants for those with PTSD, but treating the problem with drugs just creates drug addicts, he said. "TM is a natural process. It's quick. It's easy, and it works."

Mr. Yellin -- who was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Hall of Fame in 2014, and will be honored at the World War II Museum in New Orleans in June -- now gives 20 to 25 talks around the country each year on treating PTSD with TM.

The David Lynch Foundation (davidlynchfoundation.org) helps military and ex-military members and their families get access to TM classes through its Operation Warrior Wellness program (operationwarriorwellness.org).

The foundation estimates that more than 500,000 troops deployed since 2001 suffer from PTSD.

A study titled Impact of Transcendental Meditation on Psychotropic Medication Use Among Active Duty Military Service Members With Anxiety and PTSD" was published in the January issue of the journal Military Medicine.

The study included 74 active-duty service members with PTSD or anxiety disorder. Many had experienced multiple deployments and were seeking treatment for PTSD at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at Fort Gordon, Ga.

For the study, half the service members practiced TM in addition to their other therapy, while the other half did not. After a month, 83.7 percent of the meditators had stabilized and reduced or stopped their use of psychotropic drugs to treat their PTSD.

In the group that did not meditate, 59.4 percent had stabilized and reduced or stopped taking psychotropic drugs for PTSD, while 40.5 percent had begun taking higher dosages of medication.

Similar percentages were found in a six-month follow-up.

"Regular practice of Transcendental Meditation provides a habit of calming down and healing the brain, the study's lead author, Dr. Vernon A. Barnes, said in a news release. He is a physiologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and a TM practitioner.

"TM has given me my life back," Mr. Smith said. "I can be a better husband, a better father and a better friend. Without TM, I think I would be on a roller coaster spiraling out of control."

For more information on the military and PTSD, visit:
In an op-ed piece that recently ran in the New York Times, Stephen Rinella, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, argues that grizzly bears should be taken off the threatened species list.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines threatened species as any species which is likely to become an endangered species throughout all or a significant portion of its range (Section 3[20]) while endangered species are defined as any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range other than a species of Class Insecta determined by the Secretary [of the Interior] to constitute a pest whose protection under the provisions of this Act would present an overwhelming and overriding risk to man (Section 3[6]).

Mr. Rinella states that his belief that grizzly bears should be taken off the threatened species list is not because he wants to shoot one but rather because leaving them on the list threatens the integrity of the Endangered Species Act by focusing time and resources on species that are no longer threatened while other species remain endangered.

As is often the case, the situation is far more complicated when one delves into it in greater detail. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identifies six ecosystems of significance for grizzly bears:

* Yellowstone Ecosystem, which covers 9,200 square miles in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, an ecosystem which includes Yellowstone National Park;

* Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which covers approximately 9,600 square miles, including Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, the Great Bear Wilderness Area, the Scapegoat Wilderness Area, the Mission Mountains and surrounding forested areas (including the area where our cabin is located);

* North Cascades Ecosystem, an area of nearly 10,000 square miles in northern Washington, which includes North Cascades National Park;

* Selkirk Ecosystem, a 2,000 square mile area in northern Idaho, northeastern Washington, and the southern part of British Columbia;

* Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, a 2,600 square mile area in northwestern Montana and a small portion of northeastern Idaho; and

* Bitterroot Ecosystem, a 5,600 square mile area in western Montana and east-central Idaho.

The grizzly bear population varies greatly in these six ecosystems. Grizzly bears have experienced significant recovery and are thriving in the Yellowstone and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems. The Yellowstone grizzly population is estimated to be somewhere in the 550-600 range while, based on survey data, the grizzly population in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem now numbers more than 750.

A personal footnote: When I was growing up in northwestern Montana, seeing a grizzly bear was quite rare. Now it is no longer unusual. Though grizzly bears, unlike black bears, probably do not live on our land, they come through from time to time (and scare the daylights out of the horses).

The grizzly populations of the other four ecosystems are far more limited: fewer than 15 bears in the North Cascades Ecosystem, approximately 75 bears in the Selkirk Ecosystem, 30 to 40 bears in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, and very few in the Bitterroot Ecosystem.

What this suggests is that a one-size-fits-all approach to protecting grizzly bears makes little sense. A strong case can be made for delisting (taking off the threatened species list)grizzly bears in the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems (which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed with respect to the Yellowstone Ecosystem.)

At the same time, a strong case can also be made for moving the grizzly bear populations in the other four ecosystems from the threatened species list to the endangered species list, which has been recommended but to date has not happened due to current workloads and decisions to give priority to the protection of other species.

The latter point merits more detailed comment. In an era of limited resources, listing decisions are not made in a vacuum. Investing more resources in protecting grizzly bears in the four ecosystems with small populations could siphon off funds that might be used to protect other species such as the greater sage grouse.

The fact that the grizzly populations are thriving in two of the six ecosystems which they inhabit means that they are not in imminent danger of extinction. Such being the case, the question of whether resources should be invested in an effort to preserve the grizzly populations in the other four ecosystems is a tough call at a time when there are many other species at risk of extinction.
"I think it would be bad for us as a party, but I think it would be worse for the general public," UK Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake told Tova O'Brien

4 hours ago
Truthdig, May 8, 2016

By Sonali Kolhatkar

Growing numbers of people worldwide are turning their Facebook profile pictures into solid red squares in an attempt to call attention to a new, deadly phase of the Syria war. The latest round of violence was marked by the bombing of a refugee camp near the Syrian border with Turkey, which resulted in 28 deaths. That attack was probably the work of the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad or its ally Russia.

Only days earlier, a horrific bombing took place in the rebel-controlled city of Aleppo, targeting Al-Quds Hospital, which was supported by the Nobel Prize-winning organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. That airstrike, which came in the form of multiple barrel bombs (the Assad governments signature bomb), killed dozens of civilians, including one of the citys last remaining pediatricians.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the strike, saying, We are outraged at what appears to have been a deliberate strike on a known medical facility and follows the Assad regimes appalling record of striking such facilities and first responders.

Kerrys statement reeked of hypocrisy. In October, U.S. planes struck an MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing about as many people as last weeks Syria strike. MSF staff condemned the hospital bombing as deliberate and a war crime, given that the U.S. and Afghan forces had been made well aware of the hospitals coordinates ahead of time. Almost at the same time that Kerry was chastising the Assad regime in Syria, the Pentagons internal investigation into the Kunduz hospital strike absolved the U.S. military of war crimes, saying only that minor violations had taken place.



In this image taken from video and posted online, a man leads a tearful woman and a child out of the area after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria, on April 28. (Validated UGC via AP Video) In this image taken from video and posted online, a man leads a tearful woman and a child out of the area after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria, on April 28. (Validated UGC via AP Video)

It is not far-fetched to compare the impunity of the U.S. government to that of the Syrian government. The Syrian government has been bombing and destroying its own country. The U.S. government has been bombing, occupying and destroying other countrieschief among them Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. For the Obama administration to attempt to set itself apart from Assads government is laughable.

A quick survey of the latest news emerging from Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya is a testament to the disastrous impacts of American wars. In addition to the slap on the wrist that the Pentagon gave itself for bombing the Kunduz hospital, a recent audit of the money that the U.S. spent on Afghan schools was found to be severely lacking in accountability. The office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that three U.S. departments spent $760 million on the impoverished countrys education system but failed to properly track how the money was spent and if its goal was achieved. The U.S. investment in schools was lauded as one of its most important reconstruction initiatives against the Taliban, and now its not possible to even measure the success of that effort. In fact, there is evidence that the successes of the schools was exaggerated, and that Islamic State is rapidly expanding inside Afghanistan, shutting down dozens of schools.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan continues to be marred by constant violence, and the threat of Islamic State is prompting continued U.S. bombing of the country.

In Iraq, public anger over a paralyzed and polarized government is so high that hundreds of protesters recently broke through security barriers in the Green Zone that protect the Parliament. Islamic State has overrun large swaths of the nation, prompting U.S. soldiers to return to a country it had briefly withdrawn from. The U.S. is supposed to be playing an advisory role on the ground, but the lines between ground war and advice are increasingly blurry, as a recent combat death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq illustrated. From the skies, the U.S. is back to dropping bombs on Iraq and even borrowed a macabre technique from the Israeli Air Force of roof knocking before dropping a bomb. The U.S. has so far admitted to killing 41 Iraqi civilians since 2014, but the actual number may be higher. A recent poll found that young Iraqis overwhelmingly despise the U.S.

In Libya, a U.S.-led NATO war has resulted in violence and chaos almost from the moment Col. Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. President Obama has gone as far as admitting that the U.S. made mistakes, saying that his worst foreign policy mistake was probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya. Rebel groups and even Islamic State are now threatening the fabric of the country.

Even in Syria, the U.S. is playing a far less innocent role than it claims. While Obama has been equally berated and praised for not taking a more aggressive role in Syria early on, the U.S. has in recent months ratcheted up its airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria. According to USA Today:

In November, pilots in the U.S.-led coalition had dropped 3,227 bombs in Iraq and Syria, a record number for a single month and more than twice as many as they had used in November 2014. Since then, the totals for bombs dropped per month eclipsed the previous year. In March, pilots dropped 1,982 bombs compared with 1,685 in March 2015, an 18% increase.

Simultaneous to the intensification of the war, the U.S. has relaxed restrictions on civilian killings and so-called collateral damage. So far, the U.S. military has admitted to killing 20 civilians between last fall and this winter in both Iraq and Syria. But others have put the number as high as 1,000.

A spokesman for the U.S. military, Col. Pat Ryder, said, We deeply regret the unintentional loss of life and injuries resulting from those strikes and express our deepest sympathies to the victims families and those affected. One of the main differences between the U.S. and the Assad regime on civilian deaths is that the U.S., when pressured, might sometimes apologize.

(Incidentally, an Army captain has now filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration for waging an undeclared, and therefore illegal, war against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.)

Today, refugees from all the nations the U.S. has devastatedAfghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libyaare streaming out of their countries by the millions, looking for a better life than what their devastated lands offer them. Even in these circumstances, the U.S. is playing a deadly role, joining with European allies in blocking the chance to leave for desperate refugees.

Rather than change Facebook profile photos to red over just the violence of the Syrian regime in Aleppo, we might adopt the same symbol to encompass a much larger geographical area, stretching from Afghanistan to Libya, that is bathed in the blood of countless victims of wars at the hands of the U.S., Syria and others.
On May 12, 1962, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, age 82, delivered his farewell address to the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he had set academic records as a student that remain unsurpassed and where as superintendent in the early 1920s he brought the curriculum of the revered institution into the 20th century.

In accepting the schools Sylvanus Thayer Medal for outstanding service to his country, MacArthur organized his speech around the sacred motto of West Point: Duty, Honor, Country. It was the last public act of a military career that spanned more than a half-century; that witnessed triumphs and tragedies, glory and disgrace.

To author and Pacific War veteran William Manchester, MacArthur was the most-gifted man-at-arms this nation has produced. To army veteran and military historian Geoffrey Perret, he was the Americas greatest soldier of the 20th century.

Several of MacArthurs contemporaries were equally profuse in their praise of his abilities. During the First World War, Secretary of War Newton Baker called him the greatest American field commander produced by the war. One American general officer said of MacArthurs heroics in World War I, [o]n a field where courage was the rule, his courage was the dominant factor. George Marshall, who commanded MacArthur during the Second World War, called him our most brilliant general. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called him the glorious commander, while British Army Chief of Staff Alan Brooke viewed him as the greatest general and the best strategist that the war produced.

MacArthur fought and led American soldiers in three great wars of the 20th centuryWorld Wars I and II, and the Korean War. He earned 13 medals for bravery, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. He served as superintendent of West Point and Army Chief of Staff. During World War II in the Southwest Pacific, according to military historian Mark Perry, MacArthur coordinated the most successful air, land, and sea campaign in the history of warfare. After the war, he led an enlightened and successful occupation of Japan that transformed that nation from a militaristic empire into a stable, prosperous and peaceful democracy. In Korea, he produced a strategic gemthe surprise landing at Inchon, which cut off and stranded enemy forces in the south, sent communist North Korean forces reeling north over the 38th parallel, and freed the South Korean capital of Seoul.

When communist Chinese forces surged across the Yalu River into North Korea in September-October 1950, MacArthur organized a difficult retreat and requested permission to wage offensive war against China. President Truman, who had authorized MacArthur to conduct military operations throughout all of Korea with the goal of liberating the entire peninsula, repeatedly refused MacArthurs requests for more men and greater latitude in conducting military operations. MacArthur publicly protested these restrictions, resulting in his being relieved of command by the President.

Truman partisans and conventional histories have painted Truman as saint and MacArthur as sinner in the Korean episode. The truth is far more complex. History in this instance has been unfair to MacArthur. As Arthur Herman recently pointed out in National Review, It was MacArthurs outspoken criticism of a policy that traded victory for stalemate that finally cost him his job, not incompetencelet alone hubris.

On that day in May 1962 on the plain at West Point, the Korean controversy was forgotten; only the heroics mattered to the cadets who listened in awe as MacArthur explained the meaning of Duty, Honor, Country.

Those three hallowed words, MacArthur told the cadets, reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are not a slogan or a flamboyant phrase, he continued, [t]hey build your basic character; they mold you for your future roles as custodians of the nations defense. ... They teach you ... to be an officer and a gentleman.

The American soldier, MacArthur stated, is one of the worlds noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. Reflecting on his observations of American fighting men, he noted:

In twenty campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his status in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage.

MacArthur reflected on the soldiers he led in both world wars and Korea and the conditions they endured. He recalled the filth of murky foxholes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts, those broiling suns of relentless heat, those torrential rains of devastating storm, the loneliness and utter desolation of jungle trails, the bitterness of long separation from those they loved and cherished, ... the horrors of stricken areas of war.

Through it all, MacArthur continued, the American soldier showed resolute and determined defense ... indomitable purpose ... and [won] complete and decisive victory. In his minds eye, MacArthur recalled the vision of gaunt, ghastly men reverently following your password of Duty-Honor-Country.

Physical courage, training and brute instinct, he continued, are not enough to sustain the fighting soldier. The soldier must also rely on those divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in His own image. The soldier who is called upon to give his life for his country, MacArthur said, is the noblest development of mankind.

MacArthur then described a future world of change, with science leading the way to the fulfillment of many of mankinds dreams and fantasies. But he cautioned them that through all this welter of change and development, your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolableit is to win our wars. Everything else in your professional career is but a corollary to this vital dedication ... [Y]ou are the ones who are trained to fight. In war, he intoned, there is no substitute for victory. Therefore, the very obsession of your public service must be Duty-Honor-Country.

While others will debate domestic and international issues, the American soldier stands serene, calm, aloof as the nations war guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict; as its gladiator in the arena of battle.

Soldiers, he continued, are not warmongers as is often claimed. On the contrary, the soldier above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But while praying for peace, the soldier must be mindful of the ominous words of Plato, the wisest of all philosophers, Only the dead have seen the end of war. 

MacArthur finished this great and timeless speech with a personal reflection that none of the cadets there that day would forget:

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell.

MacArthur, as is well known, could be vain, self-promoting, petty, and at times paranoid about perceived enemies in Washingtonflaws not uncommon among generals, politicians, and many human beings. But he deserves to be remembered at his besta brilliant, far-seeing military commander and statesman who, arguably, was the greatest American of the 20th century.
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Incessant arguments of caliber and handgun vs. long gun aside, the best home defense weapon you can get is a Callahan full-bore auto-lock double cartridge thorough gauge  especially if you can get one with a customized trigger. It's the best gun made by man.

Failing that, a 10mm semi-automatic is a great option: just not for everybody. This is because the 10mm will ride roughshod over some shooters. If you can effectively drive this caliber  please forgive the mixed metaphors  then you'll be able to exploit the ballistic advantages it provides over the venerable but effective .45 and much younger .40. Grain for grain, the 10mm is a substantially more powerful round. It's actually more akin to the old .41 Magnums used by cops in the 70s, though the two rounds are not as close as some would have you think.

That's why we chose a .45-to-10mm conversion as the second gun in our series that began with Searson's Piece Maker in Issue 25 (Brownell's Gunnery insert page 12). Not because conversions are a great way to get access to every bathroom in Target, but because having the option to shoot both the Ten and the Forty-Five is a great and wonderful thing.

Like, getting a massage from six hands worth of great and wonderful.

Granted, such a conversion might not be as obvious or as intuitive as making one from .40 to 9mm but there are a number of reasons to do soso long as you respect Newton's Third Law. With 700 foot pounds on tap, the greatest attribute of the round is also the one that puts most shooters off.

So why choose the 10mm?

Greater magazine capacity and improved terminal ballistics are the two most obvious. Throw the right Pearce Grip, Arredondo or other magazine extension on there and you can have as many as 20 rounds with which to greet uninvited guests in the middle of the night. 10mm ammo can be purchased in types ranging from 125gr solid copper all the way up to 220gr hardcast. This provides an incredible amount of diversity, for anyone who might have to smokecheck a pack of homicidal circus clowns to someone under siege by rampaging bears.

It's also important thing to remember here is youre not losing the .45. Youre just adding the versatility of the 10mm. Having the ability to shoot different ammunition from the same gun (with a barrel change) is never a bad thing, although if you have the same distractibility that I do you might consider using one of those adhesive label printers to keep your barrels and magazines straight.

Put a weapon light on it and you might just have one of the best bedside/nightstand guns around  though I personally would never carry one out and about, and I wouldn't carry one with a short barrel

That seems to be a contradiction, I know. Fact is, a G20, G21 or similar sized pistol is just too big and heavy for me to want to haul it around all the time. I might consider carrying it in a few specific instances, like if I was in some remote area of Wisconsin or in between Rosie O'Donnell and a buffet table, but otherwise I'll leave it in a nightstand safe at home where hopefully I won't every have to use it.

Our conversion took less than 2 hours to accomplish. It would have been faster but we forgot some of our tools. Alterations were made to a used Glock 21 purchased online from J&G Sales. It took about 5 minutes to find what I wanted and order it, though contrary to what Amy Schumer and other idiots would have you believe, I still had to wait for it to arrive at an FFL and then do the background check before taking possession, just like any other Title 1 firearm.

After that it was a simple matter of grabbing our parts from Brownell's and getting to it. Upgrades included a titanium safety plunger, Zev Ultimate Trigger Kit, Bar-sto barrel and a new extractor. Strictly speaking we didnt need to change out the latter, but for $20 we figured we might as well be thorough. Here's a list of what we used while rebuilding for horsepower.

Lightning Strike  Titanium Safety Plunger

ZEV Technologies  Fulcrum Ultimate Trigger

Bar-Sto Precision Machine  Semi-Fit Barrel

XS Sight Systems  24/7 Big Dot Tritium Express Set

Glock Extractor w/ Loaded Chamber, New Style

Glock Spring Loaded Bearing LCI

We also threw a Surefire X300 Ultra on there, because a weapon built for defending hearth and home should have. a. light. on it.

The end result? We went from a gently used G21 in .45 to a smooth-shooting pistol chambered what's prob'ly the most effective auto cartridge around, with the option to switch back to .45 in moments. Sure, it could use some body work but so could a lot of MILFs and they're still fun to play with.

Now, that would be the end of the story, but some of you are no doubt posing a very good question.

If the 10mm is such an effective round, why didn't it catch on? Why isn't it more widespread nowadays?

The short answer is, recoil management and evolution. Issues with recoil management led to a reversion to 9mm in some cases and the development-then-adoption of the .40 S&W round in others. Evolution, of both gun and bullet, have largely removed a need for such a bullet. This leaves it as the gun of choice for a much smaller group. In fact, 10mm handguns have been described as the weapons of the cognoscenti. There's a lot of truth to that.

The 10mm cartridge is rightfully described as a niche or cult round, and that's not likely to change. Not as long as modern ammunition delivers good performance even in smaller calibers.

Few people consider evolution when they're talking guns or defensive rounds and frequently conflate the weapons and ammunition of a quarter century ago with those of today. The two are by no means the same. Just like cars, airplanes and breast implants, guns and bullets are constantly improved with technology. This has been true, albeit at varying rates, since long before Claude-Etienne Minie had his epiphany. Hell its been around since before anyone thought to call deflagration, well, deflagration. Couple this evolution with advancements in metallurgy, better CNC machining potential and other manufacturing improvements and you wind up with more effective weapons all around.

Consider just this one 3 year stretch. Interestingly it's around the time I first began carrying a firearm professionally.

To examine the relative improvement in cartridges, the three best ammunition types per caliber were selected based on their wounding value. An average wounding value per caliber and test year was computed for each cartridge. The average wounding value of the three best .45 Auto cartridges increased by 63 percent over the 3- year test period. Accuracy indexes also rose slightly between 1989 and 1992. Wounding value and accuracy both improved in the 10mm Auto cartridges tested.  (Stone, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Vol. 64, Jan. 95)

The rate of bullet improvement might change, but improve they do. Getting 1350 fps out of a 9mm handgun these days is not a challenge. Twenty-five years ago many pistols couldn't have handled it.

With the ready availability of excellent 9mm, .40 and .45 semi-auto cartridges today, most to them substantially easier for the average shooter to control, why would you carry a 10mm?

Well  cuz you can, and cuz you want to. If you can and you want to.

It isnt new. The G20 came out over a decade and a half ago. I dont claim to know its original history. Ive heard its development ascribed to different people, so lacking any certainty Ill go with the Bren Ten Birth of the 10mm Auto and the Whit Collins  Jeff Cooper connection as my origin story of choice.

According to the original ammunition manufacturer (Norma) the first food for a 10mm was a 200gr full-jacketed truncated cone bullet loaded to a mean pressure of 37,000psi, generating a muzzle velocity of 1200fps and energy at the muzzle of 635 ft-lbs. Thats getting close to some low end rifle loads. Newer bullets, with more recent bullet technologies, are substantially more effective now than they were then  and they were at the top of the scale when they first came out.

The first modern production 10mm rounds first became available in the early 70s. Prototyped from .30 Remington Auto rifle shell cases cut off and straightwalled to accommodate a .38-40 Winchester bullet, it quickly proved to be a formidable cartridge. It did not rise to prominence, however, until after a 1986 gunfight in Dade County, Florida between 8 FBI agents and 2 bank robbers. The fight ended in the deaths of 2 agents and the wounding of five others. The death of the 2 suspects is noteworthy not because they deserved to live but because of how long it took to put them down. This led to a tremendous push for a more powerful round and a change from revolver to semi-auto. By 1989 repetitive testing showed the 10mm to be effective in 2 key areas  perhaps the 2 key areas (at least as I understand it): energy transfer and ballistic transfer. By the end of 1990 nearly 10,000 FBI agents were in the field with it.

After the shooting of a number of FBI agents by two felons in Miami on April 11, 1986, the 9mm round lost favor with the FBI. After a battery of tests in which the operative criterion was how deeply a round penetrated, the new 10mm standard was adopted for use in a Smith and Wesson Model 1076 Third Generation pistol. The FBI Academy's Firearms Training Unit conducted eight tests. The tests revealed that an FBI-specified loading by Federal Cartridge Company, using a 180-grain Sierra hollowpoint traveling at 1,035 feet per second out of a 6-inch test barrel, was second only to the Norma 170-grain JHP in its penetration. The Norma round, however, was deemed too unmanageable in the shorter barreled pistol favored by the Firearms Unit. As of November 1, 1990, the first groups of 9,500 agents were going into the field with the new gun and cartridge. At the time of the writing of this article, there had been no firings in the line of duty. Law enforcement agencies will be watching the FBI's shooting reports to determine if they justify switching to the 10mm cartridge also. Lydecker, Law Enforcement Technology Jan 1991

More agents carrying 10m followed, but none of them kept them for very long, for reasons articulated above. The 10mm Auto was an extremely effective bullet; it was just too difficult to manage for the typical agent (or LEO  it was also adopted by such agencies as the Kentucky and Virginia State Police). This led to the evolution of the .40, which is a story for another day.

Another fair question is, why didn't you get something in ten before now? Well, 2 reasons. First, for pragmatic home defense. I eschewed the 10mm for years because no one else in my house would have been able to effectively run it. That has now changed, and other members of my family now have the background, training (and are old enough) to have their own preferred tools. Another was my first experience with it, which was shooting an S&W 1076. In retrospect I probably let my dissatisfaction with the weapon (that's a polite way of saying I thought it sucked sweaty dog balls) color my perception of the round. The greatest reason, however, was without a doubt finances  I've never been the guy who had large numbers of handguns. A pistol is a tool and I've owned a couple to use as tools, but it has only been recently that I've been in a position to buy one for no more compelling reason than I just wanted it.

Thankfully that has changed, which is why I now have a Browning Hi-Power and a newly upgraded Glock 21 converted to shoot 10mm.

Life is good and so are guns.

Stepping it Down: Forty to Nine

If you aren't looking for something with the horses of a 10mm and cannot find a Callahan Full-Bore Thorough-Gage, you could also consider a .40 cal to 9mm conversion  note, that's forty caliber, not forty millimeter. If you've got the stones to handle a 40 mike-mike semi-auto handgun you clearly need no advice from someone like me. That, or your name is Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun.

We did that very thing with another Glock while working on that G-Ten. The .40 is a fairly hot round, certainly more difficult for some people to manage than a 9mm, and while many people are perfectly capable of driving a .40 with great accuracy the ammunition is more expensive. So why not have the option of a second caliber?

There's no reason not to. Here's what was added to the G23 while converting it to 9mm:

Apex Tactical Specialties Inc  Ultimate Safety Plunger

Trijicon  HD Tritium Night Sight Set

Lone Wolf Dist  Conversion barrel

Apex Tactical Specialties Inc  Action Enhancement Trigger w/Gen 3 Trigger Bar

Almost forgot  you will also need magazines for it  a gun's gotta eat. The ones we used for the 40-to-9 can be found here; for the .45-to-10, right here.

Now, keep in mind that none of this is going to make you a better shooter. It may improve your performance, but it won't make you any less of a soup sandwich behind the trigger if you haven't mastered the fundamentals. So, definitely fine-tune your blaster, absolutely  but if you're spending money on equipment to fix problems instead of ammo and training you're wrong.

Skills first. Gun improvements after. Aesthetic improvements last.

Should you consider a conversion? That's a question only you can answer. If you can drive it effectively and afford to feed it during training, sure. Don't buy one without trying it, and like any defensive weapon you might have to stake your life on, don't take any single person's opinion as gospel, no matter what their background is. Get multiple perspectives and get one on the range. You wouldn't buy a vehicle sight unseen without driving it, and that's not a machine built for the purpose of killing someone.

That's it for now. Go forth and conquer.
The Redding Chamber of Commerce got behind Measure F, the sales tax initiative to fund public safety that was defeated in November 2014 after failing to get a super majority.

But after the chamber's board announced its support, it never seemed like the business advocacy group was fully invested in the campaign to pass Measure F. Measure B, the Turtle Bay hotel project, appeared on the same ballot. That was a ballot initiative the chamber enthusiastically endorsed.

So will the chamber take a position this November on a half-cent sales tax measure to hire more police officers and firefighters, add jail space, start a sobering center and operate a mental health center?

To help it answer that question, the chamber is asking members if they support a half-cent sales tax hike. The survey also asks businesses to elaborate on their position.

The Nov. 8 ballot initiative just needs a simple majority.

The survey was emailed Wednesday and had received about 100 responses in less than 24 hours.

"Which shows this issue is meaningful to people right now," chamber President Jake Mangas said. "We will keep sending out reminders, encouraging people to participate, so we can get the numbers up."

Mangas wants the survey to reflect an accurate representation of his members' opinions on raising the sales tax in the city of Redding.

One could argue that did not happen in 2014, when the chamber circulated a survey that asked members if they would support a countywide sales tax increase to fund law enforcement. Nearly two-thirds of businesses that responded endorsed the idea. But only about 20 percent, or 186, of the chamber's members took the time to take the survey.

Mangas said he brought that up to his board.

"Not only does it matter which side of the issue we end up on ... but we also want the number of people responding representative of the membership itself," Mangas said.

The deadline to respond is May 20. The chamber will bring the results to its political action committee, which expects to make a recommendation to the group's board of directors in June.

For what it's worth, an unscientific Record Searchlight poll shows 55 percent of the readers don't support a half-cent sales tax increase to boost public safety dollars. As of late last week, 717 people had voted.

If you want to take the Record Searchlight poll, go to http://bit.ly/1s6ZJxt.

GENE'S HAS NEW OWNERS

One of Redding's oldest hamburger stands has a new lease on life.

Amanda Wert and Ryan Vicklund bought Gene's Drive-In at the corner of South Market Street and Parkview Avenue. They closed the business for about a week to clean and make some changes and re-opened it May 11.

Wertz is a Central Valley High School graduate who was born and raised in Shasta County. She was a cook for the Enterprise Elementary School District before she decided to partner with Vicklund.

Wertz was behind the grill when I visited Gene's before the lunch rush late last week.

"We are going to run specials every month, have a burger of the month," an enthusiastic Wertz said, adding that they are using Harris Ranch meats.

Wertz and Vicklund also have brought back the classic car trays for kids' meals.

Kenny Stevenson eats at Gene's about once a week. He's excited about Wertz and Vicklund taking over.

"It's going to be great. I know these new owners care about the place," he said.

Gene's Drive-In had been in the Nash family since 1954, when Gene Nash opened the hamburger joint. Gene Nash died in May 2011 at age 95. He retired from the business in 1981 and handed it over his son, Mike, who operated it before selling the restaurant in 2012.

Gene's is among a handful of independent hamburger stands that are still alive in the area. They include Damburger, Dude's, Pop's Place and Shasta Burger.

Gene's is opens at 11 a.m. daily.

REDDING INN CLOSING?

The sign on the office window of the Redding Inn on Pine Street reads, "We Don't Check In Any People Any More. Thank you."

The message has fanned speculation that the troubled motel, declared "a public nuisance" by the Shasta County District Attorney's Office, is closing. The DA's office filed a lawsuit against the Redding Inn last fall.

Lucky Jesrani, a senior deputy district attorney, said the motel's attorney, Robert West, has told the DA's office the business plans to close. West has not returned phone messages seeking comment.

Sgt. Walt Bullington, who heads up Redding Police Department's neighborhood police unit, has also heard the motel will close  but nothing official.

"We have heard the same rumors but we only believe about half of what we hear from that owner," Bullington said. "He doesn't like to talk to us. He doesn't return our calls  things like that.

"So as far, as whether they're actually closing, I'm not sure. But we have heard that rumor. So I hope so."

Meanwhile, closing the Redding Inn would mean another vacant building or lot for downtown.

Larry Vaupel, the city's development services director who also oversees code enforcement, said his office will work with the owner should the Redding Inn close. Vaupel also has not received any official word.

"We are prepared to enforce our regulations to securing vacant structures if they do cease operations," Vaupel said in an email. "If the owner does not comply with our regulations and secure the buildings, we will secure the structures and seek reimbursement, fines, and penalties via our Administrative Hearings Board."

FORMER WAL-MART IN ESCROW

Who's the buyer and what their plans are for the former Wal-Mart on South Main Street in Red Bluff is anybody's guess.

And, of course, speculation abounds. A reader from Red Bluff called last week to tell me he had heard Lowe's was going to open a store there.

It's time to give the city's planning department a call.

Scott Friend, Red Bluff's community development director, said the rumor is that the property is in escrow. A deed check last week showed Wal-Mart still owns the building, which is about 100,000 square feet.

"We have no applications and nobody has come in and said, 'I am the buyer and here is what I want to do,'" a friend told me last week. "The only thing I have heard is it's in escrow and it's a commercial real estate firm out of Sacramento."

Wal-Mart vacated the building in March when it opened a new Supercenter in Red Bluff on Luther Road.

Stay tuned.

Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or david.benda@redding.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS.
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Q: I am looking for a beach to release live fish. Our religion says it is very good to release a live fish because you save a life and also you learn to be merciful to all of the lives in the world. I live in Orange County, but any beaches in Los Angeles or Orange County works for us. We have friends who get permission in Europe to do this. The government allows them to release only certain fish species in specific areas only.

Joo Pheng

A: What you are proposing cannot be authorized in California, even for religious purposes. It's illegal for biological reasons to transport live fish for release into waters different from where taken.

According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Aquaculture Coordinator Kirsten Ramey, prayer animal release can pose a serious risk to natural resources and society through the introduction of non-native and/or invasive species.

California currently faces a variety of significant and lasting impacts from introductions of non-native and invasive species in both fresh and coastal waters. Just a few of these impacts include reduced diversity and abundance of native plants and animals  due to competition, predation, parasitism, genetic dilution, introduction of pathogens, smother and loss of habitat  to invasive species, threats to public health and safety via parasites and disease and increased costs to business, agriculture, landowners and government.

One of California's costly introductions was attributed to the aquarium trade, based on DNA evidence. Caulerpa taxifoli, an invasive algae originally from the Mediterranean Sea, has cost California more than $6 million to eradicate.

In terms of ecological impacts, the introduction of invasive species is thought to be second only to habitat loss in contributing to declining native biodiversity throughout the United States. California has been invaded by many aquatic plants and animals that have altered native ecosystems and taken a toll on recreation, commercial fishing and sensitive native species. For these reasons and more, it is unlawful to place, plant or cause to be placed or planted, in any of the waters of this state, any live fish, any fresh or salt water animal, or any aquatic plant, whether taken without or within the state, without first securing the written permission from CDFW.

If interested in gaining authorization to legally place live plants or animals into waters of the state, a person needs to first prepare a description of their proposal and send it to CDFW for review.

Q: Can one use black or blue rock fish as bait to catch lingcod? I have seen people do this, but I believe you cannot since rockfish are considered to be a game fish.

John C., Roseville

A: Coyotes are classified as nongame mammals in the Fish and Game Code and, if found to be "injuring growing crops or other property" (FGC section 4152), they can be taken on your property without obtaining a hunting license. However, if a coyote is not injuring your property, you will need to obtain a hunting license before taking it (FGC section 3007).

Q: Current fish and game regulations limit the fishing depth for groundfish in Southern California to 60 fathoms or 360 feet. I need to know how far from the shore line this depth limitation is enforced. I saw from another link on your website that the State of California's fishing jurisdiction only goes out to three miles from shore.

James J.

A: The depth limit is enforced out to 200 nautical miles from shore. Groundfish are jointly managed by the states and federal government, and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone extends from California's three nautical mile state waters boundary out 200 nautical miles. CDFW is authorized to enforce California laws throughout the EEZ regarding individuals and vessels operating out of California ports. CDFW wildlife officers have also been delegated authority to enforce several federal laws in the EEZ. Also, keep in mind that depth limits may differ depending upon which groundfish management area you are fishing in.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.
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Firefighters were called to a fire in an off-road water truck Saturday afternoon at the old Roseburg mill property at Locust and Barney roads in Anderson.

The parked vehicle, used for logging operations, was on fire next to a large wooden commercial structure, said Capt. Steve Lowe of the Anderson Fire Protection District.

Firefighters from Anderson, Cottonwood and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection went to the blaze after getting the call at 4:02 p.m.

Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the building although it did receive minor heat damage. A logging truck near the flames also had minor heat damage.

The fire was most likely caused by an electrical issue, Lowe said. The fire caused about $7,000 in damage.
Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Jasmine Christian, 4 (from right), and her mother Emily, talk with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish biologist Travis Webster at the Whiskeytown Environmental School during the BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival Saturday.

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By Sean Longoria of the Redding Record Searchlight

Bugs, bats, fish, plants and more were on display  and all around  the attendees of Saturday's BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

The activities at the event  which carried over from Friday  included hikes, music, demonstrations and scientific surveys.

"We have scientists interacting with citizens to help them become 'citizen-scientists' so that they can learn about the park's natural resources, about our wildlife," said Whiskeytown Superintendent Jim Milestone. "This is kind of a reading of the pulse, the health of the park, here at Whiskeytown."

The day started with hikes by both the California Native Plant Society and Wintu Chapter of the Audubon Society. Each group led separate treks to highlight local offerings in their areas of interest.

The activity then moved to the Whiskeytown Environmental School where much of the day was focused toward children, Milestone said.

"Once you find out some of the fascinating things that are going on here, you learn to appreciate a little better what we have to offer here at Whiskeytown," he said.

Offerings at the school include a search for bugs in the creek and presentations by the local Indians for Education, photographer Amanda Shufelburger  who photographed the only known wolverine in the state  and scientists discussing bats.

Though the event was the first of its kind at Whiskeytown, national parks and recreation areas across the country are holding BioBlitzes in connection with the National Park Service's 100-year anniversary, Milestone said.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

The American Society of Civil Engineers says California needs to invest $65 billion annually in infrastructure of all kinds that is aging and in need of repair.

From bridges to highways to levees to runoff controls to the manpower to provide the maintenance, the costs are adding up fast  almost doubling from $37 billion in 2006 to the current estimate from ASCE's 2012 report card on the Golden State.

Here in the North State, an official for the California Department of Transportation's District 2 acknowledged underfunded transportation needs at the state level. The district, the second largest in the state by area, is keeping pace with maintenance road projects, safety receiving the highest priority. But funding easily could be tripled or quadrupled.

"If there were more money, we could do more projects. There is no doubt we could do more," said Don Anderson, Caltrans District 2 deputy director.

Nationally, the investment is pegged at $3.6 trillion by 2020. Some say that kind of deterioration results in a damaged economy and a lower quality of life.

ASCE this year projected every household will lose $3,400 each year from 2016 to 2025 because of infrastructure deficiencies, and if needs are not met by 2025, the economy could lose $4 trillion in GDP and shed 2.5 million jobs.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday proposed spending $36 billion over 10 years to start paying a $59 billion backlog of road repairs, but how the plan gets funded is still unclear.

Renewed attention over the infrastructure needs comes against the backdrop of a seven-person House race for the 1st Congressional District, where the campaign talk is jobs and economic growth for the North State.

Republican incumbent Doug LaMalfa, in his quest for a third two-year term, faces six challengers in the June 7 primary. They are Democrats David Peterson and Jim Reed, Republicans Gregory Cheadle, Joe Montes and Gary Allen Oxley, and Jeff Gerlach, a technology consultant who has declared no party preference. Almost all deemed bringing broadband access to the district as a key infrastructure need.

As major infrastructure projects go, talk of raising the height of Shasta Dam has gone dormant because of cost and financing issues.

Local transportation officials are working on a long-term plan to complete the expansion of Interstate 5 to three lanes in each direction from Redding to Anderson.

"This is the big dragon that we need to slay right now," said Dan Wayne, senior transportation planner at Shasta Regional Transportation Agency.

Anyone who's been on the freeway knows it goes from three lanes to two lanes to three lanes. The additional lanes would increase capacity and help with the traffic flow. But the project, which has a funding gap of $58 million, has been a tough nut to crack for SRTA, Caltrans and their partner agencies because of the physical complexities, which include river crossings and bridges. "Once you get into expanding or replacing bridges, the price tag goes up exponentially," Wayne said.

Anne Wallach Thomas wants to see the feds get more serious about safety for biking, walking and transit, particularly in places that are spread out like Shasta County.

"We have half a transportation system now. It works really well for cars and trucks and what we need is the other half of the system. Close to half of our population can't drive," said Thomas, who heads up Shasta Living Streets and sees the issue making for practical and sound economic policy for the region.

"A lot of times (business owners) have employees who live on the other side of town from their business," she said. "People also are moving to places where they can have active lifestyles every day of the week, not just on weekends."

Doug LaMalfa

In December, Congress passed a highway bill allocating $305 billion over the next five years. After years of piecemeal legislation, the FAST Act is the first long-term spending package that Congress passes in a decade.

LaMalfa said he supported it to bring certainty to projects that are in the pipeline. "I thought the stability was important and people want to see the highway projects continue," he said.

And he recognizes the district's need for broadband, more highway work, water storage capacity and flood control.

Speaking from Capitol Hill on Thursday, he said he is hopeful to have a voice on infrastructure issues. House Speaker Paul Ryan has assured him he will be appointed to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee provided he is re-elected, he said.

The six-lane project for I-5 between Redding and Anderson is on his radar as are the needs for extra lanes on Highway 99 and Highway 70 in the counties on the southern edge of the district, he said.

"They've done some pretty good work to do the three lanes," he said of the I-5 plans. "You need the continuity in these places so you don't have the traffic all caterpillar up."

Regarding the proposed Sites Reservoir, he called the water legislation the number one priority of the California delegation. He said a bill made it through the House to authorize the completion of a study and the project. That is now making its way through the Senate, and keeping the support of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is crucial. Feinstein's drought relief bill includes support for the offstream reservoir just west of Maxwell.

LaMalfa dismissed his opponents' attacks that he is somehow supporting sending more water to Southern California as "nonsense. I am a farmer and I am surrounded by farmers. My loyalty is to this district."

Jim Reed

Reed has made infrastructure the centerpiece of his campaign.

Under his proposal, the funding would come from the defense budget. High-speed internet would help Red Bluff and parts of Redding draw new business, he said.

In his first 100 days in office, he said he would meet with as many members of Congress to find common ground and push legislation through.

For Reed, it's not just a matter of slashing the defense spending. What he wants is for the military to regain its self-sufficiency and get rid of independent contractors that were brought in during the war in Iraq and have only contributed to bloating the defense budget.

"The draft would have been better than hiring the contractors," he said.

He talked about wanting to see Highway 99 from Red Bluff to Chico and Highways 47 in Nevada County turned into freeways.

Gregory Cheadle

Cheadle equates infrastructure to more government spending.

"It is a concern to me that when I go to a city, the government buildings are the best looking, not the private businesses," he said.

He also saw little problem to roads he travels for meet-and-greet engagements across the district. Rather, they look in better shape than in other parts of the state.

"We're a population that is rural," he said, "and I think we are pretty well taken care of."

The problem, Cheadle said, is when people from other areas move here. "They come from the suburbs and they want the same things that they left behind."

Joe Montes

Montes also noted the district is not spending enough money to broadband access and wanted to bring back tax dollars to put toward such improvements.

Much of his focus was on Chico.

"We definitely need it if we are going to target the high-tech community," he said. "We also have high unemployment rates and we have a large population that would love to be contributing."

Upon being sent to Washington, he like Reed, would focus on finding common ground with other lawmakers. "We all want a more responsive government," he said. "People are tired of D.C. and its disconnectedness."

Jeff Gerlach

Gerlach said he wants to see spending on national security and foreign aid dialed back, with any savings put into high-speed internet.

"I'm a tech guy and I see how that would change things significantly," said Gerlach, who is an internet technology consultant. "If we had broadband, we would see cities grow and business grow. It drives the whole economy and lifts everyone up."

Gary Oxley did not immediately return a call on Friday for comment. David Peterson did not return calls for comment.
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A child exchange turned violent Saturday afternoon in Castella, resulting in the arrest of the biological father for investigation of attempted murder, domestic violence and child abuse, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office reported.

The female victim called for help about 4:35 p.m.only after she regained consciousness from being strangled by the father, Shea Montgomery, 40, according to the sheriff's office.

The woman told deputies she was assaulted and her life was threatened by Montgomery in the child custody exchange of their 14-month-old child, deputies said.

Deputies said Montgomery strangled the woman, telling her he would kill her, their child and himself.

The woman tried to break free by scratching Montgomery on his face and elsewhere, but she lost consciousness from being strangled, deputies said.

On regaining consciousness, she said she saw Montgomery walking away with their child, deputies said.

While deputies were en route to Castella in northern Shasta County, the sheriff's office contacted the California Highway Patrol for assistance. A CHP unit found Montgomery along with the woman and child, who was found safe and unharmed, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies met up with the CHP unit and put Montgomery under arrest and then took him to jail.
SHARE Melissa Nicole Martin Date of birth: May 6, 1987 Vitals: 5 feet, 3 inches; 130 pounds; brown hair, hazel eyes Charge: Escape from custody Zachary Ray Dorsey Date of birth: July 9, 1988 Vitals: 6 feet; 170 pounds; blond hair, green eyes Charge: Burglary Richard Alan Flaim Date of birth: Feb. 24, 1964 Vitals: 5 feet, 11 inches; 209 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Vehicle theft Ruben Reyes Ybarra Date of birth: July 16, 1988 Vitals: 5 feet, 6 inches; 160 pounds; black hair, brown eyes Charge: Prior auto theft

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday a total of 603 arrests have been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have been going up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
SHARE Ted Gaines Rob Rowen

Ted Gaines

Age: 58

Party affiliation: Republican

Occupation: State senator, small business owner

Education: BA in business, Lewis & Clark College

Family: Married to wife, Beth, since 1985; six children.

Time lived in district: My entire adult life.

Other elected experience: Placer County supervisor, California Assemblyman

Campaign website, email www.TedGaines.com, ted@tedgaines.com

Social media accounts: Twitter, @tedgaines; www.facebook.com/ted.gaines/

What three things would you do to create job growth in North State?

1. Get rid of burdensome environmental regulations that are devastating our local economy. 2) I will fight to immediately reduce state taxes on small business owners. 3) We need to repeal the failed high speed rail and send the money back to taxpayers.

How will you champion the needs for rural communities?

Our rural way of life is under attack by Sacramento politicians who are trying to raise taxes and over-regulate our businesses. I led the charge last year to stop over $29 billion in tax increases. I will continue to fight for the North State every day and stop tax increases.

If marijuana is legalized, how should it be regulated?

I oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes.

Rob Rowen

Age: 51

Party affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Retired

Education: BA social science

Family: Married; five children

Time lived in district: 30-plus years

Other elected experience: None

Social media accounts: Facebook, Rob Rowen for Senate

Campaign phone number, website, email: 530-953-5391; www.rowenforsenae.com; rob.rowen@aol.com

What three things would you do to create job growth in North State?

Biomass, infrastructure modernization, water storage

How will you champion the needs for rural communities?

Being a moderate Democrat, I can work with Sacramento and get things done for our rural district. I go to Sacramento not as a "no" vote but as someone who can work to solve our problems. We either continue to have no representation or we try something different.

If marijuana is legalized, how should it be regulated?

Sacramento needs to have clear and defined regulations; this would eliminate counties from passing no-grow ordinances. The amount any individual is allowed to cultivate can then be enforced by local law enforcement. The counties should receive the lion's share of the revenue for the "cultivation" permits. Marijuana cultivation will vary from county to county, but there needs to be a mechanism in place that protects all who choose to produce their own cannabis.

Steven Baird

Age: 52

Party affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Information technology division chief

Education: BS computer science, University of Idaho ; MBA financial management, National University

Family: Married to wife, Dianna, two children

Time lived in district: 30 yearss

Other elected experience: Sacramento County Retirement Board

Social media accounts: www.facebook.com/BairdforSenate/

Campaign phone number, email and website: 530-401-7191; steve@bairdforsenate.org; www.bairdforsenate.org

What three things would you do to create job growth in North State?

Eliminate the unelected non-governmental organizations that place restrictions and install fees without being elected; eliminate corporate state income taxes; and author legislation that removes the restrictions on timber and mining industries to restart those businesses.

How will you champion the needs for rural communities?

Push for more representation for the northern third of California by authoring a joint resolution for the formation of the state of Jefferson as well as legislation that would modify the state Senate to be comprised of one senator from each county for a total of 58.

If marijuana is legalized, how should it be regulated?

The state of California should not decide this issue; it should be left to the voters in each county to determine how they want to deal with marijuana. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work for a state this large. Local decisions will work best for local citizens.
Sean Longoria/Record Searchlight Congressional candidate Jim Reed (center) speaks at a forum Saturday as (from left) fellow candidates Jeff Gerlach, Gary Oxley and Gregory Cheadle listen. The forum was held at the Redding Civic Auditorium and was lightly attended.

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By Sean Longoria of the Redding Record Searchlight

Four of the seven candidates running for a seat in the 1st Congressional District discussed a range of issues Saturday before a small audience at the Redding Civic Auditorium.

The lightly attended affair brought at most 50 people, though seating was arranged for hundreds. The forum  which lasted about four hours  covered the topics of immigration, gun control, LGBT issues, marijuana and how to bring local jobs to the North State.

Republicans Gary Oxley and Gregory Cheadle, along with Democrat Jim Reed and Jeff Gerlach  who's not attached to a party  fielded questions at the forum. Absent were Joe Montes, David Peterson and  more noticeably  incumbent Congressman Doug LaMalfa.

Oxley said invites to the congressman were extended by email, phone call and fliers left on his local office door.

"I know that we invited him, but we never heard a word from him," Oxley said.

Much of the forum centered on two topics: immigration and gun control, with most candidates agreeing that illegal immigration is a problem, but those willing to work and contribute to society weren't part of that problem.

On gun control, the candidates all agreed that Americans should be allowed access to guns for self-defense, while Reed and Gerlach both accepted that there should be some limits to the types of weapons people could be allowed to own.

"There's got to be a line someplace," Reed said.

He and Gerlach again found common ground on the issue of bringing jobs to the North State, both pushing for high-speed internet access.

"I really love the term 'Silicon Prairie' and I'd like to see that up here," Gerlach said.

On the jobs question, Oxley took aim at international treaties and influence that push manufacturing outside of America.

Cheadle meanwhile focused on the super-rich and their influence on government.

"The filthy rich have been allowed to prosper by our lax enforcement of anti-monopoly laws," Cheadle said.

Oxley helped organize and promote the forum, which he said was so far the only one of its kind locally.

The day also included a talk by Jason Kraus  one of 11 independent out of 34 total candidates in the race to fill one U.S. Senate seat for California.

He pitched a range of ideas to reform a Washington, D.C., he said was full of "corruption and lies," including eliminating personal and corporate income tax.
SHARE Steve Morgan candidate for Shasta County Supervisor, Dist. 4 Walter Albert Wally St. Clair Bill Schappell

Bill Schappell

Age: 74

Occupation: Shasta County District 4 supervisor

Education: San Francisco State University, UC Berkeley, San Joaquin Delta College, Contra Costa College

Family: Married, two children

Time lived in district: 38 years

Other elected experience: Canyon School Board

Social media accounts: Facebook: Bill Schappell

Campaign phone number and email: 530-524-0590, bill@redding.net

What are the priorities for the district?

My first priority is by keeping Shasta County citizens' concerns at the forefront of my concerns, with supporting their needs and solving their issues. Help people incarcerated to be more productive when they are released. I was instrumental in establishing Malachi Dads in the county jail, which has met with much success. This program is international.

What would you do to improve public safety?

Establish a rehabilitation center, work with people who have been released from jail to establish a self worth in their person. To address homelessness, support rehabilitation programs that evaluate their mental state, with counseling and drugs that will bring them back to a positive place in society. Shasta County's Adult Rehabilitation Center is a great place to start, with a Sobering Center and a Crisis Intervention Center.

What should the county's role be in the raising of Shasta Dam?

Shasta County's only role in raising Shasta Dam is to be sure the business owners receive equitable treatment and are reimbursed for monetary losses. The residents who are displaced need to receive the same treatment. The Winnemem Wintu need special consideration because of their additional loss of the sacred sites on the McCloud River.

Wally St. Clair

Age: 72

Occupation: Retired J.C. Penney store manager, district manager, regional store operations manager

Education: BS business administration, University Southern California

Family: Married to wife, Donna; five children

Other elected experience: none

Social media accounts: Facebook: Wally St Clair

Campaign phone number, email, website: 530-515-1072, wstc@sbcglobal.net, www.votewallystclair.com

What are the priorities for the district?

I believe it is extremely important to be available and listen to the people of District 4, and then work with the resources in the county to address their concerns. But also there are key issues that need emphasis, including: public safety, economic development/jobs, care of veterans and fiscal restraint.

What would you do to improve public safety?

We can improve public safety by supporting the recommendations of the Implementation Team for the Blueprint for Public Safety study. These actions will improve homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues; stop "catch and release" practices by providing more jail space and put more law enforcement on the street.

What should the county's role be in the raising of Shasta Dam?

Although raising the dam would be a federal project, the county would have responsibilities. Property owners, business owners and Indian tribal issues would have to be protected and "made whole" because of losses or inconveniences. The county also needs to ensure any local costs fit within budget constraints.

Steve Morgan

Age: 73

Occupation: Electrical contractor

Education: Some college, electrical apprenticeship, Department of Defense supervisor school

Family: Married; four children

Time lived in district: 14 years

Other elected experience: Shasta Lake Fire Protection District

Social media accounts: Facebook: Steve Morgan politician

Campaign phone number, email: 530-275-1788, 530-410-1276, Pamswm@aol.com

What are the priorities for the district?

Public safety, eliminate illegal camping, better communication between the Board of Supervisors and residents of District 4, tourism, mental health, support the Shasta Lake Business Owners Association. And support the recognition of local American Indian tribes.

What would you do to improve public safety?

Rally support from all the citizens of Shasta County to support the Blueprint for Public Safety. Help the citizens understand that this benefits all of Shasta County. I would encourage the homeless to take advantage of the various services available to them through public outreach.

What should the county's role be in the raising of Shasta Dam?

Resolve the uncertainty of raising Shasta Dam as it affects the business owners around the lake and the sacred sites of our local American Indians.

Walter Albert

Age: 47

Occupation: Business and technology consultant, business management and technical training.

Family: Father of two children

Time lived in district: 26 years.

Other elected experience: Columbia School Board.

Social media accounts: www.facebook.com/WalterAlbertForShastaDistrict4

Campaign phone number, email, website: 530-962-0011; 530-999-1993; www.walteralbert.org; walter@walteralbert.org

What are the priorities for the district?

We must stop the bleeding of businesses and skilled workers out of this district and the county. We do this by helping, showcasing and engaging businesses to work together and make Shasta County a strong, business-friendly county. We need jobs that will keep skilled workers and families in Shasta County. Once we have growth, the budget will grow and allow an increase in funds to all other public programs like police and fire.

What would you do to improve public safety?

I would increase staffing where needed, determined by talking with various department directors and staff and see if any current adjustments should be done. Most of the staffing increases could only happen once the budget grows and that can only be done if we as a community work together to grow current business, bring in new businesses and small, clean industry into the area.

What should the county's role be in the raising of Shasta Dam?

This is a federal project and if approved we as a county should embrace this project. During the construction phase it will bring in large amounts of revenue and jobs into the area. This would overflow into local business and help the local economy. Once the dam is complete, tourism would grow with a much larger lake and more shoreline.
Richard Lawrence

SHARE Sandy Bruce Steve Chamblin Candy

Tehama County Supervisors District 1

Steve Chamblin

Age: 63

Occupation: Incumbent, District 1 Tehama County supervisor; small-business owner; marriage, family and child therapist.

Education: Master's Degree, credentialed school counselor.

Family: Married; two adult children.

Time lived in district: 32 years

Campaign phone number and email: 530 949-0287, sc4supe@gmail.com

Social media accounts: None

Other elected experience: Local water boards, school site councils, drug/alcohol advisory board.

What do you think of jail expansion?

AB 109 and Proposition 47 have pushed the need for jail expansion to provide for public safety and compliance with state mandates. This should be done with the least disruption to the public, the city of Red Bluff and all citizens of Tehama County.

If California legalizes marihuana, how should Tehama County respond?

The final proposal for voters in November is in the making. Tehama County will have to consider the will of voters and implement the law if passed.

What do you think is top priority for the county?

Road maintenance funding and jobs are top priority for our county.

Richard James Lawrence

Age: 67

Occupation: Retired teacher, rancher, business owner

Education: BA, CSU Chico

Family: Father of one child

Time lived in district: Six years

Campaign phone number: 530-347-4923

Social media accounts: none

Other elected experience: none

What do you think of the jail expansion?

I believe that the county must work with the city of Red Bluff on a much needed expansion of the county jail. Such an expansion would create jobs for Tehama County residents. In addition, being in the design business for 40 years, I have needed experience to fully understand the process of building development at both the city and county level.

If California legalizes marijuana, how should Tehama County respond?

I believe the current county ordinance would meet the need of users of marijuana. This ordinance allows a person to be able grow and use marijuana but restricts large outdoor grows, which use large quantities of water and chemicals that contaminate the water table.

What do you think is the top priority for the county?

The county needs to work on bringing in light manufacturing firms. Focusing on attracting companies with good paying jobs to the county would help reduce the use of drugs and the crime rate.

Tehama County Supervisors District 2

Kathlene "Candy" Carlson

Age: 58

Occupation: Tehama County Supervisor District 2 incumbent, previous business owner/manager

Education: BA in business and BS in psychology

Family: Mother of two children

Time lived in district: 13 years

Campaign phone number, email: 727-8803, ccarlson@co.tehama.ca.us

Social media accounts: Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/candycarlson12

Other elected experience: Elected 2014 to the Tehama County Board of Supervisors District 2 at the mid-term election. Serving the last two years of the late Supervisor George Russell's term.

What do you think of the jail expansion?

The beds are definitely needed. I have been outspoken about the location not being ideal and I did not support closing Madison Street. I support the downtown businesses with regard to the need to preserve the downtown area of Red Bluff.

If California legalizes marijuana, how should Tehama County respond?

I prefer that medicines be sold through pharmacists to control the content and doses appropriate for a patient's condition and need. If legalized for recreational use, I hope we learn from other areas to take every precaution to protect children from consumption and ensure responsible adult use, much like alcohol.

What do you think is the top priority for the county?

Something must be done about epidemic levels of drug abuse; child and elder safety; living-wage jobs; road repair and maintenance; reliable access to Internet and phone service; veteran services; open and fair recruitment and contracting practices, balanced budget and transparency.

Sandy Bruce

Age: 65

Occupation: Extra help, Tehama County Social Services

Education: Attended Feather River College & Shasta College

Family: Married, two children

Time lived in district: 38 years

Campaign phone number: 526-2140

Social media accounts: Facebook: Elect Sandy Bruce Supervisor

Other elected experience: Appointed to Board of Supervisors April 2013-Dec. 1 2014

What do you think of the jail expansion?

The jail expansion has to be done. The current facility is reaching end of life and is inadequate for the all that is needed at this time. I am not happy that Madison Street has to be diverted around the expansion site, but recognize that there is no feasible alternative.

If California legalizes marijuana, how should Tehama County respond?

That would depend on how the law is written and what the majority of the people of Tehama County wanted. Action would have to follow the law, even if unfavorable to the citizens. Tehama County is very conservative, and I would expect would take the conservative approach to the legalization.

What do you think is the top priority for the county?

There are many top priorities. Keeping local control, property and water rights, public safety, bringing good jobs to Tehama County  just to name a few. These are issues that must always remain at the forefront, but issues always arise that require careful and informed decisions.
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By Teresa Wiltz, Stateline.org

California has a problem: Fifty-two percent of its managers in the state workforce could decide in the next five years that theyre tired of working, grab their retirement packages and go. Their departure would create a serious brain drain for the state, which has the largest number of state employees in the country  220,000.

So Jeff Douglas, Californias chief of workforce development, is trying different tactics to keep senior workers on the job: offering a flexible work schedule, promoting work-life balance and creating the first government-wide employee management survey to assess the needs of workers. The idea is to find out who is leaving  and why.

Douglas knows that efforts to keep senior workers  especially managers, specialists, and highly educated and knowledgeable employees  on the job are at best stopgap measures. Eventually, the state will have to shore up its talent reserves as baby boomers age out of the state workforce. Because people can walk right now, we have to be ready if they do, he said.

Like California, nearly every state and locality faces the imminent departure of retirement-eligible employees. Anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of state workers are eligible for retirement, said Leslie Scott, executive director of the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE). And states are scrambling to find ways to retain their most valuable seasoned employees.

Finding replacements wont be easy. State employees are more educated than the rest of the nations workforce, including federal and local government employees, according to the Congressional Research Service.

So state personnel executives are experimenting with a variety of approaches to hang on to experience, including job-sharing and telecommuting, delayed retirement programs that pay lump sums to would-be retirees to keep working, training and development, and reward and recognition programs. They also are stepping up recruiting efforts to attract older employees who work in the private sector.

The idea, Douglas said, is to create a work environment where you can stay longer and work longer.

In Tennessee, where 32 percent of the state workforce is eligible for retirement, state workers can take advantage of the temporary employment option. The program allows retirees to work for up to 120 days during a 12-month period. This way, the state can recruit high-performing retirees to assist with special projects, said Rebecca Hunter, the states commissioner of human resources.

This allows an agency to benefit from the transfer of institutional knowledge and is a nice transition to full retirement for the employee, Hunter said.

In Ohio, state workers in the Office of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities are allowed to schedule their work hours as they see fit, as long as they work somewhere between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In Colorado, where 20 percent of the workforce in the states information technology division is eligible for retirement, the agency encourages retirement-age professionals to work with younger workers to ensure that knowledge is passed down to the next generation.

This is particularly important when it comes to dealing with older, legacy technology and other specialized fields, said Karen Wilcox, director of human resources in the Colorado governors information technology office. Knowledge loss is the most critical issue, Wilcox said.

In Virginia, where a quarter of state employees will be eligible to retire in the next five years, state human resources executives use intense data to predict who will be retiring and what is pushing them out, said Sara Redding Wilson, Virginias director of human resources.

Only a small fraction is going, and we know why, Redding Wilson said. Armed with data, she said, the state can tailor its retention efforts  while finding ways to recruit the next wave of talent.

The areas with the highest turnover rates are in corrections, juvenile justice and behavioral health, Redding Wilson said, fields with less flexibility in scheduling and that dont pay as much.

Some states, such as Alabama and Arizona, and some localities, such as Los Angeles, Pinellas County, Florida, and St. Louis, let potential retirees take advantage of the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP). It works this way: public workers  such as police officers  who reach retirement age commit to continuing to work for a fixed period. They go on collecting their regular paycheck. And when they retire, they are paid a lump sum bonus of as much as 90 percent of the salaries they earned while continuing to work.

DROP programs can be an attractive incentive to keep talented employees on the job longer, while reducing costs for recruiting and training new employees, said Angela Curl, assistant professor of family studies and social work at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

But not all states have kept them going. In 2001, Missouri implemented a similar program, called BackDROP, which offered state workers more flexibility in the start and stop dates. (Roughly a quarter of Missouris state employees are eligible to retire this year.)

In a 2014 report, Missouri state employees said that the BackDROP program had been an incentive for them to stay on the job. Some used the money to pay off debt, while others put in savings for their children to inherit, something that they cannot do with traditional pension plans, Curl said.

But in 2010, legislators amended the program. Employees hired after Dec. 31, 2010, arent eligible to participate in the program.

Public sector employees skew older than private workers. In 2013, 52 percent of full-time federal, state and local public employees were between ages 45 and 64, compared to 42 percent of full-time private sector workers, according to the Congressional Research Service. Fifty percent of state workers and 52 percent of local government workers were in that age group in 2013.

And states and local governments have already seen their workforces shrink in the past decade, thanks to budget cuts enacted during the Great Recession, according to the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

State agencies also cut back on training and development programs, NASPEs Scott said. As a result, younger employees arent prepared to step in to key management positions, she said. Meanwhile, many state workers  those who werent laid off in the midst of cutbacks  postponed retirement.

Some still are, which can give states some breathing room in which to plan to replace them. In Virginia, for instance, Redding Wilson said some younger boomers in their 50s are staying on the job to keep the states health care coverage.

But that wont last long. As the economy continues to improve, more state workers are expected to retire, Scott said. And the remaining talent pool for top managers is much smaller. During the recession, many layoffs happened at the middle-manager level, she said.

The retirement wave will hit all sectors of government, from teachers to nurses to law enforcement. But finance, engineering and management, along with information technology, are areas that could see the biggest losses, according to Elizabeth Kellar, the centers CEO. There are also big challenges to recruiting and retaining nurses, epidemiologists and doctors for public health jobs, she said.

Its a huge issue, Kellar said. To maintain a strong workforce, she said, states need to focus on recruiting and retaining good people, develop talent through training, offer competitive compensation and have a succession plan for passing on duties to younger workers.

At the same time, states must adjust to the characteristics of a new generation of workers, who are more likely to hop from job to job, and between the private and public sectors.

If theyre coming in [to work for the states], theyre not staying, Scott said.

In Maine, where roughly a quarter of the states IT workforce is eligible for retirement in the next two years, about 3,000 years of experience is going to be walking out the door, said Jim Smith, Maines chief information officer.

Its going to be transformational. Were going to need to do something radical to address this change.

For the past couple of years, his agency has been focusing on how to keep seasoned employees on the job while attracting new talent. His agency allows retirement-age employees to work part-time. But, he said, Thats a short-term solution.

To attract millennials, his agency drastically streamlined its hiring process. Now, applicants can apply for jobs using a mobile app. Applications have increased 35 percent since the app launched, Smith said.

The state also launched an intern-mentor program, partnering with local universities and community colleges to identify potential hires and pair them with veteran workers. Since the program started in 2013, 70 percent of the interns have become full-time employees, he said.

But the state isnt just focused on hiring young workers. Its also recruiting seasoned professionals whove spent their careers in the private sector and dont mind taking a pay cut to work in civil service.

One example of this: Smith. In 2012, after more than 30 years working in the private financial services sector, he decided, rather than retiring, hed go to work for his home state. I wanted an opportunity to give back, Smith said.



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Sally Rapoza, Redding

Do you know who your current state Senate representative is? If your answer is no, you have to ask yourself why.

Perhaps because Ted Gaines rarely makes a visit to the north end of his huge district.

District 1 includes Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Nevada, Placer and El Dorado counties. Most of the population is in Placer County, where Sen. Gaines spends most of his time and energy.

Steve Baird is another candidate running for state Senate who you should be aware of. Steve is a conservative, non-establishment candidate running to represent you in District 1. He plans to give Northern Californians a voice in government that they do not currently have. He wants to restore representation and give you, the people, a voice.

Steve Baird will be participating in a debate with his Democratic counterpart, Rob Rowen, 6 p.m. Monday at the Redding Patriots meeting at the The Vineyard City Church, 3276 Bechelli Lane. Ted Gaines was invited, but was too busy to attend. Come meet the candidates who want to represent you.
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Mark Montgomery, Palo Cedro

I am pleased to be supporting Mary Rickert for Shasta County District 3 supervisor.

As the election days are coming nearer, I wish to give our District 3 voters a closer look at Mary Rickert and why she is the best choice that makes sense for Shasta County.

As the former Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Board member in Shasta County, I witnessed first hand Mary's tireless dedication and leadership assisting with implementing cost effective outcome based mental health programs serving Shasta County residents suffering from chronic and persistent mental health and other substance related issues.

She has chaired the Children's Task Force Committee, participated as a member of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), was a certified instructor for the Family to Family Understanding Course, served as a panelist for crisis intervention training for law enforcement and organized crisis intervention trainings for county employees, a school district and first responders.

In addition, Mary has served on the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection as the range livestock representative and has a long history of achievements and involvement in the agricultural community.

You can see through these examples of her leadership and faithfulness that as our District 3 Supervisor, Mary can offer solutions to the fiscal and social challenges facing our community.

Thank you for your consideration and I hope you'll join me in backing Mary Rickert.
The Postal Department has geo-tagged more than 1,50,000 post offices on geo-portal Bhuvan, developed by ISRO

As emails and SMSes become the order of the day, the good-old Postal Department is going hi-tech by geo-tagging the post offices and has begun monitoring timely clearance of the letter boxes through a mobile app.

In collaboration with the Department of Space, India Post has geo-tagged over 150,000 post offices on the indigenous geo-portal Bhuvan, developed by ISRO, to help people search the nearest post office and know about services and timings.

India Post has over 155,000 post offices of which more than 139,000 are in the rural areas. An official in Communications and IT Ministry said that the remaining post offices would also be geo-tagged soon on Bhuvan, a Hindi word for 'universe'.

The initiative is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to use space technology by various departments of the government, he added.

"More than 150,000 post offices have been geotagged and their exact location on a GIS satellite imagery map along with photograph, services and office timings etc have been made available on the portal," he added.

Bhuvan, developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is providing visualisation services and earth observation data to users in public domain.

Bhuvan, started in 2009 with simple display of satellite data and basic GIS functionality, now has more than 6,000 map services which are being used under various applications.

Regarding other achievements of India Post in the last two years, the official said core banking solution (CBS) for providing 'anywhere banking' has been rolled out in 21,319 post offices, covering more than 30 crore Post Office savings bank accounts.

Besides, 910 post office ATMs have been installed across the country.

"A mobile app is being used for monitoring timely clearance of letter boxes in more than 16 cities," he added.
Google has partnered with cab operators Ola and Uber, and a user can seamlessly book a cab with just one tap. This service is available in 27 cities across India

Offline search, Hindi maps, real-time traffic alerts, pit-stop pro with search along routes and booking a cab - Google Maps has come a long way in India since its first entry in 2007, when having a map meant going through confusing sheets of paper.

At present, over 5,000 cities in India are on Google Maps. India is among the top three nations contributing with the most local guides, and is among the top five countries using offline maps.

Googles effort to map India has evolved over the years. The initial steps to map India started with finding addresses by using landmarks - first time in 2009. Before that, Google had started the use of Map Maker in India, which allowed users to edit the maps they use. The success of Map Maker led to the spawning of local guides.

In the last two months, the Google Maps team in Hyderabad has tried to come up with several features that would make using maps in India easier and commute convenient. It is also asking users to share local addresses by allowing them to directly sign-up from within Google Maps.

Sanket Gupta, product manager, Google Maps, said: When we started Google Maps 10 years back (globally), we had nothing; it was a blank sheet. Since then we have put maps into every persons pocket.

Though India is not as well mapped as the US, several features that have been launched on Google Maps have come from Indian usage. For instance, the latest offline maps, which have been made available in India.

I have personally seen that whenever your network is on roaming usage, data speeds are slow. Moreover, connectivity in India in several areas is spotty. Our offline maps allows users to get turn-by-turn driving directions without internet connection, said Gupta.

Gupta further added that Google Maps is a global product, which will be localised for each type of geography. For instance, Google maps will now also be available in Hindi.

We have been working on this for sometime now. Its a huge effort from our side. We completed this last year when we launched the voice-navigation in Hindi. The best part is that we have come up with the Hindi maps all through machine learning since it is one of the most elite languages. Earlier, we would have done it manually, Gupta added.

With more and more people spending time on their handsets, Google Maps has also incorporated pit-stops while still being on track. This could be either for a situation wherein you are running low on fuel and want to figure if you need to turn back, or drive along to the closest petrol station. Or, when you are on way to attend a social function and need to pick-up a bouquet or gift on the way. Search along route feature will come in handy.

The other feature that gets embedded with Google Maps is the taxi-booking feature. Available in 27 cities, Google has partnered with cab partners Ola and Uber, and a user can book a cab seamlessly with just one tap. Of course, Ola and Uber apps have to be downloaded on the handset.

Google Maps also has added a real-time traffic update feature. This feature allows users to see current traffic conditions right in the Maps and also compares how long certain routes will take. This feature is available on all national highways and 34 cities across India.

Among the new features, Google Maps allows users to explore, review, and share experiences of places on the Maps. More importantly, Google now allows sharing of the venue with friends and family via WhatsApp, email, hangouts or any other sharing platform.

Photograph: Kimberly White/Reuters
Coal India achieved a staggering production of 536.51 million tonnes during the financial year ended March 31, 2016

When Union coal and power minister Piyush Goyal set a target of providing affordable round-the-clock electricity to all by 2019, it seemed overambitious to some. However, one public sector enterprise went into an overdrive to turn this dream into a reality.

During 2015-16, domestic coal availability at thermal power plants was record 28 days, with no plant facing fuel scarcity. This, in turn, kept a check on Indias forex outflows as demand for imported coal remained under control. Indias power sector heavily depends on coal as over 80 per cent of the countrys electricity is generated by thermal plants.

Coal India achieved a staggering production of 536.51 million tonnes (mt) during the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

But how did Coal India, which faced one of its gravest production crisis during 2010-11 with nearly no production growth, manage a turnaround to live up to its reputation of being the worlds largest coal miner? The answer lies in a combination of policy-related reforms, state-Centre partnership, swift execution and close monitoring by the ministry.

There was a paradigm shift in the resolution of the issues while taking the states along said Anil Swarup, secretary, ministry of coal. The coal ministry used a three-pronged approach - increasing land availability, fast environmental clearance and efficient evacuation, he added.

Former chairman of Coal India, Partha Bhattacharyya, explains how the usage of the then prevalent Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) by the Union environment ministry led to Coal India projects being freezed while the miner struggled on production front.

The CEPI was formulated by IIT-Delhi which measured pollution resulting from industrial activities. Any score above 70 was considered critically polluted and the clearance for any greenfield project was not given. In case of a brownfield project, environmental clearance was withheld.

The CEPI formula took particle dust matter, sound pollution and release of toxic matter into water as the parameters with more weightage given to the latter. Almost all Coal India projects used to score above 70.

We took up the matter and explained to the ministry that mining doesnt involve toxic matter being released into the water. If this was looked into, our score came down to 40-45, which is within the permissible limit, Bhattacharya explained.

The plea did not receive positive response and major brownfield projects got stuck. However, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government coming to power, things took a turn for the better after the sub-cluster analysis method was implemented.

Environmental clearances and forest clearances have been fast-tracked now. This has resulted in increased production as we are able to open new mines when old ones wear out, a senior Coal India official said.

Coal India grew by 8.6 per cent in the last financial year, compared with 6.9 per cent growth in 2014-15. It has 431 operational mines with plans for further expansion. The average life of a mine is 30 years.We established an institutional approach to work with the ministries to get necessary clearances, Swarup said adding, There was not a single case where any regulation was bypassed. We just fast-tracked the process.

During the beginning of the 11th Plan Period, Coal India meeting the requirement from the energy sector with 5-5.5 per cent growth.On the operational front, the share of work and responsibility between the government and the public sector enterprise was clearly defined.

The task of the Ministry was more of a facilitator instead of a monitor, when it came to coal production. There was a clear division of work between the Ministry and Coal India with the Ministry taking the lead in resolving issues with the Ministry of Environment and Forest as well as the Railways, the coal secretary said.

Land acquisition for expansion and growth was also smoothened and prioritised. At a time when the private sector companies complained about land availability to execute projects, Coal India had a smooth journey.

No meeting was held in New Delhi, we went to respective states and convinced those to expedite clearances by proposing the value that coal mining would bring to their state, a senior coal ministry official said.

The miner got clearance for close to 3,000 hectares land last year, double than the previous year. It is now in possession of more than 5,000 hectare of land. The company has upped its land acquisition budget by a near 2.5 times to Rs 60,000 crore over a period of four years.

Its improved coordination with railways also boosted the scenario as rake allotment during 2015 rose to 121 from 91 in 2014. The coal ministry also formed joint ventures with the railways to build dedicated corridor for efficient movement of coal.

Increase in rake availability in the last two years helped in smooth evacuation of coal and its evacuation capability will increase further as the three crucial rail links become operational, said Debasish Mishra, partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India.
The question wafting in the winds over the Vaigai riverbed is, has Karunanidhi's elder son accepted his fate?

Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar and Saisuresh Sivaswamy find out.

IMAGE: Hoping for a glimpse of M K Azhagiri at his bungalow in Madurai. Photograph: Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com

Anjanenjaan means the man with a fearless heart, and that was the title they had given him. And once upon a time his kingdom stretched from Madurai all the way to Kanyakumari.

Whenever the emperor ruled in Chennai, he was in power in the southern satrapy as an overt king. And when the enemy ruled Chennai, he still retained power as the covert king.

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Azhagiri had power without responsibility, something not very unusual in Indian politics.

All that changed in 2009 when he stood for the Lok Sabha elections and won. Then he became a Cabinet minister in the Manmohan Singh government, since the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was an ally of the Congress.

Successful as a king without responsibility so far, he was a total failure as a Cabinet minister. Barring altering his spelling to enable northerners to get his name right, he did nothing of note. Worse, in 2009 he was the architect of the Thirumangalm by-elections in Madurai district which, while bringing victory to DMK, made Tamil Nadu infamous the world over and the after-effects of which are seen till today in the daily seizures of illegal cash meant to influence voters.

Unapologetic, Azhagiri also gave an interview to a national daily saying if he had Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) he could win all the 234 seats in Tamil Nadu.

Though DMK chief M Karunanidhi has always made it clear that his political heir was his younger son M K Stalin, the elder Azhagiri never accepted this. He openly challenged Stalin for supremacy and was expelled from the party two years ago.

Azhagiri's penchant for mischief is well-documented. In the past, he has successfully sabotaged the elections against the DMK in the southern districts, all to show who was boss.

Naturally, in the region that was once under his thrall, given his silence since then, and inaction in this election, there is immense speculation about his intentions.

IMAGE: Azhagiri's supporters wait for hours and hours outside his bungalow hoping to get a chance to meet their leader. Photograph: Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com

Has the Anjanenjaan finally been subdued, brought to heel by the man known as the Younger Lieutenant, his brother Stalin?

His followers, all in the DMK incidentally, who line up outside his residence regularly, refuse to buy the line. Azhagiri has been meeting his supporters regularly, and while the subject matter can be speculated upon, no one outside his home is willing to let on as to what is on their leader's mind.

Interesting men, these. Dressed in the mandated Tamil political attire of white shirt and white veshti with DMK colours as border, they arrive in cars, motorcycles and scooters to wait. Ostensibly to be called inside, you can make out Azhagiri's photograph in their shirt pockets. DMK workers usually carry Karunanidhi and Stalin's photographs.

They are not the only ones to assemble outside. The media has been visiting, too, OB vans in tow, with little effect. "Everyone is coming sir," says a man in the security detail outside. "Today aiyya called the team from Puthiya Thalaimurai TV and politely told them he cannot speak to them."

The second time round we were luckier. After sending our business cards inside, an aide scurried outside. "Aiyya odungi irukkaru (sir is staying away)," he says. "Therdhalukku appuram vaanga (please come after the elections)." Azhagiri simply was not meeting the media, although he was meeting people otherwise. On seeing our insistence, the aide relents to say that Azhagiri will speak to us on the phone after the elections.

A young man wearing the DMK colours was clearly among the chosen few. He was led inside almost immediately on arrival, and did not emerge in all the time we were there.

All of which fuels further speculation as to Azhagiri's intentions.

An indication can be sensed from the lively discussion among his supporters gathered outside as to what will happen on May 19. They were all sure that Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would win although with a smaller margin. Is this what they believe, or is it what they want? And does their Thalaivar (leader) want the same outcome, too?

M L Raj, Leader of the Opposition in the Madurai municipal corporation and an Azhagiri man, says, "Thalaivar's message to the voters was that he was not supporting anyone, and they could vote for whoever they liked."

Reminded that the ruling party has never been re-elected in Tamil Nadu since 1991, the men were nevertheless certain that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will win. One, the women voters were still with Jayalalithaa and all her populist schemes like the one-rupee idlis were a huge success, and two, the AIADMK had already spread enough grease on the ground to ensure a smooth ride to power.

A senior journalist with a Madurai daily newspaper says, "Azhagiri has realised that he is a spent force in politics. He can only do mischief, something negative, and that too on a small scale. He has been forced to eat humble pie."

Unconfirmed reports say Azhagiri had in fact called for a meeting of his supporters, which was not attended by him but was conducted by one of his loyalists, at which they were told to vote for the AIADMK. A clash broke out over this 'treachery', and most of them walked out of the meeting.

While that points to his political isolation, the belief among his followers is that he decided to lie low and let the DMK project Stalin as the future for the voters to choose. If the results on May 19 show the DMK's rejection, he will make his move. Else, the Anjanenjaan will have to lick his wounds.
Amid the outrage over the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar, his family on Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident as Bharatiya Janata Party workers took to streets across the state in support, holding protest marches.

Three persons, including Upendra Singh, a history sheeter allegedly linked to the Rashtriya Janata Dal strongman and former Lok Sabha MP from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin have been detained in connection with the incident but no arrests have been made so far.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in Lucknow, has expressed sadness and said the guilty will not be spared.

The slain journalists family, including his wife and father, have demanded a CBI investigation, saying they have no faith in the local police.

There is indeed a political angle to my husbands murder two days ago as he did not have personal enmity with anyone. But there could also be professional reasons, Ranjans wife Asha Devi said, and demanded a CBI probe. She sought the death sentence to the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath for justice.

Ranjans 75-year-old father Radha Chaudhary and brother Gautam echoed her demand.

The state government should bear the cost of education and related needs of 16-year-old Ashish Ranjan and his eight year-old sister Sakshi Ranjan as their father will no more be with them to secure their future, Gautam Ranjan said.

BJP, meanwhile, staged protest demonstrations across the state with its Bihar unit chief Mangal Pandey staging a dharna in Siwan to demand the arrest of culprits and a CBI probe.

The journalists family alleged that he was murdered by incarcerated RJD leader Shahabuddins men and Bihar police lacked the will to conduct a free, fair and impartial probe in the matter, Pandey told reporters in Siwan.

Under the circumstances, the murder case should be handed over to CBI, he said and demanded security to Ranjans family besides a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to his kin.

Police sources said three people, including Upendra Singh, the main accused in the killing of Shrikant Bharti, the spokesman for sitting BJP MP from Siwan, Om Prakash Yadav, who has a running feud with Shahabuddin, have been detained but not yet arrested. Bharti was gunned down in November 2014.

Whatever is happening in Bihar has saddened me. I assure the people of the state that whoever is guilty will not be spared, Kumar told reporters in Lucknow.

Representatives of several unions of journalists met Kumar and handed over memoranda seeking action against the perpetrators, compensation and a government job to the kin of Ranjan.

With the incident acquiring political overtones, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at Nitish Kumar for visiting Uttar Pradesh when the state was gripped by violence. He was referring to the murder of a teenager Aditya Sachdeva, allegedly by the son of a ruling Janata Dal-United MLC, and Ranjan.

It is regrettable that neither the chief minister nor his ministers have time to visit the families of the slain teeanger in Gaya and that of a journalist in Siwan district, he said in a statement deprecating Kumars visit to Varanasi and Lucknow.

Referring to Ranjans killing, Modi said fingers were being pointed at jailed former MP Shahabuddin amid reports that a hit list released from Siwan jail containing the names of 23 people included the slain journalist.

Ranjan, the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was said to have been instrumental in the release of a video in which RJD minister Abdul Ghafoor and another party leader were seen meeting Shahabuddin in jail. He was gunned down at a fruit market on Station Road in Siwan on May 13.

RJD had recently nominated Shahabuddin to its national executive despite his prolonged incarceration in a string of criminal cases.
In a significant catch, the Indian Army has arrested a terrorist of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit in Baramulla district of Kashmir and recovered an Aadhaar card from his possession, raising serious concern in the security establishment.

Abdul Rehman, a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had infiltrated in January and was engaged in recruiting local youth for suicide attacks, the army said.

A special joint operation was conducted with the police, in which a Pakistani terrorist -- Abdul Rehman, who belongs to JeM cadre, has been arrested alive. It is a huge success because we are hopeful of getting important information from him when we interrogate him, Major General J S Nain, General Officer Commanding, Baramulla Division, told reporters in Baramulla.

The official said the operation spanned two months, with the security forces keeping a track of Rehmans movement in the Valley before finally arresting him from a forest area near Old Town of Baramulla on Friday.

We tracked his movement. He came to Baramulla seven times. He tried recruiting people in Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara, the GoC said.

He told us that he took training at Balakote training camp in Pakistan under Inter-Services Intelligences guidance for three-four months. Then in January he infiltrated into India along with his four companions.

They hid in forest areas for one or two months and then this group spread and Rehman was assigned the responsibility of Baramulla, Sopore and areas near them to recruit for JeM and prepare a module for it and the overall aim was to carry big fidayeen (suicide) attacks, he said.

The official said recruiting youth in Kashmir for suicide missions was something new and a matter of serious concern. This is a new thing which has come to the fore as it is for the first time that a group has come for recruitment to the Valley for its fidayeen squad. This is a serious matter.

So, this is a huge success for security forces and whatever information we get from him, we can then launch operations based on that intelligence, he said.

Major Gen Nain said an Aadhar card has been recovered from Rehmans possession in the name of Shabir Ahmad Khan and if the card turns out to be genuine, it is a matter of concern for the security agencies.

In fact, the army official said all the five terrorists were given an Aadhaar card each when they entered the Valley. It will be established by an inquiry whether the Aadhaar card is genuine or not. If it is fake, then it is not a matter of great concern as one can get fake documents. However, if it is original, then definitely, it is matter of concern for all of us, Major Gen Nain said.

He said militant groups were trying to create a situation in north Kashmir similar to south Kashmir where their activities are high.

There is a lot of terrorist activity in south Kashmir and the situation is hot. Since the last few months, all the outfits are trying to create similar situation in north Kashmir. They thought they could attract people as fidayeen action gets huge media coverage and fame, the army official said.

During his interrogation, Rehman said the modus operandi was that after recruiting youth, they were to train them for two weeks and supply them arms and ammunition. After the training, they would have got orders from their handlers in Pakistan, he said.

He said Rehman was about to become JeM commander of Baramulla area because there was a vacuum in the area after another JeM militant Mohammad Sidiq was arrested in February.

We do not know yet how many people have they recruited and he did not tell us in detail about the route of their infiltration. I am sure we will get to know about that during his interrogation, Major Gen Nain said.
Seven workers were killed after a landslip occurred at the construction site of a multiplex at Lakshmipuram, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday night.

Another worker was rescued in a critical condition and rushed to the Government GeneralHospital for treatment.

The workers belonged to Gottipadu village under Pattipadu constituency adjacent to Guntur city. The state government announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the victims families, Guntur district Collector Kantilal Dande said.

The incident occurred on Saturday night when the 30-feet deep basement work related to the multiplex was going on. Some 18 workers were said to be working there when suddenly eight of them were caught in a landslip.

Following the alarm raised by co-workers, excavators were pressed into service to clear the mud and extricate those trapped underneath.

Initially, only one body could be extricated even as rescue efforts were hampered due to collapse of a compound wall of an adjacent building.

The National Disaster Response Force personnel from Mangalagiri rushed to the accident spot and stepped up the operation to dig out bodies.

The workers were identified as T Seshu, B Saolomon, B Sunil, J Prasanth, B Rajesh, J Sudha and B Babu, Guntur Municipal Commissioner Nagalakshmi said.

Irate villagers of Gottipadu attacked Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babus car as he reached the spot late in the night.

Ravela represents Pattipadu constituency and all victims belong to it.

Sensing the angry mood of the victims relatives, police whisked the minister away from the scene in their vehicle.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister N Chinna Rajappa, who rushed to Guntur from Amalapuram, said an inquiry would be conducted into the mishap and those responsible would be brought to book.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who returned to Vijayawada around 2 am from a five-day personal trip to Malaysia and Thailand, expressed sorrow over the mishap.

AP assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, MLAs Alapati Rajendra Prasad, N Anand Babu, collector Kantilal Dande and other officials supervised the rescue operation.

Photographs: ANI/Twitter
Pictures of Londons first Muslim mayor Sadiq Khans visit to one of the citys most famous temples where he performed rituals ahead of his election have gone viral on social media.

Pictures from the temple visit emerged on social media this week as Khan described the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in north Londons Neasden as one of his favourites.

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden is one of my favourite places in London, the 45-year-old had said on his Facebook post dated May 3, days before his runaway victory in the mayoral elections.

As Mayor, I will stand up for Londons Indian community, and strengthen Londons friendship with India. I look forward to leading a trade delegation to India at the earliest opportunity, Khan said.

In one of the pictures, Khan, who is son of a Pakistani migrant bus driver, is seen performing Jalabhishek or water ritual on a golden idol of Shri Swaminarayan.

The visit was a clear attempt on his part to stress his message of wanting to be a mayor for all Londoners.

Let me be very clear, Im not a Muslim leader or Muslims spokesperson, Im the mayor of London. I speak for all Londoners, the Labour party politician had told reporters soon after his victory.

The British capitals first Muslim mayor, elected by an overwhelming mandate, has criticised British Prime Minister David Camerons government and his Conservative party mayoral campaign rival Zac Goldsmith for their divisive election campaign.

David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith chose to set out to divide Londons communities in an attempt to win votes in some areas and suppress voters in other parts of the city, Khan had written in The Observer, in his first article a day after being sworn in as the new mayor on May 9.

They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other -- something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope its something the Conservative party will never try to repeat, he said.

Goldsmiths camp has been criticised for using unpleasant tactics in the campaign, including trying to cash in on Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity among Indian-origin Londoners by issuing leaflets with the message -- Standing up for the British-Indian community.

Khan is reportedly planning a visit to India soon, in an attempt to counter this negative messaging and present his secular credentials.

Khan beat Goldsmith with 57 per cent votes -- the largest mandate of any British politician in history -- marking the return of Labour rule to the UK capital after eight years. He was officially sworn-in as the new mayor of London at a multi-faith ceremony in Southwark Cathedral here on May 7.

Photographs: SadiqforLondon/Facebook
More than 5.79 crore voters will seal the fate of 3,740 aspirants including arch rivals Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham president M Karunanidhi, as the stage is set for polling in 233 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu under tight vigil on Monday.

IMAGE: Polling officials prepare EVMs before the state goes to the polls on Monday. Photograph: PTI

Besides All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, the electoral field also has two other chief ministerial

candidates -- actor-turned politician Vijayakant of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam-Peoples Welfare Front-Tamil Maanila Congress combine and Pattali Makkal Katchis Anbumani Ramadoss.

Of the total 234 constituencies, polling will be held in 233 seats as the Election Commission had deferred the process in Aravakurichi segment in Karur district to May 23 due to unlawful activities of candidates and political parties in bribing voters.

Incidentally, election authorities have seized more than Rs 100 crore unaccounted cash in the state, the largest among the five states where elections are held since last month, amid allegations by rivals that both AIADMK and DMK were unleashing money power to lure voters.

More than a lakh police and paramilitary personnel would man over 65,000 polling booths across the state, which is witnessing a multi-cornered contest also featuring the Bharatiya Janata Party, seeking to make a mark along with a few minor allies.

Jayalalithaa, seeking a record second successive term in office, and Karunanidhi, eyeing to lead DMK to power after back-to-back drubbings in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are contesting from R K Nagar in the city and Thiruvarur respectively.

R K Nagar has the maximum number of candidates at 45, with DMK (Shimla Muthuchozhan) and VCK (Vasanthi Devi) also fielding women nominees to take on Jayalalithaa. BJPs M N Raja is also in the fray.

BJPs candidates include its National Secretary H Raja and state president Tamilisai Sounderrajan.

In their hectic campaign, Jayalalithaa sought a renewed mandate based on her governments performance while Karunanidhi harped on the theme of change for his party to come to power after a five year hiatus.

Jayalalithaa also launched scathing attacks on the DMK-Congress alliance, restored after the split in 2013, calling it a coalition of loot as she slammed them for corruption, such as in 2G spectrum allocation, CWG and AgustaWestland deal.

Her partys manifesto offered several freebies, including mobile phone and 100 unit free power to all, and promised to usher in a phased manner prohibition, an issue raised by other parties prominently during the electioneering.

DMK and others have assured to implement prohibition in one go if they were voted to power.

AIADMK and DMK have been slapped showcause notices by the Election Commission for violating model code, saying their election manifestos do not substantially fulfil its guidelines and asked to respond by 5 pm on Sunday.

Karunanidhi, who described Jayalalithaa as a Queen, levelled charges of corruption and money power against his partys arch-rival even as he repeatedly made fervent pleas to the voters to chose DMK over AIADMK on May 16.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed several rallies, and other BJP leaders targeted the two Dravidian parties for corruption and alleged non-performance.

Positioning itself as a viable third front, the combine of DMDK, Peoples Welfare Front comprising Vaikos MDMK, Communist Party of India-Marxist, CPI and VCK and Tamil Maanila Congress led by G K Vasan has also attacked both DMK and AIADMK, which have ruled the state alternately in recent decades and pushed for a change.

To ensure free and fair polling, the state police will deploy about 77,000 personnel drawn from its own force, Home Guards, Ex-servicemen and ex-forestmen.

The Election Commission has provided 30,000 paramilitary forces personnel.

In the 65,616 polling booths set up across the state, around 6,300 have been identified as sensitive where extra monitoring mechanisms have been put in place.

Control rooms have been set up and police presence increased in many booths.

Counting of votes will be taken up on May 19 even as Tamil Nadu is known to generally elect one clear winner from the two Dravidian giants, DMK and AIADMK, since 1967.

Counting in Aravakurichi will be done on May 25. Local DMK heavyweight K C Palanichamy is locking horns with AIADMKs former Transport Minister K T Senthil Balaji in the constituency.

Considering the needs of differently-abled persons, the EC has made special arrangements, including distributing Braille material and making arrangements for wheelchairs which can even be booked online.

Where there were no ramps or they were not in proper shape, directives had been given to make temporary arrangements, Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said.
Halloween is nearly here. Find out when Trick-or-Treat is happening in Martinsville.

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Ask the Fool

Homebuyer investing

Q: How should I invest the money I've saved to buy a house within a few years?  F.Y., Spring, Texas

A: The stock market is a great option for long-term money, but it's the wrong place for any funds you'll need within a few years. In the short run, the market can temporarily plunge with little notice, and that can derail your plans. In the long run, it has averaged gains of close to 10 percent per year. Even that is an average, though, and not a guarantee.

Don't risk money you'll need within three years (or even five or 10 years, to be more conservative) in stocks. Protect your principal by investing short-term money in safer places, such as CDs or money market accounts. You can find good rates at bankrate.com.

Q: What is a 'poison pill' strategy?  N.R., Mansfield, Ohio

A: Sometimes referred to as a 'shareholder rights plan,' it's a strategy a company may use to avoid being taken over.

One kind of poison pill involves shareholders (but not a would-be acquirer) being permitted to buy additional shares of company stock at a discount. This dilutes the value of each share, including those held by the acquirer, making a buyout more difficult and costly to pull off. Another poison-pill tactic is to allow shareholders to buy the would-be acquirer's stock at a discount in the event of a merger. Poison pill rules are typically triggered whenever some party's ownership stake in a company crosses a set threshold.

Poison pill strategies may be effective, but they're not always embraced. After all, they dilute the voting power of shareholders' shares  and sometimes a company being acquired is a good thing.

Fool's School

Talking inventory

When evaluating a company as a possible investment, you may benefit by taking a look at its inventory numbers.

In financial statements, 'inventory' refers to everything in a company's pipeline, from raw materials to work in progress to finished goods. Imagine the One-Legged Chair Co. (ticker: WOOPS). Making its products involves ordering, receiving, storing and using materials such as wood, screws and perhaps some upholstery supplies, which are assembled into finished products. Inventory is likely to include piles of wood, half-assembled chairs, packaged chairs ready to be shipped to distributors and chairs returned from retailers.

Too little inventory is problematic as it can hold up production when shortages occur  and should demand spike, it can be hard to meet it. Too much inventory, meanwhile, ties up money that could be used more effectively. It generates extra storage costs, too, and is risky should demand or prices fall. Finished goods sitting on shelves a long time also risk not being sold.

Inventory appears on a company's balance sheet. Compare it with year-ago levels and with revenue growth. If inventory is rising faster than revenue, that could signal slowing sales. If inventory growth lags sales, the company isn't meeting demand, or it's successfully tightening controls on production processes and distribution.

To get a sense of how quickly a company's products are flying off the shelves, calculate its 'inventory turnover,' which reflects how many times per year (or quarter) it sells or replaces its inventory. From the income statement, find the value of the past 12 months' 'cost of goods sold.' Divide that by the average value of inventory (from the balance sheet) between the beginning and end of the year. You can also look it up online at sites such as caps.fool.com or morningstar.com.

High and growing turnover numbers can reflect well-managed companies freeing up funds for other uses. Low turnover ratios tend to reflect sluggish sales. Ratios vary by industry, so compare a company's results with those of its peers. Adidas' turnover was recently 3.1, for example, vs. 3.9 for Nike.

My Dumbest Investment

Short-term losses

Well, I bought 50 shares each of Fitbit and GoPro just before the stock market headed south some months ago. Between the two stocks, I have lost more than $2,000. (This was after making $900-plus on Under Armour stock over a couple of months.) I guess I was a bit (or very) overconfident.  W.W., online

The Fool responds: You're right that those two stocks have swooned. Fitbit and GoPro shares were recently down 54 percent and 42 percent, respectively, year to date. It's rarely useful to assess any stock's performance over just a few months, though. Great wealth is often built in the stock market over many years, instead. Any great company can see its shares slump for a protracted period before bouncing back and hitting new highs.

The stock market itself will occasionally plunge, too, though its overall trend has always been up. Patience can pay off  as long as you remain a believer in your portfolio's holdings. You need to assess whether you're still confident in the companies' futures.

The market for wearable fitness trackers seems solid and growing, but it's not clear whether Fitbit, facing ample competition, will be a long-term winner. GoPro's wearable cameras were very hot for a while, but demand has cooled a bit. Whether you might buy, sell or hold either depends on your outlook for the company. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and has recommended GoPro.)

Foolish Trivia

Name that company

Founded by three brothers in New Jersey in 1886, I was the first to offer commercial first-aid kits, mass-produced sanitary products for women and dental floss  all before 1900. I later introduced first-aid manuals, consumer bandages for small wounds, an extra-gentle shampoo and more. Today I'm a consumer products, pharmaceutical and medical devices giant, with roughly 127,000 employees and more than $70 billion in annual revenue. My brands include Acuvue, Aveeno, Benadryl, Bengay, Desitin, Lactaid, Listerine, Lubriderm, Motrin, Neutrogena, OneTouch, Visine and Zyrtec. I touch the lives of more than a billion people daily. Who am I?

Last week's trivia answer

I trace my roots back to 1962 when a funeral director founded me in order to buy up more businesses. He achieved economies of scale by having funeral homes near each other share resources and make services such as embalming and transportation more efficient. Over the years I acquired competitors such as Alderwoods Group and Stewart Enterprises and The Neptune Society  America's largest cremation service provider. Today, based in Houston, I'm North America's largest death-care company, with my Dignity Memorial network recently encompassing more than 2,000 funeral homes and cemeteries. I employ about 24,000 people. Who am I? (Answer: Service Corporation International)

The Motley Fool Take

Charging profits

An effective investing strategy is to invest for the long term in companies with solid business models. A good example is electronic payment processing giant Visa (NYSE: V).

Among the four major credit card networks, Visa is the market share leader by far.

It's very geographically diverse, operating in most countries, so a slowdown in one country or region can often be offset by growth elsewhere.

MasterCard CFO Martina Hund-Mejean has noted that 85 percent of global transactions are still being conducted in cash, suggesting plenty of room for further credit card growth.

Visa has productive partnerships in place, and supplements its organic growth with acquisitions. It has taken a 10 percent stake in rival Square, and even more important, is buying former subsidiary Visa Europe for around $23 billion.

Over the past decade, Visa's revenue has grown by a double-digit percentage in all but two years, and based on Wall Street's estimate of $14.9 billion in revenue this year, Visa may quintuple its top line since 2006.

The company's profit margins are very fat  and growing. It keeps nearly 48 cents of every dollar it takes in as profit. It also generates substantial free cash flow  more than $6 billion annually.

Visa's dividend yield isn't huge now, but its payout has been growing briskly.

(The Motley Fool owns shares of and has recommended MasterCard and Visa.)
'Texas Back Road Restaurant Recipes: A Cookbook & Restaurant Guide' by Anita Musgrove (Great American Publishers, $18.95 paperback) offers up favorite recipes from about 125 Texas cafes, diners and eateries.

Most of them are, as the book's title suggests, off the beaten path, although the state's metropolitan areas are represented as well.

Musgrove, who has produced similar restaurant recipe books about Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, divides the state into three regions, certainly a departure from most Texas guidebooks or cookbooks. Her regions are northwestern, eastern and southern, but 'northwestern' stretches all the way from El Paso to Texarkana! Maybe she means north/western.

Restaurants are listed alphabetically by town in each region, so the very first one in the book is Bogie's Downtown Deli in Abilene, taking note of four of its specialty sandwiches.

Other West Texas dining choices include Owl Drug Store in Coleman, Circle M Barbecue in Eastland, Star Beau's in Comanche, the Butcher's Block in Snyder, River Smith's and Tommy's Famous Burgers in Lubbock, Silo House and Zentner's Daughter in San Angelo, and Sugar Creek Grill in Big Lake.

This book may make you want to head out on your own gastronomic tour of Texas. And what a far-ranging tour it could be, from Peggy's on the Bayou Cajun Cafe in Orange to Ted's Restaurant on South Padre Island to Baby Butt's BBQ in Perryton, and dozens in between.

Or you could just stay home and try out the recipes yourself.

Mystery Series: Since retiring as longtime director of TCU Press, Fort Worth author Judy Alter has turned her talent toward writing murder mysteries.

'Murder at Peacock Mansion,' the third book in her Blue Plate Cafe mystery series, again features small town Texas cafe owner Kate Chambers, who gets caught up in trying to solve a 30-year-old murder case and finds herself perhaps the killer's latest target (Alter Ego Publishing, $13.99 paperback).

The rousing tale also includes recipes served at the cafe, such as enchilada casserole, sticky buns, American lasagna and cheeseburger soup. The mystery series blends two of the author's passions  writing and cooking.

Diane Kelly: 'Against the Paw' is the fourth book in Diane Kelly's entertaining 'Paw Enforcement' mystery series, featuring Fort Worth police officer Megan Luz and her loyal K-9 partner, Brigit. A fifth title, 'Above the Paw,' is scheduled for release in December.

Kelly is also the author of the popular and hilarious 'Death and Taxes' series, featuring the adventures and misadventures of female Dallas IRS agent Tara Holloway. The next title in that series is 'Death, Taxes and a Satin Garter,' due out in August.

Kelly's books are mass market paperbacks, published by St. Martin's, $7.99 each. If you're looking for some light, quick summer reading, you might check out her stories.
Halloween events, fall festivals pack October in Abilene, Big Country

From family-friendly to frightful, there are plenty of opportunities to don the costumes and scare up some treats.
U.S. House of Representatives, 19th Congressional District

(open; longtime U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer is retiring)

Candidates: Jodey Arrington, Glen Robertson, both of Lubbock. Both are Republicans.

Jodey Arrington served as an energy and agricultural adviser to George W. Bush, both as governor and president. He was unsuccessful in his 2014 special election bid for state senator.

Glen Robertson is completing his second term as mayor of Lubbock. He also was a council member (Ransom Canyon) and twice served on school boards (Lubbock Cooper and Southland ISDs).

Twelve of the 29 counties in District 19 are in the Big Country. Each candidate won six in the primary  Mr. Arrington taking Fisher, Haskell, Nolan, Scurry Shackelford and Throckmorton counties, and Mr. Robertson winning Howard, Jones, Kent, Stephens, Stonewall and Taylor.

Mr. Robertson won Lubbock County by 316 votes. The districtwide totals showed Mr. Robertson with 855 more votes. This election is up for grabs.

Candidate Donald R. May, who was fourth in the primary, is backing Mr. Robertson. Mr. Arrington said he has the support of 12 mayors including Abilene, Big Spring, Plainview and Sweetwater.

The styles of both candidates are greatly different  Mr. Arrington wants to wear the white hat while Mr. Robertson told us he is OK with being viewed as the bad guy. But both often share the same viewpoints. Both grew up Panhandle boys and both said they see agriculture  particularly cotton  and energy as Texas exports to both promote and protect.

Both understand the importance of the last remaining military installation in the district  Dyess Air Force Base. Mr. Robertson's father was stationed at Reese AFB in Lubbock before it was closed in the mid-1990s.

Both men said district residents believe border security is the No. 1 broad issue, and that Texas' response to protect its border with Mexico is due to the federal government failing in its role.

Both admitted Washington, D.C., is a long way from Texas and Mr. Robertson said he would find an efficiency apartment and be in the district as often as possible. Mr. Arrington said, with reluctance, that he would move his family  he has three young children  to D.C.

Both said there was a great need for coalition-building on Capitol Hill. Mr. Robertson called Congress 'broken'; Mr. Arrington it's time for Congress members to be constructive.

Mr. Robertson was more critical of outgoing Rep. Neugebauer, but both see the importance of working with others to get things done, not simply voting a perfect conservative voting record. Neither saw that as accomplishment or satisfying.

Mr. Robertson brings longtime experience in the business world, having operated his first business at 19. Mr. Arrington has become greatly familiar with health care industry since his return to Texas, having worked at Tech when the medical campus expansion was launched in Abilene and now serving as president of a cutting-edge health care company.

If elected, Mr. Arrington said he would seek assignments to the ag and military affairs committees, the latter headed by Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry of District 13. Mr. Robertson would choose ag and veterans affairs.

Both men were polite in their comments about the other with us, but Mr. Robertson has publicly attacked Mr. Arrington. Mr. Robertson said he didn't throw the first 'punch' in criticism of primary candidate Michael Bob Starr, who was accused of supporting gay rights by participating in Gay Pride events as commander of Dyess Air Force Base. Mr. Robertson said he took offense when Mr. Starr blamed him and responded with attack ads, or 'punching back' as he called it. He was told, he said, that it was an Arrington supporter who started the attack against Mr. Starr.

It's not clear where the attack ads began, but Mr. Robinson appeared to take the offensive at that point.

In ads he accused Mr. Arrington of being a Washington insider and career politician, using public money to remodel his office while at Tech, and being at the FDIC when thousands of subprime loans were made and then dumped on banks.

Mr. Arrington denied these accusations months ago but TV ads still are running locally with the same accusations.

Mr. Arrington said he has chosen not to attack Mr. Robertson because that is not his style. And while proud to claim that his fundraising has been broader than his opponent, Mr. Arrington said his opponent has outspent him 4-to-1 and loaned his campaign more than $1 million.

Our recommendation: Jodey Arrington.

Fight-back tactics have turned off many Americans. Yet that style also has fueled successful campaigns. Mr. Arrington called his opponent's appeal 'Trumpesque.'

Mr. Robertson's attack of Mr. Starr, while perhaps aggressive political strategy advised to him, left a bad taste in our mouths. But it won him almost 3,500 votes in Taylor County

Mr. Arrington said he didn't have all the answers, but Mr. Robertson said he didn't, either. We appreciate both being candid and not saying they could 'fix' Washington overnight, or by themselves. However, we see Mr. Arrington's nature as more conducive to building relationships to repair Congress.

To his credit, Mr. Robertson said it took 18 months to get city government in Lubbock moving in a positive direction, admitting he had to learn from missteps and about giving a little to work with others.

Both men indicated the importance of being willing to bend a little, that it was preferable to get part of what you want rather than being rigid and getting none of what you want.

Mr. Arrington said a return to states' rights would do more to unify the nation than Supreme Court decisions, and that America 'no longer is exceptional because we cannot govern ourselves.'

He would not build a wall but supports the use of technology (a virtual fence, anyone?) at the border and enforcing existing immigration laws. He also posed the idea of using the military at the border as a deterrent.

Mr. Arrington believes industry and environmental proponents could achieve balance in their objectives. He said science and facts should drive policy, not personal agendas. Global warming has become a political thunderstorm. Mr. Arrington said the facts fall both ways, so he's not yet convinced.

Mr. Robertson viewed Mr. Arrington's Washington experience as a negative. We don't. He got just enough of a taste of D.C. and a range of experience working with other Texans there to know how it operates. Combined with his state government experience and working to make Tech a Tier 1 research institution, we believe Mr. Arrington has broader experience.

We believe Mr. Arrington has a longer and deeper history with Abilene, and was most enthusiastic about Dyess. He has toured the air base. Mr. Arrington vowed to do what he could to bring a new generation bomber to Dyess.

Mr. Arrington said conservative talk is good and necessary but so are results. Simply making a stand it not enough.

Rep. Neugebauer made a stand for years, but we see Mr. Arrington making a difference.

We recommend Mr. Arrington.
Early voting begins Monday for the May 24 runoff election.

Many years, voting declines in a runoff. Voters run out of steam  we have had three elections already this year  or it may look as if one candidate will prevail, perhaps only narrowly missing a majority win in the primary.

We strongly encourage voters to turn out because this election is greatly important to Abilenians and our neighbors in the Big Country.

We are electing a new member to Congress. U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer has represented District 19 since winning a special election in 2003, then defeating longtime Congressman Charlie Stenholm in 2004, when the 17th (Stenholm's district) and the 19th (Neugebauer's) were merged. The move was viewed as a means to oust Democrat Stenholm.

As candidate Glen Robertson correctly noted, both sides have not forgotten.

Robertson, the outgoing mayor of Lubbock, faces Jodey Arrington, a former member of two George W. Bush teams and former vice chancellor at Texas Tech University. The were the top two vote-getters March 1 in a field of eight that included retired Air Force Col. Michael Bob Starr of Abilene.

For State Senate, District 24, state Rep. Susan King is trying to move to the chamber at the Capitol after 10 years. Dawn Buckingham, an opthalmologist from Lakeway, ran second to King in a six-candidate field. It's an unusual matchup of a doctor vs. a registered nurse (King) who is married to a doctor.

Closer to home, Taylor County Assistant DA Harriett Haag is battling attorney Kevin Willhelm to succeed the late Sam Carroll as Court-at-Law Judge No. 2. There were three in the this primary race.

Finally, Dale Morrison, a local developer among many other jobs over the years, faces 30-year Taylor County law enforcement officer Brad Birchum for the Precinct 3 commissioner's job. They won the most votes among four candidates in the primary.

Here are four challenges we present to voters, as they consider these four races. Which candidate:

Is the most qualified? That may be the most difficult task because we found most of these candidates to be qualified.

Is one you can live with? The winner could very well be in office for a long time  Neugebauer, for example. Are you good with that?

Is the most likely to communicate with you when you have a need or question? Who comes across as someone you'd personally like to talk to?

Is going to represent the entire district/region and not ignore the Abilene area? (This is more critical in the Congress and Senate races).

There also are three statewide races are on the Republican ballot.

Early voting goes through May 20. Please do your homework, then vote. You may agree with our recommendations or not, but make your opinion official with a vote.
Texas Senate, District 24

(open; longtime Sen. Troy Fraser is retiring)

Candidates: Dawn Buckingham, Susan King. Both are Republicans.

Susan King and Dawn Buckingham were the top vote-getters in the March 1 primary. King got 32,512 votes to 29,533 for Buckingham out of more than 119,00 votes cast.

Jon Cobb, the third-place finisher, has cast his support for King. He received more than 24,000 votes.

This is a long, north-south district made up of 17 counties, including most of Taylor, Callahan, Brown, Comanche and Mills in the Big Country.

Ms. King, of Abilene, has served the past 10 years in the Texas House as District 71 representative. Before that, she was on the Abilene ISD board for eight years. She is a registered nurse.

Ms. Buckingham lives in Lakeway, near Austin. She served on the school there for a year and is an ophthalmologist who specializes in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery.

You may think this election would be focused on medicine, and some ways it does. Neither candidate is a fan of Obamacare, for example.

The gritty campaign certainly hasn't been for the faint of heart.

The two candidates have been at odds almost from the start. Though both claim to be conservative, Ms. Buckingham claims to be more so and on a quest to join the Republican-controlled Senate to move it more to the right. She has called Ms. King a liberal disguised as a conservative.

Ms. King has fired back that her opponent lacks political experience, was part of an effort to close state supported living centers, including the one in Abilene and that Ms. Buckingham was behind efforts to make public what Ms. King believes should remain private medical records..

The story behind this dispute goes back to the fall, when Ms. King briefly suspended her campaign to address clinical depression. She announced her return to the race the last day to file for office. Later, it came to light that a 911 call was placed in October. The released of that information was sought, including Abilene media, but Ms. King blocked that effort with an injunction. Then, a trial regarding the request was set for Austin in November, after the May runoff.

Ms. King said she made the call after a concerned relative asked for a check on her welfare when her husband, Dr. Austin King, was out of town. She said she thought someone was trying to break into her home. Ms. King said the visit became a medical welfare matter, which, by law, is private matter.

She insists the information is the same anyone has a right to keep private, and not based on her status as an elected official.

Ms. Buckingham was an appointed citizen member of the Sunset Commission, which is tasked with reducing waste in Texas government. The commission looked at the closing of the state's living centers, and it took on that task.

Ms. King believed the commission should not hold such power without legislative approval.

Asked if Ms. Buckingham, then, was the enemy, Ms. King said yes. Asked if she was, Ms. Buckingham responded in an email to the Reporter-News 'that is categorically false and lie my opponent is pushing.' She denies the Abilene facility was targeted.

The effort to close any living centers was staved off in the last legislative session.

Our recommendation: Susan King.

This race is clear cut. Ms. King is by far the most qualified and experienced, better understands the entire district and is not bringing a personal agenda into the race  nor would she to the job.

The top issue in Texas may be border security, which certainly has an impact on District 24. But our senators and representatives also are tasked with a different kind of homeland security  their district. It seems as if everyone is touting 2nd Amendment rights, conservative government and displeasure with how our border is defended.

But what about life east of I-35, water, transportation and public education? What about our military bases and taking care of our veterans, and making sure our facilities are not closed.

Ms. Buckingham did not meet with our Community Advisory Board and we found contact to be difficult. In an email, we asked her to name the three top issues in the district beyond those with broader national impact. She still pointed to the border, Syrian refugees and Obamacare. What about issues specific to District 24 that our next state senator can address?

Eight points in favor of Ms. King:

She knows who's in the Senate  both personally and what drives each politically. And she knows how the House operates. She wants to find ways for the House and Senate to work together, and she is qualified to do so .

She has been a frequent face back in her district, holding town hall meetings and attending events. Constituents have access to bend her ear, and she listens.

She understands that public school education, whether others believe it or not, remains one of biggest issues in Texas. She does not believe that taxpayer money should fund a private school education. Public school education will be a hot topic next session despite Friday's court ruling on finance. She sees teacher burnout as significant collateral damage to what will be ongoing budget problems.

She has a proven record of speaking up for veterans and supporting Dyess Air Force. As a senator, she promises to fight to keep our bases open  Fort Hood is in District 24  and more valuable to the nation's defense.

She understands the complexities of a large district that is urban in areas but is very much rural.

She saw our need in District 71 and stepped to the plate. She fought against efforts to stop the gassing of rattlesnakes for Nolan County residents, and to keeping Taylor County's state supported living center open.

She has learned the art of working with others, and knows that a rural district state senator  and District 24 is mostly rural  has to play extra nice with colleagues from more populous districts. That does not mean caving in, but helping each other to pass legislation beneficial to all Texans.

She has taken a higher road and run a campaign to promote herself, not demote her opponent.

Like Glen Robertson in the 19th Congressional District race, Ms. Buckingham has resorted to attacking her opponent. For a true conservative, she certainly has poured a lot of money into this campaign  $1.2 million, according to Ms. King.

Ms. Buckingham seems more geared for a run for U.S. Congress, but District 24 should not be simply a stepping stone.

We strongly urge a vote for Susan King.
North Korean authorities have reportedly released the crew of a Russian yacht detained two days ago and allowed the vessel to continue its journey.

Russian media quoted Russia's consul-general in Chongjin, North Korea's third-largest city, as saying the yacht was detained "by mistake."

The yacht and it crew of five were en route from the South Korean port of Pusan to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East on May 13 when it was seized 80 miles off the coast of North Korea's economic zone.

Russia's consul-general in Chongjin was quoted in Russian media as saying a North Korean fishing boat had spotted an image it identified as South Korean on the yacht, which was then towed off to the port of Kimchaek.

Russia, which has a short land border with North Korea, has relatively friendly ties with Pyongyang.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
The home in the Avar-populated village of Kenkhi in southeastern Chechnya of Ramadan Dzhalaldinov, who sought last month to alert Russian President Vladimir Putin to blatant corruption among local officials, was burned to the ground during the night of May 12-13.

The home, on the outskirts of Grozny, of Shamil Dzhanaraliyev, one of two men killed when they attacked a police post early on May 9, has reportedly also been destroyed.

In video footage uploaded to YouTube by the independent Daghestani weekly Chernovik, one of Dzhalaldinovs three daughters said it was law enforcement personnel who torched their home. She said the men also used force on herself and her mother and threatened to kill them.

Kadyrov, however, immediately denied that anyone had set fire to the Dzhalaldinov family home and suggested in an Instagram post that Dzhalaldinov himself orchestrated its destruction. Kadyrov did not explain how Dzhalaldinov could have done so from neighboring Daghestan, where he is currently in hiding. Dzhalaldinovs wife and children reportedly left Chechnya on May 13 to join him there.

Dzhalaldinov incurred the wrath of the Chechen leadership by addressing a video appeal to Putin a month ago urging him to take action to curtail embezzlement by local officials of funds allocated for the reconstruction of homes in Kenkhi destroyed during the fighting of 1994-96 and 1999-2000, and also of local teachers salaries. Village residents were constrained to denounce Dzhalaldinov and to affirm publicly that his complaints were unfounded. But Moscow-based journalist Valery Polonsky succeeded in traveling to Kenkhi, where he met with villagers who readily confirmed that Dzhalaldinov was telling the truth.

Asked to comment on the destruction of Dzhalaldinovs home, Russian presidential press spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted on May 13 as saying that if the report proves true, the law enforcement agencies should take immediate action. The Daghestan chapter of the opposition Yabloko party has called on Putin to launch an investigation into the reported incident and to take steps to end the pressure on Dzhalaldinovs fellow villagers.

Republic of Daghestan head Ramadan Abdulatipov, for his part, reportedly reached agreement during a telephone conversation with Kadyrov on May 13 on sending a joint governmental/parliamentary delegation to evaluate the situation in Kenkhi. But the four men from Daghestan who traveled to Kenkhi the following day told local residents they had been sent by Sagid Murtazaliyev, the former head of the Daghestan branch of the federal Pension Fund.

A close associate of Kadyrov, Murtazaliyev currently faces criminal charges of commissioning political killings and abetting the North Caucasus insurgency. His whereabouts are unknown. According to RFE/RLs North Caucasus Service, his henchmen have already tried to pressure Dzhalaldinov to stop publicly bad-mouthing the Chechen authorities.

Yet despite their proclaimed affiliation with a prominent Kadyrov ally, the four men were prevented from either meeting with villagers or inspecting the site of Dzhahaldinovs home. Instead, they spent over an hour closeted with local officials and budget sector employees whose livelihood is contingent on their endorsement of the official version of what happened.

Despite the Chechen authorities blanket rejection of Dzhalaldinovs complaints, Kadyrov traveled to Kenkhi on May 6 to talk to local officials and assess the situation at first hand. He assured the villagers that damaged buildings will be renovated and that local officials will be held to account for the missing budget funds.

Kadyrov also pledged that within three months, gas supplies would be extended to the village and local highways repaired. For good measure, he designated 2016 the Year of Sharoy District (where Kenkhi is located), and replaced the Sharoy district head and police chief.

At the same time, at least three Kenkhi residents -- Khizbula Akhmedov, Seidmagomed Nasibov, and Magomedrasul Gitinov, director of one of the village schools -- who told Kadyrov to his face that Dzhalaldinov was telling the truth were subsequently taken into police detention. Nasibov has been charged with illegal possession of drugs.
Authorities in Tajikistan have been cracking down on perceived political opponents for several years now. The fate of such people often seems a foregone conclusion before their cases even come to trial. But once in the courtroom, these defendants often had competent legal representation from a handful of lawyers who were always willing to take up their cases and use every opportunity to show to the court -- and to the world, when it listened -- the absurdity of the charges against their clients.

But lately it is those attorneys who are on trial.

To get a clearer picture of what is happening with the people who defend those whom the government has branded as criminals, RFE/RLs Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, assembled a majlis, a panel, to discuss why lawyers now find themselves on trial.

Azatlyk Director Muhammad Tahir moderated the session. He brought in two people who know very well what has been happening in Tajikistan lately: the Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW), Steve Swerdlow, and Marius Fossum, the regional representative for Central Asia from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

I know them both personally, and it is an important issue, so I was happy to join in the conversation also.

We often talk about the crackdown on the opposition and on NGOs, but it's really impossible for civil society in any of these countries in Central Asia, or in general, to function without lawyers -- without lawyers that can fulfill their profession, Swerdlow said at the start of the discussion.

Four lawyers in Tajikistan have been taken into custody; one of them is already in prison.

Fossum said, The common thing is that all the charges [against them] appear trumped up and in retaliation for these attorneys representing the opposition.

Buzurgmehr Yorov is one of those attorneys. He was defending members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), a group that held places in the government from the end of the 1990s until March 2015, when the party lost the last two seats it had in parliament. Tajik authorities then moved quickly to cancel the IRPTs registration. Leading members of the party were detained after being connected to an alleged mutiny by a deputy defense minister, although the IRPTs connections to the deputy minister were tenuous at best.

Yorov and his law firm Sipar agreed to defend them. As Swerdlow recalled, Yorov himself was soon taken into custody on fraud charges.

[Yorov] was actually arrested the day that he told the public that one of his clients -- Saydumar Husaynov, the first deputy chairman of the IRPT -- was being tortured...in prison.

That was on September 28. The next day, the IRPT was officially declared an extremist group.

Another lawyer on trial with Yorov is Nuriddin Makhkamov, also from the Sipar law firm and also facing charges of fraud. Dilbar Dodojonova of the Sipar law firm is currently under house arrest while she awaits her trial on defamation charges.

The trial of Yorov and Makhkamov opened on May 10. Yorov wanted to appear in court wearing the standard ornate robe that lawyers in Tajikistan wear when they are in courtrooms. The court told him he could not, so Yorov has been coming to his trial dressed in an undershirt.

Other attorneys willing to take on cases for opposition figures are facing similar obstacles. Two sons of attorney Iskhok Tabarov have been jailed, though Tabarov himself is not currently facing any charges.

Tajik authorities are moving to ensure that, in the future, perceived government opponents will never have access to legal defense from people such as Yorov, Makhkamov, Dodojonova, and others.

As Swerdlow noted, a new regulation requires all lawyers in Tajikistan to retake the bar exam, so that means people who have been practicing 15 years, 20 years.

Fossum added that the test sometimes has little to do with knowledge of the law and seems designed to remove lawyers who authorities might consider undesirable -- or, put differently, those who are competent and could slow judicial processes that aim to put critics and other potential opponents behind bars.

Reports have reached us that you have to answer questions about history, culture, about Tajikistan. EurasiaNet reported that one of the questions was: When did the first train run in Tajikistan? Fossum said.

Representatives of the U.S. Embassy and the office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Tajikistan are attending the Yorov and Makhkamov trials. Journalists have been permitted to attend also under the condition they do not make any audio or video recordings of the proceedings.

It was noted during the discussion that the trials of IRPT members and the attorneys who would defend them come as Tajikistan enters difficult economic times and prepares to hold a referendum on May 22 that would change the constitution to allow President Emomali Rahmon to stay in power indefinitely. Another change would lower the age of eligibility to be elected president from 35 to 30. President Rahmons son Rustam Emomali will turn 30 in 2017. The next presidential election is set for 2020.

HRW and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee released a report about the trials, detentions, and imprisonment of lawyers in Tajikistan. It can be found here.

The majlis discussion looked more closely at the cases of the lawyers mentioned in this text and others who are either on trial or already in prison, as well as the situation with opposition members. There was also talk about what international organizations and individual governments are doing or could do to stem the Tajikistan governments campaign against what authorities see as potential troublemakers.

An audio recording of the Majlis session can be heard here:
The U.S. special envoy to the coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) militants says the group has been losing control over territory in Iraq and Syria.

The group is on the defensive and that "this perverse caliphate is shrinking," Brett McGurk said in Jordans capital, Amman, on May 15.

McGurk said U.S.-led coalition efforts to capture the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria were making progress.

"We are doing precision strikes in Mosul almost every day," he said. "There is constant synchronized pressure."

"We will be beginning over the coming weeks and months a pressure campaign on Raqqa in all its aspects," McGurk added.

He also said that President Barack Obama's decision last month to raise the number of U.S. Special Forces in northern Syria will help accelerate recent gains by U.S.-backed local forces.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
CarMax is giving $450,000 over two years to the American Red Cross to help meet the needs of people affected by disasters. CarMax also will support Red Cross blood drives and provide volunteers through The CarMax Foundations Volunteer Team Builder program.

When disasters occur in the communities where CarMax associates live and work, they often seek ways to provide support. In response to their interests, CarMax has pledged support to the American Red Cross as a Disaster Responder Member, said Craig Cronheim, vice president of human resources and loss prevention at CarMax.

Every year, the victims of nearly 66,000 disasters rely on the Red Cross for immediate help with shelter, food, health and mental health services.

Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a fire or disaster, said Reggie Gordon, CEO of the American Red Cross Virginia Region. Our partnership with CarMax will help assist fellow Virginians and Americans across the country who are impacted by such tragedies and need immediate support. We are grateful to partner with CarMax, an engaged corporate citizen headquartered right here in Virginia.

The Red Cross also helps military members and veterans and their families prepare for and cope with the challenges of military service. Recently, a CarMax team assembled 1,000 comfort care kits for the military and veterans, including those at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Doorways raises $36K at paintball tournament

The Doorways Young Professionals Council raised more than $36,000 in its inaugural Splatter that Matters corporate paintball tournament at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center.

We are thrilled with the overwhelming interest and support that this brand new event received from local businesses in its inaugural year, said J.C. Poma, community outreach manager of The Doorways. Splatter that Matters provided a fun day of team building and friendly competition for the participating local organizations all while supporting a worthwhile cause  helping families and individuals who are facing medical crisis.

Each of the 24 teams had an office party space within the team village and played five paintball games against other area organizations inside the H.J. Holtz & Son Splatter Dome on the fields at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Winners were: ColonialWebb, first; UDig, second; and Dominion Payroll Services, third.

Lowes grant helps group revamp area couples house

Rebuilding Together Richmond volunteers, using a $15,000 grant from Lowes, gave an extreme makeover to the home of Robert and Ernestine Henley during the most recent National Rebuilding Day.

About 20 people a day spent more than 30 hours working on the Henley house that week, said Todd Rousch, captain for the team from Journey Christian Center. The Lowes grant provided building supplies, new kitchen cabinets, new appliances and new bathroom fixtures.

The house was in dire need. There was a lot of water damage, Rousch said. The bathroom and kitchen floors had become unsafe.

The couples limited income prevented them from paying for the necessary repairs to remain in their home. This is where we come in, said Malcolm Jones, who helped organize the event through Rebuilding Together Richmond.

Rouschs team demolished both floors and dismantled the kitchen because the crawl space was too shallow to work from underneath. New floor joists and new plumbing were installed. Rotted sections of the kitchen wall were replaced.

We also attacked a 12-by-15 deck that was deteriorated and built a new one, Rousch said.

In other local efforts on National Rebuilding Day, about 1,000 volunteers made home improvements for 40 low-income homeowners in the Jefferson Davis corridor, Davee Gardens and Bellemeade areas of South Richmond.

Major contributors included Altria Companies Employee Community Fund, Capital One, Journey Christian Church, Dominion Resources, Nationwide Insurance and Lowes.

Our affiliate completes two thirds of the years projects on National Rebuilding Day alone, said Mary Kay Huss, executive director of Rebuilding Together Richmond. This demonstrates the power of community partnerships and all that we can accomplish when we come together to help our neighbors.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe named Kelly Thomasson secretary of the commonwealth on April 16, and she was immediately confronted with managing perhaps the most significant policy action the administration has taken: the restoration of voting and civil rights to more than 200,000 felons who have served their time.

Thomasson, who had served as deputy secretary, succeeded former Secretary Levar Stoney, who left the administration to prepare for a run for mayor of Richmond. The Henrico County-born, 36-year-old mother to Everett, 4, and Cecilia, 2, is married to Clark Mercer, chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam.

QUESTION: What is the most important thing about your job?

ANSWER: Our office handles a wide variety of duties where citizens come seeking assistance, and it is critical that we are responsive to those that we serve. We handle restoration of civil rights, pardons, extraditions, service of process, commissioning of notaries public, authentications and lobbyist registration. The secretary of the commonwealth also serves as the liaison to Virginias Indian tribes and the Council on Women, and as the keeper of the Great Seal of Virginia.

In addition to these functions, the job that were perhaps most well-known for is making appointments to boards and commissions. Virginia has nearly 300 boards and commissions, and our office is responsible for selecting those individuals with the right experience and passion to serve. Governor McAuliffe and our entire team are committed to ensuring that ex-offenders who have served their time and re-entered society are returned to full citizenship, and the ability to restore civil rights is one of our offices most rewarding functions.

QUESTION: How did you get involved in politics and government service?

ANSWER: In early 2001, I was a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University and answered an ad to be an intern on Mark Warners campaign for governor. They hired me to work full time after graduation. I was planning to go back for a masters degree in education that fall, but the campaign had good momentum and a great team, so I stuck around. He won, and I ended up working for then-Governor Warner, now the senior U.S. senator from Virginia, for 13 years.

QUESTION: What is it like having a husband who is in the same line of work?

ANSWER: Clark is chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, and we are both lucky in that we work for elected officials who have great families and are understanding. That said, it is a juggling act, and getting the kids to and from day care in Ashland and downtown for work can be challenging. At the end of the day, it is actually pretty fun  we have plenty to talk about, and carpooling into work isnt bad, either.

QUESTION: Tell us about your theater project in Ashland.

ANSWER: The Ashland Theater is a beautiful art deco theater built in the 1940s which was donated to the town of Ashland about two years ago. Over the past year, we have been helping run it with a group of dedicated volunteers in a pop-up mode while funds have been secured for its renovation. During that time, there have been over 100 shows at the theater with over 18,000 attendees. It has been remarkable to see how much energy and support there is from the town for a community space for people to gather and celebrate the arts.

QUESTION: If you werent doing what you are doing, what would you do?

ANSWER: I have always wanted to be a carpenter. Or own an ice cream shop.

QUESTION: Not that you have any spare time, but how do you like to spend it?

ANSWER: I try to read my assigned book for book club each month and, if it ever stops raining this spring, would love to spend some time working in the yard.
One dog was killed and two others were rescued Sunday after a fire damaged a unit in the Bay Cove housing complex in western Henrico County.

About 3:05 p.m., firefighters were called to a town house in the 12300 block of Shore View Drive, said a department spokesman, Capt. Taylor C. Goodman.

Upon arriving about three minutes later, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from one of the units, he said.

Search crews operated in near-zero visibility, Goodman said, and were able to find and rescue two dogs from the town house. A third dog died on the second floor of the unit.

One dog that was rescued was unresponsive when found and was resuscitated on the scene before being transported to a veterinary office.

The four adult occupants of the town house were not home at the time of the blaze and are all accounted for. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Goodman.
It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search?

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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The revelation that the Elders of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S.) have terminated the services of the churchs Secretary General, Reverend Dr. Afereti Uili, having stripped him of all his official responsibilities over an allegation he had a sexual affair with an unnamed woman, is pretty scandalous stuff to say the least.

Coming at the time when the church is holding its annual general assembly at its Malua headquarters this week, it is without a doubt the most troubling setback the church leaders  as well as those members who have travelled from around the world to attend their convention - are being forced to grapple with this week.

In any case, the decision to strip the Secretary General of his duties and his responsibilities was that of the Committee of the Churchs Elders; this was confirmed by Reverend Elder, Kerisiano Soti, and published in the Samoa Observer on 13 May 2016.

In response to that decision though, Reverend Afereti Uili, as it turned out, was quite caustic.

The decision is baseless, he said. They should have attempted to determine if there is any truth to the allegation first, before they came up with their decision.

Why? Because, according to Reverend Uili, it has had a huge impact on me and my family.

Still, it appears that the Elders neither quibbled nor hesitated. Instead, they acted on the matter right away, and the General Secretary was suspended from his duties for five years.

Explained Rev. Elder Soti: The decision means the Church will have to appoint a General Secretary first before their annual conference begins.

(It also means) the Committee that monitors ethics and behavior of workers was based on evidence presented (before them) about Reverend Afereti Uilis behavior.

He added: Even though Afereti denies the allegation, the girl involved has told us otherwise. So weve looked at the bigger picture and reached the conclusion that no Samoan lady would do such things for no reason.

Now aware that the allegation had become the subject of a Court hearing, Rev. Elder Soti pointed out: (The matter) has been referred to mediation and that mediation was not at the request of the girls side but that of Aferetis side.

He explained: That means its going to be a prolonged process and the Elders feel we have to make a decision now.

That was when the Elders summoned both Rev. Uili and the girl involved to tell their sides of the story, Rev. Elder Soti revealed.

Afterwards, Rev. Elder Soti said that was when the Elders were committed to their decision.

He explained: Even though hes denying the allegation, the decision has been made by the Elders based on how they feel about the situation.

He then acknowledged Rev. Aferetis contribution while working for the church, saying: We want to thank and acknowledge the work done by Rev. Afereti during his tenure as a teacher, Principal of Malua Theological College, and eventually as Secretary General.

But then these things happen in life.

Asked for a comment, Rev. Uili said he had been informed about the decision, but he was not happy with it.

He said: My argument is this, Im innocent. I havent done anything wrong. There has been no proof for these allegations.

He went on to say: I havent read a meeting resolution yet as to what the reasons are  but I suspect it has something to do with the allegation against me involving a girl.

The decision theyve made is based on their opinion that I have sinned but I strongly reject the allegation. Not only do I reject the allegation, as far as Im concerned, nothing has been proven.

Rev. Uili said when the allegation was made, I pleaded with the Elders Committee to consider them carefully especially because none of it is true.

I strongly reject them but it seems like theyve made their decision based on their belief that the allegation is correct and Im wrong.

As for the matter awaiting a court hearing, Rev. Uili said a decision had yet to be made.

We are still waiting, he said. We havent been told about a time for that matter. It was adjourned from February and its now May and there is still nothing.

He added: I think the Elders Committee has made the decision based on their role as the body that monitors the behavior of the workers, and obviously they felt that I have behaved badly, Ive sinned and its appropriate to remove the responsibilities and roles that had been given to me.

He went on to say: I have no comment to make about who should do what and when.

The decision is the responsibility of the Elders. They have stripped me of my pastoral roles and also my role as the Secretary of the Church.

However, he made clear he harbored no ill feelings towards the Church and the Elders Committee, saying: Although Ive been removed from the Church, it doesnt mean I hate the church.

No, the Church belongs to Jesus Christ where God works to reach people.

Still, he reiterated that the decision is baseless, and yes, it is premature. They should have attempted to determine if there is any truth to the allegation first before they came up with the decision.

And then he repeated: It has had a huge impact on me and my family.

Sure it does. The impact is usually huge in cases like this one. Undoubtedly.

Said Rev. Uili: There are things that happen in church from time to time and decisions are made by people for people. When it comes to people, they make decisions based on what they feel is right.

He then repeated one more time: The decision is premature.

Hes probably right. But then its an imperfect world were living in anyway, and as a man who knew well the difference between right and wrong, he would have surely noticed. Would Jesus Christ die on the cross if man and woman were perfect so that they did not sin?

As a church minister he should know. But then perhaps he doesnt read newspapers. So lets tell him.

On 24 November 2015, the headline in the Samoa Observer said: Girl tells about affair with Church Minister?

Under that headline the story said: A key witness in a hearing involving the President of Samoa Victims Support Group (S.V.S.G) and three others, accused of defeating the cause of justice, has admitted to an affair with a church Minister.

It goes on: When one witness gave evidence, she told the Court she had an affair with the Church Minister to get back to his wife for mistreating her.

Asked by the lawyer if this was true, she said: Yes (I had an affair with him).

Where did you have sex with the Church Minister?

At the parishs house (fale o le galuega).

How many times did you have sex with the Minister in the parish house?

Twice, she said.

The examination continued. In the end, the Ministers wife was found to have played an active role in the alleged sex scandal, and one of the lawyers, with her mind and eyes on the young victim as she was addressing the court, said:

For a man who was in Malua for 14 years and graduated making his way to his first village, he looked at you and decided to take you in as an adopted child and did other things when he shouldve known better?

And then the parents became involved, and as they did so they denied that their daughter was involved in a sexual relationship with a Church Minister.

It was between 2011 and 2013.

Asked by the lawyer if they knew that their daughter was in a relationship with a Church Minister, the father said: No, I did not.

But in your statement to the Police, he was told, you were quoted as saying you wanted to resolve and withdraw the matter because it was a disgrace and it has given the church a bad name.

In response, he said: Yes I remember saying that.

Isnt that the reason you were punished from the village twice, firstly because your daughter lodged a complaint against the ministers wife, and secondly because of her affair with (the minister?)

I dont understand what you are saying, the father replied.

And the trial continued.

Anyway, it was all in the name of Gods Church and Jesus Christ as mankinds Savior and Redeemer.

All in all therefore, these are turbulently distressful times in the country founded on God, also known as laid-back, blissful Samoa.

But never mind. All we have to do is bear in mind that never before in our knowledge had there been a scandal emanating from an alleged sexual affair between a Minister of Gods Church, and a young woman who  by at least one estimation - was too green to know what was good for her.

And so for what its worth, lets think one more time, about what that lawyer was telling the court as she was addressing that Church Minister back there.

She was saying: For a man who was in Malua for 14 years and graduated making his way to his first village, he looked at you and decided to take you in as an adopted child and did other things when he shouldve known better?

Now tell us what you think.

In the meantime, we wish the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa a very successful, and meaningful annual convention. May Gods love continue to guide Samoa.
Dear Editor,

Samoa is a democracy governed by the rule of law.

If a person is found guilty by judicial process of breaking the law, he is punished according to the law, according to legal precedent. Unfortunately, even when a person is completely exonerated, he is still often punished, not by the law but by irreparable damage to his reputation and the loss of his dignity.

Recently the Elders Committee of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa deliberated on accusations that one of its ministers had been charged with alleged sexual misconduct.

It seems that the Committee has the responsibility to monitor ethics and morality in the Church. It made a decision to suspend the minister from all his ministerial duties without determining whether there was truth to the allegation or not.

It is inconceivable that a judge hearing a court case would deliver a verdict before having both sides of the case fully investigating by the proper authorities. A judge would be sacked if he did so.

The Congregational Christian Church of Samoas Elders Committee, however, acting as both amateur judge and jury, found one of its most gifted ministers guilty of alleged misconduct and sacked him even though the minister said the allegation was baseless and had initiated legal action again his accuser in order to quash the accusation and clear his name.

How can the Elders Committee make such a biased, unsubstantiated decision crucifying a man who had given most of his life to serving the Church? Why couldnt they wait until the court decision was rendered? They call themselves Christians? Indeed they are the ones who should be accused of misconduct, not the minister.

Although none of the allegations had been proven to be true, the Elders Committee judged the minister guilty of the allegations causing severe loss to the ministers reputation and dignity, not to mention the embarrassment to his family.

It goes without saying that loss of reputation for anyone, especially a minister, is devastating.

Looks like the poor minister is guilty until proven innocent but eventually the truth will prevail and all will be revealed.

When the former minister is finally exonerated, what then? Will the Church sack the elders? If not, what will the Elders Committee do? Reinstate the former minister? Ask for forgiveness? Resign en mass? They will then be the ones to lose their reputations and dignity if they havent lost it already by then.

P.R.S

Apia
Living Legends - the name says it all.

For on Friday night some of the legends of Native America, Polynesia and Latin America were brought to life through a vibrant spectacle of energy, music, costume, and dance by the group.

Held at the Pesega Gym, the show was a celebration of culture and the audience was thoroughly entertained.

Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa was a special guest at the show as well as Members of Cabinet and Members of the Diplomatic Corps.

The Samoa stop is part of Living Legends tour of the Pacific that included New Zealand and Tonga.

Janielle Christensen, Artistic Director of Living Legends said that the group captures the essence of ancient and modern culture in a panorama of Latin American, Native American, and Polynesian song and dance.

It combines a dynamic repertoire of choreography with the color and liveliness of dance styles, she said. Traditions come to life as talented children of these cultures weave together genuine dance routine, intricate costumes and heart-pounding music into one captivating show.

This is not the first time Living Legends had visited the South Pacific and Samoa and Janielle and her group are thrilled to be in Samoa.

It feels wonderful to be back, she said. There is a special warm and wonderful spirit in Samoa.

We have travelled around 52 countries and Living Legends visited Samoa sometime back then, and we really felt that it was time to come back, especially because we share some of the dancers from this area.

I only wish we would stay longer and give our students the opportunity to stay longer.

The tour to the Pacific was also a chance for some of the performers to meet their families.

We are excited to be here and our students are very pleased to share their talents with the people that they love and how proud they are of their culture and traditions.

There are 39 performers altogether and none of them are full-time dance majors. They are full-time students majoring in all the different courses such as chemistry, psychology, business and management and so forth. But they are students who have great love and passion for preserving their culture, said Janielle.

Each one of them represents one of the three cultures they represent.

The show was 90 minutes long and it tells the history of the three cultural groups they represent.

Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mataafa described the show as mind-blowing.

I loved everything about the show, she said.

We dont get a lot of chances to have such high performing groups visit our country. The show was just lovely and amazing and it did not only showcase the talents of these students but it also portrayed how proud they are of their roots.

The group also staged another performance last night. Today they will be having church sessions and Devotional at Pesega, and on Monday they will be visiting schools. 10am at the Church College - Pesega Gymnasium & 2pm Church Primary School - Sauniatu.
More than a hundred marijuana plants were seized during a drug raid at Faleatiu in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police Commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil, led 60 officers, including members of the Tactical Operations Section (T.O.S.), during the raid, which started at 5am.

They returned to the Office at around 4pm with marijuana plants, seeds, as well as illegal ammunitions.

Five arrests were made with the suspects ages ranging from 30-40.

According to Fuiavailili, there is still some cleaning up to do up at Faleatiu.

There is still al lot of Marijuana plants still up there, he said.

Weve been scoping the place for a couple of months now and our intel told us that there are still plants somewhere up there. We went up and got over 100 Marijuana plants, 50 seeds and unauthorized ammunition; we arrested five individuals; everything was done under a search and arrest warrant.

The Commissioner hailed the bravery of his officers.

Im very proud of my T.O.S team, no one was injured or died, no civilians were affected and it all went well, he said. There were 60+ officers who took part in the raid but for some reason they knew we were coming and so they didnt want to face us.

They were either tipped off or they saw us coming then warned family members through the use of mobile phones.

According to the Commissioner, he and the officers went all the way into the bushy interiors of Faleatiu to make the bust. He also explained how difficult it was to operate in the dense forests but they did all they could to make sure everything went smoothly.

We are determined to go back and clean it properly; after our first raid last year the village came and spoke with us displaying much appreciation for what we did, he said.

Certain individuals are involved in these acts and they still havent learnt their lesson, all the issues in Samoa are connected to this so we need to take a strong stand against drugs.

Although illegal ammunitions were found, no weapons were on sight during the raid.

Unfortunately they hid the guns and our Intel says that they have AK47s, we were told by one of the arrested individuals that one of the guys owns two high powered assault rifle AK 47s.

He walked around all week shooting his weapons up there but for some reason he did not show when we went up there. We have the impression that he knew we were coming therefore he didnt show up; these weapons are definitely not licensed especially if they are assault rifles.

We appreciate the support of the community and our goal is to keep Samoa safe which is why we risk our lives to do these things.
As the sun retreated behind mount Vaea, it provided a perfect silhouette glow over a grand celebration of love yesterday.

From the beautiful decorations, to the arrival of the bride; Jaydin OGrady and Kane Meredith tied the knot in class after seven years of love.

The wedding, held at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, saw guests enjoy a wonderful evening.

Arriving in a helicopter, Jaydin walked right into the hook of her father, Michael OGradys protective arms, where he guided her down the aisle to hand over the duty of protection to Kane.

After a brief ceremony led by Father Mosese Kolio, the couple said their I dos marking the beginning of their new journey as husband and wife.

We met through mutual friends and then we became friends ourselves for a little while until we decided that there was something there, said Mrs. Meredith.

Kane always had a thing for me, and I guess there was always something there between us.

We started dating in 2009, after two years of being friends and then after that we did some long distance for a year.

Kane moved over to see me in Melbourne where I was studying and then we started living together.

After about three years we had our beautiful son Kaleb; we then lived together for another year before moving back home where we decided that its finally time to get married.

So in a nutshell, after seven years together we finally tied the knot. As for the groom, he didnt have much to say.

When I first saw her I thought to myself Amazing, just exquisite, she is such an exquisite person and when I got to know her my thoughts altered to a beautifully caring person, he said.

When I asked her out it wasnt all elaborate; I asked her to be my girlfriend on the seawall and now seven years ago Im marrying this amazingly exquisite, breathtaking person.

Guests enjoyed the rest of the night with a beautiful live band, drinks overflowing and food galore.

Congratulations Kane and Jaydin Meredith!
A woman from Ululoloa is the proud winner of a brand new $106,450 Ford Ranger, courtesy of Bluesky Samoa.

Mele Garners name was drawn from close to 200,000 entries into the 2016 Ford Ranger for Blueskys Birthday Promotion, drawn at the Savalalo Flea Market on Friday.

The draw was done by Bluesky officials in the presence of a policeman, a representative from Ford Samoa and the Media.

The winner was randomly selected from the 199,721 entries.

The winner is most likely to get her hands on her new car tomorrow.

In the meantime, Bluesky is fixing up all the paper work for the new owner of the 2016 Ford Ranger.

The winner was contacted by the Sunday Samoa yesterday, but she wanted to wait until she finally gets her hands on the car.

The promotion has been running for the past four weeks in partnership with Ford Samoa.

According to a press release, the promotion was created to celebrate Blueskys five years of service to Samoa.

Since 2011, Bluesky has gone above and beyond to ensure that they bring exciting and fun promotional offers for the people of Samoa.

There were also cash prize give aways worth $24,000 tala for the customers. There were three ways in which people could enter the promotion. Through texts, echarging five tala or more and calling 4444.

Blueskys Country Manager, Alex Abraham thanked all its customers for participating and helping in making Bluesky Samoas Number One 3G Network.
Members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa celebrated the success of eighteen pastors and their wives yesterday.

The ordination of the pastors to administer marriages and holy communion brought tears of joy for the churchs members at Malua.

The pastors had already graduated from Theological College but yesterday was another step in the right direction in terms of their calling to serve God and their parishioners.

Reverend Elder Kerisiano Soti encouraged them to always remember that with God, all things are possible.

When we let God carry out His will, there is always a fresh beginning for everyone, he said.

To all graduates, take the image of Jesus Christ, not us being a servant of God is not an easy thing, you have to have a lot of patience, you have to be strong in whatever that comes your way,

When we say that O le ala i le pule o le Tautua that means forget about who has authority but serve God with a humble heart,

You have been anointed today to go out and share the love of God to everyone in the world and also to serve Him with all your heart and be patient.

For the graduates, yesterday was the culmination of years of hard work.

Rev. Farani Emau Tofilau acknowledged Gods faithfulness and the support of his family.

It has been a long journey and I just want to thank God for all that He has done for me and my wife, he said.

I want to thank all our families in Samoa and overseas, our church for their support. Here we are, ready to serve the Lord and do His work with all that we have.

Rev. Farani Emau and his wife Paono serve the C.C.C.S Quakers in Sydney Australia, having graduated from Malua in 2011.

I am humbled, Rev. Pati Crichton said. We have been chosen to serve.and nothing else but to rely on God for everything.

Thanks to all of our families for their prayers and their continuous support. The ceremony was well attended.

List of ordained Reverends at Malua yesterday

 Andrew and Faleupolu Laufiso - Faleata

 Faataualofa and Miriama Taefu Faasaleleaga

 Fala and Ane Tusa Nila- Falealili Sisifo

 Falani and Paono Tofilau- Niusauelese

 Fetuliaina and Fusi Pama - Aukilani

 Iakopo and Pele Manutai - Manukau

 Isamaeli and Aliitasi AulaI  Lotofaga/Lepa

 Mofate and Aliitasi Fuimaono - Niusauelese

 Pasefika and Talalelei Maiava - Niusauelese

 Pati and Aiga Chricton  Faleata

 Reupena and Fuarosa Maulolo  Kolisi o Malua

 Ropati and Nuutofi Toleafoa  Faasaleleaga

 Seilala and Agape Luamanuvae - Faleata

 Seti and Vaialisi Seti - Aana

 Sili and Logola Moa - Kuiniselani

 Tafatolu and Merina Lelevaga - Faleata

 Tavita and Cynthia Faletagaloa  Amerika

 Elisaia and Sauiluma Tagiilima - Amerika
An environmental expert is cautioning against the killing of a two-metre snake found in Savaii on Friday.

Although early reports expressed fears that the creature could possibly be a venomous Australian Tiger Snake, S.P.R.E.Ps Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Officer, Paul Anderson, yesterday called for caution.

Invasive snakes could be a very bad thing for Samoa, Mr. Anderson told the Sunday Samoan. However given the location this one was found (far from a port) and the fact that Samoa does in fact have resident native snakes, it is most likely that this is the native boa.

Ive got a small one here in Apia- its a pet and we use her as an educational animal  teaching kids about Samoas native fauna.

Mr. Anderson added that Samoa is home to a native non-venomous snake called the Pacific boa.

They are a bit rare because uninformed people often kill them.

Mr. Anderson said its important that the snake is brought to Apia so that we can ID and release if it is native or destroy it if it happens to be an alien (non-native) species.

On Friday, Branch Manager of Bluebird inn Savaii, Dave Perriman said the snake measured 2 metres with the markings of an Australian Tiger Snake, which is a dangerous species.

In fact it can be deadly without the anti venom, which I would be pretty certain would not be kept here in Samoa.

Alarmed by this, they contacted the government authorities.

We called the M.N.R.E and they told us they didn't know what to do with it, maybe just kill it and bury it, he said. I went around to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and they virtually said the same, the person in the front office rang their department of Livestock and they said they only handled cows and pigs and couldn't tell us what to do or who to contact.

I would have thought one of the Departments would have been more concerned just how the snake actually got into the country, I was not even asked as to where the snake was found, if this is a female snake, has it had babies and how long has it been in the country.

The last thing we want is to introduce snakes into our environment, to feed on the small birds we have here.
The Acting Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio, has declined to comment on whether the Minister of Justice and Courts Administration, Faaolesa Katopau Ainuu, had declared that there was a warrant for his arrest when he entered his candidacy for the General Election.

I have no comment (to make about that), Faimalo responded to questions from the Sunday Samoan. The onus is on the candidate so that is why we have these measures of the statutory declaration.

He did not elaborate.

In light of several candidates who have been prosecuted  with at least two already convicted  of making false declarations in their candidacy forms, the revelation that there is an outstanding warrant for the Minister of Justice, who is also responsible for the Electoral Office, has raised eyebrows.

The Acting Electoral Commissioner was asked if his Office carries out background checks on the candidates. No comment, said the Acting Electoral Commissioner.

Two candidates have been convicted and fined for making false declarations during the period of the General Election. Ofoia Vaipua Nomeneta and Taula Faulaau Simi were convicted and fined by the District Court for not declaring that they have previous convictions. There are two more candidates who have their matters pending in Court for false declaration.

Leoo Dr. John Adams is being taken to Court by the Electoral Office for false declaration claiming that he did not satisfy the three years monotaga or village service required by law.

Le Tagaloa Pita Alailima is also in Court on a similar case where the Electoral Office is arguing that he made a false declaration when he claimed that he rendered a village service of 3years.

However, Le Tagaloa disagrees claiming that he renders his village service voluntarily through monetary contribution to his village and is in accordance to his village of Silis customs.

The high chief of Sili also maintains that the customs of his village does not require him to render such service that is made by matai of lesser importance.

All of the four candidates were disqualified from contesting in the recent general election when they lost in the eligibility challenges.

Last week, it was revealed that the Minister of Justice and Courts Administration, Faaolesa Katopau Ainuu, is seeking to quash an outstanding warrant of arrest against him in American Samoa.

The warrant of arrest for Faaolesa was issued in 2008 containing a number of allegations, in relation to his handling of a client. The Minister told the Samoa Observer last week that his lawyer in the territory is working on his case.

My lawyer will submit a motion to quash the warrant, he said. The delay is because they are trying to find the affidavit to support the warrant.

There was nothing at the Attorney Generals office and they are also looking for a copy from the Court.

When Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was asked about the matter last week, he said he would have to ask the Minister for an update.

During a recent interview with the American Samoa Attorney General, Talauega Eleasalo Ale, he confirmed that the warrant against Faaolesa was still valid.

Its still valid and apparently its still in the books (of the Court and still outstanding), he said. According to Talauega since the warrant was issued, it was never acted upon.

The reason for that he said is that it was probably because the person wasnt here.

The warrant is valid if he is in American Samoa jurisdiction and he can be arrested by Police pursuant to the Courts warrant.
Sometimes a simple idea brings joy to many lives.

Reverend Ruperake Petaia had such an idea. In his community, the village of Malua, the Reverend had witnessed a trend that spread among the younger community members.

Part of our work here, especially during Sunday school, includes the rehearsal and performance of short plays, and what I noticed was that most of the people have their own phones, with which they are capable of recording videos. And thats what the children did, they recorded our short plays, Rev. Petaia told the Sunday Samoan.

When he saw all these recordings, he got an idea that would bring the youth of the community closer together. During a visit in New Zealand, the Reverend saw something that let this idea grow in his mind: a camera.

I thought, I want that camera for our community. With the help of my daughter, I could purchase it. We started using it in our youth group, but after another visit in New Zealand, I brought with me another camera. Now we had two cameras and that made me think: What can we achieve with these two cameras?

The answer was simple. Reverend Ruperake Petaia had already written a script of approximately twenty pages for what would later become a short movie, called O le Satauro Mamana (The Wondrous Cross).

The scripts plot transfers one of the New Testaments most substantial stories into the Samoa of today. It is the crucifixion of Jesus, but of course it is fictional and therefore it is also a story in itself that revolves around a blind woman with two children. A poor family whose own history is blended with Christs story.

Asked about the drive behind the special story, Reverend Ruperake Petaia delivered a more than descriptive answer.

If Jesus is surrounding us everywhere, why cant we imagine that his own story happens in the time of today? After having prepared his story as an actual screenplay, the Reverend was ready to make a movie out of it.

There was just one difficulty: he did not know how to handle the technical aspects of film-making. But he knew a man that did. His name is Antone Simanu, a musician that had helped the choir of the community one year ago to produce their very own recording.

I knew Antone as a very talented pianist, but I was also aware that he is qualified to work with electronics and computers. I talked to him, and then we did it.

So the two sat together and planned their project. A project that included several weeks of filming, all done in Malua with more than twenty actors, consisting of the communitys youth and some students of N.U.S.

It was a really entertaining process, because it turned out that acting in front of a camera is completely different from acting on stage. Thats why I had to remind our actors to keep a certain expression of seriousness when the scene required it. For some, it was a challenge not to burst into laughter, so we all enjoyed the filming.

But the filming also included difficulties which had to be mastered, especially from the technical point of view, as Anetone Simanu, the movies producer explained.

Sometimes we had to delay filming, for instance when it was too dark to shoot, or when some of the actors did not have the time to be present on set, he said.

But of course we had to face limitations concerning the movies post processing. I was able to use my old computer and the software, we also have some scenes which included the use of a green screen.

With the project being the first of its kind done in the region, the producer who recently started his own business, A.P.S Sounddesigns and Media, is more than satisfied.

This was really a first attempt for everybody involved, but I think we all can be proud of it.

So proud, that after a first private screening, the official premiere of O le Satauro Mamana is planned for the coming Monday, at the Fono tele at Malua.

Movies are a worldwide phenomenon with which everybody can identify himself, Rev. Petaia said.

We notice that some of the members in our community somehow adapt a certain idleness when they drop out of school and dont get employment. With this project, we were able to give them something to keep busy, but also to be proud of, especially when the movie will be shown at the premiere.
The recently opened $10million market at Fugalei is leaking.

In fact, according to vendors, it leaked as soon as it was opened, so they could not stay silent anymore.

The leakage is so bad there are days when vendors simply cannot operate their small businesses, causing widespread frustration and unnecessary anxiety.

The heavy downpour on Tuesday and Wednesday last week exposed the ugly reality once more.

Thats when Faafetai Tuifao, one of more than ten stall owners badly affected by the leakage, could not hold back her frustration.

Im quite angry about this, she told the Sunday Samoan.

Ive decided to speak up publicly because we raised this issue a year ago and nothing has been done about it. Today, we cannot sell our stuff because the water just buckets down every time there is a heavy downpour.

Its ridiculous that we are asked to pay for the rent even though we cannot display our handicrafts and clothes.

Mrs. Tuifao said they have raised the issue with the officials who collect the rent money from them but they dont seem to care.

Every time we complain to the office (responsible) they just come stand here and look at the roof and say they will report it. Nothing happens.

According to her, their $10 a day rent is a lot of money.

And when it rains for several days, they are out of business.

The mother said she has had enough of the authorities not taking their plight seriously enough.

I feel that our request has fallen on deaf ears for so long, she said.

We might not be making much money from here but it doesnt mean that our needs are less important.

We just want to fix the problem before it rains again and we have to close and go home.

Sometimes when Mrs. Tuifao is so desperate for space, she begs other stall owners if she could use some of their space.

I cant always do this everyday, she said. I cant be looking for a stall when I have my own stall. This is a stall I pay $10 everyday for and when it rains I cannot use it. This is not fair.

Last week, other stalls near Mrs. Tuifao were closed for almost three days due to the leakage.

The Fugalei market is run by the Accident Compensation Corporation. It was not possible to get a comment from the Corporation at press time.

The Fugalei Market, dogged by controversy and delays, was opened in August 2014.

The initial design had a two-storey building that was going to cost $42million.

However, after long delays, Cabinet changed the plan and settled for a $10million single dwelling

The opening was music to the ears for farmers and vendors, who had to brave the boiling sun and the rain for several years to sell their produce and crops.

At the opening, Prime Minister Tuilaepa said there was no more need for farmers to sell their crops and produce out in the sun and rain.

There are plenty of spaces inside the market for everyone, he said.

The market was built by the Qing Dao Construction.
HONOLULU (AP)  The state of Hawaii is suing Japanese manufacturer Takata over defective air bags they say threaten peoples' lives.

The lawsuit filed Friday in the First Circuit Court of Hawaii also names auto manufacturer Honda.

Millions of Takata's defective air bags have been recalled because their inflators can explode, spewing shrapnel in cars. Hawaii is the first state in the nation to sue over the air bags, which are blamed for at least 11 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries.

Independent reports have concluded that a chemical used in Takata air bags  ammonium nitrate  can degrade when exposed to heat and humidity, which can trigger explosions.

"We're particularly vulnerable here in Hawaii to the defect that Takata has manufactured ... we're not going to wait until something like this happens," said Stephen Levins, executive director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.

Takata switched to ammonium nitrate, a cheaper component for the inflator of the company's air bags, despite the fact that it was widely known to be an unstable and dangerous chemical, Levins said. Honda was in a position where the company should have known what was going on, Levins said.

"Clearly Takata has engaged in a deceptive manner in marketing this, and actually has put profits, their own profits, over the personal welfare and safety of people around the United States, and around the world, and people here in Hawaii." Levins said. "It's a situation that's intolerable, and we're not going to put up with it."

Calls to Takata's office in Los Angeles and a company spokesman late Friday were not immediately returned.

Honda hasn't yet received the lawsuit so it can't comment, said Chris Martin, a spokesman for American Honda Co., in an email. Martin said Honda is cooperating with the government on the Takata air bag inflator issue.

More than 70,000 cars containing Takata air bags have been sold in Hawaii, according to the complaint. The state is seeking penalties of $10,000 per violation.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was adding up to 40 million air bags to the ongoing recall of 28.8 million air bags made by Takata.

"The dealerships have the obligation to fix this ... Unfortunately, they don't have sufficient quantities of parts on hand right now," Levins said.

-AP
An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 51 people to two years in prison for taking part in protests last month, officials said.

Nearly 300 people have been arrested and charged for taking part in the demonstrations against Egypt's decision to transfer control of two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia as part of a border demarcation agreement negotiated in near total secrecy.

The 51 were convicted of breaking a 2013 law that effectively bans protests.

The officials said 18 of the 51 were sentenced in absentia. Thirteen minors were referred to juvenile court over the protests, they added. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

April's protests were the largest since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was elected in 2014. As military chief, el-Sissi had led the overthrow President Mohammed Morsi a year earlier amid massive demonstrations demanding the Islamist leader step down.

Also on Saturday, prominent activist Sanaa Abdel-Fattah gave herself up to police to start a six-month sentence passed against her last week for insulting the judiciary.

Abdel-Fattah, who comes from a family of well-known activists, was brought in for questioning last month over accusations that she was inciting protests. She refused to answer the prosecutors' questions on the grounds that the judiciary was controlled by the executive branch of government and she did not want to be part of what she described as a charade. She has refused to appeal the conviction.

The widely publicized comments led to her being charged with insulting the judiciary.

Her surrender and subsequent transfer to prison Saturday was reported by her family and friends in social media posts and confirmed by the officials.

El-Sissi and members of his government routinely praise the judiciary as independent and objective, but activists counter that the justice system, including judges and prosecutors, are beholden to the government. They also report widespread abuses by the police, including the torture of suspects.

Thousands of Morsi supporters and scores of pro-democracy activists have been jailed since 2013. Hundreds more were killed in clashes with security forces during protests in the months after Morsi's ouster.

El-Sissi has said human rights in Egypt must not be judged by Western standards, arguing that his government is seeking to safeguard rights while fighting Islamic militants and struggling to revive the nation's ailing economy after years of unrest.
A new president of the Tautua Puapuaga o Tagata society of the National Council of Women (Mafutaga Aoao o Tina) was elected at the Womens Conference at Malua last week.

She is Merita Siolo Tauati.

The new president told the Samoa Observer she is deeply honoured to have been chosen.

This position is appointed yearly and having the opportunity to step infeels so good especially since this society is all about giving back to the community when church members need help with their health and other matters.

Each year during this time, we donate to hospitals both in Savaii and Upolu, and also to the Dialysis Unit within the National Health Service and other organisations in society.

We also support some of the Womens Committees when theyre in need of water tanks or other resources to help with their development.

Merita said that the main focus of the T.P.T. is to serve the community and the church. We earned over $400,000 in the beginning of this week from Womens Committee lafoga and we used this money to give back to the community.

Hopefully sometime this week, well visit hospitals and the Dialysis Unit to give them our help.

The Womens Conference ended on Friday and the Annual General Meeting of the church starts today.
It was not an easy decision for Seumalo Taleni Isaia to leave his profession as an art teacher and become a farmer when his father passed away last year.

Seumalo said hed been teaching for more than 10 years but his love for the teaching profession didnt stop him from honouring his fathers love of being a farmer.

This is how my family survives day to day, and I have seen how my father loved this farm and he dedicated his life to it, said Seumalo.

Seumalo resigned from Maluafou College last year to care for his father.

When he passed away, I thought Id stay and continue the work he did. I thought Id have a taste of being a farmer and see whats it like.

And what hes found is something he does like.

As the fourth owner, the cocoa plantation has been passed down from generation to generation.

It has been the main source of income for their family in the past years and is located on a 20 acre block of land deep in the forest at Afega Uta.

And with hard work, Seumalo said he is able to make more money from their cocoa plantation than from teaching.

However, its not all about one crop.

I dont just depend on the cocoa, I have other crops like yams, taro, bananas because this is a big piece of land.

Earlier last year, Seumalo found a new market for his cocoa beans, the Wellington Chocolate Factory in New Zealand.

Our supply goes twice a year, and I supply them with more than 20 sacks per shipment, said Seumalo.

Seumalo said he gets $10 per kilo and with one sack usually weighing 40 kilos so he gets $400 per one sack of cocoa beans.

So if he produces 20 sacks per shipment he gets $8,000.

However Seumalo said there are many challenges, and managing a cocoa farm is not easy.

The major challenges are the rats and when its bad weather.

He is very happy he said when its the dry season, because it is a better time to collect cocoa.

It takes a whole week to collect the ripe, cocoa beans.

Seumalo said he works alone, and his sons can only help him during the weekend and when school is on break.

And if his cousins help him during the week, he pays them $20 a day.

Seumalo said providing good quality cocoa beans to overseas markets is not easy. It takes a lot of work to provide the best quality.

The cocoa beans need to be dried but that depends on the weather.

Already other companies from overseas have approached him too for the supply of cocoa beans but the Wellington Chocolate Factory is his top priority because they were the first to come to him.

Seumalo thanked Maiden Samoa for their support and the opportunity as another source of income for his family.

The former art teacher is married to Tuaia Isaia and they have with five children.
The Samoa Prison and Correctional Services (S.P.C.S) released more than 20 prisoners over the weekend during the Mothers Day celebration. Most of those released were male prisoners with only two females given the chance to spend the day with their families.

According to Tafaigata spokesperson, Sagaga Galu Frost, the decision made was for the safety of the country. There are many re-offending, many problems have arisen during public holidays, said Sagaga. He said during Easter celebration an incident occurred in Savaii where a prisoner set a car on fire.

And another recent incident occurred when one of the more notorious prisoners escaped from prison and assaulted a business man at his residence. Sagaga said all these allegations and all the incidents have been taken into consideration and the decision was made from there.

A directive (a FK2009) states rules and regulations of those who should be given the opportunity to go on weekend parole.

That is now being enforced, added Sagaga.

In response to why the imprisoned mothers did not get the chance to spend Mothers Day with their families, Sagaga said no one is above the law and the decision had been already made.

He said the women complained about the decision, but there was nothing they could do.

Although it was a tough decision to make, everything went well with our Mothers Day weekend releases, said Sagaga.

All the prisoners who were released for the weekend were asked to return on Monday and all of them came back.
Astronomers have detected a faint blue dwarf galaxy which can be used as a medium to test the Big Bang Theory, according to a recent report. Nicknamed Leoncino, meaning the little lion, the AGC 198691 galaxy is the most metal poor one among the list of discovered galaxies until now. Therefore, Leoncino can be used as a time capsule that will give scientists more insight into the conditions that prevailed right after the creation of the Universe.

According to a report, the dwarf galaxy is located about 30 million light years away from the earth in the Leo Minor constellation, where it shines blue, bathed in the light of a new generation of stars. The researchers were able to figure out Leoncino's low metal content by observing it with a pair of stenographs mounted on the Multiple Mirror Telescope and Mayall 4-meter telescope, two Arizona based instruments.

Incidentally, any element heavier than hydrogen and helium is known as metal. In galaxies that are rich in metal, the heavier elements are formed by generations of stars' lifecycles through a technique called stellar processing. A star forms metals through nucleosynthesis, and spreads the resultant elements throughout the galaxy, once it becomes a supernova, in the process planting the seeds of the next generation of stars.

The environment of a metal poor galaxy stunts the whole process, which results in a chemical state similar to the early Universe. Since the present model of the Big Bang makes detailed predictions concerning the ratio of helium and hydrogen atoms, which resulted after the creation of the Universe, the poor metal galaxies can be used to examine one of humankind's most revered scientific theories.

"Finding the most metal-poor galaxy ever is exciting since it could help contribute to a quantitative test of the Big Bang," said John J. Salzer, research co-author from the Indiana University Bloomington. "There are relatively few ways to explore conditions at the birth of the universe, but low-metal galaxies are among the most promising." The team of astronomers now wants to conduct further analyses of AGC 198691 to gain more insight into the rare galactic treasure.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  The most obvious feel-good moments for Oakland, three of them, came from Danny Valencia on Sunday. Less evident from the box score but maybe more important in the long run: Sonny Gray, the As right-hander, had something of a breakthrough as he tries to emerge from the roughest stretch of his career.

To Valencia first, because he stepped to the plate with the As trailing in the ninth and hit a two-out, two-run homer to give Oakland a 7-6 win at Tropicana Field. It was the first three-homer day of Valencias career. He hit a solo shot in the first and a two-run blast in the fifth. The three homers tied the club record.

The feeling in our dugout was, Hes going to hit another one, As catcher Stephen Vogt said. It wasnt, I hope he hits another one. Thats what he brings to the table, the confidence he exudes, the confidence we have in him.

The As were down by one when Billy Burns doubled off left-hander Xavier Cedeno. Steve Geltz, a right-hander, relieved Cedeno, and Valencia crushed the first pitch he got to left-center.

Im definitely going to be aggressive, Valencia said. Theyve been pitching me kind of in, I think they set up away, but he came over the plate and I was able to hit it out.

Valencia, who spent 15 days in late April and early May on the disabled list, entered the series with zero homers but hit five in the three games.

He came back with a bang, Vogt said.

I felt pretty good the whole series, said Valencia, who was particularly excited that his parents, Mindy and Michael, attended the series. I got some good pitches to hit, and I didnt miss em.

The bullpen was terrific: Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances, John Axford, in his first appearance since taking a liner off his foot last Monday, hit 100 mph on the radar gun, and Ryan Dull worked 11/3 innings and struck out four. Gray was the real story, though the numbers dont necessarily show it; he matched his career high by allowing three homers Sunday.

He made an adjustment before the fifth inning, however, and retired the next four men, finally regaining the good sink hed been missing while losing his previous three starts and putting up an ERA over 12.00.

It was huge for the team for Valencia to do that, but honestly, it was really big for me just to be myself, Gray said.

In 52/3 innings, Gray gave up six hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out four, his best outing since April 22.

I think Sonny pitched way better, especially later in the game, manager Bob Melvin said. I think he found something.

Gray gave up a homer to Brandon Guyer leading off the first. Then, after a two-out error by Tyler Ladendorf on a grounder to second base, Gray faced Guyer again with two on in the second inning. Guyer smacked the first pitch out to left, his first career multihomer game.

In the fourth, Steve Pearce reached on a strikeout-wild pitch (Vogt got nailed on his left thumb trying to make the stop), Kevin Kiermaier hit a double and Hank Conger a sacrifice fly.

Oakland cut the Rays lead to one in the fifth when Coco Crisp singled in Yonder Alonso and Valencia clubbed a two-run homer. But in the bottom of the inning, Evan Longoria went deep to left-center off Gray, putting Tampa Bay up 6-4.

Chris Coghlan pinch hit for Ladendorf in the seventh and drilled a solo homer to left to make it a one-run game again and to end the As string of games without a pinch-hit homer at 285, what had been the longest active streak in the majors.

Josh Reddick was the last As player with a three-homer game, on Aug. 9, 2013. It has been done 27 times in franchise history.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser
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As fences go, the $700,000 one that just went up around the campus home of UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has to be one for the record books.

Originally budgeted at $270,000, the painted steel fence was to be built behind a hedge, in a manner that would respect the historical character of the house and the grounds of 105-year-old University House.

Then came a series of incidents in which UC Berkeley officials said protesters damaged the home and sprayed graffiti on the exterior walls. That prompted campus police to recommend that the fence be bulked up and moved farther from the home, to keep outsiders from getting within reach of the building.

In addition to the 7-foot-tall fence, the new plan included heavy-duty driveway gates, security cameras and equipment to allow the fences walkway gates to be opened from inside the house.

This required 500 feet of conduits, as well as electronics, according to an official summary provided to us.

Then, in the summer of 2015, well after construction got under way, students and professors unhappy about the amount of public space being walled off by the fence cried foul.

Campus officials responded by moving it back closer to the house  though not as close as the original design called for.

Andy Ross / Andy Ross / The Chronicle

In the process, they ripped out the electronically controlled driveway gate and added custom-built gates at both the front and back entries  each adorned with a pair of golden bears.

Officials say those changes added $200,000 to the tab. As of the most recent tally, the campus had spent $65,000 on various fence designs, $565,000 on materials and labor, and $69,000 on administration and other costs.

Total: just shy of $700,000. And thats without all the new landscaping thats also gone in.

The good news, says campus spokesman Dan Mogulof, is that all this is going to result in about $200,000 in annual savings  because the universitys police will be able to reduce their manpower needs to provide security for the house.

On the bay: Despite overwhelming political support and only token opposition, backers of a $12-dollar-a-year parcel tax to restore the bay are scrambling to come up with enough money to carry their campaign to victory across nine Bay Area counties next month.

Measure AA would raise more than $500 million over 20 years to protect the shoreline from climate change-related rising seas and flooding.

And while a recent poll by Fairbank, Maslin, Maulin, Metz and Associates showed the measure looked good to 77 percent of voters, only 40 percent said they would definitely vote for it. Thats far below the two-thirds overall vote needed to pass it.

So time for a push, right? The problem is that even though politicians including Gov. Jerry Brown and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer support Measure AA, consultant Adam Alberti tells us supporters have fallen $500,000 short of the $3 million they feel they need to get the message out.

Sugar rush: San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin lost his bid to keep candy bars in vending machines at City Hall, but as far as hes concerned, the story still has a sweet ending.

There are a thousand adults who work in this building who can make their own choices about what foods they want to consume, and I for one think we should be able to get a Kit Kat bar, Peskin said before being on the losing end of a 10-1 vote last week.

A few days later he got a letter from the folks who run the downstairs cafe, telling him that they had just renewed their lease  and that the new rules would not affect them until 2020.

So do not despair, the letter said. You can enjoy your favorite junk food for four more years.

Merger: If you cant beat em, join em.

That seems to be the axiom of two of San Franciscos biggest lobbying and PR firms, which are about to join forces under the banner Lighthouse Public Affairs after years of slugging it out for many of the same clients.

So now, Barbary Coast Consulting, headed by onetime City Hall aide Alex Clemens  his clients include Cisco, Dolby and the Giants  will join up with Goodyear, Peterson, Hayward and Associates, which lists AT&T, Hearst Corp. (owner of The Chronicle), Target and Kilroy Realty among its clients.

Partners Rich Peterson (a prolific fundraiser for both Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Ed Lee) and Boe Hayward (a former aide to Supervisor Bevan Dufty) have been going it alone since the recent exit of partner Charlie Goodyear.

We have developed a pretty fierce and respectful rivalry, Clemens said of his relationship with his soon-to-be partners. But we are more similar than dissimilar, and thought there were advantages to our clients and our careers to contemplate joining forces.

Not to mention advantages to joining revenue  which, were told, will total about $4.5 million a year from lobbying and other activities. Pretty much making them among the biggest kids on the block.

And finally: Reader Paul Dembry, on the Board of Supervisors putting a measure to lower the voting age in San Francisco to 16 in local elections:

San Francisco raises the smoking age to 21 because 18-year-olds are not mature enough to make good decisions about tobacco  then San Francisco wants to lower the voting age to 16, because 16-year-olds are mature enough to make good voting decisions?

Something like that.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
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It wasnt that long ago that San Francisco was a big-time manufacturing town  shipyards, ironworks, canneries, box factories, big bakeries, everything. The Mechanics Monument on Market Street  iron men working with steel  celebrates that spirit.

But even in these high-tech days in San Francisco, the city still is a big manufacturing center. But to understand it you have to think small.

Except for operations like the BAE San Francisco Shipyard on the southern waterfront, the big companies have left San Francisco. Whats left of the traditional outfits are small, old-line machine shops and the like.

But local manufacturing hasnt disappeared and is booming in old and new ways.

Nonprofit SFMade

Many of the businesses belong to a nonprofit called SFMade,which helps develop local products. SFMade says there are 650 local manufacturers in San Francisco, employing 5,000 or so workers and generating $614 million to the economy last year. Some are old, like the McRoskey Mattress Co., founded in San Francisco 116 years ago. Some are recent, like the Harmonic Brewing Co., which opened a plant and a taproom at 26th and Minnesota streets in the Dogpatch neighborhood just this spring.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Some have famous products like Anchor Steam Beer with 225 employees and Bi Rite Markets with 265 workers. Others are tiny niche companies, like Prisma Guitars, which makes guitars from broken skateboards.

Dogpatch, a kind of niche neighborhood between Interstate 280 and the bay, is ground zero for the new manufacturing boom. Its kind of a new hub for new industry now, said SFMade Senior Director Janet Lees, who led a mini tour of small businesses last week.

We started at the McRoskey Mattress plant on Minnesota Street. This neck of the woods was once full of salvage yards and railroad spurs, complete with fierce junkyard dogs. Later it became a warehouse and machine shop area. McRoskey moved its factory and about 20 production workers there 15 years ago from the company showroom and plant on Market Street.

30 mattresses a week

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Inside, its a wonderland of strange-looking machines that build mattresses from the springs up, fill them with cotton and polyester, heat the metal parts to bind them, sew and turn the mattresses. Machines do a lot of the heavy work, but much of it is done by hand. Production is small about 30 mattresses a week, said production manager Ed Rahmer.

The mattresses command a high-end price, too, from $4,200 to $8,500 for a top-of-the-line mattress. Our customers are a whos who of tech glitterati and famous athletes, said Kaytea Petro, McRoskeys marketing manager. We have one customer who buys a new mattress every time he gets a new girlfriend.

Who is that? A smile. My lips are sealed, Petro said.

We walked up the street, past new condo buildings under construction, past weary buildings that seemed about to fall down, to the just-opened retail showroom of Poco Dolce Confections on Third Street, in the former cannery building.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2016

Poco Dolce means just a little bit sweet in Italian, said Kathy Wiley, the firms founder and owner. Her signature product, handmade dark chocolate topped with sea salt, is called Tiles.

I always wanted a small business, and I wanted to be in food, she said.

Wiley picked chocolate and handmade candy with sea salt because I knew I had to stand out, to be different to be in San Francisco. Just over a dozen people work there.

Provide a nice product

The times and the product are right, Wiley said. A handsome box with eight pieces of chocolate retails for $22. They are designed as hostess gifts for holidays or special occasions. A small box  a favor, its called  with two chocolates is $6.

If you want to survive in San Francisco, she said, you have to provide a nice product.

Next door is Bryr, which means to care in Swedish. Here a very small operation makes and sells clogs for women, all custom made. Bryr is run by Isobel Schofield, who has a British accent and an upbeat manner.

Tapping fashion trend

She was a fashion designer, but got tired of the pressures of the industry, learned the shoe business, made a business plan, and here she is. There are four employees, and they sell about 70 to 80 pair a week, all made to order for about $270. Schofield said she has tapped a fashion trend.

Its amazing, she said. Bay Area women are saying, Yes! Clogs!

The new manufacturing is not like the old, blue-collar, tough guy stuff.

But here we are in this wonderful building, Wiley said. We make clothes, wine, beer, chocolate. Whats not to like?

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column appears every Sunday. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
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San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhrs fate rests on a question that has been asked in other American cities torn by shooting deaths involving police officers: Is he the right man to guide his department through necessary reforms, or has his leadership become such a distraction that he should resign or be dismissed?

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired the police superintendent after a video showing an officer shooting a black teenager 16 times was released, causing widespread demonstrations. He has become an issue, rather than dealing with the issue, and a distraction, Emanuel said just one week after expressing his unwavering support for his police chief.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fired her police chief 21/2 months after riots broke out following the death of an African American man in police custody. She, too, said the chief had become a distraction. It is clear that the focus has been too much on the leadership of the department, she said.

And Ferguson, Mo., Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned seven months after the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African American teenager, saying, This city needs to move forward without any distractions.

The question in San Francisco is: Will Mayor Ed Lee continue to stand by his chief, or will he too decide that keeping Suhr is no longer politically wise now that calls for his resignation have come from four San Francisco supervisors as well as a vocal group of protesters.

Once public confidence begins to erode and that fuse is lit, it takes a lot to put that fuse out. And thats what we have seen time and again across the country, especially when there is a racist sentiment associated with the issue, said Corey Ealons, a crisis communications expert who worked in the White House under President Obama and is now with VOX Global, a Washington, D.C., communications firm.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

National police focus

The episodes that led to demands Suhr be replaced have played out over the past two years. And, but for the national debate over police brutality, they may have faded away.

The fatal police shootings of Alex Nieto on Bernal Hill in March 2014 and Guatemalan immigrant Amilcar Perez-Lopez in the Mission in February 2015 brought outrage, but it was largely limited to the neighborhoods where the shootings occurred.

Officers fired at least 59 shots after they said Nieto pointed what they believed was a handgun at them  it turned out to be a stun gun he carried for his job as a private security officer. Suhr initially said Perez-Lopez charged an officer with a knife and was shot in self-defense  a private autopsy showed Perez-Lopez was shot in the back.

Then in December, police fatally shot stabbing suspect Mario Woods more than 20 times on a Bayview sidewalk. Suhr initially said Woods had raised a knife in a threatening manner, but video indicates Woods raised his arm after the first shot was fired.

That appeared to be a turning point in the perception of Suhr, who was criticized as blindly defending his officers. Suhr said he was only presenting the facts as he knew them.

Quick on the trigger

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Days after the shooting, the chief moved to enhance the de-escalation training for officers encountering subjects who are a threat only to themselves. Then in April, police officers in the Mission killed a homeless man they say charged them with a knife. Video showed they fired within 30 seconds of exiting their patrol vehicles.

The fatal police shootings, coupled with new revelations in March that some police officers had sent racist and homophobic text messages in the previous months  the second batch of racially tinged texts to emerge from the department in 13 months  have left Suhr struggling to justify his leadership.

At a neighborhood meeting in April, after the shooting of 45-year-old Luis Gongora, the homeless man, Suhr faced a packed union hall full of people who challenged his account of the shooting.

Throughout, Lee has stood by Suhr.

I just dont believe that having a different chief automatically gains the kind of groundwork that we are already gaining with the reforms that we have, Lee said at a news conference last week to announce $17.5 million in new funding for violence prevention and police reforms.

Those reforms include training officers to resolve possibly violent situations using de-escalation techniques so that lethal force is the last resort, as well as training to avoid misunderstandings based on cultural differences or implicit bias in officers.

Lees support of Suhr is backed by some prominent community leaders, including Amos Brown, the head of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, and even Suhrs critics at the public defenders office.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Sylvia Harper, the first African American female commander in the Police Department, who served alongside Suhr before he was chief, said he deserved time to try and reform the department.

This didnt happen just under his watch. It might have manifested itself under his watch, Harper said. I think we need to give him, out of courtesy and respect, time to see if the changes he is making and are trying to implement will come to fruition.

Suhr needs to step up

Ealons, the crisis communications expert, said police chiefs are dismissed when they are deemed incapable of managing their officers.

In this case, (Suhr) needs to step up and demonstrate he has a plan and his No. 1 concern is the public safety of the community and not being seen as a good guy by his officers, because he will lose that fight, Ealons said.

And at a news conference earlier this month to call on the Board of Supervisors to enact police reforms, Deputy Public Defender Rebecca Young said Suhrs resignation would be an important symbolic act. But its not going to change the culture.

Were asking for Chief Suhr to do his job, Young said.

At the beginning of his tenure, Suhr was a bright spot for Mayor Lee, who appointed him in April 2011 when George Gascon became district attorney. A 30-year veteran of the force, he had the strong backing of the police union, Chinatown political powerhouse Rose Pak and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, Gascons predecessor as district attorney.

The police union was so happy when he was sworn in, said Angela Chan, who was a member of the Police Commission that helped select Suhr. They kept saying it was their native son  their native son was being sworn in as chief.

But what Suhr wasnt, she said, was a reformer. And that never appeared to be expected of him.

In 2013, 32-year-old Pralith Pralourng was fatally shot by a police officer after he suffered an apparent mental breakdown and slashed a co-worker with a box cutter. Suhr used the shooting as an example of why his officers needed to be equipped with stun guns, a debate that was revived after the Woods shooting.

His first response was I want Tasers, Chan said. I was alarmed because, looking at the shooting, I was concerned about how officers used time and distance and communication skills for someone in crisis. The chief looked at it as, I need to get my officers another weapon.

Warning to chief

She said she warned the chief of the very predicament hes in right now.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

At some point, the community is going to say enough is enough, and theyre going to be outraged and demand accountability, she said. I warned him, if you dont get there, eventually the community is going to have enough. And just as I warned him, the community has had enough, and theyre asking for him to resign or be fired. Its not like the signs were not there.

And perhaps because there was no widespread public furor or large demonstrations in San Francisco like there were in Chicago, Baltimore and Ferguson  at least until the shooting of Woods  Suhr retained strong political backing. Until last week.

As recently as May 3, when dozens of protesters showed at the Board of Supervisors hearing to demand Suhr be fired, no supervisor had joined the chorus. Supervisor John Avalos considered introducing a resolution expressing no confidence in the police chief, but said he decided against it because he didnt think he had sufficient support among his colleagues.

4 supes call for firing

But late last week, four of the most progressive supervisors  Jane Kim, Avalos, David Campos and Eric Mar  said they had lost faith in the chiefs ability to reform the department and that he should be replaced.

Lee and his staff have made no secret that they believe political motivations are driving the supervisors demands. Kim, who was the first to call for Suhrs replacement, is in a race for a state Senate seat against fellow Supervisor Scott Wiener, who last week expressed support for Suhr.

It doesnt matter which neighborhood hes in, the vast majority of residents dont want to talk about the police chief or the politics of City Hall, they want to talk about more police officers on the street and more focus on neighborhood crime and quality of life, said Christine Falvey, the mayors spokeswoman. Thats where Mayor Lees focus is. ... The residents get it, even if some of the politicians at City Hall dont.

Political or not, the supervisors statements gave credence to recent protests, including that of five hunger strikers who went without food for 16 days, but whose support throughout the city was never apparent.

They also increased the pressure on the low-key Lee, who has struggled throughout to handle the situation, said Jason McDaniel, an assistant professor of political science at San Francisco State University.

I do think his lack of those core public political skills, things that people sometimes take for granted or things people dismiss  that Bill Clinton was too slick  thats allowed a lot of his opponents to control a lot of the narrative of the city and the citys direction much more than he has, McDaniel said. This is the latest example of that.

I dont envy the mayor

Replacing a police chief is a big, big decision, he added, so I dont envy the mayor that decision. But they have to be thinking about that possibility now. If they are not, then they are not connected enough to whats going on in this city as maybe they should be.

Lees options are limited. He wants to stand by a chief he believes in, but whose problems threaten to engulf him politically. He also doesnt want to cave in to pressure from his opponents.

All of which has political insiders at City Hall speculating Lee will keep Suhr as chief through August. By remaining on the job until then, Suhr could begin initiating reforms as he has repeatedly said he is committed to doing.

Also, Suhr, who married last August, would meet the requirement that city employees be married at least a year before retiring to make their spouses eligible for continuation benefits, generally 50 percent of the employees pension, should they die.

Suhr said Friday that despite the calls for a new chief, he has gotten so much support from all over the city, including from other board members.

I am as committed as ever to continue to work with all those that have been contributing to move the department forward to do just that, he said.

Emily Green and Vivian Ho are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com, vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen, @vivianho
Today we are very proud to introduce a new back-page columnist, journalist and author Vanessa Hua, whose columns will appear every Friday in Datebook.

Hua is a former reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, the Hartford, Conn., Courant and the Los Angeles Times. At The Chronicle, she launched an investigation that led to the resignation of the California secretary of state and prompted investigations by the FBI.
While the pink gorillas and Oompa Loompa costumes are streaking by you, it feels like the Bay to Breakers race is very of the moment. It's easy to forget the race's historical roots. The semi-official San Francisco holiday actually dates back to 1912, making it older than Fremont, Pacifica and a bunch of other local bergs.

The race started "6 years after the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, as a morale booster and to promote the planned upcoming 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco," according to race organizers.

Bay to Breakers is often called the longest consecutively run footrace in the world, covering 7.46 miles (12k) from Howard Street near the bay, through Golden Gate Park, to the breakers at Ocean Beach. But, as anyone who has ever witnessed horde of revelers approach the Panhandle knows, the event often feels more like a Mardi Gras parade than a punishing endurance challenge. In 2015, there were at least 11 arrests at the Panhandle as police moved to herd people away from the area following the race.

SFGATE is a partner for this year's race, and we were curious to see when the costume tradition entered in to the century-old spectacle, so we started digging around in the Chronicle archives for evidence of the first furry footracers. We found evidence of the race dating back to the late 1970s, but we turned to the race organizers, Wasserman Media Group, to get their official answer.

"It's actually up for a bit of debate," said Chris Holmes of Wasserman. "I think it grew out of the running craze of the late 70s and early 80s. I think this was just the next step in that movement."

But who was the first to ever wear a costume?

"From what we have found, the first person to have dressed up was in 1940s. There was a gentleman who dressed up as a comic book character: Captain Kidd," said Holmes. That character was based on a real pirate from the late 1600's. So apparently "pirate" is the most old-school Bay to Breakers costume possible.

There's no evidence of spandex racers through the 50s and 60s, but, photos from our archives above show, Gumby was ready to break out in a full sprint by the 1980s. Since then, the costumes have continued evolving.

"I'm impressed every year with the level of intricacy," said Holmes, who explained his company was inspired to take over the event in 2013 because of the unique relationship between the city and the race.

"We wanted something that had deep roots within the city that could only be done in one place in the world," said Holmes. "San Francisco is a very welcoming town...it's really an extension of the personality of the city...I think it goes beyond partying. The event has always had a festival feel to it."

This year, more than 50,000 registered runners and 100,000 spectators are expected to be a part of the experience. For information about this year's race, you can go to the official site by clicking here, or go to SFGATE's Bay to Breakers page here, for links to races past.
Ive always known Bill Hinson as Wild Bill. Other nicknames might have suited him: Creative Bill. Shocking Bill. Super Kind Bill.

But altogether, you get Wild Bill, who was always doing the unexpected thing. I cant speak to the wildness of Bill before I met him in 1989, though many of those stories star young Billy running for his life as somebody, usually his grandmother, chased him through the Central Valley with an ax held high. No one told those stories better than Wild Bill.

When I met him, Wild Bill was teaching aerobics in San Franciscos Cole Valley. I was a slightly overweight, 30-year-old reporter trying to get a life. I hoped I could stand the boredom of exercise classes long enough to get in shape. But Wild Bills were no ordinary exercise classes.

The instructor I met was muscled like a movie star and shaking off sweat like a dog just out of the water. Soon I was, too. We never stopped moving. It was the sounds that kept us going. Never mind the great dance music: Sylvester, Bonnie Tyler, Earlene Bentley. It was the other sounds. The Wild Bill sounds. A passerby might think he was passing Bills bedroom at the happiest time: Oh! Oh! Oh! hed say as we struggled to keep up. In Body Sculpting, Bill let no body part go unsculpted. With our legs in the air, hed place cassettes on our feet to keep them flat. While on our backs, he made us squeeze party balloons to our pelvis to tighten the stomach.

Some people do freelance writing; Wild Bill did freelance exercise instruction, leading classes through the streets of Noe Valley. Hed have us bend, butt level with knees at a proper 45-degree angle. Only then could we move  sideways. People stared as Wild Bill crab-walked us up and down the hills.

When Bill studied for his masters in kinesiology, he decided there was more to health than sculpted muscles and low pulse rates. He became a masseur and offered spa treatments in his living room. By his fireplace, youd sit as he kneaded your shoulders. Then youd move to the next thing, ending up near the kitchen with a towel on your head, a candle in your hand and eucalyptus up your nose. Usually, Bill made sure you also left with a loaf of challah hed braided himself, or some homemade jelly with the special ingredient baked in.

No, not that. He added Atomic Fireballs.

By the time Wild Bill and Dan danced at my wedding in 2003, I was in great shape, happy, and still a reporter, as I am today. I had Wild Bill to thank for much of that.

Last October, Wild Bills friends posted YouTube videos from 1991. 1991 was a sad time for Bill. His partner Jerry had died, and Jerrys family said they  not Bill  owned the Taraval Street aerobics studio Jerry had bought so Bill could have his own place. Now the family was shutting it down.

The videos showed the last Wild Bill class. I rushed to have a look. I thought, how brilliant that someone thought to capture Wild Bill surrounded by loving students and to preserve something beautiful that might never happen again.

I kept waiting to see myself. Wasnt I in that class 25 years ago? It showed a couple of dozen students and Wild Bill, looking so 1980s in his tiny green-and-white shorts. Suddenly, the camera panned to a clock, and I knew why I wasnt there. It was me behind the camera  confirmed when the video showed me in the mirror holding the camcorder. And I knew why Id hovered over the clock.

Wild Bill often arrived late to class. Hed rush in, having torn himself away from whatever hed been engrossed in. Not wanting to short-change his students, hed reach up to the clock, give a throaty laugh, and turn back the hands to whenever class was supposed to start.

He always knew hed need several lifetimes to do everything he wanted and couldnt turn back the hands of every clock.

We all thought hed die of AIDS, a diagnosis he received in 1989. Yet Wild Bill turned that clock back often, thanks to his strength, his will to live, and the joy he took in life with his husband, Dan Johnson.

But again, Wild Bill did the unexpected thing and never died of AIDS. An unrelated cancer took him on May 7.

He was 60 years old.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com
The first time Reggie Cook touched his face after the car accident that ruined both of his arms and nearly killed him, he cried.

That was two years ago  five years after the crash. His left arm had been left useless by nerve damage, his right arm wrecked by badly broken bones and a crushed elbow. Hed thought hed never be able to freely move either arm again, but an artificial elbow gave him his right arm back. For a few weeks, he could scratch his nose, brush his teeth, reach for his daughters hand.

Then the elbow failed. Months later, so did its replacement. For a year, doctors in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, tried to repair the arm, without success. Finally, bitter and frustrated, he asked why they couldnt just take the elbow from his nerve-damaged left arm, which hung limply at his side, and move it to the right.

I kind of laughed, said Cooks orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Eric Sides. But then I thought, Well, wait a minute. I thought about it for a long time, and then I called Lisa.

That was Dr. Lisa Lattanza, chief of hand, elbow and upper extremity surgery at UCSF. Last month, Lattanza performed the procedure that Cook had requested.

Own elbow transferred

Last week, Cook fed himself.

2016 BarbaraRies

It brought tears to my eyes. Made the hair on my arm stand up, Cook, 37, said on Friday, from his hospital bed at UCSF Medical Center. The procedure meant his left arm was amputated; hes named the stump Mighty. His remade right arm, swollen and deeply scarred, is wrapped in thick gauze and supported by a metal contraption that gives it a robotic appearance.

Cooks transplant is believed to be the first in which a persons own elbow was transferred from one arm to the other. Lattanza described the 13-hour surgery that took place April 15 as a complex ballet involving more than a dozen surgeons, nurses and medical technicians. It was, she said, the pinnacle of her career.

Its too soon to say how much movement it will restore for Cook, or how long it will last, but if the transplant is successful, it could prove useful for many more patients. Cooks specific situation is unusual, Sides said, but there are probably others like him, and similar procedures could be used on legs or other parts of the body.

One application might be your war-wounded veteran, who has two legs that are worthless but maybe you could piece together one by moving a joint, Sides said. If this works, I think it does have applications, but in very specific situations.

Cook was injured seven years ago when he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from work. He was in a coma for weeks. He suffered a serious brain injury and damage to his spinal cord that caused partial paralysis in his legs. For a while, the injuries to his arms were not a priority.

As he recovered, though, the loss of mobility in his arms became the main source of disability. The brachial plexus, a bundle of nerves that branches from the spinal cord at the neck and supplies movement and sensation to the arm, had been destroyed on his left side. There was no way to repair the damage.

On the right side, the elbow was shattered. The bones in his upper and lower arms healed, but reconstructive surgery couldnt repair the joint. So his arm was braced and held at a 90-degree angle. He could move his fingers  he could write, use a keyboard, hold a cell phone  but only if someone helped maneuver his hand where he needed it to be.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

He couldnt wash his face, use the bathroom or dress himself. He was dependent on nurses and family members around the clock.

You kind of lose yourself, your dignity, Cook said of that time. I was 35, not 85.

The first artificial joint doctors tried  made of metal and plastic and connected to his arm bones  was installed in early 2013. It worked great, at first.

But Cook was an active young man whose life had been put on hold for years. Suddenly having his arm back, he kind of went crazy with it, Sides said. Hard use ripped up the delicate joint. A large blood clot formed, then became infected.

Artificial joint fails

Doctors removed the joint to treat the infection, then reinstalled it. Again, an infection grew. Each time the joint was taken out, doctors had to scrape away part of the bone to get rid of the infection, until he had only a few inches of his humerus, the bone in the upper arm, and not much more of the bones in his forearm.

Eventually, doctors decided the artificial joint wouldnt work and wasnt worth the risk. They were out of options, they told Cook.

Susan Merrell

Cook wasnt satisfied. Thus his desperate request.

Sides and Lattanza had met at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where they were orthopedic residents. Theyd stayed in touch over the years, and Sides knew that Lattanza had developed a speciality in elbow work. She was the natural person to call about the proposed transplant.

Lattanza first thought the idea was far-fetched, but she was intrigued. A transplant of Cooks own tissue would mean no risk of the rejection that might occur with a donor elbow. And actual bone would hold up better than the artificial joint. She talked to some colleagues and they all thought it was worth trying. They put together a team.

Elbows are, perhaps, the most complicated joints in the body. The knees are hinge joints, allowing the lower leg to swing forward and backward and thats it; the shoulders and hips are ball-and-socket joints that allow for rotation. In all those joints, there is only one connection, or articulation, where bones meet.

The elbow connects at three places  the humerus to the radius, the humerus to the ulna, and the ulna to the radius  and allows both up-and-down and side-to-side motion. Also in the joint are bundles of tendons to connect the arm muscles. All of the nerves and blood vessels that serve the hand run right over the elbow, too.

Surgery in the area is delicate, complex work. And moving Cooks own elbow from the left to right offered one other major complication  the joint would be the reverse of the one it would replace.

Lattanza and her team spent more than six months planning Cooks surgery. They printed 3-D models of his bones to practice on. They did an entire run-through of the transplant on a cadaver. On the day of the surgery, they had to pause repeatedly to print out new models before cutting into Cooks bones or blood vessels.

The atmosphere in the operating room was tense but excited. Halfway through the procedure, the elbow was removed as one large unit  with pieces of the left radius, ulna and humerus, plus tendons, blood vessels and other tissue.

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That moment of handing that elbow across the table from left to right, that was strange, Lattanza said.

Setting bones into place

While one team of surgeons had been removing the left elbow, Lattanza had been on the right side making a space for it. She set the bones into place  where they should heal like any other broken limbs, she said  and connected the blood vessels. Theyd taken a flap of skin from his left side too, and she sewed that into place.

The first concern after surgery was making sure they hadnt done any damage to the right arm. Sides and Cook had said in media reports in El Paso that Cook had nothing to lose from this surgery, but Lattanza was acutely aware that wasnt true.

He could have lost his right arm. He could have lost the use of his right hand, she said. There were multiple ways we could have made it worse than he was. Thats all pretty intimidating.

But within a day of the surgery, Cook was moving his hand  the nerves were not damaged. Blood circulation was fine too. And then, he started testing the elbow.

I said, You know what? Give me some popcorn, Cook said. He figured the repetitive motion of flexing the new joint would be therapeutic  plus, it had been years since he fed himself popcorn. But doctors said the up-and-down movement would probably put too much stress on his healing arm, so hes still waiting for popcorn.

Coping through humor

There will be limitations to his mobility. Already doctors know that hell never be able to rotate his forearm to open his hand, palm up. I cant ask for money, Cook said with a laugh. But I can scratch my forehead and pick my nose.

Cook said hes often been depressed since his accident. Hes coped through dark humor  the first time he met Lattanza, he asked if he could keep his left arm after they amputated it so he could preserve it and hang it on a wall, maybe point to the bathroom. But he struggled to stay positive.

The last years of putting me back together have been very challenging. Id just sit and cry sometimes. Id close the door to my room and want to be alone, Cook said. That wasnt me before the accident. Now, Im going to be that person again.

This smile? he said, grinning widely. Its starting to turn authentic.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ErinAllday
The Jewish celebration that night was punctuated by the sounds of gunfire.

The Chronicles front page from May 15, 1948, covers the proclamation of Israel as the sovereign Jewish state and the bombing of Tel Aviv that followed.

In the Middle East, it was a world-changing day, and The Chronicle dedicated three stories to the events, plus a handy summary box headlined Palestine at a Glance, repeated here in full:

In the course of two days that will fill the pages of history, there were these developments in Palestine Friday and Saturday:

1  The Jewish state of Israel was born at 12:01 a.m., one minute after Great Britain relinquished her Palestine mandate.

2  President Truman surprised the world by announcing the U.S. was recognizing the new state.

3  The United Nations special Palestine Assembly adjourned after approving one proposal  a U.N. mediator to be sent to the Holy Land.

4  Egypt announced her army had been ordered to enter Palestine, and other Arab nations went on a war footing.

In more eloquent prose, the United Press story on the page reports the news simply: After 2,000 years as wanderers, the Jews took sovereignty over their own state of Israel today.

Lets play two: In a tezer headline above The Chronicle nameplate, we see the Bay Areas Pacific Coast League teams had a good day, with both the San Francisco Seals and Oakland Oaks (Acorns) winning. Go teams with awesome mascots!

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspaper's history.

Chronicle Covers is a project that highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken, art director Danielle Mollette-Parks, producer Michelle Devera and editorial assistant Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

(Click to enlarge)




San Franciscos stumbling, inconclusive effort to rid the police force of racist and homophobic elements needs to get on track, and soon. Feuding city leaders need to unite on a troubling issue that harms law enforcement and taints court cases.

Its the second time around. A new batch of offensive phone messages and texts surfaced in a rape case involving a police officer, drawing in at least four cops. Their comments targeting racial and LGBT groups flew back and forth as a public furor spread over an earlier spate of similar behavior by over a dozen officers. Its infuriating and mindless conduct.

Chief Greg Suhr is pledging to move fast. Thats a good thing because the last scandal fell apart when his department missed a deadline to discipline officers, making for an incomplete ending and muddled message. He must not let that happen again in getting to the bottom of the latest incident.

Theres another damaging effect. Suhr and District Attorney George Gascon along with Public Defender Jeff Adachi have different views on the size of the problem and what to do about it. A combative Police Officers Association is also in the ring, adding more heat to a high-pressure situation. Mayor Ed Lee should shed his innate caution and make an effort to exert leadership from his perch as the citys top elected official.

Gascon claims he stumbled on the latest derogatory messages while investigating the rape case. The department isnt working hard enough to grapple with the issue, he believes.

Suhr defends his actions, saying his staff passed on the information promptly and has moved to suspend officers. The back-and-forth underlines their dislike of each other and the resulting lack of communication.

Adding to the mix is Adachis plan to review cases that included any of the officers named in the latest round of offensive messages. His interest, shared by Gascons prosecutors as well, is seeing what effect the misconduct may have on court cases. But it could produce an independent investigation that would also give the public a sense of how such behavior taints important police work and the outcomes in court.

There are reasons that go beyond the latest episode. The two instances underline both a moral and institutional lapse that threaten the departments character and crime-fighting goals. Good cops, who are the undoubted majority of the force, are punished in the publics eye. The disgraceful behavior by a handful of officers must be investigated fully.
Once upon a time, California lawmakers imagined that tougher penalties and longer jail sentences for drug offenders would stem the drug trade.

This approach led to our statewide three-year sentencing enhancement for drug offenders who have prior convictions for possession with the intent to sell, drug sales, or similar offenses.

Today, California has met the reality that this was a failed approach. The sentencing enhancements didnt stop the flow of drugs into any of our communities, especially the most vulnerable ones. What they did achieve, unfortunately, was great financial expense to the taxpayer, and great social expense to lower-income communities.

California officials have already begun the long journey of fixing our criminal justice decisions with realignment, which reduced state prison overcrowding by transferring low-level offenders to county supervision.

Now the Legislature has the opportunity to begin the long journey of sentencing reform with SB966, by state Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles.

SB966 would repeal the three-year term enhancement for prior drug convictions. Offenders would still be subject to base sentences. Under current law, thats between two and four years in jail for the possession of drugs for sale.

SB966 wont be a panacea for Californias drug problems. But then again, neither were sentencing enhancements. Drugs remain widely available, and in many instances theyre stronger than when sentencing enhancements were first passed.

What SB966 will do is free up some of the considerable money that the state of California currently spends on incarceration for proven options that do help  things like drug treatment, rehabilitation and job-training programs. The state is already struggling to increase money and staffing for rehabilitation programs in light of realignment and Proposition 47, which reduced criminal penalties for certain offenses.

Increased services could help the many drug-sales offenders who struggle with their own addictions. In the long run, its a simple and humane way to save the state money.

But some state legislators are still hesitant about ending a failed policy.

Its disappointing to see that SB966 failed to pass the state Senate in late April, defeated on a 16-18 vote, with six abstentions. Most of the no votes belonged to Republicans, but three came from Democrats  including Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda.

They need to have a change of heart, and fortunately theyll have the opportunity to do so. Mitchell has until the end of May to bring the bill back for reconsideration.

Its way past time for California to try a new approach to drug offenses. Sentencing reform will save us money and allow money that was previously spent on incarceration to go to more effective forms of drug prevention.

SB966 is a good place to start.
San Franciscos hothouse politics can speak to more than city residents with the rest of the Bay Area and California often taking their cues. Think same-sex marriage, pro-marijuana laws and even a ban on plastic bags. What happens here doesnt stay here.

Three issues are surfacing that have wider audiences tuning in: stronger rules on sanctuary city protections for immigrants living in the country illegally; a plan to let 16-year-olds vote; and a dispute over the public bill for hosting the Super Bowl. Each subject touches familiar ground in other cities.

The sanctuary city measure plays out in a poisonous national atmosphere. Federal immigration policy is frozen in Congress, and Republican Donald Trumps harder-than-hard-line views are deepening the divide. San Francisco is one of dozens of cities that are maintaining sheltering rules that keep local law enforcement from acting as an arm of national immigration law.

A plan by Supervisor John Avalos takes this stance a step too far. He wants no contact between law enforcement and federal authorities, except in rare cases, when an individual without papers is released from custody. Sheriff Vicki Hennessy and Mayor Ed Lee want a dose of discretion, giving the locals a chance to contact the feds in the case of a violent or repeat offender.

This isnt just a policy debate. It stems from the killing of Kate Steinle last year, attributed to a serial deportee who was released from jail though federal authorities had sought him. That case should teach the city to adopt a sensible outlook, not an ideological one that imperils the public. The proposal, which faces a board vote later this month, also casts a shadow on the rightful place for sanctuary city laws here and elsewhere.

The lower-voting-age measure is headed toward the November ballot after a 9-2 vote of the Board of Supervisors. While other states battle over restricting access to the ballot, San Francisco wants to widen its arms.

Maybe better arguments will emerge, but the change isnt supportable now. There are keenly intelligent young people arguing for expanding local voting, especially timely in a city with a 45 percent turnout rate in November. Get youths registered now and the voting habit will take hold, they argue.

But its hard to see the unfairness of waiting until 18, when a citizen will be more than a family dependent and likely live independently, have a job and pay taxes. Those are all crucial factors when there are votes on bonds, public spending and city laws. By long-standing consensus, most adult responsibilities begin at 18 when a minor comes of age.

Theres political spin of course. The primary adult boosters are progressives, who stand to gain the most from younger, presumably more liberal voters. Still, the numbers may be small: from 8,000 to 11,000 would-be voters could be added to some 400,000 already registered. The San Francisco plan comes alongside a pending state bill to allow the same age group to vote in school and community college elections and a range of efforts to boost registration and turnout.

Three months after the Super Bowl, there are finally numbers on the city bill. According to the city controller, San Francisco came out $2 million ahead when city expenses were measured against a bump in tax collections. It was a vindication for Mayor Lee and Supervisor Mark Farrell, who touted the week-long run-up as a financial godsend.

But its not the full picture, as Supervisors Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin rightly point out. The city calculation left out bills for free Wi-Fi, overtime on a construction project impacted by street closures and a fix-up for the Old Mint. They want fuller hearings on future public events that close streets and run up the public tab.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

Sports extravaganzas  whether its the Super Bowl festival or a multibillion-dollar stadium  must be weighed fully and fairly. The jury is still out on the extent of the showcase games benefit to San Francisco. Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego are all studying costly new stadiums and should be studying San Franciscos experience.
Every single one of us who has ever had a job knows the rules. If we stop performing our jobs, and we dont or cant improve, ultimately we will be held accountable by our employers and asked to move on.

Those are the rules we live by.

Top managers in city government should not be entitled to their own set of rules in which they can continue on indefinitely even if they are no longer performing their jobs well. Particularly when it comes to our top managers, our loyalty must be to the community these well-compensated department heads are hired to serve, not just to the individuals themselves.

In the case of Police Chief Greg Suhr, who has now been police chief for over five years, we have preliminary reports from an independent panel of judges that he has been unable over those five years to change a culture in the San Francisco Police Department that undermines the ability of the police to serve every community.

We see the dangerous results, with community members organizing against the department. To make our city safer, we need our community to cooperate with the police, not to become so alienated that they are taking to the streets to protest against the police and the chief.

Counterpoint Why SFPD Chief Suhr should stay

We have a city in conflict over the role of the police chief instead of one united to addressing our shared challenges. Rather than working together to improve training for officers, provide needed reforms or respond to the spike in property crimes, the city establishment has circled the wagons.

We have to move forward, and to do that we need new leadership.

The hard reality is that one of the most important jobs a police chief must perform is to earn and keep the trust of the public. To lower crime the entire community must be involved. If the chief cant work with the community, then he or she simply cant succeed.

For those of you who dont know Greg Suhr, let me say he is a highly dedicated public servant who has served this city for over 30 years. I have no trouble thanking him for his service, and I think almost everyone who knows Greg well would agree he is a skilled and caring professional.

But this isnt about Greg. This is about the hard reality that if, after five years of trying, he cant change a negative culture, then we cant seriously expect him to succeed now, particularly when the community is so deeply alienated.

This is what would happen to you in your job. Certainly that is particularly what happens to any well-compensated leader. If the Apple CEO stops selling products, he will be asked to move on. When politicians stop listening to their constituents, they are asked to move on by the voters.

Thats the way it works  for everybody seemingly but top brass in San Francisco, where there is a culture of protecting the city family.

Well, what about your family, and all the families of San Francisco who deserve Police Department leadership that is trusted in every neighborhood?

There cannot be one set of rules for those in the City Hall establishment and one set for everyone else.

In the modern era of San Francisco, police chiefs have served an average of just over three years. Chief Suhr has seen his fifth year in office marked by a scathing independent report about the culture in his department, rising property crime and widespread protests against his leadership.

It is time to initiate a comprehensive search for a new chief who can win the respect of officers and the public.

Jane Kim is a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The last few months have been a challenging time for law enforcement in San Francisco: the shooting deaths of Mario Woods and Luis Gongora, the text message scandals, the multiple investigations, a hunger strike, protests and broken glass in City Hall, and now, calls for Chief Greg Suhrs head.

Some of the dialogue is long overdue. Independent investigations should happen when there is a loss of life at the hands of the police. Public discourse over police use-of-force policies, body-worn cameras, and Tasers are important conversations to have.

But now that my colleagues across the aisle on the Board of Supervisors have joined the angry mob calling for the chiefs job, its time for the pendulum to swing back in the direction of common sense.

Lets be clear. The call for Chief Suhrs resignation is an election-year stunt, driven by politics rather than whats best for San Francisco. The so-called progressive wing has jumped on the anti-Suhr bandwagon. The irony is, theyre actually fighting against progress.

Why? Because nobody  inside or outside of San Francisco  is better positioned to implement the police reforms under way than Suhr himself. Since taking the helm in 2011, hes actually been the most progressive police chief in San Francisco history.

Counterpoint Why SFPD chief must go

Only a charismatic chief with such strong and deep ties to the rank-and-file could have made this much progress in so short a time. From implementing crisis intervention and de-escalation training, to promoting more women and people of color to the command staff than any police chief in history, Chief Suhr understands what it means to lead by example.

No police chief has ever held more community meetings and been more present in the neighborhoods across San Francisco on a day-to-day basis  despite the disrespect he faces every single day.

Although we are both native San Franciscans, I didnt know Suhr before I was elected to the Board of Supervisors. Since that time, I cannot think of another public servant I have met that cares more deeply about our city, the department he leads, or the residents of San Francisco.

The calls for the chiefs resignation might ring true if he were blocking or delaying reform. But the opposite is true. Suhr has been front and center in calling for reform  and because of who he is, he is uniquely qualified to carry it out.

In this heated public discussion, we have lost sight of the fact that, as San Franciscans, were all in this together. Our laws represent the values of our community, and our police officers are there to protect us as residents by enforcing these laws. They put their lives on the line for us every day.

Supporting our police officers does not mean defending, accepting or condoning bad police work. Not at all. On the contrary, it means respecting the job that police officers do, and working with them, not against them, to re-evaluate and reform their policies and practices when necessary.

As we engage in the debate about police reform, rank-and-file police officers deserve our respect and gratitude. So does Chief Greg Suhr.

Mark Farrell is a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Lets send Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick a plane ticket to California. Because after Patrick got national attention for his insensitive comments about transgender kids, he needs to visit San Francisco for some remedial education about what it means to be transgender.

Patrick not only opposes new federal guidelines issued Friday that require public schools to allow students to use the locker rooms and bathrooms that match the gender with which they identify, he also said, I believe it is the biggest issue facing families and schools in America since prayer was taken out of public schools.

Apparently, Patrick feels its bigger than how 1 of every 4 kids in Texas lives in poverty. Bigger than how 1 in 8 kids there doesnt have health insurance.

Maybe its true that everything is bigger in Texas. Except the minds of its lieutenant governors.

It could be easy to kiss this off as shameless election-year fearmongering by a former talk-radio host who thinks creationism should be taught in the public schools. But its darker than that. Patrick is ginning up a culture war by exploiting the pain of some of the cultures most vulnerable members  transgender children.

They dont get it

The core problem is that Patrick  like politicians in North Carolina and more than a dozen other states who are peddling similarly transgender-ignorant positions  doesnt quite get how gender works. He equates transgender folks to sexual predators, much in the same way that way that gays and lesbians were stereotyped for generations.

The trope goes like this: If these bathroom guidelines are in place, then boys will pretend to identify as girls so they can shower and share bathrooms with girls.

Parents, Patrick said Friday after the federal guidelines were issued, are not going to send their 14-year-old daughters into the shower or bathroom with 14-year-old boys. Its not going to happen.

Its not going to happen because those 14-year-old boys Patrick fears are girls.

Re-education trip

Heres where Patrick needs a quick re-education trip to California, where the San Francisco Unified School District has had a program along the lines of the federal guidelines in place since 2003. According to an anonymous survey the district conducts regularly, there are about 150 transgender kids in its high schools, or about 1 percent of the total population.

So how many kids have pretended to be transgender just to get into the girls locker room?

None, never, ever, ever, said Kevin Gogin, the districts director of safety and wellness, who has been at the district for 25 years.

Its not just there. More than 200 cities in 39 states have some sort of protections in place for transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender they identify with, according to the Transgender Law Center in Oakland.

There have been zero instances of transgender people doing anything inappropriate in any way or of any people pretending to be transgender people trying to do things, said Ilona Turner, legal director of the center. Believe me, wed hear about it.

States considering laws

Part of the challenge the transgender community faces is that in this early stage of its civil rights journey, there are still many people who dont know a transgender person. There are 15 states considering some form of legislation  like bathroom laws  that UCLAs Williams Institute says could negatively affect transgender kids and adults. But only about 300,000 transgender people over the age of 13 live in those states.

We know that it makes a tremendous difference when people know a transgender person, Turner told me. Fortunately, they are coming out, living as their authentic selves more and more. But for a lot of people who have never met a transgender person, it can be very difficult to understand what it means to be transgender. And thats why education is so important.

So for an illuminating voice of reason on this topic, we now turn to ... Donald Trump?

Indeed, when the Donald was asked last month about his thoughts on the North Carolina law that would ban any local transgender protections, he shrugged it off. He was more concerned about the financial backlash and boycotts that North Carolina businesses were facing after its governor backed the law.

Trump gets it

There have been very few complaints the way it is, Trump said. People go, they use the bathroom they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment that theyre taking.

Turner laughed at the mention of Trump taking a progressive position on this (which he has walked back slightly since, saying its a states rights issue).

Hes absolutely correct on this issue, Turner said. This should be a nonissue for anyone but the transgender person who simply wants to be treated like anyone else. They just want to get in and get out like anyone else.
With venture capital investments drying up, once-hot tech startups shuttering and speculation of another Silicon Valley bust, its good to be Tracy Sun.

As a co-founder and vice president of merchandising at Poshmark, the 38-year-old Mission District resident is one of the driving forces behind the thriving social commerce app, which in April raised $25 million in new funding for a total of $70 million-plus since its 2011 launch.

A leading retailer in an increasingly crowded market of buying and selling secondhand clothing and accessories online, Poshmark has amassed more than 1.5 million sellers, who engage with the app an average of seven times (and 25 minutes) per day, according to the company.

Those are the kind of numbers youd expect to hear from a Facebook or a Pinterest, says Sun. You dont often hear that kind of addictiveness or engagement in a commerce app.

Unlike many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with more traditional tech-centric backgrounds, Suns entree into the industry was far from typical.

Born in Kuala Lampur and raised in New York, Sun thought neuropsychology would be her calling. After a premed track at Columbia University, Suns first job was working with Alzheimers and Parkinsons patients.

I thought I was going to cure diseases, says Sun at the companys slick new Redwood Shores headquarters in Redwood City, dressed in a blue 10 Crosby top and black leather miniskirt paired with YSL heels (purchased on Poshmark). As it turns out, I found myself in fashion.

Sun moved to New Hampshire to earn an MBA from Dartmouth College, and started as an intern at Brooklyn Industries, a fashion apparel startup in New York City. In three years, she rose to VP of merchandising and inventory planning, learning traditional merchandising and overseeing the design process firsthand.

Ive always been fascinated by peoples behavior and what causes them to do the things they do, says the former psychology major. Fashion is one of those things everybody participates in in the world. You get up every day and put something on  even though you think you didnt make that decision.

Sun arrived in Silicon Valley in 2010, when her interests in fashion, entrepreneurship and technology collided.

I loved product, and product that you could touch, but I wanted to have greater influence, she says. Thats hard to do if you dont have technology powering your brand.

A fortuitous meeting with former acquaintance Emily Melton (a partner at a Menlo Park venture firm and now a formal adviser to Poshmark) led to an introduction to Poshmarks co-founder and CEO Manish Chandra.

Chandra, a Silicon Valley veteran, was exiting his social shopping company Kaboodle and was looking to start another fashion-tech venture.

With their complementary backgrounds, Chandra and Sun hit it off, brainstormed product ideas over the course of that year, and Poshmark  a hybrid of the words posh and marketplace  was born.

She didnt have that traditional background where you looked at her schools or companies and could presume anything, recalls Melton, formerly a partner at the Mayfield Fund when she began networking with Sun. But she was extremely bright. She knew something was happening in Silicon Valley and that her expertise in how the fashion world worked, and the way consumers think about fashion, was an asset that could be leveraged if put in the right environment.

Like an eBay for Millennials, Poshmark sellers post photos of items straight from their phones to their virtual closets and sell them to other community members. Users tag, comment on and follow each others feeds, adding a vibrant social media element to a transaction.

Millennials are a generation that doesnt like to be advertised to, to be told by authority what to do, says Sun about Poshmarks target audience. But what they do love is peer recommendation. Their idols are Instagram famous, rather than celebrity famous.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

But unlike eBay, says Sun, the platform, which initially launched as an iPhone app (and only later followed with a website three years later), connects you to other people and their networks, who then help you get your store up and running.

Poshmark also manages the infrastructure needed to transact, from sending a prepaid shipping label to the seller to depositing 80 percent of the sale directly into the sellers account (Poshmark keeps the remaining 20 percent).

About $3 million in merchandise is uploaded daily with a sale being made every five seconds, according to the company. Recently, Poshmark launched a wholesale portal that allows its top 200,000 sellers to sell new inventory from about 60 independent fashion brands. The move into retail is part of the companys future plans to expand into other categories, such as menswear and kids.

Were definitely a platform that likes to empower all women, says Sun, who has experienced firsthand the challenges of being a female executive in Silicon Valley. Diversity brings life and vibrancy into our community and to our team.

While Sun admits that pitching the concept of the female-oriented app to a predominantly white male audience had its challenges in the beginning, shes quick to note that rejection is simply par for the course.

Every entrepreneur has to have a healthy dose of delusion, says Sun. Youre innovating in a world that has not yet come to understand your ideas. We had 99 percent of the world telling us no.

With 75 percent of Poshmarks 105-person staff being female, colleagues have also witnessed Suns influence on the companys diversity consciousness.

Tracy might not always be the loudest person in the room, but when she speaks, everyone listens, wrote Poshmarks director of merchandising Kate Franco in an email. She is acutely aware of the differences in the way men and women communicate, and as a founder, has played a central role in establishing Poshmark as a place where female leaders can thrive.

Sun likes to think she and Chandra have also infused a sense of fun into the culture.

Theres a full bar in the office cafeteria for happy hour, intradepartmental pingpong tournaments, scavenger hunts, and conference rooms named after fashion designers (including Rachel Zoe, one of the companys celebrity investors).

Poshmark is ultimately a software company, Sun says. Under the covers of the brand is some of the most sophisticated technology being built. But then, were very much a fashion company, right?

As for Suns own virtual closet, its a reflection of her own edgy tastes, which skew toward niche contemporary fashion brands.

Im completely obsessed with (Derek Lams) 10 Crosby, so Im constantly looking for people who are adding that brand, says Sun, whose fashion aesthetic was heavily influenced by her time living in New York. Its still a small brand, so Ill find a user selling it, because then she can perhaps introduce me to other brands that Ive never heard of.

Her move to San Francisco, however, has inspired a more relaxed Northern California style.

Youll find lots of Patagonia in my closet, says Sun, who spends weekends hiking in Marin with her border collie and admits to having worn wearing sneakers, on occasion, to work. And Ive built up my collection of leather jackets and sunglasses, which is very San Francisco. But black is still my favorite color!

Nerissa Pacio Itchon is a Peninsula freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com
ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - With Josh Reddick getting a start off Sunday at Tampa Bay, manager Bob Melvin gave Billy Burns his first-ever start in right field.

Somebodys got to play there, said Melvin, who wanted to get Reddick a break on the artificial turf after playing on it the previous two days.

Burns, usually the As center fielder, was one of only a handful of options; Chris Coghlan, the only player on the 25-man roster to have a start in right this season besides Reddick, is a left-handed hitter and left-hander Matt Moore is on the mound for the Rays. Burns is a switch hitter.

Burns made 133 appearances in left in the minor leagues, 265 in center, but he never played right.

Mark Canha, who has two starts in right this season, is on the DL with a hip injury.

Moore does have some extreme reverse splits, however: left-handers are batting .324 with a .359 ob-base percentage against him and right-handed hitters .234. No other left-handed starter in the league has allowed lefties as high an average or on-base percentage.

The As are facing three left-handers in a row against Texas this week, though, and Melvin wants to get some of his right-handed hitters going, so Billy Butler is at DH and Tyler Ladendorf is at second rather than Coghlan.

The lineup, and its Sonny Gray on the mound for Oakland: Crisp CF, Burns RF, Valencia 3B, Davis LF, Butler DH, Vogt C, Semien SS, Alonso 1B, Landendorf 2B.

Gray, an All-Star last season, would like to snap a three-game losing streak during which he has put up a 12.79 ERA and has allowed opponents a .362 average.

Melvin said that second baseman Jed Lowrie (right shin contusion) hit off a tee Saturday. Lowrie is expected to come off the DL when eligible May 25.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @susanslusser
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  After a horrid outing at Baltimore last Sunday, Kendall Graveman was much improved Saturday. That didnt matter much when the pitcher he was matched against was on another level.

Matt Andriese allowed just two hits in throwing his first career shutout, and Tampa Bay defeated Oakland 6-0. It was the first time the As have been held scoreless this season, and their string of 57 games with at least one run, longest in the majors, came to an end.

Andriese was called up May 8 and since then has allowed six hits and one run in 14 innings, scoring wins over the Angels and As. He didnt walk a batter Saturday but did hit one.

Hats off to the guy on the other side, Graveman said.

Graveman had allowed 14 runs over his previous four starts, and didnt make it out of the third inning his last time out. He got some good fortune in the second inning Saturday, though, after Corey Dickersons triple and two walks loaded the bases. Steve Pearce hit a rocket into Danny Valencias glove at third, and Kevin Kiermaier hit a soft flare to left, with Steven Souza Jr. taking off from second as if there were two outs. Left fielder Khris Davis, not known for racking up assists, doubled Souza off with ease.

In the third, though, Brandon Guyer doubled and Brad Miller homered. Graveman has given up 10 homers this season, second most in the league, including five in his past two outings.

Graveman said he spent the week working on his sinker with pitching coach Curt Young, making mechanical changes to get on top of it better, and he was much happier with it. He got eight groundouts, and although Miller hit a sinker, he had to go down and get it. A nice bit of hitting, Graveman said.

They got some hits when they needed to, some balls snuck through on the ground, As manager Bob Melvin said. I thought (Graveman) was better than his past several times out, for sure.

The Rays, who have scored the fewest runs in the league and are hitting a league-low .223, added two more in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Pearce and an RBI single by Kiermaier. An additional two runs scored in the eighth when left-hander Marc Rzepczynski took over from Andrew Triggs with one on, walked the next two batters  lefty-hitting Kiermaier and No. 9 hitter Hank Conger, who is batting .175  then gave up a two-run single to Guyer.

Probably just a little wild with his fastball, Melvin said of Rzepczynski. We didnt see that earlier. Hes going through a period where it seems like he doesnt know where his fastball is going.

The As were batting .295 over the previous eight games and averaging 5.25 runs per game, but their only hits came from Matt McBride with two outs in the third inning and Danny Valencia, who singled in the seventh. Valencia, who extended his hitting streak to nine games, immediately was erased when Stephen Vogt lined into a double play.

Yonder Alonso, who came into the day with an eight-game hitting streak, batted second Saturday. He hadnt hit higher than seventh this season, but Jed Lowrie is on the disabled list and Coco Crisp was on the bench because Melvin doesnt want him to play all three games on the artificial turf at Tropicana Field.

Alonso went 0-for-4 to end his hitting streak, and Billy Burns (0-for-3) also saw his eight-game hitting streak end.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser
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A swarm of aggressive bees suspected of killing two dogs and sending a beekeeper to the hospital forced police Saturday to tell people in a Concord neighborhood to stay inside their homes or cars.

Authorities barred pedestrians from an area near the 3800 block of Hitchcock Road after a swarm of what are suspected to be Africanized killer bees, named for their belligerent and sometimes deadly behavior, wreaked havoc throughout the neighborhood, stinging countless residents on Friday and Saturday.

Its OK to drive through the area with your windows up, said Concord police Capt. Chris Blakely. But we are telling people on foot to stay out of the area. The bees are swarming all around.

On Friday, Arthur Janke, an amateur beekeeper on the block, noticed a different-looking group of bees in his two backyard hives, Blakely said. The bees chased him back into his home. He later went to the hospital with minor injuries from bee stings.

The real tragedy was Friday, said Alex Janke, who owns the home where his son keeps bees. The bees would be all over people. Theyd be in your hair.

Norman Lott, a beekeeper from the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association, suspects the bees in question are Africanized bees that have crept up from Southern California and usurped gentle European honeybee hives.

Lott said Janke, who was raising honeybees, got rid of the hive but that only left a swarm of angry Africanized bees with no home.

They tried to take it out of the area, but in doing that they left a lot of bees flying in the air and even more agitated, Lott said.

Two small dachshunds next door were stung to death, Alex Janke said.

Charlotte Berndt was driving home Saturday when a swarm of buzzing bees surrounded her car. Through her cars windows, she saw a postal worker put a sweater over her head and swat the bees away.

As news spread through Concord about pets being attacked by the bees, Berndt said she was keeping her two dogs, Lola Mae and Hula Jean, indoors as much as possible.

Im concerned because I dont know anything, Berndt said. If I read somebodys dogs were killed, then thats kind of scary.

The neighborhood is a residential area of well-kept one- and two-story houses with neatly manicured lawns. Streets and yards in the community were empty Saturday evening, in contrast to typical weekends when the area is full of runners and walkers, people working on their lawns and children playing in backyards.

Even at 6:30 p.m., scattered groups of bees still buzzed around the neighborhood forcing most residents inside.

By 8:30 p.m., the bees were clustered in his backyard, near where the hives had been, Alex Janke said. His son planned to remove them later Saturday night.

Theyll all be gone from the entire neighborhood by Sunday, he added.

Kevin Schultz and Wendy Lee are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kschultz@sfchronicle.com, wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinEdSchultz, @thewendylee
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After a lobbying campaign by Mayor Ed Lee, Star Wars creator George Lucas is once again looking to San Francisco as a possible home for a museum housing his collection of illustrative art and Hollywood memorabilia  this time on a site already approved for development on Treasure Island.

Lucas has renewed his interest in the city because his latest museum proposal  for a futuristic structure on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago  is on life support. Open space advocates like those who helped spike his earlier plans for a Beaux Arts-style monument near Presidios Crissy Field have Lucas Chicago plan hopelessly entangled, legally and politically.

Lee and Lucas have already met to talk about a move to Treasure Island, and now a preferred site has emerged on the west side, facing downtown. This week, the mayor plans to send a letter to the movie mogul formally inviting him to consider building his museum of narrative arts there.

One thing Lee has going for him: There are far fewer regulatory hurdles to clear than there were at the Presidio.

I never gave up on the idea of building the Lucas museum in San Francisco, Lee said. We have a chance to bring it back, and I want to be open and positive about it.

Los Angeles interest

But San Francisco probably wont be the only suitor if Lucas gives up on Chicago. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti reportedly has come up with a possible location for the museum in the citys arts-rich downtown, and just days ago he issued a statement saying, We would welcome it in Los Angeles.

Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press

One of those already signaling support for San Franciscos effort is Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who is often critical of Lee and his policies. Four years ago, he led a group that sued to block development plans on Treasure Island, citing alleged inadequacies in the environmental impact report. That suit was eventually tossed, clearing the last obstacle to building on the one-time Navy base.

Now, after meeting with the Lucas design team, Peskin says the museum may be the special, secret sauce that could make Treasure Island work.

The question is whether Lucas is seriously interested in turning back to San Francisco, after losing the long, ugly fight with the federally appointed trustees who oversee the Presidio. Lucas representatives declined to comment.

I think its very real, said one source who is privy to the San Francisco talks, but is not authorized to discuss them publicly. Some of it is that hes willing to compromise a bit, and hes at that point of his life (he turned 72 on Saturday) where he wants to see it built.

Plus, the prospects for Treasure Island might look a lot better than those in Chicago, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently came up with a complicated plan to resuscitate the project that relies on tearing down a convention hall, borrowing $1.2 billion from the state and extending several local taxes. But Lucas wife, Chicago native Mellody Hobson, recently told the Chicago Tribune that time is working against us.

Hotel meeting

Lee made several calls to Lucas over the past few months reiterating his administrations desire to have the museum come here if things dont work in Chicago.

The calls led to a private sit-down between the mayor, Lucas and their advisers a couple of months ago at the Four Seasons Hotel. At the meeting, Lee pitched the idea for building at Treasure Island.

Since then, Lucas designers have met a number of times with city staffers and the islands developers, Wilson Meany and Lennar Corp. The companies have already completed the citys required environmental review process and secured entitlements on a separate project to build 8,000 homes, 400,000 square feet of commercial space and two hotels.

The city approvals also allow for construction of either a museum or community facilities on Treasure Island. Although the museum deal would require approval from the Board of Supervisors and the Treasure Island Development Authority, it probably wouldnt need to run the gantlet of regional and state agencies that have to approve some waterfront projects.

Different design

Those following the talks say Lucas wouldnt revive the museum design he contemplated at the Presidio, and would instead suggest a modern structure. It might or might not resemble the 110-foot-tall building he proposed for the shores of Lake Michigan, a design that critics mockingly likened to Star Wars villain Jabba the Hutt and Disneylands Space Mountain.

LCAM

Whatever the case, were told a Treasure Island museum would be smaller and built within the limits approved for the site.

Its also certain to be dwarfed by a 35- to 40-story hotel tower planned for next door.

Given the limited access from the Bay Bridge to the island, transportation is certain to be a key issue. Sources tell us most visitors would probably be shuttled to the museum by ferry or water taxi.

As for costs, Lucas apparently remains committed to financing the construction and endowing the museum. Hes previously offered to put up at least $700 million.

Looking for site

This isnt the first time that Lee, who backed Lucas Presidio proposal, has come up with an alternative site for the museum in San Francisco. Two years ago, in a last-ditch attempt to keep Lucas from going to Chicago after the Presidio Trust rejected the Crissy Field idea, the mayor offered him a sliver of land just across from Piers 30-32. By then, however, it was too late  the talks with Chicago officials were too far along.

At the time, the Treasure Island environmental impact report was still being litigated, and the prospects of building there any time soon looked improbable. Now, officials are hopeful that construction could be fast-tracked, with a museum in place within five years.

If Lucas gives the go-ahead, the next step would be to negotiate a lease for the site and start developing a detailed plan.

The hope is that by building on Treasure Island  where there are few neighbors to complain and no need of approvals from an alphabet soup of boards and commissions to slow the effort  Lucas will see San Francisco as his best bet.

He has said that he is open, Lee said. He just doesnt want to go through the difficult process he has done twice already.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
A planned technology museum in Maine grew out of the curiosity of a 10-year-old.

In 2010, Alex Jason traded a minibike and an electric snowblower for an iMac G5 computer, in what turned out to be the start of a giant collection of vintage computer equipment, including 200 Apple machines. It is one of only a few dozen collections of its size and kind in the country.

Alex, now 15, along with his father, Bill Jason, are planning to display the collection, known as Alexs Apple Orchard, in a converted library in Fairfield, Maine, soon to be the Maine Technology Museum.

Among Alexs pieces is a rare Apple I from 1976 that still works and has the original chips. Fewer than 70 of these models are believed to remain, with one selling for more than $900,000 at an auction in 2014.

Other prized artifacts include an Apple Lisa 2/5, named for the daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs; the first prototype of a mouse, known as the Cursor III; and a Powerbook 100, which is considered to be the first modern laptop. Alex said he has not put an assessed value on his entire collection.

To me, its priceless, he said.

The modest beginnings of Alexs project recall the humble start of Apple itself, which was founded by Jobs and his high school friend Steve Wozniak in a Los Altos garage in 1976.

Alex said his first breakthrough was buying a collection of 50 Apple computers  enough to fill a 26-foot-long U-Haul  with $2,000 he had saved from mowing lawns.

He has since acquired computers from other collectors and from eBay, and carefully displayed some of them in the basement of the familys home in a town about 20 miles north of Augusta, Maine. Apple memorabilia, such as a giant rainbow-colored logo and schematics of a motherboard, decorate the walls.

Bill Jason is spearheading the effort to convert the Carnegie Library on the campus of Good Will-Hinckley, a charitable organization, into a museum that would open in January. Aside from housing Alexs collection, the Maine Technology Museum would be dedicated to interactive exhibits about renewable energy, engineering, computers, space exploration and virtual reality, Jason said.

Alex described himself as a longtime tinkerer who studied how tractors worked at the John Deere dealership, explored the innards of computers and once rigged a plastic pipe to a garbage bin to get rid of crumpled papers and crumbs from his desk.

He was inspired to pursue Apple computers after he upgraded the hard drive and RAM on his first computer, the iMac G5, on his own.

Adam Rosen, who maintains the Vintage Mac Museum from his home in Boston, estimated that there are several dozen large private collections of Apple computers in the country. The planned museum in Maine would be one of the few public exhibits of Apple computers, along with others in Georgia, California and Washington, he said.

Rosen said Apple has not opened a museum of its own, and he knew of only two museums  in Prague and Savona, Italy  that are solely dedicated to its computers. Stanford University Library, in the heart of Silicon Valley, has a large collection of the companys records, which Apple donated in 1998.

Apple did not respond to an email seeking comment for this article.

Alex said he has been drawn to the design, durability and efficiency of Apple products. Recently, he was looking for Easter eggs, surprises hidden by software programmers, on Macintosh SE models that reveal a slideshow of the companys development team.

Perhaps surprisingly, Alex said he does not use an Apple, relying instead on a custom-built computer to play games and edit videos. Still, he said, in my heart, Mac will always be better.
LAREDO, Texas  A charter bus headed to a casino crashed in southern Texas on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 44 others in a one-vehicle rollover, officials said.

Seven people died at the scene on U.S. Highway 83 about 45 miles north of Laredo and another died later at a Laredo hospital, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said.

The driver of the bus lost control and rolled over, he said. Everythings real preliminary right now.

Hein said the driver was among the survivors. His name and the names of passengers were not immediately available, Hein said.

The trooper said it was raining Saturday morning but it was uncertain if that was a factor in the crash that occurred just before 11:30 a.m.

Our troopers are going to look into what happened but its going to take us some time, he said of the investigation. We just know the driver lost control.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday night it was also sending a team to investigate the wreck. They are expected to arrive Sunday.

Webb County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ricardo Rangel told the Laredo Morning Times the bus belonging to OGA Charters was headed to a casino in Eagle Pass, about 125 miles northwest of Laredo. The bus company is based in San Juan, in Hidalgo County in Texas Rio Grande Valley. A message left at the bus company Saturday was not immediately returned.

Hein said 23 people were taken to Doctors Hospital in Laredo, where the eighth victim died. Fifteen were taken to Laredo Medical Center. Seven were taken to a Dimmit County hospital in Carrizo Springs.

Priscilla Salinas, a spokeswoman for Laredo Medical Center, said bus passengers being treated there were in stable condition. She said she could share no additional information.

The highway at the accident scene was reopened by early evening. Laredo is about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio.
1 Base crash: Six people were injured when a vehicle carrying 15 people crashed into a Texas naval air station while being followed by Border Patrol agents, officials said. Naval Air Station Kingsville spokesman Kevin Clarke said the vehicle ran through the entry gate then collided with the bases final denial barrier Saturday evening. The agents suspected the occupants of the vehicle had entered the U.S. illegally, Clarke said Sunday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Rod Kise said he had no information on the incident. Clarke said three of the six injured remained hospitalized. The others were in custody.

2 Suspects arrested: The father and son accused of luring a woman and her four teenage daughters to a Utah house and tying them up were both in custody Sunday in Wyoming. Late Saturday, a manhunt ended with the arrest of Dereck James Harrison, 22, several hours after the surrender of his father, Flint Wayne Harrison, 51, at the Sublette County Sheriffs Office in Pinedale. The charges the men face include aggravated kidnapping and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities said the woman and her daughters are recovering after they managed to escape. The father and son had been using methamphetamine heavily over several days and falsely believed the woman had reported them to authorities, police said.
Q: I know you have written about insurance for travel in the past, but I wanted to bring a matter to your attention. The United Airlines website offers Allianz travel insurance, but when it came to covering my expenses, I felt it was a bait-and-switch insurance policy that outlines what is covered but in reality does not cover anything beyond travel delay.

Heres what happened: A friend and I purchased tickets to fly from Newark, New Jersey, to Panama in January. In addition to paying $1,353 for the flight, we purchased the Allianz travel insurance shown on the United Airlines site for an additional $80.

The travel insurance indicated that it would cover trip cancellation, travel delay and trip interruption. The trip was going to cost over $3,500, so we felt the insurance was vital.

The flight on United to Panama City was excellent, and our time in the country went well, until it was time to return. We learned the day before our return of the snowstorm on the East Coast and of the cancellation of our Saturday flight back to Newark.

Efforts to contact United via phone were futile, as tens of thousands of people were affected and United did not have the staff to answer telephone calls from passengers without Elite status. Efforts by the hotel staff in Panama to contact United also failed. We quickly booked a hotel in Panama for the Saturday night stay and contacted my father, who has been flying United for over 55 years and has Gold status.

He was able to get through to the Premier Desk and get us on a Sunday flight out of Panama to Houston. We then would spend a night in Houston at a hotel near the airport and travel to New York on Monday morning.

The United personnel were excellent, and we arrived safely in New York City on Monday afternoon. I contacted Allianz and was told to file a claim. We did not even ask for reimbursement for many of the taxi fares and phone calls, just two hotel nights and some of our other expenses. We were surprised when Allianz came back to us indicating that all it would cover was $200 each for travel delay. Allianzs policy cover sheet indicated that it would be much higher.

I felt the insurance was a scam, and could not believe a class act like United would work with a company like Allianz, which promotes insurance coverage but does not deliver.

Others who purchased travel insurance outside of United through Travel Guard received reimbursement for all their expenses. I am asking you to look at our situation to see if you can help. In addition, I feel it is important for others to know that the Allianz insurance offered by the airline is essentially worthless.

Michelle Cahr, New York

A: Im sorry to hear about your delay. Airlines sometimes cancel flights during bad weather, for your safety. Most airline contracts of carriage  the legal agreements between you and the airline  say that airlines dont have to meet their schedules. Dangerous weather is one good reason for that clause (there are plenty of bad reasons, too, but thats a topic for another time).

I checked the terms of the coverage in your state, and United and Allianz say its up to the amount purchased: http://www.etravelprotection.com/unitedairlines/CoverageOptions/. So technically, you should have been able to receive a refund for the items covered, as long as they didnt exceed the amount of your coverage.

Travel insurance isnt a scam, but it sometimes seems that way. When those around you get bigger checks for their delays, something sure doesnt seem fair. By the way, I wouldnt recommend ever omitting information from a claim. I can assure you that the agents handling your claim will cut a check only for what they have to. In other words, they wont be equally generous.

This is the type of case that needed to be appealed. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Allianz executives in charge of customer service on my consumer-advocacy site: http://elliott.org/company-contacts/allianz/.

You contacted Allianz and asked it to take a second look at your claim. It agreed to pay you an additional $403, which covers the majority of your additional expenses.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Find travel tips at www.elliott.org. E-mail: chris@elliott.org Twitter: @elliottdotorg
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday held talks with Saudi Arabias King Salman about the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, ahead of international meetings this week in Europe on the crises.

The visit by Kerry, who also held talks with the crown prince, deputy crown prince and foreign minister, comes at a critical time in efforts to rein in fighting and encourage political dialogue in all three countries, racked by violence for years.

Kerry is trying to shore up the shaky truce in Syria that has been fraught with violations on both sides. While the U.S. and its partners accuse President Bashar Assads government of the vast majority of breaches, they have acknowledged violations by the opposition.

The situation has been further complicated by the intermingling of some Western and Arab-backed rebels with groups such as the al Qaeda affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, which the U.N. has designated a terrorist organization and therefore is not covered by the truce. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have rejected attempts by Russia to get those rebels placed on the U.N. terrorist list.

Kerry was traveling later Sunday to Vienna, where he planned to host, with Italys foreign minister, talks on Libya on Monday, and, with his Russian counterpart, meetings on Syria on Tuesday.

The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on the speaker and president of Libyas House of Representatives for what the Obama administration said was their efforts to obstruct and delay political transition in the country. Since the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Moammar Khadafy, Libya has been split between rival governments. Last year, the U.N. brokered a deal on a unity government to heal the rift among the Libyans. But the new government has so far failed to gain support from various factions.

The 17-member International Syria Support Group includes Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and others. The August deadline that the U.S. has set for starting a political transition is a target, not a drop-dead endpoint for negotiations, Kerry has said.

The U.S. ultimatum has spurred speculation that if the deadline is blown, U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia might respond by giving the Syrian opposition stronger weapons to fight Assad.

Kerrys trip also includes a visit to Brussels for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before he flies to Asia to meet up with President Obama in Vietnam.
LONDON  Former London Mayor Boris Johnson has compared the European Unions aims to those of Adolf Hitler, arguing that the 28-nation bloc is creating a superstate that mirrors the attempt of the Nazi leader to dominate the European continent.

Johnson, the most prominent political figure arguing that Britain should leave the EU, says the past 2,000 years of European history have shown doomed attempts to unify the continent and recreate the Romans golden age.

Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods, he was quoted by the Sunday Telegraph as saying. But fundamentally, what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void.

Johnsons remarks immediately elicited outrage on the part of those campaigning to remain in the EU ahead of a June 23 vote in Britain on whether to stay or leave. The stay camp described Johnsons comments as a desperate effort take the focus off the economic impact such a rupture would create and on to the more populist theme of sovereignty issues.

Leave campaigners have lost the economic argument and now they are losing their moral compass, said Hilary Benn, a senior member of the Labor Party. After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe. And for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate.

The remarks come after a steady drumbeat of economic warnings about the shock to the nations economy in the event of a vote to leave. The Bank of England and its respected Gov. Mark Carney cautioned last week that Britain faces a recession amid the uncertainty of a Brexit, shorthand for British exit from the EU.

By shifting to the sovereignty issue, Johnson is changing tack  and tapping into the deep-seated concerns of many Britons who believe that bureaucrats in Brussels have seized too much control over their everyday lives.

Johnson attention-grabbing tactics have also underscored his ability tap into the popular mood, and his comments Sunday are likely to appeal to the patriotic sentiments of those who have not yet made up their minds on the vote.
1 Syria fighting: The Islamic State group began an offensive against government forces in eastern Syria on Saturday and captured several buildings, including a hospital, in clashes that left more than two dozen people dead on both sides. Deir el-Zour, near the border with Iraq, is split between government forces and the Islamic State. Government-held areas have been under a months-long siege by the extremists, and the U.N. has been airdropping aid to residents amid food and medicine shortages. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting killed at least 20 government troops and six militants. Abu Leila, who has a Facebook page that tracks developments in Deir el-Zour, said militants entered the hospital and shot dead several police guards that they captured alive.

2 Lightning deaths: At least 64 people have been killed by lightning over the past two days during tropical storms across Bangladesh, local media reported Saturday. Most of the deaths have occurred in rural Bangladesh, where farmers are busy with the current harvesting season. Experts say increased deforestation and peoples exposure to metal equipment like cell phones may account for the strikes.
1 Yemen bombing: A suicide bomber on Sunday detonated his explosives among police officers standing outside a police base in the southern city of Mukalla, killing 25, officials said. At least 17 others were injured. The Yemeni affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. The victims were officers returning to work for the first time since last months recapture of Mukalla by forces loyal to the internationally recognized government. The Islamic State group has been trying to gain a foothold in Yemen, where a war pitting the countrys Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, against President Abed Rabbo Mansours government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, has left a security vacuum.

2 Bangladesh arrest: A suspected Muslim militant has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital of Dhaka, police said Sunday. Police identified the suspect as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad. They said he joined another militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, in mid-2015. Shihab allegedly killed Xulhaz Mannan, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, because he was a gay rights activist. Munirul Islam, head of a newly formed police counterterrorism unit, said Shihab told police during questioning that he took part in stabbing to death Mannan and his friend Tanay Majumder as ordered by his groups high command.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic  Dominicans faced a dizzying array of choices Sunday in one of the most complex ballots in recent history, with eight candidates for president, all 222 members of Congress up for re-election and thousands of people vying for local offices around the country.

For many voters, the ballot amounted to a referendum on whether to let President Danilo Medinas Democratic Liberation Party, or PLD, extend its political dominance after winning four of the last five presidential elections and controlling both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies for a decade.

With only 14 percent of ballots counted late Sunday, Medina had more than 60 percent of the vote.

As polls opened at dawn Sunday, glitches snarled hundreds of voting stations where newly deployed technology identifying registered voters by their fingerprints malfunctioned. Balloting also started late in many areas due to the tardiness of poll workers.

This is an abuse, exasperated voter Ana Maria Perez said at a polling station in Santo Domingo where she had been waiting for nearly two hours.

But in most of the Caribbean nation of roughly 10 million people, officials said balloting was going relatively smoothly.

Polls forecast that Medina, 64, could take more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff against his nearest competitor, businessman Luis Abinader. Thats due in part to the fact that the opposition is divided and weaker than during the last election, in 2012, which was much closer.

Medina also benefits from an economy that grew 7 percent last year, better than any other country in Latin America or the Caribbean, and increased funding for social programs that have strong popular support. Medinas government has built about 2,500 schools, lengthened the school day to provide more classes, and promoted literacy and vocational training for adults.

Abinader, 48, ran for vice president in 2012 but has never held elective office. On the campaign trail he has vowed to spend more on a system of social programs that provide payments to nearly 1 million poor families. He also says he would reduce crime and increase pay for police and the armed forces as well raise the national minimum wage.

His backers feel the ruling party, which passed a constitutional amendment letting Medina run for a second consecutive term, has been allowed to amass too much power.

If no candidate surpasses 50 percent, there will be a runoff June 26. Final results are expected by Monday.
BAGHDAD  The Islamic State group launched a coordinated assault on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad that killed at least 14 people, while a string of other bomb attacks in or close to the capital killed 15 others, officials said.

The attack on the gas plant started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the facilitys main gate in the town of Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces, an official said, adding that 27 troops were wounded.

The Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency credited a group of Caliphate soldiers for the attack.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire caused by the explosions. Younis said technicians were examining the damage.

A car bomb targeting a shopping area in the town of Latifiyah, about 20 miles south of the capital, killed seven people, including two soldiers, police and hospital officials said. They said 18 people were also wounded in the attack, four of whom were soldiers.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three separate bomb attacks targeted commercial areas, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 28 others, police added.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Sunday attacks killed 29 people across Iraq. Since Wednesday, more than 140 people have been killed in a spate of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.

The wave of attacks comes as Iraqi ground forces have achieved a number of key territorial victories against the extremist group.

This perverse caliphate is shrinking, said the Obama administrations diplomatic point man in the international fight against the Islamic State group. Brett McGurk, a presidential envoy to the 66-member anti-Islamic State coalition, told journalists in Jordan on Sunday that the tide is turning against the extremists.

Islamic State extremists still control significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the second-largest city of Mosul. It has declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria.

The group has recently increased its attacks far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield losses.
Kiwi Property will buy 50 percent of The Base after Waikato-Tainui turned down the property investor's proposal to buy all of the shopping centre at Te Rapa, Hamilton.

When the proposal was announced in April, Kiwi said Tainui would consider selling its remaining stake but has chosen to retain its interest. Kiwi will pay $192.5 million in cash and stock for a half share in the shopping complex which comes with about 6.7 hectares of vacant land suitable for development. The deal is to settle on May 31.

The purchase gives Kiwi an interest in what it called New Zealands largest, single-site retail centre, which "aligns with our strategy of owning dominant regional shopping centres, said chief executive Chris Gudgeon. Kiwi will manage the property for the joint venture, the Auckland-based company said in a statement.

The Base is on a site of about 30 hectares and has a total retail floor area of 85,256 sqm.

Under the terms of the joint venture, Tainui has the right to require Kiwi to acquire its remaining 50 percent stake at a price determined by independent valuation between 2018 and 2021.

Tainui retains freehold title to the land and Kiwi will acquire 120-year ground leases on which the ground rents are prepaid. Kiwi will fund the acquisition via a new bank facility, which would increase its gearing to 34 percent, it said in April.

The site including the vacant land was within New Zealand's "golden triangle" of economic and residential growth between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga which was expected to account for much of the nation's population growth over the next two decades, it said last month.

The deal comes after Kiwi announced the sale of the southern part of its recently developed downtown Hamilton Centre Place South shopping centre to an undisclosed local buyer for $46.7 million, a 3 percent discount to its book value.

Kiwi's shares last traded at $1.495 and have gained 11 percent this year, just ahead of the NZX 50 Index's 9 percent gain.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When I first moved to Tompkinsville a decade ago, if someone had told me one day the best party in town would be down the block?

Uh, let's just say I would have been doubtful.

Well, times have changed -- thanks in no small part to Flagship Brewing Co. at 40 Minthorne St.

And this isn't just about trendy craft brew, folks, it's about community spirit. Not that they brag about it.

When pressed, co-owners Jay Sykes, John M. Gordon and Matt McGinley estimate they've donated about $22,000 worth of time, goods and services to borough charities, whether it's through their "Made in Staten Island" marketplace or sponsoring island culturals like the Staten Island Museum and Staten Island Arts' LUMEN Festival coming up on June 25.

Perhaps that's why Borough President James Oddo officially proclaimed Saturday, May 14, "Flagship Day," just in time for the brewery's second anniversary party from noon to midnight in the Taproom and the sprawling parking lot across the street.

Ho'Brah Tacos, Pier 76, Randall Manor Tavern and Red's Wagon Food Truck supplied the food; coffee and tea flowed from Beans & Leaves and bands like Captain Ahab and the Sea Crackens and the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies cranked some suitably intoxicating jams.

Click through the gallery and video above to catch a glimpse of the family- and dog-friendly good times.

ABOUT THE BREWS

Flagship beers gradually flowed from S.I. bars and restaurants into other the boroughs. With the start of 2016's New York Mets season, Flagship Lager is sold in Citifield at five locations. Plus, Flagship Wit was apoured in Barclay's Center for the launch of the Brooklyn Nets season.

The brewery also partners with eateries all over New York City: "Oyster Fest," a modern take on a traditional Oyster Stout, was created for Ulysses on Stone Street's annual oyster festival. Artichoke NYC teamed with Flagship on "FughettaboutWit," a wheat ale infused with ginger. Locally, Flagship created "Wits Up Brah," a wheat ale infused with grapefruit, for Ho'Brah Taco on Forest Avenue.

Oh, and they're spreading out, too: Flagship recently signed on with Craft Beer Guild of New York to distribute their beer to Westchester, Rockland and the entire upstate market. Starting June 6, Flagship will enter the New Jersey market.
daggan-run1.JPG

Stroke survivor John Daggan is looking forward to completing the Advance Memorial Day Run on his scooter.

(Staten Island Advance/Jim Waggoner)

John Daggan's first stroke, when a Snug Harbor security guard found him sitting under a tree after struggling during a routine jog, was bad enough.

The second stroke, a day later, was devastating.

"We overheard someone in the hospital say that he'd probably never walk again, that he'd have a tube in his body for the rest of his life," said Jean Daggan, his wife. "My son and I just sat down and wept."

That was in November of 2009, when the Daggans, who met while students at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., and have been married for 38 years, found their world turned upside-down.

Medical speculation, it turned out, hadn't measured Daggan's indomitable spirit.

Stroke survivor John Daggan is gearing up for the Advance Memorial Day Run. (Staten Island Advance/Jim Waggoner)

"HE'S A FIGHTER'

"He's a fighter, a big-time fighter," said Jean Daggan.

The 62-year-old Daggan, who carved a career in computer work during the early days of the industry boom and originally came to New York to pursue an acting career, is preparing to participate in the Advance Memorial Day Run.

On a scooter.

"John sent in a form to the Advance and got a couple numbers mixed up, so I got a call one day," said Jean Daggan. "The conversation ended with 'Is your husband going to be running or walking?' I answered, 'Neither, he'll be scootering."

Daggan regained his ability to walk with a cane years ago, although he remains paralyzed on his right side and can't use his right arm. He has some problems with speech and recognizing numbers, due to aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language.

In layman's terms, aphasia is most often caused by stroke, and is the interruption of blood supply to the brain.

"I can read the written word," he said, "but I still can't read numbers or symbols. It's the stroke. It's weird."

Daggan keeps a staggering schedule, however, especially since being given the green light to acquire a scooter three years ago. He thinks nothing of cruising the distance from his Oakland Avenue home to Forest Avenue, where his wife runs Jean's Fine Wines and Spirits in West Brighton, for a cold beer and burger.

BUSY SCHEDULE

And he has been known to pull off the unexpected.

"Right before he got his scooter, he called me from Citi Field," said Mrs. Daggan. "He said he decided to take public transportation to a Mets game. He thinks nothing of shooting off to Manhattan or Brooklyn for a day, taking his scooter on buses.

"And since he's had the scooter, he has a life of his own. He doesn't rely on me to get around."

Daggan continues to be an inspiration to Kean University group speech therapy classmates, who are duly impressed that he still attends casting auditions as a card-carrying member of the Actors' Equity Association union.

"We came to New York for John to be an actor," said he wife. "He still loves to be around the scene. He'll leave home at 8 a.m. some days and I won't see him again until after 5 p.m. Will he land a role? I don't think that's the point. The point is that his mind is sharp and he loves to stay active.

"John has shown tremendous improvement since the strokes, not as much physically but in his brain, in his conversations. We still expect improvement ... it's a long, long road we're on."

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS

Daggan broke out his scooter for the Arielle Newman Run last Fourth of July. He finished last, but was thrilled to hear the encouraging cheers of fellow participants.

And he's counting down the days to the Advance Memorial Day Run on May 30 at the South Beach Boardwalk.

"It'll be a good experience and a lot of fun," said John Daggan. "Let's go down to the Boardwalk and do it."
nws shotgun.jpg

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A New Jersey man was arrested in Great Kills Park Friday night after two shot guns and shell casings were recovered from his vehicle.

Gerald Waldron of New Jersey was approached after an officer noticed his Jeep parked in the parking lot after hours without a permit.

Upon approaching the car, the officer observed two shot guns and shell casings inside the vehicle; Waldron could not produce paperwork for the guns. He said he was hunting turkeys in New Jersey, but could not produce a hunting license.

He was arrested for possession of two shotguns and three boxes of shotgun shells.

Federal authorities charged Waldron with possession of an unlicensed shotgun.

He was released and a court date is pending.
In this space several weeks ago, we appealed to Mayor Bill de Blasio for funding to help Richmond University Medical Center revamp its antiquated emergency room on the North Shore of Staten Island.

Today, we appeal to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

We don't count ourselves among that late vie president's "nattering nabobs of negativism," those Staten Islanders who always find something wrong when a politician decides to spend public dollars on a project they consider superfluous or extravagant.

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he'd set aside $50 million to build an indoor swimming pool on Staten Island, we were surprised, but grateful. After all, his team failed to find $20 million to help build a Salvation Army-sponsored recreation center in Clifton -- something the community sorely needed.

But the mayor bounced back, promising the pool and also promising to explore a new recreation center project with the Salvation Army.

But when the mayor's preliminary budget failed to include one dollar for an expanded emergency room at Richmond University Medical Center, we were disappointed.

Staten Islanders make a lot of noise about what they feel this community needs. Better roads come to mind, and the mayor has been responsive there. Frankly, though, we have not heard much of a call for an indoor pool.

But ask any Staten Islander who has had the unfortunate opportunity to visit either of Staten Island's hospital emergency rooms and that Staten Islander will tell you we need bigger and better ERs, and fast. We might not be the fastest growing borough any longer but when we were, our hospitals never caught up.

It has long been the mantra from City Hall that a mayor cannot fund private hospitals. That's what Richmond University is. Add to that a failing city hospital system, for which the mayor is responsible. His preliminary budget included $337 million for city hospitals. It does not bode well for mayoral dollars for Richmond University, even if he could fund it.

But the City Council can allocate dollars, and that's where the Council speaker plays a role. Ms. Mark-Viverito toured Richmond University with the Island's Council delegation and was moved enough to promise that meetings with hospital officials would take place during the budget process.

That's encouraging.

Richmond University Medical Center, because of its location, is charged with serving some of Staten Island's most needy. There is no city hospital to meet those needs. During the mayor's recent town hall here, when questioned about health care, he said a city-funded clinic on Vanderbilt Avenue in Clifton was the answer.

Clinics are not the answer. Staten Islanders expect and need robust and modern full-service hospital facilities 24 hours a day, every day of the year, filled with the most state-of-the art equipment available.

Every Staten Islander, no matter where they fall on the salary spectrum, deserves that. A life here is just as important as a life in any other borough.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For 95-year-old Irene Wuethrich, the street renaming ceremony in Prince's Bay earlier this month was like her older brother Anthony Manifold -- missing in action during World War 2 -- had finally returned home.

Manifold -- born in Brooklyn on Oct. 10, 1916, one of six siblings raised in Prince's Bay -- went missing on August 17, 1942 while serving in the U.S. Navy as a gunner's mate third class and his ship was torpedoed. He was 25 years old.

"He enlisted in the U.S. Navy reserves and was called to active duty in the early 1940s," said Wuethrich. "He was serving on the Louisiana, a U.S. Merchant Marine oil tanker, when it was torpedoed off the coast of Brazil by a German U-2 boat.

"It was hit two times, went into flames, and sank," added Wuethrich.

There were no survivors among the 38 U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine crew on board, she said.

According to the War Shipping Administration, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service in World War II. Officially, a total of 1,554 ships were sunk due to war conditions, including 733 ships of over 1,000 gross tons.

CEREMONY 'BROUGHT MY BROTHER HOME'

Bradford Avenue, at the corner of Foster Road, was co-named "World War II Hero MIA Anthony Manifold Way" at the May 4 ceremony.

"I feel that this ceremony brought my brother home," Wuethrich said in a telephone interview on Sunday. "It was a full, military-style, hero welcoming home."

She insisted on naming the many participants who made the ceremony so memorable: Tottenville High School principal Joseph Scarmato and chorus director Joanne Nolemi; the high school's Heritage Club, chorus, marching band and U.S. Marine Corps ROTC; deacon John Singler of Our Lady Help of Christians church, and Walter Osborne, commander of the Beauvais-Hudson American Legion Post.

"There were about 150 people at the ceremony, including many Staten Island veterans," said a grateful Wuethrich, whose husband, Warren, was a U.S. Navy veteran.

About the newly installed street sign, she said: "I'm so appreciative. It's a place where you can leave a flower or put a flag."

"We never expected this. My mother was very moved," said Jo Ann Wilkens, Wuethrich's daughter.

OVER 73,000 MIA FROM WORLD WAR 2

Anthony Manifold was one of 73,161 U.S. military personnel who were not recovered during and in the aftermath of World War II, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Of this number, 5,816 were residents of New York State.

Click here for the Accounting Agency's official alphabetical list of names, date and location of loss and other information for all N.Y. residents who served and went missing in World War II.

The Agency's mission is to "provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. Our research and operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities around the world."

The Agency's map, below, indicates that over 83,000 Americans remain missing from World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars and other conflicts.

Of the 83,000 missing, 75 percent of the losses are located in the Asia-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea in ships and downed aircraft.
2016 SkS Weekly Digest #20

Posted on 15 May 2016 by John Hartz

SkS Highlights... El Nino to La Nina... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... He Said What?... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

SkS Highlights

On May 6, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) announced the winners of its Friend of the Planet award for 2016: Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University; Dana Nuccitelli and John P. Abraham, authors of the Climate Consensus  the 97% column hosted on the Guardian newspaper; and Skeptical Science, a website devoted to explaining climate change science and rebutting global warming misinformation created and maintained by John Cook of the University of Queensland.

"All of the Friends of the Planet for 2016 shine as climate communicators, in different but complementary ways," NCSE Executive Director Ann Reid explained. "Katharine Hayhoe excels at building connections between science and society and Dana Nuccitelli and John Abraham have consistently provided timely commentary on the latest developments. And Skeptical Science is simply unrivaled as a vast, up-to-date, and in-depth source of accurate and accessible information on climate change science."

Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards for 2016, National Center for Science Education (NCSE) news release, May 9, 2016

El Nino to La Nina

Theres a 75% chance that La Nina will be in place by the fall, meaning sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific at the equator will be more than 0.5C below average. Its possible the transition from El Nino to La Nina will be quick, with forecasters slightly favoring La Nina developing this summer. Whats behind this reasonably confident forecast?

May 2016 El Nino/La Nina update: Switcheroo! by Emily Becker, Climate.gov (NOAA), May 11, 2016

Toon of the Week

Quote of the Week

"I think what we're seeing thus far is quite unusual in terms of warm winter and springtemperatures that have contributed to ice retreat and lack of ice growth during winter," said Julienne Stroeve, a senior research scientist at the NSIDC, in an email to Mashable.

The fracturing of sea ice is especially pronounced in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska, where satellite images show the ice rapidly breaking up during the past two weeks.

"....This is important because what it's doing is isolating the multiyear ice floes and having them surrounded by open water that can enhance melt of those thicker floes. So that is something to watch this summer, whether or not those floes survive will be important to the September minima," Stroeve said.

Fractures seen in rapidly melting Arctic sea ice, and it's only May by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, May 12, 2016

He Said What?

Donald Trumps new energy adviser calls himself a climate skeptic, but he may urge the billionaire celebrity to address climbing temperatures through a hands-off government approach.

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said yesterday hes preparing at least two white papers on energy policy for the presumptive Republican nominee, who is scheduled to address an oil and gas conference in North Dakota later this month.

Cramer, who has expressed support for a small carbon tax to replace the Clean Power Plan, said he may offer Trump advice on climate change that challenges the candidates assertions about it being a hoax promoted by Democrats.

He can do all that if he wants, Cramer said of Trumps climate position in a lengthy interview. But my advice would be, while Im a skeptic, as well, he is a product of political populism, and political populism believes that there needs [to be] some addressing of climate change.

Meet Donald Trumps New Energy Adviser by Evan Lehmann, ClimateWire/Scientific American, May 13, 2016

SkS in the News

John Cook's article, The things people ask about the scientific consensus on climate change, originally posted on The Conversation UK, was reposted on the Reporting Climate Science blog, the IFL Science blog, and the Phys.org blog.

John Cook and SkS are profiled in:

Queensland academic wins climate award: Four climate myths busted by Jorge Branco, Sydney Morning Herald, May 11, 2016

by Jorge Branco, Sydney Morning Herald, May 11, 2016 Friend of the Planet: Skeptical Science by Minda Berbeco, Science League of America (National Center for Science Education), May 11, 2016

John Abraham and Dana Nuccitelli are profiled in:

Friends of the Planet: John Abraham & Dana Nuccitelli by Minda Berbeco, Science League of America (National Center for Science Education), May 9, 2016

SkS Spotlights: The Climate Group

The Climate Group is an award-winning, international non-profit with offices in Greater China, North America, India and Europe. Our goal is to help leaders transition to a prosperous low carbon economy, driven by the rapid scale-up of clean and renewable energy.

We work in partnership with the worlds most influential business, state, regional, finance and civil society leaders. For over a decade we have worked to demonstrate the economic and business case for the low carbon economy, and create the political conditions necessary for a strong global framework that addresses climate risks and maximizes climate opportunities.

The global climate deal which has been struck at the Paris COP represents a new beginning: the chance to accelerate our low carbon future. We are working with governments, businesses and investors to implement the Paris Agreement, holding them to account where appropriate through reporting mechanisms, and ensuring we bend the emissions curve downwards to secure a thriving, clean economy for all.

Coming Soon on SkS

Explainer: 10 ways negative emissions could slow climate change (Carbon Brief Staff)

(Carbon Brief Staff) Ocean Oxygen  another climate shoe dropping (howardlee)

(howardlee) What Sir David King gets wrong about carbon pricing (CCL)

(CCL) Scientists compare climate change impacts at 1.5C and 2C (Roz Pidcock)

(Roz Pidcock) Lord Krebs: scientists must challenge poor media reporting on climate change (John Krebs)

(John Krebs) 2016 SkS Weekly News Roundup #21 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2016 SkS Weekly Digest #21 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week

Hat tip to I Heart Climate Scientists

SkS Week in Review

97 Hours of Consensus: Anders Levermann

Anders Levermann's bio page & Quote source
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As many as 150 refugees living in Canberra could benefit if a push to have the ACT recognised as a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa [SHEV] zone is successful, asylum seeker advocates have said.

Companion House director, Kathy Ragless, said there was no reason Canberra should not join Adelaide and Hobart as approved metropolitan areas for holders of the special five-year protection visas to live and work.

Companion House director Kathy Ragless. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Introduced on July 1, 2015, the SHEV scheme was born out of the federal government's refusal to grant permanent protection visas to refugees deemed to have entered the country illegally.

After 42 months SHEV holders are able to apply for "a substantive visa". If this is not granted SHEVs must be renewed after five years. Holders must live in designated regional areas.
Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash at Tuggeranong on Sunday night.

Firefighters had to cut the female driver of one car and her teenage passenger from the front seat using hydraulic tools, but a child in the back was able to get out unassisted , an Emergency Services Agency spokesman said.

ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Fire & Rescue and police were called to the scene of the crash on the corner of Tharwa Drive and Pockett Avenue at Banks just after 6.30pm.

Ambulance paramedics took all three occupants to Canberra Hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries for ongoing assessment.
Carlton spearhead Levi Casboult will miss up to eight weeks after fracturing his tibia in the opening minutes of Carlton's win over Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Casboult has a hairline fracture and some bruising at the top of the bone, and will not require surgery.

Levi Casboult immediately called for assistance. Credit:Getty Images

The news comes as something of a relief for Carlton and their fans, after initial fears that Casboult had injured his ACL.
News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller says media companies need to think about global scale, but focus on local issues to keep consumers engaged.

The entry of multiple new players from around the world has dramatically changed Australia's comparatively small media landscape which has traditionally been limited to a small number of dominant companies.

Michael Miller, Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood and Australian Regional Media chief executive Neil Monaghan at the launch of the News Media Index. Credit:Christopher Pearce

"I think that the best media companies are the ones that do think global," Mr Miller told Fairfax Media.

"You look at websites in March that had an audience of a million or more, there were 25 of them, 14 of those were local, 11 of them were international. You're talking about BuzzFeed, The Guardian, Daily Mail and a number of others who have a significant presence here. Those international players are now in our market and we need to be thinking as well that we need to be in global markets."
Regional television networks are planning to rerun their Save Our Voices campaign in coming weeks to keep media reforms on the political agenda in the lead-up to the federal election.

A Senate committee has endorsed the Coalition's media reform bill, which would axe the 75 per cent population "reach" rule and allow metropolitan networks to buy or merge with their struggling regional counterparts.

The bill would also scrap the two-out-of three cross-media ownership rule and introduce additional local content obligations for regional areas.

While Communications Minister Mitch Fifield welcomed the findings of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Labor has refused to back the Coalition's reforms.
Queensland's resources sector has warned that a law designed to make Clive Palmer pay for the environmental clean-up at his failed Yabulu nickel refinery is hurting investor confidence.

The Palaszczuk government's Chain of Responsibility legislation is supposed to ensure company directors or associated entities, rather than taxpayers, bear the cost of cleaning up a failed resources project.

The Queensland Resources Council says the Chain of Responsibility law has gone too far Credit:Michael Chambers

The laws were drafted in response to concerns the complicated corporate structure behind Mr Palmer's Queensland Nickel operations would allow him to shirk responsibility for the environmental clean-up at Yabulu.

But the Queensland Resources Council says the law has gone too far and is causing enormous angst and uncertainty in the business community.
The future of Rio Tinto director Anne Lauvergeon is under a cloud after French prosecutors starting investigating her conduct while chief executive of energy giant Areva almost a decade ago.

French prosectors spent Friday questioning Ms Lauvergeon over whether she deliberately filed misleading accounts for Areva in 2007.

Anne Lauvergeon will step down from the Rio Tinto board. Credit:Bloomberg

The investigations centre on Areva's disastrous takeover of London listed company Uramin in 2007, and the disclosure of multi-billion dollar impairments several years later.

London newspaper the Financial Times reported over the weekend that French prosecutors had confirmed that Ms Lauvergeon was being investigated for "publication of inaccurate accounts" during her time at Areva.
"Further to your correspondence on GMT," adds Denis Herrett, of Bomaderry, "I spent many years in the RAF, and we used 13.54 GMT when flying overseas, or 13.54 Local when flying over Britain. Then the French 'got their oar in' and we had to use 13.54 UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). Whose clock were they using?" Thank you Denis, but we're not sure whether we are now better informed, or utterly baffled.

This is, we promise, the last word on touch-typing with one hand (Column 8, for too long). "Ah yes, Linda Edwards," smirks John Beaver, of Olympic Park, "but my first name can be touch-typed with one hand, while my surname can be touch-typed with the other."

"When Don Bain," writes Ian Aldridge, of Goulburn, "referred on Saturday to an orgy being described as a 'damp squid', asking if there is any other kind, was he suggesting that all squids are damp, or that all orgies are damp squids?" Hard to say. We've never attended an orgy to which squids, damp or otherwise, were invited.

"In reference to 'Glory be to Betsy', asks David Witney, of Pottsville (Column 8, Saturday), "could this have something to do with the American flag of thirteen stars and stripes attributed to the early colonial seamstress Betsy Ross, and mistakenly known as 'Old Glory'?"

"It was indeed Barry Larkin, along with eight other students from St Johns College at Sydney Uni, who organised the run with the fake torch," confirms Ron Schaffer, of Bellevue Hill (Column 8, Saturday). "Barry was the last runner to carry it, and handed it to the mayor, Pat Hills. It seems they wanted to protest against the Olympic flame, because the torch relay was invented by the Nazis for the 1936 Berlin Olympics." And from what Column 8 has read, they used their flame run through the Balkans to make accurate maps for the Wehrmacht to use, moving in the opposite direction, a few years later.
A protester holds up a sign against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outside of the Hyatt Regency hotel where Trump was speaking in Burlingame, California. Credit:AP I've walked away from a lot of conversations with my mum and dad. It's been easier to avoid their ignorance than to try to reason with them. So I've shrugged it off, said, "That's just my parents," and put it back in the closet. Problem is, it's not just my parents. A lot of people share Trump's philosophies. My mother was interviewed on Fox News saying, "He sounds like us, he talks like us  I'm all Trump, only Trump, always Trump, forever Trump!" He sounds like us? He talks like us? I was reminded of the Imperial Wizard of the KKK who said, "The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes in, we believe in." Which brings me to this. My husband is black. We have a daughter together. My parents' support of a candidate who could not decide if he should accept the endorsement of the KKK is completely intolerable in our home and, ultimately, in our world.

I commented on my mum's tweet and asked her if she'd really written those words. Her response: "(American Flag emoji) You don't share my beliefs, and you don't have to. (smiley face emoji)" I was shocked. I told her so. Publicly. Finally. I wrote back, "Your Twitter feed makes me disappointed and embarrassed of you as a person, a supposed critical thinker, and my mother. Shocked." And then I found the video clips of her on Fox News interviewed at the Trump rally in Burlingame, in April. "I'm all Trump, only Trump, always Trump, forever Trump," replayed over and over in my head. And I felt responsible. I was overwhelmed with shame for my years of silence for not opposing her ideologies sooner. Look where it got me. Look where it got my family. Look where it got us as a nation, a country of closet racists and enablers. I took the subject to Facebook and posted publicly on my wall about my parents' fervent support of Trump. I posted the videos of my mother's interview on Fox News. I posted screenshots of the hateful tweets she'd made about Hillary. I wrote about the way my mother talked at home about her Mexican students, the contempt she had for them, and the derogatory terms she used to describe them.

I wrote about what racism looks like behind closed doors, where it's fed. I knew I'd be condemned by those who respect their elders and don't air dirty laundry in public, but it was time to stop keeping this private. It was beyond time. My mother's response has been to halt communication with me and block me on social media. Painful, but, expected. My father deleted me long ago. But he emails. He emailed me recently to give me some threatening advice: "I know you have never said anything you might not like to be made public," he wrote, "so if you want to continue this attack mode, please remember all things have consequences." So there's that. What there isn't any more is a relationship with them. My husband and I found no other way to be honest with ourselves, to be moral, and to protect our daughter than to sever all ties with my parents as long as they promote these ideologies of hate and xenophobia. It's a decision I don't take lightly, one with repercussions that will be felt long after this election, and one that affects my daughter, too, who isn't old enough to make this choice herself. My mother is in her 60s, my dad in his 70s. They won't be around forever. But the hate they sow could be. By ignoring racism, xenophobia, and misogyny within our families, we are accepting it within our culture. To ignore is to accept. As my daughter plays on the floor in front of me while I type this, I think about her ancestry. I think about the suffering that has been endured so that she can live in a free and just world, and I feel a responsibility to the continuity of that humanity. If I don't oppose my parents' behaviour and objectives, if I don't reject Trump and all that he stands for, if I don't change my family's vocabulary so that my daughter never knows the hateful words I heard growing up, I'm undoing the progress that generations before me have fought and died for. And that, I won't accept.
Only a few months ago, there was widespread gloom and despondency on Opposition benches. Many Labor MPs were preparing for political oblivion. Bill Shorten's prospects had been written off and his leadership regarded as no more than a joke. The knives were being sharpened.

There was, of course, much truth in the criticisms. Shorten had the great misfortune of leading Labor after the disastrous Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era. He was not very good at attracting positive press. The polls showed he was the most unpopular opposition leader since the notoriously useless, though honourable, Brendan Nelson. The royal commission into corrupt unions was supposed to sound the death knell for the embattled former head of the AWU.

Yet such is the magic of politics, here we are seven weeks before the federal election and Shorten could be our sixth prime minister in as many years. The Labor leader gave Turnbull such a good thumping in their first TV debate on Friday night, you almost expected the moderator David Speers from Sky News to step in to end the bout on grounds of compassion. While the PM was dull and dithering, ill at ease with answering questions from ordinary Australians about hip-pocket issues, Shorten was sound in style and substance. An audience of undecided voters gave it to the challenger by 42 to 29. Add to this the latest Newspoll that shows Labor leading the Coalition 51-49 on a two-party-preferred basis and the election is suddenly up for grabs.
Two long-running inquiries into allegations of misdeeds by public officials have cast shadows over the upper echelons of power in NSW. One has been conducted in private, the other in public.

In both, those being investigated have complained of witch hunts.

ICAC inspector David Levine has called for hearings to be private. Credit:Peter Rae

The silence of the NSW Ombudsman's investigation into police bugging of fellow police officers, Operation Prospect, has induced paranoia among some of those secretly questioned, and claims it has harmed mental health.

It has fuelled whispering campaigns, hard to combat when allegations aren't in the open, that have damaged careers.
If it is possible to have a fantasy government, this is mine. Bearing little relationship to reality, it adopts one of the few advantages American politics has over ours  that the cabinet doesn't have to come from government MPs or the legislature at all. A leader can, within reason, pick who she likes.

If it were complete fantasy, and the Prime Minister didn't have to be Australian, on the shortlist would be the progressives Barack Obama, Helen Clark, and Justin Trudeau. Obama is a proven and inspirational leader in the face is implacable opposition, and is almost out of a job. Clark is straightforwardly effective, yet unlikely to get the job she deserves as UN Secretary-General. Trudeau is a more successful example of multilingual progressive leader than Australia's recent disastrous foray into that genre.

But a leader needs some connection to the country, so for prime minister, I pick the incumbent. In spite of his disappointing first six months in the job, I still hope Malcolm Turnbull can become the leader Australia craves after years of political infighting. His potential remains unrealised and constrained by the hard right, but PM he can stay.

His modest move to limit superannuation rorts shows he can move against vested interests in favour of the national one. He is no national embarrassment, and that is an improvement on the two men who proceeded him.
When the last one, a darker story of the reunion of five university friends, tanked, Hawkins borrowed money from her father, an economics professor in Zimbabwe, to spend a year writing what pleased her  a psychological thriller with an alcoholic-turned-sleuth who believes her blacked-out memory holds the key to a woman's disappearance.

Hawkins, a freelance financial journalist until the 2008 recession, had subsequently written four fictional rom-coms under the pseudonym Amy Silver, the first a commissioned book about the misadventures of a shopaholic derailed by the credit squeeze.

When Paula Hawkins wrote The Girl on the Train it felt like the last spin of the dice.

Finances got so "close to the wire", says Hawkins, she was forced to shop the partially-written manuscript to publishers and only got to pay her dad back when international rights were auctioned for a six-figure advance.

Author Paula Hawkins was close to giving up fiction writing before finding success with The Girl on the Train. Credit:New York Times

"I can't say that had this not worked that I would have given up on the idea of writing another novel for ever and ever," Hawkins says from New Zealand, on route to the Sydney Writers' Festival where she will discuss the ingredients of a page-turner and the role of difficult women in fiction.

"I was feeling terribly badly about the whole process and low about myself as a writer and I was kind of thinking I should get a proper job in journalism but I didn't especially want to. It did feel like if this book didn't take off then I've got to leave it and accept the fact that it's not going anywhere for me as a fiction writer."

Hawkins is surprised as anyone else The Girl on The Train has become a bestseller in the United States and Australia, has drawn favourable comparisons to Gillian Flynn's blockbuster, Gone Girl, and been embraced by Hollywood. In October, the film adaption, with a soundtrack by Kanye West and starring Emily Blunt as the drunken Rachel Watson, is due for cinema release.
EDDIE PALMIERI LATIN JAZZ SEPTET

Titan of Latin jazz Eddie Palmieri fuses the rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his jazz influences  Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver and McCoy Tyner. Awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master award in 2013, the highest honour an American jazz artist can receive, he will head to the Arts Centre Hamer Hall on Friday, June 10 at 7.30pm for the 2016 Melbourne International Arts Festival. Three M readers and a guest have the chance to join the audience. Worth $200 a double, entries received at info@starling.com.au before midnight tonight will enter the draw.

Opening move: Sydney Dance Company will perform at Southbank.

EXCLUSIVE OPENING NIGHT TICKETS TO THE SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY

Following their 2016 sellout European and South American tours, Sydney Dance Company heads to the Southbank Theatre from May 25 with their acclaimed double bill CounterMove. We have five doubles (worth $300 each) on offer. Register your details at marketing@sydneydancecompany.com before midnight tonight and you'll enter the draw to join the opening night audience. Winners also receive access to an exclusive after-party for members and invited guests.
The themes are equally compact. The belief that Mason is working for a terror cell animates the official investigation, but the story, and its plotters, are just using that topical angle to mask their intentions. While the Paris seen is distinctly multicultural and politically divided, ideology matters less than the need to create an odd couple on the run dynamic between the two Americans.

"Have you seen yourself?" Mason tells Briar, correctly justifying why flight was his first reaction, and Elba breaks bones and dispenses deductions with coolly minimal stylishness. The actor's reputation stems from sustained performances on two television drama series, The Wire and Luther, and he has not had a film role as nuanced and rewarding yet. Bastille Day does not change that, but if it is an audition for something better he passes.

Madden, enjoying the type of career boost you experience after your character suffers a prominent death on Game of Thrones, puts his furrowed brow to better use here than he did in last year's Cinderella. He does shifty  backlit by a touch of Hitchcock-like pleasure in voyeurism  rather well.

Long lens pick outs of adversaries and up close the pitched battles and firefights are distinguished by the casual acceptance that the response to terrorism soon precludes the rule of law. Mason may be a thief, but he is an innocent in the company of Briar, who puts his gun in the mouth of a potential suspect in the name of the greater good.

Still, Bastille Day does not have the latent nastiness of the Luc Besson run-and-gun production line that began with Taken, although both films agree that official corruption is rife in France. It is a sharply executed if slight action-drama that knows to keep the spotlight on its star, who also sings lead in a deep baritone on the closing theme song. Elba may not get to be James Bond, but he has still got a shot at Barry White.
Lupidupi, lupidupi.com. MAGIC TOUCH Hazel and Herb is the work of River Hazel, based in the Gold Coast hinterland, who handcrafts jewellery and home decorations using ethically sourced fauna and flora collected around Australia. Each unique piece features foraged forest finds such as tiny mushrooms and pine cones, preserved in resin and made into pendants, earrings and desktop decorations. Mother Fungus mushroom pendant, $60. Hazel and Herb, hazelandherb.com. ESKO Ceramic pots. Credit:alexia@alexiabiggs.com

FINE LINES Travels through Japan, Denmark and Norway have influenced Sydney designer Mandy Simpson, whose elegant cylindrical storage pots use a simple palette of pure white and earthy cinnamon. They are made in collaboration with ceramicists in Ubud, Bali, whose great skill is clear in the fine craftsmanship. A ceramic lamp will join the range later in the year. Large, $120 and small, $85, ceramic pots. Esko, eskostudio.com.au. NIGHT LIFE At her Alexandria studio, Sydney artist Gabby Malpas paints intricate watercolours, often of plants, birds and flowers, which she prints onto archival paper, melamine platters and scarves. She has also created this striking wallpaper with local business RIP Graphics. The crystals, skulls and flowers are a nod to Newtown's night life, op shops and healing stores. A Day in Newtown and A Night in Newtown wallpaper, $77 a square metre.

Gabby Malpas, gabbymaplas.com. BROLLY GOOD Known for its contemporary furniture and home accessories, Citta also does a small, neat range of umbrellas in two styles: long with wooden handle, or a folding compact. Both come in smart, modern patterns at a reasonable price. Blume umbrella with wooden handle, $59.90. Citta Design, 493 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, (03) 9360 7904, cittadesign.com. St Albans Wool knit throw rug in birch. Credit:alexia@alexiabiggs.com
ELEMENTARY



10.30PM, Ten

Nice blend of the personal and the professional  and a satisfyingly twisted whodunit  in tonight's instalment of this always-enjoyable series. From the completely irrelevant pre-credits sequence to the "double murder" and its ultimate resolution, this bounces along with all the pace and wit you could hope for. There's a sweet (if not entirely believable) side-story about Captain Gregson's love interest. You could also watch this simply for Joan Watson's outfits, which tonight are particularly fine.

Feathered friends: stars of the Giggle and Hoot spin-off.

HOOT HOOT GO!



8am, ABC2

If your pre-schoolers can't get enough of Giggle and Hoot (and chances are they cannot) now they have the chance to get a second dose with this spin-off featuring Hoot, Hootabelle and new BFF Hootly. The "learning" is laid on pretty thick but the songs are always good fun and personally I adore those little felt puppets. What was especially delicious about this ep is the way the little felt puppet "toys" were made to look completely lifeless (as befits a toy) while the little felt puppet owls were full of sparkle.
Styled, shot and structured like a drama but containing only documentary footage, this terrific new three-part UK series provides extraordinary insight into what actually goes on in a murder investigation. Unsurprisingly, it bears little resemblance to the many, many fictitious murder investigations depicted daily on our TV screens.

The first thing that strikes you is how sombre it all is. Rightly so, of course. But we're so used to detectives turning up at a murder scene and immediately exchanging wisecracks that there's something particularly moving about seeing how deeply seriously everyone involved takes this. Someone is dead. A family is shattered. And another someone capable of murder is still out there, probably still in the same neighbourhood. There's really not much to laugh about. Indeed, seeing the family liaison officers dealing with the mother of the murdered teen, it's evident how deeply affected they are by both her grief, and their inability  at least in that moment  to give her any answers or relief.

The other big difference between this and made-for-TV murders is the reminder that crimes are solved not by flawed outlaw heroes or eccentric genius, but by meticulous hard graft on the part of a large number of people. From the dozens of Constable Plods sorting through rubbish bins, undergrowth and stormwater drains to the technical officers trying to wrangle phone records and the community police with local knowledge, a murder investigation is a massive team effort of which the actual homicide detectives are only a small part. Incredible access to everyone involved  including suspects and the victim's family  provides fascinating detail, and small moments can be surprisingly moving. (One detective who had literally been up all night surveying CCTV footage is swaying on her feet as she presents her findings at a briefing the next morning).

Perhaps the greatest technical achievement here is the way it so forcefully reminds us of how slow, deliberate and painstaking actual police detective work is, while keeping us absolutely riveted from the first moment to the big twist at the end.
"I think it can be hard for many young people to grasp the importance of enrolling, given the apparent insignificance of their one vote," Ms Butler said.

Ms Butler said at the last federal election, about a quarter of Australians aged 18 to 24 eligible to vote weren't on the electoral roll.

Instead, 19-year-old Kate Butler and Gina Zheng, who founded Enrol 4 Change, said it's a misconception about the power of their vote which stops many young people from making it to the polls.

Two teenagers behind an initiative to get more young people involved in the political process say Gen Y isn't as politically apathetic as many like to believe.

"However, in order for the political issues concerning young people to be taken seriously, I believe it is crucial for them to have their say about the issues they care about, which they can do by stating their preferences when they cast their vote. Moreover, as one of the Senate seats for the ACT is a marginal seat, each vote does truly count."

The pair are holding talks at university colleges and using a social media competition to make their peers realise the value of their vote ahead of the closure of the electoral rolls on May 23.

But despite popular perception, Ms Butler said today's youth aren't nearly as indifferent towards politics as many older Australians believe.

"In fact, I think the opposite is true. There are many political issues that concern young people and we feel passionately about so many of them, such as climate change, housing affordability, the surplus and the cost and availability of higher education," Ms Butler said.

"However, as people from older generations dominate Australian politics, it can be difficult for young people to actively connect with political issues. All too often there is a lack of interest in and attention paid to engaging youth in the political process. It would be fantastic to see a shift in attitude so that politicians seek to reach out to young voters and discuss with us the issues that matter to Australia's youth."
But this is not just the case if you've already used up your $500,000 lifetime after-tax limit; a reduction in allowable before-tax (concessional) contributions could kibosh you too. The limit is planned to move from $30,000 to $25,000 a year from July 2017. Gone also will be the ability for 50-pluses to shovel in $35,000 a year when finally the mortgage and munchkins are gone and they can afford it. In short, many divorcees who have lost their super now also stand to lose the ability to replace it. And with an average divorce age of 44, says the ABS, they need to be able to do so fast. What about future divorces, remembering this is the fate of one in three marriages? As Marshall Brentnall from Evalesco Financial Services puts it: "It's more likely you'll see proportional splits  so the super will be in the mix and the home will be in the mix [and will have to be sold]. If one party has a particular emotional tie to the home that could be problematic." Consider the following scenario that Strategy Steps, adviser to the advisers, prepared for me

A couple, both aged 50 and earning $80,000, divorces. The husband has $300,000 in super and the wife has $700,000, because of a $500,000 inheritance a few years ago that she paid into her super as a non-concessional contribution. In the settlement, she gets the $1 million house and he gets all the super. The wife spends the next 17 years, until pension age, exhausting all available allowances in a bid to rebuild her super balance (and earns a net 7 per cent a year). Under current rules: She pays in $35,000 a year in concessional contributions (employer and salary sacrifice) and also $2450 a month as a non-concessional contribution (this totals to another $500,000 in after-tax contributions). Her super balance at age 67: $1.12 million. Under proposed rules: She can pay in only $25,000 a year in concessional contributions and nothing after tax  even though she has been left with no super, she's used her lifetime non-concessional limit.

Her super balance at age 67: $401,541. This is well below the $545,000 that the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia estimates a single person needs to fund a comfortable retirement (and it's a conservative estimate). Of course, the $500,000 our case study was going to put into super could instead be invested outside of it but the earnings would be taxed at double the amount and income could be taxable in retirement (compared with tax-free super pensions). I hear you ask: "Who on earth has $500k to dump in their fund?" Someone who has sold an investment property, cashed in a business or, yes, come into an inheritance. But they may even just have paid off their mortgage and therefore freed up extra cash to invest each year. Or been forced by divorce to downsize the home they received in the settlement to extricate some money both to live on and fund retirement at a later date. As Strategy Steps' Louise Biti says: "The closer the person is to retirement or the lower their remaining balance when they split, the harder it will be to rebuild."

In any case, an even super split would give each spouse a sporting chance. I applaud many of the super changes in this budget  particularly the ability to mop up unused concessional contributions in the subsequent five years, which could significantly help people boost their super after a period of caring. That one's great for divorcees too  provided they have the means. But if this government is returned on July 2, it must undo the disadvantage to divorcees by allowing the asset "split" to also split out lifetime contributions so at least each partner keeps his or her share of allowance based on the super they retain. We won't know until we see the legislation after the election.
The federal government has a moral obligation to use some of the almost $5 billion it will rake in from upping the tobacco excise to help mentally ill smokers kick the habit health, advocates have said.

David Meldrum, CEO of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia, said 70 per cent of all schizophrenics, whose average life expectancy is just 54, smoked compared to about 11 per cent for the general population.

Forty-two per cent of cigarettes consumed in Australia are smoked by people with a mental illness. Credit:Nikita Sobolkov

The government is to increase the tobacco excise by 12.5 per cent a year over the next four years. This will raise an additional $4.7 billion between now and 2020, according to the budget papers.

"Some studies suggest as many as 40 per cent of remaining smokers have a serious mental health issue," Mr Meldrum told Fairfax.
COLUMBUS  Jackie Rasby-Smith of Columbus had been out of the work force for six years caring for her five children, one who suffers from a disability that required her close attention.

Today, her kids have gotten older, and it was time to find a job and help out with the family finances.

It was time for me to get back in the work force, said Rasby-Smith, one of nearly 40 graduates of Marriott Corp. of Omahas first graduating class of home reservation agents in the Columbus area.

She didnt waste any time starting the new job, beginning this week taking incoming reservation calls and helping Marriott customers book accommodations for vacations, honeymoons, family celebrations and business trips.

I helped a couple plan a trip celebrating their 50th anniversary, said Rasby-Smith, noting the couples odyssey began with a stop in Hawaii and ended with a leg in London. The two had a ton of loyalty points from the worldwide hotel chain that made the tour virtually free, she said.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with them (arranging their accommodations), said Rasby-Smith, who works a full-time shift from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. from her home. It was a blast.

Any reservations Marriott had about coming to Columbus to recruit new workers probably were dismissed when the first graduating class finished up the hotel chains paid six-week training session on May 6.

The graduates were so enthusiastic (about their new job opportunities) that you would have thought you were at a college graduation, said Bernie Hansen, manager of the Columbus Career and Training Center for the Nebraska Department of Labor.

Marriott hired 50 Columbus-area jobseekers a couple of months ago and 38 graduated from the companys six weeks of training held at Ramada-Columbus. The graduates, equipped with new computers, headsets, tech support and high-speed internet, will work as home reservation agents.

In conversations with Marriott officials over the last few months, Hansen said, they often commented on how impressed they were with the quality of job candidates they received for the reservation agent positions.

Its been a great partnership (between Marriott and the community), Hansen said.

A good percentage of Marriotts new reservation agents have come from the hundreds of people laid off with the closing of Apogee Retail's local call center in the fall of 2015 and from the jobless rolls of the states innovative re-employment system.

Thirteen of the graduates from the first Marriott training class were from the re-employment system, which aims to help jobseekers who collect unemployment benefits to re-enter the job market.

Among that bakers dozen are former Apogee workers who had run into trouble finding new jobs. The Apogee call center had targeted its hiring to included disabled, unemployed, underemployed and students and others not in the job market during its years in the community.

Rasby-Smith, though not one of what became known as the Apogee refugees during the training class, was grateful for the help she received from the career center in aiding her return to the work force.

They were amazing in helping me redo my resume and getting my job search started, she said.

The Omaha hotel chain is following up on its first impressions of area jobseekers.

The company has hired another 50 workers, this time drawing from an even wider radius around Columbus, set to begin a second training session Monday.

Marriotts recent hiring boom had its genesis in conversations begun at an Omaha job fair months ago when a local official with Nebraska VR (vocational rehabilitation), an employment program for people with disabilities, took a couple of his former Apogee clients to the fair.

The Columbus official began talking with Marriott officials and described the difficulty his clients were having finding new jobs, Hansen said.

That conversation led to the career centers involvement and the inclusion of Columbus Economic Council. Multiple conversations between Marriott and local officials followed.

Marriott then began advertising for new workers and held a local job fair that attracted more than 80 jobseekers.

People came out of the woodwork, said Hansen, noting that Columbus has always been a collaborative community.

The rest is history, she said.

Marriotts new workers beginning classes Monday have a lot to learn.

When the workers graduate from the training, they will be schooled in Marriotts 18 hotel brands, ranging from luxury hotels and resorts (Ritz-Carlton) to affordable lodging (Fairfield Inn). Each brand has its own pricing and amenities that reservation agents need to know about.

Graduates dont need to be computer experts, they are taught those skills, but there is a big learning curve during the all-day, Monday through Friday, training over the course of six weeks, Hansen said.

People need to be knowledgeable about the chains 18 brands. Then they go home and go to work, she said.

The new Marriott reservation agents will be working nights and weekends, 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The new jobs are full time and part time with competitive wages and shift differentials and a full benefits package.

Hansen said the reservation jobs arent for everyone, but they have fit the bill for plenty of local jobseekers.

These jobs are unique ... theyre attractive to many people and their personal situations, Hansen said.
The former chairman of the Rookwood General Cemetery Trust, Bob Wilson, has hit back at claims that his resignation was motivated by an investigation into the trust's governance, burial practices and prices.

Mr Wilson was one of three board members whose resignations last week prompted the government to dissolve the general trust's board because it only had two remaining members, and did not have quorum. The full board allows for seven members.

The Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair announced last week that Rookwood's general cemetery trust chair, Bob Wilson, had resigned after an investigation into the trust's governance, burial practices and prices. Credit:Rick Stevens

In an email to Fairfax Media, Mr Wilson said the three board members "resigned in frustration" because Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW had prevented the board from filling two board vacancies for nearly two years, and had favoured the two board members from the Lebanese Muslim Association and the Jewish Board of Deputies.

CCNSW, which oversees cemetery operators in NSW, completed an investigation into the trust's board last month.
A quick-thinking mother has been forced to grab her child back from a woman who snatched a baby from a pram in Sydney's west.

Police are investigating the incident, which took place at about 10am on Friday morning in Penrith.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, approached the mother as she was pushing her eight-month-old daughter in a pram along High Street.

She removed the infant's harness and picked up the baby while the mother stopped to retrieve a bottle from a bag, police said.

The mother, 19, grabbed the child back and returned her to the pram before later reporting the incident.
Five Victorian men dubbed the "tinnie terrorists" over a bizarre plot to travel by boat from northern Queensland to Syria will be extradited to Melbourne after being charged on Saturday night.

Federal Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed on Sunday the Australian Federal Police charged the group with terrorism-related offences which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The plebiscite question should be "simple and self-explanatory," the Attorney-General says. Credit:Kim Stephens

They remain in custody and will face Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday, where police will apply to extradite them to Melbourne.

Police will allege the group intended to flee to Syria to join the militant Islamic State.
"The Australian dollar is under pressure and has depreciated against the Japanese yen. The dropping Aussie dollar increases costs to Australians looking to travel to Japan on a ski holiday. To mitigate this we look at long-term initiatives we can use to lock in the value of the currency when rates are more advantageous. Diversifying earnings into other markets such as Asian countries like Hong Kong and China, whose currencies are more closely linked to the US dollar, also helps us manage this risk," he explains.

An associated challenge has been funding property development. Nolan says Japanese banks have been hesitant to lend against property to foreigners and Australian banks will not lend for property development in Japan.

"After working in Japan for 10 years and building relationships, local banks have started lending to us on a small scale and we are confident by showing them positive results we can increase this lending to bigger projects," he explains.

The business has experienced substantial growth since it started. In the first year it took just 40 people to Japan, growing to 400 people the following year.

"In some years we've had growth of more than 200 per cent per year in terms of customer numbers, but now that has slowed to growth of 30 per cent per year. Last year we took more than 6000 people to Japan on ski holidays. Revenue-wise, we have grown from doing $150,000 in revenue in our first year to last year making more than $7.5 million in revenue," Nolan says.
A faded billboard advertisement for The Dark Knight movie on an old milk bar in the Melbourne suburb of Preston was the catalyst for the formation of a unique business that specialises in producing commercial murals.

Tyson Hunter, Tristan Minter and Hamish McBride are the team behind Apparition Media, which produces hand-painted murals for its clients.

One of Apparition Media's colourful murals.

They started off in 2014 painting murals for free, but have now painted 100 works. The business has experienced 400 per cent growth in the past 12 months and Apparition, which now has 15 staff, is on track to turn over $2 million this financial year.

"After seeing the Dark Knight mural, we thought how much better it would look if it were hand-painted. So we got to work creating free murals for brands we wanted to work with in the hope we'd get noticed," says Hunter.
For now it's the benefit of HDR which really shines through when you switch between the two disc formats, whether you're looking at the details in the rockfaces in the shadows of a Martian sunset or the bark on the trees in the rugged Canadian wilderness. Thankfully you'll appreciate this improvement even if your budget forces you to settle for a smaller television. Get connected Like the Panasonic, Samsung's Ultra HD Blu-ray player has twin HDMI outputs at the back in case you want to run one cable to your television and one to your surround sound system. Some UHD Blu-ray movies feature Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks if you can afford to drop a bundle on a state of the art surround sound system. It's important to note the Samsung lacks the 7.1-channel analogue audio outputs of the Panasonic, which won't bother most people but will be critical to a few lounge rooms. You will find a 5.1-channel digital optical audio output on the back of the Samsung, along with Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi. At the front of the Samsung you'll find a USB port but no SD card slot. The player has a clean finish with a slightly curved face, clearly a nod to Samsung's range of curved televisions and soundbars. In the 2016 range Samsung offers flat and curved options for all of its high-end SUHD LED televisions, although you're paying a premium for the curve and, like me, you might not feel that it brings much to the party.

Get smart I can't say I'm overly impressed with Samsung's UHD player's remote control  it's small, fiddly and has combined fast-forward/ skip buttons which make it easy to skip chapters by mistake. Thankfully you won't need to rely on the player's remote too much if it's hooked up to a Samsung television like the flagship flat 65-inch SUHD 65KS9000 that I used for testing. The television comes with a smart universal remote which can detect your attached devices and program itself, relying on a mix of infrared and HDMI-CEC commands. Samsung has also worked hard to integrate external sources into the television's interface. Not only can you pin devices and services to the bottom of the home screen, you can even pin individual Netflix programs as well as Foxtel channels if you own an iQ2 (iQ3 support is coming). The tight integration of the television's sources and apps also lets you browse through the Netflix library while you're watching another source or live TV. When you turn on the television it will even relaunch Netflix automatically if it was the last thing you were watching before you switched it off.

Getting back to the disc player, you've got Netflix Ultra HD HDR support along with Presto, Quickflix, YouTube and several catch up services. Dive into the app store and you'll find the usual eclectic mix, including a few gems like Plex and Vimeo. So what's the verdict? It's still early days, but if you're keen to rush into Ultra HD Blu-ray then Samsung's player is the way to go unless you need the Panasonic's 7.1-channel analogue audio outputs. The Samsung player is also a good way to add Ultra HD Netflix to your lounge room if your Ultra HD television only supports Full HD Netflix streaming but your home broadband can do Ultra HD justice. In terms of Ultra HD picture quality Panasonic's player impressed me more, but it's hard to say whether that's because it was a better picture or just that there was a bigger difference between Panasonic's Ultra HD and upscaled Blu-ray. The merits of the televisions is also a factor. It's tough to pass judgement without getting both Ultra HD Blu-ray players in the same room and hooked up to the same TV  an HDR-capable LG Ultra HD OLED would be sweet  to compare apples with apples and remove as many variables as possible. I'm hoping to do this in the next few months, but until September it's a moot point as right now Samsung is the only show in town when it comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray players.
'This is the worst it's ever been'

A makeshift camp established by the homeless in the City Square continues to be occupied by about 20 people, who have set up cooking facilities and show no sign of moving.

And police on Sunday said they had no intention of asking the group to leave the corner of Collins and Swanston streets, saying it was a matter for Melbourne City Council and the state government's parks officers.

"It's not our job," said a police spokeswoman on Sunday, after being asked if there was a plan to move the group. "It's [Parks Victoria] and Melbourne City Council. Police will just be monitoring any breaches."
The Kent and Burke Company was a cattle company that began operations in about 1880 under the name of Kent Cattle Company. Its ranches spanned several counties, the largest being the Kent Ranch in Nance County.

Nance County had been a Pawnee Indian reservation and was not homesteaded. Once the Pawnee Tribe was moved to a reservation in Oklahoma in 1875, the county became the property of the U.S. government. The land was appraised at $2.50 to $6.00 an acre and was ordered to be sold.

A.E. Kent was in the meatpacking industry in Chicago during the Civil War and made his fortune selling meat to the Union Army. He made contracts with land agents to buy land for him in the Nance and Boone county area. Much of the land was bought for $2.50 an acre starting in 1884.

In Nance and Boone counties Kent bought more than 100 quarters, and just as much in Stanton County. The 1,200-acre Kent Ranch was bought about this time. The Kent Ranch was one of Nebraskas largest ranches. It was located 5 miles west of Genoa.

Kents son William went to Yale University and was a classmate of Edward L. Burke I. They became close friends, graduating in 1887. A.E. Kent got sick and asked his son William to take over the land enterprises. In 1889, William Kent asked Burke to go to Nebraska and manage the land investments. He agreed, and this was the beginning of a partnership that would last for three generations. William went to California where he became a U.S. congressman, and Ed went to Genoa where he spent the next 23 years managing the ranches.

There was little or no local market for grain in those days and Ed Burke thought he saw an opportunity to make money feeding it to cattle and hogs. In 1889, he began building up an extensive cattle- and hog-feeding business, which became one of the largest in the state.

By 1900, Burke had developed eight ranches, scattered from Silver Creek to Cotton Wood Creek in the west end of Nance County, and was feeding and grazing 7,000 to 8,000 cattle and several thousand hogs each year. These distances do not seem great today, but in the days of the team and buggy, they were considerable. The long drives had to be made during summer and winter, rain or snow, and many times in sub-zero weather, with nothing but a soapstone and buffalo robe for warmth in the open buggy.

Grain elevators, scales, large corncribs and feedlots were built at all the feeding plants, and water systems were also developed. It was not unusual for a farmer to haul a 50-bushel wagonload of corn from 5 to 10 miles in those days for $10. In the winter, farmers south of the Loup River often hauled corn across the ice, when thick enough, to the Kent Ranch or Merchiston Ranch. At the North Silver Creek Ranch it was a common sight as late as the 1920s to see 15 or 20 wagonloads of corn lined up waiting to be weighed and dumped.

In those days, many Texas Longhorns and other breeds with varying degrees of Longhorn blood were handled and fed on the ranches. They were often brought in by the trainload. Sometimes they were wild and had to be driven from the railroad stockyards to the ranch feed lots, often through town. This was no easy feat, even for the good cow horses and men of those days. When a string of Longhorn steers came down the street, people scattered in all directions.

One particularly difficult drive was from the railroad yards in Silver Creek to the ranch south of the Platte River. The cattle had to cross a rickety, one-way wooden bridge, three-quarters of a mile long. The experience was often hair-raising. Quoting from a letter written by Edward L. Burke in April 1899: We got seven loads of steers shipped in good shape from the Moore place. Its always a relief to get them safely across that Platte River bridge 3/4 of a mile long. They are bound to go on the dead run, and you never know whether they will crowd and break through into the river or not. It makes it quite exciting!

The Kent and Burke Company feedlots were some of the first in the state to use silage in large quantities, as early as 1908 or 1909. Large crews had to be assembled at silo filling time, in early September. The corn was first cut with horse-drawn binders, then the bundles picked up and hauled on flat racks to the cutter. The cutter was run by a steam engine, such as was used to run a threshing machine. In all, it required about 22 men, 16 teams of horses and the steam engine.

Young farmers coming into the country in those days nearly always bought their land on a contract, with a small down payment. In January 1879, Ed Burke wrote to his partner: Just now we are being swamped with damaged corn, at from 8 to 10 cents per bushel, and the poor farmers are simply in despair to know how they are going to pay interest, taxes and exist! During the years Ed Burke had acquired a substantial interest in the business, and when it was incorporated in 1910, he was able to acquire half of the stock. In 1912, Burke moved to Omaha with his family and opened an office there. He continued to supervise the Kent and Burke Company operation as well as look after his other interests. Kent and Burke Company bought Genoa National Bank in 1903.

During World War I, the feeding business was highly profitable, as was all farming. However, 1920 saw one of the worst agricultural deflations in history, and most of the farmers and feeders lost more than what they had accumulated during the war years. Kent and Burke Company was no exception.

In a very short time, wheat went from $3 per bushel to less than $1, and corn from $2.50 to 50 cents. Cattle and hogs went off almost as much, percentage-wise. Conditions improved some by the mid-1920s.

Ed Burke died quite suddenly in 1926 at age 62. In California, William Kent passed away in 1928; so the management of the business was left to Wm. Kent Jr. and E. L. (Ned) Burke Jr. Ned Burke came to Genoa in 1927, and took over management of the business in 1928 when F.E. Mullin went to Denver to become secretary of the American National Cattlemens Association.

The Kent interests were anxious to liquidate the business, as the returns over the years on the investment had hardly been adequate. They began to sell off the land, and most of the outlying farms were sold before the drought and depression of the 1930s began.

With no crop production, Kent and Burke Company reduced feeding operations to a bare minimum and rented some of their ranches. They were able to pull through, and when better times came in the 1940s they resumed operations on a somewhat reduced scale, and sold more of the property. The next 15 years saw a revolutionary change in farming and feeding methods. Good roads, the large truck, modern machinery, scientific advancement and, above all, the high cost of labor changed everything.

In 1946, Stanley Pilakowski and his son Bob bought the Kent ranch from Kent and Burke Company. Some parcels of land were sold off the ranch before they bought it. The ranch has two houses on it. The small house was for the ranch manager and the large bunkhouse for the cowboys and other help the ranch needed. Both are still there. Today, Ken Pilakowski farms the property with his son Jason and they have a large herd of cattle.

My experiences at the Kent ranch and with the Pilakowski family go back to 1950. Stanley hired me in the winter of 1950 to help his son Bob with the farm work and chores. I was just out of high school and this was my first job. My wage was $3 a day plus room and board. I didnt have a car, so to get to Genoa I would walk 5 miles. I didnt get to town very often.

With more than 100 head of stock cows plus feedlot cattle, butcher hogs and farrowing sows, we never ran out of work. After milking the cows, the hog and cattle chores were next. The cattle chores consisted of harnessing a team of horses, hooking them to a wagon and filling it with silage from the upright silo, then driving it to the feed bunks and unloading it by hand. Then another team was harnessed and hooked up to hayracks. Weather permitting, we would go to the south meadow, (now the sand plant) or north for alfalfa.

Bob told me that the horse barn was built out of local oak lumber. The deep ravines on the ranch had large tall oak trees, hundreds of years old. The ranches also had their own sawmill. There are many large, hatchet-sharpened oak pegs that hold the bracing on the barn together. The rest of the barn is nailed with square nails. The barn had 10 stalls for 20 horses and a pen for the stallion with iron bars. There were also saddle horses for the cowboys in the barn. In the mid-1960s Bob built a long barn on the south side of the road.

The elevator was built for 50 bushel wagons, which is what a team of horses pulled. As the silo and elevator became obsolete they were dismantled. The Kent ranch had a railroad siding and stockyards to unload new cattle coming to the ranch and loading finished cattle and hogs going to markets in Omaha and Chicago.

In 1958, Loup Public Power District used the right of eminent domain to purchase the ranch property south of the Union Pacific tracks. They needed it to pump sand out of the canal settling basin. The sand had been pumped to the south side back into the river since the canals beginning, causing problems in the river. Today, the huge sand pile created by Loup Power is being sold for fracking sand by Preferred Sands of Genoa, which sits on former Kent land.

The Merchiston Ranch was sold in 1950. The Genoa Ranch was south of Genoa, bordering the city limits. The Valley View Cemetery was taken out of the southwest corner of the ranch. The Burkes last fed cattle at this ranch in the late 1950s and sold it in 1990.

Ed Burke graduated from Stanford University. After serving in the Navy he worked at the Bank of California in San Francisco. In 1968, Ed and his wife Anne returned to Genoa. He served as executive vice president at Genoa National Bank and later as president.

Ed passed away in 2015 and Anne still lives on a 4,000-acre ranch that was once part of Kent and Burke Company land holdings. It is southeast of Genoa and was originally called the Platte County Ranch.

Their son Tim has a cow-calf operation called Burke Cattle. His children, Cody and Morgan, entered their livestock in many international shows winning many awards and helping to pay for their college educations. Tim Burke sells bulls every year and has a large heifer and bred cow sale every fall at the ranch.

In summarizing Kent and Burke Companys many years of experience in the cattle-feeding business in Nebraska, at least one conclusion can be drawn: the results from year to year can no more be predicted than the changeable Nebraska weather, and to succeed one must not only have the ability to absorb a great deal of punishment, but also, possess a large store of optimism. The saying goes that all long-time cattle feeders have to be chronic optimists.

Parts reprinted with permission from the "Genoa Centennial Book" by Louise Berlin. Thanks to the Burke family and Ken Pilakowski for information for this article.
An arson attack at a northern Melbourne home may have been a case of mistaken identity, police say.

A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the front window of a ground floor unit in Pascoe Vale just after 10.30pm on Saturday night, a police spokeswoman said.

A northern Melbourne home has been targeted in a Molotov cocktail attack.

Kamal Akisetty was the only person inside the Austin Crescent address at the time but he was not injured.

Firefighters managed to quickly put out the fire, which caused minor damage to the brick exterior of the building.
A man has been arrested after menacing several shopkeepers and customers in Melbourne's north and allegedly assaulting at least six people, including two police officers.

Police say the man abused and assaulted several people in a store on Bell Street in Pascoe Vale South on Saturday night.

Police arrested a 28-year-old and laid 16 charges. Credit:Paul Rovere

Investigators have been told he assaulted a woman and attempted to steal her handbag before leaving the store and heading to a nearby fast food restaurant.

There, he allegedly assaulted three staff members and damaged property, terrifying the restaurant's customers.
Who did it best: Cast your vote for the high school football player of the week

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TransCanada Corp. plans to dig up and replace sections of its Keystone pipeline found to not meet federal strength standards so the company can begin pumping oil at higher pressure.

Work, slated to begin this month and extend through 2017, will happen in Platte, Colfax, Stanton and Cedar counties, as well as South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. The 30-inch pipeline first went into operation in June 2010.

Most oil pipelines in the United States, including Keystone, operate at 72 percent of the minimum pressure that could cause a deformation in the system, which is known as specified minimum yield strength.

TransCanada in 2007 got permission to run its Keystone pipeline at 80 percent, in mostly rural areas, but with a laundry list of safety specifications and conditions. TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said in an email that running at the higher pressure allows us to be more efficient with our operations to meet customer expectations and demands.

And it could mean more money for TransCanada, said Richard Kuprewicz, president of the independent pipeline industry consulting company Accufacts Inc.

They can run it at higher flows, and higher flows means more profit, Kuprewicz said.

There was a pipeline boom going on when the Keystone was being constructed in the mid to late 2000s. At the same time, commodity metal prices spiked.

During the boom, several newly constructed pipelines failed stress tests. An investigation by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of seven pipelines found that between 2007 and 2009 a number of pipe mills made substandard steel pipe for pipeline companies.

Those pipes failed to meet government strength standards and could potentially deform under stress causing a leak.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an advisory warning pipeline companies of the defective materials. A report by the nonprofit watchdog group Plains Justice detailed the federal investigation and criticized the Pipeline Safety Administration for not doing enough to address the issue.

After building the Keystone, TransCanada did an in-line inspection that found the pipeline to be safe but did identify some areas that would need to be replaced based on post-construction guidelines for low yield strength, Cunha said. The work has to be done before TransCanada could begin running the Keystone at the higher operating pressure.

The sections of the pipeline to be replaced range from 9 to 40 feet long. The Keystone will be shut down for short periods, typically 24 hours and no more than twice in a four-week period, for work to be done.

TransCanada is working closely with its contracted shippers to minimize the impact to capacity during this maintenance work, Cunha said.
Shaheed El Hafed, May 15, 2016 (SPS) - Minister of National Defense, Lehbib Abdellahi met, on Saturday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, with Deputy Executive Secretary of the North African Regional Capacity (NARC), Ali Mohamed Niab.

The meeting was attended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Sahrawi National Liberation Army and NARC.

The two sides discussed ways to strengthen the African force and the potential role of the Sahrawi Republic in its capacity as a founding member of the African Union.

Mr. Naib expressed his satisfaction at the will and intent given by the Sahrawi Republic to peacekeeping issues and the rehabilitation of Sahrawi military executives in this field.

The NARC Deputy Executive Secretary began last week a working visit to the Sahrawi forces in the African Capacity. (SPS)

062/090/TRA




T ributes have been paid to a semi-retired nurse described as a real gentleman who was stabbed to death at a mental health hospital in south London.

Semi-retired Patrick Clarke was killed at Southleigh Community Hospital in Croydon on Thursday.

The 68-year-old, from Caterham, is believed to have been filling in at the private medical facility because it was short staffed.

Neighbour Richard Gould, 71, said: "It is tragic. I knew him as a neighbour to say hello to and chat over the fence.

"He was a really nice, kind man. A very gentle man - a real gentleman.

"He was retired, he would just stand in occasionally when they were short staffed."

On Sunday afternoon friends of Mr Clarke arrived at the bungalow he shared with his wife Shirley to drop off a bunch of red flowers.

His family declined to talk about his death.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Clarke was killed by a stab wound to the chest.

A spokesman for the hospital, a private facility that provides treatment and rehabilitation for adults with long-term mental health problems, said: "We are greatly saddened to confirm that a member of staff lost his life following an incident in the hospital.

"Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues. He was a valued and respected member of staff who will be deeply missed."

A 40-year-old man has been charged with Mr Clarke's murder.

Jimmy Jedson, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, will appear in custody at Bromley Magistrates' Court on Monday.
A 13-year-old boy has been shot during a double gun attack in east London.

Medics rushed the teenager to hospital after he was found with gunshot wounds to his leg at the scene in Hackney late on Saturday night.

A 20-year-old man was also shot in the shoulder during the gun fight and made his own way to hospital, police said.

Firearms officers rushed to the scene in Stellman Close after being called to reports of shots fired at about 11.30pm.

Both victims remain at an east London hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening or life-changing.

The double shooting is the fourth in a spate of gun attacks across the capital in just a matter of days.

A murder investigation was launched after a young man was shot dead in Leyton in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Two attacks on Thursday left four victims critically and seriously injured in Forest Hill and Brixton.

Last night, the London Ambulance Service Joint Response Unit tweeted: Another quick response with @MPSHackney to a firearms call. Pt treated for gunshot wounds. A&E as a priority.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Detectives from the Trident and Area Crime Command are investigating.

No arrests have been made and enquires continue.
A US air marshal has reportedly been removed from a passenger jet at Heathrow after he was found to be intoxicated.

The man, who was said to be armed with his service weapon, was briefly detained by Metropolitan Police officers before being released without charge.

Police were called to a Los Angeles-bound plane at Terminal 2 on Monday, after a United Airlines captain claimed a man was trying to board the Boeing 777-200 aircraft while under the influence of alcohol.

Transatlantic flight 935, which was delayed by two hours due to the incident, was carrying up to 269 passengers on board at the time.

A police spokesman told the Standard the man was breathalysed and arrested, but was later released with no further action.

The spokesman said he could not confirm whether the man was a US marshal.

Air marshals are banned from consuming any alcohol four hours before a non-mission flight and eight hours before a mission flight.

A Met Police spokesman said: "On Monday, May 9 police were called at around 12:25hrs following concerns by the captain of a flight due to leave Heathrow for Los Angeles that a person trying to board was under the influence of alcohol.

"Officer attended and breathalysed a man, and he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being over the prescribed limit.

"The man was taken into custody at Heathrow Police Station but released shortly after with no further action."

The Standard has contacted the TSA and United Airlines for comment.
A Catholic priest accused of historical sex offences at a London school has been arrested in Kosovo after five years on the run.

Father Laurence Soper was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant over allegations of child abuse dating back to when he taught at St Benedict's School, a private independent Catholic school which is part of Ealing Abbey in west London.

In March 2011, Fr Soper was believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome and was due to return to London to answer bail.

But he failed to show up, sparking an international search.

After more than five years evading officials, he was arrested in Kosovo on Wednesday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We are aware of the arrest and we are liaising with the relevant authorities."

In June 2010 the Met said a man, then in his 40s, made an historical allegation of sexual assault relating to his time at the school.

Fr Soper, in his mid-70s, was arrested in September that year on suspicion of historical sexual assault, and bailed to return to a west London police station pending further inquiries but failed to appear.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Our Embassy is providing assistance following the arrest of a British national in Peja, Kosovo on Wednesday 11 May."
A man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a pensioner in her own home.

The woman, who is in her 70s, was attacked just before 8am in Wednesday after a man forced his way into her home in Russell Hill Road, Purley.

The victim had noticed the man at her front door, and when she opened it he used his foot to force the door open before barging into her house.

A man has been arrested after a pensioner was in her home.

The woman, who is in her 70s, was attacked just before 8am in Wednesday after a man forced his way into her home in Purley.

The victim had noticed the man at her front door, and when she opened it he used his foot to force the door open and barge into her house.

He then assaulted and raped her. His victim suffered bruising to her face.

The attacker fled after the attack as the elderly woman called the emergency services.

A 46-year-old man was arrested last night on suspicion of rape and this morning he was being held at a south London police station.

Detectives from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command are continuing to investigate the incident

The woman described her attacker as a white man who was about 5ft 8ins tall with short brown hair. He spoke with what was possibly a Scottish accent and had a tattoo or a mark on his neck and a tattoo on the left side of his chest, which was described as circular.

Detective Inspector Keith Ward said: "Specially trained detectives have been deployed and are supporting the woman whilst she continues to bravely provide the investigation with vital information.

"Detectives are working around the clock and are carrying out door-to-door enquiries, gathering CCTV and speaking to anyone who was in the area at the time, to see if they saw or heard anything suspicious.

"We are totally alive to the fact that an incident like this will cause alarm to people living in the area, and I would like to provide as much reassurance as I can that detectives are doing everything we can to arrest the suspect.

"We ask that anyone who recognises the suspect description contact us as a matter of urgency.

"For anyone worried about doing this, I would reassure them that they will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and there are ways and means that innocent people put to us can be eliminated from our enquiries."

Police are asking anyone with information to call them on 020 8721 4106; or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A man was rushed to hospital with a head injury after a fight broke out between a group of men in an east London street.

Police were called to Devons Road, E3 just before 9pm last night, after receiving reports of altercation.

The brawl broke broke out at the junction of Gale Street, where a witness reported seeing broken glass on the floor in the aftermath.

One man was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, which police said are not life-threatening.

A police spokesman said no arrests had been made and enquiries into the incident were continuing.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact police on 101.
T his is the first picture of the nurse who was stabbed to death at a south London mental health facility.

Police were called by London Ambulance Service just after 2.30pm on Thursday after Patrick Clarke, 68, was attacked at the Southleigh Community Hospital in south Croydon.

Mr Clarke, from Caterham, worked at the private medical facility, in Brighton Road.

A post-mortem examination at Croydon Mortuary yesterday gave his cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.

A 40-year-old man, Jimmy Jedson, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.

Jedson, of Brighton Road, South Croydon was taken to a south London hospital for treatment to an injured hand.

Yesterday he was discharged from hospital, taken into custody and formally charged with Mr Clarke's murder.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "We are greatly saddened to confirm that a member of staff lost his life following an incident in the hospital.

"Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues. He was a valued and respected member of staff who will be deeply missed."

Jedson will appear in custody at Bromley Magistrates' Court on Monday.
P olice are hunting a man who sexually assaulted a woman on a busy commuter train out of London Bridge station.

Officers from British Transport Police said the man, who assaulted the woman as she travelled between the station and East Croydon, stood out because he was "chewing loudly" as he groped the woman.

The woman had boarded the train on platform 13 at London Bridge, and during the journey she realised that the man stood next to her on the packed train was touching her inappropriately.

In an attempt to stop him she lowered her jacket, which was draped over her arm, making him move his hand.

However, just a minute later he placed his hand under her coat and started to grope her again.

The man, who left the train at East Croydon, is described as a pale-looking Indian man, of small build, who was around 5ft 8in tall and in his mid 30s.

The man had short black cropped hair, and was wearing a light coloured shirt, a light blue tie and a navy blue suit with a black jacket on over the top.

Officers said he was also chewing very loudly, which made him stand out.

The incident happened on Wednesday, April 27 between 6.42pm and 6.58pm, and police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

PC Mark Luker said: The victim was shocked and deeply afraid by these actions. When the train pulled into East Croydon the man alighted.

"I am keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have information. I am pleased that the woman had the confidence to report the incident.

Anyone with information can contact police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference 224 13/05/2016.
P olice are searching for a Good Samaritan who stepped in to help talk a vulnerable woman down from a railway bridge in south London.

The unknown man assisted two police officers in helping to save the womans life after she threatened to jump from the bridge in Barnes.

PCs Dan Reynolds and Emma Veljovic were searching for the missing woman after fearing that she would try to take her own life last Sunday.

Police said the passerby rushed to help the woman after hearing her shout out from the bridge.

Officers had called the woman on her mobile phone to try to talk her to safety, but too upset to speak, she passed the phone to the man who was trying to help.

He guided the officers to the womans location and all three helped to talk her down from the bridge.

PC Veljovic said "A member of public heard her call for help and we managed to speak to him. A short time later we found the female sitting on a ledge directly above the railway lines.

"Having already built up a rapport with her over the phone, we were able to talk her down.

Inspector Paul Maginnis said: Both officers showed great initiative in trying to locate and build a relationship with the woman who was in some considerable distress and very vulnerable.

Wed also like to thank the passerby, who undoubtedly was instrumental in helping the lady. Unfortunately, he left the scene before the officers were able to get his details or even say thank you.

If you are that passerby, or you know who he is, please get in touch so we can say thanks.

Are you the mystery Good Samaritan? Email hatty.collier@standard.co.uk or contact Wandsworth borough police via its Facebook page.
A takeaway worker has suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone and cut across the face after being attacked by a man with a knife in a south London chicken shop last night.

The victim, a member of staff from Chicago Pizza & Fried Chicken in South Lambeth Road, was set upon just after 11.30pm last night.

Police officers and London Ambulance Service attended and a man, believed to be aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries, which police said are not life threatening.

The victim was attacked by a man who was in possession of a knife inside the Lambeth takeaway.

A 35-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of GBH and possession of an offensive weapon.

He remained in custody at a south London police station this morning and police said enquiries were continuing.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Lambeth CID on 07785 774 447 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
A cyclist has been taken to hospital after a "serious" crash in south London.

The woman was injured in a collision with a car in South Croydon on Sunday afternoon.

She was rushed to a major trauma centre after the accident at the junction of Croham Road and Dornton Road.

Croydon police tweeted: "Dornton Road closed due to a serious road traffic collision.

"Croham Road contra flow in place."

A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 2:24pm to reports of a road traffic collision at Croham Road.

"We sent an ambulance crew to the scene.

"We treated a woman at the scene and took her as a priority to a major trauma centre in South London."

Police remain at the scene.
S outh London business, House of Reeves, that famously burnt down during the London riots is back in business.

Images of the Croydon furniture shop engulfed in flames was one of the most iconic images of the riots in 2011.

Owners Maurice Reeves and Trevor Reeves told London Live that they are continuing to run the 150-year-old business after their main trading site was destroyed  but they are still scarred by the devastation of the fire.

Maurice Reeves said: I was devastated then and I had to sleep that night  I didnt really  and the following morning when I came down here it was horrific.

Im still suffering from it now actually  every time I come here I see the premises which arent there now, and of course Ive spent a lot of my life here.

Weve been here since 1867 and have a lot of expertise and look after our clients. Im very proud of it  and the staff, of course.

Co-owner Trevor Reeves told London Live: When riots go on, youve got people that are completely out of control  no standards, no respect, no nothing.

Youve got this solid family unit thats been around for 150 years saying were going to carry on, everyone has seen what youve done to us, but were going to carry on. And thats a very powerful message.

We have two sites in the area, the site that was burnt down, which was the main trading site. It was completely destroyed and had to be demolished within 48 hours.

The site that we had left was severely damaged  rioters had got inside so things were smashed up, everything was smoke damaged and every single window was broken.

Having made the decision that we were going to continue trading, the first thing to do was to see what we could actually salvage.

We redecorated; we restocked, and just got everything going [again].
B ritains biggest rail operator has used the voice of a ten year-old girl in new safety announcements to increase security following the Brussels terror attack.

Railway workers daughter Izzy, can now be heard on Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express trains in 236 different stations across the country.

Izzy's message asks passengers to look out for unattended items or people acting suspiciously, imploring people to help her mummy and daddy get home safely.

The voice of Izzy, 10, was used for the announcements / Govia Thameslink Railway

Head of security for the four train routes operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Stella Rogers, said they hoped passengers would find it impossible to ignore Izzys childish voice.

She said: The UK is in a heightened sense of security and it is more important than ever after the atrocities in Belgium, for passengers to keep a lookout for abandoned bags and suspicious behaviour.

The announcements we make are so well known they just blend into the background nouse of the station and are ignored.

Izzys childish voice imploring passengers to help her mum and dad get home safely will hopefully make people sit up and take notice.

Izzys messages are currently being broadcast every one in four weeks in the initial trial period across London, Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

In the security message, Izzy says: Please help ensure my mummy and daddy come home from work safely by keeping a lookout for any unattended items or anyone acting suspiciously.

If you see anything, please contact a member of railway staff or a police officer.

GTR are also planning to record more messages using different people to stop them from becoming repetitive.

The security measures are being introduced after 32 people were killed and more than 300 people injured in Isis bomb attacks in Brussels on March 22.
U kraine have won the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in a surprise last-minute victory.

The country came out on top with its contestant Jamala and her song 1944, edging ahead of the competition.

Despite Russia being the bookies favourite to win with Sergey Lazarevs You Are The Only One, Jamala proved hugely popular in the phone vote, dashing ahead at the last moment to claim the top spot.

With a new judging system splitting the announcement of the jury vote and the public vote, Australias Dami Im seemed an initial favourite, receiving 320 points from the jury to take the lead.

But the addition of the public vote moved Ukraine to the #1 spot with an overall score of 534 points, with Australia coming second, and Russia coming third.

Victorious: Ukraine's Jamala celebrates with the trophy after winning the Eurovision Song Contest final with the song '1944' in Stockholm / AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Jamala said her song 1944 is dedicated to her great-grandmother and is reportedly about Stalin, Crimea and claims of ethnic cleansing.

After accepting the Eurovision trophy, she said: "I know that you sing a song about peace and love, but actually, I really want peace and love to everyone."

Thrusting the glass microphone in the air she yelled: "Thank you Europe - welcome to Ukraine."

While it wasnt enough to come anywhere near winning the show, Great Britains act Joe and Jake enjoyed some success, earning far more than the nul points that viewers have come to expect.

The singing duo, who met on The Voice UK, received 54 points from the jury, and an additional 8 points from the phone vote, for an overall score of 62. They even received a full 12 points from Malta.

While Australias entry proved popular, Graham Norton spoke out against the country entering the show earlier this week, saying the contest should get rid of them.

How to throw the ultimate Eurovision party at home 1 /12 How to throw the ultimate Eurovision party at home Just follow these 8 easy steps... JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images Step 1: Set a dress code Dressing in the most awful, Euro-tastic outfits is essential to the night. Wrap yourself in tin foil like Ukraine's act in 2007, use a pot of gel and bottle of hairspray for Jedward or a brunette wig and beard to create the ultimate Conchita look. Or for the more old school guest, go ABBA. The Eurovision is more about the costume than the songs for some, so your party should be too. The wackier the better... Step 2: Flags, Flags and more Flags Decorations are obviously a must, but you dont have to worry, its pretty simple  flags! Flags on doors, walls, windows and even in your food and drinks. Any country that has a space in the grand final deserves a space in your house. Bernard / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock Step 3: Swedish Drinks Only Considering that this years Eurovision is going to be held in Stockholm, it seems only right that Swedish traditions have an invite to your party - so it's time to hit the hard stuff.



Brannvin, or Burn-wine, is a Swedish special liquor distilled from potatoes. Vodka is the purest form of Brannvin, and is usually seasoned with herbs to create an Akvavit. For the real party animals, it can also be drunk as snaps, also known as a nubbe, in a small shot glass alongside a meal. For the less daring maybe, lager beer and sweet cider is also very popular in Sweden. And if you really want to get creative, why not make the Swedish mule cocktail - chin chin! Step 4: Play drinking Games With all these drinks involved, of course there needs to be a Eurovision-themed drinking game? Take a responsible sip every time you see or hear the following...an act wearing sunglasses on stage, when someone says Sweden', there are dancers that have no relevance to the song - whatsoever, there is an act wearing practically nothing, someone is wearing tin foil - again, when the presenter shouts Good Evening and finally, when a country's performance is unusually amusing. Rex Step 5: Party food With people flocking to IKEA in search of its famous Swedish meatballs, why not give it a run for its money with a delicious selection of Swedish party food. We suggest you go heavy on the meatballs and throw in a few cinnamon buns and potato dumplings for good measure. Step 6: Do a sweepstake While watching this gloriously tacky competition, why not engage in a little competition of your own? Organise a sweepstake amongst your guests, choosing one person per country and a pound to enter, with the jackpot as the prize. You can print out the BBC's handy sweepstake kit from here: bbc.co.uk BBC Step 7: Make a playlist Create the ultimate playlist with Eurovision hits from over the years such as, Rise Like a Pheonix (Conchita), Waterloo (Abba), Flying the Flag (Schooch), Congratulations (Cliff Richard), Lipstick (Jedwood) and Just a little bit (Gina G). It's bound to get the party started and keep the mood up during any ad breaks. Olle Lindeborg/AFP/Getty Step 8: Karaoke to end the night It wouldn't be the ultimate Eurovision party without a spot of karaoke after it's all over. Even if it's not your thing, it usually ends up being the funniest and most memorable part of the night. If you really cant wait until the end of the night, why not put the subtitles on the telly or select the sing along version during the contest? You may want to have a few drinks first...

I just do not understand why they are in the Eurovision Song Contest. Get rid of Australia, Norton said to The Sun.

I know some countries arent technically in Europe but, come on  Australia is on the other side of world.

Every UK Eurovision entry since 1957.mp4

People go, Oh you are so anti-Australia. Ive got nothing against Australia. I just think it is kind of stupid.

With Ukraines victory, it seems Kiev will be the next city to host the contest.

BBC One, Saturday
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The gender pay gap is a persistent phenomenon, research shows, affecting women ranging from young female college graduates to mid-career mothers to groups of top executives.

But look at the pay packages for the small group of women who are CEOs of the largest public corporations, and youll find something a little different: Female CEOs appear to be keeping pace  if not out-earning  their peers.

Experts, however, caution that the strong showing may be due to the fact that relatively few female CEOs are running top companies.

Women at the 100 largest of those companies earned an average of $22.7 million, compared to $14.9 million for the men, according to an analysis released this month by Equilar, the executive compensation research firm.

To conduct its findings, Equilar looked at the 100 largest companies by revenue that had filed their proxy statements by April 1. Of those, eight companies were led by women, and six of them received a pay increase in 2015, according to the analysis.

This is pretty consistent with what weve seen last year as well, said Dan Marcec, Equilars director of content. Obviously, its a much smaller sample size, but the top-paid females tend to be paid pretty high.

Expand the group to the broader Standard & Poors 500-stock index, meanwhile, and one finds a similar trend. There are 24 current female CEOs among those 500 companies, according to data provided by S&P Capital IQ. One of them, Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub, was just named to the job in April, so she was excluded from the wider analysis.

Among the remaining 23 women, the median pay package was valued at roughly $13 million for their most recent fiscal year, according to an analysis of data from the filings. That median is actually higher than the roughly $11 million median pay package received by their male peers. The figure for the men is based on a review of the pay packages going to more than 300 CEOs in the S&P 500, an analysis conducted by ISS Corporate Solutions, a subsidiary of proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services that provides research to companies.

A few notes about the analyses: They rely on totals from the summary compensation tables outlined in company filings, a commonly used figure in pay comparisons that represents the value of the pay package when it is granted and assumes companies meet their performance targets, even though CEOs may not be eligible for some of the included stock grants until future years. However, changes in pension values were excluded from those figures, since the calculation doesnt reflect the active decisions boards make each year. Two of the female CEOs, Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz and Campbell Soup Co. CEO Denise Morrison, lead companies that dont report their annual data during the traditional spring proxy season, so we examined their most recently reported totals.

Some pay experts were surprised by the results. Ill be honest, when I ran the numbers, I went in and double-checked them, said Eric Hoffman, vice president of information services at Farient Advisors, an executive pay consulting firm. The narrative is females make less than males. While thats true across the board, when you start to look at CEOs, the dynamic changes a little bit.

The small sample size likely plays a role. With just 23 women in the group, any average is going to be skewed by especially large salary packages, such as Oracle co-CEO Safra Catzs, which was valued at $53.2 million for Oracles most recent fiscal year.

Meanwhile, some research has shown that CEOs recruited from the outside get paid more than those groomed through the ranks, and female CEOs tend to be recruited from the outside more often than men. But that doesnt appear to explain the data here: While there are examples of high-profile women who were recruited to the job  such as Yahoos Marissa Mayer, whose 2015 package was valued at nearly $36 million  the majority of the current female CEOs were appointed from the inside, with several having long careers at the companies they now lead. (Its worth noting that $36 million figure reflects accounting and SEC rules for how pay packages are valued; Mayers actual earned compensation for 2015, Yahoos filing states, was a relatively smaller $13.9 million because 2015 performance fell short of the rigorous annual financial goals we set.)

Pay experts say the most likely explanation for the relatively strong showing by women is that they tended to lead some of the largest companies. Annual revenues are one of the biggest drivers in executive pay, they say. Eight of the 23 executives at S&P 500 companies fall within the top 100, and 15 of the 23 fall in the top half.

At this level, gender is less likely to figure in a boards calculations, said Hoffmann. Its certainly possible that in order to get to the CEO role, maybe these women have to be twice as smart and twice as good, and therefore they earn more, he said. But he notes that boards of big companies tend to set pay levels for CEOs based on market data and peer groups that theyre targeting irrespective of gender.

That female CEOs appear to be keeping pace with  and in some cases, even exceeding  their male peers, does not mean there isnt a gender gap in the executive suite, however. A study last year by an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for instance, found that among top executives  not only CEOs, but chief financial officers, chief operating officers, presidents and vice chairs  the median woman in the study earned 14 percent less than her male peer. Much of that gap, the study found, can be explained by women receiving less incentive pay, bonuses and stock options or grants than their male peers.

Even then, the biggest divide at the top of corporate America isnt the pay gap, but the position gap. With only 24 women running S&P 500 companies, just under 5 percent of its CEOs are women. According to the nonprofit research firm Catalyst, just 19 percent of board seats and 25 percent of senior level managers are women. In other words, it could be a long time before that sample size issue goes away.
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

Jacob Curtis had an unusual start to what has been an extraordinary career in the Air Force Reserves. Coming from a military family, both parents served, his plan was to go into the National Guard out of high school. He would do his one weekend a month and two weeks each summer to get his college paid for. He graduated from O'Fallon High early, in December 2001. Curtis was scheduled to swear in on Sept. 15, 2001 and participate in the guard's student flight to get him ready for basic training.

Then, Sept. 11 happened. In the aftermath, Curtis didn't hear from his recruiter. His dad finally tracked him down and the recruiter, Sgt. Curtis Thompson, had been pressed into logistics duty and had been working long hours due to the attacks.

Thompson called Curtis and told him enlistments had been put on hold, but was encouraged by his enthusiasm. "He said 'I'm very happy you still want to enlist, because with everything that's happened we've had over 50 percent of the people cancel their enlistment,'" Curtis said. "Which made me sad because I feel that that's the time that people would want to step up and help."

Thompson agreed to come by Curtis's house after work to swear him in. When he arrived, an American Flag flew in front of the Curtis home. Curtis's dad, a retired Air Force Officer, did the oath of enlistment. "I swore into the Air National Guard at that point," Curtis said. "Not a lot of people get sworn in on their front yard by their dad. It was kind of neat."

Curtis enlisted in the security forces, the Air Force version of military police. He reported to the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base after completing basic training. His first deployment came in 2006 and he spent four months on an island in the Indian Ocean guarding nuclear aircrafts.

Curtis volunteered for the next deployment to Iraq. "My philosophy is, if I don't go then somebody else has to go and I don't want to put another person in that position," Curtis said. The deployment moved up his wedding date with his bride, Melanie. What he didn't know is that it was an ILO mission, meaning in lieu of. The Army was so short-staffed that they needed security help at a Forward Operating Base internment camp, where various al-Qaeda fighters were held. Curtis patrolled in Humvees and worked in a tower for seven months.

After his return, Curtis eventually was hired for a full-time position with the 126th Air Refueling Wing. "We are the minute men, civilian soldiers ready to go at any time," Curtis said. "Being a part of that legacy, but being able to wear the uniform every day is one of the most fulfilling things I can have."

Curtis was able to earn his bachelor's in Business Administration from McKendree and a Criminal Justice degree from the Community College of the Air Force before being deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He was assigned to Bagram Airfield, which was attacked by insurgents on Sept. 10, 2011. They took over 15 rockets in an 8-hour period. The first rocket flew right over his sector. "It was the loudest whistle I've ever heard," Curtis said.

The rocket hit a building that was the entry point for all of the nationals who were contractors that worked at the airfield. Two nationals and an interpreter were killed instantly. Curtis made his way into the building and found a contractor named Morkazza mumbling and crying in his native Bhari. "I think he's just stunned so let's get him out of there," Curtis said. "I shuffled him to get him to move and he starts screaming and I look down and I notice blood just soaking his pants leg."

Curtis and a fellow sergeant got a tourniquet wrapped around the leg. After cutting away Morkazza's pant leg, they realized he had a compound fracture that had severed his femoral artery and it was spurting blood. "You could see the paleness kicking in and he's definitely going into shock," Curtis said. Curtis applied pressure to the wound. Luckily, EMT's arrived shortly thereafter and got Morkazza to the hospital.

They found out later that he survived after being revived twice in the ambulance. "Without that tourniquet and bandage, he definitely would have bled out and died for sure," Curtis said. "But since all of us collectively worked together, we were able to save his life."

Curtis was recognized by the 126th as the NCO of the Year for the entire wing. He was then named Outstanding NCO of the Year for Illinois in 2012. That put him in a pool of 54 candidates from each state and various territories for NCO of the Year for the entire National Guard. Curtis became the first person from Illinois to win that honor.

Curtis and his wife were flown to Washington D.C. where they went on numerous tours and had a one hour lunch with the director of the National Guard. Curtis was recognized on the U.S. House floor by Congressman Jerry Costello. "It's not one individual that does any of this, it's always the group, it's the team 100 percent," Curtis said. "And I could not do or be where I needed to be without somebody else being where they needed to be at the same time."

He just celebrated his 9-year anniversary with Melanie and they have 14-month-old twins, a boy and a girl. Curtis, 36, was just promoted to Master Sergeant and is currently working with the 126th Communications Squadron. His military career certainly didn't go as planned, but he wouldn't change a second of it. "I was able to meet people that I never thought I would know," Curtis said. "The 126th Security Forces Squad shaped who I am without a doubt, same with my parents."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

The Producer commands the entire art studio at Fontbonne University. The sculpture has been Scott Beaty's baby for a year, his thesis as he finishes up his master's degree. The sculpture of a muscular man stands at over six feet tall. "He's carrying the gyro compass of mankind," Beaty explained. "He's going to be struggling, fighting to hold the direction of mankind. The I-Beam he's standing on is the foundation of the 9-11 cross. His right foot will be on a sewer lid that says 'Manhattan.' There will be rats fighting over food in [a] sewer lid, symbolizing the lower and middle class."

The sewer lid is the exact same size as the hatch Beaty would have to crawl out of to come to the outside world during his 20 years as a submariner. He spent 80 percent of his 20 year career under water on top secret missions at the height of the Cold War. Beaty has been to 48 different ports and has been under the North Pole more than a dozen times.

The Producer is personal for Beaty, who officially retired on Sept. 11, 2001. He was literally getting his retirement pictures taken when the second plane flew into Tower No. 2 at the World Trade Center. "I immediately ran, took my uniform off and I ran up to the security desk and I asked, 'What can I do?'" Beaty said. "And they said, 'Nothing. You're retired. Go home.'"

For somebody as mission-oriented as Beaty was, that answer was hard to take. The Producer symbolizes the chaotic world Beaty was thrust into. He struggled with alcohol and drugs after knee injuries he suffered during his service rendered him disabled. He lost his family and returned to his native St. Louis, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Through the V.A.'s vocational rehab program, Beaty went back to school. At Fontbonne, he found himself again as an artist. "The art provides an amazing sense of healing, and amazing peace amid turmoil," Beaty said. "I'm still suffering some forms of PTSD, I'm just not diagnosed, and the only peace I could find in my life was coming in and doing my artwork, spending hundreds and thousands of hours creating artwork."

Beaty started working with Stephen Otter, a former Navy Seal and a well-known stone carver. Otter suffered from severe PTSD. "You take these guys that did unbelievable things and they come back with PTSD and they're fragile as hell," Beaty said. "Not a single second of their life is there any peace because they don't feel safe. They always feel that someone is around the corner waiting to shoot and kill them. They never relax at all and they are falling apart because they don't fit into society."

Beaty entered some of his pieces in the Veterans Creative Arts Festival, a nationwide festival through the V.A. He took first in two categories and was flown to Reno, NV. It was there where Visions for Vets came together. "You start creating artwork and the rest of the world goes away, because there's no limit to art," Beaty said. "It's the only thing you can do that reaches that high level of achievement that war brings you."

The program has been around for two years, spread mainly through word of mouth. Every Friday night and Saturday morning, more than 20 veterans, spanning multiple generations, get together for home-cooked food and art. Age, race or gender doesn't matter. They all share a common bond. "No vet that knows [more] about sadness and love than [a] soldier laying in trench waiting to die and calling out to his mother or kids," Beaty said. "Or that monster that's eating him alive inside and waiting to get out. By creating artwork you're able to revisit those, but you're able to regrasp it and put it into artwork. This is where we realized that there is an amazing healing power in art."

One man had literally not left his house for 20 years. Now he is extremely sociable with the support of Visions for Vets. There's a blind Korean War veteran who rides the bus from Alton, IL, for three hours to get to Fontbonne on Fridays nights just to sit for three hours doing art with his fellow veterans. Then another three hours on the way home. With an average of 22 veterans committing suicide each day, programs like Visions for Vets can be the difference between life and death. "One of the things we'll say is, 'We'll see you next week buddy,'" Beaty said. "And that promise means a lot to a veteran. They may not do much, but it keeps them socializing and it keeps them being part of the real world."

Beaty hopes to eventually include art disciplines such as wood carving, metal glass blowing and photography. He's also looking for transportation help. "One biggest issue - a lot of vets are home bound," Beaty said. "They can't make it to Visions for Vets, but they're the ones who need it the most."

All veterans are welcomed. Visit www.facebook.com/VisionsforVets for more information or simply show up at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Building on Fridays at 6 p.m. or Saturdays at 8 a.m.

The ultimate goal is to use the program to help veterans find jobs. Beaty would also like to eventually put together a monument team that would travel and honor veterans by creating sculptures. "There are destroyers in this world and there are creators in this world and we all choose what we want to be," Beaty said.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger 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

For Peter Van Pelt and many Europeans like him, honoring fallen American soldiers who died on foreign soil while defeating Hitlers Third Reich is a lifelong quest.

It is important for us Europeans to honor those people who gave their lives in the Second World War for our freedom, says Van Pelt, who lives in a small town near Antwerp, Belgium.

Honoring such veterans has become personal for Van Pelt the past few years.

It started in 2013, when he found the long lost dog tags of Frank H. Norton Jr., an American G.I., who was killed in action Jan. 6, 1945, in Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.

Van Pelt wanted to get the dog tags back to Nortons family. After about a month of phone calls and emails, he found relatives of Nortons in Georgia and made arrangements for them to receive the fallen soldiers belongings.

Van Pelt wrote a Facebook post about his quest, and it was that item that eventually led Diana Wijnsma to me. Earlier this year, Wijnsmas boyfriend, Wietze Jorritsma, and his father, found the dog tags of fallen American soldier Pfc. Harlan L. Herrscher.

Like Van Pelt, Jorritsma enjoys searching for treasure with a metal detector during his spare time. In both Nortons case and Herrschers, it was this hobby that led to their dog tags being found.

Herrscher grew up in the Bevo Mill neighborhood of St. Louis, where he and his cousins all graduated from Cleveland High School. His parents are deceased and he has no brothers or sisters. Herrscher survived the Battle of the Bulge, but died April 15, 1945, from wounds suffered when a booby-trapped German Luger went off. He is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

When Wijnsma and Jorritsma struggled to find any information about Herrschers relatives, they came across Van Pelts Facebook post. The Belgian put them in touch with a U.S. history professor in Australia, Peter Schrijvers, who wrote The Margraten Boys, a book about how the people of the Netherlands take such pride in the American cemetery they oversee.

Scrijvers emailed the Post-Dispatch and I tracked down Herrschers cousins, Rick and Bart, who both live in Texas. Within a couple of weeks, the dog tags had been returned.

Harlans parents and Rick and Barts parents shared a house on Beethoven Avenue when the boys were young.

After I wrote about Herrscher, Van Pelt emailed me and asked if I would send him a photo of the young soldier from St. Louis.

The photo came from the Carondelet Historical Society, which has framed photos of veterans from the area lining its walls. On May 3, Van Pelt put the photo to good use.

He went back to Margraten and attached it to a stand next to Herrschers grave. It was part of a program the cemetery started a year ago called The Faces of Margraten. The goal is to attach as many photos as possible to the grave sites of the more than 10,000 American soldiers buried there.

Each name, a face, Van Pelt said. Thats the idea behind it.

So far, in the first two years of the program, about 4,000 photos of the fallen have been found.

Van Pelt visits the cemetery several times a year, but this time was special, he said.

It was, he said, an emotional visit to Harlans grave and that of his brothers in arms who will be forever in our minds.

The visit brought Harlan Herschers story full circle.

His dog tags were returned from the Netherlands to his family, and his photo now adorns the overseas grave that is visited by thousands a year.

One of the reasons the Margraten cemetery is such a treasure is because families from the Netherlands, and other neighbors like Van Pelt, adopt individual grave sites and visit each year to take care of them as though the soldier had been a member of their own family.

Harlan Herrscher grew up in a blue-collar south St. Louis family. He joined the Army at 18 and went to war, earning a Purple Heart before he gave his life for a cause larger than himself.

His adopted family honors his humble beginning by keeping Herrschers story alive.
LONEDELL  A woman is dead after the SUV she was riding in veered off Highway N and crashed Saturday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Brandy King, 29 of St. Clair, was pronounced dead at the scene. Four children and the driver, a 69-year-old woman, were injured in the crash.

The children were taken to St. Louis Children's Hospital. John King, 8, and Jaden Ray, 11, were seriously injured. Joseph and Joselyn King, ages 6 and 4, suffered minor injuries.

The driver, Barbara Norden, was also seriously injured and was taken to Mercy Hospital St. Louis.

The 2004 Toyota Highlander was heading south about a half mile from Highway 30 in Franklin County when it left the road about 3 p.m., went airborne and struck several trees, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The accident report does not say what caused the vehicle to leave the road.

Brandy King and several of the children were not buckled in or in child safety seats, the patrol said.
Across the United States, heroin users have died in alleys behind convenience stores, on city sidewalks and in the bathrooms of fast-food joints  because no one was around to save them when they overdosed.

An alarming 47,000 American overdose deaths in 2014  60 percent from heroin and related painkillers like fentanyl  have pushed elected leaders from coast to coast to consider what was once unthinkable: government-sanctioned sites where users can shoot up under the supervision of a doctor or nurse who can administer an antidote if necessary.

Things are getting out of control. We have to find things we can do for people who are addicted now, said New York state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who is working on legislation to allow supervised injection sites that would also include space for treatment services.

The idea shouldnt be dismissed out of hand. I dont see anyone else coming up with anything new and innovative.

growing chorus

Critics of the war on drugs have long talked about the need for a new approach to addiction, but the idea of allowing supervised injection sites is now coming from state lawmakers in New York, Maryland and California, along with city officials in Seattle, San Francisco and Ithaca, N.Y., who note that syringe exchanges were once controversial but now operate in 33 states.

While such sites have operated for years in places such as Canada, the Netherlands and Australia, they face significant legal and political challenges in the U.S., including criticism that they are tantamount to waving a white flag at an epidemic that should be fought with prevention and treatment.

Its a dangerous idea, said John Walters, drug czar under President George W. Bush. Its advocated by people who seem to think that the way we should help sick people is by keeping them sick, but comfortably sick.

But proponents argue such sites are not so radical outside the U.S., pointing to examples where they offer not only a place to shoot up, but also health care, counseling and even treatment beds.

In many cases, the users are there to shoot up heroin or dangerous opioids such as fentanyl, though some take painkillers in pill form.

big fat zero

At Sydneys Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, more than 5,900 people have overdosed since it opened in 2001. No one has died.

Its the same at Insite in Vancouver, British Columbia. About 20 overdoses happen there every week, but the facility, which is jointly operated by a local nonprofit and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, has yet to record a death.

A big fat zero, said Insite site coordinator Darwin Fisher.

Sydneys facility is tucked between a hostel and a Chinese restaurant in Kings Cross, the citys red-light district. Aside from the security guard posted just inside the front door, it looks like a typical health clinic.

At least two staffers, including a registered nurse, monitor the injection room. They are not allowed to administer drugs, though sterile needles are provided. If a patient overdoses, the nurse delivers the antidote Narcan, which quickly reverses the overdose.

After users get their fix, they head to a second room with a decidedly warmer feel. Colored Christmas lights hang from the ceiling; books and magazines line the shelves. Clients can relax with a cup of coffee or tea or talk to staff. Some stay for 15 minutes; others spend hours. They exit through a back door to protect their privacy.

The center opened on an 18-month trial basis after a sharp increase in heroin use in Sydney. The trial was repeatedly extended by government officials until 2010, when it was granted permanent status. Its run by the social services arm of the Uniting Church and is funded by police-seized proceeds of various crimes.

A clinic in Amsterdam  one of three injection sites in the Dutch capital  goes even further, distributing free heroin to long-term addicts as part of a government program created for hardened addicts who might otherwise commit a crime to pay for their fix.

About 80 users visit up to three times a day. Most are men, and the average age is 60. Many began using in the 1970s and 1980s.

We would ideally like them to cut back their use, said Fleur Clarijs, a doctor at the facility.

But, she said, the main objective of the facility is to reduce risk to users  and their effects on the community.

Paired programs

In Vancouvers seedy Downtown Eastside neighborhood, Insite offers patients treatment services just up the stairs from where they shoot up. About a third of Insites visitors request referral to a detox program, the clinic said.

A woman who gave her name as Rhea Jean spoke to the Associated Press after recently injecting herself there. She felt nauseated and ran outside to the curb to vomit. Her face covered with scabs, the longtime heroin user looks far older than her 33 years.

Its a great place for active users in full-blown addiction. It links you up to other programs, said Jean, who herself hasnt sought treatment through Insite.

A 65-year-old man who gave his name only as James said he had been using heroin since age 22. He was clean for 17 years before relapsing; he said he was sexually abused as a child and spent 23 years in prison.

He keeps returning to heroin, he said, because it provides release from his problems. Insite is the one place he can go and be treated if he reacts badly to the drug, he said.

They saved my life three times, he said, adding that addiction shouldnt be demonized.

Theres a large section of society that still refuses to accept it as a disease, he said.

The three clinics visited by the AP initially faced opposition from politicians and members of the public but gradually won support, in part because of studies showing reductions in overdose deaths and open-air drug use in the surrounding community.

A 2010 survey of residents and businesses in Kings Cross, for instance, found strong support.

Insite was targeted for closure by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party. The case went to the Supreme Court of Canada, which in 2011 told the government to issue an exemption to the drug laws allowing Insite to operate.

Insite saves lives, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote in the decision. Its benefits have been proven. There has been no discernible negative impact on the public safety and health objectives of Canada during its eight years of operation.

celebrity deaths

Advocates in the U.S. have long discussed the potential benefits of injection sites  but they point to the tripling of heroin and opioid overdose deaths since 2000 as one reason why the suggestion is starting to get serious consideration.

The deaths of actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger put celebrity faces on the risks of overdosing alone, and it was revealed recently that representatives for Prince sought help for his addiction to painkillers just a day before the musician was found dead.

In an effort to stay safe, some addicts are taking matters into their own hands. In Boston, after Massachusetts General Hospital equipped security guards with Narcan, the hospital began seeing an uptick in addicts shooting up in bathrooms and parking garages.

U.S. federal law in effect prohibits injection facilities, but supporters say that if a state or city were to authorize one, Washington officials could adopt a hands-off approach similar to the federal response to state medical marijuana programs.

Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy adviser to President Barack Obamas administration, put the chances of injection sites getting approval anytime soon at zero. He believes supporters want full legalization of all drugs and are exploiting the opioid crisis to advance their agenda.

California Assemblyman Tom Lackey, who served on the California Highway Patrol for 28 years, said he understood that supporters were looking for a new approach. But he has deep reservations about legislation in his state which would set up clinics where users could use heroin, crack or other drugs.

These facilities send a message that there is a safe use, and I dont think there is any safe use of heroin, he said.

In Maryland, state House of Delegates member Dan Morhaim is an emergency physician who himself has administered Narcan many, many times.

He sees his bill for supervised injection sites as just one of many creative approaches that will be needed to solve the heroin problem.

Its not going to cure everyone, he said. But moving people from more dangerous behavior to less dangerous behavior is progress.
A Carlisle man faces a felony retail theft charge after an incident in Upper Allen Township earlier this month.

Upper Allen Township Police said they were called for a report of theft of merchandise from Turkey Hill located on South Market Street at 1:32 p.m. May 5. Police said they developed Robert Rice, 25, of Carlisle, as a suspect after reviewing surveillance footage of his vehicle.

Police said Rice admitted to investigators that he stole the merchandise and left without paying. He faces a felony charge because of prior theft cases.

He was arraigned Thursday but released on his own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 18.
Here is a list of Memorial Day events in Cumberland County.

Wednesday, May 18

Shippensburg: The Memorial Day Service at Middle Spring Presbyterian Church will start with a concert from the Shippensburg Town Band at 6:30 p.m. and the service at 7 p.m. The guest speaker will be Air Force Lt. Alannah M. Staver, a native of Shippensburg. The American Legion and VFW will participate in the service, and light refreshments will be served following the service.

Sunday, May 22

East Pennsboro Township: The Memorial Day Parade will start at 2 p.m. on Pine Street, and the Memorial Service will be held at the World War II Honor Wall Memorial. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at American Legion Post 751 at 3 p.m. The speaker will be U.S. Army Col. Dean Hoffman IV.

Friday, May 27

Rolling Green Cemetery will host its annual Memorial Day service at noon on May 27 at the cemetery, 1811 Carlisle Road in Camp Hill. The event is free and open to the public.

The event will also include Dennis Owens of Channel 27 News, The Honorable DJ Landis the Mayor of New Cumberland, LTC Stuart E. Werner from the Army War College and the award winning Keystone Capital Chorus.

Saturday, May 28

Walnut Bottom: There will be a Memorial Day parade and chicken barbecue on May 28 in the village of Walnut Bottom. The chicken barbecue will run from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for eat-in or take-out at Trinity Fellowship Center. Advance registration is strongly advised and can be made by calling Dave at 422-8907 or to stop by the church between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays to sign up. Meals will be $9 each and include a half-chicken, roll, baked beans, applesauce and dessert; and chicken halves will be available for $5 each. The parade will form at 5 p.m. and begin at 6 p.m. after a brief memorial service in the Jacksonville Cemetery, near Kartunes Unlimited Auto Body.

Sunday, May 29

Boiling Springs: VFW Post 8851 will host a Memorial Day Parade and picnic, with the parade starting at 1 p.m. and ending at the Memorial Clock Tower at Childrens Lake, where ceremonies will be held. The Cumberland County Honor Guard will provide a firing detail. A picnic will be held immediately following the parade in the Boiling Springs Tavern parking lot. The guest speaker will be Sgt. Major (Ret.) Jack Kutz of the U.S. Air Force.

Mount Holly Springs: VFW Post 7343 and American Legion Post 674 will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 1 p.m. at the Mount Holly Springs Cemetery. The guest speaker will be U.S. Navy Commander Harry Hamilton.

Monday, May 30

Camp Hill: American Legion Post 43 will hold a Memorial Day Parade beginning at 9:30 a.m., starting at Market Street and continuing to the fire hall. A service will follow the parade at 11 a.m. at the Camp Hill Cemetery behind the fire hall at 2145 Walnut St. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at the Camp Hill Borough Building. The guest speaker will be U.S. Congressman Scott Perry.

Carlisle: American Legion Post 826 will hold a Memorial Service at Memorial Park at Pitt and Penn streets at 11:30 a.m. The Cumberland County Honor Guard will provide a firing detail. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the post home at 148 W. Penn St.

Carlisle: The Joint Veterans Council of Carlisle will hold the annual Memorial Day Parade forming at 8:30 a.m. and starting promptly at 9 a.m., with services following the parade at Veterans Memorial Courtyard at 9:45 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled and the ceremonies held in the Old Courthouse. The guest speaker will be U.S. Army War College Commandant Maj. Gen. William Rapp.

Mechanicsburg: VFW Post 7530 will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg. The guest speaker will be Col. Jason Wolter, a student at the U.S. Army War College.

Mechanicsburg: The Mechanicsburg Area Veterans Council will hold a Memorial Day Parade starting at 10 a.m. The parade will be followed by a ceremony at the Mechanicsburg Cemetery GAR monument on Marble Street at 11 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled and the ceremony held inside the American Legion Post 109 in Mechanicsburg. All veterans are invited to walk or ride in the parade. The guest speaker will be Rear Admiral Jonathan Yuen of the Naval Support Activity.

Mechanicsburg: The Vietnam Veterans of Mechanicsburg will hold a Memorial Service at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Colored Cemetery off Winding Hill Road in Mechanicsburg. The service will be conducted rain or shine.

Monroe Township: A Memorial Day ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at Mount Zion Cemetery. U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Tom Faley will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Newville: The Newville Joint Veterans Council will host the Memorial Day Parade and ceremony, with the parade beginning at 1 p.m. and following Big Spring Avenue. The ceremony will follow the parade at the town fountain. This years speaker is U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Ken Shannon, a 1979 graduate of Big Spring High School. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be at 1 p.m. at the Newville VFW upper room.

Shippensburg: The Joint Veterans Council of Shippensburg will hold the Memorial Day ceremonies and parade beginning at 10 a.m. at Locust Grove Cemetery, followed by services at Spring Hill Cemetery at 11 a.m. and a flag raising ceremony at Shippensburg Veterans Memorial Park at noon. At 1:15 p.m., the Navy and Marine Memorial Services will be conducted at Branch Bridge on King Street. The parade will begin at 2 p.m. from the corner of King and Prince streets. In the event of inclement weather, each unit returns to the post involved for refreshments and a time of fellowship.

Silver Spring Township: Veterans Memorial Committee will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at Willow Mill Park, 80 Willow Mill Park Road. The guest speaker will be Lt. Col. Dean Preston, a student at the U.S. Army War College.
Bethan Cullinane as Innogen in Cymbeline

I had misgivings about coming to see this production of Cymbeline at the RSC. A friend had pinged me a message after seeing it the day before: I have seen Cymbeline, alas was his pithy summation.

Pithiness is indeed what many have deemed this production to lack. It runs at a chunksome three hours and 25 minutes (including interview), cut down from a whopping four hours apparently.

So, yes brevity is not the soul of wit here, but what this production does have is a whole lot of soul.

So, briefly, Cymbeline tells the story of the Innogen, the daughter of the eponymous British monarch, who has secretly wed the low-born Posthumus. The new husband is banished by a furious Cymbeline; he goes into hiding in Rome, where he meets a smarmy Iachimo who reckons he can pop over to England and make love to Innogen with her consent  the two young bucks have a wager. After a bit of skullduggery gullible Posthumus erroneously believes Innogen has been unfaithful, and so he decides to have her killed. There follows a swapping of letters, threatened suicide, many tears, sobs and ripping off of clothing, war, a puppet show; plus those Shakespeare staples: cross-dressing, poison thats really a sleeping draught, mayhem in the woods and the recovery of long lost, previously thought deceased, siblings.

Its a chaotic beast of a play, with characters doing personality u-turns throughout, and a soap operaesque plot that even Hollyoaks scriptwriters would baulk at. Indeed George Bernard Shaw decided Cymbeline was the stagey trash of the lowest melodramatic order.

But what this production, directed by Melly Still, does so brilliantly is to embrace those bonkers overblown aspects of the play, and make a compelling, overwhelmingly heartfelt spectacle.

The battle against the Roman soldiers is a wild, visceral affair, brutal but beholding it is like witnessing a ballet: indeed the hitherto wimpy Posthumus (Hiran Abeysekera) dons his wifes discarded tutu and turns into a leaping possessed warrior.

The whole thing looks brilliant. Anna Fleischles depicts a timeless post-urban dystopian Britain, where the inhabitants clothes are upcycled from scraps, matched with unkempt hair they look like Mad Max rejects. The sets are compelling: a wild Welsh wood is a canopy of mud and sticks that swings above the actors; while Romes classical splendours are given the neon tackiness and music of a Euro disco.

There are some cunning switcheroo of genders, too, and most notably here is Cymbeline, from king to queen, which adds a certain nuance to the role, played by Gillian Bevan with verve and wit  she moves from harsh to harsh-but-with-heart rather marvelously. The duke (previously wicked stepmother) is played as wonderfully oily by James Clyde.

Despite great showings from Oliver Johnstone as flashy wide boy Iachimo and Marcus Girffiths as cocaine-snorting Duke's son Cloten, the stand out performance comes from Bethan Cullinane as Innogen, who makes the transition from lusty young girl in love to domestic abuse victim to heroine with honesty, bravery and tremendous vulnerability; her tears and quivering lip never seem less than entirely genuine, and she commands your gaze and sympathy whenever she is on stage.

The audience is very aware of Europe throughout. I particularly liked the Dads Army opening credits-type maps projected on to the back wall to explain the Roman invasion And so Cymbelines acquiescence to Caesar at the finale for the sake of peace, despite her victory against his soldiers, seems to be particularly poignant given the current EU debate. She declares A Roman and a British ensign wave friendly together before the plays end and they exit (not Brexit!).
A man holds a sign that reads "Stop Boko Haram" at a rally to support Chadian troops heading to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram, in Ndjamena January 17, 2015. REUTERS/Emmanuel Braun

By Ulf Laessing

ABUJA (Reuters) - Boko Haram jihadists are likely to step up cooperation with Islamic State should the latter extremist group gain a stronger foothold in Libya, a senior British official said on Saturday.

Boko Haram, which has been waging a seven-year insurgency in northern Nigeria, last year pledged loyalty to Islamic State.

Little is known about the extent of cooperation. But Western officials worry that Islamic State's growing presence in North Africa and ties with Boko Haram could herald a push south into the Sahel region and create a springboard for wider attacks.

Islamic State first seized parts of Syria and Iraq but later built up a foothold in Libya, exploiting a security vacuum.

"If we see Daesh establish a stronger presence in Libya, that feels much more to people here like a direct communications route, that is likely to step up the practical collaboration between the two groups," British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said at a security conference in Nigeria.

He was referring to a derogatory name of Islamic State.

On Friday, a senior U.S. official said there were signs of Boko Haram fighters going to Libya from Nigeria, crossing via porous Sub-Saharan borders.

"The intent is clearly there, the evidence of hard collaboration is still pretty sketchy," Hammond said about the cooperation between the two groups.

At the conference attended by Nigeria's neighbors and Western powers, several African leaders warned stability in lawless Libya was key to fighting Boko Haram and improving security in the region.

In a speech, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said the army had almost recaptured all territory it had lost to Boko Haram, though the group still often stages suicide bombings.

"What remains is to dislodge the terrorists from their hideout in the (northeastern) Sambisa forest and safely liberate the Chibok girls and other victims of abduction," he said.

He was referring to a group of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in the Nigerian town of Chibok in 2014.

Buhari also said the Nigeria's army was respecting human rights when dealing with civilians, a condition from the U.S. to fulfill requests to sell it aircraft and other arms.

Under Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, the United States had blocked arms sales, partly due to human rights concerns.

U.S. officials told Reuters this month Washington wants to sell up to 12 A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft to Nigeria but Congress needs to approve this.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is seen attending a ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand December 14, 2015 in this still image taken from Thai TV Pool video. REUTERS/Thai TV Pool/Files

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's 88-year-old King Bhumobol Adulyadej, who has been in hospital for a year, has a swollen lung and knees and is recovering from a fever, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement on Saturday.

King Bhumibol, the world's longest-serving monarch, has been treated for various ailments during hospitalization in the Thai capital. He was last seen in public on Jan. 11, when he spent a few hours visiting his Bangkok palace.

Nervousness over his health and the succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of political crisis in Thailand, where the military took power in a coup two years ago.

On May 11, King Bhumibol suffered a fever, low blood pressure and swollen knee joints, the palace said. An X-ray taken the following day also showed swelling in his right lung.

His temperature, pulse and blood pressure returned to normal on Friday with the administration of antibiotics and oxygen, the palace statement said.

News about the royals is tightly controlled in Thailand, where laws protecting the royal family from insult make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent.

Updates on King Bhumibol's health are typically made public once he is recovering. The palace last issued a statement on his health three months ago

(Reporting by Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Simon Webb and Robin Pomeroy)
Waikato Federated Farmers' president Chris Lewis is proud 96 per cent of waterways on dairy farms are fenced off to stock.

Despite receiving 150 complaints about farmers sullying waterways in the past few years, the Waikato Regional Council has prosecuted no one.

The council blames poor-quality information and delays in laying complaints, which hamper investigations.

But there are other reasons, too, according to Massey University freshwater ecologist Mike Joy.

WARWICK SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ The streams that "really count" don't have to be fenced at all, says Dr Mike Joy.

"It's expensive, it costs lawyers and all that kind of stuff, so they much prefer this nice, please get your stock out of the stream approach," Joy said.

READ MORE:

*Farmers face fines for stock in waterways

*Stock exclusion from Waikato rivers under scrutiny

Figures released under the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act show Waikato Regional Council received 150 complaints between 2011 and 2015.

The complaints resulted in 45 site visits, 11 abatement notices and no prosecutions.

Council receives about 1400 complaints each year about potential breaches to the Resource Management Act, said council's statutory processes adviser Catherine Robinson.

But many can't be "meaningfully investigated" by staff due to insufficient information.

In October 2014, the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord said 96 per cent of the waterways on dairy farms were protected by fences.

But Joy said there should be a total ban on stock in waterways.

Only the big waterways are fenced and most farms don't have large rivers flowing though them, he said.

The smaller streams - the ones that "really count" - aren't required to be fenced at all.

"It is just stupid. It's the wrong way around."

As an added bonus, he said if livestock are watered at the trough, rather than at the stream, they'll get the medication they need every time.

"It's such a con," Joy said. "It's a requirement of being a good farmer. We'll keep his cattle out of the streams because it will keep them healthier."

Between 2011 and 2012, the number of complaints to council nearly tripled from 11 to 29. The number of complaints in 2013 was 31, there were 45 in 2014 and 34 complaints in 2015.

Waikato Federated Farmers' president Chris Lewis said more work needs to be done to meet the remaining 4 per cent of fenced streams by the dairy industry.

Complaints come from a community with a greater awareness of the issue but not all the facts, he said.

"You've probably seen something in the newspaper or on the TV and it might have spiked your awareness and when you see something, you might think that is not right," Lewis said.

When it comes to stock exclusion, the rules vary across animal species, land classes and farming zones.

"I guess people look at things and don't know what the rules are. That's part of it."

There were two site visits in 2011 and four in 2012. Only one abatement notice was issued in each of those years.

Fourteen site visits in 2013 resulted in four abatement notices, 13 visits the following year resulted in another four notices and 12 site visits in 2015 saw one abatement notice issued.

The threshold for prosecution is very high, said Waikato Regional Council investigations manager Patrick Lynch.

Investigators look at a list of criteria including the potential effects on a waterway, the actual effects, profit gained by the pollution and repeat offending.

But on its own, stock walking or standing in a stream is not illegal.

"That's unhelpful," Lynch said. "There are water courses around the Waikato where, by law, currently, they don't have to be excluded."

Council's Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change document, now under development, will give some clarity.

What is illegal are breaches to the RMA.

"It's very, very individual. The RMA is a very blunt tool. To breach it is relatively easy thing to do.

"The RMA provides a bunch of enforcement tools but there is no guidance in the act on where you should apply certain actions and that's why we turn to case law."

Feedback from the courts show council's enforcement policy is on the right track, Lynch said.

"We've got some confidence that we are pitching it at the right level."
Under the cover of darkness two people climbed a 70-metre-high crane in Wellington's CBD. While they managed to avoid police, the construction company says it will be checking security footage to try to find the pair.

The identity of daredevils who scaled a 70 metre-high crane in the early hours of Sunday morning remains a mystery.

At least two people were spotted scaling the crane in Boulcott St in Wellington's CBD shortly after 12am on Sunday.

Police attended, but couldn't find the slight-footed climbers, even after heading up a nearby parking building.

JEFF TOLLAN/FAIRFAX NZ The general manager of the construction company said the pair's actions were "not sensible on any level".

"It is expected the people have come down from the crane without being seen," a police spokesperson said.



The crane has been at the site all year for the reconstruction of the old Dominion Post building by McKee Fehl Constructors.



READ MORE: Day in the life of Wellington's Boulcott St crane man

General manager Stephen Cummings had concerns over the safety of the climbers.

JEFF TOLLAN/FAIRFAX NZ Police tried and failed to locate the brazen climbers.

"You would hope it was obvious.

"Assuming they are intoxicated, it's not sensible on any level to climb that high, and it's an exposed situation."

The crane is opposite the Victoria University-run Boulcott Hall.

MONIQUE FORD / Stuff.co.nz Perched high above the bustle of the city crane drivers command some of the best views in the world. 

Cranes should only be accessed by trained, experienced riggers and operators, he said.

The company had CCTV that it would be reviewing to assist police in trying to identify the climbers.

The first priority was working out how they got onto the crane and securing the area, he said.

"There was no danger of them getting near the controls. They wouldn't have actually been able to get into the cab."

Cummings said he'd received reports of someone on the scaffolding, which surrounds the site, prior to Christmas.

McKee Fehl is undertaking an extensive redevelopment of the site which will last through to the New Year, Cummings said.

Once complete, the revamped building will house Transpower which is relocating from its two current locations on The Terrace.
An overnight fire badly damaged the St Margaret's Presbyterian Church in Bishopdale.

Police have charged a man with numerous offences after fire ripped through a Christchurch church on Sunday morning, causing extensive damage.

Firefighters were called to St Margaret's Presbyterian Church on Farrington Ave in Bishopdale at 5.44am.

Police on Sunday night said a man in his 30s had been arrested and charged with two counts of burglary and one count of arson.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/FAIRFAX NZ Work to stabilise the fire-damaged St Margaret's Presbyterian Church is under way.

The man would appear in the Christchurch District Court on Monday.

They were not looking for anyone else in relation to the fire.

Fire Service southern communications shift manager Andrew Norris said the church was "well involved in fire" when crews arrived at the scene.

Crews from Harewood and St Albans were first on the scene, followed by back up from the central city, Woolston and Sockburn crews. All together six fire engines, a command unit and a turn table ladder were used to fight the blaze.

Norris said the fire had since been extinguished but the church was in bad shape.

"It has suffered extensive damage to the chapel part of the building and a storage room at the back."

Fire investigator Bruce Irving was sent to the scene on Sunday morning and said the fire was being treated as suspicious.

He said the building had no fire alarms which was disappointing considering a number of community groups used the building.

"Our fire response was delayed so there has been significant damage.

"The alarm was raised following the sound of breaking glass and exploding fibrelight, which sounds like a gun shot when it goes," Irving said.

He said the fire started inside the rear of the church hall.

Andrew Nicol, who has been the church minister for about three years, said he could not confirm whether or not there were fire alarms installed and did not want to comment further.

He said members of the church were deeply upset their place of worship had been destroyed but were standing tall.

"It's upsetting for people who have strong connections with the place but we as a church community are more than just a building.

"We are in good spirits," he said.

At 7am on Sunday Nicol watched fire crews use a turntable ladder to remove some of the roofing from the church.

"They were watering down hot spots in the roof to make sure the fire didn't reignite."

Local people and churches had already reached out with words of support.

Nicol said a community house next door to the church was open on Sunday afternoon for people to have a cup of tea, sing songs and be together.

The church offices remained unscathed and would be used again as soon as power was back up and running.

"Once the dust settles we will get together and decide what needs to be done going forward," Nicol said.

The church was founded in 1964 when the suburb of Bishopdale was developed.
A Te Awamutu policeman named Jack is asking on Facebook for help in tracking down an arsonist.

He posted a photo and this plea on the Te Awamutu Police page on Sunday:

"Last night (shortly after 1 am) some lovely person decided to set fire to this Nissan Primera on Mandeno Street. I would love your help in catching the person that did this so if you hear anything private message me.



"Big shout out to Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade for putting it out in rapid time.



"As for the person that did this please consider the person who now no longer has a car along with the emergency services who had to correct your wrong!



Anyone with information can contact Te Awamutu police on 07 872-0100. Information can also be left anonymously via Crimestopperson 0800-555-111.
Te reo Maori is Hamilton student Te Paea Ngapo's life, "not just something I participate in". She got the highest marks in the country for the te reo rangatira NZ Scholarship exam in 2015 and is pictured with NZQA board chair Sue Suckling.

Waikato students made a clean sweep in te reo exams, taking out the highest scores in the country for both subject options.

Two other Hamilton students hauled in eight and nine New Zealand Scholarship subject passes respectively, putting them in the country's top nine scholars overall.

Scholarship exams are designed to challenge the most able students and in 2014, just under 2300 students of about 10,500 entered passed at least one subject.

PETER DRURY/FAIRFAX NZ Hugo Brown is in the top nine NZ Scholarship students in the country. The former St Paul's student is now studying engineering.

Maori was Te Paea Ngapo's first language, but she put in the hard yards to prepare for her te reo rangatira exam.

READ MORE:

* Waikato Tainui aim for 80 per cent reo fluency by 2050

* Well-known Maori Waikato University lecturer critically injured in motorcycle crash

* Ivy League beckons for Hamilton teenager

* St Paul's Collegiate students report impressive NCEA and Scholarship results

"[Te reo Maori] is my life. It's not just something I participate in ... and I'm proud that I was raised that way," she said.

KELLY HODEL/FAIRFAX NZ Former Hamilton Boys' High student Soumil Singh got a Premier Award after he passed eight NZ Scholarship subjects - six with outstanding mention.

The 18-year-old former Nga Taiatea Wharekura student competed in the Manu Korero speech competition each year of high school, worked on her reo at home with father Korohere, and polished her skills at kura reo between school terms.

"Everyday chatter's easy," she said.

"For most people, the hardest part of te reo Maori or getting awards like this is learning how to speak and write and comprehend formally."

Even her dad's serious motorcycle accident in September 2015 didn't stop Ngapo getting top marks in te reo rangatira, and she was delighted to find her friend Khaysharn Kingi-Takoko had topped te reo Maori.

"We were always very, very, extremely competitive.

"It's cool because we've kind of achieved it together."

Ngapo decided to stay an extra year in the Waikato after her dad's accident and is studying a bachelor of science in biological sciences at the University of Waikato.

Khaysharn Kingi-Takoko, 18, recorded the top score in te reo Maori and said mentors prompted his language journey.

The former student of Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga, Huntly, immerses himself in environments where te reo dominates.

They include waka ama, and kapa haka - "where te reo Maori is... the only reo that you're supposed to hear".

Kingi-Takoko is studying for a Bachelor of Arts majoring in te reo Maori and linguistics at the University of Waikato.

Nga Taiatea Wharekura tumuaki (principal) Watson Ohia said Scholarship exams are extremely challenging.

"Very few actually pass the [te reo rangatira] exam, let alone get the most outstanding mark in the exam," he said.

The students' success was not just about their wharekura but also their whanau, iwi and all the schools that helped educate them.

It was a fantastic achievement for the Waikato-Tainui region, Te Arataura chairman Rahui Papa said.

"[Those students] will be fantastic leaders for their whanau and for their iwi," he said.

"It just shows that Maori medium education is a winner. It actually drives towards the aspirations of the people."

And two Waikato scholars ranked in the top nine nationally, earning a Premier Scholarship Award.

Soumil Singh from Hamilton Boys' High passed nine subjects, six of them with outstanding mention.

He is weighing up his options after being accepted to multiple universities in the United States.

Hugo Brown from St Paul's Collegiate School passed eight, with five outstanding.

He's now studying engineering at the University of Auckland.

Waikato Scholarship successes

Premier Scholarship Award

Hugo Brown - St Paul's Collegiate School

Outstanding Scholarships: Calculus, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Physics and Statistics

Scholarships: Accounting, Biology and Economics

Soumil Singh - Hamilton Boys' High School

Outstanding Scholarships: Classical Studies, English, Geography, History, Media Studies and Physics

Scholarships: Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Economics and Statistics

Top Subject Scholarship Award

Te Reo Maori: Khaysharn Kingi-Takoko - Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga

Te Reo Rangatira: Te Paea Ngapo - Nga Taiatea Wharekura

Outstanding Scholar Award

Samuel Frengley - St Peter's School (Cambridge)

Christopher Mayo - Hamilton Boys' High School

What are the scholarship awards?

Premier Scholarship Award

Nine awarded in 2015

Top five to 10 students

$10,000 a year for up to three years

Outstanding Scholar Award

Next 40-60 top candidates

$5000 a year for three years

Top Subject Scholarship Award

Top candidate in a Scholarship subject

$2000 a year for up to three years
A freedom camper at the car park at Koromiko, near Picton, Marlborough.

A new tourism fund could pave the way for new facilities in Marlborough to deal with the influx of freedom campers coming to the region.

Prime Minister John Key announced the Regional Mid-sized Facilities Fund on Friday to assist smaller regions with the infrastructure to deal with independent travellers, particularly freedom campers.

A working group would put together details of the new fund, which would be worth $12 million over four years.

DEREK FLYNN/FAIRFAX NZ Freedom campers parked up at Koromiko, near Picton, Marlborough.

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman said the Marlborough District Council's freedom camping trial bylaw ended last month, and the council still had to work through the data to see how effective it had been.

READ MORE:

* Marlborough District Council wants submissions on freedom camping bylaw

* Freedom camping restricted

* Marlborough woman: my backyard is not a campground

The council needed to hear the public's views before thinking about what government funding could be used for, he said.

"There are a lot of challenges in dealing with freedom camping," he said.

It was a particular issue in Picton, with ferry travellers needing a place to park up before their trip, he said.

"I personally would like to see a place closer to the ferry [for the campers]," Sowman said.

Despite freedom campers being known in Picton as the "noodle brigade", statistics showed they did spend money in Marlborough, Sowman said.

Sanitary issues, such as what happened to their waste, were more concerning to most people, he said.

A date had not yet been set for council hearings about freedom camping but submissions had been received from the public.

Under the draft freedom camping bylaws, trialled from November 4 to April 4, freedom campers could camp only in one of 13 designated areas, some of which required campervans to be completely self-contained.

Those found to be in breach of the rules faced a $200 fine. Last month the council said illegal freedom campers owed nearly $6000 in unpaid fines.

Earlier in the year more than 30 vehicles were seen parked overnight at Koromiko, the site closest to Picton, despite the site having a limit of 12 vehicles.

The Picton Smart and Connected community group's stance was freedom camping should be banned if campers were not in self-contained vehicles.

Chairwoman Barbara Speedy said she was looking forward to hearing the details of the new government fund.

The number of tourists around Picton put infrastructure pressure on an area with a very small council rates base, she said.

Picton and Blenheim had a large retired population who could not afford to pay for the wear and tear on facilities such as public toilets, she said.

There were still some freedom campers around the Picton area in May, Speedy said.

"We're certainly not seeing the same overflowing bins and people washing things out wherever they can find water," she said.

"That's got to be a huge relief."

Freedom campers in self-contained vehicles respected the environment and Picton Smart and Connected welcomed them, she said.

Last summer, the council conducted another trial, allowing freedom camping at Picton's foreshore and Waitohi Domain.

Thousands of campers camped in both locations over the summer and more than 200 submissions were made to the council on the issue.

Sowman said restricting freedom camping around the Picton area to Koromiko proved difficult to police, and he hoped to receive some guidance from submissions received from the public.

Destination Marlborough general manager Tracy Johnston said when more details of the fund were forthcoming Destination Marlborough would look to put forward a case for the region.

The agency had been working with the council, national agencies and commercial operators to find the freedom camping "sweet spot", she said.

"That will ensure that we are providing both support for commercial operators and providing a strong message of welcome for visitors to Marlborough."
Remains story biased

Dear Editor:

An Associated Press article on the return of Native American remains from Carlisle to South Dakota was biased and inaccurate (South Dakota tribe seeks childrens century-old remains from War College site, The Sentinel, May 10).

For starters, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School is not now part of the U.S. Army War College. The school went out of existence in 1918 and the Army War College is only one tenant of the property on which it was formerly located (Carlisle Barracks).

More important it is categorically false to state that children were forced to attend the school. They were enrolled with the consent of their parents and, in many cases, the endorsement of tribal leaders.

It is easy for present-day progressives to bemoan the schools attempt to eradicate native habits among its students (grind out their heritage, in the jaundiced words of the reporter. At the time, however, the schools efforts were widely hailed as a model of progressive government action. And the families involved  far from being victims of cultural oppression  were exercising their own judgment and volition in choosing an alternative to life on the reservation.

Like every episode in American history, our understanding of the Indian school movement is best served by a full and fair account of the facts.

John Maietta

Silver Spring Township
PM Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President release Simhastha Declaration

Published: May 14, 2016

The Prime Minister along with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena have released Simhastha Declaration at Ninora village in Ujjain.

Both leaders addressed the concluding session of the three day International Vichar Mahakumbh held on side-lines of the month-long Simhastha mela.

PM Narendra Modi in his address appealed saints to conduct Vichar Kumbh every year with devotees and discuss social issues like the need to educate the girl child or plant trees.

He also called Kumbh as the biggest example of excellent management and he advised academic institutions to adopt Kumbh as a management case study.

Key highlights of Declaration

Simhastha Declaration has 51 sacred points for betterment of mankind that will start new discourse not only in India but around the world.

It is also a prescription on how a duty-centred system that had been the origin of Indian philosophy of life is relevant in todays India.

Saints and seers, subject experts and scholars from the country and abroad also discussed on various issues in the sessions of Vichar Mahakumbh.

Sessions on sustainable development, sanitation and climate change, peace, values of life, agriculture and cottage industry were also organised.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2016

Topics: Narendra Modi  National  Simhastha Declaration

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A local hunter who operates hunting trips on farmland close to where a tutor from a prestigious Auckland private school was injured says there has "never been an accident" in the area.

The tutor was wounded while supervising a group of Year-10 girls from St Cuthberts College on Friday night in the eastern Bay of Plenty when he was hit by debris in a shooting incident.
New research has revealed a fault line in the Thames area is more complex than first thought geologists say.



The Kerepehi fault, which runs for about 80km between Matamata and north into the Firth of Thames, has revealed the fault is more complex than previously thought.
The Park Hills Public Library, like many modern libraries, offers its patrons and the community much more than just books to read.

People arent always aware of what we offer here a lot of times that are totally free, said Library Director Lisa Sisk. In order to get people into the library and see what services we have, you have to do different things. And usually any activity that we have, we have people that have never been to our library before that will come in and a lot of times they become patrons. And thats a good thing.

This month, for example, the library has several events planned, including a class on the benefits of essential oils, which was held May 2 and will be offered again in the coming months.

Coming up on May 17, Park Hills quilter Carol Richardson will be teaching a class on the history and basics of quilting. The class begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in the librarys activity room.

One of our patrons is going to be teaching the class, said Sisk. Were going to try to do something with her every month. She makes a lot of different (types of) quilts; she does T-shirt quilts that are really popular now so if we get people in and theyre interested in it then we could have Carol teach them how to make one.

The class is free for anyone to attend, although registration is required.

Come learn a new hobby, said Sisk. Its relaxing, too.

On May 23, the library is hosting its first Singing in the Stacks event featuring the musical talents of Donald Duck Nelson and Ted Byers. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the night promises something for everyone.

Sisk was just thinking of something different to do when she decided to invite Nelson and Byers to perform.

We do classes and workshops and stuff like that, but we thought wed like to do something just for fun, she said. (They) sing at a lot of the nursing homes, they go to the senior center and sing in the afternoons and people just love them. Theyre very talented.

Its a program for people of any age  If its something that takes off, we may do it a couple of times in the summer and maybe (again) in the fall. Its just something different  Not everything has to be reading-related.

Two other non-reading-related programs being offered this spring and summer at the library have to do with fishing.

Library staff have teamed up with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to encourage families to get outside, do a bit of fishing and make some happy memories together.

Patrons with a valid library card can check out fishing rods and tackle free of charge through the MDCs Discover Nature: Rod and Reel Loaner Program.

The library is also offering free fishing classes for kids ages seven to 15 years old and their families through the MDCs Discover Nature: Free Hands-On Fishing Instruction for Kids and Families program.

The program is intended to help kids and their families gain the skills and confidence to go fishing on their own. Inexperience shouldnt prevent anyone from enjoying Missouris great outdoors.

There will be four classes offered for four weeks on June 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. Each class is two hours long.

Registration is required and will be limited to the first 20 participants to sign up for each class. All youth must be accompanied by an adult. People age 16 and older cannot register alone for the classes; they must register as part of a family.

Participants can take just one class or complete the entire program, but everyone must take the first class before registering for any of the others.

Each class period will consist of one hour of class time followed by one hour of outdoor hands-on time at one of St. Joe State Parks fishing spots. All gear will be provided by the MDC, but participants should come to class wearing clothing and footwear that is suitable for the outdoors and waterside activities.

Lesson one of the program will cover equipment, casting and proper fish handling. Participants will learn how to tie a knot and bait a hook during lesson two. Aquatic biology, ecology and conservation will be the topics for the third lesson. The final class will focus on fishing with lures.

In addition to the four fishing classes, Sisk said staff from the MDC may also be offering other fishing and hunting related classes at the library if there are people interested in them.

They were telling me they have classes about how to make lures, how to clean fish and prepare them  recipes to make with fishand then in the fall and winter well have different hunting-related programs, she said.

Adult coloring book nights, an event that has already proved to be popular, will continue to be offered on the second Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Well continue to do it as long as we have a turnout, said Sisk, who expects to possibly cancel the events once people become busy with summer activities and then begin them again in the fall.

People enjoy it, she said, and a lot of them bring a group of friends and they come in and color and sometimes it gets pretty loud downstairs, but thats OK. Theyre having fun.

Adult coloring night is for adults only and is free to attend. Bring your own coloring book and supplies or, if youre new to the activity, use coloring pages and supplies provided by the library.

Other Events in May and Early June

iPad Hour is scheduled for May 18 at 2 p.m.

Later in the month, there are two events for young library patrons.

The Teen Book Club will meet on May 24 at 5 p.m. for its regular end-of-the-month meeting plus YouTube Teen Night.

On May 25 at 4 p.m., preschool story times featured book will be The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

In early June, the library will be hosting a Canvases N Corks event with artist Doug Howell. There will be a $30 fee to participate, paid to Howell, to cover the costs of materials.

He sketches everything, provides the canvas, the paint, the easel, everything, said Sisk. And everyone just shows up and paints a picture  Everyone loves him.

Howell regularly hosts Canvases N Corks events at restaurants and wineries around the Parkland that include food and wine along with painting.

No wine will be served here, said Sisk with a smile, but well have sparkling grape juice and snacks.

She said there must be a minimum of 10 participants for the event and registration is required.

The Park Hills Public Library is located at 16 S. Coffman St. For questions, for more information or register for any event or class, call the library at 573-431-4842 or stop by the circulation desk. You can also follow events at the library on Facebook.
A New Zealand Defence Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft has found three Kiribati fishermen missing since the morning of May 7.



The boat was found adrift near Tarawa, the Pacific Islands nations capital and main atoll.
The children of a woman who died without a will were forced to take their stepfather to court after he denied them their inheritance and blew some of the money on luxury items.

James Roberts-Gooch and his sister Alexandra Gooch were just 16 and 14 respectively when their mother, Anne Roberts - former private secretary to National MP Maurice Williamson - died of cancer in 2012.
Seeka Kiwifruit Industries says rejection of Kiwifruit New Zealand appeal on collaborative marketing a black day for kiwifruit growers.

The company expressed disappointment Kiwifruit New Zealand rejected its appeal for two collaborative marketing applications.

The appeal was ordered last week by the High Court in Tauranga, in a fast track judicial review after two applications by Seeka and one by Splice Fruit, were rejected late last year.

Seeka wanted to export 400,000 trays of Green fruit to Hainan Island in China and 120,000 trays of Green fruit to Xinjiang province in China.

KNZ held its reconsideration hearing on May 9, and has advised Seeka today their applications had been rejected on appeal, says chief executive Michael Franks.

Its a black day for New Zealand kiwifruit growers, he says.

We are still taking time to digest the decision and its implications, but we are deeply disappointed. We believe the programme we proposed would have added value to New Zealand growers - which is the key purpose of the collaborative marketing programme.

It is particularly unfortunate that our programme, which would have added value and increased sales, has been rejected in a season where we believe there will be an oversupply of Hayward Green fruit.
Does anyone know whats going up beside McDonalds at Papamoa Plaza?, they asked on the local Facebook page.

Hotpools I hope, said another.
Churches are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with a new crackdown on charities financial reporting standards.

The Church of Scientology filed their annual returns last week, more than 10 months overdue, and two days after media enquiries. They received nearly $1.4m, and spent just under $600,000.
MORRISVILLE, N.Y. -- An Eaton man was arrested and charged with aggravated drunken driving Thursday after crashing into a Morrisville utility pole with a blood-alcohol level nearly five times the state's presumed level of intoxication, according to New York State Police.

Andrew G. Steele, 32, was driving his Nissan Frontier north on Smith Road on Thursday when he failed to negotiate a curve and struck and severed a utility pole, State Polcie said. Police arrived to find Steele, apparently uninjured, and gave him a breath test.

Andrew G. Steele, 32

Officers determined that his blood-alcohol content was .38%, according to a news release. He was sent to the Hamilton Hospital for a medical evaluation and then discharged.

He was then remanded to the Madison County Jail on a $10,000 cash/$20,000 bond, according police.
REDFIELD, N.Y. -- Two gun-wielding men will face charges after an argument left one of them with a shotgun wound to the buttocks, the New York State Police said.

Troopers responded about 9:20 p.m. Friday to 3510 county Route 22 in the town of Orwell for a report of a man with a gunshot wound at a residence. Troopers found William A. Willson, 57, of 106 Park Drive, Rome, with a gunshot wound to his buttocks.

Timothy M. Davis

State police said Willson got into an argument earlier in the night with Timothy M. Davis outside Davis' home at 349 county Route 2 in the town Redfield. It is not clear what the argument was about or how the two men knew each other.

Willson had a 9mm handgun and fired three shots into the ground near Davis' feet, state police said. Davis then retreated into his home and Willson followed him onto the front porch, troopers said.

Davis is accused of getting a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun from his house and shooting Willson with bird shot as he turned to leave Davis' porch.

Davis, 36, was charged with second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned in Redfield Town Court and ordered held at the Oswego County jail without bail.

Willson was taken by ambulance to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. He is listed in stable condition. State police said WIllson will face charges once he is released from the hospital.

A woman who answered a phone number for Willson Saturday said she was his wife. Willson was still in the hospital, but had been in Oswego County Friday visiting his daughter, his wife said.

Troopers are continuing to investigate the incident.
Students of Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School celebrated their junior/senior prom Saturday evening at the Oncenter in Syracuse. The event's theme was "Disney."

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

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Students at Cazenovia Jr./Sr. High School celebrated their junior prom Saturday evening. The event, which was held at the high school, had a "Red Carpet" theme.

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

Do you have great photos taken at the prom? Find out how to share them with Syracuse.com

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Students of G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton celebrated their junior prom Saturday evening. The event's theme was "Written in the Stars" and it was held at Bayshore Grove in Oswego.

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

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Students of Marcellus Senior High School attended their annual Crystal Ball Cruise Saturday evening at the high school before moving on to celebrate their prom.

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

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Students of LaFayette Jr./Sr. High School attended their prom Saturday evening at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse. The event's theme was "Roaring '20s."

Above is our gallery of photos from the event.

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Sue Westwater, Vero Beach

Letter: Long freight trains cut our communities in half

I live in Vero Beach and, along with other communities in the Treasure Coast, ours is divided by railroad tracks into barrier island (beach side) and mainland.

Although passenger service ("Brightline") is not an issue for us (freight is our concern), has a ridership feasibility study been done? Florida Development Finance Commission (FDFC), invested in and is selling high-interest-rate AAF bonds. When these government-guaranteed bonds default, investors recoup their investment. Is this possibly a pyramid scheme?

People on the mainland cannot get to the hospital or doctors when freight trains two miles long and traveling at FCC-regulated low speeds, pass through high-density areas (which border most AAF tracks here). Traffic will be backed up for miles. What good is the hospital on beach side if EMS staff, technicians (MRI, x-ray), doctors, nurses, aides, cleaning, culinary and food purveyors cannot reach ambulances or the hospital or offices?

Beach-side residents may find banks closed as security and tellers cannot get there. Finding groceries, restaurants, and gas stations closed, find at Miracle Mile, that those places are closed because employees and food purveyors cannot get there.

A letter to the newspaper a year ago suggested civil disobedience and stand your ground defense such as prohibiting freight trains from Martin County by digging ditches under the tracks, or piling things on the tracks. This is not possible because it is a criminal offense and some cargo is a toxic chemical, liquefied natural gas.

Some sort of interruption of freight trains will occur when they prevent children from immediate medical attention resulting in their deaths or permanent disability.
The Florida Power & Light Co. nuclear power plant on Hutchinson Island

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By Tyler Treadway of TCPalm

HUTCHINSON ISLAND ? In 1968, the Sunshine News Service reported: "On Hutchinson Island, 11 miles northeast of Stuart as the osprey might fly, lies a tract of remote wilderness which will become home for (the Florida Power & Light Co.'s) newest power plant, an 850,000 kilowatt nuclear unit."

"Wilderness" may have been a bit hyperbolic; but in 1980, four years after Unit 1 of the nuclear plant was commissioned in 1976 and three years before Unit 2 was commissioned in 1983, there were just 43,332 people living with a 10-mile radius of the site, which includes parts of St. Lucie and Martin counties.

By 2010, that area's population had ballooned to 202,010; and the 366 percent increase is the most explosive growth rate around any nuclear plant in the country, according to The Associated Press.

The AP's National Investigative Team reports that government agencies and the nuclear power industry have paid little heed to the population growth around the country's 104 nuclear reactors, "even as plants are running at higher power and posing more danger in the event of an accident."

The AP investigation found that "some estimates of evacuation times have not been updated in decades, even as the population has increased more than ever imagined. Emergency plans direct residents to flee on antiquated, two-lane roads that clog hopelessly at rush hour."

Tom Daly, emergency management coordinator for the St. Lucie County Department of Public Safety and Communications, said the local evacuation plan has "changed considerably over the years. It's ever-evolving. We sit down every year and plot it out, right down to every intersection that needs to be manned or monitored."

Daly said plans also take into account the time of year ? whether snowbirds are in the area for winter ? and time of day ? whether streets are jammed for rush hour or vacant in the middle of the night.

"Yes, there's been an influx of people (to the area)," Daly said, "but our roads and highway system have changed dramatically over the years, too. U.S. 1 has been widened; much of the Crosstown Parkway (in Port St. Lucie) is in place; and there have been improvements to major intersections and (Interstate) 95 both on the Treasure Coast and in Palm Beach County."

Basically, the evacuation plan calls for residents in the evacuation zone living south of Port St. Lucie's Prima Vista Boulevard to head to sites in Palm Beach County, and for those living north of Prima Vista to go north to Indian River and Brevard counties.

The most recent evacuation plan, Daly said, is based on a population of 268,000 within the 10-mile radius of the nuclear plant, about 66,000 more people than live in the area.

"So, following logic, it should take less time to evacuate than the current estimates," he said.

Daly said the plan calls for the 10-mile radius to be evacuated in about 10 hours after the announcement of a general emergency, meaning a radioactive release is in progress or is imminent.

He added that personnel start mobilizing and some evacuations are expected during the several hours before that, after a site area emergency is announced, "and that should make the evacuation even quicker."

But is that quick enough?

According to the Associated Press report, the NRC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency acknowledge that radiation releases can happen within a half hour of an accident.

Daly said the issue "is whether people will be in the area long enough to get a life-threatening dose of radiation, a dose that could cause cancer that would end their life 10 to 20 years down the road. In Japan, the first dose (of radiation) off the plant property was reported at 14 hours after a general emergency was declared. That's a long time after all the systems failed. And you have to remember that in Japan, the containment building was metal; in the U.S. the buildings are 4-foot-thick reinforced concrete. Remember that at Three Mile Island, when the core melted, the containment held."

According to the AP, about 90 percent of the nation's operating reactors have been allowed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to run at higher power levels for many years, raising the radiation risk in a major accident.

Doug Andrews, communications supervisor at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, said the utility received approval from the NRC to add 12 megawatts to Unit 1 in 1981 and 2 megawatts to Unit 2 in 1985.

The plant is in the process of seeking permission from the NRC to increase its electrical power output for each unit by about 103 megawatts from about 1,678 megawatts to 1,884.

"As part of the NRC's review of this project, FPL submitted extensive engineering and safety analyses that demonstrate that the proposed plant configurations maintain adequate safety margin to continue to protect public health and safety and the environment at the higher power levels," Andrews wrote in response to submitted questions. "To prove this to the NRC, we have conducted extensive engineering analyses. The need for the additional power from this (increase) was also approved by the Florida Public Service Commission in December 2007."

Andrews said FPL is replacing many plant components such as pipes, valves, pumps, heat exchangers, electrical transformers and generators to accommodate the conditions that would exist at higher power levels.

The AP also reported that because the federal government has failed to find a location for permanent storage of spent fuel, thousands of tons of highly radioactive used reactor rods are kept in pools onsite ? and more is stored there all the time.

During planned refueling outages, about a third of the fuel bundles from each reactor at the St. Lucie plant are placed in used fuel pools. Used fuel also is stored in stainless steel canisters placed inside solid concrete structures.

Andrews said the plant has "enough room to safely store all of the site's used fuel onsite through the life of the plant. St. Lucie's operating licenses expire in 2036 for Unit 1 and 2043 for Unit 2."
Mark Danciger is noticeably excited as I talk to him on the banks of the Cam, theres hasnt been a critical mass surrounding student created films in Cambridge for a while, weve planned this event for a long time and weve got some great short films to show. He is referring to the Cinecam Cambridge Shorts showcase at the ADC on Tuesday 17 May: an event thats the culmination of a huge amount of work from Mark and his fellow filmmakers at Cinecam.

Its impossible to work on a long film, he explains, an hour long TV pilot took the best part of two years for us to make with a crew of 100, not to mention the cost. Mark is particularly keen to raise the profile of film as an extra-curricular activity to get as many people involved as possible. Its like the theatre scene; for some people its a future career, for others its just a really enjoyable experience. He believes that short films are the perfect way to get valuable experience whilst retaining the likelihood that you get to witness the fruits of your labour.

Its hard work, he chuckles, I was basically on set for the entire week that we were shooting Tachyon, the film I wrote and directed for the showcase. The crew were amazing too, we had to build the set, film, and pack up all within a week. Now there are just a couple finishing touches in post-production and it will be done, its amazing.

Tachyon tells the story of a scientist who puts all of her efforts into the creation of a machine that can send messages into the past. Its a sci-fi film, but its based in real science. That means that the logic has lots of twists and turns, it asks the audience to think a bit to keep up with it but I think it should be really interesting he casually explains, after having relayed to me the theory of a tachyonic anti-telephone, I like thrillers that are based in science; I study some philosophy of science so I was able to ask my supervisor for help with the theories behind it, whilst stylistically there are elements of Primer and Pi in there

It predictably hasnt been an easy journey for the Cinecam members: Two years ago it was basically a dead society. Since then weve been aiming for a showcase of this type. A group of us made a huge effort to foster interest in filmmaking amongst students. Now, after there being little to no films when we restarted the society, we made nine films last term alone. When I ask him about the process behind their making, he tells me that some people specialise into certain roles pretty early on, whilst others play the field a bit. Theres a writers group who provide each other with constructive feedback and it grows from there.

Cinecam members have every reason to be excited about Cambridge Shorts; Its not a matter of commercial viability, muses Mark, but there will always be a market for short films in a festival format, and people do it for the experience more than anything else. Im glad that a platform is being provided to showcase the work of the Cambridge film community.

Tachyon will be screened along with Nathan Millers drama about a prestigious summer camp: OUTSIDERS; Bekzhan Sarsenbays piece about a theatre troupe in the midst of a national revolution: Prelude; Tom O Maras office-based comedy Clive Benderman; and Johnny Kings exploration of solitude: OWL#307 as part of the ADC late show on Tuesday 17 May.

Tickets for the Cinecam Cambridge Shorts showcase are available from the ADC website.
Google has released the Gboard, a new app for the iOS that allows users to access Google's search engine, GIFs and emojis right from the keyboard of the iPhone or iPad.

The launch of the app was announced through a post on Google's official blog, with the Gboard now available on Apple's App Store.

To describe the functionality provided by the Gboard, Google gave the example of having to exit a communications app while texting a friend to search for information, such as the address of a restaurant. Upon searching for the information in a separate browser, the user will then have to copy the address, switch back to the communications app and then paste the address to send it.

With the Gboard, the process is much simpler because the Google logo is placed in the upper left corner of the keyboard. Tapping on the icon will bring up Google Search, and the information that is brought up can then be sent to friends with just one tap. There will be no need to switch between apps when looking for information to send to friends.

In addition to Google Search results, the Gboard can also bring up emojis and GIFs that the user would like to use in conversations, to liven up the messages with whatever emoji or GIF that the user thinks of.

Gboard also has a Glide Typing feature, which allows users to type out words by sliding their finger from key to key instead of tapping the keys one by one. This would make typing messages a bit faster and less strenuous, especially for those long strings of text.

The keyboard will work with any app on the iPhone or iPad, but for now, it is only available in English. Google, however, plans to launch the Gboard to support more languages in the future.

"On iOS, we've found from our own usage that it's a little more difficult to get quick access to information," said Rajan Patel Gboard project lead, regarding the inspiration for iOS app, especially as compared with Android, information is quickly accessed through features such as the quick search bar and Now On Tap.

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Tech Times has recently reported that Google is likely gearing up to launch and Android VR headset at its I/O conference, and now the Google developer site has inadvertently confirmed the existence of the device.

Android Police has espied a placeholder for "Android VR" in the Google Play Developer Console, which suggests that the launch of the headset is definitely on the cards.

"Yesterday we reported on a rumor that Google would unveil a new "Android VR" platform at Google I/O next week, along with a standalone headset. Today we're seeing what looks like additional evidence. Folks who sign into the Google Play Developer Console are seeing Android VR alongside Android Wear, Android TV, and Android Auto," says the publication.

The icon for Android VR has emerged in the Pricing & Distribution section (shown in above screenshot) of the Google Play Developer Console. However, clicking on it does not elicit any other action. The icon is the same one as that for Android Wear, which basically hints at the listing being a mere placeholder. Nevertheless, it is a definite confirmation of the plans Google has in the pipeline.

The much-rumored Android VR headset's announcement at the Google I/O next week has also been affirmed by Peter Rojas, the co-founder of Engadget. Rojas tweeted on May 11 that the device would be announced in the coming week for sure.

He has also said that the Android VR will be a standalone headset, which implies that it will not require tethering unlike the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.

Some reports also suggest that the Google device will need the support of a smartphone. However, unlike the Gear VR from Samsung, the Android VR headset will support several brands

The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, has suggested that Google will be launching both the smartphone supported and the standalone models of Android VR at its I/O conference on May 18.

Irrespective of the variant, neither headset will need third-party apps because the Android VR experience will allegedly be inbuilt into Android.

Speculations are also rife that the Android VR headset from Google may deploy Movidius-powered motion tracking cameras. Google has previously worked in tandem with Movidius on its Project Tango.

With the Google I/O a few days away, we will soon know what surprises the company has up its sleeve.

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Motorola's soon-to-be-announced Moto G4 just made an appearance on GFXBench ahead of its launch. The smartphone will be powered by an octa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and more.

Over the last few weeks, Motorola has watched several of its upcoming smartphones leak on the Internet. The company's mid-range Moto G4 Plus was one of the first images to leak and it confirmed what a Lenovo executive said in January, that all 2016 Moto branded smartphones would ship with a fingerprint scanner. Images of the Moto G4 made their way online shortly after, and what appear to be press renders for the handset showed off a white color option.

Motorola also experienced a leak of its next-generation Moto X (2016), when a reliable source revealed the smartphone would be offered with a new metal body.

Motorola is holding a press event on May 17 and it's widely expected to announce the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus. One of those smartphones just made an appearance on GFXBench, where it confirmed some of the handset's internals.

According to the results, the Motorola Moto G4 scored a single-core score of 719 and a multi-core score of 3,076 and was running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. An octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor and 3 GB of RAM (which was reportedly reserved for the G4 Plus) are powering the device.

Recent reports suggest the Moto G4 will include a 1,920 x 1,080 5.5-inch full HD display and is believed to pack in a 16-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for selfie fans and video chat.

While the Moto G4's battery wasn't listed, Motorola is well known for getting as much juice out of its batteries as possible. It's also unclear if U.S. carriers will offer the smartphone on their networks or if it will be sold unlocked.

We'll know the full details on May 17 and will keep you posted on any additional news.

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The first case of microcephaly in Puerto Rico related to mosquito-borne Zika virus has been reported on May 13.

The country's health ministry validated the news, raising concerns about the spread of the virus and the difficulties that the U.S. commonwealth is facing with regards to managing the health dilemma.

"This is the first case of congenital and developmental Zika in the product of a pregnancy that are detected or reported in Puerto Rico," says Dr. Brenda Rivera, the island's chief epidemiologist.

Details Of The Infected Baby

The fetus was donated by a family, who have no recent record of travels. Rivera confirmed that after the ministry of health received the news, the fetus was identified to have severe microcephaly and brain plaques, which are common in these cases.

Although there were scarce details about the pregnancy, ultrasound test results released last week showed that the fetus had abnormalities. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the brain tissue defects of the fetus.

Zika, Microcephaly And Other Birth Defects

In April, CDC confirmed that microcephaly and other congenital anomalies among babies in Zika-affected areas were indeed because of the mosquito-borne virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also suggested a strong link between Zika virus and a rare neurological paralysis disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Government Woes

The social services status in Puerto Rica has been tremendously slumped over the past years. Crisis after crisis led to hospitals and clinics closing and medical professionals leaving to find more financially rewarding careers.

The government is said to owe about $70 billion in debt to its creditors.

Such situation has worried the White House because it believes that the debt that the Puerto Rican government is facing could impede its ability to manage the possible health problems caused by Zika virus.

President Barack Obama has already requested $1.9 billion in funds to alleviate the crisis on the island. So far, no U.S. legislations have offered serious, significant help in the financial crisis of Puerto Rico, suggesting that humanitarian aid may be the only answer left.

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Australia is set to cull 2,000 kangaroos starting Monday to control its disrupting population.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government will close 10 reserves across the region to accommodate culling of 1,991 kangaroos to control the population of eastern grey kangaroos that are now threatening the territory. To date, the government has already culled more than 4,000 kangaroos as part of its annual measure.

Daniel Iglesias, director of Parks and Conservation of the ACT Government, said the culling is necessary to preserve the environment. Over-abundance of the eastern grey kangaroos causes loss of vegetation. If no immediate action is done, complete degradation may occur in certain areas.

"We know that it can lead to de-vegetation and the complete degradation of certain areas if we let it go too long," said Iglesias.

Iglesias clarified that the government is not planning to eradicate the animals, but only trim them down to a sustainable population.

The government will pursue culling amid protests from animal activists.

A month ago, Chris Klootwijk from Canberra was found guilty of disturbing kangaroo culling last July. Klootwijk was at the scene of the cull, blowing a whistle to warn the shooters of his location. Klootwijk claimed that the operation was not done legally. Cull arrangements state that a shooter must ensure that a kangaroo is dead before proceeding to kill other animals.

For this, Iglesias is calling all protesters to conduct their protests in a peaceful manner, without putting others in jeopardy.

Are there other ways to curb the population of kangaroos?

At present, scientists are working on fertility drugs as an alternative measure. With the way things are going, Iglesias said, the drug may become available in the coming years.

The culling, if not delayed, is expected to end on Aug. 1.

This is not the first time the Australian government turned to culling as a means to control over population. In July 2015, the government proposed to kill approximately 2 million feral cats that are threatening the extinction of plants and other animal species.

Photo: Ron Knight | Flickr

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Experts are proposing more stringent health warnings amid the steady increase in the number of middle-aged men who drink beer more than the allowed quantities included in the guidelines of alcohol consumption.

A past study has found that 90 percent of people in England do not believe that alcohol consumption may cause cancer, despite the fact that about seven different cancers can arise from drinking alcoholic beverages.

In January, the UK's chief medical officers have released a guideline [PDF] that lowered the alcohol intake of men from 21 units to only 14 units or 6 pints of beer. The new guidance on alcohol consumption is based on the fact that 14 units of alcohol spread across a week do not increase health risks. However, more than the said amount may up cancer risk and other alcohol-related illness, such as liver failure.

In a November research conducted by Drinkaware, a charity funded by the alcohol industry, about 3.5 million men consume more than 14 units of beer a week. The agency suggested that more robust efforts must be in place to warn the public about the negative effects of excess alcohol consumption. The research also found that middle-aged men aged 45 to 64 years old consume 37 units or 16 pints of beer in a weeks' time.

It is alarming that many of the respondents drink alcohol at levels that are even more harmful to one's health. About 800,000 were found to have at least 50 units or 21 pints of alcohol each week, and most of these individuals are often admitted in the emergency rooms for alcohol-related illnesses.

Why do they keep consuming beer given its negative effects on health?

The research said that majority of men do not believe they are doing harm to their body by consuming excessive alcohol.

"More than half (53 percent) of middle-aged men drinking above the low-risk guidelines do not believe they will never incur increased health problems if they continue drinking at their current level, with almost half (49 percent) of these drinkers also believing moderate drinking is good for your health," said the agency.

Call For Health Warnings

Alcohol Heath Alliance (AHA), an organization of several health experts and charities, also expressed concern about the figures released by Drinkaware. It is calling on authorities to impose proper health warnings on alcoholic products so the public can be aware of the negative impact alcohol has on health.

"People have a right to know the risks associated with drinking alcohol. Only with accurate and transparent information are people able to make an informed choice about how much alcohol they consume," said Professor Ian Gilmore, chair of AHA, during a group session about the chief medical officer's guidelines.

Experts are also concerned that many individuals, about 45 percent, would consume alcohol as a way to lighten up their mood and about one-third or 29 percent admit that they could not stop from drinking alcohol.

Elaine Hindal, Drinkaware chief executive, acknowledges that drinking alcohol is part of the daily routine of middle-aged men and the practice can often go unnoticed. Hindal advised that gradual reduction of alcohol consumption may be a good start of curbing alcohol dependency.

"The benefits of cutting down include having more energy, sleeping better as well as looking and feeling healthier," Hindal said. "There are a number of ways to cut down on your alcohol intake, such as avoiding situations where the temptation is high or finding a new hobby or activity."

Photo: Simon Frost | Flickr

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is still one of the best stylus-carrying handsets on the market and it recently got screen-off writing support, increasing its functionality.

About a month ago, the Galaxy Note 4 started receiving updates to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, giving the device access to the myriad of goodies that the improved OS brings. For one thing, the TouchWiz got revamped, granting faster and smoother navigation.

In a more recent batch of updates, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow will land on more devices.

Alongside the new and improved Marshmallow features, the most notable upgrade is the handset got access to a neat capability already existing in its successor, the Galaxy Note 5: screen-off notes.

Why is this game-changing? Using the new feature, users can just use the S Pen Stylus to scribble a note on their Galaxy Note 4 without turning the device on. Once users end their note/sketch, they can either save or discard it. We can see how the new functionality of the Galaxy Note 4 will prove useful, from grocery lists to brilliant pun ideas to quirky sketches to get the bartender's attention and phone number.

Normally, your Galaxy Note 4 should host the screen-off memo as soon as you install Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on it. However, devices sometimes do their own thing, and you may have to manually enable the function.

To do this, go to the "Settings" menu and find the "S Pen" section. Swipe down until you find the "Screen off memo" toggle. Check the box next to it to make sure your Note 4 smartphone is prepared for stylus note taking without being turned on.

Just as a reminder, there are other reasons to upgrade to Android Marshmallow.

Google Now on Tap works by anticipating your needs and catering to them instantly. A simple tap gives you access to cards that pack useful information, as well as knowledge-rich apps.

Doze acts as a battery life extender. When your handset is not active, Doze optimizes the background processes and puts them into a sleep state, saving a significant part of its power juice.

Those who wasted time giving on and off access to apps can also rejoice, as Android Marshmallow makes sure you are in full control of what you want to share and when. Permissions can be put on hold at any time.

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Data centers are very important to online companies such as Google. Data centers store massive amounts of data but these data center buildings are quite boring. To bring some life to these data centers, Google has hired a few artists who have painted the outside walls of these structures.

Joe Kava, the VP of Google Data Centers, says that the company's data centers receive a tremendous number of requests each day for searching the web, sharing photos, and more. However, very few people know how these data centers manage data flows.

"Because these buildings typically aren't much to look at, people usually don't-and rarely learn about the incredible structures and people inside who make so much of modern life possible," says Kava. "To begin to change that, we created the Data Center Mural Project: a partnership with artists to bring a bit of the magic from the inside of our data centers to the outside."

Kava says that as part of the Data Center Mural Project, the exteriors of two data centers have received uplifts.

Jenny Odell has designed the mural at Google's data center in Oklahoma's Mayes County. The artist designed four circular collages using images she collected from Google Maps. Individual circles have different themes including swimming pools, salt ponds, circular farms and wastewater treatment plants.

Another mural at the data center at St. Ghislain, Belgium, was created by Oli-B. The mural at this data center incorporates objects, animals and people from inside the data center and from the surrounding town.

"It may start with a sketch by Oli-B, but it takes a team to transform the Google data center in St. Ghislain into a vibrant mural," says Google.

The mural art will soon make its way to two more Google data centers at Dublin, Ireland and Council Bluffs, Iowa. According to the Data Center Mural Project website, artist Fuchsia Macaree will design and create the mural at Dublin, and Gary Kelley will be responsible for the mural at Council Bluffs.

The company is also planning the same for 11 other data centers located across the world. It remains to be seen what designs artists have in mind for the exteriors of other Google data centers.

Check out a short video about Google's Data Center Mural Project.

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Researchers warn that texting is the worst of all driving distractions because it disables your "sixth sense."

According to an extensive, new study conducted by researchers from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the University of Houston, drivers have a sixth sense that keeps them safe and on track even if they're emotional or absent-minded while driving.

In fact, the emotional and cognitive distractions actually made study participants drive safer and in a straighter line.

That sixth sense, however, is not present when texting and driving. Because texting breaks the driver's eye-hand coordination, the sixth sense doesn't kick in.

"What makes texting so dangerous is that it wreaks havoc into this sixth sense. Self-driving cars may bypass this and other problems, but the moral of the story is that humans have their own auto systems that work wonders, until they break," says Ioannis Pavlidis, director of the Computational Physiology Laboratory at the University of Houston. Pavlidis led the study, which involved 59 participants.

The 59 volunteers had to drive four times along the same section of highway, each time under different conditions. Under "normal" conditions, they had no distractions, meaning they only had to focus on driving and nothing else. Other conditions involved driving while being distracted by questions that posed a mental challenge, or questions with an emotional charge. Researchers also observed the participants' driving performance while texting. The driving conditions were randomly selected to lower the chances of bias.

As opposed to driving under conditions deemed "normal" or with no distractions, the emotional, absent-minded and texting conditions made the drivers more "jittery" in handling the steering wheel. This resulted in significant deviations in trajectory only where texting was involved, while the other two distracting conditions prompted a straighter trajectory and safer driving compared to normal driving.

As Pavlidis explains, a part of the brain automatically kicks in when there's a conflict. In this study, the emotional, distracted or texting stages caused the conflict. The part of the brain that made distracted or emotional subjects drive better than they did under normal circumstances is called the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC.

The conflict stressors raised the levels of participants' physiological stress, "funneling fight or flight" energy to the driver's arms. This caused the jittery response, when the ACC automatically intervened and counterbalanced the motion.

"The end effect of this forceful action is nullification of any veering to the left or the right of the lane and, thus, very straight driving," adds Pavlidis.

ACC, however, is highly dependent on the hand-eye coordination loop, which is broken when texting and driving. With the loop broken, ACC no longer intervenes to offset the jittery handling of the steering wheel and drivers end up steering off-course.

In light of these findings, researchers concluded that texting is the most dangerous driving distraction. The study is published in the journal Nature.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning on Thursday about the dangers of giving dogs food products that contain the artificial sweetener Xylitol.

The agency's warning comes amid increasing incidence of Xylitol poisoning among dogs. The number of calls to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center about dogs being poisoned by Xylitol increased from 82 in 2004 to over 3,700 in just 10 years. The Pet Poison Helpline also saw a 15 percent rise in such calls this year.

The FDA warned dog owners that Xylitol, which can be found in chewing gum, some baked goods, and chocolates, can be fatal to dogs.

"Xylitol is present in many products and foods for human use, but can have devastating effects on your pet," the FDA said.

"Over the past several years, the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received several reports-many of which pertained to chewing gum-of dogs being poisoned by xylitol."

Just like Xylitol, which can be safely consumed by humans but can be fatal to pets, there are other food products that dog owners should keep their animals away from.

Coffee And Other Caffeinated Products

Coffee, chocolate and other food products with caffeine contain methylxanthines found in cacao seeds. This substance can cause panting, diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and even death to dogs. Dark chocolate, which has high levels of methylxanthines can be particularly dangerous to dogs.

Grapes And Raisins

It is not yet certain what makes grapes and raisins bad for some dogs but giving them these may cause kidney failure that can be potentially fatal.

Alcohol

Beverages and other food products that contain alcohol may cause vomiting, decreased coordination, diarrhea, depression, breathing difficulties, abnormal blood acidity, tremors, and possibly death to pets.

Onions And Garlic

Onions and garlic may destroy the red blood cells of dogs, which can lead to anemia. Although getting occasional dose may be fine, consuming large quantities of onions and garlic all at once or eating smaller amounts regularly may poison pets. Symptoms of anemia in animals include vomiting, weakness and little interest in food.

Macadamia Nuts

Dogs should not be given macadamia nuts or other food products that contain them because they can be fatal. At least six roasted or raw macadamia can make them sick. Symptoms may include paralysis in some parts, muscle tremors, rapid heart rate, and elevated body temperature.

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The population of the world's smallest porpoise in the world, known as the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), continues to decline, with less than 60 individuals currently alive on the planet, a new report has revealed.

Considered as an endangered species, the vaquita porpoises are extremely rare and reside only in the northern Gulf of California in Mexico. They typically grow up to 5 feet long during maturity.

Despite the Mexican Navy's attempts to protect the vaquita, however, the marine animal's population has dropped from 245 to 60  a loss of about 75.5 percent.

Without stricter policies, scientists say the vaquita could become extinct within the next six years.

Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, chair of the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, says the precious native species is disappearing before our eyes. Rojas-Bracho, together with marine mammal expert Barbara Taylor, led a survey expedition to count the vaquitas in the gulf.

What is driving the vaquita's speedy disappearance? Experts say the demand for the swim bladder of a large fish called totoaba, which swims in the same area and is also an endangered species, is affecting the vaquita's population.

After being taken, the totoaba's swim bladder gets dried, smuggled across the border to California and then exported to China. There, it is considered a delicacy, and can sell for $10,000 per kilogram.

The vaquitas get entangled in the nets meant to catch the totoaba and drown. What's more alarming is that although researchers counted 60 individual vaquitas, this number was before the totoaba fishing season began.

Prior to the illegal totoaba trade, the vaquita has been endangered by long gill nets placed by local fishermen to catch finfish and shrimp. In 2015, Mexico set a two-year ban on the use of gill nets within the range of the vaquita.

Unfortunately, enforcement of the policy is not as aggressive as desired. An exception has even allowed fishermen to net the corvina drum, a saltwater fish found in South and Central America.

In March, poachers exploited the loophole and used fishing for corvina as cover for totoaba poaching. This resulted in three vaquita deaths.

"There's no margin for error if we're going to save the vaquita," says Atty. Zak Smith of the Marine Mammal Protection Project under the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Smith asserts that if the species has to make it to 2020, the Mexican government has to take responsibility.

Omar Vidal of the World Wildlife Fund, who has worked on vaquita conservation, says if the president of Mexico wants to save vaquitas, the only thing to do is to prohibit the fishing nets.

"There is no more time left to do anything else," says Vidal.

Photo: Colin Knowles | Flickr

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For the first time ever, an international team of physicists from Switzerland, Finland, Japan, Germany, and Sweden successfully measured the very weak and tiny forces between atoms  a force known as van der Waals' interactions.

If you remember from high school chemistry, then you might recall that the van der Waals force is just the weak bond between molecules, triggered by the way electrons move at the atomic level.

The van der Waals force is the result of unstable electric fields around atoms and molecules, which can generate small repulsive or attractive forces. It is considered weaker than chemical bonds such as covalent and ionic bonds.

However, these weaker forces prove to be surprisingly useful when it comes to adhesion, cohesion, friction, and condensation.

Geckos that climb walls take advantage of the van der Waals force. Strapless bras also provide efficient support because of it.

Measuring The Van Der Waals Force

To measure the van der Waals force, scientists from the University of Basel and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute embedded different atoms into a copper molecular grid. The embedded atoms include noble gases such as xenon, argon, and krypton.

Researchers refer to the void between these copper lattices as the "nano-beakers" of atoms where the noble gas atoms are held in place like an egg.

The Basel research team measured the tiny fluctuating forces between atoms through the use of an atomic force microscope. These noble gas atoms were placed at varying distances from one another.

When experts compared their measurements with theoretical calculations, they discovered that the results are approximately consistent. One slight difference was that the force between most xenon atoms was twice than what was predicted.

The research team assumes that even among noble gases, the transfer of charge occurs, causing weak covalent bonds to form. This could explain why the van der Waals force between xenon atoms had higher values.

Implications Of The Study

With this new study, physicists have proven that they can still push ahead into novel fields with the use of atomic force microscopy - a science developed three decades ago.

Scientists will also be able to study the results to better understand the physical behavior of atoms.

The details of the study are published in the journal Nature Communications.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) released on Thursday a shorter, cheaper treatment plan for drug-resistant tuberculosis, aiming to curb thousands of cases of the killer diseases superbug forms.

Deeming it an important step in solving the public health crisis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the health agency said the novel diagnostic test could be completed in 9 to 12 months  versus the previously recommended regimens that could take up to two years  and would cost less than $1,000 per patient.

The new WHO recommendations offer hope to hundreds of thousands of MDR-TB patients who can now benefit from a test that quickly identifies eligibility for the shorter regimen, and then complete treatment in half the time and at nearly half the cost, said Dr. Mario Raviglione, WHO global TB program director.

MDR-TB stems from bacterial resistance to at least two drugs that are supposed to be effective against it. TB itself is highly infectious, infecting 9.6 million in 2014 and killing 1.5 million. In the same year, around 480,000 developed drug-resistant TB, which remains very difficult to treat.

Conventional treatment programs are completed from 18 to 24 months and maintain dismal cure rates, or just 50 percent on global average. According to experts, this is mostly because patients have a hard time sticking to powerful medicines, which can get toxic, for extended time periods.

The new, shorter therapy is designed for patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB, such as those not showing resistance to second-line drugs fluoroquinolones and injectables, and patients not yet treated with these second-line medications.

WHO recommendations are anchored on studies that involved 1,200 patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB from 10 countries. It is calling for the completion of current randomized clinical trials to provide further evidence of the regimens effectiveness.

Today, the more dependable way for ruling out resistance to second-line drugs is MTBDRsl, a newly crafted diagnostic tool that looks for the involved strains genetic mutations. It can yield results within 48 hours, which is far more quickly than the minimum of three months currently required.

The UN agency considers MDR-TB a mounting challenge to be addressed, with fewer than 20 percent of the 480,000 patients around the world being treated properly.

A study back from the University of Colorado back in March concluded that turmeric  used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries now  may help resolve drug-resistant tuberculosis through its primary component curcumin.

Photo: CDC Global | Flickr

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Windows mobile users may have reasons to smile this summer. The next Windows 10 Mobile could become more secure than existing ones, for Microsoft is all set to introduce fingerprint-scanning support to its operating system.

The Windows 10 Mobile, which has been supporting biometric authentication systems such as retina detection on its models Lumia 950, has taken three long years to adapt the technology that appeared first on the iPhones  to be precise with the iPhone 5S.

Plans for adding fingerprint scanner support to select phones were revealed recently at the MHEC (Microsoft Hardware Engineering Community) event held in March, though the actual news was broken to the media only last Friday.

Given that software updates along would not do the trick for Microsoft when it comes to introducing fingerprint scanners on Windows 10 mobiles, it remains to be seen what new models would showcase this feature in the future. Rumors suggest that the HP Elite X3 could be among the first to get this feature enabled.

While biometrics authentication has become old hat since the likes of Apple introduced fingerprint scanners on smartphones, Microsoft itself has expertise in the technology through its history of supporting biometric authentication features via Windows Hello, the name that it has given to this effort.

IOn its part, Microsoft holds the view that while some of its equipment makers such as Synaptics, have expertise with fingerprint components, using scanners from other companies might take a bit more effort. Reports suggest that the feature being tested now should arrive in July  both for mobiles and desktops.

Suffice to state that even though Microsoft has made the grand announcement, its actual launch could still be a weary wait for its smartphone users. Well! If that isnt typical Microsoft, what is?

Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 10 Phone
Investigators say that malware made by Islamabad or Pyongyang hacker used in BB heist

The malware behind the mega $80 million hack of Bangladesh Bank was allegedly made by a Pakistani or North Korean hackers according to the Investigators. The investigators in the high profile Bangladesh Bank today said that a malware made by either Pakistani or North Korean hackers were used in stealing US 80 million dollars from Bangladesh Bank account with Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Mohammed Farashuddin, head of the committee probing the Bangladesh Bank heist, said that malware was installed at the server of the central bank

The investigators also held SWIFT primarily responsible for the hack. SWIFT now is telling that its job is to provide solutions and it is the responsibility of the client to ensure the safety of the system, Mohammed Farashuddin added.

Okay, I admit that. But if SWIFT or any individual gives any system, it is the providers responsibility to supply device to keep the system secure.

On May 9, SWIFT rejected allegations by Bangladesh officials that technicians with the global messaging system made the nations central bank more vulnerable to hacking before an $80 million cyber heist in February.

The remarks were in response to a Reuters story that cited Bangladeshi police and a central bank official as saying that SWIFT technicians introduced security holes into the banks network while connecting SWIFT to Bangladeshs first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system.

Earlier it was reported that the Bangladesh Bank used second hand $10 routers to power its network and that was believed to have been compromised by the hackers.

There is also a debate going on about actually how much money Bangladesh Bank lost in the hack attack on February 4. The report says that the hackers were actually attempting to steal $950 million but a typo stopped the hack at $101 million. The report says that the hackers were successfully in remittance of advices worth $101 million. Of this $101 million, the Bangladesh Bank got back $20 million because of misspelling of the beneficiary organisation in Sri Lanka and now the amount of missing money stood at $81.16 million.

The preliminary report of the probe findings was submitted to the government on April 20. In the forwarding, the probe committee said the report is final on that part.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011) has a seven-point lead over President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the October 30 runoff, according to a poll released Monday by... | Read More
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Ukraine's Jamala performs her winning song "1944" during the Eurovision Song Contest final at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, May 14, 2016. Photo: TT News Agency/Maja Suslin/via REUTERS

Ukraine's Jamala struck a surprise gold in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song "1944" about war-time deportations of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union in one of the most controversial winners in the competition's history.

In a show known down the years for its playfulness and camp, 32-year-old Jamala struck a sombre tone with her lyrics about strangers coming to "kill you all", in reference to the forced removal of ethnic Tatars by Josef Stalin during World War 2.

Jamala, herself a Tatar, stood on the Stockholm stage singing "you think you are gods" against a blood-red backdrop.

She said her great-grandmother was one of the Crimean Tatar victims of Stalin who deported the group en masse to Central Asia after accusing them of sympathizing with Nazi Germany. Many of the 200,000 deported died on the way or in exile.

Jamala pleaded for "peace and love to everyone," when collecting the trophy ahead of Australia in second place and Russia in third spot. Despite being far from Europe, Australia attended the competition for the second time after an invitation from organisers.

While the Eurovision voting has long been tainted by political alliances among competitor countries, songs are not allowed to be political but Jamala's entry seemed to come close to breaking that rule.

Event organiser, the European Broadcasting Union, said Ukraine's offering did not contain political speech and therefore did not break Eurovision Song Contest rules.

"The song refers to a historical fact and Jamala makes reference to a story that happened in her family," EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre told Reuters after the show.

She said the song referred to what happened in 1944 and not recent events. Crimea was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014.

At a press conference, Jamala appeared to struggle with tears when she talked about a close relative that the song was about.

"I would prefer that all these terrible things did not happen at all to my great-grandmother and I would even prefer this song not to exist," she said.

Bookmakers had tipped Russia to win the competition followed by Australia and Ukraine at number three.

Russian contestant Sergey Lazarev played down any political implications of Ukraine's victory.

"I am trying to think that it is all about music and not about politics. We are at a song contest, not a political one," Lazarev told reporters after the contest was over.

As late as last year, Ukraine decided not to take part in Eurovision with war again ravaging the country as troops take on Russian-backed rebels.

Tatars, a Muslim people from the Black Sea peninsula, opposed the 2014 annexation of Crimea, which followed the overthrow of a Moscow-backed president in Kiev.

Inside the stadium on Saturday, the world's biggest international music show took place with the audience dancing and partying.

But the hosts of the contests, last year's winner Mans Zelmerlow and comedian Petra Mede, also struck a serious chord.

"This competition was created in 1956 to unify a continent torn apart by war, and right now Europe is once again facing darker times. That reminds us just how important this evening actually is," Zelmerlow said. And Mede filled in:

"Because tonight, we set aside any differences we might have, and unite through our love for music," she said.

The organizers expected more than 200 million to tune in - more viewers than the Super Bowl.

And the competition is reaching ever wider outside Europe with this year's final being live broadcast for the first time in the United States and China.

One of the most memorable Eurovision winners in recent years was Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst who won in 2014 with the ballad "Rise Like a Phoenix."
Vietnam's tax authority has announced a plan to inspect at least 18 percent of businesses around the country this year, a move that is expected to uncover violations and arrears and may bring more than VND10 trillion (US$441.32 million) to the state budget.

Companies which claim massive tax refunds and those which operate in the sectors of e-commerce and multi-level marketing will be among the main targets of the General Department of Taxation under the Ministry of Finance.

Last year the department inspected nearly 79,300 businesses and collected more than VND12.35 trillion ($545 million), according to official figures.

Vietnam had more than 400,000 businesses last year, according to local media reports.

Now that its main income from crude exports has been sharply reduced by the world oil price slump, Vietnam's government has been offsetting the losses by tightening the collection of taxes and fees.

At a meeting at the end of last month, Deputy Finance Minister Do Hoang Tuan Anh asked local tax offices to boost their collections so taxes and fees will attribute to more than 80 percent of the state revenue in 2016-20, instead of 70 percent like before.

The tax department is expected to collect VND809.5 trillion ($35.72 billion) this year, slightly bigger than the estimate of VND806.37 trillion last year, Bui Van Nam, chief of the department, cited a government plan as saying at the meeting.

Vietnam's state budget deficit was capped at 4.95 percent of GDP this year, almost equal to last year's estimate of 5 percent.
Green tea C2 sold at a supermarket in Hanoi. Latest tests have found the product is safe. Photo: Ngoc Thang/Thanh Nien

The National Institute for Food Control has rejected accusations that it took bribes and compromised tests on two Philippine beverage products, asking the police to investigate the case.

We are willing to cooperate with relevant agencies to find out the motives of those behind these rumors," said Le Thi Hong Hao, director of the agency, run by the Ministry of Health.

Earlier some posts on social media cited an "insider" accusing two officers from the institute of receiving VND1 billion (US$44,730) from URC Vietnam, a unit of Philippine producer Universal Robina, to modify test results for its green tea C2 and energy drink Rong Do.

The products were cleared even after they had been found to have higher lead content than the permitted limit of 0.05 mg/l, according to the posts.

The National Institute for Food Control has confirmed that the products meet safety standards.



In a separate move, the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) on May 13 also announced that in 10 random samples of C2 and Rong Do, the levels of lead were all within the normal range.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, VFA director, said health inspectors will check two URC facilities in Vietnam.
Police in the northern province of Thai Nguyen are searching for a man who was filmed lying flat on the seat of his motorbike and driving with his feet.

A one-minute video emerged on Facebook showed him doing different unsafe stunts, without wearing the obligatory crash helmet.

He kept posing and smiling to the camera.

The video was filmed on Tuesday morning on a street in Thai Nguyens Phu Binh District. The street was rather crowded at that time.
A photo shows the motorbike wreck in an accident that seriously injured an Australian man on May 14, 2016. Photo: Thanh Chuong

An Australian man suffered serious burns after his motorbike crashed into a roadside trench and catching fire in central Vietnam on Saturday.

The accident happened at around 1:30 p.m. when Brice Russell, 24, was riding a motorbike on the National Highway 1A in Dong Nai Province, which neighbors Ho Chi Minh City.

At a section near Long Khanh Town, the driver lost his control and crashed into a roadside trench. The bike caught fire and Russell was burned in his hands and feet.

Passers-by and local police attempted to extinguish the fire and luggage to no avail.

The Australian was admitted to nearby Dau Giay Hospital for first aids before being transferred to Ho Chi Minh Citys Cho Ray Hospital for further treatment.

According to local residents, the accident happened at a dangerous hillside section where they had repeatedly proposed local government to install roadside barriers.

Further investigations are ongoing.

Traffic accidents remain high in Vietnam. Official figures show that last year's traffic accidents killed 8,671 people and injured 20,556 others across the country.
An image from the video showing Do Van Hieu lifting his motorbike front wheel while diving in Bac Ninh Province.

A man has been fined for being caught to perform stunts while driving his motorbike on the street in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

Do Van Hieu,21, was fined VND7.3 million (US$326) for his violations, including driving on one wheel, not wearing a helmet, no bike registration and no driving license.

Earlier, a video clip went viral on social media, showing Hieu performing the stunts without wearing a helmet while driving a motorbike in Bac Ninhs Tu Son Town.

In the video, he drove at high speeds, lifting front wheel and driving in zigzags. His performance was supported by a group of young people who also filmed him.

Tu Son police later identified Hieu, who works for a furniture shop in the town.

At the police station, Hieu confessed he performed the stunts in late March after being offered by his friends.

He was told to write a commitment on not making similar violation.
The police in the ancient town of Hoi An have arrested two men accused of robbing many foreign tourists, including a 29-year-old French woman as the latest victim.

Nguyen Nhat Hoang, 20, and Le Van Dung, 22, told the police they often drive motorbike to prey on foreigners, especially women, who often go around the town by bicycle.

Colonel Dinh Xuan Nghi, Hoi An police chief, said police have returned stolen properties for many of their victims.

Earlier on May 9, French tourist Melissa Chevalier reported to Hoi An police of being robbed while riding a bicycle on Cua Dai Street.

She said two men on a motorbike snatched her bag with three cell phones, VND200,000 (US$9) and some foreign cash and other personal items.

Police later found an empty bag, identified to belong to the French tourist, was left in Cam Ha Commune and began to investigate suspects in the area.

Plainclothes police found that Hoang, a drug addict, has often ridden motorbike along the streets where there were many tourists, Nghi said.

After being summoned by the police, the 20-year-old admitted he and an accomplice robbed the French tourist. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Dung.

The duo confessed they often targeted western women and had spent the robbed money on drug.

Nghi said that the police department had asked local hotels to recommend their guests not to put handbags in bicycle baskets while riding aro8nd the town.

Last year, Hoi An police busted 20 of the total of 34 reported robbery cases involving foreign victims.
Vietnam starts probing people named in Panama Papers A total of 189 individuals and companies have been connected to 19 questionable offshore entities, mostly in the British Virgin Islands.

Divers find little presence of life under water off central coast 'The water at the bottom is very dirty and theres a very uncomfortable stink, possibly because of the dead fish decomposing'

Sugar factory blamed for Vietnam's second fish kill scandal within weeks Farmers in Thanh Hoa Province were forced to destroy tons of fish apparently killed by untreated wastewater.

US investors plan $4 billion financial hub in southern Vietnam The 11-hectare office building complex is expected to house foreign and local companies in Ho Chi Minh City.

In new documentary 'Nights Out in Saigon,' a dark twisted version of Disneyland The 30-minute film features stories from both sides of the backpacker street Bui Vien.
Australian police have charged five men suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join Islamic State via journey that would start in a small motor boat taking them to Indonesia and the Philippines.

The men, aged between 21 and 31, were charged on Saturday with preparing to enter a foreign country "for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," an offense that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters on Sunday "their intentions to travel to the Middle East to engage in terrorist war fighting were known to the authorities," and that their passports had earlier been cancelled.

The five, who were not named, were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-meter motor boat almost 3,000 km (1,865 miles) from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said.

The men, in custody since Tuesday, will appear in court on Monday.

Brandis said that when it became clear to the men they could not leave "in an orthodox way, they remained under surveillance so that if they attempted to leave the country in this very unusual way they would be able to be stopped and they were."

There is "an unusual character to the plot, I know it has been ridiculed, but these are serious crimes," he said.

No current threat

A separate police statement said there is no current threat of a terrorist act to the Australian community arising from this investigation.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of potential ones. There have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead.

About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organizations such as Islamic State, Australia's Immigration Minister said last month.

Police said earlier this week that it was unclear where the men had planned to put the boat in the water. Indonesia and Australia share a maritime border, but it spans several hundred kilometres of open sea at its narrowest point.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Melbourne-born radical preacher Musa Cerantonio, a vocal supporter of Islamic State who was deported from the Philippines to Australia in 2014, was among those charged. Police declined to comment on the report.

On Sunday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she will said attend Syria peace talks in Vienna on Tuesday co-chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"The UKs actions in Libya were part of an ill-conceived intervention, the results of which are still playing out today."
There was just one other person in the women's toilets squeezed, like all European toilets, into a corner of the Cannes Palais that can only be located with a Where's Wally-style search. Formidably tall, glowing with gorgeousness, visibly pregnant and keen to discuss my hair colour: it's Blake Lively. The whole toilet area is the size of a wardrobe. We can't not talk. It's a Cannes glamour moment, the kind of thing people imagine happens all the time at the film festival  cocktails with Brad! a selfie with George and Amal!  but actually hardly ever does.

Of course, I just want to ask why she's ducked out of the gala screening of Cafe Society, Woody Allen's new film in which she features as a '30s socialite, to a grungy toilet in the next-door building that's only about as wide as she is tall. "I had to change my dress before dinner," she explains. She couldn't eat in the clinging spangled dress she wore up the red carpet: it's too tight. "And I'm really hungry." Trapped inside a dress! As she says in the interview we do next day, these issues of the famous are "champagne problems". It still seems a melancholy fate.

Blake Lively in the dress she had to change out of so she could eat dinner. Pictured here with director Woody Allen arriving at the screening of Cafe Society. Credit:Getty Images

For those of us who will never have to worry about splitting the seams of an Atelier Versace frock, dinners in Cannes consist mostly of a free espresso from the counter in the press room and a baguette eaten out of the bag. The exception was opening night, when the festival invited press and other guests to a party in a beachside restaurant with tables of meats and cheeses, a pasta station and as many strawberries as you could eat while a band pumped out Daft Punk's Get Lucky and '80s disco hits. Nobody famous was there, but you could almost forget you had to be in the theatre at 8am next day.

No question, there are fewer people in Cannes, post Charlie Hebdo. Police security preparations, which included a run-through of a simulated terrorist attack that was filmed and became an internet sensation, seem to have worried potential visitors more than reassuring them. There are no numbers yet to prove it, but all festival veterans know that it is easier to walk down the street, that the general hubbub sounds more French than American, and that everyone has heard of some latecomer to the festival paying peanuts for a villa where the usual tenants had bailed.
Filming on the Nine Network miniseries House of Bond has begun in secret.

The production company Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder started filming on the project several weeks ago, using a false name for the production, personalised scripts and undisclosed filming locations.

The secrecy is intended to protect the project from the kind of scrutiny that thrust the company's earlier project, House of Hancock, into the media spotlight and led to businesswoman Gina Rinehart suing CJZ and Nine in an attempt to delay or halt production.

"Legal action looms large in our mind given the Gina experience and the fact it is still going on," CJZ's Nick Murray told Fairfax Media. "The Rinehart case is about everything bar defamation, so we are being very careful."
Illustration: Michael Mucci Seven. Weeks. To go. Money was short in 2010 and 2013 too the global financial crisis and the end of the mining boom put the kibosh on the cash-splash elections commonplace in the Howard years but those campaigns were mercifully short. At 35 and 34 days respectively, they were three weeks shorter than this one. The leaders are quite wisely pacing themselves. Neither was able to seize much momentum in the first week, although if I had to pick a winner I'd say Shorten had a better week than Turnbull. Spending most of his time in Queensland, the Opposition Leader looked like he was quite enjoying himself. He performed well enough and stuck assiduously to his education message.

It didn't all go to plan. There was another eruption of Labor division over asylum-seeker policy specifically boat turnbacks which is bad for Shorten for two reasons: disunity is death in any campaign, and the Labor boat catastrophe is the last thing he wants people to be thinking about. Apart perhaps from Labor's ill-fated alliance with the Greens, a topic that also reared its head as thoughts turned to the possibility that this interminable race could end in another hung parliament. Labor also had some trouble in Western Australia, with the party forced to dump a controversial union-backed candidate just four days in after it emerged he hadn't properly disclosed his criminal past. But in this opening act, Shorten offered a more disciplined pitch. The Prime Minister criss-crossed the east coast, covering more ground than his opponent but losing focus along the way.

While Shorten at least attempted to set the agenda by making it appear that he had new things to say reheating and fleshing out elements of his education policy Turnbull simply soldiered on with his budget sell. The problem being the budget doesn't give him a great deal to talk about. Which is perhaps why the debate over whether the government's superannuation changes are retrospective quickly came to dominate. That caused an outbreak of disunity on his own side of politics because the changes attack his top-end-of-town base. Elsewhere, his new youth unemployment intern program came under doubt; he was named in the Panama Papers, thus reminding everyone he's filthy rich, and then he chose to eat lunch at an exclusive men's-only gentleman's club in Melbourne anyway; and Tony Abbott's ghost continued to haunt him. Of course, by the time we finally get to polling day if we survive that long week one will be long forgotten.
If your Mother's Day flower looked more like a squashed bug or you thought that cardboard Easter bunny your pre-schooler bought home was a bunyip, that's OK, in fact, top marks.

Early childhood educators say there is too much pressure on young children to replicate craft activities that say more about their parents' egos and less about learning the mechanics of paint and paper or expressing their creativity.

Kinder kids playing in the mud play area at East Burwood Preschool. Credit:Daniel Pockett

Many teachers say the biggest problem is parents who expect their preschooler to bring home something pretty to put on the fridge at home, and want to see their little ones' creations on display in the kinder room, looking exactly like everyone else's.

Professor Kay Margetts, an associate professor in early childhood studies at Melbourne University, says craft activities that involve children copying precisely a model presented by the teacher risk stifling creativity and imagination, as well as deterring children from experimenting with materials and learning new techniques.
Australian police have charged five men held earlier this week on suspicion of planning to travel in a small motor boat to Indonesia and the Philippines en route to join Islamic State in Syria.

The men, aged between 21 and 31, were charged with preparing to enter a foreign country "for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Charged: Melbourne-born radical preacher Musa Cerantonio was among those charged. Credit:Eddie Jim

The five were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-metre motor boat almost 3000 km from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said.

They have been in custody since, and are not scheduled to face court until Monday.
The appointment of two Newman-era head kickers to key roles on the LNP frontbench signals the party's more robust approach to both the Parliament and the Palaszczuk government under the new LNP Opposition Leader.

Jeff Seeney is leader of Opposition Business and Jarrod Bleijie is industrial relations spokesman.

Not that day 1 in Parliament went well for the LNP. Deputy Deb Frecklington attempted to muscle up to the Premier, on appointments to the magistracy, only to have Speaker Peter Wellington rule the question out of order, as a reflection on the judiciary.

Day 2 saw Mrs Frecklington make a tasteless comment about Julia Gillard jumping off the Kangaroo Point cliffs. As a beef farmer, Deb Frecklington should know all about the risks associated with foot in mouth disease.
The appointment of two Newman-era headkickers to key roles on the LNP front bench signals a more robust approach to both the Parliament and the Palaszczuk Government under the new LNP Opposition Leader.

Jeff Seeney is Leader of Opposition Business and Jarrod Bleijie is industrial relations spokesman.

Not that day one in parliament went well for the LNP. Deputy Deb Frecklington attempted to muscle up to the premier, on appointments to the magistracy only to have Speaker Wellington rule the question out of order as a reflection on the judiciary.

Day two saw Mrs Frecklington make a tasteless comment about Julia Gillard jumping off the Kangaroo Point cliffs. As a beef farmer, Deb Frecklington should know all about the risks associated with foot in mouth disease.
One of the men hit and killed by a train in Altona Meadows has been remembered for his smile and making everyone laugh as details emerge of a failed "rescue attempt" prior to the tragedy.

Jason Kahukiwa, 20, of Hoppers Crossing, and his 21-year-old friend from Point Cook, Callum Hall, were killed after being struck by a city-bound train on Thursday night.

Jay Kahukiwa.

Mr Kahukiwa's friends and family are raising money to help pay for the cost of bringing his body back to his birthplace of New Zealand.

"Jason, I never thought I'd ever be writing this, I'm so lost for words," said his friend, Danielle Calvi, in tribute to him.
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today announced additional stretches of the interstate network that will be posted with 70 mph speed limits.

Starting tomorrow, 396 additional miles of the Turnpike and 400 additional miles of certain PennDOT highways will be converted to 70 mph; combined with the 201 combined miles of Turnpike and PennDOT roadways already at 70 mph since July 2014, motorists will see the higher speed limit on 997 miles of roadway in the Commonwealth.

"Before moving ahead, we looked very closely at a number of factors, such as speed and traffic data and the physical characteristics of the highways, in deciding where 70 mph limits could be safely permitted," said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards.

Tomorrow morning, PennDOT and Turnpike crews will start installing new 70 mph signs, posts and foundations at some locations and replacing 65 mph signs with 70 mph signs at other locations. They also will be installing curve warning signs where warranted and new speed reduction warning signs in advance of areas where the limit drops from 70 mph to 55 mph.

"Motorists should not look at this change as consent to speed; in fact, it's as vital as ever to drive sensibly, to avoid distractions and to buckle up," said PA Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan. "And remember, 70 mph  or any posted speed limit for that matter  is the maximum speed; you should drive slower when traffic, weather or road conditions demand it."

PennDOT roadways that are being posted with the new limit over the next few days (including current pilot areas) are:

I-79 from I-90 in Erie County south to a point just north of the PA 228 interchange in Butler County (97 miles)

south to a point just north of the PA 228 interchange in (97 miles) I-79 from I-70 in Washington County south to the West Virginia border (33 miles)

south to the border (33 miles) I-80 from the Ohio State border east to a point near mile marker 190 in Clinton County (190 miles)

border east to a point near mile marker 190 in (190 miles) I-80 from a point near mile marker 195 in Union County to a point near mile marker 247 in Columbia County (52 miles)

to a point near mile marker 247 in (52 miles) US 15 from the interchange with PA 14 in Lycoming County north to the New York State border (49 miles)

north to the border (49 miles) I-99 from Exit No. 68 in Centre County south to a point near mile marker 34 in Blair County (34 miles)

south to a point near mile marker 34 in (34 miles) I-99 from Exit No. 28 in Blair County south to mile marker 0 (PA Turnpike) in Bedford County (28 miles)

south to mile marker 0 (PA Turnpike) in (28 miles) I-380 from I-84 in Lackawanna County south to Exit No. 3 in Monroe County (21 miles)

Turnpike travelers will encounter a higher speed limit on virtually the entire toll highway. "After we convert the remaining segments of our system, we will have 493 miles posted at 70 mph," said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. "As a result, Turnpike motorists will see a 70 mph speed limit on almost 90 percent of our 552-mile system."

Since the summer of 2014, the Turnpike speed limit has been 70 mph on a 97-mile stretch in south-central Pennsylvania between the Blue Mountain and Morgantown interchanges. All remaining sections of the PA Turnpike system that are now posted at 65 mph  including Turnpike extensions in southwestern PA  will be signed for 70 mph beginning May 3.

Areas of the PA Turnpike now posted at 55 mph will remain at 55 mph, including: work zones; the five tunnels; mainline toll plazas ( "barrier" plazas that stretch across travel lanes, such as Mid County and Delaware River Bridge in the southeast and Gateway and Warrendale in the west); the eastern slope of the Allegheny Mountain; and the seven-mile stretch east of the Bensalem Interchange in Bucks County (this section  now posted at 55 mph due to construction of the I-95/Turnpike link  will remain at 55 mph upon completion of the connections because of a lower design speed).

The lone exception to the Turnpike's 55/70 rule is during tunnel maintenance. "When we close a tunnel to perform pavement or lighting maintenance, traffic is switched to the adjacent tube resulting in a two-way traffic condition," Compton said. "The speed limit inside a bidirectional tunnel will continue to be 40 mph for the safety of our customers."

Areas that didn't qualify for the increase had crash histories; heavy, weaving traffic or characteristics that did not lend themselves to safe conversion to the higher limit. PennDOT will continue to review crash statistics for the newly posted areas and will consider information generated from ongoing studies before deciding on other areas that could see the higher limit.

Act 89, the transportation funding plan adopted in November 2013, permitted the increase to 70 mph once appropriate safety studies were reviewed. PennDOT and the Turnpike raised the limit in three pilot areas on the Turnpike, Interstate 80 and Interstate 380 in August 2014. The studies did not see a significant increase in speed or spike in crashes in the pilot areas.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews. Follow the Turnpike on Twitter at https://www.paturnpike.com/travel/twitter.aspx.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Carl DeFebo, 717-831-7176 or Rich Kirkpatrick, 717-783-8800

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-turnpike-and-penndot-announce-70-mph-speed-limit-expansion-300260932.html

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
NEW YORK, May 4, 2016 --

Booming Automotive Production, Rising Vehicle Sales, and Growth in Infrastructure Sector to Drive Tire Market in Mexico Until 2021

According to TechSci Research report, "Mexico Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021", tire market in Mexico is forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 10% during 2016-2021. Easy availability of cheap labor, strong domestic automobile demand and favorable tax policies are fueling Mexico's automotive industry, consequently boosting demand for tires in the country. This growth in the country's tire market can be attributed to the planned capacity expansions of major automobile OEMs coupled with rapidly expanding automobile fleet in the country. Moreover, an overall investment of USD596 billion under the National Infrastructure Program by the Federal government, is another factor driving growth in the country's automobile as well as tire market. Mexico houses some of the major global automobile manufacturers such as Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Fiat, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Kenworth, Freightliner, International, MAN, Volkswagen, Scania, etc., that are involved in producing passenger cars, light trucks as well as heavy trucks and buses.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )



Browse 15 market data Tables and 30 Figures spread through 118 Pages and an in-depth TOC on

"Mexico Tire Market "

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/mexico-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/660.html

Automobile sales in Mexico exhibited a CAGR of around 9.6% during 2011-2015, with automobile unit sales increasing from 0.94 million units in 2011 to 1.35 million units in 2015, resulting in expansion of the country's automotive fleet from 33.28 million units in 2011 to 37.10 million units in 2015. Expanding vehicle fleet size subsequently boosted demand for tires from the replacement segment as well during 2011-2015. A similar trend is expected to be witnessed during the forecast period as well, both in the OEM as well as replacement segments, consequent to which, Mexico tire market is poised to witness considerable growth during 2016-2021. As of 2015, Mexico tire market was dominated by passenger car tire segment, in volume terms, followed by light commercial vehicle tire segment. On account of increase in production and sales of passenger cars, the passenger car tire segment is expected to remain the largest contributor in the country's tire market over the next five years.

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"With National Infrastructure Program 2014-2018 in place, Mexico is undergoing a major infrastructure transformation, which is leading to developmental activities being undertaken in energy, communication, transport, water, health and housing sectors across the country. Also, major global OEMs are increasingly investing in the country for capacity expansions or for setting up new automobile production facilities. On account of this, the country's tire market is expected to witness a healthy growth in medium to long term.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"Mexico Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of Mexico tire market and provides statistics and information on market size, structure and future market growth. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in Mexico tire market.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 4, 2016 -- Building off the recent success of its additional seasonal daily service from Vancouver-Auckland, Air New Zealand is adding a further return service on its Vancouver-Auckland route between October 15 and December 3 2016, increasing its frequency from three to four return services per week.

With the fourth flight departing Vancouver on Saturdays, the airline will add nearly 5,000 seats to the route, representing a 33 percent boost in capacity compared to the previous year.

The latest increase is part of the airline's overall capacity increase on the route and marks the second capacity lift in the last six months. This will be the first time Air New Zealand has operated four return services during this time period.

Air New Zealand Vice President of the Americas Nick Judd commented, "We are very pleased with the continued growth out of our Vancouver gateway. With the additional return service we are able to offer our Canadian customers greater flexibility and connectivity to New Zealand and Australia."

Air New Zealand exclusively operates the Boeing 777-200ER on the Vancouver-Auckland route. The aircraft features the airline's award-winning Economy Skycouch, comfortable ink-colored luxury leather seats with leg rests in Premium Economy, and lie-flat beds in Business Premier.

Offering a convenient overnight service to New Zealand, departing from Vancouver early evening and arriving into Auckland early in the morning, Air New Zealand allows for same day connections to 21 domestic New Zealand and eight Australian gateways.

To satisfy New Zealand summer travellers, during the Northern Winter peak period from December 9, 2016 to January 30, 2017, the airline will again move to daily return services as operated over the same period last year. Customers can now book service to Auckland at www.airnewzealand.ca.

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has been connecting travelers for 75 years, and operates, on average, 500 flights a day within a network of 51 cities in 17 countries including 22 destinations within New Zealand. North American services include non-stop flights to New Zealand from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Honolulu and Vancouver B.C., and Los Angeles non-stop to the Cook Islands and London.

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca in Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube , LinkedIn or Instagram

SOURCE Air New Zealand

CONTACT: Cherie Whyte, Air New Zealand, +1-310-648-7039; Charli Sharp, MWWPR, +1-213-405-3780

RELATED LINKShttp://www.airnewzealand.ca
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kansas City launched its smart city initiative today, a collaboration with Cisco, Sprint and Think Big Partners to make it a leading technology, innovation and entrepreneurial community.

The program includes Sprint Wi-Fi, a free outdoor public Wi-Fi deployment across more than 50 square blocks downtown, 125 "smart" streetlights along a two-mile stretch of the new KC Streetcar line and 25 interactive kiosks to engage citizens. Sprint, in collaboration with Cisco, constructs, owns and manages the intelligent Wi-Fi network, which connects to a broad range of smart city applications.

"I'm excited to see our Smart City open to the world," said Bob Bennett, Kansas City's chief innovation officer. "This effort helps us connect to 21st century citizens in 21st century ways, understand our city better through use of big data and enable city leaders to prevent problems instead of just solving them."

Wi-Fi connectivity along the KC Streetcar route will help enable smart lighting, digital kiosks and sensor technology. Smart lighting reduces power consumption and enables better tracking of total energy used. Kiosks at KC Streetcar platforms and locations around downtown provide information about local businesses and events and offer new ways to access city services.

"Sprint is excited to be part of this important initiative to enable greater connectivity in our hometown, Kansas City," said Tim Donahue, president, Kansas and Missouri Region at Sprint. "We view this as a mutually beneficial partnership that will make Kansas City an even better place to live, work and visit."

"At Cisco, we know that there's never been a better time to make Kansas City's urban center more vibrant by using technology to get people where they want to go. Cisco and Kansas City know that its smart streetcar debut this week is going to make their smart city even smarter," said Kim Majerus, Cisco's vice president of State, Local and Education West, U.S. Public Sector.

Entrepreneurs are developing new applications through a Living Lab partnership between Cisco and Think Big Partners to connect entrepreneurs to smart city data.

"Kansas City has issued an open invitation to entrepreneurs, along with large companies looking to develop pilot partnerships, who are developing technologies that could improve city services," said Herb Sih, president of Think Big Partners.

"Kansas City is taking important innovative steps to further solidify our region as a center for technology. This translates into more talented individuals locating here and significant economic growth," said Tim Cowden, president and CEO, Kansas City Area Development Council.

About Greater Kansas City

Home to 2.5 million people, the Kansas City region is recognized as "America's Creative Crossroads" as a center for technology and artistry. Kansas City was selected for the roll-out of Google's 1 Gigabit Google Fiber service, and for one of Cisco's most comprehensive Smart+Connected Cities programs. www.thinkKC.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kansas-city-launches-smart-city-initiative-in-collaboration-with-cisco-and-sprint-300263755.html

SOURCE The City of Kansas City, Missouri

CONTACT: April Nichols, 646-586-3007, april@violetpr.com
SEATTLE, May 9, 2016 -- Alaska Air Group, Inc. , the parent company of Alaska Airlines, Inc. and Horizon Air Industries, Inc., will hold its annual stockholders meeting via webcast on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 2 p.m. Pacific time/5 p.m. Eastern time. Interested parties may access the webcast at alk.onlineshareholdermeeting.com.

For those unable to listen to the live webcast, it will be archived on Alaska Air Group's investor relations website following the meeting at www.alaskaair.com/investors.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group , together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit Alaska Airlines' newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-air-group-to-webcast-annual-stockholders-meeting-300265522.html

SOURCE Alaska Air Group, Inc.

CONTACT: Media Relations, (206) 392-5101, newsroom@alaskaair.com

RELATED LINKShttp://www.alaskaair.com
HONOLULU, May 10, 2016 -- As the launch carrier of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Air New Zealand is now operating the aircraft on its popular Honolulu-Auckland route.

The airline is the first to operate the 787-9 aircraft out of Honolulu and this is the first time Air New Zealand is operating the Dreamliner on one of its North American routes.

The Dreamliner offers the airline's award-winning Economy Skycouch, comfortable ink-colored luxury leather seats with leg rests in Premium Economy, and lie-flat beds in Business Premier on its Honolulu-Auckland route.

Air New Zealand Regional General Manager of the Americas, Nick Judd stated, "Introducing this revolutionary new aircraft enables us to offer a superior inflight experience for customers traveling between Honolulu and Auckland. We're also thrilled to deliver a 20 percent seat capacity increase."

Whether it's spending time in Auckland, or exploring other New Zealand cities, the airline is adding additional services to make it easier than ever for customers to fly Honolulu to Auckland within one day, avoiding the need for an overnight in Auckland. Air New Zealand allows for same day connections to 21 domestic New Zealand and eight Australian gateways.

Air New Zealand flies nonstop to Auckland from Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston. Services are operated by a fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft (Los Angeles & San Francisco) and 777-200ER (Vancouver & Houston) both featuring the airline's innovative Economy Skycouch and award-winning lie-flat Business Premier bed.

Issued by Air New Zealand.

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015, operates on average 500 flights a day connecting customers to 22 destinations within New Zealand and to international ports across Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, South America, and the Pacific Islands.

North American services include non-stop flights to New Zealand from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Honolulu and Vancouver B.C., and Los Angeles non-stop flights to the Cook Islands and London.

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca in Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube , LinkedIn or Instagram.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/air-new-zealand-introduces-boeing-787-9-dreamliner-on-honolulu-auckland-route-300265447.html

SOURCE Air New Zealand

CONTACT: Cherie Whyte, Air New Zealand, +1-310-648-7039; Charli Sharp, MWWPR, +1-213-405-3780

RELATED LINKShttp://www.airnewzealand.com
SAN FRANCISCO, May 12, 2016 --

The global automotive tire market size is expected to reach USD 374.22 billion by 2024 according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing automotive sales especially in countries such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea is anticipated to favorably impact the global automotive tire market over the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to rising disposable income and improvement in the overall lifestyle of consumers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 )

Technological proliferation and the development of the innovative and environment-friendly green tires have opened up broad growth avenues for the industry participants. Moreover, increasing radial tire up gradation activities owing to its benefits such lesser vibrations, reduced fuel consumption and extended tire life due to less heat generated has favorably impacted the industry growth.

However, stringent emission norms by governments and regulatory authorities worldwide are expected to challenge demand. For example, on September 1, 2010, the California Air Resources Board's (ARB's) Tire Pressure Regulation was formulated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles operating with underneath inflated tires by inflating them to the suggested pressure rating.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Automotive Tire Market Analysis By Type (Radial and Bias), Application (Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles and Two Wheelers) And Segment Forecasts To 2024" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/automotive-tire-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Two wheelers segment is anticipated to grow at CAGR of over 7.5% from 2016-2024. Increasing demand for two-wheelers across the developing countries such as India and China will contribute to the segment growth.

and will contribute to the segment growth. Increasing manufacturing and infrastructure building activities have spurred the sales of light commercial vehicles (LCV). Growing number of LCVs in Europe has led EU regulatory bodies and OEMs to enhance and improve the safety aspects of LCVs. The passenger car segment dominated the industry with over 40% revenue share in 2015 owing to the increasing advancements and innovations such as Plug-in cars.

has led EU regulatory bodies and OEMs to enhance and improve the safety aspects of LCVs. The passenger car segment dominated the industry with over 40% revenue share in 2015 owing to the increasing advancements and innovations such as Plug-in cars. The tire industry has witnessed a remarkable shift from the traditional to the technically advanced radial products. Radialisation of the truck tire market is anticipated to fuel the demand over the forecast period. In 2012, manufacturers in China produced over 50% of the global radial truck tires industry.

produced over 50% of the global radial truck tires industry. Stringent government guidelines worldwide are expected to regulate the global automotive tire market over the coming years. Asia Pacific dominated the industry contributing to over 40% of the global revenue in 2015. The presence of several prominent automobile manufacturers and ancillaries in the region is expected to generate high demand over the forecast period.

dominated the industry contributing to over 40% of the global revenue in 2015. The presence of several prominent automobile manufacturers and ancillaries in the region is expected to generate high demand over the forecast period. Key industry participants include Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli and Sumitomo. Manufacturers are gradually adopting innovative production techniques to gain a competitive advantage over others. Vendors are now adopting modern supply chain and distribution strategies such as e-commerce and retail chains to reach efficiently the end-user apart from the conventional supply to automobile assemblers and aftermarket industry.

Grand View Research has segmented the global automotive tire market on the basis of application, type and region:

Automotive Tire Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2024) Passenger cars LCV HCV Two wheelers

Automotive Tire Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2014 - 2024) Radial Bias

Automotive Tire Regional Outlook (USD Billion, 2014 - 2024) North America Europe Asia Pacific RoW



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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
2017 Jaguar F-Pace 3.0 TDI & F-Pace S Review +VIDEO

 SEE ALSO: Jaguar Research and Buyers Guide

 SEE ALSO: First Drive 2017 Jaguar F-Pace By Henney Hemmes

AUTO CENTRAL - Last year Jaguar celebrated achieving a world record with the F-Pace by driving through the worlds largest loop on the eve of the International Motor Show (IAA). Now we get to take our first look at the Jaguar F Pace S and the Jaguar F Pace Diesel. Lars Hoenkhaus took the new F Pace for a drive and he was not only impressed by the beautiful landscape of Montenegro.
Fireball Tim's Malibu VLOG - Culver City Car Show, Classic Maserati spotting, '56 Cadillac drive, Dick Van Dyke's LWB Jaguar +VIDEO







HOLLYWOOD USA - May 11, 2016: Top episodes this week include amazing muscles cars and hot rods of the Culver City Car Show, a Classic 1961 Maserati spotting, '56 Cadillac drive, Mercedes AMG Action Review, Dick Van Dyke's LWB Jaguar and sick Challenger Cinco De Mayo BURNOUTS at The Automobile Driving Museum! Watch the Show!

FIREBALL MALIBU VLOG is an Automotive Hollywood Video Blog starring Filmmaker, Hollywood Car Designer and Host Fireball Tim. He takes us on a weekly automotive journey through his show from the beaches of Malibu and Southern California, featuring amazing CAR CULTURE, CELEBRITY Interviews and Automotive DESTINATIONS. Fireball is a legend in the Car Design world, having conceived vehicles for over 400 of Hollywood's biggest films, Author and Award Winning Filmmaker and has been a Host for Speed, TLC, Discovery and Velocity. He's also Host of the WHEELS AND WAVES & THE MALIBU CARS & COFFEE Car Show Events showcasing some of the best cars and celebs in the world. Subscribe to his Vlog on Youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/fireballtim) hit his Automotive Blog ( http://www.fireballtim.com) & be sure to check out the VLOG STORE https://shop.spreadshirt.com/fireballmalibuvlog
Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest May 9-15, 2016







By Larry Nutson

Senior Editor and Bureau Chief

Chicago Bureau

The Auto Channel

AUTO CENTRAL Chicago, May 15, 2016; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to digest mega-tweet sized nuggets. If you wish to know more just click on the link that will take you to the full story as published here on The Auto Channel.

If you are a car and driving fan like we all are here at The Auto Channel, you can easily wish to "catch up" on these stories as well put them in context with the past 20 year's 1,978,107 automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news, video, audio, rants and raves. Just search The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive.

Hey Boston TV viewers, you can now enjoy The Auto Channel TV Network "Free and Clear" on WHDT Channel 3 in Boston and on your local cable systems. Just added Naples Florida, along with all South Florida auto fans who can continue to watch The Auto Channel TV Network on WHDT-TV Channel 9 in West Palm Beach as well as cable channel's 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami. WHDN launched its full schedule (including The Auto Channel)of broadcasting in the Naples-Fort Myers market on digital PSIP channel 9.1 channel. Enjoy and thanks for the positive feedback and ratings. See You Next Week, LN.

The Past Week's Automotive News Highlights In Easy To Digest Chunks

May 9-15, 2016

* Chevrolet is launching ChevySmallCars.com, an all-new lifestyle-oriented website focused on its small car offerings, the Spark minicar, Sonic and Trax small SUV. ChevySmallCars.com will host content designed with a younger customer in mind and do it in a way that allows visitors to engage and discover Chevy on their own terms. At the heart of it is Small Talk, three short episodes featuring the Sonic, Spark or Trax, produced by Funny Or Die and hosted by comedian Al Madrigal. The videos will also be hosted on Funny Or Die.

* GM is planning to discontinue sales of the Buick Verano in the U.S. next year, according to media reports, as Detroit's automakers continue to pare back passenger car production in the U.S. and place a greater emphasis on crossovers and SUVs. GM will to continue to produce and sell a new version of the Verano that debuted last year in China but will stop selling the older version of the Verano in the U.S. next year, according to a report by Automotive News. The plan is part an overall shift in resources towards the development and production of crossovers and away from cars.

* Nissan will buy controlling interest in Mitsubishi for $2.2 billion, we learned this week, as Mitsu continues to deal with a debilitating scandal over mis-stating fuel economy numbers. The two companies have been working together on a variety of projects for the past five years. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn calls it a breakthrough transaction and a win-win. Details of the deal are sketchy but it appears that Nissan will not be involved in routine operations at Mitsu. Rather, they will share platforms, technology and some business functions.

* A fix is about to be proposed on the 85,000 Audi, VW and Porsche 3.0-liter V6 diesels pegged by the EPA as out-of-compliance with emissions requirements. Unlike the 2.0-liter diesels with cheating software that defeats testing protocols, the 3.0 problems are related to a catalyst warmup system that was not disclosed. Sounds like the fix will be a new catalytic converter but it also looks like the companies will offer to buy back the vehicles as well, though that is not part of the initial plan. The talks for the 3.0-liter fix are a part of the broader discussion between U.S. regulators and VW to fix the more than 450,000 2.0-liter emissions-cheating VW diesels.

* Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has many futuristic projects on his agenda. In addition to electric cars and rocket ships he and his Hyperloop team are working on a high-speed, vacuum-tube (more accurately: low pressure tube) transportation system planned for service between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the not-to-distant future. A major test of the propulsion system took place this week at the Air Forces maglev (magnetic levitation) test track in Nevada. If completed the Hyperloop could get passengers between those two cities in 30 minutes at 700 mph.

* Seeing great long-term potential in ride-hailing technologies Apple announced this week a $1 billion investment in Chinese Didi Chuxing Technology Company. Didi is also a major investor in San Francisco-based Lyft, a company with a $500 million strategic alliance with General Motors. Broad interest in non-traditional transportation systems within the auto industry is being shown by just about all the major players as they try to anticipate what the future of mobility may be.

* Subaru is recalling 48,500 new vehicles in the U.S. because of a potential steering issue and warned owners not to drive them until they are inspected and repaired if needed. The recall covers the 2016-17 Legacy and Outback.

* Two Toyota Sienna minivans, the R-Tuned and the SE+, recently competed in the Brock Yates One Lap of America. After driving 3,000 miles across 13 stares and competing in 17 timed race competitions at 8 unique venues the Sienna R-Tuned finished first in class and 21st overall. #SiennaTuned

* GM has told dealers not to sell about 60,000 of its 2016 large crossovers, the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, because their Monroney labels overstate the vehicles' fuel economy ratings by 1 or 2 mpg. The mistake occurred due to a data transmission error. New labels will be affixed to the vehicles.

* Good news this week for enthusiasts of old cars - the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills will reopen to the public beginning June 4-5. The 55,000-square-foot facility contains a collection of over 300 vehicles representing the history of Chrysler including many of the company's historic concept cars. Brant Rosenbusch, manager of the collection, acknowledged the intense interest in reopening the museum after it closed to the public in 2012. Currently the museum will be open two weekends per month. For details go to: wpcmuseum@fcagroup.com

* Formula 1s newest track is expected to also be the fastest. The Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan, designed by Hermann Tilke, will host a European Formuala 1 race on June 19th and features a long straight where cars will hit an estimated 211 mph (340 kpm). The new 20-turn track is a city circuit and will have two other very high-speed sections. You can see the layout and a promotional video at: http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a29135/baku-city-circuit-211-mph/
President 29: Warren Harding

In office: March 4, 1921  August 2, 1923

Its waffle Hard[ing] to be alone: feeding the Presidents notorious posse

I play the lottery religiously. It is only a five dollar weekly commitment that affords me hours of Sothebys realty webpage bliss, as I search for villas big enough for my Wu Tang Clan-sized posse. Like clockwork, I then write off my loss as a donation to the state so they can try and fix the schools or potholes or both. I cant decide if I did ever win, if I would tell anyone (other than good ole mom and dad). You seem to always read about lotto winners who have fifth cousins who crawl out of the woodwork in search of cash and opportunity. Well, Warren Harding won the Presidential jackpot. His political bros, who became known as the Ohio Gang, were eagerly awaiting their appointments. It was scandal after scandal thereafter.

The most notorious of these scandals was the Teapot Dome scandal, which centered on the Secretary of the Interior Albert Falls acceptances of bribes from oil companies. It was the countrys biggest political scandal until Watergate. There were also scandals in the Justice Department and Veterans Bureau. It is widely contested if Harding even knew about the bad business his friends were getting in to, though he may have gained wind of it later in his Presidency. Truman claimed Harding once asked, "If you knew of a great scandal in our administration, would you for the good of the country and the party expose it publicly or would you bury it?" After his death in 1923, it all really came out.

Elizabeth Jaffray, the longtime housekeeper of the White House who documented her experiences in Secrets of the White House (1926), wrote about Hardings home life and named him the best dressed President. Perhaps biggest flirt would have been a more accurate superlative. Mr. and Mrs. Harding slept in the twin beds used by the Tafts and Ms. Jaffray noted Florence Hardings unpredictable temper, peculiar disposition and particularly harsh treatment of the President. It seems he probably deserved it. Oh, if only she had the rhythm and artistic vision of Beyonce to make Lemonade out of her lemons. Harding had passionate affairs with multiple women; the most controversial of which was with Nanna Popham "Nan" Britton, daughter of a friend. She wrote an expose named, The Presidents Daughter in 1928, claiming Warren fathered her child when he was serving in the Senate. In 2015, Ancestry.com tested the familys DNA and proved she had been telling the truth. Elizabeth, who died in 2005, was Hardings only child.

Hardings taste in food was not as fancy as his dress or as varied as his women. He loved raspberries and strawberries and made sure there was a standing rib roast on the table on Sundays. Alcohol was not served during events, as the country was in the thick of prohibition, but Harding would enjoy a drink or two with his friends in private. Even though he was not a fan of eggs, he was of breakfast. He would have his bros over in the morning to enjoy the first meal and Ms. Jaffray provided a large spread. To keep you and your squad happy, we have done both a savory and sweet waffle option. Florences recipe was kindly sent to us by the Harding Home Presidential Site in Marion, Ohio, which is hosting a waffle cook-off this weekend.

Florence Hardings Waffle Recipe

c/o: The Harding Home Presidential Site, Marion OH

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 heaping Tbsp. butter

1 pint of milk

1 pint of flour

2 heaping tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Directions

Beat yolks of eggs, add sugar, milk and flour; next, add melted butter and just before ready to bake, add baking powder and beaten whites of eggs. Cook in hot waffle iron. Dont eat them on a full stomach. Cover well with butter and then pour maple syrup over the plate.

My notes:

These waffles arent particularly sweet so you can choose to enjoy them the savory way as well. My sweet option is with fresh cherry syrup (recipe noted below) and my savory is with sausage gravy (like the Southerners make) and a poached egg. If you want to stay authentic, President Harding like chipped beef gravy and a host of recipes are online.

Quick Cherry Syrup: Bring one bag cherries (pitted) and 1 cup pomegranate juice to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 mins (about half). Add 1.5 cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp. butter. Continue to reduce until syrupy consistency (coats the back of spoon). Remove from heat. Makes 3 cups.

Quick Sausage Gravy: Remove sausage meat from the casings of 5 breakfast sausages. Brown in a skillet. Add 2 Tbsp. of flour to the browned sausage crumbles. Make sure it is well mixed. Add a little bit of milk at a time, constantly stirring. Keep adding until desired consistency (I prefer mine thicker). Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. A tiny little spoonful of maple syrup also does wonders.
Before Steven Spielberg became known for directing slightly ponderous historical dramas designed to cement his reputation as a serious filmmaker, he was famous for more crowd-pleasing fare.

Perhaps no film defines the early phase of Spielbergs career better than E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was Canness closing night film in 1982. E.T. might be slightly shameless in its upbeat gloss on the sci-fi genre. Still, theres no denying its powerful allure, even for critics not particularly enamored of Spielbergs frequently saccharine confections. E.T. appeals to kids on a gut level since it implicitly channels an eternal childhood fantasy: the imaginary companion. E.T. may be, in literal terms, a space alien. But his slightly goofy aura made him the perfect imaginary companion for lonely, as well as not so lonely, kids everywhere.

The BFG, Roald Dahls 1982 novel (a beloved childrens classic, as they say in the journalism trade) is also essentially an imaginary companion story. So its not much of a surprise that Spielberg is at the helm of the film version, which premiered out of competition at Cannes on Saturday. According to parents Ive met over the years, Dahls books are the hands down favorites of all novels geared towards pre-teens.

Its easy to understand why.

Besides being a skillful storyteller, Dahls books are free of moralism or sentimentality and possess an ingratiating touch of vulgaritythere are passages in The BFG devoted exclusively to the joys of farting. The BFG is also notable for its delightful word play. In a sort of kiddie version of the invented language employed by the thuggish protagonists of Anthony Burgesss A Clockwork Orange, Dahl invents a language called Gobblefunk in which human beings are called Human Beans, delumptious means delicious, and farting becomes whizzpopping.

Set in a rather gloomy version of London, Dahl chronicles the eponymous Big Friendly Giants decision to snatch 9-year-old Sophie from an orphanage and carry her off to Giant Land. Initially terrified by her kidnapper, she soon learns to view him as a savior who transports her from a dreary institutional home to magical realms.

Spielbergs film begins inauspiciously. Huge dollops of CGI, not to mention John Williamss heavy-handed music, obscure the charms of Dahls simple story. Eventually, however, some aspects of Dahls original conception seep through. The virtuosic Mark Rylance, despite the necessity of filtering his performance though the prismand to a certain extent the prison of motion-capture, uses his idiosyncratic talents to embody the melancholy core of this gentle giant. Rylance often assumes a haunted expression that slowly transforms itself into a smile. He mangles the language with aplomb, while giving the impression of a rural Briton who is doing his levelheaded best to speak clearly to a precocious little girl. Newcomer Ruby Barnhill makes for a spunky Sophie, even though this 10-year-old with almost no previous acting experience occasionally seems too well-behaved and docile to be an unhappy survivor of a cruel orphanage.

Melissa Mathison, the late screenwriter also responsible for E.T., while staying largely faithful to the contours of Dahls narrative, streamlines its details and embellishes the threat of some of the evil, larger giants who threaten to devour Sophie. (The fearsome Fleshlumpeater is played by The Flight of the Conchords Jermaine Clement and Bill Hader does what he can with the smaller role of the more cerebral, but equally ferocious, Bloodbottler.) This being a Disney film, the lengthy chapter on Sophie and other childrens dreams, which are recounted by Dahl with a meticulousness Freud would have admired, is transformed into a fairly generic fantasy sequence in which the wonders of Dream Country come off more or less like attractions at a corporate theme park.

As in Dahls book, the climatic sequences take place in the Queens chambers at Buckingham Palace. Sophie and the BFG, benignly inspired pranksters, make this visit possible with the help of a collaborative dream. These sequences allow Mathison and Spielberg to poke some gentle fun at royalty. Its all quite innocuous, but Penelope Wiltons good-humored stab at a kindly Queen Elizabeth with a soft spot for giantsand a puckish sense of humoris a masterful piece of character acting.

Unsurprisingly, Spielbergs take on Dahl is unfailingly optimistic. Dahl, a grouchy writer with some ugly prejudicesmost notoriously a vile tinge of anti-Semitismwas considerably less cuddly than Spielberg. Yet, at his best, he also offered a more subversive vision of the modern world to his young readers. But, even if Spielbergs adaptation is slightly bowdlerized, its still a film thats considerably more alluring than many of the dopey movies now hawked as appropriate for children.
Theres something appealing about the notion that Abraham Lincoln was gay. It suits the gender-bending national mood. Gay Lincoln? It would show Donald Trump that a great leadera true leaderneed not be a macho jackass.

Alas, according to Charles Strozier, the psychoanalyst, history professor, and author, Lincoln was straight. But Lincoln was by no means a hyper-straight lady-killer, as some scholars suggest in reaction to the fact that Lincoln shared a bed with his best friend Joshua Speed for nearly four years.

The title of Stroziers new book explains its thesis: Your Friend Forever, A Lincoln: The Enduring Friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed.

Stroziers 1982 study of Honest Abe, Lincolns Quest for Union, contained a chapter on the Lincoln-Speed friendship that started not the whispersbut the shoutsthat Lincoln was gay.

The loudest voice belonged to Larry Kramer, author, AIDS activist, and founder of Act Up. In his massive novel, The American People: Volume 1, Kramer channels his version of Speeds voice, recalling Speeds nights with Lincoln this way: From the first night we met I held him in my arms, each night for going on four years  He fucked me immediately. And I immediately invited him to live with me.

Not really, according to Strozierwhich doesnt mean that Lincoln and Speed didnt share the sort of love between straight men that was sanctioned, even encouraged in the 19th century.

This was a time, Strozier writes, when young men could be, indeed were assumed to be, close, bonded, and intimate, even sleeping together without being sexual partners. Still, it was Speeds therapeutic and redemptive friendship that got Lincoln through one of the life-threatening depressions that plagued his early adulthood.

Joshua Speed was an intelligent, sensitive, and business-savvy son of a wealthy Kentucky slave-owning family. In 1837, Speed was running a dry goods store in Springfield, Illinois, when Lincoln, then 28 years old and a member of the State Assembly, walked into Speeds shop. Lincoln had come to town to set up law office, but he was heavily in debt and needed a place to flop. Speeds offer to Lincoln was, no pun intended, straightforward: I have a very large room, and a very large double-bed in it; which you are perfectly welcome to share with me if you choose.

Needless to say, Speeds proposition meant something different in 1837 than it would today. And Lincoln never kept the arrangement secret. Years later, when Lincoln named Speeds brother James as his attorney general, the president remarked that he knew James Speed well. Though not so well as I know his brother Joshua, Lincoln added. That, however, is not strange for I slept with Joshua for four years, and I suppose I ought to know him well.

While the relationship might not have been sexual, it came at a time when both were working out their sexual anxietiesanxieties which are laid bare in an extraordinary series of letters which lie at the center of Stroziers detailed analysis. As Strozier puts it, in language which he himself might find oddly sexual, Lincoln inserts himself into Speeds self, which he experiences as an extension of his own. What Speed feels, Lincoln feels. What Speed knows, Lincoln knows.

In l840, after Lincoln broke off his engagement to his future wife, Mary Todd, he fell into a depression so severe that his friends took away his razor and knives. The following year, Speed became engaged to Fanny Henning. Now it was Speed who was overwhelmed by depression. Both men, it seems, were paralyzed with fear at the thought of intimacy with a woman.

But, Strozier says, the friends also were afraid of something else: losing each other. Strozier, sounding very much like a shrink, writes, Their apparent sexual naivete and fear of what such intimacy entails, however real, served as something of a veil for each mans loss of the other, a loss that would happen in the connection with finding a wife.

And now it gets a bit weird. On the morning after Speed successfully consummated his marriage, he immediately wrote to Lincoln with the good news. Lincolns response was curious indeed. I have hardly yet, he wrote, at the distance of ten hours, become calm.

It is strange to think that the man who later led this country through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation was still shaken 10 hours after hearing that his buddy had survived the big night.

Yet the mens frank exchanges about their anxieties proved therapeutic, Strozier compellingly argues, enabling both men to ultimately take the plunge into marriage and become, for lack of a better phrase, grown-ups.

I spoke with Strozier at his Greenwich Village psychoanalytical office. The following is an edited version of our conversation.

RKF: How common was it for men to share the same bed during Lincolns time?

CS: Very common. One guy has counted 14 peoplemen Lincoln slept with before he slept with Speed. Inns at the time were really just homes where they finished the loft. They werent hotels like we have now. They were just hostels, where you have the men over here and the women over there. But individual biography is not always congruent with social custom. The fact that it was common for men to sleep together doesnt mean that it was of no significance that Lincoln at this crucial moment in his life slept for nearly four years with his absolute best friend. The question is, what does it mean?

Friendship between men in Lincolns time was very different, right?

I think the historical context is really important to understand. Now where homosexuality is so much more accepted, legitimated, and even affirmed as it should be in gay marriage, we accept males loving one another and being sexual with one another. But in the 19th century, the taboo of homosexuality is absolutely rigid. Whitman was gay. He had to stay in the closet. Sodomy, buggery, was illegal and severely prescribed. But friendship, intimate, loving friendship like that between Lincoln and Speed, was not only accepted but encouraged as the long as the boundary against sexualization was rigidly and absolutely maintained.

But couldnt you say that homosexuality was so severely punished that Lincolnif he were gaywould have had to hide it?

Of course. Its a perfect reasonable question, and thats why I had to look at the evidence for whether or not it was legitimate. And, of course, its hard to answer a negative. First of all, Herndon [Lincolns eventual biographer], who lived in the same room for two years [with Lincoln and Speed], not only never mentioned it, he never had a clue. And no one would have been more interested in anything homosexual about Lincoln. Not a single person Herndon talked to mentioned it.

Would you say that Lincolns friendship with Speed was redemptive and got him through his depression?

It kept him alive. It literally kept him alive. Lincoln was in very bad shape when they got together and the sort of easy, loving relationship that they established and the closeness, provided solace for Lincoln in what was a cruel world. Lincoln did not let people in. And he was very guarded with women. The only women he was close to were older married maternal figures with whom he could feel safe with. But Speed provided a safety, a security, a loving relationship. And I think it was loving in the way that Aristotle talks about loving between men, real friendship between men. I think Speed was the only person with whom Lincoln talked honestly about what he was feeling.

Do you think that Lincoln might not have made it through his depression if not for his relationship with Joshua Speed?

I do. I absolutely do. I think that Lincolns melancholy was related to his profundity. You know its hard to imagine somebody being that profound without some melancholy. But clinical depression is not a melancholy. Clinical depression is a dark hole. Always associated with suicidality of some kind.

How do you characterize Lincolns relationship with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln?

I dont think there was any question he loved Mary. Mary was a very impressive, interesting young woman. She soured as an older woman; she was troubled in life, and basically unable to deal with the death of the children and just with life in general. And although Lincoln loved her, he did pull away after the first decade when their children were born. But I also think he was never really as close to her as he was to Speed.

Is that sort of closeness between heterosexual men something thats gone today?

Yes. I dont think we have it. If you have relationships between men who are that close, they are likely sexualized. The tension isnt there.

What do you mean, the tension isnt there?

Well, the tension of closeness. I really think the evidence suggests it wasnt sexualized. But it was loving and close. There had to have been some physical tension if you sleep in the same bed with someone for four years.

Yes and both men were in their twenties when the arrangement began. Thats a lot of testosterone floating around in one bed.

Thats a lot of testosterone. Youre moving around. You have a wet dream. You slap your arm over.

You wake up in the middle of the night with an erection.

Sure. It has an element of physicality without being sexualizedand they loved one another! Speed was totally abjectly loving in his friendship of Lincoln, and Lincoln needed Speed in a way I dont think he ever needed anyone else in his life again.

Lets say that some undiscovered evidenced showed up that proved it was a sexual relationship, would that in anyway change your view of Lincoln?

Oh, of course. I mean, not to criticize him but his character, his identity, the deep secret he would have fostered, his relationship with his wifeit matters, this issue. Its not an issue that you can sort of airily dismiss as irrelevant as some historians have. I think you have to grapple with it.

I was surprised at the distance between Lincoln and his dad. Lincoln didnt invite his father to his own wedding. He didnt go to his fathers deathbed and did not go to his funeral.

Thomas Lincoln was actually a perfectly decent man. He was impressive. He had a good sense of humor. He was quite sober as best we can tell. He ranked fairly well in terms of tax records. He attracted two very impressive women as wives. But Lincolns concept of him, I think, was that he was unworthy to be the father of a boy with such exalted ambitions.

Was he ashamed of his father?

I think he was ashamed of his father. He said in his autobiography that his father was only bunglingly able to sign his own name. So whenever he talked about his father he used derogatory terms.

How did your view of Lincoln evolve in the course of writing the book?

Of course, Id been working on Lincoln since 1973. But hes such a profound man with such a wonderful sense of humor, so appealing, so he draws you in. Hes such a brilliant writer. Every story about Lincoln, whether its in the oral history, whether its something he wrote, its always interesting. Hes just an appealing human being. I dont think he was so modest. On the other hand, he wasnt wildly grandiose. Theres a difference. He was aware of his own greatness.

What are the most important qualities that Lincoln had that are lacking in todays leaders?

Empathy and humor.

So obviously reading about Lincolnhes such a good writer, hes so thoughtfulhe does bring Obama to mind. Do you think there are parallels?

Oh yes. I mean, Dreams from My Father, I read that book back in the 90s. I was astonished at that kind of search for self as a relatively mature man. You know, really trying to find yourself. You know Erik Erikson has said, In order to make sense of ones sexual identity, a man must come to terms with his relationship with his father. Erickson said that in the 50s. I think in Lincolns case, he never did come to terms with his father. But he certainly came to terms with himself through his friendship with Speed. That was his salvation. Redemption. Thats the word I use. Thats a better word.
Not for the first time the Catholic world is abuzz with the news that Francis may create a commission to study the role of female deacons in the Catholic Church. During an audience with the heads of womens religious orders he said, It seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this as well, even adding that women might participate in the consultations on this topic. People wonder: Is this the first step on the path to women priests?

Franciss statement was made because one of the participants in the conference observed that women had served as deacons in the early Church and asked him: Why not have an official commission that might study the question? Francis responded that he had discussed women in the early church with a good, wise professor and that he was still unsure about what these female deacons did. Did they have ordination or no? he asked. What was the role of the deaconess in that time?

To many it might come as a surprise that there were any female deacons at all, but they are out there. The apostle Paul mentions one female deacon, Phoebe, in his letter to the Romans. He calls another woman, Junia, an apostle, and its clear from the greetings he sends to women like Chloe that there were influential women in the early Church.

In fact, in the early Church, Pauls most famous acolyte was a young woman named Thecla. Thecla abandoned her fiance, dressed as a man, and went out to spread the gospel. She narrowly escaped martyrdom at the hands of some ravenous seals and was protected in the arena by a sisterhood of lionesses. Most important, she baptized herself in the pool of seals.

We know that there were other important female visionaries in the Church who served as leaders. Many of them were associated with a heretical sect known as the Montanists but others, like St. Perpetua, are regarded as saints to this day. As Brown University professor Nicola Denzey Lewis has shown in her book The Bone Gatherers, late antique aristocratic women played an especially important role in establishing shrines dedicated to martyrs and overseeing the veneration of the dead. All of this suggests that women held leadership roles in the early Church.

The key question for Francis is: Were deaconesses clergy in the way that they are today? Did ancient people mean the same thing by deacon that modern Catholics do? The strongest evidence for deaconesses comes from a late fourth-century Syrian document known as the Apostolic Constitutions. It contains instructions for the ordination of a deaconess by a bishop. The fact that they are ordained suggests that deaconesses are part of the clergy, but against this we have to put the statement made by a member of the Council of Nicaea in 325 c.e. that deaconesses have no imposition of hands [that is to say they werent formally ordained by a bishop and thus they were] numbered only among the laity.

The historic openness of the Church to female deacons is important because many Church teachings about the priesthood are based on the precedent set by Jesus. The reason why only men can serve as priests is not only because, as Francis said this week, the priest serves in persona Christi and as an icon of the apostles (for which gender is important), but also because Jesus only selected 12 men as apostles. If it turned out that Jesus selected women as apostles, lets say Mary Magdalene, then that particular argument for the necessity of an all-male priesthood would be substantially eroded.

Francis is correct that we dont know exactly what female deaconesses did. We know that in some places they were ordained through the imposition of hands. And a number of fourth-century texts (at least one of which prohibits female priests) suggest that their primary role was in ministering to other women. We have no evidence to suggest that they presided over the mass or performed other priestly roles. The trouble is that most things about the early Church are obscure. Skeptics argue that the Church is only selectively attentive to the obscure origins of many of her beliefs, practices, and structures.

If women were to be ordained as deacons, they would be permitted to give homilies in Church, their voices being heard as a central part of the mass in ways they never have been before (at least not for centuries). It might seem that women are inching further toward ordination and preparing to storm the altar. But even if Franciss commission allows for the possibility of women becoming deacons, we should not assume that ordination is the next step. As Jamie Manson has written, Franciss language on women is very much in keeping with traditional Church teaching.

For Francis the idea of women as deacons is found in the New Testament, but Church tradition does not maintain that women ever (legitimately) performed priestly roles. The ecclesial glass ceiling would still be intact. If the Church ordains female deacons it will be a historic step forward but it will also be a return to the past.
Viewed broadly, schooling is an ineffective vehicle for social transformation and instead upholds the status quo. A pernicious consequence of the myth of schools being the best approach to overcome poverty is that the neediest are blamed for their impoverishment.

Compulsory education is frequently celebrated as the best means for economic success. This mantra began with its inception in 1848 when Horace Mann insisted that American schools would function as a great equalizer that prevents being poor. While politicians disagree over curriculum and funding, there is broad consensus on the capacity for schools to alleviate poverty.

Not only is this not true, public education actually perpetuates poverty.

As early as 1966, education researcher James Coleman showed that schools impact on students who live in poverty is meager. Because problems are systemic, additional resources have no meaningful impact. It is important to appreciate that although the words school and education are often used interchangeably, they are not synonymous. A public school is a bureaucratized institution that indoctrinates a captive audience, while education is the acquisition of knowledge, values, and skills that are conducive to a satisfying and meaningful life.

The most obvious deficiency of the argument that schools are the best means to overcome poverty is that there are clearly better approaches, such as vocational schools. The prospect of creating schools specifically designed to provide marketable skills has been sidelined by the monopolization of public funding for autocratic schooling. This approach has effectively ended apprenticeships and marginalized professional training before the age of 18, thereby impeding upward social mobility.

Deprived of potentially preferable alternatives, students from poor families must endure an environment whose primary mission is to train students to be docile and accept authority. This behavior is rewarded above all others, and research shows that submission to authority is the best predictor of grades. By regimenting myriad aspects of student life, schools undermine individual agency, depriving students of autonomy, promote compliance, and keep the population unaware of their civil rights, which are curiously not taught in schools. The net effects are apathy, preservation of the status quo, and economic stratification.

In addition to how students are taught, what students are taught adversely impacts poorer students to a greater degree than their peers. The curriculum has precious few courses that provide skills that are meaningful in the job market. The dominant focus, as reflected by testing, is English and math. Despite this emphasis, 1 in 3 high school graduates lacks basic math skills, and advanced math is rarely used in or out of the workplace. As for English, while literacy is certainly valuable for employment, two studies by the Department of Education show that only 15% of American adults can perform complex and challenging literacy activities and those proficient are much more likely to credit home learning for their skills.

As far as what schools do effectively create, the dominant product is boredom. Studies link this kind of boredom to stress, which can be physically debilitating for poor students. These challenges with coping make poverty an impediment to learning in school. These factors are reflected in what is known as the achievement gapthe performance disparity among certain groups of students. With regards to socioeconomic status, the margin between affluent and low-income students has been dramatically increasing over time.

A primary function of schooling is to sort for the purpose of determining social hierarchy. This process requires that everyone cannot get straight As or achieve perfect SAT scores. Even if you had a population that excelled in math and English, the tests would be tweaked to exploit trivial differences to create a predictable range of results with predetermined percentages excelling and failing. Failure is essential to schooling and systemic bias assures that the lower socioeconomic sector will largely shoulder that segment of the student population.

The major problem of failure within public schools is that it is aggravated by the monopolization of educational resources. Without support for vocational training, apprenticeships, creative or artistic pursuits, independent or guided study, self-directed education, or other meaningful educational opportunities, alternatives to compulsory schools are profoundly limited for those who cannot independently afford them. This lack of options is the only reason why dropping out of school is problematic. Insisting students remain in school is analogous to telling a battered woman to stay with her abusive husband because there are no viable alternatives.

It is worth noting that failing school does not equate with failing life, though it has been sold as such and at times becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For this to be true, school would have to represent all possible options a person could pursue. While failing in school does prevent someone from being a productive member of society, this consequence is often imposed either through the aforementioned deprivation of resources that disproportionally harms the poor or through the artificial valuation of a diploma.

The assertion that a high school diploma is necessary for success is not founded on its intrinsic worth. A diploma does not confer evidence of literacy or competency, as documented by a study of students at 80 colleges and universities and by the Department of Educations own research, but rather it more accurately provides evidence of attendance. A person may dramatically excel in all scholastic subjects, but if they cannot show up for class and sit still, they will not graduate. Capacity to perform, at best, is secondary. Despite this, many employers will not hire people without a diploma. Thus, the concept of a diploma creates a barrier to entry that devalues those without one. Because the economically disadvantaged are the most likely to drop out, this is yet another way that schooling effectively promotes poverty.

Graduating also creates diminished employment opportunities. Schools are structured on developing a specific skillset dictated by a core curriculum that has remained largely unchanged for decades. Reforms such as No Child Left Behind, Common Core, and STEM have further homogenized the curriculum nationwide such that whatever aptitude compulsory schools do instill, all graduates are trained to develop the same set of skills. The law of supply and demand states that a large supply of workers with the same skills and a limited demand for workers with those skills will create lower wages and unemployment. Without college or job training, which requires costs that the economically disadvantaged are less likely to be able to afford, prospects for meaningful or well-paid employment are substantially reduced.

By insisting that schools are effective, it is easy to conclude that those who do not stay in school must have a major character flaw. The ability to cite outliers who became successful is used to condemn the alleged failings of those who do not graduate, but this is anecdotal and no more valid than vilifying people for not beating the house at a casino. Certainly some do, but the odds are against them.
NYPD Inspector Michael Ameri shot himself Friday in a Department car hours after the FBI reportedly questioned him for a second time about a series of alleged payoffs made by members of New Yorks ultra-Orthodox Jewish communityincluding several big donors to Mayor Bill de Blasioto high-ranking officials in the NYPD.

That probe has focused on lurid reports of diamonds for top cops wives and hookers for those cops on free flights to Vegas, but its also put a spotlight on a longstanding nexus of shady dealings between New York City politicians, including the mayor, the NYPD, and the Jewish communitys own volunteer police.

A few months before killing himself, Ameri cut ties with one such pretend police officer, Alex Shaya Lichtenstein, the New York Post reported. Last month, Lichtenstein was arrested and charged with offering thousands of dollars in cash bribes to cops in the departments gun licensing bureau in exchange for very tough to obtain in New York City gun permits.

Lichtenstein reportedly bragged that he had procured them for 150 friends and associates, charging $18,000 a pop and paying a third of that to his police connections. According to prosecutors, the scheme had enabled a man with a prior criminal history that included four domestic violence complaints and a threat against someones life to obtain a gun.

In the criminal complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, Lichtenstein was identified as a member of Borough Parks private, all male, unarmed volunteer security patrol, known as the Shomrim (Hebrew for guards or watchers).

The complaint did not identify any of Lichtensteins alleged customers, however, but sources knowledgeable about the Shomrim are skeptical that he was obtaining permits on behalf of, or for, the Shomrim as an organization. Instead, they argue, it is more plausible that Lichtenstein was operating as a freelanceralbeit one who likely exploited police connections nurtured during his time as a member of the group.

After all, it is not exactly a secret that the Shomrimalong with others from the ultra-Orthodox community who serve as unpaid liaisons to various city and state law enforcement agenciesmaintain close relations with members of the NYPD, and particularly those who serve in their local precincts.

For example, news sites and Twitter accounts that play to an ultra-Orthodox audience are littered with pictures of Shomrim hobnobbing with high-ranking police officers at pre-holiday briefings, honoring them with appreciation awards at community breakfasts or charity dinners, and even engaging in friendly competition at an annual summer softball game.

But Lichtenstein aside, it would be a mistake to conclude that for the Shomrim at least these relationships are motivated by the prospect of personal financial gain or status concerns, even though theres no doubt that having an in with the cops can boost ones standing in the community. Instead, access and influence are the means of achieving a more important communal goal: the freedom to operate as the de facto police force of their communities, but with backup from the cops in the most dangerous situations.

In some sense, it is almost as if the Shomrim view the NYPD as their auxiliary police.

***

The first of these Brooklyn patrol groups were formed in the 1970s in the Hasidic neighborhoods of Crown Heights and Williamsburg in response to rising neighborhood crime and the belief that the police were not up the task of keeping Jews safe. (The journalist and author Matthew Shaer traces the roots of the Crown Heights patrol to a Hasidic rabbi and teacher named Samuel Schrage, who in 1964 founded a group called the Crown Heights Maccabees following the alleged assault of Hasidic students by a group of black youth and the attempted rape of a rabbis wife by a black man.)

Today, Shomrim (and in some cases, rival groups known as Shmira) exist in every ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Brooklyn (and in other ultra-Orthodox communities in the U.S. and abroad). The groups operate independently and, while their leaders are fond of characterizing them as the eyes and ears of their communities, responding to hotline calls about everything from vandalism, missing persons and attempted robbery to domestic violence and even sexual abuse, they do much more than watch and listen. In Brooklyn, they are equipped with SUVs and cruisers tricked out with police package flashing lights, sophisticated two-way radio dispatch systems, bulletproof vests and outfits emblazoned with shields that look an awful lot like NYPD onesall paid for by donations and, in some cases, government largesse funneled to them by members of the City Council.

While they lack the authority to make arrests, even with those similar shields, the Shomrim often do things like search, chase, apprehend, and detain.

Indeed, as the head of the Borough Park Shomrim explained to the Village Voices Nick Pinto in 2011, people in the community call Shomrim because they want to see action right away, not get caught up in a lot of questions and answers...Not that that isnt the right way for the police to do itwho am I to say they shouldnt ask a lot of questions?

But people also call Shomrimas opposed to 911because, after all, cops are outsiders. And outsiders cannot always be counted on to be sensitive to the specific concerns of the religious community, concerns that include the desire/obligation to protect other Jews from the long arm of the law. And so, while the Shomrim are not averseand sometimes quite eagerto help cops nab a suspect who is not one of their own, they can be much less forthcoming when a fellow Jew is the suspect.

For example, back in 2011, the coordinator of the Borough Park Shomrim let it slip to the press that his organization maintained a list of suspected ultra-Orthodox child molesters they dont report to the police because the rabbis dont let you. While there are respected Orthodox rabbis who say the police should be called in cases of suspected abuse, their rulings are not being followed in many quarters of ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn, where this attitude has long stymied law enforcement efforts.

Those comments came in the wake of the murder and dismemberment of an 8-year-old Hasidic child, Leiby Kletzky, who had been abducted by his killer, a member of the religious communty, while walking home from school. When the boy failed to meet his mother at the appointed time, she contacted the Shomrim, who swung into action and mobilized a search; their first contact with police came over two hours later.

At the time, many in the community justified the delay by arguing that the cops would not have taken the missing-person case seriously until more time had elapsed (a claim the NYPD disputed, noting cases involving missing children are acted on immediately). Some members of the Hasidic community also acknowledged privately that another possible reason for the wait to involve police: The fear, reasonable or not, that even had the child been found safe, Child Protective Services might have opened an investigation into why the parents allowed their son to leave school unsupervised.

This instinct toward protecting members of the communityand the community as a wholeis a theme that emerges in stories ultra-Orthodox sources tell about instances where the Shomrim have allegedly discouraged victims of violence or abuse at the hands of fellow Jews from reporting those crimes directly to the police, or even urged Jewish business and homeowners to withhold security footage that might implicate a Jew in a crime.

Indeed, in the wake of Leiby Kletzkys murder a Jewish organization was given a million-dollar government grant arranged by state legislators to operate a network of security cameras on city lampposts in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Borough Park and Midwood. The organization hired a private firm to operate the network and made the decision, together with Assemblyman Dov Hikind, as to where to install the cameras. Initial reports indicating that the NYPD would have access to the footage only after making a request to the private firm caused a firestorm of protest from civil libertarians and those alarmed by government funding of private security initiatives. Ultimately, when the program was unveiled, the companys founder said that the local Shomrim patrol organization would have no access to the cameras but that in any event of an ongoing crime, local law enforcement authorities will be given on-time access to a live feed of the cameras.

There are also allegations circulating on blogs and in chatrooms about Shomrim members and leaders who abuse their power within these communities, taking protection money from business and using their ties to the cops to get their rivals picked up on bogus charges.

Shomrim leaders have repeatedly denied these kinds of allegations and because the people who recount such stories refuse to be publicly identified, citing fears of reprisal, their claims are impossible to fully investigate and verify.

The cops, too, are well aware of the power the Shomrim yieldpower thats also expressed in the cash the groups receive from city politiciansbut, like the members of the religious community, are also reluctant to express their frustrations publicly.

A rare exception was when then-Police Commissioner Ray Kelly acknowledged at a press conference that the delay in notifying the police about Leiby Kletzky was a longstanding issue with Shomrim and that traditionally, certain members of the community have confidence in Shomrim and go to them first. But Kelly also added that the delay had apparently not hampered the investigation and praised the Shomrim as a positive force.

One possible reason cops might not want to publicly criticize the Shomrim is the fact, some say, that over the years the bigwigs in the ultra-Orthodox community have been helpful to them, particularly in aiding friendly officers secure discretionary promotions.

Veteran cops reporter Leonard Levitt last month offered this short, sharp item:

Ethics Training? Following the transfers of four of the department's top brass, Bratton announced the department was conducting ethics training for its top officers. Maybe they should start with a warning about the dangers of getting too close to the powerful and insular Hasidic community. Instructors might include Chief Joe Fox, former Chief of Department Joe Esposito and retired Chief Mike Scagnelli.

That comports with the speculation of one retired NYPD official: the simple way to connect dots is that guys like [former Chief of Department] Joe Esposito and [former NYPD Traffic Chief] Mike Scagnelli were, at one time, commanders in the 66th precinct. With such longstanding roots in the community, these uniformed guys and the machers stayed close as they rose up the ranks. With [Esposito] as the longest serving chief of the department, the [Hasidim] were in a wonderful position for over 12 years to exercise immense influence over many promotions.

The former official continued, (Chief of Transit) Joe Fox himself was a remarkable beneficiary of these discretionary promotions. Everyone loved Fox, and he was the longest serving Borough Commander of Brooklyn South by far. In the 1990s, he achieved three discretionary promotions in 3 years... all while the commander of the 71st precinct [which includes Crown Heights]. From captain to chief in three years, it doesn't get any better than that.

***

People like David Flores have a different view.

Back in 2010, four members of the Borough Park Shomrimtwo bakers, a dry cleaner, and an insurance salesman, according to The New York Timeswere shot by a man they were attempting to detain after a neighborhood woman told them that he had exposed himself in his car, parked near playing children.

At the time, the Shomrim claimed that they had chased down, surrounded, and tackled the man, David Flores, after he had fled his car, which they had blocked. They also said that they had received a call a week prior from a neighborhood woman who had spotted a man exposing himself in his car while looking at young girls, and had given the police the license plate number to police at the time.

Flores, his face beaten, and covered in his own blood, was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder, assault and the criminal use of a firearm; the tabloids wasted no time branding him a pervert.

Meantime, the Shomrim were rewarded with a $2,000 gift of five bulletproof vests from then-state Sen. Eric Adams, who said he held the group in the highest esteem and that we must do everything we can to protect these brave men who put themselves in harms way to protect us from danger.

About a month after the shooting, new information emerged that none too subtly tried to shift blame to the cops: An Orthodox newspaper reported that officers at the 66th had ignored the first complaint, failing to file a police report. The paper quoted an NYPD spokeswoman saying that an investigation into the matter had been undertaken by the head of the precinct, Deputy Inspector John Sprague [now the head of the Detective Bureau on Staten Island], and that the officers involved had been disciplined.

What that meant was anyones guess, as the NYPD declined to elaborate. But the newspaper did report that while some members of the Shomrim expressed anger over the omission of a report that could have led to the apprehension of a dangerous suspect, Shomrim leader Simcha Bernath was confident that Sprague would handle the matter properly. (It was never made clear whether Flores actually was in fact the same man who had allegedly been spotted and reported to the police the week before his arrest.)

Councilman David Greenfield (who directed $35,000 in City Council discretionary to the rival Shmira Civilian Volunteer Patrol of Boro Park in 2011 and close to $30,000 to the Flatbush Shomrim between 2012 and 2016) also praised the police response and was reportedly reassured by Sprague when he presented him with an award for dedicated service and leadership at a Jewish holiday celebration and Sprague noted that a failure to file a report was unacceptable and he would take decisive action if such was determined.

Current New York City Mayor de Blasio, who from 2002 through 2009 represented the district that includes Borough Park in the City Council and at the time was Public Advocate, said through a spokesman that We dont have a comment on the story at this time. Councilman Brad Lander (who would allocate $7,500 to the Shmira group in 2012) also declined to comment.

Assemblyman Dov Hikind took a slightly more critical stance. Praising Sprague and the NYPD in general, he nonetheless noted that there have been several instances where constituents have asked for my intervention in getting a report filed or an officer to take a complaint.

Of course, all of this focus on the alleged failure of the cops to file a report served to divert attention from the actions of the Shomrim that day and the story they told, which formed the basis of the states case against Flores, who languished in jail for over three years until his case came to trial. At the trial, prosecutors alleged that, believing him to be the same man who had exposed himself earlier, the Shomrim began following Flores and it was only after he pulled a gun that they jumped him. Trouble was, the evidence suggested otherwise.

As it turned out, an eyewitness who viewed the incident from her apartment window had called 911 to report that a bunch of Jews were jumping this one random guykicking him. There are Jewish people all around. They were shooting somethingThey grabbed him from out of his car. They pulled him out of his car.  She went on to say that that they were trying to hit the window, like break it.

Floress lawyer argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense against an unprovoked gang assault. It wasnt the first time members of these patrols were accused of engaging in vigilantismand it wouldnt be the last.

***

In 2008, a 20-year old black man named Andrew Charles was assaulted by a member of the Crown Heights civilian patrol named Yitzcak Shuchat. Shuchat and another patrol member had responded to a call about some black men throwing rocks which ended with Charles, the son of a police officer, in the hospital. Shuchat fled to Israel to avoid charges of assault as a hate crime but was extradited six years later and sentenced to one day in jail and 25 days of community service.

And then theres TaJ Patterson, a 22-year-old black, openly gay man studying to be a fashion designer, who was walking home through the Hasidic section of Williamsburg after a night out when he was set upon by a group of men. He ended up in the hospital with serious injuries, including a broken eye socket and a torn retina.

Pattersons memory of the event was fuzzy and, according to one of his attorneys, Amy Robinson, it wasnt until after his mother canvassed three different police precincts that she learned a police report had been filed at the 90th , taken the night of the attack. She also learned that the case, labeled a misdemeanor, had been marked closed.

As it turned out, a city bus driver had witnessed the brutal beating from her bus, which she pulled over and stopped so she could intervene. She also called the police, who arrived at the scene and took a report from her and three of her passengers.

And while the bus driver would tell the Daily News over a week later that she got out of the bus and all these men were standing up straight around himTaj is laying down on his back. I went up to him and he was in so much pain. He says, I cant see . . . I cant, these details did not appear in the police report.

In fact, the report noted only that Patterson, who was described as highly intoxicated, had been punched and kicked by an unknown perp.

Only after Pattersons family went to the media with the story were five men the Brooklyn DA identified as associated with the Williamsburg Shomrim arrested for the beating, which left Patterson blind in one eye. The suspects, whod all reportedly left for Israel after the attack, were finally found there after Pattersons mom went public; they were charged in Brooklyn with gang assault. Since then, however, charges against two of the men have been dropped. The next court date for the remaining three is this week.

For over three decades the Williamsburg Shomrim Safety Patrol has acted as the eyes and ears of the community. Its members are dedicated community servants who take responsibility for protecting our neighborhood, not endangering it, the group said in a statement when the five were first charged. Reports that all five of the defendants indicted today are members of our organization are not true, and the acts alleged in these indictments are contrary to our mission and our membership.

While Shomrim supporters say that only two of the five (both of whom are still charged) were full-fledged members of the Shomrim, Pattersons ongoing civil suit against the men and group names all five as members.

This month, the Daily News reported that the cop who filed the initial report on Pattersons assault and quickly closed the file on it, before any arrests were made, had been transferred out of the 90th precinct and docked 10 vacation days (it appears his two supervisors, who signed off his report, were left unscathed). The paper also reported that one of the men charged in the attack subsequently received a special tour of an Upper East Side police precinct.

***

Four days before the attack on Patterson, the jury in the Flores case rendered its decision, acquitting him of everything but an illegal weapon charge. One juror who spoke to the Daily News after the verdict noted that the police reports didnt match up with the eyewitness testimonyadding that the discrepancies left reasonable doubts in the jurors minds about the public lewdness charge, as well.

Flores was sentenced to 12 years in prison on the gun charge. Before the judge sentenced him, Flores read a two-page statement to the court, detailing the treatment he had received in jail as an accused pervert.

Both correction officers and hordes of gang members subjected me to untold gang assault, leaving me in absolute agony, he said. I was returned to punitive segregation and starved for months because my meals almost always contained human feces and urine.

Before he was taken away, Flores reportedly asked the judge, What is the penalty for a hate crime? These people were beating me, he added, pointing to the Shomrim members in the court.

Nothing, apparently.
Like DJs locked in battle pulling samples from the most obscure records in their milk crates, many bartenders across the country try to one up each other by using the most exotic spirits and mixers they can get their hands on.

So in this day-in-age of ridiculously complicated cocktails, the simplicity and pure genius of the Manhattan truly stands out.

The drinka mix of American whiskey, sweet vermouth and bittersis more than just the sum of its parts, and its depth and complexity would be hard to replicate with a recipe two or three times as long.

Perhaps thats why the Manhattan is now garnering renewed interest. Last summer Albert Schmid published The Manhattan Cocktail: A Modern Guide to the Whiskey Classic and Philip Greene, author of a fascinating Hemingway cocktail companion, To Have and Have Another, has just published his own take on the drink, The Manhattan: The Story of the First Modern Cocktail with Recipes.

The recent interest in the concoction is perhaps no surprise given the overall rebirth of American whiskey; from 2000 to 2015, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, sales of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey have climbed by nearly 32 percent. And thats not to mention the sudden ubiquitousness of the Old Fashioned, which over the last few years has once again become one of the most popular whiskey drinks in America. (Ill chalk that up to Don Drapers insatiable thirst for the concoction.)

But while there is an accepted history for the Old Fashionedessentially its the original cocktail recipe, calling for spirits, water, bitters and sugarthe Manhattans history is quite a bit murkier.

What we do know is that sometime in the late 1860s vermouth became available in the U.S. and made its way into cocktails (essentially Old Fashioneds) and changed the scene for good. Its advent represents a watershed moment in cocktail history, writes Greene in his new book.

For the first time, an imported, fortified, aromatized wine known as vermouth modified the structure of the cocktail, adding balance, nuance, sophistication, and sweetness to the base spirit. It completed the revolution and launched a new epoch.

But who first thought to combine vermouth with whiskey and bitters has been lost to history. For years, there was a persistent legend that drink was dreamed up for a party thrown by Winston Churchills mother at the Manhattan Club. Sadly, that theory has been thoroughly debunked.

Greene explores a few other stories about the elixirs origins, including one that has a bartender named Black creating the drink in a bar on Broadway below Houston Street. Greene concludes after much sleuthing and no doubt countless hours of research as with so many cocktail tales, the definitive answer remains elusive. Its enough to drive a man to drink.

While no one disputes the basic recipe for the Manhattan, the type of whiskey used in it will vary depending upon where you order it.

In a craft cocktail bar youll most likely get a Manhattan made with rye, since many believe thats more authentic. The spirit also gives the Manhattan a pleasant spiciness.

While in a standard bar the drink will be made with the more popular and widely available bourbon (the bourbon version will generally give the drink a softer and more rounded taste).

The one problem with this practice is that, according to leading cocktails historian David Wondrich, author or Imbibe and Punch, historic bartending manuals dont seem to consistently call for one type of whiskey over another.

Seemingly even the most essential and accepted detail of the drink leads to yet another Manhattan mystery. Until, further research turns up definitive proof, the only thing to do is fix a drink and ponder its shadowy origins.

Manhattan

Ingredients:

2 oz Bourbon or rye

1 oz Sweet vermouth

2 dashes Bitters

Garnish: Brandy cherry

Glass: Cocktail

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a brandy cherry.

Brooklyn Cocktail

Contributed by Philip Greene

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Wild Turkey

1.5 oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth

1 dash Amer Picon Bitters

1 dash Luxardo or Leopold Bros. Maraschino Liqueur

Glass: Cocktail

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Reprinted with permission from The Manhattan  2016 by Philip Greene, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
After the November terror attack in Paris and before the March bombings in Belgium, a neighborhood on the fringe of Brussels was already in a state of lockdown, alternately swarming and screaming with police raids and media cameras and quiet as residents stayed indoors.

Molenbeek has long been working class, outside the gilded halls of the European Unions capital and the Royal Palace of Brussels. These days, the inhabitants are mostly Muslim immigrants and their families.

In December, just after the National threat level dropped a notch from 4, the top number, my cousin Sarah picked me up near the train station, Gare Du Nord, in a red Citroen mini. We drove at twilight along the industrial Brussels-Charleroi Canal and past a massive meat processing plant where tan men in overalls were forever loading and unloading delivery trucks and crows circled dumpsters.

Further down, artists lofts and co-working cafes mirrored the cool Anderlecht neighborhood across the grey water. But when we turn onto Rue Nicolas Doyen and towards the heart of Molenbeek, the streets are nearly empty. A woman in a black hijab and dress pushed a stroller, and two men stood outside of a corner store on Rue des Quatre-Vents.

This is where we stopped.

Although Sarah was born and raised in Belgium, she had never been here. Her golden hair and green eyes caught stares in the mainly Moroccan and Algerian streets. My friends would think Im crazy, she said. They call this Une Ville Terroriste. With my dark hair and eyes and wide face, I look nothing like Sarah, although our mothers are sisters.

They grew up here, in this century old townhouse across from where we stand.

Our grandmother, Ida, was an Orthodox Jew in a small village in the shifting shadows and borders of the Carpathian Mountainsin her lifetime, a part of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the Ukraine. The family would alternate meals, a dozen children whose stomachs grumbled in shared beds.

Winters were brutal and life was hard even before Hungarian and German troops invaded in 1938. It got harder then.

Almost all of her family died in Auschwitz or en route to it. Ida wound up working as a seamstress and housekeeper in Antwerp and then Brussels, wearing a crucifix around her neck instead of an obligatory yellow star and marrying a fair-haired Catholic drunk who mistreated her and her three daughters until he died of a heart attack while sitting at a bar, a beer in his hand. The daughters became strong, successful women.

In Judaism, its customary to name children after ancestors. I was named after himthe grandfather we never speak of.

When my grandfather wanted to provoke my grandmother, my mother remembers his go-to insult was sale Juivedirty Jew.

Anti-Semitism still runs deep in Brussels, alongside swelling anti-Islam and anti-immigrant sentiment from the ethnic Belgians. Today, its more common to hear Sale Arabe, or Sale Musulman.

Many of the Islamic State terrorists responsible for killing scores of innocents in todays seemingly endless war are from Molenbeeklike me, they are the descendants of immigrants here.

I held up a photograph of my familys building, taken in the late 1970s, and our grandmother is standing outside her general storewhere she sold candy, gifts, cigaretteswith one hand on her hip and the other resting on the window frame, which advertises liquidation totale. I wouldnt have known it from the determined woman in the photo, but she was nearing the end of her life. She was selling the building to move into a small apartment next door.

Sarah and I compared the building in front of us to the one in the photo. The image shows a clean white paint job and crisp commercial lettering running down its side. In front of us was peeling paint and a dark window. But the same two steps led up to a wooden door.

The younger of the two men standing on the corner approaches and warns us that this is not a good time to be in Molenbeek.

A handsome middle-aged woman in a black-and-white hijab opens the door with a smile.

What was once my grandmothers cigarette shop is now her sitting roomArabic majlis seating with gold details, fresh white walls. The woman serves coffee on a silver tray, speaks French with a heavy Moroccan accent, and tells a story that echoes my grandmothers.

As a 19-year-old from Tetouan, she left Morocco for Belgium for an an arranged marriage with a cabbie. Unable to speak French or Flemish, she spent days crying at her bedroom window watching Belgiums perpetual rain fall.

She had five children, the youngest of whom is now a tall 28-year-old man who lives with his family on the top floor and who inherited his fathers cab.

The son tells us that he cant recall a time when didnt feel stigmatized in Brussels as a Muslim man from a Moroccan family. He said that raising the terror threat after the Paris attacks was a jokebecause we always live that every day here.

Dont use our names if you write about us, his older sister warned. Its not safe.

While my mother was growing up in that house off of Rue Des Quatre Vents, in 1964, Belgium signed labor treaties with Morocco and Turkey to recruit workers to rebuild infrastructure, work in mines, factories and on the canal. Those workers settled like Bruxellois before before them in Molenbeek, close to the city center and its jobs but across the river and industrial enough to remain affordable.

There was a boardinghouse that would fill with male workers my mother would avoid while walking home from school. Theyre doing the jobs that Belgians dont want to do, was a common sentiment.

The womans husband, the cab driver who died long ago, was one of those recruited workers.

After our meeting, I walk the streets of Molenbeek as my grandmother once did, alone and unable to really grasp the language.

The shopping district, Chaussee de Gand, was vibrant with clothingbright scarfs and dresses.

But even on a Saturday, people shopped quietly, and most were cautious and cold to a foreigner with a camera. We dont want to speak to anyone from the media, a young mother told me angrily.

In the main square, a Japanese television crew reporting on Molenbeek had all but given up. Nobody will talk to us, said the producer.

Our mothersSarahs and mineare the daughters of a survivor, and so we were raised in a state of perpetual fear.

I came to Molenbeek having just lost a job, with a dwindling bank account and a rental apartment back in New York. It sat vacant for the week I wandered the streets of Molenbeek until my feet became blistered as I struggled to find people to speak with in broken French for a story that will never run, finally rendered obsolete mid-edit by Marchs terror.

On one of the last days, I met a 40-year-old Algerian near pigeon cages at the sprawling Abattoir Anderlecht market and he kissed me on the second floor of a cafe. I burned my tongue on tea with steaming mint leaves. He grabbed my hand under the table and pulled it to feel an erection in his jeans.

Im just here to find a story, I told him.

He replied: What story is more important than love?

He said it had been hard to date a secular European woman. Hes open to it, but they dont seem to be.

Sarah has been having nightmares for months. She wakes drenched in sweat, she is being attacked from within. She lives in a fixer-upper townhouse near Mons. She had bought it to start fresh. Thats what I need to do, Ive told her. Yet we dwell in the past together.

I slept fitfully too. The heats broken in my aunts apartment, and the weathers freezing. Its a very Belgian thing, a friendan American whos been living in Brussels for the past few yearstells me, to be in denial.

The entire society has been in denial about the immigrant and inequality problem for decades.

Sarah watched a debate play out on her Facebook feed among some friends who were vehemently anti-Muslim and anti-refugee. I tell them, if my grandmother was not a refugee, I wouldnt be here, she said. Dont talk about these people like that.
But there was something special about that Communion class.

Among the students were two boys whose lives would diverge, before years later intertwining onto similar and somewhat parallel paths.

Nearly 50 years later, the Rev. David Konderla has followed in the footsteps of his former classmate, Bishop Michael Sis  who was named bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo in 2013  through his selection as the new bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa in Oklahoma earlier this month.

It is amazing that two of the boys out of that little First Communion class ended up being bishops, Konderla said.

According to Bishop Daniel Garcia of the Diocese of Austin, Sis, Konderla and himself are among only five priests from the Diocese of Austin to go on to become bishops  all in the past 15 years.

The Cameron native noted the three men have all been selected to become bishops within a three-year period.

Garcia said while there is no real date to compare it with, two men with Sis and Konderlas shared history both becoming bishops is uncommon.

Its a unique but also exciting occurrence, Garcia said.

After the second grade, Sis said his education led him away from St. Joseph Catholic School and into the Bryan Independent School District.

Konderla, who remained at the Catholic school through his eighth-grade year, found himself once again on the same campus as Sis when it came time for high school.

Both students at Bryan High School, Konderla said he and Sis ran in different circles because of their differing interests.

He was a much better student than I and much more involved in school and class activities, said Konderla, specifically citing Sis election as Mr. Bryan High School. He was always very much a leader.

Sis said the memories he has of Konderla are of a fun-loving and down-to-earth guy.

In addition to separate social lives, Sis added that the two teenagers were also separated spiritually, as they attended and were involved in different parishes in the city  Sis at St. Anthonys and Konderla at St. Josephs.

Though their lives after graduating from high school in 1978 differed  Sis attended college at the University of Notre Dame and Konderla working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary and Toxicology lab at Texas A&M, then as a machinist before going on to attend the University of Dallas  both men eventually found their way into the priesthood.

It wasnt until 1997, however, that the two men found themselves together again.

Sis had been serving as pastor of St. Marys Catholic Center in College Station since 1992 when Konderla arrived to serve as an associate pastor.

It was over the next four years, Konderla said, the two really got the opportunity to get to know one another.

Really it was when I came to work with him as the associate [pastor] at St. Marys in 1997 that we really developed more of a friendship, he said.

Konderla said during that time he learned much about being an effective priest and leader from Sis, including how to develop a greater appreciation for work and how to act as a steady presence to the members of the parish.

Hes someone who is unflappable, Konderla said. Its hard to really surprise him or rile him.

He particularly praised Sis as being pleasant and easy to be around, while at the same time working harder than anyone else he said he has ever known.

Sis said among the many traits he most admires about Konderla are his ability to preach and his artistic talents, particularly with carpentry.

When he was named the bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo in 2013, Sis said he asked Konderla if he would be willing to use his gifts with woodworking to craft his crosier, the staff traditionally carried by bishops and other high-ranking members of the church.

The crosier, Sis explained, was made from the wood of a dead oak tree that had been in the front yard of the St. Marys priests house.

Its beautiful, I use it all the time, Sis said. There arent very many people in this world that could make a crosie ... It just shows the beautiful expression of his talents.

For his own crosier, Konderla said he is excited to get working on it and hopes to have it completed by the time of his ordination in Tulsa on June 29.

Every young Jedi must first make his lightsaber before he can complete his training, Konderla said with a laugh.

After four years of working together, Konderla left St. Marys in 2001 to become the vocation director for the Diocese of Austin.

The two mens professional paths crossed once again in 2005 when Sis left St. Marys after 13 and a half years as its pastor, swapping positions with Konderla and becoming the dioceses vocation director himself.

Sis noted that aside from the anomaly of their shared history, it is uncommon for two successive pastors of a parish to go on to become bishops.

It says a lot for the importance of that parish, Sis said. St. Marys is a very special place.

Asked if they thought there was a common link in their overlapping time at St. Joseph Catholic School that set them on their respective paths to becoming bishops, both men specifically lauded the value of having faith so closely knit into their education.

One factor was certainly that we were students enrolled in a Catholic school, Sis said. When a student attends a Catholic school, they experience a fuller involvement in the Catholic faith. That was a major factor.

Konderla added he believes his time at the Catholic school also laid the foundation and gave him the tools for his own spiritual growth in later years as both a teenager and young adult.

Pete Bienski Jr., father of Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski and principal of St. Joesph Catholic School during Sis and Konderlas time there together, said he remembers the two boys as nice young men with families who were involved not only in their education, but their faith lives as well.

While his memories of Sis are much less extensive because of his relatively short time at the school, Bienski said he is deeply honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to the lives of the two men.

It is a great honor just to have known two students who have become priests, Bienski said. Then, for them to have become bishops, its just fantastic. Im just extremely thrilled to have been associated with them. I feel very humbled and very grateful to know them.

Going forward, Konderla said he is looking toward the guidance of his friend as he makes his transition onto a larger stage from priest to bishop.

I certainly learned many things about being a good pastor from him, and now I definitely look forward to our first conversation because I intend to learn many things about being a bishop from him, too, Konderla said. Hes sort of my trailblazer, and Im very happy to follow behind him because he is a good teacher.
Friday's unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Texas that, though flawed, the state's method of funding public education meets constitutional requirements is a blow for those of who think Texas can do a better job -- a much better job -- educating our children.

The decision brings to an end a five-year-long lawsuit by more than 600 of the state's 1,265 school districts asserting that the "Robin Hood" plan of paying for schooling violates the Texas Constitution. Under the plan, districts with high property values help pay to educate children in property-poor districts.

In ruling, the Supreme Court agreed that Texas can do better in educating our children, but said that is a matter for the Legislature to handle. Writing for the court, Justice Don Willett said figuring out the state's complicated funding plan is "mind numbing."

"But our judicial responsibility is not to second-guess or micromanage Texas education policy or to issue edicts from on high increasing financial inputs in hopes of increasing educational outputs," Willett said.

Willett wrote, "There doubtless exist innovative reform measures to make Texas schools more accountable and efficient, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Judicial review, however, does not license second-guessing the political branches' policy choices, or substituting the wisdom of nine judges for that of 181 lawmakers."

So, the question of education funding rightly goes back to the Legislature, which for years has preferred to let the state's courts make the tough decisions on how to pay for public schools. Lawmakers meet again in regular session in January and fair and equitable funding for education must be their No. 1 priority. After some three decades of funding schemes and subsequent lawsuits, it is past time for legislators to get it right.

Gov. Greg Abbott -- a former justice on the Supreme Court and a former Texas attorney general -- and Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the decision. "Today's ruling is a victory for Texas taxpayers and the Texas Constitution. The Supreme Court's decision ends years of wasteful litigation by correctly recognizing that courts do not have the authority to micromanage the State's school finance system," Abbott said in a statement that made no mention of the need to improve education in the state that ranks near the bottom in far too many categories.

Not surprisingly, Louis Malfaro, president of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, condemned the decision: "The deeply conservative court has held that the state system of school funding meets minimum constitutional requirements, but facts are stubborn things, and the facts remain that Texas schools are underfunded, inequitably funded, and force an inordinate share of the cost of education onto local school districts and their taxpayers, while the state fails to do its full part."

The question yet to be answered is how do we ensure that children in the poorest school district in South Texas get the same chance at a quality education as students in districts such as those in College Station and Bryan.

In his opinion, Willett wrote, "Few would argue that the State cannot do better."

Noting that 60 percent of Texas students come from economically disadvantaged families -- a number that, not surprisingly, has risen dramatically in the past decade -- Justice Eva Guzman wrote in a concurring opinion, "I fully join the Court's opinion and write separately to further emphasize that there is much more work to be done, particularly with respect to the population that represents the majority of the student base -- economically disadvantaged students." She was joined in that opinion by Justice Debra Lehrmann.

Texans say they are tired of state and federal courts making the important decisions about the way the state is governed, but they fail to demand that their lawmakers seriously address the multitude of issues facing a state bursting at the seams with more and more residents. The choices certainly aren't easy, but, we can hope, addressing them is why our representatives and senators run for office.

Every state representative in Texas is up for election in November. Let's all ask them tough questions and then demand they do what they say they will.

Our children, our residents, our state demand it.
First-term Councilman Rafael Pena has been under scrutiny for two weeks after a police report from an ongoing investigation into an April 20 domestic dispute was leaked to the media.

The criminal case has since been closed and no charges were filed against Pena. Meanwhile, Mayor Jason Bienski, along with Councilmen Ben Hardeman, Greg Owens and Bubby Simank, voted for the city to publicly release the full police report, a 911 recording from the April 20 incident and a video recording from the responding officer.

The final evidence released was the video in which Penas wife, Maraiah, is talking to the officer, saying her husband pushed her and previously had taken his anger out on her. The 911 call contradicts that accusation; 10 minutes earlier, she told a dispatcher that he did not assault her, but he did slam her cellphone on the floor and break it. A few days later, she told police she didnt want to file charges against her husband. Officials said they can still pursue a case, even if the person reporting such an assault doesnt want them to, however, in the Pena situation the case was closed.

From that police report, questions were raised about where Pena lives. He was elected from District 2, which  according to the city charter  means he must live in that district. The April 20 incident unfolded at the house of Penas mother and thats where Maraiah told police she has been living since January. Its 5 miles from the couples house on Sandy Point Road and is not in District 2.

Rafael Pena, who has received support from constituents as many spoke on his behalf at the most recent council meeting, has said he has been staying at the Sandy Point property, where hes making repairs to their tattered home while his pregnant wife and 10-month-old son stay at his mothers house for safety reasons.

Hardeman made the motion for the council to ask the Texas Attorney Generals Office, Brazos County District Attorneys Office and County Attorneys Office to review the residency issue. Councilmen Pena, Mike Southerland and Al Saenz voted against releasing the documents and against asking a prosecutor to investigate where Pena lives.

What remains unclear days after that vote, however, is what  if any  violation occurred.

The city charter states that a council member must reside in the single-member district they represent throughout the term of office, but the charter is silent on temporary moves. The state election code constitutes residency as ones home they intend to return to after any temporary absence. It also says someone doesnt lose their residency by temporarily moving somewhere else, and that they dont become a resident of another place if its not their intention to stay there.

Brazos County District Attorney Jarvis Parsons declined to comment on whether residency is something his office would investigate. County Attorney Rod Anderson also declined to comment, but said Friday that he hadnt yet received such a request from the city.

Both confirmed to The Eagle last week that their offices had reviewed the 911 and audio recordings, as well as the police report, and did not find any evidence that would warrant criminal charges being filed against Pena.

A spokesperson from the Texas Attorney Generals Office said Friday that their office would have concurrent jurisdiction with the local district attorney or county attorney to investigate or prosecute potential election code violations. It wasnt immediately clear how far such an inquiry could go since the election has long been over.

On Penas application for a place on the 2013 ballot, obtained by The Eagle through the Texas Public Information Act, he lists the Sandy Point Road address as his permanent residence. The three campaign finance reports for Pena posted on the citys website from January and July of 2015 and January 2016 also list the Sandy Point Road home as his mailing address.

Pena said during last weeks City Council meeting that an outside expert gave legal advice during executive session that indicated it would be a long shot to try and go this route by investigating his residency.

I think youre going to lose this one, definitely, he said, saying the council is definitely on a witch hunt, grasping at anything to get him out of office.

Before the Pena case was opened to the media, Bienski publicly described the video on multiple occasions as stomach turning.

The 38-minute-long dash camera video shows a part of Bizzell Street, where the incident occurred, and an officer walking to and from the car. In the corresponding audio  which is recorded from a microphone on the officers uniform  Maraiah Pena is heard telling the officer that her husband took their baby and left the home on Bizzell Street following the altercation, saying, I think hed be going to our old house off Sandy Point.

The video begins at about 12:48 p.m., nine minutes after the 911 call was made. She is heard telling an officer that she and her husband were in a heated argument related to her staying home from work that day and not drinking enough water. She said as she tried to leave the house, Pena became angry and ran from the kitchen into the living room, where he pushed her against a wall and broke her cellphone. She said she did not feel any pain when her husband pushed her, but she stopped it from getting any further and chose not to run.

Maraiah Pena told the officer several times throughout the video that her husband had become angry with her before.

Weve had the baby for nine months, she says. Hes been like this a handful of times ... Hes done it one other time when [the child] was, like, two months old. He took it out on me. He dragged me through the house and I didnt think to call anybody at that time, which I should have, but its gotten to the point to where hes watching the baby ... He cant do this anymore, because I dont know what hes capable of.

She said the child was the main reason she decided to call the police.

He knows that the final straw would be for me to call the police, and Ive done that, she said. Theres no going back to it. Im done.

She added, hes a councilman  this is gonna be embarrassing for him.

An officer asks if Pena will say anything contradictory to her story when they talk to him.

He may say that Im crazy and say that we got into other altercations, she said, adding that hes recorded their conversations before and that she believed he would sit there and try to point the finger at her.

A day after KBTX-TV initially reported on the incident, Pena and his wife invited the media to the porch of their house on Sandy Point where she said she didnt tell police he committed any act of violence against her. The two stressed that the situation was a private matter and asked to be left alone.
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Compiled By Laura Osterfeld, Public Service Librarian for HCPL

Here are details about some of the new books at the Henderson County Public Library.

Fiction

"The Nest" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (fiction)  Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab.

Months earlier an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs joint trust fund, "The Nest," which they are months away from finally receiving.

Meant by their deceased father to be a modest midlife supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest's value soar, counting on the money to solve a number of their self-inflicted problems.

Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love?

"America's First Daughter: A Novel" by Stephanie Dray (historical)  From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still.

As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death, traveling with him when he becomes the American minister to France.

It is in Paris  at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution  that Patsy, 15, learns about her father's troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love  with her father's protege William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat.

Torn between love, principles and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William's wife and still be a devoted daughter.

"The Inheritance" by Michael Phillips (Christian)  Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch's heir to be his grandnephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David's grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island's land.

The future of the island  and its traditional way of life  hangs in the balance. Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, D.C.

Yet, despite her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots.

That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor 

Nonfiction

"All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation" by Rebecca Traister  Traister traces the history of unmarried and late-married women in America who, through social, political and economic means, have radically shaped our nation.

"All the Single Ladies" is a remarkable portrait of contemporary American life and how we got here through the lens of the single American woman.

"Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond  Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge.

The fates of these families are in the hands of two landlords: Sherrena Tarver, a former schoolteacher turned inner-city entrepreneur, and Tobin Charney, who runs one of the worst trailer parks in Milwaukee.

Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers.

As we see families forced into shelters, squalid apartments or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America's vast inequality and to people's determination and intelligence in the face of hardship.

Hours, bookmobile

The Henderson County Public Library's hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Patrons can access their library account at hcpl.org.

This week's bookmobile schedule:

Monday: Aislynn Village, 1:45-2:15 p.m.; Independent Living Apartments, 2:30-3 p.m.; Fair Acres, 3:15-3:45 p.m.

Tuesday: Colonial Assisted Living, 12:30 p.m.; The Olive Branch, 2:45-3:15 p.m.; Dixon Street Apartments, 4:15-5 p.m.

Wednesday: Redbanks Towers, 1-2:30 p.m.; 840 N. Adams St. Apartments, 3:30-4 p.m.; Niagara, 4:15-5 p.m.

Thursday: Pleasant Pointe Apartments, 1-2 p.m.; Henderson Manor, 3:15-4 p.m.; Fagan Square, 4:15-4:45 p.m.
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By Laura Acchiardo, laura.acchiardo@thegleaner.com

On Tuesday, the primary election will take place for five different races.

Both Republicans and Democrats can cast their vote in three of the primary elections.

For the United States senator seat in the 1st congressional district, Republicans can choose between the incumbent Rand Paul, James Gould or Stephen Howard Slaughter. To run against the Republican nominee, Democrats can choose between seven candidates: Jim Gray, Rory Houlihan, Jeff Kender, Ron Leach, Tom Recktenwald, Grant Short and Sellus Wilder.

Democrats and Republicans can also participate in the 1st congressional district race for U.S. Congress. Republican Ed Whitfield who previously held the seat is retiring. The Republicans have the choice between Mike Pape, Miles Caughey Jr., Jason Batts and James Comer. Democrats can choose either Tom Osborne or Samuel Gaskins to run against the Republican nominee.

The only local election on the ballot will be the city commissioners race, which both registered Republicans and Democrats can vote for. Current commissioner Jan Hite is not running for re-election, while Robby Mills is running for a different seat.

The city commissioners race is nonpartisan and includes 11 candidates, who will be whittled down to eight after the primary. Voters can choose up to four candidates on the ballot. Candidates include: Austin Vowels, Robert Pruitt, Tom Davis, Nate Butler, Kenny Perkins, Don Bridges, Bradley Staton, Patti Bugg, Brad Woolsey and current city commissioners Jesse Johnston IV and X.R. Royster III. Preston Herndon will appear on the ballot, but he has withdrawn his name. Votes cast for him will not be counted.

Only Republicans will vote for the Kentucky representative 11 district seat. Voters can cast their ballot for either James Buckmaster or Robby Mills, and the winner of that race will face incumbent State Rep. David Watkins, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

In the primary only Democrats will vote for U.S. president. Voters choices are Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Roque Rocky de la Fuente. Republicans will not be voting for president on May 17.

Voters who have changed their party affiliation after Jan. 1, 2016 are not eligible to vote in the primary. However, if they live in the city of Henderson, they can vote in the city commissioners race.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.
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By Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press

LOUISVILLE  With Democrats' dominance in state politics long vanished, the party is looking to rebound from two straight lopsided defeats, but they're confronted with another daunting task: toppling incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

Jim Gray, the soft-spoken mayor of Lexington, approaches the state's May 17 primary with advantages over lesser-known Democrats vying for the Senate nomination. Gray draws upon a political base in Kentucky's second-largest city and a campaign bolstered by his personal wealth.

Gray, who helped build his family's construction company into a global enterprise with yearly sales topping $1 billion, said he's undaunted by a race against Paul, a first-term senator, in a state trending more conservative.

"I like challenges," Gray said at a campaign stop in Richmond, where he fielded questions on economic, energy and education issues. "I've often gone against the grain. There were people who said we wouldn't survive as a business. ... That it was unlikely that I'd be elected mayor."

Gray's campaign is historic for another reason. He's openly gay in a state where Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis became a symbol of opposition to same-sex marriages. Citing her religious beliefs, she was jailed five days in 2015 for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Not long after that, Kentucky elected a governor who openly supported her resistance.

The mayor faces a half-dozen primary opponents: Sellus Wilder, a former Frankfort city commissioner; former Army Green Beret Ron Leach of Brandenburg; Tom Recktenwald, a retired technology teacher from Louisville; Jeff Kender of Phelps; Rory Houlihan of Winchester; and Grant Short of Owensboro.

Paul faces two little-known challengers  James Gould and Steve Slaughter  in the GOP primary and likely will head into the general election as the heavy favorite.

"We're in a state that's red and turning redder," said University of Kentucky political scientist Stephen Voss. "So any Republican would start with a huge advantage here."

Democrats suffered deflating losses in the last two statewide elections. Now-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell trounced Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in 2014 and Republican Matt Bevin upset Jack Conway in last year's race for governor.

This year's Democratic Senate primary was mostly genial, though the race turned edgier during a joint appearance on Kentucky Educational Television on Monday when some underfunded candidates took aim at Gray for tapping his personal bank account to help fund his campaign.

Gray ran a series of TV ads to raise his profile ahead of the primary.

Without naming Gray, Leach complained about the national party establishment hand-picking its favorite for Kentucky, resulting in "elitist campaigns" focusing on urban areas.

Wilder said campaigns are "turning into auctions" favoring the wealthy.

Recktenwald bluntly said that if Democrats follow their usual formula and nominate Gray, they will lose in November. Recktenwald said Congress is "broken" and that the "big reason is big money."

"If I'm the front-runner," Gray said, "that's for a reason. I've got experience."

Wilder, inspired by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' focus on income inequality during the presidential campaign, said he wants to expand the state party's progressive wing.

"I'm running because I believe in a nation that values the lives of real people more than we value power and profits," he said at a recent forum.

Leach, who had multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, said that since Kentucky Democrats won their last U.S. Senate race in 1992, the middle class has shrunk, wages have stagnated and the country has become more divided.

He chided Democrats for running "Republican-lite" campaigns aimed only at cities.

Gray stresses his business pedigree in campaign stops and TV ads. He portrays Paul as an obstructionist who focused more on his failed presidential bid than on his senatorial duties.

"A U.S. Senate seat is a terrible thing to waste," Gray said.

Gray supports a higher minimum wage, an immigration system overhaul and abortion rights, saying abortions should be "safe, legal and rare." He criticizes Paul's efforts to curtail the federal government's surveillance powers, saying the Republican's approach would make it easier for terrorists to plan and execute attacks.

Gray has been more guarded when the conversation turns to homosexuality.

Asked at a forum what he would do to advance LGBT rights, Gray gave a broader answer, saying he would be an advocate for civil rights, voting rights and workers' rights.

"I think discrimination is wrong, period," he said.

Following his campaign event in Richmond, Gray downplayed any potential impact his sexual orientation might have on the campaign.

"What I think people care about is performance and results," he said.

Sharon Switalski, who attended the Richmond event, said it shouldn't be an issue, but conceded it might be in some rural areas. She said she was leaning toward supporting Gray.

"I don't think he should have to talk about it," she said. "He should talk about the issues. Leave the personal stuff out of it."
Greater Burlington leaders hope for more hotel, housing construction

Burlington and West Burlington leaders shared opportunities for growth and quality of life improvements in their respective cities.
NORWALK  Trevor Boyrer, a sophomore at Norwalk High School, is a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Lowell, Mass. on June 25-27.

The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.
NORWALK - One car was discovered stolen and another burglarized Saturday morning in the parking structure of the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 789 Connecticut Ave.

A guest called police at 9 a.m. to report a break-in to a 2006 Subaru Legacy on the structure's second floor.
AURORA  If it passes regulations, a commercial wind turbine project proposed by Bluestem Energy Solutions and Southern Power District will be the first of its kind in the Aurora area.

The installation of four 270-foot turbines near Aurora is pending regulations to be set by the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.

The Hamilton County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at the Bremer Community Center to develop possible regulations for the proposed and future projects.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Scott Stuhr said the hearing will not address specific projects but will set general regulations for commercial wind energy sources in the county.

The regulations will govern the turbines proposed by Bluestem Energy Solutions, as well as all commercial-scale wind turbines that may be located in Hamilton County in the future.

Any recommendations by county planners during the hearing will be suggested to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. The county board will have the final say on project proposals and any zoning regulations.

County planners have been discussing these plans since December 2015 in response to a proposal by Bluestem Energy Solutions. Bluestem is an Omaha-based company that has worked on almost 20 wind and solar energy projects throughout the state.

Bluestem contracted with Southern Power District and started project development 18 months ago to place the four turbines along Interstate 80 southwest of Aurora. The project will generate 9.2 megawatts of energy for Southern Power District customers, Bluestem Vice President Adam Herink said.

Hamilton County currently has no zoning regulations for commercial-scale wind projects. Herink said zoning regulations are important to the health and safety of residents in the area.

Bluestem is always in favor of good, sound zoning regulations for projects we develop, Herink said.

According to the Nebraska Energy Office, Nebraska has 539 operational wind turbines at 18 sites across the state.

David Bracht, director of the Nebraska Energy Office, said technology improvements have decreased costs by over 60 percent in the last six years.

Bracht said the price decrease has been one of the main reasons for increased wind energy. Fifteen years ago, there were just six turbines in the state.

Companies were both learning how the development worked in Nebraska and getting to know how good our wind is, Bracht said. While the general wind-speed maps made it look good, its like most things and takes time for companies to get familiar with it.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, Nebraska is ranked 20th for installed wind capacity and number of installed turbines.

Texas, California and Iowa are the leaders of wind energy in the United States. The American Wind Energy Association reports there are more than 50,000 wind turbines with a capacity of 70 gigawatts.

Over the past five years, the federal government with federal wind policy has been encouraging renewable energy of all types.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of jobs in wind energy is expected to increase by 108 percent over the next 10 years. Turbine technicians are just one job in the field, and the Department of Energy says wind power could support up to 380,000 jobs by 2030.

Although Iowa has more turbines, Nebraska actually has better wind potential than Iowa because of where were located, Bracht said.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that more than 90 percent of Nebraska has suitable conditions for commercial-scale wind-powered electricity generation.

In 2015, wind energy in Nebraska provided 8.03 percent of all in-state electricity production, which is equivalent to powering 289,000 homes for one year.

If you look at Iowa, Kansas and the Dakotas, projects are going up all over the Midwest, and wind energy is becoming more mainstream, Herink said.
CENTRAL CITY  A Nebraska soldier will be honored this Memorial Day in Central City 71 years after his death.

The grave of Benjamin Jackson, a veteran of the Indian Wars, will receive a military headstone. The grave has been unmarked since Jacksons death in 1945.

Military records show that he served in the U.S. Army from 1881 to 1886 as a Buffalo Soldier, a name given to African-Americans serving in the Indian Wars.

The Indians gave them the name because of their curly hair like the curly hair on a buffalo, said Merrick County Historical Society President Bill Bolte, who has spent decades researching the Indian Wars.

Bolte and the society have been tracking data on Jackson for about two years.

Bolte said Jacksons service was discovered during research for another project. Bolte came across a 1932 article in the Central City Republican-Nonpareil that detailed Jacksons designation to receive a $30 monthly military pension. Jackson was 72 years old then but had served the country in his 20s. A local doctor had applied for the pension on Jacksons behalf.

Bolte decided he would like to include the story in his local cemetery tours.

I ... went out to find this guy and found he doesnt have a marker out there, Bolte said.

Central City Cemetery records and newspaper accounts in Central City and Grand Island show that Jackson was buried there, near his wife, Ida Fears Jackson, who died in 1933.

The Merrick County Historical Society applied for a government-issued headstone with the Merrick County Veterans Service Office but learned that a relative has to sign the application. That led the society to begin researching Jacksons 13 children in hopes of finding a living relative.

The society found great-grandson Jimmie Jackson, who works in the parts department at Anderson Auto Group in Grand Island. He signed the application, and the headstone arrived in February.

The society next went to American Legion Lone Tree Post 6 to request a military service.

We never hesitated a minute, said Miles McGinnis, past adjutant. We will give him military rites on Memorial Day.

The Legion Post traditionally holds a 10 a.m. Memorial Day ceremony with a march, a speaker and the laying of a wreath at the cemetery memorial. Thats followed by a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

This year, the traditional ceremony will be followed by a Buffalo Soldier ceremony at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the southwest corner of the cemetery near Jacksons grave.

I think its great, Jimmie Jackson said of the societys successful work. So many people back from that era were never recognized for the service that they did at the time.

The historical society paid to receive Jacksons military records to get a better understanding of his service.

He served as a private in Company M of the 9th Cavalry Regiment. Online data show that the 9th Cavalry started its duties in Texas in the late 1860s. It served in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas from 1875 to 1881.

The 9th Cavalry was transferred to Fort Riley, Kan., in 1881 and to Fort Robinson, Neb., in 1885.

Jackson served first at Fort Cummings, N.M., from Oct. 18 to Dec. 19, 1881. Handwritten notes on his military service card state that Jackson served over 30 days in zone of active Indian hostilities between Oct. 18 and Dec. 19, 1881.

He was then transferred to Fort Riley, Kan., where he served until June 26, 1882, when he went into the field in Colorado until Oct. 5, 1882.

He came back to Fort Riley until June 1, 1883, was then transferred to Fort Lewis, Colo., and served in the field until mid-1883.

From August to September 1883, he was in the field in New Mexico, then back at Fort Lewis and Fort Riley, where he served until early 1885. From January to May 1885, he was in the field in Indian Territory. He then returned to Fort Riley before finishing his service at Fort Washakie, Wyo., in August 1886.

After his military discharge, he returned to Nebraska. Veterans Affairs records show he worked as a common laborer in Omaha until 1890, when he moved to ONeill and carried hod. He later became a farm laborer and eventually went into farming himself.

Records indicate that Jackson was born around 1856 in Charleston, S.C. His father was listed as Samuel Jackson.

A family write-up in the Merrick County History Book, Vol. 2, states that Benjamin Jackson was an escaped slave from Bonwell, S.C., after witnessing the auctioning off of his mother, Amanda.

He married Ida Fears in 1891. Some records indicate they were married in Orchard. Some state ONeill.

Data from the Merrick County History Book and from a file at Stuhr Museum, where Associate Research Curator Megan Sharp has assisted with research on Jackson, show the couple had 13 children. They were Edna, Amanda, Irene Katharine, Joseph Nelson, Sylvester Kearney, Rose Maude, Myrtle Grace Elizabeth, Samuel, Levi, Nancy Victoria, Golda Caytella, Laverne and Benjamin Jr., who died as an infant.

Military records show that Jackson farmed for years near Central City. The article about his pension stated that Jackson was known to young and old alike.

He is a teamster by trade, a willing worker and a good citizen, the 1932 article stated. It was not generally known, however, that he was a participant in the Indian Wars during the 80s.

After his wifes death, Jackson may have lived with his son Joe in Grand Island. City directories show the two resided at the same address for some years.

Military records indicate that Jackson entered the Soldiers and Sailors Home (now the Grand Island Veterans Home) in 1945 and died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Lincoln on April 2, 1945, of a stroke and heart complications. He was 89.

A funeral was in May at Geddes Funeral Home in Grand Island with burial in the Holden section of the Central City Cemetery.

Now, 71 years later, Jacksons grave will be properly marked. Bolte also purchased a brick for Jackson on the Veterans Memorial Wall in Central City.

Theres just something about this guy that grabbed me ... and to come across that he didnt have a marker, Bolte said. It just grabs me to keep working on it.

If you go

What: Central City Cemetery Memorial Day ceremony

When: 10 a.m. May 30, followed by Buffalo Solider ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

Where: Central City Cemetery north of Central City, traditional ceremony in northeast corner of cemetery, Buffalo Soldier ceremony in southwest corner of cemetery

Cost: Free and open to public
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Linkedin Ika Sudiayem (The Jakarta Post) Kupang  Sat, May 14 2016

At my age it is thoroughly understandable that all these complications arise; I am totally aware of that []. Elderly patients often say this when seeking my health advice. This expression acts as a psychological remedy for different conditions such as visual impairment, neurodegenerative disease and other chronic diseases such as arthritis, hypertension and heart problems. But embracing their condition often means rejecting curative options.

The curse of old age does not stop there, as this portion of the community, who have partially or completely retired and depend on pension benefits, are often considered a burden on their families and society. They are often marked as highly vulnerable to mental health problems, mainly as a result of loneliness, low social interaction and untreated depression.

This is truly alarming given an estimated 36 million older people in Indonesia by the end of 2025. Such a huge demographic expansion as a result of increased life expectancy in developing countries such as Indonesia will be a true challenge for authorities.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 14 2016

Pressure from intolerant people and the sealing-off of Ahmadis Annur mosque in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, by the local administration last year, have not discouraged the mosques members from continuing to worship there.

We pray five times a day here with congregations of three to four people every day, the groups leader, Muhammad Ali, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Ali, who is living at the mosque together with his wife, Hana Renata, said that he and his followers also recited the Koran together at the mosque every day.

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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 14 2016

Four is better than one. That is what was expressed when four high-ranking finance officials posed for photojournalists after a press briefing on Friday.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Agus Martowardjojo spontaneously exclaimed KSSK, making his colleagues, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, Financial Services Authority (OJK) chairman Muliaman D. Hadad and Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) chairman Halim Alamsyah break out in laughter.

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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 14 2016

Calls are mounting for the government to introduce sex education into schools nationwide with the legislature throwing its support behind the cause, as anger and frustration grows within the nation over a series of gang rapes.

The House of Representatives (DPR) believes addressing the root of the sexual violence problem against Indonesian women as most important. Sexual violence is believed to have stemmed from the hierarchy of gender relations based on traditional norms, where masculinity is deemed more superior than femininity  associated with female domestication and powerlessness.

Sociologist CJ Pascoe showed in her field research in an American high school that to assure their masculinity and heterosexuality, boys show dominance over girls bodies by rituals of getting girls (or having a girlfriend), rituals of touch (ranging from flirtation to assault-like interactions) and sex-talk (sharing stories about their sexual adventures and exercising dominance over girls bodies to affirm their masculinity).

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Linkedin Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, May 14 2016

Talking with Umar coki Yusuf, one of the pioneers of Jakartas cocktail culture

Mixologist Umar Coki Yusuf is an 18-year veteran of Jakartas nightlife scene, having cut his teeth at local haunts ranging from Alexis to the now-defunct Buddha Bar, which he helped open and which introduced cocktail culture to Jakarta. J+ caught up with Coki, who recently left the Alila Jakarta to open a bar in Malang, East Java, to discuss the capitals cocktail culture. Here are excerpts of our interview.



How has the scene in Jakarta been evolving since you started at the Gran Cempaka hotel in 1998?



At that time, the term mixologist was not popular among Jakartans yet. People were just looking for strong-tasting drinks that could get them drunk. At that time, mixologists were the ones who prepared the drink, while bartenders were tasked with infusing sugar, through syrups of different flavors, like cinnamon, vanilla and many others. An extreme example of this wide variety of mixtures was the jok to jok (short for dari pojok ke pojok, or from one corner to another). We just took all the liquors and spirits from the right to the left of the bar and combined them in one drink.



Whats the essence of mixology?



The core of mixology is finding the right balance of sweet, sour, aftertaste as well as the length of that aftertaste in a drink that matches a particular customers personal taste. A mixologists role is to develop and determine a recipe that suits a guest. The bartenders role is to entertain visitors as well as take care of them. For example, when they notice that visitors have been talking for more than 15 minutes, they have to proactively ask whether they want a new drink, because the flavors of their drinks are affected when the ice cubes start to melt.



Bartenders are the ones who make a visitors nightlife experience memorable. They are the ones who make you laugh with their jokes. Theyre the ones who make you go, Yeah, I remember that night at that bar. The bartender helped us have a really good time.



How do you match a person with a drink?



We need to know what a particular guests favorite drink is. If he likes to drink beer, for example, than we might try to serve him gin mixed with cucumbers. If he likes red wine, then we will suggest that she tries brandy mixed with ginger, as ginger gives a spicy taste which evokes red wine.



Whats trending now in Jakarta?



The Japanese nightlife scene has become quite popular among Jakartas mixologists. They are currently use Japanese mixologists as a model in terms of drink preparation. Japanese mixologists and bartenders stand out because they prepare their drinks in a highly detailed way. For example, they even stir drinks a certain number of times in a particular direction to create a flavor. This kind of precision hasnt been found anywhere else.



Tell us about your new project in Malang.



It all started in December, when somebody who owned a restaurant called Willbo Gelateria, which mainly sells gelatos and Italian foods, asked me to make some mocktails. There was some unoccupied land beside the restaurant and he suggested that we open a bar. Malang is a small city but its East Javas version of Kemangonly four times bigger. There are lots of bars there and its a hip hangout. We see great potential in introducing spirits there, because almost 100 percent of the people who hang out in the area drink beer only. The bar is slated to open around October.

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Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 14 2016

The recent closure of a number of major factories across China amid the economic slowdown and worker protests has Indonesia gearing up for the potential relocation of factories to the country.



The Industry Ministrys director general for industrial area development, Imam Haryono, said the government was prepared for a potential influx of manufacturers relocating from China.



This is a good opportunity, so of course were ready. Any industrial development would need investment, Imam said in a telephone interview on Friday.



He said, however, that the government would carefully select those seeking to set up shop in the country based on several requirements.



For instance, the government will examine companies business sectors and proposed locations using the 2015 master plan on national industrial estate development.



According to the plan, there are 10 priority sectors, such as food; pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices; shoes, textiles and leather; transportation; and electronics and telematics.



Data from the ministry showed that non-oil and gas industries accounted for 18.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015.



Food and beverages were the major contributors with 5.61 percent, followed by metallic goods with 1.96 percent and transportation with 1.91 percent.



In terms of locations, the government has determined four categories of industrial zones, such as in Java, northern Sulawesi and Papua.



Their choices of sector and location must be in accordance with our master plan, Imam said.



It will also assess the types of products to be manufactured and their choice of market location. If these requirements are fulfilled, then they are most welcome.



Investors stand to receive incentives if they choose to establish factories in less developed zones and develop cutting-edge technology.



Meanwhile, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairman Chris Kanter said national businesses welcomed potential cooperation with both foreign and domestic firms relocating from China.



He said Indonesia offered a large market and competitive production costs, two important factors that investors sought when establishing factories in China years ago.



Kadin, however, insists that Indonesia is looking for new investment focusing on technology, rather than those relying on labor. We want firms to invest long-term, Chris said.



Separately, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) economist Latif Adam warned that luring companies to relocate from China would not be straightforward.



He pointed to neighbors Vietnam and the Philippines, both also hungry for foreign investments.



He said the government had the right tools in its deregulation packages, but they had done little so far except inject positive sentiment for businesses.



Whether the government is ready to lure investors and handle an influx of investment could depend on its commitment to fully implementing the packages.



I worry that this positive perception wont last long if the government does not take real steps as soon as possible to realize the packages, Latif said, adding that the packages served as a quick fix to lure investors.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Mexico City  Sun, May 15, 2016

Mexican authorities say three men were gunned down in a tourist-hotel quarter of the Pacific Coast resort city of Acapulco.

The Guerrero state prosecutors' office reports that two 21-year-olds and a 27-year-old were killed Saturday on a street just off the beach.

No further details were immediately available on the victims, and there was no word on possible motive.

Acapulco city and Guerrero state in general have experienced a wave of violence attributed to warring drug gangs.

Authorities say at least two rival groups are fighting for control in Acapulco, which for decades was famed as a favorite beach destination for Hollywood stars and other tourists.

The U.S. government recently banned its employees from traveling there for any reason due to the violence. (ags)
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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, May 15, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama is facing a serious challenge to his reelection bid as rivals have teamed up to form the Orang Kita (Our People) movement for a new governor.

Ahmad Dhani, a musician-cum-politician, declared the establishment of the movement on Friday. He underlined that the movement was not specifically to foil Ahoks plan run in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election as an independent candidate.

"Orang Kita is a group of volunteers to support any governor candidate willing to make Jakarta a more civilized city. It is not to support me [as a candidate], but to support any candidate who can make Jakarta better," he said in Menteng, Central Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

Politicians from several parties attended the declaration, including Gerindra Party politician Habiburokhman, Jakarta governor hopeful Abraham "Lulung" Lunggana and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Adhyaksa Dault.

Several would-be candidates made speeches to introduce themselves. Most of them mentioned legal cases involving Ahok, such as the Jakarta Bay reclamation case, the purchase of land adjacent to Sumber Waras Hospital, the uninterruptible power supply procurement case and evictions.

Activist Ratna Sarumpaet, who recently criticized Ahoks policies and political moves, remarked on the group's establishment. She called on Ahok to stop being childish in responding to criticism of the Pasar Ikan evictions.

However, Gerindras Jakarta chairman, Mohamad Taufik, said his party had been considering establishing a coalition ahead of the 2017 election. He underlined that the coalition was not being established specifically to defeat Ahok.

The coalition with other parties is needed not to defeat Ahok but to develop Jakarta. Even the incumbent governor is yet to pass requirements to be a Jakarta governor candidate," he claimed. (ags)
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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, May 15, 2016

Lion Air is in the spotlight once again after foreign passengers on one of its international flights were directed to the domestic terminal at Soekarno-Hatta airport on May 10, almost enabling them to skip immigration checks.

The case emerged when social media enthusiast Zara Zettira wrote about the incident on her Facebook page, as experienced by an acquaintance's daughter on the flight.

Immigration office spokesman Heru Santoso said it was the airline's mistake as directing passengers to the international or domestic arrival terminal was the responsibility of aviation companies.

"Under the 2011 Immigration Law, the incident was the mistake of the transportation company and therefore its responsibility," he said via short message as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

He explained that the driver of the shuttle bus conveying the passengers from the airplane to the airport terminal had misinterpreted information.

"Lion Air is being questioned about the incident. Some of the passengers were then called back to pass through immigration," Heru said.

State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II spokesperson Agus Haryadi acknowledged that there was a procedural error in the handling of Lion Air passengers on flight JT-161 traveling from Singapore to Jakarta on May 10.

Aviation security officers who spotted the mistake promptly directed the passengers to the correct terminal, redirecting the shuttle bus to Terminal 2 for passengers to pass through immigration," he said in a media statement.

There was miscommunication between the airlines ground handling staff and the shuttle bus driver, which the immigration office is investigating, Agus explained.

Zara wrote about the mistake on her Facebook page, questioning Lion Airs capability in handling passengers.

"My daughter Natalie left Singapore at 6:50 p.m. on Lion Air flight JT-161 and arrived at Jakarta at 7:35 p.m. Instead of landing at Terminal 2 as international flights are supposed to, the plane landed at Terminal 1, the domestic one. Lion Airs ground crew didnt direct my daughter and the foreign passengers for immigration checks, which is standard procedure for international flights. Is it normal for passengers of international flights to land at the domestic terminal without passing through immigration? If it is, then wouldn't it have an effect on national security? I wonder what would happen if Lion Air were to fully operate Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, would it let foreign passengers enter without immigration checks?" the post quoted Zara's friend as saying. (ags)
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Linkedin Bassem Mrou (Associated Press) Beirut  Sun, May 15, 2016

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Saturday that the explosion in Damascus that killed its top militant commander was caused by insurgent shelling and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are defeated.

Mustafa Badreddine was the highest-ranking Hezbollah militant to be killed since the group joined Syria's civil four years ago.

Hezbollah said the blast near the Damascus International Airport was caused by artillery shelling from "takfiri" groups, a term Hezbollah uses to refer to Sunni extremists.

The area on the southern edge of the Syrian capital is known to host positions of several militant groups, including al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known as the Nusra Front.

A Lebanese politician with close links to the Syrian government told The Associated Press that Badreddine was killed Thursday night when a shell exploded near him outside a Hezbollah center near the airport. The politician spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal information about the incident.

He said Badreddine might have been killed by the pressure of the blast since his shrapnel wounds did not appear to be fatal.

Hezbollah and the Syrian army have a heavy presence around the airport, which includes a military base, the politician said. He said the area is subjected to regular shelling.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that according to his network of activists in the area, there has been no shelling in the airport area since Wednesday.

"Hezbollah must come forward with proof about the death of its commander," Abdurrahman said by telephone.

Hezbollah's statement said Badreddine's killing will only boost the group's "will and intention to continue fighting these criminal gangs until they are defeated."

It added that defeating insurgent groups in Syria was "the wish" of Badreddine, who was also known among the group's ranks as Zulfiqar.

Hezbollah's statements indicate it will continue to be deeply involved in the conflict next door, which has killed more than 250,000 people since 2011, including more than 1,000 Hezbollah fighters.

"It is the same battle against the American-Zionist project that the terrorists are spearheading," Hezbollah's statement said.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to back President Bashar Assad's government against militants trying to remove him from power.

The group announced Badreddine's death on Friday without saying when the attack occurred. It said at the time that an investigation has been launched into the cause of the blast.

The 55-year-old Badreddine had directed Hezbollah's operations in Syria since its fighters joined Assad's forces in 2012, the group's biggest-ever military intervention outside of Lebanon.

Thousands of guerrillas fighting alongside Syria's military were crucial to tipping battles in the government's favor on multiple fronts, from the suburbs of Damascus to the northern province of Aleppo.

With Badreddine's death, Hezbollah is likely to rely on a younger generation of commanders, moving away from the veterans who came of age during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war or during Hezbollah's 18-year war against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.

One possible successor, Ibrahim Aqil, is among the last major figures from that generation. A member of Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council, Aqil has been involved in the Syria fighting and is suspected in hostage-takings in the 1980s and a bombing campaign in Paris in 1986.

Asked if Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has named any replacement for Badreddine, the Lebanese politician said: "Not yet. The group is not in hurry."

He added that all senior Hezbollah officials have aides and deputies who can run affairs after them until a successor is named. (ags)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Beirut  Sun, May 15, 2016

The Islamic State group launched an offensive against government forces in eastern Syria on Saturday and captured several buildings, including a hospital, in clashes that left more than two dozen people dead on both sides.

Deir el-Zour, near the border with Iraq, is split between government forces and IS fighters. Government-held areas have been under a months-long siege by the extremists, and the U.N. has been airdropping aid to residents amid food and medicine shortages.

The Local Coordination Committees, an activist-run collective, said IS fighters have captured the Assad hospital, university dorms and grain silos in an advance that began at dawn.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting killed at least 20 government troops and six IS fighters. It said government forces have surrounded the hospital but the fate of its staff and patients is not known.

Opposition activist Omar Abu Leila, who is from Deir el-Zour but currently lives in Europe, said Saturday's fighting is different from the past because IS has launched offensives on several fronts at the same time.

Abu Leila, who has a Facebook page that tracks developments in Deir el-Zour, said IS fighters entered the hospital and shot dead several police guards that they captured alive. He said IS fighters paraded the bodies of troops and policemen through the streets of areas they control.

Abu Leila said 20 troops and pro-government militiamen were killed and at least 10 IS fighters died in the fighting.

In northeastern Syria, a car bomb exploded in the predominantly Kurdish town of Qamishli. The Observatory said two people were killed and five wounded, while state news agency SANA said five were killed and several others wounded.

Different death tolls are not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of explosions in Syria. (ags)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) New York  Sun, May 15, 2016

Saudi Arabia's credit rating has been downgraded by Moody's because of the long and deep slump in oil prices.

Moody's Investors Service said Saturday that it also downgraded Gulf oil producers Bahrain and Oman. It left ratings unchanged for other Gulf states including Kuwait and Qatar.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter. Moody's cut the country's long-term issuer rating one notch to A1 from Aa3 after a review that began in March.

Crude prices fell from more than $100 in mid-2014 to under $30 a barrel in February, although they have recovered into the mid-$40s. Benchmark international crude settled Friday at $47.83 a barrel.

"A combination of lower growth, higher debt levels and smaller domestic and external buffers leave the Kingdom less well positioned to weather future shocks," Moody's said in a note.

Moody's lowered Oman to Baa1 from A3 and Bahrain to Ba2 from Ba1. The ratings agency did not downgrade Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates or Abu Dhabi, but it assigned a negative outlook to each.

Oil prices slumped because of production that grew faster than demand. Surging production from shale operators in the United States contributed to the glut. So did the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which decided in November 2014, several months after prices began falling, to continue pumping rather than give up market share. (ags)
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Linkedin Phuong Le (Associated Press) Seattle  Sun, May 15, 2016

Hundreds of climate activists on Saturday marched to the site of two refineries in northwest Washington state to call for a break from fossil fuels, while a smaller group continued to block railroad tracks leading to the facilities for a second day.

Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot took part in a massive demonstration near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

A day before, about 150 activists had pitched tents and set up camp on nearby railroad tracks to block the flow of oil flowing to the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries.

"We can't wait anymore. We've got to do things now," Clara Cleve, 76, of Edmonds, said Saturday. "Direct action is very effective. My grandchildren are not going to have a place to live unless we move quickly now."

Cleve said she plans to spend another night in a tent on the tracks and is prepared to be arrested for trespassing if necessary.

The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to "break free" from dependence on fossil fuels. Similar demonstrations are taking place in Los Angeles and Albany, New York, on Saturday and in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

In upstate New York, climate activists gathered at a crude-oil shipment hub on the Hudson River in an action targeting crude-by-rail trains and oil barges at the Port of Albany. A group of activists sat on tracks used by crude oil trains headed to the port.

Police did not report any arrests as of midday Saturday. Albany is a key hub for crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region.

In Washington state, organizers are targeting two refineries that are among the top sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Tesoro has started shipping Bakken crude oil to its refinery, and Shell is proposing an expansion project that would similarly bring in Bakken crude oil by train.

Officials with both Shell and Tesoro said in earlier statements that they respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, and that safety is their highest priority.

A Shell spokesman also noted that the company, which employs about 700 workers at the refinery, is proud to be a part of the community and the refinery is a vital part of the region's energy infrastructure.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said no trains are scheduled through Saturday but he declined to say whether any are expected to run Sunday.

"We had anticipated this and therefore adjusted scheduling with customers," Melonas said. "At this point, we're allowing the protest on our property."

There had been no word of any arrests during the day, Given Kutz, a spokesman for the Skagit County Emergency Coordination Center, said late Saturday night.

The tracks, which connect BNSF's mainline to Anacortes, serve the two refineries, as well as other customers who ship animal feed, steel and lumber by rail, Melonas said.

Skagit County spokeswoman Bronlea Mishler said authorities are monitoring the situation. Crowd estimates of the march range from several hundred to about 1,000 people, she said.

Bud Ullman, 67, who lives on Guemes Island, participated in the march, which he described as good-spirited, peaceful.

"The scientists are right. We have to get away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and it has to be done in a way that takes into serious consideration the impact on workers, families and communities," he said.

The three-day event ends Sunday and has included "kayaktivists" demonstrating on water, community workshops and an indigenous ceremony.

"I'm here because there's nothing more important to me than protecting the Earth," said Elizabeth Claydon, 24, who lives in Seattle. "This is an urgent matter, and traditional ways are not working."

Many of the nearly 40 groups involved in organizing the event were also involved in large on-water kayak protests against Shell's Arctic oil drilling rig when it parked last year at a Seattle port. (ags)
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Linkedin Arif Gunawan Sulistiyono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, May 15, 2016

While the deadline of the tax amnesty bill deliberation is still in question, disagreement over how much the penalties imposed on tax evaders should be has also emerged. But let us not forget another important question: what the tax-amnesty inflows should be poured into.

The bill, which aims to repatriate Indonesian taxpayer assets kept abroad, is expected to be enacted into law this May, which means only 16 days are left for the government and House of Representatives to meet the targeted timeline.

However, the recent heated dispute has mainly focused on the sum of penalties to be given to tax evaders, and tended to neglect the question of how to use the repatriated assets to boost the economy--instead of creating an additional burden for the government.

Tax observer Yustinus Prastowo said the 1 percent to 6 percent penalty rate charged under the tax amnesty program was too small and should be increased. "It is too small, it should be 5 percent for repatriation and 10 percent for non-repatriation," he said on Thursday.

Based on the latest draft of the bill, a taxpayer who wants to repatriate his or her assets to Indonesia must pay the repatriation penalty, and retain the money for three years. The proposed penalties are 1 percent, 2 percent and 3 percent depending on the submission date.

Meanwhile, if a taxpayer only declares their assets without bringing them back to Indonesia, the penalty will be either 2 percent, 4 percent, and 6 percent, depending on when they apply for the program.

However businessman Sofjan Wanandi argued that the fees should be as low as possible to persuade targeted taxpayers to repatriate their assets instead of keeping silent and letting their assets remain idle abroad.

"The higher the tariff, the lower the amount of repatriated assets that are likely to come to Indonesia will be," Sofjan, who is the chief economic advisor to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, told thejakartapost.com.

A worker inspects the Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu toll road project in East Jakarta on March 31. The inflow from the tax-amnesty program are expected to be used to accelerate infrastructure development in the country.(ANTARA FOTO/Widodo S Jusuf)

New source of funds

Amid the debate, HSBC Indonesia Head of Global Market Ali Setiawan reminded the public that the priority of the tax amnesty was to return Indonesians funds stashed in foreign countries back to the country. The larger the value of the repatriated assets, the bigger the chance for Indonesia to seize new sources of funding for development will be.

"The key will be in the instruments. We need to provide them with government bonds and municipal bonds that can be used to finance infrastructure, or to deposit the funds in banks," he said.

The government has prepared some plans for how it will absorb the inflow, including a private equity fund (RDPT) specially designed to finance certain infrastructure projects. Other instruments are corporate bonds issued by state-owned construction companies to finance infrastructure projects they are working on.

Even the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) has recently tried to convince lawmakers of the appeal of such instruments with a 'bursanomics' campaign, which essentially holds that funds should be directed into investments instead of savings.

However, the instruments are not there yet. And there is no detailed information about which infrastructure projects would be covered by the infrastructure bonds, or which RDPT would be appointed to absorb the tax amnesty inflows.

The plan sounds easier said than done as the inflows will mostly be in foreign currency, according to Ali. Without proper preparation, the fund  which was previously predicted to reach Rp 80 trillion (US$6 billion)  could end up being a new burden for the government.

"We have a limited amount of US dollar denominated government bonds, while corporations are less aggressive in expanding their global bonds. If they go to the bank, we will see billions of dollars of third party funds that will be difficult to be channeled into local projects as most of the loans are in rupiah," Ali said.

Assuming that the Tax Amnesty Law is passed in May, it will take at least one or two months for construction companies to proceed with infrastructure bond issuance, or for investment management companies to issue RDPT focusing on the real sector.

The government, or entities appointed for absorbing inflows, must pay for the return every month while the instruments are being prepared. Not to mention that the projects, as underlying assets for the instruments, may face two of the most persistent problems in Indonesian infrastructure development: red tape and land clearing problems.

Beyond providing instruments that are available right after the tax amnesty policy comes into effect, the government must make sure the infrastructure projects to be funded are feasible and have a clean-and-clear status.

Those are the issues that must be resolved to minimize the potential failures of the tax amnesty program that some House members have been worried about recently. (ags)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Baghdad  Sun, May 15, 2016

More than a dozen suicide bombers attacked a residential and government complex outside Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least six people, an official said.

The police chief of the town of Amiriyat Fallujah, Col. Ali al-Issawi, said at least 14 suicide attackers broke into the complex at dawn. In addition to homes, the complex also includes a police station and several government offices.

Al-Issawi said five of the attackers blew up themselves while clashing with security forces, while others holed up inside the buildings, and were later killed. He added that five troops and one civilian were killed, while another 18 people were wounded.

The town is located a few miles south of Fallujah, the main Islamic State stronghold in Anbar province, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad.

IS still controls key areas in northern and western Iraq, including the country's second largest city, Mosul. The extremist group has declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi troops, backed by paramilitary militias and U.S. airstrikes, have recaptured a number of cities and towns in recent months. But IS has responded with a string of deadly bombings far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their battlefield losses.

More than 100 people have been killed in in a string of bombings, mainly in Baghdad, since Wednesday. (ags)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Beijing  Sun, May 15, 2016

China's defense ministry criticized a U.S. report assessing its island-building efforts in the South China Sea, saying it "hyped up" China's so-called military threat.

The U.S. Defense Department's annual report on China's military activities had "wilfully distorted China's national defense policy," said ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, adding that the U.S. was too suspicious.

China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the Pentagon report, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," he said. "China's deepening military reforms and its strengthening of weapons and equipment building are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."

The report to the U.S. Congress on Friday said that China was focused on developing and weaponizing the islands it has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict.

It accused China of "increasingly assertive efforts to advance its national sovereignty and territorial claims" and a lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities that are causing tensions with other countries in the region.

Yang said it was the United States that had been "frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the South China Sea to make a show of force." (ags)
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Phuket Opinion: Aesthetically unappealing urbanism

PHUKET: The current public debate about street art in Phuket has stirred up much emotion, sparking a lot of dormant interest in urban aesthetics.

cultureconstructionenvironmentopiniontourism

By The Phuket News

Sunday 15 May 2016, 09:00AM

Many people took the opportunity to have their photo taken with the 'Mardi' mural before it was removed from the walls of the old Standard Chartered Bank building in the Old Town. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

While many agree that there is a place for street art in the historic heart of Phuket Town (see story here), few culturally-conscious residents would argue it appropriate to grant just anybody with a can of spraypaint unrestricted creative license to tag up the town.

Nonetheless, the passion and tension surrounding this topic should be of little surprise to those who have been around for a while, who understand the sensitivities involved. After all, it was aesthetics that was cited as the main reason to build expensive underpasses instead of more-economical overpasses along the bypass road and at Chalong Circle, and such an appeal was similarly applied in the campaign to begin burying the clutter of electric cables in Old Town.

Indeed, image, face and presentation mean everything in Thailand, and Phuket is no exception.

Yet its bemusing why such appeals and sensitivities have yet to gain as much traction in other areas of urban planning, or lack thereof...

One has to wonder how it can be so easy for such influential officials and residents who hold the islands image in such high regard to overlook if not ignore the many other blights on the Phuket landscape: the ugly clutter of billboards along every major road, which are increasingly jammed full of disgruntled commuters, impatient speed demons and accident victims; dozens upon dozens of improper roadside dumps piled with rubbish that never made it to the overflowing landfill and incinerator stacks; rows upon rows of cheap, prefab housing developments full of overpriced properties with for sale signs on every block.

Where is the public outcry to regulate and minimise these less aesthetically-appealing aspects of Phuket, which surely do a lot more damage to the islands reputation than a street mural or two?

The Phuket News supports officialdom in the drive to clean up Phuket and continue to make it a more pleasant place to live and be proud of, but let us not limit efforts to the beaches and Old Town.

The entire island  from Chalong to Koh Kaew to Koh Siray to Pa Khlok  needs less concrete boxes, and other manner of greed-driven construction; and a lot more community centres, green spaces, parks and yes, meaningful art.
Rana Plazas everywhere: Danger still haunts Bangladeshs garment factory workers

BANGLADESH: As they jostle for space on the floor, with the door to their fire escape padlocked, the seamstresses cannot help but recall the carnage when another of Bangladeshs garment factories collapsed three years ago.

economicscrimeconstruction

By AFP

Sunday 15 May 2016, 10:00AM

A mourner (right) grieves for her relative, missing and presumed dead, at the scene of the 2013 Rana Plaza garment building collapse in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Photo: Munir Uz Zaman / AFP

We always worry what will happen if a blaze breaks out or the building caves in, one woman worker said on condition of anonymity.

Well just die like the workers of Rana Plaza.

More than 1,100 people died when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed on April 24, 2013, prompting shocked calls for better working conditions in the worlds second-largest garment exporter.

But three years on, only a fraction of Bangladeshs 4,500 clothes factories have been certified safe and experts warn another industrial disaster could happen at any time.

While there have been improvements at some of the larger factories, many of the smaller sub-contractors have yet to be inspected and appear to have done little to address safety concerns.

When a journalist visited one backstreet complex in the Rampura suburb of the capital Dhaka, workers could be seen crammed elbow to elbow on the floor while they stitched tags of Western retailers into garments.

The fire escape stairwell was blocked by a padlocked iron gate, while cigarette butts littered the main passageway floor.

The handful of fire extinguishers around the building, which is yet to be formally inspected, were are all out of date.

We know our factory is not safe. It is not a compliant factory, said a 25-year-old worker who refused to give her name for fear of losing her job at Style Fashion Ltd, one of four textile firms housed in the complex.

Production manager Mohammad Khairuzzaman said all four factories were subcontractors for local manufacturers and said safety concerns were being addressed.

The fire extinguishers will be changed very soon, he said, adding that in the event of an emergency, well open the gate, motioning to the bolted fire escape.

Bangladesh is second only to China when it comes to clothes exports, shipping $27 billion (B951 billion) worth every year and employing some four million people in the industry, mainly women.

But it has a woeful safety track record. A fire at the Tazreen factory in Dhaka in 2012 killed 111 workers, many of whom were unable to escape due to a lack of proper fire exits.

If they search properly, theyll find Rana Plazas everywhere, said Israfil Hossain, a worker who was trapped in the buildings ruins after it collapsed.

For two years after the disaster, the 25-year-old was too traumatised to return to the garment industry but finally took a job in a workshop in a Dhaka flat out of necessity.

These factories easily get workers like me to do their jobs. After all, we need to buy food to fill our stomachs.

The Rana Plaza tragedy triggered international outrage and put pressure on European and US clothing brands to improve pay and conditions at the factories that supply them

Bangladeshs government increased garment workers wages by 76 per cent immediately afterwards and improved labour laws to allow a record number of unions into factories.

But the initial push to improve safety standards has wavered, with factory owners dragging their heels on undertaking the expensive repairs deemed necessary by inspectors.

A major accident can happen anytime, said Mesbah Rabin, managing director of industry safety monitor group the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.

There were several major fires last year. Were lucky no one has died.

The Alliance, a group which represents North American retailers including Gap and Walmart was set up after the disaster, has certified only 24 of the 700 factories it has inspected as safe.

It has cut ties with 77 factories that failed to address safety concerns and asked the government to shut down another 36, but much more remains to be done.

We are behind schedule and far behind schedule in many factories that were inspected a year or even two years ago, said Rob Wayss, executive director of the Alliances European sister group Accord.

Bangladesh authorities have said all of the more than 1,500 factories they have inspected required safety improvements and hundreds of other smaller outfits still need to be investigated.

We dont have funds to inspect these 800 factories, which are not registered with any trade bodies, factory inspection department chief Syed Ahmed said.

Bangladeshs politically powerful manufacturers have pleaded for patience, saying further industry improvements were coming, and pointing to difficulty finding funds as a reason for the delays.

Faruque Hassan, senior vice-president of industry body the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the group expects to finish safety upgrades this year.

Were confident we can complete a majority of the repairs by [the end of] 2016, he said.
Thai worker passes out at bottom of deep well, thought to have suffocated

PHUKET: A 45-year-old man remains unresponsive in hospital after losing consciousness at the bottom of a 12-metre-deep well at a private resident in Chalong yesterday morning (May 14)

deathaccidentsweather

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 15 May 2016, 01:12PM

The victim, named as 45-year-old Mr Thaworn Boonorn, was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital after rescue workers pulled him up from out of the bottom of the well, unconsious.

Pol Lt Chonlada Chokdeesrichan of Chalong Police was notified at 10:45am that a worker hired to deepen a well, was thought to have passed out and drowned at the bottom of the well, located in the Patak Villa housing estate in Chalong.

Police arrived to the scene with Ruamjai rescue workers and an emergency medical unit from Vachira Hospital, where they met Mr Surachai Boobsan, 45, who identified himself as a colleague of Mr Thaworn.

Mr Surachai told police that he and Mr Thaworn had been hired to deepen the well, which dried out during the recent dry spell.

Mr Surachai reported that Mr Thaworn had been lowered down into the well to dig the bottom out, but had gone silent after about ten minutes and did not respond to shouts from above, prompting Mr Surachai to call for help.

Pol Lt Chonlada said there was some water in the well, which has a diamtre of about three metres

When we shone the flashlight into the well, we could see the victim lying on the bottom of the well, unresponsive, said Lt Pol Lt Chonlada.

Rescue workers were able to lift the unconscious man up and out of the well using ropes and other equipment, and upon surfacing, medical units performed CPR on him before transporting him to hospital.

Doctors said he showed signs of suffocation due to lack of oxygen, and is being monitored closely on life support.

Villa owner, Boonleur Samngamya, 55, concurred that he had hired the workers to deepen the well so as to increase its capacity during the dry spell.

The men were left to work on their own in the front of the house, he said.
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Noem campaign accuses Smith campaign of campaign finance violation

Gov. Kristi Noem's campaign has accused Rep. Jamie Smith's campaign of violating campaign finance laws after the recent report released Monday.
Saturday was a day of living history at the Linn County Lamb & Wool Fair property, one block east of Main Street in Scio.

Hands on History was part of a series of celebrations leading up to the towns 150th anniversary Oct. 24. Other events include the time-honored Linn County Lamb & Wool Fair, which runs May 20-22; the May 21 Lamb Fair Sheepskin Revue; the August 13 Czech Food and Dance festival; and the Oct. 23-24 Proclamation Days.

Visitors roamed the venue's displays, learning about life in 1866. Kids got to milk cows  albeit artificial ones with artificial udders  ride (actual) horses, wash clothes in buckets with a washboard, try on period clothing and explore an encampment of mountain men and Native Americans.

There were replica Hawken rifles, understood as the Cadillac of frontier guns in the early 1800s. In another corner, two young boys took a whipsaw to a cradled log, giving a demonstration of the era's working technology. Two stout workhorses pulled a buckboard, clopping through the streets with a bearded, rustic frontiersman with a mottled top hat at the reins.

The imagery offered an effective picture of how the town looked and felt 150 years ago, but the value of Hands on History, and the act of commemorating the birth of a town, takes on a larger meaning. Beyond its curiosity and museum spirit, such an event not only acknowledges the past, it helps us understand where we are now and were we may be going.

The presenters know this, and to speak with them is to do more than marvel at old tools and clothing. For example, there were more than 60,000 Native Americans who fought in the American Civil War. Thats what Bill Stam, cofounder of the All Nations Native American Veterans Memorial in Jefferson, told visitors to his teepee.

Over at the Century Farm Equestrian Center table, where a collection of Civil War uniforms were on display, participants learned that material shortages in the Confederacy at war's end made fashionable hoop dresses impractical. Of course, a defeated South also had to adapt from a plantation economy to a slave-free, agrarian one, so hoop skirts had become impractical on another level.

These seemingly insignificant facts go a long way toward helping us understand the arc of events that shape our contemporary world.

Another value is to consider that these volunteers, portraying the past to commemorate an anniversary, are in fact actors in the present, which is really just part of an unbroken narrative later examined and called "history." So these antiquities, methods, stories and styles are not museum pieces; they're leftovers of what we were.

And the people who enjoy and present them are contributors as well. For example, Hand in Hand Farm, which offered the horse rides, operates a faith-based nonprofit that teaches values and vocational skills to at-risk kids and families. Gene Peery at Century Farm offers hands-on history and youth camps at his ranch as well, and Scio resident Starla Becker-Tillinghast, who demonstrated how to wash clothes, 1866-style, spoke of Scio's Czech heritage. The Czechs settled in the town in the early 1800s and eventually built a dance hall. And to keep that heritage alive, volunteers will hold a Czech dance and food festival in August at the ZCBJ Hall.

So, along with the commemoration, these volunteers' efforts help to educate and to preserve heritage.

There are words, chiseled above a door at the University of Colorado, that capsulate the spirit of living history: Who knows only his own generation remains a child.

And anyway, checking out a mountain man encampment with a Hawken rifle is pretty cool, too.
SAPZURRO, Colombia  Lesandra Martinez was halfway through her mango juice and 980-miles from home when she started to cry.

For the past seven months, the 27-year-old Cuban hairdresser and her two friends had braved thieves, rivers and crowded buses to get to this picture-perfect fishing village in northern Colombia.

Here, they were expecting to walk 20 minutes across the Panamanian border and continue their journey north. Instead, they discovered that Panama had become the latest country to close its borders to Cubans. If they wanted to follow their American Dream and avoid Panamanian authorities, local smugglers told them it would be a four-day hike through the Darien  which straddles parts of Colombia and Panama and is one of the hemisphere's most dangerous jungles, teeming with criminal gangs and guerrillas.

"I've been on a river for 18 days  look at my feet," Martinez said, showing a cellphone picture of swollen, bug-bitten ankles. "I don't know if I can do this."

One of her traveling companions leaned across the table and grabbed her arm.

"We've crossed the entire Amazon, so there's no way we can't do this," he said. "Finish your juice and let's go."

Darien choke-point

If the world were flipped upside down, the Darien would be the thinnest point of a hemispheric hourglass. As migrants from around the world pour into South America and begin making their way north, most have to squeeze through here.

For the lucky ones with documents, it's a simple walk over a small hill to get to the Panamanian checkpoint. For those evading the law, this is where they have to make tough decisions: punch into the jungle, brave the oceans or go home.

The Colombian Navy keeps track of the global flow that sweeps through the region. In one week alone, from March 25-30, they counted 721 "irregular" migrants from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Somalia, Haiti, Nepal and Senegal. But almost half of them, 321, were from Cuba.

Fleeing the privations of the Communist island and drawn by U.S. policies that promise subsidies and automatic residency, Cubans are making the trek in droves. Since October 2014, some 75,000 Cubans have crossed the U.S. border, according to immigration data.

Claudio Gonzalez, a 22-year-old beekeeper from Santa Clara, Cuba, had spent three weeks making his way from Guyana overland to northern Colombia. He said there's a growing fear that the U.S. will cut off the Cuban Adjustment Act that benefits people like him.

"Of course, we hope it will never end because it's really our only option to get out of Cuba," he said. "If the (U.S.) ended the policy, I don't know where we would go."

Just as the crush of migrants is redefining U.S. politics, it's also having an impact throughout the Americas.

In November, Nicaragua closed its borders to Cubans after dozens broke through an immigration checkpoint. Managua's decision had a domino effect, creating a backlog of Cubans in Costa Rica, which ultimately shut its border to new arrivals last month.

And in recent days, Panama followed suit, saying it could no longer handle the influx of Cubans. It also began airlifting more than 3,800 who are already in the country to Mexico so they can continue their journey to the United States.

Flirting with crisis

Although Panama has effectively had its southern border closed to undocumented migrants since last week, President Juan Carlos Varela officially announced the decision Monday.

And while there are no signs of migrants backing up in Colombia yet, it's not unlikely, said Naval Captain Juan Carlos Jimenez Howard, who oversees military forces in the Gulf of Uraba that fight drug traffic and migrant smuggling.

"We don't have any contingency plans if that were to happen," he said. "We don't have the resources to handle it and the local mayors don't have the capacity to provide emergency shelter."

While migration flows are dictated by global forces, it's local politicians who have to deal with the problem, he said.

"This is a situation that requires the attention of the entire region  from Cuba up to the United States," he said. "We all need clear rules. Either we all open our borders or we all keep them shut."

End of an era?

Panama's border closing ended a fleeting golden period for Cuban migrants in Colombia.

Just a few months ago, Cubans had to hide from the law as they crossed this strategic nation. As a result, in the port city of Turbo, gang violence exploded as groups fought to take control of smuggling and housing networks, said Alejandro Abuchar, the city's mayor.

"Many of the migrants were practically locked up in slums and put on boats without any regard for safety," he said. "Many were abandoned along the river, many drowned and many were murdered in the jungles of the Darien."

Working with immigration authorities, Abuchar helped promote a system where Cubans are given week-long passes to leave the country. That has allowed travelers to step out of the shadows, stay at legitimate hotels and use the regular boat service to head toward the border.

But the recent Panamanian decision is forcing migrants back into the arms of smuggling gangs and, more importantly, forcing them back inland toward the jungle.

The Darien is one of the most inhospitable swaths of the Americas. Its swamps have infamously swallowed attempts to complete the Pan-American highway. And local authorities admit the region is beyond their control. It's the haunt of at least two leftist guerrilla groups and assorted networks of drug and human traffickers.

Just how dangerous the trip can be is measured in the dozens of unmarked crypts at Turbo's cemetery. Ebelio Cortez, the graveyard's caretaker for the last two decades, said some of the anonymous corpses he has laid to rest looked African and Asian.

"But nobody really knows who they were or where they were headed," he said. "Did they drown? Were they murdered? We just don't know."

Just minutes after Martinez and her group arrived in Sapzurro wearing their tell-tale orange wristbands identifying them as undocumented migrants, they were approached by coyotes offering to take them across the border for $15 or $20.

Soon, a shirtless, tattooed man sidled up to them. He said anyone charging so little was certain to leave them abandoned in the jungle or worse.

"I'm not going to lie to you," he said. "It's four days of hard walking and it's going to cost at least $140 or $200 per person."

"If you don't have that kind of money, you should just turn around and go home now," he said.

No turning back

For most Cubans who reach the edge of the Darien, desperation registers louder than fear. Many are deep in debt or have spent too much time and money to consider retreat. Martinez and her two companions had just over $100 between them at this stage.

"There's no way we can do this," she worried. "Nobody is going to take us through the jungle if we don't have the money."

Martinez's journey began last June, when she and others tried to fly to Ecuador. Because it was one of the few nations in the Americas that didn't require a visa, it was a popular starting point for Cubans heading north. Even so, Martinez was stopped at the airport and sent home. (Ecuador began requiring visas for Cubans in December.)

In November they tried again, this time flying into Guyana, which also doesn't demand visas. On day three of their stay, at 9 a.m. in downtown Georgetown, they were robbed at gunpoint of all their documents and most of their money. They spent three months helping take care of a baby for room and board.

Their next stop was Brazil, where they spent another three months trying and failing to land jobs. Eventually they worked their way to the Amazon River and hopped a boat that made its way upstream the entire length of the gargantuan river and onto the Putumayo tributary. The last leg of the journey was spent in a dugout canoe over 18 days. When they landed in Puerto Asis, Colombia, they made their way overland to Turbo. And then it was onto a boat to Sapzurro.

After Martinez recounted their 2,400-mile journey she dried her eyes. She said she hoped to make it to Houston, Sarasota or Hialeah.

"All I can tell you is that we're not going back to Cuba," she said.

Within a few minutes, another small group of Cubans approached the table. They said they had found someone who might know someone who could take them across the Darien.

Martinez grabbed her bag, left her juice and walked toward the hills.
In this Thursday, March 17, 2016 photo, Amin Karim, an official of the Hezb-i-Islami Party, speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan official says the government will finalize a peace deal with a notorious militant insurgent group within days. Ataullah Saleem, a deputy head of Kabul's High Peace Council, said on Saturday, May 14 an agreement with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed Sunday, after two years of negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
A power outage impacted nearly 2,000 customers in the Brownsville, Crawfordsville and Sweet Home areas on Sunday morning, according to Pacific Power.

A power pole fire that occurred at about 9:30 a.m. led to the outage, a utility spokesman said. The fire was caused by an equipment malfunction linked to a broken insulator on the pole.

As of 11:45 a.m., roughly 1,500 customers were still without electricity, but Pacific Power crews were on site and repairs were underway, according to the utility's website.
On Thursday, Reliance Defence said that they are going to make a joint venture with Ukraines Antonov. Reliance Defence and Ukraines Antonov devices to make 80-seater traveller aircraft. Here, we is the detailed analysis of this news:

Reliance Defence and Ukraines Antonov Devices to Make 80-Seater Traveller Aircraft :

Before this Ukraines Antonov did not accept the bid. But now, they have agreed to work in partnership with Reliance Defence. Reliance Defence and Ukraines Antonov devices to make 80-seater traveller aircraft. These two partners will focus on the manufacturing of military, para military as well as on the manufacturing of commercial aircrafts in India. This statement was passed by the Anil Ambani himself.

In addition to this statement, Reliance Group also claimed that the country needs more than five hundred aircrafts. These aircrafts are required in different roles. Besides this, the market will grow Rs.35, 000 crore in the next 10 to 15 years.

Reliance Defence also said that there are about 350 available airstrips which can be used effectively for domestic transport purposes. These 350 routes are never touched. This route is in consonance with civil aviation policy by MoCA. What is more, the company will provide employment opportunities to more than 7, 000 people in the country. People will get jobs from primary as well as in secondary sectors.

These aircrafts will contain two turbo fans along with high fuel efficiency air craft engines. These aircrafts would be capable of short field airstrips which have unpaved surfaces. These aircrafts will be used in many deliberative and strategic parts. These aircrafts will be produced in Aerospace Park in India.

The president of Reliance Defence, M. Matheswaran said, this partnership would work to manufacture lost cost passenger aircrafts within the country. For this purpose they will cooperate with the countrys aeronautics. With the help of this joint venture, they would definitely meet the growing demand of linking between 400 tier-ll as well as tier-lll. This is going to take 15 to 20 years to complete this project.

These two companies will focus on the other requirements also. This makes Reliance the first group to move forward in this area after Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).

Conclusion :

At first, Ukraines Antonov didnt response positively on the proposal of Reliance Defence. But, now they are ready to do partnership with Reliance Defence. It would be very beneficial because they will manufacture military, commercial and para military aircrafts. Reliance Defence and Ukraines Antonov devices to make 80-seater traveller aircraft. In addition to that, it will increase the market to Rs.35, 000 crore in future years. The company is also planning to do partnership with local aeronautics so that they can meet the growing demand.
[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

Moshe Arazi is a young man with an unusual story. He is a 27 year old Israeli, currently in the US for medical treatment. He is battling Behcets syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks blood vessels, joints, and internal organs. Moshe unfortunately has the distinction of being one of the most severe cases of this disease that doctors have ever seen, both in Israel and the US.

The doctors in Israel were unable to offer any treatment for Moshes condition, so on the advice of Rav Chaim Kanievsky he travelled to the US on a special medical transport for treatment. The doctors in the rheumatology dept. at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NY have been able to offer a glimmer of hope for a treatment that hopefully will improve his condition.

Moshe has always been a fighter. He was a soldier in an elite commando unit in the IDF and he was seriously injured in the Gaza war. As a newly married couple a few years ago, he and his wife Leann legally adopted her six siblings and took upon themselves the support of this extended family. Leanns mother had died a few years before, and her father was neglectful and abusive. Leann herself suffers from kidney disease and has been the beneficiary of two kidney transplants. Moshe and Leann need our help in continuing this support while he is undergoing treatment in the US.

Moshe is also a fighter in another way. Both he and his wife were raised in irreligious homes, and both of them have not only become completely shomrei mitzvos, but they have become instrumental in bringing others back to torah observance. Over the past few years, Moshe has been confined to a wheelchair as his condition worsened. Despite that, he has accompanied Rav Aryeh Schechter, a noted Kiruv figure on the Israeli scene, on many lectures and seminars to Baalei Teshuva in Israel. He has used his own ability to overcome hardships as a source of inspiration for others.

Now its our turn to help Moshe cover the cost of his treatment which will include major surgery, and the cost of supporting the family in Israel. Hopefully, through that he will be able to benefit from the lifesaving treatment being offered in the US, and he and his wife will be able to enjoy a full life together.

Moshes family is from Migdal Haemek in Israel, and Rav Yitzchak Grossman, the respected Kiruv pioneer behind the Migdal Ohr Institutions, is quite familiar with Moshes situation. In the US, Yitzchak Skolnik and Naftali Horowitz are familiar with the situation and can attest to the facts. Any inquiries can be made to 347-405-1368.

Lets join together and show them an outpouring of love and support. Please donate generously.

Click HERE to donate or visit https://www.youcaring.com/moshe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT5kC-0PHqU

For tax deductible receipts for contributions in excess of $360 please contact the creator of You Caring account through the donation page.

Moshe has been the subject in Mishpacha magazine click here to read the article.
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

A PA (Palestinian Authority) resident of Beit Lechem was Bchasdei Hashem apprehended on Shabbos before he could carry out terror attacks.

Acting on intelligence information, the man was on his way to meet someone who would give him a pistol. The man already had a new police uniform in his possession to permit him to get close to his victims.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Members of the Machane Tzioni young division protested on motzei Shabbos outside the home of party leader MK Yitzchak Herzog calling on him not to enter into the government coalition. The protest was a response to mounting reports that Herzog is close to closing a deal with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The participants in the protest shouted they voted for Machane Tzioni as an alternative to Likud and not to become a member of a Likud-led coalition. They called on Herzog to immediate abandon all negotiations surrounding the party entering into any coalition headed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
French President Francois Hollande sent a letter last week to leaders of the nations Jewish community explaining he erred when backing the UNESCO decision which denied Jewish claims to Har Habayis, citing the holy site is holy to Islam exclusively.

In his letter the French president explained the move was a misunderstanding and promising he would not support such resolutions in the future. The letter seems to have been in response to protests heard from Jerusalem as well as from Frances local Jewish community. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week sent his own letter of protest to Hollande, explaining the UNESCO decision represents a distortion of history.

In Mr. Hollandes letter he writes that UNESCO has stooped to rewriting a basic and irrefutable part of human history, explaining similar resolutions in the future would not enjoy his backing.

At the start of the Sunday weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the press, This morning I met with the French Foreign Minister. I told him that the scandalous UNESCO decision, which was supported by France, that does not recognize the Jewish Peoples ties  which are thousands of years old  to the Temple Mount, casts a shadow on the fairness of any forum that France tries to convene. He told me that this decision stemmed from a misunderstanding and that he would personally see to it that it does not recur. I told him that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions.

Our experience with history shows that only this way did we achieve peace with Egypt and Jordan and that any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict which is non-recognition of the State of Israel. They simply avoid negotiating with us as part of their desire to avoid resolving the root of the conflict, which is recognizing the national state of the Jewish People, i.e. the State of Israel

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
SUNDAY

Benton County Hemp and Cannabis Fair, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 S.W. 53rd St., Corvallis. Admission: $15, $10 for veterans. Information: bentoncountyfair.net.

A Concert for the Stevens, 4 p.m., Suburban Christian Church, 2760 S.W. 53rd St., Corvallis. The band and choral directors of Corvallis will perform a benefit concert for Corvallis High School Band Director Marcia Stevens and her husband, Mark, who both are battling cancer. A reception will follow. Donations accepted to cover medical expenses.

Jubilate! The Womens Choir of Corvallis: Oh, Let Me Fly, 4 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave. Admission: $12 adults, children 12 admitted free. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Advance tickets: www.jubilatechoir.org or Grass Roots Books & Music, 227 S.W. Second St., Corvallis.

MONDAY

Live music by Bryson Skaar, 7:30 p.m., Imagine Coffee, 5460 S.W. Philomath Blvd., Corvallis.

Puuwai O Ke Kuawa (Heart of the Valley) Hula, 5:30 p.m., First Baptist Church of Corvallis, 125 N.W. 10th St. Cost: $5 per class. Information: 541-908-9190 or corvallishula.com.

Line dance, couples dance, dance lesson, 6 p.m., Albany Eagles Lodge, 127 Broadalbin St. S.W. Instructor Ernie Briggs leads a dance lesson at 7 p.m. Admission: $4 per person. Information: 541-974-0470.

TUESDAY

Live music by Soar, Dumb Luck, and Graye, 8 p.m., Interzone Coffee, 1563 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis.

Author event: Pat Wray, 7 p.m., Grass Roots Books & Music, 227 S.W. Second St., Corvallis. Local author will read and sign his book Corvallis Reflections. Information: 541-754-7668 or grassrootsbookstore.com.

Community Movie Night with Ygal Kaufman: Our Daily Bread (1934), 7 p.m., Darkside Cinema, 215 S.W. Fourth St., Corvallis. The film will be preceded by newsreels, commercials, cartoons and other goodies from the year it was released. Donations accepted. Information: https://cmnyk.wordpress.com.

WEDNESDAY

Amore Music Series, 12:15 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Organist Craig Hanson performs Baroque concerto transcriptions. Donations accepted.

Sprout Film Festival, 4 and 7 p.m. screenings, Majestic Theatre, 115 S.W. Second St., Corvallis. The event, hosted by Home Life, features films that celebrate diverse lives and creativity of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Donations accepted. Information: http://www.majestic.org/event/sprout-film-festival.

Author event: Kem Luther, 7 p.m., Grass Roots Books & Music, 227 S.W. Second St., Corvallis. The author will read and sign his new book, Boundary Layer. Information: 541-754-7668 and grassrootsbookstore.com.

THURSDAY

Live music by Curtis Monette, 8:30 p.m., Bombs Away Cafe, 2527 N.W. Monroe Ave.

Live music by Troubadour (Yosi Mesbah), 7 p.m., Imagine Coffee, 5460 S.W. Philomath Blvd., Corvallis.

Corvallis Arts Walk, 4 to 8 p.m., downtown. This months walk includes brushstrokes of light created from nuts, leaves, flowers and grains at Jeff Hess Studio. Brittney West shows new work inspired by nature. Art in the Valley presents Natural Woman, a found-object sculpture exhibit by Katheryn Byram. Information: facebook.com/CorvallisArtsWalk or http://www.corvallisartswalk.com.

FRIDAY

Accordioso, the Corvallis Accordion Club, 7 p.m., Old World Deli, 341 S.W. Second St. Sing-along and performance with music of Mexico and Latin America, along with some polkas.

SATURDAY

National Get Outdoors Day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Peavy Arboretum, Corvallis. Spanish/English interpretation; fishing for youth 13 and under; interactive demonstrations of camping, hiking and other outdoor skills; photo opportunities with Benny Beaver and Smokey Bear; food for purchase; shuttle service from Mountain View Elementary School, 340 N.E. Granger Ave., as onsite parking will not be available. Information: 541-766-6750 or http://cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/get-outdoors-day.

Moving from White Fragility to Action, 11 a.m., First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op South Store, 1007 S.E. Third St. Facilitated discussion of Robin DiAngelos ideas about whiteness and white fragility, and how to expand ones comfort zone regarding taking action for racial justice. Donation: $3 to $5. Information: 541-609-8420.

Presentation on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, noon, Fairmount Grange, 835 N.W. North Albany Road. Sergeant Major (Retired) Gavin McIlvenna will give the history of the tomb, focusing on the World War I Unknown Soldier, and give information on the current Sentinels who stand over the shrine. A light lunch will be served one hour before the presentation. Information: fairmountevents@gmail.com.
Police last week met informally with numerous individuals in the Shuvu Banim community ahead of the expected return of kehilla leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland, MyNet reports. Police sipped coffee with their guests as they tried to learn what reaction can be expected when the rabbi is extradited and sent home to face criminal charges. Rabbi Berland has now refused any additional legal representation to prevent his extradition and it is expected that he will be turned over to Israel Police in the near future.

Israel Police have seen protests during recent weeks since Pesach and are trying to ascertain just what to expect when Johannesburg hands Rabbi Berland over to Israeli authorities officially. Police officials are trying to prepare to minimize any law-breaking activities that might occur surrounding the rabbis extradition to Israel.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The decision to expand the Gaza permitted fishing zone for Gaza fisherman has left Israel Navy Commander Admiral Rom Rothenberg with new concerns. The fishing zone was expanded from six to nine miles in an effort to ease restrictions on Gaza fisherman trying to earn a livelihood.

However, one of the challenges accompanying the move is the increase in incidents between fisherman and the navy, with Admiral Rothenberg fearing Hamas will take advantage of the larger fishing area.

I can fire in the air and use illumination flares, to fire at a fishing vessel and scrape the boat but for as long as they have a motor they will continue to flee, Walla News quotes a senior naval office saying, adding what remains is for me to fire at the engine of the boat and the moment I strike the motor the incident ends and he is under arrest.

The office however explains firing at the engine of a boat is not always an option and the naval patrols face this dilemma daily as they work to make sure fishing boats are not used to smuggle Hamas terrorists. Officers explain fisherman no longer stop when shots are fired in the air as they once did and the situation for naval patrols is far more difficult. Navy officers explain Dabur patrol boats routinely encounter such situations as well as fishing boats carrying small children, making the decision to fire at them more difficult.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
When the Iranian pilot working for Turkish Airlines landed in Ben-Gurion International Airport on Erev Shabbos he thought he would be granted entry into the country but this did not happen. The pilot was compelled to return to Turkey later in the day, on another Turkish Airlines flight. Turkish Airlines has since acknowledged that assigning the pilot to the flight touching down in Tel Aviv was an error.

When the pilot, who was holding an Iranian passport arrived at border control, airline officials asked authorities to make an exception and permit him into the country for a one-night stay. The ISA (Israel Security Agency  Shin Bet) was contacted and the request was promptly denied. The pilot was compelled to remain at the airport and later travel back to Turkey on another flight.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Benjy Hockley, an Oleh from England, and father of 3 young daughters keeps his illness secret from those around him. According to the news site Ynet, recently his situation deteriorated substantially, and his doctors warned that he only has days left to live if new lungs are not found. His family is calling out to other families who have lost their loved ones: Give Benjy a chance to live. Even Chief Rabbi Lau has made an exceptional plea for lung donors for Benjy to come forward.

Hockley, 34, was a real-estate analyst in London. He moved to Israel with his wife Debra in 2009, and the two of them now have 3 young daughters. He began to develop more pronounced symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis, which he was born with, in the last few years.

Despite the many treatments and visits to hospitals, Hockley hid his illness from his relatives. He refused to stop his life because of the disease,  tells his brother Josh. He believes at any given moment there is someone in worse condition than he is. He refuses to let the disease rule over him and refuses to give into it.

Before Purim, he had further deterioration of his condition, when his breathing became severely impacted. He was hospitalized in critical condition since then, and doctors warn that without an urgent lung transplant, he will not survive more than another few days.

His family urges the community to help and see if they can be the donor that saves a life. They ask people to Do a mitzvah and save someones life.

Name for Tehillim is Binyamin Yitzchok Yosef Leib Ben Feiga.

(Source: Onlysimchas)
The following is via OnlySimchas.com:

Chanan Weissman went from Beth Tfiloh day school student in Baltimore to the White Houses new Jewish liaison.

He will be the first frum liaison, after Tevi Troy and Marshall Brege, and will be replacing Matt Nosanchuk, who had the position for three years until two months ago.

Weissman, who used to work in the State Department as a spokesman for the Bureau of Democracy, and at the Pentagon on Middle East issues, and now works at the State Departments Office of Religion and Global Affairs.

Weissman has focused his efforts on fighting anti-Semitism.

Weissman will also be responsible for organizing the White Houses annual Chanukah parties.

In an email to Jewish Insider, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisen spoke highly of Weissman:

I first met Chanan years ago at the hashkama minyan at Kesher Israel in DC, Eisen said, when he was starting his career at the State Department. Over cholent, we talked about working in government as observant Jews. I said to myself, someday he will be in the White House. Now he is! He will be a great White House Jewish liaison, continuing the high standard set by Matt and all his predecessors.

(Source: Onlysimchas)
PORTLAND  On a narrow strip of land between the sidewalk and the street, Becky Niemi draped her tarp over two shopping carts. Then, she spread out a purple quilt and settled in for the night.

Her snug spot offered protection from sporadic spring showers, and so long as she vacated by 7 a.m., a safe sleep" policy for the homeless is supposed to keep her from getting harassed by police.

Before, they would threaten to throw you in jail if you had this up, said Niemi her tarp. Niemi says she has spent 12 years on the streets.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales rolled out the new rules in February as a six-month experiment that explicitly authorizes  from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.  sleeping bags on the sidewalks and tents or other temporary structures on rights of way and some other city spaces.

Among West Coast cities grappling with homelessness, Hales policy represents a controversial move to establish a kind of rules of the road for the homeless who end up outside of organized camps and shelters.

The mayor has linked this initiative to other efforts that include police sweeps of large, illegal camps where the rules are not followed, and a push to establish more authorized tent encampments or tiny houses for temporary shelter.

Most of our homeless population are simply looking for a safe nights sleep, and have suffered needless trauma that comes with uncertainty about where that safe nights sleep can be, said a statement released by the city to explain the policy.

Hales approach is drawing attention from city officials in Seattle, where an ordinance allows people to sleep on the sidewalk but does not permit tents or other structures there or on most other city rights of way.

We are following it closely, Scott Lindsay, a special assistant to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, said of Portlands experiment. Its very new, and I wouldnt want to judge it at this point. Each city is facing very similar issues and experiments in different ways to try and manage the challenge posed by a very large number of unsheltered people.

In Portland, some have already turned thumbs down on the policy.

Challenge to policy

In April, a half-dozen business and neighborhood groups filed a lawsuit against the city over the mayors policy that allows overnight camping on sidewalks and seeks to expand the number of permitted camps.

The plaintiffs say Hales overstepped his authority when he crafted the rules without City Council approval and violated a state statute that restricts a citys ability to designate temporary campgrounds.

Were not solving anything, said Paul Conable, a Portland attorney who represents the plaintiffs. I dont think there is any reason to have any confidence that putting people on the sidewalk is actually making anyone safer or healthier.

Homeless advocates welcome the acknowledgment that there should be a way for those without shelter to sleep without fear of being rousted by police. But its not easy for people to pack up their belongings in the morning and stay on the move.

It doesnt create the type of stability that allows them to rebuild their lives, said Yurij Rudensky at Columbia Legal Services in Seattle.

Both Portland and Seattle declared homeless emergencies last fall.

Portland officials say that  as in Seattle  most of those without shelter are not destitute people drawn to the Northwest from elsewhere. They are largely local residents, some recently forced from their homes as rents escalate, others who have been homeless for years.

Niemi, 52, is a loggers daughter from the coastal town of Tillamook. She said she once had a tattoo business, but it went bust and now she spends her days searching for cans to recycle for pocket money.

I try to do about $20 a day. If I can make coffee money and cigarettes, Im happy, Niemi said.

Spreading out

As development has intensified, the homeless have increasingly moved from downtown to other parts of the city. Their camps proliferate along sidewalks, in parks and on patches of secluded land near residential neighborhoods.

That has tensions on the rise, and businesses are concerned that the mayors safe sleep policy will encourage a larger-than-usual summer surge in the transient population.

A spate of fires has hit homeless camps since January, along with a few high-profile crimes. A homeless man was shot in March by another camper as he slept in a tent pitched a few blocks from an elementary school.

Several of the homeless people interviewed for this story also worried about rogue individuals from the sheltered side of the world who they say have thrown rocks and kicked in tents.

The environment is red hot. The noise is loud and just getting louder, said Israel Bayer, executive director of Street Roots, a Portland-based publication that covers homeless issues.

Portland officials are trying to move people off the street by opening authorized camps that have rules of conduct and support services.

Seattle has three such camps on city land. Portland officials are working to establish at least a handful of the camps, said Hales chief of staff, Josh Alpert.

Hazelnut Grove

But the idea is controversial, as the story of a camp in the Overlook neighborhood of north Portland shows. The cluster of tents and other dwellings called Hazelnut Grove sprouted on public land at the base of a steep cliff.

City officials are now preparing to issue a six-month permit to the camp.

But members of the Overlook Neighborhood Association board say the camp is at risk of winter floods and summer fires, and should be moved elsewhere.

This is just a bad site, said Chris Trejbal, a board member of the neighborhood association, which last month voted to join the litigation against the citys new homeless policy.

Hazelnut camp leaders are hoping to settle in for a longer term. They have planted fruit trees, raised money to help improve drainage and even invested in solar power. Among the 30 people who live there, some now head off to work each day in construction, food service and other industries.

For the foreseeable future, the vast majority of Portlands camping homeless will dwell outside organized camps.

Under Hales policy they are supposed to stay out of parks and to sleep on sidewalks or rights of way for no more than a 10-hour period that ends at 7 a.m. each day.

But these rules are routinely violated.

In the Overlook neighborhood, for example, a cluster of tents has been pitched all day on vacant land beneath several homes, and residents say their repeated calls to police failed to bring any response.

The city approach is so scattershot, Trejbal said. We have no confidence that the mayors office knows what its doing.

Bob Day, an assistant chief at the Portland Police Bureau, acknowledges that compliance is a challenge.

Resources are limited. We dont have the capacity to make sure every tent comes down at the proper time, Day said.

Large camps targeted

In Portland, as in Seattle, the main enforcement targets are large, illegal camps drawing complaints about unsanitary conditions, drug use and crime. In both cities, officials spread advance word that they intend to clean out an area, and attempts are made to link the homeless with social services.

So far this year, Seattle has conducted 181 camp cleanups, said Lindsay, the special assistant to Murray. In Portland, since early January, there have been 35 cleanups of illegal camps.

One big sweep occurred in early May along the Springwater Corridor, a 21.5-mile park greenway used by bikers and joggers that  despite the continued ban on park camping  had scattered enclaves of tents that sheltered more than 400 people.

In late April, the area was posted with notices that warned of an upcoming sweep to take down the tents and other structures and remove any leftover property. Among the soon-to-be-evicted campers, there was a mix of resignation and anger as they contemplated another move.

A campsite occupied by Constance Gardipe and her husband, Matthew, had a barbecue, folding chairs, a cooler, shopping carts and other gear to help them survive outside. They planned to move to a more secluded area.

We want respect. Were not trying to cause trouble, Constance Gardipe said. You wouldnt pick up your home. Why do we have to pick up ours and leave? Its not right.
John Kerry (far right) was photographed with some of his crew aboard a "swift boat" on the Mekong River during the Vietnam War.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, a Vietnam war veteran, will visit his former foe with President Obama next weekend, the White House has said in a recent statement.

Secretary Kerry will travel with President Barack Obama to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on May 22 -25. The trip aims to underscore the administrations ongoing commitment to the U.S. Rebalance to Asia and the Pacific, which is designed to increase U.S. diplomatic, economic and security engagement with the countries and peoples of the region.

During the visit, the Secretary will join President Obama in official meetings with Vietnam's leadership to discuss ways for the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership to advance cooperation across a wide range of areas, including economics, people-to-people, security, human rights and global and regional issues. The U.S. guests will also meet with members of civil society, the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative, entrepreneurs and the business community. Discussions in both cities will focus on the importance of approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year.

On February 1, 2013, John Forbes Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to become Secretary in over a century, according to the U.S Department of State.

Shortly before he graduated from Yale University, Secretary Kerry enlisted to serve in the United States Navy, and went on to serve two tours of duty. He served in combat as a Swift Boat skipper patrolling the rivers of the Mekong Delta, returning home from Vietnam with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts.

Back in the United States, Secretary Kerry began to forcefully speak out against the Vietnam War. Testifying at the invitation of Chairman J. William Fulbright before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he asked the poignant question, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" He also began a lifelong fight for his fellow veterans as a co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and later as a United States Senator who fought to secure veterans benefits, extension of the G.I. Bill for Higher Education, and improved treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
May 14, 2016 | 08:04 pm PT

UK military personnel have conducted a first maritime training exercise to help Vietnam protect its Exclusive Economic Zone.

The United Kingdoms Ministry of Defense held a five-day training course for 25 military officers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines last week, according to a press release from the UK Embassy.

The training course, which took place from 9 to 13 May in Da Nang, focused on international maritime organizations and legislation, physical maritime threats, and how to counter them, fishery protection, the global maritime distress and safety system, search and rescue, environmental issues and disaster management.

Lieutenant Commander Ted Bath from the Royal Navys Maritime Warfare School said: "It is a tremendous privilege to welcome so many high caliber officers from five regional nations military forces to such a great venue in Vietnam to enhance their understanding of the issues involved in EEZ management and protection operations."

This is the first time that UK military personnel have conducted a training exercise in Vietnam. The UK Embassy said it plans to run similar more practically-focused training with the Vietnamese Peoples Navy in the near future, as well as share further experiences with Vietnams Ministry of Defense through bilateral workshops. UK Defense Attache to Vietnam Group Captain Tim Below said: "I look forward to continuing to deepen the defense relationship between our two countries through further opportunities to share experience in other areas of operations in the months ahead".
Sr. Col. Pham Van Ty (center), deputy chief of Vietnams National Committee for Incident, Disaster Response, and Search and Rescue, and Peter DeFelice, U.S. senior event coordinator with the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, discuss scenario details during the first-ever U.S.-Vietnam Disaster Response and Civil-Military Coordination Table Top Exercise in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 10. Photo by Melissa Aaron/ CFE-DM

Vietnam and the United States have conducted their first-ever disaster response and civil-military drill in Hanoi just days before Obama visit on May 22.

The four-day excercise, beginning May 10, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defenses Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) and hosted by Vietnams National Committee for Incident, Disaster Response, and Search and Rescue (VINASARCOM). It aims to assist Vietnam in shaping guidelines for managing international disaster assistance through training briefs and working group sessions, CFE-DM said in a statement earlier this week.

It included participants from Vietnam Peoples Armed Forces, U.S. Embassy, U.S. Pacific Command, Oregon National Guard, U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Nearly 40 U.S. participants and approximately 150 Vietnamese senior leaders and disaster response stakeholders have considered whether Vietnam should request international assistance after a fictional super typhoon causes severe damage to several northern and central provinces. The training scenario is focused on four areas of expertise: maritime search and rescue, urban search and rescue, chemical spill response, and medical assistance and field hospital deployment.

Vietnam and the United States have mutual interests in humanitarian assistance and disaster response training and preparation, said Deputy Chief of Mission Susan Sutton, U.S. Embassy Hanoi. Humanitarian assistance and disaster response engagements and exchanges are a pillar of the Defense Cooperation memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries in 2011. The exercise this year is seen as a pratical way to realize their defense cooperation commitment, he said.
Educated at Princeton and in England, being part of Carl Jungs inner circle of patient-prodigies, leading new movements in the field of psychology -- these features seem far removed from Joseph L. Hendersons roots in the pioneer history of northeastern Nevada.

When I first learned Joe Henderson had been born and raised in Elko, Nevada, I hesitated to mention it to him for fear it would embarrass him, wrote C. Jess Groesbeck, pointing out that Henderson was associated with more important places, such as Zurich and London. It seemed to me the town of his birth and early life would be of least importance to him, especially since it was such an obscure place. To my surprise, I found just the opposite was true. He told me his Elko heritage was so significant to him that it came up frequently in his dreams while in analysis with Jung.

Joes story begins back in the early settlement days of the American West. His great-grandfather was Lewis Rice Bradley, an Elko County cattle baron who went on to become Nevadas second governor. His grandfather was Jefferson Henderson, a Missouri pharmacist whom Bradley met on a wagon train to Stockton, California, before they both moved to Elko. Jefferson had married one of Bradleys daughters in Missouri, where they gave birth to John Henderson in 1864. Eight years later they returned to Elko briefly, then moved to San Jose and eventually back to Elko.

Both sides of his family possessed the pioneer spirit of the Old West, wrote Thomas B. Kirsch in a short biography.

Jefferson founded a bank in Elko in 1880. He was the only banker in that part of the state, and, because of his acumen and his connections in the livestock business, he was enormously successful where others had failed, another biographer, Gareth Hill, wrote.

Joseph himself would later describe the familys life in Elko:

Jefferson and Sarah Henderson lived in Elko in a large, pleasant house of Georgian style reminiscent of the Palladian or Colonial houses in Virginia from which they originally came. It was made of red brick and had arched windows with white trim ... He recalled how the whole town of Elko turned out for Sarahs funeral in 1918:

I remember that William Jennings Bryan, who was in town lecturing on the Chatauqua circuit, made a speech eulogizing her as an important member of the Henderson and Bradley families, well known for having contributed so much to the founding and development of Elko County, and of the State of Nevada.

The bank was handed on to son John after Jeffersons death. Meanwhile, John married Maud Henley of Red Bluff, California, the daughter of a mining engineer who moved to Elko in 1891 to take her first teaching position. They had three children, with little Joe born on Aug. 31, 1903, as the middle child between an older sister and younger brother.

When he was only three months old, Joe developed an eye infection that threatened to make him totally blind, wrote Kirsch. His uncle Joseph, an eye doctor whom he was named after, saved little Joes vision in one eye but he was left blind in the other. In a ranching community, this loss of depth perception hampered his development in normal boyhood activities, wrote Kirsch. Many years later, while under analysis in Zurich, Jung would remark that his diminished eyesight enhanced his inner vision and his interest in dreams and symbols.

It was during his formative years in Elko that Joseph had his introduction to native culture. He has often related his early life impression of and contacts with the Indians of the West, wrote Groesbeck. He has told of significant dreams involving Indians in his later work and analytical development with Jung. These early impressions included a native nanny who would look after the Henderson children.

In those days Elko businesses and residences were clustered near the train depot, one of many western stops built along the transcontinental railroad line by 1868. Shoshone Indians still lived in teepees and wickiups scattered along the Humboldt River and on the northern and western edges of town. When Joe was a child, the Henderson bank was in a small building at the corner of Fourth and Commercial streets.

Today, Indians still live in and along the outskirts of town -- but in modern homes that are part of federally established reservations -- and the former bank building is now a bar, suitably named the Silver Dollar Club. It sits across the street from Stockmens Hotel and Casino.

Josephs father objected to the legalization of gambling, he recalled, because he believed that money should be earned honestly by hard work.

The Henderson Bank was established as a bulwark of capitalist integrity in Elko County and no one was allowed to borrow money who did not provide a good moral and financial probability of repaying it, Joseph wrote.

Joseph described how his father John and uncle Charles formed the Henderson-Griswold Livestock Company, along with Chauncey W. Griswold, as a final attempt to maintain the tradition of cattle barons in the spirit of Old Broadhorns, L.R. Bradley. It consisted of three cattle and two sheep ranches, which thrived between 1906 and 1925.

One of the chief functions that my father performed in Elko County was to help the cattle and sheep ranchers to survive, to flourish and to exchange lands without too much distress to their owners, Joseph wrote in a brief history of his family. Some of the biggest ranch owners were periodically absent from the state, and he had no end of trouble untying the financial knots into which they tied themselves without knowing it.

Henderson had fond memories of ranch life in those days, and how in his teen years he work during haying season at the Miller Place in Pleasant Valley with his cousins.

One summer I had to trail six bulls with my friend Tom Griswold over a great expanse of sagebrush desert and mountains from Ike Griswolds ranch near Halleck to another which took us on a three days journey that seemed like three years, he wrote. But we were partially rewarded by spending a night along the way at a large buckaroo camp engaged in the great autumn round-up, with cowboys who rode all day and caroused all night, or so it seemed to us. This was something of the old West I had never seen before nor ever saw again.

John Henderson did his best to groom young Joseph for a career in banking, just as his father Jefferson had done before him.

It was a great disappointment to him that I, as his eldest son, had no aptitude for the banking business and no other young man of the family could be found as a successor, Joseph later wrote.

When it became clear that he had no interest in managing money, he was sent off to prep school in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. This was his aunt Ethels idea, and it certainly didnt hurt that his uncle was U.S. Sen. Charles Henderson, a former Elko district attorney who had been appointed to represent Nevada in 1918 upon the death of Francis G. Newlands. It was an opportunity that would set Joseph on a path leading far beyond the remote high desert of Nevada. While at Lawrenceville, he was taught French by none other than Thornton Wilder, who would go on to write one of the most popular novels and most beloved plays of the century.

At around the same time, Joes uncle Charles was convinced by a local doctor to pass legislation providing for an Indian school in Elko. It opened in 1923 in the vicinity of what is now Eighth and Sage streets. The one-room schoolhouse had one teacher for all elementary grades, and received little funding from the school district. According to an account in Nevadas Northeast Frontier, one school trustee remarked: We give them a diploma as soon as they can make out an order to Montgomery Ward. The school had about 30 students but attendance was poor. It closed in the late 1930s and Indians began attending regular public schools at that time.

Historian Edna Patterson later recalled how the local Indians were still being treated by medicine men in the 1960s. Her notes included this statement from a native in 1963:

I was sick. The Elko doctors do no good. I go to doctor at Owyhee. He pray over me and make motions with hands. Tell me to get my man to carve arrowhead from mountain mahogany, and bring it to him. Man carve arrowhead and I take it to Owyhee. Doctor put red paint on it and make more motions with hands. Then put nail polish on over paint and put on chain and fasten around my neck. Tell me never take it off. Each day at noon say prayer. Stay inside house. Have nothing to do with other Indian people for two weeks. I feel much better now. Pay him money. Go back again before long, pay more money and feel much, much better.

Patterson mentions another medicine man, named Pa-Mo-Tau, who died in 1967 at the age of 107. Known as Willie Dorsey among whites, he had complete knowledge of medicinal herbs and his patients included Indians, Chinese and white people.
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By Madina Toure

The New York State Senate passed a bill sponsored by state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) that would toughen penalties for people convicted of defacing public or private property with graffiti.

The bill raises the penalty for anyone convicted of causing more than $1,000 worth of damage three or more times over the course of 10 years to a Class E felony.

Graffiti vandalism is not a victimless crime, Stavisky said. It can result in substantial costs to homeowners, property owners and taxpayers. This legislation is an important deterrent to destructive acts against public and private property.

State Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) is the Assembly sponsor for the bill. It is currently with the Assembly Codes Committee.
A suicide bomber killed at least 25 new recruits inside a police compound in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla on Sunday in an attack claimed by Islamic State, medical and security sources said.

The victims were queuing up to register when the bomb, which wounded 25 others, went off, the sources said.

It was the second deadly blast in four days to hit the city, a hub for al Qaeda before the militant group was pushed out last month in an offensive by Yemeni troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

In a message on its online news agency Amaq, Islamic State said Sunday\s attacker was a "martrydom-seeker" who had detonated his explosive belt. It said around 40 died in the attack.

The city\s security director, Mubarak al-Awthaban, who was at a nearby office when the suicide bomber struck the Fowa camp in the southern part of Mukalla, survived, security sources said.

Before being forced out, al Qaeda militants took advantage of more than a year of war between the Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to carve out a mini-state stretching across much of the southern coast, including Mukalla.

Their militant rivals in Yemen\s branch of Islamic State have carried out a series of suicide attacks on all parties to Yemen\s tangled conflict.

The growing Islamist militant threat has led the Houthis and the Yemeni government to embark on peace talks now under way in Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab countries intervened in the war in March 2015 in support of the government, which had been swept into exile by the Houthis.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State view the Arab coalition as a pawn of the West and see the Shi\ite Muslim Houthis as apostates deserving death.

The U.S. military announced last week it had deployed a small number of personnel to Yemen to aid in the fight against AQAP, its first troop presence in the country since the Houthi takeover.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Local safety experts offer advice for keeping Trick-or-Treat fun for everyone

As families prepare for fun night of Trick-or-Treating, local safety experts are offering some tips on how to stay happy and healthy this Halloween season.
TWIN FALLS  A Canadian woman died Friday evening on her fifth BASE jump of the day from the Perrine Bridge when her parachute failed, Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter said.

Her name was Kristin Renee Czyz, 34, of Calgary, said county Coroner Gene Turley.

Twin Falls fire, county sheriffs deputies and paramedics rushed to the bridge about 6:15 p.m.

Carter said Czyz was relatively inexperienced at BASE jumping and had completed about 40 jumps in her life.

Witnesses in boats near the bridge pulled Czyz from the Snake River, started CPR and called 911. They met emergency responders at the docks at Centennial Waterfront Park where the woman was pronounced dead.

An ambulance took Czyz to the coroners office. Turley said the cause of death will likely be ruled blunt force trauma and his office would perform toxicology tests. But would not be doing an autopsy, since there were witnesses to her fall.

A BASE jumping expert is examining the womans parachute to see what went wrong, the sheriff said.

Several onlookers watched the recovery, and soon after the womans body was recovered, BASE jumping and kayaking near the bridge resumed.

The death is the first BASE jump fatality at the Perrine Bridge this year. Last spring marked a particularly bad stretch for the BASE jumping community, which saw several high-profile deaths and accidents within a few months, including one incident in which a 73-year-old jumper intentionally set his chute on fire and was consumed in a fireball before he hit the Snake River and died. Two months earlier, a Canadian man was killed when his chute failed to open.

The mishaps caused BASE jump enthusiasts to cancel a festival planned for October.

Police were continuing to investigate Fridays death late into the evening, pursuing evidence including video that may have captured the incident.
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Janice Gail Roy, 63, of Lake Arrowhead, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. She was born January 31, 1953 in Wichita Falls to Johnny and Irene Swatzel.

Janice found the most joy in her life from her grandchildren. She could often be found teaching them crafts. She also loved beadwork, quilting, and making Chrismons. Janice attended Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and spent many years active in the craft circle. She also fed the children during the years her church had a day care and loved to rock the babies. She had a lifelong love for square dancing and all the wonderful friendships she made through it. Her husband has been the club caller of the Wichita Falls Solos for over thirty years. They regularly traveled teaching square dancing and line dancing across Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

Janice is survived by her husband, Dee Roy of Lake Arrowhead; her children, son Michael Roy and his wife, her close and special daughter-in-law Traci of Wichita Falls, daughter Deanna Roy and husband Kurt Korfmacher of Austin; and her grandchildren, Holly and Eric Roy and Emily and Elizabeth Chauffe; two foster grandsons; her sister, Barbara Burton and husband Raymond; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Johnny and Irene Swatzel.

A memorial service will be held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Youth Groups of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 4605 Cypress Ave., Wichita Falls, TX 76310.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.owensandbrumley.com
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The Pentagon announced Friday that U.S. forces are now engaged in Yemen, joining those in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Syria in combat in wars in the Middle East.

The deployment a few weeks ago was not preceded by a U.S. declaration of war, nor was it authorized by any act of Congress. The Pentagon spokesman called it "a very small team" that will be "providing intelligence support" and whose role will be "short term." We've heard that before.

The political and military situation in Yemen, a nation of some 25 million, the poorest in the Middle East, is especially complex. There are the forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Sunni. The president, chosen in 2012 in a single-candidate election, is Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi, also a Sunni, who shuttles back and forth between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, depending on how forces supporting him are doing. The principal challenge to these two Sunni rulers are Houthi Shiite rebels, their religious orientation having attracted the opposition of the Saudis and Persian Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates.

The political and military chaos in Yemen has also provided an opportunity for al-Qaida and the Islamic State to gain a foothold, and this presence and the alliance and the military sales relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the UAE has served as the basis for U.S. involvement. The Saudis and UAE have been bombing Yemen heavily for months now, supported by the United States with intelligence, spare parts, ammunition and, perhaps, pilot support.

Yemeni deaths since March from the war are estimated at 6,400. Another 2.8 million inhabitants have been displaced, adding to the refugee flow in the region and into Europe.

Into this maelstrom of conflicting formal and other military elements, President Barack Obama has sent U.S. forces, and is providing pro-Hadi and perhaps pro-Saleh forces as well as intelligence, drone, air and offshore Navy support.

It is hard to explain why America is playing the active role that it is now increasing in the war in Yemen. If there is a valid explanation, the public needs to hear it. Otherwise, the U.S. troops and other U.S. intervention in a war that seems to have nothing to do with American national interests should end immediately.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Volunteers, forest rangers and law enforcement officers were combing the Catskills Sunday in search of a lost zebra.

The 5-month-old animal, named Zula, was spooked by a branch hitting a barn Thursday when she broke away from her owner, Richard Myer, at Bailiwick Animal Park and Riding Stables in Catskill, Myer said. He added that he intended to board the zebra there.

Bailiwick owner Gary Koschitzki, however, said Sunday the animal is not affiliated with his animal park, and that Myer had shown up unexpectedly Wednesday with the zebra. Bailiwick has a different zebra, named Zazu, according to the park's Facebook page.

With state Department of Environmental Conservation offices closed Sunday, the Times Union could not determine the rules for zebra ownership in New York. Myer said private ownership of zebras is allowed and that he acquired his zebra earlier last week from an older gentleman whose medical issues left him unable to take care of the animal at his own farm.

Myer, who spoke from his cellphone early Sunday afternoon, had been driving over back roads searching for the animal. He is offering a $1,000 reward for the zebra.

He said the zebra is the size of a large pony, with the traditional black-and-white stripes.

"You can't miss it, you really can't," Myer said. "That's why I'm surprised we haven't seen her."

The zebra was last seen on state hiking trails near the Catskill hamlet of Palenville, about an hour after she left Bailiwick, Myer said. The location is a couple of miles from the ranch.

He said he is grateful for the volunteers looking for Zula. They include Scotia-based Richmor Aviation, a private jet management and charter company. Myer is also hoping to get a helicopter in the air to look for the animal.

He asked that hikers be on the lookout for signs of the zebra, including hoof prints smaller than the ones made by a horse.

Greene County Sheriff Greg Seely said he hopes someone in the search party finds the zebra before an unaware hunter does.

"With all the turkey hunters in the woods and stuff, hopefully we can find this thing for him," Seely said.

Myer is hopeful that the zebra, who has always lived in captivity, will make it on her own in the woods.

"It's just like a horse, it'll graze," Myer said. "I'm hoping when she does settle down, that she'll find somebody who has animals. She'll be looking for a buddy."

chughes@timesunion.com  518-454-5417  @hughesclaire
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The military is checking U.S. bases for potential groundwater contamination from a toxic firefighting foam, but most states so far show little inclination to examine civilian sites for the same threat.

The foam was likely used around the country at certain airports, refineries and other sites where catastrophic petroleum fires were a risk, but an Associated Press survey of emergency management, environmental and health agencies in all 50 states showed most haven't tracked its use and don't even know whether it was used, where or when.

Only five states  Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin  are tracking the chemicals used in the foam and spilled from other sources through ongoing water monitoring or by looking for potentially contaminated sites.

A dozen states are beginning or planning to investigate the chemicals  known as perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs  which have been linked to prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, along with other illnesses. The rest of the states, about two thirds, are waiting for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make a move.

In addition to the Aqueous Film Forming Foam used in disaster preparedness training and in actual fires, PFCs are in many household products and are used to manufacture Teflon.

Knowledge about the chemicals' effects has been evolving, and the EPA does not regulate them. The agency in 2009 issued guidance on the level at which they are considered harmful to health, but it was only an advisory  not a legally enforceable limit.

The EPA said then that it was assessing the potential risk from short-term exposure through drinking water. It later began studying the health effects from a lifetime of exposure. Those studies remain in progress, and the agency is also considering whether to establish a firm limit on PFCs in water.

The EPA required large public drinking water systems and some smaller ones to check for PFCs between 2013 and 2015.

The full results have not been released because data is still being submitted, but officials in several states told the AP that PFCs were found in their water systems during those checks. Detections were reported by six Massachusetts public water systems, for example.

To date, about 4,800 water systems have submitted their findings to the EPA. About 2 percent so far have reported measurable levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), or both, the agency told the AP on Thursday.

None of the PFOA levels were above the EPA's guidance, the agency said, but 17 of the PFOS levels were.

But beyond public drinking water, there may be contamination elsewhere that could affect private or other water supplies, including from any use of the firefighting foam. The five states forging ahead with wider tracking for PFCs are going well beyond the EPA's minimum requirement.

States that are not acting point to the cost of the testing and say nothing in federal law gives them the authority to require water utilities and cities to do it routinely.

"We don't have the resources to go out beyond what's required by the EPA at this point," said Mark Mayer, administrator of the drinking water program for the environmental department in South Dakota. "But we have been paying attention to it because there have been issues in other states."

A few states could pinpoint situations where the foam had been used. Utah's fire marshal said the fire service there uses it sparingly and only on large flammable liquid fires, which are rare.

The foam was also used at the state fire school in Delaware, but isn't anymore, according to the state emergency management agency.

In Issaquah, Washington, a large amount of firefighting foam was sprayed during a tanker fire in 2002 near a well that is now contaminated, though the city said it has not confirmed the source of the pollution. The city is installing a filtration system to remove PFCs from the well water by this summer.

Most states, though, said they have no way of knowing what individual fire departments are using.

Last month, U.S. military officials told the AP they would check 664 sites where fire or crash training was conducted.

The Navy has so far identified one site with contaminated drinking water and another with contaminated groundwater. The Army says there are low levels of PFOA in two drinking water systems.

The Air Force says there are chemicals in drinking water exceeding the EPA's guidance at three bases, including the former Pease base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Air Force has spent millions so far addressing the contamination there.

PFOA was found recently in wells in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire, near where a company making Teflon has plants. Residents in Vermont raised concerns, and the state responded by testing wells and looking for contamination elsewhere, said Danika Frisbie, an official in the state environmental department.

"We're responding to some pressure to make sure we're being thorough and planning ahead, and not waiting five to 10 years to see where else PFOA could be," she said. "I think it's just a matter of time before all states are dealing with this issue."

The 12 states that are beginning or planning to investigate the chemicals are California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming.

Details on what the five states actively monitoring for PFCs are doing:



ALASKA

The state is reaching out to agencies and businesses that may have used the foam and so far has found six sites with PFC groundwater contamination, including a fire training center in Fairbanks and at least two nearby private wells.



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MINNESOTA

The state's 3M Co. invented PFOA. It began to phase it out in 2002 in response to health concerns raised by the EPA, but wells near the manufacturer's disposal sites were contaminated. The state used money from a settlement agreement and consent order with 3M to sample water statewide for PFCs.

State officials say they're still monitoring groundwater and evaluating clean-up options at the Duluth Air National Guard Base and in the city of Bemidji after contamination was discovered in 2008 from the foam.



NEW JERSEY

State officials say they're focused on the Federal Aviation Administration's technical center near Atlantic City, where PFCs have been found in groundwater and in low levels in municipal wells near the center's fire training area. New Jersey has investigated industrial sites where the chemicals were used, too, and continues to do so.



VERMONT

The state is sampling water at sites where the chemicals were likely used, including at a fire training academy in Pittsford. The state said last week that the results at the academy showed no contamination.



WISCONSIN

The Department of Natural Resources has sampled the groundwater at landfills for PFCs for the past eight years and plans to continue.



McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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Colonie

Around these parts, there's so much silly, goofy, stupid or downright scandalous behavior from elected officials that it is hard for a columnist to keep up. It's overwhelming.

But I think I've come up with a solution. The Churchy Awards.

About once every month or so, I'll award Churchys to politicians  and maybe some non-politicians, too  who have done something worthy of disfavor. The awards will be subjective, of course, but completely non-partisan.

More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

So without further ado, let's get to the action.

The first ever Churchy goes to ...

Joel Abelove, the Rensselaer County district attorney.

Congrats, Joel!

I know, I know. This one is too easy, given the inexplicable way Abelove provoked a confrontation with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman over the police shooting of an unarmed Edson Thevenin.

By rushing the case to a grand jury, Abelove ignored an executive order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo that put such investigations in the AG's hands. What's worse, the grand jury cleared the officer without hearing testimony from citizen witnesses to the shooting, making it seem as though the fix was in.

Of course, Abelove eventually caved and ceded the case to Schneiderman. The brief standoff was bizarre, confusing  and definitely Churchy worthy.

Alright. We're under way. But not every Churchy will be about such weighty matters, including the one I'm giving to Tim Nichols.

Nichols is not currently an elected official, because the former Albany County legislator lost a re-election bid last year. But the Latham Democrat still takes a keen interest in the county's ongoing attempt to impose a nanny state, including the recently approved ban on cigarette sales to those younger than 21.

Nichols even lashed out when Albany Councilman Judd Krasher had the temerity to oppose the legislation on Facebook. Among other unnecessarily harsh language, Nichols called Krasher "a tobacco industry apologist" who was "parroting their talking points."

The attack was intolerant. Krasher had every right to voice his opinion without a lashing from the thought police.

And while we're in the neighborhood, let's go ahead and give the Albany County Legislature the Churchy equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. If its Democratic leadership hasn't done something nefarious lately, just wait a few minutes. They can't help themselves.

The next Churchy is a twofer.

One goes to the unnamed security guard at the National September 11 Memorial Museum who stopped North Carolina school kids from singing the national anthem. It was a dumb move that the museum described as "inappropriate."

End of story?

Nope, because George Amedore, the Republican state senator from Rotterdam who also gets a Churchy, decided to sponsor legislation that prevents cities from requiring a permit before a group can sing the national anthem or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ugh. Does every bad decision really require a new law? Is there even evidence that cities are requiring such permits?

The legislation is a trip to Pandertown, at best, because who can be against the national anthem? Not surprisingly, the state Senate approved the measure 58-0.

Hypocrisy should always be good Churchy fodder. Dishonest hypocrisy is even better. Hello, Andrew Heaney!

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If you listen to talk radio, you've likely heard the ad in which Heaney, a Republican candidate in the 19th Congressional District, blasts fellow Republican John Faso for campaign contributions to Democrats Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

In actuality, it was a PAC supported by Faso's employer, a law firm, that gave the money, a process in which Faso had no role.

What's especially outrageous about the ad, though, is that Heaney himself gave money to Obama in 2007, and he recently has been extolling the wonders and glories of Donald Trump, another Republican who has given to Democrats.

That's some serious hypocrisy. Andrew Heaney, this Churchy is for you!

Of course, there is also good work done by elected officials. Heck, even some Albany County legislators are earnest public servants, believe it or not. Likewise, there is a tremendous amount of good being done by ordinary folks in our region, and I'd like to highlight more of it.

Thus, the upcoming Hoogkamp Awards.

They're named for Herman Hoogkamp, who served as Albany's mayor for one year before some dude named Erastus Corning took over.

Was Hoogkamp a good mayor? I have no idea.

But I love the word Hoogkamp and will find any excuse to use it.

Hoogkamp, Hoogkamp, Hoogkamp.

If you know somebody who deserves a Hoogkamp  or a Churchy  send an email and tell me why.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
Albany

The state Department of Environmental Conservation investigated complaints nearly 20 years ago that people who lived near a plastics plant in Petersburgh were becoming sick from the toxic chemicals emanating from the facility.

More Information Check out our series of stories covering the PFOA water crisis in Hoosick Falls See More Collapse

The 1997 investigation focused on emissions from the Taconic plastics plant on Route 22. Internal DEC documents indicate state officials were aware then that the facility's high-heat processes made the perfluorinated compounds used at the manufacturing facility more toxic as they left the plant's smokestacks. Internal state documents obtained by the Times Union also show that environmental officials were aware the hazardous man-made chemicals were flowing from smokestacks used at similar manufacturing plants in Hoosick Falls, as well as in Bennington, Vt., and Merrimack, N.H.

"It is shocking that DEC had information going back nearly 20 years regarding the toxicity of this chemical and apparently never followed up on it in a meaningful way with this potential exposure to local populations," said David Engel, an attorney for Healthy Hoosick Water, a grass-roots citizens group that formed last year in response to what its members said was a lack of action by state and local officials. "In 2014, the state Department of Health acted as if they'd never heard of the chemical."

A March 1997 memo by the New York DEC's Toxic Assessment Section, which was part of the agency's Division of Air Resources, said government scientists were examining the toxicity of the Petersburgh plant's chemicals "in response to the neighborhood complaints around Taconic plastics of a disagreeable stink, reports of nausea and headaches, and visible bluish smoke."

The DEC documents also noted that employees at similar manufacturing plants, where perfluorinated chemicals were heated to more than 700 degrees Fahrenheit, showed "symptoms consistent with polymer fume fever ... including chills, fever, tightness of the chest and other influenza-like symptoms."

The documents indicate New York's DEC shared information on the problem with environmental officials in Vermont.

The perfluorinated compounds referenced in the internal memorandums are from a class of chemicals that include perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. The discovery of PFOA in the Hoosick Falls water supply two years ago led New York officials in January to declare the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in that village a state Superfund site. The designation came 17 months after a resident first reported that PFOA, a toxic chemical, was detected in water samples in the village's well system at levels exceeding those recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

State and local officials have defended their handling of the toxic pollution, including waiting more than 15 months to warn residents in Hoosick Falls to stop drinking the tainted water. But the state documents show that concerns about health problems linked with exposure to the man-made chemicals stretch back years.

The 1997 memo sent to the DEC's air-pollution unit concluded the "blue smoke" leaving Taconic's smokestacks was probably from toluene, a chemical used to make adhesives, but not of great concern. The memo said DEC scientists believed toluene was "not likely" the source of the health problems being reported.

"As early as 1992, DEC inspected and discovered several past air-quality violations at the Taconic facility," said Emily DeSantis, a DEC spokeswoman. "DEC took action, issued civil penalties and required the company to take action to correct the violations. This monitoring continues today and as recently as March of this year when DEC conducted an air quality inspection and found no violations. DEC will continue to inspect the facility to ensure that the community is protected and the company is held accountable if any releases occur."

The documents indicate DEC scientists knew in 1997 that "the resident complaints associated with emissions from this facility may be related to the thermal decomposition products of PTFE."

Teflon is the brand name for the man-made chemical, polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE, that's part of a family of manufacturing chemicals used since the 1940s to make non-stick and other household and commercial products that are heat-resistant or repel grease and water.

"Toxic effects in animals from PTFE fumes are found at low inhaled concentrations," the DEC memo states, adding that small concentrations of the chemical at temperatures even lower than those used at the Petersburgh manufacturing plant "caused 100 percent mortality in rats."

David Hassel, a mechanical engineer who worked at the Hoosick Falls plant now owned by Saint-Gobain, helped design the ovens that were part of a high-heat process used in the manufacturing. He said that from the 1970s into the 1990s regulation of smokestacks focused largely on the stench and opacity of the plumes because of concerns about coal-fired plants and steel mills, and less attention was paid to the chemical plants. The chemical plants were largely self-regulated and manufacturers used air to dilute the emissions, to lower the opacity, but it didn't reduce the levels of toxic chemicals released.

"The regulators ... were taking the easy way out and only responding to visible smoke and odors which people complained about, and paid little attention to what was actually coming out of the stack and what it might do to people," Hassel said. "The time period in which this was very strong was from about 1976 to 1996. After that even Vermont started to ask about the actual content of the organics and particulates both in the process and in the emissions, although by 2001, even though PFOA had been brought to their attention, they still had no idea what it was or how much was being used or how toxic it was and that it lasted forever."

In 2006, the EPA reached an agreement with DuPont and other manufacturers to stop producing or using PFOA, although DuPontcontinued producing it because the agreement did not call for the end of production until 2015.

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The EPA settlement with DuPont came less than a year after DuPont agreed to pay $10.25 million in civil penalties to settle the complaint brought by the EPA regarding the company's PFOA pollution in the Midwest. At the time, it was the largest civil administrative penalty obtained by the EPA under federal environmental statutes.

In early March, the Times Union first reported that the levels of PFOA in the well water near Taconic's plant as far back as 2004 were as high as 152,000 parts per trillion, far above the 400-ppt threshold recommended by the EPA for short-term human exposure.

More recent tests, conducted in 2013, showed that the level of PFOA in well water under the plant had dropped significantly in the nine years since the contaminant was first discovered in the water.

Taconic and several other similar manufacturing plants in Rensselaer County, Vermont and New Hampshire have used PFOA in their manufacturing dating back decades.

Scott N. Fein, an attorney for Taconic, could not be reached for comment.

It's unclear whether the state took steps to curb the amount of perfluorinated chemicals seeping from Taconic's smokestacks in the late 1990s. The DEC provided information Friday on three penalties the company received in the late 1990s for allegedly violating emissions regulations. The largest civil penalty against the company was handed down in 2000 when Taconic paid the state $280,000 for constructing a smokestack without a permit and without "necessary controls," according to DEC records.

Robert A. Bilott, an Ohio attorney helping to represent an estimated 3,500 people in a class-action lawsuit against DuPont related to PFOA exposure, said he is not familiar with the situation at Taconic but reviewed the documents at the request of the Times Union. "It would be important to determine what follow up or further investigation of these complaints and potential PFOA emissions was done back in the 1990s," Bilott said.

The discovery of PFOA in the wells at Taconic's plant in 2004 did not trigger any public notification or environmental investigation when the DEC was notified about the situation that year, according to state officials. At the time, PFOA was not a regulated contaminant.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
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Three decades ago, the now 67-year-old Monroe Parrot was part of an experimental recovery program called the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment project. Run by the Rev. Peter Young, the program placed Parrot and three other inmates in charge of dorms dedicated to recovery while incarcerated.

Parrot and his fellow alumni of the treatment program reunited last month to talk about their recovery with the people who knew them best  each other.

As he drove through Albany to the gathering, Parrot pointed out the Greek restaurant he visited while in recovery, the place he worked after leaving the halfway house, the church where a fellow prison inmate became a pastor.

These stories were the product of a long life defined by addiction and recovery.

The region and nation are in the midst of a growing epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction. But it's nothing new for Parrot; he and others have struggled with it for decades. They know what today's addicts face in the years ahead.

Parrot has been clean from heroin and methadone for 33 years.

Other were not so lucky.

In 1981, a prison bus dropped off Parrot at the Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility in Wilton, Parrot, then 32, with a full afro, was known on the streets of Queens as "Money." He came to Mt. McGregor on his conviction, this time for grand larceny. He said he started heroin when he was 17, shortly before going to college. The first time he took it, he threw up, and then he felt omnipotent, like God.

Waiting for him was Peter Young, the prison's chaplain. By 1981, the priest was already well-known in New York for his efforts on behalf of heroin addicts and alcoholics.

Young ran a program for addicts at Mt. McGregor, but the prison cells were easy places to get drugs and alcohol; the narcotics smuggled in or the booze brewed from fruit stolen from the cafeteria.

Young wanted his own dorm, controlled by inmates, not by guards. He wanted a team of motivated inmates for his project. He was looking for inmates like Parrot.

From Young's perspective, Parrot had social work experience, a college degree, a father who was a social worker and a mother who was a teacher. He seemed like a perfect candidate for the ASAT treatment program.

Young needed inmates he could trust to run the program, and Parrot needed something to show the parole board. It was a question then of whether the priest could trust the addict: "Is he for real, or is he for fake?"

Parrot became one of the founding inmates in charge of ASAT. Young got permission to take over two dorms  one in the medium-security section of the prison and one in the minimum-security section. In an environment almost completely segregated by race, prisoners of all races at each dorm lived and together and went to recovery classes.

Two inmates named James Mitchell and Walter Brown ran the medium-security ASAT dorm.

Mitchell, known as the Monster, weighed more than 300 pounds and at 6-foot-2 towered over fellow inmates. Trackmarks lined his massive arms. He had spent 27 years incarcerated. He had, as Parrot described it, prison credibility. Mitchell was the one who made sure drugs stayed out, the one Young trusted to deal with "nonsense."

Brown was analytical and quiet, someone who spent his time at prison reading books. He had already worked in recovery, as an assistant director at a therapeutic center. He helped people get clean, until he relapsed and wound up in Mt. McGregor.

Parrot was the coordinator for the ASAT program in the minimum security section of the prison. He always considered himself a con man, and liked the idea of being a con man for good. He relished using his street skills while persuading prisoners to get clean and stay clean.

If Mitchell was the muscle, and Brown was the brains, then Parrot was the mouth.

Mt. McGregor at the time was a place where prisoners gathered around blackboards to sketch out who got what turf when they got out. The majority of prisoners in the program, Parrot said, were in it just to get a certificate to impress the parole board.

Few believed in the program, and that included the inmates teaching it. "They were calling us Young's lackeys," Parrot said. "They got y'all brainwashed."

Meanwhile, Young said the superintendent of Mt. McGregor would say he'd pull the program for the smallest mishap, and the prison guards were doubtful inmates could police themselves. Dan Murphy, who oversaw the corrections staff at Mt. McGregor later on, said he was shocked when he learned inmates were given authority over each other. One could help inmates, but one must never trust one.

Did the program work?

Some prisoners who went through the program said they felt like they were part of something good. The inmates who wanted to be in ASAT formed a type of club, and people the leaders decided did not want to be there were pressured out. The inmates saw Father Young as someone willing to bend a few rules to help them out. "You're in a facility where you showed love to each other, showing concern," Richie DiPietro, an ASAT alum said.

Similarly, some corrections officers were convinced when they saw the program in action. "I was taught that they'd be manipulative, so it took some time for me to buy in," Murphy said, "that the inmates who bought into the program had a different code.

Other prisoners found it lacking. Daniel Genis, who went through the ASAT twice, said "burning the money spent on ASAT would at least warm someone's hands, while the decades the program's ran hasn't served anyone but its administrators."

Professor Shadd Maruna, on the other hand, thought of the program as radical and daring when he arrived at the University at Albany's School of Criminal Justice. Now the Dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, he said trusting prisoners to run the program was revolutionary. Prisoners are more likely to trust other prisoners or ex-prisoners than a correction officer or even a prison therapist, he said. And, it gave the leaders the empowering role of giving help instead of just receiving it, he said.

Parrot said he didn't understand what he was talking about until he taught it and heard it from other inmates. "Man, it took me 12 months to internalize, to accept it," Parrot said.

An inmate doesn't want to trust anything, Parrot said, but hearing stories from ex-addicts made something click.

A chance to look back

On a Friday afternoon at the Schuyler Inn in Menands, more than 50 addicts gathered for Parrot's reunion. Earlier that day, a number of addicts and lawmakers had gathered at the Capitol to talk about the state's heroin and opioid problem. The idea that people were finally paying attention to heroin addiction pleased many of the former addicts, who had begun using in the 1960s and 1970s.

A sudden bellow silenced the crowd. All eyes turned to Young, now 85 and retired. "On the count!" Young told them.

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The phrase once summoned inmates to be counted by the guards. It was a phrase inmates dreaded in prison and it drew groans as everyone filed into a nearby room.

In the center of everything was Parrot. Among the missing: James Mitchell and Walter Brown.

Bad needles killed Mitchell, who died from HIV, Young said. The "virus" killed the former gangster after a second life in recovery. "He turned his life from being a predator to helping others," Parrot said. "He gathered a constituency of criminals and led them to recovery."

Brown had been so effective administering ASAT in prison that he became a program director at a halfway house in Troy when he got out. It was too much, too soon, Young said, who said Brown relapsed and disappeared, Young said. His friends did not even know he had died in 1995. Brown knew how to get clean. He taught it. His friends wonder if perhaps he was too ashamed to face his friends when he relapsed.

Richie DiPietro, an alum who went through ASAT, sat next to Parrot at the reunion. He had done well after prison. He opened up a restaurant, a pizza place in Albany, then sold it and moved to Florida. "Now I'm successful, I'm married, two kids, house, BMW, all the toys, all the money," DiPietro said.

DiPietro stopped going to meetings. He thought he was cured.

Then, after 17 years, the impulse returned. He gave in to it.

He told himself little lies, he told his family bigger lies, and finally, he stole from his business. He went back to treatment, back to all the meetings, but today he said his wife, who had married him when he was clean, now only trusts him moment to moment.

Parrot hears stories like DiPietro's every day. He now mentors younger addicts. Parrot is now the person who has to wonder how to help someone without getting milked. He recalled giving a young addict $10 at a meeting, only to learn later the boy had relapsed and was going to use the money for dope. The betrayal turns to anger the first time it happens, and then lessens after that, he said. He wishes he had said something else to the boy.

At the reunion lingered an unease expressed by former addicts about Young and his sprawling nonprofit organization, now been hit by numerous investigations and scandals in recent years.

At times, the attendees at the reunion bemoaned the priest's diminished position and the drying up of state funds. Young well-meaning but "naive," "blind" and "too trusting," they said.

Trust is such a fragile thing among addicts, who learn early in their recoveries they can't fully trust themselves.

Even after three decades, Parrot said he still has the impulse to use. He goes to recovery meetings every day. The meetings get boring quick, he said, but he goes anyway.

Sometimes, he travels to a new city. When he leaves the airport he goes straight to another meeting, one where nobody knows him. An addict needs something to fill the hole inside.

For the recovering addicts at the Schuyler Inn, it was as if they were chasing that sense of connection they created years ago at Mt. McGregor, which closed in 2015. The reunion, in some ways, was the group's way of keeping each other clean. People said they needed to come to the reunion, just to see other ASAT alumni and "recharge." The long stories they told gave coherence to years of grappling with a terrible disease.

"I'm on lifetime parole," Parrot said, "to the disease of addiction."
THE ISSUE:

A bill to hold oil interests liable for rail and terminal accidents is pending in the state Senate.

THE STAKES:

What's the priority, public safety or an industry's profits?

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

An ordinary mid-sized car weighs an average one-and-a-half tons and holds about 15 gallons of gasoline.

A DOT-111 rail tank car can weigh some 130 tons and hold, depending on design, upwards of 34,500 gallons of crude oil.

It doesn't take a physicist to recognize the huge difference in the destructive power of an automobile and a train of oil tank cars. But the truly astounding difference is this: You must have insurance to legally drive a car, but an oil train requires none.

For the third year in a row, Assembly member Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, is proposing legislation to require companies that ship or store crude oil to put up financial guarantees that they'll cover the damage caused by an accident such as a spill or a fire.

That tab could be in the millions or billions, depending on the nature of the accident and where it happens. Consider the cost of a 2013 disaster in Lac Megantic, Quebec, which has about one-sixteenth the population of Albany. A runaway train carrying Bakken crude derailed and exploded, killing 47 and destroying the village center. Local officials have estimated the total cost to rebuild at $2.7 billion.

Those who are reaping the profits of rail oil transport aren't keen on Ms. Fahy's bill.

We've seen this clash between public safety and energy interests before. When companies first proposed bringing high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing to New York in order to tap the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, they initially eyed land within New York City's upstate watershed. We asked industry representatives if companies would be willing to put up a bond to cover the estimated $10 billion cost of a water filtration system for New York City should the aquifers or reservoirs become contaminated with fracking fluid. Their answer was, essentially, no way.

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Even before New York rejected fracking altogether in the state, New York City's watershed went off the table, and rightly so. The industry has fought mightily to deny responsibility elsewhere for water contamination and earthquakes.

The same underlying question applies to oil trains: Will an industry looking to make a fortune in New York assure the public that it will clean up any mess it makes, or pay for any damage it might cause?

This is not a theoretical question. Train derailments (oil trains or otherwise) have been rising for years, reaching 1,321 nationwide in 2015. As Ms. Fahy points out, traffic into Albany would likely increase if the twin Pilgrim pipelines from here to New Jersey are allowed, especially now that a federal ban on petroleum exports has been lifted.

Canada recognized the risk. It now requires railroads carrying crude oil to have up to $1 billion in insurance, and imposed a tax that would go to an accident emergency fund.

Though the state Assembly has passed Ms. Fahy's bill, the Senate  where it died the last two years  has yet to act. Senators should take a lead from Canada, and put people before profits.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove, by allegedly violating an executive order, has exposed how profoundly broken the grand jury system in America is, specifically in New York state.

The existing system permits county district attorneys to present confidentially to a secret panel of grand jurors virtually one-sided information to completely support his/her pre-determined outcome. There is no cross-examination of witnesses, nor a requirement that any defense witnesses be called.

The only crumb of fairness is the opportunity for the defendant to present his or her position. Grand jurors may ask questions but can be strongly controlled by the district attorney's office.

When a district attorney wants a specific outcome, the deck is strongly stacked in his or her favor. This becomes particularly problematic when a police officer is potentially guilty of serious on-duty crime such as the killings of Eric Garner in Staten Island, Donald "Dontay" Ivy in Albany and Edson Thevenin in Troy.

In July 2015, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 147, which granted Attorney General Eric Schneiderman discretion to investigate the deaths of unarmed civilians in confrontations with police. Unfortunately, the executive order was too late for the Garner and Ivy families.

Abelove initially insisted he had jurisdiction and rushed the Thevenin case to a grand jury without apparently calling important witnesses. Not surprisingly, the grand jury absolved the Troy Police sergeant involved. Schneiderman forcefully pushed back against Abelove with a lawsuit. Schneiderman and Abelove have reached a settlement, which will allow a thoughtful, comprehensive investigation to occur.

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Whatever the outcome, the public will know there was no rush to judgement by a local DA who had enormous control over the outcome.

Roger Benson

Colonie
[May 15, 2016] VIDA Brings Power of Precision Imaging Directly to Pulmonologists with Release of VIDA|vision Clinical Software

CORALVILLE, Iowa, May 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VIDA Diagnostics, Inc. ("VIDA"), the leader in precision pulmonary imaging, today announced the release of VIDA|vision, a suite of clinical software applications built specifically for the pulmonary clinician. VIDA|vision provides insights designed to optimize care decisions, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs. "VIDA|vision is an exciting advance for the pulmonary clinician," said Dr. Alexander Chen. "Clinicians will be caring for more patients with pulmonary nodules, some of which may require biopsy. Current challenges include navigating peripheral airways to targeted lesions. The strong analytical platform of VIDA|vision, enables high-quality imaging of peripheral airways which may assist bronchoscopists with delivering precision and personalized care." VIDA|vision is launching with two applications: Lung Bronchoscopy Planning and Lung Volume Reduction. The base platform enables new applications and expanding clinical utility. <>Lung Bronchoscopy Planning focuses interventional pulmonologists on planning and performing diagnostic biopsy procedures for the peripheral nodule. The automated path planning and virtual bronchoscopy features of the software help interventional pulmonologists gain procedural confidence and efficiency in reaching targets of interest.



Lung Volume Reduction provides physicians with information to select an appropriate therapy for severe emphysema patients, using evidence-based quantitative CT (QCT) biomarkers to include heterogeneity and fissure integrity. Once a treatment is selected, the product also provides procedural planning tools to boost procedural confidence and efficiency. "VIDA|vision represents VIDA's advance into streamlining of our advanced clinical insights into the routine workflow of the pulmonary clinician." said Marcel Nienhuis, Director of Marketing at VIDA. "VIDA's vision is to change pulmonology into an evidence-based practice with the guidance of the leading thought leaders and the changing requirements of the practice."

VIDA|vision is cleared for clinical use in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. About VIDA VIDA is focused on changing the practice of pulmonary care by empowering the pulmonary clinician with precision informatics. VIDA's suite of software and associated analysis services aid early detection, evaluation, and treatment planning of lung diseases, including lung cancer, emphysema, airway obstruction diseases, and asthma. VIDA's software and services are cleared for clinical use in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. VIDA is headquartered in Coralville, IA, with an additional office in Minneapolis, MN. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160104/319103LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vida-brings-power-of-precision-imaging-directly-to-pulmonologists-with-release-of-vidavision-clinical-software-300268745.html SOURCE VIDA Diagnostics, Inc.

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What you need to know about Powerball and the $610 million jackpot
Across the media landscape, the recent STAND YOUR GROUND endorsement from the Missouri General Assembly has earned Conservative praise and social media hateration. Check the accolades: Missouri Lawmakers Ignore Bloomberg, Send Permitless Carry to Governor's Desk - Breitbart However . . .Skepticism from the nation's paper of record . . .
IN A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT ON A MACABRE EVENT MAKING ITS WAY BACK TO UNION STATION . . . LEADERS OF KANSAS CITY'S CATHOLIC COMMUNITY EXPLAIN THEIR OPPOSITION AS THEY HAVE DEEMED THE DISPLAY INAPPROPRIATE FOR STUDENTS IN THE FAITH!!!

The Guardian: Von Hagens forced to return controversial corpses to China

A question of human dignity in death confronts Kansas City.To wit . . .Real talk . . . The "Body Worlds' exhibit confronts the same questions posed to other displays about the consent involved obtaining cadavers.Moreover, there has been wrist slap against the exhibitors in some notable instances . . .Now, as this exhibit makes its way to Kansas City . . . One of the metro's largest faith communities is speaking out on this issue . . .Here's a recently released statement that should have earned wider reporting but now makes an appropriate opinion for our TKC blog community to consider this Sunday . . .Recently, Union Station in Kansas City announced plans to bring The Cycle of Life exhibit by Body Worlds to Kansas City. The exhibit contains dissected human specimens that have undergone a preservation process known as plastination. We are grateful to the leadership of Union Station for sharing with us, in advance, their plans for the upcoming exhibit and we are appreciative of the efforts made by Union Station to explore how Body Worlds obtains the specimens for display. However, there remain ethical concerns about this exhibit that we find troubling.The Catholic Church supports the pursuit of scientific knowledge and recognizes the value of using human specimens to train doctors and scientists in order to help them treat the sick and support human health. However, the artful public display of posed human remains, while certainly fascinating, calls into question the proper respect being afforded to these human remains. The exhibit amounts to a kind of human taxidermy that is inconsistent with the dignity due a deceased human body. As to the educational value, one must ask: Could not the educational value be achieved with models rather than using actual human remains?While Body Worlds claims that proper informed consent has been obtained and even cites a favorable ethical study, there remain concerns about consent. We are troubled by lingering questions raised by investigative journalists and human rights groups regarding whether proper informed consent has been obtained for all of the bodies and specimens on display here.The Catholic Tradition supports the pursuit of knowledge, truth, and beauty  and thus we, the local Catholic bishops, appreciate the general work of Union Station in bringing educational opportunities to the Kansas City area. Nonetheless, because of our ethical concerns we do not believe that this exhibit is an appropriate destination for field trips for Catholic schools or youth groups.###############You decide . . .
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Saudi-based Red Sea Housing Services Company (RSHS) has signed a contract with Compagnie Des Bauxites De Guinee Company (CBG), the largest single producer of bauxite (aluminum ore) in the world, to construct integrated accommodation facilities in Guinea, West Africa.



This is Red Sea Housing Services third contract win with CBG this year, with the three phases of the project valued at SR58 million ($15.5 million), reported the Saudi Gazette.



This project marks the third phase in the construction of workers accommodation facilities in the region.

The facilities offer the full suite of amenities, including housing, kitchen and diners, indoor and outdoor recreation, utilities, police/security station, a clinic and other miscellaneous outlets, it stated.



Don Sumner, the acting chief executive officer, said: "This project has already been an important revenue driver for Red Sea Housing and will positively impact our business performance for this year."



"Red Sea Housing is on track to deliver high quality accommodation and related infrastructure for CBG employees, with our unique technology that allows for rapid turnaround time of large-scale projects anywhere in the world," he added.
Leading international law firm Trowers & Hamlins has won the Real Estate Team of the Year award at Legal Week's prestigious Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards 2016.



Trowers & Hamlins has a strong presence in the Middle East with offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Oman. Its international profile is completed by four offices in the UK and one in Malaysia.



For the Oman project, the Trowers team was led by Abdul Haq Mohammed, a partner and head of International Real Estate along with fellow real estate partner Peter Greatrex, supported by a host of specialists in the region and the UK, including Oman-based partner Majid Al Toky, said a statement from the company.



The winning submission focused on the firm's appointment by the Supreme Council for Planning in Oman (the SCP) to assist it in the overhaul of Oman's housing regime, it stated.



The SCP is the strategic body established by the Government of Oman to sit above ministries and deliver on the government's overall vision. The firm has helped the SCP to develop a new policy taking on board examples of global and regional best practice, which will set the housing strategy for the coming years, as well as a comprehensive new law.



Among other things, this envisages the creation of a new unit to regulate the sector and to interact with other stakeholders in a concerted fashion.



On the award win, Haq Mohammed said: "We are delighted to have been named Real Estate Team of the Year and hope to continue to work with developers, investors and governments alike to help deliver integrated communities across the Middle East," he stated.



"Creating homes for the growing populations of countries in the region is of critical strategic importance. It is a privilege to play a role in creating the frameworks to enable governments in the region to address those needs," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Employers in Bahrain wishing to exceed their regular quota will have to pay an additional BD300 ($795) for each extra expatriate worker they hire  on the basis of BD150 annually, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.








Al Maha Medical Company will discuss various topics including the opportunities for manufacturing medical equipment in Qatar at the upcoming Qatar International Medical Congress (QIMC) 2016, next week in Doha, Qatar.



The event will be held from May 18 to 20, under the patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.



QIMC 2016 is expected to offer unprecedented opportunities for health sector professionals to delve deep into the latest technological and scientific discoveries in the diagnosis of cancers and epidemic diseases, as well as the latest scientific and medical technologies that will be available to the Qatari market, said a statement.



QIMC 2016 has attracted prominent international medical thought leaders, led by Professor Johannes Schweizer, who owns 14 patents and is considered one of the most prominent contemporary researchers at Stanford University in California, US, it added.



Additionally, researchers from Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, will engage in a knowledge sharing session with experts in the health sector, it said.



The conference will also provide an opportunity to learn about international medical breakthroughs that prominent laboratories are using to identify Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and hepatitis by using a swab of saliva instead of blood as is the current case. As for the control and regulation of all laboratory testing procedures, especially in light of diseases such as epidemiological and viral diseases that develop and spread quickly such as the Ebola and Zika viruses and others, the event will set up a first-of-its-kind laboratory in the Middle East.



Dr Mohammed Hamad Al-Nuaimi, general manager of Al Maha Medical, said: "We are proud to participate at QIMC for the second consecutive year. We expect that our participation this year will be a very special one, as the exhibition and conference will have strategic importance for Qatar, considering the prominent speakers and experts who will discuss unprecedented topics, and we expect witnessed deals and agreements aimed at strengthening the medical industry in Qatar."



Morad Mallah, executive manager of Al Maha Medical, said: "One of the most prominent characteristic of this year's edition is the emergence of researchers, especially in the field of new technologies, who are interested in breaking ground for manufacturing in Qatar, due to the great support offered by the country`s leadership, as well as the participation of specialised organisations such as Qatar Development Bank and Manateq.  TradeArabia News Service


The Al Hadeetha Copper-Gold Project, currently under development in Omans Dakhiliyah Governorate, has the potential to generate revenues in excess of $430 million over its initial 10 operational year, said a report.



The venture aims to commercialise the mineral potential of three exploration licenses: Washihi, Mullaq and Al Ajal, said the Oman Daily Observer report.



Washihi, Mullaq and Al Ajal cover a total area of around 105 sq km, and is roughly a two-hour drive from Muscat, it said.



The project is being developed by Al Hadeetha Resources, a locally incorporated company that is 70 per cent owned by Alara Oman Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-based international mineral exploration company Alara Resources, and Al Hadeetha Investments of the sultanate.



Citing the findings of a feasibility study that was completed recently, Al Hadeetha Resources said the copper-gold project is expected to yield healthy financial returns on base case assumptions. Revenues are projected at over $430 million over 10 years, with earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (Ebita) estimated at around $141 million over the same timeframe. Project IRR was envisaged at an impressive 21 per cent.



In anticipation of the eventual commencement of operations, a concrete timeframe for which has yet to be disclosed, top officials of Al Hadeeetha hosted a community meeting and luncheon with stakeholders representing local communities in which the mining licenses are located.



Also present were officials representing the Public Authority for Mining (PAM), Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, added the report.
German companies are scaling back their investment in Britain ahead of its June 23 referendum on membership of the European Union, and German industry is becoming increasingly vocal in warning that a Brexit would hit both countries' economies.



German foreign direct investment to Britain fell by 6 percent on the quarter to 4.4 billion euros ($5 billion) in the first three months of this year, Bundesbank data reviewed by Reuters showed. That followed an already steep annual decline of more than 40 percent in 2015.



"A British exit means uncertainty for German companies doing business in Britain," Markus Kerber, managing director of the BDI Federation of German Industries, told Reuters.



"Firms are reacting to this, they are delaying or reducing their investment."



Reflecting the concerns of German companies and investors ahead of the British referendum, Kerber said a Brexit would lead to severe legal uncertainties for at least the next two years, creating economic risks for both Britain and Germany.



German companies are among the biggest foreign investors in the UK, with 2,500 subsidiaries and some 500,000 British employees in sectors such as financial services, manufacturing, transport, energy and retail, according to German Industry UK, a private organisation of some 100 chief executives of companies in Britain with a German majority shareholding.



While German firms generally decline to comment in detail on their investment plans in Britain, there are signs that managers are becoming increasingly worried ahead of Britain's referendum.



"From our point of view, it would be advantageous, particularly in terms of wealth and employment if Britain was to stay in the EU," a Siemens spokesman said.



He said if Britain should leave the EU, Siemens would not terminate its business activities there. "But a British exit could play a role when it comes to future investment decisions."



Like many other German companies in Britain, Siemens sent a letter to its 14,000 British employees last month, warning of the risks the firm would face if Britain voted to leave.



"In particular, a new trade deal with the EU could take many years to conclude and it is impossible to predict the terms that will be agreed and at what price," the Siemens management said.



"This uncertainty, and threat of increased costs, could make the UK a less attractive place to do business and may become a factor when Siemens is considering future investment here."



Companies that have published similar letters or statements include BMW, whose British employees make the luxury Rolls-Royce car, as well as chemical company BASF and planemaker Airbus .



A Brexit would not only affect the British economy.



A study by DZ Bank showed it could also cost Germany up to 45 billion euros by the end of 2017 as exports from Europe's economic power house would likely be hit, at a time of already waning demand from emerging markets like China.



In 2015, German companies exported goods worth some 89 billion euros to Britain, making the UK their third-most important export destination. At the same time, Germany imported British goods worth some 38 billion euros, leaving a trade surplus of around 51 billion euros.



With a total trade volume of 127.5 billion euros, Britain is Germany's fifth-biggest trading partner behind the United States, France, the Netherlands and China. For the UK, Germany is the most important trade partner, ahead of the United States.-Reuters
Omantel, a leading telecom of Oman and Multinet Pakistan, a leading domestic and international carrier in Pakistan, and Xtera Communications, a leader in optical transport solutions, have signed a turnkey supply agreement for the new subsea cable system Silk Route Gateway 1 (SRG-1), a report said.



The new cable will be a direct highway from Muscat in Oman to Karachi in Pakistan, with a future extension to Gwadar in Pakistan, reported Oman Observer.



SRG-1 is another reflection of our commitment to the global carrier community to offer them with the most efficient routes. The SRG-1 bridges Asia to Africa and the West through a low latency network and we anticipate this to evolve as the telecom worlds primary access to the region, Sohail Qadir, vice president, Omantel Wholesale was quoted as saying in the report.



The SRG-1 project is our ambition to restore the significance of the traditional silk route by establishing a digital gateway to the most budding telecom markets of the Asian subcontinent, said Rashid Shafi, SEVP & chief strategy officer, Multinet Pakistan. This new cable will fuel the massively growing demands of the Pakistani market and will bring up an unprecedented reach to China, Afghanistan and Central Asia.



Selecting an innovative technology partner like Xtera is imperative to the overall success of the project. Xtera brings on board the expertise and professional pedigree to develop an efficient optical submarine network which will enable Multinet and Omantel to offer cutting edge connectivity services to their customers, SRG-1 Consortium said in a statement.



Xtera will supply its turnkey 100G/100G+ optimized submarine system solution for this new project, including Nu-Wave Optima Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE), undersea optical repeaters, undersea branching units, cable, all marine services, project management, installation and commissioning.



Jon Hopper, president and chief executive officer of Xtera said: This new build project represents a second cable project for Xtera in the region after the award of the G2A subsea cable system between Oman, Puntland and Somaliland.
Changes in UK tax laws were discussed at a special event in Bahrain recently, aimed to update UK citizens and owners of IK properties of any nationality of the effects of the changes and availability of consultancy help in Bahrain.

Topics discussed also included general principles of UK tax reporting and proposed digitalisation, reminder of rules and importance of keeping a log of days present and purpose of visits, proposals affecting those with UK domicile of origin who may have acquired a domicile outside the UK, why is there a need for a UK will and considering powers of attorney.

The event was organised by the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) Special Interest Group (SIG) for finance professionals, in partnership with KS International Consultants & Public Accountants Bahrain and Kingston Smith UK.

The keynote speaker at the event was Lynne Rowland, a personal tax partner at Kingston Smith UK. Rowland has over 20 years of personal tax experience, working for leading accountancy firms as well as regional firms. She shared her knowledge on a variety of matters at the event, especially income tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax from a UK and international perspective.

Rowland commented: The last few years have heralded a recovery in the UK economy alongside an awareness of a continuing budget deficit. Simplifying the UK tax system and ensuring that all taxpayers pay their fair share of tax has been a strategy that has the support of the general public. Some of the proposed changes seem to have an essence of tinkering without any genuine fiscal benefit, and worse, they have not necessarily been publicised enough to ensure understanding and compliance by all relevant taxpayers. The purpose of this meeting was to highlight some of the changes that have been introduced, or are proposed for the future, so that people with UK interests can plan ahead and take any necessary action.

The BBBF is a leading network of businessmen and women in Bahrain. The forum aims to promote trade and investment between Bahrain and Britain by offering opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing between the two business communities. It has a total of eight Special Interest Groups (SIGs), covering oil, gas and energy; hospitality; construction; banking and financial services; ICT and legal sectors; as well as organisational effectiveness and young professionals. TradeArabia News Service
An Egyptian court sentenced 152 protesters on Saturday to between two and five years in prison each after they demonstrated against a decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources and state media said.



Hundreds of police officers were deployed in central Cairo on April 25 to quell protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over Tiran and Sanafir islands.



More than 200 people are being tried in connection with the protests, the judicial sources said.



Of those sentenced on Saturday, 101 received five-year prison terms and 51 received two-year sentences, judicial sources and the state-owned al-Ahram newspaper said.



The 152 protesters were convicted of breaking a law banning people from protesting without first notifying the Interior Ministry, the judicial sources said.  Reuters
International hospitality chain AccorHotels has signed a management agreement with Action Hotels to develop an ibis Styles in the Diplomatic Area of Manama, Bahrain.



The new lifestyle economy hotel, located in the Bahraini capitals central business district, marks the eighth collaboration between AccorHotels and Action Hotels in the Middle East. Globally, Action Hotels has 11 properties under management with AccorHotels, including three in Australia.



Olivier Granet, managing director and chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East, said: It is a pleasure to be collaborating with our strategic partner Action Hotels for our first ibis Styles in Bahrain. We are confident that the modern design and ideal location of ibis Styles Manama Diplomatic Area will attract and serve the citys emerging corporate and leisure clientele. The new hotel also represents AccorHotels fifth property in the kingdom, bringing the number of rooms that we operate in the country close to 1,000.



Alain Debare, chief executive officer at Action Hotels, said: We are very pleased to announce the development of our 11th property with AccorHotels. The ibis Styles in Bahrain will be a great addition to our portfolio and will benefit from synergies and economies of scale with the ibis Seef which opened in 2015. We look forward to opening this new hotel by Q4 2016 and growing the portfolio towards our objective of 5,000 rooms by 2020.



Situated in the heart of Manamas main government, diplomatic and financial district, the ibis Styles Manama Diplomatic Area will be able to accommodate visitors wishing to stay in proximity to embassies, ministries, banks and other corporate institutions.



The ibis Styles Manama Diplomatic Area will essentially constitute a unique offering in Bahrains under-developed economy segment, providing visitors with a modern, lifestyle hotel experience at an affordable price.



Each ibis Styles hotel carries its own individual design while adhering to the standards of the ibis brand, which is known for its simple yet welcoming nature, guaranteeing the highest level of comfort in its economy category. The ibis Styles brand is also distinctive for its all-inclusive package, which includes the room, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and internet connection as part of the rate.



There continues to be a shortage of affordable accommodation in Manama. The majority of existing economy hotels are independently operated and not up to par with international standards. We are keen to utilise AccorHotels worldwide leadership in the economy and midscale segments to help fill that void in the Bahraini market, and meet the expectations of the growing number of visitors looking for the ideal stay on a budget, Granet added.



AccorHotels has four existing properties in Bahrain, forming a wide-ranging network with a luxury Sofitel, midscale Novotel and Mercure, and an economy ibis. The group currently operates 75 hotels in the Middle East, encompassing close to 20,000 rooms across the luxury and economy segments. Another 55 hotels are under development in the region, bringing more than 14,000 additional rooms to the Middle East. - TradeArabia News Service


National carrier Oman Air has revealed plans to begin daily flights from its hub in Muscat to Manchester, UK.



The new service is scheduled to begin from April 1, 2017.



The United Kingdom has always been one of the key markets for Oman Air. London Heathrow has been a flagship route for Oman Air and the carriers second daily frequency is a clear indication of the strong demand for flights between these two great cities. - TradeArabia News Service


Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 15

Members of the TET-Pass Unemployed B.Ed Teachers Union today burnt an effigy of the state government outside the Childrens Park. Demanding recruitment at the earliest, the protesters raised slogans against the government.

Discussing the demands of the union, state president of the union, Amninder Singh Kuthala said the state Education Department, on the one hand, was in process to advertise for fresh recruitment to fill 30,000 vacant posts in government schools while on the other hand, against 20,000 unemployed TET-pass B.Ed teachers, the Education Department opened only 6,050 posts.

The union leaders alleged that while on the one hand the state government was making tall claims of being dedicated to the cause of education, the real state of education could be gauged by a look at the condition of government schools and also by the number of posts of teachers lying vacant in these schools.

On May 8, members of the union were arrested by the police to stop them from participating in the Lalkar Rally at Childrens Park. They were detained by the police before the rally would begin and taken to the Civil Lines and other police stations in the city.
New Delhi, May 15

The apex consumer commission has directed Unitech Limited to refund Rs 3.04 crore to a retired Army personnel and his wife with an interest of 18 per cent per annum for not delivering the possession of a plot by the committed date, saying that it is a case of gross deficiency.

A Bench of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) passed the order against the real estate major, which has already paid back Rs 45 lakh, to a Panchkula resident, Lt Col Anil Raj (retd) and his wife.

Besides, the Bench also imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Unitech for disregarding its interim order passed in September last year by which it was asked to refund to the complainants, the amount of Rs 3.04 crore deposited by them along with interest at 10 per cent per annum.

...we have no hesitation in holding that it is a case of gross deficiency on the part of Unitech in not delivering the possession of the plot by the committed date, subjecting the complainants to extreme monetary loss and mental harassment, the Bench, presided by Justice DK Jain, said.

Bearing in mind the amount of monetary loss and harassment suffered by the complainants, in our opinion, it would be just and fair if Unitech is directed to pay to the complainants simple interest at 18 per cent per annum from the date of each deposit, till its realisation, it said.

The Bench, while deliberating on the amount of penalty to be imposed on the builder, said ...it is a fit case where, while sparing it from a stringent action of attachment of its assets, in terms of Section 25 of the Consumer Protection Act, exemplary costs should be imposed on it.

Accordingly, we direct that Unitech shall pay to the complainants costs of Rs 3 lakh and deposit a further sum of Rs 2 lakh in the Consumer Welfare Fund by way of a demand draft drawn in favour of the PAO, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, New Delhi, the Bench said.

The complaint, filed against Unitech Limited and its Managing Director, said the complainants had applied for allotment of a residential plot in the firms Aspen Greens project at SAS Nagar in Mohali, in December 2011. The cost of the plot was fixed at Rs 3.34 crore and it was to be delivered to the complainants within 12 months.

The complainants, after raising a housing loan of Rs 2.5 crore, paid Rs 3.04 crore to the developer, the plea said.

However, after a long delay, the complainants sent a legal notice to Unitech in August 2013 and later approached the commission.  PTI
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 15

The Independent Students Federation (ISF) has picked up pace with its campaigning to seek justice for Nanak Singh.

The Amritsar resident, who has been imprisoned in a Pakistan jail for the past 32 years, had crossed over the border mistakenly as a child in 1984.

The federation now plans to gather support for his freedom and homecoming by urging the governments on both sides of the border to look into things from a humane perspective.

Informing about their plans, Keshav Kohli, president, Indian Students Federation, said they planned to take out a peace march to the Wagah Border and call all youngsters to join the cause.

Nanak Singhs family is very poor and have been awaiting the return of their only son since years. He has been languishing in Pakistani jails for years now without any crime and we plan to continue to work towards seeking justice for him. We will gather our volunteers from across the district and take out a peace procession. Also, we will organise a prayer meet for his freedom, he said.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14

A day after his name figured in the media interaction by retired Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh after he submitted his report on acts of omissions and commissions of police and civil officers during the Jat quota violence to the Chief Minister on Friday, IAS officer Dusmanta Kumar Bahera, who was the Rohtak DC at the time of violence, today raised questions on the report and accused the former IPS officer of defaming him out of a bias against him.

Though I have no idea of the contents of the report, I heard him (Prakash Singh) telling the media that I did not respond to calls by Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyus sister and passed on my powers to the ADC, said Bahera, talking to The Tribune today on phone.

Bahera, who is in Jharkhand these days in connection with poll duty, said of the three members of the Prakash Singh committee, lone IAS officer Vijay Vardhan never visited Rohtak or even talked to him or any other officer in the district.

How can I accept the report of two IPS officers on my conduct who do not know and appreciate what functions a DM has to perform? Bahera asked.

But did he ever counter me on these specific allegations before going to the media? It is the most basic rule of natural justice in any kind if inquiry. Had this been the case, was it possible to evacuate the ministers family by the first helicopter of the next morning? asked Bahera. Did he try to know how my office worked throughout the night of February 19 when I kept coordinating with Delhi, Chandigarh, Hindon Air Station, Home Ministry and the Army in Jaipur to control the situation and save the ministers family members? Bahera asked.

He said appointing the ADC as duty magistrate did not mean passing the DMs power to him.

Sharing his picture, in which he is leading a flag march of the Army on the morning of February 20, Bahera said it was sufficient to establish he was on the job throughout.

He said he received Abhimanyus call around midnight when the minister asked him to save his family members and gave his brothers mobile number for coordination.

Since then, I was in constant touch with the minister as well as his brother. I noted down names of all 11 family members. I typed a letter ordering evacuation of all 11 members to Delhi myself, so that the secrecy is not leaked and sent it to DIG Saurabh Singh in a sealed cover through a tehsildar. The family members were safely shifted to the Police Lines at 3 am and airlifted to Delhi by the first helicopter of the morning, the former Rohtak DC said.

Hold me guilty of the omissions, if any, I have committed, but it is not justice by any stretch of imagination to first make up ones mind to hang the DC and then collect excuses for it, Bahera said.
M Aamir khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 15

Well-known Bollywood stars Gulshan Grover and Rahul Dev today shot for a Malaysian movie at the tourist resort of Sonamarg, around 87 kms from here.

Grover said his this experience was significant as he had begun his career in the Kashmir valley around 25 years ago. He said for the first time, a Malaysian film titled, I am not a terrorist, was being shot in India.

The first shot of my career was at Grand Palace Hotel (in Srinagar)It all began for me here in Kashmir. This movie is significant in many ways as a Malaysian film being shot for the first time in India. I am happy to be a part of this film. A large part of the crew is from Malaysia, Grover told reporters today.

The Malaysian film is being shot as a part of the state governments efforts to promote tourism in the state.

Everything has been really very nice  the hospitality and warmth of the Tourism Departmentaffection of local people. Its so wonderful being here in Kashmir. The affection I get here is unparallelled and it makes me truly emotional, Grover added.

Rahul Dev said this was his third trip to the Valley and he had shot here 12 years ago. He said his experience had been extremely pleasant.

Datuk Mohammad Khusairi Abdul Talib, chairman of the National Film Development Corporation, Malaysia, said it was his first visit to the Valley as well as the country and he was impressed with the beautiful locations that he had seen at Sonamarg and also at tourist resort Pahalgam in South Kashmir.

Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Mahmood Ahmad Shah said he was glad that an international movie was being shot here.

He said the producer of the movie initially wanted to shoot in Himachal Pradesh but they were able to convince him to shoot in the Valley.
London, May 14

The campaign to woo British voters in the run up to the June 23 referendum to decide if Britain will remain in the European Union took to the streets of the UK today.

With less than six weeks to go before the voting, surveys have placed the 'Remain and Leave' camps head to head at nearly 50 per cent each.

Vital projects across every region of the UK have been financed by the EIB (European Investment Bank). These make a huge difference locally, nationally, and sometimes globally, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said in a speech in his Oxfordshire constituency.

Not only would leaving the EU see us wave goodbye to this crucial funding, but, with a smaller economy hit by new trading barriers and job losses, it's unlikely we'd be able to find that money from alternative sources, he said.

Cameron also unveiled a poster, which depicted an envelope on a doormat with wording saying an EU exit would cost the equivalent of 4,300 pounds for every household.

Vote Leave has accused Cameron of "failing to be honest" with voters saying the cost of staying in is 4,600 pounds per household, as membership of the EU "costs 50 million pounds" a day.

"David Cameron knows that not a single British family would lose that amount of money if we Vote Leave. In fact they would prosper as we spend our money on our priorities," said Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott.

Britains senior-most Indian-origin minister, Priti Patel, has been a key voice of the Leave campaign and attacked the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) warning earlier this week against Brexit.

"The IMF warned Britain it was playing with fire when it set out a plan to deal with the deficit. Now our economy is stronger than nearly every other major economy. Today, the IMF is talking down Britain because we want to take back control from Brussels. They were wrong then and they are wrong now, she said.

The official 'Britain Stronger In Europe' campaign said it was putting on about 1,000 events across the UK today to make the case that Britain is "better off" staying in the EU.  PTI
Network TEN and WIN Television could announce an affiliate deal as early as this week.

Media reports claim talks between the two have reached an advanced stage.

The Australian reports WIN has also held talks with Southern Cross about buying its northern NSW assets, which broadcast into Newcastle, Tamworth, Taree, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and the Gold Coast.

It tips TEN will sign a deal with WIN for significantly less than 50 per cent of its TV revenues, given it attracts lower ratings than Nine.

Meanwhile Fairfax reports Prime Media Group, WIN Corporation, Southern Cross Austereo and Imparja Television will rerun their Save Our Voices campaign in coming weeks to keep media reforms on the political agenda during the federal election.

A Senate committee has recommended the removal of the 75 per cent population reach rule, scrapping the two-out-of three cross-media ownership rule and introducing additional local content obligations for regional areas.
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JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR AnnaMaria Rose Masteller, of Santa Paula, shows her respect to the Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, archbishop of San Francisco, during the Thomas Aquinas College commencement on Saturday.

SHARE JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Thomas Aquinas College class of 2016 graduates toss their mortarboards into the air after Saturday's commencement. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Sophia Cain, of Santa Paula, participates in Saturday's commencement for Thomas Aquinas College. Congratulating Cain (in back at left) is the Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, archbishop of San Francisco, who delivered the commencement address. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR The Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone, archbishop of San Francisco, performs a blessing after delivering the Thomas Aquinas College commencement address Saturday. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Sarah Lemmon, of Santa Paula, participates in Saturday's commencement for Thomas Aquinas College.

By Anne Kallas, Special to The Star

The reasoned debate that is the cornerstone of the Thomas Aquinas College education was cited often during its 42nd gradation ceremony Saturday.

As the sun started to peek out from among the low clouds in the hills north of Santa Paula, college President Michael McLean explained that the students graduating from the school will be skilled in important ways.

"I would say we contributed to their education by encouraging them to participate in conversations, which are needed to develop analytic skills to learn how to present evidence and reasons for what they say. And they learn to listen," said McLean, who characterized the Class of 2016 as "a cohesive class with strong spirit, providing excellent leadership."

The Thomas Aquinas education focuses on study of great classic books by such great minds as Homer, William Shakespeare, Plato, Euclid and others. These studies are used as the basis of discussion of how human creativity intersects with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Graduating senior Mary Rose Dovel, of County Cork, Ireland, said she was following in the footsteps of two older sisters in attending Thomas Aquinas College.

"They talked about it with so much enthusiasm. They were convinced it was a special place," she said, adding that she agrees with her sisters "100 percent."

"I went to a normal school in high school, but here, I got a really incredible and classical education that instilled a love of learning and seeking for the truth," she said.

Commencement speaker Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, of San Francisco, told the graduates he wasn't going to call on them "to believe in yourselves and realize your dream. While that message does have great worth, the problem is it starts on the wrong foot. ... Don't start out believing in yourself. Believe in God."

Cordileone told the graduates and their families that they should observe the Ten Commandments, noting that "they are not suggestions."

Graduate Annalisa Tombelli, of Okemos, Michigan, said she will miss the school.

"It's important to have this type of education. Knowing intellectual and moral virtues will make me happy. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me," said Tombelli, who is excited about her upcoming marriage in July to classmate Grant Gasse, of Wolcott, Connecticut.

Senior speaker April Shonnard. of Carson City, Nevada, said in her speech that the self-assurance she saw in seniors when she was a freshman was deceiving.

"They seemed so wise, as though they were a part of a single vision. Now I'm still my wandering self. But I realize what I don't know. And the single vision is trust in God," she said. "We have learned to ponder the truth."

Stephen Carey, of Wilton, said he chose Thomas Aquinas because he wanted "a strong Catholic education."

"I think I've got a new perspective on things," Carey said. "You learn here that there are different views. Everything is not black and white."

THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE

Location: Santa Paula

Spring enrollment: 375 students

Graduating: 79

President: Michael F. McLean

Highlights: Construction began on the college's fourth building  a lecture and concert hall to be named for St. Cecilia, patroness of music; college's attorneys presented oral arguments in the case against the contraceptive mandate at the U.S. Supreme Court; ranked No. 1 among liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report for alumni satisfaction.
TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Steve Bennett (left) and David Grau take turns answering prepared questions during a candidate forum Thursday at the Ventura Improv Co. in Ventura. They are running for the 1st District seat on the county Board of Supervisors.

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By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star

The two men running for the Ventura-based seat on the Board of Supervisors are at odds in style and views, but both agree the stakes are high for the future of Ventura County.

Among the key issues in the June 7 primary race: economic growth, quality of life and spending.

Incumbent Steve Bennett has been a force in county and city politics since the mid-1990s, making his mark with campaign finance limits, voter restrictions on urban sprawl and assorted achievements on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. He is a steadfast vote for environmental protection, social programs and health care for the poor, and was part of a movement to control the county budget, strike a deal that ended a fight over public safety funding, and build reserves.

If elected to his fifth and final four-year term, he wants to sustain the achievements of his tenure on the board overseeing county government.

"Help make sure we get one final term to embed the good-government movement in the future of Ventura County," he told his supporters when announcing his bid for the 1st District seat a year ago.

David Grau, a taxpayer advocate and public pension system critic, wants change. The first-time candidate is promoting a pro-jobs agenda, arguing that middle-class families are leaving Ventura County for better opportunity.

"My concern is how long can we let this happen," he said.

Grau points to a recent study by economist Mark Schniepp that found the number of county residents from age 25 to 54  generally considered a prime earning group  had begun contracting in contrast with a state pattern of growth. Additionally, Schniepp found Ventura County ranked last in job growth over the past four years compared with adjacent labor markets.

Most jobs in the county with a 5 percent unemployment rate are located in the 10 cities, not in the unincorporated county over which the Board of Supervisors has authority. Grau acknowledges that but says the board could still help the county grow jobs.

He says he is better qualified than Bennett to lead the charge because of his business background. Bennett has spent his career as an educator and elected official.

"I think I understand how to create jobs and how difficult it is to succeed," said the consultant and retired vice president of Dole Fresh Vegetables.

He would invite companies to talk to the board about why they are relocating or failing to expand, he said. "We have been so dependent on large employers like Amgen that we haven't really diversified employment in Ventura County."

Both men have records of achievement.

Bennett, a native of Indianapolis, earned an economics degree at Brown University before becoming an educator. He worked as a teacher and administrator at Nordhoff High School in Ojai for 20 years.

He served one four-year term on the Ventura City Council in the mid-1990s while teaching full time, helped lead an effort to pass land preservation initiatives in 1998, and has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2001.

Grau was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ventura. The Buena High graduate served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and holds a bachelor's degree in business accounting from CSU Long Beach. He worked in the manufacturing, aerospace and agricultural industries in the county before retirement.

The two are seeking the nonpartisan office just months before Bennett's signature open space initiatives are headed for the November ballot. Called Save Open-space and Agricultural Resources, they require voter approval for development of protected farmland and open space. Bennett is seeking to renew them until 2050.

Grau is leery of the sunset date that is more than 30 years away. He wants SOAR proponents and agricultural interests advocating an initiative ending in 2036 to work out a deal.

The candidates also differ on a proposed half-cent sales tax for transportation. Bennett favors it as a way to fund Ventura County road projects. Grau said he can't support the tax without additional study, saying he would rather use existing revenues.

They are also apart on budget priorities.

Ventura County government spends about $2 billion annually for an array of programs, including public safety, health care, social services, libraries, and protection of the environment. Bennett is proud of the county's financial standing. Grau would like to cut 5 percent or $100 million out of the budget and consider spending the savings on law enforcement and infrastructure, if necessary.

The funding formula for the sheriff's and district attorney's offices has been set for more than a decade, following a period when public safety budgets were growing by almost 10 percent annually. Ultimately the board and law enforcement settled on funding tied to the county's economic health.

Pensions are a lesser issue than they were in 2014 when Grau helped lead an unsuccessful effort to phase out the pension system for county employees. Grau says he now supports Gov. Jerry Brown's pension law. He will not accept a pension if elected supervisor, he said, and supports a policy that would prevent new supervisors from claiming them. Bennett says those benefits are best set by an independent commission.

Fundraising has been fairly even. The challenger has raised $143,000 to Bennett's $167,000, according to the latest finance statements.

Bennett has been endorsed by labor unions, the Ventura County Democratic Party, and Democratic officeholders on the state, federal and local levels. Grau, who calls himself an Eisenhower Republican, has been endorsed by the Ventura County Republican Party.

The winner of the four-year term will take office in January. He will represent the 1st District, which includes Ventura, the Ojai Valley, part of Oxnard and coastal communities lying north of Ventura.

STEVE BENNETT

Age: 65

City of residence: Ventura

Occupation: County supervisor and former educator

Education: Bachelor's degree in economics, Brown University; master's degree in education, Butler University

Quote: "I have been pushing for a good-government revolution since I have been in office. I have some skill at knowing how to make it happen, to actually get the policies approved."

Website: bennettforsupervisor.com

DAVID GRAU

Age: 68

City of residence: Ventura

Occupation: Consultant, retired businessman

Education: Bachelor's degree in business accounting, CSU Long Beach

Quote: "You can create jobs without sacrificing the quality of life we have in Ventura County. You need somebody with a business perspective to bring that together, but it is a balance."

Website: grauforsupervisor.com
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By Wendy Leung of the Ventura County Star

Former Hells Angels leader George Christie Jr. has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in connection with the bombing of two Ventura tattoo shops in 2007, his attorney said.

Christie, 66, will begin serving his sentence in about two months, said Michael Mayock, his attorney in the case. Court documents, including details on an apparent plea agreement and the sentencing by U.S. District Judge George Wu, are sealed.

Christie and three others were arrested in 2011 on suspicion of taking part in bombing Scratch the Surface and Twisted Ink, two Main Street tattoo shops. At the time, Christie was president of the Ventura Hells Angels chapter and owner of a rival tattoo shop, The Ink House in Ventura.

Christie originally faced eight counts of extortion and use of explosives but pleaded guilty to one of the counts, according to Mayock.

Mayock said Tuesday that Christie was not responsible for the attacks on the tattoo shops, adding that the judge did a great job looking at both sides.

It was a well-thought-out case. Both the prosecutor and defense were battling back and forth, and now its all over, Mayock said. Everyone recognized that the judge is the one in control, and the judge did a great job.

The jury trial began in January in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. On the second day of the trial, attorneys announced they had reached a settlement, according to court records. Christie was sentenced Aug. 15.

The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to give details Tuesday because the case is sealed.

Its quite a win for Mr. Christie, said Robert Sheahen, Christies personal attorney, who did not work on the federal case. He has retired from the Hells Angels. Hes a happy man.

Christie has spent time behind bars twice in unrelated cases.

In 1986, he spent a year in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder for hire, for which he was eventually acquitted. He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a prescription drug for sale and spent one year in jail in 2001.
California Highway Patrol

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By Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star

Crashes near Camarillo and Fillmore caused traffic delays Saturday afternoon, officials said.

The most recent incident was reported about 4:25 p.m. when a vehicle crashed into a utility pole in the 3500 block of Sycamore Road near Fillmore, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was determined to be a hit-and-run, the patrol reported. Crews with Southern California Edison were called to repair the pole, authorities said. Injuries were reported in the crash but it was not clear who was injured, CHP said.

The crash just outside Camarillo was reported ten minutes earlier when a vehicle went into a ditch in the 2000 block of East Fifth Street, CHP said. Minor injuries were reported.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED Shawn Bayliss CONTRIBUTED Henry Stern CONTRIBUTED Steve Fazio CONTRIBUTED Janice Kamenir-Reznik

By Gretchen Wenner of the Ventura County Star

She's often called a rock star on environmental issues.

In December, someone will take over from state Sen. Fran Pavley in Sacramento when term limits end her tenure.

Ventura County voters will play a significant role choosing the high-profile Democrat's successor, more so than in any of the other competitive primaries playing out June 7.

And in Senate District 27, the primary itself is keenly contested.

Only one of the five Democrats on the ballot is expected to make it to November. The lone Republican, Steve Fazio, should easily sail through the primary, observers say.

The district includes Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks as well as surrounding unincorporated areas. More than 172,000 Ventura County voters are in SD27 turf, comprising exactly a third of its registered voters, according to the latest report from the California Secretary of State released Thursday. In Los Angeles County, the territory sweeps up from Malibu on the coast to Stevenson Ranch inland, including Pavley's home in Agoura Hills.

Many say the key battle in June is between two leading Democrats: Henry Stern and Janice Kamenir-Reznik. Pavley has endorsed Stern, while Kamenir-Reznik's endorsement list includes Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The two are ahead of the others on certain fundraising measures.

But not everyone thinks Stern or Kamenir-Reznik will necessarily clinch the second spot after Fazio.

"This is one seat where I would watch for a surprise," said Tony Quinn in an email. Quinn is a veteran political consultant and co-editor of the California Target Book, which analyzes state and congressional races.

Four of the five Democrats are from the Los Angeles part of the district. Just one  David Pollock, the Moorpark City Councilman  is from Ventura County.

"He could be advantaged if voters vote regionally as they often do in these primaries," Quinn wrote.

Here is a quick look at the six and what they said Friday about inheriting Pavley's environmental legacy.

The local guy

Pollock, 55, of Moorpark, said he would build on Pavley's legacy.

"She's an environmental rock star and she has definitely made an impact not just on the state, but on the entire world, with tailpipe emissions standards," he said, adding he would also like to expand standards to methane emissions.

As for being on a ticket dominated by Stern and Kamenir-Reznik?

"They have a larger megaphone, but I think I have a better message," he said.

Pollock said he has a lot of campaign experience, spends funds carefully and has a good core of volunteers making calls. The business consultant has also served on the boards of the Moorpark Unified School District and Ventura County Air Pollution Control District. As a child actor, his credits include the 1976 movie "The Bad News Bears."

Chosen successor

Stern, 34, is an environmental attorney and senior adviser on Pavley's staff.

"I'm running to finish the job that is impossible to finish in one senator's term," he said.

Her fracking regulations need to become a fracking moratorium, for example. There's still not a cap on climate pollution from the biggest industries in the state, he said. There are already efforts to roll back the recent suite of groundwater sustainability laws, he said.

"I like to think since I wrote them, I'll continue to protect the legacy there," he said.

Stern said "youth and experience" are on his side as a distinguishing factor in the race. He's a millennial but also has the most experience making policy in Sacramento, he said.

Stern, a Harvard University graduate, is the son of actor Daniel Stern, who appeared in the "Home Alone" movies. He grew up in Malibu and lives in Canoga Park.

Major challenger

Kamenir-Reznik, 64, is widely known around Los Angeles City Hall and beyond for her prior career as a land-use attorney, as co-founder of the California Women's Law Center and, more recently, as co-founder of the human rights nonprofit Jewish World Watch, which fights against genocide and atrocities worldwide.

Kamenir-Reznik, of Encino, said she would support Pavley's environmental legacy, except for the fracking bill: She wants a complete ban on fracking.

"There is absolutely no justification in this day and age for fracking," she said. "I would not have compromised on that bill."

As for what distinguishes her from Stern? About 40 years of work experience, she said, including significant nonprofit work, various leadership positions and a "huge record of accomplishment." She's also raised a family.

"It's very difficult to replace four decades of experience with four years working in the Legislature," she said.

Working stiff

Shawn Bayliss, 38, said while he admires Pavley's leadership on environmental issues, he wants to focus elsewhere: creating a better economic backdrop for businesses and reviving the UC system.

The Woodland Hills resident works for L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz. He recently bought a home and became a father.

"I'm the one guy who understands the working man," he said of the field, noting the other candidates are relatively wealthy. "When we talk about what it takes to raise a kid" or buy a house, he said, "I'm actually living it."

Publisher

George Christopher Thomas, 39, also called Pavley a rock star.

He grew up in Agoura Hills, where Pavley's husband was his junior high science teacher.

"I absolutely would continue fighting for that environmental record," said Thomas, who is on the Van Nuys neighborhood council and publishes a small paper.

The Republican

Fazio, 56, said he's not taking his expected primary victory for granted.

The Encino man, who owns a dry cleaning business, said he grew up in the San Fernando Valley where pollution impacted outdoor play and appreciates good stewardship of air and water.

"We also have to protect jobs in this district and the state," he said, saying long-term planning to protect the environment shouldn't jeopardize hardworking families by driving businesses elsewhere.

Voter makeup for state Senate District 27

Total voters: 516,146

Ventura County voters: 172,217

Ventura County percentage: 33.3 percent

DEMOCRATIC, total district: 40.6 percent

Ventura County portion: 31.5 percent

REPUBLICAN, total district: 31.5 percent

Ventura County portion: 41.6 percent

NO PARTY PREFERENCE, total district: 22.6 percent

Ventura County portion: 21.3 percent

Note: Registration in all other parties totaled 5.1 percent for the district. Source: California Secretary of State registration report
AP PHOTO

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By Mike Harris of the Ventura County Star

Because of cost considerations, the Simi Valley Police Department is not among the law enforcement agencies that have had pilot programs for oral fluid kits to detect levels of THC in drivers suspected of being under the influence of marijuana.

That is one of the findings police will present Monday night to the Simi Valley City Council, which last month asked to be briefed on the state of breath analysis technology to determine THC levels. THC is the active chemical in marijuana plants.

"With the recent trend of marijuana legalization increasing in many states, U.S. law enforcement agencies are seeking new methods to conduct noninvasive roadside testing of drivers impaired by drugs," Simi Valley Deputy Police Chief Dave Livingstone wrote in a memo to the council.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 10.3 million Americans admitted to driving under the influence of drugs in 2012, Livingstone wrote. Drunk and/or drugged driving is responsible for more than 50 percent of all fatal accidents in the country, about 250,000 since 2000, he wrote.

Two companies, Lifeloc Technologies and Cannabix Technologies, are working to develop a roadside breath analysis device to determine the levels of THC in an impaired driver's bloodstream, Livingstone wrote.

"While these developments are indeed promising, both companies estimate it will take several years before these devices are available for widespread use," he wrote.

As an alternative, many law enforcement agencies are studying the use of oral fluid drug testing kits. In California, the Los Angeles and Sacramento police departments have conducted pilot programs.

"Because of the costs of extra staffing needed to monitor and track a program of this type, there are no current plans to implement a similar program in Simi Valley," Livingstone wrote.

California has yet to establish any defined legal limits on what constitutes impairment for specific drugs, he wrote. In cases where drugged driving is suspected, a Simi Valley police officer must rely on field sobriety tests and training to form the probable cause for an arrest, he wrote.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. in its City Hall chambers, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.

The agenda is available on the city's website, http://www.simivalley.org
STAR FILE PHOTO

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By Cheri Carlson of the Ventura County Star

A team spent 70 days filming and interviewed dozens to tell the tales of the California Channel Islands.

The result: A documentary called "West of the West: Tales from California's Channel Islands," which was screened to sold-out audiences in Ventura and Santa Barbara in March.

Starting on May 16, the three-part film will be aired on KCET television on three consecutive Mondays.

The first episode will air at 7 p.m. Monday and include stories of how the islands formed and the discovery of the 13,000-year-old remains of Arlington Springs Man.

The group of eight islands includes the five that make up the Channel Islands National Park  Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara.

Park spokeswoman Yvonne Menard said the Santa Rosa Island story was one of her favorite segments. It features an interview with Tim Vail, a fourth-generation rancher on Santa Rosa.

The footage, the music and the narration is incredible, she said.

Produced by Sam Tyler and written and directed by Peter Seaman and Brent Sumner, the documentary delves into stories of island inhabitants.

They interviewed scientists, historians, island dwellers, park rangers, Native American representatives and others.

"We fell in love with the islands and the project," Tyler said.

About 1,000 people attended the one-hour screening in March. But they saw just one-third of the documentary, he said.

Now, they can see the whole series over the next few weeks.

One of Tyler's favorite pieces comes during the first program as a marine geologist explains how the Channel Islands shifted position in the sea.

The second episode is scheduled to air on May 23 and the third on May 30. All episodes are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

To find the local KCET channel in the area, go to kcet.org. Type your ZIP code in the box to pull up local channels.
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Save us all the faux drama. We already know how this star-crossed courtship is going to end: House Speaker Paul Ryan will decide Donald Trump isn't such an ogre after all, and they'll live unhappily ever after.

Ryan will be unhappy, at least. Trump has stolen his party, and there's nothing Ryan can do in the short term to get it back.

"I heard a lot of good things from our presumptive nominee," Ryan told reporters after his much-ballyhooed Thursday meeting with Trump. "I do believe we are now planting the seeds to get ourselves unified to bridge the gaps and differences."

Translation: Ryan may still not be "there yet," in terms of a formal endorsement, but we should have no doubt about where he's headed.

Trump came to Washington for meetings with Ryan and other GOP establishment figures as a conqueror, not a supplicant. His populism, xenophobia, isolationism, bigotry and evident love of big government may be anathema to the Republican elite, but the party's base clearly feels otherwise. Anyone choosing self-interest over principle  a habit I have observed among politicians  would think twice about opposing a man who received more primary votes than any previous GOP nominee.

Thus we witness a shameful parade of quislings. The most galling surrender may have been that of Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who says he will support the nominee even though Trump cruelly ridiculed him for being shot down and captured during the Vietnam War.

McCain's military service was a profile in courage; what he's doing now is not. Leaving aside the personal insult, McCain has spent his career advocating a muscular foreign policy. His has been one of the loudest and most persistent voices arguing that more U.S. troops be sent to Syria and Iraq. Trump, by contrast, has proclaimed an "America first" doctrine that focuses resources on solving problems at home.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, McCain's closest soul mate on national security issues, is one of the few leading Republicans who remain in the "never Trump" camp. He vowed this week that "no re-education camp" would change his mind.

What's the difference between the two amigos? Graham doesn't have to face South Carolina voters again until 2020. McCain is running for re-election this year and watched as Trump scored a blowout victory in Arizona's presidential primary in March.

Ryan is, or perhaps was, the last great hope of those Republicans who oppose Trump on ideological and historical grounds. The party of Lincoln has a storied past  the landmark civil rights laws of the 1960s, for example, never could have made it through Congress without GOP support. This heritage has been dishonored in recent years; among other transgressions, Republican governors and state legislatures are trying to discourage minority voters with restrictive voter-identification laws. But there are those, such as Ryan, who profess to believe the party can still be compassionate and inclusive.

Not with Trump in charge, however. Trump's appeal has been built on anger, grievance and nostalgia for a golden age that never was (at least for women and people of color). To the extent he has any coherent political philosophy, it is one of exclusion. His one unwavering promise involves the building of a wall.

Having sewn up the nomination, Trump has entered the "three-card Monte" phase of his campaign in which he shuffles his positions so quickly that the gullible patsy loses track. His proposed ban on Muslim immigration? That was a mere "suggestion," he said the other day. His view that wages are too high? He now wants to see the minimum wage raised, but by the states, not the federal government.

Ryan acknowledged after his meeting with Trump that "differences" remain. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, has endorsed Trump, as has most of Ryan's leadership team in the House. If Ryan were to announce he cannot support Trump, he would be leading a movement with few followers.

The Republican Party will not be united this fall. In what promises to be a display of cravenness on an epic scale, it will pretend to be.

Eugene Robinson's email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
AP FILE PHOTO Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker and immigration rights activist from San Francisco, speaks to supporters of immigration reform outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

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If you distrust the media complex, don't just resent it. Reinvent it.

Jose Antonio Vargas took that challenge to heart. The 35-year-old thinks of himself as an American without documents. But as he shows with every project he undertakes, he is also a journalist without boundaries.

Since coming out as an undocumented immigrant in June 2011 in a soul-baring essay for The New York Times Magazine, Vargas has filmed several documentaries, spoken at dozens of universities, written for major publications and appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

The Pulitzer Prize winner describes his newest venture, #EmergingUS, as a media startup that "lives at the intersection of race, immigration and identity in a multicultural America."

Vargas' timing is perfect, given that we're in the middle of an election year that could define what it means to be an American. This journalist of color is not fond of the politically correct assumption that Americans should be segregated into different ethnic silos.

For someone who came to the United States from the Philippines when he was 12, immigration isn't just a Latino issue. And police violence isn't just a concern for African-Americans. These topics bleed into one another. As Americans, our experiences are all intertwined.

But #EmergingUS is not just another website. Rather, Vargas says, it's a "new digital platform that will produce original videos, essays, articles, podcasts, slideshows and more  all in an attempt to understand the new American identity."

Driving this project are two questions Vargas and his team of reporters, photographers and videographers want to answer every day: "Who are we?" and "Who are we becoming?"

Those are challenging questions, but Vargas is in the business of challenging people and things, including the immigration system, white privilege, traditional notions of race and ethnicity, and fellow journalists.

America has changed radically in the past 30 years, but how we get our news, analysis and commentary hasn't kept up. Sure, we have new technology, but we still use many of the same models and paradigms that we did a generation ago.

In this election year, the media have come under fire from both the right and left, and for good reason. They are so eager to see a Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton matchup  a Clash of the New Yorkers  that they have tried to short-circuit anyone who threatens that narrative.

Now, the media seem preoccupied with pushing Bernie Sanders out of the race. The Vermont senator has won 19 states, so why do journalists keep asking when he's going to get out? Have the East Coast media noticed that California, the most populous state in the country and where Vargas lives, hasn't even voted yet?

There are journalists who bring a different lens to the stories of the day, from the election to income inequality to how trade displaces American workers. There are stories some reporters, editors and producers miss that others will catch.

"They see diversity as a slice of a pie," Vargas said of other journalists. "For me, diversity is the whole pie. They see diversity as islands to visit now and then, niche markets. They don't see it as an essential part of what they do every day."

For Vargas and others like him, telling the untold story is a mission. "Our job is to stop explaining ourselves to white people," he said. "We have to explain ourselves to America. That is everything.

"#EmergingUS is what I've been working toward my entire journalistic career," he said. "This is what I was meant to do, whether or not I came out as undocumented. I never planned to be a media publisher. But hey, is there anything more immigrant than being an entrepreneur?"

Some people believe immigrants threaten the American way. That's complete nonsense. As Vargas reminds us, immigrants are the American way.

Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
Africas biggest gorillas are being poached and pushed out of their habitat in the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Grauers gorillas once ruled the jungles of central Africa. Now, their numbers have dwindled to under 4,000  a 77 percent drop in the past 20 years  and the huge primates are struggling to survive.

The plummeting population of this great ape has prompted a number of conservationists and their nongovernmental organizations to call for Grauer's gorillas to be designated as critically endangered in hopes of protecting the ones still left.

Habitat

Standing an average of 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) tall and weighing 163 kilograms (360 pounds), the Grauers, or eastern lowland gorilla, is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. Their natural habitat is the eastern DRC's Kahuzi-Biega and Maiko national parks.

Joe Walston of the Wildlife Conservation Society said that habitat is no longer safe because of chronic fighting involving the army and the many rebel groups.

"And that has also resulted in lawless activity occurring throughout the region, including artisanal mining, which is having grave effects on the nature of the forests  and on people," Walston said. "The poisoning of waters, the extraction of materials  and Grauers gorillas have suffered as a part of that.

Rebels running free

What miners seek  to the detriment of gorillas and other wildlife  are so-called rare earth minerals used in electronics manufacturing.

Keeping this mining out of Kahuzi-Biega and other DRC national parks has been difficult.

The Wildlife Conservation Society said about 200 park rangers have been killed in the past 20 years.

The rangers have not been able to operate in the parks for most of the last two decades," University of Stirling primate researcher Liz Williamson said. "The fact that it has been so unstable has allowed rebels to become established in these areas. And that is what needs to come under control.

The Congo Research Group at New York University said there are at least 70 armed groups operating in the eastern DRC, which have displaced about 1.6 million people. Major forces there include the Ugandan ADF and LRA, the Rwandan FDLR, and a wing of Burundis FNL.

The conservation society's Andrew Plumptre said removing these armed units is a top priority if the region and its dwindling gorilla population are to be stabilized.

"The key thing we want the [DRC] government to do is work on disarming these rebel groups and making sure that they are taken out of these protected areas," Plumptre said.

Plumptre said one option could be to employ some of the rebels to protect the parks, to keep them away from poaching or illegal mining.

Poached for meat

Whether people are insurgents, miners or just hungry locals, they need to eat. And that makes the large Grauers gorilla an attractive target for poaching, despite DRC laws prohibiting these apes being taken.

The conservation society's Walston said killing for meat is driving these apes and other wildlife to the brink.

Unsustainable extraction of bushmeat leads to collapses in populations of threatened species," he said. That's detrimental to those species and conservation in general, and to the human population as well, he said.

The NGO World Wildlife Funds Bas Huijbregts outlined his and other conservationists plan to help Grauers gorillas survive: First of all, disarming the miners that are illegally settled in those core areas. Secondly, by better training and equipping  and motivating  rangers to protect the last stronghold of the Grauers.

"Thirdly is to work more closely with communities that live near those Grauers, to provide them with alternative livelihood opportunities so they dont have to hunt those species for their survival. And, lastly, to get this illegal mining out of the areas where they are currently operating," Huijbregts said.

Huijbregts and other conservationists said that without such action, the only gorillas people might see in the future could be in zoos.
Afghanistan security forces said Sunday they have halted advances overnight by the Taliban on a key northern city and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy.

The fighting on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, erupted when the Taliban overran several villages and security outposts, residents and insurgent sources said.

The hostilities temporarily closed the main highway, which links the national capital of Kabul with eight northern provinces as well as neighboring countries.

After security forces led successful counterattacks and forced the rebels to retreat, the road was reopened, provincial officials said.

A Taliban spokesman in a statement sent to reporters denied official claims and alleged the Afghan government was trying to hide its defeat and losses through such propaganda.

Insurgents in recent months have repeatedly seized control of parts of the more than 2,000-mile-long Ring Road network, which connects major Afghan population centers. The seizures occasionally disrupt traffic.

Peace talks



Meanwhile, government peace negotiators have concluded weeks of talks on a peace deal with another insurgent group that has for years fought alongside the Taliban.

Negotiators of the militant Hezb-i-Islami faction, which is led by fugitive Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, remained in Kabul to conduct further meetings.

However, officials cautioned it may be weeks before an agreement is reached.

But rights activists and many Afghans have criticized President Ashraf Ghanis reconciliation attempts with Hekmatyar.

The 68-year-old former prime minister is best known for allegedly killing thousands of civilians and committing human rights abuses during the Afghan infighting of the 1990s.

Hekmatyar's whereabouts



Afghan authorities believe that Hekmatyar is hiding in neighboring Pakistan. The United States has designated him a terrorist and his name is also included in a U.N. blacklist.

You dont make peace with your friends. You make peace with your enemies, Afghan first lady Rula Ghani said in responding to the criticism while speaking at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington on Friday.

Rula Ghani defended her husbands peace bid, saying he is not giving away any kind of privilege or concession on peoples rights.

These [Hekmatyar] are now old people. They are ending their lives and they want to come to Afghanistan and finish their lives where they were born. ... So it is a hard one to swallow, I agree, [but]  we need to move on, she said.
Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina looks set to retain control of the country for a second term, with early results showing him winning enough of the vote to avoid a run-off election.

Preliminary results from 14 percent of polling stations, have Medina with 60 percent of the vote. If that margin holds after all the votes are counted Monday, Medina will give his ruling party its fourth president in the last five elections.

Pre-elections polls forecast Medina could take more than 50 percent of the vote, which would allow him to avoid the June run-off election.

His centrist Democratic Liberation Party has been in power for 12 years, winning four of the past five presidential elections.

In 2015, Medina, who was limited to one four-year-term, passed a reform that has allowed him to run for a second term.

Medina benefits from an economy that grew by seven percent in the past year. But more than 40 percent of the Dominican Republic's 10 million residents are estimated to live in poverty.

Medina has been criticized for government policies that discriminate against Dominican-born children of Haitian immigrant workers. He has overseen the repatriation of tens and thousands of people with roots in Haiti, a policy condemned by human rights groups.

His closest competitor in Sunday's race is businessman who is expected to command about 29 percent of the vote.

Abinader, who has never held public office, has campaigned on a platform of increasing social welfare programs, reducing crime, and increasing the national minimum wage.

He has criticized the Medina government alleging corruption in government contracts.

Nearly seven million Dominicans are eligible to vote in Sunday's election. Results are expected on Monday.
Floods in Ethiopia, which come on the heels of the worst drought in 50 years, have already claimed the lives of dozens of people and displaced thousands more.

The economic toll will also be particularly severe because three-quarters of Ethiopia's population lives off the land.

The countrys economy is expected to significantly slow down in 2016, according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook forecast.

The drought, plus a decline in commodity prices, has resulted in a 4.5 percent GDP growth estimate. The figure, while above the Sub-Saharan Africa average, is a steep decline from nearly a decade of near double-digit growth in Ethiopia.

Loss of livestock, crops and households

Aid organizations anticipate continued flooding will displace about 200,000 people and affect the lives of 485,000 people.

"People can be affected in different ways. They can have damaged crops, they can lose their livestock, and in the more extreme cases lose their entire households and go quite really destitute," said Paul Handley, with the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)s in Ethiopia.

Roba Korji is a farmer in the central Gurage region. When the rains failed in previous planting seasons, Korji and his neighbors took out loans to build irrigation channels along a small nearby river to irrigate vegetables. Recent torrential rains and subsequent floods washed away their produce, leaving them with $18,000 in unpaid loans.

"The irrigation channels we dug led the water directly into our farms and homes. We have lost everything," Korji said.

Pastoralists also lost their livestock and homes, according to farmers in southern and central Ethiopia.

Floods compound drought crisis

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Ethiopia has endured almost 18 months of drought, leaving 10 million people relying on humanitarian food assistance. Handley said the six affected regions had already been in a dangerous situation relating to food security.

"This is where the 10.2 million people are that weve been assisting already with humanitarian response but now they are also suffering with flooding. Its really adding to the already quite dire situation," Handley said.

The government put in place a national flood task force back in March, and the country has been experiencing flooding since April.

Ethiopia has built an elaborate disaster preparedness structure to respond to communities in need, said Mitiku Kassa, who heads Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission. The government had pre-positioned stocks for emergency response in drought- and flood-affected regions.

But Handley of OCHA said supplies are now running low. He also warned of disease outbreak because people are being forced to drink from wells that have been contaminated and surface run-off water.

"This has been quite an exceptional year in terms of weather patterns," he said. "The typical rain pattern has been quite severely disturbed. Its about six weeks late and its quite intense."

The rains are causing water tables to rise and water is now flowing in some rivers that had been dry. However, the national meteorological agency anticipates a few more weeks of flooding, perhaps continuing into the summer months when the heavy summer rains occur.
Australian authorities charged five men with terrorism-related charges Saturday after they were arrested earlier this week for attempting to sail to Indonesia and then travel on to join Islamist groups in Syria.

The men, including radical jihadist preacher Musa Cerantonio, could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.

They are scheduled to appear in a Queensland state court Monday.

"The men ... were each charged with one count of making preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

All five men were arrested Tuesday after towing a seven-meter boat almost 3,000 kilometers from Melbourne to Cairns, where they planned to set sail to Indonesia.

The mens passports had been suspended several months ago, because the relevant level of concern about their intentions were known to us," Australias Attorney General George Brandeis said.

Under surveillance

"There is a number of people in Australia under surveillance, and in the event that they were to attempt a terrorist crime, or to attempt to leave Australia in order to perpetrate terrorist war fighting overseas, then they would be taken into custody," Brandeis said.

Australia has been on a heightened alert for homegrown terrorism since September 2014, when it raised its terror threat level to high.

Since then, it has passed several laws aimed at curtailing terrorism, including the law that allowed it to cancel the passports of suspected extremists.

During that time, authorities have also conducted a series of counterterrorism raids across the country, arresting at least several people on suspicion of planning domestic terrorist attacks and involvement with Islamic militants fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Cerantonio, the radical Islamic preacher and vocal supporter of the Islamic State group, was previously arrested in the Philippines in 2014 and deported to Australia due to his support for the extremist group.
In Yemen, a suicide bomber standing in a line of men at a police recruitment center near the southeastern port city of Mukalla exploded himself, killing at least 25 people and wounding 60 others.

Medical officials said those who survived the blast were transported to a local hospital.

IS posted a statement online claiming responsibility for the bombing, the second this week in Mukalla, which is generally known as a stronghold for rival Islamist group al-Qaida.

Forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government recaptured Mukalla last month from al-Qaida, which had controlled the city for a year.

On Thursday, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a naval camp that killed 10 soldiers and wounded another 15.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Iran Sunday for staging a Holocaust-themed cartoon contest that mocked the Nazi genocide of six million Jews during World War II and said the Islamic Republic was busy planning for another one.

Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map. Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is designed to threaten its very existence. But Netanyahu said that it not just Iran's belligerent policies that Israel opposed, but its values.

"It denies the Holocaust, it mocks the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust," Netanyahu said at his weekly Cabinet meeting. "I think that every country in the world must stand up and fully condemn this."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner, traveling with Secretary of State John Kerry in Saudi Arabia, said the United States was concerned the contest could "be used as a platform for Holocaust denial and revisionism and egregiously anti-Semitic speech, as it has in the past."

"Such offensive speech should be condemned by the authorities and civil society leaders rather than encouraged. We denounce any Holocaust denial and trivialization as inflammatory and abhorrent. It is insulting to the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust," Toner said.

The denial or questioning of the genocide is widespread in the Middle East, where many regard it as a pretext Israel used for its creation and to excuse its actions toward the Palestinians.

"Holocaust means mass killing," said contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei. "We are witnessing the biggest killings by the Zionist regime in Gaza and Palestine."

He said the purpose of the Tehran event was not to deny the Holocaust but rather to criticize alleged Western double standards regarding free expression _ and particularly as a response to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and others.

The exhibit featured some 150 works from 50 countries, with many portraying Israel as using the Holocaust to distract from the suffering of the Palestinians. Others depicted Palestinian prisoners standing behind concentration camp-style barbed wire fences, Netanyahu likened to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and a Jerusalem mosque behind a gate bearing the motto "Arbeit Macht Frei" that appeared at the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp.

The contest was organized by non-governmental bodies with strong support from Iran's hard-liners. A previous contest in 2006 got a boost from then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hard-liner who referred to the Holocaust as a "myth" and repeatedly predicted Israel's demise.
Protesters from southern Nepal scuffled with riot police in Kathmandu on Sunday when they took their campaign against the country's new constitution to the streets of the capital.

Stones thrown by the crowd smashed the window of a government jeep but no one was seriously hurt, the police said.

More than 50 people have been killed in eight months of protests in the south where the minority Mashesi oppose a plan to divide their fertile plains bordering India into parts of several provinces.

The unrest, which has caused fuel shortages in Kathmandu as the Madhesis blocked imports of essential goods from India, is a threat to Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who survived an attempt by the opposition to topple his fractious coalition early this month.

On Sunday, riot police in black helmets and carrying shields pushed back hundreds of protesters trying to break through a barricade protecting government offices and parliament.

"This is a protest against exploitation and we will continue to fight to ensure our rights," said Sharbendra Nath Shukla, a leader of the Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party, part of the Madhesi coalition organizing the protests.

Several ethnic minority groups from the hills also joined Sunday's protests.

The constitution, put in place in September, was the final part of a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels which ended a decade-long rebellion in 2006.

But many Madhesis want their region, home to half of the country's 28 million people, to become an autonomous state within Nepal and not be broken up into parts of six of the seven federal provinces as envisaged in the new constitution.

Covering 23 percent of landlocked Nepal, the region is the country's bread basket, providing rice, wheat, and is home to industries including jute and sugar.
Donald Trump's treatment of women through the years  the executives he's hired by day for his real estate development business and the beautiful women he's pursued at night  is getting a new look by U.S. media now that he is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Two of the country's most prominent news outlets  The Washington Post and The New York Times  both published stories in recent days looking in detail at Trump's past connections with women.

They comprise the majority of the U.S. electorate Trump would face in November's national presidential election against the likely Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is seeking to become the country's first female president.

Trump as his own publicist?

The Post reported that for years in the 1990s Trump masqueraded as his own publicist, often calling himself "John Miller" or "John Barron" in calls with reporters as he bragged about his exploits with women while he was married to the first of his three wives, Ivana Trump.

In one taped interview, a man claiming to be Trump's spokesman but with a voice sounding like Trump, said, "Actresses just call to see if they can go out with him and things."

The publicist assured the reporter that Trump treated his wife well as would he his new girlfriend, Marla Maples, who became his second wife.

In the interview, Miller referred to Trump as "he," but lapsed into the first person, too, as he talked about one Trump conquest.

"I think it's somebody that  you know, she's beautiful. I saw her once, quickly and beautiful...," he said before continuing the conversation in the third person.

Trump denied that the voice on the tape was his, but he testified in a 1990 court case that he used the alter ego Miller "on occasion."

The Times said that more than 50 interviews it conducted with women Trump has encountered through the years "reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct."

Complex assessment

"What emerges from the interviews is a complex, at times contradictory portrait of a wealthy, well-known and provocative man and the women around him, one that defies simple categorization," the article said. "Some women found him gracious and encouraging. He promoted several to the loftiest heights of his company, a daring move for a major real estate developer at the time."

The newspaper said, "He simultaneously nurtured womens careers and mocked their physical appearance."

One beauty contest entrant recalled Trump introducing himself to her and abruptly kissing her "directly on the lips. I thought, 'Oh my God, gross.'"

A New York public official, a woman, remembered Trump cutting short a meeting as he announced, "I have this great date tonight with a model for Victoria's Secret," a lingerie retailer.

As he surged to the top of the once-crowded field of 17 Republican presidential contenders, Trump often has described himself as a champion of women's rights. He has branded Clinton as an "enabler" of infidelities committed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

After the Times story was published Sunday, Trump tweeted, "Everyone continues to pile onto Donald, but they can NEVER take away our votes."

In another tweet, he said, "The failing NYTimes wrote yet another hit piece on me. All are impressed with how nicely I have treated women, they found nothing. A joke!"

Party chairman

Asked about Trump's relations with women, the Republican national chairman, Reince Preibus, told ABC on Sunday, "These are things that he's going to have to answer for."

But Priebus said voters are more interested in what he would do as a possible president.

"I dont think Donald Trump is being judged based on his personal life," Priebus said. "I think people are judging Donald Trump as to whether or not hes someone thats going to go to Washington and shake things up. And thats why hes doing so well."

Six months ahead of the national election, political surveys show Clinton with about a 6 percentage-point edge over Trump.

The winner will succeed President Barack Obama when he leaves office next January after eight years in the White House.
Official campaigning for Zambias August 11 presidential, parliamentary and local elections begins Monday, says the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Electoral commission chairman Justice Esau E. Chulu has launched the inspection of the provisional voter list. During this process, prospective voters are required to verify their information in the provisional voter register before a final list is compiled for the elections.

The electoral body says this period is the last chance voters have to ensure their information is accurate on the voters list. All participating political parties registered with the ECZ including the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and main opposition (UPND) United Party for National Development are to monitor the verification phase.

We expect that all the registration centers that would be polling stations for this years general election have also opened for the inspection of the provisional roll by voters in their respective constituency. This process will go on until the 21st of May, and we are not extending, because at the conclusion of the exercise, we are having an audit undertaken of the voters register before we finally certify it on the 31st of July, says Priscilla Isaac, director of elections at the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

Everybody is supposed to inspect and some organizations have asked for accreditation to enable them sit in the registration centers to observe what is going on. So, each and every one who registered as a voter, whether it was last year or during the 2005-2006 exercise, they are all expected to come in and inspect their particulars, to ensure that their individual particulars are correct, and also to make sure that they have not been inadvertently omitted from the voters roll.

Voter education

Isaac says the Electoral Commission of Zambia has intensified voter education using print, television and radio stations across the country, as well as social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter to encourage voters to be part of the electoral process. She says political parties and civil society groups have been urged to help in an effort to reduce voter apathy.

Isaac says political parties are being urged to call their supporters to refrain from violence during the campaign begins and elections.

The ruling PF and the opposition UPND planned to hold their campaign rallies at the same venue on Saturday, which would have been against the electoral commissions calendar of events.

Weve asked [the political parties] to submit their campaign programs to the local police and the local district election officer so that at least when they give their notification or when they are going to hold their rallies and public meetings, there can be proper coordination so that we minimize complaints of people not being allowed to assemble as they has asked because of possible clashes with respective party programs, said Isaac.

As a commission we advised them not to and they heeded to our advice, and so everybody would be starting to campaign on the 16th".

Incumbent President Edgar Lungu faces a stiff challenge from main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema in the presidential election on August 11.
Its a shame that popcorn isnt allowed in the grand theaters of Cannes, because if ever a movie called for binge eating out of a tub, eyes riveted to the screen, its Park Chan-Wooks The Handmaiden (French title: Mademoiselle), which jolted awake every bleary-eyed reporter at its packed debut screening Saturday morning. An adaptation of Welsh author Sarah Waterss kinky, award-winning 2002 historical crime novel Fingersmith set in Victorian England, Park moves the action to 1930s Korea under Japanese colonialism, where class and tradition still loomed large, but a rich family could flaunt status by having electricity  which plays a dramatic role in the movie  in their big homes. Park is best known for his vengeance trilogy, including 2003s Oldboy, but he seems far less interested in blood than Dangerous Liaisons-esque intrigue with this one.

Was that as good as I thought it was? a fellow critic asked as the lights came up; this Cannes selection has been disappointing thus far, so it was hard to discern if we both loved the movie because its actually good, or because it was just the metaphorical drop of water in our drought. Luckily, Amazon, quickly establishing itself as a movie distributor with art-house tastes and respect for the theatrical experience, bought the rights in February, so you will get to see it on the big screen.

The story, which is broken into three parts, each told from a different perspective, begins with a young woman named Sook-hee (newcomer Kim Tae-ri) leaving an orphanage to become the handmaiden of a Japanese heiress, Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). We follow Sook-hee as she is thrust from her humble beginnings into a forbiddingly vast house with a seemingly fragile mistress who hasnt ventured beyond the propertys walls since she was a child. Lady Hideko awakens screaming from nightmares and tells tale of her aunt, who went mad under the same conditions, and hanged herself from the cherry tree just outside Hidekos window. She also complains of exhaustion from her reading lessons with her creepy uncle with whom she lives and who is a collector of rare books, guarded by a cobra and kept in a secret chamber, to which Hideko must report every day. In an even creepier twist, Hideko is well-aware that her uncle  an ambitious Korean man who married her dead mothers sister, now also dead  raised her so he could marry her and take her fortune.

But were also in on a secret that Hideko doesnt know: Sook-hee isnt just a naive country bumpkin; shes a skilled pickpocket whos been hired by a handsome Korean crook posing as a Japanese Count (The Chasers Ha Jung-Woo) to convince Hideko to marry him so he can steal her fortune and lock her up in a madhouse. What Sook-hee didnt anticipate before signing on, though, was how beautiful and vulnerable Hideko would be, and how quickly she would come to care for her. And in an extended scene where Sook-hee places a thimble on her thumb, sticks it in her mistresss mouth, and uses it to file away a sharp tooth, while Hideko stares longingly at her, mouth open, naked in a bath, we get the sense that their form of caring for one another may blossom into something else  which it does when Hideko employs that old teach me how to kiss so I can be ready for my wedding to a man trick, and soon Sook-hee is saddled with affection, even love, that runs counter to her reason for being there. The movie feels like a beautifully shot, brilliantly paced page-turner of a novel brought to life.

And thats just the beginning of the surprises. Sook-hees narrative doesnt go at all the way you think it might. Nor does Hidekos, and unlike most movies telling the same story from different points of views, it actually deepens and enriches everything weve already learned. We see her bizarre upbringing; learn the real, perverse reason for those reading lessons; discover the true nature of her relationship with The Count. It would be cruel to spoil the many, many surprises that remain, but just know that there are mid-air sex demonstrations with a wooden mannequin; liquid opium; hidden moats; a prominent octopus; constantly shifting alliances; and, of course  this is Park Chan-Wook were talking about  at least one person getting appendages cut off. Plus, the switch to Colonial Era Korea from Victorian England adds a fascinating layer of Korean-Japanese ethnic strife, and all the subtle class issues that entails.

Fans of the book may be dismayed over omissions or liberties taken  and more than a few women Ive talked to found the lesbian-discovery sex scene, which plays out again and again in increasingly graphic fashion through the different perspectives, to be exploitative and a male-gaze depiction of lesbianism. (Which maybe it is, but this female writer found it pretty hot.) Moreover, how often do we get to see an epic, lush, yet also pulpy, genre story thats so firmly on the side of its female characters? The men of the film, even the handsome Fake Count, are all grotesque, leering, and clownish in some form. They treat Sook-hee and Hideko as one-dimensional, but the movie certainly doesnt. These are women trapped by circumstance  Sook-hee by poverty and Hideko by men who just want her money  who in one way or another claim their own power and take revenge on the men whove oppressed them, in incredibly clever fashion. If that doesnt sound like the kind of movie you want to see again the second after its ended, Im not sure what I can do for you. If it is, let me recommend you buy the big tub of popcorn. Its awesome  and 145 minutes long.
Drake and Saturday Night Live devotees will remember that Drizzy delivered during his first visit as host-and-musical-guest in January 2014. In addition to playing Jay Z, Lil Wayne, and Katt Williams, he also portrayed himself as the 13-year-old Drake at his bar mitzvah. The erstwhile Aubrey Graham seemed as confident in his comedy as he was in his music; maybe it wasnt as magical as Justin Timberlakes first job hosting, but it was well worth noting. But much has happened in the two years that have transpired: Drake hit with the ubiquitous Hotline Bling and Jumpman, featured on tracks like Rihannas Work, took down Meek Mill in a pair of diss tracks (one of which got nominated for a Grammy), and did more comedy on Kimmel and as host of the ESPYs. There is a lot of ground to cover when Drake arrives to host a second time, and SNL does a good job of touching on it without hitting everything right on the nose (e.g. the Meek Mill beef mutates into a petty revenge fantasy lampooning all hip-hop scuffles). Drake, for his part, exhibits a lot of charm, poise and a sense of humor about himself.

Donald Trump / Chris Christie Cold Open

As far as cold opens go, this ones pretty limp. It plucks the most outrageous headline from a fairly uneventful week  Trump ostensibly posing as his own publicist with reporters in the 90s  but doesnt run very far with it. After Trump (Darrell Hammond) masquerades as Joey Pepperoni on the phone, Chris Christie (Bobby Moynihan) produces photos of potential vice-presidential candidates and the Donald dismisses them. The kiss-offs arent particularly noteworthy  for instance, he shrugs off Carly Fiorina because shes a B-cup  though the sketch does give a nice sense of Christie as Trumps hapless lapdog.

Monologue

The monologue, which quickly becomes a musical number, is Drakes tongue-in-cheek plea to internet haters who, for instance, spat out hundreds of Hotline Bling dance memes. The central grumble  Im more than a meme  is amusing, but the punchlines within the song dont always land. (I do not complain, Im not a whiner / But why am I sitting on the Seinfeld diner? looks funnier in print than it is when its sung.) The thing that saves it is Drakes sudden announcement that Rihanna is in the building before he dons a wig and does a quick RiRi impression. Its warm, silly, and it sets the tone for the evening.

Rent-A-Car

More than its story or stakes, this sketch is a pretext for Drake and Jay Pharoah to play noxious, self-obsessed customer service reps at a rental car counter. Drake is the combative, oblivious guy who cant keep his personal life from bleeding into his professional one; Pharoah is the lazy-tongued and incompetent manager who favors the phrase, This whole situation is unbeknowest to me. The two of them are having fun, which is enough to make it watchable, but the duos misbehaviors dont amount to much.

American Ninja Warrior

An idea no one wants to entertain while watching sports: Behind the competitor with a lot of heart, and a tumultuous back story, there just may be some poor schlub unprepared to attempt any feat of physical prowess. Forty-two-year-old high school teacher Jeff Metcalf (Moynihan) is such a man. Though his small Texas town was ripped apart by a hurricane, hes raring to take on the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. He fails, miserably. The sketch features a couple of nice pratfalls from Moynihan and some sad truths about well-intentioned failures. While replaying Metcalfs first spill, the announcer says this of his family and friends: If you watch closely, you can see the hope drain from their faces.

Dennis Walls and the Cookies

Drake nods to his 70s R&B predecessors here, becoming a sensual soul vocalist a la Isaac Hayes or Barry White. Crooner Dennis Walls fails to remember the name of the director for his special Sexy Kinda Evening, and now he and his backup dancers must deal with a number of attempts to sabotage his rampant sexiness. The bits are all AV gags: A rigged mic makes Walls sound like a chipmunk, and he is forced to solo on a tiny sax. Its cute but slow, until the final prop  a revolving bed that spins as fast as a Gravitron  picks things up and provides an opportunity for some awkwardly racy poses.

Office Boss

Beck Bennetts recurring role as the businessman who has the body of a baby, is one of the best physical performances to come out of SNL in the last few years. The context here is new  Paul Ryan (Taran Killam) is considering Mr. Patterson as a potential third-party presidential candidate  but the only thing that matters is Bennetts well-observed flailing, drooling, and stumbling. (His thrashing attempt to sign a piece of paper is particularly delightful.) With apologies to Drake, who has just a modest amount to do here, Bennetts commitment makes this the sketch of the night.

Weekend Update

The first half of Update revisits Trumps very likely excursions posing as his own publicist, John Miller; the best gag is Michael Ches insistence that Trump show us John Millers birth certificate. Kate McKinnons long-suffering Russian peasant character, Olya Povlatsky, returns to talk about the presumptive Republican nominee, too. As always, McKinnons spry and wild-eyed hamming sells what might be otherwise middling material about the horrible conditions in Russia. Her best barb about Trump: Every 10 years, he comes to my village in the middle of the night to take a new wife!

Jost sounds genuinely passionate about bathroom bills like the one that recently passed in North Carolina, and he nails one joke in particular: The irony of this bathroom bill is that Bathroom Bill sounds like the perfect name for a restaurant pervert. As something of a late bloomer herself, Leslie Jones is qualified to talk about the never too late success stories popping up on social media this week; its sad to hear Jones tore her ACL doing the ninja sketch a couple of months ago, but the piece is loose and fun. Jay Pharoah reappears with another secret rappers meeting  a short series of impressive impressions of everyone from Jay Z to Nicki Minaj. Its another whirlwind that leaves the audience giddy.

Black Jeopardy

The recurring Black Jeopardy sketches are about social codes: Those who understand black culture innately know something that outsiders and posers do not. This round, usual contestants Amir (Pharoah) and Keeley (Sasheer Zamata) square off against a Canadian dread named Jared (Drake). Jared drops references to the Juno Awards and, when asked about a certain comedians raw and delirious routines from the 80s, conjures Rick Moranis. (Drake, of course, has his bona fides but as a Toronto resident, remains something of a misfit. The sketch gets a bit of mileage out of this, but theres only so far the writers can go with it.)

Drakes Beef

Here, Drake gets to show off his rapping chops while scoring laughs. As varying members of the SNL cast and staff commit faux pas against Drizzy backstage, he gets into elaborate, angry rhymes about how they offended him. Given how little can set someone off in the world of hip-hop, and Drakes own recent beef with Meek Mill, this is effective. Eventually, Drake is spitting hot fire about Lorne Michaels, who only delivers his host the faint praise, Good job. Sample lyric: I can never trust you, cause you were rude to my hat.

Spring Fling at Wilson H.S.

This sketch is strange but as far as five-to-ones go, it isnt incredibly weird. A bizarro chaperone at a high school Spring Fling encourages kids to dance and gets lost in flights of fancy about drinking beer with Osama bin Laden and O.J. Simpson. The writing has some redeeming qualities, but it needs someone to either do a credible Hulk Hogan impression or create another, fully-fledged character  Drake cant quite accomplish either one.

There arent any great revelations in the show tonight, but just as he did in 2014, Drake proves himself an adept host: He is enthusiastic, assured and he plays well with others. Moments of silliness, such as his unexpected Rihanna quick-change and impression, play just as well as the self-effacing bits like Drakes Beef. Certainly, as long as Drake stays culturally relevant in the next several years, SNL will have reason to want him back.
NBC released the official lineup for its fall slate earlier today, and three distinctive shows are expected to make their debut on the Peacock: Timeless, This Is Us, and The Good Place. (Joining, of course, favorites such as The Blacklist and Blindspot.) Below are the programs full-length trailers for your viewing pleasure.

The comedic The Good Place stars Kristen Bell as an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasnt been a very good person. With the help of her wise newfound afterlife mentor (Ted Danson), shes determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within. Welcome back to NBC, Sam Malone!

Timeless follows a scientist, a soldier, and a history professor who must travel back in time to important historical events after a mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Color us intrigued.

The dramedy This Is Us stars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sterling K. Brown and centers around a unique ensemble whose paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways. If you think it sounds similar to Crazy, Stupid, Love, kudos  it has the same writer and directors.
A new restaurant called The Brown House Cafe has opened in McGregor, located in the eclectic collection of stores called The Strand Shops on Main.

It represents the handiwork of Laurie Brown, who relies on old family recipes to whip up soups, salads, burgers and pulled-pork sandwiches between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. She likely will expand offerings to include daily specials and may begin serving dinner in the near future.

The pulled-pork sandwich is very good, if I do say so myself, her husband, Danny Brown, said. Its spicy barbecue on a Hawaiian sweet bun.

The establishment is Laurie Browns to own and operate, but shes receiving a lot of encouragement from Danny, a longtime Waco restaurateur who many local diners came to know when he managed On the Border, a popular Mexican restaurant at New Road and Waco Drive. He now serves as assistant manager at Wacos SaltGrass Steak House.

Danny Brown returned to Waco, he said, after managing eight Chuys Mexican food locations over four years.

The Browns hosted soft openings last weekend and invited the public to its grand opening Tuesday.

Brown said his wife chose McGregor for her venture because of its continued growth. The SpaceX rocket-testing plant in McGregors industrial park employs about 300 and has indicated the staffing level may double as the company acquires additional contracts to haul satellites into space and serve the International Space Station.

It also is worth noting, Brown said, that Chip and Joanna Gaines have opened Magnolia House, a vacation rental house, on Madison Drive in McGregor.

The Browns are using social media, including Facebook, to initially spread the word about The Brown House Cafe.

Restoration 1 moves to Waco

Gary Findley, a franchising guru probably most recognized for serving as president and COO of Waco-based Curves International when it was growing to 8,000 locations worldwide, has returned to Waco and brought with him a company called Restoration 1, whose headquarters he has relocated from Florida.

For now, Findley is operating the business out of an office suite near Lake Air Drive and Bosque Boulevard. But he said during a phone interview he hopes to build a headquarters, training center and a so-called flood house by the first quarter of next year to teach franchisees how to deal with natural disasters, including flooding.

Restoration 1 now has 37 franchised locations operating in 18 states, with an additional 14 territories sold and expected to open in the next 60 to 90 days, according to a company press release. Findley said he hopes to have 100 franchises by years end and 500 worldwide within five years.

There is an incredible market all over the nation for quality service companies like ours that specialize in emergency mitigation and restoration, said Findley, who besides his time at Curves International served as vice president of franchising for The Dwyer Group, a Waco-based franchising empire.

Restoration 1 offers 24-hour emergency services for any type of natural mishap, big or small, Findley said.

Company technicians can tackle water extraction, mold remediation, drying, dehumidification, fire and smoke damage restoration, storm-response services, and general maintenance and cleaning, he said.

Findley and two local businessmen  Paul Barbieri with P&E Mechanical Contractors and Brent Huse with FirstSigns  have joined to launch a Restoration 1 franchise in Waco.

They reportedly summoned other franchisees to Waco recently to help property owners hit by thunderstorms that brought high winds and hail.

A handful of people now work in the Waco corporate office of Restoration 1, but Findley said he expects the number to double every year for three or four years. He said remediation has become a hot business because it is recession-resistant.

Anyone considering opening a Restoration 1 franchise probably will spend $77,950 to $175,100 to get started, including a $47,500 franchise fee, Findley said.

Standard Hat Works new home

Standard Hat Works will relocate from Circle Drive to the former Piazza Brothers western store at 1304 N. New Road.

Standard Hat Works owner Cameron Morris confirmed Friday he bought the 6,200-square-foot building across town because the Texas Department of Transportations continued widening of Interstate 35 threatens his 2,000-square-foot rented building near Wacos traffic circle.

Morris said he hopes to move into his new space by midsummer, adding he can use the additional room to display a wider variety of hats.

I also want to set aside space for hand-crafted items made by local artisans, Morris said. He already showcases handmade knives.

Standard Hat Works specializes in custom headwear made of felt but also sells Western hats produced by national brands, including Larry Mahan and Resistol.

Morris looked at several buildings in downtown Waco but chose instead to acquire the old Piazza Brothers spot, which became a favorite of customers in need of shoe repair or in the market for Western boots and apparel or leather goods. Piazza Brothers, which could trace its founding to the early 1900s, closed for good with an auction in 2014.

Standard Hat Works, meanwhile, was founded decades ago by William Gross, a Hungarian immigrant who walked the streets of New York City selling hats off his head. He eventually made his way to Waco, settling at 622 Washington Ave., and the store came to attract such country entertainers as George Strait, Clint Black, Garth Brooks and Neal McCoy. Later, other entertainers began to order custom headwear, among them Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall and the band members of Guns N Roses.

The store in 1988 relocated to Waco Drive, where a fire in 1993 destroyed much of the hat-making equipment. It moved to its current location in 2006.
The China Spring Middle School bands participated in UIL competition and an invitational festival in April.

The eighth-grade varsity band earned UIL ratings of 1-1-1 (superior) on its UIL concert program and 1-2-2 (excellent) ratings for sight reading.

The seventh-grade nonvarsity band earned ratings of 1-2-1 (superior) ratings for the concert portion of its UIL program and ratings of 2-2-2 (excellent) for sight reading.

Both bands traveled to Dallas on April 21 and performed at a festival where both bands were awarded 1st Division superior trophies and were selected as Outstanding Performing Group for both nonvarsity and varsity classifications.

A special trophy was awarded to each band.

Both bands, because they earned superior ratings, are eligible to be entered in the Outstanding Performance Series Contest sponsored by the Association of Texas Small School Bands.

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Mike Loudermilk photos

Eighth-grade band members (from left) Ashlyn Springer, Macie Slaughter, Alex Troxel and Julia Gorman with their plaque and festival trophies, read the judges comment sheets from the UIL contest.

Seventh-grade nonvarsity band members (from left) Avery Ballmann, Autumn Hudson and Persia Staley with their trophies and UIL awards, read the judges comment sheets from the UIL contest.
EDITOR'S WARNING Some of the photos and language in this story are graphic and may be upsetting.

Mary Pearson doesnt need to be reminded of Jesse Washingtons lynching.

The Robinson resident grew up hearing the stories from her grandmother, a relative of the 17-year-old farmhand who was tortured to death on Wacos town square a century ago Sunday. The moral was never precisely stated, but the horror has stuck with Pearson all her 67 years.

Just after the boy received a death sentence for murdering his white employer, a mob seized him and dragged him to City Hall, where they doused him with coal oil and hanged him over a pile of burning wooden crates. They carved his charred body into souvenirs and dragged it around town.

But even more troubling for Pearson was what didnt happen: Law enforcement didnt intervene in the lynching, nor did anyone in a crowd of 15,000 spectators.

All the folks were standing around, most of them were white, and nobody said anything, nobody stood up to try to do anything, Pearson said in an interview after a recent proclamation by Wacos mayor condemning the lynching. Its a hurt and frustration even to think about it. . . . It can cause me a heavy depression.

Every time I think about it, I get really angry and I have to ask the Lord to help me.

White Waco spent most of the 20th century trying to forget the atrocity, dubbed the Waco Horror by the national press. The incident stood as a turning point in national anti-lynching efforts and helped bring to prominence the NAACP, the nations oldest civil rights organization. But the atrocity received no mention in local history books until the late 1960s and was largely ignored or downplayed locally until 1998, when Councilman Lawrence Johnson publicly called for a memorial to atone for the lynching.

Meanwhile, the story survived on the frequency of a whisper in corners of the black community, in the form of legends and admonitions to sons and daughters.

Forgetting became impossible in the mid-2000s, when a series of books, exhibits and news articles brought the incident again to national attention. In 2006, the Waco City Council and McLennan County commissioners passed a general condemnation of the areas lynching past.

The Community Race Relations Coalition and the NAACP have headed an effort to commemorate the centennial this spring with a lecture series, a march and a push to get a state historical marker for the lynching. The observances culminate at 2 p.m. Sunday with a town hall meeting at the Bledsoe-Miller Community Center, 300 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The centennial is not meant to reopen old racial wounds or cast blame on anyone now living, said Peaches Henry, a McLennan Community College assistant English professor and president of the Waco NAACP. Rather, its an opportunity to bring whites and blacks together to reflect on a difficult shared history.

Heres the importance of history: It allows us to remind ourselves of both the good and the bad, and then to correct our course, she said.

Henry said the city and county resolution against lynching a decade ago was a good start. The question of Washingtons innocence or guilt aside, Henry said city and county leaders failed to uphold the rule of law and were complicit in a heinous crime of torture.

The recent proclamation by Mayor Malcolm Duncan Jr. went further and specifically referred to the heinous lynching of Jesse Washington.

Its important to call the names of those who were wronged, Henry said. The same was true of the woman (Lucy Fryer) who was murdered. She was someones mother, sister and cousin. She was also important. For the council to offer a proclamation naming Jesse Washington is very significant. It means that in the public record he is no longer invisible.

Those involved in the commemorations say burying the past doesnt keep it from haunting the present.

Scheherazade Perkins, 64, a member of the race relations board, grew up in Waco and graduated from the black A.J. Moore High School in 1969. She never heard of the lynching until she was an adult, but it helped explain anxieties she heard when she was growing up.

Unspoken terror

Obviously there is much that has been done, much progress that has been made, Perkins said. But there are processes that still go on, an unspoken terror that still exists, that makes people want to stay under the radar. It makes them hesitant to come forward with concerns for fear that they will be not only labeled but mistreated.

Some of that lingers, not only with the older people who were right on the fringes of the atrocity, but with those who pass the same sentiment down: Boy, you need to watch your mouth, because you never know. 

The centennial comes at a time of national debate and unrest over police killings of unarmed black males, such as Freddie Gray in Baltimore; Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. A Washington Post investigation found that 40 percent of unarmed men shot and killed by police in 2015 were black, even though black men make up only 6 percent of the population.

Henry, the local NAACP president, said she has high regard for Waco police leadership, but she still has anxieties for her own son, an Eagle Scout and college junior, wherever he goes.

Theres the talk that every young African-American man receives: When you get pulled over, keep your hands on the steering wheel, she said. You never make a move without letting the officer know.

Theres nothing about my son when he is walking or driving down the street that can protect him.

Its a more subtle version of the same fear that African-Americans had a century ago, Henry said.

What the lynching proved about our community was that African-American men and women were not viewed as humans or equal citizens, Henry said. While they no longer hang people upon trees, we do see situations where African-American lives are not valued.

Only 7 days

The dark trajectory from the murder of Lucy Fryer to the murder of Jesse Washington took only seven days.

Around dinnertime on May 8, Fryers grown daughter returned from the fields to discover her mother in the seed shed of the familys farm in Robinson, with her head bashed in with a blacksmiths hammer. A physician also said there was evidence she was raped, though he did not testify in the trial.

According to newspaper accounts from the time, law officers found Washington a few hours later, sitting in his yard, whittling a piece of wood. Washington was part of a family that had moved in earlier that year to work for the Fryers.

Deputy Sheriff Lee Jenkins would later testify that he found blood all over Washingtons clothes and put him and other family members under arrest. Once in the police car, Washington fell asleep in the back seat. In Waco, he was interrogated, first denying then confessing to the rape and murder, giving officers information leading them to the blacksmith hammer hidden in hackberry brush.

In a 2005 book about the case, The First Waco Horror: The Lynching of Jesse Washington and the Rise of the NAACP, Patricia Bernstein leaves open the question of Washingtons guilt. She notes questions from the time about his intellectual capacity to understand the proceedings, as well as a legal system that had stacked the deck against black defendants.

As a mob of Robinson and Waco vigilantes grew, vowing to avenge the crime, Sheriff Samuel Fleming had Washington sent for safekeeping to jails in Hillsboro and Dallas, according to Bernsteins book. He allowed a crowd of 500 people to search McLennan County Jail to ensure that Washington was not there.

By the time the trial started Monday morning, crowds were thronging around the courthouse. Newspapers at the time estimated that 2,500 people were allowed to squeeze into the courtroom of 54th District Judge Richard Irby Munroe. Many were carrying guns and threatening to lynch Washington.

As jury foreman W.B. Brazelton read the guilty verdict on the murder charge at 11:22 a.m., Judge Munroe began to record the guilty plea in his docket, but he left the sentence unfinished. A man yelled, Get the nigger, and a crowd grabbed Washington. The crowd carried him down the back stairs of the courthouse, put a chain around his neck and attacked him with bricks and knives on the way to the makeshift gallows in front of City Hall.

As Washingtons self-appointed executioners dangled him over the fire, photographer Fred Gildersleeve sat in the mayors office in City Hall, taking photos that he would later sell as postcards. Standing beside him were Mayor John Dollins and Police Chief Guy McNamara, according to The First Waco Horror.

Mid-afternoon, the corpse was cut down and dragged, first by a horseman, then by a car, to Robinson.

Local newspapers at first covered the lynching in graphic detail, then abruptly dropped the subject. The Times-Herald proclaimed that yesterdays exciting occurrence is a closed incident.

Another newspaper, the Waco Semiweekly Tribune, lamented the ascendancy of mob violence but favorably compared Waco to other towns where blacks were lynched.

There is no evidence of hostility to the negro simply because of his race, and we should feel regret if it were otherwise.

A history of lynchings

The Jesse Washington lynching could not have come as a surprise to anyone living in Waco, white or black. More than anything, Waco leaders seemed shocked at the international censure that followed from newspapers, and the scathing report from the NAACPs journal, which sent investigative journalist Elizabeth Freeman to Waco.

It wasnt like this had never happened before. Racial lynchings had been a Texas tradition for decades but became increasingly ghastly and public in the early 20th century.

In Dallas in 1910, a black man charged with attempted rape was seized from the courtroom and hanged on a downtown archway in front of a crowd of 5,000. That same year, a murder and rape suspect, Henry Gentry, was burned on the Square in Belton. In 1915, Will Stanley was burned and hanged by a mob of 5,000 in Temple.

Rowan University historian William Carrigan has documented the lynching of 21 black people in McLennan County between Reconstruction and the Great Depression. Carrigan, a Waco native, studied Central Texas lynchings exhaustively for his 2004 book, The Making of a Lynching Culture.

Carrigan says the lynching of accused rapist Sank Majors in Waco on Aug. 7, 1905, ended an 8-year hiatus of lynchings in Central Texas.

A judge had granted Majors an interracial legal team and a black juror and finally a retrial, which never came. A mob smashed through the McLennan County jailhouse with sledgehammers and fought jailers hand-to-hand, then dragged Majors to the square to be burned.

At the last-minute request of the victim, the mob moved the execution site to the new Washington Avenue bridge, where Majors was hanged. None of the mob was brought to justice, and the result was a new era of lynching, Carrigan said.

No one did anything about Sank Majors, he said. The lynching of Jesse Washington is the outcome of the Sank Majors case.

These lynchings cant be explained simply by the racism or inflamed passion of individuals, Carrigan says. In their ritualistic excess, they were meant to sent a message of terror to blacks and enforce white supremacy.

Even speaking out against violence could be dangerous: One black man who decried the Sank Majors lynching was visited by a night-riding mob that gave him 150 lashes, Carrigan writes.

His book details how Jim Crow laws, residential segregation and black voter disenfranchisement had actually worsened in the early 20th century. The convict lease system allowed governments to profit by rounding up black men for minor infractions and leasing them as laborers to private farms.

The return of lynchings may have been the last straw for many blacks, who started leaving the area in such numbers that some whites worried about labor shortages in the cotton fields.

Racial terrorism in this area didnt end with Jesse Washington. Six more black people in Central Texas died from white mob violence between 1916 and 1922, when Jesse Thomas, a Waco man mistakenly accused of rape, was killed and then dragged around Wacos square. Meanwhile, Waco in the early 1920s became a haven for the Ku Klux Klan, which publicly disavowed mobs but was known for extralegal violence.

But the extreme nature of the Jesse Washington lynching, and the resulting negative publicity for Waco, caused local officials to take stronger measures against mobs, Carrigan argues, pointing to the arrest and trial of Riesel men accused of beating a black man to death in 1917.

Critical turning point

I think Jesse Washington was a critical turning point in the legal system saying, Were no longer going to condone extralegal violence,  he said.

Jim SoRelle, a Baylor historian who grew up in white schools in Waco in the 1960s, said he never heard about the Jesse Washington lynching until he was in college. He wrote the first full-length scholarly article about the incident in 1983.

I went K through 12 and never heard a word about such an incident happening, SoRelle said. We would spend all our time talking about the tornado but never a word about Jesse Washington.

SoRelle said the omission was a matter of selective forgetting.

To the extent anyone remembers what happened, it had a much deeper impact within the African-American community, he said. From the perspective of white citizens, the idea was that justice has been served; now well get on with our business. 

SoRelle said hes glad to see a public discussion and commemoration of the lynching centennial.

It may not be comfortable, but I think its healthy, he said.

The Baylor Institute for Oral History is doing its part with an online presentation on the event at WacoHistory.org.

I hope we can look at our past honestly, not just for what we want from it, said Stephen Sloan, the institutes director. I hope we can have an honest conversation about inequity and injustice in a way that is not detached from the present. . . . I would love for Waco to be at the forefront of having these kinds of conversations. I think we can show the way a community can handle this and deal with it.

Scheherazade Perkins, the Community Race Relations Coalition member, said Wacos history of racial violence is like a wound that has not healed.

It has a scab on it, but every time something similar happens, that scab is broken, she said.

But she hopes this community dialogue will bring healing.

I see promise in the future and a great possibility for a united community, Perkins said. I see a city that can become what it started to become more than a century ago, when it was an up-and-coming, progressive, leading-edge city. . . . If I were not hopeful, I would not be part of it.
About 100 motorcycle riders from the Waco, Dallas and Houston areas converged in front of the McLennan County courthouse Saturday afternoon to commemorate the first anniversary of the Twin Peaks shootout that killed nine people and resulted in the arrests of 192 people and indictments of 154 people on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity.

This is the weekend before the May 17 anniversary of the Sunday afternoon shootings a year ago at the restaurant at the intersection of Interstate 35 and State Highway 6 that has since closed.

Attorney Paul Looney, of Hempstead, featured speaker at the rally, celebrated the fact that almost all the indicted bikers are out on bond, and to my knowledge, not one has violated the terms of his bond and not one has pleaded out (guilty). All these cases need to go to trial. Theres not enough evidence to convict anyone. The only person who might be in deep trouble would be a biker wearing colors, if he were the one who fired the first shot.

Looney also said motions for discovery have resulted in the release of enough papers to fill 26 bankers boxes, storage boxes that can be filled with legal-sized papers in one dimension or letter-sized papers in the other.

There are two ways prosecutors can defeat you on these motions, he said. One is to release nothing. The other is to flood you with so much that you cant handle it all.

But he credited his researcher and publicist Roxanne Avery with patiently processing all the material and said she found a provision in law that an attorney cannot be an attorney and witness in the same case. He expects another defense attorney to file a motion Tuesday to disqualify District Attorney Abel Reyna and others as prosecutors because they were present while some of the people arrested were processed.

Deputy sheriffs ringed the block in front of the courthouse, where the parking lots were cordoned off for the motorcycles. No disturbances were reported.

Mel Moss, of Arlington, president of the Sons of Liberty Riding Club that organized the rally, said rain showers around the state probably inhibited attendance.

Statistics show that 90 percent of those that support a cause after an incident like Twin Peaks lose interest after six months, Moss said. The people here today are real riders, and were the ones who spend our time on safety issues and charity runs. There arent any outlaws here, and the ones at Twin Peaks that day had come there to talk about safety issues and pending legislation in a regular Council of Clubs.

Looney said prosecutors are delaying trials as a legal tactic, but the defendants have strong representation dedicated to the case.

Its unusual for cases to go this long without a trial, Looney said. The prosecutors are trying to stonewall because they dont know how to convict anybody. We have 20 attorneys now who have agreed to act as defense attorneys for less than a usual days pay, if not pro bono.

Police departments across the country have become more aggressive, and the police response at Twin Peaks was a vivid example of that change, Moss said.

All 170 of the Twin Peaks people were arrested without due process, Moss said. Every American should be frightened by what they saw here.
While the horrific lynching of an African-American teenager in Waco 100 years ago today justifies our deep reflection about the outrages that can erupt when law and order are absent and justice is contorted beyond all recognition, every May also offers an occasion for insight into the remedies that our laws should inspire.

In designating May 1 as Law Day, President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 recognized the important role that law and our trust in that law plays. Trust is central to the lives of our families, our communities and our country. All of our institutions depend upon its existence. And our trust in American law is important as well to the world.

Yet as we recognize the importance of law in our society, we must ask: Where has the trust gone? And how can it be restored?

Responsibility for the rule of law lies not only with judges, lawyers and public officials. It is the responsibility of the individual citizen to recognize that each of us must contribute to this legacy. In America, the rule of law is the link between the individual and freedom. It is our common language and enables us to live together  in peace and with dignity.

On that first Law Day, President Eisenhower called upon all Americans to remember and guard the great heritage of liberty, justice and equality bequeathed us by our forefathers. Recognizing Americas role as an inspiration and a beacon for oppressed peoples of the world seeking freedom, Eisenhower recognized the fundamental role of trust in our system of law. Rather than fostering fear and hate, Eisenhower urged that the country  and the world  must be a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.

President Obama, too, has addressed the role of trust: If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists  to protect them and to promote their common welfare  all else is lost. He reminds us that we are all part of one American family united in common values, including a belief in equality under the law and a basic respect for public order.

Let us invite our children, neighbors and colleagues to recognize such occasions as opportunities to better understand and appreciate the virtues of a government ruled by law  a government of the people, by the people, for the people. As citizens, we can all contribute.

Most importantly, we must recognize the importance of community. Participate. Build. Contribute. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Every good tree bears good fruit. Each of us can contribute in some way to our community. We can participate in a neighborhood picnic, a community litter clean-up or a school-community activity. And instead of allowing anger, fear and hate to fester, let us work to foster empathy and trust within our families, communities and workplaces.

There are many ways to serve our community. We must honor the call to jury service. Jury trials cannot happen without juries. Jury service is a vote of confidence in the system and a demonstration of commitment to our system of justice. If you have ever needed a jury or known someone who has, you understand that this job is far too important to be done only by those who can easily spare the time. You are entering another persons life at a critical time with a critical function. And it is irrelevant that you might not be selected to serve. You perform a duty by appearing in response to a jury summons. A jury is far more than the sum of its individual members. Most citizens who serve on a jury find it to be a rewarding opportunity to serve with members of their community.

Too, we must register to vote, we must inform ourselves  and we must vote. As we approach the presidential election, make election season a family activity. As a child, my parents voted in every election and they often took us with them to vote. As a result, election days remain important to me.

Understanding and trust are essential to the functioning of our system of government. We want our citizens to care about this government that, in President Abraham Lincolns words, is not just of the people but also by the people and for the people. Lincoln wisely recognized that the people  when rightly and fully trusted  will return the trust. So let us each reimagine how we can contribute to our communities, restoring our sense of trust in one another and the rule of law.

Justice Jan Patterson, formerly a justice on the Texas Third Court of Appeals, is now a senior justice and a justice in residence at Baylor Law School.
For the first time in three years, the Family Health Center ended its 2015 fiscal and calendar years with a positive margin. We were able to provide marketplace and merit raises to our staff for the first time since 2013. While challenges abound, we stayed true to our missions.

Center staff cared for more people in 2015 than ever before, serving 58,164 unduplicated patients. We had a record 257,130 patient visits and helped deliver 1,445 babies. More than 27 percent of our patients remain uninsured. And we continued our educational mission, graduating another 12 well-trained family physicians from our family medicine residency program and assisting with the training of many other health-care professionals.

This is good news, but its too soon to know if we are out of the woods. Through restructuring, cost-containment efforts (including difficult decisions about cutting some services) and improved recruitment of health-care professionals, we emerged from negative financial territory for the first time since 2012. We continue reviewing and addressing cost and revenue areas to better reflect our new future.

The work the Family Health Center does is complex, costly and requires strong community and outside (state, federal, foundations) support. Local community and foundation support has been unwavering and federal support since our becoming a federally qualified health center in 1999 has increased virtually every year.

What has been unreliable is state support. It should not surprise any of you that our missions have not engendered much state legislative help for more than 12 years. In fact, state support has decreased while costs have increased.

In the Family Health Centers 47-year history, there have been at least four periods when the Family Health Center was seriously threatened by external forces and decisions that caused financial and/or political dilemmas. We are struggling to emerge from one of those periods. The causes were multiple but generally due to political and financial decisions the Texas Legislature has made since 2009.

State educational funding for what we do was cut by 40 percent over that period, which became even deeper at one point, then returned back to only a 40 percent cut due to a small increase made during the 2015 legislative session. This reduction in educational funding impacted all 30 family medicine residency programs across our state, making a primary-care physician shortage even worse when many programs had to cut training positions or could not expand to meet the states population growth needs.

This became a problem for us too  a shortage of available family physicians to help with our care mission. Compounding the downturn was a decision the Legislature made in 2011 to eliminate a significant portion of oral health funding for Medicaid patients impacting our center to the tune of some $2 million less revenue per year.

And that was not all.

In 2012, the Legislature required all non-large urban areas to change from a traditional Medicaid model to a Medicaid Managed Care Fee for Service model. That phrase may be alien to you but the impact on the Family Health Center was profound, reducing revenues and increasing costs to do exactly the same thing we were doing before.

Prior to the change, traditional Medicaid had one administrative process. We knew whom to ask questions of and they knew us well enough that they could do the same of us. When problems emerged, they were worked out in efficient fashion. Alternatively, what the state did was contract with multiple Managed Care Companies (MCOs  health insurers generally) to essentially bid for Medicaid operations and administrative oversight in all remaining Texas counties. The nine large urban areas had converted several years earlier.

All this sounds reasonable and was done to save the state money. However, there are big differences between those counties and ours. All those large urban counties have a taxing hospital district that provides a health-care funding floor and most of them have a medical schools clinical staff to help provide a health-care safety net for vulnerable patients to receive care. McLennan County has neither.

That means our countys population must rely on the local hospitals, local private physicians and the Family Health Center to provide care without the funding those large counties provide, mostly with other state and county funding not available in McLennan County.

Medicaid patients are the life-blood of the Family Health Center. They constituted 43 percent of total patients and 62 percent of total revenues in 2011. There was no option but to contract with the three MCO companies selected by the state for our county if we wanted to survive. Those companies required us to work through 10 different contracts for the care we previously delivered with one agreement. The MCO companies had different rules and requirements resulting in our going through round upon round of trying to get qualified or re-qualified to continue doing what we had been doing for years for the same people!

Bottom line: significantly added costs of operations to an already reduced set of revenues, lost revenues during the changeover and even more complexity added to an already complicated system. The Family Health Center lost more than $7.3 million from reserves from December 2012 till May 2015. Fortunately, we had those reserves because of good planning supported by past boards of directors.

We will continue adjusting to a challenging world. No one should expect what the Family Health Center does to be easy. Our missions are to be the ambulatory (non-hospital) safety net caregiver for more than 96,000 people who struggle to make ends meet in our community and to educate tomorrows family physicians and other health professionals for our community and the state. Those are noble missions and, when accomplished, make a community a better place in which to live.

Hopefully our state leadership and the Legislature will come to understand that health care cannot always be a political hot potato without hurting the people they serve and themselves. Change needs to happen with their support and assistance. Till then, this thing we call a health-care system will continue being chaotic, complex and confusing for everyone. No matter the challenges, the Family Health Center will strive to meet its missions.

Roland A. Goertz, MD, is chief executive officer of the Waco Family Health Center. He is past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Alexander Hamilton, one of Americas founding fathers, has become the man of the hour, perhaps of the year, thanks to actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda after the smash hit Broadway musical was nominated for an unprecedented 16 Tony Awards. Hamiltons story is certainly compelling but does it have anything to teach us today, more than two centuries after his untimely death at the hands of Aaron Burr? The answer, to an almost uncanny degree, is yes.

It was, after all, Hamilton who ultimately supported his bitter enemy, Thomas Jefferson, for the presidency against his long-time acquaintance and sometime friend Burr. Why? The best answer is provided in letters written in December and January, 1800-1801, when the House of Representatives was considering how to break the tie vote between Jefferson and Burr, with each state having only one vote. As he wrote to Gouverneur Morris, who represented Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention, The public good must be paramount to every private consideration. One suspects that even if Hamilton had known that the cost of his support would be his own life at the hands of Burr, he would have gladly accepted the sacrifice. Thats just what a true patriot would do, after all.

Hamilton set out a full bill of particulars against Burr in a letter the next week to John Rutledge. Burr is one of the most unprincipled men in the United States. He is, in every sense a profligate, a voluptuary in the extreme . . . His very friends do not insist upon his integrity.

No one could think him qualified to be president based on his public service. Most tellingly, No mortal can tell what his principles are. He has talked all round the compass . . . The truth seems to be that he has no plan but that of getting power by any means and keeping it by all means. He possesses an irregular and inordinate ambition  He knows well the weak sides of human nature and he skillfully manipulates the passions of all with whom he has intercourse.

Writing to Federalist Sen. James Bayard of Delaware, who would ultimately cast the deciding vote in the House of Representatives that would elect Jefferson over Burr, Hamilton describes Burr as exhibiting great ambition unchecked by principle.

Surely Hamiltons words would resonate in todays political spectrum. It is a fools errand to debate what Hamilton would have thought of todays issues. But no one should doubt the seriousness of his commitment to the public good. One might disagree with him, but not on the grounds that he was in any sense personally corrupt. So imagine what he might advise todays Republicans tempted to support the 21st century version of Aaron Burr  Donald Trump.

Hamilton had no illusions about Thomas Jefferson; there was no conversion to Jeffersonian principles. But the point is that Jefferson had principles and he had also been a notable public servant. There was also a note of cold realism in his support for Jefferson over Burr: If Federalists put Burr in the White House, they would have to take full responsibility for his actions, whatever his likely betrayal of his supporters. If, on the other hand, they acquiesced to the election of Jefferson, they could continue to be the opposition party, able to make the claim that placing the lesser evil in office did not make them full allies of whatever he might wish to do.

All Republicans upset about Donald Trumps hostile takeover of their party and, more ominously, the prospect of his becoming president, should be asking themselves what would Hamilton do? One does not have to share Lin-Manuel Mirandas genius  or even see the play  in order to figure out the answer.

Sanford Levinson is the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood Jr. Centennial Chair in Law at The University of Texas at Austin.
Diversity at Baylor

As Baylor University proceeds on its path toward diversity and inclusion of more under-represented minorities, it wont be long before some individual or group will claim to be offended by remarks made by some professor or administrator and demand a public apology and possibly the removal of this person. Other groups will claim to be offended by paintings and statues of famous people from Baylors past.

Consider this: Rufus Burleson, twice president of Baylor, was once accused (and later acquitted) of being complicit in a sexual assault. This accusation was made by William Cowper Brann in his newspaper The Iconoclast. Brann had revealed that, during one of Burlesons terms, Baylor officials had imported children recruited by missionaries in South America and used them as house servants.

Judge R.E.B. Baylor, co-founder and namesake of the university, fought against Creek Indians in the Creek War of 1836 in Alabama. Later, as a lieutenant colonel in a militia, he fought against Tonkawa and Cherokees in the Plum Creek War of 1840. Descendants of these peoples could be offended and demand the removal of all paintings and statues of Judge Baylor.

Seeing the effects diversity has had at other colleges and universities throughout the United States, it is possible that Baylor may have to change its name to something less offensive. This might also affect the name of Mary Hardin-Baylor as well.

Don Garretson, West

Trumps big stick

Pundits are appalled that Donald Trump has emerged as the Republican nominee. They cant seem to fathom the fact voters are sick and tired of the fecklessness of the party. They seek someone who is willing to take the bit in his teeth and make things happen. Big sticks can be effective, but The Donald could soften his speech.

Frank Smith, Clifton

Tail wagging dog?

Less than 4 percent of the population are homosexuals, lesbians bisexual or transgender, yet we allow them to manipulate companies to permit a man to use a restroom with women. Its time for the 96.2 percent of us to stand up and let businesses know we dont appreciate the peep show policies they have endorsed. See if they can survive on the 3.8 percent!

Ronnie Adams, Waco

Be on the lookout!

How far has political correctness reached in America? Read a police report of a robbery at 1800 Lyle: The robber is described as 5-foot-7, but the sex is deleted as well as the race. Thus I know there is an armed and dangerous desperado roaming Waco streets and I am warily watching every person  5-foot-7-tall man, woman or other, of all races  with great apprehension.

Come on, guys, give us a break. We would not want to racially profile a felon to protect Wacos citizens, would we?

Dan Dayton, West
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Delek US Holdings, Inc. engages in the integrated downstream energy business in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Logistics, and Retail. The Refining segment processes crude oil and other feedstock for the manufacture of various grades of gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, asphalt, and other petroleum-based products that are distributed through owned and third-party product terminal. It owns and operates four independent refineries located in Tyler, Texas; El Dorado, Arkansas; Big Spring, Texas; and Krotz Springs, Louisiana, as well as three biodiesel facilities in Crossett, Arkansas, Cleburne, Texas, and New Albany. The Logistics segment gathers, transports, and stores crude oil, intermediate, and refined products; and markets, distributes, transports, and stores refined products for third parties. It owns or leases capacity on approximately 400 miles of crude oil transportation pipelines, approximately 450 miles of refined product pipelines, an approximately 900-mile crude oil gathering system, and associated crude oil storage tanks with an aggregate of approximately 10.2 million barrels of active shell capacity; and owns and operates ten light product distribution terminals, as well as markets light products using third-party terminals. The Retail segment owns and leases 248 convenience store sites located primarily in West Texas and New Mexico. Its convenience stores offer various grades of gasoline and diesel under the DK or Alon brand; and food products and service, tobacco products, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, and general merchandise, as well as money orders to the public primarily under the 7-Eleven and DK or Alon brand names. It serves oil companies, independent refiners and marketers, jobbers, distributors, utility and transportation companies, the U.S. government, and independent retail fuel operators. Delek US Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III Scots L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Aoba Life Insurance Company Ltd., Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI Ireland L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI US L.P., Dale/P Minerals Limited Partnership, Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Horizon GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sprint GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Harvest Asset Management LLC, Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Kyouei Nenkin Home, LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., Lotus Reinsurance Company Ltd., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Montana Capital Partners, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund A LP, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund II - A LP, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Desert Falcon Farms Manager LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI River Bend Ranches LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PG Friendly Partners Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM AC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory Shanghai Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Australia Pty Ltd, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Feeder VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM Custom Harvest LLC, PGIM DC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC JV GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC Solutions LLC, PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM Holdings Limited, PGIM Hong Kong Ltd., PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM IRELAND LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments Ireland Limited, PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital Ireland Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM QUANTITATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC, PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Global Master Fund GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles II S de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Japan Ltd., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. CORE Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate UK Limited, PGIM Scots Limited, PGIM Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Shanghai Company Ltd., PGIM Singapore Pte. Ltd., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM Taronga Investor GP LLC, PGIM U.S. Agriculture Fund LP, PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Wadhwani LLP, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings UK Limited, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP SCOTS FEEDER LLP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF Debt Fund Manager LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica Business Consulting Shanghai Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Pramerica Insurance Agency China Company Ltd., Pramerica Luxembourg CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate Scots LP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I Scotland Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Netherlands GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Scots CP GP LLP, Preco III Scotland Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd. Prudential Gibraltar Agency Kabushiki Kaisha, Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Select Strategies LLC, Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Tax Services LLC, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service, Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy US Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., VIP Australia Holding Company LLC, VIP Australia Trustee Pty Ltd, Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I Ireland L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I US L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC.

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In some instances, the third-year chemical engineering student would visit up to five Sydney designer boutiques in a day and drop up to $310,000.

Court documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal the long list of transactions Christine Jia Xin Lee, 21, allegedly made after Westpac accidentally gave her an unlimited overdraft on her statement account.

A Sydney student mistakenly given $4.6 million in a banking glitch has allegedly spent vast amounts of the money on designer handbags, clothes, jewellery, mobile phones, a "selfie" camera and even a deluxe vacuum cleaner.

Christine Jia Xin Lee leaves Ryde police station in Sydney. Credit:James Alcock

Ms Lee, who moved to Australia to study five years ago, was arrested at Sydney Airport on May 4 as she tried to board a flight home to Malaysia. She was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

It's alleged she opened the statement account one month shy of her 18th birthday  yet only realised in July 2014 that she had an unlimited overdraft. Over the next 11 months, she allegedly made hundreds of transactions, overdrawing to the tune of $4,653,333.02.

At her first appearance in Waverley Local Court on May 5, magistrate Lisa Stapleton granted her bail and cast doubt on the case, saying it appeared Ms Lee hadn't broken the law.

She said Ms Lee had allegedly used credit that was given to her by the bank and would therefore have to repay it rather than face criminal sanctions.
By WestKyStar Staff May. 14, 2016 | 05:52 PM | MURRAY, KY

Students from the Murray State University Hutson School of Agriculture received recognition at the 2016 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Student Judging Conference hosted by the University of Minnesota Crookston.The annual judging conference was held April 14-16 and saw participation from 575 college students representing 23 four-year schools and 15 two-year schools from across the United States. Sixteen agriculture and natural resources contests were held at the conference. Contests included horse judging, agribusiness, landscape design, dairy judging, knowledge bowl, general livestock, wildlife management, agricultural sales and marketing, soils, mechanized agriculture, crops, hippology, small animals, agricultural computers, horticulture and livestock management.Murray State University Agribusiness Club students participated in three contests at the conference: agribusiness, ag sales and marketing, and the knowledge bowl. The teams were recognized at the banquet on Saturday, April 16. Murray State students placed as the second highest team overall in the Agribusiness competition and third highest team in the senior college divisions Ag Sales and Marketing competition. Murray State also received fourth place in the senior division of the Agriculture Knowledge Bowl.The Agribusiness contest consists of a two-part exam that evaluates competitors grasp of concepts such as agribusiness management, agricultural economics, agricultural finance, agricultural policy and law, and commodity marketing. Members of the Agribusiness team included Benjamin Hornback of Slaughters, KY; Rebecca Gragas, of Santa Clarita, CA; Matthew Rehmer of Lenzburg, IL; and Kyle Schenck of Boston, KY.The Ag Sales and Marketing team was composed of three members; Shelby Fuhr of Columbia, Ill.; Rebecca Gragas, of Santa Clarita, Calif.; and Kyle Schenck of Boston, Ky. This contest requires team members to compete individually in one of the three areas of agricultural sales. These areas include agricultural equipment, agricultural input products, and agricultural service. The ag sales and marketing contest consists of a fifty-question general knowledge exam and a forty-five minute practical application of their area of sales in which they attempt to complete the sale of their product.In addition to competing in the judging contest, students were able to meet with management of SunOpta Sunflower to tour their vertically integrated processing facility, and visit with representatives of other local agribusinesses including CHS Ag Services, Valley Plains Equipment, and Ag Country FCS. Students explored the areas natural resources with a visit to Itasca State Park and the Mississippi River Headwaters.Along with the Murray State University Agribusiness Club, sponsors of the team include CHS Foundation, Plowin Nine, Inc. (IL), Farm Credit Illinois, Nelson County (KY) Farm Bureau, Bockhorn Ag, Inc. (IL), Lehrs Market Inc. (IL), Mr. Richard Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Voelkel, Mr. Steven K. Stults, and Ms. Min Johnson.For more information about Murray States participation in the 2016 NACTA Judging Conference, please contact Dr. Michelle Santiago at msantiago1@murraystate.edu
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One arrested, two to the hospital after hit-and-run crash on I-24 in Christian County
By The Associated Press

By The Associated Press May. 12, 2016 | 09:02 PM | HENDERSON, KY

Four Republicans are vying for the only open seat in Kentucky's congressional delegation this year.

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield is retiring after 21 years in Kentucky's sprawling 1st Congressional District that includes all of far western Kentucky and portions of central Kentucky.

Former state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer is running a traditional campaign, touting his experience and endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association and the Tea Party Express.

Former Whitfield aide Michael Pape is focusing on border security. He has run TV ads embracing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump while also appealing to voters who supported former candidate Ted Cruz.

Other candidates in Tuesday's race include Hickman County Attorney Jason Batts and military veteran Miles A. Caughey Jr. The winner will face Democrat Sam Gaskins in November.
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By The Associated Press

May. 14, 2016 | OWENSBORO, KY

By The Associated Press May. 14, 2016 | 12:53 PM | OWENSBORO, KY

Officials say a woman whose body was found in the Ohio River a day after two other bodies were recovered has been identified.



Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey King said in an email Friday that the woman was 51-year-old Darcy Hess of Cannelton, Indiana. He said the case is still being investigated, but that detectives don't suspect foul play and believe the death is unrelated to the other two.



Hess' body was found Thursday outside the city limits of Owensboro.



Daviess County Sheriff's Department officials told media outlets earlier that one of the bodies found Wednesday had been shot in the back of the head and had ligature marks around the neck.



The bodies found Wednesday were badly decomposed. Neither has been identified.








By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 14, 2016 | 11:16 PM | MARION, KY

A one-car crash Saturday morning in Crittenden County left a Lyon County man injured and facing charges.

According to the Kentucky State Police, the wreck happened around 1:45 am on US 641, near the Crittenden/Caldwell County line. Troopers said 18-year-old Bryant Millikan of Eddyville was southbound on US 641 when he lost control of his car.

Millikan's car crossed both lanes of travel, and left the left shoulder of the roadway. His car then rolled multiple times and came to rest upright off the roadway.

Millikan was transported by ambulance to the Crittenden County Hospital where he was treated and released. He was then lodged in the Crittenden County Detention Center on a charge of DUI 1st offense.

Troopers said Millikan was not wearing his seat belt.
One of the North Carolina General Assembly's top budget writers in Henderson County's Representative Chuck McGrady...who has released this reort on a new state budget, revenues, and raises for teachers and state employees:

Two weeks ago, Governor McCrory announced his budget priorities. No real surprises---he wants more compensation for teachers, targeted raises for other state employees, and recommends substantially more money for mental health among other things. The details of his budget were sent over to the legislature the following week.

Last week, with little fanfare, the legislatures fiscal research staff and the Administrations budget staff reached agreement on how much revenue well have based on tax collections, primarily income and sale tax projections. The medias focus, though, was on an agreement between the NC House and Senate on a spending target. McCrory had a spending target of $22.3 Billion, and the legislatures agreed upon cap is $22.225 Billion.

While Asheville Citizen-Times reporters said that the difference probably reduces the chance of teachers getting all of the 5 percent pay raise and 3.5 percent bonuses, and state employees getting a 3 percent bonus McCrory proposed, there is not a really big difference between the Governors target and the legislatures target. It is true there is slightly less money in the legislative spending target than the Governors target, but the reporters premise struck me like almost everything else put out about the budget over the past few years: mostly a figment of the medias imagination.

I think back to last year. For months, the media (and Democrats and liberal bloggers) moaned about the huge budget deficit we were facing and how that would mean cuts to education and other programs. Of course, that didnt turn out to be true. In fact, we ran a large surplus which triggered tax cuts.

As a budget writer, I think the agreement on a budget target this early in the session only suggests that it shouldnt be a long legislative session since were working on numbers in the same ballpark. It is just a spending target. If there were some significant change, for example, a natural disaster, a target could be changed.

Rather than worrying about the spending target, the more important number announced last week was that the states revenue number was adjusted upward. Wed been expecting a budget surplus but the surplus was adjusted upward. A few weeks ago, the projection was for a $237 million revenue surplus, but the new number was a $330 million surplus.

To understand why that is a more important number, one has to understand the concept of recurring funds versus nonrecurring funds. Recurring funds are monies that can be expected from year-to-year based on the history of fund collections. Nonrecurring funds are monies that represent a one-time bump in fund collections. In any budget, you have things that happen that bring ones revenues in a bit higher than expected, but you cant expect whatever happened to happen againthus, nonrecurring funds. On the other hand, we project income tax collections and sales tax collections but, if no changes are made to the tax code, one can fairly reliably project what funds one will have next year---thus, recurring funds.

While Im glad we have a spending target because it signals that the budget process is likely to be short, the better news is that were going to have slightly more recurring funds. Why? You cant give a pay raise with nonrecurring funds, since you dont know whether those funds will be available next year. With more recurring funds, we have slightly more flexibility on compensation issues.

The Governor worked around this issue by providing bonusesone-time compensation which might not occur next year. While the legislature may have a lower spending target than the Governor, it has more flexibility than he did when he put together his budget.

So dont fall for the narrative that focuses on the wrong numbers. What Ive learned is that the media and pundits on the right and left usually has little idea of what the budget numbers actually mean.

The General Assembly adopted a two-year budget last September. Technically, we are not adopting another budget. Rather, we are modifying the second year of that budget to reflect the new revenue projections, to modify appropriations made in the budget to reflect the needs, and providing new monies for new priorities.

This week, the various House-side appropriations committees, transportation, justice and public safety, health and human services, among others, have put together their recommendations. Those recommendations [Agriculture and Natural Resources, Capital, Education, General Government, Health and Human Services, Information Technology, Justice and Public Safety, Transportation] will be cobbled together by the so-called Big Chairs, and on Monday afternoon the Houses proposed budget is likely to go public when it appears online.

If all goes as planned, by the end of next week, the House will pass its budget. After that, the Senate will use a similar process. Most likely, there will be differences between the House budget and the Senate budget. The two bodies will then appoint a conference committee to iron out the differences. That is scheduled to happen before the end of June. If the schedule holds, a budget will go to the Governor for his signature before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER  When Ben Campbell heard Earls was switching to Certified Humane beef from the U.S., he had a different reaction than many Alberta ranchers.

The 32-year-old raises grass-fed cattle without added hormones at his ranch in Black Diamond, about 60 kilometres southwest of Calgary. He sells directly to customers, often inviting them to visit the rolling hills where his animals graze.

To Campbell, Earls decision was a response to a trend he had seen firsthand: growing consumer demand for ethical meat. And though Earls backtracked after a social media slaughtering, Campbell said the beef industry can learn from the controversy.

Ben Campbell, who runs the environmentally-friendly Grazed Right cattle ranch, feeds cattle near Black Diamond, Alta., Friday, May 13, 2016.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

People care about where their food comes from and they should, he said. The average Alberta farmer is proud of the way he produces his beef or she produces her beef, and we want to showcase it. I think a lot of people will be happy to have a certification to show the high standard.

Alberta ranchers say Canada is a leader in animal welfare standards. But companies like Earls and McDonalds are increasingly finding that customers, especially millennials, want proof that meat was raised humanely  forcing the industry to embrace certification programs it once resisted.

Weve got to get more comfortable as an industry with those verifications and audits, said Bob Lowe, chairman of Alberta Beef Producers.

We have been doing things very well and weve been adapting to the science as it comes along, but its just the independent nature of cattle producers. They just dont want people snooping around.

Certified Humane is a U.S.-based trademark with standards enforced through annual inspections. Some Canadian ranches have the designation, but when Earls couldnt find enough supply in Canada, it switched to buying exclusively in the United States.

The Canadian industry balked, insisting that local ranchers already met similar standards under national codes of practice. However, the codes of practice are guidelines that arent enforced through inspections.

Ranchers have had to turn to third-party programs for verification, like Certified Humane or the made-in-Canada option SPCA Certified. Animal welfare advocates say it should be the job of government to inspect farms for humane treatment.

What the Earls situation really brings to the forefront is that this industry isnt being regulated, and consumers want the regulation, said Anna Pippus, a lawyer with Animal Justice, a legal group that fights for the rights of animals.

Rob McNabb of the Canadian Cattlemens Association pointed out cattle are inspected during transportation for slaughter, and the final product is inspected at the meat packing plant. Provincial SPCA officers inspect farms when they receive cruelty complaints.

Theres no need (for regular on-farm inspection by government), said McNabb. At the end of the day, nobody is questioning the value or the safety or the wholesomeness of Canadian beef.

The association is set to unveil its own audit-enforced program called Verified Beef Production Plus in June. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is crafting standards for animal welfare, sustainability and biosecurity that will become part of the program.

Sylvain Charlebois, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, said ethical meat is more important to millennials, who now outnumber boomers in the marketplace.

Its way beyond just the calories. Its really about feeling good about what youre buying and making a difference in the world.

Earls has since apologized for its mistake and promised to source some of its beef from Alberta suppliers that meet its criteria. The chain made the switch after surveying customers and staff and finding a majority favoured humane beef.

Spokeswoman Cate Simpson said anecdotally about half of Earls guests and the majority of its staff are millennials. Staff reported a high awareness of animal welfare since childhood, she said.

McDonalds opted to work with the Canadian industry when it decided to begin serving sustainable beef, and many ranchers credit it with helping drive change. The burger giant introduced a pilot project last year in which farms were audited for animal welfare, among other things.

Stephen Hughes, whose Chinook Ranch won a 2003 environmental stewardship award from Alberta Beef Producers, jumped at the chance to get verified under the pilot.

I changed nothing to fit the parameters. Its just getting the story out and getting verified, (that) is where I think our industry has opportunities going forward, he said.

Hughes said urban eaters are increasingly disconnected from food producers, and he understands the need for certification to instill consumer confidence. But after spending all day helping to deliver calves in a snowstorm, he issued a fierce rebuke to city-dwellers who assume the worst of ranchers.

There are a lot of bleeding hearts in downtown Vancouver and Calgary who would think theyre more worried about my animals welfare than I am who wouldnt have set foot in that storm, he said.

Its actually my financial existence. Plus, I just care, and thats why I do it. I care about animals.

 Follow @ellekane on Twitter.
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This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY  A man accused of stabbing five young people at an end-of-school house party is to go to trial Monday in what police have said is Calgarys worst mass killing.

Matthew de Grood, 24, faces five counts of first-degree murder. Hes been in custody since shortly after the attack on April 15, 2014.

Police were called to a four-bedroom home on a tree-lined street in the citys northwest after things went horribly wrong at the party, which was being held to mark the end of the university school year.

Matthew de Grood appears in a Calgary court on Tuesday April 22, 2014 in an artist's sketch. A man accused of stabbing five young people at an end-of-school house party is to go to trial Monday in what police have said is Calgary's worst mass killing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Janice Fletcher

Three men were found dead at the scene. A fourth man found stabbed on the front lawn and a woman who was stabbed inside the home died in hospital.

Lawrence Hong, 27; Josh Hunter, 23; Kaitlin Perras, 23; Zackariah Rathwell, 21; and Jordan Segura, 22, were all killed.

Police have not said what they believe may have motivated the attack. They have revealed de Grood was invited to the party and mingled with guests before violence broke out.

The trial is scheduled for two weeks. It is being heard by an out-of-town judge at the request of both the prosecution and defence, because de Groods father is a high-ranking city police officer and could be called to testify.

A psychiatric review determined de Grood was fit to stand trial, because he understands the charges against him and is able to communicate with his lawyer.

He has been undergoing treatment at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre since his arrest.

Allan Fay, who represents de Grood, hasnt ruled out a defence of not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder.

 Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter
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This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A blockade of three Manitoba Hydro sites by Fox Lake Cree Nation ended on the weekend following talks between the Crown corporation and the First Nation.

The Crown corporation announced an agreement had been reached following meetings with Hydro CEO Kelvin Shepherd, who arrived Friday morning at the bands request.

In a phone interview Sunday, Chief Walter Spence said Shepherd attended a meeting at the blockade site to end the action.

CLARA MCLEOD PHOTO The blockade by Fox Lake Cree Nation began after members of the band discovered ceremonial land, adorned with prayer flags and tobacco ties, was destroyed.

It was a positive, positive conclusion. We renewed our commitment. By that I mean Manitoba Hydro and Fox Lake, to work together more closely and strengthen our relationship, Spence said.

The agreement signed to end the blockade will include regular quarterly meetings between Hydro executives and the Cree leaders.

We had a lot to discuss and they are going to work hard at not allowing this to occur again, Spence said.

Shepherd met with Spence, elders and community members to discuss Hydros commitment to mutual respect of the land, according to a news release.

Manitoba Hydro shares the concern of Fox Lake Cree Nation over the disrespectful damage to a sacred site, said Shepherd in the release. After the meeting with the chief, elders and community members over the last two days, we have worked with them to address their concerns and find ways to move forward, heal and find solutions.

We are very pleased to have reached an agreement and to have the blockade down.

The blockade was first erected Thursday at the junction of the reserve and Highway 290 after Spence said sacred ceremonial land near the site was desecrated. Access to Hydros Limestone Generation station, Keewatinohk Access Gate and Henday Converter Station was blocked.

Spence said the action was taken after members found ceremonial land adorned with prayer flags and tobacco ties had been destroyed. Several nearby trees were uprooted near the remote First Nations community, about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

The flags and ties had been placed by members of the Cree Nation in November as part of a groundbreaking ceremony to honour the land before construction began by Manitoba Hydro on the reserve; Manitoba Hydro participated in the ceremony.

Spence said Friday the initial meeting between band members and the CEO was heated and tense. But, the chief added, the tension diffused and we had more dialogue and more openness.

Shepherd also met with band elders, who gave Shepherd an oral history of the effect of hydro construction projects on the community. That made most of the members say, Yes, hes genuine,' Spence said.

Meanwhile, workers told the Free Press via emails prior to the end of the blockade that contrary to official statements, there were more than 350 workers stuck on the job and food had been rationed at the hydro stations.

Supplied From left to right seated at table: Councillor Shawna Henderson, Councillor Martin Nicholas, Chief Walter Spence, CEO of Manitoba Hydro Kelvin Shepherd and Indigenous Relations Elissa Neville sign agreement.

The workers in the Henday and Limestone stations do not stay in camps and they live in Gillam with their family and loved ones and have been stuck in the stations since Friday morning at the earliest. Unless they were the night shift then they have been in there since Thursday night, one worker said by email prior to the blockade coming down.

Earlier reports stated the blockade hadnt impacted ongoing work at the three sites as the workers live in camps on the sites, but had blocked access in and out of the sites for Hydros 280 workers.

Another said workers were frustrated because the utility wasnt updating the stations with information on how talks were going.

There are also around 350 contract workers being held here on the (Keewatinohk) work site. The camp has started to ration food. So far workers that are scheduled to go home Monday are going to be held back and are not being given any information of when we can leave, the worker said.

It seems like we are being held against our will. Some workers want to go home but Fox Lake is not letting people leave! Workers are having to submit requests to the band for right of passage and that has to go through a approval process, the worker said.

Neither worker wanted their names disclosed.

The chief did not comment on the workers emails, but he stressed the blockade was a peaceful social action.
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This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents around Bishop Grandin Boulevard and Pembina need not worry if they hear explosions this afternoon.

A public advisory sent by Winnipeg police Sunday warned that Manitoba Hydro will be conducting operations from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. involving explosions in the area, as well as at the Sobeys on Taylor avenue.

The work will consist of stringing large lines with compression connectors. The connectors are crimped onto the wires through the use of an explosive charges called an imploder.

Manitoba Hydro will be conducting operations involving explosives on their towers situated in the areas of Bishop Grandin/Pembina, and the Sobeys Store on Taylor.

Police warn the detonation will be loud and often results in numerous calls to the police.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/05/2016 (2354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg firefighters have saved a opioid drug-overdose victim just days after receiving the ability to administer a life-saving drug.

Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, said Saturday the drug naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, was administered for the first time by a paramedic with a patient who was in respiratory arrest sometime overnight.

It was an overdose, Forrest said. The firefighters were there in just a few minutes and gave the life-saving drug.

MEL EVANS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is a key tool to prevent overdose deaths.

If it was three weeks earlier we wouldnt have had the drug to administer, and there would have been a high chance this would have had a very serious outcome.

Shortly after Forrest tweeted about the drug being used, Mayor Brian Bowman responded on Twitter, saying: Great news! Winnipeggers appreciate the life-saving efforts of our first responders.

Forrest said the drug has been put on 40 pumper trucks spread throughout the city.

He said this means 400 firefighters, who have also been trained as paramedics and are usually the first ones on the scene of emergency calls, can quickly help people who overdose on opioid drugs.

Last year, the Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service responded to about 100 fentanyl overdoses in Winnipeg, of which about 45 per cent were in cardiac or respiratory arrest.

We can now make a huge difference in life-and-death situations, Forrest said.

Its a new amazing drug with amazing outcomes.

Forrest said getting the drug quickly when needed, which is in a syringe and administered with a needle into the patients thigh or upper arm, is only possible here because Winnipeg is the only major Canadian city that has a trained paramedic on board every fire truck.

That gives us the quick response time, he said.

Firefighters can be there within two minutes in the downtown core and in four minutes or less to 90 per cent of the city.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It has been more than two years since the Islamic State first swept out of Syria to capture a vast swath of northern Iraq.

These Sunni Muslim extremists captured, intact, a significant arsenal of weapons, armoured vehicles and munitions, which the demoralized Iraqi security forces simply abandoned. In the north, the Kurds took advantage of the Iraqi armys dissolution by mounting their own offensive to capture the lucrative oilfields around Kirkuk.

While it is true the Kurdish fighters (Peshmerga) also fought IS in order to keep them out of Kurdish-claimed territory, it is a conveniently overlooked fact they also fought Iraqi security forces in order to seize Kirkuk.

JAKE SIMKIN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A young Kurdish fighter holds a position in Kobani, Syria.

As IS pushed south towards Baghdad, embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had no choice but to call out the Shiite militia in order to defend the capital. Those security forces, which should have been loyal to al-Abadis central authority and have been trained and equipped at great expense by the United States, had effectively ceased to exist.

To fill the void and to shore up the Shiite militias against the IS Sunni extremists, Iran sent in military advisers and weapons. The U.S. cobbled together an international coalition  including Canadian fighter jets  to mount a combat air campaign to help contain the spread of IS.

Inside Syria, IS was fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. To retain his hold on power, and to protect his Alawite Shiite minority, Assad enlisted the aid of Iran and Hezbollah, and eventually he even called in his old friend Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Canadians understood IS was evil, and this was further rammed home with their slick series of graphic beheading and immolation videos. Many felt we needed to do something to thwart this evil entity.

What made things difficult for the Conservative government was the fact it had demonized most of the groups that were also battling IS. It would be a pretty tough sell to suggest to Canadians we were deploying troops in support of Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah, Iranian soldiers, Shiite militias or Putin.

So instead, we picked the Kurds in northern Iraq as the lesser of multiple evils. Canada agreed to send elite commandos to train and equip Kurdish fighters as well as six CF-18 fighter jets that would only bomb very select targets, so the Harper Conservatives would not be seen as aiding any of their categorized boogeymen.

During the March 2015 offensive to recapture Tikrit from IS, Iranian and U.S. advisers worked in close collaboration with both Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias. Allied air power assisted in the victory, but Canadian officials made it clear none of our aircraft were involved. Iran was big on Harpers hate list, and even if they were fighting IS, we were not about to assist them.

With the Liberals now in power, we have removed our six fighter jets from the allied air armada but increased the number of commandos deployed to train Kurds.

The official policy stated by Justin Trudeaus Global Affairs Department is at the end of the day, Canada wants Iraq to remain a unified state within its present borders, under a central Baghdad authority. That is, of course, not the openly stated intention of the Kurdish fighters whom we are training and equipping.

This is not some underhanded conspiracy theory whispered in dark alleys, given Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq, has already stated he will hold a referendum on independence this year.

It is the oilfields of Kirkuk that will provide Kurdistan with the economic engine to make independence a viable option.

These are the same oilfields the Kurdish fighters captured from the security forces loyal to the Baghdad central government, which our Canadian government purports to support.

Oh, what a tangled web weve woven.

Scott Taylor, a former soldier, is an author and editor of Esprit de Corps magazine.
Opinion

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This article was published 15/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gone is the green.

When Premier Brian Pallister or any of his cabinet ministers make government announcements, you will see a new podium sign with a new slogan and new colours. Gone are the green signs featuring with the words Steady Growth, Good Jobs which became a hallmark of the NDP government. In its place, you will see a two-toned blue sign that says, Manitobas New Government: Better Together.

The new podium sign is a direct steal from the Progressive Conservative election campaign, which promised a Better Plan for a Better Manitoba. Its not hard to see why the Tories would want to keep that theme going; voters responded by giving Pallister a resounding majority government.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Progressive Conservative leader Brian Pallister is sworn in as premier May 11.

Will the new slogan be extended to other government advertisements and marketing vehicles? Its already being used as the backdrop on electronic monitors at news conferences, and the Twitter feed from central communications and cabinet ministers now features the hashtag #BetterTogether.

However, according to government officials, there are no plans to launch an official re-branding or a new slogan for the province. At least not yet. But if the new PC government were to make greater use of the two-toned blue sign and Better Together slogan, it would be well within the parameters of political tradition.

After 16 years of NDP government, it was difficult to figure out where election branding ended and government branding began. Election slogans like Much Accomplished, More to Do and Building Together morphed easily into government slogans such as Steady Growth, Good Jobs. There was nothing remarkable about that process; parties that triumph in elections and are offered the chance to form government do not suddenly or easily give up on the hyperbole used in the heat of electoral battle.

And while it remains to be seen whether Pallister will expand the use of the double blue and new slogan  remember, the PCs have pledged to dramatically reduce spending on government ads  you can be sure that in Mondays speech from the throne, there will be lots of references to Manitobas New Government and its plans for a better Manitoba by working together.

Throne speeches do not only signal the beginning of a legislative session. They also allow the government of the day to establish the broad themes that it will pursue through programs and fiscal policy. This throne speech is a particularly important political event, an opportunity for the premier and his ministers to re-assure both those who voted for the Tories, and those who did not, that there are positive changes coming.

There will be some specific pledges mentioned in the speech. Every government tries to deliver on some low-hanging fruit to show it has the capacity to act on its promises. In this instance, you can be sure that Lt. Gov. Janice Filmon, who has the honour of annunciating the governments plans in the throne speech, will deliver a few tantalizing nuggets dredged up from the Tory campaign platform.

However, Manitobans should prepare themselves for a pretty Spartan plan going forward. The throne speech comes at a time when Pallister has precious little in the way of time or fiscal room to make big changes right away.

Pallister has said repeatedly he has a mandate from Manitobans to lower taxes, improve government services and boost the economy. Although that is a fair description of the themes in the Tory election campaign, it is not necessarily a list of things he will accomplish in the first year of government. They are, in all fairness, goals that will take years to realize. And there are other complicating factors.

First, the province is currently operating without a budget plan for the current fiscal year. The NDP elected to bypass a formal budget and deliver instead a fiscal and economic outlook document that relied on broad strokes to describe the state of the treasury and government services. By now, most political insiders know this was done, in large part, to avoid having to reveal the full extent of the deficit.

Pallisters government will get its chance to reveal just how bad things are when it delivers a budget in late May that will create an opportunity to formally deliver on some of the aforementioned low-hanging fruit. The throne speech will probably serve as a look ahead to that budget, with the mention of some modest tax measures, probably the promise to index income tax brackets. But otherwise, the speech and budget will spend more time focusing on the shortcomings of the former government than the vision of the new government. The deficit will be large, the economic outlook will be modest, and the demands on the Pallister government will be enormous.

It will be important to remember that Pallisters rhetoric around beginning a new era of government, and sparking a better overall economic performance, is now wholly dependent on macro-economic conditions. That is not to say the Tories cannot be better at governing; all new governments should aspire to improve upon all aspects and outcomes of the previous governments. However, these are difficult times and proof of a Better Manitoba could be hard to come by if the economy, and thus government revenues, do not surge.

Monday is historic by any measure. It is the launch of a new government with a new focus and an expressed interest in doing things better. We should all hope Pallister is successful at making meaningful improvements in government performance and outcomes. Otherwise, all well have is a lot more blue where once there was green.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
INDEPENDENCE  At the age of 88, Adeline Kulig Puccini remains spunkier than a cherub on Christmas Eve, with a devilish twinkle in her eye when asked where she got the half-million dollars to pay for an addition, including an elevator, for the church where she was baptized. None of your business, Puccini said with a mischievous smile during an interview Friday, in advance of the dedication and celebration Sunday of her gift to Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Independence. A knowledgeable fly on a pew hinted that Puccini had done well with investments. Puccini, who has a bachelors degree from the University of Illinois and a masters from Northwestern University, confessed as much a few minutes later, saying, I had a 40-year career as a speech pathologist. Im vested well. So was her husband, the late Navy Capt. Joe Puccini, a Top Gun aviator, she said, adding quickly and firmly, This is my charity. His charities are in Texas. Puccini repeated that distinction several times during a conversation in which she noted that the church addition, formally labeled on a plaque as being In Memory of the William Kulig Family, also is a remembrance of the Puccinis daughter, Nancy Ann, who died of cancer two years ago. Puccini was born and raised in Independence, now an enclave of about 1,350 people perched among the rolling hills and valleys of Trempealeau County. Now living in Virginia, she has spent most of her adult life on the East Coast, after a somewhat nomadic life as a military spouse. Im a Navy wife, with a captain, she said. Back to visit the expansive Kulig clan in the area, as well as friends and to attend the dedication, Puccini saw the addition for the first time this week. Asked how she came up with the idea, she said it occurred to her during a previous visit. I was coming down the steps, following a man on crutches. Im 88 years old and I dont do steps, she said. Upon donating the $500,000 for the addition that houses the elevator, steps and a first-floor restroom on the north side of the church, Puccini made it clear to the parishs renovation committee that the project had to be top notch. I didnt want a Polish cattle ramp, she said, a comment that is ethnically acceptable because of her Polish lineage and the fact that Ss. Peter and Paul is a largely Polish congregation. The sign on the church lawn designates it as Ss. Peter and Paul, and the white cement nameplate above the front doors says, Kosciol S.S. Piotra I Pawla. Pastored by the Very Rev. Woodrow Pace, Ss. Peter and Paul is the second-largest church in the 19-county La Crosse Diocese, behind only the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in the see city. Puccini told the restoration committee not to scrimp on the elevator, either, insisting that it be large enough to accommodate not only several wheelchairs at a time but also a casket for funerals, when a hearse also will be able to pull up to the church on the new half-circle driveway adjacent to the addition. Puccini, who spent much of her time in the church Friday taking pictures of the restoration, also didnt want an addition that appeared tacked on, directing that it be designed to be compatible with the bricks and stone of the church, which has a cornerstone dated 1895. That also was accomplished, with the new structure being so seamless that it appears to be part of the original church, where the side steps had been outside, exposed to the elements. Repeating that the addition is from my estate, not my husbands  make sure you put it that way, Puccini said she helped design the two large stained-glass windows on either side of the doors. The windows, which she commissioned at Vanderhoff Studios in Melrose, depict the Divine Mercy of Jesus and Pope St. John Paul II, a pontiff close to her heart. My grandparents were from the same area of Poland as St. John Paul, she asserted with pride. Even as dozens of parishioners and former parishioners  most of whom seemed to be related to her  paraded past, Puccini carefully checked out the amenities. Cocking her head a bit, she pointed to the large, ornate fixture above the elevator door and said, I think maybe that light should have lowered. Its beautiful at night, with light emanating from the windows. The parish of 700 units, some of which are individuals and others, families, has noticed an uptick in attendance since the elevator began operating a few weeks ago, said Bill Baxa, a member of the churchs restoration committee. When older members unable to navigate the stairs had to go elsewhere to church, the congregation lost their families as well, because they followed their elders, Baxa said. The renovation, costing in the neighborhood of $2 million by the time it is completed, has included a new roof and refurbishing the outside, as well as painting the ornate interior and refinishing the pews, Baxa said. This is something that was talked about for over 30 years, he said. Its something people value. After the renovation was announced, he said, People came out of the woodwork to help clean it up and make pledges  even people who had moved away and remember going to the school. The restoration committee was formed about 6 years ago, said Ginny Kulig, a committee member. We spent a lot of time the first two years just getting the envelope up to snuff, she said. The church enlisted Affiliated Artists of Butler, Wis., to repaint the interior, including details such as golden touches to the Stations of the Cross and pillars extending to the high ceilings. They built scaffolding and moved it around the church, said Kulig, one of Adelines relatives by marriage. In the interim, all of the pews were removed, volunteers refinished them and they were stored in trucks that Ashley Furniture Industries from nearby Arcadia loaned the parish, she said. The church seats between 800 and 850, down from the original 1,200 because the new arrangement spaces the pews 36 inches apart instead of the previous 30, Baxa said. People get larger as they get older, and some have mobility issues, he said. As for Adeline Kulig Puccini, she has other charities in addition to her original parish. This is my estate, she repeated. My husbands and my daughters charities are in Texas, his native state, where donations from him and Nancy have gone to a cancer center serving nine counties. The Puccinis also donated more than $1 million to the Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education at the University of Illinois-Urbana. Puccini has plans for additional donations from her estate, including a Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Africa. Im going to spend a lot of it, she said with a glint in her eye.
Adeline Nehls

Adeline Nehls of Madison, formerly of Juneau, 85, died very peacefully with family at bedside.

She was born Aug. 7, 1930, in the middle of threshing time at the Watertown Hospital. She grew up on the farm east of Juneau amidst fields plowed by teams of draft horses, sewing your own clothes and growing food put by in the cellar for winters warmed by a wood furnace. Adeline learned to work hard and never stopped working hard nor helping everyone she could.

Following graduation from Juneau High School, Adeline bravely struck out for Milwaukee and beauty school, graduated with honors, got a new job and a husband, Melvin Nehls. She went on to fix hair for many relatives between full time raising a family, participating in her community and church as a happy and willing volunteer. Adeline always found the family, neighbors and friends that needed her help while instilling in her children the ethic of human caring.

To all those who knew Adeline its likely they would not say she was a fighter. They would probably say she was kind, devoted, sweet, always ready to pitch in, empathetic, ready with a smile. How many gallons of blood donated, how many hot dishes for church/school events, how many elections to volunteer for, how many nursing home bingo games to facilitate, how many exercise classes to lead? Then for relaxation, how many miles to swim at the YMCA?

But in the end she was a fighter. She was a hospice patient for two-and-a-half years and surprised her doctor, hospice team and family with how much life she could find in her increasingly tiny body. Adeline was a fighter, finally finding her way to the very end with peace and grace in spite of her dementia and extreme frailty.

Adeline is survived by her children: Jennifer, Madison, Marlon (Gloria), California and Andrew (Diane), Texas. Her brother, Norbert, sisters-in-law Charlotte Schmidt and Celia Nehls. Also survived by nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Melvin Nehls, her parents Kurt and Meta Gerbitz.

Visitation is Tuesday, May 17, 2016, from noon to 2 p.m. at St. Johns Ev. Lutheran Church in Juneau, Wis. A funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. at the church. The Rev. Paul Hirsch will officiate. A private interment will be at Juneau City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations to the Alzheimer Association to help reduce the terrible suffering exacted by dementia. Make a general donation or a memorial or tribute to honor a friend or family member. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of people living with Alzheimers disease and support research to improve treatment, care and prevention. Donations are tax-deductible. Donate by phone call 1-800-272-3900. Donate by mail: Send a check to Alzheimers Association 2820 Walton Commons, Suite 132, Madison, WI. 53718.

The family would like to thank all the people involved in caring for Adeline over the course of her decline from dementia. Meriter Hospitals ICU staff , Dr. John McCartney and Dr. David Solfelt. Staff from her assisted living, Sadie, Jenny, Sherrie, Brenda S., Jackie, Carrie, Chelsi, Lissette and Chaunte. The hospice care team, Kristy Scoville, RN for her understanding of what would be most helpful, to Deirdre Young, RN, for going above and beyond in her support of Mom and Jennifer and for Courtney Aeschlimann CAN, for her extraordinary and tender loving care of Adeline.

The Berndt-Ledesma Funeral HomeJuneau is serving the family.
April 26, 9:04 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a tree and mulch on fire on North Dickason Boulevard in the city of Columbus.

April 26, 10:27 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and cancelled while enroute.

April 26, 8:44 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a carbon monoxide alarm on South Water Street in the city of Columbus.

May 3, 2:46 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries on Highway 151 in the town of Elba.

May 3, 7:03 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on West James Street and Industrial Drive in the city of Columbus.

May 3, 4:20 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to assist Randolph on Highway 73 for a barn fire.

May 3, 12:44 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries on Highway 151 in the town of Elba.

May 3, 12:11 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a fire alarm activation on Parkview Circle in the city of Columbus.
Micah Missall, a student at Zion School in Columbus, was chosen as one of the state 2016 annual Americanism Essay Contest winners from Wisconsin.

Missall was awarded a check and citation for his essay which now goes on to national competition. He participated in the contest sponsored by the Columbus American Legion Auxiliary. The topic of this years contest was: How do we keep Lincolns promise to our veterans and their families?
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Baby (illustration)

By: Tanya Malhotra

Parents of a young child were arrested on a charge of drug trafficking after allegedly hiding a large amount of cocaine underneath their baby in a carriage, according to police in Austria.

Vienna police said that they arrested the 21-year-old mother and 24-year-old father of the 4-week-old baby after they were caught in possession with cocaine at the Meidling train station on Thursday.

Police said that they received a tip that the couple would be carrying more than 3 pounds of cocaine. Police spotted the parents of the child walking into the train station with a stroller.

Police officers searched the stroller and found the cocaine underneath the baby. Police also found a small amount of heroin.

The drugs were estimated to be worth $175,000. The parents were waiting for customers to purchase the drugs at the train station.

The coupe was charged with drug trafficking. The parents were booked into the Josefstadt jail. The baby is staying with the mother in prison.
Chuck E. Cheeses

By: Mahesh Sarin

A father who drove at high speeds, told police that he wanted to get his son to Chuck E. Cheeseas before it closed.

However, 27-year-old Shane Elzey was not going to make it to the restaurant on time, as it was already five minutes past closing when officers pulled him over.

Police in Georgia, said that the 7-year-old boy was unrestrained while sitting in the front seat of the car.

Elzey was pulled over after 10:00 p.m. in Alpharetta, while going at speed of up to 100 miles per hour.

Officers noticed that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. His son was sitting in the front seat while his girlfriend, Jessica Patton, was lying down in the backseat of the car.

Elzey was charged with driving under the influence, child endangerment, reckless driving, speeding, child safety seat violation and disorderly conduct.

Patton became aggressive towards police. She received a summons to appear in court for disorderly conduct.

The car was impounded and the 7-year-old boy was handed over to his grandparents, according to the police report.
A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
Kathryn and Ayeeshia Smith

By: Wayne Morin

A young mother of the United Kingdom, was jailed for life after viciously killing her young daughter.

While in prison, inmates took revenge against the evil mother and killed her.

23-year-old Kathryn Smith killed her daughter, 21-month-old Ayeeshia, by stomping on her in her home in Staffordshire, until she was unconscious.

When sentencing the mother to life in prison, the judge said that the childas life was abrutally snuffed out by a vicious beating in her own bedroom.a

aHer injuries were so severe it looked as though she had been in a car crash,a the judge added.

Prisoner did not take Smithas crime lightly and took revenge by stabbing her to death in prison.

Prison officials said that Smithas face was slashed during the attack by two inmates while about ten other women watched the murder.

Smith reportedly screamed in pain as she was punched and stabbed during a four-minute beating in a stairwell that was not covered by security cameras.

Prison officials said that disciplinary actions will be taken against those who are responsible for Smithas death.

Smithas partner, Matthew Rigby, 22, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for causing or allowing the toddleras death.
Gill Parker Payne

By: Tanya Malhotra

(Scroll down for video) A plane passenger was arrested on a charge of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs after being accused of pulling off the headscarf of a woman during a flight, police in New Mexico said.

Now, 37-year-old Gill Parker Payne of Gastonia, North Carolina, will be sentenced to serve two months of home detention after pleading guilty to the charge.

According to the police investigation, Payne and the victim, identified as K.A., were passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago, Illinois, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when the incident occurred.

Payne was sitting several rows behind K.A., who was wearing a hijab. During the flight, Payne approached K.A. and he demanded to take off the head covering, saying take it off this is America.

Payne proceeded to forcibly remove the headscarf and pulled it completely off the victimas head. The woman said that she felt violated by the exposure, adding that she quickly pulled the headscarf over her head.
Couple in bed (illustration)

By: Feng Qian

Police launched an investigation after a man was found stabbed in the shoulder following an argument with a woman who demanded sex, according to police in Colorado.

The Colorado Springs Police Department said that they are looking to arrest the woman who stabbed the man for refusing her sexual advances.

According to the police, around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the victim called 911 to report that he had been stabbed in the shoulder and was bleeding.

When officers later located the man in the 100 block of East Platte Avenue, he told them that he was stabbed by a white woman after he refused to have sex with her.

The man was later taken to the Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening stab wound in the shoulder.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack. The victim stopped to cooperate with the police investigation after being released from the hospital.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The most hardcore among Florida's Republican faithful are meeting this weekend for the first time since Donald Trump became the party's presumptive presidential nominee and the reaction is largely like this: Well, he's not Hillary Clinton.

Trump carried Florida's March winner-take-all GOP primary by an overwhelming margin. In November, Florida's 29 electoral votes will be even more important. It's the largest swing state, and his task now is to get the Republican elite who opposed him to support him now.

There is lingering bitterness among activists who supported former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio. Trump insulted both in the primary, calling Rubio "Little Marco" and saying Bush was an embarrassment to his family. Activists say, though, say they will support Trump as the better option to Clinton.
"I forgive you, mother, I can hear you/ And I long to be near you," he sings on the hushed opening track, "Death With Dignity," whose title alludes to the state's assisted suicide law. "But every road leads to a dead end."

Welcome to the Beaver State: Everything here dies eventually!

Indeed, Carrie & Lowell is not a travelogue. It's an ordeal. Stevens' associations with Oregon are tied to the fleeting memories of vacationing with his estranged mother, who abandoned the family when Stevens was a child. Her death in 2012 triggered a deep, peculiar grief in the 39-year-old songwriter, mourning a woman he hardly knew. On Carrie & Lowell, Stevens processes that pain in part by returning to those places within the state he visited with his mother and stepfather, the album's respective namesakes. It's a beautifully wounded, wrenching record, abandoning the sprawling fantasias of his past few albums and returning to the understated folk of his earlier work, and ranks up with Elliott Smith's rawest recordings for sheer emotional heft.

Still, that surely won't stop some dedicated fans from treating the album as a literal road map. So we enlisted Doug Kenck-Crispin, host of the Kick Ass Oregon History podcast, for a brief guide to the sites referenced in the lyrics.





Spencer Butte (Eugene)



aFound myself on Spenceras Butte/ Traced your shadow with my shoe/ Empty outline changed my view/ Now all of me thinks less of you.a aaAll of Me Wants All of Youa

Many of Eugene's citizens voted in 1938 to purchase Spencer Butte and preserve the wee mount at the edge of town as a park for enjoyment and recreation. The point of view from the summit is surely stunningon a clear Saturday morning, you can almost see the sea of crushed red plastic cups and smoldering roaches that many of the current residents recreate with.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Hiking, trail running, look for closure in the splendor of God's creation, mountain biking.





Emerald Park (North Eugene)



aEmerald Park/ Wonders never cease/ The man who taught me to swim/ He couldnat quite say my first name.a aaEugenea

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Swimming, water aerobics, chlorine baptism.







Tillamook State Forest



aTell me, what did you learn about the Tillamook burn?/ Or the Fourth of July?/ Weare all going to die.a

aaFourth of Julya

Over two weeks in August 1933, more than 300,000 acres of beautiful forest burned, an event known as the Tillamook Burn. Today, the resulting dead forest is remembered as an ecological disaster. It was indeed a tragedy for the state of Oregon, but in that era, the biggest tragedy was mainly the loss of all the trees the loggers were going to cut down and turn into lumber, anyway.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Camping, fishing, target shooting, contemplating the inevitability of death.





Sea Lion Caves (Florence)

aSigns and wonders/ Sea lion caves in the dark/ Blind faith, Godas grace/ Nothing left to impart.a aaThe Only Thinga

The only thing you have to know about Sea Lion Caves is that it is the largest sea cave in America, and also happens to contain the largest, most horrific sea lion shit smell you could possibly imagine. Your nose will hate you for visiting.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Observe sea lions in their natural habitat, sob at the miracle of their existence.





Cottage Grove



aUnder the pear tree/ Shadows and light conspiring/ Covered bridge, I scream/ Cottage Grove shade invite me.a aaCarrie & Lowella

In the 1870s, the citizens of Cottage Grove began a bitter debate about where to locate the post office, a conflict that raged for the next two decades. This was the most exciting happening in Cottage Grove's dull but picturesque historyuntil being mentioned in a Sufjan Stevens song, at least.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Visit the town's many covered bridges, stand inside them and scream to exorcise your anguish.





The Painted Hills



aIam painting the hills blue and red/ They said beware/ Lord, hear my prayer/ Iave wasted my throes on your head.a

aaJohn My Beloveda

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Dig for fossils, pray for salvation.





The Dalles



aDrag me to hell in the valley of The Dalles/ Like my mother/ Give wings to a stone/ Itas only the shadow of a cross.a aaNo Shade in the Shadow of the Crossa

The Army Corps of Engineers laid a concrete tourniquet across the majestic Columbia River at this storied location. In March 1957, they flooded the native people's traditional fishing ground, and to add to the injury, then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1959 officiated the dam's dedication.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Tour Oregon's oldest museum, find an NA meeting.





The Blue Bucket Mine



aMy blue bucket of gold/ Friend, why donat you love me?/ Once the myth has been told/ The lens deforms it as lightning.a aaBlue Bucket of Golda

The story goes that in the fall of 1845, somewhere east of The Dalles, a multitude of shiny gold rocks was found and placed in a pioneer's blue-colored bucket. The bucket was supposedly lost, as was the location of the mythical amine.a

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES: Search for hidden treasure, search for meaning, search for something to fill the void, stop in at the Sagebrush Saloon in Vale for a SouthWest Chile Cheese Burger.

SEE IT: Sufjan Stevens plays Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, with Helado Negro, on Monday, June 8. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.

WWeek 2015
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1. The first call was made to my landline at work. Other than PR people who got the wrong number, nobody calls my landline at work. The speaker introduced himself as Roi Mandel and immediately started to tell me everything about myself. He knew the names of both of my parents, my grandparents, my mothers sisters and brother, my wife, my children, the fact that the middle one had recently celebrated his bar mitzvah and that the eldest lives in America, my position in the company, my position at my previous newspaper, articles I had written recently.

It was spooky.

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I asked him why he knew so many things about me. He told me that he was a researcher who had been sent by an American writer in search of her family history in Corfu. And somehow, since my mothers family also has roots in Corfu, he eventually got to me. At this point I was convinced that this was some sort of a sting. As a condition for carrying on the conversation I demanded that he send me a detailed explanation, and especially proof of his existence and the veracity of his supposed job.

He responded that it would not be a problem. He already had my email address.

David and Rosa Belleli, my grandparents, with three of their children: Sarah, Tikvah, and Chaim

2. The tiny island of Ereikoussa is located about ten kilometers north of Corfu. It covers less than 4 square kilometers and has only one small town, also named Ereikoussa, and just a few hundred inhabitants. But this island harbors a secret kept for 70 years: during World War 2, one Jewish family was hidden there. A tailor, his three daughters and a little granddaughter. In the horrifying days of June 1944, when Corfus 2,000 Jews were gathered under German orders into the citys old fortress and from there sent in boats, and later on trains, to their death in Auschwitz, the tailor and his family was hidden on Ereikoussa. First in the local priests tiny house and later moved between other safe houses.

All of the islands residents knew the secret. You cant keep a secret that big on an island that small. Certainly not when it's punishable by death. But nobody said anything. To a great extent, this secret remained hidden even 70 years later. Pride that was passed on by word of mouth but did not leave the borders of the tiny island.

3. Yvette Manessis Corporon is an American director and author of Greek origin. Her first novel, "When the Cypress Whispers", was based on the memoirs of her Greek grandmother from Ereikoussa. Among other things, it recounts the story of a Jewish family saved by the islanders. Following the success of the book, Corporon was often asked about the fate of that family. She didnt have an answer. All her grandmother knew was that the patriarch was called Savvas. Not his surname. Nor the names of the daughters. Corporon consulted archives and experts at Yad Vashem, as well as surviving residents of Corfu, until she discovered that Savvas surname was Israel, the girls names were Nina, Spera and Julia, and the granddaughter was called Rosa. Julia, it turns out, passed away in Greece after the war, with no children. All attempts to find out what happened to the others led to dead ends.

Savvas and his three daughters

4. Gilad Japhet was a curious child. The kind who likes to discover and learn new things. Among other things, he taught himself to read Greek. Since then he has managed to pick up five more languages, not necessarily of the kind that are taught here in schools, including French, Arabic, Italian and basic Turkish. 30 years later, however, it turned out that the Greek he voluntarily learned in his childhood would turn out to have dramatic importance.

Right now, even as he sits opposite me in his office, he seems frantic and restless. To his right there is a gigantic computer monitor, which can easily display a complex family tree with scores of branches. To his left there is a nimble laptop upon which he pounces at every opportunity to show me a key row in a huge spreadsheet, a ground-breaking document or an emotional thank you letter from a customer of MyHeritage, the genealogy website he founded 13 years ago and still manages today.

When Corporon approached his company and asked for their help in finding out the fate of Savvas and his family, Japhet took it as a personal mission. MyHeritage has access to a wealth of databases and old archival documents. Some are open to the public, after the company has digitized them and made them available for search, and some, private and disintegrating, it acquired access to and digitized. Japhet literally dove into the mountain of documents.

Savvas, this photo was hanging on the wall of a house in Rehovot

The first one he located was Nina. Of all of the women in Israel with this first name, Japhet found records of a Nina who immigrated to Israel from Greece after the war, and whose fathers name was Savvas. Then he found her grave in Kiryat Shaul cemetery. The fathers name written on the gravestone was Shabtai. So he realized that 'Savvas' had been hebraicized to 'Shabtai'. In order the find her sister, Spera, Japhet went on to combine detective work and linguistics. He assumed that Spera could be Esperanza in Spanish, or Tikva in Hebrew. Through nights of searching, he went over countless records of women named Tikva who had immigrated to Israel from Greece, until he finally found one whose fathers name was Shabtai. What distinguished her from the others was her address, on Maor Hagola Street in Tel Aviv. Japhet remembered that Nina had also lived on that same street.

He intuitively assumed that a family of Holocaust survivors in the 1950's would try to live close to one another. Documents that he discovered later on confirmed that the Spera and Nina he had found were indeed sisters, the daughters of Savvas. He also found out that although they both married, neither of them had any children. Which means that Rosa wasnt actually a granddaughter of Savvas.

5. My mother remembers Rosa, the orphan from Corfu, very well indeed. During her childhood she was often a guest at their house. In those days, anyone from Corfu who managed to escape to Israel after the war was considered family. They werent concerned about checking blood ties, and even if they had they would have found such ties between almost everybody anyway. The small and homogeneous Jewish community of Corfu had been intermarrying for hundreds of years. You wouldnt have been able to get away from being married eventually to a cousin of some sort.

Some time after she arrived in Israel, Rosa Belleli, the orphan, was married. In the family photo from the wedding, nobody looks particularly happy. Especially not the elders, who knew her path to survival that had left her alive but without any family. At her side were Nina and Spera, who had raised her. Behind her stands a gaunt woman in a black dress without a hint of a smile on her face. That is my grandmother. Her name was also Rosa Belleli. The wife of David Belleli. My grandfather.

6. My grandfather was a short man. He was a carpenter, at a time when simple occupations were respected. Wearing a cap, his nails and the ends of his moustache yellow with nicotine from Ascot cigarettes, he sat in a little room allocated to him in the carpentry shop owned by my two uncles on Eilat Street in Tel Aviv, drinking stewed black coffee and expressing his dissatisfaction at the work of those who had inherited his trade. A powerful man whom all treated with respect, but who was already losing his stature. At noon the three of them would go to their flat in Kiryat Shalom for lunch (pasta peggiori, pasta fava, pasta spinaci, pasta ceci, or fish, depending on the day), and afterwards he would take a short nap on the green pique fabric which was always stretched tight like drum skin on a hard mattress in his too-small bedroom, which had two separate beds in it. After that they would return for a few more hours to that wonderful place, with its smells of resin and sawdust and glue and the tempting and menacing saws that one of the uncles had already sacrificed a thumb to. My grandfather died when I was only 11 years old, so I assume that this description, precise as it may be, contains a smidge of nostalgia and mature hindsight.

I dont have many personal memories of him. Maybe just that I was afraid to flush the toilet in the flat because of the terrifying noise that would erupt from the pipe, so much so that when I had finished using it, with the perpetual cigarette butt floating in it, I would turn on the tap and run away, and he would be forced to come and turn it off after me. And also that every time I went to his house he would pinch my cheek between his forefinger and his middle finger, in a carpenters pinch which made my face redden, and call me "vuz vuz", almost terrified of the all too white grandson he had produced.

In truth I never imagined that I would ever revisit these memories, until the moment when in order to prove the honesty of his intentions, Roi Mandel from that spooky telephone call sent me an old photograph that staggered me. It shows my grandfather when he was a young man. He is just 33 years old, handsome and especially innocent looking, with that look young people have when they are still afraid of nothing and certain they can conquer the world on their own. He is sitting down but looks surprisingly tall, directing his chiseled chin and powerful expression at the camera, in pinstriped trousers, hair parted sideways, a collared shirt and tie, looking entirely European; a vuz vuz if you will. Next to him is my grandmother, who at young and old age alike remained loyal to the classic black-Greek look, and on their knees my two aunts and a baby who would one day become the carpenter uncle missing a thumb.

The photo rocked me. I assume that this was first of all because of the surprising appearance - I had never seen my grandfather so young. And obviously also because of the context - the photo, from 1937, was basically some kind of family passport. The young Zionist family, who had moved to Israel by itself from Corfu a few years earlier, was at that time considering giving up. The difficulty of acclimatizing, the language, the difficulties of trying to make a living and homesickness had broken them, my grandmother in particular. The photograph, it seems, was part of their preparation for returning. However things got complicated, and drawn out, and the situation got tense and a great war broke out. The sea was closed and they were forced to stay in Israel, not knowing that this would save their lives, but would also prevent them from seeing their parents, brothers or cousins who had remained behind in Corfu, ever again.

The wedding of Rosa Belleli the orphan. Next to her (in black) Nina who raised her, behind her (in black) my grandmother, also Rosa Belleli. None of those who knew her survival path look happy

A photo from Rosa'a wedding

But something else, highly meaningful, is concealed in this photograph. I have always loved my Greek side. It provided me with a Mediterranean label that I was proud of; the fabulously tasty food, Italian as the only language that everyone understood and that was always being shouted, the unconditional love, never speaking badly of anyone in the family no matter how distant, the healthy concern for the quality of the parmesan, the precise harvest date of the radicchio, the abundance of cousins who were always available to play with, and the total abstention from talking about feelings. And despite this, to a certain extent I turned my back on my heritage. In my stupidity I didnt learn Italian, cooking well is something I'm attempting years too late, I havent reacquainted myself with distant cousins, feelings have become a key component of my life, I have never been to Corfu - a reasonably close destination - and I did not take part in trips led by family members again and again back to the house on the island that belonged to the family who was wiped out and was taken illegally after the war by a cousin without scruples. What happened, happened, thats nature. Young people  as I once was - tend to leave the past to their parents. When you make a family of your own, you intensify the one you came from, but at the same time you grow distant from it.

Rosa in her youth

7. When Gilad Japhet arrived at the home of the Hassid family in Rehovot, there was a large photograph hanging on the wall of an old man with a white moustache. He immediately identified Savvas, the Jewish tailor from Ereikoussa, and knew he had come to the right house. To his astonishment, the family had no idea who the mustachioed man looking over them was, other than the fact that he had been very important to their mother. Right up until she died, Rosa never told the story of her family, all of whom perished, nor the story of how she was saved. Japhet himself only reached the Hassid family after he insisted and continued to dig and research, until he located Speras step-granddaughter in America. She led him back to Rehovot, to the children of Rosa the orphan.

That was when Japhet completed the task he had taken upon himself with great success. He not only managed to find out what happened to Savvas family, but also managed to locate Rosas children in Israel, to amaze them with their mothers story, and to bring them to an emotional reunion with Corporon the American, whose curiosity set this whole story in motion. Furthermore, thanks to all these discoveries, in June 2015, in a tear-jerking ceremony on the island of Ereikoussa, the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation presented the islands residents with an award in recognition of their bravery during the war. It seemed that the circle was closed. But in many respects it had just been opened.

8. Nella Pantazi is a handsome Greek woman, impeccably dressed and serious in appearance. She is in charge of Corfus official archive, which of all places is located in the islands old fortress, the one the Jewish residents were crammed into on the eve of their eviction. A long corridor meanders through the old building, which dates back to the Venetian period, and along its wall are thousands and thousands of folders, documents and testimonials, some of them hundreds of years old. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, professional licenses and other documents of this kind. Pantazi controls all of these, knows them inside out, the sole supervisor of an enormous world of historical memories. Through her own good will over the past two years she has played a central role in an operation to reconstruct the history of the Jews of Corfu.

9. From the moment that Savvas story ended, while we were still at the ceremony on the island, we had a feeling that we hadnt really completed the story, Mandel (36) tells me. At that stage we had already presented a family tree of around 150 people, and we were very proud that we had managed to build such a magnificent tree for a family that for all practical purposes had been wiped clean from the pages of history. And yet, we had a great deal of archival material that we had acquired, and we hadnt made use of all of it. We felt that if we didnt do it, the chapter of history concerning the Jews of Corfu would simply be lost.

"At this stage Gilad was already fully immersed in the story. He collected all the lists and data from Corfu and re-organized them to search for duplicates. And then he discovered the secret of the names that repeated themselves as synonyms. Menachem for example, is also Mandolin or Mandolinos, and that is also Armando or Mando. Rina is also Irene, as well as Patzina and Pacina. He also discovered strict rules: the first-born boy or girl would be named after their grandfather or grandmother on their fathers side, the next after their grandfather or grandmother on their mothers side, and so on. Once he had cracked that, the gigantic puzzle fitted together. After working through the night he added scores of people to the tree, and this way the tree of the Jews of Corfu grew and grew at an astonishing rate.

He didnt stop there, rather he continued to go over all of the testimonials in Yad Vashem that survivors had filled out in the years following the establishment of the State of Israel, and searched according to surnames. He searched for names of those who came from Corfu, and cross-referenced them with the information we already had. This way, the tree got even bigger. And thats how he found your grandfather.

Gilad Japhet (sitting) and Roi Mandel: I bring materials, Gilad analyses them, and we keep going. I have become totally immersed in it; I can identify faces in photographs of dead Corfiots.

Gilad Japhet (seated), and Roi Mandel (Photo: Orel Cohen)

10. Throughout the entire lengthy interview, Japhet is full of enthusiasm, but of a different kind than that of other start-up CEOs - and Ive met quite a few of those in my life. He gathers himself onto the chair, a bit like a child who is trying to control himself at an official meal when instructed by his parents, but then he interrupts again with a pile of new information that he just has to share with me. He is 46 years old, graduated summa cum laude in software engineering from the Technion, married and father of three, who after a long career in the high-tech world across the globe had been asked by his family to rest at home for a while. In order to pass the time, he began to build his own family tree, realized that there was no software to help with this and wrote the first bit of code, which would eventually become MyHeritage.

He claims that he is now in the middle of an entirely personal journey to save the Jews of Corfu. The vast majority of them perished and can no longer be saved, but Japhet is driven by the feeling that if he won't uncover their fate, their history and the relationships between them, a highly significant piece of Jewish history will be erased. This journey has long deviated from the business need to promote the company, and has become a personal odyssey.

This is destiny, he tells me and describes with eyes ablaze how, when it all comes to an end, he will display the family tree of the entire Jewish community of the island. The tree he has built currently stand at no less than 1,934 people. A huge tree which began with a search for Savvas, and today the bottom row includes my children and others of their generation, and goes back eight generations, with branches that spread as far as Trieste and Alexandria, two cities to which about half the Jews of Corfu fled at the end of the 19th century following a blood libel - a libel that through a twist of fate actually saved their lives, he says.

Nobody asked me to do this, there is no financial gain, and despite this I spend entire nights in search of more names and more links between the Jews of Corfu, deciphering how Greek names were Hebraicized, the meanings of nicknames, and the codes by which the children were named. Among the Jews of Corfu, and the Belleli family in particular, cousins married each other like crazy. That makes it easier to find them, he smiles. There is nobody today who knows and understands this community as I do. I feel an almost mystical connection to this community whose story was never told. And if I wont do it then nobody will.

As an Israeli, the Holocaust is highly responsible for motivating him. As a genealogist, it is a complex professional obstacle. When youre Jewish, when you look back you will always reach the hole, in both senses of the word, the point at which every genealogical sequence gets cut off. I ask him if feelings of revenge push him forward. I wouldnt say revenge, he answers, but certainly defiance.

11. A motivated archivist can give new life even to a vanished community. And the personal connection that Mandel developed with the archivist Nella Pantazi was a key the importance of which is hard to overstate in the reconstruction operation. When Jews come to ask questions and search for documents, its a sensitive matter, Mandel says. The other archive in Corfu refused to cooperate, probably because of concerns about property claims. But Nella was willing to help. At first I asked her to find a document for us about Rosas brother, whom we knew had perished in the Holocaust. And as soon as she found it and sent it to us, I asked for his birth certificate. And then I asked for more documents about the Belleli family, and it went on from there. Each time I asked for a little more, one family after the other, until I felt comfortable enough to send her a long list and pray that she would agree, and she did. Nella is a fantastic archivist, a classic archivist for whom every document is important, and we managed to get her involved and give her a sense of the mission. I share with her the meetings I have had with people whose roots we have found thanks to her, and she becomes part of the story and helps with every document we need.

Mandel is Japhets operational arm, responsible for continually providing pieces for the puzzle that Japhet is putting together. Gilad sits with the tree, fills in what he fills in, sees whats missing and comes back to me, he says. Sometimes he identifies a file that we didnt receive from the archive, and Nella completes it. Sometimes I take what we have found and go to the families we have located in Israel, gain their trust, and they provide us with materials that they have. Documents, photographs, memories. Rosas sons, for example, let us dig through the photographs and documents they had at home, we made use of an old telephone book of their mothers to call everyone on the list and ask, we received power of attorney to search Rosas official and medical documents. We also used pictures which had details written on their backs - dates, names, nicknames, greetings - to gather more and more information. I bring materials, Gilad analyses them, and we keep going. I have become totally involved in it; I can identify faces in photographs of dead Corfiots. Without intention and at a great diversion from our original goal, we have initiated a historical project, a full and comprehensive research on the Jews of Corfu. A great story which was never told and totally shook the lives of the people, and my life as well.

12. MyHeritage is still defined as a start-up, but a strong one. Around 240 people work at their spacious offices on the top floor of a building in Or Yehuda, and around 40 more are located abroad, mainly in the USA. At any given moment in the Tower of Babel room, there are scores of support staff providing online support in 42 languages, from Hebrew to Dutch, to members of the site who have stumbled across a problem with their family tree. It is considered the second largest genealogical company in the world after Ancestry, which was valued recently at $2.6 billion. According to the data provided by MyHeritage, the company has around 90 million registered users across the world who use it to build their family trees. Around half a million of these are paying subscribers, who bring in revenues of around $60 million each year, and have already made the company profitable. To date the company has raised $49 million, mainly from international funds, and its valuation is estimated at $350 million.

Eventually there will be an exit, Japhet tells me, but the journey is more important. I am proud of the fact that I am doing something good, not just another toolbar or online gaming company. Money without values is not interesting. From my point of view, MyHeritage is a lifes work. Every person needs to know their roots, studies have shown that children who know their roots are more successful, because it gives them confidence, and I decided that I will help as many people as possible gain that confidence. That is Tikkun Olam. Something very Jewish that is very important to me.

In Corfu on the way to the Raoul Wallenberg award dedication ceremony

13. The pursuit of information is actually what MyHeritage does. Snippets of information it gets its hands on about family relationships across the world are the resource it profits from. This resource comes in an inexhaustible supply which is constantly growing, but is also very scattered, inconsistent, inaccessible and to a large degree disappearing, thanks to humankinds incredible ability to forget. In the competition between genealogical sites, whoever holds the biggest amount of this information and whoever enables users to connect these snippets easily, will reap the rewards.

That's why MyHeritage is investing a fortune and great efforts to accumulate more and more information. At the moment, for example, it is in the middle of a project to photograph all of the gravestones in Israel. We hired six photographers, gave them cameras with GPS and sent them to photograph all of the gravestones in the 1,080 cemeteries across the country, Japhet tells me. It will cost us a million dollars, but it will provide great information. Every gravestone includes the full name of the person who died, the life span, the name of their father, sometimes the name of their mother and sometimes more information about them. This is a genealogical treasure trove. We use satellite photographs to scan the area to check that we havent missed any graves. Eventually we will know exactly where every grave is, and this is information that we will upload for free to the website. Furthermore we will digitize the information about the graves, enter it into the database and that will allow us to fill in lots of missing pieces of information. According to the companys estimation there are around three million gravestones in Israel, and up until now they have photographed about one million of these. At a rate of one hundred thousand graves per month, the project will be completed by the end of 2017.

As part of the desire to expand to more and more countries and to gather information, Japhet has conceived, and his team has developed and integrated, algorithms in the website which enable the online translation of names in family trees. So, for example, a customer of MyHeritage in Israel, who has constructed their family tree, can search for relatives in Argentina who can be found on family trees in Spanish, and at the click of a button can merge these into a cross-continent tree. Likewise, a customer in Poland can access information about gravestones, which will be translated into their language.

Googles book-scanning project has also provided a wealth of archive data for MyHeritage. The company selects hundreds of thousands of books with family history value, and uploads them onto its website. At this stage, using the specialized technology it has developed, data about two billion people which has been entered into family trees by users, is semantically cross-referenced with the free text found within the hundred million pages of books which have been uploaded. When a match is found, the users receive the relevant excerpts from the books, which describe their relatives. Gilad spent weeks reading hundreds of old books and analyzing them, and then founded an expert system of rules on which the system is based, says Mandel, and this invention has so far yielded 80 million discoveries for our users."

Nella Pantazi, with a family tree in the background. Credit: Roi Mandel

Nella Pantazi with her family tree (Photo: Roi Mandel)

And as the world is ever so wide and the funding available, so are the inventions for collecting genealogical information. MyHeritages latest project, to map the remote tribes of Papua New Guinea, has been in the news lately. Japhet explains that the project aims in fact to map and document tribes whose culture is at risk of becoming extinct. Magnificent, traditional tribes who have preserved their own structure, culture and rituals for thousands of years, but whose young people in our day and age are looking to the West and abandoning the traditional structure. Our teams travelled to Namibia as well as to Papua New Guinea, spent a month living with the tribal people and documented everything they could, built family tress which include history and culture, and scanned every available document. We have preserved and documented this information for posterity and for the future generations of these tribes. Since in wild regions of Namibia there is no writing on graves, he says our researchers simply went with the elders of the tribe from grave to grave, wrote on a white board who was buried in each place, photographed the board next to the grave, and then erased it and moved on to the next grave. This is information that unless we document today, will disappear forever in the next generation.

History, says Japhet, never ends. Myths need to be verified or refuted.

14. What was young Rosa doing on the island of Ereikoussa, away from her home, with people who were not even her immediate family members? The assumption is that Rosas father had also been a tailor, and she had joined Savvas the tailor and his daughters in order to bring a delivery of clergy clothes to the priest of the island. While they were there, the priest of Ereikoussa advised them not to go back because something was happening in Corfu. This is how Rosa joined her new family, and was permanently separated from her immediate family. But that is just an assumption, which will probably remain so forever. Sometimes history, even after thousands of documents and clever software algorithms, cannot be verified or refuted with certainty. Myth also has its place.

Shelves in the Corfu archive. Nella is a fantastic archivist, a classic archivist for whom every document is important, and we managed to get her involved and give her a sense of the mission.

Photo:Roi Mandel

15. At the end of the interview Japhet places a document in Greek in front of me. This is your grandmothers birth certificate, we found it in the archive in Corfu, he tells me. What does it say, I ask him, and he translates: Isaac Baruch, son of Marcus, aged 32, carpenter by profession, resident of Corfu. Presented to me a baby girl who was born on Tuesday, November 3rd 1910. Daughter of Sara, who is the daughter of Menachem Vivante. The baby was born in Corfu and was given the name Rosa. The two witnesses: Mandolin Moustaki and Solomon (surname not clear), teacher by profession.

A journey in time. Saturday morning, aged 19, a tired soldier wakes up too early in a room in his parents house, to the sound of shouting in Italian emanating from the living room. Rosa Belleli, almost entirely deaf, is sitting and folding laundry during a too-lively conversation with Yolanda, an ageless relative. She diligently folds a top and then rises, pushes the top under the cushion of the armchair, and sits back down on it. This continues with a pair of trousers, a shirt, underpants. All are folded carefully and immediately undergo gravity-based ironing, as far as a slender Greek woman over seventy is able to do. The tired soldier gives his mother an angry look, and she, out of respect for her mother signals to him that nothing can be done, and out of love for her son immediately feels guilty.

Japhet, apparently more than most people, understands the power embedded in the physicality of information. The power hidden in the piece of paper he has put in front of me, a document that was taken out of a sealed archive, even if the information in it does not hold anything new. Just a piece of paper signed in Greek, and yet instantly provides another dimension, turns my grandmother from somebody who existed when I was born and became a memory after she died, into someone who had a father and a starting point in life. In basic terms she became someone quite like me. Like all of us. And then he lets me sink further into more memories.

amir.ziv@calcalist.co.il
Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital.

The fighting in and around the hospital also killed at least 24 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said.
Whilst the political establishment is quarrelling over expanding the coalition, a campaign began Sunday morning calling for separating the 28 Palestinian villages that were annexed to Jerusalem following the Six Day War from the capital. The campaign is run by the Save Jewish Jerusalem (SJJ) movement, which is headed by former high-ranking politicians and military leaders.

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Op-ed from an SJJ founder How to save Jewish Jerusalem Haim Ramon Op-ed: It's time to fix the tragic mistake made in 1967 and remove most of the 28 Palestinian villages from Jerusalem's municipal area, thereby returning 200,000- 250,000 of the city's Palestinian residents to the West Bank. How to save Jewish Jerusalem

Its slogans, being spread throughout the country, are variations on "(One of the 28 Palestinian villages) is not our Jerusalem." The campaign seeks to spread their central idea and put it on the public agenda. SJJ representatives explained that the campaign is necessary in part because of the unequivocal data outlining terrorists' profiles.

Since September 2015, according to the Shin Bet, 60 percent of the terrorist attacks in the capital were perpetrated by residents of the city. SJJ states, "Jerusalem is today the third largest producer of terrorism in Judea and Samaria. More terrorists came (from Jerusalem) in recent months than from Nablus and Jenin."

A campaign poster reading 'Shuafat is not our Jerusalem' (Photo: Saving Jewish Jerusalem)

SJJ calls for a modification of the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel that would separate the Palestinian villages, which currently contain some 200,000 residents, from the capital and Israeli rule in general and return it them to the West Bank. As a result, the permanent residency of the Palestinian citizens would expire, and SJJ also supports building a security fence separating Jerusalem from the separated villages.

The movement estimates that this would save Israel billions of shekels annually.
Israel's leader says Iran mocks the Holocaust while preparing another one against the Jews.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday following an international cartoon contest Iran staged over the weekend depicting the Holocaust. Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel's destruction and its leaders have called for it to be wiped off the map.

Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is designed to threaten its very existence. But Netanyahu says it is not merely Iran's aggressive policies that Israel opposes, but its values.

"It denies the Holocaust, it mocks the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust," he said at his weekly Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel's objection to the French peace conference initiative in his meeting Sunday morning with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who is visiting Israel and the West Bank in an effort to revive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

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Despite Israeli objection, Ayrault said the summit, tentatively planned for May 30 in Paris, will proceed as planned.

"We must demonstrate that the path that we are proposing will be the one that will allow for an exit out of the extremely serious situation, the impasse which we find ourselves in. I explained to him (Netanyahu) what that means," Ayrault said. "I will not ask him to come to the meeting on May 30, he wasn't invited, only at a second date. So I understand his disagreements but it only convinces me of the need to do something to move this impasse," he said, adding that he spoke "frankly" with the Israeli prime minister.

Netanyahu and Ayrault (Photo: Kobi Gidon, GPO)

The Palestinians, who have welcomed the French proposal, also said it will be held as planned. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an adviser to the Palestinian president said: "The French and Arab efforts are ongoing and are quickly on the right track to hold the international peace conference."

Netanyahu summarized his meeting with Ayrault at outset of the weekly cabinet meeting: "I told (Ayrault) that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions," adding that "any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict."

The French foreign minister's staff also spoke about the proposed international peace conference after Ayrault and Netanyahu's meeting. "France is operating with complete transparency regarding everything that concerns Israel. That is the point of the foreign minister's visit, and he is carrying out a close dialogue with his Israeli counterparts. Israel was among the first states that the French special envoy visited," they said.

Ayrault's staff added, "We do not intend to determine what the results of the direct talks between the two sides (before they happen). The problem is that currently there are no talks. The foreign minister said that the goal of the French initiative is to unite the international community behind a renewal of its commitment to a two-state solution and the creation of beneficial conditions to revive direct talks between the sides."

The French foreign minister's staff also addressed the Israeli government's criticisms of the recent French vote at UNESCO , which Israel officials said "denies our attachment to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount." They said the foreign minister "has requested that the misunderstanding caused by the French vote at UNESCO regarding the situation in Jerusalem be clarified. He (also) made clear that France's position vis-a-vis Jerusalem has not changed. Jerusalem is a city rooted in the traditions of the three monotheistic religions and belongs to all believers including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. France is committed to freedom of movement and worship in Jerusalem."

Ayrault's staff called on Israeli officials to refrain from making "counterproductive" statements. They said, "Harmful declarations that can be avoided have caused misunderstandings. France is troubled by them. The French prime minister was very clear about this (issue) in his speeches in front of the National Assembly and the Senate."

The foreign minister's staff stated further, "The foreign minister has strongly condemned terror when it strikes Israel, Arab states, or France. And he has expressed solidarity with the victims' families in Israel, which include French families."

Departing Jerusalem, Ayrault spoke of the upcoming Quartet (the USA, Russia, the EU and the UN) report on the frozen peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians. "I told Netanyahu that we don't expect there to be songs praising progress in the peace process," the foreign minister said.

He added that France is preparing the list of countries that will participate in the meeting of foreign ministers, including the Quartet, the Arab League, the UN Security Council and about 20 countriesincluding Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordanwithout Israeli or Palestinian participation.

Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for a fall peace conference.

"It's clear to us, and I said this to Netanyahu and Abbas, that we cannot take (their) places. They will have to hold direct negotiations, but, because things are stuck, they need external involvement. The goal is to get back to negotiationsNetanyahu doesn't agree that this is correct. I know that there is vehement opposition. That's not new, and it won't discourage us. The summit will convene."

Netanyahu sent a letter to French President Francois Hollande last week in which he protested the French vote at UNESCO. Netanyahu wrote Hollande, "The organization responsible for safeguarding the world's historic heritage has stooped to rewriting a basic and irrefutable part of human history. While we have no illusions regarding the United Nations' commitment to truth or fairness, we were frankly shocked to witness our French friends raising their hands in favor of this disgraceful decision."

Netanyahu added in his letter, "The international validation of Palestinian efforts to deny Jewish history and to perpetuate the myth of Israel's aggression on the Temple Mount is not only immoral, it is also dangerous." After receiving Netanyahu's letter, Hollande informed the French Jewish community that the decision to support the UNESCO vote was a mistake. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also called the vote "unfortunate and clumsy."
A suicide bomber killed at least 25 new recruits inside a police compound in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla on Sunday in an attack claimed by Islamic State, medical and security sources said.

The victims were queuing up to register when the bomb, which wounded 25 others, went off, the sources said.

It was the second deadly blast in four days to hit the city, a hub for al Qaeda before the militant group was pushed out last month in an offensive by Yemeni troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday.

Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas.

On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior and defense ministers - the two most senior princes - would try "to make sure that we can get this cessation better footed and, frankly, better observed and implemented throughout the country."
IDF, Shin Bet and police forces have arrested two men suspected of being involved in the planting of the explosive that seriously wounded an IDF officer near Hizma last week, it was cleared for publication on Sunday afternoon.

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The two suspects were arrested by the IDF's elite Duvdevan unit four days ago, on the night of the attack, but word of their arrest has been under gag order until now.

A statement from the Shin Bet also noted that there has been significant progress made in their interrogation, while a sweeping gag order remains over all other details of the investigation.

IDF's elite Duvdevan unit arrests one of the suspects (:  ")

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The wounded IDF officer, Shahar Roditi, is now in moderate condition and communicates with his family in writing as he cannot speak because of his injury.

The attack occurred on Tuesday when a force from the Homefront Command's Ram Battalion, which was patrolling Highway 60 in the West Bank, approached a suspect package at the entrance to the village of Hizma, north of Jerusalem, to examine it.

While the troops were examining the package, it blew up and wounded the officer in his upper body.

The nearby route 437 was closed off and IDF troops were called to the scene to search for any additional explosives.

Searches of the area found that four pipe bombs blew up, leading to the officer's injury. Five other pipe bombs were found at the scene of the attack and were neutralized by security forces.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon visited the wounded officer on Sunday, and heard from the officer, who recounted the incident in writing.

Ya'alon visits the wounded officer.





"I was touched by my visit with the officer and his family, who are showcasing great mental strength," Ya'alon said after being briefed by the doctors at the Hadassah Medical Center about the officer's medical situation and the lengthy operation he underwent. "What is needed now is more time for his recovery. There are excellent doctors here and a supporting environment and I'm sure his will power and the support of his family will help him return to an active life."
Arabs and Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line commemorated Nakba Day on Sunday with various events in city centers and refugee camps.

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The Nakba, meaning catastrophe, commemorates the formation of Israel, when many Arabs fled or were expelled from their towns and villages during the 1948 Independence War started by neighboring Arab armies that sought to destroy the day-old State of Israel.

The main display in the West Bank was built in the form of a train that was dubbed the "return train." It left from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp just south of Bethlehem and reached the checkpoint near Rachel's Tomb, accompanied by a procession of Palestinians. Marchers used keys and other props to symbolize their demand to return to what is now Israel.

The 'return train' in the West Bank

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At 12pm, a 68-seconds-long siren sounded in Palestinian towns and villages, marking the 68 years that have passed. Cars stopped and pedestrians stood still in the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem during the commemoration.

Following that, Palestinians rioted in several locations with clashes breaking out near the checkpoint at Rachel's Tomb.

Near the Beit El checkpoint, security forces were deployed to prevent rioters from engaging in clashes and to secure the French foreign minister's visit to the Muqata'a in Ramallah.

Nakba Day in the West Bank

Arab students held a ceremony to commemorate Nakba Day at Tel Aviv University on Sunday afternoon. Activists from right-wing NGO Im Tirtzu protested nearby against the ceremony, waving Israeli flags. Police said that the event was without incident.

This the fifth consecutive year that this ceremony is being held on campus by Arab and Israeli students. It included the reading of Nakba stories in three languages - Hebrew, Arabic and English - by students from displaced families, with the aim of spreading the story of the Nakba in Israeli society.

Nakba Day commemorated at Tel Aviv University (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Ahmad Mahamid from Umm al-Fahm who came to the ceremony said, "The Jews' Independence Day is our Nakba Day. We came to Tel Aviv to have our cries heard, to say that we will not give up our land and we will continue to fight. We will not allow the racist government to expel us from where we were bornWe demand the return of our lands which were conquered by force."

Counter demonstrators from 'Im Tirtzu' (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Mahamid railed against what he termed "the racism spreading throughout Israel, with no one to stop it. The silence of the police and the government encourages attacks against Arab civilians. This government has abandoned us and is trying to humiliate us everywhere."

The ceremony's organizers wrote that "the Nakba, in addition to being a tragedy of the Palestinian people, is also a human tragedy in which justice was defeated and in which injustice was done to an entire people. We are not satisfied referencing the national level of the disaster, we must also emphasize the human level." Arab Knesset members from the Joint List also participated in the event.

Bar Shalev, 25, an economics student, came to support Im Tirtzu. "There's a bunch of people here trying to rewrite history, to pass on a mendacious narrative," she pointed out. "They are the ones who attacked and fled in 1948. We are not going to cry over winning the war. There are Arab students here who study at the expense of the Israeli taxpayer, all the while undermining the state's existence and defining the day of its founding as a day of mourning. These are tense days at the university and there are lecturers who support these students' activities," she concluded.
BEIRUT - The Syrian government allowed hundreds of students to leave two besieged areas near Damascus to take their year-end exams over the weekend, even as other suburbs of the capital came under fierce attack.

The government is eager to show that it is still providing services, salaries, and pensions amid a devastating civil war, including to areas it does not control.

On Saturday and Sunday, government forces allowed around 360 students from the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh and 68 students from the rebel-held town of Madaya to travel to government areas to sit their high school exams, according to activists and state media.

Both Moadamiyeh and Madaya are besieged by government forces, who have allowed relief groups only limited access-- despite reports that civilians have died from starvation and lack of medical care.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to his office on Monday for a "clarification meeting" after the two came head to head on Sunday evening in a public exchange of remarks regarding the IDF.

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Speaking to the IDF's top brass, including the IDF chief and other generals, Ya'alon urged the military leadership to "continue acting according to human conscience and compass, rather than follow the direction the wind blows."

While the defense minister was still speaking at the ceremony in the Kirya Army Headquarters in Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister's Office released a statement saying "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives his full backing to the IDF, its commanders and soldiers.

Defense Minister Ya'alon and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Dana Shraga/Defense Ministry, Reuters)

The PMO statement went on to further condemn a controversial statement made by Deputy IDF Chief Yair Golan on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, noting that "the prime minister remains steadfast in his opinion that the comparison (of events unfolding in Israel) to Nazi Germany was inappropriate, made at an inappropriate time, and caused Israel damage on the international stage. The IDF's commanders freely speak their mindsin relevant forums and on topics under their purview. The IDF is the army of the people, and should be kept out of political disputes."

Several high-ranked IDF officers have recently found themselves under criticism, the most recent of which was the IDF deputy chief of staff, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, who warned at a ceremony on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day of processes that happened in Germany of the 1920s and 1930s, which he now sees happening in Israel today.

If there is something that frightens me about the memory of the Holocaust, it is seeing the abhorrent processes that took place in Europe, and Germany in particular, some 70, 80 or 90 years ago, and finding manifestations of these processes here among us in 2016, Golan said at the Masua Holocaust Institute in Tel Yitzhak.

Deputy IDF chief Golan, left, at the event (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

Golan's speech was met with scathing criticism from all directions, including from the prime minister himself who condemned the comparison made by the deputy IDF chief as "outrageous" and noted the remarks "wrong Israeli society and cheapen the Holocaust."

The defense minister and prime minister have also found themselves at odds over Sgt. Elor Azaria, who was charged with manslaughter after shooting dead an already-neutralized terrorist in Hebron.

While the defense minister and the top military ranks condemned the incident and called to bring the soldier to justice, the prime minister called the soldier's father to offer words of support.

"A good army is one whose commanders, both junior and senior, feel confident in their ability to speak their minds at any given time, knowing they will not suffer for it," Ya'alon said on Sunday evening.

"Do not fear, do not hesitate, do not be deterred. Continue to be brave not just on the battle field, but also around the discussions table. Keep speaking your mind. Do so even if what you have to say is not in line with the consensus, and even if it disputes ideas and positions that the senior command or the political echelons adopted. This is my demand from you, senior IDF commanders, and this should be your demand of your subordinates."

Defense Minister Ya'alon with IDF Chief Eisenkot at the ceremony (Photo: Dana Shraga, Defense Ministry)

Ya'alon warned that "over the past few months, we have found ourselves fighting against an extremist minority that acts both on the ground and on social media. A part of this fringe group also made its way to the mainstream, under cover and guise, and is trying to influence the character and values of the IDF."

"This is a significant struggle like no other, perhaps the most vital and important one in many years," Ya'alon said. "Not just over the character of the IDF, but also the character of Israeli society. The continued undermining of the moral and ethical strength of the IDF and of Israeli society will be disastrous for the State of Israel. I will admit to you that the issue has caused me to lose sleep, but it also makes me determined to win this battle. As someone who received the world and all that is in it from the IDF, and acknowledges the importance of safeguarding its values, I have no intention to back down on the matter. For me, and I know that for you as well, this is my true mission."

Ya'alon went on to claim that "this isn't a matter of right-wing or left-wing, as the sane majority in Israeli society, across the political spectrum, seeks to keep the IDF as a moral army, and its soldiers and commanders as moral and humane. They are indeed moral, and if there are any who deviate from these normswe know how to deal with them, and will not allow soldiers to be trigger-happy, inciting and vengeful, or to lose their senses. We will back anyone who innocently errs, but will show no tolerance to those who digress from their authority and act in contravention of the law and our values."

Ya'alon argued that having an ethical and moral army was "first and foremost, before the advanced weapons and accurate intelligence, the guarantee to our security."

He said that "the IDF imbibes from Israeli society, and Israeli society imbibes from the IDF. The mutual influence makes you, the commanders, into educational figures as well: Those who know how to use force when necessarily, but also understand the limitations of that force; those who maintain humility, integrity and honesty, and do not allow arrogance to have command of their agenda. The IDF was and remains the central melting pot of the State of Israel, and as such we must protect and preserve it, and not allow violent and inciting elements, or those who influence soldiers, into it."
The new rules, which came into effect on 14 May, will see NAB only lend 60% of a propertys value to foreign buyers, down from 70% previously.

In addition, the major bank will recognise just 60% of foreign income sources, will no longer be accepting foreign sourced self-employed income, and will be tightening income verification requirements.

In a statement provided to Your Investment Property's sister publication, Australian Broker, a NAB spokesperson said: All foreign home loan applications are considered on a case by case basis and assessed under strict verification standards for employment and income, as well undertaking stringent risk processes.

These settings are continually reviewed, and controls are tightened where necessary. NAB has limited appetite for this segment which comprises less than 2% of the NAB book.

One mortgage broker, who asked to remain anonymous, also told the AFR that NAB would not be approving any loans to foreign buyers in high-risk areas.

These suburbs have yet to be identified, according to the AFR, but are expected to be inner-city areas in Melbourne and Sydney where there is a surplus of newly built apartments.

NABs decision follows announcements by Westpac and ANZ that they will be investigating mortgages backed by questionable foreign-income documentation, which forced them to stop approving such loans last month.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and Citigroup have also tightened lending conditions for foreign borrowers in the past week.
According to reports in Fairfax media outlets, NSW Fair Trading is set to take a more proactive method in stamping out illegal boarding houses in Sydney through utilising government data sources.

Rather than rely on old school methods such as tip-offs, NSW Fair Trading will use the NSW Data Analytics Centre to analyse information from the electoral roll, utility bills and complaints made to Fair Trading in an effort to identify overcrowded rental accommodation.

By comparing the water use for a standard two-bedroom apartment with one that has many residents could be the first alert of an illegal boarding house, NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello told Fairfax media.

If you know the Big Data, then, rather than knocking on 100 doors, we can do 10 targeted homes and its likely a slumlord will be behind one of them, Dominello told Fairfax.

According to the Fairfax report, the City of Sydney Council is currently preparing evidence for two cases against landlords alleged to have carried out illegal boarding operations.

Those cases are the result of the dedicated investigation team the City of Sydney established 12 months ago, which has so far carried out more than 30 search warrants and handed out $75,000 worth of fines.

Ned Cutcher, senior policy officer at the NSW Tenants Union said the prevalence of illegal boarding houses is a sign of the affordability and other issues present in the NSW rental market.

People working in tenancy advice and advocacy services find [tenants subject to] interpersonal problems, assault and inappropriate treatment, Cutcher told Fairfax media.

[Illegal accommodation is] an indication of how dysfunctional our housing system is.
Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday accused Parkash Singh Badal led Punjab government of misusing the official machinery for "suppressing" its protest against the alleged food grain scam in Chandigarh on Monday.

AAP National Spokesperson and in-charge, Punjab party affairs, Sanjay Singh alleged that Badal is using coercive ways and means to ensure AAP does not gherao his official residence in Chandigarh tomorrow to "expose" his misdeeds.

"He (Badal) can not browbeat AAP and scare its volunteers, workers and sympathisers by adopting such cheap arm twisting tactics," Singh said.

Singh claimed Badal has unleashed "reign of terror" through Punjab police on AAP volunteers and workers to create a fear psychosis among them that if they attended AAP's protest tomorrow they would be booked in "false" criminal cases.

AAP had planned to gherao Badal's residence in Chandigarh tomorrow on the issue of alleged food grain scam and farmers' suicide.
Siwan: The wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan on Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into his murder to ensure that the culprits get stringent punishment.

Asha, the bereaved wife of the journalist, said that she had no expectation from the Nitish Kumar-led government as even Home Secretary Amir Subhani's hometown Siwan is so insecure.

"I demand from the government a CBI probe and a secured future for my children and me. The culprit must be given stringent punishment," she said.

When asked if her husband had ever mentioned about any threat to his life, Asha said that she did not have any knowledge about it as her husband never talked about it.

She, however, told ANI: "He only mentioned once about receiving threat regarding his profession after BJP leader Shrikant Bharti's murder."

When informed that Upendra Singh's name has figured in connection with this case and the police have detained him, she said, "I have seen Upendra calling on his mobile that's how I know about him."

Meanwhile, Siwan MP Om Prakash Yadav also demanded a CBI probe into the murder and hinted at the alleged involvement of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin in the case.

"I understand former parliamentarian Sahabuddin's goons have killed him and the incident should be probed by the CBI. The Bihar Government should provide a compensation of Rs. 50 lakh," he said.

The Siwan MP further said Ranjan was a fearless and impartial journalist, adding that is why he was on Shahabuddin's radar.

"Goons of the former MP had attacked and misbehaved with him earlier too. They used to threaten him," Yadav told ANI.

"He (Ranjan) had written a news on the Bihar's sleuth department's report, since then he was on the former MP's radar. He was also warned of a danger to his life by the sleuth department in 2007," he added.

Yadav also used this case to take potshots at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying the latter should have visited the bereaved family to express his condolences instead of addressing rallies.

Commenting on the progress of the probe, the sitting MP said, "I have spoken to the district administration; the probe is going on in the right direction thus far. But if it is deviated from here, the result won't be out. That is why I am asking for a CBI probe."

42-year-old Ranjan was allegedly shot dead by criminals near the Siwan railway station earlier on Friday.

Two bullets were fired at the Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan that hit on his head and neck. He was shifted to a hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Director General of Police (DGP) PK Thakur on Saturday said special teams of the Bihar Police have collected evidences from the crime scene and detained two suspects in this connection.

"Our special teams comprising a team of forensic science, Special Task Force (STF) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials were dispatched to Siwan last night. They have collected all possible evidences from the crime scene, besides the police have apprehended two suspected accused and interrogation is going on," he said.
Lucknow: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday that strict action will being taken in the case regarding the killing of a journalist (Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, Rajdeo Ranjan) in his state.

Nitish said in Lucknow while addressing an event over total prohibition of liquor, "We all are deeply saddened and concerned about some incidents that took place. Strict action is being taken."

"We won't rest until all those responsible are brought to justice," he added.

At the same time, Kumar pointed out, "But overall number of crimes and road accidents have come down significantly (after prohibition of liquor)," as per ANI.

During his day-long visit here, senior office bearers of some journalist unions met him and handed over a memorandum demanding immediate action against the guilty.

Demanding Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the kin of the slain journalist, an Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) delegation said one of the family members should be given a government job, as per PTI.

Three persons have been detained for questioning in connection with the murder on May 13 night and preliminary probe suggested that the killers were disturbed by the news stories of Ranjan.

(With Agency inputs)
Surat: Three persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with the last night's triple murder in city's Ashvinikumar road area, where one of the victims was a relative of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, police said.

Police are looking for four more persons in connection with the murders which they suspect occurred over extortion money pertaining to a land deal in Amreli district.

While one of the victims is identified as Bharat Togadia, the relative of the VHP international working president and brother of the Leader of Opposition in Surat Municipal Corporation, Prafful Togadia, others are Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel.

The matter took a political turn with RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav questioning the law and order situation in Gujarat.

"What kind of governance (raaj) is here?" Lalu tweeted against the backdrop of the "jungle raaj" barb hurled by BJP at the JD(U)-RJD coalition government in Bihar over the recent killings in taht state.

Gujarat state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki also tweeted, "Where is the law and order in Gujarat?"

The victims were stabbed by unidentified persons inside Hirani's office in Varachha locality at around 9 PM.

Mahesh Radadiya who was injured in the attack is battling for life in hospital.

"We have arrested three persons in connection with the triple murder and have identified four other persons whom we are trying to locate and arrest as they are currently absconding," said Surat Police Commissioner, Ashish Bhatia.

He said extortion of money in connection with a piece of land in Amreli district was the prima facie reason behind the murders.

The attackers allegedly used to extort money from Balu Hirani.

The officer said the assailants had come to meet Hirani seeking Rs 50 lakh yesterday.

"These people were extorting money from Hirani and had come to meet him demanding Rs 50 lakh. When other victims, Bharat Togadia, Ashok Patel and Mahesh Radadiya tried to intervene, they attacked them with sharp weapons," Bhatia said.

The arrested persons were identified as Mehul Bharwad, Lalu Bharwad, and Imran.

A team of Varachha police and crime branch sleuths has been deputed to arrest the main accused, identified as Gautam Golden and Ganesh Mangadh.

While Bharat Togadia and Hirani died on the spot, Patel succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

Pravin Togadia today attended the last rites of Bharat and demanded proper investigation into the matter.

"Human life is precious. This is a sad incident that a young life was lost, so police should take action and arrest the culprits," he told reporters.
Washington D.C: Shedding the extra kilos is difficult and keeping it off over years is even harder, but a team of researchers has found one group that has defied the trend of regaining weight.

The research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus demonstrated the effectiveness of long-term participation in a national weight-loss program.

The investigators followed over 65,000 overweight or obese people who joined Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) between 2005 to 2010. In the first year, half of participants in the nonprofit weight-loss support group had significant weight loss.

Of the patients with significant weight loss in the first year who participated in a second year, 80 percent kept off the weight. Each year, during years three to seven, roughly 90 percent of patients who continued participation in the program maintained their weight loss.

The researchers concluded that after one year of significant weight loss, consistent participation in the program helped participants sustain their new healthy weight.

"Maintaining long-term weight loss is a critical challenge in treating obesity and related health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease," said lead author Nia S. Mitchell, adding "Just losing the weight isn't enough. Since the health benefits of weight loss disappear when weight creeps back on, we need more research into effective strategies for maintaining a healthier weight once it is reached."

Mitchell concluded that further studies of the TOPS program should examine which populations will succeed at weight loss and weight-loss maintenance and determine factors that can improve sustainable weight loss and maintenance.
New Delhi: About seven labourers were killed when a wall of an under-construction mall collapsed in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh on late Saturday night.

According to police, the incident happened while digging a 30-feet deep cellar for the multi-storey building at Lakshmipuram area.

Seven out of a total of eight workers, who were present there at the time of the incident, were buried under the debris.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu went to the site to oversee the rescue efforts.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Fire and Emergency Department rushed to the site.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister K Atchannaidu announces Rs 5 lakh compensation and Minister Ravella Kishore Babu Rs 15 lakh for kin of deceased.
New Delhi: In yet another incident showing apathy towards differently-abled people, a 70-year-old woman passenger on wheel chair was not allowed to board her Air India flight to New York from Mumbai via Delhi.

Reportedly, she was not allowed to board flight allegedly due to "over booking."

The incident took place on Friday.

The woman was later flown on the airline's Delhi-London Heathrow flight to provide her a connecting flight for her destination, New York on Saturday, an Air India official said.

Air India attributed the denial of boarding to the woman passengers on its flight AI 101 (Mumbai-Delhi-New York) due to the cancellation of its same flight on Thursday.

The incident was brought out by her daughter, who tweeted, seeking airline's help in this regard.

"Air India has offloaded my mother from her US flight becoz of overbooking. She is wheelchair-bound and scared.

Please help! @airindiain," she said in her tweet.

"In fact, Air India flight which was to depart for New York via Delhi was cancelled due to some technical issue. As a result some of the passengers of that flight were accommodated in its Friday's flight, leading to denial of boarding to many passengers including this woman," airline sources said.

All the stranded passengers were given accommodation, the official said, adding, "the woman passenger was later flown to Delhi from where she boarded Air India flight AI 115 for London. The London staff was also informed of her arrival and told to provide her all help in getting a connecting Air India flight to New York from there.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Stepping up attack, Congress on Sunday alleged "direct interference" of PMO in the "sudden reversal" of NIA's stand in the 2008 Malegaon blast case and pressed for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into it while apprehending that Samjhauta Express blast case may also meet the same fate.

The opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold his Constitutional oath and discharge duties in line with that oath irrespective of his "ideology".

The NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become 'Namo Investigation Agency', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference here while contending that the chargesheet appears to be aimed at "decimating and demolishing" the "meticulous" probe conducted by Maharashtra ATS led by late Hemant Karkare.

He demanded Supreme Court-monitored probe in the "sudden reversal" of the stance that has led to exoneration of six accused including Sadhvi Pragya and "dilution" of the case against the remaining accused on account of withdrawal of MCOCA and other offences.

He accused the government of "consistently" trying to save those who follow their ideology or belong to their associated outfits and are faced with charges.

"There was direct interference from the PMO...From his (PM's) office, I have said it earlier and everything is being proved, a dirty tricks department is being run. This government is centrally co-ordinated," Sharma said.

Elaborating, he said Col P S Purohit, an accused in the blast case, had allegedly written a letter to NSA Ajit Doval on January 6 and on January 8, it reached the Home Ministry and on January 9, the Home Ministry "started working" on it.

"...I have not seen such speed in movement of even files in the government," the Congress leader said.

"Our demand is clear. We insist the Prime Minister that his office, when he takes oath, he doesn't belong to a particular party, ideology, but the Prime Minister of India and should discharge duties in line with the oath," he said.

While pressing for Supreme Court-monitored probe, Sharma said the apex court should take "seize" all the papers relating the case, relating the probe, confessional statements, charge sheet and the correspondence among government, NIA, attorney general, NIA and Home Ministry, among Home Ministry, Home secretary and PMO.

"There is rule of law in the country and law doesn't discriminate. If this permission is given, like I said, then we ourselves are weakening India's case against terrorism. Because, dropping MACOCA means, the recorded statements which courts accept as evidences, will be useless now," he said.

"The developments have raised question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight the forces of terror, having taken this position that India is a victim of organised terrorism, the targeted victim over decades, India is determined to fight terrorism, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestation," the former minister said.

While demanding PM's intervention in the case, Sharma questioned whether, with the fresh NIA stance, the government was "negating" Karkare's "sacrifice for the country" by calling it as "dubious".

He also expressed apprehension that after the Malegaon case, the Narendra Modi dispensation may "destroy" the 2007 Samjhauta Express matter too, claiming that the NIA is "working" in that direction.

He claimed the agency dropped MCOCA charges in Malegaon case to see that all the statements recorded by the ATS become "inadmissible as evidence".

The Congress leader alleged that NIA chief Sharad Kumar was given extension in service to get this work done.

"Whatever they are doing are doing in a planned manner. If there is no MCOCA, all those who gave statements will deny to have made the statements and court will not take cognisance and all (the accused will be out). And things will repeat," he said.

Referring to an alleged statement by the NIA chief that nothing had happened after 2008, Sharma said, "The question is not which organisation, which caste, religion and people of which region are involved. But whether a NIA chief should say such thing? One who was to be relieved, has been given extension to get these things done."
New Delhi: Reason could be any but it is really surprising to know that Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi stays in an old-age home in the national capital.

However, according to Zee Media, taking cognisance of the matter and following the orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma on Sunday met Kanubhai, the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi's third son Ramdas.

Later, while speaking on the ocassion, Sharma said, "PM Modi spoke to Kanubhaiji in Gujarati & both had a cheerful conversation where they refreshed some memories from the past."

The official Twitter handle of PMO India also confirmed the news and wrote: "PM @narendramodi and Kanubhai had a long conversation. They spoke in Gujarati and had a very pleasant discussion."

PM @narendramodi and Kanubhai had a long conversation. They spoke in Gujarati and had a very pleasant discussion. pic.twitter.com/m93Gc3DXwK  PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 15, 2016

"PM directed me to come here and to submit a report on the expectations & requirements of Kanubhai ji," the Union Minister added.

Kanubhai Gandhi also expressed his happiness over the minister's visit and said, "I was happy then, I'm happy now as well. He (Mahesh Sharma) came here to meet me, we had a good talk."

Delhi: Union Minister Mahesh Sharma meets Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi at the old age home. pic.twitter.com/Z95nga4pAv  ANI (@ANI_news) May 15, 2016

Further expressing his support for the Prime Minister, Gandhi described himself as an old Modi bhakt.

Surprisingly, Kanubhai claimed to be his supporter ever since Narendra Modi had involved in socio-political activities in Gujarat. Kanubhai further went ahead to term Congress President Sonia Gandhi as an "enemy".

He understood everything in Gujarati. At that time, Sonia Gandhi ji was against both of us (PM & him): Kanubhai Gandhi after talking to PM  ANI (@ANI_news) May 15, 2016

After their conservation, a delighted Kanubhai said, Im a bhakt of Modi since a long time. We spoke in Gujarati, and he understood everything. He has not forgotten the help provided to him in those days. At that time, Sonia Gandhi was our joint enemy. She was against both of us.

Main bahut puraana PM ka bhakt hoon. Maine jo unko madat ki thi woh sab cheezein unko yaad thi: Kanubhai Gandhi pic.twitter.com/Wb3oaAz08F  ANI (@ANI_news) May 15, 2016

Notably, having returned from the US in 2014, Kanubhai has since been living in ashrams and old-age homes.

He, and his wife, Shiva Lakshmi, are currently staying at the Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram in Gautampuri in South Delhi.

"I always remember Bapu and his teachings. I know that I am living at the blessing of these people and I know he (Bapu) would not be too pleased by this fact. Bapu always wanted me to serve people, he wanted me to take all the pain of people and spread happiness. But I am not able to do this.I want to serve Bapu," ANI quoted Kanubhai as saying.

The 87-year-old with his tired eyes staring out from behind gold-rimmed glasses recalled his childhood memories and the time he spent with Bapu.

"There are a lot of memories. I used to sit in Bapu's lap and pull his hair, but he would still smile at me and wrap me in his arms. In the last letter he wrote to me, he wanted me to serve the people. He said he wanted to live for 125 years and serve the nation and its people. But as he was not able to do so, he wanted me to do the same," he added.

He also said that it is but obvious that the people would use Bapu's name for politics because of his great and pure personality.

Kanubhai left India at the age of 17 and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after which he worked at NASA's Langley Research Centre. His wife, a doctorate in biochemistry, too held a job in the US.

Ever since the news about the presence of Gandhi's grandson at the ashram spread, the press and curious visitors have flocked the otherwise largely ignored institution.
Thiruvananthapuram: With Kerala set to elect a new assembly on Monday, the performance of the BJP-BDJS alliance is being keenly watched -- because it may ultimately decide who wins the electoral battle.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting the election in alliance with the recently floated Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the political wing of the Hindu Ezhava leader Vellapalli Natesan.

The BJP is contesting 98 and the BDJS 37 of the 140 seats.

Although CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechuri has predicted a zero tally for the BJP-BDJS alliance, he has hinted at a "match fixing" between the Congress and the newly formed combine.

Although it has never won an assembly or Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, the BJP doubled the total number of seats in last year's local body polls to around 1,100 as compared to 2010.

Its vote share also touched 14 per cent.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vote share touched 10.83 per cent, up from 6.03 per cent in the 2011 assembly polls.

In the 2011 assembly polls, the BJP contested 139 of the 140 seats and finished runners up in three constituencies. All three candidates got more than 40,000 votes. In the rest the BJP finished a poor third.

In 18 assembly constituencies in 2011, BJP candidates got between 10,000 and 19,000 votes, two got more than 20,000 votes and the rest had to be content with less than 10,000 votes.

Now with the alliance between the BJP and BDJS, Sobha Surendran, the BJP woman leader locked in a fierce triangular fight in Palakkad, told IANS that the CPI-M will be the biggest looser in the election.

The BDJS claims the support of the Hindu Ezhava community that forms more than 50 per cent of the 1.82 crore Hindu population in Kerala.

All these years, a huge majority of the Ezhavas voted for the Left Democratic Front. This could change this time, and this factor is making the Congress-led UDF happy too.

The best showing for the BDJS could come from Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts.

And the BJP is sure that with the BDJS' help, the 'lotus' will finally bloom in Kerala.
Hyderabad: In an extremely unfortunate incident, 15 people were killed and three injured after a tipper truck rammed into an auto-rickshaw in Adilabad district of Telangana.

The accident took place on late Saturday night.

Reportedly, in the tragic accident, the victims were crushed under the heavy load.

13 died on-the-spot

The accident occurred at Bagam village in Bhainsa Mandal in which 13 people were killed on the spot and two passed away on the way to the hospital.

The three injured have been rushed to the Nizamabad Hospital for immediate treatment.

How it happened?

The victims belonged to Bakar Mandal and Nanded district in Maharashtra and were travelling to the Pochamma Temple in Adilabad.

The accident happened as a truck rammed into an auto-rickshaw.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao expressed his sympathies and condolences over the death of human lives in the road accident and he instructed the officials to make arrangements for better treatment to the injured.
New Delhi: Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday attacked the central government, saying giving a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya in the 2008 Malegaon blast case was an insult to police officer Hemant Karkare.

"MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) was used on the accused after they accepted their crimes," Sharma told reporters. "What has happened is an insult to the memory of martyr Hemant Karkare.

"Karkare is unfortunately not with us to tell the country that he and his team carried out a fair investigation. And confessional statements were made by the accused and that was reflected in the charge sheets."

The Congress leader's remarks came after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) gave a clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya and five other accused in the Malegaon case.

Karkare investigated the case as the chief of Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He died in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

Questioning the government's intention, Sharma asked: "What made the government to suddenly make a U-turn?

"This government is trying its best to save people associated with its allied groups by saying that the arrests made and the charges laid against them were wrong."

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said: "Today there is a question mark on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight forces of terror."
New Delhi: Following reports about 'mutiny' in an Infantry unit of the Indian Army, the top officials on Sunday played down the incident as an emotional outburst of jawans following the death of their colleague during a routine exercise.

There were reports about agitation by jawans in an Infantry unit in North East on Saturday. Scuffles were also reported among jawans and officers following a jawan's death.

Quoting a top Army official, ANI said that, "Few jawans got emotional and agitated on the death of jawan, some of them indulged in an agitated behaviour leading to minor scuffle, no one was seriously injured."

The officer further said that, "The deceased jawan complained of chest pain prior to route march and was checked by unit Medical Officer who found him fit for the training. The jawan later collapsed and died. An investigation is underway into the matter," added the officer.

Army Headquarter has already ordered a probe into the incident.

With a strong 13 lakh active personnel, Indian Army is one of the most disciplined forces in the world and such an incident is very rare.
Lahore: Days after Pakistan alleged that an Indian lobby was making "untiring efforts" to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets from the US to it, a top minister has accused India of "supporting" terrorists and separatists, particularly in restive Balochistan, media reports said on Sunday.

Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif yesterday said that India was "supporting terrorists and separatist groups in Pakistan especially in Balochistan and the issue of Indian terrorism had been raised internationally by Pakistan".

Talking to Dunya News, Asif claimed that Pakistan Peoples Party's Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, had lobbied against the provision of F-16s to Pakistan by the US.

"The Indian lobby has been making untiring efforts to reverse the US decision, and a strong attempt, through Senator Rand Paul's resolution, to block the sale itself," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has told the Senate on Thursday.

Congress opposed funding of eight F-16 aircraft through foreign military funding of the United States, he said.

The US Congress has initiated a move to block USD 450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to "demonstrate its commitment" and taking action against the Haqqani terror network.

According to the National Defence Authorisation Act, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan, USD 450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct military operations against the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.

The move comes days after the US told Pakistan to put forward its national funds to buy eight F-16s worth USD 700 million after some top Senators put a hold on the use of American tax payers' money to partially finance them.
Patna: Father of murdered journalist Rajdeo Ranjan on Sunday said people in Siwan district fully understand who conspired to kill his son and that only a CBI investigation of the case will have any credibility.

"In Siwan most of the people understand the motive behind this killing and know it fully who conspired to carry it out," Radhakrishna Choudhary said.

"We have no faith and confidence in local police and state administration. We want a CBI probe into the killing of my son," Choudhary, a marginal farmer, said.

Rajdeo Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief of the Hindi newspaper, which is part of the HT Media, was shot dead on Friday at a busy market near the Station Road in the district.

Until Sunday morning, the police announced no breakthrough in the case even as the political opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) called the murder another proof of the "return of jungle raj" in Bihar.

Siwan Superintendent of Police Saurav Kumar Sah said that initially four suspects had been detained in connection with the killing, but later two were released after questioning.

Choudhary said only a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case can provide justice to his family, including wife and two minor children of his son.

Earlier, senior BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi had also demanded a CBI probe into the killing of the journalist.

The Press Council of India (PCI) on Saturday set up a three-member fact finding committee to inquire into the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan.

Mediapersons in Bihar and elsewhere have been registering their protests against the killing.

The murder comes close on the heels of the killing of teenager Aditya Sachdeva allegedly by Rocky Yadav, the son of a ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) lawmaker in Gaya district.

The leaders and workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the NDA, have been staging demonstrations across the state on Sunday to highlight the deteriorating law and order situation.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad have condemned the killing and directed the police to take prompt action in nabbing the culprits.

The ruling alliance in Bihar consists of the JD-U, the RJD and the Congress.
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha last month, has been inducted to disturb the Congress benches in the Upper House and break the myth that the Modi government is doing nothing about the Gandhis, a report said on Sunday citing party and RSS sources.

The report said that Swamy's entry into the Congress-dominated Rajya Sabha is being seen as a natural step forward mainly after his success in the National Herald case, involving the top Congress leadership.

It said that some BJP and Sangh leaders are of the opinion that Swamy has been made an MP by the Modi Government only to break the myth that this Government has done nothing about the Gandhis.

"It wants to fight the image. There was a need to send a message to the cadres," the report said quoting a Sangh leader.

It is quite possible that Swamy could be used by the Government to build legal support for the Ram temple at Ayodhya at a later juncture, the report observed.

The report said that Congress sources admit his entry can't be taken lightly.

"With Swamy on the other side, we will need both Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram to face up to him," it said quoting a Congress MP.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has reportedly described him as a "new gift of the BJP to us".
The Tamil Nadu is all set for the high-octane contest in the forthcoming Assembly polls scheduled on May 16 this year. Voting will be held in a single phase for the total 234 Assembly seats in the state.

The main fight is likely to be between two arch-rivals DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)  the current ruling party in the state. However, the other parties like Congress, BJP, Vijaykanth's DMDK and People's Welfare Front (PWF) will play a major role.

The parties and alliances in the fray for the forthcoming Assembly polls have almost sealed the seat-sharing deals with their respective allies.

DMK, the main opposition party, has announced that it will fight the elections together with the Congress. Ruling party AIADMK has allied with smaller regional parties and given up seven of the 234 seats for them to contest. Vijaykanth's DMDK has forged an alliance with the People's Welfare Front (PWF). If latest developments are to be believed, former Union minister GK Vasan's Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) has also agreed to come under the umbrella of PWF.

DMK has allotted its key ally - Congress 41 seats for the May 16 Assembly polls. Totally, the DMK has allotted 54 seats to its allies out of the total 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

With the present allotment to Congress, DMK has so far allotted 54 seats to its allies.

After its efforts to cobble up a formidable alliance by roping in actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth-led DMDK into its fold did not materialise, DMK began the exercise of speeding up work to seal ties with smaller outfits and conclude seat-sharing talks with all partners. DMK allotted IUML, its long-time ally, five seats followed by five seats to MMK, another Muslim party. Also, it allotted one seat each to former IAS-officer led Dalit party Samuga Samathuva Padai, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal-Thozhilalargan Katchi and Perunthalaivar Makkal Katchi.

The DMK-Congress split had come against the backdrop of the arrests of former Union Minister A Raja and Karunanidhis daughter Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, in the alleged spectrum allocation scam. Differences over the Sri Lankan Tamils was also said to a prominent reason behind the break-up years ago.

Congress had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on its own and had drawn a blank. It had contested the last Assembly elections along with DMK but secured just five seats.

Key Candidates:

J Jayalalithaa

Iron Lady and political giant of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who has seen many ups and downs in her political career, will be trying her luck to bring her party back in power in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections.

With DMK star Karunanidhi on the wane and Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress almost a non-player in the southern state, 'Amma' led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has a strong chance of sweeping the high-voltage polls. It may be noted that the actor-turned politician practically reduced the opposition to a non-entity at the centre by winning 37 out of 39 seats in the 2015 Lok Sabha polls, when the NaMo wave was sweeping almost the entire country.

The AIADMK which has decided to go alone in the Assembly elections, might be a bit worried front as the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa is still going on. However, the party leaders have immense confidence in their charismatic leader, who has the calibre to deliver on governance.

Such is the persona of Jayalalithaa that her party leaders are literally at her feet. The mere sight of a helicopter carrying the AIADMK supremo is enough for her cabinet ministers to bow.

Well, it's just a matter of time now. On May 19, it will be clear whether the AIADMK juggernaut could roll down on the opposition in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Karunanidhi

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi, who couldn't turn the tide in his favour in 2011, has an uphill task ahead of improving party's prospects in the state in the run-up to Tamil Assembly polls on May 16.

The poll-scarred veteran, who has not lost a single battle ever since his debut in 1957, has a huge responsibility of steering the DMK back to power after humiliating loss in the last Assembly elections and 2014 parliamentary polls.

The wheel-chair bound DMK chief's most daunting task is to boost the morale of the cadre, in the wake of successive loses at the Centre and in several states.

2016 polls would be his last elections in his political career and the DMK patriarch would like to repeat the 1989 victory when his party rose like a phoenix from the ashes in 1989 with him leading it to an impressive victory. But the corruption charges against his family and his confidantes like A Raja is a big worry for the party.

As part of measures to strengthen the party, the administrative structure of the party at the district level has been revamped. District secretaries are powerful in the DMK and the structure was revamped to make it broad based and more accountable.

For Karunanidhi, it's not just a a tight rope wall, but a do-or-die for the DMK, and the poll veteran and his supporters would be relying on the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa, to turn the wave on their side.

Vijaykanth

Vijaykanth, fondly called as 'Captain', is a key player in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. The actor-turned politician has forged an alliance with Peoples Welfare Front that comprises Vaikos MDMK the CPM, the CPI, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) chief is known for switching sides. He had aligned with the NDA in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, however, just two weeks ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections he announced to go alone. In 2011 Tamil Nadu polls, Vijaykanth had contested in alliance with Jayalalithaa's AIADMK and won 24 Assembly seats.

With 'Captain' joining hands with the four political parties and deciding to contest agaisnt the two gigiantic parties DMK, AIADMK, he could very well change the arithmetic of the upcoming polls.

Issues in Tamil Nadu Elections

With Tamil Nadu moving closer to May 16 - the date when the state's electorate will elect the new Assembly, some issues have taken centre stage and may decide the outcome of the elections, notwithstanding emotional factor attached with the pressing of the button on the electronic voting machine.

Corruption remains one of the hotly-debated topics in Tamil Nadu politics. And the person grabbing the most limelight is none other than incumbent Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. A special court in Bengaluru had found Jayalalithaa guilty of amassing assets disproportionate to her income while she was the Tamil Nadu chief minister during 1991-1996. Though the High Court had later acquitted the AIADMK chief, an appeal against her acquittal filed by the Karnataka government in the Supreme Court is still pending.

The main opposition DMK, meanwhile, continues to suffer from the consequences of the multi-crore 2G spectrum allocation scam. While senior state leader Vaiko has accused MK Stalin, the number two in DMK, of being behind the high-profile 2G scam, the case hearing underway in New Delhi may cast a shadow on DMK's poll campaign in Tamil Nadu. It may be remembered that the DMK has not managed to recover politically as well as electorally since the 2011 Assembly Election defeat that came in the backdrop of the 2G scam. To fight that image, the DMK has this time promised to set up a Lokayukta that will cover the chief minister and as well all his ministers.

And the corruption allegations facing the two main parties may help the DMDK-PWF alliance in the state which is projecting itself as a 'clean alternative' to the two parties that have ruled the state for decades.

Governance: Many allege, especially those in the Opposition, that governance has taken a back seat in Tamil Nadu politics. The state's economy has been marred by slow growth and development is happening at a snail's pace. Further, erosion in reputation of Tamil Nadu as an investor-friendly state has its image hard. The Nokia plant closure is a case in point.

Further, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been accused of keeping a distance not just from Opposition leaders but also Union ministers and business leaders, that has further dented the image of the current leadership.

Freebies: Intertwined with the issue of governance (or misgovernance) is the issue of doling out freebies. Like the DMK government in the past which gave out among other things free TVs, the incumbent Jayalalithaa government has also been accused of seeking to win votes by doling out freebies and launching highly-subsidised schemes. While this may help the AIADMK win support, the state government has been accused of selling Central schemes as its own.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar recently said, "They are doing petty politics and fooling voters by labelling their name on schemes that are essentially financed 90 percent by the Central government." The minister listed the rice distribution scheme for the poor as one example. "They are putting their own names and calling it as Amma rice while people say it should be called prime minister rice," he added.

Not long ago, the Supreme Court had observed that the announcement of freebies influences all people and shakes the root of free and fair elections to a large degree.

Prohibition: Another issue that has taken centre stage this election is the ban on liquor, amid the wave of implementation of similar measures across the country. Almost all parties in the state have made prohibition a poll promise.

The DMK has listed prohibition as its first promise in the poll manifesto. Jayalalithaa, on her part, has said liquor prohibition would be introduced in the state in phases if AIADMK is voted back to power.

Banning the sale and consumption of liquor is never an easy decision as it affects the revenue collections of a state. In Tamil Nadu, liquor is retailed by state owned outlets and is a major revenue source. With a slowing economy, it remains to be seen how the measure will be implemented in the state and how soon.

Among some other issues that could influence the voters in the current elections include social justice, state of industries, workers rights and education.
Dahod: The previous UPA government left "empty coffers" after its 10-year rule which made it difficult for the present NDA dispensation to work for the poor, BJP president Amit Shah said here today.

Shah, who was speaking at the launch of the second phase of 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana' at Dahod, also compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign for giving up LPG subsidy by well-off people to that of former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri's call of voluntarily giving up one meal to deal with food shortage.

"The UPA government had left us with empty coffers because of which it was not possible for the present government to do anything for the poor," Shah said, addressing the gathering where Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were also present.

"As soon as the Prime Minister (Modi) took over, he took steps to remove corruption and curb black marketing by direct transfer of Rs 13,000 crore into the bank accounts of poor people," he said.

"He also initiated 'give it up' scheme and appealed well-to-do people to give up gas subsidy for the sake of country's poor. The response to the appeal was unprecedented, perhaps never before did any Prime Minister get such a massive response," Shah said.

"If we look back, perhaps (former PM) Lal Bahadur Shastri had made a similar appeal to the countrymen to stop eating dal-rice which received immense response and people had stopped eating it," the senior BJP leader said.

"On PM Modi's appeal, one crore people have left the (gas) subsidy which is not a small thing," he said.

Highlighting the benefits of 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana', Shah said, "No other scheme can provide women empowerment better than 'Ujjwala Yojana'.

"Six crore women will get gas connections, which is the best example of women empowerment and poverty alleviation."

Modi had launched the programme from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh on May 1 which aims to cover five crore beneficiaries for which Rs 8,000 crore has been earmarked.

The second phase of the programme was launched today in the presence of Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, and Chief Ministers Anandiben Patel (Gujarat), Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan) and Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh).

The tribal beneficiaries from Jhabua in MP, Pratapnagar and Dungarpur in Rajasthan, and from Dahod and Panchmahals in Gujarat were given LPG connections.

On the occasion, Pradhan said within three years, five crore families will get LPG connections for which Rs 8,000 crore finance will be provided.

"This financial year alone, one crore new connections will be provided for which Rs 2,000 crore have been earmarked. In Gujarat, in the coming days, we will provide 25 lakh new connections, most of which will be targeted at rural beneficiaries," Pradhan said.

The minister also said that the government was not passing on the entire benefit of reduction in global crude oil price to the public so that the remaining money was diverted to the programmes oriented towards the poor.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has topped the list of most social media savvy-ministers in the present Cabinet while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ranked second among eight other top union ministers, according to a joint study by ET Magazine and California-based Frrole Inc.

Citing the study, the Times of India said that both Swaraj and minister of state with independent charge for power, coal, new and renewable energy Piyush Goyal, occupied the second slot. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ranked sixth.

However, according to the study, PM Modi led from the front in the social media department.

Frrole Inc is a social intelligence company based in Palo Alto, California, which analysed and ranked the ministers based on their social media activity.

The "sentiments distribution", which analyses an individual's social media activities and is split into positive, negative and neutral, puts the PM in a different league. He scores 78% positive and 14% negative. That puts him way ahead of Swaraj (59% and 33%) and Rajnath Singh (59% and 30%), the report said.

"This shows that Modi's social media presence is mostly about positive, feel-good messaging -more representative of PR usage than operational, unlike some of his ministers," TOI quoted Amarpreet Kalkat, co-founder of Frrole, as saying.

Following is the complete list of social activity score of our ministers:

Narendra Modi: 8.5

Sushma Swaraj: 7.3

Piyush Goyal: 7.3

Smriti Irani: 7.2

Rajnath Singh: 7.2

Arun Jaitley: 7.1

Suresh Prabhu: 7

Ravi Shankar Prasad: 6.9

Harsh Vardhan: 6.7

Nirmala Seetharaman: 6.7

The BJP-led NDA government is perhaps the first time that political parties tried to tap the virtual world so relentlessly. And the trend continues. From issuing routine press releases, addressing citizens' complaints to seeking opinions, NDA ministers have been active users of social media, the report added.
Jamshedpur: A School van driver was on Sunday arrested on charge of sexually harassing a 10-year old school girl at Sonari in district, police said.

The accused Suresh Rajak was arrested on charge of sexually harassing the fifth standard student of a reputed English Medium School, a police officer said.

The police officer said following a health problem, the girl disclosed to her parents that the driver had been sexually harassing her since last October.

Rajak was arrested after a case was registered by the parents of the girl, he added.
Bengaluru: An Ola cab driver was on Saturday booked on charges of misbehaving with a 31-year-old woman who had hired his cab to go to Indiranagar in Bengaluru.

The woman had booked an Ola cab to go to Indiranagar from BTM I stage when the incident took place.

The woman in her complaint said the cab driver started misbehaving with her while they were on CMH Road, Indiranagar. However, after she raised alarm, the driver fled from the spot, leaving his car and driving license behind.

She then called the police and informed them about the incident after which they reached the spot and seized the car.

The license recovered from the vehicle identified the driver as one BP Basavaraju.

However, the driver is still on the run and is yet to be arrested. One of the police officials, who is investigating the case told TOI, "We are trying to trace him."
Bengaluru: Worried over nepotism charges, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered his sons not to do business during his reign.

"No doing any business till I am in power," TOI quoted the CM as saying.

The diktat comes after allegation that a government tender was given to Matrix Imaging Solutions Pt Ltd., which the CM's second son Yathindra is a director.

Matrix Imaging is a diagnostic laboratories chain.

Siddaramaiah's detractors charged him of abusing his office to award the tender, and have lodged a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau.

The report said that Siddaramaiah reacting to a poser on why Yathindra quit Matrix Imaging if he had done no wrong, said: "I advised my son to quit. It was not because that he had violated rules but because I did not want him to be doing business in any company till the time I am in power."

However, defending the award of the said tender to Matix Solutions, he said: "My son is a doctor. He is a professional. He is a member of Matrix and they had participated in the tender called by the government and emerged as L1 (lowest bidder). Where is the question of violation in this case?"
New Delhi: Amid reports of harrowing time faced by farmers due to persistent droughts in the country, Ranga Reddy's 12 acres of pomegranate and mango farm in Karnataka's Raichur district resembles an oasis in a desert.

Reddy's lush green farm may have been an object of envy for many but for this 28-year-old unassuming and soft spoken farmer, it's the result of his will and indefatigable work which he puts in everyday in his field.

Reddy's farm is located in Terracotta village of Raichur, one of the worst drought-affected districts of Karnataka. However, his sprawling farm is in stark contrast to the barren land that surrounds his field.

One of the few successful farmers in the region, Reddy sells his produce to big dealers in Mysore, Udipi, Bangalore and even as far as Hyderabad.

A visit to the region may result in a heat stroke for the uninitiated, but Reddy is at peace as his crops stand tall and unaffected.

Reddy says Pomegranate is drought proof. It (pomegranate) is best suited for the Indian weather; it can survive even with little water, he explains.

Earlier, he used to grow cotton, drumstick and paddy in his field, all are water intensive crops, but he switched to pomegranate farming three years ago.

I travelled a lot to find what best suited my land. I read about organic farming. I went to different villages in Maharashtra and saw how farmers are cultivating organic crops.

Its when I learnt that sowing the same crop again and again isnt exactly good for the land or profitable. You keep sowing the same crop and you end up making loses. I didnt want to do that, he says.

During his research, he also came to know about the state governments Krushi Bhagya Scheme, which trains farmers in rain water harvesting and provides Rs.25,000 to build ponds to store water.

He applied for the scheme and he got selected.

He received his training at the agriculture college in Raichur city.

After returning to his village, Reddy built a pond in his farm and also installed a water pump to harvest the ground water. He then installed the drip irrigation system in his field. And the rest is history!

This method helps a lot because Ill be able to able to utilise water even with just half an inch of water in the pond, he says.

Its been three years since the drought situation worsened in Karnataka. I do not want to face what other farmers are facing, they are committing suicide every day. After a lot of research, I thought of organic farming, says Reddy.

Stories from the ground: Read more
Washington D.C: What if there was something that could help retrieve swallowed objects sans surgery? A team of scientists has developed a 'meat transformer' for the same purpose.

Researchers at MIT, the University of Sheffield and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and steered by external magnetic fields, crawl across the stomach wall to remove a swallowed button battery or patch a wound.

"It's really exciting to see our small origami robots doing something with potential important applications to health care," said researcher Daniela Rus, adding "For applications inside the body, we need a small, controllable, untethered robot system. It's really difficult to control and place a robot inside the body if the robot is attached to a tether."

The researchers tested about a dozen different possibilities for the structural material before settling on the type of dried pig intestine used in sausage casings. "We spent a lot of time at Asian markets and the Chinatown market looking for materials," researcher Shuguang Li said. The shrinking layer is a biodegradable shrink wrap called Biolefin.

Every year, 3,500 swallowed button batteries are reported in the U.S. alone. Frequently, the batteries are digested normally, but if they come into prolonged contact with the tissue of the esophagus or stomach, they can cause an electric current that produces hydroxide, which burns the tissue. Miyashita employed a clever strategy to convince Rus that the removal of swallowed button batteries and the treatment of consequent wounds was a compelling application of their origami robot.

"Shuhei bought a piece of ham, and he put the battery on the ham," Rus says. "Within half an hour, the battery was fully submerged in the ham. So that made me realize that, yes, this is important. If you have a battery in your body, you really want it out as soon as possible."
Lucknow: The wait of thousands of students who had appeared for Uttar Pradesh Board exams are finally going to be over on Sunday as the Uttar Pradesh Board High School (Class X) Results 2016 are likely to be declared today, ie. May 15.

Here's how students can check their results:

The Uttar Pradesh Board of Secondary Education will announce the results on its official website: http://upmsp.nic.in/

Students can also pre-register their mobile numbers with Airtel to get their results. They can SMS UP10<space><Roll Number> to 5207051 for Class 10th at a cost of Rs 10 per SMS. Airtel customers can also dial *588# and register to get instant results at a cost of Rs 10 per registration.

The UP Board 10th Result 2016 is expected to be declared at 12:30 pm today.

Nearly 68 lakh students of Class 10 are anxiously waiting for their Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad results.

The Class 10 exams were held between February 18 and March 9, 2016. A total of 37,49,977 students, including 21,08,937 boys and 16,41,040 girls, registered for the Class 10 exams.

Board of High School and Intermediate Education UttarPradesh, Allahabad

The Board was set up in the year 1921 at Allahabad by an act of United Provinces Legislative Council. It conducted its first examination in 1923. This Board is one in India which, from the very start, had adopted 10+2 system of examination. The first public examination after 10 years education is High School Examination and after the 10+2 stage, there is Intermediate Examination. Prior to 1923, University of Allahabad was the examining body of these two examinations.

At present there are 9121 secondary schools recognized by the UP Board of High School and Intermediate Education.
Kolkata: In what may be called a shocking act of cruelty, a 21-year-old woman was allegedly burnt by her husband and in-laws in Old Malda police station area on Friday.

The report published in Indian Express said that Rehana Biwi's husband Azad Sheikh poured boiling water on her after she failed to get Rs 50,000 cash in dowry. The doctors treating her said that the victim has suffered at least 70 per cent burn injuries and is said to be in a critical state.

Her family has alleged that Rehana's husband and in-laws had been torturing her for days over dowry and beat her regularly. According to one of her family members, they had given Rs 15,000, gold ornaments and other valuables to Rehana's in-laws but they started demanding more after the marriage.

On Friday, another altercation over dowry demand broke out between Rehana and Azad. In a fit of rage, he took a pot of boiling water and poured over her. She was rushed to a nearby hospital after neighbours heard her screaming in pain.

Rehana was married to Azad five years ago. They have two children.

Police have registered a complaint against her husband Azad, 34, and her in-laws.

(Inputs from Indian Express)
Kabul: Thousands of minority Shiite Hazaras are expected to protest in Kabul over a multi-million-dollar power transmission line, in what could potentially snowball into a political crisis for the beleaguered government.

The planned protest follows a massive rally last November galvanised by the beheadings of a group of Hazaras, which became a symbol of the broader public discontent with President Ashraf Ghani's regime.

The TUTAP power line, which would connect the energy-rich Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan, is regarded a crucial project in the electricity-starved region.

But it has been mired in controversy, with leaders from the minority group demanding that the line be routed through central Bamiyan province, which has a large Hazara population.

The line was originally set to pass through Bamiyan but the government decided to reroute it through the mountainous Salang pass north of Kabul, saying the shorter route would expedite the project and save millions of dollars in costs.

Hazara leaders in the ethnically divisive nation lashed out at the Pashtun president, saying the decision to reroute the line was a sign of discrimination. "People will pour into Kabul's streets to stage a massive protest before marching towards the presidential palace," Hazara lawmaker Arif Rahmani told AFP. "We want the power line to cross through Bamiyan, which has seen no development in 15 years. We are demanding justice, not charity."Organisers of the protest expect thousands of people to participate in the rally, which comes in the midst of the Taliban's annual spring offensive launched last month.

"Staging peaceful protests is the civil right of every Afghan citizen... We respectfully request that our countrymen not allow the enemy (to) misuse this opportunity and disrupt public security," the interior ministry said in a statement. The dispute, which highlights the challenges of modernising the war-torn country, threatens to overshadow TUTAP which could help ease nationwide power blackouts.

Hazara protesters repeatedly heckled Ghani during an anti-corruption summit in London last week.

The president faces rising unpopularity amid endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and growing insecurity in Afghanistan.

The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the mainly Pashtun Sunni Taliban.
Aden: A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group and a second blast killed 47 police Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al Qaeda rule ended last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS in the city of 200,000 people that was recaptured by government forces from the rival jihadists of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 41 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said after earlier giving a toll of 31 dead.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt after joining a line of men at a police recruiting centre, a provincial official said.

More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

Hadramawt`s security chief, General Mubarak al-Oubthani, was at the recruitment centre at the time of the attack but was not hurt.

However, he was the target of a second bombing afterwards as he was preparing to head into central Mukalla, a security official said.

The bomb exploded as Oubthani walked out of his office, killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.

An IS statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, a second rare operation by the jihadist group in an area known to be a stronghold of its Al-Qaeda rivals.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 soldiers were killed in jihadist attacks outside Mukalla. IS said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city`s eastern outskirts.

The attacks included a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of the commander of Hadramawt`s second military region, General Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped unharmed, officials said.On Sunday, troops guarding an army post in Khalf opened fire on a vehicle after they suspected its driver of being a suicide bomber, a security official said, adding the vehicle sped away.

The general boasted on Friday that his forces had captured some 250 Al-Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla and nearby coastal towns, including its commander for the city of Shihr, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.

Al-Qaeda was driven out of the area last month with the backing of Emirati and Saudi special forces.

The Pentagon revealed last week that a "very small number" of US military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation.

The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, USS Boxer, and two destroyers.

The offensive against Al-Qaeda comes amid a truce and peace talks between the government and Iran-backed rebels it has been fighting with support from a Saudi-led coalition since March last year.

Speaking in Kuwait, the UN special envoy to Yemen said he was optimistic despite unresolved "difficult matters".

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference.

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

Jihadists from both Al-Qaeda and IS took advantage of the conflict in the country to expand their presence in Hadramawt and other areas of the south, including second city Aden where the government has its base.

IS has claimed several attacks on government and coalition targets in Aden in recent months.

Washington regards Al-Qaeda`s Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has stepped up a longstanding drone war against it in recent weeks.

But the jihadists retain a strong presence and still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Islamabad: Top diplomats each from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US are scheduled to meet in Islamabad on May 18 to discuss ways to start the peace talks in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.

This would be the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) since the Taliban have refused to take part in the direct talks with the Afghan government.

The QCG in its last meeting in Kabul in February had invited the insurgents to join the process by the first week of March.

The meeting is seen very important as Afghanistan is now pushing for action against the Taliban as they are unwilling to come to the negotiation table and launched their annual Spring Offensive, Xinhua reported.

The Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul on April 19 that killed 64 people and injured nearly 350 has badly affected efforts for the peace negotiations.

President Ashraf Ghani in his parliament speech on April 25th had prioritised war with the Taliban.

The Afghan government now wants the QCG to opt for action against the Taliban. However, Pakistan still insists on the political negotiations.

Pakistan has been impressing upon the US and Afghan side that the reconciliation process needs to be given a fair chance and more time, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz recently told the Senate.

"Irreconcilable elements can be targeted after concerted efforts of negotiations have failed. We hope to discuss these issues in detail during the upcoming round of the QCG in Islamabad on 18-19 May," Aziz said.

Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, Omar Zakhilwal, said on Sunday that Kabul now calls on the QCG to pronounce the Taliban as "irreconcilable" because they have publicly rejected the talks.

Zakhilwal said on Sunday that the QCG in its meeting in Kabul had agreed on a roadmap in February and that Kabul hopes the grouping will implement its decisions.

The roadmap is precisely about the steps that the QCG member countries needed to in their respective relevant domains in both during peace talks if they began and also if Taliban refused to join talks. Now that the Taliban publicly refused to join talks and opted for more violence the second scenario is applicable, Zakhilwal said.

A delegation of the Taliban political negotiators from the Qatar office had arrived in Pakistan in late April for exploratory talks on the possible peace process. However, the Afghan government refused to sit with the Taliban because of increased Taliban violence.
Berlin: German politicians accused Chancellor Angela Merkel at the weekend of making Europe overly dependent on Turkey in the migrant crisis, leaving the bloc vulnerable to blackmail by President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey, refusing to bow to European Union demands to rein in its broad anti-terror laws, said on Friday talks on a deal to provide visa-free travel in return for stopping illegal migrants reaching the EU had reached an impasse and the bloc must find a "new formula" to salvage the agreement.

Merkel, whose popularity has suffered due to her liberal migrant policy that saw Germany take in more than one million migrants last year, had spearheaded EU efforts to secure the deal, signed in March.

While the numbers of migrants have dropped sharply this year, Merkel continues to attract criticism from her conservative allies in Bavaria as well as the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

"I`m not against talks with Turkey but I think it`s dangerous to become so dependent on Ankara," said Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merkel`s Christian Democrats (CDU).

Seehofer told Welt am Sonntag (WamS) that the deal with Turkey had helped boost support for AfD, which is currently polling at up to 15 percent.

Sahra Wagenknecht of the opposition far-left Linke party told the same newspaper Merkel had essentially negotiated the deal without involving her European partners.

"The chancellor is therefore responsible for Europe having become vulnerable to being blackmailed by the authoritarian Turkish regime and for Erdogan feeling noticeably strengthened to crush human rights underfoot," she said.

Cem Oezdemir, co-leader of the Greens party and the son of Turkish immigrants, also told WamS the deal had put Europe at risk of being blackmailed and said Merkel was largely to blame.

While the EU is desperate for the deal to succeed, it also insists that Turkey meet 72 criteria, including anti-terror laws which it says Turkey uses to stifle dissent. Ankara says it needs sweeping legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State.

Merkel is due to attend the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23 and there are plans for bilateral talks with other leaders in attendance, her spokesman said on Friday.

Members of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel`s junior coalition partner, also expressed concern.

Carsten Schneider told WamS Merkel had made Erdogan the key to her refugee policy and if he stopped cooperating, "the extent of Germany`s isolation in Europe will become clear again", while Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel said Merkel should not "kowtow" to Erdogan.

But SPD Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Tagesspiegel newspaper Turkey was still the key country for migration to Europe, adding: "We need to cooperate to some extent if we want to avoid the circumstances we had last year."

Merkel has drawn heavy criticism for allowing German prosecutors to pursue a case against a German comedian at the Turkish leader`s behest. The comic had recited a sexually crude poem about Erdogan.
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed at Iran on Sunday for holding its annual Holocaust denial cartoon contest, charging that Tehran was "preparing another Holocaust" against the Jewish people.

Iran "denies the Holocaust, mocks the Holocaust, and is preparing another Holocaust", he told ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office, according to Times of Israel.

"I think all the countries of the world need to stand up and condemn this unequivocally," he said.

Israel's problem with Iran, he said, "isn't just its subversive, aggressive policy in the region. It's the values on which it`s based".

Iran`s annual international cartoon contest lampooning the Holocaust features around 150 works from 50 countries. It began Saturday and is running for the next two weeks.

The contest secretary said on Saturday it was not denying the Nazi genocide and was not "ridiculing its victims", but then went on to equate Nazi crimes with Israel`s treatment of the Palestinians.
Jeddah: US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to secure its support ahead of a potential showdown with Russia at talks on the Syrian conflict.

After his Saudi meetings, Kerry was due in Vienna which this week will host the international contact groups engaged in efforts to halt fighting in Syria and Libya.

Riyadh is the key backer of rebels fighting to overthrow Syria`s President Bashar al-Assad, and Kerry is keen to keep the opposition on board with a shaky ceasefire in force since February.

Saudi allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are also major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is withholding its support from a UN-backed unity government in Tripoli.

Kerry met Saudi Arabia`s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at the royal court in a palace in Jeddah.

"I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect," he told King Salman as the pair sat down, before reporters were ushered out.

"On Syria, the secretary provided an update of the situation on the ground following last week`s reaffirmation of the cessation of hostilities," a US spokesman said.

"The secretary also gave an update on Libya," he said.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed "regional issues... mainly developments in Syria," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The monarch discussed "aspects of cooperation between the two countries and developments in the region and efforts in that regards," SPA reported.

Kerry also discussed cooperation in "fighting terrorism" with the Crown Prince, who is also interior minister.

Bin Nayef had orchestrated the kingdom`s crackdown on Al-Qaeda, which launched a wave of attacks on foreigners and government targets between 2003 and 2006. After his talks in Vienna, Kerry will fly on to Brussels on Wednesday for a NATO foreign ministers` meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will jointly host the Libya conflict meeting on Monday.

Participants will "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," according to US officials.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to end the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that has undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March, taking over key institutions such as the central bank and the National Oil Corporation, but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

The State Department`s Kirby said last week the goal is to "ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition."

The ISSG, chaired by Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian Assad`s regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect the fragile three-month-old ceasefire.

Officials hope next week`s meeting will inject new life into the peace process and -- if the ceasefire holds -- secure talks on forming a unity government.

Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan reported on Sunday that peace talks might resume on May 23, citing sources it did not identify.

On the ground, clashes between rival Islamist rebel factions near Damascus since late last month has killed more than 300 fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Sunday.
Cairo: At least one police officer was killed and four others injured after a roadside bomb targeted their vehicle in Egypt's restive North Sinai governorate.

The vehicle was on a security mission in el-Masaeed district in North Sinai when the bomb went off.

Security forces combed the area in search for the attackers. The injured policemen were transferred to Al-Arish Military hospital for treatment, officials said.

Egypt's North Sinai became the stage of 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.
Dhaka: Law Enforcers on Sunday detained three suspects for their involvement in the killing of an elderly Buddhist monk in Bangladesh's Naikkhangchhari upazila of Bandarban district.

The suspects have been identified as Abdur Rahim, 25, Md Zia, 26, and Sa Mong Chak, 35.

Abul Khair, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Naikkhangchhari Police Station, confirmed that they were detained from their houses, reports the Daily Star.

U Damma Oaing Cha Bhikkhu, a 73-year-old Buddhist monk, was found dead, with his throat slit, in his temple Chak Nirvana Bouddha Kyang yesterday.

Khair quoting the locals said that two Rohingya men were seen loitering some place away from the usual walk way near the murder spot.

The elderly monk had on Thursday reportedly informed his son that he was feeling unsafe since two unidentified men roamed the temple area.

He had also informed that something unexpected will happen to him and asked his son to stay alert.

Aung Sa Dhoai Chak, the victim's son, said that his father did not have any enmity with anyone in the area.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Washington: A 37-year-old man has admitted in court that he ripped off a Muslim woman's hijab on board a flight in the US after screaming "Take it off! This is America!".

Gill Parker Payne of Gastonia, from North Carolina, pleaded guilty in a New Mexico federal court to a misdemeanour hate crime charge of using force to intentionally obstruct the woman's free exercise of her religious beliefs.

Near the end of his Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque last December, Payne decided he had to take action.

Seated a few rows in front of him was a woman he had never met before. She was wearing a religious headscarf, known as a hijab, which Payne recognised as a Muslim practice.

He stood up, walked down the aisle and stopped next to her seat. Looking down at the woman, Payne instructed her to remove the covering, the Washington Post reported.

"Take it off! This is America!" Payne was quoted as telling the woman. When she did not do it herself, Payne grabbed the hijab from the back and pulled it all off.

Violated, the woman, identified by the Justice Department only as K A, quickly pulled the hijab back over her head.

As part of a plea deal with the federal government, Payne on Friday pleaded guilty to obstructing the woman's exercise of her religious beliefs.

"Because I forcibly removed K A's hijab, I admit that the United States can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I intentionally obstructed K A's free exercise of her religious beliefs," he said in a written statement in the plea agreement.

Payne awaits sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of up to USD 100,000.

"No matter one's faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence," Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, was quoted as saying in a statement.

"Using or threatening force against individuals because of their religion is an affront to the fundamental values of this nation," she said.

FBI data show that hate crimes against nearly every group fell from 2004 to 2014. However, anti-Muslim hate crimes are the only exception, remaining nearly unchanged. There were 156 in 2004 and 154 in 2014.

The Bridge Initiative, a Georgetown University research project focused on Islamophobia, found in a report this month that anti-Muslim violence and vandalism rose last year from 154 to 174 reported incidents.

The 2015 incidents included 12 murders, 29 physical assaults, eight arsons, nine shootings or bombings, and 50 threats against people or institutions.
YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan continued to fire in the direction of Armenian border guard units in different sections of Armenia-Azerbaijan state border overnight April 15, using different caliber weapons and sniper rifles. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, contract soldier Aram Ohanyan received fatal injuries on May 14.

According to operative data received from the Defense Army of NKR, no operative changes occurred on the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijan opposing forces during the same period. Azerbaijan continued violating the truce.

Particularly, the violations were intensive in the southern direction, where Azerbaijani forces used infantry combat vehicle firing 4 times and AGS-17 (79 projectiles).

Armenian front line units keep control of operative-tactical situation and confidently fulfill their tasks.
YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski referred to the EUs stance on ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone during his visit to Gyumri in the sidelines of the Europes day in Gyumri. He stated that the EUs position is very clear, the ceasefire must be strengthened.

I suppose all of you know that very important meetings will take place in Vienna on May 16. I am convinced that these meetings may have positive influence on the conflict settlement process. The EUs stance is very clear: The ceasefire must be strengthened and new steps for confidence building must be undertaken for signing the peace treaty. The conflict has no military solution. Tomorrow this message will be delivered to both parties, presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. We believe in peace in the region and work for that. I suppose Armenia and the Armenian people, as well as Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people must also prepare for peace and the EU is ready to assist in that issue, Piotr Switalski mentioned.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs reaffirmed their commitment on May 12 to reach a lasting settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The statement issued by them reads as follows,  The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France, remain fully committed to mediating a lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In light of the recent violence and the urgency of reducing tensions along the Line of Contact, we believe the time has come for the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet.

Our Foreign Ministers are prepared to facilitate this meeting next week in Vienna. Their main objectives will be to reinforce the ceasefire regime, and to seek agreement on confidence-building measures that would create favorable conditions for resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement on the basis of elements and principles under discussion.

There can be no success in negotiations if violence continues, and there can be no peace without a negotiation process. We reiterate that there is no military solution to the conflict.

As Armenpress had earlier been informed from the press service of Republic of Armenia Presidents Office, President Serzh Sargsyan will pay a working visit to Austria, Vienna, on May 16, where he will hold a number of meetings initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs.

Armenuhi Mkhoyan
Aldi, Germany's original discount supermarket chain, is getting a major facelift -- spelling the end of an era, at least in design terms, for the traditional first-stop shop of the thrifty German housewife

Out with the cardboard boxes, rough forklift crates and no-frills warehouse look -- in with cozy wood panelling, natural light and chilled fruit smoothies at the breakfast bar.

Aldi, Germany's original discount supermarket chain, is getting a major facelift -- spelling the end of an era, at least in design terms, for the traditional first-stop shop of the thrifty German housewife.

Rising competition has pushed the retail giant to move away from its "hard discount" industrial look that promised savings toward a luxurious customer experience.

Aldi Sued -- the division of the brand that runs stores in Germany's south and west -- last week showed off its "Future Store" concept at Unterhaching near the southern city of Munich.

The new-look stores, set to be adopted in its nearly 1,900 locations in the next three years, will have products neatly stacked in shelves, rather than piled up or scattered on tables.

And a cafe area will offer fair trade coffee, fresh smoothies and other chilled beverages. There will be benches for senior citizens and customer toilets with baby changing tables.

- 'New philosophy' -

Aldi, an empire built on shaving off unnecessary costs, declined to say how much its renovations will cost.

Jeannette Thull, head of central purchasing, said it wasn't pushed to update its image but was responding to changing consumer tastes.

"We have a healthy confidence in ourselves," she said, promising that while the new look should draw new customers, the prices will stay low.

Retail market expert Wolfgang Adlwarth of the GfK institute said the move spells "clearly a change in philosophy".

He saw both Aldi and rival Lidl moving further away from the "hard discount" segment through a range of changes in recent years.

Both have introduced, for example, organic and regional produce on their food and vegetables shelves and fresh bread baked in-store, he said.

Such innovations have come in response to sliding market share for the still-dominant brands -- from a combined 43.7 percent in 2013, to 42.3 percent in 2015, according to GfK.

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Germans are getting out of the habit of buying staple products in bulk at discounters and treats at higher-end supermarkets and speciality stores, he said.

The challenge, therefore, was to capture and retain customers at a "single point of purchase".

- Success abroad -

In their markets abroad, both Aldi and Lidl have also been rethinking their stores to "highlight the quality and price and no longer speak only about low prices," said Frederic Valette of market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.

In a sign the strategy is working, Aldi has almost doubled its market share in Britain over three years to six percent in early 2016.

Lidl has grown to gain a 5.2 percent market share in France, up from 4.6 percent in 2013, according to figures compiled by Kantar.

The changes do not spell the end of the discounter, which gains "huge cost savings" from keeping a slim range of products, said Valette.

Aldi's product range of about 1,200 per store is still far below the over 10,000 offered by a typical supermarket or the more than 35,000 found in a so-called hypermarket.

The huge investments now in rebranding spell initial costs but should "generate long-term economic returns," he added.

Already Aldi and the owners of Lidl -- the Schwarz Group -- are among the top 10 global retailers, along with US giants Walmart, Tesco of Britain and French chain Carrefour.

The two German market leaders are now looking across the Atlantic to expand. Aldi plans to open 2,000 stores in the United States by 2018, the year Lidl also plans to inaugurate its first US store.
Donald Trump California portest

Several hundred protesters opposing Donald Trump gathered on Friday outside the hotel where he was scheduled to speak to California Republicans, and a large contingent of police sought to head off violence like what followed a rally in Southern California the night before.

A man wearing a red, Trump-campaign "Make America Great Again" hat was struck while being jostled by a group of shouting protesters.

"It went gangbusters. They attacked me," said Chris Conway, who identified himself as a mortgage broker from San Mateo, California.

Trump was escorted to the venue by a fleet of black SUVs and police. He had to enter through the back surrounded by scores of security personnel.

Here's how Trump had to venture toward the hotel:

WATCH: Trump forced to jump over barrier & up small dirt hill to get in rear door of event due to protests. https://t.co/e8GmYvEse2  CNBC (@CNBC) April 29, 2016

"That was not the easiest entrance," Trump joked. "It was like I was crossing the border," he said during a speech at the California Republican convention.

A dozen protesters linked arms to block the road in front of the Hyatt Regency hotel in the city of Burlingame, just south of San Francisco International Airport. No one was using the street because police had already closed it to traffic. Protesters also draped a large "Stop Hate" banner outside the hotel.

Trump protests

Five people were arrested and one sheriff's deputy was injured in the chaos, local news station KTVU reported.

The station identified protester Cat Brooks as the one who organized the event on Friday. She told a reporter: "We're here because Trump has used the largest platform in the world to issue a message of hate and invite violence against marginalized communities."

More than 10,000 people apparently replied to a Facebook invite for the protest at the hotel.

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Despite having to take evasive measures when he arrived at the event, Trump appeared to take it all in stride at the convention. He told attendees that he's not worried about getting the entirety of the Republican Party to stand behind his presidential campaign.

"Could I win without it? I think so because they're going to be voting for me," he said on Friday.

Donald Trump California protests

The demonstrators bristled at Trump's signature immigration rhetoric, in which he calls for a wall on the Mexican border that he says Mexico should pay for. Demonstrators waved Mexican flags and held signs adorned with swastikas and expletives disparaging the GOP frontrunner.

One man could be seen wearing a Trump-style hat that read "Trump = Nazi."

The unrest in California, a state which now boasts a larger Latino population than non-Hispanic whites, resembled the anti-Trump protests that shut down a Trump rally in Chicago last month.

Twenty people were arrested after earlier demonstrations turned violent during Trump's appearance in Southern California on Thursday night.

NOW WATCH: EX-DEA AGENT: Trumps border wall would 'serve no purpose in the war on drugs





More From Business Insider


Marcela Temer, wife of Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer, walks at the inauguration ceremony for Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, January 1, 2011. REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police have arrested three people on charges of hacking the Internet account of the wife of Brazil's interim president and attempting to extort money after stealing intimate photographs, the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper said on Thursday. The newspaper said that police had arrested the hacker, his wife and his sister-in-law on Wednesday. A police spokesman declined to comment, saying that the case was ongoing. Marcela Temer, a 32-year-old former beauty queen, is the wife of Brazil Vice President Michel Temer, 75, who took the helm of Latin America's largest country on Thursday after President Dilma Rousseff was suspended from office for up to six months while the Senate tries her for breaking budgetary laws. The alleged hacker, who worked as a roofer, gained access to Marcela's cell phone and Internet accounts 30 days ago, the newspaper said. He, his wife and sister-in-law had attempted to extort money from the Temers, Folha reported. It did not name them. (This version of the story fixes typo in headline) (Reporting by Tatiana Ramil and Reese Ewing)
(Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said on Sunday it plans to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen AG over the German automaker's emissions scandal. "Norges Bank Investment Management intends to join a legal action against Volkswagen arising out of that the company provided incorrect emissions data," Marthe Skaar, the fund's spokeswoman, said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "We have been advised by our lawyers that the company's conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor, it is our responsibility to safeguard the fund's holding in Volkswagen," Skaar added. The legal action would take place in Germany, a separate fund spokesman told Reuters, declining to give details as to when it would happen. The Financial Times on Sunday first reported the sovereign fund's plan to sue Volkswagen. The $850 billion oil fund is expected in the coming weeks to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen in German courts in the coming weeks, the newspaper said. (http://bit.ly/1TccjaL) Volkswagen, which admitted last year that it had used sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, was unavailable for comment outside regular business hours. Norway's wealth fund said last year that Volkswagen's actions had contributed to a loss of 4.9 billion crowns in the fund's second quarter.The carmaker reached a nearly $10 billion deal with the U.S. government last month to buy back or fix about a half million of its diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds. Norway's wealth fund also recently turned up the heat on U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron to do more to report on the risks of climate change. The fund, itself built from Norway's oil and gas wealth, had also made similar demands of oil firms worldwide. (Reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao and Chris Reese)
The tropical heat of Mexico is a welcome break for Canadian snowbirds looking to escape a freezing winter.

For Russ Girling, the country is also providing a getaway from all the punches and kicks he's taken trying to build pipelines in Canada and the United States.

At home, the CEO of TransCanada spends billions of dollars, waits several years, and still doesn't know when the company can install new pipes in the ground.

Meanwhile, the environmental opposition is such that even Girling's own mother has called him in recent years to ask "Russ, are you going to blow up the planet?"

Down in Mexico, well, life is much easier.

The regulatory oversight and environmental opposition is a fraction of what it is in Canada and the United States for a company looking to construct new pipelines.

Mexico is proving to be a low-risk, high-reward business venture at a time when the pipeline company is struggling to construct new projects elsewhere in North America and experiencing, in Girling's words, "a lot of scrapes and bruises" along the way.

Lower costs, fast results

Girling painted a picture at the company's recent annual general meeting in Calgary about how much cheaper and simpler the process of approving a pipeline is in Mexico. In that country, it costs TransCanada about $5 million to bid on a project. Compare that to the $2.5 billion US the company spent on Keystone XL in the U.S. and the $700 million it has already invested in the Energy East project in Canada.

In addition, if TransCanada's bid in Mexico is successful, the company receives its permits, begins working with landowners and construction begins "right away."

The Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal took seven years before a decision was made. The project is shelved in the U.S. after President Barack Obama denied a permit. Without a permit, the company launched a lawsuit and a multibillion-dollar North American Free Trade Agreement claim to try to recoup its losses.

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With Energy East, there is no certainty the national regulator and the federal government will ultimately grant a permit.

"Clearly, what we have found is the risk that we need to take in Mexico to participate in a large-scale infrastructure investment is far less," said Girling.

Smaller projects

While the regulatory road is much easier to travel for TransCanada, the reward for each project is not as large, since the projects in Mexico are much smaller than those proposed elsewhere in North America.

Four natural gas projects in the works in Mexico have a value of $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, the Energy East oil pipeline in Canada would cost $15.7 billion, and a pair of natural gas pipelines in British Columbia to serve new liquefied natural gas export facilities are estimated at $9.8 billion.

The payoff will come as the pipelines keep adding up. TransCanada has a total of six projects in Mexico  two operating, three under construction and one under development.

"Mexico has been a very good place for us to do business," said Girling. "I have a very positive long-term view of the growth of Mexico and its position in North America."

Girling points to the country's expanding population, increasing energy consumption and ideal geographical location as an exporter.

"We foresee there will be more opportunities on the horizon in Mexico," he said.

TransCanada first entered the country in the mid-1990s, when the company constructed a pair of pipelines.

Little environmental opposition

Operating in Mexico also provides much less opposition from environmentalists. who have targeted pipeline companies as a way of restricting growth of oil production.

The Keystone XL project in particular drew criticism, even from celebrities like Robert Redford.

But down in Mexico? The stiff opposition from environmentalists, politicians and regulators just doesn't exist.

No wonder TransCanada is enjoying its time in the tropics.
Fort McMurray residents pore over new app to see how fire damaged their town

An app from the Alberta government showing satellite images of Fort McMurray is giving evacuees of the wildfire a closer look at their homes from afar.

Rifat and Kozeta Dyrmishi, who are staying at the Northlands evacuation centre in Edmonton, are breathing a sigh of relief after searching for their home on the app for the first time.

"It's our home, our house, we have all our belongings and memories and everything," Rifat said.

"My house is safe, it's great."

Seeing their home on the app offers a peace of mind they said you can't get from reports saying certain neighbourhoods might be untouched, he added.

Beacon Hill

May 2011 vs. May 2016: A look at Beacon Hill North, one of the hardest hit neighbourhoods  note the difference between the homes with and without roofs. Below that, Beacon Hill South looks as if the entire neighbourhood has been damaged, and a lot of it extensively.

(Image Credits: Before/Google Earth, After/Alberta Government)

Released this weekend, the app is meant to help Fort McMurray evacuees see if the wildfire known as "the beast" took their home.

The government hopes that when the higher-resolution images become available, it will help homeowners with insurance claims.

At the beginning of May, the wildfire forced over 90,000 people from their homes.

The fire tore through several neighbourhoods  primarily Beacon Hill and Abasand  and also hit others sporadically, leaving evacuees wondering about the state of their homes.

The app shows images taken from the satellite Pleaides-1A. The satellite was launched in 2011 by CNES, France's space agency, along with the Pleaides-1B.

The satellites cover a total area of 1 million square kilometres daily and orbit the entire Earth every 26 days.

Anyone wanting to view the satellite images must first click on a link, acknowledging that they have read and understand the terms of use agreement on the government website.

The government says it will release higher resolution images as they become available.

Story continues

"Having been through a devastating fire and evacuation myself, I know first-hand how stressful it is to wait for updates on which homes have been lost," Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee said in a statement.

Abasand Heights

This neighbourhood was hit particularly hard by the fire. Note the roofs that remain intact as well as Father Beauregard School. Below that, an aerial look at the Wildwood Estates in the same neighbourhood.



"We are committed to providing information to residents as soon as we can, and these images will help us begin to answer the questions people have about the state of their homes and community."

- The 180 | 'There was so much stuff': the 'second disaster' of unwanted donations

Larivee had to flee her home in Slave Lake during the wildfires five years ago.

She points out, while the app will help with insurance claims, it's important to realize that "structures that appear to be standing should not be considered undamaged."

Larivee warned that viewing the satellite images may be traumatic.

Anyone affected by the images can contact Alberta's Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642.

Get breaking news alerts on this story and others. Download the CBC News app for iOS and Android.
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's interim government dismissed criticism by leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia, over the impeachment process of Dilma Rousseff, who was suspended as president by the senate. The leftist president of El Salvador on Saturday added to the regional pressure on Brazil, saying that he would not recognize the interim government and recalled his ambassador, claiming there had been "political manipulation" in Latin America's biggest country. The bickering, not rare between leftist leaders and more conservative governments at a time when much of the region is moving to the right, comes as centrist Michel Temer, Rousseff's vice president, assumes Brazil's presidency and scrambles to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the 1930s. Rousseff, after five months of impeachment proceedings, now faces a senate trial over irregularities in her government's budget. The trial could take up to 180 days and is expected to lead to her definitive ouster. In a statement Friday evening, Brazil's foreign ministry said it "emphatically rejects" neighbors "allowing themselves to opine and propagate falsehoods over internal political process in Brazil." In a separate statement, the ministry, headed by Jose Serra, a prominent former senator and presidential candidate, criticized the head of Unasur, a South American regional bloc. Ernesto Samper, Unasur's secretary general, earlier had questioned the validity of Rousseff's suspension. After Brazil's strongly-worded statements Friday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is also struggling with economic problems and a push to remove him from office, asked his ambassador to Brazil to come home to discuss the tensions. Maduro is among leaders, including Rousseff herself, who have condemned her suspension as a "coup". Rousseff, who is spending the weekend with family in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, has said she could appeal to regional organizations in efforts to discredit the impeachment process. Thus far, however, she has complied with all procedures related to her suspension. On Saturday, mainstream Brazilian media made light of the statements by leftists in the region, especially the Socialist government of Venezuela and Communist-run Cuba. "Who are Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua to teach about democracy?" wrote Eliane Cantanhede, a prominent columnist for the Estado do S. Paulo newspaper. "Cuba?! Venezuela?!" (Reporting by Paulo Prada in Rio de Janeiro, Christine Murray in Mexico City and Gerardo Arbaiza in San Salvador and Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas; Editing by Alistair Bell)
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso plans to withdraw its troops deployed in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur and to bring them home against a backdrop of growing security threats in the Sahel-Saharan region, the Burkinabe army's chief of staff said on Thursday. The West African country was rocked in January by an attack on a hotel and restaurant in its capital, Ouagadougou, claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, that killed 30 people. The group has been targeting since November civilians at locations frequented by Westerners. It carried out attacks in Malis capital Bamako and in a beach resort town in Ivory Coast, leaving dozens of people dead. "When Burkina Faso decided eight years ago to deploy its first battalion in Darfur, we were in an environment without threats at our borders," General Pingrenoma Zagre told reporters in Ouagadougou. "We had a security situation in the Sahel-Saharan region that was overall satisfactory." But the current circumstances and the logistical costs "led us to a reassessment of the means deployed to support peace keeping theatres and consider the prospect of a withdrawal of one of our three battalions," he added. Burkina Faso, which is the eleventh-largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, has one battalion of 850 soldiers in Darfur and two battalions in Mali. A military source said the battalion to be withdrawn would be the one in Darfur. The withdrawal from Darfur has yet to be approved by the political authorities, Zagre said. (Reporting by Mathieu Bonkoungou; Writing by Marine Pennetier; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Chief Executive of Caterpillar Inc Doug Oberhelman (C) stands in front of the Ernest Hemingway Museum before a news conference in Havana May 11, 2016, REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

By Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) - Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest maker of heavy equipment, is ready to move swiftly into the Cuban market once the U.S. trade embargo is lifted, Chief Executive Doug Oberhelman said on Wednesday after meeting with Cuban ministers in Havana.

The detente between the United States and Cuba has raised hopes that full commercial ties will soon be restored between the former Cold War foes.

Caterpillar <CAT.N>, based in Peoria, Illinois, is one of several U.S. companies looking at ways to gain an early foothold in the Communist-ruled island, which had been largely off bounds to U.S. business for more than five decades.

Oberhelman said he had been "warmly received" over the past two days by various ministers on his first trip to Cuba.

"We have talked about a number of projects," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event celebrating a donation by Caterpillar to the foundation that preserves the heritage of U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway in Cuba.

"I think the most interesting one in the near term would be the Mariel harbor ... making an efficient modern harbor that competes with others around the world."

Cuba is staking much of its economic future on the Mariel port, west of Havana, seen as a potential distribution center for the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Caterpillar has already named an official dealer for Cuba, the privately held Puerto Rico company Rimco.

Rimco representative Caroline McConnie said the dealer was in talks with U.S. authorities about getting a license allowing it to sell certain Caterpillar products in Cuba despite the U.S. trade embargo.

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in December 2014 to end Cold War-era animosity and restore diplomatic relations, but the trade embargo remains in place because only the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress can lift it.

Asked when he expected the embargo to be lifted, Oberhelman said: "For me, the answer is not soon enough."

Story continues

Once it was lifted, Caterpillar could move quickly to sell products in Cuba as it is used to dealing in emerging markets, he said, speaking on the veranda of the farm just outside Havana where Hemingway lived for 21 years.

"The idea is for our dealer to set up a facility here in Cuba," he said. "We would supply most of our products from Brazil."

(Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Maria Tsvetkova NOVOSASITLI, Russia (Reuters) - Temur Djamalutdinov From the village of Dzhemikent in Dagestan, Temur Djamalutdinov applied for an international passport in September 2014 but was rejected because he owed unpaid alimony to his ex-wife, said his brother, Arsen. The following month, Djamalutdinov was put on a police list of Wahhabis. He was subject to regular police checks, his family said. Yet two weeks later, he managed to leave the country with a freshly issued passport, his brother said. A local police officer said Djamalutdinov had crossed the border legally. Arsen Djamalutdinov said he still does not understand how his brother managed to leave. In late December 2015, Arsen said, fellow radicals messaged him from Syria and told him that Djamalutdinov had been killed near Kobani, close to the Turkish border, around the same time another Russian militant, Magomed Rabadanov, died there. Government officials had no comment on the case. Uvais Sharapudinov and Akhmed Dengayev Both men came from the village of Novosasitli in Dagestan and were part of the same militant group as Saadu Sharapudinov (see main story), according to a former local official who said he acted as a mediator in the case of Saadu Sharapudinov. The former official said Dengayev and Uvais Sharapudinov (no relation to Saadu) agreed a deal with the local FSB to stop fighting in exchange for avoiding arrest and shortly afterwards decided to leave Russia. The former official said he helped them to get passports. Every Russian passport has to be approved by the FSB. In the summer of 2013, the two men left Russia and traveled via Turkey to Syria, where they fought for armed Islamist groups, according to multiple sources in their home village and a person who was in Syria with them. Uvais Sharapudinov was injured during fighting over the border town of Kobani and died in a hospital on the Turkish side of the border, according to several acquaintances. Dengayev left Syria before his rebel group joined Islamic State and returned to Russia, according to friends and relatives. He was sentenced to jail under a law that bans Russians from engaging in fighting abroad that is against Russia's interests. The security officer involved in the talks with militants from Novosasitli said: "I assumed they could leave for Syria. It was their legal right ... Even realizing someone could go to Syria, what could we do?" Government officials had no comment on the case. Akhmed Aligadjiev A mugshot of Akhmed Aligadjiev can still be seen on old Dagestani billboards depicting wanted militants. His home village of Gimry is a hotspot for Islamist activity. In January this year, a heavily armed police unit was stopping all non-residents from entering the village. Aligadjiev's father, Magomed, said his son was put on a terrorist wanted list but in 2008 was offered a deal by the authorities. He said Aligadjiev and three other militants were allowed to get international passports and to fly out of Russia to wherever they wanted. They chose Syria. Aligadjiev senior explained his son's choice by saying he had previously studied in Syria. Aligadjiev senior said the authorities had been faced with a choice "to kill them, to jail them or to send them wherever they want." He said he does not know whether his son later joined the fighting in Syria because he broke off contact with him due to his radical views. The village head in Gimry, Aliashab Magomedov, confirmed Aligadjiev was sent abroad by authorities in exchange for surrendering. Government officials had no comment on the case. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (Web version) How Russia allowed homegrown radicals to go and fight in Syria http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-militants/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Edited by Richard Woods)
By Aziz El Yaakoubi MEKNES, Morocco (Reuters) - Morocco will retain its 30 percent customs duty on imported soft wheat until the end of the year to ensure adequate supplies for the domestic market, the agriculture minister said on Wednesday. Morocco harvested a record 11 million tonnes of the grain after good rains last year, but this year's crop is expected to fall sharply after the worst weather in a decade. Drought had pushed millers and wheat importers in Morocco to ask the government to extend an import window and allow an earlier start to next season's imports. "Thirty percent is good for the actual prices in the international market and we won't change them until the end of the year," Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch told Reuters on the sideline of an annual agriculture fair in Meknes. Morocco's import campaign typically runs from October through April, after which tariffs are raised to prohibitive levels in order to protect the local harvest. Cereal production in Morocco is expected to slump from a record 11 million tonnes last year to between 3 and 4 million in 2016, officials and analysts say. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's attache in Morocco forecast cereal production to reach 4.7 million tonnes, down 58 percent from last year. Moroccan cereal imports would reach 4.6 million tonnes in the next import season, including 3.9 million tonnes of wheat and 0.7 million of barley, the U.S. report added. Wheat imports jumped 10.6 percent from a year earlier in the first three months of 2016 to 3.48 billion dirhams ($360 million) from the same period in the last year. For the first time in years, Morocco's agriculture ministry postponed announcing the annual harvest size. It usually releases the data at the opening of the agriculture fair in the city of Meknes in the last week of April. "This is a special year, we are still gathering information," Akhannouch said, adding figures will be announced in two weeks. Agriculture accounts for more than 15 percent of the economy so the weak harvest is expected to crimp gross domestic product growth. Morrocco's central bank expects GDP to grow 1 percent in 2016, slowing sharply from 4.4 percent in 2015. ($1 = 9.6565 Moroccan dirham) (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by Jason Neely/Ruth Pitchford)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia protested on Thursday against Kenyan plans to close a refugee camp packed with hundreds of thousands of Somali citizens, saying the move would increase the threat of militancy in the region. Kenya had announced a day earlier it was drawing up a timetable to shut Dadaab camp, shrugging off pleas to reconsider the move by the United Nations and rights groups. The vast settlement on the Kenyan side of the Somali border houses about 350,000 Somalis and other refugees taking shelter from conflicts raging across the region. Kenya says militants have also used it as a base to launch attacks. But Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said any move to close it would only hurt the refugees and possibly drive more people into militancy. "Expelling vulnerable Somali refugees at a time Somalia is making internationally recognized progress toward stability and institution building, will only increase the risk of insecurity in the region," the ministry said. "This decision will negatively affect the majority of Somali refugees ... and will make the threat of terrorism worse, not better," it added. Somalia's Western-backed government is struggling to rebuild the country after more than two decades of turmoil, first at the hands of clan warlords, then Islamist militants. Kenya says fighters from Somalia's al Shabaab militant group have used the camp as a launch pad for attacks on the nearby Garissa university in 2015 and other targets. Last year, Kenya said it was setting a three-month deadline to close Dadaab, but backtracked on following U.N. condemnation of any forced return. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, Kenya and Somalia signed a tripartite deal in 2013 to repatriate Somali refugees voluntarily, including 50,000 in 2016. But UNHCR acknowledged at the time it would be difficult to carry out, given the continuing al Shabaab insurgency and the poor state of schools and public services in Somalia. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Editing by George Obulutsa and Andrew Heavens)
SUNDAY, May 15 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've found a new way to predict how chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will progress, a discovery they believe could improve COPD treatment.

Their research might help doctors determine which patients are less likely to respond to standard treatment and are at higher risk for disease advancement, the study authors explained.

COPD -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- is a chronic lung disease that makes it tough to breathe. It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to the American Lung Association.

The new discovery concerns something called neutrophilic airway inflammation, which is associated with COPD. Neutrophils are white blood cells that are important for fighting infection.

Scientists said that a type of neutrophil behavior called neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation in the lungs of COPD patients appears to reduce their ability to destroy bacteria.

"We have known for many years that neutrophils should be able to fight infection, but we haven't fully understood why they don't work in COPD," said study author Dr. James Chalmers, from the University of Dundee in Scotland.

"Some recent studies described the presence of NETs in the COPD lung, so we wanted to know whether there was any relationship between NETs and outcomes in COPD patients," he said in a news release from the American Thoracic Society.

For the study, the researchers collected blood and sputum samples from 141 patients at the end of acute COPD flare-ups.

The researchers found the amount of NET formations in participants' lungs was directly related to the severity of their lung disease and their risk for COPD flare-ups that didn't respond to treatment with corticosteroids.

NETs result in more infections as well as worse lung function and quality of life, the study authors concluded.

"This marker may help us identify patients at higher risk of disease progression," said Chalmers. "And it identifies a subset of patients who may need treatments other than corticosteroids. Our data show that inhaled steroids may even exacerbate NETs, so we need to identify new COPD treatments and discover whether inhibiting NET formation will result in improved clinical outcomes for patients with COPD."

The researchers plan to continue their investigation, examining why NET formation occurs and whether it can be prevented or treated.

"While our new research is at an early stage, we hope that detecting NETs may be a biomarker that can identify patients at risk of deterioration, and that we can work toward testing whether inhibiting NET formation would be a beneficial treatment in COPD," Chalmers said.

The findings were to be presented Sunday at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting, in San Francisco. Research presented at meetings usually is regarded as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The American Lung Association provides more information on COPD.
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TOKYO, May 15 -- Education ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries pledged on Sunday in Japan to cooperate through education on global issues including the ongoing refugee crisis and poverty, along with general issues of peace in the world.

Following a two-day meeting concluding Sunday, which took place in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan, the ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union said that education underscores the future of peace in the world.

The G7 ministers vowed in a joint declaration that education was essential to promote core global values and laws to young people, which could help to battle religious radicalization and, through higher quality education, help the Syrian war-linked refugee crisis and the countries in Europe that are dealing with the influx of those displaced.

The ministers also concurred that young people throughout the wold equally had the right to receive an education and that such opportunities should be made available regardless of financial circumstances or gender.

The ministers at the two-day meeting, which was hosted by Japanese education minister, Hiroshi Hase, also said that subjects like mathematics and the sciences should also be better promoted and made available to all youngsters, including those in impoverished nations.

The declaration as well as other pertinent action points will be used for the main G7 summit, which will be held in Mie Prefecture, also in central Japan, and hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on May 26 and 27.
CHANGSHA, May 14, 2016 -- Photo taken on May 14, 2016 shows a junction ship lock of Xiangjiang River in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province. The local authority planned to invest 23 billion yuan (about 3.52 billion U.S. dollars) for the improvement of water transportation system in Hunan. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao)
GUANGZHOU, April 30, 2016 -- Chinese telecom fraud suspects are escorted off an aircraft by the police at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, April 30, 2016. A total of 97 Chinese telecom fraud suspects, including 32 Taiwanese, were sent back from Malaysia under the escort of Chinese police on Saturday. The suspects are involved in more than 100 major transnational telecom frauds related to over 20 provincial areas in Chinese mainland. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

ZHUHAI, Guangdong, May 14 -- A total of 32 Taiwanese fraudsters currently detained on the Chinese mainland have confessed to their crimes, said the Ministry of Public Security here Saturday.

The 65 mainland suspects and 32 Taiwanese suspects, deported together from Malaysia to the mainland on April 30, belonged to five criminal syndicates, said a ministry statement issued after mainland police and a delegation of judicial officials from Taiwan wrapped up a three-day meeting in the southern city of Zhuhai.

They were part of the 117 suspects detained in Malaysia for more than 100 telecom fraud cases. The other 20 Taiwanese had been sent back to Taiwan earlier.

The suspects are held at two detention centers in Zhuhai.

The police have treated the suspects equally and ensured their legal rights according to law, the statement said.

The Taiwanese were informed of their rights before the first interrogation, including the right to hire a lawyer, the statement said.

According to an earlier statement, most of the Taiwanese are in good health, except a few having skin infection and two showing symptoms of unstable blood pressure, which, however, is under control after proper treatment. Only one who has suffered hernia for eight years has been hospitalized but in stable conditions.

At Saturday's meeting, the mainland police agreed to arrange their families to visit as soon as possible.
An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103 heading to the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol insouth China Sea. (Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)

BEIJING, May 14 -- Defense Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun on Saturday expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to a Pentagon report that he said has misrepresented China's military development.

In an annual report on China's military activities, the U.S. Defense Department hyped up "China's military threat" and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said, adding that the U.S. side has always been suspicious.

Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region. Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the United States pushed forward the militarization in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.

He said China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief.

The U.S. annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the U.S. side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.
Jubilant Ukrainians erupted in celebration Sunday after Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest with a powerful tribute to her Tatar people's deportation from Russian-annexed Crimea in 1944. "Yes!!!" Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted. "An unbelievable performance and victory! All of Ukraine gives you its heartfelt thanks, Jamala." "Glory to Ukraine!" Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman added. And Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko -- a former boxer who strongly backs Ukraine's new shift toward the West -- said he never doubted Jamala's victory because she was "genuine". The 32-year-old winner is a member of the Muslim Tatar minority of Crimea who saw her great-grandmother deported along with 240,000 others by Stalin in the penultimate year of World War II. Many of those died on the tortuous voyage to Central Asia and other distant lands. Jamala's poignant song opens with the harrowing line: "When strangers are coming, they come to your house, they kill you all and say, 'were not guilty, not guilty'." The memories of that wartime horror have been revived by Russia's seizure of Crimea several weeks after a pro-EU revolt ousted Ukraine's Moscow-backed president in February 2014. Russia had earlier protested Ukraine's entry in the contest because of its "political" subtext -- a violation of Eurovision rules. But judges decided that Jamala's song was "historical" in nature and allowed "1944" to compete. One of the 2014 revolution's leaders wrote that it would be fitting for Ukraine -- which will host the event next year thanks to Jamala's win -- to stage the contest in Crimea itself. "Justice would be served if the next Eurovision is held in Jamala's historical homeland -- Ukraine's Crimea," Mustafa Nayyem tweeted. - Jumping for joy - Yet the political tensions between Kiev and Moscow that preceded the contest did not reflect on the voting itself. Ukrainians chose Russia's entry as their favourite since no country can vote for itself. And Russia came close to returning the favour by ranking Ukraine second behind its close ally Armenia. Fans watching the globally televised competition -- famed for its kitsch and glamour as well as fair share of laughs -- in a Crimean Tatar restaurant in Kiev were jumping for joy the moment the winner was announced. "This song about our tragedy was sung globally and I hope that people heard it," a young man called Emine said above the cheers. "We would very much like for the next Eurovision to be held in Crimea -- all the Crimean Tatars are expecting this and it would be right to have it in Ukrainian Crimea," a fan named Anife added. The mood among some Crimean Tatars was even more politically charged. A businessman who last year helped organise blockades of traffic between mainland Ukraine and Crimea as a sign of protest over the annexation said Jamala's victory spelled a personal defeat to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This is our first, thumping victory over Putin's Russia," Lenur Islyamov wrote on Facebook. "Crimean Tatars are not only (Ukraine's) key to Crimea, but also to Europe itself." The leader of Crimea's Mejlis -- a Tatar ruling body that was banned by Russia last month -- also celebrated Jamala's success as a sign of a brighter future for his people. "I would like to thank the many tens of thousands who supported Jamala in temporarily Russian-occupied Crimea," Refat Chubarov wrote on Facebook. "God willing, one wonderful day, we will all gather in a Crimea that is free of Russian invaders." Jamala herself told AFP before the event that she had not visited the peninsula in two years because she was "in the risk zone" for supporting Ukraine.
AFP News

Ukraine on Sunday denounced as dangerous lies suggestions from Russia that it was preparing to use a "dirty bomb". Its western allies also dismissed the allegations from Moscow, just hours after Russia went public with the claims. In conversations with his British, French and Turkish counterparts, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'", Moscow said. Russia did not mention the alleged "dirty bomb" allegation in its statement following Shoigu's call with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. "If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on social media. "I believe that now the world should react as harshly as possible." Earlier Sunday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denounced Moscow's claims as "absurd" and "dangerous". "Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves," he added. A British defence ministry statement said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had "refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation". And in Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson dismissed Moscow's "transparently false" claim. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation," she added. - 'Vile strikes' - Russia also announced Sunday that it had destroyed a depot in central Ukraine storing over 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel. Kyiv's energy operator meanwhile said scheduled power cuts had been introduced in the Ukrainian capital due to Russia's repeated strikes on the nation's power network. The blackouts started from 11:13 am (0813 GMT) with consumers in Kyiv divided into three groups "disconnected for a certain period of time", energy company DTEK said. DTEK reiterated calls for residents to use electricity "sparingly" and for businesses to limit their use of external lighting. More than one million Ukrainian households have lost electricity following recent Russian strikes, according to the Ukrainian presidency, at least a third of the country's power stations having been destroyed ahead of winter. Zelensky condemned the "vile strikes" in comments late Saturday, after Russian attacks caused power cuts across the country. - 'Save your strength' - In the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig, deputy mayor Sergiy Miliutin was dealing with emergencies and power outages from his underground bunker, used as a venue for a children's martial arts competition. "I've reached a point where I just survive on my drive. You have to stay level-headed and save your strength. No one knows how long this will all last," he told AFP. The intensification of Russian strikes on Ukraine, particularly energy facilities, came after the bridge linking the annexed Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia was partially destroyed by an explosion earlier this month. It was another major setback for Moscow's forces, battling to contain a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south and east of the country. French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that it was for Ukrainians to decide when "peace is possible", in comments made in Rome at the start of a peace summit. Ukraine reported three deaths in an overnight Russian artillery strike in the Toretsk area, a governor of the eastern Donetsk region said. Inside Russia, two lines of defence have been built in the border region of Kursk to deal with any possible attack, a local governor said on Sunday. On Saturday Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor in the neighbouring Russian border region of Belgorod, said the construction of defence structures had begun. Gladkov said two civilians had been killed in strikes there Saturday, and that 15,000 people had been left without electricity. - Kherson evacuations - Meanwhile Ukraine's SBU intelligence service said it had detained two officials of Ukrainian aircraft engine maker Motor Sich on suspicion of working with Russia. The SBU said management at the company's plant in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region -- partly controlled by Russian forces -- had colluded with Russian state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec. The suspects had supplied Russia with Ukrainian aircraft engines that were used to make and repair attack helicopters, the SBU said. In the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, which Russia claims to have annexed, pro-Moscow officials on Saturday urged residents to leave "immediately" amid a "tense situation" at the front. Kherson, the region's main city, was the first to fall to Moscow's troops and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. A Moscow-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency Interfax on Saturday that around 25,000 people had left Kherson city to the left bank of the Dnipro River. Ukraine has denounced the removal of residents from Kherson, describing them as "deportations". bur-imm/raz/jj/lcm
By Jim Finkle and Sanjeev Miglani NEW YORK/DHAKA (Reuters) - Investigators probing the cyber heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank connected it on Friday to the hack at Sony Corp's film studio in 2014, while global financial network SWIFT disclosed a previously unreported attack on a commercial bank. SWIFT did not say which commercial bank it was or whether it had lost money, but cyber-security firm BAE Systems said a Vietnamese bank, which it did not name, had been a target. It was not clear if they were referring to the same attack and there was no immediate comment from authorities in Hanoi. SWIFT, the linchpin of the global financial system, said forensic experts believed the second case showed that the Bangladesh heist was not a single occurrence, but part of a wider campaign targeting banks. In both cases, SWIFT said, insiders or cyber attackers had succeeded in penetrating the targeted banks' systems, obtaining user credentials and submitting fraudulent SWIFT messages that correspond with transfers of money. The cooperative has maintained that its core messaging service has not been compromised. But confirmation of a second attack on a bank will likely increase scrutiny on the security of a network used by 11,000 financial institutions globally. In Bangladesh, cyber-security experts hired by the central bank said in a report that hackers were still inside the bank's network, monitoring the investigation into one of the biggest cyber heists in the world. Reuters reviewed parts of the report, but the source who shared the document declined to provide access to its full contents, saying the release of some details could hamper a multinational effort to catch the criminals. Asked about the report, a Bangladesh Bank spokesman said: "We have engaged forensic experts to investigate the whole thing, including this." He did not elaborate. Investigators have determined that one team of hackers, dubbed Group Zero in the report, was responsible for the heist and remained inside the network. Group Zero may be seeking to monitor the ongoing cyber investigations or cause other damage, but is unlikely to be able to order fraudulent fund transfers, the investigators wrote. "NATION-STATE ACTOR" Two other groups are also inside the bank's network, which is linked to the SWIFT international transaction system, the report found. One of the two is a "nation-state actor" engaged in stealing information in attacks that are stealthy but "not known to be destructive", it said. A spokeswoman for SWIFT said she was unable to comment. The report said investigators knew little about a third group of hackers found inside the network, referred to as Group Two, except that they were using mostly commodity, or off-the-shelf, hacking tools. The report, which was submitted earlier this month, did not further identify any of the groups. BAE Systems, Europe's largest weapons maker, which also has a large cyber-security business, said it had uncovered evidence linking malicious software used in the Bangladesh heist to the high-profile attack on Sony's Hollywood studio in 2014 and other cases. "What initially looked to be an isolated incident at one Asian bank turned out to be part of a wider campaign," BAE's cyber-security team said in a report it released on Friday. BAE also said it uncovered malware that was recently used to target a Vietnamese commercial bank using fraudulent messages on the SWIFT money-transfer network. The malware operated "in a similar fashion" to the Bangladesh Bank hack, BAE said. SWIFT also did not name the victim, and neither firm said whether any funds had been stolen. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the findings of BAE's determination about similarities between the Bangladesh and Sony attacks. The U.S. government has blamed North Korea for the attack on Sony's film studio, a charge Pyongyang has rejected. BAE's head of threat intelligence, Adrian Nish, told Reuters that the company was only focused on the technical evidence that links the attacks, not determining who was behind them. The report said the malware used against Bangladesh Bank exhibits "the same unique characteristics" as software used in "Operation Blockbuster", a campaign documented by a coalition of security firms that dates back to at least 2009 and includes the Sony hack. BAE asserted the Operation Blockbuster connection after analyzing tens of millions of malicious file samples, but the report acknowledged there could be alternate explanations for the similarities. It is possible that multiple programmers shared the same code, or even that it was painstakingly recreated to confuse investigators, according to BAE. (Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir in Dhaka, Nathan Layne in Chicago and Joseph Menn in San Francisco; editing by David Greising and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah's top military commander Mustafa Badreddine has been killed in a blast at a base near Damascus airport, the Lebanese Shi'ite group said on Friday, one of the biggest blows to its leadership the Iranian-backed organisation has ever sustained. Hezbollah did not immediately say on Friday who it blamed for the attack, but its deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said there were clear indications of who was behind it, and the group would announce the outcome of its investigation within hours. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. At least one Hezbollah figure blamed the group's age-old enemy Israel, which has struck Hezbollah targets in Syria several times in the past since civil war started there in 2011. Israel declined to comment, but a former Israeli official said his country would be glad Badreddine was dead. Hezbollah also has many other foes in Syria, where it fights in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad against a range of Sunni Muslim groups including Islamic State. Thousands of Hezbollah fighters and leaders gathered at a mosque in Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut and gave Badreddine a military funeral, waving Hezbollah flags. They chanted Shi'ite religious slogans, as well as "Death to America" and "Death to Israel". Speaking at the funeral, Qassem also vowed that the group would continue on the "path" of Badreddine. In a letter, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif extended condolences "for the martyrdom of this great jihadist ... who embodied devotion and vigor and was legendary in his defense of high Islamic goals and his defense of the Lebanese people who resist oppression and terrorism." The U.S. government believed Badreddine, 55, was in charge of Hezbollah's military operations in Syria. He is the most senior Hezbollah official killed since 2008 when his brother-in-law, long-serving military commander Imad Moughniyah, was blown up by a bomb planted in his car in Damascus that Hezbollah blamed on Israel. The latest killing follows other recent losses for Hezbollah and Iran in Syria, despite Russian military intervention in support of Assad and his allies in a five year multi-sided civil war that has drawn in neighbouring states and world powers. At least four prominent figures in Hezbollah have been killed since January 2015. A number of high-ranking Iranian officers have also been killed, either fighting Syrian insurgents or in Israeli attacks. Hezbollah said it was investigating whether the explosion at the base was caused by an air strike, a missile attack or artillery bombardment. It did not say when he was killed. "This is an open war and we should not preempt the investigation but certainly Israel is behind this," said Nawar al-Saheli, a Hezbollah member of Lebanon's parliament, hinting at the prospect of retaliation: "The resistance will carry out its duties at the appropriate time." Israel never confirms or denies allegations of targetted killings of individuals abroad. When asked by an interviewer on Israel Radio about possible Israeli involvement, cabinet minister Zeev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declined to comment. Hezbollah is Lebanon's most powerful political and military group, having grown stronger since forcing Israel to end its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. The sides fought a 34-day war in 2006, their last major conflict. Israel deems Hezbollah its most potent enemy and worries that it is becoming entrenched on its Syrian front and acquiring more advanced weaponry. "We don't know if Israel is responsible for this," Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Netanyahu, told Israel's Army Radio. "Remember that those operating in Syria today have a lot of haters without Israel." "But from Israel's view, the more people with experience, like Badreddine, who disappear from the wanted list, the better," he said. A U.S. Department of the Treasury statement detailing sanctions against Badreddine last year said he was assessed to be responsible for the group's military operations in Syria since 2011, and he had accompanied Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during strategic coordination meetings with Assad in Damascus. U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition effort against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said it was too soon to assess what impact Badreddines death might have on Hezbollah but noted that it had suffered heavy casualties in Syria. But with regards to this specific strike, who took it and what the downstream impact is going to be of losing this leader  its simply too soon to tell, he said. HIJACKERS SOUGHT HIS RELEASE Announcing his death, Hezbollah quoted Badreddine as saying he would return from Syria victorious or as a martyr. A photo released by the group showed him before his death, smiling and wearing a camouflage baseball cap. Badreddine's death sparked wide condemnation from Lebanese political allies. "His martyrdom is a big loss for the Lebanese in their fight against Israeli-Zionist aggression and Takfiri terrorism," Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, in reference to Israel and Sunni miliant groups. "His loss will leave a vacuum but the lesson is to continue on the path that he chose -- resistance and Jihad until victory is achieved." Badreddine was sentenced to death in Kuwait for his role in bomb attacks there in 1983. He escaped from prison in Kuwait after Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, invaded the country in 1990. His release from jail in Kuwait was one of the demands made by the hijackers of a TWA flight in 1985, and of the hijackers of a Kuwait Airways flight in 1988. For years, Badreddine masterminded military operations against Israel from Lebanon and overseas and managed to escape capture by Arab and Western governments. Badreddine was also one of five Hezbollah members indicted by the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the 2005 killing of statesman Rafik al-Hariri, one of Lebanon's most prominent Sunni Muslim figures. Hezbollah denied any involvement and said the charges were politically motivated. Around 1,200 Hezbollah fighters are estimated to have been killed in the Syrian conflict. These include prominent figures Samir Qantar and Jihad Moughniyah, the son of Imad Moughniyah, who were killed in separate Israeli attacks last year. Hezbollah responded in both cases, though the incidents were contained, with the sides seeking to avoid any repeat of the 2006 war which exacted a heavy price in Israel and Lebanon. (Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Samia Nakhoul, Timothy Heritage and Peter Graff)
(Recast, adds details throughout)

By My Pham and Mai Nguyen

HANOI, May 15 (Reuters) - Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank (TPBank) said on Sunday it had thwarting a cyber fraud attempt late last year, and a third-party service it used to connect with the SWIFT global money transfers system may have been attacked by hackers.

In an emailed statement responding to Reuters queries, TPBank said the attack involved a suspect transaction worth more than 1 million euros ($1.13 million). It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) said it has since stopped using the outside vendor on SWIFT's advice.

SWIFT declined to comment.

BAE Systems (LSE: BA.L - news) last week said malware was used to target a Vietnamese commercial bank using fraudulent messages on the SWIFT network. The malware operated in a similar way to that used by hackers in the cyber heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank in February.

BAE did not name the Vietnamese bank, but SWIFT, the Brussels-based global financial messaging network, disclosed last Thursday that malware targeting a commercial bank had been discovered.

"Via a risk warning and oversight system and a tight internal control process, TPBank has identified a suspicious transaction worth more than a million euros transferred by invalid SWIFT messages that was not executed by the bank itself," TPBank said in the emailed statement.

"This attack ... did not cause any losses and had no impact on the SWIFT system in particular and the transaction system between the bank and customers in general," it said.

The bank said the servers of the third-party vendor were based overseas, but did not say where. It said the vendor had used a software application that SWIFT had told the bank may have been subject to the malware assault.

TPBank, founded in 2008 by Vietnam's top technology firm FPT Corp, is considered one of Vietnam's most modern and technologically savvy banks.

Hanoi-based TPBank on May 11 received the "Best Internet Banking" prize from The Asian Banker.

Story continues

TPBank's major shareholders include Doji, a local gold and jewellery firm, state-run Vietnam National Reinsurance Corporation and Singapore-based SBI Ven Holding Pte Ltd, a unit of Japanese financial services conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc. FPT has divested most of its shareholdings and now has a 9 percent stake in TPBank.

After BAE systems said a Vietnamese bank had been targeted, TPBank, when contacted by Reuters on Friday, initially denied it had been subject of an attack, saying it "did not have any problems."

($1 = 0.8841 euros) (Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Martin Howell)
By Sanjeev Miglani and Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's central bank chief will meet the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a senior executive from global financial messaging service SWIFT next week to seek the recovery of about $81 million stolen by hackers, officials in Dhaka said. Two Bangladesh Bank officials said the bank believed both the New York Fed and SWIFT bore some responsibility for the February cyber heist. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to brief the media. The bank's governor Fazle Kabir, New York Fed President William Dudley and a SWIFT representative will meet in Basel, Switzerland around May 10, they and another person briefed by the central bank said. It was not immediately clear who would represent SWIFT. Spokeswomen for SWIFT and the New York Fed declined comment. Hackers tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's settlement account at the New York Fed in early February by sending fraudulent transfer orders through SWIFT. Of the 35 transfer orders sent, 30 were blocked. Four transfers to a Philippine bank for a total of $81 million went through while a $20 million transfer to a Sri Lankan company was reversed because the hackers mis-spelled the name of the firm. "There is a responsibility the New York Fed has to accept," said one of the Bangladesh Bank officials. "If you stopped 30 transactions, why did you not stop the others? "SWIFT also bears responsibility," the official said. "It's supposed to be a closed system. Now you have seen they have disclosed that there have been attacks previously on its software." A potential lawsuit by Bangladesh Bank would probably fail in the United States unless it could marshal more evidence than is currently public to show negligence by the New York Fed or SWIFT, said William Black, a professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. A U.S. court would look to any contracts that Bangladesh Bank had with the New York Fed or SWIFT, and those contracts most likely require only due care to prevent such a hack, Black said. Citing news reports that the hackers sent the correct codes to the New York Fed to authenticate their requests, Black said that would seem to meet the legal standard for taking due care to protect the money, Black said. The New York Fed could also try to put a stop to a lawsuit by arguing that it has sovereign immunity as an arm of the U.S. government, but that question would need to be decided by a judge, Black said. Last week, SWIFT acknowledged that the Bangladesh Bank attack was not an isolated incident but one of several recent criminal schemes that aimed to take advantage of the global messaging platform used by about 11,000 financial institutions. The other Bangladesh Bank official said lawyers would be present at the meeting. Ajmalul Hussain, a Dhaka-based lawyer hired by the central bank to help it retrieve the funds, could not be reached for comment. His office said he was out of the country. It was not immediately known if Bangladesh Bank had retained any U.S. or European law firm to help recover the money. However the bank said in an internal report in March it was considering "preparing the ground to make a legitimate claim for the loss of funds" against the New York Fed "through a legal process." Both central bank officials said Kabir, the governor, would be accompanied by an official from the accounts and budgeting department on the trip to Basel and would seek the recovery of the stolen funds. Basel is the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements, a group of major central banks. Central bankers from several countries will meet there next week, according to the bank. The stolen $81 million was sent to a bank in the Philippines and quickly passed on to casinos and casino agents. Most of it remains missing. However, one junket operator has returned about $15 million to authorities in Manila. One of the Bangladesh Bank officials expressed confidence that there would be a resolution to the dispute soon, though he didn't provide any evidence for the optimism. (Additional reporting by Jim Finkle, Jonathan Spicer and David Ingram; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Brian Thevenot)
By Anthony Boadle and Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's centre-right interim government said on Friday it has the political support for tough measures needed to return the economy to growth and can secure a permanent mandate once leftist President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment trial is over. Presidential Chief of Staff Eliseu Padilha said the incoming government understood it was only provisional for now and had ordered portraits of Rousseff to be left hanging in federal buildings. Interim President Michel Temer was sworn into office on Thursday after Rousseff was suspended from office by the Senate for up to 180 days while she is tried on charges of breaking budget rules. Rousseff, ousted from the presidential palace, took to the offensive, telling foreign reporters in her residence that she had been dislodged by an "illegitimate" and "extremely conservative" government run by only white males who would roll back social advances made by her Workers Party. Padilha said Rousseff had left Brazil with unprecedented levels of fiscal deficit and public debt, and most Brazilians are aware that hard measures are needed to pull the country out a severe economic recession. "We have enough support to pass urgent measures through Congress," he told a news conference following the government's first cabinet meeting, pointing to the distribution among nine political parties of 23 ministerial posts in a slimmed-down cabinet. Despite having no electoral mandate, Temer promptly unveiled on Thursday an agenda of liberal reforms - including cuts to public spending and pension reforms - that would swing Brazil to the right after 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule. To start with, Planning Minister Romero Juca announced on Friday that 4,000 jobs would be cut from the federal government payroll by the end of the year. Juca said reforms to Brazil's pension and tax system were crucial to getting public debt under control in the midst of Brazil's worst economic crisis ever, though he said Temer would avoid the kinds of drastic measures that fuelled popular anger in debt-strapped Greece and Italy. Meaningful pension reform has eluded governments of all stripes, even when they had strong mandates. The pension system costs the state a crippling 13 percent of gross domestic product, more than any G7 nation except Italy. 'RESTORE FAITH' IN BRAZIL Putting Brazil on a path to growth again is considered a priority after a crisis brought on by the end of the commodities boom and aggravated by a massive corruption scandal surrounding state-run oil company Petrobras. Brazilians have taken to the streets in record numbers in recent years to protest against inefficient and corrupt government and they will reward a government that can restore confidence and investment, Temer's ministers said. "We are convinced that we are going to do such a good job governing that the government that is provisional today will become definitive before 180 days are up," Padilha said. The margin of the vote in the Senate to suspend her, 55 to 22, showed Temer's government currently has support in Congress needed for a series of tough economic reforms, Padilha said. A two-thirds vote in the upper house is needed to convict Rousseff and remove her from office permanently. Temer would then complete her term until 2018. Earlier on Friday, Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said the government would unveil tough measures soon to curb a budget deficit that topped 10 percent of economic output last year, possibly including increasing taxes temporarily. The gaping fiscal deficit cost Brazil's its hard-won investment grade credit rating last year, further undermining investor credibility in the Latin American nation's policies. Experts have voiced concern that cutting public spending and raising taxes could further shrink a once-booming economy, which is on track in 2016 for a second year of contracting by more than 3 percent - its worst performance since the 1930s. The Workers Party has vowed to organise mass protests against Temer, whom it has dubbed a traitor, and to derail his legislative agenda in Congress. "We are certainly going to put up fierce opposition to some of these proposals," Workers Party Congressman Paulo Pimenta said in an interview. He also assailed the new government for not having a single woman in a cabinet of "white men." In a sign of opposition to Temer's government, his Education Minister Jose Mendonca was received with boos by employees protesting the elimination of the Culture Ministry. Following the most unpopular Brazilian president in a generation, Temer can tap into a widespread feeling that things couldn't get any worse. "I think they can improve things, but it won't be easy because the crisis is so huge," said street vendor Marcelo Matos, 34 , who lives in one of Sao Paulo's largest slums. "Whatever they do for Brazil will restore people's faith and they will have support. We don't have any alternative today." (Additional reporting by Brad Brooks, Leo Goy and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Brad; Haynes and Cesar Bianconi in Sao Paulo; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Mary Milliken)
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer called on his country to rally behind his government of "national salvation," hours after the Senate voted to suspend and put on trial his leftist predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, for breaking budget laws. Temer, a 75-year-old centrist now moving to steer Latin America's biggest country toward more market-friendly policies, told Brazilians to have "confidence" they would overcome an ongoing crisis sparked by a deep economic recession, political volatility and a sprawling corruption scandal. "It is urgent we calm the nation and unite Brazil," he said, after a signing ceremony for his incoming cabinet. "Political parties, leaders, organizations and the Brazilian people will cooperate to pull the country from this grave crisis." Brazil's crisis brought a dramatic end to the 13-year rule of the Workers Party, which rode a wave of populist sentiment that swept South America starting around 2000 and enabled a generation of leftist leaders to leverage a boom in the region's commodity exports to pursue ambitious and transformative social policies. But like other leftist leaders across the region, Rousseff discovered that the party, after four consecutive terms, overstayed its welcome, especially as commodities prices plummeted and her increasingly unpopular government failed to sustain economic growth. In addition to the downturn, Rousseff, in office since 2011, was hobbled by the corruption scandal and a political opposition determined to oust her. After Rousseff's suspension, Temer charged his new ministers with enacting business-friendly policies while maintaining the still-popular social programs that were the hallmark of the Workers Party. In a sign of slimmer times, the cabinet has 23 ministers, a third fewer than Rousseff's. A constitutional scholar who spent decades in Brazil's Congress, Temer faces the momentous challenge of hauling the world's No. 9 economy out of its worst recession since the Great Depression and cutting bloated public spending. He quickly named respected former central bank governor Henrique Meirelles as his finance minister, with a mandate to overhaul the costly pension system. ROUSSEFF DEFIANT The Senate deliberated for 20 hours before voting 55-22 early on Thursday to put Rousseff on trial over charges that she disguised the size of the budget deficit to make the economy look healthier in the runup to her 2014 re-election. Rousseff, 68, was automatically suspended for the duration of the trial, which could be up to six months. Before departing the presidential palace in Brasilia, a defiant Rousseff vowed to fight the charges. In her speech, she reiterated what she has maintained since impeachment proceedings were launched against her last December by the lower house of Congress. She denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment "fraudulent" and "a coup." "I may have made mistakes but I did not commit any crime," she said. Rousseff's mentor, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who now faces corruption charges, stood behind her and looked on dejectedly. Even as outgoing ministers wept, Rousseff remained stolid. "I never imagined that it would be necessary to fight once again against a coup in this country," Rousseff said, in a reference to her youth fighting Brazil's military dictatorship. "This is a tragic hour for our country," said Rousseff, an economist and former Marxist guerrilla, calling her suspension an effort by conservatives to roll back the social and economic gains made by Brazil's working class. The Workers Party rose from Brazil's labour movement in the 1970s and helped topple generals who had held power for two decades ending in 1985. In the heady days of Lula's presidency, starting in 2003, it helped lift millions of people out of poverty before running into recession and scandal, with many of its leaders now tainted by corruption investigations and criminal convictions. Despite Rousseff's vows to fight, she is unlikely to be acquitted in the Senate trial. The size of the vote to try her showed the opposition already has the support it will need to reach the two-thirds majority required to remove her definitively from office. "It is a bitter though necessary medicine," opposition Senator Jose Serra, who became the new foreign minister, said during the marathon Senate debate. "Having the Rousseff government continue would be a bigger tragedy." ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Temer aides said the incoming government would soon announce a series of austerity measures to help reduce a massive budget deficit. An immediate goal is a reform of Brazil's costly pension system, possibly setting a minimum age for retirement, said one advisor. Brazilian markets, which for weeks have rallied because of expectations for a business-friendly Temer administration, traded similarly to a day earlier. Upon being notified of her suspension early Thursday, Rousseff dismissed her cabinet, including the sports minister, who is in final preparations for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. The central bank governor, who has ministerial rank, was the only minister to remain. As suspended head of state, Rousseff can continue to live in her official residence, and is entitled to a staff and use of an Air Force plane. Fireworks erupted in cities across Brazil after the Senate vote, but the country took the change in stride. Some celebrants in Sao Paulo and other cities draped themselves in Brazil's green, yellow and blue flag, while some Rousseff backers protested. Temer, of the grab-bag Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, must stabilise the economy and restore calm at a time when Brazilians, increasingly polarized, are questioning whether their institutions can deliver on his promise of stability. In addition to the gaping deficit, equal to more than 10 percent of its annual economic output, Brazil is suffering from rising unemployment, plummeting investment and a projected economic contraction of more than 3 percent this year. "Only major reforms can keep Brazil from moving from crisis to crisis," says Eduardo Giannetti da Fonseca, an economist and author in Sao Paulo who has written extensively about the country's socioeconomic problems. But those changes, including the pension effort, overhauls of tax and labour laws and a political reform to streamline fragmented parties in a mercenary Congress, could remain elusive at a time of turmoil. Elected leaders from parties that had been in the opposition expressed optimism on Thursday that they could come together to help spur a recovery. Even some leftists said Temer may enjoy Congressional goodwill because, after his long experience there, he could ably negotiate with disparate parties and interests. "Temer is someone who knows Congress, said Hugo Leal, a socialist Congressman from Rio de Janeiro. "He understands the logic." Wild cards remain for Temer himself, including still-pending investigations by an electoral court into financing for his and Rousseffs 2014 election campaign. Then there is the far-reaching kickback probe around state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4.SA), which has ensnared dozens of corporate and political chieftains, and helped set the scene for the discontent that engulfed Rousseff. (Additional reporting by Paulo Prada, Brad Brooks, Alonso Soto, Leonard Goy and Silvio Cascione. Writing by Paulo Prada. Editing by Frances Kerry and Diane Craft)
By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz returned to his job in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday with a warning to Washington that the turbulent primary race was a wake-up call. "All across this country people are hungry for change. This election cycle should be a wake-up call to Washington, D.C.," the senator from Texas said outside his office. "The frustration and volcanic anger with Washington was echoed throughout this election." Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders have upended expectations in their respective presidential campaigns, tapping into voter anger at establishment politicians in Washington. Cruz, a favorite of the conservative Tea Party movement, also tried to position himself as an outsider. However, he dropped out of the Republican race a week ago after a crushing loss in Indiana and a brutal campaign in which Trump attacked Cruz's wife and father and constantly derided the senator as "Lyin' Ted." Cruz ruled out a third-party candidacy, and said the democratic process had run its course. Earlier on Tuesday, Cruz welcomed the idea of tossing his hat back into the ring in a lighthearted exchange with a staunch supporter, conservative radio host Glenn Beck. Beck, who campaigned heavily for Cruz in the senator's quest for the Republican nomination, asked the 45-year-old Texan whether he would consider getting back into the race if he won Nebraska's primary on Tuesday. "I am not holding my breath," Cruz said to laughter on Beck's show on TheBlaze Radio Network. "My assumption is that that will not happen. ... The reason we suspended the race last week is with Indiana's loss I didn't see a viable path to victory." "If that changes, we will certainly respond accordingly." Trump's victory in Indiana last Tuesday pushed Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich out of the Republican race and put the brakes on the "Stop Trump" movements sparked by his unorthodox candidacy. Trump campaign adviser Sam Clovis dismissed the possibility of Cruz re-entering the race as highly unlikely. "I think if Ted has a future in Republican politics in this country, I think he'll want to preserve that," Clovis told CNN. Cruz may be hoping to put his conservative imprint on the party's July 18-21 national convention in Cleveland. On Monday, he said he would not release delegates he had won in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, according to news reports. Trump needs 1,237 delegates, a majority of the delegates at the convention, to clinch the nomination on the first ballot, and it is not guaranteed he will win them in the remaining nominating contests. Asked if he would endorse Trump, Cruz said every voter needs to make their own choice and they do not need to make it now. "The Republican convention isnt for another two-and-a-half months; the election isnt for another six months," the senator said. "I think we need to watch and see what the candidates say and do." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey said on Friday talks with the European Union on a deal providing visa-free travel in return for stopping a flow of illegal migrants into Europe had reached an impasse and the bloc must find a "new formula" to salvage the agreement. EU Minister Volkan Bozkir told Reuters that a dispute over Turkey's anti-terrorism laws had become the "Achilles heel" of the migrant deal, in comments likely to further heighten concerns in Brussels about its future. While the EU is desperate for the deal to succeed, it also insists that Turkey meet 72 criteria, including reining in its broad anti-terror laws. The EU and rights groups say Turkey uses the laws to stifle dissent, while Ankara says it needs sweeping legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State. "This is the Achilles heel," Bozkir said in an interview with Reuters in Brussels, where he has been trying to persuade European leaders to change their position. "Only today we lost eight soldiers in a terrorist attack, yesterday there was another suicide attack ... Under these circumstances it is not possible politically to make changes to the anti-terror law," he said, describing Turkey's legislation as "no worse than many other countries". Eight soldiers and 22 Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes in the largely Kurdish southeast over the last two days, while on Thursday a car laden with explosives blew up near a military base in Istanbul. BOMBINGS President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to crush the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union as well as Ankara, militarily and has ruled out changing anti-terrorism laws. Turkey has suffered a series of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on Islamic State and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a PKK offshoot. Erdogan has ratcheted up pressure on Europe over the migrant deal, accusing the bloc of setting new hurdles for visa-free travel and threatening that Turkey may go its own way if Europe failed to agree. "I am not very optimistic about the outcome of the talks we held in Brussels today. It's essential that the European Commission find a new formula," Bozkir told reporters. European leaders seeking to keep relations with Turkey on track face push-back from both the political right, sceptical about closer integration with a Muslim nation, and the left, who accuse the EU of compromising its principles by negotiating with Erdogan, whose authoritarian tendencies they abhor. Prosecutors have opened more than 1,800 cases against people for insulting Erdogan since he became president in 2014, including journalists, cartoonists and teenagers. A German satirist is also facing prosecution after mocking him on German TV. (Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Daren Butler and Ralph Boulton)
By Jorge Pineda SANTA DOMINGO (Reuters) - Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina is poised to win the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, with polls showing voters crediting him with economic growth and social projects, while less concerned about accusations of graft. It was unclear whether Medina would get the more than 51 percent of the votes needed to win a new term governing the Caribbean's largest economy, or if he will face a run-off election next month. Results are expected to be known on Monday. The left-of-centre economist has had high popularity ratings during his four-year term in the country of 10.4 million. Electoral rules were changed to allow him to run for a second straight term. I wont be satisfied until progress reaches everyone, when growth means a table full of food for everyone. When a sustainable economy means increasingly more quality jobs and dignified income for the families, Medina, 64, said at a rally to close his campaign on Thursday. Medina's Dominican Liberation Party has been continuously in power since 2004. Ideologically, there is little to distinguish him from his main rival, Luis Abinader. The challenger has instead focussed on allegations of corruption related to a power plant awarded to Brazilian engineering conglomerate Grupo Odebrecht. Medina's campaign chief Joao Santana returned to Brazil in February to face charges Odebrecht had paid him funds siphoned from Brazil's state oil company Petrobras in offshore accounts to finance the 2014 election campaign of suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Medina has yet to refer to the Petrobras scandal, but he did admit the Brazilian political strategist was his top advisor. Santana has called the allegations against him "baseless." While the Dominican Republic is far wealthier than Haiti, its poor neighbour on the island of Hispaniola, many Dominicans still struggle to satisfy basic needs. Medina has overseen the repatriation of tens of thousands of people with roots in neighbouring Haiti. The policy has popular support but is condemned by human rights groups. Dominican Republic has the fastest-growing economy in Latin America, with 7 percent growth in 2014 and 2015. Yet poverty rates rose to 41 percent in the first year of Medina's term, according to the World Bank. High spending on education and health in recent years has won support for the government, and poverty has started to decline. Tourism has been the stalwart of the beach destination's economy with $167 million (116 million pounds) in tax revenue alone last year. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and David Gregorio)
sherrod brown

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown gave a decided non-answer when asked about the possibility of serving as Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton's vice president.

In a Sunday CNN interview, Brown demurred when host Jake Tapper asked Brown if he would decline an offer to be Clinton's vice president.

"I'm married to a journalist. And as I said, we know you have to ask that question, I'm not going to answer it any differently," Brown said. "I love the job I'm doing."

He added: "I love this job. I'm just not going to give you a different answer. You can keep trying."

Tapper noted that unlike in other recent interviews, Brown didn't directly deny whether he would serve if Clinton asked.

"I would just say it's not Shermanesque," Tapper said of Brown's answer.

Shermanesque refers to a clear and direct statement from a potential candidate to not seek a particular office, stemming from an 1800s remark from Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman.

"I understand that," Brown replied, chuckling.

As Clinton has moved closer to securing the Democratic nomination, Brown's name has emerged on the shortlist of potential Democrats who could provide some contrast on the ticket.

Brown has strong ties to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He also hails from Ohio, a Rust-Belt swing state that's critical to secure the electoral-college votes needed to clinch the White House.

But though it's normal for potential vice presidential picks to dismiss chatter about running, Brown hasn't hesitated to shoot down rumors about his interest in the job.

During multiple interviews last month, Brown denied any desire to serve as vice president.

"I've made it clear I don't really want this job," Brown told CNN in April. "I don't want to be president."

Watch Sunday's exchange below, via CNN:

NOW WATCH: How Hillary Clinton survived one of the biggest scandals in American politics





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By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - A Korean-American missionary detained for two years in North Korea, where he served time at a labour camp, said on Wednesday two Americans held in the reclusive country should remain hopeful that U.S. officials will obtain their release. Kenneth Bae, 47, speaking in Washington at a briefing hosted by U.S. Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, also said the rest of the world should remember the suffering of North Korea's citizens. Bae, the longest held U.S. citizen in North Korea since the Korean War, offered encouragement to Kim Dong Chul and Otto Warmbler, who have been sentenced to hard labour in North Korea. Chul has been accused of subversion and Warmbler of trying to steal a propaganda banner. "Continue to have hope in the U.S. government that they are doing everything they can to secure your release and also just take one day at a time," Bae said in response to a question from a reporter. A representative for the North Korean mission to the United Nations could not be reached for comment. Bae, from Washington state, was arrested in 2012 as he accompanied Christian students on a tour of North Korea and was accused of plotting to bring down the secretive government. Bae, who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour, said he was sent to a camp for foreign detainees where about 30 guards kept watch over him as their sole prisoner. Bae said he had to shovel coal, perform farm chores and dig the earth. He was released in November 2014 when U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper made a secret visit to North Korea and came back with Bae and fellow American Matthew Miller. Bae, who this month released the book "Not Forgotten" about his experience in North Korea, also described what led to his arrest. Bae said that on his 18th trip leading tours in the country, North Korean authorities discovered his hard-drive had Western media coverage of such topics as the country's 1990s famine, material which he said was loaded by mistake. Bae said he was accused of trying to overthrow the government through his Christian worship and by spreading Western ideas. Religion is ruthlessly suppressed in North Korea, where the only acceptable form of devotion is to the country's ruling family and its supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Richard Chang)
By Seyhmus Cakan and Seda Sezer DIYARBAKIR/ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) - Eight Turkish soldiers and 22 Kurdish militants have been killed in clashes over the last two days, authorities said on Friday, as violence widened in the largely Kurdish southeast following two bombings. After the collapse of a ceasefire between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the government last July, Turkey's southeast has seen some of its worst fighting since the height of the Kurdish insurgency in the 1990s. President Tayyip Erdogan has said the violence, and a concurrent threat from Islamic State militants, justifies Turkey's broad anti-terror laws, which have become a sticking point with the EU in talks about a landmark deal to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe. "The fight by our security forces in coordination and in harmony with soldiers, police, village guards and all units against terror will continue with determination," Erdogan said in a statement. Erdogan, who had spearheaded the peace process between the state and the PKK, has ruled out any return to negotiations and has vowed to crush the militant group. Thousands of people, including hundreds of civilians, have been killed in the renewed violence. More than 40,000 people, most of them militants, have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984. The group wants autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish minority. IRAQ BORDER Six soldiers were killed and eight were wounded in clashes with militants in the southeastern Hakkari province near the border with Iraq on Friday, the military said. Two more were killed in a separate incident when a helicopter crashed in Hakkari due to a technical fault, the military said. Six PKK militants were also killed in an operation in that region. In the nearby Siirt province, one militant was killed when security forces pursued vehicles attempting to flee a security check, the local governor's office said. They found 200 kilograms of explosives in one of the vehicles. On Thursday, 15 militants were killed in clashes in Sirnak province, the military said. The military has also carried out regular air strikes against PKK camps in mountainous northern Iraq. A total of 140 militants have been killed in such attacks between April 29 and May 10, broadcaster NTV said, citing the military. The widening violence follows two bombings on Thursday. Four suspected bomb makers were killed and 23 people were wounded when an explosion ripped through a village in the southeast as PKK militants loaded explosives onto a small truck, the government said. (Reporting by Seda Sezer; Editing by David Dolan and Nick Tattersall; editing by Ralph Boulton)
By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday. In a bleak assessment of Venezuela's worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office. But the two officials, briefing a small group of reporters in Washington, predicted that Maduro, who heads Latin Americas most ardently anti-U.S. government and a major U.S. oil supplier, was not likely to be able to complete his term, which is due to end after elections in late 2018. They said one plausible scenario would be that Maduros own party or powerful political figures would force him out and would not rule out the possibility of a military coup. Still, they said there was no evidence of any active plotting or that he had lost support from the countrys generals. The officials appeared to acknowledge that Washington has little leverage in how the situation unfolds in Venezuela, where any U.S. role draws government accusations of U.S.-aided conspiracies. Instead, the administration of President Barack Obama wants "regional" efforts to help keep the country from sliding into chaos. You can hear the ice cracking. You know theres a crisis coming, one U.S. official said. Our pressure on this isnt going to resolve this issue. Maduro hit back on Friday night, blasting what he said was a meeting "to conspire against Venezuela" in Washington. "Washington is activating measures at the request of Venezuela's fascist right, who are emboldened by the coup in Brazil," he said during a televised broadcast in reference to this week's impeachment of fellow leftist Dilma Rousseff in Brazil. Maduro, 53, then declared a 60-day state of emergency which includes the "necessary measures" to protect Venezuela in the event of a foreign attack, he said, without providing details. Mobs in Venezuela have stolen flour, chicken and even underwear this week as looting increases across the crisis-hit OPEC nation where many basic products have run short, and the U.S. officials said this could spiral into widespread unrest. Soldiers fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters on Wednesday as Venezuela's opposition marched to pressure electoral authorities into allowing a recall referendum against Maduro. Maduro has sworn he will not be forced out before his term expires in 2019 and accuses the opposition of seeking a coup against him to destroy the socialist legacy of his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. Washington has had an acrimonious relationship with Caracas for years, especially following U.S. support for a short-lived 2002 coup against Chavez. The U.S. officials insisted that the United States was not rooting against Caracas but just wanted to see the crisis defused. They expressed concern for a possible spillover to its neighbouring countries, especially Colombia, but said most of the instability would be "self-contained" to Venezuela. Such intelligence assessments help U.S. policymakers decide on how to respond. There was no immediate comment from the White House. The administration quietly sought last year to improve relations but the imposition of new U.S. sanctions and drug-related indictments stoked fresh tensions. The officials cited the risk of a Venezuelan debt default. Maduro's government has consistently paid its debt on time and has slammed market fears of a default as an international smear campaign. Weak oil markets and an unravelling socialist economy have fanned concerns that the Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA will be unable to make nearly $5 billion (3 billion pounds) in bond payments between now and the end of the year. (Editing by Mary Milliken and Stephen Coates)
(Reuters) - The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is standing by its procedures for wiring funds after facing scrutiny in the wake of the $81 million cyber heist at the Bangladesh central bank, a letter released by a congresswoman on Friday showed. The New York Fed was responding to criticism lobbed by U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, who had called for a probe of the fund transfers triggered by the February cyber attack on Bangladesh Bank. Criminals tried to withdraw $951 million from Bangladesh Bank's U.S. bank account in what ranked as one of the largest cyber heists in history. They succeeded in transferring $81 million. In the April 14 letter Thomas Baxter, general counsel and executive vice president at the New York Fed, said the correct procedures were followed in approving five transfers of money on Feb. 4 and in blocking 30. Baxter said the New York Fed's procedures for checking transfers included catching those to people subject to sanctions but would not stop a transfer if it had passed the authentication process on the SWIFT messaging network. "The vast majority of authenticated instructions received from foreign official account holders are not flagged for manual review by the automated systems," Baxter wrote in the letter. Authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere are still trying to figure out how hackers carried out the attack and what happened to the money, which was routed from the Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Fed to accounts in the Philippines. Maloney said in a statement on Friday that while Baxter's letter provided key information about the incident, she remained "concerned that there are critical security gaps in the international payment system." Maloney said she would urge the New York Fed to review its security protocols to make sure such a heist does not recur. (Reporting by Nathan Layne in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Credit unions are committed to their communities and are driven by the philosophy of people helping people. Their support of Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals embodies the very essence of the credit union movement and is a great example of the ways they give back.

CMN Hospitals has been raising funds for local childrens hospitals, medical research and community awareness of health issues that affect young children for over fifty years now. Since its founding the total raised and directly distributed to each of networks 170 hospitals has nearly reached $5 billion with the help of dedicated partners.

Having been the charitable cause of choice for over two decades now, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals has given credit unions the opportunity to drive community engagement while raising much needed funds for local hospitals. During that time, both credit unions and their members have raised over $150 million to help fund breakthrough research, programs, service, and new facilities. In fact credit unions collective contributions rank third on the list in terms of giving to the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, just behind Walmart and Costco.

Every donation made stays local to fund critical treatments, healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Every year, thanks to an average donation size of $1 at a time, they are able to provide 32 million treatments to kids all over North America.

Caring for and the desire to help others is an inherent quality within us all, and the foundation from where credit unions were first formed. The reason members hold credit unions in high regards is because they share those same values. Supporting a cause like CMN only strengthens the bond between credit union, its members and the community.
ENSENADA, Mexico, May 13, 2016  Scientists announced today that fewer than 60 vaquita porpoises likely remain on Earth, down from 245 in 2008. The vaquita is the worlds smallest and most endangered porpoise, found only in Mexicos northern Gulf of California. Without permanent and fully enforced protections, the species could be effectively extinct within six years.

The primary threat to vaquitas is entanglement in fishing gear, including in nets set for the totoaba, a large and endangered fish endemic to the Gulf. Totoaba swim bladders are illegally exported to Asia to make soup perceived to have medicinal properties. Demand for the bladders spiked around 2011, and a single bladder can reportedly sell for between $2,500 and $10,000.Its heartwrenching to watch the vaquita plummet toward extinction in real time, said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. If were going to avoid losing this species forever, Mexico must do much more to ensure its survival, and that should start with an immediate, permanent ban on fishing nets that are pushing vaquitas to the absolute brink of extinction.In 2015, in an effort to stem the vaquitas decline, Mexico temporarily banned the use of gillnets within the vaquitas range and promised to step up enforcement. But enforcement has not been as aggressive as needed, and an exception allowed fishermen to continue netting a fish called corvina. This spring, poachers took advantage of this loophole and used corvina fishing as a cover for continued totoaba poaching. As a result, in March, three vaquita were found dead due to entanglement.Theres no margin for error if were going to save the vaquita, said Zak Smith, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Councils Marine Mammal Protection Project. Each and every remaining vaquita is vital to the species survival. If the species is going to make it beyond 2020, Mexico needs to take responsibility. Otherwise, the disappearance of vaquitas is on them.The protection of the vaquita in the wild must be the absolute priority for the governments of Mexico, China and the United States, said Susan Millward, executive director at the Animal Welfare Institute. It is the responsibility of Mexico to end illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California, and to join with other countries engaged in the illegal trafficking of totoaba to stop this trade in order to save the vaquita.Scientists have long urged Mexico to adopt a permanent ban on nets in the Gulf of California, ensure rigorous enforcement to save the vaquita, and transition local fishermen to vaquita-safe gear. The new vaquita population estimate is based on observer data and acoustic monitoring conducted during a joint Mexico-U.S. vaquita research cruise last fall.To prompt Mexico to action, the Center in 2014 requested that the Obama administration impose trade sanctions against Mexico to stop the countrys illegal totoaba fishery. And last year the Center and the Animal Welfare Institute sought in danger status for the Gulf of California World Heritage site that was designated, in part, to protect the vaquita and the totoaba. The issue may be considered at the upcoming World Heritage meeting in July. NRDC is sponsoring a motion before the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) 2016 World Conservation Congress that would result in the worlds conservation community calling for immediate action to save the vaquita.The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. http://www.biologicaldiversity.org The Animal Welfare Institute ( http://www.awionline.org ) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. AWI engages policymakers, scientists, industry, and the public to achieve better treatment of animals everywhere  in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild. For more information, visit http://www.awionline.org The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at http://www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
2016 Wildlife Conservation Society petition to U.S. Congress - Act now to save the 'Multinational Species Conservation Fund'. There's also a postal stamp funding mechanism. The MSCF Stamp had a premium cost of 55 cents, with 9 cents from each stamp purchased supporting wildlife conservation. From September 20, 2011, to December 31, 2013, stamp sales raised $2,567,000 for the conservation of all MSCF species - elephants, tigers, lions, and more. Unfortunately, the wildlife stamp was not marketed particularly well and wasnt available in many post offices - ask for it!

Add your signature to the 2016 Wildlife Conservation Society petition to U.S. Congress and save the Multinational Species Conservation Fund! This is of global importance.Another way to help - 'The Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp' was first made available for purchase in September of 2011. Its authorization lapsed at the end of 2013, but prior to that time more than 25.5 million copies of the stamp were sold, raising more than $2.5 million for species conservation.This is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services MSCF site:Read a detailed list of grants!Under the law, the price of semipostal stamps marginally exceeds the cost of first class postage. The U.S. Postal Service retains the full first class value of the stamp, with the additional funding raised being transferred to the MSCF, where it has played a critical role in saving wild populations of the worlds most iconic species by controlling poaching, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and protecting essential habitat.Since 1989, the Multinational Species Conservation Fund has awarded over 2,300 grants in 54 countries through all its grant programs for international wildlife conservation, targeting key species and regions in coordination with non- governmental organizations, government and community leaders, and private businesses to ensure the protection of some of the worlds most endangered and charismatic animals. The program has consistently proven to be highly efficient, as low administrative costs ensure that 97% of appropriated funds are distributed through grants. Additionally, MSCF investments consistently leverage 2-3 times as much from partner governments, local NGOs, international conservation organizations and private businesses. MSCF enjoys the support of a broad coalition including conservation organizations, zoos, aquariums, circuses, sportsmen, veterinarians and animal rights groups.The wildlife stamp was given a second chance, thanks to the advocacy of Sea Turtle Conservancy and the other Multinational Species Coalition members, along with the support of Senators Rob Portman (OH) and Tom Udall (NM) and Congressman Michael Grimm (NY). Together, we were able to prevent the planned destruction of the 74 Million unsold tiger stamps, and new legislation has breathed life into the Vanishing Species Stamp. On September 8, 2014 a bill reauthorizing the Save Vanishing Species Stamp for another four years was passed by the House of Representatives (it had passed earlier in the Senate), which sent the measure to President Obamas desk for certain signature. Colin Sheldon at Wildlife Conservation Society and Will Gartshore at World Wildlife Fund deserve our gratitude for their leadership of the Multinational Species Coalition and their persistence in making the stamp a reality once again.The MSCF Stamp had a premium cost of 55 cents, with 9 cents from each stamp purchased supporting wildlife conservation. From September 20, 2011, to December 31, 2013, stamp sales raised $2,567,000 for the conservation of all MSCF species. Unfortunately, the wildlife stamp was not marketed particularly well and wasnt available in many post offices.To date, over 30 million stamps have been purchased, raising 2.9 million dollars!The 'Save Vanishing Species Stamp' as it is collectively known, is now priced at 60 cents.Ask for the 'Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp' at your local post office!Tomas DiFiore2016 Wildlife Conservation Society petition to U.S. Congress - Save the Multinational Species Conservation Fundtags: Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp
Discussion - Continuons Le Debut! French guests discuss the revolt in France

Date:

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Time:

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Event Type:

Teach-In

Organizer/Author:

Jesse Palmer

Location Details:

Long Haul Infoshop - 3124 Shattuck Ave Berkeley - 2 blocks from Ashby BART - across from La Pena - corner of Woolsey St.

"CONTINUONS LE DEBUT!" French slogan from today's movement on the streets of France that translates to; "Let's Continue the Beginning!"



Two French participants of the social movement against Neo-Liberal "reforms" hang around Oakland this week and are interested in sharing with people their experiences.



Another slogan popular amongst protesters; "Water Boils at 100* C, We Boil at 49.3". On May 10th French Prime Minister Valls and his government used the 49.3 constitution article to pass repressive "reforms" with force.



This is an informal talk of a movement that is on-going. Perhaps there is some parallel to local movements that people can share their own experiences including; Black Lives Matter, Occupy, Fight for $15 an Hour, Dreamers/Anti ICE that shows how the issues here have similar aspects to the uprising in France.
Leave It In The Ground! If you dont stop what would be the largest coal terminal on the West Coast of the U.S. the health and safety impacts would be severe, not just for Oakland but also for our communities and for the world, the mayors said in the letter to Oakland city officials. View a 4 page PDF chronicle of news clips since December 2015 (headers, brief, links) including February 19, 2016 OAKLAND news- Citing health and environmental threats posed by increased coal shipments in and out of California, Sen. Loni Hancock introduced four proposed laws to restrict exports of the pollution-inducing fuel source. Additional NOTE: In the United States, tar sands resources are also concentrated in Eastern Utah, mostly on public lands. The in-place tar sands oil resources in Utah are estimated at 12 to 19 billion barrels.

What of the future and America's Resources For America! Shut Down Utah Coal Exports!An East Bay Democrat is stepping up efforts to block a proposed coal export terminal from being built near the Port of Oakland, introducing bills that would raise the bar for the project while charging that allowing the project to proceed would undermine Californias commitments to reduce greenhouse gases and address climate change.May 7, 2016 News: Residents in Utah's coal country are invested in coal. Their economy is built on coal. Their jobs, their livelihoods and their families are dependent on coal. They see this as a great investment."The controversial Utah bill would swap $53 million in state sales tax money now earmarked for transportation for an equal amount of federal mineral royalties given to the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB). Last year, the CIB approved loaning the money to four rural counties to help pay for the development of the bulk-freight-loading seaport under development at the former Oakland Army Base.Here is a great 4 page PDF chronicle of news clips since December 2015 (headers, brief, links) including the February 19, 2016 OAKLAND news- Citing health and environmental threats posed by increased coal shipments in and out of California, Sen. Loni Hancock introduced four proposed laws to restrict exports of the pollution-inducing fuel source.The community impact fees are generated from mineral and energy royalties and intended to mitigate the impacts of federal mining on local communities. Typically, those monies have been granted or loaned for projects such as roads, public buildings, water and sewer systems or parks. A pair of complaints was filed with Attorney General Sean Reyes by environmentalists challenging the legitimacy of using the funds to invest in an out-of-state port. Reyes and his office have declined to comment on the legality of the plan, but questions apparently have prompted the CIB to now ask the Legislature to approve the unusual swap. (05.07.2016)"Investing in a coal terminal is like building a stateroom on the Titanic after it hits the iceberg," said Clark Williams-Derry, director of energy finance at the Seattle-based think tank Sightline Institute. He said Asia's coal imports are dropping as India boosts domestic production and China turns to other energy sources. Meanwhile, Bowie Resource Partners, which controls more than half Utah's coal production, lost its contract to supply Mexico's Petacalco power plant in 2015. And China, for one, seeks the kind of clean, low-sulfur coal that Utah produces to help reduce pollution.What of the future, and America's Resources For America! We are going to need that quality coal for coking. Wind power requires the steel infrastructure for wind turbines, building materials, the alternative grid.Export Throughput For Coal And Other Commodities Produced In Central UtahSB 1277 - Senator Hancocks bill seeks to prohibit the transport of coal to or through the Bulk and Oversize Terminal located in the former Oakland Army Base. Senator Hancock sites numerous health concerns for the disadvantaged communities nearby. SB 1277 has the support of the No Coal in Oakland group. The Legislative Committee of the Board considered this issue on October 16, 2015. Citing the proximity of the future Gateway Park as a major staging area for bikers and walkers seeking to cross the Bay Bridge. The daily release of coal dust, directly adjacent to a park, is counter to the Districts mission to provide healthful recreation, and include an environmental ethic in the Districts activity. Subsequently, the full Board adopted a resolution (2015-11-316) in opposition to the export of coal through the new Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center. Supporting Senator Hancocks bill would be consistent with the Boards previously stated position.April 15, 2016Senator Loni Hancock: Recently, my office sent out a survey about the proposed coal-export terminal in Oakland to ship coal to China and other Asian countries. I would like to share with you the feedback I have received so far. To date, more than 5,000 constituents have sent back their responses, and the results are clear: Oakland residents are overwhelmingly opposed to this Utah-supported plan.92 percent of respondents of the six-question survey oppose a pending Oakland coal terminal, and 96 percent of respondents do not believe public funding should be used to pay for the project.Respondents also strongly believe that the health of the environment and of district residents and workers at the export terminal is a top priority, with 87 percent expressing concern for worker health and safety, and almost 54 percent highlighting the health of residents as a primary concern. Less than 5 percent indicated having no concerns about the proposed project. Close to 86 percent agreed that the City of Oakland should pass an ordinance to prevent coal from being imported or exported on to City property.Text of Senator Hancocks newsletter:To date, more than 5,000 constituents have sent back their responses, and the results are clear: Oakland residents are overwhelmingly opposed to this Utah-supported plan.Although the City approved a contract for development of the site several years ago, the mayors said in their letter that the environmental review of the project in 20012 did not consider coal. The developer, Phil Tagami, made public statements that coal would be no part of the project. A year ago, Tagamis secret negotiations with coal interests in Utah became public knowledge sparking fierce opposition in Oakland.May 1, 2016If you dont stop what would be the largest coal terminal on the West Coast of the U.S. the health and safety impacts would be severe, not just for Oakland but also for our communities and for the world, the mayors said in the letter to Oakland city officials.Leave It In The Ground!Of course - In the United States, tar sands resources are also concentrated in Eastern Utah, mostly on public lands. The in-place tar sands oil resources in Utah are estimated at 12 to 19 billion barrels. Recently, prices for crude oil have again risen to levels that may make tar-sands-based oil production in the United States commercially attractive, and both government and industry are interested in pursuing the development of tar sands oil resources as an alternative to conventional oil.About two tons of tar sands are required to produce one barrel of oil. Roughly 75% of the bitumen can be recovered from sand. After oil extraction, the spent sand and other materials are then returned to the mine, which is eventually reclaimed. (Utah Tar Sand Basics)A new focus on oil sands extraction means that this area of Utah is shaping up to become the next Alberta.Tomas DiFioreBy invoking the 'Copyright Disclaimer' Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." 107. Limitations on exclusive rights- Fair use: Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.If you or anyone wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.Tomas DiFiore
Identity Europa, formerly known as the National Youth Front, the youth wing of the Neo-Nazi American Freedom Party along with members of the National Policy Institute held a rally on UC Berkeley campus with the full protection and cooperation of the campus police. The group livestreamed the whole event and even put up a large poster in the Downtown Berkeley area. Members of the group that participated were well known Neo-Nazis and one, Nathan Damigo, served time for a hate crime against a cab driver. This is the largest open white power gathering in the bay area in some time and shows the degree in which the far-Right is growing in the wake of Trump's campaign.

When the idea was announced only a few days ago it seemed like an insulting media stunt, and it was, but it was also a strategic point for the growing Alt Right and its attempts to market racism and bigotry to Millenials. Richard Spencer of the Radix Journal and the National Policy Institute put together a video and a plan, to promote an outdoor meeting at the historic Sproul Plaza on the University of California and Berkeley campus. This was a place where 60s radicals joined together to confront the Vietnam War, and to build the Berkeley Free Speech movement. The point they were trying to make is that Berkeley is no longer a bastion of free speech because of the Political Correctness that has run rampant. Though this seems like the embarrassing overreach of angry children who are stomping their feet about no longer being able to say the N-word in public, what they are tapping into is a feeling in much of middle America of not understanding the new developments that have come in confronting interpersonal oppression.

Submitted toOn Friday, May 6th, white nationalist Richard Spencer, President and director of National Policy Institute (NPI) , (a think tank aimed at millennials and educated adults that puts on conferences), and head of its publishing arm Washington Summit Publishers , arrived just before 3pm at UC Berkeley. Encircled by three other white nationalists, Spencer walked from the street through several corridors and hallways until finally making his way to Sproul Plaza where a group of other supporters had already gathered and started to live-stream and hold signs. In doing so, Spencer was stepping out of the world of paid conferences and weekly podcasts and into the terrain of street activism.Having announced the event on his twitter 48 hours before hand and working with Red Ice Radio , a live-streaming and in home studio run by a white nationalist married couple, the National Policy Institute along with Identity Europa , the youth wing of the American Freedom Party , (a key organizer for ANP is David Duke's former right-hand man, Jamie Kelso ), a Neo-Nazi formation, was working to create a "virtual rally." The event itself was billed as a "Safe Space" to talk about race in America, using language common among left-wing, activist, and anarchist spaces. Before the rally even began, Spencer's fellow white nationalists at Red Ice were already playing up what they imagined was going to happen that day. "Here is is, the birth of the free speech movement, and all of these liberals aren't going to be able to stand white people talking about race," they stated, (as if somehow Berkeley was devoid of white people doing just that). As Anti-Fascist News wrote:While they didn't fly completely under the radar, their event happened without being physically shut down. When their gathering was disrupted (briefly only twice), NPI members waved at the police (who were stationed around the plaza watching the entire event) to come over and back them up. This makes it appear that there had to have been some level of coordination between the white nationalists and UC Berkeley itself, and if a permit (aka, police protection) was involved, then this would have meant that UC Berkeley students were needed to set those wheels in motion.Also, throughout the event, a large man in his 40s was stationed next to Spencer and watched closely the entire time. When he left towards the end he stated, "This went really well." At the end of the event, after a loud heckler belated members of the NPI/IE crowd as fascists, Spencer left within five minutes alongside other members of his entourage surrounding him, leaving what appeared to be "the locals" to find their way home. They weren't going far anyways, on twitter members of the rally posted pictures of themselves drinking beers and discussing the days events in what seems to be a moneyed house We believe that all of this information: the path that they choose to enter the campus to avoid detection, the use of "muscle" as bodyguards, and the possible use of students to get access for police protection all point to UC Berkeley students possibly being involved in the white nationalist movement. According to one article, at least one UC Berkeley white nationalist alumni was in attendance . We also think it is clear that no Berkeley student is going to come forward as an out and out white nationalist; when a heckler approached supporters in the crowd, all but a few seemed to disavow being associated with the event.

Spencer left, with Henrik Palgren and Lana Lokteff of Red Ice Radio, and Mike Enoch of The Right Stuff podcast at an NPI Conference.

Our dream is a new society, an ethno-state that would be a gathering point for all Europeans. It would be a new society based on very different ideals than, say, the Declaration of Independence.



 Vice, October 2013



I think we should have a new Roman empire...a grand ethno-state for all Europeans to come together.



-The Tab, May 2016

The site has come under fire in the past for promoting racist content. During the Trayvon Martin trial, it published an article by John Derbyshire that instructed white parents to encourage their children to stay out of predominately black neighborhoods and warned them to scrutinize black politicians more than whites. (The conservative magazine National Review fired Derbyshire after he wrote this screed.)

Even a small group of militant anti-fascists could have stopped Spencer from stepping foot on campus, however Spencer was after something much different than the inevitable ass-whooping that would have been dealt to him and all his counterparts had the heads up arrived sooner. An energetic dialog and disagreements with enthusiastic UC Berkeley students that would make excellent livestream, podcast, meme, and twitter fodder. If they yelled and screamed and called them names, all the better, because then the NPI/IE could show that of course, "there is no safe space to talk about race." If students were instead polite and composed, then just as well, fascist ideas were then thrust into the mainstream realm of debate and argumentation. There, along with PETA booths stacked with Why Vegan? pamphlets and a plethora of campus socialist groups, the National Policy Institute, Identity Europa and the 'nipsters' (Nazi hipsters) that made up its rank and file could be free to enter into the mainstream of college campus discourse.In many ways, this idea and concept that was created almost entirely for online consumption and with hopefully viral potential, played out pretty flawlessly. Anyone walking around UC Berkeley for more than five minutes will be approached by either a campus group, GreenPeace or another non-profit asking for money, or someone promoting a business or restaurant. Because of this, most people walked right past the "safe space," and continued on their way, heads buried in their phones. A cluster of 20-30 people did gather around the spectacle, however it seems many (or at least almost all the white males) were associated with the fascists.This "safe space" tactic we image will grow in popularity among white nationalists. As Trump's campaign continues to polarize the US and embolden white supremacists, Anti-Fascists will have to step it up on information gathering of these groups and individuals as well as strengthen networks with students on campus to build a culture of resistance that shuts down these events before they even start. No platform for fascism.The following is a partial list of individuals and some background on organizations that were in attendance at the fascist rally at UC Berkeley.Richard Bertrand Spencer, resident of Whitefish, Montana , is no dummy, in fact, he's a doctor, but like all white nationalists, Spencer proposes the creation of an all white "ethno-state" in which people of color would not be welcomed. This new government would be organized along fascist and authoritarian lines, of course. Growing up in Boston, he went on to attend St. Mark's School in Texas (a private prep school), get his BA in Virigina, and then on to get his Humanities MA in Chicago and then his doctorate at Duke University. After getting out of school, Spencer went on to edit the American Conservative magazine and later the webzine Taki's (both with white nationalist ties) before being fired for his racist views (guess he really went tor it). Taki's, which is politically paleconvservative ('we were fascists before it was cool'), also drew fire due to the articles written by other writers. Salon wrote:

Richard Spencer watches at Jared Taylor gives a talk at an NPI conference.

The National Policy Institute was founded in 2005 by William Regnery II who, in the words of the Southern Poverty Law Center, is a prime mover and shaker within academic white nationalist circles. As an heir to the conservative Regnery Publishing, which brought us Trumps campaign screed Time to Get Tough in 2011, Regnery has thrown his fortune behind a number of white nationalist causes. In 2001, he founded the Occidental Quarterly, whose pseudo-scientific agitprop makes it sort of the Nature of academic racism, according to Mother Jones.

In 2011, Spencer took over heading the National Policy Institute after the death of long time white nationalist Louis Andrews. NPI hosts conferences in the DC area several times a year and is aimed at young people (people under 30 get a discount), those on the outside of the right wing establishment, academics, and the rank and file of the white nationalist movement. In doing so, NPI has helped to increase the visibility of the "Alternative Right" along with providing a space for movement heads to meet and network. Milo Yiannopoulos, a BreitBart reporter recently has pushed the Alternative Right along with the NPI, even further into the spotlight by covering their conferences and has become a bad boy in the movement in his own right. As Raw Story wrote:

Roosh V and Matt Forney attend an NPI Conference.

Contributors ranged from Matt Forney, who now writes for the mens rights activism site, Return of Kings, to Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian fascist, writer, and academic who provided much of the intellectual foundation for Russian President Vladimir Putins incursion into Ukraine.

[S]cientifically bogus works as a 2015 reissue of Richard Lynn's Race Differences in Intelligence and screeds by other white nationalists, including Jared Taylor, editor of the racist American Renaissance journal, and Sam Francis, the late editor of the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens newsletter.

The [NPI] organizations editorial unit publishes scientifically-based books like Race Differences in Intelligence and The Perils of Diversity. Our goal is to form an intellectual community around European nationalism, [Spencer] wrote in an email.

The NPI conferences has also been a place where the white nationalist and Alternative Right movements have been able to link up with Men's Rights Activists ( although many fascists objected to Roosh being non-white ), including Roosh V (also a Trump supporter) of the Return of Kings website. Roosh V, who along with other MRA's has spoken at NPI conferences , recently created controversy for advocating legalizing rape on private property as a means to further cement the second class citizenship of women to men. His attempt to hold meetups across the world was a bitter failure, but also shows the degree in which the Alternative Right is attempting to get off the internet and into the streets. This connection between Spencer and the pro-rape Men's Rights Movement goes back to his days at Taki's After AC and Taki's, Spencer then began publishing the Alternative Right journal and then went on to produce Radix Journal as well as oversee Washington Summit Publishers. This publishing house publishes and re-publishes works such as Salon wrote:The late Samuel Francis mentioned above, who is being republished by Spencer (who's writings also helped influence the white nationalist child star, Matthew Heimbach of the Traditionalist Workers' Party) was once much like Richard Spencer in his own early days, holding down a day job working as a columnist for The Washington Post before he was fired for railing against everything from interracial sex to desegregation. After his firing, Francis continued to head deeper into the white nationalist movement, playing a key role in the Council for Conservative Citizens, which grew out of the White Citizen's Councils that were formed in the Jim Crow era South and acted as a kind of citizens auxiliary to the KKK, and were often referred to as the "Uptown Klan ."

Dylann Roof, white nationalist serial murderer.

Currently, the Council for Conservative Citizens is best known for helping to inspire the young mind of Dylann Roof , the white supremacist that massacred African-American church goers in Charleston, SC. Spencer's long-time pal and American Renaissance organizer Jared Taylor is also currently part of their organizing body and has helped conduct robo-calls urging white people to vote for Trump . Taylor was also close with Francis, who himself presented and spoke at AmRen conferences.Central to Francis's vision, was that he saw the white working and middle classes as moving towards becoming Middle American Radicals, or MARs; a growing body of people and consciousness that rejected a multi-racial society and moved farther and farther towards the Right but also rejecting corporate capitalism. Over the years, Francis maintained a close friendship with Pat Buchanan, who at one time was a part of the Reform Party along with Ross Perot and David Duke, the ex-Klansman and KKK leader. Ironically, Donald Trump, then a former Democrat, quickly exited the Reform Party after sticking his toe in, refusing to be associated with anti-Semites and Neo-Nazis. While Buchanan would go on to campaign unsuccessfully as a Republican Presidential candidate in 1996, after his failure he continued to keep ties with the white nationalist movement and has made several appearances on The Political Cesspool podcast, which is sponsored by the Council for Conservative Citizens and the Institute for Historical Review (linked to the now defunct OG suit and tie Nazi outfit, the Liberty Lobby ), a holocaust denial organization that promotes warm and fuzzy feelings of Third Reich.

American Freedom Party's promotional material for Trump.

While they have all kept their distance from each other, Duke, Buchanan, and Trump have also all relied (Duke especially) on white nationalist muscle organize support , and staff offices . At the same time, white nationalists, KKK members, and Neo-Nazis, also saw the success of their own movement in their activity within these campaigns, as many of their predecessors did in the runs of Barry Goldwater and George Wallace. Those that attended the NPI event at UC Berkeley were no different, as many wore Trump hats and Spencer himself has talked openly about his support for Trump's campaign As Spencer was quoted in a recent article saying, "Thank god for Donald J. Trump!"

Richard Spencer panders to the camera.

A century and a half ago, Alexander Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States of America, was faced with the prospect of the victory or annihilation of his nation and fledgling state in what is now referred to as the American Civil War. In his greatest address, The Cornerstone of the Confederacy, he did not speak (mendaciously) about "states rights" or any kind of Constitutional legality. He instead cut to the heart of the social order he was opposing. He stressed that the Confederacy was based on the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson was wrong; the "cornerstone" of the new state was the "physical, philosophical, and moral truth" of human inequality.



Ours, too, should be a declaration of difference and distance"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created unequal." In the wake of the old world, this will be our proposition.

"We are undergoing a sad process of degeneration, [Spencer] said, coming back to minority births in the U.S. We will need to reverse it using the state and the government. You incentivize people with higher intelligence, you incentivize people who are healthy to have children. And it sounds terrible and nasty, but there would be a great use of contraception.



He didnt mean the government should encourage people to use birth control pills and condoms. He was advocating for some type of government-forced sterilization.



They could still enjoy sex. You are not ruining their life, Spencer said.

Today, in the public imagination, ethnic-cleansing has been associated with civil war and mass murder (understandably so). But this need not be the case."

But support for Trump is only part of a bigger struggle to create an all white fascist state. Spencer fashions much of his support for an ethno-state on the same logic that the Confederate elites, such as Vice President Alexander Stephens articulated, who Spencer drew from in his 2014 essay, The Metapolitics of America , by calling for the removal of all non-whites on the basis that whites are superior. Spencer writes for Radix But while Spencer sees this as a far off goal, in the meantime he's happy to push for mass deportations, exclusions, and forced sterilizations of people of color in the here and now. As Salon wrote During the American Renaissance conference in April, Spencer was quoted as saying Spencer and the NPI represent the intellectual and academic wing of the white nationalist movement, much as the Futurists did in Italy as they threw their support behind Mussolini. Others though, come from much different backgrounds.https://twitter.com/NathanDamigo/status/727927853266784258Like most of those within the white nationalist movement, while Spencer promotes a clean, nicely dressed, and WASPy appearance, his associations show the links between the broader fascist movement and himself. For instance, a key contributor and presenter at National Policy Institute Conferences has been Kevin MacDonald , a former 60's Leftist and professor in Long Beach, California, and a participant in the American Freedom Party, which was founded by white power skinheads. MacDonald has made a name for himself as the leading 'academic' of Anti-Semitism, traveling across the US preaching how the Jews run the government and are trying to destroy the white race.

Nathan Damigo, youth organizer for Identity Europa, formerly known as the National Youth Front, the youth wing of the American Freedom Party. From Damigo's Twitter account, 'Fashy Haircut.'

Damigo is running the organization Identity Europa...[and w]hen it was still the National Youth Front it had a back and forth relationship with the fascist and populist American Freedom Party, where they automatically registered NYF members with the AFP when they turned 35.



Nathan is an example of the kind of middle ground that the Alt Right has always been on. Good looking, well spoken, dresses and combs his hair like a hip Banana Republic model; he is a good advertisement as he looks far from a Klansman (looks a lot like Richard, to be exact). He is an Iraq war veteran, but he is also a felon for a hate crime. Several years ago, after he returned from Iraq, he brutally attacked a Muslim man on the street, and robbed him.



Though Identity Europa seems to be little more than his brainchild and attempt to coordinate with young people, they seem to attempt to be largely the same project that Youth for Western Civilization, the Traditionalist Youth Network/Workers Party, and the various White Student Unions are. They wish to make whiteness an identity battle, and present white advocacy as the same as Black and Latino rights organizations, including reaching out to communities of color to find allies of color who think that whites are being discriminated against on college campuses.

The National Youth Front (NYF) was the youth wing of the American Freedom Party, until it recently changed its name to Identity Europa. One of its key organizers who was also at the UC Berkeley event, is Nathan Damigo , a former veteran and convicted felon, who in 2007 drunkenly pulled a gun on a cab driver . As Anti-Fascist News wrote:

Damigo's face help promotes Neo-Nazi National Youth Front.

"We have to look good, Spencer said, adding that if his movement means being part of something that is crazed or ugly or vicious or just stupid, no one is going to want to be a part of it. Those stereotypes of redneck, tattooed, illiterate, no-teeth people, Spencer said, are blocking his progress.

Identity Europa represents an attempt by smart and nicely dressed young people to reach out and attempt to bring in others likes them that are attracted to the look, appeal, and ideas of the Alternative Right. At the same time, IE also shows the clear link between the wider, much more openly Neo-Nazi white nationalist movement as well as their rich-kid PhD cousins at the NPI, no matter how much Spencer slags them off. As Salon quoted him saying:But much like earlier fascist movements, there are many parts to them. For instance, Hitler used the SA or brownshirts to beat up communists and break up union meetings of workers who were the bulk of resistance to the Nazi Party. At the same time, the SA was made up largely of unemployed men who were paid for their "services" by rich industrialists who wanted them to smash the communists. Towards this end, they were given a place to live, beer to drink, and food to eat. In many ways, the claims by Trump that people will "Win so much they'll get tired of it!" and that their incomes will double and beyond, work much in the same way in the minds of dispossessed and angry white workers.https://twitter.com/IdentityEvropa/status/730926885278879744After Hitler took power, he had no use for the SA, and slaughtered their leaders in the "Night of the Long Knives," along with much of the left-wing of the Nazi Party. This history still is a point of reference for some fascists, such as the white nationalist band, Death in June , who takes their name and imagery from this history of the Nazi Party. Thus, while Spencer represents the segment of movement "thinkers," not far behind him are the more rough and tumble elements which have no qualms of flying swastika flags or screaming "seig heil!"In many ways, Damigo represents the coming together of both of these worlds, through his connection to the American Freedom Party and IE. Currently, Damigo according to his twitter account "Fashy Haircut", lives in Northern California. His current tweets show pictures of wine country and him playing a game at a bar located in Sonoma.

White nationalist poster pasted up in Downtown Berkeley shortly after the rally. Was quickly ripped down.

But Damigo wasn't the only person from Northern California or even the bay area to attend the fascist event at UC Berkeley.In late April, hundreds of people blocked the streets of Burlingame, a town located south of San Francisco, in protest of Trump speaking at a gathering of Republicans in California. Among the protesters were about 20 or so Trump supporters, many of them high school students. One of the older supporters there, a shorter man with black hair and a large bear, was Johnny Ramondetta, aka, Johnny Monoxide, editor and producer of "The Current Year Tonight" podcast which is broadcast on the Neo-Nazi, " Right Stuff" online site

A promotional image for a Red Ice Radio program, featuring Johnny Monoxide.

John currently works as a union foreman electrician through Local 6, located in San Francisco. Johnny can also clearly be seen live streaming the UC Berkeley event at the rally as well as wearing a hoodie with the logo of his podcast that bears a meme of "Pepe the Frog," (how original).

Ramondetta on his facebook account.

According to our sources, Ramondetta was pulled to the Left during Occupy Oakland and also took part in protests against the killing of Trayvon Martin and in the wake of the Ferguson verdict, however decided instead that he's actually a fascist anti-Semite and entered the world of spending most of his time while not at work making a shitty podcast and posting things on twitter. View his twitter here

"Just think how much better this game will be son after we ethnically cleanse the team!"

(415) 861-5752.

Ramondetta currently has a tweet-mance with Spencer and Damigo, and we only can expect that this relationship between himself and the rest of the white nationalist movement will continue to grow.https://twitter.com/johnnymonoxide/status/729168447582568448We also encourage everyone to contact IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco and voice your displeasure with Ramondetta's fascist (which supposedly bars one from IBEW membership) and racist views. IBEW Local 6 is located at: 55 Fillmore St #2, San Francisco, CA 94117. Feel free to callhttps://twitter.com/johnnymonoxide/status/731734095105908738

John Hess from Arizona. Seen here sporting a Golden Dawn shirt. GD is a fascist and Neo-Nazi party in Greece, known for attacking immigrants, refugees, and anarchists.

NYF member named John Hess of Phoenix, Arizona...Hess's Facebook page is on lockdown, because he doesn't want you to see what he's apparently all about, and by that, we mean Nazi idolatry. Hess's page is peppered with videos filled with Nazi themed content, a strange coincidence considering claims by the NYF that they are not racists, and that there are no Neo-Nazi members of their group. Very odd indeed! The account has since been locked down.

John Hess, just like Damigo, comes out of the National Youth Front that is now called Identity Europa. Hess hails (all the time!) from Arizona, where he gained about 5 minutes of fash fame for going after professors on campus he deemed to be "anti-white." According to one blogger

From John Hess's facebook account.

...[T]he Battle of Berkeley... [a]fter all, it takes far more courage to show oneself publicly as a pro-white advocate in an area internationally famous for being hostile to white interests than it does to sneak, under cover of darkness, into an urban area with a mask and a bat and join many dozens of other human failures in various acts of vandalism for the establishment. Not one of us in attendance knew what to expect. Anything could have happened. There is a formidable antifa presence in the Bay Area, and that so few of them showed up is not our fault. A battle easily won is no less a battle.



I wanted to add my physical presence to the mix to show support and to help in case things got ugly, which I was almost certain they would. To my surprise and, to be quite honest, an equal amount of relief and disappointment, the event was peaceful. But this is a credit to Mr. Damigo, Mr. Spencer, and the caliber of supporters in attendance, each of whom was smart, confident, and composed. I do not believe there was a single supporter in attendance who would not have been prepared to physically defend the group if necessary, but due to the deftness with which the organizers handled the crowd and the affability of the supporters in attendance, we gave them no opportunity to get violent.

There will come a day when keyboard warriors will be forced to hit the streets and when they do it will not be the autistic nitpickers who will be leading the charge.



Let this be the first of many such events across the entire country and let us all hope that the next battle has men like Mr. Spencer and Mr. Damigo front and center. I want to thank both the organizers and the supporters I met that day for engaging in this action. I look forward to many more

I think alt right is a really good term to useIts something different than conservatives, its something different than Republicans. I also like to use the word identitarianI think its a very good term because what is most important is European identity.

After [Spencer] saying I think Hitler is misunderstood and telling me he does condemn violence, he finally answers whether or not he condemns Hitler, saying, No, I dont. The idea that someone would want a country of their own, that someone would want a country thats defined by their ancestors and their people, I do not condemn that. He is so skillful at making white supremacy sound like a nice fairy tale that he can almost make Hitler sound like someone who just wanted a quaint little Germany with his extended family  almost.

Start mapping the fascists in your area. Start with the big names and groups on facebook and twitter and get going. See who follows who. Make maps, follow accounts, find out when events are happening. Organize and tell others. Make life interesting for Damigo, Hess, and Spencer. Salon wrote: Spencer says he has no desire to advertise his views to his neighbors. I dont want to get in big disputes with anyone in Whitefish, he says. I would like this to be a place where I have a little bit of an anonymous status. He lives in Whitefish, Montana and hangs out at the Red Caboose Cafe. It has a population of under 7,000. He shouldn't be hard to find. Damigo appears to be in wine country, Hess in Arizona. Get on social media and do your homework. Have a plan for when these groups will hold an event on campus. What can you do with 5 people? With 10? With just yourself? Let this be a building exercise. Watch out for Johnny Monoxide in the bay area. He will sure to be seen at upcoming events, live streaming for his own projects and also attempting to get on InfoWars and other right-wing establishments. Get ready to shut down the National Policy Institute Conference on November 19th in Washington DC at the Ronald Reagan Building, 9 AM - 11 PM. More info here. Get ready for Sacramento on Sunday, June 26th. The Golden State Skinheads, Traditionalist Workers' Party, the KKK, and other groups are holding a rally at the State Capitol. Be there. More info here. This is shaping up to be the largest white power rally on the west coast in some time.
- Daily Mail has accused close ally of President Buhari, Rotimi Amaechi of being fantastically corrupted

- Amaechi is said to have bankrolled Buharis presidential campaign

- Ex-governor also blamed for diverting money from commission probing sale of state assets

UK newspaper Daily Mail has again took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari for his war against corruption.

The paper says that while the Nigerian leader is seen as leading the fight against graft, some shocking accusations swirl around one of his close friends.

Nigeria's transport minister and former governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi, is said to have bankrolled Buharis presidential campaign.

Nigerian media reportedly described Amaechi as ATM  the American term for cash machine  because of his power to give big sums of money at short notice.

Ex-governor keeps his post despite being blamed for stealing 338m (N96bn) by a commission probing the sale of state assets.

A part of diverted money is probably to have come from UK taxpayers, who gave Nigeria 1billion (N285bn) in aid over five years to 2014.

Individually, Amaechi is blamed for misappropriating 140million (N40bn) of state funds into Buharis presidential campaign, with reports he paid for media, consultants and private jets.

The breakdown of 2016 budget showed that the Buhari's administration earmarked 16million (N4,5bn) for the renovation and maintenance of the presidents official residence, Aso Rock Guest House, in the capital Abuja.

READ ALSO: UK paper accuses Buhari of hypocrisy on corruption

There was also a request for billions of naira for building a VIP wing at a hospital used by families of the president and his ministerial team.

However, Amaechi has rejected the accusations against him.

When British Prime Minister David Cameron was caught on camera last week before an anti-corruption summit defining Nigeria as fantastically corrupt, Buhari rallied to Cameron's defence by agreeing with him.

But the Nigerian presidency said that previous governments were corrupt, not the incumbent one.

Buhari, on his own part, demanded the UK to return stolen funds, hidden in the country by Nigerian officials.

READ ALSO: US will return huge part of money stolen by Nigerian generals

Amaechi is one of the most controversial Buhari's minister, whose screening at the Senate was postponed for several times due to investigation against corruption.

Previous time British paper accused President Buhari of hypocrisy with fighting corruption, saying that Nigerian leader just prosecuting his opponents.

Source: Legit.ng
Editor's note: Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari may not do well in economy and foreign affairs, except in military matters, in his autobiography. Russell Bluejack of the Scannews writes an open letter to the former president, condemning his attacks on the good governance of Buhari.

This article expresses the authors opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Legit.ng or its editors.

President Buhari of Nigeria with President Francois Hollande of France and former Nigerian president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the 2nd Regional Security Summit in Abuja on May 14, 2016. Photo: Bayo Omoboriowo

I think you made some salient points in your response, but I think you yourself is part of our hydra-headed national throes. You are right that Buhari is not sound in matters of the economy and foreign affairs. It is only a fool that will doubt that; after all, Buhari hardly hears when foreigners speak. But, OBJ, were you not the one campaigning for change in your wild bid to oust Dr. Jonathan? Can you honestly say that your government was better than that of Jonathans? Let me remind you of some atrocious acts in your government that were lucidly spooky in Jonathans.

First, under you, the office of the Senate president became a matter of loyalty to the office of the president, as you continued to influence the impeachment of Senate presidents, starting with Chuba Okadigbo, until we had one the Senate so loved that you could influence them to impeach. It was Sen. Ken Nnamani that was able to keep the Senate out of your reach. Please, dear OBJ, was Jonathan that meddlesome? Whether you choose to agree or not, Jonathan was the most NASS-friendly president Nigeria has ever had. His friendly ties with other arms of government was borne out of his respect for the rule of law. You can see Jonathan was a better democratic president. I am sure some of these comparisons sparked off your hatred for the phenomenal Jonathan. Let us continue.

READ ALSO: Obasanjo speaks about Buhari, Jonathan and YarAdua

Second, dear OBJ, recall that under your rulership those that disagreed with you on principle were brutally killed. The case of the late Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation comes to mind, as he was trailed home and brutally butchered by thugs. Dear OBJ, is it possible to have a Minister of Justice killed like a hoi polloi, common man?

Where were the Police and security outfit in charge of his safety? Does it not show your complicity in the death of Bola Ige? Under you, OBJ, Marshall Harry in Rivers state was killed, A. K. Dikibo was also assassinated. Dear OBJ, were you not the one that allowed the late Adedibu of Ibadan to kill his political opponents with unimaginable impunity? Should I remind you how Odi indigenes in Bayelsa were killed in what we call the bloodiest genocide in Nigeria? Who dispatched the army to a community because of few youths that were fighting for their right? Let us go to the issue of corruption.

Dear OBJ, you have said Jonathan was corrupt, but you seem to have undermined the skyrocketing corruption that characterised your government for eight years. Nigeria choked from the interplay and tussle between you and your vice, Atiku Abubakar, as both of you struggled to grab and run away with our national coffers. I am sure you have not forgot how both of you accused each other over the operation of MOFAS and PTDF accounts.

Dear OBJ, you know Ota Farm was moribund before you became president, but became enterprising in less than two months after your swearing in. Is anything more quintessential of corruption than that? Recall, Sir, that you had less than twenty thousand Naira when you were freed from jail, but became the owner of a private university and several billions of dollars in years. What else bespeaks corruption? Dear OBJ, while Dr. Peter Odili held sway as Rivers state governor, you always visited our state because of the Ghana-must-go bags that left with you. If that isnt corruption, then nothing is. Let us continue.

Dear OBJ, should I remind you that you visited Rivers state several times to launch gas turbines that never worked? Are you telling us that you did not know? What about Transcorp? Is it not true that you and Atiku used Transcorp to acquire several private companies in the name of privatization? If that is not corruption, then nothing is. Dear OBJ, was it not under your reign that cultism became an acceptable trend in Nigeria, as Dey Gbam and Dey Well brutal groups arose in Rivers State? Please tell us what the NEEDs project was about? You used the same needs in the 70s, as head of state, to acquire state properties, one of which is the Ota Farm. Dear OBJ, it does appear that we cannot talk about you in any way without talking about the originator of corruption. You seem to be the one responsible for the plunge this nation has taken since the 70s.

READ ALSO: President Buhari's administration on track, says Obasanjo

Dear OBJ, the only good thing about you is that you did not acquire oil bloc, but that must have been due to the fact that you made so much money from petroleum, since you were both the president and De facto minister of petroleum who accounted to nobody. You were president and petroleum Minister for eight years without accountability in that sector. That, itself, is the height of corruption, Dear OBJ. May God forgive you. Someone this filthy is not qualified to condemn Jonathan. When will you tell us what you did to Ajaokuta steel money? When will you and Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross Rivers, tell us what you did with Tinapa? Your sins are too much, OBJ. Should I talk about the immoral act perpetrated by you at home? Do you still recall the incestuous act with your daughter-in-law? What was your flimsy reason? Oh, it was spiritual rites! Are you not too dirty to be talking like Mr. NIGERIA? I dislike Buhari, and it is my right to so do, but not as much as I dislike and fear you, OBJ!

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan remains the best head that has become President of Nigeria. His projects and sundry achievements are everywhere. Rivers state has someone that is as hardworking as Jonathan. The likes of Wike of Rivers state and Jonathan are rare breeds. Shame on enemies of good governance in Nigeria! May the Almighty God continue to put them to shame. Amen.

Your own opinion articles, feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments are welcome at info@corp.legit.ng.

Were ready to trade your news for our money: submit news and photo reports from your area using our Naij Report app.

We are also available on Facebook, on Twitter and on WhatsApp +234 814 650 9067.

Source: Legit.ng
Welp, here we go. Barack Obama made the Republicans so angry that they decided to self-destruct! But even though Trump is probably going to lose, progressives should not get complacent: Trump is a well-funded liar with formidable skills at manipulating the media and a brutish instinct for connecting with the racist tribalism of angry white people. Progressives who are not huge fans of Hillary Clinton need to get ready to vote for her in November, even if theyre not excited about it yet.

Like many Americans, I have complicated feelings about Hillary Clinton. I dont hate Hillary, but I supported Bernie Sanders during the primary, because I agreed with more of Bernies policy positions and I wanted to help move the Democratic Party further to the left.

But heres the thing, folks: the Republicans have chosen an openly racist, misogynist, off-the-charts narcissistic, literal MADMAN to be their nominee for president. Now that Donald Trump is one step away from having his tiny, baby-like hands on the nuclear launch codes, weve got to vote for Hillary.

Im well acquainted with the progressive case against Hillary: shes got too many corporate connections, shes too comfortable hobnobbing with wealthy elitists, shes too eager to compromise with the worst people in politics, lots of things about the legacy of the Clinton White House have not aged well, one of her biggest achievements as Secretary of State was to help turn Libya into a failed state, and shes been part of 24 years of national media baggage and scandals, and its depressing that America is so beholden to the political dynasties of Clintons and Bushes.

And, sure, thats just the tip of the iceberg. Remember that time when she claimed to have been under sniper fire in Bosnia, but wasnt? Or when she (intentionally?) gave fuel to the birther movement when she said that Obama wasnt a Muslim as far as I know? Or when she bizarrely praised Nancy Reagan for being an AIDS advocate when in fact the Reagans did jack shit while 20,000 Americans died? Or her reliance on the racist buzzword superpredators in the 90s? Or her support for Dont Ask Dont Tell, and the Defense of Marriage Act, and minimum prison sentences in the crime bill? Or how shes made millions sucking up to powerful interests, or how shes attacked the women who accused Bill of sexual misconduct, or

GAH! Enough! Im conflicted, see? Have I proven that yet? Have I done enough?!

But stillSTILL!when compared to the manifold disasters Trump could instigate with presidential power, her past sins look like understandable blips on the radar. I think Hillary is really smart and hard-working and experienced. I have no qualms about her qualifications and I want her to nominate the next Supreme Court judges instead of Trump; that alone is worth voting for her in November.

Let me be totally clear: Now that were faced with the prospect of President Trump, Im With Her.

And when youre willing to forgive the issues mentioned abovemotivated by the terrifying prospect of President Donald Trumpyou start to understand that Hillary could be a better president than you might expect. Lets get excited, people! Heres the flip side of all the hate:

This article has a good rundown of some of Hillarys biggest accomplishments as Secretary of State, as a U.S. Senator, and as First Lady, some of which I had forgotten about. As Secretary of State, Hillary was instrumental in creating sanctions that helped bring Iran to the negotiating table for a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear program. As First Lady, Hillary worked behind the scenes with Senate allies to help create the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which helped millions of lower-income kids get great health insurance at an affordable price. As a Senator, she helped make prescription drug labeling safer and more accurate for children, helping to save lives and improve the health of millions of kids.

More broadly, as Secretary of State she helped repair Americas alliances and reputation in the aftermath of George W. Bushs reign of global destruction. Shes done a ton of great things as a global ambassador for womens rightshaving her as the first woman president could be hugely valuable, even just on a symbolic level, for improving the lives of women and girls all over the world.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has never served in public office.

Back in 2002, Senator Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the Iraq War. Ugh. God damn it. Knowing what we know nowhell, even knowing what we knew in 2002that was a really bad decision. Today, she says that her vote was a mistake. HOWEVER: lets not act like the Iraq War was Hillarys idea. Hillarys vote in the Senate was just one of many.

But everything that happened afterwardthe botched occupation, the vicious Iraqi civil war of kidnappings and torture-murders, the outrageous profiteering and waste by private defense contractors, the sexualized torture of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib, the hilariously premature Mission Accomplished speech, the fragmentation of the Iraqi state and the rise of ISIS, the uncountable thousands of innocent lives snuffed out for one mans Oedipal complexis ultimately the fault of George W. Bush.

Dont blame Hillary for the Iraq War; she was just a minor accessory to the overall crime. George W. Bush was the drunk driver who crashed the car; Hillary was just one of the people who chipped in to buy him the beer.

(I really wish she hadnt voted for the goddamn Iraq War. Shit.)

Hillary Clinton is the ultimate policy wonk. (And I mean that as a compliment!) Whether you agree or disagree with her, you have to admit that she does her homework, and shes familiar with the intricate complexities of federal policymaking.

Hillary is the Kobe Bryant of politicsshe can be polarizing, but she overwhelms you with sheer workload, to the point that you dont even totally notice whether shes actually good or not. But even if youre not a huge fan, you have to respect her work ethic and longevity.

Progressives often criticize the Clintons for their politics of triangulation: meeting the Republicans in the middle, and co-opting the best of their ideas. Hillary is often seen as being too eager to compromise, and not resolute enough about progressive principles.

But heres the thing: Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 with only 43 percent of the popular vote. He never had a huge mandate to be a progressive; he was playing defense for 8 years. Hillarys going to be facing a similarly divided and polarized country if she wins in November.

Half the country keeps electing right-wing troglodytes who want to burn Warshington, D.C. to the ground, who want to allow everyone to carry AR-15 assault rifles in public, and who want to require women to register with the FBI every time theyre having their period. Yes, it would be great if America had a massive progressive mandate for single-payer universal health care and infrastructure investments and a carbon tax and affordable college tuition for all, but thats not the country were living in.

Politics is the art of the possible, and right now in American national politics, just like it was during the presidency of Bill Clinton, very little is possible. Its not Hillarys fault; these are just the imperfect times that shes dealing with. Maybe we have to settle for whatever frustratingly inadequate deals and piecemeal reforms the Republicans will allow.

Hillary has changed her stances on a lot of issues over the yearsbut maybe thats OK! People change their minds all the time! Remember when Barack Obama was against gay marriage? How many of you can honestly say that youve always been staunchly in favor of same-sex marriage equality, even as far back as 2004? The whole country has evolved on this issue, quite quickly, just within the past few years!

Hillary has been flip-flopping in a more progressive direction! I dont care about what Hillary used to say that she believes; I care about what she says she believes TODAY. No, I dont totally trust her as having 100% consistent sincerity in her convictions about almost anything, but I DO trust that she will pursue most of the right policies TODAYbecause I trust her to keep up with prevailing public opinion.

Maybe that sounds like faint praise! But its more than enough to make me happy to vote for her against Trump.

Yes, this is blatant gender identity politics and playing the woman card, or whatever: I want to see a woman win the White House, and I feel good about having Hillary be the first woman to do it. Hillary has put in the hard work and taken a lot of unfair, sexist attacks all these years that no other (male) candidate for president has ever had to put up with; she deserves a lot of credit for helping to shatter this ultimate glass ceiling of American politics.

Is it kind of too bad that the first woman president is going to be from a family dynasty? Yes. I dont like the message it sends about America that 4 out of our last 5 presidents will come from just two families. It would be more inspiring if the first woman president were not married to a former president.

But maybe this is exactly the way it had to happen. Maybe the first woman to win the White House needed to have big-time name recognition and a built-in national network of fundraisers and political connections. Maybe the only way to break this glass ceiling was to elect a woman who has already been thoroughly tested and vetted.

Hillary shares the famous Clinton name, but she has created her own identity as a national political figure in her own right, on her own merits. Maybe you disagree with her on lots of things, but you cant deny that Hillary is winning on her own terms and as her own person.

Remember when Hillary said that Mexican immigrants were a bunch of rapists? Remember when Hillary said we should ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.? Remember when Hillary said that women who have abortions should be punished? Remember when Hillarys supporters were sucker punching Black protesters?

Yep! Hillary is exactly the same as Trump!

Hillary has her flaws, but Donald Trump represents the most sinister forces in U.S. politics. The Republican Party is hopelessly dysfunctional and incompetent, and now the grown-ups are going to have to step up and do the right thing in November.

Trump must lose! So lets vote for Hillary. If everyone whos not racist and insane can just show up to vote for Hillary, Trump will lose. Or instead, we can all somehow find a way to sabotage ourselves with moral absolutism and false equivalencies.

I cant take that chance. I dont have the luxury of that level of ideological purity. I dont believe that the way to achieve long-term progressive change is to let America descend into fascist dystopia. Lets not get cutesy and overly clever about this; lets just chill and vote for Hillary. Chill for Hill. I can live with that.
Romanian writer-director Cristi Puiu makes films that are, in the best sense, endurance tests. Working with long running times and delaying audience gratification, the man behind The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and Aurora uses duration as a weapon, immersing us in his characters unhappy worlds so that we understand and, more importantly, feel their experience.

Sieranevada doesnt alter that formula, placing us inside the home of a brittle family reunion and then not letting us leave. At almost three hours, Puius latest tries your patience, but thats partly by design: This is a movie filled with characters who dont really want to be there, either.

The movie starts with a succession of argumentsover a double-parked car and, later, about Disney princesses relationship to the Brothers Grimms fairy talesand those merely serve as a warning for whats to come. Discord is rampant in Sieranevada, as Lary (Mimi Branescu) no doubt suspects as he and his wife Laura (Catalina Moga) drive to his mother Nusas (Dana Dogaru) home for a funeral service for his recently deceased father. For much of the films running time, we will stay inside that modest apartment, the characters waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the priest to arrive to deliver a special prayer so they can then eat.

It is no surprise that a simple prayer and meal will be complicated by unforeseen circumstancesPuiu loves utilizing aggravation as a dramatic device. (His award-winning Mr. Lazarescu was all about the unexpected obstacles to getting an older man emergency medical care.) Its somewhat disappointing that Puiu relies on a rather standard narrative technique to power his new film, but his Waiting for Godot-like approach isnt meant to create any sort of artificial suspense or tension. Instead, those come from the casual interactions of his characters, who grow increasingly hostile as they prepare for the priests arrivaland only become more so after he leaves.

Preferring crisp realism, Puiu doesnt spend much time introducing his characters or explaining their relationship to one another. They talk, and we put the pieces together of whos who. Sandra (Judith State) is Larys sister, more emotional than her stoic brother. The mothers sister is Ofelia (Ana Ciontea), who has a long-simmering grievance with her no-good husband Tony (Sorin Medeleni), who will show up later in the evening. Some members of the family are 9/11 truthers, believing the U.S. government played a part in the tragedy. Lots of topics are discussed but, oddly, the mans death who brought them all together for the day is hardly mentioned.

Its hardly news that the world is filled with unhappy families. But Puiu brings his own twist by suggesting that life itself is something of an endless altercation, each of us carrying the baggage we acquired from our family into an adulthood in which we grapple with others equally warped. Consequently, the references to 9/11 and the Charlie Hebdo killings may play like background noisethe movie takes place in early 2015, shortly after the shooting took placebut theyre integral to the films emotional tapestry, connecting the personal to the political and the everyday to the universal.

With that said, those broader connections arent immediately apparent when Sieranevada is busy overwhelming us with crisscrossing dialogue and lingering resentment. There arent a lot of screaming matches in this moviethats not how these characters resolve their differences. Rather, they gnaw at each other, pick at a scab from an earlier fight, pester and ridicule. We feel the animosity without it becoming readily apparent. A black-sheep younger member of the family brings along a Croatian friend whos either drunk or strung out, presenting a pressing concern for the rest of the clan when she falls unconscious. Lary is referred to dryly as the prodigal son by his siblings for reasons that arent immediately clear, although we can guess. (Hes a doctor in a family that doesnt seem terribly financially successful.) Puius camera pivots from room to room, sometimes capturing overlapping conversations in scenes that feel lifelike but also meticulously choreographed as actors move through the tight space.

There are revelations amid the simmering discontent, although none of them are particularly earth-shattering. In a film a few minutes shy of three hours, that can feel anticlimactic, but its very much in keeping with Puius preference for anxiety over release, for leaving the unresolved questions floating in the air. And so he has to rely on his actors to invest fully in a chamber piece that feels more like the latest round in an ongoing, passive-aggressive feud. Were just meeting these gloomy characters, but these are the lives theyve been trapped in since birth, and Puiu and his cast transform Nusas home into a prison. Quite often, were seeing the back of characters heads, or just their profiles, and so the actors have to do more than deliver Puius caustic dialoguewe have to sense the dread deep in their very beings.

Among the ensemble, Branescu is an obvious highlight, playing Lary as a man who has his own secrets but carries them in a way that feels recognizable to all of us who dont share every aspect of ourselves with even those to whom were related. Its a performance of shrugged shoulders and weary quips, and although Lary is supposed to be in his 40s, its telling that he looks so much olderor, put another way, looks far too exhausted for his age. Although his departed father isnt discussed a lot during Sieranevada, we can feel the old mans ghost tormenting Laryfirst metaphorically but, later, in a way that underlines how hes been figuring into his sons thoughts for most of the day.

If Sieranevada lacks the startling immediacy and consistently cutting humor of Mr. Lazarescu, it may be in part because that previous film set the bar not just for Puius work but that of the Romanian New Wave as a whole. As a result, Sieranevadas swift, grim realism no longer shocks us with its ground-down bluntness and offhand mastery: He and his colleagues have spoiled us. That said, this movies built-up strain becomes its own kind of dramatic fuselage, pinning us in this miserable world. No wonder, then, that there really is no happy ending or a release of the tension. People dont get such releases in their daily lives. Maybe thats why the father isnt mentioned that muchafter all, hes actually the lucky one to have passed on to the next life, hopefully far removed from this one.

Director: Cristi Puiu

Writer: Cristi Puiu

Starring: Mimi Branescu, Dana Dogaru, Sorin Medeleni, Ana Ciontea, Catalina Moga, Judith State

Release Date: Screening in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival



Tim Grierson is chief film critic for Paste and the vice president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. You can follow him on Twitter.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

Trend:

Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel-general, met with his Georgian counterpart Tinatin Khidasheli May 15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov greeted the members of the Georgian delegation and stressed the strategic importance of the bilateral talks and meetings.

Hasanov also stressed that the military cooperation with Georgia is being rapidly developed.

Khidasheli stressed that she is pleased with her first visit to Azerbaijan's Gabala city and thanked her Azerbaijani counterpart for the hospitality.

Then the sides discussed the military-political situation in the region and other issues of mutual interest.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have engineered a strain of bacteria that enables a "one-pot" method for producing advanced biofuels from a slurry of pre-treated plant material.

The Escherichia coli (E. coli) is able to tolerate the liquid salt used to break apart plant biomass into sugary polymers. Because the salt solvent, known as ionic liquids, interferes with later stages in biofuels production, it needs to be removed before proceeding, a process that takes time and money. Developing ionic-liquid-tolerant bacteria eliminates the need to wash away the residual ionic liquid.

The achievement, described in a study to be published Tuesday, May 10, in the journal Green Chemistry, is a critical step in making biofuels a viable competitor to fossil fuels because it helps streamline the production process.

"Being able to put everything together at one point, walk away, come back, and then get your fuel, is a necessary step in moving forward with a biofuel economy," said study principal investigator Aindrila Mukhopadhyay, vice president of the Fuels Synthesis Division at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a DOE Bioenergy Research Center at Berkeley Lab. "The E. coli we've developed gets us closer to that goal. It is like a chassis that we build other things onto, like the chassis of a car. It can be used to integrate multiple recent technologies to convert a renewable carbon source like switchgrass to an advanced jet fuel."

Breaking down the biofuel production process

The basic steps of biofuel production start with deconstructing, or taking apart, the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin that are bound together in the complex plant structure. Enzymes are then added to release the sugars from that gooey mixture of cellulose and hemicellulose, a step called saccharification. Bacteria can then take that sugar and churn out the desired biofuel. The multiple steps are all done in separate pots.

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Researchers at JBEI pioneered the use of ionic liquids, salts that are liquid at room temperature, to tackle the deconstruction of plant material because of the efficiency with which the solvent works. But what makes ionic liquids great for deconstruction also makes it harmful for the downstream enzymes and bacteria used in biofuel production.

Previous studies have found ways to address these challenges. In 2012, JBEI researchers, including Blake Simmons, a co-author on this new study, had discovered a suite of saccharification enzymes that were tolerant to ionic liquids.

Marijke Frederix, this recent study's first author and a postdoctoral researcher in Mukhopadhyay's lab, established that an amino acid mutation in the gene rcdA, which helps regulate various genes, leads to an E. coli strain that is highly tolerant to ionic liquids, providing an important piece to the puzzle. They used this strain as the foundation to build on earlier work -- including the ionic-liquid-tolerant enzymes -- and take the steps further to the one-pot biofuel finishing line.

Putting the pieces together

They proceeded to test the E. coli strain using ionic-liquid pretreated switchgrass provided by the DOE's Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU), a biofuels facility at Berkeley Lab launched in 2011 to accelerate the commercialization of biofuels.

"Armed with the rcdA variant, we were able to engineer a strain of E. coli that could not only tolerate ionic liquid, but that could also produce ionic-liquid-tolerant enzymes that chew up the cellulose, make sugars, eat it and make biofuels," said Frederix. "E. coli remains the workhorse microbial host in synthetic biology, and in our study, using the ionic-liquid-tolerant E. coli strain, we can combine many earlier discoveries to create an advanced biofuel in a single pot."

While ethanol may be one of the more common products to emerge from this process, researchers have looked to more advanced biofuels that can pack more energy punch. In this case, they used production pathways also developed at JBEI previously, and produced d-limonene, a precursor to jet fuel.

"Ultimately, we at JBEI hope to develop processes that are robust and simple where one can directly convert any renewable plant material to a final fuel in a single pot," said Mukhopadhyay. "This study puts us one step closer to this moonshot."
New research from Denmark involving more than 100,000 individuals suggests that the excess risk of premature death associated with obesity has decreased over the past 40 years. All-cause mortality was higher in obese individuals than in normal weight individuals in 1976-78, but not in 2003-13.

Many try to lose weight to avoid diabetes and cardiovascular disease and hopefully live longer. This is often driven by recommendations from health care authorities and is further supported by the media and not least, by commercials often presenting normal weight or even thin people as ideal humans.

"The increased risk of all-cause mortality associated with obesity compared to normal weight decreased from 30% 1976-78 to 0% in 2003-13," says principal investigator Dr. Shoaib Afzal, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

This research has just been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

What is the optimal BMI for lowest mortality?

The study also revealed changes in the BMI associated with the lowest all-cause mortality in three cohorts from Copenhagen, examined respectively in 1976-78, 1991-1994, and in 2003-2013 (all individuals were followed until 2014).

"The optimal BMI for the lowest mortality increased from 23.7 in 1976-78, through 24.6 in 1991-94, to 27 in 2003-13, while individuals with a BMI below or above the optimal value had higher mortality," adds Shoaib Afzal.

"Compared to the 1970's, today's overweight individuals have lower mortality than so-called normal weight individuals. The reason for this change is unknown. However, these results would indicate a need to revise the categories presently used to define overweight, which are based on data from before the 1990's" says senior author Clinical Professor Borge G. Nordestgaard, University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital.

"Importantly, our results should not be interpreted as suggesting that now people can eat as much as they like, or that so-called normal weight individuals should eat more to become overweight. That said, maybe overweight people need not be quite as worried about their weight as before," adds Nordestgaard.

Obesity and overweight are classified using Body Mass Index (BMI), calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A BMI of 25-29.9 represents overweight, a BMI of 30 or greater represents obesity, while a BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal weight. These categories are often used for recommendations on optimum weight.
Despite being the third leading cause of death in the USA, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung disease) face significant challenges in accessing care, with treatment costs remaining out of reach for many, and hospitals failing to provide recommended standards of care, according to a new report commissioned by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, presented at the American Thoracic Society conference in San Francisco.

Written by 28 leading US experts in the field of respiratory health, the Commission provides the first comprehensive look at COPD care in the USA by interviewing patient representatives, caregivers, health-care providers, insurance and pharmaceutical companies to identify the challenges patients face on a daily basis, and how these could be resolved.

"This report reveals a real patchwork of care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The disease is the third leading cause of death in the USA, and disproportionately affects some of society's most vulnerable people, yet many patients lack access to basic therapies to improve their quality of life," says Dr MeiLan K Han, lead author of the Commission from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. "As a physician, I can discuss best treatments with my patients, only to later find out it isn't covered by their insurance, or the co-pay is simply too high. This report aims to move us from debating what ideal care could look like, back to a discussion of what patients are actually facing on a day to day basis."

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. People with COPD suffer from increasing breathlessness and treatment usually includes drugs such as inhalers and pulmonary rehabilitation. COPD can be due to a number of factors, including smoking but also other environmental causes such as prolonged exposure to wood smoke or air pollution.

About 15 million adults (6.5% of the population) in the USA have a diagnosis of COPD, but some studies have found that up to 28.9 million people have evidence of pulmonary obstruction, suggesting that over half of Americans with COPD are undiagnosed. The disease disproportionately affects people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and older adults.

Although access to drugs such as inhalers has improved, the report finds that patients may face co-payments of $75 or more per drug. As a result, many patients report skipping days, not taking full dosages, or not collecting refills. Among patients with COPD, only half of medication doses are taken as prescribed. By comparison, up to three quarters of medication doses are correctly taken for other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The high cost of COPD drugs is partly because there are no generic inhalers licenced for use in the US.

In addition, pulmonary rehabilitation is repeatedly described by patients as the most helpful intervention in terms of improving their quality of life. But access is still limited because of a shortage of programmes that are geographically convenient for patients, and variable insurance coverage.

Every year, over 10 million physician visits, 1.5 million emergency department visits, and nearly 700000 hospital stays are linked to COPD. One in 5 hospital admissions for COPD are readmitted within a month, putting a huge strain on resources. The Commission also highlights poor standards of care, as only 1 in 3 hospital admissions offered patients the standard recommended treatments. They add that the absence of written protocols for inpatients, as has already been established for other diseases, has led to COPD being a low priority in hospital.

Recent requirements by Medicare have focused on reducing the rates of hospital re-admission, but the report authors say most re-admissions for COPD are due to poor access to care or support outside hospital, and that preventing admission in the first place through improved diagnosis, access to treatment and care should be a priority.

The authors say that caring for patients will require better education for patients and physicians to improve diagnosis and treatment. They add that better coordinated action among insurers, the pharmaceutical industry and physicians is needed to reduce the financial burden on patients which could in turn increase adherence to medicines, and ultimately reduce overall healthcare spending.

Finally, the author say that more research is needed to understand the disease and develop new treatments. Unlike other chronic diseases where the amount of funding more or less matches the burden of the disease, COPD ranks 14th most funded research category by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), despite being the third leading cause of death in the USA.
In a Veterans Affairs study of more than 300 enlisted Army National Guard and Army Reserve members who had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, a majority reported symptoms consistent with a condition known as chronic multisymptom illness (CMI). The data were collected a year after the soldiers returned home.

The results suggest that deployment to these conflicts could trigger symptoms consistent with CMI.

The ailment presents as a combination of medically unexplained chronic symptoms, such as fatigue, headache, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, breathing problems, and memory problems.

The study, by researchers with VA's War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) in New Jersey, appeared online Feb. 22, 2016, in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.

"As a whole, CMI can be challenging to evaluate and manage," said lead author Dr. Lisa McAndrew. "CMI is distinct from PTSD or depression. It contributes to significant disability."

McAndrew is also with the University at Albany.

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In the veteran community, chronic multisymptom illness has previously been associated mainly with service during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. At least a quarter of those veterans are affected.

Experts aren't sure, though, if that condition is the same one that has emerged among more recent veterans, as documented in the newest WRIISC study and one or two earlier ones. Last year, for example, researchers with the Millennium Cohort Study reported that about a third of combat veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan had CMI symptoms.

"This condition appears to be similar to that experienced by many Gulf War veterans, in terms of the symptoms, but we don't really know if it's the same condition," says McAndrew. "That still requires study."

McAndrew and her colleagues surveyed 319 soldiers about their overall health before they deployed and one year after they returned. The VA team found there were 150 soldiers who did not report many symptoms before they deployed but who reported symptoms of CMI one year after deployment, suggesting a link between deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan and CMI.

In total, nearly 50 percent of the overall group met the criteria for mild to moderate CMI, and about 11 percent met the criteria for severe CMI, one year after deployment.

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The most common symptoms reported were trouble sleeping, moodiness or irritability, joint pain, fatigue, difficulty remembering or concentrating, headaches, and sinus congestion.

Not surprisingly, the researchers found that veterans who screened positive for CMI scored significantly lower on measures of physical and mental health function.

Of the 319 veterans in the study, 166 had chronic pain, lasting more than three months. Almost all of those with chronic pain--90 percent--also met the criteria for CMI. Similarly, 82 percent of those with CMI reported chronic pain.

The finding underscores the strong link between chronic pain and CMI, say the researchers.

The study also found that almost all veterans with PTSD symptoms also showed signs of CMI--about 98 percent. Only seven patients had PTSD and did not meet the criteria for CMI. In contrast, though, about 44 percent of the veterans with CMI did not have PTSD. In other words, the link between PTSD and CMI was not as robust as that between chronic pain and CMI.

The authors caution that the study looked only at pain and PTSD as factors tied in with CMI. It did not document other conditions that could possibly account for the symptoms of CMI, such as depression, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse. At the same time, they say these other conditions are unlikely to completely account for the frequency of symptoms seen in the study.

By the same token, other conditions not examined in the study, such as arthritis or multiple sclerosis, could cause symptoms similar to those of CMI. More research is needed to tease out those variables.

Another limitation of the study: The research team used a definition of CMI, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that is based on Gulf War Veterans. They say it might not exactly fit the symptoms of veterans of the more recent conflicts.

Also, it's unclear whether the Guard and Reserve members surveyed in the study are representative of the larger veteran or military cohort who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

All in all, the research team advises that the results be interpreted with caution.

"We're taking the approach that an abundance of caution is necessary in the clinical implications of the findings," says McAndrew. "Respondents self-reported symptoms on pen and paper surveys. The symptoms were not confirmed or evaluated by a clinician. While the CDC case definition is fairly clear-cut, in clinical practice there is a lot of gray area around applying the label of CMI. We used the term 'symptoms consistent with CMI' to indicate the uncertainty due to the self-reported, clinician-unverified nature of the classification."

Pending further research on the topic, McAndrew's group says clinicians in VA or other settings should consider CMI when evaluating Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, especially those with chronic pain. Once the condition is identified, clinicians in VA and the Department of Defense do have a clinical practice guideline for managing the condition.

"Acknowledging the presence of multiple symptoms and taking a holistic approach to achieving patient goals is critical in managing CMI," says McAndrew. For example, pain management may need to be tailored to account for other symptoms of CMI.

The WRIISC study notwithstanding, McAndrew says not enough attention has been focused on the issue to date.

"There have been few studies of CMI among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Our findings suggest this could be an overlooked problem."

Senior researcher on the WRIISC study was Dr. Karen Quigley, now at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital and Northeastern University.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that losing even a modest amount of weight can reap significant rewards, including lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, improved sleep, and fewer aches and pains.

But losing weight is difficult and maintaining that loss over years is even harder. The vast majority of those who lose weight gain it back. Yet research has found one group that has defied that trend.

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, presented today at the 2016 Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, demonstrates the effectiveness of long-term participation in a national weight-loss program.

The investigators followed over 65,000 overweight or obese people who joined Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) between 2005 to 2010. In the first year, half of participants in the nonprofit weight-loss support group had significant weight loss. Of the patients with significant weight loss in the first year who participated in a second year, 80% kept off the weight. Each year, during years three to seven, roughly 90% of patients who continued participation in the program maintained their weight loss.

The researchers concluded that after one year of significant weight loss, consistent participation in the program helped participants sustain their new healthy weight.

"Maintaining long-term weight loss is a critical challenge in treating obesity and related health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease," said the study's lead author Nia S. Mitchell, MD, MPH at CU Anschutz. "Just losing the weight isn't enough. Since the health benefits of weight loss disappear when weight creeps back on, we need more research into effective strategies for maintaining a healthier weight once it is reached."

Mitchell concluded that further studies of the TOPS program should examine which populations will succeed at weight loss and weight-loss maintenance and determine factors that can improve sustainable weight loss and maintenance.

Founded in 1948, TOPS is a nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss support group with thousands of chapters across the United States and Canada. TOPS chapters provide support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise and wellness information at a fraction of the cost of commercial programs.
If you've ever walked into a small convenience store or what's known in New York City as a bodega, you may have been greeted by the store's most important employee: a bodega cat.

These cats live in stores and could pop up pretty much anywhere ...

... and basically use the store as their own personal playground.

Bodega cats are ALWAYS ready and eager to be in the way of what you need. Whether you're trying to get a snack ...

Dodo Shows Pittie Nation The Sweetest Pittie Was Living Under A Jeep

... or just something to drink ...

... they'll always be there to somehow be a major inconvenience. (But they'll manage to be absolutely adorable while doing it).

Whether they're standing out and making their presence very known ...

... or just trying to blend in for a little while, they're still always there.

Bodega cats are always around to offer you a helping hand (or paw), whether you need it or not ...

... and DEFINITELY aren't afraid to ask for a little help in return.

They're never afraid to take a nap in the middle of the store ...

... or right on top of something you need.

They'll convince you that you don't actually NEED that candy (because that would mean they'd have to move) ...

... and will also look super cute next to things you already know you don't need. Bodega cats can be very persuasive.

Basically, at the end of the day, these cats run the show and will hang out wherever they want ...

... no matter what anybody says.
<p>Robin Stamey</p>

The first time I saw a photo of Mojo, a border collie mix, he was just one of four other dogs I knew of with the same rare genetic condition: short spine syndrome. I didn't want him to become another shelter statistic just because of the way he looked, so I considered adopting him - my dog Cuda also has short spine syndrome. But, shortly after his picture was posted to Facebook, a woman named Maria Rall adopted him. I got in touch with her and, with nothing else but our dogs in common, began a Facebook friendship. I enjoyed looking at the pictures she shared of Mojo and was comforted by the fact that Mojo was in a loving home.

Mojo when he lived in Ohio with Maria | Donna Rall Jirousek

That all came apart several months ago when Maria's daughter, Donna Rall Jirousek, reached out to me to share the news that her mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Donna asked for my help in finding Mojo a new home when the time came. I knew this would be a challenge because Mojo was already 10 years old, in addition to having this rare, genetic disorder. But I committed to helping Maria, just as Maria had committed to Mojo four years earlier. In late April, Donna informed me that Maria had passed away. Although I only knew her through social media, I was saddened by the loss of someone with whom I had a special bond. I began seeking a new home for Mojo right away, by posting the news on my dog Cuda's Facebook page. Soon, a woman named Rachel Bryant reached out to me - she lived only two hours from Mojo and was able to take him into her home for as long as was needed, even if it meant forever. She fell in love with him instantly.

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Rachel meets Mojo for the first time | Rachel Bryant

Rachel Bryant

Rachel Bryant

A visit to the vet would bring new challenges to the person who would ultimately adopt Mojo. He was in serious need of vaccinations and dental care, including several tooth extractions, and he hadn't received his regular exams for a long time.

Mojo's teeth | Rachel Bryant

He had only been with Rachel a couple of days when Dr. Robin Stamey, a veterinarian in Florida, asked me about Mojo. She and her wife, Page Walker, had recently lost one of their senior dogs and they were ready to save a new life. I put Robin in touch with Rachel and they worked out a road trip that had them meeting up in Tennessee. With tears flowing, Rachel handed Mojo over to his new mom, Robin, who then made the trip back home, ready to give Mojo the stability he needed to live out his senior years. Mojo acclimated well, despite being in his third home in just two weeks.

First selfie with new mom, Robin | Robin Stamey

Mojo is now loving life with his new moms, their cats and his dog siblings, Gracie and Bizzie. "He has the biggest paws I've ever seen," Robin tells The Dodo. Recently, Mojo had X-rays taken during his vet visit to Town & Country Animal Hospital in Ocala, Florida. The results might've been surprising to most, but were actually typical of a dog with short spine syndrome, where the spine is literally shortened but causes no pain. Regardless, he became an instant celebrity among the staff. He'll also be having dental surgery soon, according to Robin.

Fused vertebra causes the spine to be shortened in dogs with short spine syndrome | Town & Country Animal Hospital

Robin Stamey

Robin Stamey
Its not entirely fair to conjure the grain silos of ancient Egypt when considering Torontos fraternity of big banks. But one definition of a bank is an institution which collects a product and stores it for future use, and there is something old and stony about the oligopoly that rules our banking system.

Oh we know the banks are going in for employee cuts in an effort to get lean and nimble. And eliminating the Fifties-era way of work: out with the office that featured a door and maybe even a window; in with the hotelling style of work space, in which the manager goes on the daily hunt for a shared computer and a drawer in which to place her shoes.

Against this backdrop arrives Apple Pay, at long last, a mobile pay offering for iPhone users and Apple Watch wearers, etc.  available now to CIBC and RBC customers; coming soon to BMO, Scotiabank and the TD. Convenience and a higher level of payment safety are two key marketing features.

But its the pivot in branding that will be just as important: the old and stony banks have themselves stood for security and reliability, a brand promise that will now be delivered by a tech company out of Cupertino. An interesting survey would be to compare the singular devotion of Apple lovers for their Apple products against their devotion to their chartered bank. On the other hand, why bother?

The arrival of Apple Pay reminds us that banking in the modern age is an inherently intangible industry. Pricewaterhouse Coopers used that language in a report two years ago as it explored how banking is almost uniquely suitable for digitization and online delivery. This has enabled emerging economies to bypass the bricks and mortar, or branch-and-mainframe phase of banking. It has also driven advanced-economy banks in the wake of the financial crisis to introduce more radical adjustments and innovations to their service offerings and operating models than their counterparts elsewhere.

Banks in Europe, that is.

The Canadian market is neither here nor there. [The Canadian banks] thought, We survived the financial crisis, were the best, were wonderful, nothing can happen to us, says Dan Breznitz, co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs. The result in Breznitzs view has been not only complacency, but an environment in which financial institutions, regulators, and the ICT industry (Information and Communications Technology) each operate in their own little circle.

These spheres have yet to intersect in a meaningful way, which, Breznitz says, leaves us lacking an innovate ecosystem. When I say us, I mean Toronto, to which Breznitz adds the Kitchener-Waterloo corridor.

In a report he coauthored last year, Breznitz made plain that the growth of Fintech companies and the rapidly changing global finance landscape has created serious long-term challenges. How serious? There is, he writes, the potential to destabilize the entire sector and with it, the local economy.

What is Toronto if not a second-tier finance hub? Industry boosters will balk at such a description, but were not New York, were not London, and we have no so-called global systemically important banks.

Anyway, manufacturing has slumped and you cant build a sustainable economy on the back of retail so the future of financial services is central to the long-term health of the city. At the time of a Conference Board of Canada report in 2013, the tally of direct employment in the industry was roughly 230,000 jobs, or about one out of 13 jobs in the metropolitan area. Add in indirect jobs  say, building security services  and the number exceeds 420,000 nationally, with the indirect effects concentrated mostly in Toronto.

Canadian banks are trying now to adopt the Fintech language. The challenge ahead was grimly cast by Antony Jenkins, the former CEO of Barclays who was turfed last summer. In a speech in London in November, Jenkins prophesized that industry disruption could result in bank staffing contracting by as much as 50 per cent and profits, in some areas, by as much as 60 per cent. Few banks, he predicted, would have the courage and decisiveness to win in this new field."

The view from here? Dan Breznitz worries about the 12 lost years in Canada, time-stamping the launch of Fintech to the arrival of peer-to-peer lender Zopa in the U.K. in 2004. He is not wholly despairing. This is actually a time of great opportunity, he says. To the advantage of Canadian financial institutions: a reputation for trustworthiness and an unbelievable wealth of human capital.

He just hopes the wake-up call hasnt come too late. The real fear? That banks will evolve into stable, boring two-per-cent profit margin utilities. Antony Jenkins said something similar: "The incumbents risk becoming merely capital-providing utilities that operate in a highly regulated, less profitable environment, a situation unlikely to be tolerated by shareholders."

The risks to the industry are clear. The potential impacts on the city of Toronto? Frightening.

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Want to be well-informed, to better understand the world around you? Here are some meaty new books that cover the waterfront  on religion, politics, even the thorny issue of assisted suicide.

Why Be Jewish?: A Testament, Edgar Bronfman

Bronfman completed this testament just weeks before his death in 2013 at age 84. Until the until age of 60, he writes, he defined himself as a secular Jew (as president of the World Jewish Congress, an important one) who paid little heed to the spiritual traditions of Judaism. Then he started his study of the Talmudic texts, an undertaking that moved him from a dismissive attitude to joyful embrace. It is not necessary, he concluded, to believe in a supernatural God who watches over us to experience godliness, to express wonder and gratitude in the face of the beauty and mystery of the universe. This fine book is addressed to disaffected secular Jews and indeed anyone who wants a better understanding of Judaism.

The Idea of Canada: Letter to a Nation, David Johnston

The Governor General begins by telling us that since university he has started his day by writing, and this writing often takes the form of a letter  of gratitude, of reflection, of admiration, of encouragement. He believes this morning act keeps the mind more nimble throughout the day, an insight that might benefit us all. Letters to a Nation is a collection of 49 letters to individuals, some alive, others dead, famous or not. Some examples: an Inuit boy he met in Repulse Bay, Nunavut; Miss Wilkinson, his Grade 10 English teacher in Sault Ste. Marie; a new Canadian named Lin Su; philanthropist Purdy Crawford, who died in 2014; members of Canadas military; and many others whom he admires and who inspire me to see Canada itself as an idea worthy of expression and seeking a refinement.

A Good Death: Making the Most of Our Final Choices, Sandra Martin

Journalist Sandra Martins highly readable book explores the final human right from several vantage points. First, it is a comprehensive social history of efforts  in Canada and elsewhere  aimed at legalizing an easeful end  the good death of her title. Second, it includes heart-wrenching personal accounts of individuals who have asked, and too often been refused, for help in ending their lives. Finally, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision legalizing physician-assisted death, she considers the vital questions confronting Canadian legislators and citizens: under what circumstances can an individual ask for a doctors help when they have decided it is time to go. (Disclosure: Sandra Martin is a friend of mine and I read an early draft of this book.)

The Second Curve: Thoughts on Reinventing Society, Charles Handy

This is the 20th book by Charles Handy, the British organizational theorist and futurist, and it has now reached North America in paperback. It includes 16 essays on what he sees for the future  both in macro terms (capitalism, democracy) and micro (social justice, human relations). Handy discusses difficult concepts in a relaxed, affable manner, often metaphorical. The title, The Second Curve, is an example: he takes the sigmoid curve, a mathematical concept that looks like the letter S on its side and can be applied to most of lifes endeavours: after an initial stage of effort, we reach the top of the curve, followed inevitably by decline; his second curve refers to the necessity of starting a second one soon after the first reaches its peak.

Epiphany, Michael Coren

Over his three decades in Canada, broadcaster and writer Coren has delighted in expressing his often contrarian views, as a British social conservative and an avid supporter of Catholic beliefs  foremost among them opposition to same-sex unions. Now, he has had a radical change of heart, and his new book describes the epiphany he experienced on the road to the rainbow. His journey began about three years ago when he made relatively mild comments calling for a more tolerant attitude to homosexuality; the Christian right, he recounts, reacted with anger and hatred. Epiphany is part memoir, part scriptural investigation, part belief that Christianity by definition requires a loving embrace of same-sex partnerships. He is now a practicing Anglican.

Who Rules the World? Noam Chomsky

Who rules the world? No prizes for answering the United States when the question is posed by Noam Chomsky, the linguistic groundbreaker, philosopher and political gadfly. He believes Americas elites and corporate interests are responsible for much of what ails the world  the threat of nuclear apocalypse, environmental disaster, degraded democracy and an apathetic underclass. At age 88, Chomsky remains a master polemicist, by turns cranky, contemptuous, outraged, with the gift of examining current events through the filter of his ideology. None of these 23 essays is an easy read but the effort pays off. Chomsky believes education is the key to political consciousness-raising. Who Rules the World? is his latest attempt to further that goal.

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In the closing pages his outstanding new novel, The Noise of Time, his first since the 2011 Booker-winning The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes writes: Being a hero was so much easier than being a coward. To be a hero, you only had to be brave for a moment ... But to be a coward was to embark on a career that lasted a lifetime.

Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich embarks on his long career of cowardice on 28 January of 1936, after his opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, is condemned by Pravda  and therefore by Stalin himself  for being full of quacks and grunts and growls and, worse still, a threat to the very idea of Soviet music.

Resigned to his fate  this is, after all, the time of the Great Terror  Shostakovich nightly packs a small suitcase and waits on the landing outside of his flat for the dreaded NKVD (the secret police precursor to the KGB) to arrive and take him away to the Big House. Better that, he thinks, than being dragged from the apartment in his pyjamas and having his daughter packed off to a special orphanage for children of enemies of the state.

Only chance keeps Shostakovich from ending up another victim of the purges. But it is a shattering realization for the composer, knowing that he must become a technique for survival because after a certain point, that was what all men became: techniques for survival.

There is a wonderful musicality to this compact and powerful novel. By focusing on three telling moments in Shostakovichs life  the Pravda article in 1936, his return from a propaganda tour to the United States in 1948, and his final capitulation to the Party in 1960  Barnes offers variations on a theme. His Shostakovich is a man of great moral complexity who, trapped between passion and politics, finds himself servant to both.

In Stalinist Russia, however, balancing moral integrity with artistic integrity is an all but hopeless task. In a place where it was impossible to tell the truth ... and live, Shostakovich exists under the constant threat of further denunciation. And yet he endures, more often than not by submitting himself to humiliation upon humiliation.

But these are sacrifices he is willing to make, because in the end, all that matters is that music inside ourselves  the music of our being  which ... over decades, if it is strong and true and pure enough to drown out the noise of time, is transformed into the whisper of history.

Proving, as Barnes recently wrote of Shostakovich in the Guardian newspaper, there are more forms of heroism than the obvious ones.

Stephen Finucan is a Toronto novelist and short story writer.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

Trend:

Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia will hold joint military exercises, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said at a press conference May 15.

Hasanov made this statement following a meeting of defense ministers of the three countries in Azerbaijan's Gabala city, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

"We considered it appropriate to hold trilateral joint exercises to improve combat readiness and mutual vigilance of the three countries, cooperate in the field of military training in a trilateral format, develop cooperation in the field of cyber security and hold exercises for the protection of oil and gas pipelines," the minister said.

Hasanov said that the sides intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

"Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, which is being coordinated, will be the basis of the legal framework of our cooperation," Hasanov said. "This will also enable our trilateral activity to pass to a new level. New projects are planned to be implemented in the future proceeding from this format," Hasanov said.

The minister also stressed that the sides discussed the issues on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
CANNES, FRANCEThe world got its first look at a hot new comedy duo Sunday in the unlikely teaming of actors Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe at the Cannes Film Festival.

London, Ont.-born Gosling, 35, and New Zealander Crowe, 52, are both best known as dramatic actors, having come to Cannes previously in such serious films as Drive (Gosling) and L.A. Confidential (Crowe).

But they had an international press audience howling twice Sunday, first at the world premiere screening of their buddy comedy The Nice Guys and again later at the press conference. (The film opens soon worldwide, with a May 20 release set for North American theatres.)

Goslings March Holland and Crowes Jackson Healy are reluctant partners in the hunt for a missing girl in the movie, which is set in the disco-mad, dangerous and decaying Los Angeles of 1977  the opening frames show the Hollywood sign falling apart.

Holland is a stumbling private detective and Healy is a debt collector with aspirations, as Crowe described his role.

Whatever you call them, the two are great as a comedy duo, bantering, bickering and crashing through windows as if theyve been schticking for years, although its their first movie together.

At a photo call in Cannes, Russell Crowe, left, and Ryan Gosling pose with newcomer Angourie Rice, who more than holds her own in the new comedy The Nice Guys.





Before the questions began, Crowe pretended to be a paparazzi photographer, snapping photos of Gosling and Angourie Rice, who pretended to be angry at Crowes invasion of their privacy.

Gosling and Crowe riffed about how they didnt really make The Nice Guys together. They said new digital cameras have a chemistry feature that writer/director Shane Black just clicked to make the magic happen.

We have absolutely no connection whatsoever, Crowe said mischievously.

Russell did all of his work from New Zealand! Gosling interrupted.

I was literally just on the phone! Crowe agreed.

But seriously, folks, the two really do click together on screen. Black quoted something Crowe told him during the filming.

Russell gave the best explanation Ive ever heard when he says, Chemistry? Its really quite simple. We just learned to listen to each other.

Black certainly knows chemistry, having written the first Lethal Weapon film that brought Mel Gibson and Danny Glover together, and having written and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which memorably teamed Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.

Black is also willing to trust his actors to ad lib, if they choose to  and Gosling and Crowe took full advantage of that freedom.

Said Crowe: The great thing about Shane as a director is that although he took many years to write the script, hes not precious about it. . .

He has the ability  and not everybody does  to just trust in the fact that we understand the spirit of what he intended . . . Shane is willing and enthusiastic about letting us explore things a little bit.

The New Guys went over so well here, someone asked if theyre already thinking about a sequel.

How much are we talking about here? Gosling said, feigning as if he was getting a serious offer.

Im really busy, man, sorry, Crowe said, pretending not be interested.

Shane has the idea for one in the 80s! Gosling said.

No, I just said wed recast! Black interrupted, joining in on the gag.

Sitting quietly on the press conference dais along with her fellow cast members was Australian newcomer Rice, 16, making her Hollywood debut. She plays Goslings precocious daughter Holly, who joins Holland and Healy in the hunt for the missing girl, a porn star/environmental activist wanted by both crooks and cops.

Rice is almost the third nice guy, more than holding her own with Gosling and Crowe. Gosling described how the father-daughter relationship became more like mother-son.

The take-charge attitude continues off-screen, too.

When admiring press conference moderator Henri Behar asked Rice where she had come from, she replied with a wicked smile: Ive been hiding away in Australia, a long way away from Hollywood and all this madness!

Follow Peter Howell on Twitter: @peterhowellfilm

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For all its cost him in money and liberty, Canadas voluble prince of pot, Marc Emery, is still not about to hide his principles  or the light off the joints he sparks  under a bushel.

In fact these days, as the federal government prepares to liberalize marijuana laws, are hugely gratifying for the countrys best-known pot crusader and have him evangelizing at the same hectic pace.

For most of Emerys quarter-century of activism, during which he saw the inside of 34 prisons, jails and institutions, it looked like progress was moving awful slow for the price one has to pay, he told the Star in a recent interview.

But thanks to civil disobedience, the rallying tools of social media, and greater awareness of the medical uses of cannabis, change is now coming faster than government or authorities can keep up with, he said.

Last month, Health Minister Jane Philpott told the UN the federal governments promised legislation to legalize marijuana will be tabled next spring.

And if any Canadian can talk about the long, strange trip its been, it would be Emery  a natural-born entrepreneur and disturber just two years from a 4-year prison stint. He visited Toronto recently to scout out two new outlets for his Cannabis Culture dispensaries.

Emery had been charged dozens of times in Canada, was convicted twice and paid small fines for selling pot seeds. Then came his 2005 arrest by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency where he was accused of selling to American clients from his Vancouver stores.

He was threatened with up to 40 years in prison, but a plea deal in 2010 earned him five. He was released and deported back to Canada in 2014.

Now, the 58-year-old is in such high spirits he speaks of his prison experience as if it were a retreat for personal development.

He had read voraciously, wrote a blog, earned his high school equivalency and learned to play bass guitar well enough to join the prison band. And that wasnt even the highlight.

A few weeks ago, Emery got letter from a pal at a Mississippi prison. While there, Emery read a newspaper story about the U.S. governments plans to grant clemency to prisoners doing long sentences for non-violent crimes.

He urged the other man  doing life with no parole for possession of crack in the 90s  to apply. The man hesitated. Emery pushed.

Sure enough, the man called recently to say that, thanks to the Canadian, hed be released in July after 18 years.

So Im really happy about my prison time, Emery said.

Emery talks lots, and fast. Im a very effusive person. And hes been moving at speed since his childhood in London, Ont.

At 9, he started a mail-order stamp business. Then it was comics. By 17, hed dropped out of high school to open a book shop and left home to live in its backroom.

He came upon Ayn Rand and, inspired, became committed to curtailing the power of the state.

Hes led tax revolts, flouted Sunday shopping laws, invited charges for selling sexually explicit music.

While hosting a radio show in London, he heard of a book on the history of cannabis and its uses. And changing the countrys marijuana laws became my big crusade.

(That and raising the four children, now grown, that he and his then wife adopted.)

When marijuana was made illegal, we knew nothing about its true medical, historical and utilitarian uses, he said. So here we have all these laws that are desperately in need of review.

The prison stint wasnt as horrible as people imagine, he said. Nothing bad happened to me. I have no negative feelings about prison, and a lot of positive feelings.

It helped that Emery was supported beyond all reasonable expectation by his wife, Jody, with whom he will celebrate his 10th anniversary in July.

She was incredible, he said. Jody came to see him 81 times, taking a day of travel to get to the Southern U.S. from Vancouver and another to get home.

Believe me, no one else got visits like that.

Jody was also looking after the business back in Vancouver  so well, in fact, that when Emery came home they decided shed keep at it, while Marc travelled to campaign for the reform of global marijuana policy. He just returned from a two-month tour of Europe and Thailand.

I see myself as a senior statesman and a role model, he said. He talks to young activists about how to make arguments, how to be passionate, how to keep the faith in dark times.

Over the years, hes made and lost small fortunes, spending millions on political campaigns, losing inventories in raids, paying huge legal costs.

The seed business is gone, as is his beloved magazine Cannabis Culture. But he has two stores by the same name in Vancouver. He has a national speaking tour later this year and is working on a book.

He hopes the government doesnt try to reinvent the industry that made him (in)famous, he said. We know how to grow weed. We know how to sell it. We know how to distribute it.

All were saying is, we already have all the industry. Just legalize what were doing, and collect your taxes.

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The case of a former Conservative staffer convicted in the 2011 federal election robocalls scandal is going before Ontarios highest court this week.

Michael Sona is asking Ontarios Court of Appeal to impose a sentence less than the nine months in jail he received in November 2014.

But Crown prosecutors are simultaneously asking the court to send Sona to jail for 20 months, arguing his earlier sentence wasnt harsh enough given the seriousness of his crime.

This was both a sophisticated, large-scale fraud, and a concerted attempt to subvert a democratic election, the Crown argued in a factum filed with the court. The Crown appeals and asks this court to powerfully denounce and deter such direct assault on our most fundamental democratic institutions  the right to vote.

Sona  now 26 and currently out on bail after spending 13 days behind bars  was the first person convicted of wilfully preventing or endeavouring to prevent an elector from voting under the Canada Elections Act.

The trial judge who sentenced him said he believed Sona did not act alone in a scheme in which some 6,700 automated phone calls were placed on the morning of the 2011 federal election, largely to numbers in Guelph, Ont., wrongly telling people their polling station had been moved to a different location.

The calls were organized and paid for by Sona, who was the director of communications for the Tory candidate in Guelph, and targeted people believed to be non-supporters of the Conservative party, the Crown noted.

Political staffers testified at Sonas trial that the then 22-year-old had boasted about the scheme after the election.

This was no momentary prank. It was a calculated conspiracy amongst politically sophisticated individuals to alter the outcome of a federal election by fraud, the Crown argued. Many of the victims also said that they will never again feel comfortable expressing their political views or allegiances for fear of being targeted again in the same way.

The Crown suggested the judge at Sonas trial lost sight of two major components of the crime which call for a higher sentence  a large scale fraud on the public and the deliberate subversion of democracy and the rule of law.

This crime was callous and profoundly harmful, the Crown argued. The sentence failed to bring that home either to Sona or to others possibly eager to unleash their own creatively crafted dirty political tricks.

Sonas lawyer, however, argued that his clients nine-month sentence exceeded what was necessary for denunciation and deterrence.

Howard Krongold suggested the trial judge made three errors in coming to his sentence  overemphasizing general deterrence, finding that there was no evidence of rehabilitation, and failing to consider the effect of any sentence of imprisonment on similarly situated individuals.

Describing Sona as a good young man brought to his knees by his conviction, Sonas lawyer suggested a sentence of between 30-90 days or a longer conditional sentence  typically house arrest  would be appropriate.

The conduct here was clearly very grave, but given his youth and the significant personal consequences Mr. Sona has endured, this was an ideal case for a conditional sentence or a short, sharp jail sentence, Krongold wrote in a factum submitted to the appeal court.

Sona was driven by partisan fervour and emotion, not greed and lost his moral bearings during a campaign that developed a siege mentality, Krongold argued.

The entire case has taken a significant toll on Sona, Krongold added, noting that his client has struggled with periods of stress and depression and even attempted suicide in 2012.

Against the backdrop of what Mr. Sona has gone through, stepping into a jail cell for any duration is  both symbolically and practically  a profoundly harsh punishment for someone who has come from where Mr. Sona has come from and has fallen as far as he has, Krongold wrote.

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Alison Larkin is a 27-year-old resident of North Rustico, P.E.I.  a tiny fishing town the locals refer to affectionately as The Crick.

That isnt an allusion to the kind of crick a person gets in his neck, but rather, to a creek that once ran through the town. (Crick, it turns out, is how residents of North Rustico pronounce the word creek, as in up a crick without a paddle.)

Larkin is a paramedic and volunteer firefighter.

She is also, as of March, the first woman not only in the North Rustico Fire Department but, remarkably, all of P.E.I. to hold the position of fire chief.

The job came up, Larkin told me by phone, with her 7-month-old son cooing in the background, and I was asked by a few members (of the firefighting team) if I was interested in putting my name in for the position.

She was, and she did.

The town appointed her chief, and ever since Larkin has been the subject of articles like this one: a woman promoted in a highly masculine field who is grateful for the enormous goodwill she has received, but understandably a little weirded out that she is suddenly the subject of national media attention for merely doing her job.

All these interviews, she says, all the power to women, all the women can do this . . . the thing is, not every woman can do this, and not every man can do this. Thats life. But there are definitely people who are built for it  man or woman.

Larkin isnt speaking specifically about being fire chief  a job she says is more managerialand administrative than the role of standard firefighter.

She is speaking broadly about first-responder roles such as firefighter, paramedic, police officer and soldier  jobs that can require a person, at a moments notice, to walk into a burning building, attempt to revive a victim they know will probably die, and risk their life to save a stranger.

There are a limited number of people in the world  men or women  able to perform at all, let alone thrive, under such pressure. Its a reality that in Larkins mind, renders the women arent strong enough for firefighting attitude rather silly.

But that attitude does persist, which is why news of promotions like Larkins is so important, not merely to dispel myths about womens physical strength (for the record, Larkin is trained to cut holes into the roofs of houses with a chainsaw) but to provide an example to girls who dream of entering the first-responder professions.

In fact, Larkin has thought about offering fire-training courses to female students at a local school, because though she hasnt faced sexism on the job, she acknowledges that for many women it is sometimes hard to stand up in front of a group of guys and do a job youre not quite sure youre doing right.

But a lack of stoicism isnt always a shortcoming on the job, sometimes its a boon.

Larkin is very careful to stress the equal ability of both genders in her profession, but she does give her own sex unique credit in one respect.

Women find it much easier to talk about everything (after the fact) she says. Good calls, bad calls.

By bad calls she means scenes on the job that might be disturbing, and thus cause for mental distress.

But men are a little bit more reserved to talk about that, they dont want to seem weak. Women dont really care about that.

So much high-profile feminist discourse and activism today is white collar and office-centric.

Should women lean in? How can we speak up more often at the boardroom table? Is it feminist to wear high heels to work?

But a lot of these questions arent all that relevant to women who hope to climb ladders, not figuratively up the male-dominated chain of corporate command, but quite literally into potentially lethal fires.

And those women deserve to have heroes, too.

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Toronto Police are investigating after a person was found dead in a shallow creek shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

According to Const. Allison Douglas-Cook, its unclear at this time whether the incident is crime-related.

Paramedics arrived at Ellesmere Rd. and Nielson Rd. and pronounced the person dead at the scene. Douglas-Cook said that police arent providing any description of the victim.

The Office of the Coroner is also investigating.

More to come

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Toronto Police are investigating after a woman was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted in an alleyway just south of the Seaton Village area early Saturday morning.

According to a news release, a 24-year-old woman was walking near Bloor St W. and Euclid Ave. at around 2 a.m. when she was approached by a man. The two spoke to each other for a period of time, but the woman left and made her way south along Euclid Ave.

She walked into an alleyway somewhere on Euclid Ave. and was allegedly grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted by the man shed just spoken to. Police said that she fought back and managed to escape the alley  but her attacker also fled.

He is described by police as being a light-skinned man in his 40s, standing around 5-feet-10 and 6 feet, and having a long face with a goatee.

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If youre looking to avoid that parking ticket, you might want to stay clear of hospitals. Or malls. Or universities.

And if right now youre thinking, Ill just park on a side street instead, you might have another think coming.

Data of all parking tickets issued in Toronto in 2015, recently released by the city through its Open Data portal, shows the hotspots for parking enforcement havent changed much from previous years.

A little over 2 million tickets were issued last year, in line with previous years, with the most popular days falling in April and July. The highest ticket count fell on April 16 at 8,382 tickets.

As in previous years, Sunnybrook Hospital tops the list in sheer volume of tickets. More than 9,000 tickets, or roughly 25 a day, were issued at its 2075 Bayview Ave. address, more than 4,000 more than the next-highest address, 20 Edward St.

Many of the addresses topping the list, such as Sunnybrook, are not enforced by the Toronto Police Service, according to Brian Moniz, operations supervisor for parking enforcement west at TPS. Parking lots on private property, like those at shopping malls and hospitals, will get trained and licensed to enforce their own parking, which saves police resources.

They would have the ability to enforce it on their property, as long as all our regulated requirements are met, Moniz said.

Some of the addresses with high-ticket volume are close to urban hotspots. Edward St. is close to Yonge-Dundas Square, for example, while James St. is wedged between Old City Hall and the Eaton Centre.

For a public area like James St., Moniz said the issue is often parking that prevents police from getting access to the courthouse at Old City Hall.

We have to ensure that theres a free flow of traffic for the large prisoner vehicles that are coming in, he said.

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PARKING HOT SPOTS

From hospitals to malls and downtown hotspots, here are the addresses with the highest number of traffic tickets in 2015.

2075 Bayview Ave.

Tickets: 9,088

Total fined: $273,510

Whats nearby: Sunnybrook Hospital

Other: Sunnybrook Hospital, which monitors its own parking, far outstripped other addresses in the city, almost doubling any other for volume of tickets.

20 Edward St.

Tickets: 4,870

Total fined: $189,070

Whats nearby: Yonge and Dundas Sts.

Other: Right behind Yonge and Dundas, Edward St. might be a prime area for people hoping for close street parking to Yonge-Dundas Square and restaurants and shopping in the area. It also used to be the site of the Worlds Biggest Bookstore, which closed in 2014.

3401 Dufferin St.

Tickets: 4,658

Total fined: $236,690

Whats nearby: Yorkdale Mall

Other: Like other malls and hospitals, Yorkdale enforces its own parking.

James St.

Tickets: 3,229

Total fined: $201,270

Whats nearby: Old City Hall, Eaton Centre

Other: Wedged right between the Eaton Centre and Old City Hall, James St. has very little street parking but is regularly patrolled by parking enforcement officers. Police sometimes need to park on the street to transfer prisoners to court.

1 Brimley Rd. South

Tickets: 3,184

Total fined: $384,740

Whats nearby: Scarborough Bluffs

Other: The bluffs are popular in summer and only street parking is allowed. Small wonder that things can get chaotic in the busier days.

103 The Queensway

Tickets: 3,062

Total fined: $93,820

Whats nearby: High Park

Other: Its not clear what the pull is in this area. The address has a tall residential building, with High Park close by.

1265 Military Trail

Tickets: 2.930

Total fined: $99,340

Whats nearby: University of Toronto Scarborough

Other: The university campus enforces its own parking.

La Plante Ave.

Tickets: 2,840

Total fined: $121,790

Whats nearby: Toronto General Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, Womens College Hospital, University of Toronto St. George Campus

Other: The hospitals surrounding La Plante dont have their own parking, which makes the street an attractive option for those visiting the hospitals and trying to park close by.

1090 Don Mills Rd.

Tickets: 2,797

Total fined: $643,970

Whats nearby: Shops at Don Mills

Other: The mall at Don Mills enforces its own parking. Out of all the addresses in the database, the shops had the highest revenue.

15 Singer Ct.

Tickets: 2,694

Total fined: $92,570

Whats nearby: North York General Hospital, IKEA

Other: This is not the address of the hospital, but close by. Its possible crafty drivers using this area to park hare hoping to avoid hospital parking fees.

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Sixteen years ago this month, water contamination at Walkerton left seven people dead and nearly 2,400 residents  half the town  seriously ill. As that disaster fades from memory, the latest news of high lead levels across the border in Flint, Mich., reminds us of the price we pay for aging pipes and water-borne perils.

Both communities were afflicted by the twin diseases of citizen complacency and political indifference.

We learned the lessons of Walkerton long ago  creating high-level inquiries, expert panels and legislative committees designed to prevent history from repeating itself. Not to mention annual reports by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.

But studying a tragedy to death wont safeguard our drinking water, nor save lives, without the political will required to create a sustainable water system.

Post-Walkerton, the historical record shows an astonishing lack of follow-up. While we have raised the bar on water quality, many communities across the province still havent taken the required steps to shore up our collective water treatment infrastructure  or the financial architecture that underpins it.

Both are out of sight and out of mind: The pipes are buried below ground; and the higher cash flow needed for a reliable flow of water is a hard sell in our anti-tax culture, which punishes politicians who dare to raise rates.

Consider the consumer resistance to rising hydro rates  most of which is paying down a vast infrastructure deficit accumulated in the 1990s that yielded brownouts and breakdowns. Given the political grief over electricity prices, little wonder governments take the path of least resistance over water.

The perennial problem is that water delivery is treated mostly as an engineering issue, rather than an economic challenge, according to two new reports being released this week to mark the Walkerton anniversary. Authored by former deputy minister Michael Fenn and Trent University economist Harry Kitchen, their 110-page study, Bringing Sustainability to Ontarios Water System, argues that fundamental reform continues to elude us.

A companion white paper on water infrastructure sustainability in Ontario recounts the political resistance and inertia of recent years. (Both documents were funded by the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association, which has a vested interest in spending more on water safety  though one could argue we all do.)

The latest reports remind us of a central recommendation of the first post-Walkerton inquiry headed by Justice Dennis OConnor: The need for full-cost accounting that factors in the long-term cost of water transmission; and full-cost recovery to ensure that the rates charged accurately reflect the true costs incurred.

So far, we havent connected the dots.

Solemn laws were passed, one after another, but ultimately were ignored and sidelined. The Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act of 2002 received royal assent but was never implemented because of strong municipal opposition. Repealed in 2010, it was replaced by the Water Opportunities Act, which should be renamed the missed opportunities and inaction bill, given the lack of effective regulations and implementation all these years later.

Local and provincial authorities lacked the resolve to overhaul the way we calculate the true costs of water delivery, and raise the money to pay for it. After falling behind on capital investment by about $1 billion a year, the accumulated infrastructure deficit is now in the tens of billions of dollars. Today, with the federal Liberal government promising to allocate more money for capital projects, Queens Park has an opportunity to leverage its own infrastructure budget.

But securing capital investment will only pay for the pipes and the plants. Bringing a more rational approach to rates, by rationalizing the rate-setting bodies, is the other piece of the puzzle.

For example, average household charges for water in London are nearly double the costs in Toronto, Markham or Vaughan, the latest study shows. Ontarios overall rates remain lower than in comparable jurisdictions.

For all the energy our governments have put into restructuring electricity transmission networks, its remarkable how little effort goes into modernizing water transmission. Securing our water supply, and guarding against potentially lethal outbreaks, requires constant vigilance, rather than waiting for an accident to happen.

We have to get past the idea that providing safe drinking water should be cheap, the white paper argues.

Why do people (and politicians) pay top dollar to sip brand name bottled water, yet purse their lips at the prospect of paying a penny more for clean tap water? Its a conundrum that comes at a cost to human health.

Martin Regg Cohns Ontario politics column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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Chiles foreign minister, Heraldo Munoz, was in Canada this week to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Munoz, who began his political life as a dissident working to oust Gen. Augusto Pinochet, has had a varied career since then, chairing the investigation into the murder of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and writing several books.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What did you learn as a dissident challenging Pinochet, who ruled as dictator from 1973-1990 after overthrowing the democratically elected government of President Allende?

We needed for all sectors to be committed to democracy, irrespective of our ideologies, to join efforts to defeat the dictatorship peacefully. Christian Democrats and Socialists had been on opposite sides during the Allende government, but under Pinochet we dissidents decided to ally to recuperate democracy and, later, to form a coalition along with other democrats to bring stability, rule of law and prosperity to Chile.

What is the biggest challenge facing Chile today?

We have to address inequalities while stimulating renewed economic growth. This is not easy during the present global economic downturn. President (Michelle) Bachelet has led changes from tax reform to ongoing educational reforms to improve quality and access for all. At the same time, we are working to increase productivity and innovation so that we avoid being a country dependent on the export of commodities.

There have been corruption scandals relating to the misuse of public funds by the military. How can the government rebuild the publics trust?

Chile continues to be a transparent and relatively uncorrupt country. But cases of corruption are being dealt with through the judicial system. Moreover, President Bachelet presented to Congress various bills to improve the public financing of elections and some of those bills have already been passed, which will reduce the power of money in politics.

When you look around the region, from the corruption problems in Brazil to the near bankruptcy of Venezuela, what do you think are the root causes of these crises?

Behind the crises in Latin America are fragile institutions and a lack of accountability. Things have changed now, in this digital era when people have smart phones. Social networks give a stronger voice to citizens. The middle classes demand more from their governments and public services.

President Bachelets government has undertaken key reforms -- educational reform, civil unions for same-sex couples, tax reform. Why are they important?

Chile has grown and prospered in recent years and weve been able to reduce poverty. But, inequality is still unacceptably high, not only in income but in gender, ethnic, sexual and territorial terms. So we are paying a debt by undertaking these changes.

President Bachelet is less popular now than she was during her first term. Do the lower poll numbers relate to general distrust of politicians as a result of scandals?

There is a general distrust of politicians everywhere, even more nowadays when the aspirations of citizens, when not met, turn into frustration and outrage in social media against authority. Our societies are moving toward new standards of transparency, accountability and public faith, and this is a process that will continue for some years. The poll numbers reflect a moment of this transition. Add to this the slowing global economy, and President Bachelet meeting her campaign promises by introducing reforms, and it is not surprising that her poll numbers decline. When the results of the reform process become evident, those numbers may improve.

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NEW DELHIA Hindu man was hacked to death in central Bangladesh on Saturday, police said, following a spate of similar attacks in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation.

Authorities are investigating whether the killing of Nikhil Joarder was connected to a 2012 complaint against him for alleged comments he made against Prophet Muhammad, said Aslam Khan, a police officer in the district of Tangail, where the attack took place.

The Daesh (Islamic State)-affiliated Aamaq news agency issued a statement saying elements of the Islamic State stabbed to death by knife a Hindu in Tangail in Bangladesh who was known for insulting Prophet Muhammad. It did not give further details.

Joarder was attacked with sharp weapons by two men on motorcycles as he sat in his tailor shop, Khan said.

Joarder spent two weeks in prison in 2012 and was released after the complaint against him was withdrawn.

The attack on him was similar to recent killings of atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and most recently a gay rights activist in Bangladesh by radical Islamists.

Five people have already been killed in such attacks this year and nine were killed last year. While there have been some arrests  mostly of low-level operatives  there have been no prosecutions so far and authorities have struggled to make any headway in naming those planning the attacks.

For the 2013 killing of an atheist blogger, a court has sentenced two men to death and six others to time in prison.

Nearly all the attacks have been claimed by international Islamist extremist groups, including Daesh and various affiliates of Al Qaeda. The government, however, has refused to accept that these groups have a presence in Bangladesh, and has blamed the violence on its political opposition.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May. 16

By Emil Ilgar - Trend:

Elman Rustamov, chairman of Azerbaijan's Central Bank (CBA) will visit Iran on May 16, Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen told Trend.

He said that Rustamov will visit Iran due to his Iranian counterpart Valiollah Seif's invitation.

"The head of CBA will have a meeting with Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia over the ways of boosting bilateral relations," said the ambassador.

He also touched on the importance of economic relations, saying that establishing a joint bank is on agenda in the negotiations between Baku and Tehran.

Mahmoud Vaezi, minister of communications and information technology of Iran, co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission, said in an exclusive interview with Trend last August that Iran and Azerbaijan discuss creation of a joint bank and the opening of branches of the two countries' banks in Baku and Tehran.

He said the branches of the new bank will operate in both Azerbaijan and Iran. Vaezi went on to add that several private banks of Iran are interested in entering the banking market of Azerbaijan.

The two countries have limitations in the banking sector now, therefore, cooperation between banks isn't at an appropriate level yet, Vaezi said.
Donald Trump had barely met Rowanne Brewer Lane when he asked her to change out of her clothes.

Donald was having a pool party at Mar-a-Lago. There were about 50 models and 30 men. There were girls in the pools, splashing around. For some reason Donald seemed a little smitten with me. He just started talking to me and nobody else, Brewer Lane said.

She continued: He suddenly took me by the hand, and he started to show me around the mansion. He asked me if I had a swimsuit with me. I said no. I hadnt intended to swim. He took me into a room and opened drawers and asked me to put on a swimsuit.

Brewer Lane, at the time a 26-year-old model, did as Trump asked. I went into the bathroom and tried one on, she recalled. It was a bikini. I came out, and he said, Wow.

Trump, then 44 and in the midst of his first divorce, decided to show her off to the crowd at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He brought me out to the pool and said, That is a stunning Trump girl, isnt it? Brewer Lane said.

Donald Trump and women: The words evoke a familiar cascade of casual insults by the presumptive Republican nominee for president, hurled from the safe distance of a Twitter account, a radio show or a campaign podium.

But the 1990 episode at Mar-a-Lago that Brewer Lane described was different: a debasing face-to-face encounter between Trump and a young woman he hardly knew. This is the private treatment of some women by Trump, the up-close and more intimate encounters.

The New York Times interviewed dozens of women who had worked with or for Trump over the past four decades and women who had dated him or interacted with him socially. In all, more than 50 interviews were conducted.

Their accounts reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct, according to the interviews, as well as court records and written recollections.

What emerges from the interviews is a complex, at times contradictory portrait of a provocative man and the women around him, one that defies simple categorization.

Pressed on the womens claims, Trump disputed many of the details, such as asking Brewer Lane to put on a swimsuit. A lot of things get made up over the years, he said. I have always treated women with great respect. And women will tell you that.

But in many cases there was an unmistakable dynamic at play: Trump had the power, and the women did not.

For Brewer Lane, her introduction to Trump at Mar-a-Lago was the start of a whirlwind romance  a heady blur of helicopter rides and high-end hotel rooms and flashing cameras.

It was intimidating, she said. He was Donald Trump, obviously.

With his purchase of the Miss Universe Organization, Trump was in the business of young, beautiful women.

His level of involvement in the pageants was unexpected, and his judgments, the contestants said, could be harsh. Carrie Prejean, who was 21 when she participated in the Miss USA contest in 2009 as Miss California, was surprised to find Trump personally evaluating the women at rehearsal.

We were told to put on our opening number outfits  they were nearly as revealing as our swimsuits  and line up for him onstage, she wrote in her memoir, Still Standing.

Inside the Trump Organization, the company that manages his various businesses, Trump occasionally interrupted routine discussions of business to opine on womens figures. Barbara A. Res, Trumps former head of construction, remembered a meeting in which she and Trump interviewed an architect for a project in the Los Angeles area. Out of the blue, she said, Trump evaluated the fitness of women in Marina del Rey, Calif. They take care of their asses, he said.

The architect and I didnt know where he was coming from, Res said. Years later, after she had gained a significant amount of weight, Res endured a stinging workplace observation about her own body from Trump. You like your candy, she recalled him telling her. It was him reminding me that I was overweight.

Her colleague Louise Sunshine experienced similar observations from Trump when she gained weight. But she saw it as friendly encouragement, not a cruel insult.

After Alicia Machado won the 1996 Miss Universe title, something very human happened: She gained weight. Trump did not keep his critique of her changing body quiet  he publicly shamed her, she said.

Trump said he pushed her to lose weight. To that, I will plead guilty, he said, expressing no regret for his tactics.

But the humiliation, Machado said, was unbearable. She was sick, anorexia and bulimia for five years. Over the past 20 years, Ive gone to a lot of psychologists to combat this.

To build his business, Trump turned to women for a simple reason: They worked hard  often harder than men, he told them.

When Trump hired Res to oversee the construction of Trump Tower, he invited her to his apartment on Fifth Avenue and explained that he wanted her to be his Donna Trump on the project, she said. Few women had reached such stature in the industry.

He said: I know youre a woman in a mans world. And while men tend to be better than women, a good woman is better than 10 good men,  Res said. He thought he was really complimenting me.

Trump entrusted several women in his company with enormous responsibility  once they had proven themselves worthy and loyal. Sunshine had little experience in real estate, but as a top campaign fundraiser for then governor Hugh Carey of New York, she had fulfilled a lifelong wish for Trump: She secured him a vanity license plate with his initials, DJT, which adorned his limousine for years.

Sunshine worked for Trump for 15 years, becoming a major New York real estate figure in her own right. Res remained at the company for 12 years, left after a disagreement over a project and then returned as a consultant for six more years. Both expressed gratitude for the chances Trump had taken on them.

In a rough-and-tumble industry thoroughly dominated by men, Trumps office stood out for its diversity, recalled Alan Lapidus, an influential architect who designed the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City.

He is a lot more complicated than the cartoon character. The top people in his company were women, like Barbara Res, Lapidus said. For any company to hire a woman as chief of construction was actually startling. I dont know of a single other developer who had a woman in that position. The respect for women was always there. Thats why, in spite of the comments he makes now  and God knows why he says these things  when he was building his empire, the backbone was women.

No single figure better encapsulated the paradoxes of Trumps treatment of women in the workplace than his first wife, Ivana.

He entrusted her with major pieces of a corporate empire and gave her the titles to match. She was the president of Trumps Castle, a major casino in Atlantic City, and the Plaza Hotel, the storied complex on Central Park South in Manhattan. She ran that hotel, Res said. And she ran it well.

But he compensated her as a spouse, not a high-level employee, paying her an annual salary of $1 for the Trumps Castle job, according to her tax documents. And he grew to resent her outsize role. By the end of their marriage, Trump wrote in his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, he regretted having allowed her to run his businesses.

Once his first marriage started to collapse, Trump faced his most serious allegations of aggression toward women.

When Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, by journalist Harry Hurt III was released in 1993, it included a description of a night in which Trump was said to have raped Ivana in a fit of rage. It also included a statement from Ivana that Trumps lawyers insisted be placed in the front of the book. In the statement, she described an occasion of marital relations during which I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited toward me, was absent.

During a deposition given by me in connection with my matrimonial case, I stated that my husband had raped me, the statement said. I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.

Trump denied raping Ivana, and she did not respond to a request for comment. After the allegation re-emerged in the news media last year, Ivana said in a statement, The story is totally without merit.

Trump says the world misunderstands his relationship with women.

He sees himself as a promoter of women  a man whose business deals have given them untold opportunities for employment and advancement. Hundreds and hundreds of women, thousands of women, are the better for it, he said.

Several women who have held positions of power within the Trump Organization in recent years said they had never known Trump to objectify women or treat them with disrespect.

I think there are mischaracterizations about him, said Jill Martin, a vice president and assistant counsel at the company. Martin said Trump had enthusiastically supported her decision to have two children over the past five years, even when it meant working from home and scaling back on business travel.

Thats hard with women lawyers, she said. For me, hes made it a situation where I can really excel at my job and still devote the time necessary for my family.

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Baba Hardev Singh, a prominent Indian spiritual leader, is dead after a single-vehicle rollover just outside of Montreal late Thursday evening.

Singh, 62, was the head of the Sant Nirankari Mission  a spiritual organization based in New Delhi, which claims millions of followers around the world and 2,000 centres, including one in Brampton.

With profound pain and sorrow, this is to inform all that His Holiness Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj has merged into this Almighty God, the organization said in a released statement Friday morning. He was killed in a serious accident around 40 km from Montreal at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, while travelling between New York and Montreal.

Local police say Singh and another passenger flew out of a van after the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled over on Highway 30 on Montreals South Shore. He was en route to deliver a speech at the missions centre in Pointe-Claire when the incident occurred, which left the other expelled passenger seriously injured. Two of his sons-in-law were also in the vehicle at the time.

Singh was in Canada for a number of spiritual meetings, including the second Nirankari International Samagam in Toronto at the end of June.

The five-day international conference and festival is scheduled to begin on June 29, with various events at the Harbourfront Centre. The theme of the meeting is humanness.

Singhs death has been widely publicized in India, with many political leaders offering their condolences.

Baba Hardev Singh's demise is tragic and a great loss to the spiritual world. My thoughts are with his countless followers in this sad time," tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In [Singhs] death, the nation has lost a spiritual leader whose insightful teachings inspired people to follow the path of kindness and compassion, said Pranab Mukherjee, Indias president.

His body has been placed in Montreal to allow Canadian devotees wishing to pay respects to do so. On Monday, it will be flown back to New Delhi and will be placed at Ground No.8, Burari Road, until the final rites are performed on Wednesday, according to the Mission.

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SANAA, YEMENA suicide bomber on Sunday detonated his explosives among policemen standing in line outside a police base in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla, killing 25, security and health officials said. At least 17 more people were injured in the attack and the officials said the death toll was likely to rise further.

The Yemeni affiliate of the Daesh group, also know as ISIS or ISIL, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media networks by sympathizers with the group.

Sundays victims were policemen returning to work for the first time since last months recapture of Mukalla by forces of the internationally recognized government. The port city had been held for more than a year by Yemens local Al Qaeda affiliate.

The victims also included young men applying for jobs with the citys local police, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Sundays blast came a week after Daesh in Yemen claimed responsibility for an explosion that struck a navy base in Mukalla, killing at least six soldiers.

The Daesh affiliate in Yemen emerged during the countrys ongoing civil war and has been striving to expand its footprint amid the turmoil gripping the impoverished country in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen has been embroiled in a conflict pitting the countrys Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies against President Abed Rabbo Mansours government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Throughout its year-long rule of Mukalla, Al Qaeda forged an alliance with local forces fighting the Houthis in cities like Taiz and Aden. Those local fighters are backed by the Saudi-led coalition, a reflection of the complexities of Yemens conflict.

Meanwhile, Yemens warring parties have been holding U.N.-brokered negotiations in Kuwait to resolve the conflict. A truce, which began April 10, has mostly held despite multiple breaches by both sides.

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Almost exactly one year ago, Brazil confirmed its first-ever Zika outbreak  marking the viruss debut in the Americas and sparking a major epidemic that has spread to 45 countries and territories.

While Zikas risk to Canadians is still low, domestic fears are running high. According to a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute, 70 per cent of Canadians would either cancel or reconsider existing travel plans if Zika was a risk in their intended destination. The majority of Canadians are also worried about Zika becoming a public health problem in Canada and concerned that Olympic-goers will bring the virus home.

Despite the concern, however, only 18 per cent are following Zika in the news, with 33 per cent just scanning headlines. And with summer vacations around the corner  and the Rio Olympics looming  Zika anxieties will surely only grow.

The best balm for a panic spiral is to better understand Zika and its risks. Here are a few things to know about the virus, where you could encounter it, and what you should do after coming home from a Zika hot spot.

Dont panic. Doctors orders.

When it comes to Zika anxiety, Dr. Isaac Bogoch has heard it all. In December and January, I think I knew every pregnant woman in the city of Toronto because I was getting emails from them on a daily basis, said Bogoch, an infectious disease doctor with Toronto General Hospital.

He understands why the issue is so alarming to people, especially couples who are pregnant or plan on conceiving, but some fears are still based on misunderstandings. We asked Bogoch about some of the most common misconceptions he hears from patients every week.

Misconception 1: Zika is a chronic disease. Some people think this is more of a chronic infectious disease, something like HIV or hepatitis C, that people will have for life. Ive had to redirect people and say, You know, the vast majority of people dont even know they have this infection. And those who are unlucky to have any symptoms will have a very mild infection  and itll all be over with within two or three days.

Misconception 2: Zika is a major risk here in Canada. Many people still feel that they might be at high risk in Canada in the warmer summer months. And you know, the risk of acquiring the infection in Canada is not zero per cent but its probably pretty close to that  and the reason is that you can get sexual transmission of the virus. Yes, Canada has some invasive mosquito species but the vast majority of mosquitoes in Canada would not be able to transmit this infection.

Misconception 3: Zika is the only disease travellers need to worry about. For the vast majority of people, if youre going to get sick, Zikas probably one of the mildest illnesses that you can get  We have a little bit of tunnel vision here. Remember that these countries that are endemic for Zika have a lot of dengue, a lot of chikungunya and some, but not all, have malaria transmission. And these can make people far more ill than Zika.

Where you might get it

Vacation season is heating up and many Canadians will soon flock south, including to countries where Zika is a potential risk. We asked BlueDot, a Toronto infectious disease forecasting company, what were Canadians top destinations between May and September of last year. Here are three favourite hot spots where Zika already lurks  or has potential to appear.

Mexico  352,281 visitors

Canada loves Mexico; last summer, the country drew more than 352,000 Canadian visitors between spring and fall. Mexico was also one of the first countries to confirm local transmission of Zika last year, reporting its first case in November. As of May 6, the country had confirmed 272 locally-acquired infections in 11 of Mexicos 31 states, most of which are in the southern part of the country. The state of Chiapas, bordering Guatemala, has the most cases, with 132 confirmed, followed by Oaxaca with 103. Every other Mexican state affected so far has reported fewer than 15 cases.

Cuba  320,781 visitors

Last year, Cuba was a top-10 travel destination for Canadians between May and September, with more than 320,000 people visiting. In early March, the Caribbean island announced its first Zika case in a Venezuelan doctor who came to Cuba to study  10 other imported cases have since been reported. But Cuba has launched a major assault against mosquitoes that seems to be working so far, with just one locally-acquired case reported so far: a 21-year-old woman living in Central Havana, whose case was publicized on March 15.

Florida  more than 485,000 visitors

To be clear, the United States hasnt seen anyone infected with Zika by local mosquitoes (there have been 10 cases acquired locally through sex, however). Infectious disease experts do predict, however, that the U.S. will eventually see small pockets of local transmission in places where Zika-spreading mosquitoes live  and South Florida, one of Canadas favourite destinations, is a potential hot spot. The Sunshine State has confirmed 112 Zika cases in travellers, more than any other state, and Miami-Dade is the countrys busiest port of entry for many Latin American countries where Zika now circulates. Local mosquito control efforts are patchy but states can now apply to the CDC for a newly-available fund of $85 million (U.S.) for Zika prevention.

More on thestar.com:

Zikas frustration: After you travel, you wont know if you dont have it

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Zika. Microcephaly. Aedes aegypti. Over the past year, these words have dominated headlines as the Zika virus has spread to 45 countries and territories, leaving a trail of deformed babies and neurological disorders in its wake.

One year after Zikas arrival in the Americas, our understanding of the virus has grown by leaps and bounds but many questions remain. Diagnosing Zika also remains an imperfect art  leaving many Canadians anxious and confused, especially with summer vacations and the Rio Olympics looming.

Brendon and Nicole Healy from Orangeville had already booked a trip to the Dominican Republic for a friends wedding when Zika started making headlines. They were alarmed; the Healys, both 30, had recently decided to start a family.

The couple considered cancelling but couldnt get their $3,800 back; Nicole was also a bridesmaid. So after much research and agonizing, they decided to go, applying mosquito repellent every day.

After returning home in late March, they visited their family doctors to get tested for Zika  but more than a month later, they still have +no answers. Nicole didnt meet the criteria for Zika testing and Brendons doctor didnt know the process for requesting one, forcing him to make three trips to the clinic to get his paperwork in order  only to find out he didnt qualify either.

I find this to be absolutely absurd, Healy said. I know that we shouldnt have gone on our trip to begin with, but as responsible adults we wanted to be safe and have the necessary blood tests conducted  instead of this process easing our fears, it only made it worse.

Dr. Vanessa Allen, Public Health Ontarios chief microbiologist, is sympathetic and says the Healys are not alone. For the first time in my life, Ive gotten a lot of direct calls from patients, she said. They are terrified.

But until a vaccine is available, the reality is that Zika will be a risk to people living in affected countries, as well as the millions of Canadians who visit them every year  and its not possible to test everyone.

To universally offer the test is difficult right now, said Dr. Matthew Gilmour, scientific director general of the Public Health Agency of Canadas National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

Currently, Canadas criteria for Zika testing  which is publicly funded  say that people must have travelled to Zika-affected areas and developed symptoms (which the Healys did not). Pregnant women who meet both criteria are the highest priority, since Zika can cause serious birth defects.

Because Zika lingers in semen and can spread through sex, male travellers with previous symptoms can also get tested, according to the latest Canadian guidelines.

But Zika testing has little value for someone who is asymptomatic and unconcerned about pregnancy, Allen believes. Should limited resources be used to diagnose a virus that, for most people, will only last a few days without causing much problem?

We need to focus on where we can make a difference, Allen said.

This does leave would-be parents like the Healys in a tough spot. The fact that Zika can infect without causing symptoms is unsettling. Scientists are still developing a good test for detecting Zika in semen and nobody knows how long the virus can linger there; the longest documented case is 62 days.

But what many anxious couples dont realize is that Zika tests cant give them what they want most: a guarantee of zero risk.

Because Zika is so new, the diagnostics are still a work in progress, Allen said. Current tests can have false positives and they still cant completely rule out Zika  even when results come back negative. With antibody tests, for example, we dont know how well it performs, Allen said. I have no idea if a negative test means that the person doesnt have Zika.

To understand why, its helpful to understand the tests themselves. There are two types; one is a molecular test, called PCR, which allows scientists to directly confirm Zikas presence by detecting its genetic material. PCR is really one of the best tests to confirm Zika infection, Gilmour said.

The problem: the virus has to be physically present and Zika only circulates in blood for up to 10 days (and urine for a few days longer). So a negative result could simply mean the patient was tested too late, after the infection already cleared. The window for which it works is usually very soon after someone has returned from travel, Gilmour said.

The second test detects antibodies deployed by a persons immune system to fight Zika; think of it as looking for footprints instead of the actual organism. But these tests are prone to false positives, sometimes detecting closely related viruses like dengue and yellow fever.

At Winnipegs national microbiology, positive results are backed up by a second test. This can take weeks but with this two-step verification process, Gilmour said he is very confidant when we get a positive result.

Negative results are a different story. Confirming an absence of an infection is much more difficult, Gilmour said.

There are multiple reasons why serology tests can be falsely negative. Maybe the person is immunosuppressed and their body failed to mount an antibody response. Perhaps the person just has a low amount of antibodies.

Until better Zika tests are developed, public health officials are advising potentially-exposed couples to still take precautions, even when they get a negative test result.

Imagine a scenario where we told someone that they dont have an infection, so they went on to pursue pregnancy and in fact they did have an infection, Gilmour said. We dont want to pass false information off to couples.

Gilmour emphasized that people who dont meet current criteria can still pursue testing if their reasons are justifiable and their doctors and provincial health labs are on board.

For the Healys, they are coming to terms with the fact that they will probably have to wait six months before trying for a baby, adhering to the strictest current guidelines for couples who may have been exposed.

If they knew in March what they know now, however, they likely would have cancelled their trip. And with Zika likely here to stay for some time, perhaps the most important message for Canadians is what Toronto infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch tells his patients.

If you really want a zero per cent risk of having a complication from Zika virus, the only way to do that is to not go.

Zika testing in Canada

306 Zika specimens tested by PCR at Public Health Ontario

22 Positive samples tested in Ontario

3,734 Canadians tested since January

80 Canadians who have tested positive after travelling

1 Canadian infected through sex

5 Pregnant women in Canada who have tested positive

More on thestar.com:

Travelling? Heres what you need to know about the Zika riskE ND

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If Justin Trudeau is so politically smart, how is it that he and his Liberal government have been so politically inept in handling the Syrian refugee private sponsorship program?

Thats what thousands of Canadians are asking as one of the testiest political issues over the past six months drags on with no end in sight.

Indeed, through questionable delays and bureaucratic bungling, the Trudeau government has turned a national feel-good story on its head.

The controversy centres on the Trudeau governments clear decision to stall the immigration of Syrian refugee families to be sponsored by up to 9,000 private citizen groups, whose membership could total some 300,000 people. These groups include churches, neighbourhood associations, service clubs and loose gatherings of individuals who wanted to make a difference.

When Trudeau promised during last falls election campaign to bring 25,000 government-sponsored Syrian refugees to Canada, he also said the Liberals would assist in bringing additional Syrian refugees to Canada who were supported by private groups that had raised money to finance their settlement here.

Whats happened since then, though, is an utter mess.

Ottawa has fulfilled its initial pledge to bring 25,000 government-sponsored refugees here and has expanded that plan to bring in another 25,000 by the end of 2016.

But it has failed miserably in bringing in refugees under the private-sponsorship program.

Its so bad that some sponsorship groups may have to wait more than a year  and likely longer  before their refugee families arrive. Syrian families are still languishing in refugee camps throughout the Middle East. Apartments rented and furnished in a hurry last fall for the refugees are sitting empty. Up to $200 million raised to sponsor the families lies unused in bank trust accounts.

Whats worse for Trudeau is that many of the people who eagerly joined local refugee sponsorship groups are now angry and disillusioned with the new Liberal government. Many likely even had a Liberal campaign sign on their lawns during last Octobers election or wrote a cheque to the party.

Their fury grew even more last week when Immigration Minister John McCallum told a Commons committee the government is stepping up efforts to finalize the processing of privately sponsored Syrian refugee applications. The goal is to complete the processing by the end of this year or early in 2017, he said.

The plan will come out in more detail in a short while, but it has already started and there are additional officials out there as of today, McCallum added.

If you think youve heard those words before, well, you have. Thats because they are strikingly similar to what McCallum said weeks ago when he met with sponsor groups in Toronto. Nothing has really happened since his early April meeting in Toronto.

Trudeau could have easily avoided the controversy by fast-tracking all of the refugees under the private sponsorship program, just as it did for the government-sponsored refugee families.

So why is Ottawa doing this? And what are the politics behind it?

Even Liberal MPs are astounded Ottawa could betray so many people. It was such a hot issue that it topped the agenda at a recent weekly Liberal caucus meeting.

Ultimately, Trudeau and his top advisors may feel they can wait out this storm of protest, possibly dismissing it as an issue isolated to a few downtown entitled people. Such an approach would be misguided.

Instead, Trudeau needs to step in and fix this mess.

A good start would be to order the immediate fast-tracking of the current refugee applications under the private sponsorship program. If Ottawa can approve 25,000 refugees under the government-sponsored program in a matter of weeks, then it should be able to do the same with this program.

Second, Trudeau needs to undertake a top-to-bottom review of the entire immigration and refugee system, which appears dysfunctional, under-staffed and under-resourced after years of neglect under the Conservative government.

Third, Trudeau must find a way to restore the public goodwill hes wasted over the sponsorship program. The Syrian refugee crisis sparked a level of public engagement rarely experienced in Canada, one that could lead to future hands-on humanitarian and community-building efforts by the public. It would be a national disgrace to squander such a movement.

McCallum said last week he is probably the only immigration minister in the world whose major challenge is not being able to deliver enough refugees quickly enough to satisfy the amazing generosity of Canadian households, Canadian families who want to sponsor them.

He suggested thats a good problem because it underlines the welcoming nature of Canadians.

But unless Trudeau moves quickly to right this problem, that welcoming nature may be absent the next time a humanitarian crisis erupts somewhere in the world.

Bob Hepburns column appears Sunday. bhepburn@thestar.ca

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In a dramatic show of physician support for deep health care reform in the U.S., more than 2,200 physician leaders have signed a Physicians Proposal calling for sweeping change.

The proposal, published May 5 2016 in the American Journal of Public Health, calls for the creation of a publicly financed, single-payer, national health program to cover all Americans for all medically necessary care.

If that sounds familiar, it should. These American doctors are calling for Canadian-style medicare. They want a decisive break from the expensive and inefficient private insurance industry at the heart of the U.S. health care system.

How ironic that at the same time U.S. physicians are calling for a single-payer health system like ours, Canada is in the midst of a legal battle threatening to pave the way for a multi-payer system resembling what has failed Americans.

Whats at stake? A trial about to begin in British Columbia threatens to make the Canada Health Act unenforceable.

The Canada Health Act is federal legislation that guides our health care system. It strongly discourages private payment for medically necessary hospital and physician services covered under our publicly funded medicare plans. This includes out-of-pocket payments in the form of extra billing or other user charges. Legislation in most provinces further prohibits private insurance that duplicates what is already covered under provincial plans.

If patients are billed for medically necessary hospital and physician care, the federal government is mandated to withhold an equivalent amount from federal cash transfers to provinces or territories violating the Act.

At least thats what supposed to happen.

Unfortunately, the last decade saw a proliferation of extra billing in several provinces, and few instances of government clawing back fiscal transfers. Perhaps, things will change. Health Minister Jane Philpott recently said the government will absolutely uphold the Canada Health Act.

In B.C.s upcoming trial, the plaintiffs  including two for-profit investor-owned facilities, Cambie Surgery Centre and the Specialist Referral Clinic  are attempting to have the court strike down limits on private payment. They support the creation of a constitutionally protected right for physicians to bill patients, either out-of-pocket or through private insurance, for medically necessary care, while also billing the public plan.

In other words, the plaintiffs want to undo our elegantly simple single payer system for hospital and physician care, creating instead a multi-payer system like the U.S. If their constitutional challenge is successful, the door will swing wide open in BC  and across Canada  for insurers to sell what will amount to private queue jumping insurance for those who can afford it, potentially harming the rest of us who cant.

The outcome of this trial could be that those who can pay for care would jump the queue, drawing doctors and other resources out of the public system. Those who cant pay would likely wait longer. Rather than a solution for wait times, private payment in the Canadian context would make them worse.

Global evidence shows that private insurance does not reduce public system wait times. The Achilles heel of health care in several European countries, such as Sweden, has been long waiting times for diagnosis and treatment in several areas, despite some private insurance. After Australia introduced private insurance to save the government money, those with private insurance have faster access to elective surgery than those without. Divisions in equitable access to care is one of the biggest challenges now facing countries that have adopted multi-payer systems.

Multi-payer systems are administratively complex and expensive, explaining why the U.S. health insurance industry spends about 18 per cent of its health care dollars on billing and insurance-related administration for its many private plans, compared to just 2 per cent in Canada for our streamlined single payer insurance plans. Hospital administrative costs are lowest in Canada and Scotland  both single payer systems  and highest in the U.S., the Netherlands, and the U.K.  all multi-payer systems.

For all of its warts in how we deliver health care in Canada, the way in which we pay for care  a single public payer in each province or territory  avoids the high administrative costs of multi-payer systems.

Abundant evidence shows private insurance is at the root of what ails the U.S. system. Dr. Marcia Angell, co-author of the Physicians Proposal, Harvard Medical School faculty and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, sums it up: We can no longer afford to waste the vast resources we do on the administrative costs, executive salaries, and profiteering of the private insurance system.

A Canadian-style single payer financing system would save the U.S. about $500 billion annually.

Meanwhile, in Canada, abandoning our single payer health care system for a U.S.-style multi-payer system would be the worst possible outcome for Canadians. Lets hope the evidence convinces the judge. The trial begins in September.

Karen Palmer is an advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, a health policy analyst, and adjunct professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.

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Re: Conservatives learning a new game, May 9

Conservatives learning a new game, May 9

Hopefully the Conservative Party will not overlook an obvious candidate, while considering front runners Jason Kenney and Peter MacKay. Rona Ambrose, leader of the Official Opposition, has performed admirably  aggressive yet compassionate during difficult times. And always with dignity and respect for others  a rarity it seems during these days of boorish behaviour on the part of some who call themselves leaders.

Ms Ambrose brings with her an impressive background of experience  cabinet positions such as environment, labour, public works and more, unlike others who aspire to leadership status but offer little in the way of experience and credentials.

Donald Cangiano, Oakville

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Ben Carson speaks with delegates at the Maine GOP Convention in Bangor on April 22  part of his campaign on behalf of former rival Donald Trump. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press)

Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon turned presidential candidate turned unfiltered pitchman for Donald Trump and now part of the presumptive nominees vice presidential search committee, sat in the back of a Town Car with his wife, Candy, on his way to a televised interview. He had just explained to the reporter riding along that he wanted no role in a Trump administration when news arrived of a new poll naming him as the best-liked of a list of potential running mates.

Who else was on the list? he asked quietly, maintaining his usual inscrutable calm. The most favorably regarded contenders after himself, he was told, were John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin and Chris Christie.

Those are all people on our list, he said.

Well, not you, Candy reminded him sharply.

That the Trump campaign might want its potential VP picks held close to the vest didnt seem to occur to Carson. Hes not the type to keep his candid thoughts to himself.

(Update: After this story was published, Carson called to clarify his comments: "When it comes to who could be the vice president and you name a list of people," he said. "Im going to say yes to everybody, everybody could potentially be considered, doesnt mean they are on the shortlist.")

Former rival Ben Carson endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump March 11 in Palm Beach, Fla., saying he feels "philosophical and spiritual alignment" with the frontrunner. ( / Reuters)

Its an attribute typically unbecoming of a surrogate, campaign shorthand for the high-profile friend-of-the-candidate assigned to offer up flattering comments and spin away the controversies. Since joining Team Trump, Carson has acknowledged that the mogul wasnt his top choice and that supporting him was merely pragmatic. Hes called into question Trumps Twitter habits, said he has major defects and recently went off-message by suggesting they might consider picking a Democrat for the ticket.

[Ben Carson risked his reputation to run for president  fueled by his sense of destiny]

And despite all that, or perhaps because of it, he apparently has earned the trust of Trump, speaking to the candidate a few times a week, making the rounds on television on his behalf, calling up House Speaker Paul D. Ryan ahead of Trumps meeting on Capitol Hill and, yes, helping campaign manager Corey Lewandowski come up with a list of possible VP candidates.

Carson says theres no plan to pull a Dick Cheney and suggest himself. Having already run for president, Carson understands hes a lightning rod for controversy, and Trump doesnt need help sparking fires.

Hes not interested, said Armstrong Williams, Carsons business manager and friend. But miracles can happen, right?

Williams added: But I dont see that miracle happening.

And then: But weve seen stranger things, right?

Yes, yes we have. Not the least of which has been watching Carson say things that would get any other surrogate benched, only to be elevated within the campaign. Hes what some commentators have called the worst surrogate ever. Which raises the question: Is Carson the best surrogate ever?

No, hes not.

Or is he?



Ben Carson, right, confers with Trump adviser Paul Manafort at a gathering in Florida last month. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

Carson announced his endorsement of Trump in early March, and almost immediately he acknowledged that Trump wasnt his first choice. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Not long ago, Donald Trump stood on a stage in front of thousands of Iowans accusing Carson of fabricating parts of his life story, calling him pathological and comparing him to a child molester. No big deal, Carson says today. He didnt take it personally.

It just means hes like a typical politician, Carson said; at the time, he noted, he was creeping up on Trump in the polls. Other politicians might not be as colorful, but they do the same things.

Carson puts greater weight on another moment he shared with Trump. It was during the ABC debate in February, when Carson, waiting in the wings to be introduced, didnt hear his name come through the loudspeaker. He remained standing offstage, hands clasped. Cruz, Rubio and Bush all breezed past him to take their spots at the lecterns, but when Trump was called, he, too, hesitated in the wings.

To viewers at home, they looked like a pair of middle school drama students who had both missed their cue. But Carson saw Trumps pause as a deliberate gesture to ease his awkwardness.

That showed the kind of person that he is, to stand by me even though it did nothing for him personally, Carson said.

They stood together that day like brothers, said Williams, one of Carsons closest confidants. That was a very important moment.

[Donald Trump knew The Apprentice would boost his brand. It did much more than that.]

Shortly after dropping out of the race, Carson headed to Mar-a-Lago to have breakfast with Trump. He hadnt endorsed anyone yet but was leaning toward giving his support to the reality star who cared as little about political correctness  or, some would say, polite discourse  as he did. They sat in an ornate room eating fruit and talking about, as Carson might put it, the fruit salad of each others lives.

I wanted to make sure we were on the same page, and we were, Carson said. In mid-March, he endorsed. He stumbled right out of the gate, telling the conservative website Newsmax that Trump wasnt his first pick and that he had been promised some sort of advisory role in the administration.

Or was it a stumble?

No one is going to believe him if he came out and said Trump is the perfect candidate, because he isnt the perfect candidate, explained Deana Bass, Carsons former spokeswoman. If he did that, Dr. Carson would lose the respect hes earned for not telling the truth as he sees it.

Good doctors dont sugarcoat bad situations. If a patient requires an unpleasant but necessary procedure  say, a spinal tap or an enema  any physician worth his scrubs will warn that its going to be rough, not gonna lie, but its the best path forward. In other words, what critics see as Carsons gaffes are really just part of his bedside manner: Look, this candidate comes with some unpleasant side effects  but if he couldnt heal the country, I wouldnt be prescribing him.

[Trumps own Beltway establishment guy: The curious journey of Don McGahn]

Would I and everyone always prefer someone who is completely consistent 100 percent of that time? Yes, Carson said. But who is that? Who is that person?

Trump may have changed positions on a number of issues, but on the spectrum of deceit Carson sees Hillary Clinton as being much worse.

Thats why I made it very clear that this is a pragmatic choice, he said: Trump, he thinks, is the Republican who has a chance of winning. Its sort of like: Would you rather have a cut on your finger or have both your legs cut off?

Vote Trump: Doctors agree, hes better than having your legs chopped off.

The left-wing media loves to say Im a terrible surrogate, but I pay so little attention to it, Carson said. If I said their mother was a good person, theyd find something terrible to say about it.

But its not just people on the left who think the doctor should surgically remove his foot from his mouth.

If I were to grade him, Id give him a B-minus, said Doug Watts, Carsons former communications director. He wings it a little bit too much. Watts, who is now working for a new pro-Trump super PAC, the Committee for American Sovereignty, took particular issue with Carson saying they might pick a Democrat as a vice president.

That wasnt helpful, said Watts, who thinks Trump has already had enough trouble proving hes a conservative. He would say its just him not being a politician, but Id say its him not being mentally prepared.

[The year that geeky campaign-strategy talk went mainstream]

Not so fast, Doug, dont put words in Bens mouth. Lets let him speak for himself.

Im not a politician, and I will never be a politician, Carson said when asked about his propensity to go off script.

Its not a lack of preparation, he says, so much as a matter of being true to himself. Yes, he said that Trump has defects, because all people have defects. Sure, he said hed consider a Democrat, if they could find one that stood strong on all parts of the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. And of course there will be times he disagrees with the candidate he is standing behind. If two people agree all the time, Carson said, then one of those people isnt necessary.



Trump isnt perfect, says Carson, seen here talking with the mogul after his endorsement, but hes better than the alternative. Its sort of like: Would you rather have a cut on your finger or have both your legs cut off? (Lynne Sladky/AP)

The Town Car dropped them off at the TV station, where Ben and Candy retreated to a conference room to wait. They idly watched an episode of Mike and Molly while leaving a hospitality plate of sugar cookies untouched.

Is that Paul Blart the mall cop? Candy asked.

I dont know, said a staffer with Sinclair Broadcast Group, the company hosting the evenings event, an hour-long conversation in front of a small studio audience.

Not much for sitcoms, Ben Carson turned to Greg Massoni, a Sinclair executive producer, and began talking Trump.

1 of 23 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  23 well-known people who support Donald Trump View Photos See who supports Donald Trump. Caption See who supports Donald Trump. Paul D. Ryan The House speaker endorsed Trumps bid for president on June 2. Joshua Roberts/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Part of the problem is this whole my-way-or-the-highway mentality that makes people your enemy, said Carson, who once claimed Obamacare was the worst thing to happen to the country since slavery. I would strongly suggest to Donald Trump, and he will do this, that even when you have the advantage, you should be respectful of the other side.

You promise that hes going to do that? Massoni asked with a chuckle.

He cant do it now because now hes got to win, Carson said, leaning back in his chair and tapping his hands together. Its a difficult line to walk. You dont want to turn off all the people who supported you because you are like that, but you dont want to get so far out that other people will never support you.

You wouldnt allow your 12-year-old to act that way, Massoni said.

No, I wouldnt, said Carson, who for a while had a habit of comparing the trajectory of this nation to Nazi Germany. But by the same token, look at the people like me or Mike Huckabee  nice, decent, caring and respectful of others. Where does that get people? Not very far.

The Mike and Molly studio audience laughed and clapped. The credits rolled, and then The Big Bang Theory was beginning.

Carson stood up and flipped through the channels, stopping on a news program that happened to be talking about him. Although it wasnt technically another sitcom, it sure feels like it sometimes.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 15

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Ashgabat is preparing to hold the first global conference on the sustainable transport system in late November 2016, the Turkmen government's report said May 14.

This topic was discussed in the Turkmen Cabinet of Ministers.

The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the second resolution on transport issues in December 2015. According to the resolution, the global conference was planned to be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The agenda is planned to include a wide range of topics, including sustainable transport, energy and transport, urban transport system and road transport links between cities and villages, the investment in the transport sector and its financing, international cooperation in the transport sector and its legal foundation, development of multilateral transport corridors and infrastructure, traffic safety.

It is planned to adopt a final document following the forum.

At present, the Turkmen foreign ministry together with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the International Road Transport Union prepared a draft concept of the conference.

The draft program of the forum is being worked out. Besides the plenary sessions and specialized sessions, it is planned to include a number of other events, including an exhibition of automobile transport and equipment, the signing ceremony of international documents, bilateral and multilateral meetings and negotiations.
A DJ at work during a Bloody Mary festival at the artist enclave Blind Whino in Southwest Washington. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser has proposed constructing a homeless shelter for 50 families that would adjoin the wall behind the DJ. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

Flanked by giant murals of lions with gnashing teeth, a DJ stands at what was once a church altar, mixing bossa nova with a techno beat. Six hundred people are crammed inside the psychedelic room for a Bloody Mary festival, with more than 100 liters of vodka waiting to be drunk.

The former 130-year-old church near Nationals Park has again morphed into a nightclub on a recent Saturday  this time before noon.

But D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) sees the spot differently  as the best place in Southwest for 50 homeless families, who will live in a dormitory-style building that will share a wall with the thumping events space known as The Blind Whino.

Its one of seven family homeless shelters Bowser hopes to build in neighborhoods around the city to replace the dilapidated megashelter at the former D.C. General Hospital, if the D.C. Council approves.

Bowser has touted the Ward 6 site as an opportunity for an arts venue to flourish side-by-side with dignified housing for homeless families.





But hundreds of pages of documents obtained through a public records request by The Washington Post reveal some unusual negotiations between the city and the private owners of the site, which the District seeks to lease at a cost of more than $82 million over 25 years.

The current property owner, Stephen Tanner, wants to continue use of the events space next door for private events, which were held 140 times last year and often involved one-day liquor licenses, documents show.

The city has also agreed to allow Tanner to occupy a private condominium that would be carved out of the public shelter for his personal use, according to the documents and interviews. That term has not been publicly disclosed by the city.

And even though city leaders have pledged to ban smoking in or near the shelter for homeless families, Tanners attorney has been discussing with city officials exactly where his client could smoke cigars on the property, the documents reveal.

In addition, Tanner is in the process of selling the property containing both the Blind Whino and the would-be homeless shelter to a new corporation, 700 Delaware LLC, involving one of Bowsers top donors, Bryan Scottie Irving. That new company would be positioned to benefit from a significant spike in the lands value as a result of the shelter deal with the city.

[Homeless shelter plan could be profitable for Bowsers backers]

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said the documents raise new concerns about the mayors decision to lease private land for new shelters rather than to build them on public property.

According to blueprints for the shelter circulated among city officials and developers  but not made public  the current property owner, Stephen Tanner, would have a condominium built into the third floor of the new structure. (Courtesy)

Stacy Cloyd, a lawyer who serves on the local advisory neighborhood commission, said her neighbors cant understand why the city selected the site on Delaware Avenue SW.

From the very first night the mayors office told us about this, the first question we asked is, What about the Blind Whino?  Cloyd said. Weve been asking, dont they know this place can be rented out for parties and events? How is that going to fit with very young children attached to it?

Under a letter of intent signed by the city, Tanner and 700 Delaware LLC, the District would pay the company to lease the seven-story facility, with the price of constructing it factored into the lease. The plan assumes the city will win a zoning variance, something Tanner had once sought to develop the site.

An analysis by the D.C. Council shows the lease and zoning changes would immediately increase the worth of the property from its current assessed value of $1.8 million to almost $30 million on the open market because of the guaranteed income stream from the citys lease and the fact that once the lease expires, the landowners would own the facility built with tax dollars and could convert it to private housing.

That rapid escalation in value has already occurred at another site proposed by the mayor as a homeless shelter. The owners of that site, in Ward 2, had purchased it for $5.95 million in 2013. After the city signed a 25-year lease for the property, the owners sold it for $28.5 million  more than four times the original investment and before any homeless people moved in.

At the spot where the Blind Whino is located, Irving is the registered agent for 700 Delaware LLC. He, his family and businesses have donated more than $38,000 in either direct contributions to Bowsers campaigns or to a political action committee created last year on her behalf, records show. In February, Irving traveled with Bowser to Cuba as part of a trade delegation. He did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.

Bowsers spokesman, Michael Czin, said city officials chose the sites for the homeless shelters based on size, availability, proximity to public transportation and other practical concerns. All of the sites were chosen on their merits, he said, noting that the city had issued a request for proposals.

[D.C. mayors ambitious plan for homeless families at risk of collapse]

City records show that Irvings Blue Skye Development and Construction had tried and failed to buy the Delaware Avenue site last year. This time, his company partnered with Varsity Investment Group LLC for the capital to buy the property, said Forest Hayes, an associate director with the citys Department of General services who signed the tentative lease for the site.

Reached by phone, Donnie Gross, a Varsity managing partner, said his company was not working with Irvings firm.

Tanner, the current property owner, said in an interview that the proposal would benefit homeless families and the arts community.

Artists are being kicked out all across Washington, D.C., and Im a longtime resident of Ward 6, and this project is not displacing anybody, Tanner said. This is not for some neighbors, but for all neighbors. . . . I can only imagine the story if this was getting built and all of the artists were getting kicked out.

He declined to discuss the sale of his property. Emails show that 700 Delaware LLC paid a deposit to Tanner, but no sale has yet been publicly recorded.

According to blueprints circulated among city officials and developers  but not made public  Tanners condominium would be built on the third floor of the new structure. It would be positioned above a new museum space for artists and below four floors of new 3-and-4-person studios for homeless families. Tanners condo appears to occupy the same amount of floor space as living quarters allocated for four families.

Tanner said he would pay to construct the condo but said he didnt know how much it will cost. He also indicated he would not pay for the condo property.

Why would I pay for something I already own? he said.

Regarding smoking, Tanner said the emails referred to smoking cigars in an area outside the Blind Whino where patrons already smoke. A city spokesman said Tanner would face no restrictions on activities inside his condo, which could include smoking or, under city law, even growing marijuana, even though home cultivation is now banned in other public housing complexes in the city.

At community meetings, Christopher Weaver, the head of the Department of General Services, said Tanner had agreed to significant restrictions on operations at the Blind Whino once the shelter is built.

Weaver, whose agency negotiated and signed the tentative lease, said that the events venue will not be able to obtain a liquor license.

But Tanner said that whether liquor could be sold hasnt been settled. Ian Callender, who runs an events firm that helps operate Blind Whino, said he understood that the facility could largely continue to operate as it does now, usually closing down major evening events by midnight.

The former Friendship Baptist Church, built in 1886, sat abandoned for 20 years before Tanner invited Callender to make an art display out of the church. The plan for a three-month exhibit, however has grown into a thriving events venue over the past three years, with more than 1,000 inquiries for future bookings in recent months, Callender said. He said the Blind Whino pays Tanner 20 percent of what organizations pull in on events and uses the rest to support an artists nonprofit organization.

The neighborhood advisory commission for the area surrounding the property is asking Bowser to consider three other sites within a half-mile, all owned by the city and closer to Metro stops and bus routes.

Cloyd, the advisory neighborhood commissioner, said the notion that the city stipulated that the Blind Whino will not get a permanent liquor license didnt seem to be much of a concession. They dont have one now and have events all the time, she said.

Robert Hall, head of a condominium association whose members, many of whom are senior citizens, have homes that surround the proposed shelter site on three sides, said neighbors are willing to fight the project through the zoning approval process.

Wed oppose a Ritz-Carlton on that site. It just isnt appropriate for a seven-story structure, he said. Our residents would walk out of their front doors and literally run into this wall that would block out the sun.

Hall and others say Callender has tried to be a good neighbor. But even some artists dont see how the Blind Whino would work with a homeless shelter attached.

Rosina Teri Memolo has displayed photography at the Blind Whino. This whole thing seems crazy, she said.
Graduating students Justin Byram, left, and Eric Carman acknowledge their families during the 208th commencement ceremony at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

The 208th commencement at Mount St. Marys University finished with applause and smiling faces Sunday for the 435 graduating seniors in the Class of 2016. The mood was celebratory as each speaker gave inspirational parting words of wisdom to the new alumni.

Dont ever give up, said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), noting that hed beaten cancer.

Dream big, said Carolyn Everson, a Facebook vice president.

The message to the students was clear: Celebrate today and look forward to the future. What no one said  or needed to say for those who enrolled at the small, private Catholic school this academic year  was this: Do not dwell in the past.

For a college that reveres its rural setting and the accompanying obscurity, Mount St. Marys spent an unusual amount of time under the glare of a national spotlight surrounding a leadership scandal. After a dozen years as head of the school, Thomas H. Powell, the 24th president of The Mount, as the Emmitsburg, Md., campus is known, stepped down in March 2015. The college honored him Sunday with an honorary doctorate for his role in expanding the campus, increasing enrollment and leading an effort to increase diversity.

His successor, Simon Newman, arrived with little fanfare. A lifelong businessman, Newman came to Mount St. Marys to help guide the school into the 21st century with principles from his career in the financial sector.

He lasted less than a year.

Newman resigned amid a simmering controversy that peaked in February after the faculty senate voted overwhelmingly for his dismissal. His ouster came after he made indelicate comments concerning students struggling academically at the school, suggesting that those who couldnt hack it should be culled.

[Mount St. Marys University president resigns]

With only three months left in the spring semester, Karl Einolf, the dean of universitys Richard J.Bolte Sr. School of Business, was named acting president.

Weve really moved on, we really have, Einolf said in an interview. And the students deserve a great celebration, so for them were looking to the future.

No one who spoke during the two-hour commencement mentioned Newman or the surprising turn of events that put Einolf in charge of the 2,300-student school.

Vrunda Patel, president of the class of 2016, did not talk about the matter during her address because she said it did not need to be mentioned.

This has been a crazy year, and weve talked about it all the time, said Patel, a business major.

Mary Kane, chair of the Mounts board of trustees, said that the administration will announce a two-year interim president by the end of next month.

Without directly discussing Newman or the leadership change, Hogans message to the students touched on the idea that life can take unforeseen twists.

My advice is to expect the unexpected, Hogan said.

The governor spoke about the Baltimore riots after the death of Freddie Gray, a city resident who died after being injured in police custody. He then spoke about his cancer diagnosis on Fathers Day weekend, five months into his term. Hogan said that through rigorous chemotherapy and the power of prayer, he was able to recover.

Dont get thrown off when obstacles appear out of nowhere, Hogan said.

It has been a tumultuous year at the private liberal-arts college, the second-oldest Catholic university in the country.

Newman stepped in promising dramatic change, bringing ideas from his background in the financial world to improve marketing, technology and student retention. He promised to dramatically increase enrollment, fundraising and the schools national profile.

He did, but not in the way the university anticipated. In January, the student newspaper, the Mountain Echo, reported that he planned to identify freshmen at risk of dropping out several weeks into the semester  before the date when enrollment numbers would be reported  and encourage them to withdraw as a means of improving the retention rate. When a professor objected to the idea of identifying at-risk students so early, the president told him there would be collateral damage and that this is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies, but you cant. You just have to drown the bunnies . . . put a Glock to their heads.

In a piece he wrote for The Washington Post, Newman explained the goals of his retention program, the importance of intervening early and his intention to refund tuition to students who withdrew early.

No students left the school as a result of the effort, but the damage had been done. The board chairman defended the president and told the university community that a small group of faculty and alumni was working to get rid of Newman. Some faculty agreed, believing that change was coming too swiftly for some who cherished the schools Catholic, nurturing, liberal-arts traditions.

[The controversy at Mount St. Marys goes national after professors are fired]

Not long afterward, a tenured professor and a former trustee and law professor who had been the adviser to the student newspaper were both abruptly fired and escorted off campus.

The university said the terminations were not retribution for opposing Newman, but a national outcry over academic freedom erupted. In a few days, more than 8,000 scholars digitally signed a petition asking for the two professors to be reinstated.

Newman offered them their jobs back, but the faculty voted 87 to 3 to ask him to resign.

He did not. The boards leadership supported him and students rallied for him. But the accrediting body began to ask questions about the universitys governance, board members came to campus to talk with faculty and students, and in late February, Newman stepped down and Einolf took over.

In March, the board changed dramatically, with some of Newmans staunchest supporters leaving. Kane, a 1984 alumna of Mount St. Marys, a former candidate for Maryland lieutenant governor and a business leader, took over as chair.

In a toast to faculty and members of the administration after the ceremony, Kane acknowledged that graduation marked the end of a tough year.

Weve made national headlines this year, Kane said. But were going to continue to make national headlines as a great school thats looking forward. . . . Weve been around 208 years. This was probably not the worst thing that weve been through.

Patel said that for students about to embark on new lives after the Mount, the graduation ceremony gave the class of 2016 something to celebrate.

One moment is not going to overshadow four years of happiness, Patel said. Everybody messes up. What can we do to push past this?

Patel said that for students, the leadership tumult was the last thing on their minds Sunday as they hugged friends and posed for photos with beaming parents.

Everybody already knows its been a crazy year, she said. But the good thing to come out of it is that were much closer together.
Tehran, Iran, May 15

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

A South Korean company and subsidiary of LG has announced it is going to manufacture electric cars in Iran.

A contract has been signed, and the Korean company will use the cooperation of an existing Iranian car making factory, SHANA news agency reported May 13.

The contract sides have agreed to produce 60 thousand cars by 2023.

The report says most of the articles of the agreement will be finalized by this year's end and the companies will start cooperation soon after.

During a recent visit to Iran by South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the two countries agreed to boot trade from $6.1 billion per year to $18 billion.

The two countries also signed about 60 MoUs and contracts worth over $45.6 billion.
BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO REPUBLICANS

The House passed a series of bipartisan drug-abuse bills aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic. The 18 bills, which would set up federal grants and launch studies into the U.S. drug problem, were approved by huge margins. The Senate passed its version of the legislation in March. Its a big win for the Republican-controlled Congress, which after failures to do something about the Zika virus, Puerto Ricos debt and lead-poisoned water in Flint, Mich., needed a legislative victory. The opioid package is not a done deal, though. President Obama says he wants $1.1 billion more to deal with the problem and may use that as leverage before he signs the bill.

BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO DEMOCRATS

They should feel good about their chances to take back the Senate. A new Quinnipiac poll in three key swing states  Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida  suggests that Senate races are virtually tied there. Thats good news for Senate Democrats, who need to knock off four or five Republican senators to take back control. By nominating the right candidates and playing their cards well so far, it looks like they have a shot at doing it. They may also get a little help from the presidential race. Most political experts think that if Trump is the Republican nominee, as he looks likely to be, it will put more Senate races in play for Democrats.

 Amber Phillips
Former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens before the funeral for fellow Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on February 20 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In the rapid expansion of states with voter-identification laws and the backlash of litigation that always follows, there is one constant from proponents: that the Supreme Court already has declared them constitutional.

The court ruled in 2008 that Indianas requirement for a photo ID was legal, with none other than liberal justice John Paul Stevens writing what was described as the lead opinion in a fractured 6-to-3 ruling.

[Supreme Court upholds Indiana law requiring photo IDs]

But in the years since, Stevens  who retired from the court in 2010  has never seemed comfortable with his role in the case. And he recently expressed doubts again about whether he had all the information he needed in reaching what he called a fairly unfortunate decision.

Stevens discussed Crawford v. Marion County Election Board in a conversation with his successor, Justice Elena Kagan, at the judicial conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Their gentle interrogator was a member of that court, Judge Diane P. Wood.

It was Woods question about whether judges should base their decisions only on the record before them  or whether its permissible for them to use research they conduct on their own  that led to Stevenss ruminations.

Indiana was one of the first states to enact a strict photo-ID requirement, which the Republican-controlled legislature said was needed to avoid voter fraud.

[Voters go to polls in states with new voting restrictions]

It did not matter that it could point to no evidence that fraud had occurred, the state argued. The integrity of the voting process is so important that states are allowed to put in safeguards before a problem presents itself, the state contended.

Democrats challenged the provision, saying that although the use of photo ID seems ubiquitous to most, many poor and elderly people were less likely to have the kind of identification that Indiana required. The legislatures real interest, the challengers said, was discouraging voters who tend to vote Democratic.

But a district court and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit said the challengers had not proved their case; for one thing, they lacked a compelling portrait of people who had been denied the ability to vote.

(Judge Richard Posner, who wrote the panels opinion, has since said that he got it wrong and that the photo-ID requirement is now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.)

The Supreme Court said in the 2008 case that the lower courts correctly concluded that the evidence in the record is not sufficient to support a facial attack on the validity of the entire statute.

When the court decides a law is facially unconstitutional, it means the measure could never be applied in a way that would overcome its shortcomings.

Stevens, who was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, mentioned a dozen times in the opinion that it was based on the record in the case.

I learned a lot of things outside the record that made me very concerned about that statute, Stevens said in the conversation with Kagan and Wood. So I had the question: Should I rely on my own research or whats in the record?

And I thought in that case I had a duty to confine myself to what the record did prove, and I thought it did not prove the plaintiffs case. And as a result, we ended up with a fairly unfortunate decision.

Stevens alluded to his quandary in a footnote in the opinion: Supposition based on extensive Internet research is not an adequate substitute for admissible evidence subject to cross-examination in constitutional adjudication.

In the conversation, Stevens noted that dissenting justice David H. Souter did not share his reluctance.

I thought David wrote one of his best opinions, relying partly on material that was outside the record, Stevens said.

Kagan the justice briefly became Kagan the journalist as she asked the right follow-up question after Stevens explained his approach.

Would you do it the same way again? she asked.

I think I would, replied Stevens, who turned 96 last month and mentioned that he is writing a new book. Thats a tough question. I really dont know for sure.

A Stevens switch would not have changed the outcome of the case. And some think his approach gave Roberts and Kennedy a chance to join an opinion that said future challenges to photo-ID laws were possible, rather than join fellow conservatives in a opinion that would have more firmly shut the door.

The question of how much judges should rely on their own research is a hot one, especially as the Internet has opened all sorts of possibilities.

[Should Supreme Court justices Google?]

A 2012 research paper by College of William & Mary law professor Allison Orr Larsen covering 15 years of Supreme Court decisions found more than 100 examples of asserted facts from authorities never mentioned in any of the briefs in the case.

And in the 120 cases from 2000 to 2010 rated the most salient  judged largely by whether they appeared on the front pages of newspapers  nearly 60 percent of them contained facts researched in-house.

Kagan reverted to justice status when asked by Wood about her own views.

I think you have to be careful, Kagan said, noting that Supreme Court justices are not hermetically sealed from the world around them.

[Supreme Court lets Texas voter-ID law stand--for now]

And no doubt, Kagan was thinking about the immediate future with her caution: The court is likely to be called upon to pass judgment again on photo IDs before the presidential election in November.
President Ashraf Ghani is inching closer to a peace deal with the leader of a militant group that, though largely inactive now, was a powerful force during Afghanistans civil war in the 1990s.

But a spokesman for the president said Sunday that Ghani has held off on finalizing the 25-point peace plan with warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyars Hezb-i-Islami group because of minor differences.

Dawa Khan Menapal, the spokesman, said: This is a process. There are some minor differences. It may take one day, maybe weeks or even longer. The talks began in 2014.

Hekmatyar has been a thorn in the governments side since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. But his group has been only marginally active in recent years. Its last major attack occurred in 2013, when a suicide bombing killed 15 people, including six U.S. soldiers.

Still, Ghani has been pursuing a peace plan with Hekmatyar, one that political analysts say would serve as a potential blueprint for a far more complicated deal with Taliban insurgents.

[U.S. and Afghan forces rescue Pakistani politician from al-Qaeda group]

Among other things, a draft of the deal with Hekmatyar would recognize Hezb-i-Islami as a legitimate political opposition group. The plan also would lead to the release of political prisoners and allow Hezb-i-Islami fighters to join the nations army and police forces.

The deal, which U.S. officials are encouraging, would be a symbolic victory for Ghani at a time when Afghans are losing confidence in his governments ability to pull the country out of 15 years of war.

If the draft is implemented without much change, things will move in the right direction, said Mohammad Nateqi, a political analyst and former Afghan diplomat. People need and deserve peace, and whatever small or big steps can be taken in this regard can open a window of hope for peace.

[Could U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan for decades?]

Although they support the talks, U.S. officials stopped short of fully endorsing a demand by Hekmatyar to have his name removed from a list of global terrorists and for the U.S. Treasury Department to unfreeze his assets overseas.

The United States supports an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process for a negotiated resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan, a State Department statement said.

The statement added that the United States is prepared to work with international officials toward considering a lifting of sanctions if the peace deal includes provisions that require the Hezb-i-Islami to sever ties with international terrorist organizations, renounce violence, and support rights for women and minorities.

For his part, Hekmatyar is demanding a timetable for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, a softer stance than his previous refusals to engage in talks until all troops were already gone.

But in the face of ongoing Taliban attacks, both Afghan and U.S. officials have been reluctant to deliver a timetable for a complete withdrawal of the approximately 10,000 foreign troops who remain in Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-led military operation.

Afghan political analysts were nonetheless optimistic that a deal with Hekmatyar will soon be reached.

Part of the talks have included the governments willingness to repatriate Hezb-i-Islami refugees living in Pakistan and place them in a new township to be built in Kabul, an Afghan official said.

Hekmatyar would also be designated as a consultant to the government, an offer that the former warlord who once stormed Afghan cities repeatedly in a quest for power might have scoffed at in his youth.

Now Hekmatyar, who is in his 60s and is said to be ailing, may be willing to take the offer, while Ghani can hold up the deal as proof of his efforts to bring peace in the region, said Kamal Nasir Osoli, a member of the Afghan parliament.

I think after spending 37 years mostly in Pakistan, part of it in Iran and in Afghanistan, Hekmatyar is exhausted and has realized that war cannot solve the problems, the lawmaker said. The government cannot guarantee removal of his name from the international list of terrorists but can try and is trying.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Brenda Moreno, 49, a Filipina Amerasian, was all but abandoned as a child. Why would we welcome them back? she asks. (Jes Aznar/For The Washington Post)

Theres a taunt that hangs over this former U.S. naval base, looming over kids who look a little different, shadowing single moms: Left by the ship.

The term is used to shame the offspring of U.S. servicemen and local women, to tell them that they dont belong here. That they were left behind.

Nearly 25 years ago, Philippine lawmakers expelled the U.S. warships that had docked here for almost a century, vowing to unchain the country from its colonial past, promising a fresh start. The American flag was lowered. Ships set sail. But the U.S. legacy lived on.

For decades, tens of thousands of children of U.S. military men and Filipinas, known as Filipino Amerasians, have been fighting not to be forgotten.

In 1982, Congress passed the Amerasian Immigration Act, allowing the children of U.S. service members and Asian women in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and South Korea to immigrate. Filipinos were excluded.

In the 1990s, abandoned children tried to sue the U.S. government, seeking $68 million for 8,600 minors ignored by fathers serving with the Navy and Marine Corps. When that did not work, the community backed a bill extending the Amerasian Act to include the Philippines and Japan  to no avail.

Now Chinas claims to most of the South China Sea have put the Philippines back at the heart of U.S. strategy in Asia. A new defense pact allows the U.S. military to build facilities at five Philippine bases, and a growing number of ships will be stopping by Subic Bay.

Their return is renewing questions about what the United States owes Filipino Amerasians  and stoking worries that there will be more neglected children when the ships leave harbor once again.

Why would we welcome them back? asked Brenda Moreno, 49, a Filipina Amerasian who was all but abandoned as a child. They will just create new babies that they will not support.

The fate of Subic Bay has long been tied to ships and sailors far from home.

The Spanish navy built a port here in the late 1800s and the Americans moved in when they annexed the Philippines in 1898.

During the height of the Vietnam War, Subic harbored dozens of U.S. ships, and some 30,000 Filipinos worked at the base. Thousands of others made their living in the sprawling city that surrounds it, Olongapo.

Alma Bulawan is president of the Buklod Center, an organization that helps trafficked women in Olongapo, Philippines. (Jes Aznar/For The Washington Post)

Young women from across the Philippines moved to find work in the wartime boomtown, finding jobs  and sometimes boyfriends  on base, or work in the lines of girlie bars that served as a gateway to the commercial sex trade.

It was during that era that Morenos mother, who worked in a bar, became pregnant. Moreno knows very little about her parents except that her Filipina mother gave her up when she was young. She told Moreno that her father was an African American serviceman.

Raised by another woman, Moreno was mocked for looking different than other children, teased relentlessly for her dark skin and curly hair. I wanted to change my blood, she said. I thought if I could change my blood, I might be accepted as Filipino.

In the 1980s and 1990s, as anti-colonial sentiment surged, so did the stigma of being the child of an American.

Enrico Dungca, a photographer based in New York, grew up in Angeles City, outside Clark Air Base, in the late 1970s and early 1980s and remembers the cruel words his Amerasian neighbors endured. They were called bye, bye, Daddy, half dollar or souvenir.

I saw the bullying back then, said Dungca, who is now working on a photo project about the lives of Filipino Amerasians. And I see how it still affects them now.

A disproportionate number of Filipino Amerasians live on the margins of the margins, enduring high rates of poverty and ill health, even by Philippine standards. Often abandoned as infants or raised by young single mothers, many have struggled to find their feet as adults.

After a chaotic childhood in Manila, Moreno returned to Subic at 23 to find work and entered the sex trade, working the same stretch of girlie bars as her mom had. She found a sense of place and purpose volunteering at a sex-worker-led rights group, Buklod, but never gave up hope of connecting with her father.

That quest is a touchstone for many here who treasure even the smallest fragments of information  a name, military branch or faded picture. Some are simply curious about where they came from. Others are looking for a lifeline or a way out.

Online message boards and Facebook groups such as Amerasian Children Looking For Their American GI Fathers are full of young Filipinos seeking information about fathers they never met. Occasionally, a former military man posts requests for information about the woman and child he left behind.

Richfield Jimenez, 40, a welder in Subic, heard about his American father as a boy, but stopped asking his mother about him because the questions always brought tears. Since his mother, Salud Parilla, died in 2013, he has wondered about finding his dad but is not sure where to start. He may have lived in Arkansas, Jimenez said  thats all he knows.

Those who locate their fathers dont always get the welcome or recognition they crave. To be eligible for U.S. citizenship, the Philippine-born children of Americans must get paternity certifications by the time they turn 18. Those separated from their fathers when the base closed in 1992 are no longer eligible.

When Washington and Manila started talking about the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that will see more U.S. troops on Philippine soil, many advocates for Filipino Amerasians saw an opportunity. So far, though, there has been no talk of a deal.

Although many people in Subic and Olongapo welcome the cash that comes with visiting ships, some are wary of the U.S. return.

Alma Bulawan, president of Buklod, the rights group, says they are bracing for a rise in abandoned and neglected children.

In her decades in Subic, she has seen an endless stream of ships and sailors. The one constant: They leave.

Sherwin Alfaro in Subic Bay contributed to this report.

Read more:

Rise of Philippines Duterte stirs uncertainty in the South China Sea

With China pressing south, U.S. ships return to the Philippines Subic Bay

Forty years after the fall of Saigon, soldiers children are still left behind

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Egyptians demonstrate against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on April 25 in Cairo. More than 150 protesters were convicted May 14 for breaking a law that effectively bans demonstrations. (Mostafa Darwish/AP)

Egyptian courts have in a single day convicted 152 protesters of breaking a law that effectively bans demonstrations, sentencing them to up to five years in prison in mass trials.

The cases against the 152 convicted over the weekend are rooted in events on April 25, when police stifled planned demonstrations called to protest the governments surrender to Saudi Arabia of two Red Sea islands under a deal negotiated in near-total secrecy.

Police arrested more than 1,200 people during the run-up to April 25 and on the day, but released most of them without charge. But nearly 300 were referred to trial for allegedly breaking the 2013 protest law.

On Saturday, a Cairo court convicted and sentenced 51 people to prison for two years for their part in the protests.

Later that day, a judge presiding over two other trials of protesters convicted 101 defendants of breaking the same law and sentenced them to five years in prison, according to officials and defense lawyers.

They said that 79 of them were fined $10,000 each and that 72 of the 152 were tried in absentia.

The verdict in the case of the 51 protesters was announced after just two hearings, said defense lawyer Sarah Rabee of the al-Haqaniya rights group.

She added that the judge evicted the media, denied families access to the defendants, and turned down a request by the defense to access footage from security cameras in downtown Cairo, which it said would show that there were no demonstrations in the area that day.

In the case of the 101 defendants, the judge also issued his verdict in the second hearing, according to defense lawyer Ahmed Othman.

It is not uncommon for Egyptian courts to convict large numbers of defendants in mass trials. Hundreds of supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi were sentenced to death or life imprisonment in trials held in the nearly three years since the Islamist leader was ousted by the military, then led by Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, the current president.

Scores of young pro-democracy activists also have been imprisoned since Morsis ouster.

Sissi often speaks in defense of the judiciary, saying it is independent. Rights activists say that the judiciary is beholden to the countrys executive.

The deal over the islands has sparked mounting criticism of Sissi by activists and an array of politicians, with many asserting that it amounted to a sell-off to oil-rich Saudi Arabia in return for a multibillion dollar aid package to Egypt announced by the Saudis last month.

Sissi insists that the islands belong to the Saudis and has demanded an end to public criticism of the deal.

The president has in recent weeks repeatedly stated that he has a duty to balance safeguarding human rights with the fight against a resilient insurgency by Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula and efforts to revive the economy.

His stance continues to enjoy the support of a majority of Egyptians. But the islands deal and a steep rise in prices, primarily food and utilities, are cutting into his popularity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on May 15. (Menahem Kahana/AP)

French officials said Sunday that they will continue to press ahead with plans to host a multilateral Middle East peace conference later this year, despite hearing, in blunt language, that Israel doesnt really like the idea.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to promote what diplomats are calling the French Initiative, a still evolving and admittedly vague diplomatic project that seeks to bring global attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and find consensus among the international community on how to move forward with a two-state solution.

The French are planning to host about 30 foreign ministers  from Europe and the Middle East as well as Russia, China and India  at a preparatory meeting at the end of this month, which could lead to a peace conference later this year.

Neither Israel nor the Palestinians, who support the French Initiative, will attend the May meeting in Paris.

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry has not said whether he would be there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, left, meet in Jerusalem on May 15. (Menahem Kahana/AP)

Israeli officials have been pressing Washington to pour cold water on the French effort, which seeks to fill the vacuum left behind by the Obama administration, which declared that it would not be making any major move to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

The Palestinians want a sovereign state with established borders based on 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as their capital and a right of return for refugees.

Netanyahu in the past has said he supports a two-state solution, but he also promised voters in the most recent election that it would not happen on his watch.

The prime minister has warned that any future state for Palestinians would quickly be taken over by Islamist radicals bent on Israels destruction.

Recently, Netanyahu has said he is willing to talk anywhere, anytime with the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, without preconditions  although the prime minister also insisted Abbas recognize Israel as a Jewish state for talks to move forward.

Netanyahu told Ayrault that Israel is not interested in international conferences, including the French Initiative.

I told him that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions, Netanyahu said after the meeting.

The French foreign minister told the Israeli media, We arent giving up, and neither are our partners.

Ayrault said that Netanyahus call for direct negotiations with the Palestinians has been stalled since U.S.-brokered talks imploded in the spring of 2014, and that something needs to be done to break the impasse.

I know that there is strong opposition. This is not new and it wont discourage us. The conference will take place, Ayrault said, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The goal is to help return to negotiations, he said.

Netanyahu is always looking for excuses not to talk, said a Palestinian diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing, adding that the Palestinians support the French Initiative because U.S. efforts to broker a deal have failed.

Its important to get out of the U.S. orbit and expand the players. Of course, the United States will be a party, but it cannot be the only one, the diplomat said.

Dore Gold, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: Israel has been very clear. We are not going to accept the French Initiative. We think it is a big mistake and we are not going to get involved.

Gold said that successful peace talks with Egypt and Jordan were conducted as direct negotiations, not multilaterally.

Read more

Israel hopes a cyber-city in the desert will coax young people away from Tel Aviv

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Israel are losing the Internet war

Israeli minister: Criticizing Israel is the new anti-Semitism

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

It will be possible to export the Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey at least after four years, Israel's Consul-General in Istanbul Shai Cohen told the Hurriyet newspaper.

Currently, Israel has a real potential to supply its natural gas to European markets, he added.

The diplomat noted that first of all, the approval of Knesset (Israel's parliament) is needed for starting the supply of Israeli gas to European markets through Turkey.

Earlier, the CEO of Turkish Turcas Petrol A.S. Batu Aksoy said that 15 energy companies have expressed interest in joining the consortium which is planned to be created for transporting the Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey.



Experts believe that even if Israel starts to export its natural gas through Turkey, it will have to use Azerbaijan's TANAP project for this purpose.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey.

Turkey will get gas in 2018 and after completing the construction of Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), it will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

Currently, the shareholders of TANAP are: the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) - 58 percent, Botas - 30 percent and BP - 12 percent.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
MEXICO

Court clears soldiers accused of massacre

Citing a lack of evidence, a court has freed the last three soldiers accused of homicide in a 2014 incident in which at least a dozen suspects were allegedly executed after they surrendered.

The Mexican army reported in June 2014 that 22 presumed drug criminals had died in a clash with the soldiers at a warehouse in the town of Tlatlaya west of Mexico City. It said that only one soldier was wounded.

But the Associated Press found that evidence at the site did not match the armys account and that blood splatter indicated that some of those slain were standing against a wall when shot. The governments Human Rights Commission later reported that its investigation determined that at least 12 and probably 15 people had been executed at the warehouse. It also said there were attempts by civilian and military authorities to cover up what happened. Three women who survived said agents of the prosecutors office in the state of Mexico, where Tlatlaya is located, had tortured them to back the armys version. The accused soldiers claimed that such stories were made up to discredit the military, which is engaged in a war with powerful drug cartels. Seven soldiers were charged in military and civilian courts.

A civilian judge earlier dismissed charges against four of the seven, and the new ruling, issued Friday, cleared the three other soldiers.

 Associated Press

Battle over hospital in Syria: Islamic State fighters launched an offensive against government forces in eastern Syria on Saturday and captured several buildings, including a hospital, in clashes that left more than two dozen people dead on both sides in the town of Deir el-Zour. It was later reported that the hospital had returned to Syrian forces control. The town is split between government forces and ISIS fighters.

Three killed in brawl at cemetery: Three people were killed and two dozen were wounded Saturday in a mass brawl at Moscows largest cemetery. Witnesses said the melee was sparked by a rivalry between ethnic groups battling for control of the burial business. About 200 people, some armed with guns and other weapons, took part in the clashes at the vast Khovanskoye cemetery in southwest Moscow, and more than 90 people were detained after riot police broke up the brawl, police and witnesses said.

Venezuelas Maduro announces military exercises: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday announced undefined military exercises for the embattled nation, just a day after pledging to prolong his governments special emergency powers. Maduros moves added to the sense of political and economic tension gripping the country. Supporters of opposition groups that are urging a presidential recall vote demonstrated simultaneously on Saturday.

 From news services
Aden (AFP) - A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group and a second blast killed 47 police Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule ended last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS in the city of 200,000 people that was recaptured by government forces from the rival jihadists of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 41 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said after earlier giving a toll of 31 dead.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt after joining a line of men at a police recruiting centre, a provincial official said.

More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

Hadramawt's security chief, General Mubarak al-Oubthani, was at the recruitment centre at the time of the attack but was not hurt.

However, he was the target of a second bombing afterwards as he was preparing to head into central Mukalla, a security official said.

The bomb exploded as Oubthani walked out of his office, killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.

An IS statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, a second rare operation by the jihadist group in an area known to be a stronghold of its Al-Qaeda rivals.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 soldiers were killed in jihadist attacks outside Mukalla. IS said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city's eastern outskirts.

The attacks included a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of the commander of Hadramawt's second military region, General Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped unharmed, officials said.

- Suspected suicide bomber -

On Sunday, troops guarding an army post in Khalf opened fire on a vehicle after they suspected its driver of being a suicide bomber, a security official said, adding the vehicle sped away.

Story continues

The general boasted on Friday that his forces had captured some 250 Al-Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla and nearby coastal towns, including its commander for the city of Shihr, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.

Al-Qaeda was driven out of the area last month with the backing of Emirati and Saudi special forces.

The Pentagon revealed last week that a "very small number" of US military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation.

The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, USS Boxer, and two destroyers.

The offensive against Al-Qaeda comes amid a truce and peace talks between the government and Iran-backed rebels it has been fighting with support from a Saudi-led coalition since March last year.

Speaking in Kuwait, the UN special envoy to Yemen said he was optimistic despite unresolved "difficult matters".

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference.

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

Jihadists from both Al-Qaeda and IS took advantage of the conflict in the country to expand their presence in Hadramawt and other areas of the south, including second city Aden where the government has its base.

IS has claimed several attacks on government and coalition targets in Aden in recent months.

Washington regards Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has stepped up a longstanding drone war against it in recent weeks.

But the jihadists retain a strong presence and still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Beauty standards are different everywhere, including the kind of makeup we apply and how we do it. In the tutorial East Meets West, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge teaches us some of the key differences between makeup in the West (primarily Europe and North America) and East Asia (Japan and Korea, in particular).



Related: Glow International With These Asian Beauty Products

Eldridge explains that she is a former creative director for the Japanese beauty company Shiseido, so shes spent a while studying beauty trends in Japan, Korea, and the U.S. Its always so vastly different, she says in the video.



Here are some of the makeup tricks shes picked up from East Asia that might surprise those in the Western hemisphere.

Related: The Met Gala Looks You NEED To See



Base is for brightening.

In Korea, the goal of applying foundation is to make your face look brighter, which means the shade is often a bit lighter than your skin tone and the finish is shinier than what youd see in the West. Japanese makeup used to include more of a matte base, but Eldridge explains it has picked up Korean influences and become dewier.

Related: Gigi Hadids Manicure Cost $2,000



Hiding undereye circles.

In Korea, undereye circles are considered youthful, cute, and puppyish, Eldridge says. Sometimes, women will even shade under their eyes instead of using concealer. The Japanese are more likely to use concealer under the eyes to brighten them, like many Americans and Europeans do.



Using concealer.

Japanese and Korean women often dont use concealer on top of foundation. Instead, Eldridge says, theyll often take a makeup cushion and spread their foundation around in areas they want to hide.

Related: Bath & Body Works Is Re-releasing Scents From The 90s



Eyeliner is very minimal.

Eyeliner in East Asia is usually brown and often very thin. The line hugs the lashes and doesnt extend past the corners of the eye.

Related: This Is What Female-Directed Porn Looks Like



False lashes are more popular.

While false lashes have started to pick up in the West, many women in Japan and Korea have been using them on a daily basis for years. They also come in a wider range of styles, with finer ones being more popular.



In the video above, Eldrige does her face up according to each cultures conventions. The results are different, but equally stunning.



Story continues

Related: What Going Paleo Did To My Body

To watch the full video pictured above, click here.



By: Suzannah Weiss
A large group of environmental activists continued a mass action against one of Europes largest coal mines, in Germany, on May 14.

On Friday, May 13, activists shut down the mine in Proschim, run by Swedish power company Vattenfall. Another group of demonstrators occupied a railway outside of the mine, which is normally used to transport coal to the nearby Schwarze Pumpe power plant.

More than 100 activists were reportedly arrested on Saturday.

Clashes were reported between Vatenfall security staff and the demonstrators.

This footage is described as showing activists making their way to the power plant.

The protest, which began on May 13, was part of the Break Free from Fossil Fuels action, a global campaign against the use of fossil fuels like coal and oil. Credit: YouTube/Ende Gelande
By James Mackenzie and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Thousands of members of Afghanistan's Hazara minority are expected to join protests in Kabul on Monday over a multi-million-dollar power line development that risks becoming a major political battleground for the government. The planned demonstration follows one of the largest rallies in Kabul in years last November over the murder of a group of Hazara, which focused widespread public discontent with the government. The line between Turkmenistan and Kabul is intended to provide electricity for up to 10 million people in 10 provinces including Kabul from 2018, but a dispute has broken out over what route it should follow. Hazara leaders, including second vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish and Mohammad Mohaqiq, deputy to government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, want the line to be routed through two provinces with large Hazara populations. President Ashraf Ghani's government says that option would cause years of delay and add millions in extra costs for little additional benefit. With only 30 percent of Afghanistan connected to electricity and blackouts a regular problem, strengthening the power system has been a top priority as the government tries to rebuild an economy shattered by decades of war. But the dispute threatens to overshadow the project, part of the TUTAP plan backed by the Asian Development Bank to link the energy-rich Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The latest version of the plan would see the line bring electricity from Turkmenistan via a converter station in the northern town of Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul through the mountainous Salang pass north of the Afghan capital. Hazara leaders want to stick with an earlier version that foresaw a longer route from Pul-e-Khumri through the Bamyan and Wardak provinces, west of Kabul. The government and national power company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) say the current plan ensures robust supplies to Bamyan and Wardak and changing it would delay the project by up to three years. "The issue is now purely political," said Mirwais Alami, acting chief executive of DABS. He said protest leaders were disregarding technical and economic arguments against changing the planned route. Hazara protesters heckled Ghani during a visit to London last week and on Sunday, hundreds demonstrated in Ghazni, a city with a big Hazara population, chanting "TUTAP must pass through Bamyan". The mainly Shia Hazara have long faced persecution with thousands massacred by the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 1990s. More recently, they have been regular targets for kidnapping and murders. The government, wary of further turbulence, has tried to reassure protesters, saying representatives would be invited to join a commission considering the decision. "This is a technical issue, but given that there are protests and dissatisfaction, these must be reviewed," Ghani's deputy spokesman Zafar Hashimi said. (Additional reporting Mustafa Andalib in Ghazni; editing by John Stonestreet)
Tens of thousands of minority Shiite Hazaras demonstrated through the streets of Kabul Monday, demanding that a key power transmission line pass through their electricity-starved province, in the second major anti-government protest in recent months.

Authorities locked down central Kabul, blocking key intersections with stacked shipping containers as the protesters marched on the presidential palace, holding unlit lanterns and banners with slogans such as "justice and light".

The demonstration, which spotlights the war-torn nation's turbulent politics, follows one of the biggest anti-government rallies for years last November, which was galvanised by the beheading of a group of Hazaras.

Some protesters pelted rocks at officials and banged on the sides of containers, prompting police to sporadically use water cannon against them but the demonstration was largely peaceful.

"(President) Ashraf Ghani is hiding himself behind blast walls," Dawood Naji, a Hazara leader, told flag-waving demonstrators, drawing rousing applause.

"We can break down these containers if we want but we are here to protest in a civilised way for our rights."

Authorities shut down roads to the presidential palace, fearing a repeat of the violence in November when protesters tried to scale the walls of the compound.

The 500-kilovolt TUTAP power line, which would connect the Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with electricity-hungry Afghanistan and Pakistan, is seen as a crucial infrastructure project.

But it has been mired in controversy, with leaders from the minority group demanding that the line be routed through Bamiyan, one of the most deprived areas of Afghanistan with a large Hazara population.

The line was originally set to pass through the central province but the government rerouted it through the mountainous Salang pass north of Kabul, saying the shorter route would speed up the project and save millions of dollars.

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Hazara leaders in the ethnically divided nation lashed out at the Pashtun president, calling the decision prejudiced against the Hazaras, a community that has suffered a long history of oppression.

- Persecuted community -

"Bamiyan has seen no development in 15 years (since the Taliban were toppled from power)," Hazara lawmaker Arif Rahmani told AFP.

"We are demanding justice, not charity."

Ghani has appointed a commission to review the multi-million-dollar project and assured the protesters that Bamiyan would receive electricity from it even if the transmission line does not pass through the province.

The rally comes in the midst of the Taliban's annual spring offensive launched last month and authorities said the streets were blocked with shipping containers to prevent any insurgent attacks during the protests.

The dispute, which highlights the challenges of modernising the country, threatens to overshadow the TUTAP project, which is due to be implemented by 2018 and could help ease crippling nationwide blackouts.

Monday's protest underscores Ghani's rising unpopularity amid endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and a worsening 15-year Taliban insurgency.

Hazara protesters last week repeatedly heckled Ghani during an anti-corruption summit in London.

The three million-strong Afghan Hazara community has been persecuted for decades, with thousands killed in the late 1990s by Al-Qaeda and the mainly Pashtun and Sunni Taliban.

There has been a surge in violence against the community, with a series of kidnappings and killings in recent months that have triggered a wave of fury on social media.

Last November thousands of protesters marched coffins containing the decapitated bodies of seven Hazaras through the Afghan capital.

Their bodies were found in the southern province of Zabul, which is under Taliban control and has been the scene of clashes between rival militant factions.

Ghani called the killings "the shared pain of a nation" and accused the militants of trying to divide Afghanistan.
By Ginger Gibson and David Lawder WASHINGTON, 2016 - A top aide to Donald Trump said on Sunday he did not believe the Republican presidential front-runner posed as his own spokesman to brag about his personal life, a controversy that came as Democrats sharpen their attacks on the billionaire's character. The Washington Post released an audio recording on Friday of a man who identified himself as Trump publicist "John Miller" and talked about the real estate tycoon's romantic encounters in a 1991 conversation with a People magazine reporter. After listening to the tape while appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" show, senior Trump adviser Paul Manafort said he did not believe it was the Republican candidate's voice despite his past admissions of sometimes using a pseudonym. "I could barely understand it," Manafort said. "I couldn't tell who it is. Donald Trump says it's not him, I believe it's not him." Trump told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that the voice was not his, although he has admitted in years past to using at least one pseudonym to speak to reporters. The original People article, which ran in 1991, winkingly described Miller as "a mysterious PR man who sounds just like Donald." Within a few days of that article, Sue Carswell, the People reporter who originally made the recording, reported that Trump had admitted that he posed as Miller as a joke and had apologized for it. Trump earlier this month effectively locked up the Republican nomination to run in the Nov. 8 presidential election and has been working to try to unify his party after many of its leaders opposed his candidacy. Leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's allies have described Trump as "deceptive" and honed in on his treatment of women. Clinton has begun attacking Trump more aggressively since he effectively secured the nomination, deriding his character and recently suggesting he is hiding something by not releasing his tax returns. Trump has reacted angrily to criticism he sometimes reduces women to their appearances, and in turn has criticized Clinton for how she and her husband, Bill Clinton, treated women who accused the former president of sexual indiscretions. Bill Clinton has admitted to having extra-marital affairs with two women: Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, and Gennifer Flowers, a singer and actor from Arkansas. On Sunday, Trump used his Twitter account to deride a New York Times article in which several women said he had "unnerved" them over the years with comments about their looks and unwelcome advances. The article also said he had a good track record of promoting women to senior positions, which was rare in the real estate industry. "Everyone is laughing at the @nytimes for the lame hit piece they did on me and women," went one message posted on Trump's account on Sunday. 'LOTS OF PEOPLE USE PEN NAMES' Democratic President Barack Obama used a commencement speech at a university on Sunday to criticize Trump's positions, including a proposal to temporarily ban non-American Muslims from entering the United States. "Isolating or disparaging Muslims, suggesting that they should be treated differently when it comes to entering this country, that is not just a betrayal of our values, that is not who Americans are," he told the students at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Although it was widely reported in the early 1990s that Trump sometimes posed as a fake spokesman in order to shape media coverage, the recording of what is said to be such an occurrence only emerged a few days ago. It quickly rippled through American media. The comedy television program "Saturday Night Live" showed a skit with an actor posing as Trump calling reporters pretending to be his own spokesman, named John Pepperoni. Trump's willingness to pose as a fake spokesman first emerged in 1990, when he testified during a lawsuit that he had used the pseudonym John Baron, sometimes rendered in news reports as John Barron, when speaking to journalists by telephone. "Lots of people use pen names," Newsday quoted Trump as saying after his testimony. "Ernest Hemingway used one." (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York and Timothy Gardner in Piscataway, New Jersey; Editing by Alan Crosby and Paul Simao)
Michael Hayden.

Michael Hayden didn't mince words when asked about Donald Trump's proposal to bar Muslim immigrants and tourists from entering the US.

It's not legally possible, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency told Business Insider in an interview. It's morally reprehensible.

And, frankly, "it's dumb as dirt."

"Why in God's name would you want to close the borders of our nation to the adherence to one of the world's great monotheisms?" Hayden said during an interview in Business Insider's Manhattan headquarters.

It was part of extensive comments critical of Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee of whom many top Republican officials remain wary.

Hayden, the former director of the National Security Agency whom President George W. Bush nominated in 2006 to head the CIA, is one of a number of prominent past and present national-security officials who have remained skeptical of Trump's qualifications as commander in chief.

Hayden took aim at Trump over his plan to erect a wall along the US-Mexico border, his proposal to bar Muslims from entering the US, and his suggestion that the US might have to target the families of terrorists, among other things.

"He has not shown me the capacity to treat international issues with the complexity and seriousness that they deserve," Hayden said. "And again, if I'm supposed to ignore those things  'that was just done for the crowd'  frankly, that's an even worse problem. I'm going to take him at face value."

Hayden's first two choices succumbed to Trump. He had endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, swinging to Ohio Gov. John Kasich after Bush's ouster from the race.

Now? Out of the three major-party candidates left, Hayden says Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, is best prepared in terms of national security.

"Of the candidates left, the only one who in any way seems to embrace the American liberal post-World War II foreign-policy consensus, have a fairly active American role in global things  the only one left standing is Hillary Clinton," Hayden said.

Story continues

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by family members as he speaks during a campaign victory party after rival candidate Senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination following the results of the Indiana state primary, at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Hayden is hardly alone in the pantheon of national-security officials, especially those who have served in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who served under both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told Business Insider in January that it was difficult for him to imagine a Trump administration. Though he didn't name Trump specifically, he criticized what he portrayed as candidates' fantastical proposals.

And Leon Panetta, who worked as both secretary of defense and CIA director, said in an interview published Friday that Trump's foreign policy is simply "crazy."

"The difference between Secretary Clinton and Trump  I mean, Trump is talking about the world in a way that takes us back to the 1930s. I mean, he's talking almost isolationism, America first. He's talking about distributing A-bombs around the world. Those are crazy positions," Panetta told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

He added:

I'm not sure what he stands for. I'm not sure what his positions are. He takes one position one day, he takes another position the next day. He takes positions on, you know, immigration and building a wall, on getting rid of 11 million immigrants. He talks about distributing atomic weapons so that it's OK if Japan gets atomic weapons, if Korea gets atomic weapons. He says these things almost as if he's not even thinking. And then, you know, the next day he kind of changes his position to try to soften some of the things he says.

For his part, Hayden suggested Clinton is the best choice in the narrow lane of national security and foreign policy. But other policy prescriptions, he said, would make him hesitate before casting a vote for either of the likely nominees.

Hayden has been struck by the phenomenon of both Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who remains a challenger to Clinton for the Democratic nomination. But he said they represent a "primal scream" from each party's electorates that doesn't necessarily translate to governance.

"I get that. I understand the anger. I'm kind of angry, too," he said. "But sooner or later, you have to realize you can't govern on a primal scream  that you need more stuff behind it. And I haven't seen the stuff."

NOW WATCH: The real story behind Trump's taco bowl tweet





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The manager of a Spanish company has said the two countries have started new joint petrochemical projects, IRNA reported.

Chief Executive Officer of AIRSEC S.A. Javier Lopez who participated in The 21st Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition told IRNA that the documents signed with Iran were related to state projects.

Lopez reiterated that joint investment with Iranian companies is AIRSEC's plan.

He added that AIRSEC and Iran have had cooperation since 2002.

He said that AIRSEC also cooperated in Imam Khomeini port's petrochemical project and the cooperation was mostly in selling spare parts.

AIRSEC, with over 65 years of experience, is active in designing and constructing air conditioning industrial equipment.

The 21st Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition was held with the participation of 1900 domestic and foreign firms on May 5-8, 2016.


Anti-austerity protesters converged on Madrids Puerta del Sol on Sunday, May 15, marking the fifth anniversary of the Spanish Indignados movement. The rally at the square in central Madrid, that was home to the protest anti-austerity movements encampment in 2011, also drew connections to a new wave of protests, this time originating in France and dubbed Nuit Debout.

The Indignados movement gave rise to Spains third largest political party today, Podemos. Credit: Twitter/@numeroteca
By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police have charged five men suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join Islamic State via a journey that would start in a small motor boat taking them to Indonesia and the Philippines. The men, aged between 21 and 31, were charged on Saturday with preparing to enter a foreign country "for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," an offense that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Australian Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters on Sunday "their intentions to travel to the Middle East to engage in terrorist war fighting were known to the authorities," and that their passports had earlier been canceled. The five, who were not named, were arrested on Tuesday after towing the seven-meter motor boat almost 3,000 km (1,865 miles) from Melbourne to Cairns in northern Queensland state, police said. The men, in custody since Tuesday, will appear in court on Monday. Brandis said that when it became clear to the men they could not leave "in an orthodox way, they remained under surveillance so that if they attempted to leave the country in this very unusual way they would be able to be stopped and they were." There is "an unusual character to the plot, I know it has been ridiculed, but these are serious crimes," he said. NO CURRENT THREAT A separate police statement said there is no current threat of a terrorist act to the Australian community arising from this investigation. Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of potential ones. There have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead. About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organizations such as Islamic State, Australia's Immigration Minister said last month. Police said earlier this week that it was unclear where the men had planned to put the boat in the water. Indonesia and Australia share a maritime border, but it spans several hundred kilometers of open sea at its narrowest point. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Melbourne-born radical preacher Musa Cerantonio, a vocal supporter of Islamic State who was deported from the Philippines to Australia in 2014, was among those charged. Police declined to comment on the report. On Sunday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she will attend Syria peace talks in Vienna on Tuesday co-chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. (This story has been refiled to add a missing word in first paragraph, and delete the extraneous word in last paragraph) (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
It was a frigid winter in Uzbekistan and Sanjar Umarov stood shoeless and shivering in the middle of the prison courtyard for hours, fighting the freezing cold. It was torture. But his punishment was light in comparison to the other prisoners, he knew. He could hear their bloodcurdling screams. Like him, a notorious opposition leader, many were guilty of simply standing up to the president, Islam Karimov.

Umarov and the men and women who shared his pain in that Uzbek prison are not alone, of course. Political repression has survived the end of the Cold War and the advent of the internet quite nicely, thank you  just look to Bashar al-Assads Syria or Robert Mugabes Zimbabwe. Indeed, 2,600 years after its birth in Athens, democracy is having a tougher go of it than one might expect. In its 2015 Democracy Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit reckons that just 12 percent of the worlds population lives in what it calls full democracy, down from about 15 percent in 2014. Three in 10 people live under regimes where challenging the status quo is likely to land them in prison, get them tortured or worse. The headline of a survey by the nonprofit Freedom House tells a similar tale. Its title: Discarding Democracy: Return to the Iron Fist.

No doubt that technology has made it harder for dictatorships to stay isolated, says Natasha Ezrow, an expert in authoritarian regimes at the University of Essex. Repressive rulers now have to deal with insurgencies on Facebook and Twitter; a Whatsapp group can be tougher to quash than, say, an assembly in the town square (unless, of course, you dont mind shutting down the whole countrys telecom, which, hey, happens). But that doesnt mean they are going to disappear anytime soon.

The Democracy Index counts 51 dictatorships around the world. These are states without free elections, civil liberties and an independent media, governed by rulers who knock down Umarov and others who try to stand up. Few of these strongmen  and the vast majority are men  attract global attention. Surprisingly or not, the worlds lesser-known rulers with an iron fist can be just as awful as, if not more so, the Kim Jong-uns of the world. Which is to say: Long after Vladimir Putin finally rides into his sunset  shirtless and bareback, of course  his tyrannical brethren will still be with us.

***

There are those who argue that dictatorship has its benefits  and not just for the dictators. Authoritarians, they say, can stabilize volatile regions, where elections are often a gamble that risks sparking violent turmoil. Dont be surprised if you see Western powers turning a blind eye to Paul Kagames ever-longer rule in Rwanda. Many, inside and out, credit him for restoring stability and a kind of harmony to the country, which lay in genocidal ruin 20 years ago, and for its economic growth.

The linchpin of the dictatorship-can-be-good argument is China. Economically, it has outperformed its equally populous but democratic neighbor India, and some political observers credit an authoritarian government that pushed through radical economic reforms. This could not have been done without strong leadership bent on pushing such policies, perhaps even to the point of employing coercion against opponents, argues Honorary Professor of Development Studies at the Graduate Institute of Geneva Claude Auroi in his book The Role of the State in Development Processes. The argument has its many critics, many of them Chinese.

Dictators are not fundamentally different from democratic political leaders. They want the same: to impose their will. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Of course, the line between democracy and dictatorship can be blurry. The Democracy Index rates the United States a full democracy  but only barely, thanks to race-based police violence, Congressional gridlock and wiretapping. Even in countries with regular elections, its easy to question the legitimacy of an election when candidates are bankrolled by a handful of uber-wealthy donors and no new parties stand a chance of entering the political arena. In recent months, commentators left and right have wrung their hands over Donald J. Trumps alleged dictatorial tendencies. Others argue that the American two-party system itself functions as a kind of repression.

Dictators are not fundamentally different from democratic political leaders, argues Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, political scientist, professor at New York University and author of The Dictators Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics. They operate in a different environment, but they want the same: to impose their will.

But living in a dictatorship is much different than living in democracy. It is to live in terror, to fear saying the wrong thing to the wrong person  and to accept that terror as the normal state of affairs. Whether in Southeast Asia or sub-Saharan Africa, our requests to interview citizens about their strongmen rulers were met with some version of the same answer: Please dont contact me again, I know youre just trying to do your job, but I cant help you, This is completely off the record, right? Because I want to be able to go back And their press offices? Radio silence.

Autocratic regimes do not survive on brute force, intimidation and media control alone. Nearly all of them rely on a little help from their friends. Laos, for example, has buddied up with its autocratic neighbors Thailand, Vietnam and older brother China. Russia is a good patron to a number of small dictatorships, including Belarus, a country thats remained impermeable to democratic change despite its proximity to Europe. Sometimes the strategy can backfire if your sugar daddy goes broke  in the wake of Russias economic downturn, Belarus President Lukashenkos throne is starting to wobble.

In dictatorships, like so much else, size matters. And smaller is better.

If bigger and badder allies are not an option, another way to get away with dictatorship is to have deeply troubled neighbors  ideally a combination of human-rights violators and terrorists. Ethiopia, for example, a repressive regime without a doubt, comes across like a prodigal child next to the bombshell that is Somalia. The same goes for Uzbekistan, which is being courted by both Russia and the U.S. despite its grisly body count of dissidents. Why? Afghanistan. Karimovs country is the geopolitical cork in the bottle of terrorism and heroin trafficking that no one is willing to pop. Hence the recent multimillion-dollar military donation to a man who is reputed for boiling prisoners alive.

In dictatorships, like so much else, size matters. And, with the exception of China, smaller is better. Rivers of ink flow about Zimbabwes elections while nothing is written about the lack thereof in tiny Swaziland. Its king would likely be a monster if he ruled a large country, but with fewer subjects than residents of Manhattan, King Mswatis eccentricities may seem more cute than cruel. The same goes for Nicaragua. The country that had the U.S. obsessed during the Cold War now flies comfortably under its radar, even as President Ortega continues to hoard power and threatens to split the country in two with a pharaonic new channel.

***

Enough on how dictators stay in power. How to put an end to these half-forgotten black holes of human rights? The first step might be to dispense with the notion that a popular uprising is enough. The image of citizens flocking the streets demanding change makes for great television, but few autocrats have been toppled by protest, and the ensuing power vacuums can be dangerous. Five years after the wave of hope and outrage that was the Arab Spring, Syria has become the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

Similarly, international interventions arent enough, either. Even NATO-freed Libya has descended into chaos, bad enough that citizens in the capital, Tripoli, have started to look back on the Qaddafi period as one of stability, says journalist Callum Paton, who has been covering the conflict. The 174,000 dead civilians from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan show that planting the seed of democracy can be a bloody business.

Instead, ridding the world of dictators will likely require fresh, counterintuitive approaches. Like asking nicely. Seriously: Some believe that carrots work better than sticks, and their reasoning is sound. After all, being a dictator is a dangerous job: Two out of three are ousted and it must be hard to sleep knowing that, somewhere at International Criminal Court, theres a fat dossier with your name on it. Even democratic leaders need soft landings. Until last year, Boston University ran an African President-in-Residence program for ex-African presidents. And, as an incentive for democratic behavior, theres the Ibrahim Prize  a $5 million payment plus a couple hundred thousand every year  for a former African head of state or of government who sticks to his constitutionally mandated term.

What needs to done is to bring everyone together, the ruler, the opposition, the civil society and the business community, and draw a road map toward genuine democracy, says Jeffrey Smith, an expert in small dictatorships at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The examples are few but encouraging. The king of Spain in 1973 was given total power yet decided to turn the country into a democracy. In the 90s, several West African nations drew such road maps. Olusegun Obasanjo in Nigeria, for example, gave away his power to later be democratically elected.

The other winning strategy is to strengthen the rule of law. Instead of backing rebels who are likely to become dictators as soon as they step into the presidential palace, why not help create an army of lawyers and judges? Its a fine idea, one that nearly everyone supports  but generating the resolve and long-term investments is another story. Judges, courthouses and clerks receive very little funding, says Ezrow.

So democracy could, indeed, win someday. We only need to sweet talk megalomaniacs into letting go of their hard-won, and addictive, power while educating an entire generation of would-be law students. Just that.

The governments of Uzbekistan, Syria, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Oman, China, India, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Belarus, Russia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Swaziland, Nicaragua, Eritrea, Yemen, Libya, Spain and Nigeria did not reply to requests for comment for this story.

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After getting her Twitter account suspended, Azealia Banks is finally apologizing for years of hurling sexual, racial and religious slurs on the social media site, saying she's now aware of the toll her words can have on people.

The Harlem rapper posted a statement on Instagram Saturday night that sharply contrasts the lengthy messages she was posting to the photo sharing app before, in which she said her Twitter account was only suspended when she started to tweet about white supremacy, and tried to justify using racial slurs against Zayn Malik.

It might have been the softest Banks we've seen in years  addressing radically racist tweets she sent toward Malik the same day he released a new music video, referring to him as a "faggot" and "sand nigga."

A photo posted by Azealia Banks (@azealiabanks) on May 14, 2016 at 3:52pm PDT

"I want to extend my sincerest apologies to the world. Employing racial/sexual slurs/stereotypes in attempts to make fun of or degrade another person or group is absolutely unacceptable and is not fair or fun for anyone," Banks wrote. "Allowing my anger to get the best of me, I've managed to insult millions of people without reason. And for that I give my deepest apologies."

The controversial artist then referenced her fight with Malik, a vitriol attack which sparked the positive trending hashtag #CurryScentedBitch using Banks' own words, saying it all stemmed from a New York City inside joke.

A photo posted by Azealia Banks (@azealiabanks) on May 14, 2016 at 10:00pm PDT

"As for curry, it's honestly some dumb NYC joke about cabs smelling like curry. I honestly wasn't trying to make a widespread statement about any group so much as just pulling out of my very limited bag of NYC insults," she wrote, in an apparent apology to the spice. "My mind didn't even go there when it came out of my mouth. I personally really enjoy curry and cook with it often."

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The scripted apology didn't exactly do much to help the rapper online  she's still suspended from Twitter, and now from her headlining gig at a UK festival.

Perhaps a lesson can be learned here: the best way to win back a community might not be to say you eat their food, too!

Update: Banks' newfound civility lasted no longer than 24 hours before the "Big Big Beat" rapper attacked 14-year-old Skai Jackson once more, lambasting the Disney channel actress for hanging out with Kylie Jenner, writing on her Instagram photo, "the thirst for white approval is all over your face in this photo. Dam lil girl." She later captioned her own photo writing Jackson "is a coon in training."
BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan on Sunday announced joint military exercises with Georgia and Turkey, plans which are likely to raise tensions with neighboring Armenia a day before talks in Vienna over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The territory, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia since a separatist war ended in 1994. A ceasefire agreed on April 5 after an outbreak of fighting has been violated every day, say locals. "To increase the combat capabilities and combat readiness of the Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia, we deemed it worthwhile to carry out joint military exercises," Azeri Defense Minister Zakir Gasanov said on Sunday. It was not immediately clear when the exercises, which have also taken place in past years, would be carried out. A spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry did not comment on the implication of the exercises for Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Several soldiers, from both sides, have been killed in exchanges of fire since the ceasefire was declared. An Azeri soldier was killed on Thursday near Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on Friday. Armenia said its serviceman Aram Ohanyan died of wounds on Saturday after being shot by an Azeri sniper near southwestern Armenian border, in an incident unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh. Both the Azeri and Armenian presidents, as well as diplomats from Russia, the United States and France, will meet in Vienna on Monday to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova in Baku and Hasmik Mkrtchyan in Yeravan; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Ros Russell)
DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladesh government-appointed panel investigating the theft of $81 million from the country's central bank has found that SWIFT, the international banking payments network, committed a number of mistakes in connecting up a local network, the panel head said on Sunday.

"We have shown that SWIFT made a number of errors that made it easy for the hackers," Mohammed Farashuddin, a former governor of the Bangladeshi central bank, told reporters.

He said SWIFT, a cooperative owned by 3,000 financial institutions, could not escape responsibility as it had connected its network to the central bank's new real time gross settlement (RTGS) system launched in October for domestic transactions.

"SWIFT is responsible for the heist of Bangladesh Bank as it approached the central bank for the installation of RTGS real time gross settlement," Farashuddin said.

SWIFT has already rejected allegations made by Dhaka that it had been at fault, saying its financial messaging system remained secure and had not been breached by the hackers during the attack on Bangladesh Bank.

The hackers broke into the computer systems of the central bank in early February and issued instructions through the SWIFT network to transfer $951 million of its deposits held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank to accounts in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Most of the transactions were blocked but four went through amounting to $81 million, prompting allegations by Bangladeshi officials that both the Fed and SWIFT had failed to detect the fraud.

Bangladeshi police and a bank official said earlier this month that the central bank became more vulnerable to hackers when technicians from SWIFT connected the new bank transaction system to SWIFT messaging three months before the cyber theft.

The local Daily Star newspaper quoted Farashuddin as saying that SWIFT failed to implement 13 security measures in the installation of the system.

Farashuddin is due to submit his final report to the government in the next few days.

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A spokeswoman for SWIFT said she had no immediate comment to make.

In a letter to users dated May 3, SWIFT told its bank customers that they were responsible for securing computers used to send messages over its network.

(Reporting by Serajul Qaudir; Writing by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran has no deal with Russia to export crude oil, said Mohsen Ghamsari, director of international affairs at National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC).

However, certain European customers of Iran have sold Iranian crude oil to Russian refineries in single consignments, Ghamsari said, Fars news agency reported May 15.

He further explained that it occurred in the past as well, in the pre-sanction period.

Earlier, Iranian oil officials said that Russian Lukoil company is among the Islamic Republic's European customers and a deal on crude oil export will be concluded with the company in the near future.

Last February Lukoil purchased crude oil from Iran to supply its refinery in Romania. On Feb. 14, three oil tankers including one of Lukoil, sailed from Iran's Kharg Island to Europe.

Rokneddin Javadi, Iran's deputy oil minister, said May 13 that Iran's oil export to EU increased to 600,000 barrels per day, which is equal to 30-35 percent in Iran's total oil export.

Iran prefers to sell oil directly to the final consumers, like refineries, and avoids dealing with intermediaries and distributors, Javadi said, adding Russia's Lukoil, Spain's Cepsa, Italy's Saras and Greece's Hellenic Petroleum purchase Iranian oil, while a new round of negotiations over oil export to other European companies continues.

He added that currently Iran exports 2 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil as well as 0.5 mb/d of gas condensate in total.


A British bookmaker has suspended betting on who will play the next James Bond after odds tipped dramatically in favor of actor Tom Hiddleston.

An increase in recent bets has pushed The Night Manager star to be the 2-1 favorite to replace Daniel Craig as the next 007, the Associated Press reports. Coral bookmakers say they suspended betting after a particularly large gamble affected the odds.

Theres no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, weve had no choice but to pull the plug on the market, Coral spokesperson Nicola McGeady said in a statement to The Guardian. Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston.

The spike in bets comes after Hiddleston was reportedly seen meeting with Bond film director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli in London. The actor had expressed interest in being the next 007, saying in a March interview that it would be an extraordinary opportunity.
(Adds reaction, changes date)

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, a leading campaigner for Britain to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum, said in an interview that the EU was following the path of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon by trying to create a European superstate.

The former London mayor, a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the EU lacked democracy and a unifying authority and was doomed to fail.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically," Johnson was quoted as saying in an interview.

"The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands. That is causing this massive democratic void."

While fellow pro-Brexit Conservative colleagues supported Johnson's comments, he drew criticism from the "In" camp.

Hilary Benn, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said Johnson had lost his moral compass.

"After the horror of the Second World War, the EU helped to bring an end to centuries of conflict in Europe and for Boris Johnson to make this comparison is both offensive and desperate," Benn said in a statement.

Johnson, a front-runner to succeed Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party, has emerged as one of the most important voices in the "Out" campaign ahead of the June vote.

Cameron, who is leading the "In" campaign, has argued that Britain's membership of the EU makes the country more secure, more influential and more prosperous. He also says Britain, which is not part of the single-currency euro zone, will not be dragged into ever closer union among the EU's member states.

But an opinion poll published on Saturday suggested that twice the number of voters believed Johnson was more likely to tell the truth about the EU than Cameron.

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With less than six weeks to go until the referendum, voters are evenly split between wanting to remain in the EU and preferring to leave, opinion polls have shown.

In his interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Johnson said he wanted the British people to be "the heroes of Europe" again, creating echoes of the language used by war-time prime minister Winston Churchill, the newspaper said.

It also quoted him as saying tensions between EU member states had allowed Germany to grow in power within the bloc, to "take over" the Italian economy and to "destroy" Greece.

(Writing by William Schomberg and Kylie MacLellan; editing by Alistair Bell and Jason Neely)
PureWow

It looks like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle thought their Archewell website needed a little bit of a facelift. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been keeping quite busy these days, what with a Netflix docuseries, podcasts, oh, and two young kids to take care of. However, we just noticed that the couple changed the photo on the homepage of their website, trading out the old pic for a brand-new portrait courtesy of Misan Harriman. Archewell Foundation/Misan Harriman The pic was snapped during t
Cannes (France) (AFP) - British filmmaker Andrea Arnold said Sunday the "shocking" poverty she saw travelling across America drove her to make her Cannes contender, and appreciate the relatively intact state of her own country's social safety net.

"American Honey" stars maverick Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf and a cast of amateurs playing disadvantaged youths who shuttle from town to town selling magazine subscriptions in a country that has long abandoned print media for digital.

Arnold, 55, a former actress, won an Oscar for best short film in 2005 for "Wasp" and the jury prize at Cannes in 2009 for "Fish Tank" about a troubled teenager who has an affair with her mother's boyfriend (Michael Fassbender).

For her latest film, a road movie and love story that drew a mixed reception, she criss-crossed the United States to find fresh faces for her cast.

"I got to see an awful lot as I was travelling and I got quite upset about some of the towns I went to, some of the poverty I saw," Arnold told reporters.

"It seemed really different to me than in the UK because when people (in the US) don't have money, they can't get healthcare -- things like going to the dentist. Those kind of things really shocked me."

In "American Honey", the "mag-crew" becomes a kind of stand-in family for its members, many of whom are fleeing homes wracked by sexual abuse and drug addiction.

They stay in cheap hotels and pass marijuana joints around in their van, watching prairie landscapes and strip malls race past the windows while Rihanna and hip-hop blast from the speakers.

- 'Their version of American Dream' -

LaBeouf plays the team's charismatic recruiter, who tells his new sales "agents" that they need to learn to become the people their potential buyers want them to be.

"On some level the 'magcrew' on the bus selling is a small, potted version of the American Dream," said Arnold, one of 21 filmmakers vying for the Palme d'Or top prize in Cannes.

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"They're trying to make their version of the American Dream, they're trying to make a living for themselves and they're working hard at selling themselves which is what capitalism is all about really."

LaBeouf, 29, said he had spent time with young travelling sales crews in the Pacific Northwest to prepare for the role but that the huge disparity of wealth in the US had come as no surprise to him.

"This is not new information to me, so it's not like I discovered that. In Bakersfield, where my father lived for a stint, the only thing there is is a prison. So everybody works at the prison," he said.

"I'm part of that underclass. That's where I come from, so I know about it."

LaBeouf, who made his Cannes debut in 2008 with "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", is notorious for his volatile temper and bizarre stunts in the spotlight.

But he was on his best behaviour in Cannes, gamely dancing to rap on the red carpet with the boisterous cast, blissed-out by their first time at the world's top film festival.

LaBeouf's love interest in the film is played by much-praised newcomer Sasha Lane, an 18-year-old Texan who Arnold plucked from obscurity on the beach during spring break.

"I knew that she was someone important and that she would take care of me and that this wasn't going to be a porn scam," Lane said, drawing a big laugh from Arnold.
By Sarah Mills CANNES, France (Reuters) - The British director of the new film "American Honey" said she had discovered a "different America" in her research for the gritty drama, and was shocked by the poverty she had witnessed. Andrea Arnold's movie, competing for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, follows a group of teenagers traveling across the United States trying to make money selling magazine subscriptions. As the 'mag crew' go door-to-door trying to convince anyone they come across to sign-up and give them money, "American Honey" shows the contrast between the lives of the youngsters and of the often wealthy people they meet on the doorsteps. Acclaimed filmmaker Arnold, known for her unflinching depictions of life in Britain with films such as "Fish Tank" and "Red Road" spent time traveling across the United States to prepare for her latest project. "I got to see an awful lot when as I was traveling and I got quite upset about some of the towns I went to, some of the poverty I saw," she told a news conference on Sunday before the screening of her film in Cannes. "It seemed really different to me than in the U.K. because when people don't have money they can't get healthcare and they can't do things like go to the dentist and stuff like that and those kind of things really shocked me." Amongst the mostly unknown cast is American Shia LaBeouf, the "Indiana Jones" and "Transformers" star who said he has first hand experience of growing up in a poor town. "This is not new information to me, so it's not like I discovered that - in Bakersfield where my father lived for a stint the only thing there is a prison you know so everybody works at the prison, yeah that's not new information I am part of that under class," he said. "American Honey" is one of the 21 films in the running for the top prize in Cannes. (Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ros Russell)
CAAs Micah Green, WMEs Deborah McIntosh, Participant Medias Jonathan King, the Weinstein Co.s Dan Guano and execs from IM Global, FilmNation, IFC and Mundial are firmed up for Los Cabos Meet-Mart, the Mexican fests first formal market.

Mexican presence will be led by Gaston Pavlovich, the investor attempting to finance The Irishman, and Alex Garcia at AG Studios and AG Capital.

Los Cabos Meet-Mart will be a market where we will introduce the best Latin American talent to the U.S. and international market, including the 15-20 top sales companies in the world, said Los Cabos Fest director Alonso Aguilar Castillo.

Unspooling Nov. 9-13 , Los Cabos has grown in just four years to include an impressive North American presence.

Netflix, Amazon, Universal, Sony, Warner, Paramount execs have attended in the past, as have large European sales agents the Match Factory, Gaumont, Memento and Kinology.

Taking place at the ME Cabo beachfront hotel, walking distance from the main theaters, the invitation-only market will also stage its first Los Cabos Film Investor Summit, produced by Winston Baker and running Nov. 11-12. This will feature private pitching sessions of four to five projects from Latin Americas top-tier producers to investors in the U.S. and Mexico, according to Aguilar Castillo.

The Los Cabos co-production market and works-in-progress event will be rebranded Los Cabos Industry Meetings; the producers and filmmakers at the co-production event will also be invited to participate in the Meet-Mart, Aguilar Castillo added. All grants and fest cash prizes will be channeled through the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund, fests bespoke film financing vehicle. The fests 2016 cash prize amounts to $238,000.

Ive been dreaming of this for four years,said Aguilar Castillo. We know its going to grow organically, that probably in future editions we will be able to invite people who request invitations, but for this year we want to keep Los Cabos Meet-Mart at a certain scale. This should not become a massive type of market, it has to be personal, light and very efficient.

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"This movie's about family, Star Wars is. That's why it has the appeal," Carrie Fisher said Saturday in explaining the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in which she reprises her role as Princess Leia, who's been promoted to General Organa.

An inveterate wise-cracker, Fisher admitted she's likened Comic-Con, the annual gathering of genre fans, to "lap-dancing for celebrities," but in a more earnest vein she went on to say, "I go to Comic-Con because it's an amazing thing to observe. The fans are incredible and they bring the entire family. It's about family and that's the most amazing thing."

If family was on Fisher's mind that was because she's come to Cannes for the world premiere of the new documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, which is screening as part of Cannes Classics Saturday night. Produced by HBO Documentary Films, it will air on the cable channel in early 2017.

Directed by actor/producer Fisher Stevens and his girlfriend Alexis Bloom, the movie traces the intertwined history of legendary Debbie Reynolds and her children Carrie and Todd Fisher, with footage ranging from a 13-year-old Carrie, belting out "Bridge over Troubled Water," when drafted to join her mother's night-club act to Reynolds' final appearance in Las Vegas in 2014.

Appearing at the American Pavilion with Stevens and her 4-year-old French bulldog Gary - who agreed to sit with them once a pillow was provided - where she was interviewed by Deadline's Pete Hammond, Fisher admitted that her mother resisted the idea of the doc when she and Stevens first proposed it, and even when she came around asked where the script was before she sat down for an interview. "My mother is a very bossy woman, but she gave some of that up [to do the film]," Fisher said. "She became available to [the filmmakers]. To allow the cameras [to follow her] as she went to the SAG Awards was very, very tough. So I think that was amazing for her."

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Read More: Carrie Fisher Responds to Criticism About Her Look in New 'Star Wars'

Stevens added that in making the movie, he was most impressed by Reynolds' work ethic and discipline, saying that "from being an MGM contract player all the way to 82-years-old, performing in Vegas and Connecticut - she never deterred from that discipline."

Looking back at her own time in Hollywood - "I didn't want to be in show business, and I think I did a very good job [of that]," she joked - Fisher said of actresses onscreen, "I think women are objectified. You can't age, get fat." She added, "I don't think that's changed, though it's become more apparent and there is more awareness of it."

Speaking of her mother - whose health problems prevented her from attending last year's Governors Awards, where she was given the Motion Picture Academy's Thalberg Award for her humanitarian work - Fisher said, "she wasn't well enough, but she's rallied now, and she's much, much better."

Fisher, who's writing a new memoir about her role in the Star Wars movies called The Princess Diarest, which will be published later this year, was asked how she'd like to be remembered. Her response: "That I was a crazy, blurred, charismatic, weird, aging, kind person."
The Hollywood Reporter has released its fifth Cannes Film Festival daily issue, which includes an analysis of the Brexit effect on co-productions, a recap of Saturday's bomb scare, a look at how the fest is spotlighting the refugee crisis and a chat with Bong Joon-ho about Okja.

The Brexit Effect

A plummeting British pound and a loss of crucial subsidies are leading industry dealmakers to predict collaborations between the U.K. and Europe will become a thing of the past, as the April 2019 event will affect production, distribution, funding and treaties altogether. One tells THR, "We are already feeling the pinch."

Screening Security Scare

The Debussy cinema was evacuated just before the 7:30 p.m. press screening of Michel Hazanavicius' romantic comedy Redoubtable, due to a suspicious bag left unattended at the entrance to the Palais. The security staff called a bomb expert to check it out, and it turned out to be no threat. The scare caused an estimated 45-minute delay.

Spotlight on Crisis

THR takes a look at how the plight of the millions of migrants worldwide is in sharp focus at this year's fest. Vanessa Redgrave's doc Sea Sorrow, Michael Haneke's drama Happy End and Alejandro Inarritu's first foray into VR attempt to shine new light on what human rights organizations call the greatest global migration since the end of WWII, with an estimated 65 million people displaced or on the move worldwide.

BTS With Bong Joon-ho

In Okja, a girl travels from South Korea to New York to rescue her 6-ton pet pig from becoming a casualty of corporate interests. Premiering in competition, Okja cost $50 million to produce, making it the most expensive Korean-language film ever. Bong spoke to THR about working with Netflix, collaborating with Tilda Swinton and the rapport between animals and humans.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15



By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

A consortium of companies from Belgium and Turkey will work together to build five combined-cycle power plants in Iran.

The head of Thermal Power Plants Holding Company of Iran, Mohsen Tarztalab, has said that a consortium of companies from Belgium and Turkey is expected to build five combined-cycle power plants with the production capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) in Iran, IRNA news agency reported.

The official estimated that the project will cost about $3 billion and expressed hope that the contract for constructing the power plants will be signed within the next month. Iran generated 25.879 billion kilowatts-hour (kWh) of electricity in 41 days of current Iranian calendar year (started March 20), of which 223 million kWh was exported. Iran's electricity exports decreased by 71 percent during this period year-to-year, while electricity imports increased by 24 percent to 610 million kWh.

Iran's power generation capacity stood at 74,277 megawatts (MW), about 182 MW more than last fiscal year.
In The Nice Guys, a smashingly disreputable mystery-comedy free-for-all directed with a wink of trashy zest by Shane Black, Russell Crowe plays a freelance thug for hire  the sort of guy who will keep your teenage daughter from dating a druggie sleazebag by paying a visit to the sleazebags house and bashing him in the face with brass knuckles. (Its amazing how effective that is.) The films tosses Crowe together with a sweetly shambling private detective, played by Ryan Gosling, whos as earnest and inept as his new partner is brusquely violent. Its 1977, and these two cruise around Los Angeles against a backdrop of polyester boogie-nights tackiness, busting heads, crashing parties, fleeing hit men, and getting to the dirty bottom of a conspiracy that somehow combines the adult-film underworld with a scheme by the Big Three automakers to suppress the catalytic converter. (Yes, its a PC message movie gone flesh.) The Nice Guys is an ultra-violent burlesque, the sort of cheerfully hostile buddy bash thats been a staple since the 80s, only this one is singularly clever about its own triviality, and it offers the scruffy pleasure of seeing two great actors dial down their gravitas with style. The movie is likely to score big with audiences, and for the same reason that its proven to be a perfect palette cleanser at Cannes. Its a treat to see popcorn this decadent made by people who know exactly what theyre doing.

The modern buddy comedy originally kicked off with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but the screenwriter who juiced it up into its current knockabout voltage is Shane Black, when he wrote Lethal Weapon in 1987. The way that movie mashed together fireball action, racially barbed insult comedy, and a general atmosphere of what-the-hell insanity made it one of the most influential throwaways of the 80s, though part of its appeal is that Black, with his gift for jabbing cutthroat patter, seemed to be glorying in the notion that he wasnt aiming very high. After penning the first Lethal Weapon sequel, he reinvented himself by writing and directing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), an off-the-wall crime thriller that was a little precious in its zingy bon mots  but you could see that Black was trying for something. Then, after a break of close to 10 years, he directed Iron Man 3 and became a superb pop filmmaker, deepening the saga of Tony Stark with a blend of spectacle and dread that turned it into one of the most supple Marvel movies ever made. The Nice Guys is like a Lethal Weapon film made by the far wittier and more dexterous Shane Black of Iron Man 3. The film keeps surprising you, so that you never feel youre watching a fists-meets-yocks-meets-corruption formula (even when you are).

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At a certain point, you may gawk at a Hollywood leading man and think that hes looking a little chunky, a little jowly, a little used. Then theres the point when that actor has carried his used aura for so long that he starts letting it define him; he begins to use it himself. Thats where Russell Crowe is at in The Nice Guys. His Jackson Healy, squinty and rotund in a dirty light blue leather jacket, with hair combed back into a DA, is sort of like a loan-shark goon, except that he doesnt work for the Mob. Hell work for anyone who can scrape together a few lousy bucks. Whats fun about watching him is that he treats the savagery of his job as casually as if he were filling out a tax form. Crowe, deftly exploiting the irony of the films title, makes Jackson a courtly bruiser, a guy who will beat the crap out of anyone  but only as a means to an end. (The fact that he might enjoy it is deeply buried subtext.) Early on, hes assigned to pay a visit to Holland March (Gosling) to take him off a case. He snaps his wrist in two  which, in this movie, is the equivalent of a handshake. Sure enough, the two are soon working together, assigned to locate Amelia (Margaret Qualley), a barefoot brunette in a yellow dress who keeps popping up like an apparition. She starred in her boyfriends experimental  that is, naked  movie, and then his house burned down, and a vicious thug named John Boy (Matt Bomer, in creepy bangs) is desperate to get hold of the movie. But why?

At first, Holland stares at his partner with a glint of farcical terror. Gosling, among his many talents, has blossomed into an inspired physical comedian, and its a hoot to watch him converse with Crowe from a bathroom stall as he tries to fumblingly prop open the door, point a gun, and hold a magazine over his junk at the same time. But Holland is most funny when parading his self-schooled cluelessness. Hes naturally blitzed, usually drunk, and myopically sincere, as when he confronts a reckless cop who says that he was carrying out his orders by righteously proclaiming, You know who else was just following orders? Hitler! Gosling invests that line with so much conviction that we cant help but notice that Holland got it half-right, and that its almost touching in its hilarity.

For a movie set in the late 70s, The Nice Guys has a great deal of spangly, smog-drenched atmosphere  Philippe Rousselots cinematography gives L.A. a night-bloom glow  but not, in the end, a lot of period authenticity. Earth, Wind & Fire, portrayed by actors, perform at a party hosted by a porn producer, but why, only minutes before, do we hear EWFs Boogie Wonderland on the soundtrack  a song that didnt come out until two years later? Holland dresses in swirly psychedelic shirts, and there are references to the novelty of no-fault divorce, but these are token signifiers that never add up to the loosey-goosey stoned sleaze of the 70s.

Then again, whats fun about The Nice Guys is that its casually remorseless hostility, reflected in everything from the drop-dead wisecracks to the slapstick cruelty of its violence, expresses nothing so much as the spirit of today. Theres a great moment when our heroes have ridden up a hotel elevator to ambush a villain, and as the elevator door opens we see a body clawing the corridor wall, then another one being shot, and our heroes duck back into the elevator, with a We dont need this shrug. The timing of the gag is exquisite, because its Blacks way of expressing what it feels like when whatever youre expecting is almost certain to turn out worse. In The Nice Guys, the cynical moxie that was just a mayhem-fueled joke in the Lethal Weapon films here gets pushed into something a shade more resonant  a comedy of resigned aggression, where everyone is trolling everyone else.

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Putting the high in lchayim, One Week and a Day is a shaggy hangout movie set largely over the day after an Israeli couples shiva, or ritual morning period, for their 25-year-old son has ended. Its a time when the husband and wife have to deal with returning to their daily activities, a process to which her approach is essentially to act as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened and to which his reaction is to get seriously blazed. A creditable debut from the American-born, Israeli-raised writer-director Asaph Polonsky, who attended the AFI conservatorys program for directing, One Week and a Day is probably too low-key and inconsequential to attract a sizable audience outside the festival circuit  the humor is more smiles than outright laughs  but it makes a mildly crowd-pleasing vehicle for the Israeli comedian Shai Avivi.

The movie opens with Eyal Spivak (Avivi) whupping some children at ping-pong, a pastime that he approaches far too aggressively and that has apparently kept him occupied during the boredom thats set in over the weeklong shiva period. He takes umbrage when his next-door neighbors, Shmulik and Keren (Sharon Alexander and Carmit Mesilati-Kaplan), whove been ignoring him, deign to show up on the last day, and then that evening have loud sex that Eyal can hear from the room of his late son, Ronnie.

And then, its back to normal. Eyals wife, Vicky (Evgenia Dodina), keeps up appearances, trying to oust the substitute teacher whos filling in for her, going for a jog, sticking to a dental appointment. Eyals priority, meanwhile, seems to be retrieving the remainder of their sons medical cannabis from the hospice. (In a tiresome running gag, he attempts to hide it in his fly.) Uncertain of how to respond to deeply unfamiliar emotions  Avivi wears a near-constant expression of irritation throughout the film  he opts for what for him is the deeply defamiliarizing experience of getting stoned.

But Eyals failure to roll a usable joint  he finds that a gummy worm isnt a good adhesive  causes him to enlist the help of Shmulik and Kerens son, called by his last name, Zooler (Tomer Kapon), who takes the day off from his job as a delivery boy to teach Eyal how to get high and to play air guitar to bad pop music. The dynamic between the two men leads to funny sight gags, as when Zooler trashes his motorbike to make an excuse for work or when he and Eyal continue puffing away in the background even as Vicky keeps a tutoring appointment with a pupil whos already mortified about being there. (These, and a bizarre series of push-ins during Vickys dental X-rays, represent a rare break form the movies generally undistinguished visuals.)

The subtext may be that the burial of a child has historically hardly been unusual in Israel, though by making the sons death from cancer and not from military service, Polonsky seems largely uninterested in going there. Rather, the focus is on how petty hassles persist even when sadness requires putting life on hold. When Eyal and Zooler make a mad-dash effort to reserve the burial plots next to Ronnie, they stumble into another funeral, and Polonsky crosscuts between a mans eulogy for his sister and a montage of that mans efforts to clean excrement off his windshield. The somewhat trite moral that time (and marijuana) can heal all wounds isnt the meatiest concept on which to hang a movie, especially one that keeps its characters inner lives one-dimensional. (Ronnies life, too, is kept resolutely offscreen.) But this sentimental film takes things one step at a time.

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Its been a slow Cannes Film Festival, but all that could change. Ladies and gentlemen  get ready for Shia LaBeouf. Variety hears The Transformers actor will pop up on the Croisette on Sunday with the cast of his film American Honey. The last time LaBeouf attended a film festival press conference, he stormed off the stage after reciting a quote about sardines 

Star Wars actor Adam Driver plays a New Jersey bus driver in Jim Jarmuschs Paterson. And were told that he went full method actor, by actually enrolling in a bus-driving school for the role 

At 69, Steven Spielberg doesnt envision a quiet retirement, because hes so attached to his career. I just love it, says Spielberg of directing. This is something that Ill be doing for the rest of my life. But maybe he could use a little rest, because his longtime producer Kathleen Kennedy told reporters: He doesnt sleep.

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At the age of 16, French director Rachid Djaidani finished his degree in masonry and began laying bricks for a living. It was the early '90s, and the teen of Algerian and Sudanese descent encountered a good deal of suspicion and mistrust from his co-workers.

"I was the little French guy with Arab or Maghreb background, but once they actually met me, we found that there were things that we could talk about, even on a political level, and realize that we had things in common," says Djaidani.

It was that experience that spawned his latest film, Tour de France, in which Gerard Depardieu plays a cranky racist forced to examine his views when he spends time with a young Arab wannabe rapper (played by real-life French hip-hop star Sadek).

The film, which makes its world premiere on Sunday in the Directors' Fortnight section, marks Djaidani's follow-up to his feature helming debut, Hold Back, which won the critics' prize in the same section at Cannes in 2012. With its themes of culture clashes and mutually held biases, there's no Cannes film better poised to hit the zeitgeist this year. After all, France and Europe continue to grapple with terror attacks largely perpetrated by disaffected youth of North African descent.

Read More: Cannes Hidden Gem: 'Cinema Travelers' Captures a Fading Film Tradition

Djaidani hopes his film will thwart the terrorists' goal of dividing his country along religious lines. "Today, despite the mistrust, we all remain French people, and when a terrorist attacks, when a terrorist massacres people, it's everyone who's targeted. The terrorist doesn't make a distinction," he says.

Despite the subject matter, Tour de France is not a traditional "message movie." Djaidani chose to explore bigotry through the comedic lens because he believes that laughter is ultimately what unites everyone, regardless of race or religion. In fact, Depardieu and Sadek wind up in bed together before the film's end (think Planes, Trains & Automobiles' pillow-cuddling scene). "There's nothing sexual about it, but it's very humorous," Djaidani says of the scene.

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Ironically, the 42-year-old director struggled to get Tour de France made - and not because of racism. Instead, it was a different kind of bigotry that stymied the project. Financiers couldn't connect with a narrative about working-class people. Djaidani says it's a cinematic bias that exists throughout the world and explains why the idea of employment or unemployment in film is scarcely addressed.

"That vision where everybody just magically has money is an illusion," he says. "In cinema, whether it's American or French, everybody seems to live in a nice neighborhood. There are no problems with your income."

Read More: Cannes Hidden Gem: South Korean Animator Makes Apocalyptic Live-Action Debut With 'Train to Busan'

In the face of repeated rejection, producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint continued pushing. "No matter what happened, despite the fact that some French institutions turned this down for funding, she kept fighting, she kept believing in the project," says Djaidani.

Depardieu, who like Djaidani is the son of a laborer, also championed the project and its working-class storyline. Having the French legend in his corner was akin to landing a knock-out punch. Says Djaidani: "He is the Muhammad Ali of the cinema."

See More: Cannes: The Red-Carpet Arrivals
Top South Korean film production and distribution company Mirovision on Sunday unveiled plans for a biopic about local art icon Lee Joong-seop.

Director Yim Soon-rye (Whistle Blower, Forever the Moment) will helm the title, tentatively called Project Lee Jung-seop, while Jason Chae, head of Mirovision, best known for producing the 2010 Cannes competition title The Housemaid, will produce the project.

Often called Korea's Vincent van Gogh, Lee (1916-1956) is well known not only for his Fauvism-style oil paintings but also his tumultuous life. Though born into a wealthy family, he faced difficulties throughout his life from being married to a Japanese woman around the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945) to wandering throughout different parts of Korea until ending his life in misery at the age of 40.

Fauvism emphasized painters' expression and strong colors over realism.

Currently in script development, the biopic is expected to go into production in spring 2017. Delivery is targeted for Cannes in 2018.

Meanwhile, Mirovision also announced that Canola has found a home for mainland China via up-and-coming Chinese distributor Lemontree during the Cannes film market. The family drama about an elderly woman (Youn Yuh-jung) who finds her long-lost granddaughter (Kim Go-eun) after 12 years is set to open Thursday in Korea.

Read More: Cannes: Steven Spielberg Addresses 'BFG' Author Roald Dahl's Anti-Semitism

May 16, 7:07 p.m. Updated with correct biographical information about Lee Joong-seop and English spelling of the filmmaker Yim Soon-rae. A previous version of the story reported that Lee was born in 1906 and Yim's name was spelt Lim. THR apologizes for this mistake.
When Vice Media took a controlling stake in Pulse Films this year, many would be forgiven for assuming it simply bought into another uber cool content creator, noted for producing scores of hit music videos (with such hipster-baiting types as FKA Twigs, Flying Lotus and DJ Fresh) and the odd bit of British TV.

But the past few months have seen the indie studio - set up in 2005 as a platform for emerging talent - burst into the film scene dramatically. First, there was February's breakout hit The Witch (whose domestic haul of more than $25 million makes it the year's biggest indie film by some stretch), and now there is Andrea Arnold's Cannes competition entry American Honey. There also is the not-insignificant matter of Beyonce's all-powerful Lemonade video, co-directed by Pulse regular Kahlil Joseph.

At the core of the company is its CEO and co-founder, Thomas Benski, 36, a self-confessed "confused kid" who was born in Brazil with a French father, then raised in Italy before moving, at 17, to London, where he would establish Pulse. Now based in Los Angeles, Benski talked to The Hollywood Reporter about his friendship with Vice's Shane Smith, grabbing the current momentum of feature films and one notorious fair-haired woman named Rebecca.

Read more: Cannes: 21 Festival Movies That Hollywood Will Be Talking About

Pulse has been around for more than a decade, but only now is really making its mark in the scripted feature-film world. Was this part of a carefully planned strategy?

The concept behind the company has always been the same: to create a multidisciplinary independent studio. But maybe certain aspects of that have only been visible recently. We've really tried to start the business and build it concurrently. It wasn't that we were a music video company that then went into features and so on. It was very much that we wanted to do all of these things, but obviously shortform content has an ability to be produced and developed much quicker.

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So how did you become involved with American Honey?

We've always believed in building the company through partnerships and relationships that last for more than one film. We struck a deal with [New York banner] Parts & Labor about two and a half years ago, and that was one of the projects that was on the slate. We came onboard from that moment onward and really helped from the U.K. perspective; Lars Knudsen did a great job as the lead producer on building that film.

So scripted features are going to be a big part of Pulse's output going forward?

Making films in whatever capacity has been at the core of what we do. Now that we've been having some traction, we're trying to really grab the momentum and put ourselves in a position to make more movies, bigger movies, better movies. But we're also not in the volume business. Realistically, we'll be looking at making two movies per year that we co-produce, and then see what happens. If we have the capacity to do more, great.

Read more: First Look: Andrea Arnold's Cannes Competition Entry 'American Honey'

Earlier this year, you sold a majority stake in Pulse to Vice, with which you'd been working for some years. How did this deal come about?

I've known [Vice founder and CEO] Shane Smith, [Vice chief creative officer] Eddy Moretti and [Vice president] Andrew Creighton for a long time. They've been great peers, friends and partners, and this collaboration has been organic and one we've really enjoyed. This latest deal is just the manifestation of a desire to leverage each other's businesses as much as we can. It was a no-brainer.

What does having Vice onboard bring to Pulse?

Vice is having such an incredible moment right now. It will offer us opportunities that we wouldn't have had otherwise and hopefully fulfill some needs for Vice as a media company. We're super excited about this. We know each other very well culturally and have had the time to learn about each other. I think the deal came at the right time for both businesses.

Vice obviously will be thirsty for content as it launches the TV channel Viceland globally. Are you going to help provide some of that?

Yeah, hopefully - it's very much the idea for us to try to provide premium content for Viceland and all of their different channels. This is a huge opportunity for us and our talent to make groundbreaking TV, so absolutely, we'll do everything we can to try and be very present in the schedule. Watch this space.

Read more: A24 Picks Up Teen Drama 'American Honey'

Are you not worried your friendship with Smith might come under strain?

Maybe I'm naive, but I look at Pulse, and my partners are my friends, too. Lucas [Ochoa], my producing partner, is one of my best friends; Marisa [Clifford], my co-founder, is one of my closest friends. I think the friendship allows you to probably be more direct about things because you know it's coming from the right place.

In addition to The Witch and American Honey, Pulse also has been behind one of the biggest talking points of the year, Beyonce's Lemonade video. How did you end up producing this?

This is really the fruit of a great filmmaker whom we work with, Kahlil Joseph, and a relationship that he had with Beyonce. We work on lots of commercial and music projects, and this was one that he was interested in doing. We produced it, but it's really his vision.

As producers, do you know the identity of Becky with the good hair?

No! (Laughs.)
The British Film Institute and other U.K. film organizations, such as Directors UK, plan to further gender equality in film funding with a strategy modeled after the FiftyFifty by 2020 system first launched in Sweden in 2012.

The goal of the program, like its Swedish counterpart, is to have half of all public film funding going to movies directed by women by 2020.

At a conference Sunday at the Plage Royale in Cannes, the Swedish Film Institute outlined details of its program and its impressive success rate. When it launched, only a quarter of state film funding in Sweden went to female helmers. By 2015, the figure was more than 50 percent. By comparison, in Europe as a whole, just 16 percent of films receiving state funding are directed by women.

"We did it without having a quota - there was no quota," said SFI CEO Anna Serner, explaining that gender is not used as a criterion for selecting which films will receive funding. "Instead, we made it known that this was our goal and that we were pushing for it. Almost overnight, we saw applications from female directors shoot up." Just judging applications from both male and female applicants equally, she says, led to the improved gender balance.

Read More: Cannes: 'Toni Erdmann' Director Maren Ade Wants a Subsidy Quota for Women Filmmakers (Q&A)

Alice Bah Kuhnke, Sweden's minister of culture and democracy, told The Hollywood Reporter that the gender imbalance in the film industry sends a discouraging signal to young women.

"Only one woman has ever won a best director Oscar," Kuhnke said, referring to Kathryn Bigelow, who won for 2008's The Hurt Locker. "If young people look at that, they will reach the obvious conclusion that women are not good at making movies."

A number of female filmmakers in Europe have come out in support of similar programs for their countries, including Maren Ade, the German director of Toni Erdmann, one of the hottest titles in the Cannes competition this year, which was picked up by by Sony Pictures Classics for the U.S.

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Kuhnke also shot down the argument that boosting diversity would lead to a drop in quality.

"I really think we should leave that prejudice behind us. On the contrary, quality is threatened when filmmakers of any other kind of background are excluded," she said. "When new voices can't make themselves heard, the quality stagnates. By getting a diversity of stories and a diversity of voices, we pave the way for greater strength in the film industry."
Following a rough offensive start to their nine-game homestand, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have found their form at the plate.

Looking to remain productive, the Dodgers try to sweep this home series from the St. Louis Cardinals with a fourth consecutive win Sunday night.

Los Angeles (20-17) totaled eight runs while dropping two of the first three in this home stretch to the New York Mets. The Dodgers salvaged a split with the Mets by winning 5-0 on Thursday, then scored 13 runs over the first two of this set.

"In general, we've been swinging the bats better, getting better at-bats," manager Dave Roberts told MLB's official website.

Scott Kazmir came within an out of a complete game, Corey Seager homered for one his three hits and Adrian Gonzalez also went deep in Saturday's 5-3 victory over St. Louis (19-18).

Seager, who overcame two errors Saturday, is 13 for 31 with two home runs and five RBIs in eight games.

Gonzalez is batting .318 in his last 11 after going 0 for 20 in his previous seven contests.

He is 1 for 10 against Mike Leake (1-3, 5.10 ERA), who went 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA against the Dodgers last season. Leake finished 2015 by tossing a two-hit shutout against them for San Francisco on Sept. 30.

Though not quite as dominant Tuesday, the right-hander allowed a run in eight innings of an 8-1 victory down the road in Anaheim against the Angels. Leake yielded at least three earned runs in his first six outings.

"It feels pretty good to get that first win,'' Leake said. ''(Six games) in a row of not producing will weigh on you, but you've just got to keep moving forward.''

The Cardinals, who opened their six-game trip in Southern California by taking all three from the Angels, averaged 7.2 runs in five games prior to totaling seven so far in this set.

Randal Grichuk had two of St. Louis' five hits Saturday and Jeremy Hazelbaker chased Kazmir with a two-run homer in the ninth. Grichuk has batted .321 in eight games after hitting .182 in his first 27 contests.

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Only three active Cardinals have hits against Alex Wood (1-3, 4.58), who makes his first start against them.

For the second time in three starts, Wood allowed an earned run and struck out nine, lasting 6 1/3 innings but receiving a no-decision in a 3-2 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

"There wasn't a lot of hard contact," Roberts said. "The pitch quality is continuing to get better. He's getting the swing and miss, getting the strikeouts.

"When his release point is right, his fastball, slider and change all look the same. That's where you get the swing and miss."

Roberts also should be encouraged knowing Wood is 4-2 with a 2.00 ERA in eight starts at Chavez Ravine since the Dodgers acquired him from Atlanta last season.

One night after committing a season-high four errors, the Cardinals had another one Saturday - giving them at least one in five consecutive contests and a major league-leading 34.
Madeleine LeBeau, who played Humphrey Bogarts jilted mistress Yvonne, in Casablanca, died May 1 in Spain after breaking her thigh bone. She was 92 and was the last surviving credited cast member of the classic film. Her stepson Carlo Alberto Pinelli confirmed her death to Variety.

In Casablanca, LeBeau gets teary-eyed when La Marseillaise is played and shouts Viva la France! She was among several cast members who were actually refugees from the German occupation.

Her life echoed the film: After she made her screen debut in French film Girls in Distress in 1939, LeBeau and her husband, actor Marcel Dalio, fled Paris for Portugal. They were said to have received transit visas that allowed them to enter Spain and then Portugal before continuing on towards Chile. They were stranded in Mexico when their visas turned out to be forgeries and were able to enter the United States with temporary Canadian passports.

She soon found work in Hollywood and appeared in Olivia de Havilland starrer Hold Back the Dawn and Gentleman Jim, starring Errol Flynn, before being cast in Casablanca. Her husband, who played Emil the croupier in Casablanca, filed for divorce during the production. She starred in Paris After Dark and Music for Millions in Hollywood before returning to France after WWII.

Among her European films were The Royalists, Cage of Gold, Une Parisienne and Federico Fellinis 8 1/2, as Madeleine, the French actress. She appeared in the French TV series Allo Police before retiring from the screen in 1970.

She later married Italian screenwriter Tullio Pinelli, co-writer of 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita, who died in 2009.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

David Lipton, first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), leading a delegation, has arrived in Tehran to discuss economic issues with high-ranking Iranian officials.

Lipton is expected to address a conference on Iran and global economy at the venue of the Central Bank of Iran on May 17, IRNA news agency reported.

Lipton is also expected to confer with Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and the governor of the Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif during a three-day official visit.

The visit is aimed at exploring the opportunity for introducing Iranian capacity in economic areas that will help building confidence in international trade.
Beijing (AFP) - China on Sunday accused the US of deliberately distorting the facts in a report on the Asian giant's defence policy, warning Washington it had "severely damaged" trust between the superpowers.

The Pentagon on Friday said Beijing had been building up military facilities on reefs and islets in a bid to assert its claims to the contested waters of the South China Sea.

China's military has also been using "coercive tactics" to foster tensions with its neighbours, but will ensure they do not snowball into outright conflict, according to the annual report to Congress.

Beijing hit back on Sunday in comments published in state media, with a defence ministry spokesman saying the Pentagon report had "deliberately distorted China's defence policies".

"It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region," spokesman Yang Yujun said, according to the official news agency Xinhua.

"The US annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides."

Yang accused the US of being behind the "militarisation in the South China Sea", parts of which are claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as China.

The South China Sea, an important shipping route thought to be home to vast energy deposits, has become a growing source of tension between Beijing and Washington as the US turns its focus on Asia.

Washington fears Beijing is seeking to impose military controls over the entire area, where China has built massive structures including radar systems and airstrips on reclaimed reefs and islets.

The Pentagon report estimated China has reclaimed 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land around the Spratly Islands, also claimed by the Philippines, over the past two years.

Beijing has been angered by the growing US attention on Asia and US forays into the Sea, including sailing warships close to reclaimed islands.
London (AFP) - A tip from a CIA spy to authorities in apartheid-era South Africa led to Nelson Mandela's arrest, beginning the leader's 27 years behind bars, a report said on Sunday.

Donald Rickard, a former US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative, told British film director John Irvin that he had been involved in Mandela's arrest in 1962 which was seen as necessary because the Americans believed he was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union", the report in The Sunday Times newspaper said.

"He could have incited a war in South Africa, the United States would have to get involved, grudgingly, and things could have gone to hell," Rickard said.

"We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it."

Irvin's new film "Mandela's Gun", about the months before the anti-apartheid leader's arrest, is due to be screened at the Cannes film festival this week.

Mandela was eventually freed from prison in 1990 and went on to become South Africa's president between 1994 and 1999 before dying in 2013 aged 95.

Zizi Kodwa, national spokesman of Mandela's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, called the revelation "a serious indictment".

"We always knew there was always collaboration between some Western countries and the apartheid regime," he told AFP.

He claimed that though the incident happened decades ago, the CIA was still interfering in South African politics.

"We have recently observed that there are efforts to undermine the democratically elected ANC government," he alleged. "They never stopped operating here."

"It is still happening now -- the CIA is still collaborating with those who want regime change."

Rickard, who was reportedly employed by the CIA until 1978, died in March, two weeks after talking to Irvin in the US.

The CIA declined to comment.
Washington (AFP) - America's "veepstakes" are under way. Running mates have not played a decisive role in helping win the White House in a generation, but will they do so this year?

Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential bid is positively lackluster when compared to the Donald Trump spectacle, but the ex-secretary of state could give her campaign a jolt with an inspired choice of running mate.

Trump has perhaps the opposite problem; the brash billionaire has never held elected office, and he is believed to be considering seasoned politicians who could provide gravitas to a high-octane campaign.

He recently said he favored choosing someone with government experience who could help him work with Congress.

Here are several potential Clinton and Trump running mates:

Democrats:

- Bernie Sanders -

Clinton's nomination rival has passionate followers who could give her campaign a boost. She could also embrace parts of 74-year-old Sanders' "political revolution," namely fighting income inequality, that has been his campaign lynchpin.

Sanders is a democratic-socialist, and that could trigger alarm bells.

"One thing the Democrats have to worry about is unintentionally mobilizing the Republicans by picking someone scary as vice president" so that GOP voters say "'I'll hold my nose and vote for Trump,'" political science professor Michael Munger of Duke University told AFP.

- Elizabeth Warren -

Feisty Massachusetts Senator Warren is a liberal superstar who can help transfer the Sanders allegiance to Clinton in a heartbeat.

The 66-year-old consumer protection advocate's supporters have pressed her to run for president, but she has demurred.

Would two women on the ticket turn off male voters? "Probably a good chunk of the voters who would be offended by two women are already lost," said St. Louis University professor Joel Goldstein.

- Julian Castro -

As someone who has helped Clinton appeal to young voters and Hispanics on the campaign trail, the former San Antonio mayor and current secretary of housing and urban development earned early VP buzz.

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Currently 41, he would be the fourth youngest vice president ever. When asked by CNN if he could be Clinton's running mate, Castro said "that's not going to happen."

- Tim Kaine -

"A combination of Castro and Warren, that might be what you're looking for," said Munger, citing Warren's firebrand style and Castro's fresh-faced charisma.

Enter Tim Kaine. The former Virginia governor, 58, serves in the US Senate and sits on the foreign relations and armed services committees.

Kaine is popular in a swing state, speaks fluent Spanish and was on Obama's VP shortlist in 2008.

- Moderate governor -

Some analysts argue Clinton has the Hispanic vote sewn up, and that she should focus on wooing a more volatile voting bloc: white men.

Mark Warner, 61, is a moderate former Virginia governor and current senator.

Tom Vilsack, 65, served eight years as governor of Iowa and is now secretary of agriculture.

Charlie Crist, 59, is a former governor of Florida, perhaps the biggest battleground state of all.

Republicans:

- Rob Portman -

Asked on NBC whom Trump should pick, former Republican vice president Dan Quayle immediately answered Portman, the 60-year-old senator from swing state Ohio.

Portman, whose calm temperament is the opposite of Trump's, served as US Trade Representative and director of the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush.

- Newt Gingrich -

The speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999 has broad name recognition -- he ran for president in 2012 -- and would provide vast knowledge about the workings of Congress.

Gingrich, 72, endorsed Trump and told Fox News he was in the "not no" column when it came to the veepstakes.

- Ben Carson -

Trump has said there is a 40 percent chance he will name a former nomination rival as his running mate.

Carson, a 64-year-old retired neurosurgeon, is now in Trump's inner circle and was tasked with helping find potential VP picks. Having been the only African American in the race, he could help Trump with minority issues.

- John Kasich -

He only quit the race this month, and has said he is not interested in being vice president. But as the popular governor of Ohio and a former congressman, Kasich, 64, could bring Trump establishment experience and help win a crucial swing state.

- Female governor -

Trump is underwater when it comes to women voters, and a female running mate could help neutralize the gender debate.

He recently described 61-year-old Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, who has a good track record with conservatives, as "fabulous."

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, 44, turned a toxic debate after a shooting tragedy into a political launchpad last year by ordering the Confederate flag removed from the state capitol.

Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, could also lend Trump credibility on the deeply divisive immigration issue.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian national police confiscated 8 metric tons of cocaine along the border with Panama, the government said on Sunday, in what may be one of the largest seizures in the country in recent years. The haul, with an estimated value of $240 million, was discovered in an underground hideaway on a banana plantation in the municipality of Turbo in Antioquia department, officials said. "The biggest seizure of drugs in history. A hit against criminals," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter. Three people were arrested in the operation. Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the drugs belonged to the Clan Usuga crime gang. The United States has offered a $5 million reward for the capture of the gang's leader. Colombia produces some 442 tonnes of cocaine annually, according to the United Nations. Colombian authorities seized 252 tonnes of the narcotic in 2015. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Concho Resources Up Despite Lower-than-Expected Earnings

(Continued from Prior Part)

Concho Resources 1Q16 production

Concho Resources (CXO) total production volume in 1Q16 was 12.7 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). This represents a rise of ~6.7% year-over-year.

For 2016, CXO expects its annual production to be flat. Whiting Petroleum (WLL), by comparison, has provided 2016 production growth guidance of -18% at the midpoint. Oasis Petroleum (OAS) has provided growth guidance of -6% at the midpoint. Apache (APA) has provided growth guidance of -9% at the midpoint.

On the other hand, PDC Energy (PDCE) expects its annual production to grow by 30%40% in 2016. All these companies comprise ~8.7% of the iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO).

CXOs 1Q16 realized prices and cost efficiencies

CXOs realized crude oil (USO) price, including the effect of hedges in 1Q16, averaged $60.90 per barrel, which was ~3.6% lower than its realized crude oil price in 1Q15.

Including the effect of hedges, CXOs realized natural gas price averaged $1.75 per thousand cubic feet, which was 42% lower than its realized natural gas price in 1Q15.

CXOs capex guidance and key management comments

Concho Resources (CXO) exploration and development capex (capital expenditure) is expected to be $0.9 billion$1.1 billion, down 44% at the midpoint compared to 2015s exploration and development capex. Also, the company is reducing its rig count in 2016.

Tim Leach, Concho Resources CEO, noted in the companys earnings release, Our per-unit cost structure trended lower and drilling and completion capital was well within cash flow. Our success is a direct result of our high-quality drilling inventory across all our assets in the Permian Basin and our relentless focus on driving low costs and optimizing field development.

Continue to Next Part

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By Julien Pretot CANNES, France (Reuters) - Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard says the inspiration for her portrayal of the heroine, Gabrielle, in "Mal de Pierres" was the wildness and "fire" of director, Nicole Garcia. The film - also billed as "From the Land of the Moon" - premieres at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday and is one of 21 movies in competition for the Palme d'Or prize. Cotillard, who won an Oscar in 2008 for playing Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose", says of Garcia: "I was very inspired by Nicole, she carries in her this fire, this passion, this wildness that Gabrielle carries. That was my first source of inspiration." "She manages not to be what people would want her to be," the 40-year-old told Reuters in an interview on Sunday. Cotillard stars as a young woman in post World War Two France, driven by her desire to find love but married off by her parents to Spanish farmer Jose, played by Alex Brendemuehl. She sees her chance to escape the confines of her life with Jose when she meets Indochinese war veteran, Andre, played by Louis Garrel. Adapted from Milena Agus's 2006 novel "Mal di Pietre", Cotillard and Garcia had discussed making the book into a film several years ago, but had to wait while Cotillard fulfilled other work commitments. She starred in five films last year and will feature at least in four in 2016. "Marion was just the right person for the role," Garcia told a news conference. "I don't know who else could have portrayed this character, it's only Marion who conveys this sensuality, my feeling is that her body is so expressive." Garcia last presented a film - "Charlie Says" - at Cannes in 2006 and her only previous entry was "The Adversary" in 2002. (Editing by Louise Ireland)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for long-term cooperation in oil and gas sectors.

The document was signed by Iran's deputy oil minister for international affairs and trading, Amir Hossein Zamaninia and deputy head of the National Energy Administration of China Zhang Yuqing on a visit to Tehran May 15, oil ministry's SHANA news agency reported.

According to the deal, the two sides will cooperate in developing oil and gas projects in Iran and enhancement of crude oil and gas condensate recovery from Iranian fields by Chinese companies.

Ahead of signing the deal, Zamaninia said Tehran considers China as a reliable partner, voicing the Islamic Republic's willingness to enter into partnership with major Chinese firms for developing oil and gas fields in Iran in a competitive atmosphere.

"China is a strategic partner for Iran and we are seeking to enhance our relations with this country," Zamaninia said at the meeting with Chinese official.

China is one of Iran's traditional oil customers. The country's oil purchase from Iran has increased by 13 percent following the removal of international sanctions last January.

Some 11 percent of China's oil imports account for Iran in 2011, Zamaninia said, adding the figure is expected to rise after the long-term deals signed between the two countries come into force.
When Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardennes Rosetta snatched the Palme DOr from under Pedro Almodovars nose in 1999  the Spaniard was considered the hot favorite with All About My Mother that year  it was one of the biggest upsets in Cannes history. At the time, the David Cronenberg-led jury was accused of favoring, and possibly even patronizing, the underdog, just to snub commercial European arthouse cinema.

Fast-forward 17 years and not only are the Dardennes eyeing the prospect of an unprecedented three-time win, but Belgiums Wallonia region has become a fertile breeding ground for talent, with a star system that has brought us Benoit Poelvoorde, Francois Damiens, Cecile de France and Bouli Lanners.

Today, the importance of Rosetta to the French-speaking film industry cannot be overstated.

There was hardly an industry in Wallonia before this amazing Palme dOr win, says Philippe Reynaert, CEO of funding body Wallimage and executive director of business angel Wallimage Enterprises. After that, everything went very fast. Our fund was created in 2000 and we started to finance movies and series in 2001. We were lucky, in that this coincided with the development of digital technologies. Therefore the Walloon companies created at the time have been, and remain, at the cutting edge of technology  nowadays, you can get all the services you need in the region.

This latter point is very important. Although the indigenous film industry has exploded  last year, Jaco Van Dormaels absurdist religious comedy The Brand New Testament scored big at home and became a breakout hit in France, Italy and Germany  the region has embarked on an atypically proactive strategy to find new and innovative producing partners.

Usually we co-produce with our neighbors, says Eric Franssen, director at promotion agency Wallonie-Bruxelles Images. Mainly France, but also with Germany, Luxembourg and also Quebec, as we share the same language, because here, we are obliged to co-produce, because we cannot gather all the budget in Belgium. Luckily, in this country we have a good combination of cultural support, economic support and also we have the tax shelter, which works pretty well.

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By itself, the tax shelter  which provides up to 25%-30% of the total qualifying expenses in the European Economic Area and allows the finance of up to 40%-45% of the Belgian-eligible expenses  has proven attractive enough.

In 15 years, Wallonia has become a hot spot for international co-productions, Reynaert says. In Wallonia, a smart producer can systematically take advantage of what we call the Walloon double dip opportunity to finance their movies. This means that 1 ($1.14) spent by a producer in our region entitles them to apply for funding from both Wallimage and the federal tax shelter, allowing that same producer to cover up to 66% of their regional costs. He laughs. Its like youd never have to choose between mayo and ketchup on your Walloon fries but could always go for both.

The situation developed further earlier this month with the unveiling of screen.brussels, an umbrella company that comprises four separate bodies including the film commission (currently the Brussels Film Office).

The general philosophy behind screen.brussels fund brings it in line with the shift towards a Europe of the regions, based on the principle of cultural diversity, says its managing director Noel Magis. Indeed, it involves providing the Brussels-Capital Regions audiovisual industry with a structure that can benefit all European filmmakers. One of the specific goals of screen.brussels fund is, indeed, to attract and invest in international, multicultural co-production.

Increasingly, then, the country is looking further and further afield. Last year the country accommodated 331 shooting projects  113 foreign  including 37 feature films and 25 shorts. One might assume that recent headline-making terror attacks in March would have had an impact on visiting productions, but the industry does not seem overly concerned with courting more.

I dont think we need any more than we have, says Jeanne Brunfaut, director-general of the film fund of the CCA (Centre du Cinema et de lAudiovisuel). The tax shelter is so attractive, its working quite well. So were not trying to attract more shoots to Belgium, were just trying to get more projects made that involve Belgian co-producers.

We have our traditional co-production partners and now we think its time to diversify a little bit, to push our producers to get to know other countries. There is also an artistic value that were looking for.

Brunfaut notes progress in Latin America, citing co-production negotiations with Brazil, Mexico and Chile. We have common views on cinema, she says. Its artistic and technical co-production, not only financial. In return, co-production with Belgium means having a foot in Europe, in terms of distribution and everything.

In addition to the strong presence of majority-financed French-language Belgian films in the Cannes Official Selection  the Dardennes brothers The Unknown Girl in competition, Joachim Lafosses After Love in Directors Fortnight and Alexandre Gilmets short Poubelle in Cinefondation  the diversity of this years co-productions shows the enormous potential of this strategy. Besides two French projects (the Critics Week veterinarian horror pic Grave and Un Certain Regard biopic The Dancer), there is The Red Turtle, a Studio Ghibli movie directed by the Dutch-born, London-based Oscar winner Michael Dudok de Wit and, also in Un Certain Regard, the Israeli returning-soldier drama Beyond the Mountains and Hills by Eran Kolirin.

Meanwhile, the Dardennes company, Les Films du Fleuve, has production ties with competition entries I, Daniel Blake, by the U.K.s Ken Loach, and Graduation, by Romanias Cristian Mungiu, as well the Un Certain Regard title Pericles the Black Man, by Italys Stefano Mordini. Perhaps even more unexpected is American journalist Jonathan Littells debut film, Wrong Elements, a Wallonie-Bruxelles Images-supported documentary about wanted Ugandan guerrilla Joseph Kony, included in Special Screenings.

At a time when one might expect the Brussels film industry to be bruised, cautious and introspective after the horrific terrorist attack in March, the very opposite would seem to be true.

We are always present in Cannes, Franssen says. Some years are better than others, but this one is very strong.

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Before there was Occupy Wall Street or Nuit Debout, there was Paris, 1968. In a revolutionary year think the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam  May was a particularly revolutionary month. Student protests in the City of Lights against capitalism, consumerism and traditional values, some say emboldened by their victory in re-instating the much-cherished head of the iconic Cinematheque Francaise, Henri Langlois, after he had been briefly dismissed by the De Gaulle government, took over the city on May 3, Red Friday. Within days, the trade unions had joined in, millions of people around the country were demonstrating and France was brought to the verge of standstill.

In Cannes, meanwhile, life wasinitially at leastproceeding as normal. The 21st edition of the worlds most prestigious film festival kicked off on May 10 with a restored version of Gone with the Wind. As the protests spread across the country, however, so too did the enfants terribles of French cinema, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, who hit the Croisette with one goal: to shut down the festival.

French Students Demonstration, Paris, France - 1968

On May 13, the French Critics Association issued a statement calling on those present to demonstrate in solidarity of the students, protest against the heavy-handed tactics of the police, and demand the festival be suspended. Festival founder and longtime president Robert Favre le Bret refused. As a concession, he offered to cancel parties and cocktails. That wasnt enough, however, for the impassioned leaders of the French New Wave, one of whomClaude Lelouchactually reported for revolutionary duty in Cannes on-board his private yacht.

Fervor was spreading as the three musketeers of Godard, Truffaut and Lelouch set about disrupting the festival, enlisting members of the juryincluding Roman Polanskiand filmmakers, some of whom like Carlos Saura even had their own films in the festival, to the cause. During one heated debate, Godard lost his cool, screaming at someone against cancelling the festival: Were talking about solidarity with the students and the workers and youre speaking about travelling shots and close-ups. Youre a prick!

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At times, the scenes bordered on farcical. When the festival tried to go through with the screening of Carlos Sauras Peppermint Frappe against the wishes of the filmmakers, Saura and leading lady Geraldine Chaplin, along with Truffaut and Godard, tried to grab hold of the curtain in front of the screen to prevent it from opening; hanging on like leaves on a tree. There were fist fights. Godard lost his glasses while Truffaut took a tumble.

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, FRANCE - 1967

Eventually, Le Bret relented, reluctantly, and cancelled the festival on May 19, five days before its intended close. Cannes would never be the same again. The following year, a new section was introduced, Directors Fortnight, that would become a showcase for radical, daring and revolutionary voices. In the main competition, too, counter-culture hit the Palais with the likes of Easy Rider and M*A*S*H winning prizes.

Not that everything went smoothly immediately. We started Directors Fortnight because we wanted to have a festival inside the festival. Cannes did not agree to change some of the regulations, says Pierre-Henri Deleau, who ran it for three decades. The first year, we didnt even know we had to ask for permission from the French customs to allow 35mm prints into the country, so the first two films we had scheduled were delayed. We didnt even have a catalogue. Just a poster with the names of the films. But, to our surprise, it was a big success. So we kept on doing it.

Over the years, the selection of Directors Fortnight, or the Quinzaine, would continue to seek to push the envelope, whether in terms of showing creatively bold films or simply films from countries never selected for a major festival before. We showed the first films from Cuba post-revolution, for example, or Asia and Latin America.

Paris 1968

Back then, the competition was quite conservative, says Deleau. It was always France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the US and the UK. The selection was like diplomacy. You have to remember in those days there were only three unions: the producers, distributors and exhibitors. There was no voice for the creators and directors. We wanted Directors Fortnight to represent the fight against censorship.

As for the long-term legacy of 1968, there is no doubt that the events in Paris, the country as a whole, and Cannes that year, changed the festival, even if not ultimately exactly the way the great agitators initially envisaged. Ironically, the political fight may have contributed to the eventual breakdown in the friendship between Truffaut and Godard. Godards strident declarations and behavior marked him out as a genuine political radical, in contrast to Truffaut, whose main concern was, and remained, cinema.

Truffaut was never political, says Deleau. He always refused to be associated with one specific party. Ultimately, 1968 was not a revolution. It was not even the beginning of a revolution. It was a happening. The festival did change over the years, in some ways for the better, especially under Gilles Jacob when it became the festival that was choosing the films in selection, and not the producer countries. But what happened in 1968 could never happen again today. Now, its all a question of business and promotion. There are too many films. How can a critic see 70 or 80 films? The real power isnt in the hands of the director or the producer anymore. The people selling the films are in charge.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) still classifies transgender individuals as mentally ill. It's currently working to revise that definition, but has been taking its sweet time since 2014. Denmark has "run out of patience," the Telegraph reported, and is addressing the problem on its own. By Jan. 1, 2017, Denmark will be the first country that does not categorize being transgender as having a mental disorder.

"The WHO is currently working on a new system for registering diagnoses," Flemming Moller Mortensen, Social Democrat and health spokesperson, reportedly said. "It has been working on it for a very, very long time. Now we've run out of patience, and want to send out a signal saying that if the system is not changed by October, then we in Denmark will go it alone."

Denmark to remove transgender diagnoses from the mental health section of the diagnosis register. Sweden, come on! #LGBT #trans

"It's incredibly discriminatory to put transgender people in a box with mental and behavioral illnesses," he added, calling the WHO's definition stigmatizing. Because indeed, the most recent version (see F64) of the Internal Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) does file "transsexualism" under gender identity disorders, a subset of mental and behavioral disorders.

The Danish government hopes its declaration will spur WHO to action, yielding a more accurate description of what it means to be transgender, before the end of 2016. According to the Local, Linda Thor Pederson, trans issue spokesperson for LGBT Denmark, called the country's resolution "a big step forward."

As of next year the world may see the first country fully end #trans pathologization and the (mis)treatment of trans people #Denmark #lgbt

"Being transgender is a natural variation, like being left-handed," she said. "We are not sick, and therefore don't belong in the chapter on mental illness. Some people still think we are mentally ill, because our diagnosis is in the psychiatric chapter. This proposal can make a big difference toward changing that."

Meanwhile, in the United States, people in certain areas are asked to bring a birth certificate with them to the bathroom or pay the price ($500), in order to protect "women and children" safe from a perceived trans threat.
By Kevin Murphy

May 15 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were arrested in Washington state on Sunday, two days after protesters set up a blockade on railroad tracks leading to a pair of oil refineries as part of a global protest over dependence on fossil fuels, authorities said.

The protesters, camping out on BNSF Railway tracks at Anacortes, Washington, about 70 miles (113 km) north of Seattle, refused police orders to disperse, said Katie McCulloch, a spokesman for the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management.

All of the 52 protesters under arrest were charged with trespassing, while one person was also charged with resisting arrest, according a statement on the department's website. No injuries were reported.

Billed as Break Free 2016, the protests on six continents are part of a 12-day campaign to call attention to climate change and to demand a transition to clean energy, according to the organization's website.

"Break Free is about pressuring the system so we get the change we need, but it's also about imagining an alternative," said Ahmed Gaya, an organizer for Break Free Pacific Northwest.

About 150 people began demonstrating on Friday night in Anacortes on tracks leading to Tesoro Corp and Royal Dutch Shell refineries. Tesoro spokeswoman Destin Singleton said operations at the refinery were not affected.

The protesters had about 40 tents on the rail property, said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas. The rail line was shut down during the protests but reopened on Sunday, he said.

"We are happy for them to voice their opinion but we ask them to do it off railroad property," he said.

Law enforcement officers and BNSF railway police went on to the tracks at about 5 a.m. PDT (1200 GMT) to remove the protesters, Melonas said.

Some protesters remained in the area after the arrests, though not on the tracks, McCulloch said. Some were in kayaks and in canoes on nearby waterways, she said.

In Albany, New York, about 1,500 people gathered on Saturday to protest against trains carrying crude oil into the Port of Albany, said Aly Johnson-Kurts, a spokeswoman for Break Free Albany.

The Break Free website on Sunday said the Albany protest was completed but that protests were underway in Chicago near an oil refinery and in Washington D.C., where the group is asking President Barack Obama to stop offshore oil drilling in the Arctic, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

(Reporting By Kevin Murphy in Kansas City Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Alan Crosby)
EDC returned to New York this weekend with a stacked lineup: a mix of stars (Zedd), youngsters with fresh hits (Sleepy Tom, Yellow Claw), and bare-bones techno veterans (Green Velvet). Billboard recaps the best moments from the first day at Citi Field.

Pasquale Rotella on What Makes EDC New York Unique

12:37 p.m.: A man in a red, blue, and yellow Mohawk gets on the 7 train heading to Queens. Many of his fellow travelers are similarly decked out, leading him to quip, "I guess we're on the right train, huh?"

2:34 p.m.: During the middle of a particularly fierce segment from Will Atkinson, a large homemade sign depicting Hillary Clinton wearing an EDC-appropriate headband makes an appearance. After a brief, soothing lull in the music, Atkinson redoubles the attack at faster speeds, and the Clinton sign bobs furiously. Outside the tent, another fan is holding a sign that repurposes a now-legendary quote from the rapper Birdman for dance music purposes: "put some respeck on my drop."

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Electric Daisy Carnival NYC 2016 at CitiField, Queens.Freedom Film LLC

3:22 p.m.: A dance circle in the middle of the crowd at Sleepy Tom dissolves as the producer throws on Young Thug's "Digits." As a consolation prize for those who wanted a stiffer beat, flame throwers belch jets of fire into the air.

3:31 p.m.: Despite the fact that Sleepy Tom is now playing Big Sean's "Blessings," a man in an unwieldy banana suit has restarted the dance circle. "Don't be shy, New York," Tom says to the crowd. "Sing along!" But in this part of the audience, everyone is too busy chanting "BA-NA-NA! BA-NA-NA!"

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3:43 p.m.: 4B segues into Future's gnawing hit "Fuck Up Some Commas." It's only a few hours into the festival and this song has already been played several times; it appears to be the go-to rap track for dance producers at the moment.

3:48 p.m.: Just as Ben Nicky unleashes his latest pile-driving beat, a man in a white tank-top clambers onto his friend's shoulders to wave a long-poled flag with a simple message: "orgy partners." The crowd goes wild, either signifying an appreciation for orgies or an excitement over Nicky's latest rhythmic pattern.

Electric Daisy Carnival New York Headed to CitiField in 2016 With Expanded Layout

4:46 p.m.: Marlo has four dancers on stage arrayed in the colors of the Mexican flag; he also employs synths that arrive with the force and grace of jackhammers. Someone in the crowd waves a sign that reads, "help me I've fallen and can't turn up." It's a ruse: in fact the sign bearer appears highly mobile, jackknifing from side to side.

4:53 p.m.: Bixel Boys bring their set to an end by moving back in time: transitioning from '00s southern rap (Crime Mob, "Knuck If You Buck"), to priapic '90s R&B (Ginuwine, "Pony"), to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." It's an easy but effective way to gain a crowd's affection - and Sinatra sits boldly outside the sonic pallet of EDC. Sticking with the New York theme, Bixel Boys then moved into Nas' "Made You Look."

5:15 p.m.: In the middle of the scrum watching TJR, another circle forms. But this one is different: a man gets down on one knee, pulls out a ring box, and proposes to his girlfriend. She says yes, the crowd hoots, a beat drops. If only the banana man were here.

[[{"fid":"612589","view_mode":"media_original","type":"media","attributes":{"height":1024,"width":1548,"alt":"EDC NYC 2016","class":"media-element file-media-original"}}]]

Electric Daisy Carnival NYC 2016 at CitiField, Queens.Freedom Film LLC

5:19 p.m.: The wildly theatrical main stage - the defining characteristics are a waterfall and a massive owl face - is officially opened by a master of ceremonies. (Defining characteristics: shirtless, blue-bearded.) He invites the crowd to "join me and the owl community"; more impressively, he seems to have control over when the stage emits fireworks.

6:44 p.m.: Green Velvet (Curtis Jones) brings out a group of dancers, all of whom are wearing American flag outfits. These colors mix with Jones's neon color scheme - emerald, chartreuse, harlequin - to approximate a debauched techno-Christmas. Green Velvet plays his classic "Shake And Pop," which seems fitting for a festival offering a panoply of electronic options: "I like electro/ I like retro/ I like ghetto/ House and techno."

7:18 p.m.: Afrojack eschews the Atlanta rap that has appeared frequently at EDC so far in favor of Desiigner's "Panda," the No. 1 hit in the country for two weeks. Afrojack makes a few modifications to the song, adding a strafing, steroidal breakdown.

Electric Daisy Carnival New York Reveals 2016 Lineup & Trailer: David Guetta, Zedd, Madeon & More

7:29 p.m.: The Master of Ceremonies returns for more faux-fantasy mumbo jumbo. At this point, the gargantuan, glaring owl face turns green, and his pupils appear extra-dilated. Adventure Club takes the stage and opens with a broadside of bunker-busting synthesizer, which makes the fireworks seem superfluous.

7:42 p.m.: Madeon is a hyper-active DJ, thrashing around behind his equipment like a wild man. He plays Daft Punk's "Digital Love," which came out in 2001 - an antecedent to today's scene, and a reminder of the longevity of electronic songs with crossover ambition.

8:35 p.m.: Paul Oakenfold brings some edge to the evening with a dense, relentless, and rhythm-heavy set.

9:01 p.m.: Ferry Corsten (as Gouryella) takes the stage armed with some heavy philosophical questions. The screen flashes these in rapid success as the music begins to pick up speed: "who are you? Who are we? Where do we come from?" And finally, "Where will we go?" These are head-scratchers, but the thorny inquiries don't derail the dancing.

9:16 p.m.: The members of Yellow Claw transition between a remix of Rihanna's "Work" and their own successful collaboration with DJ Mustard and Ty Dolla $ign, "In My Room." The light pulse of Rihanna's single doesn't quite meld with Yellow Claw's heavy artillery approach, but the placement of "Work" next to "In My Room" suggests a savvy act of self-promotion: you like that hit? Try ours.

9:58 p.m.: DJ Snake works his way through a characteristically pugnacious set. He unveils a rigid, staccato version of what sounds like Alvaro and Mercer's track with Lil Jon, but instead of Jon yelling, "welcome to the jungle," he roars, "welcome to New York!"

11:20 p.m.: All the day's excitement can't entirely pull one group of college students away from worrying about their finals. "I'm curious about how we did in stats," one boy announces as the 7 train pulls away from the festivities. The girl next to him replies, "I'm 50 shades of done with this semester."
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran's Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi has discussed the latest security and political issues with top Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

Alavi has met with Salim al-Jabouri, Iraqi parliament speaker, Ibrahim al-Jafari, foreign minister and Nuri Al-Maliki, former prime minister, who heads the State of Law Coalition political alliance, IRNA news agency reported May 15.

The security situation in Iraq and combating terrorism, as well as the political issues were on the agenda of the talks.

Iran's state-run Press TV also reported that at the meeting with Jafari, Iran's intelligence minister, discussed the bilateral relations with the neighboring country and the latest regional and international developments.

Alavi also underlined the necessity of an international coordination to eliminate the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, aka Daesh) terrorists group.

Reportedly Alavi heading a delegation arrived in Baghdad two days ago and the meetings were held on May 14.

Iran is one of the main allies of the Iraqi government. Some western and Iraqi media have underscored the significant role of Iranian forces in fighting against the IS group. The media reports say Iranian forces have a decisive presence on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Iranian officials said the Islamic Republic only acts as adviser to the Iraqi forces.
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian courts have handed out jail sentences on the weekend to 152 people for taking part in unlicensed anti-government protests, judicial officials and lawyers said on Sunday.

The rulings were issued on Saturday by separate courts, with a first group of 51 people sentenced to two years in jail and later in the evening 151 others given five-year sentences for the same reasons.

International and domestic rights groups accuse President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of running an ultra-authoritarian and repressive regime with zero tolerance for dissent in a crackdown that has been escalating since he deposed in 2013 his democratically elected Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi.

The defendants were among scores who were detained on April 25 during or on the sidelines of anti-government protests, including against Egypt's decision to handover to Saudi Arabia two Red Sea islands.

"We are in a state of shock since yesterday," defence lawyer Mohamed Abdelaziz, director of Al-Haqanya foundation of rights and freedoms, said on Sunday.

Their verdicts can be appealed.

"The whole case is built on random arrests," said rights lawyer Mokhtar Mounir from the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.

He said most of the defendants were aged between 20 and 25 and that many had been arrested arbitrarily by the police as they were out on the streets or in cafes but not taking part in any demonstration.

Police had quickly dispersed protests against the islands deal on April 25 and arrested dozens of people. Prosecutors charged them with participation in illegal rallies.

The deal to hand over the islands in the Straits of Tiran had galvanised dissidents who oppose Sisi.

In the leadup to the protests, police already made dozens of arrests to discourage a repeat of a large rally on April 15 at which demonstrators chanted for the "fall of the regime".

The government says the islands had always belonged to Saudi Arabia and that Egypt had merely administered them while on lease since the 1950s.

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Critics accuse Sisi of "selling" the islands in return for Saudi investments.

Since Morsi's ouster authorities have banned all but police-approved rallies in line with a presidential decree and overseen a crackdown that has killed hundreds of Islamist protesters and thousands imprisoned.

Several secular and leftist activists who spearheaded the 2011 uprising against longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak have also been jailed
Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian court on Sunday handed down seven-year prison sentences to six men convicted of beating to death a jailed Frenchman in 2013, while his family and the defence have blamed the authorities.

Forty-nine-year-old Eric Lang, who taught French in Cairo, died after a beating in a cell on September 13, after spending six days in a Cairo police station.

Lang had been stopped on the street because he was not carrying identification and was then detained because his visa was not valid.

Lang had remained in detention although the prosecution had ordered his release a day after his arrest, family lawyer Raphael Kempf had said.

According to the prosecution's case, six inmates in his cell had beaten him to death. They were convicted on Sunday of "assault leading to death," according to the verdict read by a court official in Cairo.

Several of the defendants' lawyers had called into question the prosecution's case, arguing the autopsy showed he had been beaten for more than six hours with a rod, according to one of the lawyers, suggesting police involvement.

Lang's mother and sister had also cast doubts on the official account, and filed complaints against two police officials and the interior minister over the failure to rescue him.

"He was arrested, tortured, killed for nothing, and France did not help in releasing him when he should have been extradited," Nicole Prost, Lang's mother, said at an April 13 news conference in Paris.

The French government called for justice at the time.

"France is mobilized, in Paris like in Cairo, for the truth of this tragedy to be uncovered, and to request that Egyptian authorities ensure us there would not be impunity and that those responsible face justice," said a foreign ministry spokesman.

Lang had been detained during a tense time in Cairo, when police and the military had been out in force to quash protests by Islamist supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

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International and domestic rights organizations say the police regularly torture and kill detainees and prisoners while in custody, something the interior ministry denies.

The verdict on Sunday comes as Egypt fends off accusations of police involvement in the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose badly mutilated body as found after he disappeared in Cairo in January.

Egypt has denied police were involved in Regeni's death, and its interior ministry had suggested a criminal gang was behind his death, a theory ridiculed in Italy.

Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt, after accusing Cairo of not providing all the information it needed to investigate Regeni's death.
CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced six people to seven years each in prison on Sunday for beating to death a Frenchman in 2013 while they were all being held together in a Cairo police cell, a judicial source said. Eric Lang, a teacher who was living in Cairo, was stopped by police in September 2013 for violating a night-time curfew in place at that time, security sources said then. Lang was drunk and police detained him when they found that he had no valid residency permit, they said. The six men convicted on Sunday had been Lang's cellmates and had beaten the teacher to death, according to a prosecution document and the judicial source. Reuters was not immediately able to contact the lawyers representing either Lang or the six defendants. A French embassy spokesman did not respond to calls for comment on the case. French President Francois Hollande told a news conference during a visit to Cairo last month that he had raised the case of Lang and that of Italian student Giulio Regeni in his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Regeni, 28, was last seen by his friends on Jan. 25. His body, which showed signs of torture, was found on Feb. 3 in a roadside ditch on the edge of Cairo. Lang was known to have been held at a central Cairo police station. Following his arrest, the Frenchman was presented to Egyptian prosecutors who decided to deport him, security sources said at the time. He was being held pending his deportation when he was killed by inmates in what the sources said was a dispute over whether to turn off the light. The six sentenced on Sunday are already in custody, the judicial source said. They can appeal the verdict. (Reporting by Haitham Ahmed and Mahmoud Mourad; writing by Amina Ismail; editing by Lin Noueihed and Andrew Roche)
CAIRO, May 15 (Reuters) - Egypt's unemployment rate eased slightly in the first quarter of 2016 to 12.7 percent from 12.8 percent in the previous quarter as well as the same quarter a year earlier, the statistics agency said on Sunday.

Analysts believe actual unemployment may be higher than the official figures.

Egypt has been struggling to restore economic growth since a 2011 uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The revolt was partly driven by anger about the lack of job prospects for young Egyptians.

Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had pledged to reduce joblessness to 10 percent over the next few years, a target that will require much higher levels of economic growth.

The country's labour force grew by 99,000 people in the first quarter to reach 28.4 million people, the agency said.

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Ros Russell)
Los Angeles (AFP) - Eight people were killed and 43 were injured in the US state of Texas after a charter bus rolled over on the highway, county officials said.

The bus, which was traveling near the state's border with Mexico, was headed to a casino in the town of Eagle Pass, according to a statement from Webb County, where the accident occurred.

Seven people died at the scene while one other died at the hospital, county spokesman Larry Sanchez said.

According to the county 44 people were sent to the hospital, including the individual who died.

The bus had been traveling from the Rio Grande Valley in the state's southern tip, when it rolled over. Emergency responders received a call around 11:30 am (16:30 GMT) about the accident, which included people pinned under the bus.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the roll over.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein reported that it was raining at the time of the accident but the cause of the crash was still unknown, according to NBC News.

The accident happened some 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of the border city of Laredo.

In a statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his wife extended their "deepest condolences" to those affected by the accident.
San Salvador (AFP) - El Salvador has said it refuses to recognize the new Brazilian government put in place after President Dilma Rousseff was suspended to face an impeachment trial.

Left-wing President Salvador Sanchez Ceren said in a statement Saturday that Rousseff's ouster had "the appearance of a coup d'etat."

In a speech, the leader of the Central American nation explained: "We have analyzed the situation and taken the decision to not recognize the interim government of Brazil because there was political manipulation."

He said he was recalling El Salvador's ambassador to Brazil, who had already received orders not to attend any official ceremony involving Rousseff's interim replacement, Vice President Michel Temer.
By Norihiko Shirouzu

BEIJING (Reuters) - After poaching Bentley's design chief last year, Hyundai Motor Co is set to announce it has also secured the services of the luxury marque's exterior designer.

Korean Sangyup Lee is being brought in to work with Luc Donckerwolke, a Peruvian-born Belgian, to lead Hyundai's development of its Genesis premium car brand - a project driven by Chung Euisun, heir-apparent to the Hyundai Group.

Hyundai Motor, which sells some 8 million cars a year, sees limited growth unless it breaks into new markets, a person close to the automaker told Reuters. For the South Korean firm, that means premium cars and maybe pick-up trucks and parts of Southeast Asia.

Lee says he is set to join Hyundai Motor as a vice president in charge of Hyundai and Genesis design, reporting to Donckerwolke, who will head up Hyundai's new Prestige Design Division, as well as being global head of Hyundai design.

Bentley spokesman Andrew Roberts confirmed Lee "has resigned from Bentley to take a position at another brand."

A Hyundai spokesman declined to comment.

Lee, 46, ran Bentley's exterior design since 2012 having previously worked at Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) group's design center in California, and General Motors (GM.N). He played a lead role in designing the Chevrolet Corvette, Stingray and Camaro - which featured in the "Transformers" movies - and Bentley's Bentayga SUV.

"CLEAN SHEET"

Lee told Reuters the ex-Bentley design duo aim to make Genesis a recognized global premium brand as new disruptive technologies such as autonomous, connected cars and alternative propulsion systems alter the auto design landscape.

"Because of these technologies, the car industry is about to hit a crossroads. The future is truly open," he said. "It's difficult to say if all the prestigious brands today will still be around in 10-20 years."

Lee, who says he was first approached by Hyundai two years ago, said he and Donckerwolke plan to design Genesis cars from a "clean sheet of paper".

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"For decades, luxury brands such as Bentley, Aston Martin and Maserati have been about possession," he said. "In the future, as disruptive technologies kick in, luxury is going to be about experience. People are going to look for a special experience rather than something special to own."

GLOBAL LEGACY

As "mobility on demand" - the once futuristic concept of calling up a robot-car by smartphone - takes hold, Hyundai predicts many households in the United States, its biggest market, will no longer own two, or three cars, but spend more on one car, said the person close to the company.

"That means upscale cars," he said, adding "profitability-wise, the luxury segment is much better, too."

That fits with Chung's aspiration to not just drive the Genesis brand but elevate the Hyundai name to an elite global corporate league alongside the likes of BMW (BMWG.DE), Boeing (BA.N) and Apple (AAPL.O).

"That's his legacy. ES (Euisun) wants to make Hyundai a truly globally recognized and respected company," the person said.

Chung was involved with hiring both Donckerwolke and Lee, as well as Manfred Fitzgerald, former brand and design director at Lamborghini who was named earlier this year as head of Genesis, said another person with knowledge of the matter.

(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
BERKELEY, Calif (Reuters) - Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg spoke publicly for the first time on Saturday about what she has learned from the sudden death of her husband a year ago, during a commencement speech for students at the University of California, Berkeley.

"I've not spoken publicly about this before and it's hard," Sandberg told the 2016 graduating class about the death of her husband, Dave Goldberg, in May 2015.

"Dave's death changed me in very profound ways," an emotional Sandberg said during her roughly 25-minute keynote speech. "I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, find the surface and breathe again."

Sandberg, 46, who joined Facebook in 2008 as chief operating officer for the popular social media platform, lost her husband to a treadmill accident while they were vacationing in Mexico last year.

The couple, married for 11 years, had two children together, a son and daughter. Last July, Sandberg joined the board of Survey Monkey, the online polling company that had been run by her husband.

Sandberg, the author of "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will \to Lead," wove together somber and lighthearted tones in her speech on Saturday and urged graduates to face obstacles with resilience.

"I'm sharing this with you today in the hopes that on this day in your lives, with all the momentum and the joy, you can learn in life the lessons I only learned in death. Lessons about hope, about strength and about the light within us that will not be extinguished," she said.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in Berkeley, California; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran is negotiating with Russia to buy military equipment, the Iranian Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Bigham said.

The Iranian navy has announced its requirements to the Russian side, Bigham said, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported May 15.

The issue of military equipment in Russia is under supervision of the country's defense ministry, Bigham said, adding the defense ministers of the two countries are considering the issue.

Referring to a recent meeting between navy commanders of the Caspian Sea littoral states, he said that ensuring security at the sea, carrying out rescue operations and exchange of information and experience between the navies of the littoral countries were discussed at the meeting.

On the sidelines of the meeting Iran held bilateral talks with some countries such as Russia and in particular Azerbaijan, he said.

The issue of buying military equipment was discussed at the mutual meetings as well, he added.

Tehran is also working with other littoral countries of the Caspian Sea to reach an agreement on joint exercises in the sea, said Bigham.

Last February, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan paid an official visit to Russia to discuss military cooperation. According to media reports, Tehran submitted an $8 billion list of requirements to Moscow that included the high-end Su-30 warplane, Yak-30 training aircraft, military helicopters such as the Mi-8 and Mi-17, K-300 Bastion coastal defense systems, new surface ships, and even new diesel-electric submarines.


May 15 (Reuters) - Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will meet this week with prominent conservatives in the media, a spokesman said on Sunday, to address allegations of political bias at the popular social networking site.

Some 12 "conservative thought leaders" will join the meeting with Zuckerberg on Wednesday, a Facebook spokesman said. Among the invitees are media personality Glenn Beck, Fox News Channel's "The Five" co-host Dana Perino and Zac Moffatt, co-founder of Targeted Victory, a technology company that aims to bring transparency to media buying.

Facebook came under fire last week when an unnamed former employee told technology news website Gizmodo that workers often omitted conservative political stories from the company's "trending" list of topics.

Zuckerberg said Facebook has "found no evidence that this report is true," but would continue to investigate. A U.S. Senate committee has also opened an inquiry into Facebook's practices.

Beck, a former Fox News host, took to Facebook early Sunday to say he is going to the meeting in Menlo Park, California, and "it would be interesting to look him (Zuckerberg) in the eye as he explains."

"While they are a private business and I support their right to run it any way they desire without government interference," Beck said, "it would be wonderful if a tool like face book INDEPENDENTLY CHOSE to hold up Freedom of speech and freedom of association as a corporate principle."

On Friday, Facebook outlined its "Trending Topics" guidelines in its media relations section and stated that reviewers are neither allowed nor advised to discriminate against sources.

Facebook, now valued at around $350 billion, has become a bigger source of news for its more than 1 billion daily active users. Sixty-three percent of users, or 41 percent of all U.S. adults, say they get news from the site, according to a study last year by the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation.

(Reporting by Marcy Nicholson; Editing by Mary Milliken and Chris Reese)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the Facebook F8 conference in San Francisco, California April 12, 2016. (REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

(Reuters) - Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will meet this week with prominent conservatives in the media, a spokesman said on Sunday, to address allegations of political bias at the popular social networking site.

Some 12 conservative thought leaders will join the meeting with Zuckerberg on Wednesday, a Facebook spokesman said. Among the invitees are media personality Glenn Beck, Fox News Channels The Five co-host Dana Perino and Zac Moffatt, co-founder of Targeted Victory, a technology company that aims to bring transparency to media buying.

Facebook came under fire last week when an unnamed former employee told technology news website Gizmodo that workers often omitted conservative political stories from the companys trending list of topics.

Zuckerberg said Facebook has found no evidence that this report is true, but would continue to investigate. A U.S. Senate committee has also opened an inquiry into Facebooks practices.

Beck, a former Fox News host, took to Facebook early Sunday to say he is going to the meeting in Menlo Park, California, and it would be interesting to look him (Zuckerberg) in the eye as he explains.

While they are a private business and I support their right to run it any way they desire without government interference, Beck said, it would be wonderful if a tool like face book [sic] INDEPENDENTLY CHOSE to hold up Freedom of speech and freedom of association as a corporate principle.

On Friday, Facebook outlined its Trending Topics guidelines in its media relations section and stated that reviewers are neither allowed nor advised to discriminate against sources.

Facebook, now valued at around $350 billion, has become a bigger source of news for its more than 1 billion daily active users. Sixty-three percent of users, or 41 percent of all U.S. adults, say they get news from the site, according to a study last year by the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation.

(Reporting by Marcy Nicholson; Editing by Mary Milliken and Chris Reese)
Non-profit production company We Do It Together has set its first feature project, Together Now. An omnibus of short films, it will see each segment directed by a woman with a prominent actress in a lead role. Robin Wright, Catherine Hardwicke, Katia Lund, Patricia Riggen, Haifaa Al Mansour, Malgorzata Szumowska and Melina Matsoukas will each helm one of the seven installments. Freida Pinto and Juliette Binoche are the first two actresses confirmed.

wdit

The theme will be female empowerment with each of the shorts shot in a different country. Pinto is teamed with Lund on one segment, shot in India or Brazil. Producers are Carol Polakeff, Shelby Stone and Chiara Tilesi. Production starts in July this year with all profits generated will be reinvested back into WDIT.

The goal of the film is to empower women creatively in front of and behind the camera and to implement a clear action plan that will contribute toward closing down the gender gap in a male-dominated industry, says WDIT. Putting forth recent statistics, the group said today in Cannes that male directors in Hollywood outnumber women 9-1. At the current rate, it was said, it would take 700 years to achieve parity.

Polakoff added, We are not here to take down the studio system; its a fools errand. If theres affirmative action in terms of insisting that there are 52% of women in jobs or films, I dont think thats the answer. You have to create a new model.

Binoche calls the initiative beautiful and investing money back into other films revolutionary. She added that the move is not against men, its for women Unconsciously I resisted the studio system and stayed in Europe I was lucky in my own career.

The group has also added new members to its advisory board. They are: Robin Wright; Jodie Foster; Diane Warren; Valeria Golino; Leonor Varela; Marvels Victoria Alonso; producers Keri Selig, Lucas Akoskin and Paula Vaccaro; CAAs Cameron Mitchell; and attorney Orly Ravid.

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Sydney (AFP) - Five young men face life behind bars after they were charged with terrorism offences over a plan to sail to Indonesia to join jihadist groups in Syria, Australian police said.

The men, aged in their twenties and early thirties and whose passports had been cancelled, included notorious Australian Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio, who was detained in the Philippines in 2014 and deported for reportedly urging people to join jihad in Iraq and Syria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The men, who were arrested on Tuesday, bought a seven-metre (23-foot) boat and drove it 2,840 kilometres (1,765 miles) from Melbourne north to Queensland state where they planned to set sail to Indonesia, the Australian Federal Police said.

"The men... were each charged with one count of making preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities," the Australian Federal Police said in a statement late Saturday.

"The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment."

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation named two of the other men as Shayden Thorne and Kadir Kaya.

The Federal Police said there was no current or impending terrorism threat from the case and that the men were due at a Queensland state court hearing on Monday.

Canberra has been increasingly concerned about its citizens fighting with jihadist organisations such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, saying some 110 Australians had left the country to join such groups.

The government has also been worried about homegrown extremism and the terror threat level was raised to high in September 2014.

It has passed numerous national security laws including legislation allowing for passports to be cancelled to prevent Australians from leaving the country.

Attorney-General George Brandis said the men's passports were cancelled several months ago.

"Their passports were cancelled by the Foreign Minister (Julie Bishop) because the relevant level of concern about their intentions were known to us," Brandis told reporters in Brisbane.

"There is a number of people in Australia under surveillance, and in the event that they were to attempt a terrorist crime, or to attempt to leave Australia in order to perpetrate terrorist war fighting overseas, then they would be taken into custody."

At least six attacks have been foiled on home soil over the past 18 months, but several have taken place, including the terror-linked murder of a Sydney police employee in October.
Barcelona (AFP) - Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg escaped punishment for their collision on the opening lap of Sunday's spectacular Spanish Grand Prix won by Dutch teenager Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

The two Mercedes drivers collided at Turn Four of the Circuit de Catalunya as they scrapped for the lead and, after making contact, both ended up in a gravel trap.

A stewards inquiry followed the collision and, after interviewing both drivers and reviewing the evidence, it was deemed no action was required as the crash was "a racing incident".

It was revealed that Rosberg, who passed pole-sitter Hamilton going into Turn One, had suffered a loss of power in Turn Three because he had started the race in the wrong engine mode.

This had given defending three-time champion Hamilton a clear speed advantage on the run to Turn Four.

"The stewards have said it is a racing incident, which we have to accept," said Rosberg. "This decision is the stewards' decision. We leave it at that. That's the verdict."

Asked if he blamed Hamilton for the crash, Rosberg said: "I didn't say that. I'm saying that I will go with the verdict of the stewards."

Hamilton said: "I'm not going to get into that. Firstly, I want to make an apology to all of our team. When I stopped, my heart just sank because there are 1,300-odd people in our team who all work so hard for us to be here.

"To not deliver for them -- it's, honestly, indescribable how gutted I was. I was catching him and he wasn't on the racing line.

"He was on the inside, slightly to the right, but the gap, to the left, was much smaller than to the right. So, I went for the right."

He added: "There was a gap there -- and as a racing driver, when you are going 17ks faster, you go for the gap.

"I'm going to try to move forward and to let the team know I'm going to do all I can to make sure it doesn't happen again."

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- 'Let them race' -

Rosberg said he had seen Hamilton approaching and had moved to prevent him passing.

"I was aware of the situation and saw Lewis coming closer. I went for the usual driver reaction of closing the door as early as I could. I was surprised he went for the gap anyway."

He added that he was very disappointed.

"I am gutted for my colleagues. I'm aware of all the work everyone has put into these two cars and for us to end in the sand like that...It's as bad as it gets."

Despite the incident, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said Hamilton and Rosberg remain free to race one another without being restrained by any team orders.

"What happened today was just a couple of unfortunate coincidences that ended up in us losing as a team," said Wolff. "We will continue to let them race."

He said Mercedes had maintained their policy of allowing their drivers to race each other following their most notable previous accident at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, which ended in acrimonious exchanges.

"We have moved on from Spa, in 2014, and it was a completely different situation in the team back then," added Wolff. "By continuing with our approach, of letting them race, it was clear that eventually this could happen, but we will continue to let them race."
Meet Frances Sebastien Nadot. 43 years old with chiseled good looks and the easy air of an athlete  which, it happens, he is. With degrees in physical education and history, Nadot has been a teacher but has never held an elective office in his life. What better qualification for president? Last week, Nadot announced he would serve as the candidate for the Mouvement des progressistes (MdP) in the next presidential election, set for 2017. Acknowledging he had no experience in politics, Nadot was unfazed.

Whats interesting is that Robert Hue, head of the MdP and a lifelong politician himself, seemed equally unfazed. Before announcing Nadots candidacy, Hue had been among the few remaining allies of Frances current president, Francois Hollande; during the last cabinet reshuffle, his name was even batted about as a potential minister. That he now sees fit not just to endorse another candidate for president, but to declare that the mission of his party is to tear down the professionalization of political life in France, speaks volumes on the bedraggled state of the Socialist Party and, more broadly, the French Left.

According to a recent poll, scarcely one out of 10 French voters wishes to see Francois Hollande run for a second term as president. Moreover, short of running against Henri de Lesquen, an independent candidate who insists on the benefits of slavery and promises to ban black music from France, Hollande loses against every possible array of opponents, ranging from former president Nicolas Sarkozy to Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National. Though preparing to launch his re-election campaign, Hollande seems to recognize his predicament. In a new book on his tenure as president, Hollande is quoted as saying that should he succeed in reversing the unemployment curve by the end of the 2016, if the nations mood is still depressed, [my campaign] is screwed.

Members of Hollandes Socialist Party clearly agree with that sentiment. They disagree, however, on most everything else  including who should take over as leader of the French Left.

On one side stand the so-called frondeurs, or rebelsthe moniker originally given to the French nobility that, in the 17th century, resisted the rise of the absolutist Bourbon monarchy. This group, led in the National Assembly by Christian Paul, is fiercely committed to the Socialist Partys traditional social democratic ideology and deeply suspicious of any indulgence of neo-liberal economic reforms, or rhetoric that might be interpreted as reactionary.

Two political crises, in particular, have exposed Hollandes narrowing base of support with this group. The first of these, the misbegotten effort to strip convicted terrorists of their French citizenship, was self-inflicted. In late March, after a long and bitter debate in both houses of Parliament, the proposed constitutional amendment died in the Senate. Not only was it a moral disgrace, but a tactical blunder, because it also alienated the frondeurs, who accused their leadership of pandering to supporters of the conservative Les Republicains and extreme right-wing Front National.

They returned to the barricades when the government presented a series of labor reforms in mid-February in a frantic bid to stop the steady rise of unemployment figures. Compared with labor laws in other Western countries, the so-called El Khomri law  named after the minister of labor, Myriam El Khomri  was relatively modest. Nibbling at the edges of the 35-hour workweek, which has been in effect since 2000, the proposed reforms gave employers greater leeway to negotiate longer hours and lower overtime pay with their workers, and imposed a limit on the amount paid to a worker in the case of wrongful dismissal.

While Prime Minister Manuel Valls expected a hostile response from the unions, he was blindsided by the reaction of lycee and university students. The proposed measures, they declared, would undermine their right to job security, instead bequeathing them une vie precaire. (Never mind that 27 percent of those 25 and younger are out of worka catastrophic comparison to the already disastrous 20 percent average across the European Union.) Carrying banners and signs redolent of the spirit of 1968, declaring The night is made for love, not work, the anxieties expressed by the student protesters over their future resonate with the wider French public, two-thirds of whom insist on the inviolable nature of the Labor Code. After several weeks of protests, Valls announced that it would spend 400 million to 500 million euros a year in order to better integrate students into the workforce. Student leaders declared their satisfaction with the concessions.

The frondeurs, however, were again erecting barricades within their own party. Appalled by this latest sign of a creeping neo-liberal infection of their party, they allied themselves with deputies from other left-wing parties to kill the proposed bill. In response, the government decided to strong-arm the now nearly unrecognizable legislation through Parliament. They invoked 49-3, a constitutional provision that allows the government to override parliamentary opposition on certain votes. Outraged by this move, the frondeurs tried to censure their own government on Wednesday, falling just two votes shy of the necessary 60 votes.

By battling Hollande, the frondeurs are trying to reassert their control over the Socialists present agenda. But theres little reason to think they represent the partys future. Although they present themselves as moralists, defending the humanist legacy of French socialism, hardly any of them  not even Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille, who wrote the 35-hour workweek as minister of labor in 2000  much inspires their fellow citizens. Their very professionalism is a large part of the problem; whatever their stated ideology, the French public has come to believe that politicians are craven creatures driven mostly by self-interest  above all, a desire to defend their seats.

Which is why it should be no surprise that the rising stars of the French Left are two anti-politicians, Emmanuel Macron and Nicolas Hulot. They differ greatly in their ideological profile, though not in their mutual interest in the countrys highest political office.

Until two years ago, few people in France recognized Macrons name. An overachieving graduate of Frances prestigious training ground for its political and financial elite, the Ecole Nationale dAdministration, Macron was enjoying a lucrative career as an investment banker when, in 2014, Hollande plucked him to replace Arnaud Montebourg, who had just been fired as minister of economy. The contrast could not have been greater: Whereas Montebourg embodied the fierce socialist attachment to state intervention in the nations economic affairs, Macron soon revealed his liberal, or free market, predilections. The most significant element of the legislation he sponsored in 2015 to unlock the French economy was a provision to allow large department stores to remain open on Sundays. The reform proved so controversial that it obliged the government to dust off 49-3 for the first time in order to push it through the National Assembly.

Yet this battle polished Macrons reputation as a plain-speaking outsider determined to fix a broken system. Last month, in order to build upon this reputation as being above the political fray, Macron launched a political movement he dubbed En Marche! He said it was a response to the stultifying ideologies of the socialists no less than conservatives. Seeking a third way, Macron wants his movement to blaze a path that is neither right nor left. (For such a bright individual, Macron revealed himself to be a bad student of history: the slogan ni droite, ni gauche was the very same one used by French technocrats during the interwar years who eventually found a home in the authoritarian Vichy regime.)

Moreover, a recent speech Macron gave on the anniversary of Joan of Arc did not endear to his employer. Invited by the conservative mayor to speak at Orleans, the city Joan liberated from the English, Macron hailed her willingness to battle the system and unite the nation. Knowing all too well that Macrons arrows were striking fellow Socialists as well as the conservative opponents, Hollandes staff reminded him of his ministerial obligation. This reminder was reinforced, in full public view, last week when Valls had a heated exchange with Macron in the National Assembly over the activities of En Marche! The horrified expressions of two other ministers, seated between the two men, reflected the widespread fear of the growing and perhaps irreparable schism within their party. (On Wednesday, this schism widened even more: According to the online paper Mediapart, Macron is preparing to announce his candidacy as an independent on June 20.)

Given the rising popularity of Macron, this horror is justified. According to a poll published last month in Liberation, nearly 40 percent of those respondents who traditionally vote on the left believe that the minister of economy would be the Socialists candidate in 2017. The problem, of course, is that as many, if not more, left-wing sympathizers are repelled by Macron.

Yet those voters now have another option in a similar mold: Nicolas Hulot. Like the presumptive nominee of the U.S. Republican Party, Hulot established his reputation on television; unlike Donald Trump, he has better hair and sounder credentials. Host of the show Ushuaia, a mix of National Geographic and Greenpeace, Hulot rocketed to fame by the end of the 1990s. Seeking to build upon his celebrity, he created the Ushuaia Foundation, with the stated mission of educating the public on environmental matters, and published a series of books that posed the question, as the title of one demanded, How Many Disasters Before We Act?

As a photogenic Cassandra on ecological matters, Hulot finally drew the attention of the political establishment. In 2003, then-President Jacques Chirac offered Hulot the ministry of environment. No doubt realizing that he risked losing both his punch and popularity, Hulot refused the offer, but instead persuaded Chirac to append an Environmental Charter to the constitution, which was signed into law in 2005. Hollande doubled down on Chiracs offer, proposing a super-ministry of the environment to Hulot. Once again, Hulot refused, but he did agree to serve in an unremunerated position as Hollandes global envoy on environmental matters.

In January, Hulot stepped down from this position. While he refused to criticize Hollande, he expressed a profound pessimism over the willingness of politicians to act on the looming environmental and economic challenges. We are not equal, he told Le Monde, to the demands of the present moment. Moreover, he was merciless toward the very same system that Macron attacked. Every political initiative, he told the reporter from Le Monde, is swallowed up by personal quarrels and ideological conflicts. While Hulots critique has its roots in Frances environmental movement, it shares the same impatience with politics and ideology as does Macrons technocratic approach.

But, as with Macron, Hulot is playing coy about his political ambitions. For the moment, he confided, I see no one who satisfies this deep thirst on societys part for a leader to engage in a politics beyond todays hollow ideologies and partisan attitudes. Though he insisted that running for president was not yet part of my software, he added that life has taught him that the world changes rapidly, and ones decision must change with it. The public seems ready for these changes: A recent poll reveals that more than 60 percent of left-wing voters  and 50 percent of all voters  want to see Hulot play a more important role in the future. What role more important than as an independent candidate for the presidency?

Hollande was once on good terms with the notion of change. In 2012, in fact, he ran on the theme of Change is Now! (Le changement, cest maintenant) Yet, the optimistic urgency then felt by Socialist voters has since turned into embittered apathy. Apart from his governments success in making gay marriage a constitutional right, Hollande has overseen changes hed rather ignore: an ascendant Front National, a strife-torn Socialist Party, and an increasingly alienated electorate. Change, it turns out, is for 2017  and it will not smile on the Socialists.

Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images
Seventeen female French politicians have signed an editorial decrying pervasive sexism in the their country's government. " , it's the behavior of certain men that has to change," the editorial, published in the Journal du Dimanche, reads. Fed up with a work culture marked by sexual harassment and misogyny, they bridged in a statement against "all sexist remarks, uncalled-for gestures and inappropriate behavior," the Guardian reported Sunday.

"This happens every day to women on public transportation, in the street, in businesses, in universities," the editorial reads. "Enough is enough. Impunity is finished. We will not keep quiet anymore."

Christine LaGarde.

Signees include Christine LaGarde, currently the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and women of various political beliefs, united in their refusal to adhere to the "code of silence" they say dictates their country's political landscape.

Mentioned in the editorial are Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Denis Baupin. The former headed the IMF until 2011, when he was arrested for assaulting a hotel employee in New York. The latter was deputy speaker of France's National Assembly until allegations of sexual harassment from nine women prompted his resignation and have recently sparked broader conversation about the way male politicians treat their female colleagues, which seems to be with disrespect.

"One cannot say to a woman  whatever her status might be, whether she's an employee, a student, unemployed, a stay-at-home mother or an elected representative  about a female colleague: 'Apart from her magnificent breasts, what is she?,'" the editorial states. "One cannot say to her in a smutty way: 'Your skirt is too long, you need to shorten it' or 'are you wearing a thong?'"

Women protest in front of France's national assembly on May 11; their banner reads "la barbe," which translates to "the beard" and means "enough."

As the JDD editorial stressed, the "scourge" of harassment extends far beyond the political sphere, although lawmakers should be made to abide their own laws. Those who signed the JDD letter want to change the way men think about women, and called for victims to come forward in order to institute actionable change.

"Women must be able to work, go out in the street, take public transportation without having to suffer uncalled for remarks and gestures," the editorial continued. "We would have far preferred never having to repeat this, we would have adored if we'd never had to write to this newspaper."
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Iranian MPs are preparing a bill to claim compensation from the US over its alleged crimes against the Islamic Republic.

During today's open session parliamentarians agreed to discuss the "double emergency" bill urging the government to claim compensation from the US over a range of issues including the 1953 Iranian coup d'etat which overthrew the Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh's government, IRNA news agency reported May 15.

The bill also accuses the US of backing former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in war on Iran in 1980s, the report added.

The bill also obliges the Iranian government to claim compensation from the US for "backing terrorism" and striking Iran's oil platforms in 1979.

The decision by the Iranian parliament came following a US court ruled April 20 that $2 billion of Iranian assets frozen in an American bank account had to be turned over to the families of the American victims of a 1983 bombing in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and other attacks blamed on Iran.

The confiscated money belongs to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI). The assets have been previously blocked under the US sanctions.
Yaounde (AFP) - The funeral of Cameroon international Patrick Ekeng, who died earlier this month playing for his club Dinamo Bucharest, was held in Yaounde on Sunday.

Several hundred people, including Cameroon's minister for sport and physical education, Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mpatt, attended the service at the player's family home in Yaounde.

"Nobody can take away the life of my son, other than God who created him. God lent me Patrick, now he has taken him away," said Ekeng's mother Celine. "I am proud to have had him as a son."

Ekeng's body arrived in Yaounde on Saturday evening and several hundred people attended a wake for the player overnight.

The 26-year-old collapsed to the ground seven minutes after coming on as a substitute in a Romanian league game against Viitorul Constanta last Friday.

He was rushed to hospital where staff were unable to resuscitate him.

An autopsy in Bucharest later revealed that he was suffering from "serious heart problems".

Before arriving in Romania, Ekeng played for several European clubs, spending four seasons with French Ligue 2 side Le Mans from 2009 to 2013.

The player then moved to Lausanne in Switzerland from 2013-2014 and Spanish side Cordoba from 2014-2015 before joining Dinamo.

Ekeng made his debut for Cameroon in January 2015 and was named in the squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations from which the Indomitable Lions were eliminated in the group stage.

His death echoed that of his countryman Marc-Vivien Foe, who died of a heart attack in 2003 playing a Confederations Cup match against Colombia at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France.
PARIS Leveraging its ties with high-profile talent and producers in the U.S. and in Europe, French mini-major Gaumont has tapped former head of sales Cecile Gaget to spearhead international production for the company.

Gaget, whos been shepherding worldwide sales at the company since 2010, will be in charge of producing or co-producing English- and local-language movies. She will report to CEO Sidonie Dumas and vice-CEO Christophe Riandee.

International projects on Gaumonts current slate include Armando Iannuccis Death of Stalin and Ballerina which are produced by Quad Films (Intouchables) and North American shingle Main Journey; as well as Nicolas Winding Refns follow-up to Neon Demon, a revenge thriller set in Japan.

Gaumont is also co-developing Montespan (working title) with Alexandre Aja and LGM. Gaumont has Neon Demon competing at Cannes.

This new step totally made sens as Gaumont expands its footprint within and outside of France with production of both French and English language films alongside Gaumonts worldwide television production, said Dumas.

Gaumont had pulled out of English-language productions after delivering string of pics, notably Jean-Pierre Jeunets T.S. Spivet, which underperformed at the French B.O.. But the company is in a different place today, having gained international recognition with its L.A.-based TV operation.

The 120-year company indeed successfully launched a Los Angeles-based TV banner, Gaumont Television, in 2012 and has produced various popular shows, including Bryan Fullers Hannibal, Eli Roths Hemlock Grove and Jose Padilha s Narcos.

The appointment of Gaget to head the revamped division fits the companys ongoing strategy to expand its footprint across the world.

Riandee and Gaget for instance recently negotiated the deal with Lionsgate to become a partner in GlobalGate, a banner which will produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world.

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The company is now looking to spark greater synergies between Gaumont TV in Los Angeles and Gaumonts film studio in Paris, and package movie projects for the U.S. market.

Gaget is collaborating with Now You See Me helmer Louis Leterrier on a U.S. remake of Michel Blancs Dead Tired (Grosse Fatigue), which won Cannes screenplay award in 2007.

Gaumont, which boasts a library of 800+ titles, will also be involved in co-producing and co-financing Gaumont remakes in foreign markets, notably Fred Cavayes Point Blank in China or Olivier Marchals 36th Precinct in Korea; as well as scouting for foreign movies with strong French makeover potential. Gaumont is for instance in negotiations to buy French remake rights to Paolo Genoveses B.O. hit Perfect Strangers, winner of this years Tribecas narrative feature award.

The idea is also for Gaumont to follow select producers and directors such as Quad Films or LGM as they step into English-language production.

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CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's justice minister said on Saturday he was ordering an examination of how Sable Mining Africa Ltd won its mining permits, citing allegations of corruption in a report by watchdog group Global Witness. Based on what it said were leaked company documents, Global Witness alleged Sable Mining financed the 2010 election campaign of President Alpha Conde and paid money to his son for bribes to secure the rights to its Mount Nimba iron ore concession. Reuters could not immediately verify the allegations. Calls to Sable Mining and its public relations agency were not answered on Saturday. Neither were voice messages and emails sent to both. Repeated calls to Guinea's government spokesman were not answered. President Conde, who Global Witness said was not involved in any wrongdoing, was abroad on state business. The president's son, Alpha Mohammed Conde, also could not be reached but was cited by Global Witness as telling them that he had never "attempted to use improper influence to assist Sable". Global Witness said a government spokesman said any payments to the president's son from Sable "would have been for consultancy work or reimbursement for travel". Sable officials were similarly cited by Global Witness as saying they followed all laws but would investigate. Cheick Sako, Guinea's justice minister, said: "The Global Witness report alleges that the heads of Sable Mining Ltd used corruption to secure permits to natural resources in Guinea. "Sable Mining Ltd has exploration and development rights going back to 2010. I will ensure that the awarding of each of these permits is examined." Mines Minister Abdoulaye Magassouba had earlier issued a statement saying that, following the publication of the Global Witness report, he had asked the Justice Ministry to look into the attribution of the permits. According to its website, Sable Mining "has a significant interest in an exploration permit in the Mount Nimba area of southeast Guinea". Aboubacar Sampil, the head of West Africa Exploration (WAE), Sable's Guinean partner in the Mount Nimba project, told Reuters that while Sable was a shareholder, its name did not appear on any mining permits in Guinea. He denied any wrongdoing. "At no moment was there corruption during the process of acquiring the permit, which entirely belonged to WAE before the arrival of Sable Mining," he said. After decades of dictatorship and military rule, Guinea carried out a review of mining permits between 2012 and 2015 to ensure that deals had been negotiated legally and transparently. The WAE Mount Nimba permit was not among permits reviewed by the panel. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Alison Williams)
futureadvisor jon xu bo lu

Jon Xu and the rest of his soon-to-be cofounders were leading project teams at Microsoft when they first noticed the problem.

It was toward the end of the 2000s. Microsoft was making them all a lot of money.

But not all of their Microsoft colleagues were great at navigating the complicated world of stock-option vesting schedules, 401(k)s, and all the other stuff that goes into turning money into even more money.

That young-ish crowd was shying away from getting a traditional financial adviser, instead looking for an app that didn't then even exist.

"None of our friends or colleagues could get a guy to manage their money," Xu says. "There wasn't really a great solution."

And so, Xu and his friend and fellow Microsoft employee Bo Lu came up with what he describes as an "awesomely complicated spreadsheet" to automate the process of figuring out how to get the biggest bang for your buck. It was a hit in his social circles.

Realizing that he was on to something, Lu decided to go into business for himself. Xu, Jared McFarland, and Clyde Law signed on as cofounders, and in 2010, the San Francisco-based FutureAdvisor was born  an app that helps millennials manage their money.

blackrock futureadvisor

FutureAdvisor made a big name for itself as an early pioneer in "robo-advising," the technology of automatically advising on assets to buy and financial decisions to make. Prestigious Silicon Valley institutions like Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator invested $21.5 million in FutureAdvisor over its lifetime.

And then, in the summer of 2015, FutureAdvisor got bought by BlackRock  the world's largest asset-management firm, with a market cap of $57 billion  for a reported $150 million to $200 million.

Robo-advising is the new hotness on Wall Street, and BlackRock has been turning course to better court millennials as it is.

Now, approaching a year since the acquisition, Xu says that things are going great and that FutureAdvisor is doing things under the BlackRock umbrella that it could never before.

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Life after BlackRock

"We have been, in most cases, getting the best of both worlds," Xu says.

In many ways, FutureAdvisor is still run like a startup, Xu says, and from its original office. That includes "table stakes," things like ping pong and video games in the office, alongside the occasional retreat to California's Lake Tahoe resort area. FutureAdvisor's culture, which again skews younger, remains intact, against the more old-school BlackRock backdrop.

That's important for attracting top talent, Xu says, but it's also just a sideshow from the really exciting part of getting to work under BlackRock.

From Xu's perspective, the really good part is having access to BlackRock's "awesome toys," like their tools for data analytics, risk analysis, and testing new features for customers. The whole team has had a lot of fun incorporating them into the FutureAdvisor tool.

"We're sort of kids in the candy store," Xu says.

blackrock larry fink

The real thing that makes FutureAdvisor's status as a startup-within-a-huge-company important, Xu says, is its ability to try new things, "learn quickly," and report back to the BlackRock mother ship. It's a mindset that BlackRock encourages, Xu says  BlackRock is still run by its founders, and still retains some of those "entrepreneurial roots."

It actually reminds Xu of the days before Microsoft was founded, working in small groups as part of a bigger one.

"Having worked at Microsoft, it was sort of like that at Microsoft," Xu says.

NOW WATCH: This 27-year-old quit her corporate finance job to travel the world





More From Business Insider


HONG KONG (Reuters) - A man linked to Hong Kong's pro-democratic opposition was arrested in China in connection with a plot to use a drone to disrupt a mainland delegation due to visit the global hub, China's state news agency reported on Sunday. The unnamed man, arrested in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, was a "sponsor" of Hong Kong's opposition camp and worked with another opposition figure to obtain the drone, the Xinhua report said. The purchase was part of a plot to cause "disruptive activities" against the delegation. Xinhua carried few details on the incident, which comes amid heightened political and social tensions over perceived mainland interference in the former British colony. Hong Kong was guaranteed widespread freedoms and autonomy under an agreement that saw Britain hand it back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. The Xinhua report did not state which mainland delegation was the target, but news of the arrest comes just ahead of the visit to the city on Tuesday by Zhang Dejiang, the chairman of China's National People's Congress and the third-ranked member of the ruling Politburo standing committee. Zhang, who is responsible for Hong Kong affairs, is the highest Communist Party leader to visit Hong Kong since large-scale democracy protests rocked the city in late 2014. Zhang is due to meet senior government officials and Hong Kong legislators in what is being billed as an inspection trip. A Hong Kong police spokeswoman told Reuters that they were notified of the arrest by Shenzhen authorities on Sunday morning and had requested further details. Shenzhen authorities could not be reached for comment. Hong Kong police have mobilized several thousand police to secure the city for Zhang's three-day visit, which also comes three months since a night of rioting erupted in the Kowloon district of Mongkok during Lunar New Year celebrations. (Reporting by Greg Torode and James Pomfret in Hong Kong; editing by Clelia Oziel)
From the 1970s to the early 2000s, hormone replacement therapy developed a reputation as veritable fountain of youth. Millions of women entering menopause were told by their doctors that it would not only ease menopause symptoms such as hot flashes but also provide a range of other benefits, including healthier hearts. The suggestion seemed to make sense. After all, estrogen plummets after menopause and the risk of heart disease rises.

The only problem was that there was little proof of those benefits. And when randomized clinical trialsthe gold standard in medical researchwere finally completed in 2002, the findings punctured many assumptions and showed that the therapy even increased some health risks.

Now, however, some doctors are suggesting the tide is turning againor at least that there are some circumstances when hormone replacement can make sense.

Here's our advice.



Emerging Evidence

The study that turned the tide against the routine prescribing of hormone replacement therapy was the landmark Womens Health Initiative. Based on a trial of about 17,000 women, it found that the treatment increased risk for heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer. Other research has linked hormone replacement therapy to ovarian cancer as well.

The days of routinely putting postmenopausal women on the hormone are over, says Vinayak K. Prasad, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine, public health, and ethics at the Oregon Health & Science University and co-author of Ending Medical Reversal (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015).

Still, several follow-up analyses of the data suggested that for short-term use by women at low risk of heart disease and breast cancer, hormone replacement therapy can be relatively safe.



And other research suggested that some of the risks of hormone replacement therapy could be reduced by using a transdermal estrogen patch instead of taking oral doses, says Marvin M. Lipman, M.D., a board-certified endocrinologist and Consumer Reports' chief medical adviser.

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As a result, judicious use of supplemental estrogen can be an option for some women with severe hot flashes and certain other menopausal symptoms, says Lipman and other experts.

When to Consider Supplemental Estrogen

Hormone replacement therapy after menopause remains the exception, not the rule.

Dont take the hormone if your menopause symptoms are mild and can be managed by lifestyle changes, such as sleeping in a cooler room, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol and caffeine.

Also avoid hormone therapy if you have heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, or youve had breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer.

But if your hot flashes are severe, you dont have any of those risk factors, and youre within the first five to 10 years of menopause, then its reasonable to discuss the option with your doctor.

Ask your doctor about the transdermal patch. And if you start it, stay on it for the shortest time possible (less than three to five years) and stop after age 60.

And dont use estrogen therapy for other menopause-related symptoms, like mood swings, irritability, forgetfulness, and reduced libido. Theres no evidence it helps those problems.

You should also avoid compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy products made in pharmacies because theyre not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and may not be safe.





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Top pick tires for 2016

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Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May. 15

Trend:

Ukraine has won the 61st Eurovision Song Contest with the song "1944" performed by Jamala.

26 countries took part in the Grand Final of the world's longest running annual television music competition, hosted by EBU Member Sveriges Television (SVT) on Saturday 14 May in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jamala also wrote her haunting song "1944". She finished the night with 534 points, 23 points ahead of 2nd placed Australia represented by Dami Im singing "Sound of Silence". Russia finished in third place.
Rome (AFP) - Italy's health minister is proposing doubling a 'baby bonus' incentive for couples to have more children to combat what she calls a catastrophic decline in the country's birth rate.

"If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years' time, 40 percent less than in 2010 -- an apocalypse," the minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, said in an interview published Sunday by daily La Repubblica.

Lorenzin told the paper she wanted to double the standard baby bonus, currently 80 euros ($90) a month for low-to-middle income families, and introduce higher payments for second and subsequent children to encourage bigger families.

Introduced last year, the allowances are currently payable only for babies born between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 up to their third birthdays.

Lorenzin wants to expand eligibility to all under-threes (thereby including those born before 2015) and to extend the provision for an additional three years, covering all babies born up until the end of 2020.

Higher-income families, those with taxable earnings of more than 25,000 euros per year, are not eligible for the scheme, excluding about a third of parents.

The allowances are paid at higher rates for the poorest -- those declaring less than 7,000 euros a year to the taxman.

Under the new proposals, the payment for second and subsequent children would be 240 euros/month for average families and 400 euros/month for the poorest.

Lorenzin is an influential member of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left government and would not have floated the increased payments without a green light from him, political commentators noted.

The proposals may however raise eyebrows in Brussels, where the European Commission is pressing Renzi to move faster on cutting the country's budget deficit as a way of bringing down its huge national debt, currently equivalent to more than 130 percent of GDP.

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Lorenzin's proposals would add 2.2 billion euros to public spending over six years, her department estimates.

"In five years we have lost more than 66,000 births (per year) - that is the equivalent of a city the size of Siena," the minister said. "If we link this to the increasing number of old and chronically ill people, we have a picture of a moribund country."

Lorenzin said the drive to get Italians to have more children would not be restricted to fiscal incentives.

"Couples have to understand that waiting until after 35 to have children can be a problem," she said.
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to secure its support ahead of a potential showdown with Russia at talks on the Syrian conflict.

After his Saudi meetings, Kerry was due in Vienna which this week will host the international contact groups engaged in efforts to halt fighting in Syria and Libya.

Riyadh is the key backer of rebels fighting to overthrow Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and Kerry is keen to keep the opposition on board with a shaky ceasefire in force since February.

Saudi allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are also major supporters of the administration in eastern Libya which is withholding its support from a UN-backed unity government in Tripoli.

Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at the royal court in a palace in Jeddah.

"I want to thank you for the many things that Saudi Arabia is working on with us to great effect," he told King Salman as the pair sat down, before reporters were ushered out.

"On Syria, the secretary provided an update of the situation on the ground following last week's reaffirmation of the cessation of hostilities," a US spokesman said.

"The secretary also gave an update on Libya," he said.

In talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry discussed "regional issues... mainly developments in Syria," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The monarch discussed "aspects of cooperation between the two countries and developments in the region and efforts in that regards," SPA reported.

Kerry also discussed cooperation in "fighting terrorism" with the Crown Prince, who is also interior minister.

Bin Nayef had orchestrated the kingdom's crackdown on Al-Qaeda, which launched a wave of attacks on foreigners and government targets between 2003 and 2006.

- Focus on Libya security -

After his talks in Vienna, Kerry will fly on to Brussels on Wednesday for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting and talks on the full range of challenges facing the Western allies.

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State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will jointly host the Libya conflict meeting on Monday.

Participants will "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," according to US officials.

The unity government was formed after months of negotiation by UN mediators in a bid to end the chaos of rival administrations in the east and west of Libya that has undermined the fight against the Islamic State group.

It has slowly asserted its authority in Tripoli since late March, taking over key institutions such as the central bank and the National Oil Corporation, but it still faces a rival administration in the east.

Officials say the fledgling regime is drawing up a list of requests for Western partners to assist its forces with arms, training and intelligence.

After the Libya meeting, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead a meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group.

The State Department's Kirby said last week the goal is to "ensure humanitarian access throughout the country, and to expedite a negotiated political transition."

The ISSG, chaired by Kerry and Lavrov, is pushing Syrian Assad's regime and a coalition of opposition groups to respect the fragile three-month-old ceasefire.

Officials hope next week's meeting will inject new life into the peace process and -- if the ceasefire holds -- secure talks on forming a unity government.

Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan reported on Sunday that peace talks might resume on May 23, citing sources it did not identify.

On the ground, clashes between rival Islamist rebel factions near Damascus since late last month has killed more than 300 fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Sunday.
By Lesley Wroughton JEDDAH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday. Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas. On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior and defense ministers - the two most senior princes - would try "to make sure that we can get this cessation better footed and, frankly, better observed and implemented throughout the country." The United States, Saudi Arabia and some other Western and Gulf states plus Turkey back rebels fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad, who has military support from Russia and Iran. However, diplomats in the Gulf say Saudi Arabia sees U.S. support for the rebels as inadequate, and fears that Washington may abandon their shared stance that Assad must immediately leave power as part of any negotiated political deal. Kerry and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir have previously characterized disagreements over Syria as being limited to "tactical differences" not objectives. On Tuesday the United States and Russia will co-chair a meeting of the International Syria Support Group, which includes Arab League and European Union countries as well as Turkey, Iran and China. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
BOGOTA (Reuters) - The leader of Colombia's FARC rebels group invited ex-president Alvaro Uribe, a vocal critic of the guerillas' peace process with the current government, to meet with him in an open letter on Saturday, in a bid to bolster the peace talks. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, said he would meet Uribe in Havana, Cuba, where the negotiations are being held, or in another location to discuss "the future of our nation." Uribe, president from 2002 to 2010 and now an opposition senator, has vehemently objected to the peace process, which he says will usher terrorists into government without justice for victims. Uribe, whose government dealt heavy blows to the FARC with support from the United States, recently called for a "civil resistance" to the partial accords reached so far at the talks with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos, once his protege. "It is not fair to conclude with so much ease that accords reached without your presence constitute a betrayal of the country," Londono said in the letter, published on the FARC's website. "Nor should you continue to stoke rancor and revenge in the minds of a large portion of Colombians." The letter comes two days after the FARC and the government announced a deal on a series of legal mechanisms meant to ensure any peace deal will be constitutionally binding if approved by Colombians in a proposed referendum. Colombia's five-decade-long conflict has killed more that 220,000 people and displaced millions. Uribe has not yet responded to the letter. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Ed Davies)
Pristina (AFP) - Kosovo police have arrested a Catholic priest accused of child sex offences in Britain and his extradition is being processed, a senior police official said Sunday.

"Andrew Charles Kingston Soper was arrested on Wednesday on a European arrest warrant issued by Great Britain," chief of police's directorate for international cooperation Veton Elshani told AFP.

"He is known as Father Laurence (and) was born in 1943," Elshani added.

Soper has been on run since he jumped bail in 2011 before he could be charged with child abuse offences dating back to when he had taught at St Benedict's School, a private Catholic school in Ealing Abbey in west London.

He faces accusations of abusing five pupils.

Soper "was arrested in the eastern town of Peja by the fugitive arrest search team after the police got a hint from abroad that he was there," Elshani said.

"The public prosecutor ordered his detention until the court decides on his extradition," he said, adding that by the law the procedure lasts at least 40 days.

"It can be shorter only if he agrees to be extradited and does not appeal against his extradition."

Following an independent British report detailing 21 incidents of abuse by monks dating from the 1970s until 2010, in 2011 the St Benedict's school apologised and accepted recommendations to fundamentally change the way it is run to protect children in the future.
A car bomb went off in the predominantly Kurdish city of Al-Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Saturday, killing at least five people, pro-government Sama TV reported, Xinhua reported.

The car bomb hit a checkpoint of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, at the al-Hilaliyeh roundabout in Al-Qamishli in the northeastern province of al-Hasakah.

The state news agency SANA reported the explosion, without giving a death toll.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a powerful explosion was heard in the Hilaliyeh district west of Al-Qamishli, adding that the preliminary information indicated the presence of several causalities.

The Kurds, who make up 15 percent of Syria's 23 million inhabitants with most living in the north of the embattled country, have been trying to keep their areas away from military operations and retain the kind of "autonomy."

In 2012, Syrian troops withdrew from most of the Kurdish areas, and Kurdish militia took over local security. The government, however, is still in control of vital areas in the city of Qamishli and the al-Hasakah province.

Following the surge of the IS militants in July 2014 and their capture of Kurdish areas in northern Syria, the U.S.-led coalition begun to help the Kurds in their battles against the extremists.

Last month, the Kurds voted in favor of establishing a federal region, which would include the areas in northern Syria on a triangular basis of the predominantly Kurdish strongholds of Kobani, Afreen and the al-Jazeera region.
MUST WATCH: @UFC fighter Matt Brown gets grabbed and hit multiple times by hostile Brazilian crowd #UFC198https://t.co/M4ca1X60Yw  FS1 (@FS1) May 15, 2016

Matt Brown spent all week in Curitaba, Brazil antagonizing the Brazilian fans and in general acting like how Matt Brown acts. The boos rained down upon him, and after a feud with the Brazilians thats gone back multiple fights, it seems like the fans have finally lost it.

During the walkout for his bout against Demian Maia at UFC 198, the fans lined up in the path from backstage to the Octagon had hands like zombies grasping at Brown as if he was fresh meat. It started to get sketchy immediately when Brown was smacked upside the head a few times, which got him visibly pissed. Then, a fan reached out and grabbed Browns hoodie and possibly hair, which led to Brown fighting back.

Take a look at the moment he lost his cool.

From this fight on the way to the Octagon, to then his battle inside the Octagon, Brown had a rough night. Maia worked him over for nearly 15 minutes before easily sinking in the rear naked choke.

Not cool, Brazil. You may not like Brown, but chanting for him to die and beating him up before his battle with Maia is over the line.
Michelle Obama cannot stop wowing us with her incredible fashion choices!

The First Lady accompanied President Barack Obama to the Nordic state dinner at the White House on Friday, where she stunned in a gorgeous blush Naeem Khan organza dress that featured an asymmetrical shoulder, nipped waist and full skirt.

WATCH: Michelle Obama Proves She's a Huge Blake Shelton Fan While Visiting The Voice

FLOTUS' hair was pinned back loosely, and she opted for a just a single bracelet on her left wrist, allowing the gorgeous gown to do the talking.

Shortly before the dinner kicked off, a breahtaking shot of the Obamas walking outside to greet press was shared on her official Twitter account, along with the caption, "Let the night begin. #NordicVisit."

The Obamas hosted five leaders from the Nordic nations of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Denmark for the evening.

RELATED: Barack and Michelle Obama Tango in Argentina

They were also joined by many of Hollywood's finest, including Connie Britton, Miranda Kerr, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kyle Maclachlan, Bellamy Young, Aziz Ansari, David Letterman, Allison Williams, and Will Ferrell.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Young -- who plays First Lady Mellie Grant on Scandal -- sweetly held hands with her boyfriend, Ed Weeks, as they headed into the White House for the special occasion.

Getty Images

WATCH: Michelle Obama Drops Inspirational Song 'This Is For My Girls' Featuring Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland & More

Later in the evening, she tweeted at Demi Lovato, who performed for guests at the dinner. "Thank u for the GIFT u just gave us," Young wrote. "Every note cut through the heart. U are the FIERCEST! Love u so!"

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Lovato retweeted the kind message and returned the love, telling the actress, "@BellamyYoung and you are the SWEETEST!! So happy we go to meet tonight."

@BellamyYoung and you are the SWEETEST!! So happy we got to meet tonight   Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) May 14, 2016

PHOTOS: Barack and Michelle Obama Adorably Dance With Stormtroopers, R2-D2 for Star Wars Day

Young, who wore a black Marchesa gown with an intricate gold overlay, took to Instagram on Saturday to thank the Obamas for inviting her to the dinner. "We had an absolutely magical night!" she captioned the collage.

Maclachlan also shared a photo from the evening via Instagram. He joked that he was "getting in a little mayoral posing practice," referencing his role on the sketch show, Portlandia.

This was the 12th official state visit during President Obama's two terms. His wife also donned a Naeem Khan number to the very first state dinner in 2009, which honored India, and the designer has been a favorite of hers since.

Getty Images

WATCH: President Barack Obama Gets Choked Up During Malia and Sasha's State Dinner Debut

The couple's daughters, Sasha and Malia, even wore the designer when they attended their first-ever state dinner in March.

Find out what FLOTUS told ET exclusively about the girls' special night -- where Malia memorabily fangirled while meeting Ryan Reynolds -- in the video below.

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When Kevin Morton Jr was 22 years old, he worked at Arbys fast-food restaurant in Detroit. One evening after closing, a would-be robber appeared from the shadows as Morton was getting in his car and shot Morton in the stomach. Doctors said Mortonwho planned to enter pharmaceutical fieldhad a 10 percent chance of making it through the night.

Dr. Dharti Sheth-Zelmanski received a call for a Code 1 trauma patient that night and rushed to the hospital, as doctors prepared Mortons family for the worst.

Whether we call it intuition, experience or a miracle  we put some extra sutures in and the bleeding stopped, Sheth-Zelmanski said.

Morton then spent the next 50 days in the hospital recovering. Through the hard road to health, Morton re-evaluated his lifes purpose and decided to pay it forward and become a surgeon, in hopes he could save others the way Dr. Sheth-Zelmanski at the trauma unit at Detroits St. John Hospital helped him.

Bringing the entire ordeal full circle, the veteran doctor was on hand for Morton as he received his diploma from Michigan State Universitys College of Osteopathic Medicine. Now, Morton will begin his residency in the same hospital where he recovered nearly 10 years ago.

We knew he wasnt going to give up, Sheth-Zelmanski said. We werent gonna give up  so we had to make it happen.
Miranda Kerr documented her trip to the White House on Snapchat because its 2016

Miranda Kerr documented her trip to the White House on Snapchat because its 2016

Miranda Kerr and her beau Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snapchat, are very private about their relationship. So when they made an appearance together at the State Dinner for Nordic leaders at the White House on Friday, we couldnt help but stare.

Whats more is Miranda even documented the night on Snapchat! What a supportive girlfriend. She posted a rare pic for all to see of them embracing. We love her pink floral Carolina Herrera gown.

If you didnt catch her Snapchat Story on Friday night, the model also posted a few pics to Instagram. This one of the adorable couple is giving us life.

 A photo posted by Miranda (@mirandakerr) on May 14, 2016 at 3:35am PDT

How fancy! Looks like a glamorous night out.

A photo posted by Miranda (@mirandakerr) on May 14, 2016 at 4:08am PDT

Great view of D.C. by night.

A photo posted by Miranda (@mirandakerr) on May 14, 2016 at 4:09am PDT

We hope to see more of this elusive couple soon. Keep your eyes on Mirandas Snapchat for more.

The post Miranda Kerr documented her trip to the White House on Snapchat because its 2016 appeared first on HelloGiggles.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Monsoon rains are expected to arrive on southern Kerala coast by June 7, about a week later than usual, the country's weather office said on Sunday.

The monsoon season delivers 70 percent of India's annual rainfall, which is crucial for agriculture and economic growth that has been hampered by back-to-back droughts.

About half the country's farmland lacks irrigation, and farmers have blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for a slow response after the droughts ravaged their crops in 2014 and 2015.

Two-thirds of India's population depends on farming.

The meteorological department expected a "slight delay" in the arrival of the rains, it said in a statement. In April, it had forecast an above average monsoon for the year.

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; editing by John Stonestreet)
By Alan Baldwin BARCELONA, May 15 (Reuters) - Less than eight months after passing his driving test on his 18th birthday, Max Verstappen raced into the record books as Formula One's youngest winner. "It feels amazing," the Dutch youngster said after finally coming down from the top of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix podium. "I can't believe it. "I was targeting a podium but then to win straight away, it's an amazing feeling," said Verstappen, who likened the last 10 laps with Ferrari's 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen in his mirrors to "driving on ice". He suffered some cramp, as well as rising excitement as he saw his name on the big screens, but made himself focus on the tyres and taking a car -- that he first drove only on Friday -- to the chequered flag. "I'm still learning the car," he said. "Before I got into the car, I didn't even have a hole for my drink tube. I still had to make it." The son of former grand prix driver Jos, Verstappen has racing in his blood and the confidence and maturity of someone who has been on and around wheels for as long as he can remember. He has also had to prove more than once that he is the exception to the rule. When Red Bull signed the then 16-year-old for their Toro Rosso junior team in 2014, ahead of his debut in 2015, the sport was so concerned that it introduced a minimum age rule to keep out other such precocious talents. In future, they decided, drivers would have to be at least 18 with sufficient experience demonstrated by points acquired in other series. That rule would have barred him from competing in 2015 had it been in force at the time. Verstappen ended that season with two fourth places and three awards from the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) -- for Rookie of the Year, Personality of the Year and Action of the Year. There were those who felt Red Bull had been callous when they dropped Russian Daniil Kvyat this month and promoted Verstappen in his place alongside Australian Daniel Ricciardo. Verstappen, once again did his talking on the track with a measured drive as the strategy played into his hands and the dominant Mercedes drivers cleared the way by crashing into each other on the opening lap. Red Bull principal Christian Horner, celebrating his team's first win since 2014, said he had been most impressed by Verstappen's calmness. "No agitation in his voice, no panic, no tension. He was a young man completely in control of what he was doing." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas.

On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior and defense ministers - the two most senior princes - would try "to make sure that we can get this cessation better footed and, frankly, better observed and implemented throughout the country."

The United States, Saudi Arabia and some other Western and Gulf states plus Turkey back rebels fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad, who has military support from Russia and Iran.

However, diplomats in the Gulf say Saudi Arabia sees U.S. support for the rebels as inadequate, and fears that Washington may abandon their shared stance that Assad must immediately leave power as part of any negotiated political deal.

Kerry and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir have previously characterized disagreements over Syria as being limited to "tactical differences" not objectives.

On Tuesday the United States and Russia will co-chair a meeting of the International Syria Support Group, which includes Arab League and European Union countries as well as Turkey, Iran and China.
It's the end of the road for Laura.

NBC has canceled the Greg Berlanti drama after two seasons, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Renewed for a second abbreviated 13-episode second season, the Debra Messing cop-mom drama had been a reliable performer for NBC despite its status as a critical punching bag. From Warner Bros. Television and prolific producers Berlanti (Blindspot, Flash, Arrow) and Aaron Kaplan, the drama averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 (up 36 percent with DVR) and 8.7 million total viewers (up a soft 26 percent). Not helping the decision was the fact that the modestly rated show hailed from an outside studio in WBTV.

The returns - despite Bob Greenblatt's affinity for Smash grad Messing - weren't enough to score a third season. NBC tried its hand with another female-driven procedural - hospital set Heartbeat - in the slot after Laura's sophomore run ended but the freshman drama produced in-house by Universal Television fared worse than the WBTV entry. Both series have now been canceled.

With the cancellation, Berlanti will head into 2016-17 with six shows - the same as this season as he added The CW's Riverdale to make up for Laura's demise. For his part, Kaplan scored a renewal for CBS' Life in Pieces and pickup for ABC series The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport.

The fate of NBC's The Carmichael Show - which remains on the bubble - remains unclear as talks for season two continue through the weekend.

Laura joins fellow canceled dramas at NBC including Game of Silence, Heartbeat, The Player and Heroes Reborn. On the flipside, NBC picked up new hourlongs including Taken, Chicago Justice, Timeless, The Blacklist: Redemption and Midnight, Texas.

Keep up with all the renewals, cancellations and new series pickups with THR's handy scorecard and follow the pilot crop status here. For full upfronts 2016 coverage, go to THR.com/upfronts.
PARIS (Reuters) - A slim majority of French people are in favor of protests against a deeply contested labor reform the ruling Socialist Party is pushing through parliament, a poll showed on Sunday. The government faces strikes and new waves of protests after opting last week to use a rarely used constitutional clause to pass the legislation in the face of opposition from rebel Socialist lawmakers and other leftists. Some 54 percent of those surveyed said they supported the protests against the law to free up France's rigid labor market while 45 percent did not, according to the BVA poll of 1,160 people on May 12 and 13 for Orange and Itele. Support had fallen only slightly from the 56 percent seen when the poll was first conducted in early April. Protesters' anger is focused on the government's plans to make hiring and firing easier in an attempt to get stubbornly high unemployment falling, with presidential elections a year away. Street protests have been called for next week while unions have called on railway workers, dockers, truckers, airport and refinery workers to hold strikes. Opposition to the reform has also spawned a series of protests by youths that have grown into a broader anti-establishment movement. However, as those protests have become increasingly violent in clashes with riot police, their public support has fallen, down 11 percentage points over one month to 49 percent, according to an Odoxa poll of 993 people on May 12 and 13 for Le Parisien newspaper. In a visit to the western city of Rennes to support riot police enforcing a protest ban after violent clashes, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 1,300 people had been arrested across France since the start of the protests two months ago. "Maintaining order is harder than ever," he said, vowing to keep cracking down on any cases of "extreme violence". Police said that up to 2,000 people gathered on Sunday to demonstrate and hold concerts at Paris' Place de la Republique, where the youth protests first sprung up with all-night protests. (Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Ros Russell)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poured cold water on Sunday on the Middle East peace initiative advanced by France by questioning its impartiality, a claim swiftly denied by Paris.

Speaking to ministers ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu relayed remarks he had made to French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who was visiting the region ahead of a May 30 international ministerial meeting.

Ayrault's visit aimed to prepare for the conference that would try to revive Middle East peace talks, frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives have not been invited to the French meeting to prepare for such a conference, mooted for the autumn.

"I told him that the scandalous resolution accepted at UNESCO with France's support, that does not recognise the bond of thousands of years between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, casts a shadow over the impartiality of the entire forum France is trying to convene," Netanyahu told ministers of his talks with Ayrault.

He was referring to a resolution adopted last month by the Paris-based UN cultural body on the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, which made no reference to the fact that it is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and is Judaism's most sacred site.

Sources close to Ayrault said on Sunday that France "regretted" the resolution, echoing remarks by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who on Wednesday called it "clumsy" and "unfortunate" and said it should have been avoided.

But at the same time, Ayrault rejected Netanyahu's questioning of French impartiality, insisting that an Israeli-Palestinian peace process was imperative to prevent the spread of deadly Islamist violence.

"France has no vested interest, but is deeply convinced that if we don't want to let the ideas of the Islamic State group prosper in this region, we must do something," he told reporters at Ben Gurion airport after meeting both Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

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- Direct talks 'only way' -

While Israelis have just celebrated the 68th anniversary of their state's inception, Palestinians on Sunday were marking the 1948 creation of Israel as the "nakba" -- catastrophe in Arabic, as more than 760,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes.

Clashes erupted on the Gaza Strip border between Palestinians and Israeli forces, and the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups called for uprisings against Israel.

Palestinians also marched in several cities in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his opposition to indirect peace attempts, blaming the Palestinians for rejecting direct talks.

"I told him that the only way to advance true peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct talks, without preconditions," he said of his meeting with Ayrault.

"Any other attempt just distances peace and gives Palestinians a means of evading dealing with the root of the conflict, which is not recognising the State of Israel," he said.

Sources in Ayrault's entourage said the French initiative was not aimed at "preventing or bypassing" direct talks between the parties, which Paris believes is the only way to resolve the conflict.

"The problem is there are currently no negotiations," the sources said.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki told reporters after Ayrault met Abbas that unlike the Israelis, they welcomed the French initiative.

"We wish France and its efforts success because the French efforts are the only ones on the ground now, and could eventually result in giving the political process a good push forward at this stage," Malki said.

The French, determined to push ahead with the peace initiative despite Israel's reluctance, remain cautious as to the prospects of its success.

The United States has yet to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry, who was the central force behind the latest failed round of peace talks, would attend the May 30 Paris summit.

Ayrault said on Sunday the US "shared our concern" and indicated France would be willing to shift the date of the conference to accommodate Kerry's schedule, should the need arise.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Sunday a Tehran anti-Israel cartoon contest themed around the Holocaust, accusing Iran of denying and belittling it as well as "preparing another Holocaust."

The exhibition, totalling 150 entries from 50 countries, with many entries deriding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's Middle East policies, opened Saturday in Tehran.

"Over the weekend Iran convened a special Holocaust-denial cartoon contest," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.

"We raise this here because it must be understood what our problem with Iran is," he said.

"It is not just its policy of subversion and aggression in the region; it is the values on which it is based. It denies and belittles the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust."

Several cartoons on display poke fun at Netanyahu, with one depicting the Israeli prime minister as a member of the Islamic State jihadist group and holding a sabre in his hand.

Another shows a map of the Middle East with a coffin bearing the word "Holocaust" flattening Palestinians in place of what should be the country of Israel.

The Iranian government has distanced itself from the contest, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said was organised by a non-governmental organisation without any support from the authorities.

Netanyahu had fiercly opposed last year's nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which saw the lifting of international sanctions in return for Tehran ensuring that its nuclear programme remains purely for civilian use.
By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try to revive peace talks. Palestinians welcomed the proposal but Israel is concerned that the conference that France seeks to hold in the autumn would try to dictate terms for a peace deal. In public remarks to his cabinet after meeting France's Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu said: "I told him the only way to advance genuine peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions." Israel made the same argument in the formal response it gave last month. France hopes an international conference would set out a framework for peace negotiations, after U.S. efforts to broker a two-state deal collapsed in April 2014. "I know that Netanyahu does not agree (to the French proposal)," Ayrault told reporters after his talks with the Israeli leader in Jerusalem and a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank. Ayrault said France would continue to pursue the initiative and that its ultimate goal was for both sides to return to direct talks, with international intervention laying the groundwork. "It is very clear to us, and I said this today to both the prime minister and to President Abbas, that we cannot take the place of the two parties," he said at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport at the end of a one-day visit to promote the plan. "Only they can conduct direct negotiations to achieve a solution," Ayrault said. "But because things are currently stuck ... external intervention is necessary to provide renewed momentum." An international gathering of ministers, tentatively planned for May 30 in Paris, is set to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations), the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation. Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for an autumn peace conference. While objecting to the French initiative, Netanyahu, a right-winger, has stopped short of saying Israel would boycott it. Keeping his options open could help Netanyahu in preliminary contacts with the main opposition Zionist Union party - a centre-left group likely to favour participating - on expanding his ruling coalition that has a mere one-seat parliamentary majority. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
By Ulf Laessing ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari needs to address grievances in the Delta region where militants have been blowing up oil pipelines in a conflict that has become a "major concern", a senior British official said on Saturday. The swamps of the southern Delta have been hit by a series of attacks on pipelines and other oil and gas facilities that have reduced Nigeria's output by 300,000 barrels a day, closed a major export port and two refineries. Nigeria has moved in army reinforcements to hunt the militants but British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said Buhari needed to the deal with the root causes because a military confrontation could end in "disaster". Crude sales from the Delta account for 70 percent of national income in Africa's biggest economy but residents, some of whom sympathise with the militants, have long complained of poverty. "It's obviously a major concern," Hammond told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Abuja when asked about the Delta situation. "The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn't work," he said, adding that the army did not have the capacity while fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the north. "It won't deal with the underlying issues." "Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta," Hammond said. Buhari is a Muslim from the north who has not visited the Christian Delta since taking office a year ago, something highlighted by a militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed a string of attacks on pipelines. The group has warned oil firms to leave the region within two weeks and says it is fighting for independence for the Delta. It has said it wanted a greater share of oil revenues and an end to oil pollution. The attacks have driven Nigerian oil output to near a 22-year low and, if the violence escalates into another insurgency, it could cripple output in a country facing a growing economic crisis. Buhari, who has not commented about not visiting the Delta, has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts. He also cut the amnesty budget by around 70 percent, which partly funds training for unemployed. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Alison Williams)
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Buoyant North American demand is a rare bright spot for the global platinum jewellery market after a sharp drop in prices boosted jewellers' margins, driving up consumption of the white metal by more than a third over the last six years.

North American appetite has flourished despite lacklustre global platinum jewellery sales, with world consumption down for a second year in 2015 as slowing growth and a shift in consumer tastes helped crimp buying in lead market China.

Platinum's appeal for North American jewellers has been boosted by a sharp drop in prices, which hit seven-year lows just above $800 an ounce in January, down 65 percent from 2008's all-time high.

That has driven up margins for the finished product.

"Margin is absolutely pivotal, and that has been exceptionally attractive," Metals Focus analyst Philip Newman said.

"When you have better margins, it becomes a virtuous circle. When margins are better, jewellers are better disposed to take platinum, advertise it, and through advertising, boost sales."

Platinum Guild International says that a piece made in platinum is more than twice as profitable for the jeweller as a similar piece made in white gold.

While the metal is now trading at a historically unusual discount to gold of more than $200 an ounce, the price of the final product still tends to be higher.

"If you take a piece in platinum and a piece in white gold, the platinum will still be more expensive. Platinum is heavier, it's more dense and it's more pure," PGI USA's president Jenny Luker said.

Bridal remains by far the biggest sector for platinum jewellery demand, but its appeal is starting to spread.

"It has a lot of great attributes," Luker said. "People are more comfortable setting stones in it because it's going to hold them more securely. It's hypoallergenic. Customers come to it sometimes because they're looking for an heirloom piece."

"It's the quality," she said.

(Reporting by Jan Harvey, editing by David Evans)
MOSCOW (Reuters) - North Korean authorities allowed a Russian yacht to continue its journey two days after detaining it and its five crew in coastal waters, Russian media reported on Sunday. The yacht was en route from the South Korean port of Pusan to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East on Friday when it was seized 80 miles (130 km) off the coast of North Korea's economic zone. News agency RIA on Sunday cited Russia's consul general in Chongjin as saying North Korea had detained the yacht "by mistake". News agency TASS quoted the consul general as saying a North Korean fishing boat had spotted an image it identified as South Korean on the yacht, which was then towed off to the port of Kimchaek. He told RIA the yacht and its crew were allowed to leave Kimchaek at 1000 local time (2130 EDT) on Sunday. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by John Stonestreet)
Thirty-five terrorists have been killed in the latest anti-terrorism operations in southeastern Turkey and in northern Iraq, the Turkish army said Sunday.

In a statement on its website, the Turkish General Staff gave details on its anti-terror operations Friday and Saturday.

According to the statement, Turkish security forces killed 18 PKK terrorists Friday in the Qandil Mountains, which the terrorist organization uses as a base.

On Saturday, eight PKK terrorists were killed in Turkey's southeastern province of Sirnak, three others in the town of Yuksekova of Hakkari province, four in the town of Sarikamis in Kars province and two in the town of Nusaybin of Mardin province.

The Turkish army said the bodies of two terrorists who were killed in previous operations were also recovered in Mardin on Saturday.

The number of terrorists killed in operations since late 2015 in the town of Nusaybin thus rose to 373, and 369 in Sirnak province.

Moreover, five terrorists surrendered to Turkish security forces Saturday in the town of Silopi of the southeastern Sirnak province, the army said.

Turkish security forces destroyed numerous explosives in Sirnak, Uludere, Nusaybin, the statement added.

Turkish forces apprehended one terrorist in Sirnak and three others who were wanted for "aiding and abetting a terrorist organization" in the town of Dargecit town in Mardin, the statement added.

The PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU - resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, more than 440 members of the security forces, including troops, police officers, and village guards, have been martyred, and over 4,500 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.
May 15 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, is planning to sue German automaker Volkswagen AG over the impact of its emissions scandal, the Financial Times reported.

The oil fund is expected in the coming weeks to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen in German courts in the coming weeks, the newspaper reported. (http://bit.ly/1TccjaL)

"We have been advised by our lawyers that the company's conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor it is our responsibility to safeguard the fund's holding in Volkswagen," Petter Johnsen, chief investment officer for equity strategies at Norges Bank Investment Management, the manager of the oil fund, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Norway's wealth fund said last year that Volkswagen, which admitted last year that it had used sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, had contributed to a loss of 4.9 billion crowns in the fund's second quarter.

The carmaker reached a nearly $10 billion deal with the U.S. government last month to buy back or fix about a half million of its diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds.

Norway's wealth fund also recently turned up the heat on U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron to do more to report on the risks of climate change.

The fund, itself built from Norway's oil and gas wealth, had also made similar demands of oil firms worldwide.

(Reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao)
Guatemala City (AFP) - Tensions over a disputed border between Guatemala and Belize simmered over the weekend with a new shooting incident less than a month after Belizean soldiers killed a teen.

Belize said one of its patrols had to shoot and wound a Guatemalan man who threatened them with a machete after he was found on the Belize side of the border with companions illegally prospecting for gold.

Guatemala slammed Belize for using "excessive force" and rejected the account of the Guatemalan man attempting to attack an armed patrol with a machete.

The incident occurred late Friday, just hours after a team from the Organization of American States visited a different part of the border to examine the area where a 13-year-old Guatemalan boy was killed by another Belizean patrol on April 20.

The OAS is trying to mediate a crisis that blew up over the boy's death, bringing to the fore a 150-year-old dispute between the Central American countries over the border.

Guatemala has made claims over more than half of Belize's territory dating back to when its small neighbor was a British colony known as British Honduras.

Guatemala and Belize each insist the boy's killing happened on its side of the border. Belize said a patrol came under fire and shoot back.

Following the death, Guatemala mobilized thousands of troops to the border and nearby area.

Both countries have called on the OAS to thoroughly investigate the boy's death.

In the latest shooting incident on Friday, around a dozen Guatemalans were surprised by a patrol eight kilometers (five miles) inside Belizean territory while looking for gold.

A Belizean government statement issued on Saturday said a 23-year-old man in the group "advanced towards a member of the patrol in an aggressive manner with a machete."

It said the officer fired a warning shot that was ignored, then "in self-defense" fired another that wounded the Guatemalan in the left arm.

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Three Guatemalans including the wounded man were arrested.

Guatemala's foreign ministry in its own statement did not dispute that the Guatemalans were on Belizean territory.

But it contested the Belizean assertion that the wounded Guatemalan tried to threaten the patrol with a machete.
barack obama

President Barack Obama chided Rutgers University students for scuttling Condoleezza Rice's planned 2014 commencement address.

Rutgers students successfully pressured Rice to back out of her commencement address, citing the former secretary of state's involvement in the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq.

Speaking at the university's commencement Sunday, Obama said pressuring Rice to drop the speech was "misguided."

"I don't think it's a secret that I disagree with many of the policies of Dr. Rice and the previous administration. But the notion that this community or this country would be better served by not hearing a former secretary of state or not hearing what she had to say  I believe that's misguided," Obama said. "I don't think that's how democracy works best, when we're not even willing to listen to each other."

He added:

If you disagree with somebody, bring them in and ask them tough questions. Hold their feet to the fire, make them defend their positions. ... Don't be scared to take somebody on. Don't feel like you got to shut your ears off because you're too fragile and somebody might offend your sensibilities. Go at them if they're not making any sense.

In recent years, commencement speeches have occasionally become flash points for campus activism.

World leaders like Rice and Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, backed out of speeches in 2014. And this year, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright faced protests from students and some professors at Scripps College.

The president has repeatedly noted the commencement-speaker-focused activism, warning students against stifling dissenting opinions.

During a commencement address at Howard University earlier this month, Obama recalled how engaging with law enforcement in Illinois helped him pass a piece of anti-racial profiling legislation.

"When I was a state senator, I helped pass Illinoiss first racial profiling law, and one of the first laws in the nation requiring the videotaping of confessions in capital cases," Obama said. "I didnt say to them, 'Oh, you guys are so racist, you need to do something.' I understood, as many of you do, that the overwhelming majority of police officers are good, and honest, and courageous, and fair, and love the communities they serve."

Story continues

NOW WATCH: 'Its not cool to not know what youre talking about': Obama slams Trump during Rutgers speech





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barack obama

President Barack Obama took aim at the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sunday, criticizing Donald Trump's plans to build physical and metaphorical walls between the US and other nations.

Obama never said Trump's name. But during his commencement speech at Rutgers University, the president blasted Trump's isolationist economic and foreign-policy messages, including his proposals to bar Muslims from entering the US and to build a wall along the southern border.

"Isolating or disparaging Muslims, suggesting that they should be treated differently when it comes to entering this country," Obama said. "That is not just a betrayal of our values. That's not just a betrayal of who were are  it would alienate the communities at home and abroad who are our most important partners in the fight against violent extremism.

He added:

Suggesting that we can build an endless a wall along our borders and blame our challenges on immigrants  that doesn't just run counter to our history as the world's melting pot. It contradicts the evidence that our growth and our innovation and our dynamism has always been driven by our ability to attract strivers from other parts of the globe. That's how we became America  why would we want to stop it now?

Obama used much of Sunday's speech to what he cast as Trump's restrictionist proposals. He said some US trade deals that put have some US jobs and manufacturers at risk often also have enormous economic benefits that protect intellectual-property laws and raise environmental standards.

The president also slammed the debate over "political correctness," warning the graduates against leaders who do not pay attention to nuance.

"If you were listening to the political debate, you might wonder where this strain of anti-intellectualism came from," Obama said. "Class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be: In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about. That's not 'keeping it real,' or 'telling it like it is.' That's not 'challenging political correctness.' It's just not knowing what you're talking about."

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Obama began Sunday's speech by offering a critique of Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." The president pointed out that by many economic metrics and measures of racial and gender equality, the US is far more fair and prosperous than in previous generations.

"When you hear someone longing for the good old days, take it with a grain of salt," Obama said. "I guess it's part of human nature, especially in times of change and uncertainty to want to look backwards and long for some imaginary past when everything worked, and the economy hummed, and all politicians were wise, and every child was well-mannered, and America pretty much did whatever it wanted around the world."

He added: "Guess what? It ain't so. The good old days weren't all that good."

NOW WATCH: 'Its not cool to not know what youre talking about': Obama slams Trump during Rutgers speech





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Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Sunday criticized the populist campaign of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, decrying "anti-intellectualism" and noting that "ignorance is not a virtue."

Obama did not specifically name the brash New York real estate developer during his remarks at a university graduation ceremony in New Jersey, but it was clear he was referring to the candidate who is running on a slogan of "Make America Great Again!"

The Democrat told students not to pine for an American golden age of years past, saying, "The good old days were not all that good," as he pointed out problems with racial discrimination, poverty and lack of equality for women.

"The world is more interconnected than ever before and it is becoming more connected every day. Building walls won't change things," Obama said, an apparent jab at Trump's calls for a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants out.

Obama noted that no wall could stop outbreaks of infectious diseases like Ebola and Zika, or help the United States remain competitive in a time of globalization.

"Suggesting that we can build an endless wall along our borders and blame our challenges on immigrants, that does not just run counter to our history as the world melting pot," Obama said.

"It contradicts the evidence that our growth and our innovation and our dynamism has always been spurred by our ability to attract strivers from every corner of the globe."

The US president also denounced politicians who hold themselves up as examples of straight-talkers but shun political correctness.

"In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about," he said. "That's not challenging political correctness. That's just not knowing what you're talking about."

Obama was speaking to students at Rutgers University, about one hour from New York. He wore a red and black gown and received an honorary degree from the school.
Cesar Vargas probably deserved his first major league win in any of his first three starts and didn't get it. The loss in his fourth was justified.

The San Diego rookie will try to recover from that and get that first victory Sunday as the Padres try for a series win in the conclusion of a four-game road set with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Vargas (0-2, 3.54 ERA) was 0-1 with a 1.10 ERA after his first three starts, never allowing more than a run or five hits and going deep enough for a win in each. That trend ended in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs, with the right-hander giving up six runs and 10 hits in four innings. He walked three for a fourth straight game.

"If you leave it in the zone, it's going to get hit," Vargas told MLB's official website. "They're attacking. I was trying to be too perfect, and that probably played into it, but they're good hitters."

Counterpart Zach Davies has allowed three more earned runs this season in 9 1/3 fewer innings than he did in six starts last year as he made his major league debut. The right-hander has started to level out with four runs allowed in 11 innings over his last two starts after beginning the year with three straight losses.

The 23-year-old gave up two runs and five hits in five innings of Tuesday's 10-2 win in Miami for his first victory of the year.

"It was great to get the first (win) out of the way," Davies said. "Kind of get the monkey off my back and go through the next few starts and become the pitcher that I've been in the past."

Davies (1-3, 6.29) still walked three and has issued nine bases on balls in 16 innings over his last three starts. His 4.81 walks per nine innings is up from 3.97 last season.

"He got through his five innings," manager Craig Counsell said. "He was behind a bunch of hitters. I just thought he had to work to get through those five innings. I know he put up a zero in the fifth, but I thought it was time to go to somebody else."

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Davies turned in likely his best major league start in a 5-0 win in San Diego on Sept. 30, giving up five hits in seven innings, though Melvin Upton Jr. was 2 for 2.

San Diego (17-21) has won three of the first four in the series after Saturday's 8-7 victory in 12 innings. Upton was 4 for 5 and hit back-to-back home runs with Derek Norris in the top of the 12th to give the Padres their fourth win in five games. Upton is 7 for 12 with two home runs in the series.

The Brewers (15-22) lost for the third time in four games despite three-hit efforts from Jonathan Villar and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The former is 11 for 24 in his last six games, while the latter is 5 for 9 in the last two.
The 5-foot-tall warning sign in front of the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong in Beijing is thorough: no instant noodles, no cameras, no soda cans, no handbags, no cigarette lighters, no meandering cats, no electric bikes, no wayward scooters, no open-toed shoes, no this, no that. Bring only your eternal love and crocodile tears for the Great Helmsman of China. You  and the dead Communist leader to your right  will be under close watch, but its also a prime spot to people watch.

While a mausoleum may not sound like a lively attraction, this particular one is a people-watching paradise. The embalmed corpse of Chairman Mao lies within a crystal coffin in the heart of Tiananmen Square, but Im not here to ogle his sunken cheeks or his stygian aura. Im here to observe his flock of fanatics, all elbowing to get into Maos final resting place, a multistory cinder-block building thats kept under lock and key. All I have to do first is pass through three security checkpoints, a few pat-downs and a wall of stone-faced guards.

They spend 60 minutes somberly shuffling forward in a miles-long queue just to get a 60-second glimpse of the Great Leader.

Every day, thousands of visitors  mostly Chinese  come to pay their respects in a cross-country pilgrimage of sorts. They spend 60 minutes somberly shuffling forward in a miles-long queue just to get a 60-second glimpse of the Great Leader. Stately security personnel are stationed every few feet, reminding me that this is no laughing matter. Yet I cant help but gawk at the the group of gung-ho grandmas who shove me aside to get a closer look at the casket surrounded by glass. Then, like the flip of a switch, they keel over, sobbing  and I mean a sudden downpour  at the sight of Mao in the flesh. Others around me bow down, clutching bouquets of fresh-cut white flowers to be laid at the base of Maos statue. Once we reach the end, they take a minute to regain their composure before hightailing it to get back in line and do it all over again.

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Source: Flickr CC

Its a shocking sight, especially once you factor in the mixed legacy of Mao that belies the theatricality of it all. The founder of the Peoples Republic of China, Mao helped build modern China during his rule from 1943 to 1976. Hes celebrated for ending a bloody civil war and nixing imperialism from a massive country, putting it on a path towards renewal and world power. But his legacy is marred by the famine of the Great Leap Forward and the systematic violence of the Cultural Revolution, through which his policies caused the death of tens of millions of people. Today, many have a complicated view of Mao: a charismatic leader who reformed his country but also a ruthless one who wreaked atrocities on his people. But love him or hate him, the one thing thats really associated with him is strength during the rise of China, says Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a historian of modern China at the University of California, Irvine.

There are portraits of Mao hanging everywhere, from the local KFC to the ancient Forbidden City, as a lucky charm  and his perfectly preserved body is revered by millions in China. Outside the mausoleum, I perch near the stairs and watch crowds of mourners go from gloom to glee beneath the sunny sky. I start to ask one teary-eyed woman who has dropped to her knees if she needs help getting up. But before I can open my mouth, she leaps up, a smuggled selfie stick in one hand, and snaps a quick pic of herself in front of Maos mausoleum.

People can be so entertaining.

An earlier version of this story misstated Maos relationship to the Communist Party of China.

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Universal Pictures shocked the indie sector with its third overhaul of prestige film division Focus Features in a relatively short time. The long-running New York-based team of James Schamus and Andrew Karpen gave way to a genre-centric operation run by Peter Schlessel from Los Angeles, and then the deck was re-shuffled again in February. Peter Kujawski, who had left Focus several years ago when elevated to managing director of Universal Pictures International Productions, returned as chairman. Abhijay Prakash became COO and Robert Walak president, also moving over from UPIP, which was folded into Focus. The new strategy sounds much like the Focus of old, with a twist: heavy on prestige pictures but with a cohesiveness with Universal because of the overseas expertise of the management team. That team came right out of the gate in Berlin and acquired the Jeff Nichols-directed Loving after watching a few scenes and reading a script. Nichols worked hard to have it ready for its Cannes premiere in competition tomorrow. The film stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga as Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple that married in 1958 and found themselves prosecuted in Virginia and sent to prison. The couple fought until the miscegenation law was overturned in 1967 by the Supreme Court in a landmark Civil Rights case. Focus has made these kind of movies before, from Brokeback Mountain to The Theory of Everything, but Loving gives a glimpse at the kind of socially conscious films Focus hopes to make in a pastiche of home-grown films and acquisitions that will cover both domestic and foreign, and sometimes a mix of both of those. Focus acquired foreign territories on Andrea Arnolds American Honey here and has foreign territories on the Pedro Almodovar film Julieta, also playing here in Cannes. Kujawski here explains what he hopes for new Focus Features; he is the rare exec who knows the other two iterations. He started at the original Focus long ago, and at UPIP kept a hand in Focus deal making that included last Cannes record world rights deal for Tom Fords Nocturnal Animals, which Focus will release during Oscar season.

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DEADLINE: This is your 15th Cannes, but the first where you are the boss at Focus Features, the place you worked at your very first Cannes. What was that first Cannes like?

KUJAWSKI: I was extremely fortunate as an extremely junior member of the team to sit down with a big group and watch The Pianist, then get to stand around in a circle outside the theater with all of our jaws dropped to the ground at the achievement and say this is a massively important movie thats going to really touch people. This was the first Cannes for Focus Features, which literally had been formed three weeks prior, to be able to take a swing at a movie like this. We had that experience at Cannes, right away. In my fifteenth Cannes, we are getting an experience that is almost exactly the same. We piled into a theater in Berlin, watched the footage of Loving and stood outside that theater in a circle with our jaws dropped saying oh, my God, this is absolutely who we want to be and what we want to do. To get that movie and have it premiering this Cannes a few months later, and introducing that movie to the world? A lot of the landscape has changed, along with the deal making philosophy and the business around us, and that has brought certain extra pressures. But at the core, Cannes hasnt changed a bit in that most important way.

Loving - Joel Egerton

DEADLINE: Can you crystallize what the new Focus Features is?



KUJAWSKI: The change youll notice quickest from the last iteration to now is, we are getting out of the genre space, or at least what Ill qualify as the pure genre space. The commercial popcorn genre movies, thats not the Focus business anymore. The bigger studio will be doing that.

DEADLINE: Through Jason Blums Blumhouse?

KUJAWSKI: Exactly. Weve got a very good relationship with Jason and were built operationally to allow him the space to make his movies. Thats the most obvious difference. Frankly, the content philosophy in this version of Focus is going to be very, very similar to that of the Focus. It is going to be driven by filmmakers, and by that first questions you ask in a meeting. Do we love this? Do we think this can be great? Do we think this can touch and move people? Do we think this can have an impact on the cultural conversation? Do we think the experience of this movie is going to be unique and exciting? If it passes that bar, then we apply our business model, which is different, one that lets us enter the fray in more ways than we could in the original version of Focus. That was pretty standard domestic distribution and international sales. Here, we can buy the movie for the world; we can buy domestic rights without necessarily having international, or international rights without necessarily having domestic. We can buy domestic, and key international territories if thats all thats left, like we did when we bought Loving in Berlin, off footage. The philosophy driving it is always going to be about the audience experience and dialogue with the kind of filmmakers that we love. Its important though that we establish exceptions. Are we going to do a classic genre popcorn teen horror movie? No. Are we going to chase and pursue opportunities like The Witch? That will happen ten times out of ten.

DEADLINE: Why?

KUJAWSKI: If its a filmmaker who has created a movie that is unlike anything that Ive seen before, that can meaningfully sit and be compared to past works from previous cinematic masters, we want that sort of genre in our business. We have The Coldest City on our slate. That is Charlize Theron and James McAvoy, in a pre-fall of the Berlin Wall spy action movie. That log line doesnt sound like what Im talking about. Then you layer in on the fact thats is Dave Leitch directing. He did John Wick, which was to me and all of us at Focus one of the most inventive stylish, unique, totally cool, fresh takes on an action movie. And Charlize, who has become one of the biggest stars in the world, she is absolutely crushing it in this movie with a director doing something fresh and unique and creating a special experience for an action movie audience. Thats also going to be a Focus movie, ten times out of ten.

DEADLINE: Do you expect your priority to be acquisitions like Loving, or home grown films?

KUJAWSKI: We are growing a lot of things internally, though it is still early on that. A major part of our growth plan is going to be our close partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner at Working Title.

DEADLINE: You left Focus but stayed within Universal, and most recently you were managing director of Universal Pictures International Productions. How did this international experience help you shape what Focus is going to become under your leadership?

KUJAWSKI: My story within Focus was always tied to the international piece of our business; I did our international sales during my time at Focus and worked with and sold movies in to literally every territory in the world, working closely with the distribution partners that we had at Focus at the time. Thats why I was able to step in to the Universal role that I did in 2011, at a moment where the studio wanted to lean into a worldwide acquisitions business while making sure we were maximizing our international family. We were filling the domestic capacity and needed to fill them internationally and supply the TV clients and things like that with a supply they expect from a major studio. I embedded with the international team for five years. We had a green light process that was consensus driven across that whole organization. Before wed come to Cannes, there was much sharing of scripts and acquisitions with the head office guys and then wed send them out to the territory guys and really would have real conversations about this. That left us with projects we loved and believed in and we would hold hands and take that jump together which became a strength of the business. Even when it was a challenging piece of material compared to the main slate stuff, weve all said yes and committed to support it through the life cycle of the movie. That led to three months ago, coming in with new leadership of Focus. We are orienting the business back in to the space of being a global business that Focus was always conceived to be. But this time, the global business we are is beyond selling rights. We are tied in on a day to day operational basis with all the teams around the world that are distributing movies.

DEADLINE: You mean a more cohesive relationship with Universal Pictures rather than when Focus operated as a freestanding silo?

KUJAWSKI: Absolutely. In the first three months of doing this job weve already changed our green light process. We are not simply sitting in the room, with Focus as a domestic distribution company making a decision and then delivering it in to the rest of the studio. We have the international team in the room with us and were talking about the pros and cons and again building consensus and trying to green light movies that we think have global appeal. There are going to be times when we all are jumping up and down and saying we have to have this, we love it, its going to be a global hit. There are also going to be times where we say, domestically this could be a challenge but we want to take it on. There will be some films with more international upside.

DEADLINE: But you are at heart a prestige film company. How does it hamper or help, getting input from Universal, which has commercial tastes and knows what do to with The Mummy or those other franchises, but might look at a movie like Loving and feel it doesnt check off the boxes necessary to succeed globally?

KUJAWSKI: Well, that really was not the case. I think youve seen a process put out of the time where we were buying movies as Universal that were very much in the spirit of what Focus is now.

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DEADLINE: Which films do you mean?



KUJAWSKI: Boyhood. The very first movie that we bought as Universal under the time I was running the acquisitions team was JC Chandors All is Lost, from a thirty page script-ment. Theres no dialogue in the movie so its a very short script. Lionsgate had domestic, but our deal on that movie actually represented the lions share of the financing. We read the script and said, this is amazing, unique; this is a filmmaker that I love and believe in. David Kosse was running international for us; he read it and he immediately got it. So did Donna Langley. I said I was aware this was the first thing Im doing and it probably wasnt what we all conceived we would do.

DEADLINE: A movie with one actor, filmed on the water, with no dialogue

KUJAWSKI: Yeah. And that rippled through; we had a bunch of people on the domestic team read it and we all said this is great; were going to hold hands and do this and it did well for us. We were here at Cannes with that movie, it was in competition, and it was the toast of the town when that movie screened. I dont know if you remember but it was absolutely a rousing reception and proved to be a very successful movie for us

DEADLINE: Really? The perception was it didnt do well, at least domestically. It fared better overseas?

KUJAWSKI: Yeah. Look, these arent massive gross numbers but I think the idea is that these movies dont necessarily need them. We want that kind of success as well in the overall organization and theres real support for that in the overall organization for that, and its not like theyre doing favors for Focus. Loving was the same, and so was The Witch when we watched that movie at Sundance. It was just so good, the execution level was so high. There was not a moment of hesitation from the studio. We saw that on Theory of Everything, and then it repeated itself on The Danish Girl, a tremendous success as a creative endeavor and a tremendous success as the ability for us as the Focus team to get that out there and have Alicia Vikander win the Oscar. We wish the movie had performed a little bit more domestically but it doesnt matter because its still quite a win for us when the movie does over fifty million dollars internationally.

The previous iterations of Focus, the green light would have been oriented to the domestic potential of the movie, and itd be a lot harder to get to the point where we pulled the trigger on it than now, where wed have this sort of international viewpoint on the movie. Youll see these kind of green lights come from us now a little bit more that are internationally oriented, where something has breakout potential. Well leverage the strength of our international operation to get as much as we can out of the international marketplace. The goal is, a couple of times a year, that were doing stuff that on a global level we see huge upside both domestically and internationally. Weve got a flexibility, building toward a green light on these movies that allows that first metric to be: can this be great, and is this a filmmaker we love? If the answer to that is yes, it gets to the next level of conversation; how can we build a model, find a path for this movie to succeed.

Loving movie 2

DEADLINE:

Loving doesnt come out until November 4. Why bring it here to Cannes half a year early?

KUJAWSKI: It was driven by a belief in the movie and the level of execution Jeff Nichols brought to this movie on a humanist level. The relationship the audience will form with these characters is very meaningful, profound and we wanted to start building that in anticipation of June 12, which is Loving Day. We look at this film as first and foremost an epic story of love that literally changed the world. We wanted to come here to introduce that kind of cultural dialogue and start to get the word out about how this movie is that love story and that its not a purely civil rights and Supreme Court case movie. There is a far more complex, emotive and human agenda than that. This gives us a chance to begin to curate a cultural conversation this movie can launch. We will know early next year whether this was a financial success, but the idea of using this movie to start conversations about these issues, and how peoples lives and events that are happening now can be directly impacted by dialogue that starts because this movie is in the world, thats important to us, too.

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Davao (Philippines) (AFP) - Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte vowed Sunday to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders in a devastating war on crime.

In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city warned his campaign threats to kill were not rhetoric.

"What I will do is urge Congress to restore (the) death penalty by hanging," Duterte, 71, told a press conference in Davao.

He also said he would give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders against organised criminals or those who violently resisted arrest.

"If you resist, show violent resistance, my order to police (will be) to shoot to kill. Shoot to kill for organised crime. You heard that? Shoot to kill for every organised crime," he said.

He said military sharp shooters would be enlisted in his campaign to kill criminals.

Duterte also vowed to introduce a 2:00am curfew on drinking in public places, and ban children from walking on the streets alone late at night.

If children were picked up on the streets, their parents would be arrested and thrown into jail for "abandonment", Duterte said.

- Fear the law -

Duterte said he wanted capital punishment -- which was abolished in 2006 under then-president Gloria Arroyo -- to be reintroduced for a wide range of crimes, particularly drugs, but also rape, murder and robbery.

He added he preferred death by hanging to a firing squad because he did not want to waste bullets, and because he believed snapping the spine with a noose was more humane.

The centrepiece of Duterte's stunningly successful election campaign strategy was a pledge to end crime within three to six months of being elected.

Duterte vowed during the campaign to kill tens of thousands criminals, outraging his critics but hypnotising tens of millions of Filipinos fed up with rampant crime and graft.

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On one occasion he said 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

He complained on Sunday that people no longer feared the law, and he would change that.

"We have a society now where obedience to the law is really a choice, an option only," he said.

"Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. I will kill you. No middle ground. As long as the requirements of the law are there, if you try to evade arrest, refuse arrest... and you put up a good fight or resist violently, I will say: 'Kill them'."

Duterte is due to be sworn into office on June 30 for a six-year term.

The current president, Benigno Aquino, warned repeatedly during the campaign that Duterte was a dictator in the making and would bring terror to the nation.

However his preferred successor, Mar Roxas, an establishment politician who promised to continue Aquino's slow but steady macroeconomic reforms, ended in a distant second place.

- Death squad fears -

Duterte has been accused of running vigilant death squads during his more than two decades as mayor of Davao, a city of about two million people that he says he has turned into one of the nations safest.

Rights groups say the squads -- made up of police, hired assassins and ex-communist rebels -- have killed more than 1,000 people.

They say children and petty criminals were among the victims.

Duterte boasted on one occasion during the campaign of being behind the squads, saying they killed 1,700 people. But other times he denied any involvement.

Duterte also made international headlines for constant use of vulgar language, including on one occasion branding the pope a "son of a whore".

After scorching criticism in the mainly Catholic nation, Duterte sent a letter of apology to Pope Francis.

He also said he would visit the Vatican to make a personal apology, but on Sunday reneged on that pledge.

"No more. That's enough," Duterte said when asked about the planned trip, pointing out he had already sent the letter.

He said the trip "could be an exercise in duplicity", as he complained that some Church leaders in the Philippines indicated he may not have been forgiven.

Duterte was raised a Catholic.

But among his closest advisers is Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious group who calls himself "the Appointed Son of God".
Turkey has stood by the Syrian people since the start of the crisis and will continue to do so, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, Anadolu reported.

"As Turkey, since the first days of the crisis, we did not abandon our Syrian brothers. We opened our doors to them, and we will continue to open them," Erdogan told a meeting with foreign students in Istanbul.

Erdogan's comments come days after he accused the EU of not keeping its promises to grant billions of euros to support millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey. He made it clear that Turkey does not rely on foreign help when support the refugees.

"For six years our [Syrian] brothers were being brutally murdered by an illegitimate regime," Erdogan said. "Until today, about 600,000 innocent people have been killed with barrel bombs, ballistic missiles, torture and chemical weapons."

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, Turkey has opened its doors to some three million Syrian people fleeing the war, making it the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world.

Erdogan also accused Daesh, the YPG and PYD terror organizations -- Syrian affiliates of the terrorist group PKK -- of committing "ethnic cleansing and genocide" in Syria. "All of this happened and is happening before the eyes of the world," he said.

The president said that those who stood idly to the murder of people in Rwanda in 1994 are doing the same thing today in Syria, Libya and Yemen.
Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he wanted friendly relations with China and confirmed he was open to direct talks over a territorial row that has badly damaged bilateral ties.

Duterte also announced that China's ambassador to Manila would be among the first three foreign envoys he planned to meet on Monday, after winning the May 9 presidential election in a landslide.

"Well ties have never been cold. But I would rather be friendly with everybody," Duterte told reporters in the southern city of Davao when asked whether he wanted closer ties with China than seen under current President Benigno Aquino.

Relations between China and the Philippines worsened sharply throughout Aquino's six-year term over conflicting claims to parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.

To enforce its claims, China has in recent years built contested reefs into artificial islands, some topped with military-capable airstrips.

In 2012 China also took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing area within the Philippines' economic exclusive zone.

The Aquino administration responded by signing a new defence pact with the United States and filing a legal challenge with a United Nations tribunal asking it to rule that the Chinese claims to most of the sea were invalid.

It also sought to raise the issue at multilateral events, such as summits of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

China reacted furiously to Aquino's tactics, demanding that the Philippines negotiate directly but also insisting that it would never give up any of the territory.

Aquino refused to hold direct talks, fearing the better resourced and more powerful China would have an advantage.

He also said there was no point in talking with China if it insisted there was nothing to negotiate.

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Duterte, who will be sworn into office on June 30, said he planned to continue raising the issue in multilateral environments.

But he also repeated a campaign pledge to hold direct talks with China, if other negotiations failed.

"If the ship of negotiation is in still waters and there's no wind to push the sail, I might just decide to talk bilaterally with China," Duterte said.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao, also said he would meet with the ambassadors of China, Japan and one other, in his hometown on Monday -- his first day of public appearances since winning the election.

It was unclear who the third ambassador would be, but Duterte did say no meeting had been scheduled with the US envoy.
Philadelphia was the early capital of the United States after the Constitution was ratified, but on May 14, 1800, the nations capital moved to Washington. Heres a look behind the deal that changed the face of American government.

The City of Brotherly Love became the ex-capital for several reasons, including a deal between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, and a compromise over slavery.

And some rowdy actions in 1783 by Continental soldiers in Philadelphia, and the reaction from the state militia, didnt help arguments to keep the capital in Pennsylvania.

Until then, Philadelphia had been the hub of the new nation. Important decisions were made there, and it was equally accessible from the North and the South.

The Confederation Congress was meeting in Philadelphia in June 1783 at what we now call Independence Hall. However, there were serious problems afoot: The government had problems paying the soldiers who fought in the war against the British for their service.

The Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 was a crisis that literally forced the Congress to focus on its personal safety and pitted the federal government (in its weakened form) against the state of Pennsylvania.

Unpaid federal troops from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, marched to Philadelphia to meet with their brothers-in-arms. A group of about 400 soldiers then proceeded to Congress, blocked the doors to the building, and demanded their money. They also controlled some weapons-storage areas. James Madison noted that the soldiers were pointing muskets at the State House and appeared to be imbibing spirituous drink.

Congress sent out one of its youngest delegates to negotiate with the troops: Alexander Hamilton, a former soldier himself. Hamilton convinced the soldiers to back down so Congress could meet quickly and reach a deal about repaying the troops.

Hamilton did meet with a small committee that night, and they sent a note to Pennsylvanias state government asking for its state militia for protection from the federal troops. Representatives from Congress then met with John Dickinson, the head of Pennsylvanias government; Dickinson discussed the matter with the militia; and the state told Congress it wouldnt use the states troops to protect it.

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On the same day, Congress packed up and moved temporarily to Princeton, New Jersey. It traveled to various cities over the following years, including Trenton, New Jersey; Annapolis, Maryland; and New York City.

Delegates agreed to return to Philadelphia in 1787 to draw up the current U.S. Constitution, while the Congress of the Confederation was still seated in New York City.

Part of the new Constitution addressed the concerns caused by the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783.

Article I, Section 8 gave Congress the power to create a federal district to become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful buildings.

When Congress met in 1789, two locations were proposed for the capital: one near Lancaster and another in Germantown, an area just outside Philadelphia.

However, Hamilton became part of a grand bargain to move the capital to an undeveloped area that encompassed parts of Virginia and Maryland, receiving some help from Thomas Jefferson along the way.

The Residence Act of 1790 put the capital in current-day Washington as part of plan to appease pro-slavery states who feared a northern capital as being too sympathetic to abolitionists. In turn, Hamilton received a commitment to reorganize the federal governments finances by getting the southern states to indirectly pay off the war debts of the northern states.

A twist in a deal was negotiated by Robert Morris. Until the new capital was built on the Potomac, the capital would move be in Philadelphia for 10 years.

During the following decade, Philadelphians lobbied hard for the capital to stay in Pennsylvania. They offered President Washington an elaborate mansion as an incentive to stay. Instead, he and his successor, John Adams, lived in a more modest house near Congress. Also, a yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in 1793, raising doubts about the safety of the area.

And native Virginians like Washington, Madison, and Jefferson were actively planning for a capital near their home.

So one May day in 1800, Congress ended its business in Philadelphia and started the move to the new Federal District. President Adams also left Philadelphia in April and moved into the White House in November.
President Barack Obama addressed Rutgers University students and faculty during the school's 2016 commencement ceremony on Sunday with a speech that focused on the rise of anti-intellectualism in American politics.

Though he was never mentioned by name, the specter of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump loomed large throughout the president's remarks.

Source: Mic/AP

Obama urged the class of 2016 to be wary of hawkish immigration policies like those championed by Trump, insisting that working together with other nations was the only way to ensure that the United States can become stronger as a nation.

"

He also addressed the rise of belligerence and the fall of logical reasoning in the discourse of the pundit class, saying that in politics, as in life, ignorance is not a virtue.

"Building walls won't change that."

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With globalization on the rise, he said, the world is more interconnected than ever before, and it's becoming more connected every day.

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Obama also defended his own legacy, saying that the world is much better off now than it had been in the "golden years" of American politics that his opponents frequently wax nostalgic for.

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Obama had choice words for the recent wave of liberals who call for "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" on college campuses.

Referencing the University's boycott of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was slated to deliver the 2014 commencement address, Obama asked students to engage their political rivals in debate when their views are challenged rather than silencing them.

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President Barack Obama on Sunday indirectly slammed Donald Trump during his commencement address at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

The Commander in Chief did not specifically name the presumptive Republican nominee while speaking before the graduating class, but he did mention many of the moguls controversial ideas, including temporarily banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Let me be as clear as I can be: in politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue, Obama said, according to CBS News. Its not cool to not know what youre talking about. Thats not keeping it real or telling it like it is. Thats not challenging political correctness. Thats just not knowing what youre talking about. And yet weve become confused about this.

Isolating or disparaging Muslims, suggesting they should be treated differently when entering this country  that is not just a betrayal of our values, thats not just a betrayal of who we are, it would alienate the very communities at home and abroad that are our most important partners in the fight against violent extremism, he added.

The President also spoke about the important qualities that the more than 17,000 graduates before him should look for in policymakers, including facts, evidence, reason, logic. He noted the dangers of keeping the U.S. isolated from the rest of the globe. The world is more interconnected than ever before and its becoming more connected every day, Obama added. Building walls wont change that.
May 16 - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

* Goldman Sachs Group has been ordered by a British parliamentary inquiry to account for its role in Philip Green's disastrous 1 pound sale of BHS. (http://bit.ly/1Tcmz31)

* The Competition & Markets Authority is expected to demand this week that banks fund a price-comparison service to help customers find cheaper overdrafts and loans as part of a crackdown on the big four lenders. (http://bit.ly/1TcmxYS)

The Guardian

* Royal Shell PLC, Europe's largest oil company, has established a separate division, New Energies, to invest in renewable and low-carbon power. (http://bit.ly/1TcmwnF)

* London airport Heathrow's bosses will stand to gain from bonus payouts if the airport gets permission to build a 17.6 billion pound third runway, it has emerged. (http://bit.ly/1TcmE6N)

The Telegraph

* Premier Foods boss Gavin Darby will this week be hoping that a return to profit and more details of a noodle partnership will be enough to soothe shareholders' fury over his handling of McCormick's takeover attempt. (http://bit.ly/1TQzjGD)

* O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne is exploring a debt-fuelled 8.5 billion pound management buyout attempt following the collapse of CK Hutchison's takeover bid for the mobile operator, according to The Telegraph. (http://bit.ly/1TUGFvn)

Sky News

* The former Conservative Party treasurer Michael Spencer will announce on Monday that ICAP, the interdealer broking group he founded 30 years ago, is to be renamed NEX Group. (http://bit.ly/1TcmIn5)

* The Pension Protection Fund and KKR have been shortlisted to buy the UK's state-owned Green Investment Bank, according to Sky News. (http://bit.ly/1TcmLPC)

The Independent

* UK's Prime Minister David Cameron is struggling to convince voters he is telling the truth about why Britain should stay in the European Union and his main "Out" rival Boris Johnson is doing a better job, according to a ComRes poll for The Independent. (http://ind.pn/1Tcn2SC)

(Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Brazil's new acting president Michel Temer gave political briefings to US diplomats ahead of elections in 2006, whistleblowing site WikiLeaks said Friday.

Two cables published by the site, marked "sensitive but unclassified," contain summaries of conversations Temer had with the US officials, and their critical view of him and his PMDB party.

WikiLeaks in a Twitter message claimed Temer, a federal lawmaker at the time, acted as an "embassy informant for US intelligence."

The cables, dated January 11 and June 21, 2006, said Temer briefed the then US consul general in Sao Paulo, Christopher McMullen, along with another unidentified political official.

In the briefings, Temer spoke of possible plans for his centrist PMDB party to mount an electoral challenge to Brazil's leftist president at the time, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

The PMDB ended up making a coalition with the Workers' Party of Lula and his successor Dilma Rousseff.

Rousseff was suspended as president on Thursday pending an impeachment trial against her. Temer stepped up from the post of vice-president to fill her role while the trial takes place.

Rousseff called the move a "coup" and branded Temer a traitor for abandoning her governing coalition and supporting the impeachment drive against her.

Temer's government held its first cabinet meeting on Friday as it got to work to tackle Brazil's deep economic crisis.

The June 2006 cable signed by McMullen described the PMDB as a group of "opportunistic" regional leaders.

"The PMDB has no ideology or policy framework that it could bring to the task of formulating and implementing a coherent national political agenda," it said.

Brazil hosts the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 to 21.

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A coalition of press freedom groups Sunday urged a swift investigation into the murder of two Indian journalists in 24 hours, crimes that heightened fears about media safety and freedom in the country.

Rajdeo Ranjan, local bureau chief for the Hindi-language daily Hindustan, was shot five times by unknown gunmen late on Friday while he was travelling on his motorcycle in the eastern state of Bihar.

On Thursday evening, television journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was shot dead as he returned home on a motorbike in restive Jharkhand state bordering Bihar.

Police have not yet made any formal arrests in either case.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the shootings took to nine the number of journalists killed in the past year in India, which has been ranked as Asia's deadliest country for reporters.

"We utterly condemn the killings, demand a speedy and thorough investigation and justice for our colleagues," Brussels-based IFJ president Jim Boumelha said in a statement Sunday.

"The toll of killings in India is undermining press freedom and the government and police must act to bring the killers to justice and put an end to impunity."

The Indian Journalists Union, an IFJ affiliate, said both of the reporters were killed because of their work exposing corruption and criminal activities in the underdeveloped states. Police have similar suspicions.

"Rural reporters, who are the most neglected and poorly-paid journalists in the country, are braving the threats and intimidation of a political and criminal nexus," the Indian group said in the same statement.

The National Union of Journalists of India has threatened nationwide protests if police fail to move quickly to bring those responsible to justice.

India was Asia's deadliest country for journalists in 2015, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

It is also one of the most restrictive for them, ranked 133 out of 180 nations by the group.

Journalists in the world's largest democracy often face harassment and intimidation by police, politicians, bureaucrats and criminal gangs, while scores work in hostile conditions in conflict-ridden pockets of the country.
Chapman Ducote is a professional race car driverhe came in second in the final race of the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta in 2010, and has also placed highly in several other American and European races. Youd be forgiven for thinking that driving at 200 mph would provide enough of an adrenaline rush to keep anyone happy. But no. Ducotes also an expert spearfisherman, often taking his Delta 54 motoryacht to remote islands in the Bahamas to jump into the water (without an oxygen tank, known as freediving), and then get his catches back to the boat before the sharks show up. Though it doesnt always work out that way. We asked him to tell us more.

How did you get into spearfishing?

I started spearfishing on my own when I was a kid, because it was just something I wanted to do. I had no friends that did it; I just had to figure it out the hard way. And eventually I started diving with real serious guys, some pros, and I kept working at it and eventually I started diving with world record-holders, and thats where I am today.

Do you have any world records yourself?

I dont, but Ive come closenot in tournaments, but just diving on my own for record fish. I was painfully close to a permit recordjust two pounds shy of itand I also came close to a hogfish record. That was with a pole spear, which is a type of spear that takes a bit more expertise than a regular speargun.

How long can you hold your breath?

My breath hold apnea record is 4 minutes and 58 seconds, and it really pisses me off that I didnt get to five minutes. Apnea is when youre doing a static breath hold, holding your breath for a personal best, versus diving. Every movement you make when youre not breathing reduces your time without breath, so you need to conserve everything and lower your heart rate to almost a trance. You do a certain type of breathing to prepare your lungs, and that takes about 5 or 6 minutes, and then you take a peak inhalation, which gets as much air in your lungs as possible. And then you do something called packing, which is literally swallowing air, not really breathing. It can be dangerous because it can literally explode your lungs. You cant do it too much, and you need to get down to depth quickly, so the air compresses; otherwise, if you sit on the surface, your lungs will explode.

Ever had any near-death experiences yourself?

Yeah, Ive had two different types: some from sharks and some from shallow-water blackouts. Seventy percent of freediving and spearfishing deaths happen between 0 and 15 feet deep. Youre coming up and you think youre going to be okand then you black out and drown. Nobody really drowns at depth. You dont get the urge to breathe down there.

This is something that nobody really knows. If you think about it, if you pass out underwater, how can you not drown? Well, your brain shuts off, and youre not breathing, so you dont immediately drown. Lets say your holding your breath underwater and you pass out. Youre passing out because your body is saying, Well, I only have 20 or 15 percent air left, so its time to shut this sucker down because I need to keep the important stuff, the internal organs, working. Your arms and legs start burning first, and eventually it goes to your head. Its like shutting off the monitor on a computer screen. But you dont breathe. Even if youre passed out, your body wont take a breath as long as your face is underwater. Your body wont kill itself. And it knows you only need a teaspoon of water in your lungs to drown. When your body wakes up after passing outwhen youre about to actually dieit takes whats called a terminal gasp. So if you can get above water before waking up, youll live, so you need a buddy that can get you to the surface in an emergency. Because if youre still underwater, and you take that terminal gasp, you die.

I blacked out once. We always dive with something called a float line. Its attached to a buoy at the surface. And we use them because some of these fish we shoot are so big, we cant get them back to the surface. So we shoot the fish and your line is attached to the buoy and you can shoot it and then pull it up from the buoy.

So one day I was using a 100-foot buoy line, and there was another guy using a 75-foot line, which I should have been paying attention to. And so as we went in for the dive, we mistakenly grabbed each others gear. So I went down and I shot this fish. And I knew it was deep but my buddies were there and I was comfortable doing the dive. But I got to 80 feet and the line went taut, which surprised me because I thought I was going to 100. And I have this beautiful fish lined up and I had done all my breath preparation and I was pissed off. So I disconnected the float line from the spear. Big mistake. I swam the extra ten feet and hit the fish. Another big mistake. The second I did it, I looked up and saw two of my buddies swimming down to me, and I knew theyd probably meet me halfway and help me to the surface. No way in hell would I make it to the surface with this fish, but I knew I could make it halfway and hand the fish off, and then get myself to the air. So I get to 50 feet and hand the fish off, and thats where I lost my memory. When they got me up to the surface I had loss of motor control, which is violent convulsions. I was on the surface of the water, flailing, and the boats far away. Scary. But the convulsions actually snapped me awake. And I came to and my first words were Wheres the effing fish!?

And my friends were like, Oh, we threw the fish.

And I said, What!

And they were like, You were going to die, man! And I was so mad. But when I looked down I saw the fish was tangled in one of the buoy lines, so we ended up pulling it in anyway. But those guys saved my life, no question. And you have to dive with guys who know what theyre doing or youll die, plain and simple.

Whoa. OK, now for the really scary part. Tell us about the sharks.

Oh, the sharks. Sharks are omnipresent when youre spearfishing where were spearfishing. Theyre not always in sight, but theyre always in the neighborhood. Lots of bull sharks, which are very mean, and account for most of our encounters. Youve also got tiger sharks, which are really bad and have a bold temperament. They dont get fazed by anything. You can scare off a bull shark, but tigers dont scare, really.

If I see a shark in the water, the first thing I do is swim directly at it, very aggressively like Im going to kill the shark. And I actually tell myself that in my brain: Im gonna kill this thing. Because when I tell myself that, I exude certain body language that tells them they should be like, Hmm, I should get out of here, this guy is going to kill me. Because you have to remember what you look like underwater, 6-foot body, 4-foot fins, and a spearyoure like 12-, 13-, 14-feet long underwater. You look pretty intimidating even to a shark, especially if youre down there killing things.

The worst thing you can do to a shark is show fear. If you show fear, youre done. If you swim away, youre done. You have to swim at them. And its hard to practice. You tell people that on land and people are like, Yeah, OK, Ill do it. But then they get in the water and its a different story. Your brain wont let you.

But for me, its second nature at this point. I dont think twice. It doesnt matter what it is. A 16-foot tiger sharkgo at it. The bigger sharks, Im not quite as aggressive with, though. A smaller shark, say under ten feet, if its bothering me, Ill stick my fingers in its eyes, grab its tail, punch it. But bigger sharks you cant do that with, because if they do react its going to be an interesting day at the office.

The sharks follow you back to the boat when you have a fish, and you have to fight them all the way. You bump them, they come back. They bump you, they come back. They dont see well, so they bump things to see how they react. So if they bump you and you go at them, youre usually fine. And your buddies help with that.

Now we had a situation down in Cay Sal [in the Bahamas] a few weeks ago, where my buddy was in a blue hole, shot a decent fish, and the visibility was so-so. And suddenly two sharks came out of nowhere, bulls. So I did what Im supposed to do and I went at them. And while I was doing that another shark came in and bit his fin. And I saw that and went after that shark. And when I did that a shark I had originally gone after came in and bit his other fin. One of the sharks eventually bit my fin too! I ended up stabbing one in the gill plate and they started to leave us alone just a bit, but then the coup degrace. The biggest shark of the bunch made a run right at me. And when I saw that I went right at him, and I had my pole spear extended, and I went to stick him, and right when I did that he bit it, its on camera, you can hear his teeth crunching on the carbon fiber. So I reached down and punched him in the head as hard as I could. And he released the spear and swam off. Sometimes its actual hand-to-hand combat with sharks.

Why spearfishing?

My favorite thing about spearfishing is the adrenaline, the challenge, the physicality of it combined with the mental aspects of the sportits kind of like race car driving if you think about it. Its a total challenge. Youre in a foreign environment with primitive gear, and youre taking on these creatures on their home court. Its adrenaline-fueled for sure, but you also have to be in a really calm state of mind. Its always a delicate balance.

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The postseason is never a good time to get ejected. Game 7, though? Lets just say were not surprised Bismack Biyombo and the Toronto Raptors managed to keep their cool after Josh McRoberts offered this needlessly hard foul.

The Miami Heat big man was issued a flagrant 1 on the play, and thankfully, neither team was assessed a technical foul despite a couple harmless shoves. McRoberts, by the way, hacked Biyombo just mere seconds after taking a similarly physical hit from his Raptors counterpart.

The officials missed that obvious foul. Its always the second guy they catch, right?
shocked mask inflated virtual reality

It turns out the US consumer is still doing fine.

This was thrown into doubt last week as the peak season for big-box retail earnings started on a sour note. Macy's lowered its earnings guidance for the year with some bleak commentary, while JC Penney whiffed on sales and slashed full-year projections. Their shares fell with Gap, Nordstrom, and others that missed expectations.

But the Census Bureau's retail sales data Friday brought some relief when it showed a 1.3% jump in April  the most in a year.

If it's so bad for big-box retailers, how come retail sales were so strong? "That juxtaposition is a useful reminder that publicly-traded corporations account for a minority of economic activity in the US, and only the Census data are structured to get a read-through of sales irrespective of legal organizational form," said JPMorgan's Michael Feroli in a client note.

So, brace for more ugly retail earnings this week, but don't get carried away.

Top stories

Fears about the consumer were overblown: After an economic slowdown in the first quarter followed by some of the bleakest commentary we've heard from retailers in a while, Friday's retail sales report became an all-important reading on consumer spending. And it did not disappoint. "The rebound in growth in the second quarter looks solid," wrote Diane Swonk at DS Economics. "This, coupled with a warming trend in inflation, will allow Fed officials to feel more comfortable with another rate hike ... I think the Fed should move in June, but probably cannot, given the shock that would be to markets." If weak retail earnings were the source of consumer concern, then that would be ignoring non-store (mostly online) retailers, who accounted for over 40% of last month's increase per the Census Bureau. But the reality check is that wages are still largely going nowhere, even though average hourly earnings crept up in recent months. For Mark Heppenstall, chief investment officer of Penn Mutual Asset Management, that's the one catalyst that would lift consumer spending even higher.

Negative rates are still on the table: However, they'll only be used in the US in an extreme scenario. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen repeated this in a written response to a question from US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-California.) She said (emphasis ours), "By some accounts, these policies appear to have provided additional policy accommodation. As I have noted previously, we certainly are trying to learn as much as we can from the experience of other countries. That said, while I would not completely rule out the use of negative interest rates in some future very adverse scenario, policymakers would need to consider a wide range of issues before employing this tool in the United States, including the potential for unintended consequences." It's still unclear whether the Fed has the legal authority to use negative rates like its counterparts in Europe and Japan, as a 2010 Fed-staff memo indicated.

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Economic calendar

Empire State Manufacturing (Mon.): The latest index of manufacturing activity in New York is expected to slow to 6.50 in May from 9.56 in the prior month. That would be a decline from the highest level in 15 months. Here's RBC: "Empire should remain firmly in positive terrain as underlying detail (namely orders relative to inventories) continues to suggest good momentum for activity."

NAHB Housing Market Index (Mon.): The index of sentiment from the National Association of Homebuilders is expected at 59. RBC said, "We think NAHB is poised for some upside as well, given firm housing demand suggested by mortgage app activity."

Housing Starts and Building Permits: (Tues.): Housing starts are expected to rise 3.3% month-on-month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.125 million. Building Permits are forecast to increase 5.4% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.134 million. Here's Bank of America Merrill Lynch: "Housing data can be very choppy and the large decline in March single family starts appears to be mostly payback from a robust February. As a result, we anticipate only modest recovery."

Consumer Price Index (Tues.): The gauge of inflation is expected to show a 0.4% rise in April from March. Compared to the prior year, CPI is forecast at 1.1%. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, core CPI is expected at 0.2% month-on-month and 2.1% year-on-year. BNP Paribas lists three things supporting their core CPI forecast of 0.15% month-on-month: "(1) improvements in apparel, lodging away from home, and household furnishings & operations prices; (2) slightly better Owners' Equivalent Rent after softer-than-expected March gain; and (3) limited improvement in medical services prices after soft reading in March."

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (Tues.): Economists forecast that industrial production rose 0.3% month-on-month in April, following a 0.6% drop reported in the previous month. Capacity utilization is forecast at 75%, and manufacturing production is estimated at 0.3%. "We look for industrial production to advance in April, but for near-term gains to remain modest amid slow growth at home and abroad," Wells Fargo said.

FOMC Meeting Minutes (Wed.): Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's April meeting will be released at 2 p.m. ET. RBC thinks they "should continue to show a committee worried more about global developments than constructive US domestic realities. Given recent comments, these are likely to prove quite stale. Even some doves, like Rosengren, have taken a much more balanced approach of late."

Initial Jobless Claims (Thur.): Economists estimate that weekly initial jobless claims fell to 275,000. Last week, claims spiked to 294,000, the highest level since late last February.

Philly Fed Business Outlook (Thur.): Economists forecast that the regional index of business activity jumped to 3 in May after printing at -1.6 in April. Here's BAML: "While the guts of the survey did confirm that April was a weak month for the Philly Fed district, every expectations component saw a nice improvement suggesting that businesses were optimistic and viewed the deterioration as transitory. Indeed, the stabilization and upturn in oil prices, pullback in USD, and fading global uncertainty are ample enough reasons to be more positive about the near-term outlook for manufacturing."

Existing Home Sales (Fri.): Economists project that existing home sales rose 1% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.38 million. "Limited inventory on the market continues to hamper the pace of home sales activity," noted Wells Fargo.

Market Commentary

Brace for one more sell-off before the end of the year, Goldman Sachs' David Kostin advised clients.

In a recent note, Kostin wrote that markets are calmer than they were in the first quarter, demonstrated by the drops in various volatility gauges. After a 12% plunge in January and February, stocks are right about where they were at the start of the year.

The S&P 500 is likely to end the year at 2,100, or 3% above its current level. But in the next few months, we could be looking at another drop of between 5% to 10%.

Kostin wrote:

Not all is bleak, with possible upside arising from the recent trend of positive earnings revisions, as discussed last week, along with the possibilities of investors adding more length and a dovish Fed surprise in June. However, upside/downside risks are not evenly distributed. S&P 500 will likely experience at least one drawdown between now and year-end. We recommend selling upside calls to fund downside protection given the options market prices a below-average probability of a 5%-10% drawdown during the next three months.

He noted the following six risks that are currently dormant, but could easily become tangible scares if investor sentiment suddenly changes:

The forward P/E multiple of the S&P 500 shows that stock valuations are high, and the most likely future path of equities involves them being lower. The multiple of the index, at 16.7x, ranks in the 86th percentile compared to the last 40 years.

Supply and demand trends suggest downside risk. Investors have bought $23 billion worth of futures positions since the end of March. When there was less investor positioning at the beginning of the year, that served as a bullish argument. But now, Goldman's sentiment indicator is higher, which is a less bullish sign for the market.

Corporate buybacks have been a big source of demand, but they may wane in the coming months.

The Fed may shock with more rate hikes this year than markets are pricing in.

Slowing growth in China would cause investors to re-focus on the prospect of a US recession.

The upcoming party conventions in July could raise political uncertainty and weigh on the stock market.

NOW WATCH: FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: The single largest threat to the global economy





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Beirut (AFP) - Fighting raging between rival Islamist rebel factions to control a key opposition stronghold near Damascus since late last month has killed more than 300 fighters, a monitor said on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in Eastern Ghouta pitted the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam faction, which has been taking part in peace talks in Geneva, against the Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat groups, both led by Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

"More than 300 fighters have been killed as Islamist rebel factions battle for influence in the Eastern Ghouta," since April 28, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said most of the rebels killed belonged to Jaish al-Islam or Al-Nusra.

Abdel Rahman said the clashes broke out after several attacks launched by Faylaq al-Rahman on positions held by Jaish al-Islam in Eastern Ghouta, a belt of countryside and small towns east of the capital that seen heavy fighting throughout Syria's five-year-old civil war.

Ten civilians have also been killed, he added, including a doctor and a child.

The doctor, identified as Nabil al-Daas, was the only specialist gynaecologist still practising in Eastern Ghouta. His death was also reported by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Residents and local officials have tried to mediate an end to the clashes and have staged protests urging the rival forces to stop the bloodletting to no avail, according to the Observatory.

Fighting has continued intermittently with both sides setting up roadblocks and building defences across Eastern Ghouta, said the Britain-based monitoring group which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports.

Jaish al-Islam is the dominant rebel group in Eastern Ghouta. One of its leaders -- Mohammed Alloush -- was named as the opposition's chief negotiator at peace talks in Geneva.

Syria's fractured armed opposition movement has been ravaged by infighting, particularly between jihadist groups and their rivals.

More than 270,000 people have been killed and millions more been driven from their homes since the conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Robert De Niro made a subtle jab at GOP candidate Donald Trump on Saturday night while accepting the Excellence in Media honor at the GLAAD Media Awards, which were held in New York.

"You think you've got it bad, LBGT community? I don't think you know what it's like to be really discriminated against," he quipped upon taking the stage.

Making a reference to Marco Rubio's "small hands" comments that fueled the public feud between the former candidate and Trump, De Niro said, "I recently turned on the television news and saw this odd guy with little hands, and he was raving. Turns out, the ones being discriminated against are straight, middle-aged white men."

The actor went on to take another shot at Hollywood's diversity issue, joking that he'd lost out on many roles to the likes of Michael B. Jordan, John Boyega and Jennifer Lawrence.

"It makes sense. I've been losing parts right and left to what used to be called 'diversity actors,'" said De Niro. "One that really hurts, seeing the role of Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton going to Corey Hawkins. And I can't remember the last time I got a Teen Choice Award. ... It's not easy being a straight white man."

Ending his speech on a more serious note, De Niro left the audience with empowering words on the importance of supporting LGBT rights.

"As an actor, I don't judge the characters I play. As a person, I don't judge the characters I play with," he said to cheers and applause from the crowd. "I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where freedom of expression in art and in life were the norms. Now, we have to look outside our bubble to the world where, because of religious beliefs or ignorance or mean-spiritedness, it's not so easy."

He concluded, "I'm proud to stand with you. I'm GLAAD."

Watch De Niro's full speech below.

VIDEO: Robert De Niro accepts the Excellence In Media Award at the #glaadawards https://t.co/FMBl01Q1VY

- GLAAD (@glaad) May 15, 2016
Moscow (AFP) - A Russian yacht detained by North Korean coast guards was released Sunday and has set sail for the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian officials said.

"The Russian yacht Elfin today left the North Korean port of Kimchaek headed for Vladivostok," Denis Samsonov, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang told Russian state television on Sunday.

Yury Bokcharev, Russia's consul in the city of Chongjin, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that local North Korean officials had said the boat's detention was a "misunderstanding".

Another diplomatic official in Vladivostok, Igor Agafonov, told the RIA Novosti agency that the five-member crew of the yacht had been in contact and confirmed that they were sailing home.

The Russian sailboat was detained by North Korean coast guards late Friday as it sailed through the Sea of Japan from a competition in the South Korean city of Busan to its home city of Vladivostok.

Russia's foreign ministry said Saturday that a note was sent to the North Korean authorities seeking an explanation for the boat's detention.

Russia shares a short land border with North Korea and enjoys relatively friendly ties with the country's reclusive Stalinist regime.
Germany's federal government expects to spend 93.6 billion euros ($106.2 billion) to support refugees over the next five years, weekly Der Spiegel reported Saturday.

The Hamburg-based magazine cited a finance ministry document that predicted the annual costs would rise from about 16.1 billion euros this year to 20.4 billion in 2020.

Much of the money would go toward basic benefits, housing support and language lessons for asylum-seekers, but the overall amount also includes spending on efforts to fight the reasons why people flee their home countries and seek refuge in Germany.

Finance ministry spokesman Juerg Weissgerber declined to comment on the figures but confirmed that federal officials were in discussion with representatives from Germany's 16 states about the cost of supporting refugees. They are aiming to reach an agreement on sharing the cost by the time Chancellor Angela Merkel meets state leaders on May 31.

Heavy government spending on refugees has boosted Germany's economy in recent months, but has also stoked resentment among some Germans who believe that migrants are getting preferential treatment. A nationalist party, Alternative for Germany, has surged in recent polls and the number of attacks against refugee shelters has increased sharply over the past year.

Almost 1.1 million asylum-seekers entered Germany last year, though the government has stressed that the figure doesn't account for those who move on to other countries or return home.

The finance ministry document cited by Der Spiegel predicts that 600,000 refugees will come to Germany this year, falling to 400,000 in 2017 and 300,000 in the following years. It assumes that over half of those who are officially recognized as refugees will find work within five years.

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Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had the scariest encounter with a snake

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had the scariest encounter with a snake

Its a common misconception that being really, really, ridiculously good looking makes you impervious to trying situations, but heartthrobs Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling just confirmed this is a total fallacy.

The actors recently spoke with People Magazine about their upcoming film The Nice Guys, in which they play a struggling private eye (Gosling) and a law enforcer (Crowe) who work together to solve the mystery of a missing girl and porn stars death. The movie is a comedy thriller, so naturally their characters find themselves in some dangerous situations.

And what sort of danger have the actors encountered in real life? Snakes!

I was standing, one leg on either side, of a mature red bellied black snake one day, Crowe recalled to People. I was walking through a paddock with this girl who had been talking to me for 20 minutes about how terrified of snakes she was. I said, I know its Australia, but you hardly ever see them and I looked down at this snake is rearing up, its head is flattened out, its a split second from striking. It was the 12 fastest reverse steps Ive ever taken in my life. One minute I was there, the next minute I wasnt. She said, What are you doing? I said, Nothing and walked the other way and she followed me. Then later on I said, By the way'

Ryan Gosling too had a too-close-for-comfort encounter with a snake as a child.

I moved to Florida when I was 12, and I saw this red snake, I had never really seen a proper snake and I went to pick it up and there was a guy, God bless him, he said, Dont touch that, thats a 10-stepper. I said, What does that mean? He said Well, youve got 10 steps and then you die. I was right about to grab it. And then he tried to sell me some really great weed.

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The best part of the story though, is he bought it  Crowe added jokingly.

And rode Space Mountain ten times in a row, Gosling lobbed back.

And then, he swam to Cuba, Crowe summarized.

Well, were not sure what to believe with these jokesters, but thankfully the snakes havent gotten them yet. To see more from Crowe and Gosling, check out The Nice Guys in theaters May 20.

The post Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had the scariest encounter with a snake appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump was on the search for his vice president on May 14's episode of Saturday Night Live.

The show's cold open began by poking fun at recent accusations that Trump had posed as his own publicist in a 1991 phone interview, audio of which was released by the Washington Post on Friday.

Seated in his office in Trump Tower, the GOP frontrunner, played by Darrell Hammond, was caught talking on the phone, pretending to be a made-up publicist.

"Mr. Trump is the real-life inspiration for Iron Man," Hammond's Trump said over the receiver. "Who am I? I'm his publicist Joy Pepperoni. No, I'm not Donald Trump in disguise. This is just what classy people sound like, okay?"

Chris Christie, reprised by Bobby Moynihan, then walked into the room, interrupting Trump's phone call and excitedly offering to help him begin the search for his potential VP.

Read More: Donald Trump Denies Posing as His Own Doting Publicist

Moynihan's Christie held up a stack of photos of several nominees, and began by making his first suggestion, Jeb Bush. Without saying a word, both Trump and Christie broke out into a fit of laughter and moved onto the next candidate, Carly Fiorina.

"I do feel a kinship with Carly. She's also an outsider who ran her very own successful business," Hammond's Trump said.

Moynihan's Christie replied, "She can help you with your women problem too. I mean, women look up to her." Trump quipped back, "For what? She's a B-cup."

The next potential VP, Marco Rubio, was quickly dismissed by Trump: "Oh, little Marco? I can't ask him to be VP until his parents sign the release form. I need someone who can lead. Where do I find that?"

Moynihan's Christie, slyly suggesting himself for the position, then held up a photo of himself within the pile, saying, "Oh my, how did that get in there? Look at that!" he nervously exclaimed. "Maybe yes? Maybe no? - Maybe - "

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An unfazed Trump moved on to John Kasich, complimenting him on being "smart, experienced" and popular in Ohio.

When Christie replied, "He said he's not interested," Trump immediately responded, "He's a loser. Big, fat loser."

After both Trump and Christie sifted through other potentials, including Ted Cruz (a "hard no"), Ben Carson, played by Jay Pharoah, walked into the office and was offered the position.

"Oh, that would be hella exciting," said Pharoah's Carson.

Hammond's Trump then ended his search, telling Carson, "Great, let's do it."
[Caution: Spoilers ahead.]

Weve got a great show! Drake is here as musical guest.

This is how Drake closed his monologue this week for his second time hosting Saturday Night Live. But unfortunately, it seemed that only the second part of his kicker was true.

This was not an SNL for the record books. Drakes turn as host this time felt stiff. His musical performance was way better, but well get to that later.

Also Read: Drake, Fred Armisen Set to Host 'Saturday Night Live'

His monologue centered around a song about how he gets hurt when you make him into a meme. But the memes themselves when showed upon the screen were funnier than the actual lyrics to the song. Seriously though, that meme of him as E.T. is tough to contend with. But the song was just too hokey.

In the first proper sketch of the evening, Drake played a lackluster employee at a car rental agency. The running joke was that he paid no mind to what customers heard when he was on the telephone, which was mildly funny. Jay Pharaoh, as his manager, delivered some great lines though, pronouncing every possible word that he could to include the errr sound into it. (Lunch becomes lernch, etc.)

But Drake wasnt the only one who was phoning it in.

Also Read: Drake's 'Pop Style' Divides Listeners: From 'Horrible' to 'Hard AF'

The cold open, about Trump enlisting Chris Christie to help him choose a vice president, fell flat. Its not that Darrell Hammond and Chris Christie dont own their impressions, respectively, but the jokes werent there, aside from the part where Trump asked if Paul Ryan might consider being Trumps VP, and Christie responded, He said, Not right now, but that he will see you in hell.

The early highlight of the episode (and the one that youll see in your feed a bunch this week) was the parody of American Ninja Warrior. At first it was spot-on, but it didnt quite elevate the form enough. But when Bobby Moynihan turned on the physical comedy, the sketch achieved new heights. Dressed as a superhero of sorts called The Tornado (as a tribute to his town, which was destroyed by a tornado). The writing here was also sharper than in other sketches in this episode. Drakes best line of the evening may have been, this tornado showed its penis, after a particularly difficult turn for Moynihans character.

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Other highlights included Beck Bennett reprising his Dick Patterson character, the successful businessman with the body of a baby. Though recycled characters arent always a recipe for success, it was a welcome environment to see this character in the situation of being considered as an alternate candidate for the Republican party who might be able to overtake Trump.

Also Read: David Spade Recalls When Phil Hartman Threatened Rob Schneider: 'I'll Put a Bullet in Your Head'

Drakes acting may not have been up to his Degrassi level but his musical performances were a different story. Introduced by Chris Rock, One Dance was on theme with the Hotline Bling video, as he danced in a light box in a way that felt more courageous than how most rappers would move. The song itself was aces as well. During Hype, he channeled all of his anger, wading through a layer of fog, as snow flurries accentuated the cold rage of the song.

Weekend Update was an unlikely gem of this episode. Predictably, Colin Jost and Michael Che turned up the heat on Donald Trump, skewering the Republican candidate relentlessly about allegations that he posed as his own publicist. The cameos were stellar as well, with Kate McKinnon bringing her Olya Pavloski character back to share that her poop is gray (in context its even funnier) and Leslie Jones discussing how some of the biggest stars didnt become successful until later in life (again, its funnier in context than what Im describing here). But the best cameo of this segment belonged to Jay Pharoah, whose firsthand account of an emergency rappers meeting that Jay Z called to discuss his marital problems was incredible. As with his black actors meeting segment a few weeks ago, his impersonations were spot-on. Here he skewered HOVA, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Drake, the latter of whom appeared with Pharoah and took offense at the way he was being impersonated, but he eventually acceded that Pharoah had totally nailed it.

Black Jeopardy was another highlight of this episode. The sketch was a classic fish-out-of-water setup with Drake playing a character that Kenan Thompsons host character criticized with the line, Canadas effecting your blackness. Drakes characters culturally blind guesses incessantly disappointed Thompsons character, and Thompson does wits end quite well: I know youre speaking English, but it aint my English, said Thompsons character to the Canadian.

Also Read: Fred Armisen: I Played Prince on 'SNL' Just to Meet Him (Exclusive Video)

The next sketch, Drakes Beef, was a pre-filmed segment where Drake hilariously made fun of his own emo tendencies. Youll see this one in your feed a lot this week too. In the sketch, cast members unthinkingly diss Drake, and he internalizes his anger in the most melodramatic way possible, rapping lines like, I had like 10 sips left about the bottle of water that the cleaning lady removed from his table before he was ready to surrender it. Funny stuff, so its curious that it was so late in the episode.

In the final sketch of the evening Drake played a chaperone at a high school dance with a strange set of regrets that involved strong displays of friendship from horrible historical people. With this final performance he hurt the good will he had built up with the previous string of sketches. But it was more the lines themselves that were lacking than it was Drakes delivery of the lines.

Drake did warm up as the show progressed, but there were quite a few instances where the writing didnt quite match up to the level of previous episodes this season.

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Australian director-writer Stephan Elliott sees his latest project, comedy Flammable Children, starring Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue, as the Priscilla reunion, referring to his film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, an audience favorite at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and BAFTA winner.

Im going to see if lightning strikes twice, said Elliott, who hopes to have it ready for next years Cannes. My last two films have not been ready for Cannes, so theyve asked me when the hell am I going to come back. He is in Cannes this week to help sales agent WestEnd Films promote the project.

Flammable Children, which is produced by Al Clark and Jamie Hilton, reunites several of Elliotts collaborators on drag-queen road movie Priscilla, including Pearce, who launched his international career with the film, Clark, Oscar-nominated production designer Colin Gibson (Mad Max: Fury Road), Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner (Mission: Impossible 2), BAFTA-nominated score composer Guy Gross (Knowing), and film editor Emmy-Award nominee Sue Blainey (Lost).

Flammable Children is set in an Australian beach suburb in the mid-1970s and centers on 14-year-old Jeff as he tries to find his feet in a world changing faster than his hormones, and deal with his crush on sensitive girl-next-door girl Melly. Meanwhile, their eccentric parents are catching up with the sexual revolution.

When Minogue read the script she agreed at once to join the cast. I know where I am, she told Elliott. He got a similar response from other cast and crew members. The script means so much to a lot of people, he said, adding that it appeals to the same fun-loving urge evoked by Priscilla. Its going to be as outrageous, noisy, colorful, fun and heart-wrenching.

The starting point for the film came when Elliott watched Ang Lees The Ice Storm in New York, and the partner-swapping scene brought back memories of the sexual antics of his parents and their friends. I walked onto the sidewalk and threw up, he says. However, the thing that stayed in his memory of his parents behavior was the unintentional hilarity it provoked. It was just hysterical. So I said one day Ill make that film in my own world and make it how it should have been very funny.

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He started collecting stories from his childhood friends and their parents, and Flammable Children is the result.

Much of the humor stems from how his parents and their parent misinterpreted the sexual revolution, he says. Meanwhile the kids were left to run wild, and find their own way through puberty. The period helped define who Elliott is now. It is almost about how Priscilla came to be  a lot of stuff that happened at that time formed me as a person. Ive been called the most fabulous car crash in the world, which I am quite happy to admit I am. My entire sense of humor comes from this growing-up period, which was brilliant, breath-taking and completely bananas.

The film, now in pre-production, will shoot in the autumn.

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He's been called India's Donald Trump: a media-savvy right-wing populist who is unafraid of upsetting everyone from the ruling elite to religious minorities as he rails against corruption.

And after returning to parliament following a 15-year absence, Subramanian Swamy says he won't temper his shoot-from-the-hip style that has made him one of India's most popular if divisive politicians.

"The country's mood has changed, like in America," the 76-year-old told AFP in an interview at his home in New Delhi.

"You know Donald Trump -- I would never have thought that a politician in the US could even get out of the first round (of the presidential primaries) with the kind of bluntness that he has shown.

"But people now want to know the truth and I have established that what I say I mean, I mean what I say.

"People come up to me in airplanes and other places and they want to shake hands, take a selfie and say that we like you very much because you tell us the truth."

A Harvard alumni, Swamy first entered parliament as an elected member of the lower house, the Lok Sabha, in 1977 and had a stint as law minister from 1990-91.

After a lengthy absence from Delhi's corridors of power, he was nominated to the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, last month with the backing of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It gives him a new platform to flay the likes of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he has ridiculed as an idiot, and tell central bank chief Raghuram Rajan to "go back to Chicago" where he was a finance professor.

- Parliamentary language -

While raucous debate is a regular feature of India's parliament, personal insults are meant to be off limits but the quick-witted Swamy often manages to outsmart the speaker.

"Everyone knows buddhu (a Hindi word meaning idiot) is codeword for Rahul Gandhi but it escaped expunging as the speaker didn't know what I was saying," he joked.

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His similarly irreverent social media posts have brought him 2.64 million Twitter followers, more than four times Gandhi's following.

But supporters say Swamy is more than just a parliamentary wag and point to his track record of helping expose top-level corruption.

His dogged campaigning over the corrupt allocation of telecoms licences a decade ago helped put one government minister behind bars.

More recently, he has been asking awkward questions over a controversial deal to purchase military helicopters from the Italian company Agusta.

Swamy has also filed a private criminal complaint accusing Gandhi and his mother Sonia -- president of the main opposition Congress party -- of misappropriating property belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.

Both fiercely deny Swamy's allegations, saying the claims are evidence that Modi and his allies are pursuing a vicious vendetta against them.

Swamy's critics say that many of his accusations fail to stand up and the supposedly fearless Swamy is soft on the current government.

Although Swamy used to head his own party, he joined Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013, a year before it won power.

They also accuse him of stirring religious tensions in a country with a gory history of communal violence, notably by urging the construction of a Hindu temple at a site also claimed by Muslims in the city of Ayodhya.

- 'Stifling political correctness' -

He has argued that Muslims -- who account for around 14 percent of the population -- should be stripped of their right to vote unless they acknowledge their Hindu ancestry.

"Those minorities who stay with us, they may have complete freedom to follow their religion but culturally they should be like us," he told AFP.

Writing in The Hindustan Times, the author Manu Joseph said Swamy's hardline towards Muslims and the Gandhi family -- who epitomise India's traditional elite -- mean he is "surely the Trump of India".

Both men had benefitted from the feeling "that political correctness has become despotic and stifling", Joseph argued.

"In Trump and Swamy and others of their type, people find an outlet," he added.

Some observers say Swamy's confrontational style will backfire for the government, which needs to start mending bridges if it wants to get key policies through parliament.

Such arguments cut little ice with Swamy who is dismissive of what he calls a glorified "debating club" in the world's largest democracy.

"Should I forget about corruption so that you can pass some bills? Don't be silly," Swamy said.
Both journalists face charges of spreading false news, "inciting the public", and plotting to overthrow the regime.

A Shubra El-Kheima prosecution ordered Saturday the renewed detention of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka for 15 days pending investigations on various charges including "inciting against state institutions" and calling for protests.

Earlier this month, the two journalists were arrested during the ministry of interior's storming of the press syndicate on accusations of spreading false news, inciting the public to violence and plotting to overthrow the regime.

Both Badr and El-Sakka are also being held on charges of obstructing government administration, harming national unity and social peace, preparing to print material to achieve their aims, and spreading false news to disturb public security.

Amr Badr, editor-in-chief and founder of Yanair (January) website, and journalist Mahmoud El-Sakka, who works for the same website, were staging a sit-in in the syndicate to protest against their arrest warrants as well as the storming of their homes by security forces last month.

The two were among many ordered arrested ahead of the 25 April protests against the recent Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea island maritime border agreement.

Following the raid that resulted in Badr and El-Sakkas arrests, the Journalists Syndicate condemned the "unprecedented and barbaric attack" by police against the two journalists and called for the immediate sacking of interior minister.

In an urgent meeting convened and attended by over 2,000 journalists, the syndicate made several demands, including the sacking of the interior minister and the release of all jailed journalists in freedom of expression cases.

A general assembly meeting, which was supposed to be held last week, is expected to be held on Tuesday to discuss possible strike action if their demands are not met.

Badr and El-Sakka are veterans of both the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak as well as the Tamarod movement that spearheaded the movement to oust Mubarak's successor, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

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Attendees at a Georgia airshow watched in horror as a stunt pilot crashed in a fiery wreck Saturday afternoon.

South Carolina native Greg Connell was engaged in a stunt maneuver when he was unable to pull out of a dive and his plane crashed, according to reports.

NOTABLE VIDEO: Air Show Plane Crash - Ambulance on Scene (SAT0104) pic.twitter.com/QQzrNVkMZ2 - CBS Newspath (@cbsnewspath) May 15, 2016

The tragedy occurred in front of spectators at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport during their annual Good Neighbor Day Airshow.

Read: Woman Shocked When Horrifying Helicopter Ride Turns Into Romantic Marriage Proposal

As a Dekalb County fire crew put out a wall of flames at the site of the crash, an announcer told attendees the show was over.

According to his website, Greg Connell Airshows, Connell began his flight training in 1989.

His site also names "his good friend, Gary Ward (as) his aerobatic instructor."

Ward was performing alongside Connell at Saturday's show. He told WSB-TV he didn't see the crash at the time, however.

"Greg flew underneath me and I had no idea Greg crashed like a second later. So I pulled off and the plan we had," Ward said, "I came back in the show for the next maneuver. We did individual maneuvers at that point, and I went ahead and did my next maneuver, not knowing that Greg had crashed."

Read: 5 People Killed in Fiery Crash of Tourist Helicopter in the Smoky Mountains

Airport officials said this is the first crash they've had in 30 years of airshows.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have been called to investigate the cause of the crash.

The flags at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport were lowered to half mast in honor of Connell and the county's interim CEO, Lee May, released the following statement:

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"A tragedy occurred as Prof. Pilots entertained & educated thousands today. Our thoughts & prayers are with the family & friends of the pilot."

Watch: Dashcam Captures Terrifying Plane Crash

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(Add voting started, Gallup poll)

By Jorge Pineda

SANTO DOMINGO, May 15 (Reuters) - Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina was poised to win the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, with polls showing voters crediting him with economic growth and social projects, while less concerned about accusations of graft.

Voters lined up outside polling stations in schools before they opened at 6 a.m. AST (1000 GMT) and by mid-morning 15 percent of eligible voters in the Caribbean's largest economy had cast their ballots.

A Gallup-Hoy poll published on April 25 showed Medina winning 63 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a second-round runoff in June. His ratings have been climbing in recent months, at the expense of his nearest rival, businessman Luis Abinader.

Voting intentions barely reach 10 percent for the remaining six candidates combined, including the first two women running for the presidency in a Dominican election.

"We are now better off than four years ago," said Lisbelis Acosta, 24, after voting in Santo Domingo. She said the government had improved health and education services.

A left-of-center economist, Medina has had high popularity ratings during the latter part of his four-year term in the country of 10.4 million. Electoral rules were changed to allow him to run for a second consecutive term.

"I won't be satisfied until progress reaches everyone, when growth means a table full of food for everyone," Medina, 64, said at a rally to close his campaign on Thursday.

Medina's Dominican Liberation Party has been continuously in power since 2004.

Abinader promises to double down on social spending and reduce crime. The challenger has also focused on allegations of corruption related to a power plant awarded to Brazilian engineering conglomerate Grupo Odebrecht.

Medina's campaign chief, Joao Santana, returned to Brazil in February to face charges Odebrecht had paid him funds siphoned from Brazil's state oil company Petrobras in offshore accounts to finance the 2014 election campaign of suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

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Medina has yet to refer to the Petrobras scandal, but he did admit the Brazilian political strategist was his top adviser. Santana has called the allegations against him "baseless."

With the fastest growing economy in Latin America in 2014 and 2015, the Dominican Republic is wealthier than Haiti, its poor neighbor on the island of Hispaniola.

Medina has overseen the repatriation of tens of thousands of people with roots in Haiti. The policy is popular at home but condemned by human rights groups.

Despite the strong economy, many Dominicans struggle to meet basic needs and poverty rates rose to 41 percent in the first year of Medina's term, according to the World Bank.

New schools and health spending in recent years have won Medina support, and poverty has started to decline.

Exit polls were due to be released on Sunday evening, but results are not expected until Monday.

(Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Alan Crosby)
Susan Sarandon thinks that the Oscar race has gone off the rails.

We need campaign finance reform, said Sarandon. The campaigns are so enormousits as long as a presidential campaign.

Sarandon said that the money required to orchestrate this kind of grueling, months-long trek to awards glory, is turning the Academy Awards into a case of haves and have nots. There are festivals to fly to, dinners to host, and hands to press all over the country if an actor wants to have a chance of mounting the stage at the Dolby.

People have to be available for months and someone has to pay for that, she noted.

Sarandons comments came at a Variety panel during the Cannes Film Festival. The actress, an Oscar-winner for 1995s Dead Man Walking, was joined by Geena Davis, who picked up a best supporting actress statue in 1988 for The Accidental Tourist.

When Sarandon was up for Dead Man Walking, PolyGram, the indie studio behind the death row drama, barely had enough money to provide screeners to voters. In the modern era, that kind of shoe-string campaign might not be enough to propel a performer over the finish line.

Its a subjective, lucky thing that you were in a movie that had someone thats willing to spend millions of dollars [on campaigning], said Sarandon.

If studios were limited in the amount of money they could shell out, it would create a more level playing field, Sarandon argued. That would enable films with diverse casts to get recognized. The Oscars have been slammed over the past two years for failing to nominate any actors of color.

The Academy is agist and racist just like Hollywood, Sarandon said, adding, Part of it is how do you change the system so theres a chance for these films to get seen.

In response, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to double the number of number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020. Davis, however, believes that the problem isnt just that the Oscar voting body is overwhelmingly white. Its that there arent enough movies being made with African-American actors by major studios.

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You cant completely blame the Academy if theres so little diversity in whats getting made, she said.

As much as shed like to see Oscar campaigns change, Sarandon believes that there are more important issues to tackle.

First we should start with campaign finance reform for the presidency, she said.

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Speaking her mind. Susan Sarandon let loose at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, May 15, when she was asked about director Woody Allen.

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"I think he sexually assaulted a child, and I don't think that's right," Sarandon, 69, said during Variety and Kering's Women in Motion talk with Thelma & Louise costar Geena Davis.



"I have nothing good to say about him," the Oscar winner added. "I don't want to go there."

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The director has been a topic of discussion at the film festival this week after French comedian Laurent Lafitte made a joke at the premiere of Allen's new film, Cafe Society, that appeared to reference allegations that the Oscar winner sexually abused his stepdaughter Dylan Farrow.



Referring to director Roman Polanski, who fled to Europe after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, master of ceremonies Lafitte addressed Allen saying, "You've shot so many of your films here in Europe, and yet in the U.S. you haven't even been convicted of rape."



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The jab came days after Ronan Farrow, Allen's biological son with ex Mia Farrow, penned a column for The Hollywood Reporter questioning why the media hadn't thoroughly investigated the allegations that Allen abused Dylan, Ronan's sibling, when she was just 7 years old.



Dylan chronicled her memories of sexual abuse for a New York Times story in 2014, but a lawyer for Allen denied the claims.

"We are witnessing a sea change in how we talk about sexual assault and abuse," Ronan wrote in his column on May 11. "But there is more work to do to build a culture where women like my sister are no longer treated as if they are invisible. It's time to ask some hard questions."




Dhaka (AFP) - Bangladesh police have arrested a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of two gay rights activists, part of a spate of murders of intellectuals, writers and religious minorities, officers said Sunday.

Xulhaz Mannan, an editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were murdered in a Dhaka apartment last month by about six men carrying machetes and guns.

Police on Saturday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam Shihab, described as a member of a local Islamist militant outfit that has been blamed for a string of similar gruesome murders of secular and atheist bloggers.

"We've arrested one man in connection with the murder of Xulhaz Mannan," Dhaka police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP.

"He is a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team," he said, adding that the two activists were murdered on the orders of the ABT leadership.

Washington has condemned the killings of 25-year Tonoy and Mannan, 35, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID, as pressure mounts on Bangladesh to curb the attacks and bring those responsible to justice.

Both men had received threats from Islamists over their championing of gay rights.

At a press briefing in the capital on Sunday, police said Shihab -- who has denied carrying out the killings -- owned one of two guns used in the murders and has also supplied arms and bombs for previous ABT operations.

Police seized Shihab in the western town of Kushtia, where he allegedly heads an ABT unit, after raids on several properties, in what Dhaka counter-terrorism chief Monirul Islam said was a "breakthrough" in the case.

"They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam," Islam said, adding the investigation was ongoing.

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has claimed responsibility for killing the pair, saying the two men had worked to "promote homosexuality" in Bangladesh.

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But Bangladesh police chiefs have said their murders have the hallmarks of local Islamists, while the secular government has blamed the opposition.

Several members of homegrown Ansarullah Bangla Team were convicted last year over the 2013 murder of atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

- Monk murder -

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in the southeastern district of Bandarban -- the seventh such killing since the start of last month.

Two Muslim Rohingya refugees, who fled persecution in Myanmar, and a member of the Chak ethnic community to which the monk belonged are being held for questioning over his murder, local police inspector Anisur Rahman told AFP.

Suspected Islamists have been blamed or claimed responsibility for the scores of murders carried out since last year, as fear grips the Muslim-majority nation over the rising violence.

Last year four secular bloggers and a publisher were hacked to death, while Christians, Hindus and Sufi, Ahmadi and Shiite Muslims have also been killed since.

No one has yet been convicted over those deaths, despite a number of arrests.

The Islamic State group has claimed a number of the killings, but authorities insist there is no evidence of the group's presence in Bangladesh.

A long-running political crisis in Bangladesh has radicalised opponents of the government and analysts say Islamist extremists pose a growing danger.
Indian cinema is world renowned for churning out escapist fantasies where, in between epic song-and-dance numbers often in nonsensical settings, the hero always gets the girl. The formula for Bollywood success is relatively simple, but if it works, and it does so to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each year, why change it?

In recent years, for a number of societal and demographic reasons, there has been a greater willingness among Indian filmmakers to, on one hand, better reflect India as it is in reality, and on the other, move toward stronger depictions of violence and sex. Cinematic taboos such as homosexuality, graphic violence and nudity now are routinely broken by independent filmmakers looking to shine a light on tough topics and give a voice to the marginalized, and these small acts of defiance have even affected the mainstream film industry. Both these strands suggest that Indian audiences, once so sheltered and conservative, are changing and demanding a greater variety of stories featuring characters previously airbrushed out of Bollywood spectaculars.

Violence in Indian cinema has surreptitiously been on the increase for years now: Films like 2006's Zinda, a blatant rip-off of Oldboy, and Ghajini from 2008 pushed graphic violence as the new normal. But local audiences were given a metaphorical punch to the gut in 2012 when Anurag Kashyap's five-hour, blood-soaked epic Gangs of Wasseypur hit the screens. With Tarantino-esque levels of violence and gore, Wasseypur created a stir at Cannes that year and ushered in a new era of exaggerated action that permeated mainstream films such as Salman Khan's Dabangg series and Akshay Kumar starrer Rowdy Rathore.

Seemingly prepared to push the limits of violence again, Kashyap returns to Cannes this year with Raman Raghav 2.0 (Psycho Raman), about a notorious Mumbai serial killer. The film, starring Kashyap favorite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, screens in the Directors' Fortnight section on May 16.

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Raman Raghav 2.0 (Psycho Raman)

If violence slowly has become more acceptable, India's censors remain infamously prudish when it comes to sex. One area where their conservatism is being tested is in depictions of homosexuality onscreen. In a country where gay and lesbian acts, even between consenting adults, are punishable by law, there have been a slew of films tackling the issue of homosexuality in Indian society.

"It was impossible to make films like this before," says Hansal Mehta, director of the critically acclaimed Aligarh, which tells the true story of a university professor who loses everything, including his life, when he is discovered to be gay. "The reasons why we couldn't make these films in the past is because there was no audience as well as no means of exhibiting and finally there were no studios willing to back these kind of ideas."

Read More: Bollywood Star Salman Khan: "I Have No Interest in Doing Hollywood Films"

In the hyper-masculine world of Bollywood, current stars such as Aamir Khan and Salman Khan are feted for their overt machismo and sculpted physiques, epitomizing the supposed ideal of an Indian leading man. When gay characters have appeared in Bollywood films, they often have served as comic relief through cross-dressing or effeminate overacting.

Released domestically in February and rated the equivalent of an R, Aligarh is among the more high-profie gay-themed films that are not only broaching the taboo of homosexuality but challenging the notion that gay characters can't be central players in a mainstream film.

"Independent cinema keeps the mainstream alive," says Mehta on the influence of smaller-budget films on Bollywood. "In the last few years, you've seen Bollywood look beyond the formula and deal with a wider variety of subjects, trying to infuse subtle political statements."

Independent releases such as Sudhanshu Saria's Loev, which made an impact on the international festival circuit last year, and Raj Amit Kumar's 2014 lesbian thriller Unfreedom have added to what could be described as a nascent gay cinema in India. But Fox Star Studios' March release of the big-budget Kapoor & Sons showed that even Bollywood was willing to depict gay themes and characters in a mainstream movie. A family dramedy, Kapoor & Sons focuses on two brothers (Fawad Khan and Sidharth Malhotra) who deal with familial strife, made all the more acute when one of them comes out.

Mehta feels this shift is audience-driven and a byproduct of a rapidly growing middle-class in India that is much more interested in outsider stories. "There is an audience that is demanding this, an audience that has been exposed to a lot more," he says, alluding to the millions of Indians who have studied and lived abroad in places like the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. "There is a whole generation of filmmakers, particularly in the last two decades, who have been exposed to a wider range of cinema."

The representation of sex and nudity in mainstream Indian cinema always has hewed close to the public sense of morality, but even that is being severely tested with recent developments. It is easy to forget that it was only in 2007 that Richard Gere shocked a whole nation, and made international headlines, when he kissed Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty onstage at an HIV awareness benefit. Before apologizing, Gere was burned in effigy and many prominent religious leaders in India called for his arrest. Fast-forward to 2012, and Bollywood has embraced Canadian-born Indian porn star Sunny Leone as a fully edged star in such mainstream hits as Jism 2 and Singh Is Bling.

But Bollywood's relationship with sex and nudity, though outwardly becoming less restrictive, is pernicious and masks the censorship of real issues, argues filmmaker Leslee Udwin. Director of the devastating BBC documentary India's Daughter, an investigation into India's rape culture that was inspired by the horrific assault of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012, Udwin says that introspective films that question patriarchal hegemony are routinely banned - as her documentary was in a storm of controversy in March 2015.

"Censorship is in full sway in India and it's taking some very dangerous and regressive directions," says Udwin. Yet she's certain this will backfire and lead to more local films looking at the human condition. "When you have that level of repression, artists will rebel against that, it's a natural impulse. There will be an increase in these types of films. Ultimately, artists do feel that they have a responsibility in dealing with human beings and human narratives."

Mehta agrees: "We are going to reflect the realities of our world through our stories. I am going to continue doing that."

See More: Cannes: The Red-Carpet Arrivals
A police conscript was killed and a low-ranking officer wounded in the early hours of Sunday when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off as a police patrol vehicle was driving through North Sinai's Al-Arish, according to an interior ministry statement.

The officer was transferred to the hospital.

Security forces are battling a decade-long Islamist insurgency in parts of North Sinai, which spiked in 2013.

Tens of security personnel have been killed in similar attacks.

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Telemundo is loading up its 2016-17 programming slate with a variety of programs that break the mold for Spanish-language television in the U.S., from costume-drama miniseries to a politically charged bio-drama about Venezuelas Hugo Chavez to unscripted formats that blend English and Spanish.

The goal is to differentiate the NBCUniversal-owned broadcast network from its dominant rival, Univision, by aggressively courting the younger, bilingual generation of Hispanic viewers who have grown up in the U.S. Telemundo has been encouraged by the success of its experiments with new formats such as last years musical bio-drama series Celia, about salsa music legend Celia Cruz, which was a hit for the network and drew a much higher than usual concentration of bilingual viewers.

The palette of the Hispanic audience is evolving, said Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. It is sophisticated.

Telemundos pursuit of U.S.-born Hispanics sets a high bar because those viewers can move freely between English- and Spanish-language programming, meaning that Telemundo has infinitely more competition. The network is focused on improving its production values and the variety of programming on its air. More than anything else, execs said, Telemundo shows need to reflect the realities of Hispanics who have grown up in the U.S. with a mix of mainstream American and Latino-specific cultural influences.

Our viewers are living in two worlds  they work in English and then they go home and live in Spanish, said Luis Silberwasser, Telemundo and NBC Universo president. The filter of everything we do is that our shows are tailor-made for U.S. Hispanics who live in this country.

To that end, Telemundo has developed what it calls Super Series, or hybrid novelas that have shorter episode runs than traditional novelas  60 to 80 episodes rather than 120-plus  and are designed to return for multiple seasons. The storytelling in these series is grittier and earthier than the fantastical tone of many traditional telenovelas. Telemundo is spending more money on production with an emphasis on location shoots. With Super Series including drug lord drama El Senor de los Cielos, which will be back for its fifth season, and its new spinoff El Chema, the flawed anti-hero that launched a thousand cable dramas has found a home on Telemundo.

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This is a further step away from traditional melodramas, Silberwasser said. These are dramatic and suspensful. These characters are more challenged, morally.

Telemundos emphasis on changing the formula is an effort to draw a contrast against Univision, which obtains most of its novela programming from Mexicos Televisa and other Latin American sources.

Univision at its upfront event later this week will emphasis its experimentation with different forms and its efforts to reach the fast-growing millennial Hispanic demo with digital content assets such as Fusion, the Root and the Onion. Telemundo sees an opening at present as Univision has suffered ratings declines in primetime while Telemundo has made slow but steady progress with its Super Series formats.

With Univision and Telemundo investing more in content, the race for market share with this demo is on, as was made clear by the top brass that NBCUniversal assembled at a pre-upfront event May 12 in New York to talk up the Telemundo story.

The sales pitch to advertisers is simple, Conde observed. Hispanics are the biggest growth opportunity for any business in today, he said. The population growth is having cultural, political, social and economic ramifications across this country. Americans now consume and buy more salsa than they do ketchup.

Another priority for Telemundo in the coming season will be the drama series Guerra de Idolos, which has shades of Empire in revolving around a power struggle at a family-owned music giant. The series will feature original music.

Telemundo is investing in event miniseries, episodes of which will air on a weekly basis on Sunday nights rather than the Monday-Friday strips that are the norm for Spanish-language TV. The first efforts will be a costume drama Cortes, telling the story of the Spanish conquest of Mexico; and El Cesar, the rags-to-riches story of Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez.

Notably, El Cesar hails from Disneys Latin American production unit, a sign that even the worlds largest media company sees opportunities for Spanish-language TV production. Sony Pictures TV is behind El Comandante, the Chavez bio-series that Telemundo brass expect will ruffle some feathers as Telemundos first-ever foray into telling the story of a Latin American political figure. The clip screened made it clear El Comandante is no hagiography.

Telemundos weekend primetime blocks will remain largely devoted to family-friendly programming including its take on The Voice franchise, La Voz Kids. Don Francisco, the longtime host of Univisions Sabado Gigante, will host a newsmaker interview program and a talent show with kids. His production banner will also field a game show involving kids and their pets. Francisco joined Telemundo in March on the heels of Univisions cancelation of Sabado Gigante.

NBC Universo, Telemundos cable sibling, has struggled to find a significant audience since the former Mun2 was relaunched early last year with the NBC branding.

The big initiative for NBC Universo next season is The Riveras, a reality show that follows the five adult children of the late Latin music superstar Jenni Rivera. Rivera, who died in a plane crash in 2012, had her own reality series, I Love Jenni, on Mun2 prior to her death. Like I Love Jenni, the language spoken on The Riveras is predominantly English (it will air with subtitles).

The deal for The Riveras also encompasses plans for additional Jenni Rivera-inspired projects through Telemundo and NBC Universo.

(Pictured: El Chema)

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(Reuters) - Eight people were killed and about 40 others were injured when a charter bus rolled over on a Texas highway on Saturday morning, a state official said.

There were no other vehicles involved in the accident, the Texas Department of Transportation said.

Eleven people were injured later on Saturday when a bus and an SUV collided in Florida near Walt Disney World.

In the deadly Texas crash, the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle while traveling northbound on U.S. Route 83, about 45 miles north of Laredo, and the vehicle rolled over at around 11:45 a.m. local time, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein said.

Seven passengers were confirmed dead at the scene of the crash and another died at an area hospital. Forty-four others were transported to area hospitals, including the driver, Hein said.

Hein said he did not have details on the condition of those injured, but believed some were in critical condition.

The bus had left from the Rio Grande Valley area earlier in the day and was traveling to Eagle Pass, located about 140 miles west of San Antonio, Hein said. The local Laredo Morning Times newspaper said the bus was headed to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel when it crashed.

The Texas Department of Transportation said wreckage from the crash forced the closure of the highway about 5 miles south of the Webb-Dimmit County line outside of Laredo.

An image of the scene published by the newspaper showed the red charter bus with its passenger windows blown out and significant damage to the vehicle's rear.

The Morning Times said the bus was operated by OGA Charters, based in San Juan, Texas. Representatives for OGA could not be immediately reached for comment.

In the separate bus crash that occurred in Florida not far from Walt Disney World, 11 people were treated in hospital for injuries after a bus and an SUV collided and caught fire, according to media reports.

A couple and a child in the SUV, which was reportedly traveling on the wrong side of the road, were being treated for serious injuries, while eight of the 16 people on the bus sustained minor injuries.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and Ed Davies)
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As we learned well before his second stint on SNL Saturday night as both host and musical guest, Drake isnt above laughing at himself and letting us all join in on the joke.

Drizzy brought the lulz to SNLs Drakes Beef digital short which featured the Canadian rapper getting super sensitive and beefing with the shows crew over the silliest of reasons. Pete Davidson caught lyrical ether for embarrassing the OVO captain, while Leslie Jones got dissed for not paying Drake enough attention when the two were best friends.

Even a female janitor gets bodied for prematurely dumping his bottle of the water with 10 sips left. SNL creator Lorne Michaels wasnt immune to Drakes lethal bars either, despite congratulating the rapper on a job well done. Good job, thats it? Im doing great, you bitch! Say that again to my facesuck my d*ck, furiously rapped. Definitely the funniest sketch of the night!
Elon Musk

It's become predictable. Every time it looks like Tesla is up against failure  as it could be now with its ambitious production targets for its Model 3 mass-market car  calls are renewed for Apple to use some of its massive hoard of cash to buy the $30 billion electric-car maker.

On paper it looks synergistically appealing. Tesla would be freed from its state of perpetual anxiety about its future, and Apple would make a bold move into transportation, now viewed by many in Silicon Valley as the next great disruptive frontier.

Also, there aren't that many companies that could swallow Tesla whole. Apple is one of them.

This all overlooks one huge, critical problem, however, a problem that is pretty much insurmountable: There are no two CEOs on earth who are more different than Elon Musk and Tim Cook.

Cook isn't an entrepreneur

Cook's genius is in supply-chain management: If it weren't for him, Apple wouldn't have its mountain of cash. As Apple has printed money with the iPhone, it has sucked profits out of its suppliers and the wireless providers.

This is the deal, like it or lump it. But Cook isn't a person who brims with mad visions and wants to take wild risks. If he were, Apple would be selling a TV now instead of an overpriced digital watch.

Musk works for no man

When Musk started PayPal, he was part of an oddball genius collective that included Max Levchin and Peter Thiel, both offbeat personalities (Levchin was born in the old USSR and his parents fled, while Thiel is among the world's most prominent and wealthiest libertarians).

These guys still don't work for anybody, and probably never will. Musk presides over two companies, Tesla and SpaceX, as CEO and one, Solar City, as chairman. He personally oversees Tesla design and has made himself into a de facto rocket scientist. In a thousand years, his leadership personality would never dovetail with Cook's.

Tim Cook

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Cook is starting to fail

The Great Apple Story  which began with the return of Steve Jobs and reached its apotheosis several years ago when Apple became the most valuable and beloved company in the world  is leveling off. As the iPhone has reached full maturity, it's become harder and harder to figure out what Apple does next. The Apple Watch isn't creating an iPhone-like ecosystem of must-have wearable technology; nobody knows what's really going on with "Project Titan," the Apple-car project; the obvious move into TV doesn't look as if it is ever going to happen; music streaming and other "tech" services are boring and unromantic.

No one should be surprised. Cook isn't an idea guy. And Apple's idea people are largely designers, like Jony Ive, who ruled the day under the post-hippie aesthete and visionary Jobs, but who are now living in a world where the action has shifted to the grinding development of huge platforms that can support advertising. Apple is in the beautiful-things business, as is Tesla, and that's one of the arguments that drives the takeover talk. But Cook doesn't want to be in the position of buying Tesla and seeing Musk turn into the new Jobs.

Musk needs to keep Tesla independent

Tesla is just one piece of Musk's grand vision, which is to accelerate humanity's escape from a dependence on fossil fuels. Tesla's role is to spur the arrival of widespread electrification in the world's fleet of vehicles. Even though Musk now wants Tesla to be delivering 500,000 vehicles by 2020, the goal isn't for Tesla to be the Toyota of EVs. SpaceX's job is to "back up the biosphere," according to Musk, and make the species multiplanetary  in case the earth's environment is rendered uninhabitable for humans.

Musk's companies serve a larger purpose. But if Apple were to buy Tesla, the acquisition would have to make some contribution to Apple's business, preferably a tangible one. I'm not sure that Apple would be satisfied with having the first Genius Bar on Mars.

elon musk spacex

Cook is a relatively normal person

No CEO of a major tech company has any hope of living a normal life, but Cook seems to exhibit none of Jobs' eccentricities. He likes fitness and appears to live modestly. He's among the prominent gay executives in business, but his sexuality isn't anything that has provoked controversy. He presents Apple's products cheerfully. He has been an excellent steward of what Jobs and his Apple cofounders created.

Musk is an exceptionally unusual person

There are many reasons why. I'll muster a single example: After he sold PayPal, Musk taught himself rocket design by reading old Russian rocket manuals. Maybe another: On earnings calls with analysts, he loves nothing more than to dig down into the technical minutiae of Tesla's vehicles. He lives the life of a tech celebrity: Robert Downey Jr. modeled Tony Stark from "Iron Man" on Musk; he's been married several times; he has six kids; he splits his time between Silicon Valley and Beverly Hills; he sleeps next to his Tesla assembly lines; he oversees SpaceX launches. He is by all accounts a wonderful father and decent person, although demanding to work for, but he's not spending many quiet evenings at home.

So if Apple were to buy Tesla, someone would have to go, and that someone would be Musk. And Musk doesn't want to go.

That said, there's no shortage of auto-industry veterans who think it's time for Musk to give up the big chair. And in the unlikely event that it happens, there would be one obvious plus: Musk could be all-in on SpaceX's race to put people on Mars.

NOW WATCH: Elon Musk admits that Tesla may not be prepared to meet demands for $11 billion in preorders for their new Model 3





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Egyptian Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi met Sunday with the head of Sudan's military intelligence Ali Mohamed Salem to discuss enhancing military cooperation between the two Nile Basin countries.

During their meeting, Sobhi discussed with Salem issues of common concern when trying to increase military cooperation between the two countries.

The duo also reviewed the latest local and regional developments and their impact on security and stability on the African continent.

The meeting was attended by a number of Egyptian armed force commanders as well as a Sudanese delegation that travelled to Cairo with Salem.

Egypt's armed forces Chief-of-Staff Mahmoud Hegazy also convened with Salem at the headquarters of the defence ministry.

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Ben Carson and Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., in March 2016. (Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP)



Ben Carson says Donald Trumps list of possible running mates includes some awfully familiar names for anyone whos followed the 2016 presidential race: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Those are all people on our list, Carson told the Washington Post.

The retired neurosurgeon, who endorsed Trump after dropping his own presidential bid, said that while hes a member of the presumptive Republican nominees vice presidential search committee, he has no interest in being considered himself.

Carson understands hes a lightning rod for controversy, the newspaper reported, and Trump doesnt need help sparking fires.

But just last week, one of those people on Trumps shortlist  Palin  said that she doesnt want to a burden for Trump, either.

I just want the guy to win. I want America to win, Palin said in an interview with CNNs State of the Union. And I am such a realist that I realize there are a whole lot of people out there who would say, Anybody but Palin. I wouldnt want to be a burden on the ticket, and I recognize that in many, many eyes, I would be that burden.

And the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee may have hurt her chances of reprising that role in 2016 when she vowed to put an end to House Speaker Paul D. Ryans political career for not immediately endorsing Trump.

His political career is over, Palin said of the 2012 vice presidential nominee. He has so disrespected the will of the people, and as the leader of the GOP, the convention, certainly he is to remain neutral, and for him to already come out and say who he will not support was not a wise decision of his.

Christie, who has appeared alongside Trump at numerous campaign events since endorsing the real estate mogul, is seen by many as a shoo-in for a cabinet post in a Trump administration, though not necessarily vice president.

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Chris Christie, left, looks on as Trump speaks at a victory party in New York City in April. (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters)



On Tuesday, Rubio said that while he will honor his pledge to support the Republican nominee, hes not interested in becoming Trumps running mate.

I believe he would be best served by someone who more fully embraces the things he stands for, Rubio told CNNs Jake Tapper. And that is certainly not me.

Kasich, who sealed Trumps presumptive nominee status by dropping out of the race, has repeatedly said he has no interest in becoming vice president.

Zero chance, he told the Fox Business Network in March. I have no interest, Im going to be governor of Ohio. There is zero chance I will be anybodys vice presidential candidate  period, end of story.

As for Cruz, he made no mention of Trump in a speech at the Texas GOP Convention in Dallas on Saturday afternoon.

We may face some challenging days ahead, Cruz said. But I am convinced [the conservative] movement  the men and women gathered here  will be the remnant, will be the core of pulling this country back from the abyss.

Carsons comments notwithstanding, Trump has not made his shortlist of VP choices public, saying only that he is leaning toward a politician for a running mate.

I think Ill probably go the political route, somebody that can help me with legislation, he said earlier this month on MSNBCs Morning Joe. And somebody that can help me get things passed and somebody thats been friends with the senators and the congressmen and all, so we dont have to go the executive order route.
By Gulsen Solaker and Mert Ozkan ANKARA (Reuters) - Police sealed off a hotel in Ankara on Sunday, preventing dissidents in Turkey's nationalist opposition from holding a party congress that could jeopardize President Tayyip Erdogan's plans for more power. Several hundred members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have launched a bid to oust Devlet Bahceli, leader for much of the last two decades. To do so they need to change party rules at a special congress. The AK Party needs the MHP's support to change the constitution to give Erdogan more powers. Bahceli loyalists seem willing to do this, but dissident leaders, including former interior minister Meral Aksener, have said they will oppose the plan. Dissident leaders issued a statement on Sunday accusing Erdogan's AK Party of intervening to try to block the congress. "The executive branch staged a coup against the judiciary branch. The constitution and law are being suspended. A change in the MHP became the AK Party government's nightmare," the dissidents said in their statement. Around 5,000 people gathered at police barricades near the hotel where the congress was scheduled to take place. Police sealed off the road leading to the hotel with barricades and water canon. "Bahceli should resign," the crowd chanted. "If the MHP gets stronger it will become an alternative to the AK Party," said Ibrahim Dizdar, previously the provincial head of Giresun, who was suspended by Bahceli. "The government is trying to prevent us because they are seeing our excitement here today." Bahceli's party won about 12 percent in last November's election, getting 40 seats in parliament, which the AK Party needs to call a referendum on changes to the constitution to grant the president greater power. Aksener has vowed to defend Turkey's parliamentary system and oppose Erdogan's plan. AK Party officials reject any suggestions that the MHP's leadership battle and their party's efforts to win its support on constitutional change are in any way linked. Turkish courts on Friday gave conflicting rulings on whether the nationalist opposition can hold the congress. Bahceli's faction sought an injunction to block the meeting but an Ankara court upheld the dissidents' countersuit. State broadcaster TRT reported verdicts from two other local courts that would halt the congress. An appeals court ruling is expected this month and will have the final say on the dispute. (Writing by Seda Sezer; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A Congolese general recruited, financed and armed elements of a Ugandan Islamist group to kill civilians while he was in charge of a military operation targeting the rebels, according to a confidential report to the United Nations Security Council. A panel of U.N. experts, who monitor sanctions on Democratic Republic of Congo, said "it has become clear that FARDC (Congolese army) officers were involved in recruiting and supplying armed groups involved in the killings (of civilians)." More than 500 people have died in a wave of attacks in eastern Congo since October 2014, rights groups say. The Congolese government has blamed most of those on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Brigadier General Muhindo Akili Mundos was in charge of the offensive against the ADF - named Sukola, or "cleanup" in the local Lingala language - between August 2014 and June 2015. "The Group knows of eight individuals that were approached in 2014 by General Mundos to participate in the killings," the experts wrote in the report, seen by Reuters. Three members of the ADF-Mwalika, a splinter group of the core ADF, told the experts that before the killings began Mundos had persuaded elements of their group to merge with other recruits. "According to them, General Mundos financed and equipped this group with weapons, ammunition and FARDC uniforms. He came to their camp several times, sometimes wearing an FARDC uniform and sometimes in civilian clothes," the experts said. "Although it is unclear if they knew what the objective was initially, these three ADF-Mwalika elements were eventually given the order to kill civilians," they said. Mundos told Reuters on Saturday that the accusations against him were false and the killings had continued after he left the operation. The U.N. report also contains accusations of links between other Congolese army officers and the ADF. The Congolese army and the Congolese government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday. The U.N. experts said that while the number of killings had decreased since Mundos was transferred from the Sukola operation in June 2015, "the killings of civilians have continued by armed elements throughout 2015 and early 2016." In March, Jason Stearns, a former coordinator of the U.N. panel of experts who now heads the Congo Research Group at New York University, accused Congolese soldiers of taking part in at least three deadly attacks on civilians. (Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Kinshasa; Editing by David Gregorio)
Matt Brown may have been the one to rile up the crowd in Curitiba, Brazil, with his antics at the weigh-in on Friday, but come fight time on Saturday night at UFC 198, Demian Maia had his home country fans in a frenzy, as he took another step towards a title shot.

Brown tried to play it smart and stay away from Maias ground game, fighting off the Brazilians initial takedown attempt, but he could stop his second try. Although it wasnt a traditional takedown, Maia took Browns back while standing, eventually causing him to fall to his backside on the canvas.

As the fell, Maia locked in a body triangle from Browns back. He remained on Browns back, body triangle intact for the better part of the final three minutes of the first round. He wasnt able to find the submission, but three minutes was a long time for Brown to wear Maia on his back.

RELATED > UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic Full Live Results and Fight Stats

Having wore Brown down in the first, Maia took his back even more easily in the second frame. He again clung to Browns back with a body triangle locked in, this time for nearly the full frame. Maia peppered Brown with punches to the head and body, but couldnt open him up for the rear-naked choke he sought. Clinging to his back for nearly two full rounds, however, had to leave Browns energy reserves running low.

Maia started the final frame with several failed takedown attempts, but was relentless. He eventually got Brown to the canvas, but he was on his back with Brown on top. Being the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master that he is, Maia remained composed and reversed the position, once again taking Browns back and locking on a body triangle.

As he did for the first two rounds, once Maia got Browns back in the third, he remained glued to it.

He stayed on Browns back, punching, searching, waiting, until he eventually forced Brown to open up just enough to slip his left arm under the neck and sink the rear-naked choke, forcing the tap.

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The victory was Maias fifth consecutive and his eight overall in the welterweight division, making the No. 6 ranked 170-pounder a legitimate contender for the title, and he wants his shot.

Im ready to fight for the title. Send your messages to Dana White, Joe Silva, Maia said from the Octagon. Im ready for this. Its my dream. Ive won many consecutive fights in this weight class, eight fights overall. Im ready for this.

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Kiev (AFP) - Jubilant Ukrainians erupted in celebration Sunday after Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest with a powerful tribute to her Tatar people's deportation from Russian-annexed Crimea in 1944.

"Yes!!!" Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted. "An unbelievable performance and victory! All of Ukraine gives you its heartfelt thanks, Jamala."

"Glory to Ukraine!" Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman added.

And Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko -- a former boxer who strongly backs Ukraine's new shift toward the West -- said he never doubted Jamala's victory because she was "genuine".

The 32-year-old winner is a member of the Muslim Tatar minority of Crimea who saw her great-grandmother deported along with 240,000 others by Stalin in the penultimate year of World War II.

Many of those died on the tortuous voyage to Central Asia and other distant lands.

Jamala's poignant song opens with the harrowing line: "When strangers are coming, they come to your house, they kill you all and say, 'were not guilty, not guilty'."

The memories of that wartime horror have been revived by Russia's seizure of Crimea several weeks after a pro-EU revolt ousted Ukraine's Moscow-backed president in February 2014.

Russia had earlier protested Ukraine's entry in the contest because of its "political" subtext -- a violation of Eurovision rules.

But judges decided that Jamala's song was "historical" in nature and allowed "1944" to compete.

One of the 2014 revolution's leaders wrote that it would be fitting for Ukraine -- which will host the event next year thanks to Jamala's win -- to stage the contest in Crimea itself.

"Justice would be served if the next Eurovision is held in Jamala's historical homeland -- Ukraine's Crimea," Mustafa Nayyem tweeted.

- Jumping for joy -

Yet the political tensions between Kiev and Moscow that preceded the contest did not reflect on the voting itself.

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Ukrainians chose Russia's entry as their favourite since no country can vote for itself.

And Russia came close to returning the favour by ranking Ukraine second behind its close ally Armenia.

Fans watching the globally televised competition -- famed for its kitsch and glamour as well as fair share of laughs -- in a Crimean Tatar restaurant in Kiev were jumping for joy the moment the winner was announced.

"This song about our tragedy was sung globally and I hope that people heard it," a young man called Emine said above the cheers.

"We would very much like for the next Eurovision to be held in Crimea -- all the Crimean Tatars are expecting this and it would be right to have it in Ukrainian Crimea," a fan named Anife added.

The mood among some Crimean Tatars was even more politically charged.

A businessman who last year helped organise blockades of traffic between mainland Ukraine and Crimea as a sign of protest over the annexation said Jamala's victory spelled a personal defeat to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"This is our first, thumping victory over Putin's Russia," Lenur Islyamov wrote on Facebook.

"Crimean Tatars are not only (Ukraine's) key to Crimea, but also to Europe itself."

The leader of Crimea's Mejlis -- a Tatar ruling body that was banned by Russia last month -- also celebrated Jamala's success as a sign of a brighter future for his people.

"I would like to thank the many tens of thousands who supported Jamala in temporarily Russian-occupied Crimea," Refat Chubarov wrote on Facebook.

"God willing, one wonderful day, we will all gather in a Crimea that is free of Russian invaders."

Jamala herself told AFP before the event that she had not visited the peninsula in two years because she was "in the risk zone" for supporting Ukraine.
With this latest deal, France now tops the list of countries to have signed military supply agreements with Egypt during the term of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi

Cairo finalised on Tuesday the purchase of a military reconnaissance and monitoring satellite, the third in a series of deals within the framework of Egyptian-French military cooperation. Last year Egypt successfully concluded contracts for Rafale fighter planes and Mistral-class helicopter carriers.

With this latest deal, France now tops the list of countries to have signed military supply agreements with Egypt during the term of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

During French President Francois Hollandes visit to Egypt in April the two countries signed numerous memoranda of understanding, marking increasingly close bilateral relations. At the level of strategic/military relations it is noteworthy that the contract for 24 Rafales is the first time France has ever sold a fighter plane to another country. Egypt has so far received seven of these planes.

The first batch of four, which arrived in August 2015, took part in the celebrations for the inauguration of the new Suez Canal. Three more arrived in January this year. The contract for the two Mistral aircraft carriers, which was concluded in September last year, was valued at 950 million euros.

While Frances La Tribune broke the news of the military satellite deal, Cairo announced that a military delegation, headed by Minister of Military Production General Mohamed El-Assar, would sign the deal on behalf of Egypt. According to La Tribune, the other signatories are Thales Alenia Space (TAS), a Franco-Italian satellite and communications systems manufacturer, and Space Systems Airbus, which specialises in defence equipment.

La Tribune said the contract for the military communications satellite, which it estimated as worth 600 million euros, crowned seven months of discussions and negotiations between Cairo and the two aerospace manufacturing firms. The newspaper added that Paris and Cairo signed numerous agreements during President Hollandes visit to Egypt on 17 April, which paved the way for this latest deal.

A senior military expert from Egypt cited a source close to El-Assar who confirmed the accuracy of the details reported in the French newspaper. He explained that the satellite Egypt has purchased is very sophisticated. It is, in fact, the most modern of the industrial technologies that Egypt now possesses.

He noted that while the satellite has been classed as military it is capable of performing both military and non-military tasks. It orbits at altitudes above 700 km and is capable of taking images at an extremely high resolution.

As far as military supplies are concerned, we are not just diversifying our armaments sources we have turned to China, Russia, France and Germany but more importantly there is a focus on upgrading military technologies, General Hisham El-Halabi of the Higher Nasser Military Academy told Al-Ahram Weekly.

He added that the purpose of purchasing the satellite was to increase intelligence gathering resources to reinforce national security.

General Chief of Staff Mohamed Qashqoush, academic advisor to the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, agrees.

The purpose of acquiring highly sophisticated technologies is to be able to manage the Egyptian strategic depth with as much precision as possible in the framework of completing our military systems and also military cooperation, he said.

Qashqoush said that the French satellite will work in conjunction with the Mistral naval vessels and facilitate navigation in the Bab El-Mandeb and in the Mediterranean, where maritime oil and gas fields were recently discovered.

He added that the Russian-made helicopters that Egypt has contracted from Moscow will complete the Mistral weapons system.

Another important dimension of Egypts purchases of French-made technologies includes what Qashqoush terms the African belt in which the French military command has a presence in such countries as Mali, Djibouti and Senegal.

Egypts acquisitions will enhance our ability to safeguard our western borders with Libya through closer tracking of the movement of extremist elements and enhanced communications with forces on the ground. Said Qashqoush, Egypt is situated in an environment teeming with tensions, crises, challenges and mounting dangers.

According to Qashqoush, French experts will train Egyptian teams in the management of the satellite.

They have new knowhow in the field that they will impart to the Egyptian side. They will also offer instruction in the process of protecting the information in the satellite, he said, stressing the need for Egypt to be able to secure information transmitted by the satellite.

The absence of an Egyptian satellite has been the source of considerable controversy in recent years, reaching a peak when it was announced that the research satellite Egypt 2 had gone missing. Experts have openly speculated that Israel was most likely responsible, although there has been nothing to corroborate this. They suggested that the Israelis had probably sent a satellite of their own into the same orbit. In the 1990s Israel obstructed an Egyptian-French deal for the purchase of a satellite.

Israel is certainly interested in Egypts recent purchase from France. The Israeli armys Israel Defence periodical has featured detailed coverage of this deal. It concluded that acquisition of the satellite would give a great boost to Egypts military communications. It also remarked on Egypts drive to build up its military arsenal. It has purchased two helicopter carriers from France which were to be sold to Russia. The first of these is due to arrive in June, it reported.

La Tribune noted that Cairo entered into negotiations with Paris in December 2015 initially for the purchase of two satellites: one for military telecommunications, the other for surveillance. A delegation from the Egyptian army headed to Paris around Christmas but the negotiations broke down over the question of costs.

Egypt decided to postpone the purchase of a military satellite as Russia and South Korea had made less-costly offers. The same newspaper reported that negotiations are still in progress between the Egyptian Defence Ministry and DCNS, the French company that produces the Mistral, over the manufacture of four warships.

Qashqoush told the Weekly that the European offers were better than the Asian ones when post-sale services such as upkeep, maintenance and spare parts were taken into account.

Apparently, space is now an integral part of the Middle Easts arms race, and it is taking place against a backdrop of intractable conflicts. The Gulf countries have obtained similar satellites. The UAE launched a space programme in collaboration with the US many years ago.

Saudi Arabia, too, is now in the running, while Iran entered the arena a decade ago. Since concluding its nuclear deal with the West, Tehran has begun to focus more intensely on its aerospace programme. Last week it announced the test launch of a precision-guided missile with a range of up to 2000 km.

Sources interviewed by the Weekly say the Iranian space programme, despite Tehrans claims, is primarily for military purposes. Israel, too, has many satellites at its armys disposal.



*This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

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By Alexei Kalmykov and Vladimir Soldatkin KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukrainians hailed their country's unexpected victory in the Eurovision song contest as a Europe-wide endorsement of Ukraine in its smouldering conflict with Russia, while Moscow said the contest had been hijacked by politics. Ukrainian singer Jamala overtook the bookmakers' favourites, Russia and Australia, to lift the prize with the song "1944" about the war-time deportations of ethnic Tatars from Ukraine's Crimea peninsula by Soviet dictator Stalin. The singer, herself of Crimean Tatar descent, had drawn parallels in interviews to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, which provoked Western condemnation of the Kremlin, and was opposed by many in the region's Tatar minority. Under Eurovision rules, the victory means the 2017 contest will take place in the Ukrainian capital. One pro-Kremlin politician in Moscow suggested Russia might boycott the event next year. After the results of Saturday's contest were announced in Stockholm, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote on Twitter: "Personally congratulated Jamala with the victory. Today her voice spoke to the world on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people. The truth, as always, prevailed!" Ukraine's victory, 12 years after it last won the Eurovision title, lifted the mood of Ukrainians tired of perpetual political crises and daily struggles against endemic corruption and poverty. "The victory is ours! Thank you, Europe! This is fair! It's incredible!" said Ukrainian singer Ruslana, the winner of the 2004 edition of Eurovision, in a Facebook post. "Jamala you did all you could and even more! We all are grateful to you for the victory - well deserved and so much needed for all of us!!!" DAY OF REMEMBRANCE The winning singer was returning to Kiev on Sunday, the same day that Ukraine marks an annual day of remembrance for victims of political repression -- including Soviet purges of Crimean Tatars and other groups on Ukrainian soil. Tatars, a Muslim people indigenous to the Black Sea peninsula, now number about 300,000 in a population of 2 million. While many Crimean residents want to be ruled by Moscow, many Tatars are still mistrustful of the Kremlin after the wartime deportations and have opposed Moscow's annexation. That has unleashed fresh tensions. Two weeks ago, the Russian administration in Crimea banned the Crimean Tatars' highest ruling body, the Mejlis, and there have been accusations -- denied by Moscow - of systematic persecution of the Tatars. Mejlis leader Refat Chubarov, said Jamala's victory marked another step towards liberating Crimea from the "Russian occupation". "We saw an incredible number of true admirers of Jamala's talent, supporters of independent Ukraine, allies of the Crimean Tatar people," he said in a Facebook post. Several Russian politicians said a pop music contest which is supposed to be free of politics had been skewed by political considerations and anti-Russian stereotypes. "Geopolitics won on aggregate. Political meddling triumphed over fair competition," Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament, wrote in a Facebook post. Franz Klintzevich, another member of the Russian upper house of parliament, said he believed the Ukrainian hosts would exploit next year's contest to advance their political agenda in their conflict with Russia. "If nothing changes in Ukraine, I don't think we should take part in this," he was quoted as saying by RIA news agency. Moscow denies annexing Crimea. It says the region's people expressed their will to become part of Russia in a democratic referendum, and that it only sent in troops to make sure the popular will was respected. (Additional reporting by Daniel Dickson in STOCKHOLM, editing by Christian Lowe and Philippa Fletcher)
Screen_shot_2016-05-14_at_4.53.23_pm

Technology doesn't always love you back.

A woman in Tobermory, Ontario drove down a boat ramp and into Lake Huron last Thursday thanks to faulty directions from her GPS.

SEE ALSO: Man tracks down lost iPad with technology and balloons

According to the Canadian Press, the woman (who did not want to be identified for understandable reasons) was attempting to navigate a nighttime fog, and depended a little too heavily on the GPS to lead her in the right direction.

Image: facebook/tobermory press, inc.

Luckily, she was able to roll down the window, retrieve her purse and clamber out of the car before it started to sink.

She is reportedly doing just fine, with no injuries other than a few technological trust issues.

Image: facebook/tobermory press, inc.

The GPS has not yet apologized for its actions.
Amman (AFP) - The US-led offensive to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group is making progress, the top American envoy to the coalition said Sunday.

IS had "returned to suicide bombing" because the area under its control was shrinking and it was on the defensive, Brett McGurk said at a conference in the Jordanian capital.

His remarks came as jihadist suicide assailants broke into a gas plant north of Baghdad and killed at least seven people, in an attack claimed by IS.

"We are now making progress against Daesh," McGurk said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"The campaign to isolate and squeeze and constrict Daesh in Mosul has already began," he said.

"We are doing precision air strikes in Mosul almost every day, we have a lot of information from the people who are inside Mosul about what Daesh is doing inside the city."

The Iraqi army said in late March that its troops and allied militia had launched what was expected to be a long and difficult offensive to retake Mosul, IS's main hub in the country.

McGurk said IS was now under "constant, synchronised pressure".

"Their territory is shrinking and they are now doing these suicide attacks against civilian populations. It is not going to work but this is what they are trying to do and it is nothing new," said the US envoy.

Iraqi forces collapsed in the face of the 2014 IS advance and the jihadist group ultimately overran around a third of the country.

IS has declared an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria, where it has also seized significant territory.

Imposing its extremist interpretation of Islamic law, IS has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and launched a wave of attacks against the West.

The US-led coalition of Western and Arab nations launched air strikes against IS in Iraq in August of 2014 and has killed thousands of the jihadists.
To get to Brother Guy Consolmagnos office, you take a train heading southeast from Rome. It winds its way away from Vatican City for an hour, into a bucolic setting that holds Lake Albano and the tiny town of Castel Gandolfo. Once you get off the train and walk through the streets, you look for a little bronze plaque whose Latin simply reads Specola Vaticana. Open the doors and youre in the Vatican Observatory  a secret lab in a volcanic crater, just what every budding scientist dreams of.

And Brother Guy is a scientist, in addition to his work with the church. The Detroit native holds two degrees from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. In another life, he made theoretical computer models of various bodies in the solar system  models that turned out to be right (even though, he says, the data he was basing them on wasnt quite so spot on). But a crisis of his faith in research sent him to join the Peace Corps and then the Jesuits  which led him to his current calling: science in the name of God. Hes been working at the Vatican Observatory for 23 years, and last year was named its director.

In the U.S., science and religion are often cast as two sides in a Holy War, and, indeed, scientists have often bumped up against Catholic doctrine  400 years ago, the Church deemed Galileos heliocentric teachings formally heretical. But by then it was already key for the Catholic Church to have scientists at its call. Astronomers created the calendar for Gregory, and the Vatican still has a small stable of eight or nine Jesuit scientists busily thinking and researching, their funding steadier than most of that available in the academic world  especially since their vow of poverty makes them cheap to keep. Meanwhile, Pope Francis, himself a trained scientist, has brought scientific concerns like climate change to the forefront along with his much-lauded social-justice focus. I think [Pope Francis] has made a difference to how science is perceived, says Celia Deane-Drummond, a botanist and professor of theology at Notre Dame.



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We have this enormous freedom to go wherever we think is interesting, Brother Guy says. While NASA will fund a spacecraft mission or a big telescope, it can be hard to convince Congress to fund the day-to-day research that most scientists actually work on. However, that research work is what helps us interpret the data the spacecraft collects. At the Vatican, the small team doesnt have to worry that the money will be cut off, even though the million-euro budgets pretty small when compared to the rest of the Vatican pie. With that million euros comes a certain freedom to study what they find interesting, leading to a far-ranging slate of topics  how galaxies cluster, how the universe formed and where the next interesting exoplanet might be.

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Guy Consolmagno with large Zeiss optical telescope from1935 in dome roof of vatican observatory.

Source Annette Schreyer/Laif/Redux

It can be difficult to find scientists to fill the Observatory, since you must hold two advanced degrees: one from the academy and one from the Jesuits. Chris Impey, head of the astronomy department at the University of Arizona at Tucson, where the Observatory built their new telescope when Castel Gandolfos light pollution became too distracting, served on the advisory board that selected the programs new director. Though he was personable and had a resume filled with distinguished research, there were two things working against Brother Guy: He wasnt a Jesuit priest  hes a brother  and he was American. The Vatican doesnt want the Observatory to seem too American, especially when their recruitment is focusing on Latin American and Asian countries where Catholicism is building. But you pick the best one for the job, Impey says. And he was the best one for the job.

Michelle Francl, a theoretical chemist at Bryn Mawr, first met Brother Guy at a conference at Google. He was wearing a shirt that said Ask me about my vow of silence while talking loudly on the bus, she says. They bonded over finding a place to attend mass together. As a woman of faith and a scientist, she sees a lot of common ground between the two disciplines, quoting Jesuit theologian Walter Burghardts description of religious contemplation as a long, loving look at the real. Put that on your grant application.

While Brother Guy acknowledges the perceived culture war between religion and science, for him theres no conflict. In some ways, scientists and religious people are the last people who say, There IS a truth,  he says. While he has met believers who think they have to reject science to stay true to their faith, he sees no inherent battle between God and Galileo  just with some of their followers. Thats where he comes in.

Brother Guy brings religion into the scientific conversation in unexpected ways, showing up at sci-fi conventions  hes a longtime fan whos written some dreadful unpublished science fiction  and scientific conferences around the world. But thats not his biggest battle: Hes got to bring religious groups around to the stars, liaising with religious fundamentalists who, he says, are often fearful of the unknown while at the same time curious to find out more. Luckily, astrophysics is the best possible science for that. Astronomy is the great gateway drug to science, he says, and anyone whos walked outside on a dark clear night and tried to number the stars knows hes right.

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For one night, at least, Cris Cyborg Justino played the role of the superstar she always knew she could be, if only she was given the chance.

Cris Cyborg Justino (Getty Images)

The San Diego resident returned to her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, and got a heros welcome from an estimated crowd of 45,000 at Arena da Baixada on Saturday night at UFC 198. The current Invicta featherweight champion then electrified the third-largest crowd in UFC history by waxing an overmatched Leslie Smith in just 1:21 in a catchweight 140-pound bout, winning via TKO for her 14th career finish.

Smith (8-7-1), a gamer who trains at the vaunted Cesar Gracie gym in Northern California, vigorously protested the stoppage, and she probably had a point, as it appeared the referee had stepped in early. But it also appeared he stopped a slaughter in the making, and her protests went nowhere as Justino basked in the adoration of the crowd.

"I believe that it was my moment, tonight was my moment and it was historic," Justino (16-1, 1 no-contest) said at the post-fight news conference. "I never thought I'd be sitting here tonight. So take a lot of pictures. I never thought I'd be here after everything that I went through. It was a historic moment for me.

So the question, as it always seems to be after Cyborg fights, is where does she go from here? Justino is indisputably the best featherweight fighter in the history of womens MMA, having held the Strikeforce belt for years before winning the Invicta title.

She also happens to walk around between fights at approximately 170 pounds, and her entry into the UFC has been long postponed because former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey wouldnt budge from insisting at holding a potential superfight at 135 pounds.

The UFC finally bent on the notion of letting Justino fight at 140 pounds, and she looked emaciated during her weight cut, but still managed to check in at 139 pounds for Fridays weigh-ins.

Curiously, having delivered a money performance at UFC 198 and demonstrating what she can do on a big platform, Justino did not call out Rousey, or any of the other UFCs star bantamweights, after her win. Instead, she insisted the door will stay open to superfights, while saying she wants to focus on defending her Invicta crown.

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"I've been training for two years to be able to make weight yesterday, and I felt very well tonight," Justino said. "And I believe I can do other superfights. But I'm going to continue in my weight class. I've been champion for some time, and I want female MMA to grow, and I don't think it's the right thing for me to abandon my weight class.

(Getty Images)

And therein lies the rub. The UFC has two womens divisions, the marquee bantamweight crew and the 115-pound strawweight class. It also seems to be flirting with the idea of adding flyweight, with a bout between Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau signed at 125 pounds for June 18 in Ottawa.

But there just isnt enough elite talent to fill out a 145-pound division. The only other real name of note at 145 is current Bellator competitor Marloes Coenen, a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion whom Justino has already TKOed twice. Aside from Coenen, Justinos victories in Invicta have included the likes of Fiona Muxlow, Charmaine Tweet, Faith Van Duin, and Daria Ibragimova, names known to only the most diehard womens MMA fans.

Of course, its also not as if the biggest names have been going out of their way to fight Justino, either. Rousey always used Justinos PED suspension following a 2011 fight in California as her reason to refuse a fight with Justino. UFC 198, though, was her sixth fight since being reinstated, and shes passed every drug test shes taken in that time.

Current UFC womens bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, meanwhile, had previously expressed a willingness to fight Justino at 140 pounds, as has former champion Holly Holm.

Now that Tate is in Rouseys former position as champion, though, she seems more interested in having Justino drop down to 135 than before:

Impressive performance by @criscyborg tonight!! What a powerful woman! Congrats on making 139lbs! 4 more and we can have a title fight!  Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) May 15, 2016

In fairness, when Tate was later called out by a fan for her previous stance on 140, she said shed still be willing to do it:

We can but It won't be for a title https://t.co/OtaYP9wsr6  Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) May 15, 2016

By Sunday afternoon, it appeared Justino had realized she may have let a golden opportunity to hype a major fight slip by on Saturday night, as she posted a crudely done photoshop to her Facebook page attempting to get Rousey to fight at UFC 205:

For now, though, it appears it will be awhile before any Justino superfight happens. Rousey has made it abundantly clear shed rather do anything else but face Cyborgs challenge, and both Tate and Holm have summer fights lined up. In the meantime, Justino will keep doing her thing.

"I like to go for the knockout, Justino said. If you watch my fights that's what I like to do. I have good wrestling, jiu-jitsu. I've been doing judo for the past year to fight with someone. But I've been waiting for the opportunity. That's it. I'm prepared.

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Egypt's press syndicate called for a meeting of its members on Wednesday to follow up on the latest developments in the ongoing dispute with the interior ministry, a statement by the syndicate said.

The syndicate meeting will aim to find solutions that "preserve the union's entity and journalists' dignity."

The board has formed a committee to prepare and present an agenda to the syndicate on Sunday for Wednesday's meeting.

On Saturday, syndicate head Yehia Kalash discussed with the board members the latest developments in the crisis, examining the legal aspects and procedures in the frame of respecting the laws and the constitution.

The ongoing clash between the syndicate and the ministry started after police stormed the union headquarters on 1 May to arrest two journalists on charges including inciting the public to violence and plotting to overthrow the regime.

Shortly following the "unprecedented and barbaric attack," as described by the syndicate, the board made several demands at an urgent meeting attended by over 2,000 journalists, which included the sacking of the interior minister and the release of all journalists jailed in freedom of expression cases.

A general assembly meeting, which was set for last week, was rescheduled for Tuesday to discuss a possible strike if the demands are not met. It is unclear if Wednesday's announced gathering would be replacing Tuesday's meeting.

Parliament has been mediating between the two sides to resolve the standoff.

Last week, MPs affiliated with the parliament's Media and Culture Committee told reporters that there are indications that the ongoing crisis would soon reach a "friendly solution."

Kalash has said that the syndicate highly appreciates parliament's attempts to find a solution for the crisis with the interior ministry.

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Ransomware can ruin your computer and all of your files.

Youre sitting at your computer when you get an email from your local bank saying you were just hit with a charge for a new $1,200 MacBook that you never bought. You click the email and follow the embedded link or download the included receipt to find out whats up.

Just like that, your computer has been infected with ransomware. You cant access your files, and all you can see is a timer counting down the time until hackers delete your computers drive unless you pay them a fee in iTunes gift cards.

All you can do is scratch your head and wonder what the hell just happened. Well, Im here to explain that to you  and to help you fight back against ransomware criminals.

The most important thing to remember is this: Never, ever pay the ransom.

Ransom?

Lets start with the basics. A particularly nefarious form of malware, ransomware is a piece of software criminals use to lock you out of your computer by encrypting its files and holding them for ransom for a specific dollar amount.

If you dont pay up, you can potentially say goodbye to your photos, tax documents, pay stubs, and any other documents youve saved throughout the years.

This isnt some idle threat, either. If you dont pay, your documents will disappear or simply stay locked up until you completely reformat your system.

Ransomware programs sometimes require you to pay in Bitcoin, an anonymous currency that cant be tracked.

However, criminals have increasingly begun demanding payment in the form of iTunes or Amazon gift cards, since the average person doesnt know how to use Bitcoin, according to Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security.

The amount you have to pay to unlock your computer can vary, with some experts saying criminals will ask for up to $500.

To be clear, ransomware doesnt just target Windows PCs. The malware has been known to impact systems ranging from Android phones and tablets to Linux-based computers and Macs.

Where it comes from

According to Davis, ransomware was actually popular among cybercriminals over a decade ago. But it was far easier to catch the perpetrators back then since anonymous currency like Bitcoin didnt exist yet. Bitcoin helped changed all that by making it nearly impossible to track criminals based on how victims pay them.

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Ransomware

There are multiple types of ransomware out there, according to Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor with the computer security company Sophos. Each variation is tied to seven or eight criminal organizations.

Those groups build the software and then sell it on the black market, where other criminals purchase it and then begin using it for their own gains.

How they get you

Ransomware doesnt just pop up on your computer by magic. You actually have to download it. And while you could swear up and down that youd never be tricked into downloading malware, cybercriminals get plenty of people to do just that.

Heres the thing: That email you opened to get ransomware on your computer in the first place was specifically written to get you to believe it was real. Thats because criminals use social engineering to craft their messages.

For example, hackers can determine your location and send emails that look like theyre from companies based in your country.

Criminals are looking are looking up information about where you live, so youll click (emails), Wisniewski explained to Yahoo Finance. So if youre in America, youll see something from Citi Bank, rather than Deutsche Bank, which is in Germany.

Cybercriminals can also target ransomware messages to the time of year. So if its the holiday shopping season, criminals might send out messages supposedly from companies like the US Postal Service, FedEx or DHL. If its tax time, you could receive a message that says its from the IRS.

Other ransomware messages might claim the FBI has targeted you for using illegal software or viewing child pornography on your computer. Then, the message will tell you to click a link to a site to pay a fine  only to lock up your computer after you click.

Its not just email, though. An attack known as a drive-by can get you if you simply visit certain websites. Thats because criminals have the ability to inject their malware into ads or links on poorly secured sites. When you go to such a site, youll download the ransomware. Just like that, youre locked out of your computer.

How to protect yourself

Ransomware attacks vulnerabilities in outdated versions of software. So, believe it or not, the best way to protect yourself is to constantly update your operating systems software and apps like Adobe Reader. That means you should always click that little update notification on your desktop, phone, or tablet. Dont put it off.

Beyond that, you should always remember to back up your files. You can either do that by backing them up to a cloud service like Amazon Cloud, Google Drive or iCloud, or by backing up to an external drive.

That said, youll want to be careful with how you back up your content. Thats because, according to Kaspersky Labs Ryan Naraine, some ransomware can infect your backups.

A fake warning used by ransomware criminals.

Naraine warns against staying logged into your cloud service all the time, as some forms of malware can lock you out of even them. Whats more, if youre backing up to an external hard drive, youll want to disconnect it from your PC when youre finished, or the ransomware could lock that, as well.

Naraine also says you should disconnect your computer from the internet if you see your system being actively encrypted. Doing so, he explains, could prevent all of your files that have yet to be encrypted from being locked.

Above all, every expert I spoke with recommended installing some form of anti-virus software and some kind of web browser filtering. With both types of software installed, your system up to date, and a backup available, you should be well-protected.

Oh, and for the love of god, avoid downloading any suspicious files or visiting sketchy websites.

What to do if youre infected

Even if you follow all of the above steps, ransomware could still infect your computer or mobile device. If thats the case, you have only a few options.

The first and easiest choice is to delete your computer or mobile device and reinstall your operating system. Youll lose everything, but you wont have to pay some criminal whos holding your files hostage.

Some security software makers also sell programs that can decrypt your files. That said, by purchasing one, youre betting that it will work on the ransomware on your computer, which isnt always the case. On top of that, ransomware makers can update their malware to beat security software makers offerings.

All of the experts agree that the average person should never pay the ransom  even if it means losing their files. Doing so, they say, helps perpetuate a criminal act and emboldens ransomware makers.

Even if you do pay up, the ransomware could have left some other form of malware on your computer that you might not see.

In other words: Tell the criminals to take a hike.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.




Megyn Kelly has proven over and over again through the 2016 election cycle that she is unafraid of going head-to-head with Republican leadership, other pundits, and especially the presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. That last one has obviously been an ongoing theme for the past six months or more, because in case you missed it a good chunk of the country might be losing their gosh darn minds in a fully public forum. In the latest clash between the US two major political parties, Obama has threatened to withhold funds from schools who do not allow transgender students to use the bathroom that they gender identify with.

Well, actually, the White House simply released a memo strongly insinuating that funds could be withheld based on the governments Title IX interpretation  this on top of the Justice Departments lawsuit against North Carolina regarding their law. But everyone knows that if Obamas anger translator Luther was around it would be pretty obvious that Barack was dropping the mic on this issue. As people from both sides of the issue came out of the woodwork to either support or condemn Obamas actions, one of the most vocal was Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (very different from that other Dan Patrick) who is insistent that this marks the beginning of the end of the public school system as we know it.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is banding together with other states that have discriminatory laws or are in the process of putting them in place, such as North Carolinas HB2 law which has drawn ire from many. In support of his states rebellion of the directive, Patrick decided it would be a good idea to try to argue with Megyn Kelly on national television. Dear Reader, it did not go well for him. You can watch the full video above, but some choice quotes from the exchange were rounded up by Mediaite and they are priceless. When Patrick used the now-common refrain that this is allowing men in womens bathrooms, Kelly hit back with,

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Allow men in the ladies rooms or allow trans women in the ladies rooms? At one point, Patrick said, Megyn, youre missing th but she cut him off with a quick, No, I dont think Im missing anything.

Kelly also shut him down by bringing up the double standard of being against trans women in bathrooms due to the belief some of them would attack women or children when some men have been abusing women and children for literal centuries without having access to their bathrooms. As has been her modus operandi in recent months, Kelly really doesnt care what people think of her and this doubly applies when guests on her show are being incredibly ignorant or otherwise blind about ongoing civil rights issues. Kelly may not be perfect and still has her own blind spots, but she continues to be a bright spot in this slog of an election season.

(via Mediaite)
High profile Egyptian businessman Ahmed Abu Hashima acquired shares of satellite TV channel ONTV from the channels owner and business tycoon Naguib Sawiris in a deal announced on Sunday.

Abu Hashima, chairman of the Egyptian Steel Group, said in an official statement that his company, Egyptians' Media, bought ONTV in a step to "pump investment into domestic media.

According to Abu Hashima, the move will reinforce Egyptian status in the media sector and present a comprehensive and developed media that is both professional and attractive and also functions in accordance with the state and people's aspiration for growth and stability".

"The takeover of ONTV comes in appreciation of the major role that it has played in Egyptian media and its important contribution in fighting all threats that the nation has faced leading up to the eruption of the 30 June revolution," the 40-year-old businessman said, referring to the mass protests that eventually led to the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.



"We aim to support the Egyptian [governmental] leadership in pursuing the aspirations of our nation for a better future through an effective, wise, and optimistic media policy in the future."

The company thanked Sawiris and ONTV for its coverage, which it described as "patriotic".

"Buying ONTV is a first step in a plan that includes the purchase of another channel and other future media projects that include launching satellite channels, the production of TV series, and online streaming through a group of channels aimed at Egyptian youth," Abu Hashima added.

He also said that English media content would be launched with the help of Egyptian media manpower, describing the expansion plans as ones that aim to "reclaim Egypt's media standing in the Middle East and the world".

This is not the first time ONTV has witnessed a change of ownership.

In December 2012, Sawiris sold the liberal news channel to Tunisian businessman Tarek Ben Ammar before acquiring it again later.

With Abu Hashima's purchase, the future remains uncertain for sister channel ONTV Live, ONA news agency, and ONA Academy, all of which are owned by Hawa Ltd.

Apart from Abu Hashimas new ownership of ONTV, the young businessman is one of the most important shareholders of Youm7, one of Egypt's most prominent news websites.



Youm7's editorial board has repeatedly thanked Abu Hashima for his "major role in aiding the development of the newspapers print and online editions."

The steel tycoon is well known for his generous financial support to the newly-established Future of the Homeland party, widely recognised for its support of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian government.

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Lang was arrested in September 2013 for violating curfew and was detained with others in downtown Cairos Qasr El-Nile police station

Cairo criminal court sentenced on Sunday six prison inmates to seven years in prison for the murder Frenchman Eric Lang while he was detained at a police station in 2013.

Lang was arrested in September 2013 for violating a curfew that had been imposed a month earlier and was taken to downtown Cairos Qasr El-Nile police station.

He was placed in the stations holding cells after his arrest. It was in the same cells that Lang was later beaten to death.

The 49-year old French national had lived in Egypt for several years and was working as a French teacher in Cairo.

The verdict against the six convicts can still be appealed.

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An international Islamic gathering hosted by Egypt presents a document condemning terrorism as it concluded Sunday

Islamic ministers, scholars and clerics from 35 countries around the world signed on Sunday a document renouncing extremism and racial prejudice during an international gathering hosted by Egypt.

The document, titled the Egyptian Letter to Renounce Violence, "renounces all forms of radicalism and terrorism" and "promotes peaceful coexistence."

The document will be passed to the foreign ministry, which will then present it to the world as "a message of peace from the Islamic world," Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa told the gathering Sunday.

The conference, whose 26th edition concluded Sunday, was held by Egypt's Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, a body belonging to the endowments ministry and tasked with developing the practice of Islam and providing resources on Muslim belief and history.

The international meeting brought together ministers, academics, scholars and clerics from 35 countries around the globe and was aimed at enhancing coordination between Islamic bodies in the Arab and Islamic world as well as bolstering the role of Islamic institutions on major issues and promoting moderate Islam.

In his address during the summit's closing session, Gomaa said the conference has warned against the "political exploitation of religion" as one of the major tools of extremism.

Gomaa urged attention to translation of Islamic texts and publishing "to address the world in its own languages."

The conference's closing statement called for an international resolution criminalizing sectarian assaults against Muslims and Muslim minorities as well as better utilization of electronic communication technologies to counter extremists and the radical thoughts they promote thorough such platforms.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try revive peace talks.

Palestinians welcomed the proposal but Israel is concerned an international forum would try to dictate terms for a peace deal.

In public remarks to his cabinet after meeting France's Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu said: "I told him the only way to advance genuine peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions."

Anything other than bilateral talks would give the Palestinians an "escape hatch" through which to avoid meeting his demand that they recognise Israel as the "nation state of the Jewish people", he said.

Israel made the same arguments in the formal response it gave last month. France hopes an international conference would set out a framework for peace negotiations after U.S. efforts to broker a two-state deal collapsed in April 2014.

After meeting Netanyahu, Ayrault travelled to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to discuss the initiative with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Neither spoke to reporters.

An international gathering, planned for May 30 in Paris, is set to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations), the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation.

Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for a peace conference in the autumn.

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French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault rejected on Sunday comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who cast doubt on the impartiality of a French initiative to revive Israeli-Palestinians peace talks.

"France has no vested interest, but is deeply convinced that if we don't want to let the ideas of the Islamic State group prosper in this region, we must do something," Ayrault told reporters at the airport after meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

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Almost seven decades after the creation of Israel, Palestinians are still fighting for the Right of Return to their homeland

Palestinians around the historic territory of Palestine have marked the 68th anniversary of their expulsion from their homeland  called the Nakba, or catastrophe - at the hands of Zionist militias during the 1948 war.

On Sunday, thousands of Palestinians in territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - in addition to Palestinian refugees around the world held protests and memorials to commemorate the event and demand the Right of Return.

On Thursday, Arab Palestinians in Israel, who were not expelled from their land during the 1948 war that established the state of Israel, marked the anniversary with protests inside the Green Line.

In November 1947, after years of escalating tensions, the United Nations issued Resolution 181 that partitioned Palestine between the Palestinians and Jewish settlers.

The infamous resolution allotted Jews 55 percent of historic Palestine to establish a state despite the fact that Jewish settlers made up less than 30% of the areas total population.

Palestinians, who made up 70% of the population, were ordered to live on less than 45% of the land, a travesty they rejected.

Zionist militias declared the creation of the state of Israel on 15 May, 1948.

The militias used terror tactics and perpetrated massacres to displace some 800,000 Palestinians from their lands.

For almost seven decades, the Nakba has continued to remind Palestinians and their supporters around the world of gross injustice they insist must be rectified.

The Zionist movement, backed by Britain - which ruled Palestine 1919-1948 - managed by force of arms to seize the greater part of Palestine and then declared the establishment of Israel.

In 1967, Israel captured the rest of historic Palestine in what it calls the Six Day War.

On the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the Nakba, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Palestinian people "confirm every year that the memory [of the tragedy] is still alive and has not died with the passing of many who lived through the Nakba."

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the Palestinian people are still paying a heavy price for the partition of their land, asserting that "what is happening today to the Palestinians who remain steadfast on their land is no less important in terms of substance or severity than what the same people suffered through the 1948 Nakba generations before."

The ministry added that the international community, which deliberately or unintentionally neglected and ignored the 1948 Nakba, knows the price Palestinians and the whole region surrounding Palestine had to pay in terms of instability.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday that the number of Palestinians multiplied nearly nine times since 1948.

The bureau said in a statement released on Sunday that "the number of Palestinians living throughout the world reached about 12.4 million people by the end of 2015, meaning that the number of Palestinians multiplied 8.9 times since the events of 1948 Nakba."

The statement estimated that 1.4 million Arab Palestinians continue to live inside the 1948 borders in 1300 villages and towns.

Four million Palestinians live in the occupied Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

The remaining Palestinians live in the diaspora as refugees in Arab countries and around the world.

The bureau also estimated that the number of Palestinians who were not forced out of their homes in 1948 was about 154,000.

"Some 800 thousand Palestinians had been displaced from their villages and towns to the West Bank, Gaza Strip and neighboring Arab countries, the statement said, adding that thousands of Palestinians were locally displaced from their homes, even though they stayed within the 1948 borders which remained under the Israeli control."

The bureau also noted that "documented data indicates that the Israelis, during the Nakba, seized 774 Palestinian villages and towns, razing 531 of them to the ground."

"The Israeli forces committed more than 70 massacres against the Palestinians and killed more than 150,000 Palestinians during the Nakba."

The number of Palestinians who currently live in historic Palestine - between the Jordan River and the sea - reached about 6.2 million people at the end of 2015.

The statistics show that about 28.7 percent of Palestinian refugees live in 58 camps, of which ten camps are located in Jordan, nine in Syria, 12 in Lebanon, 19 in the West Bank and eight in the Gaza Strip.

The 1993 Oslo accords, which were formally intended to find a peaceful two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, failed to secure the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Israel continues to build settlements across the occupied West Bank, which currently house more than 500,000 settlers, leaving short-term prospects for a two-state-solution less than dim.

In 2005, Israel unilaterally pulled ground troops out of the Gaza Strip, but continued to enforce a ground, air, and sea blockade on the 1.5 million Palestinians living there.

*Mostafa Ali contributed to this report

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The Islamic State( IS) group launched a coordinated assault on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad that killed at least 14 people, while a string of other bomb attacks in or close to the capital killed 15 others, Iraqi officials said.

The attack on the gas plant started at dawn with a suicide car bomber hitting the facility's main gate in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad. Then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant and clashed with the security forces, an official said, adding that 27 troops were wounded.

The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency credited a group of "Caliphate soldiers" for the attack.

In a statement, Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis said firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire caused by the explosions. Younis said technicians were examining the damage.

A car bomb targeting a shopping area in the town of Latifiyah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the capital, killed seven people, including two soldiers, police and hospital officials said. They said that 18 people were also wounded in the attack, four of whom were soldiers.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three separate bomb attacks targeted commercial areas, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 28 others, police added.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The Sunday attacks killed 29 people across Iraq. Since Wednesday, more than 140 people have been killed in a spate of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere.

IS extremists still control significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the second-largest city of Mosul. It has declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria.

The group has recently increased its attacks far from the front lines in a campaign that Iraqi officials say is an attempt to distract from their recent battlefield losses.

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A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group and a second blast killed 47 police Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule ended last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS group in the city of 200,000 people that was recaptured by government forces from the rival militants of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 41 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said after earlier giving a toll of 31 dead.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt after joining a line of men at a police recruiting centre, a provincial official said.

More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

Hadramawt's security chief, General Mubarak al-Oubthani, was at the recruitment centre at the time of the attack but was not hurt.

However, he was the target of a second bombing afterwards as he was preparing to head into central Mukalla, a security official said.

The bomb exploded as Oubthani walked out of his office, killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.

An IS statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, a second rare operation by the militant group in an area known to be a stronghold of its Al-Qaeda rivals.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 soldiers were killed in militant attacks outside Mukalla. IS said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city's eastern outskirts.

The attacks included a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of the commander of Hadramawt's second military region, General Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped unharmed, officials said.



On Sunday, troops guarding an army post in Khalf opened fire on a vehicle after they suspected its driver of being a suicide bomber, a security official said, adding the vehicle sped away.

The general boasted on Friday that his forces had captured some 250 Al-Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla and nearby coastal towns, including its commander for the city of Shihr, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.

Al-Qaeda was driven out of the area last month with the backing of Emirati and Saudi special forces.

The Pentagon revealed last week that a "very small number" of US military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation.

The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, USS Boxer, and two destroyers.

The offensive against Al-Qaeda comes amid a truce and peace talks between the government and Iran-backed rebels it has been fighting with support from a Saudi-led coalition since March last year.

Speaking in Kuwait, the UN special envoy to Yemen said he was optimistic despite unresolved "difficult matters".

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference.

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

Militants from both Al-Qaeda and IS took advantage of the conflict in the country to expand their presence in Hadramawt and other areas of the south, including second city Aden where the government has its base.

IS group has claimed several attacks on government and coalition targets in Aden in recent months.

Washington regards Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has stepped up a longstanding drone war against it in recent weeks.

But the militants retain a strong presence and still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.

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The Syrian government has allowed 68 students to leave a besieged town near Damascus to take their year-end exams, Activists said.

Abdelwahab Ahmad, a media activist inside Madaya, says all ninth-graders requiring to take their year-end examinations were allowed to leave Saturday to sit the exams in nearby Rawda.

Government forces and allied militias have allowed relief groups only limited access to rebel-held Madaya since laying siege to it in July last year. Activists have recorded several deaths from starvation.

Ahmad says it is the first time the ninth-graders have been allowed to leave the town in 302 days.

The Britain-based activist monitoring group The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the deal resulted from negotiations between the government and Madaya's local council.

*The story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday lashed out at Europe's silence over the execution of a veteran Islamist leader in Bangladesh, accusing the West of "double standards."

"If you are against political executions, why did you remain silent to the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami who was martyred a couple of days ago," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.

"Have you heard anything from Europe? ... No. Isn't it called double standards?" Erdogan said.

Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at a Dhaka jail late Tuesday for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 independence war with Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former government minister was the fifth and the most senior opposition figure executed since the secular government in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation set up a controversial war crimes tribunal in 2010.

The 1971 conflict, one of the bloodiest in world history, led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh from what was then East Pakistan.

Prosecutors said Nizami was responsible for setting up the pro-Pakistani Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the war.

The trial heard Nizami ordered the killings, designed to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation.

In protest, Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Bangladesh for consultations.

Since coming to power in 2002, Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sought to boost the country's power in the Muslim world.

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The Standard and Poor's ratings agency said Friday it has downgraded the outlook on Egypt's long-term sovereign credit to negative from stable because of "external and fiscal difficulties".



"The negative outlook reflects our view that Egypt's external and fiscal vulnerabilities might increase further over the next 12 months. We consider that this could dampen the country's economic recovery and exacerbate sociopolitical tensions," it said in a statement.



The global ratings agency, at the same time, kept Egypt's long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit rating unchanged at B-/B.



The agency forecast that Egypt's current account deficits will widen to an average of 4.8 percent of GDP in 2016-2019, along with weak exports and tourism revenues, while "consolidation is proceeding more slowly than we had anticipated".

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Nestle Egypt has started to withdraw some of its bottled water products from the market as a precautionary measure after local health authorities declared them contaminated last week, the company said on Saturday in a statement.

The statement noted that the company is making every effort to ensure the safety of its products and compliance with local and international health and safety standards.

The company specified that Nestle Pure Life 1.5 litre bottles produced on 17/03/2016, Nestle Pure Life 0.33 litre bottles produced on 13/03/2016, Baraka 1.5 litre bottles produced on 01/03/2016, and Baraka 0.6 litre bottles produced on 10/03/2016 will all be withdrawn from sale.

An official directive dated May 2016 and confirmed last week by health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed showed that coliform bacteria - which usually indicate the presence of fecal matter - were found in samples of Nestle Pure Life and Baraka Water bottled water produced by Nestle Water Egypt.

Live protozoa were also found in samples of PepsiCo-produced Aquafina bottled water. Both coliform bacteria and protozoa make the bottled water unfit for human consumption.

According to an April 2013 report by the Egyptian Competition Authority, Aquafina and Nestle Pure Life controlled 71 percent of the bottled water market.

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On average, car windshields blocked about 96 percent of UV-A rays. But side door windows were far less dependable

Car windows don't protect against harmful sun exposure, so it might be a good idea to wear sunglasses and sun block even while driving, a new study suggests.

While windshields blocked the vast majority of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, car door windows offered varying levels of protection from the rays that are tied to cataracts and skin aging.

"Some cars were as low as 50 percent blockage," said researcher Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hill, California.

"Even cars that came with factory tint, there was no guarantee that would protect against UV rays," he told Reuters Health.

UV rays account for a small portion of the suns rays but are the most damaging to human skin. UV-A rays are the most common and penetrate most deeply, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Because drivers in the U.S. have their left side exposed to sunlight, UV rays have been blamed for the increased number of cataracts and skin cancers that occur on the left side, Boxer Wachler writes in JAMA Ophthalmology.

UV rays can pass through clouds and glass. To see whether car windows are protective, Boxer Wachler took a UV-A light meter to a number of Los Angeles car dealers on a cloudless May day in 2014.

He tested 29 cars from 15 different manufacturers, made between 1990 and 2014.

On average, car windshields blocked about 96 percent of UV-A rays. The protection afforded by individual cars ranged from 95 to 98 percent.

But side door windows were far less dependable. The percentage of UV-A rays blocked varied from 44 percent to 96 percent. Only four of the 29 cars had windows that blocked more than 90 percent of UV-A rays.

"It had no correlation at all with the cost of the car, high-end car or low-end car," said Boxer Wachler.

Windshields are more protective than car door windows because they must be made of laminated glass to prevent shattering, writes Dr. Jayne Weiss in a commentary published with the study. Car door windows, however, are usually just tempered glass.

"Dont assume because you are in an automobile and the window is closed that you're protected from UV light," she told Reuters Health.

"For the eyes, your best bet is to get sunglasses that block UV-A and UV-B light and wraparound the face," said Weiss, who directs the Louisiana State University Eye Center of Excellence in New Orleans.

Some of the car windows in this study let in enough UV-A rays to affect skin health, said Dr. Paul Nghiem, who heads the division of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

"Wearing long sleeve clothing, or sunscreen that is 'broad spectrum' would be extremely effective and seems indicated on long drives on sunny days," Nghiem, who was not involved with the new study, told Reuters Health by email.

People can also get clear UV filters added to their car windows to protect from the damaging rays, said Boxer Wachler.

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Palestinian men wave the national flag and chant slogans during a rally to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" on May 15, 2016 in the West Bank city of Nablus (AFP) Palestinian men wave the national flag and chant slogans during a rally to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" on May 15, 2016 in the West Bank city of Nablus (AFP)

A Palestinian boy holds a large key in front of a poster during a rally to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" on May 15, 2016 in the West Bank city of Nablus (AFP) A Palestinian boy holds a large key in front of a poster during a rally to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" on May 15, 2016 in the West Bank city of Nablus (AFP)

A Palestinian girl wears earrings bearing the number "68" and a hair slide in the shape of a key on May 15, 2016 in the besieged Gaza strip during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" (AFP) A Palestinian girl wears earrings bearing the number "68" and a hair slide in the shape of a key on May 15, 2016 in the besieged Gaza strip during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" (AFP)

A Palestinian waves national flags and holds a large key on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" (AFP) A Palestinian waves national flags and holds a large key on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" (AFP)

Palestinians hold a large key, symbolising the homes left by Palestinians in 1948, on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" in Arabic in reference to the establishment in 1948 of the state of Israel (AFP) Palestinians hold a large key, symbolising the homes left by Palestinians in 1948, on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" in Arabic in reference to the establishment in 1948 of the state of Israel (AFP)

Palestinians wave national flags on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" in Arabic in reference to the establishment in 1948 of the state of Israel (AFP) Palestinians wave national flags on May 15, 2016 in Gaza city during a rally to commemorate the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" in Arabic in reference to the establishment in 1948 of the state of Israel (AFP)

A foreign activist runs for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest ahead of Nakba day, in the occupied West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah May 13, 2016 (Reuters) A foreign activist runs for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest ahead of Nakba day, in the occupied West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah May 13, 2016 (Reuters)

Arab Palestinians in Israel protesters hold Palestinian flags as they march for the right of return for Palestinian refugees who fled their homes or were expelled during the 1948 war that followed the creation of the state of Israel, near Rahat on May 12, 2016 (AFP) Arab Palestinians in Israel protesters hold Palestinian flags as they march for the right of return for Palestinian refugees who fled their homes or were expelled during the 1948 war that followed the creation of the state of Israel, near Rahat on May 12, 2016 (AFP)

Palestinian refugee Aisha, 53, who says is a former inhabitant of the town of Beersheva, waves a group of keys outside her home in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2016, on the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" (AFP) Palestinian refugee Aisha, 53, who says is a former inhabitant of the town of Beersheva, waves a group of keys outside her home in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2016, on the 68th anniversary of the "Nakba" (AFP)

Palestinians act in a play enacting "Nakba" or Catastrophe day in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, May 15, 2016 (AP) Palestinians act in a play enacting "Nakba" or Catastrophe day in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, May 15, 2016 (AP)
The tiger, identified as a 10-year-old male, has been prowling the residential areas and preying on cows since September 25.
Certified fake fertilisers fined

Eleven units assigned to test fertiliser quality - and to grant quality certification to production and business facilities nationwide - would face severe punishment for violations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said.





An inspection conducted recently by the ministry showed Vinacert Certification and Inspection Joint Stock company, one of the eleven units, issued faked certificates to 36 fertiliser products.The fertiliser testing and control centre in the southern region can only certify phosphate and diammonium phosphate fertilisers legally. But more than 1,200 inorganic fertiliser products not under centre jurisdiction were wrongly issued certificates.The centre also presented certificates to 496 fertiliser products not on the ministry certification list. And they failed to supervise fertiliser quality when these 496 products were delivered on the market.The company is also guilty of not following proper certification procedures because they did not save any fertiliser samples, as required by law.At other companies, inspectors found fertiliser products had been improperly certified without any legal documents.Surprisingly, these eleven facilities do not have any business registration and their laboratories are not qualified to conduct the necessary fertiliser analyses. The experts working at these facilities reportedly do not specialise in inspecting and certifying fertilisers.The Department of Crop Production was also discovered to have handed authority to a coffee inspection company to monitor feriliser quality.Nghiem Phu Truong, head of MARDs inspection team, told dantri.com.vn that after violations were noticed inspectors reported the case to the MARD minister and proposed removing the violators authority.Regarding punishment levels, in an interview with the Lao ong (Labour) newspaper, National Assembly (NA) deputy Nguyen Sy Cuong, a permanent member of NAs External Relations Committee, said the violations are a sign of corruption and of abuse of power and position to commit violations.Due to the serious negative impacts on the nations agriculture sector, MARD Minister Cao uc Phat asked ministry agencies to impose punishments in accordance with State laws, without any shield.The inspectorate ordered the Department of Crop Production to review its responsibilities regarding this issue. Violators were asked to withdraw illegally-granted fertiliser certificates. The team also submitted inspection documents to the Ministry of Public Security for further investigation.Counterfeit and shoddy fertiliser products have reportedly plagued markets nationwide. Farmers suffer most from fake products.Statistics provided at a national conference on fighting fake fertilisers last year showed that Viet Nam suffers losses of US$2 billion per year from fake fertilisers.VNS
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Faster, stronger, higher, higher and higher Updated: 2016-05-14 11:51 By Yang Feiyue(China Daily)

Yading scenic spot offers tracks running 29 kilometers through sprawling mountains and forests, giving those walking or running on them the chance not only to lap up the pristine nature but also to test theirphysical strength.[Photo by Wei Xueyan/ China Daily]

In a scenic spot that literally takes your breath away, the competitive juices run.

Skin baked dry and hard by the sun, dark purple lips and the lilt of Tibetan in the air: It was late April, and it was these sights and sounds that greeted us even before we had fully come to terms with a couple of other welcoming presents: the weather and altitude sickness.

We had just arrived at Daocheng Yading Airport, the world's highest civilian airport, 4,411 meters above sea level, which had just been blanketed by snow, something that seemed incongruous for us who had been in balmy Beijing, where short sleeved seemed to be all the go the day before.

We changed into our down and wind jackets before getting out of the aircraft, and some of the passengers immediately felt the effects of altitude stress.

An hour earlier we had been soaking up or merely tolerating the hustle and bustle of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, and here the dark brown, snowcapped mountains reclining on the horizon could not have presented a starker contrast.

Yading is in Daocheng county, Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, in Sichuan and well known for its virgin natural environment and spectacular scenery.

The three crowning glories of it all are the Xiannairi, Yangmaiyong and Xianuo Duoji peaks, each about 6,000 meters above sea level, blanketed by dazzling white snow, and with blue-watered rivers, lakes and lush alpine meadows all contributing to the majestic tapestry.

"We worship these three peaks, regarding them as having been given to us by Buddha," a local guide told us.

One of the main reasons for our visit was much more earthbound: the first ever event in China put on by Skyrunning, an organization that puts on cross-country running events around the globe. For this event more than 70 professional runners from 22 countries and regions, including Iran, Italy, Mexico, Nepal and the US, had flown in to savor what this out-of-the-way venue had to offer.

Most of them were among the top 100 cross-country runners worldwide, the organizers say.

The organization's name refers to the interface between the earth and the sky, and Yading was regarded as ideal venue for the event, given its superb mountain tracks. The organization places a premium on putting runners in touch with nature.

It has staged more than 200 events in more than 50 countries, and it says they attracted more than 30,000 participants.

The tracks used in Yading ran 29 kilometers through sprawling mountains and forests, giving those walking or running on them the chance not only to lap up the pristine nature but also test their physical strength.

In fact, the rigors of the altitude left some of us breathless as we merely negotiated a couple of flights of stairs.

Ruth Croft, a professional cross-country runner from New Zealand, said: "It actually reminds me a bit of Nepal, but then it's amazing as you go up the trail here, you see the change in the trees and they're really bright and orange."

Croft and winners of several international running events, such as the 2015 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the French Alps, were among the several professionals invited to offer their opinions and advice on preparations for the Skyrun event.
Baku and Yerevan have feuded over the Nagorny Karabakh region since Armenian separatists seized the territory in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives in the early 1990s and ended in a frail 1994 truce (AFP Photo/KAREN MINASYAN)

Yerevan (AFP) - Armenia said Thursday it may consider formally recognising the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region, in a move that would increase tensions with Azerbaijan just a month after clashes over the disputed territory claimed 110 lives.

Armenia said it would debate a law that would recognise Karabakh as an independent country "in the event of fresh Azerbaijani aggression", according to a statement on the government's official website.

At least 110 people died last month in the worst violence to hit Karabakh since an inconclusive ceasefire deal in 1994 halted a war that left some 30,000 people dead.

The two sides never signed a definitive peace deal after Armenian separatists seized the territory from Azerbaijan, and have been rearming heavily in recent years.

Karabakh has declared itself independent but has not been officially recognised by any country, including its main backer Armenia.

Azerbaijan called Armenia's move "yet another insult to the negotiations process."

If Armenia recognises the separatist regime in Azerbaijan's occupied territories, the Minsk Group (of mediators co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia) "will lose its mandate," it said in a statement.

Key regional player Russia said it was "following very closely all decisions" and warned against any moves that could increase tensions between Baku and Yerevan.

Energy-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget, has repeatedly threatened to take back the breakaway region by force.

But Moscow-backed Armenia has vowed to crush any military offensive.
Roszke (Hungary) (AFP) - On the Serbian side of Hungary's razor-topped border fence, the smell of burning rubbish hangs in the air, clothes hang on trees and the wait to get into the European Union goes on.

"We go to (the toilet in) those trees over there," said Amir, 17, one of a seven-strong Afghan family including two children and an exhausted elderly woman with a crutch, sitting on the ground in this squalid camp.

Dozens of migrants arrive every day hoping to be let into two caged-off Hungarian "transit zones" built into the fence, one here at Roszke and another at Tompa 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

But the wait can take weeks -- and in the meantime, there is little food and no electricity, medical care or toilets.

Once inside the transit zone, migrants are taken to container huts where they are interviewed by Hungarian officials and can apply for asylum.

But depending on the case, the wait in here can again take days or even weeks before they are taken to open camps inside Hungary, from where many head onwards to Germany or Austria.

For those stuck waiting to get in, Hungarian authorities have provided a single tap and a simple daily food package, despite the Immigration Office telling AFP it is "not legally obliged to look after foreigners waiting to get into the transit zones".

At Roszke, only around 30 of the 100 or so who try to enter are let into the transit zone each day.

"Families get in, but single men have little chance -- I just keep waiting," one young Syrian lamented.

Last September, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government sealed the entire 175-kilometre (110-mile) Serbian border with the fence.

Here at Roszke, police clashed with frustrated migrants a day after it went up.

More than 4,000 people had been entering Hungary per day at the time. But the closure diverted the mass flow of people trekking up from Greek beaches into Croatia, from where they crossed into EU member Slovenia.

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In March, the Balkan trail shut down completely as other nations closed their borders. Soon afterwards, the EU and Turkey signed a controversial deal aimed at cutting off the influx altogether.

- Smugglers -

But the migrants keep coming, albeit in much smaller numbers. Several at Roszke told AFP of journeys overland from Turkey via Bulgaria, or via Greece and Macedonia with the help of smugglers.

In Hungary, police say they have intercepted more than 10,500 migrants this year -- 130 a day in April, up from 80 in February.

Once at the Hungarian border, many cross the fence illegally, risking lengthy detention under harsh new laws.

"Taking their chances may be better than this misery for God knows how long," an aid worker told AFP.

But others go legal and apply for asylum at Roszke.

Inside the transit zone, closed off from media, immigration officials interview the migrants, guarded by police and soldiers.

Before the Brussels terror attacks in March around 100 people were let into the zone each day, but now the Immigration Office says more time is needed for interviews.

As Budapest continues to harden its response to the migrant crisis, those requesting asylum at Roszke face near-certain expulsion back to Serbia, which Hungary says is a safe country.

Serbia has hardly readmitted anyone, though -- so those expelled are sent instead to camps in Hungary, from where most eventually move on without waiting for the result of their asylum claim.

A Syrian man told AFP how a friend caught crossing the fence spent a day behind bars before he was taken to an open camp.

"He sent a message a few days later from Germany," he said.

- 'Denial of protection' -

Rights groups like the Hungarian Helsinki Committee have slammed Hungary for its "complete denial of protection" to migrants. Several European countries don't send migrants back to Hungary as a result.

Fast-track trials of those caught crossing illegally have led to expulsion orders for some 2,700 migrants since September, according to court data.

A group of Syrians and Iraqis including several disabled people even face lengthy jail terms over last year's clashes at Roszke, with one charged with "an act of terrorism".

In Roszke village though, locals are relieved the government has restored order after last year's chaos.

"One day we even found a migrant hiding among the paprika in the greenhouse, one woman said.

"We ended up locking our doors."
China Online Education Group filed an F-1 form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its initial public offering (IPO). No pricing details were given in the filing, but the offering was valued up to $100 million, although this number is usually just a placeholder. The company has yet to decide on which exchange to list its American depositary shares.

The underwriters for the offering are Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.

This is a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, China Online Education is one of the top online education platforms as measured by gross billings in 2015, and the largest online English education platform in China, as measured by gross billings in 2015 and the number of available foreign teachers as of December 31, 2015.

ALSO READ: Bernstein Wants Clients Buying Several Top MLPs

In the filing, China Online Education gave its mission as follows:

Our mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. Recognizing the strong demand for improving English proficiency and the lack of effective and affordable solutions in China, our founders started with English education as the first step of our journey.



English education in China traditionally focuses on test preparation instead of improving English proficiency, especially English communication skills. To address this unmet need, this company has developed proprietary online and mobile education platforms that enable students across China to take one-on-one live interactive English lessons with overseas foreign teachers, on demand, fostering the development of all aspects of English proficiency. China Online Education employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience. The lessons are highly affordable, with each 25-minute lesson on average costing roughly $5.

ALSO READ: 4 Large Cap Growth Stocks to Buy With Incredible 10-Year Track Records

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The company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified foreign teachers that it has assembled using a sharing economy approach. Once these teachers have gone through a rigorous selection and training process, the company gives them the flexibility to deliver lessons based on their own scheduling availability, at appropriate locations of their choice, and get paid based on the number of lessons taught. This sharing economy approach has allowed the company to quickly build a large team of teachers in a cost-effective manner. This platform analyzes teachers' teaching aptitudes, feedback and rating from students and background and recommends suitable teachers to students according to their respective characteristics and learning objectives.

ALSO READ: The Next 11 States to Legalize Marijuana

China Online Education plans to use the net proceeds from offering primarily for general corporate purposes.

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People wearing t-shirts reading "We are all Gambian" demonstrate in Dakar on April 22, 2016 (AFP Photo/Seyllou) (AFP/File)

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Gambia's ruling party and the opposition have signed a joint pledge to promote free elections and peaceful politics amid rare protests and rising political tensions.

The pledge seen by AFP on Thursday, was signed a week ago, on April 22, in the capital Banjul in the presence of EU, UN and US diplomats, by the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) and opposition parties including the United Democratic Party (UDP).

The signature followed the arrests of 37 people after a rare opposition protest on April 14. The group, a few of whom are reported to be missing, have been denied bail on charges of rioting, illegal protest and other offences.

The pledge says that the ruling party and opposition agreed "to promote peaceful political party activities and the holding of free, fair and genuine elections."

A group is to be formed "to address the current political tensions and prevent future ones".

The protesters early this month had called for radical political reforms in the small west African nation ruled with an iron fist by President Yahya Jammeh since a coup in 1994.

In February, the 50-year-old Jammeh was named his party's candidate to seek a fifth mandate in a presidential poll in December. He was first elected head of state in 1996, two years after the bloodless coup.

The regime is regularly accused by watchdog bodies and the US State Department of making opponents forcibly disappear and harassing the press and independent broadcasting media.
Stephen Dunn | Getty Images. Billionaire Mark Cuban took time out of a back-and forth with Piers Morgan on Twitter to bash Sen. Ted Cruz and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

A group of dissident Republicans refusing to support Donald Trump have courted a diverse slate of potential candidates to mount a potential third party bid against the putative nominee, The Washington Post reported on Saturdaya group that includes another outspoken billionaire.



Conservative opinion writers William Kristol and Erick Erickson have been part of the effort, the publication reported, as has former GOP nominee Mitt Romney. In recent months, Romney has emerged as a prominent voice in the movement to derail Trump's White House ambitions.

The Post added that the list of candidates the group has fielded include names like Ohio governor John Kasich, who recently ended his own bid for the Republican nomination; Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who has also become a strident critic of Trump; and billionaire Mark Cuban. According to the report, Cuban was approached because of his possible ability to connect with votersand his own blustery persona that can match Trump's.

A representative for the Trump campaign did not immediately reply to CNBC's requests for comment.

Read More Candidate: US voters are libertarian but don't know it

However, the report added that most of the response to the 3rd party effort has been tepid at best. Cuban was quoted by The Post as saying that he didn't "see it happening," and given the closeness of the election, there "isn't enough time."

Despite establishment calls to coalesce around Trump, Sasse is part of a prominent clutch of Republicans who are refusing to support him, despite the possibility that such opposition could result in former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ascending to the Oval Office.

In a lengthy Facebook post recently, Sasse rejected both the candidacies of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Trump, saying that he would seek a third option in November.

There is little love lost between the real estate mogul and Kristol, the publisher of the influential conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. Before Trump romped through the GOP primaries, Kristol warned that the GOP would "have to start a new party" if he were the nominee.



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When Trump announced his bid last year, Cuban spoke favorably about the billionaire real estate mogul's candidacy. Yet just this week, Cubanthe owner of the Dallas Mavericks and himself an outspoken billionairereportedly described Trump in vulgar terms, saying he was "like hat guy who'll walk into the bar and say anything" to get a woman's attention.

The Post reported that other names on the 3rd party wish list include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, retired Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, and former Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn.



The full report can be found on The Washington Post's website.





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The middle class in America's cities has shrunk dramatically in the 21st century.

A Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data looked at the state of the middle class in America's metropolitan areas. Pew defined "middle-income" households as those whose income fell between two-thirds and twice the national median household income, adjusted for household size and for the local cost of living in each metro area.

The results are fascinating and disheartening: Between 2000 and 2014, the two years Pew reviewed in the study, 203 out of the 229 metropolitan areas analyzed had a decline in the percentage of their populations that fell in that middle-income range.

Business Insider made a map showing those shifts. The darker red each metro area, the more the middle-income group shrank as a percentage of that metro area's population between 2000 and 2014. The handful of blue metro areas represent those that saw an increase in the middle-income share.

change in middle class metro areas

Pew's research shone light on the issue that has contributed to the rise in anxiety throughout the American public, which has helped explain the rise of the insurgent candidacies of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders.

As the US is a country of vast proportions, the causes for the decline in the middle class varies among metro areas. Pew pointed out the examples of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Midland, Texas. Both cities saw large declines in their middle-income shares  but for very different reasons.

ST_2016.05.12_middle class geo 02

Goldsboro, which Pew noted is a railroad hub and home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, saw a big rise in the share of lower-income households that earned less than two-thirds of the national median income after adjusting for household size and local cost of living.

Meanwhile, Midland, which as of 2014 was still enjoying the fruits of the US shale-oil boom, lost middle-income households, but saw a big jump in the share of upper-income households earning more than twice the adjusted national median income.

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The news nationwide, however, is more bad than good.

Pew observed that the decline in the middle class is associated with an overall increase in inequality in the US, which could lead to somewhat dire consequences for American society.

Pew also noted that the drop in the percentage of households that fall in the middle coincides with an overall decline in incomes. The report pointed out that in the time period covered, real median household incomes in the US as a whole fell by 8%.

The decline of the middle class in America's cities is one of the biggest political and economic problems of the 21st century, and Pew's analysis shows the severity of the problem.

"The current and future status of the American middle class continues to be a central issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. Moreover, new economic research suggests that a struggling middle class could be holding back the potential for future economic growth," Pew wrote in its report. "The national trend is clear  the middle class is losing ground as a share of the population, and its share of aggregate U.S. household income is also declining."

For more, check out the full Pew Research Center report here.

NOW WATCH: This map shows how much money you need to make to live in the 7 biggest US cities





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Motiur Rahman Nizami, the top leader of Jamaat-e-Islami until his hanging, never denied his opposition to the former East Pakistan's breakaway from the regime in Islamabad which triggered a nine-month war of secession in 1971 (AFP Photo/)

As a cabinet minister, Motiur Rahman Nizami used to be chauffeured around Bangladesh with the green and red national flag fluttering proudly from the bonnet of his official limousine.

But according to witnesses at his war crimes trial, the future leader of Bangladesh's main Islamist party spent his student days running a killing machine which murdered anyone who agitated for independence.

"When he became a cabinet minister, it was one of the most shameful moments in our history," Imran Sarker, one of Bangladesh's most widely-read secular bloggers, said after Nizami's execution Tuesday.

"He used to fly the flag and yet he and his party not only opposed Bangladesh's independence but he was the chief orchestrator of the murders of the country's finest intellectuals."

Nizami, the top leader of Jamaat-e-Islami until his hanging, never denied his opposition to the former East Pakistan's breakaway from the regime in Islamabad which triggered a nine-month war of secession in 1971.

But during his trial in Dhaka in 2014, Nizami insisted his opposition was only ideological in his role as head of Jamaat's now defunct student wing and he played no part in any mass murders.

The prosecution painted a different picture of a bloodthirsty zealot who turned the youth wing into a de facto death squad which assassinated professors, writers and journalists.

"When it was clear that Pakistan was losing the war, as the chief commander of Al Badr he ordered a hit-list based on which top intellectuals were abducted and killed," prosecutor Mohammad Ali told AFP.

The aim was to render the fledgling nation "intellectually crippled", he added.

Like many prominent figures allied to the regime in Islamabad, Nizami kept a low-profile in the immediate post-war period, fearing revenge.

But after the assassination of independence hero Sheikh Mujib -- the father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina -- Jamaat was taken off the banned list in 1979 and Nizami emerged as one of its key lieutenants.

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He played a central role in its rebranding as a democratic party which eschewed violence and a formidable new student wing was created on his watch.

After years as the party's second-in-command, he took the helm in 2000 and made Jamaat a close partner of the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The alliance secured a landslide election victory the following year, with BNP leader Khaleda Zia replacing her arch rival Hasina as premier.

It was the first time Jamaat had been given a role in governing a nation which it had tried to smother at birth. Nizami served both as industry minister and agriculture minister from 2001-06.

But the seeds of his downfall were sown in 2004 when police accidentally seized a weapons consignment being smuggled into the country that was destined for a rebel outfit in neighbouring India's northeast.

When Hasina was voted back to power in 2009, her administration filed charges against Nizami for abetting smuggling on the grounds that the weapons were being unloaded at a jetty run by his ministry.

He was subsequently sentenced to death in a verdict supporters said was a sop to Bangladesh's powerful neighbour which is close to Hasina's Awami League party.

While on death row in the smuggling case, Nizami became one of around a dozen senior figures from Jamaat and BNP to be charged over their role in the 1971 conflict which was one of the bloodiest in the post-colonial era.

Jamaat said the prosecutions were part of a government witch-hunt aimed at neutering the opposition.

With most of its leaders either having been executed, jailed or on the run, Jamaat -- which is now banned from standing in elections -- has struggled to bring supporters onto the streets in the last three years.

Rights groups criticised the trials for lacking international oversight but the government insists they were fair and necessary to bring justice to the families of people killed during the war.

According to Hasina's government, three million people died in the conflict although independent monitors say the real figure was far lower.
Shariful Islam Shihab (C) in Dhaka on May 15, 2016 after his arrest in connection with the murder of two gay rights activists (AFP Photo/-)

Dhaka (AFP) - Bangladesh police have arrested a suspected Islamist militant over the hacking to death of two gay rights activists, part of a spate of murders of intellectuals, writers and religious minorities, officers said Sunday.

Xulhaz Mannan, an editor of a magazine for Bangladesh's gay and lesbian community, and fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were murdered in a Dhaka apartment last month by about six men carrying machetes and guns.

Police on Saturday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam Shihab, described as a member of a local Islamist militant outfit that has been blamed for a string of similar gruesome murders of secular and atheist bloggers.

"We've arrested one man in connection with the murder of Xulhaz Mannan," Dhaka police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP.

"He is a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team," he said, adding that the two activists were murdered on the orders of the ABT leadership.

Washington has condemned the killings of 25-year Tonoy and Mannan, 35, who worked for US government aid organisation USAID, as pressure mounts on Bangladesh to curb the attacks and bring those responsible to justice.

Both men had received threats from Islamists over their championing of gay rights.

At a press briefing in the capital on Sunday, police said Shihab -- who has denied carrying out the killings -- owned one of two guns used in the murders and has also supplied arms and bombs for previous ABT operations.

Police seized Shihab in the western town of Kushtia, where he allegedly heads an ABT unit, after raids on several properties, in what Dhaka counter-terrorism chief Monirul Islam said was a "breakthrough" in the case.

"They killed the gay rights activists because they were creating confusion about Islam," Islam said, adding the investigation was ongoing.

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has claimed responsibility for killing the pair, saying the two men had worked to "promote homosexuality" in Bangladesh.

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But Bangladesh police chiefs have said their murders have the hallmarks of local Islamists, while the secular government has blamed the opposition.

Several members of homegrown Ansarullah Bangla Team were convicted last year over the 2013 murder of atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

- Monk murder -

The arrest comes after an elderly Buddhist monk was found hacked to death on Saturday in a temple in the southeastern district of Bandarban -- the seventh such killing since the start of last month.

Two Muslim Rohingya refugees, who fled persecution in Myanmar, and a member of the Chak ethnic community to which the monk belonged are being held for questioning over his murder, local police inspector Anisur Rahman told AFP.

Suspected Islamists have been blamed or claimed responsibility for the scores of murders carried out since last year, as fear grips the Muslim-majority nation over the rising violence.

Last year four secular bloggers and a publisher were hacked to death, while Christians, Hindus and Sufi, Ahmadi and Shiite Muslims have also been killed since.

No one has yet been convicted over those deaths, despite a number of arrests.

The Islamic State group has claimed a number of the killings, but authorities insist there is no evidence of the group's presence in Bangladesh.

A long-running political crisis in Bangladesh has radicalised opponents of the government and analysts say Islamist extremists pose a growing danger.
(Reuters) - Interviews with dozens of women who have worked for Donald Trump or interacted with him socially reveal a pattern of often unsettling personal behaviour by the Republican presidential candidate, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The Times, which said it based the article on more than 50 interviews, quoted women who recounted episodes in which he treated women as sexual objects and made comments about their bodies. But some women said Trump had encouraged them in their careers and promoted them within his businesses, often in positions in which women tended to be excluded. When asked about the unflattering incidents described in the article, Trump either denied that they took place or disputed the details, the newspaper said. A lot of things get made up over the years, Trump told the Times. I have always treated women with great respect. A Trump representative did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment. Barbara Res, who oversaw construction of Trump's Manhattan business headquarters, said he would sometimes interrupt meetings with comments about women's figures. During a job interview for a Los Angeles project, for example, Trump made a random aside about Southern California women. "They take care of their asses," Res recalled Trump saying. Years later, when Res says she had gained weight, she said Trump told her: "You like your candy." Even so, Res, who worked for Trump for 12 years before quitting and then came back as a consultant for six more, said she was grateful to Trump for her professional opportunities, though she said he frequently called her "Honey Bunch," the Times reported. Trump also earned a reputation for being seen with beautiful women dating back to his days at a New York military-style boarding school where he was named "ladies' man" in the yearbook, the Times reported. Barbara Fife, a deputy New York mayor in the 1990s, recalls Trump telling her at her City Hall office that he was in a hurry because he had "a great date tonight with a model for Victorias Secret," she told the Times. I saw it as immature, quite honestly, Fife was quoted as saying. As a candidate, Trump has made frequent references to his record in business as evidence of how American women would benefit if he is elected. He has often said that no one cherishes or respects women more than him. Some of those interviewed praised Trump for giving women positions of power. I think there are mischaracterizations about him, Jill Martin, assistant counsel at the Trump Organization, told the Times. For me, hes made it a situation where I can really excel at my job and still devote the time necessary for my family. The story comes less than two weeks after the last of Trump's Republican rivals dropped out, all but assuring him the party's presidential nomination this summer. Throughout his improbable campaign, Trump has managed to deflect criticism about his attitude to women, fuelled by verbal insults he lobbed at Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and former Republican candidate Carly Fiorina. (Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday. In a bleak assessment of Venezuela's worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office. But the two officials, briefing a small group of reporters in Washington, predicted that Maduro, who heads Latin Americas most ardently anti-U.S. government and a major U.S. oil supplier, was not likely to be able to complete his term, which is due to end after elections in late 2018. They said one plausible scenario would be that Maduros own party or powerful political figures would force him out and would not rule out the possibility of a military coup. Still, they said there was no evidence of any active plotting or that he had lost support from the countrys generals. The officials appeared to acknowledge that Washington has little leverage in how the situation unfolds in Venezuela, where any U.S. role draws government accusations of U.S.-aided conspiracies. Instead, the administration of President Barack Obama wants "regional" efforts to help keep the country from sliding into chaos. You can hear the ice cracking. You know theres a crisis coming, one U.S. official said. Our pressure on this isnt going to resolve this issue. Maduro hit back on Friday night, blasting what he said was a meeting "to conspire against Venezuela" in Washington. "Washington is activating measures at the request of Venezuela's fascist right, who are emboldened by the coup in Brazil," he said during a televised broadcast in reference to this week's impeachment of fellow leftist Dilma Rousseff in Brazil. Maduro, 53, then declared a 60-day state of emergency which includes the "necessary measures" to protect Venezuela in the event of a foreign attack, he said, without providing details. [L2N18B014] Mobs in Venezuela have stolen flour, chicken and even underwear this week as looting increases across the crisis-hit OPEC nation where many basic products have run short, and the U.S. officials said this could spiral into widespread unrest. Soldiers fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters on Wednesday as Venezuela's opposition marched to pressure electoral authorities into allowing a recall referendum against Maduro. Maduro has sworn he will not be forced out before his term expires in 2019 and accuses the opposition of seeking a coup against him to destroy the socialist legacy of his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. Washington has had an acrimonious relationship with Caracas for years, especially following U.S. support for a short-lived 2002 coup against Chavez. The U.S. officials insisted that the United States was not rooting against Caracas but just wanted to see the crisis defused. They expressed concern for a possible spillover to its neighboring countries, especially Colombia, but said most of the instability would be "self-contained" to Venezuela. Such intelligence assessments help U.S. policymakers decide on how to respond. There was no immediate comment from the White House. The administration quietly sought last year to improve relations but the imposition of new U.S. sanctions and drug-related indictments stoked fresh tensions. The officials cited the risk of a Venezuelan debt default. Maduro's government has consistently paid its debt on time and has slammed market fears of a default as an international smear campaign. Weak oil markets and an unraveling socialist economy have fanned concerns that the Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA will be unable to make nearly $5 billion in bond payments between now and the end of the year. (Editing by Mary Milliken and Stephen Coates)
By Alexei Kalmykov and Vladimir Soldatkin KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukrainian politicians hailed their country's surprise weekend victory in the European Song Contest as a continent-wide endorsement in their smouldering conflict with Russia, while Moscow said the competition had been hijacked by politics. Ukrainian singer Jamala overtook the bookmakers' favourites, Russia and Australia, to win the normally light-hearted contest with the song "1944" about the war-time deportations of ethnic Tatars from Ukraine's Crimea peninsula by Soviet dictator Stalin. The singer, herself of Crimean Tatar descent, had drawn parallels in interviews to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, which provoked Western condemnation of the Kremlin and was opposed by many in the region's Tatar minority. Under Eurovision rules, her victory on Saturday evening means the 2017 contest will take place in the Ukrainian capital. One pro-Kremlin politician in Moscow suggested Russia might boycott the event next year. After the results were announced in Stockholm, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote on Twitter: "Personally congratulated Jamala with the victory. Today her voice spoke to the world on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people. The truth, as always, prevailed!" Ukraine's victory, 12 years after it last won the Eurovision title, lifted the mood of people worn down by two years of conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east as well as political crises, corruption and poverty nationwide. "It is a great win, and a very timely one. People need such things these days, said Nikolay, a student from Kiev who only found out about it when a friend showed him a clip on her phone. Nastya, a barista also from Kiev, had watched the contest through the night. I am so happy," she said. "It is a small victory for Ukraine, it strengthens the spirit of our people. Greeted by singing and cheering fans on her arrival in Kiev on Sunday evening, Jamala said the win was double-edged. I think its a big opportunity for us and at the same time it is a huge responsibility because Europe trusted us, she said. Asked if next year's event could be held in Crimea, she said: "It's hard to see that happening for the time being". DAY OF REMEMBRANCE Ukraine marked an annual day of remembrance for victims of political repression on Sunday -- including Soviet purges of Crimean Tatars and other groups on Ukrainian soil. Tatars, a Muslim people indigenous to the Black Sea peninsula, now number about 300,000 in a population of 2 million. While many Crimean residents want to be ruled by Moscow, many Tatars are still mistrustful of the Kremlin after the wartime deportations and have opposed Moscow's annexation. That has unleashed fresh tensions. Two weeks ago, the Russian administration in Crimea banned the Crimean Tatars' highest ruling body, the Mejlis, and there have been accusations -- denied by Moscow - of systematic persecution of the Tatars. Mejlis leader Refat Chubarov, said Jamala's victory marked another step towards liberating Crimea from the "Russian occupation". "We saw an incredible number of true admirers of Jamala's talent, supporters of independent Ukraine, allies of the Crimean Tatar people," he said in a Facebook post. Several Russian politicians said a pop music contest which is supposed to be free of politics had been skewed by political considerations and anti-Russian stereotypes. "Geopolitics won on aggregate. Political meddling triumphed over fair competition," Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament, wrote in a Facebook post. Franz Klintzevich, another member of the Russian upper house of parliament, said he believed the Ukrainian hosts would exploit next year's contest to advance their political agenda in their conflict with Russia. "If nothing changes in Ukraine, I don't think we should take part in this," he was quoted as saying by RIA news agency. Moscow denies annexing Crimea. It says the region's people expressed their will to become part of Russia in a democratic referendum, and that it only sent in troops to make sure the popular will was respected. Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine erupted soon after Crimea changed hands. More than 9,000 people have been killed and while a ceasefire agreed in February 2015 is largely holding, the two sides have yet to reach agreement on holding local elections. (Additional reporting by Daniel Dickson in STOCKHOLM, editing by Christian Lowe and Philippa Fletcher)